Fallen Thoughts

:: 12.28.2003 ::

hope everyone (besides josh) had a great christmas. I've been down in douglas for about a week or so, just taking it easy - lots of dirt roads and back there. I'm gonna try and get back up to athens in the next day or two so I can get settled before work starts up again.

nye at the watt - this'll be the first time I've ever worked nye, so at least it'll be something different. if you have nothing better to do, come over to athens and say hello. you can shakeit, shake-shakeit with the krush girls or give fist daps to doomhammer. or just get shitfaced and be oblivious to your surroundings.

:: posted by Michael at 12:10 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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I'm the worst shopper in the history of shoppers.

I got kayla's computer fixed - apparently, something spiked it and fried her network card. so after going and getting a new one and talking to linksys tech support (which sucks yak nuts) for a good while, I messed around with it myself for a bit and got it up and running. and now, only a couple of days after that victory, the computer at my house is acting up. such neverending pain-in-the-asses these things are.

I'm depressing myself. christmas is happy time. ho, ho, ho. the child is born.

mother jackson/sci fu at the watt tonight. I'm gonna go watch some music.

:: posted by Michael at 8:40 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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december is upon us - and it's COLD. chris just left to take broxton for a walk in the still 39-degree air. we might not have b-rocks for much longer - pretty sad. it's been really nice having him around the house, aside from these new tricks he's learned from shemp. paul went to vienna to hang with kate so we dogsat. inevitably, broxton picked up some shempish habits - pawing, pushing doors open, etc.

anyway, I ramble. it's cold. after a week or so of on-again-off-again heat, we finally got together with our landlord and had someone come over and fix the furnace. so after suffering for a bit, it's nice and warm at 150. considering we didn't use the a/c at all this summer, I think we deserve a cozy winter.

in about nine days and two hours, I'll be watching return of the king. hell. yes.

work has been really slow since I came back from thanksgiving. speaking of, I had a blast down in douglas. I didn't do much, but I think that was the fun part. I'd been pretty busy at the watt, so it was nice to get a long break. lots of good food, great bikeride with chris and josh, a very successful night back there, a little surprise birthday party with my mom and sister the night I got home - just a blast. but yeah, work is creeping along. I only pulled two shifts this week, and next week will probably be more of the same. I can't wait to head back down to douglas for christmas. this will be the first christmas in a couple of years that I've had some extra money, so family - let me know what you guys want!

right now I'm finishing up a piece of pizza donated by chris. red baron topped with olive garden chicken. yum.

hope everyone is having a spledid december and best wishes during christmas and in the new year..

:: posted by Michael at 10:16 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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watch this.

:: posted by Michael at 3:18 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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23 Reasons Why Today Is Great

01. I woke up about an hour ago.
02. I woke up earlier than that to the sound of rain on our tin roof - hence the reason I woke up again much later.
03. My roommate got the full version of Halo for PC.
04. I watched The Two Towers extended version yesterday, so that carries over.
05. It actually feels like November outside.
06. I don't have a hangover.
07. I'm about to take a nice, hot shower.
08. My sweet girlfriend is taking me out to lunch.
09. I'm going home for Thanksgiving tomorrow.
10. I'm off work all week.
11. I have money.
12. I got an unexpected call from my North Pearl family late last night.
13. It's one day closer to my Back There reunion.
14. I got an email from one of my best friends from high school.
15. It doesn't feel like Monday.
16. Georgia beat Kentucky this weekend.
17. Kayla is playing with my hair as I type this.
18. We hung out in our new basement room at my house last night, lovingly referred to as "The Lounge".
19. It's one month exactly 'til Christmas Eve.
20. I'm eating microwaved marshmallows and drinking a glass of sweet tea.
21. I get to open presents tomorrow when I get to Douglas.
22. I get to open presents today.
23. It's my 23rd birthday!

happy birthday to me,
happy birthday to me,
happy birthday dear myself,
haaaaappy biiiiirthdaaaay tooooo meeeeee!

:: posted by Michael at 4:00 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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about a month and a half ago I started working at the 40 watt here in athens. it's my first steady job since I moved here and so far it's been great. as they say on the site, there are no benefits and the pay isn't that great, but there are some pretty nice perks - one being the music. since late summer, I've seen a ton of shows - rock, jam, acoustic, reggae, bluegrass, indie and a few things in between. I started jotting some of the shows down not long ago and realized just how many there have been, so I wanted to write a little about them all.

