news
july & august, 2004:
summertime is coming to an end and, with it, the deadline on my summer to-do's is closing in accordingly. one month left in Q3 and i still haven't lost those 10 pounds or put all that stuff on ebay!
the life-balancing act has yet to be perfected but the strategic daydreaming continues. current thought patterns include:
- the threeimaginarygirls.com halloween party at the showbox. the theme is buttrock vs. new wave. mark your calendars!
- i have committed to a half-marathon walk for the sunday after thanksgiving with dana and lee. as you all may or may not know... this is the most athletic thing i have ever done... and most likely ever will do. i think the challenge lies more in being somewhere at 7:45a on the sunday after thanksgiving - rather than the walking 13 miles part. we'll see. i have already started looking for the perfect walking shoes and contemplating a training regimen. should i carry a backpack with emergency supplies {cell phone, wetnaps, sunblock}? should i wear jeans or the dreaded sweatpants? is a carbo-load dinner the night before really necessary? details... details.
- imaginary stuff galore...
- a kitchen remodel... at the rate i am going with a funding plan and getting quotes from contractors... let's keep our fingers crossed for early 2005? does anyone feel like reenacting anything they have recently seen on this old house? please, be my bob vila! the kitchen is currently a blank palette just yearning for your elbow grease and ikea cabinets. if you want to make a donation, i will name one of the appliances or a cabinet after you. a plaque will even be placed on the item to commemorate your kindness.
also, the trip to delaware in mid august was a fab time. thanks to everyone in the mid-atlantic region who coordinated their schedules with mine. i don't have a digital camera, so pictures are still pending. anyone who does have pictures... send them my way!
wait... were you hoping to get a photo to accompany this month's double-dose update? oh, ok... how is this one? it is from the recent hives / sahara hot nights show. for more info on what led up to this photo... read the review.
lesson of the month:
june, 2004:
as promised, pictures of kim and david's offspring are now available! there are so many cute ones, but i think these best represent her finest points:
sleepy karis
hooded karis
karis serious about her rattle
i haven't been able to make firm plans to meet her in person yet, but i am already crafting baby's first mix cd.
things have been quite busy the last few months... in may (after i posted the mid-month newsflash), threeimaginarygirls.com was awarded MVP of Seattle Music by Seattle weekly. It is quite an honor and it was fun to go up on stage and read an acceptance speech. not that i prepared anything ahead of time or anything... ; )
as per usual, june was busy with going to and writing about shows. threeimaginarygirls.com celebrated our 2nd birthday with a karaoke party at the crocodile. the kj didn't have the most spectacular catalog of songs to sing... and somehow i found myself singing backup to a jimmy buffett song with a chorus of "i don't know where ima gonna go when the volcano blow" and ended the evening by faking my way thru a neil diamond (?) song i've never heard... something like, "cracklin' rosie." as you can imagine, not my finest karaoke showing to date, but not the worst either (insert ugly vision of the rockaraoke night... ugh).
i'll end this month's post with a word about my hair. there is very little of it left. on a whim, i went to a hairdresser other than the lady who has cut my hair for the last five years. turns out my instruction to trim it so that i can continue to put my hair in pony tails was misunderstood. she thought that i said something like, "cut it all off. i want a haircut just like i had in second grade when a huge piece of gum fell into it and big random chunks needed to be cut out." here are a few pictures photographer extraordinaire / boyfriend took a couple weeks after the "haircut."
lesson of the month:
You can never over-communicate with your hair dresser!
may, 2004:
breaking news that requires a mid-month update!
my sister KIM and her husband have a WEE ONE! karis delaney teague is on the scene. she was born last month... but after i updated the site... so here ye be. welcome to the family KARIS! pictures soon.
