aetheric shade

The Peanut That Came From Outer Space

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:37:58 -0800

Laying things to rest.

It's been well over a month since my grandma passed. It's been harder than expected on all of us. My mom had not been back inside grandma's house until just last week. I still have not ventured back in. I think we've all been kind of keeping ourselves busy with work, the upcoming holidays, and even some remodeling. My mom and I have been a bit lax in making out Thank You cards, but not one card, plant, or other thoughtful gift has gone unthankful or unappreciated. One card I was surprised to find was from Tiffany and Deidra. I was very pleased when I read the name on the address, and even more so when the card was signed from both of them. I've got it hidden away in my top dresser drawer. Thank you ladies. I have not dismissed that card one bit. We really need to get together. Put away all that old stuff, y'know?

The funeral was a terrible ordeal, emotionally. I don't like funerals. I think it just tortures the surviving family and friends even more. I just tried not to think about why I was there and focused on greeting the family. It was a closed-casket, so that helped alot. It's just weird to sit around while a loved one is on display. The service went on for quite awhile, and I was squirming the whole time wanting it to be over. At the cemetery we released balloons in my grandma's honor. I thought that was pretty weird, but I didn't say anything. I knew any opinion I had would hurt my mom's already fragile feelings.

As of now my grandma's place remains. There's still the process of going through her things and then having the place hauled out. There's not one day that goes by that I don't expect her living room light to be on with her sitting in her chair. I didn't think it would be this hard. I figured when her time came, it would be a blessing for her. Those suffering from dementia is not only hard for their loved-ones, but I imagine they cannot be happy themselves. This woman helped raise me, and now she's gone. I'm trying to think of stuff like that rather than how she passed.

And now for something more alien.

he's no longer a peanut

I am now 18 weeks pregnant! We found out on Tuesday that we are having a boy. No names have been agreed upon yet. For awhile I was scared to death, which is why I haven't been saying much about the pregnancy. I guess I'm just a freak. I know the first trimester is crucial, so I was paranoid with worry over having a miscarriage. I don't like being pregnant. I suppose most women do, but again..I'm weird. I feel terrible all the time. My migraines have tripled. I basically have one every day. I can't really take anything for them though. The doc did prescribe some migraine meds, but as with all migraine meds, they have to be taken at the onset of a migraine. Soooo when I wake up with a hardcore migraine, I just have to suffer through it. Yay. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited as hell about the baby! I just want the stork to drop him off already.

My doctor is Elizabeth Riseling over at Methodist Germantown. I really like her, which is an uncommon sentiment about doctors for me. I don't usually trust/like doctors. They're vampires, I tell you! She makes me feel comfortable though.

I'm due on May 9, the month of birthdays surrounding me. There's my grandma's (May 11), Drew's (May 23), my papaw's (May 24), and mine (May 31). Unless the baby refuses to come out til the 22nd, I'm having a Taurus boy. Heaven help us! Now if we can only figure out a name..

Requiem for a Flame

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:06:47 -0800

No one ever wants to imagine that their home or the home of their loved ones will ever have a fire. But that's exactly what happened on Monday.

I woke up around 5:30 a.m. because I couldn't sleep, and of course my cure for everything is a nice warm bath. Also I couldn't wait to get back to my book - I've been reading Shirley Conran's classic trashy novel of sex, deceit, and Lace. Everyone remembers it as the made-for-TV movie where Phoebe Cates demands to know, "Which one of you bitches is my mother?". I was in the bath when I heard my dad come inside and say, "Barb, I think your mother's house is on fire." I immediately jumped out of the tub and dressed hurriedly. I kept thinking it couldn't possibly be true, perhaps it was just something burning in the stove. I ran out behind my dad to my grandma's front porch and unlocked the door. When I opened it, clouds of black smoke roiled out. There really was a fire. I couldn't get inside: there was too much smoke. I ran back to my place to get some boots and a blanket to wrap around me. I thought maybe if I could pull that over me, I would be able to get inside. As soon as I hit my door, I yelled to Paul and told him what was going on. Running back for the porch, my mom was sitting in the rocking chair beside the door, sobbing and holding it open. I still couldn't get inside. Every time I tried, I was quickly choked with smoke. I ran back inside my mom's house, where my dad was trying to call 911. Our home phone wasn't working, so I grabbed my cell and called. Back outside my dad and I went to the back of Grandma's house, and there we could see inside her living room window that there was a blaze. Dad grabbed the hose beside his shop, and I helped him haul it to the window. He broke the window and started coating everything with water.

I left him with the hose when I heard sirens, so I ran to the driveway to direct the firetrucks in. They got out, and I yelled that there was someone inside. It seemed forever before any of them took action. I kept telling them my grandmother was inside. A few of the firefighters went inside finally. Seems my dad actually put out the fire, so all that was left was the sea of dismal smoke. The firefighters had to cut the power, so they disabled everything at my grandmother's house and proceeded trying to find her. I thought there was hope she had gotten out of the house and was safe somewhere outside. By this time our neighbors Tony and Judy had come to help, so Judy and I walked all around calling for my grandma. We didn't find her. Finally after awhile the firemen confirmed they had found my grandmother inside. She had already passed, though they couldn't tell if it was from smoke inhalation, heart attack, etc.

