El Salvador

I just recently got back from El Salvador. (Ok, it was 11 days ago, so not that recent in a certain manner, but I'm slow, sue me.) You may wonder why I went to a third world country the size of Connecticut, well, that's where my mother's side of the family, except for one of her sisters, is located. I was there for a week and met for the first time, or saw again after a long while, 7 aunts and uncles, 23 cousins, and about half a dozen of their kids, along with their spouses, and my 90 year old grandmother. At one point, at my grandmother's birthday celebration, I experienced information overload where I knew that I was related to someone there, but not sure who they were, or how. This included my sister and mom!
It was a good trip. We went to the beach, twice (keep in mind I don't like the beach), a small town overlooking a lake that they're trying to make tourist friendly called Suchitoto, my grandma's house in their small town of San Miguel de Mercedes, a section of San Salvador (the capital and largest city) that has an American feel to it (the two malls, Office Max, KFC, Wendy's, and Burger King do that).
Some parts, especially in the capital, are very much like any other city here. Then there's parts that have little tin shacks with people that bathe in a nearby river. Like here, there's the different classes of wealthy, middle, and poor. My family is pretty much all middle class. The family grew up on a farm, but most of the sons work in either financial or political jobs. Some are retired now though. They have decent sized houses, with a maid! Almost everyone has a maid. A lot of the maids live in their own quarters in the house. That's where my room was. We called it the dungeon because it was small and in a corner of the house, past the kitchen, and the open area where the laundry was done. Most houses have an open area without a roof.
Another interesting thing is the Pollo Campero phenomenon. It's a fried chicked place, kind of like KFC, but better (at least I thought so). The phenomenon is that, a) they're everywhere, b) they're usually crowded, c) for whatever reason, people leaving feel the need to bring it with them. On the flight back, there were at least half a dozen people carrying boxes of chicken as their carryon, to the point where you could smell it on the plane. The wierd thing about it is, that there's no Campero anywhere near the airport, which is a good hour outside of the city. So it's an hour old just before they get to the airport, another hour to get on the plane, the flight to Houston is 2 and a half hours, plus the flight to wherever they're going. The flight to Phoenix was another 2 hours. Probably another hour to get off the plane, get the baggage
and get home. By that time, it's like 7 hours old. Yummy!
What else, oh, my Aunt and Uncle had digital cable which offered ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX from New York, that was kind of odd. ESPN for Latin America shows tennis and soccer, and that's about it.
Technically this was my third time there. I was there when I was around 4 or 5, then again at 9 years old. Then 20 years later I went back. I'm glad I went, I'll probably go again. Probably less than 20 years. Now I just have to learn to speak some Spanish. I made everyone ask me yes or no questions with simple language because that's all I could understand.

30

Today I turn 30. I was asked how I felt about this, my response, I don't know. On the one hand, 30 isn't really old, but it's not really young. I consider myself a kid, but I'm really not. Definitely not a man. I guess what bothers me the most is what I haven't accomplished, be wary, it's a long list:

• I have no money, every check is spent by the time I get it.
• I haven't had a serious relationship, hell, I haven't even had a frivolous relationship. I'm basically undateable. I'm like a Trekkie without the fake Vulcan ears, the uniform, and the Klingon to English dictionary.
• I don't own my own home, and with the way prices have skyrocketed, I don't think I ever will.
• I don't go out much because almost all of my friends are married with kids, except one, but he's in Massachusetts. Then again, doesn't matter much (see the first item)
• I was in a band for a short time, but not now, and can't find one.
• I haven't finished college.
• I don't know if I really want to work in computers for the rest of my life.
• I wanted to have a Corvette by now, instead I have my 8 year old Camaro (which I still love) that i've been in two minor accidents with. At least it's paid off.
• I still haven't written a complete song. Just little bits.

So after all that whining, I guess it could be worse. Problem is, I just don't feel like I've amounted to much. I am the most optimistic pessimist in the world, so here's hoping that the next half of my life is better than the first.

KWILCO

Just a quickie. I've updated the radioblog with more Wilco. Someday I'll think of something else to post here.

Wilco

Ok, I've mentioned them a few times here, so after much pain in figuring out how to setup this damn radio blog with a very (and I mean very) limited web space/server provided by Qwest, I present to you 4 songs from Wilco. These are selections their last 4 albums.
At Least That's What you Said- From A Ghost is Born, 2004
Monday- From Being There, 1996
Can't Stand It- From Summerteeth, 1999
Jesus, etc.-From Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, 2002 (funny story about this album, they made it, preseneted it to Reprise, their record company, who dumped them the next day. They they released it online, toured with it, and were signed by Nonesuch for a lot more money with the album that Reprise sold back to them. Funny part, both companies are owned by Time Warner, so they basically paid for the album twice!)
I'll keep updating this thing, I have to do it totally manually (as in rewriting the playlist file), so it won't be often, plus, I have like 9MB on Qwest (thanks!), unless I can get some more space.

