one more miracle

This was my weekend:

Friday - drove from Michigan to Connecticut with my sister. 13 hours. Lots of music and silly car games and trying not to fall asleep.

Saturday - Got my car emissions tested as required by Connecticut (where it is registered). Passed! Hung out with my daddy and sister. Hung out with my mom, step-dad, and brother. Fought with my brother, who is a selfish douchebag. I would rant about him but it's not really productive. Watched RockNRolla, Guy Ritchie's ridiculous film starring Gerard Butler but actually starring Tom Hardy in my heart. Unf. Also the guy who played Archie was amazing. But seriously, ridiculous film.

Sunday - DROVE BACK TO MICHIGAN. Yes. That was indeed 1500 miles (and $140 in gas and tolls) in three days. Holy moly. Drive went smoothly except for when I stopped for lunch I noticed one tire was very flat, so I checked it and found that it had only 10 pounds of pressure when it should have 30. o.O Um, scary! So I filled it and called my daddy, and he said that sometimes that happens - I had driven over a curb really hard accidentally yesterday, so sometimes that can just knock the tire loose and cause temporary pressure loss. I checked it again a few miles later, and then again later, and it was fine, so I guess that's all it was, phew! That was scary though. There were also a lot of assholes on the road, and my middle finger and horn got quite the workout. Oy. They should require a test to drive these things! ....oh wait. :P

So there goes another weekend down the drain. This summer has been SO hectic and all over the place. I seriously haven't felt like I've been in Ann Arbor for more than a week at a time, and my research is really suffering. I honestly feel terrible and wish it wasn't this way, but everything I've done has been unavoidable for one reason or another. And I'm not even done yet - I'm going to California in three weeks, Chicago the week after, then Chicago again in October. I'm also going to three concerts in the next two weeks. Why am I so childish and irresponsible? I feel like I totally don't have the dedication or focus I need to be a successful PhD student. It's not that I don't want to do my work - I really do. But I also haven't learned to say no to fun things that I can do now that I have the financial means, and a boss who is really way too lenient with me.

/self-loathing. Aaaanyway.

I have a music rec! The fabulous novembersmith gave me a rec in my last post that has really sunk its teeth into me, and I wanted to pass it on. It's this band called Spinnerette, which is the solo project of Brody Dalle, who used to be in punk band The Distillers. Her sound is grungey and fast and raunchy and SO AWESOME. It was great driving music. Check it out!



OH AND TODAY WAS BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER'S BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BB!!!! I love him more than words can express omg. *__*


The wee ones love him toooo!! Get down with yo bad self Bastiano! <3333

Also also, today the Germany U-20 women's football team WON THEIR WORLD CUP!! Super fantastico! :D On home soil, no less! They sealed it with a 2-0 victory over Nigeria. Wooo! The German youth programs are so, so awesome. :D (Now it's time for that to translate into THE World Cup victory... right? Right?)

And now I'm going to collapse into bed in order to face a new week. Gah.

How are you, LJ? ♥

Today is an AMAZING DAY for music. \o/

First up, we have the official release of Empires' BANG. Buy the deluxe version (FOUR WHOLE DOLLARS), because it has one extra song (Animal, which is beautiful), along with the two new tracks that weren't released before (Hello Lover, which I heard live and is fanfuckingtastic, and Voodooized, which gets me right where I live), AND a whole set of gorgeous photos by Tom and a lovely video shot by Ryan that follows them around some shows and gets some commentary on the making of this album. In short, I love them, and you should too. ♥

Secondly, CHRISTIAN KANE's EP came out yesterday!!! Totally unexpected and extremely happy making. I have been waiting for a new Kane album for LITERALLY THREE YEARS, and it's everything I could have hoped for! Rockin and catchy and just full of so much life. Kane is the only country band I've ever liked enough to really listen to, but Christian really has something special. I want to roll around in his voice forever. One of the songs is about an awesome girl who picks HIM up in a bar by buying him a whiskey! It's sexy and so much fun! Also still around is THE HOUSE RULES, which is still just as awesome as it was a few years ago.

I am truly delighted by both of these occurrances. Even if you haven't given Empires a try, I highly recommend checking out BANG (you can pay only $2 for the full not-deluxe album!) because it's head and shoulders their best work to date, and just a really really solid and interesting rock album. I am so proud of them. ♥

\o/ MUSIC! \o/

Um, HELLO NEW BOYFRIENDS.

