note: two more new concert photo pages: guided by voices and clem snide. yeah, i know they're like from a zillion years ago, but better late than never. the guided by voices concert was probably one of my all-time fave shows, photowise and show-wise. bob pollard is an absolute nut and i love him for it. gbv are doing a show next saturday @ the hideout block party. that should be a nice intimate show.

so yesterday i got together with my girls kris (my cousin), connie & rea. it was connie's birthday this time, and we went out to this nice restaurant on division & paulina called...umm...i don't remember what it's called. but they had fish there. i took a break from being a vegetarian, as i am sometimes asked to do by the girls for special occassions, and had me some salmon. and tuna. and halibut. and whitefish. it was all quite fancy, yeah. pretty yummy too. the only time i eat good food is when i'm with these girls. i would literally have no idea what the good restaurants were if it weren't for these gals, and the only time i even go to these places is w/ them. so i don't really have to worry about it. but it was a nice treat to have a cloth napkin and a yummy coctail w/ my dinner.

i told the girls i'm moving to seattle and that they should all come with me. my cousin & i had talked of moving there for years now, so i guess i'm just gonna do it and maybe she'll follow. who knows. i'd hate to be away from my gals, even though i'm probably the misfit of the bunch. i mean, they were so shocked that i was actually carrying a bona fide purse last night. they know their wines--i know i like sierra nevada, honkers ale, rolling rock and melon balls. we all share a love for trying new things...it's just that a lot of the times the new things i'd choose are different from what they'd choose. we all love to travel, and i'd say none of us likes the real touristy stuff. actually, my cousin kris and i travel very well together. at least i think so. i probably drive her crazy cuz i'm a ditz when i travel. anyways, i guess one of the reasons i like these gals so much is the very fact that they're so different from me, and yet we have such a good time when we're together. we've got the important stuff in common--we love a good mixed drink with good company having good conversation.

after dinner, we went to rea's apartment which was just down the block for cake. it was a perfect night out--not hot, not at all humid, not too breezy--so we sat on rea's back porch, which is huge for a wicker park apartment, and we chilled out w/ coctails that rea whipped up for us. we talked, we got tipsy, we played w/ the sparkly candles, we took pictures of each other, etc etc etc. we were going to go do some karaoke since it was connie's bday and she loves to karaoke but once rea got the comforter out, there was no way kris & connie were gonna move for the rest of the evening. that's okay. it was low key relaxation.

i have to say that i'm kind of baffled why i don't see these girls more often. i guess since i stopped going to their church 10 months ago...and i suppose a lot of my weekends have involved concerts, often in places other than chicago. and i suppose i've kept to myself more since my dad died. hmm...i need to make ways to see more of them in the future. maybe less concerts or something.

recent listenings--
something about airplanes--death cab for cutie
s/t--jimmy eat world
safe away--denison witmer
dear life--the trouble with sweeney
rock and roll singer--mark kozelek (i love mark kozelek...)
songs for a blue guitar--red house painters
wood/water--the promise ring
universal truths and cycles--guided by voices
wilco compilation
VoL compilation
zapruder point compilation
s/t--serene
s/t--holiday runner
hootenanny--the replacements
misc mp3s including: good morning providence & cinema air (TGR); shiver & yellow (coldplay); quiet crown & idea track (idlewild); happiness is all the rage, watertown plank, skips a beat (the promise ring); fly & road (nick drake); many many more...too tired to type...