A Place to Hang My Hat

Hi. I'm Azja (pronounced like the continent - or as some people say "pronounced like the country" - but actually inspired after Dario Argento's daughter) Kathleen Dunham, and I will be coming soon to a nursery near you! Actually, maybe the nursery won't exactly be near you, but I will be coming soon (10 weeks now), and Mom and Dad finally have a nursery for me. Yay! So I'll tell you all about the weekend-long adventure they had with that project, but first I have to mention their relaxing anniversary celebration.

Apparently, five years ago last Friday (June 12) Mom and Dad got married. I wasn't around for that, but I did get an idea of what it might have been like from Aunt Dianna and Uncle Brenden's wedding. Same church, same reception hall, and same pre-party float. Not necessarily the same, really, but close enough for me to get a feel for what Mom and Dad's wedding was like. Mom and Dad have been really busy lately, however, so they didn't want to do anything extravagant for their celebration. Instead they wanted to relax in their favorite relaxing spot - the firepit area next our house. The grass Dad planted has grown really well, and he says the yard now looks better than ever. Even the wildlife creatures love it.

Dad says we have an army of squirrels and chipmunks out there, and he has even started seeing rabbits enjoying the new grass (pictured above). Which makes it more enjoyable for Mom and Dad, too. Like a little nature hide-away in the middle of town. So for their anniversary, Dad fired up the grill for the first time this season, threw on some marinated Delmonico steaks, and smothered them with wine-sauteed mushrooms. They then enjoyed their meal by the fire-pit with a bottle of Pinot Noir from Oregon. Because Mom is looking out for me, she hasn't had a drop of wine (or any alcohol) the whole time I've been in her belly. This was a special night, however, so Mom actually had a small glass in celebration of five years together with Dad. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it, too. I felt a little giddy for a while. And then they lit the fire and I was nice and warm.

And then they started a movie so I got some entertainment from Humphrey Bogart and a piano player named Sam. But not before their friends Jay and Hallie stopped by briefly. Dad had to show them some of the NIN/JA footage, so before being entertained by Bogart I was once again entertained by Trent Reznor and Tom Morello.

It was a nice little anniversary celebration, and I'm glad they chose to spend a quiet evening at home. It has been quite a busy time for them lately.

The next day began the nursery creation process. There is a room all the way at the top of the stairs that has always been used as a guest room. When I'm born, I won't be able to stay in Mom and Dad's room forever, so they need a room for me. The guest room, however, had the wrong walls, with the wrong theme, with the wrong things placed in the wrong extremes. Wrong! Sorry, Depeche Mode was playing in the background. Anyway, Mom and Dad had some changes to make.

They first ripped down all the wallpaper. Dad said it was a color known as "blue nightmare". It might not have always been called that, but it becomes that after the third hole in the wall is patched with an amalgam of patching compound and blue wallpaper (this patching job was all done long before Mom and Dad got in the house - they've just been blocking it out ever since). So when all the paper is ripped down, the holes need re-patching. But the dry-wall paper ripped off in spots, too, so the walls really just needed an overhaul. Mom and Dad accomplished this with mud. This was the kind of mud you buy in stores. I don't know how it differs from what Mom and Dad's yard used to be, but that's what they used. So the first step took quite some time (it was actually started a few days before Mom and Dad's anniversary, but I started the tale after to make it cohere). Because the wallpaper job was too hideous to even grace with the memory, the first 'before' pictures are after the mudding was complete:

Next came the painting. But first they had to protect and prepare everything. So they put blue tape around all the edges. Dad also used some of the film he made at work to cover the carpet. It's nice when you can actually use something you make at work for projects around the house (he used a different kind of film to make the fountain by the firepit). Then, to prepare for the painting they had to cover the walls in primer. During this process, Mom and Dad caught a glimpse of more wildlife out their back window. They had seen a groundhog out back before, but for the first time they were able to see that they actually have at least 3 groundhogs living out back (might want to click on this picture to blow it up):

A lot of people in Pennsylvania see groundhogs as pests, but Mom and Dad think they are cute and get excited every time they see one. After the mudding, they took a break to let it dry. They started watching the first season of True Blood and found that they were now hooked on a new show. The show is about vampires, and I haven't been able to figure out yet whether or not vampires actually exist. I've been trying to pay attention to the show, however, in case I need to know how to deal with them someday. Mom and Dad say the show is an interesting look at racism, but I didn't think vampires were considered a race. I have so much to learn.

