January 10, 2001

Wow. I haven’t written about my life on coolgrrrls for so long, I don’t know where to start! But you know how it is, when events in your life change so rapidly, you can’t catch up! But that’s what life’s about, right? Change, change, change.

I finished school and I am (or was) heading into the first semester of my senior year at Georgia State University. Then, all of that changed. I visited my parents over the holidays (in sunny Fort Myers, Florida) and they asked me if I wanted to move near them! They’re getting older and my parents (unlike so many other people my age) are my best friends. I decided that I want to move down there but the move isn’t without consequences. If I move there, some of my school credits won’t transfer so I’ll be a year behind. AND they don’t even have my major where at the university that I’ll be going to in Fort Myers (there’s only one). And I’ll be moving away from all my friends here in Atlanta...which makes me one sad girl. But I have to look at the bright side: I’ll be in sunshine ALL the time, I’ll be five minutes from the beach, I’ll be so, so close to Miami and Tampa and Orlando (which, by the way, are the U.S.A.’s dance/club/electronic music capitals...it’s where it all started!), and I’ll be close to my parents. It’s just so sudden and out-of-the-blue that I haven’t had time to think. So...in May or June, look for the new coolgrrrls Florida@nite grrrl!

So, I withdrew from school this upcoming semester and I’ll be working full-time at Barnes and Noble. I found out that the new litgrrrl works at Barnes and Noble! You know, you’d think that only bookworms and nerds would work at a bookstore but it’s not true! First, look at the new litgrrrl and me! Well, okay, maybe I AM a bookworm and a nerd (I can only speak for myself) but not in the traditional sense! I guess I’m nerdy because I love to read and philosophize and actually THINK (and I LOVE the musical "Sound of Music") but I don’t go around wearing pocket-protectors and 4-inch-thick glasses. See, I’m getting all defensive—maybe I AM a nerd! Speaking of Barnes and Noble, I just finished a book by my favorite author, Milan Kundera. It’s entitled "Identity" and it’s a must-read! I’m wondering if the new litgrrrl has read it?? It’s about the distortion of identities in yourself and others. Ever thought the person closest to you was not who the seemed to be? That’s what Kundera ponders in his book. Of course, it’s the typical Milan Kundera...he questions everthing, even the mysteriousness of the eyelid brushing over the eye with a blink. Here’s an excerpt:
"And he [Jean-Marc] goes on thinking: puttering in His workshop, God stumbled onto this body form to which we must each become the soul for a short while. But what a sorry fate, to be the soul of a body cobbled together so offhandedly, whose eye cannot do its looking without being washed every ten, twenty seconds! How are we to believe that the person we see before us is a free, independent being, his own master? How are we to believe that his body is the faithful expression of whatever soul inhabits it? To be able to believe that, we’ve had to forget about the perpetual blinking of the eyelid. We’ve had to forget the putterer’s workshop we come from. We’ve had to submit to a contract to forget. It’s God Himself who imposed the contract on us."

Guess you’ll never look at another’s eye movements the same again, huh? Only Milan Kundera can take such trivial things such as the blink of an eye and turn it into something of significance.

Okay, onto more lighthearted things: my birthday. My birthday (December 6th) was one of the best birthdays I’ve had since my 18th. Lunarmagazine.com asked me to interview one of the most prolific and best producers out there in dance music: Timo Maas. He was playing in Atlanta for the first time ever one my birthday and I interviewed him! Everyone please read it! It’s at www.lunarmagazine.com on the homepage. Then, that night, the Timo Maas event was my self-proclaimed birthday party too! People I didn’t even know (who have seen my face on lunar magazine and coolgrrrls) were telling my ‘happy birthday’. It was wonderful! Timo’s DJ skills and choice of music weren’t nearly as good as the musical productions he’s made but all in all, it was a perfect night!

The BEST party was Cass on December 10th. People not in the electronic music scene won’t know who this guy is but he’s from the infamous Cass and Slide. The make the most amazing music. Music that takes you to another level. Luckily, he’s really good friends with my boyfriend’s best friend, Sean McClellan. Sean and I picked up Cass from the airport and from then on, it was one big party. We spent time with him at his hotel and went to eat with him at Nakato (a Japanese restaurant). Beautiful guy, both in personality and looks. Get this: his full name is Cassius Cutbush. You can’t get a better name than that.