PICTURES HAVE BEEN POSTED! ryan and i went away for the weekend to celebrate his birthday and our 1 year anniversary. some may remember that we actually DID go away for our anniversary back in march... it was great! we stayed at the most incredible EMPRESS hotel in victoria canada. unfortunately, i was violently ill and was conscious for only 3 minutes of the entire weekend.
lesson of the month:
You should never feel guilty about ordering soup AND salad for lunch.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
safe to call this one now. i proclaim Karis to be the LRFCMOTM. she is living up to the massive task before her: to be happy, healthy and keep her parents entertained.
april, 2004:
october, 2002:
i have been on a roller coaster this month. one minute, graham
coxon is talking with oasis noel and they are discussing how hard it is to
work with damon... the next, damon and the other two (not the band, but dave and
alex) are talking about how they need to call
graham to discuss why they are in morocco finishing up the latest album with
fatboy slim without him... the
next, graham is saying that he no
longer considers himself part of the band. aye. should i be
excited that they might be dividing and conquering (conquering being that they
are releasing more albums individually rather than as one unit)? last i checked
in - we're ok... but they have
been frighteningly quiet... don't know what that means...
thank goodness i've had the detroit cobras (not nearly as impressive live as on
the record), clinic (with KaitO opening, another justine elastica in our
midst!), tullycraft
(oh so twee cute), bright
eyes (need i exclaim how incredible they were?), kinski (i think i get it!) and a couple volunteer mornings during the KEXP
pledge drive to distract me.
BUT, greg's going away dinner has probably left the most tangible of
memories: faux conan o'brien sighting, the wine spilling (twice!) topped
off with a 3 song sampling of the gov't mule show (who would have known that the
phrase FUCKIN A would work out so well there?).
lesson of the month:
if in doubt, davis will be able to show you how to turn off your cell
phone.
september, 2002:
i am nearly speechless writing up this month's statement of particulars as the bliss has been nonstop. the month started with the tail end of bumbershoot
and a "girls just wanna have fun" kinda karaoke night and ended with a gedge-enthusiasts-only
pilgrimage to portland
(on a monday night no less) to see ballboy and
cinerama.
in between those two significant historical events, i filled my time watching rockstars:
ash (f%^king opening up for f%^king coldplay), interpol (it's so nice to see a band on their way up the hype
chain), carissa's
wierd (more notable than the show was the entertaining company i kept that
evening), and the yeah yeah yeah's (it's amazing what a stylist can do
these days). i also socialized with rockstars: my sushi lesson with greg, dana's
knockout/rockout "i'll be gone for 2 months" bash at the mars bar, a mariner's baseball game
(time with april is always
time well spent), the saturday afternoon mission district pub tour with aaron (hooray
for my friend the mojito!), a night out with april in the big city (did I really whitter at the
cinerama/ballboy
show?),
and the beatified moments i spent with my new pal michael x.
album-wise, an addiction to the new mclusky album (which i think might be the explanation for my recent increase in the use of
curse words) and the new bright eyes album and the re-introduction of clinic's internal wrangler and the desaparecidos album into my routine have kept me from
committing any more
crimes.
lesson of the month:
if you lose your favorite sweater - the one that looked amazing on you (or so your mom said), was incredibly comfortable,
matched everything you own, and brought buckets of good luck - do not dwell on it. simply repeat that stupid f%^king
"set it free" poem (never to be confused with the stupid f%^king Sting song) and celebrate your ability to live
without material possessions:
If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it was, and always will be yours.
If it never returns, it was never yours to begin with.
... just make sure not to tell anyone about your chanting of the "set it free" poem - it'll make you look goofy.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
GORDON MCINTYRE - gordon is the lead singer of ballboy - an edinburgh band currently touring the states with cinerama. from the moment
i first heard their album, i knew that i not only wanted to own everything they had ever recorded, but wanted to see
them perform live - multiple times.
i recently carpe diem'd that desire and saw them 3 times in 4 days in 3 different states. on the final night of my self-imposed musical bender,
the ever-eloquent and endearing andy b stepped up to the plate and made gordon aware of my...
um... enthusiasm. the end result
was a 10-minute chat with the man behind such gems as "Donald in the Bushes with a Bag of Glue" and "Sex is Boring" and
a vomit-worthy magical moment when he dedicated one of their new songs to me in the middle of their set at the crocodile.
all that and he has a scottish accent.
