Shut Up I Am Dreaming

Keeping Awake

2010-10-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

"You can't keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair." - Sharon Creech

Song: Keeping Awake by The Innocence Mission

Art by Simon Nikola van Lierde

2010-09-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

We are lonesome animals. We spend all our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say — and to feel — "Yes, that’s the way it is, or at least that’s the way I feel it. You’re not as alone as you thought."
-John Steinbeck

Song: 100 Years by Dr. Dog
Art by Stephen Kuykendall

Glósóli

2010-07-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

Now that you're awake
Everything seems different
I look around
But there's nothing at all

Put on my shoes, I then find that
She is still in her pyjamas
Then found in a dream
I'm hung by an anticlimax

She is with the sun
And it's out here

But where are you...

Go on a journey
And roam the streets
Can't see the way out
And so use the stars
She sits for eternity
And then climbs out

She's the glowing sun
So come out

I awake from a nightmare
My heart is beating
Out of control…

I've become so used to this craziness
That it's now compulsory

And here you are...

I'm feeling...

And here you are,
Glowing sun...

Four Great Things

2010-06-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

Oxford Collapse

R.E.M.'s Radio Free Europe being added to the Library of Congress. (As well as Howlin Wolf's Smokestack Lightning.)

Dead Man's Bones

John Wood

2010-06-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in an hour. Which way does your beard point tonight?
(I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and feel absurd.)
Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade to shade, lights out in the houses, we'll both be lonely.
- "A Supermarket in California" by Allen Ginsberg

Song:
Elephant Gun by Beirut

Art by Eugene Atget

I Like It When

2010-06-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

I can hardly hear what they're saying.

Meet The Aislers Set...

Song:
One Half Laughing

I'm Home

2010-05-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Fed the chickens
Smelled the cows
Visited Grandma
Planned a party
Saw the arboretum
Bought a cactus
Sipped my tea
Laughed with my sister
I'm home
I'm so happy to be home!

Today's dance around with happiness song:
Everything With You by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

2010-04-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Grandpa & Grandma

Song:
Breakable by Ingrid Michaelson

Post inspiration here.

Occupation

2010-04-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

How I feel about working at Wal-Mart...

Song:
Welcome to the Occupation by R.E.M.

A little harsh, I know. But you try it sometime.

2010-04-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I was born like this or if I became like this because of my friend the painter, but when I look at something, the first thing I notice is the color.

-My Friend the Painter by Lygia Bojunga Nunes

Song:
Desert Fly by Nina Nastasia
This song isn't posted anywhere on the Web, so leave your email in a comment and I'll send it to you. Your comment won't be seen by anyone but me.

2010-04-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

On the way down the hill we walked three abreast in the cobblestone street, drunk and laughing and talking like men who knew they would separate at dawn and travel to the far corners of the earth.
-The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson

Song:
A Minha Menina by Os Mutantes

2010-04-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

Cannery Row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps...
-Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Song:
Pepita by Calexico

Road Trippin'

2010-03-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Arizona road trip season has begun, and I can hardly sit still. I crave heat waves on asphalt. Sobe and water bottles collecting on the floor and under the seat. Acrid heat and a stuffy cab as the air conditioning finally fails. Subway sandwiches and Safeway and hysterical giggles. Bass shaking the cab. "18 is a good volume."

And Superior. Oh, Superior.
You can never have a road trip without Superior.

The following is a mix composed of songs I remember listening to on road trips with my sister and my friends. Old songs and good memories.
*Note: Click "Pop-Out Player".

Pictures of Houses

2010-03-27T19:51:00.001-07:00

I'm still trying to figure out how to write about my wedding playlist. It took me four months to compile it, and it feels as though it'll take me even longer to describe it. Plus, I haven't been in a writing mood. How sad.

Anyhow, here is a sample. One of my favorite songs of all time. (Don't get too excited, I have about a million of those. For example, every single track on R.E.M.'s Eponymous is my favorite song of all time.) This song is, in fact, was the very first Tilly and the Wall track I had ever heard. Not exactly a love song. But most of the songs on my wedding mix weren't love songs. More like lovely and slow and time-stopping.

Goodbye, Mark

2010-03-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

We'll miss you.

Coming Soon

2010-03-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

I was hoping to set aside some time today to post about my wedding mix, but my first anniversary has proved to be as busy as my actual wedding day. Except with less joy and more homework.

