The White Stripes

Music Week

Read and be jealous....

Tuesday:
White Stripes concert with Sam and Mel. Five solid hours of live music from three wonderful bands. First was M.Ward who is basically the pre-reincarnation of Bob Dylan. "Pre" because, as we all know, Bob Dylan is still very much alive. Still, M. Ward is probably the closest I'll ever come to seeing Bob Dylan perform. It's folk-rock with a good message. And a kick-ass drummer, who's a girl. I wanted to marry her.

The Shins performed next. They are wonderful, I am a fan, and you should be too. I fell in love with the keyboardist/bass player/guitar player/vocalist/tushy-shaker...adorable.

Then, drum roll please, the White Stripes. The stage was monochromatically mesmerizing. Jack White is so fucking talented it made me want to cry. Meg White, bless her soul (as Sam would say) is the cutest little thing. She was looking pretty hot too, rockin' leather pants. They played every song I wanted to hear, and so many more, for almost 2 hours. I had multiple musical orgasms.

And before all that, I bought tickets to a concert on October 21, 2005 to see the Bravery.

Wednesday:
I have officially become part of the MP3 player fad. My Creative Zen Micro came in today while I was at work. I bought it on Ebay and saved about $50, cool points for me. It's the reason I'm still awake right now, I've already loaded about 400 songs onto it. The first song I heard on my new little black and blue friend was Coldplay's "Clocks".

Why "Clocks"?

Because...

Friday:
Coldplay concert with Sam. I'm not a very religious person; I'm a Catholic mostly by tradition. Music is my religion; it's the only thing I really believe in. Experiencing good music is a religious experience. Experiencing good music live, less than 10 feet away from the creator of your salvation, is too overwhelming to even consider. I'm honestly scared I might faint. I already know I'm going to cry...no, I'm going to weep. Kleenex are absolutely necessary.

I have to go to sleep now before I get myself too excited to sleep. Then I'll be screwed.

I Heart British Boys

Before I start, I must say, mentholated cough drops are quite the confectionery delight.

I'm in love with an English man. He's older than me, he's tall, thin, with short brownish hair and beautiful blue-gray eyes. I met him a while ago, it was love at first sight. But due to reasons beyond our control, I haven't seen him in a long time.

That all changed tonight. For the first time in weeks, I got to sit down and watch an entire episode of House. Dr. House, or Hugh Laurie, is my knight in shining armor. Don't google him, you'd probably question my sanity. He's probably old enough to be my daddy, but the way he plays Dr. House turns me on. Who'd you think I was talking about??

I didn't even know he was British. I was browsing through an old Entertainment Weekly and he was interviewed for some "hot summer shows" list. He likes motorcycles and think people in LA drive like baboons on crack. I thought that was funny. He's also married with teenage kids. I thought that was sad.

The first season of House is on DVD (ALERT: Christmas present). The second season started last week. I caught the second episode, it was hot. He saved this little 9 year-old girl with cancer. Then he snorted antihistamines. All in day's work for Dr. House. He's so dreamy.

Okay, so maybe my sanity is questionable. I just can't control myself when it comes to those crazy Brits...Jude Law, Hugh Grant, Ron Weasley, David Beckham, Chris Martin, Joseph Finnes, Paul Bettany, Kris Marshall, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Ringo Starr. Okay, the last two are a joke, but you get my drift.

Psychedelic

It's the night of August 22, 2005, the birthdays of my cousins Leticia (17) and Mario (19). After a family-friendly celebratory dinner at the Red Lobster, Leticia, Mario, Denise (15, also cousin), and I walk to a remote part of Mario's neighborhood and smoke pot from the bowl Leticia got as a present from her best friend (what a great friend).

Twenty minutes later, we emerge from this dark remote place, high as kites. What do we do next? We decide to drive into Washington DC. We're driving, my aunt's car, with no particular destination in mind but we are enjoying ourselves, listening to music and laughing about everything and nothing. Eventually we decide to go to 14th Street, where the prostitutes roam. Except when we get there we realize it's too early and there are no prostitutes yet. Damn, we were disappointed. However, we did spot a rather unattractive transvestite in a short skirt, so the ride was not in vain.

As we're driving around, looking for prostitutes, I start taking pictures out the window. I ended up with a series photos that at the time, I thought were GENIUS. These pictures were going to make me a famous photographer, and everyone in the car had to stop and praise my photography. Sadly, my cousins told me to shut up and stop being buzz-kill. I still think they're pretty cool. This picture looks like three arrows pointing upwards.

