Saturday, April 25, 2009

shameful admission

Remember that time I went on a blogrant about how ridiculous Twitter is?

http://twitter.com/brookish3

Thursday, April 23, 2009

strawberries in the summertime

I wish polygamy were legal. Because then I could marry both Eric Earley AND Robin Pecknold, lead singers of Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes, respectively. I had the pleasure of attending their concert last week at The McDonald Theater here in Eugene, and it was amazing. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I've always envisioned their music to be best performed on a wildflower-frocked meadow in the foothills of the Cascades or Blue Ridge Mountains, while I sit on a porchswing of a log cabin sipping a hearty beer. But my perch on the theater's balcony was perfect as I watched these bands perform some of my favorite songs through a shroud of fog.


Blitzen Trapper quickly opened the dynamic show with a high-energy rendition of "Sleepytime in the Western World," and most of the songs which followed were from their most recent album Furr. The group was filled with energy, and during the title track Furr, they were joined by the members of Fleet Foxes, which was a treat for sure. All the same, I would've liked to just hear their version of it. Despite my beer spilling into my lap early on in the show, I was very content. My favorite part of their set was when Eric Earley found himself alone on stage for "Not Your Lover," which moved me to tears. All in all their set was rocking. I wanted to get up and dance. I especially liked when, during "Black River Killer," Eric did a special hand movement when he said "oregon."


Fleet Foxes put on an equally delightful, albeit different, showcase. Comfortably bantering with the crowd, they ended up discussing tea, which of course eventually led to a humorous joke about Fleet Foxes being strict constitutionalists who like to teabag. Two of my favorite songs, "White Winter Hymnal" and "Ragged Wood" were paired so perfectly that it took my breath away for a second. While I was less inclined to dance to their music, I did find myself lost in the abyss of whimsical melodies and beats. The highlight of their set was the solo performances by Robin Pecknold, particularly "Oliver James" and "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song." I have embedded a video of second one below.

All in all, the concert lived up to every hope and dream I had. Maybe someday I'll get to see both bands outside of a log cabin in foothills. But I'll settle for seeing Blitzen Trapper at the Pickathon Music Festival this summer at the Pendarvis Farm outside of Portland. Who's in?











Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Acupuncture


For awhile now I've had a stinging pain to the right of my coccyx. Everytime I walked uphill or hiked around, it would start hurting really bad. Well, I finally decided to give acupuncture a try, and I am SO GLAD I did. I've been twice now. The first time was about an hour and a half, because I had to talk with the acupuncturist and let her know what all was going on. The acupuncture didn't really hurt at all. I still had pain for a few days, then on the day of my next appointment, the pain was gone. I went to my next appt, and the pain is still gone! This is very exciting, because previously the pain was a permanent (alliteration!) fixture.
Ok..time to get ready for the Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper concert. I'm SO excited!!


Wednesday, April 15, 2009

club meeting

I had my biannual meeting of Procrastinators Anonymous tonight. We clustered around the mail slot at the post office at 5:30 pm (when they stopped accepting tax mail for today's postmark) excitedly sliding the product of several tedious months of thinking and not doing. We exchanged knowing glances. No introductions were necessary. "Hi, my name is Brooke, and I'm a procrastinator." I did my federal taxes this morning, and then I did my state taxes during my lunch break. I did them both wrong the first time. But they're done.

This "tea party" business is ridiculous. Besides the obvious reasons, I don't like it because it lacks creativity. I think it'd be better if everyone just took their adjustable-rate mortgage contracts and set them aflame. If we're going to regress, then let's tar and feather Madoff.

I bought some super cool plants yesterday at Living Art Botanicals. When I find my camera, I shall post some pictures. I'm training Luna to touch my finger with her nose. She's obsessed with the clicker. She nudges the tip of my finger then frantically searches for the source of the click. It's adorable. When I find my camera, I shall post a video. Speaking of videos, I'm continuing my "my so-called life" marathon when I finish this blogpost.

