whitney matheson blogs the republican convention.

the environment in this city is all sorts of weird these days. the guy from satan's laundromat got arrested during friday's critical mass ride, an event that happens every month, and this dude got detained by a bunch of dick cops for taking pictures of buildings.

roommate tamar has apparently been blogging in secret--the nerve! check out what miss sassypants has to say (interpol, "folky"? dude?) on her work-related, music-centered blog.

bob pollard couldn't get a loan from the bank, so he is selling off a bunch of his gbv items, such as one of his very rare hand-crafted propellor albums, which sold for an astonishing $6,200. for a piece of vinyl.

and rhett miller's high school yearbook is for sale, too. i can say "OHMYGOD" at that picture and nothing else.

ted leo on file-sharing: "Speaking for myself and my band, a few hundred downloads that aren't later backed up by purchases can be the difference between us paying rent or not. Ain't nobody in my band got health insurance, you know what i'm sayin'?"

fimoculous is back!

bill and heather got married this weekend in new paltz, and now exist as mr. and mrs. moore (ha). they were married by a female hippie rabbi from woodstock at a sweet, if muddy, b&b. i refused to wear anything but my strappy heels and, like many other women there, struggled against sinking in the mud all evening. it had been an emotional morning, and i was brought to tears (or the brink of them, anyway) at several points: reading the program, parts of the ceremony, the first dance (that cat stevens song from "harold and maude"...love it), leanne's reading of her original poem, tye's speech, "the humpty dance." we did dance a LOT. and it was the hottest, sweatiest wedding ever, as icky summer has finally descended on new york. but also one of the best. it was a really great time, and i felt truly lucky to be included in the celebration. mazel tov! april has more pics.

i would discuss operation cupcake and how the magnolia bakery are lying, sneaky, punk-ass bitches, but i fear the story is too long and complicated. i will probably tell you in person, though.

i have a pile of links on my work computer just waiting to be savored like the sweet frosting of a sugar sweet sunshine cupcake, but you will have to wait till tomorrow to see them.

these are just silly party pics from friday night...i'm saving my wedding stories and pictures for tomorrow.

also: i'm in the slow, torturous process of moving my pictures over to my .mac space and recoding all the archives. ugh. but i do have a nice new pretty archive page that is no longer stuck in 1999, back when i didn't have my own personal web designer (who recently moved to buffalo, btw. shudder.

last night was heather moore's not-bachelorette party, a "ladylike evening" to accommodate her classiness. and it was lovely. we had a nice dinner at i trulli, where i consumed several foods composed of tasty rabbit meat, and then we repaired to the rooftop bar at the gramercy hotel. the scene there was weird, and probably best described as dot-frat. (for the record, no, this was not us.) we vastly preferred the funeral-parlor atmosphere of the lobby bar, where springs sprung from the ratty old couches, there was a vast selection of cocktails (no stoli vanil on the roof!), and we could talk about, like, religion. the thinking girl's bachelorette party? then i busted out the subtle but still ridiculous penis swizzlesticks and it was a parrrrrrty. cannot wait for the wedding this weekend! as longtime readers are aware, i love weddings. (psst, holly: you better not elope.)

also of note: the groom's family is lucky to be alive.

i still haven't seen the movie, but apparently zach braff, the creator of garden state, has a blog.

oh, and sorry i've been awol. i am a busy buzzing bee! now buzz off.

last night was insanity, just insanity. thanks to awesome chris white, i and amy and dan had backstage access, which meant a) free beer and b) photo-pit style special-people area right in front of the stage. best and best. and jami showed up and surprised me AGAIN. "oh my god!" i screamed upon sighting her. she spent the summer drinking wine and writing stuff in napa, california, and is finally back in new york. the show was pretty awesome: the old-schoolers went wild for "navigating flood regions" and other delights, and the new shit was pretty alright, too. bob kept the ranting to a minimum but did apologize for "all our shitty music videos."

later on after a brief stop at krucoff's no data "party" and a phone call in which i told party pooper randi to "just crawl in your coffin and die," i went to tonic for the gbv karaoke. i waited in line for a ridiculously long time to get in, but at least i had kevin to keep me company. then i met up with some awesome fellow gbv-loving chicks and we all got on stage for "chasing heather crazy." so fun! gbv fans are just the friendliest, best people. some of us then went to pianos, followed by an unnecessary trip to iggy's, yada yada yada, and i'm almost getting over my hangover. the end. until next time.

more pics by moi should be up soon on gothamist arts, whose editor jen is a new convert to the cult of gbv (yay!).

your one link today is this interesting story about how the democrats are attempting to thwart nader's attempt to get on state ballots. that's what i call pro bono, yo.

by the way, krucoff, after taking his other page offline and into the print world, is making his namesake site an mp3 blog. that's hot.

fyi, lovers of indie rock: travis morrison will be opening for the hold steady and the wrens on august 31 at the bowery. i'm very interested to check out travis seeing as how his new solo material is...uh...how do i put this...so very...different...from the dismemberment plan stuff. i will keep an open mind. i will. anyway, this show is going to be ridiculous, and if it is not ridiculous i am going to make it so. and jami will be back and participating! very exciting indeed.

dubya has used the word suiciders at least 34 times. can someone tell him please?!! [via largehearted boy]

i decided to get an ipod when it went down to three hun, then purchased on a relative whim when leanne told me i could swear i was still a student and get an extra ten percent off. it arrived yesterday, and life is great. i no longer hate ipods and the superior people with their white earbuds, for i am one of them. i like my ipod. but i am not yet in love with my ipod. in fact, i suspect that, much like that new hot guy in the art department with the weird facial hair, it might be a little bit...gay. but maybe not! all i need now is an cute ipod cozy and i might just fall fully in love with my ipod. ipod ipod ipod. enough.

fellow UD alum andy turpin has organized another superluminous event. this one is happening this friday and features all sorts of art using t-shirts (really!) and then a party after the opening, with djs and shit. and ric rivera's video installations. and t-shirts for sale that you can then turn into your own wearable art, if you are of that mind. which i am. it should be hawt. check it out at m1-5 in tribeca. it's free and there might even be free booze.

and before that, on thursday, hopefully the rainmakers will take a break and let clear skies reign for the free guided by voices show at pier 54. after the show there's a record release party at tonic that is sure to be ridiculous, because it is going to feature, holy shit, gbv karaoke with a live band. now if you'll excuse me, i must go practice "my valuable hunting knife." you don't want to miss it!

we had a very mini UD reunion with randi, cindy, bill, heather, and special guest christa, visiting from san francisco. dudes, let's remember, what happens at friday night party club STAYS at friday night party club. also, note to self: hot pink rain boots were definitely not made for walking.

i spent saturday with holly shopping my brains out. in addition to some very fine garments and accessories from old navy, i purchased tools needed to organize my shoes, handbags, cds, and sewing materials. productivity, thy name is container store.

and then today i made holly come over for a fitting/photo shoot. the results:

and then my poor brother steve, who had driven up from the jerz to deliver my tv, returned to his car parked innocently on essex and stanton to find that not only had he received a ticket despite feeding the meter, but someone had smashed in his passenger window and stolen his discman. in broad daylight on a busy street. steve is never visiting me again.

the mp3 of the day is shatner-esque in its ridiculousness. hulk hogan apparently released an children's album in the 90s. this is a song by the hulk mourning the loss of a friend of his. i know you want to hear this. thanks to stu for passing along this glorious bit of retardation, and thanks also to the cool people who dropped me tunes. keep 'em comin'.

:::Hulk Hogan and the Wrestling Boot Band, "Hulkster in Heaven":::

ONE reader sent me a song. three songs, in fact. that was awesome. what about the rest of you? i KNOW you have mp3s. i'm gonna go on strike if i don't get some new tunes in my inbox, pronto.

august is movie month! a few quick reviews in order of awesomeness:

collateral: good, suspenseful action/thriller flick. why aren't more movies in that category this good? i was a little distracted by tom cruises's gray hair, and his terminator-like move late in the movie stretched the old credulity a bit, but overall: i give it one fully stuffed pita. yikes. that sounds dirty. let's just move on, shall we?

before sunset: julie delpy and ethan hawke are older, wiser, and wrinklier now. i don't want to ruin any of the feeling for you, because you *should* go see this movie. and while my audience absolutely hated the ending, i loved it. i'd see it again just for that part, and the part where they're walking up the stairs.

the village: i love m. night's mastery of mood and suspense, but this movie was lacking even that. i think it had something to do with the sheer ridiculousness of the monsters. even when you want to overlook them, it's hard to do when there is snickering all over the theater. the laughability was just too much. ooooh, they have FEATHERS! SCARY! but: good performances from ron howard's daughter and joaquin. and no, i didn't see the twist coming, so that was fun. probably still worth it if you like m. night.

open water: ehhhhhh. they bobbed around the water being scared of sharks. not that scary at all. sorry. and the acting is fairly horbz. wait for video, if that. but: crazy ending, or maybe not.

one thing i did read on the internet today was this roundtable with mp3 bloggers. it was pretty interesting. i even got a good tip for a record store in hell's kitchen. i'm totally hitting that on my lunch break, if i ever get to leave my cubicle ever again.

perhaps i should throw up an mp3? all those dudes talked about exposing the dumbass masses to obscure and out-of-print stuff, but i just want to share stuff i like. (in the hope, of course, that you go out and purchase and update your sad-ass record collection.) perhaps i should make an effort to highlight the most random shit on my shelves, though. on that note:

:::The High and Mighty, "The Last Hit," featuring Eminem:::

and hey, if anyone wants to recommend me something, please do drop a line. there's also this great website where you can upload files for someone else to pick up: dropload. send me a song! it's only fair.

also: i just realized the link for the all-time quarterback song i put up two weeks ago was busted. AND NONE OF YOU FUCKERS TOLD ME! that means no one downloaded it! jesus! do you think i do this for my health? no! it's for YOUR health! now go download the sweet little indiepop thing by the guy from death cab, or i'm going to have to get some new readers. my goodness gracious (said in billy bob thornton football-movie voice).

busy. work. other bullshit. can barely form sentences. back. soon.

cormi recently accused me of only liking "singers who you want to bone you." now that is just not true. i understand the, um, thrust of the charge: i like many bands and band members who fit that category. and sex and rock and roll are all tied up in a nice sweaty, enjoyable mass. but i'm able to separate the music from the men. I AM!! anyway: i dig gym class, and i don't want any of them to bone me. especially not with those faux-hawks. jen and i caught them at pianos friday night and they were the best we saw all night. slightly sinister, catchy, synthy/dancey art-rock. got that? good. go listen to a couple of their tracks. i'm out.

party party party, as tamar would say. let's hear it for miss thing's 26th birthday, celebrated in high style at el nuevo amanecer and iggy's. classy, like the lady herself.

dr. romanelli: this guy's reconstructions are ... there are no words for how great. leather jackets crossed with nike warm-ups: genius! link from stu, who gets pissy if i don't credit him.

why so cute?? clearly i must learn to knit. or crochet. or whatever that is. can i please just quit my job and make stuff all day long? that is all i want to do with my life.

i got my camera back! a week and a half after i sent it in, all fixed up, no charge, no mention of the sand they had to have seen inside. i'm certain it was my quirky yet respectful letter that made joe technician decide to give me a break. yay canon!

in slightly less astonishing news, bill clinton is going to be on the daily show on monday night. that is some serious must-see tv.

youhavebadtasteinmusic.com. this guy takes being a music snob to a hilarious new level (two inches off the ground on a mini soapbox). genius. [via catchdubs]

another bushism rears its retarded head: "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we,Ó Bush said. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, "and neither do we."

i forget which of my friends was recently wishing she could make her own shoes. well in perusing the "making it" issue of time out, i discovered: you can! this place on the l.e.s. offers shoemaking classes! and they actually look good. whoa. now i know how to make my "become a famous shoemaker" dream a reality. awesome.

::: A3, "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" ::: sweet goddamn pretty motherfuckin' country acid-house music all night long!

::: A3, "U Don't Dans 2 Tekno Anymore" ::: if you can't smile at the line "you don't dance to techno, so sad since you left-o," don't bother. but this is a really funny song.

jon from slatch informs me that the old 97s sold "question" for a john madden xbox commercial. i was all, "what the hell?!" and jon was all:

The whole commercial is cutesy and kind of car-commercial indie rock, then he puts her in a cab and dumps her so he can play madden. Because everyone knows that bitches suck and football rules!

these pictures of little bobby pollard accompanying a cool interview about aging are precious! i wish i could go back in time and be 12 with him. oh, and there are now two more people who want to join our merry band of freaks on new year's eve, so cough up those extry tickets. (no, not you, ebay. sheesh.)

lots of musicians' favorite top 5 summer albums.

the major accomplishment of the weekend, besides downing an irish car bomb and leapfrogging over randi in a public space, was attaining tickets for the LAST GBV SHOW EVER, to take place on new year's eve in chicago. if nobody drops out, our party will be nine strong (!). this is going to be bigger than NYE 2001, where we partied like dumbasses in an SUV limo before the show at the apollo. think of all the sad, drunk indie-rock boys i can take advantage of. it's gonna be new YAY's eve!

so it seems the big hotel next to my house is no longer associated with surface magazine, and will not be called the surface hotel. in a stroke of sheer brilliance, it has been renamed (drumroll, please) The Hotel on Rivington Street. this article is also genius for its use of the phrase "discount shmatta shops." in related news, i observed the Oh My God, Why Are You Wearing a Hat in This Weather, Concealing Your Sexy Ringlet Curls, Hot Construction Boy/Architect standing outside of economy candy recently. he was wearing a baby. it's all over.

the uppage in terror alerts has got some people fully crazified. i was on the f train monday morning when i noticed some ranting outside the comfy confines of my headphones. i tuned in to some long-skirted upper-west-side-looking lady with a canvas tote bag yelling something about "bush's attack on america" and how we should all please report her to the CIA. i returned to interpol. two stops later she was still ranting, so i tuned back in: "and why do you think the F train was rerouted from coney island to avenue x after 9/11, hmmm? if you know anything about skull and bones you know the significance of the letter x." um, yeah. i am the scavenger...