Nay, End of the year, Naught

This is it.

I had a post that I was going to work on before the end of the year and I've got a draft saved but it'll have to wait till the weekend, next weekend.

Till then, get drunk and vomit and forget the fact that you're only celebrating an arbitrary mile-stone. I'll be rocking out on stage. Clearing the room with my feedback and noise!

Back at work... yech.

So I have to work today. First day of the raise. Not a bad raise either... it's aparent that the other job would give me a raise if there wasn't as many employees working there. Since I'm toeing the line at both jobs and not taking time off, we're understaffed there and they don't have their usual cronies to do all of the work. Inevitably, the work falls onto my shoulders. (Not just the heavy lifting but also the bulk of the copying, CD/DVD reproduction, and the usual office janitor crap I do as well. I can do pretty much everything at that job but I don't have to nor do they want me to.) It's just a bad situation. They would appreciate me more if I had more responsibility given to me, and I can only steal so much from the other employees before it would turn into a cat fight. (I work with catty people at that job.)

It's just more encouragement for me to keep my nose in the want ads. I'm not desperate for a new job, but I'm not happy with the lack of opportunity in my current roles.

I also stumbled onto this today in my online readings. Funny, I always thought the point of the game Monopoly was to drive everyone else into bankruptcy.

Just one more thing to make me angry. Intellectual property is an absolute HS scheme. It's a scheme that's in desperate need of change, "updation" (update-tion), & improvement. I get how a person, an individual, can own the rights or patent for an idea they came up with but I don't understand how a corporation can own a patent. Most copyrights last for a certain time period after the death of the owner to protect the estate, but I don't know when a corporation dies? Dissolution? I can't get a solid answer out of my boss but I haven't pressed him in a while. Maybe I'll do that again, soon.

Peace on earth. War in the heavens. Isn't it Boxing Day?

Petty upselling.

I told AG she should read my myspace blog for some kicks.
I also posted a poem there last night/this morning. (Don't you just love poems posted on blogs Dean?)

It's been a banner week for online activity for me. I think I'll take some time tonight to think it over.

Going to go watch the Gusto tonight with some friends. If you like punk rock, you might like them. I'm not a big punk rock fan myself but I think Pat is a stellar guitar player.

(check it, they have a show TBA on their site in Boston on Jan. 10th.)

What the crap... this is great!!!

The namesake of this blog created this on taxdollars!!!!

This was just too funny. I'm sorry if you don't get it. No, Really. I'm sorry for you on so many levels.

They're dancing.

Two-fer Monday

A while back I mentioned this.

Went yesterday. It was a good time/it was a terrible time. I was stunned by the beauty of the marionette scene. Wow. They don't grow mushrooms that good.

The young girls sitting next to me seemed to think that the movie was like attending a high school football game where they could just hang out, get snacks, and run out of the theater every ten minutes (which meant that I had to move to let them out into the aisle.) I hate children! I am a child.

Check this Sausage

Okay. Sheeple.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." (found here)

Where in this oath does it list the things he's doing? I'm not saying that this is the first president to do this but come on. Save the constitution.

Save it for the weekend.

* * * * *

How's that for a post? Lots of links and political and shit. Keep the oxygen tanks on this week 'cause it's the only way I'm going to get through it. I have a list of songs to finish for my sister before she fly's in from Colorado. I've got to clean up my act. Defecate a bunch of paintings for the Video Project. Get my present for everyone on my damn list completed and in the frickin mail. Make excuses for not blogging more. Ride the Dragon.

So much to do.

With that, here's a nice christmas story for you:

Cybernetic Ghost: I'm not finished. You should have gotten a snack. A war-like race of elves from the Red Planet landed on the ice-encased Earth and they were immediately enslaved by the unevolved Santa Ape to make his confused toys using galactic elfin technology. Toys were made into recognizable shapes and given names like "train," but these toys were also thrown at predators and defecated upon because they were so stupid. Christmas still sucked, in a big way.

Just a seed

I know that these are a little long-winded.

Non-renewable seeds.

Globalization

I keep feeling like I wake up from a nightmare and I want to go back to sleep because the nightmare is not as scary.

Been asleep at the wheel

"Just a thought"

No two sets of similar forces are in balance; in the individual world the forces of destruction always prevail at last, and in the universe at large the forces of preservation prevail at all times.


* * * * *

That was the thought.

As of late I've been teaching myself how to play "New Years Day" for our upcoming show. It's actually a really simple song and it's more a matter of deciding which subtle part in the recording I want to play. I've also been listening to live versions of the song to get a better feel for it.

Joe said he didn't want to cover a U2 song ever and then Danny J. drops that song as an idea and Joe's like, "Okay." I don't know what's going on anymore.

I also have to try to put some more time into the project I started with my sister last spring. Five songs that I haven't finished yet. Been busy not working on them. It takes time to not work on stuff. Maybe later this week. Maybe later this year. Maybe later next year. Ugh.

Recording is work

I have the mixed tracks of the demos and they sound okay. Could be better.

It's been fun trying to explain to the engineer that I want the replacement guitar track to drop out at the end and the original one to come back in. I recorded it last Saturday night without the bass and there's no drums in that section so I just did it willy nilly and now it's out of sync with the bass line. I haven't listened to the new version of it yet but I'll do that this evening.

Joe is in charge of putting the songs up on the myspace page. I don't know if he's got them up yet. I'll put an offical announcement up when they're there. They're aren't Great tracks. They're demos to get us local gigs and that's about it. Our next goal is to prep for our New Years Eve show and get squared away on recording the songs. That will be the nightmare of nitpicking and paining over a wrong note here, a flat note there, a drum hit that's a few milliseconds off. I'm looking forward to it. I'm not looking forward to it.

I also have to go see Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny tonight! Of course, it wasn't going to stay around long in theaters and I've been procrastinating in seeing it and tonight's the last night in town so it'll have to be done.

I do suggest seeing Jesus Camp. It's not a bad film, as far as the horror genre goes. I love the fact that the camp session is called, "Kids on Fire." Classic Irony.

Science? No frickin' way!

So yeah. I can't resist being stupid to do this.

Sheesh... Do what they tell you and don't ask why.

In the name of SCIENTIFIC exploration, How quickly does news travel in the Blah-go-shpere?

It's sad to see it go... but what fun it'll be!!!

Devotchka is going to be in town tomorrow. I'm interested to see the changes to their frontman's appearance. From what I've heard, he's let himself go.

Got the guitar tracks done last night. Stayed up till 2 am recording. That stupid solo actually kinda came together at then end. Sounds good to my ears, especially the rhythmic change in the rhythm guitar and the interplay of the solo with that in the second half of what I played. (Doesn't mean it's any good.) With any luck we should have this all wrapped up on Saturday(fixing bass tracks and recording Vocals.) Then it's just a matter of getting the songs mixed and my faithful readers will get to experience the expanded world of Where the i Divides. (it's getting down to the wire for us if we are going to try to secure an opening gig before the end of the year.)

and Diligenz can stop sending me work. Seriously! I never know what they want me to find for them and I never have enough time to do their big projects.

Big Red Pool

I got home last night and spent some time recording guitar tracks for Do the Math. This project is totally sucking in a good way. I think I'm almost done with that song and there's one track on Universal Quantifier that I need to re-record and then there's only One Day left to start on and finish by Friday night. I think I can get it done but I'm going to have to skip the gym tonight, or maybe I won't. When I get in a funk about going to the gym, I read about some different exercises to try and vary my routines and then get all excited about making some progress. Uh... what was I talking about?

Oh yeah. So I made myself go to the gym at about 8:30 and went out to my truck and started to back out of the drive way and had to go back inside to grab my phone and I noticed a big slick on the driveway. A big, fresh slick of red, oily fluid just sitting there right below where my truck's transfer case sits. The new transfer case I had put in last week. The one that cost me a lot of money to replace. Leaking red, oily transmission fluid.

Not happy.

So. I took it in this morning and apparently it's all ready for me to pick up. I've yet to find out if they're going to try to charge me for the work they did.

Another EPA library closed. I just love the last line of this article. And I heard something yesterday about how it's easier to control the masses if they ain't educated. So lets make sure no child gets left behind, no school is left standing, and no library remains open.

Wowee Zowee

Went out and bought something today. Actually two somethings today.

Wowee Zowee!!!

Sounds not so much like Slanted & Enchanted. Still think that Kannburg should have kicked Malkus in the balls a few times.

Saturday Night Wrists is good as well. Hole in the Earth! Oh my god!!! How many more times will I listen to it? Not enough.

Went out and sang Karaoke tonight. Part of my whole expectations for the evening was to go to Sparta/Tomah and get drunk and then have Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow (er... today) while watching the Broncos whoop up on the Chiefs (or vice versa.) (Stupid NFL Network. Make it for the rich. The poor have their drugs to entertain themselves.) So I ended up singing songs to drunk hicks in "fair Verona" because I couldn't sit still at home.

and the conclusion I came to is that there are certain songs that should not be allowed to be performed at Karaoke--NO EXCEPTIONS!

1. Come to My Window
2. I Touch Myself
3. Love Shack
4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
5. Copacabana
6. Anything by Jewel (even replacing the all of the pronouns in the song with the word "Jewel" has lost it's charm)

Ugh.

