...and this to follow.

it was nice being back in old stomping grounds, northwestern city of fun and mayhem. the year i lived in boise was a strange time in my life. J and i were back and forth a bit, not to mention me getting pregnant in february--it was all quite a transition. it was also my senior year of college and i was writing my thesis, a comparison between master and margarita and faust. to top it all off, i worked 60 hours a week in addition to school and thesis and a great social life. looking back now, i have no idea how i made time and energy to do everything i did. but it was fun.


i stayed with curt & gigi, who were my home away from home.many of bottle of vino were cracked open with them, and i spent many a night sleeping it off on their amazing couch. they were very excited to spend time getting to know soren better, as they are her godparents.

i anticipated only seeing, besides curt & gigi, two of my friends from yore: kris (whose wedding i went up for) and elton. most everyone else i spent any time with before had promised me they were moving away, and so i sincerely expected them to be gone. not so. i ran into every single person that said they'd be leaving boise behind. and none of them had any tangible plans for moving yet. i also got to see my friends from college, both of whom i don't keep up with nearly as much as i'd like. the twenty or so minutes we spent together were great.

idaho was good for me musically.
living where i live, it is rare that i have opportunities to hear new good music.i do have a few outlets that keep me updated to some, but i know a lot of other music passes me by. happily, two of the people i ran into that were suppoed to have left boise in their dust were always good sources for new music, though i didn't always necessarily agree with them on what is good or otherwise.
enter jake. jake got me the coolest job i had in boise (working at the flying m cafe) when i was a freshman in college. he had a crush on me, but it's good we never dated because, as he so aptly put it, we would have killed each other. besides our debates about how it's absurd for women to be kept from holding positions of authority in the church (he was them involved in the church of christ, i was then more involved in feminist issues), we always talked music. so when i ran into him at the neurolux and he pulled up a chair and a pen and paper, i thought he was going to get my contact information. what he really wanted to know, however, was what bands i'd heard of lately so he could make me a mix. the mix goes as follows:
joann newsom
album leaf
antony & the johnsons
the frames
my morning jacket
broken social scene
i can make a mess like nobody's business
tom waits
the gossip
death from above 1979
refused
muse
the music
camera obscura
leanard cohen
the mix was a nice alternative to my ipod on the return journey. jake did end up getting my contact info later, but the point is that it wasn't as important as a mix.

enter derek. derek is a friend who works at a record store. he was a great contact for me in boise, because, not only was he up on all the new stuff, but he frequently gave me his employee discount. i had set aside a little stash of cash from waiting tables this summer for the specific purpose of buying music there, and i am ever so glad he had not left boise as planned. derek is a great guy aside from the job with perks--very fun and sweet. we frequented the neurolux for drinks and dancing; but who can say no to 50% off used, 25% off new cds? not i! he came in with a stack of music for me to sample, and i spent a good two hours doing just that. some he introduced me to are:
gin palace
i am kloot
aveo
efterklang
gerling
chk! chk! chk!
cruiser
and many more, but those i enjoyed most.
now at least i have some lists to work off of, and i definitely have my homework cut out for me.


kris and marcus' wedding was beautiful. it was on a rooftop, and soren and i both danced until 11.30. i honestly thought she'd pass out at 8, but she became the life of the party (aside from the bride and groom, of course). people i didn't even know were asking to dance with her because she's just that good. she certainly does not get that from her dad. it was a really lovely time, and there again i ran into so many people i knew.

it was a great week, and soren was a great travelling companion. she didn't ever get too fussy or unmanageable; the trip in the car was effortless, and everyone enjoyed her.