Do I have bitch-face??

I'm a nice girl. I try to smile a lot and come across as friendly. But I'm starting to think I have a case of the bitch-face.

Two of our friends were over last weekend, and Rob made a comment about girls being scared of me, just kidding around. Our friends commented that I look tough with my angular hair and such. I couldn't tell if they were being sarcastic or if they really think that I look "tough." All 110 pounds of me. Since in reality I am the furthest thing from "tough," I assumed it was a joke.

Then on Wednesday at the Yeah Yeah Yeahs show, I'm standing in line before the doors open. Rob wandered off to find a bathroom, so I was by myself. This guy from a local radio station was hitting up people in line to sign up for something or other. He approached the people in front of me in line, skipped right over me, and began chatting with the people directly behind me. Huh?? Do I look like someone that would tell that dude to "back the eff up!" or something?

I honestly don't mind either way. But I thought it was pretty funny since I'm the poster girl for niceness. I'm about 90% ready to go get my wrists tattooed, so perhaps that will make me even more edgy and unapproachable.

Here's a video from the YYY show. The sound is pretty terrible, but I could stare at grainy video of the love of my life rockin' out on the guitar for hours upon hours. Plus the confetti explosion at 4:12 makes it worth it.

More shows, more shows!

I can't help it. I'm addicted. Tomorrow night we're seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I actually would have been okay passing this one up, but Rob really wanted to go, and it's not like I'll say no to seeing the beautiful, pale, scrawny, vampire-ish, guitar-playing love of my life on stage.

And speaking of scrawny, pale, vampires, I just got an email this morning about Monsters of Folk, which consists of one of my other indie-rock boyfriends, Conor Oberst. Along side him will be M Ward and Jim James (of My Morning Jacket). Tickets went on presale this morning, and I thought about it long and hard. Maybe for 8 minutes. But how could I pass up these seats?? I got row AA, seats 2 and 4. Come on, those are pretty kick ass.


I know I need to cut back. I also really want to see Ra Ra Riot this fall, and maybe even Phoenix, but I have to be selective. And I do love shows at the Academy of Music because I won't get trampled on by a bunch of 18 year olds. I'm too old for that.

I Heart NY

I haven't given this blog much love lately. I keep meaning to, but I've been super sick for the last week and a half. Ugh. This evil phlegmy cough will NOT go away. Finally I was able to sleep without any coughing fits last night, so I at least feel more human today. It came at a terrible time because last weekend was our getaway to NYC for Rob's birthday. I was a trooper. I sucked it up and dealt with the cough for the most part, but Saturday night in the hotel was a challenge. Rob wanted to smother me with a pillow because I could not stop coughing. So neither of us got much rest that night, which made Sunday kind of a wash. But it's all the more reason to go back soon.

We took the train into the city. For us, it's a 45 minute drive to the train station and then an 75 minute train ride. Not too bad. It's much better than driving.





When we arrived, we headed up to the Bryant Park Hotel. It was only 11:30 am, so I wasn't expecting being able to check in, but we figured we'd check our bags and head out. Lucky for us, they were able to give us a room. The hotel was really great. Perfect location. Very nice room. Clean. Modern. Friendly staff. A little pricey, but for me, it was worth it.





Then we hopped the subway to Williamsburg Brooklyn. I had picked out this great spot for lunch, the Dumont Restaurant. I read that they had a great outdoor garden eating area. It was awesome. The food was delicious. The atmosphere was perfect. Absolutely loved it!





After lunch we wandered around a little bit. We never explored this area before. I can't wait to go back. So many great shops and interesting buildings.

We even did a little rock climbing at a playground we passed by.

I had mapped out a bunch of shops to hit while we were there. While we were in Artists & Fleas, which is sort of like an indoor year round craft show with people selling their wares, I was asked to participate in a street wear fashion photography project. Sure! I could tell I would never make a good model. I was so stiff and the photographer had to get me to loosen up. But it was fun!



And if you want to see the finished photo, click here, click on Street Portraits, and scroll to the right a little. There I am!

We left Brooklyn and headed back to Manhattan to rest up before dinner. We had a little bit of time to kill, so we sat and relaxed in Bryant Park for a little while. I never spent much time in that park prior to this visit, but it was great!



