trick pony. he don't know me. he don't know me at all.

it's a sunday, my 2nd least favorite day of the week. it's that dreadful, nagging sensation, biting in the back of my brain, that tomorrow is monday - my 1st least favorite day of the week. like, hurry up, you had your fun, kiddo. it's time to do your chores. get your shit together. and then start the monotony of adult civilization all over again in T-XX hours. Yessss. . .

Oh well, for a sunday it ain't so bad so far.

I've got lil Princess Mol Mol curled up on my lap like a lil orange fuzzball. Sportin' my fave holey sweatpants and ridiculous lisa frank inspired design hoodie. hair's piled in its usual ratnest mess. got a pot of extra dark bolivian syrup to my right. listening to my fave album, charlotte gainsbourg, in hopes of getting all sorts of inspired to write a review for MoB.

i need this coffee to kick in, quickly. so i can push out 600 or so words verbalizing how amazing of musicianship is represented on this collection of tracks. it really is pretty superb. an eloquent sequence of electronic-y, folk(not really), gentle songs. but i need to describe it in a way that doesn't sound as pussy as that just did. cuz it ain't pussy jams. it's just the perfect sunday soundtrack. which is what i'm hoping today turns into.

i'm just rambling now. . . in hopes of being like, ok now my fingers are a typing quickly, words are more fluid, thoughts are organized, blah blah blah. it's sunny outside. i can see the shadows of the bare tree brances in the silhouettes atop of the brick apartment to my right. that reminds me that tomorrow is already february 1st, crazy that 1/12 of 2010 and the first year of this new decade is already complete. crazy. to think where i am today, who i am, my "progress" in life.

last night i got drunk with a friend and we watched the pathetic excuse of a "video" from my high school graduation. the "video" was really no more less than 25 minutes of a shitass powerpoint presentation of baby pictures of kids i happened to spend 13 years of my life with in grade/high school. as i saw each person, i thought, where are they now. who have they become? do i even give the slightest resemblance of a shit? no. not really. but the one's i do know about, at least according to facebook or whatever gossip my mom relays to me is that 89% of them are now parents, are married, and are teachers or bankers or something or another. point is, most of them are either where they want to be and have peaked - found their lifetime goals/partners and are on their path, or at least are headed in their desired directions.

then there's me.

i wasn't in any of the group pictures. i wasn't smiling, surrounded by the other 10 or so girls in any frames with the exception of my 7th grade cheerleading photo or maybe in the background for some theater group shots. i kind of always did my own thing. and here i am now, nearly 27 years old, chugging this lukewarm coffee in hopes of getting inspired to do something for a creative outlet, give me some sort of purpose to accomplish something. . anything. am i better off? absolutely. i'm not really the family kind anyway. but the idea of returning for a 10 year high school reunion is terrifying to me. i don't anticipate being in any group photo shots. while everyone else passes out family portraits from k-mart or whatever, i'll be like, hey did you see the blog i wrote for? that kind of makes me relevant, right? "WHAT'S A BLOG". it doesn't matter. i have tattoos. that's cool, right?

hmmm. 10 years ago, you woulda asked me, hey jodi what will you be when you grow up?

i really, truly, had no idea. and now i realize i still don't. noone ever warned me it'd be like this. i kind of like it, though. gives me that sense of adventure or whatever, i just need to get over my own sense of apathy and fucking take advantage of it. no boundaries. no limits. just me, doing what i do as shit lies. so what the hell is stopping me?

heaven can wait

. . .but hell's too far ago.

i canNOT stop listening to this track, by the lovely french miss charlotte gainsbourg ft. beck on her recently released 3rd album, IRM.

the album thus far, albeit in my first full spin, is really blowing me away. i knew i dug this actress/singer/songwriter, but this album is really incredible. think i found my new fave female artist. it prob doesn't hurt that beck lent a helping hand, either. but so far, january 2010 is turning out to be one hell of a month for new music.

