Before ah gae....

offta sweaty pretentious Ft. Lauderdale, ah thought ahd make a brief update:

-Ah gawt my 50 dollah haircut today - we'll see if it was worth it in 2 weeks.

-Lawts of potential w. tha jawbreaker cover band, depending on many factors out of my control. But gawdamm did it feel awesome ta sing n play w. a band backing me. Maybe thars a frontman in me still.....

-Takin tha bus on Friday, it began to speed off while an angry patron ran aftah it. He knocked on (more like straight-up punched) tha plastic part of tha front side door n actually broke it. What surprised me is that tha driver still stopped, told him he broke tha window, then LET HIM on, while tha guy mumbled an apology. Tha guy gawt off at tha next stop, n ah think tha driver made a phone call but thar was NAE follow-up. Maybe ahm naive, but that surprises me.

-think13 rawked kimo's pretty good on Friday, fer tha first time it felt like we were a band, nawt provin ourselves ta be a band. AND we gawt a real soundcheck. and drunk. and late-nite supah burritos.

ah guess ah need ta pack. ah dont really think ahm ready fer tha next 7 days.....

Haircuts n Punk Rawk

Even back in tha day, ah did care about my hair. Just cuz ah grew it out all crazy-like didn't mean ah didn't like it ta look good from time ta time. That became both hardah n easier when ah finally gawt rid of it all - easier in tha showah, hardah ta git a QUALITY hair cut - you know, tha kind that looks good a month latah, doesn't grow out all funky, n is maintained pretty easily. Gradually ah began to discovah thar certainly are differences between tha free girlfriend-cut, tha 15 dollah cut at tha cheapo place, n tha 30+ dollah cut at tha salon.

Ahve been makin dae w. tha 15 dollah cheapo cut cuz ahm broke, but General Assembly is next week, then it will be July, n ah want ta look good. Ahm also bringin back some red-dyage soonish, n want a bangin cut ta gae w/ it. But ahm findin in SF thar is nae such thang as a 35 dollah haircut - thars a 12 dollah cheapo, a 20 dollah-decent, n then it skyrockets to at least 45 bux. Findin this was tha case EVERYWHAR (n that many places cuts started at 60) ahve bit tha bullet (baby) n have an appointment fer a 50 dollah haircut on Sunday. This bettah look AWESOME (ahm daein tha dye job myself - ah dont have a hunnered dollahs ta gae red).

This evenin ahm also supposed ta meet w. some dudes ta play some jawbreaker tunes n ah hope they gawt thar shite togetha - in tha last week ahve learned 7 tunes n am ready ta rawk tha hell out. Ah need somethang else ta keep me busy now that my involvement w. Warren Teagarden is potentially ovah....

Fuckin hell, Ft. Lauderdale n a big bag of UU mess next week. 2 fricken years ago ah was inspired enuff ta git voted intae this mess. Full-circle, next stop....

best grocery store evah

is Rainbow Grocery at Folsom and 13th. Of kerse, if you live in SF, this is prolly nawt news in tha slightest. Fer those of you that aren't - this is a great reason ta move out here.

First thang off tha bat, ah found some bamboo stir-fry handle thangs that were really similar to tha ones ahd been usin (n gawt used ta) back in el Cerrito, so supah bonus points thar. It's also a worker-owned coop (of kerse), n gives discounts to members of tha SF Bike Co-op (of which ahm nawt - yet. ah will be aftah next paycheck).

But really, its tha fact that they have everythang - it's huge (largah then most whole foods, yet bettah organized). It carries everythang you'd expect from a natural food store, but tha real treat is in all tha bulk goods they have - 3 full aisles of bulk pastas, proteins, rice, beans, snacks, bath goods, you name it.

Of course ah was overwhelmed tha first time ah went in n spent too much, but thas ta be expected ah think. As ah slowly git used ta how great this store is, ah think ahll figure out a routine.

If anyone is still nawt impressed, they have naked people on tha mural near tha cash registers. Naked people n groceries - does it git much bettah?

