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Archive for March, 2008

behold the mystery of magic island!

Published by

Sarah

March 31, 2008 in cray. 9 Comments

on friday night, henri and i embarked on a journey through a mystical, amazing place known as…

MAGIC ISLAND!

if you’re familiar at all with houston, you’ve seen magic island. located at the shepherd exit off 59, it’s an egyptian looking building with a giant golden pharaoh head on top.

given the fact that several letters are missing from the sign and the building is overgrown with weeds, you may have assumed that magic island closed some time in the early 1990s.

well, you would be wrong. in fact, magic island is so full of ILLUSIONS that the facade of the building is merely a trick, a clever way to ward off visitors who are easily fooled. but OF COURSE! only the true believers may enter!!

obvs, henri and i are true believers, so we decided there was no better place to celebrate henri’s birthday. just check out this tantalizing text from their website:

****

From the land of the Nile to Aladdin’s Lamp… of the Wizard Merlin and the Maestro Houdini… a legacy was born.

It’s a traveler’s delight and the locals retreat…a sanctuary for all…

Join us for an evening of sumptuous gourmet cuisine, world-class magic & comedy shows featuring international stars of illusion. Be dazzled as our resident magicians perform sleight-of-hand tricks in cozy close-up theatres. Patrons can also dabble in a game of fun-blackjack, have their fortunes told by our famous psychics or take a whirl in the Temple of Isis dance club. We’ve got it all…under one amazing roof!

The awe-inspiring and beautifully crafted replicas of ancient Egyptian artifacts engulf and tantalize onlookers as they relax in the opulence of posh Victorian England.

Behold a world of mystery!

****

YES! we shall BEHOLD!

here we are at the entrance to the building. note that you have to valet park yr car, even though the parking lot is literally 20 feet away from the door. or at least, it *appears* to be only 20 feet from the door.

you may be wondering, “is that an actual artifact from an egyptian tomb or merely a flawless replica?” i would answer, “since i’m not an archaeologist, i lack the proper qualifications to answer your question, but i’m pretty sure that either way, we’re talking 24 karat GOOOOLD!!!”

as you step into this world of mystery, you must present your credit card to receive a piece of paper that you will use to pay for everything from fine food to sophisticated cocktails. it is strange how one piece of paper can be used in this fashion amidst a world of ever-increasing technology, but i cannot pretend to understand the complexities of a world such as magic island.

and of course, they take yr picture at the entrance! cos it’s like you’re on a cruise… a cruise of MYSTICAL ILLUSION!

don’t worry, the golden cobra was NOT alive (i know it’s hard to tell). i think the cobra serves as a warning– magic island is NOT for the faint of heart.

we were ushered towards the elevator, and while waiting, we encountered a poor soul who met a tragic fate. perhaps he was a tomb raider who triggered a nasty curse, or perhaps he was a patron who made the mistake of ordering the salmon. sadly, we’ll never know.

the elevator ride led us through several strange worlds– we witnessed treasure chests filled with gold, more skeletons and even a floor entirely filled with water and fish! granted, the floor was only two feet tall, but it felt as if we were traveling to another dimension…

a dimension known as the bar!

the hostess told us that we would soon be shown to our table and advised us to take a seat at the bar. there were no other people waiting, but we realized it would be foolish to assume that our wait would be short. in the world of magic, you must always be on your guard, because appearances are deceiving.

for example, most people would look at the two ladies behind henri and guess that they are ladies from suburban houston who decided to take it up a notch from luby’s and treat themselves to a Big Night On the Town.

well, SURPRISE! those ladies are two of the world’s foremost PSYCHICS!! for a mere $10, they can lift the veil of yr future and show you yr destiny…

it turns out our destiny was to be seated before we had time to visit with the psychics.

for some reason, henri and i were seated at a massive table designed for six people. were guests from the spirit world planning on joining us? PERHAPS.

i think one of the spirit world guests forsook his seat and sat on our rolls instead, cos they were all squished. boo.

our waiter approached our table and carefully outlined the menu plan for the evening. no, there were no specials, because eating at magic island is SPECIAL ENOUGH. so you get to choose a soup or sald, and an entree, and everything else is extra.

apparently people have a hard time with this concept, because our waiter repeated it several times. or maybe he was just trying to hypnotize us. you never know.

since we were in such a Fancy Place, we went for the poshest appetizer possible: escargot!

and YES it cost extra ($8.95), but hello, how often do you get to enjoy the cuisine of magic island? exactly.

henri and i both opted for chicken dishes, because we figured those would be the safest bet. after all, in a place filled with dark corners and mysterious strangers, you can never be too careful.

henri proclaimed the dinner to be “pretty good… for wedding food.”

unfortunately, the dinner gave neither of us any visions and/or special powers, but maybe it takes a few days to kick in.

with easy listening music whispering loudly through the speakers and the lights on permanent dim (darkness keeps a lot of secrets, including stains), it was a meal like no other.

after dinner, we were joined by the intrepid twosome of meredith and matt!

meredith and matt decided to skip dinner and show up for the magic, because they have their priorities straight. the staff appeared confused by their decision, but i think it was all just an act. i’m SURE people come from far and wide just to observe the titillating feats of illusion performed by world renowned magicians, such as…

THE JUDGE OF COMEDY!

who needs the scales of justice when you’ve got a deck of magical cards?

i was truly sorry that we were not able to witness the dazzling display of tina lenert and her mophead companion.

when there’s a rose in the picture, you KNOW that person is a professional.

the inside of the theater reminded me a lot of the dobie movie theater. it was small, but not small enough to avoid looking cavernously empty. then again, there could have been all kinds of mirrors involved, so maybe we were just in some broom closet made to look exactly (EXACTLY) like the inside of an egyptian tomb. these magic island folks sure are tricksters!

the show began, and i was instantly amazed. it turns out that we were lucky enough to watch a magician who has been performing at magic island for TWENTY TWO YEARS!!!! that’s twenty two years of death-defying, heart-stopping, mind-blowing magic!!! only an expert like that would dare to perform the famous, “give me yr wedding ring, and i will make it disappear, and then i will make a HILARIOUS joke about how you’re not getting it back, and then it will end up in this gumball machine” routine. i mean, i think this routine might actually be so extreme that it’s illegal in this country, so, you know, shh!

the stakes got even higher (i know, you thought they couldn’t) when our magician, i mean, illusionist, LEVITATED A WOMAN.

lucky for you, i captured this thrilling moment on video!!!!

this guy was so good that the volunteer didn’t even know she had levitated. i mean, WOW!

this guy’s schtick was truly original. he would take tricks like we’ve all seen in magic shops– the rope with the moving knot, the interlocking rings– and make them look like ANYONE could do that. but obviously it takes years of practice, and since he’s an expert, he can make it look easy.

i mean, only a top top top magician could pull off the “i have three eggs… now i have two eggs… now i have three!” trick (this magic is called “slight of hand,” for all of you neophytes out there) to the soundtrack of… enya’s orinocho flow! IT WAS ASTOUNDING. i think you have to practice magic for at least five years before you’re legally allowed to use enya.

that night, henri received the best birthday gift of all– he became the magician’s apprentice!!

