November Change

I am starting a new job on November 1^st.

What makes this such great news is that I wasn't looking for another job. Though as the universe would have it  (i believe)- the job presented itself to me at a time when my current job was becoming VERY unhealthy. 

And, I mean VERY unhealthy. One boss in particular who I thought I was close-ish with got on a mission to make my life horrible at work. (No need to go into any more detail than that simply, because it is not worth it to rehash) So, when I received a call from my brother one day about a possible job opportunity still in the vein of PR and Marketing. I looked into it. Now 5 months later and after SEVERAL interviews I got the job.

I was with my former agency just a few months shy of 4 years. I had many great experiences and almost an equal amount of not so great. I am thankful for every single one of them. Through them I have grown.

I am very much looking forward to the next chapter of my work life.

I hope the history that is about to be written is one that brings positive results because; in truth I am kinda scared of the unknown.

This occurs the same month Yellowbird arrives and I turn 31.

Change isn't easy, but is needed. I can't help but think of this song. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFqvIUcfBcw&feature=related

Go on.. GO GET IT.

This weekend was filled with a couple of stellar events that left me inspired. I want to share them both. Though, they aren’t related OR are they?  The more I thought about them the more I realized they both carry the same heavy theme. DETERMINATION! So, what are these two inspiring events? First one is a concert.  The second is the Chicago Marathon.  Apples to Apples right? J

I’ll start with the concert since it occurred first in order.

A good friend of mine is the assistant to a music agent that reps Imelda May (rock-a-billy type music) and was able to get a plus one for me.  Imelda May played at the Park West Friday night.  Let me tell you - this lassie and her boys are blowin’ up! For the third time this year she was on Jay Leno. She rocked it at Lollapalooza and she is consistently selling out gigs across the US.  

Ah, Imelda May – you sassy, saucy oh-so talented singer, I love you!  

Little bit of background for you all - Imelda hails from Dublin, Ireland. From what I know, she comes from a seedy part of town that doesn’t offer much.  With such strong limitations, it takes a special kind of determination to push through and break down social and envrionmental barriers.  That is exactly what she and fellow band mates did. They never gave up on their dream and hopes. The worked their asses off and now feeling the rewards of their EARNED success.  It’s easy to give up. To list of reasons why NOT to continue with a dream, but what kind of life is that?

And this now leads me into the second part of my post.  Sunday morning I headed downtown to the Chicago Marathon. My brother-in-law, Fred was running.

This was his first.  HE DID AWESOME!!!! 

I have to admit originally the only reason I agreed to go was because my sister had asked if I would meet her up. She wanted support in cheering for him. Of course, I love my family and a firm believer being present for major events. Though, the 6am wake-up call on the weekend was a daunting task.  Boy, I am glad that I did go. I met her at mile 3 and I was instantly overcome with emotions. The energy was pounding from the pavement.  Spectators lined along the 26.2 mile route shook bells and screamed affirmations at runners. Their encouragement was received by the runners as they passed they smiled and raised their fist in the air. They were saying “YES, THANK YOU I CAN AND WILL DO THIS.” Several times I choked back tears. I felt inspired. I was now THANKFUL to be there with my sister and everyone else. I rang my cowbell and screamed into the crowd. Runners had their names written on their shirts or arms –  I howled “keep it going, you’re doing great >insert name here<”   

We moved from mile 3 to mile 12 to mile 23 to the finish line. Every marker we saw Fred. HE LOOKED AMAZING. He started running a year ago. WOW. The determination he gave on this day – for this day is beyond inspiring.  He may never run another one again or he may run 50 more, but either way he set out to do something and did it.  I fight back the tears as I write this now – Life at times is hard and unfair and has the ability to throws us all for a curve, BUT, life is also YOURS for the taking! IF you want IT then you will get IT. Cliché, but true – put your mind to something and skies the limits on what can be achieved.  So, whatcha gonna go after?

