Swear Symbols and Stars Follow Us Like Auras

Dani O and the Year of the Ox!

2009-02-12T16:24:19Z

Ox

You may have been disappointed by a relatively modest 2008, but as your sign
enters the heaven, the groundwork you laid should start paying off in 2009.
Don’t expect fireworks, but success should arrive both in your family life and
in business. This is a great year to achieve personal ambitions as well as take
action on major decisions. You’ll find both family and friends supportive of
new plans.

http://gohongkong.about.com/od/hongkongfestivals/a/CNYHoroscopes.htm

Wow! What a year so far! I guess being a fat girl born in
the year of the Ox isn’t something to be embarrassed about any more- not that I
really believe in such things, but hey, it’s been a hell of a year so far!

I’m cross-posting this everywhere so I don’t have to talk to
y’all individually when I have sooooo much to do these days. To those old
friends that just popped up on the radar lately, I apologize for not being too
chatty, seems like my days have been wicked busy. This year is just, as the
trendy folks once used to say, “blowing up”. So here’s a bit of what’s going
on.

-Biggest thing: Corazon! I am sooooo excited about this!
Anyone asking when I’ll be performing next is in for a treat! This weekend, Friday night and Saturday afternoon, February
13^th and 14^th, I’ll be hosting poetry at the Corazon
Art and Music Festival. I couldn’t just set up something simple, nope.
Friday night we are doing the Lotería Poetry Sesstions, a new take on an
old Mexican game. We’ll have original art and poetry, and that’s just what’s
going to be going on at our stage. Read more about it here: www.myspace.com/corazonartandmusic

-Work: Well my hours got cut, but I’m working on a plan to
increase business. I created a marketing strategy with some help from the IT
guy at work. I’m going to be re-vamping our website, as well as some other
things, and I’m going to but putting in time outside of work to do it. They
really should give me a salaried position since I already since I often take
work home with me. If nothing else, this will look great on a resume. Point is,
I’m actually working at work, all day long. Really!

-Writing: I’ve been writing a lot lately! I’m having a hard
time finishing much of it, but I think that’s because I’m holding myself to a
higher standard these days. Well that plus I’ve been so dang busy. But nearly
every day I’m inspired and that’s quite the opposite of last year. Expect more
written material and spoken word from me this year. I’ve already had two people
approach me about recording with them and hopefully I’ll be performing poetry
with some bands as well. It makes me really happy to be creative again!

-Personal stuff: Everything needs time and attention lately-
and money! I broke my tooth. L It was a tooth that had a filling in it and it’s ok
for now but it’s going to cost $300 when it get it crowned in April. The
plumber is coming tomorrow to fix the leaky faucet. We recently had a walk
through for the lease. I need a maid and personal assistant. Really. lol.

-Oh and there’s more. My first poem of the year has turned
into an art project of sorts. That’s what all those requests for models were
about. It hasn’t been completed yet, but hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
Also, be on the lookout for one more really cool thing I did. Let’s just say
I’m keeping up with my reputation of smutty sensuality as deemed by the media.
You’ll see. ; )

Poets, artists, musicians, oh my! Bring them all together
2009!

LOL. Time for bed. The tired is messin’ with my head, I do
think…

Looking to get into Disney Monday

2008-11-27T16:31:48Z

x-posted to Myspace:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

First the first time in a long time,my family, including my sister Jen, are coming to Orlando for Thanksgiving. We haven't been to Disney World together since Jen and I were kids. I have someone who can get us into the parks on Monday, but only 3 of us. Doesn't anyone have a comp pass or can you get one of us in?

Love and hope you are all well!
-Dani

PS: I also have Disney Store 25% off discount cards good starting next week, I think, for anyone who needs them. Just let me know!

Special for LJ:

Hi everyone. I know I haven't been on in a long time. Life has been tough. I take it day by day. I feel like I have a lot to say, but little time to sit down and type it out. I have to go start getting ready for my fam to arrive. It's sure to be an interesting week...

Watch this space for more from me, I swear!

And last but not least, special shout out to foxmagic, to whom I owe an email or phone call! Thanks for asking about me Brian!

Strat

2008-08-11T14:27:23Z

I just wanted to post this for two reasons. 1, so you know what’s up with me, and 2, in case you knew Strat and weren’t aware of his passing.

