Wednesday, April 22, 2009

brimingham alabama, i love to love you

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tonight we are in birmingham alabama. it is amazing here, the venue is mind blowing, the roadkill (armadillos!) is fascinating, and the weather feels so good.....80's. the venue has set up an amazing secret compound to host the bands in the back of the venue, complete with airstream trailers, astro turf, lawn furnitures, christmas lights, records, bamboo fencing, movies galore, tofu and rice and red wine and miller hi life.
it is so good here we want to just stay forever.

while, until i leave for denmark that is.

each band gets their own airstream and right now we are all hanging out in the alabama moonlight listening to the night birds and eating a real meal.

consider myself refreshed!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

paper chain paper mate

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nothing like a good old fashioned beautiful paper chain to help ease a count down of days.

in my case i have 28 links to go. . . .

tomorrow i am going to make one to drape around in our car.

Monday, April 20, 2009

a month away


Ice-Cream-Cones
Originally uploaded by jamiehlyw
i want to give you everything i can.
you are amazing.

"ain't this just like the present? to be showing up like this?"

Sunday, April 19, 2009

waiting for me at my new life

the hot air balloon i drew jean-marc when we first met, letters i wrote to him hanging on the wall, the same comforter i had in seattle which he bought to make me feel at home, my sunshine twinkle plush i have had since i was a baby, love love love, in the loft, above (our!) apartment,

Omaha, Nebraska, Sunset. .





nebraska, the good life


nebraska, the good life
Originally uploaded by jamiehlyw

Saturday, April 18, 2009

montreal, vermont, boston, new york, philly!

hey everybody.

its 3 am in philadelphia and the night birds are chirping, i just had an avacado lemongrass bath bomb experience that blew my mind, and we are trying to upload some videos off my camera onto my computer. sadly, i still can't post photos because i can't seem to get the internet on my computer, only on damiens, but soon. last night we were in new york, and it is safe to say, i am not a fan. thick air, noise everywhere, horrible traffic, and a lot of attitude.

however, today we spent a whole day in philly. it is amazing here. so amazing. i am in love. the row houses, the food, the people all over, the dogs! the babies! everywhere you turn there are nice, friendly people just doing their thing. it was 85 degrees here today and it felt so good to be in the sun, walking around, eating food, and getting to actually spend some time outside of the car. the show was at a very old chapel, and there were actually two shows. an early and a late show, and they both were very beautiful. i met the owner of burnt toast records, and also one of the brothers from danielson family, who are friends with damien. everyone just seemed happy to be in philly loving the spring weather

it almost felt like summer, as i had some cherry water ice, and a giant stella artois out of a paper bag in the front lawn, then made a little nap zone in one of the big old rooms of the church next to huge historic windows with birds chirping loudly and floral notes coming in the windows. it was just a very very wonderful day, and even though we went to bed at 6 am and woke up around 1 pm before we started the day, it still felt long and full and lovely.

much, much better than last night in new york. i missed jml so much i cried my eyes out (literally) almost the whole night, sobs and all. then we went to some vegan soul food restaurant and i cried into my hummus and cried into the car, where we promptly decided to get the hell out of there. and make our way here.

to lovely lovely philadelphia! to my favorite place on tour so far, and my favorite day and show so far.

everyone should come here and spend some time.

tomorrow, i swear, photos....
and we go to vienna virginia!

goodnight.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

MY BRUSHFIRED FACE

so, i was just flipping through my moleskin book looking for some lyrics to a song on the cd's i am burning, and i found this song i wrote in the winter, amidst all my awful times. the song refers to "caught in the trees", meaning it was written for damien after he and sarah had been there for me helping me and taking care of me. i don't really remember even writing this, or where it came from, but it is interesting to see it now. we are in such a better place, off and a trip feeling happy and hopeful and both in love with very special people. it just goes to show you, if you hang on tight, it will get better, and you will come down from the mountain.

