Let the (Holiday) Madness Begin!

Strap on the feed bag! In less than 24 hours (assuming I don't wreck on I-95), I will be sipping beers and eating the hell out of my sisters Thanksgiving feast. This is the first year that my sis is preparing dinner at her place and she's an awesome cook and much more domestic than myself. Where did those traits come from and why didn't I get them? Eh, i've got other talents...more on that later...

Sis called me last night while I was enjoying a delicious dinner and drink at The Wonderland. She mentioned that she has "a fridge stocked with Yuengling." Best.Sister.Ever.

Before this magical journey to destination "break out the elastic - waist pants" begins, there are several various and sundry items I need to take care of. They include the following:

1) Laundry - I have not run a load of laundry in at least two weeks and I don't own that many clothes. I'm not going to lie, my pants aren't wrinkled because I didn't fold them. They're wrinkled because I picked them out of the laundry basket...where they've been since last week.

2) Vehicle Registration @ DC DMV - Shoot me. I renewed my registration online back in October and never received my new window decal in the mail. I haven't been pulled over or ticketed for it yet. I'm going to the DMV this afternoon to get my sticker. Please keep me in your prayers.

3) Clean the Jeep - It's filthy and i'm starting to lose control whenever I have to sit in it. It's the leaves stuck to the floor mat that are really sending me over the edge. Also, my mom was riding in it two weeks ago and refuses to ash out the window. There are ashes all over the interior. For my mental health, I need it to be spotless before I drive it anywhere. That's just how I roll.

After these items are completed it's on! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Live Looping, Beatboxing & Brilliance

Last night, thanks to craigslist savvy Maria - I was able to attend the Imogen Heap show at the 9:30 Club. Although I haven't written about live performances on this blog in quite some time, i'm going to attempt to put this experience into words. Please bear with me - at some point during last nights performances (most likely while Imogen was rockin' the keytar on "Hide and Seek"), my brain exploded and i'm still trying to put it all back together.

First, let's talk about live looping. I've never seen this done before, or at least not that I was aware of. If you're not schooled in the ways of live looping either, allow me to offer my (very) basic explanation -- essentially, live looping allows the artists to layer their own sounds in a live performance in order to give the songs more depth. It's done by recording an initial sound, beat, etc. then playing it back on a "loop" along with other recorded sounds (a.k.a. overdubbing). I think what struck me most about the live looping was that I felt like I was not only hearing the construction and layering of the music, but I was actually able to see the artist(s) record and blend the sounds together, right on stage. Music is one thing, but blending that with technology...i'll be honest, I was pretty much losing control.

Then we have Kid Beyond - "a one man vocal orchestra." I'd imagine he's one of the most talented beatboxers around. I've heard beatboxing before, but this was something altogether amazing. Using live looping, he was able to vocally construct all the beats and hypnotic techno cuts for songs like NIN's "Closer" as well as Portishead's "Wandering Star." There are some pretty decent clips of his live performances on YouTube; you honestly need to check this guy out.

Finally, somewhere around midnight - Imogen Heap took the stage (brief note: she introduced all of her opening acts, which I thought charming). Although the above picture was not snapped at last nights show, it is indicitive of what she was wearing - complete with pink feathered hair. Rock Star. -- which is exactly what she was. Girl's got some pipes, which when blended with her "band" (consisting of various electronic devices), and the ethereal background/lighting, it was pretty much enough to blow my fragile mind. She played a nice, long set including songs from her Frou Frou album as well as those off her latest CD. I can honestly say, this was one of the best concerts i've been to this year. If you're able to get tickets to any of her future performances, I highly recommend it. Word on the street is that she'll be taking a brief hiatus while she records her next album.

Everyone Gets the Angries!

"Do the mean, awful angries keep creeping up on you?"

Dear Lady Who Knows About Mads,

Sometimes my anger sharks start swimming and I can't control the INTENSE RAGE that I feel inside. This is usually escalated by my excessive drinking and aggressive tendencies. Being Irish Catholic, i'm predisposed towards supressing my anger and emotions. I just want to let you know that your website was very informative in helping me learn positive things to do with my anger.

I now know that to let go of my anger, I just need to give it a little poke - even though i'm pinching and poking the living hell out of myself, I suppose it's more constructive than flipping desks over and hurling office supplies - I barely even notice the pinch marks anymore!

I also wanted to thank you for your recommended additional reading. "Why Did Johnny Kill" proved to be one of the most comprehensive and educational resources on school violence which includes the dynamics of rejection, isolation, bullying, shame, anger, and acting out in children - which I feel is something we can all relate to!

Keep up the great work anger lady!