Picture Time!

here are some pictures i have downloaded for you. they are out of order for the most part.



this dude is from the Dark Star Orchestra show at the Mishawaka. he was from Boston. this is the triangle symbol he put up after every song. i asked him what it meant and he said, "the hat, the love" (?) he said Dark Star like "Dak Stah". he was awesome.



this is The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. The interior of this hotel is famous because it was the set for the movie "The Shining".



this is Laura's dog Emma (she is my Goddog). we wrapped her in a blanket and watched try and escape for a long time. we laughed so hard. don't worry, we are not cruel people, she is okay, she was not hurt.


this is Emma and Laura at the dog park



this is the new girl i work with, she is a skeez. i felt her fake boobs this same night. here is jeremie looking at her tattoo. i have a much better picture of her sitting in jeremie's lap but didn't want to plaster her face on my blog while talking shit at the same time. did i mention she worked at the Cheetah for about 6 years?



my baby



my "office" in my room



what my computer area looked like before i moved the table into my room. since my brother is living in the computer room, i have had to make other arrangements for my stuff. this bed/computer thing wasn't working out. my room is much cleaner now. this picture displays pure chaos.



this is my friend, Anna-Marie and her bartender friend, Danny (?). we are closing down the bar.


here A-M and I (and someone else) sampling some "Magic Hat" beer from Vermont. Laura had been telling me about this beer while i was visiting her. when i came home, the bartender was telling us about a beer he got in Vermont. it was the same beer! this picture is for Laura.



a fiels of sunflowers. i shot this on the way to the Denver Airport.



this is a shot glass of cherries that have been soaked in grain alcohol. 3 for $1. Laura and I got 6. they would have been better if we had been drinking already but we had just stopped in while we were shopping.



Emma



Laura and a growler (1/2 gallon) of a Fort Collins Brewery beer



here are our sampler glasses and a salty nuts malt candy bar at the Fort Collins Brewery



downtown Estes Park, Colorado, that building is a theatre



we had to check off the beer we wanted to sample at New Belgium and at the bottom of the page there was a self expression box, this is Laura's self-expression. "beautiful" <-- i think that's the name of the unicorn song Laura made up. it really is a killer song.



this is Laura and I cheersing our samplers from the New Belgium Brewery



Emma laying on Laura's uber (ha) comfy sofa



Ben licking Laura (Ben is her lovely boyfriend)



here is a butterfly at my house. while i was leaving for Colorado, i saw it, jumped out of the car and snapped the picture



there is this awesome gay boy that i work with. his name is Alfredo, we call him Alfie for short. he wears a bandana around his neck. (well, he has to b/c he has a tattoo on his neck and at work your tattoo can't be visible but i think that he loves wearing it) this picture was taken at our employee picnic. he was wearing this belt buckle and i thought, "this is why i love Alfie so much!" i can't quite explain it...i told you i work with a bunch of crazies. i printed out this picture and now a blow up copy is hanging in the kitchen at our work.


THE END

P.S. i know it looks like we (or i) are alcoholics. we just appreciate beer thankyouverymuch.

Today In History

Twenty-seven years ago, Wednesday, August 30, 1978 at 4:20* in the afternoon my mom pushed me out into this crazy world. I cannot even believe that I am 27 today. Boy, time flies.

Over the last almost 30 years** I may not have done things exactly as planned, or in the right order but I don't regret a minute of it. Happy Birthday to me!

Things planned for this ultra-special day:

-fail my emissions testing ($25 down the drain) to buy an extra thrity days to get whatever is wrong with my car fixed (this is my favorite part)

-go to Hobby Lobby to get graphite sticks and the correct type of charcoal for my value scale project due tomorrow

-start and finish my value scale project

-work on 2D homework, create lines and shapes reflecting a specific set of 16 emotions due tomorrow

-go to Fontaines for my birthday, eat, drink and be merry...but not *too* much drink because I then return home to continue working on my projects

*that's right folks, somebody was smoking up the minute i was born, i'd like to think in my honor.
**(yikes!)

Hurricane Katrina

Mean, vengeful bitch.

Please keep New Orleans in your thoughts and prayers. I have been so anxious by this hurricane. I can't even fathom these people that are filling up the Superdome with no other option, no place to go. The Superdome arena floor is supposed to flood while the people are up in the stands. They may be stuck there for 2 days. The flooding is going to smell horrendous, there is no air conditioning or running water, limited bathroom usage, people are going to smell and food, water and supplies are at the bare minimum, if that. Then there are people that are other places, no rental cars, all flights cancelled, traffic backed up to forever and a day...then there's the bridge that touches no land for about 12 miles that has bumper to bumper traffic on it headed to Mississippi. The hurricane water rise will be in over 20 feet, not to mention the pounding of the waves creating catastrophic damage to the city. New Orleans is such a beautiful city. The streets may be flooded up to 15 feet for up to 2 weeks. This is all stuff I have just gathered and I am not sure of the accuracy but whatever the facts are, this may be the biggest hurricane we will see in our lifetime.