Then it was back to work. They had to paint the bottom part first, wait for it to dry, tape the middle, then paint the top part. Here are some pictures of the top part drying:

Exciting, huh. Almost as exciting as paint - um, wait. Well, anyway, Mom and Dad were pretty excited about how it looked at this point. They thought it already looked much better, even with all the junk in the middle of the room. So after everything dried, they got to rip up all the tape and plastic and get to work on rearranging the room and assembling my crib. Yay! So to make a long story short, um, shorter, here's the finished product:

There's my crib! And there's the nice comfy guest bed for everyone that will be visiting in the months to come. Mom and Dad tried to make it extra comfy for you so you'll be able to relax while you're here (a comfy bed is important when the room is on the third floor). I guess that's it for now. Oh! I almost forgot. Mom and Dad were going to have some 3D pictures of me from this new Ultrasound technology, but I wasn't in the picture-taking mood. The first time they tried I just wanted to sleep. The second time they tried I was squirmy, but only before and after the ultrasound process. They almost got a picture of me, but I didn't like the angle, so I put my arms in front of my face. About all I let them see was me yawning and sticking my tongue out (and that I'm definitely a girl, but I could have told you that!). Mom and Dad, be patient! You'll see me when I'm born and you can take plenty of pictures then. Only 10 weeks to go! Until then, you know where to find me.

See you in August,
Azja Kathleen

I am a NIN/JA Warrior!!! (part 2)

Hey everybody! It's A---- Kathleen Dunham again with another tale of adventure!

Back in March, while we were on an airplane coming home from Vegas, the Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction Camden, NJ presale began. Mom and Dad wanted tickets very badly but could not get them while on an airplane. Grandma Vogt and Uncle Tom decided to help them out by clicking away like crazy the moment the sale started. Despite a power loss during the purchasing process, they were able to get us some great tickets. So Mom and Dad would first like to thank Grandma Vogt and Uncle Tom for their help. Then in May, Trent Reznor put an announcement on his page about an opportunity to meet the band. There is a 27-year old guy in Nevada named Eric De La Cruz who needed a heart transplant. He is on Nevada Medicaid, but there were no transplant centers in Nevada where he could have the procedure done. He needed to go to California to have the procedure done under the Medicare Disability program, but he was repeatedly denied because he was on the Nevada Medicaid plan. Therefore, if he wanted to have the procedure done to save his life, he would have to pay the approximately $800,000 out of pocket! So his sister started campaigning and doing all she could to get help. Trent found out about this and set up a program where you could donate a certain amount of money to help Eric and in return get to meet the band and watch the soundcheck. A win-win situation. So Mom and Dad donated and got put on the VIP list. (The donations ended up exceding $900,000, and Eric was able to go to California and have the procedure done - he is currently recovering in the hospital).

So Friday was the day of the concert. Because of Trent pushing for a relaxed recording policy, Mom and Dad were able to get some good pictures and video. So here's how it all went down:

Arriving in New Jersey

Dad took half a day off work so we could get there early enough. We were told that for the 'meet & greet' you needed to arrive by 2:30 at the latest. Since it was a rainy Friday, and Mom and Dad thought that didn't bode well for traffic they planned for at least 3 hours in the car. As it turned out, traffic wasn't that bad, so they got to the Susquehanna Bank Center at 1:30. We found a secret parking lot right by the entrance, but the guy almost didn't let us in. He said, "Where are you trying to go?" Dad: "We're trying to park for the Nine Inch Nails show." Parking guy: "The lots don't open until 3." Dad: "We were told to be here by 2:30 at the latest." Parking guy: "Are you here for the meet and greet?" Dad: "Yeah, where do we park for that." Then the parking guy said something about this being a private lot that we couldn't quite understand and ended with, "Go on in." So we got to park in the secret lot, but Dad could never figure out whether or not we were supposed to. Either way - free parking and right by the entrance! Yay! So then Mom and Dad got in line with all the other meet & greet people and waited. By 2:30 the people working there had already moved everyone around at least twice and put us out in the rain at least twice, but we found out later that this had actually created more organization than they had ever had for these things (they said most of the time people just group into a big circle, and it turns into a mess). This was good because of the time limitation we found out about later. At 2:30 nothing happened. Then at around 3:15, a lady came around to give everyone their tickets and verify their donor status. Everyone got excited because things were starting to happen now. At around 3:45, they let everyone inside and started counting us off into small groups for the meet & greet. Dad got a picture of Mom around this time smiling because we were finally in the building at least. We then found out that everything had been delayed because Nine Inch Nails got stuck in traffic due to the rain. Guess they should have left early like Mom and Dad did. Then, everyone got excited as they watched the members of the band walk through the lobby in front of them and into the greeting area. It was time to meet the band!

