My Arm Itches Like Hell! (Or: How is My Life So Awesome?)

Quick update on the ol' life:

1) Got a new tattoo of a laurel wreath on my forearm. (See blog title.) Also, the day I got it done I had a wicked allergic reaction to the lotion I put on it which hurt twenty times worse than actually getting the tattoo did, to the point that I kind of wanted to amputate my arm at the elbow.

2) Last night I went to see this band called Ssion (pronounced "shun") not expecting too much but intrigued nonetheless. The were billed as a queer electropop group so I was a little concerned I'd want to stab myself in the face, but it turned out that they were kind of really fucking amazing. Also, turned out that they're touring with Fischerspooner who decided to open for them with a few songs which was seriously fucking incredible. Dance party magic ensued and I found myself rather star struck. The night was one of the best I've had in a very long time and nearly ended in me going to Fargo, ND. Definitely made some new friends.

It Hates It

Yes. 

I'm probably the only person in the world who still looks at pictures of baby cats on 'icanhascheezburger.' 

Well, except maybe Dallas. 

But I'm probably one of the few who still looks at the site and laughs 'til they cry.  

So here:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Oh, I stumbled on a website: look at this fucking hipster

Holy shit. I don't really know how I feel about this. I'm amazed at the amount of time and energy ppl spend on h8n'. I have no problem with ppl disliking each other or whatever, but when it's done out of cruelty, it makes the h8er look bad. I hate you so much I'm going to make a fucking website! I'm going to anonymously search out yr fucking face and make fun of you in a public forum!

I'm all for individuality. Lord knows how fucking silly I've dressed (not too long ago, either). When I moved to MT, ppl started calling me a hipster, and I didn't even know what they were talking about. You mean, like, those skinny kids dressed in black circa 1940s? Bro, I love Jack Kerouac!

The poor bastards. Maybe they need to invest in a full-length mirror. j/k

Only when yr old and boring and have h8ed enough do you think about how edgy it would be to just try to fit in and look normal. Look at all the tattoos she doesn't have.

I think ppl get all angry at "hipsters" when they're coming to the conclusion that they, themselves are ancient and uncool. What about grunge kids? Yuppies? Every generation has the young kids they h8 on, and all the point is is perspective and plain old jealousy of youth. Oldsters make excuses about how a younger generation outwardly presents itself. You wish you didn't give a fuck enough to wear feathers and dance all night to Dan Deacon. 

Yr just mad cuz yr old, homo!

Here, You Can Have This

Warm weather and lots of ideas are floating around in my head trying to break free. Here's some new stuff that I whipped into an MIA remix. I'm not the hugest fan of her stuff, but it's the only acapella I downloaded that works with this song. Original coming soon...

This Reminds Olivia

That maybe she doesn't need another tattoo.

Just started my half sleeve and am now swollen to twice my size and covered in hives from my shoulder to my elbow.

Be careful what you wish for.

Love,
Me

This Reminds Me...

...I need a new tattoo.

Guess Where I Went Today...

THE BEACH!!!

Except the river is still incredibly high, so there was no actual beach. But there was lounging on the rocks and I did jump in despite the water being quite frigid. I look forward to the water dropping so the beloved beach will again be there. Though it won't be the same without all of you kids...

Commence Sumratime.

It was 80º today, and the weather forecast for the rest of the week puts Billings between 80-95º.

Know what that means?

GARDENING!

It's a little known fact that I possess not one, but two green thumbs. I love gardening. Yay for gardens! 

I have tomatoes, and four different kinds of bell peppers, and three different kinds of squash, and eggplants, and swiss chard, and Walla Walla onions, and strawberries, and cantaloupe, and watermelon, and cucumbers, and jalapeños. And I planted my herb boxes with licorice basil (which tastes like that gum my parents brought back from Israel), and sweet basil, and cilantro, and chives, and garlic chives.

I also have a couple three of oriental and icelandic poppies that are ready to go in the ground, as soon as I find a spot for them. Planting poppies reminds me of Jared.

Anyway.

This is what I listened to (on repeat) while I gardened and worked on my farmer's tan:

The Garden - Mirah

So. You guys should come visit and I'll cook you dinner, fresh from my little plot of joy.(Additional Incentive: I'm something of a culinary goddess these days. Turns out, when I have nothing else to do and someone else is footing the bill, I'm a prime candidate for one of those cooking-themed reality T.V. shows. For serious.)

The Kills.