I need to go to bed.

Mas Booty. Man-ya-na.

Newz alert

Walking around yesterday, USA Today caught my eye. Sitting on the front page was this article.

Its just a fact of life.

Best answer... I would say, go to a trade school. Spend two years getting an Associates degree and get out into the workforce sooner. The fact that so many kids are going to college in the first place devalues the four year degree. What good is a liberal arts degree when %65 percent of people your age have one?

Personally: I was born right in the middle of the genX genY cusp. I've got my foot in both camps. I hate living at home. I can't afford to live anywhere else unless I find a job that'll pay more than $28,000 a year thanks to my debt. Most of that debt is my own damn fault though. I kept convincing myself that I'd pay off my cards once I graduated. I never looked at the situation I'd be in once I graduated and I wasn't getting the leftovers from my loans to pay rent. Having "My Car" as your address on a resume doesn't make a good first impression, but I'm learning now. It's painful and I wish that I could make a little more money a year to whack away at my situation rather than just whittle. I never was much for whittlin'. It was always too boring.

Thank God I have my band.

We recorded drums on Saturday for several songs. I have the rough mix for "Do the Math." Since I worked late last night, I didn't have the time to download it and start working on the guitar tracks. Hopefully, now that my truck is back from a week at the shop, I'll be able to get some more things done, and get back to the gym. I feel like I'm getting fat again.

so, excuse me please, I've got to go make a bulimia joke now.

Man am I boring. This blog has gotten seriously boring.

I was doing some research tonight and it seems that I've got some of these side effect things listed for the minocycline that I'm on. Not too pleasant to say the least but only one more day left of this crap and then I hope to god I won't feel like I do tonight.

Got some recording to do to get geared up for Saturday's "Jam 'Fest" and it just doesn't feel like fun tonight. Take after take after take of screwing up a part that's not hard to play at all.

Good Gravy

Where am I now that I wasn't five years ago? Found a copy of that Incubus album with all of their radio hits on in from the early '00's, like Stellar, and The Warmth, and that other one, Drive... Yeah.

Felt like it was 2000 November, driving to work at the Bread Barn.

Don't have any fucking time. "Hey Zach, can you work on Sunday?" Sure. Fuck the fackt that it's my day off. Fuck the shit that I'm not also working two other jobs.

Pisssssseedddd offfff as hell tonight. Can't even get drunk cuz of the antibiotics.

Not even gunna say sorry for not posting as of late. (just did though)

It's been a long long while since I've been this worked up. I did finish the solo for One Day. It ends with me banging my fist on the strings.


Sounds like music to me.

(this is the kind of mood that spawned the song, I Hate My Friends)

Slowed down to the speed of progress

It's been a crappy time in Zach-ville. My ear finally turned into an ear infection and it's been oozing gunk out the outside which I think means my ear drum ruptured on Monday night while I was lifting at the gym. I took Tuesday off from work and went to the doctor. My favorite part of the day was when four different people asked me if I had health insurance. Okay, well, actually my favorite part of my day on Tuesday was either sleeping in till eleven or the election results.

I will say that the "roommates" distaste for Democrats has made being at home a little unbearable. Oh well, at least I don't want to belong to any party that doesn't know how to party!

Um...

Yeah. I don't want to talk about it that much, really. I've been listening to Al Franken and Ed Schultz for the last week at work and I've been politicked out.

The band is rolling along like square toast. I finally got a callback from the recording school about getting us signed up for "free" studio time. The hours for recording there are difficult for everyone in the band except for me. Danny's buddy finally came through and we might actually be recording with him this weekend. That means that I've got to get my guitar tracks cued up and dialed in this week (which I haven't done since I've been sick and trying to get over six hours of sleep a night... ugh. Enough whining, just getting it done!!! I made myself record the tracks for One Day tonight before I went to the gym. There's a few parts that need to be punched in over and there's the whole issue of recording the solo that I've not worked out yet. I haven't heard what it's supposed to sound like yet. I really want to hear it but I don't know yet. Still searching. (I'll explain what that means if you really want to know (but you have to ask))) (alright already with the parenthesises)

So now.

Have had a few moments lately where I've been kinda scaring myself. Not fun right now.

Oh boy, Spaghetti! Now that's Italian!!!

Yuck!

okay, okay, okay.

This is so just like listening to Cosmo Radio in the morning (Sirius 111) but I can't help myself.


This guy just looks creepy.

What I can't figure out is why so many people belong to his church? Super creepy and not trustworthy at all.

All in all it'll just get more people riled up right before the election. That article says that he came to the station three months ago and they wait till now to 'break' the story?

E-mail to Joe (Scavenger hunt version)

Joe.

That's pretty dang sweet. What do you think he's going to do to help us out? Huh? Overstep our dependence on Danny's "buddy" for recording some tunes? (Hopefully.) Thank you for taking the time to do that Joe. My forte does not include 'Making New Friends' (in a business sense,) and it's nice that there's someone else in the band who will do more work than just show up at practice and write their part of the music. We would stagnate if I was in charge of everything.

Did you get my message about the demo? I talked to Dave and he said that if we are looking to play shows at local music venues as openers than we don't really need to have a super professional demo. With that said and a few days time since then, I still think you're right. Best foot forward. When we contace someone, we should look/sound like we know what we are doing even if we don't.

I finished that book of interviews from Punk Planet. It had some very thought provoking interviews. Some made me want to not work with "the big guns" at all and others made me think that it's not bad to work for a record company. What I do think is that there is change blowing in the wind and the record companies are behind the ball right now. Lots of small timers can do it themselves and network their way to notoriety but I don't know... I don't know.

The Barn is capable of being warmer this winter. I feel like shit from breathing in all of that dust last night (even with a dust mask on.) There are a few tweakings that need to be done to make the place work more effectively, but it was midnight when I left and I was feeling tired and sick and wanted to go to bed. I'll get the rest of it done sometime later this week (probably Friday.) Speaking of later this week. Rachel said that we don't need to worry about moving hay on Saturday. Her brother is doing something that she has to go and watch or something and the following week, her other brother is in town so she won't need our help at all.

I did find the book in my truck. Thanks dude. I'll read it when I want to get depressed and miserable about how my band is a failure in comparision. I haven't taken the time to crack the spine because I want to read it at home in the evenings and haven't had time to do that yet.

Love the hair.

Zach

Panhand-ellerou

There's this guy who panhandles outside the Walgreens next to where I work. He's there most mornings asking for change and cigarettes. He's got a weird accent and speaks fluent spanish to some people that know him. I assume that those other people are panhandlers as well cuz I'm prejudiced like that. Or maybe it's because I see some of them taking the afterknoon shift when I go and get lunch from there.

There was something that I wanted to say about that but that was like, four hours ago and I don't remember. So yeah... that's my post on panhandlers.

I also discovered that YoVee has their albums for sale on Rhapsody. Ten bucks for Too Far Gone and you don't even have to wait for Dylan at Manaloft to send it to you.

Which brings me to the point that I've been pondering as of late in regards to the potential for recording Where the i Divides and the end product that we will poop out. What's to be done with the market of selling music these days? It's not like it was ten years ago where it was super expensive to buy a CD burner and make copies of CDs and downloading was something that hackers did on Warez and Crackz pages.

What got me thinking was the fact that I didn't have to purchase the most recent album by a certain artist because I got a copy from a friend. He purchased it but I didn't and I still have a working copy, which I've put on my computer and can potentially make copies and "steal" even more from that artist. Selling music is not where we are going to make our money. Our money will be made by stealing cars and stripping them for parts sales.

I'm bothered by the fact that there's no easy path to the future of selling what may be called "Manifest Destiny" the first release from Where the i Divides outside of doing it myself. I have no qualms about running my own Label (so to speak) but it's a lot o work for one busy and required by circumstances known as spent-too-much-in-college-and-now-must-pay-that-all-back to work for a living person such as myself to do. "But what about the other guys in the band?" Is that your question? Yeah. I do the work in this band. Sure, I don't write the lyrics, melodys, bass, and drum parts (but I could if the other members of the band decided that they were to damn busy with whatever they hell they're doing.) So, I'm going to be the one getting some shows in the greater Madison/Milwaukee area lined up once I get this three song demo finished and generate a press kit. I'm going to be the on calling people and handing out information to get in as an opening band.

...

Okay, don't whining. I just didn't have much of a post about the panhadler.

Danny J. air guitar rockin' out to Mastedon.

Did it snow?

Saturday night was fun.

Per Kevin Wolf's endorsement, I went and saw Little Miss (Can't Be Wrong) Sunshine with some friends. It was a super-de-duper movie... first and foremost because Devotchka was responsible for the soundtrack. Oh man. Needless to say, I really enjoyed hearing the variations on the songs, How It Ends and the other song... um... the Bullets one. I saw them in Boulder, CO two years ago at the Fox Theater and it was a really good show. Then they were supposed to play a show in Madison with M. Ward and Norfolk & Western June of '05 but their van broke down and that's where I learned about Norfolk & Western. Coincidently, N&W has a new album out. Haven't picked it up yet but they're coming through Madison in a few weeks. It should be a good show at a crappy venue. Anyway. Devotchka played another show later in the year sometime (I forget the month... it was after I quit working for the Home Despot.) but the venue was a more intimate setting and it was a really fun show to attend (even with the weak showing of wannabe hippies that Madison can't seem to get rid of. "Keep the dream alive and Jerry will return!" Whatever.) So yeah. The movie was good, music-wise. Story was good. It made me feel something.

