so i hated this commercial when it came out:
but it's awesome that the same dudes made THIS updated version:
1 year ago
Thursday, October 30, 2008
i am a photoshop WIZARD.
so tonight was my first photoshop/illustrator class.
about a month ago, for my birthday.. i decided that furthering my digital education would make an excellent gift. first off, knowing more about these two programs would help me in my career - it's a great asset to have when working with our creative department if i have a working knowledge of the programs. not to mention if i get laid off or fired or something, to be able to say i know these programs is great on a resume. secondly, it's great for my personal life. i am always fooling around making flyers and random things, so it will be great to expand my knowledge base.
i am taking the class at the visual arts center. it turns out the girl who is teaching the class is a girl i know, which made things a lot easier. also, there's only one other dude in the class and he's like 60. so it's me and this old dude and katie. kind of a weird dynamic.
anyway, we learned a lot of new shit i didn't know about... so i'm already getting my money's worth. i made a three-headed kitten and i changed the color of a dog.
when it was time to put what we'd learned to use, i decided to go all out. we were told to make an 8x8 icon.
here's what i started with:
and here is my photoshop wizardy:
i'm amazing, i know.
bill looks better without eyebrows if you ask me. it's a good look.
about a month ago, for my birthday.. i decided that furthering my digital education would make an excellent gift. first off, knowing more about these two programs would help me in my career - it's a great asset to have when working with our creative department if i have a working knowledge of the programs. not to mention if i get laid off or fired or something, to be able to say i know these programs is great on a resume. secondly, it's great for my personal life. i am always fooling around making flyers and random things, so it will be great to expand my knowledge base.
i am taking the class at the visual arts center. it turns out the girl who is teaching the class is a girl i know, which made things a lot easier. also, there's only one other dude in the class and he's like 60. so it's me and this old dude and katie. kind of a weird dynamic.
anyway, we learned a lot of new shit i didn't know about... so i'm already getting my money's worth. i made a three-headed kitten and i changed the color of a dog.
when it was time to put what we'd learned to use, i decided to go all out. we were told to make an 8x8 icon.
here's what i started with:
and here is my photoshop wizardy:
i'm amazing, i know.
bill looks better without eyebrows if you ask me. it's a good look.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
busy week
this week has been a little bit crazy.. and it's only getting crazier.
today's big accomplishment was finishing my giant 13-disc audiobook about the battle of antietam. it ended in an epic fashion and i was way stoked. i snuck out to my car on my lunch break to listen to the end and catch a quick nap in the parking lot. it totally ruled.
so starting tomorrow things get a little crazy.
wednesday:
fight the big bull is playing at cous cous and i've been told it's epic. so i'm going. even though it IS a work night. they're playing the entire michael jackson "thriller" album, so it's bound to be amazing.
thursday:
my first photoshop/illustrator class, so i'm pretty excited to be doing something to better myself and get my learn on. i've warned everyone that i have a hard stop and i've gotta be on time for class, so hopefully that is respected and if shit's gotta get done, someone else will step in. i'm excited to learn about these programs that i've only dabbled in, so it's going to be really good for me, i think.
friday:
HALLOWEEN! it's tuesday and still no one seems to have figured out what is going on. we've got the official RVA party, but everyone's lukewarm about it. everyone is telling me to hold out for something better, but no one seems to have a clue of what it is. regardless, i'm going to end up somewhere and have a good time no matter what.
saturday:
CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT. there's a battle nearby, so my plan is to finally see a re-enactment. it's about 20-30 minutes outside of town and should be a good way to spend a saturday.
sunday:
it's caitlyn's birthday. so i'm at her mercy!
so yeah. things will be crazy, but good. i just need to make sure i get a few naps in and i'll be fine.
today's big accomplishment was finishing my giant 13-disc audiobook about the battle of antietam. it ended in an epic fashion and i was way stoked. i snuck out to my car on my lunch break to listen to the end and catch a quick nap in the parking lot. it totally ruled.
so starting tomorrow things get a little crazy.
wednesday:
fight the big bull is playing at cous cous and i've been told it's epic. so i'm going. even though it IS a work night. they're playing the entire michael jackson "thriller" album, so it's bound to be amazing.
thursday:
my first photoshop/illustrator class, so i'm pretty excited to be doing something to better myself and get my learn on. i've warned everyone that i have a hard stop and i've gotta be on time for class, so hopefully that is respected and if shit's gotta get done, someone else will step in. i'm excited to learn about these programs that i've only dabbled in, so it's going to be really good for me, i think.
