Amanda Palmer And First Days

Amanda Palmer is currently on tour to promote her new book The Art of Asking and she stopped by The Cedar Cultural Center last night to read some excerpts, play some songs and chat with special guests Dessa and Kevin Kling.

It was a lovely evening filled with humor and insight. As a musician, it was especially interesting to hear Amanda and Dessa talk about how they do it and get through the obstacles of this business, as well as just life.

Performing "In My Mind"

Amanda performed some songs throughout the evening. She opened the show with "In My Mind" - which never fails to make me well up - and then hopped onto the piano for rocking solo rendition of "Runs in the Family". She's an incredibly gifted and aggressive pianist and for a moment I thought the piano was going to get pushed right over.

 Performing "Runs in the Family"

She read from her book. I would have liked to have purchased it last night, but the line was long (as she was also doing a signing) and it was Sunday night and late and I had to work today and blah blah blah. But I will get it.

At one point in the evening, she asked for the lights to be completely turned off and for everyone to close their eyes and did an incredibly moving version of her tear your heart out song "The Bed Song" - to which someone yelled out afterwards "EVERYONE IS SOBBING NOW!"

Speaking of yelling, that woman was fine, but someone actually had to be kicked out. Not sure what was wrong with her (drunk, high, not right in the head), but a woman was having a conversation with herself loudly throughout the interview portion of the show. Once it was called out by someone and Amanda and Dessa had to address it, the woman got up and left. But came back towards the end of the evening and stood in the back and started to talk again until she was physically removed from the venue. So weird.

  Dessa.

 Amanda, Dessa and Kevin Kling.

Amanda also performed her song "Ukulele Anthem" at the end of the night that turned into a singalong, I wasn't expecting that. But it was fun.

She's such an amazing performer and gives off so much warmth. I enjoyed just listening to her talk about whatever she wanted to talk about. She's a good storyteller.

In other news, today is Robbie's First Day Anniversary. It was 2 years ago today that he came into our lives. I'm so lucky to have him. He's such a good boy (even though last night when we got home from the show, we discovered he managed to get into his food cupboard and had taken his bag of food back to the bedroom - but, unfortunately for him - he couldn't get the bag open). Tonight, Matt and I will take him on a walk to celebrate and I will give him lots of extra cuddles.

I took this picture this morning, He did NOT want his picture taken. So many outtakes.

Three Years

It was three years ago today that we had to say goodbye to Murray.

He was my baby. He was my life. And it is so heartbreaking to look at that picture of him and realize how much I've already forgotten. I hate that.

We have a new dog in our life now (Robbie) and when we first got him, I remember how weird it was to pet him. Murray had such long, soft fur. Robbie's is short and bristly. I thought, I will never get used to this. I don't like this. 

But now I'm used to it. Now when I think of petting a dog, I imagine it feels like petting Robbie - not Murray. And that makes me so sad.

Murray was very special. He was such a good dog for Matt and I and so difficult for so many other things. We could never bring him anywhere. He had some fear-based aggression issues. Or, really, overly protective aggressive issues. But never with us. So he was a stay at home dog. We took him on walks, of course. And he loved going to Grandma's house and he was so good with her. And he was fine at the groomers. He just had such a difficult initial reaction to people that it was always a bit trying and seemed best to avoid those situations.

Now, when I walk Robbie and he can greet anyone and anything and there is not a single concern of biting or growling, I just feel so relieved. Yet, I would never trade any of that for my time with Murray.

He was special. Very special. He never seemed like a dog. He was a true buddy. Robbie is very much a dog. Everything he does is very dog like. You give him a toy, he destroys hit. He wolfs down his food in seconds. Murray was so different. He had a ridiculously huge collection of stuffed toys because he never destroyed them. He just licked them. He would sit licking his toys - or "ducks" as we called them - for hours. We would just leave his food out and he would eat when he felt like it, but he never finished his bowl. The most dog-like thing he did was chase the ducks that would ever taunt him when we would go up to the cottages in the UP. He was so good up there, though. He could be off leash and he would stick by our side (except for when those damn ducks would swim by quacking at him).

My mother-in-law always said she'd never seen a dog look at people the way Murray looked at Matt and me. He LOVED us. And that made me feel like the best damn person in the world. Because to earn Murray's love like that was a very special thing.  Me, Matt, and grandma. Those were the only three people in the world he needed. And we were the luckiest three.

