Author: briancollapsing

umm…wow. last night was interesting. we had a party and i had a very good time. it was less exciting though that my shuttle to the airport was coming at 6:15, and my plan to stay up all night didn’t work. i only slept for about 50 minutes though, then i had to wake up and finish packing right quick…unh, what a terrible morning. so aside from dozing a little on the planes (which i don’t think really counts as sleep since i was sitting up and starting awake every 10 minutes or less when the plane jostled–i just can’t sleep on planes) i’ve slept less than an hour in the bast 36 hours, and i’ve been wearing the clothes i’m wearing right now the whole time too. i’m very achy and damn tired and just unhappy. i really feel like crap. plus, i had to say goobye to buddies who i won’t be hanging out with for a whole semseter. god, that sucks.

at least my friend shannon got me the rocketeer on dvd for christmas, which makes her the coolest and my dvd collection one step closer to perfect. what a swell movie. so she’s great for giving such a cool present, and i’m great for giving her a present she loved too–a leatherbound blank journal which she flipped over. those are the times when you just feel warm inside; those times when two people know eachother so well and know just what little things will make them happy, and then take pleasure in giving them to eachother. it’s nice. merry christmas.

i was talking to my dear friend shannon last night, while we were spending one of the last evenings we could together before she goes away for a semester in italy, about how after the next year and a half, this might be over. this referring to the time when we’ll all be here in the same place. i’m pretty sure i want to go back and live in or near chicago after graduation, other people don’t know and could end up anywhere, really. so the times here in LA are possibly more limited than we like to think about, unless we all decide to stay around here i guess. it’s sad not because i like it here so much as i love the people i’ve met here (three of whom will be gone next semester–like a trial run of living without them. how cheerful).

i do, however, recognize there are a few things about los angeles that i admittedly will admit. here are the top two that i can think of right now:

first–in-n-out burger. damn, that’s some tasty burgers. if you’ve ever had one, i assume that you know exactly what i mean, and if you haven’t, then you have no idea what your missing. damn. how am i supposed to go back to the land of no in-n-out? well, at least in the midwest they have white castle, which they do not have here.

second, and more importantly–the phrase “out now in selected cities” that you hear before some movies more often than not means only los angeles and new york get it, then everyone else gets it. so there are the early releases for great movies, and that’s on top of the free screenings you can go to sometimes and see the film before it opens anywhere at all. how can you not want to see movies before anyone else and for free? or even just get to see a great movie in a theater, but a couple weeks before anyone else in the country gets to? for example, the royal tenenbaums, which i had the distinct pleasure of seeing this afternoon (tell me that wasn’t a smooth as hell way to enter into my movie review). i don’t even want to say much about it though because i’m sure anyone who reads this is probably the type of person who already knows they want to see this movie very badly, making recommendations a moot point. i will say a few things though–this movie is wonderful. and i mean that in the way you tell someone who makes you smile whenever they’re in the room and want to hug whenever you see that they’re wonderful. it’s that kind of wonderful movie. i laughed a lot and felt good in between. it was heartbreakingly human, and just–great.

that’s enough praise though, you’ll see for yourself i’m sure.

hey by the way i’m all done with school and i have to leave here for the airport at 6:15 tomorrow morning. yikes. but anyway if i don’t have more to say later, hopefully i’ll arrive safe at home and be back here saturday evening for the fans.

time to party.

sure, it’s still smack in the middle of christmas shopping season. but my birthday is in late january, so it’s not too early to start dropping hints. hints like:

“hey, look what comes out on dvd january 15th! i loved that movie!”

well actually i might just buy it for myself before then anyway. funny funny stuff. and outtakes of anything starring former members of the state can only be solid gold comedy.

look out, i have a lot to say. at least i feel like i do. maybe it won’t be so much once its typed.

first off, show review. no need to go into specifics really. we missed thursday because we showed up a little late, but since i’ve never heard them i didn’t know what i missed and couldn’t be too upset. hey mercedes was completely great and rocked my world, like they always do. they just look like they’re having so much fun playing the music, and have so much energy to go with their talent and good music…i wish i could afford to go see them again tonight at the palace, but alas (speaking of affording stuff… but i’ll get to that in a minute). saves the day–well, i’ll try to be nice. they have a lot of fans. a ton of people there knew all the words to everything they played. the room was pretty excited to see them, apparently. personally, i’ve always felt that they have a couple really good catchy songs per album, but the rest are just watered down versions of the good ones. so i enjoyed the first three or four tunes, but then i was ready to go home. so it goes.

i was more ashamed of the crowd’s reaction to hey mercedes. from where i was standing (near the front and center, sort of) it seemed like no one knew any of the songs, no one was grooving at all to the rocking going on right in front of them, and no one was even having any fun. it felt very lame to me. i don’t want to wallow in my liking the lesser known band, i just have to state my preference and wish that the crowd was as much fun during the band i went to see as they were during the band i could have done without seeing which everyone was jumping and screaming for. again, so it goes. it just makes me want to write a letter to all they guys in the band that goes something like:

dear H.M.:

please don’t stop coming out here or think no one cares because the crowd seemed lukewarm during your set at the show last night. there are people in los angeles who love your music and think you’re one of the best live bands on tour these days. you played superbly and i already can’t wait to see you again.

your fan,

brian

of course i won’t actually write that letter because i don’t want to be a sappy fanboy. there was this one kid there last night that knew every word though and looked like he had been saving up energy all week to sing along with bob. good for that guy. sure he was kinda goofy, but at least he was goofy for a better band than saves the day.

(i told you this would be a long one…hang in there)

okay, back to not being able to afford things. the show last night was at the house of blues. pretty good venue. good sound, decent size (not too small, not so big it feels impersonal), and really all the things you want in a club venue. you have to buy tickets through ticketmaster for their shows, which kind of sucks…but how much can you complain about that, it seems to be a sad fact of life along the lines of death and taxes. this got me angrier than anything money-related has in a long time though: valet parking at the house of blues last night cost us FIFTEEN FUCKING DOLLARS. it was ten bucks when we went to see the vagrant tour and that was only in august. and it’s not like they have a parking lot right next door where you can park yourself for less money–you’re pretty much stuck using them. i could not BELIEVE they made us pay that much. it was utterly ridiculous and gratuitous and wrong. damn house of blues. good thing the show was good or i might have killed someone.

i think that’s enough for now. more soon.

oh my, i almost forgot to share: as if today weren’t a great enough day just because of the ending of finance and the coming rock concert, i have another reason today is great.

i got a phone number today.

breaks down like this–the girl that always smiles at me in my religion class, whom i talked to at the airport for a few hours on the way out for thanksgiving and whom i talk to in discussion sometimes, happened to be the person i sat down next to for the test this morning. i thought i should be social for once. we take the test and finish at about the same time (actually, i wait idle for about 10 minutes or more for her to finish so i don’t have to clamber over her to leave, and so i can walk out with her. yes, i’m diabolical), and we’re strolling along the sidewalk, me toward my next final, her toward her dorm. the scene is as follows:

brian (inner monologue): okay, this is easy. just say something nice and casual like, “hey, i might not see you anymore since the class is over–we should get together for lunch or something sometime…can i have your phone number?” it’d be totally appropriate and not slimy or too much like i’m hitting on her, and she’s really nice so it’d be a shame not to say anything and never see her again even if i don’t know if she’s worth “dating”, whatever that means… come on, just do it brian…

girl: well, i’m going this way to my dorm… (we both stop walking and face eachother for a second)

brian (still inner monologue): come on brian, if you don’t do it now you’ll probably never see her again, just ask her for her…

girl: (reaching into backpack, pulling out notebook) so i’ll probably see you around, but in case i don’t you should call me sometime… (rips off corner of page with number already written on it, gives it to me)

brian: uh, yeah, i was just thinking i hope this isn’t the last time i ever see you since the class is over now…

and from there the conversation was short and of the “see you later, have a nice break” variety which is not worth typing out. but did you read that correctly? she gave me her phone number with no prompting from me, and not only that but she had written it out at what must have been at least sometime before the test started, meaning this was a premeditated act. this must mean she’s really friendly and doesn’t want to lose touch with the “nice” boy from her class (which would be fine by me), OR it means that she wants to ride the brian train.

hey, stop laughing at me.

two hours to rock fury!

finance is fucking OVER! done done done never ever ever will i have to deal with that class again. fuck yeah. i came home from finance and sang “fuck finance” in a nice mock-opera voice and danced a happy dance.

sorry about all the cursing but i just feel it’s appropriate here and now. i’ll be nice again though.

so i came back from that test feeling spectactular to have it behind me. and i also obliterated my early test for asian religions. even the dreaded 8am test cannot phase me. i think i may have got a perfect on that one, saving any dumb mistakes. we’ll see i guess. so honestly i’m already in a spectacular mood. add to that the fact that it’s hey mercedes night and i’m through the roof with happiness. what a good night this will be for me.

if only my best friends weren’t leaving in 3 days for a whole semester. what? i’ve already said how sad that makes me? well i should shut up then. let’s not dwell, brian.

on to more cheerful (sort of) matters. like the song of the week! hell yeah. this one fits my feeling right now completely. i came back from that godawful last few hours of finance/hell, and what’s the first song i played? this one. it just had to be done. it was a feeling of excitement seated deep in my gut that could only be exorcised with some hardcore fucking rock. in case you’re wondering, the second song i played was this one. i don’t know what else to say other than coalesce rocks ass. and i’ve had a renewed appreciation for them since my buddy spencer told me they were touring this spring (mere hours before i read it on brian’s page), encouraging me to whip out the cd again and give it further listening–i had acquired it a few months ago at spencer’s urging. my conclusions are that yes, this album still rocks me like i am seldom rocked, and yes, i absolutely must see them when they come to LA in a few months. oh good lord it will be good.

so they have the privilege of being the double song of the week, of kicking my ass, and of encapsulating the feeling of being free of the worst class of all time with the tunes “jesus in the year 2000” and “cowards.com”.

metal signs ready–go.

a final exam at 8am? are you kidding me? that has to be the worst idea i’ve heard all week.

i guess that means that since i’ll have to get up at seven in the morning, i should probably get some sleep while i can. and that’s only the first of two tests tomorrow. ugh.

but wait… hey mercedes concert in the evening? i think so! see how well things work out if you’re a nice boy?

well my computer project is done saving the fact i have to burn it to a cd. and tonight is the dreaded pre-finance-final studying night. uh oh. this is going to be the least fun part of the week. probably even less fun that actually taking the test. at least then i can look at the clock and say to myself, “in X number of minutes, it will all be over forever whether i do badly or not”. honestly, tomorrow afternoon, walking out of that test, will be one of the most liberating experiences i’ve had in years. i sure do hate that class.

other news: i put up our little christmas tree last week–a 20 inch, brightly lit little symbol of my goodwill toward man. or goodwill toward my roommates and our few friends, i should say, because mankind is kind of stupid. but that’s not the point. i boxed and wrapped all my gifts for them and put them not so much under (since it’s so small), but sort of around the little tree on the counter separating kitchen and living room. it’s funny though because the stacks of boxes are easily taller than the tree itself, and the whole scene is just sort of funny. it almost makes you feel sorry for the poor, dwarfed little thing.

or sorry for me, because you’ll notice that all the presents are FROM me, with none TOO me, as i am the only roommate both responsible and caring enough to have taken care of the shopping issue. and we all leave this coming weekend. i just know i’m going to get a bunch of gas-station candy or school-bookstore-paraphernalia that are the sad and obvious trademarks of the last minute shopper. but it’s about the giving, and the loving, not the receiving, right?

grrrr.

i spent over five hours in a row monday afternoon on a computer for my programming class, and then probably another 5 hours monday evening (tonight, that is) preparing for a marketing final. what the hell is with today. now i’m tired and cranky, and sore from hunching over things all day, and i need a backrub probably more than i’ve ever needed any other physical satisfaction of any kind but have no one to help me out with that problem.

oh man. i need to just go to bed pronto.

on the plus side, disk 2 of drukqs is just as good as disc one. that’s some tasty techno tunes right there.

what am i doing writing this anyway? jesus. tear yourself away, man.

goodnight.

i’m such a slacker today, blogwise. maybe it’s because i got up and then spent about 5 and a half straight hours in a lab working on my final project for my computer class. it’s getting somewhere pretty acceptable though so i can’t be too sad. it was time well spent.

then i grabbed a cheeseburger and came home to find my new cd’s in the mailbox. excellent. sunny day real estate, a coalesce cd i already had in its entirety on my computer but finally actually bought (i like to support killer bands like this one), and last but not least the new aphex twin cd. that’s the only one i’ve listened to so far this afternoon too, and HOLY christmas, is it good. i love this guy’s work so much i just want to do a spastic dance of joy. some of his best stuff ever, i think.

if only i didn’t have to spend my evening studying for an exam, i would be in a shining golden place right now, mood-wise, but i guess we can’t win ’em all. at least it won’t be too hard or stressful.

oh, and have you noticed the non-commercial nature of the webpage all of the sudden? someone very special bought me the odd but delightful christmas gift of having a cleaner website. how fun. i guess you could say collapsing is now sponsored by kate. hope you’re enjoying it.