Insight from Brian

"Life is too short for tool boyfriends who are in crappy bands."

"This Is My Life," the November Edition

Outside the living room window there was a loud booming that began exactly at 11pm. I thought it was thunder or the neighborhood garbage truck. So I went outside and found out that it wasn't thunder or the neighborhood garbage truck, not even a shooting on Boulevard -- it was the sound of fireworks!

In some countries, November is an appropriate time for a fireworks display -- for example, Guy Fawkes Day in the UK, which celebrates the man who tried to blow up Parliament. But it is late November in the US and there is absolutely no reason for the fireworks. It was an amazing display, though -- pink hearts, planets, chandeleirs, shooting stars...

Perplexed by this, my roommates and I did what any normal person would do...

We Googled.

A few keywords and calendar searches later, I couldn't find the reason for this fireworks display anywhere. Instead I learned that today is America Recyles Day, National Philanthropy Day, and Clean Your Refridgerator Day (find a complete list of November holidays here)

But regardless of the reason, being able to sit on the porch and watch fireworks coming from downtown for free when it's 60 degrees outside (in November) was pretty neat. As we like to say over here in these parts, "This is my life."

BrandAtlanta

I was listening to the radio the other day and learned that the city has a new slogan -- "Atlanta: Every Day is Opening Day." The cost of this new branding effort? $4.5 million... that includes a theme song from R&B producer Dallas Austin, called "The ATL"... a website promoting tourism too, obviously named www.brandatlanta.com.

$4.5 million? Seriously? I could have come up with something much better if they'd paid me with a few beers. But then we wouldn't have a new ringtone for "The ATL," and that's certainly important for tourism.

NOW That's What I Call Sing Alongs! Volume 1

Don't Stop Believing! Hold on to that feeling!

Excerpts from "A Southern Belle Primer"

My roommate/sorority sister and I would like to share these excerpts from A Southern Belle Primer.... They are clearly things that no one will teach you otherwise (best if said in a Southern accent).

- In Mississippi, one woman says there used to be a saying: "First there's Chi O, then you get married, then there's Junior League, then you die."

- It's considered bad luck for the real bride to walk down the aisle at rehearsal. We hear it's done sometimes by the girls in the North. But in the South, that's just tempting fate.

- Never date your sorority sister's ex-husband until at least three years after the divorce. You might need her to write your daughter a Kappa Kappa Gamma recommendation one day. Just remember it's a lot easier to find a enw man than it is to get your daughter into Kappa.

- Southerners don't just drink iced tea, they practically inhale it. They see no reason not to drink it when snow is on the ground. It's equally as appropriate in the middle of a heat wave. The drink is so much a part of the South that belles find it difficult to go to other parts of the country where they can't automatically order this staple in homes and restaurants.

- When a girl picks Grand Baroque [silver] at age eleven, she hasn't just decided how to set her table, she's charted her course in life. Just as Aquarians are not compatible with Capricorns, Grand Baroque girls are not to marry men whose mothers have chosen Rose Point [silver]. Their silver clashes and so will their personalities.

A is for Apartment: Ah fate... as you may or may not know, my new roommate, Allyson, and I were ISO an apartment... this morning, as I was leaving the apartment I currently dwell in, a matted Botticelli print fell off the wall and hit me on the head. Being that this was a possible place for us to rent an apartment in the future, I decided that this was a sign I should leave and never return, or at least until I found another place to live... and we did! We got the last apartment left at Highland Walk with a great deal, so look forward to dinner parties there in the future. Thanks for making that decision easy, Botticelli!

B is for Book: As is usual this summer, there was a thunderstorm and our lights went out... I was home alone and read my book by candlelight so I didn't go crazy. It was very nice and I thought, "Wow, this is what it must have been like in the old days...." Then I reached for my iPod.

C is for Concert: Speaking of music, last night was the Ten Out of Tenn Tour's stop in Atlanta... check these artists out or you'll be sorry... Tyler James (young singer with his Casio... if you like Ben Kweller or Chris Martin's voice, I bet you'll like Tyler), Disappointed by Candy (a bass/guitar player, kick-butt percussionist, and their Mac), Kate York (haunting voice backed by obvious talent), Griffin House (also touring with Amos Lee), Trent Dabbs (rockin' straight out of Nashville), and the Lonely Hearts (a lot of guys packing a lot of sound on a little stage).

