Hey Everyone!
Jusy a quick note of update today, but it's better than nothing, right?

I am still without internet at the house which sucks, but I usually try to hit the library once or twice a week, if possible. So I am still able to get email somewhat regularly.

As for other things, well, I am presently recovering from having my Gall Bladder removed.

I've spent the better part of March in crazy pain. Hit the ER THREE FRIGGIN' TIMES before they figured out what was wrong, and gave me anything for the pain. It wasn't pleasant let me assure you.

Last Thursday I finally had my Surgery, and it went off without a hitch. The surgeon told me afterward that my Gall Bladder was severely damaged, and that I had "a lot" of Gall Stones, and I've probably had them for years. LOVELY!! Well, they're gone now, so woo hoo! tee hee

Anyhoo, I am now on the mend, but just wanted to post a small update.

I hope everyone is doing well, and hope to see some of you very soon!

Hugs,
Anicee

My heart is heavy as I post this.
I was just informed that a dear friend from yester-year has passed away today.
He was very visible in the local music community through the late 80's/early 90's, so some of you will definitely be familiar with him.

His name was Traci Michaelz. He was a drummer. He was most notably in the local bands "Champaine" and "Wasted Angel." He eventually moved to Hollywood to continue playing the kind of music that he enjoyed. The musical landscape here had changed quite a bit (aka grunge, and somber tones moved in, and made a real impact on the glam/sleaze rock scene). In Hollywood he was involved in several notable projects including Heart Throb Mob, and most recently The Peppermint Creeps.

I didn't know much about his personal life over the past while, but one thing that I always said in regard to Traci is that he was always true to himself. He didn't follow the trends that a lot of other musicians did back in the day, and that never changed. He didn't compromise what he was trying to convey from my perspective. There may have been some growth, and change, but he stayed true to what he was trying to do the entire way.

Whether I talked with him recently or not he definitely had an impact on my life. There are memories a small group of friends (Traci having been one of them), and I share alone, and I hope that some of those memories can extend a hand of comfort to everyone.

One of Traci's nearest, and dearest was my good friend Ray (who is probably pissed at me for not being in touch). Ray & Traci were like siamese twins back in the day.

I hope you don't mind, but I have to share a memory that always makes me smile, and it's still a story I tell (in more detail than I'll convey here) in present day.

Back when we were all in our late teens/early twenties our little pack of friends went to see Wayne's World together at the movie theater. We were the annoying group in the theater because we were louder than we should have been, and Ray & Traci were causing all kinds of distractions from their seats in front of us girls.

Anyway, through a series of shooshes from other attendees, and laughter from all of us (we were little shits) the crowd was getting more and more peeved by us being there. We probably ruined the movie for many of them.

And then the funniest thing happened (ok, you may not laugh, but it still causes me to crack a smile because it was so loud, and antagonistic). During the car scene where Wayne and his cohorts are listening to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, Traci & Ray decided to rewrite the lyrics. Instead of "Mama Mia, Mama Mia, Mama Mia Figaro" the two of them shout out "Gotta Pee-a, Gotta Pee-a, Gotta Pee-a, Let Me Go." So stupidly funny that we all just started cracking up.

I believe, if memory serves correctly, that some jock guys turned around, and tried to get threatening at that point, but didn't get very far.

Anyway, a lot of my favorite memories from back then include those two, and I'll always cherish them. No matter what kind of a person I am today. No matter what happens in the future, or whether I keep in touch the way I should (and mean to) or not, I will always treasure those times.

I haven't been here in a while, but I really felt the need to post a message about a friend from yester-year.

I found out today that an old, old friend, Shawn Oliveira passed away last week.
I haven't been close with him since I was a teenager (not incredibly close then to be honest). However, my buddy Lisa (who lives in Cali) met him through me back in the day. They became incredibly close, and stayed close over the years.

When I knew him Shawn was in his late teens singing for the band Steel Blue. They played with Cryin' Shame, and a couple of other bands once at the Rockwood Grange (I'd estimate the year was...88-89-ish), and that's where we met. He was the typical musician guy back then (but then again, who wasn't).

Over the years since he's served time in the Air Force, found a deep rooted love for religion, and had become married with children.