Someone made a post on theused about this band that's opening for The Used on their tour, so I checked them out and HI I'M IN LOVE. They're called Drive A and they're young punk rockers from LA and their music is aaaawesome. I already bought their debut on iTunes (it's $6.99! Go! Buy!) and I'm only halfway through but I can tell I'm going to have this album on repeat a LOT! It's the best kind of fast, crunchy guitar rock with reasonably melodic vocal lines. And the guys are super cute, which never ever hurts! I'm REALLY excited to see them open for The Used in Detroit now. :DDDDD You should all check them out too! Yay baby rockers!!

This is like, MY YEAR for new music, and I am so impatient for more of it to HAPPEN already.

ALREADY OUT:
-Green Day (amazing!)
-Mandy Moore (I LOVE THIS ALBUM SO MUCH)

COMING VERY SOON (BUT NOT SOON ENOUGH):
-Lostprophets
-Michelle Branch
-Cobra Starship (Aug 11th)
-Morningwood
-Paramore (Sept 29)
-THE USED!!!! (Sept 1st)

IN THE STUDIO:
-Panic(!) at the Disco
-MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!!!!!

Lostprophets/The Used/MCR basically comprise my current three MOST FAVORITE bands. To have new music by all of them will be, like, one massive orgasm holy shit. O___O I looove the new Used single (and it's excellent live! \o/) and I also love the two singles Morningwood has put out so far. One band I'm curious about is We The Kings - are they ever gonna do a follow up?? Needs moar! It's rather doubtful that it will be as awesome, but I want to hear it anyway!

Tomorrow is going to be funtiems! I'm going to Cedar Point, a big amusement park in Ohio, with eleven other Chem Bio kids. Yay for new people and road trips and sunshine and rollercoasters! *twirls* I'm getting picked up at 8 AM, which blows a little and I need to go to bed, but otherwise WHEE.

Have a good Saturday my dears! ♥

Reading Gerard and Frank talk about their band is giving me CHILLS. I LOVE THIS BAND OMG.

♥_______♥

The entire article is just wonderfullll. They sound so happy and excited and relaxed and I am just so HAPPY for them. They were WRECKS at the end of the TBP tour circuit - remember how we were all hollering at them to take a break? Well now they have and they're brand new! I laughed at the people who bit their nails wondering if this was ~The End of MCR, because these guys are NEVER not going to be in love with each other and making music together. That's just how it is. ♥

I love how bandmates are automatically uncles to each others' kids. I love that Frank is angling for the title of Godfather! <33333 I love Frank being described as GIGGLING. I love that Frank's first thought re: doing Desolation Row was GERARD MUST BE SO HAPPY OMG. I love KERRANG! and how they talk about our dork boys blogging about cereal and reality tv. I love Gerard's earnest eloquence and Frank's earnest babbling. I LOVE THESE BOYS SO MUCH AND I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE THEM BACK IN MY LIFE!!!!

...omg will they blog from the studio?! AMAZING.

Bweeeee. *squeetwirls*

I am so excited for this year in musics! New The Used, Lostprophets, Green Day, and HOPEFULLY MCR. *crosses fingers* Those are MY kinds o' bands. I enjoy Panic, FOB, and TAI just fine, but the ones that get my blood pumping are the punkish rockers, so last year was a little bit of a let down on the new music front. But this is my year! \o/

Hmmmm. I was going to make some kind of post last night, but then LJ was down for maintenance! I think I was going to talk about snow, and how we're getting lots of it. When I woke up this morning we had like 4 more inches, but it was soft and fluffy this time instead of covered with a sheet of ice. V. pretty!

I bought my plane tickets to Salt Lake City for the American Chemical Society conference. Now all four of my plane journeys are officially booked! \o/ (FOUR. Hoooooly crap. With the number of connections I've got, I'm going to at least match the number of planes I was on during my year in Europe. CRAZY.)

I'm sleepy. I'm going to go read more of A Clash of Kings and go to bed. (Which, speaking of, skyfalling linked to a download of the Game of Thrones script and OMGGGGG. !!!! This needs to happen RIGHT THIS SECOND. Some of the scenes were lifted straight from the book (Dany's wedding is going to be amazing!) and it is so very HBO and and and *flaps hands* NEEDS!)

Night! ♥