Category: Uncategorized

last night i was all ready to write about day two at the new job, and how well it’s going. i don’t know what happened.

wait, i bet i know what happened: halo. that seems to happen a lot lately too. i mean, there are up to 8 players, and so much carnage…

on track there buddy. yeah, work is pretty good. two days gives me the impression that i’ll really like it there, and most likely soak up a lot of useful knowledge about how things work in a place like that. as to what i’ll actually be doing to contribute, that might not be quite as exciting, but i’m a big believer that you have to start somewhere and work hard before you just get handed your dream job. otherwise everyone in the world would be too happy too easily. where’s the struggle then? where’s the fun? where’s the challenge? see what i mean?

school, however, remains bland and seemingly pointless. i didn’t fall asleep today though. still, i feel like the fact that i even have to say that is a pretty strong illustration of how things are with my education these days. at least at this point it only takes up two days a week. i like my copy writing class though, and i turn in my first ad tonight. i think it’s pretty good. you’ll never know though because no one’s brilliant enough to realize my talent and hire me to make commercials for them yet. maybe someday, if you’re lucky.

[now hearing this: ozma, an mp3 of their new song “bad dogs” live at some place. this song is pretty rocking too. can’t wait to see them play again (throughout october during their residency at the knitting factory…excellent).]

two posts yesterday and one today. i knew i could do it.

but it has nothing to do with me having nothing at all to do tonight; i’m just very committed to writing, that’s all. okay, so maybe it’s slightly because my courseload is a joke and i never have to do anything, and even a bookworm like me can only read for pleasure for so many hours in a day. but i’m not complaining. just giving myself a diversion.

those classes though — you know, i really hate dozing off during a class, because i know it’s disrespectful and rude and not smart to be seen struggling to stay awake, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do. is there a trick to magically make yourself unsleepy? i don’t think so. i’m not willing to ingest substances just to stay bright-eyed during a class, and it wasn’t that i didn’t sleep enough the night before, so i’m going to point the finger at poor teaching. it’s the easiest and most satisfying place to lay the blame.

man it’s early. maybe i will read more. although i sometimes think that i’m really only reading to impress the world with how much i’ve read, which is failing because much of the world is unimpressed and downright disinterested in what i’ve read or really reading in general, i still enjoy it on most levels. even when i’m tired of it and have to give it a rest it’s still comforting to come back to only a half an hour later, and remains one of the only constant pleasures. especially the good stuff like what i’m reading now.

[now hearing this: weird techno sounds from upstairs; and if that weren’t a standard occurrence, one might think that disco-clubbing aliens were trying to kidnap my second-floor roommate while i sat here typing. perhaps i should go check this time.]

first day at future-building internship. this is the kind of company that people in the advertising industry see on your resume and say, “hey, you interned there?” it’s the kind of place everyone in school talks about like it’s magical. and what did i do on my first day? well, there was the pizza party. then the four-player ATV off-road fury on playstation 2…

and i get the feeling that i’m a lot smarter than the full-time guy i’ll be working with/under/alongside, so i don’t know whether to be afraid that i won’t get much out of this, or glad that it’ll be so easy to make a splash at this place, seeing as how i have more than half a brain. you might even say well more than half. you might even say two halves.

my friend virginia interviewed me for “all my friends are androids”, which is a project of hers. i didn’t think my replies were funny, but her skillful editing (does it count as editing when you add things during the editing process?) made the whole affair much funnier. long live robot house.

that last part made me sound like a weirdo. i’m so weird. why do i do this, i try so hard to come off like a suave and intelligent guy and then i write that kind of stuff. kind of makes you think about the fragility of identity and perception, doesn’t it?

no it doesn’t, don’t lie just to sound smarter.

[now hearing this: my morning jacket – assorted mp3’s, which i am listening to in order to decide if i like them or not. i heard that song about the letter O a while back and don’t like that terribly much, but then i saw them open for ben kweller and thought they were pretty great, but now i’m listening to some of their other songs recorded and think that i do at least kind of like them, and want to attempt to decide if i like enough of them to buy a cd, and if so, which one. it’s pretty taxing.]

dammit brian, get with the program. you have plenty to write about, why don’t you just do it?

let’s get this down first: song of the week by aphex twin. i just love this guy, and think he’s a genius. i finally picked up this cd (come to daddy) last week at amoeba, and this track is probably one of the best techno songs i’ve ever heard. i love it, you’ll love it, it’s just terrific. there are no words but i like to think it’s some kind of love song. disagree all you want. but do check out flim, because it’s wonderful.

i start my new job at the great big ad agency tomorrow. i’m excited and nervous. and trying not to think about how i won’t be getting paid because this is such a great opportunity. whoever first had the idea that interns should not be paid because they’re learning, and that that’s payment enough, was a total jerk. at least apprentices to the ironsmith got food and shelter in return for their gruntwork. all i get is a few lines on my resume and maybe a recommendation if i do well. sounds about equal; sure it does.

[now hearing this: the dismemberment plan – “respect is due” from ….is terrified, and i dig it a lot. i have to respect bands that can build a song that’s 12 minutes long, and that really use the idea of rising action and climax, and do it stylishly and enjoyably. it just shows a real mastery of the craft, i think. i wonder if there are any 12 minute linkin park songs? i mean, can you imagine how amazing that would be?]

tonight i got an alarm installed on my car at the toyota dealership. after waiting three hours, they handed me my keys and i drove home with a 10-page booklet, assuming that my car is now safer. when i got back here, i pushed the lock button on the keychain (which i had before the alarm), and the horn chirped twice. i guess that meant it was on. so my roommate decided to try and make it go off, so he tried opening the door. nothing happened. so he went around rocking the car back and forth. nothing happened. so i got in the car, then armed the alarm from inside using my remote, then opened the door from inside, and the alarm went off. so, so far, testing has shown that people can mess around with my car without it making a sound, but if they hide in my backseat and then try to get out after i lock it, the lights will flash and the horn will pulse loudly. you know, so nothing bad happens.

frankly, i’m most comforted by the blinking red light next to the steering column. car thieves and vandals everywhere: cower in fear.

hey, did i tell you we saw christina ricci the other day? we were stopped at a stoplight, and she crossed the crosswalk in front of us. she was wearing tight black lycra jogging stuff, and was walking two big dogs. oh, and she was trying to light a cigarette, and when she finally did it, she stuffed the pack into the waistband in the back of her shorts. i’m gonna have to give that whole affair a great big ‘unattractive’ rating. not hot. and come to think of it, not that talented either, from what i’ve seen. i laughed at her in pecker, but i don’t know if it was because of anything special she did.

one of my friends saw paulie shore last year in hollywood. now that’s something i will forever envy.

[now hearing this: the flaming lips – yoshimi…]

i love it. i love it! this has been the best weekend in a while. i don’t feel so bad about the fact that the week isn’t entirely pleasant when i make good use of the weekend like i did with this one.

what’s not to like? i got some new clothes yesterday — which only happens for me about once a year, making it noteworthy — and those are working out for me. and the concert last night was great. i’m in love with ozma, and i think they’re getting better and better as a band. not a huge stage presence, but probably more importantly, just a bunch of music kids who play their instruments really well and write really good songs. and they know it, so they just get up and let it out and it sounds great, and everyone’s glad to be there. and the kids love the ozma, let me tell you. that place was nuts.

we tried to go to a party afterward, but we showed up and although the crowd was pretty large, we still didn’t really know anyone there, so we stayed all of ten minutes. i can’t really socialize with a bunch of strangers without some drinks, i think, and didn’t have the energy at 1am to start down that road. didn’t think it’d be worth it either to even try. oh well. the concert was good enough.

today, the beach. we love the beach. it was a beautiful day and the sand was covered in beautiful girls. doesn’t get much better, really (unless the beautiful girls come and seduce you, which they did not, so it could have been better, but we take what we can get and still walked away happy).

finally, the new song of the week before i forget. yes, it’s ozma; a song called baseball, which is incredible, but which they sadly didn’t play last night. i love this song though. i can’t get enough. you should really give it a try.

[now hearing this: umm, not to sound like i’m gushing or anything, but it’s ozma – “korobeiniki”, which if you don’t know, is an instrumental cover of a russian folk song that you may recognize from the nintendo game tetris. the mp3 isn’t nearly as rocking as when they play it live, which is a total blast. but i think i’ve spoken my piece already tonight and don’t want to sound like a superfan, so good day.]

heh. i spelled “tail” as “tale” in the last post. i blame fievel. i’m so stupid.

i was up until abou 4:30am last night. so the party was pretty successful, you would probably say. good for those guys. i mean, i’ve never seen so many people at a party before in my life. maybe at some of those big frat parties, but those guys are so well-funded, it’s not nearly as impressive. i had a great night. and i drank out of a brown paper bag for the first time, which was, of course, life-altering. i had never used a dumpster as a urinal before either, that i remember, but that wasn’t really life-altering as much as it was just a relief.

tonight we rock. ozma at chain reaction and i can’t wait, and maybe if the energy is there, another party afterward. lovin’ this weekend, absolutely lovin’ it.

[now hearing this: modest mouse – this is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about.]

something i don’t think i’ve done in at least a month on here is the whole brian’s book club thing. that is, record and submit opinions on what i’ve just read. i bet there are literally dozens of people with no good book recommendations now, just weeping, sobbing in their rooms, terrified to go to a bookstore and read something that hasn’t been given an official collapsing approval. it must be awful. and so i will now dutifully overview my last month or so worth of reading to relieve that terrible aching hole in the hearts and minds of the more literary of you. more literary than me anyway, which is probably all of you (you’re so smart).

the inferno; dante

well this one you probably read in high school. i did too, and i felt like looking over it again for kicks, and i found a copy with a neat cover for only 4 dollars, so i bought it a while back and read it a few weeks ago. either the neat cover as just a mask for a shitty translation, or it just isn’t as good as i thought it was. i think it’s the former because i’m pretty sure it’s a masterpiece or something (so they say), and besides it makes you sound very smart when you have an opinion on good or bad translations of classic literature.

ender’s game; orson scott card

i read this because i think someone more literary than myself, possibly several such people, said i should read it. rising to the challenge, i picked it up and gave it a try despite the fact that it said, “one of the top 100 books for teens” on the back. well it says that for a reason, because it’s a kids’ book. i didn’t really like it much. maybe if i had read it at 13, i would have remembered it fondly at 21, but at 21 i only remember sadly how i took too long finishing it because i just didn’t want to read it. and i guessed the “twist” ending. that didn’t help much either.

doctor faustus; christopher marlowe

it’s been said and heard by most bookworms, i think, that christopher marlowe was a rival to shakespeare’s talent and might have been more remembered had it not been for his untimely barfight death. so it goes. but again, how can you not read a literary classic when it’s only 4 dollars at barnes and noble, and it’s the time-honored tale of the soul-selling seeker of truth? well i know i can’t. i have to say though, this was not as good as i’d hoped, and i much prefer the later faustus story by goethe. i remember thinking the mephistopheles character being much more entertaining and clever in that one, and just finding it more provocative in general. and besides, it makes you sound terribly smart when you have an opinion on which is a better version of faustus.

a heartbreaking work of staggering genius; dave eggers

i loved it. no book could live up to that (ingenious) title, but i did enjoy it all the way through. the introduction/acknowledgements alone were brilliant, and the rest was just well done, i think. i can see problems with it that might not make it as good for you, but i really enjoyed it. so thanks dom for recommending it to me oh, about a year ago. i’m slow because i’m descended from canadians. the french kind. yech.

now i’m going to start the count of monte cristo as well as probably coraline by neil gaiman, which i probably should have bought and read months ago when it came out since he’s my favorite. that shouldn’t take long to read though since it’s a kid’s book too. i bet you a million dollars it’s better than ender’s game though.

so i know this is really long — but you know, actually, the best things i’ve read so far this summer are the first two trade paperback volumes of the collected preacher comic book series. i know i missed the boat and that stuff broke in, what, the mid 90’s? but late discovery or no, it’s still fucking fantastic. oh lordy lord, if you like comics at all you either probably already read these, or would absolutely love these if you picked them up. even if you don’t normally read them, i say check them out because you won’t be sorry. they’re just so cool…

so i think that’s enough for now. read up, folks.

[now hearing this: the simpsons. “look, a dog with a poofy tale!….heeheeheehee..heeeheeheeheehee!”]

it’s the fourth of september already? i’m going to have to start reminding myself that i have internet now and can do the weblog thing again.

weekend, oh weekend. actually after friday night’s party nothing much went on for the next two full days. mostly sitting around the house, which isn’t in itself such a bad thing. it got really unusually hot though on sunday. what’s up with that? one of the only perks of living in LA is that it doesn’t get really hot or cold and you don’t have to deal with that pesky variation. i think it was almost a hundred degrees though. yeah, i’m whining. we don’t have air conditioning.

monday though — lovely labor day. of course we had a barbeque. what, are you kidding? actually, one of our friends called one of our other friends to ask if we were because he knows us and rightly assumed we probably would, but this second friend hadn’t been told yet, and when i talked to her she told me about the first guy’s prescience. that’s what i like to hear: people expecting, nigh on demanding quality barbeques from the robot house.

(that’s what we call our place…have i mentioned that before? i can’t remember.)

school on tuesday was pretty weak. i don’t think i like school anymore. guess we can give it more time and see, but whatever. naturally, office work is loads better, so i’m just on cloud 9 today…

[now hearing this: phone etiquette. i need to put a cd on.]

so let’s try to get back in the swing of things here. like with a song of the week and everything. i have to admit though i haven’t really been hearing much new music or buying many cd’s lately. it may be a symptom of internet loss or maybe i’ve just been preoccupied. so the best i can offer for the moment is some good old piebald, and “still we let it choke us“. not new, but damn if it isn’t great anyway.

we went to a party last night and tried to get drunk on sangria, which just was not happening. i had to resort to beer, which let me tell you right now means i was pretty intent on alcohol. then the lot of us tried to talk to girls, then continuously regrouped to laugh at our failures and why girls are stupid (which becomes a really popular topic whenever we’re drinking, not surprisingly), then dispersed to try again regardless, only to end up all coming home together and with no luck (although one of us *ahem* did get a phone number). and that’s what college boys do for fun.

the best part though, obviously, was finding an excuse to hug the gorgeous girl with the enormous rack. say what you will, but life is about the simple pleasures, isn’t it? i’m not an insensitive jerk, i’m just human.

and who knows what tonight might hold, so i’ll have to get back to you. hopefully something more than just playing multi-player halo on our two networked x-boxes (up to 8 players! EIGHT!… technology is a truly beautiful, wonderful thing!).

[now hearing this: the white stripes – white blood cells. “…i’ll bet you five you’re not alive if you don’t know his name…”]