Lisa informed me several years ago that Shawn had been diagnosed with cancer. It was a rough road for him, but he pulled through, and beat it away.

Not too long ago She informed me that the cancer had returned, and spread. The prognosis wasn't good, but of course everyone hopes.

I have been sick with a nasty cold the past few days, and had been avoiding my phone all day (in and out of a nyquil coma) when I finally got up to find out who was calling. It was Lisa. She just returned from a three week vacation with her husband to see his family in England on Sunday. She's been down with a bad sinus infection, so she hadn't been checking her email. She did this morning, and was informed of the memorial services plans then. She'd been trying to call me all day, and I feel awful.

We talked until her phone battery was dying, but I don't know if I helped at all. Actually a lot of the things that I said in an attempt to be comforting sounded like something you'd probably hear on really bad tv. Way on the hammy side. I did try though. And even though I sounded like a dufus I was sincere.

Anyway, though some of you were around, and doing the music scene thing back then I don't know if anyone would remember him. Just in case though, I felt I should share.

Shawn was survived by his wife of approximately 13 years, 3 sons, and a daughter. He was 37.

Thankfully he isn't suffering anymore.

Here's the obituary I found if anyone is curious to know more about him.
http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080528/OBITS/281755475/1036

Take good care everyone,
Anicee

Well tonight was interesting.
I REALLY, REALLY wanted to go see the one-off Gunshy reunion, and the Coldrush show, but I had commited to Marie to help her vend her Gothic Beagle at a Tori Amos RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) benefit all the way back in September. It sucked that I couldn't be at Tim's show, but I had made other commitments (Tim, if you're reading this, email is on the way as soon as I'm finished).

The show was ok. The people were REALLY nice. I ended up working the door for most of the night because some of the volunteers were no-shows, but can't say I've never done that before. tee hee

Saw an old friend (Brandon Carmody), and that was nice. I got to spend some quality time with Marie which was nice because we really haven't spent much time together since I quit the job at her place of employment. No reason in particular. Mostly Holidays, and whatnot.

Anyhoo...
It was a nice change of pace, and hopefully a turning point in my so-far dismal holiday season. I had a good time. I REALLY wish I could have been two places at once because I REALLY, REALLY wanted to be at the Roseland, but tonights experience was one I wouldn't have given up. It was great to be a part of a benefit for such a WONDERFUL organization. I had offered to volunteer for RAINN before, but the timing never seemed to work out.  So it did my heart good to be able to assist in such a worthy event. I will, however, be constatntly wondering what I missed at the other show. Come to think of it...there were like 3 other shows going on tonight that I would have liked to have been at. Too bad cloning isn't a realistic element in today's society! tee hee

Overall this time with Marie got me thinking of how selfish I have been.
I have great friends. I should be sharing my time with them as much as possible, but more often than not I tend to internalize, and that just sucks!

Marie & I spoke about it a bit tonight, and we're both going to put our best foot (ok, since there are two of us I guess it would be feet) forward, and rectify the situation.

After the holidays we're going to make a concerted effort to reconnect a bit more. It's too easy to let time slip by without acknowledging the people who mean something to you. So hopefully I'll be able to reconnect with some of you on a more permanent basis. I know I'm a lousy friend to most of you. I suck. I'm sorry, but here's hoping that the new year brings far more interaction on my part.

Ok, well I need to run. I had a couple of drinks, and I need to sleep. But I hope everyone who reads this (who is someone I consider a friend...you should know who you are) understands that I REALLY am going to try, and be a better person. A better friend. A better everything in the new year.

Hugs,
Anicee

Bandmom: Honey, I know that's how you'd like it to be, but that's not how it is.

Me: Excuse me?

Bandmom: That's just not how it works.

(again mind you I haven't actually seen the contract, so maybe someone was sly enough to put a clause in there stating that the time was suggestive. It's hard to say...but I digress)

Me: If there's a contract it is.

Bandmom: Listen, this is my show, and I brought these guys here to play for my Birthday. I've been in this business for 20 years, and I can tell you that's just not how it works.

Me: This is your show? I was under the impression this was [insert promoter name here]'s show.