When he played that night at the Chamber, I seriously think it was the best show ever played in Atlanta. He is a mastermind and a GOD. It’s difficult, when you’ve become (somewhat) a friend to someone like Cass, to want to get down on your hands and knees and worship him. There is no one that can DJ like him or make music like him. If you ever see him on a flyer in the city you live in...GO SEE HIM! You will come out of the club with your mouth wide open, in awe.

This New Year’s Eve was less eventful than last year. Last year, some friends and I went to Time Square in NYC and on New Year’s Day, we went to see the DJs, Sasha and John Digweed, at Twilo ($100 a ticket, thank you). It was so chaotic. So this year, we went over to a friend’s house and drank WAY to much champagne and stayed until 5am. Of course, my friends and I watched the ball drop in New York City and reminisced about last year but it was still fun to relax with friends. I’m going to miss that in Florida (tear)...

See, I’ve already run out of time! I guess that’s what happens when you work full-time. I’ll be writing another update soon!
much love and good times to all of you,
xoxo,
shannon

October 6, 2000

Hello everyone out there! Let's start out with the celebrity portion of my update. Did anyone catch the VMA music awards on MTV. I'm not really sure why I watch it... it's not like they ever have any of the musicians that I like on there. I doubt I'll ever see the day when I tune into the VMA music awards and I hear, "...and the winner is... Sasha! For his music video, "Expander"! Yeah, right. But it is interesting to watch the awards anyway.

You know, I'm not totally in an electronic music shroud. I do listen to mainstream music... well, sometimes. I really like Eminem because he doesn't give a fuck and I [take a deep breath]... like Britney Spears. I know, it's sad. I'm really not sure why she's so alluring. Of course, her looks have something to do with it but it's also her personality (yes, she actually has one). I think I like her because there are so many cheesy female pop singers coming of the assembly line every second: Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore... and whoever else. I try to stay opened minded and give them a chance. I read their interviews, listen to the lyrics in their songs and watch their performances. None of them have impressed me in the least, except for Britney. For instance, I've read a couple of interviews with Britney and she seems fairly intelligent. She turned down an offer from a business man to sleep with him for $1 million (so she's not a total slut). She's always very nice and calm, even to her critics. And her songs aren't nearly as worthless as Christina's or Mandy's. Take "Baby Hit Me One More Time." It's about an abusive relationship. And "Isn't She Lovely" is talking about how her image (or any Hollywood/music queen's image) isn't all it's cracked up to be.

There's some depth in there, right??(If there isn't, e-mail me privately and tell me that I'm totally disillusioned and I should reevaluate my taste in music).

But back to the VMA awards... did you see Britney's performance?! OH MY GOD!!! She came down a flight of stairs, wearing a suit and hat and was singing, "Satisfaction" and then once she came to the bottom of the stairs, she stripped the suit off and was only wearing sheer pants and a top. I mean, her breasts were hanging out, you could see her underwear... she looked amazing! I have to say that HER body is the body that every woman dies for. And she's only 18 years old! I hate being superficial (but whatever, I know for a fact that guys drool over her) but her body is absolutely flawless. But enough about Britney Spears... I'll talk about the nightlife of Atlanta, as of late.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended Taylor's performance at the Masquerade (opening DJ: Santana... no, not Carlos Santana). I was actually dreading it because the last time I saw him, he was awful. Here's this famous DJ, and he wasn't even beat-matching mmm... that's when you take the beats on two records and match them up so they flow into each other). Anyway, you learn that skill in your first year of DJing and Taylor is probably in his eigth year... if that tells you anything. But Taylor revived my faith in him. He had everyone dancing and was pulling out some really great tracks.