My mom throughout the whole ordeal was inconsolable. She kept saying, "What did I do?". She was blaming herself. In times of crisis, I just sort of shut down. I put my feelings and horrors aside and do whatever is necessary to help. After we found out my grandma was inside, the whole family just stayed to the side. By this time my brother and his wife had made it to the house. We all huddled around my mom. After what seemed like forever, one of the firemen came over to us. It was a guy that my brother had grown up with, played baseball and such. It was good to see a familiar, friendly face in the mess of unfamiliar firemen standing around everywhere. Scott let us know that a state investigator would have to come out in order to start a preliminary investigation on what caused the fire. The coroner showed up a bit after that. He was an older man, a country gentleman. He shook my and Paul's hands and told us how sorry he was for what was happening. By this time I had to change, ecause I kept smelling smoke on myself. My brother had one of the paramedics give oxygen to my mom, because she had actually made it inside farther than I did and inhaled enough to smoke to keep tasting it long after she had gone inside the smoky house. After that there was much waiting. Waiting on the fire inspector. Waiting to see what started the fire. For myself, I kept wondering if my grandmother had gotten burned. The investigators arrived, went inside, and then started their reports. They asked my dad and me questions about the events concerning what we had seen, and how we had come to call emergency. They informed us that an autopsy would have to be performed, which I figured would happen, because with any unattended death there has to be an autopsy. After the inspectors finished, they let us know that the funeral home was on the way to get my grandmother. Now Scott could finally tell my dad, my brother, and me that they think it was a space heater that caught fire. It must have been right beside her entertainment center, and once it caught fire, the blaze went up in a V-pattern up and down the walls. I asked if she was burned, and Scott said that no, the most she got was like a sunburn. They found her in the kitchen.

After the funeral home came to take my grandmother away, the firemen had also cleared out, and we were allowed to go inside. I had taken my mom inside so that she wouldn't see my grandma wheeled out, so she and Judy were busy inside while the rest of us went to see the damage. Everything was black. Only the living area got the worst of it. The entertainment center was mostly burned, the TV was melted. The grandfather clock that had been in our family for decades was gone. Pictures on the walls were gone. The fireman had taken out the couch, a small table, a few chairs, the recliner, and the desk.

You could see the imprint where my grandmother lay, just right inside the kitchen. She was on her side. That really messed with my head. We decided that my mom didn't need to see that.

Mom was worried about all of the pictures being destroyed, but luckily they weren't. Scott told us my Dad pretty much saved all that, along with mostly everything in the desk and table, with his quick thinking. Everyone aside from my mom and Judy (Tony, her husband, had left by then) started looking through the desk and table to see what could be salvaged. Aside from some minor fire and water damaged, almost everything was intact. We grabbed some boxes and started taking the pictures out of the albums. Paul stayed home from work, and helped take out the bulk of the pictures, with Cyrilla (my brother's wife) helping him. I kept checking on my mom, but she and Judy were doing normal stuff: washing clothes, straightening up, chatting. Finally Paul and I decided everyone could use some food, so we went and grabbed a mix of KFC and McDonald's. Not the most nourishing meal, but I knew we all needed to eat. One of my brother's best friends, Jay, had brought us some empty boxes and sat with us while we ate. I hadn't seem him since my brother's wedding, because Jay's friendship with my brother had been strained. I don't care what anyone says or would have said though, because Jay is just as much part of my family as anyone at the table that day. I introduce him as "my other brother".

The rest of the day alternated between making calls to the insurance company and the funeral home, making arrangements, resting; and busy work like cleaning up and protecting my mom's banana trees.

I didn't sleep well that night. I kept wondering things: if my grandmother was scared, if she thought the fire was something she could put out herself by getting water from the kitchen. It wasn't as if she couldn't get around or get out of the house, but knowing that stubborn old lady, I'm betting she thought she could take of it herself. Only she couldn't, and no one knew what was happening until it was too late.

The funeral is scheduled for Thursday. My grandmother didn't want visitation, so there will just be a short service and then the funeral. My brother is putting together the music, and I asked my brother if he would include Rasputina's version of "Wish You Were Here". My mom wants me to find some pictures to show my grandmother throughout her life. Tomorrow is going to be hard for everyone, especially my mom. But I feel safe in knowing that my grandma is in a better place.

No one ever wants to think anything like this can happen to them, but it can. So please - be safe in your own homes:

Be sure to check and replace batteries in smoke alarms in your home and the homes of your loved ones if they are unable to do this themselves.

Make sure there is a plan for fire exits and that there is a way to call for help.

Don't leave unnecessary electrical items plugged in if they aren't being used.

Make sure you have at least one fire extinguisher.

Space heaters need space! Be sure they are placed at least three feet from any furniture or walls.

Something many people may not know: be sure that the exhaust duct in your dryer is free of debris and not clogged up. Lint buildup and improper venting can lead to dryer fires.

The Untag Marathon

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:32:29 -0700

Is it weird that I haven't entered into the tag-a-thon? And by that I mean...I don't use tags. Not that I don't find use for them - they seem nifty enough. But the thing is that I would probably use weird tags like "people whose heads should be removed from their shoulders". Alright so that's a whole phrase, and I should probably go with de-head-itation. It's funnier than decap.

I have had plenty to say lately, just not the means to spit it out. Oh my hands are still attached to my body; my brain is firing off neurons left and right. Just my internal mouth has been clamped. I can't freaking get it out. Or maybe it's just the things that have been happening have been either a] too normal or b] boring as all hell. Perhaps I shall go with c] and say that after the whole.........incident....I haven't really been letting myself think.

