n e n i e

Here I am, in Chicago for the holiday. It's been good to be home, better to see how effortlessly Nena integrates herself into the insanity of this house. It's all too perfect, really. I don't know if this is the last Thanksgiving for us here in Chicago, then again I've wondered that every year for the past however many. You never know how much longer things are going to be the way they are. The status quo is the hardest thing to guess the lifespan of. At any rate, this is the last Thanksgiving I'll be bringing a girl home with me for. Next time, she'll be my wife. That's going to be a welcome change.

The internet connectivity is spotty at best, so I will be updating sporatically until Monday night. Maybe there'll be a big recap then, though I doubt it.

Take care all, and enjoy your lives this weekend. Life is the ultimate thing to be thankful for.

Posted by nenie at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Back in the day, I used to make dance mixes. Sometimes Fesser and I would spin them live, sometimes CK and I would pore over our CD collections for weeks and prerecord a great party.

It's been over 2 years since I've done something like this, and I'm wanting to try it out again. So. . .requests?

Posted by nenie at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Yet another cryptic song lyric to title a post. Speaking of which. . .A cool prize to the person who can correctly guess either the name of the band who originally used the lyric, or the song from which the lyric comes. Extra points to those who have the song and the band. To limit the contest a bit, the following dates have the titles in question.

11.22- This entry
11.17
11.14
11.12
11.11
11.9
11.9
11.7
11.5
11.4
(I'm alluding to a song here. . .so it's kind of a stretch, but I do mention it in the comments, so it's fair enough.)

In the future, if you get the reference shout it out. . .I may tablulate from time to time and send out fun prizes. Granted, sometimes fun might be a KU basketball tshirt, when I know you prefer UNC or something.

At any rate, I'm kinda curious to find out who all's reading this space. So it's time for my first fishpond census. . .

The rules (for those of you who haven't swum in the 'pond before) are simple. Just copy the questions below, and answer them in a comment. . .OK? GO!

To make thing easier, I'll do the first one.

1) Blog Name
2) Where do I know you from?
3) Why do you read this blog?
4) Say something nice about yourself
5) Say something nice about the person who posted before you

Posted by nenie at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

I'm feeling a lot better, actually. I cancelled class today and slept in. Sweet, sweet, medicated sleep. It was really kinda nice. If I keep the warm fluids coming in I should be OK by Sunday. . .just have to take it slow this weekend.

I took a look at this week's Friday Five and it's hard, not the no brainer stuff I'm used to. . .so here it goes. . .cuz I could use a challenge on a day like today. And after reading about George Wallace, I need some time off before I start reading about "The Futures of American Studies" OOOOH, scary.

1. List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.

a. Have a first draft of my PCA paper done
b. Lose 10 lbs.
c. Finish out this term as strongly as I started.
d. Revamp the ASAGS website.
e. Take Nena to one of my favorite Chicago museums.

2. List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.

a. Lisa- the disappeared sister from back in the day.
b. Big Ed- wingman from before we knew we needed them.
c. Raulie- so we can get him drafted.
d. DJ Bucky B- how can you not love him?
e. Ally- Because what are the two above, without her?

3. List five things you'd like to learn how to do.

a. Play guitar
b. Fly
c. Dunk a basketball
d. Fix 'Turo myself
e. Script CSS and PHP

4. List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).

a. Fix 'Turo up NICE, and then drive him on the weekends. Having replaced him with a Porsche Boxter. . .with a hybrid electric/biodiesel engine.
b. Two words- CD library
c. Pay off all the family's debt
d. Donate to all of Nena and my various alma maters.
e. This is the fun one. . .I'd buy roughly a block in the Logan Square neighborhood. From there I'd renovate all of the homes I'd just purchased for different uses. Some would be homes, some would be apartments with studio space, some would be for lounging. Then I'd offer the space to all of my favorite people as free living space so they can pursue the things that would truly make them happy. That'd rule.

5. List five things you do that help you relax.

a. Candles
b. Warm showers/ baths
c. Music, almost anything really. Even old metal helps relax me.
d. Cats. . .yes, cats. Get over it, yo.
e. Nena

Posted by nenie at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yup, I'm sicker than I was before. No fever this time, just congestion and TIRED. I took the liberty of cancelling class on Friday so I can sleep in and get myself a 3 day weekend. I moved some other stuff around so I could come home earlier today and take a nap.

That nap, a lot of OJ, water and lemon tea and I'm doing a lot better. I just need to make it through the craziness that is Thursday and I'm totally home free. That's a good thing.

In all of this being sick, I realized something. At Carleton, I always got sick 11th and 12th week. Only on the trimester, that puts you in the heart of finals. At KU, that puts you just before the shitty part of the term. So whereas before it was my body holding out until it could afford to get sick. Now it's my body breaking down when I really can't afford it. Great.

In other news, there's good news. Wrestling With the Rules: Understanding the Cosmology of the WWE accepted for the 2004 National PCA/ACA Meeting. Looks like I'll be road tripping to San Antonio in April.

I'm happy to be going, but sad as well. Going to this conference means breaking my lifetime ban on travel to or within Texas. I knew it'd have to end someday. . .but I didn't think it would occur just over 3 years after the ban went into effect. Oh well.

And now, I sleep. . .cuz it's good for me.

Posted by nenie at 12:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It's been kinda serious here on the old blog for a few days. . .so a quiz to lighten the mood, before I start the political ranting and raving. . .

This one's been ripped off from most of my favorite LJ Peeps. . .so, yknow. . .word.