Last Saturday, I saw the infamous John Digweed (again, for the 50th time). Each performance I see, my admiration only grows. I always feel like running home and practicing for 12 hours after I see his set. He's one of the best DJs out there. Not only is he an amazing DJ, but Mr. Digweed is going mulitmedia too!He stars in the already-released movie, 'Groove.' It's basically about going to "raves." I have to say, I'm not impressed. Although you see the type of people in the movie at every party you go to, I really hope that most people don't go to "Groove" thinking that all of us are that retarded.
I'm never rolling on the floor, and making stupid comments. I'm mostly dancing or jumping up and down when a DJ makes a beautiful mix or plays a really good track. If you want to know about one of the most extraordinary DJs in the universe, see John Digweed in "Groove" or visit www.bedrock.org.uk/djs/jd/diggers_f.html

Speaking of famous DJs... our fellow coolgrrrls, Cozmic Cat ROCKS! I was in a record store the other day and I happened to pick up a little magazine about DJ culture, called, "Global DJ Press." I was flipping through it and what do see?! Our own Cozmic Cat's name, right there in black and white! In case, any of you readers can't get this magazine, I'll give you a run-down about what it says about our little Cozmic girl: She's a radio and club DJ, programmer for an online webcasting network, a music producer, and is starting her own record promo company, Groovelounge. It talks about her show, Alpha Room on Mediabureau.com, and her sets in the Philly club circuit. We're proud of you, girl! I'm so glad to see another DJ on coolgrrrls.

I'm also proud to anounce that I'm a proud mother of a little boy! A little male kitten, that is. He's so adorable...I just gush and gush over him. He's only 8 weeks old and he's tan and white, a tiny little thing! I named him Timo, after one of my favorite music producers, Timo Maas (who has a new CD out that you should pick up called "Music for the Maasses). I think my kitten has a long way to go before he starts helping me produce music.

I recently recieved a very enlightening forward e-mail. The topic, 'How Sleezy are You?' caught my eye. Not because I'm sleezy but because I really wanted to know how I rated. Really, you should take it... it's really right on! My sleeziest friends scored 200+... the record, I scored Normal! Yipeeeee!!! Wait..does that mean I have a little bit of sleezy in my but not much? Hmmmm.... I'll let you take the test:

*****************HOW SLEAZY ARE YOU?**********************

1. Ever tried alcohol? (1 point)
2. Ever been drunk? (2 points)
3. Ever play drinking games? (2 points)
4. Ever fall down because you drank too much? (3 points)
5. Ever drink enough to throw up? (4 points)
(**Bonus: Throwing up on another person -- 1 point)
6. Ever wake up and not remember what you did the night before? (5 points)
7. Ever been forcibly removed from a bar? (8 points)
8. Ever participated in/finished a pub crawl? (5 points)
9. Do you drink regularly/ at least 3 times a week? (3 points)
(**Bonus: 1 point for each additional day -- max. 7 points)
10. Ever fall asleep/pass out in a bar? (4 points)
11. Ever laughed at a physically or mentally handicapped person? (2 points)
12. Ever laughed at someone else's misfortune? (1 point)
13. Ever try pot, hash, or magic mushrooms? (4 points for each on that
you've tried).
14. Do you do drugs regularly? (4 points)
(**Bonus: at least 4 times a week -- 4 points)
15. Ever bought "soft" drugs? (4 points)
16. Ever sell drugs? (8 points)
17. Ever sell drugs to support a drug habit? (12 points)
18. Ever used barbiturates? (8 points)
19. Ever used hallucinogens? (8 points)
20. Ever used narcotics? (10 points)
21. Ever been stoned or drunk for more than 48 hours? (8 points)
22. Ever been on a date? (2 points)
23. Ever been felt up or groped? (2 points)
(**Bonus: to orgasm -- 2 points)
24. Ever had sexual intercourse? (6 points)
25. Ever had a bath or shower with the opposite sex? (5 points)
26. Ever paid for sex? (8 points)
27. Ever taken advantage of someone while they were stoned or drunk (4
points)
28. Ever get someone stoned or drunk to obtain sexual favors and succeed? (8
points)
29. Ever engage in oral sex? (4 points)
(**Bonus: to orgasm -- 2 points)
30. Ever engage in anal sex?
(**Bonus: to orgasm -- 2 points)
31. Ever engage in the 69 position? (4 points)
32. Ever contract a STD? (12 points)
33. Ever had sex without a contraceptive? (4 points)
34. Ever had or knowingly been responsible for an abortion? (12 points)
35. Ever had sex with two or more partners in a week? (4 points)
36. Ever had sex with more that one person at a time? (9 points)
37. Ever had sex in a public place? (6 points)
38. Ever had carpet burn as a result of a sexual act? (4 points)
39. Ever engage in sexual activity with a member of the same sex? (10
points)
40. Ever practiced bondage, masochism, or sadism for sexual gratification?
(8 points)
41. Ever used sex toys? (6 points)
42. Ever pass out during sex? (5 points)
43. Ever been responsible for losing someone else's virginity? (4 points)
44. Ever masturbated while talking on the phone? (3 points)
45. Ever bought something in a sex shop? (3 points)
46. Ever licked or had someone lick a/an:
eyeball -- 2 points
toe -- 1 point
ear -- 1 point
anus -- 5 points (add 5 points if you've licked YOUR OWN anus)
47. Ever had sex with a relative? (5 points)
48. Ever make someone else sleep on the wet spot? (6 points)
49. Does necrophilia, pedophilia, or bestiality turn you on? (20 points)
50. Ever been arrested? (8 points)
(**Bonus: if convicted -- 7 points.