let's hear it:

beach house - teen dream (playing metro in april, should be mindblowing)
owen pallett - heartland (love love love him)
charlotte gainsbourg - irm (duh, see above)
vampire weekend - contra (scroll down for more)

here's to hoping transference will grow on me more. . . for now, heaven can wait. i'm just a gonna vibe to my new fave ladyfriend and hope this day flies by and my spirits lift. (oh, you can check IRM at spinner here: http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/1 ).

looking forward : because i can't look back.

i'm not sure if it was one (or all) of my seven concussions. or the mass amounts of alcohol and drugs i abused throughout my college years, but i can't recollect much of my childhood years.

it kind of bums me out. but only sometimes.

like, my cousin staci, (who's pretty much a sister to me), will ask me about a certain instance from childhood, and as much as i'd like to join her on the laughter and trip down nostalgia lane, i'm usually coming up blank.

is this a good thing? or a bad thing? i'm not so sure.

you see, growing up as a root child wasn't necessarily the easiest venture. i'm sure both staci and my brother can attest to that. the game i learned the hard way, yet the most valuable, would be the child parent role reversal.

it was fun watching your mom get high. listening to the verbal abuse backfire between your single parent and her boyfriend. growing up with movies like nightmare on elm street and child's play as your babysitter. getting almost everything you asked for, b/c it was a quick fix to parenting. "CANDY!" the child screamed. "what kind???" butterfinger. reese's peanut butter cup. rollo's. caramello. mallow cups. just. shut. her. up.

but really all the kid needed was some discipline. and attention. all the new troll dolls and barbie dolls couldn't substitute the darkholes of what existed. and was forthcoming. as the girl grew in age, she learned some pretty shitty lessons in life. such as independence. heartbreak. loneliness. but i guess them's the brakes, right?

don't get me wrong. it's not entirely my mom's fault. while some dark shit went down throughout my pubescent years, there were some good times. i just can't remember them all. and that's the part that makes me sad. i'm tired of being haunted by the nightmares. the unthinkable recollections that i can't seem to shake. it's time to reflect on what was great. innocence, what was remaining. so many times i just wish i could be a kid again.

but damn. i guess i do remember some positive things. like playing monsters, running and diving down the hills with stace every time a car would drive by - freezing in terror if a headlight shone upon one of us until we freeze tag crawled through one another's legs. or hanging out in the laundromat, free cart rides and shoving the neighbor boys into the economy sized dryers. witche's stew in the tree trunks, ladeling the rainwater amongst the twigs, convinced in all its delectable flavors. burying treasure in my backyard and losing the  homemade maps. swinging from the willow tree branches, crawling amongst the old baseball diamond bleachers and leaping into the flood waters. chasing my younger cousins with giant possessed teddy bears and sliding down the stairwells in sleeping bags into a pit of pillows. sourpatch straws. ouija board bicycle ventures to the graveyard on the hill. scraping together change with staci in desperate efforts of scoring some broasted chicken. playing bar in my cousin lacy's trailer. (shots of pickle juice, anyone? HIT ME.)

sigh.

if only i could rewind and do it all again. learning the ropes of life and starting over.

but i guess if that were the case i wouldn't know everything i know now. and i think i'm doing aight by me for now. time to look forward, it's not like i can really look back with much precision anyhow. . . i would like to thank my 10th grade biology class, soper hill sledding, the bloodhound gang, maury povich, nitrous oxide and my natural grace for that.

maybe it's time i invest in a helmet?

the log lady vs. leland palmer

i've spent a good majority of my monday evening holed up in my bedroom watching disc one of twin peaks, season two. i keep forgetting how super creepy this show really is. i like it, a lot. all the layers of random nonsense, dark symbolism and campy cult plot twists make me feel eerily calm and at ease. from the insanity of raving leland palmer to the one-armed shoe salesman, and the sick lovetwist between maddy palmer and james/donna/creepy guy who won't leave his house and claws his face with a gardening utensil. the sawmill arson. leo the vegetable. slutty little audrey and her sicko brothel owning father. deputy andy and his dimwitted, big-haired pregnant girlfriend lucy. special agent dale cooper. how can you NOT get into this shit?? . .  i'm enthralled. and creeped out. and loving. every. second. of. it.