friday:
HALLOWEEN! it's tuesday and still no one seems to have figured out what is going on. we've got the official RVA party, but everyone's lukewarm about it. everyone is telling me to hold out for something better, but no one seems to have a clue of what it is. regardless, i'm going to end up somewhere and have a good time no matter what.
saturday:
CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT. there's a battle nearby, so my plan is to finally see a re-enactment. it's about 20-30 minutes outside of town and should be a good way to spend a saturday.
sunday:
it's caitlyn's birthday. so i'm at her mercy!
so yeah. things will be crazy, but good. i just need to make sure i get a few naps in and i'll be fine.
Monday, October 27, 2008
sadface picture of yourself monday
so today wasn't as bad as i was dreading, but it wasn't much better.
i'm just in a bad frame of mind. i need to go home and relax and start fresh tomorrow.
fuck mondays.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
sunday dread.
fuck, man.
SUNDAY NIGHT.
sometimes it's fine, but sometimes i just have this awful feeling wash over me. this is one of those nights. don't get me wrong, i do love my job. but my mondays are just built for awfulness. there's 2 hours of built-in calls that can't be moved, and more work than any other day of the week.. so you have twice as much work with half the time to do it in. i just get stressed out.
today was a good day though..
during brunch we decided we needed to do something out of the ordinary, so we went to see an IMAX film about mt. everest.
shit was AMAZING. IMAX is so sweet and i am kinda dorky about mt. everest.. having read some books, etc. the film was pretty intense and i wished it was a little longer. some of the footage they got was absolutely incredible.
after everest, i had an amazing dinner with caitlyn at edo's squid. we got the best table in the house.
after dinner, it was trueblood, entourage, and this absolutely ridiculous documentary about dubai. i don't have time tonight, but i need to remind myself to blog about that tomorrow. basically, fuck all the rich people in dubai building skyscrapers, fake resort islands, and indoor ski slopes. these guys make gluttonous american culture look humble in comparison... and that's saying something.
alright, off to stare at the ceiling, not able to sleep due to sunday dread.
woo!
SUNDAY NIGHT.
sometimes it's fine, but sometimes i just have this awful feeling wash over me. this is one of those nights. don't get me wrong, i do love my job. but my mondays are just built for awfulness. there's 2 hours of built-in calls that can't be moved, and more work than any other day of the week.. so you have twice as much work with half the time to do it in. i just get stressed out.
today was a good day though..
during brunch we decided we needed to do something out of the ordinary, so we went to see an IMAX film about mt. everest.
shit was AMAZING. IMAX is so sweet and i am kinda dorky about mt. everest.. having read some books, etc. the film was pretty intense and i wished it was a little longer. some of the footage they got was absolutely incredible.
after everest, i had an amazing dinner with caitlyn at edo's squid. we got the best table in the house.
after dinner, it was trueblood, entourage, and this absolutely ridiculous documentary about dubai. i don't have time tonight, but i need to remind myself to blog about that tomorrow. basically, fuck all the rich people in dubai building skyscrapers, fake resort islands, and indoor ski slopes. these guys make gluttonous american culture look humble in comparison... and that's saying something.
alright, off to stare at the ceiling, not able to sleep due to sunday dread.
woo!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
lazy saturday.
oh man. i love lazy rainy saturdays.
i don't feel bad when i alternate between hanging out in my room, reading a book, laying around in bed, downstairs watching tv or a movie. it's gross outside, so there's no inner monologue saying "phil, you really should be out doing something and not wasting the day away." fuck it. we're wasting it away and loving it.
so bill is playing grand theft auto with the surround sound on the TV. i love this because when i'm in my room, i like to play a game where i guess if the police sirens i'm hearing are from the game or from real life on broad st.
last night's escapades into the haunted forest were amazing. we screamed, we shouted expletives, we got chased around by dudes with chainsaws. all in all, it was just what i had hoped for. it was good to do something different than the usual routine. of course, we firmly planted ourselves back into the routine afterwards, heading to empire for a few late night drinks.
tonight we're going to carve pumpkins, eat pies, and do other fall-related activities. then it's off to cous cous for "yacht rock" night. so stoked.
in the meantime though, it's just me, some music, and my thoughts. i've got a stack of magazines and a stack of books and i'm going to try to put a dent in at least some of it.
