Monday, March 31, 2008

Weekend again

Last thursday marked 5 months in tha SF area, so lets see what ah was up ta, shall we?

First off, fer those of you unaware, my basick schedule these days is this: up around 7:30, out tha door between 8 and 8:30, 7.5 hours at my job, n then ah gae ta eitha yoga er band practice. On tha days ah have neitha (er skip yoga, as has been my march trend), ah generally gae home n veg, altho sometimes ah dae somethang bettah (like gaein to tha berkeley library er git a haircut). My weekends start w. me out tha house at 10:30 fer 11 am yoga, n then ah hop on tha BART fer practice w. think13. This usually takes me till about 5 er 6 pm, when ah usually gae home n collapse. Sunday, ah try ta take off.

Ahve been keepin up this pace all year, which is a lil surprising even ta me, but its a lawt of fun.

N this last weekend, think13 showed tha world (er at least tha Rock It Room) that we ain't all about tha handdrums n acoustic geetars all tha time. We brought 25 minutes of rawk to tha house, keepin up our end of tha bargain (as thar were 9 otha rawk bands, n if we didn't kick some ass it would've been very easy ta be tha weakest link). Even bettah, we were on kinda early, so that left tha rest of tha nite ta drink our hearts away (on our dime cuz tha rock it room doesn't take care of its bands - sorry guys, its tha truth. Ah will say that tha sound guy was phenomenal n worked way way way too hard).

Of kerse, whar alcohol is involved, thars opportunities fer bullshit. Especially when drunk frat boys think its funny ta pinch tha ass of our lead singers date. Over and over again. While it was quite a fine ass, it was made abundantly clear that she was spoken fer, n this guy did nawt take a hint. Nuthang came of it, but ah was surprised how quickly and easily East Coast teenager Anthony came to tha surface when confronted w. a total jackass who might have actually benefitted from gittin his ass kicked. Tha fact that thar was a dozen of us (mostly irish) who were of a similar mindframe helped...while ah continued ta tell myself that it wasn't worth it, nor a good idea, n that my karma would NAWT be rewarded, ah found myself shouting at a scumbag, n if ah hadn't been so inebriated ah might've even tried a curse. DOWN BOY!

tha rest of tha nite was fun, but its becoming obvious that ah need ta find myself a female companion in tha city, as at tha end of our gigs ahm crashin solo on a couch while tha otha band membahs spend "quality time" w. thar wife/gf/groupie. Perhaps ah should start talkin in a paddy accent in ordah ta make myself more exotic.....

Sunday was cold...actually its been ratha brisk in general out here since spring hit. Ahm told its b/c thars less cloud cover which makes sense. Despite tha sun beamin down all day, we're still hangin out at about 55/60 degrees, which is a smidge less then what ah consider "good weather." ahm sure my east coast friends like ta hear me complain.

Sunday afternoon was practice w. Warren Teagarden, which felt really really good. Partially b.c ah think our last live set went off so well and we're starting to feel a lot more comfortable w. each other and willing to dive into the songs. The CD release fer Warren is next Friday, and it should be a great nite. We play a particularly fantastic cover of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Right Round," which you can hear if you buy tha CD (er email me and ask me nicely maybe).

Tha new job is startin ta settle in, altho ahm currently nawt busy enuff ta have an excuse ta nawt dae some of tha tedious busy work (mostly data entry). Howevah, my co-workers are quite competent at thar jobs, which is excellent, n thar promises ta be a shit ton of work as we gear up fer 2008 elections. It is a bit exciting to feel like in some way, ah could just maybe be makin a difference.

Ah also came intae some cool luck, as an old friend of mine from college had apparently moved w.o letting me know his new contact info. On a whim, ah googled his name, and found a number for him as he's been a guitar teacher fer quite a while. Ah rang him outta tha blue n had a great 2 hour conversation with him whar we reflected on how different our lives our - He's married n teaches almost 60 kids a week, but hasn't had a gig in so long he can't even remember. He's also just about 20 miles away from his home town, n gittin excited about tha prospect of buyin a house in tha relatively near future. Different priorities and different circumstances indeed.

It's spring. how about that. Thars a bitchin wildflower patch on my bike path that ah should take pictures of. This state is fricken beautiful, n everyone should move out here so they ken watch my bands play.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Children of Bodom review

cross posted from tha BG....

ta prove ahm nawt all Kylie -->

Here is my review of tha new Children of Bodom album Blooddrunk which ah found very interestin actually.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Sunday is MY DAY!

MY DAY ta bike all ovah tah fricken place. Mostly via tha ohlone greenway er tha Bicycle Boulevard. Apparently it was also Easter, which ah always think is in mid-April.

HAPPY ZOMBIE JEEBUS DAY!



In case anyone is wonderin, ahm diggin my new job. It's a bit slow at tha moment, but ahm part of a 4 person department (thars actually two otha folx in tha department, but they don't werk in SF) n ah like that we're a small department on a big floor. Essentially my job is ta learn this online database well enuff so that ah ken eventually train n support volunteer leaders across tha country w. usin it, so ah think it will be a good fit.

think13 has a big gig this Saturday whar we will be debutin as a full-on RAWK BAND, w. electric guitars n kit drum. It's part of a fundraiser, we'll be playin w. some great bands. Watch out SF, thar will be rawk.