For as long as I have this blog, I will write about him on this day. Share a memory. Even if it's just about the feel of his fur. And tonight I will do a toast in his honor.

I miss you so much, Murray.

I wrote my whole album Intermission for him. This song is called "Pumpkin" - that was my nickname for him.

Three Things Full Of Happy

I can't believe I haven't written about the Sylvan Esso show last Wednesday...because it was phenomenal.

I was wary of going to this show because - although I enjoy this kind of music - I despise paying money for shows just to watch someone play on a laptop. I just feel like it's not that hard to get a band to recreate the sounds.

But these two put on a hell of a show. The laptop was there along with a mixing board, but Nick Sanborn played those things like he was behind a guitar or a drumkit. There was a ton of passion there. And dancing.

Amelia Meath is a wonderful front woman with a killer voice. I first noticed her when as a part of the group Mountain Man. They sang backup for Feist on the tour I saw and she completely stood out - nearly stole the show with her enthusiasm. She's darling and I think it's great that she's getting this success with her own stuff.

They got First Avenue dancing. That just doesn't happen. Minnesotans don't do that at concerts, but the place was jumping. It was a fantastic show.

This is their video for their single "Play It Right":



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I had been craving margaritas. That's a weird thing to say. But really I think I was just craving sitting outside on a beautiful summer day with friends and having some fun drinks. So I arranged a get together at a place in town that serves margaritas and a bunch of us had fun drinks on the patio on what was probably the most perfectly gorgeous weather day of the summer. Then we all headed back to my place and had a fun just hanging out together. I have nothing more to add to that (or pictures to share) but it was just a really great day.

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Then on Sunday it was Dog Day at the MIA (Minneapolis Institute of Arts). They open the doors to dogs and their humans and host activities for dogs in the courtyard. They can contribute to a mural and make their own art. They have photo booths and a caricature artist. Placed around the lot are water bowls. It's really fun and dogs are everywhere and the cuteness is overwhelming. It was also another gorgeous weather day. We took Robbie last year and it was muggy and cool, but this year it was gorgeous and the place was packed with dogs and people. It was super fun. And Robbie made more art. He's so talented.

Be Positive Though It Hurts

My brain is currently swimming as I try to fight through a hang over. The Jenny Lewis show last night was exactly what I needed after a rough weekend, but it has left me with the remnants of one too many PBRs. Luckily, I had the day off today.

Jenny was absolutely brilliant last night. I have not been into her new album The Voyager - although some of the songs are growing on me - but she is a ridiculously good performer. After the poor concert experience I had on Saturday night, I had decided I didn't even want to try to be up front for Jenny Lewis and I was just going to be content hanging out towards the back. But as soon as she started I was a bit bummed I didn't try. Still...she reached me. All the way at the back of the room.

It was my wedding anniversary. We had a lovely weekend planned and it was mostly lovely. It started on Friday night at a fun party hosted by my drummer, John. The band and I played a set in his backyard. We hadn't played in front of people as a band since the end of April so it was good to get some time in before our shows this fall start kicking in. We played mostly songs off the new album, but added some oldies at the end. I had a moment when we started playing "Float" and someone in the audience got really excited. Still weird that people know my songs.

That night, Matt and I had decided that we would drop Robbie Dog off at grandma's house so we could enjoy our anniversary weekend without having to worry about getting home at certain times. There were block parties that we wanted to attend. Saturday morning we dropped him off and he was such a good boy as he watched us leave.

We stopped and did some shopping on the way home. I bought a new shirt to wear out that day.

We headed to The Butcher and the Boar block party to see BBGun, Night Moves, and Haley Bonar. I love Haley. She is far and away one of my favorites. She's such a solid songwriter. I see her often, but I always look forward to it.

We were having such a great day and a nice time.

We went to the front row before Haley started. It was a block party. People were chatty. They'd been standing in the sun drinking all afternoon. I was not expecting completely silence for the show. But next to me was a group of 3 people. They were in the front row, with their backs to the stage, holding a very loud conversation. They seemed to have zero interest in Haley Bonar or the fact that there was even a stage behind them with someone performing or that there were other people around them who were trying to enjoy it. I kept waiting for them to stop and start paying attention. But they didn't.