august, 2002:
i don't know if this is going to become a habit or not, but if you look over the lizriley.com/news archives,
you'll see that all it takes to get me back to delaware is a birthday celebration. it doesn't even have
to be a big one... a dinner at the blue coat inn or a
show at the bob carpenter center. whatever. this month it was for my grandfather's (aka fafa)
90th birthday celebration. folks from all three counties and florida gathered to eat a tasty lunch, review the 3D timeline display
of my grandfather's life and watch a magician pull stuff out of stuff (and make a couple inappropriate jokes laden with
non-90 year old innuendos). it was a way too quick in-and-out flight, but i was able to experience an overly delectable dinner at the
barrow's new lovely home with carrie and t.r. (ole!), get talked into purchasing some khaki pants by carrie and kim and play on the sit
and spin with the boys.
my two favorite shows of the month: rhett miller (and his version of four-eyed girl at the amazon.com fishbowl) and hypatia lake.
oh yea... i also put some pictures from scotland up... more vacation pictures
up in... um... ok, by the end of the year.
lesson of the month:
cheap garbage bags aren't worth it.
july, 2002:
what in the world is a girl to do after having the best two weeks of her life? rather than fear that life is all down hill from here, she should chronicle the respectable tales on a website. that's what i did. so, if you have the time and interest level, i've put together a not so brief recap of all the shows i saw during the course of my 12 day UK trip on the threeimaginarygirls site. but, i didn't go into the story of the brilliant scottish fellow (address all fan mail for him to paul malone) that april and i met at our first annual "scottish karaoke" event or the havoc that the three of us reeked on the daven-port house in edinburgh. his endless supply of charm, wit and intellect certainly place him as a key element in making scotland so darn fun. another significant event this month was dana's birthday. i still don't think that a mere two day event was long enough to celebrate this diva's big day.
lesson of the month:
over the course of 5 days, you can survive quite well on cider, 9.5 hours of sleep, UK euphoria and the occasional red bull(R).
liz riley fan club member of the month:
IAN CONGDON - ian is someone who started out as a total stranger and ended up being and integral part of making the aforementioned vacation historical. he not only wrote a compelling enough press release on my trip to whitehaven and its related facts to prompt the local paper to fill a page of my story, but he skillfully secured me 45 blissful minutes of interviewing the bluetones. he also served as an above average tour guide to the lake district and taught me how to use a coffee press and properly pour creamer into my beverage of choice. of course, you'd expect nothing less of a LRFCMOTM.
june, 2002:
this month i was part of one of the most monumental pushes of content to the worldwideweb thus far: www.threeimaginarygirls.com. dana, marlene and i created this site as a place to spout off about music, shows and other notable seattle events... all with a positive giddy girlie slant. we were sick and tired of the shows we went to not being covered, or egocentric negative reporting on local cultural events, so we've put together this compilation of our IM-like ramblings to entertain others and ourselves. check it out weekly as we are aiming to add even the slightest of new content every 7-14 days. also, sign up for the mailing list and we will e-mail you whenever we update the site. fun and painless. relatively. don't worry, there will be some overlap in the scoop i dish out here and the content on the threeimaginarygirls site. lizriley.com will still be your one stop shop for updated pictures of me and my posse, more personal stuff and my recent life-lesson learnings. for example, i'm still going to tell you stuff like the fact that this month i saw these music shows: doves/elbow, luna (and got a horrible picture of myself taken with dean wareham), the white stripes and a couple REALLY GOOD movies as part of SIFF (the they might be giants documentary and 24-hour party people). preparing for my upcoming UK trip and coming up with more reasons not to completely unpack also filled my time this month. oh yea, and i love TEA. after 29 years of gagging at the thought of willingly drinking the stuff, marketspice tea made me see the light. yummy... tea!
lesson of the month:
soda water with lime - a perfect substitute for mandarin and soda at the bar.
may, 2002:
yay may! laura simpson came to seattle - and to celebrate, we grabbed
kelly and ran off to san francisco for the weekend. i can not think of a
better day: a champagne breakfast with april and the gals followed by a day
full of taking in the landmarks and spending quality time in the amoeba
haight-ashbury record store. top it off by spending the next day and night in
an amazing beach house in capitola with laura and kelly - exploring capitola's
beaches, thrift stores and coffee shops and i was in heaven. all that and i
still got to spend 5 more days in seattle with laura! highlights of her time
in seattle include: a daily champagne toast, torturous bike ride on bainbridge
island, a stevie nicks inspired karaoke night, chacha night, and a super furry
animals show! and that was just the first week of may. i have distracted
myself from missing her with the diva party of all diva
parties at dana and
marlene's, the beth orton show, the hives and mooney suzuki show (probably the best show of the quarter) and lots
of band practice.