From what I understand, my close friend Strat, aka, Dave Campbell, committed suicide on Tuesday night, August 5th. I have no details really, so if I am wrong about any of it, I apologize. Today, Monday August 11, at 2 pm is the memorial service. He’s being cremated, and there will be no viewing.

Banfield Funeral Home
420 W State Road 434
Winter Springs, FL 32708
(407) 327-1500

I’m sorry I didn’t post sooner, but I was in Wisconsin, and have been both busy, and rather broken-hearted. I’m keeping my head up, and lots of people have expressed concern for me, and I know I’m not alone, as many people are broken-hearted over this.

That’s all I can really say at this moment, other than that I am home, and I am glad that I am, even though it means saying goodbye to Davey.

x-posted to myspace

Who needs that whole happiness crap anyway?

2008-06-06T16:21:54Z

So, I took an LJ vacation for a while.

I was really just avoiding the, "R and I broke up" post. It was me wanting us to be, at the very least, dating exclusively, and his not being ready for that in spite of all things he said about our future, such as me probably being the one he was probably going to marry.

Anyway, it was not a good break-up, really. And our attempt at being friends hasn't gone well either. In fact, not sure that's going to work out. To be honest, I don't really feel like talking about him, even though I'm kinda pissed at him right now.

As for where I am, well I feel like I was sucked in to R's whirlwind life and then spit out. So I've been reeling for a month or so. The good news is that I got a car! Kenny helped me pick her out, and she's the hottest car I've ever had. Her name is Karma, which I decided after I had a conversation with the previous owners and they mentioned karma. I think it's fitting because if you are good to karma, karma will be good to you. She is a '98 Nissan 200sx. She has a sunroof, the kind that opens all the way! She needs work, though I'm not sure to what extent. I'm really looking forward to taking care of her and fixing her up. I hope she lasts me a long time. I had this terribly scare that something was really broken but it turned out to be loose lug nuts, which Kenny fixed for me, cause he's pwns like that.

Having a car again has boosted my self-esteem and mood tenfold at least. I can now attend poetry events any damn time I want. And I have been. I've decided to come back to performing poetry, and even slamming. I won the Haiku/Senryu belt at Broken Speech. Scored so-so at the Fringe Poetry smack-down. Made $17, a beer, and 5 Fringe bucks at my two days doing the Poetry Vending Machine at Fringe. And my first regular slam, which was last night, kinda sucked, but what can I expect with a brand new poem finished minutes before the slam? It's ok. I plan to branch out beyond slam anyway. I'm constantly reminded why I chose to stop slammastering in the first place. Still, I missed writing and performing, so I'm going back to it.

That's all for now, but don't be surprised if there is more soon. Btw, if anyone has any, I-told-you-so's, just keep them to yourselves. Thank you very much.

Chart toppin' day

2008-03-30T04:34:56Z

Omigosh! What a day! I didn't want to get out of bed to go with R to get his hair cut but reluctantly I did. Once there I was able to get in and get my hair cut too. It's so cute! Quite short. Kinda an A-line bob, but not exactly.

Then we had food at Fiddler's Green and watched soccer. We meandered a bit and eventually wound up downtown...

...where I got a tattoo.

A black and pink nautical star on on my ankle. R got the same but larger and in red and black and on his shoulder.

We're at Austins right now, eatin', about to find our next adventure. Pics to follow soon, I promise.

Screw writing for the sake of artistic expression

2008-02-01T19:50:48Z

By the way, I just ran out for lunch after that last post and when I got in the car "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" was playing. I've been trying to avoid mushy love stuff, but that just made me chuckle.

And then I sang along and reminisced about Bill and Ted, who were spoken word performers, before it was a cool as it is now.

Later, they played "I'll Tumble For Ya'" by Culture Club. It's so much better to have stuck in head than hear this crappy redneck women song that's on right now in the office.

That's where the money is at though, isn't it? Writing an anthem? Like "I Will Survive". Or that timeless love song like "Unforgettable". Or a drinking song like "Friends In Low Places" or whatever the hell it's called. You know the one. Write that one song that will be requested at weddings, proms, karaoke, and places where drunk people gather, and is likely to be licensed for use to sell stuff and you'll be set for life.

Ha, if someone yells out in the bar or club, "OOoo, girl! That's my song!" then you know you've truly made it.

