I Love Drunk Evan

I just got back to Earth from one long-ass weekend. My personal favorite highlight was when Evan was hammered at the casino after his birthday party on Friday. We were talking about how hard it was to actually say goodbye to everyone because of how big the place is and that people are scattered. So he says, "I had a GREAT time, fuck'em!" Haha. Then he's shouting it out to everyone we pass. Then he taps this old security guard on the arm and goes, "Fuck'em, right? Fuck'em! We had a great time." Classic. The guy was laughing pretty hard. Then I laughed my ass of the whole way home because of how loud the muffler on the car is. I just remember Brent was driving and trying so hard not to hit the gas and make it super-loud so we went like 7 MPH the whole way. Meeeeeemmmmories.

Saturday we went to the Rex for the Lemonwilde show. It was pretty much a 1998 Montour high school reunion. Fortunately, all those kids rock so I had a blast. We helped Ter out by setting up and working the merch table. I scored the only little pink t-shirt they had. Payment, you know? I earned it. Although I swore up and down that I was going home after the show to rest up for Ivy's b-day party the next day...(I try)...we ended up at Dee's with everyone until they booted us out. I hooked back up with a gal I haven't seen in years and hopefully I will see more of. We want to join forces to promote Ter's next show there in December. I just found this pic of us on their website.



On Sunday I peeled myself from bed to throw a birthday party for Ivy's 3rd. That went ridiculously smooth! Many, many thanks to Jen for having it at her place. I would never have been able to have a party like that with food/presents/kids in my house so comfortably. And many thanks to everyone who helped out with food/decorations. It was a really good time and she was such a good girl all day. Really, really, really good. I was so proud of her. :-D

We're having a Halloween Party here on Saturday. I haven't had one in years. I'm pretty geeked. I had better go finish my costume now instead of sitting at the computer all day.

I Love Alex

I have been so busy. Busy having fun, that is. I got to see NIN a couple of Wednesdays ago. Why is Trent Reznor so hot?!?!?!?!? He looks better than he ever did when I was in high school (when I really had the hardcore love for him). Guess some people just get better with age. And kicking drugs will help anyone's appearance.

Speaking of that, is Perry Farrell no longer on heroin? He looks like he maybe gained 20 pounds. I'm not a fan, but still nice to see him looking almost human. Evan is more of a Jane's Addiction fan, so we stayed for their whole show.

Concerts, concerts, concerts...Phish was last week. Ohmyfuckinggod, I love them. I always reach that point at their shows when I am so absorbed in their playing that I kinda feel like I'm no longer on Earth. NO, I was not on any hallucinogens. I didn't even eat one bite of Mike's delicious Betty Crockers this time. Drugs never hurt a show, but I just decided to avoid the inevitable "nerves" I get when they wear off.

The show was spectacular, as always. I realize what it is about a Phish show that you never see at any other concert...unity. There is a unity between fans. I've talked to numerous people who work or have worked at the Ampitheater and even they can sense the difference. I love the hundreds of beach balls and balloons bouncing all over the crowd. I even love the anticipation of being hit in the head by flying glowsticks. When you go to the bathroom, people are still dancing all over the place out on the sides. The sidewalks are jammed with people having a blast. There were 21,000 people at the show, and I'm just so thankful to have been one of them. They stopped playing at midnight because they had to, but you get the distinct impression that they would have stayed longer...

Oh well, whatever. I could go on and on but I'll segway into Paul and Mary's visit. They were here from Philly for the show. It's always so great to see them. This time, I finally got to meet their little girl, Denali. She's adorable and, of course, Ivy loved her. Jen planned her housewarming party to include them. That was Friday. It was a blast. Paul and Mary came back after taking Denali home to bed and we lucked out when Brent and Brittani decided to steal Ivy for the night. I spent a long while talking drunken politics and religion with Paul. He's the best. Haha. I know, I know, sounds like a riot! But you just can't put a price on friends you really connect with like that.

We also got a visit from Terry last week. Sadly, he missed Jen's party but we all hung out on Wednesday so it's cool. It's always great to see him. I can't believe he's been in LA for like 4 years now!

Time to move on to the best news of all...in my mind. Late at the party when all the little kiddies had run off to bed and it was (as often happens) me hanging with Alex...he made my life. He really wants a dog and needs a very small one. After seeing my little MinPins, he decided he would like to adopt Irene on a trial basis! Irene is our third canine addition to the family. She's a good little dog but has always had so much trouble going with the flow here in this crowded house. We have waffled for a long time about taking her back to her previous owner, but just never had the balls to throw in the towel. So I told Alex to talk to me when we were sober. But he insisted that he was serious and that he wanted me to go with him to pick out a crate for her and stuff the next day! Sleep deprivation and my goofy work schedule stopped us from getting together on Saturday, but we made a plan for today. In fact he literally just texted me for the 5th time today. Haha, I think the man is excited. I hope it works out. I won't be the slightest bit upset if he decides he can't handle her at the end of a month, but I will be SUPER EXCITED if Irene finds her true home. The little pup just needs more attention than we have to give.

Thank you, Alex!

I Love Yet Another Fun Weekend

I had a blast this weekend...as usual!

Friday was a small party for Robb's b-day. Thanks to Jen for hosting. I encountered a disappointment that led me to the realization that I have it pretty good. I have this lamp that I got at Target. Several times, Robb has mentioned that he likes it. That was my super gift idea for his b-day because he's not the easiest friend to buy for. I went to Target only to discover that the bastard is DISCONTINUED. Freaking thing is still displayed up on the shelf. Grrrrrr. I was heartbroken. So, I settled for the Metalocalypse DVD, which he loved anyway. But, yeah, if that is a major let down in my book, then I should never complain. Hold me to it! Just cut me some slack if I'm hormonal, because then shit is totally whacked in my dome.

Saturday was a fundraiser party at the Concordia Club in Carnegie. My friend's little sis has cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. I can't afford our meager medical bills, so I can imagine how expensive this all must be for them. They had a golf outing which raised over 6 thousand dollars! That's incredible. A bunch of us made it down to the club for an after-party. There were remnants of a chinese auction and also a donation box, so I hope they raised lots more by the end of the night. It was a really great time and kinda like highschool reunion - take two. I saw a lot of folks I haven't seen in years, including an old neighbor of mine that I haven't seen since we were 7. He was hammered and hilarious. I swear to God he must have given me a thousand high fives for being so "cool and fun." I wasn't paying much attention to him, honestly, and kept sneaking away when I could. Poor kid seems to have no concept of "personal space." Haha. Whatever, good times.

Sunday was the Poison concert. After the late night on Saturday, I was astonished at how flawlessly we pulled together a tailgate. Guess that's what happens when a bunch of people have been partying together for so many years. The fun-sectors of our brains have psychically fused into a party machine. Evan even used the carpet remnant - until now a permanent fixture on our front porch - to line his truck. It was truly maximum comfort. The show itself would have been a lot more enjoyable, but it was cold and rainy...and some of us were chemically enhanced...shhhhh, don't tell. The government would have you believe we aren't capable of making such decisions for ourselves. I actually enjoyed Dokken's show more than Poison. Bret had "laryngitis." Evan swears that was the story last time he saw them. Speaking of Evan, he rocked his little heart out through all the cold and the rain. I didn't realize how big of a Poison fan he had been in youth. Pretty cute, actually.

I Love My Actual Birthday

I'm officially older now. This was a legendary year of birthday fun for me. I actually took it easy on Monday. I chilled with Ivy all day, watched cartoons, colored like a goddess, and played the part of the tickle monster. It was a good performance.

Tuesday was wings at the Hop House. Eh, that's always good lovin' fun with the crew. Everyone left pretty early, so I got to lay low and save up my energy for "TRUE BIRTHDAY 2008."

TB2008 began with a meetup of Me, Evan & Tony at Nunny's. Evan had this delusion that he might do some work and not come out. When I saw the scotch in his hand, I knew he would be easy to crack. Tony brought me some flowers and a book for Ivy. Haha. I have this vision of him standing in this big room full of books - looking around and deciding which one to bring. I swear that he has a new book for me, Evan or Ivy every time we see him. He's a masterful, gift-giving guru. The three of us (Evan = no willpower) headed down to the Sharp Edge to meet up with Missy & Co. Mikey J came, too.

Missy & Co. didn't arrive until after 10. When they did, they rolled in with cupcakes (delicious), a card (hilarious), a huge birthday bee balloon (adorable), and a framed picture of the last time we all hung out. Nice surprises all around! I have incredible friends. We hung there until they literally kicked us out (they close @ midnight). Since they had gotten there so late, we decided to head to the Hop House for a few more beers. By that time we were pretty lit from the hearties at the Edge. I really just remember laughing my ass off for 2 hours with Missy, her boyfriend Mike, and her brother Alex.

Perfect end to "BIRTHDAY WEEK 2008." Thanks again, everyone!

I Love Amazing Weekends with my Amazing Friends!

Saturday was my birthday party. I had more fun than I have had in years! A lot of us met up at Amanda and Adam's place before we went out. Amanda is preggers, so she didn't come out with us. Understandable. She was kind enough to host the cake and present party (which we still do for everyone's birthdays because we rock). Tabby wasn't able to come out with us, but she made it to Amanda's so I got to see her (awesome). I got some super presents. Pee-Wee's Playhouse DVDs, Kindergarten Cop, Deathklok shirt, skull shirt, gift cards, a visor cd holder (long story), and an awesome cutting board thing that is made from an Absolut Vodka bottle (I collect the ads). After a rousing game of "beat the giant beach ball around the yard for an hour until it gets stuck in a tree," we went to get our drink on.

We all went down to Bar11. I am enamored with that place and would go there a lot if I could. They give you toys and candy - two of my favorite things. Thanks to Evan, Jen, Rachel, Jeff, Adam, Brent, Brittani, Robb and Toni for rolling down there with me to celebrate my monumental birth. Thanks to Bruno for being there, waiting for us. He gave me one of his 3-D underwater scenes! He's so sweet. Hart, Mindy, Gina (Greg), Rachael, Adam, Mike, Tony, Alex, Jason, and Marissa all showed up for the fun, too. It was such an epic blast! I want to go back - SOON!

Saturday night, there were murmurs of a possible demolition party happening @ Nunny's house on Sunday afternoon. After luring Jen into hangover breakfast, I made her go up there to see if it was really happening. We walked in to find Jeff, Toni, Robb and Evan tearing shit up. Apparently, we were fashionably late. Brent, Brittani, Mike, Tony and Alex all eventually joined us. Lots of things got done and lots of beer got consumed. I had a retardedly good time with everyone. Sitting on the deck with Alex, Jeff and Jen was like highschool all over again. It's great to hook back up with old friends like Alex and realize there is still so much fun to be had.

I'm taking it easy today. My birthday celebration isn't over until Wednesday, I have decided. Tomorrow I plan to go to wings with everyone @ the Hop House. That's always too much fun. Haha. On Wednesday, I am going to try and get together with my girl, Missy. She works weekends, so she didn't make it out on Saturday. Maybe the Sharp Edge will be in order.

Thanks to everyone for making this weekend so much fun! I love you guys.