but now you're giving up the gun

totally underestimated and did not get nearly as excited as i should have for this. . .

but the new vampire weekend album is totally bangin. i mean, like, for realzies. kinda dancey, warm vibes (like, all i wanna do is eat some icecream bars, frolick in the park and roll around in some green grass in a summer dress and run through the hills and hold hands), and a bit less stiff in comparison to the whole "prep rock" vibes of their debut.

i'm digging. more and more with each listen. just like you all said i would, so umm, thanks. (although i was really looking forward to that new spoon record). erg.

ezra koenig makes me wish it was spring time and there was sunshine in my face. not this icestorm garbage. i just want a happy weekend where i can wear pigtails and a straw hat. laugh at lame jokes. read judy blume books on a blanket in the park, feeling the warmth of the sun as it darkens my freckly face and shoulders. gaze lovingly up into the blue sky congested with white, fluffy clouds. guess their shapes and wonder what it'd be like to sit on them like giant cotton balls. reminisce on first kisses. dance on beach docks. apply cherry lipgloss and sip on a fountain cherry cola.

that's what contra does to me. and this is what makes me happy.

sxsw v.10.0

so it's official. vacation time - approved. plane tix - charged on the mc. ghetto hotel room - reserved.

courtney and i will be making our annual trip down to texass this march, one day early as usual - 3/16 - 3/21. her 2nd year, my 4th, i'm looking forward to it - but for different reasons than usual. in the past i had greatly anticipated the priceless discoveries of newfound and up-and-coming musical talent - but after a lukewarm year this past 09, i'm more so looking forward to the basics.

sunshine. *80 degrees in march? yes please.
shiner bock.
old star.
(don't know if you can tell, but jodi luvs her sum texan brews).
bat caves!
gawdy (sp?) t-shirts.
souvenir crap.
"dalmations" - dude's slang for homeless creepers.
people (freak) watching at night.
being blasted by 2:00 pm on a daily basis.
walking my ass off.
grabbin' a slice (daily, sometimes up to 3 times per.)
margaritas.
shitty hotel rooms.
drinking at 8:00 am on airplanes (because we can).
not working for a week.
seeing friends, old and new alike.
writing incoherent scribblings in my various disney tween notebooks.
getting pushed aside in mob sidewalk/road areas.
texan accents.
girl time.

and yes, of course, i'd be lying if i said i wasn't expecting to catch SOME live music. i mean c'mon!

i can't forget my favorite items of sxsw:
day parties. (especially them with free beer)
fader fort! (cmj got skipped, last year didn't have sparks - but i did get kanye).

i will be one happy camper if i get me my fader fort, bats, sunshine and brews.

this year i did one thing different i know i won't regret: took a recovery day of work off. a vacation from my vacation, if you will.

2010 is gonna rock, dudes. it already has. . .

i wanted to title this blog post Where is my Mind b/c I can't think straight but then realized it would sound like a lame pixies reference. so instead, this one's called, Remember When Jodi Liked Ska?

i'm trying to stick to my main new year's resolution: to get ma' write on.

even if that means i'm just rambling hogwash like i've been doing the past couple o' daze.

for some strange reason, i'm in a somewhat incredible mood right now. no direct reason, really. work was. . . ________ . (you can fill in the blank, yer' smarttt). i'm lame and missed out on friend/free movie night at lincoln hall, but that's aight. i'm here in my bed, snuggling up to my comfy blankets - daydreaming to the lovely sounds of teen dream with a kitkit snuggled by my right foot.

i'm trying to retrace my memory and think back to where i was a year ago today. i'm pretty sure i was in my massive lily allen phase, listening to her sophomore album to death, frowning a lot, drinking whiskey in the dark and making courtney's life a living hell. weird, to think of how so much/little time can fly/drag by. contradictory, sure. but, i mean, it's been a year owed right?