Music Snob

I am a self described music snob. I readily admit it. Actually, I'm kind of proud of it. It means I have high standards. I don't, scratch that, can't accept what the mainstream says is good. Just because lots of people like it doesn't mean it's any good. Music is a visceral experience to me. I appreciate it on its own. Tones, words, heart, soul, passion, love, anger, despression, happiness. These things all speak to me in music. Not all music can speak to me though. Pop music, for the most part, does nothing for me, as does rap, country, death metal, or most r&b (new not old Motown stuff). There are many artists that I listen to that I'd call "poppy", but they have something deeper that trancends them above pop. In fact there's something there, I listen to artists because music is an art form, a type of expression. Then there are those that are performers. Example, The Beatles were artists, Herman's Hermits were performers. Sheryl Crow is an artist (though one I don't listen to), Britney Spears is a performer. There are those that I'd consider to be performers in my collection, but I wouldn't put them towards my favorite lists. Yes, I do have a KISS CD! But only 1, I have 40+ R.E.M. CDs (singles, albums, bootlegs)
Another point that I'd like to make is about why people say they love music. I've had a friend say that he loves music. He can associate songs with various points in his life, whether it be a song from that period or a new one with pertinent lyrics. That's fine, but I really don't think of that as a music lover. That's a memory lover, the music just reminds him of those memories. Smells do the same thing. I don't need a memory to associate with a song, the song is the memory.
For a while though, I was starting to think that I was losing my love for it. It happened as with most when they age that they don't like anything new. "All new music stinks" is what you'd hear. And they'll stick with what they know. That's another thing about associating songs with memories, you stick with the old memories, then all you have is old songs, no room for anything new. That didn't happen to me, but I hadn't found anything new to be passionate about. There were the bands that I liked and they're great and I looked forward to their new releases. There were new ones coming out that I'd find value to and like, but nothing that I really went nuts for. A prime example of this was when I really discovered R.E.M. I didn't like R.E.M. except for Stand, and maybe The One I Love, but I didn't really know their stuff. This was before Out Of Time came out in '90. Then I heard Losing My Religion, and was blown away. It was genius, didn't know how at the time, just that it was. It took about 8 months and I had every album up to that point, and started getting the singles because they had extra stuff. Then eagerly awaiting the new albums, then they finally went on tour. Saw them twice the first time, and 16 more since then. Only The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, and The Smashing Pumpkins would I put in that category (the Pumpkins though lost some steam towards the end of their run). Since Pearl Jam though, there hasn't been anything for me to go after like that. I was beginning to think that I'd just fall into the same pattern that many aging people do where "the new stuff is bad, give me what I know." True, most new stuff is bad, the list is too long to even start. There was hope though for me when I found Wilco. Remember I said I don't like country? They're considered Alt-country, technically a fusion of country with punk sensibilities (isn't that an oxymoron?). And I love them. Absolute genius. The first album (A.M.) is country rock. The second (Being There) is country rock folk. The third (Summerteeth) is dark pop and folk and rock. The fourth (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) is avant-garde. The fifth (A Ghost is Born) is folk, pop, avant garde, country. As the announcer said for their appearance on Austin City Limits, "And now a band that can do anything." That's about right.
I can enjoy being a music snob again!

Friggin' tired

I'm friggin' tired today. As I have been just about everyday for the last two months. I don't know what it is. Here's an example of how tired I've been: I usually, except recently, went to bed around 12AM, then take about 30 minutes to fall asleep. Lately, I've been going to bed at 10:30, PM. Yes, that's right, 10:30. Like an old fart. I wouldn't even get a chance to watch a bit of Letterman. It's ridiculous. And I still wake up at 7:00 tired. I try to sleep in on the weekends, get maybe 10 hours, get to bed about midnight and I'll wake up at 8 or 9, with two or three wake ups in the morning. Here's another shocker, at least for me, I'm thinking about going to the doctor for it. Using the handy-dandy WebMD, I don't think I have anemia, possible, but maybe not. I could, though, have sleep apnea. That's where you stop breathing during sleep. Who knows. For now, I leave you with the Beatles:

I'm So Tired from the album The Beatles (aka The White Album)
I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink
I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink
I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink
No,no,no.

I'm so tired I don't know what to do
I'm so tired my mind is set on you
I wonder should I call you but I know what you'd do

You'd say I'm putting you on
But it's no joke, it's doing me harm
You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain
You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane
You know I'd give you everything I've got
for a little peace of mind

I'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset
Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette
And curse Sir Walter Raleigh
He was such a stupid get.

Rock and Roll Confidential

Presenting the Hall of Douchebags:
http://www.rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/hall_detail.php?dd_keyid=1

Check it out, bad pictures of bad bands (probably long since gone).

Postal Theft

Since I haven't posted for a while, and can't think of anything to post ( I have two on hold, being undatable and turning 30, but that one's for my birthday coming up), I'm going to steal this from Mark and SassyB. (They were tagged, and I don't know what that means, BTW, WTF is a meme?)

10 Years Ago I was:

• Working for American Express, just created a new position saving the company tens of thousands of dollars, and paid like a clerk, my first experience of the corporate world (BASTARDS)
• Had yet to see R.E.M. live, but bought 7 of the 9 available albums including Monster, a grunge album about sex, a turn around from Automatic For the People, a folk album about death
• Almost 20, still hadn't been drinking (waited until 21, can you believe that?!?)
• Attending ASU, part time
• No dates
  

5 Years Ago I was:

• Still working for American Express in desktop support with the aforementioned Mark and SassyB
• Had seen R.E.M. 8 times, but only once in Phoenix (Las Vegas, LA-2, Irvine, Moutain View-2 (CA bay area), Denver)
• Almost 25, starting to feel old halfway through it. Found alcohol, liked it.
• Attending University of Phoenix (BTW, still not done)
• No dates

1 Year Ago I was:

• Working for Shamrock Foods, after getting laid off from Amex in 2002, cut as a contractor from IBM (at Amex) in 2003, and quitting the hideous phone support position there. Thought about going back to Amex to get my 5 weeks of vacation.
• Working on a trip to see R.E.M. 5 times in 3 weeks (LA, Santa Barbara, Irvine, then New York and Connecticut), for my 14th-18th times seeing them.
• Almost 29, feeling very old
• No school
• No dates