I could say that it was a life-changing event. And maybe it was - I'm probably more cynical now and I most certainly despise (most) people than ever before. It's almost become a racist thing, which I am ashamed to admit. No one can ever say they are without racial prejudice. I most certainly was not before, given the area I live. Or more precisely - the city I live outside. But now when I'm alone and I see a black man walking towards me, I get scared. What if he has a gun?

That's been the burning question. And truly it doesn't even apply to the color of skin. Now I'm worried everyone has a gun, which isn't so unbelieveable given this day and age. Everyone wants to be a jerk with a gun. I can barely watch any movies/tv/etc. where someone is being held at gunpoint. It makes me uneasy and I have flashbacks. Even watching Devil's Rejects made me feel uncomfortable, and I love that movie.

I suppose this is all on my mind due to changes at work. The owner's so-called "right-hand man" paid us a visit and now wants us to park farther away from the terminal. And that would be fine if we weren't in a shady neighborhood where it isn't uncommon to hear gunshots. The parking lot is right behind a Mrs. Winners Chicken. We will have to walk a few hundred yards from the parking lot to the terminal (all through which trucks will be coming in with trailers). There are huge potholes everywhere, and few of the floodlights work at night. Supposedly we will not have any security at night anymore, so our cars will be out (basically) in the open. The fence is about six feet tall, so anyone can jump it and ransack our vehicles. And no one will know it, because trailers will be blocking view to the parking lot. I was livid when I found all this out. My car will be paid off in two weeks and I will be damned if some jackass is going to break into my car. AGAIN. Mister Right-Hand Man's response to probable break-in? "That's why you have car insurance." Um yeah, I pay ninety bucks a month for some jackass to get free stuff? I don't think so. The first time anyone even touches my car, I will probably lose my job for cussing someone out.

Argh my migraine is coming back.

amalgamation.

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 05:28:36 -0700

everything. this moment. there just aren't any words..

The Year Without A Summer

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:20:06 -0700

Why can't the fat dude from Accepted be in every movie? Seriously.

We went to see Knocked Up the Friday it was released in theaters. Judd Apatow never ceases to amaze me with his comic genius. From Freaks & Geeks to Undeclared and then to 40 Year Old Virgin. He's fantastic. Even more fantastic? He employs use of the same actors, people I could watch over and over. Those familiar with the Apatow stable will affectionately recognize Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr (HAVERCHUCK!), and more recently - Paul Rudd. From the first episode I saw Seth Rogen in Freaks & Geeks, I knew I'd latch onto his pants and pull furiously, hoping I'd see him again. Freaks & Geeks sadly dried up. NBC just didn't know what it had on its hands. A fucking comedy powerhouse, and - let's face it - Haverchuck was just too sexy for NBC. Undeclared hit a year after F&G's demise, this time older and more adult-like.. Well at least the characters had beer figured out. Sort of. And then went Undeclared off to the land of awesome, forgotten TV shows, where gems like Firefly reside. Til 2005, Seth Rogen kinda floated around randomly, popping up in stuff like Anchorman. And then came 40-Year Old Virgin. This was big(ger) time for Seth Rogen. And thank the fucking gods, this propelled him into Knocked Up land, where he has a starring role. It's about time, kids, because Seth Rogen? Oh yeah, he kicks ass.

The movie itself? Fucking hilarious. I laughed non-stop through the whole movie. Well..until the vagina scene. And then I got to thinking about this whole baby thing. Did I mention Paul and I are trying to have a baby? :D So the beaver scene freaks me out, and I'm here worrying about the va-jay-jay being stretched into baby oblivion, never to return to its former glory. And oh yeah - OUCH. Because babyheads appearing out of vaginas looks scary and ouch-y. Ouch. I got quiet and thoughtful for the rest of the evening. But I didn't let it faze me long. Soon we were quoting The Fat Dude, who shall endlessly remain my fucking hiro, for lines like "Hope you guys have hobo stab insurance." and "What if a body rolls out and coughs its malaria all over us?". SERIOUSLY.

Of course Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer had to be viewed upon the premiere. Oh what a pile of crap that was. Gripes: wtf happened to Mr. Fantastic's accent? What in Christ's name was wrong with Jessica Alba's eyes (and btw I wish someone would fucking decapitate her), and exactly where was all the freaking action? Silver Surfer wasn't in it that much, but his scenes were pretty much the highlight. I did want to squishy bear-hug him also. But really...nothing fucking happened in the movie. It was boring, and the whole movie was Jessica Alba being a whiny cunt. I want my 8 dollars back. Don't make me sic the kid from Better Off Dead on you, Mark Frost. Because even I would run away from that evil little bastard.

