I guess today is the day to blog about everything we went through in 2007. I am going to sum it all up by talking about today. Fuck the past its worthless unless you learn from it and grow from it. 2007 for me and I will speak for my family might have been a turning point in all our lives. I went through things that changed me as a person and things I should have learned from the past. Heidi is now in a better place in her life and in a mental place that she can thrive. Brooke started a new chapter in yet another AND LAST new city. Jake....well that brings us to today. Hanging by a thread and still looking for that lifeline. Back at the Dr's office with now something stuck in his stomach. No idea what it is but I am sitting here waiting for a phone call. Worked out as hard as I have worked out in a long time today and cried for him. I think I was actually crying for the entire year all wrapped up in one stupid day. Today.
Like Josh, I will not be feeling or possibly remembering anything tonight. If there is a ball that drops hopefully it drops and smashes 2007 into smithereens!!! There will be lyrics at the end of this blog so don't worry. 5 Things we/I will be doing in 2008:
1. Lose 10-15 lbs. Weight 185 now and have to get further away from 200. 200 scares me.
2. Save Money.
3. Brooke took more of an interest in b-ball, and has helped me get back into it by going with me to the gym to shoot. She rebounds (most important part in b-ball) and I shoot. I want to spend more time with her shooting and me rebounding.
4. Love Heidi. Jan 10th will be 10 years. Oh My.
5. Work smarter, Not harder.
So here are the lyrics that I promised you. Just sums up how I feel today and felt in 2007.
make me feel like a beggar
make me feel like a thief
make me feel like a battle that cannot end in peace
make me feel like running as if i've lost my nerve
make me feel like crying tears i don't deserve
is this really living
sometimes it's hard to tell
or is this just a kinder, gentler hell
turn out the lights and let me stare into your soul
i was born and bled for you to hold
please bleed
so i know that you are real
so i know that you can feel
the damage that you've done
who have i become
to myself i am numb
never said thank you
never said please
never gave a reason to believe
so as it stands i remain on my knees
good lovers make great enemies
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Not so Merry...
How sad is this on Christmas! As I continue to blog my way into the world record of consecutive blogs....I had to blog about this. My buddy is down for the count. The world got the best of him; all his cheer, wagging of tails, sniffing of everything has come to a creaching halt for the next 30 days. Stitches in one paw with the half bandage, then a possible broken toe on the other leg. Its currently in a splint. X-rays were negative, but too much swelling to be for sure. How? We have no idea. Cut on the paw happend because of our landscaping in the back yard.
Saddest part of the whole deal was having to sign at the Vets office a YES or a NO on if I wanted them to perform CPR. Well fuck me running, why wouldnt I right? I asked the nurse and she said read the top and I quote "In the event my pet is to go into cardiac and/or respiratory arrest my desire for CPR is as follows ***Additional fees of $150 or GREATER will be accrued when performing CPR." Very cruel joke from the same world that took his traits away.
Somebody throw him a LIFELINE
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
In Memory
First listen to Ambulance Blues by Neil Young in the dark tonight with candles. Next PLEASE find this song (Amen Omen) sung live by Ben Harper and listen to his pain.
what started as a whisper
slowly turned into a scream
searching for an answer
where the question is unseen
i don't know where you came from
and i don't know where you've gone
old friends become old strangers
between the darkness and the dawn
amen omen
will i see your face again
amen omen
can i find the place within
to live my life without you
i listen to a whisper
slowly drift away
silence is the loudest
parting word you never say
i put your world
into my veins
now a voiceless sympathy
is all that remains
what started as a whisper
slowly turned into a scream
searching for an answer
where the question is unseen
i don't know where you came from
and i don't know where you've gone
old friends become old strangers
between the darkness and the dawn
amen omen
will i see your face again
amen omen
can i find the place within
to live my life without you
i listen to a whisper
slowly drift away
silence is the loudest
parting word you never say
i put your world
into my veins
now a voiceless sympathy
is all that remains
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tyler Durden
Since the last couple have been mind numbing long. I figured I would leave you with some great quotes from one of the greatest movies ever. I would tell you what movie it is but Rule #1 is that you dont talk about it....Rule #2 you dont talk about it...
"Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."
Warning: If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don't you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you're supposed to read? Do you think every thing you're supposed to think? Buy what you're told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic.
You have been warned- Tyler
"Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."
Warning: If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don't you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you're supposed to read? Do you think every thing you're supposed to think? Buy what you're told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic.
You have been warned- Tyler
Monday, December 10, 2007
Now this is Rock and Roll
Quotes from two Volta compatriots offer a relevant lead-in:
“The things you speak to can shape your world. Look at Biggie. "Ready to Die". Dead. Word.”
— Saul Williams (again)
“This is the sound of what you dont know killing you. This is the sound of what you dont believe, still true. This is the sound of what you dont want, still in you.”
—El-P
And so, all that being said, here is The Story (and various annotations): Omar (lead singer) was in a curio shop in Jerusalem when he found the Soothsayer. It seemed to him an ideal gift for Cedric, this archaic Ouija-style “talking board.” So it was then and there, in a city where the air swims with religious fervor, in a shop that might as well have carried monkeys paws and Mogwais, that Omar changed the fate of The Mars Volta forever.
Had he known at that moment that the boards history stretched far beyond its novelty appearance, that its very fibers were soaked through with something terribly other, that the choral death and desire of a multi-headed Goliath was waiting behind its gates… well, he might have left it at rest there on the dusty shelves.
The Upside of That Choice: No bad mojo unleashed. Erase the madness that followed. Erase the bizarre connection to a love/lust/murder triangle that threatened to spill out into the present every time the band let its fingers drift over the board.
The Downside: No Soothsayer means The Bedlam in Goliath never would have existed. And it turns out that this demented spiritual black hole of a muse has driven The Mars Volta to produce a crowning moment in their already stellar career.
So if Omar hadnt given in to his curiosity and brought the Soothsayer home to Cedric then the band would probably have been happier, healthier, less haunted.
But you and I, Lucky Listener, we would have been robbed of one fucking amazing album.
More on that in a moment.
Back up to the last big tour. The Volta and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are tearing venues in half, retreating to their busses, rolling through the night. But instead of the normal Rock God routines the guys are sitting around Cedric‟s new Ouija board, which theyve dubbed the Soothsayer. And they love it— its the new post-show addiction.
The Soothsayer offers them names: Goliath, Mr. Mugs, Patience Worth, Tourniquet Man.
The Soothsayer offers them a story: Its always about a man, a woman, and her mother. About the lust floating between them. About seduction and infidelity. And
pain. And eventually, murder. Entrails and absence and curses and oblivion. Exactly the kind of spooky shit youd want from your Ouija.
Now here comes the rub.
The Soothsayer starts asking the band what they have to offer. This connection thats set up runs both ways, and the invisible voices begin to speak of their appetites.
They threaten oblivion and dissolution, or offer it as seduction. The voices merge as Goliath, a metaphysical quagmire and unfed saint whose hunger to return to the real world grows more urgent with each connection.
There are proper ways to close this union, but The Mars Volta have never been anything if not adventurous. They stay in contact— even taking phrases from the board and inserting them as song lyrics— but never offer themselves as surrogates. And so the starving Goliath extends its influence.
Inexplicable equipment issues abound while on tour.
Conflict with the existing drummer escalates and results in a change of guard. Ritual gives way to injury and Cedric is laid low by a randomly (and severely) gimped foot.
A completely reliable engineers mental composure cracks, pushing him from the project. The tracks he leaves behind are desperately tangled.
Omars music studio floods, threatening to send him right over the same precipice as the engineer.
Long-term album delays hit and people aren‟t sleeping well.
Nonsensical words and phrases the board had previously spoken begin to pop up in things like documentaries about mass suicide.
The Soothsayer keeps telling the same story but the details are becoming more brutal.
One day the label on the board peels back revealing pre-Aramaic lingo written across weird cone shapes.
Its bad mojo writ large, and things are crumbling quickly.
Worst of all, the board has shifted from pleas to demands.
To threats.
So they buried the fucking thing.
