Sooooo.......   I don't really know how to say this, but.... I'm leaving LiveJournal.   I've been tempted by Blogger for a long time and I just can't fight it anymore.  I'll be over there now.  Same username, same lack of regular updates, SHINY NEW BLOGSPOT GOODNESS! 

Hope to see you there!

http://bananawacky.blogspot.com/

There will be many wacky adventures ahead.  Or a lot of sitting around and wondering what to do with myself.  Either way, BUCKETS OF FUN!!

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 10:26 My oven has stopped working. The world is denied my awesome cupcakes. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

There are a few reasons I don't like to get into very personal issues here:   First,  I'm not very consistent with my opinions and I don't want to have to keep track of them just because they've been released into the interwebs;  Secondly,  it's my life, my business, my joy or my pain and I have to keep some things for myself;  And finally, the things that happen in my life are also happening to, and affecting someone else and I don't have the right to talk about them here.
The big change in my life now involves someone else so I'm not going to say very much about  it.  I will, however, say that sometimes things just don't work out, no matter how hard the people involved want them to.  We've got to deal with the fallout, and move on.  And we will.  We are made of awesome and ain't much that's gonna keep us down.

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 12:06 Gogol Bordello last night was absolutely incredible. I danced my socks off, got home barefoot, exhausted, and happy. #
• 13:26 I love this - A sensible point of view is kinda rare nowadays and it's so refreshing to read this one: tinyurl.com/qsunlo #
• 21:09 I've had to replace my copy of Battle Royale three times. Clearly, I am destined never to watch that movie again. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 12:45 I translated the Citizenship test for my uncle today. Turns out I know next to nothing about this country. #
• 21:40 If the bar I'm in were a ship, we would capsize. Everyone's hanging out on the starboard side. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

These are the things that happened on Sunday:

The Artist and I went to the movies and while we were there, about a half hour into the film, there was an earthquake.  I heard later that it wasn’t really a big one, only 5.0, but it felt pretty frakin big at the time.  Worse, it seemed to last forever.  The movie we were watching, The Brothers Bloom, was a particularly good one and as the floor kept moving and rumbling, I started to wonder if the roof would come down on us and if so, would we be able to finish the movie that night or would we have to come back later, maybe in a couple of days?   Because I was really liking this film and I didn’t want a little thing like THE PLANET SHAKING ITSELF APART to ruin my movie experience.

 

I’d had Her Morning Elegance stuck in my head all day and when we went to the Casbah Café after THE MOVIE THAT ROCKED MY WORLD, LIKE, FOR REALS, I was humming the song without realizing it.  The guy behind the counter was one of those Adorable Quiet Types.  He looked twelve years old, had a nervous giggle and never made eye contact with anyone.   Painfully shy, nearly incapacitated by it. 
As he rang up my drink, he said, shyly, “I love that song.”

Me (with no idea that I’d been humming): What?

AQT:  …That song, I love it.

Me: (growing suspicious and wondering if he’s messing with me, or just crazy.  There wasn’t any music playing):  What song?

AQT: Erm…The…The song… That…You….I love it.

Me (arming my Glance of Withering Scorn): What are you talking about? 

AQT: .... ... ....

AQT:  (feebly) That... ... ... That... ....  I love it....

Me: (officially bellligerant) What?!? Are you cra….    …..   ...Oh…The one I… Humming?  That song?  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA  …..Erm.  Uh… HAHAHAHAHAHA.   Yeah…  I love it, too.

 

 

Super-awkward.  He actually cringed as he gave me my change and my latte,  I stood there, wondering if there was some way I could fix this and not be the Hostile Crazy Lady but there was nothing.  No way to fix this.  Trying to explain myself would only make me sound even more crazy and the Adorable Quiet Type was already done with me, sorry that he’d said anything at all.   Our coffee-and-song relationship was over.  I’d blown it and the only thing I could do was walk away.  After leaving a big tip, of course.   Nothing like money to soothe the troubled soul.


The guy with the accordion in the music video?  That's my friend Fil - I collect talented people.

I keep forgetting that my laptop is actually mobile.  I was curled up, all comfy cozy on the couch and thinking that I should update the old blog but I just can't get the energy to reach all the way over to the laptop on the coffee table.  I sat here, feeling guilty, for at least a couple of minutes before it occurred to me to pick the laptop up and set it here on the couch with me.  This is what happens when I get hungry.   My brain shuts down and I'm left in a heap on the couch, wondering how I can get someone over here to feed me.
I'll be meeting a friend of mine later for dinner (only an hour to go!) but that's presented its own particular set of problems.  See, I'm in charge of the dinner.  I'm supposed to pick the restaurant except I am so weak with the hunger that I can't think of a single restaurant to take my friend.  Instead, I'll just sit here on the couch and waste away until my friend breaks down the door and delivers me to food.
Let's see.... The weekend was good.  Saturday night, The Artist and I went to my favorite restaurant for dinner and were promptly drawn into a screaming match with the table next to us.   They were happy, happy, not-entirely-sober-and-by-that-I-mean-to-say-that-they-were-completely-and-totally-wasted people and the only way they could talk to each other was to scream.  The Artist switched back and forth between rage and resignation at least half a dozen times while I secretly thought the whole thing was hilarious.  Any time we had anything we needed to say to each other, we'd have to yell and then the absurdity of the whole thing would send me into a fit of giggles while The Artist glared at the eight shrieking people next to us.  He left angry and I left thinking that, on the whole, it had been a pretty great evening.  


