Astronauts and Epilogues

Electric Swill

2009-03-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

The world isn't the glamorous potato it's made out to be anyway. The sooner this is realized, the sooner we can dash our illustrious misconceptions and proceed to engage said potato in meaningful ways.

Download "Electric Swill" for free

Or stream it for free

Yada Yada,
Brennan

From the Outer Space of the Internet

2009-02-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

So here are some facts:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

from Winelibrary Order Department
to musicianslashwriter@gmail.com
date Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 6:09 PM
subject Winelibrary Tracking Information.
mailed-by winelibrary.com

Your order has been confirmed.
Here is important information pertaining to your order:

NOTE: Title to, and ownership of, all wine passes from Wine Library to the purchaser in the State of New Jersey and the purchaser takes all responsibility for the shipping it from New Jersey to his/her home state. By arranging for transportation of the wine, Wine Library is providing a service to, and acting on behalf of the purchaser. By utilizing this servicefrom Wine Library, the purchaser is representing that he/she is acting in a fashion compliant with his/her local and state laws regarding the purchase, transportation and delivery of wine. The purchaser represents that he/she has obtained any required permission, paid any required fees, is working through properly licensed intermediaries where required, is legally entitled to take possession of wine and is legally entitled to take quantities ordered and once again authorizes that he/she is 21 years of age.

**NOTE: Tracking numbers provided within MAY not be active yet. If you get a notice about it being an invalid tracking number, please try again the following morning.

Order Number: O547990
Customer Number: 111344

Tracking Link: http://www.fedex.com/us/tracking?link=1

Tracking Number: 043861762004331

------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you're scratching your head right now it's because you didn't click the link, or I suppose a number of other reasons. Regardless, the gist of it is that the gifts arrived well before 2009 struck.

That apartment watched the planes go, bye.

Xbox is halfway there

2009-01-25T21:01:00.001-08:00

They are. They really, really are. Say it with me or at least think it in your head.

So here's the deal: in the new xbox experience (or NXE as it's called) you can browse through new release movies, television shows, music videos, just like Hulu, Youtube, etc. But the problem is that unlike other services in which you can stream the content for free (YouTube) or with limited ads (Hulu), Microsoft has offered up the suggestion that we still want all this stuff for a small fee. What's worse is that they (NXE) think charging a user to view this stuff is still relevant. I can view this stuff on my computer, no problem. And an xbox is built open enough so that I can use other services (windows media center, playon, tversity) to stream local and internet content (Hulu, Youtube). So why not just induct it into the NXE?

Here's how everyone wins: the end user gets a better experience: easier access to libraries of entertainment, and xbox becomes heralded as a backer and friend of like-thinkers. Walls with ones and zeros are simple enough to change when new ideas roll around. The box that can become the clearest wins. It's not that we don't love your ideas, Microsoft. What is important is that you understand the nature of our relationship: you give us something great, and we'll make it something greater. It's only natural that a system that encourages togetherness will brew crafty ideas. Now it's your own fault, Microsoft, for dragging your feet and delaying what could be an even better xbox experience.

Some links:

http://tversity.com/

http://www.themediamall.com/playon

http://www.hulu.com/

http://www.youtube.com/

Bad news for Blockbuster

2009-01-02T23:46:00.000-08:00

So far this Friday had nothing to squawk about. It proceeded as planned: an hour of job hunting, some breakfast, a little exercise, more job related endeavors, and finally culminating in a relaxing session of Halo. So far this Friday had been pretty great but what happened next was what put it over the top.

1. Cut out the middle man.

The world is overrun with these pesky half-trys of business models. They exist to make life easier, or so they say. But in reality the world would be a simpler place without them. Which leads me to what I stumbled across while playing Halo tonight.

The new NXE interface is pretty sweet. It's a complete overhaul of how the xbox feels and brings with it a new list of features available to the xbox owner. Netflix now streams to your xbox (in HD). One can now purchase & download movies (in a variety of qualities) straight to the xbox. Community games, created by regular people, can be purchased or demoed directly from your xbox. It just takes up some space but 120GB is a fat enough wallet.

