more sleep things that have been troubling to me: more than ever, I've noticed myself clenching my teeth very tightly in my sleep. there is possibly some grinding going on as well. it must be stress-related; it's incredibly frustrating. I've tried laying in bed and relaxing my jaw muscles and consciously thinking "do not clench" before falling asleep, but when I wake up with my alarm, my jaw is tensed tightly. I've also been having a lot of work thoughts as soon as I get out of bed or before I fall asleep at night. this is horrible to me. my job is but one iota of things that matter to me in life, it's interchangeable with any other job, it matters to me only in financial terms. but I find myself thinking, "I've got to call them first thing when I get to the office," or "I can't forget that this is due on Thursday," and it just makes me mad. yuck.

in happier news, I went to a show last night that I will remember as one of my favorite performances. it was Kevin Tihista's Red Terror opening for Ed Harcourt and I was in heaven. I could not believe how fucking good Ed Harcourt was, and I was left dumbstruck by both his powerful voice, instrument skills, witty banter, and overwhelming sex appeal. after the show, I spoke to him and he said he'd be coming back in May. I may have recovered by then. but not too sure. one of the best bits of the show was when he knelt at the edge of the stage, right at my table, and sang "I gave my love a cherry that had no stone...I gave my love a chicken that had no bone..." from Animal House, especially because he wasn't at the mic and only a few people could hear what he was actually doing. I melted.

I recently found out that one of my heroes, Elvis Costello, is coming to my town to do an in-store appearance and performance, and a free concert. as soon as I read it, my heart started pounding wildly. God how I love Elvis. I'm going to turn into a giggling little girl when I see him. and it won't be preventable. if I get to shake his hand, I may very well vomit all over him. I cannot wait.

I think it may actually be turning into spring sometime soon here. but I suppose I shouldn't jump to hopeful conclusions.