Yesterday I was:

• Tired as all hell from the weekend (had a bachelor party at my house)
• Bitching about my fantasy football team
• Hoping I get to talk to that girl I like (didn't happen)
• Listened to music at work (benefits of being in a back room, turned up the speakers)

5 Snacks I enjoy the most:

• Cold Pizza
• Starbust (especially cherry, then strawberry, then cherry and lemon together)
• Tootsie rolls
• Cinnamon sugar graham crackers
• Slice of cheddar cheese

5 Songs I know all the words to:

• It's the End of the World As We Know it (and I feel fine) - R.E.M. (some people don't even know the whole title!) + 90% of the rest of the R.E.M. catalog
  
• 75% of all Pearl Jam songs
• 66% of Neil Young songs
• 75% of The Beatles catalog
• Too many other various ones

5 Ideal Places for running away to:

• New York City - but only with a ton of cash
• Six Flags Magic Mountain (this should have the sign "Happiest Place on Earth"
• Las Vegas - with aforementioned ton of cash
• Empty desert with a guitar
• Forest with a guitar

5 Items You'll never see me wear:

• A real suit (Dockers with a shirt and tie is the closest I come)
• Sweater (except hockey jerseys which are called "sweaters")
• Designer jeans (I guess Levi's isn't designer)
• Gold necklace (don't like anything around my neck)
• And of course, a speedo

5 Biggest Joys in Life:

• Music
• Friends and Family
• Hockey (playing and watching)
• Sports (watching)
• Music

3 Favorite Toys:

• My guitars & drums (I guess that should be musical instruments)
  
• My Computer
• iPod
  

Drug bands

I don't do drugs. I don't like them, I don't like the fact that you lose control when on them. I hate the smell of pot, it smells like ass (don't ask me how I know what ass smells like, I'm making a non-literal comparison). I drink, but never to the point of stumbling. And not that often either. So I found it extremely odd that when I actually thought about it, I listen to a lot of drug music. To wit:
The Black Crowes: The poster boys for legalizing pot, at one time they smoked on stage and were high for most of their performances (they're very tight now so I don't think they're high on stage anymore). In fact Spin magazine once listed 10 things that stoners think, #2 was "The Black Crowes Amorica album is one of the best albums of all time". I don't think it's the best album of all time, but it's one of their best, so it's in my top 100.
Phish: This band is somewhat in the mold of The Greatful Dead. They had Deadheads, Phish has Phishheads. I've seen them three times, very smelly crowd, both B.O. and pot. They do 25 minute jams that just go, and they're great! They've broken up, but I did manage to buy three shirts, one of which is made of hemp of all things.
The Mars Volta-I think normal people would have to be on acid to enjoy this. I just like it.
Oasis-serious drug users in their day
The Beatles-I'm of the opinion that when The Beatles started, they were simply a pop band, then they discover drugs and got really, really good. That happened right around A Hard Days Night/No Reply era. I love the story from Paul that while filming Help! the scene was for him and Ringo to run from the bomb, they kept running, long after they were supposed to stop, then smoked a doob.
Pink Floyd-musical acid, at least in the early days
Then there's the bands/artists that are just known for doing lots of drugs-Tom Petty, Neil Young, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones (Keith Richards says don't do drugs, Don't do drugs?, Keith, we can't do any more drugs, you did them all, we have to wait until you're creamated then we'll smoke your ashes-Denis Leary), and on and on
I guess for me, music is my drug. At least with pot, I don't like it, I won't do it, but I don't have a major problem if those around me do it, just keep me downwind. I suppose that my experience with music has led to that attitude, because all other drugs I hate the mere existence of them.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Can't think of anything to post-post

So I can't think of anything to post here, and since it's been a couple of days (ok, a week) I thought I'd post some lyrics.
A band that I really like that I've discovered recently is Wilco. They're out of Chicago and are theoretically in the genre of alt-country. I don't know what that means, their first album (which I don't have) is very country sounding, at least the clips I've heard. The next four move further and further away, they're like a folk-rock-pop-electronic-acid jazz kind of band.
I discovered them when they opened for, surprise, surprise, R.E.M. in 2003. I heard a couple of their songs on a webcast of an R.E.M. show, right before I went to go see them.
This song is from their 1999 album Summerteeth. It's called How to Fight Loneliness, I like the words and the melody and thought I'd share the lyrics. If you see me, and there's a guitar around, ask me and I'll play it (and sing too!).

How to Fight Loneliness

How to fight loneliness?
Smile all the time

Shine you teeth 'til meaningless
And sharpen them with lies

And whatever's going down
Will follow you around
That's how you fight loneliness

You laugh at every joke

Drag your blanket blindly
And fill your heart with smoke

And the first thing that you want
Will be the last thing you ever need
That's how you fight it

Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time
Just smile all the time

