Crowd surfers up above me

The night after his documentary premiere, Butch Walker played a show at 12th & Porter in Nashville. It was sold out, but I had gotten tickets as soon as they went on sale because this was going to be my first time seeing him live, and I was beyond excited.

When I was a band photographer lifetimes ago, the group I worked with most covered a lot of Marvelous 3 songs, so I got into Butch Walker that way. Then I discovered he had solo albums, and I got into those. I've especially loved his last few, with "the Spade" hitting me at just the right time in life.

Due to some confusion, Kate and I missed the beginning of his set; by chance we walked in right as he started playing my favorite song off the new album. Can't beat that! We saw a rockin' 45 minutes at least, and hey - I'll see him again ASAP.




Love that expression...



We hung around a bit after the show and were thisclose to giving up when I saw his bassist, Jake Sinclair, leaving the club. Then I see Butch. Kate was looking something up on her phone; all I remember is holding my camera out to her as I walked away chanting "Butchbutchbutchbutch" - not yelling at him, mind you, more like mumbling crazily to myself.


He's pinching my love handle to death.


I wish I knew what he was saying right here, and why I'm letting
that tiny girl stand in my hand. (Yes, I know I'm not funny.)

Did the bouncer just break up a fight...

or is Butch watching me walk away?

(Many thanks to Kate for playing paparazzi!)

Out of Focus

As much as I love a good fiction story, I'm not that big on movies that aren't stupid comedies. But I like documentaries, especially those about crimes (like Paradise Lost) and music (like all the Aerosmith VHS tapes I still own). Which is why I drove to Nashville Tuesday - to see the premiere screening of the Butch Walker documentary "Out of Focus."
     "Out of Focus" started off as an account of the making of an album, "the Spade," from start to finish. In the middle of all of this, a narrative thread is found, and the audience is drawn into Butch Walker's world.


If you're thinking "I don't even know who Butch Walker is!" Yes, you do. You've heard his music or something he's had his hand in, even if you don't realize it. Take a minute and look him up on Wikipedia and YouTube. Like the filmmakers said during the Q&A - if someone doesn't know Butch, once they discover him, they become a fan. Even my mom's heard a song or two and I'm pretty sure she digs 'em.

If you're still reading and you don't know Butch Walker and you didn't just look him up, that's ok. You'd still like this documentary. I promise. It's well-done and beautifully filmed. The studio scenes are all filmed in black and white, which gives the recording process this really cool, retro, somehow cozy feeling. There are moments that will make you crack up followed by scenes that will make you tear up.

I went to the documentary with my friend Kate - we met when we were both band photographers, the only girls in a world of guys. But we hit it off because we're both silly and awesome and hilarious. Despite losing touch for... four years? after only hanging out thrice at shows, we got back in touch and had a blast at the film fest. Her boyfriend's brother got us into the VIP tent afterwards, where we pretended to be very important and incredibly cool, like the people around us.

Until Jason Marsden walked in.

"That's the guy who tried to date Dana on Step-by-Step!" I said. Kate discovered he had also played similar roles on Full House and Boy Meets World. Needless to say, we were impressed. I knew I had to have my photo taken with him, and not just because he's 5'1" (to be fair, some websites say 5'3"...). We lurked creepily until we were introduced. I said, "I don't want to embarrass you in the VIP room, but is it ok if I take a picture with you?" He said, "Sure, I love Amazon women. Do you like short white guys?"


Right before the flash, I whispered "Pretend that we're in love." Uh-mazing.
After the VIP tent, I decided to go to a bar where the directors were hosting an after-party. I figured if it was awkward or slammed, then at least I gave it a shot and had a drink in a bar alone. Instead, I chatted with Shane Valdes for quite a bit. He's done some awesome music videos for Butch, including my favorite, Synthesizers. We talked about the documentary and how he filmed it and the story they found, and it was incredibly inspiring. He's really passionate about his work, and mentioned writing a film script in a month - talk about a kick in the butt!


When I was ready to make my exit, I said I wanted to give him my cards in hopes I could help promote some of his stuff on my blog. I reached into my bag and grabbed two cards - one for my website, and... my room key. Embarrassing! I joked it off and Shane laughed and pretended to take it. I finally found my blog card, which he inspected and said "I look forward to re-tweeting you."

And you know what? He did. Gotta love a man of his word.

"What my lady wants, my lady gets."