"Sweet Dreams" (by Eurythmics)
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused


Which 80's Song Fits You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by nenie at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

When I woke up this morning, I heard a disturbing sound. I said, when I woke up this morning, I heard a disturbing sound. OK, it wasn't really the jingle jangle of a million lost souls. But sometimes you just need to start off with a James Brown quote.

Seriously, though- this morning I woke up to a classic Midwestern Thunderstorm, the kind you don't normally get outside of late spring. Yet, here it was, in November. It was pretty intense, lightning so close you'd see it after you heard the thunder. I know this is scientifically impossible, but that's the way it seemed as I tried to get back to sleep. Then, it happened, the biggest one of them all hit and set off a car alarm in my parking lot. I swear, that thing had to have hit the building across the street, it was so loud.

With that, it was over. With one loud crash, the entire storm stopped dead in its tracks. The world had seemingly ended outside of my apartment. All that was left was me, and my computer. It was 4 minutes before my alarm was due to go off so I got up.

Then it dawned on me, it was raining in November. . .The entire soundtrack of my morning was November Rain. I admit it, I'm melodramatic. I'm incredibly taken by the beauty of events alining themselves to create drama, and rain on a November morning and GNR's epic about the fading of passion, change and fear just seemed like the right soundtrack, the perfect alignment of events to create drama.

11 Novembers, it's been 11 Novembers since I've looked for an excuse to have the kind of morning I've just endured. 11 Novembers hoping for rain so I could indulge in my sense of. . .whatever this sense is. As I walked to the bus stop today, and stood out in the rain waiting for the bus I started to think about all the things that've happened to me in the Novembers since Junior High, when I first thought of the poetic beauty that would be created by the juxtaposition of Axl Rose and warm front creating precipitation in November.

I'm not that kid. I know I'm not, I know I can't be. That kid isn't around anymore- it was time for him to move on. It was 11 Novembers ago, standing in the parking lot at St. Hubert, wondering what the future would hold for me. I wasn't Latino then, I wasn't an academic then, I wasn't anything more than Nenie, the smart kid. When I think of all the psychic spaces I've since inhabited, I'm left awed at the stamps in my passport. I couldn't have seen then the places I'd go. Even now, in hindsight, I can barely connect how I managed to get from space to space. It's a hard thread to follow, but aren't those the best kind?

Nothing lasts forever; Axl had a point there. GNR didn't last much past this album, and all of the Nenies I've been since then didn't last forever either. Amazing how at the time, though, everything seemed so much more important and permanent than it ultimately turned out to be.

I hope I'll be able to communicate that to my own children. Nothing lasts forever, this too shall pass. You don't know who you're going to be tomorrow, so knowing yourself is harder than you'd think.

Posted by nenie at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Good weekend here in L-Town. After a great dinner with Lilyblack at the Meat Market Nena finally arrived in town. It's a shame that Nena didn't get into town a bit earlier, so she could enjoy the world's "cheapest and Jayhawkiest sports bar" with us. Oh well, I really need to go back there someday to try the fried Twinkie. Maybe when the Grandmastah blows into town later this month.

Needless today it'd been a rough Friday. Tough day at work, combined with a trip to KCI to buy a plane ticket. . .I was pissed, I had 90mins to make the trip and be back for dinner with Lilyblack and I failed. The driving time was OK, it just left me 5mins to get my work done at KCI. I was in line for 30 mins, and it took 10 mins to get my business taken care of. All told, the trip took me 2hrs, which would have been enough- had I not had a rough day at the office. . .

In the end, though, I now have a round trip ticket to Albuquerque so I can be there when Nena's brother Tryst graduates from college. Really, that's all that matters. It's amazing, I grew up with my family consisting of 3 people other than me. . .and almost overnight the family has grown. The results of this growth are the truly amazing part though. I've always been very close to my family, they've always meant the world to me. As my family grows, though, I find everyone meaning even more to me. I often wonder how I managed so long without a family like the one I currently have. Then it dawns on me, I've always found a family- wherever I go. It just so happens that this one is a bit more. . .overt? than the rest of my adopted family.

Anyway, Nena was just what I needed. We didn't do much this weekend, hung out and watched TV and planned the wedding for the most part. It was good for me, though; I had a weekend off. I didn't go out this weekend and that's why my immune system needed. I chilled out and recovered from this cold that's been intermittantly kicking my ass all weekend.

Did the church thing this morning; Nena and I think we've found a parish, which is a nice thing to have finally accomplished. Nena left and I cleaned the apt, hit the gym and got ready for the Survivor Series party tonight. It was fun, an average PPV. I introduced a few folks to the world of the WWE and began to carve that part of my life out here in L-Town.

Its amazing, really- every so often I have one of those spans of time that show me how at home I really am here in L-Town. This weekend showed me how much I have to look forward to, both personally and professionally. 264 days until the wedding and 230ish until Nena moves down here. Yeah, life's pretty good these days. Save for this chest congestion, DAMN.

Posted by nenie at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been thinking about growing up quite a bit, lately. IE- What is it? What happens? What do you need to give up?

I, for one, don't really believe in giving up anything in the process of growing up. Maybe, then "giving up" things as you grow older isn't the right term. Perhaps the better way to phrase it is: what things do we outgrow as we get older.

I know I've grown out of self pity, for the most part. The wounded, dark artist thing is really lame to me now. But I can very easily imagine a time when I thought I'd be that way forever. Hell, my recurring nightmare was of being that guy at 35. Thankfully, it's not going to go down like that.

