Ah Write Metal Reviews these days....

cross-posted from tha BG

Just barely, n ah don't git paid fer it, but ah dae!

Currently I have two reviews posted on the Metal-Realm.net Reviews page, for the most recent Overkill and Nightwish Albums. While I did these some time ago, I was waiting to hear back from one of tha admins ta make sure they still wanted ta utilize my skillz.

You ken also see them if you just scroll down, thar tha two most recent reviews. Ah hope this is somethang ah ken keep u p fer a while, as it makes me thnk about shite n pushes me towards that "metal-snob" label ahve been gunnin fer.

how ah will know science is finally werkin FER ME

Someone will make a strain of weed that fights nasal congestion. Ah figure once that happens, they'll HAFTA make it legal fer EVERYONE!

WORST VALENTINE'S DAY EVAH!

No really.

Ah hadn't been to yoga since Saturday. Tha Bikram folx recommend 3x a week, or more, n ah really try ta keep ta that. Howevah this Monday, ah just needed a day off, n then was busy w. band practices in conference calls on Tues n Wed. While thar was a MASSIVE PILLOW FIGHT happenin literally across tha street from whar ahm werkin rite now at 6 pm, ah forced myself home on tha BART fer a 6:30 class. Ah was fallin asleep on said BART, yet remembered that it's important fer me ta take care of my body, n that bikram yoga makes me feel really good, n biked a couple miles to tha hawt sweaty room, instead of up tha hill to my warm cozy bed.

My class was pretty okay, n ah had a feelin of unsettlement about me. About two blocks from my closest BART, ah see a kid in his late teens standing on one side of tha path. Gettin closah, ah see anutha one step out from behind a BART support beam, n ah slow down ta swerve away from him. Upon gittin closah, ah realize thars a THIRD one behind tha support beam, n that these kids want what ahve gawt.

As my momentum on tha bike had slowed down, it was too late ta dart off in anutah direction. Ah gawt off my bike so that ah wouldn't be knocked off, n instead of wailing on my asailants, tried to stop them from hitting me, which didn't work. Ah remembah a crash in tha face, relatively weak, n felt my lip git busted n tasted tha blood. While ah can't imagine that my eyes were actually closed, pretty much everythang since then is remembered as blackness (perhaps ah did close them at some point in time).

Ah was wrestled down to tha ground by one of them, who did somethang ta my bicep n focused all his energy on holding me down. Ah was prolly told somethang along tha lines of "yer nawt gaein anywhar," n felt fists and feet on my chest and head. Ah think ah still had my backpack on, n my helmet was startin ta strangle me, so ah focused everythang on gittin it off first (altho this left my head unprotected from some hits). Someone grabbed my phone out of my pocket (ah was leaning against tha pocket whar my wallet was) n they kept askin if ah gave up. Ah did, nawt knowin how long this could continue er how far away help could've been. One of em picked up my bike, n they ran down tha path n around tha cornah. Ah tried to compose myself, n ran aftah them, tryin ta flag down passin cars (at 8:30 pm), but ah couldn't see them by tha time ah gawt around tha cornah. Fortunetly, they'd been waitin just two blocks from tha BART, n ah knew thar would be cops thar. We took a ride in tha direction theyd been headin, n a call was put in that my bike had been found, nae sign of suspects.

Tha Dyna Mo was found literally at tha same post where they'd been waiting, my burts bees lip stuff on tha ground. Tha cops couldn't find anyone, so ah gave them my info, n shakily, biked home.

Tha sheer immaturity of it is what kinda gits me. These kids could NAWT fight, they were weak, n a bit scared. Howevah, thar numbahs were more then ah could possibly handle, n they had surprise on thar side. My guess is they returned tha bike when they saw it had a National Bike Registry stickah on it, n that it could be traced. Of kerse, my phone ken prolly be traced as well, but ah haven't followed up on that yet (ahve spent tha last two hours on tha phone w. internet people cuz our modem is wonky apparently).

Honestly, ahm fine, n totally grateful ah still have my bike. Without that, ahm nawt sure how ahd be coping. Ahm sore as hell, fer sure, n its totally surreal, n ahll prolly be stickin to tha main roads from now on, but ahm really fine, just down a phone. Which ah insured, n pay a small fee so that ah don't lose numbahs, n have suspended service on, so except for tha MASSIVE inconvenience of nawt havin telephone, isn't so bad. Gittin a replacement could take a lil while, as my insurance is through tha National Cellular Owners Association, (ahd nevah heard of them eitha, but bought my phone cheap through an outside vendor) n they have bad bizness hours fer a group that offers insurance, but ah should have a new phone relatively soon.

My landlady's friend told me "that means you've arrived," which is prety much what ah thought when ah was walkin from tha scene of tha crime to tha police. N it does seem like my gittin robbed stories have a similar thread:While it sucks, and sometimes it costs me a lawt of money, tha thangs ah REALLY want are left behind (usually bass guitars, in this case my bike). N if thas tha way tha universe wants ta punish me from time ta time, ah guess ah can't complain.

Anyway friends, be safe. N don't call me, cuz ah won't answah.

Best weekend yet!

First off, on Saturday it was 65 degrees in El Cerrito. On my mornin bike ride to n from yoga ah prolly exclaimed "It's fawkin beautiful," at least three times. Ah also had a surprisingly good morning session, which is not tha norm.

Aftahwerds ah gawt my shite togetha fer a think13 gig at a irish bar literally around tha corner from my singah n geetarist. Ah finally remembered ta bring my camera on tha BART so ah was able ta snap this photo of tha view ah have almost every mornin on a clear day gaein intae tha city (next week ahll try ta take one of tha bay-side):


While it took me gawdamm ferevah ta git intae tha inner richmond district, we had a quick band practice n then headed ovah to Ireland's 32, wherein we were presented w. some monitors, a bag of mics n cables, n an 8 track. While thar was some initial confusion, we ended up gittin a pretty good sound out of tha equipment by ourselves.

Tha gig went awesome, as far as ah ken tell, even w. our singah bein ill. Ah met a bunch of fun people, n tha songs felt SOLID, fer tha first time yet w. these folks. Before n aftah tha actual show, ah made some bass noise w. my percussionists, which kept me busy (n stopped me from drinkin too much. What also stopped me from drinkin too much is ah kept bein told how much drinks cost...while tha rest of tha bands drank fer free. Complete bollocks, n ah won't stand fer it next time).

Tha nite didn't stop thar, as a few people we're affiliated w. gawt what ahm gaein ta term "Irish Drunk," n did thar best ta let everyone on tha street know it. We also went fer pizza about a dozen times. In tha mornin, we spent a few minutes rawkin out on some new tunes, n then ah had a delicious and healthy lunch.

Aftahwerds ah went a bit furtha east intae tha city n met up w. tha SF Young Adult UU folk, most of whom ahd nevah met. Thar was a ton of people from tha New England area, includin someone that even lives just down tha street from me. Ah finally made my sweaty stinky n slightly hungovah self back to my house, showered up, n headed out ta see There Will Be Blood b/c ah just NOW found out that its a Paul Thomas Anderson movie (ahm on tha otha side of tha country from my fellow cinephile friends, :-( ) n it knocked me out. Marvelously well-made, n definitely tha most straight-ahead (and minimalistic) of PTA's movies since Hard 8, but it's really tha story of a man who goes from slightly conniving to downright despicable. Tha ending hits like a brick. Ah only recommend it to those who love film for films sake. Tha sound is really well-done also, but ah can't imagine watching all 158 minutes of it again.

So now, its just shy of midnite, ah have development werk ta dae this week n hopefully then some. End of this month is a fully electric Warren Teagarden gig, n hopefully a bday gig in mid-march w. think13 at Ireland's 32 again. Ahm slammin busy as it stands, n really really happy about it.

Sometimes, ya gawta be an asshole....

Good thang ahma natural at it!

A few days ago apparently our ISP had a power outage, er somethang. My computah has been finally kickin tha bucket fer tha last week (Er more specifically, my hard drive has) so ahve been daein so many reinstalls, it seemed natural that ah couldn't git my wireless connection gaein.

Howevah, ah just put a new (Expensive) 160 GB hard drive in and was still havin problems w. tha net. N nuthin my quick fixes could override. So today, ah pull up our wireless routers page and try to reset tha connection, keeping tha old password. Aftah a half hour of failed troubleshootin, ah finally contact linksys support (which is generally a very high scorer in tha SUCKAGE olympics). For over an hour, mr. Troy A (17150) asks me meaningless questions n offers no advice via online chat (Which has shorter wait times then telephone). Finally, he just disconnects.

Oh no he didnt! So ah call customer support n am on hold fer ovah a half hour (nae surprise thar). Ahm told that b/c my adapter is ovah 3 years old, they can't help me, even tho ah tell them ovah n ovah that tha adapter isn't tha problem, ah need help w. a relatively new router. Aftah hearin tha same spiel 3 times, ah ask to speak w. a supervisor. Yes, tha bitch in me had come out. Ahve been havin problems w. linksys customer support fer YEARS, n it was time ta dae sumthang about it.

Only ahm told that b/c tha supe is busy, ah can't talk ta her. HELL NAE! Ahm nawt steppin down now! Ah've already wasted 2 hours of my life, ahm gittin internet back dammit! Ah complain fer a few minutes, insist that ah git some sort of contact info er somethang, etc. When ah talk to tha supe, she seems somewhat nonplussed that ah was disconnected, n ah explain that tha problem is tha new router, nawt an old adapter. Ahm put back on tha line w. Mary, who tells me ta download some client that barely works, n treats me like ahm 4 years old. Ah tell her that if she's gaein ta walk me through a client meant fer idiots, she's wasting both of our time, n she ken eitha put me on tha line w. a REAL technician, er ahll just hang up n be disgruntled n make it my mission ta git undah linksys' skin. Actually, ah tell her this about 5 times b/c everytime ah say somethang to that affect, she continues ta try ta walk me through tha client (so if you just double-click the next button and highlight install....ahm nawt an idiot, woman!).

