thanksgiving

andy and his past, originally uploaded by yenna.

it was a weird week.
i'm working from 9 - 1 at the agency, and 3 - 11 to a local popular tshirt company so i am a little fried. not too much sleep, and i keep waking up with some sort of ailment. and i wasn't really looking forward to thanksgiving because i am me and don't like holidays or joy or anything.

i also had a couple of days of melancholy where i just had to deal with the fact that former friends are just incredibly cruel people. kind of a trend this year, i guess. shrug. i know i'm pretty cranky a lot of the times but never would i do anything so hurtful to someone who was my friend for years and years. i just don't get that, but andy was here to make me laugh and hug me, and it all kind of melted away. i'm perfectly happy if it's just me and him for the rest of my life. we spent thanksgiving in romeoville with his fam, and i got to see embarassing photos of baby andy, and then we saw james bond. ive never seen a james bond movie. ... daniel craig is attractive. that's all i really have to say about that.

so, that's it. not much to blog about, i;m currently pretty freaking in love with this dude but feel i shouldnt talk much about it becaus ei dont want to lose my edge. or my cred. or credge.

nov. 4th.

crowds, originally uploaded by yenna.

the entire week andy and i were debating on whether or not to go if we didn't have tickets. he, vehemently no. me, probably no because i am lazy but maybe yes because it is history. on sunday my spot on the ticket waitlist became a ticket, and the time from then on was figuring out what time to leave. we had planned on having friends and snacks and watching MSNBC in all of its glory but everyone we knew got tickets at the last minute so a scaled back party there was. we watched until ohio and everyone just kind of smailed, i declared it, folks left and me, andy and jasmine got on our bikes and met tom on the lakefront path.

let me tell you. as skeptical as i was on biking down, it was truly the best thing i could have done. not only was i CRAZY ENERGIZED FROM OBAMA but the bike in the dark, down the lake looking at the city. man. i cant even explain. and once we got to the loop, he hit 270. mccain was conceeding as we passed nbc and people were gathered around the building to watch. cars sat in teh streets, horns blared, people yelled and laughed and smiled and i have never ever ever seen anyhting that spectacular.

andy hit a rough patch on michigan and fell in front of a cab and i thought he had died and freaked out. he was fine and has a gnarly bruise on his knee. we parked our bikes and walked and ran with the masses to the park. thousands of people, who weren't counted in the final rally tally, just stood in the streets, cheering the entire time. we ran from the entrance to the park and stood at the very top of the crowd. i cried and couldn't believe where i was, why i was there. it was incredible in any and every sense of the word.

when his speech was over, we hung around at the park, in the grass, talking to friends, trying to reply to all of the texts we had. there was a long line of people leaving between gates where people stood, high fiving everyone that passed, like at a little league game. hilarious. no violence, no attacks, no riots. i was not afraid one bit. it was the most comfortable experience i've ever had in the loop. the city was warm and beautiful and peaceful and i was in love with everything.

i got really sick on our way to get our bikes so we caught a cab (which were plentiful) and i found $20 in the back seat... so, free cab ride. THANKS BARACK!

the next morning i got up and watched the MSNBC coverage i dvr'd as we lef thte night before. i cried and crazy amount when KEITH (YAAAY) announced the result at 10pm. and at all of the cheering, the crying, the reactions. it's too much. it's just... i dont know. it's something. that i am so glad i saw, and was here for. and so glad i spent it with andy and jasmine and a few other friends. dear god, you guys. you guys....!!!

yea well

home, originally uploaded by yenna.

i wish i had some amazing story to share with you, blog. but really i don't. i was going to write BIG entry about how recently i've fallen super in love, all over again, with chicago... through bike rides and changing leaves and pie with friends. but all the brilliant things ive thought about said entry i have forgotten.

andy and i got old schwnns a few weeks ago and have been riding on the lake and the north river trail - which goes to skokie and is incredibly beautiful in parts. lots of trees and plants and you get to stare at the river that may smell like farts, but is still pretty at parts and then there's that crazy sculpture park in skokie. and when i ride my bike i feel like 10 years younger. oh, i love it.

my friend jasmine and i also biked to metro for okkervil river and dinner one night. it was my first late night ride through the city and it was awesome. i loved it. oh bikes!

i'm really enjoying this autumn, mainly because our apartment is super cozy (also i totes need to paint it sooon) and andy makes things wonderful. i worked a hellish hellish week and i seriously do not know how i survived without harming someone. but ive been sitting home since and bored and need $$ and a job that i work more than once a week or a week a month. so. there's that. blah.


but for now, andy just got his copy of little big planet which, oh my god, what the fuck, this is the best video game i have ever played ever ever ever. so you should get it. its only on ps3, but totally worth it. oh my god. oh. MY GOD.

yup.

Wedding!, originally uploaded by yenna.

my friends margaret and john got married last week and i was lucky enough to attend the wedding and bachelorette party. both of which i have never been to. it was lovely and great and i can't speak enough good things about it all, accept that i looked like a whale and twas in the middle of a week where i was having...

well, ladies, come here. dudes, please go watch baseball for a moment. gals. you know where you look at yourself and just want to give up then you go to find a dress or pants at a store and you just end up crying for 3 days. yea. hey me too! what the shit is THAT about.

okay, dudes you can come back now.

so, i've forced andy to adopt healthier lifestyle habits with me. it's been a couple of weeks. at first i started a pretty good routine of running a few miles a day, and used my nike+ and actually signed up and got all the widgets (man, that is a great program) but then we went to nearly new bikes and got bikes. so i don't run anymore, i just bike. we've biked every day. today we did about 10 miles along the lakefront path, stopping to watch the dogs at the dog beach, obvs because man thems some cute dogs. and we have completely cut out the really shitty foods and it hasn't been... awful. and i feel a lot better, so that's good! and andy feels good too and seems to enjoy it a lot more than i do, so good for him.

i haven't really worked at all in the last month, so i've gone a bit nuts because of th at. just sitting at home twiddling thumbs, waiting fo rhte call. then my phone broke, so i cant even wait for that. there have been lots of things! other than weddings and bikes and exercise. andy went to la and i crashed his car and my back is spasm-ing and we hula hooped in the streets with strangers andand and. clearly we live a very rich and fulfilled life.

tonight we go to a black tie gala at derek's apartment so i need to start doing my hair for that. nice to see you again, blog.

things

ferris wheel, originally uploaded by yenna.

ahhh my pals from the boston were here for the weekend and we made a trip to navy pier - which i had never been other than a late night imax dark knight screening. is it weird that i sort of loved it? the ferris wheel was supa fun and we made the right decision to go at dusk and see the sunset on chicago from way high. lovely!