First instance of my old location bein bettah then my new one:

It is 53 degrees and partly cloudy in tha mission.

It is 67 degrees and sunny in el cerrito. n bikin ta berkeley is outta tha question.

Church should be gittin started downstairs sometime soon - actually ah thought it was supposed ta kick off at 10 er somethang on sunday. Since it hasn't ahm prolly annoyin my roommate w/ efforts at severe bass, even tho its too early fer my voice to actually function.

N thars tha drums from downstairs. Happy Sunday!

Weekendin'

Thursday night was my last gig w. Warren Teagarden fer who knows how long - he's takin another bassist and drummer on tour at the end of July so tha next SF show will be w/ tha new guys. It's a bit of a bummer, as we've gotten pretty tight over the last couple months and I can only think of how solid we would be after two weeks on the road. But its nawt meant ta be - altho ah think thars a pretty decent chance he'll be in touch when they return. We shall see.

We rawked Kimo's pretty good, openin was some dirty punk kids from Spokane, WA (tha Sissies) who played a jawbreaker cover (boxcar) and were cool dudes. Aftahwerds tha Interchangeable Hearts did thar thang - they were tha first band WT played w. so it was a nice kind of "full circle" thang. Ah chatted up tha soundguy n scored a think13 show fer next friday - hell yeah. Aftahwerds some guys told me how awesome ah was but didn't offah ta buy me a drink - gae figure.

This mornin think13 (minus percussion) played at a Burning Man picnic thang in Golden Gate park, which was fun and relaxed. Free food and beer is always a good thang - even if tha burners are a bit too intentionally out-thar fer me. My old boss came out which was nice - apparently he's been playin tha game pretty solidly out here (tha datin game) so we made tentative plans ta hit up tha town togetha one of these nites. Then ah went to bikram - prolly tha first time ahve evah gawn on Saturday evening (usually ah gae on sat. mornins). It's quite impressive actually - tha last couple months ah haven't had tha time ta gae regularly n was losin some muscle definition and tone. 3 classes this week n ah feel like ahm almost back ta tha excellent shape ah was in late March/early April. N this studio is even closah then my old one - w. nae big hill ta bike up on tha way back!

Tonite ah should totally gae out n party my ass off as its my first weekend in tha Mission, but ah don't really know whar ta start. How dae you make new friends when yer 27 n nawt in skool? At least folks are friendly out here (if ah was in Bawstan ahd prolly die lonely), but despite tha tons of kickass places around tha corner from me, how dae ah know which ones are good, n what does it take fer me ta strike up a conversation w. strangers? Cuz ahm nawt at tha point whar ahm gaein out by myself to a bar - at tha very least ah need a wingperson. Maybe ahll figure it out in a few weeks, but fer tonite ahll prolly just continue ta frustrate myself w. tha best way ta put my room togetha - hurray!

Also, ah gawt tha new Weezer album n ah like. It's nae Pinkerton, but those are high standards, n its way bettah then tha album they put out aftah that. A review may be comin....er may nawt. Ahm unpredictable like that!

ah, tha mission...

Today when ah came home from band practice a latino couple was making out in my doorway. CLASSY!

hmm

ahm pretty sure thars a latino band playin somewhar on my block - ah ken hear tha I's n V's from tha bass, n it has tha same timbre from song ta song. If it weren't almost midnite on Sunday n ah wasn't exhausted ahd gae find tha source n have a beer.

Ah did move my headboard away from tha street howevah, n apparently nawt an evenin too soon! Ot also gave me tha confidence needed ta plug in fer 20 minutes just now n play some severe bass. Visions of buskin ran thru my head.....

Back to Back Shows fer this rawkstar....

