Late Night Ruminations...

So its 9pm, on Friday night- the start of Labor Day Weekend, and I am sitting on the 36th floor of a very large office building downtown, at a law firm where almost ever self respecting person has left already to have fun with their family and friends. I, however am celebrating the holiday laboring-pretty much the opposite of the entire reason we celebrate labor day, but dem's da breaks I guess. I don't know how many of you have worked crazy long hours before, but at a certain point your sensible brain shuts off, and you (or maybe just I) start having some of the silliest conversations with myself that I've ever had! Because I need a break right now, I'm going to share some of these silly thoughts with you.

Have you ever fucked up a sneeze? I love sneezing. It feels great. Like when you've finally reached that awkward spot on your back that itches like hell by bending your knees and scooching up and down against the door frame...and it feels like every nerve ending in your body is melting into that one spot, and it's devine relief from frustrating torture? Well that's what a sneeze feels like...sorta...but in your nose. Anyway, have you ever fucked one up and gotten really disappointed by it? It happens when you anticipate that one is coming and you get excited and you pre-emptively say "hachoo". You actually say the word "hachoo" but you havn't sneezed yet, and the absurdity of it all has caused your nose to stop itching completely, so you dont even have to sneeze anymore. I did that yesterday. It sucked.

Tonight I was on my way to the bathroom and I saw a guy who was entering the office back up into the ID censor pad on the door and the door unlocked without him using his hands to swipe his ID at all. I soon realized that he must have had his magnetic ID card in his back pocket. Genius! I was dying to try that trick myself on my way back from the bathroom but when I finally got there I noticed someone walking down the hallway behind me. What if she saw me back into the door and it did not work? That would be embarassing. Maybe my pants are made from a thicker material than the clever guy I saw pull it off a few minutes ago. At the last minute I ditched the plan, but did not give up entirely. About an hour later, I peed again (I drink alot of water), and on my return trip, I had the opportunity to put my ID in my back pocket and brush my butt up against the door instead of the regular way of swiping into the office. It worked. I clenched my fist and did a low-key fist pump to myself. Does this excitement over such a trivial situation make me pathetic?

I think I need a drink...

Michael Phelps to Host SNL Season Premier!

Not surprisingly, this summer's #1 household name, and the pride of America, Michael Phelps, will be hosting the 2008 season premier of Saturday Night live, to aire on September 13th.

I think the dude's badass, and I want sooo badly to find him attractive but there's something about that mouth that turns me off- WAY off!

Anyway, I think he'll be funny, and I'm goin through SNL withdrawal (actually TV in general), so I'm fer sher gonna tune in!

Stone Gossard in NYC on 9/14!

Walk the Line for HDSA - Stone Gossard opening for Vince Mira and The Roy Kay Trio

Hi Everyone!

Just popping in to let you know that Pearl Jam's own, Stone Gossard will be performing at Living Room in NYC on September 14th at a charity event to benefit the Huntington's Disease Society of America.

Tickets for this event can be purchased HERE.

Description
WALK THE LINE is a benefit show for the Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA). STONE GOSSARD is opening the show for VINCE MIRA, country music's hippest young singer/songwriter. This show is in celebration of 72 year-old Don Stevenson for walking 13,000 miles to raise awareness and funds for HDSA. Read about Don's impressive 20 month campaign here: http://www.pacinparson.org/

Sad Face

Dear World,

Lawyer duties call, as I am working on a new, super intense litigation matter which is going to require LOTS of my time. Unfortunately that means my blogging is going to be seriously impaired for the foreseeable future, but I promise to try to keep up with important things as they arise.

You can take the girl out of the blogosphere (temporarily), but you can NEVER take the blog out of the girl, so I WILL BE BACK! Until then....

Kisses!

TTP, Esq.

Paris for President?

In response to John McCain's poor decision to use her in one of his political ads, Paris Hilton has fought back by releasing her own political ad. Watch it on FunnyorDie.com

I gotta admit, I loves it! Right on, Paris! :)

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Eddie Vedder at United Palace Night 2!

I swore up and down that I was not going to the 2nd Eddie Vedder solo show in NY last night, but when a friend offered me a last minute $24 ticket, what could I say?

So I hopped the A train back uptown (waaaaay uptown!) and settled into my seat in the balcony for night 2. Again, I missed Liam Finn's set (disappointing) and after spending about 2 minutes pouting like a spoiled brat in the balcony, the show started and I realized that the sound in the balcony is actually great! The show proved to be amazing. Eddie seemed to be much more animated and talkative last night and busted out some surprising songs such as Broken Hearted, Picture in a Frame and Girl from North Country (a Dylan cover).

