Another moleskine gem.

"Surely, that can't have caught you completely off guard... Oh, it did? Sorry, my bad."

Organic.

I went into Avatar this afternoon to help Anthony give our Hammond C3 a checkup. We swapped some tubes, fixed some dents in some of the tonewheels, and she sounds better than ever. Well, maybe not better than she sounded on "Dark Side of the Moon". That's right, Avatar owns the Hammond from Abbey Road where Pink Floyd recorded their breakthrough album. It's not likely any Beatles played it since it replaced another older Hammond at Abbey Road in 1970. Plus the organ is (as far as we can discern) a '69 (The year the Beatles began to break up. I think it was '70 when they officially called it quits). It's still pretty cool though, and in the end, I like Floyd better than the Beatles.

A Pleasant Surprise.

I walked out of a movie tonight near Lincoln Center and New York was fantastically beautiful. The Gallery, The Opera House, The Julliard School, and the Temple were alight and I had a moment of discrete bliss... a pleasant surprise. I got off a subway stop early to buy a McDonald's ice cream cone and walk in my neighborhood. The people reflected the beauty, I'm sure I've never seen so many smiles on these streets. It was good for my soul.

Scribbled in my Moleskine sometime yesterday.

Thought that might make some of you laugh.

Back in New York City.

This week has been strange. Work has been the very definition of frustrating this week. I want to be a real engineer again. Soon I will have a job where I actually use ProTools regularly, so that will be nice, but now it seems like I'm just biding my time as the intern till August 20th when I fly back to AZ. That's a lousy feeling.

I've also been the victim of my own nerves, about a variety of things that it actually makes no sense to be worried about. Yesterday I was certain an ulcer was coming. So I forced myself to chill. Then I said to myself, "Deal with what you can deal with right in front of you and relax a bit about everything else."

Mostly I'm doubting myself. I'm doubting whether I'm good enough to even survive doing freelance in this city. I'm doubting whether staying here is even a good idea. I'm doubting... well, you get the idea right? Doubt feels crappy, and I'm trying to feel more positive but it's becoming clear to me that I just... might not be positive about some things I thought I had decided. A lot of these things make perfect sense everywhere but in my heart. One of them only makes sense in my heart and feels stupid everywhere else. Help me.

More Boston.

Ok, so ultimately for the satisfaction of Yancy (who, mind you, is jealous as can be) I undertake a long and tedious blog post about my weekend in Boston with pictures and all. I flew in Thursday night. Flying was nice, but honestly I think I'll save by Fung Wah'ing in the future (I'll actually keep going with Rucky Stah, but "FungWah'ing" is a way better verb). I took the T into Harvard where Kristi picked me up. We went to dinner in Watertown with friends Seth, Tim, and Kylee. I had meat loaf (much to Seth's dismay).

Friday I went to lunch at the same pizzaria near Berklee and napped about whilst everybody was at work. Then we went to a performance of Mozart by the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. They played a finished version of the Requiem he was in process of finishing upon his death. It was perfect. The soloists were amazing, especially the bass (give it up for basses). I want to see that guy sing the role of Zorastro in the Magic Flute. Oh, yeah and we were soaking wet. We walked to Harvard from the church (about a 1/4 mile) in a deluge. Kylee, Catherine (sp?) and I stopped and played in a fountain and got even wetter if it were possible (sorry no pictures, they were taken on Catherine's camera). Afterwords enhungered (and probably less than intelligent) we went to eat at a diner/ice cream parlor. It was cold.

Saturday we woke up in the morning and took a ferry to Spectacle Island in the harbor to see the USS Constitution fire it's guns. I think somehow we missed it though (not the boat, the guns). Then we ferried over to Georges Island and played all day in the fort there which was occupied for 4 or 5 different wars. Much of our time was spent exploring in darkened hallways and rooms with unbelievable reverb tails (Jason, you would have shat yourself, no joke). Then we boated back to Boston and the view made me fall in love. I'm not kidding...Boston and I are in love. Saturday night we went to "Shakespeare in the Common" which was free (always great) and saw a nifty little rendition of "Taming of the Shrew" contemporized up to North End Boston's equivalent of "Little Italy". I was reminded how much more I like Shakespeare in comedy. Shakespeare in the Park was amazing, but I had more fun with the Shrew than MacBeth.

Sunday we went to church and I really enjoyed the meetings. Lots of cool people, good lessons, great comments, and a really reverent and wonderful sacrament meeting. At this point I start panicking... what if I'm supposed to live in Boston instead of New York? But I just got jobS in New York. Aaaah! After church we ate some dinner and I headed back to the airport. A big part of my soul wishes I was still there. I think I might ache for Boston for a while. Have you ever felt a need to be in a place that it isn't reasonable to be in?

Anyhow, I will now slew pictures about cause it's easier than scattering them through the text in appropriate places. Thanks to my Boston friends for putting me up and carting me 'round. I had a good old time. Come to New York so we can have fun here too.

I love lamp.

My dear friend Kristi, known by the alias "Marie" amongst her Bostonian rabble, does awesome alternative art that involves melting vinyl records into rudimentary lampshades and constructing a base from the album art. On my visit this past weekend, I bought a lamp made from the Eric Clapton album "Slowhand". It is awesome. Check out (and buy if you're so inclined) her work on her website.

AWESOME.

An overused word by me, it's true. But the only word I have to describe what I just experienced. I've been meaning to give The Format's new album "Dog Problems" a listen for a few days. I just listened to it while going to bed. I couldn't sleep. It was amazing. An experience akin to listening to "Spilt Milk" by Jellyfish or "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys for the first time. And for anyone who knows how often I listen to both of those albums, you understand the momentus nature of this discovery. It's 5 in the morning, and I'm not tired. All I am is overcome by the need to express this experience to the world. Do yourself a favor. Go buy this CD or download it from iTunes or eMusic. Set aside an hour and listen to it in a quiet room with headphones on. This is sonic candy for your hungry ears, substantial lyrics for your wanting soul, and perfectly crafted pop for that creature inside that's just dying to sing in the shower. Still not convinced? Find and listen to just the title track (track 6). If you don't like it you're stupid and I can't be your friend anymore. Not willing to take that risk? You're stupid and I can't be your friend anymore.

San Dimas High School Football Rules!

I think it was Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan who ruined the word "gnarly". I never know what to think when someone says for example, "That's a gnarly beard you've got." Does that mean you think it's growing in all gross and uneven? Or that you think it's a cool looking beard? Or maybe both. Maybe Gnarls Barkley will put it right. Or maybe not.

All kinds of words have gone astray of their proper meanings. "Funky", for example, used to mean something akin to "your general odor is suscpiciously like that of butt or a rotting corpse." Now it describes a soulful music with scratchy guitar and immense bass in syncopated rhythms. Or it means something is strange or unusual.

Bad means good instead of bad. Fat might be spelled with a "ph" and therfore mean something completely different. And yet we somehow make sense of all of this. It must be kinda frustrating to learn contemporary English with all of these anachronistic shifts in meaning... or maybe it's not. Who knows?

Our house becomes a home. (Sorta)

So Seth and I have both been making some improvements to our living space. The initial improvements of air conditioning and blinds (Yancy and I used to have to get naked in front of an open window) were accomplished long ago, but slowly our stuff has moved out of suitcases and into more permanant fixtures. Furniture hunts in the moving piles have been fruitful. I now have a small desk, which I'm in process of covering with stickers (we scored a bunch at the siren festival at Coney Island this weekend where we also lifted [read: stole] the awesome green sign that says New York Noise), a media shelf/amp stand, and a score of multi-colored all purpose crates. Seth's wall is covered with maps of New York and the Boroughs. I must say it's starting to look pretty cool. Yes, we both still sleep on the floor, but that's actually a preference more than a necessity.

"Wow, I know you said you were flat-footed, but WOW."

I went to foot locker today to get some running shoes. After trying on a couple pairs I explained that I was pretty flat-footed and probably needed something with a better arch. The referee assisting me had given me the shoes with the biggest arch already so he referred (since that's what referees do well) me to a place down the street called Jackrabbit Sports. I introduced myself to one of the shoe experts and explained my whole genetic predicament. She asked me to show her my feet so I did and she said the title of this post. They had me run on a treadmill in a neutral running shoe and video recorded from different angles, my run. After some analysis and a few different video treadmill sessions in different shoes, we landed on a pair that corrected much of my bad form as a result of my flat feet. The shoes are aptly called "The Beasts", as they are easily the heaviest running shoe I have ever worn. Seth, Jason and I just went running in the pouring rain. I consider the Beasts sufficiently Christened.

An Edible Ice Cream Receptacle

Surely ranks among the best ideas ever.

Employment news.

I know I've told a number of people about this, but I figured I'd make a general announcement on the subject.

My supervising engineer Anthony, told me he was going to reccomend that Avatar hire me on a freelance basis in September. He tells me that's good for about 10-15 studio hours a week. Which is not a full time gig, but great. I'd be making $35/hour. But obviously I need some other work if I'm gonna stay in New York. So I'm on the lookout for a part time job with later hours. I'm gonna check into TV/Radio stations and possibly some clubs and post-houses. So pray I can find some other work so I can stay in New York. Or pray that I don't so I can come back West, whichever you like.

Love, Jared.

I'm doing the 7's thing...

For which I blame Kylee and Kristi.

7 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:
1. Own an awesome studio.
2. Make a film and enter it in festivals.
3. Have 3 or so kids. With a wifey.
4. Make Kristi watch an entire movie in one sitting.
5. Kiss Zooey Descanel.
6. Do karayoke several more times. And recieve a standing ovation or an encore.
7. Shake Ingmar Bergman's hand.

7 Things I Cannot Do:
1. Whistle worth a damn.
2. Eat seafood of nearly any variety.
3. Drugs.
4. Wake up early. Well I can, but it's hard.
5. A flip, front or back.
6. "Breakdance". Which is an improper term, but nonetheless I wish I could.
7. Stop buying recording/music equipment with all spare funds.

7 Things I say often:
1. "You're a horrible person."
2. Rad.
3. "You are making me sooo angry." (In Carl's voice)
4. Numberless jokes from Arrested Development that only a few people get.
5. "I want to kiss a girl."
6. "So, this one time, Adam and I..."
7. (Sung) The lyrics to one of 8 billion songs that run through my mind on a daily basis.

7 Books I Could Read Over and Over:
1. The New Testament from Acts to Revelations.
2. Killing Yourself to Live.
3. Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs.
4. The Infinite Atonement.
5. Most of the other books I love are actually too depressing to read over and over again in rapid succesion.
6.
7.

7 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over (originally movies):
1. "Storm Coming" by Gnarls Barkley
2. "Days Go By" by Duncan Sheik
3. "Wandering" by Ben Folds and Darren Jesse
4. "Oh What a Night" by The Four Seasons
5. "Ghost in this House" by Hugh Prestwood (Allison Krauss and Union Station)
6. "I Do." by Jude
7. "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac

7 Movies I could watch over and over (you whimps):
1. "Duel at Ichijoji Temple" by Hiroshi Inigaki
2. "All the Real Girls" by David Gordon Green
3. "Winter Light" by Ingmar Bergman
4. "The Hudsucker Proxy" by the Choen Brothers
5. "Kagemusha" by Akira Kurosawa
6. "Magnolia" by Paul Thomas Anderson
7. "The Royal Tenenbaums" by Wes Anderson

7 Things that Attract Me to My Best Friends:
1. Sheer Awesomeness.
2. Intelligence.
3. Their Humor, Hyjinx, and Hilarity.
4. Genuine-inity.
5. Spontaneity.
6. Willingness to sing loudly and badly with me in public.
7. Likeable faces (mostly).

7 People that I think should do "7".
1. Nobody really needs to waste their time on this. I was just pretty bored.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Having a subway car to yourselves...

Is one of the better things in life.

When the lights go down in the city, and the sun shines on the bay...

OK, granted that song's about San Fransisco, and the lights never actually go down in New York, unless it's a brownout. But hey, it's Journey and it went with the picture. Good enough.

In addition to taking the above photograph, I played in a fountain in Battery Park last night and got soaked. I then ate chinese food and slept in a queen bed with 3 other people. Finally, I woke up in a strange place, late for work. And yet, I am posistive that all of these things need to happen on a more regular basis.

This is what I ate tonight.

Yancy and I finally made it to a little German biergarten in the village called Lederhosen Muchen. We both had the two wurst plate with one brat (all but gone in the picture, it was delicious) and one currywurst, which is exactly what it sounds like and is similarly yummy. The potato sides were awesome as well as the vegetables and bread. It was all good. This is probably my favorite resturaunt I've been to yet in New York. If you've never eaten German food, eat it there for your first time.

A weekend in Boston, MA

So, kind of on a whim, Yancy and I bought tickets on the Chinatown Bus from New York to Boston. His friend Stephanie was gonna be up there and it being one of his last weekends in New York... I figured I was down for anything he wanted to do.

So we took an early train down to Chinatown on Sunday morning on boarded the "Lucky Star" (pronounced Rucky Stah) bus. The bus trip was pretty uneventful. Yancy slept and I sat, bitter that I couldn't fall sleep. But we did see a very cool cemetery on the outskirts of Long Island with the Manhattan skyscraper skyline behind it. It looked amazing. Neither of us could get our cameras in time, but we're going out there this weekend to get the picture cause wow...talk about imagery.

We actually showed up early and went to sacrament meeting in our shorts and t-shirts. Yes, I felt like a heathen. I also had my pillow. Kinda tempting to have a pillow with you in sacrament meeting. We spent the afternoon getting settled in the house we were staying at. Some girlfriends of Scott's (Yancy and I's friend in Boston) were gone for the weekend and told him we could stay there while they were gone. They were the coolest girls we'd never met. They left us cake and brownies, the key to a car, and their awesome dog, Cleo. We left them flowers when we left. Anyway, we spent most of Sunday hanging out with my friend Kristi from High School who lived just down the street. Then Scott made Thai food for all of us. Then I fell asleep.

The next morning Yancy and I walked the Freedom Trail (a red line around Boston that leads to significant historical sites having to do with the American revolution). It was really cool. Then, on Jason's advice we visited the Berklee College of Music and his favorite pizzaria across the street therefrom. Finally, we attended a live camera rehearsal for the 4th of July Boston Pops concert featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. It was really cool. The sound was amazing (outdoors) and I visited the sound guy just tell him how great he was. He seemed appreciative. The Pops were of course pretty amazing themselves, and hanging out with all the new friends we'd made just made for an awesome Independence Eve. Hours later Yancy and I were on a bus back to New York, completely exhausted. I had no problems sleeping on the way back, incedently. Oh, also we never ended up hanging out with Yancy's friend Stephanie cause she was like an hour away from Boston. Oh well, we had fun anyway.

And... pictures.

Betty #6...

So today I did a possibly foolish thing. I purchased a guitar, the electric kind. And an amp. And I don't actually have a job at the moment. And I live in New York.

I defend myself thus:
1. It was a very good deal.
2. She was beautiful. She really called to me like a siren, I'm dead serious. I was powerless to deny her.
3. It's my first Fender, my first Strat... It's really time I became a man.
4. No interest credit line on new bank account.
5. It's an American Strat, which means it's like an investment, and it's value should appreciate over time.
6. We're in love and to Hell with the world if they can't be happy for us.
7. Look at it...go ahead. Look.

A word to describe my kickdrum sound...

The one my boss used was "inspiring". I suppose I'm flattered.