After the movie, I went out to the barn and started setting up for our recording session that Travis and I had talked about on Wedensday night. I have been getting increasingly impatient with the lack of progress on the recording front cuz I'm still waiting to hear from the instructor from the class at the school for the free recording and I hadn't heard anything about Danny's friend (until Saturday.) I decided that we really needed to get a 3-song demo cut for our press kit to obtain shows in the Madison/Milwaukee area and decided that we would get the music done on Saturday if it meant staying in the barn till six A.M. on Sunday. Things went smoothly as far as recording Drums, Bass, and Guitar with two microphones. There's volume discrepancies in the drums that I can't do much about. The Bass sounds decent and the guitar can be fixed with overdubs at home over this coming week. Then I just have to make Joe K. do his thing all over a microphone for three measly songs and we'll be on our way to making $25.00 for an hour of hard rockin'! (less driving time and gas money... I think we come out $15 in the hole.)

The barn was cold, again. Despite the fact that I purchased a propain heater at the Farm and Barn, (Their Toyland opened up on Saturday and it was full of INSANE Christmas shoppers. Christmas isn't for two months... eight weeks... 63 days!) it was still super cold in the barn. The fact that there was wind and temps were hitting the low 30's made it worse and it had been raining most of the day on Saturday. Well, once it got dark, the snow started to fall and it was thick, wet snow. Suitable for making rock-hard snowballs and throwing them at the Lead Vocals, but he was at a wedding so he lucked out... this time. UM... story... yeah. We finished recording at about 12 am and I had a birthday paryt to go to a few miles away. I didn't even try to get out of the drive without dropping it into 4 low, (rain all day coupled with an inch or less of snow... slippery mud) and when I got to the top of the drive, I stopped to see if Danny would be able to get out, which he wasn't. So, fortunately, I have a tow strap and we got him out and on his way.

The snow is still lingering in places, and it's snowed a little today as well. Driving home on Saturday night reminded me of going from Bozeman to Livingston on a snowy winter evening (without the trip over a mountain pass) and made me really homesick (for the mountain pass).

Just thinking about it shuts me down. Packers won. yay...(goodbye first pick, first round) Broncos won. Yay. Chargers Lost. Boooo. Bears had the week off. Raiders won..... What?

Enough for today.

We got snow. We'll be getting more. Snow makes me happy.

behold, the photo!!!

As you can clearly see, the back of Travis' bass says, "Nothing's ever good enough for you." He stole that from me, I stole it from Thom Yorke.

Joe got some new pictures from last Saturday and e-mailed them to me! I can't get my pictures off my camera without a lot of hoopala... stupid HP.

I can't really think of anything else to talk about. I've been trying to get myself back on track for the band and it's been nothing but lazing about. I went to the gym and did some laundry and watched the football game last night. I didn't pull out my paints. Didn't sit down and clean off a space to work on the desk. Didn't get any ideas out of my head and into the world. I don't even have any good ideas for this stupid blog thing either. Nothing to complain about. Nothing worth noting. (Maybe that's what I'm complaining about.)

I talked to a girl yesterday evening. ..about recording at her school. She is taking classes at MMI and has a recording class that is looking for bands to record. It's a bunch of students in a rather nice studio learning how to be studio bitches but it's a bunch of students. If they want us to come in and record, it'd be nice to get a song or two done without having to pay for it. She could actually do a bunch of work for us on the side if she really wanted to, but I doubt that.

I toured the school last spring as a possible thing for me to do instead of continuing to work in the legal field. They wanted a lot of money and wouldn't be able to offer me much in the way financial aid except for unsubsidized student loans. No thank you. I already have enough of those.

I really wanted to post last night on my drive home from dinner/reading session. It was about 11 pm and I was leaving the Denny's in Monona and it felt like eight years ago when I was going to MATC. Snow was blowing like mad! I love the snow. I love the cold.

Some "dude" flew his plane into a building yesterday. I don't feel like making snide comments about it. People died in an accident and now it's all over the "news."

I've been isolating myself this week in my room working on the guitar tracks for "America the Beautiful Monster." My final decision is that I need to probably get a new hard drive. I can't figure it out but when I record, I get these electric bursts that end up in the wave and generally there's a static distortion of the wave right before the pop. It's unbelievably irritating. So... I came up with a new way to record the guitar parts on my drive home. Instead of just recording two guitar takes and mixing the two, I decided I'd try to play the song with no delay straight and then a second take with delay where I only hit the chords on the accents of the part. It sounds a lot cleaner. Now I just need to get my computer to cooperate.

There's more to talk about. It's keeping me from lunch though.

My friends had their baby!

That'll do... for now. I need to post in the evenings when I'm not as pressed for time and can actually focus.

I've also been reading Fear and Trembling. It's quite interesting. I doubt that our president could understand what Soren Kierkegaard is talking about (translated or untranslated.)

Morrow beckons.

This searching for the future. The happiness oft referred to in the illusions flashed on the television, in the skies, on each passing face, is something that needs to be found in the future. God bless this american and his misunderstanding that happiness is something in the future.

If I try hard enough, I'll eventually get to the future. Right? That's what I've always been taught.

I'm slogging through this depression thing right now. Let me get some more ducks in rows and then... then what? I don't know.

I really just want to shoot a huge salute to everyone and disappear for a while.

North Korea is probably not the place to visit right now. My friend Anne said that they blamed the Nuke tests on N. Korea instead of her because they don't want to start a war with her. Not yet. We do need more wars though. It's good money for everyone... (eyes roll in sarcastic aplomb.)

I'm grumpy today!

The BIG 100!

I stayed up way too late last night. I feel like sitting on a street corner, smoking cigarettes and staring off into space before going home and taking a long, long nap.

That's not going to happen. I just have to ride out today and tomorrow and then I'll have the weekend to... Oh yeah, the weekend is when I put all of my pent up energy into music.

Last night, Travis and I worked on the new song that we started last Wedensday. It's current working title is either "Wild Mountain Meyhem" or "Hambone Solo." We have a few arranging issues left for it and then I have the tone of the guitar to establish and then we'll introduce it to Danny and Joe and tell Joe that we're not waiting for his bullshit, nor are we going to put up with his lame excuses for not having lyrics. For the love of Crumb Cake, it's his job in the band!

The kicker, and the reason why I stayed up so late, is that I worked out a new idea after Travis left. See, lately, or more appropriately, this week has been one big downer, or more accurately, I've been in a fog of depression. Sunday through the present (even as you read this) has sucked, royally sucked and it's my own fault and I dug up my copy of the deftones self-titled album "Tune out everyone in the crowd because now it's just me and you. Come fall in love with the sound. Make a pact to each other. When no one's around, put the cross between me and you. Who wants to fuck with us now?" and my copy of Nico's Chelsea Girl. "Now that I smile, now that I'm laughing even deeper inside. Now that I see, now that I finally found the one thing I denied. It's now I know, 'do I stay or do I go?' and it is finally I decide that I'll be leavingIn the fairest of the seasons."
and then finally took the time to work, really work, on this damn band yesterday. Get my head out of my ass and pull the threads together again. Travis and I discussed the importance of having a meeting this Saturday to go over more important things that we need to focus on, such as recording and then something else, which may have been the next album (ha! next album, we talk about it like we've already got the first one done.) Our first album will essentially be about the working sap who hates his or her job/life and wants to do more (whatever the fuck that may be.) This second album has a theme already and Travis has put some sketch work into the direction of some of the songs. We talked about that last night and after he left, I stayed and put one of the themes into a song. There's nothing quite like trying to say something using music without saying anywords. It's a, Can you feel it? thing. So I kept working on that. And I have a good start on a new idea.

News stuff happend too. I didn't read or hear about it.

Word.

Sunday

So last night I got home and watched either the history channel or pbs. Every time there was a commercial I'd switch to the other for two different programs. One on Super Volcano and the other on How Illegal Drugs Became Illegal. That was going just fine until I fell asleep.

So when I awoke this morning, I made some toast and grabbed a Dr. Pepper and sat down to watch some boring Sunday morning drivel before football starts.

So the problem arises that the digital cable isn't working properly. Why? I don't know, haven't taken the time to call the company and say. "Hey, are you going to comp me my bar tab on the cable bill because I have to go to a bar to watch football today?"

So I think that when they I do make that call and I do say those words, the answer will be, "No, I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do for you, sir."

So you all are probably wondering why I'm writing about this instead of yesterday evening's action. And all I can say is that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Trav almost fainted before the show. Danny had some pretty bad nerves and sped up the tempo on some of the songs. I was worried about looking professional and forgot to have fun. I didn't really get a chance to talk to Joe about what he thought of the whole thing but we did have a good time. The first show jitters are out of the way. We actually took the stage again to replay some of our songs for the people who showed up late. That second performance was a lot looser, more relaxed, and way more fun. The "crowd" was shouting stuff at us and it was a lot easier to not be worried about missing a chord by a fret or hitting A major instead of A minor.