After our drive in DC we visited my other cousin (I've got plenty of them, trust me) Fausto (19). It was also his birthday, and he was very deep into an substance-fueled celebration with his friends. Needless to say, it was a good night. I love my family.

Simple Pleasures

I don't know about you, but the word "pleasure" makes me think about sex. This isn't going to be about sex though, so I'm sorry if I just made you think that I was going to talk about sex. Or if I just polluted your mind with thoughts of sex. Not that it's bad to think about sex. Just don't think about it right now, because this isn't about sex. Okay? Alright.

I was thinking today about the simple pleasures in life; the random and sometimes questionable things that I really like and make my life a little brighter. I thought I would share. Maybe a few will be relatable, some are unique to me, and I do expect many to be random and/or questionable.

Mendy's Simple Pleasures

• peak autumn days when all the trees have changed colors and the air is cool and crisp
  
• smoking the first cigarette of a fresh new pack
• red hair (Ron Weasley...grrr)
• sleeping in fresh bedsheets after a relaxing shower
• during a snow storm, I like to watch movies in the living room with the window blinds up so I can also watch the snow fall
• man hair (chest hair, leg hair, face stubble)
  
• taking good pictures, especially during serious memory-making events
• full-force thunder storms
• finding money I didn't know I had
• a fresh pair of contacts
• waking up a few minutes before the alarm goes off and feeling extremely well-rested and ready for the day ahead
• driving at night on an empty road
• when a radio station plays a song I really wanted to hear
• good kissers
• stumbling upon a really good deal when I wasn't even really shopping
  
• unexpectedly good parties
• a really good dream about someone/something I wanted to dream about
• thinking of a new outfit I've never worn before
  
• watching "Sex and the City" and eating pineapple slices
• organizing my room
• when someone expected calls just to say "hi"
• when I can make a mental to-do list that I know I'll be able to accomplish efficiently
• wearing scarves Alfie-style
• Bollywood movies
  
• when my curls cooperate and look fantastic all day long
• the way the ends of my hair feel after a haircut
• going out to eat with friends and having a really good time
• smoking pot with my cousins...that is always a hilarious adventure
• when the air conditioning turns on just as I was thinking "It's hot."
• popping pimples or tweezing myself or others
• a good pedicure
• laying in bed all day when I'm sick and overdosing on Nyquil and Vick's Vapor Rub while I watch daytime TV
• sleeping in a t-shirt and underpants; I can't wear pants, shorts or long shirts to sleep, it drives me insane, even if I someone sleeps with me, I just can't do it
• the first day of school
• driving in the early morning
• drinking coffee
• watching old movies on TMC
  

I'm sure there are many more, but I need some sleep and I'd hate to bore anyone. It was definately fun to think of things that make me happy, makes me feel all light and fluffy on the inside, like little white bunnies frolicking in wildflower fields on a bright sunshiney day. I obviously need sleep, I'm becoming delusional.

Reflection

I should be writing an English assignment right now but I've just watched a special about September 11th on the Discovery Channel and it's got me all stirred up. Before anyone makes any judgments based on their personal feelings of that day, I will admit that I was a part of the short-lived surge in patriotic passion four years ago and since then I've thought little about the events. I think the same can be said for the majority of the country. There was so much sensory overload for weeks afterwards and we were all constantly forced to re-live what happened and the feelings stayed fresh. After a while, the country moved on.

I'll never forget my personal account of the day, I'm extremely sympathetic to anyone who suffered directly or indirectly, and I wish America still felt that surge of patriotic passion...it was a good feeling.

I think this anniversary is a cause for increased reflection because of Hurricane Katrina. It's unpleasant to compare the two events. Both ended the lives of thousands of Americans, both destroyed buildings, both caused historical damage. Katrina was even more destructive and the long-term effects are more devastating. And yet, besides the media coverage, besides the pleas from victims, besides the attempts to help, I haven't sensed anything even close to the unification that September 11th caused. Like I said, it's pretty unpleasant to compare.

Reflecting on these events also makes me think of my own life and eventual death. Since September 11, 2001 I've personally dealt with death. My grandmother, who was the ideal matriarch, the pillar of our family, died on May 22, 2004.