As I do, I took it upon myself to do something about it. But I was not the only one. Others asked them to please take their conversation elsewhere. But I guess my tone was the bitchiest of all or something. They finally walked away and I was able to start enjoying the set.

Let me just repeat, everyone around us was chatty. It was expected. It was not the kind of setting where you expect silence. I have no problem with people leaning to their friends to say something. But to plant yourself in the front row with your backs to the stage and then speak so loudly because you are right next to the speakers that you have to shout your conversation because you are more into that than the performer is a behavior that I will never understand. Why are they even there? Put the CD on and stay home.

I was just getting back into the set when this guy comes up to me and stands directly in front of me. Like, nearly on my toes right in front of me. He was shorter so I could see over him. But it was weird. He was so close and so in front of me that if you were standing behind me, you probably wouldn't have been able to see him. There was plenty of room around us so that made it even stranger. But people drink and get weird and I just assumed he was oblivious to his surroundings.

So I moved. And he moved in front of me again. So I moved again. Then so did he.

This repeated itself for a while until I was finally like, excuse me? What are you doing?

He whips around like he had been eagerly waiting for me to speak and says "Can't I dance at a show now??? Is that not allowed???" His aggression completely shocked me. I just said, "yes, go ahead. Dance. That's fine. I have no problem with that. You're just doing it basically on top of me." He whips around again and tells me I have an attitude problem and I should shut up.

Seriously, it was frightening.

He was in my face with a look of crazy in his eyes. I started to apologize and said "I'm sorry for whatever I did to you. Can we start over?" I tried to shake his hand, introduce myself, but he wouldn't let up. He just stayed in my face with his chest pumped.

Then one of the chatty girls from before comes running over and I was all "oh, you're with them." She tells me she had to send him over because she hates when people talk at shows and ha ha how do you like that.

I was just shocked. She actually sent some little goon over to try to fight me. It was insane.

At this point, Matt had gone to get security. As he came back, the angry guy and chatty girl ran off. And by then, my night was ruined. I left. I was shaken. I couldn't enjoy myself anymore.

It sucked.

Flip to the next morning. I was enjoying sleeping in. It's not something we get to do with the dog. He wakes us up every morning at about 6:15. Matt had got up to grab his phone and I awoke to him calling down the hallway "Niki. Get up. We have to go. Robbie's gone."

Robbie had jumped the fence at my mother-in-law's house. He had been gone for nearly an hour by the time she called us. She lives about 25 minutes away. He is a very fast dog. He was gone.

This was what we woke up to on our anniversary.

I jumped out of bed and we got on the road. I frantically posted his picture on Facebook and Twitter, typing through uncontrollable sobs. Traffic was terrible and made even worse knowing that each extra minute was another minute head start for Robbie to be even further away. Lost in the winding suburban streets of Bloomington. All those busy roads. All those massive parks. I couldn't believe I might not see him again. It was such an awful feeling.

When we got about 2 minutes away from her house, my mother-in-law called and said he had been found. I just cannot even begin to describe the relief. We got there and there he was. Dirty, wet, panting like crazy. He was gone for nearly 2 hours. And from the various sightings in the neighborhood, he got pretty far.

I tend to wallow in the dumps once I stumble into one. I throw myself a lot of pity parties and I hate that I do that. But I just don't get a lot of vacations (I had taken a 4 day weekend) and anniversaries happen once a year. I was looking forward to this weekend and now at this point, I was nearly assaulted at a Haley Bonar show and got wake up call that my dog ran away. It's hard not to be like, what the fuck, universe?

Later that day, I ran to the grocery store and while I was driving out of the parking lot, the guy in front of me kept slamming on his brakes for apparently no reason. When he did it again then started to turn without using a turn signal, I honked my horn. He slammed on his brakes and jerked his car towards mine and rolled down his window. I kept driving and he started following me. Because I honked my horn at him. What his plan was for if he caught me, I don't know. I managed to get into traffic while he got stuck at a stop sign and I lost him. But so very scary. I know aggression begets aggression and all that. But they put horns on cars for a reason. I nearly hit the guy a couple of times because he was so randomly slamming on his brakes. He was driving erratically.

