Life Feels So Simple

I've been neglecting his blog lately, but I think the holiday season is a fair excuse. First, let's pick up where I left off.

On December 8th, Dan and I traveled up to Dudley, MA to photograph and record an MC Lars/K.Flay show at Nichols College. The drive up was relatively peaceful, aside from some NYC traffic. We jammed to lots of nerdy hip hop, Weird Al, and Christmas music the whole way up. We got to the show early and were treated like important people. We were supplied with passes to go backstage and the Lars dressing room, where we were able to snag some grub.

Shooting the show was honestly my favorite photography experience thus far (the Cudzoo show coming in second). I was able to move freely on and around the stage, which really helped my photos. They're not perfect, I would've liked less grain -- but that won't get better until I upgrade to a D90 with its higher ISO. Other than that, though, these were my favorite show photos taken to date. It was a relatively short set, and the excitement made the whole thing fly by, but I soaked up every second of it.

After their set, we relaxed and watched the headliner, Pitbull, perform. There was more pelvic energy in that gym than I could handle, at that point.

We were able to stay at the hotel with Lars, Flay and the gang (Thank you, Mike). Driving four hours back to Jersey wasn't an option. We stayed up late, giggling about silly things and telling secrets. The next morning we struggled to consciousness under a blanket of fresh snow, ate at a Friendly's, and parted ways. It was definitely an experience I won't soon forget, and hope to repeat again.

Since then, life's been trucking along, business as usual. Dan and I go to work everyday, do the damn thing, then come home. I've eaten an immeasurable amount of chili, drank a bunch of beer, watched a lot of UFC and other silly shows. I've hung out with some friends quite a bit, others hopefully more now that it's winter break.

Last night was my sixth annual X-mas Eve Eve party. I can't believe I've been having this thing for six years... time sure does fly. It makes me so happy to see everybody, and as always, the gag gifts were a hit. Tom got a lot of great photos of the gift opening ceremony. I didn't take too many, but we captured the night on HD video a la Dan, so that should be entertaining.

I definitely love the holidays. I'm so cheap when it comes to most things, but I'll spend a good amount of money to give gifts and host my party. As cheesy as it sounds, giving really is much more rewarding than any gift I've received. (But my Nikon is a close second, gotta admit!)

As 2009 draws to a close, I'm happy to say I'm in a really good point in my life. Despite the day to day redundancy and setbacks, I think I'm happier than I've ever been. I hope 2010 brings more of that feeling.

Adventures Begin

It has becoming more and more obvious that I can't spend my life working in a cubicle. It works for me right now, because the pay is decent, the atmosphere is (usually) pleasant, and I couldn't ask for much more from a first job. I can't do this for too long, though. I feel it might be soul-crushing.

Ultimately, I'd love to travel and photograph the world. I'm certainly not the best photographer. I'm working on improving every day. But I'm positive I would live a more fulfilled life. That's why I'm pushing for Jagazine to work out; I want to be my own boss and do something worthwhile with the greater portion of my life.

Tomorrow, I get a taste of the future I one day want to have. Dan and I will be driving up to Massachusetts, where we will be covering another MC Lars show. I've photographed these guys plenty of times, but this time we're driving considerably further, and staying overnight. The exciting part isn't so much the performance, but the journey. I will take what I learn from this trip, and (hopefully) apply it to covering all sorts of events. Or it will just be a lesson in making exploration into something worth sharing.

I want to sharpen my eye as a photographer, but not only in the aesthetic sense. I want to create the kind of photos that tell stories. I want to revisit all the great documentary photographers I studied in school, and apply aspects of their techniques to my work. Brassai, Walker Evans, Paul Strand, Garry Winogrand... I could list photographers all day.

Among other things, I want to change the world. Artists have always captured history, even before written language did. I know that art is my best chance to communicate something memorable. I need to keep pushing myself.

Here goes nothing, and everything.

Frackville in Flames

Last weekend we took a spontaneous road trip around the NJ/PA border. We had no particular destination in mind, and overall it was a pretty boring "adventure". The only thing that made the day worthwhile was taking shots of a burning building.

It was extremely lucky (unlucky?) for us to find this sight. We had been driving for a few hours, and decided to exit the highway at a town called "Frackville". We were hungry, and there was hope of finding a Cracker Barrel or some other corny chain restaurant.