I don't really know how to talk about Julie's visit to Memphis, so a lot of these pictures and videos are going to tell the stories for me. You'll understand once you've experienced this post.

Thursday, we went to the zoo.


I said, "Let's pretend we're rowing!"
After the picture took, I scolded Julie, "Why is your back turned to the camera?"
"I was rowing!"

Can't argue with that, but I demanded a retake.
We were too excited about the Red Hot Chili Peppers show to do much else, so we went downtown early to mess around. There are big balls outside the Forum, and we handed the camera to a lady for a Sears studio portrait balancing on one. I did not crop this picture, it's actually what we got:

Not only did she not get the ball, she framed the picture
to have this strange man beside us. (I love it.)
We didn't have any major plans on Friday, so after lunch we went to a costume shop to waste some time.

Funny, I was just wondering where all my brothers and sisters had gone.

We became smitten with the idea of wearing top hats out that night, so we began trying on every. single. one. We took pictures in them and let the other choose her favorite.

Julie loved this shot of me, so I got this hat:

She actually got a brown hat, but I love this picture so it has to be here:





I'm surprised it took us all night to sport this look...
On Saturday we went to Mud Island for the Riverwalk. It's a scale model replica of the Mississippi River, and you can take your shoes off and walk in it.


Or let your shoes float down it:


And watch birds bathe in it:


The weekend ended much too quickly, as time with Julie always does. We'll have many more adventures coming soon, and I'm ready to have my stomach sore from laughing again.


*Explanation of post title: Saturday night, Julie and I went out for dinner. She didn't eat the bag of chips that came with her meal. She asked if I wanted them. I said yes. She said, "What my lady wants, my lady gets," while struggling madly to open the bag.
     This is after she told a waiter he was cute, and "If I were a lady, I'd snap you up." I'm dying with laughter just typing this.

learning about yourself

I don't usually share things I write for myself, but this one has stayed rooted in my mind and I think I need to put it out there. I wrote it after spending a long weekend with one of my closest friends, acting like a tourist in my own city, going out every night, talking to strangers, laughing so much my stomach hurt days later...

- - -
Sometimes I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to knowing what I want to do in life and who I want to be. But it's just an elusive feeling; I don't really know, I can't put my finger on it, I can't tell anyone about it. It's just this incredibly abstract feeling that doesn't really amount to much more than that.

But it's better than nothing.

I know: I love putting myself out there. I love experiencing as much as I can. I love meeting new people. I love connecting with old friends. I love not being what you expect. I love not caring what people think. I love being as goofy as possible. I love listening to music. I love dancing to music. I love singing along and pretending I sound good - or not caring that I don't. I love the tattoos I have. I love watching new ink go into my skin in designs that mean the world to me. I love devouring a book in a day. I love waking up without an alarm clock. I love having a sense of purpose. I love being covered in paint after teaching art. I love making plans to travel. I love going new places. I love trying new things. I love my old habits. I love my new habits. I love the feeling of anticipation. I love the feeling of not knowing. I love finding out. I love going to bed with a smile on my face. I love waking up with a smile on my face. I love every moment with a smile on my face.

I love this lady.


I love this song, and that Ryan always knows what music I want to hear before I do.

Chili Willies

I've loved the Chili Peppers since I was nine or so (thanks for turning me on to good music, big brother!), and I finally had a chance to see them live last Thursday (#1)! The show was originally set for February 3rd, but Anthony Kiedis had foot surgery and the tour was postponed.

The wait was worth it! My friend Julie came up for the show, and the postponed date actually worked out better - she was on spring break and could stay longer! Trust me, there'll be a post dedicated solely to our (mis)adventures.

To say I was excited would be an understatement.
The show was amazing, the band sounded great, and I've never been a part of a more awesome crowd. Everyone was singing and dancing and having the best time.

After the encore, Flea came out to address the crowd with eyes opened wide in astonishment. He thanked us for buying the music and attending the concerts and supporting the band in general. He was happy that people loved his band and allowed him to live his life making music, and you could tell he was sincere. I love when bands honestly love and appreciate their fans. Not to be snarky, but you can kinda tell since we had kickass seats for just 55 bucks a pop. I love Aerosmith and I know it was my choice to do this, but if I spend $170 on every concert ticket, I probably wouldn't see more than a show a year. It's awesome that RHCP appreciates their fans, staying accessible and affordable so everyone can enjoy their music and shows.