BUT, instead of lettin me gae, she does put me on tha phone w. a real Tech person eventually. Tha real tech person doesn't feed me a script, but listens to my complaints and situation. She (nawt) surprisingly doesn't find any info in my case numbah, n ah explain that ahma pretty pissed off customer who may be gittin tha brush-off. She walks me through a fairly intricate process of updatin firmware and re-establishin an IP address. Ahm nae technological moron, but ahm far from a techie, n its nice ta FINALLY talk ta someone who has instructions n knowledge. Aftah 20 minutes er so, n a phone call ta verify tha orginial ISP username and password, internet access is restored! Ah tell her that ah had ta be a real asshole ta git on tha phone w. her, n am sorry about that, but it wouldn't have gawn that way if previous folx had listened ta me. Thars a simpsons episode in which Bart gives Mr. Boo-urns blood, n its only aftah Homer writes a nasty lettah that they git a reward (some big weird head). Marge remarks that tha lesson could be that "tha squeakiest wheel gits tha most grease", n that kept runnin through my head. Cuz honestly, if ahd treated customer service tha way a NICE person would, ah wouldnt be able ta write this blog (at least from my computah).

Ah felt tha need ta apologize ta my land-lady, b/c ahm pretty composed n chill around tha house. N while ah didn't yell er anythang like that, she definietly heard me exchange strong words n see me in an intense, focused manner that ahve tried ta leave on tha East Coast. But, it gawt shite done, n in tha long run, thas WAY more important ta me then bein nice ta mildly incompetent customer service people.

on anutha note, ahve been watchin tha showtime series "Dead Like Me", which features music by Stewart Copeland (ahm assumin tha same Stewart Copeland who plays drums fer tha Police n Oysterhead), n its quite engaging. Ah like that Ellen Muth isn't really super-hawt, even tho it confuses me that Mandy Patinkin ISN'T Scott Bakula from Quantum Leap. It's available on tha previosuly referenced QuickSilverScreen as well.

Voting

Ah voted in my first primary today....n tha first CA Primary that actually counted. N ah fawkin EARNED it.

Ahd google-mapped tha distance between me n my polling place...a lil ovah a mile, gaein tha most direct way, which didn't look too feasible on a bike. Howevah, it didn't seem that tha Fire Station was really THAT much above sea level then my current abode. Google maps decided ta kick me in tha balls howevah, as ah struggled up ovah a mile of 30 degree inclines. Most of it, nawt on my bike (ah eventually gave up on tryin ta ride. Ahd totally thought ah was gittin some bikin legs b/c ahve recently needed ta use a higher gear in ordah ta meet w. resistance on flat land, but apparently ahm completely undah-prepared fer dealin w. tha hills of El Cerrito. Ah really hate pourin sweat before 10 am (and really noon) but ah was well warmed up by tha time ah made it ta tha fire station. You can let me know if ah should've seen that comin (note, tha route highlighted is nawt tha one taken, ah went up potrero):


Ah have a vote reg card, but nawt tha white piece of papah everyone else had, so this took ea couple minutes of figurin out. Eventually ah was given a blank democratic ballot w. a lawt of propositions ahd nevah heard of, n tha opportunity to vote fer a candidate. Ah gladly filled in my oval n fed tha ballot intae tha machine (ah was numbah 33 fer tha day).

Today ah did somethang very american....ah werked my ass off ta vote fer someone who won't win (currently tha numbahs have Hillary w. a 15 percent lead ovah Obama). Howevah, it was a beautiful day outside n ah snapped tha followin picture w. my phone a lil more then halfway up tha hill:


yes, that thang in tha distance is San Francisco.

N then at werk (tha office is currently on tha Pier) ah saw a sea lion. Neat!

Mild Bummers

1) My job as it stands is most definitely NAWT temp-ta-perm. Ah was told candidly today (first day) that to buy out a temp will cost 20% tha offah. Which is ridiculous, especially b/c THIS staffing agency has a reputation fer sucking. If ah was ta be offered a mild 30,000 (its SF folx, 30 grand a year gits you NUTHIN), my staffing jerks would git a whoppin 6,000. Made even more ridiculous by tha fact that all ah did was re=register w. them. What would really piss me off is that if ah didn't git tha job solely based on my relationship w. tha staff-jerks. Altho it would be ironic (Er somethang like that) b/c ahd nevah actually APPLY fer this job. But now ah really really want it.

2) My comp is dedicated ta dying on me. Ahve reinstalled windows 4 times in 3 days on this hard drive. In case yer nawt aware, ah have weird electronic-mojo. Ah fawk up electronics pretty hardcore, pretty fast, even tho ah totally know what ahm daein. This particular comp has lasted about 3 years (almost exactly actually) n ahm nawt surprised its kicked it officially. Tha last 2 times have turned it off at nite, it hasn't started up again. Which meant today was extra expensive (Cuz ah also finally bought shoes - Dr. Scholls brand fer like 60 bux at DSW...nawt too bad).

3) Ah may be movin before ahm ready. My landlady is considerin movin (meanin, sellin tha house). Thars many factors gaein on in that decision, which ah unnerstand. Howevah, until ah git offered full-time werk, ah really can't afford ta move. Ah ken sorta afford more expensive rent, but w.o stable income, shouldn't. And cannot afford moving expenses as it stands. Ahd like ta pay off some of this credit card debt first, but who knows. Ah was told that it was somethang she was considerin, n then last nite saw a bunch of photos taken off tha wall, indicatin that someone just MITE be cleanin up house fer prospective buyers. Tha fact that band practice here is both convenient and awesome adds to my distaste fer a sudden change in living situations.

but really, so long as ah have income, ahm actually pretty fawkin happy. Nawt ownin a car n gaein ta yoga n playin musick gives me a real sense of satisfaction ah nevah had back in NOVA er Bawstan (well, ah did have it AT TIMES in bawstan, but nawt as often as ah was frustrated n miserable).

Nae sign of frank zappa beer tho....

Vegetarianism as an identity....

Ahm comin up on two years of a relatively meat-free existence, which is crazy in it of itself. It's been a whole stinkin TWO YEARS since ah tried nawt eatin meat (n by meat, ahm nawt includin seafood. Ah still will eat tha hell outta some seafood about once er twice a month, as long as ahm on a coast). Tha big surprise is hearin me say it...b/c ah feel like it was just a short time ago that ah would answer "ah've only been daein this fer about 2 er 3 months." But yes, it was March of '06 when ah experimented w. tha veggie side of thangs n then found that ah was in much bettah health and spirits.

A big part of my nawt-eatin-tha-dead-thangs is that most of tha meat in this country is crap, shot up w. smack n hormones, living in its own filth, n being fed food that only mildly resembles thar natural diet. On tha East Coast, it is a million times easier to say "I don't eat meat," then to ask "How was this animal's life up to being on my plate fer consumption?" Now that ah live in tha SF area, thars an abundance of information and awareness around tha critters we enjoy ta devour. Almost enuff information n awareness ta make my previous claim that it wasn't about morality or ethics, it was purely a health-conscious decision, nae longah valid. Furthermore, ah often found myself saying that our species was supposed to eat animals, n that they tasted delicious. So why is it now that ahm surrounded by more free range, organically-fed, milk-bathed goats then ah knew existed, thars really nawt even tha slightest desire ta gae back? Hell, ah had a breakfast bagel that came w. bacon (tha guy didn't hear me ask for him to leave it off), n ah didn't even eat tha bacon. N Bacon is tha "gateway meat," according to some drunk dude at a potluck on Friday.

Chicken still smells phenomenal ta me, n tha concept of a tasty burger is quite appealing. However, ah feel like thars a lack of interest in "gaein back" to tha carnivorous side of thangs. Almost, a reluctance, ta put my tail between my legs n start consuming delicious delicious animals. Dae ah like havin self-imposed dietary restrictions? Dae ah like havin a conversation piece fer me ta have opinions about? As a foodie, is this a level of snobbery ah actually enjoy?

In part, ah think yes. Ah think that ah've been gaein ta great lengths ta nawt consume animals fer long enuff that its now an identity ah hold, fer whatevah reasons. N as my initial reasons fer cutting meat out of my diet begin to diminish, tha concept that being a pesce-vegetarian is a PART of me is becoming very real. So what would it be like if suddenly, ah didn't care quite so much? If ah started putting healthy delicious animals back intae my body? Ahm almost afraid ta find out, but suddenly very interested.

Maybe ahd put on weight. Which many could argue wouldn't be a bad thang. N if ah started weight-liftin, maybe ah could turn animal protein intae bulging biceps n intimidating pecs. Unfortunetly, thars nae room fer that in my current regime of stretching and sweating and biking everywhar (two thangs that will NEVAH give me tha body-type that ah would like).

So maybe, its about time fer an experiment, similar to tha one ah started shortly aftah my 25th birthday. Maybe it's time ta see what would happen if ah introduced, even casually, animals back intae my diet. Er maybe ah won't bring myself ta dae it cuz then ah won't know who ah am anymore. Er somethang in between.

Make up yer mind!

At 9:30 am, ah was offered an admin asst. position w. a prestigious university's fundraising department. Ahd really been hoping to secure some permanent employment this week, expecting ta hear back from two organizations ah was interested in. Ahm also nawt in love w. tha concept of bein an admin asst AGAIN...tryin ta beef up tha ol resume ya know.