And on to Transformers. I sooo figured that my inner child would be crushed by being forced to watch the raping of my youth. In other words - it didn't suck! Transformers was actually pretty damn entertaining without being cheesy. I was pissed that Volkswagen wouldn't allow their precious Bug to be associated with war machines (considering how the Bug was birthed, hypocrites). It was a pleasant surprise to see that Bumblebee at least got the classic treatment. For awhile anyway. I was highly pissed when B went from being a beat-up classic Camaro to....the new crap. I'm glaring this very second. Most of the audience was all "Oooh" while I was like "GODDAMNIT". Fucking sellouts. Anyway...Transformers had plenty of action. The Autobots looked pretty damn decent, except their eyes looked weird. I loved Shia LaBeouf as well, he's growing on me. I never liked Even Stevens much, but the kid is a fairly good actor. I'm almost looking forward to Indy 4. I didn't like the chick in the movie. Probably because if you look into her eyes, you will realize she has no soul. She makes me shudder. And not in a good tingly way. There was a scene I wish the Fat Dude had been in: when the Autobots fall from the sky like meteors, they rain down in various places around the city. Some random dude is like "hope they have asteroid insurance!" I mean, come on! Was Fat Dude not available? That would have truly cinched that scene. Come on, Michael Bay, you need to research these things!

So Fat Dude is gonna be in Superbad, another Judd Apatow comedy gold mine, which also stars Michael Cera (aka George-Michael on Arrested Development). It's gonna be badass. And raunchy. And full of fellaysh.

The weekend before the 4th of July was spent at Paul's for their barbeque. I drove down Friday night in a terrible mood. Arrived there still in said terrible mood. Mood got worse, because I needed some alone time with Paul. But he had been drinking and therefore this did not compute. Soooo terrible mood turned to worse mood, with me calling him an asshole (hey, if it looks like a duck...). Later on we finally talked. I couldn't get him to understand my need to chill with him a bit after my terrible fucking day, so I could move on and be all shiny/happy around everyone. He decided I should just forget about the day and be all shiny/happy in the first place. Hard for me to do, when I hardly know any of these people. After our talk, I tried to get some rest, but it was so fucking cold, I couldn't sleep. I talked to Drew for awhile, and he finally got me to calm down and even laugh. After we hung up, I had relaxed enough to cut up with everyone and enjoy being around people. The next day: food fight.

Geri, who is pretty much like Paul's sister, smacks Paul in the head. Paul forks a wad of mashed potatoes at her. Geri smashes Paul's plate into his chest. Paul throws the whole plate from the living room into the kitchen and hits Geri square in the shoulder. Over? No way. Later on, Paul throws a pitcher of ice water onto Geri. She tries to nail him back. Paul grabs the water hose and goes INTO the house with it to spray her down. All I got out of it was throwing a plate of cream cheese onto Paul. And then of course I got sprayed eight hundred times with the water hose. It was a fun day. That night I tried to partake in the roman candle/bottle rocket war, but I had somehow hurt my leg. It started cramping earlier that afternoon. It hurt so bad it took my breath away, so for the rest of the day, it was still sore enough that I limped around everywhere. During the fiyahcracker war, I twisted my leg a bit and had to stop. Then I took one of the girls home back to Southaven, which is over an hour away from where Paul lives. Me and three other (16 year old) girls in the car were having a blast listening to girly-pop stuff like Avril Lavigne (hey, damnit I like that stupid girlfriend song). And I introduced them to Lily Allen, heh heh. "Alfie" is good clean fun. :-x

This weekend was our turn to have a barbeque. Not nearly as many people showed up as I thought were going to, but there was plenty enough people to join in the pool festivities. We had float races. I had a tube, Paul had Spermy the Whale, while others had a kiddie boat (this was a twelve year-old kid), a duck, and a regular float. Ahem....apparently my all knees-and-elbows self knocked a few people (read: Paul) out of the way. I wish I could have seen him under the whale trying to win the race. Then we were all doing dives and flips. Cameron had the whale. He would flip off the diving board holding the whale and land on top of it. It was pretty badass. Then Paul broke the diving board. It was fantastic: he went to dive, and crrrrrrrrrack, there it went. We all kinda hovered around it, wondering how we could get it to properly break (therefore avoiding anyone else trying to jump on it) when Paul took a flying jump onto it and got it to finally break enough so that it's unusable. Finally the food was ready not long after that, and I even ate some ribs. Anyone that knows me is aware that I mostly eat beef or chicken (not that I eat much of either). I'm damn picky about weird stuff like pork. I'm sure it will be another ten years or so before I eat any more ribs though. They just aren't my thing.

Last night we hit the "reduced admission" theater to see 300. Paul had never seen it, but I assured him it was pretty fuckin' awesome. And of course he agreed. He thought the tree scene was pretty hilarious. I might have laughed if these damn cramps weren't so bad.

Which brings me to the baby thing. Yes, we are trying to have a baby, but no luck so far. I've been off the pill since April, but I'm assuming my body hasn't readjusted itself yet. Don't worry, we won't be bringing a bastard child into the world.

Speaking of bastards, the Feebs called me again today to let me know they are still working on the case. I was having an almost pleasant day up until then. After that, PMS took over and I became Hellbeast. It just pisses me off that they haven't....done something with those fuckers.