Show pictures courtesy of Julie. She took a few videos too, but I'm not uploading them because they're shaky due to us, as Julie says, "dancing our dicks off."

they call her sunshine

Seeing sunlight makes me happier regardless of anything else going on in my life. Lately I've been taking time to notice how the sun hits certain things at certain moments.


shadowy tree branches outside my skylight waving me awake in the mornings


streaming through the blinds of my sitting area



illuminating fragrant honeysuckle


spotlighting a tree despite gray clouds

Friendly in Florida

Everyone always says "I have the best friends!" I say it, and I mean it. If I'm feeling down I just talk to them and immediately I know there are at least X people in the world who are not family yet still love me and would do damn near anything for me.

Sometimes I like to take them up on that.
I have friends who will travel with me, or meet me in a new city, or, most importantly, let me stay with them when I am traveling. Often, I ask to stay for much longer than a good friend should. But you know how I know they're the best?

They. Say. Yes.
I stayed with my friend Laura (and her husband and two small children!) in England for over three weeks. THREE WEEKS! And we're still friends! When I decided that March was the perfect time to visit my friend Lauren in Florida (#83), I asked her how long I could/should stay. "As long as you want," she said, because she is sweet like that.
     I looked for cheap flights and found that a trip spanning ten days would be the best deal for airfare. I must have checked and re-checked these dates with Lauren a dozen times. "This is ten days, you know. I will be in your house for ten days and ten nights." She seemed ok with it, so I booked the tickets before she could change her mind.

I had no reason to worry. She had been saving so we could splurge on my visit. She had places she wanted to take me, she planned a party so I could meet her friends. We went on a casino boat one night, catching a beautiful sunset as we ferried to the boat:

We even got a chance to road trip to Orlando to have dinner with my brother and sister-in-law at Downtown Disney. That was the night I found my soul mate:

Whose smile is bigger?
Since it was warm and sunny in Florida, I decided to knock out another goal - wearing a skirt/dress every day for a week (#100). I can handle that no problem, but I one-upped myself - time to rock some nail polish (#97).
     I can have polished toes, but when it's on my fingernails, I feel like a different person. A weird person - like I should be girly and sophisticated, while I'm just...not. I wore nail polish for five days before it started chipping, but I kept it on for the whole seven days. I spent the drive to Orlando on day eight scratching it all off.

(I actually re-wore 3/14's green skirt for St. Patrick's day, but got caught up in the festivities and didn't take a photo.)

March in Review

The Last Testament: a Memoir by God (with David Javerbaum). This book is hilarious; I highly recommend it if you have a sense of humor and/or love to laugh and/or don't take religion too seriously. Mostly because I don't really know who David Javerbaum is, and a little bit because I'm not really religious, and a lot because I have a wild imagination and prefer being silly to being serious, but it was easy to hear God dictating this book. It doesn't help that the cover and author photo were hilarious enough to make me laugh out loud in the library. Thankfully, God understood and prevented me from being shushed.
     I kept a pen and piece of paper with me while reading this book; notes needed to be made on the best quotes. Problem is, there are way too many "best quotes."
     - Facts, chapter 3, verses 18-19: Their demise was a boon for civilization, but it is with cities as it is with people: dying young and mysteriously can turn any idiot into a legend. (Yea, it was the only half-intelligent thing Jim Morrison ever did in his life.)
     - The Gospel According to Dad, chapter 11, verses 22-24: Yea, there is only one widely held belief about the devil that is a misconception; and even that only partially so. The number of the devil is not 666. That is only his area code; his full number is unlisted.
     - The Gospel According to Dad, chapter 15 (The Sayings of Jesus), verse 7: Man shall not live by bread alone. Yet at restaurants it is easy to forget this and end up full before the appetizer.
     - Effusions, chapter 3, verse 11: Second-favorite painting: Campbell's Soup Cans, by Andy Warhol. So much soup!

Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate. An interesting story about an old white man who had been involved in the space race and a young mixed girl having trouble fitting in to her new school. They meet by chance and become something resembling both friends and family as they embark on an adventure to uncover their separately mysterious pasts. The concept was interesting and the writing was well-done, but the story ran a little long and fell apart in the last few chapters.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. I love Egan's writing style. It's easy to read and a joy to do so. The sections of this book almost functioned as separate pieces, though the characters were all related somehow. There was no chronological order; some were told, introducing characters, then the characters were younger in the next scene, or there were flash forwards to the characters' children's future. It was all well-done and not as confusing as I'm making it sound. It's definitely worth a read, and a re-read, and I'm eager to check out more from Egan.