So here's a song that didn't make it on my list, although I was extremely tempted to add it:

The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack by Liars

I Know This Isn't a Love Song

2010-03-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

But as tomorrow marks an entire year of being married to my best friend and the love of my life, I thought I'd share with you the last song I listened to the night before that beautiful day.

Let Down by Radiohead

Art by Focus5 Photography

Sweden Does It Better

2010-03-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not really into Fleet Foxes.
I know, shame on me.
They are talented, but not really my style.
Maybe one day they'll grow on me...

But I still can't help loving this cover by the lovely Swedish duo, First Aid Kit.

New Camaromance Album!

2010-02-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

Are you excited?
I'm excited!
I'm soooooo excited!

You can listen to it here.

Classic Camaromance:
Promises
Mixing Business With Pleasure
Sorry Baby
28 Balloons

Band Sites

2010-02-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

Because of Myspace, Facebook, Blogger, and Twitter,
band websites have become pretty pointless.
A lot of bands have realized this.
And it's very entertaining.

patrickwatson.com
Song:
Big Bird In a Small Cage

landoftalk.com
Song:
BreaxxBaxx

oliviatremorcontrol.com
Song:
Jumping Fences

Here, Ma

2010-02-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

Some cowboyin' music.
And other stuff.

Songs:
Red Clay Halo by Gillian Welch
John Saw That Number by Neko Case
The Last Steam Engine Train by John Fahey (instrumental)
Cattle Song by Eddie Arnold

Flower

2010-02-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

I would not buy this game.
Yes, it's pretty cool that your character is a petal-filled zephyr.
And, yes, the colors are gorgeous.
But the music is so boring.
I know, I'm terrible.
The soundtrack was composed to relax you. It's supposed to mimic nature and correspond to your every move, blah blah blah.
But seriously. I've seen Barbie movies. It sounds like Barbie movies.

Now, if they replaced it with Galaxie 500, I would buy this game.

Song:
Pictures by Galaxie 500
Right-click the song, open in a new tab.
Play the video on mute.
Tell me if you agree. Or disagree.

Oh, GBV

2010-02-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

Where else could I get my lo-fi psychedelic indie geek-love fix?

Um, no where.

Songs:
I Am a Scientist
Echos Myron
Gold Star For Robot Boy

Banksy

2010-02-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

He shows up in the dead of night, creates a work of art, then disappears...

That is just too cool.

Song: Magic Trick by M. Ward

Art by Banksy

2010-01-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

Blessed are the forgetful:
for they get the better even of their blunders. -Friedrich Nietzsche

Song:

True Love Will Find You In the End by Daniel Johnston

Picture Source: The Eternal Sunshine of Fred & Anne

Post made in collaboration with Alicia Baker.

Muriel

2010-01-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

"She was a girl who for a ringing phone dropped exactly nothing. She looked as if her phone had been ringing continually ever since she had reached puberty."
-A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J. D. Salinger

Song: Teenager by Camera Obscura

Art by Cassia Beck

My Parents Were Awsome

2010-01-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

As soon as I get that negative developed
my parents will be on this site.

Song:
I Believe by R.E.M.

Pictures from myparentswereawesome.com

le désert

2010-01-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

Song:

Gone Under Sea by Electrelane

Art by Dorthea Lange

It Was Supposed To Rain Today

2010-01-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hooray for the sun!

Song:
Don't Ask Me To Explain by Of Montreal

Art by Camilla Engman

Christmas Time Is Finally Here

2009-11-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. Half the world has already dusted off their MoTab records and wound the tape back into their Bing Crosby cassettes. But not me. I like to hold off on the music until after Thanksgiving.

Of course, that doesn't mean I hadn't already started watching all the Christmas specials. (Charlie Brown is so awkwardly amazing!)

Anyway, so now that it's officially the Christmas Season, here are some awesome songs to start you off.

Christmas without Sufjan Stevens is basically unthinkable.

An old classic and one of my favorite Pogues songs. I actually listen to this song all year round. It's a bit rash for Christmas, but it's really fun to sing along with someone.

If any of you listen to KDKB, you'll be sick of this song by New Year's. But I still love it!

Merry Christmas!

Dear Nora

2009-11-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

Not to be confused with the last post, Dear Nora is actually the name of this artist. I am not writing to them. Although I should, just to scold them for disbanding.

