party hardy, love

current tune: "Get Down Tonight" by: KC and the Sunshine Band

I am home for the weekend, and even though that is reason enough to celebrate, it's my birthday as well! So, like any other American girl on the cusp of being "legal" and an "adult" I went drinking and celebrated right at midnight properly with a mixed drink in a clear plastic cup just so I could get my coveted wristband to represent my age.

I met my old friend Jordan, our friend Tanner, both of their younger sister's and boyfriends, and my new boyfriend Nick at the Caboose in Gloversville for the annual "Caboose Block Party." The night started off like a pity party when the people at the door realized I had 2 1/2 hours before I could legally drink. Locally they pitied me into saving me $15 for the "over 21 price."

The night was full of smoking, drinking, dancing, catching up with old high school friends, and living for the moment. It was really fun, in a bar with other white trash townies. Oh, Gloversville....

We ended the night, of course, with a stop at the neighboring "greasy spoon" in Johnstown (our rival town) at the Miss Johnstown Diner. A hugh plate of greasy fries and a sleepy drive to drop everyone off was the ending to my eventful night.

Tonight I'll be in Saratoga, NY to celebrate my birthday proper with two friends I have known since kindergarten, one of which I only see once a year. I'm looking forward to another funky night!

this is the end, my friend

current tune: "Generator" by: The Holloways

I quit my job today. My shitty-minimum-wage-paying-no-respect-worthless-dead-end-job at the local McDonald's. I've spent 4 years of my life serving under corporate hierarchy to serve people greasy cancer causing food so they can curb their addictions all for crappy communist wages. I never received a raise that I wouldn't lose when minimum wage increased, and I never was appreciated.

Fuck you, I'm done.

I've got a cold can of Keystone Ice to my left and a strong man to lean on when I feel the desire to.

I'm a poor artist that has had enough.



And I'm scared.

r-r-retro-active sunday

current tune: "Chinese Children" by: Devandra Beinhart

I had a lovely little outing with my two good friends I have not seen in quite some time! We met in Central Square at a cute simplistic diner called "Good Golly's" off of I-81 North. It was nice sitting in a diner and catching up with Gracie-lou and Kari. I wish I were able to see them more. It seems the more you grow older the more you just look to summer as a continued working season, instead of all that summer-love you had for it as a child.We had a small lunch and I drank my ice water with two daisies in it, that kari picked for me before I met up with her.

I followed Kari to her abode to meet her mom, brew some coffee, and catch up some more. It was simple. It was delightful.

I stopped at a small vendor on the way out of Central Square to buy some fresh local strawberries (which were later given to homeless man by Carousel Mall). The next stop was the local Wal-Mart to find a new labret stud for my lip, then to Carousel to get a seamless hoop for my nose. I just can't get away from Wal-Mart's; there's an odd Americana-comfort with them, that I am guilty of supporting.

I miss my camera (more than ever) now. I really enjoy updating my blog with images to go along with my anectdotes. Unfortunately I do not have the money to have it sent back into Canon to get serviced again....sigh....so you'll all just have to imagine the stories I tell!

Today was a great retro day for me driving with loud 1970's music and retro attire. I complimented the hot summer day with a white shirt (with ruffles in the front) that my old British roomie Charlie gave to me, bright green, white, and blue checked high waisted shorts, a brown belt, and my brown Birkenstock wannabe sandels.
I think I turned a couple heads today with the outfit.

People should really embrace their own style more often.
It's fun.

it's saturday...can you feel the thrill of it?

current tune: "Hometown" by: Miss Kitten and the Hacker

Weekends are a favorite time for me. They represent two days where I have no obligations to my internship nor my job....and I bask in it. The morning commenced waking up off the side of the road next to fields in the warm sun from a nights sleep in my car in the country. An odd start, but an interesting start none the less.
Breakfast at Dave's Diner was the next stop on the agenda; sharing breakfast with Nick and then a mosey around the local farmer's market and yard sales going on today.

Today was a very good day for me with good finds!


small blue Caz Lakers towel - $0.50
one dozen small free-range locally raised chicken eggs - $2.00
one very large "sun tea" jar w/lid - $3.00
ice tray - $0.99
spatula - $0.79
spaghetti serving spoon - $0.79
"The Kraft Cookbook" - $1.99
two books (The Cheese Monkeys, I'm Ok- You're Ok) - $1.99 each
three different windows and frames - free

Two trips to the Salvation Army, some curb browsing, and adventure with a tranquil stop at 2nd Story Books for an iced coffee added to my day. Along with a trip to a shady furniture store to purchase and help transport a new mattress, making pizza and watching "Resevoir Dogs" at my flat with Bill, and making a whole jar of iced tea completed the adventure!

