When life gives you Spuds, make Spudade.

Thank ye gods I work for an agency that doesn't give me a set number of days off. I'm on day #3 of calling in sick. Got the Yuck (tm) on Saturday. Strep throat. Then last night/this morning it decided that life just wasn't all that fulfilling as lonely streptococcus. Alas, it needed some company (I certainly wasn't talking to it). So now I have a sinus infection to complete the party. I was secretly wishing for a weekday off, but I really didn't mean for this to happen.

Things I've done whilst combating the bug:
- watched all of Season 3 of Project Runway on YouTube
- just about finished C.S. Friedman's "When True Night Falls"
- gone through 2 boxes of Kleenex, thus perfecting my behind-the-back shot to the trashcan by Duck's desk
- finished a painting for SpudDad's b-day (it's a singing banana pepper. Standard issue for a 61st b-day.)
- organized my internet bookmarks
- walked to the mailbox (my only outside exposure)
- suffered through half a daytime talk show, vowed to self never to do that again
- made amazing kettle korn
- thought about eating bacon, settled for toast. Thought about eating soup, settled for toast. My diet is mostly toast-based as of right now.
- missed the Duck terribly

So, all you workbound souls, how's your week going?

Spuddy, streptococcus, sinusitis, and friends, Out

Went to Eugene on Wed/Thurs for a quick visit. I have never been so exhausted by a road trip. Especially one where I wasn't even driving! Duck drove the whole way, 8 hours there, 8 hours back. I walked all over campus and spent hours upon hours in the art museum, trying to soak it all in. I feel like I brought a lot back with me in regards to my specific program (had a meeting with 3 current students and one alumna). As far as the question everyone is asking, "How do you like Eugene?" It is very difficult to say. I really didn't see much of it. But from what I did manage, I suppose I can say it feels very cramped. Tiny streets, old buildings, older houses. It was blazing sunshine both days, but it is typically one of the more rainy cities in the Northwest. About 10% of the city is made up of the UO campus. Everyone is in love with UO sports, there are few cars without giant yellow and green UO stickers across the rear window. Duck themed everything! I got paperwork in the mail from my department...brace yourself...it was my "IntroDUCKtion" to the campus/Eugene.

The Pros: It smells nice. Green things are growing on the green things. People are generally friendly. Plenty of vegetarian/vegan restaurants. Superb art museum. Pioneer cemetery in the middle of campus. City tries to be as eco-friendly as possible, signs hanging over every trash can, "Can You Recycle That?" Drive home through Portland is long but not horrific. Well respected Arts Admin program.

The Cons: Old mildewy housing with no garages but somehow more expensive to rent than a similar house in Boise. Insanely high property crime rate. Highest bike theft rate in the nation on campus. Campus jobs pay minimum wage only. Itty bitty city. Nearly zero parking available on campus. Quarter system (10 weeks per term). Air quality -- Highest grass pollen count in the WORLD from April to July. I quote from the Oregon Daily Emerald: "Cities around the country rarely see more than 100 particles per cubic meter, which is a high pollen count. Eugene had a pollen count of 1,531 particles per cubic meter on June 6, 2006." Can you say UGH?

Before I work myself into a panic attack, I'm going back to work.

All work and no play make Spuddie something something.

Giddy all day. Waiting for Ego Likeness. Finished stitching the kitty octo-stuffie. Came home and found out the band is stuck in Portland because of the shitty shitty weather. Every pass from here to there is closed. AAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!!!! Is has been ages and ages since I went to a show. Sad.

The good news is I got Photoshop CS3 and Illustrator CS3 at work today. Also someone left me dark chocolate truffles and strange German cookies. I feel a little loved.

Spuddie, the 15-year-old angsty version, Out

I skipped lunch to help answer the phone and stayed at work for an extra 3 hours to help my co-worker finish a budget presentation for the legislature.

I drove home gently so as not to squish deer, and warned other oncoming drivers of the deery presence.