MY BUSHFIRED FACE :12/4/08

but if you are caught in the trees
and i am stuck in the woods
and if i had a plan
if i had a plan
i may take action if i am not protected
by your overcoat
no lanterns
no signals

you are caught in the trees
and i am buried in the soil beneath
rapid pulse and a shuffled gate
and i made a plan
i made a plan
and i could hear you
wringing your hands
caught in the trees
with your slashing, rapid pulse
dialated pupils
no lanterns
no signals

you were caught in the trees
and my body grew weak
underneath near a trunk
i was down in the brush
waiting in your overcoat
rapid pulse and tearfullness
about to light the match
i had a plan
i had a plan
to make you a lantern
and free you
from the trees
if you could not save me
then i would not let you go unprotected
a lantern for you, from me, from my shuffled gate
my rapid pulse, my brushfired face, my tearfullness
and dialated eyes, you could see them on your way out
oh i had a plan
and i got you out
but i took with me your overcoat

and you could not protect me
from my brushfired face and the crackle of the trees
oh you could not protect me
i had a plan to make you light
oh friend, oh friend of mine.
oh ghost of mine
oh i will not let you go unprotected

asleep in Toronto

we pulled into Toronto late last night, both tired, hungry, and sad. i am feeling heartache because someone i love lost someone they love, and i wish nothing more that i could be there to hug and comfort this person, it has been on my mind non stop and i feel helpless. we both fell into deep sleeps last night, (not usual for us) because we were so tired. i didn't even wake up until 2 pm today, which was amazing because it is our first day staying two nights in the same hotel so we didn't have to be awake to check out. when i woke up we made our way to the whole foods and had some salad for lunch, came back to the hotel, and while damien was checking his emails i fell asleep again, on accident, for 3 hours.

i decided to stay home from the show tonight and catch up on rest and alone time, emails, making cd's, plucking my eyebrows, etc. there is chocolate cake on the room service menu and i am really fighting hard against ordering some. i would if i had the canadian money to, but i don't. instead i am filling up an epsom salt bath, sorting thru all my dirty and clean clothes, burning HLYW cd's (which are for sale thru the internet, as well as at all these shows) and maybe even just give into going back to sleep. it will be 10 days until there is another day off, so i think now is the time to take care of any loose ends. although, the drake hotel, where damien is playing right now, looked incredible, and toronto is beautiful and HUGE. i guess you win some and you lose some, and today i would rather just take care of myself and replenish for the next 3 weeks.

we are never near good internet, so photos are still going to have to wait, but very soon your mind will be blown by our orb and ghost photos. we are obsessed!

i am off the the bath and the giant tv! godbless the comfort inn.

"with eskimo eyes, new baby on my back. but i didn't count the fact that i have ghosts in my mind, stowaway, great ghosts of my life, great ghosts of old wives, and they are howling..."

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Omaha, Iowa City, St. Paul, Chicago, Bloomington, Ann Arbor and to bed!

hello

so much has happened in the last days that at this time (3 am eastcoast) just checking into our hotel in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it will be hard to recount details. especially since all i want is to snuggle with my stuffed sheep and sleep for a few hours before we head to Toronto tomorrow, then to Quebec/Montreal, then back into the US into New York on friday. we are hoping the border patrol people aren't complete jerks, and don't hold us up for hours.

in the last few days we have traveled between Omaha to Iowa City, to St. Paul, to Chicago, to Bloomington, and today a show in Ann Arbor. Our drives have ranged from 4-6 hours a day, with longer times in the car for stops and random errands and all that lost time that we can't seem to find. in Omaha, we started taking some ghost hunting photos and got a bunch of photos of orb's at a funeral home in the middle of the night, not to mention some weird lights and a glowing ghost mans figure in the glass....this, is true. but even better, is that in st.paul, we visited a graveyard in the middle of the night to snap some photos, and got a full blown face of a man floating in the trees....it scared the absolute shit out of us, and i am still adrenally fatigued from the excitement, therefore i have not been able to bring myself to even post the photos of all the weird paranormal activity, because it is going to start a whole frenzy of questions i can't answer....other then, people, there are other realms, and damien and i are tapping into them somehow.

