Funny, when your brain tells you to throw-up, your stomach acts surprised when it actually happens. Migrains are funny. Not ha-ha funny.

I got my paper back Friday and wanted to work on it this weekend, but my big brain had other migraine-y plans.

The paper: it doesn't look too bad this time. Just a few things to change, nothing major. And some graphs to add that include regression lines and some sort of statistical analysis which I don't really understand but one of my committee members is fantastically helping me with.

It's just been too much for my 5' 1 & 1/2" body. A small person can only take so much, I suppose.

The paper snowballed into ACL snowballed into the Eurotrip snowballed back into the paper....

I'm trying to hang on desperately to reality.

It's hard to go back to work the very next day after a 2-week-long insane trip to Europe and still maintain a close hold to a stable personal constitution.

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ACL

Friday September 15th

Claire Small - she was the very first artist on the very first day and I was determined not to miss her, even though I'd never heard of her. She had the voice of an angel. I shook her hand at the end and told her "That was beautiful!" It was beautiful.

the Greyhounds

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Deadboy and the Elephantmen

Gnarls Barkley - These people really put on a show. It had a "Weird Science" theme to it, complete with labcoats and pocket protectors for everyone on stage. Since it was Austin in the middle of the day and very hot, everyone was perspiring a lot on stage.

Jimmy Dale Gilmore - you may know him from the Big Lebowski as "Smoky", when Walter pointed a gun to his head for going over the line. "Ok, you crazy fuck. It's zero. Are you happy?" This is why I went to check him out, because of the movie. Well, he really stole my heart, and when Amor, Becky and Henry left to go see Thievery Corporation and/or Los Lonely Boys, I stayed and was greatly rewarded with warm fuzzy feelings inside my lost soul. What a great show, and what a great performer, and I don't even like country, or rather, cannot tolerate more than 2 songs in a row. Boy, did Jimmie Dale Gilmore change me. He even had his son come on stage with him to sing a song with him, it was so lovely.

the Tragically Hip - Das Hip! I screamed and pumped my fists in the air and jumped around and sang along and screamed along and EVERYTHING with this band. I had seen Gordon Downie solo a few years ago with JD - he was sitting down with an acoustic guitar. Seeing him perform with Das Hip was a complete 180 degree turn from that. He's slightly insane, with music to match.

Van Morrison - after the Hip show, I wasn't impressed. Besides, it was a huge outside venue, we couldn't get very close, and none of us are big fans, anyway.

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Saturday September 16th

I love you but I've chosen darkness - This band really put out. I really liked them. They had a Radiohead-meets-the-Cure type vibe with more of a rhythm section.

the Blue Van - A quartet from Denmark, for real! These dudes really rocked the park with their vintage equipment and rock-star antics. The very-Danish-looking bass player kept jumping on the keyboardist's big, old, piano-type thing, then off onto the stage. Beautiful, Danish freaks that they were. I loved their accents as they apologized to the audience for their poor English skills.

the Secret Machines - You should go check out this band, now. I had never heard of them before. They were described to me as "graduates from the University of Audio Alchemy", with a 4.0 average, I might add. Wow.

*then we all went our separate ways, Amor went to see Charlie Sexton, Becky and Henry went to see TV on the Radio (which they said were absolutely amazing) and I saw

Aimee Mann - Because of my memories of that song "Voices Carry" as a young thing in middle school and/or high school. I had to leave early because Becky and Henry were saving me a place close to the stage of

the Raconteurs - It was a bitch to get to Becky and Henry. They were literally 20 feet from the stage (you have to remember that on a daily basis, this festival contains no less than 65,000 people), and I had to push my way thru some very pissed off people who had been there for hours holding their places to see this damn band. Anyway, this is the band with Jack Black in it, although he's not the brains behind the music. The Raconteurs really rocked the house, and it was really worth pissing people off to get through to Becky and Henry to be that close to them. A real rock band, I might add. Wow.

Brazillian Girls - None of the members are from Brazil, and only one is a girl. But they stole the show with a song that went like this, "Pussy pussy pussy, marijuanaaaaa!" and of course, somebody passed the lead singer chick a lit joint during this song, which she then proceeded to say into the mic, "Hold on a minute." and then went up to each band member to give them all tokes, then came back to the mic to finish the song. Yeah.

Willie Nelson - Once again, we were too far away, everyone and their mother was at this stage, so we only watched ol' Willie perform a few songs, viewing him on the huge monitor. Oh well, I can now say I saw Willie Nelson perform.

Massive Attack - I could have stayed and watched this band until the end, but Amor, Becky and Henry were ready to leave, so we left after we saw a few songs. Becky and I found a folding chair to stand on intermittently, which was great. It's hard being short at shows. They had a huge equilizer behind them, that covered the entire expanse of the back of the stage, in bright orange and yellow rectangles, just like the one you have at home, except bigger, and outdoors.

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Sunday September 17th

the Stills - They are from Canada and I don't really remember them that well.

Sam Roberts - This guy is also from Canada, I believe. He sings with his all, I liked him a lot. He also was very sweaty the whole time. Texas is hot.

KT Tunstall - She's from Scotland and I only went to hear her accent. She sings a song that was popular on some show on the WB, fresh episodes.

Ween - Ah, Ween. Henry took a picture of me with Ween behind me on my camera phone, and I sent it to my friend Dan as a picture message. Oh, and I was giving him the finger because he had told me he wasn't able to go to ACL this year because he was working for the man and if I didn't go see Ween he'd never talk to me again.

Los Amigos Invisibles - They played under a tent and there was hardly any ventilation, so therefore it was really hot. There were tons of people under this tent, all jumping around and dancing and singing, and I was one of them. Afterwards, I rehydrated like crazy. They are a really, really good band to boogie to.

the Flaming Lips - I think I was suffering from dehydration at this point, despite my desperate attempts at proper rehydration after Los Amigos, and I couldn't quite comprehend that I was seeing the Flaming Lips. Amor kept having to remind me, "Acorn! It's the Flaming Lips!!!" They are a crazy, crazy band.

MUSE - WOW. Not only did this band blow me away (I hadn't planned to see them), but they played at twilight to the backdrop of an oncoming thunderstorm in the distance complete with lightening bolts against the dark, stormy sky. It fucking blew me away. I am forever the dark bride to this band, I. SWEAR. TO. GOD.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Great. Just great. There's a reason he's been around this long, he's so good. So many of his songs I knew, so many. I didn't realize how many. He had to stop playing halfway into the set because it rained like a motherfucker. I'm glad Amor and I had a umbrella.

The End.

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