For some odd reason this is the 2nd instance where I've had guests come over and decide to watch this movie with me. Odd...? Or maybe just a great cult classic.

I've been quite busy with odds and ends, my life, and cleaning the flat with my flatmates. I've been trying to get to know Syracuse and keep my creative juices gong with everything around me and ideas inside me to hopefully just have days at a time to wake up and do whatever...and produce some good art.

down the rabbit hole, and back up again

current tune: "My Patch" by: Jim Noir

Last night I was supposed to attend my first field party.
Fate had other plans for me.

I got out of work a bit early, since I wasn't given a break, met Nick, and waited for my co-worker to get out so I could follow her to this field party....which is a congregation of high schoolers and up driving out to the complete stix to get plastered.

I found Cindy after a couple calls and after being forgotten at our original meeting place to follow her past New Woodstock, through Sheds, Georgetown, Otselic, and South Otselic. I drove down so many back seasonal dirt roads with my merc I thought I was going to the Shire. It was definitely a metaphoric experience of "going down the rabbit hole."


The party was moved, we were lost, and I had no clue where we were. Cindy had a headlight out and was low on gas, and it was a caravan of three cars and passengers in the middle of central New York at 12am looking for a good time.

In the end I almost got stuck in a ditch from pressured speedy reverse driving thanks to my co-worker Cindy, was able to get to DeRyter thanks to Nick, spilled a beer in my car, and ended up spending the night in my car again in Sheds on a back road with Nick. It was another classic sleepingbad affair.


We drove over 2 hours looking for a party that maybe we weren't meant to be at. I used a good 1/8 of my tank on back roads and dirt unmarked roads trying to find my way out. And lots of frustrated swearing occured. Looking back on this night, I don't know why we did what we did, but it was an adventure. An adventure of dirt seasonal roads with my not-so-off roading car.

today my heart swings

current tune: "Black Cat John Brown" by: Alamo Race Track

Sometimes I wish I could stop time...or at least slow it down. Slow it down for those lazy mornings under the covers without any motivation to begin the day outside of the comfort of the bed that is under you. Brewing coffee at 10:30 in the morning and cooking breakfast when everyone around you is having lunch. I like starting my day off with breakfast foods, even if it isn't breakfast time.

I want to bottle my feelings and experiences and preserve them in a cold cellar for those off-days.


I want to re-live these enjoyable moments that wash over me.


I want to film those special random moments that could appear in an indie flick when I say, "We're living in a moment."
Those are words I want to be remembered by.

this picture made me smile. it was one of those random finds on google images that I leaf through until I find an image of inspiration for the moment


We're all living in a moment.

hello, open road

current tune: "Cheap and Cheerful" by: The Kills

I'm back in Madison County...oh boy! I hit the road today with a stop at the local McDonald's because they have Newman's Own organic iced coffee that is so worth the $2.04 and artificial flavoring; followed by a quick stop to the neighboring DD.

On the road things went smoothly and saw the lovely sights on I-90 with the Mohawk. Have you ever saw military vehicles on the thruway? Well today I did and it was oddly....haunting. Next time pay close attention to how eerie and creepy they are with this defiant brute strength of corruption. ugh.....I would fear us too if I was an Iraqi...fts...!

The joys of thruways, of speeding, or passing people to and fro down a thin long stretch of man made asphalt. It's an odd feeling to ride down the same mundane black strip but oddly soothing in an "American going around the U.S" would feel like.

Fear and Loathing anyone?

I seem to be meant for driving people around and driving to and fro on adventures where I go. I'm not the most trusting driver but I have a yen for adventure and a smell for the open road.

Who wants to go out west?

album appreciation: devotchka

current tune: "New World" by: DeVotchka

If you fell in love with the soundtrack from "Little Miss Sunshine" you will fall in love with DeVotchka and their unique sounds.