D is for Darko: Went to a screening of the director's cut of Donnie Darko tonight in the Highlands... wow, what a great thoughtprovoker! I will never look at rabbits the same way again, nor Jake Gyllenhal for that matter, who I always discredited because he was Bubble Boy... this ends the summer streak of selecting awful movies (applause and cheering follow).

I Killed Anne Bancroft

So two weeks ago, Carlyn and I were reading an article about Angelina Jolie in the always entertaining and mindnumbing magazine In Style -- you know, the one featuring Katie Holmes as "Single in the City"? The one that was outdated before it hit the newsstands? Enough digression, I'll get to the crazy Cruise-to-be later... so In Style article on Angelina Jolie... looking through it, Carlyn proclaimed, "Angelina Jolie is going to be like Anne Bancroft when she's older." I asked, 'Who's Anne Bancroft again?' Carlyn explained in some detail, and we continued reading. I remarked that when I was younger I though the words to Mrs. Robinson were "She's a slut and more than you would know...." Thanks for confusing me with your character's sluttery, Anne Bancroft...

The next day, we woke up and turned on the news to find that Anne Bancroft was dead. "Oh my god, I killed Anne Bancroft!" Carlyn exclaimed. "How many times have you ever heard me talk about Anne Bancroft?!"

"Never."

"I know! I killed Anne Bancroft!"

Flash forward two weeks... we're looking up Calista Flockhart on IMDB to see what movie she was in with Cameron Diaz. "Is she still dating Harrison Ford?" Carlyn asks. "Geez! They've been dating for a long time! He's getting old!"

"Yes... and he has an earring... IMDB says they've been dating since 2002!" We agree that's weird. Ally McBeal and Indiana Jones... very weird.

This afternoon Carlyn announces she's done it again -- she's jinxed a celeb. "Guess who got engaged today?? Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford! As much as I talk about crazy Tom Cruise, you'd think something would happen to him, but no!"

Watch out, Tom... you're next. In the meantime, look out for the debut album from Carlyn's new band, I Killed Anne Bancroft.

Our life has consequences

Stretch before you start sprinting through the park.

That's all

Life Thus Far

Last night Carlyn and I went to see Grease in Piedmont Park. After belting out Ben Kweller songs on the way there, enjoying a bottle of Whole Foods wine on a blanket, we played a game of touch-football with the Carter Center guys, the QB at Grady, and little Solomon. We ran around barefoot through the grass until it got dark.

And then Carlyn said with a smile, "This is our life."

Cool.

Tribune's 50 Best Magazines List

How to Explode on to the Scene:

1. Be cool
2. Market yourself
3. Overcome competitors
4. Get the hipsters and blogsters talking
5. Get the industry's attention
6. Make a Top 50 List

Stir it up occasionally and repeat.

Everything really is bigger in Texas

On the eight day, God created Texas.
- Genesis 2 according to Dallas

I finally got to see Texas this past weekend, to celebrate the wedding of my friends Jennifer & Ryan! I discovered there really is truth to the saying "Everything is bigger in Texas." As proof, I site the bigger highways, bigger cars, bigger hair, and bigger extravaganzas! If WalMart were a state, it would be Texas.

After renting my car (which they upgraded to a monster-sized Explorer for $5... how nice of Enterprise!) I took to Dallas/Fort Worth rush hour traffic. Bad idea. After taking a wrong turn on the way to the wedding rehersal, I stopped at my favorite gas station, QT, which has never failed me before. The cashier had no idea what church I was talking about, even though (as I later found out) it was on the same road as the QT. That's how big it is. Luckily a very nice and gracious gentleman came to my rescue. He is the Carpet Boss of Plano -- seriously, it's written on his car. He drove in front of me to the church, bless his heart.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful and both families were so hospitable and kind to us. Though there were only 6 of my sorority sisters there, we began what will certainly be a longstanding tradition of doing PAT for the bride (it's that crazy clapping and slapping thing that scares most everyone who sees it... it's simply fabulous). I felt very honored to be included in Jenn's special day, especially reading a Bible passage since we shared in fellowship together.