I have been to New Orleans a total of eight times, so for that reason this is making my heart even hurt more. I love that city so much. I have so many great memories from galavanting all over that place. The architecture, the gardens, the levy, the distinct discricts, the restaurants, the people, the New Orleans culture...everything about that place makes it so special. New Orleans has characteristics that go from one extreme to the other...it is so ecclectic. It is so historic and has such a soul that really cannot be compared to any other city in the United States.

I pray that somehow this city stands strong in the eye of this terrifying nightmare.

I guess now I will try and do my homework while keeping an eye on the television. It has inspired some of my work that I have to create for my 2-D art homework. She is supposed to hit early morning tomorrow, I guess we'll just hold tight and think good thoughts.

www.welovefrancoeur.com

Un-freakin-believable

the only good thing that ever came from Wal-Mart...

Falcons Pajama Pants, we love you!

Birthday Countdown

One week exactly until my birthday. The only part I am excited about is that we are going to go to my favorite restaurant to eat oysters on the half shell, eat lobster bisque and drink cocktails. My brother's birthday is in five days so we are sharing this birthday celebration. I'm getting old. But I don't feel as old as I will be so that's good. I just can't start to let the number get to my head..."age is just a number, it's how you feel inside that matters" right? But even if you *do* feel young, let's face it, we're all still getting old...time doesn't stop going by. I thought when I was younger that I would be married by now. Actually, according to my younger self, I am supposed to have my first child this year. Heh.

My First Day of School

Today I went back to school. It's been about six years that I have been out of college. It is very tough and scary to go back after all that time. It has meant so much to me that everyone has encouraged me so much and given me all of my "good luck"s and "i'm proud of you"s.

I spent the night at T's so I would be close to school and wouldn't have to make the hour drive on my first day. I woke up extremely groggy. I am not a morning person and hey, I usually sleep at least until 11am. I was definitely not little Miss Sunshine with her backpack and new pencils.

I rolled out of bed after an hour of being harassed to get up.

I took T to work and then drove to school about two hours early.

I went to Chick-Fil-A and tried to eat but it was way too hot and I was too nervous.

This is where I'm lucky I left two hours early...I reached my University and proceeded to hunt for a parking spot for 40 minutes. Yup, 40 fucking minutes! However, after 40 minutes I got one of the spots closest to my Visual Arts building. I was golden but only after having wasted half a tank of gas, of course my A/C was on too because it was a hundred degrees outside and I didn't want to be all smelly and greasy on the first day (and speaking of...with gas prices so high, I spent $30 to fill up, what the fuck is that!)

I spent my day in my two studio classes. I was pretty shy but made a new friend. Her name is Mandy, she is going to be my locker buddy. (We have lockers in the art building so we don't have to haul a lot of our stuff around.) I like Mandy's haircut. I got my one text book from the bookstore and then ate lunch by myself in the Student Union and worked on my crossword.

After school, I went to the art store to pick up most of the supplies I need. I spent a hundred bucks. Tomorrow I have to go to another art store to pick up a HUGE portfolio type bag. It has to be big enough to carry around my 24"x18" sketch pads. I also have to get a few more things including Prismacolor Markers which are sooo expensive. I'll be dead broke after this is all said and done. Although, I like spending money on art supplies more than textbooks that you sell back at the end of the semester for like 1/100th of the price you paid.

I'm all *professional art student* now. hahah.

I love it though, I am really looking forward to it. I am going to be challenged so much. I am really going to grow a lot from the things I learn in these classes, it's going to be so beneficial for my being. We are doing more than just drawing and painting too, my professor wants to discuss all kinds of issues dealing with the world and the human condition. Yay for discussion and not just working on art. I am so excited. Oh and I don't know when my online math class starts...school has started and I am still in the dark about this class and I can't get an answer out of anybody at that school. No one knows a thing about it. I think when the math class kicks into session (if I ever find out about it), that's when my enthusiasm will fade.

I have tomorrow off. No work, no school. I am excited to go back Wednesday. We start studio then, I can't wait to get drawing.

I'm In Love

I don't know his name yet. Actually, "he" might be a "she". I think it's a girl. She is my beautiful Apple computer. I am the brand new mama of a G-5 Apple Desktop that I purchased all by my very own big-girl self.