Conflicted, ah called both organizations, left a voicemail w. one n ended up callin tha otha one (they had a temp at thar phones who couldnt transfer me ta voicemail, bah). Ah was told that one of those jobs was definitely nawt mine, n at 11:30 called my temp agency back ta let them know ah could start this new one on Monday.

All of this shite bein up-in-tha-air totally stressed me out this morning. N nawt knowing whetha er nawt a project asst. position ah wouldve really rawked couldve been mine is less then pleasant. Howevah, tha new position has nae end date, n could end up bein permanent. Also, it pays $17 an hour, n while fundraising isn't really tha field ahd like ta occupy fer tha rest of my life, ahm realizin that havin fundraisin n development experience is a key ability in tha non-profit, so ahm startin ta accept that this is tha way life was supposed ta werk out....just barely that is.

In tha meantime, ahm nawt answerin any phone calls from tha financial district cuz ah don't wanna talk to tha place w. tha project asst. job unless ah actually hafta.

On tha real bright side, daddy TOTALLY needs a new pair of shoes, n now that ah have consistent and decent payin work fer at least all of Feb if nawt longah, ah ken afford some. My current shoes stink. Like, really really smell. Which is ta be expected, these thangs have lasted me a solid year n that included 2 weeks in guatemala and being covered in volcanic ash in a thundahstorm.

Unfortunetly, ah totally hate shoe shopping, n would ratha nawt shell out anutha 100 bux fer tha exact same pair ah have on now, b/c they took kinda way too long ta break in.

Fer those of you concerned about me gittin busted dickin around at werk, ahm ona lunch break, n have a card ta prove it!

Little Known Fact

Yesterday (Sunday tha 27th) was my 3-month anniversary of living here in tha Bay area. Ah celebrated by paying rent n talking shop w. someone who's gawna help me make my gee-tars create less feedback/hum in exchange fer bass lessons. HOORAY!

Hellz yeah musick musick musick!

Yoga - a bit on tha meh side fer me this mornin. Aftahwerds ah told my favorite instructor "I'm sorry you had to see that," and she just told me "No problem." Then ah (slowly) biked home (ah biked very slowly both to n from yoga today....nawt sure why) in time ta have

Warren Teagarden practice - Good, thar was a few new tunes to play that are now stuck in my head. We also rawked a few tunes especially hard n ah planted tha seeds that WT should record a live album in a little bit. Shortly aftah was

think13 practice - a blast, even minus a key member. Much talking about how to play tha drums was done on my part, n we were able ta amplify our hand-percussionist fer tha first time. While geetar+vocals were out pickin up food, ah made some rawkus distorted noise w. tha drummer boys n received much acclaim on my own skills n approach to tha instrument. A new song was just about finalized as well. Almost immediately aftah ah gawta

phone call from someone that has made me feel bettah about thangs in general. Also reinforced how busy ah am, but w. good thangs (such thangs bein band practices, yoga, acupuncture, n tomorrows electronics instruction traded fer a bass lesson). Gae california!

Man, that was DUMB!

Ah just watched Night of the Demons, a movie ah remembah readin about ovah a decade ago in tha movie-rating guidebook my rents bought. This book was bought when ah was about 10 years old so that they could find out what bad stuff movies had in them. Ah of kerse perused tha comedy n horror section lookin fer tha foulest material ah could find, n slowly watched many of that trash. Evil Dead's I and II were first read about in this guide, as well as many otha movies proving significantly less rewarding.

Anyway, this movie pretty much sucked, but almost seemed to be aware of how bad it was. It looked like Return of the Living Dead, n treated it subject matter similarly. Howevah, major descrepancies between this and tha aforementioned movie are: Good special effects, people eating people, and significantly more nudity (both quality and quantity). Tha highlights howevah of Demons were tha ovah-tha-top cheeze metal, featuring one of tha most cliched songs ahve evah heard "Tha Beast Inside," written by Dennis Michael Tenney (who also wrote "Computer Date." Remember, this is from 1988....).

This movie could be one of tha most cliched bad 80s horrrors ahve yet ta see. Ah haven't decided if that is good er bad.

Testing the limits in an amibiguous age....

if this was lj, n ah could make certain posts "friends-only", this would be one.

So, because ah have chronic pain in my right hand/arm/shoulder which is documented by a previous specialist, ahm eligible fer that mystickal "medicinal cannabis", which if you've done any sort of real reading here, you'd prolly figured out by now.

Medical marijuana is a wonderful thing. It puts the production, distribution, and use of marijuana solely in professional and discrete adults. While nawt as good as complete legalization, California has made wonderful strides towards regulating (and even seeing a profit) off of a much-sought after plant that grows naturally and abundantly in this country.

Tha only downside is that because this is still illegal, there's no guarantee on what yer getting. Yes, every strain has its own name and the distributors know what strand it was (and sometimes how it was grown), there's still a lawt of flexibility (altho tha phrase "you git what you pay fer" is about 85% accurate). Most specifically, ah find this in tha case of tha edibles.

Ah bought edibles from two people at tha Wondahs of Cannabis Festival, a bunch of them from a vendor n a two brownies from a local. Tha vendor's stuff didn't dae that much for me, whereas one of tha locals brownies really messed me up. At one of my favorite dispensaries, the edibles pack somewhat of a small punch, depending on freshness.

Most recently, ahve indulged in some olive oil that was quite costly. Tha label warns to "GRADUALLY add more to reach desired potency," but gives no starting point.

Ah just recently used it ta cook up a potato medley from trader joes. Ahm about ta answer tha question "What does a tablespoon of pot-olive-oil dae ta one person in a single dose?" Attention Science: Ah will answer this fer ya soon, you ken git back to tha big stuff like cancer and tha ozone. It's tha least ah ken dae.

FYI, if antyhang in this blog is evah deemed "special," thars a 80% chance ah mean THIS kinda special.

OMG, ah suck

B/c ah haven't proofread my standard resumes in at least a week n a half, ahve been sendin out a glaring typo. Ah meant ta save (ctrl+S) but ah apparently hit shift+S, creating this:
Youth Coordinator: Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, MD, Nov. 06 – August 07
Counselor, friend, and spiritual leader to 30+ person youth program (Jr. and Sr. High). Organized on- and off-site retreats, including 5-day Coming of Age trip to Boston, MA, coordinated worships, maintained communications between volunteers andS staff, initiated and led Summer Programming.

tha amazing thang is that ah totally had an interview today fer a great place that DIDNT catch this. Now ah know why all those otha interestin places hasn't contacted me yet.

Necessary Action

It's 41 degrees in El Cerrito, which isn't THAT cold ah guess. But it's also raining. It rained yesterday, and on Monday, and will probably rain tomorrow. Ah made a previous post about sideways rain two weeks ago.

Far too often tha nature of my job-huntin self sends me out of my house in a suit, on a bicycle. While ah feel this is a pretty admirable approach to life, it has proved ta be complete BULLSHIT when it is raining. Especially when it is raining hard. Yestahday ah left my poor Dynamo Hum overnite at tha BART stop b/c tha rain appeared ta be coming down in blusters, n ah was wearing a supah-awesome hand-made wool coat that ah bought in Guatemala. How awesome is this coat? THIS AWESOME -->


While awesome, ah doubt this coat's waterproof abilities. Ah also have a leather bomber jacket, that is sorta fallin apart on tha inside, which is less then waterproof. Tha only thang ah have even REMOTELY waterproof is my windbreaker, which ahve been wearing over my suit jacket in this bullshit weather. Not only is it quite unfashionable, it still leaves tha pockets of my suit jacket exposed to tha elements, n doesn't decrease my miserability levels by much (whether ahm bikin er walking). Today ah biked back from Yoga in said suit and windbreaker combo, n feel like shit because of it.

Real quick side note - tha weather at tha BART stop closest to me is probably tha worst in tha whole East Bay. Both last nite n today ah noticed that tha rain fell hardah, tha wind blew angrier, n it was significantly coldah in tha couple hundred square feet vicinity of tha BART then anywhar else on my commute home.

So tha point: AH NEED A RAIN JACKET! Which is why Friday nite, ah have a date at tha Burlington Coat Factory in SF aftah werk (which is extended through next week, btw). N by date, ah mean, ahm gaein thar aftah werk. Altho if Crazy Blind wanted ta set me up w. someone, ahd prolly at least suggest it via text.....can't be anymore awkward then talkin about cats er 4-month year old sons, rite?

PS- Thanks fer tha comments from awesome people. Nawt so awesome people are continuing nawt ta comment.

Anutha Picture...

My set-up here is pretty good, fer tha most part. As mentioned, thar is a musick room downstairs, currently w. my bass amp, a PA, keyboard, two drum sets, n a coupld otha amps. Tha general consensus is that "this room is REALLY cool," from those who come ovah w. tha intention ta rawk.

So check it- this is whats directly below my room (aftah gaein down a somewhat intense staircase) -->


Nawt too shabby, eh? Today ah finally had tha house to myself at a point in time when ah felt like tryin out tha drums. It went okay, but ahm nawt really intae hearin how far off tha beat ah am so loudly.

Ahll Bet TV has fawked me up

So ah just watched a Ren N Stimpy episode on QuickSilverScreen n tha fact that it was both familiar n hilarious, while still kinda creepin me out was sorta weird. Tha fact that those schizo plot lines and minimalist backgrounds are classic television to so many people close to my age helps explain why my generation could be considered "So FAWKED up."

Ah mean, seriously, have you noticed how crazy media is these days (n what people accept as normal?)

Pretty good last 24 hours....