I retrieved bottle caps from the Man Cave (tm) trash to donate to a local non-profit that needs caps for a kids' art project.

And what do I get?

Someone stole my bloody trashcan off the curb.

But in positive news, Ego Likeness (my favorite band) is playing a small club tomorrow night. I am making a catnip-filled octopus toy for their kitties right now.

*Spud is away from the Earth at the moment. Please check back later.*

My top ten bands

I was tagged by boz (probably because I sent him a giant box of casette tapes way back when.)
 
Here are the easy rules:
 
1) Pick your 10 favorite musical artists.
2) Tag the journal "top 10 bands" so we can have a full tag page of all our lists!
3) Pick 8 more people to do this! Make sure to link them to your original post.

***Not in any particular order!*** Subject to change without notice. I loved Panasonicyouth's explanations for why he liked each band, but I don't think I can meet that standard. Rather, I'll just post a snippet of the lyrics that hooked and held me from each artist/group.

1) The Cure

you shatter me
your grip on me
a hold on me
so dull it kills
you stifle me
infectious sense
of hopelessness and
prayers for rain
i suffocate
i breathe in dirt
and nowhere shines
but desolate
and drab the hours all spent
on killing time again
all waiting for
the rain

2) Gary Numan

Thought I was asleep
Lost to dreams
I was dying in a big machine
Didn't think the voice that called me
Could be real.

Thought I woke up
Lost my faith
I was staring at the face of rage
Didn't think I'd see the demon in "His" heart.

Thought I saw blood
Turn to wine
A vision from the angel wars
Didn't think I'd find the saviour in the dark.

3) Depeche Mode

I'm taking a ride
With my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
He knows where he's taking me
Taking me where I want to be
I'm taking a ride
With my best friend

4) Ego Likeness

This is not a bitter anthem
I have no quarrel here with you
Its just have so little patience
And I know what I must do

I am the quiet thief within
Taking all that you hold dear
I am wiser for your lessons
You have taught me well

So bring it on heavy Severine
Youre coming through loud and clear
Show me no mercy Severine
Youll still have sanctuary here

5) The Magnetic Fields

The world does the hula-hula when my boy walks down the street
Everyone thinks he's Petula so big and yet so petite
Butterflies turn into people when my boy walks down the street
Maybe he should be illegal he just makes life too complete...

6) The Cruxshadows

I've seen the terrible hand of struggle
and felt the pain that hubris brings
I have tasted the wisdom of divinity
and the horror of its sting

And though they tell you i am lost
and their words report my death is come
the fates have left me breathing still
Very much alive

7) Black Tape for a Blue Girl

She was so beautiful to watch
Swirling in and out of view
A seemingly Spanish dance
Her hands and heels
Moved this girl
With eyes downturned

Subtle flesh stirs beneath blackened threads
Blind and tempting
Shy and enticing, yet I fear
She'll disappear before the night ends

8) Bauhaus

Following the silent hedges
Needing some other kind of madness
Looking into purple eyes
Sadness at the corners
Works of art with a minimum of steel

Pure sensation
The beautiful down grade
Going to hell again
Going to hell again

9) David Bowie

There's always the Diamond friendly
Sitting in the Laugh Motel
The Heart's filthy lesson
With her hundred miles to hell

Oh, Ramona - if there was only something between us
If there was only something between us
Other than our clothes

10) VAST

You're made of my rib or baby
You're made of my sin
And I can't tell where your lust ends
And where your love begins

I didn't want to hurt you baby
I didn't want to hurt you
I didn't want to hurt you
But you're pretty when you cry

I'm only tagging 4 because I'm a slacker. TAG: Ghostgirl, qlaudiaq, xris, hulahulagirl

RULES
1. You post your top 10 fantasy guys/girls
2. You tag 10 people.
3. You CANNOT tag someone who has already been tagged.
4. You have to let the people you tagged know that they've been tagged.
5. These are the rules they must be repeated every time.
6. THERE MUST BE PHOTOS! AT ALL TIMES!