i could talk lots about the weekend and this and that and certain unnecessary things we went through but it's no matter, really. it was fun, for the most part, and all that i really realized and learned was that (and sorry if this is mad gay) my boyfriend is basically the greatest person on the planet. i'm just so happy to have him, and i don't know how i got so lucky, and even when i was sitting on the couch, frustrated and crying, i was still full of joy because he was there, and sat with me and held my hand and listened. and that's wonderful.

okay, that gross rant is done.

uhm, have i mentioned how great mad men is. oh man it is. except this week the episode started with a decemberists song that was so misplaced and RONG, that it took me out of the whole episode. like, it was ridiculous on so many levels and dont get me wrong, i love me some decemberists but being badly edited and interwoven within a show that takes place in 1961 and is usually exquisitely precise about such... man. what the fuck, mad men. what. the. fuck.

i didn't work today, and fear another light week, AND hr lost an invoice of mine and my check was $900 short (HOLY SHIT) so i'm on another big JOB SEARCH. but, luckily, it isn't as stressful and dire as past JOB SEARCH because i have a super hot sugar daddy.

kidding.

such concludes our blog entry as we are about to go on a road trip for SONIC. SONIC!!!

meanwhile....

fountain exposure, originally uploaded by yenna.

that photo is from lollapalooza and i may or may not have been intoxicated when i took it, then really surprised at how cool it was when i went through my camera days afterwards.

so, anyway. i haven't been to work since last tuesday. LAST! TUESDAY! more than a week. its depressing and worrying. but not too bad, since i am a freelancer, i make a pretty high hourly wage, and since i worked 50+ hrs a few weeks in a row made some mad bucks, which i need to save like a squirrel given this current slow time. i had a few meetings/ talks with supervisors and they want to hire me (some more than others) and say i should have been permanently hired months ago, they just haven't had the discussion/ budget for such. SIGH. so, i now am in an odd purgatory of having this job but sitting at home for a week and a half because there is no work for me.

and i hate sitting at home. i've gone from manic working out at the gym to crying fits to home repair, just because i am bored and my mind wanders. andy works from home so i have to toe the line and only bother him a minimal amount. the cats are sick of me, and i've watched all the episodes of intervention ondemand already. what is a girl to do.

things that would make this lag time easy:

1. a bike - i want a fucking bike that works and isn't rusty/ going to collapse because i bought it on how cute it was not how functional it was. we've been planning a trip to the working bikes coop forever now but i don't want to part with the cash now. but man riding around town on a bike when i get bored would be the sweetest thing everrrr.

2. design ideas - our apartment is ridiculously sectioned off into pretty rooms that i have bothered to decorate/ put money into and cluttered rooms that i just can't figure out, also known as our bedroom and dining room which is more like my office/ place we put tables and chairs we dont use. i've pretty much hit a wall and cant figure out what i want these rooms to be and if you know me or have ever seen where i live, i NEED my living space to be workable and CUTE. especially the bedroom.

it's a small room (10x11) and we have a queen bed and dressers and a tv. and thats it. i hung a floating shelf yesterday and put a bonsai tree on it, in an attempt to get super pumped and inspired, but nope. i really don't think i can express how much this bothers me. i wont even START on the dining room. ugh, annoying.

3. my back - i pulled my back the other day. it goes from unnoticeable to me writhing in pain on the bed with a heatpad on and a whole lot of advil in my system. i thought maybe some swimming yesterday would help. nope. as the day goes on its worse and even the slightest little twinge on pain in my back leaves me completely useless because i am MISERABLE. so, id like lots of pills. wish i could get lots of pills....

4. obama text - are you signed up to get a text from teh obama campaign? if not, what the fuck? if so, isn't it just KILLING YOU. also, isn't it sort of an amazing way to promote the candidate?? people are going nuts! tomorrow, obama and co will be in springfield and up until 20 mins ago i was going to go, but i have been talked out of it by my significant other because he sort of sucks. in that he is logical and we have plans that evening. but, boo. i want to go see history and possibly keith olbermann.

well, now its raining so i think ill go eat soup and watch anthony bourdain

i suck at blogs

IMG_8210, originally uploaded by yenna.

yea so august is pretty much over now, and i haven't updated in a while mostly due to a crazy week at work (50+ hr weeks!) and my comps internet connection being wonky and shitty.... a problem andy fixed with a fancy wireless usb doohicky. did i spell that word right? is it even a word. point is that i have wireless on my pc now! and besides it freaking out and having "a thermal event" when i turn it on sometimes, everything is cool.

so, i went to picthfork and got really sunburned, then it was andy's birthday! whic was right smack in the middle of hell week at work, so i spent it with him and his fam, but we didn 't get to have a big party for him until last week. which we did and which was super fun. i was scared about having a bunch of people in our place, especially drunk kids, ESPECIALLY since our lease makes us ask for permission if we have people over and NO ONE Is allowed past 1am. yea, i know! but we had like 15 all here past 3 or so, and no one freaked out. also, if youd like some rum or tequila we have lots since andys doesn't really drink and i think i'm going to stop completely as i've gotten super sick each and every time i have.

anyway. also went to the lollapalooza, worked a bunch more, went to a white sox. red sox game, showed andy around downtown (he'd never been to millennium park!) got some korean bbq - still delicious! and mostly settled into the apartment and have general fanciful times with andy. oh and i got a new fancy phone that is wine colored and technically a pda/ smart phone so i can like, type super quickly and store uhm, data? shrug. i use it just as less as the old one. so.

oh! the best thing is that today (or over the weekend, i;'m not sure) the chicago bears ad i did are being posted so if you live in chicago, and see an ad on your local billboard, el stop, bus shelter, tv or on the actual bus, think of me. because i worked my ass off on those. (look here!) in another week the catalog will be released, as well. and bears fans, i hope you like it. because you will never know how close i was to bombing soldier field. especially after that saturday i had to work.

july, july.

lily, originally uploaded by yenna.