Flying Solo

This has come up a few times recently for me: Going on vacation, or just to an event, by yourself. A lot of people seem to see that as weird, or even sad, but recently someone at work said how much she enjoys it and Sassy B has expressed a desire to go on vacation by herself.
It's something that I've done quite a bit. This is what happens when most of your friends are married, or, in the case of one, live on the other side of the country. I've done, vacations, movies, concerts, even dinner by myself (I don't go to a bar alone though, that's kind of boring seeing as how I'm anti-social). Usually when someone asks about a vacation I may have mentioned, or a concert, or whatever, and then asks who I'm going with, to which I reply, just me (sometimes I'll say three of us, me, myself, and I), they'll give me a strange look, or in a couple of cases say "awww, that's sad." Why's that sad? It's something that I want to do, my friends are either unavailable, or broke, so I'm not going to miss it just because I have to fly solo.
Recently, the aforementioned person at work asked about my upcoming vacation (going to catch a concert, baseball game and visit one of my favorite places, Six Flags Magic Mountain). When I replied that I'll be going by myself, instead of the wierd look, she said "Isn't it great to go on vacation alone, no one to worry about, you just go and do what you want to do!" I was kind of taken aback since I'd never received this response before, but it was very refreshing. It also reminded me of a time that I went to Vegas for the Super Bowl with a bunch of guys. The Rams (my favorite football team) had just lost, so I wasn't in the best mood, and we're all standing around trying to decide what to do, two wanted to eat, two wanted to go back to their room, 3 wanted to gamble, but 1 at the casino we were at, 2 at the other places, and 2 wanted to go to the strip club (I had like $40 so this wasn't an option). That drove me nuts.
And not every time I'm completely alone. On the trip that I mentioned, I'm going to be staying with my cousin in California. The events I'm doing by myself, but I'll have someone to talk to at times.
I don't consider myself a very confident person, but I guess, in a way, I am since I can go out and do things on my own and not really worry about being alone.

A sign??

So last week I decided that I'd start a physical fitness plan in earnest. I pulled out the bike, got a new tube for the flat front tire and headed out. First ride last Sunday was to a friends house 3 miles away, then up and around the 101 on 35th, to the hill on 47th and Beardsley (I made it halfway up), then down 51st to Grovers, and back home. In all, it worked out to about 12 miles. Not a bad ride for the first time out. Nearly got heat stroke because I did it in the middle of the day, but I made it. Hockey on Monday night, rode again on Tuesday and Thursday, about 8 miles each, then went to do another 10+ on Saturday, and it was going fine, until about a mile and a half from home the chain snapped on me. It was a POS Wal-Mart bike my mom bought, but it worked, until then. Then came the joy of walking, with a busted bike, the mile and a half, at 3:00 in the heat and (for Arizona) humidity to get home. So now I'm without pretty much my only form of exercise other than hockey (that's only once a week and the season ends this month with a two month break). I can fix this bike, the back wheel is all bent up from who knows what, the sprocket teeth are chipped and bent, and it never shifted right. So what to do. Fix it, then wait for something else to break. Umm, no. Do nothing and get fat(ter). Get a new bike. That will be the plan I'll do, except, I have expensive taste, not carbon fiber triathlon Lance Armstrong $5000 bike expensive, but something along the lines of a $400 Trek hybrid. Definitely not doing a Huffy. Time to do some research and shopping.

Hostility

So after a somber post, how about some complaining...

What's with the hostility? I mean a specific kind of hostility such as...





Or those who say they want to harm certain elected officials (didn't want the FBI to come arrest me if I type it a certain way, even though I don't mean it that way), or the "poet" I saw at an open mic night spew about how he loved peace then declared how he wanted to maim and or kill a republican if he met one on the street. Or a comment like this: "I've noticed that too! I always want to rearend cars with the Bush/Cheney stickers on 'em. I mean, they're asking for it...:P (I guess the smiley sticking it's tongue out makes it all OK). It just seems very bizarre to me that so called peace loving people, usually left wingers, have all this hostility against people that don't agree with them.
Granted, there's some (theoretically) right-wing, teeth-missin', gun-totin', southern residin', sheet-wearin' jack-holes that deserve to be shown their still beating souless hearts, but that's because they're stupid. Stupid people don't get to have opinions, they just pick up trash and clean port-a-pottys. Other than that, last time I checked, we still have the freedom to have an opinion. You have the freedom to not like that opinion.
I'm basically a conservative, registered republican. But I don't like Dubya. I don't harbor any hostility towards him. I didn't vote for him, nor John Kerry. I voted none of the above (another topic for the next election). Had Kerry made it in office, I wouldn't want to open a can o' whupass on his supporters. Insults are the way to go. They can be very entertaining, and no one gets hurt!
So in the words of that great philosopher Rodney King: "Can't we all just get along?"

Not a good day...

Today is not a good day. It marks 1 year since my dad passed away. He was 55. That's pretty young, especially considering the advancements in medicine lately. Unfortunately, the various familial ailments were too much. In fact, his own father died at 49 or 50 (consequently, I never met him).
I'd never had any person close to me die before that. The closest thing was my dog, Remy, in 2003. Actually, August 7th, 2003. I don't know why, but I had an odd feeling at that time that it was meant to prepare me for something. But you know, nothing ever really prepares you. My dad had a triple bypass in 2001, then his kidneys failed (from being diabetic) and he had to go on dialysis. That, along with the multiple trips to the doctor or hospital, made him sick and tired of being sick and tired.
In an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy's mom died suddenly from a clot in her brain, the episode, which I saw prior to this happening, I felt was very good at capturing what it was like to have someone die. Little did I know how close it was, what a surreal experience it all would be. In that episode, Buffy speaks with one of her friends who talks about how her mom died who had been sick for a long time. Buffy asked if it was sudden, and the friend replied, "No, and yes, it's always sudden." Having watched my dad, not really waste away, but not able to do what he once was able to, and his frustration with it, made me know that my time with him was limited. But it was sudden. I never knew it would only be for a couple more years.
He's on a hillside in Orange County, CA, overlooking a ravine. It's a nice area, also where quite a bit of our family is. He's just a couple of rows and spaces over from his mom, and in the section across from his dad (Frank Romero also, btw). Obviously, I still miss him. You always hear the stories of when someone says "not a day goes by I don't think of him/her" which at one I thought was kind of difficult to think of someone that's passed everyday, but now I understand.