I wish lynching was still legal in Mississippi. :D

The Rally Point Incident

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:57:21 -0700

Okay here it is:

Last night after I got off work, I didn't feel like going home, so I went to the Rally Point. I figured all of the usual people would be there, and I could just hang out and have a good time. I get there, and Lev is the only person there, which was surprising. I got a Cherry Coke and we watched Flavor of Love: Charm School, laughing at how retarded the show and what hoes the girls were. Lev put on some music & we chatted about upcoming shows. Then two black guys walked in: one wearing all red, jersey-type clothes with a red cap & sunglasses; the other wore a white shirt and maybe jeans. Both were tall and slender. I had a weird feeling when they walked in, and I almost made a joke to Lev that "oh crap, we're gonna die". I didn't say it. The two guys asked for quarters and started a game of pool. They asked if there was any hand chalk, which of course there was none. While Lev and I had our attention focused on the TV, the one in red walked up and put a gun to Lev's head and asked where the money was. Lev said it was in the cash register. So Red gets Lev out from behind the bar and has him lie down face first on the floor in front of the closest pool table. They take off his shoes and take everything in his pockets. Meanwhile, I put my hands on the bar and looked down. Red walked over to me and asked what I had, which was nothing really. He took my purse and pulled me from the chair. He patted me down and then had me lie on the floor on my back. He yanked my pants down and...eh... touched me & stuff. That's when I started freaking out a bit, crying and asking them not to do anything. Red said he wasn't going to do anything. The one in white came over and said "I'm sorry, I don't know why he did that."

They got Lev & I up and marched us to the girls' bathroom, where they put Lev facing against the wall. I stood a little off to the side between the toilet & sink. We were both shaking pretty bad. Whitey would close the door for a bit, then open it up and say crap like "don't move, or I'll blow your fuckin' head off." And I would say "I promise we aren't going to do anything." He kept thinking Lev was gonna make some quick move, and he would have me tell Lev not to move. This kept going on for awhile. Whitey kept getting more agitated while Red was rifling the bar, saying that he had already killed someone and he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

Then we heard another voice saying, "Give it up, the cops are already outside!" There was some yelling and the third voice said , "I'll give you $150 if you just leave now." And then the third person was shoved into the bathroom on his knees: Nick (I didn't know his name at the time). They closed the door again, leaving us alone for a bit. Nick said he almost had one of them, but then his partner came out with a gun. He asked if me & Lev were alright. Whitey started poking his head in again, agitated with Nick, telling him not to make a move, blah blah. I asked the guy if he wouldn't point the gun at us, because we weren't going to do anything. So for awhile he would point the gun upwards. It made me too nervous with the guy pointing it at us, I was afraid he'd squeeze the trigger. Once Nick bumped against the door, and Whitey came in asking what the hell he was going. Nick said it was hurting his knees to be in that position, because he'd had surgery on them. So Whitey is all like, "You don't know what I've been through, they put me in foster care, blah blah."

Finally after awhile we didn't hear anything. Nick knocked on the door once..then twice, and nothing happened. Then he opened the door and stuck his head out saying, "Hello?". No one answered, so he made a break for the door, unlocking it and leaving it open. Lev & I waited a few seconds and took off after Nick. We went to the Z Market across the parking lot, Nick telling the guys to call the police. These dudes apparently do not know what 911 is, because they were just kinda like "Huh?" And then I grabbed onto Lev and started sobbing. We just held onto each other for awhile. Nick was finally able to call the cops, and then we waited around after that. The Z Market guys let us all have a free soda, since we had no money of course.. They took 5 bucks from me, about thirty from Lev, and 150 from Nick. No telling how much they got from the bar. They took our phones, which pissed me off, because getting a new phone is a bitch. But hey...I was just glad we got out physically unscathed.

Later on after the cops, Nate, Jen, Ray, and Aubrey showed up, Nick noticed an ID in the stool by the door. ....It belonged to Whitey. Stupid ass motherfucker. Apparently someone had called my phone after they left, and one of the dudes answered, talking all kinds of shit.

Anyway...that's mostly the whole story. I'm as okay as I can be I guess. It was hard for me to sleep, because every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the events replay in my head. I really think that Nick showing up saved us though. Those guys just seemed like they were looking for a reason to shoot someone.

I just hope Lev & Nick are alright. I thank Nick for showing up, and I'm glad I didn't just keep on driving when I saw there was no one at the Point. I don't know if I will be able to go back for awhile, but guys, don't let it stop you from checking out all the awesome shows. Good people work there and good people hang out there. Show your support for Nate, the bands, and the bar. I might come up there one day...

I am off work today. If for some reason you want to call & chat, my home number is 662-895-5350. I'm not going anywhere. I should have a new phone in the morning, so if you wanna msg me with your number & stuff, please do.

Everyone be careful also. You never know what might happen. <3

I Heart Jane Jensen

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:21:00 -0700

I swear Jane Jensen is psychic. She posted a bulletin on MySpace, and I thought to myself, "I fucking love Jane Jensen." And then I checked my comments to find she had said "thank you". So Jane, will you marry me?? She is so hot. <3

Rat Babies and Other Misnomers

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 22:44:35 -0800

Note to self: Got to know your place, dumb degenerate lowlife.

Friday three-fourths of the 'Squad hit up CK's for coffee, hash browns, rings of fire, and somewhat deep banter. The more I'm with Anna, the more worried about her I become. I feel like I need to do something. Get her away from that crowd or the temptation...something. My worry is tantamount to a mother hen. It's hard just to be a friend. I just want to wave a magick fucking wand and make everything better for her. Yeah it's fun to drink and be merry, but there's got to be limits. And hell that doesn't even halfway cover my thoughts on her situation. But damn I love that gal.