he was even honored with a magic name… The Amazing Yes!!!! watch this video to see it all unfold:

in case you can’t watch videos at work (if this is the case, i highly suggest you read the rest of this blog later, cos you will not be able to grasp this man’s amazing essence and power), here’s a photo of mr. magic pants teaching henri the secret of the four rings of china. that’s right, these aren’t from any old joke shop. they’re from a CHINESE joke shop.

i’m pretty sure that most people would pay thousands of dollars to gain this man’s wisdom, and henri got it all for FREE. including the two most powerful words in magic: “TA-DAAA!”

henri was a NATURAL with the rings. i mean, i know he’s already got a successful career at the alamo, but how can you fight the call of MAGIC? especially when you’re blessed with such an inspiring teacher? just look at the way henri handles those rings… the passion! the finesse! the pizazz!!!

at the end of the show, our magician actually managed to SUMMON THE SPIRIT OF HOUDINI. i know, i know, you don’t believe me. but you guys, WE HEARD HIS VOICE! and it was so clear that it sounded like it was playing on a CD over the speaker system. i don’t care what you believe about life after death… you can’t ignore something that convincing.

as we emerged from the enchanted depths of magic island, i knew that our lives would forever be changed. we had discovered so many secrets and experienced such strange, mystical phenomena, there was no way we would ever take things at face value again.

for example, our waiter turned out to also be our valet guy. normally, this might make you think that magic island can only afford to employ six people. but matt pointed out that the more *likely* explanation is that magic island is merely a front for a vast network of magical spies who conduct mysterious activities right under the nose of houston’s unsuspecting population.

we hoped to discover their secret lair by touching the cobra in just the right place, but to no avail.

however, meredith *did* manage to levitate in the elevator, so it looks like the magic rubbed off on us a little bit.

i hope i have not exposed too many of the secrets of magic island on this blog. in fact, i fear my life is now at risk, and i’m pretty sure that any future relationships with the Magician’s Guild have been destroyed.

but i feel it is my duty to make the world aware of this amazing, unearthly place. go there now, before it is shut down by a “failed health inspection” (i think we know that’s just another illusion). go there and BEHOLD A WORLD OF MYSTERY!

a day in his pants: the posh deluxe interview with josh katz

Published by

Sarah

March 28, 2008 in day in the pants. 14 Comments

today launches the first post of what i hope will be a regular series here on poshdeluxe.com: the “a day in his/her pants” interview!

every week (or so), i will ask a person i know a series of questions. the first questions will be specific to them, and the second half will be the same for everyone. it’s kind of like a myspace survey, except you’ll actually want to read it. cos even though i won’t be interviewing anyone famous, i believe that every single person in the posh d. corner of the world is newsworthy in their own way. and, as a person with a large capacity for squee, i would love to build up the community that has begun in the comments section, so that the names you see will transform into actual people with stories and quirks and dare i say, precious insight!

my first interview is with the illustrious joshua katz. i met josh at a bbq the summer before we began college at rice, and since that time over ten years ago (yowza), he has been a steadfast and true friend to me. thankfully, we live in the same city so we can continue to indulge in a variety of hijinks, as evidenced by the multitude of ridiculous photos i’ve taken of josh in the past few years.

so, josh. something CRAZY HAPPY WOW just happened to you. tell me about it!!!

I was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in the field of Snack Physics. Actually, just over a day ago, I proposed to my girlfriend, Erica, and she appears to have said yes.

was erica totally surprised? did you guys cry? did people stare at you or clap like in the movies?

Erica was definitely surprised; she, like many others, suspected that I might propose on an upcoming trip to Puerto Vallarta. I actually spread that rumor myself at one point. I would be a great counter-espionage agent. But then I’d already have had to kill you before even telling you that.

I think there were definitely tears in both of our eyes, and Erica did the “Excited Erica” hand gesture that I kind of have to show you in person. We were in a fairly secluded place, so nobody seemed to notice what was going on - except possibly for the racoon that we saw scampering along the Mozart’s deck just 15 minutes before I proposed.

what kind of dessert did you get at mozart’s?

It was totally the lady’s choice: a hot chocolate brownie in a bowl covered with vanilla ice cream. In heaven, this is every meal.

not to get too mushy, but how do you know when you’re ready to get married? i think a lot of people really want to know the answer to this question, so please be specific thank you.

I knew that I was ready when I knew that there was absolutely no way I could ever go about my life for any amount of time without Erica in it. Unfortunately there’s no science on this, and I can’t say to you “On March 10th, when our Marriage Index Points reached the required threshold of 50 (with a margin of error of 3), it was clearly time to get married.” Maybe the Scientologists can measure your marriage thetans for you and tell you when it’s time. But then you become a zombie and have to feast Matt Lauer’s brains.

does this whole thing make you feel like an adult?

I don’t think I’ll ever feel like an adult, even though I do a number of adult things, like work a full time office job, pay a mortgage, have various insurance policies, and pay child support on five offspring. I still get ID’d every time I purchase alcohol, and have had people I work with (and my future father in law) ask “What does Josh do at that firm? He’s not old enough to be a lawyer.” I guess maturity builds in slowly without really knowing it. I know I’m an adult; I even turn 30 this year. But I still feel like the same kid as ever, which probably helps my outlook on life.

am i invited to the wedding? will there be tasty cake there?

Are you kidding? You might well be our Executive Director of Desserts. And you will probably be an expert consultant on music selection. In conclusion, there will be tasty cake and, Allah be willing, an open bar.

look! they’re engaged! squee!

ok, on to the posh deluxe standard questions…

what is yr secret power?

The power of sarcasm, which I wield like a nerd-sword.

do you sleep in jimjams? what kind?

Nope. Unless shorts and a tshirt count as jimjams

what is yr #1 favorite food?

The chocolate lava brownie cake, available at finer restaurants everywhere. But is it wrong to conflate dessert with food? Maybe you meant the kind of food you’d actually eat for a meal. In that case, let’s go with kolaches, which come in endless variety and contain meats and cheeses. I’m a simple man.

what is yr top restaurant recommendation in austin? what’s the best thing on the menu?

In my humble opinion, Uchi. Which is a japanese/sushi fusion type restaurant. They have a kobe beef appetizer that comes with little marinated pieces of delicious uncooked beef and a steaming hot stone. And you take those pieces of beef and put them on the stone, which cooks your beef right there on the table. This is both fun and delicious, and the restaurant is happy because if you get mad cow, it’s your fault for not cooking it right.

tell me about yr top area of expertise.

I’m tough to beat when it comes to obscure baseball players of the 90s, Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii, and the musical catalogue of Elliott Smith. Note that none of these things are my job, nor could they ever be a job.
what was yr favorite item of clothing as a child?

The blue Ocean Pacific shirt that I ended up wearing on school picture day for 5 consecutive years. The pictures on my grandparents’ mantle (me in blue shirt with bowl haircut, me in blue shirt with bowl hair cut one year later, me with spike haircut in blue shirt, etc) were pretty hilarious. When it was finally forcibly retired, I moved on to my hypercolor shirt.

what do you plan on doing when you’re 80?

Reading a lot of books and writing numerous angry letters to various editors of publications.

if you could assemble yr own ocean’s 11, who would you pick and why?