AH BLOG I FORGOT.

so, i am busy. and my computer isn't hooked up in our place yet (3 weeks and counting) so no blogz. work has been super crazy and busy and i've been doing some very cool projects, i even got to photograph the buckingham fountain and make a giant banner out of a collage of photos from the last 60 years or so.

we moved. the place is lovely. we are still kind of getting settled in. andy went to LA for a week to a conference for work and i was home and bored and cranky. i went on a solo ikea trip, which was way more fun than it should be. ikea! we spent fourth of july evening at montrose harbor and almost died numerous times from close fireworks. then went to wisconsin to his parents lake house. and i got to paddle a boat (andy did most of the work though) and see turtles and water lilies which i had never seen before and FISH and wisconsin goodness.

i poisoned einstein accidentally with an ivy plant, but he is fine now. i joined a gym but still havent gone even though it's directly down the street from my house and it has a pool. i also dont have a swimsuit. we got an air conditioner, we blew a fuse, my hair sucks, i keep hurting myself in silly ways, andy is working lots, i went to a ladies night with some ladies and got super drunk, pitchfork happened and i got delirious from the sun and saw some bands. my phone, while stored in my bosom, broke, so i am incommunicado even more than usual, but that's fine because all i want to do is sit at home in bed. shrug. i am still gena, and still very very anti social.

weeks

IMG_7176, originally uploaded by yenna.

awesome:
i saw sloan a week ago. i was hesitant, since i really disliked the last show (which had more to do with people i went to show with and less to do with the band, i think.) this time i forced andy to go (and prepped him for the days prior - put on a song "OKAY WHO IS THIS SINGING?!" "...jay?" "no! but you knew his name, awesome!" but what the fuck, gena. it wasnt like sloan was going to suck. it was awesome! and friends were there! and and and sloan, holy shit so great, i love them.

but you knew that.

also, awesome:
i move tomorrow. will have to expand on this after it actually happens since i'm basically just FREAKING OUT about it at this current time,and for the last weeks i kept having recurring dreams where andy calls me and breaks up with me and i am stranded with this apartment and my heart broken. my mind is so demented. but it doesnt help that he isnt answering his phone right now. what the fuck.

also also awesome:
wall-e. well, shit. i tried to watch it with the cynical edge i am known for but by the end of the movie i was crying for about 30 minutes straight. why? well part of that is personal so no i wont tell you. but the other part? it's just a fantastic achievement. a perfect, beautiful, stunning, funny, smart movie. and you don't see that often or, well, ever. the movie was so good it made me cry due to its beauty. that's fucking hardcore.

sort of awesome:
work. so much work. this week we start a few huge projects for a popular local sports team who may or may not have been in the super bowl a few years back. though i've been working on fairly high profile campaigns, this one totally geeks me out because ill be seeing my efforts all over the city.

not awesome:
cleaning. and packing. so much cleaning. so much packing. and moving. it's hard. and i cleaned so hard and vigorously last night i sprained my wrist, which should make the actual move totally hilariously shitty.

completely unawesome:
my cat right now who, as i typed this entry, jumped THROUGH the screen door and started hanging out outside all badass and is now back inside and crying nonstop.

and, the combination of my horrible luck when it comes to money and finances. i get it, god. you're having a big old laugh. i get it. HILARIOUS.

so, there's an update. must go finish with teh packing as i have to start moving at 630am.

sigh.

sigh., originally uploaded by yenna.

oh, goodness.

i've started packing. it's rough. my credenza was emptied (above, stuff replaced by adorableness), i threw out a large amount of papers and cards and couldn't help but feel a little sad. i save basically everything, and seeing cards from people who i don't speak to for whatever reason, and from times that were less than good... well it makes a person get a little BLAH. but that was over the weekend. i'm better now.

now the cd's and dvd's are packed and i emptied my closet and threw out two bags of old clothes. some shelves are empty, the apartment is the messiest it's ever been and as i look around i realize that i have way too much stuff and living in the same apartment for 2+ years, especially considering i never really left said place for a few months, well. it's overwhelming.

i have no idea how i'll pack everything, but i've started early and have already told myself that a lot of things need to go. this is about a fresh start, so half the apartment is being given away, thrown out or sold. and today i had to fight with my current dumbass management company, which makes packing a little easier and happier.

i know moving is stressful, i know this you guys. and yes, i know management companies fucking suck but these people. these fucking people. are making me pay my rent for this month. AGAIN. and do i have an extra $700? FUCK NO. and if i call them to straighten things out i get transferred to voicemail and not called back. awesome. soooo awesome. i keep telling myself two more weeks. two more weeks. two more weeks. fresh start fresh start. meh, it's jsut so disconcerting because every time i start to get back on my feet, finance wise, something fucking smacks me ove rthe head and sets me back. i was starting to save, starting to be able to pay people back and now... yea. awesome.

maybe the new apartment will have one of those there money trees i hear folks have. but! in awesome news! my boss sat me down monday and we went through my work for the last couple of months and i am now permanent freelancer. which is kind of gay, but also really awesome. and come third quarter (or something, isnt it 3rd quarter now.... i am obviously a moron) they'll most likely hire me as production designer. so, that's all sorts of good. the gig is mine, basically, unless i totally fuck up some direct mail piece and get fired. uh. lets not even talk about that.

mtp

summer hours at work mean i get to work 3 hours less and make $75 less, so i'm not really a huge fan of them. i begrudgingly left early friday afternoon and saw a voicemail from andy. i waited for the lincoln bus and listened and he sounded odd. why he sounded weird, i would soon learn, is because he was calling to tell me that one of my heroes/ favourite people ever had died. i was standing on sedgwick and just was stunned and totally figured he was playing a completely inappropriate joke on me and called him back angrily. "NOT FUNNY" but, as we all know. wasn't a joke at all. i went home and watched all of my favourite newsmen and women cry on air. yea maybe i cried a bit too.

i watched meet the press every sunday, woke up naturally, ate a bagel, had some coffee and tune in. it's so sad and unexpected and i am totally weepy about it at times. especially when i see the above photo (so why not blog it!) luke russert, the fathead legacy is now on you. don't fuck it up.

that put me in a bit of a mood, you could say. i cleaned and packed my first box saturday, but it exhausted me. andy came over, we did stuff, i was stressed out and sad and the large iced coffee, large black eye (iced coffee with two shots of espresso) and sugar free red bull wasn't waking me up or cheering me up. we took a walk around lincoln square, to our new place, got cakes at selmarie it was lovely. i was totally cheered up. cut to 6am and i still couldnt fall asleep. and i was back to CRANKYTOWN.

you know what FUCKING SUCKS. when you cannot sleep and your boyfriend sleeps like a log. snoring, taking up the bed and stealing the covers, and you just lay there and damn him to hell. that was me saturday. i just wanted sleep sooo badly. i got about 3hrs of sleep, woke up in time for meet the press (sob) and watched tom brokaw cry on air. then we went to glenn's for a most delicious meal and shoppe din lakeview and went to target. on our way to target andy was cut off, TWICE, by some punk kid and got uber pissed. then it dawned on me (weird timing, whatever) how much i love this dude. how did this happen, seriously. it's glorious.