I also got a free printer/scanner/copier included (I'll have to scan some old pics and show and tell). The printer is great all but it was topped by a 3.7GB iPod that holds up to 1,000 songs! That's right folks, a $179.99 value todo por gratis! I am obsessed with this baby. It is so sweet because I don't have a CD player in my car and I broke my stereo system and now I can finally listen to all of my music. I never thought I'd get one of these but I am glad that I own one now, this little 2.5x4.5 inch (approx.) silver (my favorite color) iPod is amazing. I spent little to no time transferring cds and picking and choosing the music I want to hear. Now I need a little case so the screen doesn't get all scratched up. Who ever thought I would be so trendy?

I am currently listening to "Shady Grove" by Grisman and Garcia. Speaking of Jerry, this is the month of his birthday and the month of his death as well. He passed in '95 and this year The Dead would have been 40 years old. Anyway...

Dial-up isn't actually that bad when you are working on a new computer with lots of memory. I bought some extra memory because I'll need it for school. My mom installed it herself. She's so smart and techie. Anyway, I feel like it's high speed so I'll stick with the dial-up for awhile. It's super speedy compared to what I was used too.

Now I'm listening to Elton John's "This Train Don't Stop" (thanks Laur). You know the best thing about the iPod (beside all the other best things) is that it has the earbuds which are just as good as headphones. I love headphones because the music is so much more clear, personal and enjoyable. Okay, I'll stop it with the iPod talk.


sidenote: I would show you pictures but I have currently misplaced my camera.

Don't Ask Me, It Just Came Out.

She bid on a tin of blood. Twin's blood. Their nation used to be called Siam. She took the tin of blood and tried to hide it. She didn't want it to be discovered. She poured the contents of the blood in the lining of an old Buick. No one will ever know. She finds herself riding the waves of an inlet. Maintaining her balance she does not fall. Now associating with people she does not know in a room with a view. She sees the blue sea for miles. She yearns for a room of her own. She steps outside to light up a smoke. She walks along the old weathered boards and never returns.

Skool

My first day of school is Monday. I am shaking in my boots and cool as a cucumber at the same time. I can't wait to get my new computer! I can't wait to start my art classes! I am sooo NOT looking forward to Mathematical Modeling Functions. In my opinion, give it three years and they will determine that that class is obsolete. I will sue them over monies owed to me for a grade of D and a grade of F while attemping this asinine class in the past. I also have withdrawn from this class an additional 2 times. Let's hope that this 5th attempt to pass will be the winner.

Dear Laura,

I was sleeping all sorts of peacefully Wednesday night when suddenly the phone rings at 5:26 in the morning. I lean over and pick up my cell to see who it is just in case it's my mom or something and it's an emergency. I see that it is you and I know that it is 3:26 your time. I knew you were hosting "Girl's Night" once again and I knew the message would be drunken nonsense. I rolled back over and went back to sleep. Four minutes later my phone beeped notifying me that I have a new voice mail. Four minutes later. That's when I knew that a veeery long, goofy wasted Laura message would be anticipating my retrieval.

The message goes something like this:

You and Rachel talking about passing gas. wishing i was "queer". nope, "here and queer would be the optimal situation". lots of laughter. you wanted to discuss the latest Laguna Beach episode [which, no, i still have not seen] and talk about one of the characters, Cedric. y'all also want to discuss my blog and my boobs. [maybe this is in reference to my very first post which is a picture of my boobs or maybe y'all really are just fascinated with theses perky peaches?] more talk about my boobs. Rachel misses my boobs. more boob talk. please call back when i am wearing my push up bra. [ladies, my breasts sincerely appreciate all the airtime they got] you guys want to see pics on my blog [more boob pics or vacation pics? i need specific requests people].

That was about it, lots of laughing and completely random talk. Oh and I don't want to leave out that the message was beeping "URGENT" as well.

I love you Laura. I wish I could be there for an actual Girl's Night instead of receiving calls from Girl's Night. It's calls like that that let me know you miss me and wish I were there. It may sound like nonsense but it's really hugs and kisses wrapped up in the form of a voicemail.

Besos.

This Just In

Dylan Documentary

Airing in September on PBS. It is directed by Martin Scorsese who also directed "The Last Waltz", a documentary on the band, The Band's last concert. Wonderful film with great music and lots of amazing artists, for the DVD they had to digitally remove all the coke that had built up under Neil Young's nose...isn't that just lovely? Well, regardless of the heavy alcohol and drug use, The Last Waltz is a beautifully pieced together testament of a great musical era that cannot be repeated. The Dylan documentary can't touch it but I do expect a pretty amazing piece from Scorsese. We shall see.

Weeeeee, It's Me

Finally!

I am on a laptop that my mom brought home from school. The downside to that is that I am not able to download any pictures. But impatience is a flower my friend...I will be purchasing my very own computer (suggestions anyone?)very soon so pictures will be posted soon. My school semester starts next Monday and I have an online class so this means I need a computer ASAP.