if you're having a lazy saturday, i suggest listening to my latest discovery, the cinnamon band. apparently my old friend neil has been in this band for well over a year and no one bothered to tell me about it. turns out, just like everything neil's ever done, it's fucking amazing.
i don't feel bad when i alternate between hanging out in my room, reading a book, laying around in bed, downstairs watching tv or a movie. it's gross outside, so there's no inner monologue saying "phil, you really should be out doing something and not wasting the day away." fuck it. we're wasting it away and loving it.
so bill is playing grand theft auto with the surround sound on the TV. i love this because when i'm in my room, i like to play a game where i guess if the police sirens i'm hearing are from the game or from real life on broad st.
last night's escapades into the haunted forest were amazing. we screamed, we shouted expletives, we got chased around by dudes with chainsaws. all in all, it was just what i had hoped for. it was good to do something different than the usual routine. of course, we firmly planted ourselves back into the routine afterwards, heading to empire for a few late night drinks.
tonight we're going to carve pumpkins, eat pies, and do other fall-related activities. then it's off to cous cous for "yacht rock" night. so stoked.
in the meantime though, it's just me, some music, and my thoughts. i've got a stack of magazines and a stack of books and i'm going to try to put a dent in at least some of it.
if you're having a lazy saturday, i suggest listening to my latest discovery, the cinnamon band. apparently my old friend neil has been in this band for well over a year and no one bothered to tell me about it. turns out, just like everything neil's ever done, it's fucking amazing.
Listen:
MP3: The Cinnamon Band–”Call Me a Doctor”
Thursday, October 23, 2008
www.biggerbetterbeards.org
when three different people send me the same link in one day, and it has to do with beards and how they make you awesome, it makes me stoked that people identify having a beard and being awesome with me.
i don't really have a lot of style. it can be easily described as "bearded cowboy hipster light + hoodies".
you can describe 90% of my outfits with that simple description. and i'm cool with that. i don't have the body type or the confidence to pull off half of the things i see hipsters walk around wearing in richmond. and that's okay with me.
so anyway, i've digressed. the fashion choice i'm most proud of is my beard. i think my life has improved tenfold since growing it, and i never plan to go back.
apparently the people at http://www.biggerbetterbeards.org agree. they've come up with "ten very good reasons why you should grow a giant beard".
go check it out.
i don't really have a lot of style. it can be easily described as "bearded cowboy hipster light + hoodies".
you can describe 90% of my outfits with that simple description. and i'm cool with that. i don't have the body type or the confidence to pull off half of the things i see hipsters walk around wearing in richmond. and that's okay with me.
so anyway, i've digressed. the fashion choice i'm most proud of is my beard. i think my life has improved tenfold since growing it, and i never plan to go back.
apparently the people at http://www.biggerbetterbeards.org agree. they've come up with "ten very good reasons why you should grow a giant beard".
go check it out.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
and here's the catch..
after i bought all those records, i checked my bank account online.
over the past few months, i have racked up a little credit card debt (under $2000). anyway, it's 60% paid off. i made a payment last week for about $500 to put a dent in it. after a few days i noticed it didn't go through, so i thought i did it wrong. so i did it again.
well turns out both times worked just fine. (whoops!)
now i have only $40 left on my credit card. (yay paying off credit debt!)
but hardly anything is left in my savings which is really my only safety net. (boo!)
so i have accomplished one goal, but a lot faster and a lot scarier than i had intended. now i need to start building my savings back up PRONTO.
new rule: stop spending so much goddamn money.
the things i have going in my favor:
- no more weddings
- no planned extensive traveling
- there's a few paychecks left between me and christmas
so if i ask you to go out and do something moderately expensive, try and stop me, okay?
over the past few months, i have racked up a little credit card debt (under $2000). anyway, it's 60% paid off. i made a payment last week for about $500 to put a dent in it. after a few days i noticed it didn't go through, so i thought i did it wrong. so i did it again.
well turns out both times worked just fine. (whoops!)
now i have only $40 left on my credit card. (yay paying off credit debt!)
but hardly anything is left in my savings which is really my only safety net. (boo!)
so i have accomplished one goal, but a lot faster and a lot scarier than i had intended. now i need to start building my savings back up PRONTO.
new rule: stop spending so much goddamn money.