murphy

look at me, being all impatient. i don't even have the patience to put an img tag in here or find a photo. you are heart broken, i know.

this is the fisrt ever downtime i've had at work, so i am blogging.

i'm just so excited to move. i showed my apartment to lots of nice people, i even ran out of applications. and i am doing so tonight. hopefully someone takes it and i have one less thing to worry about. this week i am all about LISTS and making them. i need to organize myself hardcore for this move, since it is completely different from any other move, as i'll have to live with someone who sort of likes me. so, lists. hopefully i'll start them tonight. yup...

on the subject of things i need to do but probably won't, i have to start running again because i took a huge break and gained a few pounds. DEPRESSING. but it's fine, it'll come off easily. orrr i will just stop eating. good plan.

the weekend was stress filled, but nice. i stayed up all night friday to clean the place, saturday a bunch of folks came over, as did andy. we ended up sitting and drinking beer and then falling asleep. because we are very exciting people. and sunday i showed the place to more people, we got lunch with sat at hamburger mary's and then fell asleep. awesome.

OH! but i did find a new favourite store to go to and then cry because i can't afford anything in it. when we have our housewarming party, feel free to buy us hundreds of dollars worth of goods from: foursided

luckily, this week seems pretty light on work and plans, so i can get home and curl up with the cats and chill out... something i haven't done in MONTHS.

new apartment

new apartment, originally uploaded by yenna.

it's been a big week here at gena headquarters. the most important thing of the week, of the year, of, you know, ever, is that on wednesday evening, andy and i signed our lease. this is our new place (with other peoples stuff in it, obvs. we had looked at a two bedroom in the apartment at first. it was enorrrrrmous (two bedroom with office, living room, dining room, porch, etc) and decorated beyond perfectly. i'd turn a corner and be like "OMG I WANT THAT! oh thats so pretty, i want that too!" it was really incredible, all the new, modern furniture the tenants had, with the little vintage and antique details. THATS MY STYLE.

but, we didn't get our application in on time ( i had to work 12 hours that day and couldn't get in the paperwork until 11pm. doh.) so some very lucky people got that place. the woman at the management company, who is friendly and cute and hilariously nerdy and great (such a surprise since all management company people are total cunts) let us know about this one bedroom in the same building and we went the next day and fell in love once we entered. so, we signed the lease, paid the money, and on july 1st will live here.

now i am stoked and all to live with my boyfriend who i am so crazily in love with blah blah blah whatever, but i am even more stoked to decorate this new place. i'm watching the apartment therapy blog hardcore (do you read it, you should, its wonderful and inspiring) and if i see something cute or that would be helpful to have, i call andy and tell him about it. he doesn't care. he has his 42" plasma tv so he is happy. also, me. but one thing i was excited about getting he bought already. we will put it in our kitchen, above the breakfast bar (we have a breakfast bar!!)



it's in the rockwell crossing hood of chicago, which is so beautiful and quiet and cute and man, i love it. one of the main draws of my place is that its next door to beans and bagels aka the greatest place ever! WELL GUESS WHAT. the new apartment is next to the larger beans and bagels so i fucking win. I WIN, JERKS. i'm taking this opportunity to star fresh so i am starting the process of letting go of a lot of my things and bad habits and such. it's hard, and i will likely complain about it here, but whatever. it's about time things go right. here's another photo...

scheer + mcbrayer

scheer + mcbrayer, originally uploaded by yenna.

scheer and mcbrayer opened up the improv fest this year and since every time we watch 30 rock i mention them to andy, i figured i'd get us tickets to see it. and i made it a seeeecret. not that it was any spectacular thing, but i wanted to do something nice for the boy. so, we got some chipotle (it's so good but so awful) and stood in line (line!). andy said he was totally suprised but i don't really believe him, i am sure he did his research because like half a second after the theatre was in view he was all " PAUL SCHEER AND JACK MCBRAYER?!?!!?"

some awful all female musical improv group opened and the a/c was out and it was a fairly miserable first hour but so worth it. i only took two photos because i was too involved in not PASSING OUT FROM INTENSE HEAT. but whatever. it was abuot seeing hte show and laughing rather than sitting behind a lens for two hours.

also, i remembered that, like, i hate going to improv shows. and hearing about some douchebags 5b class and then hear him theorize how soandso is a comedic genius and why. sorry improv people, i love some of you, but 95% of your kind are just absolutely ridiculous people who i wish wouldn't breathe my air.

jokes!
but really. that dude behind us was an asshat. and i kept seeing people who i didn't really care to ever see again. but i am doing pretty okay in not reveling in my past mistakes with past people, and am quite ecstatic about how life has changed and grown. i feel really, well, wonderful y'all. and it's just going to get better. i know it. i mean, i am sitting here watching obama give his victory speech. HE WINS. and WE WIN.

speaking of winning, do you know anyone who is in the market for a slightly crappy studio apartment?

caps!

outfield sunset, originally uploaded by yenna.

man, i love the sky! and clouds! oh, and i guess baseball too. but that's like, way down the list.

we went to the game! it was COLD! but fun! then we got wendy's and i wanted to barf. GOOD STORY.

i got a haircut. it's weird. even if it is the exact haircut i got exactly one year ago, i still sort of dislike it, but whatever. i'll get used to it.

i worked 12 hours on thursday without a lunch. 12 hours. 10 to 10. i missed lost. i watched it at 3 am last night and was UNDERWHELMED. FUCK THAT SHIT.

why at 3am? because we went to see sex and the city in skokie. it was 65% shitty. the crowd was 96% women, 75% of them dressed up. in club wear/ SEVERE FASHION ATTIRE/ or as a character. it was really one of the more sickening things i have ever seen. we had tickets for the 10pm showing and were told it was packed and the get in line for the 11pm showing. the line was about 20 people deep. AN HOUR EARLY, WHAT. for the next hour i just ranted about how much i hate women and andy just kind of smiled and nodded and put up with me. women, i mean, really. YOU ARE GOING TO A FUCKING MOVIE. SITTING IN THE DARK FOR 2.5 hrs( SO LONG), WHY DRESS UP OTHER THAN TO COMPARE HOW CUTE YOU LOOK TO OTHER WOMEN. i fucking hate women, man.

also, i think i hated that movie. the first hour was painfully bad, then it got good because it was super dark. then it go ridiculously bad again. movies. BLAH.

tomorrow we go to a street fest with friends after something i do not yet want to talk about but is totally great and awesome but i am too good at jinxing things... anyway. STREET FEST! YAY CHICAGO AND SPRING TIME.