the weekend after bonnaroo was athfest, an annual weekend of music held in athens. the good folks of mother jackson hooked me up with an all-access weekend pass, although I only took advantage of one night with it. no time for regrets - I ended up seeing four great shows that night, so I had no reason to be anything but satisfied. the first show of the night was mother jackson at the engine room. this is my roommate richard's band and they rock. it was my first time seeing them play with chuck of southern bitch on bass and it was a treat. kate, austen, and chris were all there, along with a nice crowd of folks on the outside porch and we all enjoyed a nice (and loud!) set from mj. next up was garbage island - loud, experimental, improvisational noise. my now and then-soon-to-be boss craig, along with 4 or 5 others folks, make up the meat of the band. it was an interesting introduction, to say the least. after helping mother jackson break down and get their shit put aside, we all took off for the tasty world to catch grand fury downstairs. their show was a nice mix of country and rock n' roll and they had a great crowd to play to. aside from being my first fury show, it was also my first time getting to see matt play pedal steel and he was all over it. I watched them wrap up and then headed down to the theatre to wrap up the night with stewart & winfield. another first for me - I'd heard their another round album, but I got to experience the real thing that night. I ended up getting right up to the stage and took my best pictures of the evening. the show was nice - I even got to hear a favorite of mine, a track called "festival". after the show, I met stewart and got hold of a setlist for chris adams (he's a pretty avid fan). and with that, my weekend of music was done.

I caught a few other shows between then and the time I started working at the watt. david barbe and southern bitch at the caledonia was not long after - barbe opened and the bitch closed it down. both bands set up outside on the deck and it was perfect. barbe's set was nice and he had some pretty acclaimed local musicians playing with him, but I was there for southern bitch and they didn't disappoint. chris' straightforward backbeat, chuck's alabama basslines, and wendy's thick, crunchy rhythm all blended nicely behind the lead attack of adam's sharp playing and deep-fried vocals. they blazed through a rockin' set, with a good number of tracks from their new album, thunderbolt. at the end of the night, I said their show may have been the best I've ever seen in athens - I've seen a lot of music up here and that's a pretty bold statement, but rest assured these guys rock and they're all really, really great folks. they're in state college, pa tonight at the crowbar opening for the drive-by truckers and back in athens on november 19th with lucero and joseph plunket & the weight. check them out if you haven't already. I also saw a couple of good sets at the watt - ghost envy and echo canyon. ghost envy is my friend dan's band - not really my style, but the show I saw was their first show EVER, so for them to have the composure and togetherness they had was enough of a statement in itself to their ability. echo canyon is a new thing that craig (of garbage island) is doing with chuck (of southern bitch/mother jackson) and jim wilson (of mother jackson). it's also an experimental improv set, but it's a little more subtle than the sounds of garbage island. jim plays drums and percussion, chuck is on upright bass, and craig directs on guitar. I caught them again not too long ago opening for drums & tuba, but I only got to hear the last couple of songs. matt (of grand fury) sat in on lap slide and from what I heard it sounded like a great night. I think the last show I saw before starting work was mother jackson again at the roadhouse. the show was in the middle of their recording sessions at elixir and was in part to try and raise a little extra money to put towards studio costs. I ended up working the door for two bucks a person and although it was a slow night downtown, they still managed to make a little bonus money for the record.

one of the first shows I worked at the 40 watt was jet by day and jucifer. a pretty good crowd came out for the show, seeing as it was a homecoming show of sorts for jucifer. they'd just gotten back into town after a national tour and they were well received. jet by day wasn't really appealing to me, but they put on a nice opening set. jucifer, on the other hand, was a great show. the band consists of only two people, ed on drums and amber on guitar. amber played a 7-string guitar with two bass strings up top. they had a great stage presence and were LOUD. the speaker setup they played through was huge, and from what I heard only part of their usual gear. not long after I worked richard buckner/joseph plunket/jonathan richman. I'd seen richman play with moe tucker about a year ago at the watt, so I was pretty pumped about seeing him perform again. I missed buckner's opening set, but plunket's was a nice acoustic set reminiscent of early springsteen. richman put on a helluva show, always holding the crowd with his ever-so-comfortable persona and spanish-style acoustic riffs. backed by tommy larkins on drums, he played song after song, told stories, and above all had a blast doing so. kayla and chris came up to see jonathan with me and right after we hauled ass down to tasty world to see southern bitch. we got there just in time to see richard sit in on three or four songs. he's been working on them all week at the house and was pretty nervous when we got there, but he stepped on stage and settled in nicely. he & adam played well off each other and the crowd assured them so.

the next show I worked was the delusions/the solace brothers/built to spill. I was working backstage so I didn't really get to catch much of the first two bands, but to their credit they were really nice guys and both bands traveled quite a way to open for built to spill. built to spill's show was nice - I'm not that familiar with them, so I can't really go into what was played, but they had a great sound and did a killer cover of neil young's "cortez the killer". a few nights later I worked the entropy/dubconscious show. entropy has a nice blend of roots and funk and they're an altogether tight band. dubconscious (who should have been unconscious from that pre-show session) is straight up reggae, playing lots of originals off of their latest album and a few classic covers.