Dear Nora was formed in Portland, Oregon in 1999 by Katy Davidson, Marianna Ritchey, and Ryan Wise. Their first album, We'll Have a Time, was released in 2001. Soon after, Davidson moved to Florida, leaving Ritchey and Wise behind in Portland. And that, in my opinion, was the end of that.

Of course, Davidson still recorded under the name Dear Nora until 2008, but... *shudder* It's just not the same.

Here ya go:
'Round and 'Round
Since You Went Away
Number Twelve (instrumental)

Dear Darwin Deez,

2009-11-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

I know you're really little now,
but I hope one day you will become popular
so you can be a cameo in some uber-indie film starring one of the Arrested Development alumni.
Also, you should come back to Arizona
so I can see you live
and not be jealous of my sister anymore.

Love forever,
Louise

DARWIN DEEZ

The Dodos

2009-11-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

I discovered the Dodos during the summer whilst melting away in my tiny garage apartment. I loved them at first listen.

While researching them, I found this on Wikipedia:
"In an April 2008 interview in the L.A. Record, [Meric] Long revealed the origin of the name of "Visiter". 'The reason it’s misspelled is because it’s from a drawing this kid gave us. We played a show for a bunch of kids in South Central L.A.—Dorsey High. A friend’s sister [Barbara Lempel] is a special-ed teacher there, so we went down there to her class and we played for the kids and it was super fun. Then it came to the kids asking us questions and then one of the kids came up to us and he gave us a drawing with that written on it. The drawing is the cover actually of the album, and just—I dunno we liked it. Actually we used all of the drawings that the kids made in the artwork on the album. It was definitely a fun, interesting venture for us. We’d never played for kids before—we didn’t know what to expect but they were clapping and dancing.'"

That made me like them even more.

Take a listen:
(I'll probably always use Lala.com to post songs. You only get one full-length listen, unless you restart your computer.)
Fools
Walking
Eyelids

And then the song that started it all (for me, at least):

Row Your Boat

2009-06-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, guys. Still no idea what I want to do with this blog. I was thinking of deleting it, but too many good memories in this thing. I mean, how else am I going to remember to make fun of Kaitie's brother for almost getting mauled by an emu?

So, in light of a few requests (okay, maybe two), I've decided to post every once in a while about music. I'm not exactly an expert on the subject, but I do know a lot of good music that doesn't get exposed to enough people.

The Casting Couch is a band I kind of recently discovered. I'd heard of them before (I mean, who can forget a name like that?), but I didn't try them until about a month ago. Immediately my first impression was Rilo Kiley meets Lucinda Williams, but better. They also kind of have that '90s riot grrrl heartbroken feminist vibe.

From what I've heard so far I really like them. They use a wide array of instruments, including my favorites: the trumpet and the accordion. A lot of their songs are fun and upbeat (I would probably use Strawberry on a mix for my niece), and their slow songs are so gorgeous and ethereal I can listen to them over and over. (I especially love the use of the saw on Song About Dying.)

To hear a few full length songs, go here.

Here's Something To Get Lost In

2009-05-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

Square America
A gallery of vintage snapshots & vernacular photography

Click a picture and see hundreds more. It's so addicting!

I Really Want To Make This!

2009-05-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

A faux feather wreath.

Don't you just love turquoise doors?

Check It Out

2009-04-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Alicia made a music video, and I just have to say it's amazing!

Song: "The Energy Song" by Blackblack from the album Blackblack

This Is How Cool Portland Is

2009-04-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

They have a food magazine that you can pick up for free in any grocery store.

If only Phoenix had that... All we get is shopping guides. And a calendar of concerts for bands like Def Leppard and the Eagles.

Anyway, here's the link to the website where you can read their current and past issues.

Edible Portland

Someday

2009-04-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

I will camp like this.

Source: J. Morgan Puett

For All the Vintage Nerds

2009-04-19T23:44:00.001-07:00

Gift tags!

Source: doe-c-doe

Anti-Butterick

2009-04-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Every spring/summer I begin to make-believe I'm creative. I search for more craft zines. I imagine attempting a recipe requiring a rue. I crave the industrious hum of the sewing machine. In the end, my need for self-expression results in a few more Portland Blogs added to my bookmarks. (Portland Blogs are blogs written by insanely intelligent women in Portland, Oregon, who take cooking, sewing, and any other domestic duties to the next level.)