BLAAAH

taz fit, originally uploaded by yenna.

hey!
here's an awful blog entry. LISTSTYLEEEEEEEE.

1. it's so damn hot today. it's only 80 but it went from 40 to 80 in like two days and my body was not prepared for that. so i put on the a/c. YEA SO WHAT.

2. have been hilariously exhausted lately. really the most tired i've ever been. attributed to mass amts of andy time and working. and little sleep in between. life is difficult!

3. speaking of, epic andy weekend. was wonderful, as usual. played some wiifit (i hate it.. but i love it....) and mario kart. wiifit is cool and all but man, i cannot do the hula hoop game. fuuuck that bullshit. went to romeoville and did burby stuff, came to chicago and joined friends at a bbq. then get immensely ill.

4. cubs game tomorrow. BASEBALL WHEEE.

5. job is going swimmingly. really enjoy it, even though it's making my head turn to jelly. hopeful that they offer me the perm gig when the time comes.

6. politics: SHOULDNT THIS BE OVER, FOR TE LOVE OF TED KENNEDY JUST FUCKING DROP OUT OF THE RACE.

7. tv: top chef is pissing me OFF. but also so very entertaining. LOST better not suck thursday. i need to finish watching these OC box sets.

8. went to bakery previously blogged about. omg, it was all i thought it'd be PLUS MORE. so amazing...

9. completely DONE with dealing with my apartment. must move. soon. like, now. but will be patient. i just can't live in a shithole any more. go figure.

10. friends, yes, i am excited for the sex and the city movie.

shitty update

chuck, originally uploaded by yenna.

last entry this was me "la la la i'm totes gonna blog more la la la" and then nothing. that's what you get for believing me.

but things have been going spectacular here in genaville. i'm freelancing at a great little ad agency. it's about 3000% better than my last job. and i am making twice as much, so yay to that.

i got rid of my internet and cable at home, which explains lack of updates, and lack of flickr photos uploaded with which to base entries on. andy and i went to chuck e. cheese last week and took this ridic photo in the photo booth, along with many others. my hair is giant! so giant. god damn humidity. anyway. there's been lots of work lately, lots of andy time. i have no problem with either of these because work exhilarates me and makes me feel like i'm not a useless asshole with a mind of jelly, and soon i may actually have some money so i can pay bills. SHOCK! and andy? well i am super in love with him, so why would i mind that? I MEAN SRSLY.

really, it's funny (not haha, but, uhm... well maybe haha) how we met and clicked and fell for each other. i've never really had this... to the extent that it is. so, i feel all sorts of wonderful and great. HE is wonderful and great. and he fixed my green tv problem.

but whatever. enough of that. no one wants to hear about my own happiness. ... what else?

why can't the primary season be over. this is annoying.

my grandma is pretty hilarious.

DTV IS EXTRAORDINARY.

uh, thats it. my mind is totally enveloped by keylines right now.

flowers

flowers, originally uploaded by yenna.

i suppose since my life in every respect isn't so much down to septic levels, like it has been in the past, i will end up blogging more. it's already happening!

so, i totes got laid off wednesday. i pretty much knew it was going to happen, given the fact that i sort of sat there and listened to 90's grunge music and got what little work i had done within minutes. and i was going to quit soon anyway. a gal can't live off of 24 hours a week. at first i was fine with it, then i started thinking about, you know, money and rent and got uber depressed until later than night when andy came over and brough tflowers, (awwww) and ice cream sundaes (AWWW) and we watched TOP CHEF. I LOVE TOP CHEF.

yesterday i had an interview at this adorably hip and impressive boutique ad agency. i don't think i really fit in in corporate settings. or hip companies, but i loved this place. and i wore a cute dress so even if i didn't get it, at least i achieved supreme ADORABLENESS. but guess what, I DID GET IT AND I START NEXT WEEK SO FUUUUCK YES. they just called and i'm excited for life. i can't wait to work and actually utilize my brain.

also, last night andy i saw saw IRON MAN and that was alllll sorts of good. the sequel has potential to be the best superhero movie of all time. even better than X2. GASP. nerdnerdnerd.

she knows.

nataliedee.com
again, awesome.

in related news, my family makes me want to drink acid.

bakery

bakery1, originally uploaded by The Bleeding Heart Bakery.

i didnt take this photo.

so, that last entry was a downer, huh? i'm a little better, things will be fine. hooray!

the photo - that's the bleeding heart bakery at belmont and damen, which i have never been to but have read about it since it opened a few months ago and am quietly (okay, maybe not so quietly) obsessed with it. each week they develop a cupcake based on the top chef winning meal. i mean, how is this not the greatest place ever? AND LOOK AT ALL THAT MOTHERFUCKING CAKE.

it's sorta walking distance, so i think i may go there on thursday. to congratulate myself on my job interview and getting said job. time to be positive, right? yea, i have a job interview. i am completely and totally qualified, i just need to CHARM THEIR PANTS OFF. or i will resort to working at borders. which really wouldn't be that bad, actually.

oh, and hey peeps. anyone know a bar that would hire me as a bartender. man, i want to be a bartender. i know about lots of booze!

...damn

, originally uploaded by yenna.

i've grown a habit of leaving work 15 minutes early, taking the el in the opposite direction, walking to union station and sitting on a metra for an hour along with business men and women. well, you know i love trains. you didn't? oh i do. not really the el, but commuter rail such as metra and lirr. especially amtrak. wow, amtrak is so the best. one day when i am rich i want to take an amtrak ride in a sleeper car across the country. because oh my god, how great would that be.

but, besides my train love, i went to see andy for he lives in the burbs and we had some mini golfing to do. god lord, how much do i suck at mini golf. but! i got a hole-in-one on the first hole! proceeded to FAIL for the remaining 17 holes though. bummer. i only get to see andy twice a week, or so and each time it's the greatest night evah! i adore him, you know. and i really haven't been happier.

but don't worry, this isn't another andy entry. i will never become one of those girls who just talks about her boyfriend 24/7. the point is that, while i am sosososohappy in that respect, the rest of my life is completely shattered and falling apart. and i feel like i am drowning!!! you know,SAME OLD GENA.

i know life isn't supposed to be easy and all that nonsense, but i was feeling like maybe i was FINALLY getting pad back for all of the heartache and scandal and badness i've been put through in the past. apparently no. still no real job, and i am completely drowning in debt. the economy is flat lining and prices are going up. for EVERYTHING. and i can't afford it. i cant afford anything i can't afford to pay a 4 year old credit card bill let alone for a bag of cat food and wow. i just want to die. but i will get through it. and i hope soon i will have a new job. i pray and pray that soon i will have a new job. i just wish it could be time for my life to go right, rather than sort of right, but mostly wrong.