Okay, add 'em up and find out how sleazy you really are...

0-20: A life with the church is too corrupt for you.
21-40: You barely made our scale.
41-60: Approaching normal. You aren't much fun on a date.
61-100: Normal. You use your right hand like everybody else.
101-130: Above Average. You've got a few tricks under the belt.
131-160: You're a social menace.
161-200: You're a danger to society. Who let you out on a day pass?
200+: You're going straight to hell.

Wasn't that fun? One thing I don't understand, though... why does this quiz think it's more sleazy to sleep with a person of the same sex than to sleep with a relative??

The last part of the update, I thought I'd recognize another beautiful person in our ATL electronic music scene. Her name is Kay or Cobradoll or Fiestyminx, whichever you prefer. She's the girl you love to hate (but I never could possibly think one bad thing about her) because she's beautiful (she has that 6' model body), intelligent (her posts on jivemagazine.com and lunarmagazine.com are always witty and funny) and she's one of the definitive sources in Atlanta on drum n bass. She's a very sweet girl and I wanted to recognize her because she seems to have a very deep love for the music, just like me. She loves all the crazy stuff in life, like driving in the fast lane (don't we all!), lingerie and techstep drum n bass. And she's a model. And I always see her checking out the British DJs (just like me ;)...). My kind of girl! Cheers to you, Kay!

I hope the end of the summer is winding up beautiful for you all... Enjoy it while it lasts!

August 9, 2000

Ahhhhhh....the difficulties of college...in the god damn summertime!
Shouldn't I be lying on the beach somewhere, listening to the waves roll in from the ocean?? Feeling the cool breeze caress my sunburned skin...but alas, I'm staring out the window of a bare classroom in the middle of smog-filled Hotlanta, repeating after my professor over and over again: "Oui, j'etudierai mes lecons pendant l'ete." That's the life of a fourth year french student.

But in between the extensive french grammar reviews, there have been these windows of oppurtunities to have fun and let loose and forget about all that has to do with "l'ecole" (that's french for "school")...and it's called the weekend...those two coveted days when I don't have to do anything but worry about where to go during the night.

The past month was jam-packed full of things to do. The first weekend in July, my boyfriend (Chad) and I packed our things up and headed to Charlotte, North Carolina (his hometown) to spend his birthday with his friends. We stayed and one of his friends' house and lived it up until the wee hours of the morning. There were balloons and cake and birthday cards...the whole nine yards. Chad even spinned a extensive 4 or 5 hour set on the turntables (with mostly my records).

When we came back to Atlanta on the 3rd (his actual birthday), we celebrated by going to an delicious Japanese restaurant called Misomo. Oh, it was so yummy! We started out with a drink called "The Volcano", which didn't taste like it had a lot of alcohol in it but that was okay...the potent fruity taste was enough for me! With our order came soup (I'm assuming miso soup) and a small salad with ginger dressing (deeee-lish!) Then came our main course, but not before the chef came out and did some of his fancy knife-work in front of us. The evening almost came to an end when the chef accidentally let go of one of his knives and it flew right by Chad's head, giving him an almost instant heart-attack (whew!). All was well, and the chef finished our food and let us devour it. Japanese food rocks!

