Musings Of A Simple Knave

Fribuary

2012-02-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

Another Friday in February...

It's been a busy week: outside of tutoring, work, and the usual, I've also done some writing, made a trip to Chicago to send a pastor and his wife back to Kenya, (visiting the international terminal at O'Hare was cool) and met up with some old friends.

I'm thinking of restarting/rejoining a writer's group, but we'll see how the schedule works out. I'm also contemplating a search for freelance editing/writing jobs. What do you think?

“I’m working on drawing a straight line, and I'll draw until I get one right. It's bold and dark, girl, can't you see? I've done drawn a line between you and me. I'm working on erasing you; just don't have the proper tools. I'll get hammered; forget that you exist - there's no way I'm forgetting this.” - Frightened Rabbit

Musical Musing

2011-12-26T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks,

So it's post-Christmas and I think some of you may have some extra spending money, so here are ten albums you should listen to and/or buy if possible:

Lost in the Trees - All Alone in an Empty House
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
The Decemberists - The King is Dead
Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos - The Dust of Retreat
Rasputina - Sister Kinderhook
The Avett Brothers - Four Thieves Gone
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Box Codax - Hellabuster
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Seabear - The Ghost that Carried Us Away

You won't be sorry. I'm going to write some now. Cheers.

"One day you're waiting for the sky to fall, and next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all: when you're lovers in a dangerous time." - Bruce Cockburn

Almost year's end

2011-12-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Hello there, again.

2011 seems to be nearly finished so here's a few things you should probably know:

I started Lemony Snicket's, A Serious of Unfortunate Events.
I'm about this close (______) to finishing the novel I have been working on.
I've started other story ideas.
I have a girlfriend. She's real pretty and real nice and I like her a lot.
There are Christmas cookies on my coffee table.

Some of these things are more important than others.

More to come soon. Or, as soon as I get to it.

"I'm falling in love with your favourite song; I'm gonna sing it all night long. I'm gonna dance with somebody...Dance with somebody...Dance, dance, dance." - Mando Diao

Towards the End of a Year

2011-12-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

It's been a while. Hey. Hi there. Hope you're well.

So things've been busy around here. You too? I suppose that's going around a bit. Everyone's got things at work, well, everyone who has a job, and with the approaching holidays there is shopping, obligatory family time, etc. Students are wrapping up for the semester, some forever, or for the foreseeable future at least.

I dreamed this morning that I was at work, and that it was the end of the day and I was getting ready to go home. Then I woke up, and found that it was actually time to go to work. How disappointing. On the bright side, at least I have something to do.

I'm hoping to focus on writing this winter. And on reading. Have you read anything new lately?

Fare thee well. Make it a good day, unless you have other plans.

"And what's a Wonderwall anyway? Because my inside is outside, my right side's on the left side. Cause I'm writing to reach you now, but I might never reach you. Only want to teach you, about you, but that's not you. And you know it's true, but that won't do, and you know it's you I'm talking to." - Travis

Fall is coming soon...

2011-09-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Not having made a post in a while, I figured I might oughta.

What's new? Hmm. The band might be expanding and might play on the radio again soon. Well, again is used loosely: it was only me who played last time. If I'm going to finish my novel by summer's end as I'd planned/hoped, I have only 9 days left, give or take whatever the actual start of Fall is.

I'm hungry and I have a coupon for a $5 pizza.

I have managed to defeat international students in Scrabble. Well, I basically defeat everyone but Dee in Scrabble, but still. Picking on people who don't speak English as their first language is.. oddly not that satisfying. But a win is a win!

I have still been writing new songs and you're likely to hear me and the band play some of them soon.

It's nearing crockpot weather. I'm excited to try some new stews, soups, and roasts when the weather turns a bit colder.

That is all of the random that I would like to spew from my brain at this time.
Cheers!

"Let the clocks be reset and the pendulums held..." - Kaiser Chiefs

There is nothing for me but...

2011-06-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a quick minute since I posted last. Sorry about that. I've been working on the novel a bit lately, hoping to finish that up by summer's end. That's a nice little summer project for me. I've been writing songs too, and I have a pretty extensive summer reading list which I'm trying to get to. Also, I'm hoping to take a train ride, see a Shakespeare Festival play, and probably other exciting things this summer.

I've been collecting coins lately. Not coins that are worth anything, but coins I find interesting from other countries mostly. Canada, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Greece, Armenia, Turkey, The Netherlands, Norway, Georgia, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Hong Kong, China, Malawi, Polynesia, The Philippines, and even Jamaica. They fascinate me somehow. Different sizes, different weights, different values. Different images and colors and designs. But then the Euro came along and made most of them obsolete.

An interesting thought lately: love often requires sacrifice. What would you give up that you value, in order to be with someone you loved?

"Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight....

Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight. "

- Jerome Kern

Performed by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Fred Astaire, Harry Connick Jr., Daniel McBurney, and many others.

Moscow is in the Telephone

2011-05-20T08:10:00.001-07:00

I am not a poet.
The world is not going to end tomorrow.
Maybe it is, but perhaps...there is the sun...
All water comes from the same source.

I wish I was brave. I wish I could go running through the streets, shouting the songs that the trees and the wind know. I wish I could speak to you in full sentences and tell you that you're beautiful. I wish that I could see you every single day and wait for that moment each day when you would laugh and I would fall to pieces.

I am not a poet. I can do none of these things.

Life vibrates in my veins (or maybe it's only coffee) and I'm restless. There's so much to do and see out there, somewhere, far from this tiny office.

I long for the feel of your skin.
I long for the feel of the rain on my skin.

I wish I owned a piano.

"Last things last is not enough; you can't accept this, don't give in just yet." - Rachels

Et tu, Brute?

2011-03-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Ides of March.
Seems that some 2055 years ago, give or take, Gaius Julius Caesar was competing with Cassus and Pompey for political control in Rome. The Senate didn't take to it kindly, but that didn't deter the fellas, apparently. Cassus died though, which left Caesar and Pompey going head to head. Eventually, Pompey sided with the Senate and they called Caesar to come to trial. In a big "F U", Caesar brought his armies to Rome and started a civil war, which he was the clear victor in. He took over under more-or-less a dictatorship/emperorship and started making changes, much to the chagrin of the Senate. So, they conspired against him. Marcus Antony, friend of Caesar, heard of the conspiracy through Casca, a cowardly senator. He planned to stop it. So basically, here's the 15th in recap:

Caesar is on his way to a meeting the Senate called. He meets a seer who says he'll come to harm on the Ides. Caesar says, "the Ides have come. I'm still here." The seer says, "yeah, but it's not over yet, big guy." Antony runs to the meeting to warn Caesar but is held up by other Senate-friendlies so he doesn't get the chance; he sees that there's nothing good in this situation and flees. Caesar goes in to meet the Senators, gets in a confrontation, Casca takes a swipe at him, Brutus stabs him, Cassius helps (they were the two main conspirators) and some 60 senators take turns at him until he's dead, having been stabbed 23 times.

Antony and Octavius (later August Caesar when he takes over as Caesar's adopted heir) start a series of civil wars and eventually go to battle with Brutus and Cassius. Brutus's army defeats Octavius, but Antony's army defeats Cassius. Cassius calls his man servant to kill him; Brutus runs away to the hills and commits suicide years later after another battle defeat. Meanwhile, Octavius becomes emperor of the newly established Roman Empire right around the time Jesus is going to be born, and Antony runs away with Cleopatra, Caesar's former lover.

Good stuff, no?

So I've been listening to Muse this morning, drinking coffee, and contemplating history and future events, whilst working all the while. Though I may not live as grand a life as Caesar, nor be openly betrayed by my friends to the point of death, I may yet have some great plan ahead. I have many small plans in mind; perhaps they will lead to something great.