I had forgotten to get something at the grocery store, so I ran to the gas station. As I was paying for my purchase, a guy peaks his head in and asked the cashier why the pump isn't working. She explains to him that that pump is a pre-pay and he either has to pay at the pump with a credit card or pre-pay inside. His response to her "SCREW YOU. I'm going somewhere else." WTF? Screw you? Why would he say that to her? It's not her fault.

It was the third act of aggression I've witnessed in 12 hours and I just couldn't take it anymore. I got sad. I came home and slumped on the couch and didn't want to leave. The Jenny Lewis show sounded like a chore and I was worried I might look at someone the wrong way and things would go horribly wrong.

But Matt said maybe it would be good for me. So we went.

We got there about 20 minutes before she went on. It was sold out. Packed. We stayed towards the back as planned. The people around us seemed like good people. After a few songs, we wandered to another area and just sort of did that routine all night. It was a fantastic show. She has never sounded better. She played a great mix of old and new and Rilo Kiley songs.

The last song before the encore was "A Better Son/Daughter". We had moved to the side of stage and I had the best view I had had all night. This song hit me hard. I've always liked it. It's kind of THE Rilo Kiley song. Everybody loves it. You can't not like it. The lyrics are universal. They are almost easy in their obviousness to connect and at times when I've been feeling more cynical, I've thought them to be kind of cheesy. A song written for people to belt out to at shows. Let's throw the word fuck in and people will go wild. But still, I've always thought it was a great song. And last night I cried. Because...

"the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap
and it teases you for weeks in its absence
but you'll fight and you'll make it through
you'll fake it if you have to and you'll show up to work with a smile...

you'll be awake, you'll be alert
you'll be positive though it hurts...

you'll be honest, you'll be brave
you'll be handsome, you'll be beautiful
you'll be happy"

I cried. I hate when I cry at shows. It happens more often than I care to admit. Music just does that to me. It brings up all the emotions.

There was a woman standing behind Matt and he let her move in front of him and she was so floored that someone would give up their spot. She kept thanking him and then she said it was her birthday and I told her it was our wedding anniversary. And we hugged. And I was reminded there are nice people. I was full of all the feelings.

After the show, we decided to go have one more drink next door and this woman and her friends showed up and we ended up joining them at their table and had a really excellent time.

Sometimes I just need to be reminded that not everyone is an asshole. Kindness begets kindness.

I have been trying to be more breezy. I'm not doing very well at it, but I'm trying. I will probably still call out jerks at shows and I will still honk my horn at no turn signal using bad drivers. But I do need to let more things roll off my back.

For now, I just need to get rid of this hang over and take my dog to PetSmart for some treats.

The Fox And The Hound

Recently some foxes have moved into the neighborhood. First, it was just sightings of one. Well the one turned out to be a mom and she had four pups. Here they are frolicking in our backyard a few weeks ago:

They were adorable scampering about the yard, tumbling over each other as they played. I brought Robbie out to the porch to see them as they played. He seemed a bit concerned, but he didn't bark. He just sat and watched them.

I posted that picture on Facebook and some of my neighbors voiced their concerns about the diseases that these animals can bring. I read up on foxes on the Humane Society of the United States website and everything says that they are not a threat and you should let them be and even if they've built a den under your porch, just let the mom raise the pups. They won't bother you.

They can be a carrier of a potentially lethal parasite, but no website labeled it as a concern. They all spoke to how they are harmless and should be left alone.

So I felt pretty good about things. They didn't seem to come around when Robbie was out in the yard. I wasn't too worried about it.

But then I started spotting fox poo everywhere and I started getting concerned that Robbie would get a little too close to it. He's not a poo eater, but I don't know how that stuff transfers.

Then my neighbor mentioned that one of the foxes charged their little cockapoo dog.

Then Robbie's outside toys went missing.

Then yesterday, one showed up in our yard while Robbie was having his morning post-breakfast backyard wander. I was sleeping still, but Matt was up with him. He went to go bring him inside and saw the fox standing at the edge of the yard barking at Robbie...and the Robbie took off. He's on a tie-out, but he went after it sound hard that he snapped his collar. He was gone.

Robbie is ridiculously fast. He's a blink and he's gone kind of dog.

