one reason why I'm sad to be missing the Brandi Carlile show in Athens...

Brandi Carlile is an amazing live performer with an electric voice. Even if you are inclined to dis people whose work has appeared on Grey's Anatomy, I encourage you to give her a chance anyway. Listen to her voice and guitar work! I just love her.

This video was posted a few years ago and still brings a tear to my eye. Can you imagine the joy and excitement that girl must have felt?!

when I want a little pick-me-up...

I'll watch this.

let's race with destiny

I started watching this as a joke and then ended up with tears streaming down my cheeks. Thanks, Whitney.

I hear that she's doing well these days, that she's kicked the drugs and is coming out with a new album. That's wonderful news--as much fun as it was to marvel over her non sequiturs and generally dazed, giggly nature on interviews and that awful reality show she Bobby had, I was always sad to see how badly she was doing. This is the woman whose poster I had on my wall after my mom and aunt went to a late 80s WH concert. (I wonder now where that poster is. I seem to recall there was a crooked rectangle situated inside another, pink and/or teal confetti sprinkled all around Whit's face. God, that was a good poster--it was on the back of my bedroom door for quite awhile there.) I did a Google image search for it and came up dry. Luckily I found a couple other gems that made me feel better. Look how adorable she was!


I'm hopeful that she really is doing well and that it lasts awhile. At least creepy Bobby is out of the picture.

I want onnneeee moment in tiiiiimmmmeee!

Looks like it's time to pop in that Greatest Hits album!

Dancer vs. Politician

I love this band. The members are charming and extraordinarily attractive (I dare you not to have a crush on lead singer/composer/founder Sanni Baumgartner), and the music really resonates with me despite my not knowing a lick of German. (A number of the songs on the new album, A City Half-Lost, are in German; the rest are in good ol' English.)

I've seen this video a number of times, but I can't get enough of it. It's lush and beautiful--the setting is so very Georgia summer, if you will. The music is pretty yet unpolished in the video, which is a part of a series I'd like to know more about.

Take a look:

Dancer Vs Politician: Justin Fairborn
by eikonproductions

that time R.E.M. played a private show for me and I didn't show up

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! My dear Brandi posted a couple of Blogotheque videos on her awesome blog, and in my monthly review of her writing, I stumbled across this one of R.E.M. playing in Athens.

Playing behind my house.
Literally behind my house. Maybe fifty feet from my porch. WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS WAS HAPPENING? True the shows aren't publicized. True Michael Stipe doesn't know we're friends (even though we are, of course). Oh I'm sad. But also excited. I mean, R.E.M. played a show next to my house.

See it here. Now if Sweet and Sarah Beth could cry with me for a minute, I'd feel better.

Program Me In

You have to see this new Je Suis France video. My friend Jeremy Wheatley has been hiding away writing songs for a long time, but only recently has he started playing the gee-tar and singing for his adoring fans.

He's in an awesome band called Je Suis France, and he's the star of the new video. I LOVE this video. The song is really cool, too.

THE END.

a once* in a lifetime Oscar moment

*pun intended

Last week, I watched parts of the Oscars while playing Mexican train dominoes with my sister and Jim. (That domino game is my newest obsession--my sister bought it for me for my birthday, knowing full well it'd become an addictive habit.) We watched a few boring acceptance speeches, all of which were cut off by music even more quickly than in years past. We watched and listened to the Best Song nominees sing their songs, but Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's live version of "Falling Slowly," from the indie film Once, blew the others out of the water with its raw emotion and genuine luster. I loved it and, as usual, found my eyes getting watery. Some songs just do that to you.

A few minutes after their performance, all the Best Original Song nominees were named. And guess who won? That's right, these little indie-filmmaking, adorable people. Glen made the acceptance speech, but when it came time for Marketa to have a moment to thank everyone, the mic had already been turned off and she was further drowned out by the music.