the things i have going in my favor:
- no more weddings
- no planned extensive traveling
- there's a few paychecks left between me and christmas
so if i ask you to go out and do something moderately expensive, try and stop me, okay?
buying cds.
does anybody remember what it feels like to go to a record store, buy a new cd, open it, and play it for the first time while looking at the artwork and reading the liner notes?
probably not.
it's amazing.
today i bought:
and this, even though it's not a cd:
probably not.
it's amazing.
today i bought:
and this, even though it's not a cd:
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
fall music.
i love fall because it brings with it all new music to enjoy. the perfect new soundtrack to falling leaves and brisk night air.
lately it's been antony & the johnsons.
i also love listening to ida in the fall. but i pretty much listen to them all-year-round anyway.
lately it's been antony & the johnsons.
i also love listening to ida in the fall. but i pretty much listen to them all-year-round anyway.
MUG OF THE DAY (PHIL EDITION)
mari always amazes me with her mug o' the day posts, so i always want to participate, but i have two things going against me:
1) i don't drink coffee
2) i have no access to interesting mugs
UNTIL TODAY!
this mug was so rad, i filled it with soda and now i'm drinking my diet soda out of a mug. but it had to be done.
observe:
so the question is ... who the fuck are these old people? i found this mug in the cabinet at work, so your guess is as good as mine.
but the most important thing is that they are both chillin hard. the old man is rockin' a nametag that says "frank", which is a chillin' kinda name. he also MIGHT have a gold front tooth, but i can't tell for sure. his lady friend is sporting some stunning earrings as well.
life is good on this mug and it's a pleasure to drink from it.
happy mug of the day, everyone!
1) i don't drink coffee
2) i have no access to interesting mugs
UNTIL TODAY!
this mug was so rad, i filled it with soda and now i'm drinking my diet soda out of a mug. but it had to be done.
observe:
so the question is ... who the fuck are these old people? i found this mug in the cabinet at work, so your guess is as good as mine.
but the most important thing is that they are both chillin hard. the old man is rockin' a nametag that says "frank", which is a chillin' kinda name. he also MIGHT have a gold front tooth, but i can't tell for sure. his lady friend is sporting some stunning earrings as well.
life is good on this mug and it's a pleasure to drink from it.
happy mug of the day, everyone!
parenting
yesterday i caught the briefest of glimpses into the real world of being a parent.
i was at 7-11 getting my usual big gulp action and i saw a mother and her young child picking out slurpee flavors. i remember getting slurpees as a kid was the ultimate awesome thing, so i could understand the excitement involved.
anyway, he goes immediately for the mountain dew slurpee and instantly the mom is like "oh i don't know... that has a lot of caffeine in it. don't you want to try another flavor?" for about 5 minutes she's trying to extol the virtues of the various other slurpee flavors, all while doing the math in her head. okay, if i let him have the mountain dew slurpee - it's 4:00 now, bed time is at 9:00, will he still be completely wired?
i was kinda chuckling to myself thinking about how that's just one of the many things you have to be always thinking about when you're a parent. can i afford to have a hyper child for the next 2-3 hours? meanwhile here i am filling up a big gulp praying for the same effect in order to help me make it through the rest of the workday.
fortunately, the big gulp did the trick. sadly, i had to stay at the office till 8:00pm last night. it was a particularly brutal day and i'm glad it's over. now it's time to start anew. i have a fresh caffeinated beverage and no mom encouraging me to not drink it. let's hope today is a lot better.
i was at 7-11 getting my usual big gulp action and i saw a mother and her young child picking out slurpee flavors. i remember getting slurpees as a kid was the ultimate awesome thing, so i could understand the excitement involved.
anyway, he goes immediately for the mountain dew slurpee and instantly the mom is like "oh i don't know... that has a lot of caffeine in it. don't you want to try another flavor?" for about 5 minutes she's trying to extol the virtues of the various other slurpee flavors, all while doing the math in her head. okay, if i let him have the mountain dew slurpee - it's 4:00 now, bed time is at 9:00, will he still be completely wired?
i was kinda chuckling to myself thinking about how that's just one of the many things you have to be always thinking about when you're a parent. can i afford to have a hyper child for the next 2-3 hours? meanwhile here i am filling up a big gulp praying for the same effect in order to help me make it through the rest of the workday.
