Jenna's House of Idiosyncrasies Version 9.0 // Critical Darling, Commercial Flop

Tonight, after midnight, I witnessed not one but two arm wrestling matches. The man who is still the sexiest drummer in rock and roll owned the second one; we won't talk about the first. I was surrounded by men who planted big wet kisses all over my face. I pretended that I once went to Valdosta State. I talked business. I saw Walt, the hardest-working host there is, save the day more than once. I heard plenty of stories. I laughed, a lot.

Today was a good day. Do you ever just feel recharged, like you can conquer anything? That's how that crowd makes me feel. Unique. Clever. Loved.

Cosmos, do your worst. I'll be right here, waiting.

This is strange, yes. However, being a cook, I'm the only one so far to notice it's directly related to this, if not endorsed by them. Same logo, and repeated images of soy sauce. Doesn't take away the surrealist element of it though.

All through US History I had Led Zeppelin playing in my head. Class went something like this:

"The US's global power structure is 3 dimensional."

Wanna tell you about the girl I love
My she looks so fine...

"The military power is unipolar, where the economic power is multipolar."

...She's the only one that I been dreamin' of
Maybe someday she will be all mine...

"Under Clinton we has successes like NAFTA, NATO expansion to Eastern Europe, and brokering peace agreements in the Balkans. Clinton foreign policy was internationalist in orientation."

...I wanna tell her that I love her so
I thrill with her every touch
I need to tell her she's the only one I really love...

"Post 9/11 we see the Bush doctrine on September 20th, in which he states, 'You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists.', indicating that neutrality is not acceptable."

...I got a woman, wanna ball all day...

"There is new doctine of preemption, which is anti-containment. The US may strike first countries that had not yet acted aggressively outside thier own borders."

...I got a woman, she won't be true, no...

"The Axis of Evil is identified as Iraq, Iran, & North Korea. This is because of thier weapons of mass destruction and support of terrorism."

...I got a woman, stay drunk all the time...

"Meanwhile, the Bush administration is split into three camps: realist unilateralists, the neoconservatives, and moderate multilateralists. Camps 1 & 2 are united by 'hegemonism' and emphasis on 'hard power', which is this case means military power."

...I said I got a little woman and she won't be true...

Well, it was actually Veblen covering Led Zeppelin playing for me.

I only have ONE US History class left, thank the gods. I feel like ripping my arm off sometimes just so I have something to throw at my teacher and freak everyone out a little. Make the room a little livelier. It's soooooo boring.

Plus he never calls on me when I raise my hand with an answer. My inner dork weeps. Bastard.

Well, it's December. ::cough, cough:: If you haven't visited my main page you should go, just for the snow. Also, the Winamp list is now is real time and set to auto refresh, so if you are interested in my varied and not at all music-snobby taste that is the place to be.

Heather's visit was awesome. She fills me up with all kinds of hope and enthusiasm. Talking to her makes me feel like I can kick ass at anything I do, because she is a fountain of unconditional praise and encouragement. It gets hard staying at my house because there is a lot of negative energy and there is a tendency to be brought down. Between Heather and Sarah I survived Thanksgiving!

I ripped off the footnote trick from this woman, but it's an homage. She's just so inspiring. I don't believe she'd mind.

One week of classes, then exams. Not long left. I can't wait.

Friday: Showing your sister the cool sights in your home town is fun. Even buying her stuff when you have no money makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.

Saturday: I want to have Veblen's baby. I am still fond of the Waffle House, no matter what. The new 987 (yet to be officially christened) is small and missing some people but quieter and more like a home than a party house. I actually got to talk to people. It was really nice.

Sunday: Surfed around pointlessly while at work, ate a pot roast dinner with my family and watched the first hour of The Wizard of Oz, complete with commentary. Came back to Athens, went to Locos with my partner in crime Melissa to see the darling and talented Scott Little perform. Socialized with him and his sweet girlfriend Michelle, and then came home and recapped for you fine people.

The weekend helped. I'm feeling much better about things. And now, a two-day week, and then my sister, and Thanksgiving with the whole fam. I am so ready.

So I'm sitting here trying to remind myself why I came home.

The reasons are threefold.

I wanted to see my sister, most of all.

I also needed to do laundry.

And I needed to collect some winter stuff to take back to school with me.

But my sister is asleep now and will be gone most of tonight and most of tomorrow, my laundry's going to be done within the next couple of hours, and I already gathered all the winter stuff.

So what am I doing here?

This has already turned out to be even less fun than I thought it was going to be. Blah. Just gotta get through to Sunday, and then back to school pour moi!

Man, I can't wait til Thanksgiving.

I forgot to mention that last night, Jason played most of Sitting on the Dock of the Bay while in the bathroom located next to the stage, and when this drunk girl continued messing with the door trying to get in, he ended up coming out mid-song, still playing, with his belt and fly undone (but thankfully, nothing exposed). It's a story for the grandkids, alright.

Also—I just realized today that as of last Wednesday, I've been keeping an online journal for one year. A lot of things have changed since I started my melodramatic whining for all the world to see. I just wanted a reason to mess with my page more than once a month and here I am, making two entries in the same day. Life is weird. Fun, but weird.