as I mentioned before, I saw echo canyon open a three bill set at the tasty world with gunnison and drums & tuba. gunnison was an extremely tight band and they had a really jazzy sound, but for some reason I really didn't get into it - I think I was just in a weird mood that night. I remembered the trombone player from last year's panic set on new year's eve eve in atlanta - he was playing the shit out of that horn. drums & tuba were pretty cool, but like I said I wasn't in the best of spirits that night. still, I watched for a while - the drummer was really good and had a great sound. the tuba and effects coupled with the guitar made for some interesting rhythms. the guitarist was really spastic and played lots of strange tunings and through tons of effects. the tuba had a great sound, real low-end stuff and the tuba player often worked in effects loops as they were playing. quite an interesting night of experimental and original music.

over the past couple of weeks I've managed to see some awesome shows. I worked the big wu/hackensaw boys show in mid-october and really enjoyed both sets. big wu was sorta jammy, but not too much so. I was backstage for most of their show, but it sounded really good. I came out front for a good part of the hackensaw boys. they put on a great show playing really fun bluegrass. and their tour bus ROCKS. it's a big ass silver old school charter bus.. well, just click on their link and you'll see. anyway, yeah - really good time. kayla came up for a while and listened and really liked them, too. she was downtown the next day and said they all came up on the sidewalk outside of blue sky and jammed acoustic for a while until the po-po's showed up and broke up the party. still, a testament to the fact that those guys really love to play.

two nights later, me & kayla headed down to macon to celebrate our one-year anniversary with a night of panic. we met chris, amanda, courtney, and kate in the lot and caught up for a while before we headed for the doors. we got in and grabbed some nice seats to the left of the stage, close to the floor. the set was awesome, with a lot of songs I hadn't heard them do before. some highlights for me were "dirty business", "stop breakin' down blues" > "ride me high", and the "let it bleed" and "mr. soul" encore, two covers I'd never heard before. the "ride me high" had to be my favorite of the night - the entire coliseum was inundated with orange and yellow light throughout the song and the crowd was so pumped during. I remember that song being stuck in my head for a good week after. after the show we hung out in the lot again for a bit, but I could barely hold my head up and we had a nice 2 and a half hour drive back to athens so we said our farewells and took off. I drove us to steak n' shake and nearly fell asleep on the bar by the register, so I went outside and passed out while I waited on kayla and the food. I was really glad kayla was good to drive because I was done - about a half hour out of macon I finally woke up and ate my sandwich and stayed up with her the remainder of the ride back. many thanks to you for gettin' us home safe - and happy anniversary again!

back to the music - a couple of nights later I worked patrick park/my morning jacket. for two bands I'd never really heard of, I was completely blown away. park's opening set was solo acoustic and really good. he had a great voice and played really subtle rock - good, heartfelt storytelling songs. my morning jacket came out and brought it. they have an amazing sound - I'm not really sure how to describe it. it's good, hard rock n' roll but with great melodies. the singer has a great range and plays a mean guitar - and the rest of the band compliments each other so well. the show was very well put together, always holding the crowd. after only a few songs, I was a fan.

the last few shows I've seen have all been damn good, too. just a few days back I went to tasty world to catch southern bitch but I got there late and only saw a couple of songs. but afterwards red leader took the stage and put on a pretty rockin' show. the last time I saw them they were a little sloppy and didn't really have it together overall, but they've definitely come around since then. they've tightened their sound a lot and I ended up hanging out there for a good bit of the show. I left there and walked over to the theatre to try and catch some of the derek trucks band show - I got there pretty late, but in time to see the last 4 or 5 songs and a two song encore. I hadn't seen them since back in summer '98 on the HORDE tour and it was nice to see how much they've progressed. and to top it off, I got in the show for free and found 45 bucks on the sidewalk outside after the show. that's my kinda night. that weekend I worked two nights of gillian welch & david rawlings and was really impressed with the duo. gillian is pretty well known, having a few grammy's under her belt for her music, as well as some very impressive side projects with ani difranco, ryan adams, and emmylou harris among others. her voice is amazing and blends so well with david's, as do their respective rhythm and lead guitar work. they both play acoustic and do mostly originals with an occasional folk or bluegrass cover thrown in. rawlings was playing an old (like 30's old) epiphone acoustic and got a brilliant tone out of it. both nights drew over 600 people, a great success for them and us - hope to see them in athens again soon.

that's about it for what's been going on with me lately - lots of working and music. our two big shows this weekend are better than ezra and rooney. I'm not much of a bte fan and I haven't heard rooney, so maybe they'll surprise me. I do know it's going to be a busy weekend up there - lots of loading and unloading and long nights and early mornings. I'm really looking forward to aesop rock and mr. lif on the 14th, so if any of you are up for a good hip-hop show, head up to the watt and check it out.

tonight it's pleasure club at the caledonia, so I'm off. 'til then, take care y'all.