Hi, I'm Robin

Dad has been excited now for a long time about this whole 'meet & greet', and he had been trying to think of something to say to everyone in case he got the chance to talk. He planned out what he'd have signed and by who and even picked up a couple things he might give to people in the band if he got the chance. Mom was mostly just excited to see Trent. Her favorite album (besides the 2nd disc of '...And All That Could Have Been' and the 'N-Sides' disc Dad made for her a long time ago) is 'The Fragile', so she was going to have that signed. Dad's favorite album was 'The Downward Spiral', so he was going to get that vinyl signed, along with the 'Closure' DVD he made. On the Closure video there is a part where Robin Finck (guitarist) hurts his finger. It never fully explains the injury, however. Dad was going to ask Robin what happened. Upon walking into the dimly lit, soothingly ambianced lounge (with Portishead's 'Third' playing in it's entirety) Dad finds Robin at the front of the table. He says, "Hi, I'm Robin." Dad is so nervous and excited he barely gets out, "I'm...um...Erik," and then hands Robin the Closure DVD to sign. Robin said, "Wow I didn't know they made a DVD of this!" Dad says, "Yeah, um, seed0 - who I think is either Trent or Rob - posted it, and I made a DVD package for it. Since you were on this tour I wanted to bring it for you to sign." Robin smiled and signed it and then there was kind of an awkward pause. This was where Dad should have been keeping the conversation going by asking about Robin's finger on that tour. Instead, Dad was just kind of staring and nervously smiling. Then he finally said something like, "On that tour you were....um....like the footage of you on this...um...I mean, you were...um...just awesome." Dad said it was like Chris Farley in the old SNL sketch where he is an excited fan interviewing celebrities. Yeah, it was pretty uncomfortable even being around this nervous exchange. Robin just kind of half-smiled and said, "Thank you," and Dad moved on to Justin Meldal-Johnson (bassist). Dad handed Justin the DVD, barely able to talk at this point and said, "I know you weren't on this tour, but I figured it would still be cool...um...you know, to like sign...um...cause it's all about the live experience." Justin smiled - very nice guy - said, "Yeah," and signed the DVD. Dad didn't know what else to say. He had originally thought about mentioning Justin's time as the bassist for Beck, but all his previous notions about what his nervous mind would allow him to utter coherantly had been obliterated by this point. Next in line was Trent Reznor, Mister Nine Inch Nails himself. Dad handed Trent 'The Downward Spiral' to sign and said, "Thank you so much for everything you've done for your fans." Trent said, "Thank you," and then Dad actually got the nerve to keep talking. "So I was curious about whether seed0 was you or Rob," as he showed Trent the 'Closure' DVD. Trent said, "Oh, well, that was kind of a bunch of people that were, um - wait - I mean, I don't know what you're talking about," and kind of smiled (the Closure DVD had been stuck in legal limbo through the studio for a long time, so someone involved with NIN had finally released the 2-DVD set as a download on The Pirate Bay without making any official references to NIN). Dad was happy that he had finally said something half-way clever or interesting at this point. But then came Ilan Rubin, the new 20-year-old drummer. Dad had figured he'd have everyone but Trent sign the DVD (since Trent was the only one who had actually worked on 'The Downward Spiral' album). The problem was that only Robin had actually been on the tour depicted in the DVD. On top of this, the new drummer Ilan was only 5 or 6 at the time the tour was going on. And Dad was so nervous about finally talking to Trent, he was totally unprepared for saying anything to Ilan. So he hands Ilan the DVD and says, "Um...I realize you were really young, um, at the time, um, but...um...if you could....I mean...um - it's something to sign." Ilan just says, "sure," signs it, and Dad just kind of walks off out of embarrassment for his failure to form an actual sentence.