Saturday Rhys and I went shopping and then to Fox and Hound to eat. Now when I went to the new Fox & Hound in Southaven with my crew at work, we didn't really eat. We were there to drink and be retards. However, I do recall snarfing down some rather tasty nachos. I was skeptical that any of the other food would really be good, but I was pleasantly surprised when I had one of their Alpine Angus burgers. It has swiss cheese & mushrooms on it. And oh how I fucking love mushrooms. Sometimes I even bust out a can and eat them smooth by themselves. :-x

Later on that night the 'Squad minus Anna went to the Hi-Tone. There we were treated (a term I use loosely) to a reggae band. There were lots of fucking potheads there. I wanted to introduce them to my blowtorch. Fucking potheads. And then the main band played - some hip hop band whose name I half remember. Tunnel something. They were alright. I liked their beat enough to shake my ass a little. We left there and went to Liquid Lounge, but by this time I was extremely tired so we didn't stay long. I made Rhys drive us home from his place, harrr.

Sunday I forced him to watch Night Watch, which I now realize is probably pretty fucking boring and pointless to anyone but me, because I know pretty much the whole mythology and workings of the series. I finally got to see all of Kung Fu Hustle though, a must-add to my collection. Later on were supposed to go to Murphy's for a breast cancer benefit for some chick. On the way there we decided Mexican sounded reaaallly fuckin' good and stopped by El Porton. Soon as I pulled up, I see Marty's red truck, so I knew who all was there: my woman, Mel; Marty (of course); and Pat (hey I thought they broke up?). We ate our meal, but I couldn't finish mine. Damn Mexican restaurants like that give you too much food. It's awesome! When we were through I tugged Rhys over with me to say hi to the 11 Crew. Mel looked pretty dern cute with red hair. I miss her. ;_; We talked for a minute and then headed over to Murphy's. Some band named Rat Babies were playing when we walked in. I liked them. They were pretty funny and their covers were decent, two of which were "Ruby Soho" and "Breakin the Law". I watched Chris dance and laughed a lot. He dances like he's stepping on glass. Not that it's a bad thing. Anna rode around on Girl!Chris's back a lot, and I saw an old classmate from high school. I used to be so mean to Finn. :D

We ended up leaving at 12, because we were pissed and stuff. And besides, I was tired again. I've caught up on all that sleep, but damn I feel like a zombie.

I don't like talking about icky stuff like boys a lot, but things are going really good, and I'm really hopeful for the future. Like....actually thinking about the future instead of wishing there was a future to be had. I guess my only pitfall is my jealousy. I shouldn't be suspicious of the ex, but goddamnit, I have a vagina. That explains every fucking thing.

And now I hafta catch up on the season finale of Dexter. Michael C. Hall? So fucking creepy. ;_;

From the Benefit Show

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 10:34:38 -0800

Last night at the Rally Point benefit show for the Memphis Food Bank

My Kick Ass Boo-Hoo Cello Rock Rocks Harder Than Yours

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 14:00:41 -0800

And also, I am now part of a superhiro group! More on that later....

Tuesday night, I hit the Hi-Tone for hot, rockin' Rasputina booty action. At first people were "not allowed inside til the doors opened at 9", even thought it was eight goddamn fifty. Outside I met up with Sara, whom I have not seen in years!; and her friends Tannith, Brian & Trevor. We snagged a table and proceeded to masturbate to the glory of all that which was Rasputina. Errr.....wait, that came later. First we were subjected to two bands: Aberdeen City and Twin Pilot. TP went up first, earning them the title of "Band We Wish Would Shut Up", because the sound was freaking horrible. You couldn't understand a word the lead singer was saying. Now Twin Pilot is actually a really kickass band, so it kinda irks me that their set was borked by bad sound. Aberdeen City sounded a lot better and livened things up a bit. And now the good part:

Raspy's set? Not so long. It was smoky, and the sound was back to being borkish. Melora coughed a lot, and Steph couldn't hear herself on the monitor.

Set list (in no particular order, especially that of performance):

Barracuda
Things I'm Going to Do
AntiqueHighHeelRedDollShoes
Oh, Bring Back the Egg Unbroken
Leechwife
If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man You Love
Signs of the Zodiac
Watch T.V.
Rats!
Saline the Salt-Lake Queen
Secret Message
State Fair

And at least two more songs I didn't recognize, one where Jonathon sang a solo! It was sexy and boombastic.

I am glad I got to see Rasputina, despite the sound-suckishnessicity. Before going onstage, I asked Jonathon to sign my HWQTF promo CD (yes, bitches, the awesome rare box), and he gladly obliged. I think Stephanie may have thought I was some weird stalker, because she walked by me, and I was like "Hey Steph, can you sign my CD?" She agreed but asked if it was okay if she did it after the show. Yay! I bought TONS-O-RASPY-SHIT: a tee, a hoodie, a sticker, Melora's new CD, and two posters. I got all three Rasputinians to sign my Frustration Plantation poster, as well as HAWT, BUTTSMACKIN' PICS.

The band members very all nice. Melora looked tired, and I told her I was very sad that they did not play "Yellow Cake", and mentioned that I noticed she'd coughed a lot. :[ Stephanie was friendly also, especially when I mentioned that I had messaged her on MySpace, and she seemed to recognize me after that. (See there, I'm all fucking fangirly nerdy & shit, but like I said before, girl can play some cello, and I love me some Graces.)

And without further adieu, pics of me and the sexiest maux fauxs ever:

What am I doing??

Melora my hiro

She rocks harder than you

Now back to the Post Apocalyptic Hiros (my superhiro triple triad pirate-ninja gang!), who kicked some ass last night.

