...ok...here are photos from the advent services that my friend nanette & wicker park grace have been holding...if this is something that looks interesting to you, we'll have 2 more the next 2 sundays...same time same place...



...also, my friend john is having a ceramics sale this weekend, sat. dec 13th (10 am - 5 pm) & sun. dec 14th (12pm - 5 pm)at his studio in ravenswood 4636 n. ravenswood (bulldog lock company building)...john makes amazing ceramics, and he's also one of my favorite people, so show some love...he always has affordable stuff for christmas presents, and it's always nice to give something that's an original and to support our local artists, esp. my friends...

...yawn...what a weekend...so saturday morning, i picked up my friend carlos and we headed for la crosse, wisconsin at around 11 am for our friend sam's wedding...that's like on the mississippi river on the minnesota border...it was a good thing i had company cuz i would've gone stir crazy in that car by myself for over 4 hours...my goodness...i have no idea how sam did that drive week after week to go see jenny...all that's over now...they're married and on their way to jamaica...i'm sure they'll be nice & tan the next time i see them...













...sam's like my kid brother, and for some reason, he's one of the few people i can tell just about anything and everything to, even though we may not talk all that often...so i wouldn't have missed his wedding for the world, even if it meant driving through the entire state of wisconsin...and besides, pete & amy & little elliot were at the wedding too, and it's been ages since i've seen them...rand & aimee were there too, and it was good catching up w/ rand...even though i technically identify myself w/ hyde park vcf, i haven't been there since september, so it's been a while since i last saw him...i had a chance to tell him about my mom's surgery coming up, since we was pretty close to my parents and would want to know about those things...



carlos & i listened to--

achtung baby--u2

monster--r.e.m.

magical mystery tour--the beatles

moom & antarctica--modest mouse

keep it like a secret yo--built to spill

bleed american--jimmy eat world

summer sun--yo la tengo

...ok...i have to be in la crosse wisconsin for a wedding by 3:30 so i gots to hurry up...this photo is a representation of the celebration of our dear jozka's 25th birthday...which happened to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the abolition of prohibition...which we were informed of by mikey v. who seemed to appreciate this little fact more and more as the night wore on, so much so that he got up on a chair @ the holiday club and did a toast except that he made a toast to the prohibition instead of the ABOLITION of prohibition...jozka looked so good...he's clean shaven! it was jozka, keturah (whose connections got us the royal treatment @ the holiday club), teddy, tealpheal (phil) and mikey & me...much love all around...there will be more to say but i won't be saying anything here since i will be driving home in the middle of the night after the wedding...ciao y'all...



been listening to



wood/water--the promise ring

talker--u.s. maple

...LIFE AT SEA!!! holy guacamole, they were AWESOME!! i have to admit, teddy & i were tired, and they were the headlining band so we had to wait until 11:30pm for them to take the stage, but when they did, they were totally and undeniably worth losing sleep for...go see photos of the show here...it's interesting when you meet musicians before you've ever seen them perform, and when you finally do get to see them live on stage doing their thing, sometimes you're blown away...erik, the frontman for LAS, is one of the sweetest guys i've ever met, really laid back and talks with a soothing, gentle and almost melodic voice...on stage, with his band, he can be all those as well, but the music he & his band play is also powerful and moving...my emotional reaction reminds me of when i first saw ester drang...i've been trying to see these guys play for about 8 months now, and i was not at all disappointed...even teddy thought they were awesome, and he's got some pretty high standards...



they're going on a little tour to the east starting next week, so if you live out thataways, check out their website for shows in your neck of the woods...



been listening to--

wood/water--the promise ring

danse macabre--the faint

hark!--sufjan stevens

noel--sufjan stevens

last night i went out w/ my girls kris (my cuz) and connie...we went to roong thai on milwaukee just north of north ave, mainly cuz that's where we found parking...this was where i had sat at a table next to the oh-so-famous NPR voice, host of that delightful show that ISN'T called 'that canadian death' and didn't know who he was until i heard him talk...anyways, it was lovely catching up w/ connie & kris...and the pad thai was yummy...man, i could eat pad thai 7 days a week...



anyways, i gotta run cuz we're going out to the chicago diner & then to the bottom lounge to see wanamaker and life at sea...erik, chris's boyfriend, is the frontman, and he's the dude teddy jammed with right before thanksgiving, so it'll be cool to FINALLY seem him in concert...i've been meaning to for ages...photos to come later i'm sure...



hopefully i'll be able to get an americano from the hearty boys after dinner! yay!



oh, sling blade was on when i got home from work, but the part where ian plays randy horsefeather was already over...oh well...maybe it'll be on again soon...



just got a call from jozka! he's in town!! yay!! gotta stop by the reckless to get his bday present, which of course will involve sufjan stevens...it's only fitting now that jozka is back in michigan...



busy busy busy...



here's some reading material in the meantime...



offense benevolently intended if the shoe fits...