Friday nite was tha first think13 gig in way too fricken long (late March) n we only gawt 30 minutes so we had ta make them count. On tha up side, it was at tha very swanky Red Devil Lounge, w/ a backstage n everythang. Us n 3 otha bands gawt a half hour, n then thar were two headliners who gawt a bit longah. B/c we are 5 fricken people that are a combination of picky about thar sound n nawt especially skilled at at effective soundchecking, we did nawt git a great mix. Howevah, tha energy was up, n ah had a blast. We revealed a brand-new song, as well as one that had been provin especially difficult to "nail" n gawt pretty close ta nailin it. The Red Devil Lounge also sells 24 oz. Red Stripes fer 6 bux, which is sweet (altho someone fawkin stole mine from tha stage while ah was fiddlin w. tha amp - bollocks!). A late nite of alcohol ensued, but eventually we took our cabs home n said adieu.

Then Saturday mornin Warren Teagarden went ta Reno! It's about a 4 hour drive n we left w. plenty of time - almost too much. Showed up at Warren's neice's place who has 4 kids n a puppy. It was a lil hectic. Eventually made our way down to tha Zephyr in downtown, nestled between porn stores n tattoo parlors - my kind of place! Tha second we gawt thar two locals were "fighting" w/ each otha, throwin a drum skin at tha street n stealin each othas beer. We quickly learned that thar wasn't much of a PA n crossed our fingers that Trigger Effect would be prepared to help us out - Ah still don't have an amp!

Trigger Effect were really nice guys who totally had thar shite togetha - they showed up w. a full PA, bass amp, guitar amp, n monstrous drum set in a case (played by a huge Navy guy they called "Animal.") We figured out what we'd be borrowin n started drinkin - fer free cuz renos good like that.

Tha Teagarden boyz had potentially thar best set - high energy, well-performed songs, n tha small-but-thar crowd seemed pretty intae it all. 3 songs in tha bass amp started smokin - apparently this is a new problem they've been havin w. it. ah plugged intae tha PA which sufficed, but tha sound was nawt quite as good aftah that. Nonetheless ah had a total blast on tha supah-tiny stage n Trigger Effect seemed ta really enjoy what were spittin out.

Trigger played some very enjoyable punk/metal w. some green day influence, n had high energy. Thar drummer was a fawkin machine, n by this point in time Teagarden n company was feelin good. A good nite was had by both bands n Reno secured a lil place in my heart - altho ah don't think ah could live in a valley like that. A local was tellin me how Reno had everythang: nature, hiking, geology, mind shafts, history, skiin n then tha convo went sour when he also told me thar were hills ah could gae ta n shoot autmoatic weapons n that it was completely legal ta carry one in Reno. Yikes. He latah told me ta "nevah stop rockin n ah mean that. Keep on rawkin hard, please." Ah assured him ah would think about it.

Ah thought it was ovah but instead we ended up at a pool hall until 3 am eventually gittin home n crashin out on some flimsy bunk beds that had pink sheets (we were in tha girls room). A long drive back finished us both off.

Ahm quite sorry ah dont have any pictures of tha good times fer any of you :(. Perhaps next time.....

Ah know you want some pictures....

Of my new digs, rite?

So just ta reiterate - ah live on one of tha busiest streets in tha city, nawt quite at tha busiest intersection thar is, but its nawt small potatoes. This does have its advantages - fer 1, three buses stop rite outside my door that take me directly to werk (ah actually werk on tha same street ah live on, just 28 blocks south), as well as tha UU Church w. tha most young adults. Ahm also a 5 minute walk from tha Light Rail n a 10-15 minute one from tha BART. Ahve biked to n from werk all week in about 25 minutes each way (its a touch faster going to b/c of tha slight hill ah live on - but nuthang even close to tha hill ah used ta live on). Ah also live at tha bottom of Bernal Heights - which is big fawkin hills. Honestly, anutha block er two east n my commute would blow donkey goats. So its convenient as hell - but also loud, busy, n a bit run-down. My biggest concern actually is that ah have a glass front door w. nae grates/etc. Ahm hopin ah ken git some installed - if nawt, its almost definite ah wont stay here all too long. Ah did install a werkin deadbolt on my room - it werks, but its nawt a glove-tight fit exactly.