So what stops me? The Perfect Dress Pattern. I can never find that wonderful waist-cinching, hip-hugging, leg-lengthening dress pattern. Something so unbelievably beautiful that it will force me to finish learning to sew. Why can't I find it? Because Joann's doesn't have it!

Thus, I've decided to become anti-Butterick. I'm going to find alternatives. I'm going to find that Perfect Dress and the fabric worthy of it. And, hopefully, I'll finally have something lovingly made by me, for me. (Other than that purse made from my Velvet Underground t-shirt and my dad's old tie. That was made out of desperation to avoid parting from my favorite shirt.)

Of course, I'll probably never stop looking through the torn, wrinkled pages of Joann's pattern catalogues. Old habits die hard.

Here is my beginning:
colettepatterns.com

-Louise

The IT Crowd

2009-04-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

You guys have got to try out this show. Lance and I are addicted to it! Sadly, it's British, so it's hard to find without subtitles.

Here's the first season:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6

Enjoy!

Cute Fabric On Sale

2009-03-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend Fabric Place is having a sale!

For every yard you buy, you get a 1/4 yard free! Just mention this promotion in the conversation.

A few examples of her wares:

Ah Etsy. Tempting me to spend every time I log in...

Vampires Vs. Serial Killers:

2009-03-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else found the whole Twilight saga strange?

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy... wants... to... eat... girl?

And somehow girls find this insanely appealing.

Stephenie Meyer actually created the whole series based on one very dark dream.

I myself have strange dreams. The most recent of which was about a handsomely robust serial killer who kept complimenting my "heavenly eyes".

I should write a book about this.

Then everyone would be in love with serial killers.

"I love you, but I want to disembowel you."

The Camaromance

2009-03-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Why don't more people know about this girl? I'm really surprised at her obscurity. I remember a couple summers ago one of the XM stations played 28 Balloons over and over. All summer. It was amazing! Her voice was beautiful! Her lyrics were gorgeous! Her music was both haunting and empowering! Yet she still has under 2000 MySpace fans and barely 100 on Facebook? She also has only two videos on YouTube (they're not that great), and she doesn't even exist on playlist.com. Come on, people! Wake up! This girl is amazing!

Or maybe it's just me. :) (And Alicia, of course. She is the one that downloaded that oh-so-brilliant album, Different Paths. Perfect for a desert drive alone.)

Oh, and her MySpace is incorrect. She doesn't sound like The Details. The Details suck. She does not suck. Hence, nothing in common.

It's Late and I'm Hungry

2009-03-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/

Doesn't her food look so good??

Quote of the Day Part 6, We Think

2009-02-17T15:29:00.001-08:00

Louise: Did you like that documentary about blind people?
Alicia: You mean deaf people?
Louise: Yeah, whatever, same thing.

Conversations With Grandpa

2009-02-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

Every afternoon at work Louise recieves a call from Grandpa Baker (during commercials, of course.) It has developed into her favorite part of the day, and usually leaves her with a few amusing stories.

Grandpa: I received a wedding announcement from a very beautiful granddaughter today.
Louise: Really? You got it already?
Grandpa: Yep. Grandma and I were admiring how good you two look. I finally have another granddaughter getting married. I have three in Ohio (Grandma corrects him in the background. She does that a lot.) No, uh, two in Ohio, one in Illinois, and one in Phoenix. And now you.
Louise: What about Utah?
Grandpa: Who's in Utah?
Grandma: Jill, Dad!
Grandpa: Oh, yeah! Jill!
Grandma: And then all of Randy's girls!
Grandpa: Oh, Randy's girls, yeah. Grandpa don't remember anything. I guess there are a lot of married granddaughters...
Louise: You know, Alicia drew the yucca plant in the invitation.
Grandpa (quickly): Oh, really? That's neat, I'll tell Grandma. Weloveyoubye!
(All this happened in five minutes, which is how long commercials last.)

Louise hopes he calls every day after she's married!
More to come!

My Lovely Desert Day

2009-02-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

Louise here.

My engagement photos (taken by the lovely Michelle Shirley) have finally been uploaded!

Check 'em out.
Make fun of 'em.
Do whatever.

P.S. A couple posts will be posted as soon as the writer's block lifts. Also, an new serial entitled "From the Archives" is in the works.

Have a wonderful day!