Kicking a Habit

As I look back on the past year, I can’t help to recall all the things that have changed. Aside from the love sector of my life, the biggest and by far the healthiest change I made is that I quit smoking. It has been one year that I’ve been off them.  I do admit to stealing a drag or two if I so happen to be having drinks with a friend of mine who smokes. Though that isn't often at all.  My love affair with cigarettes started at the very early age of 13.  YIKES! I know. Oh, the pure ignorant bliss a 13 year old.  

It first started at a slumber party. A girl stole a couple from her parents and brought them. After several attempts at working the lighter and many raw thumbs later someone had the idea to strike a match. SUCCESS! There we were six girls huddled in a circle passing our first cigarette. We coughed, one girl vomited. It was the coolest thing we had ever done!

 After years of smoking because it’s “cool”, I actually was addicted. I attempted to quit a few dozen times and each time failing.  Eventually, I came to terms that I would always be a smoker. It was too hard to quit!  THEN – it was the look from my niece on a hot summer afternoon day that got me to quit.

July 2010 my oldest sister and her family came to the city for a fun-filled day with yours truly! We went to the Taste of Chicago and check out Millennium Park. There is an area in Millennium Park that is the urban version of a water play area. It is two giant blocks that constantly have water pouring out. My nieces got into their bathing suits and took in the water.   I hadn’t had a smoke all day. (I always made it a point to never smoke in front of any of the little ones in my family.)  As my niece’s splashed their hearts out and were safely in the care of their parents; I seized this perfect opportunity to have a smoke. I snuck off to the side and took in the cancerous sweetness.  Oh kids are crafty! I caught out of the corner of my eye my oldest niece staring me down. He eyes and face screamed of disappointment. She didn’t exactly seem to understand all the health risk associated with smoking, but at 5 years old she knew it was not good and her "Aunt Errie" was doing it!  

I felt terrible. I immediately put my cigarette. The next day I called my doctor and got a prescription for Chantix. Three weeks later I was a non-smoker. All because of her!  When she is older I will tell her that story. I want it to make her feel good. She gave me the power and will to kick that nasty-awful – MURDEROUS habit.  

Thanks, lovebug for being my +1 and giving me the strength I needed.

The Power of Social Media

On a recent Sunday afternoon, my day started off as most of my Sundays do. With my eyes half closed I stagger into the kitchen to turn on my radio.

It is ALWAYS programmed to NPR. My favorite NPR shows happen on Saturday morning, but so far at any given time or day NPR has never let me down.  Sorry, I digress.

 Then, I ALWAYS make coffee.  Also known as the nectar from all –that- is- good -in –this- world! Once I have this cup of heaven in my hands I make my way to my laptop. I have a small sunroom off of my family room that looks out to the front of my building. I live in a 3 story walk-up brickstone situated on a quiet tree lined city street.  The natural light and breeze that comes in is oh so gorgeous. I hunker down at my desk and I get acclimated with the day.  I check my personal & work e-mail. I read the front pages of CNN.com and Punknews.org. Then I check facebook. (Social media might have its slew of cons, but for me it does exactly want I want it to do –provide information.) Via facebook I learned that a band I recently fell head over heels madly in love with would be playing at The Hideout located in the Wicker Park neighborhood that afternoon!   OH, and.. .FOR TEN BUCKS! TEN BUCKS!

I was on a mission. I was going to be at that show.

 This band is Telekinesis. They are from the Pacific Northwest. Check them out! http://telekinesismusic.com/

I first read about these guys a few months earlier in SPIN magazine. They just launched their first album. The next day, thanks to awesome FREE sites like grooveshark.com I was able to listen to that entire album. I. FELL IN. LOVE. Then as the good fan that I am, I bought it.

This entire day ended up filling with stellar goodness.  After I finished my coffee, I got myself ready to meet up with my friend Christina. We made plans to go to the Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park.  En route we made an impromptu pit stop to Bleeding Heart Bakery. I had wanted to go there for years! Local. Sustainable. PUNK ROCK. Pastries. Tell me what isn’t to love about that? TELL ME? Nada! I don’t even live far from it, but whatever reason I never made it there.  Inside Quick Check Girl by the Bouncin’ Souls was pounding from the speakers.  Four or so small round tables were lined up against wall. The décor was bright and artistic. A heavy set- tatted-up, pierced - baby faced guy served me up a raspberry/chocolate cupcake. So far, things were coming up Milhouse for me.