Bandmom: No this is my show. [insert promoter name here] helped me to set it up for my birthday, but this is my show!

Me: Was there a contract signed?

Bandmom: Yes.

Me: Ok, who's name is on the contract?

Bandmom: [insert promoter name here].

Me: That's all I wanted to know.

(at this point I was pissed for a myriad of reasons. And I was starting to really lose my composure. This person was obviously drunk, but you should never assume that the person you just met knows nothing about what it is you're talking about. In addition you should NEVER, and I mean NEVER talk down to someone. It's just fuckin' rude. I guess you could say I'm a grudge holder, but this chick made me wanna revisit my teen years, and shove my fist down her throat...but again...I digress...)

Bandmom: I used to own the Arnada Cafe, and [insert band member & wife here] used to work for me. I......

(At this point I stop hearing her.)

 

I realize that she's friends with the band, and am kicking myself for getting so involved. Again, a lesson in never assuming about people you don't know. So I decide it's time for me to shut up. I don't want to cause trouble for them, and I don't want to embarrass them. So I stand there and grit my teeth while I manage a smile as she continues to talk at me as though I am a 1st grader in the corner for trying to be the teacher. The whole time I'm on the verge of going postal on the whole situation, but I maintained the best I could. After she felt better about herself we shook hands (she held out her hand at the end of her lengthy diatribe, and all I wanted was her to finish so I could go punch something). As soon as she was exhausted with her bragging about how knowledgable she was I made a b-line for my friends, and was out the door. I'm a smoker, and a cigarette was needed!

 

Since then I have received a few reinforcing comments from people related to the situation that made me feel better about what I'd said (letting me know that I didn't cause trouble for anyone), but that situation...whether I was right, wrong, or otherwise was a great reminder for me.

Who really wants to deal with shit like that? Not me, that's for damn sure!

When I left the magazine/music business in 2000 (though I dabbled a bit here and there beyond that, nothing serious until roughly '02) it was for this very reason I vowed never to get involved again. I had forgotten the negative side recently, and this was an excellent reminder of why I won't be politicking with promoters, labels, journalists, bands, booking agents, or whomever else, again. I am done! That kind of aggrivation is something that should come with an attached check for a million dollars that reads, "For all your pain and suffering."

I'm going to shows again for one reason. FUN! Fuck all the bullshit.
If someone were to ask my opinion or advice I can't say I wouldn't offer it (depending on the person/situation), but ultimately my time behind the scenes has come and gone.

The funny thing is that until that night Marie & I had been discussing giving it another run. After that we agreed that we're not. Who needs the drama? I'd like to thank Pete who suggested that instead we create a blog, and post reviews/opinions, and photos of our local band experiences on it. That way we can partake in the aspects of it that we miss, but without all the crap/stress that goes along with it. No ad sales, no politics, nothing. Just fun recaps of our times out. That's it. That's all.
I'm outta here! ha ha ha ha

If ya made it to the end then you must have a lot of time on your hands because what I had intended as a small post with links to pictures has turned into a small novel (as is typical with me...waaay too good with the psycho-babble)

Anyhoo, that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!
Ciao 4 now...

Hey all...
Just a quickie note to let ya know what's up.

I'm in the process of packing/cleaning my house because I'm moving this Saturday. Woo Hoo!
Out of one shit-hole and into another (at least the new one's cheaper! tee hee).

Anyhoo...
We haven't set up the phone at the new place yet. Just haven't had to time to sit down with the bill transfering, and all that fun (yuck) stuff. So for the next little while I am gonna be offline. I won't be able to check email or anything. I just thought you'd like the heads up.

You can still feel free to drop me a note whenever. I just don't make any promises as to when I'll be able to receive it.

Ok, that's all...
I hope you're all doing well. :)
Hugs,
Anicee

So the past month or more has been pretty fun/crazy/tiring. :)

I don't really know where to start, so I'll start at the Information Society show on July 29th.

As I mentioned before, Marie got tickets, and took me as an early birthday present. It was AWESOME! I wasn't big on the opening acts, but that didn't matter because Information Society was sweet. I'm really glad we went.