-edited to fix punctuation and typos

I'm not a hypochondriac

2008-01-25T01:24:06Z

So my sickness seemed to be improving, but I had been having some symptoms that concerned me, like possible kidney pain, so I called the doc and the nurse told me to come in. So far everything seems to be fine, other than my need for antibiotics for my nose. No sugar in my urine, though there was some blood, so there will be more testing. Doc didn't seem concerned. I'm glad I went though. I'm taking 3 medications and all of them come with risks as does being diabetic. When things seem weird, it's better safe than sorry.

I got to see Bing for the first time in a long time. He drove me to my appointment in Buster, his Geo Metro convertible. I've missed him so much. He's one of my dearest friends and we barely talk. So I'm happy that I got to see him and relieved that my kidney's don't seem to be failing or anything like that.

However, I did trip over nothing as I was walking toward my house, and did fall. In front of Bing but I'm sure he's seen that before. So now I am sitting with my leg up and an ice pack on it.

But hey, I lost another 6 pounds since my last visit before Thanksgiving, which is quite a feat considering how much I was eating over the holidays. Or maybe I should say how much I was overeating over the holidays. I've lost nearly 30 pounds over all.

Oh and we are going to renew the lease on our lovely condo for only an increase of $25 a month. That has to be the cheapest rent increase I've ever seen. And BTW, Tim has been pretty awesome lately, ton of pop cans on the desk notwithstanding. Yeah I called it pop. I've got midwestern, roots, whatcha gonna do about it?

I thought so.

I hope all of you out there are doing well. I don't like worrying about you. *hugs*

Sleeping Weather

2008-01-21T15:59:11Z

X-posted on the myspace.
I think I was inspired by some work by a friend of mine that I didn't know was so wicked good at this poetry thing. Check his stuff out at Perfect Sleeping Weather.

Here is a poem, or the beginning of one. Comment away.

Maybe it's lofty and trite of me.
but I like to imagine us as fireflies,
beating our wings so hard
that it looks like we're effortlessly
hovering in the sky,
smiling so hard
that it looks like we're glowing,
brightening up the night.

The little girl in me is whispering in my ear
about a plan involving a pickle jar habitat
with holes daddy punched in the top
so we can capture this moment
and place it on the nightstand
next to the bed
where we will sleep soundly
after tiring ourselves out
on lungs gulped full of night air
and dream under the glow
of the day's memories.

Of course

2008-01-04T13:46:06Z

I plugged in the heater thing and went about getting ready to start work and blew a fuse. This only effected my section of the office, where only I sit. Boss had to be called because blown fuse couldn't be located. Door to the snake/racoon room had to be opened. Brave and smart dispatcher located pesky fuse, but only after boss re-routed my computer cords to other side of the office.

Now I am cold, embarrassed, and apparently, nothing but trouble.

Please laugh at my misfortune, it's just too silly not to be funny.

holiday gift guide for your Dani O

2007-12-24T06:46:23Z

Since kenny_j asked, here it is, in no particular order:

Cheap white coffee table from Ikea

shelves

dvd shelf

wide, round ikea hangers

Tv for living room

game system (whatever, I’m not picky, Tim has a ps2)

gameboy ds

a dresser

magic bullet

bigger hard drive for desktop (bigger than 20 gigs, which is the secondary one)

rolling tray thingys like they have in hospitals

tv trays

bread maker

paper shreader

healthy food,

fitness stuff

stuff to help me cook more healthy foods (not cookbooks really, but interesting sauces and ingredients I might not be familiar with that are healthy and vegetarian)

digital keychain

any good adult swim dvd set (which means nothing involving tim and eric)

soundtrack to sweeny todd

creature comforts xmas dvd (the guy who did Wallace and grommet)

curse of the ware rabbit on dvd

*black* low rise socks (you know, the ones that just come up to your ankle? damn those are hard to find!)

big bath/beach towels

lighted make-mirror

bigger tool box or bag

magnetic parts dish

cool t-shirts in 2 or 3 x, such as the night of the living dead, john Hughes movies, stuff like that

Ani Difranco cd’s “knuckle down”, “reprieve” or “canon”

the great muppet caper

LEGO! Duh!