I’ve never seen this movie, either the original or the remake. I think it’s about some sort of bank heist, or a casino heist? There’s definitely a heist, and Sammie Davis Jr. is involved. I think first and foremost I would need Steve Benham, because nobody fucks with Steve Benham and lives. I’d also need Matt and Meredith, because she’s crafty as hell and he knows how to do just about everything, like make small explosives out of bottlecaps and brew beer. I’d need my brother, because he’s a finance expert, and could probably help launder the money or invest it wisely. I think I’d also need Henri, because he’s a very convincing liar and would proably make the perfect conman for our operation.

tell me something scandalous!

I’m xxxxxxx xx xxx, but nobody here knows that yet.

josh, thank you for being my first interviewee!! and congratulations. you deserve all of the happiness in the world, my dear, dear friend.

i like these kinds of tests

Published by

Sarah

March 27, 2008 in (extra)ordinary. 7 Comments

because i’m still riding high from squeeness of my birthday, and because i’ve been busy at work today, and because there’s been exciting news in pants world that will officially launch my Posh Deluxe Interview Series tomorrow, i’ve decided that today’s entry will consist of a simple test that all of you need to take. right now.

and it does not require a #2 pencil or a blue book so NO COMPLAINING.

did you pass?!!

since i ride my bike every day, i really really really hope you did.

happy-almost-friday!

birthday pants are the best kind of pants!

Published by

Sarah

March 26, 2008 in growing up, pantship and squee!. 12 Comments

yay yay yay it’s my BIRTHDAY!!!!! YAY!

and i’m officially pushing 30. whoah.

hey, father time, are you *sure* about that? cos i don’t really feel all that old. in fact, i’m fairly certain that college happened, like, last week. not to mention the fact that i *clearly* remember my “jungle” slumber party, featuring all of mom’s house plants in the living room, so that birthday couldn’t have been more than a few years ago.

well, i’m sure we can sort this out later. in the meantime, I LOVE MY BIRTHDAY!!!

and here’s the thing. even though, yes, the presents are super great and the abundance of cake is a major, major plus, the reason i love my birthday isn’t really about me. it’s about the people who share it with me.

ok, i don’t mean the famous people who were born on my birthday. cos there is no one cool on that list. except for robert frost. he da man! but martin short? steven tyler? come ON. why can’t i have a birthday in common with, like, a gorgeous, classy old film star or a really inspiring feminist or the person who invented reese’s peanut butter cups?

anyway

like i was saying, i love my birthday because it basically makes me feel like i’m a contestant on that old show, “this is yr life!” like i walk onto the stage, and the announcer says, “sarah elizabeth pitre! THIS IS YR LIFE!” and suddenly, from behind the curtain, all of the people i’ve loved in my life appear, and they’re all laughing and smiling and i’m jumping up and down and balloons fall from the ceiling and confetti flies through the air and i know that i have totally and utterly won this game.

on my birthday, i am constantly amazed.

i’m amazed by love. i’m amazed by the history i have with people who are spread all over the globe, and how that history *lives* and builds bridges from the past into the future. on this one day, i am reminded of how many different souls intersect with mine, like strong ropes, like diamond flash points, like a dazzling constellation in the night sky.

my birthday allows me to look back on my life and see, with incredible clarity, the gifts i’ve been given in the form of my friends and family, like a jar of fireflies that never die, and in fact, burn brighter with the passing of time.

and to think it all began in a mess of cake.

yes, my first friend was, indeed, cake.

even more than cake, i already had two amazing people in my life by my first birthday: my dad and mom.

nice hair, dad!

isn’t my mom beautiful?

i’m so thankful to them for not only loving me, but for teaching me how to love and treasure others. this lesson is what has allowed me to maintain such rich and incredible friendships throughout my life.

by the time i was in elementary school, i had definitely hit the friend jackpot.

roller skating party HOLLA!! as you can see, my friends were totally adorable and, in the case of laura in the yellow shirt, future models for glamor shots.

i’m fortunate to have friends who have been in my life since the sixth grade (although, uh, maybe it would be better if there were no remaining witnesses to my penchant for perms). there’s something so *valuable* about people knowing the thirteen year old me and the seventeen year old me and the twenty-two year old me, and vice versa. it’s kind of like having an archive, a library of yr life, but instead of dusty old books, you have people that not only remind you of yr history, but are a part of it.

in my senior year of high school, while celebrating my birthday in galveston, we stopped at a place you MAY recognize (cos yeah, some things never change, including my penchant for sweets).

hmm, notice any familiar faces in there?

birthdays are the best excuse to give yrself, fully and completely, to the enjoyment of yr life and the people who populate it. my birthday gives me a record, every year, of all of the lovely faces and brilliant personalities surrounding me. it’s like a Friend Census.

that’s amber, me, seth and sofia celebrating my 21st birthday in the power suite. why yes, our faces ARE rather pink…

i’ll admit, i take full advantage of the excuse to do something special to celebrate my birthday. some time ago, i read about a mom who decided to have as many celebrations as possible for her children, because she simply believed in the importance of appreciating things, even tiny things like a good grade on a test or the sighting of a rainbow. i believe in that philosophy, from celebrating my friends to squeeing over a baby to getting dressed up just so i can feel fancy.

for example, on my 23rd birthday, we had a posh tea party!

one of my favorite birthdays was when i turned 24 and my friend erik drove me and my other favorite people around in his band’s van. we went through not one but TWO carwashes, cos i love me some carwashes.

the idea of driving around in a van might sound boring, but when it’s full of fabulous people, there’s no other place i’d rather be.

and so, today, i’m thankful. i’m thankful for all of my birthdays past and all of my birthdays future, for the friends i cherish and the kindred spirits i have yet to discover, for the miles of cake and overflowing toasts to life and love and hope.

happy birthday to me, indeed.

my musical heritage: a posh d. exploration

Published by

Sarah

March 25, 2008 in growing up and music. 20 Comments

since my birthday’s coming up (TOMORROW YAAAAAAY), i’ve been thinking a lot about growing up and how i’ve changed since i was a wee one with a big head and red hair. in particular, with the memory of sxsw still sizzling in my brain, i’ve been wondering about how exactly my musical tastes were formed.

you might think that since i have (in my opinion) a pretty eclectic taste in music, particularly indie rock, i grew up listening to, say, david bowie or the talking heads, with maybe a dash of gang of four and the clash.

ahh, but you know what happens when you AssUMe things, don’t you? yes, you do.

i guess the key is that “eclectic” doesn’t necessarily mean “cool.” it also doesn’t necessarily mean “selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles” which is what the dictionary says. eclectic, in the case of my childhood musical taste, pretty much means that i loved a lot of random, kinda cray, maybe NOT the best of various stuff.

thank you, mom and dad!

no, seriously, my parents did listen to good music, like the beatles and the stones. but they do have to take responsibility for exposing me to what became my all time favorite, most requested on car rides (even short ones to the grocery store), #1 song of my childhood:

elvira by the oak ridge boys

OH how i WISH i had the mp3 of this song to share with you today. but i’ll do you one better. here’s a video!!!