Ah live w. 3 otha guys (all of whom ah think are gay), but one of them is nevah here (only one weekend out of tha month - altho ah guess he has friends that stay here from time to time), tha otha is barely here (werd is he spends most nites at his boyfriends place and is currently bikin to LA so he wont be around til mid next week at all), n tha otha does sleep here most nites (21 year old, slightly shy, just moved outta his rents n werks front desk at a hotel downtown).

And now - tha pixs!

My living room (which ah think functions more as bike storage):
(not pictured are various board games ah doubt have evah been played).

my giant kitchen - fully stocked w. pretty much everythang imaginable (except fer a cheese grater - wtf? n an electric kettle - ah bought both today) -
(thars two bad thangs about tha kitchen - 1)nawt enuff outlets which is a bit scary, n 2)stupid electric stove. Otha then that its tha best room in tha house).

My bedroom, messy n outlookin tha main street itself, but a decent size w. a walk-in closet (a weird one, but ah ken walk in it) -

AND tha ginormous backyard overrun with weeds -
Tha big bushes ahm pretty sure are fennel. Tha first buildin in tha foreground is actually nawt on our property, but tha second one is, which is a cool lil enclosure space. Tha yard does extend all tha way back to tha bbq n lawn furniture (n that is astroturf). Most of tha weeds are actually growin outta concrete, so tha potential fer gardenin is nawt quite as great as it seems. Thars also a fallen hammock in thar somewhar.

This will be tha last update fer a couple days as tomorrow nite is friday which has a pretty high-profile n important think13 gig, n then Saturday Warren Teagarden gaes ta Reno. Pretty spiffy, eh?

barghen

- my ampeg is dyin. Lettin out sad tremors undah every string pluck, snap, er whap. It's nawt suitable fer tha publick anymore. thar gaes payin off credit cards this pay cycle!

- my room is soooo fricken loud - n my headboard is currently next to tha thin windows. Have ah complained enuff about how badly built houses are out here? cuz they sure is. Anyway, ah think ah ken git used ta it - but ridin my bike home this evenin at 930 n when it was quiet in areas nawt all that far from tha bump n grind of tha mission was much nicah then my first nites sleep as ah struggled ta ignore drunks, cell phone talkahs, n vehicles (especially tha stupid buses) sos ah could just pass tha fawk out.

BUT ah did ride my bike to n from werk today in half tha time it used ta took, so if you factor that in w. all tha sleep ah missed ahm really only like 3 hours down!

tha adventure continues

boy howdy it does (ah promise nawt ta make boy howdy a regular expression) ! Ah moved all my shite today intae my new bedroom - directly above a spanish church w. live bands n full pa. It's nawt LOUD-loud, but it is audible. Will it be somethang ah eventually cannot stand, er will ah git used ta it? ah dae plan on attendin at least one service.....

ahm back in el cerrito fer one last nite sos ah could clean up n also return tha van, etc. My housemate (who is lame n anti-social...landlady says hes shy, ah think he's rude) has been in n out of tha kitchen today n yestahday, n despite tha large suffle of activity, boxes around, etc., hasn't said a word to me. Whats surprising is nawt that he's refrained from speakin ta me about tha obvious move, is that he's been in n out of tha kitchen. Ah swear ta gawd, he bought bags of chips from safeway yestahday n two bags of somethang from trader joes. Fer tha first time as long as ahve been here, ahve seen him both bring food intae tha house as well as gae intae tha kitchen! (ah shite you nawt, ahve only seen him gae from his room intae 1)tha laundry room, 2)tha bathroom), n 3)tha front door. Ah have NEVAH seen him in tha kitchen, nor seen any evidence that he keeps food in it.

Perhaps knowin my jerk-ass won't be around has given him some balls er somethang. ahll admit ahve nawt been shy about loud musick late at nite, singin, n drum playin tha last few days. on drum playin - ahve turned a cornah on drummin (albeit it is a very minute degree of a turn) n ken now sorta play some basick beats that resemble actual drum playin! tha last week ahve been bangin on tha drums downstairs - of kerse, rite before ah move out. Maybe tha church will let me practice on thars......

stay fawkin tuned! Life is about ta turn tha hell up!

Home Sweet....?

