#31!

This is the big 31st blog entry. Finally out of the younger years and settling into the relaxed routine of mid-life. Maybe my blog will start to settle down, consider a family, really get down to thinking about the important things in life. It's about time to put down a down payment on a beautiful suburban home, buy a lawnmower, and start looking through the phone book for a company that builds good, solid decks. This blog is thinking about the future.

But not the present. This blog is not at all concentrating on what's going on at the present or what would be interesting to write about in it. Too much thinking about great future entries, or reminiscing about earlier, more raw, and more heartfelt entries, before it had sunk into a routine that worked, but didn't quite capture the energy and enthusiasm of its youth.

This blog is at a crossroads - will it get mired down by its past, too caught up in its future, or will it concentrate on turning out good product during its present? Only time will tell what the present will hold in the future...

Muzak

First off, do you like how plain and unassuming my blog is now? Pretty stupid.

So last week I was going through some old song files on my computer from when Zack and I first started fucking around and recording the results of our goofballism freshman year. I was surprised that there are a couple of workable songs in all that screaming and laughing. Prompted a discussion between Z and I about recording and arranging a few different versions of some of our songs.

Also have had discussions with Pete about our potential to really make each of our shows unique for the crowd and for ourselves. Not just through playing a solo differently or playing a different setlist, but just give a show a little extra something, whether it's a costume we wear or a song we make up on the spot or a little joke we pull or whatever. We both think this could create incentive for people to come to our show as well us keep us thinking about ways to push ourselves past the boundaries of the group a bit. Exciting stuff.

Anyway, very excited about the group's potential. ~2 months til a reunion show in February. I'm sure the 3 or 4 people actually reading this already know about it, or will shortly, but regardless they will be reading about it with increasing frequency in this space.

Enthusiastic goodbye.

Reminiscing

As I stand there looking at all the dishes piling up in the sink, on every counter, and on the stove, I remember the post-dinner routine when I was 12 or 13. I looked forward to cleaning the dishes, not because of the actual cleaning, but because of the accompaniment.

My parents gave me and my brother the chore of scrubbing all the pots and pans clean, I can only assume, in the hopes that we would acquire a good cleaning ethic. But we both hated it, so we'd pop a tape into the kitchen tape machine and listen to music to lessen the boredom and wasted time of washing dishes.

Without the music, it might have taken us 15 minutes to finish all the dishes. Because of the music, it usually took us between an hour and an hour and a half. The music in question was either a bootleg of the Allman Brothers at Woodstock '94, or some mix tape that had 'Freebird' on it.

Both of us have a natural talent for air guitar. We should probably start an air band and tour. This is what kept us in the kitchen all that time. 'Freebird' on repeat, 10 straight minutes of dual air guitar, over and over, with a few dishes scrubbed while the tape rewound, or while the slow first half played, until all the dishes were clean.

'Freebird' was the only reason to do those dishes. So now when dishes pile up, and I sit on my lazy ass in front of a computer, wishing I had 'Freebird' on a tape somewhere so I could get them done.

Hope you like numbers.

Finally done with Final Fantasy XII. Story wore a bit thin, but the cinematics and the gameplay are pretty spectacular. Now I'm hell-bent on finishing some of the older FF's, most notably IX and VIII. Also looking into III on the DS.

Also started reading Book 2 of Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series, all about time. Turns out that Chronos, the Incarnation of Time, moves backwards through life while we all move forward. I really enjoyed Book 1 (re: Death) so I'm excited about the prospects of this one.

I am bored. You don't care about what I'm writing about. Let's call it off. Be back when I'm more interesting.