Christobal Rexonator

Christoban Rexifer called me last night to see if I wanted to hang. We decided to meet at Murphy's, since I'd never been there, and hear some bands play. We meet up and check out Jason....somebody on the stage. He was a pretty good singer - sounded a bit like Elvis Costello (a fact that he would later tell us is pointed out to him allll the time). He was entertaining enough with the beer we were drinking. Next up, David Brook..something. He was also talented, and wowed the audience with his rendition of the Star-Spangled Tongue. That's the national anthem played on his guitar with his tongue. I liked his songs actually, they were kinda spiffy. He did two covers: John Lennon's "Happy Christmas" and Nirvana's "In Bloom". Both were very good.

This is where the fun begins.

ghostface killahs! murdock not pictured.

Chris says, "hey is that my friend Anna?", and walks up to the bar. I kept glancing up there thinking she looked familiar. So I casually walked up & heard Chris telling the girl she was the second coolest chick at the bar, the first being his friend Cari. When she turned around - it was my ANNA-BANANA! Just the same as I remembered: fantabulous mohawkish hair, petite, and rockin' like all get-out. So of course we reminisced, and she mentioned she had run into Rhys recently. She called him & told him to meet us at Murphy's when he got off work. Anna and I had a great time listening to music, retelling old jokes, and harrassing Chris. I promised Chris I would dance with him to the B-52's "Rock Lobster", so when it came on, we boogied like the land of no return. Crazy-like!! And then Rhys walked in, and holy shit he had changed; still as tall as I remembered, but not as skinny. Definitely wayyy sexier, especially sporting a purple mohawk. Hot damn. Rhys introduced me to his pal Willie, a guy I know I recognized from somewhere. We hugged a long time, and then one of us ejaculated, "Shit, we need to go to CK's!" like we did back in the day. We piled up in our cars and made our merry way to CK's on Highland.

Chris did not show up, but the rest of us ordered coffee, and Anna got her usual hashbrowns. I didn't order any; instead I let Anna feed hers to me. We played two-thirds of our songs in the jukebox: "Paint It Black" and "Ring of Fire". Sadly they no longer had "Devil Went Down to Georgia". And there we were back together like old times, like it was just fucking yesterday, when this black dude comes walking in. He asks us in a low voice if we can spare some cash, because he was trying to get gas money to go to West Memphis. Anna answered back in a loud-ish voice, "We don't have any money, dude!". The guy gets all mad, saying "Don't say that, you're making me sound like I'm a bum!" And then asked if we wanted to buy his ugly ghetto-ass gold watch. When he slinked off towards the door, suddenly I saw Rhys and Willie get up and there was a commotion in the doorway. Anna and I had no freaking clue what'd happened. The guy had snatched money from a girl at the counter. The chick jumped on top of his ass, helping the Rhys and Willie hold the guy down. It got very scary after that. I kept telling Anna to get down, in case he had a gun. I was really worried that the dude was gonna hurt Rhys or Willie. At the time, I didn't know the girl had jumped on him though. Someone called the cops, and two minutes later the place was swarming with five-oh. It took probably five guys to tote the wanna-be thief out to a squad car. It was chaos for awhile, but it eventually died down. We had to stay awhile for the cops to take statements from Willie & Rhys. Finally we were able to leave at around 6:30 a.m., but I don't think anyone was feeling like they could sleep.

After that, we formed a superhiro pact, that destiny brought our nerd asses together, and at least once a week we had to get together and be the A-team Voltron Post Apocalyptic Hiro squad. I am really fuckin tired right now. I haven't had any sleep, so that's why all the caps and bad-assery Cari!Speak. My mum won't let me sleep, she keeps asking me to do stuff. It's alright though: I'm quite giggly and content, and I found something I lost that I'm never fucking letting go of again.

Holy shit though, last night was so fucking awesome.

How DO You Stop An Exploding Man?

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 22:14:24 -0800

I TOLD you Claire's dad was evil. I just wonder what the hell he's up to. For the next 39 days I will probably be very bitchy without my Hiros fix.

Sooo so much unbelievable shit going on. Hiro battling a T-rex?? Awesome! He really needs to find that sword.

Randomness: (spoilerage also)

- Claire, honey, you should have figured that your dad had something to do with your best friend and your brother's mindwipes.

- Premonition!Peter became Nuclear Man and went all explode-y!

- Haitian guy can talk! And he's in league with higher powers, it seems.

- Matt, you are more than cute. I love Clea Duvall, but she looks so dumpy in this show.

- OH NOES! Sylar is loose!

- Didn't care about Eden. Meh.

- Niki/Ikin is getting old. Show some more of the kid's powers already.

- Nathan has got to be evil.

- Mr. E-sock!

Start Wearing Purple

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:43:41 -0800

I'm a gypsy punk.

While out shopping yesterday, Fungus 53 played this band called Gogol Bordello, a gypsy punk band from NYC. The song was titled "Start Wearing Purple". It's an odd song, utilizing accordions (a much underrated instrument) and different languages. I snagged a bunch of their songs, and Gogol Bordello plays like a gypsy carnivale - dark, campy, and full of circus freaks. I love it.

It got me to searching for similar bands, and I found Devotchka, a punk-like band from Denver. They also have a unique sound, but I'm liking Gogol Bordello better.