Too funny...

I bet this has run across some people's minds a time or two...
http://albinoblacksheep.com/flash/stfu.php

I'm leading in the asshole poll!

I'd just like to thank everyone that's voted for me in the asshole poll over at Mark's site. It's really overwhelming to be recognized like this. And so I'd like to give a heartfelt go screw yourselves! : )

Oh boy, the NHL is back. : |

As some know, my favorite sport is hockey. I play it (poorly), I watch it whenever I can (evidenced by me watching the NCAA Frozen Four tournament every year) and go to a lot of games (Coyotes season tickets since '97, plus went to two back east during vacations this past year). I'm one of those die-hard fans the NHL is counting on to come back. And I will, but not like before. I'm pretty irritated, by both the players and owners. They sat around doing nothing until December, then nothing again for a month, then met like crazy, with no deal, then a hint of a deal, then a cancelled season, then a last ditch effort for a deal, then nothing. Then they waited until about the end of what would have been the season to talk, and now there's a deal, which has pretty much everything the players said they would never cave to. So all of this whining and bitching, just to end up here. That's what pisses me off, a season was bascially lost for no real good reason other than stupidity and obstinance. Thanks. The all-star games is supposed to be here in Phoenix this year, but it may get cancelled since they're going to play in the Winter Olympics. That's actually not so bad because if you haven't been out to the sprawling Westgate development lately, here's what's there. 1 Arena, complete; 1 stadium, incomplete; 6 parking lots; dirt, dirt and more dirt. That'll make a great showcase environment for the fan fest and the broadcast, not that anyone will be watching anyway. It's sad that ESPN can show poker and get better ratings than with hockey (personally, I'd rather watch an hour of grass growing, in real-time, than poker, or golf for that matter). NBC has a network deal that they got for free, they just will share revenues with the NHL if there's any profit. So I'm sure that the NHL will cash a check for somewhere around $15 after NBC shows a whopping 7 regular season games and 2-5 games of the Stanley Cup Finals. I guess they have too much arena football to show. Anyway, as Dennis Miller ends his rants, so will I: Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

A-S-S-H-O-L-E, Everybody!!! A-S-S-H-O-L-E!!

And people think I'm a nice guy. HA, HA I say, HA!!!!

Thanks to Rich who stole it from this person 3T for the test. On second thought, nah!!!

I am 84% Asshole/Bitch.

I am one of those people that love to hear the sound of their voice. That and my lousy attitude make for a mixture as toxic next-day-mexican-
dinner-ass-drip.

Take the
Asshole/Bitch Test
@ FualiDotCom

Another performance

I did another set on Saturday night before the band came on. I only did five songs this time and had a friend of mine sing a song. She's got a great voice and everyone in the bar was impressed, then I came back to sing the last two, and they were like "oh, you, great : | " Ok, not that bad, but it's hard for me to follow that up. For those who couldn't attend, I did these:

Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
I Am the Highway - Audioslave
Criminal - Fiona Apple (sung by my friend)
Black - Pearl Jam
It's The End of the World... - R.E.M.

Quotes

I added a couple of quotes to my header. One's from Frank Zappa, who never failed to have something to say about this screwed up world we live in. The second is unknown, but speaks volumes. The last one is from me. Some people think I mean that I and a select few get to live. Nope, everyone. Leave the planet to the fish, birds, bears, dogs, frogs, etc... People pretty much always screw stuff up so maybe it's time to go.

Brilliant!!

Brilliant move of the week: I left my garage door open last night, plus the light was on to assist any would be "borrowers" and not to mention the door that goes into the house was unlocked. Oh, and my car was unlocked as well. Dumbass! Fortunately (surprisingly), nothing was taken. It was probably open from about 9PM last night when I went to take the trash out. I only do this about once every eight years so any thieves, get ready in 2013.

My solo debut

On Thursday night, I played an "opening" set of 7 songs, solo and acoustic, before the band that I do sound for came on. This was the first time I've ever played anything more than one song by myself in front of anyone other than a few friends (so if you're wondering why I didn't mention it, that's why). I did OK, for my first time, I guess. I totally screwed up on the first song and like the gibson ad says "No distortion to cover your ass" is true! I improved each one, getting a bit more comfortable with each song. I didn't do so bad, because they're going to let me do it again. So now I have to figure at least 3 new songs to do. I think I have an idea.
Here's the ones I did:

Fell in Love With A Girl –The White Stripes
…baby one more time –Britney Spears
How to Fight Loneliness - Wilco
Black – Pearl Jam
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing – Jack Johnson
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town – Pearl Jam
It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – R.E.M.

If anyone has any suggestions, post them here.

10 things every man must own?

Combine one part busy and three parts forgetful and what do you get, no entries for a week!

10 Things every man must own?

I ran across this article on the msn.com home page. Supposedly, it's 10 must own items for bachelors. So here we go on what I think of this list:

1. A top notch coffee/espresso maker (he suggests a designer one at $230): Um, I friggin' hate coffee, it's disgusting dirt that's urinated into my hot water. It smells bad and tastes worse! So why the hell should I spend even the cost of Safeway generic instant coffee. To make for her when she wakes up? A) That'd be a miracle if it ever happened to me. b) I wouldn't want to kiss her with that godawful coffee breath mixed with morning breath. Blecchhhh.