What caught my eye was something much smarter than anything I've found on my wii: demos of the latest games. Yes, I am as of 11:56p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2009 downloading demos for Too Human, Tomb Raider, Mirror's Edge, Banjo Kazooie, Lego Batman, Dead Space, and some Lord of the Rings title. All for free. And if I'm debating whether it looks worthy of download space there're game trailers and screenshots to view. All for free. If the game's rad, I can buy/download it right then and there.

So if Blockbuster CEOs are up late playing their xboxes they might want to realize that despite it's awesomeness this doesn't bode well for their company's position in the video game market.

Is Blockbuster really hoping to live on as merely a rental service? Seriously guys? I noticed you've added gummy bears in the snack aisle leading up to the checkout counter but besides that what have you really innovated in the last decade?

2. Competition

Why not just be able to trade your game backups (when you download your game to your hdd)? Just associate some special key with it and then let the end-user (who know legally owns that specific copy of the game) control the transaction completely. It's their money anyway - they spent it originally. And seeing as it's not a copy there shouldn't be as much to guffah about.

3. The Nostalgic Bus.

The reason, I think, that I held off on the whole console wars escapade (and didn't just leap out at the 360) was based off of some preconceived notion that Microsoft products are POS hand-me-downs of the tech world. BSOD is justly infamous. All it took was for a spark happiness derived from video games to flare out.

There's something wonderfully centering about reconnecting with past experiences. For me it was playing super nintendo with my brother, blasting through levels on Super Metroid, or at each other in mech games. On the flipside of the nostalgic bus...something plainly predictable awaits.

The list of positives for the Xbox360 continue to climb. All I can suggest is that you get one and enjoy the hell out of it.

A Collage of Westmont on Fire

2008-11-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

I wanted to create something in remembrance of this event. So I took all the photographs that Brad Eliot took when Westmont was burning, I forget the link but I downloaded all of them. Anyway, I composed this using all 42 pictures.

Conversation of my life.

2008-10-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

(10:08:05 PM) Markus: look at what you wrote
(10:08:11 PM) Brennan: no
(10:08:14 PM) Brennan: i refuse
(10:08:17 PM) Brennan: to scroll ujp
(10:08:21 PM) Brennan: it's like tetris
(10:08:40 PM) Brennan: there's no going back, im unidirectiol
(10:08:41 PM) Markus: "because of your mi8stake"
(10:09:07 PM) Brennan: voices from the future
(10:09:12 PM) Markus: HA
(10:09:19 PM) Brennan: tell Return of the Jedi to download faster
(10:09:38 PM) Markus: DO IT!
(10:09:41 PM) Markus: okay, done
(10:11:47 PM) Brennan: that didn't even tingle it's bits
(10:12:03 PM) Brennan: (the pun master is in town)
(10:12:36 PM) Markus: byte me
(10:13:17 PM) Brennan: that hrtz

I'll explain more about this later on. Just wait and smile.

Thieves - a missing link?

2008-09-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

*Am I far off on this one?

It feels like it could lead into something very well. Don't know what quite yet. Some ideas floating around. Tinkering around like some blimp mechanic.

A lot of the tracks need polishing, that's a given since this is all just being mashed together with my looping pedal. I have a very high chance of becoming overwhelmed when the choice of possibility is presented. Maybe I'll have my new mac by then and it'll be my first project. Though I suspect I may become an electronica junkie right off the bat with all the beats I see you can make.

Now I'm reconsidering moving parts around, the actual composition comes next. Things are getting exciting.

A sudden ambush of stuff lunged up at me continually for the past few weeks.

I've been mulling over another piece for a while, trying to decide whether or not it belonged in this song. Since then I have come to the conclusion that it deserves its own legs. With that decided my brain decided to finally move past the tumble dry stage and come up with this bit. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Part 1 - rCut2.
Part 1 - rCut3.

