And one more thing...

Thank you, Chryssa.

"Oh, go on and cry. You'll pee less."

 I'M STRESSED OUT.

I've been wound up like a spring for the last two weeks, and each time I think all has fallen back into a sensible order, it's crisis time again. It's like I'm trying to file a bunch of papers, see? But there's an army of little men who live at the bottom of the filing cabinet drawer, and they just can't wait until I tuck something away so they can tear it to shreds. Party. Confetti. Life's a beach, man.

As of yet, my patience has been serving me well, but it's running thin tonight. Luckily, I'm somehow still smiling and the shinola continues to outweigh the shit. But I'm stressed, damnit. Why don't I have that Valium prescription anymore? Time to count to ten.

I watched Postcards from the Edge for the first time tonight. Great movie, containing the awesome quote that inspired this whiny post. It seems that I will be peeing a little less after this.

Art & Music Schtuff! (And other news.)

My schedule is consumed with all things art and music right now. I'm in two bands right now - Eat Your Heart Out! and Wienerslav. Both of my musical projects will be playing at the WRC's Rock Against Rape show (to benefit Safe Passage) at The House on April 8th, and Wienerslav is playing another show there on the 22nd. It's been so long since I've played a show, and I've never played keyboard in a band before, which I am now doing with Wienerslav.

Chryssa, Alexandra, and I practiced about a week ago. We are tightening up some classic material, and also working on some new stuff. Liam, Josiah, and I have been working on getting together a 30 minute set, and it is going really well. It's always exciting to play with new musicians, and I feel like we've really started to gel. I think my keyboard skills are improving a lot, and my voice is getting some much-needed practice, too.

Chrissy and I opened an Etsy shop about two weeks ago, called The Tawdry Owl, and we've been working on items to fill it up. We haven't posted anything yet, but should have some cool paper picture frames up in the next week. Chrissy has been slaving away over them and they look awesome! I'm pretty sure she was a sweatshop worker in a past life. I, on the other hand, have yet to actually FINISH any of the items I've started. Everything I want to make seems to take forever... I'm trying to up my production energy, but art school homework and music practice have been taking up most of my time. Here's a picture of some of the frames Chrissy's working on. I'll post an update when we post them for sale in the shop.

Other bits of randomness that have pleased me lately, in no particular order: Josiah taught me how to play Go, I got some new VHS tapes for my collection, Jaime very generously let me borrow her electric piano, I heard from two people on Facebook who I haven't seen in years, I spent a wonderful afternoon with my mom, I've almost finished reading Snoop, and I finally cleaned my room.

And a few things I'm looking forward to in the next couple of weeks: Chryssa's birthday, practicing more with all my awesome band mates, a Flak Attack, and actually finishing one of my Etsy projects.

And, finally, go check out Chrissy's new blog: Blog de Glitter Emitter. I command you.

Spring Break

I'm currently on spring break from school, and just got home from an awesome road trip with my friends Chrissy and Liam. We went to Myrtle Beach, S.C. Our vacation was spent visiting a great local bar (Duffy's/The Bowery), eating at delicious little restaurants where we could smoke INDOORS, hanging at the beach, visiting the Ripley's Aquarium and other attractions, and meeting odd characters.

This is where I should go into detail about our trip, but I feel like I've got too much to catch up on in my blogging after not writing for a month. So, instead, you'll just have to use your imagination as to what went on in S.C. Here's a slide show of some of my favorite trip photos to help get you started:

Last week, I played an open mic with my new band, Wienerslav (name subject to change in near future), at The House Cafe in DeKalb. We were offered to open up a show on April 22nd and I'm quite stoked. The last time I played a show was about a year ago, with my other band, Eat Your Heart Out!. I will also be playing a "Rock Against Rape" show with both of my bands on April 8th. Music has been one of my major foci for the last couple months, and I feel like it's paying off. It feels great to be performing again.

I've also been SWAMPED with schoolwork this semester. My studio art classes (2-D Art and Beginning Sculpture) are keeping me very busy. I've been juggling like crazy to keep my schedule in order, and I'm not an innately organized person, so it's been a bit rough. I did scratch a couple important items off my to-do list yesterday: replaced my social security card that's been lost for almost two years, and got new copies of my birth certificate with which I can apply for a passport. (I'm going to Greece in June with my friend Chryssa, and I'm incredibly excited.) Next on my list is paying off a few parking tickets I've gotten lately... boo and hiss. Luckily, they're for small amounts and didn't cost much more than parking in the pay lot at school would have. But still, BUMMER.

Well, I'm off for now... going to call up Chryssa and Alexandra and see if we can make a little coffee time today. Cheers, all.