Yeah, ah can't really complain. Last evenin aftah werk ah went ovah fer a last-minute think13 band practice (considering our singahs been out schmoozin in LA, it was long ovahdue), n then to tha Rockit Room! nearby. A staggering 5 bands were on tha FREE bill last evenin, as some folks apparently backed out. Opening was a guy n his friend playin shitty bass, followed by what ah guess is usually a pretty heavy band but was acoustic this evening. Thar star attraction was this massive pirate-looking guy (down to beaded facial hair, it was kinda intense) who played a really REALLY rawkin 6-string, 12-string, AND mandolin. There are few occasions in life ta see a really big dude playin tha shit outta a tiny mandolin, n ahm glad ah had one last evening. Even if every single one of thar songs was like 6-8 minutes long, at least half of which was guitar solos.

think13 had a last minute sound-check as part of a break, n we learned a few lessons. One of them is to ALWAYS play at full-volume fer at least 40 seconds before accepting a mix. We made this mistake last evenin, n thangs suffered. Howevah, we had a total blast on stage, n sounded decent ah guess. Ahm nawt used ta nawt havin a mic in front of me apparently!

Aftah that was Dirty Orange Sun who are friends of ours, and make some pretty rawkin musick. They sounded phenomenal, as well they should, aftah a half-hour soundcheck earlier that evenin. Ah had ta head it back to tha Cerrito early, as per my usual, so ah missed half thar set n tha last band, whoevah they were. Tha only downside of tha evenin was someone who ah was supposed ta hang out w. bailing out n then continuing ta flake out a bit, which is frustrating but ah guess nawt too surprising. Lame situation, but a lesson learned from it.

This mornin ah was outta bed around 10 am, n on my bike fer 11 am Bikram, w. my favorite instructor (who in addition to being one of tha tougher ones, is also supah hawt, n takes a slightly more active interest in my practice then most of tha othas). Saturday mornin yoga is tha yoga ah dae because ah NEED ta, nawt b/c ah want ta.

Then shortly aftah think13 piled intae my basement fer an aftahnoon of pure rawk, havin some nice surprises show up in tha mix. One of our hand percussionists played kit drum (thars two drumsets in my basement) which added a much-needed backbone to tha tunes. Tha more ah dae w. these folks tha more excited about tha future ah am.

This evenin will have me watchin a movie since ahve been totally neglectin my netflix. Excitin, ah know!

Like anyone really cares how cold it is in California...

In my zip code, it is 34 degrees. 34-fawkin-degrees!! Ah just biked home in that crap.

Ah didn't feel near as cold in SF, whar think13 just played a gig (videotaped, n tha video will tell how it actually came off. Our drunk selves thought we were absolutely brillant....), so ah checked dowtown n saw its 46 degrees. EVERYONE told me tha East Bay is warmer then SF, so what gives?

Also - w. BART prices rising slightly, ah recently figured out that a m-f commute from my house will cost me OVER $150 bux a month. Which bumps me intae a completely different pricing brackett, especially if heat continues ta be so costly. Ah've bought a new space heater, but am afraid ahve been ripped off, er at least nawt gawten what ah thought ah was gittin. So we'll see how that gaes, when it arrives.

Upside - think13 rawked fairly hard tonite
Downside - ahm still lettin people git inside my head even when ah don't want them ta (completely unrelated but consistent thought at this time)

Craptastic!

Energy bill is ovah $400! Ahm supposed ta be livin w. all utilities included, but this is apparently breakin all tha banks. So an arrangement will hafta be decided....my suggestion is that whatevah ovah a certain amount is split by myself n tha otha housemate.

Also, ah need ta buy a space heater now...funny, ahd actually avoided daein just that b/c ah didn't want to use more electricity! Anyone gawta personal recommendation (My room is 11 x 16, so it neeeds ta have a lil kick to it....unlike tha POS ah used in Bawstan, which was provided b.c of some crazy bullshit er sumthang).

Rough watahs ahead? Possibly. On tha otha side, its almost 5 pm n ah havent been fired. Also, think13 has a gig on Friday w. a friends band. Tha downside? Thars nae covah, so ahm doubtin any money will be seen by yers truly.

BUSTED!

Yep, totally busted goofing off at werk today, n aftah bein chastised fer nawt completin much. Granted, ahd been out fer about 2 hours on a job interview far away, n was drastically overdaein tha werk assigned, but ah was goofin off so ah did tha only mature thang, ah apologized.

Ahm takin tomorrow off already to catch up on resumes and see a docktah n a few otha pressing matters, so ahll be slightly on-edge until about 5 pm...if ah haven't gawten a call from tha temp agency by then, ah shouldn't be fired n should have werk through next week (which'd be nice).

Eitha way, ahve learned a lesson. Big Brother Is Watching! (also, don't git busted). But no more journal entries from werk er other sorts of goofing. Gaein brain-dead from starin at information is bettah then bein broke (which ahm just barely hovering above. In my book, functioning is not incurring any more credit card debt, and possibly payin some off!)

As fer tha job interview, its a two month assignment that doesn't quite pay well enuff ta justify it. And ah read my horoscope on tha east bay express on Monday on tha way intae werk which specifically warned me AGAINST taking tha first job offered. Nawt that it's been offered, but it would be *totally awesome* if tha first position offered me ah couldn't accept.

* - thars that sarcasm ah briefly warned about

Bollock-y Weather

In El Cerrito it is 38 fricken degrees! NAWT fun to bike in. N tha fog makes me worried that ahm gawna git hit by a car. My house was 54 degrees when ah woke up. This is UNACCEPTABLE!

Even stranger, is its a whole 10 degrees warmer in downtown SF. Tha opposite is supposed ta be true. Ken ah please have my 65 degree sunny weekend back?

Thank you Bikram Yoga!

So ah think ah may have claimed ta dae this in an earlier blog, but ah sorta only barely was able ta touch my palms to tha floor while keepin my knees locked.

Howevah, now ah ken TOTALLY DAE IT WHENEVAH! Even if ah have shoes on too! (note: even when wrestlin ah dont think ah could dae this. It still hurts, but ah ken dae it now!)

Check it! ----->

A good mornin in California

Has me feelin ambitious enough to bike to tha further BART stop in tha mornin. It's only an extra 10 minutes, but knowin by 8:20 am ahve already biked 2.5 miles is a good feeling. Especially knowin that this evenin ahll be gaein straight from werk to yoga, n then biking home from yoga. 90 minutes of hawt yoga n 5+miles on a bike aint bad fer a days physical exercise, eh?

Gawt a job interview tomorrow fer a two-month position that will bore tha hell outta me. Also have a follow-up on Thursday fer a job ahd actually like ta have. Tha second will be testin me on my database management, editing, and other Microsoft Office capabilities. It'd be sweet if ah passed them....

Irish People

So as you may er may nawt know, many of tha people affiliated w. think13 are Irish. Our singer n rhythm guitarist are siblings, they live w. thar cousin, thar otha brutha is around and does rigging stuff for the group, and they have countless other affiliates who hail from tha land of Ire. This is all well n good, nawt only dae ah have nae beef w. tha irish, aah generall enjoy thar sense of humor, good-natured-ness, n high tolerance fer alcohol.

Howevah, ahm startin ta think they might be a bad influence on me.

Now granted, AH was tha one who brought tha jagermeister to tha solstice party. Howevah, it wasn't my idea ta crack tha bottle open w. three large swigs. Ah also hafta admit that thar was some particularly strong egg nog at that party that was nawt provided by anyone w. irish blood in them. Ah was given crashing space nearby that evenin, n ah remembah distinctly stepping forward to look at somethang on a table n grabbin tha table fer support. AH told myself it was time fer bed then.

So last week we're havin a meetin n a mention is made of me wrestling. Ah don't remembah wrestling anyone. But it does sound like somethang ahd dae. So ah confirm last evenin at a birthday party "Did ah wrestle someone?" n am told "Aye, you wrestled me brutha n made a mess of tha wall. Yer part o tha family now!" N indeed, thar are black scuff marks all up tha hallway wall. Ah apologize n hear "Dont worry, it was grand!" Tha thangs ahll dae ta make a good first impression apparently.

Last evenin was a prime example of how livin so far away might be a pain in my ass, but sometimes could be fer my own good. Granted, ah had to leave a birthday party at just after 11 in ordah ta git home on tha subway, n just as some dj tables were coming out, but b/c we'd had an informal band practice before tha party, ah was half-drunk before it even started. N while tha irish are a wonderful people, they don't seem ta respond well ta a party-attendee w.o a drink in his hand.

Now ahm off ta git my bike tuned up, hurray!

What, you mean job hunting is frustrating and people don't respect your time??

More obnoxiousness:
Phone call last week, set up an interview fer today at 11. Supposed to be emailed some information. As of Wednesday, no such info in my in-box. Call office, git a recorded message that the office will be open again on Jan 2nd. Call again, leave a message and get said info in my in-box on Thursday, confirming my interview.

Today at 10:32, on my way to tha interview, n ah git a call askin if ah ken reschedule fer a couple hours later. Now, ah totally ken, cuz tha job here is lax like that, but if ahd been tha one callin 30 minutes prior n reschedulin, ah could pretty much kiss tha job goodbye. N while ah know ah should just grin n bear it, n ah am, its hard fer my voice nawt ta have ANY "well thas nawt very cool" in it when ah agree ta reschedule.

Also - nailed a phone interview before tha wintah break. Heard nuthin about follow-up. Sent two emails in tha last week askin fer ANY information, n ah git nuthin.

What's tha slang term fer that thang tha british dae w. thar fingahs? Flashin tha V's er somethang like that? Potential employers of SF, ah flash my v's at you!

New Musick Video from think13

crossposted from tha Breakdancing Godzilla

Amores Lejanos - originally by Enanitos Verdes

Ahm nawt in tha video but ah know those that are n those that shot n edited it.



