Taking the act on the road.

Tonight, we had our meeting of the minds. Mr. Heller was teleconferenced, of course.

This is how the shit breaks down, according to my feeble notes:

12/31 - Grand Junction, CO

1/1 - Salt Lake City or Provo, UT

1/2 - San Francisco, CA (confirmed)

1/3 - Bakersfield, CA (confirmed)

1/4 - Ventura, CA (confirmed)

1/5 - San Diego, CA (confirmed?)

1/6 - Phoenix, AZ (confirmed? - Mikey's Birthday!)

1/7 - Albuquerque, NM (confirmed?)

1/8 - Pueblo or Colorado Springs or Denver, CO

I'm in charge of getting contact info for the possible New Year's Eve show. No problem, except that I'm really awkward on the telephone with Jen in particular. Throwing the goat just isn't the same on the telephone. I need to fix my one sheet incarnation. Basically, I've incorporated the band's name, the release's name, and the needed graphic into one object. I totally stole it from the t-shirt. I only had a crummy version of that graphic, so the font is different.

Danzig 4 is the background music tonight. I like the big production on this record. Especially the spooky guitars.

I fixed the water treatment plant today. Dumbass engineers ain't got shit on Texas farmboys. Unfortunately, I activated one equalization tank's pump, thinking that the other tank's pump would work. I got covered in the diesel-y water while trying to jeremy-rig the float switches in the second tank. What a mess. So I smell like a truck stop.

Time for a shower. Diesel causes pimples and itchy.

the foetid orifice

is back.

lame. lame. lame.

today's trip to cheyenne (i can hardly wait) ought to be really fun.

Nitwit communicates with aliens.

Last night the cat woke me at 2 am communicating with aliens.

She was making these ungodly sounds that I didn't know that a cat could make. I wish that I had a tape recorder at my bedside for that one. It sounded wicked as hell.

I told her to "shut the fuck up," and she did. Then, she sat on my face.

I love cats.

I'd better get that tape recorder set up just in case the aliens come back tonight.

As much of a pain that she can be, she's my special (retarded?) girl. I love her.

Chucks and other woes (heavy--please don't read)

so, i've been becoming re-acquianted with my "roots," thanks to the soulseek. downloading tapes that got eaten by that damn kenwood deck in the chevy. lots and lots of the black metal (what the fuck is that anyway?!?). because chuck schuldiner and death were huge to me back in the day, i thought that i'd see what those guys were up to these days. spiritual healing is a truly heavy record. tune down to d, and anything sounds heavy. sabbath has them beat, though; c# because the guitarist doesn't have fingers rocks.

chuck schuldiner is dead. wow. he was sick, apparently. so, i had to find out why. i knew that he smoked (with a voice like that?!?) and used the drugs.

it appears that he had a brain stem tumor. fuck, man. and he couldn't have been that old. it really puts things into perspective. i figured that he'd had lung cancer. i feel guilty not re-purchasing his music. i'll have to do something to rectify that.

an amazing rock stick player, that's for sure.

speaking of which, matt called me tonight, and we're supposed to have a meeting of the bands tomorrow night. i don't know how i'll get my hands on a copy of the cd for them. maybe one of my band mates will help. i can always burn one, i suppose.

and chuck called me. he's actually really an okay guy. i let on that i was sorry that i haven't been coping well lately a couple of days ago via email. last week in bed felt so much better than dealing with anything, though. i've been going to pieces (like i did at paris) regularly. chuck has someone that he's going to refer me to. i can't believe that he understands. funny, how you meet people that will help you (or try), even if they hardly know you. i hope that this helps.

basically, i'm miserable all the time. i don't think that the job is helping this matter. however, i HAVE a job, and a great band (according to some people, anyway). i (for some reason) don't go out on 'dates' with girls that i'm interested in. i'm young (sort of--a confirmed gray hair this morning). i have friends, but...

i don't think that they get it.

shit, i don't get it. there's no rational reason for me to be on the verge of a breakdown all the time. maybe i ought to throw rational man in the lake.

stress?!? that's a weak excuse. i don't know, i'm seriously not having a hell of a good time, really, and i think that i should be. or, at least not a miserable time.

matt says that bob wants to come on the tour anyway. he might as well play drums for us. matt confirmed my suspicion that bob would be a good fit with us. if bob is down, we three dudes are voting for it.

on a lighter note, i've been playing along with the black metal and the grindcore, and i've decided that it's ridiculous to ever play with a pick again. so much slower than finger-style at this point. who'd have thunk?

My station wagon rocks!

Two items that make it rock:

Positraction

Skinny Tires

And the grindcore.

Maybe I'm evil, but this is pretty funny, too!

Old guys and mp3 players

today, mahoney called and wanted to know about ipods of all damn things.

explaining mp3s to old people is really hard. i finally got through, by explaining that it's a file, just like on the cd player, except smaller.

this is an old man with lots of jazz 78s, so i don't know if i made any sense to him.

it's cold, and i don't want to go to work tomorrow.

Totally Awesome

I totally wanted to use this

for my profile photo, but it's simply too much.

but this is pretty cool.