Matt came running down the hallway yelling at me to get up. I though the house on was on fire. He told me what happened as he threw on some shoes and told me to get the car. We were both frantic. He got back outside before me and as I got out the front door with car keys and leash in hand, I heard Matt yell "Robbie!" and around the corner came Robbie running full speed to the front door. I was so proud of him for returning right home, though I had to bite my tongue holding back any scolding as you're not supposed to scold a dog when it returns. You're supposed to praise it for doing the right thing.

Matt said he saw Robbie and the fox having a stare down in the neighbor's front yard before Robbie came running back.

My concern is starting to grow.

This morning I woke up around 5am to the most awful shrieking outside our bedroom window. It sounded like a witch's cackle...or a cat being tortured. But it was the fox barking. Just wandering around the yard and barking for no reason. Eventually, it went away. But then around 7am, it came back when my neighbor was letting out that same Cockapoo. The dog and the fox had another barking match before my neighbor was able to get the dog back inside.

I'm finding fox feces everywhere.

I'm worried that this particular fox is not all that healthy.

I called Animal Control and I got the same rundown about how foxes are harmless and that it's just trying to raise its pups and will be gone soon enough.

Not sure what to do. It sucks not to be able to just let Robbie lie around outside in the sun like he likes to do so much. 

I also don't know if we're dealing with one crazy fox or - potentially - five of them.

I know I haven't seen a rabbit in the neighborhood in a long time.

I guess for now we just wait and see.

On Anais Mitchell, The National, Music, And Memories

Last weekend I had one of my drink a lot of beer and listen to music really loud solo sing along nights. Just me and my beer, hanging out in the living room with the iPod, letting it shuffle its way around my emotions.

Amongst songs by Cloud Cult, Feist, The XX, and many others, came Anais Mitchell...who I adore.

Anais tells stories with her songs. She sets up scenes and players with words in a way that I can only compare to Paul Simon. She is a stellar songwriter and her voice gets you right where it wants to.

Back in September 2011, I went to see Ani Difranco perform at the Pantages Theater with Anais Mitchell opening (I've written about this show before). I was already a fan of Anais's, but had never seen her perform. I was excited for this show and then anxious because the day before my beloved dog Murray died and Anais has a song called "Changer" that just about rips me apart and makes me think of how I felt the day we put him down and I was terrified she would play it and I would burst into a bubble of uncontrollable sobs right there in theater.

I still can't listen to that song - I can't even read the lyrics - without crying. Just tried. Had to stop.

But she didn't play it. Instead she played her song "Shepherd".  "Shepherd" tells the story of  a farmer working hard to bring in the harvest while a storm moves in at the same time his wife is going into labor and (SPOILER ALERT) she and the baby die.

This song was unreleased at the time and I had never heard it before but the story sucked me in. I knew it wasn't going to end well and I sat on the edge of my seat and when it got to the conclusion, the tears were streaming and I didn't care. It was what I needed.

Music. Immediate. Connecting.

After the show, Anais was out in the lobby at the merch table chatting with people and signing items and all I wanted to do was run up to her and gush and thank her and tell her about my dog and my grief and how her performance moved me and helped me.

But then I thought that would be weird.

So I just went up to her and told her I really enjoyed her set and thanked her for playing...all the while holding back tears. I'm sure I looked like a frightful mess of a person.

I have an easier time listening to this song than "Changer". But still, every time I hear it - whether it's drunken nights in my living room or while playing her album Young Man in America in the car on the way to work - it still brings me right back to that day in September with my still fresh grieving wounds. And the story still makes me cry. And I'm still so thankful for her songs and just music in general for always being there for me.



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Similarly, about a month ago, I was going through a rough patch. A bad one. Real bad. And one day I just had to get away. So I got in the car and drove around the metro for a couple of hours - finding back roads in the cities I had no idea existed. I didn't have much to listen to in the car at the time that fit my mood. My mix of fun pop songs wasn't going to cut it. But I had The National's Trouble Will Find Me - an album that I extremely disliked when I first got it...and I'm a big fan of The National. It was slow, repetitive. Just didn't excite me.

But I put it in the CD player because it was there and it wasn't Miley Cyrus or Tiffany. And holy shit did that album hit me like a fucking truck. Every single line was exactly my brain at that moment. I don't think I've ever felt more connect to a collection of songs at one moment in time than at that moment. I wanted to keep driving and listening to it on repeat until I was somewhere far, far away. But it also made me want to go back because it made me feel like I wasn't crazy and these emotions were real and felt by others and I shouldn't feel silly about having them.

