Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Download That Shizzit!

NPR is streaming (and you can download it, too) a full Tom Waits concert (2.5 hours!) from Atlanta. Score! Get it HERE.

I have to say, I preferred his setlist in Columbus. In fact, I have yet to read a setlist on the tour that I liked more than the show he played in Ohio, mostly because of the inclusion of "Cold, Cold Ground" and "Time."

Not much else to report.

The Jeanners and I might be taking a semi-impromptu trip to the beach this Sunday. Which should be enjoyable because Korn and John and maybe Brian G. will also be down there.

Got the day off tomorrow. I think I shall bike to the gym, eat some eggs and black beans, and maybe work on music. Maybe not. I farted around on some music today, with not-very-good results, but may have turned up something that I want to go back and revisit later.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Oh, Shenandoah

Today the Jeanners and I went on a float trip on the Shenandoah River with people from her job. I have discovered over the past few days that apparently people here don't use the term "float trip" and have no idea what the hell it is. So, if you don't know, read the sentence after the following sentence. If you do know, you don't have to read it. A "float trip" is when you float down a river in some sort of boat (in this case, a canoe) or other floating device, such as a large inner tube. It might, perhaps, be necessary to note that a float trip should not be attempted with any sort of smaller inner tube, such as a bicycle inner tube. It just won't work. Unless you are an infant (or just infant-sized) and have the inner tube wrapped around you like two or three times. Which might hinder your enjoyment of said float trip.

One day I might want to look back on this day fondly, so for the benefit of my rapidly failing memory I will list the people who went on the float trip: Matt, Kedri, Rodney, Ian, Nancy, Melissa, Eugene, Miriam, and me and J-Dog.

For each of the past 2 days I have held a shit for longer than 8 hours.

Confidential to E. Elz regarding unicycles: When I was a kid, there was another kid who was a few years older than me (I think his name was Mike) who used to unicyle around the neighborhood. The kid was kinda weird, and he looked just like a platinum-blonde version of the kid from the "Rothsdower" MST3K movie.

Today we paid $3.74 for gas. I felt like it was 1982.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Drunk Bike Ride

I came home today from JT's going away party on my bike, and I was a little bit buzzed. And then, when I got close to home, it started raining real hard. It was pretty fun.

The last (and only other?) time I went drunk bike riding was with Sean back in Kirksville. I think we were just riding around Kirksville on some bikes of unknown origin ("borrowed"?) after having been at the Dukum for awhile. I think we ended up at the Schluetermetz' place.

Speaking of the Schluetermetz', Brad posted this video today which made me miss my friends. Also been thinking a bunch about (and missing) the Beej. Especially after having had a delicious burger at the Rec Room.

Summa-time

Not too much happening. Biking, running, going to the gym, hanging out, sweating. I biked to work a few days this week, which has been good, and will save on the ol' gas. I also got asked for money by a panhandler while I was speeding by him. That's a first.

It's been hot.

Last night I had a dream that I gave Matt Davis (from Truman) a backhand slap across the face because he was bothering me.

Wow, I just paused midpost to go take a poop!

A few days ago I downloaded a trial version of some Auto-Tune software so I can make my voice sound like T-Pain.

Hmmm. That's really about it. Today I'm going to a going away party for somebody at work and I'm gonna eat a delicious Rec Room burger and drink some beer.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

You fools!

The last post was just a test. Now I know which of my friends are quitting pansies (PKP, RR, JS, EE), and which are tough like me (way to go, JK!). I'm gonna finish that goddamn book! And what's more, I'm gonna finish it by tomorrow night!






























Ok, I've thought it over, and that last part probably won't happen.

Decision Time

I am on page 599 of Mason and Dixon, but I haven't picked the book up in several weeks. I have 174 pages left to go. I took a break and read a Tom Waits biography, and then we went on vacation (and I brought the book but never opened it up), and then I just read Slaughterhouse Five because BJ's review of it on his podcast was so damned good. So now I am faced with the prospect of going back to M&D, which I really don't feel like doing, but I also don't feel like throwing away several months of my life only to NOT finish the book. What do I do?

In other news, the J-Dog and I biked to the garden the other night, and it was a good time. But then she took a spill on the way home. She's ok, but she's scraped up a bit. It was pretty scary.

I biked to the gym yesterday, which turned out to be a surprisingly simple ride, but hilly. And, because the gym is right next door to the B&N, I now know that I could bike to work, which is a nice option.

Time to go poo!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Finally

1. Finally done with 'the ring.' Seriously. I've checked the mix on every possible listening device that I have available to me. Done. Moving on...

2. Finally clocked in at under 180 lbs. today. For the first time in probably about 12 years or so.

3. Finally ran over 3 miles. For the first time in like, ever.

4. Finally got the bike (that we brought back from the Lou for me) up and running.

5. Finally (Saturday in the shower) decided on my two favorite words in the english language: ocean and raining.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Xtreme Bass

After listening in the car to the song I posted yesterday, I discovered that some of the low bass at the end is a little out of control. I'll have to fix that.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Urine Luck!

Outside of our bedroom window, it smells like pee. Which is imressive because we're three flights up. But problematic because we like to have a box fan in the window at night blowing clean, cool air across our sleeping bodies. So if you've been taking your before-bed leak down in our breezeway, please stop.

Yesterday I finished up "The Ring." This morning I checked the mix, and as of right now I am calling it finished. Check it out over in the sidebar.

I think I forgot to mention that Jeannie and I brought back some bikes from St. Louis. Her parents found an old bike that someone was throwing away in the alley behind their house, and it was still in good shape, and my parents had some old bikes from when us kids were, well, kids. So now we have bikes. I'm still waiting on some new tires and tubes that I ordered over the internet, but then we'll be in business. The J-Dog has been riding hers to work now instead of walking, and although the morning traffic is scary, I think she'll enjoy it. I don't know where I'll ride mine. I might eventually attempt to ride it to work, but I'll have to see how practical that would be.

We've watched 3 episodes of "The Tudors." Don't know if we'll get any more discs or not. It's just not nearly as good as "Rome" was, and that's disappointing.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Why Bother?

Haven't really felt like writing since we've been back. Probably because of the heat. So, for the majority of this post, I shall resort to using god's gift to those who don't really feel like writing: bullet points.

But first, I would like to post nearly worthless pictures and video from the Tom Waits concert. Jeannie and I got to Columbus, OH without a hitch, ate a decent Vietnamese dinner at what appeared to be a scary scary Vietnamese restaurant, and then went to the Ohio Theatre, which looked like this:


It was described thusly by the metal heads sitting behind us: "This place is awesome. It's like, bejeweled. It's like a Faberge egg."

The concert was very good, I thought. Not life-changing good, but pretty much just what I expected. I came out of the show having decided that if Tom Waits ever goes on a solo tour, no band, I would slaughter little children in order to get tickets. This is a very poor quality video of a little sliver of "Lie to Me":




Now for the bullet points:

* Tom Waits looks, from a very far distance, like a cross between Frankenstein's monster and the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz.

* Once again I was reminded: it's all about the bass, drums, and vocals.

* Though our stay in Ohio was quick, it was damned good to see the Schluetermetz'. Hard to believe that we'll probably never go back to good ol' Bellefountaine, OH again.

* There are certain St. Louis foods that Jeannie and I crave (Imo's Pizza, gyros from Olympia), but no Baltimore foods we crave. When we leave B-more, is there food that we'll crave? Crab cakes? Enchiladas with a fried egg on top?

* Hanging out with Rich Riley was one of those old fashioned, go-out-for-a-drink-and-get-a-little-tipsy-and-talk-about-life type nights the likes of which I haven't had in awhile. It was especially nice that Dressel's was nearly empty and quiet and playing Dixieland jazz.

* I like the new Coldplay cd, though I have mixed feelings towards Coldplay.

* I like the new cd by the Fleet Foxes. I think I could confidently recommend it to many people who read this blog.

* Adios!, Chuy Arzola's mexican restaurant!

* J. Knese, just by being himself, makes me laugh just about more than anybody I know. And I was truly surprised and bummed to hear about Casey's roller-derby induced broken arm.

* E. Elz makes me physically ill.

* "America's Best Value Inn" in Zanesville, OH is probably not really America's best value.

* I am overwhelmed by the gifts that Jeannie and I received while we were in St. Louis.

* "The Tudors" is not as good as "Rome". Not yet, anyway. We've only watched one episode.

* I indulged in beer and meat while I was in St. Louis, but now I am back on the starvation/exercise/misery wagon.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

With a Little Help From My Friends

Still on the road. What a wonderful trip it's been. Don't really have the time to write a big post, but I wanted to give a shoutout to Uncle Rico. Thanks for hanging out with the J-Dog and I last night, Buddy. I've been picking around today with Whitey. He looks and feels great. And I can't wait to get home and try out the Pod. Reading the users manual makes me believe that this is the piece of equipment that I have been longing for but have been too lazy to get off my arse and actually look for.

Next round of beers is on me...

More once we get home.