A Spinal Tap Moment

Now I have a reason to be depressed. It's good that I've spent the last 4 days in bed.

Do we know any drummers that want to rock with us?

Maybe a cute girl with big tits? Maybe not.

Who'd have thought that the curse of the Tap would fuck with the cloud? Drummer attrition is a major setback.

So much for our unfuckwithable new lineup.

Pink Floyd 'Wall' Kids Want Royalties

I've wondered about this before

Bored out of my skull

4 days of lethargy is as bad as going "shopping." i've been organizing my filesystem, so that i can find some stuff. i suppose that i can label cds.

i've been listening to mozart operas. i still like the requiem mass the best as far as mozart goes.

Denver's Premier Live Rock Band

is this as funny to everyone else as it is to me?

i think that it may be time to make this a satanic blog.

8 string bitch bass

make a statement without playing a note

mini-nosferatu

andrew didn't look so great last night. i think that i may have awakened him, so that i could return his precious cymbals of doom, and recover the black bass.

he looked rather pale.

but, he seemed stoked for the disc release show. he really can't stand to miss it. i love him.

the rock with tito went really well. i think that a drummer is a needed item now. i can't progress much without knowing what's going on there. tito plays in a really busy way. i think that it's just the result of his' playing these songs solo. i'm hoping that he'll not feel the need to rock the bottom so much. i'd love to stick him in front of a couple mics with a nylon stringed rock stick.

this morning, i felt really ugly again.

bloggin' format

i'm attempting to standardize the format of posts in a platform-independent fashion.

it's lame that i have to succumb to the man at work.

not now playing...

i'm attempting to coerce the XMMS to post to the sidebar, so that y'all can see what i'm rocking. i think that i'm too drunk to code tonight.

i spoke with matt, who's back from tour. i'm a real sonofabitch for waking him up.

marie sounded much more lively than she did last time we spoke.

the evil ryan brown and i IMed tonight. like, wow, man. actually, he seems like a decent guy. at least he had the balls to masquerade.

tonight, i think that i'll watch a western.

OKCupid! presents: The Alcoholism Test

Your alcoholism index is 100%

Hemingway was a brutal alcoholic, yet surprisingly productive. But the bad news: he's dead and it appears you, too, have a serious drinking problem. While this test is for entertainment only (LOL, haha, etc.), we do recommend you have yourself checked out. Checked in. Whatever. Please don't drink and drive.

This test is not admissable in court.

Marimba Lumina

i can't believe that i had an opportunity to talk about this last night.

i want one

much like a modular synth, or bass cabs, size does matter to me.

give your children to god?!?

Texas' Family and Protective Services says mother gave hint before killing baby

so lame

What up, pups.....

#1: I need 1 strong, local power metal (or close ) to open for Phantom-X
(former members of Omen and TYR) on Jan 27th. This is an exposure gig little
or no $$ involved. If you bring 100 people you get some cash, bring thirty,
I hope your gas tanks full. I need a band that slays suckers and has a good
draw. This will be a great show, even on a Monday.

#2: I need two young and hungry bands to open for Magna-FI on Jan 17th. If
you heard of them you know. Again: exposure gig if you draw well you'll get
paid if you only bring two people get to stepping.

why does this jackass keep emailing us? i'm going to have to get hostile.

cds are in!

received from chuck:

yep, they're all in and look great. one thing though, there are 2 lines
missing that separate the song titles on the back and one in the insert. i
swear they were in the proofs and i think jeremy would have noticed if they
were missing as well. so, sorry about that but whatever. we'll still take
over the world.

so i guess it's a mighty rim situation. i feel like an ass.

oh well, the OTC is making my morning mood.

makes me proud to call myself "human"

Texas Woman Charged with Severing Baby's Arms

Hunting rage: Wis. dispute leaves 5 dead

Chernobyl to blame for the skyrocketing number of cancer cases

Officer says he 'confirmed kill' of Gaza girl

wrong!

yeah--that didn't work, but i think that i'm onto something.

trying to make this new template do what i want it to isn't working. it's a little on the stark side for the time being.

work is getting entirely abusive. i'm clenching my teeth and apparently looking distressed. i have too much shit happening through february. i'll be stoked to hit the road in january. if i don't have a stroke before then, i'll be all set.

tonight, dinner is asparagus. meal planning sucks.

a light bulb

i think that i've got a solution for my 'invention.'

i'll have to experiment tonight.

outstanding! the blog-o-rama is cooperating.

hell of a show last night. unfortunately, ross and i were the only two people that could hear our sawyers' siren songs.

i actually felt entirely comfortable on stage for the first time in a long time. it's all about confidence and persistance.

so, i'm now playing "jeremy the inventor." i had to shoot an email to Julian Koster. he's the only person that i can think might have attempted this madness. i have more appreciation for what he does after today's investment in another musical device. the closest shit to my "invention" is this:

it seems cheesy, though. there's got to be a more groovy way. i've been pouring over those NMH live videos to see if i can tell the setup. i know that their using marshall 2x12 combos for something. and what is that harmonica thing that julian is blowing on? (i think that it's a $1500 double bass harmonica--sheesh) he appears to be switching pedals with his face at one point (insane live lunacy). the videos aren't helping, but i'm getting my fix. hopefully, Tito's mad scientist will have a brilliant idea. i'm reading lots of technical specs on piezo-electric ribbon transducers.

understanding how the motherfucker makes sound (what vibrates) should help. seriously, i've seen electrified trombones, saxophones--if those can work, i can make an electric saw. that's a funny, funny term.

electric knife, anyone? my mom has invited me to thanksgiving, but i think that i've blogged that. electric anything is cool.