So, there is a video. There are lots of pictures, I don't know where any of them are (specifically.) I took one picture of myself at around noon as I was walking into the barn for our run through before we set up the stage. I was waaayyy hung over and thought I would like to remember that moment. (Which was only probably a scant 15 minutes before I puked while playing the solo in 'Mt. Hindsight.' Thought I could make it through the song before running outside. Nope. Just popped on the floor in the barn. Rock and roll. Rock and roll. Still recovering from Friday night's binge.)

So there. Charter Sucks and the Show was a good first show.

Where have I been?

Okay, two more days till the "big show." The stage is constructed out of ripped off pallets and 7/16" OSB. I still have to make a wedged prop for our guitar "monitor" so Danny can hear my guitar. I still have to make some boxes to set the PA speakers on. I still have to purchase my supplies (stuff that got assigned for me to bring. BRATS! Lots o Brats! Dis is Wisconsin don't 'cha know.)

Travis and I started working on a new song last night. We also went over Sasquatch by Tenacious D. We're gunna bust that out for a cover.

There are things to report but my time is too sparse right now to run a list here.

(Translation: We've had too much work to do at work and I haven't had any free time to sit and blog at work so I haven't been keeping up, that and my Dad's birthday this week and getting prepared for the show. Searching for insurance rates and debt consolidation. Reading a book about pure land buddhism.)

Check it.

I've got to get some pictures of the show. Shannon's going to film it.

Gotta run (over some broken bottles)

I would post, but there's nothing worth saying right now.
No new ideas today. Today is a good day.

Suck post

1. The Decay of the Age occurs when an era has grown long and old. It is characterized by war, natural disasters, pestilence, and famine.

2. Decay through Delusion is marked by hedonism and decadence. It occurs when people have no control over their baser instincts.

3. Decay through Egocentricism is a state in which society has become excessively complex, and people work only for their own selfish ends, neglecting the rights and needs of others.

4. Decay of Views results from the spread of heretical or evil ideologies, such as the idea that man is but an economic animal, or that history is entirely materialistic.

5. Decay of the Lifespan is marked by the shortening of people's individual lives and by their resulting tendency to become shortsighted and utilitarian in attitude.

-- Masahiro Mori

watching dave

This is by far one of the best movies of all time. It's so heartwarming and lovey-dovey and how they get together at the end. It just makes me want to cry every time I watch that movie.

Or... Steve and James were watching it. They didn't even have the sound up enough for my deaf ears to hear it over the fan in their living room. I asked them if they could hear it and they both, I repeat, both said that they really didn't need it because they pretty much knew the movie by heart.

I only watched it because I was depressed. I only do things that other people have issues with because I'm depressed. It's not my fault!

Or... Guilty pleasure? No. Crossroads, now that's a guilty pleasure. Unfortunately it's not. The DVD does have some fun extras on it. "I'm not a girl" karaoke. Oh man! It was so worth the dollar on dollar movie rental night.

I had a real post today but it's mostly out the window.

Hmmm.....

Today is a good day.

That was it. Today is a good day.

Why you ask? Well, let me tell you then. Each day is spent worrying about what I'm going to be doing tomorrow or the next day. Scheduling and planning and never keeping up with everything. Fuck it! Today is good. Standing at a copy machine is good. Feeling tired is good. Driving to Staples for supplies at work is good. Sitting in traffic is good. I can't explain it very well right now. I probably won't ever explain it here. X=X'. Real = Unreal. Apple = Not Apple.

1+1=1.

Basics. Good day today is.

Friday couldn't come sooner or later

Iris DeMent is playing at the Barrymore this evening. $27.00 at the door. It'll be a good show. I'm not going. Cloud Cult is in town. Playing at the Orpheum for $8.00. It'll be a good show.

Just down the street from the Orpheum, The Irish is having a halfway to St. Patties Day celebration. The "Black Irish Beer" Grrls will be there pushing their alcoholic products on the roaring throng of drunks.

I have been making excuses all week to not get things done. I discovered a website with a gem of a game on it. I'm not going to disclose that site's location here. I also discovered that MSN games has badges! I can accomplish somthing during the day by winning a few badges. I'm so moving on up.

In other news front. I talked to a friend about working for her dad's construction company in the office. She said she'd get back to me on Saturday about it. I may also have found a place to live other than the place I live now. We'll see.








I really could use a good game of Quidditch.

Astromagic Daily!!!

I'm at work (as usual) and there's nothing to do (as usual)

So here's my weekly Chinese Horror-scope

Week of September 11, 2006
You will be feeling more expansive and emotionally positive this week, Satan. You will find great satisfaction immersing yourself in creative projects. Friends support your efforts. If you have wanted to break free and do something new at home or at work, the time is right to take action. Someone may give you the strength to stand up for your needs at week's end. It's a wonderful weekend for a house party or going off with friends. Let other responsibilities wait.

and then it gets even better with the monthly Chinese Horror-scope

September
Just when you think you know where you are going, plans can change. Relationships can be stressful in the Month of the Rooster. Despite your differences, you are affectionate. Still, arguments over silly things spoil the mood. Resentment bubbles under the surface, especially if you do not feel appreciated. You have to say what you feel. Look for ways to have fun with friends mid-month. A couple of relaxed weekends could make a big difference in your attitude. New friends may not be as you first assumed. Disorganization at home and work can be upsetting. Toss out what you do not use. Keep things as simple as possible. Learn to appreciate detail but not to harp on it. Quality of life is more important. At month's end, if you have not been able to bring people around to recognize and meet your needs, then it is time to act.

I totally swear that this must be talking about me personally, I just know it. Where the i Divides is planning this bonfire show on the 30th. AT MONTH'S END!!!

Seriously, AG asked how fall in Madison is going. (er, Wisconsin. Don't mean to misquote but I'm in Madison, specifically; Wisconsin, generally) I was out last night on State Street with a few friends sitting outside the Irish watching for people to step in a pile of Sake Vomit on their way into Sal's, which some college student girl decided she didn't want in her stomach anymore after eating at Takara (in between the Irish and Pizza de Roma (I still call it Sal's)) It was a chilly evening with the temp dropping into the high 40's while we sat and enjoyed James' newfound unemployment.

Fall in Madison is always a fun time with the college crowd invading the downtown and making int their own. Now that I'm no longer a part of this group, it's more fun to watch them and laugh. The leaves are starting to change. It's okay to wear pants all day and all week (as opposed to no pants which is what most people do during the entire month of August, except the prudes! Stupid Prudes!) (Sorry gotta say it: "Don't you hate pants?" - Homer S.) My favorite thing is when the soybean fields start to turn. They go from this verdant green to a aspen yellow. Sometimes in the afterknoon, if I'm lucky enough to be driving home at that time, the sun will be shining and the temp will be rather cool and the soybean fields will just shine with the radiance of kingdom come.

Fall is also the second time each year when I start to get back into reading more buddhist philosophy. It seems that each spring and fall I read a few books on the subject. I finished a collection of essays by Alan Watts called, This Is It, and I am also currently reading The Buddha in the Robot by some Japanese dude (Masahiro Mori.) I've got some ideas I'm kicking around from reading that stuff but it's all a secret and I'm not going to tell anyone what I've learned from reading it.

Back to last night. James and Joe and I stood on State St. for a good two hours 12am to 2am talking about the state of this great nation of ours. Economics and the Dependency Index (I will inform you that this is the Heritage Foundation's Website, read with caution!), the Zionists and the Bolshevik Revolution, Labor Movements in the mid 20th century in America and why we don't have a nationalized health care system (this is almost infuriating to read, read at your own risk,) and Nazis and cancer.

It's fun to sit and talk with James and Co. about things of self-educating nature (or, stuff we will never be taught in school or after school) but the downside is that my personal continuing education isn't in the same fields as those friends. While I can listen to them and participate in the discussion, I also have to do research after the discussion in order to make a better educated decision as to the validity of the proposed arguments. (Philosohpy training at work.)

Well, I've spent way to much time on this post. I was paid $9.00 to write this! Hooray for America! (Anyone remember Mr. show)

First Football weekend almost over

Okay. I know that people don't wanna hear about football.

Here's the deal. I'll talk about it here whenever I want.

Today's football rant is short. Jake Plummer, you are not Brett Farve. Don't try to be like him.

Other than that, I'm learning about Buddhism from a book that was written by a guy who learned it from robots.

Robo-buddah!

(Buddah Stalin is Chronic!)

Title: Title: Title:

This is not what I really want to say. I live my life through filters.

I whine and moan about everything. I never say what's got to be said.

My foul mood may be brought on by the decline in toxins surging through my blood stream today. I only had 3 yesterday. None on Monday. None today.

Hit the gym last night. Put in the first of what may be many miles on the treadmill. I learned Monday night that I have until November to decide if I want to participate in the Birkebeiner. Everyone who's going next year will be in the Birke rather than the Kortelopet. I was thinking that I could be one of the participants that dresses up in some bizzarr-o costume. I also thought that it would be great just to go and bring my guitar and play guitar in the lodge while everyone else skis all day.

But that would seem a bit on the "I fear adventure/challenges" side of things.