OK! In the long torrid history of my invisible boy/girlfriends, many have plagued the mind of Spud. This list is in no particular order, it will change in 5 minutes, and is often *specific* to the roles that said celebrities played.

1. Henry Rollins. I have all his books, DVDs, signed limited release B-sides. I've seen him 3 times live. There is a signed poster with all 3 ticket stubs hanging in my hallway. It's the tattoos, the angry man persona, the humor...HOMINA.



2. Ryan Phillipe in Cruel Intentions as well as in general.


3. Dita Von Teese - love the look, love the demeanor, she gets 1,000,000,000 fashion bonus points.


4. Julia Stiles - I dig that she's writing/directing short films now. Plus there's something just so endearing about her. She cries out, "Squish me, I'll make a cute noise!"


5. Robert Sean Leonard in Swing Kids. He's depressed. He's German. He can dance. Who could ask for anything more?



6. Neil Gaiman's Death. *sigh* The perfect Goth girl ^_^


7. Paul Bettany in A Knight's Tale - c'mon! Chaucer! Hot! Bonus - he looks quite a lot like Duck.


8. Danny Elfman's voice. Oingo Boingo's song Flesh n' Blood gives me tingles.


9. Joanie Dodds from America's Next Top Model - she's got that pin-up charm that I obviously adore.


10. Louise Brooks - she started a hairdo revolution, I have to give her credit for being a hottie ahead of her time.

8 random things about Spuddie.

Panasonicyouth started this craziness, Shapeshifter and DVL tagged me.

Here are the rules:
1) Only list 8 facts.
2) You must then list 8 TAGS at the end of the post. This means you must name 8 people on Buzznet who now must do the same blog.
3) Go comment on their profile and tell them to come read yours!


1. I like nearly every incarnation of "Spud" (i.e. Spuddy, Spuddie, Spudish) except for Spudley.

2. I have an oil painting of a nekkid woman above my computer. It was given to me in return for helping an artist friend move last month. The model is wearing an ankle bracelet and that is the one thing everyone notices and mentions.

3. The power antenna on my car is broken. This angers me.

4. It takes me an insane amount of time to get ready in the morning. I am consistenty 5-15 minutes late to work but I don't really care.

5. I visit cuteoverload.com, etsy.com, and icanhascheezburger.com several times a day. You have a coffee break? I have a cute break.

6. I tried to eat a Peep last Easter. It didn't work out.

7. I can only knit scarves. I'd like to knit/crochet all kinds of amigurumi, socks, sweater coats, mermaid tails, but I seem to be incapable of teaching myself.

8. Anthropologie would eat my soul if I had the funds to afford their clothes. I sometimes get a little clothing crazy - but refuse to buy something unless it's at least 50% off. Which explains why Duck has a mere 3-foot section of our walk-in closet.

I tag thee in the name of SPUD: hendrix, athenspie, pixeltopia, csad2549, alexv, zilzala, xris, aurore 

Everything was going fine. Got into school, got a job, was leaving tomorrow to scope out places to live. And then this.

I'm very sick. I don't know why. My docs don't know why. This has been building up for quite some time. I'm losing weight rapidly and can't eat without a lot of pain. A part of it has to do with anxiety. I handle anxiety differently now than I did 5+ years ago. I simply have too much on my plate and it is literally killing me.

Solution, for now - I'm trying to defer my enrollment at UO based on a medical condition. An as yet unknown medical condition. I've talked about grad school for YEARS and there is no way I'm giving up my goals. I have to get healthy first, and then I can proceed with my plans to conquer the world.

Sorry zil, pie, hula, and hendrix. I won't be moving to your neighborhood soon. I'm very sad about that. I will work out a visit in the coming year. Thanks everyone for all the words of support and congrats (especially dvl). Loves to all.

Spuddy Out.

Oregonians beware! An ominous Spud lurks on the horizon.