:: posted by Michael at 11:56 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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I've been putting off the inevitable update for quite some time now. I knew that when I did, I would probably take on the task of recapping the time that has passed since my last post, which, as you can see below, was over a month and a half ago. in my procrastination, I have let the quantity of events to cover multiply - so I'm hoping I can make it through this without giving up and calling it a morning.

morning. a time I'm not very friendly with. I'm thinking now is as good a time as ever, though. I'm halfway through my second cup of coffee, done checking the mail, and kayla is sitting in class taking her first chemistry exam of the semester. so the way I figure, this is the least I can do. this may get a little lengthy, so I'll try and toss in some dry humor and a link here and there to keep you folks entertained. otherwise, skim over it, hit the comments button, and give me a generic "it's about time!" or something similar.

so about a week after my last entry, I started working for these folks. nothing permanent - just a week-long gig. the upside? 10 bucks an hour, straight up. the downside? a new meaning to the phrase "back-breaking work". the first day wasn't so bad - our entire objective was to unload a big ass truck (the back half of a tractor-trailer, not the band - who, coincidentally, I saw open for ben harper once and they put on a helluvan opening act). we also decided on that day what roles we would be taking throughout the week - which consisted of either assembly or delivery. assembly paid 2 bucks an hour more, but you had to provide your own tools. we didn't have said tools, so we chose delivery - we being myself and kayla, and also kate & paul. nathan, the man in charge, went over a few details and let us know that the folks working creswell hall would be an independent team - in other words, nobody would be down there trying to run shit and telling us what to do and how to do it. paul stayed in "the well" his freshman year, so naturally we all hopped on the opportunity.

on day two, the truck was unloaded and it was time to start running deliveries to the freshman masses. now if you've ever been in the area of a college dormitory on the first move-in day, you know it's hectic. take that chaos and add these elements: nine floors of dorm rooms with about 60 dorms on each floor, solid pine loft beds and futons (weighing a good 50 - 100 pounds, respectively) to be delivered using the stairwells only, a long list of customers to keep track of, and an unending number of greek-kid parents with an unending ability to bitch about an unending list of things. put them all together and you have what nathan likes to refer to as "d-day". if you haven't already gathered this, that day was by far the longest and hardest day of work in my 22 years. our crew started delivering at 9 AM on that bastard of a day and delivered until sundown, with a less-than-gracious 15 minute lunch break. as if that weren't enough, we ended the day by reloading the truck that we had just spent the last 10 or 11 hours unloading to get ready for the next day in a torrential downpour that came out of nowhere. exhausted would be an understatement. after we finished up, we all shared many thoughts of calling it quits over dinner at agua linda, but the pay was great and we all needed the money. then it was back home and off to bed, setting the alarm for 7-ish to be back in action at 8 AM the next day.

wednesday was much of the same, but slightly less taxing seeing as how we had more of a rhythm with things and a few less deliveries than the day before. it was still another long day of lugging beds and futons up freshman-filled stairs. with thursday morning came a blessing - "you guys can use the elevators today". thank GOD. with elevator use, a nifty little wheeled cart, kayla keeping track of deliveries, and a lessening crowd of students, thursday and friday were a breeze. the end of the week came and our job was done - paycheck time. me & kayla both worked about 40 hours through the week and collected our 400 dollar paychecks on sunday. as much as we bitched and moaned through the first half of the week, there were nothing but smiles as we cashed in on our efforts. I was able to pay my rent and bills for september and still have money left over to live on. in fact, I still have some of that check now over a month later. in spite of the scarred legs and bruised arms and shoulders, my first employment here in athens was pretty fruitful. not only did we get a nice payday at the end of the week, we also got to hang out with kate & paul all week and met some pretty cool kids.

the following week, kayla started classes - and me? I slept like a baby. I had no idea that my experiences with the world of furniture delivery would turn into such a long rant, so I'll end this here. there is still a good month or so to catch up on, so 'til next time..

:: posted by Michael at 10:35 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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my good friend austen mikulka is the featured photographer today on the okayplayer site.

drop by and give a look - he has a short bio and a gallery posted there.

nice work!

:: posted by Michael at 5:16 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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had a nice visit to the hometown - I should be resting up for the long ride home tomorrow, yet here I sit. I managed to come home and send this computer to hell and halfway back trying to resolve some old issues. so needless to say, I'm pretty sick of all that. computers are all fun and games until something fucks up and you can't figure out what's wrong with it. it brought me to having words with this harmless hunk of inanimate plastic and glass. alas, I gave up on it and told my mom to find someone who really knows what they're doing to come tangle with this beast.

I'm currently trying to explain some delirious thought tangents to kevin and writing this at the same time is doing nothing to help the situation. speaking of, I'd like to introduce two new members to the group. give 'em a look.

sleepily signing off from douglas, ga. to all, a good night.