Imagine our collective delight when, after the subsequent commercial break, Jon Stewart made way for Marketa Irglova to walk onto the stage again. She had a few moments to make the comments she'd wanted to make in the first place--never have I ever seen a moment like that on a huge awards show, a moment when they gave someone a chance to talk further after having been cut off. (Granted, there are two times in recent memory when those talking just kept barreling over the music--Kanye West mentioned that it'd be in good taste for the Powers that Be to cut the music as he was speaking about his late mother at the Grammys.) But to invite her back to speak after she raised no onstage protest? What a lovely moment.

This video below shows the moment they got the award as well as both winners' acceptance speeches. It's worth watching, I promise.

I just can't get enough

Will I never stop being utterly in love with this band's music? Even seeing clips of songs I love the most moves me to tears, just as hearing (and seeing) performances of certain songs ("Secret Meeting," "Lit Up," "Mr. November," "About Today," "Fake Empire," "Apartment Story," the list goes on) in concert makes my eyes swim with emotion.



It's now old news to fans: both they and Modest Mouse are opening for R.E.M. on the early summer tour. I seriously doubt there's any chance I'll get tickets, despite my being a huge fan of two bands and a pretty good fan of the third (MM). Dammit, Michael Stipe, I can throw a football and hit your house.* And Mike Mills, you should just give me a ticket since I am the reason you were so entertained a certain night at Go Bar when Jim emerged from the bathroom wearing my tight-fitting pink shorts.

*assuming I could throw like one of those football folks I saw perform in that Superbowl spectacle (footnote added, Chris--thank you very much)

Josh on TV

Thank goodness for youtube.com.

Check this out--it's nothing like seeing Josh with a live audience that's there to see him, nothing like experiencing his fun and silly and occasionally serious banter, but hey! I'm guessing the clip is from 1999, when Useful Music was out, and before the Josh Joplin Band morphed into the Josh Joplin Group. (The reference to Shawn Mullins as a semi-star also dates the performance.)

Anywho, this is for the likes of Lieeish and Dallas and Sweet, assuming they ever read this blog. It's also for any of you who feel like watching. The end.

Marfan Syndrome

While perusing the facebook.com "Causes" application and signing up for all the things I believe in (anti-smoking, "let's stop drunk driving," etc.), I decided to do a quick search to find out if anyone had a Marfan's awareness group. Lo and behold, there were three.

One of my very best friends died from Marfan Syndrome on the first of October, 2001. The very day (or night? I'm not sure) of the Josh Joplin show I mentioned in my previous post. Jeffrey was already dead or was about to be dead while I sat in a room crowded with people listening to a song that, even then, made me disarmingly nostalgic about the past, especially my days growing up in Chamblee, GA.

In any case, one of the Marfan Syndrome Awareness groups had this youtube.com video posted. It's pretty interesting. Never before had I heard that Jonathan Larson, the creator and director of the smash hit Rent, was probably suffering from undiagnosed Marfan Syndrome. Assuming Larson did have the disease, he and Jeff were in the same boat: neither one of them had any idea of their condition while alive.

The quick video is informative and interesting. As Anthony Rapp says (in badly synced vocals, if your computer plays it the way mine did!), knowing the signs could help you save a life.

no Josh Joplin show for me. :(

I bought tickets to the sold-out Dec. 8 late show at Eddie's Attic to see the incomparable Josh Joplin only to find out that my three fellow concert attendees could not go. Lieeish and her main squeeze have a company holiday party to attend. Jim had a feeling there was something going on that night (Lawd o lawd, won't somebody buy him a cheapy-cheap pocket-sized planner?) and remembered what it was when he got a wedding reception invitation in the mail. So now none of us can go and I am quite sad.

The drive to Decatur isn't particularly thrilling, nor is the wait to get seats at Eddie's, assuming they 're still doing that name-calling thing. (If you buy online as most people do nowadays, you wait as the names get called according to the order in which tickets were purchased. You try to scramble in the rather small but every-so-homey "listening room" to get the best available seats.) In the olden days, the teensy tables were up for grabs, too--now they're more expensive and sell more quickly than the general admission tickets. Alas.

