The Murbil

I pretty much think Murphy looks like just about any other animal with big brown eyes that you can imagine. He has these funny whiskers and a skinny tail, so he kind of looks like a gerbil. But then he looks up at you with the sweetest face and such huge eyes and you think, wow he really looks like a cow. And after watching way too much daytime tv today, I have decided that Murph looks like a polar bear. So can we stop having the commercials where the polar bears are stranded on ice floes and can't find seals or land and drown because that makes me think of Murphy not being fed and being lost out in the wild and then I start crying and have to give him lots of hugs and treats. Okay WWF? Can we be more inspirational please? I mean, you did good things for the pandas, they seem to be doing ok. So let's talk about the good things we are going to do for polar bears so that Murphy doesn't get fat from treats. Kthanxbye.

Update - SHGG

Now has another G to his name. Yup, SHGG is gay. But still super hot. So I suppose I can still check him out while on the treadmill, right?

Sigh.

Lollapaloozled

Thought it was about time to give a run-down of my incredibly fun, hot, sweaty, twinkie-filled Lollapalooza experience.

Friday:
I went to see 'Dark Knight' again, so I missed most of the first day. But I did catch some great music. I was pretty bummed to miss the Black Keys and the Raconteurs - by all accounts they put on great shows. But I definitely had fun bopping along with Bloc Party. And staying at that end of the park meant I had a primo spot for Radiohead. Their performance was ridiculous - the light show was incredible. I would have liked to hear more of their older songs, since I really wasn't familiar with the new album, but all in all it was amazing.

Saturday:
Eddie joined me for the day and after brunch we started out seeing Mason Jennings.
AH: He sounds familiar, like someone I have heard before.
Eddie: Bob Dylan? (and yes, VERY Bob Dylan-y)
AH: Well yes, but also like someone else who sounds like Dylan.
Eddie: Mmhmm *rolls eyes*
Next song starts
AH: Oh! I know! He sounds like himself! I have heard this song before!
Eddie: Sigh.
We listened to a couple of Dierks Bentley songs and discussed how much new country sucks, then heard a few songs over at Steel Train - fun and nice to sit in the shade but not particularly memorable. At this point, we had counted about 25 people wearing Rage t-shirts (yes, we were keeping track. It is incredibly lame to wear the t-shirt of the headliner, people. Seriously.) and we moseyed over to MGMT who everyone seemed to be excited for. I wasn't all that impressed, but others appeared to be having fun. Lupe Fiasco was, well, dull. The performance was high energy but I just didn't enjoy it. The Toadies were also pretty meh, but we were positioning ourselves for Rage's performance so we stayed put. And then they started. And stopped. And started, and stopped. Apparently the crowd up front was just insane - but Eddie and I decided that rather than wait for them to calm down, we would sneak over to the rest of Wilco's set. Good decision. They were super fun and much more mellow and it was a great end to the night.

Sunday:
I walked over by myself and was totally drawn to the sound of the Blakes. I wish I had heard more, but they started my day off right and were a great rock band. Wild Sweet Orange was next, and again I was pleasantly surprised and I kept texting Eddie about how great these two bands were. What Made Milwaukee Famous? Certainly not the band, and the Weakerthans canceled, so I bounced over to Tally Hall - a group from Michigan who reminded me of Weezer's Buddy Holly video - all wearing skinny ties, fun music, and I regained my cheer. Over to John Butler Trio - which was so freaking good. Think the guitar of Tim Reynolds with the pep of more upbeat G Love songs. I was hooked. The vibe at this end of Lolla was really relaxed and fun and I was having a great time. Then I started getting these odd texts from Eddie asking where I was, and he showed up to surprise me, beer in hand. Turns out someone had flat out given him a wristband, so we got to listen to Iron & Wine together - super mellow and fantastic. Blues Traveler was next, followed by Gnarls Barkley. I am not a huge fan of either group, but they both performed with lots of energy and were ultimately really great to watch. I wanted to see the National, but getting back and forth across the park was getting tough so instead we drank beer (and bottles of wine, that may have been a mistake), listened to an interesting Ryan Adams cover, and waited for Kanye. Say what you want about his attitude, but the man is a fantastic performer. It was a great way to close out the weekend - high energy, all of his hit songs, and no bullshit. Very fun.

So, all in all, I had the most fun on Sunday, and would totally do it again. The high point? Discovering deep fried twinkies. Yeah. They were freaking amazing. The low point? Port-a-potties. Enough said. Next time I think I will do a better job of hitting up more performances, and there's always Austin City Limits to look forward to!!!