The other day, we were all hanging out in the office, when I pulled my wallet out of my pocket for some reason or another. Corn stopped whatever we were talking about to remark as to how cool he thinks my wallet is. I smiled and told the story of where it came from and that after I get married, it's going to be retired, because I didn't think it really fit in with a married Nenie.

(The wallet is a teal, vinyl chain wallet- minus the chain. Also, it has silver glitter on it. I purchased it for $3 at the Mortar Board Garage Sale Sophomore year at Carleton.)

At any rate, Corn laughed and told me that it was stupid to retire the wallet just because I'd gotten married. I made some lame excuse about how the wallet was falling apart, finally and he said, "Next thing you know, your stereo will 'break down' and you won't be listening to Hip Hop anymore, I see how it is."

He makes a good point.

What do we give up as we get older, what do we feel we need to give up to perform "adulthood?" Is there music we listen to now, as young and mostly childless individuals that we cannot imagine listening to when our children are our age? Are there other things like that?

I dunno, why don't y'all tell me.

Posted by nenie at 08:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Yeah, I'm getting sick. This really, really blows. I've had head congestion for a few days, and I think I've managed to medicate it away.

Now my throat is raw and scratchy and I have the congestion of the GODS. Not fun, especially since the OJ I drank tonight gave me heartburn. My eye want to burn, as well. But they just can't quite get over the hump to burning all the way. . .Freakin' sucks, I tell you.

It's one of those non-descript colds that suck so much. And since it can't decide what season it is out here, my body can't decide if I have a winter cold or a summer cold. This weather is killing me, litterally- one day it's early fall, the next it's early spring. This cold/wet, cool/damp, warm/damp, warm/wet, cold/damp cycle is driving me crazy.

If only I had time to be sick. Too much stuff to do, and Nena's coming on Friday. I. . .Can't. . .Get. . . Sick.

I tried to take drugs and go to bed early tonight. But Drieg called me with computer questions. Looks like I'll be going to bed at my normal time tonight. Yknow, Grad School would be easy if it weren't for having to accomodate anyone's schedule other than my own.

YAWP!

Posted by nenie at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Strange day today. When I got up this morning, I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish. As of 11p, I've done next to none of them. But I have done a lot of other things I didn't know when I'd get done. So it's a total trade off.

The real big deal today is MUSIC!!!

Courtesy of Jen, I have now discovered the brilliance of Richard Cheese. Long story short, this guy does lounge covers of pop music. So freaking brilliant. I can't begin to describe it.

Courtesy of Bobo, two things. The first is Busdriver. Just great Hip Hop, period. Might want to check him out, yo. The other is Seˆíor Coconut. You just have to check that shit out. Freakin' crazy.

OK, enough of that. Back to writing abstracts.

After I stop getting excited for the impending Nena visit this weekend. WHOO! Nena in L-Town. If the L-Town Krew are interested in throwing down with the Nena, email me- yo.

Posted by nenie at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

You are Fresh Mint. You are caring and friendly. You have a nurturing
personality and always help out a friend in
need. You are fairly outgoing, and always show
a friendly face. You truly care for other
people, and you show it. However, you may
neglect your own responsibilites or become over
involved in your friends' personal affairs. Most Compatible With: Orange

Which Tic-Tac Flavor Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by nenie at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Time is a strange thing; we measure it, hoard it, pay to have its effects removed from our bodies. . .In the end however, it keeps moving ever onward. All we are left to do is try and remember what things were like before this.

Before this I was in Missouri, working a job I liked in a situation I deplored. Desperately attempting to reclaim my own life as factors conspired against me, molding me into what the system needed me to be, wanted me to be.

Before that I was in Minnesota, playing an endgame whose rules were ever shifting and increasingly complex. Desperately hoping there would be something after this. Wishing that this affliction that all 20somethings seem to suffer from, was not terminal.

The time between all of the various twists and turns in my life is marked in myriad ways. Birthdays, anniversaries, small triumphs, monumental disasters, personal interactions and music.

Music is the constant. LPs to tapes to CDs. Songs on the radio and albums in my hands. All of these things help mark time in the most constant of ways for me. My first CD was purchased in June of 1993: Spin Doctors- Pocket Full of Kryptonite. I'd just finished the 8th grade and was getting ready for the next frontier- Hoffman Estates High School. Going from the small parochial school to the much larger public school afforded me the opportunity to remake myself in whatever image I saw fit. I'd tested into the AP track classes, but I was driven to lose the image I'd cultivated at St. Hubert. So to compliment those classes, I went out for the football team. Every time I hear anything off that album, those are the images.

It's that way with so many albums. Indigo Girls- Swamp Ophelia: IMSA plays through my mind in montage that would make Eisenstein blush. Nirvana- Nevermind: Carleton, in my dorm room, cursing her for sleeping with him. Metallica- Metallica: St. Hubert and being student body president. Over and over and over the images float through my brain when I hear specific songs. The soundtrack to my life is the timeline that holds it all together; its what creates logic out of the chaos that is my universe.

Last night's Blue October show was, therefore, yet another signpost in the ether. I go to a fair number of concerts, but none of them have the reliabilty of Blue October's fall swing through this part of the world. I've actually come to measure time between these shows. Last year I went with Tha Grandmasta'. It was before he moved back up to The Minny, while he was suffering down here in the fires of KS numba ONE. It was the "Pretty French Painter" episode and all of its requisite silliness. I remember being at that show and wondering if, after a tw year delay, Nena and I were actually going to make this thing work, would I get into grad school, was I going to make it through my last year in Missouri without killing anyone. . .