I bought new Converse sneakers the other day.  I don't know anymore what generation this new pair is.  Maybe ten?  Eight?  Either way, the last pair were so ripped and torn that when you looked at my feet, you'd see socks and shoelaces.  Not a scrap of canvas in sight.  The new pair is...Well...Exactly like the old pair except they're new and I haven't switched out the shoelaces yet.  I don't like the shiny white shoelaces that Converse come with and about ten years ago, I found the perfect replacement laces:  Narrow black laces with teeny tiny white stars printed on them.  I've put those laces on every single pair of Cons I've owned for a decade and I don't know what I'll do with myself when they finally fall apart.   Their time is coming, I think.  The black has gone more of a dark grey and the stars are just light grey blobs now but I am loyal to them.   I will be rocking those shoelaces until they fall off my feet and crawl away somewhere to die.

The Artist and I saw Star Trek over the weekend, too.  It was incredibly cheesy but I enjoyed it very much and I thought it was brilliantly cast, the young Kirk and Spock in particular.   That's really it.  I have no insights or anything.  Just thought I'd mention it.

Tuesday night, I met Neil at the Troubadour to see a friend's band.   This friend, Fil, is actually part of two bands that played that evening:  The opening act, and the headliners.   The first band is Fil's personal project and it was fantastic.  The headlining band was another thing entirely - a sort of a super-band, made up of members of a bunch of other famous bands.  I didn't know that, of course.  I was just going to see my buddy play some music and then I'm getting introduced to and hanging out with a bunch of nice people and we're all having a lovely time and then someone's mentioning that one venue they'd played in last week and I'm, like, "Oh?  You're in another band?" and then it turns out that I'm a big fan of those other bands and I own their albums and now I'm feeling kind of awkward because I didn't know about any of this at the beginning of the evening.  
Moron moments aside, it was a great night.  Both bands were just amazing and then the pile of us headed over to The Cat and The Fiddle.  I was already feeling Very Important for hanging out with the bands when I noticed a Real Celebrity seated at a table on the patio.  My head exploded immediately. 
Utterly fantastic night.


Aaaand I think my friend is here.  Time for food.    I'll try and finish this up later.  Because, oh yes, there is more.

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 16:17 Hiked Runyon Canyon today. Anyone needs me, I'll be Not Moving for the rest of the month. #
• 16:36 Also - Gogol Bordello? Seven days. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 19:24 I spent part of the afternoon in Echo Park today. Trees, grass, kids, sunshine... It was like hanging out in Bizarro World. #
• 19:26 Star Trek last night made my inner nerd squee. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

About a year ago, I was waxing rhapsodic about living in Los Feliz.  Well, that's all over and I have a new love.  Silverlake is the most awesome neighborhood yet!! I love being able to mosey down the street to work, from there I'll wander up the block to get some coffee and a dress, then amble slowly throught the neighborhood till I'm back at my adorable apartment.  Then I stuff my lastest acquisition into a closet that's already overflowing, wonder where all my hard-earned wages are going, and head back out to any number of great restaurants for dinner.  I hadn't intended on moving into this neighborhood - I was dead-set on getting a place in Chinatown - but now I'm so glad I'm here.  And, just to make things that much better, my neighbors are great and we've formed a small, but very awesome,  gang.  When we're not watching movies or solving the world's problems,  we walk around and sneer at other people for not being part of our awesome gang.   


I was recently given a mini camcorder and if I can get the thing figured out, I will be flooding the interwebs with completely useless and random video goodness.  I am so excited.  The Explosive Neil is as big a ham as me so I won't be the only idiot on this video-venture.  All of this is dependant, of course, on whether or not I'll be able to get the camera to work for me.  I've got my fingers crossed.

I'll be heading out tomorrow to spend a couple of days with my parents.  Both my uncle and my cousin are having some health issues and because this is a very public forum, I'm not going to go into any details but it will be nice to spend some time with my family.  Things are getting kind of scary, between the health problems in my family and watching The Artist deal with the death of his father.  It'll be comforting to have my family around me for a bit.