Now that they've gawt me on tha low-end, it rawks a bit hardah!

think13

It just aint stoppin....

So tha con was a total blast, exactly what ah needed. Ah haven't danced so hard, fer so long, in quite a while. Whoda thought a parachute n a smoke machine could transform a sanctuary so quickly?

Friday was weather fer shit. Sideways rain, inch-deep puddles on my way ta werk. Places flooded, areas lost power, trucks turned ovah, n bridges were closed. My house was one of tha ones that lost power, which was totally awesome as ah was tryin ta pack/showah fer tha weekend aftah werk. Ah walked ta tha BART in my suit cuz ah hada crappy job interview that day (tha job was crappy, tha interview went fine) n was all sorts of gross by tha time ah gawt home. Blech. But we made it ta Marin, safe n sound.

Last nite, Warren Teagarden rawked tha fawkin house, n then ah proceeded ta drink n stayed out a bit too late. Most of tha mornin was hang-ovah healin, n then ah scuttled off to tha Billy Graham Civic Center fer Project Homeless Connect. our set went pretty well, especially considerin that tha band hadn't practiced in 3 weeks. Latah that evenin was tha reception w. tha mayor, n then a troupe meetin. Good stuff is in tha horizon!

THa Plant Studios lost power, so tha recordin is bumped until an undetermined time. N now ahm busy 3 days a week w. think13 practice, so we ken really fawkin tight. Ahm about ta be even busier....

Two interviews this week, n many many resumes ta send out. Ah continue ta dae otha stuff at my temp job, n they continue ta be flexible w. my schedule, os its werkin out quite well. But tha jobs are still borin as all hell. Ahm nawt really complainin, they like me n are payin me.

So its midnite n time ta git some sleep-age...altho ahve just kinda resigned ta nawt sleepin this week. Just two much on my plate. Bettah then bein bored...er at least ah tell myself!

also-

two thangs:
1) thanx ta people fer leavin comments...ah REALLY appreciate it!

2) ah ate some fish today that had a somewhat rubbery texture...it would be totally sweet if ah was NAWT supposed ta git food poisonin n ordah ta teach me lesson of some sort. gracias.

2008 is kickin my ass already!

So it's Thursday, January 3rd, 10 pm. Ah haven't had dinnah yet, but thas on its way. Ah also must showah before bed. In tha next 7 days, ah will have (in this ordah, more er less):

* Worked 9 - 5 (give er take) in downtown SF, Monday-Friday daein data entry (nawt quite as tedious as before, but still plenty mind-numbing).
* Had a job interview for an Executive Assistant position (that pays well, altho ah dont really know if ahm Exec Asst. material)
* Attended tha Pacific Central District Young Adult con in Marin, CA
* Rawked tha hell outta tha Make-Out Room with Warren Teagarden
* Performed w. think13 at Project Homeless (n maybe attended some of tha volunteer party w. tha mayor)
* Had a troupe meetin w. think13 ta discuss 2008 in general (apparently tha troupe/performers are referred to as tha "Monkeys")
* Recorded two songs w. think13 at The Plant Studios in Sausalito fer part of a cooking show (tha majority of tha cookin show featurin tha two main think13 people, n tha end of it w. tha band/membahs of tha troupe)
* Interviewed fer a Program Assistant position w. a non-profit that ahm relatively excited about (w.o gittin my hopes up)
* Cleaned tha Yoga Studio
* Maybe have gone yoga once (man, ahm hopin!)
* Possibly had acupuncture (but ahm guessin that'll hafta wait a week)

So, all that bein said, ahm really lookin forward to tha weekend of tha 12th cuz ah aint makin a SINGLE plan!

Of kerse, in tha meantime, ah must continue to vigilantly job-hunt, compose cover lettahs, n send out resumes. 2008 aint fawkin around!

TODAY was a long day

Now, ah know plenty of my friends have packed schedules, n that ahm generally tha one who's outta werk early er dickin around on tha net while thar slavin away at thar office/etc, so ahm nawt tryin ta say that ah werk hardah then anyone else(altho USUALLY those folx who are slavin away are also gittin paid vacation time n health benefits...usually). But today was a long one, n nawt just fer me.

7:30 am - wake up, eat breakfast, put on clothes, ride bike to BART
9:00 am - start work at temp job (same place, still werkin on that stack of papahs. Altho they tell me that beginnin tomorrow they'll move me ontae otha tedious jobs. N just when ah was "in tha zone" of data entry!).
2:00 pm - lunch break. Went to a store (bought some wondahful smellin grape medication) n then had some pretty tasty falafel (ah wanted to try this place cuz thars a line out tha door every day around noon. My window faces tha store front)
2:45 pm - back to data entry
5:00 pm - Out tha door to catch tha 5:04 BART.
5:40 pm - gawt off tha BART, went to Guitar Center to exchange my power supply (ah knew they didn't know what they were talkin about, givin me a BOSS power supply fer an MXR pedal).
6:30 pm - Bikram (had a pretty good class, at least tha first part. Ahm able ta lock my legs much easier then before in a lawt of tha poses, n fer tha first time locked it in a couple of them. Howevah, whenevah ah have a good standin series, my floor series suffers).
8:15 pm - cleaned tha studio. This isn't hard werk, but it does involved a lawt of right hand movement (cleanin tha windows n vacuumin tha floor). N tha room is really hawt (duh!), n ahm in street-clothes (read long-pants)
9:09 pm - took tha BART one stop (cuz ah wasn't able ta wake up tha extra 15 minutes early to bike to tha "Plaza" BART stop, whar yoga is)
9:15 pm - biked home
9:30 pm - made dinnah while answerin emails (trader joes black bean soup + pasta = easy!)
10:00 pm - damn ahm tired.

Tha next week er so is pretty non-stop fer me. Friday - Sun ahm at a Young Adult Conference in Marin, Sunday nite ah have a show (Warren Teagarden at tha Make-Out Room, Monday is a think13 meeting, Tuesday is think13 band practice, Wednesday ah have a conference call n hafta clean tha yoga studio again. Also, ahm supposed ta temp fer at least two weeks, so nae sleepin in er aftahnoon yoga fer me!

Friday - a job interview (n ahm hopin ta make that TWO job interviews.

Woah. Time fer grape.

ps - b/c of all this shit ah hafta dae, ah hafta cancel a confirmed crazyblinddated, which ahm worried will fawk up my crazy blind karma.

Meh

anutha date sans chemistry. Girls, it's a serious turn-off when you spend more time lookin at yer drinkin straw then me. Trust me, we're both nervous, but you don't git brownie points fer broadcastin it!

At least thar was only about 10 minutes er so wherein ah was tryin ta lean tha convo towards "Ah should git gaein." It ended w. "well, now that conversation has degraded into cats, I should probably let you go." (from her). Better luck next time!

New Years Day Date

I have a date in 45 minutes with a woman in her 30's. I'm looking forward to it b/c its actually CLOSE to me, so it won't cost me an arm n a leg to git intae downtown SF (more like a 25 minute ride on my bike). Here's a few thangs ah really like about CrazyBlindDate:
* The anonymity of it
* It can work very fast
* Pre-assigned meeting spots make it easy
* Tha prospect of meetin anyone new is excitin. Dating a complete stranger gives me mild butterflies actually
* Forces me to actively be social, n thusly "on"
* 30 minute texting capabilities

A few thangs ah DONT like:
* Not many people seem to be on it (and I keep meeting people from very far away)
* Small selection of pre-assigned meeting spots
* Landing a double date has proved to be difficult
* What if they don't want to date me b/c my profile sucks/I'm not funny enough/I don't have a job/etc.?

That bein said, it's time ta git ready (luckily, ah don't feel much pressure to look/smell excellent on a first-time, blind-date. Being clean and warm is much more important).

Pictures from my new Digs!

These pics are nawt fantastic by any means, but give a lil bit of an idea what my new hood looks like. BTW, Happy New Year! (it's a brisk 45 degrees here in El Cerrito, and clear n sunny, as you ken see).

This is a cross-street near my house, it gives a lil idea of tha way tha hills look. Most of tha hills are populated w. more houses then this one, so ahll try ta take a bettah photo soon.







This is the view from my bedroom window...some days you ken see SF pretty clearly. this isn't one of them, it must be foggier in tha city then it is here.








Here's Spooonful (aka, Spoony), the house cat, on a neighbors roof (seen from my window). He's old (about 13), and very affectionate, but also tha loudest cat ah've evah met. He will stand outside my door sometimes n yowl n yowl n yowl, usually fer nae reason. Ah want ta like him, but sometimes he drives me nuts. Generally, he sleeps outside, but ah don't have tha heart ta put him out thar when its rainy er especially cold. But he sure tests my patience some nights!



Who loves his new bike? Ah sure dae! Here's me aftah a quick ride around tha block, takin pictures n returnin a crappy headset fer my phone. While ah haven't even started to pay this baby off, it's tha soundest financial decision ahve made in a long time.

Anutha Covah Song

Ahve been tryin ta write a bit, but whas really happenin is that ahm gittin inspired ta dae otha covah songs. Recently ah watched Slackers which pushed a few envelopes, but still a bit sub-par. Howevah, tha very last song, written n performed by Jason Schwartzman, makes it worthwhile, at least to me. The lyrics coincide perfectly w. tha POV of Schwartzman's character "Cool Ethan," and it catches the bittersweet ending that only he would've seen. This mornin it was makin more sense then usual when ah played it, so ah thought ahd try recordin.