fortune

as i made widely known to anyone who would listen, i had a shitty birthday this year. birthdays, in general, are shitty. my own, at least. i don't like getting older, i don't like being forced to do SOMETHING and then usually don't and feel even worse about myself.

on my birthday this year i painted my office and watched law and order: svu and ate a crazy amount of bad chinese food. after gorging, i celebrated with a fortune cookie and received the above slip of paper. i felt like maybe it was significant, and if not, it'd serve for good fodder and i counted three months ahead (april 8th) and glued the fortune.

i had forgotten all about this. and, being irresponsible and lazy, didn't turn my calender from march to april until the 9th. probably for the best, really. i would have jinxed myself in some way had i known this was some apparent omen. the thing is... it was. i'm not one to get all swoon-y and lalala about a boy. in public, at least. but that was the day i realized that this boy was special. the specialest, perhaps? MAYHAPS. when i received the fortune on that cold day, i laughed at it because good things are never, ever in store for me but, you know, who would have guessed.

substance

oh! hey! i went to my first cubs game last week!

i had been the a sox game and enjoyed that very much but, you know, living on the northside, less than a mile from wrigley field... i always felt like such a traitor for never stepping foot into the actual place. andy got increddddible tickets behind home base and we watched a really close game between the astros and cubs. though.. of course... they lost. and after a couple of hours we became popsicles as it was only 45 degrees and our seats were in the shade. but still, totally great! what's not to like about basbell, beer, brats and a boy? mirite.

so, my new years resolution that wasn't really a resolution because that's cliche and lame, was to get out of my apartment more and try to rebuild my social life that went so flat last year. i've actually kind of stuck to it, which i am proud of. i have this awesome group of friends to add to the already awesome group of friends and i haven't even had my usual "MAN I HATE EVERYONE" breakdown that i had, you know, every weekend.

okay, well maybe i had a small one last weekend. that doesn't count.

also, i've stepped on the scale and am now down 18 pounds. that makes me feel ... i dont even know! (i only mention it again because i got above the big number i wanted to get above so now i am all wheeee!) and i still pretty much look the same, i think. but thats becuas ei look at myself every day. maybe i look stunningly thin and attractive to people who haven't seen me in ages. heh, yea i bet.

so, with the strive to get healthier, and the great friends and new handsome and brilliant boyfriend, i have tackled a lot of problems and am so very ecstatic in my social life and with my personal self.. now i just need a new job. that's all i need. a REAL job where i get paid REAL money and doesn't make me want to take a REAL knife and put it in my REAL ear.

pretty.

cross posted from the tumblr, somewhat.

my friend billy saw this painting and thought maybe i should see it.... wonder why.



WHAT THE FUCK WHY IS SOME CUBAN DUDE PAINTING MY FACE EVERYWHERE.

fatty

4, originally uploaded by yenna.

a few years ago i bought a nordic track from a nice soccer mom from rogers park. it was cheap, she delivered it to me, i used it once in a while. tehre was a month or so where i ran 3 miles every day. i also went crazy that month, though there is no correlation. but, since then, for the most part, the nordic track has been widely ignored, sitting in my office, waiting for its day of glory.

since february 2008, i've been fairly regular with it's usage. running every other day or so 2 - 4 miles, depending on how i'm feeling. starting off with a good quick run (7 mins) and then a quick walk/ fast run. it's going fairly well, i suppose. since i've started i've lsot 15 pounds. or 10 pounds. somewhere in between, because it all fluctuates depending on what girl time it is. being a girl sucks...

i've been eating better too. by better i mean less. and i try to stay away from various delicious fried potato products but my god, potatoes are so delicious. unfortunately, i have reached my plateau and havent really lost anything recently and am kind of just staying a pound or two above or below this one dumb number.

i feel great, but none of my pants fit. i mean, they never really fit because i have no hips and i could never walk more than 25 feet without having to pull said pants up, but especially now. it's just frustrating... because i'm working hard and see nothing, really. but i will eventually!

i also bought the nike+ for my nano but it doesnt really want to work with my set up and i'm going to start runnhing outdoors now. SCARY. DO NOT WANT. but i'm told it's not as awful as i fear... though i will miss running while watching olbermann or scrubs and listening to lcd soundsystem (srsly best band to run to).

so stupid

so, as some may or may not know. my supervisors at work realized that the person i replaced didn't, you know, actually work. and that i should probably go part time and lose my benefits. or lose my job.

so, now i work part time. mondays wednesdays and fridays. it fucking blows. but, on the good side, i have tuesdays and thursdays off, and a few unemployed friends. tuesday my bestie david came down from the burbs and i showed him around lincoln square and we went to a sushi buffet, which sounds fairly harmless but let me tell you, it is no joke!

wednesday evening sat and i drank beerz (i broke my no beer until summer pledge, dammit...) and i started to convince him to give me his extra wii. apparently, he's not cool with giving me something he spent $300 on, but i'm pretty persuasive...

now, thursday, i missed my train and stole sat's car and drove to zion to go to the freaking JELLY BELLY FACTORY. but the line was too long for the tour, and david just gave me a grand tour of his hometown and we farted around for 10 or so hours. but! we did go to the giant jellybelly store and scored tons of delicious jelly beans. so delicious. i'm a little bummed we missed the tour, but i will likely go back within the week because i am dying to wear a silly paper hat.. or because david is rad and doesn't mind me making fun of him or not being able to pump my own gas or things like that.

ugh

IMG_5611, originally uploaded by yenna.

oh, it's still winter.

i'm still fully annoyed at this fact. my weekend was boring, mostly due to the big ole snowstorm we had. i decided to stay home and do nothing. like i always do. i got a case of the cabin fever on sunday, though. so i made my way to the lincoln park conservatory because i've heard good things. and it's free. and i figured it being easter - it'd be empty.

no, it was crowded, but that didn't matter. i stayed for over an hour, taking in all the green and purple and pink and yellow. and! the zoo is right next door. and! both are free. that was seriously the best unplanned day of shenanigans i've had in a while. i fully recommend anyone in the area go. it's amazing, and will force you to love life. also, polar bears.

today, though, is a pretty awful day. but orchids sure are pretty...

in a nutshell

gena, originally uploaded by yenna.

i was drunk last night and thought this was the most brilliant thing ive ever done.

i guess i am not good at photoshop when i am drunk.

home.

i am happy to say that chicago is my home. i mean, it always has been, but a few of my friends know i am not originally from here and assume that maybe i'm just "staying" here for a bit, or being the silly 20-something who moves around for fun. no, i am home in chicago. i moved and i live here now. so, there shouldnt be a debate about it.

not that there really is, though. its just a nice feeling to have a home. sat moved here last week and we went to ikea on friday so that he could make his apartment more like a home. i bought this lampshade i've been COVETING for three years. and now that i have it and its sitting on my old ikea lampbase, on my credenza... i finally LOVE my apartment. IT IS PERFECT. no need to change anything... except maybe frame some prints... but the soft light and couch and and and. !!! it makes me happy to come home and sit on my couch with my cats, turn on a lamp and be peaceful. shrug!

saturday afternoon some friends and i went to kuma's for delicious burger sand even more delicious bloody marys'. then afterwards, CUPCAKES. pancakes and bacon cupcake. and, omg. it was really the best thin give ever eaten. i probs say that a lot., BUT I MEAN IT THIS TIME. anyway, my tooth hurts.