If you know me well enuff to have evah planned anythang w. me, you mite know that ah am DEATHLY afraid of countin my chickens before they hatch. Ah think this stems back to my early childhood, when ah would often git sooo excited about thangs before they happened that it was sometimes hard fer me to enjoy tha actual act. If you don't know me that well, you mite at least know that ahve spent a fair amount of work counteracting some of my natural inclinations in ordah ta be, well, more sane.

So ahm sorta out on a limb here, but tha reason fer tha fingah crossin should be fairly obvious - it looks very much like ah have a new place ta live in tha city! Ah wasn't 100% sure thangs were gawna werk out, as ah hadn't met most of tha folks livin thar, n it was kinda last minute - n ah was especially afraid b/c ah turned down a slightly nicer place ta live b.c ahd already told these folks ahd be tha new roomie (A choice ah may nawt necessarily live ta regret, but ah will prolly always wondah what life would've been like thar - likely a bit more comfortable). But today ah wrote a check fer 1st n last months rent fer a bedroom in a 4 bed/1.5 bath flat on tha outskirts of tha mission district - located above a church. It has a MASSIVE backyard that is TOTALLY overrun w. weeds but w. great potential - if ah had three solid weeks ta dae nuthang but dig it up. Washer dryer onsite (bonus), a room outlooking mission street (nawt so much of a bonus - thassa loud n busy street), but they are a bit desperate ah think n thus willin ta live w. my bass playin n singin. It has a lil bit of charm - in a strange way, n really tha worse thang about it (so far) is that it has an electric stove.

So tomorrow ahm gittin a van n gaein intae berkeley n then oakland ta buy a dresser n a bed (both wicked cheap) n then movin those intae tha place, n sunday will be about movin all tha bits n pieces. Ahll prolly sleep here on Sunday nite so ah ken return tha van n then gae ta werk - n then ah will gae home ta tha mission on Monday afternoon. So surreal - n soooo much ta dae before then.

Ah should really be in full force right now, but honestly, ahm way more likely ta just fawk around so tomorrow n sunday ken be tha main effort. Nice enuff, ahm home alone this weekend so ah ken spread out a bit as needed.

Ahm still nervous n a bit unsettled but excited that ahm takin tha next step towards livin tha kinda life ah want. 7 freakin months in el cerrito - ah really nevah expected that. All in all tho, its nawt been too bad - but its time fer a change.

special thanks to all those out thar who've kept my plight in yer thoughts - ah know my housin situation is far from bein tha most important n pressin mattah in most peoples lives, so ah appreciate any amount of good intentions folks have sent my way.

Next stop - San Fran-fawkin-cisco baby!

"I don't actually have a pen"

Warren Teagarden played to nobody last nite (again) at the fabulous Stork Club in Oakland. We hit tha stage around 11 and played too fast and since no one showed up ah decided ahd reacquaint myself w. an old friend - $2 PBRs. We gawt pretty chummy by tha end of tha nite....

Durin one of tha otha acts, ah went to tha bar n briefly chatted up this girl whod ordered a jagerbomb - mostly out of boredom and it was a little away from tha musick. She was nice, but thar wasn't any chemistry er attraction - at least on my end. She was pretty touchy pretty quickly, fairly drunk, n w/ a friend who was kinda anti-social. They also stated they were on thar way out soon, nae mattah my band was up ta rawk in about 15 mins. As they were leavin she hugged me, n told me ah should call her, remindin herself ah didn't have her numbah mid-sentance. She told me ah could have it if ah wanted, so ah sorta shrugged noncommittally n put my hands in my pocket. Now, if she'd asked me fer mine, ah would've definitely given it ta her, but ah didn't feel like gaein through tha motions of takin her numbah while her friend waited fer her outside b/c ah knew ah wouldn't call her so. So instead ah told her "Ah don't actually have a pen." Ahm just smooth like that.

As much fun as ah had w. my old buddy tho, he's left me w. a bit of a headache this mornin, just like tha jerk he is.

N don't stop crossin yer fingahs until ah update tonite please!!

in case yer readin...