(like i say above, my mind is not here. it's everywhere but in my head.)

i need to go to walgreen's. this girl needs to buy some jello for the jello shots on saturday. i keep thinking it's thursday and then realizing it's merely weds and i get kinda disappointed. i want it to be the weekend now! i guess there's only 2 more days of tha' grind and then i can do my thang, but shit. i need to go to some shows. i want me some live music. i want a purpose to write. i need an assignment. any givers? i can write sci-fi or vampire porn, i hear that shit's all the rage these days.

but when it's up to me. . . i just . . . ramble.

i hope i find a travel companion brave enough to do sxsw with me this year. it's not looking so good in my favor right now but hopefully that will soon change. . .i need sunshine and texas beer. that shit rules.

ok, for realzies. i have to get crackin on scarf numero two. apparently, my mad skillz are the rage in men's fashionwear for 2010.

haters, incorporated

or something like that.

people are so petty sometimes. like, really? it's gonna be like that?

okay. (jodi steps back, separating herself from the situation).

this week i'm going to write - just watch me. i'm sick of the tediousness (is that a word? post craft night/angel dranks, i'm not so sure even i know what i'm talking about anymore). i'm sick of trying extra hard. i'm sick of seeking approval, being that little puppy dog bitch or whatever.

2010 resolution:

i'ma just gonna be me. jodi robin root. born may 26, 1983 at the green county hospital in monroe, wisconsin. alumni of argyle high, circa 2001. university of wisconsin oshkosh, 2005. nerdy clutzy white girl who always had her head too disattached up in the clouds. danced and sang to the beat of her own melody. i'm that girl who talks out of turn, but will listen extra attentively if i need to. be that shoulder to cry on. be that reassurance. the caregiver. but at the same time, the attention seeker. the asshole who drank too much and puked in your cab. the girl who probably trusts (or at least listens to) her gut a bit too much. just doin it - you know, like nike. i'm a cat lady. i got freckles. i'm a split personality. i can be vindictive, yet passionate.

i don't give a fuck, but i guess i do. 2010 is going to be drama free. i'm going to live my life as i am, who i am, doing what i do because i want to. i'm not going to let any haters or bullshit drag me down. if obstacles try to cross my path, i'll pull a slowdi jodi, ala track/field 2000 and trip over them hurdles, skin my hands in front of the senior pecatonica boys and drag my scrawny ass. i may have left that gymnasium limping, but i wound up running farther away than any of the rest of em. i'ma be me. the best i can. no regrets. no double thoughts. no asinine bullshit.

for realzies.

it's time to quit fucking around. i'm a grown up now. if ya'll gots a problem, say it to my face.

or.

you can leave me the fuck alone.

regardless, 2010 is going to be gigantic. positivity. optimism. life changing. it's time to really start this noise, because really. . .

there is no more yesterday. just now. this moment. this minute. this hour. this day.

let's live it, bitches.

janticipation - here's to hoping the first month of 2010 rulez

lots o' things awaiting me this month. here's what i hope rules the mostest:

spoon - transference - 1/19/10
omg. one of my top 5 bands from foralways, this album is said to be the most spoon spoon can get, at least according to a blurb i read from an interview with brit daniels. i'm diggin the first single, writing to you in reverse, so here's to hoping sev more tracks are equally awesomadical. i am def a fan of good music, specially when dec bands consistently release music, it's been 3 years since ga ga ga ga, and i'm a ready for this joint big time.