Can't wait for August!

Ok so usually horoscopes are kind of wishy-washy and rarely are they specific. "You will do well to watch your finances this month and be kind to your friends" or some such crap. Really? I should watch what I spend and not be an asshole? Great, thanks. Actually, the Chinese horoscopes on Facebook are quite good - well, once it told Eddie that he was going to break his femur, which was odd, but super specific, right? So as I was getting my Bobcut today, I read the crappy magazines at the salon (Bobcuts take about 3 hours. I have a lot of hair and bleach takes some time.) and lo and behold my awesome horoscope for August:

You will have a sexual encounter of the "shock and awe" variety.

Thanks Marie-Claire. You.Rule.

WSotD - "a Song that Really Needs a New Title" Edition

I can't believe this song has never been a WSotD before. Seriously. I heard it while I was not studying and getting a manicure (random, right??) and thought to myself, "OMG this is the best song ever, and it SO needs a new title." Because the current title makes it sound sweet, and loving, and well, a bit creepy. Because "All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You" - well, really? I mean, don't you maybe want to take a break and have a sammich? Or go to a movie (like Batman? Which was freaking amazing!!!)? Or take the dog out? I mean, that is a whole lot of love-making. Anyway, here it is, my comments included.

It was a rainy night
When he came into sight,
Standing by the road,
No umbrella, no coat.
So I pulled up alongside
And I offered him a ride.
He accepted with a smile,
So we drove for a while. (Well, that's kind. I mean, stupid, but kind. he could be an axe murderer, or that guy from the Lifetime movie who assaults the nice woman who picks him up and then she is inexplicably pregnant later and her friends wonder why she never mentioned the attack and it is a MESS I tell you . . . ahem, moving on)
I didnt ask him his name,
This lonely boy in the rain.
Fate, tell me its right,
Is this love at first sight? (Love? Really? Oh, I see where this is going. Hmm, not sure it's a great idea, but carry on)
Please dont make it wrong,
Just stay for the night.

All I wanna do is make love to you
Say you will
You want me too
All I wanna do is make love to you
Ive got lovin arms to hold on to (OK, clearly, this is where the song goes awry. I mean, sex and making love are not the same thing in AH's book. Shouldn't the actual verse go something like, "All wanna do is f*ck your brains out, random stranger who I don't know or love but who is apparently hot and sort of emo"?? I guess she wants to avoid the judgment that would come along with such a statement, but it seems more accurate to me.)

So we found this hotel,
It was a place I knew well (Oooh, not the first time you have picked up a lonely emo boy? You minx you!)
We made magic that night.
Oh, he did everything right
He brought the woman out of me,
So many times, easily (Ah, appealing to all the ladies in the world with the random stranger who is gifted in talents of the multi-O. Loves it.)
And in the morning when he woke all
I left him was a note (And what did you say? Order room service on me - I hear the blueberry pancakes are phenomenal? Thanks for the lovin', now you are stuck in some random motel, be out by noon?)
I told him
I am the flower you are the seed
We walked in the garden
We planted a tree (Oh. That is a rather stupid note. I mean, I think that is what people used to tell their kids when they asked where babies come from. I got the book "Where Did I Come From?" which is a phenomenal book with hilarious cartoon people. I freaked out my older sister's boyfriend by giving it to him to read while he waited for her to get ready for a date once - I was like 3, so shush . . . but I digress)
Dont try to find me,
Please dont you dare
Just live in my memory,
You'll always be there

All I wanna do is make love to you
One night of love was all we knew
All I wanna do is make love to you
Ive got lovin arms to hold on to

Oh, oooh, we made love
Love like strangers (LIKE strangers? I mean, don't you mean AS strangers? No? Okay . . .)
All night long
We made love

Then it happened one day,
We came round the same way
You can imagine his surprise
When he saw his own eyes
I said please, please understand
Im in love with another man
And what he couldnt give me
Was the one little thing that you can (Ahhh it all comes together now! You didn't just want a fling, you also wanted a sperm donor! Well I mean, that really changes the lyrics. Now it should go something like "All I wanna do is get preggers but the other dude is shooting blanks so can you help me out in this dirty motel it will make a great story for the kids" or something. Maybe something a tad more romantic?)