Lyrics:
Don't be afraid of me.
Lock your windows now they're coming.
Don't be afraid of me.
I will stop pretending if you do.
*CherubBoyy

Edit 11/24/2008:
Added Part 2 - rCut3
rCut3 adds a hint of xylophone and a new bass line over the "Lock your windows" line.

Thieves - another part of the puzzle

2008-09-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

A lot of interesting things have been happening with this song. It originally started as this sort of meeting place where the members of The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Smiths sat down around a large wooden table and reminessed about their teenage years. But then space shot out my ears and the reverb dial couldn't hold still. After I had posted the part that I posted earlier, I went back and rethought a lot about how these bits would sound and how they would work together.

I'm not sure if I've achieved either but I suppose these are the medium stages of a longer process.

I present my audience with another part from Thieves - my work in progress.

Lyrics:
Who are you? Leave us alone. Thieves!

Fun facts about this chunk:
- didn't sound anything like this until after a wonderful bike ride at night where I met a fellow musician, Demez, who was also enjoying a bike ride.

- it's my first recorded guitar solo

- it's unfinished

- You'd think that a second piece of a song would clue its author in on what it's about.

Enjoy,

Brennan

P.S. I just noticed that mediafire (download host) has added a little ad beside the download button. Make sure to uncheck it unless you really like spam. Click on my ads instead.

[Edit: September 16, 2008 @10:27 p.m.]

Added new cut.

Will be posting all subsequent cuts of this part when they become available.

Thieves - part4 - cuts

2008-09-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This is a section of a song I've been working on. It's called "Thieves". I thought it might be fun to show the/my fractal stages of songwriting.

Lyrics:
We need to feed. We are never full. We are thieves.

Links that are [hopefully] working:

Part4 - Cut2

Part4 - Cut3

If I can be as productive on the other parts I will upload those as well.

[Stay tuned. Use headphones.]

Cheers,
Brennan

[Edit: September 16, 2008 @10:17 p.m.]

Added old cut. For comparison's sake.

Will be posting all subsequent cuts of this part when they become available.

Items of Interest

2008-08-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight, on the eve of my 23rd birthday, I started a project.

I'm calling it 'Items of Interest' and it is as the name implies: about interesting things.
I have tasked myself with photographing items that strike me as interesting (people, objects, places) from here and there.The goal of this project is to discover these items along the routes that I take everyday or that reside within a close proximity to my apartment. Through this I hope to gain thoughts and ideas that originate from reflecting on these pieces.

There are rules of course.
For instance, I can only take one shot of each item. (So make it count.) Also I am not allowed to overlook an item of interest. If the notion registers for even the slightest second, due must be paid. This is not a race. That would overlook something key in this whole exercise: the matter of slowing down.

I hope to document my findings both here and within a Picasa album that I'll soon be creating and adding to this post. You didn't think I was going to leave you out of this?

----------
As soon as the earth is a blurry photograph, it'll only be shootable from space. We move too fast around here. Everything changed yesterday. And as for today, it already feels like tomorrow.
----------

Cheers,
Brennan

-----------------------------------------
*Edit (August 20, 2008)*
Web Album:

Items of Interest

The Butterscotch Family sticks together.

2008-08-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

That is all.

Puppy Chow

2008-08-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

Directions:

1 stick margarine (microwave1 minute on 50%)

1 cup chocolate chips (add, microwave 1 minute on high, stir, micro 15 sec on high)

1/5 cup peanut butter (add, microwave 40 sec. on high)

After melted, pour over 7 cups Chex

Add 2 cups powdered sugar

Put in a bag and shake it all about.