fortunately, the big gulp did the trick. sadly, i had to stay at the office till 8:00pm last night. it was a particularly brutal day and i'm glad it's over. now it's time to start anew. i have a fresh caffeinated beverage and no mom encouraging me to not drink it. let's hope today is a lot better.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
LIVEBLOGGING FROM THE WEDDING
billy and i are liveblogging our wedding DJ experience.
that's some next level internet shit.
that's some next level internet shit.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
i have a british imposter.
so.. many years ago, i set up a gmail account so that when the time came for me to move on from my various band website e-mail accounts, i would have a boring professional gmail account which is just plain ol' firstname.lastname@gmail.com.
for years i pretty much only used it for resumes and such, but i am starting to inch my way over to the site on a more regular basis. gmail might be my next big official e-mail move.
however, i have one big complaint about gmail. for some weird reason, there is a weird british version of me, with my same name, who for some reason THINKS he has my e-mail address. so he's going around all over town, signing up for shit, applying for jobs, doing other random shit and giving them MY e-mail address.
now, you have to wonder about my british doppleganger. does he realize he's not getting any e-mails from anyone? i have made multiple attempts to contact those who are attempting to reach him and let them know they've got the american phil and not the british phil, but to no avail. the e-mails keep coming. british phil has no idea.
the scary alternative to this situation is that british phil IS getting all his intended e-mails and maybe a few of mine in some crazy mixed up googlebug that no one knows about. i am hoping this is not the case, as he has probably read my resume a few times by now.
anyway, i don't think that's very realistic, so i continue my fight to find british phil and let him know to cease and desist. there's only room for one of us in the world, and i got the gmail address first, depsite what he believes.
perhaps this is a good enough reason to plan a trip to europe. i could go to england.. see big ben, see stonehenge, and go on a quest to find british phil. i pretty much can pinpoint where he works and lives based on e-mails i've received from his relatives and his landlord. i imagine it would be pretty easy.
i'm coming to find you, british phil.
mark my words.
for years i pretty much only used it for resumes and such, but i am starting to inch my way over to the site on a more regular basis. gmail might be my next big official e-mail move.
however, i have one big complaint about gmail. for some weird reason, there is a weird british version of me, with my same name, who for some reason THINKS he has my e-mail address. so he's going around all over town, signing up for shit, applying for jobs, doing other random shit and giving them MY e-mail address.
now, you have to wonder about my british doppleganger. does he realize he's not getting any e-mails from anyone? i have made multiple attempts to contact those who are attempting to reach him and let them know they've got the american phil and not the british phil, but to no avail. the e-mails keep coming. british phil has no idea.
the scary alternative to this situation is that british phil IS getting all his intended e-mails and maybe a few of mine in some crazy mixed up googlebug that no one knows about. i am hoping this is not the case, as he has probably read my resume a few times by now.
anyway, i don't think that's very realistic, so i continue my fight to find british phil and let him know to cease and desist. there's only room for one of us in the world, and i got the gmail address first, depsite what he believes.
perhaps this is a good enough reason to plan a trip to europe. i could go to england.. see big ben, see stonehenge, and go on a quest to find british phil. i pretty much can pinpoint where he works and lives based on e-mails i've received from his relatives and his landlord. i imagine it would be pretty easy.
i'm coming to find you, british phil.
mark my words.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
role models.
this movie is going to rule because:
a) it's directed by david wain (the state)
b) it has paul rudd in it
c) i have a feeling it's going to be chock full of former castmembers of the state
d) stifler!
GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!
a) it's directed by david wain (the state)
b) it has paul rudd in it
c) i have a feeling it's going to be chock full of former castmembers of the state
d) stifler!
GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
next steps / status
every day at work, i send my client an e-mail titled "next steps / status". it's a brief summary of all the open projects that are going on. it says where we're at currently and what's coming soon.
status:
it's been a weird couple of weeks.
various life things, all of which qualify for my "do not talk in detail about my personal life on my blog" rule have all been weighing on my mind. this means the blog entries tend to slow down in response.
i continue to struggle with my richmond vs. the rest of america issue. those of you who are fans of richmond will be pleased to know that i'm leaning a lot more towards staying here for at least the next year. i really love this place and i'm not ready to leave it yet.
work has been better than average lately. we're in the calm between two storms, and i'm taking full advantage of the lull between giant projects to have a regular work life. coming in at 9:00, leaving around 6:00.. not taking my work home with me. it's been really nice. the few projects i do have are endlessly annoying, however, and i find myself at wit's end on occasion.
