You may think...

Cage the Elephant, originally uploaded by nicolemonet2002.

"You may think you offered gifts to the trea-
sure tower... but that is not so. You
offered them to yourself."
--The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - Page 299

So... the picture above is quite possibly one of my all time favorite concert photos period. Which is cool, because Cage the Elephant was one of the best shows of the weekend... In my humble and very simple opinion that is.

However, Coachella was week ago. Present day sees me inhabiting a mixed bag of emotions. Chief among them being, exhaustion. On one hand, [as is generally the case] I've just realized what is most likely a reason... Lack of iron. On another... Allergies. Yet another gift from Sacramento.

Another major emotion dominating space in the bag is a mild case of dysphoria. The Spring semester is almost over and I need to find a job as well as a cheaper place to stay. To make things a tad more pressing I need to find an alternative place to stay by the end of July. Both tasks are proving to be quite difficult.

Lastly, well actually no. I think everything else just kind of falls into sub-categories of my dysphoria. That's not to say, I'm feeling particularly 'woe'-filled... Just... slightly anxious.

Blame it on the alc.. Just kidding.

Blame it on the exhaustion

Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer, originally uploaded by nicolemonet2002.

Be gone, evil migraine! I smite thee with my hot cup of coffee and motrin!

Now that I've gotten that out of the way... I can tell you the awesomeness that just happened! And what is that? You ask?

A couple hours ago I submitted 3 of my Coachella photo's to the official website to be hosted in their 2009 gallery. Then, realizing I was out of soy milk and wanted some for my coffee... I hopped on the bike and went to buy some.

On my return, I decide to browse the gallery to see what pictures had already been accepted and what do I see? Why, all 3 of my pictures! Which is made doubly awesome, because the last time I submitted pictures [in 2007] all 3 of those were accepted as well.

Now for those of you, who are more inclined to call shenaningans then to believe me... I present you with THIS! A link to the page with the first two pictures.

-The 1st is the 3rd picture on the top left side.
-The 2nd is the 2nd picture [which is the same as the one posted here] on the second row.
-For the 3rd, you have to press the back button. Once you do, my picture is the last one on the last row.

ps: The pictures say posted by prettyragdoll. That's just my name on the Coachella message board

The Do Lab

The Do Lab, originally uploaded by nicolemonet2002.

Once again Coachella has come and gone; only this time around I'm a bit numb in my post-chella depression.

And to be clear, my numbness has no bearing on the festival itself. Because, Coachella was with out a doubt still amazing -- I just feel like the days flew by. And i dont mean that in an entirely good way. In part, I'm blaming this on the set times.

Out of all the bands I wanted to see, 90% of them were playing at the same time. And not just a mash up of, one band vs another. But more like... Main Stage vs Gobi vs Sahara. Or Main Stage vs Outdoor vs Mojave. [For those not up on their Coachella lingo: Outdoor, Gobi, Mojave & Sahara are the four other stages] And it sucked.

Beyond just having to pick one band to see and thereby missing at least two others... The fact that everyone I dearly wanted to see came on at roughly the same time meant that the rest of the time there would be no one I was overly excited to see.

So... That was a bit.... blah.

But the bands I did see were amazing! And of the bands I saw, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs thoroughly surprised me. I went to their set prepared to be underwhelmed, only to leave their set later then intended because of how good they were.

X was amazing. Which was awesome if you consider they're one of the original DIY Punk bands; while also being one of the only punk bands to never sell out. On top of that, every single member of the band was moving/dancing/jumping as if they were still the same age they were when they first started. And that is cool.

Other then all of the bands, the Art at Coachella this year was definitely top notch this year. From the Do Lab & the Bambo Piece, to the Hand of God and the flaming dragon... It was brilliant.

Coffee, Communications and Bike Trails

c'est un velo, originally uploaded by nicolemonet2002.

That is what my day has consisted of. Well, in an overly simplified 5 word kind of way...

To begin with I guess it should be said that Coachella is this weekend. My 3rd Coms midterm is the following Monday morning. I'm not even leaving Indio until around the time I would need to be in sitting down for the test.

What does that mean for me?

It means, I get to take the 75 multiple choice + 2 essay question test 6 days before everyone else of course!

Fun -- You know, in the kind of way that isn't. But Coachella is with out a doubt worth it. So this morning was spent reading chapters and taking notes.

Otherwise none as Brain Boot Camp... Or if you want to sugarcoat it, studying.

However, after about 3 hours of that my brain sent up the white flag. And let me know in no uncertain terms... It needed a break. More then a break... It needed to be completely distracted and overwhelmed by something else.