Really this post only applies to hulahulagirl, zilzala, and athenspie, (and Hendrix/Copper Queen because they are willing to travel) but I know some of you are just curious.

• I am moving to Eugene, Oregon (old crumbly news)
• I will be there by August 1st (slightly fresher, but still old news)
• I'm moving because I got into grad school at the University of Oregon (dinosaurs wrote this news)
• I got a part-time job with University Housing (brand-new-outta-the-package news!)
• I will be there for (minimum) 3 years - so you BETTER invite me up to Portland! (threatening news)
• I will miss Boise and Idaho in general, but this is for the good of humanity, so I'm pretty much OK with it now (ego-stroking news)
  
• I am not leaving Buzznet, but I will be a schtoodent again so don't expect a lot of updates (^_^)
• Spuddy Out (Go Ducks)
  

This list was happily stolen from my friend Beccacat

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Traveling to Europe stands out in my mind. Got airsick. Had tooth decay (2 little cavities, I was so depressed).

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! At least 3 new humans since the summer.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, Dan Harpole, my boss. Died December 29, 2006 after a year with a rare cancer.

5. What countries did you visit?
Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, (not really counting Amsterdam, Netherlands, only spent airport time there.)

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Any semblance of wrist strength.

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 4, 2006 - getting though GLOYF with Duck without wrecking the canoe. Swimming through the next 2 rapids and smiling about it (much later).

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finishing the Jacobs-Uberuaga House project, FINALLY. And consequently getting national recognition among my peers in the field.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Silly, but not meeting my physical fitness goals.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Tendonitis in both thumbs/wrists.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
It's a tie between rare vinyl for Duck and my bag by Queen Bee.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My hedgehogs.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Idaho conservative voters.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Erm. Lunch.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
EUROPE! (not the band) And Duck getting me an iPod shuffle. And getting the diamonds for my wedding ring. Also finishing/mailing my grad school application and wrapping up writing my chapter of the book about the museum project.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Why Can't I Be You, The Cure - heard it on the streets of Prague.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
Sadder today. Maybe happier tomorrow.

ii. thinner or fatter?
10 pounds thinner.

iii. richer or poorer?
Decidedly richer. i.e. Not in debt. Visa balance = $0.00

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exercise.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating foods that make my stomach hurt. Like anything cow-related.

20. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?
In Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, Czesky Krumlov, and Budapest. In Christmas Markets drinking Gluhwein.

22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
More and more.

23. How many one-night stands?
0

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Heroes

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
nope

26. What was the best book you read?
The Pendergast series by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Wades!

28. What did you want and get?
Three stellar recommendations from three people I trust immensely for my grad school app. The feeling of not being so small in the museum field. My peers called me a rising star and it makes me short of breath to think about that.

29. What did you want and not get?
All necessary car repairs.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Thank You For Smoking

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
25, went to dinner with friends and fam

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to wait to find out if I was ACCEPTED to grad school!!!!!!

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
ummmmm...purple.

34. What kept you sane?
Nightmare Bears

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
(drawing a blank)

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Mid-term elections.

37. Who did you miss?
Dan

38. Who was the best new person you met?
(Multiple in person) DVL, Mannaz, Hendrix & the Copper Queen!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." - Wm. Morris

So, friendly Buzznetters, if you haven't yet noticed, I have a countdown running at the top of the page. LOOK! I'm leaving for Hungary in 14 days. This is my very first trip out of the country and I'm feeling the usual laundry list of travel anxiety. So many questions! Such as:

- Will the TSA let me carry Peeps on the plane? Do Peeps count as a gel? Is it against the law to squish Peeps on the streets of Salzburg?
- Does Flat Stanley get airsick?
- Am I likely to get trapped in one of those pay-to-pee public toilets?
- How do you say, "I'm sorry, I seem to have euthanized your dog. Please accept this American confection as restitution." in Hungarian?