We drove through little Frackville and passed the above building. We saw the "Apartment for Rent" sign, and joked about moving in. After a few minutes, we realized we had left the town, and turned around. There was more commotion than when we had first drove through, and in a matter of minutes the building we had just seen was burning.

Luckily, there was no one inside and the firefighters had it extinguished relatively quickly. I had never seen a building burn right in front of my eyes before, so I'm glad we made our random stop in Frackville. And yes, we did end up filling our bellies at a nearby Cracker Barrel.

Almost One Month

It has been almost a month since my last entry, which is depressing. My life has picked up speed, or so it seems. I started working in the Beach Camera office a few weeks ago, as opposed to working from home. It didn't take too long for me to settle in. I already knew almost everyone from working with them remotely.

It's hard to believe now that I was once apprehensive about taking this job. Nine hour days can be tough, but getting out at 2 or 3 PM on Fridays makes it all worth it. Plus the atmosphere is very laid-back. As long as your work gets done, nobody really makes too much of a stink. Then again, I'm still new to the office, so I guess we'll see.

Dan got hired a week after I started in the office, which is another perk. He also moved in with Rob and me... so the whole Jagazine team is together again. Hopefully it will make things easier on all of us.

I have so many blog topics floating around my mind, but they all seem to disappear when I sit down to type. So I'm left with these flat entries about my day-to-date life. I swear, I'm going to force myself to be more interesting.

On that note, I'll end this post with a list of things I don't really like, but everyone else seems to love -- and I can't understand why:

• The Office
• Harry Potter
• American Football
• Malls
• Most beer
• Twilight/New Moon/Anything to do with vampire teenagers

Over and out.

Our Time Broken Down

Hey friends. I'm feeling philosophical, so try and bear with me. I actually thought about this last night, thanks to an eruption of coffee-educed energy, but we'll see what I can remember.

Rob and I were on the topic of capitalism. I have a pretty big gripe with it. We spend such a huge portion of our life working so that we can afford to live comfortably. But what is living comfortably? In our society, living "happily" translates into a decent house, being able to pay all your bills, take two weeks of vacation every year (!!), and perhaps buy a few fancy gadgets every once in awhile.

This doesn't work for me. Not because I want a ton of wealth. And not because I don't want to work. It's kind of the opposite. I rather have very little as far as money or possessions go, but do what I love for a living. Doesn't that make more sense?

Going back to my last post, Lanark presents this issue in an interesting way. In the novel, characters can obtain things by giving up time in their future. At first this sounded like pure fantasy -- but it couldn't be further from the truth. That's how capitalism works.

If you get your money by working 40 hours a week, like most people, it's really just a physical representation of your time. For example, my time each week translates to around $600. With that, I can pay my bills, buy camera equipment, or take a train into New York. But I lose 40 hours of my life each week in order to earn these luxuries. [Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't hate my job, nor do I have it tough. I just would rather be exploring the world and taking pictures. You know, the "dream job" scenario.]

Wouldn't it be nice to spend the majority of our lives doing things that make us the happiest? But I guess that's just not how America works. [At least, for most of the middle to lower classes.]

I guess the moral of this story is simple. Time is all we really have. It's our truest possession. Spend it wisely. I wish I had the cushion of a religion to comfort me with thoughts of an afterlife or reincarnation. But that's another story.

Book Review: Lanark

This is the first time I've written a book review on my own accord, rather than by assignment from a professor. I'm not an English major, nor do I have a really vast knowledge of literary information. I can't comment much on genres or styles, so everything following this introduction is just my take on the book -- without anything particular to compare it to. I'll try to make it worth reading, and not spoil anything, too.

I should also point out that I'm picky when it comes to books. I usually stick with non-fiction. It's not that I don't have a good imagination (I'm an art student, remember?) -- I just can't take it seriously. Several friends have tried getting me into the Harry Potter series, and I couldn't do it. Same goes for Twilight and all those omigosh-Vampires-in-high-school books. Anyway, moving on to my thoughts.

If you're like me and have a hard time taking fantastic situations in novels seriously, you'll do OK with this book. Alasdair Gray did an excellent job with incorporating rather absurd scenarios with symbolism and realism, so the fantasy didn't make or break the story.