The Book of Jokes: A Novel by Momus. Each chapter of this book has an overarching joke which is hit home by the last line being the punchline. This IS a novel, so there's a story about a family living in a glass house that alternates between being told by the father and the son…as far as I can tell. A lot of the book is very twisted - and I mean that both in terms of the chronology and the jokes - they're filthy. There's a major punchline at the end of the book too, but I'll be honest - I'm not sure I got it. I'll be very selective in recommending this book to others, as in I can only think of two friends I'll pass it along to.

The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schine. I wasn't sure I'd like this book because the way it started: "We'll begin our story with Jody." I usually don't like books that stress you're reading, as this one does at the beginning of almost every chapter. There are also occurrences of statements like "As the reader may have noticed, …" appearing mid-paragraph. It really took me out of it when that happened. For some reason, I stuck with it and found the overall story pretty compelling. Set in a New York City neighborhood, the characters and their dogs all run into each other often, and their lives become tangled together. Once you're a few chapters in, complex and honest relationships are explored - and that is the best part of the book.

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress. Reviewed here.

The Minefields by Steven C. Eisner. Reviewed here along with a Q&A with the author.

Company by Max Barry. A re-read, because this book is too damn hilarious. Barry mocks large corporations, how they function, and how they treat their employees. I can't say too much about the plot because the main idea is a big twist that is too fun to discover as you go. If you've ever worked in an office, you must read this one and feel better about your job. Or read it if you want to laugh. Or just read it.

The Minefields

I was contacted by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations to participate in a blog tour for Steven C. Eisner's upcoming release The Minefields. The PR agent described the book as the author's "own perception of the American dream into one terrific work of fiction inspired partly by the hit TV show, Mad Men." Secret-sharing time! I've never watched Mad Men. People rave about it, but I don't really watch TV shows. I figured this would be a great book to read to get a glimpse into the Mad Men world people are so crazy about. You can check out excerpts of the first chapter HERE. I'm hosting a Q&A with the author, Steven C. Eisner.

1. Which part of THEMINEFIELDS was the most enjoyable to write?
I got great pleasure reliving my most formative years in the business at Doyle Dane Bernbach when that agency was riding the tiger in with such self-assurance and fortitude and not falling off. To save their life. Just turning one astonishingly good work and turning head at every turn! There will never be another agency quite like it.

2. Which part was the least enjoyable?
When all hell broke loose in my protagonist's life at times it felt like I was writing about a wicked car crash that evolved in excruciatingly slow motion until I figured out I could splash some needed humor into all the darkness which I did. That's when writing through this period grew brighter. Humor is a wonderful tonic.

3. How did you come up with the character, Sam Spiegel?
First I started looking hard into myself. And then Sam took over. Frankly, he's more interesting.

4. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in the book?
Not really. The happy accident is that the end of the book sets up a sequel for which I'm really happy about because there is definitely a Godfather II brewing in my head. I look forward to staying with many of these characters and introducing new ones that will nicely compliment the ensemble.

My Review:
Like I said, I haven't seen Mad Men so I can't comment on the similarities or differences. The Minefields was written as if the author (or narrator... I have a feeling they're basically the same person) was telling you his life at a party. It's got an informal sound, which works because I think the story would be too dense if it were told in a more heavy-handed "This Is A Book" way. The sentences are sometimes rambly, and the story is definitely not concise - you can get an idea for the writing style by reading the author's answers to the Q&A. The transitions are very abrupt and illogical. One chapter ends with Sam hooking up with his ex-girlfriend on the night he got engaged; the next chapter begins with another paragraph about the ex-girlfriend, then white space, then moves on to his job. There are a few instances of that in the book. Sam's father starts saying "um" a lot as he ages and his memory fails, and his dialogue always includes many "um..."s, which I thought was overkill.      If you want to read a book with beautiful language and powerful emotion, keep moving. If you're interested in the business world and what goes on behind the scenes, you'll more than likely really enjoy this book. It reads like a memoir - and might be better if written and marketed that way.


*Disclaimer: I received this book for free and was given the Q&A material, but the review is my own and is, as always, completely honest.