I have to thank Laura for filling in for a minute. I love the title "Porn and Circumstance". I wish my titles had some ounce of creativity to them but I am not savvy with words. I love you Laura. And speaking of friends, I have another friend that reads my blog. Her name is Laura too but that's not the name she goes by. She lives right around the corner and we never hang out anymore but I still love her. Hi Dingle!

What have I been doing since I have been back from Colorado? Working, working and working some more in a restaurant that has broken air conditioning. So, as I take orders, I have sweat beading down my face and sweat pooling down my back. Jeans sticking to my legs like skin tight leather pants. And we are all panting like we have been running a marathon with no water. Georgia heat and humidity suck but it sucks even worse with little to no A/C. I have endured no A/C before on numerous occasions but not while serving hot food from a even hotter kitchen while sporting a 65% polyester button down shirt. I really feel sorry for the grill guy and the dishwashers.

My "big news" isn't all that *big*. But thank you Laura for the teaser. I went on a date. It was lame and like going out with an eighteen year old. I will make a full post on it later.

I do have to go now so I can eat and get out of my pajamas. It is 2 pm after all. I need to enjoy this time inside of my house because I have to go to the inferno later and lose another 5 lbs of water weight.

Oh and one more thing: I bought the Muppets, Season One. It is hilarious and amusing and all that good stuff. It was $33 for 4 discs, over 10 hours of Muppets. But real quick, my point is, they have the pilot episode on there and it's called "Sex and Violence". It is freaking hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. You should watch it. Bork, bork, bork.

Porn and Circumstance

Hello all you dustandsunshine loyals like myself. I am Laura, Jeanne's infamous best friend that lives in Colorado. I just got off the phone with Jeanne after countless disappointed days of clicking on her website to find no new posts since "Cash". I am happy to say that she is doing very well (she has some exciting news to share, but I won't spoil it). Due to unforseen circumstances involving certain websites and another member of her household, her computer is down. She wanted to let you all know that she is thinking of you and will get to you soon. Have a great day and we'll just pray that her computer is up and running soon!

Cash

Today I just want to share one of my opinions with you. Forewarning: this opinion has no relevance to anything.

"I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die"

^^that is a line from "Folsom Prison Blues". In my opinion, that is one of the best lines from a song ever. Ever, ever.

It in no way reflects my mood today just so you know.

Hello from Colorado

Stopping in (on a high speed connection!!!! it's so nice and fast!) to say hello and read my comments, thank you all, I knew I was loved! Anyway, I have been having a load of fun so far and I will give you a brief update of what I have been doing since I got here. Details and pictures will follow when I am back in the dirty dirty. heh. I forgot my usb cord to download pics from the camera to the computer so either I have to go buy another one or buy a new memory disk for my digi. I think the latter is too expensive.

Friday- flew in. went out to dinner at Avo's, listened to some music and drank some beer.

Saturday- i woke up early and took laura's dog for a walk. yay me. bagel shop. watched one hour laguna beach premiere with laura (who had not seen it). went to the thrift store, bead shop and New Belgium Brewery to sip on some beer samplings. met up with laura's boyfriend, ben and headed out to the Mishawaka (check out the pics link) to see Dark Star Orchestra. They played a Dead show from the late 70's (I'm trying to figure out which one), opened up with Jack Straw which was great. We also saw a band called Hot Buttered Rum (bluegrass) and some band called Kannal which was kinda like tribal rock (?). we had a great time, saw some funny stuff and just had a wonderful time relaxing on the patio, at the bottom of the mountain by the river. on the way back to the car we stopped to look up at all the zillions of stars in the sky. they were beautiful and amazing and almost brought tears to my eyes. i miss colorado and the mountains and rivers and very very very clear skies and clean air and all that is natural and rural and by the grace of some amazing god- absolutely mind blowing.

Sunday- headed over to ben's where he made us breakfast that included hashbrowns, sausage and pancakes (at 1:30pm). hi ben! thank you! after that we slept some more and went back home to laura's and slept some more. we were lazy. later, the dog, laura and i walked to get some ice cream. then we got pizza and salad to eat while we all got together to watch Six Feet Under (which is a really awesome show). "all" includes me, laura, ben and dave. i had a Dale's Pale Ale. it came in a can and i am not a huge pale ale fan but it really was delicious as i had been told. laura and i then ventured out to the grocery store late night and got 3 little pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream (Phish Food and Butter Pecan). mmmmm.

Monday- that is today. i think i am about to take the dog for a walk, it's a beautiful day. when laura gets off work we are eating the "balboa" from the bagel shop. i'm hungry and looking forward to it. i think we are driving into the mountains later to some place that i forgot the name of. at some point we are driving up to Rocky Mountain National Park or Estes Park. i have never been to Estes and really want to go.

You may now return to your normal daily activites.