Electricity--it can hurt you.
--jeff magnum on one of these silly bootlegs, after getting shocked by a microphone.

nitwit is not a fan of the new musical device. it makes the sounds that it's supposed to, though.

i had to ask banjo bob if he would be into playing with us. he was floored. really, it ain't that special. what IS special, is that guy's musicianship. we've wanted a piano player for ages, and that didn't work out, but this dude seriously is capable of doing whatever, and he doesn't seem to be on drugs.

ross is on my side for this, i think. i'm thinking with some work arranging, we can use him to play those parts that i hear in my head. probably on the new stuff, i'd suppose.

i'm not too keen on bands with too many members, though. so, i'm a little conflicted about my drunken brainstorm.

andrew warner is a hardcore mother-fucker, and lacks good sense. i wouldn't have played a rock show with a hernia.

afterwards, i watched the tarmints. i didn't feel the bass like i usually do. maybe xandy was slacking (more likely fatigued), or i'm going deaf. the bright channel also lacked the fundament. both bands tore their shit up, though.

i hope that we rattled things adequately.

there were lots of angry people because we apparently started early. fuck 'em. they ought to have come early to see the other GREAT fucking acts. i mean, seriously, Tom M. was there.

anyhow, we apparently blew damien's mind. while he totally sucked the cloud's dick, i smiled and nodded, and managed to locate ms. mary, who had come down to see us, and actually caught the whole set.

"i like to watch you when you play."

more on that another time.

i think that my weepy shit is over for the moment.

i left the lights on in the car today. it's a good thing that i didn't have to be anywhere. i still have the cymbals, though. tomorrow, i'll go down and trade andrew for my bass so i can rock with tito on tuesday.

This doesn't really show anything for scale--those trees are huge, and no one was on the bridge. It was just me and my waterfall--Multnomah Falls.

i think that this job is killing me slowly

i love that it's interesting, and the pay is alright. my coworkers are actually respecting me at this point, which is a double-edged sword. too much work. "jeremy will do a great job." nevermind that i'm still inefficient at this shit. i don't like the stress, my cat doesn't like the travel, and i really don't like the stress-related illness.

at least i'm not having the hives again, yet. i'll resign if that happens. nothing is worth that miserable existance. i think that my GI tract has hives (or another defect), though.

oh well, i can cope with the pain, with enough liquor.

i did get a job offer, though. i don't think that it will allow for the rock at all, so i'm not really considering it seriously.

a little known dream (shot down by my pragmatic parents) is that i really just want to play bass for people on an as-needed basis. i've wanted this since i discovered bass (14). getting close to fufilling this one, it seems. you guitar players just need to pay my rent, and i'll do it.

this blog is totally either me whining about girls, or health problems. totally lame.

it looks like we will be lacking the false power on saturday

i'm really really considering being a tamborine player for the night. no drums is like sinful to me. i want to do a show with a full kit, electric bass, appropriate lead guitar, acoustic guitars, slide, harmonica, 2 saws, and the red cloud goth chick chorus (los bastardes interior). funny that marie is the only girl...

i'm worried about my boys, a lot. jason's recent trials and andrew's ill heath are really bothering me. i really ought to focus on my own scarey bloody stuff. i wish that i could express my feelings and not be a pussy.

i think that this is a bunch of hooey

CD Review: Red Cloud (Self-titled)
Not Bad Records
www.redcloudrock.com
Reviewed by Russ Christiansen

There was a time circa 1982 when alternative/college radio was the home of underground artists with names like Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. Yep, I heard them played side by side with The Clash. So, how far of a stretch could it be for some younger emo-indie stalwarts in Denver who set out to create their own Nebraska styled album? Apparently, it was not as much of a stretch as I thought it might be. Bleak, raw emotion, rootsy guitar tones, and spacious haunting vocal melodies wrap around lyrics and deliver me somewhere else. But it does not sound like Springsteen’s Nebraska or anything else I have heard. Lyrically, Grant Lee Buffalo and Neutral Milk Hotel come to mind. Never heard of these bands? Well, neither had I, so relax. Liner notes and a somewhat reliable confidant who plays bass for a band here in Denver told me that it is so. The lyrics are what drive the music, and they work hard. A pregnant pause is a powerful tool. Words jump out of sparseness and bleakness, punctuate and complete the imagery. This band knows how to use space effectively.

