you can't do that with a tiffany lamp!

it's been a crazy last couple of weeks here in Orlando, I will tell you that.

& for the edification of anyone who hasn't heard this, I should probably mention that I'm flying back to WI at the end of this week (barring bs from either Gustav or Hanna, but given my flight path they shouldn't be any trouble). I plan to be there for a year. \o/

I still hate packing :[

I'm excited for fall though! I've heard the leaves are starting to turn, already, without me. *shakefist* I will see you soon, homestate!


also, I hope people who are having a Labor Day are having an excellent one!


♥

Congratulations to my uncles Tim & Paul, who were just (finally!) officially married!

*beams with glee and love*

first item: I keep forgetting to make my CONGRATULATIONS JESS! post. so here it is. CONGRATULATIONS TO JESS, WHO IS AMAZING!! WOO!!

secondly, I need to stop FORGETTING that whenever I am moody/hormonal/ridiculous/mopey/generally useless I JUST NEED TO LISTEN TO REALLY LOUD CLASSIC METAL*.

also, according to Target and Facebook tonight is the National Night Out, whatever that means, and I have a spare key (finally!) and no roommate (and no roommate's 6-year-old) and ... nowhere to go. failsticks.

... CLEARLY THIS CALLS FOR MORE METAL!


*while being well aware of the fact that most of the lyrics go against everything I stand for. shh, I am a hypocrite.

so, interesting things that I've learned today from Facebook.

1) the first 1,000 people to sign up here get a free year's subscription to what looks like a pretty nifty bimonthly lesbian mag. (I successfully signed up this morning; not sure how many they've gotten since then. no harm trying.)

2) last week or something, I was talking to someone (possibly Jules) about classic activist moments, with a side of Tibet. I asked her, "haven't they done that yet? freed Tibet?" apparently not. so now there's this thing. they seem enthusiastic, at least.

3) I have to send at least 3 more sea creatures before I get to send a Woot Horse to all my Facebook friends. SHUT UP, I'M SAVING THE OCEAN >:O


interesting things that I have learned today from Not-Facebook:

!!!1!!) this is Florida. it can, and will, start drizzling when you're a quarter mile from home and have you dripping motherfucking soaking wet before you've even set foot past the gates of the apartment complex (in minutes: approximately 3). also, when this happens, you will have your iPod with you. and you will not have any waterproof containment for it. (do not worry, your iPod will survive. this time.) AUGH, I WANTED A SHOWER, BUT NOT THIS WAY~ (........ it was a wicked awesome rainstorm though. I'm glad to have been a part of it *g*)

that is all.

minor update. also, Warped pictures!

update: I am indeed working at Edible Arrangements in the capacities of customer service/front desk, fruit dipper, and sometimes production assistant. it's a little wild, particularly as I'm still just learning, but I like it. my boss is very gay, lives just down the street from me with his husband (who owns the store) and cats, hates wasting just about anything during the day but doesn't care if we go home with the leftover chocolate-dipped fruit after closing. all in all, it's a pretty good deal.

Warped: was INCREDIBLE, though I look like a shedding alien right now and it HURTS (ugggggggggggggggh Florida sun). it's okay though, because it was TOTALLY WORTH IT and I know my Warped companions aren't much better off (HI GUYS!). (iceyrica, it still makes me nearly cry that we couldn't work out time together but honestly, I didn't know until the DAY BEFORE that I would even be going. and anyway, I was the asshole wearing a cut-off-the-shoulders 30stm shirt to a tour with AvA, so it's better you weren't even seen with me. D: but I have a JOB NOW, and MONEY AND PHONE SOON, so we will obviously have to be getting together to do something.)

next up are The Hush Sound / The Cab on the 16 August and Leathermouth (LEATHERMOUTH!) with Reggie and the Full Effect on the 20 (p.s. for the Wisconsin ladies if you don't already know - they play the Chicago House of Blues on Sept. 3. BE THERE). also, shenanigation. *BEAMS* I love bandom.

now, some PICTURES! I'm actually really happy with a lot of these, happier than I've ever been with concert shots, because okay yakkorat has the AMAZING SEXY BLACK TINY CAMERA OF DOOM and it's incredible. I also have three surprisingly awesome-quality videos, two from CS ("Snakes on a Plane" [feat. both William and Travie]/"Hollaback Boy" and "Church of Hot Addiction" [feat. Gabe Saporta's ass]) and one from GCH ("Peace Sign Index Down" from upcoming album The Quilt). if you would like to see any of those videos and/or any of these photos full-sized (which is, I don't know, like 2k pixels wide or something), go ahead and ask me in the comments. I will do my best; you will get them SOME TIME, PROBABLY SOON, but keep in mind that I still don't have anything resembling reliable internet/computer access at this moment.

( SHUT UP AND WITH THE PICTURES NOW, MEL [88 pictures. mid-res. warn your dial-up.] )

THE END! and now oh my god I have so many dishes to do! possibly I should have woken up before 3 in the afternoon! /o\

(btw, I don't know why you would, but if you want to take or use any of these pictures (or their full-res versions) for any reason, just ask.)

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answer: I have both no idea and every idea. I know that home is anywhere I want it to be, and that the "where" is infinitely less important than the "with whom". I know that I have at least three homes, if not more. I know and celebrate the validity of family by choice. I know, in a nutshell, that "home is not a place". but right now, at this very moment in my life, I am also in the midst of struggling with the very idea of home, searching actively for where I want to be and where (and with whom) I belong. it is my crisis du jour, and it is tempting to fall back into old norms, precedents that are comfortably stagnant at best and, at worst, actively damaging. I am fighting with myself to stay here, and for today it is a fight I want to win. tomorrow I will consider it again but today this is my direction. I am myself, I am here, and most importantly -- I am.

in other news:
I APPROVE OF THIS. VERY GREATLY.

&

COVERED IN BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

me: still settled in Orlando, still really bad at checking friendslist, still needing a haircut and a job. bah. but life is otherwise still hovering between 'good' and 'acceptable', particularly if the paycheck I still have coming from Hatch leaves enough in my checking account post-phone-bill for me to buy a ticket for Warped. I can't remember how many hours I'm supposed to have on it, so. *fingers crossed*

you: particularly my friends and dear ones in the Midwest, how are you? I've skimmed my friendslist enough to know (thank God) that everyone's in one, each, of their respective pieces -- but I still worry. (I know for example that my parents' basement has ... well, "flooded" would be a conservative description, and their neighbor's house is a complete disaster replete with at least one collapsed wall. so. as I already said, yes. I worry.) be safe!

& love to all.

ugh, I leave for Orlando in roughly ... 12 hours? and have WAY NOT ENOUGH PACKING DONE. D: but I have a whole pot of terrible coffee and a playlist with my two favorite albums in the UNIVERSE right now (Howl! Pretty Hate Machine! ) and ... I can totally do this.

totally.

fuck, I hate packing so much.

/whinypost

so I'm browsing my desktop on the family computer (I haven't been on this baby for about a year) and I find a folder that I've titled "gayrard".

( here's what was in it )


and I think my favorite part about it is these are actually not even close to Geeway's campest moments. my less favorite part is that I could totally be less lazy and look for pictures of, you know, said campest moments and maybe make a loving post about dudes who hang heternormativity out to dry and their bands and my super-huge love but ... I don't want to right now. some day.

whatever. I have to pack for Madison. WOO!

(oh hey, if you have pictures of Gerard Way being ridiculous and want to share? you can put them in comments. I won't mind. I might even respond with extreme enthusiasm. WHO KNOWS?)

home from school, will be in Milwaukee until the 6 June when I fly down to Orlando for the rest of the summer. 2.5 days straight driving was not good for my immune system (or my voice), but was great for my soul. less great for my soul (though potentially Very Good) is only working 4-9 evenings and being the only one up & active in the house until then -- I don't think I really realized how much time I slaughtered chatting on the phone with laura until now. and now I have all this free time and I've got to find things to do with it! so far I have come up with: laundry, housecleaning (particularly the doing of dishes), and book-reading. I hope to get my hair cut tomorrow, after going out for a run and then dropping my sister off at work. /natter

speaking of phone, and stuff, I think I'm finally starting to get solidly over the financial (and spiritual) hump of the EPIC PHONEBILL DOUCHERY. which is nice! because ugh, I am so done with having that hanging over my head.

also of the good, my laptop is working! I've been reluctant to declare this until now, but after a quick trip to IT it survived finals ( = laptop on and running pretty much ALL THE TIME) and the car trip home, so. :D

and ykw? Orlando is going to rock hard. I'm excited!


so, let's see, I have this saturday and next weekend booked (eeeee!), but if you're in WI and think we should hang out pls comment. and if you're not in WI, THAT'S OKAY! I STILL LOVE YOU! *squishes*

... aaand, I'm gonna go die now. of boogers.