R.I.P.

my glasses are dead, originally uploaded by yenna.

not me, my glasses. they've been "broken" for six months or so, put i just needed to superglue them or something (coming apart at the bridge). but last night i lost the little metal piece that IS the actual bridge of the glasses.

so i cant glue them back or tape them like a nerd. fucking titanium pieces of shit (they were actually REALLY expensive and not at all pieces of shit).

i'm having a hard time with this, you guys. for reasons i cant really say. i dont like losing things! and i dont know if i should replace them or go sans glasses. i dont think i am ready to go without glasses because today i am cranky and feel naked. so i am going to foreyes post work to scope out what i can get/ afford/ like.

man. those glasses were a part of me.... i shouldnt be all broken up about it but i am. very much so. LAME

good

sat came to town and found an apartment and a job. and i am very proud of him for that. mainly because it took me forever to find a job. some say i still dont have a real one. but that kid has his head in the right place and i am very very proud of him.

i did my best to entertain him but friday became crankypants #1 and canceled any plans i made. we ended up hanging with crescent and co for a bit, and then meeting friends in wicker park for a party. which was weird. but highly amusing as well.

the weekend was really entertaining and full of booziness, but also a bit enlightening. i'm working hard to better myself in a lot of ways, recently... and i am starting to see the outcome of such. not just physically (really, barely physically). i'm actually sort of happy. for now! so, hey way to go me. and way to go friends for bringing me up, rather than down. its about time.

saturday i went to a party. and drank a lot. and played rock band. and, yes, sort of had the most fun ive had in a while. which is odd, considering. theres a lot of silly backstory to this but it doesnt matter, the photo accompanying this entry makes me laugh a lot.

BOOOOOO

noooooooooo, originally uploaded by yenna.

i dont blog anymore because i am annoyed at the weather. no, infuriated. i mean, its silly to get so pent up with something you have no control over, but this chicago winter has been the worst i have ever lived through... and that i can recall.

its constantly snowing. constantly! and i know you are saying to yourself, but gena you love snow! i do! but not ALL THE FUCKING TIME. and not so much snow that it makes just the 10 foot walk to the el dangerous and impossible. and, when it isnt snowing, its thirty degrees below zero. or some shit like that. so cold! my body is freaking out from vitamin d deficiency and my plants are all dead. no sunlight, no happiness.

saturday it reached 40 degrees and i wore a skirt i was so ecstatic. by the time david and i finished our AWESOME (at kuma's) lunch, it was snowing. FUCK. YOU. WINTER.

NOM NOM NOM

on saturday, by some random chance, we ended up at a korean bbq.

now, i've been pretty much obsessed with korean bbq, as a theory, for the last three months but have never been. because it was impossible to get a group together or, actually, anyone together to go. "no i swear itll be awesome!" i'd say. "oh, youve been?" a friend would ask, "...no" i say dejected and then storm off. though this usually happens in email or gchat and you cant really storm off on the internet. but i sure as hell try.

so, anyway. this was the greatest meal i think i have ever had. it was so much fun, and plentiful, and delicious. i didnt know what most of the things i was eating were, but i didn't care. i want it more and more and more and more. right now, in fact.

hey, you guys. lets go!

well

i got news today that someone, who may or may not be in this photo, will be moving here within the month.

here to chicago.

and i have really never been happier. because, oh my god.
and i got a really heartwarming email from this person. that, i admit, sort of made me cry. and i started my day with a bang.

later, i met my friend david. my other friend david, and his friend david, at hot dougs. for sausages!

tomorrow i start my job. here we go...

frendz

i was coming off a week where everything just didn't seem to fit. at all. and though i was offered a sweet new job that i start next week, i was having such a hard time contemplating things being okay once again.

i've been really lonely lately. i'm always lonely, but being unemployed and sitting at home just makes it really relevant. and i had started seeing someone and enjoying their company. but that stopped. and i got a little bummed out. nothing major, just back to square one, you know. shrug.

my resolution this year was to get out more, do things, see the city. and i've tried. but i stayed in bed most of the week and let myself wallow in a pretty awesome case of the sucks. i was smart enough to go to martyr's to see david's band and be surrounded by some of the greatest folks in the world. i think i even got a little teary eyed. i've lost a lot of friends in the last year, and i am not entirely sure why... but these people are always there to talk and make me laugh and get me plastered, and for that i am more than grateful. so, thanks guys. i love you so much...even if i can't remember a bulk of friday night.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

there are so many funny, ridiculous things i want to say about what happened last night an eighth of a block from my apartment,

yes, that's a giant sinkhole. it was filled with water up until a few hours ago. i didn't know about it until 6am, as i was a total insomniac and stayed in front of my computer all night listening to records, and finally went to bed and saw it on the news. of course, it was all happening directly out my window. and, luckily, no flood water got into my place. but beans & bagels is fucked. and i don't know what i am supposed to do without them...

so, yea, now there is this giant hole! right there! how do these things happen, i have no idea. and how do they happen right in front of my apartment? it isnt like the block isnt already in bad enough condition, financially, due to the cta being closed for a year, now this.

i hope its not all some massive marketing ploy for "cloverfield".