They're still awesome.



They covered "Crazy" by Patsy Cline and it was amazing.

Monfuckintana and Other Such Places

So I had returned, triumphantly, to Missoula.

I had so much fun I ended up staying longer than I had originally intended. Sometimes you just need a break. And since I left with some bad feelings, it was wonderful to go back with a new outlook. Fresh perspective, no grudges or even cares in the world whatsoever. Just having fun, hanging out with people I havent seen in a while, and spending quality time with my closest ones. So much fun, in fact, that I got the word "Monfuckintana" permanently etched on my body. That's gonna look awesome when I'm ninety.

And I tattooed for over a week straight. Which was awesome, since it's slow as hell here in PDX. Narwhals, Mitch Hedbergs, lighthouses and very ex-catholic praying hands, just to name a few. All the pictures are up on my myspace for those who would like to see.

I spent the last three days at Colonel Sumners Park here in Portland, people-watching, studying for my Tattoo License test I'll be taking soon as well as knocking out an entire print in one day (go me!)
(Note: I was trying to include a photo of it but due to my lack of technical prowess was unable to retrieve said photo from my cameraphone. You can text me if you want to see it I will send it to you.)

Smash and I are going to see The Kills tonight, where at midnight I get to run around and officially scream drunkenly 'It's my birthday!". I think I;m going to buy tickets to see The Dead Weather for Aug. 23rd so if anyone will be in portland around that time I suggest you get tix now before the masses catch on and they sell out.

My computer is on it's way out and so this is why I contribute inconsistently. I apologize. That being said I might have to bite the bullet and learn more about this dreaded Twitter thing, so I can keep in touch better. Anyone willing to give me info on how I get started with it would be much appreciated.

I FUCKING LOVE YOU GUYS.

I Would Just Like to Apologize...

for all the shit I gave everyone about twitter. It's not as sucktastic/retarded as I'd previously assumed. All the same, I don't think I should've joined.

I can't stop tweeting. Can't. Physically unable to. It just happens.

This is mostly because I'm up all night, alone. So, it kind of boils down to "tweet or talk to myself." And twitter seems saner (though, is it really?)

So, I guess I'm also going to go ahead and apologize now for elevenity-thousand twitter notifications you guys get from me between 2 and 9 am. You should go ahead and disable the device updates thing for my tweets.

Oh, and "tweets" is the gayest word ever.

Ugh.

Couple Dozen to Several Hundred

Hey I haven't posted in a long time either. I just wanted to share this little gem that Nate and I came across. I'm so proud this is where I come from...

Do You Know What It Means To Be Polite?

Hmm.

I never post.

Oh, and I'm boring and H8 ppl.

I thought this video was pretty funny because it is relevent to past posts and this blog in general.

Don't watch it.

When Jon and I were first dating, he gave me a CD of a band from his Minnie-APP days, (compact discs, such a fuckin' dead technology). 

It was 'Venom' by Awesome Snakes.  They basically shred. 

To ram home, I give you this song, from that album, legally: 

Ooh. Media.

That wasn't too hard. 

Maybe I'll do it again sometime. 

Enjoy, my sweet babies.

Love,

amandapants

Holy Shit, I also Just found this out!

Did you guys know that Dan Deacon recorded his latest album at Snow Ghost studio?! Holys shits! It was featured on Pitchfork.tv right fucking here:

Publications and such and not really and what

I read an interesting article about the day jobs of the band Suckers (right here), Brooklyn sounds weird. Anyways, I've also been reading (while taking care of my human business) a publication called EQ. It's quite fascinating, revolving around production and engineering strategies and practices that have gone into our favorite recordings. This month's issue's cover story interviews David Sitek and Nick Laundry regarding their production of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' most recent album. It also interviews members of the band and their roles in the production of the record. Also featured in the issue is an interview with MSTRKRFT on their new album. Perhaps the most intriguing article/interview this month is Grizzly Bear's take on reverberant spaces and the incorporation of various spaces in their upcoming album...fucking fascinating. The publication also has really great tips and tricks for recording and production techniques. As far as light reading goes, this is my favorite goddamn thing right now. Check it out here.

Suck on This

Just acquired Suckers' self-titled debut EP today and I can't stop listening to it. Despite the cover art, it reminds me a bit at times of early Wolf Parade. Produced by Anand Wilder of Yeasayer and Chris Moore (TVOTR, YYYs, Yeasayer, Foals, Au Revoir Simone, et al...) these four tracks are worth a listen. Pitchfork review here and to "listen" click here (not a torrent so you non-torrenting types can "listen", too).

R.I.P. House of Mystery

Every morning I ride my bike down First Street and was quite shocked this morning when I discovered that the abandoned house that was quite the late night attraction last summer had been demolished. The day before it stood there in all of it's bizarre and creepy glory, and today it was gone. All that remains is the cement slab that was once the front porch. Just thought I would let you all know. Pour one out, or grieve however you see fit.

So Much New, So Little Time

Aside from spending far too much time racking my brain for a Twitter username (pretty sure I've settled on thepictureofryancote), I also came across my new favorite blog, at least for a couple weeks. We Love You So is Spike Jonze's Where-the-Wild-Things-Are-centric blog cataloguing his inspirations, random relevancies, and other awesomeness. I can't stop reading it. (It has taken me over an hour to write this entry because I keep flipping back to WLYS and getting sucked in.)

With Regards to the Criticism of Officials and the Future of Soccer

I know that not many of you care, or even are aware of the current stirrings in the sport of soccer. But several of my friends have been complaining insistently about the officiating in the match between the Seattle Sounders and the LA Galaxy on Sunday. Here's the article one of them sent, and my response.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sounders/2009208860_sounders12.html

Yes, I agree that the quality of refereeing on Sunday was quite questionable. But I don't feel that the referee had any questionable intentions. I agree with the MLS Exec VP, he [the referee] is obviously experienced enough to get to this level and simply called a bad game. How often do we have bad days at the office? We're just fortunate that thousands if not millions of people are not scrutinizing ever split-second decision we make. This abstract variable in soccer (the decisions and judgments of the referee) has always been a part of the game that will never change. Yet, I call to your attention the possiblity of instant replay reviews. I distinctly remember during the match a remark made by the local commentary team regarding the implimentation of instant replay reviews into the sport. I for one initially feel that the sport is purer without the review factor.

The sport existed before the introduction of video cameras and, unlike other professional sports that also share this claim, soccer has remained largely unchanged since the cameras began rolling decades ago. More importantly, unlike other sports, it's largely uneffected by the introduction of television into the spectator end of the sport. There is something to be said about enjoying, as a spectator, a game that is rarely interrupted for extended periods of time. If every tackle inside the box, every questionable handball, every borderline offsides causes a stoppage of play for review where do we as spectators and appreciators of the sport end up?

Soccer is a sport whose results are dependent on quick execution, exploitation of weaknesses, resilience, smart plays, tenacity and endurance, sometimes a bit of luck, prayer and outright miracles, and yes on occasion a bad call or two. The result can swing in a matter of seconds, we've all been witness to these matches. But rather than dwindle and remain hung up on a result that yielded your team zero points or even lost a piece of silverware, is it not better to hold in regard the mystique, splendor, integrity and tradition of the sport itself? We must remember that the competition is eleven men, or women, against eleven and that the referee is the judge in the situation ensuring fair play, we (the live spectators and those watching through the cameras rolling on the sidelines) are simply the passive members of the equation. And while we like to feel as though we indeed have a direct influence on the outcome of the competition, our cheering is as far as our influence should extend. The influence of the cameras however, should remain entirely passive.

This is The Beautiful Game for a reason, it's steeped in legacy, tradition and history. Unforgettable calls, or lack thereof, have changed the game and made heroes that live in that history. The various soccer/football associations throughout the world will continue to monitor the performance of officials. They are aware of who the best judges in the world are. We are quick to forget well officiated matches, but linger on those few calls that are questionable or downright wrong and are quick to criticize those that judged these instances. Let's continue to put our trust in the officials to call the game as fairly as possible in order to maintain the sport's dignity and heritage.

Keep cheering and keep jeering (and go Sounders),
Eric

A defining moment in the sport: A call missed and a hero made.

re tweet

I came to praise Twitter, and I've ended up somewhere more ambivalent. But unquestionably I'm hooked on it.

a thought from the poptimist column on pitchfork....tony, ben and i are all on twitter and it serves as a hilarious fun way to keep in touch.  not to say anything about being informed if shows you're about to go to are sold out or if eugene mirman is doing a secret show at a hipster bar somewhere in chicago in an hour.......