Also, ahm very excited b.c this week ahll git ta meet up w. an old Mysterious Odors band mate. Ah haven't seen any of these guys since our last gig, which was pandemonium. mmm, pandemonium.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

How'd it gae?

My birthday n all that jazz? Pretty good!

While tha 13th itself was pretty lowkey, sushi was bought fer me, n my yoga class sang me happy bday between tortoise n camel (n we were invited ta hold camel fer up ta two minutes if anyone was up fer it, which they weren't).

My last day of werk was mostly a half day cuz people kept takin me out fer lunch er gelato er tellin me how much they'd miss me.

Ah gawta new phone, finally, it only took a month (literally).

Tha gig was a trip, as expected. Orders gawt switched around, a bartendah kicked SEVERE BASS off early fer bein "too mellow," n then Warren Teagarden brought tha place down (brought in part by tha fact that ah was absolutely LIVID about bein told my set was ovah when ah had just one more, kickass rawk tune left, n that ah usually play great w. a band when ahm PISSED OFF). People were dancin, moshin, drinkin, screamin. Tha audience demanded an encore, tha second time thas happened in my life (tha first was also a birthday gig, that time w. AllEyesOn), which they were treated too cuz we're nice guys. think13 played "Whiskey in the Jar," twice, and a lawt of alcohol was consumed fer free. We were up till four in tha mornin, n my 9-5in self was awake n movin at 10 am.

Today was tha first day at my new job, which was slow n left me w. lil ta dae, but ahm still quite excited about bein a gae-ta guy soon, n showin these folx how smart they were ta hire me. Ah just need ta be less tired.....

so there!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

TODAY (3/13)

Is my Birthday!

You don't hafta comment, er send me an email, er pretend ta call me (still nae phone), er drop by my office n take me out fer lunch (altho all that stuff would be nice!), ah just ask that you think about me today, preferably how awesome you think ah am. N you east-coasters should miss me a lil too, please :)




Twenty-Seven is a numbah that has much spiritual and mathematical significance. Ah think its a pretty rawkin age ta be, n am lookin forward ta fawkin all sortsa shite up this next year!

Monday, March 10, 2008

LADIES & GENTLEMAN:

think13!



(ah have nae idea why ahm nawt lookin in tha same direction as everyone else)

Sunday, March 09, 2008

How weak

and unprofessional!

We'd been contacted by what ah will say no more about then that they are a country-western band from las vegas if we could help them git a gig. Well, favors are good, rite?

They decide instead that they'll play anutha show but maybe they ken swing by tha bar we're at at like midnite?

No thanks.

Ahm still pullin triple duty, unless, like ah said, ah pussy out.


Upside - Today ah biked ta berkeley. Ah really like how that sounds n what that meant. Walkin that first couple blocks on Telegraph on a beautiful Sunday w. my bike = excellent. N aftahwerds came home ta play some surprisingly rawkin musick somewhat out of tha blue. We felt like a band, just about, except ah had nae idea what they were gawna dae until they actually did it. Sounded pretty good tho, whatevah it was.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

DECISION MADE!

Ah will start on March 18th as tha new Program Assistant for an amazing Environmental Organization. My current employer is really bummed that ahll be leavin them (n turnin down more money), but unnerstand my decision n isn't holdin a grudge.

Thanks so much to everyone fer thar insight, comments, n thoughts. It really did make all tha difference.

Much love,
a fully employed Humble Observer

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Buy A Word...any word.....

cross posted from tha BG

Ah found this on Laughing Squid.

The Big Word Project reminds me of that book The Phantom Tollbooth and tha scene whar thar at tha word market n buyin words. These folks have simplified tha concept, that tha worth is only based on how long it is. They say:

"About The Big Word Project

The Big Word Project has been set up by Paddy Donnelly and Lee Munroe, two Masters students from Northern Ireland, who are exploring what different words mean to different people. The project allows you to purchase a word from our list to represent your site. Your site will then represent this word in our list and when people click on it, they will be taken to your site. The project is aimed at changing definitions and creating a new tapestry of words, meaning altogether different things.

We're selling words for $1 per letter. Find it, click it, buy it :-)

For example, you may buy the word 'Donkey' for $6 and it will link to your site dedicated to donkeys. The word 'Donkey' will then be the gateway to your site and the definition will be changed. No longer will the word Donkey mean 'a woodworking apparatus consisting of a clamping frame and saw, used for cutting marquetry veneers', instead it will now be represented visually by 'Chris's Donkey Site'."

Currently, ahve spent $10 ta secure both "severe" and "bass." Ahve decided that whenevah ah git first dibs on eitha of those words from now, ah should just jump on it. Maybe some dumb-ass latah generation will credit me w. its conception...."you know, SEVERE, like in 'severe bass?'"

Or maybe I just gave 10 bux to some Irish guys. Which I'm okay with.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

TORN

my current job wants me. BAD.

problem? they can't make me an offer until they have the posting up for 2 weeks internally. Which hasn't happened yet.

But damn, they want me. N will pay me more. N will give me development experience. N are possibly tha best skool in tha WORLD.

but, tha otha job CAN make me an offer. N has. n is awesome. N thar will be a lawt of opportunities ta move up and sidewayz within tha organization. Whereas the current position is set at "Staff Assistant," likelihood of promotion (and even interest in promotion within geographical possibilities) is close ta zero.

ah totally dont know what ta dae at tha moment. Thoughts?