:: posted by Michael at 5:13 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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it's been a little while since I've sat down and wrote to myself. I'm really comfortable up here now, but I just haven't been taking the time to sit down in my room and write. thankfully, I have my on-line journal. this is more of an open forum; a place to let everyone who might want to know what's going on with me get the lowdown. sometimes it ends up being a vent, sometimes a rant - this time it's just going to be completely random. no surprise there. I guess a few things have happened quietly in the past couple of months, so if I don't remind myself, they're bound to drift off into a dark and forgotten corner.

to preface, I'm eating chicken flavor ramen noodles - I feel so broke. when you're hungry enough, they aren't that bad at all, though. a little salt and pepper and a glass of sweet tea and you have yourself a late-night supper.

I have a few things that I've been meaning to write about, this year's bonnaroo trip being one of them, but I want to save that for a time when I feel like dedicating myself to it for a bit. for now I just want to say that I'm loving my place in athens, it's been great having some friends up the past couple of weeks, and I really hope this week-long job coming up works out. I don't think I've ever been this broke before - it's not such a great feeling. besides money, all is peachy. jimbo employed me & kate to do a little house cleaning today and paid us quite well in return. unfortunately, it was the first and (probably) last time I'll see his place. I came out with some dishes, a new bookshelf, and some cash in my pocket - I like these days.

I'm going to try and ride down to douglas this coming week, so any of you folk who may be in the general area, let me know. I hope to run into a few people while I'm down there. OK - I have an appointment so until next time, play safe.

:: posted by Michael at 4:02 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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I took a big jug of pennies to the coinstar machine at kroger today and got 40 bucks.

bling. bling.

what did you do?

:: posted by Michael at 3:43 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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lazy tobacco smoke floats
in beams of afternoon sun
sneaking through the cracks in the blinds

there's a weight in my chest
stains on my enamel
I'm growing to loathe the camel and the drum

these subliminal Indian influences
this corporate terrorism
my masochistic habit

I'm writing my wrong

:: posted by Michael at 2:15 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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try this out.

1st edition is a batsterd.

bonnawho?

:: posted by Michael at 2:14 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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I've spent the past week moving into my new home. it's still strange calling it home, partly due to the fact that it just doesn't feel like it yet. between all the work that comes along with moving (painting, cleaning, unpacking, yadda yadda) and spending time with kayla, I really haven't had a chance to settle in. I've been back in douglas all weekend - had a garage sale with josh saturday morning and a long, lazy sunday is quickly coming to an end. I'm heading back to athens tomorrow, but I'll only be there a few days before we head out for bonnaroo. maybe by july or so I'll be comfortable calling it "home".

in a related story, kayla's moving to douglas for the summer. we just found out (or rather, it was decided) a few days ago, so that hasn't really set in either. after waiting for so long for this summer together, it seems almost unreal that it all fell apart in an hour or so. I would go into reasons and details, but then I'd get pissed off and rant on and on about things that aren't important. besides, this is a happy place. no need for negativity. I will say that I'm really disappointed, but I suppose that's a given.

on a better note, my roommates are two of the best - and mitchell gets a nod for his vinyl collection alone. I forsee many hours of needle on the black. I'm hoping to finish unpacking in the next couple of days and maybe get the bar cleaned up for a pre-bonnaroo celebration. either way, I look forward to seeing everyone at the house for the meetup. I already know two faces that will be sorely missed, so the new guys will be gladly welcomed.

a little after 4 am should be as good a time as any to call it a night. josh is gonna caravan with me to athens tomorrow afternoon, so wish us a safe trip. and to whom it may concern, see you there..

and just in case you assumed from my tone that I'm not excited about the 'roo - don't be mistaken. I'm pumped like bike tires. I'm not so happy about having to decide between the roots and the allman brothers, nor am I happy about ben harper and bela & the 'tones overlapping, but those aren't bad decisions to have to make.

hope everyone is doing great and enjoying these early stages of summer. congrats again to amy & chad and alissa, hope to see you in manchester. and the rest of yas - have a splendid week.

:: posted by Michael at 4:28 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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bonnaroo is coming up quick. so - who, what, when, where, why, and how?

in a related story, I'm moving to athens in a week and a half. the times they are a-changin'..