Music. Immediate. Connecting.

The Good Stuff

I'm trying not to dwell on how my somewhat half-assed, stay-at-home vacation is almost over. Sure I still have the weekend, but that doesn't count. Because I always have the weekend. It's the not working on the work days that count. And that's almost over.

BIG SIGH.

But life has not been all bummer lately, I guess.

1. I got to go the full electric route with the band and that was so much fun.
2. I made a music video. I don't think I've talked about that here yet.


3. I did manage to write one new song during my time off. It's not the happiest of tunes by a long shot, but I did create something.


4. I took my dog to the lake on a gorgeous Wednesday in the middle of the day and then he posed for this adorable selfie with me.

5. I have officially become obsessed with PJ Harvey. She's always been a favorite. But lately, it goes beyond all the others.


6. I now like The National's most recent album, Trouble Will Find Me. I put it on when I was in a very very down mood and every single lyric hit me.
7. I picked up Series 3 of Sherlock and it is so much better the second time around. Initially I was sort of disappointed by this season, but now I love it. Highly entertaining.

8. Community has been amazing this season. Absolutely back to its fantastic form.
9. I watched seasons 1 and 2 of New Girl on Netflix and am obsessed and waiting and waiting for season 3 to be over and put up on Netflix. It's a very comforting show. I miss them.

10. My friends in the band Grickle-grass reunited for two nights only. They were an awesome band and it was so much fun to hear their songs live again after TEN YEARS! It was a bit of a high school reunion situation. Lots of faces I hadn't seen in a long time. So much fun.

Happy Anniversary, Robbie!

Today we're celebrating Robbie's First Day. Since he was a rescue dog and no one knows his actual birthday, we celebrate his First Day  - meaning the day that he came home with us.

 On our way home on his First Day.

He and I had a rough go at first. He was very shy and I had expectations that he would love me full heartedly from the start. It took a few months...but we got there.

He's a truly wonderful dog. He's so good and sweet. He tries so hard to do everything the right way.

 I'm so happy he's a part of our lives.

 He's my favorite little guy.

Happy Anniversary, Robbie!

Long Weekend

Wow. That was a weekend.

Seriously. I haven't had one like this in a long time. Maybe it's the weather finally letting up (although the forecast says snow and cold again later this week. ugh.) but I finally got out of the house. A lot.

I also am currently on the tail end of a 4 day weekend.  A little much needed breather after a very stressful winter.

Thursday night: I had a show. The first one in over a month. We played at The Nomad, kicking off The Broken Bicycles month long residency there. It was fun show. Full band. New song. Few mistakes (I'm getting better with that).

Setlist for The Nomad 4/4/2013

• Good
• Adore
• The Woods
• Lens
• Flavor
• Blind (first time played!)
• Float
• Beg, Borrow, or Steal
• Introvert

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Friday: I spent my first day of my mini vacation tired and slightly hung over from being out late at the show the night before. It wasn't ideal. There was a lot I wanted to get done. Instead, I'm pretty sure I sat on the internet all day. I think. I honestly don't remember.

I did spend part of the day with the new Rilo Kiley album, RKives. Although, calling it new seems weird since it's a collection of b-sides and rarities - most of which I've already heard. But it's nice to have official versions of them.

But Friday night was wonderful. One of those really great nights where you're just in that perfect mood and everything just goes exactly as it should. The Husband and I started out at Eli's (the NE Minneapolis location) for appetizers and drinks. We love Eli's. A really excellent menu, reasonably priced, with a great atmosphere. Then we headed over to The Local for dessert. We had the chocolate s'mores cake. OMG. So good. 

But the highlight of the evening was seeing the fantastic Bethany Larson and the Bee's Knees play a 2 hour set at the Dakota Jazz Club. These guys are the real deal. Bethany has one of my favorite voices and the Dakota was a perfect place to showcase it. We got a really great booth in the corner with a perfect view. Everybody was there to listen. Just a really wonderful venue. I highly recommend seeing some music there. (I'm also going to try to get myself a show there). 

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Saturday was another especially tired and groggy day after, once again, being out until 2 and then not sleeping. I was due to have a band practice/recording session, but it got cancelled at the last minute. This came as somewhat of a relief as I just was not feeling it. Sometimes when you're not feeling it, it's best to not force it. 