To describe my joy at this upcoming journey in terms of toddlers poking marmots really doesn't even touch the emotion. I'm like...crazy person who just found a dead bird...THAT kind of happy! My itinerary for this trip is short, but filled with great activities:

December 21 - getting the hell outta Dodge
Dec 22 - Landing in Budapest, driving to Vienna (staying across the street from Schonbrunn Palace)
Dec 23, 24, 25 - Salzburg (Fabulous fortress and residence tours, possible Peep carnage)
Dec 26, 27 - Prague (Castle and crypt tours)
Dec 28, 29 - Budapest (I play my part in the Infinity Project, and see a Van Gogh exhibit!)
Dec 30 - Back to Dodge, followed by jet lag.

Wish me luck.

Spuddy Out

Anjuli is back from Spain. I'm celebrating by getting away from the office and not thinking about work for one precious three day weekend. This is how I've spent my day so far.

- slept in 2.5 hours, then wandered around house in PJs
- had incredible sleepy homemade pancake breakfast with Duck
- check e-mail, read news, laugh with Duck (this is more time than I usually get with him)
- giggle as Duck hops around the house in unadulterated JOY. He has just gotten 2 more Cure CDs from Amazon, re-releases and B sides
- try my new bellydancing moves to beautiful studio demos, and live tracks recorded in Paris (love the Cure!)
- took a long shower at 10am
- got back under the quilt in bed and read while Duck idles on his compy for a while
- Duck's off to work, I say goodbye and fall asleep in my book until noon (so comfy)
- get dressed to face the day
- went to the post office to apply for my Passport. Listened to the ladies in the office talk about West Nile virus. Apparently someone they know, a rural route mail carrier, has just gotten out of the hospital. They bitch about their bites from mosquitos getting in through the continuously opening office door. My passport picture doesn't look half bad.
- listening to NPR on the way back home. This American Life is on and they're talking about famous last words, famous couples, famous love. "It is a fearful thing to love what death can touch." This gets me choked up.
- back home, listening to NPR still, now talking about crashed planes and black boxes. This makes me wonder what my cousin Phillip's last words were. He was a pilot. His plane crashed a long time ago. This makes me outright cry.
- I feel silly, sitting on my couch, eating fresh pineapple, a PBJ sandwich, with tears in my eyes. It makes me take stock of my day.

It's 3:00 p.m. now. Maybe I can rework this before it all goes to hell.

The first thing I need to do...is turn off the radio.

Do you ever lay over your air conditioning vent wondering, "Why? Why do I live in the desert?"

As Duck explained to Hendrix and the Copper Queen over dinner last night, Idaho has three seasons. Winter, Spring, and August. August lasts from the end of Spring (around the start of June) until the end of September. Some of you may call this season "Summer." I envy you. To me, Summer implies the days of my youth in San Diego or Hawaii. Cool breezes over the ocean and pavement that was never too hot to stand on barefoot. August is something entirely different. Buildings become humid with evaporating sweat. The actual humidity is around 11%. Human humidity is 60-70%-Yuck.

It was in the 90s by dawn. It's around 100-something right now, and will remain so until the end of the dreaded season called August.

Whine? Why yes please, I'll have some whine. No, I don't live in Needles, Arizona where it's 120 degrees by day and cools off to a mere 98 degress by midnight. This is as bad as it gets in Idaho. And I never want to live somewhere worse.

:p

Spuddy, sweaty, Out.

They're swarming! Swarming I tell you!!

Hendrix and his Copper Queen arrive in 4 days. DVL is coming here in September. Anyone else? Zilzala? Athenspie? Trip over from Portland? We have good camping. I'm sure you can find an excuse!

The nightmare bears are squirming in their cages! So am I, I'm so excited to finally meet another Buzznetter outside Idaho. And honestly I just can't hide it. I'm fairly sure I'm about to lose control. And to tell you the truth...I think I like it. (Hah, there's a song to have stuck in your head. Put on your leg warmers and Flashdance. You know you want to.)

Spuddy Out.

