Dealing with the trivialities of life.
Two of my best friends share the same birthday, who knew? I did.
A very happy birthday to Mr. Tim Killis and Ms. Katharine Watson. I hope you both had a very enjoyable day and wish you a very jubilant year!
I leave you with a band that both Kat and Tim would approve of: Fleetwood Mac.
Obligatory Song: Fleetwood Mac — Everywhere (Live, youtube).
I know, it has been forever since I have updated this blog. I apologize. I’ve been busy with many things in Seattle ever since returning from my Illinoize trip, which was enjoyable. Maybe I’ll discuss that in a future post pending film development. Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:
Rainydawg’s 5th Birthday Party Extravaganza:
Last Friday the University of Washington college radio station I DJ for, Rainydawg, put together their 5th Birthday Party show and it was a great success. We sold out, all 500 tickets, and had to turn away others at the door. The show was headlined by the somewhat local band Menomena, off of Barsuk, and openers were Boat and Blitzen Trapper. The show was nothing short of excellent. I was front row center for all the sets and took some pictures which can be found on my newly established flickr here. I stormed the stage and snagged the Menomena setlist.
Weird
Muscle
Cough
BoySmitw
West
Pelican
My My
Ghost
Wet
20 Cell
Rotten
Evil
Nighttime Photo Sess with Nikki:
Saturday night was kind of rough. I attempted to grab Mountain Goats tickets at the door, because the show just changed to All Ages at the last minute. I was unsuccessful and had to mob back quickly to campus to do my radio show (to be posted later, I promise). After my radio show I felt a bit down due to the lack of John Darnielle in my life. Luckily, my friend Nikki, who I hadn’t hung out with in a long time, was down for kicking it. We took many photos experimenting with my Sunpak flash and her Nikon camera. Photos can also be found on my flickr.
Guitar Jamming with Jessie:
Recently I’ve been playing a lot more guitar than usual. Tim introduced me to one of his friends, Jessie Gracic. She’s quite good at guitar and is a stellar singer and songwriter. Lately I’ve been playing guitar with her quite often. She actually invited me to play a show with her, two weeks from Sunday. We’ll be opening for an all acoustic set for the bands Holyfield and Moneta. I don’t know what I’ve done to receive this gift, but this is something I’ve always wanted. I’ll keep you posted one what’s going down in the coming weeks. I’m hyped.
Other than that, life has been going seemingly well. As mentioned earlier I now have a flickr, and I also just acquired a last.fm. Yeah, I’m getting pretty Indie. One of my best friends from back home, Neil Parikh is coming to visit on Friday, so I’m getting really excited for his visit. He’ll be joining me in studio this Saturday for the Big O so be sure to tune into that or download the show once it’s up.
I leave you with what I’ve been listening to as of late:
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin — Pershing
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks — Real Emotional Trash
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down — We Brave Bees Sting and All
Throw me the Statue — Moonbeams
Hey everyone, this is just a little update for those of you who don’t know, now you know. I left Seattle (much needed) yesterday at around 1:15 PM cutting it really close seeing as my flight to Chicago O’Hare was at 2:50. I managed to board the plane successfully, without any “random bag checks”; which is always a great surprise.I had to switch planes in Chicago and managed to get a transfer straight to Willard in Urbana, Champaign.
Once I arrived, I took a shuttle to Prashant’s dorm. I’ve been having a great time kicking it with the bros (Prashant and Calvin) and tomorrow I’m off to Chi-Town to visit a good friend of mine, Kathleen. More in depth posts to come when I return to Sea-Town, get my pictures developed, and get my act together.
Here’s what I’ve been reading:
Nick Hornby — Fever Pitch
Daniel J. Levitin — This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
Listening to:
Amp Live — Rainydayz Remixes
Atlas Sound — Let the Blind Lead those who Can See but Can Not Feel
Bangers & Cash — Bangers & Cash
Beach House — Devotion
Born Ruffians — Red, Yellow, and Blue
British Sea Power — Do You Like Rock Music?
Headlights — Some Racing, Some Stopping
Hot Chip — Made in the Dark
The Mountain Goats — Heretic Pride
This Will Destroy You — This Will Destroy You
In short, I’ve been enjoying myself. New music rules, Pleasure reading rules, Traveling rules.
Keep on keeping on.
So two days have passed and I’m still stuck in this never-ending rut. Last night I went to my aunt’s house which was so comforting. I feel like I’m part of that family whenever I’m there, that’s the special thing about my extended family, they’re just like my nuclear family. I arrived back in the dorms an hour before my radio show, and the funk came back. I don’t know what it is, but lately I can’t get out of this state of mood I’ve been in. Lots of plans have been cancelled on me, and I’m just getting tired of it. I’m thinking that I’m going to start sticking to myself a bit more now as a result. We’ll see what happens. I’m missing home and all my friends and family so much. I can’t wait to see them all, everything seems balanced and perfect when I’m with them. Until then, I’ll wait it out. As shitty as that will be.
Obligatory Songs:
This week has been pretty uneventful to say the least. I’ve been stuck in the doldrums of college life. I’m beginning to miss home now more than ever. There’s something so familiar and comforting about home that is indescribable. Some of that feeling comes back whenever I visit my Aunt’s house here, but I can only do that so often. On top of that, it turns out I’ve got an ear infection. One of my favorite hobbies, listening to music, is now at a handicap, and that’s a bitch.
Anyways, I picked up a few things from Glazer’s (the camera store) earlier this week. Including a Sunpak auto 433D flash for a really good price and a good deal of 3200 film for my trip to Illinois next week. If anything is going to save me from this rut I’ve been slipping into, it’ll be that trip. Sadly and stupidly, I forgot I had a midterm on Friday and I’m planning on leaving on V-Day (the 14th) so I need to see if I can take it earlier. If not, I’m going to be quite upset. Oh well, we’ll see what happens.
Speaking of home, I’m coming back around the 20th. I was planning on staying in Seattle to see a Justice/Diplo show but the homesickness has gone too far. There are a number of good shows in the D.C. area anyways, including The Mountain Goats and Fuck Buttons, to make up for it.Hopefully I’ll get pulled out of this funk soon. I can often be my own best friend, but it only works for so long.
My dad shipped out my skateboard last weekend and I skated today for the first time in months. Skating often clears up my head, rids me of all my problems, and gives me a hint of home that I can not find anywhere else. It was good, and it helped. Now I’m looking for sleep to clear up the rest of my problems.
On Repeat: Born Ruffians — Foxes Mate for Life
Obligatory Song: Fuck Buttons — Bright Tomorrow