Throughout the Summer I've been taking my little sister, and her friend Ashley to Free Geek. We've all completed our 24 hours, and as of Thursday after we take our advanced Linux class we'll have our new computers (well, refurbished, but new to us, and better than anything any of us have at this point). I really like Free Geek, and plan to continue volunteering there, but things are really hectic around here right now, so it's gonna have to wait until sometime after the 16th of September. If ya don't know about Free Geek you should check it out at FreeGeek.org.

Earlier this month we found out that our landlord is considering putting our house up for sale. It's not set in stone, but we've been wanting to move for a while now, so it sort of lit the fire for us to do so. There are still details to work out, but if all goes well (knock on wood) then we'll be moving into our new apartment on the 16th. It's not an upgrade of any kind (just a different kind of shit than where we're at now), but it's less expensive. There are also several things that we've been without in this house that we'll have there (like a friggin' dish washer, and more than ONE outlet in the kitchen...FINALLY!!!), so that's a plus. It's kind of a fast move for us, so I've been really stressed over budgeting, and making preparations, etc. If it all works out, and actually happens (I'm planning for it, but Murphy's Law seems to like me a bit too much sometimes) then we'll be living about 15 minutes walk from my Grandma's house. That's a huge bonus because I go visit her and my uncle every week. There will be plenty of adjustments to make, but ultimately it'll allow for more financial flexibility, and a lot less stress in that regard.

Aside from that I just celebrated my birthday this past Friday. It was sooooo awesome!!! I can't even tell you how much I truly enjoyed myself. I celebrated at the Kandles At Nine show at RnR Pizza. It was also NME's last show. That's sad from an audience/fan perspective, but he's trying to recouperate from neck surgery, and it really does make sense that he take some time to heal. So needless to say, I wasn't missing his last night for the world. I have to wonder if any of them could see by the end of their set though. Marie, Elyse, and I were snapping pictures left & right. In addition there were several others as well. I think if I had been on stage I would have been suffering from retina burns. It was terrible. If I wasn't so selfish I would have stopped, but I am, so there! ha ha ha

Anyhoo...
If you'd like to see the photos here are the links:
My Kandles At Nine Photos @ My Gallery Site
Marie's Photos @ Flickr.com
Elyse's Photos @ Photobucket.com

It was sweet because they wished me happy birthday on stage (even though "Phoenix" got me confused with a mutual friend, and called me Marabeth, the sentiment was still the same, and very much appreciated - it made for some teasing later on tee hee).

I spent the next day at Oaks Park with my family. My uncle, Mikie, is mentally handicapped, has Spinabifida, and is paraplegic. One of his favorite things is riding the train at Oaks Park. So we spent the day playing games to win him tickets for prizes, riding the train, and so on.

Elyse, Chelsea, and I actually went Roller Skating while we were there. Ugh! It was a lot easier when I didn't have so much weight to shift around. Bwah ha ha ha!!! Mikie really enjoyed watching us. I thought for sure I was gonna bite it a few times, but fortunately I escaped with nothing more than a skinned knee from slamming into the side wall when Chelsea fell. Good times...good times! ha ha ha

So now we're back to focusing on moving prep, and so on. I'm taking that Linux class with the girls on Thursday night, and then off to Lake Merwin for Labor Day weekend. I'm so looking forward to that. It's so beautiful up there. It'll be Dad, Karen, Elyse (and possibly Chelsea & Ashley), and I for the whole weekend. I'm not much of an outdoors kinda girl, but I LOVE it up there. I'll probably have a million pictures to post once I get back. In fairness I should preface that's it's not a roughin' it situation. There's a bathroom up the road with flushing toilets, a shower, and electricity, and we stay in a trailor. But we spend most of our time outside...cooking included.  We venture down to the lake, and Dad & Karen do some fishing. The girls and I typically go exploring, and just screw around, but it's INCREDIBLY relaxing, and fun. We usually get the opportunity to feed the deer up there, and that's always fun. And who can forget s'mores? Oh My God, sooooo good! tee hee

Ok, ok, I'm so totally rambling right now. I need to close, but just wanted to give an update. :)

I hope everyone is doing well.

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes.
Hugs,
Anicee