In other news:
I did record a newer version of the song "Believe" last night. I think it's the best version to date. There's some ambience synth parts and a super chees-mo-riffic new age-y pan flute sounding part that just makes me laugh. It sounds like those street performers who set up a P.A. and play recorders and pan flutes into mics with so much reverb it's syrup-y and there's a recorded accompaniment that they're playing with. Frickin' Hilarious!

If we ever get some time to do more Bass and Vocal recording sessions, it may end up on the myspace page.

That and for all ya'll myspace haters, we did register a domain for a real website as well. It'll be along in a little while.

That and MC Chris want's everyone to help him break into the top 10 of iTunes hip hop list... whatever that means. Screw iTunes!

Yes, You Can't

I played a bit of an episode of strangers with candy for my sis on saturday. It's the one where Mr. Noblet asks Jerri what she wants to do in the future. "Go to my locker!" "No Jerri, think far into the future." "Uh....... OPEN IT!" "Good luck at the artificial flower factory Jerri."

Then she looks at the camera and says, "Dreams."

It's not Monday. Feels like Monday.

Played guitar for roughly 16 hours on Saturday and Sunday. Band Practice went spectacular. If an object can "go" rather than "be" an adjective.

I really want to be on an extended vacation. Drifting on clouds.

i division completed the two new songs late Sunday evening. Cinnamon Magic is set, except for maybe the transition from the bridge/solo back into the chorus, and Cicada City is dialed in, complete with pre-fab solo that lasts a guaranteed amount of measures before going back to the verse for a one through.

I think that Danny really likes the bridge on that song. It's got a 4/4, 5/4, riff that we repeat a few times before going back to the" jungle" drumming. All drummers love to play "jungle drums" because it's a lot more engaging to play a pattern on multiple drums than to play it on just a bass/snare/hi hat deal. (Yawn city)

(no need for a title)

Sinking feeling in stomach today. Maybe I'll get rid of that with a quick trip to the WC and a little, Brugh! Blegh!

Anyway.

If I could make my own movie, I would make one called Snakes on a Plane...

Someone already did? Damn.

Nothing new happened today.

Nothing new will happen tomorrow.

Waiting is.

Fullness is not yet reached.

And Dean, If I ever manage to drum up the finances I'm going to take a road trip to the school you're going to be working at and plaster the halls with your blog address.

I'll never drum up the finanaces though.

The Long Sleep

I have nothing to talk about. Time creeps by slowly.

I forced myself to go to the gym for the first time in over two weeks.

The Packers lost in poor form to the Bengals. In their defense, they will be lucky to finish at .500 this year. The Bengals will not make it to the Superbowl only if they implode sometime this coming season. Like watching JV play Varsity.

Lots of people are going to be in town this weekend. Too many for my taste. Grandparents, sister, adopted family, friends. I didn't realize that I had Monday off until Saturday when I was American Players Theater for the steamy (humid) matinee of Julius Ceaser. I've seen it before, but had forgotten it, for the most part. During the intermission, I was talking Shakespear talk with, "What pray you think of this spectical thus far?" and so forth... I really have to be immersed in it to switch my brain into that mode.

The best part was when I caught a banished and banish-shed. It wasn't the word banish but it was the past tense form of the verb and they said it both ways. I laughed on the inside remembering (I believe Senior year) when Cori kept correcting the actors with the opposite pronouncement of the word. Well, that and "How now brown cow?" Classic.

To the readers who aren't checking here as often (not that anyone ever really did) I appologize for the lull in productions of nothings. Rocking for Jesus on Sunday took some time last week. Cleaning the house for weekend guests will take some time this week, along with finishing those damn stilts I'm making for children of a friend of a friend. They actually are friends with friends of a friend completely unrelated to the first friend of a friend. Kinda weird (out of state weird).

I also found Phil's blog, or Phil's brother's blog, I can't tell what the hell's going on over there. Phil was my next door neighbor in Arkansassy. I don't really remember if he had a brother. I don't remember his name actually being Harold. I'm pretty sure there was a Maude though. And she was F-U-N-!-!-!

I would put up a link but ya'll would get angry about stuff and post a bunch of comments about Satan and.... Shit Lutheranians, it's really late. I come downtown to throw a monitor into a dumpster and get caught on this crap. (More of getting the clutter out of my life. I've been driving around with that monitor in my truck for the last few weeks and I finally decided that I didn't really want to take it to St. Vinnie's. Ergo, Dumpster! (Bart's room, Bart's room, Bart's room, Dumpster!) Okay, enough.)

* * * * *Shitty Lyric Alert* * * * *
Cry when things don't go the way you want them. Time alive don't indicate age.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reading that's worse than McDonald's tastes.

Right on Cue

as if on cue with my "issues" yesterday, I received a rejection letter about the job. "We'll keep you resume on file." Don't bother. Or did you mean the circular file? Probably.

I'm not let down. I played guitar with the Jesus Jamz group last night right after I found out about the job. It was so much fun, regardless of the content of the lyrics, and it took my mind off of it. I was reminded of what my B. Fuster told me when I was taking percussion lessons at MSU. If you're having a shitty day and you're a musician, pick up your damn sticks (in this case guitar) and learn something new. Take your mind off of the other shit.

It works.

I realized that I do know how to play an A minor with a major 7th in it. I do know how to play a C, Fmaj7, Em7, Dm7 chord run. It's pretty easy to play but it's not in my everyday musical vocabulary. (Most Major 7th chords aren't. They're not really the "sound" I'm after.)

So roll with the punches.

I'm rereading Stranger in a Strange Land. I read it a while ago and I don't remember finishing it. I think I may have but the second half of the book goes so quickly (and it's not as engaging for me) that I don't remember how it ends. Well. It all ends with "the end." But... It's that Dancer in the Dark syndrome. The one where you walk out before the show is over so it never ends. (Kurt Cobain?)

Anyway.

Again, with the long pauses

I think what may be at hand is a personal existential crisis. I'm feel like I'm sitting at a cusp and rather than act, I'm just waiting. Waiting for what? I have no idea.

It would seem that pulling the trigger would be easy but sometimes, the gun may not be in the hand.

No smoking today. Gotta keep my head clear.

I really hate it when...

So I had this great post that I was working on today and then I lost it thanks to a wonderful crash. I'm not to pleased about that. It was something along the lines of 'Dearest On-line Diary. I'm sorry I've been so drunk the last week or so. I'm sorry I didn't drop the charges against you until yesterday but I really felt that even though I was calling you a lying hussy and so on I didn't deserve to have the crap beat out of me, and so publicly I might add. But I've realized that you only did it becasue you love me so much.'

Yeah.

We made up.

The job 'interview' wasn't so much an interview as more of a do you really want this job and confirming the information that I had submitted with my resume on their website.

I went in on Wednesday to take some tests. They were essentially questions from the SAT or ACT to a certain extent. There were some trick questions as well. "If you have two coins that total 55 cents, and one of them is not a nickel, what two coins do you have?"

I used the work "grok" on a response to a question that I didn't understand what they were asking specifically. As a apprentice Philosopher, I need questions to be pretty specific, especially when they are asking for things like, "Which statement is false" and they're refering to both logical statements and mathematical equations, which have different ways of being "false."

I also had to correct grammar. One sentance had the word "lay" as a verb for the pronoun he. (He should lay down until his virtigo passes.) I scribbled it out and wrote, "sit." My device-ical understanding is that "lay is what you do to things and lie is what you do to yourself." It's funny but it keeps me straight on when to use what. This website should clear up you confusion.

Anyway. I'm just sitting tight for now. I hope to hear back from them in the next week. I could use a new job. I could use a change of pace. The band is progressing but not really on account of me. I've been showing up to practice and trying to come up with new ideas but I'm kinda not into it at the moment. I've got a lot on my mind.

If I do get this new job, it means that I'm committing myself to stay in Madison (in a I don't have to stay at this job if I don't want to but I want to because the pay is better than...) even though I had kinda felt like I really need to get out of Madison. Or to put it differently, I want to move back to Montana but my band and the living wage money isn't there, so I have to stay here.

For now.

Phrases I hope to use in my interview today.

"Blank stare."

"The worlds largest middle finger."

"Consisting of eggs and yogurt."

"Don't be afraid to dig around in there like a badger in a trash can."

The Shame

I've been playing on a friend's recreational indoor soccer team at Break Away Sports in Fitchburg. Last night was the last game of the season and boy-howdy was it a rough game. We lost 13 to 2. Now, before you all go on about how terrible a team we were, I was the only person on the team who had actually played soccer before. I was their "ringer" (Ha! I'm so out of practice, I play soccer worse than I play drums at this point.)

I started playing with them four weeks ago on a night when a bunch of their team members were on vacation, so I missed the games when they played teams that were more on their level of competition. I did have 2 assists, which bests my old soccer record of only one in my entire career as a U-14 and J.V. soccer player. My position was left Defender, exclusively, so I didn't really get much action. On this team, I wound up playing more of a mid-fielder position which was a lot more running. I took three shots. Two were blocked and one went wide. Oh well. For $60.00 I can sign up for their fall league as an independant player and they'll put me on a team that's in need of a strong D/power Mid.

Ahhh... recreation.