So The Husband and I took the dog for a walk around the lake and then I spent the day trying not to fall asleep. 

I also recorded a quick demo to my iPhone and put it up on Soundcloud. This is just a little new song that was bubbling up. It is nowhere near fully realized, but it's something.

We once again went out that night to a house party to celebrate the birthdays of two of my friends. And we brought Robbie. It was his first party and I was a bit nervous, but he is such a good dog. We are so lucky to have him. He was a little social butterfly soaking in the attention. He got to spend some time with the house dog and figure out the house cat. And the party was super fun. 

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And then Sunday. Once again, tired and hungover from being out until 2 and not sleeping. But, I had nothing to do all day, which was nice. And Shawn stopped by and dropped of a disc of all the songs we've been working on remixed with some added touches and it's so good and I am so excited about it and can't wait to share them. We have one more song to record and a few little things to fix, but the EP is almost finished. 

And then Sunday night I was watching YouTube videos from Amanda Palmer's show on Saturday night and she debuted a new song called "The Thing About Things" that is just gorgeous and has a killer line in it that, my god, must feel so amazing to have written: "the thing about things is that they can start meaning things nobody actually said" Love. It. Here's the song:

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Now it's Monday and my mini vacation is almost over. But I woke up this morning to find that The National have posted a new song from their upcoming album and, of course, it's fantastic. 

I heard that the new album features guest vocals from both Sharon Van Etten and Nona Marie (from Dark Dark Dark) so yeah, pretty sure this album is going to be making my Favorite Albums of 2013 list.

And so now it's time for lunch and back to songwriting. Working on some piano songs....

Things I Love Right Now

1. Robbie

Robbie has been in our lives now for 3 weeks (or has it been a month already?). He's incredibly sweet and too smart for his own good. I'd forgotten what it's like to have a dog - both the good and the bad of it. But he's just such a sweetheart. I can't get enough of looking at that face.

2. Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleep's New Songs

Everything I'm hearing from her lately is just outstanding. I am so excited for their new album. 

3. Home Recording

We've been working on some recordings on a 4 track player in Shawn's basement. It's been so much fun and so freeing. No financial constraints. No time constraints either. It's also a good learning experience.

4. Amanda Palmer's "Playing to Nobody" blog post.

This. This is what I've been trying to say in all of my whiney complain-y blog posts. 

5. Star Trek Trailer

I never watched Star Trek as a television show. But I highly enjoyed the movie that came out a few years ago. And this trailer looks awesome. Plus, it had bonus Benedict Cumberbatch voiceover action. 

6. Saturday Night Live Homeland Spoof

I just finished season one of Homeland and I just think the show is ridiculous - yet I was totally sucked in. This skit spoofs it perfectly. 

Smitten

All I can do is think about my new dog. I want to talk about him all the time. I had to stop myself from posting picture after picture and update after update of and about him on the social medias last night. I’m pretty sure STFU, Parents who put up a special post about me if I posted about him as much as I want to.

Today is his first day home alone for a full work day and I am worried sick! I just want to go home to him and cuddle. He’s just so sweet. I wish he could come to work with me. I guess he went to work with his foster mom sometimes. If only my employer allowed it.

I think he’s starting to like us. We broke down and are letting him sleep in bed with us. We just didn’t want to kennel him all night and then kennel him again all day when we work. I think that went a long way in his feelings towards us. 

He's a very good sleeper.

 He does such goofy things. He just sits. Like, randomly sits and watches everything. It’s so cute. He’ll sit for anything.

He’s really good at giving side-eye.

He takes his toys and throws them for himself. If I try to throw them for him, he just sits, so I have to give it right back because he’s a good boy for sitting to request something. If I do manage to throw a toy, even if he’s been playing with it outside of his kennel or his room (yep, he now has Murray’s old room as his), he gets and brings it back to his kennel. Like he’s annoyed that I threw it and doesn’t think I’m playing with it right so, therefore, I don’t get to play with it at all.

Watching dad leave for work.

It’s all certainly an adjustment, though. It’s been a quiet year since Murray passed and now we are back on the 4am wake-up call of a dog getting up and shaking and his collar making a ton of noise.  And getting up an hour earlier to walk him and feed him and hang out with him before heading to work. And keeping a constant eye on him as he can still be a little naughty.

