give her a studio!

What I said to myself this morning: "Holy shit!...he's hot!"
My landlord is sexy. This was the first time I've ever met him in the past year. And you know, I always called him a dick because he never answered his phone and because he always took forever to return my calls...but wow, he was an extremely nice guy. Had I known he was sexy, I would've renewed my lease. Just kidding.

And you know what...I really should be getting paid as a designer, or at least have my own studio. From 8am to 2pm today, I designed an invite for Katherine's wedding. And I love it...that's what my wedding invite should look like. But I'm not getting married, so oh well. I'm so good it fucking hurts! Ha.

Sigh. I'm beat. But at the same time, I'm really not. I think I'm just bored. I wanna go out and see a movie, but no one will come along with me. Lame.

What?!...Roxanne's moving back to Virginia?! At the end of this week?! Hooray! I miss me some Roxanne.

stiff as a bored.

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:	Leslie Graham.
Birthday:	June the eleventh...'eighty-two.
Birthplace:	Warner Robbins, Georgia.
Current Location:	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Eye Color:	Brown.
Hair Color:	Three shades of brown.
Height:	Five foot, eight.
Right Handed or Left Handed:	The right way.
Your Heritage:	CaucAsian. Texas and Thailand.
The Shoes You Wore Today:	Green, orange and white 1984 Converse Re-Issues.
Your Weakness:	Being too nice for my own good.
Your Fears:	Being a failure.
Your Perfect Pizza:	White pepperoni pizza...and don't forget the fucking ricotta.
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Put my college degree to use.
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	"...indeed."
Thoughts First Waking Up:	Whatever story is being covered on WHYY Radio, since my alarm is set to that station.
Your Best Physical Feature:	I'm going to have to go with my smile.
Your Bedtime:	Varies. It all depends on how tired I am. But usually it's lights out somewhere in between 8pm and 2am.
Your Most Missed Memory:	Driving and riding around with the gang.
Pepsi or Coke:	Dr. Pepper.
MacDonalds or Burger King:	Wendy's.
Single or Group Dates:	Group date?...I don't think I've done that. Obviously single...because if I'm interested, I'd take my date back to my place, duh.
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	I brew my own tea. Bottled tea is too grossly sweet. I'm deliciously bitter.
Chocolate or Vanilla:	How about a little bit of both.
Cappuccino or Coffee:	Coffee, with sugar and cream.
Do you Smoke:	Sort of. Kind of. Used to?
Do you Swear:	When necessary.
Do you Sing:	In my car...when I'm "swinging my heavy metal hair, woo woo woo."
Do you Shower Daily:	I try to. And if not, then certainly every other day.
Have you Been in Love:	I think so. Of course with someone who didn't want a relationship...go figure.
Do you want to go to College:	Already drove that road. Next.
Do you want to get Married:	It's a nice idea.
Do you belive in yourself:	You spell that: b-e-l-i-e-v-e...believe. And yeah, I do, but sometimes not enough.
Do you get Motion Sickness:	Most definitely on rollercoasters. Dramamine is my friend for trips to amusement parks.
Do you think you are Attractive:	I'd do me.
Are you a Health Freak:	Not really.
Do you get along with your Parents:	Yes, as a matter of fact I do. And I'm thankful for that.
Do you like Thunderstorms:	I do. I like to pretend the gods are getting their anger out, because afterwards, it's always nice and calm.
Do you play an Instrument:	No, but I own a couple.
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	Surprisingly, I only had a few drinks this past month. It was only beers, so that doesn't really count.
In the past month have you Smoked:	I think my last cigarette was three weeks ago.
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	Nah, it's been over a month since I've last done anything illegal.
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	Sort of.
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	Bitch, I work in a mall...get the fuck outta here.
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	That's unheard of. I had an Oreo Blizzard from the DQ on Friday.
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	Mmm, yeah, a couple of weeks ago I had it three days in a row for lunch.
In the past month have you been on Stage:	Dumb question. Next.
In the past month have you been Dumped:	I take dumps.
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	No, but I'd like to.
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	Ummm...I don't think so.
Ever been Drunk:	Ha. No comment.
Ever been called a Tease:	Ummm...yeah, actually I have.
Ever been Beaten up:	I'm too tough for that.
Ever Shoplifted:	Bunches.
How do you want to Die:	Nobly.
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	I want to be everything.
What country would you most like to Visit:	I hear Italy is nice.
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color:	Blue and green.
Favourite Hair Color:	Browns and Sexy Matt's dirty blonde color.
Short or Long Hair:	Short and medium are always nice to run your fingers thru.
Height:	Taller than me.
Weight:	Strong enough to manhandle me.
Best Clothing Style:	Themselves.
Number of Drugs I have taken:	No comment. Next.
Number of CDs I own:	Bunches. But I don't listen to them anymore. I'm totally digital.
Number of Piercings:	Two sets of two.
Number of Tattoos:	None.
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	"I do not regret the things that I've done, but those that I did not do."
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

the days get shorter.