Ahma bit hesitant ta show this, as ahm in my pjs n lookin far from Mr. Rawk Star (altho ah think it sorta goes w. tha feel of tha song/movie), n ah don't quite "nail tha ending". Ah have an inability to judge how my musick ken land, so please let me know if ahm completely outta my mind fer uploadin it ta youtube (unfortunetly its too big to put directly on tha blog). *Note, it will take a lil bit to load cuz ah didn't use tha right settin on my digital camera

Information/Disclaimer about this Blog

So ah decided in tha beginnin of December to git a blog gaein. What ah fergawt ta mention is that it's currently an experiment. While ah can't say its work, er tha ah don't enjoy updatin, thar are many reasons why ah did nawt maintain a blog before, among them 1)dae ah really need more time at tha computah?, 2)is my perspective really that interesting?, 3)Why would ah put my life out thar fer potential strangers ta read?

So, my experiment is this: Ah promise to spend at least 4 months regularly updatin this blog w. whatevah my heart desires. If you (n currently this is more like "you" cuz as far as ah ken tell, no one actively reads my blog) have anythang YER heart desires ta read about, lemme know. If aftah 4 months, ah still feel positively about keepin a blog, ahll prolly keep with it. Howevah, if 4 months passes n ahm nawt enjoyin tha fruits of my labor, feel like no one reads my thoughts, n am just generally disheartened by tha whole process, ahll likely stop.

Tha best way fer me ta feel like this isn't a complete waste of time on my part is ta receive positive feedback. N if you leave me some love, ahll prolly return tha favor. If you don't feel like givin feedback, ahd appreciate it it at least if you let me KNOW ahm nawt typin fer myself n tha strangers out thar. N if you send me any anonymous comments, ah hope you'll give me a chance to figure out who tha hell you are, cuz strangers readin about lawts of my personal life ken kinda weird me out.

Also, ah will nevah name names of companies that ah werk fer, etc. Tha only specifics ahll git intae are those that ah feel are safe fer tha whole damn world ta know. My way of coverin my ass.

N now ah will dine on veggie pizza. While ah hafta give total props to tha restaurant ah bought it from (they made some alterations at my request, n while ahm outside of thar delivery area, they said they'd swing by aftah close), ah hafta say that my mostly-organic, cheese, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoe, olive, n mushroom pizza is a lil bit burned, n tha sauce is too thick. Fer 18 bux, ah was hopin fer a lil bit more....pizzazz.

My hair is really short

see?

Where I live

In case anyone is curious about tha specific location of my new digs, tha above picture gives you an idea. Note - If you are having a hard time viewing the pic, just click on it.

In order to understand this a bit better, you have to realize that everythang to tha right of tha blue line is UPHILL. San Pablo (tha blue line) is what ah refer to as "Tha Strip," because its full of retail/food/etc. stuffs. Everythang up-hill is suburban housing, n everythang to tha left of San Pablo is slightly more sketchy housing.

In terms of location, its a 10 minute walk to the shops, or a 3 minute bike ride. Tha Subway (known as tha BART) is .7 miles away, n ah ken git thar n lock my bike up in 10 minutes flat. ah haven't done much explorin any furtha east of whar ah live, as tha hill just gits steeper n steeper (altho thars supposed to be a national park somewhar up thar). My Bikram Yoga studio is 2.5 miles, er 20 minutes, away (thars a bike path that runs paralell to San Pablo a few blocks East).

It's grey n cloudy n rainy, so ah will upload some photos of my surroundings on a nicer day. At tha right times, its really quite beautiful (n ah have a great view of SF before tha subway goes underground).

Tha Holidays = TV

These days at least, christmas time is when ah watch more tv then tha rest of tha year put togetha, n this year was nae exception. In fact, thanks to JetBlue and thar 30 channels of DirectTV per every customer (nawt ta mention lawtsa leg room - nice!), ah prolly watched more this year then evah before. My flights were about 7 hours each way, n thars nawt a whole lawt ta dae in Buffalo, so tha boob tube pretty much ate my brain. Reruns of King of tha Hill, that 70s show (thanx FX!), discovery channel, n all tha bearable xmass movies ah could watch (most notably, A Christmas Story and Scrooged (tha one w. Bill Murray).

All tha commercials gawt me kinda psyched up fer new episodes of somethang ahve nevah seen before, but now that ahm back in tha CA, it is nawt ta be. Instead, ahll be focusin my energy on:

FINDIN A DAMN JOB!

in tha meantime howevah, ahve been asked back to finish up tha stacks of data-entry pages, so thas some money in tha pocket. Also, ah don't need ta pay fer yoga anymore, which is also nice.

Tonite ah may have a crazy blind date in Albany. It's 38 degrees outside. N ah aced a phone interview this mornin. Ah don't know how to end this entry.

Beef w. VH1 n what they consider "metal"

Here's thar list of "Top 40 Metal Songs": HERE

Despite tha totally obnoxious inclusion of both Slipknot and KORN (both of whom totally suck n are far far away from metal, especially tha songs included. Ahll give early 90s KORN almost a metal title, but by late 90s, theyd gawten completely disco-ed out. System of tha Down, ahve come ta terms with), tha choice of tunes are fairly decent. It's mostly thar choice of "commentators" that enrages me.

Hosted by Sebastian Bach (of Skid Row, and thas ALL), too many unknowns and purveyors of nu/rap/wimp-metal are featured. First off, Sebastian Bach, despite bein a total DICKHEAD (who is known fer wearin a t-shirt that read "AIDS kills fags dead" in tha early 90s, n also NAWT an original member of Skid Row (they totally auditioned him, had all tha songs written, etc.)), is completely rigid tha whole way through. Tha "tribute" er "bare acknowledgement" he gives tha late great Dimebag Darrell almost made me puke...nae emotion whatsoevah. Might as well be Carmen Electra (who may be hawt, n datin Dave Nacvarro, but delivers lines like a wooden dummy) except he's devoid of both tits n legs. Also, Chris Jericho, whos a wrestler is given WAY too much street cred, n a membah of Papa Roach (total purveyors of tha "my parents dont give me enough allowance money metal") is featured in every otha video. Granted, VH1 Classic ca't have THAT much of a budget, but ahm pretty sure if they just attended a Judas Priest concert they'd find someone who's more aware of tha history of metal then some of tha wankers that just gawt me close ta throwin my empty beer can at my uncles 40" HD TV.

It's hard ta give props to a good effort, when its supported by such bullshit poser folk. It's hard fer me to watch my "barely noble" first-love be given credibility by people who are no more metal then Blink 182. Ah guess if nuthin else tho, this proves ahm still plenty metal....even though these days ah apparently channel my anger through typed words. Ah promise you folx, within tha next year ah will have one evil, diabolical, distorted-ass-group of delinquents that set people straight. Metal is more then power chords n eyeliner....although nawt always by much.

anutha australia xmass picture

just fer tha juxtaposition - here's one of my most memorable sights from my time in brisbane. Fer whatevah reason, xmass sunset was one of tha most breathtakin sunsets ahve evah seen...see fer yerself:

downfalls of buffalo

ah totally miss my bass.

News Flash - Buffalo is Cold!

Big surprise to all involved, ahm sure.

My flights were fine, despite me nawt readin tha BART guide kerrectly. Most of Saturday was spent in hangover-battle-mode, aftah a most rawkin Solstice Eve w. tha members of think13 n all of thar boozy friends. A quick stop-ovah at Kennedy (tha busiest ahve evah seen an airport at 5:30 am) n ah arrived yestahday mornin. Then ah slept fer 3 hours, n then tha eatin began!

Shortly aftah ah gawt in, tha weatha started hittin tha fan. 40 mph wind gusts, flooding north of Buffalo, snow/sleet/etc. fallin everywhar. Ahd wanted ta wake up bright n early fer some Bikram, but tha roads were promisin ta be pure crap. Also, ah apparently needed ta sleep fer some 12 hours, havin many crazy dreams. Including ones about some dude whos house as alive, buyin a bike in Bawstan, n many othas.

Below is a picture of my Uncles front yard....while thars nawt that much snow, part of Buffalo's inability to make up its mind shines through. Specifically, when ah landed, thar was snow on tha ground. Then rain started fallin, n tha snow dissappeared. Now it's back. My guess is this will be repeated fer at least one more round before ahm actually outta here. Only crazies actually want ta live in this city, but what more would one expect from my extended family? (anyone whos met my father would unnerstand).



Ahm sufferin from a slight withdrawl from my favorite pain medication...only in CA two months now, but ahve gawten awful use to tha dispensaries n thar wide selection of edibles....

Happy holidays wherevah you are (jerks!).

East Coast for X-Mess!

Ahm leavin fer New York at 9:15 pm tonite (if tha gods so decree it at least). Everytime ah tell someone that they exclaim "That's COLD!" Yes, Buffalo is definitely cold, but tha houses are warm n tha people are good n thars tons of food n drink. Ahm lookin forward to a change of scenery as well.

Last evening I neglected all forms of self-care n caution, drinking entirely too much n shouting entirely too loud fer tha longest nite of tha year. Howevah, ahm still standin by my actions, as ah had a great time, met some interesting people, n gawt ta bang on tha drums. It was good practice fer me as well, fer while ah was connected to tha band, ah knew almost no one n found myself havin ta werk at bein social, funny, etc. It's been a lil while since ahve been forced ta be so "on," n while ah did okay, thars improvement ta be made. Sometimes ah think ahm too content nawt expandin my horizons/puttin myself out thar, which ahm now more aware of, n think that as long as ahm acknowledging this ahll be more likely ta git bettah at bein "tha new guy." In tha past, ahve nawt cared as much b.c of my close proximity ta close friends, but out here its a different story.

Here's a holiday photo from two years ago when ah was in Bribane, Australia (a sub-tropical city). As beautiful and warm as Brizzy is, ah was pretty unhappy n lonely thar, n will take my cold-assed weekend+ in Buffalo ta boring-assed depressing Brisbane any day!