I love Josh Joplin. Only recently have I realized that this admiration has somewhat cheesy connotations to some--a few of my Athens friends tend to think that he's dorky and not so talented. These are folks who've not seen him live, or so I'd like to think. Verily I don't know their history with Josh. I am the one who drove to Borders after Borders to see his free shows the summer that Useful Music came out (for the first time, before it was rereleased by a major label and screwed around with). I sent funny, dorky fan/friend emails with Dallas and later, in the midst of Josh's short-lived radio popularity, sent him an email requesting that he sing a then old song, "Better Days" at his crowded NYC show. He played it for me and gave a little shout out that prompted the newbie fans in the crowd to look around for the girl who had requested the song.

Despite the ticket agency's denial of my request, Eddie's Attic reassured me kindly that they'd be more than happy to refund my ticket purchase. I'm $60 + service fees richer again but sad to be missing out. Guess I'll get drunk at some strangers' wedding and wax nostalgic for times past.

My #1 band has the #1 record!

Check this out. My new Paste arrived today, and The National's album Boxer got best album of the year. The online article is here. I'm very excited for them. Earlier this year, I saw them in Paris for free with Sweet (the story there is pretty exciting--if I've not told you it already, please encourage me to do so). Sigh. That was my first time seeing them up close. I'd seen them just three weeks or so beforehand when they opened up for The Arcade Fire in Atlanta, but my seats were far back and I missed part of the show (that story's not so happy).

Upon my return to the States post-Paris, I saw them in Atlanta in June with the Crackbaby Mack and then again in September with Nancy.

If you're one of the folks who've not heard them, buy their record. You can even do that emusic.com thing where you sign up and get 25 downloads + an audiobook for free (no gimmicks--even I did it). Make your downloads a couple of albums by The National.

If you're a folk who's heard 'em but not seen them, buy tickets to a show--IN ADVANCE, mind you.

Okay, bye.

Love,
moi!

1/16/07 - R.I.P., James Brown--Let's talk about some music!!!

January 16, 2007 - Tuesday

(By the way, I don't know why the video is showing up twice. Can't seem to get rid of it. So watch it twice! It's funny and worth the two minutes.)

12:13 AM - R.I.P., James Brown--Let's talk about some music!!! 3 Comments

	Joe	Holy shit that's hilarious. Thanks Jan. Posted by Joe on January 16, 2007 - Tuesday at 4:17 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Mary Beth	Coincidentally, "I'm single and I want to mingle" were the first words I ever spoke to Matt. Posted by Mary Beth on January 18, 2007 - Thursday at 12:04 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

SUPER JAN!!

Noooo!!! Posted by SUPER JAN!! on January 18, 2007 - Thursday at 12:08 AM

11/20/06 - things I once thought were cool but am now over

November 20, 2006 - Monday

7:27 PM - things I once thought were cool but am now over 1. hidden tracks on CDs. (Add to my list as inspiration hits you. What was once supa-cool that's now tres passe*?) *Add accents as necessary to my French phrases. My computer will not let me. Currently listening : 9 By Damien Rice Release date: By 14 November, 2006 7 Comments

	Christa	juice boxes Posted by Christa on November 20, 2006 - Monday at 9:52 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	SUPER JAN!!	Ooh, good one. I'm in undeniable agreement. Posted by SUPER JAN!! on November 20, 2006 - Monday at 11:13 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	amysalley	jesus? Posted by amysalley on November 20, 2006 - Monday at 11:52 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	SUPER JAN!!	Ah, Amy. She never ceases to entertain. In a very real way, that is. Can't say that ol' J. fits in that category for me, exactly, but you sure do invoke church camp bus singalongs I never was exposed to. Posted by SUPER JAN!! on November 21, 2006 - Tuesday at 12:09 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Joe	Catapults. No, just kidding, catapults are still cool. Posted by Joe on November 21, 2006 - Tuesday at 5:55 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Crystal	Watermelon Bubblicious. Posted by Crystal on November 21, 2006 - Tuesday at 4:22 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

SUPER JAN!!

oooh, totally. Posted by SUPER JAN!! on November 21, 2006 - Tuesday at 7:53 PM

10/31/06 - Axl Rose, live in my DREAMS!

