Sunday, January 27, 2008

"Don't be shame by reason of of your jang length" (sic)

I love the subject lines of the spams I get. That one was from Dr. Alberto Gilmore.

Is it better to give than to receive?

The receiving manager job at the B&N is going to be opening up again. I'm considering applying for it, just to shake things up a little bit. Plus, then I could hire back BJ when he moves back to Baltimore...

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Tom Waits is Awesome.

Listening to an interview with Tom Waits on NPR. He's pretty awesome.

Jeannie was slicing a jalapeno pepper and then got some of the oil in her eye. She was jumping around and whining like a little baby and then ended up pouring milk in her eye. That seemed to help.

I've been a total flake lately. I need to get my shit together.

I'm kicking the caffeine habit this weekend, as I seem to do about once a year. Caffeine is evil, I think. It turns me into a little bitch.

Tomorrow, rehearsal at HCCA. This week's gonna be a busy week, training some folks at work and then jetting to HCCA to finish up the set.

In my mind, me and the J-Dog are disappearing, running off to a deserted island. Waling on a lonely dark road into the woods. Getting on a plane and stepping off somewhere in the desert. Swimming in a lake somewhere where it's cold.

Monday, January 21, 2008

The Water and the Mud, oh, The Water and the Mud.

Just got home from a meeting at Ian's place regarding the theatre company and our relatively immediate - slash - long term space needs. It was a good potluck dinner meeting, and while not a whole lot of really useful stuff came out of it, I think it at least got the ball rolling and planted some seeds in our heads.

Saturday night the J-Dog and I headed down to Pat and Teresa's cute new house outside of DC, and Pat's brother (Jake) and Jake's very pregnant wife (Carol) were there, and we had a tasty dinner of spaghetti and what I would say were Teresa's best meatballs ever. [actually, Teresa said they were her best, and while I agree that they were tasty meatballs, I've never had any of her other meatballs, and therefore can't really make the comparison. But I'll take her word for it and just say that they were her best meatballs ever] Then, after dinner we had what turned out to be quite a heated game of Phase 10, in which bad language was thrown around and I threatened to both divorce Jeannie and stick my thumb up Pat's butt. I am glad to report, though, that no threats (or curses) were made about Jake and Carol's unborn child (unlike some card games that I've heard about in the past). Anyway, the whole evening was just a damn good time, and it was nice to have a fun night playing cards and shooting the shit with a group of good folks.

My five days off work is over, and while I'm sad that it's over I have to say that I really enjoyed it. As previously reported, I've been feeling shitty and depressed lately, and after about day 3 of being away from work I started feeling more like myself again. So that is a good thing. I can now focus on getting the set for the show finished up, and not taking work too seriously, and life should be good in tha hood.

After reading about the poisonous chemicals (allegedly) leached by Nalgene bottles, Jeannie and I are pretty convinced that our future potential offspring will be blessed with a cornucopia of deformity and handicapped-ness.

Rumors in the air of a possible BJ visit in the foreseeable future...

Thursday, January 17, 2008

So Much To Say

So much has been going on since I last wrote...where to begin?

First of all, I'm on day 2 of a nice long 5 day stretch of days off. It all happened by accident, when somebody at the Noble wanted to pick up hours and I decided to give them some of my shifts and use personal time. So anyway, long story short, I've got all weekend off. Unfortunately, the J-Dog has to work on Saturday, elsewise we would get our asses on the highway and jet off to Ohio for a quick one.

So I spent all day yesterday working on the set for DOLL'S HOUSE out at HCCA. Unfortunately, there's no place indoors where we're currently allowed to do any building, so I ended up having to work outside on the parking lot. And doubly unfortunately, both of our jigsaws broke, and I forgot to bring our circular saw, so I ended up having to make all my cuts with a shitty hand saw. So the work was slow, and I got less done that I probably could have had all gone smoothly, but I got enough done to feel satisfied. Then I hung around rehearsal a little bit, and got to talk to Pat, which I enjoyed and which I have not had nearly enough of lately.

Other interesting news: my cousin Mark sent me a bunch of his songs. Most of them are just him and an acoustic guitar, sung into a tape recorder (or maybe a 4-track). I haven't listened to them all yet, but I did get a chance to play around with one of the songs this morning, and have posted the results. I think it turned out ok.

Also: my aunt called this evening to tell me that she and my uncle and another aunt and uncle are going to be in the DC area next week, so on Thursday I'm gonna try and head down there to spend the day with them. Should be a decent time.

I've been very happy with the CD's I've gotten lately. Here's a roundup:

1. Brian Eno, Before and After Science. A very classic "Eno" album, half composed of goofy, super catchy glam pop songs and half slow, dreamy synth songs. I only skip one song on the album, and it's a very short song. My favorite lyrics are from the song "Backwater":
But If You Study the Logistics
And Heuristics of the Mystics
You Will Find That Their Minds Rarely Move in a Line
So It's Much More Realistic
To Abandon Such Ballistics
And Resign to Be Trapped On a Leaf in a Vine.


2. White Williams, Smoke. Sounds like someone playing melted David Bowie records. There are a few songs that I skip on the CD, but overall, still pleased with the purchase.

3. Death Cab For Cutie, Transatlanticism. This album is a few years old, and I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do, but there are a lot of really good songs on this album. Tracks 3 through 5 is my favorite three-song stretch that I've heard since the first three songs on the The Joshua Tree.

4. Radiohead, In Rainbows. I have mixed feelings towards Radiohead. Usually I end up skipping half the songs on their albums and absolutely adoring the other half. With this record, I only end up skipping about 30%, and the other 70% is really solid. On about every third Radiohead album, they end up writing the perfect song, and on this one I think they nail it with "All I Need".



Tonight Jeannie cough-puked tea on the couch and floor. It really wasn't a puke, it was a cough, but it looked like a puke.

It snowed today! After working on music this morning, I drove up to Towson to go to a going-away party for Marlene (who is one of the good managers at the B&N and who is leaving to go to the Bel Air store. Bel Air, Maryland. Not Bel Air, Will Smith.), and when I got to Towson (normally a 20 minute trip that took me an hour today in the snow) I found out that they had canceled the party. So I drove back home, and it took me another hour to get home. People in Baltimore just don't know how to drive in the snow (or rain). But it was pretty. I was on North Charles up near Towson, where it's kinda woodsy, and all the trees were white with snow, and it was pretty perfect. Plus, I got an extra long time to listen to Brian Eno in the car, which isn't a bad thing.


Tomorrow: more work on the set. I gotta find or build a bookshelf and then start working on the window unit. Maybe a trip to Baltimore Stage Lighting, too.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Dick Dick Dick Dock

Dick Dick Dick Dock is the new band name that I came up with last night for maybe one day when I have a band. I think I will start storing band names on this here blog. Past band names include Paco and the Shitballs, and Jesus and the Rhythm Methodists. I have since found out, however, that the Rhythm Methodists is a fairly common band name. My Rhythm Methodists, though, was gonna be a big soul band with horns and shit.

Last night Jeannie and I went to the library downtown but it was closed. So then we went to Fells Point, where I bought 2 cd's from The Sound Garden. We then went to the Duclaw (which is now smoke free! And although I am a huge fan of smoking and I luv it, luv it, luv it, and although I think a smoking ban is totally bullshit and a violation of my [and most especially bar-owners'] muthaf@#$kin' rights, I have to say it was pretty awesome going to a bar and coming home smelling not like shit. Or at least no more like shit than I normally smell.), and had beers. Which was fun. The 2 CD's I bought were Before and After Science, by Brian Eno, and Smoke by White Williams. I listened to both CD's a bunch today and am enjoying them both very much. They go together very well. Smoke sounds kind of like an album that Brian Eno might make if he were just starting out today, I think. Although that's not really an original thought, because I read it in a review and that's what made me get the album in the first place.

I still seem to be existing in a cloud of self-pity. "I'm tired of my job...", "I don't have any friends...", blah blah blah. It's boring to write about and I'm sure it's boring to read about and it's boring to listen to. But nonetheless, it is what I'm thinking and feeling. Although over the last couple of days my active hatred of the job has settled into more of a deadening boredom. Which I think I can deal with. I'm usually pretty good at handling boredom.

Tomorrow morning I'm gonna make me some bacon n' schmeggs, and read some Great Expectations, and then go to work.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

I-Haul

This morning I drove out to Ellicott City to rent a truck so I could pick up the doors and windows and lumber for the DOLL'S HOUSE. For some reason, as I drove out through Ellicott City, I found myself missing Pat and BJ a lot. It's kinda put me in a bit of a funk. I miss my friends and I feel like Baltimore just feels kinda empty. So...I got some good stuff done today (and it was a beautiful day, perfect for driving around with a window down) but I feel kinda crappy nonetheless.

I was contemplating calling out sick tomorrow, but I don't think I'm going to.

My new recording equipment arrived, and I think that the new preamp will be nice, but I'm not sure how much I'll use the new mic. Nonetheless, probably everybody should have a Shure SM58 in their bag of shit.

Hmmm. Just haven't felt like writing much lately.

Friday, January 04, 2008

MuthaFuckabee



I would like to take this opportunity to voice my support for Mike Huckabee, who totally kicked ass in last night's Iowa caucus. The Iowa caucus is, by the way, my favorite caucus. With the exception, of course, of the Black caucus. The Black caucus is definitely my favorite caucus. But the Iowa caucus is a pretty good caucus, too, as far as caucuses go.

When the future movie is made of president Huckabee's life, I hope he is played by



two time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey.


This is why Mike Huckabee gets my vote and my lifelong allegiance:




But enough about Mike Huckabee, my choice for future President of the United States of America. The real issue at hand is that my wife is sick. She has a cold and she hasn't slept for four (4) nights. I love my wife and I want her to get better. Pray for her, Mike Huckabee!

Sorry. Don't know why Huckabee is on the brain tonight. I just think that pretty much everything about him is funny.

Seriously, though, the J-Dog is illin'.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

This is not my beautiful wife

I have been feeling a bit out of it lately, been feeling not like myself. I think this is a by-product of Christmas. I seem to recall feeling similar last year. Basically, things get all crazy for awhile and I get used to being in a totally work-oriented mode and I kinda get a little adrenaline rush and then we rush out of town and then rush back and I work a bunch to get things back to normal at work and then once everything gets kinda settled I'm just not really sure what's going on. So that's where I am now. But here's a few things that I'm sure of:

1. I'm excited by the idea of working on my cousin Mark's songs. I have always longed for someone who would write all the material and then I just get to play and record it. I think that that's pretty much exactly what this project will be like. I remember hearing a couple of his songs back when I was around 12 years old and I liked them then, so hopefully I'll still like them.

2. I enjoyed the hike the other day with Katie and me wife. And I enjoyed New Years Eve.

3. I like the way my new T-Shirt that says "Oh, by the way...I'M AWESOME" (that I got as a secret Santa gift) looks underneath my blue plaid lumberjack shirt. It's very hipster.

4. I need to spend like, a month alone with the Jeanners. Traveling. I feel like we haven't gotten to have any fun adventures in awhile.

5. I bought a new microphone and new preamp today. The microphone is just a good ol' Shure SM58, which I'm kinda excited about because I remember vocals being much easier to record before I had a fancy microphone. So hopefully if the new equipment makes recording vocals a lot easier, I'll record a lot more songs with vocals again.

6. I must get in touch with Sean about the planned trip to Alaska. I have been looking for good deals on flights, and the price has gone down slightly over the last month, but I must find out if there are any new developments on his end.

7. I need to actually go to the Loading Dock and look for some good doors and door frames for the set for DOLLS HOUSE. If I go there and they don't have doors and door frames, then I'm kinda screwed. Or at least I'll have more work to do than I originally planned. And, once I get the doors in hand, I can stop thinking/worrying about them.

8. It's bedtime. I gotsta get up at 5:45 tomorrow morning.