Turandot

...was Incredible. The Met knows how to put on an opera. I have seriously never seen a theatrical production so immense and beautiful. The sets were mind-blowing, the costumes, the singers, as an opera fan, it was seriously the pleasure of a lifetime.

And, of course, the music was flawless. Such an amazing libretto. Puccinni's really over the top, but unapologetically romantic and epic.

I went with the awesome Laura Pugmire, who is really one of my favorite people in the Boston. We met up with Yancy and Megan afterwords, and it was a really just such a nice night in New York. Huzzah for the opera! Next season I HAVE to see the magic flute. I don't know how I let myself miss that this year.

And... pictures.

"But they have rasberries..."

If you ever need some real solid entertainment and don't mind risking your life a little, go downtown around 1-2AM when the bars are closing. Colleen and I decided to spend my insomniac evening driving around Boston. Extolling the virtues of girliness, she brought snacks. We stopped in the Common to chow. A particularly animated fellow who obviously had a little too much sauce that evening wanted to make our acquaintance. Wrangled by 3 of his friends, and apparently having just romped in the pond, he reasoned with his caretakers, "But they have rasberries..."

Highlights of the evening also included witnessing a spurious hookup of two girls with some random dude, several men almost hit by taxis, and my personal favorite, a lady in the backseat of a car... aggressively pawing and licking the window. Wow.

Things that ruled about going to AZ...

Someburros
Pei Wei
Charlestons
In-N-Out
Pete's Fish-N-Chips
Filibertos
Jack In The Box
YC's Mongolian BBQ
Claim Jumper
T.C. Eggingtons

Oh and... the wedding, friends, Mark trying to kiss Kylee, Katie Bug, Jen, Bill and Judy Thompson's like 20 awesome grandkids, running into Mona (who apparently doesn't live in London anymore), Mom, Lori, Erika and Aaron, Katrina, Fry's Electronics, Zia Records, and lots of other stuff.

Yancy wants his poem...

And here it is:

Yancy, my dear friend...
I fear O.P.P. is dead.
Regrets.

I bought tickets to the Opera.

Turandot by Puccini to be precise. They were $170, but I'm pushing that to the back of my mind. After all, how often does one get to see the Metropolitan Opera of New York do Puccini? Well, unless one is rich enough to buy season tickets (would that I were). I am extremely excited. Must find a hot, hot date.

P.S. The answer to the question, "Where the Hell have you been?", is:
1. The Apple Store at Chestnut Hill (way too much)
2. The Berkshires
3. New York City
4. Self-Secluding like a monk. But I'm feeling better, done with that, and extremely excited to be flying to AZ soon. It's like 100 degrees there and not raining or snowing... should help the mood a tick.

You ever sign in and then fall asleep?

Yeah, it's a cop-out.

But at least it's a blog...

These were the results of my iPod on random exercise:

Opening Credits: Places, by Fountains of Wayne.
Waking Up: Come On Feel The Noise, by Quiet Riot.
First Day at School: Express Yourself, by Madonna.
Falling in Love: Expo '86, by Death Cab For Cutie.
Fight Song: Parabola, by Tool. HELL YES.
The Breakup: Thief, by Our Lady Peace.
Prom: The Year of the Rat, by Badly Drawn Boy.
Life is OK: I Get Along Without You Very Well, by Billie Holiday.
Mental Breakdown: Buddy Holly, by the Moog Cookbook. (A VERY Eerie Weezer cover) I imagine this is exactly how my mental breakdown would sound...
Driving: Hurricane, by Something Corporate.
Inner Smile: Maybe, by Stereophonics.
Flashback: Blah Blah Blah, by Brother Ali featuring Slug.
Getting Back Together: I Keep Forgettin', by Michael McDonald.
Wedding: Sofa King Remix, by Dangerdoom. NO EFFING JOKE.
Birth of a Child: Southbound Again, by Dire Straits.
Final Battle: Just Can't Get Enough, by Depeche Mode. What a happy battle!
Death Scene: Sabotage, by The Beastie Boys. WOW.
Funeral: Escape, by Muse.

Nothing like I would design, but interesting nonetheless.

I know, dangit. I've been busy.

Me + Mohawk

I'll explain later.

A Birthday Card in 3 Parts...

Courtesy of my little missionary brother...

So, uh... we're cut from the same stock, ya think?

I love waking to this...

Happy Dirty!

I had a fun birthday this year. We cleaned the house for to entertain guests, and had a little party on Saturday night. Highlights of which included, a steadily growing number of people in my room throughout the evening, a couple good jams with Jacosa and company, a couple episodes of the Office, a hugantic chocolate cake, a choreographed dance prepared and performed just for me, and this picture (which doesn't even include all the girls who were there). Incidentally, they all left at about the same time too. I invited dudes too, but none of them seemed to believe that. I guess a party's always kind of a bust when it's too heavily populated by one gender.

Mango salsa has changed my life...

Yes that's my bowl, what of it?

I made a webpage.

I suck at HTML, but boy, do I have mad iWeb skills...

I made a site for my studio. Ignore the fact that I do not yet own the console I profess to own. I intend to as soon as they put it up for sale.

Check it out, mang.

P.S. You guys suck at OPP.

Come on, somebody has to recognize lyrics from my favorite album of all time...

I listen to it most Sundays of my life.

The songwriter is one of my heroes.

You can do this guys.

Terrible moments of last year...

So uh, this week I did a very irresponsible thing. I forgot to refill my medication. Doesn't seem like it does much for me anyway, so I wasn't panicked. I wasn't in any kind of hurry to remember to get it refilled. Bad call. Well I kept forgetting and I'd been off of it for more than a week before I noticed. But today I broke into senseless tears and was filled with an awful anxiety. I don't like feeling like I did last year. Today felt a lot like last year. Pills. Tomorrow. Seriously.

We will not write a new one...

Always loved this song. Sometimes things are over. This is usually for the best.

Bloggerversary...

I have kept a blog for a year now. "Kept" being a relative term, of course. I'm proud of myself. I'm not a very consistent record keeper, but I've done ok at this blog thing. If you're interested, this was my first post.

A Needed Getaway...

First, thanks for every one's concern and reassurance. To know your indignation is mutual does actually make me feel better. I left on Wednesday and drove 11 hours South to Virginia. I stopped to hang with my dear friend Elizabeth who's attending school at SVU. We went on a picnic, went to class, celebrated her roommate's birthday and watched a stunning little film called Pan's Labyrynth.

I then continued on to Norfolk where my older sister Jennifer lives with her husband and children. And as you might suspect, it is for them I truly made this trip. I spent today and will spend tomorrow playing, wrestling, feeding, cuddling, and/or changing my adorable nieces Elizabeth and Annalise, and my awesome nephews Alec and Nathan. I will leave Sunday morning and see you all at the "Come Unto Christ" musical fireside. Love you, miss your faces, and yes, I shall try my damnedest to stay in Boston for a long time to come. Death to CDIA.

Love, Jared.

And they shall prove their own folly...

I was fired today from the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University. I am not happy about this (particularly because they didn't give me a good reason). If you find me bitter, aloof, or despondent in coming weeks, it's because I am angry.

"Bippitty-Boppitty-Boobies"

Reason no. 472 that Kristi Marie Thompson is one of the funniest people on Earth.

And on a positive note...

I offer the words of Format crooner Nate Ruess...

I love love.
I love being in love.
I don't care what it does to me.
These pills are fine to pass the time
'til I find my new drug and...
We'll take our chances.
We'll rise above.
We'll last a 'jillion...
How I love being in love.

From Inches and Falling on 2006's Dog Problems.

Happy V.D. !

Let me just answer anybody far away's question for me with a chat from this morning...

Sarah: happy valentine's day!

me: Happy Valentines day

You got a sweetheart?

Sarah: not exactly

you?

me: Not remotely.

And everybody catches the double-entendre awesomeness of the blog title, right?

Blog Once Broke

Is now fixed. Guess they finally forced me to upgrade to the new blogger. Well, at least it's not a crappy beta anymore.

Broken Blog

My OPP blog ain't showing up for some reason. It's only the main address though. I totally updated like a champ last week, but y'all can't see it. So here's a link to the last post. Blogger can be so ***$#!++/*** sometimes!

"OK, which one a you wrote 'the Moon Rulz #1' on my car with a key?"

This is a picture of the last of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Ad signs that were hung up in prominent Boston locations overnight. It was found and retrieved by a very lucky person in Roxbury who is now selling it on ebay. These have been selling for over a grand each on ebay today... the ones from cities other than Boston. Many of the Boston lot which survived the wrath of the Bomb Squad have sold for over $5,000. Sheer Insanity. Not only did we let Inignoct and Ur interrupt mass transit and public services, we now are buying back our stupidity at a stupifying markup. Think it out people. Listen to Inignoct and "Check yourself, forst you wreck yourself." I'm a super-fan, and I wouldn't blink before turning around and selling one of these bad boys on ebay. 5 Grand?!!! And you thought the roads were crazy.

And just for anyone who might not be aware... Aqua Teen Hunger Force is absolutely one of the funniest things I have ever seen on television. I promise.

Pictures of Me.

I very seldom like pictures of myself. I think most people are that way. But these are a handful of images that seem to capture what I think are fairly common "me" moments. I can read my mind in each instance and recognize what sort of mood I'm in almost right away. It's kind of uncanny. Check out that last one! I was 18. Insanity.

OK, so I've been a slacker...

I finally posted on OPP again. So Colleen, you can go read your poem. And everyone else can get to guessin' on the new one.

Watching soooo much Buffy...

Can't stop. DVD Seasons are evil...like Vampires.

Wedding in Arizona

Only in Arizona can you go show up for a wedding in the middle of January with the kind of glorious weather we had on Tuesday... well, usually. I mean, of course, when Massachusetts isn't so unusually nice. Anyhow, the wedding was excellent. Gary and Holly are obviously very happy. I didn't catch the garter, but hey... neither did Mark, so I call it a win. All in all, the visit was far too short and back I go to work tomorrow.

Drum Rewrapping 101.

Which is a clever name for this post because apparently this is my 101st blog post. Hurray! So I got this great little Rogers drum set off a guy on Craigslist for $100. 60's era Rogers drums like these are some of the best ever made. They're lovely, but they're the most boring color ever... plain white. I pulled all the harware off this week and started polishing the chrome. Next week in Arizona I'm gonna obtain some blue sparkle drum wrap. So hopefully soon my drums will look more like this. Oh and I bought a rug for it too which is too cool for pictures, you'll just have to see it in real life.

Christmas in Beantown.

Many have asked what the Hell I was going to do with my Christmas while in Boston with nearly all of my Boston friends away to their homes. Well, Christmas is now over, so here's what I did...

I woke up at noon. This is because I stayed up till 4am finishing season 6 of the West Wing (last season at last...Josh and Donna had better hook up or objects will fly).

I showered.

I called home, and sent my Christmas text message.

I went to dinner at the Inoye's and enjoyed good food and the company of the other four people from our ward who stayed. Dinner conversation revolved mostly around the eating of pets, which made their dog uncomfortable I'm sure.

My friend Blair and I watched the last season of 24. Not because I'm a 24 nut, but because we were both bored and had spare time.

So, far from traditional, but you know... I'll live.

Tomorrow, back to work and soon... to Arizona to see my friend Gary wed.

Reminder: Other People's Poetry.

My first entry is up on the O.P.P. blog... check it.

"You down with O.P.P.?"

I have a new blog project. I know, look... I'm one of those two blog people now. Anyway, I won't bother to explain it here, since I explain it there and if you're really interested, you'll go there to look at it.

http://www.otherpeoplespoetry.blogspot.com

I know, I know... It ain't a bowl of cheerios.

I've been becoming increasingly aware lately that life isn't that easy for most of us at the moment. And I kinda think I prefer it on the tough side actually. Even when it's really bad. Hear me out... I don't like to see my friends unhappy or uncomfortable, in fact I am sometimes accused of too quickly losing my temper and tongue when people hurt my friends.

But as for myself, I have to say I work better with stress and challenges. I'm suddenly double employed, with a chaotic schedule, very little sleep, intermittent girl drama, and the whole not having anywhere to go for Christmas thing... Yet, I feel like I can take a couple more punches (I know I'm just inviting it). Difficulty in life ministers to our education; and if we so treat it, to our eventual exaltation. Plus, just think how boring life would be if you never had any problems.

In short, I love you guys. You'll get through it, so will I. And we'll all be better for it. Merry Christmas wherever you will each be, I'll miss you and rock on.

If I could transcribe for this blog title, the big drum fill in Dire Straits' Money For Nothing just before the main riff comes in, I would.

I got a new drumset. I'm gonna rock! (...after a few months of practice)

This song will make you dance on a table...

Seriously. Well, at least Jason.

I'm not sure if anyone I know is really an ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) fan, but if you are, this song by L.E.O. will make you smile. ELO founder Jeff Lynne was a completely one of a kind songwriter and producer who made such retroactive music in such a progressive way that no generation has really ever grasped it. But certain random people have always completely adored it... which explains why ELO has always had a fanbase, defying all reasonable expectaions. It's possibly some of the most annoying music ever recorded.

So last year some time a bunch of studio dogs teamed with industry no-names like Bleu and Used-To-Be's like Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish and the boys (or was it girls) from Hanson to make an ELO tribute album. Basically, this is as dorky and as awesome as music gets.

L.E.O. is an ELO tribute band. But their tribute is not covers of ELO songs, but originals inspired by the group's unique brand of pop. And at last I give you...

Ya Had Me Goin'

So, there's this girl I think is really cute...

I want to have kids as cute as my sister's little kids someday.

I think my new T.A. might like me...

...and I might be ok with that. I might follow this up later in the week. No promises.

It comes out tomorrow.

The brand new Brand New album. (Yeah, heard the joke like 50 times by now) Buy it. Like the guitars? That was all me, baby.

"Luca" is pretty much the coolest thing I've ever had my hands in.

My Christmas Present to Myself.

I am saving money like a madman, cause come December 25th, I want to own this bad-boy.

For those who care (namely Jason)... it's the new Toft Audio Designs Trident Series ATB-24 Recording/Mixing Console, designed by designer of the good-sounding Trident boards from the 60's, 70's and 80's, Mr. Malcom Toft. The board features pretty standard class A mic pre's (nothing special) but boasts 24 channels of the same parametric eq module found on the famed Trident 80B console. And the i/o on this sucker is through the ceiling. 24 channels of mic, line, monitor/tape return inputs and trs channel interts. The monitor returns and the 8 monitor returns on the 8 busses can be utilized as well too... meaning the console can effectively sum 72 inputs to the stereo bus. Also includes peak and VU metering, monitor selction and dimming, 8 auxes, talkback and all the rest of the jazz you get on a big, expensive console.

Except they assemble them in China so they're cheap enough to buy. Hurray for Capitalism!

Ok, so I'm not going to Virginia this weekend.

Be bitter with me.

Or call me so we can hang out.

I might drive to Virginia this weekend...

...to play with my nieces



...and nephews.



Be jealous.

It's hard to say what it is I see in you...

So randomly tonight, I went to a Sister Hazel concert. You remember the band? From the mid-90's... big radio singles "All For You" and "Happy". They're older now and way less cool in the big scheme of things, but dang if everybody in the bar didn't just have a good old time rocking out with Sister Hazel. I know I did. I know Kristy did. And I'm quite certain the heavily inebriated fellow in front of us did.

Dearest Friends Marie and Julie...

You May Tell 12 People Whatever You Want...

No names. Just say how you feel...

1. You are seriously the coolest person I know. No joke. I know I award that to different people nearly all the time, but I mean it. You. Are. So. Effing. Cool.

2. Puh-leeze. Over it. So over it. Eat chowdah you poohead.

3. Get off my back. Seriously. It's my problem, not yours and I really don't want to hear any more about how the Lord doesn't want me unless I'm attached to a member of the opposite gender (and I claim points for rhyming like that). I love the gospel, and I'm doing my best.

4. If I could just strangle my debt collector lifeless (and stuff his body in a refrigerator at the dump) and make my troubles disappear like the good old days, you my friend, would not be sending me this monthly statement. And you'd be in a refrigerator.

5. Maybe this is none of my business, but you should really think about being better to your friends. They love you. Hell, at times they near worship you. Everybody likes to think they're the person who doesn't short change all their friends when they hook up with someone. And some of us aren't. But some of us are and just don't like to admit it. They'd do anything for you. Do something for them.

6. Learn to drive you octogenetarian plague. I swear if I get stuck behind another one of you brake-happy, indiscriminate lane-swerving village idiots I'm gonna rip the bones out your fingers and slowly lodge them behind your eyelids one by one till you pass out from the pain and trauma. Then I will cut all the corners off your license like a totin chit card and leave it on your frail, sweat-drenched unconscious body.

7. I miss you.

8. Geez, you're so cute. When your face makes this one certain look I want to grab you by where your hair meets your neck and kiss your face off for like 20 minutes. I feel I have exercised considerable restraint thus far to keep from doing it already.

9. I'm really sorry for all the bonerish things I've done. I can be a real jerk even to people I really care about it. I'm happy we're friends again. There was a while I couldn't be far enough away from you. Now I'm far enough away from you, only I sorta wish I wasn't. Funny how that works huh?

10. Everyday I look at you I'm happy. You make me glad I came here. You're so much better than that last river I lived next to... even if it means I'm gonna freeze my yoo-hoos off this Winter, and you're gonna be all icified for months. You still make my day just about every day.

11. Seriously? I'm a good employee. I make sacrifices, I prepare my lessons (when you bother to tell me what subject I'm teaching), I try to connect with my students and help them wherever I can. Don't ask me to change plans I've had for nigh a month so I can do review and rehash with 4 kids who have heard this all twice already and are really good at it by now on my Saturday while they and I have things we'd rather be doing. Good thing they like me so much.

12. I don't say this often enough but I'm really grateful. You do a lot for me, and I really want you to know I'm thanking you like times infinity.

Liz Bliz...

I was supposed to go to Philadelphia this weekend to hang out with the Liz. But my bosses had other plans. They asked me to stay so I could teach a class on Saturday (which I guess is technically today). So whatever. I'm here this weekend, which is cool I guess. There's things I wanted to do here that I guess I can now. But I can't help but be pretty bummed. I've never seen Philadelphia, and I really wanted to see my friend. If only I didn't have to be a responsible adult sometimes. Life would be a little more fun.

"I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen."

This year I donned myself as two iconic characters from well-loved 80's movies. Friday I was Cameron Frye.




Last night I was Lloyd Dobler.

The Funk of 40,000 Years

Why? Cause this is thriller.

More pics from this weekend's halloween festivities on my flickr page.

If you have to ask if this is about you...

It's not about you. It's about one particular person and I assure you, it's not you. Unless it's you. But I'm pretty sure you don't read this anymore.

I'm sorry. I just saw you in my phone today and got a pang in my conscience. Yes, apparently I have one. I'm sorry I snubbed you. I'm sorry for whatever I said, and I'm sorry I didn't try a couple more times when you didn't return my last few calls. I was just thrown off gaurd. I had this whole new life beginning and there was this damn dangling loose end. I tried to ignore it, but you made yourself known. Instead of tying it up like a big boy I ran away and waited until it just sluffed off and got tired of being ignored. So anyway, I'm really sorry. Unfortunately I fear I'm not sorry enough to do this to your face (or over the phone, as the case may be). A real friend would call and set this straight. But I'm the kind of friend who blogs an obscure apology a month and a half later. Still, I'm sorry.

The Answers:

- Yes, about once a month.
- Yes and yes.

Magic Hoodie!

Toothpaste For Dinner

Funny you should ask...

I got a funny question at church yesterday. I had mentioned we were gonna do this music night thing at my house after institute on Wednesday and a girl asked me if I had a microphone... Possible answers that went through my head:

"Oh, twenty or thirty. I hope that's enough."
"No, I was hoping I could borrow one actually."
(Stupid look and silence for several seconds until they deduced the obvious.)

But I decided on nice, and just said "yes".

See? I'm not always mean and sarcastic, even if they are the first impulse.

Breathe in the air...

Long you'll live and high you'll fly,
smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry.
And all you touch and all you see,
is all your life will ever be...

I found a really primo turntable today so I opened my virgin 30th Anniversary vinyl pressing of The Dark Side of the Moon and played it on the dynaudio mains at work. My boss said she wished she could smoke a joint in our control room and not get fired.

Holy crap I love analog!

Help Me Donna. Help, help me Donna...

Thanks to my friend Leah I've finally resumed watching West Wing again. Donna, if Josh won't love you I will.

Friday the 13th...

...is the anniversary of a mass slaughter of Templar Knights by the Pope.

It is also a series of slasher films from the 1980's centered around the deranged hockey-mask clad killer Jason Vorhees.

It's also a Friday... which is just generally a good thing. Hurray!

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

I just found this note in an old notebook... it was written several months ago in the middle of what Jen can attest was a pretty nasty period in my life.

"Here’s the problem in a nutshell.

Crying is bad enough, but crying by your self is downright terrible. What is my problem? I don’t even have somebody I can be honest with. I think I have all these friends and then I have to cry and there’s nobody I can trust with that who won’t think I’m seriously chucked (Maybe I am and that’s the problem). How awful is that? I guess some people want to cry alone, but I can’t understand that. Crying (by which I really mean crying in self-pity) is so detestable to me that I can’t stand doing it alone. In earlier years I had it all going for me. I never used to cry much and I used to have friends I could have cried to, should the need arise. Now I cry a shameful amount and have no such friends. That absolutely sucks."

It just occured to me how happy I am that I no longer feel that way. So my friends, thank you for being good to me. I love you.

I renamed my blog.

As you can clearly see. Just what does "Further Up and Further In" mean? Well, C.S. Lewis fans... you tell me. Yes, that's a challenge.

Intercourse ensues!

Oh T-Rex... You slay me sometimes.

Please tell me somone else is as retarded as me...

I flushed my glasses. Not "lost" my glasses, or "sat on" my glasses...flushed them. As in, down the toilet. For those who know about my glasses slipping off at very inconvenient times (i.e. in the paint whilst painting my room, or in the turtle pond in central park) this was a likely inevitability. Still I didn't see it coming.

I flushed the toilet, they slipped off while I was "putting things away" and fell in the bowl. I instinctively reached my hand into my own pee and up the hole to grossville, but I was too late. And now my hand was all soaked in urine and microscopic traces of fecal matter. I got in the shower and scrubbed my arm for like a half an hour and threw away my scrub-puff. Then I put my contacts in. I still need to try a plunger, but I'm pretty sure my glasses are in our septic tank. Shit! Pun intended.

When it's 2am and you can't sleep...

Why not go running? I did tonight...err...this morning. But then I usually walk home cause I find something cool which has to be carried back. As I did this morning. Now I shower and attempt to sleep again.

Ah... music. Again and at last.

I went to a show last night. It seems like it's been too long since I've done that. Which isn't really true, because I went to live music all the time in New York. But this was different for some reason. It felt more grass-roots I suppose. All the artists were great. I'll only tell you about my favorite two though. Casey Dienel was a sort of bizzare, indie-cabaret thing. She's an excellent piano player, and approaches singing like she's shy, but is very dynamic. The best comparison I could make stylistically is Regina Spector. Damien Jurado was awesome as per usual. The pic above is of he and his cellist Jenna (who I have a predictable indie-girl crush on). I got CD's from both, so if anyone wants to borrow them, just let me know.

God bless uncyclopedia....

I was curious about pandas... I love open source sites.

For anyone who wants valuable information about
Pandas.

A Happy Trade...

So I've owned this amazing Fender Amp that I hardly ever play for almost a year. It's beautiful, it's vintage, it's a classic... But I never play it. And there's this seriously rocking amp I've coveted for a long time. Today I was contacted by someone who wanted to trade me straight across, my amp for the dream amp. So I did it. We both got high value for our trades and we both went away very happy. So here's my amp. It sounds incredible, and as the girls upstairs can witness, it's louder than sin. I'm all kinds of happy. I didn't spend a penny and my guitar rig just got even more awesomer. Here's my new baby... Zoe.

For Megan and Christina...

Best of Craigslist gem...

For those who ride the subway.

Rock and Role-call. Choke on your delicious soup!

I had a pretty good day. I was reminded why I should wake up before noon on a more regular basis. I started the day with a couple refreshing and beautiful climbs in Marie's able company at the quarry in Quincy. It was a really gorgeous morning.

Then I came home, washed some dishes and went to work. That's right...work. It was great. I didn't actually teach today as expected, but I did make money, so hey... I'll take it. Oh, and I went to class... met the students (well, one of the classes), filled out tax forms and the like, met all the rest of the "faculty" popping around and scrounged up some freelance sound work on a promo spot for Spike TV. Getting the name out, as it were.

Now for the crap-stain. I got TOWED! So I did my business at CDIA and what not, then decided to get some dinner at the Chinese resturaunt down the block. I parked my car in a space designated as a reserved spot with the resturaunt's name on it. The sign read precisely, "Parking for Ponzu Resturaunt". I walked around the building ordered some take out and walked back to where my car should have been parked. The entire visit could not have occupied more than 10 minutes. But, of course, my car (that brand new one) was not where I had left it. After freaking out about a possible theft for a moment I returned to the resturaunt to ask them if they'd towed my car.

"Grey Toyota? Oh, yes."
"How-Wh-Why-What in the Hell? I'm a customer, and I was here for like 5 minutes!"
"That's our tenant parking."
"Whaaat??"
"We live here."
"So what? The spot was marked with the name of your resturaunt. Of which I am a patron (holding up my bag of food)..."
"Customers park on the street."
"How are we supposed to know that? The spot said reserved for this resturaunt. This is Ponzu, right?"
"Right."
"Then what the Hell?"
"I am sorry, but you cannot park there."
"I'm sorry too, cause you're gonna pay for my tow..."
"Oh, no, sorry, no."
"Sorry, no nothing. I parked my car in a spot marked for your establishment, and in no less than 30 seconds entered it. Whereupon you had my car towed... I'm the only person in here, you couldn't have asked if the car was mine? You're paying for my tow."
"You can sue us if you'd like."
"Are you serious? You can't be serious. No wonder your charming little resturaunt is a veritable ghost town at dinner hour. You really treat people like this?"
"I think you should leave."
"I think I'm gonna need the tow truck's phone number and your name."
"For what?"
"To retrieve my vehicle and to send you a lawsuit."
"Have a good day."
"Go to Hell."

I fumed on my 15 minute walk to the tow yard and angrily forked over my $110 in cash to retrieve my car. Smug bastards. I wanted to do them physical harm. If I wasn't so hungry, and (because of them) poor I would have hucked my curry pork dumpling soup at their window. Of course it's an empty threat cause I can't afford a lawsuit. Maybe a strongly worded letter on my dad's stationary would cut it. Grrrrrrr!!!!

But, really, it was a good day over-all.

"All I Want is Everything."

I was listening to The Bravery this morning and that line’s been stuck in my head ever since. I’ve been thinking about it all day. It seems to summarize the fundamental disappointment in my existence and perhaps the fundamental problem with existence, period.

All I want is for every moment to burst with inspiration. All I want is for everyday to look like yesterday. All I want is to share life with someone so amazing that every moment feels like you could die in it, the happiest person who ever bit the dust. Also if she could look like the epitome of hotness and sing like Kristen May and make me melt like Billy Holliday… that would be acceptable. All I want is to have my work fulfill and satisfy me yet yield all the finance I would ever need. All I want is to be able to write songs that make other people write better songs. All I want is the young Brian Wilson’s singing voice. All I want is a 72 channel API console, 48 channels of tape, an HD-3 System, ADAMs Mains, and my complete outboard I wishlist. All I want is for people to start thinking about the way they treat each other. All I want is to treat other people less shitty than I usually do. All I want is for every movie to feel like Hiroshima Mon Amour and look like Legends of the Fall. I want every book to read like The Picture of Dorian Gray and affect me like The Thin Red Line with all the subtlety of Anna Karenena. I want the scriptures to drop all pretense and reveal the truths I beg them for. I want to understand all of my covenants. And then I want to be able to keep them. I want pure intelligence to flow into my mind over an unimpeded firewire 800 connection. I want to be able to make someone cry in the good way for once. I want to stop hurting the people I love. I want people to understand what I mean and not what I say… or even what I want to mean. Whichever hurts less. All I want is to not even have to tell Satan to get behind me. Better yet, if he could just never catch up with me in the first place. All I want is forever; all the time in timelessness and all the space in spacelessness to learn and understand and become.

Of course that’s unreasonable, but perhaps it’s also exactly where my expectations should be. If I had strictly telestial expectations I’d be set with this place. But Earth is like New York City: I hate this place as much as I love it. Perhaps after a baptism of fire…

The one Jason forgot...

This is my favorite I think... perhaps cause it's the story of my life. Perhaps for the visual poetry... who knows?

If you don't like Jimmy Eat World...

It's obvious you've never heard this album. Just falling in love with it for the 9,000'th time... From Jason and I's drive-to-school-at-the-top-of-morning-lungs anthem, "Table for Glasses" to all 16 minutes and 14 seconds of the loop-wild "Goodbye Sky Harbor".

On Tuesday I decided how I was getting to Boston...

3 grueling 16 hour days, 2 hotels, 2600 miles, hours of packing, unpacking, packing, and unpacking, and 80 straight hours with my mother later...

I'm in Boston. Maybe I should've flown.

More to come soon.

Back in AZ...Go Sabercats!

So Utah was wierd. I had an immense "you don't belong here anymore" feeling the whole time. I drove back to AZ on Friday and stopped at my grandma's house in Flagstaff for the night. Saturday I got to unpack all my stuff from the suburban and start scratching my head about how to get it all to Boston.

Then I went to hang out with Jen. She lives right by Kiwanis park, and hadn't yet explored it, so we decided to do just that. Good call. We stumbled onto a Pee-Wee football game in progress. If you've never watched a Pee-Wee football game, you really should. Imagine 50 or so 7-10 year olds decked out in pads with huge helmets. If they lean too far, they fall over. Every tackle begins with one initial hit and ends in a pile because the kids build up so much momentum (and are so top heavy) that they can't stop. Jen put the charm of watching the event this way: "It's like big people football... but they're small." Profound. It really was amazing. Before we saw any of the game we picked the team in black and gold to root for. They were called the sabercats and they totally dominated. It was really sad for the parents across the field, I'm sure. Those kids were getting wasted. Sitting with all the parents was a hoot. They were so into the game. And many had the cutest little black babies ever (future generations of pee-wee players). We got a few wierd looks cause we were too... despite having no kids of our own on the field. We screamed "go sabercats!!!" at every tackle and every brilliant end zone run. So find a pee-wee game to watch sometime. You'll thank me.

I was kissed last night...

For those staying tuned to the strangeness that is my life: You can add that little gem. A girl barely home from her mission stuck her tongue in my mouth. Wow.

Vacation is like Masturbation...

You're only screwing yourself.

Vacation has kinda sucked thus far. Actually it was great when all I was doing was playing with nieces and nephews. Now I'm in Utah and will be for almost a week longer. It'll get better... right? Right?