 

Having spent the last 2 months working on a database of all public art in the state, I can say with authority that Franklin County is scary. Smiley faces everywhere! Not the classic yellow face/black eyed ones either. Smiley faces with 3D cowboy hats...and red eyes...painted on the end of free-standing septic tanks. Faded green smiley faces painted on cinderblock walls with rows of tiny squiggly FANGS! Technicolor dreamcoat barns with gaping mouths just waiting to gobble up cows and small children! ("Cull the weak," they say, "cull the weak.")

Come to Franklin County! Enjoy the close proximity to Preston (home of *that* movie) and crappy tourist attractions. Stay for the blood chilling smiley faces of doom.

Spuddy Out.

BAUHAUS! I SAW BAUHAUS!!!

I have a little photo album I stuff with concert ticket stubs, memorabilia, etc. I've got one page that feels really complete right now. I can look at that page and say, "Ahh. Yes, life is good." They aren't in any sort of chronological order, but my ticket stub from last night is next to my ticket from The Cure.

I haven't felt mesmerized like that in a while! SO COOL! Peter Murphy was running all over the place, jumping on top of speakers, and beating Daniel Ash with roses. I distinctly remember hearing "In the Flat Field," "She's In Parties," and "Stigmata Martyr." The rest is kind of lost to excitement. Sister? You remember? One song, the title is lost on me, lyrics include the repetition of "adrenaline."

Set list from another show, it was similar to the show last night.

Burning From The Inside
In The Flat Field
A God In An Alcove
In Fear Of Fear
Terror Couple Kill Colonel
Swing The Heartache
She's In Parties
The Passion Of Lovers
Silent Hedges
Kick In The Eye
Hollow Hills
Rosegarden Funeral Of Sores
Stigmata Martyr
Dark Entries

No "Bela Lugosi's Dead," but I imagine that after 27 yeras of playing it...you wouldn't want to play it again either.

Spuddy, still giddy, Out.

Lady posted a fantastic journal about slang earlier this month.

I started a post over there which turned into the social commentary and proposal for growth and change you see here...

I believe that the youth in my area of the country are fumbling for a sense of identity. Case in point, I overheard a lad identifying a song on his friend's iPod as "hella wicked." Note the combination of bi-coastal slang for "to like/enjoy immensely."

We need our own slang in Idaho to express such small joys. How about focusing on the potato?
"That's mashed" equivalent "sucks."
"Hashbrown!" equivalent "cool"
"Tater tots" equivalent "the epitome, i.e. the shit"
Let's throw an underutilized classic in the pool: "The tater's eyes" equivalent "The bee's knees."

How about an example in context: "Hey Spud, you wanna hit the river after work?"
"No thanks, I'm starched, maybe tomorrow." (i.e. tired/exhausted)

Suggestions?

Spuddy out, i.e. "I'm leaving."

My desk gallery is being spammed and it's making my blood boil. So until further notice, it's closed to you lovely people with desks to share with the world.

Angry Spuddy Out.

The coffee situation at my office is depressing. Given the artistic nature of most everyone in the building, one wouldn't think that we'd be drinking Folgers from the big plastic bin. I mean...where is a giant complicated espresso machine hard wired into the building when I need one? WHERE?

So at the moment my coffee imbibing experience is limited to drowning out the taste of Folgers with too much non-dairy french vanilla creamer. I get more go-go-gadget-admin-skillz from the corn syrup in the creamer than anything slightly resembling coffee from the cheapo coffeepot in the kitchen.

In other news...look at the cool photos that Anjuli took from our clay adventure. And have a good day, with good coffee. GO TO LUCY'S!

Together, ghost poo and rose air freshener smell like someone pooped on roses. Neither one overpowers the other (unless it is the mightiest of craps). People at work...turn on the fan and open a window. When walking into the bathroom is like walking smack into a wall of unholy stink, we've got a problem. Because nausea is kind of a letdown after the goodness of a soy chai.

That is all.

Spuddy Out.