2. A lamp in the bedroom: Maybe it's just common sense, but who the hell doesn't have any form of light in the bedroom, or any room for that matter. (I'm sure some women would say that men have no lights in the closets)

3. Swiffer Sweeper: I agree with Metrosexual Matt on this one, Swiffer rocks.

4. A comfortable couch: Yet another duh!!! But he goes on to suggest something in the $1000 range. The only things I buy for over $1000 have six strings, four wheels, or run at 2.4 GHZ.

5. Nice Underwear: Sure, but does it have to be designer? Kind of says something about you that you may not want if women is what you're going after, if you know what I mean.

6. A key ring that can fix anything: In the sense of having tools, yes, cool, but he says to use it to impress her and make yourself indispensible.

7. $150 Jean: Well why don't you come over and kick my dog too! $150 jeans, I had no idea that there was such a thing. They're denim, which is cotton, usually blue. How can that be $150? I guess it's just proof that stupid people will buy anything if you convince them they need it.

8. $200 dress shoes: Excuse me while I attempt to cleanse my mouth of the bile that's formed from hurling. I can understand going out and having nice shoes, but $200? I have a nice pair of Skechers I got for $30. They're black, they have laces. Good enough.

9. 300 Thread count sheets: I don't understand what this means, you can make sheets out of 300 threads? How long are they? The last set of sheets I bought were black. That's what I wanted.

10. The Joy of Cooking: Any guy who can't cook just doesn't pay attention. There was usually someone in the house that cooked at least once when they were a kid. You could learn something by paying attention. If not them, then oh, I don't know, the FUCKING FOOD NETWORK. I don't know what's in this book, I don't care, but this jerk off suggested it, so it must suck.

So there you have it, according to "Metrosexual" Matt Scheiderman, 10 things every single guy must own. Yeah, whatever. Sounds to me he's schlepping for online stores, or just trying keep up the notion that only the stylish guys are really worth anything to women. Sure I'd guess that if a lot of guys followed tips like this, and a lot of the ones in Maxim that they'd have a really easy time getting women. You know what I've found, they're assholes. Didn't the mothers of these girls tell them not to date someone prettier than them, he'll spend more time in the bathroom than her. Second, I think the definition of metrosexual is "gay, but they don't know it yet."(not that there's anything wrong with that!) They date a lot until around 30, get married by 35, then divorced because they realize they're true self.

My second point is I don't have to worry about any of this crap because I'm undateable. I'll explain that some other time. It's very liberating. I've watched some of my friends totally contradict themselves, spew BS all in the name of impressing women. Me, I don't care. It doesn't matter whether I hold back or not, so screw it, I won't, hence what you see above.

Oh, I have something that should be on this list. How about an actual interesting personality. And some common sense. And a little compassion, instead of being a stupid arrogant dick?

Weekend Adventures

When's a better time to post about the weekend than on a Tuesday?!
On Friday night I went to a happy hour, for me! I got a promotion so I wanted to celebrate with some friends I hadn't seen in a while. I got a good crowd, some couldn't make it, but a good time was had anyway (just another excuse to have another happy hour later). Later in the evening, a trio of us went to a karaoke bar (what is it with that and me lately?) and did a couple songs. I did very average on Tonight, Tonight from the Pumpkins (didn't help the words were wrong on the screen), and I massacred Cochise from Audioslave (again, I must have been drunk to pick that one!). Thing is, I actually can sing it, I do it in my living room, and even tested myself on my PA to hear myself better. That night, my throat dried up, and since the song is a screamer, I pretty much sucked! My friend got the entire bars attention though. She did Piece of My Heart (Janis Joplin) and got congrats all around.
The next day I went to my nephew's 1st birthday party (I'm his honorary uncle since my friend, his mom, was an only child). He's a cute kid, and kind of demanding (just like mommy!). It was, what I'd guess a typical 1st birthday party would be. Some crying, then happy, then crying, then happy. A million pictures taken. Of course, I never have a camera with me, but here's a picture I have that my friend sent me:


Sunday I woke up early (8:30 is early on a Sunday, and that means it was important to me) to go see the new Batman. And it was awesome. The original Tim Burton one from '89 is one of my favorite movies, and this one is right up there. I fully intend to go see it again. For the record, the Star Wars count is now at 4.

Paris Hilton is "retiring"

People are stupid, this can be the only explanation for this, whatever the hell she is, to be famous (I'd call her a treehole skank, but that'd be an insult to skanks and the hole in the tree!).

Paris is retiring

Apparently she's tired of her partying life and wants to "settle down." Uh-huh. As long as she's out of the news. Personally, I rank her as one of the top 5 most annoying people in the world.

Karaoke

Japanese for tone deaf...

I never thought I'd actually like doing it, and maybe it's just that I was drunk on Friday, but along with my friend, and the happy hour migration, I did two songs at a "karaoke annex" (that's what I call it) at a bar called Hurricane Bay. The bar is really a large dance club, with an island theme. Off to the side though, they have a karaoke bar. It's small, but it has a stage, which I've never used before. The few times that I've done it have been where they just hand you the mic at your table, and you go from there. As with all types of these event, there are those that are really good (including my friend) and some that are really bad. I guess I fit in the middle, though my friend was telling me that I did good and people asked her if I was a singer. I did "Like a Stone" from Audioslave (and I really must have been drunk to start off with that one; Chris Cornell is an excellent singer with a very dynamic voice) and "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" from the Smashing Pumpkins. I think I did OK on "Like a Stone" but people told me I did really well (though, I'm not one to really take compliments well, I'm wierd that way) For the Pumpkins song, I was fairly confident on it because I do a pretty decent Billy Corgan impression. I even had my growling Corgan scream going! One song that I try to do that impresses people is "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)" from my favorite band, R.E.M. Not my singing ability, but the fact that I know all the words. It's not on every list though. The last time I did that one, I was staring at a baseball game while the words were on a TV behind me! Yes, sometimes, I kind of like to show off!