As always, remember that Dani O is not opposed to used, re-gifted, or hand-me-down items.

legomydani @ 2007-12-03T01:22:00

2007-12-03T07:49:16Z

Even though I haven't had that much time for shopping with my skillz, I still. Rock. I used this coupon (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the $5 coupon) to get 2 free boxes of Tylenol cold with the good decongestant. W00t. Then I got some Dove conditioner on clearance and then used a coupon for a final price of 19 cents. It’s norally about 4 bucks or so. Then I did the double dip of using a coupon from the Walgreens Easy Saver book with a Sunday insert coupon and got 2 big bags of some mint M&M’s for $1 each (there were on sale for $2.50 ea). And it seems like the mint M&M”s this year are, um, fatter. I guess that isn’t politically correct is it? Sorry, that are larger this year than I remember. Some where between regular size and mega size. *contented sigh* Oh how I love me some mint M&M’s…

Anyway, what else is going on? Let’s see. Did some cleaning. Some day I’ll be unpacked. I saw The Mist with Marko and Pete. It was the most disturbing and scary movie I have ever seen. It was very intense. I was not what I was expecting. I don’t want to spoil it but just be advised that there will be bugs and…um…it’s not gory, really, but there are some rather extreme moments of violence. If you go see it, then we can discuss how I think the ending sucks and I wouldn’t have done what they did because my survival instincts are too strong.

Also, Tim is awesome. Have I mentioned this? And he’s single, ladies. (Tim typed this over my shoulder… it’s true though. Really.)

Sinus infection is still holding it’s ground on the left side of my face. I’m taking huge pills that are likely to kill me because they are so massive. I might want to make sure I’m not alone when I take them in case I need the Heimlich. I don’t feel that bad, but my sinuses on that side do hurt. Other that that, need to make an appointment with a orthopedic doctor for my hand. I have growth between my thumb and index finger. It’s kinda like a bunion on my hand. I think that’s what they are called. It’s been there a while, but I’ve been having pain recently, so it’s time to get that checked out. Oh and I am I going to see and endocrinologist too. I might put that off until next year though simply because I’ve been taken way too much time off of work for this kind of thing. Plus it’s $25 a pop every time I see a doc. My insurance is expensive, but at least I’m getting a lot out of it.

I suppose there are some other things going through my head, but I should get to bed.

May your Monday's all be jolly.

legomydani @ 2007-10-25T17:39:00

2007-10-26T03:39:56Z

Ok, so this is a test of sorts. I've never posted from my phone before. I'm at the dead poet slam, and it's entertaining, to say the least. We are a rowdy bunch!

Hmmm, my battery is getting low, so consider this a test.

Auditions for Orlando Area Poets (x-posted on myspace)

2007-09-27T18:27:57Z

If any local poets haven't heard about the auditions Monday, please drop me a line (with your email in case I don't have it) and I'll send you the info.

More public details later, I just didn't think that the company organizing this would appreciate me broadcasting details all over the net.

I will say that having just pushed and pep-talked morphiagoddess into doing the Torrid Model Search, I have no real excuse not to try out for this poetry thang.

/end transmission.

There is where you either think I'm brilliant or crazy or both

2007-09-05T12:04:25Z

As I have mentioned in the past, I am concerned about my brain and my memory. For quite some time I have been thinking that something's wrong. Lately things are getting worse, and I've made two decisions. One, make a bigger effort to exercise my brain, and two, finally talk to a doctor.

That slightly aside, I went to bed last night after watching "LA Ink". In my dreams I was on some sort of reality show. But a cool TLC one, not some dumb fox crap. Anyway, I think the show was a D.I.Y. show because in it there was a dress, a black strapless number with "diamonds" dripping down on one side in vertical lines of graduated lenghts, and I modified that dress. I added pastel colored buttons dripping down the other side in lines of green clovers, yellow moons, pinks hearts, and orange stars.

Yes, you guessed it. I made a Lucky Charms dress! What brilliance!

Have you ever seen that episode of the Simpsons where Lisa thinks she is going to lose her intelligence as part of the "Simpson Curse"? I kinda feel like that right now. Thank you brain for reminding me that you are still there and still working! If I can come up with this in my sleep, imagine what I can still do when awake!

If I can create this (adding blue "diamonds", fake of course) I think I'd be able to sell it. This would appeal to Torrid shoppers I think. After all, didn't I see a Lucky Charms shirt in there a while back?

I think I need to create this, either as a dress or a top. I might have to create the buttons myself out of clay and paint them and such, but oh, OH, it's so worth it!

A Quick Check In

2007-08-21T16:23:20Z

Hello from Pleasant Prarie, Wisconsin.