I had made a reservation at Megu in Tribeca for Rob's birthday dinner. There's nothing he loves more than sushi! The restaurant was really fancy shmancy and our waiter was so sweet. While Rob was in the bathroom, he asked his name and whether or not he liked chocolate. Then after dinner, which Rob said was the best sushi he's ever had, the waiter brought out a little surprise!



Even though I was coughing too much to really enjoy the meal, it was a great time.

Like I mentioned, Sunday was a bit of a struggle because of our lack of sleep. We wandered aimlessly around SoHo and Greenwich Village, met up with some friends, did some shopping, and headed back home. I can't wait to get back up there. Hopefully when I'm at 100% again.

New Blog: 160 Pages

I decided to give my journaling its own blog. So you can find it here:

160 Pages: A Journey Through Journaling

07/06/09 - Day #8

Obviously I need a calendar because I wrote the wrong date at the top of my journal entry for today. WHOOPSIE!!!

To be honest, the burger wasn't that great today. I think the bread was stale.

07/05/09 - Day #7

Okay, not EVERY day can be exciting. Sometimes the best part of a day is watching your husband argue with an air pump.

07/04/09 - Day #6

I'm having so much fun with this project so far! I've never considered myself a very good "drawer." Mediocre at best. And those of you who have said otherwise in your comments are super sweet, but I have much to learn. I think as the months go by, the practice alone will really make a difference, so I'm looking forward to it.

07/03/09 - Day #5

I actually finished this one earlier yesterday, but I forgot to post it here. I knew that an iPhone drawing and a Starbucks drawing were inevitable. So I figured I'd knock 'em both out in one shot.

07/02/09 - Day #4

I was a little worried I wouldn't get to this one yesterday. I was going out to dinner and a movie with some girlfriends, and I REALLY wanted to nap beforehand. But like I said, I'm serious about this project, so I forced myself to walk right past the super-comfy futon and into my office to churn out a journal page. Sure, it's a bit redundant to my post yesterday. Hopefully you won't mind.

I think it's funny how we both look like we're about 14 years old. Obviously I have some work to do with proportions.

07/01/09 - Page #3

Three days in a row! Holla!

I wasn't sure if I'd get to this one because my robot husband and I went to see Up last night. Not only did he refrain from shedding a tear, he actually laughed at me for weeping. He claims he feels "no emotions toward cartoons." Technically, he feels no emotions toward anything. Did you know Rob is short for Robot? Me either, but I do now.

So anyway, I got home from the movie and really just wanted to sleep, but I couldn't skip my third day. That would start the downward spiral to failure. I knew I wanted to sketch my goofy costumed pose from Austin, so I gave it a shot. I admit, I actually had a blast doing this! Who knew drawing could be fun?

Two Days Down!

YESSSS!!! I made it two whole days so far!

Sketch Comedy

More like Sketch Tragedy. I came home from the HOW Design Conference feeling inspired, but I also felt like a slackass. I haven't kept a sketchbook since college. And even then, I didn't sketch regularly. So, like I always do, I went out last night and bought a sketchbook with all intentions of being really good this time!

I figure the easiest way to get into the habit is to do something that takes little time and makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. So I'm going to try to do a little daily journal entry. A comment on the day. This will hopefully get me used to doodling again. Who knows.

I've been Slankified!

I came home yesterday to find a mysterious package on my doorstep. The return address? "The Slanket."

I yipped like lapdog and ran inside to tear that baby open. Most amazing gift ever, courtesy of The Slanket Fairies, Jeope and Devon.

I Have a Dream

I've been a little off all day because of a dream I had last night. It sort of messed me up. Ever have a dream where you've done something wrong, and it's so vivid that you feel incredibly guilty when you wake up? I can't get it out of my head.

And all of this makes me wonder, where do dreams come from? Are they based on truth? What the fudge is my psyche trying to tell me? Can I please ignore it and go back to my regularly scheduled life?

Mad Love in the Illadelph

Devon and Jeope are much more prompt than I am, but I'm finally getting around to posting a few images from their voyage to the P-H-L.

What can I say? I had a fantastic time. I'm so grateful that they made the trip out here, and I hope I don't have to wait a few more years before we get together again. They are ma homies, and I have mad love for them.



And huge virtual hugs to Dave H., Patti, Karma, Keith, Jenn, Nikita, Marta, Dave S., Steph, and Chele who also helped make the weekend superb. Gotta love the interwebs!