I'm getting ahead of myself. I should start by saying the book is divided into four, out of sequence books. Gray introduces the main character, Lanark, as he's thrust into the dismal city of Unthank. He arrives by train, with no knowledge of his past other than some sand and seashells in his pockets. He becomes acquainted with the elite clique in Unthank, but consistently feels out of place. Void of sunlight and companionship, Lanark is engulfed into the earth.

Next, Lanark struggles with life in "The Institute", where he overcomes a skin disease and eventually turns from patient to doctor. While in the institute, Lanark is told the story of his past life by an oracle. This takes up half of the novel (books one and two). Gray introduces Duncan Thaw, and gives his Bildungsroman (coming-of-age story). Just as Lanark in Unthank, Thaw struggles through life without every finding true companionship or love. You don't exactly feel sorry for Thaw, but you can relate with him. He suffers through various women, does poorly in school, and loses work due to his unwillingness to compromise.

The final book picks up after Lanark learns about his previous life as Thaw, and leaves the institute. He is continually forced into awkward positions after returning to Unthank. At this point, Gray plays with time, and we see the remaining years of Lanark's life unravel and fall apart.

Based on other reviews I've read, and from how I interpreted the novel, books one and two seem to be Lanark (Thaw)'s life. Books three and four represent hell, or another plane of existence that's clearly undesirable. The theme throughout is man's lack of love leading to destruction. One and two show Thaw's personal demise as a result of being unable to love/be loved. Three and four show mankind's failure due to lack of compassion.

“Man is the pie that bakes and eats itself, and the recipe is separation,” is repeated several times in the novel. You'll get it once you read it -- so go do that. I don't want to give away too much. It's not a difficult read. It is rather long, but I finished it in two weeks, so I'm sure you'll manage. My only real complaint is that Gray seems to add a little 'fluff' here and there by describing the settings in scrutinizing detail. At times it was intriguing and necessary, but often it seemed a bit redundant. Still, it's definitely worth a read!

Camping in the NJ Pine Barrens

Over the weekend Dan, Robert, Teresita and I went camping in Wharton State Forest. I've never camped in the Pine Barrens before, so it was interesting to say the least. It was almost a two-hour drive, which was filled with bad attitudes and stress. Despite the problems, we made it to the registration office and somehow found our camp site. We were rather disappointed by how small the designated camping area was, but we didn't really have a choice.

We set up the tent and built a fire. It had been an exhausting day, so we fell asleep relatively early. I woke up early the next morning, mostly because Dexter was whimpering to be let out of the tent. I snapped a few nice pictures of the area, before we were bombarded by 20-something boy scouts and their leaders/parents. There was literally a caravan of minivans filling into our already small camping area. We waited for Teri to arrive, feeling quite bitter.

We left our camp site Saturday afternoon to hike in another, less populated area. We trudged through about five miles of the Barrens, stopping for lunch and an occasional rest. Dexter ran loose through most of the hike, and did quite well. He knows to stay close to us and his recall is getting better.

We saw a lot of pretty and unusual sights. A lot of the streams we passed were black in the deep areas, blood-red near the shallow shores. Teri explained it was cedar water, which forms "when water is allowed to stand in highly acidic soil with a high iron ore content. The iron ore discolors the water, and the acid deters the presence of microorganisms which might otherwise proliferate and clarify the water. Cedar water can also develop when trees with highly tannic leaves, such as oaks, neighbor a waterway and drop their leaves into the water, causing it to discolor with time. Lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams can all develop cedar water." (The more you know!)

We returned from our hike and gathered more wood. Rob built a fire, which Dan and I maintained. Rob and Teri made a dinner of chicken, potatoes, string beans and carrots in foil pouches. After eating, we grew tired of the listening to the boy scouts (they were now having some sort of award ceremony), and decided to pile into the tent. We enjoyed another one of nature's gifts, got silly and snacked heavily.

We slept through a chilly night and morning, which I survived quite well thanks to the 50-pound dog on my legs. Again I woke up before everyone else (except Dexter) and decided to hike a little. I walked him around our camp area and caught a glimpse of a steaming stream, with the light from dawn making everything sparkle. It was one of those awe-inspiring moments and as cheesy as it sounds, I was completely happy. I stood for a few minutes, with Dexter anxiously tugging to move on, breathing in the clean, crisp air. It made the whole trip worth it. My only regret is that I didn't have my camera on me to capture the moment. But it's OK, perfect memories can live on without photographic evidence.

