I wrocked the vote!

Wizard Rock Road Trip

Throughout my wizard rock adventures last week, I took a TON of video. I spent this entire weekend compiling the clips of the shows for the Wizrocklopedia's YouTube channel (check out the Whomp the House, Part Deux entries) and making a video of my vlogging adventures. Below is my account.



When I got home from Columbus, JP noticed that I had a huge rip in the ass of my jeans. I had been wearing them for two days and never noticed when it happened, so now I'm convinced that I was walking around like that for awhile. Whoops.

Post Wizard Rock Stress Disorder

A very serious condition that may include the following symptoms:

1) A feeling of disappointment when realizing the show is over alternating with periods of shit-eating grins when remembering how great it was
2) Scouring the internet to find more wizard rock shows to go to and justifying spending large amounts of money/backing out of plans made months ago to do so
3) Humming the song that's stuck in your head and realizing with a jolt that the person who sings it is sitting next to you in your living room
4) An urge to abandon your life and start driving toward the next Wizard rock show

I know that I tend to self-diagnose, but I really think I have this.

Seriously, this week in wizard rock was amazing. We had the Pittsburgh show on Tuesday, followed by a fairly impressive amount of partying at our place. After sleeping for about 4 or 5 hours, we woke up and hung out for a bit. The boys left to get to Columbus early, and I took off a few hours later.
When I got to the venue, I found the three of them outside the venue in the cold with a locked door behind them. No one had arrived to open the bar, and we had to wait about an hour and a half. Fans and the other band were all just standing around outside, definitely attracting some attention with the number of striped scarves in the crowd. The local Harry Potter group, a part of HP Ohio, bought us all pizza which I used to warm my hands up a bit. As soon as it was no longer warm, I ate it.

But of course it was worth the wait! Tom Riddle and Friends played, as well as Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills and The Whomping Willows. When I first arrived, I had told Matt how I needed to exchange the live CD of his from Wrockstock that I bought the night before because one track wouldn't play, and it was my favorite. Before his set, I tried to peek over his shoulder to see his set list, which he hid from sight while reassuring me that he would play my favorite song. With two songs left to go, he dedicated the song to me in thanks for giving them the best night of tour so far. Later on, the HP Ohio people gave me shit about how we had worn them out the night before, so they didn't want to go out partying again. Whoops.

Yay wizard rock!

Taking the Good Along with the Bad

It's Sunday morning, and this weekend has been an emotional roller coaster so far.
Wow, that's a bit melodramatic. Essentially, yesterday was full of both happy and angry, alternating throughout the day.

It started with my 2pm appointment being canceled via a voicemail. I called back to reschedule and was told they were "too busy" to deal with it then, and they would have to call me back. When the scheduler finally called me back three hours later, she was snotty and annoyed that I asked if I could be squeezed in on Monday and then further annoyed when I told her I wasn't available on Thursday. Like it was my responsibility to keep the entire week-long period after my appointment open in case they canceled my original one. Grr.

Then I found out that I got into La Roche for my design program! Ahhhhhhh!!!! Life goals being achieved!

Then I went to drop JP off at the liquor store while I ran to Giant Eagle for flowers and some woman just backed her car out of a parking spot into my car. There is barely even a dent, so I wanted to let the whole thing go. In retrospect, I should've taken her info and fucked with her as much as possible because after she hit me:
1) She told me that if I had honked, she wouldn't have hit me. (I was laying on the horn for a good 5-10 seconds when I realized she was about to hit me)
2) She told me that I probably didn't want to have to pay my deductible for such a small dent. (Even though she would be responsible for it because SHE FUCKING BACKED INTO ME!!!)
3) She never ONCE apologized.
But we were late, and I somehow felt bad for her even though she was a raging bitch, so I just left.

Then we went to the 25th anniversary party of some family friends. We met this awful woman who bonded with JP because she's a lawyer. As the three of us were interacting, I noticed any time I tried to insert something into the conversation, she would look at me, pause, and then continue as if I had said nothing. After the third time this happened, I simply got up and left to find more enjoyable conversation partners.