The Mars Volta

Tonight I went to go see The Mars Volta. They're a band out of California (I think) that is progressive rock/progressive hard rock/concept album band sort of. Imagine the Grateful Dead doing Frank Zappa interpretations of Led Zeppelin songs (if you understand that combination reference, congratulations, you're wierd), on major drugs (I guess that goes without saying) with congas and latin beats (the two main dudes are Mexican). The concert was really good. Not incredible, but when you do a 20 minute version of a song that was only on an independent EP, some people may let their minds wander. Very trippy though. I myself don't do drugs, that's why I go to these shows.
Lots of kids too, which means that I'm getting old. I kept looking around and wanting to yell (like Denis Leary) "PULL UP YOUR PANTS!" You'd think these dudes with the saggy pants would grow out of that trend. Nope. They just get lower. Like I said, I guess I'm getting older.

Concerts

Speaking of concerts, it got me thinking, I think I go to a lot, but I'm not sure how I compare. Generally I hit about 10 a year, and have done about 105 (this doesn't include seeing a band in a bar or small stage at the fair, this is just ticketed events)
Here's the list for this year:
U2
Audioslave
Wilco (in Flagstaff)

Coming up:
The Mars Volta
Oasis w/ Jet
Green Day w/ Jimmy Eat World
Rolling Stones (maybe)
Pearl Jam x3 (if they tour this year, could be next)
Weezer (if they show up here)

And for the one where everyone thinks I'm nuts. I've seen R.E.M. 18 times, 5 of which came last year. And I want to go to Europe to see them again, but I can't afford that. : (

Rich People are Boring

So last night I turn on NBC to see The Eagles in their Farewell I concert special. First off, the fact that they have a Farewell I concert special on NBC (which actually isn't even a concert, but a collection of highlights from one show with interview snippets) says that they're old and used to be good. Now, don't get me wrong, the Eagles were pretty good, back in the day, and I did buy that Hell Freezes Over album (on cassette, not CD) but it's also the only Eagles album I have. They're not the kind of band that I'd go nuts for, but I know a lot of their songs and usually will leave one on if I hear it on the radio. Watching this last night, I'm seeing a very common thread in these older bands, they play the songs almost exactly like they recorded them. This is good for some people, but I'd like to see some improvisation, even if it's just in a guitar solo here and there. And all the songs are their hits, it's like they're a walking talking greatest hits album. You may as well stay home, save the money and hassle and listen to the CD. At least the Rolling Stones (Inc., a band in the same category that charges up to $450 for the top level seats, even the "cheap" seats are $65, WTF!?!?!), usually will release an album that is somewhat decent, sometimes good, so they have new stuff to play on tour. They have to do something to keep themselves from getting bored, otherwise it shows. (Try it, make a list with 23 songs on it and listen to it 4 days a week, for 3 months, I doubt you could handle it.)
Second, there's where the crowd up front sits on their rich (probably surgically altered) asses, mildly claps in between songs. Why are they rich, because these bands charge somewhere in the neighborhood of $200-$500 for seats up front, and when they get sold by scalpers, the tickets will range in the $1000 range. Who can afford that, except for boring rich people. They're more concerned with their moussed hair, leather coats, designer clothes/shoes, drinking champagne/wine/imported beer, and talking throught the entire set. It's disgusting. And this show was from Australia, I would have though that Aussies would have more sense than that. That's why I like bands like R.E.M. and Pearl Jam who reserve the majority of the front sections for their fan clubs (there's still quite a few that get out to scalpers and comps for business associates of the venue). That really curbs down on that crap and the people that deserve to be up front, for the most part, are. Standing, yelling and screaming, jumping (that's a European thing, I've heard they move like a wave, I have to see an R.E.M. show there) That's how a crowd should be at a rock show. Even U2 tries by making the floor of their arena shows general admission. That way, those who really care, line up early to get a good area near the stage. Unfortunately, I had one of the worst sounding seats, and a bad crowd around me, that really ruined the experience. I should have been on the floor, dammit!!!!! But I digress...

Finding a band is hard

That would be a new band. The band I was in, I am no longer in. Basically, there was a disagreement about how things would be done, and we mutually decided that I'd leave the band. On a personal level, I still talk with those guys (they're also who I run sound for on Thursday nights) so it's still cool, but I'd like to find one of my own to play in.
About a month ago, I started working on that. I figured that I'd play guitar and sing about half of what was done in a night. I'm not a great singer, but I get by. I just have to make sure I stay in my range. I placed a couple of ads out, and right away I found a bass player. This was huge because bassist are just about the hardest members to find. Guitarists are a dime a dozen, bassists are hard to find because most people wanting to get into music don't think of that part of the rhythm section first. Usually, if they can't play anything, they'll go to guitar or drums, or just be a singer. Half of bassists are failed guitarists (I have no idea if this number is accurate, I just pulled something out of spaced). Next I needed a lead guitarist and a drummer, I had about 15 responses to my ad, but only a couple of follow ups, after some time, it turned into bringing one of each to my place to try them out, and well, I wasn't impressed. Then the bassist called me and said he wouldn't have time to do this now. So I was back a square one. Part of my problem is that I'm pretty specific in what I'm looking for, and that would be fine if I was patient, but I'm not. The last time I tried this, it took me 6 months to find a band. I had jammed with a couple before, but none ever called me back. At that point, I was ready to give up on guitar and go to drums so I could find a different avenue of playing. (Turns out I'm not a bad drummer, considering I drum like a guitarist - musicians will know what that means) So after a couple of weeks of figuring it would never happen, I'm taking a more low key approach. I'm responding to ads I see out there, so far only two and see what happens. One of them was to a band that plays in a lot of biker bars which means having to do those "standard" songs like "Brown Eyed Girl" or "Mustang Sally" or "Play the Funky Music" or "Sweet Home Alabama" Some of those are OK, but the thought of that makes me cringe. On the other hand, I just want to play so I'll have to make some major concessions to do that, we'll see if I survive.