The game that we played

2008-08-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

(9:06:15 PM) Brennan: would you rather eat a cocksickle or a poopsickle?
(9:06:25 PM) Brennan: (like an ice cube with a nougatey center)
(9:06:33 PM) Markus: oh god
(9:06:57 PM) Markus: I'd rather not have a popsicle ever again than have either of those
(9:07:17 PM) Brennan: not a choice, you can only pick from the selection given
(9:07:39 PM) Markus: I'm stating preference, and declining to answer
(9:07:43 PM) Brennan: No loopholes. Air enclosed box.
(9:07:59 PM) Markus: which means I suffocate one way or the other
(9:08:09 PM) Markus: if I'm dead, no choice must be made
(9:08:30 PM) Brennan: well one choice must've to result in the daisy-pushing
(9:08:35 PM) Markus: no
(9:08:41 PM) Markus: "air inclosed box"
(9:08:52 PM) Markus: I asphyxiated while considering my answer
(9:08:57 PM) Brennan: well, there are a few plants in there to help you out
(9:09:03 PM) Brennan: you never asked
(9:09:03 PM) Markus: HA!
(9:09:08 PM) Markus: HAHAHAHAHA
(9:09:09 PM) Brennan: I never said
(9:09:10 PM) Markus: LOL
(9:09:23 PM) Brennan: so choose you must
(9:10:14 PM) Markus: a few plants wou;dn
(9:10:18 PM) Markus: *wouldn't do it
(9:10:31 PM) Markus: there must be an ocean with algea in this box
(9:10:35 PM) Markus: or at least
(9:10:43 PM) Markus: a moderately sized pool
(9:10:47 PM) Markus: is there a pool?
(9:10:52 PM) Brennan: yes
(9:11:02 PM) Brennan: but out of reach of the participant
(9:11:13 PM) Markus: DAMN
(9:11:20 PM) Markus: You knew I was gonna drown
(9:11:38 PM) Brennan: until I press this button this invisible curtain will guard you from jumping in
(9:11:54 PM) Markus: ok, I've got it, I used my belt to hang myself
(9:12:06 PM) Brennan: there's no clothes in this box
(9:12:06 PM) Markus: And I definitely have a belt
(9:12:10 PM) Brennan: they disappear upon entering
(9:12:12 PM) Markus: I always have a belt
(9:12:19 PM) Markus: no, I would never walk in that box
(9:12:22 PM) Brennan: which begs the question of who is this perverted box-keeper
(9:12:47 PM) Brennan: which needn't be answered at this juncture
(9:12:50 PM) Markus: no clothes, no go in box, no choice must be made
(9:13:07 PM) Markus: clothes->in box->death->no answer
(9:13:08 PM) Brennan: this box was a trap that you walked into accidentally, without your knowing
(9:13:14 PM) Markus: oh
(9:13:33 PM) Markus: hrm
(9:13:33 PM) Markus: well then, I'm naked in a box?
(9:13:45 PM) Brennan: apparently
(9:13:49 PM) Markus: stab myself with one of the plants you said were nearby
(9:13:54 PM) Markus: death again
(9:14:03 PM) Brennan: again, invisible curtain.
(9:14:04 PM) Markus: also
(9:14:41 PM) Markus: the invisible curtain is unbreakable, or impenetrable, or otherwise solid and will not allow me to break through?
(9:14:59 PM) Brennan: did I mention the box was really tall so the curtain also goes up high and then there's ventilation slits between your portion of the room and the plant's (up high)
(9:15:11 PM) Brennan: and this curtain is unbreakable. but I can move it with this button.
(9:15:18 PM) Markus: nice curtain
(9:15:20 PM) Markus: as a sidenote
(9:15:23 PM) Markus: ok then
(9:15:32 PM) Markus: then I bludgeon myself against it until it kills me
(9:15:50 PM) Markus: you said it was definitely solid while it existed
(9:16:02 PM) Markus: *was in place
(9:16:12 PM) Markus: *I'm assuming it always "exists"
(9:16:28 PM) Brennan: surprisingly cushy to human touch
(9:16:42 PM) Markus: completely solid, you said so
(9:16:56 PM) Markus: completely solid implies hard
(9:16:59 PM) Brennan: solid doesn't imply non-cushiness
(9:17:09 PM) Brennan: structurally sound
(9:17:11 PM) Brennan: how's that
(9:17:50 PM) Markus: ok
(9:17:56 PM) Markus: I'll grant you that
(9:17:58 PM) Markus: for now
(9:18:01 PM) Markus: so then
(9:18:10 PM) Markus: how do I eat in this box?
(9:18:14 PM) Markus: I mean
(9:18:25 PM) Markus: it may take me a while to come to this decision
(9:19:09 PM) Markus: also, aside: you started all of this with your "airtight box" thing, you realize this yes?
(9:20:07 PM) Brennan: I told my housemates that I was having the most interesting conversation.
(9:20:20 PM) Markus: indeed?
(9:20:22 PM) Markus: very nice
(9:20:28 PM) Markus: so
(9:20:35 PM) Markus: how do I eat in the box?
(9:21:13 PM) Markus: press the button and push food through the gap in the wall perhaps?