note: i still haven’t fully unpacked from the move
yet.
lesson of the month:
champagne is perfect anytime of day.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
GREG BAHUE - the san francisco trip would not have been possible without
greg bahue's generosity. greg not only let us use his gorgeous capitola
beach house (including the best shower in the world and the mega-hammock)
but set up the full zelda's experience that made these three out of town
ladies feel like locals.
april, 2002:
much to my delight, they were back in town again: spiritualized (rumor has
it that jason doesn't know how to play an acoustic guitar), black rebel
motorcycle club (i might be the only one who is still impressed by them), the
new pornographers, the mountain goats (have you read last plane to jakarta lately),
quasi, robyn hitchcock, tim quirk (my too much joy hero and funnier and more
insightful than ever when he read his paper at the EMP's pop music studies
conference) and billy bragg. all that and i finally got to meet sam harris (ed
and angela belong to him) - my favorite dandy warhols loving baby.
note: i
still haven’t fully unpacked from the move yet.
lesson of the month:
when there is a long line at the bar, order a
double.
march, 2002:
march brought damon (gorillaz), daniel (johnston), ann-margret (BLWIT) and
ade (clinic) to seattle as well as sending me to delaware to celebrate st.
patrick's day and st. barry manilow.
stellar performances by gorillaz,
daniel johnston (i still can't find that song "bloody rainbow" anywhere), the
touring cast of the "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas" (starring
ann-margret and i am not ashamed to admit that i enjoyed it) and CLINIC (if
you have talked to me in the last 6 months, you know how much i absolutely
adore them and everything they have ever recorded) gave me good excuses not to
stay home and unpack from last month's move.
in case you didn't get the
postcard, i traveled to delaware for st. patrick's day weekend and had one
unforgettable moment after another. the weekend began with that annual st.
patrick's day wake drinkfest that carrie has been telling me about for years.
finally(!), i was able to attend the event with her and the posse. the evening
will most likely be filed under the name "tommytee78." next was the queen mom
surprise: 4 tickets for the women (mom and we three daughters) to see barry
manilow together at the U of DE. what fun to sit next to mom as she grooved to
copacabana!
lesson of the month:
rid yourself of the clutter. moving useless crap is annoying. believe
me, you don't need as much as you think you do.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
BOBBI LEE - the st. barry evening would not have happened had it not
been for bobbi lee and concord records. thanks to them we now have a memory
that will forever bring a tear to my mom's eye and make my sisters and i
beam with pride that we could pull off such a surprise.
february, 2002:
an unusually less than depressing month of hearts and kisses this year. in
a month that historically spells out disaster, i had a splendid 28 days. phantom planet came to the
office (jason "the rushmore kid" schwartzmann and i bonded over bright eyes and the desaparecidos album)
the same day that i went to the boss's house for dinner. mix in the
desaperecidos show, the moral crux show, the south / elbow show, ken
stringfellow karaoke and the move (yes, after living in the same apartment for
2 years - the record for the longest time i've lived in the same place since
high school, i've moved 1/2 mile further up the hill) to a new apartment...
well, you can see that i have been a busy girl.
lesson of the month:
always have a nice, respectable pair of shoes on hand. you never know
when you are going to be invited to dinner at the CEO's house with minimal
advance notice.
january, 2002:
january: the month that has ownership of the best night of Q1, 2002: the
night of the KEXP morning show party. the
party was so much fun that april is quoted as questioning "there were bands
there, right?" the show calendar also included the charlatans show (with
starsailor opening up -- doing a mostly acoustic set as the drummer was
injured).