The next weekend we took it easy and decided to see a movie..."Scary Movie". Unfortunately for Chad we came into the theater late and missed Carmen Electra bouncing around half-naked in the opening scene. Ooops! Chad wasn't too happy. I guess for guys, that's the highlight of the movie. But I have to give Ms. Electra props...she seriously has the best body in the world (aside from Luciana Morad, the woman that had a love-child with Mick Jagger). Both women are thick...I mean thick! They're not sickly thin like Kate Moss or 90% of the women in Hollywood. They're thick and have big breasts...what women should be (haven't you ever seen the ancient pagan statues of women??).

Anyway, "Scary Movie" was hilarious, in a gross-out-sort-of-way. There were so many genitals showing in that movie...but the movie did a really great job making fun of all the cheesy teen horror movies that have come out recently.

Another movie we saw was "X-men". Oh my god, what a f*cking awesome film! They did an amazing job translating the comic onto film...didn't cheese it out at all. Wolverine rocked! Storm rocked! Rogue rocked! Mystique rocked! They all did! And the movie, of course, left it open to a sequel and perhaps many more...I hate when film reviews give away all the best parts so all I'm going to say is go see this film! NOW!

The weekend of the 14th, Chad and I went to Charlotte for one of Chad's production company's parties (called Progressive Collective). This time the main DJ was the amazing producer, Cass Cutbush from the much lauded Cass and Slide (hailing from the UK). These guys have produced some of the most beautiful tracks...they make the most dark and wicked trance music. You can hear Cass' new track on: TranceNation America, on the Jimmy Van M. CD (the first track). It will absolutely make you melt. Cass played the best set I've heard in a long time. Every track he played, I loved. I brought my friend Dana and we danced the entire night to his flawless set.

Luckily, Cass is good friends with the guys from Progressive Collective (my boyfriend Chad, Sean McClellan, and Chuck Martin) and he stayed for the whole weekend, treating us to a private set at someone's house on Saturday night. He allowed me to interview him and the product should be up on lunarmagazine.com very soon. During the interview, Cass said to me, in his very British accent, "Has anyone told you that you look like Neve Campbell." I said, "Is that a good thing?" He said, "Oh yes...haven't you ever seen 'Wild Things' where she and Denise Richards make out...oh god." He thought that Neve was much better looking that Denise Richards (Mrs. Plastic-Barbie-Doll herself) which raised my opinion of him (as if it could be raised anymore...I mean Cass is one of the most talented producers in dance music land today!).

That weekend ended with a bang....came home at 2:00am Monday morning and had to get up for school at 6:30am on Monday morning. Responsibility is my middle name!

Last weekend I went to Spartanburg, South Carolina to witness the magic DJ hands of the one and only Dave Cannalte. I thought Chad was going to have a heart attack. Mr. Cannalte is one of the main reasons Chad started loving electronic music. Dave is the director of music happenings at Disney World's Pleasure Island and is resident at the island's only dance club, "Mannequines" (which has a rotating dance floor!). Before all that, Dave was one of the founders of the dance music style, "Progressive House", playing all over the world back in the mid-eighties and early nineties...but he seems so humble...

Anyway, Dave blew us away with old tracks and new and sometimes I hardly even noticed that the club was 205 degrees.

I know, I know...all it seems is that I go out to clubs! But we're supposed to report on the nightlife, right? Well, there ya go...that's all my column is about. I could go on about correct french grammar or the logistics of logotherapy (much love to Viktor Frankl), and I'm sure people like Bullymag.com would love that, but I'll let you guys read philosophy and scientific magazines by day...and then you can come party in the southeast with me at night! Who says intelligent grrrls can't party?

June 14, 2000

Whew! I've had such a terrible month...let's see, I've gone on vacation to Florida and laid in the sun, I've gone to club after club after club, I interviewed a famous DJ, I've read a couple of books...god, what a horrible life I have. But it's all over now...I'm starting school on Wednesday...the good dream is over and the nightmare begins (once again). But I've had a great month long summer vacation. Right after my last update I went to Fort Myers, Florida to vacation for a week. My parents were gone and they allowed me to house sit. So basically, I got to stay in this amazing house and bask in the soothing heat of the sun. Ah, what a life! We were going to go to Miami and visit Bill Hamel (founder of Sunkissed records and producer of some really good tracks). If you check out his website at www.sunkissedrecords.com, you'll get to see the charts of some really famous DJs including Nick Warren, Bill Hamel, Atlanta's own DJ Gene Carbonell, and my boyfriend's best friend, Sean McClellan. But, you know, if you don't listen to the music, I'm sure the charts will mean nothing to you! As I was saying...we were going to go to Miami and hang out with Bill but he jetted off to Mexico to play down there...the life of a DJ is soooo hard.