Our Melody
Our Melody Pt. 2

Quote of the Day Part ???

2009-01-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know what number we're on?

Louise: I should tell her, "You look like a booby make-up slut, Curly Hair!"

On a bike ride:
Louise (to herself): Man, the water bottles in this bag are getting heavy. My neck hurts from the weight. But I'm doing it for Alicia.

Alicia (to herself): I wonder if she knows she can put those bottles in my bike basket... Oh, well. I'll tell her later.

Two Birds, One Stone

2008-12-21T15:55:00.001-08:00

Since we are Mormon and we have a blog, we decided that we needed a Twilight post. So, for those of you who have read the first book and/or seen the movie, enjoy!

Also, this counts as our Christmas post...

A Typical Day At BMI

2008-12-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

Louise: (answering the phone) Baker Machinery.
Customer: Hi, is Tom there?
Louise: He's actually in a meeting right now. Can I take a message?
Customer: Sure. (proceeds to give information)
(Suddenly, a long, blood-curdling scream emits from the back of the room.)
Louise: (pulls phone away from ear) Mom! I'm on the phone.
Customer: (silence)
Louise: Sorry, she's having trouble with the printer.
Customer: (trying to keep from laughing and failing) It's okay. It sounds like a happy day at BMI!

Bunnies

2008-12-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

We have been awarded the "I Love Your Blog" Award. With the award comes a freakin' tag, so we have to answer each question with one word only.

Alicia: Odds

Louise: Evens

1. Where is your phone? Pocket.

2. Where is your significant other? Thatcher.

3 .Your hair color? ??????

4. Your Mother? Feathered.

5. Your Father? Beard.

6. Your favorite thing? Laptop.

7. Your dream last night? Cocoa.

8. Your dream/goal? Humanitarian.

9. The room you're in? TV.

10. Your hobby? Novels.
11. Your fear? Lost.

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? 26.

13. Where were you last night? Chick-Fil-A.

14. What you're not? Male.

15. One of your wish-list items? Roadtrip

16. Where you grew up? Higley

17. The last thing you ate? Banana.

18. What are you wearing? Jacket.

19. Your TV? Sanyo.

20. Your pet? Samuel Balloon.

21. Your computer? None.

22. Your mood? Jamba.
23. Missing someone? cousins

24. Your car? Truck.
25. Something you're not wearing? bunnies
26. Favorite store? B&N

27. Your Summer? Work

28. Love someone? Lance
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When was the last time you laughed? Now.

31. Last time you cried? April
32.Something you crave? iPod.
33. Why do you blog? Family

We tag:

These kitties!

Cotización del Día, Parte 4

2008-12-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

Dad (frustrated because we didn't get his point): "Oh, Hell! You guys are... dudes!

Louise: "...so I got halfway through my burrito, and I was like, 'Hey I could save this for tomorrow.' But I was still hungry. So I got two-thirds through and I started to feel too full, but if I saved it, I'd just have this burrito stub. Then later it dawned on me that I could just throw the rest away. But by then I looked down and I had, like, a bite left."

Probably Another Reason

2008-12-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

Why you really should avoid us:

Alicia writes reports on late 19th- early 20th century insane asylums.

And Louise reads all the books Alicia brings home from the library on the subject.

(Sorry we don't post very often. It's the end of the school year, and we're drained. Good luck on finals everyone!)

8 Reasons To Avoid Us

2008-11-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Random Facts about Louise & Alicia

1. We listen to really weird music. Really really weird music. Like Olivia Tremor Control. And Neutral Milk Hotel.

2. We get car sick whenever Van Halen or any other hair/80s heavy metal band is on the radio while we're driving. (More so in Mesa.) It has something to do with our childhood and listening to them while we were car sick.

3. Whenever we see a house that is completely thrashed and falling apart (paint peeling off the sides, missing roof tiles, unmaintained yard), we get really really happy. And take pictures.

4. Candles, deoderants, and perfumes don't come in different scents. They come in different flavors.

5. Neither of us use sheets. We use quilts. We don't know why. It just ends up that way.

6. We do this thing where Louise lays on the top bunk and Alicia pulls a button out of the bottom of Louise's mattress. Then Louise moves and the button is sucked back up into the mattress. And we laugh.

