The Feeding End

Been Too Long

2011-07-31T01:49:00.003-06:00

It's been way too long! I have completely forgotten about this. It really seems like blogs are a thing of the past now. Maybe it's just me. Who knows? Wish I was in Fargo this weekend with Craig making trouble. Dang. Wish I was in Murderapolis with Toph and Dylan also. Who knows the sort of things we would get into!

Best album in a while: Arctic Monkeys Get Some

Best Song of the Week: Kanye West Heard Em Say ( old, yes, but relevant )

Facebook me! Or send me food! Or both!

I got tickets for St. Vincent Nov 3rd. Youtube her!

I had a dream the other night that I was chasing a boat, only to catch up when road construction was in season.

Year of the Black Rainbow

2009-12-08T00:07:00.002-06:00

Here's a post from www.cobaltandcalcium.com. I can't wait!

Hey Everybody,

Happy Holidays and all that. We know you have been waiting patiently for Coheed info for 2010, so we hope this fills your hunger for now:

Our new album will be titled, “Year of the Black Rainbow,” and is set for release in April 2010 and will be followed by a headline tour of the US, and then on to Europe and the UK for festivals and such.

As most of you know, the new album will be the “Origin Story” or “The Prequel,” and likely the final story of the ongoing concept story of “The Amory Wars”

With “Year of the Black Rainbow,” we will be releasing a deluxe package that includes a NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME. Not a graphic novel, but a full 300+page prose novel, which will tell the origins of Coheed and Cambria, and much more. There will be no mystery to this story, you will be able to explore it like never before. Presales will start near the end of December, exact date and pricing to be announced soon.

Producing this record is:
Atticus Ross http://www.ninwiki.com/Atticus_Ross
And Joe Baressi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Barresi

They have helped us evolve our sound to be more powerful and dynamic than ever and we think it’s definitely our best work to date.
Some song titles are: “Here We are Juggernaut,” “The Broken,” “Pearl of the Stars,” and “Guns of Summer.”

Co-writing the book with Claudio is Peter David http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_David

The album will be released through Columbia Records/Sony in North America. For the rest of the world, Sony has licensed the rights to Roadrunner Records, who we feel will better make our music available in those territories, and opening up the potential for us to come to countries we rarely or never have been to before. We are very excited.

Can’t wait til you can experience it.

I also found a Best Buy today that is open 24 hours. Think of the possibilities. Changed my life today! I bought Harry Potter 6 and Lost season 5! Ah New York!

First Day

2009-08-18T21:53:00.004-06:00

I had my first day of work today at The Gramercy Park Hotel. It was great to have something to do. The size was really nothing compared to The Ramada, but it is really gorgeous. It was weird though because no one wears nagtags. Try learning names that way!

It was nearing on 4000 degrees today though. Talk about sweat. For about an hour, I steamed table cloths on a table for a party tonight. It was great meeting some new people. Renee had two different colored eyes and is from Ecuador. He's a crack up. It's gonna be fun working there.

I'll be back again tomorrow. O, by the way, the little supper for 22 people tonight was a $250 plate birthday function. O yeah. Do the math.

Coney Island Saturday

2009-08-05T14:10:00.013-06:00

Okay here we go. So 3 weekends ago we went out to Coney Island to hang out for the day and go to a free concert!

Here is the view from one of the piers. We eventually walked out here to cool off. The concert was called the Siren Festival. It was a lot of indie bands and it was free, so you can't get much better than that. We really only want to see one band, Frightened Rabbit, and here they are.

Coney Island is a big circus/fair without clowns. I told Paige if a clown would have shown up, I would have left. I was serious. Coming out of the subway we walked in the main enterance area. This is where the Nathan's Famous is located. Home to the hotdog eating challenge and many others, Nathan's has been a staple in Coney Island for a long time. Part of the building was a Wall of Fame about all the past winners, which included their hotdog number eaten, and year. Here was the line to order.

After the concert, we started to move through thee number one attraction to Coney Island. I'm talking about the Flea Market tents. O yes. You couldn't imagine the junk the gypsies were selling! You had to keep your eyes peeled because a lot of them were the same, only spread out. I saw fruit and vegetable shaped fridge magnets at least four different times, and most were different prices. Here's what I mean.

Paige had found a Henna tattoo booth. She waited her turn and got a small flower design on her ankle. The stuff is neat. It's a greenish mud-like paste. You leave it on your skin until it's dry, then brush off the stuff, and your skin is stained. It only stays there about 2 weeks, so it's really temporary.

This next one is one of my favorites for the day. This girl kept hanging out next to the Henna tattoo lady all day. Her mom was selling stuff in the booth behind this one, and the girl would just stand and stare at her. She kept offering to give the girl a free one, but the girl wouldn't say a word to anyone except her mother. I don't know what I like about this picture more: the fact that her t-shirt was homemade and the back said, "The First Black President," the fact that her face was painted, o the fact that she would stare with her mouth open and say nothing. It cracks me up.

After this, we found some cold beer and just walked around the pier. It was nice and we both sort of got a mild sunburn. I happen to take a picture of people who were jumping off the pier. I like this one too.

Here's a good one too. We look pretty good you gotta admit that!

And I'm Back

2009-07-18T22:30:00.001-06:00

Wow. It has really been a while, but I think I will start writing again. I will have some new and exciting stuff to publish (I hope). We had a fun day at Coney Island today. When I get up tomorrow, I'll add pictures and tell about everything!

Deer Hunting

2008-11-18T19:54:00.003-06:00

Man I haven't written in a while. Sorry. Here is a picture of my deer mount from this year. I'll post more pictures later!

Not Soon Enough I Guess

2008-07-09T11:01:00.001-06:00

Tenacious D plans to release another album - just don't hold your breath waiting for it.

Group member Kyle Gass tells Billboard.com that he and Jack Black, his partner in the irreverent rock duo, have begun work on their follow-up to the 2006 film project "The Pick Of Destiny." "It's very challenging," Gass says, revealing that "we probably only have one to one and a half songs right now, and we probably need 12 to 15. It might take the rest of our lives, but I think it'll be worth waiting for."

But Gass does say, in his own way, that he and Black are indeed serious about their goals for the album. "We'd like to do one final masterpiece, I think," he acknowledges. "I think we both know we're approaching death, as it were, and we'd like to have a lasting legacy. ('The Pick of Destiny') was kind of a soundtrack to the movie so we had to fulfill obligations that way. And now it's kind of opened up."

Gass says he's also like to finish an album that his side project, Trainwreck, has been working on for five years. "I think that I need to really work harder at completing some of these projects," he notes. I think that I've been living on my laurels. I've been lazy, but now I think it's time to kick ass." Or Gass? "There ya go..."

I Thank Myself

2008-06-11T01:45:00.002-06:00

So state/city elections were yesterday, and I give myself a pat on the back. My zone limits meant I went to the Fargo Civic Center and voted today around 5pm. The major issue: smoking. The smokers had a little bit of false advertising going on, and on measures 1,2,and 3, they tried to sneakily convince people to vote Yes, No, Yes.

If you wanted smoking banned completely in public establishments, such as bars, you should have voted No, Yes, No (which I did).

Measure 1 stated that a 'Yes' vote let city officials turn over rulings with a 2/3 voting without consent from the voting public. Unfortunately, this passed.

Measure 2 stated that a 'Yes' vote would completely ban smoking from public places. This passed and I'm so happy! I hate stinky bars. If you go to a smoking bar, you come home and smell like ashtray and nutsack. The clothes you wore are worthless until you do laundry. This will take effect on July 1st. Awesome!

Measure 3 stated that a 'Yes' vote would uphold city laws on preexisting smoking laws. This did not pass, so with the Yes,No voting on measures 2 and 3 respectively, smoking is illegal in bars on July 1st.

I couldn't be happier. I bet there are stinky old truck drivers beating their wives tonight over the choices of the smart public. I'm a little surprised this took this long. We have to thank Moorhead for starting this trend, where their bars have been smoke free since October. With the popular views of the public going completely green, I knew this was only a matter of time. There has been such a transformation in being green in the last 4 years. I'm glad we're starting to catch on. I only hope they let you keep drinking in bars.

In victory, I invite everyone to join me on June 30th. I want to go out and laugh at everyone smoking. I want to count down the seconds at midnight and then watch disgusting smokers try to fight the law (for which they were probably to lazy to go out and vote for because they were too busy smoking at the Nestor (a complete dump where if you walk in for 30 seconds, you smell like death) to give a rat's ass).

On a lighter note, I was promoted to Supervisor on Friday. My boss got fired because he is addicted to meth so I might become the first person to become Manager with working a day as Supervisor because my title transfer doesn't occur until the new pay period, which starts on the 16th. Funny old world, isn't it?

Coheed and Cambria Concert

2008-05-29T12:39:00.008-06:00

Last night we went to Minneapolis and went to the concert. It was quite a great show. They wouldn't let me bring my camera in, but I made up for it after the show. We got to meet everyone so that was awesome.

In My Book....

2008-05-20T23:54:00.003-06:00

Yeah, it's here. Summer. Tonight was our first fast pitch softball game of the season. Of course we won. The score was 3-1, with our first W coming in with an amazing catch with bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th. Solid. This is our jersey and if you see #13 rounding the bases, one can only assume that I hit a solid and am just rounding the bases for fun.

What I've Been Up To

2008-05-15T11:19:00.003-06:00

So I watch way too much HGTV and I started thinking what I could do and this is what I came up with. Yeah I know. It's badass.

Concert Footage 2

2008-05-03T11:22:00.005-06:00

Here is the end of the song. They are both of Wax Simulacra.

Concert Footage

2008-05-03T11:22:00.004-06:00

Okay here is some footage I took from The Mars Volta concert a couple weeks ago.

Something New

2008-05-03T11:22:00.002-06:00

Well I've been terribly busy this last month and really haven't had any extra time to write on here. I will have plenty more now. I can't believe that I'm graduating college in a week. Holy shit. I didn't think college would go this fast. Now what do I do? That's just some of the things running through my head lately.

I was supposed to be shooting the movie today but Tony switched some days around and I got the day off. Look at me now. I've been so busy and wanting a day off that when I get one I hardly know what to do with myself.

There is a liquidation sale out at the fairgrounds and I might check that out to see what kind of wares all the gypsies have. I heard rumors of electronics!

I'll write more I promise!

My Bracket 2

2008-04-01T09:58:00.002-06:00

So I got 3 of the 4 teams right in the final four. That's not too bad, but my Midwest region is really terrible that it won't matter. I thought Duke might pull up their jocks for the tourney, but to no avail. I picked them to go to the final four. I have UNC beating Memphis in the final, so we'll see what happens.

My Bracket

2008-03-22T12:44:00.002-06:00

Well compared to last year, I doing a lot worse this year. I got 22 of 32 of the first round correct. Thursday, I picked a few upsets, and the higher seed prevailed. Friday, I picked the higher seed and there were a few upsets. I think I only had 8 wrong on my whole bracket last year, which was my personal best. I hope there aren't any more upsets only for the fact that I won't do as well. O well. I guess it's all part of the madness.

Brett Favre

2008-03-05T02:12:00.002-06:00

It has finally come that Brett has made the decision to retire. I actually thought this would come later than sooner, with all the records he broke this season and how well the Packers did. Honestly, I really wouldn't care what jersey Favre wore, I would still love him for his playing style, determination, charisma, attitude, and commitment to the sport. He reminded us of the loyalty that once bonded a player to a team. He showed us what it meant to never give up. He gave us a new level of intensity and achievement to work towards. The league has lost one of the greats. I'm proud to say I was able to watch him perform live in my life time. I know many Vikings fans hated him, but I think they would have changed their tunes if he wore purple. We often learn the most from the people we hate. Although I didn't hate him, I feel better that I knew what he was all about. Green Bay and the world will miss Brett Favre. I anticipate that within 8 years he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which he above most, deserves to the highest. Congrats on a great career! I wish there was an 18th season to watch highlights from! We'll miss you.

Stepbrothers

2008-02-28T12:42:00.001-06:00

This looks really funny!

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809931500/video/6672254

The Story of Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas Part 2

2008-02-22T19:24:00.005-06:00

Well they knew need a bigger place to have crazy parties cause everyone wanted to come there, due to the craziness. So Sally Chickens had this great idea to maybe buy a bigger place. Flo Bananas was a little put off by this, but since they were such great friends and always played scratch games at seedy gas stations in their high-tops while being crazy with Jack Pickles, she said, "Sally Chickens you are amazing let's get a new house." Jack thought they were crazy, and he was right. They were crazy.

Well next door was a big office building that was touching the one wall. So they smoked the occasional joint, ate some fried Southern food, threw on some bibs and went next door to see what was really going on. They got thrown out cause they looked funny so they went to Starbucks for frappichinos and then went back the the office building. Flo said, "Computer front desk lady, Don't you know who we are?" She said, "No," and the big cops were going to escort them out when Jack Pickles said, "HANG ON THIS IS SALLY CHICKENS AND FLO BANANAS!" The cops let them go and asked for their autographs. That's just how amazingly popular these two ladies are. Cops just let them go. Sally and Flo did four jumping jacks with the computer lady, ate 3 dough nuts, and then gave Jack a high-five! Then they went up to see the big boss man.

The big boss man was a big boss man. He was about a million pounds and he was the owner of the company. Sally and Flo were singing disco songs in the elevator and Jack was pushing all the buttons, so that's why the elevator stopped. Just like that! So luckily Jack brought Twister with so they sat down and started playing. Flo was just plain crazy at this game. She always won by 3. Then the elevator started again!

