Author: brian

yesterday’s super bowl was pretty fun because none of us actually cared about the game and thus arbitrarily assigned an even number of ‘fans’ to each team, who then began talking major shit on the opposing ‘fans’ for no reason other than it was fun. i don’t think i could have named three players on the eagles before yesterday, but i sure did curse those damn patriots when they scored. and intercepted. and generally did much better. luckily, as only a fan-for-the-day, i was able to let go of the pain of loss within a matter of minutes. the beer and nachos also helped. plus, did you catch american dad a bit later? i’m unsure if i loved it, but i did laugh plenty, so that’s a start.

then this morning i awoke with unusual ease — none of that normal fumbling around and cursing that i had to get out of bed — and on the way to work stopped at an intersection opposite a car being pinned down at gunpoint by three squad cars and at least 5 or 6 officers. i don’t know what that guy had done, but i hope he didn’t make any rash moves and get blown away. i guess i’ll never know, the light changed and i had to make a turn.

a few things are a bit overdue.

firstly, a new pay day song. cursive, where are you? i’m hoping holed up somewhere, feverishly writing your next brilliant album, right? no tour in sight, no new material… well, except for a re-release of your single on vinyl with some b-sides. and since i’m starved for kasher & co. and don’t own a record player (am i still allowed to be indie-rock?), i had to, um, borrow those extra tracks from some internet friends. now at least i get to pound my desk along to once until you give me some hint there will be new stuff to look forward to.

and additionally, it’s time for a state of the union here at collapsing. except mine won’t be filled with patriotic hot air and distorted caricatures of how to make the world a better place. mine is a simple mission to step forward and upward. into a new place and a new pursuit. one which will absolutely one hundred percent for sure make the world a better place. create jobs and hunt down those that would harm us, while keeping us safe at home. but not really any of those things as much as just an overdue expansion on what i think this site could and should be.

a short burst of fiction.

that’s right, we now have page number two. time to try something new here. but don’t worry; the main page is not going to be cut back in any way, and the new programs will be rolled out with zero tax increases to the american people.

freedom freedom god liberty america future children hope etcetera.

back safe from my weekend in tahoe. snowboarding was excellent and drinking was abundant. everyone on the trip was cool, and persisted in referring to me as ed norton (there is some resemblance, apparently). toward the end of day two i even got airborne on a few occasions — intentionally, i might add.

today i took off as well to sleep in and recuperate before heading back to work tomorrow. in the leisurely and beautiful afternoon, i did some book shopping and caught million dollar baby at the grove, which was a really good flick even if sort of typical in that oscar-nominated-drama sort of way, then walked home in the 70-degree sunsetting evening.

take that all you non-californians; i can go snowboarding one day and stroll down the road in a t-shirt the next, all in my very own state.

i’m realizing that as good an idea as it is, i might live to regret my “enjoy, enjoy, enjoy” resolution for 2005.

over the weekend i drank four nights in a row. followed that up with two nights out to dinner (and, sure, a drink or two). i have to try to remember to take a couple hours off to at least do laundry before i leave tomorrow morning to go to tahoe for the weekend, for a daily three-day boarding/drinking regimen that should be completely fun-tastic. as will finally seeing gabe again after two long years, which i can’t wait to do.

my only concern is that if i keep at this, i may not need to worry about resolutions for next year — my blaze of glory will come and go and leave only a fatally bright flash behind me, as i vaporize in a cloud of white hot excitement. ironically, i finally signed up for a 401k program just yesterday, which made me feel old and pointedly non-thrilling. maybe i should just party to death before the deductions start on my next paycheck so as not to waste resources.

but lifestyle ruminations aside, let’s focus on the important thing. i’m going to tahoe this weekend! isn’t that weird? i feel richer just saying it. “i’m going to tahoe for the weekend.” of course, i’ll probably be sleeping in a potato sack on some dude’s floor, and subsisting on bottled water and french fries, but these are minor details. i’m going to tahoe this weekend.

it’s too late to write every member of the judiciary committee and ask them to vote no on gonzales for attorney general; apparently the majority of them were not strong-willed enough to realize torture is inherently bad, even when suggested by the administration. it isn’t too late, however, to thank the all-stars who did oppose the confirmation for standing up now. so when things continue to get worse, we can say i told you so and wrestle back the power. click on that list and pat one of the great eight on the back… senators feinstein (CA) and durbin (IL) already got letters from me yesterday.

now with gonzo and condi on the highest tier of US authority, i’m sure we’re in for a great year.

yeah, i could be sorry i’ve been a bit remiss, but i was only busy working a lot last week at work and then having the best birthday weekend ever. oh my, what a party. yes, there were literally a hundred people in our apartment and/or on our rooftop. that’s just the way we roll, brotha. no jive in ’05.

and as a bonus, i’ve got those damn best of’s off my back again, and today is the day i turn 24, and isn’t everything just the greatest? now i can get back to normal posting!

best movies of 2004

potential list-maker for the coming year’s best shows: the arcade fire show sunday at the troubadour. i mean, the album’s good and all, but that was quite a show. i think the music sounds better in person because you can see all the people it takes to make such a grand sound, and they’re all so involved in playing it. extremely good. in other news, i am playing 69 love songs into the ground this month, so one of them gets to be the pay day song. oh, and the best-of’s are nearly done too.

best albums of 2004

oh don’t you worry. i’m writing up a storm over here. i went to probably 30 concerts this year, dammit!

quick note: although not mentioned in the best of lists, i should say i saw several shows by my friends’ bands army navy, an excellent indie rock band, and augustus, my favorite local smart metal rockers. i would expect both of these bands to be significantly bigger by this time next year, so if you get the chance, check them out too.

best shows of 2004

sorry for the scarcity lately. i’ve been busy spending time with my buddy josh before he returns to the dark country of lithuania again, not to be seen for another half-year at least. bon voyage to the A man. well, that and watching the trojans obliterate every other college football team in the universe. fight on. and okay, maybe playing some video games and watching dvd’s. christmas was very plentiful this year.

oh and also working on the very necessary best-of lists* before we dive headlong into 2005. here’s the first in the series…

best books of 2004

*although john from the mountain goats would beg to differ on last plane to jakarta. it’s a great article and sound argument, i just can’t let go of the urge.

so did i say what a great time we had in las vegas for new year’s eve? i loved it. thousands and thousands of people roaming the streets happy and festive and drunk, good times and several of my best friends and large football-shaped plastic beers. shame i passed out completely in our room around 12:45 — not because i was sleepy and didn’t want to party, but because i was out cold. when i say out cold, i mean to the point where i was dragged off the bed and onto the floor without waking up, then subjected to various torments without batting an eye. the pictures shall remain unposted here.

another thing about vegas was that some dudes were shilling t-shirts down on the street while we walked, which i never even bothered to look at. i don’t know if this was a slogan on the shirts for sale, or just a clever sales pitch, but one big happy black guy was waving one yelling, “no jive in ’05,” which we instantly picked up for its straightforward and catchy message. frankly, i think it’ll be the perfect theme for the upcoming year, so it is with that sentiment i’ll try to lay down some resolutions.

— read more and talk more about it; i.e. don’t get dumber

i’d love to read more in terms of quantity of books, etc., but there are simple limits of time involved there. more importantly, i think, is having a point to reading. not just consuming but using it to generate ideas and start discussions, which will only help things sink in better, and which i don’t do often enough.

— write more and better; i.e. don’t get lazy

hone those skills. and writing does make a person smarter, i am convinced, so this will also feed into the above. aided by new project, TBA.

— start more conversations; i.e. don’t get boring

i think i go in waves of being very social and getting the hang of the whole ‘outgoing’ thing, then i balk at the ledge and rubber band back into a reclusive nerd state. this should get worked out. going out is good. interacting is good. this is a non-gender-specific goal, although of course there is a built-in handicap for talking to girls.

— get a raise, promotion, or just feel like i’m doing a better job at advancing my career; i.e. don’t get complacent

this will mark the first year of my life where i’m in a great job, and it’s really starting to be up to me to turn that into an even better job. advancing from intern to assistant, assistant to employee were easy moves. now it’s time to make sure i keep making progress toward advancement. no cutthroat tactics allowed, just being awesome at what i do.

— stay informed and participate somehow in the progressive political arena; i.e. don’t get apathetic

last year, i voted. this year i need to do more than just ink up a scantron form to make the world a better place. this should start with staying on top of things and speaking about it with my friends, but should entail some actual involvement at some point.

— go at least one place i’ve never been; i.e. don’t get settled

this doesn’t mean a new restaurant in LA. this means a new city, park, country, planet, whatever. if there’s a good restaurant there, that is fine.

— maintain or increase level of fitness; i.e. don’t get fat

generic claim as usual. if gut starts to form at any point in the coming year, take immediate and drastic actions to circumvent. and seriously brian, use that sweet mountain bike this year. maybe take it off some sweet jumps.

— enjoy, enjoy, enjoy; i.e. don’t get old

sure i have tivo now and i could spend a lot of time on the couch. i mean, TV can be really awesome (the O.C.?). but i will be 24 years old for most of this year, so it should absolutely be a year filled with sex and drugs and rock and roll shows. cliche or not, this will probably be an annual resolution from now on — i guess until i reach some point where being old sounds more fun and i can start smoking cigars and wearing a fedora.

and of course, let us not forget: no jive in ’05.