if it’s any excuse (which it isn’t), i had NO idea that the oak ridge boys looked like that. in fact, i probably would have immediately begun to hate them, cos i had this whole “fear of bearded men” thing going on when i was little (don’t even ask about the santa claus at the mall). how was i to know that i was happily singing along with two mountain men, a member of the mafia and mr. macho pants?

anyway, the point is, this song ruled my universe. the part where the deep voiced guy goes, “ah boom bah, ah boom bah, ah bow wow”? total genius. not to mention that it’s super fun to lower yr voice as much as possible when you sing along.

my second favorite choice of cassette for car rides should give me a leeetle more cred: the big chill soundtrack!

come on, it’s motown!

for the record, i loved “i heard it through the grapevine” WAY before the california raisins came onto the scene. i didn’t need claymation to alert me to the fact that this song is one of the best grooves of all time.

little known fact: i have never seen this movie. nor do i want to.

moving on

just when you thought my musical tastes were looking a little more acceptable, along comes hooked on classics! ok, seriously, did ANYONE ELSE ever listen to these albums? anyone?

ok, in case you’re one of the FEW people who never enjoyed the phat beats of this tape, hooked on classics was basically an assortment of well known classical musical pieces dressed up with… disco.

now that i think about it, hooked on classics was like the world’s first mash-up!!!! holla!! see, i knew a good thing when i heard it. and that’s why, in my family, we not only had hooked on classics, we ALSO had hooked on classics volume two AND three!

the only bad thing about hooked on classics (well, assuming you like the marriage of classical and disco) was that it gave me a v. false impression of mozart, beethoven, etc. like, when i heard the original pieces, i was like, “uh, why is this soooo slooooow?” or “what happened to all of the hand claps?” or “when do the village people start singing?” (ok, that last one is a lie, cos the village people only WISHED they could appear on this album).

little known fact (to me, at age 5): louis clark did a lot of the arrangements for ELO. so SEE? my musical roots are awesome.

speaking of awesome… amy grant!!!!

i’m pretty sure my mom and i wore out the tape we had of her greatest hits, pre “baby baby” of course (i DO have standards).

plus there were lots of christian songs on this tape that we actually sang at church sometimes, and that made me feel really cool.

because you know there was nothing cooler than amy grant in 1986.

and last but not least, we have olivia newton john. i LOVED olivia newton john. mostly cos she was in “grease” which i watched about 800 times with my friend emily philips. my tape was recorded from tv, so we had to fast forward through the commercials, and some of the “dirty” parts were edited out, but we didn’t care. cos olivia newton john had perfect skin and big blue eyes and shiny blonde hair and she could sing and danny totally didn’t deserve her but then she got all hot and smoked a cigarette in spandex and OMG SHE IS THE BEST!

i don’t think we actually had the “physical” album, but it was some kind of collection, cos there were songs from “physical” PLUS her major songs from “grease.”

i wasn’t allowed to watch MTV when i was a kid, so i didn’t realize that there were actual *sexual innuendos* in the song. i just thought it was about exercising!* (*hey, i was only seven! give me a break).

so there you have it. my musical roots. if the dj directors at ktru had only known…

but you know what? i’m not ashamed! i *still* love all of these songs (ok, well, i’m not really familiar with the rest of the oak ridge boys’ catalog, but still). and i’d like to think that all of them have contributed, in some small way, to me being me.

like, maybe olivia is the reason i love jazzercise. and maybe the big chill is why i like black people.

KIDDING KIDDING. obviously the real reason is “the cosby show.” duh.

i’m pretty sure that everyone has a cherished childhood song by a band that maybe didn’t make it into pitchfork’s “100 best bands of all time” list (yeah right, it’d be more like, “ten bands that are pretty good, for now, until people like them!”).

and now it’s confession time! what was yr favorite song as a kid? don’t be ashamed. i mean, i almost, just now, bought “hooked on classics” from itunes. cos, to be honest, mozart has never sounded as good without that disco beat.

LINKS

i meant to post this yesterday but i forgot: giant pink bunny on a mountain!!!! ROAD TRIP!!

matt has found my new favorite book. supposedly it’s for kids so they can “learn the alphabet” but whatever. this book is totally so i can play with lots of fun pop-ups!

have you guys heard about this powder that helps you to regrow limbs? I AM NOT KIDDING (although doesn’t it sound like something that madam pomfrey would use?).

there’s an interesting piece in the times today that asks “why do certain kids get picked on?” it’s interesting, not to mention really, really sad.

i really want to read this new (serious) book about competitive cheerleading. it’s like someone from the new yorker had written, “bring it on.”

there’s this game (for kids) online called miss bimbo and… CAN’T WE ALL JUST PLAY CHUTES AND LADDERS?

FIELD DAAAAAAY!!!!!

Published by

Sarah

March 24, 2008 in extravaganza and pantship. 19 Comments

remember how, in elementary school, field day was the best day ever, cos it meant NO CLASSES and a day outside under the sun and fun games and relay races and prizes and grass stains and the chance to basically play yr pants off?

well, to celebrate our birthdays, henri and i decided to BRING FIELD DAY BACK!! (yeah)
on saturday, we invited some friends to meet us in pease park for an old school (seriously, like elementary) day of recreation, friendly competition and general silliness.

and it was awesome. YOU GUYS IT WAS SO AWESOME!

henri and i greeted everyone at the entrance of the park with a big pile of green and yellow thrift store t-shirts. cos you gotta have teams for field day! note henri’s gratuitous use of the new hipster trend, cut-offs.

matt was the first to arrive, and he was wearing brand new shorts that he had purchased specifically for this occasion!

btw i named the pinata felipe, even though henri said i might not want to name something that is going to get the crap (er, candy) literally beaten out of it. but i can’t help myself sometimes.

we brought markers so that everyone could personalize their t-shirt with their name (or field day nickname) and anything else that made them feel special and invincible.

john wrote something in chinese symbols on his t-shirt, cos he’s a show-off.

i wrote a special message on my t-shirt which apparently NO ONE READ. ahem.

over the next half hour, everyone arrived and got to work on their shirts. it kind of felt like a sweatshop, but with really great weather.

i can’t tell you how impressed i was with the end result of these shirts (seriously, henri and i have some pretty clever friends) so i wanted to show you some of my favorites:

matt listened to jay-z (or was it tupac?) on his iphone while making his shirt.

caitlin and emily aren’t just adorable, they’re also super artistic! note: the only thing on that shirt originally was the hat. i know, right?!

msw took the opportunity to proclaim her rule over all of field day.

caitlin’s shirt was educational and reminded me of something from a beverly cleary book. i’m not sure why, but maybe you know what i mean.

jessica totally rocked my face.

josh d, a man of few (but potent) words:

to understand the back of tim’s shirt…

you need to see the front:

seriously, thrift stores are GOLD MINES. my favorite t-shirt that i bought, btw, went to lucky winner brian, who later embellished it after jessica had to go home early:

ok, so a family made a t-shirt for their reunion, and then they put all of the DEAD PEOPLE on fallen petals? wow. that’s so… bumper sticker poetic.

selina and tommy arrived bearing gifts! YES! FINALLY! a motivational calendar!! now i can actually make all of my wildest dreams come true! while playing extreme sports!

did i mention that the weather was absolutely perfect? because, oh, it was!

i was worried that the park would be packed, due to the climate, but we actually had more than enough space. our only neighbors for most of the day were these um, renfest people? shakespearean gypsies? horse enthusiasts? i have no idea. but they were amazing. and they apparently meet at the park on saturday afternoon if you’re interested in, say, recreating a scene from “robin hood.”

so let me introduce you to the teams!! first, we have the GREEN TEAM!!!!!