So they got up to the big boss man's lair and had to pee cause they were laughing so crazy from the game. They stopped in the ladies room and Jack had to use the garbage can cause they didn't have a poodle bathroom. He was mad so he filled out a comment card and left some nasty opinions. Then they walked up to the the door and kept knocked until the big boss man answered. Sally Chickens never knocks once cause, "Well, if you keep knocking, they'll know your not just faking it!" "What in tarnation do you to want?" said the big boss man. Flo said, "Here is a fifty million dollar bill! We own the company now! Aren't you happy? I love salads! Pass the crazy cause we want more!" The big boss man had a heart attach and Jack revived him with his poodle magic and they got the company right then and there.

So then they went home and fed Jack some hickory sticks and then they steamed some salty sardines and everyone ate the great feast. After dinner, they smoked the occasional joint. Then they went back next door and told everyone they were fired and all had to move to Chile. They people cried, but Sally Chickens said, "We buried a bunch of Spanish gold there. You guys should follow these treasure maps." Everyone put their shoes back on and went to Chile. After everyone left, Flo said, "Why don't we go find that treasure? I want to find that treasure!" Jack Pickles was laughing when he said, "Those were fake. Those are Perkin's menus." "Son of a bitch I'm crazy," said Sally Chickens, and they all laughed as they sold all the office stuff online.

With the money they made on the stuff, they had some guys come make their two homes into one home. Now they had a huge building to have grand crazy parties! Awesome! So they invited pretty much everyone and said come on Saturday night. So everyone canceled everything they were doing and and bought big tuxes and came to their party. Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas were upstairs smoking the occasional joint and then they came downstairs and the crazy party really got started! It was so crazy, guess what happened? Stay tuned!

The Story of Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas Part 1

2008-02-21T21:39:00.002-06:00

Sally Chickens is a real person. She is about the craziest lady you will ever meet. She wears big glasses, long flowing dresses, gym shoes, tons of perfume, and LOVES to hang out with Flo Bananas. They are a great team. You could find them shopping and grabbing a quick bite to eat at Perkins. They live together in an apartment downtown and love it.

Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas met eighty years ago in parochial school. No one would sit with Sally Chickens. That was until she got to the seat where Flo Bananas was sitting. They hit it off immediately. The dynamic duo spent everyday sipping mocha lattes, rocking the etch-a-sketch, smoking the occasional joint, playing jovial pranks on the evil janitor, and enjoying summers at the lake. That was, until the accident.

As Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas became better friends, their families also became close and they would take trips together in their Winnebago. Well one day their parents were going skiing and they crashed the Winnebago and died. Sally and Flo were sad, but they stuck together and started working. Life was hard, but it was good.

Flo thought they should sell all their parents stuff, so they got a credit card and made an account online. They quickly made a disgusting profit and sold most of their parent's illegal things overseas. It was the best of times, it was the best of times. Then, they got a DOG!

Jack Pickles was the first poodle they bought. They bought it from a bum who thought it was a cloud and wanted some rain. The poodle was about the coolest you could find. He loved to go and live with Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas. Once Jack Pickles got to their house, he asked them to move downtown cause he hated the country and loved the city. Sally and Flo said yes. So they sold their parents land and moved to the big city and got a high rise apartment near the waterfront. It was amazing! Everyone had such a great time and they would stay up late every night eating marshmallows and smoking the occasional joint. Life just got better and better. Then, they got news that Princess Diana had died. They cried all day and all night and the next day too. Then Jack Pickles said, "Hey, it's gonna be alright." So then they were fine. Do you know what these two crazy ladies did then? Then smoked the occasional joint, and went shopping! They grabbed their shoes and went to the big mall. They spent close to eighty thousand dollars that day! Looks like Ramen noodles for a few weeks!

Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas were best friends ever. They do everything together like sledding, making mud pies, typing term papers at the last minute, and feeding Jack Pickles all the good dog food. Life was going great until Sally started wanting another dog. This made Jack Pickles quite jealous so he packed his things in a bandanna, put a stick through it like a hobo, and left in the middle of the night singing show tunes, mainly the sad ones. Sally and Flo were both tired as ever from shopping, so they were sleeping and didn't hear poor Jack Pickles leave. He didn't want to leave but Sally was out of her god damn mind! Another dog? Jack thought he was the only dog they needed so he left.

When Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas woke up, they immediately knew something was wrong. They walked around the corner and Jack was gone! Son of a bitch! They started to cry and Flo said, "I told you so," and Sally said, "I'm sorry." Sally knew she messed up. Flo said, "Lets go get Jack back."

Meanwhile, Jack had knifed a postal clerk and scrapped enough change together to get a bus ticket. He said, "Get me to France." So then he went to France. Meanwhile, Sally and Flo got out their metal detectors and got on the trail. Jack had a metal hip from a while back when he got in a poodle accident. It was special metal for dogs so they could track it much like a homing device. Sure enough, they turned it out and it said, "Jack. Is. In. In. France. Jack Pickles. France." "Oh my oh goodness he's in France!" said Flo, and Sally said, "I know. I heard it too," to which Flo replied, "We are so crazy!" which was totally true. They went and got out their passports, inflated their zeppelin, smoked the occasional joint, and flew to France.

This was a whole new experience for the crazy ladies. France is, in fact, not in America, so they were a little weirded out until Flo said, "Hey lets get some ice cream and shoes!" "Okay," said Sally. So they did that. Then they remembered about Jack. In the meantime, Jack Pickles had gotten a job at a restaurant cooking the French soup. You wouldn't believe it but he was really good at it. Best soup in France. Sally was walking and singing opera and heard some French political activist talking about this soup he had by the famous J. Pickles, and she knew it was Jack Pickles cause it was so obvious. So Flo flagged down a scooter and they made their way to the restaurant. They ran in the kitchen crying and said, "Come home Jack Pickles we miss you we love you!" Jack said, "Only on one condition: don't get another dog." They both screamed, "PLEASE COME HOME WE'RE SORRY! WE'LL JUST HAVE YOU!" So then Jack Pickles agreed and told the manager to hire somebody else cause he had to go home with the crazy Sally Chickens and Flo Bananas! The manager was totally cool cause he took one at Sally and Flo and knew Jack had a good thing going. Then they flew home.

Sally and Flo are about the craziest ladies you'll ever meet. They never stop having fun, cause they are just fun people. Everybody wants to come to their holiday parties, but their loft can't hold the whole town. So what did they do? You'll find out soon!

Welcome Back To Scranton

2008-02-18T12:16:00.004-06:00

I guess it didn't sink in, but now that the Writers have ended their strike, we will be going back to Scranton, Pennsylvania. If you don't know what I reffering to, it means on April 10th we will have all new episodes of The Office, my favorite tv show. I'm so excited! I had heard rumors that the series was going to be scrapped completely, so I'm glad that's false. We'll see more Dwight, Jim, Michael, and the gang.

"I love inside jokes. I would just love, to, be, apart of one someday."
~Michael Scott

A Glorious Prank.

2008-02-18T12:16:00.001-06:00

If you haven't heard this or seen this yet, it's going to be hillarious. Read the set up first, then watch the video. This is quite amazing.

This Phillies prank on Kyle Kendrick works on so many levels

There are still eight months left in the 2008 season, but the rest of the 29 teams are going to need the time if they're going to top the prank the Phillies played on young Kyle Kendrick over the weekend.

If you haven't seen it yet, the setup went like this: Manager Charlie Manuel called the 23-year-old pitcher into his office and told him he had been traded to the Yomiuri Giants for a player named "Kobayashi Iwamura." The ruse, expertly orchestrated by Brett Myers (who else?), worked so well that Kendrick was shocked into silence for most of the trick. Couldn't even stop to realize that MLB and Japanese teams never swap players.

So many things went into staging this that it's hard to pick just one favorite aspect.

Among the contenders:

• The sheer number of people who were complicit in bringing Kendrick to the verge of tears. From the team's traveling secretary to the Comcast cameraman to the PR people and writers who helped stage a fake news conference, it was a fine reminder of how much downtime there can be at spring training.

• The fake trade papers/travel arrangements. If Kendrick doesn't know not to sign anything without talking to his agent first, then I have a few business proposals I'd like to discuss with him. (If anyone else is interested most of the ideas have to do with either hot plasma TVs or slippers for housecats.)

• Manuel's weird sadist glee over the whole incident. "I would have loved to see him fly to Japan and get off the plane," the Phillies manager said afterward. "That would have been the best. As a matter of fact, I would have paid his fare." Quick show of hands: Who else is glad that Weird Ol' Chuck isn't their boss?

• How fast the prank has already spread. Kendrick's Baseball Reference page has already been bought by a sponsor who left "Good luck in Japan Kyle!" as a message. "Good luck living this down!" might have been a more appropriate tag.

• The howling Phillies clubhouse. Because it's always fun to laugh at the young'un. Did that scene remind anyone else of the Goodfellas clip where all the gangsters bust on Henry Hill after Pesci's "funny, how?" bit?

The Mars Volta on Letterman

2008-02-08T01:22:00.001-06:00

Feathers Video

2008-02-05T09:49:00.000-06:00

Blind, 92-year-old golfer scores hole-in-one in Florida

2008-02-02T08:24:00.001-06:00

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- Hitting a hole-in-one is hard enough. Now consider that Leo Fiyalko is 92 years old and blind.

"I was just trying to put the ball on the green," he said.

Fiyalko, who has macular degeneration and has been golfing for 60 years, scored the ace with a 5-iron on the 110-yard fifth hole at Cove Cay Country Club on Jan. 10.

Fiyalko tees off every Thursday with a group of golfers ranging in age from 70 to more than 90. He used to have a 7 handicap, but now needs help lining up shots and finding golf balls because he has peripheral vision only in his right eye.

Jean Gehring was in Fiyalko's foursome and watched his swing on the hole-in-one.

"I could tell it went on the green," Gehring said. "When we got up there I didn't see it. I looked in the hole and there it was."

Gehring said Fiyalko was modest about the shot and had to be prodded to tell his wife about it after the round. Fiyalko's friends at the club presented him with a plaque last week to commemorate the feat.

Amazing Guitar Work

2008-01-31T23:43:00.001-06:00

Politics

2008-01-31T23:43:00.000-06:00

I haven't spoken about this at all really, but since everyone won't shut up, I might as well speak too. First off, I think caucauses don't matter. We don't have one and when Nov. 5th rolls around, we have 2 maybe 3 choices- Republican, Democrat, or a Third Party. You can't really pick a candidate who lost now! Get over it! That being said, I don't know who I'll vote for, but I would say I'm 70% sure American voters (sadly between 30% and 40% of the population) will elect a Democrat on the basis of party lines alone.

I was watching The Colbert Report today and he brought up some relevant news headlines. John Edwards has pulled out of the Democrat race, and SC said before his campaign end, there were two worlds: the first liked Edwards because they were scared of Hillary, and the second liked Edwards because they were afraid of Obama!

I think Third Parties are the most important party in the American governmental system. It's not that they get the majority of the vote, it's that they draw votes away from the major party headliners. Elections are decided by Third Parties. Which doesn't make sense since most run on a platform that isn't very PC or user friendly.

How should politics be? I think it should be like one of the Democratic debate not long ago. Stage right we have Hillary, center stage we have Obama, and stage left we have Edwards. Pretty soon, Hillary and Obama start bringing up each others past mistakes, failures, and shady deals! This was awesome! This was politics! I wish I could have been there just to see them stew. The best part? Edwards sat down, had a drink, and watched the debauchle like an NFL game! Awesome! When he finally got to speak, he reminded the audience there were three people in the debate! Politics.

I think this will be a topic I will be returning to frequently. Since I'll be done with school, I think I'll purchase a keg for election night and we'll celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. Oh, wait? Wrong holiday! Or come the 5th, will it be?

Big Stink

2008-01-29T00:01:00.002-06:00

So I went grocery shopping with Topher last night and found a jar of pickled turkey gizzards. ABSOLUTE SCORE! I opened it but spilled some of the pickeling agent and my kitchen reeks. OOPS! Topher is going to kill me.

The Mars Volta: The Bedlam in Goliath- Releases Today!

2008-01-29T00:01:00.001-06:00

The genesis of The Mars Volta's new album The Bedlam in Goliath is a tale of long-buried murder victims and their otherworldly influence, of strife and near collapse, of the long hard fight to push "the record that did not want to be born" out into the world. Omar was in a curio shop in Jerusalem when he found the Soothsayer, an archaic Ouija-style "talking board." Had he known at that moment that the board's history stretched far beyond its novelty appearance, that its very fibers were soaked through with something terribly other, that the choral death and desire of a multi-headed Goliath was waiting behind its gates... well, he might have left it at rest there on the dusty shelves. The Upside of That Choice: No bad mojo unleashed. Erase the madness that followed. Erase the bizarre connection to a love/lust/murder triangle that threatened to spill out into the present every time the band let its fingers drift over the board. The Downside: No Soothsayer means The Bedlam in Goliath never would have existed. And it turns out that this demented spiritual black hole of a muse has driven The Mars Volta to produce a crowning moment in their already stellar career. The band names this Ouija board "The Soothsayer", as it offers them a story: It's always about a man, a woman, and her mother. About the lust floating between them. About seduction and infidelity. And pain. And eventually, murder. Entrails and absence and curses and oblivion. To understand the full story....listen to "The Bedlam in Goliath."

Here's an article for the new album from amazon.com. It short- BADASS ROCK RETURNS!!

10am. Bestbuy. Here. I. Come. Did I mention $10 for the CD PLUS DVD? Deal.

KCACTF So Far

2008-01-21T19:40:00.000-06:00

So we have had the first day of Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition. We did our scene thee best that we have done it so far, but due to complete bullshit judges, we got the proverbial shaft and were forced to become, the audience. The rules are so weird and off that I won't even go into details here.

On a more fun note, I am in a room with 6 other guys and we have 'The Alpha Male' room. We have three huge rooms and everyone wants to be here, just like America.

We are blantanly skipping stuff and getting drunk. Our bus driver was nice enough to take us to Walmart. Did you know they have booze in Walmart in isle 14? Yeah buddy.