The weather is crap. It's raining all the time and not very warm (by my standards). I'm having fun with the folks and BFF Renee. Already started shopping and got my hair cut (pics later). I lost my 7-day pill case and with it, about 6 days of meds. *grumble* I'm still hoping it will turn up before I leave. Thankfully I brought the bottles of meds with me because I needed more than just the 7 days. Anyway, I need to get ready to go hang out with a friend, but go read this post by once_upon about "gifted kids" growing up into adults that feel like they didn't live up to their potential.

Moment of Brilliance Amid Craptasticness

2007-08-10T21:26:19Z

I think I have now coined a turn of phrase:

Come to the fat side.
We have cupcakes.

Well, whatever. It amuses me and I need that today so there.

Free Will Astrology For Your Friday

2007-08-03T17:27:10Z

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) My friend Risa is brilliant and sophisticated. She speaks four languages fluently and understands the theory of relativity. So then why is she fascinated with bad reality TV shows like The Girls Next Door, which follows the lives of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends? How could she possibly enjoy monster truck rallies? What purpose is there in her encyclopedic knowledge of the toys favored by children in Kazakhstan, the diets of German racehorses and the clubs of Chinese women devoted to reproducing antique European lace doilies? As an astrologer, I don’t find this mysterious. I’m aware that for many Geminis, everything is potentially interesting, even information other people regard as trivial. It’s all raw data to be used in the infinitely fun game of playing with ideas. And that has never been a more apt description of your tribe than it is now.

Haha! Well said.

And for the record, I can't believe a guy like Hef would want to hang out with such young, immature, ignorant chicks just because they are hot. I mean, he's the Hef, couldn't get some more interesting and intelligent hotties? Maybe he really does have a lower opinion of women than I thought?

Of course, this is based on about 3 minutes of watching, so maybe I'm jumping the gun on this opinion. ;)

New Phone, Old Love, and My Father The Revolutionary

2007-08-01T06:32:32Z

I haven't posted much in a while so it's time to do just that and talk about some things that have been on my mind.

-My dad is a trip! I was talking to him on my new phone (more on that in a sec) while I was making dinner. I set the thing on speaker and just let him go on a bit, which he can do. And as always, he starts getting political. So I asked him why he never was big on protesting back in the 60's. He's never been arrested or even tear gassed! So he tells me one time he was in a protest. I think he said he was in California and walked out of his hotel room and protest being led by some actor from Bonanza (he knew the guy's name, but I forget) was going by so he walked along for while. Oh yeah, and during his one semester in college there was a small riot but he can't remember what it was about or if he ever even knew. He suspects it was related to the fact that the college locked the women up at night, which I assume means curfew. Dad cracks me up! He did say that nowadays he'd throw tomatoes at the White House if that's what it would take, or something like that, but now, as in most of his life, life gets in the way of all that. And I understand. He did raise a family and all that. Dad really feels that he's been somewhat of a victim of bad politics and policy. He tried so hard to get ahead but watched other people get promoted over him because the company wanted to fill a quota or because of nepotism. I think one of his early jobs that he had when I was a small child, he lost because the company moved operations to Mexico. Another was a smaller factory where nepotism and poor management kept him from advancing. Anyway, I'm glad I let him "go on", as it was a nice talk.

-New phone! I got a T-mobile MDA which is the same as the Cingular 8125, which is the same as a whole bunch of other phones for carriers in Europe and all of them are the HTC Wizard. It's a "SIdekick for grownups" that has a slide out qwerty keyboard, touch screen and built in wi-fi for surfing in places where there is free wifi. It's pretty nice. I bought a used one from Ebay and it's a little beat up, but I'm already getting attached. It's going to take some getting used to, as it's not a flip phone, in fact, there are no dedicated number keys. So... ok, it's a change. But OMG! WIFI! KEYBOARD! WINDOWS MOBILE! Ok, that last one didn't sound as good as I thought it would but hey, that means I could write and edit documents on the go and store them them on 1 gig mini sd. And that is good because...

