best. summer. ever.

It's been a big, rough, real-life week in Burton-land for reasons I don't write about on the internets. But after yesterday --which included a Round Rock Express baseball game, mini-golf, an epic softball game attended by close to 50 people, grilled cheese, AND popcorn+beer at Donn's Depot -- I believe that my friends and family and myself can emerge from crisis to live what we strive to every year around this time: THE BEST SUMMER EVER! It's a double entendre, I know, and that makes it even better.

Here is a starter list of things to be happy about:



Shows at which I will probably be found with a High Life in hand
tomororow!: Her Space Holiday @ The Parish
monday 5/18: The Dears @ The Parish
wednesday 5/20: The Melvins @ Stubbs
thursday 5/21: Extra Golden & Ted Leo @ The Mohawk
wednesday 5/27: The Virgins @ Emo's
friday 6/5: Bonnie Prince Billy @ The Mohawk
monday 6/15: Camera Obscura @ Antones
friday 6/19: St Vincent @ The Mohawk
saturday 7/4: Explosions In The Sky & The Octopus Project @ Stubbs
sunday 7/5: Bill Callahan @ The Parish
thursday 7/9: Deer Tick @ Emo's
tuesday 8/4: M. Ward @ Antones

Some of the many movies we're going to see to cool down at the chilly Alamo Drafthouse with beers and pizza in hand
Public Enemies: Johnny Depp as John Dillinger. Enough said.
Terminator Salvation: I had absolutely no interest in the last Terminator movie but for some reason I am eager to see this one.
The Brothers Bloom: Mark Ruffalo + Adrian Brody together in a movie is enough for me, but on top of that it's directed by the guy who did Brick, which is one of my favorite movies ever.
The Hangover: The part in the preview where Mike Tyson is singing Peter Gabriel is too priceless for me to not see this.
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince: Well, obvs.
More Than A Game: Well, obvs.
Paper Heart: So! Excited! I! Can't! Stand! It!
Lymelife: The return of Kieran Culkin! At last!
Away We Go: This preview makes me really happy.
Anvil: The Story Of Anvil: I have heard nothing but incredible things about this documentary.
Year One: It's like a Mel Brooks movie, but now, so Michael Cera gets to be in it.
Rodo Y Cursi: When we were talking about this movie last night, Mandy called Y Tu Mama Tambien a 'sexually confused teardrop' and I laughed so hard I snorted.
500 Days Of Summer: Appropriately titled and full of actors I adore.

Thomas Pynchon's new book, Inherent Vice, is released in August. Jeffrey Brown's new memoir/graphic novel, Funny Misshapen Body, comes out this summer too.

Any perfect summer will include lots and lots of this


and this


and this


The BookPeople cafe just installed a brand new Nuova Simonelli, which makes going to work six days a week kind of the best thing ever, and also means if you come visit me you'll get to drink top notch espresso pulled by your favorite lady. Yay!

As for baseball, I am anxiously awaiting Matt Wieters' june 1st (please!) call-up to the majors for 'personal' reasons. For my birthday, my boyfriend + my grandmother + I are going to go see our Houston Astros. For Brian's birthday, we want to go see the "greatest of all time" get his.

Look for Summer y Brian hand screenprinted t-shirts at the new Parts + Labour and on an etsy shop v. v. soon. You're going to wear your Ghost Bear t-shirt every day. I'm also going to try to do a cafe show of drawings and assemblages in July or August, and my mom and I are going to start selling vintage items + cute handmade accessories on etsy as well. The solution to the economy is obviously for you to buy things handmade from your friends, skipping the middle man. Obviously.

I am making it my personal mission to make sure a pinewood derby happens in Austin at some point this summer (Daniel Lievens' idea)... I'd also like to have a field day, a kickball tournament, a dominos tournament, and plenty of Texas Hold Em.

Oh my gosh, I'm getting so excited I can't write anymore. Let's all go ride bikes and eat fried avocado tacos and hit home runs and take naps and see Round Rock Express games and go swimming and go swimming again and wear shorts and ponytails and eat sno cones and "stay up all night and go to Ken's Donuts" and drive with the sunroof down and wear sundresses and draw pictures of each other and and and and and! Yay!