Start Wearing Purple

Rasputina

Rasputina is coming Tuesday, and I'm terrible excited. I took the day off to be sure I would have plenty of time to make it there, since I always fucking get stuck at work no matter what time I go in. I cannot miss any part of Melora! I shall buy all their merch and proclaim how much more cowbell is needed! It will be sad not seeing Zoe with them, but I respect her decision to go solo, and truth be told, her solo stuff is pretty awesome. However, the effervescent Stephanetchka will be with Melora & Jon, and if The Graces are any indication, girl can play some cello.

Today we finally put up the Christmas tree, an event that is more chore than anything else. I hate putting up decorations, because my mom has Xmas shit for everything. Wreaths, lights, carousels, etc. All we did was put the tree up and string lights around it, both white and colored - a compromise since my brother likes white lights, and I prefer the colored ones. It looks pretty neat. After that I just kinda hid. Christmas is not a fun time of year for me anymore, due to memories of loved ones dying around this time, people intruding on my family time, and being broke until March of the next year. Besides I have a single income, and I can't afford to buy presents for everyone anymore.

"Because you think he's black."

I'm gonna watch some of The Office now.

Pfft I'm a Redneck Woman

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 11:04:27 -0800

Yep. Sure am.

Well the Gretchen Wilson concert didn't draw the crowd I expected. Not that the Grand arena wasn't packed, but there were tons of old people there. That must have been a lot of free tickets given away to consistent gamblers. We had great seats, though, to the left of the stage. When Gretchen walked out, I definitely did not believe it was her - the woman is skinny as all hell, and wayy shorter than I imagined. She wore jeans & a black midriff-showing tank with three inch spike heels. Of course, I knew like maybe two of her songs (the main one being "Redneck Woman" of course). She put on a dandy show, however, and she had cute guys in her band. After a buncha country, she finally asked if the crowd was ready for some rock 'n' roll, and then proceeded to belt out the best fuckin' cover of "Barracuda" I've ever heard. And that's saying a lot, because I'm particularly partial to Rasputina's version... All in all it was a good time. Uh I think I might buy her CD.

Yesterday I shopped around, but didn't buy much. I went to Comics & Collectibles and snagged Bizenghast vol 1, The Art of Ranma 1/2, and Dogwitch vol 1. Sean was working, but I didn't harrass him. Instead I went to Wild Oats and got two forest berry tarts. They are so freaking good. ;_;

Also: I just purchased a firejewel - necklaces with lightup crystals. I saw some girls at the concert last night wearing them, and I had to have one.

Crush with Eyeliner

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 09:48:41 -0800

There's nowhere to go but crazy. So let's go.

Last Wednesday: Neil's is fun when I can let go of the unsociable-ness. Last week was one of the fantastic nights. It's been too long to remember anything but the hot chick makin' out part. Oh, and I was one of them. Yep. Me + hot chick = boob grabby-ness and tongue action. That was some hot action. I do remember busting out enough balls to sing Tracy Bonham's "Mother Mother", and I have to say that I don't think it was too horrible.

Last Friday: Aw hell. I went to a football game at my high school. It was the biggest game of the season - against South Panola, MS, who are ranked 12th in the nation. I had my fingers crossed that we would beat them for once, but the boys on that team look like MEN. One guy was 6'7", and I swear the rest of them had to be third year seniors. They spanked us. We left at the top of the 4th quarter with the score 21 to 7. The final score was 35 to 13. We haven't beaten them since around '84. Those cornfed mofos are undefeated.

Thanksgiving was celebrated last Sunday. We had the usual turnout, and we ate smoked turkey with all the usual delicious Turkey Day fare. I just don't get excited about holidays much anymore though.

This week at Neil's (it's like a soap opera, stay tuned for next week when Alfonso discovers he's a woman trapped in a man's body) was another enjoyable evening. Doyle showed up and sang "Rebel Yell". Mark & a buncha other people did "Bohemian Rhapsody". I had a good time hanging out with Mark & his friends. My tats got lots of attention, because I wore a top that was low in the back. I don't usually show that much skin, but the top was pretty dern cute. I sort of have a picture, if Mark would ever send it to me. >:-

Tonight I am going to the Gretchen Wilson concert with Dawn! It will be my first country concert, so uhhh I don't know the "country" etiquette. With metal shows, you just kinda show up, drink beer, yell a whole lot, and mosh. I don't even know what to wear! I don't think fans there would appreciate any of my Slipknot shirts.. I wonder if any stores at the mall have something appropriate. And also this would probably be a great op to hit Cowboy Corner for a new hat, yess! I am so country. ;_;

Wild Oats Market is calling me. It's saying "come eat a blackberry tart, you knowwww you want one." Damn rapist.

There's a large number of yeast infections in this county

nospam@example.com (Cari) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 01:12:00 -0800

(22:13:48) not you: i wanna gut you like a fish
(22:14:03) azel: thats the most romantic thing ive heard in a long time ;_;

And so Sunday was spent randomly online, napping, and watching Teh Office. I am such a lazy bastard. I even chatted online, which I haven't done in awhile. It was pleasant harrassing people and discussing the complete sexyness of drunken turtle sex.

Squidbillies needs to be released on DVD already. Early is my hero, and I worship his sexy trucker hats. Metalocalypse seems to have been written by Keith Richards while masturbating on the toilet. New Aqua Teens makes my pants shrink in the crotch region. I have a raging phantom boner for Frylock.

Best quote of today:

Dwight: "There's a large number of yeast infections in this county.
..Probably because we're downriver from the old bread factory."