a++ would smuggle into space again

So, this weekend was a little slice of amazing. In which I:

1. had a Passover Seder in a hotel room with my family -- and it was fabulous, by the way, and I have leftovers right now in my dorm room, and the hotel room smelled like shank bone the whole time we were there, after which we

2. watched Live Free or Die Hard, which was ridiculously awesome, and -- yes -- did have the world's best car chase in it. And also Justin Long, with whom I am more than a little in love (my parents call him, mysteriously, "your boyfriend that nerd kid from Galaxy Quest." Why Alan Rickman, who is also in Galaxy Quest, didn't live in their memory this way I will never know.) Then the next day we

3. went to Wicked. Two subpoints on this one:
a) Where is the femslash? I want the good stuff! I will review this play for you in comments if you'd like, but do not want to clutter an uncut post.
b) Distressingly, I have a crush on the Wizard.

4. saw the New Pornographers and Okkervil River.
a) Okkervil River: I am the only person who thinks that this is what the Decemberists look like to people who do not love them, but honestly, A Stone eta: here is like really early Colin, and I wish the musicianship all round was a little tighter and also that Will Sheff did not feel so sorry for himself. But I think a lot of you, especially those of you who are bandslash folks, will enjoy this band if you do not already! If anyone has good covers of their songs, I would also enjoy hearing them, because I like "Ends With a Fall" and "A Stone" and that one about Marie and even "Westfall" but I cannot listen to Will Sheff too much.
b) THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS DO NOT NEED DAN BEJAR OR NEKO CASE TO ROCK. Patter-free concert. Very efficient rocking. I went with an a cappella groupmate; we do Bleeding Heart Show, so when they performed it we jumped up and down and harmonized the shit out of that song. So much fun.

5. Saw the first two eps of season four of Who, both of which I enjoyed, ridiculous and Rusty-problematic though they were. Am not looking forward to ep three from the reviews I've seen but am really, really fond of Donna. Really really fond.

Tonight I have to:

1. write a whole paper.

I am in such a good mood right now, although deeply depressed I will not be going again tomorrow. Decemberists concert details under the cut.

( was like a ticker-tape parade )

But the best moment of the concert came during Chimbley Sweep, which was clearly supposed to be their big ol' closing number. They got into it, and then the drummer and Colin switched places, and then one by one the band made their way into the crowd to incredible noise and approval.

And then. And then. This two young boys who couldn't have been more than twelve climbed up on stage and one of them made a beeline for the drums. He laid down an extremely respectable beat and the guitar tech almost shepherded them offstage-- and then changed his mind and began helping the other one to put on Nate's bass.

The other kid played about five notes and then ran off the stage, doing a very credible stage dive, and Kid #1 ran up to Colin's guitar and started playing Chimbley Sweep and singing it in soprano. After a minute or so he ran out of routine, and the band came back onstage, found out his name was Ty, and put him back in the crowd after hugging him lots. They sort of blinked at the audience and went, "Wow. I don't think we can follow that."

They had to change songs.

It was totally unplanned. I am so amazed. He wasn't one of their kids, he was just a ballsy musician in training.

One music related squee.

I HAVE ALL THE DECEMBERISTS CDS AND ALL THE ELLIOTT SMITH CDS OH MY FUCKING GOD LAUREN OWNS THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. (I strongly suspect her roommate is in fandom, because she has all this Milliways music. I know Lauren isn't, but that's only from lack of having been introduced, man.)

Two music-related dilemmas.

My brother's turning ten in a week, and for his birthday I'm going to take him to Wherehouse music and buy him two CDs of his choice, since he has absolutely no music at all and won't have a boombox until then, either. This is sad but I suppose it makes sense; I didn't start really knowing anything about music, except for absolutely useless jazz miscellany, until, oh, this year? Last year? I can't figure out what to get him, though. Ten years old: do I buy him what they're playing on Radio Disney? Should I take one step further and get him pop music like Jack Johnson and the like? Should I try to indoctrinate him to the Decemberists at age ten? R&B, rock, show tunes, what the hell do I recommend?

Speaking of the Decemberists; they're playing at the Fillmore next week, and my dad's maybe going to buy my mother and I tickets. Would it be unbearably strange to go with my mom to a concert? It's on a Monday night, though, and ariastar can't possibly come ... should I ask Anna? But it's practically forty bucks, and no one our age has that to splurge on a Monday night concert. (You'll read this, Anna, which will solve one problem.) I might not be able to get tickets at all, which would resolve at least one difficulty, but ... ireallyreallywanttoskipthatsleepthingandseethisconcertdammit. ... What that says about my priorities should probably worry me.

Five songs of the moment:
1. Dark Blue, Jack's Mannequin
2. Bruised, Jack's Mannequin
3. 16 Military Wives, The Decemberists
4. Everything Means Nothing To Me, Elliott Smith
5. Stupidity Tries, Elliott Smith

Sitting in school right now. It's Jazz Band, and I just botched up the most important song for our gig tomorrow, again. I'm being a complete doofus and absolutely destroying the bass line for the solo part. It hurts.

Earlier, I decided that I needed caffeine because I was tired. Now, my hands are shaking and I feel incredibly uncomfortable. Damn cafe mochas. Their siren song makes me crash against the rocks of Extreme-Hyperness, but not before jumping into the sea and drowning in the waters of Ineptitude which constantly surround me.

Even earlier, I was assigned to write a proof for math class, and it isn't working--I'll think I have it and then it will slip elusively away.

I hate mornings. I hate Wednesdays. I hate cafe mochas (but not their whipped cream.)