October 31, 2006 - Tuesday

11:43 AM - Axl Rose, live in my DREAMS! Last night I had a dream that Axl was doing a solo show at the 40 Watt the same night that a Guns 'n' Roses cover band was playing somewhere else in town. I was really excited to see Axl, not only to hear some f'n great tunes (yeow) but also to see his puffy post-surgery face. Let us review. Before: After: Anyway, I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Jim and Matt chose to go to the cover band show instead of going to see Axl play the 40 Watt. Finally it dawned on me that I had the key to getting them to come with me: "Wait, wait! What about his puffy face!?! You can see his puffy face!" Matt gave me the look he often gives me, which is the "Janet, you are a very strange person so I can't believe my best friend is dating you or else I guess it makes perfect sense that my best friend is dating you," and Jim just told me to have fun. And then I woke up without even seeing the show of my dreams, in my dreams. Tragic, I tell you. The end. Currently listening : Appetite for Destruction By Guns N' Roses Release date: By 25 October, 1990 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	SUPER JAN!!	This is true. Didn't I help find that scary picture of Axl you posted here? Maybe not. But I sure as hell have seen it. Ew. But look at the nostril doodads in my photo! Thank you for your contribution, Liz. Posted by SUPER JAN!! on October 31, 2006 - Tuesday at 3:18 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

goose

i will not ever believe that the second photo is the same axl. ever. Posted by goose on March 16, 2007 - Friday at 9:25 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