Presenting FREE Things You Should Care About

1. Nerdcore Rising - Head on over to your Netflix and stream this movie instantly. Director Negin Farsad follows the triumphant first tour of Nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot and his band. Even if you're not (yet) a fan, you'll enjoy this movie... and probably grow fond of Front and his geeky, hip-hop style. Includes appearances by Brian Posehn, Weird Al Yankovic, MC Lars, and many other nerdcore artists. Peep it! Why wouldn't you? It's free (if you've got Netflix, but c'mon, who doesn't?)!

2. MASHed Potatoes by K.Flay - I first heard K.Flay on MC Lar's CD, This Gigantic Robot Kills, and I knew she was something special. Her latest EP with Lars (Single and Famous) is tight. This EP is no different. Her concept: "take dope tracks. chop, screw, and sample them. add my own fresh production. write new lyrics that play with the song’s original title and record them in a basement. mix until lumps are gone. eat the batter." And hey, what do you know, it's fricken' awesome. Listen to it, love it.

The Beatles, GameCore Con, Hacklebarney and Fears of the Future

This past weekend has been a hectic one, so I'll try to mash it all into one coherent entry. Friday night was spent playing Beatles Rock Band at our friend Teri's house. I was extremely disappointed with the game. I've never been a huge fan of the Beatles, and after singing through many of their hits -- I can safely say, I'm still not a huge fan. Their lyrics are either really boring and cheesey (their early stuff) or really weird and cheesey (their drug-induced stuff). My one favorite Beatles song, Hey Jude, was not on the game. Thumbs down.

We stayed out too late, which made getting up at 6:30 AM quite difficult on Saturday. But Dan and I managed, and made it to GameCore Con just after 10:00 AM. It was our first time with actual press badges, which gave me a bit more confidence when it came to randomly snapping photos of people. We also received a bit more attention from people looking to get media attention.

We sleepily made our way through the convention for a few hours, talking to random vendors and digging through boxes of old Sega and N64 games. We watched Nerdcore Rising again around 12:30 PM, which features almost all of our nerdy heroes.

Later on we caught YTCracker's performance, followed by MC Lars. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing nerdy rap performances (MC Lars, YTCracker, MC Frontalot, Schaffer the Darklord, just to name a few).

Hunger and sleep deprivation started to kick in, so we headed back to greasy NJ. I got my usual QuickChek sub before we walked over to Alyssa's for some drinking and unwinding.

I arose the next morning (or should I say, afternoon) to a wine-spritzer-induced headache, though not exactly a hangover. We (Dan, Rob, Alyssa and myself) finally broke out of our hibernation and went hiking in Northern NJ. Chester is one of my favorite places to be in the fall: apple picking, pumpkin picking, tea shops, delicious meals and lots of memories (new and old). After hiking, we went to the Lamplighter (with a $25 off coupon I got online for a buck) and filled ourselves with pasta and sandwiches.

Sunday night was peaceful, though my head is stormed with stress and worries. As of late, I've been feeling increasingly trapped in a future that already seems pretty well-defined. I hate monotony and I am terrified of getting old and "settling down". My relationship with Rob seems to be headed down a steady road that I'm not sure I want to take. At least, not just yet. It troubles me that I don't know quite what I want, but I suppose that I shouldn't know -- not at 22-years-old. I just hope that whatever happens in the coming months, I don't screw things up too badly.

Eight Years

I wasn't sure if I wanted to write a "remembering 9/11" blog entry, mostly because it would feel fake. I was extremely lucky to come out of that day without losing any loved ones. As the day unfolded, I didn't even take the event seriously at first. I was a freshman in high school eight years ago, and it was an ordinary day. Bright and sunny, the first month of being a high school student, and I was just settling in.

The first bit of news I received was in Dr. Weiner's biology class. A friend came in, saying a helicopter had flown into the Trade Center. I didn't think much of it, other than "Wow, worst pilot ever." That rumor was way off, of course.

It wasn't until I got into Spanish class that I learned what had actually happened. The teachers were told not to talk to us about the attacks -- for fear there would be a panic, or something. Luckily, my Spanish teacher realized we weren't in elementary school and told us everything she knew. She was also too upset to teach; her son-in-law worked in the city and she was worried sick. (He was O.K.)