But what? Why... The American River Bike Trail!

Which is, with out a doubt a gorgeous one. And apparently, I wasn't the only one that gave in to the call of the trail today, because it was over-run with joggers, walkers and other people on bikes.

It was nice though. There's nothing like a long bike ride to relax your brain.

The Greatest Adventure...

...Is the one you write yourself. Or quite possibly the one you find yourself in unintentionally. And by great... I mean... Well, the most unbelievable.

Enough rambling? Well... I've spent the past three weeks fighting illness and stubbornly refusing to go the doctors. For multiple reasons that matter not. However, never underestimate the power of grandmothers. When they want you to do something, you do it. So I want to the doctors. Prognosis?

Insanely bad sinus infection coupled with daily asthma attacks.

Really it was great fun.

After I finally got that taken care of, I found myself on the train back to Sacramento, drinking Starbucks instant coffee and surprised by how good it was when I realized something Major.

I'm halfway to Sacramento. But my wallet is still in LA.

Shit.

The train pulls into Sacramento around 11:33 pm. The last local train stopped running... Only god knows when, but it's not running now. The taxi drivers have to stop themselves from sneering in disgust when I ask if they take checks. And none of my 'friends' can bring themselves to answer the phone.

And ok, sure.. It's practically midnight, but still.... *sigh*

So I'm thinking, all isn't lost. I'll just sleep inside the Amtrak station for a few hours then take the first local train out. Sounds like a plan right? Wrong. Try, the station closed 20 minutes later and I got kicked out. Time for plan B. What's plan B? - You ask. Stay up all night sitting outside. Where it's freezing. Windy. And threatening to rain.

Oh, and where the Amtrak Security Guard keeps talking to you like you're some kind of hopeless bum lurking around waiting to cause trouble.

By the time the train came at around 3:50, I had on a pair of skinny jeans with a pair of regular jeans on top of them. I had on a wife beater, two t-shirts and a hoodie. Yet I was STILL freezing AND extremely tired seeing as I taken medicine with a "Warning may cause drowsiness" label on it, while still on the train..

By time I got home, it was 4:30 something. I took some cold medicine. Prayed I didn't get relapse into a cold from spending the night outside. Heard the sudden pouring rain and was thankful I made it home in time. Then collapsed in my bed and fell asleep.

The moral of the story? Always keep at least $30 on your person. That way you can at least catch a cab home.

Bucks Coffee?

Bucks Coffee?, originally uploaded by nicolemonet2002.

So, everyone's heard the whispers about Starbucks' instant and dollar coffee. And I'm sure.... Everyone has also thought, "Great, there goes the quality." Or at the very least, I know I did. As a former barista and life long coffee drinker the very idea of instant coffee is a bit offensive.

Well while I was in LA for Spring Break I ran into a a few old friends [read baristas] and got my hands on a packet of instant Starbucks coffee; as well as a couple pounds of beans. Naturally, that packet of instant coffee was thrown to the bottom of my bag while I fantasized about: getting home, grinding the coffee beans, and then making the perfect cup of coffee.

So I know what you're thinking, "Well where does the instant coffee come in?"

Let me ask you, have you ever taken an Amtrak train and wanted coffee? If you have, you know that what masquerade's as coffee is nothing more then brown colored water. And it just so happened that on my ride back to Sacramento I had an insanely strong urge for a good cup of coffee.

So what did I do?

I got the instant Starbucks Coffee out and prepared to be underwhelmed by an instant coffee that was only slightly better then the brown water alternative offered by Amtrak.

Only I was completely blown away over the coffee. It smelled and tasted as if the coffee had just been freshly brewed. It was amazing. I almost felt a little smug. After all, while the rest of the train was stuck pretending they enjoyed the hot water they were drinking; while I was drinking this cup of amazing.

Now the only problem? You can only get these portably cups of amazing on the east coast.... That is, unless you do the smart thing and order online....

Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk, originally uploaded by nicolemonet2002.

So....

Today has been a great day. Or rather, a great addition to this past week - Which was a great week. (As a whole).

I applied for a job as Concert Promoter Intern. How perfect for me does that job sound, right? That's why I spent about an hour creating a resume that's only about a page long. *Shrugs* I want that job. If only because, they would have to be understanding about my taking time of for Coachella & Bonnaroo.

In other news, I need to take the Writing Proficiency Exam next month. I have to take and pass this test so I can take the rest of my upper division courses. So that I can GRADUATE! I'm ready for that. Before I wasn't, which is possibly why my major changed so many times.

By and by... I can't wait for Coachella.