10/14/06 0 my 15-year-old style weekend night activity

October 14, 2006 - Saturday

11:05 PM - my 15-year-old style weekend night activity In early high school, I used to be stuck inside on some weekend nights, not having much to do if I didn't get a chance to sleep over at Kate Rauscher's house. And if I'd had myspace.com then (if we'd even had regular internet access then, kids!), I probably would have filled out a survey such as this... (As it turns out, though, I'm just EXHAUSTED. And, like last night, I'll most likely turn in before midnight. Funny what working jobs starting early in the morning combined with lifting of heavy tables and such will do to a girl...) Come on, you know you want to fill this out! I don't even care if you skip the ones you don't like. :) 1. Full name? Janet Evelyn Geddis 2. Were you named after anyone? First name: Aunt Janet; Middle: Grandma Geddis & Aunt Evie 3. Do you wish on stars? often 4. When did you last cry? a few tears during Grey's Anatomy, and then two days before in a middle of the night "discussion" with a friend, one that was healed shortly thereafter. Whew. 5. If you were another person would you be friends with you? hell yeah! 6. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you said? apparently I still have the skin of a 15 year old. 7. When is the next time you will make out? less than 24 hours from now, baby! 8. What's a word that rhymes with "LUCK..? stuck 9. What's your favorite planet? JANET THE! (yes, I am a cheese.) 10. Who's the 4th person on your missed calls list? Brandi Goodson, but I think Kelli McConnell was actually calling me from Lockjaw's phone... 11. What is your favorite ring on your phone? Melody ..7 or something of an equally mundane title 12. If you're alone in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep on? The one closest to a window 13. What were you doing at midnight last night? being a sleepytime kitty 14. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say? "Yeehaw! I can't wait for xmas rendezvous 2006." (From Sweet Blond!!) 15. What just so happens to be the best song in the world? that question will forever remain unanswered. 16. What's a word or phrase that you say a lot? "Sweet Jesus," "Kitty," "rul," and "by that I mean.." (to name 3 of 3,000) 17. Who told you he/she loved you last? Kimmie Dau 18. Last furry thing you touched? Baby Bob 19. Favorite age you have been so far? every age...so 26 right now. But I tend to love each and every year. 20.What is the last thing you said to someone? "Goodnight." 21. Do you love someone? approximately 1,523. 22. What's your favorite pair of pajamas like? favorite? I don't know that I have one. 23. Have you ever seen a shooting star? Yes, just earlier tonight the first moment I looked up at the sky--and a few minutes ago on the phone I told Jim about it, so you know it's true! 24. List five things you want to do in your lifetime: a.have an inordinate number of jobs b.not worry about money so often c. find a career that holds my interest for a significant amount of time d. e. 25. What do you put on your hamburgers? Cheese, and sometimes some onion, too. To quote Jenn R., "I will NOT eat a burger without cheese." 26. Do you eat raw hot dogs? Nasty. 27. Do you have a journal? I have boxes of them. But I haven't written an entry in a year or so. 28. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I have no idea what you're talking about. 29. Would you bungee jump? I'd like to say yes, but I'm thinking no. Not yet, anyhow. 30. What is your favorite cereal? Dear lord, I love Crispix. 31. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? nope. 32. Do you think that you are strong? I sure did lift a lot of heavy tables the past two days. Check out my muscles! 33. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint cookies and cream is good. 34. Red or Pink? ROJO. Red is my favorite color on earth. Makes it hard to live in UGA land where everyone assumes it's a Dawg-related obsession. 35. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I have no inclination to share that with you. 36. Do you want everyone you know to repost this? EVERYONE I KNOW? No. That would take years to read. Please, everyone, don't. Maybe, like, 4 of you? That'd be enough. 37. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Blue jeans, charcoal grey Chucks. 38. Last thing you ate? Cheese plate at Aromas, one I split with Tamara. Yum. 39. What are you listening to right now? "Humming of the Fridge" by My Kitchen. 40. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? True Red 41. Favorite Smells? the stairs down to the cellar in my grandparents' old house at 910 Franklin Ave; Moonlight Path; honeysuckle (even though I just found out that Japanese honeysuckle is an invasive plant--did you know?) 42. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? height, smile, and (let's be cheesy but honest) the vibe 43. Favorite Drink? no one can choose just one! 44. What is your favorite sport? swimming 45. Eye Color? mine? blue. see current default photo where they look extry-kellerful. 46. Favorite Food? good sushi sure is yummy. 47. Last Movie You Watched? Ordinary People, for about the 20th time. 48. Favorite Day Of The Year? May Day (May 1st). And my birthday (Feb. 21) 49. Favorite Movie Endings? oh, the finales where there's some predictable overcoming-of-seemingly-insurmountable odds and there's an audience present and everyone begins to clap and cheer and the underdog finally has his day? Those tearjerkers get me almost every time. But they're not my favorites. I don't think I have favorites. 50. Summer or Winter? summa summa summatime. And the seasons don't need to be capitalized. 51. Hugs or Kisses? I'm into the cuddling and hugging with a hint o' smooch. 52. What books are you reading? Just one right now: Praying for Sheetrock by Melissa Fay Greene 54. What's On Your Mouse Pad? ain't got one. 55. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? Full House! didn't watch TV last night, though I did see Oprah and Bono go on a RED shopping spree. 56. Favorite Sounds? laughter, thunderstorms, favorite records, my mom bustling about while I'm taking a nap (reminds me of when I was little) 57. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Both, though my heart leans towards the latter. 58. What's the furthest you've been from home? Buenos Aires, I suppose. 59. Do you have a special talent? Well, jeepers. I'm good at lots of things. 60. Where did you take your default pic? in the bright evening sun on the drive to Atlanta 61. What makes you most happy? spending time with my friends and my family (it's true) 62. Do you ever watch MTV? not in a really long time, no 63. What's something that really annoys you? lack of compassion for other people, though I guess that goes beyond mere annoyance. 64. Nicknames: Jan, Janny, Jenny, Jynni, Rose, Rosie, J. Geddis, Geddeeezzz, Jan-Jan, Bonzi, Janet the Planet, Super Jan, Janevie, and the list goes on and on and on and on and ON. 65. Do you have any Siblings? one older sister (who just got OLDER yesterday when she turned 31!). Her name is Julianne "Rose" Geddis, and she'll be visiting Athens in a week!! Yeehaw. Do You.. 1. Write on your hand? I used to in middle & high school. 2. Believe in love? Yes. 3. Sleep on a certain side of the bed? I always start on a certain side, but I like to sleep diagonally if I have enough room. 4. Have any bad habits? Of course! Have You... 1. Broken a bone? nope 2. Sprained stuff? probably, but nothing major 3. Had physical therapy? nope 4. Gotten stitches? nope 5. Taken painkillers? indeed (owie) 6. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling? snorkeling only, though I want to learn to SCUBA. I only want Brookie to teach me. 7. Been stung by a bee? Lots, but usually in a boring way: I often stepped on them at Huntley Hills Pool while waiting in line for the diving board when I was younger. 8. Thrown up at the dentist? nasty. I have never heard of this. 9. Sworn in front of your parents? No, though my mother curses like a sailor and would probably be fine with it. 10. Had detention? Once in 6th grade when Ms. McMorris gave detention to our whole class. Other than that, I was good. (See my smile twinkle when I say that?) 11. Been sent to the principal's office? Don't think so. Who/What was the last. 1. Person you hugged? Carrie "Licky" Jedlicka at the TAILGATE! 2. Person you tackled? no recollection... 3. Thing you touched? my little baby iBook. 4. Thing you did? took a sip of the beer I've been nursing for over an hour now. This was not as exciting as I thought it'd be. As it turns out, I'm just trying to avoid doing the writing I *should* be doing. What a wimp. I just caught on to my own reasoning now. I am so good at tricking myself, dammit! 1 Comment - 1 Kudo