(l-r: matt, dustin, caitlin, brian, me, msw, jessica, john, selina, tommy)

and on the other side of the field, we have the yellow team!!

(l-r: emily, karrie, caitlin, henri, tim, teresa, heather, chris, josh d)

as you can see, the competition was about to get FIERCE.

Game One: Spoon on a String

How the Game Is Played: each team forms a circle and drops the spoon (with string attached) through their shirts until everyone is connected by the string. when the whistle blows, the first team to untangle themselves wins!

this game is a great way to start a field day, cos you get to know yr team rather intimately. plus everyone looks super cute, like a group of little kids touring a museum and tied up so they don’t run off from the chaperone.

it’s also a lot more complicated than it seems, esp. when everyone starts FREAKING OUT and pulling the string and yr shirt gets all twisted up and YIKES!!

Winner: Green Team!! holla!!! don’t be deceived by the simplicity of this game. strategery counts!

Game Two: Jump the Brook

How the Game Is Played: two jump ropes are laid on the ground parallel to each other. everyone must jump over the ropes, and after each round, the distance between the ropes is widened until everyone is eliminated except for the winner.

you guys, this game is SO FUN. at first it feels kind of silly, cos everyone is jumping over, like, two feet of grass. but then as the ropes move further and further apart, it gets intense!!!!! and people try really hard!! and even hurt themselves!!

here’s tim in action:

the contest eventually boiled down to some pretty major jumpers. check it out and be impressed!!!

the finalists were tommy and chris, who both have the incredible ability to jump, like, two of me (if i had laid down between the ropes, which i was not about to do, but still!! that’s far!!). check out the awesome form on these guys:

chris ended up being the champion, but only cos he completely sacrificed his body in the name of victory. check out that nasty grass burn. ouchie pants!

Winner: Yellow Team!

Game Three: Egg & Spoon Relay Race

How the Game Is Played: team members must race across the field (and back) while balancing an egg on a spoon. if the egg drops, they have to go all the way back to the start and do it again. the first team to finish the race wins!i know the image of an adult running (carefully) with a spoon and an egg seems ridiculous, but this game is NERVE WRACKING. i’ve never seen people focus more on a single object than i did during this race. it was almost like people were using eyebeams to hold their egg in place.

here’s karrie with her game face on:

notice how matt already has his eyes on the goal (well, the jump rope that signaled, “turn around!”) before the whistle has even been blown. this guy is FOCUSED.

the fact that everyone was so intent on their egg made them look even sillier. it was great.

this game is hard to watch, as a team member, cos people seem to be moving AS SLOW AS MOLASSES. so you have to cheer and yell at people to go “faster! faster! FASTER!!” and “bring it on home!” and i think maybe that helps.

check out tim totally hoofing it.

i was DETERMINED to win this one for my team. you can see it in my confident, bold stride.

turns out, i was *so* determined that i forgot there was one more person after me (tommy). uh, oops? so, when josh d. and i were neck and neck, i thought, “this is it! everyone’s counting on me! it’s DO OR DIE!” and i ran faster faster faster and… my egg fell and smashed upon the ground. and then i realized that my gamble had been for NOTHING, cos i wasn’t even the last person. so i had to do my whole leg of the race again, in shame.

here’s me, admitting my mistake and posing with my shame for the public. just like elliot spitzer!

Winner: Yellow Team (sigh. I’M SORRY!!!)

Game Four: Hula Hoop Chain

How the Game Is Played: much like spoon on a string, each team forms a circle with members holding hands. a hula hoop is placed on someone’s arm, and when the whistle blows, the team has to get the hula hoop all the way around the circle without breaking the chain (i.e. you can’t let go of people’s hands). the first team to pass the hula hoop completely around wins!

i didn’t get to take any pictures of this game, cos it went really fast. but people did seem to enjoy playing with the hula hoops afterwards:

Winner: Yellow Team blah blah blah whatever

Game Five: Chubby Bunny

How the Game Is Played: everyone puts a marshmallow in their mouth and then must say the phrase, “chubby bunny.” each round means another marshmallow (no swallowing!), and if a person can’t manage to say “chubby bunny,” they leave the game. the winner is (obvs) the person with the biggest mouth and highest tolerance for nasty huge marshmallows.

(by the way, we nominated four people from each team to play, cos we thought we didn’t have enough marshmallows. HA HA HA we were so wrong)

i LOVE this game. cos i love food and i love bunnies and people make weird faces! yay! but i had no idea that it could get so… um, gross?

it starts off really cutely, like, oh look, brian has chubby cheeks!

and, like, check out tommy’s goofy face!!

and then it starts to get HILARIOUS, cos everyone’s faces take on a cartoonish expression. does heather remind anyone else of the judge from “roger rabbit”?

hey josh, you got somethin’… there’s, uh, something coming out of… er, the side of yr… um, mouth?

ok, chris, that’s just disgusting.

i consider this an extremely psychological game, cos the pressure begins to build and people SNAP. sort of like in “hands on a hard body” when people have to stand up for days and days and keep their hands on that truck and they start LOSING THEIR MINDS.

the first sign of someone cracking is laughter. when they start to laugh, you know the End is Near.

Exhibit A: tim

he starts to laugh and then…

BAM! he can no longer control the marshmallow, leading to total disaster.

Exhibit B: matt

matt’s like, hey, this is kinda funny… heh… heh… haha…

ON NO THIS ISN’T SO FUN ANYMOOOOOREAAAUUGHHBLAAAAH!

matt ended up tossing not only the marshmallows, but everything else he’d eaten that day. poor chubby bunny. he shouldn’t feel bad though, cos just watching this game can make you feel nauseated. notice how this movie ends abruptly cos henri had to walk away before he started hurling.

Winner: i actually can’t even remember cos it was so gross. was it tommy? dustin? all i know is, we had a lot of plastic bags filled with marshmallows and spit.

Game Six: Three Legged Race

How the Game Is Played: duh!!!!! everyone partners up and ties their inside legs together. in relay fashion, partners must cross the field and back, and the first team to finish wins!henri and i decided to use duct tape to keep people together, because duct tape works for everything.

when was the last time you were tied via leg to someone else? it’s actually a really funny experience, and i felt like everyone kinda made new best friends during that game.

like two peas in a pod! squee!

since we’d lost a few folks by this point (CALM DOWN, it wasn’t due to injury or marshmallow chokage. they had other places they had to be, that’s all) we didn’t have an even number of players. so each team nominated one person to jump with their own feet tied together. it was pretty darn cute.

this race was definitely one of my favorites. caitlin and i just couldn’t stop GIGGLING like two little girls high on pixie stix. and i kept thinking we were about to fall over and lie on our backs like helpless turtles but we actually made it. and so did everyone else!

you can practically feel the childlike giddiness in this video:

after that exhausting race, it was time for a CUPCAKE BREAK!!! YAY! CUPCAKES FOR MY BIRTHDAY!! msw was sweet enough to bake chocolate cupcakes for everyone!! she’s like, the best room mom ever.

by this point, all of the games and merriment had turned everyone into six year old versions of themselves. just look at these faces!