I still stand behind my decision that in my next life I could be a Texan, though I will require a chaueffer, since the roads there (no offense to any Texans) are the most ridiculous invention of our time (behind the Topsy Tail, that is). I will also require a new cowboy hat because I gave mine away to the head of security at Bonnaroo, in exchange for front row passes for the kid who carted our magazines around on Sunday... I was told it would bring me good karma. Goodbye, cowboy hat. With that, and the loss of my aviator glasses, I think my college days really are over.

Oh yeah, my cellphone is still missing in the muddy mess of Manchester, TN... don't take it personal if I don't pick up your call.

Bonnaroooooooo

Greetings,

So I've entered the 'real world' finally, though it's not quite the 'real world' most twentysomethings dread. I've been very lucky to end up back at the magazine and its been a really exciting time to be there. But there's a lot of work involved too, as apparent by this week. After only being on the job four days I set off on my first business trip... to Bonnaroo.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Bonnaroo, it's a weekend music & arts festival in Manchester, TN. Picture a Dead Head, "frat daddy," middle aged music freak, and hippie chick sitting in a tent. It's like a bad joke really. Now add a muddy field, the stench of port-a-johns, organic food vendors, and 74,496 people... if not for the most important part of the equation you'd end up with a tye-dyed wonderland. That missing quotant is good music, so much in fact that 7 stages and 4 days were required to accomodate the lineup.

The team from work set out to get out 10,000 magazines to the crowds, and worked our butts off to do so... we ended up distributing 8,500 -- that means 1 in 10 people got a copy of the magazine... it's a new record! Carrying those boxes was quite a workout, but it was really rewarding to see more people with Paste than pot.

In between working the crowds I got to see some awesome acts though, especially on the stage near our station. Shows I caught included Joss Stone, John Butler Trio, OAR, Blue Merle, Brazilian Girls, Mars Volta, Rilo Kiley, Iron & Wine, Matisyahu, Modest Mouse, and Trent Dabbs. The best selling act at the CD store over the weekend was surprisingly Matisyahu -- if you've not heard of him before, you have to go investigate right now. He's a Hasidic reggae rapper and it's no schtik -- he's the real deal. The man can beat box and mix in scripture at the same time. My coworker and I saw him Sunday morning outside his tent in the VIP section, reading and praying -- it was a pretty cool sight to see something so calming in the middle of festival craziness.

I finally got to see DMB after all these years, so now I can die with one less regret. I didn't stay too long so I could get back to work, but did hear some classics like Too Much. I knew it was time to leave when I stepped to my left in the crowd and heard a metal 'clink.' I looked down to see a backpack on wheels. Only after a few minutes did I realize that it wasn't a backpack, but a gas tank. The dude next to me was filling up balloons with nitrous oxide and inhaling them. It was pretty messed up. When I became surrounded by 15 and 51 year olds smoking pot, I got the gist of the DMB experience and went back to work.

Best moment of the weekend was the Iron & Wine show backstage. It's a good thing I don't recognize celebrities and musicians because I hate the idea of being "that girl" -- you know, the one who stares dumbfounded at artists, maybe works up the courage to say something unimportant in passing... that's in the past, during my Sugar Ray days. But I did recognize some artists this time around -- Rilo Kiley, Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Amos Lee or else his lookalike... I was at the side of the stage when Sam Beam came down before his encore, and watched him kiss his daughter. A firefly went by me at that time and I thought, how freakin cool.

Didn't get a lot of sleep, and lost my cellphone in the mud (so you can't call me for awhile), but had a great experience overall. Learned a lot about the festival circuit. I'll leave you with the funniest thing I heard all weekend. It came at 10am on Sunday morning from a combination Dead Head - frat daddy. He came by our booth, scratched his head, and looked at the magazine. When offered one he said, "I woke up this morning with one of those in my pocket. No idea how it got there.... But I like it. The CD is cool." Rock on, bra.