The year before that, I'd just graduated from Carleton. I drove up to Lincoln on my own, and met an old friend up there. It was right after 9.11 and CNN was on in the bar as planes left for sorties over Afghanistan. It was before I'd said goodbye to my past, before I'd reconciled that things weren't the way I wanted them to me. This was a time before I'd really started to get my shit together and make the cuts that Cody, CK and I used to joke about a few months earlier.

This year brought closure. For the first time, I could stay out and do this thing right. I didn't have to worry about racing home across Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri at 2a. No watching the clock, and bolting for the door as soon as the last note was silenced. This was the way it was supposed to be that first year, the way things were supposed to go down after Carleton.

Growing up is a strange thing. I didn't think I'd like it nearly as much as I have. I feel almost guilty about it, actually. Last night, standing in the middle of the crowd, I started to realize how much I'd grown up since the first time I'd seen these guys live. I went back over the markers that these autumnal concerts have created for me and was awed by how much I've changed.

And then I saw Dan.

Dan was one of my students back in Missouri. He was one of the ones that would hang out in my apt, and raid my CD collection. He's one of the few that have bothered to keep in touch with me since I left and I'd been talking to him online Friday night and told him about the show. In the few minutes that followed Dan'd decided that he was grabbing a friend and crashing on my floor the next night.

I'm glad he did.

I made Dan's class a mix as a graduation present last spring. On it was a Blue October song that included the line:

(because)
I'm on your side
If you failed at least you tried
To keep your aching
Celebrating
Wondermaking heart alive
. . .
Write your own song.

As Ryan hit the first note of "Inner Glow," I turned and looked for Dan. In the craziness of the floor I'd lost him somewhere. He was someplace back and to the right of me, at least he'd been there earlier. A few seconds later, I found him. As Justin lauched into the above lyric we smiled at each other. I don't know when it'd happened, but we'd both grown up. Our being there that night was proof enough.

Two years ago, this scene would have been unimaginable to me. Yet, here I was- in a bar with one of my students, taking in a great show. At some point along the way though, we'd become friends.

It's amazing the ways we mark time. Thank God we have a way to do it, though. If not for these signposts, how would I be able to sit here and reflect on how far I've come, and how quickly it's happened. If it weren't for these signposts, how would I know that I still glow as much from he inside as I used to. Without these signposts, would I know that I actually glow more now than I ever have before?

Because I do.

Posted by nenie at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

You know you're at a good show when the bar turns on the house lights while the band is still playing.

Dan, AJ and I arrived at The Bottleneck a little bit after 10:30. The opening act, local band Big Metal Rooster was still jamming away on stage. Every college town in America has a version of Big Metal Rooster. The jam band comprised of technically proficient members who keep plugging away, the whole time sounding like a poor-man's Phish. Nothing against the Rooster, they're actually pretty good, and a lot of fun to dance to. It's just that I've heard them before, without ever having heard them at all.

They wrapped up their set around 11:30, which put Blue October's start time at roughly midnight. As the houselights went down, the three of us made our way down to the floor in front of the stage, and proceeded to loose our s0xx0rz. Why? Because they were r0xxor3d off.

This was the first time I'd seen the band without former bassist Matt Noveskey, as laid eyes on his replacement, I turned to Dan and said, "Don't you love it when a good-looking band gets better looking?" This is the case with Blue October. Their new bassist's name is a complete mystery to me, but her skillz and stage presence aren't. Matt will be missed, but the new bassist's energy is a welcome addition to the overall package that the band presents on stage. Her blonde pigtails and wicked cool hip wiggle are also nice additions to the band. So nice, in fact that the stoners behind me started shouting for a bass solo. . .

All objectification aside, the band sounds as tight as it ever has and they appear to be having fun on stage, which is an improvement from the intense workman-like attitude on display last fall. Violinist Ryan Delahoussaye seemed to enjoy having the new girl around more than the rest of the band, as he now has a playmate who will lip synch with him while they both bounce and wiggle their way around the stage, a violin under his chin, and a bass strapped across her shoulder.

The nearly 2 hour set was comprised almost entirely of songs off of their last two albums. Unlike last fall's show at the Knickerbocker, there weren't multiple trips back to their earlier and unreleased work. The notable exceptions to this were "Italian Radio" and "Blue Sunlight" the latter of which came during a midset slowdown. Justin went out of his way to thank the crowd for "allowing us to show off our other side tonight." During the block of downtempo songs, adding, "we play a lot of rock festivals, so it's nice to be able to play some of these other songs."

The Bottleneck holds roughly 300 people and it was about half way to capacity for Blue October's set early Sunday morning. Those that were there, were completely at the mercy of frontman Justin Furstenfeld. His trademark intensity was all there, he ran around the stage and seemed as though he would fly off it at any moment. On stage Furstenfeld was the living, breathing, fire and brimstone preacher of the United Church of Rock and Roll- here to redeem souls through catharsis.

The crowd, for their part seemed willing to play their part. At times, I felt I was at a twisted kind of campfire singalong as the crowd sang along into the early hours of the morning. It was during one of these singalongs, for History for Sale's "Calling You" that I had one of the more amusing moments of the night. As he introduced the song, Justin remarked at how he'd written this song as a birthday present for his girlfriend when he was broke. I laughed, thinking that this was the song of theirs that never failed to remind me of Nena. As the song started out, and the crowd began to sing along, I looked around. Every guy in there was singing to his date. Apparently I'm not the only one who things of his gf/wife, when this song comes on.

