Someone is responsible for putting up the caution tape

Some resolutions:

shave head
take more photos
never get too old to stay up late making mix tapes
call my ninety year old grandma more, even if she has no idea who i am, where i am, or who she is
make more stews (already succeeding at this one)
never lose your affection
find some goddamn farm land (harder than it sounds)

New Year’s Eve is sort of like psychological combat. When giant rockets are sold to the general public, along with the normal array of sparklers and smoke bombs, things can seem a little out of hand. I did not wear safety goggles walking through downtown at midnight, but I ducked a few times. Please keep in mind everything shown is amateur. No one is in charge.

click for nye 08

We were invited to an inauguration day party. I decided against my impulse to bring an Anti-Flag CD and talk about post hope. I made vegan stew instead. No one here can pronounce vegan, not even the Americans. Many believe I eat fish. I don’t tell my partner’s mother that I avoid dairy because she would panic further about how to cook for my confusing self. My own grandmother (the other one) recently said, “Oh right, you’re still not eating meat.” Right. It’s only been fourteen years. That “thing” I do.

I seem at ease at parties – a skill I forced myself to master some time ago – but I like meeting other people’s cats and coaxing them out from under the bed more. I also think a celebration is in order, but like Rev. Jackson said: eat the cake, then get back to work.

Here I am meeting a friend’s bird Prås over the holidays. Prås fell from his nest at said friend’s firefighter station (where she works), so now he hangs at her place at night and during the day, he goes flying with other birds while she battles blazes and lifts heavy shit. Sometimes he scares other humans who don’t expect him to suddenly land on their heads. I think he’s delightful.

click for prås in a new window

My comrades Michael and Doron are having a show at HTTP in London. If you happen to be in those parts or able to travel, you should consider going. I remain sad that we have too many other things to juggle right now to permit such a trip.

Somewhat related, if you’re into this sort of thing, I posted some new lumieres.

As a bit of a magazine junkie, I try to be more selective when shipping costs abroad match the cover price. It is with regret that I admit to being less than impressed with the issue of FAUND we bought. Apparently, some things need to live and die on the Internet. Bejeezus, on the other hand, is one of the better connections to home that has arrived in my mail. Reclaim Southern culture, y’all. Makes me miss childhood visits to my great gram in West Virginia. Perhaps I’ll have to plan a return to the homeland…or perhaps I already have.

Speaking of shipping costs, never underestimate friends who will flash their passport and pay the postage to send you some Sudafed when you’ve left pharmacy culture behind. I can’t even buy antibiotic ointment here without calling the doc. But then, you oughta hear how Andreas explains OTC to his pals. The US sounds like one giant pharmaceutical cartel, if a strangely permissive one.

Den Sorte Skole and RJD2 are teaming up in DK for several shows, so we’re double dating (hah) with friends (including the aforementioned firefighter) to the show in Aalborg. If only DAT Politics would tour, my electronic music needs would almost be met. Pack up the mad kit and come over, guys. We’re additionally stalking Alphabeat and would be stalking Dan if he didn’t wander into the photo store near our house while we were getting more photos taken for legal docs. Small ass country when you live next to the only guy w/ his own VH1 show.

And while we’reI’m talking about music, I get the humor and all – believe me, it’s I-read-this-stuff-aloud-to-Andreas kind of good – but do we really have to pick on the recovering alcoholic? And to call for a shitty songs drinking game on top of that?

Since it’s hard to be fully honest in a time of forced transparency, when anyone you do or do not like could be reading your words, I’m working hard to finish my zine by March. The wildly talented and inspiring Chella is contributing her expat thoughts, and if you have any, maybe you should too. Self-publishing only recently began to make sense to me as a revolutionary action, and while I believe some stories must be told, I do wonder if writing them down makes me more accountable for telling them. By that I mean, how much honesty gets a girl in trouble? I think the answer is “any and all,” so onward we go.