Meh. I need to do this freelance work that I promised I'd do. Pro-bono. I need the portfolio piece. According to my deadline, I only have three more days but seeing as how my client is my best friend, I'm sure she'd understand.

I'm so preoccupied with moving next month. Last night I packed away most of my clothes that I don't wear regularly. Yeah, I have a shit load of clothes, most of it being really, really nice. What sucks is that I never wear them anymore because my weight fluctuates. I can wear one outfit once, and then maybe never wear again until months later...if at all. All that's left in my closet is a bunch of jeans, the shirts I wear for work and the few shirts I wear when I'm not at work.

I just want to burn everything that I own! I hate looking at the shit that I've acquired.

The Trinity needs to be cleaned so my landlord's realtor can show my apartment to prospective tenants. Meanwhile, I have milk crates full of books in my living room and boxes of clothes in my bedroom. Ugh. It's raining, and I sure as hell am not putting anything down in the basement. They're just going to have to deal with the boxes and shit.

On Friday I went to dinner with Felicia, Katherine and Allen for mine and Katherine's joint birthday dinner. Felicia bought us flowers. We both got a bouquet of colors that fit our personalities. This was actually the first time I've ever received flowers. I must say that getting flowers really does make you smile and feel nice inside. It's a good feeling.

lovely
Originally uploaded by cheersfortrout.

tangent go offs.

I lost one of my ear plugs to my shower drain, so for a while there, I was walking around with empty holes in my lobes. I didn't feel like grossing people out any more than I already had (even though I myself did/do not find my earring-less lobes offensive in any way because the holes are small...like the size of a round Bic ball point pen) so I put in a pair of older, and smaller gauge jewelry. So now, since they're not a nice tight fit against my skin, my right ear is in a perpetual state of crustiness because the earring just moves around a lot, somehow causing irritation. It's annoying.

My new lease was signed this afternoon. Yip yip! I also called my current landlord, and informed his voicemail of my situation. He left a message on mine, which was two minutes and thirteen seconds long, saying that the rent was going to be hiked up and something about the gas...blah, blah, blah...it was a painfully long, monotonous message. I sure am glad I was taking a nap when he called because it would've been worse having to actually converse with him. Nice guy, though.

Smith & Hawken writes off a shit load of products. Yesterday I took home a trash bag full of perfectly fine plants. Okay, they were a little busted. I repotted them all and hopefully they'll recover from the horror of living in a retail environment. I'm sure they will.
It was brought to my attention that I should start a small gardening company, the premise being I help rich people take care of their plants and use my design skills for small, city indoor/outdoor gardens. I don't really think that'd fly, because it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to take care of a plant, and they have landscaping designers to do design work. I do have the ability to bring a nearly dead plant back to healthy living...that's cause I'm good like that. It was a cute idea.

I feel a bit like a sell-out. What the fuck happened to graphic design? I still love creating graphic art, but I have no desire to work in a commodity driven studio. I hate marketing and advertising, too. I don't know what to do. It's not like I can just open up a studio of my own. I mean...I could, but I'd need clients that inspire me. Fuck it. I'll get back on that career path eventually.

My mom just tells me to do whatever makes me happy. I'm trying.

better when she wakes.

When I have an eight hour shift, I'm a bit cranky when I finally get home. I apologize to those who get caught in the crossfire.

I got that apartment on Wallace St! My realtors said that the other guy called shortly after I did. Nice...I totally snagged it out from under him. So, I'm moving during the last week of July. Too fucking rad. You have no idea how excited I am about that patio. I'll have a place for all of my plants. I'll have a place to grow more plants. I'll be able to bbq. O, the possibilities!

The only bad part is trying to move out of the Trinity. It'll be nice and sweaty. So not looking forward to trying to get my bed off the third floor.

I wish to be in Santa Barbara. Lucky.

Some people make me miss them badly. And I do. Tough guys, mean girls, queer boys...they know who they are.

The congregation at the Mother Bethel Church is on fire this morning. I can hear them through my window; clapping, stomping and shouting for the Lord.

busted up.

busted
Originally uploaded by cheersfortrout.

Mmmm...it looks delicious. And it's worse in natural lighting.
That toilet bowl plunger's saucer is so aristocratically bourgeois.


Oh, I want that apartment on Wallace St. It totally has a private patio. I'm going to the bank when they open, and calling the realtor asap because two other people viewed it with me, and one of the guys was really eager about it. No one deserves that patio more than me, because I'll turn it into a beautiful garden area. The heat is on!

be what may.

I've decided, once again, that I shall move out of the Trinity. It's a little saddening, but a year of vertical living is plenty. I'm going back to flats. This is what I'll miss: my own front door, the personal washer/dryer, rooftop affairs and last but not least, my neighborhood.

Because the Trinity is having plumbing problems, my basement is damp as hell and I've been trying to save some documents I had stored down there from getting gross and mildewy. I found this written in one of my legal pads from college:

"Cause we're never going to understand her. And that's going to piss off a lot of people. Especially me. And I am her."

