So I just voted in my first presidential election. :)

And my aunt Muriel died. :(

So it's been an interesting day.

I was awoken today by the phone ringing. I pick up, I say hello, I get this in return: "::insert background noise:: No, I called her, I get to tell her...Brig? It's Rick. I am standing in frotn of a pile of rubble on Elmwood. Coffee& burned down."

As Katy said, this is enough reason to call Aquila.

Now we have to find a new coffee house to go to.

It's a shock, really. Katy called me later and said "How are you, are you ok, are you coping??" and i thoguth she meant cuz of recent situations, but when I said "I'm fine", she replied "HOW CAN YOU BE FINE!!!!!!! We have no where to get a good cheap cup of coffee anymore!"

Really, it was the epicenter of our summer.
Now it's rubble.

It's a shame.
:(

Doing my part as street team member and PR management:

MAD YELLOW SUN

With
VEIL
(their final show)
DARKLING
and
AS SUMER DIES

Oct. 30th, 2004

The Continental
212 Franklin St.
Buffalo, NY

Doors at 10pm

18+
No cover charge

(Costumes encouraged)



There. I'm done. The band, while good, is such a thorn in my side.
I find it amusing that I started out with this project being the best friend of the drummer, and have concluded it being one of the singers best friends instead. As for the drummer....
well, it's been a few months since we've spoken. I don't know what the deal is...maybe it is PMS, as the title suggests. Maybe we just grew apart...that happens with people...
But I have known him since I was 4 years old. I went to grade school with him. He was in the first play I ever directed, I was at the first gig he ever played. We've gone thru life and death together, we have been thru first loves and first breakups and losing people and gaining people and so much more....I have known him for 17 years.
That's a long time for us NOT to grow apart...
And I almost wish I'd never met him now.

Oh well.

Come see the band.

Plus there's a party after at Doug's house, and as we all know, Doug's party throwing abilities are almost as good as mine.

AADA called me for an audition.
I am deleriously giddy.
To the point of insanity, really.
Now I have to find a place to stay cuz Viv isn't living in NYC anymore, and I have to talk to Rick about driving me...I hope he still can.

But that's all just details. In the grand scheme, all that matters is the fact that this is the singular best moment of my life...or at least, will be til I hear that im accepted...if I'm accepted, that is.
No time for negative thoguhts, tho... :)

So I was bored and snooping around the site, reading people's journals etc. And I found that there seems to be an influx of bitching about Kenmore ever since the drive-by on Victoria.
I, for one, have not lived here my whole life. I lived in Riverside. My parents made the descision to move to Kenmore after a. a man was stabbed outside the liquor store three doors down, b. our phone was tapped by our neighbors, and c. there was a gang shoot out directly in front of my house. All in one week.
So we moved.
And I have been trying to leave ever since.
Usually, I would be the first to join in and say how bad the town has gotten; but really, I don't see it that way.
Maybe because speeding and parking tickets REALLY ARE the biggest concern.

Think about it...dozens of crimes committed in city limits a year. Kenmore is faring well. I can hardly think of any...there was a couple gas station hold-ups, whatever the hell happened on west hazeltine sometime in the 90's, and oh, yeah, there was that horrible massacre on Mang in '85.
Alas, attimes such as these, no one counts their blessings. As for me, I am very good friends with someone who lives in the house that was shot at. I am amazingly grateful no one in that family was hurt, and I hope that all of this gets sorted out as quickly as possible. But I don't live in a bubble and I read the paper and watch the news, and I know that things like this unfortunatly happen, and it could have been worse.
So don't be so quick to define Kenmore as the "ghetto." I've lived in the ghetto, and I know people who wouldn't even call Riverside that. I have friends who grew up on the east side, I have friends from lovejoy and babcock, and that is the ghetto.
When there is more than one violent crime a year.
When there is NO Dollar General, just a bodega on the corner.
When there is no sidewalks, for that matter.
When there are no driveways, or sprinkler systems, or pools in the back yards, or flowers in front of the house, or food on the fucking dinner table.
That is the ghetto.

Show me a starving Kenmorite, I'll show you the world's greatest illusion.

• Note: My apologies for the fact that I snapped a little, but really my gripe all comes down to one thing. You know the saying "the grass is always greener on the other side?" Well, if you never stop to pay attention to the grass, it turns brown mighty quick.