7. No matter how hot it gets, niether of us will take our sweaters off. We just complain.

8. We both watch our feet when we walk. Especially when we wear Converse.

Be There Or Be Square

2008-11-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 7, 2009
Louise and Lance will be sealed together for time and all eternity.
Reception in Kearny to follow.

That's all the details I'm giving you so far.
Other than it's going to be amazing!
-Louise

Our Music Has Moved

2008-11-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

We have switched to a new music player and placed the playlist at the bottom of the blog.
The music will no longer automatically start, but we hope that you will take some time to check it out. We try to change the songs every once in a while .
Of course, this means Save Harold! is no longer there. Poor Harold. May he rest in peace.

Apparently We're Weird

2008-11-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

Dad: Aren't you guys supposed to be at mutual?
Alicia: It's not until seven.
Dad: (eying the girls sitting on the floor) What are you, weird or something?

(Louise and Alicia shrug. Dad exits stage left. Louise presses play on her laptop and the girls continue singing along to "Space Oddity", with Alicia accompanying on the ukulele.)

Dad: (entering stage left, pointing) See? I told you you guys are weird!

(May we please point out that Dad was walking around with his shirt pulled halfway up his belly?)

Am I Really That Depressing?

2008-11-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

Alicia here.
Does anyone else find this weird?
I was on Facebook when this boy (we'll call him Joe) sent a message to me. He was like, "Hey!" and I said, "Hi! How are you?" or whatever and we small talked for a bit. I went to his Facebook page and noticed his status. "Joe is really happy because he made a delicious roast beef sandwich." We kept talking about little things like teachers, classes, and music. We learned that I am two years older than him, he likes dances and I don't, and I think we both thought each other's music was weird, but that was never made clear. About this time I noticed his status changed. "Joe is ok". What did I say? Did I offend him or something? So we kept chatting and a few minutes later I looked at his status again. "Joe is...wow...not as happy as he was before." What?! At that point I made up and excuse and said my good-byes. I have no idea what I did to drastically change his status from "really happy" to "ok" to "not as happy as he was before" within 10 minutes! Maybe I absorb people's happiness. Like a super power or something. Except its not super. It's sucky.

Quote Of the Day, Part 3

2008-11-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

Louise: It's Microsoft. They don't want you to have files. Or happiness.

Louise (over loudspeaker): Blaine, line one.
Alicia: He isn't here.
Louise (still on loudspeaker): Oh, pooh.

We're Too Slow and Out of Shape, So We Got Tagged

2008-11-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

8 TV shows We like to watch:
1. The Office
2. Pushing Daisies
3. Corner Gas
4. Project Runway
5. 30 Rock
6. King of the Hill
7. Degrassi: The New Generation
8. infoMania

8 Places We Love to eat:
1. Joe's Farm Grill
2. Joe's Real BBQ
3. In-N-Out
4. Pete's Fish and Chips
5. Chick-Fil-A
6. Jamba Juice
7. Euro Cafe
8. Cup Cafe

8 Things that Happened Yesterday:
1. Alicia finished filming her video production project
2. Louise did homework
3. We wore "I voted" stickers and collected free stuff with our friend Michelle
4. Alicia ditched seminary to eat at Chick-Fil-A
5. Louise ate lunch at home and felt left out
6. We picked stickers off our cat
7. We thought about exercising
8. We listened to McCain concede/Obama win

8 Things We Love about Fall:
1. The weather
2. Crunchy leaves
3. Helping Grandpa shake down his nuts and then pick them up
4. Eating pie
5. Holidays and birthdays!!!
6. SWEATERS!!1!
7. Gaining weight and being okay with it because the sweater covers it
8. Fluffier cats

8 Things on Our Wish List:
1. Whirled Peace
2. Money for college
3. An amazing 3rd season of 30 Rock
4. See Los Campesinos! live
5. A nephew
6. Silent velcro
7. More sweaters
8. Filing to do itself

Here's an Idea for Halloween

2008-10-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

What can we even say?
How do you carry the baby?
Do you just display him/her on the table?
Is she serious?

We're Alive

2008-10-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

and we will post...

Quote Of the Day Pt. 2

2008-09-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

Alicia: Is that a girl?

Friend: Yes.

Alicia: Is she a lesbian?

Friend: Yeah.

Alicia: Good, I was worried!