In other news. Bombs are falling in the mid-East. People are dying. Shakira is performing somewhere to a bunch of people with a very limited taste in music.

I put a new three-way pick-up switch in my guitar last night. I'm kinda amazed that I got the wiring right. After that, I put on some new chrome knobs to replace the one chrome knob and the one plastic, numbered knob and also glued some toothpicks into the holes in the input jack plate. I've got to file the toothpicks off tonight and then I can screw the plate back on and not worry about screws falling out and my input jack falling off.

It's got me thinking that I would like to purchase another cheap guitar, take the finish off and then put my own finish on it. We'll see if I get around to that.

I also got a new cable for my camera. I don't have software at home to download the images but I think I can do it at work. I just need to remember to bring it in with me. Then you all will get to experience the wonders of Madison life as captured by yours truly.

Busy as a bee

I put in the effort and got the damn resumes sent off for the new jobs. Maybe I'll get one.

Shit.

I'm totally fed up with my jobs right now.

I'm totally fed up with this damn heat.

My name is now, unofficially, J. C. Blev.!

I am your savior.

Savior from the whirpool vortex above a storm drain you accidentally slip into while stumbling down the street on the biggest trip of your life and there's a hurricane a'blowin'.

See what I was talking about?

Okay, I just want to say that it was a big-ass storm.

That out of the way...

So yeah... I never got around to finishing this post.

Too busy I guess.

"Nothing's ever good enough for you"

So it started raining about 20 minutes ago. I stepped outside for a cigarette and stood under an entryway roof thing-y and by the time my cigarette was gone, my shoe and one pant leg were soaked from the wind blowing sheets of rain seven feet in. With it slowing down now, I think that I may attempt to procure some gustatory delights from the nearby gas station for lunch.

That said (and I love thunderstorms) it is time to talk some more about the band.

Joe thinks that we should hold off on new material. Translation: I don't want to write more lyrics right now. He want's to focus on the songs we have, polish them up and then get our stage show worked out (the one with the sync-ed video and the additional music tracks pumped through the PA.) I can agree with that to a point. I really want to play a few shows and get our 'songbook' expanded to a full 30 songs.

I honestly think, though, that if we (and more specifically, me) keep focusing on the songs we have, I'll end up not working out new material. It's just like that drawing I have on one of my journal-binders where this guy is holding a baby that's holding a sign that says, "Nothing's Ever Good Enough for You." (Line from a Radiohead song I was listening to in the library at MSU one fair afterknoon while drinking coffee and writing crap.)

I'm gunna get lunch now.

Alright, that's just not funny

I don't know if anybody is aware of this, but the humble beginnings of the Onion, Online Satire "Newspaper", was actually a printed document circulated in the fair and culturally diverse city of Madison, WI. We used to pick up copies of the Onion and leave them in the Video Room for browsing and comedic uplifting during our droll days in high school. So all of ya'll that think it's an online thing can eat it. We had it first, before it was purchased by Disney, moved to New York, and put on the web. Believe me, it's way more entertaining in print as a coffee shop/lunch by yourself read than it ever could be at your desk on a monitor.

Last week they ran yet another 'best of' with my personal favorite "Christ Returns to NBA."

So this article seemed to be appropriate. 'MidWest' Discovered Between East, West Coasts.

Onto other things:
Yes, it was my birthday on Sunday. I didn't do anything too exciting. Had a few beers, sat and watched some TV, had a steak for dinner.

While driving to work this morning, I saw a sign that said, "ASC" and thought that it might have something to do with Dean. Some evil company on Atwood Ave. that harbors investigative research demons or something of that nature, seeking the Philosophers Stone.

There was a bit of an argument at work this morning which was a long time coming. One of my asst. Mgrs handed it to this girl who's almost always in Bitch Mode. It was nice. Very very nice. Luk-a-Guine-Glick-a-glick-a-guill-guh.

Excuse me, Sir.

So everyone thinks that the myspace thing is lame. I don't seem to recall asking your opinions. Maybe then, I should have deactivated the comments on that post. (can I do that?)

Alright. Criticism noted, and then promptly ignored. We are going for the 16 year old hotties as our base market. Joe said something about talking to his buddy about holding the page for an offical band site. That would be a better thing for us anyway.

Regardless, I can't help but want to say things like, if you think myspace sucks, I can't agree more with you, but it's a way for people to check out our music (if we ever get it up on the site) and pictures (again, with the same issue) that only requires minimal work. We aren't asking you to get your own myspace account, in fact, we don't want you to. Just check it out when I tell you to (when there is something new posted to inspect) and ignore it like the rest of myspace (like I do.)

Is that cool or should I take a poll? All those in favor of my band not having a myspace page raise your hand. Now promptly go form you own band and not put up a myspace page.

(sorry, I'm a little grouchy today.)

In other band related news:

Our first practice in the new rehearsal space (the barn) was spectacular. The sound in there is good. Joe sang through his 100w amp and I sang through his 15w amp and still out sang him. He needs to learn how to project his singing voice. Danny brought his keyboard playing friend for an "audition." I wasn't pleased about that but it worked itself out. The poor guy was in over his head. I was trying to tell him chords and notes that I was playing and he had no idea what I was talking about. Oh well. He seemed like a nice enough guy but I would have liked to have had a discussion with the four members of the band about it before we had him show up.


In other non-band related news:

My friend Liz told me to just apply at epic systems for several positions. They'll put me where they want me, if they want me, which they will. She said they administer this test during one of the interviews with puzzles. Frickin' Sweet!!! She also said that they ask a lot of open-ended questions like, "Tell me about a time that you felt like you had accomplished something," or, "What did you picture yourself doing as an adult when you were still a kid?" I'm hoping that my next interview includes the question, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Because I can then reply, "Celebrating the five year anniversary of you asking me this question!"

Two small things

First off, I wish this 'big empty' would just go away.

Secondly, the website is up.

Where the i Divides

Joe put all of the info up. He asked me to put some mp3's onto a CD for him so he could upload our demos. He has copies of all of our songs on CD's and he has our stuff on his ipod. I asked him if he didn't know how to rip a CD and he said he'd ask his wife to do it.

If he reads this he'll be angry with me and let me know about it at practice.

Actually, third thing.

We have a practice space in Madison... finally. Our inagural practice is tomorrow. I'm very excited and hope that this will be the first of many rehearsals and writing sessions to come in this space. Thank you Joe and Rachel for letting us use your facilities.

Drowning in Humidity

It's really humid in Madison right now. Yuck.

I think that if I go to sleep tonight I'll not wake up, only because I've drown in a pool of my own sweat... that or maybe it'll be saliva.

Big times fast aproach. Band meeting tomorrow. We will discuss the new (potential) practice space at my friends farm. It'll be in their barn so we'll probably take a trip out there to scope the place out. I've got two new songs that have arangement issues. I don't know how to put them together. The problem is that I have begun to think that the music I write is to predictable and formulaic. I don't really know how to go about putting parts into place and I have decided that I'm going to DEMAND from my bandmates that they give weighty suggestions.

We'll see how it pans out. And I'm totally stoked about soccer on friday night. I'm going to be so exhausted.

Story from the Bus

I first off would like to say that I have a real hard time writing the word bus. I really, really, really want to spell it buss, but that's just wrong.

I was awaiting my new bus in Billings, Montana at 12:45 A.M. with a bunch of other freaks and was recalling the time I had to stand there for four hours waiting to get on a bus to Bozeman, MT. There was a woman who was an old hippy... I think that I've posted about this one... and she was real creapy like. So I've adopted a policy that I don't talk to people on the bus or at the bus stations (unless I absolutely have to.)

That doesn't always work the way you want it to though. Case in point. I was standing in the Billings depot and I noticed a kid with a t-shirt that had a Fullmetal Alchemist symbol on the back and a Blood Seal on the front. I thought it was funny that he had that t-shirt on. Then I realized that it was sad that I recognized the symbols.

Anyway. I went outside to smoke cigarettes and stay away from the people, so I put on my big headphones (they look like earmuffs) and listened to music as I was puffin' away. People would mill in and out of the depot and whatever and it was fine. I avoided eye contact, kept to myself and listened to my music. But then this kid I spotted earlier comes walking out. He starts talking to some guy that was on the bus with us once I got on in Livingston. That guy went inside or something so the kid wandered over to me and started talking. I couldn't hear a word he was saying because I had my headphones on, and they're big so it's obvious that I'm listeneing to music. I let him go for a little bit and then finally pull of the headphons to hear what he's talking about. Apparently the sight on the gun for the Area 51 video game was all askew. Ha! I then asked him about the t-shirt, knowing full well that I was getting into trouble but I kinda wanted to see where it would go. He started talking crazy about the cartoon and I said that I didn't watch it, I just read the comics. At that point he started talking about some character on a keychain that was attached to his belt and I lost interest. I think he caught on (through my subtle hints that I didn't care) and just wandered away.

Thar be uh store-iee for tha ages.

back from the high plains

I am pushing my way through the first day back at the jobs. Yuck. Being unemployed isn't fun but taking a vacation that last more than a few days and a weekend is worse once it's over.

