let's all get together and start over.
Wow, I'm really sorry about that last entry, you guys! I promise not to emote that much on the internet anymore (and thanks for the kind words). I managed to save a bunch of stuff I thought was ruined, including a poster from a Luck Boys show at Columbia, which is the last time I can remember hanging out with Nicole Kraut. I miss Nicole!
I am in a better mood for a few reasons, chief among them the company I have kept and the events I have attended for the last two nights. Event one: Show two nights ago at Bottom Lounge, one of my new favorite chicago venues. The Appleseed Cast was a contender for show of the year. I was caffeinated enough to really pay attention, and too excited to get bored, as tends to happen with me and noisy post-rock. Giants were really good too. I've met James a bunch of times before, but this was my first time seeing them. They're a very straightforward post-rock band, which is almost an oxymoron in itself. Their approach was really refreshing. Color Radio was better than I thought they'd be, and Or So It Goes was worse, but both were pretty okay. The best part of the night was hanging out with Erica, Kristy, Raul, and Rob. I feel like I don't see enough of any of those people anymore. It's been a weird month (I seem to remember writing an livejournal entry a couple years ago about how February always sucks). I'm glad it's over.
Event two: Dominican's production of The Laramie Project was one of the best-acted plays I've ever seen. I'm very very interested in nonfiction, and as a result, I have a lot of trouble with most theater. There's this fourth-wall thing I have that makes things on the stage seem a little too fantastical to connect with me on a realistic level, even when the play is based on real events (I do not have this problem with music, don't ask why). The characters in this play, though, were all very real, and it made it seem less like they were on a stage in front of me and more like we were all in the town where all these terrible things took place. I got lost in it. That's only happened to me with live theater a handful of times. If you guys are unaware of the story of Matthew Shepard, check it out. This one is a thinker.
In other news, I am doing the Mastercleanse in a few weeks. In preparation, I am currently not drinking soft drinks or eating red meat. On Thursday, I'm going vegetarian, and a week after that I'm eating only semi-solid foods for a week. Then the actual cleanse diet part starts, where all I eat or drink for ten days is a lemon juice / maple syrup / cayenne pepper mixture. Andrew from Ludo sold me on it. He says he gets to sleep and wakes up easier, the quality of his sleep is better, he has more energy to do things, and his voice is clearer. I am anticipating that it'll be pretty terrible time, but I'm using it as the reset button that my body desperately needs. I can phase in some better dietary habits after I'm done (probiotics, vitamins), and they'll do a lot more for me. Anyone wanna join me?