whether it was quitting olympia, starting my career, or the accident - i've been almost obsessed with figuring out my way in life and my path and jumpstarting things. i'm realizing that no matter what your plan is, there are always curveballs that you never saw coming and maybe for right now things are just fine. i've got a great place, some great friends, a good job, and hopefully once things calm down a bit - a little money saved up. spending so much time looking far forward makes you stop focusing on the here and now, which is actually pretty awesome.
i'd like to thank the various friends with whom long conversations allowed me to better come to this conclusion.
life is good. and everything is going to be fine.
status:
it's been a weird couple of weeks.
various life things, all of which qualify for my "do not talk in detail about my personal life on my blog" rule have all been weighing on my mind. this means the blog entries tend to slow down in response.
i continue to struggle with my richmond vs. the rest of america issue. those of you who are fans of richmond will be pleased to know that i'm leaning a lot more towards staying here for at least the next year. i really love this place and i'm not ready to leave it yet.
work has been better than average lately. we're in the calm between two storms, and i'm taking full advantage of the lull between giant projects to have a regular work life. coming in at 9:00, leaving around 6:00.. not taking my work home with me. it's been really nice. the few projects i do have are endlessly annoying, however, and i find myself at wit's end on occasion.
whether it was quitting olympia, starting my career, or the accident - i've been almost obsessed with figuring out my way in life and my path and jumpstarting things. i'm realizing that no matter what your plan is, there are always curveballs that you never saw coming and maybe for right now things are just fine. i've got a great place, some great friends, a good job, and hopefully once things calm down a bit - a little money saved up. spending so much time looking far forward makes you stop focusing on the here and now, which is actually pretty awesome.
i'd like to thank the various friends with whom long conversations allowed me to better come to this conclusion.
life is good. and everything is going to be fine.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
my friend courtney is amazing.
i am beyond excited. my friend courtney, who resides in chicago, is going to be in richmond this weekend. courtney is one of those people who showed up in my life at exactly the right place at exactly the right time. if my life in college were a movie, she definitely would have played the role of "manic pixie dream girl" but without all the negative connotations. i was this dumb kid who was just kinda figuring himself out and she kinda opened my eyes at a time when they were very much closed.
al burian, in his book natural disaster (highly recommended by the way), refers to a phenomenon called the "non-stop party wagon". the decision to say "yes" to every offered experience and see where it takes you. hanging out with courtney in college was a lot like this at the time. an adventure.
she moved across the country after college and we have stayed in touch all these years and our friendship has stayed strong. she's married and has a dog and puts on amazing shows with her theatre company. she's someone i've always been really proud of and she's always been completely supportive of me when i was pursuing music.
anyway, i'm super excited to have her visiting, because i get to show her my life in richmond and let her see where i live. i've always visited her, on various tour stops over the years, and with the exception of a brief visit to my shitty/awesome band house in harrisonburg many years ago, she hasn't been able to see much of my little world.
it's going to be really awesome. i'm taking her to comfort to get some southern cooking, then to the richmond folk festival, and then we'll see where the night takes us. i'm envisioning rooftop beers or a stop by cous cous. needless to say, it's going to rule. tomorrow we head off to south boston (virginia) to celebrate the wedding of garrett. lots of old blacksburg friends should be there and it promises to be a hell of a good time.
i can't wait. it's going to be awesome.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
HOT NEW TREND ALERT!
it's a good thing you read my blog, because i singlehandedly keep you informed of the latest hottest trends out there.
this one comes courtesy of the new york times. it turns out that single heterosexual dudes owning cats is ON THE RISE.
if only my roommates weren't allergic. i need to get in on the ground level.
this one comes courtesy of the new york times. it turns out that single heterosexual dudes owning cats is ON THE RISE.
if only my roommates weren't allergic. i need to get in on the ground level.
antietam
anyone who knows me is well aware that i am a big civil war fan.
i have always been generally interested, but living in the old capitol of the confederacy has sparked a new active interest over the past few years. i've picked up numerous books on the topic and found myself going to more museums and battlefields. i have even made a habit of stopping at those roadside historical markers that are all over virginia's countryside.
one of the highlights of my trip to albany and nyc was the decision to bring along one of the audiobooks that peter loaned me during my recovery. he had loaned me two books, one was about the assassination of lincoln and the ensuing manhunt and the other was about the battle of antietam. i never got around to listening to the antietam book until very recently. i decided that listening to this book would help pass the long hours on the road on my trip.