I have yet to forget the feeling of sitting on 2nd street outside the coffee shop in the afterknoon, watching the clouds and the people and the mountains and not worrying about getting anything done. I was able to put that off over the weekend after I got back to WI by having relatives in town for the Brewers/Cubs game in Milwaukee. I relaxed yesterday by napping and just milling around.

It's all being washed away now. Once I'm done with work today, it completes the first phase of the routine. Then it's off to the gym for the first workout since I've gotten home. I did purchase a guest pass to a gym in Montana for one day and got an approximate workout in during my vacation but it's mostly like being fresh from two weeks off.

Sorry I've been gone. It wouldn't really matter that much anyway. I've been busy with my obsession and I kinda don't feel like I've got much to post/say these days. I don't take the time to really get into the more insightful side of my brain (as if there is one) at work while I'm posting this. My "roommates" keep threatening to get a high-speed connection at the house but I'll believe that when I have an ethernet connection in my room.

I'll post some pieces about the bus trip. The stories aren't that great but riding the bus is always a marathon in patience and endurance. And maybe a few pictures of the new scars.

The Third of July

Hey yeah, I'm out of town. Not much access to a computer to post and keep you two faithful readers (I'll work on getting rid of that faith of yours) up to date on the boredom that is my life.

Montana is home. I'm home, for now.

Be back next week to the mundane.

Chunky sections of the songs

When you put youself on the line to do something that is above the calling of the average person, you end up getting into a realm of obsession that tends to block out all else that fails to serve the obsession.

Danger Twin #2 sent me some text messages on Saturyday asking if I was still alive. Sure I'm still alive. I'm just not alive for sitting in pubs consuming shot after shot of "Jame-o".

Our rehearsal/audition on Saturday was spectacular. (filled with spectacle) The new drummer is offically our new drummer. His skill are a little rusty since he doesn't own his own kit and doesn't have a viable practice space, but he was very interested in working out drum parts that are unique for each song. No repetition of a beat. I'm very excited about that. I just need to rope him in for certain chuncky sections of the songs. What is a chuncky section of a song you ask? Well, I glad you asked. (about that thing, cause what I'd like to do is sing.)

A chunky section of a song is where the music escalates from a rather subdued and "pistol eating vib-ey" state into lots and lots of distortion/feedback noise/chaos ala the "Everybody solo" from a certain 50's pop song parody by a certain band. It's what I'm fast learning is a certain esthetic that I use in my songcraft to explore the less refinied sections of my brain. Much like an Alabama Frankenstein, "Fire Bad, Ya'll," where the ability to take in stimuli lacks the controlled restraint and supression from years of being raised in the Christian Sub-culture in it's expression coming out the other side.

It generally goes like this. "It needs more distortion. It needs more compression. Let's throw in some vibrato. How 'bout some delay? Second pass through distortion would be good now. I wonder what it would sound like with wah? No, no wah is needed." Then I'm usually satisfied with the sound of raw sadness screaching out of my amp. It's not processed. It's not subdued, it's at the point where everything fell apart.

There's a lot more exploring that I need to do in order to wrap my fingers around the neck of my muse. It ain't getting away that easy.

I would also like to apologize for the lack of excitement on my blog as of late. I've been indulging myself with lots of day to day boring stories that amuse me. I haven't found myself really being to engaged by the outside world as of late. Just obsessed with the band, the music, the hope for a better tomorrow and politics or ire-evoking current event ranting doesn't seem to really get us anywhere.

By the time we decide to do something about it, it'll be too late.

Excuse me sir

We have a song called "Excuse Me Sir (can I have back my soul)" that has an intro of just a guitar. I play an arpeggio and then hit some harmonics let it ring with delay and then repeat with a differnt note in the arpeggio. It's been in my head the last few days, making me think of something distant, but in a box. A scene of a memory burned into my brain as a moment in which to pause and reflect.

Joe has had the song "Jerkwater" stuck in his head for the last two days. It kinda got me thinking about where the working title of that song came from. My sister and I were visiting my other sister in the Evergreen/Conifer area of Colorado. Nell had taken time off and flew up to visit her and I happened to have spring break that week so I drove down. We stayed with her at the camp she was working at, with her gracious roommate. (Becky's house was being de-skunk-funked so she was staying with another single woman in her house on the grounds.) Becky had work she had to do and Nell and I went up to some ski hill whose name escapes me, Breckenridge that's it, to see an old roommate of hers when she lived in Leadville. We drove my car up there and met him and he had her old half-dog/half-wolf with him. Nell was happy/sad to see Luna. She was a pretty dog but she had gotten fat in her time with her new owner. We hit the slopes for some snowboarding after some brew and food in the town and on the drive back, Nell pulled out this cd that she had, which was of a band called "Freakwater." The songs were catchy and the lyrics were sometimes outstandingly funny.

I've had in my head from time to time the gist of one of those songs and it's always reminded me of that time that we were driving out of Breckenridge back to Evergreen (through South Park, no crappy I-70 for us, we're bon-a-fide Rocky Mountain Residents!) (yes, it's the South Park from the stupid show. One of the creators of that show grew up in Conifer and the kids from S. Park were snotty, over the pass types. But, S. Park is also the name of the valley that the town resides in. We drove through the valley, not the actual town, we had better things to do.) Somehow, over time, I had gotten the name of the band crossed with the term Jerkwater and it worked it's way into my working vocabulary. "Fuck this Jerkwater town, I'm going home." "Shut up you lousy, jerkwater hick!"

And that's a story that'll never get on VH1's Storytellers. Amen.

New guitar case

I was searching online for custom guitar cases yestarday evening at work and didn't find anything that really struck my fancy. Everything is in the vein of molded plastics or plywood covered in fake leather or tweed. I don't think that it's a very diverse market at this point. I mean, seriously, who is not going to shit their panties when they see Jewel's handmade, beautifully detailed, $1,000.00, custom guitar case and then, after cleaning up their mess, hop online and see that they can get one for their own Ovation piece of shit guitar for a mere $200 (less detail in the inlays, of course.)

I spent last night cutting up foam for the interior. I've got to figure out an easy way to cut out the space for the guitar and the pick case. I also filled in all the holes with wood putty and decided to wait till tonight to sand it down again before applying the stain and then a first coat of polyeurathane (I think that's how it's spelled). After that, it's just a matter of insetting the hinges, attaching the hardware, and finishing the foam cutting/attaching the padding and fabric and I'll be done with the prototype. I've got an order from my sister in California for her acoustic guitar already. I also want to make one for my electric guitar since the case I have is in shambles. When I pick it up, invariably, I lose a pick or two, and the fake brass plastic trim is falling off. I does have a sweet Misfits sticker on it though. I hate the Misfits.

Today is also my sister's birthday. She sent me a text this morning saying that the leader of her band, or her old band, Yo Vee, kicked her out. I don't know what to say about that. I think that they will lose an important part of their sound, and by that I mean the interplay of my sister's voice with the lead singer. Their bass player quit last fall/winter to start his own project. I thought he was an important factor to their sound as well.

I take my sister's side. I told her to take it as an opportunity to get her ass out of this musical rut and start working on her own songs, her own sound. If she really wants it, it's there for her to take.

I've got to get back to work.

Prediction

I know that this is not funny for everyone else but eat it.

I have seen this man from time to time getting on the bus in the mornings while I'm driving to work. Not anything to remember about him. Just another dude getting on the bus to go to work. I didn't even start to notice him until a few weeks ago when I was walking on the square and saw this man scurry-ing to get his... well actually, it was more like waddle-ing... to get his ass on the bus before it pulled away and made him wait for the next one (which I believe was only a fifteen minute wait.) It was delightfully amusing for me to watch this man so uncoordinatedly propel himself that I made a mental note to post about it, but I felt guilty about finding it funny, and then I felt that all three readers would be offended, and then I thought that it was just downright mean. ... Screw that shit! Screw you for thinking I can't laugh at someone who looks funny running, albeit due to morbid obesity.

So I did post the story about it. And you know, it's not interesting for me to tell it and I'm certain you were bored reading it. I should have kept that little gem to myself.

But yeah, now I see him all the time and I can't help but laugh a little, on the inside anyway.

How bout this one instead.

I was waiting for my ride yesterday afterknoon (lousy Truck is in the shop again for the same lack of fuel to the carborator problem that was supposed to be fixed by the new fuel filter/new feul pump that was put in last month) and I saw about twenty squirrels running around on the capitol lawn. It made my day to watch them scamper and chase each other from tree to tree.

Okay? Better?

Now. I am working on a case for my $40.00, 1/2-size, acoustic, nylon string guitar. It's essentially a prototype for the case I'm going to make for my electric. The beauty of it is that I can probably crank out ten cases and sell them as hand-built custom guitar cases. $200 a pop and pretty soon (ten years from now,) I've got some extra cash to spend on hash. But then those squirrels will just end up stealing them and using them for sleds.

'I don't know' anymore

I've found that things I knew are slipping away. It saddens me, scares me. T-rex went to Tomah to visit on Friday and he told me the next evening that it sucked to see that his old high school friends were almost exclusively people he had nothing in common with. I see that myself. I occasionally run into old friends from highschool and we have nothing to say to each other. I understand why, loss of a common activity/daily ritual involving interaction, and I don't really care about that, but it is the changing that I am a little unsettled by.