Happy Holidays!

New Musick from ME!

in case you don't read Breakdancing Godzilla er check yer myspace, regularly:

Ah have a new cover song, recorded in tha basement of tha house ah live on. It's tha first chance ahve had ta arrange something since ahve been here, n ahm incorporatin my new distortion pedal as well, so ahm pretty proud of this song (if nawt necessarily this performance). You can find it on my MySpace. Hope you enjoy, n happy holidays!

Minor Updates

1 - today at werk ah finished tha first of two stacks. altho ah dont think ahll be held accountable fer finishin tha second one, so ahve decided ta nawt werk TOO hard while ahm thar.

2 - fer tha equivalant of 2 hours of werk a week, ah ken gae ta as much bikram as my insane heart desires. My guess is tha otha place won't be quite as lenient w. tha free-ness, n this could affect thangs....

What's tha best kind of yoga?

FREE YOGA!

Today aftah werk ahm gaein to tha Bikram place ta meet tha owner n talk to him about daein work exchange fer yoga. Tomorrow aftah werk, ahm gaein to anutha place (That offers non-bikram yoga) fer tha same purpose. Pretty good, huh?

Tha only downside of this is that it cuts intae tha time tonite that ahd set aside to try n record my new cover song, but thars a good chance ahll still be able ta git a decent recording before ah leave fer Buffalo, NY this Saturday. Keep yer fingahs crossed if you want some SEVERE BASS.....

Monotonous Temp Job Update

Hey, how's that temp job going?

Why, thanks for asking! Here's a picture:



So what are you looking at? (n no, ah am nawt werkin fer tha US Postal Service. Ahm in an office that only gits used about one week outta tha month, so is also used fer mail overflow)

Well, the large stack of papers is what is left to be entered (notice - ah haven't even finished tha first of tha two rubber-banded stacks, which ahm pretty sure is smallah then tha second one). Tha small stack of papers is how many pages ah gawt through TODAY. Ah don't count (it would take too much precious time), but if ah gae supah-dupah fast, ah ken finish a page in about 9 or 10 minutes. Howevah, that kinda pace is hard ta keep, so ah think ah prolly average more like a page every 15 minutes, breaks excluded. Ah especially git thrown off when somethin gaes wrong....sometimes tha info in tha system doesn't match up, which throws me for a loop n ah hafta restart. Sometimes, tha member has been merged w. anutha ID, which ken throw me fer two er as many as three loops (each time requiring a restart). N sometimes my hand slips (usually nawt requiring a restart.)

Tis tha season fer tedious data entry! Jingle those bells!

On tha rebound (health-wise)

Ah think last nites yoga really helped, as well as consumin massive amounts of vitamins n otha immune-system boosters. One of these was Alka Seltzer Plus Immunity Complex, available in orange zest flavor. Something about tha specific chemicals in this particular medicine is also turnin my pee neon-green, which is sorta cool, n sorta weirdin me out.

Did anyone know they made a Garbage Pail Kids Movie? Well they did, n ah watched it so you don't hafta. Unless yer studyin cheesy 80s actin, its pretty worthless (like ah expected anythang else).

Know What's AWESOME*?

Ah think ahm gittin sick!

So ah went to yoga ta try n sweat tha toxins out...n still feel pretty shitty. And my back is fawkin KILLIN me from tryin ta kerrect my shitty comptha posture all day at werk (via E-Cises). Also, my throat hurts so ah can't take my pain medication in tha usual way.

Luckily most stores carry said medication in a variety of forms, including marshmallow squares made out of Fruity Pebbles --- which really IS awesome.

*-note, generally if ah say somethin is AWESOME in this manner, ahm bein sarcastic

What ah did fer 7.5 hours today (n will dae tha day aftah, n tha day aftah...)

Ah have a temp assignment! Finally!

It's w. a non-profit (n one you've prolly heard of, they dae good stuff) just ovah tha bridge daein data entry. Tha pay is...bettah then my bare minimum, n it doesn't start at 8 am (it starts at nine) so ah really can't complain. Howevah, this is tha most TEDIOUS temp job ahve had since my FIRST EVAH back in Bawstan, Jan. 05, which was also data entry. Actually, this one might be even MORE tedious.

Note tha differences between tedious and boring -- Boring is when thars nuthin ta dae, so its soooo borin cuz you don't hafta dae anythang OR at least nuthin that requires ANY sort of thought. These are usually receptionist jobs at someplace quiet, er puttin bindahs togetha, er (my favorite) puttin thangs in envelopes. Sometimes, tha organizin borin jobs will have weird temp co-workers as well, which make them less borin cuz you have someone ta talk ta.
Tedious is when you have somethang ta dae, that just nevah stops. It requires just a SMIDGEN of thought or paying attention (altho if you make a mistake w.o noticing, odds are its nawt THAT big of a deal, and that it won't come back ta you. thas why temps dae this stuff, obviously). Tedious is generally data-entry, or makin copies of irregularly sized papers, er filin, etc.

By tha way, while wakin up at 7 sucked, hopin on my bike to tha BART first thang in tha mornin felt really good!

Anyway, my assignment:


Each page of paper in that stack has about 50+ names on it, each w. an 8-digit member id. these are tha people who don't want to be called anymore. ah type that 8 digit numbah in, dae two keystrokes, click my mouse (ta move tha cursor) make anutha keystroke, n hit entah. Then ah cross that name off tha list. Repeat.

If ah make tha slightest mistake (a wrong numbah, er invalid code fer tha data field), ah hafta start tha program ovah, sign in again, etc.

Ah moved ta california fer this?

time ta stop typin...

Yoga and Acupuncture are a delicate mix...

So fer tha past 6 weeks, ahve been daein Bikram Yoga which is hard as hell. Ta continue along on tha hellish metaphor, its also done in heat...100 - 110 degrees farenheit ta be a lil more specific. Tha instructors are like drill sergeants, constantly pushing you hardah, n tha workout is EXACTLY tha same EVERY TIME! 2 breathing exercises (one at tha beginnin, one at tha end), and 24 postures, more er less half standin n half on tha floor. Exact same ordah, exact same length, w. people shoutin commands at you. Ah don't RECOMMEND Bikram, but ah really like it. Must be tha yin to my yang, er ratha tha M to my S. It also reminds me of wrestling in high skool, altho less gross n w. bettah scenery.

Ah have also been gittin acupuncture fer a lil ovah a month ta help w. my right hand/wrist/arm/shouldah injury. Ah fawked my right wrist up a few years ago at a desk job, n its been gittin worse until when ah moved here n decided ah NEEDED ta dae somethin. Ah git acupuncture at tha Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine Clinic in downtown Berkeley cuz its VERY CHEAP (as in, if you make an appointment with 24 hours er less, n have a referral from one of tha interns, it is only TEN DOLLERS!)

Both of these thangs are helpin my wrist and arm n shoulder feel much much bettah thank you, but today ah learned that while Acupuncutre AFTAH Bikram is AWESOME, but Acupuncutre BEFORE Bikram is AWFUL!

Somethin about stirrin up all that chi was just NAWT good fer me today. Ah had my worst class EVAH, eventually leaving 3 postures early because it was becoming tortuous (n nawt in tha good way). Ahve nevah left early before, but ah just couldnt relax.

This is especially unfortunate b/c my cheapie 1st-month trial will be ovah on Friday. Howevah, ah have made some pretty good improvement since beginning:
1)My first class, ah could nawt dae camel pose, n now ah ken
2)Ah am able ta lean back VERY FAR now
3)Ah ken ALMOST git intae "toe stand" (gittin out is anutha thang altogetha)
4)ah unnerstand how triangle is supposed ta werk, even if ah cant' dae it rite
n today
5)ah was able ta lock my elevated knee (briefly)in Standing Head to Toe

Ah also dae bikram w.o a shirt (cuz its fawkin hawt in thar) n it always amuses me ta be called "Dragon Tattoo."

Frustrating Things (in ordah):

1)Applying for a job that you are definitely qualified fer (hello, werkin fer a musickal institution as an Admin Asst. in their Marketing Department - ahma musician, ahma admin asst., ahve werkin in an advertising division - n a really big one too!) and being told ahd be contacted within 3 weeks if they're interested

2)nawt hearin anythang fer 3 weeks

3)findin exact same post on craigslist.org some 3+ weeks latah

4)upon furtha inspection, realizin that b/c ah hadn't started usin a macro-date/time on my resume, ah had dated my original application November 118, instead of 18.

luckily ahm persisten, so this time ahma apply n practice NAWT GITTIN MY HOPES UP!

Ridiculous Catering Story #1

With so much buildup, ahm sure everyone needs an update on that mega-corpo-party ah werked at (n technically will be gittin paid fer).



This is tha playing field of AT&T park (apparently tha SF baseball team is tha Giants, which ah nevah wouldve guessed in a million years). While tha quality is bad (its from my camera phone, you should be able ta make out 1)a dance floor (one of at least 2, n prolly 3 er 4) on tha left, followed by 2)a sledding hill and then, 3)an ice skating rink. 8,500 people were expected at this party, apparently biotechnology is a pretty profitable field these days. 2 of 3 floors of suites and otha high-rise ballpark real estate were rented out, stuffed w. food, bars, bands (ah was stationed near one of tha main entrances, stocking two buffet tables w. food n desert, just next to tha 80s cover band that played 3 sets, each time appearing in a different clothes), airbrush tattoos, n who knows what else. Call time was at 5 pm, aftah wich we were served pasta (ah stayed clear of tha meatballs, but am sure ah ingested some animal protein one way er anutha), n then stood around outside in tha cold, a mess of penguin lookin waitstaff of all types (college student through senior citizen). Then a 45 minute procession of callin off our names and assignin us to stations took place (when all they really needed to do was pick a group of us), n it was ON!