It's extremely difficult to deal with the loss of a loved one. Since then I know I've developed a fear in loosing my friends and family. Not necessarily a fear in their death but a fear of loosing them in any way. I fear becoming emotionally detached to them, loosing their love, or trust, or faith, or becoming physically incapable of being with them. And unfortunately since then, I've had to experience those types of losses.

I have become emotionally detached to two very close personal best friends due to changes in their personal lives...first loves. It's a wonderful experience for them, and I tried to be supportive, but I found it very hard to do without constantly considering the fact that it was changing our friendship. Sometimes it felt like it was even destroying it. In order to preserve what remained, and to avoiding dealing with another loss, I know I've become very detached from them.

We (my friends/peers and I) have also experienced deaths in September 2003, October 2004, and June 2005. Schuyler, Laura, and Kelley, all who would have or did graduate with us, died in three unrelated accidents. Laura's death definitely effected me the most. She was my best friend in the sixth grade. She died in a car accident on a Sunday morning, on her way to a sporting event. She and I were going to be senior yearbook editors along with a couple other classmates. The last time we talked, we were looking over page templates and discussing college applications. She had just finished her early admission application to Yale. Laura was very intelligent; she would have definitely gotten accepted. We had to create the yearbook without her, and I really wish she had been there, because even though I know she would have dominated the project, which would have bothered me at times, we would have created a yearbook that we would have all been so much more proud of.

Most recently, I've lost the comfort and familiarity of high school. It was an easier transition than I expected, and I am happy for that.

I don't like to dwell on my losses, even though at times it can be very hard. Especially at times when it seems that so much of the negativity and stress in my life builds up and weighs me down. In those times I'm happy I can find outlets with certain friends and family members. Sitting peacefully and talking helps most of the times, sometimes I need to cause a little chaos during a night of debauchery to feel physical relief, but it's nothing harmful to others, and I always end up with hilarious memories and pictures.

I ended up going way off the topic of September 11th and way into my personal life but I knew I would. It's been four years, and a lot has happened to the United States and to me. I do hope that everyone takes time to reflect on their lives, not only on days like today, but everyday. It's a cheesy thought, and I should take my own advice, but it's nicer to have thoughtful happy feelings than over stressed worries.

Home Sweet Home

I am an 18 year-old college student, I like to have fun and I live less than 20 minutes from all the best nightclubs in the nation's capital.

Red flags are waving. "Danger" signs are flashing. Sirens are blaring.

Yes, it is Sunday night I just got home from a night of dancing. It's Labor Day weekend, so Sunday is basically "Saturday the Sequel". Tonight I went to a club called Home with my lovely partner in crime, Ms. Lisa Reynolds.

First of all, Home needs to be renamed. Into "several floors of living rooms" because there's nothing really home-like about it besides a bunch of couches, unless you have a fully-stocked bar in every level of your home. And big bouncers dressed in black walking around. Then you'd be home sweet home.

The first time I went to Home with Lisa I wasn't really impressed. It wasn't really crowded, the music wasn't great, no one was really dancing, and most people were busy getting drunk. Tonight was completely different. The first hour was a little dull but by about 12:00 am the club was packed and everyone was dancing, drinking and really having a great time.

Most of the time we go out, Lisa and I might each find one or two guys we'll dance with throughout the night. Tonight felt like we were the only girls in the club. One guy after another asked us to dance all night long. We were loving it. And the guys must have loved us too, we each were asked for our phone numbers more than once.

I met a really nice Indian guy whose name I forget, Arman or Anmar. I also met Anthony, who was slightly intoxicated, but gorgeous and a sweetheart. Lisa met Neil, who was very cute and very funny, and a couple other guys she didn't get names from.

It was a great night and I remained a loyal girlfriend to my beloved Brahim. Lisa was very proud of me. I didn't think it was such a difficult task. I consider the guys I meet at clubs to be like PG one night stands. It's dark, you have a little fun, and the intoxication of alcohol and/or atmosphere wears off, you probably never want to see them again. Yep.

Ash in America

It doesn't seem natural. All this time, any mental image of Sam, Ash and I was somewhere in London. In his flat, at some historical landmark, in a pub. But there they are, sitting in my bedroom, no where near London, and I'm there too, behind the camera.

It's been fun. I know Ash is leaving tomorrow with a few new experiences, all of them wonderful. In a way, I guess we returned the favor a little bit.