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 15:41 I'm watching Indiscreet right now. Why can't all men be just like Cary Grant? #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 14:23 I watched the Sex and the City movie last night. I cried. This reaction was completely unexpected and I may need some kind of therapy. #
• 19:21 A shelf of wine glasses dropped onto me a few hours ago. Not a scratch on me but just now, I fished two shards of glass out of my bra. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 09:36 I'm kind of digging on this whole "get out of bed early" thing. I've got lots more time in my day in which to sit around and do nothing! #
• 12:09 My life will not be complete until I've been shoved into a train by gentlemen in white gloves. tinyurl.com/d9x98c #
• 19:29 Shooting a crazy art-show/dance club hybrid tonight. What does one wear? #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 00:33 First day at the new job tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I haven't gone from the frying pan into the fire. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

		I will marry The Artist.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in Dublin in our fabulous Apartment.
		We will have 3 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Red Bus.
		I will spend my days as a Model, and live happily ever after.

I remember playing MASH in grade school and getting very upset when I learned that I was destined to marry Ralph Roach.  I mean, really?  Ralph Roach?  I'd be Ana Roach?  It was terrifying and I vaguely remember tearing the magical paper MASH cube out of someone's hand,  crumpling it up, and storming out in a huff. 
I found this version of the game online tonight and dutifully filled out the forms, listing the five guys, cars, cities, and number of children I could end up with for the rest of my life.  Now, I only added The Artist to the list of Men I'd Marry because I felt obligated to add him.  He is, after all, my boyfriend.  After that, I threw on a bunch of actors that I wouldn't mind spending some time with.  It's just a game, right?  Just a silly, childish game, right?  WRONG.  Of the six handsome men I'd picked (only one of whom I've actually met) MASH went ahead and picked, as my future husband,  my current boyfriend.  I couldn't even pretend within the confines of a grammar school game that I might marry David Tennant.

Sigh.


My future-husband-as-destined-by-MASH will be coming home again tomorrow.  He's been with his family for a couple of weeks now and while it's nice sometimes to get a little space, three weeks and another continent away is just too much space.  I've had enough space.  Through with space.  I'm glad he's coming home.

I always forget that laptops are, in fact, mobile and I don't have to be hunched over a too-low coffee table or reaching up towards a too-high kitchen bar to use mine comfortably.  Here I am, all sprawled out on the bed, computing.  It only took a little over a year to realize that I could do that. 

I'm excited to hear that my Grandfather was elected the alderman again this year.  Excited, but not surprised - everyone knows that he's the best at everything.  He could totally be President Of The World, if he wanted to.  He's one of the coolest, nicest, funniest people I know.  I got pretty lucky in the family department, really.  My grandparents are awesome, I've got a great relationship with my parents, and my brother is my best friend.  I know that that kind of familial unity is rare and I'm blessed to have it.
I had more stuff to say, some stories about some funny stuff that happened to me this week but now that I'm all ready to write them down, the stories, they are gone.  All I can think about is what kind of curry I'm going to be ordering from the Thai place.  I'm partial to coconut but the red curry there is awfully good.  Clearly, I'm going to have to deal with this more pressing issue before I can finish the blog entry.
I'll be back.

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 18:31 I was so productive today that I've astonished even myself with everything I managed to get done. #
• 18:33 One thing I did today, my taxes, yielded awesome results: I'll be able to use the refund to pay for my upcoming Bali/Singapore trip. #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Collected Stray Thoughts

• 02:52 I gave in to peer pressure - First half of Twilight was remarkably silly (and unintentionally hilarious) but the second half? Not so bad. #
• 02:55 That's the best way to fix an ailing film. Cut down on the longing and teen-angst and add more running and screaming. #
• 16:54 Today was my annual 'Lock My Keys In The Car' day. It went well. Took three people to rescue me, one up from last years event. #
• 18:11 Alt ending to Twilight: Edward chokes to death on blood, leaving intended victim puzzled but alive. Vampiric hilarity ensues. WIN! #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

The Explosive Neil and I are having a study session and while he studies, I update my blog.  Hi, Granma!
We're planning to do this every week, partly because we have conflicting schedules and never get to hang out and mostly because we both need to Get Things Done and we're very bad about Getting Down and Doing Them*.  Since I'm going back to school, I figured I need to work on acquiring good study habits now so that it won't be so hard when I'm neck-deep in classes and losing my mind.
Otherwise, things are pretty quiet around here.  The Artist is in Ireland with his family and doesn't know how long he'll be there, I'm here job-hunting and getting ready for school. 
First product of first study session:

That's from a shoot I did, like, a year ago.  That's how bad I am at finishing things.  That's why these study sessions are good for me.
Sadly, I was totally about to cancel today's (very first) session.  My apartment was kinda messy, I have to work later, I'm tired, waah, waah, waah.  I called Neil to let him know and I was told firmly but gently that he was coming over anywhere so I'd better put some pants on.  And, Voila, I make Art!


*Neil says, "We do things, they're just not productive."