There are many ways to close a spiritual connection. Wear white for a whole year. Surround yourself with salt. Close a board and ask someone else to open it, thus transferring the ownership. Break the board into seven pieces and sprinkle it with holy water. Or bury it.
Omar wrapped the Soothsayer in cloth and found a proper place for it in the soil. Cedric asked that he never be made aware of its location.
And then their album found a new, more urgent purpose.
The Bedlam in Goliath is here to consecrate the grounds where the Soothsayer lies in wait. Its metaphor vs. metaphysics. Its story will be told to you and I, Lucky Listener, and were the ones re-opening the board. Taking on the ownership.
Perhaps if Goliath is spread between us all its hunger will dissipate. Or, as it threatened, it could become our epidemic.
So theres the story, up to today, but its not over. Because this thing is about to enter the hearts and minds of countless listeners.
“The things you speak to can shape your world. Look at Biggie. "Ready to Die". Dead. Word.”
— Saul Williams (again)
“This is the sound of what you dont know killing you. This is the sound of what you dont believe, still true. This is the sound of what you dont want, still in you.”
—El-P
And so, all that being said, here is The Story (and various annotations): Omar (lead singer) was in a curio shop in Jerusalem when he found the Soothsayer. It seemed to him an ideal gift for Cedric, this archaic Ouija-style “talking board.” So it was then and there, in a city where the air swims with religious fervor, in a shop that might as well have carried monkeys paws and Mogwais, that Omar changed the fate of The Mars Volta forever.
Had he known at that moment that the boards history stretched far beyond its novelty appearance, that its very fibers were soaked through with something terribly other, that the choral death and desire of a multi-headed Goliath was waiting behind its gates… well, he might have left it at rest there on the dusty shelves.
The Upside of That Choice: No bad mojo unleashed. Erase the madness that followed. Erase the bizarre connection to a love/lust/murder triangle that threatened to spill out into the present every time the band let its fingers drift over the board.
The Downside: No Soothsayer means The Bedlam in Goliath never would have existed. And it turns out that this demented spiritual black hole of a muse has driven The Mars Volta to produce a crowning moment in their already stellar career.
So if Omar hadnt given in to his curiosity and brought the Soothsayer home to Cedric then the band would probably have been happier, healthier, less haunted.
But you and I, Lucky Listener, we would have been robbed of one fucking amazing album.
More on that in a moment.
Back up to the last big tour. The Volta and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are tearing venues in half, retreating to their busses, rolling through the night. But instead of the normal Rock God routines the guys are sitting around Cedric‟s new Ouija board, which theyve dubbed the Soothsayer. And they love it— its the new post-show addiction.
The Soothsayer offers them names: Goliath, Mr. Mugs, Patience Worth, Tourniquet Man.
The Soothsayer offers them a story: Its always about a man, a woman, and her mother. About the lust floating between them. About seduction and infidelity. And
pain. And eventually, murder. Entrails and absence and curses and oblivion. Exactly the kind of spooky shit youd want from your Ouija.
Now here comes the rub.
The Soothsayer starts asking the band what they have to offer. This connection thats set up runs both ways, and the invisible voices begin to speak of their appetites.
They threaten oblivion and dissolution, or offer it as seduction. The voices merge as Goliath, a metaphysical quagmire and unfed saint whose hunger to return to the real world grows more urgent with each connection.
There are proper ways to close this union, but The Mars Volta have never been anything if not adventurous. They stay in contact— even taking phrases from the board and inserting them as song lyrics— but never offer themselves as surrogates. And so the starving Goliath extends its influence.
Inexplicable equipment issues abound while on tour.
Conflict with the existing drummer escalates and results in a change of guard. Ritual gives way to injury and Cedric is laid low by a randomly (and severely) gimped foot.
A completely reliable engineers mental composure cracks, pushing him from the project. The tracks he leaves behind are desperately tangled.
Omars music studio floods, threatening to send him right over the same precipice as the engineer.
Long-term album delays hit and people aren‟t sleeping well.
Nonsensical words and phrases the board had previously spoken begin to pop up in things like documentaries about mass suicide.
The Soothsayer keeps telling the same story but the details are becoming more brutal.