-...I'm planning on doing more writing! I was talking to someone today and realized that I actually have some concrete goals with my writing. I want to finish "Bullfrog Dollar Bill", the book of poems and stories about my time working at the Truckstop, and the current head space I'm in coupled with a vacation back up there for a whole 8 days (I haven't been up there that long in quite a while) makes for prime writing time. I recently came across an old flame online (ok, fine, I typed his name into a seach, now quit giving me that look) whom I met while working at the truck stop and he is married and has two kids. It sorta had that slight jabbing feeling like you might expect at first when I, being single, see that the once love of my life has some of the things I wanted to have with him, but he has them with someone else. Dig what I'm saying? But what I didn't expect is that the person he appears to have become isn't someone I would see myself the slightest bit interested in. To be honest, his life seems kinda boring. I haven't actually talked to him, this is all based on his profile, so who knows, maybe if I ran into him somewhere I'd want to jump his bones or confess undying love to him in the produce aisle (because it's always the produce aisle, I'm not sure why, but perhaps it's the melons and bananas and other erotically suggestive fruit?) Or maybe he would be no more remarkable than any of the people that I interact everyday and never give a second thought to. To be honest, I'm torn about contacting him. I think I never fit into his world and I'd fit even less now even in a lesser capacity. I think even the mere presence of my face on his online friends' list would be too much for him.

Again, maybe I'm wrong, but at the very least, it's food for thought and compost for writing. :)

Funny thing, with all this talk about my truckstop days, I am reminded of that there is a driver at work that is quite a bit my senior and he's told me that if he were younger and single he'd be all over me "like white on rice". He's a former long haul driver and he curses like one. I know that doesn't sound nice- ok sounds vulgar and like harassment, but it's not. It's a compliment from a complex man with a wife at home that forgets who he is on her bad days but he loves her just as much on those days as he ever did, maybe even more.

Well, as always there is more to say but it's late. Just keep an eye on this space. You never know what might appear next.

This is much better said than the "WAKE UP PEOPLE!" that I would've come with

2007-07-06T15:57:45Z

Just in case you missed it, for all you ketchup kids out there like me who are always late to the party, a recent clip of Keith Olbermann pretty much stating, in a very eloquent and passionate way, how I feel about Bush in the wake of him commuting Scooter Libby's sentence.

From javabill and sashash and who ever else posted it first:

Celebrate Dani O's B-day Week @ The Aaron Nichols Benefit Shows! (x-posted)

2007-06-21T14:54:03Z

It's Dani O's Birthday Celebration Week and I will definitely be at the Saturday show (and Tijuana Flats Downtown beforehand for some lunchie munchies), and might make an appearance at the Sunday Show, so I hope you all come out and have a rocking good time with me while contributing to a good cause! My good friend Butch will be there playing with the Major Nelsons on Saturday (surf rock) and the Van Orsdels on Sunday (psychobilly). Both shows are all day (and into the evening) events so surely you can work some of this into your weekend!

I know this is a long post, but all the details you need about Aaron and the shows are here for you. And remember, celebrating my life requires my friends!

love/dani

PLEASE REPOST!!!!!!
This is SERIOUS.. Aaron and his family needs your help..

Hosted By:
The Backbooth and The Copper Rocket
When: Saturday Jun 23 andSunday Jun 24, 2007
at 2: 00 PM at the Backbooth and 4:00 PM at the Copper Rocket
Where:
The Backbooth, 37 W. Pine St., Orlando, FL. 32801 and The Copper Rocket, 106 Lake Ave., Maitland, FL. 32751

Description:
Come and see 2 kick ass shows and help out a kick ass guy!! Seriously!!!

Click Here To View Event

Saturday June 23
@ The Backbooth
1 pm
Man And Machines
The Ludivico Technique
The Major Nelsons
Last Shot From The Bottle
Eat The Elderly
In Violent Times
Small Scale Affair
Installing Chaos
Modern Day Escape

and then

Sunday June 24
@ The Copper Rocket
4 pm
Twisted in Graves
Van Orsdels
Rocket 88
Big Jeff Special
Old Style
Swirling Bees
The Crypt Creepers
Ryland Bojack
Mikey from LVG Crew

BOTH SHOWS ARE
$10 EACH
ALL AGES!

More info to come!!

Please Help Aaron and his Family!!!

Our friend and comrade Aaron "Maddog" Nichols was in a terrible car accident this past Sunday and currently resides in a coma at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Aaron is the former upright player for Orlando psychobilly band TWISTED IN GRAVES.

He's an all around swell guy and anyone who knows him will tell you the same. Our hearts go out to his friends and family. We wish him a quick recovery but the answers to the extent of his injuries are still up in the air.

So a fund has been opened to help his family out and ensure he makes it through this alright. If you're ever gonna help someone out, now is the time.