Amazingly Awesome List

2008-09-15T16:26:00.001-07:00

Alicia and Louise's List
Of Five
Amazingly Awesome Bands
With Amazingly Awesome Names
(not top five, just five)

1. Neko Case
2. Arizona Amp and Alternator
3. Violent Femmes (they are not violent, nor are they femmes)
4. My Morning Jacket
5. Andrew Lloyd Webber

Amazingly Awesome Bands
With Amazingly Awesome Names
Except the Bands Are Not Amazingly Awesome
But Their Names Still Are

1. Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
2. Yeah, just Margot and the Nuclear So and So's. They suck! Their name tricks you!

Quote Of the Day

2008-09-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Alicia: "I can't find my lips, where are my lips?"

Us

2008-09-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Lars and the Real Girl

2008-08-11T00:32:00.000-07:00

Watch it. Cherish it. Add it to your collection.

We updated our Tilly and the Wall post with pictures and a video. Hopefully another video will be posted tomorrow.

There will also be a post coming soon about our Tucson trip, as well as pics from Jill's bridal shower and reception.

In other news, Alicia has started school. So far she really likes her video production class. She has to complete a semester project, so she's pretty excited about that. She misses having a job, though. And money. Money is nice.

Louise is getting ready for her first semester online. She's looking forward to her Biological Chemistry class. A nice break from all her business classes. This week she is helping her boyfriend, Lance, get ready to move into his apartment. She's really excited to see how he's going to decorate it. So far he's asked her to help him pick out a few plants for the living room, so now she's really curious!

It All Started With a Mailbox

2008-08-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

2509 N. Campbell Ave., #335
Tucson, AZ 8571

That looks like a normal address, right? Well, if you put it in your Tom Tom, that little annoying voice will lead you straight to this:

That, ladies and gentlemen, is Calexico's mailbox. And Louise and Alicia touched it.

So begins Louise and Alicia's long and tiresome adventure to Tucson. Most of which involved buying clothes from Buffalo Exchange, stopping by Zia Records to find, well, records, and seeing Wolf Parade live.

While the sights and sounds of Tuscon were unforgettable (and oh-my-goodness the food!), nothing could replace the lessons Louise and Alicia learned.

~*~ When you're stuck in a city with complicated one-way streets, no freeways, and hardly any easily accessible parking, it's always nice to ask the construction worker nearest your window (who is also laughing at you) for directions.

~*~ Alicia yells at inanimate objects. For example, the road (You stupid jerk!) and the Tom Tom (Shut up! I know! Shut uuuuuuppppp!!!).

~*~ There is no pattern to the floor of the Cup Cafe in the Hotel Congress. It's just made of pennies. If you stare at it too long, your waiter will stare at you.

~*~Eating chocolate pudding with your lunch and then walking around in the heat is not fun. No matter how amazing the chocolate pudding was.

~*~Wolf Parade has two lead singers. Both of which sound almost exactly the same. Who knew? (Apparently not Louise, who, having no idea who he was, made fun of David Boeckner's skinny legs when she saw him standing outside of the Rialto Theatre.)

~*~Bookmans has the cleanest bathrooms ever. When you go to Tucson, don't use the Circle K bathrooms, use Bookmans. You will always be near one. Trust us.

~*~There are really only two good stores near Hotel Congress, a neo-gothic shop with amazingly weird shoes, but hardly any a/c; and Preen. Preen is definitely worth checking out. The girl who owns it sews all day right there in the shop and she sells cute antique purses.

(That shoe was completely hollow.)

~*~Wolf Parade fans are boring. And unimaginative. No explanation here. They just are. (Except the drunk ones, who jump up on stage and dance like maniacs until the keyboardist pushes them off.)

~*~Tucson likes big things. Like dresses. And sandals.

Wild Like Children

2008-07-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Amazing!!!

Alicia and Louise spent a wonderfully hot summer night in central Phoenix this weekend. Why central Phoenix? Modified Arts, of course. Why a summer night? Because bands seem to always choose the summer to visit Arizona, which baffles us all...

Pretty much what we're trying to say is, WE SAW TILLY AND THE WALL!!!

Tilly and the Wall is probably one of the most innovative bands to date, and for many reasons. They are one of a handful of bands to switch between lead singers, having three members to lend their talented voices to different songs. They employ fun, playful lyrics, as well as very intuitive insights to life and love, all to a backdrop of catchy tunes and harmonies.

Of course they're mostly known for replacing their drummer with TAP DANCING!!! Flippin' awesome!!!