...think good thoughts fer me please!

Just something I noticed....

When ah first moved here, ah jammed w. these two guys (literally 3 days aftah ah landed). They were a guitarist and drummer who were set on "doing this for a living." Their craigslist add boasted that they knew how to write killer licks and needed someone who would be able to tour that summer. They were also looking for a vocalist.

Ah was pretty under-impressed w. tha musick we actually jammed on - nawt that it was bad, but it was fairly derivative, and tha songs were more like riffs stuck together then anything w. real vision or purpose. Some dude named Ash came by and played very 80s guitar and sang very 80s vocals on top of it - he was obviously really psyched about tha possibility of playin. Ah told them ahd be up fer playin again, if they were interested (cuz thas whas nice ta say). They nevah called me back, n ah believe found a vocalist briefly.

Tha biggest thang is thar drummer just did NAWT have tha chops it took ta play what they were gaein fer - fair enuff, he'd only recently switched from bass. But it was pretty much impossible to "groove" with him, as their ad stated they were looking for. Shortly thereafter I found both Warren Teagarden and think13 and ahve been busy evah since. Every once in a while, ahd find thar ad on craigslist (it nevah hurts ta see whats out thar) n kinda felt sorry fer them, but nawt too much b.c of how full of themselves they came across in tha ad.

Yestahday, ah was lookin around, n found a similar post - only this time it was only tha guitarist lookin. that band that was gawna take everythang disbanded some time ago - leavin some poorly produced tracks on myspace as tha only testament to thar fame. Ah was a lil dissapointed they nevah called me again - just b/c ah like hearin what a kickass bassist ah was. But sometimes its nice ta have proof that thangs werk out fer a reason. Ah wondah if that drummer evah realized he had about 2 years of solid practicin ta dae ta git close to tha person he wanted ta be......

MEM Day

Memorial Day 2008 will always be remembered by me as my first paid holiday. Dog Bless America.

Tomorrow is my last chance ta move on June 1st. Honestly, ahd almost ratha wait it out n hope somethang else comes along before June 20th - but will jump on any of tha three places ah see tomorrow if ah think thars enuff room ta be me thar n they want me.

Then tha rest of tha week is stupid busy - this Sunday will be tha last day ah clean tha yoga studio fer free yoga ah think. Ah changes - mostly endings, nawt many beginnins in site as of yet....but thars time still.

Ah did nawt dae any of tha stuff ah was supposed ta dae today, minus a lil housekeepin. Ah did howevah record a bunch of backing tracks of old n new Severe Bass songs on tha PA downstairs. Tha recordin quality is far from superb, but its embarassingly bettah then anythang else ah have as of now. Specifically that tha bass n vocals will finally be on separate tracks. Ahm still lackin tha equipment ta effectively multi-track in real time (Cuz ah suck), but have bit tha bullet n decided ta put down separate bass n vocal tracks so ah have a bit more flexibility with tha performances/editin/effects/etc. But ah'll finally have some more listenable tracks - at least fer potential producers. Ahve pretty much decided ta record a demo in a semi-real studio w. a semi-pro producer sometime in tha next year er so - w. a band of some sort.

Why? Honestly - cuz ahm nawt gittin any bettah at singin. Ah have my moments, n still love it, but ah dont have tha focus, tha patience, er really tha natural ability ta be a solo act - n gae anywhar with it. Ahll prolly always write solo pieces, n hopefully be able ta perform that way ferevah, but ahm startin ta just face facts that Severe Bass in its ESSENCE is just nawt tha listenable. N bands just rawk harder - way more fun fer me!

Ah think it marks some sort of a transition - n lets face it, bands rawk hardah. Speakin of bands, n ah dont want ta git my hopes up, but ah talked to a drummer who wants to put a jawbreaker cover band togetha n ah cant wait ta find out if he ken make it happen w. my help!

Hunting Houses in SF - tha most difficult sport EVAH!