I'm staring down the long barrel of this week before I get on a bus and read a U2 biography and a textbook on recording technology. I'm not sure I want to go. It up-ends my daily/weekly routine and puts me in a situation that has lots of unknown variables. After yesterday afterknoon in Chicago, I don't know if I'm really up for lots of unknown variables. (Kristin made Travis and I go to this re-sale shop up in the "gay" district. It wasn't exactly where I see myself 'being.')

My friend is moving next weekend to Minnesota. She's Travis' roommate and I've known her since the Barn Daze. Her going away party was on Saturday night and it was fun but there was a moment of sadness too. I could see us moving into different currents again and I didn't like the thought of that. I don't like the feel of that, like I've been moving in disjointed currents for a long time, spreading myself thin, and there are too many people I want to keep abreast with, too many people I feel I need to give my valuable time to, undeserved-ly in those cases (mostly), and what of the giant bluff I front? When do actually get to put that to the test? (huh, Kristin? are you calling me on it?)

But...

Such is the nature of this. This, "I don't know," anymore. I can't know. To know is to see more than is allowed without paying a price. Probably an arm or a leg, or both.

Just wait. (with bated breath)

Fighting with rubberbands and bandanas

I've had four conversations with four people in the last three days that have been the highlight of each day and somehow I've managed to use those discourses in a way that keeps me going.

(You can throw rocks)

I called Kristin to make plans for going to Chicago to be a guest on her radio program. Travis and I are planning on making a day of it. I know Kristin will be singing (fiona apple) inside when she reads this. We talked about a lot of things but talking to her is always a good thing. She knows how to ask the questions and help me not only analyze my motives, but also understand my progress.

(From your house of glass)

I ran into my bosses daughter on the sidewalk on the way to work. She works a scant few blocks away from each job and takes the bus so sometimes I see her when I'm walking to/from one of my jobs. She bought me a scone and we chatted about stuff. She really encouraged me to apply for a job at Epic saying that she thought it would be a perfect fit for me (less the longer commute, and if anyone knows about long commutes, Clyde Park, MT to Big Sky, MT is about as long and as beautiful a commute that anyone would want. 70 miles one way, over a pass and through a long, winding canyon.) She should know since she worked there as an assistant for the CEO of the company. (Great reference to put on the resume, too.)

(It's no skin off of my ass)

Last night I talked to Travis about the plans to go to Chicago, my frustration with my desire to sabatoge the band and move back to Montana by accusing Joe and him of not caring enough about the band, and what I've been working on in light of our business plans for the summer. All in all, I need to spend time with Travis in order to keep myself focused on the reason why I think this band is worth it above any other band I could be a part of.

(My sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet ass)

This morning I ran into a woman at the coffee shop who I used to see on a more regular basis when I would hang out there in the afterknoons in my un-employed days last spring. She's an artist and she and I were catching up a little bit. She asked me if I was still thinking about law school and I said no. She then went on to tell me I was too nice to be an Attorney. I think it was more my inability to take a side in an argument that wasn't contrary to everyone else's. "Client? What client? They're both guilty... if being sexy is a CRIME!"

What? Oh, wait, so she gave me this book about procrastinating, being a pro artist, and said that I should read it. I started reading it and there was too many things that I wanted to put up on this site. I stopped myself from doing that. If you wanted to know any of the insightful stuff I gleaned today, you would be elsewhere.

So then, while tracking down some dude (according to the documents I have to serve upon him, he isn't good at keeping spoken contract agreements) I kept thinking that I was wasting time trying to find this guy and I should be working on my music. Sum of the story, I'm impatient and scatterbrained.

Speaking of which, Thom Yorke is in the works of a solo album.

Tolerance and Understanding

"This is a song I wrote about tolerance and undersanding..."

I watched a caterpiller change into a butterfly today
(She watched a caterpiller change into a butterfly today.)
And you can throw rocks from you house of glass, ain't no skin off of my ass
Ain't no skin off of my ass
(Ain't no skin off of my ass)
Spoken:
People, don't look at each other as black and white,
look at each other as light and dark,
Be sensitive today.

And YOU CAN THROW ROCKS FROM YOUR HOUSE OF GLASS!!!
It's No skin off of my ASS!
My Sweet Ass!!!
My Sweet Ass!!!
My Sweet Ass!!!
I LOVE MY ASS!!!!

my sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet ass.

(I love Home Movies.)

Big ol' crybaby

I was listening to Cloud Cult last night on my way home from the gym and about broke down into tears. Something about these lines:

It's the thoughts that you feed.
It's the habits you need.
It's the things that you don't think that you're seeing (When you're really seeing).
It's your tongue in my mouth.
It's the things that we're too scared to talk about.
It's the feeling that you're dreaming (But you're not really dreaming).
It's the feeling that you're falling (But there's a fine line between falling and flying).
It's the feeling that you've lost it (Why don't you get it?)
That man jumped out the window (Come back in the window).

Running with the theme of the last post and all...

Then I was watching the Series Finale of Home Movies. Just about started crying again. It's got way to many memories attached to it. Graduating. Having Kristin watch it on the replay at 3am. Just sitting there realizing that it was over. I started watching that show my first year in Montana. It was over my last year in Montana.

BUT...

I ran into my bosses daughter this morning. She and I chatted over a scone at the farmers market. She said that I should apply for the job with epic. I'd make more money, have benefits that are better than a flexible schedule. I could afford a real amp. I could afford a practice space. I could afford a G5 and other assorted recording studio type hardware. I'll give it some time and mull it over for once I get back from my escape into the realms of temporary homelands. (It was a good book but also just a dry read. It's effect was similar to reading the Lord of the Rings. All I want to do after I read those books is just get in my truck and drive. I don't care where, just far. Off to the petrified forest in AZ, or up to AK, or just to Black River Harbor.)

Someday. Someday soon.

More musings from the post hangover

I learned a new word. Skototropism. I really like that word.

I have ideas spinning in my head. The Isthmus is running their "best of Madison" again. I felt like voting but decided it didn't matter one way or the other. Most of the time I don't even care.

Favorite place to buy coffee? Coffee Crossing isn't even in Madison. Flavorite place to Ski? Big Sky. Favorite place to see outdoor shows? Pine Creek. I'm not meant to be here in Madison.

Skototropism.

(There's the link. Sheesh. Learn to do your own legwork. Lazy lazy lazy.)

Piss an Vin

I'm just a bit on the angry side of a moment. Got wrapped up in my old ways on saturday night. Went out for a few beers with Andy's brother and his old roommate and Dave's old girlfriend. That was good and well. Five beers (Murphy's, Black & Tan, Harp, Bell's Oberon x2) in four hours, quick talking, one whole pack of cigarettes and then some. (Camel light Wides, Winston lights) and a stroll around the downtown. It was kind of raining on and off. Smoking wasn't that big of a deal since there was a stoop at the Irish and we didn't have to stand in the rain. (Madison thinks it's cool because it thinks that California is cool and it has a smoking ban just like California.) So, back at James', his roommates get back from some party and then his other roommate gets back from Portage (at like 4am) with a mostly full bottle of Jack Daniels. We proceed to pass the bottle around and I end up getting piss drunk to the point of madness. I stumble off to my truck, which is in a parking ramp and plant myself in the seat and lock the door and wait for the deeds to begin. I don't remember how many times I crawled out of my truck to vomit behind the SUV I was parked next to, but there was a sweetly sickening pool of stomach bile and sadness waiting for someone to find sometime later that day. I went home a nine. Slept all day. Watched TV in the evening. Went to bed. Still feel like shit for allowing myself to go back to that. I don't binge drink anymore. (Yeah I don't.)

On the flipside, I haven't had a cigarette since Saturday. They smell horrible to me now. God bless the two day hangover.

Another stupid Dream

I was out last evening with friends on state street and I got home early this morning. It was about 4 am when I woke up and realized that the segment of my dream where I was in a bathroom was my bladder dreaming of waking me up. So there was a need to take care of, and I also swigged down some more water with the dose of Vitamin I that I would've needed in the morning anyway. So... I had a can of Redbull and that always gives me nightmares these days (or so it seems) and I was having this dream. I was at a house party and there were a bunch of big men hanging wearing Hip Hop Apparel and it turned into huge brawl, a rumble if you will, so I bolted.

I remember having my keys in my hand which I assume meant I was walking to my truck but instead I was walking back to my hotel room. There were other people fleeing the fight at the party too and we were heading up this hill but the hill started to erode and I had to climb up this plastic edging to get up to solid ground.

In the hotel there were people tearing around the place, because the fight had spread and there were just people everywhere kickin' the shit out of each other so I ducked into my room. In my room was my friend Tom and his dog "Freckles" (Freckles is crazy, he was abandoned as a puppy was abused a lot and he gets really vicious when people leave Tom's house or when they smell like booze.) and Tragic Shisler was there too. So we are in this room and this black dog, much like a cross of a Pit Bull and a Rotwieller, comes charging through the screen door attacking Freckles and I just dive right in, pulling them apart and getting bit up by the black dog. These Hispanic dudes come walking up to the door and it turns out it's there dog so I'm shoving it out the door with a "get this thing the fuck out of here" deal and I shut the door.

I woke up after that.

How's that for inspiration? Huh?