So then Dad gets out the camera so he can take pictures of Mom getting her vinyl signed by Trent, but he has problems taking pictures because he is shaking uncontrollably. He posted the pictures he did manage to take, though. Mom fared better, as Trent actually started the conversation with her. She had handed him a gold glittery sharpie to sign the album, and he said, "Oh, it's the rare gold sharpie!" Mom smiled, "Yeah." He signs the album and notices her belly. "When are you due?" Trent asked. Mom said, "at the end of August, we'll have a little girl." Trent smiled and said, "We'll have to play some good songs to get her to dance." Mom was excited about her exchange, and she almost forgot that Ilan was next. As she went to hand him her ticket to sign, she held the album against her chest. As she was walking away she realized the importance of letting ink dry before letting it come into contact with other objects. The signature was smeared! She told Dad, and he started laughing and said, "Oh man, well I guess it is personalized." Then Dad looked at his album and realized he had done the same thing. Amazing what you don't think about when you are really nervous.

Then we all got together with the band for a group picture. We were going to stand next to Robin in the back until we realized that Robin is really tall, which is probably why he chooses the back. We wouldn't have been in the picture. So we got over on the side next to Ilan. Dad had tried to at least snap a picture of Robin before they moved, but he was still shaking and couldn't get the focus right. Their new camera apparently does not have a 'nervous excitement' setting. Before finally leaving the room for the next group to enter, the girls all get in line to try to get a hug from Trent, and Dad takes the opportunity to embarass himself one last time. He sees Robin right next to him and says, "Robin." Robin turns around and Dad holds up the white shutter-blind 80's glasses he bought at the bowling alley the week before, "I brought these for Trent just in case he forgot his for the show." Robin kind of looks confused and says, "Okay." Dad goes on to explain himself (trying to point out that these are the glasses Trent wore on his April Fool's Day joke album cover Strobe-Light), "You know, um, from the uh latest...from his new um...the album that um...," and trailed off as Robin heads back over to the table. Dad then turns around to see that Mom is too far back in the line to get to hug Trent before they kick us out of the room, so Dad tries to at least snap another picture of her with Trent in the background. His hands are extra shaky at this point, having completely blown his last exchange with Robin, and the picture is a blurred mess. Mom and Dad left the room with the group and anxiously awaited sound-check. At least we got to meet the band. And Trent said he'd play some songs for me!

They Keep Calling Me!

Next it was time to go out to the stage and watch the sound check. Since we were the first group through, we got to get up by the rail. Actually, there weren't enough donors to really make much of a crowd anyway, but we still were able to claim a rail spot without having to try. Dad said it would have been amazing to see the show from this distance, but it also would have been extremely dangerous and tiring (the pit area for Nine Inch Nails shows gets pretty wild). Definitely not a place for pregnant women! Which made it all the more special for Mom to be able to watch a couple songs from here during the sound check. The band came out, and Trent apologized for things being cut a little short. He said there was too much hugging and not enough sound-checking. They then played 'The Good Soldier' and 'Dead Souls'. Dad was really excited about the latter, as it was one of his favorite songs from 'The Crow' Soundtrack and a song rarely played in concert. Up this close it was really loud, and I could feel the bass actually moving through Mom. Dad said it was kind of surreal seeing Trent up this close with such a small crowd, and Mom was excited that she was given a safe way to see Nine Inch Nails perform up close. Dad attached a video of 'The Good Soldier' he shot from the sound-check below (not attached yet, will attach as soon as the uploading issues can be overcome).

After the sound-check, everyone was taken out to the lobby, where they could hit the merch counter before the general public was allowed in the doors. Dad got a 'Wave Goodbye' tour poster, a patch for his guitar case, and a onesie for me once I'm born. My first NIN shirt. I don't know if I'll like the band when I grow up, but right now I have to say I'm a pretty big fan. I mean, how many big bands out there right now actually make onesies for their fans to buy in the first place? Trent must be thinking about kids. Mom and Dad say he is getting married this summer to the singer of 'West Indian Girl'. Mom calls her Queenie - says Queenie is making Trent all lovesick and vulnerable. Dad says this may be the reason he's calling it quits on NIN for a while. Either way, I'm glad I got to be here for the last tour.