After 70 minutes of RAWK, the band took a break as Delahoussaye played his standard inter-act violin solo, complete with smirks and winks at an audience that cheered wildly for him. No matter how often I go to see these guys, I'll never get over how insane a drunken rock crowd goes over a violin solo. Not that Ryan doesn't deserve it, it's just one of those things that needs to be seen to be fully understood.

After Ryan's 5 minutes were up, the rest of the band came out and rocked their way through another set until the management at the 'Neck turned on the houselights. Another great night in L-Town was coming to a close and the band finished and exited the stage, leaving Dan, AJ and I to beat a hasty retreat to 'Turo as we raced to Perkins before the rest of the bar-closing traffic hit.

Another cathartic night of shouting and dancing had come to a close. The Rusted Root show at the Granada later this month is going to be a total shift from this. . .

Posted by nenie at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Seriously, who? Not KU, that's for sure. I went to the KU/Nebraska football game today; if I learned anything while freezing at Memorial Stadium, it was that.

OK, so I didn't freeze that badly. I layered like I was playing broomball up in The Minny. Long sleeved tee, 3/4 sleeve tee, 2 short sleeved tees, two sweatshirts and my big black coat. Yeah, I was pretty toasty for the entirety of the game, save for my toes. Those suckers got cold at some point in the third quarter.

The game was pretty incredible, though. It looked like South Lincoln all over town. Everywhere you looked, there was someone in 'Husker red. Even The Crossing had been taken over by invading red horde. After about 30mins of this, I started to feel for Atlanta Braves fans. . .OK, not really.

The Jayhawks were pretty taken aback by the whole scene as well. This was not the same team I'd seen beat down Mizzou. They were almost afraid of the 'Huskers. Sure, I've heard about winning on mystique, but this was ridiculous. The Jayhawks managed to give away 3 TDs, throw an INT and fumble on the 1 yd line. . .as I said in the opening, why bother having another team come down? When you're pretty good at beating yourself.

After the game, I checked in with the Carleton crew and heard the best football-related news I'd heard all day. Carleton had beaten Macalester. The Knights are now on a 2 game win streak for the first time in something like 6 years. Almejor thinks that the streak dies here, since next week the boys are up in Colorado. "They'll be puking in their helmets by halftime" is the quote I think. Oh well, one of these Saturdays both of my colleges will win a football game. I may lose my shit on that day, but it'll be pretty cool. Who knows, I may be so overwhelmed that I sing Hail to Old KU to the tune of the Officer of the Day.

At any rate, it's time to shower and change for the Blue October show. Word.

Posted by nenie at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BEST
DAY
EVER

OK, not quite. The day Nena said she'd marry me was better than today. The day I got into KU/Carleton/IMSA was better than today, all of my birthdays have been better than this.

BEST
DAY
IN
A
LONG
TIME

There we go, much more accurate. And you know we here at nenie.net are consumed with accuracy.

Today started out pretty normally. Woke up before my alarm, rolled out of bed, woke Han up. . .checked to see that I'd actually been paid overnight, saw that I had been, paid the bills and ran out to catch the bus.

I taught my Friday discussion sections and had a really productive meeting with a student. Unfortunately, this meeting made me late for my bus. I walked out of The Vern to see my bus stopped across the street. I ran, but the bus started to pull off. . .

Now, imagine this for a second. This is me, in my winter regalia, running after a bus.

OK, let's flesh this out a bit more. This is overweight me, in my long, black wool coat, with my red and blue scarf artfully wrapped around my neck, running down the street after a bus. Add my black briefcase slung across my body and flapping away behind me and you're starting to get the image. It was pretty freaking cool looking, I'd imagine.

At any rate, as soon as I hit full speed the bus stops. The driver had seen me in his rearview mirror and stopped the bus. Yup, my bus driver rules. He's stopped asking to see my bus pass, he just knows it's me. We nod every morning when I get on the bus, we nod every afternoon when I get off. He knows who I am- it's one of those little things that makes life that much better.

A while after I finally get home, I pick Ulli up so we can go to the gym. In an effort to get across town as quickly as possible on a Friday afternoon, I decided to cut down on New Hampshire. That was a mistake, but it turns out to to be the best mistake I've made in a long time. For this route takes me past The Bottleneck. I look up at the marquee on said establishment, to see "Sat- Blue Oct. . ." up there.

"WHAT?" I say out loud. "Did I just read Blue October is playing The Bottleneck tomorrow?"

I was totally stunned, and I couldn't go back to see what I'd actually read. It could have been Blue Octagons From Mars for all I know. My mind started churning, I had to know if I'd read it correctly. I start fumbling through my mental rolodex of people that I have on my speed dial, that are near an internet connection right now, that won't think twice when I ask them to see if this band is playing in L-Town tomorrow. Yet another reason why I love Almejor.

I call Al up and she confirms for me, without asking or laughing that yes, in fact Blue October is playing in L-Town tomorrow night. HOT FUCKING DAMN!

You have no idea how much I like this band. They're angry, they're tender, they have an electric violin. So freakin' great, one of the best things to come out of the insanity that was my senior year at Carleton- aside from Nena. I'm now realizing that, at the moment, I don't have the words to articulately explain how much fun seeing this band is. They're incredibly cathartic to me, and to everyone else I've shared the experience of their live show with. Yeah, I'm really excited about this. . .more about that on Sunday.