I'm viewing an apartment in the Art Museum area today. I don't know how I feel about that area. It's too distant. I like how I'm able to step out of my apartment, pick any direction and have so many store and restaurant options to choose from. Who knows, maybe it's not so terribly bad over there. I mean, Felicia lives there.

Yesterday in the early evening, I fell off my bicycle on a busy street. A taxi cab nearly sideswiped me and I crash landed on the sidewalk. My left knee is all bruised up. At least I didn't fall under the wheels of a car...cause it's not like I have health insurance.

Where the hell is Alison? Alison, what the hell?! I tried calling you on Monday. Is everything okay?

two...three...put it together now.

It's my birthday today. I'm twenty-three now. When I looked in the mirror last night, it's crazy to think that over the course of a year, I actually look older. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. I think I just look tired.
Twenty-two wasn't a bad year. It was overwhelming, if anything. God. It started with meeting an awesome person. And it ended with me working in retail. In between then and now, I went on a few benders, tried a couple different diets, decided that bike riding is my exercise of choice, went on a few awful dates, and became a cat lady.
The best thing that happened to me today was getting off work early, and the manager on duty giving me a mini-rose bush. It made me smile. I spent the rest of the day trying to buy a nice pair of shorts to no avail, and biking around town getting gross and sweaty. Now I'm here. Shit. I know I don't like making big deals about my birthdays...but this year for some reason, I feel like the loneliest girl in the world. Maybe it's because I don't have anyone to take me out for a Tequila Sunrise and shitloads of Coronas to follow. So it goes.

scratch my parts.

A couple of guys from the realty group that leases out my apartment came over today to inspect the property at the owner's request. The owner was also supposed to call me. He never did...granted it's only like 4:44pm, still I think it's rude to call people about business after work hours. Not that I worked today, but that's beside my point.

So, it's been hot as balls this past week and a half. And when it gets hot as balls like this, the Trinity is like a sweat-box. Today, I sat down on my couch with intentions to get further along with Ayn Rand, and I just passed out. I was having these delirious states of semiconsciousness where I would open my eyes, but I couldn't move and then I'd continue with the crazy dream I was having about riding bicycles and getting lost in Philadelphia.

It's hot and I'm gross and I'm itchy.

I think I have poison ivy. I did cut back the poison ivy at Katherine's house, but I washed my hands directly after and I cleaned my Felco's, and that was like a week ago. I don't know. It looks exactly like when I had it a few year ago on my hands...and even then, I didn't touch the ivy. I think it's from my shoes. My second theory is that it's heat rash. But yeah, it's poison ivy, who am I kidding.

estately affairs.

My neighbor still makes me uncomfortable. I still need blinds.

I might have to move...I'm not sure yet. I received an email from my landlord yesterday. He stated that we need to discuss some matters. If I can stay, great. If I have to leave, whatever. Hopefully, it's nothing terrible. We shall see.

So, I was dead set on going to see Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks perform tomorrow night at the TLA, but I was informed early this afternoon that the show was sold out. Talk about lame ass. I'm a bit salty about the fact that it sold out. Maybe next time he rolls around town I'll make it.

What else? Katherine and Allen are getting a puppy on Thursday. It'll be good for them. Raising a dog together will prep them for if/when they decide to have babies.

I left work two hours early, but I was stuck in traffic for over an hour. Traffic jams usually consist of me rocking out to something thrashy and chain smoking. Today, I didn't have any cigarettes. I just thrashed out and gave the finger or laid down my horn to whomever cut me off.

Yeah. Nothing much going on. No one is in the city this weekend, so it's another lame weekend with Ayn Rand. I hope there's more sex scenes in the book...apparently, Dagny Taggart likes filthy animal sex. That's never explicitly revealed, but there is that underlying tone. Loves it.

at the drive in.

The bbq at Sheila's was nice. She lives way out in the county. Small town living at its best. It was fun. We played croquet and badminton, and I ate way too much food...but it was all delicious.
When we left at around 5pm, Felicia had to pee really bad and Allen was tired, but Katherine followed my suggestion of, "Dude, let's check it out!"
It was awesome. We wanted to buy the property to fix it up. But later in the evening after researching, we found out that two guys wanted to save the drive-in back in 2002, but apparently there is a church and a beverage center on either side of the property, and they complained to the council that it would be disruptive to god and for the people trying to turn in to buy beer. The business guys couldn't get around the zoning laws, so the project was defeated. Now, as of 2005, the drive-in is subject to become a housing development.
You know, it makes me angry when developers destroy history. Why can't people just buy an old house and fix it up? Is it totally necessary to build a shitty McMansion?
I am reminded of the documentary series narrated by Ed Norton, Strange Days on Planet Earth. I think that the series should be mandatorily worked into school curricula.

(sigh.) It really does make me upset. Look at that solid structure. Look at what we're losing.

at the drive in
Originally uploaded by cheersfortrout.

There are a few more photos of the drive-in on flickr.