Devotchka is a four member band that uses various instruments and vocals mixing international sounds such as: Romanian, Greek, and Slavic to create their beautiful, almost haunting music. Coming out of Denver, Colorado the group is composed of Nick Urata (who sings, and plays the theremin*, guitar, bouzouki*, piano, and the trumpet), Tom Hagerman (who plays violin, accordian and piano) , Jeanie Schroder (who sings and plays the sousaphone), and Shawn King (who plays percussion and the trumpet), all who are very talented and help to make this band a wonderful mix of creative juice with a healthy helping of goulash.


I absolutely ADORE the sound of the accordion and the baltic sounds it makes me think of. (Whenever I hear the accordion I think of France too!)

They've released four albums thus far and one EP, of which I am still acquiring.

happy listening!

*theremin: is an early electric musical instrument controlled without contact from the player and is named after Leon Theremin.
*bouzouki: is a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body and a long neck.

up, down, and all around

current tune: "How It Ends" by: DeVotchKa

I am currently home....for the night and night only. Tomorrow I'll be waking up with the sun and on the road back to Cazenovia by 6am for my internship and then work. Am I beat...? Yes.

I drove back to my home town to see my grandmother and to talk about my European adventures to her and the small senior citizens group she is a part of with her church in Northville, NY. I had no problem doing this for her, and enjoyed making the little old ladies smile, it was just taxing on me with driving.

Just to let you know I am NOT a good driver. As I'm sure my friends can vouch that at least one point in their lives, while driving with me, they felt un-trusting of my driving skills....I don't blame them. And yet I am always driving to and fro and all over....! Displaced karma maybe?


I'm excited to sleep in a real bed again in such a long time. It's pretty silly how many things we take for granted in our lives that I am realizing. A real bed, food always stocked in the fridge, reliable internet, toilet paper, bathroom availability, parking, finances, and vaccuum cleaners. I am very sure there are more things to add to this list, but those are just a handful.

Earlier last week I spent a night in my car in a parking area with Nick, a sleeping bag and a sea of comforter. It was a very interesting experience. Though many may condone this action, I encourage it. I am not homeless, but I do believe there are certain experiences in life that we can only truely understand through experiencing them ourselves, so I did. It will be an adventure that I'll be doing more.

I hope I can walk away from this summer and realize that I accomplished a lot. And that the things I experienced helped to make me a more understanding better individual.

It's amazing how creative you can be with little money and your surroundings.

a small taste of a big city

current tune: "We Share Our Mother's Health" by: The Knife

I've become absent minded again and have been once again guilty of forgetting to update my blog...shame on me! I suppose it's because I'm struggling to have a social life and helping myself for future job references. Busy, busy, busy!!

Yesterday I spent the day with my friends Nick and Bill on the usual quest for adventure. The day started on a very good note of a flat family brunch before scouring the local neighborhood for starving artists' art on the Westcott Art Trail that was held yesterday June 6th. I had a lovely brunch in our kitchen with Nick, Yazmin, and Adluha and her husband's Greek/Indian family I am currently residing with. I had delicious Indian white rice with some yellow peppers, eggplant, and zucchini that I sauteed; all with some scrumptuous vanilla chai tea. After breakfast I tackled the kitchen/dinig room floor then headed for a nice walk around the neighboorhood to see artist's selling their work in lawns and on the street. It was a very cool experience. It also motivates me to begin creating art again, on the side of my busy lifestyle, to sell and live off of.

We headed up to the Westcott Community Center to see more art for sale, signed up to help a non-for-profit arts organization for CNY, and to purchase 4 luscious tomatoes and a jar of raw honey from a local farmer's market. It always makes me uber happy to support the local natural/and or organic farmers in the area. It reminds me that they are making a living in a way that I would like to strive for, and that supporting these people is a direct way of supporting this bohemian honest lifestyle.

I later met Bill at Recess Coffee, and headed to the "Taste of Syracuse" festival downtown to enjoy the large congregation of diverse central New Yorker's with good food and good drink. It was incredibely fun shuffling around so many different people with wine slushies and the sounds of live music. It felt like a huge adult carnival held in the middle of Syrause to give people a tiny holiday from their mundane lives.



I want to make the absolute most of my time here in this large city for the summer. I enjoy the new excitement of finding new tea shops, bookstores, and boutiques to support and new people to meet. I hope my experience in Syracuse and living on my own for the first time is one I can use as a foundation for the multitudes of adventures I will be having throughout my life with all the many people I meet!