[more photos]

album for shut ins.

were i to ever record an album....

this is the cover.


here is the tracklist:


1. low self esteem.
2. pajamas. (obvs the breakout pop hit)
3. havent brushed hair in 24 hrs. (wordy, yes, but its a ballad.)
4. havent brushed hair in 24 hrs reprise.
5. i am unaware of the weather.
6. vitamin supplements (i'm thinking nu-disco)
7. sleep [aint just a river in egypt]
8. sorry, the vibrate setting on my phone became too obtrusive so its been on silent for two weeks. and i lost it (12 minute shoe gaze jam)

insert

(i drew this in college i loved. cause penguins man.)

lesson learned this week: i never ever ever ever want to ever in my life be a freelance graphic designer. ever again.
fuck. this.

it's not like i don't doubt myself enough in every single vein and venue. now i have to wait for someone to judge everything i do and i'm waiting for an email or an angry call in the next hours saying i wasted these peoples time and i suck. 'cause that's coming. i cannnnot do this. it makes me insane, and tired. i haven't been so brain dead and exhausted in a long, long time.

so, as my self esteem is down in the septic tank, i have a 3 interviews tomorrow where i am supposed to tell people why they should hire me and pay me money to do something i currently despise.

awesome.

at least, after the boring crap, i will enjoy the day at the shedd. because it's free this week. and penguins man.

freelance

so, i have taken a job as a freelance designer for a big company here in town. it amounts to me sitting at home, staring at my computer and drinking a shitload of coffee. (the above photo is just from the last 12 hours)

and though it pays... uhm, amazingly ($25.hr!) i hate it. i can't design. i am at a total mind block. it's just that i am really limited by the catalog i am working on and the info given to me. and it is supposed to be done by tomorrow, but i cannot wrap my head around anything that doesn't look like a baby puked on it.

but, at least i found dunkin donuts' blueberry coffee over in wicker park. and that always makes me happy.

blog 2

forgo.tumblr.com

i've got nothing to do, and since the management of two blogs makes me feel oddly productive, i've started another.

mostly links and photos and crap i find funny/ amusing/ great - like that picture right there.

tumblr is a great little service for this. super easy to use and really intuitive (kind of to a fault, actually) . i recommend it to anyone who wants to do something like this, but not put much effort into it (though it is taking me a long time to find a layout i can work with and doesn't bother my ocd completely).

so, point your feed toward that. or don't. what do i care.

non cat entry

well that's pretty cute.

i've made it my own little tradition to take a photo of myself sometime around my birthday just to see how i get old and make sure i am alive and all that. unfortunately, i'm so pissy and blah that any photo i take of myself is just plain awful. and i can't bear to look at my giant fat irish head or amazingly thinning hair (new development that is totally fucking weird, since my hair is usually so think).

i was supposed to go out for korean food with some friends, but ended up at home crying (which i wont get into at all). then a few hours later decided it was ghey to feel sorry for myself and my shitty life and got a friend to go to the hungry brain and drown in gin with me.

and we met up with sam who showed up because i had originally planned to have a cupcake and booze party but then canceled it. but i guess i forgot to tell her it was canceled? anyway. it was a really fun time and no doubt took me way out of my massive funk, even for a few hours. so right on.

now i am 26.

behold the only thing i did on my birthday. which it just was, by the way.

don't worry. i won't get too complain-y here. i suppose at a certain age (apparently 26) you kind of have to let go of any expectation and be happy with a passing comment or an email. i was not aware of this. and really wanted to have a good time with two of my closest friends. but that didn't so much work out, and the day was basically ruined.

see, when i have a bad day,it is always a cumulation of tiny annoying ridiculous things, not so much one large awful thing that happens. and it just so happened. that every minuscule thing that could possibly break/ annoy me did such. and i wanted to punch everyone. and painting? it sucks. why did i have the idea that thats what i should do.

but nevermind, the room looks really cute and things are going totally fine. look! an exclamation point. !!!!

see, things are fine!

fuck.

i didnt take that photo. but thanks gis.

the usb outlet on my camera is fried.

so i am delayed blog wise. you care.

but, god dammit....

fred

it was fred's birthday.

this photo is blurry, but it's adorable.

it's nice to celebrate peoples birthdays.

silly stuff

now that i am basically unemployed, i have a lot of time to think about the important things.

food.

the latter part of december was spent at hot doug's with various friends. now i am downtown for gigs here and there and i get to "enjoy" what is offered to me by the fast food restaurants. lots of folks have talked to me about bacci... becuase, if you didnt know, i'm a pizza gal and a ny one at that. ive never had it, and passed one on my daily walk around aimlessly to find lunch. aaand, what the fuck? most giant slice of pizza ever. i put a quarter in the photo so you could determine scale.

i was somewhat amazed. and it is silly that something like the size of aslof pizza would amaze me, but i am unemployed and don't really do much. so fuck you and don't judge me. anyway . i like pizza. ....not all of these entries are going to be winners.

jon brion, again

the whole of my year has been spent with jon brion. sorry guys, this is just what happens.

on january 2nd, he played a small show at martyr's, which just so happens to be walking distance from my apartment. i got hassled by friends to go, though i was still beat up from the holiday, and david was once again nice enough to give me a +1, so i made my way over and met my friend kevin.

this show was even more incredible, given the intimate setting and less douche-y crowd; jon picked out adorable lou barlow looking dude to play bass and they performed a few beatles songs with pat from wilco and some other dude. normally i fie anyone who decides to cover the beatles because its like, well come on dude. buuuuut, this was basically the awesomest thing i've ever seen. they did i want you (she's so heavy) and we left thoroughly rocked out. high fives all around.

[...]

so, the main intent of this blog is to sort of post a photo almost every day and chat about, you know, crap and life and crap. or just what's going on. not get too far into sad bastard territory because been there done that and i am actively attempting to change things this year, 2008. and i have a camera and full intend on using it as much as possible. even for silly stuff.

a new year

through a large tunnel of coincedence and contacts, i was able to spend my new year at the harris theatre, here in chicago, and be entertained by jon brion and his friends from spoon and wilco. i also had the amazing opportunity to be granted all access and photograph the concert. (hi david, uhm, i love you...)

i was accompanied by yancy and we did our best to fit in, have a good time, and partake in the open bar. i felt super guilty becuas ei left him alone for maybe half the show as i ran up and down aisles and through the strange back hallways of the theatre to get some shots. and, unfortunately, as the night grew on and i let more gin reside in my belly, the photos suffered.

but a good time was had by all, i assume. (and by all i mean yancy and myself, who cares about anyone else really). it was my first time seeing mr. brion, though i have heard many stories of largo and his current infatuation with chicago and of course was familiar with his work on my favourite films and with my favourite artists. but really nothing could have prepared me for what i saw live. perhaps, as some have said, it wasnt his best performance, or the audience was unruly and drunk (hey, it was new years turds) but seeing him work on that stage reminded me of exactly why i love this art of music and the possibilites that are seemingly endless.

so, it seems like this year is going to be kind of great, if the first few hours are any indication.