lesson of the month:
you cannot over communicate when at the hairdresser
liz riley fan club member of the month:
JILL SEWARD - jill coined a classic line that will be the catch phrase
for one of the many priceless moments at the KEXP party (aka. the best night of Q1). her
"anything for the team" spirit inspired her to come up with a successful
ploy to get one of the cutest guys at the event to stop at our table. to
achieve this end she shouted "where did you get your glasses?" across the
table as he passed by in the crowded bar area. it worked, and in the process
we were able to determine that he was quite uninteresting (and could it
possibly be, uninterested?) and move on. to truly understand the magnitude
of her actions, you should know that jill is one of the nicest people you
will meet, as well as being a bit reserved and very attached is the
wonderful mr. robert. with these facts known, you can see how her actions
are even more award-worthy as she put herself on the line that night for
purely selfless reasons -- the entertainment of the breathless single women
at the table.
december, 2001:
a bi-coastal lifestyle kind of month... the majority it was spent in
delaware staying at my sister's house (with brother in law and nephews) while
i was stationed that the Amazon.com Delaware warehouse (we corporate office
folk get sent out to work in the warehouses during the holiday rush).
basically - when i wasn't doing the giftwrap thing on the night shift at the
warehouse, i was hanging out with the nephews trying to convince them that i
am their favorite aunt.
after the holidays, i returned to seattle just in
time for my birthday festivities. thanks to everyone who partook in the two
day celebration (one night at leilani lanes and other at the infamous chacha).
all that and i still had time to compile a not so concise list of my favorite
albums of 2001. just to make sure i could list as many titles as possible, i
broke up the list into equal chronological parts: the first
six months of 2001 and the last
six months of 2001.
lesson of the month:
if you are having a bit of car trouble and you call someone who isn't
home, don't leave a message on their machine telling them that you are
having car trouble but not to worry about it as you will call someone else
for help. especially if there is a chance that you will go back to the car,
it will start and you head off to the starsailor show in philadelphia and
not call them back to let them know that everything is ok (naively thinking
that because you told them that you would call someone else to come help you
and not to worry about it that they would assume that all was kosher). there
might just be a chance that they will come look for you, call your sister
who will send your brother-in-law to come look for you who will then call
the police when no one can find you while you are enjoying the great
starsailor show in philly. not only will you have worried a bunch of people,
but you will feel absolutely HORRIBLE beyond belief when you find out what
happened.
november, 2001:
the questions that have been plaguing me this month: what were the best
albums released in 2001? AND, albums that are released in the UK in 2000, but
in the US in 2001 -- are they able to be on a "best of 2001" list? i am now
finalizing the list and, most likely, i'll end up breaking it out into a
couple lists. sure, i'll have the traditional guide: the "best of 2001." but,
to make sure all of the 2001 musical masterpieces recognized, i think that
having sub-lists is going to end up being necessary. perhaps a "best live
shows" list, a "best songs" list, "best 2000 albums i discovered in 2001"
list. one thing i am sure of -- you all are as concerned about this as i
am.
other notable things i've thought about this month? the arrival of the
two cutest 2001 babies: sam edward harris and nicholas mccarvel. some (lesser)
exciting events, the entertaining performances of spiritualized, mr. t
experience and the fall. and my upcoming 26 day stay in delaware. how exciting
to think about spending 1/12th of my year on the east coast!
lesson of the month:
the joy of finishing your holiday shopping before halloween is a joy
that lasts for a full two months.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
JOHN IN THE MORNING - he's an incredible dj on my favorite seattle radio
station (KEXP) that inspires me to get
out of bed monday-friday. he's so good that he inspired me to get out of bed
especially early one morning (5a) this month to volunteer during their
recent pledge drive. sure the joy of being an operator taking phone
donations was fulfilling, but the best part was meeting 8 other like-minded
musically savvy sleepyheads who also volunteered for the 6a-10a shift. we
had so much fun that we have since hung out together at a local capitol hill
hot spot and are scheming big things for my birthday (at least i think they
were in on that conversation too). in any case, john in the morning has
earned a place on the LRFCMOTM roster because of his ability to program one
hell of a radio show and attract the coolest people as devotees.
october, 2001:
when it rains it pours! at the end of the month i had three days in a row
filled with good times, good times. first, on october 25th, an event occurred
that will forever have a place in my heart: i was five feet away from ray
davies and peter buck performing one of my favorite kinks songs ("picture
book"). aye, i tear up just thinking about it. the next night i saw a
wonderful (and extremely well-attended) shins show at graceland while
experienceing pinball paranormal activity. the final night of this three night
run of big fun was a kick-ass halloween party in which all attendees were in
the most amazing costumes. i was lucky enough to find the perfect yellow debutant
dress with satin bows. that, in conjunction with some retro glasses, a
blonde wig and a sash transformed me into miss alabama 1965.