With so much amazingly awesomeness going on, Louise and Alicia decided to keep it short by providing a list of reasons why it was such a freakin' cool night (no particular order).

We saw Tilly and Wall.
Tap dancer!
A few members of Tilly and the Wall played in the crowd.
Crazy indie/emo kids! (Genders unknown.)
Hanging out with Josh, Hayden, Morgan, and Sara.
Louise meeting the bassist/singer and not knowing it until a few seconds later.
Buying the best cheese bagels on the planet from Conspire.
Josh losing his foot in a really deep hole.
Using said really deep hole as a garbage (as there were none around.)
Balloons!!!
Aiming said balloons at bald man, who seemed to enjoy it.
Quotes like "It feels good in the bathroom!" and "Do you want some sauce? ..... .... No." and "Let's tie him up and shove the quesadilla down his throat!"
Standing in a sauna of everyone else's sweat.
Finding out that standing near the bathroom was the only way to get some clean air.
Going outside to cool off only to find out that the sound was better out there anyway.
Getting screwed over by the nine-fingered man at Taco Bell over a quesadilla.
Feeling like the floor was going to cave in due to so many people jumping up and down.
A half-eaten banana labeled "Free" lying among the merchandise.
Guy at merchandise table dancing with giant blue crayon.
We saw Tilly and the Wall.

Happy Birth Day, Paisley!

2008-07-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

A week old already!

Sweet little Paisley was born July 2nd sometime around 2:00 PM.

For more information, go to Jesse and Amanda's blog. :)

End of the Week (Happy birthday, America!)

2008-07-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you, all... FOR COMING TO MY BIRTHDAY!!!!
(Louise and Alicia will give you one dollar (between us) if you can guess where that's from.)

So, it's been more than a week, and here is our long anticipated second post. Here goes...

Louise had a pretty interesting weekend. She experienced her first Kearny monsoon power outage. Apparently, they're quite common. It was pretty exciting, as it let to several potential problems, i.e. a body getting too warm in the mortuary, and a viewing conducted by candlelight. Luckily, Lance's dad had "chewed out" the power company, so they were powerless for only an hour.

Oh, and Louise also tried out the Wii Fit. It was amazingly awesome. And she looked like an idiot doing the hula hoops. A video will be posted as soon as someone is willing to record it.

Alicia's weekend was definitely not as random as Louise's, but it had its moments.

Thursday evening, Alicia and her mother ascended to Vernon. They arrived around 12:30. As a result of arriving late (or early, depending on whether you are a pessimist or an optimist), Alicia slept in and was unable to help at the ranch.

Instead, she watched movies.

The next day, however, Alicia woke up bright and early and had the pleasure of watching people burn the flesh of cows and castrate them in the most disgustung manner.

During lunch it began to P-O-U-R like crazy! It was freakin' awesome!

When Alicia returned to Vernon, her father taught her how to drive his jeep. Sunday, the last day in Vernon, Nick (the new Conrad) and Alicia went cruising in her father's jeep in search of the Mineral (pronounced "Min-er-AL", not "Min-er-UL") and the cave. The cave was extremely muddy and wet. They both got completely covered in clay-like mud and used the freezing cold mineral spring water to get it off their shoes and hands.

Nick was excited because he saw a buffalo (black cow) and bunnies (jack rabbits)!

When they got back to Vernon, Alicia, her parents, and Nick all packed up and headed back to the valley.

Here's a hint if you still want that dollar: [regarding the physical deformities of Prince Gerhardt] Most people in his situation would be angry with his family for the centuries of inbreeding, but not Gerhardt. He's too busy trying to stave off infection.

So, yeah, that's the end of our post. Did you like it? Are we still cool?

Animal Farm

2008-06-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday, Louise and Alicia went to Louise's housemate's ex-boyfriend's cousin's ex-girlfriend's family's farm. Okay.

Chad (the housemate's ex-boyfriend's cousin) had invited us over to see the brand new baby deer. We got to pet the baby and hand feed the adult deer. It felt funny. Louise pet the velvety soft antlers but the thought of that made Alicia want to vomit, so she screamed and hit Louise profusely on the arm. Everyone looked at her like she was psycho.

Then Andy almost got run over by an emu.

After that, we looked at the coolest chicken coop ever, visited the horses, and smelled the pigs.

All in all it was a good day.