(9:21:25 PM) Brennan: matter can be served by traveling from the opposite side of the wall and onto your side.
(9:21:50 PM) Brennan: but yes, again the button is pressed.
(9:21:50 PM) Markus: but the wall must be opened somehow
(9:21:52 PM) Markus: ok
(9:22:00 PM) Markus: plate of food?
(9:22:01 PM) Markus: bowl?
(9:22:06 PM) Markus: platter?
(9:22:33 PM) Brennan: fruits and such. things that you can eat raw and survive.
(9:22:42 PM) Markus: served on?
(9:22:49 PM) Brennan: by themselves
(9:22:49 PM) Markus: come on now
(9:22:51 PM) Markus: be civil
(9:22:57 PM) Brennan: they're washed
(9:23:08 PM) Markus: the floor could be dirty
(9:23:17 PM) Markus: my ass has been touching it
(9:23:22 PM) Markus: because I'm naked
(9:23:38 PM) Markus: I'm not going to kill myself with the plate
(9:23:40 PM) Markus: I promise
(9:23:40 PM) Brennan: utmost sanitary codes does this box stand by
(9:23:54 PM) Brennan: and no plate.
(9:24:06 PM) Markus: ok
(9:24:14 PM) Markus: I don't need a plate anyway
(9:24:16 PM) Markus: savage
(9:24:24 PM) Markus: what kind of fruits?
(9:24:41 PM) Brennan: stuff it knows not to serve you in case you're allergic
(9:24:45 PM) Markus: apples, oranges, avacados?
(9:25:07 PM) Markus: strawberries, melon?
(9:25:15 PM) Markus: not allergic to any fruit
(9:25:53 PM) Brennan: only when you are too weak to move from refusal to eat will food be served so that you could never be too strong to use it in a hurtful manner
(9:26:11 PM) Brennan: against yourself
(9:26:32 PM) Markus: ok, but what fruit do I get to eat, it may influence my decision based on aftertaste and flavor mixture
(9:26:50 PM) Brennan: neutral fruits
(9:26:58 PM) Markus: so avacado.......
(9:27:02 PM) Markus: *avocado
(9:27:11 PM) Markus: ................lame
(9:27:17 PM) Brennan: you love avocado
(9:27:22 PM) Markus: I do
(9:27:27 PM) Markus: but it is neutral
(9:27:30 PM) Markus: as you said
(9:27:37 PM) Markus: no way to mask flavors
(9:27:51 PM) Markus: are you sure I'm stuck with avocado?
(9:29:35 PM) Brennan: that may be one of the selection
(9:29:40 PM) Brennan: no way to say for sure
(9:29:49 PM) Brennan: until it happens
(9:29:54 PM) Markus: I hope not.
(9:30:02 PM) Markus: strawberries
(9:30:09 PM) Markus: now that would be great
(9:30:14 PM) Markus: but not neutral
(9:30:15 PM) Markus: lame
(9:31:13 PM) Brennan: Avocado's, also known as "the fertility fruit" by the Aztecs, may influence your decision.
(9:31:27 PM) Brennan: *Make you decide faster.
(9:31:36 PM) Markus: I'm okay with that
(9:31:43 PM) Markus: get it over with I say
(9:31:45 PM) Markus: speaking of
(9:31:54 PM) Brennan: have you come to a conclusion?
(9:31:57 PM) Markus: can this situation be prolonged indefinitely?
(9:32:01 PM) Markus: like
(9:32:14 PM) Brennan: till the end of time itself. this box will stand.
(9:32:15 PM) Markus: as long as I need time to think, I will have it?
(9:32:19 PM) Markus: wonderful
(9:32:43 PM) Markus: then I choke myself with my own long grown hair
(9:33:19 PM) Brennan: you are trimmed when you sleep and sleep you eventually must
(9:33:29 PM) Markus: not so sir
(9:33:31 PM) Markus: one moment
(9:34:41 PM) Brennan: A tiny, non-lethal neurotoxin that inhibits hair growth is released into the air on a steady enough basis to keep your locks at bay.
(9:35:05 PM) Markus: awesome
(9:35:07 PM) Brennan: smart box
(9:35:11 PM) Markus: I'm happy with that
(9:36:58 PM) Markus: neurotoxin will eventually build up in my system enough to paralyze me and make answering the question impossible.
(9:37:06 PM) Markus: even if I live
(9:37:20 PM) Brennan: did you not read the "non-lethal" bit of what I just said.
(9:37:27 PM) Markus: I did
(9:37:32 PM) Brennan: it implies something
(9:37:39 PM) Markus: non-lethal does not mean non-paralyzing
(9:37:50 PM) Brennan: touche
(9:38:57 PM) Markus: and paralyzing, or killing nerves, is something neurotoxin does by definition
(9:38:57 PM) Markus: so
(9:38:57 PM) Markus: there we have it
(9:38:57 PM) Markus: I went to a Rose Parade party tonight
(9:39:23 PM) Brennan: the fruit also contain vitamins or sorts to counter the paralyzing effects of the neurotoxin, i.e. it combats the build up, and to keep you healthy.
(9:39:32 PM) Markus: good
(9:39:48 PM) Brennan: so make a decision, Rose parade partyer
**Markus disconnects from the internet
(9:42:09 PM) Brennan: cheater