Holy poop!

Operation NICE was mentioned in Sunday edition of The New York Times! The NEW YORK FREAKING TIMES!

Now I just have to sit back and wait for Oprah to call. Come on, Oprah! Gimme a jingle!

I'll be blunt.

Well, my hair cut will be blunt. I got my first trim in 8 months. It's pretty much exactly the same, but with all the dead stuff cut off.



EDIT: Okay, you know what rocks? When a stranger tells you they love your hair the day after you get a hair cut. Thank you Sephora lady! You just put a HUGE smile on my face!

Are you there, Universe? It's me, Melissa.

You ever have those situations where you think of something random and them you see or hear another something having to do with that initial something? Does that makes sense? Like you think about a friend you haven't spoken to in years, then out of nowhere, you get a call from them? Or you mention and old tv show you liked as a kid, and then a coworker coincidentally brings up the same thing the next day?

I guess "coincidentally" is the key word. They are like crazy-bizarre coincidences. Stuff like that has been happening to me a lot lately.

For example, this morning I heard "Float On" by Modest Mouse on the radio. That led me to think about how I saw Ben Lee a year or two ago. A coworker was opening for him and gave me free tickets. Score! Anyway, for his encore, he performed a cover of that song. Then I thought about how I don't have any Ben Lee albums, even though his music always puts me in a good mood.

At the same time that these thoughts are going through my head, I was also thinking about how Shazam (my awesome iPhone app that identifies mystery songs playing on the radio) hasn't been working. So I download the update. I test it out on some singer songwriter chick, but it gives me an error still. Hmm. The next song comes on the radio. It's fun. I like it. So I test out Shazam again, assuming I'll get the same error I've been receiving for months. But no, it works. And who is it? Ben Lee. All this happens in a five minute period, and I just thought it was kind of strange.

I never got past the first chapter of Creative Visualization because I put it aside for later. (Later hasn't arrived yet.) But I remember the first chapter talked about how everything in the universe is linked. And how coincidences like that are proof that the thoughts in your head are connected to what can actually happen in the real world. Crazy! I really need to read that book.

So anyway, I've been trying to think about brownie sundaes and stacks of cash, but so far it hasn't worked.

License to Grill

I have never used a grill before in my entire life. Unless you count my tiny George Forman, leftover from the college era. I have never wanted one. Rob is completely against the idea of owning one. So you can imagine my surprise when I found myself coveting this beauty from Crate and Barrel.



It's so pretty! I'm sure I'd use it once, consider it a hassle, and it'd turn into a dust collector like our Target sandwich maker. But come on. It's green. It coincidentally matches the pillows I bought for our new bench. Wouldn't it look perfect on our newly decorated patio?

I know it's not much yet, but this is how I spent my Friday. I've even been out there watering the plants everyday, in hopes that I won't destroy them with my poisonous touch. I'd love to get some more cute accessories for out there, but the wind off the river can be so darn fierce. If it can blow a full garbage can three blocks away, I can imagine what it would do with a candle lantern. Maybe if I can manage to keep these plants alive for a week or two, I'll trust myself to buy some more.

My New Favorite Person

The cashier at Friendly's is my new favorite person. I went in there and ordered two double thick chocolate milkshakes, paid, and had a seat on the bench in the waiting area.

(After two minutes.)

Friendly's Guy: Hey, you're the girl from that season of Top Model, right??
Me: Ummm, no, but thank you!
FG: Really?
Me: Really.
FG: Aww, I told her (motioning to other waitress) that you were!
Me: Actually, someone else made that same comment a while ago, but I've seen every season of Top Model, and I can't figure out which girl I look like!
FG: Every time you come in I think, "Wow, she's so pretty, she must be that Top Model girl."
Me: Really?? Wow, you just made my month!! Thank you! Are you just saying that so I'll keep coming back?
FG: Nah, I don't need to do that. You're already in here a lot.

Alright. Now I know I'm okay-looking. I've grown out of my teenage "I hate everything about myself" phase. And with some good cosmetics, I can pass for cute. But this dude thinks I'm a Top Model girl! That is one of the most flattering things I've ever heard, and I'm going to reread this blog post every time I'm having a fugly day.

Thank you Friendly's Guy! I think I love you!