lesson of the month:
at the aforementioned halloween party i decided that the perfect
accessory for miss alabama 1965 was a purse full of wine coolers. it ended
up not being a smart move. all that sweetness was too much for even me to
stand. this month's lesson: cap your wine cooler consumption at 3. after
that your just asking for tummy trouble. blah.
september, 2001:
no need to go into the minute details of this month's activities as the
bigger events shouldn't be cheapened by me excitedly ranting about the
incredible belle and sebastian show (it was on thursday, september 13th --
nothing could have been more perfectly therapeutic than hearing them do the
Byrds "Turn! Turn! Turn") OR the heartwarming daniel johnston show that made
me cry OR the action packed robbie fulks show. another item that i wont
mention: i went camping for the first time (if you don't count the glastonbury
experience -- which required my survival instinct to kick in more than this).
kelly and davis organized a weekend stay at the ross lake resort for the three of us
to experience nature from the comfort of our modern cabin.
lesson of the month:
some studies show that cooking your food on or around aluminum foil may
be hazardous to your health. something about something seeping into the food
or something, something, something. i hadn't heard this until recently, so i
haven't had much time to substantiate this claim with additional research.
regardless, i thought i should pass this vague bit of info along to
you.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
KELLY BOSWORTH - truth be told,
kelly does so much to enrich my life that only acknowledging her countless
acts for just this month doesn't do her justice. but, at this point in time,
this is the best i can do. thanks to her for everything -- but this time i
will recognize her achievement in convincing me to experience the great
outdoorsfor an entire weekend.
august, 2001:
august signifies the beginning of the end of the year. you turn the july
corner and before you know it, you're writing thank you notes for holiday
gifts and looking over the lengthy list of things to do that never got done
(or even started). it has taken me 28 years on this planet to finally realize
this (i.e. the quick and unforgiving approach of the end of the year) and
prepare accordingly. armed with this fresh piece of knowledge, i have pledged
to do everything in my power to make sure the fourth quarter doesn't catch me
off guard. i have sat down and figured out what needs to be accomplished, the
amount of time and effort it is going to take to do so and steps to
implementation. ok, so maybe i haven't officially figured out the "steps"
part... but it is all in my head. i just need to put it to paper. one thing's
for sure, i am not going to forget to celebrate boxing day again this year, i
swear!
see what having a month with no holiday does?
having nothing to
celebrate for more than four weeks can lead to neurosis.
lesson of the month:
if you get gasoline all over yourself, use a mechanic's-style hand
cleaner to rid yourself of the smell. also, don't just think that no one
else will notice that smell. they will -- and the smell only gets stronger
the longer you put off rectifying the situation.
july, 2001:
finally july arrived.. and with it, my week-long vacation-vacation. ahhhh.
my days off and out of the city of seattle could not have been better spent
than the week i spent in san francisco. the 7 days i spent with spitty in her
home away from home in the golden gate park were heavenly. within hours of my
arrival, we agreed upon our mission: hit every thrift store and record store
in the bay area. we used our superhero powers and came as close to our goal as
humanly possible. along the way we procured many bags of bargain basement
finds, hours of hip tunes and a priceless pick-up line ("if you were a booger,
i'd pick you"). the gothbowl goddess also accompanied me on my first viewing
of moulin rouge and made me nummy vegan french toast. the icing on my vacation
cake was the weekend i spent with summer. our gabbing sessions and girlie
adventures were just what the doctor ordered.
oh yea, the other 3
weeks of july included live performances by the lucksmiths (3 times in one
month is not enough), neil hamburger, quasi (even though it was during the day
and outside - they rocked), mark eitzel, black rebel motorcycle club (you MUST
buy their new album) and the mountain goats (see him live, buy his stuff, go
to his website - last plane to
jakarta and you will be happy).
lesson of the month:
just because an area is incredibly creepy (i.e. it is dark, ghost
stories are used to "explain" recent events, the bushes rustle behind you as
you walk through it, etc.) -- that is no reason to gently rush (although
some might call it slightly pushing) your friend down the walkway as you
make a beeline to the sleeping quarters.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
E.V. NOECHEL - some know her as
spit, others know her as veronica -- i like to call her hotmama. besides the
fact that she is a constant source of inspiration and comfort, she is
recipient of the LRFCMOTM this month because she truly understands ewan
mcgregor.
june, 2001:
the summer of 2001 has shaped up to be the summer of the live show. in
june i was able to see stellar performances by folks i never thought i would
see perform as well as old favs:
the lucksmiths (aussies so wonderful i
had to see them in portland too), bright eyes (be still my heart), death cab
for cutie (what nice boys), the new pornographers (nico case is my hero), the
beta band and radiohead (at a stadium show, aye), grandaddy, coldplay,
television, CINERAMA (gedge and co. never dissappoint) and the doves.
lesson of the month:
see/rent the movie the young and the dead. i laughed. i cried. i
left the theater with a renewed sense of self and jacked up carpe diem
attitude. how's that for a recommendation?
may, 2001:
what an action packed month! i wont go into all the details of what
made this month so remarkable -- but i WILL give you a synopsis.
highlights include:
1. surprised my mom for mother's day in
high point, north carolina. with the help of my sister kim.
2. i met
sam dickenson - who would have thought that i could love someone as much as my
nephew luke.
3. musica musica -- most notably FRANK BLACK (be still
my heart he played many a pixies song - mr. grieves, where is my mind,
nimrod's son to name a few) and the STARLIGHT MINTS (i want to be in a band
like theirs).
lesson of the month:
(warning: this one is especially goofy) surprise someone you love -- you
will get more of it than they do.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
THE UNKNOWN GIFT GIVER - it would be great if i could give this award to
this "person" multiple times... if only i knew who he/she was! a
hearty congratulations goes out to the person who obviously wants to remain
anonymous who sent me a cd from my wish list without
giving me any kind of clue as to his/her identity on the shipment
invoice. once again, it is proven, if you want to get the ultimate
honor (being named a liz riley fan club member of the month) do the wish list thing.
congratulations to mr./ms. unknown! (p.s. - feel free to let me know
who you are -- i can keep a secret.)
april, 2001:
april will forever be known as the month in which i was introduced to the
karoke stage -- and what a glorious first date it was! thanks to my
friend april who had the brilliant idea of celebrating her birthday in the
leilani lanes bar on karaoke night. who would have thought that an
activity for which i had prided myself on never partaking in would have been
so entertaining. not only for me, but for all those in the bar. my
renditions of lucky star, leather and lace (beat box euro trash version), the
greatest american hero theme, tempted and (most notable) king of the road will
be recounted for years to come. to all of those that were there -
wahoo. for all those that weren't, thank goodness.
lesson of the month:
if you can't read the words on the karaoke board, the song is best left
unsung.
march, 2001:
the month of march consisted of intense work and intense fun.
intense work: i spent a week in orlando with the majority of the
amazon.com music merchandising team at the annual narm convention (my
first). sure there was a ton of meetings without a ton of sleep... but i
got the opportunity to meet some of the cool contacts that i only knew through
phone conversations. but, more interestingly, i also got to meet joey
macintyre (you know, joe mac from NKOTB - the right stuff)... oh yea, and
casey kasem, duncan sheik and edwin mccain. and when i say met, i
mean we shared a cheesy photo opp, a few polite shallow niceties and a
handshake. not really a life altering event for either side
(although joey did say that it was nice to meet me), but a nice way to
round out the hectic business trip with something i can throw out at my next
quilting bee.
intense fun: laura simpson (the march, 2001
LRFCMOTM) visited seattle for a week! it was glorious having her
here. we went skiing (long story), biking around town (16.07 miles to be
exact) and we finally took that road trip to whidbey island. you can see
photos detailing our day by day activities on the pictures page, but in a
nutshell we had a blast.
lesson of the month:
if you decide to wear jeans next time you go skiing, make sure you bring
a trash bag with you. not only will your buns stay dry, but you will
be the toast of the slopes sporting the hottest fashion trend since day glo.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
LAURA SIMPSON - if i had this award last year, laura most certainly have
earned it when she visited in february, 2000. and, if she plays her cards
right, she might win it again. this time the title is hers because
over the course of the 8.5 days she was here, there was no point in time
where we were not laughing or recovering from laughing. whether we
were trying to save face in front of the gun and rod club guy by
acting like we were lost or merely trying to save face in front of
the coffee shop guy by acting like we weren't giggly, immature
girls - we had a outrageously glorious time together.
february, 2001:
who would have thought a month that is the home of valentine's day would
have been so much fun for a single girl? this month i was able to see
the old 97's play several times while
they were in the city of seattle (and surrounding areas) as well as bright eyes (in
seattle and portland). pictures from the old 97's festivities will be on the site
soon. those pictures will also enable those outside of the 206 area code
to see my new hair-do. nothing to shocking, just a bit shorter and
messier. it is proving to be a nice change. i have written some
more album reviews for amazon.com. they are: rainer maria
(sucky album, but a lot of kids like it) and the new live luna album (which
is so nice).
but i guess the most stirring event of the month was at
the tail end -- the 6.8 Nisqually earthquake. i don't know if you have
ever been privy to a conversation with me concerning earthquakes, but i don't
like them. my office building (i was on the 16th floor of the 30 story
building when it happened) and apartment survived with minimal damage.
the only remnant of the event in my apartment was a fallen barbie off of the
bookshelf and a 12 inch record askew on the wall. it is comforting to
know that an earthquake of that magnitude wont devastate the city. here
are some pictures from around town:
lesson of the month:
in the event of an earthquake, get underneath a sturdy desk or
table. the old rule of thumb is to stand in a doorway -- which is
acceptable... but with the flimsy buildings of today, the desk/table route
is safer.
january, 2001:
i will proclaim it now: 2001 is going to be a great year for music. bright
eyes have come out with a new split cd (with son, ambulance). i even reviewed it
for amazon.com. blur and the bluetones are in the studios. rem is
almost done with an album (although don't expect me to put any comments here
unless it completely blows me away). most importantly, gooey is planning on
having something together by year's end. let me know if you want to
pre-order your copy now.
lesson of the month:
when you are running downhill in shoes that don't have really good
traction, DO NOT try to stop yourself by jumping on a piece of
miscellaneous carpet. you will only ricochet off of a nearby bush,
fall onto the ground, and roll down the hill.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
ADAM ROSS - i was able to meet
up with adam recently when he was visiting seattle on business (we hadn't seen
each other in nearly 3 years). we had a wonderful catching up session
while sipping coffee and partaking in the anti-george w. bush rally.
upon his return to phoenix, he visited lizriley.com and took advantage of my wish list/buy me stuff
link. a week after we met up, the glorious starlight
mints album arrived at my door. yes, kids, if you buy me stuff, you
might just be the next LRFCMOTM.
december, 2000:
i found this great article at nme.com. in it patsy (liam from oasis's
soon to be ex-wife) talk about how she is glad to have liam out of her life --
with one of the high points being the fact that now she can listen to blur
albums. classic!
samuel grey dickenson arrives! on 12/17/00
(exactly one week before aunt liz's birthday), the 6+ lb wonder was born. the
family (my sister tracey, my bro-in-law kelvin, and my superstar-nephew luke)
is excited about the healthy addition.
lesson of the month:
do not underestimate sweatpants. even though they are not super
fashionable, they are very comfortable.
november, 2000:
i spent a week vacation in delaware. there were priceless moments of
drama, laughter and bonding (not bondage). pictorial highlights
include: time with friends and family, a high school class reunion,
sightseeing in wilmington, and the now annual pennsylvania ripper tour.
lesson of the month:
before you leave on a long vacation, always make sure you have one
frozen dinner left in your freezer and the trash is taken out.
liz riley fan club member of the month:
CARRIE CHISHOLM - as i touched upon the above november news bit, carrie
chisholm organized the first annual pennsylvania ripper tour that took place
while i was visiting the east coast. she was the perfect
planner, conscientious chauffeur and all around maven of good times.
for that, she is the LRFCMOM for november, 2000.