well, i gotta say. this book is LONG. i listened to it for several hours, burning through 6 of the 13 discs and the battle of antietam had yet to even START. well, since long hours on the road are hard to come by, i decided that i would listen in little bursts during my morning and evening commute to work and back. the battle has just started and it's literally all i can do not to sneak out to my car and listen to more of the book. i took my lunch break out in my car, closed my eyes and listened to a good 30 minutes.
it's a captivating book and when you let yourself get sucked into the story, it's surprising who you find yourself rooting for. obviously, i can't reconcile my personal beliefs with the confederate cause.. but i found myself surprised to be excited when the confederates made a particularly daring move.
it's hard not to get wrapped up in what an amazing general robert e. lee was. the man was a bold strategic genius.. and his other generals were equally cunning. his opponent on the union side, general george mcclellan was a cautious nervous idiot. so, causes aside, it's weird to find yourself cheering for the superior smarter general and then realizing quickly that you're cheering for the confederacy.
anyway, this whole thing has me wanting to drive up on a weekend this fall to go visit antietam. i'm thinking the trip could double as a great opportunity to see some fall colors. if there are any civil war fans who are down with such a trip, be sure to holler.
Monday, October 6, 2008
obama = nice people
much to my parent's dismay, i put an obama/biden sticker on the back of my car.
i am by no means a fan of partisan politics. i like to follow the issues and keep generally well-informed, but i don't really get too involved. needless to say, i think this election has a lot more at stake than usual, so i'm finding myself getting more politically active and surprising even myself.
i was filling up for gas on the drive back home from brooklyn and this old man came up to ask me for directions. he starts off with "i saw your sticker.." as if he knew that my decision meant that a) i'm a nice person and b) i'm smart enough to know how to give him good directions.
i'm into that.
i am by no means a fan of partisan politics. i like to follow the issues and keep generally well-informed, but i don't really get too involved. needless to say, i think this election has a lot more at stake than usual, so i'm finding myself getting more politically active and surprising even myself.
i was filling up for gas on the drive back home from brooklyn and this old man came up to ask me for directions. he starts off with "i saw your sticker.." as if he knew that my decision meant that a) i'm a nice person and b) i'm smart enough to know how to give him good directions.
i'm into that.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
shows.
last night i went to the new found glory show at toad's place here in richmond. i had a free ticket courtesy of marisa and was excited to go to a show, which i haven't done in a little while.
i'd been kinda avoiding "scene" shows the past few months since i left olympia. i always have a good time, but it's bittersweet because i just start thinking about my own experiences in music and missed opportunities and things that went wrong. it was just bad luck and bad timing, but it's hard not to feel a little bit of jealousy. we never got the chance to really prove ourselves, while bands with significantly less talent and a few gimmicks rose to the top with meteoric speed.
last night was sorta like that. there was a band that we had shared the stage with last year in GA who was now main support for new found glory, playing to a packed house of kids singing the words and going crazy. their songs weren't written any better than ours, their music wasn't groundbreaking. they just had the right sound and the right look for the right kids at the right time.
just goes to show what a crapshoot it is trying to be a musician on that national touring level. and the reality is.. in a year, all the kids who know every word to this band's songs will have moved on to some new band.
any time you are basing your livelihood on the fickle tastes of your average 15-19 year old, you have to deal with the reality that you have no idea if what you're saying/doing/thinking even translates to them because their life is so different from your own.
the whole thing definitely gets me bummed out. which is another reason i'm glad i've distanced myself from it.. because it makes me a bitter dude and i don't want to be bitter. i want to be happy and stoked and go to a show and enjoy it for what it is.
i'd been kinda avoiding "scene" shows the past few months since i left olympia. i always have a good time, but it's bittersweet because i just start thinking about my own experiences in music and missed opportunities and things that went wrong. it was just bad luck and bad timing, but it's hard not to feel a little bit of jealousy. we never got the chance to really prove ourselves, while bands with significantly less talent and a few gimmicks rose to the top with meteoric speed.
last night was sorta like that. there was a band that we had shared the stage with last year in GA who was now main support for new found glory, playing to a packed house of kids singing the words and going crazy. their songs weren't written any better than ours, their music wasn't groundbreaking. they just had the right sound and the right look for the right kids at the right time.