:: posted by Michael at 11:09 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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• "After hitting a wrong note accidentally, play the same note again like you really mean it."
• "..accidents can hold the key to innovations."
• "..even though trees do not grow to the sky, their roots continue to grow."
• "Develop your sense of perspective. When everything around you looks like weeds, remember: From the heavens, all is a garden.
Then get to weeding."
• "Empty your cup and keep going. Same mountain, farther up."
• "The moment we begin distinguishing sight from sound from smell, separating things, naming and catergorizing them, we begin the rational process that leads us away from experiencing true oneness."
• "..the poetry of imperfection."
• "But too much of the music being made today promotes dubious values - instant gratification and ego glorification."

excerpts from zen guitar by philip toshio sudo.

this book was given to me not long ago by a very special person. I had glanced over it before, mostly looking at the quotes at the beginning of each section (which range from keith richards to paul simon to allan holdsworth). I finished the book last night and it's a great and easy read. as the name implies, it sticks to basic principles to mentally prepare you for playing rather than attempting to take you on a step-by-step how-to lesson on guitar. if you're just starting out and you can't really get a feel for it, this is a great place to go for answers. and at the same time, if you've been playing for years, this can be a nice refresher on how to get a little closer to the path you may have strayed from through all the frustration and ruts.

check it out.

:: posted by Michael at 3:03 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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kevin's computer is pretty fucked, so we hooked up his burner and have been backing up all of his files. when he powers up, a black screen with white text says "SMART something something fucked up hard drive something something. WARNING: something something - failure imminent." so yeah, he's gonna get that seen about. point is, now I'm going to make a little room on my hard drive - I've been inspired. I wish my hard drive was bigger - only 12 gigs. but whatever, at least it works.

so I'm going to burn some of these mp3s off of my computer. a rough estimation puts me at a little over 1000. that's a good bit, especially considering that I've already burned two discs worth of them off of my drive not too long ago. now I'm just trying to figure out which ones to burn and which to leave. I've been hearing that steps were being taken to prosecute music downloaders, or "pirates" if you must. they say that the big users will be seeked out first. so I suppose if you have a large number of mp3s shared on your computer, like let's say a little over 1000 for example, you could find yourself trapped in the dragnet. it's bullshit. "the industry is being hurt by the internet yadda yadda, blah blah". when unsigned artists' music is being heard across the world - that is wonderful. when an independent label artist can share his music with someone in europe, that's great. these huge powerhouse labels are bitching because sales dropped five percent in the past five years or whatever. do you think they've stopped to realize that popular music might not be meeting up to the fans' standards and so they're going to the internet for OTHER music. just maybe, they would've lost that five percent anyway due to weak output by the artists. maybe the fans are listening to some unsigned act or a great independent labeled band. oh, the humanity.

in backing up kev's computer, I received a nice chunk of north pearl pictures, so I'll be updating this when the time presents itself. for now, I learned how to play some army game last night at kyler's house and it's pretty fun, so I think it's time for round two.

peace out, yo-yos.

:: posted by Michael at 6:24 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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laying in this spot a century ago, I might've been trampled by cleated feet. these days it serves as a stressful day's retreat, this herty field. a shield for weary soldiers in the academic battle. a pasture to graze for the university cattle. a perfect place for this peacock to perch and print his babble.

in visits of months past, brown tones dominated the scene. it's now a multi-colored palette, painting the early stages of spring. the weather is beautiful on this april day of fools - blue skies, cool breeze shaking hands with the trees. the sun overhead is just bright enough to warm my soul while I wait for a snowflake.

a midday bell tolls.

:: posted by Michael at 4:42 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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I'm having trouble with internet explorer lately. it does fine as far as simple browsing goes, but a few key things have gone wrong. it no longer allows me to view source on any website, I can't download files, and it also won't play flash animations, although I've un- and re-installed my flash application. so this is basically a cry for help. if any of you dear readers are proficient in this area and think you might could help out, would you mind sending me a quick e-mail? just click the "contact" button up top. or if it's a more simple matter, drop me a "do this, stupid" comment and I'll accept the gesture with humility.

and as a preface, I'm running IE 6.0 and windows me.

agradeza por adelantado..

:: posted by Michael at 5:15 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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I took another dip in the stream:

high gloss floors, marble-like, reflecting bright flourescent light in bright white puddles. black plastic flip-flop drops up and down while the other is vacated for a spot on a seatback of the row ahead. the young lady in the gray sweater seems misled and her sentiments are echoed.

and I've fallen into another observational mode.

my eyes follow the wales of my corduroy pants, dancing through rows of waving grain. I think back on a day dominated by rain. the pretentious man with his dark suit and black umbrella, constantly pointing his finger to place the blame. we found our own reality in his actions - we found satisfaction in "what ifs". all more drastic and surely less effective than raising a mirror.

the hemp braids of my bracelet are slowly coming undone. I hate to see it go, but the creation itself was fun. three dark brown beads held loosely with square knots. there used to be a fourth and it served a purpose indeed, but for some reason I like it much better with three.

a mosaic of blah's hints to her level of interest, but she weathers the bullshit in preparation of an upcoming test. pardon me, exam - an unconscious correction from the bulky, bearded man.