----------
Author's Notes:

Don't ask.
This conversation outweighed its former contender for the spot.
Markus later admitted to wanting both as each sounded scrumptious.
(That last point was a lie.)

Underground Adversaries

2008-07-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Summers swept slowly across the diameter of Yolo county.
Dirty moles clambered about in their playpens.
Our lawn was the chosen build site for moletropolis.
They got a fresh coat of wet on their roofs each morning which kept their burrows chilled.
We got the opportunity to play who'll-twist-their-ankles-first.
Bum deal.

Four-Word Writing Lesson

2008-07-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Write more (dawdle less).

----------

Author's Note:

Take your own advice.

Twitter

2008-07-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

Our lives between blog posts and friend requests.

Fascinating concept.

And I'm a hopeless romantic for connectivity.

In case you're interested: http://twitter.com/blu3fish

Brain Fart

2008-07-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

Gross.

Eminent Catastrophe Imminent !

2008-07-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Titles like that are of absolutely no help. They do not even posture for a second that the asteroid may just miss, drifting right beside us as we all wave goodbye to doom. It's not very often we're given that chance, mainly because of titles like these. Surely the earth spins and decides for us where we'll be in our given orbit on a given day but let the same not be true about our articles of truth.
The matter in a fact should be neutral, indecisive, awkward and welcoming. Words that posses the fear to presume are dangerous when the very nature of the words are to be just the opposite.
Somehow these disruptions continue to ramble forth, popping out like gophers in front of a red plastic mallet. Bop them.

----------------------------------
Author's notes:

Why is a glitch in the realm of technology hailed to be the end of us all?
I wondered what causes that panic and came up with a fun idea.
Hopefully, you'll like it.
Those who don't could buy me a mac to teach me a lesson.

Being a writer (trails of thought)

2008-07-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

Has it really come to this?

Fresh out of college, three drinks in, and my shirt seems to be unusually aloof - this is the part of writing they never tell you about. The blogger - read: me - was not a course offered at my school. Perhaps it should have been. You'd think the late college nights would prepare a young, boyish writer for what may happen around the next bend. I just never thought "the next bend" translated into writer's block and eye strain. The hunched back was also a hidden bonus.
The blog reader - read: yourself - trolls the internet looking for tasty articles to snack on. Maybe it helps with those silence-breakers around your work's water cooler. Maybe it's for some hot date you have planned (read: unlikely). But that's OK. I'm here and I won't judge you. At least not until I get to know you. Hey, I'm just being honest. You're the one reading my blog. I didn't ask you to come here. But since you are here why don't you stay a while and poke around.
I talk to myself to motivate myself. Think of it as a personal trainer. One that has seen me naked. Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and think upgrade? Jesus, if only I had the time. And I do, which makes all the staring all the sadder.
Wasn't this supposed to be an article on Beck's new album? Sheesh, what have I been rambling on about for 15 minutes? Has it even been 15 minutes? That's another thing: deadlines, they no longer exist when you're unemployed. You could work on some 5-pager for a week, a month, a year if you wanted to. Sure, you'll feel like shit when you're half a page in and it's already July but it's still an option. No one's telling you what to do.
This is hell, or at least one of the outer rings. I had always pictured hell as this very cavernous, smokey lair; almost cartoonish. Now I think it looks a little more like life without boundary, without order (read: chaos). Chaos has an overwhelming ability to seduce and (as the name implies) implode your sense of order. Sure, when I was 17 and had plenty of the opposite, chaos seemed like the obvious choice. It was the different that made all the difference. But now, twenty-two and topless, a little bit of a balance would be welcomed warmly.

new batteries. old headphones.

2008-07-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is my musical cubicle.
What I do when I'm not scribbling.

Clockwise from Left:
1. (red) Boss GT6B pedal board
2. Fender Guitar Amp
3. GB Backline 110 Bass Amp
4. Yamaha ydp223 digital piano
5. Bose Noise=Canceling Headphones (w/fresh batteries)
6/ Tascam US-144 recording device
7. Korg MicroKorg
8. Korg er1 rhythm synthesizer
9. Korg ca30 tuner
10. Creative speakers
11. dad's old clarinet
12. Bow
13. Music Stand w/Notebook + Pens (black/blue)
14. Picks and sticks
15. Yamaha digital keyboard
16. Boss tu-2 chromatic tuner (no batteries)
17. Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass
18. brother's Fernandez electric guitar (on loan for my old bass)
19. mom's old spanish guitar
[Not Pictured]
20. Fender Precision bass (my 1st bass)
21. SWR Henry 8x8 Bass Amp (aka Hank) w/Ampeg B2R head