Eddie was full of amusing little quips last night, and surprisingly the moment that made me emotional last night was NOT during a song, but rather, it was when Ed was talking about his 4-year-old daughter, Olivia. He said she loved the Into the Wild soundtrack but had not been allowed to see the movie because she's still to little. She knows the movie involves a scene with a bear, however. Eddie said that once he was singing Guaranteed for his daughter and upon hearing the lyrics "Don't come closer or I'll have to go" she became upset. "What do you mean?" she asked him. Eddie said that rather than trying to explain to his little girl (who was 3 at the time) that the boy in the movie had issues with his parents, he decided to tell her that those lyrics were about the bear! I thought his story was so endearing that I smiled so big a tear fell from my eye. I'm a sap. What can I say.

Also in attendance last night were Bruce Springsteen, Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Tom Colicchio from Top Chef, and Mark Messier of the NY Rangers. See, everyone loves Eddie Vedder!

My only complaint is that it appears all the "casual" fans sit up in the balcony caring more about drinking $7 beers and getting up to pee every 2 minutes than listening to the concert. Several of them insisted on shouting random things at the top of their lungs throughout the show, inciting Eddie to pause and express frustration at their complete lack of common courtesy. Perhaps I'm a Jamily elitist, but I'd really prefer it if the "casual" fans (the rude jerky ones at least) stayed home. For realz!

Anyway, thanks Jed for making me go last night. I had a great time!!

Here's the full setlist:
MAIN SET: Walking the Cow, Trouble, Sometimes, I Am Mine, Dead Man Walking, Man of the Hour, Setting Forth, Guaranteed, No Ceiling, Far Behind, Rise, Millworker, Picture in a Frame, Goodbye, Broken-Hearted, Driftin' (stopped and started over twice), Hide Your Love Away, Girl from North Country, Thumbing My Way, Porch
1ST ENCORE: Wishlist, Here's to the State of Mississippi, Society (w/ Liam Finn), No More (Stopped, then started again), Arc
2ND ENCORE: Hard Sun (w/ Liam Finn)

Eddie Vedder at United Palace Theater, Night 1

"It's over already?" I stood in disbelief, as Eddie Vedder bid me good night and walked off the stage at the United Palace Theater just after 10:30 pm last night wearing a curious white lab coat. The show was short by no means, but for those 2 hours last night, when Eddie sat on the stage in front of me with his array of instruments chatting off the cuff and singing with an ease and comfort you might expect from a dude playing alone on his back porch, time stood still. Upon the request of the Man of the Hour, we all remained seated, which was a huge relief to me because I had a perfect view just 11 rows back from the stage once all the tall guys were on their butts. My back, however never touched the back of the chair. As soon as we sat down and Eddie began to play, I leaned forward to get a grasp on the situation- Yes, there he was, right THERE, playing sweetly, and here I was, listening with every fiber of my being- from my heart and not just my ears....wow, and then I got lost....for 2 hours, barely moving but for the instinctive and reflexive clapping that followed the end of every single song.

In such an intimate setting I found it easy, almost necessary, to place myself within every single song, and experience it through his voice, from the inside out, and there I remained, undisturbed throughout the duration of the show, experiencing the music in a way unlike ever before. As Eddie covered "Millworker", by James Taylor I noticed tears running down my cheeks. I think it was the line:
I can hear my granddad's stories
Of the storms out on lake eerie

that got me, but whatever it was, I knew it was real, raw emotion. His joking banter in between songs revealed a witty, genuine human being shouting loud and clear, demanding to be heard, behind the rockstar that we've made him. My God, I love this man. For those brief wrinkles in time, when I am in his presence, he elevates me to that higher plane on which he innocently and humbly resides, and for those moments where I feel euphoric and effortlessly at peace, I am and will always be eternally grateful.

And just like that, it was over. I was awakened from my real-life daydream by the roars from the crowd, as he and opening act Liam Finn finished with "Hard Sun" (the Indio cover he recorded for Into the Wild). Thank you for the inspiration, Eddie. From the bottom of my heart.

You can read a review of last night's show HERE on Billboard.com, which mentions celebrity guests in attendance including Paul Rudd and Jud Apatow. Vedder even sang a snippet from Apatow's Walk Hard soundtrack, in which he made a cameo appearance last year.

I can't wait to see more shows!

Eddie Vedder at United Palace TONIGHT!

Tonight my dreams of seeing an Eddie Vedder solo show will FINALLY come true! Yes I, Talia "I <3 Eddie Vedder" Page, will be in attendance at the United Palace Theater in New York City tonight to see my most favoritest non-relative person in the whole entire world perform some of the most beautiful music to ever reach human ears!!! And, yes, I WILL be wearing "the" shirt! ;)