just goes to show what a crapshoot it is trying to be a musician on that national touring level. and the reality is.. in a year, all the kids who know every word to this band's songs will have moved on to some new band.
any time you are basing your livelihood on the fickle tastes of your average 15-19 year old, you have to deal with the reality that you have no idea if what you're saying/doing/thinking even translates to them because their life is so different from your own.
the whole thing definitely gets me bummed out. which is another reason i'm glad i've distanced myself from it.. because it makes me a bitter dude and i don't want to be bitter. i want to be happy and stoked and go to a show and enjoy it for what it is.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
the debate in a nutshell.
kudos to devan who i stole this from.
before youtube videos, what did people laugh at? i have no idea.
car drama.
so last night i was leaving the house to go to a concert and see my friend's band play.
i got in the car and quickly discovered that she did not want to start. when i turned the car on, all this crazy stuff happened - the lights flickered, the speedometer needle bounced around, and all these crazy noises came out of my car. intense!
so i spent all of last night calling tow companies trying to find the person who could pick me up the earliest at the cheapest price. finally found a place that would do it for $95. (YIKES!) i worked till about midnight, thinking it was entirely possible that i'd spend the entire morning out of pocket and not be able to work - so i tried to get all my shit in order and organized just in case.
in addition to all this, my car was parked in a spot that was ticketable after 11:00pm. i wrote a note on my windshield, went to bed, and hoped for the best.
well, fortunately, my cosmic fate isn't all bad. even though it sucks that this happened in the first place, things definitely looked up from there.
the tow guy picked me up at 6:45 and was generally pretty nice. he didn't have change for the powhite parkway toll, so i covered it and in exchange he didn't charge me extra mileage to go outside the city limits. once i arrived at the honda dealership, i found out they had time to work on my car and they even offered me a shuttle ride to work. i got a call a few minutes ago saying the battery had gone bad and it will only be about $130.
this whole thing could have gone A LOT worse. i imagined myself stranded at the car dealership, trying to work from there, and figuring out how i was going to afford a new $1000 repair bill, and being told it wouldn't be ready in time for me to make my NYC trip.
so .. yes, it sucks my car died. but it rules everything else worked out so nicely.
now i'm here at work, and since i worked till midnight last night, i have nothing to do but blog! relaxing mornings for the win!
now i just need to make sure i sneak in a lunchtime nap somehow and i'll be good as new.
i got in the car and quickly discovered that she did not want to start. when i turned the car on, all this crazy stuff happened - the lights flickered, the speedometer needle bounced around, and all these crazy noises came out of my car. intense!
so i spent all of last night calling tow companies trying to find the person who could pick me up the earliest at the cheapest price. finally found a place that would do it for $95. (YIKES!) i worked till about midnight, thinking it was entirely possible that i'd spend the entire morning out of pocket and not be able to work - so i tried to get all my shit in order and organized just in case.
in addition to all this, my car was parked in a spot that was ticketable after 11:00pm. i wrote a note on my windshield, went to bed, and hoped for the best.
well, fortunately, my cosmic fate isn't all bad. even though it sucks that this happened in the first place, things definitely looked up from there.
the tow guy picked me up at 6:45 and was generally pretty nice. he didn't have change for the powhite parkway toll, so i covered it and in exchange he didn't charge me extra mileage to go outside the city limits. once i arrived at the honda dealership, i found out they had time to work on my car and they even offered me a shuttle ride to work. i got a call a few minutes ago saying the battery had gone bad and it will only be about $130.
this whole thing could have gone A LOT worse. i imagined myself stranded at the car dealership, trying to work from there, and figuring out how i was going to afford a new $1000 repair bill, and being told it wouldn't be ready in time for me to make my NYC trip.
so .. yes, it sucks my car died. but it rules everything else worked out so nicely.
now i'm here at work, and since i worked till midnight last night, i have nothing to do but blog! relaxing mornings for the win!
now i just need to make sure i sneak in a lunchtime nap somehow and i'll be good as new.
sell-out
"I guess I thought I was making the "mature" choice that would be better for my future, but I feel like I'm spiraling into a colorless, somnambulist life. I didn't sell out, but I sure as hell bought in."
- anonymous craigslister bemoaning the fact that he got a real job, moved away, and left the richmond "lifestyle" behind
me in three to five years? probably. scary.
- anonymous craigslister bemoaning the fact that he got a real job, moved away, and left the richmond "lifestyle" behind
me in three to five years? probably. scary.
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