I picked Ulli up after ascertaining that I'd read what I'd hoped I'd read and we went over to the Rec Center. There was a quick stopover at Watkins where I charmed my way into what I needed from them. Gotta love the midwest, a smile and some courtesy will get you really, really far in this world. After that fun, my workout went really well. I think I'm gonna have to turn it up a notch on Sunday when I resume the regiment. This peer pressure thing with Ulli is working out really, really well.

After working out, we were starved and after disucssing our options we decided to try out La Parrilla. I hadn't known I was homesick before I saw their menu, but one look made me realize how bad things had gotten. They had Platano Frito. Fried Plantains, yo. Holy mother of CRAP, they were the best thing I've eaten in forever. I haven't eaten that well in forever. I have a new favorite restaurant. Forget Free State people, La Parrilla is where it's AT.

Then I came home and registered for next semester. Theorizing America and Jazz and American Culture. Yup, next term is gonna rock. No class before 11a, class only on Tu, We, Th. Nothing after noon on Th, which will be nice since I have to teach all day on Friday, probably starting at 8:30a. . .yeah.

So to recap my brilliant day:
1) Bus stopped for me when I ran for it
2) Best workout in a long time
3) Blue October tomorrow
4) Best dinner in a long, long time
5) New favorite restaurant
6) Registered for awesome classes
7) KU/Nebraska football tix for tomorrow

Yeah, life rules right now.

Posted by nenie at 07:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Every once in a while I get an email forward that resonates. Not in the way that yesterday's resonated, but strikes a chord that makes me jump up and say, "DAMN STRAIGHT!"

Such is the case of Army Spec. Shoshana Johnson. Spec. Johnson became an Iraqi POW in the same raid that brought Jessica Lynch such fame and fortune. Why then, even with all of the information that proves how much of a PR stunt Ms. Lynch's rescue was, has Ms. Johnson been forgotten?

You know what I think and I challenege anyone to prove me wrong. America just doesn't want to embrace an African American woman as a hero.

After the cut, is the email I received with the latest details of how the government is playing unfairly with Spec. Johnson when compared to the way they treat Ms. Lynch. Do something, people. Email your Congressional representation. Don't know how? Here you go. Look up your Senator Here and your House Rep Here. Speak your mind, sound off. Fight the Power, yo.

Army Spec. Shoshana Johnson, the African American women who was held prisoner of war in the U.S. invasion of Iraq, was looking forward to a quiet discharge from the Army in a few days. Battle scarred and weary, she has said not a word as her fellow POW comrade in arms Jessica Lynch cashes in with book and movie deals and a celebrity status in the media. But it is the Army that is forcing Johnson to break her peace.

A few days ago, military brass informed her that she would receive a 30 percent disability benefit for her injuries. Lynch, who is White, was discharged in August and will receive an 80 percent disability benefit. The difference amounts to $600 or $700 a month in payments, and that is causing Johnson and her family to speak out. The are so troubled by what they see as a "double standard," that they have enlisted Rev. Jesse Jackson to help make their case to the news media. Jackson, who plans to plead Johnson's cause with the White House, the Pentagon and members of Congress, says the payment smacks a double standard and racism. "Here's a case of two women, same [unit], same war; everything about their service commitment and their risk is equal. . . . Yet there's an enormous contrast between how the military has handled these two cases," Jackson told The Washington Post.

Johnson's father, Claude Johnson, himself an Army veteran, says that while neither he nor his family begrudge Lynch her celebrity or disability payments, he believes that his daughter should get her due, and it is more than a 30 percent disability benefit. For its part, the Army, in denying charges of double standard, said Friday that claims are awarded to soldiers according to their injuries. Johnson, 30, the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, was held captive for 22 days, when her unit stumbled into an ambush in southern Iraq last March. Eleven solders were killed, and six, including Lynch and Johnson, were taken prisoners. Johnson was shot in both legs and is still traumatized by her war experience.. In addition to walking with a limp, she suffers from bouts of depression..

So I ask that you forward this email on to all and inform others of this latest racial attack. Forget about the destroying of stamps, forget about Kobe, forget about Micheal Jordan getting fired and fight for the rights of this strong Black Woman!!!

Posted by nenie at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Angie sent me one of those questionairre emails today. I don't ever send them along; I'll fill them out and send them back to the person who asked. I thought this one was kinda in depth, though- as a result I've decided to post it up here. Cuz, yknow, it's interesting. . .

Take a look at my answers and answer them for yourself in the comments section. Yknow, if you're into that sorta thing.

(Editor's Note: I read this to Nena before I posted it, and her reactions caused a few changes. I think you'll be able to tell which those are.)

1. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR KITCHEN PLATES?
When I was an undergrad, I helped a friend move during the summer. OK, so I was one of the only folks with a car in that town, so I ended up helping out a lot. But this one time as K2 was moving in, this other guy was frantically moving out. He had these really nice dishes that he didn't have time to pack, so he just gave them to me. They're white with a royal blue rim that looks painted on. They're pretty cool. My cereal bowls are white porcelain with half inch ridges around the top and my favorite bowl is an orange ceramic one that's deeper than it is wide. I like bowls, a lot.

2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
At the moment, two books. The first is "The Levittowners" by Herbert Gans. The other is "I Am Woman" by Lee Maracle. Both are for class right now. The first is for History, the second for AMS110.

3. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
It's a limited edition Carleton College Office of Residential Life Staff 1999-2000 Mousepad. I was an RA, they were free gifts, it's a pretty cool mousepad for a free one.

4. FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
I've never really been a board game person, but I like Cranium and Trivial Pursuit.

5. FAVORITE MAGAZINES?
ESPN Magazine. Wow, that's different. A few years back it TOTALLY would have been Marie Claire of Cosmo GIRL! What? They're interesting in a sociological way. No, really they are.