Keep up the prayers and if you would like to make a donation to support Aaron and his family while they stay at his bedside in Orlando you can wire funds to the existing bank account in Panama City, drop off a check or mail it to the bank at the address
below.

Payable to:"Benefit Account for Aaron Nichols"

Routing # 063200928 Check# 2501686601

Coastal Community Bank
635 East Baldwin Road
Panama City, Florida 32408

850-215-2265

Thanks to The Van Orsdels, for those of you who would prefer to send a donation via the internet can do so thru the following below...

you can send money the
AARON NICHOLS HOSPITAL FUND

by using the details below...
all donations will end up in the same place,
the Benefit Account for Aaron Nichols

Every little bit counts!!

My luck just couldn't hold out. :)

2007-06-20T02:53:09Z

Today was a nice day, full of well wishes. Office Manager bought me lunch, which I ate too much of, and cake. Mom called early this morning to wish me a happy one and sis materialized after a long absence to exchange some text messages with me. I totally want Waffle House now and it's all her fault. Feeling like the charmed princess continued when I won 2 tickets to see the Body Exhibit at the Science Center! With the one pass to the Orlando Art Museum that I got at the Fringe Volunteer Party (that I was late to and therefore entered no raffles at), it sounds like there might be an educational weekend coming up soon.

Since I'd made no plans yet, at first morphiagoddess and I were going to do a movie and dinner. But I wasn't feeling so hot so we tabled that idea for a later date. Then later I talked to Bing, who's been traveling a lot teaching dulcimer, and then made plans to go out to dinner with Jae and him, since he'll be gone over the weekend. But then, my sink overflowed, and the rest of evening has been and is still being spent on resolving that, complete with water under the rug. Thankfully it appears to be unrelated to anything Tim and I may have done.

All in all, I would have to say that today is quite representative of my life.

A good time, even if the penguin was a little creepy

2007-05-23T06:24:11Z

I'm about to be in bed, but I had to document my great night.

Tonight I:

-performed on the outdoor stage at Fringe. I resurrected "Cover Blind" because it's a fun poem with a nice point. Sadly, lately I've become aware of the fact that there are still so many people out there who think the cover is more important than it is. More on that later.

-got my early b-day present from Jae in the form of two tickets to see Celtic Women. I need a date now.

-spent time with David, the southern sweetie, who moved a smidge closer to boyfriend today.

-randomly got free tickets to see Jaws: The Musical. Didn't have to use Fringe Bucks! W00t!

-got the title to my car. You have no idea what a big deal that is to me.

Tomorrow David might bring me to work that fabled veggie wrap from Jax's that he keeps teasing me with. We'll see. All I know is that tonight made up for a lot of stuff that has been not so great lately. Yay!

I'm like that that little cloud on the Prozac commercial, except I medicate with chocolate

2007-05-20T08:19:03Z

Hello dear readers in LJ land *waves*.

I should be in bed, as I am Volunteering in the morning at Fringe and then probably Fringing after that. This is that time of year when Orlando just explodes in arts and culture goodness! Just off the top of my head I know that Florida Music Fest is this weekend, there's Fringe, Slam events, and who knows what else. Honestly, I think when Fringe happens the town needs to just shut it all down and come out. In honestly, I kinda miss the Fringe being downtown, but it's worth it to have real theaters and free parking. Seriously, I can't tell you all enough that you need to go! And Fringe still needs Volunteers! They will train you on the spot and you'll earn free admission to shows. Mmmm, mmm, how I love me some Fringe! Oh and on the weekends there is Pet Fringe and Kids Fringe.

And there is poetry at the Fringe this year. Tod is hosting a Fringe Poetry Smackdown on the outdoor stage and your own Dani O, who was unable to attend the Smackdown, is doing her own little feature on the same stage. I was so upset when I found out I couldn't do the Smackdown (scheduling conflict) so being able to do my feature thing makes me soooo happy.I'll be there Tuesday, 7-8 and next Sunday 8-9. I'm thinking maybe I should get a musician to back me. That would be hot.

Speaking of happy, it nice to be happy again. I went through a very sad period recently. I'm not sure what was going on with me. I think it might have been a very wicked case of PMS hormone induced depression. I say that even though I know that what set me off was something non-hormonal because the urge to cry was strong sometimes it just didn't feel like me. I was kinda sorta, not really seriously, dating someone and then he said some really mean and insulting things to me and I stopped talking to him. Even though I know better, I was suddenly feeling really down on myself and totally lacking confidence. I was starting to feel better and was excited about Fringe and some other things when he came back into my life. I've since forgiven him and we've been talking. I'm going to give him another chance. I know everyone would probably caution against that, but no one that ever rejected me or hurt me has ever come back and validated me like he did. I'm not going to get detailed about it, but he did tell me I was amazing and admitted he was looking for excuses not to date me. Now he wants a relationship. We're not quite there yet. But we'll see. For now, it's nice to spend time with him.