MMMM nom nom nom. you can’t have a field day without cupcakes. them’s the rules.

Game Seven: Pinata
How the Game Is Played: ok, i think everyone knows that the goal of this game is beat up a poor pinata with a stick (while blindfolded) until all of the precious, precious candy spills out. however, henri and i decided to add another rule to make things more *interesting* (and kid-like): the team who gathers the most candy by the end of the game wins!!here’s poor felipe, awaiting his cruel, cruel destiny.

you can literally see the fear in his eye.

henri had a lot of fun pulling felipe up and down so that the players were swingingly wildly at nothing. this never stopped being funny.

yep, still funny.

our new rule totally worked, too, cos every time even one little piece of candy fell out, everyone made a mad dash towards it and ended up in a scrambling heap. just like when we were kids and actually *cared* about eating tootsie rolls!

we did eventually learn to yell “STOP!” so that the person with the stick would stop swinging it around. fortunately, we learned this lesson without someone’s brains getting smashed out (well, besides felipe’s).

Winner: Yellow Team. sigh. of course.

here’s josh with the spoils of his hunt:

you know, a lot of hunters turn their prey into products, like alligator skin boots and stuff. felipe got made into a hat!

Game Eight: Stomp the Balloon

How the Game Is Played: everyone ties a balloon around their ankle with a string. when the whistle blows, the object is to pop everyone’s balloon while protecting yr own. the last person with a balloon wins!ok, first of all, can i just say how cute everyone looked with balloons tied around their ankles?

it’s like we all had little balloon friends!!

note, after the first round of this game, matt defected to the yellow team, because he said he “wanted to win.” whatever, TRAITOR.

the only complication with this game is that the grass itself can be yr worst enemy. lots of people’s balloons popped without any stomping required, but i think that made the game more exciting!

teresa disagreed. she feared for her new balloon friend’s safety.

Winner: seriously, guys, i quit keeping track at this point. obvs the yellow team was gonna be the overall winner, but we were all having such a blast that it really didn’t seem to matter (ok, well, to NONCOMPETITIVE people like me).

Game Nine: Egg Toss

How the Game Is Played: everyone partners up and stands across from each other an even distance. one person throws the egg to the other person, and after each throw, the distance increases until there is only one set of partners left with a whole egg. i.e. let’s get messy!!!!

this game is really adorable, actually. just look at us!

but as the distance increases, it does get a little anxiety-producing. ok, a LOT. cos you want to catch the egg, but you don’t want it to smash into yr hand, and then you feel really guilty if you end up throwing it, say, into yr partner’s shirt or something.

selina and i made it about half-way through before our egg crashed.

fortunately, i didn’t get any of it on her clothes, so i felt ok. esp. given my negative previous experience with an egg that day.

it’s kind of sad when yr egg crashes. it’s like, WHAT HAVE I DONE? I’VE KILLED THIS EGG! and now my HANDS ARE GROSS!

in typical elementary school fashion, *some people* couldn’t be trusted to keep their eggs within the realm of the game. i won’t name any names, but there was definitely some egg hooliganism.

did i mention that caitlin m. brought water balloons? yeah.

Game Ten: Tug of War
How the Game Is Played: need i explain.

this game is AWESOME!!!!! i haven’t played tug of war in AGES, and i forgot how purely physical it is, like, the whole team is straining and pulling and applying every single molecule of their body in a battle of SHEER FORCE.

it’s like being on a ship, and there’s a storm and you have to get the sail down or whatever it is that pirates do when the waves are crashing and they’re yelling, “HEAVE HO!” it feels JUST LIKE THAT!

Winner: ok, i did keep track of this one, cos THE GREEN TEAM WON!! HOLLA!!

Game Eleven: Red Rover

How the Game Is Played: two teams line up and face each other across the field. the first team holds hands and chants, “red rover, red rover, let (somebody) come over!” and then that person, from the other team, has to run across the field and break through one of the links (people holding hands) on the team. if the person breaks through, they get to bring someone back with them. if they don’t, they have to stay on the team. eventually one team will only have one person left, and that makes them the looooser.i think we all remember what a brutal game red rover can be. i remember, on several occasions, feeling fairly certain that i had just broken my wrist and/or kidneys. now imagine playing red rover… with people that weigh over sixty pounds.

yeah. IT’S TERRIFYING.

this game ended pretty quickly, cos a) adults are big and their body crashing into yr wrist REALLY HURTS b) some of us are just a little scared of running through a pair of v. strong arms, ok?

so the green team got a little lonely.

(henri pointed out that this photo makes it look like selina and i are just happy friends, holding hands. la la la! when, in reality, we were FEARING FOR OUR LIVES).

the game ended when the yellow team called us over at the same time. notice the look of pure TERROR on my face.

and with that, the games ended, and prizes were awarded!!!

the yellow team got blue ribbons, cos they were the first prize winners. but because second place is almost as awesome as first, the green team got red/pink ribbons!

yeah, i don’t know why john got a blue ribbon. i think henri just wanted him to have the “potty training” award.

i felt so proud of everyone!! i mean, look at all we had accomplished in one day– running with legs attached to each other, hysterically stomping balloons, stuffing marshmallows into our faces, eating cupcakes… we were ALL WINNERS!!!

honestly, this was one of the best birthday parties i’ve ever had. there’s really no better feeling than looking around at the people you adore and knowing that they’re having an absolutely wonderful time, just like you are.

YAY! WE DID IT!!!

and then it was time to leave the park. when i was a kid, i always hated it when field day ended, cos i wanted the fun to go on for ever and ever and ever. but as twilight descended and we packed up our things, i didn’t mind, cos i knew we had been given a perfect day, and we hadn’t wasted a single minute.

unfortunately, we did have to leave behind a fallen comrade. RIP, felipe.

on next year’s field day, we’ll make a shirt and put yr name on one of the fallen petals. i promise.

sxsw 2008, day 4: all the right things

Published by

Sarah

March 21, 2008 in extravaganza and music. 11 Comments

ok ok ok so i’m writing this blog post over again.

i *hate* recreating posts, cos no matter what i write, i always fear that the first version was better. which, you know, is strangely conceited. like, “sorry, guys, this entry is but a ghost, a PALE IMITATION, of my amazing, articulate and incredibly illuminating first draft.”

anyway, i’ll try my hardest to give this last day of sxsw its due, cos it really was a fantastic day.

the weather on saturday was pure, sparkling spring, so i drove with my windows down to austin java, where i met my old rice pal, jen hitt. jen hitt! jen and i spent countless hours at the RMC, pouring our souls out over coffee. she now lives far away from me in dc, but we have a tradition of seeing each other every year at sx. last year we only managed two minutes around midnight in front of emo’s (not exactly quality time), so i made sure we could share at least one meal together. jen is an incredibly radiant, eclectic and warm person, and it did my heart good to see her again. look how happy we are together!

