If I Go to Gloucester You Know I Will Wait There for You

Newly obsessed, I've been listening to Ra Ra Riot constantly for the past few days. It's kind of ridiculous the way I do this periodically, just live inside a CD and let it color all of my experiences for an amount of time. That's why certain music is tied so tightly to different periods in my life I guess. I can't even listen to some songs anymore, not because I stopped loving them, but because I was probably unhappy or having a manic hour when I loved it the first time.

But anyway, Ra Ra Riot is amazing. It's kind of like Vampire Weekend with a strong thoughtful undercurrent. A dancy-catchy component is paired with a really super-literate, emotional element and it's almost perfect. There are violins involved, people. Dancy violins. I don't know either, but it's magical.



I'm really looking forward to Novelin' November. It will be good to have a project to dip my head into for a while. Also, I'm having nightmares about elevators all the time. Like, weekly at least. Last night it was going up up up really fast and the screen that tells you which floor your passing was flashing different numbers and different symbols, it was out of control. It finally slowed enough for me to jump off , but man. Scary stuff. Any analysts out there?

Monday.
erin.

Win/Win

Dear Boston Red Sox,
Do you have some kind of contract with Hollywood? What is your deal? Why do you do these weird and amazing things? Can I have some money? Seriously, just a little?

I'm really happy that last night turned out the way it did. I like the Red Sox a lot, but I'm much more effected by the general population's mood. And today that mood is euphoric because of those dudes, so, go sox!

As for me though, I was not watching the game. I was watching this guy:



I've loved Ben Kweller since 2003. I can pinpoint the moment I fell in love. I was in Union Square in New York and listening to "On My Way" on a sample CD with those giant communal headphones that a bunch of homeless people had probably used before me. He broke into the chorus of "I Need You Back" with a loud yell, I removed the headphones picked up the CD and brought it to the counter. Love at first listen.

So last night my friend Ryan and I squeezed past a bunch of people who shop at Urban Outfitters and found a spot against the bar in the back of the Paradise. Ben was amazing. He has a whole lot of hair and wore a white suit. My only complaint would be that it seemed short, but that's probably because I wanted him to play every song I knew three times.

**edit**
As I was finishing up this blog post my office building had a fire drill. So many stairs. So much temptation to run. Aaaand we're back.

Fun times, and more to come this weekend as Brian and I embark on CUCHI CUCHI BIRTHDAYFEST '08!

holla,
erin

October Babies

First of all, happy birthday to Sue C.! She's New Yorking quite well I hear.

It does seem like a season of birthdays, and as a matter of fact I'll be 27 the next time I write a blog entry. That is,unless I get especially bored and/or inspired sometime over the weekend. To celebrate this special day, Winthrop is holding a Columbus Day parade!



I'm pretty light on plans for the weekend, but perhaps it will afford me sometime to meditate on, you know, aging. Or maybe I'll just plunge myself into a cleaning frenzy. Or outline that novel I'm going to write. Birthdays aren't what they were, are they? Can't I just have a bowling ally party or a tie dye party or something? (note: I did have a tie dye party once and it ruled completely)

These things happen, every year at that! So happy birthday to all my fellow, indecisive, very pretty Libras trying to keep it balanced. Godspeed!

Journeying
Down
Hill
xo
erin

*quick addendum*

Me and Meg
c/o R.W.Petti:

The Frustrations of Being a Completely Unknown Writer

As many of you may know, I am an aspiring writer. Specifically, I'd like to write for television. So, the thing aspiring TV writers do is pick a show they love and write an episode of it, called a spec script. It's essentially a writing sample that shows what you can do.

Earlier this year, I spent a lot of time and effort writing a spec for The Office. I had the idea for a while and finally got it down on paper. The title of the episode I wrote is, "Wellness Challenge" based on the idea that there would be a company-wide incentive for the employees to modify their weight and get in shape. Clearly Michael Scott goes entirely off the deep end and turns the workplace into a "Biggest Loser" type competition. The title of the episode of The Office that aired last week is "Weight Loss".




Although I'm sure the specifics differ quite a bit, essentially, the same exact concept. I haven't seen the episode yet but it's safe to say that all the work I put into creating my spec is out the window. It's useless now because it will look like I copied an existing episode.

Ohhhh, frustration. It was a real good one too. I'll email it to you if you want. You can print it out and use it to wrap my birthday gift or line some kind of pet poop box.

At least I know that it was, indeed, a good idea to start with. And it will also motivate me to write a new one, but not The Office this time.

The Nature of Going, or Not Going, Crazy

by Erin McGhee

This blog is a place for me to talk about comedy shows, and music I love, and life experiences, so I guess this entry will fall into that third category. A little journal-ish, so if you're not interested in vain rambling, smell ya later!

So, I just finished reading my friend Patty's blog about the nature of her happiness, or state of being, and it connected with me in a way.

Does anybody else feel like they've been going quietly insane since, like, elementary school? When my anxiety is particularly high I feel like everyone in the world is watching and judging the decisions I make. Is there such a thing as "Narcissistic Anxiety"? I think I'm coining it, so I get credit if it's ever on Oprah.

The long and short of it is that I am very lucky and thankful for all of the good things in my life, and all of the good people. It's time to be grateful, and not panicky, because as my favorite drama teacher used to say, "what's the worst that can happen?" There might be some yoga and/or Taoist conversion in my near future. I'm starting this new month with a new intention.

I only write all this personal junk in the hopes that someone else might relate and appreciate it in some way. So there's my fleeting stab at sincerity. Being Irish and uncomfortable with emotion, I now offer you this:

He's great.

For your reading enjoyment on a Friday afternoon.

Note the bit about the ven diagram. I love it.