"So I'll love whatever you become and forget the reckless things we've done. I think our lives have just begun." - Muse
"Damn, Brutus, that kinda hurt!" - Caesar

Porto il tuo core con me

2011-03-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

HEY!
Sorry, I'm just excited because I haven't talked to you all in a while. So what's new? The band is still working on our debut EP. We're hoping for a late March or early April release, but it's all sorta fuzzy at the moment.

Today's musical delights contain an odd mixture of Jonsi (from Sigur Ros), Radiohead (the new one) and the Beatles. I'm feeling...something...I don't know exactly, but I may be in a songwriting mood later. We'll see how the day goes.

I played a live set on the local college radio station last week. They are supposed to send me a recording of it, so we'll see how it actually sounds. I had fun though. :) It was my first time doing something like that.

I've been editing a bunch of papers lately and hope to work on reviewing a friend's first novel soon. Also, I need to complete my own novel, as I have time. There's so much to do!

I guess that's it for now. Nnividernu.

"Tomorrow may rain so I'll follow the sun." - The Beatles

New Goals

2011-02-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

So.

The Melancholy Trees (that's my band) SHOULD be releasing our debut EP in March. That's mostly dependent on, well, a number of factors. I'm getting pretty impatient to tell the truth. :(

In other news, I've decided to learn one new Arabic word each day, and also to learn a word in either Russian, Georgian, Turkish, or Spanish each day whenever possible. It's a big task, but I think it will be fun.

New Radiohead, Cake, and Decemberists albums last month and this. Which will I like best?

"I can keep rhythm with no metronome. I can see your face on the telephone." - The Flobots.

A Cold Friday In January

2011-01-21T06:20:00.000-08:00

Hi, hello, and how are you?

Let's see if I can recap January so far: recorded an EP with my band (which is still being mixed/edited but will hopefully be available soon), made delicious Italian food with a group of friends in massive amounts, wrote a few songs, played a few songs, made a few friends, got closer to some friends, probably got further from some others, hung out with some nice people, hung out with some jackasses, was cold, wasn't cold... that's pretty much it.

As usual, various vague things hang rather vaguely out over the vaguely defined horizon, and I may vaguely describe these for you at some vague time in the future. Also, I saw a dog today. Have you seen a dog? You probably have.

I rode the bus to work today carrying my guitar, banjo, and mandolin, and several of the passengers felt like talking about music, as well as the bus driver, each of them asking me various questions about what I played, etc.

Ramble ramble ramble. Guess that's about all for now.

"I get all the news I need on the weather report." - Paul Simon.
"Let's use this chance to turn things around, and tonight we can truly say: together we're invincible." - Muse
"And now I find it was you all the time. I'm in love again, love again - it's too late." - Kings of Convenience

Christmas Season

2010-12-27T20:34:00.000-08:00

Hi. Hey there.

This was, I think, one of the best Christmas seasons I've ever had, due to the warmth shared with friends. Here's how it all began:

Two Thursdays before Christmas, I went to Mass with my bandmates and we all went out to dinner, and then to practice at our violist's house. Generally this was a good idea, but partially it was a bad idea because her roommate has cats and after 6 hours, my allergies were off the charts. Begin a small cold that I've been battling. No biggie.

That Saturday night, I got to go see It's A Wonderful life on the big screen with Bach and Qabbani. That was very fun. :) The following day, Sunday, I went over to Mr. and Mrs. Brahm's house and joined Bach, Qabbani, Mozart, Dvorak, Glinka, Lorca, Vivaldi, Samuel Barber, and Earl Scruggs to bake cookies and decorate them, following which we watched a slightly odd movie, the title of which I can't even recall. Unfortunately Beethoven couldn't join us.

Then, Wednesday we met at Lorca's house (with Bach, Qabbani, Mozart, and Vivaldi) and watched Elf, a newer Christmas classic, and we laughed like nobody's business. I'd brought some molasses cookies I made, my first attempt at doing so.

THEN, Friday afternoon I met up with Mozart and Vivaldi and we went sledding, ran a bunch of random errands, made and consumed spiced wine, and watched The Producers, a very funny show I'd never seen before.

Lastly, Saturday, I went over to my parents house and visited with them, my sister and brother-in-law, and their 9 month old son, and my brother-in-law's mother. It was quite fun also. All in all, a great few weeks spent in the company of family and friends.

I'm not sure when I'll see all of my good friends again, but hopefully soon. What adventures will I have next, I wonder?

"I wondered what might happen if I left this all behind, would the wind be at my back, could I get you off my mind this time?" - Jonathan Rhys Meyers

2010-12-14T06:41:00.001-08:00

I didn't catch any of the Geminids, or whatever the meteors were that shot around the sky in little flashes of light in the wee hours of the morning. I wish I had, but I didn't. I don't think I've ever actually been present for a meteor shower, but you can't blame me for missing the one last night, because it was REALLY cold out, and I was very tired. Also, it was really cold out in case I didn't mention that.

I don't remember anything about what I dreamed of last night or the night before, but I do have a dream now that I'm awake. I'm not going to spoil it by telling you in Martin Luther King, Jr. fashion though. Admittedly, his was a pretty good dream.

It's a good day to address Christmas cards, and even if it isn't, that's what I'll be doing at work anyway. I don't mind though - I'll have good music to keep me motivated, and I'll have a chance to practice my penmanship.

"This morning I woke up with this feeling I didn't know how to deal with, and so I just decided to myself I'd hide it to myself and never talk about it, and didn't I go and shout it when you walked into the room..." - David Cassidy

Post-Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

So I stayed home yesterday and watched movies because today is the day I'm getting together with family. It should be fun - haven't seen my nephew (he's 9 months old) in awhile and the rumor is that he speaks a little now. I'm bringing mashed potatoes and I'm sure there will be turkey and cranberries and the rest. Screw Black Friday.

Here's a dream I had a few days ago:

Chaucer was part of a group of concerned Christian citizens of some sort who wanted to find out more about this suspected secret society who all believed was not as it seemed. I was sent as his representative and managed to get accepted as a candidate for the society. Me and the other candidates were given our covers (well some of them really were candidates, not all of us were plants) and sent on. Most of the information I had brought about me was real, though.

We get to the place where it’s all taking place and it is a huge place, like a mall or huge business complex, and in the hallway/atrium type place where we are supposed to go, there is a circle of people in chairs who are “Screeners” or “guards” and we are “cast” ceremoniously into the circle and they check out our “credentials” and pass us through. Around the corner is where the real business begins.

All of the initiates sit on the floor with our documentation and are given “packets” with information about the society. The primary society members come in, mostly not disguised, and the orator tells us a little bit and then we’re basically told to leave all of our stuff there – and place a carton of eggs on top, for some reason. Then, the idea is that they would go through our stuff in our absence and find out who we really were.

For the real initiates, this wouldn’t be a problem, but for a “plant” like me, this could be really bad since there was a lot of true information. So I took out my bio page and a couple other pages and put them in my pocket before I left (unobtrusively). But, I didn’t completely leave.

I went out and called Chaucer and explained some of my suspicions, especially about the head guy.. Then I came back into the initiation room and was kinda checking out the informational packet and then I slipped away, downstairs, to sneak around and see if I could get to the bottom of what they were all about. Chaucer showed up and joined me. A couple of the main society guys, including the big dog, were downstairs in their offices and we knew we must not be seen, so I ushered Chad up one staircase with some other random family passing through and hid around the corner since I knew the main guy would recognize my face.

Then I slipped up the stairs too, when there was cover, but I believe I was seen. We get up to the main atrium area and all of the society members start coming in, probably to confront me and Chaucer, but some of the other representatives that the other concerned citizens had sent showed up and suddenly there was going to be this big confrontation. The room kept filling up with citizens and society members and I realized it was a distraction to let the main three figureheads escape, so I ran after them, jumping down these sort of stairs and through another door (followed by Chaucer) and into this church/cathedral area where people were actually attending church.

In the sanctuary, there are steps going up, up, up and the altar kinda sits at the top of this room and the main society member (two of them) were priests actually – or like high priests. And they were protecting a third guy, the main guy of the society who’d slid off his person-mask (like they had in mission impossible) and he’s Robert De Niro the bishop. And I realize that if they get away, they can start this evil society again.

So I chase them out the side door, and since the sanctuary/altar was at the top of the room, we’re outside at the top of these pyramid like stairs and they’re about twenty yards ahead of me about to go down these stairs, so I run behind them, do a flying kick and smash into their backs, propelling them forward and sending them over the edge…where they tumbled down all of these massive steps to their deaths in the street below. Then this other guy who I thought (in the adrenaline rush) was dressed the same and was one of them is nearby so I kick him too and he goes over but only down one or two steps and is hanging on. And I see it’s Chaucer, and I’m like “holy crap – I thought you were one of them” so I pulled him up to safety.

That was basically the end. I remember we went home and Chaucer tagged some photo of it on Facebook and there was a giant arrow pointing at the bottom of the pyramid steps that said “Mom” and a giant one that pointed to a dead body that said “not Mom”.. and then a bubble that said “Want to claim?” And I was like WTF Chaucer? And that was the end.

"I asked you to come over, and within half an hour, you were at my door. I had never really known you, but I realized that the one you were before, had changed into somebody for whom I wouldn't mind to put the kettle on. Still I don't know what I can save you from." - Kings of Convenience

Octolloween

2010-10-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

So I had this dream that I was at a complex...sort of a bunch of amusement parks all together: a water park, a supermall, etc. I remember my friend Lorca had to return his motorcycle to a parts place/mechanic there to see if they'd buy it from him since it was a classic. Also, I tried on some new sunglasses that didn't really block out the sun, and a new umbrella even though it wasn't raining. Finally, as I was walking around I heard some kid singing "Use Somebody" by the Kings of Leon because she thought she'd heard it playing.

So that wasn't very exciting, but that's what I can remember. Recently in life, I have been practicing (and played a show) with my new band, going to Mass on occasion, writing new songs, visiting with friends, preparing for the new Robert Jordan novel to come out, and plenty of other random things. Who knows what life will bring next? Apart from Halloween this weekend, of course.

What will you dress up as?

"What I used to be will pass away and then you'll see that all I want now is happiness for you and me." - Elliott Smith

Dreamin

2010-09-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Strange dream last night:

I was at a Cub Foods in somewhere-Illinois...and it wasn't like an ordinary grocery store, no. It was like a department store too. Well, at least it had sporting goods. Anyway, I met a girl/woman who worked there called Brigid or Bridget or something along those lines. We hit it off, but then she had to go and I left. I thought I'd never see her again.

But then I went back, looking for her, only she was in an employee meeting. But then the meeting got out and I did see her. And we were like best buds. She was from Taylorville I think. Or she said she was. Or maybe who knows. Anyway THEN I was out with some friends, and then it was time to leave, but no one would give me a ride home (about 8 miles away) so I started walking and I wound up at this kind of railway yard-near-a-truckstop-near-a-greyhound station or maybe a combination of all three. So a bus pulls up and Brigid/Bridget gets out of the bus and we're like dating all the sudden. So that was fun.

Except I can't remember whether the grocery store or the bus came first, but either way, I met the woman of my dreams IN my dreams. But then I woke up. So now, I have to wonder, is there really some girl from Taylorville out there somewhere at a Cub Foods or a bus stop waiting for me?

Probably not.

"And if you don't love me, let me go." - The Decemberists.

The Comings and Goings of Friends

2010-08-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

Because so many of my friends are internationals living in my community temporarily, occasionally I have to say goodbye to one or more of them. This can be sad, and while I'm not happy to see them go, I am glad for the time I get with them.

It's comforting, in some way, to know that I have friends around the world, friends I've been fortunate enough to have in my life, and who are out there...somewhere...and maybe even thinking of me from time to time.

Today I said goodbye to one of them. Leaving for grad school in Paris. Will we see each other again in this life? Perhaps. I'd like to think so. If not, afterward for certain. Goodbyes are sad, but happy too.

I wonder, as they go, whether they are aware of the impact they have on the world around them. I wonder if they know they are leaving a piece of themselves behind and that those who are left behind will cherish it.

I think that when you leave a place and people are sad to see you go, it means that you made a positive impact there. It means that you were loved. And though we may at times all feel alone in this world, we are not alone in this world.

"You and me have seen everything to see...and the soles of our shoes are all worn down...but it's nothing to cry about. We'll hold each other soon." - Death Cab for Cutie

Portrait

2010-07-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Wake up. Too early; go to the bathroom and go back to bed. Wake up again. Roll out of bed and onto the floor. Up off the floor; check email and Facebook. Take a shower. Think about eating breakfast but go to work instead.

As I walk to work, or sometimes ride my bike, I select different music each day based on my mood. Perhaps Prokofiev one day (Peter and the Wolf) and Muse the next. Sigur Ros some mornings and Soundgarden when it’s raining in the fall. Ingrid Michaelson puts me in a happy mood and so do the Beatles and the Beach Boys, but you can only play the Beach Boys if it’s 80 or above outside. It is now. “Let’s go surfin’, surfin’ safari. I’m gonna take you surfin’ with me.”

At work, the iPod is off and the desktop playlist takes over. I mix and match: Damien Rice, Jonsi, The Decemberists, the Foo Fighters, Lisa Hannigan, Regina Spektor, the Smashing Pumpkins, Jorma Kaukonen, Keane, and the Fleet Foxes.

I jump on Google Talk so I can stay in touch with my co-workers (especially the network administrator who I always have questions for and the programmers who always have questions for me). Sometimes I harass Sopphey and find out about the latest Mosaic she is making or threaten to eat her rabbits. (They aren’t real anyway.)

Waste time on Youtube and Facebook. Eat lunch. Print lots of things on the printer because I prefer to look at pieces of paper rather than a computer screen if I’m really studying something. Oh look, it’s an interesting map of Europe from the 4th century. That’s worth of an hour of my time.

Don’t get the impression that I don’t actually do work when I’m at work. I do. Sometimes I work 12 hours or more in a day, writing content, editing proposals, creating spreadsheets, uploading photos, running errands, making phone calls, etc. But some days have less urgency than others.

The afternoon winds down with the Kings of Convenience, Coldplay, and Radiohead. I head out of the office with my iPod once again active and the sounds of Franz Ferdinand accompanying me on the way home. At home I pick up the guitar or the mandolin and fool around a bit. I check my email again and my Facebook. I make dinner, read a little, stream a movie. Sometimes I write but lately, those times are very few.

I think about getting a wife, or finishing my novel, or writing some new song. Sometimes I do write a new song. Sometimes I look at videos of the ocean because it reminds me of some place I’d rather be. I imagine myself, near the sea, fishing and living a secluded life. Writing. Enjoying the sound of the waves and the smell of salt water.

Usually I stay up too late but eventually I go to bed. I don’t stay up that late, but late for me. I lay there, trying to go to sleep for awhile and thinking about whatever floats into my brain. Eventually I latch onto a thought and can’t let go and off I drift, into some other world where crazy things happen but seem quite reasonable. Sometimes I remember and sometimes I don’t. sometimes I write it down and sometimes not.

Wake up. Too early; go to the bathroom and go back to bed. Wake up again. Roll out of bed and onto the floor. Up off the floor; check email and Facebook. Take a shower. Think about eating breakfast but go to work instead.

Today I rode my bike to work. I didn’t bring any music for the trip, but it’s a pretty short one so I didn’t mind. I stopped off at Zorba’s on the way, a Greekish-but-mostly-American breakfast joint that everyone loves. I got my usual: The Number Three. The Number Three consists of two eggs (I like mine scrambled), bacon or sausage (I rotate which I prefer or sometimes get both), hashbrowns and toast. Today I substituted a blueberry muffin for the toast, but usually I get wheat.

Nothing super eventful happened at work, but afterwards I’m thinking a burger and beer will go a long way to starting the weekend off well. I might go to the Irish Pub which is Uptown (it used to be downtown but now with the new “renovation project” it’s Uptown because that sounds more sophisticated) or I might just stop off somewhere on the way home and eat at my house.

Later I’ll dig out my violin to get ready for the lessons I’ll be taking in August, and then I’ll play my guitar. It will be fun, you’ll see. Or you won’t, but it will be fun anyway.

I’ll go to bed late because it’s the weekend; maybe I’ll watch a movie before I turn in. As the light goes off and I wait to fall asleep, in my head, Paul McCartney sings, “One day you’ll look to see I’ve gone. But tomorrow may rain so, I’ll follow the sun.”

"The world is a vampire sent to drain." - Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)

Porcupine to Pass The Time

2010-07-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to finish the novel I started AGES ago. At least, I hope to. I've completed another chapter and will try to do the same again this evening.

Lately I've been dreaming, but I don't remember my dreams. Occasionally, I have bits and pieces when I awake first, but I haven't been writing them down. I've been restless, it seems.

Sometimes it's hard just to focus on one thing.

At night, when the moon is out and darkness has taken over, I want to go out. I feel a call to walk around and experience the night. But, I am too tired mostly. So I stay at home instead and hide away. Someday.

Come, wash away my tiredness. Make me feel new.

"You are a shining light." - Ash
"She's real fine my 409." - The Beach Boys

A Quick One While He's Away

2010-07-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

(which is the title of an album/mini-opera by the Who if you didn't know)

I had a dream the other night which I believe will finally help me conclude my novel (though I am making good progress!) in a more condensed and ultimately probably better-to-read form. So that's good.

Also been having multiple little outings to community events etc, and it's been fun to be a little social.

What's next? Who knows.

"You're decorating the walls with pieces from the waters of your shipwrecked past, trying to make sense of how two of the darkest lives came together to give this world light, a world that's cracking and leaking all around me." - Rocky Votolato

Summmmmmmer

2010-06-21T09:54:00.001-07:00

Hello loyal followers, if indeed you are still out there and/or remotely interested. Also hello anyway if the former does not apply.

What's going on lately? On Friday I played in a wedding of a former roommate. I played two songs during the ceremony but I also played about 45 minutes worth of instrumental music before hand while the guests were arriving and while we were delaying the wedding to allow a storm system overhead to pass us by (mostly). We did catch a few minor sprinkles anyway.

The beauty of fingerpicking acoustically is that I can vary tempo and key-change and play songs no one would even suspect I was playing... such as songs by Muse, Radiohead, and Damien Rice (all of which I did play and none of which were noticed) which are not traditionally appropriate for weddings. Whilst the guests were unaware, I was amused at my seeming cleverness.

I've been trying to watch as many World Cup matches as possible too. There have been some very good matches and some interesting and unexpected results. I'm excited to see what happens in the end.

I have a short-list of things I should be doing that I'm not: namely finishing the novel I've been working on and cleaning house. Perhaps one of those will happen this week.

Tonight, I'm probably going to meet up with a producer friend (who's actually semi-famous and has worked with nationally known artists) at his studio and work on producing a single track which I wrote. It should be loads of fun and I'm pretty stoked about it.

There may also be other developments going on in life that I can't tell you about quite yet, but which may give you a reason to stay tuned.

Irony: the usual taste of drinking fountain water.

"Is this my final chance of getting you? And on and on from the moment you wake to the moment you sleep I'll be there by your side..." - Coldplay

Songs

2010-06-07T20:25:00.001-07:00

I've written several songs in the last month or two. I'ven't been writing much else, however. I guess sometimes these things happen. I'm waiting now, waiting.

"Baby's got blue skies up ahead, and in this I'm a rain cloud.... ain't love the sweetest thing?" - U2

A FRIDAY!!!!!

2010-05-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hello ladies and gents,

It's officially the weekend (though I still sit at work for the moment) and I'm stoked! Well, I hope to do some writing this weekend. Plus it's Memorial Day so there will probably be grilling at some point. Next weekend my band has a show at a local brewing company which should be fun. We might go electric!

Meanwhile I'm trying to plot a vacation for later this summer with a buddy - west to the mountains! I'm excited about that.

Today I gardened a bit at work - planting flowers and such. Good weather for it.

I guess that's about all.

"Can't you see that I would love to love you?" - The Beatles

May!

2010-05-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

Here we are getting closer and closer to summer. I turned 31 last week. I still haven't finished my novel but feel that I will work to accomplish that soon. I'm tired. I need coffee. The new Robin Hood movie comes out today. I received a small package in the mail from Italy earlier this week relating to inquiries about my Italian family. Today is my Aunt's birthday. I could go for some eggs and bacon right now.

That's the end of my random thoughts. I know it is a weak way of bringing those who follow up to speed, but I will try to be more diligent.

"Together we're invincible." - Muse

Advice

2010-04-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hi.

I had a conversation via Facebook the other day with a good writer friend of mine, a dear fellow who lives in Ireland. He's published three books and a screenplay that he's written (which was performed, I believe) and now runs a small publishing company. We talked about the writing process, and some of the struggles I had, and he gave me some good advice on getting things finished without being distracted by details and overthinking and overpreparing and such.

I'm partway through his second book (having read the first last week) and find that he certainly seems to know what he's about. Conversing with him has given me some new ideas and inspired me to finish the project I'm working on now. He has even offered to read it over for me when it's completed and to help edit it. :)

It's good to feel motivated again.

"I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you. Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you. I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down I want to come too...I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine; now I'm shining too. Because, oh because I've fallen quite hard over you." - Landon Pigg

Ice Shepherd

2010-03-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

I had a dream last night...that I was with a group of kids on a field trip of some kind – I was the teacher/guardian bringing up the rear. We were going up icy chutes with ice/sometimes actual flowing river in them – we’d climb with our little toboggans and then go down the other side. I was to watch for kids falling behind, falling through and save them. I think there was someone called Echo? Or something to do with the moon. There were others – with other responsibilities. Some to protect against other harms, some to kill in protection if necessary. I was not permitted to do that. We all had some power to go ‘beyond’ and bring kids back.

That's about all I recall.

"On this side, things they work differently. Me oh my, we're all that we hoped we'd be 'Cause this time, we dared to believe... It's whatever you call that thing I'm in when I'm in with you." - Clare Bowditch

Marching Along

2010-03-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

Another spring soon to come, and many possibilities on the horizon.

Ashamedly, no I am not done with my novel yet. However, I have started a band. We're called Universal Speed Limit, and we play mostly indie folk rock with some bluegrass, Celtic, and classic rock influences. We've been playing and will be playing some shows.

You can catch us on Myspace here and Facebook here. Hopefully we'll have some tracks up soon.

Meanwhile, I've been learning Japanese. It's slightly challenging, but not too challenging, and mostly fun. I watched the movie Ponyo with some Japanese students the other day. I recommend it.

I've been on a gluten-free diet since Feb 1st and all's well so far. It takes some getting used to though.

My sister had a baby last week - a boy she named Xander. She and her husband are pretty thrilled, needless to say.

I guess that's about all for now. I'll try to write soon.

"Their words mostly noises, ghosts with just voices. Your words in my memory are like music to me. I'm miles from where you are, I lay down on the cold ground. I, I pray that something picks me up and sets me down in your warm arms." - Snow Patrol

Storms, gluten, and music.

2010-02-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

I dreamt I was walking in the hallways in an old school and I was on my way to attend some kind of a meeting in a boardroom. I ran into my sister in the hall and she tagged along, intending to crash the meeting, but it didn't work because they had security guards who ousted her. I brought my own snacks (candy) to the meeting, the only one who did so. I believe it was a book club. All of my guitar picks were on the floor and I wasn't sure why. When the meeting was over, I stayed behind because I wanted to work on my novel at the conference table.

Suddenly, I was outside walking with my friend Josh near the sea - a harbour actually I think - and there was this pier and semi trucks started going into the water because it was violently stormy. The effect of the storm began to cause a sort of tidal wave and Josh thought we should head back, but I insisted that we press on. We tried to cross this bridge which was heaving up and down with the waves, but the bridge was moving so wildly that we had to simply bounce along and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the waves swallowed us up and then I woke.

In other news, I started on a gluten free diet on Monday. So far, so good. Not as crazy as I thought it would be though I do have to be more careful about what I eat. I think today I'll meet some friends for Japanese for lunch. I had the flu the last few days but I'm feeling better now.

I have lots of music practicing to do this weekend and coming week; I'm playing a show next Thursday and possibly 2-3 more in the next month or so. Should be good times!

"Will you be pulled from the ocean but just a minute too late? Or changed by a potion, and find a handsome young mate for you to love?...You don't know how long I've been watching the lantern dim, starved of oxygen. So give me your hand, and let's jump out the window." - The Shins

Snow Drifts

2010-01-07T07:57:00.001-08:00

So, it snowed again last night. And this morning. The walk to work this morning was a slow, but pleasant trudge through a foot and a half of snow-drifts (sometimes more) on the sidewalks, courtesy of the snow plows. But, the sun is... oh wait, no, no it's not out. Nevermind. However, it could be a lot colder. And will be in a few days, I'll warrant.

My hands are cracked and dry. I have a few cuts on my palms, because the air gets dry, I wash my hands a lot, and I don't use hand lotion enough. Yes, I know I'm supposed to put a bunch of lotion on my hands and then gloves and then go to sleep, but no I haven't done that. I probably won't either, to be honest.

There are phases/parts to my life, kinda like Will Smith's character in the Pursuit of Happyness. Lately, I seem to be kind of caught between pain and laziness. It's not the kind of pain you suffer from massive wounds, not the sharp, blinding pain that fills your head so completely that you can't think at all. It's not the kind of pain you experience with deep sorrow, not the kind that you can't help but think about and replay over and over all day long, not the kind that crushes you under its weight. It is instead a slow, constant pain, one that you get used to and experience so long that you start to expect it, one that becomes something of a frustration that you just can't lose.

Perhaps that pain plus the fatigue that accompanies it plays a part in the laziness I experience. It only seems to be in certain areas of my life, though. At work, I'm productive, busy, getting things done and doing what I should. But, I don't feel like writing much, don't feel like cleaning much, don't feel like reading much. It's not quite a lethargic feeling, but just more of a fatigued-I-don't-feel-like-it-today emotion which tends to linger not just that day but into the next and the next after that.

I have been dreaming, and I have been having lots of ideas so the creative part of my brain is still very active. I think I'm on the cusp of something and I simply have to wait it out. It's just this particular part of my life and soon I'll be on to the next. Very soon, I hope, since I'm supposed to finish writing the current book I'm working on by the end of the month. That doesn't leave much time.

"You left me standing here, a long long time ago. Don't leave me waiting here, lead me to your door." - The Beatles

C-C-Cold

2010-01-05T05:41:00.000-08:00

So, it's freezing here. Far below in fact. And sometimes it's very cold indoors too. I didn't do any writing yesterday. :( However, I did have several dreams, which I will tell you about now:

First, I dreamt that I was coaching a high school football team which included a kid who rushed for 3,000 yards in a single season. I don't remember much except that I let him sit out the rest of the game once he hit 3k yards, since it was such an accomplishment.

Second, I dreamt that I was with a few people and we were all like shapeshifters or something. We were just leaving a gathering we'd been at and were going someplace else down the road. The road itself curved wide around this bay and there was sort of a series of chunks of land in the middle, like small islands, that almost made a bridge. My friends drove off with out me and so I set out running, planning to turn into a bird. The only trouble was that it didn't actually work, so I kept running and tried to take a shortcut across the landbridge, only I was moving so slowly I never caught up.

Finally, I dreamt I was on vacation with my family and some friends in Santa Monica. We went to the beach, where the ocean was behaving quite wildly, and spent part of the day there. Then, several of the fellas went fishing, some of us went to some whaling museum or summat, and the rest went shopping. It was a great deal of fun until I woke up and discovered I was still in fact landlocked in subzero land.

Will I write anything more productive than this today? Only time will tell.

Brr, brr.

"Tíminn lagar allt, gefur líf kyndir upp bál logar sálar. Ekki lengur kalt, hef aftur líf lifnar mín sál heiminn mála." - Sigur Ros
(Time heals all, gives live, kindles fire, burns souls. No longer cold, alive again, my soul comes to life, paints the world.)

Modes of Transportation

2010-01-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

Two dreams last night:

First, I was at this fenced in park with some friends of mine for some type of meeting. Perhaps it was some kind of baseball game or something. The park was this large grassy estate with an outer marble/iron fence with spikes on the top and one low gated entrance. On the far side of the park, there was a smaller area, also fenced in but with no gate. That fence was constructed similarly but low enough a man could look over the top if he hoisted himself up.

We were on the backside of the park in the smaller fenced in area and while we were there, this clan/cult of monks came in to the outer part of the park, near the baseball diamond, and were arguing and thought they had the place to themselves. They began some kind of ritual when one of them saw one of my friends across the park out of the corner of his eye. They monks were enraged and, armed to the teeth, came over and grabbed the two friends they saw (the rest of us were hiding beneath a trailer in the park) and killed them promptly. They then headed back out into the main area of the park. Unfortunately they were between us and our escape.

We had to make a noise to draw them close, a sort of distraction and a dangerous ploy, and when they were near, we slipped around the back side of the trailer and out of the smaller gated area, sprinted across the park and away from them, vaulted the exterior gate, and began to run the six blocks down the road to the bus station, fearing to go near our vehicles in case the monks saw us so close to the park and attacked us. The monks made it as far as the entrance to the park, but seeing us already two blocks down the road, decided not to pursue.

In the second dream I was with my family. Apparently there had been some sort of falling out while we were out and about in town because they decided to stay the night at this motel inside the mall and I was going back home. However, as I made my way to the bus station to find a way back home at 11pm, my dad felt bad and he and another guy drove me home.

But, on the way home, I pointed out a shortcut that none of us had ever seen before and we took it, speeding faster and faster. Approaching one intersection, we broadsided another car and were all thrown about like rag dolls. I'm not sure who was at fault, but the driver of our car climbed out and ran away, leaving my dad and I in the car. The occupants of the other car seemed pretty beat up too and I only stayed in the dream until I heard sirens and then woke up.

So, today I hope to get some writing accomplished since I only have about three and a half weeks to finish 90,000 more words, if I am to remain on schedule.

Will I make it?

"Down by the burn, where birken buds wi' dew are hangin clear, my jo, I'll meet thee on the lea-rig, my ain kind Dearie O." - Rabbie Burns

Amidst Heavy Snow

2009-12-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

Here, it snows. And snows. Not as much as Canada, but more than plenty. I'm contemplating a mile walk out into it right now. We'll see how that turns out.

Last night I dreamt that I was at this Pirate Cove where there was a series of docks that led in sort of a squarish pattern. The portion/harbour in the middle kind of served as an aquarium too. There was a giant right whale in the harbour who was intent on destroying anyone he found. (I assume it was a he - it may well have been a she but I never cared to get close enough to check.)

Down some ways from that harbour, there was another area where there was an even bigger whale. I think it was perhaps a sperm whale. So, I and a small group of my friends/fellow pirateaquariumneers were asked to go to the second location and entice the larger whale to follow us back to the harbour so that we might capture it for our aquarium. To do so, we had to jump into the harbour (actually I was the one who did it) and act as a lure to get the smaller whale to follow to the bigger whale. At that point, the smaller whale became the lure for the bigger whale and I was randomly hopping in and out of the water, barely escaping with my life each time, to get BOTH whales to return to the harbour.

I believe I succeeded but really, it's hard to tell.

Today I think I will watch movies and write some more. I have just over a month to complete my novel on schedule which means I certainly have my work cut out for me.

Wish me luck.

"Looking back at sunsets on the east side, we lost track of the time. Dreams aren't what they used to be, some things slide by so carelessly." - The Killers

Dark Dreams

2009-12-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

I've been having dark dreams lately - not dark as in full of evil or sinister things, but dark as in it's always dark lately - nighttime or summat. Last night, I remember little except that there was some kind of hit-woman...a beautiful assassin. I remember trees and moonlight. And the City. I think it may have something to do with the fact that I watched part of Daredevil last night. It was dark in the way that superhero cities get dark after the sun has gone down.

I recorded some demo versions of 8 songs I haven't recorded before - just acoustic versions with me and the guitar and my voice. I just wanted them down so that I had at least something to work with, should I want to improve on them in the future. They are very rough demos - I'm not planning to release them to anyone.

I'm about 1,000 words out from the completion of another chapter in my book. I'm still not even at the 1/3rd-way-completed mark yet but I'm getting closer. Just a few more chapters. Can I finish it all in a month and a half? We'll see, I guess.

It has been a good but busy month. I have high hopes for the future. Patience is one of those unfortunate virtues that you can only get by being put into situations that require you to practice it. So it goes.

"It's foreign on this side but it feels like I'm home again, there's no place to hide but I don't think I'm scared." - Nickel Creek

The end of November

2009-11-30T06:23:00.000-08:00

Hi, hello, and howdy. It's been awhile since I did this regularly.

Work has been busy and that doesn't look like it's going to change, but that's good; keeps money coming, provided I manage it well. This week looks to be a busy one with work and with social activities. I'll update on that later.

I am nearly to 25,000 words on my current work. It's going slowly, mostly because I'm not finding time (or making time) to write much, but I have a deadline set of the end of January which gives me about two months to finish the last...100,000 words or so. Give or take.

Smile. Hope is in the air.

P.S. Buy the Franz Ferdinand album pictured above.

"If the silence takes you, I hope it takes me too." - Death Cab for Cutie

Songs

2009-11-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't had a lot of time to work on the novel lately, which is unfortunate, but happens sometimes when you have a full time job. Plus, I've been averaging 50 hours most weeks (60 the last two) at work and volunteering an additional 10-15 hours a week on average which doesn't make it any easier. I'm hoping to get some writing done this weekend.

I have done some reading lately, which I think helps to keep ideas rolling and serves to make sure the creative juices are flowing.

I've also written 5 songs in the past month, three of which I'm planning to perform at a show I'm playing this Saturday night. It's actually a benefit concert for the cousin of one of the fellas I'm performing with. There are three of us slated to perform right now and I may have someone performing with me.

Hopefully, I'll have more free time in the next month and will be able to get to do more writing. :)

"Så häng dom högt, Så häng dom långsamt, Men häng dom högt, Jag kräver hämnd" - Kent

Hocus Pocus

2009-10-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning remembering only bits and pieces of dreams:

Teaching Italians to speak better Italian, browsing through an open market and eating food, yelling at people for spilling beer on me in plastic cups, sitting up on some kind of ledge indoors with lots of other people and sleeping bags....

Woke up to the sunrise, or at least the last (approximately) three minutes of it. It was pretty.

Wrote two songs last week, or wrote one and finished another that'd been sitting around.

Have about 5 complete chapters of novel to review and possibly begin to contact agents with.

Went to the doctor and got medication that I can't afford.

Had the flu last week.

That's about all you need to know for now.

"Light up, light up, as if you have a choice. Even if you cannot hear my voice..." - Snow Patrol

Slew of Ideas

2009-10-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hi.

It's been awhile since I've updated - sorry for that.

Last weekend I went to St. Louis to catch the Rams and Packers game at the stadium and to visit the Arch. There was a lot of heightened security at both due to previous weeks terrorist-type threats, but it was a fun trip. I saw the World's Greatest Bar so if anyone ever asks, no I have not been there but I was across the street. I took a photo too just in case someone asks for proof.

I've got 10 current story ideas (well two of them are series) which I've decided to devote my time to. I won't be writing on all of them at once of course, because that would be crazy, but I might start in on some of the research for some of these projects. One is already in progress (I think I'll have about 40k once revisions are made) and the others are mostly in brainstorm/outline mode. I'm pretty excited about the potential for all of these things though.

This was a good week - one of the best I've had in a long time and a busy one. I was feeling much better and I met some new people and I did some fun things, so all of that was good. Plus, I was even productive, so there's that.

I'll let you know when there something more to know, and then you'll know. Until then, you won't know, but also you won't know that you don't know because there won't be anything to not know. You know?

"The pictures in his mind arose and began to breathe... blue lips, blue veins...blue...the most human color." - Regina Spektor

New Dream, New Word Count

2009-09-13T05:25:00.000-07:00

So, I go to the movies, and Jack Nicholson and and Robert Duvall are taking tickets. So I stop to chat with them for awhile and they ask what I'm going to see so we discuss all of the movies and how they all were really good, but what I was actually going to see was the Nicholson flick. So Jack gives Robert this sorta triumphant look and I get my tickets....

After that, it switches and there's a Jefferson Airplane reunion tour and they've asked me to play bass with them. We're at the show getting warmed up and I wander off for a minute and talk to some people I know and suddenly we're starting so I have to sneak on stage and slide into place without getting noticed...

And then it flashes to afterwards and I'm riding a bike down the street that's too small for me and I'm racing a school bus. And I shoot off a sidewalk into a cul-de-sac and do a massive slide and almost run into my bosses cousin, who was my former neighbor. Then I woke up.

_________________

I wrote over 8,600 words yesterday to bring the new total on the new work to about 16,000 words. It's tentatively titled "Castle".

I hope to write more today.

"It's always better on holiday. That's why we only work when we need the money." - Franz Ferdinand

New Books

2009-09-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

I bought four new books today:

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Men At Arms - Terry Pratchett
The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson

I look forward to reading them and discovering the wonderful secrets that lay within.

"I once knew a girl in the years of my youth, her eyes like the summmer - all beauty and truth. In the morning I fled, left a note and it read, "Someday, you will be loved." - Death Cab For Cutie

New Ideas

2009-09-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Hello there.

I just thought I'd share that I've been doing some brainstorming lately and I have come up with some writing ideas. I've kept the number to ten separate ideas and I don't plan to expand that until half of them are actually written stories. It's quite a lot to work on anyway, and I'm excited to get started.

I had a meeting with the writer's group I'm involved with on this past Sunday. I think there's a name or at least a proposed name for our group, but I've forgotten it. It was encouraging to discuss characters and hear what others were working on; it made me want to start writing again.

Sometimes I go through periods where I'm not motivated - not that I have no ideas or writer's block or anything, but more that I just don't feel like it. Hearing what other writers are doing encourages me to quit being lazy and do some writing myself.

I have actually been doing some writing lately outside of work, if only a little: I wrote a six sentence short story (alliteration!) for a writing contest. I'll post it hear and perhaps you'll tell me what you think before I submit it.

It's called "The Pale Ones":

"They come. At night they come with their thirst for blood, their sharp teeth gleaming, their sanguine appetites drawing them in from the darkness to charm, seduce, and devour, but not always to kill.

Like gentle lovers, they coax life-blood from the veins of the willing and unwilling both, taking what they want and leaving the not-quite-living in their wake. They are not destroyers only, but also creators, giving eternity to those who desire it, to those who close their eyes to the awful truth of new life.

No one is born a vampire - they came for me, when I was yet in the prime of my youth, when the whole world still lay before me filled with infinite possibility, and though I knew what came with their offer, I took it anyway.

But they are never finished...listen, do you hear them coming?"

"Summer arrives with a length of lights. Summer blows away and quietly gets swallowed by a wave." - The Decemberists

Eet

2009-08-28T01:38:00.001-07:00

So I just now woke up from a dream:

I was at this sort of facility with some people I knew. I think maybe it was some kind of healing compound. Anyway, in the room I was visiting, a different group came every week to provide a meal to the people visiting that particular room. I had gone to the grocery store and been delayed a lot - looking for things and talking to people who work there - and when I returned, I walked with a group in the hallway down to the room I was supposed to be in.

When we arrived, we quickly noted that we'd double booked "meal-providers" and that two groups were there. Additionally, they'd started without me and were already done eating, leaving me the scraps to pick through.

There was a ridiculously big amusement park next to the compound which was playing Regina Spektor's Eet from loudspeakers so, it seemed like a good idea to go next door to check it out. While we were there, my Christian friend wanted to present his case to some people (pretty much anyone who would listen) but not too many people were interested. He'd even prepared a kind of show with examples and props and everything. At last, two or three people wanted to hear it, but my friend had lost one of his props, some kind of furry-bouncy thing. The only place to get one was at the top of this ridiculous slide in the amusement park.

The slide was about 200 feet tall and the second half of it was transparent, so that when you went down it, you felt like there was nothing there at all and you were free-falling. Terrifying.

So this couple volunteers to go fetch the item and starts strolling around to get it. I look over at this guy Ted and say aloud, "****! Ted and I could get there way faster!" And Ted looks back, and we both start running. Around the corner we see that the entrance to get to the slide is about 200 feet around the other side but instead of walking around, Ted runs and jumps up onto this stone ledge nearby. I follow him, and watch, along with the couple (who'd started running when Ted and I had). To my horror, Ted leaps up from the stone ledge and grabs onto an ornamental banner hanging some 150 feet from the slide and starts climbing it to get up more quickly.

The couple follows suit, so I get up onto the stone ledge and suddenly realize it's much higher than I thought. I'm petrified (I don't like heights much) with fear and can't even think about running towards the banner. I'm laying on the ledge on my stomach and holding on for dear life, realizing now someone will have to come rescue me from my predicament.

As I lay there, I think, "What if someone you loved was atop the slide and couldn't get down and the only way to save their life was to master your own fear and climb up there to show them how to get down?" And suddenly, that's the case - my girlfriend (I don't actually have one apart from this dream) is up there and afraid to try getting down herself. I remain solidly attached to the stone structure by my fear and people below are saying, "Dave, she'll die unless you get up there. She'll die." I'm not so convinced, because I can't even see her as high up as she is and I'm more worried about falling off myself. And then it starts raining.

I wake up. It's raining outside here. And Eet is stuck in my head.

"It's like forgetting the words to your favorite song.
You can't believe it; you were always singing along.
It was so easy and the words so sweet.
You can't remember; you try to feel the beat.

Bee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-
Eet eet eet.
Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-
Eet eet eet.

You spend half of your life trying to fall behind.
You're using your headphones to drown out your mind.
It was so easy and the words so sweet.
You can't remember; you try to move your feet.

Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-
Eet eet eet.
Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-
Eet eet eet.

Someone's deciding whether or not to steal.
He opens a window just to feel the chill.
He hears that outside a small boy just started to cry
'Cause it's his turn, but his brother won't let him try.

It's like forgetting the words to your favorite song.
You can't believe it; you were always singing along.
It was so easy and the words so sweet.
You can't remember; you try to move your feet.
It was so easy and the words so sweet.
You can't remember; you try to feel the beat..."
- Regina Spektor

Long Week

2009-08-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

I've been working looooong hours and haven't had much time to write, but am hoping to change that soon. Meanwhile, here's another dream:

So last night, I'm in a house.. it's vaguely familiar - I've been there in the waking world - but I don't remember exactly how I know it. I'm there with a few friends and Shia LeBeouf. We decide to go into the basement, because there's supposed to be a portal to another world there, only you can't always get in, just sometimes. So, Shia goes to open the portal and a chicken comes running out, so we know it's open. Only, the people who own the house we're in send their cat with us and for some reason the portal won't open.

So, we decide to leave the cat behind and try again. The cat and chickens wouldn't get along anyway. The cat is a bit ornery so we have to chase it awhile, but finally that's all settled and back we go into the portal. The portal opens into some kinda of sickeningly cheery rainbowland of some kind. Everything after that is sorta hazy: chickens running around everywhere, Shia's in a hurry, and the people whose house we just left are watching us on their television set.

That's it.

"Tide will fall and rise along the bay and I'm not going anywhere. People come and go and walk away, but I'm not going anywhere." - Keren Ann

Dreams Dreams

2009-08-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Of late, blogger seems to have been having problems; this is my first chance in several days to log on successfully.

I've had a few dreams recently I'd like to share:

Several nights ago, I dreamt I was riding a bicycle through New York City, trying to find a bus stop so that I could ride home to the suburbs where I lived. I came across an old Rolls Royce with what appeared to be a gangsta behind the wheel and another laying in the street in front of the car.

Naturally, I stopped to chat and find out if any help was needed; through the course of our discussion I learned that they were actually just looking for someone to lend them some money. When I said I had none, they offered to drive me to the bus stop. However, we wound up driving out of the city instead and en route to my suburb, we traveled over a series of very thin, rail-like bridges. Whilst in the middle of one of these bridges (this particular one had a covered top) we stopped at the entrance to a Seneca Apple Juice factory.

The two gentlemen/gangstas with me wanted my help in what they called "bootlegging" of giant bottles of, what I presumed were juice but what later turned out to be some kind of moonshine. Since I'm a helpful sort of guy, I agreed. I woke up shortly thereafter.

The second dream I wish to tell you about went like this:

I was in Italy, not far from Siena, in Tuscany. I was visiting with assumed relatives in a small village on the Tyrrhenian Sea and after lunch was told to go exploring. So, I went down the slope from the house to the water and was sort of playing around in it. I saw many colorful fish, like those you would find in an aquarium rather than those that ought to be at the edge of the sea. I wondered at them for a time and then my grandfather or uncle or someone joined me in a bathing suit. He waded in the water a bit and then grabbed a small row boat and urged me aboard.

As we drifted, we heard noise just slightly around the corner from us. Upon investigation, I discovered boats full of people laughing, partying, having a good time. They were transporting themselves out to a series of floating docks where they were going swimming, I assume. We joined them, ate a merry feast, and then I woke up.

I'm not sure why I dream as though I were living other lives, or living short films perhaps. It just happens that way mostly.

"There are days when outside your window, see my reflection as I slowly pass..." - Death Cab for Cutie

Boston - the Hahbah and so much more...

2009-08-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

There were so many things I did in Boston - I'll just give a brief overview here. Leaving the airport, I found myself thinking of a bar joke (A Portuguese, an Italian, and a Jew are leaving Logan Airport to meet a Puerto Rican in Providence....)on our way to Providence to dine at the Cheesecake Factory.

I ate a prosciutto sandwich that day too. Delicious.

The aquarium was very cool - sharks, giant sea turtles, seahorses, sea dragons, penguins, starfish (which I touched), seals, brightly colored fish, dull fish, eels, snakes, etc. The harbor, Fanueil Hall, the Market, Newbury Comics (checkin' on the microphone....)and a delicious pastrami sandwich.

The Black Rose! Best Irish pub! Great food!

Sushi restaurant. Someone almost threw up. (I had teriyaki salmon instead.) Harry Potter at the cinema in the mall.

I drove through rush hour traffic in Boston on the way to Salem. We stopped at a McDonald's in Southie. Almost hit a kid on a bike near Salem. Salem Witch Museum. Capt's on the Waterfront. Various shops filled with tarot decks, mood rings, crystal balls, etc.

The Black Rose again! Live music! Left debit card there! (oops)

Freedom Trail! Graveyards, Boston Massacre, Paul Revere's House, Old North Church. Little Italy! Bought a soccer jersey. Heard old men speaking in Italian.

And of course, Fenway. Italian sausage with peppers and onions before we went in. The Black Rose again - reclaimed debit card!

For complete photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28141244@N03/

Guess that's about it. Choppy account, I know, but hey.

"I'm just a crosshair, I'm just a shot away from you." - Franz Ferdinand

Poseable Plastic Person

2009-08-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

So I had this dream the other night that I was sort of a poseable action figure, and I was hanging out with my other poseable friends in this sort of poseable kingdom. And we were somehow cast into this sand pit (presumably by the poseable action people who lived in the kingdom) which was a bit...swirly. Falling to the bottom of the pit, sand swirling round and round and round, we suddenly found ourselves having been sucked into some kind of portal and were now in the ocean.

So, naturally, we swam to shore. There, we found ourselves in some kind of magical animated kingdom. So, of course, we went to visit the creole gypsy woman at her castle, because, what else do you do? Ok, so it was more of a two story tenement than a castle, and the door was rather small. Standing in her hallway, I found that I barely had room, what with all my poseable action friends crammed in there too.

The creole gypsy woman instructed me to climb her impossibly narrow staircase to fetch something, so I went outside and tried to get in through her other door. It was too narrow. Therefore, I separated my left arm to try and squeeze through. No luck. Fortunately, I woke up just after that so I was saved the embarrassment of finding another solution.

How's that for a dream?

"In the gaps between words are the things that really intrigue me." - Maximo Park

Brain Salad Surgery

2009-07-18T08:28:00.001-07:00

I had a dream last night that I was on this island with Tom Hanks, Guy Pearce and some other folks. Guy Pearce was a celebrity treasure hunter or summat and had some extremely important clues in his knapsack which he carried with him at all times. One day, as he was riding his motorcycle, he stopped by the side of the road near a cliff where he thought he spotted something.

Slipping as he walked up on the shoulder of the road to take a closer look, he began to slide over the edge, losing his knapsack to the jungle far below (which incidentally was right near a beach).

I spotted Guy as he was falling and attempted to help him, slipping myself in the process but managing to hold on to a rock at the edge of the cliff for support. Tom Hanks chose that moment to show up, grabbing me and pulling me and Guy both to safety as we both then blacked out.

I woke first, and having consulted Tom on the exact details of what happened, was able to fill Guy in when he awoke. I sadly informed him that his knapsack was lost. He insisted on looking for it in the jungle and we proceeded to the cliff at that very moment. Tom stood above to point the spot where we'd slipped and Guy and I went to the beach below, entering the jungle and keeping an eye on Tom with a pair of binoculars.

We reached the approximate location of our fall at the base of the cliff and proceeded to scour the jungle at that point. However, I woke up, so I can only assume we found the knapsack and all was not lost.

The background to my dream was the faintly echoed sound of Emerson Lake and Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery.

Very odd dream. But, consistent with the type of dreams I frequently have.

Now, I must go write.

"Or maybe her attention is drawn by Aqualung, who watches through the railings as they play." - Jethro Tull

Donner

2009-07-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning. Lots of 9,10,11 hour work days lately. Not much personal writing done. I've been doing a lot of newsletter articles though, so that's something at least, right? Coffee - good or evil?

Found out from the landlord that they're selling the house due to 'health issues'. Landlady says that our leases will remain, however. So I guess that's good. Maybe I should quit renting and buy. Can I afford that?

I hope to write some more songs lately - I've been feeling creative, hopeful, etc. But, I just haven't managed to find the time to sit down and do anything about it. I've been out some, outside of work, and haven't even had free time in the evening. Tonight looks pretty open though. Writing to do?

I must return to the novel I'm working on. I have other books floating around in my head but I'm afraid if I continue delaying this one, it will grow stale. My characters await me, in the dark corners of my mind, in the shadows of the bookshops they frequent and alleys that surround them. They call to me. I must answer them.

"And you've seen too much, too young. soulless is everywhere." - Muse

Too Much Coffee This Morning

2009-07-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

I'm working extra hours lately to make up for the fact that I'll be gone for a week, starting next Tuesday. Yesterday was an 11 hour day. Today will be much the same. Lots of work to catch up on.

I feel inspired to write more and will probably do so. I might write some more songs this week, or even some fiction. We'll see where the muse leads.

Good week so far. I'm very pleased. And excited. More on that later.

"And if it comes down to me and him, you know id kiss you better...and if you should ever fall,you know id kiss you better." - Maximo Park

Monday Monday, Can't trust that day.. or can you?

2009-07-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today I finished a song I'd been working on this weekend. Finished-slash-started-and-finished because I really scrapped everything I had before and something totally different materialized today. For the better, I think. All done now. Hooray.

It is written,"A wise man is known by the fewness of his words." - St. Benedict

"I am not wise." - Me

How Twelve Became A Magical Number

2009-07-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day, a day filled with friends, fun, and good surprises. I experienced music, laughter, good conversation, old friends, and new friends.

I have a song to finish this week.

I am hopeful today.

"Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief." - Bono/U2
"I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight." - Tony Bennett et. al.

Inner World

2009-07-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a song, something I find myself doing sometimes. But sometimes, I don't actually do anything visible as I'm working. I have to let thoughts, words, ideas simmer around in the mush of my brain for awhile. It's kinda like this:

Combine Akira Kurasawa's Dreams with Krysztof Kieslawski's Three Colors Trilogy and turn it into a remake co-directed by Martin Scorsese, Mel Gibson, Adam Sandler, and Will Ferrill. Make it in at least six languages with no subtitles.

Next, turn over the set design and art direction to Salvador Dali, Claude Monet, Robert DeNiro Sr., Joan Miro, David Choe, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Felix Labisse, Francis Bacon, El Greco, MC Escher, and Vincent VanGogh.

Then leave the script, cinematography and post production to Quentin Tarantino and Tim Burton (with a little help from Stephen King, Michael Crichton, and Terry Pratchett of course).

That's what the inside of my head looks like. And somewhere, in the midst of that.. there's an A.D.H.D. kid grabbing at ideas, "OOh, I like that one. And that one! And.. oh look, there's something shiny over there," and my job is to make sense of it all.

I'm hungry. I think I'll go have lunch.

"Here's another clue for you all - the walrus was Paul." - John Lennon/The Beatles

Listen to the patter of the falling rain...

2009-07-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight there were some scary lookin' storm clouds circling town in a sort of menacing ring. Dark shapes seemed to loom out of the clouds, particularly near the edges of town...shapes that stretched down to earth like some sort of convoluted sky-gargoyles. However, no tornadoes appeared in the sky, at least not that I noticed. No sirens sounded, and I didn't spend any time in cellars.

I did however spend some time practicing new songs, singing, playing guitar (and slide guitar), and mandolin. I also found myself visiting with friends earlier in the evening over dinner and having some interesting and fun conversations. There was plenty of humor afoot.

Hump day is over. Next stop: Thursday.

"But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas! But its all right, I'm jumpin' jack flash, it's a gas! gas! gas!" - The Rolling Stones.

How It All Starts

2009-07-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

My previous blogging attempts ended in dismal failure due to the fact that I neglected the blog for months at a time. Let us hope that this new blog enjoys a very long and prosperous life.

Link of the day: Ocean Observatories All about ocean observatories that are being put into place. Fascinating stuff and the implications are far reaching.

Today was spent mostly writing and editing news articles at work, linking to social media sites, setting up ad campaigns on Google and updating content to websites while juggling support tickets.

I am hoping to do some writing for myself soon. I will let you know how that goes.

Video of the day: Damien Rice - 9 Crimes on guitar (rather than the usual piano).

That's all for now.

"Leave me out with the waste, this is not what I do.." - Damien Rice