you kids love blogger, facebook and txting.  so why not get on twitter?  i would love to be at work and laugh my ass off at something ryan cote or aaron young tweeted?  or have a rant from eric or dallas just end up on my phone in the middle of the day.  tony and i seem to be keeping in contact a bit more since twitter enabled us to have another channel of communication.  and ben and i play some twitter version of who found better records in the used bin today?  

it's just that i find myself a little too apathetic to blog personal info with any regularity.  does anything i did tuesday warrant a whole 400 word blog post?  but on any given day you might get much more out of my following my tweets.  i don't carry my laptop with me everywhere but my phone rarely leaves my side.

the only reason i bring this up again is that this blog's main point was to keep us kids connected.  and twitter is becoming just as useful as facebook for keeping in touch with people... but not if no one joins.  and yes read the linked article at the beginning of the post.  yes there are drawbacks to the format.  but that is the case with any new format.  you can let stupid people ruin everything...............

Ok, Here's What Happened:

I go to ∑≈!mart to return some shit. I exchange the shit for some cash dollars, I exit the establishment, get in my car, and light a cigarette. I start to back out of my spot, but am delayed from escaping, owing to the fact that there is a fucking parade, a goddamn motorcade, a veritable cavalcade of the hoi polloi not uncommon to a ∑≈!mart parking lot at 4 pm, and my van happens to be parked along the procession route.

So, I sit and smoke and wait a couple of minutes for the herd to scatter. Finally, my getaway is feasible, so I start to back out, and FUCK! What was that? Oh, of course: one of the fucking dregs who just passed by parked their empty shopping cart directly behind my van, exactly in my blind spot, even though I was sitting in the car with the engine running.

Naturally, I get out of my car to assess the damages. This is when I notice a livid septuagenarian approaching me, and I quickly realize that the errant shopping cart has traversed the distance between my van and his sedan with some force, thusly scratching his shiny, shiny paint job. I start to explain what has happened, and Father Time--instead of being calm and rational--decides to grab my arm and drag me to his car, so I can see the damage I've inflicted on his vehicle.

He yells at me for a few seconds about how careless, reckless, inattentive I've been, all the while clutching my arm with his skeletal claw of death. I ask him to please let go of my arm. He yells at me some more about how he isn't in a position to pay for a new paint job, he's retired, he's living on a fixed income. I'm thinking about how I can't afford to pay for a new paint job either, but mostly I'm thinking, "If this fucking codger doesn't let go of me, I'm going to punch him in the eye." I ask him again to let go of my arm. Now. He asks what the hell I was thinking, and I say, "You. Need. To. Let. Go. Of. Me. Now." I'm weighing the moral implications and karmic retributions of socking a senior citizen, when his wife gets out of the car and says, "Frank: stop being an asshole and get back in the car." Somewhat hesitantly, he releases his grip on my limb, and returns to his car.

I'm shaking from the adrenaline that nearly getting a brawl in the ∑≈!mart parking lot has produced, and can't think clearly, so what do I do?

I return the cart to its stable, get in my car and drive away.

Later, my mom tells me that I should get the parking lot surveillance tapes, press assault charges, and that ∑≈!mart is obligated to pay for damages inflicted by runaway shopping carts. My dad tells me I should have kicked his nether regions. And life goes on.

So... For those of you who were wondering: that's what happened.

Fucking AGU

SMD Makes My Heart Hurt

I'm such a sucker for well done light installations/art, and Simian Mobile Disco's video for "10,000 Horses Can't Be Wrong" is just that. Please watch and enjoy:

P.S. This gave me a totally awesome lighting idea for when Aaron, Ben, Eric and I start playing shows as our as-of-yet-unformed music project in Seattle.

What I'm Doing Next Week (AKA, Don't You Wish You Were Here?)

Just thought I'd let you know what exciting things I'm up to this week. I'm taking midterms, yea suck. But I'm getting close to securing studio time for personal projects. Also I'm touring two studios, one is brand new and finished their construction three weeks ago. The other is world renown. The first is the Toy Box. It's in a really fucking great area of Fremont that's just insane. They just opened and I already met the head engineer who's really damn cool. They don't have a website otherwise I would link it. The second is the world famous (and it really is) Avast! Studio. They opened a new location and maintain their old location. I'm planning on touring the new studio, here's why:

Avast! installed their original Trident A-Range console in their new studio (see photo). This console is legendary! They say there are only like three originals left in operation. Check out an article about them HERE. They're insane. I'm anticipating just looking at the thing. Anyways, just giving you an update. Later.

The Stories We'll Be Reading Our Children