I sat on the bricks and watched the bustling cul-de-sac. expensive cars and backpacks - mobile conversations and lack of patience. the cotton threads of the wick in tomorrow's philosophic wax? more likely CEO's with deepest thoughts towards income tax.

just another day put on paper.

:: posted by Michael at 10:42 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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I went with kayla to her chemistry class one day last week. in an effort to pass the time, I started into a stream of consciousness. it worked rather well, seeing as the time seemed to fly by. so now in another effort to pass time, I'm writing it here. if you're looking for something to pass your time, perhaps you might read over it:

another blank page staring back at me. writing my thoughts with this tiny yellow pencil. slightly chewed, no eraser. a room full of people here for one reason or another. my guess may be as good as theirs. reminds me of when I was in school - the surroundings and the reasonings. blank faces doing their best sponge imitations, soaking in methods they'll probably never use again (except for the future chemists and jeopardy hopefuls). I'm being pessimistic, maybe an outward attempt to conceal jealousy. at least they're on a path. I seemed to have strayed from mine quite a while ago. while I envy their direction, I like to explore. roses don't grow on beaten paths. but it isn't always roses; sometimes it's only the thorns. spring's sweet beauty bearing its horns. yesterday when I was looking up the river, my eyes kept being diverted to the red flashing lights of that red and white tower. to the towering houses recently built across the way on the river's sloped banks. don't get too comfortable, all it takes is one long rain. I've opened my mind's floodgates. I'm washing my thoughts up on the sands of this page. and as I stand here, the words rush across my feet - thoughts incomplete. I found this pencil on the way to class. (why come to a class and sleep when there isn't an attendance policy?) pop quiz time so I step outside. the luxury of being a visitor. I dabble in irony and have a smoke to accompany the fresh air. cool night air. (he's up now!) a sudden change came over the blank expressions in room 400. a sudden change in the mood, and my own. being outside relaxes me. the gentle wind soothes me. warm orange lighting fighting the evening chill. I finish my cigarette and toss it in the black sidewalk ashtray. already succumbing to one bad habit - the least I can do is take advantage of the easy solution to the other. I see her face and I'm done.

:: posted by Michael at 4:33 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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happy valentine's day everyone!

I need to make this quick. I have to get my shit together and get on the road again. I just wanted to let everyone know that the official "so far" artist lineup list has been announced for this year's bonnaroo music festival. you can hit up the main site and see the full list, complete with bio links for each act. if you want to check out another site with a little more personal flair a la moi, check out my bonnaroo page. I just finished updating it - gotta keep up.

so to all who went last year, couldn't make it, or plan on going this year - don't let it creep up on you. tickets are slightly more expensive this year, starting around 125 bucks. as the allotments go, the prices increase. tickets go up this weekend, february 22nd, so go ahead and start thinking about it. sounds weird, me telling someone else to plan ahead.

anyway, I'd love to see any and all of you (by "you" I mean my friends - well, if there are people I don't really know reading this, love to see you there, too) at this year's festival. it truly is an amazing weekend of music.

:: posted by Michael at 12:29 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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"Error 503: Unable to load template file. We're working on this. Please try back later."

blah.

:: posted by Michael at 6:54 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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does anyone want to buy my book?

please?

just checking.

:: posted by Michael at 7:22 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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I woke up at 7:45 this morning for no apparent reason.

I'm riding up to athens later.. er, early today, but not this early. I'm really not sure why I woke up so early - didn't get to sleep until around 4:00 last night. my dad is on the phone with some guy named ed. sounds important. he said "I'll see you around 2:30, ed." lots of time references in this completely random post. I just had a glass of chocolate milk. mmmm.. chocolate milk.

I'm looking forward to moving to athens soon. if everything works out, I'll be living in a great house with two of my best friends. I don't really see how it could get any better than that. you can go here to read the rantings of one of said friends, chris. if you look hard enough you may even uncover a few stories about said house. and as for other said friend, mr. tubbs - you should check his band out sometime. the name? mother jackson. they play around athens quite a bit, so drop by if you get a chance. tell 'em who sent ya - they'll take care of yas.

see you two this weekend.

and as for you - j'espère que vous avez fait bon sur votre test. ne peut pas attendre de voir votre face encore.

I think I'm going to go get in another good hour or so of sleep. have a great weekend all.