With no time to waste Christina and I took our goodies to go and hopped back on the Damen bus.

Renegade or bust. 

I love art/craft fairs. I very much want to support those who see their art to fruition and put it out there. Sadly, it’s usually too pricey for what my budget allows.  However, this day continuing to prove its glory I stumbled upon a couple gals who make necklaces from pieces of old maps, books and type writers.  I bought an Ireland map lock-it.  She’s a gem 

After perusing Renegade for an hour or so with Christina, my friend Ashley arrived.  It was an hour and half till show time. The three of us checked out a few more booths and then Christina headed home. I asked Ashley if she wanted to go see Telekinesis.  Ashley was all for it. This is why I love this girl. She is so laid back and usually good to do whatever! I was so determined to see them I was prepared to go alone. But, I didn’t. I had a plus one. 

The stage was set up outside. There were MAYBE 50 people in the crowd. It was 4pm on Sunday. I had a beer in hand while I was watching Telekinesis play a killer set.

 

They are currently playing as the opening act for Death Cab for Cutie in select cities. These guys are definitely going places!

Lyrics, just maybe one.. PLEASE?

This past Saturday night I was my friend's plus one for the Soulive/Lettuce show at the Vic. Ah, I LOVE the Vic. I think it is one of the best venues this awesome city has to offer aside from the Metro. Oh, and the Fireside.. MEMORIES.. I need a moment to collect myself. So many adolescent punk rock years of mine were spent at the Fireside. R.I.P. 

Back to the Soulive/Lettuce gig -

I was familiar with both bands only by name. I hadn't actually heard the music of either before.  Though, I am not one to EVER turn down a concert - a free one nonetheless. (Aside from tragic events preventing me from attending) So, I did whatever I do when I need to learn about something/someone I turned to the interwebs and research. I landed on their music pages. I learned that Lettuce is a seven-person collective originally formed in 1992. Members of Lettuce branched out and created Soulive in 1999.  Both produce funky- jazzy-soulful tunes that make you wanta move.

After reading/ listening I was looking forward to the show. THOUGH: I should have listened to more than a couple quick seconds of each band. Had I done so, I would have learned that neither dabbles with vocals. In the 90 minutes of the entire show there wasn't ONE lyric! Not one vocal!

I need vocals. I need SOMETHING that connects with the music.

The nice thing about being on a list for a show is usually that also means box seats! In my younger days I use to get right into the crowds at shows. And, depending on the show I can still be found rockin’ away near the front row.  Though, for this show - box seats were perfect, because I was able to comfortably sit, drink my beer, chat with my friends and enjoy people watching.  

Overall, the talent was present. The energy was high, but this gig just wasn't for me.

One Year. How a blog came to be.

It has been one year since a  new chapter in the book of me began. As I was approaching this significant one year anniversay, it dawned on me that never has there been a one year period in my almost 31 years of life that I recall more. I can recite back the details of Oct, 1 2010 to perfection.  I will get into that in moment - but, I want to explain more of how this blog came to be - there are a few parts to this recipe and one common denoninator.

part one: I love words. story telling. reporting.  I have been a writer and an admiror of the power words have ever since I was able to read and write. I kept journals upon journals of poems and short stories. I attended several open-mics sessions. I remember the first time I participated in an open mic poetry slam. It was 1994- I was 14. I had fire engine red hair and the sass to match it. I was published in my high school literacy magazine. I got my college degree in Journalism. THEN: my envision of being the next Rolling Stone music journalist was killed when I was paid $25 bucks for an article that I freelanced. This was a few weeks before college graduation. After graduation, I interviewed at several community newspapers. The starting salary would have me living at home longer than desired - say til 40 at the earliest. It was quickly resonating what my instructors meant when they said - "don't go into Journalism for money!" I LOVED all the elements that made a good reporter. Being curious. Asking questions. Being courageous Thinking objectively. Being quick. BEING HONEST. But, I NEEDED money. So, I started working at Starbucks. :-) Three months later I had landed my first PR job all thanks to working at Starbucks.

Writing was a huge part of my life, but the more I got into my career the less my involvment was with the literacy community. Yeah, I wrote press releases, media pitches and talking points for clients, but I wasn't doing the creative writing and sharing as I once was.

I do want to note - the series of events that lead to my career were defining "ah-ha" moments for me. Confirming my belief that the universe does bring things into our life for a reason. I am now five years into my career as a publicist. In any job, there is a laundry list of gripes, but in general I love it. 

Common denominator: I love music.

Part two: What happened a year ago Oct, 1 2010? It was the day that my ex moved out. I was with him for a little over 3 years. He was - at first and to his credit a wonderful person. (for the most part). We had several great times/memories. We had seriously talked about marriage. We had the meeting of the parents. We co-parented cats! We had a great apartment in the city.  Though, a darker side of him came to light and I knew he wasn't my plus one. It was a hard decision and not one made lightly. I communicated the major issues with him. We tried working on it. I gave him almost a year of my tolerance. He never changed. I broke up with him. That "ah-ha" moment was at a concert. In June. I bought the tickets in Jauary. I was VERY much looking forward to this gig. It was ruined. 

Common denominator: I love music.


Part three: Takes this back to Januray 2006 when I did a Journalism study abroad program at a college in Dublin, Ireland. At the risk of sounding like a cliche -It changed my life. No, really - it changed my life. The most important life changing event to share with you all is my meeting Yellowbird. His real name most of you who are reading this already know. Yellowbird is his given nickname from me . It comes from several Bright Eyes songs - which he and I both share a profound love for all things Conor Oberst. Those of you who don't know is the front man for the band Bright Eyes. He's a musical genuis. Sorry, I digress.

I met Yellowbird at a music venue/bar in Dublin called Whelans fours days after arriving in Dublin. We talked the night away and into the morning. From that moment - we both knew we would never live life without each other. Several months later my program ended and I had to return back home to finish my last year in college. He and I kept in touch. He came to visit me. Our entire story is a rollercoaster of events. It was August 2007 that it was decided we wouldn't be able to really make our transatlantic relationship work unless one of us relocated. Neither of us were able to do that. It was tragic for us. The perfect person isn't available, because of location/visa logistics. I met my aforementioned ex in Novemeber 2007. Yellowbird never stopped contacting me - emails/random calls. In my heart, I knew he was my plus one, but I was giving this other new relationship a real chance. I cut off commuication with Yellowbird despite his attemps at contact. Until... June 2010- this was a few weeks after the perviously mentioned ruined concert.

I had just finished listening to the debut album from Broken Bells. It is from start to finish A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I e-mailed Yellowbird. something plain and simple...along the lines of - hey, hope you're doing well. I just listened to the album James Mercer did with Dangermouse- they're called Broken Bell. Here' s link - check them out. I think you'll love. sidenote: Yelllowbird shares my passion for music. He plays. He sings. He appreciates. He understands! :-)

While I was e-mailing this to him - he was attending a funeral of a person taken of this earth way too early.

He wrote back.. something like - what the hell are we doing? let's talk.  Now a year later. We are officially attempting to make "US" work.

Common Denominator: I love music.

Conclusion:   Alot has happened in my life in the past year. I miss writing. Music is a huge part of my life. A blog needs a theme - I go to a alot of shows, try to introduce myself to a band I haven't ever heard of or listened to before daily. I read music magazines and blogs. At best humans are "plus 1" - friends, lovers, family - what-have-you we are a society of people who like company. My good friend works for a music agent and often says to me "wanta be my plus one?"  And, that is how this blog came to me. I hope all who read enjoy being my plus one while I chirp.

xoxo - erin.