The most exciting part of my one month vacation is interviewing the lovely and talented DJ, Anthony Pappa. Anthony just put out a CD called Nu Breed Global Underground and it's amazing!!!! He played in Atlanta at the Riveria on June 4th and blew the crowd away. He plays this dark, dreamy, wicked trance and it's so absolutely incredible. Anthony is definitley one of my top favorite DJs right now....please check out the interview at www.lunarmagazine.com. On the homepage, it will say something about Anthony Pappa...just click on that, and it will take you right to the interview. Enjoy!

This past weekend I attended the Mirage Massive party at Henderson's Arena (a horse showing place...strange.) But, a good time was had by all...the DJs were really good! The best had to have been Leon Alexander from the U.K. and Redshift, whom my close friend Darryl is a part of. Redshift consists of Darryl and Bradley and they have songs on two CDs already! The first: Dave Seaman's Global Underground. The second: Sandra Collins' Tranceport 3. Go pick them up or you'll be missing out!!!! My boyfriend and I also made two really good friends at the Mirage Massive...Luis (who is Mirage's DJ...his DJ name is Logic) and this guy named Doug (and his sweet girlfriend Kristin). I just wanted to tell them thank you for the great conversation and being such cool people to hang with!

Let's see...now off the partying subject and into the intellectual realm of my life: I read the book, "Interpreter of Maladies", the latest Pulitzer Prize winner. Let me just say: never buy a book and read it just because it won the Pulitzer prize! Maybe my expectations were too high but I really was disappointed in this book. It consisted of many short stories, all connected by the fact that at least one of the characters was from India. What I got out of the book was that it was basically telling the stories of different people from different walks of life (or castes, whichever you prefer) in India...and how people from the same country or even the same caste can be so different and lead such different lives. That was about it. I didn't fall upon some amazing revelation while reading this book (which I like to do) or I was not impressed by the use of language or the richness of the author's language. Don't waste your time with this book. Now I'm reading Richard Leakey's "The Origin of Humankind". I'm doing this because I recently had an arguement with my boyfriend: We were walking through the mall and we went into the Metropolitan Museum of Art store. In there we saw a statue of an ape holding a ball, in "The Thinker" pose. Basically, this was an evolution-type statue. My boyfriend declared, "That's ridiculous" and it really angered me. My mother has a degree in anthropology and she brought me up to believe in evolution, so the fact that he called it "ridiculous" pissed me off! We began to argue about evolution and even though I know the basic scientific background of it and the beliefs of Darwin, I discovered I knew a lot less than I thought I did. So, I decided to learn more and I'm now reading "The Origin of Humankind". So far, it's really insightful and interesting (and of course, my mother was overjoyed when she heard that I was reading it). Everyone should be educated in the beliefs (and facts, I believe) of evolution...you're bound to argue about it with someone eventually...why not educate yourself??!

So...another excited event...the beloved Sasha and Digweed are coming back to Atlanta (yes, again)...but not together. June 14th is Sasha at the Chamber and Digweed is coming next week on the 20th. AND they're coming to Charlotte (together) tomorrow night (the 13th). God! Sasha and Digweed OVERLOAD! But believe me, I'm not complaining in the least...being taken on a 6 hour journey is not a bad thing. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to hear Sasha on the 14th in the ATL but I'm going to hear them tomorrow night at the club that my boyfriend always plays at, Mythos. So maybe I'll get to meet them since my boy has connections!!?? Maybe!!?? Hopefully!!?? On Wednesday night (the 14th) my significant other, Chad McNeely, is playing on the radio in Columbia, South Carolina...it'll be good! Go hear him from 7-9pm at www.wusc.sc.edu. Hmmmm...maybe someday I'll be playing on the radio. And out at clubs...*I'm so starry eyed*. We need more girl DJs out there, dammit!!!!

Okay, I'm doing my own little thing here...I'm going to showcase someone in the party scene in Atlanta in everyone of my reviews. I think it's good for people all over the country to zero in on one little city and take a glimpse into other's lives...so, you know about mine...what about the others that live in the ATL?? There are so many beautiful and intelligent people in the party scene here...so it's time that the people that read coolgrrrls get to know my people. Lives are so interesting, aren't they?