i planned on spending most of my day at the home slice pizza party, which is always super happy and relaxing (not to mention the fact that tasty pizza is readily available). plus, it’s fun to walk down south congress during the festival, cos there are always tons of visitors and artists and musicians and kids all out and about. celebrities tend to cluster around soco, and i was *desperately* hoping to replace my perez hilton sighting with someone like, say, drew barrymore or carrie brownstein (she was in town as an NPR reporter!).

i arrived at home slice about midway through a set by le loup, a group i’d heard a little about (and i liked what i heard). they were actually fantastic! they just seem like a ragtag band of merrymakers, like if the boxcar children discovered arcade fire.

le loup: we are gods! we are wolves!

here’s a picture of the overall party area, so you can see why i like it so much.

it’s so idyllic and breezy and… sunny. v. sunny. as a pale child of the shadows, i made a beeline for the shade in the back so that i wouldn’t explode under the direct sunlight (but yes, dad, i was wearing sunscreen!).

next up was a band i’d never heard before, the morning benders. they weren’t bad, but i think my favorite thing about them was the lead singer’s pink rimmed sunglasses.

by this point, jessica and matt had joined me in the shade (they, too, are Ghost Children of the Night). after the benders set, we were all LUCKY ENOUGH to receive a free cd from some random dude! oh yay! ok, seriously, free cds are like, the new coozie. and when was the last time you were REALLY EXCITED about receiving a FREE COOZIE, often featuring the brand of yr FAVORITE RADIO STATION? exactly. although free cds do make good coasters, so i guess they’re even more like coozies than i thought.

matt shares my opinion.

i was really thrilled to see the watson twins again, cos the last time i saw them, they looked absolutely ADORABLE. they were on tour with jenny lewis, so there was this whole classy40s vibe going on with their wardrobe. their outfits this time weren’t quite up to par, but i found their new stuff to be lovely and easy on the ears.

watson twins: just like heaven

seriously, home slice really delivered (HA) on their musical line-up this year. usually there’s one or two bands at a day show that i wish would KEEP IT DOWN a little so i can catch every single fascinating word my friends have to say. but the music at saturday’s show was incredibly pleasant and fun, including the last band we saw, the spinto band! i actually don’t know the spinto band super well, but their song, “oh mandy,” carries a lot of memories for me, so when they played it, i got excited and did a little dance.

spinto band: oh mandy

the four of us (henri had shown up towards the end of the watson twins) decided to take advantage of the tasty business at home slice, and we snagged a table by the front window. it was the perfect sx meal– light hearted, banter-y and v. silly.

matt, do you get that response a lot from people?

matt actually took flossy from me and proceeded to take candid (read: unflattering) photos of all of us. i actually do love this close-up of henri, caught in mid-expression, with some guy’s face on the other side of the window.

don’t you LOVE IT when people take pictures of you when you’re eating? ah well. i try to be honest on this blog, so here’s me, doing what i do best.

during our meal, i just happened to get a text from my friend jordan, who just happened to be having people over for margaritas and who just happens to live near soco. obviously, it was destiny! since i’m such a planner pants, i rarely get the opportunity to take advantage of spontaneous fun, so visiting jordan was an absolute treat for me.

plus, this girl *knows* her margaritas! look at her, squeezing real actual limes instead of using frozen limeade like some people i know.

not only can jordan make great margaritas, she also makes boxes for worms to live in and digest her compost. or something. i’m not sure how it all works, but i like the idea of happy worms living in a box together.

jordan’s patio provided the perfect respite from all of the sx crayness. i honestly believe that lounging on a porch with friends is one of the finer pleasures in life, and this afternoon was no exception. you know how, every once in a while, you realize with 100% certainty that there’s no other place you’d rather be, in the whole world? yeah.

jordan’s friend brought his super sweet goofy dog, who really REALLY reeeeally wanted some pizza.

can i has pizza?

as night began to fall, henri dropped me off in front of st. david’s church downtown so i could see jacob golden and m. ward. i was *bursting* with anticipation for this show, which of course meant that… i couldn’t get in. OF COURSE. you know, every year there is just ONE show that i can’t get into, and all things considered, that’s not so bad. but i had made it this far without being denied, and i was secretly hoping that i had broken the spell but… no.

that’s ok, though! i had a plan B! cos i am a prepared sxsw pantser! i walked down the street and got into maggie mae’s so i could see david bazan! easy peasy.

david bazan: don’t cry, i’m not gonna hurt you

whenever i see david bazan, i really want to give him a hug. he’s just so earnest and scruffy and quiet and sweet and sad.

next up was jim noir, who i have never heard of. but i know he’s on barsuk, cos this was the barsuk showcase. and i also know that he really likes america and the royal tenenbaums.

i mean, he’s from manchester, so maybe that explains it.

as you can see from the picture, i totally made it to the front row AGAIN! cha-CHING!!!! i was of course driven by a higher power, and that power was matthew caws. nada surf was up next, and since i’d been in the front row before, there was no going back. plus i wanted to make sure matthew saw me in case he needed my number. or you know, advice on where to eat tex mex.

and YES i realize i’d already seen them and some people might think that’s a waste of sxsw time but those people have *obviously* never heard “blizzard of ‘77″ while driving in the dark on a sad, lonely night.

it was totally worth it, obviously.

even though matthew caws was wearing the same exact outfit as the night before, and i saw him sweat a lot that night, and i was just kind of curious about if he had access to a washing machine.

the set was acoustic, so their show sounded different than the one at cedar door, but it was still just as dynamic. the highlight for me came when they performed “blankest year,” which was pretty much the anthem for pants world over the summer of 2005. add in the fact that we spent a lot of time at maggie mae’s that summer, and i was hearing the song there, LIVE, five feet away from matthew caws… wow. the whole audience sang along and pumped our fists in the air and our straining voices and the music collided into one triumphant, jubilant, racous roar.

this, THIS is why i come back to sxsw, year after year after year.

nada surf: blankest year

my night had definitely peaked, but it wasn’t over yet. jessica and matt picked me up and we drove together to the red bull party to end out the night. by this point, i was already a tired pants, but jessica and matt manage to look pretty awake in this picture. oh right. they were drinking red bull.

jessica was excited to see talib kweli, who performed around 1:00. the party was waaay more hoppin’ that it had been on wednesday night, but we scored chairs (need i remind you of my skills) and sat against the balcony for a good view of the show.

amazingly enough, henri had survived his three-going-on-four nights of red bull hosting and came by to say hello. check out that hoodie… what a hipster.

even though i like talib kweli, i was totally distracted by this super cool light screen on the left side of the stage. i could NOT stop staring at it.

so matt and i decided to head down and take future facebook profile pics of ourselves against the screen. many, many other people had the same idea, so there were lots of “charlie’s angels” and “does it look hot if i press myself against the screen and raise a leg?” posing going on. matt and i went for more classic modeling.

matt also did his little sxsw dance in front of the screen.

he did this dance in different places throughout sxsw, which you’ll see in a minute.

here’s me, in the “i’ve had a great time but i’m cold and sleepytime tea and can you take me home please?” pose.

it’s a good feeling to be exhausted from enjoying goodness, you know?

so thank you, sxsw, for another fantastic fling. i’ll miss you, but i’ll see you next year. pinkie swear.

to conclude, here’s a video that john made with footage from all of our festival days, including matt’s special form of “dancing.” i think it conveys our experience, which was, in a word, awesome.