All I wanna do is make love to you
One night of love was all we knew
All I wanna do is make love to you
Say you will, you want me too

All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long

Phew. I mean, pure lyrical genius, no? That is the kind of song you can absolutely belt out whilst driving along a rainy road, hoping you won't see some creepy hot stranger on the side. Because if you do, KEEP DRIVING. The stranger in the song may have been nice, but I am thinking 99.9% of the time you are going to end up with a total weirdo and the only thing you will have to remember from the experience is some sort of nasty rash. Ew.

Happy Burphday!

Today is Murphy's 3rd birthday. He doesn't really seem all that fazed by the whole experience - in fact, he is pretty much just snoozing on my shoulder, getting fur all over the back of the couch. He is such a spoiled little mutt. But for the Murph I shall take a few minutes away from studying Contracts (don't EVEN get me started on the Statute of Frauds, why does everyone else seem to understand this? UGH.) and tell the blogosphere about my adoration for my pup.

Murphy came to live with me one fine week in September of 2005 (my very first semester of law school). I was supposed to be "taking care of him" for one week until he was sold at a fundraiser (puppies make tons of money at those things). I was pretty excited, since lab puppies are freaking adorable. I didn't know what color or gender he would be, so I decided to call the new pup "Murphy" because it popped into my head and seemed like it was a good "all-purpose" name (I should have known then there was no way I was giving him up). The poor thing was completely terrified and discombobulated - he missed his 10 brothers and sisters and immediately latched on to me, never once letting me out of his sight. I had so much fun taking him out for his 2 am walks, getting him a crate, watching him tear every blanket into shreds, etc. all while trying to figure out the ins and outs of CivPro. At the prompting of Daisy, who promised ever so earnestly that she would help with the puppy-raising, I promptly gave the folks running the fundraiser some cash to keep Murphy off the auction block.

The first year was rough, I won't lie. Murphy was the most stubborn little turd about certain things (namely, house breaking - dear GOD he didn't understand that he was supposed to pee outside until he was almost 8 months old!). He shredded any towel, blanket, or pad you put in his crate, as if he wanted to lie on the hard bottom rather than have a nice bed. He ate my very favorite pair of winter boots, and would demolish any water bottles he could get his teeth into. He simply enjoyed ripping things to shreds, no matter how much exercise he had. He barked incessantly while in his cage or in the car, and delighted in yapping until I filled his water bowl, then flipping it over. In short, I thought I had made a huge mistake.

But then there were the adorable things. The way he fell asleep on my tummy every day. His cute face poking around the shower curtain (and the occasional giant puppy actually joining you IN the shower, just to make sure you were okay). The snuffles (basically poking you in the face repeatedly with his nose, he wasn't much of a kisser). His utter and complete fear of all felines and squirrels and Christmas decorations. And I just knew I couldn't give up on him, no matter what.

So here we are, 3 years later. I am done with law school (and soon the bar, eek). Murphy has grown into an outstanding, handsome, and wickedly smart dog. He reads emotions in an uncanny way, and understands so many words that sometimes I think he could talk if he tried. He knows to bring me his leash AND my gloves when he wants a winter walk and knows that I get one or two "snoozes" every morning so he has to be patient and snuggle for a few extra minutes. He thinks he is a lap dog, and gets fur on every surface possible. Murphy was one of the best things to come into my life, and has made me more compassionate and patient and happy to be covered in slobber and unable to wear white. So here's to the Murph, who certainly can't read this but is getting extra treats today - happy birthday, pup!!!

In case anyone still visits this sad, dusty little corner . . .

I am here. And fine, just busy with the bar (though I do not have laminated copies of outlines in my shower. I like showering in my shower, not studying). In other news (short news - my brain is pretty fried):

* SHGG totally purposefully did all of his lunges in front of me today whilst I toiled away on the treadmill. It was much appreciated. And he got a haircut, also much appreciated. WTG, SHGG.
* The people at the all-star game look even more bored than me. How sad.
* Bacon is good. Pizza is good. Bacon on pizza is fantastic but made me really thirsty all evening.
* Speaking of thirsty, Powerade Zero is phenomenal. Don't listen to what Daisy tells you - it is delicious. I cannot stop drinking it.
* There are at least 5 new SmartCars in my neighborhood, I feel as though we are being invaded. But they are pretty darned cute. Cuter than my soon-to-be-sold gas guzzler.
* Seriously, is this game still on?

That's about it. My life is currently running, studying, and walking Murphy - so my only observations come from those things. And being excited that Eddie and Finchy are moving here. And that we are getting hockey tickets. And that I am going to Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. And on a river rafting trip. So actually, lots of fun stuff, as soon as this stupid bar is out of the way.

This game is never ending.