I took a typing test today and typed over 70 wpm very accurately, they said. It looks like the clouds are breaking, but I kind of want to take a nap.
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2004 - 13:57

You may go look at my profile now, specifically the movies section, where I just decided to add Napoleon Dynamite because I've been thinking about that movie today and laughing out loud.

This morning I went to a temp agency. They were very nice and very professional. Good feelings were acquired and shared. I walked through the city happily afterwards, even though my Docs give me blisters, the bastards, the stupid six-year-old bastards.

Now, here is some stuff about the concert I went to on Thursday.

It was the Deck the Hall Ball at Key Arena put on by 107.7 The End. At first I was kind of embarrassed that I was going to an arena concert put on by a radio station. I don't know why, it just seemed kind of silly and embarrassing. And 107.7, please, I love Pearl Jam more than any band in the world, but, seriously, if I never hear Jeremy or Alive or Even Flow again, I would be perfectly happy. Why don't you guys play any other songs? Seriously. I mean, the early '90s were great, musically, but, there's been a lot of great music since then too, okay?

So, I was kind of, I know I'm a weird snob, but I was kind of embarrassed to go to this radio station thing, but the bands were: Snow Patrol, Keane, the Shins, the Killers, Franz Ferdinand, and Modest Mouse. I simply had to go.

Here's what I thought:

Snow Patrol: All the other bands had a keyboard, but Snow Patrol had a xylophone, how cute is that? And I like these guys like I like Idlewild, they're just a sincere, genuine Scottish rock band. I liked them a lot, I liked their presentation, just a rock band, just four guys with guitars and drums. And a xylophone. And maybe it's unfortunate when a band gets known because of one super song, but, whatever you think of them or it, Run is an absolutely beautiful song, it is.

Keane: I'm not sure, but I think this band had the video with the guy in the jacket and the rain, and I didn't really like the video or the guy, but I liked the song. That's kind of how I felt about this band. The guy's shirt was maybe too tight, but they have good songs and he has a great voice. My favorite thing about this band, though, is the guy who was setting up their stage, I don't know why. Since all they have is a drum set, a keyboard, and the singer, there wasn't much to set up, so one guy did the drums and the microphone, and maybe there was another guy doing the keyboard, but I loved the guy doing the drums, I don't know why. THE KEYBOARDIST WAS KICKING THE AIR. Unfortunately, though, during their set the place started to smell like hotdogs, and I hate that smell, and it was a little distracting, but, nevertheless, Keane soldiered on and were good.

The Shins: The Shins would've translated better in a smaller venue. As it was, it was terribly weird to see them in an arena, but good, of course. Also, everyone was just waiting to hear New Slang, which is too bad because the Shins have other lovely songs. There were some girls next to me who kept going "Woo ooo ooo" and it got very old very quickly. I liked the Shins' setup and the way they are, it's neat.

The Killers: They all had on matching suits. The lead singer was flamboyant and was flittering his fingers and had the shiniest shoes you've ever seen. They opened with Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine, and I was glad about that because I thought they'd open with Somebody Told Me That You Had A Boyfriend Who Looked Like A Girlfriend That I Had In February Of Last Year, and I'm not too keen on that song.

Franz Ferdinand: Many people will say that Franz Ferdinand stole the show, and, depending on your definition of "stole", perhaps they did. The crowd got into them and were jumping up and down rhythmically. And they were good, and they all bowed in unison at the end. I was a little scared to see them because I thought they might turn out to be robots or some sort of mechanized beings, but they appeared to be completely human.

Modest Mouse: Why do they have two drummers now? Did they when I saw them in the spring? A sasquatch came out and was running around on stage. They played a lot of new songs, and they were good, and you know what? I just really like Paper Thin Walls. And, I don't know what the crowd was expecting, but when I saw them at the Showbox I got the shit kicked out of me but at Key Arena, from where I was, the crowd didn't seem as intense. Maybe they were and I just didn't see it, I don't know. And, so, I think Modest Mouse is better at a smaller venue, although perhaps they translated better than the Shins, but still.

Then, I had just missed the last direct bus to come home, and, well, I didn't know where I was anyway, and I didn't know where I wanted to go or how to get there, and I walked around in a circle, and it was very wet, and then I got on a bus, and then the bus driver helped me figure out how to get where I wanted to go, and I had to sit at a bus stop for a while and it was kind of cold, and then I got off a couple stops too soon, but I finally got home all cold and wet and got into bed and then a couple hours later my roommate left loudly for the airport. I stayed in bed until 10 and played the Sims ALL DAY LONG.