Overall, I personally find this one of the most enticing & original sounding albums to grace my CD tray this year. (And not in the annoyingly unlistenable nature that bands sometimes confuse with creating “original sounding music”.) A desert or great plains midnight drive with this CD providing the soundtrack is now on my ‘to do’ list. In summary, it feels like classic Tom Waits and The Boss in their darker years, but somehow embodies the best of what is fresh. I hope it influences other artists afraid of admitting they were drawn to the stark realness of some mature and often overlooked influential artists. I have seen this band live, and they deliver on stage equally well. Check out their CD release show at the Hi-Dive on December 17th and get yourself a copy.

still, i think that it's a nice gesture. this dude might be getting it, or not. he liked Tom's "soundscapes" bit, which i stole ages ago for the title of the homepage. i don't think that i've ever thanked him.

thanks, Tom.

i still think that it's neo-classic rock. nothing new here, except maybe our latest collective recording experiment. that shit will blow minds (or, i think that it should). i really like working with the additional musicians. i wish that i (personally) didn't have such an aversion to using that many people live. speaking of which, that Brian Wilson documentary thing really impressed me. his band is a bunch of much younger people that really are getting it.

i'll have to explain that term sometime. for now, i'll just say that it is beauty.

This is why I was really in Oregon

Looking at ASTs, pipes, pumps, gauges. The noteworthy thing about this one is the the dispensing nozzle is equipped with a venturi-actuated automatic shutoff. Also note that the dispensing nozzle is locked to preclude potential outward flow of the contents of the tank.

Waterfall
Nothing can harm me at all
My worries seem so very small
With my waterfall

I can see
My rainbow calling me
Through the misty breeze
Of my waterfall

Some people say
Daydreaming's for all the
Lazy minded fools
With nothin' else to do
So let them laugh, laugh at me
So just as long as I have you
To see me through
As long as I have you

Waterfall
Don't ever change your ways
Fall with me for a million days
Oh, my waterfall

I'M BACK!

if foetid orifice is ross' grindcore sideproject, mine is hemo-fecal. i'm still really ill.

mike d wanted me to play a solo show with him tonight. what a huge compliment! a little weird that all YOU guitar players ask me to play your songs.

maybe i'm doing something right, though.

nitwit came unglued when i got home. like 30 minutes of screaming at me. i picked her up, and she just purred. she's supposed to struggle. i think that she had too much alone time, just like me.

my mom called me several times while i was in portland. she's really excited about me doing thanksgiving with her. i wish that i had a date for it, so she'll back off about the girl situation.

i looked for the phone booth from 'night of the living rednecks,' but i couldn't find it. i cruised up and down burnside looking for a kentuky fried chicken, a fred meyer, and a phone booth. how lame is that??? ain't it lame that my pligrimage to oregon included such a quest?

SO I THREW THE ROCK! ...AND PUT A NICE-SIZED DENT IN THEIR GIANT HOT WHEELS CAR!

i love that.

i saw the pacific ocean for the first time today. (down by the seaside--love that record!) i was all freaked out at it. as it came after me, i put my free hand (the one without the camera) down, petted it, and said (i'm not kidding) "nice pacific ocean."

photos of the trip will probably go up in the next post.

The "nice Pacific Ocean" near Seaside.

crud. now i'm really scared. fuck it. i'll be tough and hope that things aren't as serious as they seem.

every man's battle

i heard this dude on the christian radio last night (this morning) while cruising to la grande. he talked about dopamine levels and shit. i don't know what to think. he says that men need to condition themselves to "bounce their eyes" so that they don't check out chicks.

try having a psycho girlfriend--that'll condition you out of looking at chicks.

seriously, a light bulb went on and i realized that i do that, without even thinking about it.

i need to objectify women more.

i had a truly groovy experience today.

i feel recharged.

no tears.

i'll post more once i get back to civilization, and have a USB cable for the camera of doom.

i like pretty.

there's a cool special on brian wilson on tv tonight--at least something good is on.

jason is the only person that would appreciate the 7-11 dinner tonight.

it rains in oregon--unfortunately, i don't have that beatles song (blows my mind) with me.

modular recording process???? like, wtf, dude?

a 17 hour day.

this is apparently "smile: the making of"

fabulous!

last night's rock was alright. too fast on the fast. brilliant on the slow. recording those slow-ones was a great exercise for us. i'm thrilled that we brought friends in. i hope that the rest of the band digs the help. ross has some nickname for them in the thank yous. i want to give them performance credit.

i'm still fuming about that speaker. maybe i won't sell it, instead, unload a shotgun at it. lame equipment is something that makes me flip out.

at least i'm not all weepy today. yesterday was fucking painful to get through.

and i get to go to mom's for barbequed venison--totally bizarre.

nitwit is playing in a paper sack, which is quite an amusing thing to say. i think that she's losing weight, too.

Local club's liquor license under review
Matt Benson
Coloradoan staff
Fort Collins Coloradoan

Apparent drug overdose is latest in series of incidents at The Starlight
B MATTHEW BENSON

MattBenson@coloradoan.com

A string of incidents has left The Starlight booze-free until Nov. 22.

Municipal Judge Kathleen Lane has suspended the concert venue's liquor license until a hearing that day to review legal problems that have hit the club in the past couple weeks.

Most recently, police and paramedics responded at 9 p.m. Friday to an emergency call at the club, 167 N. College Ave., where they found James Sargent, husband of club owner Melissa Laugen, not breathing and without a heartbeat. Sargent was taken to the hospital.

"All I can say at this point is it appears to be a drug overdose," said Fort Collins police spokeswoman Rita Davis.

Officers who responded to the emergency call found Sargent in an office at The Starlight. A search of the office revealed "a metal spoon with what appeared to be heroin residue," according to court records. Sargent also had a small baggie in his pocket that tested positive for the presence of cocaine.

He told an officer that "he had been injecting drugs at The Starlight when he became dizzy," according to court records.

The apparent overdose was just the latest of several incidents at the club.

On Oct. 30, The Starlight was cited for illegal possession and consumption of marijuana within the premises. That same day, it is alleged the club violated the city's smoking ordinance, which prohibits smoking in a place of employment.

Around 2 a.m. Friday, The Starlight allegedly violated the Colorado Liquor Code by refusing entry to Fort Collins police.

The emergency call for the possible drug overdose came roughly 19 hours later.

Depending on the outcome of the Nov. 22 hearing, the club's liquor license could be reinstated, suspended for a greater length of time or revoked altogether.

Laugen bought the Starlight in August from Eric David Rabinowitz.

Rabinowitz, 29, was accused of sexual assault in June. He is due back in court Friday for possible disposition.

Interested?

A hearing to discuss recent incidents at The Starlight and its liquor license has been scheduled for Nov. 22. The hearing will be at 1:30 p.m. in municipal court, 201 LaPorte Ave.

fuck. another one bites the dust. I was just talking yesterday about this sort of stuff.

last night's session was pretty cool, but not without a major malfunction of my bass rig. this morning, i have to write a letter to SWR to tell them that i think their product sucks. i was totally flipping out, and disassembled the cabinet to find that they don't actually solder the wires to the speaker. ross helped me be holding up the crossover while i reconnected and tightened the thumbscrews (!?!?!?!) that hold the hot wire in the terminal. they're going to have a hard time trying to explain this one to me. bass cabs fucking vibrate, and this is the stupidest application for thumbscrews ever devised.

i'm in need of a smallish ampeg cab for cheap. ampeg has never fucked me (and they send me strings).

yeah---i'm buoyant tonight, motherfucker.

when you move, i'll follow. we'll require a saw player (hopefully i can seduce one), a horn section (yeah, i'll seduce one of them, too).

the moment that changed my live was on osage, and oddly those fucking noise notes at the beginning of SAS.

fucking blew my mind.

a whole 'nother world. glad that we're following the tradition--7 south and such. i need you to hear those 'legs from that stage.

we ought to coerce robert to find his "whoa, man, you're an artist" friend, to contribute to RC2. he can jerk off on tape, and my life will be complete. this may seem weird to a lot of you, but he's the JL of gen-x, and no one knows.

whoa. can't believe that i'm trasheeed enough to bust a move old-school.

comment, bitches....this is what the so-called (calling you all out) is about. i'm sorry for the open letter to rizzy above.

i'm fucking thrasheed, kids.

tonight, i busted out some ultra violent shenanigans on Iann. she was utterly unphased.

such an amazing girl.

also, we talked of the aeroplane. i have a convert. i love the saws. jeff magnum is amazing. if you don't him, you are a moron.

how the notes all bend and reachable?

the tree.

two saws at the last show build me up. listening to NHM i feel weak.

what a beautiful face, i have found in this place, that is circling all 'round the sun!

thank you, JM, RE, for changing my life, and bringing me to tears at will.

i saw that this is one of the preferred bass rigs on the denvermessageboard site. so disturbing to me--i swear that i'll never have such a beasty rack. (i think that i'd get fired--heller would dis it to no end)

(y'all remind me to repost that photo if the link gets broken)

i dropped off the disc for Ms. M. we talked a lot.

i'm editing the original post down considerably here, folks.

anyhow...

it's really wild to actually be able to talk to someone, even if we're both really scatter-brained, and sort of freaking out. my freak out is about this trip. basically, this is how the first half of the week breaks down:

1) arise;
2) get the house cleaned to my low standards of decency;
3) do laundry;
4) track down a reflectorized extra-large-sized orange vest (the large isn't enough with outerwear--fucking shoulders), carton of smokes, more cat food;
5) go finish this record at the university;
6) load gear for sunday's show?
7) rest?
8) arise?
9) pack for the oregon trip;
10) go play a rock show;
11) leave the show early; unload equipment;
12) sleep?
13) arise
14) go to airport for 6am flight;
15) have a drink in parking lot;
16) sleep off drunk on flight;
17) land in portland at 8am;
18) get rental car;
19) drive to oakridge yard for 12pm appointment (quickly);
20) 2pm: leave, drive back to portland;
21) get to hotel; have a drink; sleep;
22) arise at 2 am tuesday morning for long-ass drive to la grande;
23) 7am--meeting with union pacific re: their fucking railyards;
24) 8am--drive back to meacham yard;
25) 10am--drive to kamela yard;
26) 12pm--drive back to la grande and ditch up guy;
27) 1pm--drive BACK to portland;
28) crash tuesday night after getting loaded in portland (look up sons of bitches)
29) chill out in portland most of the day, sleep late, etc;
30) plane departs at 6pm, after dropping off car.

so, i guess that saturday-tuesday will suck, with optional meals and sleep (readers are now asleep). wednesday ought to be cool as long as i don't have a hangover.

she got a chuckle out of jason's story about the dude walking "it" down the 16th street mall. i wish that he'd had a camera. that would've been a truly blog-worthy photo (or several of them). on tour, we will have a camera, and many batteries, bitches.

use your illusion i and ii this morning during the ironing-o-rama. it was very satisfying until i ran out of magic sizing.

that wasn't too bad, was it?

the cloud got an offer that we couldn't refuse, for a show that we turned down two months ago.

andrew's having a near-death stomach problem.

it wasn't too bad. jason backed me on the false power, though. i felt a little vindicated. i know that ross was trying to keep it under control, but he's surprisingly light on his feet.

i've been awake for 22 hours now.

one thing bothered me a lot tonight, and that's people that i love that are hurting. i hope that everything's cool now. good ol' jc appears to have saved the day again.

grumble. i have to eat something--perhaps some raw cat meat.

this morning, i have reached terminal emotional velocity. i laid in bed and cried for 3 hours, with the cat looking at me.

Yahoo! News - Stress triggers miscarriage, study says

The best part about this is the loud noise that they exposed the pregnant mice to.

got shirts?

kitty kitty

sucking out reeds

CNN.com - New browser to challenge Microsoft - Nov 9, 2004



yeah--it's two days old, but open-source is something that i feel strongly about.

i totally dig this browser.

this is totally rigged.

You Are From Neptune

You are dreamy and mystical, with a natural psychic ability. You love music, poetry, dance, and (most of all) the open sea. Your soul is filled with possibilities, and your heart overflows with compassion. You can be in a room full of friendly people and feel all alone. If you don't get carried away with one idea, your spiritual nature will see you through anything.

What Planet Are You From?

i just had a dream about uncle ted. that's sort of weird. he told me some stuff.



now, i'm completely awake, and i'm feeling much better.

Election result maps



this is neat if you're into maps and graphs.



thanks, RB.

still obsessing about the acoustic record, and piano parts for stuff:

this is good stuff, really. i wish that i would've done the bass tracks with a p-bass, though. it's alright, though, and keeps with chris' plan, sort of. running DI bass always seems like a comprimise, even if i prefer it. i wish that i could get the low end that i want with a single dynamic in front of an 8x10. andrew did a nice job on the lp, though.



i'm still fucking sick--attempting the "andromeda strain" fix tonight, but i don't think that i have enough liquor, or could drink enough. i'm probably going to kill myself this way.



uncle ted's demise is something that i need to feel about. you can't just mask stuff, or you'll be eaten up by those damn feelings. between charlie's agonizing death on saturday and ted's, i ought to be more shaken up, but it's good that i'm not.



looks like jessica would rather lay a guilt trip on me than have me visit her next week. don't even bring up your boyfriend if you want to hang out. i'm a little pissed about that. whatever. i need to see if mike, or mole, or jon, or flapjack, or davey are back. having a beer with them and shit is way more appealing than seeing some girl that i still have feelings about, even though i shouldn't.



eugene, oak ridge on monday, tuesday it's kamela and meacham. oregon better be groovy to me. still, i'll locate the thermal underwear, just in case. at least i scored a sweet ride this time. it was only 25 cents extra for a sweet car for the 3 days! i'm a fucking preferred motherfucker at this point.

i found an 1891 nickel. very cool, but it looks like it's seen some action. i thought that it was fucking canadian money at first. very interesting.



looks like the release show (for real this time) is really going to happen--complete with a cheap price (the bribery venue is having a free show that night), drink specials (a drink called the red cloud?!?), and we're having a fucking contest, which we're using the myspace to engineer. i'll let the spam list know what's up as well.



here's how it goes, courtesy of mr. heller:

friday 12/17 at the hi-dive will be red cloud's long-awaited, perpetually postponed RECORD RELEASE SHOW. in conjunction with this historic event, we have a FUN CONTEST for you!!!!



here's the dope: submit to us a song that you'd like the 'cloud to cover at our record-release show.



ANY song.



we'll pick one at random, learn it, and play it just for you on 12/17.



the winner gets a FREE CD, a FREE T-SHIRT, and all the booze they care to drink the night of the show.



NO SHIT!!!!! the deadline is 12/1, so get crackin'!!!!



luv, the red clouds

sounds like fun, right?



i don't particularly care for the random aspect, but the mighty red cloud can play whatever we feel like. essentially, it's a jam band. no one knows that, but not too many people have witnessed the 'chicago jazz' or the hip-hop, or the reggae remixes at the rock practice.



i'm glad that i'm keeping my mind occupied--right now, there's way too much going on emotionally for me. i'd likely go to pieces if rock and roll weren't saving my life.

uncle ted is dead.

i think that it's ridiculous to try to bribe the cloud. $1,000 for a real (laugh all you want) release show? insane. here's a run-down by my various other personalities: economic man says yes; artistic integrity man says no; the drug-addict says, "give us blow and $50"; the cheapskate says, "i wouldn't pay $8 to see you fools."



i want to play a venue that i love, with our friends that have supported us on this long road.



we have a quorum, so it's all but decided. still, i'd like to play the bigger venue, if the "label" allows it--it's great exposure, even if i know that we won't be able to here ourselves on stage.



the money isn't a huge factor, but we have to do some financial wizardry for the split 7. at least we ain't paying to record in a great studio, at least not with money. chris adolph is a great guy. even when his dick is in my mouth. (ha ha ha--that ought to get 1 comment, at least)



i hate worrying about the band's fianances. i think that we'll be okay, though, after pondering a good while. i only see 3 major expenses coming up. i want to get to the point where we can pay ourselves, though. i'd love to work at a pizza joint instead of this shit, if i knew that i was taken care of from the band.



yeah---that's such a dream.

eBay item 3760042581 (Ends Nov-12-04 11:35:38 PST) - Gibson RD Bass Guitar 1977



this one is so tempting, though.

eBay item 3759353234 (Ends Nov-09-04 12:56:17 PST) - RARE 1973 GIBSON BASS GUITAR EB-3L W/CASE, USA !



it's really too bad that gibson didn't make many of these. economic man hates that.

i just made a really incoherent call to ross.



and i haven't even been drinking.



that'll happen, i suppose. one of our influences from the white sheet, and i'll catch flak from him, i'm sure.



i just haven't felt well the last few days.

i got busted for billability today at work. the good thing is that i've been purposefully unbilling hours, in an effort to get them to revoke some of my timesheet powers. my new experiment is to bill actual, time without regard to budgets. this wasn't a formal deal, so i'm not worried about my job, yet.



consulting sort of sucks when you're working on a lot of fixed price shit that's been low-balled.



being all powerful ain't that great.



looks like i'm going to totally split early from that FC show. i have to be on an airplane at 6am.



i hope that the work doesn't start to interfere with the rock--i feel that it's going to, though. not doing the stuff that the "label" ought to be dealing with should help--i've been doing too much of that at work.



yeah, i guess i'm worried.



i'm just used to the clowns sucking my dick (i wish) at work.



apparently, help wasn't exactly needed. at least it didn't seem like it.



the swans version of love will tear us apart is pretty good--gira's voice really fits well in there.



dammit! that's what i should've sent TV home with--a pretty swans record. ...or cop. i don't know that he'd get the latter, though. it's a little painful to get into for the first several listens. thanks, mr. attorney man, for exposing me to that jazz. yeah, it's essentially jazz, right?



i think that i'm not obsessing about either of those women. i will still love them, but i have a new fantasy.



apparently volume pedals are what one uses on the pedal steel. when i think about christoph's rig, it seems like he had one. that would help with the wanky attack that's been bothering me so so so much.



i think that i'm going to just fix my part on a tug at the wrist. a piano part seems overly ambitious. maybe i'll work something out on saturday if i'm really bored. they must've used a generous amount of compression on me--or that bass has more sustain than i give it credit for.

FAR OUT!

i feel far too crappy to travel this week, so oregon is happening next week. it ought to be a hectic week of doom.

From Hereditary health problems in poodles



Gastric torsion or “bloat” occurs in Standard Poodles. Gastric torsion is a condition that can occur in almost any large, deep chested dog. Its exact cause isn’t known but the results are quickly fatal. A certain amount of gas and stomach fluids are normal but with gastric torsion the stomach fills with an excessive amount of each and literally “blows up like a balloon.” The fluids and gasses increase because the stomach itself flips over and both ends become twisted (torsion). A dog with this condition has only a few hours if that to receive surgical care from a veterinarian. With out this care, the dog will die an agonizing death. Even with surgery, there is a high chance that the dog won’t survive.

i had recording nightmares all night. i'm still really stoked for these recordings to come out. overdubs are next saturday. i'll redo tug at your wrist while ross does an overdub. i hope that the pause for lead in kingdom was correct. that felt really shakey with no lead guitar. funny how that book was sitting on the floor next to the lead guitarist.

just when i think that i'm not into this band, something amazing happens.



the acoustic recordings went way better than andrew and i were expecting. i have an ugly note to fix, and the bass sort of sounds like a duck, but it sounds pretty fucking great. the dudes said that it was the music, but i think that it was a lot of money that's been invested in mr microphones. a lot of money, really.

i've been having lots of trouble posting lately.



my parents beloved poodle dropped dead--another gastric torsion tragedy. nothing's more fun than burying pets on a sunday afternoon. apparently, it must've happened a couple of days ago. they thought that they were fast enough this time, but this stoic dog didn't let on that she was dying until she was, late last night. poor, poor charlie.



now, i have to go "rock" with the cloud.



i'm bringing a spare bass as a security blanket. i'm not convinced that the acoustic sounds decent at all.



a friend of mine sent me a message requesting help. i haven't figured out what sort of help is required, but i'm somewhat concerned.

weird. i've been getting lots of wrong numbers lately. this one apparently (i'm paranoid enough to google phone numbers) was from J Digennaro, whoever that is.

slept until 2 today.



tonight, my m.o. is to finish the handle that tommy and i made a nice dent in last night, watch sex pistols and spinal tap and lift heavy objects.



looks like we'll be recording tomorrow night. red cloud unplugged. ought to be fun.



tomorrow i will be a family guy--it's the old guy's 74th birthday. mom's message was "if you show up early, we can drink more." hopefully, i'll be sober enough to drive to denver.



i think that i'm not going to eat meat anymore. dinner last night really fucked me up.



ross explained what he knew about the relocation jazz that was (is) bothering me. i seriously need to get out of this funk.

i think that i got sick last night. it's funny how the barn cools off at night. oh well.



we weren't as productive as i would've liked, but i got a feel for what tom is doing. everything sounds really folky without drums. tom's got a great voice, and an uncanny sense of tuning.



we're looking for drummers--it might take a couple of tries to get the chemistry right there.

Finally...I ain't getting a so-called server error.



it feels like everything that I've worked for in this fucking band is going to end. I know that i'm not supposed to listen to mildly-retarded people, but maybe this is some sort of secret.



I'll might have to keep my own. As if I'm not already.



This is a good time to start a new project. That's why I'm doing the jam with the Tito suave tonight. I'll play just about anything at this point--hopefully this will be different from what I've done before. Shit, every band is, right.



I don't think that I could play with the cloud with a different line-up.



I'll smile, nod, and plot an out, just in case. There's always that country studio gig...



Although, I might have to hang myself if I am required to play on Toby Keith's latest hit.



I'll put a boot in his ass.



It looks like I get to go to Oregon!



See the remote railyards of the cascades!



...and get paid.



They're sending me out with a camera, snowshoes, gps, a map, and a 4x4 as soon as next week. It's lame Union Pacific work, but at least it gets me out of the fucking office, and office responsibilities.



Thus, I can jerk off in the rental car (truck), and get paid for it.



After all, I should get paid to masturbate.

some days, i feel like my job is so pointless--that i'm just feeding the beast.



other days, i feel like i'm making the world a better place.



the truth is probably somewhere in between.



rocking the knock knock today--ross' assertion that this record rocks is correct.

ge financial is making my work life suck today.



i totally did not have my act together this morning, and didn't zip my zipper. thus, my enormous cock didn't have adequate secondary containment.



ross' advice about my emotional issues: "just remember, you must be this tall to ride this ride." at least he got a chuckle out of me.



tonight is our photo shoot.





we're seriously the least photogenic band ever.

i have invented the greatest cat toy ever--twisties.



tonight, someone from Tennessee attempted to call me. that's odd.



test results!

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This motherfucker is finally in the pipe.

i'll never forget the first time that i heard this record (magical mystery tour)--i was on 180 mg of dexedrine, and made a totally wicked sculpture of jesus (half christ, half skeleton) out of magenta (seemed that way) silly-putty. that was a marvelous trip.



i saw flashing shit for days.

i can't seem to come down from the mania of this evening.



the denim girl was appealing. which that i knew how to get those girls to the aggie show. she moved furniture, and we wore the same outfit.



trevor morris is the man. he did a nice job. even on the stuff that he recorded. crank it on a vintage stereo, and it sounds amazing.



ringo starr is the greatest drummer ever. what mind blowing fills. KM is close, though. he had many more drums, which is totally cheating.



yeah....i'm fucking drunk...again. just trying to relax. i think that last drink has me all set.

nitwit does not care for the water the runs all winter at all.

just when i felt like a total POS, i got this in the email. i hope that the author isn't pissed that i'm excerpting. it really made my day to read nice things about myself, even if i think that they're pretty fanciful.

It's time for me to start something of my own, based on the small body of work I already have (guitar, and maybe singing), or not. This is a project that would be for more than just "the hell-of-it," but definitely less than "serious." I couldn't say what it's supposed to sound like, but I'd need help from someone who is a very solid musician with a wide array of influences and

interests; someone I could rely on, and who would keep pushing me - in a critical way. That would put you at the top of the list, fucker.



Thoughts?

well, at least i got to touch her panties. i wish it had been under very different circumstances.



fort collins finest were on the scene, shooting the shit with the very bad man.



she's gone, now, and i'm just glad to have spent a little bit of time with her.



a very special girl.



so, TV probably thinks that i'm a shmuck, because i haven't replied to him with the massive soap-opera that's been going on.



work is rather hectic. sxsw is paid, now i just need that damn press kit thrown together. jason said that he'd do that. shirts are ordered. i can almost taste the cd, but while proofing, i saw a little weirdness on the back cover. i'll fix that tomorrow, and everything will be cool.



i have to stay preoccupied, or i'll feel some heartbreak right now.

Spiricom Report 1

i'm totally bummed out, even if i know that helping is the right thing to do.