It might just be tha years ahve spent in hospitality, but ah've nevah unnerstood who people ken be so fricken oblivious to thar surroundins in crowded restaurants n partys. Despite our big assed white chefs coats, we were pretty much invisible to tha patrons. Walkin from one section to anutha took 30 minutes sometimes cuz tha assorted bio-techno people were too busy tellin themselves how great thar party was ta GIT THA FAWK OUTTA OUR WAY!

ahll also mention that a bunch of those folks looked real young ta have fancy jobs, but part of that might just be my own projections.

Just cuz everyone cares....

Ah finally gawt around ta readin tha latest Harry Potter book. And thar was STILL nae mention of fun, kinky wizard sex. Just in case anyone was wondering. Which is totally a dissapointment, as tha possibilities were friggin ENDLESS! More surprising, is ah couldn't even come up w. a naughty harry-potter cartoon/forgery to include as a picture. Brownie points to anyone who can (ahll admit ah didn't try very hard).

Spendin $$ to break even

Ahve taken one step closer to tha corporate restaurant world today....made me a lil weak in tha knees ta tell ya tha truth. Yesterday ah attended an "Open Call" fer a very large corporation that does event staffing, etc. It took me ovah an hour ta git to, and involved a couple miles of biking (in tha rain, only second time its rained since ah gawt here). Ah filled out an application (noticing that in my recent employment history, only one of those positions was in hospitality, and that was from Australia), n took a written test asking all sorts of important questions like "What side of the plate does the fork go on" (the left) and true/false "The knife should face the plate?" (true). Instead of lookin at my application, ah was asked to summarize my experience, which ah did. (ahve been in interview mode these last few weeks so this part was easy), n was told to come back tomorrow for a final interview. 20 minutes aftah ah arrived, back intae tha rain, on my trusty steed (bike). Aftah ah went shoppin, etc., ahd been out in tha rain fer ovah 3 hours, was way gross, n had spent 7 bux on transportation.

Today ah woke up to tha sound of meowing cat (spoonfull is its name, n thar will be at least one blog post focused on his annoying characteristics), n shovelled off to Pleasant Hill again. Pleasant Hill, as they mite say here, is hella far away from me. My second interview we went over all tha clusterfucks that come w. workin w. a corporation, tha expectations of all their servers, how we were pretty much out on our own ta figure out how we were gittin to n from events w.o travel compensation, n tha incredibly impersonal manner in which we would get assignments (signing ontae a slow website, listin our availability, n then waitin fer one of tha calendar days to turn red, so that we could investigate tha situation and confirm our availability). It's a far cry from tha work ah dae fer Hands On! Gourmet, who organize carpools and compensate you for travel. Then ah found out that my high level of skills, which had guaranteed my "final interview" (quotes used b/c this was nae interview, this was me fillin out w-9s n signin papers sayin that ah wouldnt commit workers comp fraud) would give me tha much-sought aftah compensation of $11.50 per hour. I won't even accept temping assignments fer this little, n those are usually at least full-days werk.

So ontae tha title of todays post, ahve done tha math n factoring in two days of travel to obtain this stupid job (close to 15 bux total), buying an all-black tie which is necessary fer tha event ahm werkin tomorrow ($20 bux at Target, if anyone has evah set out to find a single-color tie in discount clothing stores, they know how frustrating an excursion this is), n transportation from tha event (which is being held at tha fricken AT&T Ball-Park, tha same that some sports team plays at), 6-7 hours of work at my meager (fawkin MEAGER) hourly rate, minus taxes, will maybe put 10 bux in my pocket aftah accountin fer all tha cash spent in tha last 48 hours.

This will howevah, be tha biggest event ahve evah worked (75 servers will be on-call), so ah can't imagine it bein very difficult. Ahll consider it a good day if ahm able ta git back to tha BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport) before tha last train leaves fer tha East Bay. Far from tha idealistic sprout who arrived in CA 6 weeks ago w. a gleam of hope in his eyes fer tha ultimate job, now ah will be happy if ah don't git stuck in downtown SF overnite in dress clothes.

In job-hunt news, tha place that turned me down fer someone who either 1)really is intae a career in development or 2)is a bettah liar then me, passed on my resume to tha place they share thar workspace with. While thats very nice of them, ah dont know how well ahd actually handle working in tha same office as a place whose rejection ah couldnt help but take a litle bit personally. Not to mention tha office bein pretty unaccessible unless you are LOADED, n ah doubt tha otha organization has tha same kind of budget as tha one ahd initially interviewed w.

Anyway, tomorrow is band practice with Warren Teagarden and his drummer, Anthony, n then ah turn intae a faceless drone at some uber-corps holiday party. Let's hope somethin interestin happens so ah ken blog about it, shall we?

Crazy Blind!

If you live in Austin, TX, Boston, MA, NYC, er tha SF Bay area, thars a new internet meeting site that cuts through all tha bullshit n puts you in a face-off w. someone of a desirable sex IN REAL LIFE!

CrazyBlindDate.com is apparently run by tha same people that dae OKCupid, only the main difference is that you have virtually nae contact w. tha otha person before you meet them at a bar/coffeeshop. You answer a few basick questions fer about what yer lookin fer that tha otha person ken see, n then a few more about who yer lookin fer (that they can't see) n then tha fun is supposed ta begin. You dae upload a photo, but they pixelate tha shite outta it so you have nae idea what tha person you are meeting actually looks like:

Ah had one of these last Friday, which had various drawbacks....my date was ovah an hour late (at least she let me know) n it lasted all of two (very strong) drinks at a bar, before she had ta run home ta her 4-month year old son (in San Jose). These thangs werk fast howevah, fer in just tha last hour ahve set up anutha one fer this evening. Of kerse, an unemployed and broke musician who lives in tha burbs is sure ta knock ALL tha ladies off their feet, so we ken rest assured thangs will gae smashingly THIS time around, rite?

Current Musickal Endeavors

So, the job hunt is, how should ah put it, gaein very shitty. Ah've had interviews at 7 places, n am just waitin ta hear back from tha last one (which ahm guessin, will be a "no".). Some of them I've really wanted, some ah would've been okay w., n thar was one that ah think would've made me pretty unhappy in tha long run. Howevah, w. 5 weeks intae tha SF n nawt a single offer, ahm feelin a lil down. Even catering work is currently nawt turnin up much, n ah can't help but think it's cuz tha owner of tha company saw me stuff a fish taco down my mouth (which is really, far from against tha "rules" er lack thereof, but still).

Luckily, my musickal prospects are a lil more promising (n ahd fawkin hope so!). Two weeks ago ah met a man named Nathan, who operates under tha name Warren Teagarden fer "reasons unknown". Nathan is a nice guy (even if tha whole "My name isn't really Warren" thang is a lil confusing), n we met up to play some musick, which went very well. Nathan has a drummer (oddly enuff, named Anthony), and is hopin ta git a live band togetha ta support his new album, which he is independantly releasing in February. Ah like tha tunes pretty good, n hear great thangs about tha "other Anthony", so I'm looking forward to tha prospect of jammin out in front of a live audience w. these two gentleman.

Tonight, ah met w. some folks in tha Mission District (which is a great neighborhood in downtown SF that ah'd really like ta find a way ta live in) for an audition with tha group think13. think13 is mostly run by two performance artists, Christoph and Dee, who met a couple years back (according to thar bios) when they were lead actors in some production. They've taken tha musick they write (which they refer to as "Progressive Indie Rock") to tha next level by involving a HIGH level of stage theatrics (suchas gymnastics, fire spinning, and trapeze stuffs, nae shit!), n are also usin tha band to spearhead a non-profit organization that will teach young 'uns how ta put shows like these on. Tha current percussionist works w. his mother, who just recently gawt a very large grant to teach SF youth how to write, record, and produce musick. Needless to say, all this stuff gawt me pretty interesting, n todays auditon went very well. At tha end of tha third song ah was told that ah was "hired", which began to spark more interesting conversation regarding tha future of think13, tha vision, and VAGABOOM, tha non-profit organization. A less-biased write-up of think13 ken be found here.

So if all goes well, yers truly will be rawkin tha fawk out on stage soon enuff! N please keep those fingahs crossed fer payin werk (my landlady will thank you!)

Back In tha Saddle (again)

So at tha request of Sarah Dopp, ah've decided ta possibly start this blog up again. While currently, ahm unemployed, n livin in a suburb of berkeley (jeez, ah couldn't even live in a suburb of Oakland, could ah?), we are all hoping that changes soon, rite? Rite. It will be a much different blog then tha one ah started some year n a half ago, fer two notable reasons: 1)Originally this blog was started ta chronicle my job, n tha lack of werk that went w. said job, n 2)When initiated, this blog took a certain tone n linguistic style that is very much NAWT me. Ah will change both of these aspects, tha first most notably that ahm currently TOTALLY unemployed, n tha second, that instead of tha air of a sophisticated overachiever, ahll be speakin in what ah generally refer to as "Severe Slang." While potentially less riotus, this blog will now be a lil-more true-ta-form, at least in my opinion.

Ah also recommend that you check out Breakdancing Godzilla, a community blog wherein ah will dae my best ta post only those thangs that are interesting to many, as opposed to just me. Also, ah try ta keep my personal life off've tha BG, at least as much as possible.

Note: Ah dae find it somewhat interestin that both my handle "Humble Observer" n especially my blog title "What am I doing here?" continue to be pretty much accurate fer my state of mind, despite tha many notable differences between what ahm up to now, n what ah was up ta back in April of 2006.