So...here's the first person. She's one of the coolest girls in the scene. Here name is Jewels...she's sweet, she's intelligent...she's been into the music and the scene FOREVER (not saying that she's old or anything...) so you know that she has a deep appreciation and understanding for the music and the lifestyle. She's been such a sweetheart to me and everyone in Atlanta knows here. Plus, she runs her own website... www.swiftsite.com/jewels-adventures. Her website has been listed on the top rave scene websites and has won everyone's hearts...so be sure to visit it, dammit!!!! Jewels is a lovely girl...and contributes so much to the scene. I love her! So...be sure to visit her site and ALSO listen to Chad on Wednesday night...
much love,
shannon in ATL

May 19, 2000

I'm so glad that I finally have time to sit down and write. My life has been so hectic lately that I've even lost touch with a few of my friends...which makes me quite sad.

But...school is finally over! That's the best thing that's happened to me over the past couple of months! I'm the biggest stress-case on the bloody planet and even meditation and exercise can't relieve my worries. At one point during finals, I was studying so much and had so much information in my head that I started to get really bad headaches...probably comparable to migraines. It's really sad that humans stress so much that it takes a physical toll on their body. But I rock! I got one "A", one "B" and one "C"...the "C" came from quite possibly the hardest professor I've ever had in my college career. It also stems from not giving a damn about the material I was studying. But it's over now! I have one month 'til summer school!!!! *sigh*

Since school's been over, I've completely let loose. It ended about a week and a half ago. I went to Charlotte, North Carolina with my boyfriend, Chad. He's a DJ and he also runs a production company called Progressive Collective that brings in really talented DJs from across the world to a club called Mythos (www.mythosclub.com). Last Friday, Lee Burridge (from the U.K. and the resident at Sasha's Tyrant club) came and played. He was really good...and I had a chance to talk to him for a while as well. He was so very sweet...he talked about relationships and what novels he's read and which one's I've read....complete with that british accent. He was really nice and played a great set. Chad and his two other friends opened up for Lee...and Chad did really well too...But everyone give me applause because I did something so graceful. I was coming down the stairs from the DJ booth and slipped and fell down at least five stairs! Okay, embarassing, but I handled it pretty well...didn't get too red in the face.

Last night, Nick Warren (I've talked about him before---the sweet british DJ that everyone knows and loves) came and played in Atlanta at a club called the Riviera. Of course, his set was wicked...really amazing. I hung out with him afterward and like I said in my update of December 1999, he has to be the sweetest man alive. He's famous (at least in the electronic/dance music world) and yet he's so gentle and nice. What a truly exceptional man. He's made a lasting impression in my mind. (But there's only one guy for me...ha! Chad, I told you I'd put this in here).

I've also seen a few movies as well...one was "Romeo Must Die" which of course was just a martial arts movie but it was really entertaining. The best movie I've seen in a very long time was "Fight Club"...I don't know why I've procrastinated seeing this movie but it was so great! It's almost got that "Sixth Sense"-type discovery towards the end and the script and acting (with Edward Norton, you know it's got to be good!) was really amazing. Everyone needs to see this film.

I also saw "The House on Haunted Hill". I was conned into watching it by my boyfriend and I had flashbacks of "The Haunting" which is quite possibly the worst movie ever made. But "The House on Haunted Hill" was just very...well, disturbing. The acting wasn't that great but the events that happened in the film were just really f*cked up...you'll have to see it to understand. I'm going to Fort Myers, FL to house-sit for my parents while they're in Aruba (oh, what a terrible life they lead)...and I'm sure to write and update down there...so stay tuned!

****I want to congratulate my friends Darryl Windham and Gene Carbonell for getting their track on Sandra Collins' new Tranceport 3 CD...they deserve all the fame and recognition that comes their way***

"When first we faced, and touching showed
How well we knew the early moves,
Behind the moonlight and the frost,
The excitement and the gratitude,
There stood how much our meeting owed
To other meetings, other loves.

Admitted: and the pain is real.
But when did love not try to change
The world back to itself--not cost,
No past, no people else at all--
Only what meeting made us feel,
So new, and gentle-sharp, and strange?"

--Philip Larkin, 1975