One day the label on the board peels back revealing pre-Aramaic lingo written across weird cone shapes.
Its bad mojo writ large, and things are crumbling quickly.
Worst of all, the board has shifted from pleas to demands.
To threats.
So they buried the fucking thing.
There are many ways to close a spiritual connection. Wear white for a whole year. Surround yourself with salt. Close a board and ask someone else to open it, thus transferring the ownership. Break the board into seven pieces and sprinkle it with holy water. Or bury it.
Omar wrapped the Soothsayer in cloth and found a proper place for it in the soil. Cedric asked that he never be made aware of its location.
And then their album found a new, more urgent purpose.
The Bedlam in Goliath is here to consecrate the grounds where the Soothsayer lies in wait. Its metaphor vs. metaphysics. Its story will be told to you and I, Lucky Listener, and were the ones re-opening the board. Taking on the ownership.
Perhaps if Goliath is spread between us all its hunger will dissipate. Or, as it threatened, it could become our epidemic.
So theres the story, up to today, but its not over. Because this thing is about to enter the hearts and minds of countless listeners.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Twiddly Dee Twiddly Do
Yesterday was a bit of a treat. It all started when Heidi called me on my cell phone at 3:30. Her words exactly..."Where are you" "Your dog is bleeding everywhere" "You need to get home." I was downtown so with traffic on a Friday night it was going to be a bit on the hard side to click my heals together and magically appear. So I proceeded to come home as fast as I could. I called back thinking she would be a little more calm or something. Nope. Next words..."He is bleeding all over the yard" Alright at this point I am in visioning that he is lying in the yard in a pool of blood, so now I am freaking out big time. I guess too many episodes of ER, Greys Anatomy and CSI. So know I am speeding home. I rush into the garage get my wound healing medicine out of my hunting bag and proceed outside to see Jake. Dude at this point I was ready to pull out my own heart and stick it in his blood riddle body if needed. I walk out the back door and he is just laying there...........(american idol pause)..................Pretty suspenseful huh. Yeah, he is laying there licking his paw. There were about 5 drops of blood on the deck and that was it. He had a small cut on his paw in between his toes. I put my wound healing medicine (super glue)on him and proceeded to get ready to drink.
Heidi and I got all spiffed up and went to her works christmas party. Free Guinness for me. Had a funny conversation with Gpa on the ride to the bar. He was telling me about his bus ride through Mexico. I cant see him having to sit in a bus, but he said he had fun. Then he tells me he is thinking of flying to Europe. Oh My. In my lifetime I have never seen them or Gma-Gpa Hump fly anywhere. They have always drove to their destination. So he then started taking about people on the bus and you could tell he didnt want to curse. So he threw out this one liner that I had to write down before I forgot. He said some of the people and I quote were: "being the north end of a south bound mule." Just think about it and you will understand. Almost as good as the "fawderal" (not sure how to spell) comment.
At the bar I got to talking to this sales dude. He was the same age as me and just talking to him you knew he could sell you soap as you walk out of the shower. He owns like 2 or 3 different companies and once he gets a company up and running he takes that money that they are making and invests it in another company. Novel idea. He was just starting to get into the foreclosure business with buying houses that had been foreclosed for very, very cheap. Then selling them or renting them until the market gets better. Pretty smart guy. Dont know why I am telling you this other than if you think about it is really must be nice to have balls that big. I think most of us in our family are pretty conservative. Which most times is not bad at all, but sometimes we need to just fuck it and take a chance. Use whatever cliche you would like at this point.
So that was my day yesterday. Today nothing but Advil and rest.
Heidi and I got all spiffed up and went to her works christmas party. Free Guinness for me. Had a funny conversation with Gpa on the ride to the bar. He was telling me about his bus ride through Mexico. I cant see him having to sit in a bus, but he said he had fun. Then he tells me he is thinking of flying to Europe. Oh My. In my lifetime I have never seen them or Gma-Gpa Hump fly anywhere. They have always drove to their destination. So he then started taking about people on the bus and you could tell he didnt want to curse. So he threw out this one liner that I had to write down before I forgot. He said some of the people and I quote were: "being the north end of a south bound mule." Just think about it and you will understand. Almost as good as the "fawderal" (not sure how to spell) comment.
At the bar I got to talking to this sales dude. He was the same age as me and just talking to him you knew he could sell you soap as you walk out of the shower. He owns like 2 or 3 different companies and once he gets a company up and running he takes that money that they are making and invests it in another company. Novel idea. He was just starting to get into the foreclosure business with buying houses that had been foreclosed for very, very cheap. Then selling them or renting them until the market gets better. Pretty smart guy. Dont know why I am telling you this other than if you think about it is really must be nice to have balls that big. I think most of us in our family are pretty conservative. Which most times is not bad at all, but sometimes we need to just fuck it and take a chance. Use whatever cliche you would like at this point.
So that was my day yesterday. Today nothing but Advil and rest.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Final Blackwater
This is a must read book. This guy has some great information that nobody hears about from our "media" of today. Remember start from the bottom and finish here.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Home Again
So its Halloween night and I am debating on what scary movie to watch. Its a yearly deal for me and since nobody else I know other than Brad Igers likes scary movies. I remember when him and I went to see the Blair Witch Project in Wausau at midnight on Halloween. The movie theater was packed and we barely found 2 seats together. Bad part was that there was no "gay safety seat" between us. Although I think throughout the movies we both kind of moved closer and closer together. We both walked out of that movie that night scared absolutely sh+tless. It was great. We had to go have beer at a local establishment in order to chill down. Thinking of going to see Saw IV. If you haven't seen the first one it is a must see. It is a movie that you will NEVER figure out. The ending is so great its not even funny.
Well we are finally settled in again and I start work/new job on Monday. I have been off all of this week working on home stuff and transition stuff. Kind of looking forward to just getting back to work. Heidi has a possible job already lined up. Second interview tomorrow. Working from home for 20-30 hours per week. Just perfect for her. We are both pumped.
That's really about all the info I have tonight. No music. No deep thoughts. Just Halloween. One of my most favorite nights of the year.
Trick or Treat Smell My Feet
Give Me Something Good to Eat.
Well we are finally settled in again and I start work/new job on Monday. I have been off all of this week working on home stuff and transition stuff. Kind of looking forward to just getting back to work. Heidi has a possible job already lined up. Second interview tomorrow. Working from home for 20-30 hours per week. Just perfect for her. We are both pumped.
That's really about all the info I have tonight. No music. No deep thoughts. Just Halloween. One of my most favorite nights of the year.
Trick or Treat Smell My Feet
Give Me Something Good to Eat.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Miss My Wife/Child
I think I have found true love. I just got back from watching The Brave One. It was a good revenge movie about a husband and wife that were seperated by things of this sick world in which we currently reside. I miss both my wife and only child and can not imagine living too much longer with out them in my life. This house is quiet and tears fall down my face while listening to this song. It hurts the most when you can hear it in your childs voice over the phone. What hurts more than anything is that I still feel like I brought this onto our lives by stupid mistakes. Heidi wasnt happy here but it would have been nice to do it on our terms. I guess we all make them sometimes, it just sucks when people close to you feel the same pain. Music isnt always just hate, revenge, and rock for me. I found my self ripping this song today and its just funny how lyrics can pull you at the exact time when you need to be pulled. Could be pulling you up from the dumps, pulling you through the swamp, or pulling you to decide what you are all about. Find this song and listen to it with the lyrics. Sara Mclachlan. Do What You Have to Do.
What ravages of spirit
conjured this temptuous rage
created you a monster
broken by the rules of love
and fate has lead you through it
you do what you have to do
and I have the sense to recognize that
I don't know how to let you go
every moment marked
with apparitions of your soul
I'm ever swiftly moving
trying to escape this desire
the yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
the yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
but I have the sense to recognize
that I don't know how
to let you go
I don't know how
to let you go
a glowing ember
burning hot
burning slow
deep within I'm shaken by the violence
of existing for only you
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
and I have sense to recognize but
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go
What ravages of spirit
conjured this temptuous rage
created you a monster
broken by the rules of love
and fate has lead you through it
you do what you have to do
and I have the sense to recognize that
I don't know how to let you go
every moment marked
with apparitions of your soul
I'm ever swiftly moving
trying to escape this desire
the yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
the yearning to be near you
I do what I have to do
but I have the sense to recognize
that I don't know how
to let you go
I don't know how
to let you go
a glowing ember
burning hot
burning slow
deep within I'm shaken by the violence
of existing for only you
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
and I have sense to recognize but
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go
I don't know how to let you go
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Testify
Here is song one from the RATM show. As you will see the crowd, myself and Brad Igers had waited 5 very long years for the reunion. Enjoy. Mic Check!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Holy Moses
Here is a very small taste of what I experienced in the music realm last weekend. Brad Igers and I went down to Alpine Valley to see Rage Against the Machine and Queens of the Stone Age. I started the day by driving down there around 10 a.m. in order to get a decent parking spot thinking that we could just camp out in the back of the truck for the night. Igers started his day at 3 a.m. getting up in Seattle in order to catch a 5 a.m. flight that would take him from Seattle to Phoenix and ending up in Milwaukee where he would catch a rental car and be to Alpine Valley by 4 p.m. Doors opened for the show at 5 p.m. We stood in line to get into the show at 5 p.m. and they decided not to open the doors until about 6:45 p.m. While we were standing in line it began to pour. Luckily Luke was smart enough o bring rain jackets, but needless to say we still got soaked. We had a great time and saw two of the best shows I have seen in a long time. PJ is always good but nobody on this planet can match the intensity of Rage. Unreal is all I can say. Pics will follow below and only a teaser of Rage will be seen below (stage). Videos will be coming as soon as I can figure out how to post them off my camera.
This is the first picture of the Mud Kings that were directly behind us. These freaks would slide straight down the hill (which was all mud) directly into the hands of the rental pigs that would drag them out by their ears. Then the crowd would chant vulgarities at them which was always good.
This would be a picture of Queens of the Stone Age. Along with the next 2.
Here is where the real show starts. This is the set for Rage. It only gets better from here.
This is the first picture of the Mud Kings that were directly behind us. These freaks would slide straight down the hill (which was all mud) directly into the hands of the rental pigs that would drag them out by their ears. Then the crowd would chant vulgarities at them which was always good.
This would be a picture of Queens of the Stone Age. Along with the next 2.
Here is where the real show starts. This is the set for Rage. It only gets better from here.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Intense
This is exactly what I was talking about on my other blog. Look at the face on both of these guys and tell me that they are not serious about what they are singing about. The audio is a bit loud, but you get the picture.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Long Road
Back. Tired. Still sweating. I guess I will be the first to blog about our experience in Chitown. Heidi, Brooke and I had a good time at Six Flags. Rode some rides, watched Spy Girl and had a good family time. We then drove downtown checked into the hotel and drover over to the aquarium. Had a very cool time there seeing the largest aquarium in the US (Who knew?) Then we had dinner on the Magnificent Mile that evening and crashed in the hotel. We stayed at the Congress Hotel which was a very cool old hotel right downtown. The next day we got up and proceeded to the Museum of Science and Natural History. It was a bit over Brooke's head but I learned a crap load of stuff. Saw T-Rex and various other flying dinosaurs. Pretty cool. Heidi and Brook left that afternoon and the "concert" weekend started. Pictures of the family vacation will come later. I will start with Night 1 of Lollapalooza.
Ben Harper was the main attraction that night and he rocked it out. First time I had seen him before and he was probably the 3rd greatest live performance guy/band I have ever seen. Eddie came out and played a very intense Masters of War with him.
Night 2 saw nobody, but did see one of the oldest and greatest baseball parks in the world. Wrigley Field. Something I will never forget.
Night 3 was every emotion I have in my body. It started at 1 p.m. when we walked from the hotel over to Lollapalooza. We loaded up with 2 bottles of water (needless did we know it was not near enough) and proceeded up to the stage that PJ was playing on. We were only able to get about what would be equivalent to 20 rows back but our thought process told us if we hold out people would leave in between shows. We waited. Some rap dude came out and I had flashbacks of when I saw Run DMC and they sucked just as bad. We waited. Finally our first bad we wanted to see. Kings of Leon.
>
Remember now this is at about 4:30 or so and its 90 degrees outside and I have been standing in what was equivalent to a 2x2 foot box. Could not sit down could barley crouch down like a catcher. They actually made the previous 3.5 hours of standing worth it. There were a few people that left after that and I think we were able to shuffle up about 10 feet closer. We waited, still standing. We were at the point where this was a close as we were going to get. We staked out that ground like it was the California gold rush. Nobody was getting inside my 2x2 box. My Morning Jacket comes out. I think I could get used to if I saw them by themselves. Nobody left. We waited. MMJ finishes. Now its about 7:00 and we are working on 6 hours of standing still. This is where it really starts to get crammed. Everybody is pushing and shoving trying to get as close as they can to the stage. We hold firm. Getting close to PJ and Josh looks over and says "Hey you might want to put your back pack on because when PJ comes out there is going to be a huge push towards the stage." Ok now I am starting at this point to get a bit spooked. My 2x2 box is about to turn into a 1x1 box and there are dudes around me that are way more wasted than I wish I would have been. Not to mention we have all sweat through our shirts, we are exhausted, out of water and might not make it out alive. About that time Brad Igers who was standing next to me just about lost his lunch. Some older ape in front of him finally decides to take of his shirt and display the rug of hair on his back directly in his face. I thought he was taping out at that point, but the trooper he is managed to maintain. That was the other side note....it was like the abyss. If I was to leave my 3 other friends there I would not see them ever again. There was no way to get out and no way to get back in. Finally PJ.
They rocked as usual, played some cool songs I had not heard as well as all the usual. Concert done. Something in us allowed us to never give up. What was it? I saw this deal on 60 Min. about one of these Extreme Fighter guys. He was a famous guy and had his own Dojo (where they practice for you people that have not seen the Karate Kid). He had only one picture in his Dojo of himself and it was a picture of one fight that he will never forget. It was a fight in which his opponent had him in a hold that actually broke his arm. Something that was in him told him to no "tap out". He didn't quit after he watched this guy put him in a hold and physically break his arm. Adrenaline? Man whatever it is I wish I had an IV of it in my arm everyday.
Ben Harper was the main attraction that night and he rocked it out. First time I had seen him before and he was probably the 3rd greatest live performance guy/band I have ever seen. Eddie came out and played a very intense Masters of War with him.
Night 2 saw nobody, but did see one of the oldest and greatest baseball parks in the world. Wrigley Field. Something I will never forget.
Night 3 was every emotion I have in my body. It started at 1 p.m. when we walked from the hotel over to Lollapalooza. We loaded up with 2 bottles of water (needless did we know it was not near enough) and proceeded up to the stage that PJ was playing on. We were only able to get about what would be equivalent to 20 rows back but our thought process told us if we hold out people would leave in between shows. We waited. Some rap dude came out and I had flashbacks of when I saw Run DMC and they sucked just as bad. We waited. Finally our first bad we wanted to see. Kings of Leon.
>
Remember now this is at about 4:30 or so and its 90 degrees outside and I have been standing in what was equivalent to a 2x2 foot box. Could not sit down could barley crouch down like a catcher. They actually made the previous 3.5 hours of standing worth it. There were a few people that left after that and I think we were able to shuffle up about 10 feet closer. We waited, still standing. We were at the point where this was a close as we were going to get. We staked out that ground like it was the California gold rush. Nobody was getting inside my 2x2 box. My Morning Jacket comes out. I think I could get used to if I saw them by themselves. Nobody left. We waited. MMJ finishes. Now its about 7:00 and we are working on 6 hours of standing still. This is where it really starts to get crammed. Everybody is pushing and shoving trying to get as close as they can to the stage. We hold firm. Getting close to PJ and Josh looks over and says "Hey you might want to put your back pack on because when PJ comes out there is going to be a huge push towards the stage." Ok now I am starting at this point to get a bit spooked. My 2x2 box is about to turn into a 1x1 box and there are dudes around me that are way more wasted than I wish I would have been. Not to mention we have all sweat through our shirts, we are exhausted, out of water and might not make it out alive. About that time Brad Igers who was standing next to me just about lost his lunch. Some older ape in front of him finally decides to take of his shirt and display the rug of hair on his back directly in his face. I thought he was taping out at that point, but the trooper he is managed to maintain. That was the other side note....it was like the abyss. If I was to leave my 3 other friends there I would not see them ever again. There was no way to get out and no way to get back in. Finally PJ.
They rocked as usual, played some cool songs I had not heard as well as all the usual. Concert done. Something in us allowed us to never give up. What was it? I saw this deal on 60 Min. about one of these Extreme Fighter guys. He was a famous guy and had his own Dojo (where they practice for you people that have not seen the Karate Kid). He had only one picture in his Dojo of himself and it was a picture of one fight that he will never forget. It was a fight in which his opponent had him in a hold that actually broke his arm. Something that was in him told him to no "tap out". He didn't quit after he watched this guy put him in a hold and physically break his arm. Adrenaline? Man whatever it is I wish I had an IV of it in my arm everyday.
Monday, June 04, 2007
The Monster....Detox take 2
Well here we go again starting off on a Monday and not working. Played B-ball again this morning at 5 a.m. I am really starting to get back into the groove. I can hear Coach Brannon now..."Luke, you gotta get in his jock."...."Quit jackin with the cones, whistle dick.". Great times. Should be a sad yet happy day on Thursday. Brooke's Kindergarten graduation. Video tape will be running for any that want to see it when you come up. After that we are off like a prom dress to Des Moines to visit friends for the weekend. Was already planning this before the work stuff happend only bad thing is that now its not paid.
The monster in the title I am finding out is work. The worst thing about this mini work vacation is that I think I am actually starting to miss it. Not all things are missed but I do miss the challenge everyday. Makes it more fun than not. After about a month when I first got to Wausau everybody told me how nice it was because there was no stress in the office. Kind of like it was all on my shoulders and I just allowed them to perform and do their jobs. I have had numerous people tell me how stressful the office has been over the past week and cant wait until I get back on/in the saddle. I guess they get to enjoy that for one more week. All I can say is look out on June 11th, because I am coming back with a pretty big chip on my shoulder.
What do you do with the monster inside? Do you let it eat you from the inside out, or do you get in its jock? I dont know about most, but bring it on and lets rumble. De-tox take 2 has gone from juice diet to the new thing.....Steam Room. I would recomed it to ALL. Get you de-tox iMix all set up and sit in that puppy and just sweat. It feels great. Really gets the shit out of your body and you feel a new when you get out.
This is the pain that never leaves.
This is the tounge that whips you down.
This is the burden of everyman.
These are the screams that pierce your skin.
This is the voice of silence no more.
These are the weights that hold you down.
This is the YEAR THAT WILL NEVER END.
This is the voice of silence no more.
We the people....
Are we the people?
Some kind of monster!
The monster in the title I am finding out is work. The worst thing about this mini work vacation is that I think I am actually starting to miss it. Not all things are missed but I do miss the challenge everyday. Makes it more fun than not. After about a month when I first got to Wausau everybody told me how nice it was because there was no stress in the office. Kind of like it was all on my shoulders and I just allowed them to perform and do their jobs. I have had numerous people tell me how stressful the office has been over the past week and cant wait until I get back on/in the saddle. I guess they get to enjoy that for one more week. All I can say is look out on June 11th, because I am coming back with a pretty big chip on my shoulder.
What do you do with the monster inside? Do you let it eat you from the inside out, or do you get in its jock? I dont know about most, but bring it on and lets rumble. De-tox take 2 has gone from juice diet to the new thing.....Steam Room. I would recomed it to ALL. Get you de-tox iMix all set up and sit in that puppy and just sweat. It feels great. Really gets the shit out of your body and you feel a new when you get out.
This is the pain that never leaves.
This is the tounge that whips you down.
This is the burden of everyman.
These are the screams that pierce your skin.
This is the voice of silence no more.
These are the weights that hold you down.
This is the YEAR THAT WILL NEVER END.
This is the voice of silence no more.
We the people....
Are we the people?
Some kind of monster!
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