Days: Measure by Measure

The most exciting days at my part time job (even when I worked there full time) were the days when cops were involved.
This weekend 2 customers got into a fist fight in front of the bank, seemingly because one beeped at the other on the road on their way into the parking lot.  The best part was the frustrated and jaded cop smiling and shaking her head at the ridiculousness when she came into the bank to ask us what we saw.

Nothing surprises me with these customers anymore. 

Once a week (sometimes more) my roommate and I go to dinner at a hole in the wall salvadorian restaurant.  How much of a hole in the wall?  It’s not listed on facebook for check-in.  
There’s a routine, she texts when she is almost home, I meet her in front of the building, oust the dog from the front seat, and off we go.  Poor Bodie stays in the car by himself while we feast on amazing and ridiculously inexpensive enchiladas and paupsas.  Last night the roomie decided to plan ahead for lunch and ordered 2 papusas to go in addition to what she ate for dinner.  Without fail every time we go she craves something sweet after, so we go up the street to Harris Teeter to get ice cream.  Last night after we come out of the grocery store she opens the back door to the car to put her bag in and I hear “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”.  Bodie had broken into the takeout bag and eaten every bite of papusa.  I felt awful for laughing, but it was oh so hilarious.  Thank god the entire take out order only cost her all of $3.50.

I have been playing this song non-stop for the past few days.  I even gave in and bought the EP from iTunes because it’s not on Spotify or gomusicnow.com.  So I look online to see if the band is touring and low and behold they’re playing at the Rock N Roll hotel in DC on May 5th!  … . The same night I have James Morrison tickets.

Boo Hoo

Last week while on the phone with my mother she suddenly declares that I need to find a boyfriend because she wants grandchildren.  We have never had this conversation before, and I didn’t let it happen this time, she found herself talking to dead air when I hung up.
Marriage and babies are the last thing I want to think about now, especially since apparently all my close friends are getting married and engaged and all I can worry about is how I’m going to afford all this traveling to celebrate their merriment.  Thanks to Australia and it’s ridiculous distance from the United States I was able to book a flight and rental car for a wedding in LA with my miles, but I still have to worry about the hotel.  For a wedding in NYC I’ll drive or take the bus or train, but since the person whose couch I usually sleep on is the one getting married I’ll be scouring hotels.com.  Then there’s the matter of lodging if I get accepted to volunteer at Firefly.  Thankfully people rarely stay overnight in Delaware, you can drive through the state in less than an hour, therefore hotels are pretty cheap even with a festival going on.
I’ve bookmarked the bookings I’d like to make, now I just need some money.  It hurts to put down a few hundred dollars for a room with a bed you won’t actually use for months. 

Today I discovered that you can apply to volunteer at the Firefly Festival in Delaware this summer and attend all 3 days for just the $20 application fee.  Fingers crossed I get picked, cause this sounds freaking awesome.  Too bad none of my friends are as concert crazy as me, but I’m sure I’d meet plenty of new ones there!

People knock Craigslist, and yes it can be shady, but I have had nothing but luck and good experiences when using it.
A few years ago I bought a platform bed and had no use for my box spring.  Even though it was brand new and still in the bag I couldn’t think of a reason anyone would want to buy just a queen size box spring.  I took a shot in the dark and listed it on Craigslist and low and behold I sold it for $100.  I found my current job on Craigslist that is much better than my old job and within walking distance of my home.  I found an awesome condo for rent that included a roommate I have absolutely no issues with.  Yesterday when I decided I was too sick and didn’t feel like going to the Sleigh Bells show at the 9:30 club I went on Craigslist, listed the tickets to the sold out show, and sold them within a matter of hours (I took cash, no sexual favors involved).
Make fun of Craigslist all you want, but I’ve been lucky … . so far

I have been super busy at work lately, and just want a weekend off to enjoy this beautiful weather.  Alas, I will not have that until the last weekend of April, and it will be action packed with the Miike Snow concert, and a friend visiting for a wine festival that takes place in the same town center as my building.
Little ray of sunshine - not only does this song fit with me holding out for a weekend off, somehow gomusicnow.com has the new Alabama Shakes album available 2 weeks before it’s supposed to come out.

On Monday I went home for lunch because I’d driven that day (sue me, I slept in too late) and on my way out of the garage after lunch I saw this really awkward looking guy standing outside the fence of the construction site across the street and just watching.  He was still there 3 hours later when I went home.

Yesterday I walked to work and on my way home the same guy (in the same outfit no less) was walking out of a condo building I passed and walked behind me all the way through the town center and stopped in front of the construction site again to watch.  I went home and then went out and he was still watching the construction site (now empty of workers) 4 hours later.

Well I guess he got bored of staring at an empty site and decided to get a jump on things because this morning I passed him going in opposite directions, me to work and him to watch the construction.  Oh, and he was still wearing the same outfit.

I realize I just posted a MuteMath song the other day, but I went to their show at the 9:30 club on Saturday and I’m just in a constant state of awe.  This is the 5th time I’ve seen them live now and it gets better every time.  Best band I’ve ever seen, hands down (sorry Sleigh Bells).

The night before I’d gone to see The Black Keys play at the Verizon Center.  I was really excited for this and probably hyped myself up more than necessary.  I forgot how much I dislike large stadium shows (to my mom - please don’t read this as me being ungrateful for you getting me the tickets as an Xmas present, it was a good show and the seats were fantastic).  The songs are made for a stadium, but the act is not.  It’s hard to play to thousands of people when all your band is, is a drummer and a guitarist who can’t move around a lot because he has to play and sing at the same time.  The visuals projected behind the band were interesting and held my attention, but there were no “WOW!” moments.  
MuteMath blew The Black Keys out of the water and then some.  They were playing a venue that only holds about 800-900 people packed tightly (if the sign on the wall in the stairwell is correct), but they played like they were in a stadium.  Interesting visuals were projected behind them (which I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band have at this venue since it’s small for it, it’s usually just some back drop, or extra lights.  In the case of Sleigh Bells, just a massive wall of speakers) but weren’t really necessary, my eyes were on the drummer 90% of the time.  They entered walking through the crowd on the floor with poles holding strands of lights over them.  Multiple times throughout the show the singer stood on top of a rolling case and was pulled through the floor crowd.  It was pretty epic when he was singing the song on this post.  At the each phrase in the chorus white confetti was sprayed off the stage while he stood in the middle of the crowd.  The drummer used the rolling case at one point later and stood in the middle of everyone playing.  Later in the show they brought out an air mattress covered in a black case with red and white lights around the edges, and the singer crowd surfed on it while singing!  He didn’t even miss a beat when it looked like he fell off.  I refuse to ever miss a MuteMath show if they’re playing near me, even if they do eventually play stadiums, they definitely have the showmanship to fill one, in spades.

Here are a few crappy phone pictures from my not so great vantage point (thanks metro for being so damn slow and getting us there late):

http://instagr.am/p/IE0XyzRQeU/

http://instagr.am/p/IBXo1vRQaW/ (!!! @ the likes on this one)