Yeah, ah still don't have a place ta live. W/ tha combination of people nawt gittin back ta me, missin a window, n tha ridiculously high competition fer a decent crash pad, ahm still in el Cerrito - fer who knows how long.

One of these days all that good karma ahm tryin ta generate n all tha bad karma from tha fuckheads who don't git back to me will figure shite out n ahll be granted a sweet place ta call home. Until then - big balls of stress! N evaluatin my self-worth, watchin what ah say, n driftin close to depression (at least today).

Most recently frustrating is ah saw a great place n had a good vibe w. tha folx - but an off-handed comment about tha obnoxiousness of tha cat ah live w. has led them ta think ahm nawt animal-friendly n would let one of thar critters starve. From now on, ah keep my big mouth shut about how much tha resident cat gits on my (n everyone else's nerves).

So - thars really only one fix when ah feel like ahm daein all ah possibly ken ta make this shite werk out n tha universe continues ta turn me down - take some of my favorite medication n beat tha crap out of my 4-string. good thang she likes it rough.

Oh, n ahve gawt a bunch of shows comin up which is really sweet - but ah think ahd prefer a place ta live and a summah devoid of opportunities ta rawk on stage.

So to those of you w/ a place ta call home - it might nawt always seem like much, but don't EVAH take it fer granted. Ah nevah will again.

What daes it take to find a good Hand Percussionist?

An earlier blog chronicled the firing of think13's previous hand drummer - a great guy w. a problem w. sticking up to women who wanted to take advantage of him. Since he left, thar's been a hole in our sound - one prolly only noticeable to me n tha rest of think13. Ah've taken it upon myself ta aggressively look fer a new one b/c, well, thas how ah am. Especially when ah want somethang done. It's nawt been gaein well.

Initially, ah had several misses on replies - folks who didn't have their schedule under hand, or didn't get back to me about ANYTHING (including their name - man it weirds me out when someone's email has a name attached to it - that is nuthang like tha name they sign it with), etc. Finally thar was a potential fit who was less then responsive, n cancelled tha day of b/c of strep throat. She seemed a bit spacey, but hey, we're looking for musicians (n psuedo-drummahs at that) so ah let it fly. We re-schedule fer next week - she even calls to confirm it tha day before - n nevah shows up. Nae call, nae email, nuthang. boo. Unfortunetly, ah wasn't even that surprised.

Next add, ah git anutha email from a very interested n recent transplant to tha area - calls me right back, chats me up fer a while, sounds like it could werk out. Ah send him an email latah w. a tune - hear nuthang (back - nawt necessarily a problem). Call tha guy on Sunday ta confirm, n he tells me tha mp3 didn't gae through, but he heard some of tha otha stuff - will see him on Sunday. Guess what happened?

Dee's convinced thars lurkers on craigslist that dae this just fer kicks - n ah can't say ah disagree necessarily. Ah didn't really expect findin a new drum-guy would be tha EASIEST thang in tha world, but ah was definitely more concerned about havin ta listen ta gawdawful drummin then ah was some person flakin. It's sorta amazing how awesome n awful craigslist ken be dependin on tha day, huh?

A lil ado about Severe

Ahd like ta first note that this is my 101st blog entry - altho that numbah does include tha 11-er-so entries made a couple years back in a slang that is most definitely nawt Severe - strange as it may have been.

Do I have a place to live yet? no. Do I feel better about those odds? Maybe. Ask me on Friday.

I still don't know how much tha ticket will cost - bargh.

Howevah, ah had a good weekend.

My lil bro graduated himself from college on Saturday w. a schmance degree in Electrical Engineering. Guess which of us is makin more money?

So ah flew intae tha East Coast on Virgin Airlines fer a ridiculously low fair like 130 each way fer a direct flight. Note to all you folx who should visit when ah have a place ta live - Virgin Airlines rawks! In flight tv, musick, games, chat w. people in otha seats, yep, its pretty good.

Ah apologize to you DC Metro folx who may just be learnin now that ah was in town. Suffice ta say, ah was nawt around fer long, n knew ah wouldn't have much hang out time, n gave my best friend from jr. high dibs on my company. Please don't feel like ah dont love and miss you - ah just didn't need to try and squeeze in more then that. Ah'll catch you next time, ah promise.