6. FAVORITE SMELL?
While I do appreciate clean men as much as Angie does, I'm going to have to go with the way my parents' house smells when they're making empanadas. . .I haven't had those in forever. There's this great cumin smell combined with a baking bread smell. It's brilliant. Maybe I should make some. I'd need help, though. Cuz they're a lot of work.

7. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
Why the hell is my dream being narrated by Carl Castle?

8. LEAST FAVORITE COLOR?
Man, why you gotta be hatin' on color?

9. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE?
2, if it actually rings. These crazy phones don't ring anymore, these whippersnappers and their melodic ringtones.

10. MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE?
Sleep, Happiness, Family, Friends, Warmth.

11. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
There's just something incredibly Zen about vanilla. I know I sound like a total dorque, but I like to let the vanilla sit on my tongue while I contemplate the flavor. OK, that only really lasts about 2 seconds, and then the bowl is gone.

12. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST?
Ummm, depends who you ask and who is asking. Nena says no, I say yes, the police say no. But that's cuz they've only caught me once.

13. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
Dude, Nena's not an animal. OH!

Sometimes. There's Toto, my bear. I received him for Xmas 2 months before I was born. Nena thought he needed a friend, so I now have Hope, the hippo. They get along pretty well, but I think Hope's too young for Toto.

14. STORMS - COOL OR SCARY?
COOL!

15. IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON DEAD OR ALIVE WHO WOULD IT BE?
Norman Rockwell. I have to know if he was kidding or not.

16. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS?
Wow, ok. . .for all you all who think I don't drink. . .
I'm a sucker for a Whiskey Sour and a Black and Tan. Newcastle is also another weakness o'mine. And the old family favorite, the HaHa!

What is a HaHa! Well, funny you should ask. It was my abuelito Julio's favorite drink. It is more commonly known as the Cuba Libre. My mother once asked him why he called the Cuba Libre a HaHa! To which he replied "Por que, mija- una Cuba libre? HaHa!" Translation:"Because honey, a free Cuba? HaHa!"

17. WHAT IS YOUR SIGN AND BIRTHDAY?
Pisces 2.23

18. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?
Yes. Do you like broccoli?

19 . IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I've already lined up the best job EVER, being Nena's husband. No seriously, I've always wanted to direct. I'd direct movies. Word.

20. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY COLOR HAIR, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Can I keep what I've got? I wish I could be like that one auror in Harry Potter, though and change it from spiky to curly- etc at will. That'd rule. But I'd keep the color.

21. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE?
Yup, and unlike past times I've been asked this question via email, I don't have to add in the "unfortunately" part.

22. IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
What? I wasn't supposed to drink the rest of that? Sorry.

23. FAVORITE MOVIES?
The Graduate, The Empire Strikes Back, Chasing Amy, The Grand Illusion, Ivan the Terrible (I and II)

24. DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS?
Yes

25. WHAT IS THE WORD YOU MISTYPE MOST OFTEN?
Teh, I mean The.

26. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?
Empty moving boxes

27. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER?
2221231434 or 79 It's a long story.

28. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH?
Ummm, ummm. What's on?

29. WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST FEAR?
Being alone. Having nowhere to go.

30. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THEM.
Angie has great hair, no really. That's a big deal, yo. She's also great to get lost in the Kansas Union with. Cuz, she totally believes that you know where you're going. Even after it's become readily apparent that you have no idea.

31. PERSON MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Didn't really send this out to folks. Just sharing with y'all

32. PERSON LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Ummm, your mom.

33. FAVORITE CDs?
That's so unfair. OK, let's see. Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Tori Amos, New Order- Substance, Dar Williams- Out There Live, Los Lobos, Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler. . .ummm, ummm.

34. FAVORITE TV SHOWS?
older West Wing episodes, CSI, WWE. . .

35. KETCHUP OR MUSTARD?
Totally depends on what I'm eating. You have to coordinate, yo.

36. HAMBURGERS OR HOT DOG?
Burger.

37. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK?
Colombiana

38. THE BEST PLACES YOU HAVE EVER BEEN?
Cubero, NM. It's in the middle of nowhere. Walking around as the sun is coming up or going down is amazing.
New Orleans, LA. Just a crazy city.
Chicago, IL. Home, I miss home. I didn't really realize what a great place I grew up in, until I was gone.
(honorable mentions: Seattle, Boston, Minneapolis)

39. WHAT SCREEN SAVER IS ON YOUR COMPUTER RIGHT NOW?
This question is SOOOO 5 years ago.

40. BURGER KING OR MCDONALDS?
McDonald's. Man, now I'm hungry.

Posted by nenie at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

As I said earlier, Nena is on her way to Fargo for business. She left around 12:30p this afternoon from NFLD. The college didn't have any cars to give her for the week, so they rented a car from Enterprise (we pick you up). The Enterprise d00d showed up at 12:30p with a Jeep Grand Cherokee- Laredo. Not the compact Nena had ordered. They were out of that car, so they upgraded for free. WHEE! 4WD in SNOW! And thankfully, the college is paying for the gas.

I turned my cell off and went to class around 2p. I went to dinner with some friends from class afterwards and turned my phone on at 6:30p to hear four messages left by Nena as she drove to Fargo. The calls document her trip pretty well. And since this blog isn't just about me, I now present you Nena's Fargo Travelogue.

