And crossword puzzles, and pizza, and whiskey...

best birthday ever
rain - wind - sun - hike - beach - sand - snow
thank you, universe

One step closer to Ludditeville, USA.

it's quite challenging
not letting technology
get the best of me

Odes to LA.

snowing this morning
got sunburned this afternoon
air travel is weird

i don't like the mall
but even worse than the mall
is the so cal mall

he won't stop talking
OMGSTFU
god i hate people

punk kids come inside
and pump hand sanitizer
i've seen everything

Friday five.

Lots of interesting "lasts" have happened - or are about to happen - this week. Here are five, in no particular order:

• Last time I will take a moon photo from my stoop.
• Last time I will hear my neighbor hack up a lung at 6am.
• Last time it will take five minutes to walk to Fred.
• Last time I will pay Comcast any more of my money for the foreseeable future.
• Last time with the crazies on the bus ride in, and last time for the free MAX ride home.

And many more to come. Change is good.

I'll take "option C" for 200, Alex.

a wise man once said

"hate the game, not the player"

… i don't like either

Friday five.

I attended my first Festivus party this year and listened to many of the guests air their grievances.  It was amusing and I meant to put together my own list at some point this month...  But truth be told, I don't have a lot of grievances right now, especially not with people I interact with regularly (which is what I think you're supposed to focus on). 

Far be it from me to shirk silly traditions, though.  Over the past week five things did occur to me, and so I bring you five grievances in no particular order:

• the fact that "bi-monthly" can mean "twice a month" OR "every other month"
• people who cancel meeting invitations after the meeting date/time has already occurred and they've already verbally cancelled the meeting
• email confirmations that confirm your request to unsubscribe from email notifications (followed closely by email unsubscribe requests that "may take up to 2 weeks to process" - really? it's THE INTERNET!)
  
• sub-par cookies in the break room
  
• the fine print that no one ever reads, that says you can't use both Groupon coupons for yourself if you purchase two at the same time

So yeah, that's pretty much it. 

Here's to a 2012 filled with exciting changes, adventures and good times - and an even shorter grievance list!  Cheers, friends.

I need a harder list.

I'm going to go on the official record and cross off #31. It's work-related and technically, I published it, but it means I can add professional writing to my resume and that's really all that matters to me.

Next up: #27! Five weeks and counting...

Belated Friday five.

A roundup of five bands I saw (or didn't) this month, in chronological order, begins now. Hold on to your hats!

December's musicpalooza started with Mumford & Sons. The music was amazing as expected, but it was at an arena, the light show was ridiculous (who are you, the Stones?) and the section where we sat bounced. And not in a Crystal Ballroom fun kind of way - more of an "um is this really safe?" way. I can say that I saw them, but I have much better memories of sitting on my couch in my pajamas streaming their various live performances. (Now get off my lawn?)

The next show was my absolute favorite show all year, as I've previously alluded. Astounding energy, great crowd, great venue. Before Time to Pretend, there was this song. And it was good. I will officially follow them to the ends of the earth. As long as the show is in Portland.

I'd halfheartedly gotten tickets to The Joy Formidable and Grouplove the following night but honestly, after the Dandy Warhols, my partner in crime and I were not in the mood. We stayed for a few songs and then spared our ears from the rest.

Finished up with last night's AgesandAges show at the Doug Fir. Always a good time. Always.

Really excited to check out some of this stuff next year. Musicpalooza 2012, here I come...

There is much internet controversy about the last five syllables.

i am pretty sure
this work thing is for the birds
(the really dumb birds)

And then some days, you're the bug...

i know yesterday
cutting and pasting was fun
not so much today

And I've seen a LOT of shows this year.

going on record
the dandy warhols last night?
best show of the year

That run-on sentence in bullet #2 doesn't really suck, either.

Five things that didn't suck today, because it was that kind of day, in no particular order:

• Cranberry roll fake turkey real cheese sandwich with multi-grain tortilla chips. (Yes, I just blogged about what I had for lunch. Sorry, Maggie.)
• Overhearing the boss say "oh wait she's still here let me ask" as I was shutting down at 5:25pm, cursing (not entirely... okay, not at all) under my breath, then learning that the question was to verify that my vacation hours should roll over to next year instead of to ask me about something else I need to do ASAP before I left or the world would end.
• Inside jokes in crowded elevators.
• An impending 5 mile run. (Ed. note: make that 3... but at a 7mph pace to make up for it.)
• Eight-point-five weeks until New Zealand!

Early Wednesday three.

News you can use times three, in no particular order:

• MMMhop, ba duba dop, ba du bop, ba duba dop, ba du bop, ba duba dop, ba du...
• Kermit is a commie! Story at 11.*
• Oregon is AWESOME, in case you weren't aware.
  

________________
* And my one run-on sentence review of The Muppets: I want to watch it again (and again) on DVD so I can fast forward through all the Amy Adams/Ms Piggy crap and enjoy everything else a second time, especially "mee mee mee mo!" (for which I might have to put in a ringtone request).

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange...

thin walls, loud neighbors,
foreigner, billy ocean -
i will not miss you

The most exciting haikus you will read all day!

(really! i mean it!
okay, that was sarcastic...
consider ye warned)

no more leftovers
excited to get back to
plain old sandwiches

good news this morning:
creepy bus driver's "last day"
(on route or on job?)

silly stupid brain
yoga could not shut it up
maybe wine will help

"It's just we're putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports before they go out now."

after a weekend
of wanderlust discussions
monday really sucked

world heritage sites
are more fun to contemplate
than project planning

________________
Alternate subject: "Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements."

Bah humbug.

not happy about
christmas music already
can't they wait three days?

At least it was a local shop...

"buy nothing day" fail:
waterproof camera sale
how could i resist?

I can't believe I never thought of this.

things that make my day:
grilled peanut butter sandwich
with bacon, of course

Sorta late Friday five.

Five bands that rounded out November's musicpalooza, in no particular order:

• John Wesley Harding and the King Charles Trio - I would've loved more in his solo acoustic set, but it was really nice to see the other Decemberists get lost in some basic, old school rock. It looked like they were having a blast.
  
• We Were Promised Jetpacks -loud and tight, just like last time. Not loud but pretty amazing here.
  
• Bryan John Appleby - high quality sleepy indie pop. (Check out The Words of the Revelator especially.)
  
• Hey Marseilles - yes, again, and they were brilliant this time too.
• Noah and the Whale - SO. MUCH. FUN.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled evenings in... until December musicpalooza, anyway.