Star Wars

I'm sure most of you have already seen it, or if you haven't are still waiting for the crowds to die down, but eagerly anticipating it, or are sick of the talk and never liked it to begin with (what kind of sick person are you? ; ) Anyway, I went to see it again this morning. Yes I woke up early to make it the the 8:55 showing, and damn! it's still good. Like every Star Wars (including Episode IV-VI) it drags a bit, but Lucas isn't known for his pacing, dialogue, or direction (which is literally "faster and more intense") It's still Star Wars, and it still rocks. I won't spoil anything for those who wish to see it, but haven't (that's like 1 or 2 that I know that would be here), but the battles are incredible and the moral is "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." And I wish they'd stop calling him Ani. Of course, could you imagine Jar Jar figuring stuff out, and saying hello Ani to Vader in the Imperial Senate? That scene should have been added into the end!!
In other movie news, the new Batman looks really good. Bruce Wayne is a seriously screwed up individual, and this seems to reflect that. The first Tim Burton and Michael Keaton movie is my favorite, but if they do it right, Begins should rank right up there. It'll also be a nice redemption from those steaming piles buffalo crap that Joel Schumacher made. I mean they put nipples on the uniform!! What the hell for? And "chicks dig the car"?!?!?!? Those movies, at best, are fluff and make a mockery out of even the TV series, which was silly. The one time that I saw each one was more than enough. I won't even touch Catwoman w/ Halle Berry since it, from what I understand, has nothing to do with Batman.
The new Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe looks interesting. I just can't remember anything from the book. Granted it was about 18 years ago that I last read it (or had it read to me), but I would think something in the preview would jog my memory. If I actually read (an average sized book takes me about 8 months to read), I might consider re-reading it before it came out, but there's just not enough time. They're probably trying to shape this one up as the next Lord of The Rings-type series, though I haven't heard if they're doing more.

Welcome to Zombietown

It's days like this that I wish I didn't revile coffee so much. Sure, soda's got caffeine in it too, but from what I've heard about coffee from the coffee cult, it's great for kickstarting your day. Trouble is, it tastes like dirt mixed in warm water. Add sugar and cream, and it still sucks.
So I'm working off of four hours of sleep and a diet Pepsi. Why? I am the sound engineer/backline/dj/roadie for a local cover band. They had a gig last night at a bar/restaurant called the Blue Agave in Scottsdale (they're there for the next four Thursday nights if anyone is interested in coming out). I use my equipment and some of theirs to get a PA running and then I run the soundboard. I'm getting the hang of it fairly quickly given that I've only done it once before. Didn't have the ear-piercing feedback this time which is a sign of progress.
Anyway, doing the gig is the fun part. Loading all the crap back into the truck and then driving home for 45 minutes, and taking it out of the truck is what has landed me here. But I'm not complaining, ok, maybe I am, but I'm tired and I don't know what I'm talking about.

Comments

I've become aware that you couldn't comment w/o being a blogspot member. I fixed that you can comment anonymously. Now I expect comments from the Viagra people to show up any day now.

In-Car toilet

Yeah, I know what you're thinking, just what we need, some asshole, taking a dump going down the freeway at 90 mph, on his cell phone, watching an in-car DVD, with the top down of his BMW.

Turns out, it's like a personal, portable, port-o-john. Though I wouldn't put it past someone to use it while driving.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4578895.stm

27 hour cycle

Oh, you may wonder what this means. It means that if I were to sleep a natural sleep cycle and wake up, I'd sleep for 9 hours and be awake for 18. 27 hours. I found this out when I was out of work for 6 months, and I got tired later and later in the day until I was sleeping to about 3 PM and going to bed around 6 AM. I figured I should try to work on a 24 hour cycle, but that means I'll be sleepy for the rest of my life. Probably why I rear-ended somebody a couple weeks ago. Fortunately for my insurance, and them, they were OK and their van was fine. Mine on the other hand has a dent in the hood that needs to be massaged out, but I can't claim it because I just had a claim where some maniac hit me on the freeway last month and cracked my fender. That had to be replaced, and since it was a hit and run, I was left with the $500 deductible.

First post

Greetings, welcome to my blog. That's something I never thought I'd say. I've been feeling pretty crappy lately and some say this whole writing thing is cathartic, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Just a fair word of warning, I complain a lot, but if you know my friend @ www.sassybrat.net then I won't seem so bad! ; ) (sorry K, had to get that shot in there, and no I won't call you Sassy).
No idea where to begin. Little background: I hate everything except the stuff I like! Whatever the hell that means. I love music, I hate rap and country. I love sports, I hate golf. I'll leave it at that.