Tha majority of tha time was of kerse spent in Richmond eating food and sitting through ceremonies, altho Saturday night had a particularly kickass turn out of folks to remind me why ah love richmond and tha people who inhabit it. And sleeping, b/c:

My trip out, while quick, was a bit heavy. Work on Thursday until 6, n then straight to SFO via BART. Overnite flite ta Dulles, a nap, a drive ta richmond, n then a graduation ceremony/dinnah. Sleep and then up fer ANUTHA graduation ceremony, more food, n eventually tha aforementioned nite drinking on a porch. Tha next mornin - more food, wandering, n drivin back to DC. Ah woke up this mornin at 5:20 am Eastern (thas 2:20 am Pacific), took at 7 am flight home, and then went to werk fer 5 hours - surprisingly busy and productive. Actually, if my work load was that big all tha time, ah could justify a raise pretty quickly...

N now ahm back, tired, playin my bass, n sendin out more emails about how great of a roommate ah am. Thars some gigs that have popped up fer tha next couple weeks - includin a likely confliction between think13 n mr. teagarden. How dae ah decide? - Diplomatically. First come, first served is tha way mr. Severe werks in that department - at least in theory. We shall see....

WTF???

Ah was runnin a few minutes late today - n tha way ah dae thangs is a few minutes ken make all tha difference. Ah have a pretty tight routine down in tha mornin that doesn't allow fer much more then 7 minutes between leavin my house n bein upstairs at tha BART stop fer my train. If ah miss that one, anutha train comes in 8 minutes - but requires a transfer. Tha next direct train isn't fer 15 minutes, which is pretty anticlimactic aftah a fast n furious bike ride.

Generally ah pay relatively good attention to traffic signs, etc. But when ahm late, n approachin a cross street w. nawt a car in sight, ahll usually gae right past it. Today, this led to me gittin stopped by a cop, who wrote me a ticket fer failin ta yield to a stop sign. Ah was hopin by playin tha complacent offendee, ah mite git off w. a warnin (hey, it werked when ah bought underage youth alcohol!), but nae such luck.

Aftahwerds, ah wish ahd been at least a touch more rebellious - nawt ta fight tha ticket, but when he mentioned that if a car had broken tha law ah just ignored, it would be big trouble ah wish ahd pointed out that ahm nawt a two ton vehicle in motion powered by dinosaur debris - ahma dude on a bike n combined we don't total 175 pounds (ahm skinny, ah know). Also, ah really should've mentioned that while ah wasn't arguin that ahd broken tha law, as someone who gawt mugged by uncaught (n apparently somewhat notoroius) thugs just three blocks away, ah didn't support spendin so much person-power on finin cyclists who breezed through a stop sign. Especially when he told me thar were cops all along tha path today. Ah hate bein caught off guard!

Tha biggest kickah is ah totally read an article in tha SF Weekly just tha aftahnoon before that mentioned how cops were crackin down on cyclists - n nawt those who drive automobiles b/c "studies" have started indicatin that cylcists are more likely ta disobey tha traffic rules then cars are. Tha slant was that more education/awareness could potentially fix tha amount of accidents n help folx share tha road bettah (as an initiative in Marin is startin ta prove), but ah really should've taken somethang more then that away from it. Considerin tha amount of stop signs ah have nae problem runnin so long as thars nae one drivin on tha road, ah ken almost assume tha cops read tha same fricken article ah did ta git tha idea.

When asked how much it mite run me (why dae ah dae this? Cops nevah know - er if they don't they don't say what tha consequences are EVAH), ah was told that tha verdict was usually about half what a car violation was. While ah git this in concept, if we want ta gae by weight/impact/etc., a 1 to 10 ratio is a lawt more accurate. Thus far findin what this translates to in American dollars has proved fruitless.

Worst part - this could (probably will) give me points on my license, which ah really hope doesn't increase my non-car-ownin insurance. How stupid is all this?