We're Not Just a Band, We're Also a Social Club

Next we went to our seats before the opening band came on. They were called 'Street Sweeper Social Club', and the lead singer (by the name of Boots) must have said the name about 20 times during the performance. He would say, "We're Street Sweeper Social Club - we're not just a band, we're also a social club." Then Mom and Dad would laugh and say, "What was their name again?" After which Boots would say, "We're Street Sweeper Social Club." I know I'll never forget the name, so it must have worked. Their guitarist sounded an awful lot like Tom Morello, the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine. Boots said that this was because their guitar player was M-F- Tom Morello! That was fine by me because he played some amazing guitar. I don't know much about playing this instrument, but I do know he sounded quite skilled.

The Day The Whole World Went Away

There was a short break, and then the great moment when the whine of Robin's guitar started and everyone started cheering. The Nine Inch Nails show had begun with 'Home', a vinyl-only track off 'With Teeth'. Dad got out his video camera and started getting some footage. None of the video camera footage is in this post, but eventually he'll probably put it on YouTube. He also got some pretty good pictures, and they are in this post. Dad said it was an amazing show, and he especially liked that they played 'The Downward Spiral', 'Heresy', and 'Mr. Self-Destruct'. Mom was happy that they played 'The Day the World Went Away'. Trent kept making mistakes, but the only person who seemed to care about this was Trent. He apologized and said his head was somewhere else. Mom said he missed his Queenie. He must have felt pretty bad because he played some very rare songs, even for this tour ('The Line Begins to Blur' hadn't been played at all this tour). When the show was over, Mom and Dad sounded extremely happy and satisfied. They then sat and talked for a while while the stage was being set for the last band of the evening.

Jane Says...

The last band to come on was Jane's Addiction. Mom and Dad had been joking all day about whether or not the guitarist Dave Navarro would take his shirt off during the performance. It seems that this Dave guy is a really good guitarist but was also known for either being pretty or thinking he was pretty, I couldn't tell which. Anyway, he is known for taking his shirt off, possibly to show off his tattoos, piercings, and physique. Mom and Dad thought the idea of one's gimmick being the removal of one's shirt was humorous. Jane's came out playing 'Three Days', and Dad said the stage setup was really cool. There were giant joker-faced naked ladies on the back of the stage, and on the front of the stage was a curtain that would sometimes be lowered to play video clips like naked ladies dancing or 'Natural Born Killers'. Mom thought the lights were really pretty, too. Nine Inch Nails were usually known for their elaborate light displays, but this time they were very basic, while Jane's had the pretty stage setup. Dad got some pictures of this performance, too. He said Perry (the lead singer) was quite energetic, and Mom said he was rather freakish. She thought the combination of Dave and Perry resembled The Devil and Death (or maybe just a skeleton). Mom was kind of tired and sat through much of the performance, but Dad stood and watched them play all the hits like 'Mountain Song', 'Been Caught Stealin', and "Ted, Just Admit It...' I really liked their upbeat sound, and, as I was getting a second burst of energy, started dancing through part of the show. Mom was surprised that I seemed to dance more for Jane's than NIN, but Jane's is easier to dance to. NIN mostly makes me want to kick. Maybe I'll try out one of those 'mosh pits' someday. Oh, and as you might be able to see from the pictures, Dave did eventually take his shirt off. Dad said it wasn't so much that Dave took it off, but rather the beauty of Dave's chest unfettered the restraints and melted the shirt around him. I think he was joking. I don't think that is actually possible. If it is possible, however, I hope he got some video footage. I'd like to see that someday!

Jane's closed with an acoustic version of 'Jane Says', and Mom and Dad made their way to the car. They were pretty tired, and so was I. I slept while Dad made the 2-hour journey home. I had dreams of Dave Navarro's beauty lighting up the world with purple and orange glowing majesty. Not quite visions of sugarplums, but I have no idea what those are anyway.

Keep on rockin' til August - I'll see you then,

A. Dunham

I am a NIN/JA Warrior!!!

Today we will meet Trent Reznor and his band. They will then perform and then wave good-bye. This will be followed by a Jane's Addiction performance. Trent has relaxed the video/camera policy, so Dad will get lots of pictures and video. Check back later this weekend for the full details of the show. All I can tell you right now is that Mom and Dad are crazy excited. Crazy excited.

A. Dunham