"it's all calypso........"

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:16:31 GMT

well, i suppose it's that time of year.

while all other traditions kind of fell apart this year i just can't let this one go.

in some ways, it seems like a million years have gone by since the last year end blog. in others it feels like it was only a short while ago. i suppose that's the affect time has on us all. the way memories can seem muddled yet crystal clear all at the same time, so distant when they are so very near.

so now it's time to look back on the year that has been, the good, the not so good, and the completely, magically awesome. so, here we go. again.

i sort of really liked the format i used last year, so i shall do it again. it just seems easier to arrange that way.

top 9 of 2009

movies- i'm not even sure i saw nine good movies this year. so, here are the best of those i did.
9) nine- i think it's appropriate at this spot not only for the name but also because i'm not sure i was so impressed. it had great costumes, awesome production and an ok story, but somewhere along the way it lost me and with it all it's potential to really stand out.
8) the blind side-nice, heart warming story, but in the end too long for my taste.
7) new moon-yes i saw it in the theater. yes i read the books. did i freak over it? not at all, and compared to it's predecessor, this one was a let down.
6) twilight-after months of avoiding it i actually caved in and to my surprise liked it. the band wagon welcomed me with open arms.
5)bride wars- it was cute, kept my attention and made me laugh.
4) the proposal-ryan reynolds shirtless. need i say more?
3) four christmases-even though it came out last year, i was lame and just now saw it. better than i had anticipated.
2) confessions of a shopaholic- basically could be about my life. the shopping part at least.
1) 500 days of summer-very unexpected favorite. i loved how for once it didn't end happily ever after.

tv

1) heroes. as far as i'm concerned, this was the only show worth my time until lost returns. aside from anything on the food network.

shows/tours- ugh, there were so many it's so hard to narrow it down. but i shall try.

9) Bamboozle-first official bamboozle jersey experience. the people there with me are what made it special, the show itself was just kind of eh.

8) christopher gutierrez, vox pop speaking, brooklyn, ny 1/6- seriously will never, ever let me down. makes me sad to think this is the last time i'll see him do a speaking for a long while.

7)David Cook, headliners, 5/5-from the marathon drive from new york to louisville to frances and i fighting off the cougars to get out barricade spot the trip involving this show was hysterical from beginning to end. and oh, yeah, andy skibb.

6) Anathallo/manchester orchestra, mercury lounge, 3/4-even though this was two separate shows, an early and a late, it gets one spot. first time seeing anathallo, first time hearing new manchester songs, it was completely amazing in every single way

5) mewithoutYou and the dear hunter, music hall of williamsburg, 7/9- aside from my love of the music hall this was an amazing show for two reasons: 1)both of these bands are basically amazing live and 2) aaron weiss is completely adorable in every single way.

4) Robbers, Sainthood Reps, Glassjaw secret show, hoboken, nj 12/23- aside from the fact that my last show of the year was in jersey and that the secret show wasn't exactly who i hoped it was going to be, it was still pretty crazy to be apart of. Add the fact that the crowd was the most intense i've ever been a part of and this one lands itself a spot at number 4.

3) kevin devine brother's blood record release, bowery ballroom, 4/4 and music hall of williamsburg 6/2. these two shows were both part of the brothers blood tour, even though they were two months apart. i don't think i've ever been more excited for a record or more excited for the person putting it out. being at this show and hearing these songs live for the first time was such an amazing thing, the entire night gave me goosebumps. as for the music hall show with kevin, miniature tigers and brian bonz, between being tipsy, having jasmine there, bonz being drunk, watching charlie almost make out with his friend and screaming to jasmine "that's jesse lacey" whilst he stood 3 feet away, i could not have asked for a better night.

2) brand new and robbers, small club tour, norhtstar bar 7/10, music hall 7/11, middle east 7/12. aside from the fact that i did 1/4 of this tour because it was so short, the fact that most of the shows were in the smallest venues ever made this tour magic. the set list for these shows were a perfect blend of old and new and for most of it, the band seemed to be enjoying themselves. extra super bonus was finally getting to see robbers and discovering a new musical love.

1) brand new with assorted openers including glassjaw, thrice, manchester orchestra crime in stereo and the builders and the butchers. as if we didn't see this one coming a mile away. lets go through the laundry list of shows i went to on this tour/associated with the release of daisy shall we and give each one it's own little blurp of info because basically the three months that these shows encased makes them worthy.

-09/22-daisy release day, looney tunes records, long island, ny-although not officially a part of this tour i'm counting it because it was awesome and because this was the day vin stopped scarring me, and derrick recognized me from a meeting we never really had and jesse blatantly ignored me. it was fantastic.

-09/23- vintage vinyl instore, somewhere(who really cares) in jersey- also not officially a part of the tour but again worthy to be added on the grounds that vin continued to not scare me and be concerned for my welfare, derrick recognized me from a meeting we actually had (the day before) and jesse even more blatantly than he had before continued to ignore me. again, it was fantastic.

-10/03- chicago, il- in what was my official first stop on the fall tour and at the time craziest scheme pulled to see a show, i booked this 156 dollar round trip ticket on the tuesday before it took place. i took the ticket's cheapness as a sign to go and the complete amazingness of the show to validate me actually going. plus, i just really love chicago.

- 10/20, 10/21 house of blues san diego- in what now may be officially called the craziest thing i've ever done to see a show, i flew to san diego and stayed for a grand total of, oh, 60ish hours to see these two shows. and boy am i glad i did. from scene hooking and smoking a whole pack of cigarettes with denise, to impregnating looks, to accidentally professing denise's love of donnie wahlberg to derrick to literally being run over by jesse and everything in between, i could not have anticipated a better chain of events when i pressed the "buy ticket" button and booked this trip. i have always said special times happen at the hob san diego and this just sealed it.

-11/11-baltimore- in what was referred to as my bday show, i didn't sleep at all the night before, got tipsy and stayed on the barricade throughout the entire show. basically a complete win.

-11/17,11/18, house of blues, boston- in all honesty what stands out most about night one is glassjaw and me seeing them for the first time and them being completely amazing. i would have been perfectly fine to go home after that. but then night two happened and i left boston completely, idiotically happy. basically the best set list of the tour, aside from the fact i didn't get daisy, again getting those looks, and my bff finding me, made this night neck and neck with san diego as my favorite night of the tour.

-11/25- wallingford, connecticut-the lame ass crowd kind of made this my least favorite of the tour, but the show was amazing as always.

-11/28- nassau coliseum, long island, ny- getting to see all the bands i love on the same stage in long island was basically magic. and getting so see them play in front of that many people was sort of surreal.

-12/03- lupos, providence, ri- this was actually a one off show with manchester for a radio station, but again, who cares, it counts. i fought the pit for a good 5 songs in to brand new's set, but had to bale because rhode islanders are the craziest kids on the planet, i swear. but, lucky for me there was a balcony and the view from it was pretty.

books- although i actually read quite a lot this year there are only a few really worth mentioning.

4) The lovely bones, alice sebold- although i'm not technically finished reading it, i started it this year and it's kind of an amazing story.

3) "thoughts on faith" and "plan B, further thoughts on faith", anne lamont- this woman is real. she has dreads. she uses words like damn and fuck. she's not your average bible thumper and for that i am grateful.

2) pride and prejudice and zombies-lets face it, if all literary classics had zombies in them i would be way more apt to actually read them.

1) "gone with the wind", margaret mitchell- this book took me 15 years to read all the way through. i literally first started it in 1994. me finally finishing it is reason enough for it to be number one.

songs-so much good music was put out this year, these were the best of the best for me.

9) speechless- lady gaga- this is a beautiful song. and i love it.
8) brian bonz- kid shit- i think bonz is another one of those people who write like kevin, about relevant things dressed up in songs that make you actually think. and for that i heart him.
7) mewithoutYou- cattail down- there are two parts in this song that i absolutely adore, one because it's hilarious and one because it's so very true. they are: "found a bag along the footpath off highway 61 filled with what looked like marijuana. (don't worry mom, we left it there)" and "you don't know where you came from, you don't know where you're going, you think you're you- you don't know who you are,you're not you. you're everyone else."
6) robbers-eager- this, seriously, is my jam. the bass line in this is amazing and coupled with the angry lyrics about hopeful hopelessness, it gets me every time.
5) thrice-the weight- it's a love song in rock n roll clothes. i swear if i ever get married, this will be the song played during the first dance.
4) manchester orchestra, shake it out- there is one piano part in this song that i think may be my favorite part of any song ever. plus, this song just really makes you want to shake it out.
3) kevin devine- carnival- basically i think it's the haunting undertones and lyrics that make this song so damn good. my favorite off of brothers blood.
2) noro, brand new- for someone who used to scare me just by being him, you would think vin's part of this song would put the fear of God in me. but strangely, i think it makes this song what it is and is one i'd probably pay good money for to hear live.
1) daisy, brand new- while i tend to think the entire album was stunning, the title track is just completely beautiful. there are not many songs that elicit such emotion in me that i cry the first time i hear them, but this one did. maybe it was the child in the middle. maybe it was the lyrics. all i know is to this day when i hear daisy, something in me gets a little hopefully sad. oh, and i'm still not over the fact i didn't get to see this performed one of the handful of times they did it live. one day, brand new, one day.

albums- for those of you who know me, there will be no big shockers here.

9) lady gaga- the fame monster- i really don't mind liking lady gaga because she actually has talent. and i really love that she lives her life as if it's all a performance art piece.
8) black gold-rush- this album got me through my first long, cold new york winter. for that i will be forever thankful.
7) brian bonz- from sumi to japan- i'm not sure how you could ever see brian and not heart him.
6) mewithoutYou- it's all crazy, it's all false, it's all a dream, it's alright- this is just fun music with a meaning and i am totally down with it. definitely a record where it made me love the band infinitely more than i already did.
5) robbers- flesh ep- even though it's just an ep, these five songs are way better than most of the music put out today. these songs are my jam.
4) thrice- beggars- this was another album with lyrics that meant something. this was also the album that made me fall in love with thrice.
3) manchester orchestra- mean everything to nothing- at first i was leery of this record. it was different and i didn't know if that was in a good or bad way. but after seeing its songs performed live, i was in love.
2) kevin devine- brothers blood- kevin will always be my favorite ginger. he will always be my favorite because he is one of the nicest dudes i have ever met and his music means something. he is real and amazing and talented and i wish more people would just recognize this already.
1) daisy, brand new- some thought it was crap. i thought it was stunning. i think i am right. i loved the heavy guitars and distortion and the screaming. i realllllly loved the screaming. especially live. it was emotional and raw and beautiful and perfect. at least to me.

quotes- can't believe i can actually think of this many, but here they are.

9) "what's someone with brown hair then? a shithead?" marie's conclusion after being told what a ginger is.
8) "someone came up to me after the show and told me they love my straylight run covers and how much i sound like the guy from straylight run." j.nolan in reference to a very confused fan.
7) "i know i look like cupid!!!"- no truer words were ever spoken by brian bonz.
6) "by the way, where are you from?" oh poor, confused derrick. he was a goldmine for quotes this year.
5) "did you make out with them?!!?" derrick's logical response to denise and i telling him about the drunk dudes next to us trying to get people to make out with them.
4) "@alecksu!!!!! where are youuuuu??" jasmine and i drunkenly yelling in the park and down the street.
3) "oh, he's a hunk"-derrick in reference to donnie wahlberg. this whole conversation was epic.
2) "he turned your age this year" said by frances in reference to how old david cook is. as if our age is too old to be an actual number.
1) "that's jesse lacey!!!" i screamed at the top of my lungs to jasmine as he stood 3 feet away. *facepalm* no wonder he hates me.

best moments of 2009

9) being a family magnet to that one dude-like i know there are a lot of them, but this year it was almost to the point of ridiculous. seriously, everywhere.
8) discovering vinnie's pizza and pennylicks- and going there frequently, first with jasmine then with joseph.
7) nyc to louisville- oh that epic turn around trip to see d.c. the things we do for that man and his band.
6) bamboozle- having l.a. meet nyc was fabulous. from the reaction to times square to the rainy days of bamboozle we packed more into 3 days than anyone ever should be allowed to.
5) ak shennigans- who would have ever thought that my actual, unironic nyc hang out would be at a bar partly owned by pw and saporta. not to mention that i have made a few friends there. all that plus the towel slapping fights and gong ringing makes time at ak some of the best of the year.
4) kingston- this was the year i got my nephew. he's precious even if it was a little of a shock to the system.
3) hob boston night 2- seriously that set list alone made the trip. combine that with my solidifying bff status and those looks that to this day i still don't know what they were all about and you have a recipe for pure magic.
2) hob san diego night 2- i just can't even believe i actually did it but i am so glad i did. the conversation between denise, derrick and i was probably worth the entire trip and the fact that jesse was standing 4in away hearing us talk about drunken frat boys, d.wahlberg and w.o.w. only made it that much better. and then there was the scene hooking.
1) moving to nyc- while i was sad to leave l.a and the people in it, this was a new adventure and one i always wanted to have. from a young age i had always felt like i belonged in new york and moving there this year confirmed it. it's everything i hoped and so much more. i find myself thriving here. and i like it.

worst of 2009- because lets face it, there were some shitty, shitty moments of the year. here are the top three, or um, i guess in this case it would be bottom three.

3) rip celebrities- so much death. i swear, 2009 wanted to see how many celebrities it could take before the end of the decade. at this point there have been so many i've lost count. let's just hope 2010 gets a reprieve.
2)drunken concussion- well, in what was my not so finest hour i took it upon myself to drink a little to much and the result was a bump on the head and a week of vertigo to follow. won't be doing that again anytime soon.
1) rip sadie muggles- again, that bitch death reared it's ugly head and this time took my fur baby with it. not gonna lie, this was a way low point of my year. pets are like children and losing sadie was really, really sad. it affected me in weird ways. she was my constant companion for all my crazy moving shenanigans. she got me through a lot of hard times. i still miss her and will for a while.

well, there it is. the beast of a list that was 2009. overall, mostly like any other year with it's ups and downs. but i am convinced that this year's best moments were filled with more magic than any other. and i have a feeling that next year's will be filled with even more. until then.

you know i will so be here

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:14:48 GMT

everyone needs to get their tickets now. this tour is going to be amazing.

OMG PLEASE LET THIS BE TRUE!

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:04:36 GMT

http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/56462728

The 12 year old in me just got really excited.

UPDATE: HOLY SHIT I THINK IT IS!!!!

http://www.nkotb.com/

Just in time for the holidays....

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:31:07 GMT

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Super Hero Hoodie size medium

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Oh what a li(f)e I lead.

"it's all calypso........"

you know i will so be here

OMG PLEASE LET THIS BE TRUE!

Just in time for the holidays....