It’s totally worth it, though.

I am so glad he is in our life now.

And Introducing....

Robbie!

Yep. We got another dog. He's just about the sweetest little guy ever.

We had been looking at his picture on Petfinder and debating about him for weeks (see this post). Then Second Chance Animal Rescue* (the agency he was fostered through) had an adoption day in our neighborhood yesterday and we went and he was there and we couldn't say no.

We had called on Friday to make sure he was going to be there and then got there early on Saturday to make sure we got to him first. There were so many people there waiting for the dogs! I was so worried we'd have to fight for him. But we caught him just as he was coming in the door and met him before anyone else even had a chance to see him.

Having a dog in the house again has already been a major adjustment. He was with his foster mom for 5 months and I think they were very attached. He seems sad - cries a lot - but then every once in a while, he seems to be accepting us.

Having a dog again is also making me realize how unique Murray was. We never had to worry about him jumping on the counters, eating out of the garbage, drinking out of the toilet. But Robbie will do all of those things, so it is a constant game of keeping an eye on him.

He took to his kennel well. We set it up and he went right in there without us even pointing it out. He even put his toys in there himself. But then when we went to bed last night and shut the door, well, that seemed to change his opinion of his kennel. But he didn't make a peep all night.

He really wants to come up on our bed. And he's totally able to jump up there. Right now, we've decided this is unacceptable. The bed needs to stay animal hair free, so the bedroom door stays closed. But, I don't know. I bet he'd really like to sleep up there with us...

I'm really trying not to compare him to Murray. He is his own dog after all. But Murray is my only previous experience as a pet owner as an adult and Murray was just not a normal dog. I think Robbie is more of a normal dog. But, he's still weird. He doesn't seem to like areas with heavy traffic. On his walk around the neighborhood last night, we got to the point where we walk on a sidewalk off of a busy street and he was not happy.

And then today, we took him for a walk around the lake and when we got to a point where we were walking into the wind and you could hear the nearby cars going by, he froze and would not move.

So, we're all just trying to figure each other out and learn how to communicate with each other.

He really is the sweetest, most gentle dog. Just super mellow. Doesn't make a sound (except for the occasional crying outburst). I love him so much already. I hope he learns to love me.

 *Second Chance Animal Rescue is also where we got Murray. They are a great organization.

Three Ears

One of the things I love about our current home is our yard. Our house is on a half-acre and behind is a grove of trees that provide ample privacy and great animal watching. Squirrels, rabbits, and even deer. This is what I will miss most when we move (yes, we’re moving).

And coyotes!

Ever since Murray died, I think it’s safe to say the husband and I have grown attached to these wild animals. We leave them food and watch them play.

  

One little guy (or gal) has really taken over my heart. He’s (let’s just call it a he) is a rabbit and he has three ears.

  

He lives in the hedges by our garage and spends his evenings in the front yard eating apple remains that my husband leaves for the animals – and he really does have three ears. Or what appears to be a third ear. It looks like an ear and it hangs off the back of his neck.

He was pretty much out there like clockwork every evening and most mornings. But I haven’t seen him in over a week now and I am starting to get worried. What if something happened to him?

My husband and I were thinking maybe rabbits tuck themselves away in the late summer – because we really haven’t seen any rabbits around anywhere in a long time. And the squirrels have been going crazy, so maybe the rabbits just stay away until they are done.

But then last night I got home from choir practice and it was dark and I saw a rabbit in the front yard having a snack in the spot that Three Ears always has a snack. I got really excited, but then as the headlights shined on him and he sprinted away, I saw that this rabbit only had two ears. I think. It was hard to see. But Three Ears’ third ear is pretty noticeable.

So, where has he gone?

I am very concerned.

I was already feeling sad about leaving him behind when we move. I mean, I know he’s a wild rabbit and all…but I miss my dog and Three Ears is the closest thing I have to an animal in my life right now. And if you’ve read my post on the Story of Jaycer, you will know I have some serious animal abandonment issues.

But now he’s not around and I’m feeling a little abandoned. I wish he’d just show himself so I’d know he’s not dead. We have hawks and big dogs in the neighborhood. I worry.

Come back, Three Ears.