VOICEMAIL: Message from, Nena. Received today at 3:04pm

NENA: (in a sing-song voice)
Hey baby. St. Cloud is a BIG CITTTTY! Oh my GOD, they have a Starbucks and they have a Cold-Stone CREAMery and they have a Borders and a golf course that's public in-viiited. They have all kinds of stuff here. I don't know why DakotaReese wants to mooove. This is like. . .Northfield but BETTER! Doesn't he live here? I should call him so we can do lunch on my way home.

And I was thinking while I was driving up, that I love you. AAAAnd the second thing is that. . .I love you. And the third one is that I love you some more. Mmmm, I love you, mmm, bye.

VOICEMAIL: Message from, Nena. Received today at 3:46pm

NENA: (less sing-song)
OK, I'm calling you again, cuz I miss you a LOOOOT. That was it, I was going to say "Do you like Broccoli?" But I ruined it by saying that "I miss you a LOOOOOT." This is a BOOORING drive, OHMYGOOOOSH. This is worse than Iowa, cuz at least Iowa has hills. Minnesota is just FLAT. OK, I LOOOOVE YOUUU. Call me when you're done, so I can be rescued from bordom with your wonderful personality. . . I LOOOVE YOUUU.

VOICEMAIL: Message from, Nena. Received today at 4:22pm

NENA:(in a Minnesota accent)
Hello Fmergen Shmergen Bergen from Fargo, ND. I'm calling for some advice on where I should eat toniiiiight. Please give me a call back. Thank you.

I'd called her earlier today and left a message as "Fmergen Shmergen Bergen" from the Fargo Chamber of Commerce thanking her for coming to Fargo and not only spending money, but recruiting our fine youth for as fine an institution as Carleton.

VOICEMAIL: Message from, Nena. Received today at 5:50pm

NENA:(matter of fact)
Hi, it's me I'm here. Call me, I love you. Bye.

Is it me, or are some roadtrips soul-crushing? Not your regular roadtrips, mind you; only the ones where at the end of the drive, there is no great reward awaiting you. When I drove up to Minnesota to see Nena a few weeks ago, there is no doubt in my mind that the trip was that much more exciting because I hadn't seen Nena in 5 weeks. This trip is cancelling Nena's trip to L-Town this weekend, which is one strike against it. And it's colder in Fargo than it is in NFLD, which is another strike. Poor Fargo, yo. It's only got one strike left to give. Although as soon as Nena got to Fargo, she realized she hadn't packed warmly enough. So she hit the mall. I guess the count is 1-2 on Fargo, now.

Posted by nenie at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I realize that I have a few new favorite-er things in the realm of popular culture/books/etc. As a result, I'm gonna take a few minutes and send some shout outs.

The first is to Lee Maracle. I've been reading her book "I Am Woman" for the class I'm TA'ing. Damn, what a devastating read. Liking this book makes me feel sick to my stomach; you shouldn't like something as painful and brutal as this book is. That said, it's thought provoking and beautiful and needs to be read by more people.

The next is Adam Rome's "The Bulldozer in the Countryside." It's pretty much the opposite of Maracle's meditations of feminism and femininity. This book is a history of the American Suburb and its ties to Environmentalism. An interesting and well read book, that was written by a KU grad. Word.

OK, now the comics. Here's a great Norm strip. Yeah, The Norm is streaky, but when it hits, it hits.

And then there's Get Fuzzy. This strip is one of most consistently "on" strips out there today. If you don't read this one, you might want to give it a shot. The last two days have been one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. So here's the windup and the pitch. The "pitch" strip was laugh out loud funny to me. And the windup totally set me up for it. Yeah- brilliant, really.

Music- Kev talked about this band so damn much I had to go and check them out. Yeah, he's right. The Decemberists are hott. Mellow stuff that rocks just right.

Also, Los Lonely Boys are kicking my ass. It's Mexican pop mixed with country with all this Carlos Santana and Los Super Seven stuff going on. So freaking brilliant, I had to TELL somebody. So I'm telling y'all.

Thus ends the shoutouts.

In other news, much love to La Nena who is heading to Fargo on business today. Man, three weeks in the Southwest followed up by a week in Fargo. How's that for balance? Thankfully, she's part Northern Minnesotan, so she'll be fine, I hope. I'm kinda worried that she'll turn into a Nenacicle up there. Yes, this is her 6th Minnesota winter, yes her grandfather's from Duluth. . .but still. She's a desert flower, orsomething.

OK, I really need to shower and hit the office, I'm out.

Posted by nenie at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I have no idea what that means, but it's all Nena can say right now. I think it has to do with the geekiness of one of the guys on Average Joe. I'm not entirely sure, but that's part of the Nena mystique. You never know what's going on in that crazy mind of hers.

This week is kinda nice, I don't have anything due. That means I get to read a ton in an effort to get ahead for the craziness that lies before me. Combine that with the fact that I'm working out again and this week could be interesting.

The workout thing is interesting, Ulli and I are using peer pressure to motivate one another into going to the gym. The thinking is if we go together, and guilt the other one for ditching us we'll actually go. So far, it's working. . .after one day.

Not much else going on in L-Town. The KU/Huskers game is this weekend I think I'm going to that, but the details still need to be worked out. If there are L-Town Peeps who want to go with me, catch me in my office or give me a call.

OH, and I gave in to pressure and got myself hooked up with a LJ account. I'm not going to post anything there that doesn't go here. More than likely, I'm just going to put links to this blog on that site, so my LJ Peeps can keep track of me that way. It's all about adding functionality.

OK, shower and bed. I'm totally beat.

Posted by nenie at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)