I have two new experiences coming up: serving someone lawsuit papers and getting acupuncture.

and now i leave you with one of the five commercials i actually like:

I have goosebumps.

Monday, April 13, 2009

concerts

2 upcoming concerts im thoroughly pleased about:

fleet foxes and blitzentrapper at the mcdonald theater here in eugene


thao nguyen and the get down stay down in portland





i hope to catch molasses a couple more times at sam bonds garage.
I know what you're thinking. The beard is irrelevant. Their music is awesome.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Fabulous Spring Weekend!

Kicking off on Friday with craft/girl's night at Jasmine's, the weekend turned out to be great. Then on Saturday she and I took Luna and one of her dogs on a walk in philber tree orchard. Then we ate at Outback and saw Hotel for Dogs, which turned out to be a GREAT movie, inducing both tears and laughter.

Today was great as well. I started the day with a nice walk with Luna to the dog park, where we discovered some really cute trails. The morning air smelled very springy and the temperature was perfect. Then I went to the Latitude 10 Cafe in the Friendly St. Market, where I enjoyed a tasty cappucino, a pair of pear pancakes, and more reading of the current book, The Losers. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to more clearing out of the garden plot, and I'd say I'm about 75% done clearing that out. That's about on schedule, since I can't plant anything before April 26th anyway. Our front yard is looking really nice. I came inside just before the rain started, so that was perfect timing. I think tonight I'll make a yummy asparagus salad.

My friend Kim is coming to visit in a few weeks, and I am SO excited. I've already got the itinerary fairly planned out, and I can't wait to share all of the great things I love about Oregon with one my good friends. Hopefully next summer I can head to Minneapolis to visit Kim and Liz and see their new house!

I hope all of you had a good Passover, Easter and/or Zombie day. Also, I really, really hope we get high speed rails across the US!!

Friday, April 10, 2009

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."


....and so is good beer.


I just learned of this beer. Dissident from Deschutes Brewery has become my holy grail. It's probably not THAT hard to find, but I'm definitely going to be stopping by the Bier Stein this weekend to see if they have it.
Check out a brewview and some links to other reviews here.
Oh Deschutes, when will I make it up to Bend for a tour?

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

as the fog clears

I have just emerged from a dense haze of pain and emotion. Had it not been for luna, quantum leap, marionberrry cobbler, and copious amounts of midol and ibuprofen, I'm not sure I or those around me would have made it out alive. I've got to be proactive and resolve this issue. But maybe there's something about being in a constant state of agonizing pain and doped up on chemicals that appeals to me.

I lost my phone yesterday. Tonight when I was taking out the trash I noticed it on the handrail of my porch. I don't know if I accidentally left it there overnight, if someone returned it, or what. Alls I know is it's acting up. Quien sabe? But... I do know that I felt great not having it. I felt free from the tethers of social convenience. I felt free from the compulsions of a connected world. I felt free. And already, as I am unable to type a coherent text due to its electrical malfunctions, I am plotting to buy a new phone. Maybe I won't. Perhaps I shall revert back to morse code...or even better smoke signals.

I am taking the Knowledge Exam tomorrow to hopefully obtain my Oregon driver's license. I am actually a bit nervous, as I know many, many people who have failed multiple times. I should be studying. Did you know there is such a thing as "unmarked crosswalks?" Basically, it's a place where a crosswalk line could potentially be drawn, but just hasn't been. I thought it was bullshit, too. Also, in the event of a four-way intersection with no stop sign, the "through street" has the right of way. Isn't that fairly relative? I mean...which street is more important - Monroe or 23rd? It's hard to say. At any rate, I hope to be legal tomorrow. I've been driving without a license since I inadvertently threw mine in the trash in August, which is when I last cleaned out my car.

My ladies book club met tonight. I love my ladies book club. Several people couldn't make it, but the smaller group worked out just fine.

Go Rangers.

Monday, April 6, 2009

le sigh

i really miss my dad.