Category: Uncategorized

a few things that a girl can do absolutely right to make me want terribly badly to see her again very soon (a list based on very recent experience):

–actually know some of my most favorite bands, and even talk about how she knows and has even played music with some of the members of those bands.

–sleep on my shoulder

–smile a lot

–be both adorable and sexy

–be reading atlas shrugged and excited to finish it, or at least say that when asked about good books she’s read recently

–get caught checking out my home library

–notice the little scar on my face that means she must have been looking for a while (i would be more specific but that’d be giving it away)

–wake up at 9 but stay in bed til noon talking, not wanting to get up

–when i sneeze while i’m driving her home, say, “shut up” instead of “god bless you”

–say really flattering things like, “you do have really great eyes,” but follow them up with strange things like, “i’m glad they’re not brown.” that makes a much more subtle and funny compliment.

in other words, last night’s party was even more of a success than i had hoped. at least personally. on my way home after dropping her off i was listening to the postal service cd turned way up — which i hadn’t heard yet and which i love already — driving down vermont with the windows down, and i had a perfect moment. one of those natural highs where your chest feels like it’s expanding and your inability to stop smiling makes you light headed.

so, you know, it was a pretty good day. hopefully i can assume an addition to that list that reads, “wants to see me again soon too.” we shall see.

[now hearing this: same as above.]

partypartypartypartyparty….

i am so excited about tonight. the ingredients are all there: a nice scandalous flier which apparently is causing some sort of buzz (multiple people have said things like, “i heard about this flier, can i see it?” to my housemates and i), invitations out to wonderful people from wide and varying social circles; mix in the excitement of the year winding down, then don’t forget the two kegs in the backyard and what i think amounted to almost two gross jello shots waiting in our refridgerator right now — prepared last night in a meth-lab-esque process in our kitchen by some very efficient robots…

i think it’s going to be a spectacular time. plus i have an interview this afternoon which is exciting as well. damn i love fridays like this where you’re just boiling over with energy and anticipation.

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: if you’re in the area and at all capable, i’d recommend you swing by for some revelry (crowd begins forming around 11).

[now hearing this: smashing pumpkins – “spacefuck”. in my head left over from the car-ride ipod.]

i got an email today from my video art teacher that said basically, “you missed a lot of class so your grade has been lowered to a C+”. my first reaction was, “oh shit, i better go to class tonight,” since this will have marked two whole weeks of skipping (4 sessions) in a row. but then i thought, “hey wait, if i can miss like 5 or 6 classes and be at a C+ level, can i miss two more and be at a flat C level? because i think i’d be okay with that.”

so i sent her back a polite email thanking her for the info and asking how exactly the grade works out, because if attendance is only a minor factor then i can find much better things to do on tuesday and thursday evenings and just turn in a nice final project and ride out the rest of the year at C+. i mean, it’s an art class, i somehow don’t see the letter i get when it’s all said and done really tarnishing my future, exactly.

in other news, i think for the first time ever a sexy-girl-i-spend-all-class-covertly-checking-out may be converted to a sexy-girl-i-have-actually-talked-to-and-hung-out-with, which is totally unheard of in my life. a nice thing to sneak in right before i check out of this place though, especially if she is as cool as she seems. even more so if something comes of it, because new friends are exciting.

[now hearing this: more from cursive’s the ugly organ while i get even more pumped up for the show next friday. rockrockrockrock.]

i was driving in to work today in an alright mood; listening to some tracks i downloaded from the new cursive cd courtesy of my ipod. i can’t wait for that show next weekend, hot damn it’s going to swing.

not the point though. i stopped at a stop light that happened to be next to my favorite — that is to say, cheapest — gas station on the route to the office, intersection of crenshaw and jefferson, and looked up at the sign. unleaded regular for $1.999 per gallon! everything’s going to be okay everybody, gas prices in LA have come back under a 2 dollars in at least one location. i actually yelled ‘alright!’ out loud, meaning either i am very sad or just very broke. if only you could see the dance i’m doing right now you’d know which one it wasn’t.

have you watched die hard lately by the way? that movie is spectacular. every line the main characters say is practically a quotable one-liner. i briefly wrestled with the idea that if that movie were to come out now i would lump it in with a vin diesel movie and think it was garbage, and the only reason i like it so much is because it’s a classic in my frame of reference. i quickly put that down though when bruce willis was crawling through a ventilation shaft and said, “now i know what a TV dinner feels like.” eat that shit, triple-X. or should i say, “eat me harvey.” (another quotation.)

[now hearing this: an oddly quiet office.]

i don’t see how i can be expected to go to class at 6pm with three weeks left of school, after daylight savings time which means the sunset gets nice and rosy and doesn’t happen until after 7, when i could just be ordering pizzas and hanging out on my front porch with my roommates throwing the little fruit things off the tree in our front yard over the house and trying to hit the backyard neighbor’s car. that’s just not going to happen.

my rationale as usual is that i am just feeling too good right now to go and spoil it for something that doesn’t even come with any long term benefits to me. if it were something i could at least convince myself was ‘good for me’ i might be able to buckle down. but it isn’t. oh tragedy.

and in all seriousness i think pepperoni pizza and die hard will do me a far greater good.

out, out, out. i spent my whole weekend doing things and had a great time. out thursday night with my marketing friends after our huge semester-long project wrapped up, out friday night to visit my great business school buddy who i don’t see enough of anymore, and out saturday night to celebrate the birthday of a very dear friend. we even squeezed in a barbeque saturday afternoon which was excellent as well. i think the only parts that weren’t fun were when i was putting my foot in my mouth either accidentally or intoxicatedly, but i guess that will happen from time to time. i just really hate to mess things up right when they’re starting to go really well.

job thing is looking better, i have a competing interview to make me feel valuable. school is dwindling and with only three weeks of regular class left i find it hard to see the point of doing my art project even though i know i probably can’t put it off any longer than the two weeks my treatment is already overdue. somehow i’m mustering up the courage not to be worried though.

oh, and we’re having a party next friday which should be fun. when we have parties i get to see all my friends at once and it’s fabulous. i even made a little flier to hand out and send around. consider yourself invited.

the song of the week by the way is not from a cd i bought and really liked or a song that really describes how i’m feeling or anything. it’s just something that came on my ipod this week and made me smile, ironically. love those smoking popes.

[now hearing this: simpsons theme song.]

i think not buying any cd’s or seeing any concerts for a few weeks has put me on a music binge, so here’s another music post.

cave in’s cd jupiter was really damn cool. when a buddy of mine sent it to me online to check out, i remember thinking, “wow, this is really different. and fucking good.” i love that song “in the stream of commerce”. my thinking until this week: cave in rocks.

then i went on this little sampling spree and was trying to hear clips from a bunch of new releases, and found myself watching the new cave in video for “anchor”, the first single off their album antenna (watch it: quicktime : realplayer : windows mp).

it’s total garbage! at least that’s my first reaction. i can’t even bring myself to listen to that song again though to give it another try. maybe other tracks on the album are better (i’m hoping, since i was and probably still am planning to see them next weekend when they play the troubadour), but that song at least is such a step down. it’s like rca took the sound cave in impressed me with on the last album, removed the weirdness that made it interesting, the vocal talent that made it respectable, and the real pounding guitar parts that made it exciting, and turned it into a nice safe hard-rock band no one can really have an opinion on. bingo! radio playability!

bastards.

on a more positive note though, at least twice when i’ve seen piebald, travis has been wearing a cave in shirt (they’re even touring together right now) that spells out ‘cave in’ with elements from the periodic table in their little boxes so it reads Ca V E In. that, i think, is very cool.

see, i don’t hate you cave in, i just think you have so much more potential!

[now hearing this: piebald – “they don’t understand us at the academy”…well, in my head anyway. great song.]

last week when i had a recover song up for song of the week, i forgot to post a link to the video because i am not very smart.

recover’s ‘my only cure’ video

i really love the parts where they knock over mic stands with their guitars for some reason…it just seems like a very rock and roll thing to do.

man, i love this song though. they’re touring through here next week with taking back sunday but a) i don’t think i like taking back sunday and b) i really don’t like going to shows at the palace because it’s too big for a good rock show. most nights of the week i think it’s a dance club or something; they have like 30 disco balls of various sizes hanging all over the place like grape vines. so anyway, i think i’ll be missing that one.

oh well, i’ll just watch the video again.

[now hearing this: smoking popes – ‘no more smiles’.]

{late addition: after watching it just now, i have to say it takes balls to be in a touring band with such blatantly white trash haircuts as they are sporting in this video. that lead singer looks like there’s a 70% chance he spent part of his youth in a trailer. if only i could grow my hair out without it getting wavy, i tell ya.}

alright, wait a minute, i take it all back. i’m already starting to feel better. if things are going badly, there’s always a backup plan (check out those animated gif’s! that could be me!).

i mean, the world could not possibly underappreciate and undercompensate a brilliant person such as myself, could it? i may be a cynic, but that would just be going to far to think one would not be successful in proportion to one’s talent and aqcuired abilities. otherwise you’ll have john galt to answer to!

additionally, i have forgotton to post a song of the week, but that is easily remedied. you probably already knew rilo kiley had a great cd out last year but i wasn’t fully convinced until lately when i picked it up. if you, like me, are a little behind, i suggest you allow me to share my slumbering heart with you. no, not literally; i mean track 8 on the execution of all things.

[now hearing this: minus the bear. i wore a shirt i got from them to a bar this weekend and i think the little hand-drawn bear on the front might have made me come off as socially maladjusted. is it cool for 22 year old men to wear shirts with cute little bear drawings on the front? sexy even? if not, hopefully a lovely lady reader will set me straight lest i go on unknowingly being weird and fruity.]

for those of you who may be of the mind that one cannot spend a whole day worrying — as if this were a preoccupation relegated only to the background of a more active, busy day — i present to you sunday, april 6th. no schoolwork was done, no outings were made, no good ideas were generated. the only fleeting distractions from the whirlpool of doubt were a few quick rounds of video game violence.

i went through a week or two last year where i couldn’t sleep well because i was worried about my massive college debts ruining my life, but that went away when the money showed up and i could just spend it while i went to school. now that the grace period is slipping away though i’m afraid the fright will get in me again and i might become a much less relaxed and pleasant person. how unfortunate is it that one should have to choose between a job you enjoy and that could lead to a satisfying long-term career and a job that you are forced to take to make ends meet over a difference of a few thousand dollars a year?

one of my roommates suggested i run away to a random suburb of berlin or something and just hide from my creditors and start fresh; if you have one of those “learn to speak german in 30 days” books (or books on tape — i’m not that picky) you wouldn’t mind lending out for a while, let me know. i should at least look at all my options.