in Iowa, i got to see 2 really old great friends which was nice. in Chicago, we stayed with the owner of Southern Records above the warehouse in his amazing apartment, which hosts bands all the time and was very very comfy and FULL of records and weird little collections. in Chicago i finally also found my pink cork platform sandals (guilty pleasure for summer), and bough them and went into whole foods and got so many comments i got self conscious and had to take them off. i will try again soon. in Bloomington, last night, we stayed with chris, one of the owners of Secretly Canadian, and met the whole crew from the label who came out to Russian Recording Studios to see d play. they were all so very nice, and again, an amazing apartment full of records and cd's. this morning we were invited to easter brunch with their mother, and it was really sweet and cute, and delicious. then we drove here to have our secret easter bunny exchange with laura and her band.

both of our favorite fan, calvin (almost 9 years old!) and his dad shane, drove all the way from ohio to see damien and meet me, they have even flown into the UK to see d play. they were so kind, and calvin just sat up front hypnotized by damiens music. he was so cute, and really silly and tomorrow we are hoping to have breakfast with them before we head into canada. we got him a little easter basket and he was so bashful. he brought me the sweetest thing, a buckeye nut that is supposed to keep you safe while you travel, so from now it will be in my pocket.

i am missing my love very, very very much, and am frustrated with the lack of internet and the fact that i can't call europe from my cell phone. i tried to mail him a package the other day, and they said it would be a few HUNDRED dollars, for something weighing less than a pound. so i asked them to mail the letter, and they wanted over 40 dollars for that. . . insane. we have yet to find a post office for regular good old stamps, but i am hoping to soon. then i can send all the letters i have been writing and send my friends and family postcards, like a good old fashioned person on the road should.

well, it is time for sleep. there is so much more to show and tell, but it's going to have to wait just a little bit longer until i have more time.

i hope everyone had a good easter and is full of candy bunnies!

today, i am finally tired after many late nights. although i get naps in the car, i am hoping the next few nights are a little earlier and a little less ghostly.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

summer in the kingdom of denmark

today we are in omaha, arriving early to relax in the hotel. all i can think about is what is coming to me in the next few months, and the next chapter of my life. especially, my first scandanavian summer, and my first summer being in love. there are so many things i want to do with him and give to him and share with him, i can't wait to fly into denmark and see our new home, and spend our first summer together riding matching bikes, having nightly picnics, baking fruit tarts and strawberry cakes, shopping at the outdoor markets, and laying around on the beach.

"you, you are mine, so i never would mind that i work so hard in my arms, just to give you an airplane ride....."
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Monday, April 6, 2009

swimming in snowy nebraska

today was our first day off! it was very relaxing, and we spend time browsing toys r us looking for tomagachi's or a furby (my prize for selling over $400 in merch). unfortunately, they do not make furbies anymore, so we have to look on ebay or craigslist. i am missing my love terribly, and i thought of him all day long while we drove around. we drove for about 4 and a half hours from colorado into nebraska, we are staying a few streets away from buffalo bill's ranch, and tomorrow we may go check it out. we listened to the 50's station on xm radio, and decided everyone was madly in love in the 50's and all they did was sing about it, song after song after song. we found a whole foods and chowed down on some big salads, bought some veggies and hummus, kombucha, functional detox juice, brain water, bulk prunes, bulk almonds, candied ginger, CoQ10, B6, Folate, and Calcium supplements, as well as some selenium. we are fine tuning our brains. tonight we are at the comfort inn and as soon as we arrived i went for a swim and it felt amazing, especially after i had dreams about swimming in a lake last night, as well as large strawberry trees, which were magical and i wish i could show you what they looked like. again, i napped in the car for 2 hours, and am feeling more and more rested as the days go by, which i think is the opposite of how people normally feel on tour. but we are both relaxed and enjoying every little detail of our days, meeting neat fans and seeing beautiful things everywhere.

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velour, babies in the sky, utah, rocky mountains, denver

velour, babies in the sky, utah, windmills, the coal umbrella, rainbows and farms, trains, rocky mountains, colorado, coming into denver...
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etc, etc, etc.

crackerbarrel, rocking chairs, apple snack, loves, car naps, songwriting,
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