i'm the type of person that thinks, "hey, i'm awake, why aren't you?" but realistically i know that just because i like (?) to wake up at the crack of dawn not everyone does. but i have to take issue with the folks that bitch and moan when they call me at night and i'm not awake, then if i call them back in the morning, they're sleeping and get pissed. my point is: it's essentially the same thing. at either time, one of us is sleeping and doesn't want to be woken up, so let's not either of us get mad, mmmkay? but really, i don't call them back early in the morning, because i know they're sleeping and that'd just be plain old rude. so all i'm asking for is a little courtesy when i'm sleeping, and i don't think that's too much to ask.

anonymity (oooh, how i just struggled with the spelling of that word!) is key.

...and away we go.

i have the appraiser in my condo as i type this, he's kinda cute. for an older-ish man, but then again, that's my weakness.

ideally, i'd like to keep this unedited, meaning no spell check, how it's typed is how it stays, but in this last sentence alone i've laready (see, there is is again, only this time, unedited!) made tons of errors, all but one of which i have corrected.

you have to think it's a good sign when the appraiser says you have a nice house...

surreal life?

i am liking the surreal life, but perhaps less this season than others. for some reason i am oddly attracted to bronson pinchot, aka balki. i used to love perfect strangers, between that and full house, my friday nights were set while growing up. janice dickinson gets on my last nerve. she is definitely in my current bottom five people i hate. oooh. add omarosa while you're at it! because i'm too poor for tivo, i record the shows. as in, on a vcr.

god, i am getting old. heartburn from wing sauce. bleh.

there's something about writing in all lowercase that seems so lazy. but also very...? i dunno what the word i'm searching for is.

ran into a chick from starbucks in the safway parking lot tonight, her yelling at a distance cause she recognized me from the peno. of course i was post-swim and freaking braless, but what are you going to do? then! then i was walking into the chicken place and tried to push the door instead of pull and created a loud 'thud!' as my bag from safeway crashed against the glass. and of course the place was packed, inside and out.

the usual

It's funny because it's TRUE!
If you've been to a DMB concert, you know these folks well.
I just can't figure out which one I am...I guess 'girlfriends' is most accurate if I had to choose one.

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Mix and Match Dave Matthews Fans
By Nick Margiasso
Tampa Bay Times

It's that time of the year again. Time to wear brightly colored swimming trunks, sip frozen drinks in 98-degree heat and see the Dave Matthews Band on the its summer tour. Sure Dave will be there, but it's the folks that make up the audience that really give the show its color. You know them well, but here's an introduction anyway.

Hippie Lite: The watered-down version of their hemp-clad, grilled cheese peddling, dreadlocked Caucasian contemporary. The woman shaves her armpits (a sin, I know), while the man is no more likely to be wearing self-knit patchwork pants than he is able to recite a classic Grateful Dead set list. They got here in a Volkswagen Golf, not a vintage VW bus, and enjoy a tofu wrap and soy milk latte over a trunk-grilled pizza and mushroom tea any day. They regularly wash, use the word "dank" to qualify anything pleasing and have bank accounts (stocked by parents) - tisk, tisk. They never really "got" Phish, the main bridge separating them from their musty contemporaries.

Frat Boys: Will beat the daylights out of that kid if he twirls into him one more time. Drank a sixer before getting here, and plans to at least double that by show's end thanks to cash won from his weekly poker night. Dress code followed to a tee by all: polo shirt (flipped up collar optional), cargo shorts, tribal band/Japanese lettering tattoo, unkempt hair (backward hat optional), all white sneakers and a shell necklace. Drove up in a custom truck in which he plans to peel out in after the show, screaming "wooo" all the while. Dave is his way to channel a sensitive side to girls or to drunkenly bond with his bros. His favorite song is No. 41 , which he's trying to learn how to play on guitar to get chicks. Seriously, dude, it's an awesome idea.

Cool Parents: Dad sports a random bar T-shirt, while Mom wears her favorite sundress. Started singing along with the Crash album as soon as they said goodbye to the babysitter until pulling into the parking lot, bumping the Honda Accord speakers to the limit. They might have a Bud and a plastic cup of zinfandel, respectively, during the show, but are over most vices these days. They just closed on their house, so money's tight, but might swing an item or two at the merchandise table anyway (DMB bumper sticker, eh). Got into Dave back in '94 just before they met at UF. Friends call Dave the "soundtrack of your lives," a little inside joke they enjoy.

Yuppies: Flew over here right from the office, hence the cuffed DKNY dress shirt and polished Diesel kicks/Nine West pumps. Luckily, they brought a pair of prefaded Banana Republic jeans to change into in the parking lot. Only rum and Coke for them at the show, for which they scammed tickets from a sales rep at work. They love it when Dave gets played on the radio in their cubicle, but really enjoy going out to some bar afterward where they'll see that guitarist who always covers Satellite.

Girlfriends: Sporting cute Gap outfits they hope don't get dirty on the grass; these ladies (usually in threes) always will be friends because of nights like this. Sure, one works in an office while the "crazy" artsy one leaves her silly messages on the way to pick up the hometown girl that never strayed far, but they'll all be at the show tonight just like every summer. While they may lead different lives, their Dave, who's always playing on their stereos, only heightens the bond they share. What are the chances they'll meet a sensitive guy that understands them tonight? Cross your fingers.

College kids: Between sharing rides to Publix with the roommate that has the car, downloading files on Limewire and cramming for midterms they barely had time to shave some cash off the parents and financial aid to score tickets to this thing. There will be no beer drinking or hot dog eating at the show, though, as the ticket and gas money costs left only enough cash for three Five Star pizzas and a jug of Check cola for the week. They have been downloading all Dave's stuff since freshman year, even distributing bootleg copies of Stand Up around the dorm a month before it hit shelves.

Cellular Fans: They're so overwhelmed that Dave is playing their song. Time to call somebody and hold the phone up in the air so it can be heard on the other end of the line. It's too bad Dawn or Tim couldn't come, but this is just like being there. Any aforementioned fan types are applicable to this crowd.

Photo Friday: Silky

el cuatro de julio

My father's given name is Jose. As a child, I thought the first few words of "The Star Spangled Banner" were "Jose, can you see..."
True story.


Happy 4th of July!