I walked home from school that day, with the smell of the burning city heavy in the air (I live in central NJ). I went on the computer, checked minute by minute news and watched T.V. at the same time. It was a weird feeling, watching reporters at the scene and hearing what sounded like giant water balloons hitting the ground. The noise was actually people who had jumped from the towers. That memory sticks out the most in my mind.

That day will always be very clear in my mind. The days, weeks, months and years after are a blur of fear, anger, sadness, patriotism, declarations of war and ultimately, more fear and anger. There were the inevitable conspiracy theories, people who believe our government planned the whole attack. With the years that followed -- mainly, Bush's presidency -- I can't really blame the theorists. But on that whole subject, I have no comment.

I can't say any more than that; what I experienced on that day. I didn't lose anyone I love, and for that I am grateful. I can't pump any unreal emotion into it. As I remember, it was a very surreal day. It was a bad dream; it didn't make sense.

As a resident of New Jersey, New York has always been a part of my life. I have a love/hate relationship with the city (see my entry about Peanut Butter & Co.). The towers themselves always reminded me of going to Shea Stadium with my dad. And it's always a sad reminder, driving into the city and seeing the gap in the skyline.

Personally, I think they should rebuild the towers -- that'd be the biggest "fuck you" to the culprits. No freedom tower, no corny memorial garden that defies phsyics (A.K.A., wouldn't work). Just a way of saying Americans can overcome.

Pet Post: The Cats

I fear that if I make a separate post about each and every one of my pets, my blog will ultimately become incredibly boring. Or one of the blogs MC Frontalot talks about in his song (see: I Hate Your Blog). So to spare you all the constant pet-postings, I have decided to combine the cat post into one.

The oldest cat in the house is Malakai. We took her in when she was a few months old in 2003. She's very skiddish and overall not too friendly. I sometimes go weeks without touching her -- she only allows it when she feels like it. She recently had some kidney problems, which caused her to have seizures from time to time. She's made a full recovery, and continues to be the bratty little boss cat of the house.

Next oldest is Mama. Real original, I know. Yet another stray that showed up at our door step when she was around a year old. We brought her inside when we noticed she was very pregnant. She gave birth to five kittens in July of 2006. She's a very unusual cat. For along time she followed Malakai around and tried to be buddies with her. Mali only recently started to put up with her. She's also a bit skiddish, but loves getting pet. Just don't make any sudden moves and she'll love you forever.

Kirby, Princess and Gremlin are the remaining three kittens. The other two, "Alien" (now Thomas) and Sheba (now Pita), were adopted. These three each have completely different personalities. Kirby is a loveable oaf. He's pretty easy going, though not too bright. He's my sister's cat more than anyone else's. Princess, on the other hand, is my baby. She's got a weight problem (that I intend on fixing when we move out). She's the most affectionate cat I've ever had. She loves to cuddle and "hug". Last we have Gremlin, the little demon. She thinks she's the boss, and loves patrolling the house looking for trouble.

Our newest addition, Matilda, is probably a few months younger than the "kittens". My mom started feeding her in the winter of 2007/2008, and was finally able to bring her in just as the weather got frigid. Since she had five cats already, Robert and I took Matilda to our apartment at school. In the long run, she ended up back at the house with all the other pets, but it was a good opportunity for her to adjust to in-door life.

A quick story: at one point, we lost Matilda. The window screens in our old place were broken or non-existent, which lead to Matilda falling or jumping out one of our living room windows. About a week went by with no sign of her. Some friends told Robert about a dead black cat a few blocks from our house, and we feared the worst. Then, a day or two after the horrible news, who should come running home -- none other than Matilda! She saw Francis (our roommate) and followed him in, eager for some dinner.

OK -- that's all for the cats. I still have the ferrets, rabbit and dog to discuss... but I'll leave them for a later date.

Official Summer-Goodbye, Labor Day

My town's favorite holiday has come and gone, and aside from a stabbing in my neighborhood (yikes), it went off without a hitch. We celebrated with our annual family/friend BBQ -- which gets bigger every year. New and old friends shared drinks, food and games all day. Even Dexter had some doggy friends to spend the day with.

Labor Day is undoubtedly the fastest day of the year -- I get up and go to the parade in the morning, and in the blink of an eye, we're all gathered around the lake for the fireworks.

I'm settling into a fairly pleasant routine. I have plenty to look forward to, which makes the monotony of the work week not so bad. This weekend, we're getting decked out in plaid and picking apples. Afterwards, we will hopefully make a pie (pictures and recipe to be posted here, if all is successful). The weekend after we'll be heading out to the woods for some camping. I'll have photos, even if it means layering my D60 in Ziplock bags for protection.

I'd like to end this post with a summer treat that Robert and I made, and will surely make again with different, more Autumn-y ingredients. We love smoothies, and decided to make them into a dessert of sorts. We purchased pre-made, little cakes -- I presume intended for strawberry shortcakes. We blended a banana with strawberries, yogurt and mashmallows (to thicken it a little) and poured the mix into the cakes -- topped off with a blackberry.

I wish I had some sort of whipping contraption, because the first few were a bit runny. We put the remaining cakes into the fridge, which made them thicken up and easier to eat. However, the cake wasn't as tastey. So all in all, an interesting treat -- but not yet perfected. I think I'll try again in a few weeks, with peanut butter, apples and vanilla cream cheese.

Top Five CDs

Last night, Rob proposed the question, "What are your top five favorite albums?" What CDs could you listen to every day and not get tired of. Surprisngly, this wasn't very hard for me. Mostly because there are only a few CDs I actually do listen to, daily. This is because I no longer have an iPod (thieves!) and because it's all I have on my computer. However, I feel no urgency to add more music, so that must mean these songs doing something right. At least, for my musical taste. Here they are, in no particular order.

1. Marathon (Self-Titled, 2005)

I have no idea what this CD actually looked like, and I can't find a picture of it, so we'll use our imaginations. Someone burned it for Rob, and I ripped it onto my computer and iPod (when I still had it). I basically listen to at least two songs on this CD every day. Gravity's Temptation is by far my favorite track. I'm not sure what it is about this band that draws me to them. I started listening after they had already broken up, which is extremely depressing. Rob tells me tales of their last show in a New Brunswick basement. There's such energy and passion in their lyrics, which makes their songs automatically and instinctively catchy.

2. The Killers, Sam's Town (2006)

The Killers are undoubtedly my favorite band, and Sam's Town is a masterpiece. For Reasons Unknown, Read My Mind, Bones, My List, The River Is Wild, and Why Do I Keep Counting? are are among my favorite songs (ever) -- and they're all on this CD. How the hell do they manage to be so talented? Usually I only like a few tracks on a CD. Maybe half. But almost every song is nearly impossible. The Killers have a way of mixing stories with weird and sometimes whimsical lyrics. They've got that trashy, Vegas casino band sound -- but they don't suck. I love driving down the highway at night with the windows down and this CD blasting.

3. The Killers, Day & Age (2008)

O.K., they're my favorite band, so they're showing up again on this list. I was tempted to include Hot Fuss and Sawdust, but variety is the spice of life or some shit. Day & Age is what I liked about Sam's Town, amplified. Human and Spaceman are so odd but perfect. A Dustland Fairytale paints a better story in my mind than many books I've read (not bad for 3 minutes and 46 seconds). Neon Tiger is another favorite. Most main stream bands sound the same to me. They're all singing about the same crap. And then there's The Killers.

4. MC Lars, This Gigantic Robot Kills (2009)

This CD means more to me than any I've listed thus far, but for a different reason. I first started listening to Lars about three years ago. I saw him perform at Hamilton Street, and fell in love with his dorky songs and laptop beats. He was also really sweet, though I was too shy to say much to him. Fast forward to this past year. Rob, Dan and I started our magazine, and we needed someone to interview. I thought about artists that I liked, and thought might be approachable. Lars came to mind, and he's been popping up in issues ever since.

So why is this CD so important to me? It marked the first victory for our magazine -- we received the CD before it was released, for free, in order to talk about it in his interview. Not only does it inspire all those good feelings, but it's actually really, really good. The songs are smart, catchy and fun. This Gigantic Robot kills is my favorite song, but they're all great. True Player for Real, We Have Arrived, White Kids Aren't Hyphy, Hey There Ophelia... all of them. I'm always impressed by hip-hop artists and I especially love when it's not crunk rap.

5. Jimmy Eat World, Bleed American (2001)

I admit, I don't listen to this CD as much as the other four -- but it will always be one of my favorite CDs of all time. I could listen to it any time, anywhere. Again, every song is one of my favorites. Hear You Me is probably my favorite favorite. This is one of those albums than transports me back to 2001, when I first heard it.

Honorable Mentions: Motion City Soundtrack, Commit this to Memory. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism. Barenaked Ladies, Stunt. Our Lady Peace, Gravity. Northstar, Is This Thing Loaded?

Hippie Day

I'm a day behind with most of my blogs posts as of late. Again today, I'm posting pictures from yesterday. I won't do anything interesting today, in order to catch up tomorrow.

Yesterday I was dressed in one of my "hippie" outfits. Long, flowery skirt; plain, white razor back; messy hair and a head band. Oh, and my parrot earrings from Epcot. They're so cute. To coincide with my peace-loving ensemble, we decided to eat at Saladworks for dinner. (O.K., so a restaurant chain isn't exactly "hippie", but salads are. Plus, they're just an L.L.C.!)

No pictures of the food since I didn't have my camera on me -- but it was tasty. They give you a whole lot of food and the staff is friendly. They gave us extra hot peppers and olives, even though our salads weren't supposed to come with them. It's a little on the pricey side, but it's not outrageous. I got the "Tivoli" salad: lettuce, tomato, mozzarella, chicken, pepperoni, macaroni noodles and a bunch of other things. Rob got some mandarin orange thing, which was a bit more exciting.

So if you're ever in need of a quick lunch, and Saladworks is one of your options, give it a try. They even have sandwiches and wraps if you don't like salad.

Moving on... there's a lot I want to do in this blog, and just, in general. I need to paint my bedroom. I also want to sand and repaint all my furniture, since I plan on keeping it when we move. Another goal is to assemble "grown-up" outfits that I can wear once I start working in the office (instead of from home). All of this I want to document in blog posts, but I have yet to get the ball rolling.

I am doing a lot, which explains my delay. On top of working full-time, I'm designing an issue of Jagazine for two to three weeks out of every month. I've recently begun doing volunteer design work for a husky rescue. Oh, and then any free time after that is spent on my commission-based job (Garden State Apartments). It's no wonder most of my time is spent online.

Dog Dreams

I will devote a separate post to write Dexter's "story" (as I did with Tiki, and plan to do with all the other pets) -- but for now, a short tale from yesterday.

When Dexter was a little over six-months-old, we decided he was trustworthy enough to be loose in our bedroom during the night. Originally, we gave him a dog bed that we had received from a friend of my father. It was horrendous. It was way too big, a terrible color, held onto his hair and trapped every foul oder he produced. But it was free, and we were cheap college students.

When we moved out of our apartment, I happily threw it out. Our new bedroom had plushy carpet; I didn't think Dexter (who often slept on hard wood flooring) would mind. Boy, was I wrong. The first few nights he tried to crawl into bed with me. He'd shove his wet dog lips against my cheek and turn on my touch-sensitive lamp with his nose. I finally caved in and appeased him with an old comforter.

I knew this would only be a temporary fix, though. He was chewing holes in the comforter and pulling out the stuffing in clumps. He'd drag it around the room and leave it in a crumpled pile. No, that wouldn't do.

Finally, we went to good ol' Target and found a semi-decent bed. It's navy blue and white, so his hair won't be as noticeable. You can also unzip the cover and wash it, which was a major selling point for me (owner of a dog who pukes stomach acid when he gets hungry). It's looking a bit deflated in this photo, but I think the stuffing just needs to settle.

I'm sure he'll chew through this bed and before long I'll be out buying a new one. But, at least for the time being, he's a content pooch.

Summer Wrap-Up

Today is August 31st and I can feel summer drawing to a close. My friends are going back to their respective schools; others are settling in at jobs. My day to day life won't be much different as the seasons change, but I feel different. The humid summer haze has lifted, leaving cool, breezy days.

We're approaching my favorite time of the year. Labor Day through New Years; I love autumn weather, pumpkin picking, hiking, drinking apple cider and eating pumpkin pies. Before you know it, it's Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just typing this has made me all giddy.

It is still summer, though, so I'd like to wrap up by sharing some of my favorite summer photos. More will surely follow after our Labor Day Festivities, but for now, enjoy: