The Things That Matter...?

2012-02-07T06:33:00.003-05:00

Item of Interest Number 'Boffo Yocks':

Tell me what to do, cuz reading minds just kills the mood.

Saw The D-Plan last year at their Boston reunion show, had a great time. I'm fairly certain it's been longer than that since I've written in here, that's the only reason I'm even bringing it up. They played 'Fantastic!', which was just.

I have more to say, always do...

2011-08-05T16:18:00.003-05:00

Item of Interest Number '1951':

P&T: B.S.!- Teen Sex

So, it has been some time, I would imagine.

Today is my birthday.

So, like, it turns out I may have alienated somebody... unintentionally, for once.
Oops.
Like, sorry, and shit.

I hope to do something tonight, but I have no idea.
Casey's only working until six, so that leaves us plenty of time to screw and also do something. Or at least screw.
But that shit's just an everyday thang, knowYmean?

2010-04-11T01:42:00.002-05:00

Who Does J0E Really Want For President Part 'E.O.T.C.':

1. Ryan Taylor
2. Tommy Ramone
3. Brian Regan
4. Tom Wopat

Samurai Sacrifice is the band I'm in now. Not too hot on the name, but the sound will grind your mother to dust.

We've got a show on the 16th of this month, which is this Friday. I'm fucking AMPED. For real. I'm playing low-key to save some 'energy' or 'mojo' or whatever for the show, but I'm literally jittering with anticipation. For no good reason, really, but it's good to have that old time feeling back.

Reminds me, I wish when AnyCraze.com got rid of it's 'Magic: The Gathering Card Creation' section, ten years ago or what have you, they had given us users some kind of notice. I had created a lot of stuff and there were some good ideas that I'd like to have access to again. Bastards. I guess I really oughta blame WotC or Hasboro, as they're the ones who 'requested' the site be taken down via the implications of possible legal actions. Bastards.

Presently watching 'End of the Century: The Story of The Ramones'. Sick! Now I wanna sniff some glue.

Not too sure if there's anything else to say...

2010-04-09T09:18:00.002-05:00

Item of Interest Number 'Turkish Twist':

Unpleasant World of Penn And Teller

As he lay upon the table, increasingly unaware that the sword of Damocles drew ever closer.

I've gotten no job offers yet. It's funny but it's also lame and I feel unsure about how I feel, if I can even trust what I think I feel anymore. Maybe.

Muzak has been going well. Got a new band going. It's pretty swell. Once the recordings go live, I'll probably post some sort of link.

I don't even know how I pass the time. It's pretty boring.

MySpace Music has gotten really lame. You can no longer stream songs or entire albums, etc. Now it's '30 second clips', and even those don't work. It used to be an awesome feature. Now it's mega-lame.

There isn't a single decent music streaming site anymore. Lame.

2010-03-22T05:51:00.003-05:00

Item of Interest Number '350125 GO!':

Never Too Young To Die (1986)

So, I'd like to just take the time right here to say "Fuck LiveJournal. Fuck it right in the ear!"
...

...
Presently, I am unable to access my LiveJournal. I've kinda forgotten the password. Mostly because back when I got my LJ, the fucking password had to be 80-million characters long and contain 500-thousand numbers and all that shit. I hate when sites give you rules about your password. Fuckers. I especially can't stand when they have a 'minimum character' restriction for passwords. "Password must be at least 12 characters long" and shit like that. Who the fuck are you, website of shit, to tell me what I can and can't have as a password? I choose to take responsibility for my own word of passage, thank you. If I want it to be one character, that's my own stupid problem. It's not like that makes it any easier to figure out. Fuck, it'll make it hard, since nobody would think you'd have a one character password (unless of course they were using a machine/software, in which case it's just a matter of time, no matter how long your password is). The funniest thing, too, is that it's always completely useless sites like LiveJournal or BeSonic that force you to have a password of at least a certain length with at least a certain amount of numbers, while my bank password only has to be longer than three characters and no more than ten. Simple. And that's protecting something people actually want to have access to. Fucking funny.

So, trying to figure out the password, I keep getting fucked by the IP ban for 'failing' too many times to get the correct password. Once again, I don't think even my bank takes these kinds of precautions, and they're actually fucking useful for something.

I wrote on the message boards and even appealed to the site admins with my hideous dilemma: I can't have the password e-mailed to my account because the client that hosted the account I signed up with NO LONGER FUCKING EXISTS. All both of them did was send back to me a link to the FAQ with the standard, pre-fab fucking message saying to click the 'forgot your password?" link and retrieve it from the e-mail account I signed up to the site with. Fucking. Assholes. They never even answered any of my fucking questions. I know they're busy, but they're obviously not too busy to finger and eat their own fucking assholes all day.

I don't wish too much specific harm on too many specific people, but I sure hope whoever is responsible for running LiveJournal, and whoever was ultimately responsible for coming up with and implementing the IP ban system and the 'character minimum' password requirements, totally all get run into by a motorcycle as they try to cross a busy New York intersection. A motorcycle being driven by the asshole forum moderator of the LiveJournal message board. Then they all catch on fire.

2010-03-19T03:16:00.002-05:00

Who Does J0E Really Want For President Part 'Triple-Deke':

1. Ed Leslie
2. Jim Heath
3. Duke McKenzie

Currently 'hard at work' re-recording and uploading material onto the MySpace of my new one-man venture, M.O.P.E.D..

Haven't gotten much done, just yet.

At the same time I am hard at work creating torrents and uploading movies, in pieces, onto YouTube (and possibly as whole files onto Google Video). I haven't made any of the videos public yet because, wonder of all wonders, instead of having any complete movies, all I have are various pieces of various movies. The reason for that? Well, each individual video can only be roughly ten minutes long. To chop the videos into ten-minute chunks, I have to convert them into a format that 'iMovie' can read (seeing as pretty much all of my movies are in '.avi'), then chop them up and convert the segments into a format that YouTube accepts (since the converted files pretty much all have too large a file size). This takes a fairly long time. To get as many videos done as fast as possible, I clicked an option that converted the segments based on which ones would convert quickest. This mixed up all the files of all the movies, rather than just doing that for each individual movie file. I don't think I explained any of that properly, but whatever.
There also could be an easier way to do this. I know one for Windows, but I'm not used to Macs. It's like using Windows 95 or something with all the weird 'patchers' and 'updaters' and 'bundles' I have to constantly download just to get it to do something as simple as encode a video or open a JPEG file. Lame!

Also, have been out of work for almost a month. Fuck. It's not too comforting a feeling but it's still more fun than being at work. I don't know quite what I'm going to do about a new job. I'm not getting anxiety about it but the prospect does make me feel anxious.

2010-02-28T09:54:00.004-05:00

Item of Interest Number 31G:

Ninja Video

There's an asshole born every second.

Starting from the top it gets harder to rectify the importance of the 'two flag' system.

A curve is still a straight line. A circle is still a square. X never marked the spot.

Raise your hand if you're not sure what the hell you're talking about.

A lie was the truth when the future became the result of another past; a past that didn't occur until an alternate future had transpired. Paradoxically that happened before the future, but after tomorrow.

Close your eyes and you'll see into forever.
I promise you won't be this bored after you're dead.

Close your eyes so you can't see me crossing my fingers.

2010-01-23T01:18:00.003-05:00

Item of Interest Number 350125:

My Own Private Eternal Damnation

I've been doing fairly well as of late. Pretty sweet, really.

One thing...

... well, I guess I won't even get into that.

2009-08-04T02:17:00.003-05:00

Item of Interest Number 'UP, L1, TRIANGLE, RIGHT':

The Crabs- Walleye
The Lost Album. Proof of its existence.

So, I'm writing in here for no real reason. Nobody reads this anymore. I guess in a way it's liberating in its anonymity and complete obscurity. There was a time once afore when I was something of a minor internet 'presence' if you will. I was well known in a few obscure circles in the earlier days of the net and vaguely 'known about' in broader ellipses. Not so much anymore. I'm not lamenting this change; merely noting it.

I fail to write in any of my various blogs/feeds these days. Partly, I guess, because things are going pretty well for me these days. Who wants to write about that shit? Who wants to read it? Something that canned, that jejune, you can read that anywhere. It's fairly uninspired.

I'm fairly uninspired to write, as it stands. Even with this entry I presently type, I'm not sure what I hope to accomplish.

My birthday approaches like a thief in the night. I'll be 26. It doesn't seem old when you look at it on the computer screen like that, but I am currently well aware of the passage of time, if you will. I've been thinking a lot about my 26 year (or at least the 22 I remember well enough) history. I find myself wondering about old friends, acquaintances, that kid I hung out with once when I had to go to my crazy aunt's house in Tyngsboro/Tewksbury (the one that's near Pinehurst in Billerica, you enter it if you take that one road that goes towards the Shawsheen Tech. Is there a difference, anyway?). TV shows I used to watch. Summer vacations. Things that are gone but aren't quite gone. Things that I don't quite remember but will never really forget. A vague feeling. The past is a strange thing and it's odd to dig through it. For all the good people will tell you it does, you're more likely to do more harm. Perhaps you'll get mentally stuck on some embarrassing moment you'd forgotten all about. Perhaps you'll develop some sort of masochistic obsession with the past and trying to hold on or even regress into it. I've some people fuck up themselves and their lives with nothing more than bad memories as a catalyst.

I always assume I'm going to write about certain things before I start writing. I usually never get around to those subjects.

I've seen a whole lot of movies recently both in theaters and out. Not in any order, The Hang Over; Public Enemies; Harry Potter Part 6; Visioneers; I Love You Man; Role Models; Land of The Lost and more. Not sure what's so noteworthy. The mediocrity of most movies these days is noteworthy. Not saying all or any of those movies are mediocre. Not saying they aren't, either.

I hope things pick up with this whole band sitch. It's painful in many ways. I don't think we suck. You should check us out:

http://www.myspace.com/sandthed

I'd go through the trouble of HTMing that but you're not reading this in the first place and even if, for arguments sake, you are, you wouldn't click on the link anyway. You could be reading this fifty years in the future, and that link would be irrelevant. I'm probably dead, if you are reading this fifty years in the future. Dead or invalid. Oh the glory of life.

2008-07-14T18:28:00.004-05:00

Who Does J0E Really Want For President Part 'City Confessions':

1. Bruce Bruce
2. Peter Torque
3. Dyson McKenzie
4. Ronny Young

The band has had shows like woah. Things have been decent, although I'm not sure our drummer is into playing with us anymore. He never really liked out music much, anyway.
We played at the Sad Cafe on Saturday night and we got a fairly decent recording out of it, if you take away all the random tempo changes and whatnot. Being the bassist, it's hard for me to ignore even subtle timing variations when trying to play with the drummer. Most drummers really fail to realize how vital it is that they be able to play on time, and how much easier it would be to learn to play to a metronome. I always assumed everybody who picked up an instrument would be trying to nail timing, but I was so dead wrong it isn't even funny. The drummers main job is to keep time, for godsake. What else are they even there for? Bastards.

2008-03-27T13:47:00.004-05:00

Item of Interest Number 'Hail Alcatraz':

Cute Girls Dancing

So, Heartbreak City Revolution broke up a long long while ago (and it's possible I mentioned that already, seeing as I don't remember the last time I wrote here, but there it is again). I now play bass in Stevus and The Deceivers. We have a MySpace with show videos and some old-ass audio. Check it out, or don't, I care not.

It has been forever and ever, amen, since I've written here.

I'm working as a line-cook and I don't hate my job. I tend to enjoy it most times. There are still a billion other things I'd rather be doing but none of those will pay me as well. Not yet, anyway.

Someday, somehow, the band will eventually be seen as the unrecognized geniuses that we are, or at least Stevus and I will be. I've been trying forever and have played in so many failed bands that sometimes I want to just scream until my head explodes, but every new band gets a little easier to deal with. I was looking back on my old entries and remembering how depressed I was about all the band shit that was going on back then, and about how much I hated my job. Here I am two jobs and countless bands later and I'm feeling better...

Things still aren't where I want them to be (or even remotely close) but it's bothering me less than it used to.

As life gets longer, awful feel softer, and it feels pretty soft to me...

2007-01-21T04:31:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 'S.G.B.':

Monster A-Go Go

Heartbreak City Revolution. That is my band's MySpace. We have some songs on there. They're not of great audio quality. We still need a drummer.

2006-06-14T02:19:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 'Triangle One':

Wagner

Curb Your Enthusiasm is an amazing show. Fer real. I've been doing not much recently. Started a new band. Heartbreak City Revolution. It's good...

Other than that, nothing. Still sick. Still drained...

Still in love...
...forever.

2006-03-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

Who Does J0E really want for president? part 'here comes my baby'

1. The Lonliest Man in The World
2. Vince Vaughn
3. Right to Fight
4. Mark Spitz

Well, I haven't been up to much. Couldn't get online because I was upgrading to a cable modem and the box on the pole was too old to transmit the internet data packets, and that's how long it took for them to realize and fix the problem (nothing against the people who physically came and fixed the box, however, who were impressively quick). Ok, so that only took about two months and doesn't account for the rest of the neglect, but I don't have to account for it and so I won't.

2005-09-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

Terror on The Wharf

Fenwick
Diamond Nights
Travis Morrison

So, now that my finger is pretty much broken and I am unable to play anything, I am bored all the time. As such, I keep thinking of song ideas. Crazy song ideas. Crazy songs. Songs that probably wouldn't work in the band I'm in now. Stuff that I may use in some sort of side project. I think I want to do something with a sort of revolving instrumental line-up. Something off the wall. Something indie, emo, rock, and anything else, yet somehow kind of pop. After reviewing several of the songs I wrote I realize that they scream of this sappy pop crap. Not Matthew Sweet pop, either, but almost. A sort of sappy Ben Folds meets The Dismemberment Plan. Only nowhere near as good, trust me. Just what I think my attempt at that would be. I'm not very good, you see...

2005-09-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

Who Does J0E really want for president? part 'econo-lodge'

1. Hamburgler
2. Mike Nelson
3. CoCo (who is extremely well endowed in the mammary area)
4. Fitzroy
5. The Chicago Blackhawks
6. The city of New Orleans

So, person called me last night. We talked for a while.

Brown hair, brown eyes, glasses; dorky cats-eye frame-ish glasses like Lisa Loeb, looks almost like a cross between Carrie Brownstein and Claire Danes but hotter, neurotic, insecure, cute, self-depricating, fun loving, good taste in music, good taste in movies, good taste, amazing sense of humor, doesn't take herself too seriously, doesn't take me too seriously, doesn't take life too seriously, can't be described within the confines of the written/spoken/visualized word/song/poem/painting/picture...

There wasn't anything to do. There never is. I want to be anywhere but where I am at any given moment. It sucks. Fer real.

2005-08-30T03:51:00.000-05:00

Who Does J0E really want for president? part 'sideways-eight' ('infinity')

1. Issac Brock
2. Judy Dench
3. Shifty
4. ATHF (Yes, the show)

There are too many interesting people doing too many interesting things. That, or there are too few interesting people doing too few interesting things. That, or there are some interesting people and some uninteresting people doing some interesting things and some uninteresting things. The world is a sewer. Life is shit. Or, the world is a garden and life is a flower. Or, the devil had sex with a dog, and your mother was that very dog. I have been awake for five days. Or, I haven't slept in five days...

I smile sometimes because it hurts to be alive.

I think I'm in love. With a girl. Well, a woman, if you will. She is of age. Don't fret. She's older than me, even. Sure, by a matter of weeks, but still. She is great. She smells like angels ought to smell. I haven't seen my face in years. Lucky me. I'm so ugly that sometimes I wish I were dead. That, or not alive anymore...

Did you ever know that I'm unable to cry? Well, I probably am seeing as I never have. I'm Shellie's new boyfriend and I'm out of my mind. It gets me through the day sane, at least, and that's all that counts...

I took several caffeine pills. By several, I mean eight. I just took them a few minutes before I typed this sentence. My heart is racing like Jeff Gordon on speed in hell driving a car powered by the evil of the world. That, or it's racing like I just took eight caffeine pills with a Red Bull chaser. I told you, I haven't slept in five days. What did you think kept me awake, the joy of living...?

The Joy of Living.
I work.
I live to work.
I work.
To live.
It's like farming.
To burn.
It's like birthing.
To kill.
It's like working.
To live.
And living.
To work.
Forever and ever.
Amen.

I took a tram into the city and I met a girl there. She was a girl. I met her. In the city. After taking a tram. Speaking of trams; I took one into the city, upon which I was struck to find that I met a girl there in said city. She was a girl. I met her. In the city. After taking a tram. Speaking of trams; she was very pretty, the girl I met. I wish I hadn't met her, for you see I'm already ugly. And in love. Ugly and in love. What a state to be in...

Everyday I fight a war. To be more accurate, I don't fight a war, but they're both the same when you get down to it. I say we get down to it. I'm sick of dancing around the fire. I'm sick of halting the forward progression of things. We can. I can. You can. That reminds me of this time I took a tram. Speaking of trams; I wish I loved myself half as much as I love you. At least then I'd only hate myself a lot. It's not that I don't love you, I just really hate myself. That, or I love myself...

I do love a girl, though. Oh, scratch that, a woman...

This song is dedicated to GQvvL M.S., the girl who stole my heart, stole my soul, stole my life, and then had sex with the devil (and she's not to be mistaken for your mother, who is in fact a dog)...

2005-08-27T12:29:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 12

80's Lyrics Test

My birthday passed a bit ago. Nothing great happened. My band dropped the name The Mute and we still don't have a singer. It's annoying. Jenna called me around my birthday. It was odd. I guess I still do have feelings for her, because I sure felt them. God, I suck. The band also hangs out with this chick Stephanie who is radically cool. She's pretty hot as well, but it's much more difficult to find a cool chick than it is to find a hot chick. Trust me, I know. I think she's into Steve, though. I don't know. He think she's into me, I think she's into him, she thinks we both suck; that's most likely the reality of the situation. It's no big deal. I mean, we are losers...

Diamond Nights is a band. A good band. Listen to them.

2005-07-03T02:03:00.001-05:00

Item of Interest Number 11

Hey, Sandy!

So, since the last blog thing, my band kicked out our old singer and have been going on without one. We've had many people try out, none of them seemed to work... until recently. This Mike dude totally fit with us, for real. The problem is that he's trying out for other bands, so he may choose them over us. I hope not. We kick ass. Fer real...

2005-05-01T21:45:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 10

Live Journal?

You can crush us, you can kill us...

The Mute. We are creating a bit of a buzz about us. Good deal. We will play a show. We will blow everyone's face's off. We are The Mute. Rest in peace...

I haven't had anything to write about. Fenwick is the hottest band alive. For real...

2005-03-12T00:43:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 9

Paris Hilton's Phone Book

Since justification lists are the next big wave in indie music, I too guess I'll do one to justify why I haven't updated in ages:

Two Words decided to do a small-venue 'tour' with Respite. We spent a lot of time getting a few ditties ready...

...only to break up three days before the tour was scheduled. Respite were none too happy, as that axed the tour for them, but they're pretty much the reason for the break-up anyway, so fuck them...

I got a new job that takes up more time than it's really worth...

I joined a new band. We call ourselves The Mute. I play bazz. We're actually pretty good, if I do say so myself...

My new band got kicked out of it's perennial "home" if you will, and thus we were left with nowhere to practice for over a month. Trying to find another practice hall was pretty time consuming, but worth it. We're now back with a vengeance and planning to record soon...

I have spent obscene amounts of time watching the old classics, like "Manos" the Hands of Fate, Red Zone Cuba, Monster A-Go-Go, and yes, even Beast of the Yuccata Flats.

I bought a cell phone. This isn't as much a justification as it is a useless bit of trivia. Hit me up on the celly, G...

I was (and still am, a bit) a little upset at how quickly Kristin Forbes ceased to be a member of the Travis Morrison family. I had visions of grandeur in my head that will sadly no longer be. It sucks, but at least this cuts the wait for another KF solo album...

That's probably about it. My new band is a rollicking good time. It's quite honestly the first band I've been in where I'm not the creative lead, and quite frankly I find it liberating. After the fiasco that was Two Words, I'm in need of just going with it. I still have a side project planned for the near-to-distant future, but I'll elaborate on that no more, lest I jinx it prematurely. Other than that, nothing. Watch this space for more info on my band's goings on soon-ish...

2004-11-25T23:40:00.001-05:00

Item of Interest Number 8

Dear Boy: Thurston Moore

Thanksgiving was today. That's all the mentioning that subject deserves...
My 'band' is still screwing around under the name Two Words. We've developed a little bit of a 'buzz' amongst the seven people we collectively know. We were playing in a friends basement and somebody asked us to play "That song you recorded with the ocean sounds". Two problems. First, what the hell do you consider 'ocean sounds'? Second, and more importantly, we really probably couldn't even do it. The stuff we record, we don't know it offhand. Not even a small amount. We'd have to sit there, listen to it, and transpose it if we wanted to play it live (not that it bears playing live, since it sucks). Not only that, but it's all, like, 'atmospheric'. I don't know, we suck anyway, so it's all good...

2004-11-14T01:36:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 7

Michael J. Nelson

So, things have been boring on this side of the coin. Me and my current incarnation of a band, going by the inherited name "Two Words", are working on a Christmas-type collection of songs. Since we're both just guitarists, it's going to be kind of hard. We've been looking for a keyboardist, bassist, possibly a drummer, anything really, but nobody really wants to work with a group of quote "untalented and shockingly controlling bastards" like ourselves. We're not controlling at all, we're just so non-controlling that we refuse all control to a controlling point... if that makes any sense to you. I mean, we would be taking a more creative and traditional oriented path if we could find some people as admittedly untalented as ourselves to help. All the musicians in this area think they're the fucking top dog of their particular instrument of choice; we suck and we admit it. It's just hard to find people of the same ilk. If we weren't broke-ass bastards, we'd buy a keyboard, bass, drumkit and the whole works ourselves and just do all of the shit alone, but sadly we are indeed broke-ass bastards. I used to have a midi-sequencer, module, and controller, but they all got stolen at the last show of my last full band (which was also only the fourth show of said band). D'oh. Then my ghetto ass bass got stolen when I was guesting at a show. Double d'oh. It says a lot about the area's I used to frequent (and still sort of do, really). I remember back in the day when I was living in Maine and in a band called 'Slap me Twice', I gave my guitar away. Ok, so it wasn't as cut-and-dry as that. There's a story behind it, and here it is, transcribed to the best of my drug-hazed recollection:
I was hanging out in somebody's apartment after a cancelled gig and I had my guitar with me. So, I'm all trying to mac it to this chick and this kid sits on the other side of me on the couch and is asking all sorts of questions. Him: "You're in that band, dude? That's so cool. Yeah, me, I play a little. What kind of axe you got?" Me: "Ah, some piece of shit Fender rip"; Him: "Yeah, man, I feel that. For that gritty, realistic sound. Can't get that with those 'brand name' guitars."; Me: "It's more like that 'too poor to afford a better guitar' sound"; Him: "Got it with ya?"; Me: "Yeah, it's over there somewhere *motioning off in the general direction of where I thought it was*"; Him: "Cool, thanks dude*goes off to find it*". So, I went back to layin' the mac down. Eventually it started working. So, here I am making out with this chick, I'm fucked up on all sorts of drug/alcohol combinations, and he comes back. Him: "Hey, man"; Me: "*ignoring him and making out*"; Chick: "So, you wanna grab a room or something"; Me: "Yeah, let's *getting up*"; Him: "*stopping me* Dude, I gotta go. Can I borrow your guitar for tonight, man. I mean, Tony knows where I live, dude, I'll bring it back by here tomorrow, I swear, you can trust me"; Me: "Nah, man, I need it tomorrow. Supposedly got a gig and shit. Come by, though, I'll let ya use it"; Chick: "*getting all impatient*"; Him: "*whining* Please, man, please, I'll bring it back before the show, man, I promise. I fucking, I promise"; Girl: "*getting even more impatient*"; Me: "Dude, just fucking keep it, ok, man, just fucking keep it *taking chick into room*". The End.
Yeah, I gave my 'livelihood' away so I could hiz-it the skiz-ins. Turned out Tony (guy who rented the apartment) didn't even know the kid (and I myself didn't even know Tony). I heard he didn't even live in the same city but a 'rich town in the entire next county' (counties have more merit in places like Maine than they do to us Masshole's). So, some richie try-hard pad crasher out there probably still has the damn thing and probably tells the tale of how some cool music dude gave it to him. He obviously omits the parts about me being horribly ugly and him nearly cock-blocking me , of course. Hell, he probably says it was, like, the kid from Sum-41 or something. Either way, I hope it somehow causes his mom a terrible terrible cancer of the bowels or something. I don't really, but it was nice to say...

2004-11-01T01:35:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 6

Political Compass

I urge you to click this entry's 'Item of Interest'. It's pretty darn cool. It spawned an awful lot of political 'debate' round my parts, but it was well worth it. I just wish some people didn't view every discussion as a 'debate' and employ some of the most useless tactics possible in an attempt to 'win' said debate, when it's really only a discussion (at least on my side of the table, G). So, you ask them a question and they avoid answering it by claiming 'never to have said *subject*' when I never said they said subject, I was asking their opinion on subject. Sometimes I just wish some people would go into a coma and emerge as normal, functioning people who can actually think. I wish there was a pill to cure ignorance (other than the cyanide one, I mean). I got harassed for my placement on the compass. It's pretty funny. Most people I know place in the top half/near the top half and pretty close to the middle. My position is shown in the screenshot that follows:

Yeah, so, I'm not really anything like any of them. It's not a big deal, but if you look at most successful politicians, you'd notice that most of them are well above my line, and most are even well above the X axis. So this proves I'll most likely never be successful in politics... not that I didn't know that already...

2004-10-22T01:33:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 5

Death of Che Guevara

Man, I swear, somebody at the Sci-Fi channel read my rant about them and decided to start showing Quantum Leap every morning at 2:00A.M. just to shut me up. Believe you me I am up watching it pretty much every day. I don't think it's normal to get as excited about the episodes as I do, either, but I don't care. It's such a great show. The one that's on now is the one where Sam gets dragged back into the life of Jimmy and discovers another Leaper. It's greatness. I love this show...

2004-10-16T03:00:00.001-05:00

Item of Interest Number 4

I Just Want to be Friends

Today be's mah sistah's birfday, ya dig? So, I'm taking her to Salem MA, per usual. We do it pretty much every year. Sure, it's usually the same old corny thing every year, but so is life. We will most likely get good and drunk later on, too. I'm already pretty well off at the moment...

Came across the cover to my Tupac Resurrection CD, but of course the CD wasn't in it. I guess it too got stolen. So, I lost about twenty CDs in the last car break in. I wish people in this city weren't such assholes. I wish I would stop leaving my CDs in friends cars. Somebody yesterday was like "Maybe your friends are all trying to scam you out of your CDs...?" Yeah, ok, so they go through these elaborate schemes, break their own windows, destroy their own center consoles, and scratch the shit out og their car to get a few hundred dollars in CDs. Yeah, that makes a whole fuck-load of sense. If they wanted the shit that badly, I'll say that I'd probably just give them to 'em if they asked. I mean, that's just plain crazy...

2004-10-06T00:04:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 3

The Website of Pete and Pete

Does anyone remember when the Sci-Fi network used to be cool? I used to be able to leave it on for hours and hours and not get sick of it. They had great shows like Sightings, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Friday the 13th the Series, and Quantum Leap. Now they have Farscape, Star Trek, Stargate, and Star-Star-Star. Sure, they show Quantum Leap every third Wednesday of every fifth month in which the first Friday falls on an even day, but how does that help? I saw a MST:3K repeat twice in the past six months, and both of those were due to happenstance. There's no predictability to their schedule. I mean, they need to restructure. They're losing viewers so they do what? They create another lame original series or two. They need to bring back some of the old-school stuff. Somebody needs to. Things like 'Tales from the Crypt' and 'VR5'. Also, they can start picking up cancelled shows from the past and making new episodes. Not, like, series type stuff, but story oriented things like like 'Night visions' and 'Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction'. That would be cool. Man, I need tons of money or control of a major network. I know what my fellow obscurists want. Sure, the fact that there are a very, very limited number of obscurists in the world comes in to play, but I think we deserve to have at least something besides the fancy title, the odd looks from the 'normal' people of society, and the constant hearing of "You actually like that!?"...

Ok, so if you're anyone outside of the people I interact with on a mostly-daily basis, you probably aren't familiar with Obscurism. I would think not, since I invented it. Well, not 'invented' it, because it's a lifestyle, so it sort of already existed, I just gave it a name and rules and I tell people that I invented it. Well, it was based on stuff I do, so I guess I deserve as much credit as anybody. Yeah...

2004-10-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 2

"Doc" Holliday

I have gathered from interactions with people and reading reviews and whatnot that I seem to be of a very select few that 'get' what Travis Morrison is doing on the Travistan album. I am of an even more select few that actually enjoy it. Most Plan fans are quite angry at him. I hope he's quite angry at most Plan fans. The ones I talked to were all expecting to hear a recreation of the D-Plan. Instead, it's a more 'folky', minimalist approach. Not to say there's not a ton of stuff going on here, but he was right to say it compares to The Beatles 'White Album': it's a departure. One most Plan fans didn't want to take. Cries of "He butchered 'Born in 72'!" were quite common when he released the MP3 on his site about a year ago. "I hope this isn't what his album is going to be like..." was another one. Well, it wasn't. It didn't seem to help that the rest of the album is different, though, because as a whole, the album is 'different'. I'm sure many Plan fans herald "Change" (a nod to the last new D-Plan album of the same name, most likely) as a sign that he's 'still got it', it being that Plan vibe. I think that's a bit misleading. I personally think that song was either intentionally written as an 'homage' or it was written shortly after the end of The Plan. Sure, he's still got what made The Plan so unique, but come on, we know he burnt himself out on it. It's not like the Plan 'broke-up' because of in-fights or bad blood, they just exhausted their avenue. It happens. He's not going to be putting out much Plan like stuff because he's most likely sick of it. He's not 'moving on' so much as he 'already has moved on'. He's not intentionally straying from sounding like The Plan, he just doesn't. I understand that it's hard to accept, because it means that The Plan really is 'over', but that's how it is. You have to let go. Admonishing him because he has the ability to move on isn't going to get you anywhere...

2004-10-02T21:37:00.000-05:00

Item of Interest Number 1

The Zapruder Film

Bought a new cord. Cost me $26.99. Seems like a strange (and slightly large) amount. Bought another one of those damn '1/4 to '1/8 stereo adapters. Didn't lose this one. Lets see how long that lasts. The pedal works fine, which kicks ass. Blah. Bored...

Talked to my friend B-Do last night. Haven't talked to him in a while. He was wondering if I wanted to hang sometime. "Hell yeah". Everyone I've been hanging with sucks, so I pretty much haven't hung out with too many people in a bit. It's always cool hanging out with him, though. We go way back. If he didn't move out to the boondocks of Orange, we'd probably be hanging out still. I don't know when he's coming back this way next, but hopefully it's sometime soon...

Messing around with 'Sound Recorder' because I foolishly deleted Cakewalk Studio a while back. D'oh. At least I know everything works. Very cool. I'll probably enlist the help of Johnny Depp to get a new copy of Cakewalk. Sounds like a plan. Of course, I suck, which means I shouldn't record anything anyway. It never stopped me before, but still...

2004-10-01T21:44:00.000-05:00

Who Does J0E really want for president? Part 5

1. Dinosaur Doug
2. Bill Dodge
3. John Wozniak
4. Pat Kilbane

Found my Boss 'Hyper Metal' HM-3 pedal yesterday. I guess it didn't get stolen, although I never remember bringing it back home or hiding it away in a box in my attic. Crazy. I haven't been able to use it yet because I gave my extra cord to a friend thinking I wouldn't need it yet. D'oh. Also found my ghetto midi-sampler, but not my kick-ass midi controller/sequencer. The sampler only has three octaves to it, and it sounds really really strange, but still, it's pretty cool that at least a few things didn't get stolen. I think I'm going to pick up a new cord tomorrow and see if this thing works. I mean, it 'works' as in 'it turns on', but I wonder if it still makes sound. It's been so long since I've used it, I hope it's not broken or anything. That'd suck. I mean, it's rare now and I'm a fan of it. Everyone's been telling me to 'get an MT-2 or a DS-1 instead' (not even 'in addition to', the assholes), but I don't know, I like this thing...

Other than that, nothing...

2004-09-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

Found a small leaflet for The Perception Engine while cleaning my room. It's actually rather amusing. It says "Hailing from the ghetto-hard streets of Lowell MA, The Perception Engine is here to kick your face in and kill your mother. Playing a 'hardcore' mix of experimental alt rock and jangling 80's new wave, TPE strives to shatter the bounds of 'bad music'". Heh. There was another slightly larger leaflet thing with a crazy 'press-package' sound to it, but it's mostly crap and not really worth reprinting entirely. One thing I found rather funny was "Some have compared TPE to 'Travis Morrison (The Dismemberment Plan) under the influence of a mind-altering, talent-lowering substance'". Heh...

Finished The Dark Tower. Depressing ending. Much like life...

The neighbors came down again today to yell at me for playing guitar. Well, not yell at me, but they said it was vibrating their floor. Idiots. I mean, sure, this time it was up much louder than it was last time, but it was at 3PM. What could they need to be doing at 3PM that would require silence? Watch TV, maybe, but they could turn it up. I don't complain when they pretty much bowl on my ceiling and constantly re-arrange furniture, which is odd enough because they only have one couch and a TV stand, really...

So, other than that, nothing. Life is boring. Very boring...

2004-09-25T22:25:00.000-05:00

Got the book the other day. Got really really drunk last night, so I didn't read it. Started reading it earlier, but things kept coming up. Grrr. I'd read it tonight, but I'm pretty tired already. I know, it's so damn early. Crazy...

So very bored. Haven't done anything of interest in the past... 21 years or so. It's not much fun, but what is? Returned a few DVDs to Blockbuster today and got the dirtiest look from the chick behind the counter. I was like "What!? Do I have a swastika tattooed on my forehead or something?" and she just sneered. Yeah, I love people...

So, I'm getting $175.00 for this horrifying intranet designing I did for the past five months. Yeah, five months of coding, design, mapping, set-up, AD support, network troubleshooting, and massive plastic hassle net you a cool $175.00 and three credits when you're in the wonderful world of college work-credit experience at a ghetto community college for a class you're not even sure you really want. I don't know what I want. That seems to be my problem. That, and I'm an ugly loser, but that's beside the point...

2004-09-23T01:06:00.000-05:00

Blah. I've got so many of these blog-type things floating around. It's insanity, I tells ya. So many a site, so little to write...

So, on Friday I'm going to pick up the new Stephen King book. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower. The final book in the series. Man, my stomach aches with anticipation. I mean, it's all coming to an end. The book series I've devoted thirteen years of my life to. Man, it's almost depressing. Not just the fact that I've devoted thirteen years of my life to some books, but the fact that, after they end, what am I to devote my life to? It's the same thing when I'm actually reading a good book for the first time, too. I can't wait to see how it turns out, and yet I wish it would never end. The end of a good book is always so bittersweet. Afterward, it's like "Now what...?". I don't know, I'm crazy...

Been looking at guitars like crazy. My god, save me, I saw something associated with both Korn and Ibanez and I actually wanted to purchase it. I'm talking about the K7 guitar. Man, aside from the "factory set 'A' tuning", that thing is actually quite a sweet machine. It pains me to admit it, really. Sure, it's no coral Gibson SG-X, but few things are. Other things of interest are the Eric Clapon Strat, the Peter Frampton Les Paul, and the Springsteen Classic '52 Telecaster. Sure, there are a lot more, but I'm lazy...

JJ is a sexy, sexy beast. I mean, damn. It's uncanny, it is...

2004-09-20T22:47:00.000-05:00

Talked to a friend about doing some musical crap together. No idea what's going to come of it. Nobody ever wants to do the same kind of stuff I want to do. Probably because I never really have a precise grasp of what it is I actually want to do. I don't know, it's hard to explain...

Other than that, nothing. Things have been going slowly 'round these parts. Wanted to go to the Travis Morrison show the other day, but nobody would go with me. I would've liked to go with Jenna, but she's still acting all weird and I haven't talked to her in a bit. I don't know, I'm insane...

2004-09-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

Who Does J0E really want for president? Part 4

1. Michael J. Fox
2. Kevin Smith
3. Burt Reynolds
4. Brian O'Halloran

So, found the guitar I want... on E-bay. Ugh. Of all the rotten luck, it's... on E-bay. I loath... E-bay. Not only that, but it's going to run me $560.30 to take home. That's more than $130.00 over the price I was told at Guitar World. Damnation. No stores around me carry it, either. Bastards. I put my name on all these watch lists, but I doubt anything will come of that. I so badly want this guitar and I know I'm not going to get it. Damnation. I think I may end up just buying another bass. I got lucky last time when I just walked into the store with nothing in mind. I found a perfect one. I should do that again. Whenever I go in looking for something, it's never there. D'oh...

I could always buy the cheapest bass possible and buy a few pedals and whatnot. I still need a gating pedal. Maybe some kind of wacky wah-wah pedal or something. I don't know, I can barely play as it is. Both as in skill and as in the actual possibility to pick up a guitar and use it. My neighbors complained last week that I was playing 'too loud, too late'. I think it was on volume '4' at seven on a Saturday. Yeah, some people suck...

2004-09-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

Who Does J0E really want for president? Part 3

1. Stephen Stills
2. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
3. JJ
4. Travis Morrison
5. Jabez Gatson

‘Clerks’ DVD Inspires Kevin Smith To Write A Sequel. Came online to that staring me in the face. I thought it was some kind of joke. Apparently not. Sure, the name "The Passion of the Clerks" is a bit hokey... ok, a very large bit hokey, it is still the greatest news I've read in a long while. Anderson and O'Halloran were both "hesitant to sign" at first? My guess would be because of the title. I mean, sure, they're both doing their own things now (I still need to see Jeff Andersons movie "Now You Know"), but this is something they have to come back to. I mean, it started it all. The only other reason I could see is because they were afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype. Clerks was a revolutionary film. Still is, really. If Clerks 2 ended up sucking, it'd tarnish the image, the characters, and the way of life Clerks established. I know I'm kind of afraid of that, myself. I mean, Jersey Girl didn't look good. It looked terrible. Sure, I may be judging it even though I haven't seen it, but I've never seen the Hiroshima bombing, and I'm sure it wasn't no super-happy fun time, either. I still want to see it, just because, but I don't have high hopes. Of course, I never do, so there is that...

Probably going to buy a guitar, like, this week. If I can find one I like. More specifically, the Coral Gibson SG-X I have been carrying a torch for since forever. I wonder if anywhere within a twenty mile radius will have one. I doubt it. Still, it's worth a shot. I've got nothing better to do...

2004-09-07T00:51:00.000-05:00

Back from the dead, incase you forgot. It's not like many people read this anyway. So, Jenna came over the other night. She was normal for about fifteen seconds. Then, she started telling her sob story. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind listening to her. I'd like to think I'm not the most insensitive person in the world, but I mean, it gets to be a bit much. She started going into how she's "sick of being alone" and all this jazz. Yeah, like I'm just some piece of chopped liver or something? It makes me feel great that you come to me crying that you're sick of being alone. So, am I supposed to comfort her? Tell her she's not alone? Yeah, so she can use me? No dice, pal. I like Jenna and all, but I draw a line at losing my dignity (the little that remains of it, I mean). I'll be there for her when she needs me, but not if that's the only time she'll want me around. I may be horribly ugly, but that doesn't mean I'm a sellout. I think she was, like, mad at me. Yeah, mad. At me. For not caring enough, or something. She was all like "Stop acting as if you hate me" and stuff. Ah, yeah, when you stop acting as if you're using me. Sitting there and crying to me about how you don't want to be alone? What do you want me to do, run out and find a guy for you? Jesus, man, I'm willing to accept that there is no way in hell she likes me the way I like her, and I'm not upset with that (I understand. I mean, look at me, I'm ugly), but I draw the line at handing her off to the opposing team. You're sick of being alone, I'm here. If that's not enough, then I can't help you. Don't get mad at me for not going out of my way to make you happy. I don't even do that for myself...

2004-08-18T07:43:00.000-05:00

So, yeah, I found something online that mentions the coral pink (labeled 'Coral Coral') SG-X that Travis Morrison used to own and I didn't even need a guitar spotter to find it. $700 big ones, list price. So, I'm sure I can find it within twenty miles for about... hmmm... $700.00 dollars or so. Heh. Ok, so the guitar shops around here rip me off. Not a big deal, really. So, anyone who wants to hand me about $735.00 dollars, feel free to do so. Heh. I could sell my guitar for like, probably $100 bucks, tops, and that'd have to be to some freak or something. Heh. Well I did put new strings on it.

Below is a picture of the guitar in question:

2004-08-17T14:16:00.000-05:00

So, yeah, I'm finally getting this thing off the ground. I guess. It'll probably be slow in the getting. No idea. So, my 'band', Dirty Twins, are officially defunct. Suckness. Keeping the name, as is my style. I need a new guitar. My ghetto-ass Raptor EXP "special" (exactly how it's "special" is unknown to me) isn't cutting it anymore. Sure, I love it to death, but it's a destructive relationship. I wanted one like Travis Morrison from the Dismemberment Plan. I know, I know, he used many guitars, but I think you all know the one I'm talking about. It was pink and looked like a Gibson SG, but what kind of SG is unknown to me, man. Some sort of custom deal? A "special"? Suckness. I need to find a guitar spotter out here that can look at a partial picture of it and identify it. Of course, locating one of the guitars is probably even harder than locating a spotter for one. Paying for it harder still. I guess I'm stuck with my EXPs. I mean, at least it plays, right? If I could get a gating pedal, maybe that would take out some of the high-end treble and buzz and whatnot. Better pickups would help, too. Heck, a better guitar would sol... oh wait, that's where I was at to begin with. Peace...