vampire weekend - contra - 1/12/10
so i was talking to mike not too long ago, and i recall him giving me shit for being a sucker for the it band of the moment. yes yes, i'm guilty to jumping on the latest and greatest musical fad, listening to it to death and then quickly forgetting or divorcing. . . but when he referenced vampire weekend i got defensive and instantly attacked my love for these faux prep darlings. rambling and ranting, "but contra will be great, def a turn in a new musical direction, but from what i've heard these dudes are def not over yet. . . " here's to hoping he can't prove me wrong. dig "cousins" and the few tracks i skimmed streaming over on their myspace page, but i'ma hold out for the album to drop drop so i can buy it and let it grow on me. then i will call mr.haterade up and blare some tightass indie shit. yessssss.

beach house - teen dream - 1/26/10
ooooookay. this album leaked hella long ago, and i was streaming it back in november. so sue me. but i still intend on purchasing this album as soon as it's available for hard copy posession. with its opening track "zebra," how could i not? so mystical and enchanting. soft and melodic, layered and intricate. gorgeous vocal work. nice nice nice. this will undoubtably appear in jodi's top 10 of 2010 releases. listening to it now. . . makes a big old smile lazily appear on ma' face.

owen pallett - heartland - 1/12/10
and yes. this has also leaked, but i got love for mr. former final fantasy and im kinda sorta hella bummed it looks like i'll be missing his headlining set at schuba's in 2 fridays (unless mr. promoter dude saves the day, so fingers are still crossed but g'damn chicago hipsters beat me to the punch of buying tix, hopefully neon indian ain't sold out yet too. . . .) but mr. pallett is enchanting. he makes really cool sounds and makes my jaw dropppp. (he's awful pretty, too). heartland is a notable record, my fave ff release to date. "keep the dog quet" and "lewis takes off his shirt" are both incredibly catchy ditties and i think you all should listen to his music now. b/c there is a very high possibility he will one day be the mr. future jodi root (or not, but if you dig andrew bird chances are you'll seriously enjoy pallett's work too).

clipse - til the casket drops - (holy shit this has been out for a month already, woooooooops 12/8/09)
it's kinda like a big deal i just realized this has been out for a month just 15 seconds ago on amazon.com, but i'll git over it. i have most the singles from this crew's latest effort already, but i just like feeling hardcore gangsta listening to this duo make their hardass beats. for a band i never really heard of until 08, i got some decent memories and funny conversations dedicated to their work - even new years eve, g's. i'll never forget checking the duo live at sxsw 08 as my (then newfound) pal christian rapped nursery rhymes at my face. holllerrrrr.

so them items were all music items. there's other shit this month that'll be hott in addition, such as:

my party! or more importantly, courtney meeker's birthday. gots to get the pbr's a flowin, some snaxxx prepped and some pin the tail on the donkey noise up and at em. if you'll be in the chicago vicinity on saturday (1/9), pleeeeze stop by and join in on the fun. party's at my crib, argyle/oakley in lincoln square. fun times for all.

crafting! i got bit hard by the craft bug today as i broke a new record and started/completed a pretty swell scarf in 8 hours. i'm a gonna work hard to pump out as many of these bad boiz as i can this month, starting this tuesday for rescheduled craft night. it's a gonna rule. (want a scarf? holler at me and i can probz hook you up).

catching some live shows. it looks like owen pallet's sold out already, but i have hopes to catch neon indian/hood internet and some other acts around schuba's and empty bottle in the near future. need to see me some live beats, it's been a while. . . gots to get motivated to write and this always seems to be the easiest bait to get the words a flowin.

martin luther king (jr?) day. no work 1/18. that's pretty cool.

buying sxsw plane tix to austin. (cheap air fares > expensive air fares)

and last but not least, getting to know mr. charlie face. what can i say, i'm a sapass bitch.

aagh. so glad to get back to work tomorrow, only 12 more months to pump out and reevaluate how the year works out compared to 2009. i figure if i make these monthly goals/aspirations, i can't let myself down. here's to a good start. . .

Crafting > Writer's Block

When the werdz ain't a flowin' & the writing just ain't workin', I just pick up that ole crafty crochet hook and let the magic flow.

Merry Christmas, Angel - hope you likez yer present. (molly sure does).

xo

froggy