:: posted by Michael at 9:05 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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oak tree silhouettes on an evening sky
black-dye shadows of afternoon's defeat
wandering clouds wondering why
floating through the night, waiting to repeat

they give way to the stars
soldiers of the moon
in uniform
forever serving their lunar platoon

the sun comes raging across the battlefield
to reclaim his throne
bearing a brilliant flaming shield
signifying a new dawn

:: posted by Michael at 4:20 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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blue and gray stripes around her socks
rolling in the rocks
little red hiding in the newspaper box

innocent laughter
seven little birds pitter-patter
most things don't really matter

smiling sweet as my herbal tea

:: posted by Michael at 11:30 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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a cluttered coffee table provides inspiration
two souls on a mission to portray a thought
such a rhythm in the silence, an inaudible drum,
steady as the beating of our hearts

two lamps shed light upon a room

:: posted by Michael at 5:07 AM (0) comments [+] ::

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once again, I'm back in douglas. christmas went well and I got some wonderful presents: dvd player, sleeping bag, cash, gas card, some good music, a couple of great books.. I suppose opening presents may never get old. I also received a special present in the form of great company. I'm still not really sure who of you guys & gals read this (you can drop a comment any time), but for those who are it was so nice for us to all be together in douglas celebrating the holidays. don't forget the "back there pact"!

a couple of days before new year's, me & kayla took off for athens. we got to take it easy before the big night - watched tv, saw the two towers again, slept late, and stocked up for the afterparty. chris, amanda, courtney, and kate joined us the next day and then tuesday finally crept up on us. I still hadn't heard from josh, but I got in touch with him that afternoon and everything ended up working out. speaking of, our planning for the trip to atlanta was less than that - no real planning at all. nevertheless, we threw on some bowie, got our shit together, and packed in "the nub" for the haul.

we gracefully motored into atlanta about 15 minutes into rush hour in pouring rain. nice. it wasn't so bad, especially since we got to pull off an early exit a little way before downtown to meet a couple of kayla's friends. we redistributed the load and made our way to philips (thanks for leading us in, libby). I pulled into a lot and almost swallowed my tongue when the little haitian guy said "fortee bucks". forty bucks? "yeess, fortee bucks." FORTY bucks? "you can have uppah lot spot for chirty." obviously, I thought it was a bit insane to be charging so much for parking, but then again it was new year's in downtown atlanta. thankfully, a nice girl knocked on my passenger window and told us there was a deck just across the street that was only ten dollars, so I bid the haitians a good night and made my way to the deck.

instead of going down and diving into the lot crowd, we grabbed a spot about 5 or 6 stories up in the deck and took in the view. somehow I was able to spot josh a couple of blocks away in the crowd and he made his way up to join the rest of us. in spite of everything, we actually managed to make it a little early so we hung out at the deck before we finally decided it was time to panic.. so far the day had gone amazingly smooth and it seemed as if the trend was continuing. after a short walk to the arena, a little navigation through the maze of a building known as the cnn center, and a couple of stops in the hall, we were in the mix. we made it down to our seats just in time (again) as the lights dropped and the boys took the stage.

I don't have the will or the time to go into complete detail about the show. for one, it was almost 5 hours long and two, it's too nice outside to sit here typing all day. I can definitely give a few highlights, though. this was my first panic show since bonnaroo, which also made it my first time seeing them since mikey passed away. it was sad, but at the same time really comforting to see all the guys smiling and pressing on as they know he wanted them to do. george mcconnell was well-received by the crowd, and rightfully so. he smokes. we also missed the presence of kevin & mary ellen, but we were smiling and dancing for you both..

the opening set was acoustic, another treat, especially seeing the big man spinning around his upright while slapping away and long-time panic producer john keane sitting in on lap steel. from the first notes of the opener 'city of dreams' to the final strums of 'porch song', the boys gave us a warm acoustic welcome.

the second set brought a little pickup to the show, as well as two first-time played songs ('and when I die' & 'blind') featuring an energetic brass section. after the set and a little kiss cam fun, a great slideshow was put up on the screens of the band throughout the years. the opening image of mikey seated with his guitar brought the entire arena to their feet for a standing ovation and one of the most moving moments I've been a part of at a show. as the slides came to an end, jojo and schools took the stage and addressed the crowd as the seconds counted down. at midnight, the place erupted with cheers and clapping as confetti and balloons descended upon us all. the band had a little party of their own on stage and soon came back out ready to jam the third set.

and they did just that, segueing most all of the set. 'greta > I'm not alone > jam > drums > pilgrims' and 'chilly water > imitation leather shoes > chilly water' brought the set to a close. schools' impromptu 'little drummer boy' during the drums left a big grin on many faces, as it did mine. after one more short break, they graciously came out for an encore after over four hours of music already played. the encore brought keane, bramblett, and the rest of the brass section back on stage and opened with another new song, 'I wish'. they followed and closed with 'climb to safety' and happily wished the crowd a good night and a great new year as we thanked them with a roaring applause for another amazing show.

we made it out of atlanta pretty easy and made the drive back to athens. we were all pretty beat from the ride and such a long show, but we managed to have a little afterparty anyway. the next couple of days were spent relaxing and enjoying the rest of our mini-vacation. we made it back thursday night and now the weekend has passed..

..and once again, I'm back in douglas.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year's celebration and here's to all good things in 2003!

:: posted by Michael at 1:31 PM (0) comments [+] ::

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