Don't Send In The Clowns- Kill Them

2008-01-16T13:58:00.001-06:00

LONDON (Reuters) - Bad news for Coco and Blinko -- children don't like clowns and even older kids are scared of them.

The news that will no doubt have clowns shedding tears was revealed in a poll of youngsters by researchers from the University of Sheffield who were examining how to improve the decor of hospital children's wards.

The study, reported in the Nursing Standard magazine, found all the 250 patients aged between four and 16 they quizzed disliked the use of clowns, with even the older ones finding them scary.

"As adults we make assumptions about what works for children," said Penny Curtis, a senior lecturer in research at the university.

"We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable."

I found this article on Yahoo today. SEE I'M NOT THE ONLY NORMAL PERSON WHO HATES CLOWNS!!! It seems like almost everyone does. So today- go hate a clown!

Words To Live By

2008-01-02T16:38:00.001-06:00

The Hokey Pokey. So I was at work and heard the hokey pokey being played in the next room. Have you ever heard the lyrics to this song? Most of the phrases end with, "...and that's what it's all about." The actions involve one putting part of their body 'in' the center of the circle, and shaking it 'all about'. I just wish that this was what life was actually all about. Wouldn't it be grand just singing and putting our arms and legs in the circle and shaking them? I want to live my life in a way that shows how and what life 'is all about'.

My New Team

2007-11-27T23:07:00.000-06:00

Mars Volta: Album Source

2007-11-07T00:50:00.000-06:00

The always odd duo that makes up The Mars Volta recently spoke to MTV about their upcoming album. Apparently, the band's new "concept" record is derived from lyrics and ideas given to the band by an archaic occult item not unlike a Ouija board. Cedric Bixler-Zavala explained: "We kind of stumbled across our own version of Captain Howdy.

"We were being contacted by at least three people on the board that would come up as one person. We wrote down a lot of the messages they gave us, and we used it in the lyrics, and we also tried to fasten the lyrics into sort of like a good-luck charm, by putting positive elements into it.

"Because such a strange impact was left by using the board, we decided to make a record based on the stories we were getting from the things or spirits we were contacting."
The new record is titled The Bedlam In Goliath and is due out January 29, 2008. It is the follow-up to Amputechture which was released in 2006.

MY FAULT!

2007-11-05T23:53:00.000-06:00

I've been so busy these past few weeks, I have not found time to write on here. As Dave Letterman would say, I wouldn't give his problems to a monkey on a rock. I will be writing, hopefully, more in the next couple weeks. I promise the following:

1. A complete song-by-song review of No World For Tomorrow
2. Some more photos from opening pheasant weekend
3. A little history/update on how my Senior 450 project is coming
4. Details from our deer hunting trip this weekend, with video and pictures

I hope it'll be worth the wait!

Great News

2007-10-23T09:31:00.000-06:00

The Mars Volta has set a Jan. 29, 2008, release date for "The Bedlam in Goliath," which was produced by Omar Rodriguez Lopez. The 12-track set is the follow-up to 2006's "Amputechture," which has sold 148,000 copies in the United States.

A video set to the track "Wax Simulacra" can be streamed from the band's Web site. Among the guests on the album is Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, a frequent contributor on past efforts.

Prior to a 2008 tour, the Mars Volta will play a New Year's Eve bash at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, with costumes "required."

Here is the track list for "The Bedlam in Goliath":
1. Aberinkula
2. Metatron
3. Ilyena
4. Wax Simulacra
5. Goliath
6. Tourniquet Man
7. Cavalettas
8. Agadez
9. Askepios
10. Ouroboros
11. Soothsayer
12. Conjugal Burns

Jawdropping Brilliance

2007-10-19T08:52:00.000-06:00

This is unheard of! As of yesterday at 4:30pm, Coheed and Cambria placed THEIR ENTIRE NEW ALBUM ON MYSPACE! That's all 13 songs. This is insane. Worth the hype and wait? Surpasses everything. I can't wait to physically hold the CD, but until then, my internet will run continuously.

http://www.myspace.com/coheedandcambria

Willing Well 4

2007-10-16T21:10:00.000-06:00

We're getting further into these. This one is really interesting. If you look close on the girl's book, you can see the dragonfly logo. This one really makes you wonder where the guy is going to come from. Really cool ending with the guitar solo. I'm guessing some work from the album.

http://www.ugo.com/the-willing-well/

Weekend Fun

2007-10-14T21:04:00.000-06:00

We had a great hunting weekend! I'll blog the whole thing later, but for now I'll put up my favorite picture from the weekend. Just a random that turned out amazing.

I'm not sure here, but do I smell the new logo picture for The Rural Bus Route, Jay?

Willing Well 3

2007-10-12T11:12:00.000-06:00

Another video here and in accordance with previous fashion. You can really see this one coming from a ways out if you look close. We actually get a look at his face in this one, if only for a brief second. Still creepy

http://www.ugo.com/the-willing-well/

Update and Song

2007-10-10T00:49:00.000-06:00

Coheed and Cambria has update their site again, and it looks like the same will happen on Thursday. This song is like the hardest kick a mother feels just days away from going into labor and birthing a beautiful child: in this case, an album. Here is another kick!

Gravemakers and Gunslingers

http://www.myspace.com/coheedandcambria

Here is where I would tell everyone to enjoy, but I really don't think I have to.

Put Patience In Bold

2007-10-09T00:23:00.000-06:00

Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace

I think you'll be glad I waited to review this album. Foo Fighters. I think the name speaks for itself, but IF you've been under a rock camping out, I suggest you pull your head out and buy this album.

First of all, The FF have been relatively dormant since their In Your Honor double album. They only released some B-Sides songs via a live album (which was perfect), but nonetheless quite. I know now that they have been making some noise in privacy. This album was quite beyond my expectations.

Frist off, I had high hopes for In Your Honor, and I really stuck with the first dics, which was hard rock. Of that, I skipped about 3 songs, making that experience diminished somewhat. There were only about 3 songs on the acoustic dics I enjoyed, so that really was left in the closet. Thank god that is not th case here.

ESPG, really blew IYH1&2 out of the water. From hard hitting beginning to unnoticed but kick ass end. Here are my track 2 track reivews.

1. The Pretender-the first single and the obvious choice. Quite an ass kicker and holds true to FF style. I wish more albums by other artists stared like this. The video alone redems this song from the non-existent grave it never crawled out of.- 8/10

2. Let It Die- typical FF style. In recent years, the FF have kind of gone with a slow then kick you in the chin fast style. Line for line, word for word here. The fast parts save the song. 8/10

3. Erase/Replace- this one has a different verse and structure. I like the progression, but hate the lyrics. Could have spent a little more time here.- 6/10

4. Long Road To Ruin- Very There is Nothing Left To Lose feeling, which I feel is their best album. Has melody, beat, solo, great vocals, and the buring FF style. -8/10

5. Come Alive- One of my 'underdogs' for this album. If you listen to this and skip this slow beginning, you will surely miss the best bridge/chorus/rockin part of any song on this album. The last minute and a half are worth ten buck alone. Without this part, the album might not have been reviewed.- 9/10

6. Stranger Things Have Happened- Acoustic but not quite. Vocals carry this one by meters (whatever the fuck meters are). I bit melancholy, but nonetheless badass. I speak volumes for solos in this album. They boost the musicianship to whole new levels.- 7/10

7. Cheer Up Boys Your Makeup Is Running- Oldschool and ready for tomorrow. The title is just making fun of emo kids, but adds so much depth. The upbeath rhythm keeps you interested throughout, and reminds you of the life and times of The Color and The Shape.- 8/10

8. Summer's End- First impression? Worst track. After a few tries, worthy of FF's standard. A little bland until you just focus on the lyrics and melody. The solo totally lifts this little fucker like botox.- 7/10

9. The Ballad of The Beaconsfield Minners- This one is awesome. The actual backstory is that some miners got trapped in a mine and survived by listening to Foo Fighters songs. Dave Grohl felt so touched by this, that he wrote an acoustic song to those brave men stuck down in the mine. He also offered them FREE LIFETIME tickets to any FF show forever. Not a bad deal. This one really pays honor to Led Zeppelin and kees the speed going.- 9/10

10. Statues- So so for the most part. I'm obliged to think the chorus was a remake of another artist, but I can't tell. This track is very jam-like and holds true to that FF open ended arena.

- 6/10

11. But Honestly- Did you think this would shortchange you? Not in the least! Probably my favorote track, if I had to pick one. Starts acousticly with rhythm, and ends rockingly with kickass. This song starts with that feeling that something harder and faster is coming, and does.

-10/10

12. Home- Every album has that acoustic and touchy song, and this is it. Usually press next on my iPod, but still a heartfelt song, nonetheless. Overall analogy, so so.- 5/10

13. Once and For All- Thank the Rock Gods here. This one pretty much kicks your nose and expects you to wipe up the blood. A great way to wrap up a sweet album. This one is cousins with New Way Home and you'll know what I mean once you listen. Great building.- 9/10

Overall impression: 8.5/10. Am I satisfied? Yes. I am so sad to say that the quality of overall albums is crumbling. I remember a time when Rock would stop your heart. Im still waiting for my second heart attack. This album comes so close to perfection. I just needed another punch-you-in-the-face song and we would have been golden. Overall, great job FFs. Thank you for holding down the fort.

Everyone but this and support the fully ordained fighters of foo!

Co&Ca: The Hound of Blood and Rank

2007-10-06T02:14:00.000-06:00

So my itching was too strong tonight. I started searching. Searching like someone who had a mission. A mission with a timeclock. I found something. O yes! Found something I did. Song #3- The Hound (Of Blood And Rank). I downloaded the song from this foreign site, and I'm melancholy about the results. I found this song to be an authentic copy. I traced it via lyrics to: http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/coheedandcambria/thehoundofbloodandrank.html ,and it confirms my superstition of truth.

I have the #3 song from the new album. Analysis? Fucking brillance without exceptions! Coheed and Cambria won Kerrang's "Album of the Year" last year with Good Apollo Volume 1. My heart skipped a beat with this new song. I have monumental hopes for this album. In accordance with earlier reviews, I believe that this will be the album to birth a new generation of rock, the album to bring definition to an era of misguidance, and the album to regenerate new life in the "rock" genre. All hopes now lie on October 23rd and "No World For Tomorrow." I believe this title makes sense. If failure occurs, there truly is no world for tomorrow.

Chance of disappointment, you say? I believe there is no chance. What-so-ever. Reasons? Only 3 songs. I have 3 songs off the new album. #5, "The Running Free," is the actual version, and has been confirmed times over. Greatness. #6, "Mother Superior," is an acoustic cover, and it could stand alone as is, let alone having instrumentalization and supplementation added. #3 "The Hound (Of Blood and Rank) is believed to be a direct version, and falls short in no catagory.

Now is the time character. Now is the time of patience. Honor is lost in stealing, in getting the album too soon. Don't short change yourself. Part of me feels bad for hearing this song right now. I can't forgive the past. I can direct the future. After this night, NO COHEED AND CAMBRIA. Here are my rules.

NO CO&CA until Oct 20th.

OCT 20th- Second Stage Turbine Blade Day

OCT 21st- In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 Day

OCT 22nd- Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Volume 1 From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness Day

OCT 23rd- Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Volume 2 No World For Tomorrow Day

If you uphold any values at all, you will observe this holiday with me.

Based on these 3 songs, I have no interest at all to pursue illegal or early copies of this album. Here, integrity wins. Honors wins. Respect wins. Be man enough to wait. Be man enough to purchase songs you have waited for. In all honesty, the wait is the best part. This goes for anything. Anticipation makes the tongue water. It makes the heart beat. It makes the mind think. I makes you thankful for tomorrow, which has no world to look forward to.

Willing Well 2

2007-10-04T21:05:00.000-06:00

Here is another Co&Ca update. I think they are coming out a little quicker than once a week now. I don't know if this is the right way to say this, but I think this one is even more creepy than last week.

http://www.ugo.com/the-willing-well/

Guitar Hero 3 Tracklist

2007-10-04T11:51:00.001-06:00

Here it is. Just confirmed. I am pretty excited and I think you can tell why just by reading on.

AFI - "Miss Murder"
Aerosmith - "Same Old Song and Dance"
Alice Cooper - "School's Out"
Backyard Babies - "Minus Celsius"
Beastie Boys - "Sabotage"
Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"
Bloc Party - "Helicopter"
Blue Oyster Cult - "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll"
Bret Michaels Band - "Go That Far"
Charlie Daniels Band - "Devil Went Down to Georgia"
Cream - "Sunshine of Your Love"
Dead Kennedys - "Holiday in Cambodia"
Die Toten Hosen - "Hier Kommt Alex"
Disturbed - "Stricken"
DragonForce - "Through the Fire and Flames"
Eric Johnson - "Cliffs of Dover"
Foghat - "Slow Ride"
Gallows - "In the Belly of a Shark"
Guns N' Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle"
Heart - "Barracuda"
Heroes Del Silencio - "Avalancha"
In Flames - "Take This Life"
Iron Maiden - "The Number of the Beast"
Kaiser Chiefs - "Ruby"
Kiss - "Rock and Roll All Nite"
Lacuna Coil - "Closer"
Living Colour - "Cult of Personality"
Matchbook Romance - "Monsters"
Metallica - "One"
Mountain - "Mississippi Queen"
Muse - "Knights of Cydonia"
NAAST - "Mauvais Garcon"
Pat Benetar - "Hit Me with Your Best Shot"
Pearl Jam - "Even Flow"
Poison - "Talk Dirty to Me"
Priestess - "Lay Down"
Queens of the Stone Age - "3's and 7's"
Rage Against the Machine - "Bulls on Parade"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Suck My Kiss"
Revolverheld - "Generation Rock"
Santana - "Black Magic Woman"
Scorpions - "Rock You Like a Hurricane"
Slayer - "Raining Blood"
Slipknot - "Before I Forget"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Cherub Rock"
Social Distortion - "Story of My Life"
Sonic Youth - "Kool Thing"
Stevie Ray Vaughn - "Pride and Joy"
Superbus - "Radio Song"
Tenacious D - "The Metal"
The Hellacopters - "I'm in the Band"
The Killers - "When You Were Young"
The Rolling Stones - "Paint It, Black"
The Stone Roses - "She Bangs the Drums"
The Strokes - "Reptilia"
The Who - "The Seeker"
Velvet Revolver - "She Builds Quick Machines"
Weezer - "My Name Is Jonas"
White Zombie - "Black Sunshine"
ZZ Top - "La Grange"

If It Were My Choice

2007-09-29T01:16:00.000-06:00

Tonight I noticed something that most people haven't. The dual nature of certain tv entities. My example- The Enzyte Guy. We've all seen him. Never sad. Never unhappy. The only expression to grace his face is a smile. Pure. I have made up my mind. If I ever had depression, I want the Enzyte Guy as my therapist. Just think about it.

My Spice Limit

2007-09-27T23:33:00.001-06:00

So tonight after a dismal show, Paige, her mom, and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings. I thought to myself, "Let's take a chance. Test your tongue" Wow I'm dumb. BWW's (for those in the know), has about 15 different sauces ranging from sweet bbq to blazin'. I didn't think I'd try for blazin'. They have a 'Wall of Fame' for those select few who can eat 12 blazin' wings in 10 minutes, and needless to say there aren't many pictures on the wall. There is, however, one crazy bastard who did the challenge. Three times in a row in one night. So, I thought I'd try mango habenaro. This one is the 3rd hottest. Not smart. My nose was instantly cleared and dripping. My brow began to bead up and I had to use my napkin to remove sweat. I couldn't feel my tonuge. It felt like a ritual bonfire that had to be kept buring through the night was taking place on my sensitive tongue. I ordered other kinds of wings, and I used the medium ones to cool down the mango habenaro ones. Usually medium is fine for me, and here I am using it as a coolant. Now back at home, I feel sick. I think my stomach hates me.

Weekly CoCa Update

2007-09-24T16:46:00.001-06:00

Here is a link to this week's new message from the band. This one is creepy and gave me chills.

http://www.ugo.com/the-willing-well/

Percents

2007-09-24T11:41:00.000-06:00

Yeah we are doing awesome now, going on, I think, 5 for 5 on Mondays. OF COURSE, it is raining, and OF COURSE, I have softball. I'm loving this.

Rex Grossman

2007-09-23T20:57:00.000-06:00

1) Always has grass stains on the back of his jersey from getting sacked.

2) Throws interceptions

3) Usually hears from his coaches, "We're only down by 1. Let's just take a knee. We don't want Grossman to lose it for us worse than we would have normally. I mean, this guy is pathetic. He might hang around the league for 10 years, but he will only be mediocre at best. What did you say? No I hate Green Mill. Let's go to Red Lobster. Yeah. The one by the mall. Okay. Don't tell Grossman cause we don't want him to come. He never picks up the check. Okay see you there.

4) Probably wets the bed during afternoon naps

Torment For The Waiting

2007-09-18T23:44:00.002-06:00

Okay some lucky dude got a copy of No World For Tomorrow, and here is his take on it. I could barely read it and not crap in my chair. This just makes the wait seem like forever.

NWFT First Impressions
So Claudio basically walked into the studio with all those stirring emotions he's mentioned in the interviews and let it wail. This is the hardest rocking, loudest, and most instrumentally intense Coheed record yet, and I think even darker than Good Apollo 1. No, they have not reverted back to Second Stage or In Keeping Secrets, but they have also not made a carbon copy of Apollo 1 with a different story. Though the tracking of the record is quite similar, this album will knock you on your ass with ten times the force of GA1.

Whereas you could hear the band trying to emulate specific influences on GA1 (a.k.a. Once Upon Your Dead Body) on GA2 it's pure rock n roll. There's roughly four songs which gave me GA1 vibes, but the rest is a whole new beast. Solos are back and sharper and the riffage is on fire, seriously I feel like it's burning a hole in my CD player, this record is hot, flaming fire. Upon hearing the record, the cover artwork works perfectly, because you really feel the weight of that shirtless character heading towards a world being torn to pieces - both his outer layer of revenge, anger, and blood lust as well as his inner emotional conscience get a voice here.

Claudio, as usual, gives a stellar vocal performance - sounding a little higher than GA1 but equally character driven in his vocal stylings. Please do not overthink "The Running Free" it's one of only two songs that I would even begin to think of the word "pop" (there really is very little pop this time). It sounds so much better in context and it's an awesome awesome song in my opinion. Please also stop listening to Mother Superior acoustic right now. (This is really hard to do). Like everything else on this record, it is not a cute acoustic song you can put in your pocket, it is LARGE and a different animal, but vocally note for note like the acoustic version.

The End Complete is just about as insane as you've imagined it, and because the first half of the record is a rockfest, it doesn't feel like a total 180 likethe Willing Wells. The records ends with dignity and of course it's a super epic. !! POSSIBLE SPOILERS !!- Read below if you want tiny hints. All in all it's a pretty perfect and justified end to the saga - a full progression of a band's sound. Coheed and Cambria were the saviors of rock and roll but now..... they fucking ARE rock and roll.

Track Notes:
1) 1:14 Reaping: is not an instrumental but an intro and a good one

2) 5:06 No World For Tomorrow: is an absolute rockfest, kicks so much ass. It's the Welcome Home or the IKS of the record. No musical flashback, but a moment or two for the fans here.

3) 4:38 The Hound: Some different orchestration, an awesome chorus, and a killer killer solo

4) 4:55 Feathers: has some "pop" to it, but in a classic way. Think "Our Love" by The Outfield, sweet sounding light as a feather. Claudio's voice is gorgeous, as is the slower paced bluesy solo. A vaguely Junesong sounding vocal melody in the bridge.

5) 4:13 The Running Free

6) 6:38 Mother Superior: expanded instrumentally. Strings and full band. But Claud still sings like a crooning angel. Much respect for this change - all acoustic would have killed the record's pace.

7) 4:21 Gravemakers and Gunslingers: well what did you expect? This song spits in your face, gives you a wedgy, and slams you into your locker. So bad-ass. Hard Adrenalin rush bridge, out of this world solo.

8) 4:28 Justice in Murder: Great sing-along chorus. Like Mother May I on GA1, you feel the imminence of something big and bad on the horizon.

The End Complete

9)1:04 The Fall of House Atlantic: Surprise, it's just an intro. Almost 3-like in apocalyptic style.

10) 4:54 Radio Bye Bye: Somewhat straight forward, very GA1 sounding.

11) 7:44 The End Complete: The chorus is a pretty new sound for Coheed, but appropriately large-scale. Almost 8 minutes. At 2:47 there is something all you Cobalt and Calciums will be thrilled to hear. It was missing on GA1. The song gets wild in a Willing Well/2113 way.

12) 3:35 The Road And the Damned: Also a new sound to it. Extremely heart rending, it should stir every bone in your body. Very moving in an epic way.

13) 7:09 On The Brink: Begins totally soulful almost 2113 esque. Vocally extraordinary. 7 minutes. It progresses epically from here, with an unexpected but crazy good ending. It's not a 20 minute medley of every Coheed song, nor is it just silence, but it is something you'll be happy to hear, and definitely a fitting closer.

There's A Day For That?

2007-09-18T23:44:00.001-06:00

So according to legend, 2 American dudes set up a festival occuring on Sept, 19th. TLAPD. O, you didn't know? That stand for Talk Like a Pirate Day. Yeah. Read that again. I guess that people need to show their 'pirattitude' today. So, in honor of swashbuckling, I give you- The Pirate Convention!

GREAT NEWS!

2007-09-18T23:44:00.000-06:00

So earlier today I was checking "my sites" for various news information, and one of them is about Harry Potter. This one was amazing. There was a headline about casting for movie six The Half Blood Prince. I had made an early prediction about how I thought the perfect choice for the character Horace Slughorn would be Jim Broadbent. Turns out, I was right! This is AMAZING news! If you haven't heard of him, you should have. His resume includes Art School Confidential, Longford, and last but not least- Moulin Rouge, which he stole the show. I can't wait to see this movie now.

Weather and Such

2007-09-17T19:32:00.000-06:00

So for about the past month, every time I purposely schedule something that involves some kind of sport (fast-pitch softball, golf, tennis) it rains. I'm kinda getting sick of it. I really wish that a Monday night could be rain-free, just once. Even for an hour and a half. That's all it really takes to finish our games.

On a second note- O.J. Simpson. Can you honestly think this bastard is not guilty? Again? This time he is held without bail. This may be a second place throphy for those who wished to see him behind bars for murder in the most ridiculous trial ever. He actually did it. Both times. Maybe he'll fox his way out of this one too.

Weekly Complaints

2007-09-16T10:18:00.000-06:00

I haven't actually written anything real in a while and I apologize. I've just been busy. In my little vacation, I have had plenty of time to think about things to bitch about. Here we go.

1. Eli Manning

Maybe I just can't get over the fact that this guy always looks like a big pussy. He seems like a breath away from crying and throwing a fit, which of the two, the latter he actually does on a regular basis. Maybe I have all this pent up agression from when he was acutally signed a couple years ago and had a tantrum until a better team picked him. I think they should bury his ass in the Meadowlands. Now let't talk fantasy football. This guy got hurt (tear, tear) last week and now he is going to start today. This is one reason I quit doing fantasy football online, because pussies like this can screw up your weekend. I only choose to do pro-football winners pick, where you pick the winners. It seems a little more realistic to me.

2. Dirt Merchants (aka Crop Seed Salesmen)

These cock-suckers are the worst at work. A- they are usually messy and leave seeds, dirt, wheat, and spitters everywhere. B- Most can't work a projector/laptop and you have to waste time "fixing the problem" C- They can't read diagrams and usually set their stuff up in the wrong spot. I have spent most of my morning at work trying to finish my stuff and stay out of their way in order to get done and get the hell out of here. Has it worked? No! Now King Dirt Merchant wants me to sit in on his hour long talk and run his laptop- (press 1 button to start a slideshow) which he obviously can't do and won't pay extra for my time. Some mornings you wish the alarm "wouldn't go off."

3. Barry Bonds

So as of Saturday night, the record-breaking 756th home run ball fetched $752,467 at an auction. A ball! We are talking about red tine and leather and stuffing. Almost the same thing you could buy at Walmart for 2-3 bucks. This, to me, is complete bullshit. Had I caught the ball, I would have somehow contacted Bonds and told him that I would give the ball back to him if he would buy me a new scooter, a golf cart, and a lobster dinner. Maybe cost him $5000 at the very most. This way, he could give his record ball to his steroid using son some day. The best part about all of this? The guy that sold the ball couldn't afford to keep the ball because it added so much to his estate that he couldn't afford to pay the taxes on it! That's funny. He saw a ton of money. I saw a scooter, golf cart, and a lobster dinner.

Sad News Good News

2007-09-09T11:20:00.000-06:00

This week Luciano Pavarotti passed away at 71. He has been fighting cancer of the pancreas for some time. If you heard an opera song, you have probably heard him sing. He was thee face and voice of opera with his charcoal facial hair and beautiful tenor voice.

Dancing Days are here again, because the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin are finally getting back together! Incredibly, according to NME.com, frontman Robert Plant is in talks this week with fellow Led Zep legends Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones about a one-off Zeppelin gig that'll hopefully take place in London this November. Presumably late drummer John Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, will fill in behind the drumkit for the Zep trek. I wish I could go to London to see this.

Titles and Dates

2007-09-08T10:10:00.000-06:00

The tracklisting for No World For Tomorrow has just been made available. It's suitably strange, in that Coheed and Cambria way.

The tracklisting is:

1. The Reaping
2. No World for Tomorrow
3. The Hound of Blood and Rank
4. Feathers
5. The Running Free
6. Mother Superior
7. Gravemakers & Gunslingers
8. Justice in Murder

The End Complete:
9. I -The Fall of House Atlantic
10. II - Radio Bye Bye
11. III - The End Complete
12. IV - The Road and the Damned
13. V - On the Brink

Coheed and Cambria will embark on an extensive North American fall headline tour beginning Monday, October 29 in Toronto and winding up at Philadelphia's Electric Factory on Wednesday, November 28.

Support acts on the tour include rock veteran’s Clutch and The Fall of Troy. The Coheed and Cambria tour is in celebration of the release of the band's new Columbia Records album, "No World For Tomorrow," on Tuesday, October 23. "No World For Tomorrow" marks the apex and final chapter of "The Amory Wars," the conceptual, apocalyptic storyline which runs through the band's previous albums -- "The Second Stage Turbine Blade" (2002), "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" (2003), and "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness" (2005) – and chronicles the the trials and tribulations of main characters Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon and their children as they fight to save civilization.
Tour dates are as follows:
10/19 - New York, NY, CMJ – Highline Ballroom
10/29 - Toronto, ON, Kool Haus
10/30 - Cleveland, OH, House of Blues
10/31 - Cleveland, OH, House of Blues
11/01 - Detroit, MI, State Theatre
11/02 - Chicago, IL, The Riviera- Probably going to skip a wedding for this one!
11/06 - Denver, CO, The Fillmore
11/07 - Salt Lake City, UT, Salt Air
11/09 - San Francisco, CA, Warfield
11/10 - San Diego, CA, SOMA
11/11 - Los Angeles, CA, Wiltern LG
11/13 - Phoenix, AZ, Marquee Theatre
11/15 - Dallas, TX, House of Blues
11/16 - Houston, TX, Wharehouse Live
11/17 - Austin, TX, Waterloo Park
11/19 - Orlando, FL, House of Blues
11/20 - Atlanta, GA, Tabernacle
11/21 - Myrtle Beach, SC, House of Blues
11/23 - Winston-Salem, NC, Millennium Center
11/24 - Norfolk, VA, NorVa
11/25 - Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
11/26 - Worcester, MA, Palladium
11/28 - Philadelphia, PA, Electric Factory

Amazing Hack

2007-09-05T23:25:00.000-06:00

Not sure how this was done, but you can bet your ass I'm going to figure out how.
Behold a Coheed and Cambria song for Guitar Hero 2

Album Art Cover

2007-08-28T16:01:00.000-06:00

Fresh from www.noworldfortomorrow.com.

This is the cover art for the CD.

Winners Snort Their Daddies

2007-08-27T22:54:00.000-06:00

We knew he was crazier than a crap house rat, but here is the proof.

The nominations for this year's Classic Rock awards have been revealed, and whilst Jimmy Page is set to receive the Living Legend Award, Keith Richards is nominated for his father snorting antics.

The magazine's third annual awards - which are due to be held at London's Landmark Hotel on November 5 - will see Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page honoured as the Living Legend on the Roll Of Honour.

But it is the Event Of The Year category - awarded to the greatest tour, reunion or 'dropped-me-bacon-sandwich-moment' of the past 12 months - which will be raising the most eyebrows.
Undoubtedly fitting into the 'bacon' category, Keith Richards has been nominated for his headline grabbing claim that he snorted his own father's ashes when interviewed earlier this year.

Despite what seemed to be an initial retraction of his comment Richards later told the NME that he did indeed snort his father's remains, but that he certainly didn't (heaven forbid) mix them with cocaine first. That's alright then.

Scott Rowley, Classic Rock editor in chief commented, "We came up with the Event Of The Year category after Pink Floyd closed the show at Live 8 in 2005 to cover those sort of dropped-me-bacon-sandwich moments. Keith Richards confessing to snorting his dad's ashes is more of a dropped-me-bacon-sandwich, trod on the cat and ate the carpet moment.

"Keith snorting his dad has totally upped the ante for bad boy rock star behaviour - and from a 64 year old, that's quite impressive. I'm sure that Ozzy Osbourne's sitting stewing in a corner right now, wondering how he can top it."

Here are the nominations, and I will pick my winners in italics.

Album Of The Year
Buckcherry '15'
Ian Hunter 'Shrunken Heads'
Porcupine Tree 'Fear Of A Black Planet'
Rush 'Snakes & Arrows'
Velvet Revolver 'Libertad'
The Who 'Endless Wire'

Band Of The Year
Aerosmith
Heaven & Hell
Muse
Rush
Velvet Revolver

Best Reissue
Def Leppard 'Hysteria Deluxe Edition'
Kiss 'Alive! 1975-2000'
Whitesnake '1987 20th Anniversary Edition'
Manic Street Preachers 'Everything Must Go 10th Anniversary Edition'
The Pretenders 'The Pretenders'
The Travelling Wilbury’s 'Deluxe Collector’s Edition'

DVD Of The Year
Bob Dylan 'Don’t Look Back'
Free 'Forever'
Metallica 'The Videos 1989-2004'
Man of the World 'The Peter Green Story'
The Police 'Everybody Stares'

Event Of The Year
Aerosmith at Hyde Park
Genesis reform
The Police reform
Lou Reed Berlin concert
Keith Richards snorts his Dad- There is no way he will lose!!
Saxon on Harvey Goldsmith

Best New Band
Black Stone Cherry
Damone
Priestess
Rose Hill Drive
The Trews

Living Legend Award
Jimmy Page

Back to Being Back

2007-08-25T15:13:00.001-06:00

First week of school. Yuk. It was terribly busy and there was so much going on. Having taken a year long hiatus, I got a part in the second show this semester, The Cherry Orchard. We start rehearsals October 8th, so I have a little time to work and get adjusted to being back at school.

On another note, The Foo Fighters are getting ready to release their follow-up album to 2005's In Your Honor. The next album comes out September 23rd and is called Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace. Here is a video for their first single The Pretender.
http://www.mtvu.com/video/?name=mostviewed&id=1567142&vid=169364

Quite a Sunday

2007-08-15T13:25:00.000-06:00

So last Sunday, Third Eye Blind was playing at The Venue in town. Anyone who knows me knows I hate this place. It is a festering whore house with horrible people screaming and dancing to shitty rap music. YUK! Nowhere near my cup of tea. The only time I go there is when they have a concert in The Venue, or in The House of Rock, which is a smaller stage in the bar part. I will only go to the Venue because they have an upstairs bar where you can get away from disgusting middle and high school girls who think all lyrics can be summed up with screaming. I really do prefer the smaller House of Rock stage, but I sometimes settle. So you're thinking Third Eye Blind? I know me too. I happen to rather enjoy their 3rd album called- "Out of The Vein"- which never had any hits, but nevertheless, that's what I think makes it better.

I was expecting a mild show that would be disappointing in the long run, but I was wrong. They played for 2 solid hours. I have never been to a show where one band played for so long. They damn near played their whole catalog. BUT- (yeah I know you're not suppose to start sentences this way but who gives a shit really?) - about 4 songs into the show, the lead singer starts telling everyone about how this is their last tour stop and they were only touring for a month. Then a bunch of camera crew guys came out and he said how they were filming THIS show for a live DVD and CD for something to hold fans over until he finished the lyrics to their fourth album. Kinda a cool experience.

So being Sunday night, I headed over to everyone waiting for me at BWW's. They were a little bit pissed I late, but we had a great time. After that, we walked next door to Big D's. We were seated in a booth and this lesbian behind me said, "Hey, Annie!" Now I start to wonder if she is talking about me, so I turn around and say, "Are you talking to me or your friend somewhere?"
She said it was her friend, but then confessed they were talking about me. So I, being nice (and thinking I wouldn't kill her there) sang the lyrics to "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" They followed by laughing their heads off at me. I then turned around and laughed with them because I didn't know what was going on. So later, everyone told me what had happened and laughed even harder at me, so now I have a new nickname.

Here We Go Again

2007-08-10T13:36:00.000-06:00

My name must not be worth shit when it comes to mail service. I ordered a pretty big poster online last week. It is about 4 feet by 5 feet. It cost me about $22 with shipping and all that jazz. I go to the post office to get it today. What did the postal worker bring me you ask? AN EMPTY TUBE WITH A PACKING SLIP!!! Somehow along the way from California some fucking asshole opened the tube and carefully stole my poster. Whoever packed the thing did such a shoddy job that they should be fired. A tiny plastic cap and one piece of packing tape. I know it was done poorly because I could see where they taped and by the looks of it they barely covered the end. Great. You know it is starting to really stop me from buying something that I can't even see before I go to the checkout.

Updates

2007-08-09T09:18:00.000-06:00

Well well. BIG news from Coheed. They have just put their new song "The Running Free" on MySpace and it is pretty cool. I was just a little disappointed with the vocal's on the verses, but it's growing on me. Check out the song here- http://myspace.com/coheedandcambria

Travis Stever of CoCa has, a little while ago, put out a album- "The English Panther" It is pretty good stuff, espically "Rusty Knives" and "Storms" so check out his page too.- http://www.myspace.com/theenglishpanther

We had the last softball game of the season on Tuesday night. I have offically learned how to score baseball games having done almost all of them all season. It is really quite fun and is something that can help pass the time at boring ass games. So I have my stats from the season:

Innings Played: 10
Hits: 0
Got on base: 2
Hit by Pitch: 2
Runs Scored: 1 (and the winning run that game)
RBI: 0
Balls Caught In Outfield (They stuck me out there): 0
Games Spent Sober: 0

Pretty fun way to spend my Tuesday Nights. Everyone cheered when I got hit and got on base! With friends like this, who needs enemies!

Slash: I'm No Guitar Hero

2007-08-02T10:25:00.000-06:00

Shocking news from former Guns ‘n’ Roses man Slash today who says he isn’t the guitar god we all thought he was.

However, don’t throw your vintage t-shirts in the bin just yet as he wasn’t talking about being onstage but playing computer games, but playing computer games, reports GIGWise.

You see Slash stars on the latest edition of Guitar Hero but it seems he hasn’t quite conquered the games axe just yet.

He told Rolling Stone: “And a lot of that has to do with the fact that it’s hard for me to get rid of thirty years — whatever it is — twenty-some-odd years of playing in a certain way and then all of the sudden become accustomed to pressing some buttons and stuff.

“I have these little things that I’m so used to doing that when I’m playing Guitar Hero it sort of screws me up.”

HEY HACKER!-Looks like he can't handle plastic 5-button mayhem like us!

Study Why?

2007-08-02T10:14:00.000-06:00

That's right everyone. It's a cheat sheet. Our teacher so graciously allowed us one side of a piece of paper to put any notes or hints for our test today. Me? I managed to put 30 pages of notes on one side, and most of that is word for word. She might as well have made the test open book. I couldn't help but feel like some one crafting an important document at the end of the 1700's. It also reminded me of the contract that all the kids sign in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder. You could barely read the bottom part and no one knew what it said. That is kinda the same here.

But, I'm damn glad to be done with summer school. I couldn't help but feel like the kid in grade school who actually had to attend summer school because his grades the previous semester were absolute shit, and he could see all his friends playing together on the playground from his uncomfortable desk by the window that didn't open, and his friends were passing around cheap beer. It almost feels like I have a summer now.

I got a raise two days ago, but due to some BS, they could only bump people up 3%. So that means an extra $0.32/hour in my pocket. Whoopee

The Running Free

2007-08-01T10:48:00.000-06:00

Here was a secret message I found for No World For Tomorrow along with a new picture (possibly album cover?) Check it out

Photos

2007-08-01T10:44:00.000-06:00

I just took the time to figure out how to add photos. Look out. Everyone. Scroll down and you can see what Paige and I looked like when we went to the book release.

In an attempt to find something to fill the void of Harry Potter, I bought the Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Vol. 1 and 2 and so far I'm pretty impressed.

The next big thing coming out for me is The Golden Compass on Dec 7th. This is the first book in a trilogy by Philip Pullman called His Dark Materials. Check it out it is an awesome read.

Coheed MTV Interview

2007-07-31T12:51:00.000-06:00

Claudio Sanchez, the hay bale-haired frontman for progressive rockers Coheed and Cambria, will never look back on 2006 fondly. It was a year wrought with lineup shifts, family deaths and hurdles aplenty. There was even a moment that the sci-fi-leaning concept band wondered if it should even bother carrying on.

In August, the band was forced to nix a European tour, following the departures of drummer Joshua Eppard and bassist Michael Todd, which put things in Coheed land in flux for a spell. In the spring, Todd returned to the fold, and Eppard was replaced by former Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie. Sanchez also lost his aunt, a social worker who'd counseled the band through several challenging times, to Alzheimer's disease; her death was a blow to the entire group.

"It's been an uphill battle," Sanchez explained. "Last year was terrible. It was an interesting time for this band and a very important time, because with all those experiences, I think we have created a very awesome album," the forthcoming Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow, which drops October 23. "We sort of rose from the ashes, which is something we never really had with any of the previous albums, which makes me feel like this is the strongest and makes for the best conclusion for the saga.

"Last year, we went through a lot, and I think, really, at the end of the day, it all helped kind of mold this album," Sanchez added. "Like [2005's Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness], where we kind of saw [the tale of Coheed and Cambria, an epic of love, death and deceit sprung from Sanchez's vivid imagination] from the writer's perspective, and how the writer's reality kind of affected the outcome of the story. This time around, it's pretty much that tenfold. This one's about everything we endured in 2006 and how that kind of translated over to the concept of Coheed and Cambria."

Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Shadows Fall), No World for Tomorrow features Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who was summoned — the day before the band was scheduled to begin tracking — to fill in for Eppard. Being able to bring the Coheed and Cambria saga to a close has been rather relieving for Sanchez.

"I certainly feel a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders," he said. "Now I am thinking about what will happen in the future, about the prequel album, possible spinoffs." (Sanchez also hinted at bigger things coming down the pike for Coheed, including a possible film adaptation, either live-action or animated, of the albums' overall concept.) "It is nice to know I am closing the center of the whole mythology. Now, with this album, it has been established that, although the [upcoming] prequel is just as important, these four bodies of work really kind of stamp it. They make the mythology."

Surprisingly, despite all the headaches and heartaches the band has experienced in the last 12 months, the album isn't as dark as you might imagine and boasts a few heavy numbers, à la "Welcome Home."

"In writing the lyrics, I found certain lines that, instead of being so on the dark side of things, almost felt very hopeful," the singer said. "To quote some of the lyrics, 'Raise your hands high, young brothers and sisters/ There's a world's worth of work and a need for you.' It's almost like we've gone through all these changes, and we want our fans to know that we have endured and will continue. At the same time, on the conceptual side of things, it's the end of the story, the end of everything, so it's almost, in a weird way, tricking a following into their own demise ... if that makes any sense."

The band has been previewing at least one of the new songs, the disc's likely first single, "The Running Free," during this summer's Warped Tour, and the response has been positive. Look for the record to also contain the cuts "Mother Superior," "The End Complete," "Gravemakers and Gunslingers," the album's title track and "Justice and Murder," a tune inspired by Sanchez's aunt.

"She had a very interesting role in Coheed, especially after [the release of 2002's The Second Stage Turbine Blade], when Coheed actually disbanded for a second due to extensive touring and such. ... We were so overloaded, we kind of imploded," he said. "My aunt happened to be a social worker, a therapist, and we went to her and she helped us sort out our problems and helped us figure out what we wanted to do as a band, and thus, we endured and went on to [record 2003's In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3]. It was such a tragedy, because seeing her pass away and all that we endured in 2006, it was another brick in that wall. It made us wonder, 'Can we overcome this?' because we aren't going to have that help we had before."

For some of the tracks, Sanchez said he experimented with unfamiliar instrumentation, including organs and pianos, to create a sound he described as "Ray Charles on Quaaludes." A few of the songs were actually written on piano and later converted into very intricate guitar parts.

"Musically, I think our fans are going to really enjoy it because there are a lot of callbacks to the other albums," he explained. "But it's hard to say what will happen to this band when the concept is finished. There are so many avenues we could explore, if we really wanted to dive into the conceptual side of things. The solar system that I have created [with the Coheed saga] involves 78 planets, so there are worlds of things we could explore, as well as moving into another piece of fiction or whatever. We're artists — we can find an interesting way to move from this to another thing, if we chose to do that. If I were to say this is the end of Coheed and Cambria, I think our audience would be excited about it."

Harry Potter 7

2007-07-26T14:08:00.000-06:00

Well it has been a while since I have written written on here and I will solely blame myself. I have just been too lazy and I didnt want to buy internet for the summer because CableOne is a monoply and therefore can rape you on price. I usually just go to school a little early and use the internet there for free. I'll bet you can see my motivation.

This past Friday/Saturday was one of the biggest days for Potter fans. The last book in the series was released at 12:01 am on Sat 21. This process had started 2 years ago when I had finished book 6. 2 LONG YEARS! So in order to actually get a book, my story starts at 8am on Friday.

So in order to be able to buy the book on Friday night, you had to have a wirst band, and to get a wrist band, you had to go to Barnes at 9am to stand in line to get the book. So not trusting my narcoleptic girlfriend to complete this first monumental task, I went to get our wristbands at 8:30am. There was already a huge line verging around the corner so I was slightly skeptical. Nevertheless, I got our wrist bands labeled 1-250. This meant we were in the first group of people who could line up inside the store. If we had these wristbands and werent early enough to get inside the store before they reached fire code capacity, we would be at the mercy of the mob outside.

I thoght we should come early to avoid this fiasco, so we arrived at 7:30pm. A little crazy? Maybe. There were already a few people sitting around and dressed up, but we turned heads as we walked in the door. Paige dressed as Professor Trelawney, and I as Lucius Malfoy. This was weird too because total strangers would come up to us and ask for pictures, and in my case, one girl wanted my character's autograph and another girl wanted a hug. Weird.

There were some kiddie games and little things for kids, but we took a picture by a poster, and while Paige was coloring it, a man came up to me and asked if he could interview me for the radio. I said sure, because as an actor, you want to get your voice heard. You can check out his pictures and the audio podcast file here: http://www.trevorhirst.com/weblog/

Find the little audio mP3 icon and click to listen. Then move to about 30 minutes into the podcast and listen.

So after this little surprise they started the costume contest. They started with the adults, which was weird considering there were little kids that went last. Anyway, anyone who wanted to compete lined up and everyone circled up. Moment of truth. We each took a turn and walked out. Paige, who was amazingly dressed, walked out, and being an actor, took control and everyone was clapping and yelling. When I walked out, being an evil character, I was greeted by boos. Long, loud, boos by many people. Needless to say I did not make it to the second round. Paige however got 3rd place. She should have gotten a higher place, but a girl wearing a toilet seat beat her out.

When this was over, we sort of thought ahead and lined up close to the register and waited for everything to happen. Finally people started getting close and then before you knew it there were only 10 minutes until we could buy the book. Then, low and behold, FOX News came up to us and wanted an interview, seeing as we would be one of the first ones to buy the book. We reluctantly agreed and said we would meet them to our left.

Then the final countdown. When they said 3,2,1,0- the store erupted and I was one of the first nine people to buy the book, as I was the first in my line. Wow. About 10 years of my life boiled down to 759 pages. So we moved to the left after buying it, and FOX News was no where to be seen. But we just left and as we did, there was a worker yelling how many people had left to the lady working the door and she would let that many people in to get their book. Crazy.

Coheed And Cambria: 'IV, Volume 2'

2007-07-25T12:08:00.000-06:00

Coheed and Cambria's Claudio Sanchez has announced the release of the bands next full length for Columbia Records.

The record is titled: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 2: No World For Tomorrow, and is due out October 23, 2007! It is the follow-up to Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness, which was released in 2005.

The album was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush).

Though the album marks the debut of drummer Chris Pennie, formerly of the Dillinger Escape Plan, the album reportedly has contributions from Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Bassist Michael Todd, who left the band last August for personal reasons, had rejoined the group and took part in the recordings.

Coheed and Cambria last released Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness in 2005. They'll serve as one of the headliners on this summer's Warped Tour.

Lead singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez recently spoke with comic book news sites Newsarama and Comic Book Resources about his upcoming series The Amory Wars, which adapts the narrative from the band's albums. The inaugural miniseries will adapt Second Stage Turbine Blade and pairs Sanchez with artist Gus Vasquez and cover artist Tony Moore.

Incubus Guitarist Plans A Symphony

2007-07-23T10:44:00.000-06:00

It’s too early to break out the tux ‘n’ tails and the conductor’s baton, but Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger is working on a symphony.

The project began in March, after Einziger had surgery to relieve debilitating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. “I couldn’t play guitar for a few months,” Einziger tells Billboard.com, “so I just started studying music again. I started working on (the symphony), and I learned very quickly that there were a lot of gaps in my musical knowledge.”

Einziger began studying five days a week with a teacher and also spent time with a “musical mentor.” The symphony project remained his focus, and he’s working on it during INCUBUS‘ current headlining tour of North America to promote its 2006 release “Light Grenades.”

“I’m just kind of writing it in small pieces, ’cause it’s very intimidating to think of it as a whole body of work,” explains Einziger, who hasn’t titled the piece yet. “It’ll probably be three movements and 40 minutes of music, and that’s a lot of music to write.

“And I completely realize that it can’t just be interesting only because it’s the guitar player of a rock band writing it. It has to stand up to the work of other composers as well. It’s a pretty hefty task for me to endure, but I’m actually excited about it.”

Einziger says Incubus‘ road schedule should give him plenty of time to continue working on the symphony. After wrapping up on these shores, the group will hit Europe and South America in the fall, with Australia, Japan and other parts of Asia slated for 2008.

The next Incubus album is also on the quintet’s radar — especially since any leftover “Light Grenades” material has been used up for B-sides and bonus tracks.

“We’ll be starting completely from scratch,” Einziger says, “but that’s how we like to do it. We like to look at our albums as photo albums from a very specific time and place. We want them to be representative of where we were at a specific time, so including older songs would seem strange. Everything we do next time will be fresh and brand new.”

News From Coheed

2007-07-17T10:20:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow our summer officially begins.

We are done with recording and ready to rock all summer long on Warped tour. We are very proud of the new record we just completed and can’t wait for you to hear it. We are looking to release it in October.

We will have lots of news and fun announcements, contests, and a new song along the way, so keep a look out for stuff. On another note we feel like we have a lot of good new merch for Warped (and more coming as we go). So say hello to our friends Erin and Rory in the Merch booth.

And we’re sure you’ve heard the rumors and they’re true. We would like to welcome our new drummer, Chris Pennie. He is a phenomenal drummer and we look forward to playing with him this summer and beyond. We are very lucky to have him on board, so give him a shout out at the shows.

As the summer progresses, you will start hearing more and more about our new album and we hope you are as excited as we are about it all unfolding.

Love,Claudio, Travis, Mic and Chris.
Co&CA

Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace

2007-07-09T20:03:00.000-06:00

“It has always been my dream to mix Steely Dan with No Means No,” Dave Grohl tells Billboard of the eclectic sound of the sixth Foo Fighters album, tentatively titled “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace” and due Sept. 25 via RCA. “If anybody is going to do it, I’d love to be that guy.”

Indeed, the 12-song set may throw some fans for a loop, as tracks like “Let It Die” and “Erase Replace” make drastic stylistic shifts in a matter of seconds. “There’s four-piece rock band sh*t, but then there are songs where the middle sections turn into this mass orchestrated swarm and ridiculous time signatures,” Grohl says of the new material.

Among the rockers sure to sizzle in arenas this fall are opener “The Pretender" ("It’s a stomping Foo Fighters uptempo song, with a little bit of Chuck Berry in it”) and “Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running" ("That will make festival grounds stomp really hard").

At the other end of the spectrum, “The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners” finds Grohl and guest guitarist Kaki King flexing their fingerpicking. “This song is almost banjo-picking style with hammer-ons and pull-offs,” Grohl says. “I showed it to her once and she shredded it 10 times better than I’ve ever played it.”

That song was inspired by two Tasmanian miners who were tapped underground for two weeks and, while awaiting rescue, requested an iPod with Foo Fighters music on it to help lift their spirits. Grohl was alerted of the situation by a staffer at the band’s Australian record company and wrote a note to the two men.

“I was in tears, man,” he recalls. “I said, ‘Hey guys, it’s Dave. You’re in our thoughts and prayers. When you get out, there’s two tickets and two cold beers waiting for you wherever you want to see the band.’”

The men were eventually brought to safety, and when one of them came to see the Foos play the Sydney Opera House, "I thought I’d write something for him," Grohl says. "I came up with this little instrumental thing. After the show, we went and got fuckin’ wasted in the hotel bar and I was like, 'Dude, I promise I’m going to put this on the record.' "

Here is the track list for Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace:

01. The Pretender
02. Let It Die
03. Erase Replace
04. Long Road to Ruin
05. Come Alive
06. Stranger Things Have Happened
07. Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running
08. Summer’s End
09. The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners
10. Statues
11. But Honestly
12. Home

Transformers

2007-07-03T10:29:00.000-06:00

Okay so back last year when I saw the tiny preview for this movie I actually laughed. It looked pathetic. I was totally wrong. After watching the movie, I remember actually having some of the toys when I was little (so Mom you sould find those for me.) This was by far the best action movie I have seen in a long time. I was disappointed with Spiderman 3, and somewhat mildly interested in Fantastic Four 2, but this took the cake (and it was a 3-tiered chocolate!) The producers must have been working on this one forever. It had a ton of big name actors, an immeasurable budget, and some of the most fluid and realistic special effects I have seen. You really couldn't even complain that it was 2 hours and 30 minutes. My only complaint? Harry Potter. I am scared that Transformers will dwarf what happens next Tuesday at midnight (for which I already have tickets!!) The number one on my list this summer was (obviously) Order of the Phoenix. Now I am worried that it won't win the Grand Champion ribbon at the county fair. In the theatre last night, it got to be a little bit too much when the 35 year old dudes were screaming with joy when certain characters would first make an enterance. I'm not talking living actors. I'm talking the Transformers. Unbelieveable! I just want to know who they are clapping for. Do the CG animators actually place special devices inside the projectors at movie theatres so they, who are sitting at home playing World of Warcraft, can smile and say, "You're too kind! I know I'm the best!"? NO! I've never worked at a theatre, but I bet they get to watch a lot of movies and once I'd see it a couple times, I would make bets with my "friends" to see if they clapped during certain times. Note to everyone- clapping is for live action!

Rating- 9.2 out of 10
Best Part- Animation/Special Effects/Shia LeBeouf
Worst Part- Clapping Shitheads

Mona Lisa

2007-06-25T22:36:00.002-06:00

While taking a small break from studying, I stumbled upon this video of a man recreating the famous Mona Lisa by Da Vinci. His medium you ask? Microsoft Paint. Don't believe me? Just watch.

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=450851&cache=1

Led Zeppelin Reuniting For A Show

2007-06-25T22:36:00.001-06:00

Rock legends Led Zeppelin will reportedly reunite for a one-off memorial concert in honor of their late record boss.

If true, it would mark the third time that the '70s legends have played since disbanding. The band has only performed a handful of concerts, since their split in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham. But singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones will re-group alongside Bonham's son Jason for a special concert in memory of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun in London.

A source says, "Page, Plant and Jones spoke and agreed to do the memorial concert. They are waiting for a definite date."

"And no one can quite believe it, but during discussions about the concert they all gave the green light to a tour if it all does well and they don't all fall out."

"It has been hoped for and denied for years. But this is the closest they have ever come to a reunion tour. The feeling is that this is going to happen next year."

Ertegun died in December after seven weeks in a coma following a fall at a Rolling Stones concert. The likes of Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, and Crosby, Stills & Nash all played his New York memorial in April of this year.

The Mars Volta: 'The Bedlam In Goliath'

2007-06-25T22:36:00.000-06:00

The Mars Volta are recording their fourth album, "The Bedlam in Goliath," at Ocean Way Recording with engineer Robert Carranza.

Set for a fall release, band member Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is producing the record, as he did the last two Mars Volta albums. Engineer and mixer Robert Carranza is widely known and respected for his work with such artists as Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Jack Johnson, Beck, Eels, Molotov, and Supergrass.

The Mars Volta released their debut album, "De-Loused in the Comatorium," in 2003. The band returned in early 2005 with their second full-length release, the ambitious song cycle "Frances the Mute."

They also issued the live set "Scab Dates" later that year. Their third album, "Amputechture," arrived in 2006, featuring performances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist John Frusciante.

Priceless and Worthless

2007-06-24T13:57:00.000-06:00

Well ladies and gents it's that time of the year again. A time when everyone likes to go outside and experience something magical. It's when little kids help break their parents wallets. It's when a certain crowd comes out for a taste of a certain food. It when a little phenomenon called the beer gardens open. Yes I am talking about the Fair. Paige and I went to the fair Friday night. Before getting there I stopped at an ATM and took out $20. We got to the fair and walked around a bit. All in all, my $20 bought me: 2 footlong corndogs (delicious), 2 tickets to the freak show tent (amazing), and 1 36oz beer in the beer gardens (not all that it is cracked up to be). I think that the only tagline that could follow all that would be: PRICELESS.

Last night at work I heard the Chicken Dance again. This is becoming something that happens much too often. I want to know who composed this horrible tune. For some reason, now matter how old or young, everyone loves this stupid song. Why? Is it because everyone likes to eat chicken? No. Is is because everyone who doesn't dance and just taps their feet and moves their hands like to watch the "younger ones" get out on the dance floor while they sit in a corner and remember the times when they were young and could dance? No. Is it because it is always associated with weddings? Possibly. I don't know anyone other than myself would probably leave the room when that dreadful tune came on, and believe me, even if it was my own wedding, I would walk out for a while. Of course the only thing worse than the chicken dance is when they play YMCA right after it. In case everyone has forgotten, there are no YMCA's still open and functioning in America.

Collections

2007-06-13T01:38:00.000-06:00

It has been a while I know. My life has become busy with work and as an added pain in the ass.....school again! That's right folks! Summer school. It really is weird going back at this time of year. I am fortunate that I have class in an air conditioned room.

I have started another addiction/hobby. I have begun to collect Harry Potter books. I already do this you say? Yes, but now I am going global. Today the mailman brought me the sceond book...in Spanish! Can I read Spanish? Not one word! Guess what else? In a couple days, the mailman will bring me the Ancient Greek edition of the first book.

Spiderman 3

2007-06-04T13:30:00.000-06:00

So another one steps up and makes a trilogy. In this case, maybe leave the good stuff to WB or Peter Jackson. Spiderman 3 takes place 2 years after Spiderman 2. We find out Peter is having some Mary Jane troubles. No surprise there as fame has gotten to his head. There are a total of 3 new bad guys and I think that was where they bit off a little more than they could chew. I felt that there wasn't enough screen time to develop even one of the characters. The obvious choice would have been to accentuate The Black Spiderman/Venom. This almost was at the level it should have been at. Then there was Sandman. Turns out he really killed Uncle Ben in the first movie. Making it up as they go? I think so. Then there was Harry. Probably the best character for me in the movie. I like his change of heart and attitude two times in the film. Now on to the worst. Tobey Maguire. Ouch. He acting as Spiderman was so bad, I thought about shutting the movie off. I was torn in the middle of the film. I hate emo kids, but when Spiderman turned emo, I was kinda impressed. I thought that aspect of Tobey acting was done perfectly, but everything else was crap. It seems they rushed the film to make the summer season, packed too much backstory in (why is Ben gone?- 700 times) and didn't achieve anything better than the last movie.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10
Best Part: James Franco as Harry
Worst Part: Tobey Maguire as Wussy Spiderman

Lights, Camera, Action!

2007-06-02T20:17:00.000-06:00

I haven't been writing lately and I apologize sincerely. I have, on the other hand, been formulating another plan of attack. Since I have collected every movie stub that I purchased/attended, I will hence forth become a movie critique, on my own level. I will be commenting on every movie that I view henceforth, be it old or new. Given my background, I feel that the masses (hopefully) will enjoy my view and opinion on such titles. From here on, my titles will reflect the movie reviewed, if reviewed. I hope to inform everyone.

I am technically homeless as we speak. I want to thank Topher for taking in this decrepit, broken-down, trailer park boy for a few days. We are just listening to a little Cartel and getting ready to go out and destroy this town, and by that, I mean wuss out and just have a soda.

My readings have been going well and I am well into book 4. We can only hold our breaths until July 21st.

Money For Nothing?

2007-05-26T08:59:00.000-06:00

Who would have thought that I would literally have nothing to do today at work? Not me. My boss insisted that I arrive at 8am and "babysit" groups in the rooms. I'm not making this up either. The term "babysit" is actually used on the "Official" schedule. The best part is that I have nothing to do until 2pm today. Nothing. Do I feel bad? Not at all. Do I hate milking the clock and soaking up time by watching tv episodes online? No. I would be doing the exact same thing I am now at home, so I guess I'd rather be here getting paid for doing nothing. I could go sit in the only room where anything is actually going on and watch Eroll the hpynotist try to "heal" people with his "gift" of hypnotism. It is quite interesting watching some of the people coming to the event. You can just tell that some of these people really believe that today in this room, they will be changed. Their enthusiasm is cute.

I got a group together on Thursday night and went to Pirates 3. It was a pretty good movie. I bought tickets for the ultrascreen so we had reclining chairs and and huge curved screen.

If Only Daddy Owned a Hotel

2007-05-17T01:29:00.000-06:00

Well I'm back. It has been a while and my pointer finger is aiming at the Ramada. I have been putting in a lot of hours and hopefully my paycheck will reflect that. On to more pressing matters.

For the life of me, I simply can not understand Paris Hilton. I really think that I have the capability to, I just think that the things that she does are completely beyond reason. She is facing a jail sentence for testing the limits of her probation. Of course she messes up by drunk driving. Now the gavel points to 45 days in the big house, and she is complaining. Not just complaining, but actually saying, "She is too pretty to go to jail." In case you missed that, she said, "She is too pretty to go to jail." Unbelievable! She even called Governor Schwartzenager to try get him to help her out. On what planet do these things happen? Seriously!? I don't know where her rational is at, because if I was a judge, I would personally walk her to her cell, and lock the door. I'm not sure how this will play out, but I'm guessing she A)-won't have to go B)- will go and make a TV show out of it, or C)- will get to serve her time in a hotel (probably her daddy's).

This sets a great example to all the young and stupid little girls who look up to her. Hopefully your daddy owns a hotel chain and you can plead incompetent. I would love to kick her in the face. I can make another reference here. If I weren't a Muggle, I would send her to Azkaban, but that probably wouldn't work because she is too dumb and would enjoy Dementors. This leads to a better question. What is wrong with her parents?

Anyway, no matter how much I know I'm right on that, it won't make her less spaced out. I'm going to bed now. I have an early tee time and with any luck, I will have the recurring dream of meeting the entire cast of the Harry Potter movies at a farm yard McDonalds.

Recovery and Temptation

2007-05-10T23:54:00.000-06:00

Great scenario. At work tonight, there was a group in a room that was full of recovering alcoholics taking about alcohol and saying how they can all do it and beat the booze. It's all good, right? Wrong.

So outside the room Mike Melstrom is setting up his nightly bar. First of all, Mike is a one-of-a-kind guy. He is a total sleezeball. He lives by himself, is probably 45 years old, and has probably thee worst (best!) array of nasty and crude jokes out of anyone I know. I see this man everytime I work, and everytime I see him, I hear a new joke, or catch-phrase, or line. It is really non-stop with him. I'm not sure if you could have a normal conversation with him. Although when it comes to bartending, he has always been the #1 guy and he always sells the most, so we can't knock him there.

So Mike is setting up his bar for the ND Attorneys party that is in the next room, and we are wating outside both rooms on the couch waiting to get in the alcoholic room. They come out eventually, and to their left is: A BAR that was STACKED FULL of ALCOHOL! You should have seen their faces. They had nervous glances and twitchy hands. I was laughing audibly and so was everyone else working with me. I think Mike was supposed to set up on the other side of his room, but I could see the evil glint of laughter in his eye. I simply gave him a nod, and we were on the same page. This alone made up for the fact that we worked a 9 hour shift.

Nature (Mike) is Cruel (Funny)!

Happy Holidays

2007-05-10T09:29:00.000-06:00

So it began yesterday at about 2pm. SUMMER! Every kid's dream. The thing that actually gets you through a year a school. Too bad it's only 3 months. My test went fairly well and some of my other classes ended up being better than I predicted, and I even got a present on the last day of school- I had the opportunity to work from 4pm until 12am. Isn't that nice!

I have recently noticed that no one actually reads what I type on here. I wish someone would. Here is my gift to boost ratings. The next person to leave a comment and their name, I will mail you $5 from my life savings. I think this will become the best site on the net after I post this. I'm sure of it.

I got up early today and I have already golfed a round and had time to come home and make breakfast. There is always a plus side. Now I'm gonna do laundry and clean the house cause I'm a freak. Okay, Bye.

Almost done. Almost

2007-05-08T11:52:00.000-06:00

Well I have one more final tomorrow at 1pm and here it is 1pm the day before and I think that I have already given up. I just find it really odd how we have to learn certain facts for an hour, and than after that we can forget them forever. That doesnt teach life lessons in my opinion.

I haven't worked on my puzzle upstairs in a while. I have been busy with other things and I think that isn't the only reason. I bought that puzzle as a time filler until I got one I acutally wanted. But, I think I have found a replacement. I'm going to start collecting and putting together Harry Potter LEGO sets. They are a little spendy so I will scour the net for deals (hopefully). This is not to say that my life is free of puzzles, it's just I like 3D models better I guess.

I figured it out that if I read 41 pages everyday from now until July 20th, I will have read the first 6 Harry Potter books and then the next day I will get the last installment. Call me a nerd but I love it. Wonder who is gonna die?

I'm glad I went to Happy Harry's last night. I just browsing and I was next to the guy who worked there and he was stacking Tequlia. He bumbed the boxes and everything started to crash to oblivion. I managed to dash over quickly and save a few bottles, but in the end, 10 liters of golden tequlia were not in bottles and all over the floor. I helped him pick up the bottles and stuff and said I was sorry for not helping sooner. I went and found a good sale on Crown Royal and some other stuff, and as I was paying, the guy came over and said thanks, and gave me his employee discount. I couldn' believe it. In the end, I saved about $20 bucks and got all my stuff dirt cheap. So if you are ever in Happy Harrys and stuff falls, help out!

There are only four of us who are working in set ups who aren't supervisors, so from now until Sunday, and possibly longer, I work every day. It's gonna be good though. I don't mind the hours as I don't have to get up early. I'm ready for summer.

My summer plans include spending time with Paige, working, going to one summer school class, golfing, doing puzzles, getting sun-burned, and writing. I have started work on a musical if you can believe it or not. I am basing the songs off of the band Hellogoodbye. They are coming here in a couple weeks for a concert and I'm hoping to run into them (somehow) and show them the work I have done, and hopefully we can collaborate from there. Fingers crossed.

The more I watch the Food Network, the more I become jealous and excited to go to culinary school. Maybe I'll get out there one day and find a spot for me during the programming. I would love to own my own restaurant and give my all. Someday.

Back to studying (not studying)

5 Days (40 Days) of Work

2007-05-01T11:31:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how I'm going to get everything done this week. It is unbelievable. I have been going steady for like 2 weeks and it seems like there is so much stuff crammed into 5 days. On Monday, I have 7 things to do all day. After that, it should be downhill for finals week. Let's hope it goes well.

Not much else going on. I heard the Foo Fighters are working in the studio as we speak. I'm pumped. This is going to be an amazing summer as far as new releases go. There are so many movies, books, and albums coming out that I don't know if I'll have enough time to get everything in.

No World For Tomorrow

2007-04-27T17:57:00.000-06:00

This week, NY's Coheed and Cambria will begin work on their fourth studio album, (THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!) with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Shadows Fall) in Los Angeles. Bassist Michael Todd, who left the band last August for personal reasons, has rejoined the group and will take part in the recordings (Man up. It's Coheed). The album is tentatively titled No World For Tomorrow and is set for a fall release(NOT EARLY ENOUGH). It will serve as the final (sad that it's over) chapter in the band's ongoing narrative that ties their prior album together.

Coheed and Cambria last released was Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness in 2005, which was amazing.

I just want to thank Claudio and company. We await the fall and No World For Tomorrow.

Hot Tuesday

2007-04-17T11:28:00.000-06:00

So when I can't golf because of school, it just has to be nice out.

I'm sure everyone has heard about VT. I have been reading some stories about the killer and I can say that you could probably see it coming. He was in the English department, so that means he was probably well-read and fairly smart. They talked to his teacher and she said he had had some very disturbing free-writing assignments. I guess they were not just delusions of grandure in his head. Strike One. Further on, it said that he had been on depression medicine and had violent periods of behavior. Strike Two. Also, there was evidence that he had set a dorm room on fire a little while back. Last I checked that was called arson and also a felony. Strike Three. If that isn't enough, the guy had purchased a Gloch 9mm, and had the purchase slip in his backpack when police found his body next to 30 dead kids and 2 more in another dorm. If you do the math, that's 33 killed. I'm all for guns, but I think there should be heavy background checks for pieces of shit like this guy. Strike Four. You're out. Go back where you came from.

I try not to be biased in situations like these, but the dude was Korean. If I was Korean and lived on or near VT's campus, or anywhere else for that matter, I would know that people were going to stare at me with hate in their eyes today. Pathetic, isn't it? You would think that America and Americans have come a long way in the battle for equality, but events like these really set us back. Living up to your stereotype destroys your credibility and cause. Guess psycho boy never thought of that.

Enough of such evil things. It just gets sickening after a while becase it seems like that is all you hear about these days. I know that most of these events are caused by people who live by a different mentality than we do. I can't imagine growing up anywhere else and being brought up with different values. Thank you Mom and Dad and North Dakota.

Everyone's prayers better go out to the 32 victims from VT. Notice I said 32 and not 33. I think you get what I'm getting at here.

The Landlord

2007-04-16T22:19:00.000-06:00

My friend Zack sent me this link. It is a video of Will Ferrell and his landlord. Its really funny.
http://sjl.funnyordie.com/v1/view_video.php?viewkey=3efbc24c7d2583be6925

Not too much going on these days. I had to skip out on golf today because I scheduled my tee time when it was raining. If it would have been a few hours later we would have gotten sunburned.

My parents are coming this weekend so that should be pretty fun. I can't wait to see them.

The Week From Hell

2007-04-12T12:40:00.002-06:00

Shoot me. This has been, by far, the worst week of this semester when you think of how much work I had to do and also how much school (pointless) crap they force feed to me. Save me summer.

I found out that I'm missing a piece of my puzzle and I'm a little bit grouchy. I feel a call to the company coming on fast. I mean come on. I think I paid for, or had the intention to, pay for all the pieces that the box professed that it held. I wonder if puzzle companies have a public service person who gets to answer the phones. What a boring job.

It was really nice out today and it is really starting to smell like golf. When the air starts to smell like golf, you know it is getting close.

I have so much more to do today, so I must fly.

All Things Red

2007-04-07T00:32:00.000-06:00

Had a busy day today with family and friends. The overall highlight was watching the Top 20 Music Videos from the 80s. The atmosphere in the Greenwood's living room became quite melancholy because both Jay and I wished we could go back to quite possibly thee worst decade ever. During homecoming week, there are usually days where you dress up in incredible costumes that correspond to themed days. Usually there are 4 really good days and 1 so-so day. It is like the party planning committee for the themes of the decades couldn't come up with anything at all good, so they took all the "Almost Used" ideas and mixed them in a hat, drew a few out, and said, "The theme for the 80s is........garbage."

Another sad day for Tiger and Phil. They combined for a total of +8. Yuk. We are talking about two of the worlds best players, not to mention that combined they have won the last 6 out of 10 Masters with Tiger winning 4 times and once it was a back to back win. I guess they aren't playing like masters. I think Tiger just needs his Sunday Red.

I was throwing garbage away tonight and dropped a piece on the floor by the sink. I bent down to pick it up and smashed my head on the counter. I have a blood red line on it now. Smooth.

I bet pirates were really pissed off with treasure chests with no handles. How the heck are you supposed to carry that?
~Jack Handey

Quazimodo

2007-04-06T03:10:00.000-06:00

I think tomorrow sometime, everyone I care about and love (or rather puts up with my shit) will all walk into a room almost simultaneously and put one hand somewhere on my shoulders. Then they will whisper the words, "We are here for you. Don't be afraid. We will help you quit." My first intervention, and all because I helped give quazimodo a home. I finished Notre Dame tonight. It wasn't really a challenge at all weighing in at 368 pieces, but then again I needed a quick fix and Kmart was open.

Tonight I will pray for birdies for Tiger. He seemed to miss quite a few today. +1 isn't bad but were talking about the number one golfer. Ever. O yeah and Phil is living up to his nickname.

April Loves Me NOT

2007-04-03T12:43:00.000-06:00

I don't pluck flowers but if I did, the last petal would have fallen to the ground with me muttering the words April loves me not. SNOW? I don't even have to say it.

I bought a 750 piece puzzle last night and finished it in about 2 hours. I have a problem. Paige complains. I say at least I'm addicted to something legal, cheap, and in no way, shape, or form resembles meth.

DHL Truck Crashes.....On It's Own?

2007-04-02T14:38:00.000-06:00

I passed a DHL shipping truck on the way to school today and I really wanted to run it off the road into a ditch. Full of water. My site where I order puzzles from only ships with DHL, and I have a few puzzles that I want to get so I'm not looking forward to it. Please save me UPS!

I have to work tonight so I will have to get a TV out of the storeroom and watch the championship game. I don't really want Florida to win but I have to cheer for them because I picked them in my bracket. I want to see Oden break the backboard, then eat the ball.

Last night I made apple stuffed lemon pepper chicken with bacon-wrapped asparagus. Look out Emeril.

Rehearsal time again for Swimming In The Shallows. I am Bob. Come and see it May 3rd and 4th.

The Vendetta continues. Where is Hugo Weaving when you need him.

Weekend Over

2007-04-01T23:35:00.000-06:00

Not a bad weekend. My sleeping schedule became goofy again thanks to the 1am shift. Finished my Venice puzzle too quickly so now I have to find a new one to feed my addiction. I would like to thank my Mom for giving me this puzzle gene (Chromosome P, I think). I know that my exceptional skills in border piece identification, multi-angle perspective, and overall mastery have come from her. Unfortuantely my eye is set on a 3D representation of the New York City skyline which weighs in at a hefty $150. Might have to create a new column in my Excel spreadsheet entitled Finances.

I have recently recieved the esteemed title of "Auntie D" from Max. I think that this is a great starting point. I am perfectly fine with this. I found a new adult-sized putter at work, and I gave it to Max. We were swinging away in the front yard, which was neat, but he got distracted by fallen berries from the tree. Overall it was a good start to a long career for him. Maybe I'll rise in the ranks to "Uncle D" if I bring him a driver.

I am very happy to have a 4 day weekend coming up over Easter. The downfall is that teachers know of these days off and try to cram a lot of work in before you leave. This week will be busy. Meetings, work, dentist, assignments due, registering for classes, and a wellness class will consume my time. There is a prize at the finish line though. The Sioux play Thursday night in the Frozen Four and from the commercials, I think Jim gets punched out by Roy in the first 5 minutes on The Office. Can't miss the Pam Beasley Battle (cheer for Jim).

I got my classes figured out for next Fall and I'm pleased to say I'll have 3 acutal classes and never have class later than noon on Monday Wednesday and Friday; and only 1 class on Tuesday and Thursday. I'm looking forward to it.

We went to Blades of Glory opening night at the Ultimate Screen. In my opinion, it was Will Ferrell's best comedic movie so far. Non-stop laughs. Go see it. Now.

I'm off to watch Gaz Bar Blues for Canadian History.

I wish you all the better end of all to come
The truth be now here one by one
I am to you extend to none
The memory that fuels the fire

Shipping Vendetta

2007-03-29T11:25:00.000-06:00

So as Jay and everyone predicted, I got my ass handed to me on a plate of pity. That's the straight truth. You would think that it would be so damn simple to roll a ball down a lane that isn't even 30 yards long, but I guess not. I think John and I dominated the most when we bowled in each other's lanes. From the opposite side of the ball return. Domination.

So here-in starts the personal war, a vendetta if you will, against those slackers over at DHL shipping. Backstory. I ordered a puzzle one week ago. They had charged about $8 for shipping, which is pathetic, and said that the puzzle would take 8 days to get to my door. So Monday morning I start tracking my order, and to my surprise, it was in Fargo! So I'm thinking that I will get to enjoy the product that I purchased a little early. Fuck No! Here it is Thursday afternoon and I'm about ready to burn something down. The building is within 20 minutes of me at the absolute longest drving time and under the worst conditions and the very maximum. What are these lazy shriners doing with my puzzle? If I knew it was going to be this bad, I would have driven to the factory myself, picked it up, not paid the shipping, and left a mildly angry letter with a receptionist. BUT NO! When I get done with school today (which is too long) I am stopping at Happy Harry's Bottle Shop, buying a case of beer, going home and sitting on my front steps (despite the rain, I don't give a shit) and waiting for the lucky delivery man who gets to bring me my package.

I will never buy anything from anyone if I know they are shipping with DHL and I suggest everyone do the same.

One time I bought tickets on Ticketmaster so they send me stuff constantly. I usually check it out even though Ticketmaster is a tad over-priced. Turns out Hellogoodbye is coming to Playmakers on May 16th. I am so excited about this I almost shit. It is like an end-of-the-school-year-present just for me. The only downfall that I can forsee is the snotty, punk-ass, underage, dumb-asses that will surely be there. Looks like I will be drinking the $8 beers and enjoying a lofted view.

I can't wait to start golfing.

So turns out I have to take one more class than usual because you need 37 credits of 300-400 level classes. Each class is 3 credits. You do the math. 37/3 doesn't work out so you end up having to take 1 more credit. Jews. Cool.

On top of that, I have decided to take Anatomy this summer. I can't wait. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12:00 to 1:30pm for 4 weeks straight as soon as school gets out. This will be a true test for me because when I know there is a beautifully green golf course awaiting my presence, it will be quite difficult to study let alone actually learn anything. I have heard that the summer classes are a little bit easier, so let us all cross our fingers and hope for the best.

I just found out I am sitting in on a computer class during class time. I guess the teacher was making jokes about me when I was listening to my iPod. What a yatch.

My metal mouth is coming along nicely these days. I have completed 9 months out of 16, so it is almost over. I'm excited. I'm thinking about having a party after it is all over and I get my braces off. I will serve food that is high in sugar and bad for your teeth. Then I will invite all my friends with horrible teeth to make me feel better. That will show them all.

I'm reading Labyrinth by Kate Moses right now. Despite the jumping story and slightly slow plot, it is becoming quite a read. The story really started to pick up when Alice got knocked out after learning the secrets from her father. Speaking of books, the cover for the final Harry Potter book has been released and I couldn't be happier. I am also sad at the same time because it is like the end of an era. So like all things it too must end.

It is almost Easter and I can't wait to get out of town again. We are going out to Dickinson again and it will be the first time that I actually hit up both sides of the family and cash in on all the good food. Plus it was 75 degrees out there last Sunday and I was the dumbass who didn't bring his golf clubs with. All I can say is that I won't make the same mistake twice. O yeah and Dad get ready cause it's gonna be a battle.

Well that's about all for now.
I'm off. Boycott DHL (those gypsies)

Home

2007-03-19T10:24:00.000-06:00

Well I got home fine from my trip. I'm in the process of typing out a big story of everything that I did there and hopefully I will have some way of putting it on here. Be patient my son. It is a little more than disappointing to come home to cold weather. I know if I cross my fingers it'll be over soon. Well I think that jetlag has cured me of my crazy sleeping habbits. Thank you Northwest Airlines. I was glad that I remembered to put in my miles card when checking in because I got about 6,000 miles for flying there and back. I think I can buy a coffee mug with it all.

No sooner did we get home and the homework is again creeping up to my neck with outstretched fingers looking for an air-tunnel to collapse. Welcome Home.

Spring Break

2007-03-09T11:21:00.000-06:00

Well here I am and we have less than 5 hours until we leave for London for Spring Break. I'm getting excited to say the least. This week was like an older brother holding you down and torturing you until you piss yourself, which just happens to be 5 minutes before your whole family comes over for Christmas Dinner. I never thought that I would be the type of person to go on a spring break trip. I always picture girls like "Spring Break Girl" on Saturday Night Live walking around and contracting every disease in the book, as well as a few new ones. Why is spring break such a stereotypical whore fest for fraternity/sorority people? I think the ugly MTV monster has planted a seed of profit for themselves. I mean with all the shows they make during this time, I bet it really helps them to collect add revenue.

Teachers just like to pile stuff on right before you leave. I guess I would have a huge test at 4:00 on Friday for my students if I was a teacher just to mess their plans up. I got lucky because all my classes today got cancelled.Yesterday I had 2 of my classes cancelled as well. In Art History, which I really like, we had about 20 scholars out of 100 show up. Our teacher had a movie planned which was about the art and architecture of castles during the medevil time period. She took a vote of who wanted to stay and who wanted to watch the video. I was the only one who enjoys castles I guess.

I don't have a suitcase of my own, so for this trip I had to borrow one. I had one from one of Paige's friend, but she needed it for the same reason I did. I was at work so I asked Bri. She said yes, and after 2 days of forgetting to bring it and me calling her several times, I was the proud temporary owner of a BRIGHT PURPLE SUITCASE! Paige thought it was appropriate that I tie a neon pink ribbon on it in order to find it better. As if bright purple isn't enough! Won't be surprised if I get my ass beat.

Wednesday night I went to a conert. It was Gojira, Machine Head, Trivium, and Lamb of God. There was a certain element of joy because this was the first concert I could drink at. It was a totally different experience. I will tell you that loud music, ugly punk-asses with amazingly odd hair with insame ammounts of hair gel, and themes of death are alive and well in the world. Someone spilled a beer on me from the balcony. Cool.

When I was driving home a couple days ago, I notice a stretch Hummer limo parked outside a Taco Johns. I was glad that there was a red traffic light next to it because it gave me time to look at the hillbilly wedding party of 8 grabbing all the Potato Ole's they could get their hands on. Looks like they blew all their money on their car, kinda like mexicans.

Hacker and I recently went to the Sportsmans Show at the dome. It was quite amazing to see all the booths and shit people had over-priced and ready to sell. They had everything that an outdoorsman could want. We even walked in on a dog show that would have put Westminster to shame. It think the best of show award should have gone to this monster that I could have ridden like a horse. A few days after the show, I got a call from this booth that we signed up for "free" trips to Florida at. Turns out it was a huge scam because Hacker got a call about an hour after I did, and it turns out they are charging $300 for free trips these days. Free just keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.

I told the guys I live with last night that if I die, they must have a golf-off match for all of my stuff. I also told them to play more guitar, golf more, and have a few drinks here and there. Only upon their agreement did I say I loved them.

I had to buy a bunch of mini travel things for this trip. One thing I thought I would try out was this set of bags that allowed you to press all the air out like a vaccum sealer. Now coming from Target, I didnt get my hopes too high, but turns out they work very well. I fit way more stuff in my homo-like suitcase. While pressing all the air out of my bag, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to place my head in there. I was also thinking about calling The Food Saver people and asking them whats up, cause clearly Target isn't half bad.

Being a huge Peter Pan fan, (wish I could fight, fly, and crow, not to mention kick Dustin Hoffman's ass) I couldn't help but wish I was going back home to London to see Granny Wendy in her bed telling me to REMEMBER who I was and to go back to Neverland and rescue my kids. I realized why they call it Neverland. Not matter how much I believe in it, wish I could go there, or jump off window sills hoping to fly, I know I will never get there. I guess I quote Weezer in saying- "Only In Dreams"

I am off to shower and try puke up the butterflies who made my stomach their home. I am very much excited (not) for the 16 hour plan ride from Minneapolis to London. Please run about in a big area, eating delicious food, singing beautiful songs, and laugh out loud. Just take 5 minutes to think about my cramped-in-a-seat-about-two-sizes-too-small-for-anyone ass.

London Awaits.