Joe

These things are fun. I've learned a lot about my li'l Geddis from this. Hell no I'm not gonna do it myself though. Cause I don't want to. But I liked reading it. So. Posted by Joe on October 17, 2006 - Tuesday at 11:02 AM

9/16/06 - How I spent game day, or, GO DAWGS!!!

September 16, 2006 - Saturday

4:04 PM - How I spent game day, or, GO DAWGS!!! This morning I awoke at the ungodly hour of 7:39 AM, feeling somewhat lively and moderately refreshed. I had fallen asleep around 1 and, for one of the only times in the last few months, didn't wake up again at any point during the night. No text messages, no phone calls, no parties next door to bug me, etc., etc. This is not to say that I am bothered by the fact that my sleep schedule is usually very, um, nontraditional. It's just of interest--to me, at the very least--that I slept somewhat normally. Of course I didn't stay awake. I thought to myself, "Wow, self. You could get out of bed, walk to Big City Bread, get a biscuit and coffee, and read your book. Or you could just take a long walk. Or you could just get up and see how the other half lives, the half that wakes up around this time instead of going to bed at this time." But instead, ol' Self fell back asleep to a not-so-pleasant treat of restless dreams. The dreams were thinly masked messages or representations of already-present fears and situations, though, so perhaps they were useful: they, in fact, reminded me that I needed to call back my sister. That I had to be a little more proactive on the money-making front. That, of all things, I had to do the dishes (ick). Unfortunately, the dream that most stuck was, not surprisingly, the one I had right as I was waking up again around 11 AM: my sister's ex, recently diagnosed with terminal cancer (in the DREAM, folks!!), was wandering around a big country house and merely glanced at me before turning and walking away. It was, perhaps, one of the saddest moments I've encountered in a dream of late: seeing someone I love very much but can't find it in my heart to forgive, someone who was a part of my family who, at least in this dream world, had very little time left to live but couldn't find the words to even greet me, nor I her. The feeling I was left with is one I've not been able to completely shake all day. Luckily, other emotions have taken over, for the most part. I finished one really wonderful book last night, Anna Quindlen's newest novel (as purchased for me by Liz Lawson): _Rise & Shine_ comes highly recommended. Now I'm reading Adam Langer's _Crossing California_. Only fifty pages in but am already quite pleased. Onto some letter writing and locust-listening. I've been blasting my newest emusic.com purchases (bought another album by The National!) and only just realized that the outdoor sounds are much more fitting to my mood. Goodbye for now. Go Dawgs. I shall continue avoiding the downtown area until the red & black parade clears out. If that makes me a bad dawg (grosssss--cue a groan from Liz & giggle from J. Hart, if all goes well), then so be it. 1 Comment

Joe

Game days in Athens...make me think of the throw-up spot on a sidewalk near the UGA dorms. It appeared one September morning...and then NEVER LEFT. A perfect circle seared permanently into the pavement. You can go see it even now, I guarantee it. As for headaches...Janet, I love ya, but the color scheme on your blog gives me one. Posted by Joe on September 17, 2006 - Sunday at 7:42 AM