Then we drove home, put on costumes, and headed over to Brian, LeeAnn, and Rob's party. Everyone was adorable, of course. I have some amazingly creative friends when it comes to costumes.


And then I woke up this morning to find a new Half-Blood Prince trailer!



I suppose the good outweighed the bad in the overall scheme of things, and I have full confidence that karma will work its magic to punish those that deserve it.

This backwards "B" really hurts

An amazing story came to my attention this morning. Here in Pittsburgh, a woman was mugged at an ATM (interestingly enough, the same ATM where a man was shot 2 years ago) and claimed that after the attacker saw a bumper sticker on her car for McCain/Palin, he carved a "B" on her cheek and told her she would be an Obama supporter.

The police became suspicious of her story for a number of reasons, most notably because THE "B" IS FUCKING BACKWARDS. Like, what might happen if you did it to yourself in a mirror?


It was also a very superficial, clean cut. If someone was holding me down and trying to carve my face, I believe a bit of resistance would mar their artwork. But hey, she could just have been scared, right? Or, as proclaimed by this gem of a blog, it isn't backwards, but upside down, because she was held by the attacker's knees around her head? Republicans lashed out, calling this a hate crime and stating it was proof of Obama's crazy supporters.
But, even Republican blogger Michelle Malkin cited her suspicions.

And sadly for the McCain/Palin ticket, she was neither scared nor held with her head between her attacker's knees. She just made the whole thing up.

I hope it scars.

Agnostics, Secular Humanists, and Tolerance FTW!

I make no secret of my politics on this blog, unapologetically, for a few reasons.
1) It's my personal blog. If you want fair and balanced, spend all day poring over news blogs/listening to the radio/watching tv/reading the newspaper. That's what I do to form these opinions.
2) A lot of you agree with me. Those of you who don't, I know you can take a well-reasoned argument and either let it go or have at me in a way that we will still be speaking to each other at the end of the discussion.
3) Politics are hugely important to me and occupy a large part of my thinking.

That being said, I hope no one is offended by the following.
While I never have a problem with anyone having faith, I do have a major problem with the attitude of many members of particular religions. This includes any religious person that has stopped me on the street, knocked on my door, or otherwise tried to convince me that their way is the one. Proselytizing, in other words.
As far as I am concerned, my faith and spirituality is solely my business. You are entirely uninvolved. I don't really care what you think (but in a friendly, non-offensive way). I don't go about screaming what I believe, so I expect you to do the same. I have never publicly proclaimed my particular brand of spirituality. I'm going to do so for the first time here.
I'm not an atheist.

I know, right? The Godless, educated liberal believes in God? No WAY!

Well, it's a little more complicated than that. I consider myself agnostic, meaning that I have no freakin' idea if there is a God or not, but I am unwilling to categorically say so either way. I usually add "hopeful" to the beginning of it. Hopeful meaning that I sure wish there is, especially the benevolent I-just-want-you-all-to-be-happy-God. Wouldn't that be nice?
For all of you that just answered "yes" to the above question, do you believe in gay marriage?
For all of you that just answered "no" to the second question, can you explain that to me?

That's right. You managed to find someone to love amidst all of this sadness, this insecurity, this world filled with war and starving children and various other hopelessly unfair things? Congratulations, dude! That's amazing. And I couldn't be happier for you.
But, sorry. Genetic limitations prevent you from receiving any of the governmental benefits that I just gave to that hilarious girl wearing hot pink vinyl that just drove through the chapel drive-thru here in Vegas. Man, was she drunk! (Yet still preserving the sanctity of marriage, mind you!)

I know what you'll say. It's just "unnatural" or "the Bible says it isn't right". Well, for all of you who fall into the first category, I'm guessing no logical argument will convince you, so we'll just leave you with your elitism and move along.
As for the second group, I can see your point. The Bible does make reference to homosexuality being against God's wishes and plans. Leviticus 18:22 specifically states that: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." But hey, as long as we're following the Bible, where is the mob that is supposed to stone Bristol Palin to death? Deuteronomy 22:20-21 says, "But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you." And while we're on the subject of killing people, Deuteronomy 13:13-15 states "Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword." There goes Squirrel Hill, huh?

If your issue is that "marriage" is a religious construct and that should be reserved for the religious, ok. I could see that. So, I'm definitely not married. Neither are Shannon and Will, nor Brett and Andrea. And I'm a bastard child, along with my little brother. I could live with all of those things as long as you let me keep JP on my health care plan. You want to define marriage? Let's do it. Tell me I'm not married. Tell every other heterosexual couple that got married by a civil servant that they aren't married. Let's see how well that works out.

If you want to live your life as the Bible instructs, go for it. I find the hypocrisy of choosing which parts to follow to be angering beyond anything, though. If any of you live in California, Arizona, or Florida, please consider propositions 8, 102, and 2 long and hard. Who are we to judge? Ecclesiastes 3:17: "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked". Not you.

20 Pop-Culture Hits You Say We Couldn't PAY You To See

EW recently published a list of "20 Pop-Culture Hits You Say We Couldn't PAY You To See". I was unsurprised by some - High School Musical, Da Vinci code, Godfathers, James Bond, dancing movies (defined as any of the "Step it Up"s or "Bring it On"s), reality TV. Some seemed a little arbitrary, like the movies 300 or ET. What's the problem with ET?

The user comments that justified the answers were the best part. One person won't see any of the Lord of the Rings because "somehow watching them would feel like cheating on my beloved Harry Potter."
Another won't read Oprah books just because she endorses them, though I don't think he realizes that Oprah has chosen Anna Karenina and 100 Years of Solitude in the past. If a "housewife" (his description of who reads Oprah's recommendations) reads Anna Karenina and hadn't before, bully for her! What's wrong with people reading for whatever reason?
One person just doesn't do vampires. At all. "I'm against vampires. Which means, Buffy and Twilight — yeah, I'm not watching! Sorry! But I have seen every episode of Gossip Girl, so I've got that going for me. Which is good." I've seen every episode of Gossip Girl, too, but it's not something I think "I've got going for me".
"Sarah" won't watch Jaws, but has a rational reason that seems out of place in this list. "For some reason, people being eaten by a large fish scares the crap out of me." Uh, yeah. I think most of us would agree.
This girl is obviously crazy and leads a sad, sad life: "When I was a kid, I wasn't allowed to watch the show [The Simpsons], and as a teenager, I stopped wanting to watch it. I'm an adult now, and people are always shocked that I've managed to live my entire life without seeing a single second of The Simpsons, except for those old Butterfingers commercials."

And finally? This person wouldn't see Harry Potter if you paid her because...drum roll..."I have read none of the books or seen any of the movies. I don't really plan on starting any time soon." Really? That's the least interesting answer ever. I was hoping she'd be some religious nut.

This really might be our demise

I was supposed to take today off of politics for my birthday, but then this was sent to me. I can't decide if it's funny or the scariest thing ever. I guess on November 5th, I can make that assessment.

Kinda fail?

Yesterday and today was the 24 hour readathon at Joseph Beth's Booksellers. It started at 5pm, and the point was to read until you 1) couldn't anymore and decided to leave or 2) fell asleep. Every 2 hours, we had a 15 minute break and every 6 hours, there was a 45 minute break. There were only 7 of us that started the night, curled up in comfy chairs with pillows and blankets.

Warning: The next paragraph contains some mild spoilers to the Twilight saga. If you know nothing about it and would like to keep it that way, just skip it.

I started by finishing the book I was reading, Neil Gaiman's book of short stories, Smoke and Mirrors (which is highly recommended, by the way). Then, it was on to Twilight. I have been sitting on the Twilight saga for months now, saving it for the readathon. No matter the complaints I've heard, everyone says it is at least captivating. This is true, I suppose. I certainly didn't find it more captivating than Harry Potter, but it did keep me awake the whole night through. I only got to halfway through Eclipse (the third of four, no spoilers, please!), and please don't flame me for this, but I think I desperately hate Edward Cullen. I feel he embodies everything about young love that deserves criticism, and that there is a clear distinction between protecting people you love and being an overwielding, control-freak maniac. Plus, does no one else find it creepy that a 104 year old wants to date a 17 year old? I know Bella is supposed to be an "old soul", and that he *looks* 17, but c'mon.

My book choices aside, I started the evening with a sinus headache. JP was supposed to visit during my first 45 minute break at 11:30 and bring me meds, but it turned out they locked us in while the store was closed. We could only leave for cigarette breaks out the back. I was annoyed because I had been told that people could visit for breaks. I made it until 7 am before I asked someone for something for the pain, and as soon as my headache went away (around 8:15), I passed out. BOOO! I really wish that I had tried to deal with it long before then because I feel that without the headache, I could have pushed through.

I did make it for 15.5 hours, though. This means I raised $145.87 for my charity, Beginning with Books. And I read 1,456 pages. I don't remember the last time I read for more than an hour straight, let alone read a book cover to cover. That part was really amazing. The other amazing part was sitting with 6 other people who were content to do the same. I've been thinking that maybe I will sponsor my own readathon, just for fun. We can put down air mattresses and all hang out and read for an evening. Even after this binge, right now, I think I'm going to go pick Eclipse up again.

I also appreciate the fact that this has helped me with the second ever New Year's resolution that I will have completed. I wanted to read 20 new books this year (no rereads can be counted in this). This also doesn't include any fanfiction, no matter how well-written or epic it is (if it did, I'm sure I'm well beyond my goal). I'm at 16 right now, so I should easily hit 20 by the end of 2008. Yay!

Fruition

So, today marks the two year anniversary of my blog! Two years ago today, I posted for the very first time. Sure, there have been some gaps without entries for awhile (like recently, sorry!), but I have stuck with it. And I have to say that being able to rant, rave, and just generally speak my mind to an audience is pretty awesome.

In addition to this anniversary, today also marks the beginning of lots of plans I have had for a few months now. Tonight is the Readathon at Joseph Beth's Booksellers. At 5pm, I will start reading. Hopefully, I will make the full 24 hours. If I do, I will have raised almost $200 for Beginning with Books, my charity of choice. So, I will definitely be out of any communication loop from tonight until Sunday morning (I plan to pass out shortly after coming home on Saturday and sleep until morning). 24 hours with no internet! Is that harder than the lack of sleep? We'll see.

I've also managed to write three articles for the Wizrocklopedia so far, and a fourth should be posted in the next few days. I've totally loved writing for them and getting to talk about wizard rock to an audience who cares. It's very cool to have people react positively to something you've written; especially enough to comment or email me about it.

In less than three weeks, we have the first wizard rock show I have been helping to plan. This has been going on since the middle of August, so again, I've been waiting awhile for it. The day after the Pittsburgh show, my friend Rose and I are going to jump in the car and follow the bands to Columbus, where they will be joined with yet another band. The day after that, we'll drive to outside Cleveland and see them again. Wizard rock road trip! I know some of you think I'm crazy and ridiculous and should be devoting my time to more worthwhile things, but at the moment, this is what makes me happy. After that, it's less than a month until the show that I set up at Your Inner Vagabond, followed quickly by Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yikes! Am I really thinking about 2009 already?

And finally, Monday is my birthday. I am usually so super excited and planning craziness and jumping up and down, but I have really been far too busy lately to anticipate it. Plus, 27 may be a bit old to make a huge deal out of it. There will still be parent celebration and drinks and dinner with friends on Monday, and that's all I really need.

If you've been reading this for two years, thank you so much for following my life, step by step. If you've jumped in somewhere in the middle, I appreciate the time you've spent here. Thanks to everyone for letting me sound off - it means a lot.

Work is for people with jobs, take 2

After my last article for Wizrocklopedia, I decided to make it a series. First, I wrote about wrockers in college, which gave me a chance to interview and talk with several bands. My latest article (here) is in regards to working, and I talked to yet more bands. My final installment is going to be about people who manage to do wizard rock full-time, and yes, that's even more interviews. I've really been having so much fun with this, and the comments have all been positive (from the bands, random readers, my editor, friends/family).

Blogging for a living. How much fun would that be?

Brett and Andrea's wedding

In which I manage to make a video that is only 3 minutes and some change. Yay!

Art, anyone?

My oh-so-talented sister-in-law is moving from Kansas City to the Bay Area, and is selling some of her art pieces. She has them up on her etsy.

Aside from loving her dearly, I also adore her work. If you do too, please help her out!

My favorite president

After reading this New Yorker piece today, I was left with the troubling thought of "why wouldn't you want the president to be smarter than you?" Really? You want the guy next door in charge of things? The one that thought he should build a shed in his yard that looks like a small barn? The one that has managed to raise 2 children and a little yappy dog to be the most annoying beings on the planet? You would rather have him than someone who was educated at an Ivy League college and can speak eloquently?

Then I found this op-ed written by Aaron Sorkin. I have always said that I would be the happiest girl ever if Jed Bartlet were elected president, and I am so happy to hear his advice to Obama. I'm behind him 100%. My favorite part?

"Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!"

That's the Jed Bartlet I know and love.

Work is for people with jobs

I haven't written anything these past weeks for a couple reasons.

1) Life has been super crazy, with 2 weddings, lots of PAW (Pittsburgh Area Wizards) stuff that I've been doing, and I've been really tired and, therefore, lazy.
2) I've been writing something else. Namely, my first article for the Wizrocklopedia!

It was just posted today, and you can find it here. My editor was really positive about it, and I thought it turned out well, too. There are already 3 really complimentary comments up there from people who have no idea who I am. That makes me super happy.

Thanks to all of y'all for always listening, even if you are entirely uninterested. It really does mean a lot to me.

Jim and Bethany's Wedding

Freya editing, take 2.
I tried another compression technique, and it still looks like shit! Dammit.

This is probably incredibly boring if you weren't there or don't know these people, and only mildly interesting if you were.

Song during the photos at the end is 'None Shall Pass' by Aesop Rock. If you don't know him, go buy any of his CDs immediately. You won't be disappointed.

You don't have to listen to me anymore.

Well, at least about Wizard rock.
Two of my loves have come together: blogging and Wizard rock. Yesterday, I applied for and got a columnist/reporter position for the Wizard rock website, Wizrocklopedia. Hopefully, this will assuage my need to write about it here. I may post links to my entries there, but you don't have to follow them if you don't want to.

It's a volunteer position, but I do get some perks. Even without the perks, I would be happy to do it. I'm sure you've realized by now that this Harry Potter thing is not going to go away for me, and I love the idea of being more involved. Plus, having more people read things that I write? Very exciting. I can't tell you how pleased I am to have all of y'all as an audience, and every comment I get makes me happy. Knowing that I will be writing about something that the fandom community will care about is so gratifying.

And yet I'm surprised that Bush was re-elected?

Vlog, take 1

On Friday night, I decided to escape from my stressful week by driving out to Kathleen and Zack's new house, which happens to be in the middle of nowhere. I spent much of the trip video blogging in my car. This is my first shot at using video at all, really, so it's not that great. It also might be hard to see some of the text in this window, so you might want to actually go to youtube to watch it. Plus then you can read the creepy comment someone left on there.

I need to learn to edit my thoughts for sure, because this is 8 minutes long. Sorry. Kudos if you make it the whole way through.

The ups and downs of life.

Something that makes me angry (the Republicans, not Jon Stewart):





Something that makes me happy: