These posters appeared all over our office between 4 and 6 PM today. At first I got really excited but then I realized that if this were to happen, and MTV were to revert back to what it once was, my entire department would probably be out of a job.

Last night I went to see The Hold Steady -- only my favorite band EVER right now -- in Prospect Park with Sloan. And now I'm pretty much never going to go to a concert again if it's not them, because it was seriously the best live show I've ever seen.

( ybor city is tres speedy but they throw such killer parties. )

Best. Concert. EVER. They're coming back to the city in September and I cannot wait.

One last thing: keep your calendars free on Saturday, August 25 from 1 to 7 PM EDT for the True Life Marathon on MTV -- the project I've been working on for the past month. It's the first time something I've worked on this closely has aired and I'm super proud of my contribution to it. So watch it!

A few days ago, Lianna was listening to the Talking Heads song "Wild Wild Life" on repeat and screaming "OMG ROOPA THIS IS THE BEST SONG EVER." (Yeah I know, considering I made the playlist that it was on!) The song contains the lyric "You've got some wild wild life."

Last night, I accompanied her to the grocery store, mainly because I didn't want to go home and do work.

She picked up a can of chicken and wild rice soup.

To which I said: "You've got some wild wild rice."

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. When the jokes get this bad, you know that we are LOSING IT.

It's definitely time for school to be over.

This morning, as per usual, I made my daily pilgrimage to Starbucks before work (gotta love caffeine dependency). Today I am wearing a T-shirt with a movie poster for A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, that wonderful 1964 movie featuring the ever-so-charming Beatles in all of their moptop-alicious glory (before they got all artistic on everyone), printed on it.

The cashier pointed at my shirt as she was ringing me up and asked "Is that a movie?"
Well, OBVIOUSLY, I was slightly taken aback, and so it took me a while to respond "Um, yes, it's a Beatles movie."

She asked "Was it made recently?"

ZOMG ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHAT KIND OF WORLD ARE WE LIVING IN WHERE PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THAT THE BEATLES RECORDED SOME OF THE BEST MUSIC OF ALL TIME IN THE 1960s?!

Me: Um, no, it was made in the '60s.
Her: Oh, are they remaking it? Because I saw people filming downtown a while ago and they said it was for a Beatles movie.

NOT TO BE CALLOUS, or anything, but it COULDN'T be, because two of the Beatles are NO LONGER LIVING.

Seriously, I am about to cry. This girl was my age, if not older than me, and she had no idea who the Beatles were, when they existed, or what they did. And I don't think it's just me being a music history snob/buff/whatever, either. Not knowing about THE ESSENTIAL BAND OF THE 20th CENTURY is absolutely inexcusable.

As of 2pm today, I am officially halfway done with my last semester of college.
Instead of writing about it, I am posting my

SEMESTER PLAYLIST UP TO THROUGH SPRING BREAK.
"Banquet," Bloc Party
"Heroes," David Bowie
"Street Hassle," Lou Reed
"The Swimming Song," Loudon Wainwright III
"This Is Your Night," Amber
"Falling Out Of Love (With You)," the 6ths
"She Is Staggering," Polaris
"Tidal Wave," the Apples in Stereo
"Flowers," Chug
"Take Me Out," Franz Ferdinand
"Rape Me," Nirvana
"Changes," David Bowie
"Breathe (2 AM)," Anna Nalick
"History Lesson - Part II," the Minutemen
"Wave of Mutilation," the Pixies
"Teenage Riot," Sonic Youth
"Academy Fight Song," Mission of Burma
"Bulldog Front," Fugazi
"Ziggy Stardust," David Bowie
"Dreams," Fleetwood Mac
"Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta," Geto Boys
"Just Like Heaven," String Quartet Tribute to the Cure
"Just Like Heaven," the Cure
"Portions for Foxes," Rilo Kiley
"Train in Vain (Stand By Me)," the Clash
"Back in the Wild," Greenskeepers
"Ready to Rise," Vaughn Penn
"Nightrocker," the Chalets
"Super Cool," BANG sugar BANG
"Tainted Love," Soft Cell
"Diplo Rhythm," Diplo
"Cosy in the Rocket," Psapp
"Song Beneath the Song," Maria Taylor
"Nous Ne Sommes Pas Do Anges," Heavenly

Lianna and I both agreed that it feels like spring is in the air today.
That can really only be a good thing.

You know that really warm, fuzzy, happy feeling you get when you rediscover an old band, or movie, or book, and then once you do it fits like a glove and you wonder what happened to make you forget about it?

Yeah. That's happening to me right now.



In honor of Valentine's Day (and the month of February), this is my new wallpaper.

I almost forgot how GOOD Stephin Merritt is, because every memory of his music that I have is also tinged with memories of my first serious relationship. And even though that relationship fell to pieces two years ago, I still never listened to him until tonight just because I was so in the mood to distance myself from everything I was during that horrible breakup. But now that I've had enough time, and space, and ability to grow beyond who I was then, suddenly these songs are something completely different, and yet so familiar at the same time.

There's a reason why this man is among my favorite songwriters of all time. He's just THAT GOOD.

I hate dealing with Columbia housing. As soon as the lottery numbers are posted I'll be able to breathe easier. All of this unnecessary drama for nothing. (The numbers are late. Go figure.)

EDIT. I spoke too soon. Lianna and I got a kickass number...which means we're living in a GORGEOUS 2-BEDROOM APARTMENT IN WATT next year!!! Finally, the housing gods smile on me.

On another note, I've been listening to "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters nonstop for the past couple of days. It's such a beautiful song and for some reason it's really been hitting me hard emotionally lately. And I should have paid more attention to it back when it was first released, but I was in my "I only listen to anything POPULAR!" stage and would always switch the radio station when it came on.

And I wonder
When I sing along with you
If everything could ever feel this real forever
If anything could ever be this good again
The only thing I'll ever ask of you
You gotta promise not to stop when I say when...

Damn hail. It TOTALLY does not feel like spring. The bastards.

Yay for Magnetic Fields tickets in Columbus!

So excited about the 30th and the week afterward. That is, if I can find a place to sleep in Louisville besides my car...

Kind of confused about things...actually really confused. I feel like once I get home stuff will make a bit more sense.

* * * * *

How sad the castle with no foundation underground
Sadder still is the lover with no mystery left unfound
You threaten to pack your trunks and go back to Chinatown

Did I say something impolitic or
Did I lay it on too thick and
Are we breaking up tonight or
Can we have a pillow fight
Do we really need to hire a plane to
Carpetbomb down memory lane and
Shall we figure out who's right or
Can we have a pillow fight

Diverse unpleasantnesses gather around our bed
Like pigeons round a park bench clamoring to be fed
Let us kill all these rats with wings by feeding them poisoned bread

Did I say something impolitic or
Did I lay it on too thick and
Are we breaking up tonight or
Can we have a pillow fight
Do we really need to hire a plane to
Carpetbomb down memory lane and
Shall we figure out who's right or
Can we have a pillow fight...

As I (for the first time EVER) got a head start on my Sartre paper last night, I decided to do the whole "putting my iTunes on random and listing the first 20 songs that play" thing.

"Oh Yoko," John Lennon
"D'yer Mak'er," Led Zeppelin
"Kiss The Girl," The Little Mermaid
"Lead Me On," Maxine Nightingale
"Needle In The Hay," Elliott Smith
"Dancing Cheek To Cheek," Fred Astaire
"Hells Bells," AC/DC
"Cemetery Gates," The Smiths
"Satan Is My Motor," Cake
"Crimson And Clover," Tommy James and the Shondells
"Kashmir," Led Zeppelin
"Good Times Bad Times," Led Zeppelin
"One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," Ben Folds (2003 CU Bacchanale Concert bootleg*...HELL YEAH!)
"Tomb of the Boom," Outkast
"Lujon," Henry Mancini
"The Last Time," The Rolling Stones
"Four Sticks," Led Zeppelin
"Once in a Lifetime," Talking Heads
"Hello Young Lovers," Frank Sinatra
"Friend is a Four Letter Word," Cake

Yeah, I have a ton of Zeppelin on my computer. God they're so good.

*I just realized tonight that in various parts of this bootleg, you can definitely make out Sloan's laugh as well as my own (although his is way more prominent). This is incredibly bizarre.

RESOLVED:

1) I need to see Health Services about this cough. Immediately. I feel like the whole world is getting pissed off at me, especially when I let a loud hack out during the loaded silences in movies and performances. But I can't help it!

2) Manu Chao rocks my world.

3) My room is a disaster. Jessiika, love, we need to clean up...preferrably before move-out...

4) People still aren't responding to me about jobs for this summer. Well, scratch that. One company has...and has flat-out rejected me. But it's ok. I don't need them. I can work at Sesame Street instead...hopefully...I have a place to live, why can't I just find a job??

5) Kill Bill Vol. 2 is going to flat out kick ass. That's all there is to it. At 9:45 tonight I'll be sitting in a theatre at Lincoln Center enjoying the second installment of Q. Tarantino's saga of betrayal and violence. SO EXCITED.
EDIT: Oh shit, oh shit, I am about to have an orgasm because it was so good. See it. NOW.

6) 5 papers all due within the same week. As well as multiple applications for various things. Golly gee, this is going to be FUN.

7) My TA is 28 years old (or so). That, and is completely oblivious to women drooling over him and "just doesn't date," according to my friend Ana. Oh, and all the girls in my section have crushes on him. BUT: he never told any of them he wanted to procreate with them in the event of the apocalypse (I think). Still, this kind of comes as a blow...

8) Thank you to you guys who have been so supportive of me during this terrible week. I know I haven't exactly been the most wonderful person, and I really appreciate everything you have done for me.

9) Fucking THIRD ROW CENTER for the Magnetic Fields concert on May 20. HELL FUCKING YES. Sloan owes me a million and a half for this one.

I think that's it for now. And if it's not, screw it, it wasn't important anyway.

i had a dream early this morning that stephin merritt came to play at columbia and because he was losing his voice, he needed someone else to sing for him.

i fucking sang "when you were my baby" with merritt's accompaniment.

and then he autographed something for me and said "you were one of the best guest singers i've ever had, but don't tell anyone else because they'll get mad," even though i forgot some of the words because i was so nervous.

maybe it means i could be the next susan anway. or at least a guest singer on an upcoming 6ths album.

hell yes.

saturday was fucking amazing. ben folds played a free concert on the low steps and he was incredible. it was really cool hearing all his songs done on solo piano after you've heard the heavier recordings.

"that homer virgil guy's got a lot of middle names...and you know, the more middle names you have, the more pretentious you are..."

last night was more fun than i've had in a LONG time. we went out for cinco de mayo...drinking 5 glasses of sangria in rapid succession really hit me after about 15 minutes...

tonight is coheed and cambria at the bowery. i'm so excited, we better not screw up again like last time...

"cinco de my boyfriend is a sex god."

ok, i don't want to retype all of this, so i'm going to paste in a conversation i had with sloan earlier this evening.
* * *
Starseed1241: so you want to hear the story of my night?
Dliciouslysaucy1: do tell
Starseed1241: jess and i were all psyched to go to cursive tonight
Dliciouslysaucy1: sure
Dliciouslysaucy1: but ended up in the library?
Starseed1241: we got on the subway at around 645, on schedule, and everything went according to plan until we got off at fulton to get the M
Starseed1241: we got on the train heading for brooklyn
Dliciouslysaucy1: ok
Starseed1241: and at the last stop in manhattan, i was like, "we have to get off" right when the doors were closing
Starseed1241: but we managed to squeeze out and change trains, no big deal
Starseed1241: so we got the M and made it to the bowery fine
Starseed1241: and got off and the club was right there
Dliciouslysaucy1: right
Starseed1241: it was an 18+ show, so the bouncers demanded some ID
Starseed1241: i had my license
Starseed1241: jess didn't have any ID on her
Starseed1241: so we ended up not going
Dliciouslysaucy1: holy crap
Starseed1241: yeah
Dliciouslysaucy1: that sucks
Starseed1241: yeah
* * *
so yeah. i missed cursive tonight. but there was no way in hell that i was going to go without jess. she's such a good friend, i wouldn't go without her. we did have a great conversation on the way there about our room next year. heehee. i'm so excited, we are going to have the most kick-ass living space at columbia next year. AND we've decided to have the most kick-ass weekend ever.

week has been...interesting. turmoil with the family but that's to be expected, right? i missed sloan like crazy, i talked to him almost every day and it was so fucking nice seeing him again yesterday.

nothing much new. i rediscovered the white album. fell asleep crying to bright eyes last saturday night. am exceedingly happy to be back here and not somewhere where i'm miserable and bored out of my mind at the same time.

yeah, so guess who got sick tuesday. really sick tuesday. as in, had a high fever and almost blacked out. that's right, folks, it's me!

so i spent all day yesterday and today in bed watching mtv2 and being transfixed to the nirvana of all videos all the time. :)

and by the way, dave grohl officially kicks even more arse than he did before (if that's possible...).

i've been feeling way too stressed out over the past month, and it's not good. it's not even about school ~ that's pretty much a non-issue and i kicked arse on my midterms so far, so i'm definitely not worried about academia. it's more like what happened last year, where all of my emotions would build up and then all of a sudden i'd break down and cry for no apparent reason. and then the other half of the time i'm perfectly fine, happy, cheerful, bubbly...the roopa that everyone knows and loves. i had a breakdown last week, and then jess and lianna barged into my room, and they were more than taken aback to see me with tears streaming down my face when i had been laughing 10 minutes before. i don't know what happens to me ~ it's like i have no control over my emotions and what happens when. i mood swing WAY too much. everyone's noticed it ~ my friends, my family, my dormmates, everyone.

right now i'm still at a point where i'm completely unsure of what i'm going to feel next. i don't know whether something's going to make me happy, sad, ecstatic, depressed, whatever ~ i don't know what's coming or, for that matter, when it will come. i don't feel like i can come out and tell everyone "hey, guess what, i'm an emotional FREAK who needs major sympathy here!" because i feel so fucking selfish when i do. i'm the person that everyone comes to talk to, not the person that everyone listens to. and i'm actually pretty satisfied with that. they less everyone knows about me the better. i've had way too many bad experiences revealing myself to people, so i'd rather just be the person everyone thinks they know but later realize that they don't. it's easier that way.

i want to start writing again. not just in my diary, but for real writing. deep, complex, creative writing. i have so many ideas churning around in my head but it seems like for the past god knows how long i haven't been able to let them out. i can't figure out how. and what's worse is that i judge everything before i actually write it, which is the #1 DON'T of any creative writing. i can't help doing it; and that's why i'm struggling so much with putting words on paper. i know that writing would help me feel so much better, but i haven't been able to push myself to not care what i write or write about. i can't, not until i think it's perfect.

but over the past week i've been listening to weezer nonstop and it really has made me feel so much better, almost given me inspiration to start writing again. it seems almost like rivers' life parallels mine; in the music he has the same sort of ups and downs as me; the same personality, self-confidence and emotion issues. (apparently his birthday's the day before mine; maybe it's a gemini thing.) i've discovered that i connect with weezer so much more than with any other band i've ever listened to. in a way, they're the perfect band for me right now ~ they've got the low-key, almost dorky persona, but the music is so full of emotion and varies so much, and it's like they're still in the process of finding out what kind of band they are. kind of like how i am with my life.