A very kind soul loaned me her fake id, and I managed to get into DT's.

(Don't worry, I'm stone sober.)

Why is it that all the 21+ places in town seem to be dives?

Veblen was awesome. I know I always say that, but that's because they are always awesome.

And they played a new song! It doesn't have a title yet, but it's awesome.

I really had a great time.

Happy, happy Halloween everybody!

This morning in the shower, I'm tuned into 90.5 WUOG on my shower radio, and what comes over the airwaves but the CD I screened last week, Ryan Adcock's From Silence and Joy. Not only that, but it's even one of the two tracks I recommended, Drive to Hallelujah.

Mind you, this is my first week at the station, and that was the first CD I screened. Ever. There is nothing that makes you feel more involved and powerful than hearing your influence go out over 26,000 watts. This is the first organization I've been in at UGA where I feel like my being there and doing work actually matters. I had a big stupid grin on my face all day.

Not only that, but I've had Veblen's Shaded Fire in my Aiwa CD player since I finally got one last week and I have discovered that it takes exactly one play through of Moonlit Rose to get from my building to my 11:15 in Physics. I love this CD. The production is top quality, and there are actually some interesting techniques that went into the production, including Scott playing two guitar parts on some songs, Conrad's voice {I think} being double tracked in a lot of places, and echoing whispers(!) behind the vocal on the intro to Loneliness.

As modest as Scott, Conrad, Jason and Brandon are about this CD, here's the truth, kiddos: This record is actually really good. These guys are not just one of the best live bands I have ever seen, but they are writing really good material, songs that can stand on thier own, without the sexy magnetic performers standing in front of you.

So find one of them, e-mail their manager, whatever you have to do, and get your hands on a copy of Shaded Fire, before they get big. You can say you knew them when.

Veblen. Wow. Yes. Euphoric high after the show. The way it should be.

Taco Bell. My people. Chicken quesdilla. Eating on the hood. A grand new tradition. Then

Party. Actually talking to people. Until 4. Driving home and seeing the newspaper delivery come down my street.

Buffy, and sleep.

Saturdays are good. I'm limiting the waxing poetic today.

But Veblen. AHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh....

Would someone please remind me not to write melodramatic half-drunk entries about how sad everything is and it ruined everything and tears and blah blah blah. I'm fine, really. I have other weekends, other shows.

I slept to late today and missed a phone call. No one ever calls me except when I'm unconscious. Crazy.

I'm having a Sunday. All day in my pajamas watching the Law & Order marathon on TNT while working on the site for my newest client. Not finding the programs I want and debating handwriting them. But I don't have to go to class, or the dining hall, and even though I need to get some homework done at some point, my only time constraint is bedtime. Monday holidays are the best ever.

Veblen CD release party this weekend! Soooo excited.

All for now.

After doing some web work, waiting around, putting on some makeup, and drinking some cheap rum, I headed downtown, knowing in advance that it was a fruitless idea, but going anyway.

I mean, you can't just stay in on a Saturday night.

So I walked, down, then up Lumpkin, along with the whole post-game crowd.

I arrived at the Caledonia and waited until I saw Scott and Conrad coming towards me. Scott ends up sneaking me in the back, and I think briefly that I'm home free and then...

“Did you get a hand stamp yet?”

No, but I'm with Veblen.

“Well you need a stamp anyway. If you go over there they'll check your ID and take your money.”

Oh okay.

I walk in the general direction of the door, get halted by all my lovely people, stay just long enough to say hello to several and then...

“Did you get a handstamp yet?”

Different guy. Same question.

“We don't just let people sneak in.”

Buzzkill.

Because fending off employees all night was going to get old fast, I gave up and left, fighting back tears, which gets easy with practice, actually. The Caledonia Lounge is really more elitist than anything... the room is narrow, the bar is small, the decor is unimpressive...the most appealing things about it are that it's impossible to find (no sign anywhere, down an alley) and impossible to get into.

Doesn't make up for missing Veblen.

I took a long detour through Athens (by way of Millege Avenue... I wasn't ready to go home yet) and finally gave up and came home. I've been trying to look on the bright side: I did get see everybody, if only for five seconds, I had a rock star personally attempt to sneak me in, I witnessed post-game madness and I got out on a Saturday night.

And I didn't have to work. Perhaps I should sleep soon...

I smell like a bar.

Stale cigarette smoke all through my t-shirt, sweat thoughout my hair, and even faint scent of alcohol rubbed off when I hugged someone who had be the victim of spillage. Or purposeful pourage, if that makes any sense.

I love this smell. I love Veblen. And I'm starting to think that nobody knows how I feel. It's not because all the members are so easy on the eyes, or the people I see at shows, or getting to go do something in Athens. All that stuff is great, but I seriously love the music and the energy and... I don't even think I can explain it. The thing I do know is at Veblen shows I get the concert euphoria, the buzz, the high, followed by the crashing exhaustion.

If that's not love I don't know what is.