I will warn you that at first glance he comes off like a redneck on crack- or at least that is what I thought at first.You have to get past the accent and the fast thinking way he expresses himself. The first time I met him he had the Black Crowes on and it turns out that they are his fave band and so for me he put on a live version of Girl With Pawn Shop Eyes, which is one of my fave songs. He wants to learn how to play the Love Boat theme on guitar and he knows practically all the lines of The Breakfast Club. He's an artist, musician, and shit-talkin' philosopher who appreciates the challenge I present. He makes excellent bean tacos. Actually, we make excellent tacos, as we seem to make a really good team. When he lets down his jaded guard, he is in awe of life and the world around him. Like I am.

Anyway, moving on, I'm also happy that we have good food in the house. I bought a lot of quick food for my upcoming busy Fringe week and I also bought healthy stuff! I've got a bag of salad, a bag of spinach, oranges and other assorted fresh veggies. Today I made a big batch of veggie fajitas with zucchini, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onions, who's leftovers will help me keep eating healthy on the go. Definitely yay!

So, good food, lots of poetry performing, Fringeness, friends, and a southern sweetie feeding me german chocolate cake while enjoying the variety of programming basic cable has to offer, make this a good weekend.

legomydani @ 2007-05-16T12:15:00

2007-05-16T19:20:37Z

I know I haven't updated anything personal lately, and I'm sorry. Believe me, I want to. I just kinda feel like I need to really get it all out, which I never have time to do. Of course, that's pretty much standard Dani behavior.

Anyway, the time I haven't been around here I had been spending with someone new, and then being sad that it that relationship all went to shit. I've also been feeling crazy and moody, cheered up only by friends, freebies, and sharp shopping skills. Nothing brightens my day more than getting stuff free or almost free. Which is kinda depressing to admit, since you would think there'd be other things that would be more brightening. Even so, I continue to ROCK the shopping for cheap and free.

One of the things bringing me down has been the slam, which has been feeling much like a bad relationship I can't get out of. I still love slam but I'm not in love with slam anymore. Still, if I didn't care, I would have just walked away. Anyhow, I'm still the slammaster for now and still feel responsible for seeing the slam through to the end of this season.

So you see, when Beth Marshall, the Producer of the Orlando Fringe Festival requested that I perform at the Fringe outdoor stage and then set up valis429 to host the Fringe Poetry Slam Smackdown there, I was reeeally excited. But then we had scheduling issues with Natura and the only dates we could get, naturally, were the exact same 2 nights. That broke my heart. If you wonder why I'm getting so bitter about slam, there is clue right there. So much hassle and ultimately I have to concede to duty rather than self-fulfillment.

Well. Yesterday I attended the orientation for Volunteers for the Fringe and that made me quite happy. And today I got confirmation that I'll be able to do some shows by myself on the outdoor stage. That is really fabulous news! As soon as I get the schedule finalized, I'll be sure to post it.

If you don't know what Fringe is, or you have never been, you really should consider it.

From the website:

A 12 day festival that is founded on the concept of offering 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible theatre, music, dance, art and madness to all types and ages where 100% of the box office ticket sales go directly back to the artists within The Fringe. The Orlando Fringe is the longest running US Fringe.

In addition to the shows, there will be art at Visual Fringe, as well as a Pet Fringe and Kids Fringe! Complete with Pirates and Princesses.

And the Outdoor Stage is by the beer tent. :-D

There is one more volunteer orientation this Saturday. Volunteers get paid in Fringe bucks which can be used to get you into Fringe shows for free.

The remainder of this month is the hottest time of the year for the creative arts and events. So expect me to busy and to have lots of plugs and lists of cool things to do and see. In fact, I'll be posting a little later about the slams we are having this Saturday and next Saturday, so watch for that.

<begin Fringe squeeing!>

</squee>

Free Comics!!!!

2007-05-04T18:36:57Z

Free comic book day is tomorrow!!! Weeeee!

www.freecomicbookday.com