South by Southwest 2008 with Pantsworld from John Harney on Vimeo.
LINKS

it’s easter weekend! usually i do an entry about cadbury eggs, but this year, i can’t compete with the cadbury creme egg interview (it’s on one of my new favorite blogs, thanks msw!).

and of COURSE i have to mention peeps. have you guys heard of peep duels? hello, #1 thing to do this weekend.

henri sent me this v. well-written piece in salon on the decline of “good” celebrity gossip. check it out.

a melted ice cream truck!! ha ha ha!! thanks, matt.

RAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Published by

Sarah

March 20, 2008 in this post will conform to no category!. 2 Comments

GAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH i just LOST MY POST AGAIN. I HATE WORPRESS SO MUCH HATE HATE HATE STAB STAB STAB!!

RAAAHH!!!!!

sigh.

ok, well, i guess i’ll just finish up my sxsw post tomorrow.

FROWNY ANGRY MEAN FACE!!!!!

sxsw 2008, day 3: how to conquer sickness and achieve yr front row dreams

Published by

Sarah

March 19, 2008 in extravaganza and music. 15 Comments

if you listened to any of my whiney pants utterz from friday morning, you already know that i woke up with an incredibly sore throat and immediately went to the doctor, cos i am REALLY SCARED OF STREP THROAT. i realize i’m a pansy, but i have waaaay too many feverish childhood memories of the dreaded ST to let sickness run its course (am i right, mom?).

some people might say it’s all about mind over matter, and they would be right. if i think i have strep throat, i feel like i have strep throat. and there was NO WAY i was gonna let some stupid ST ruin my weekend of rocking pants.

so i went to the doctor, and i read some of my slash book in the waiting room, and then they took my temperature and swabbed my throat (GAG, like real gag) and then the doctor showed me this fancy high falutin’ new step test they use. it looks like the baby of a calculator and a pregnancy test (pregnancy test… baby… HAR), and if you have strep, a big ole + sign shows up.

fortunately, my strep test came up negative!!! yay!! no juno ST action for moi!

the minute i knew i didn’t have strep, i felt a LOT better. but it was super hot outside, so henri and i decided to peruse the posters at flatstock, which is always one of the best parts of sxsw. i’ve gotten most of my bunny artwork at sxsw, and this year i bought a hot pink poster for a steve malkmus show which features a pair of lady legs in white heels and paisley tights. come over and i’ll show it to you!

i was excited about dinner, not just cos i always get excited about eating but because i was meeting up with winston! WINSTON!!!! winston and i went to rice together, and the summer before our senior year, i saw him pretty much every freaking day cos we coordinated orientation. if there’s anyone you want to see every day, especially late nights in the computer lab, it’s winston. he’s one of the kindest and most genuine people i know, PLUS he plays a killer game of office chair trashcan basketball. he lives far, far away in d.c. now, so you can imagine how *thrilled* i was to see him. see? yay!!!!

we had dinner at moonshine, where i saw my FIRST and ONLY celebrity of the ENTIRE FREAKING WEEKEND WHICH IS UNBELIEVABLE GAAAAH. and in spite of that sentence, i flat out refuse to call this person a celebrity. cos, well, it was perez hilton.

sigh.

perez hilton totally WASTED my celebrity sighting for the festival! i was so mad! it’s just like the time my parents and i were in vegas, and we saw marvin zindler, of ye olde “slime in the ice machine” houston news fame. i’m in VEGAS, and the celebrity i get is an old dude in a white wig and sunglasses? i swear, it’s a ridiculous misuse of all of the celebrity knowledge i have stored up in my brain.

on the bright side, i got to eat delicious delicious moonshine food, including mac ‘n’ cheese! holla!

after a lovely dinner with winston, we headed over to stubb’s cos i wanted to get close to the stage for santogold and MGMT. we caught most of the ting tings set, which was kinda fun.

the ting tings: that’s not my name

again, the sound on this video is worthless, but i figure it gives you a feel for being there.

i think john (who saved us a spot in line, kudos to you, sir!) hated them, but i didn’t mind. plus, when their set ended, we got even closer to the stage! cha-ching! that’s like, sxsw currency.

while we waited for santogold to come on, i took some pictures and noticed an interesting progression. check out this first picture, with winston being his normal smiley self and henri being his cray, weird face self.

slowly but surely, henri began to rub off on winston… either that, or winston just got more comfortable and let a little of his wackiness show.

and finally, we see both boys let go of all inhibitions and work that PHOTO MAGIC!

aww, i love you guys.

santogold appeared right on schedule, and i was so excited to see that she brought her two dancers with her!!! you may remember them from the totally major video i posted a little while ago.

i was worried that santogold wouldn’t live up to the hype, but i found her to be completely charming and talented without all of the flash that most rappers seem to feature these days. even john liked her, and he HATES hip hop.

santogold: shove it (switch remix)

i recommend turning the sound down on this video and just watching her awesome dancers in action.

MGMT came on after santogold, and unfortunately they turned out to be the most disappointing band i saw at sxsw. i was REALLY excited to see them, cos they were a new discovery to me back in december and i love hearing music live that’s still fresh on my brain. but, um, i guess i thought the band would be more like, some djs and some instruments? i mean, listen to this song and try to visualize the band.

MGMT: electric feel

got a picture in yr head? ok, good.

now does the band look like this?

EXACTLY. like, who IS this guy? when they were setting up the instruments, i assumed they were just the tech guys, but no, they were the actual band. and all of them look like they’re 21 and really into skinny jeans. and while i still definitely enjoy their music, i think maybe they haven’t played enough shows to truly develop a presence. cos, dude, a bandana just won’t cut it.

john, winston and i left stubbs and went next door to red eye fly to see say hi, which was another band that i was REALLY excited to see cos they’re kinda new to me. we ran into joy and nathaniel, who definitely put the FLY in red eye fly.

after the disappointment of MGMT, it was exhilarating to discover that say hi was just as great as i thought they would be. it’s mostly just this one guy who sings and plays guitar (i could look up his name but i’m laaaazy) and a guy on the drums who looks a LOT like the teenage son in “little miss sunshine.” and the songs live are just as inspiring and thoughtful and electrifying as they sound on the record, if not more so.

say hi: northwestern girls

i admit, though, the lead singer didn’t look at all like what i pictured. but unlike the MGMT hipsters, i didn’t mind at all. cos this guy rules, and not everyone can look like matthew caws or john vanderslice (seriously, don’t those guys LOOK like how they sound?).

i bid adieu to winston and john and set off for cedar door to see nada surf (YAAAAY!!). on sixth street, i ran into erica and josh!

i like encountering people i actually *know* on sixth street versus “meeting” sweaty, drunken strangers. speaking of, during our conversation, we were accosted by this billy idol looking dude who thought a good way to request a lighter would be to rub his hands up and down his legs while saying, “what’s uuuuup.” when we didn’t go for it, he said, “just kidding!” which, you know, i thought was pretty gre