22. Boss RC-XL20 looping station

23. my age

Rude Breakfast

2008-07-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

"Eat me." -Breakfast

A Conversation - 6.19.8

2008-06-19T22:34:00.001-07:00

(10:03:56 PM) *Brennan: word to you, Salvador.
(10:04:08 PM) *Markus: Livingston, I presume
(10:06:10 PM) Markus: They are worried about losing me to a real job, so their having me come back in tomorrow for a half day
(10:06:19 PM) Markus: 3 days this week
(10:06:27 PM) Markus: when it is supposed to be once a week
(10:06:50 PM) Brennan: maybe you'll get a handjob next week.
(10:06:51 PM) Brennan: w00t
(10:06:53 PM) Brennan: for handjobs
(10:06:59 PM) Brennan: should be a bumper sticker
(10:07:07 PM) Markus: lol
(10:07:27 PM) Brennan: that would be cool if they kept asking you to come back more often though
(10:07:36 PM) Markus: yeah
(10:07:42 PM) Brennan: to be honest, I'd want to buy stock in that company
(10:07:53 PM) Markus: Hopefully I'll get this other job I interviewed for twice
(10:07:55 PM) Markus: yeah
(10:08:01 PM) Brennan: no one really comes close to their stuff
(10:08:01 PM) Markus: but they aren't public
(10:08:07 PM) Brennan: I know (I checked)
(10:08:14 PM) Markus: I know. The results are intense
(10:08:23 PM) Markus: even though it sounds like it should be really simple
(10:08:34 PM) Markus: based on the white papers and whatnot
(10:08:57 PM) Brennan: yeah. Sort of like a "wait, why aren't we just doing this" bit of moment
(10:09:01 PM) Markus: I have a feeling it works by managing probabilities of packet loss based on distance
(10:09:02 PM) Brennan: heard the new Coldplay yet?
(10:09:04 PM) Markus: yeah
(10:09:13 PM) Markus: among other things
(10:09:17 PM) Brennan: listening to it now.
(10:09:26 PM) Markus: I only have the single
(10:09:28 PM) Brennan: Was sort of unimpressed until '42'
(10:09:29 PM) Markus: but I love it
(10:09:30 PM) Brennan: oh
(10:09:45 PM) Markus: I did not realize the whole album was out
(10:09:46 PM) Brennan: which is the single?
(10:09:55 PM) Markus: they have a song called '42'?
(10:09:57 PM) Brennan: I got the one they released first, violet hill or sometihng
(10:10:00 PM) Markus: Viva La Vida
(10:10:01 PM) Brennan: yeah
(10:10:06 PM) Brennan: hm
(10:10:10 PM) Brennan: i heard that one on mtv
(10:10:11 PM) Markus: that's the single too
(10:10:28 PM) Brennan: Cool, poppy hooks and I dig em. But Violet Hill has this dark quality to it
(10:10:38 PM) Brennan: though, I must say the guitar solo near the end was a *yawn
(10:10:47 PM) Markus: sad
(10:10:57 PM) Brennan: made me want to go get a burrito from the fridge and forget about the song
(10:10:58 PM) Markus: I liked the inclusion of harpsichord like sound in viva
(10:11:03 PM) Markus: hahahaha
(10:11:05 PM) Brennan: that should be a warning in the notes of the song
(10:11:32 PM) Brennan: *song may make you want to go and get a burritto from yours or a nearby fridge
(10:11:44 PM) Markus: hahahahahahaha
(10:12:02 PM) Markus: hopefully you don't live near a mexican grandmother then
(10:12:11 PM) Markus: constantly with the good eats
(10:12:11 PM) Brennan: anywey. Have you heard Lil Wayne's new album? I know this is an odd question but you could be like me, an unlikely convert.
(10:12:22 PM) Brennan: that happened across one another at a record store
(10:12:24 PM) Markus: Lil Wayne?
(10:12:32 PM) Brennan: yeah, he's a rap artist
(10:12:39 PM) Markus: never heard of him to be honest
(10:12:48 PM) Brennan: no worries. Do you know Jay-z?
(10:12:53 PM) Brennan: he's pretty well known
(10:12:55 PM) Markus: Not had an opportunity to listen to much music lately
(10:12:57 PM) Markus: yeah
(10:13:02 PM) Markus: I do know Jay-Z
(10:13:07 PM) Brennan: he guests on one of Lil Wayne's new songs
(10:13:16 PM) Brennan: it's pretty cool
(10:13:27 PM) Brennan: really intense vocal imagery
(10:13:40 PM) Markus: intriguing
(10:14:15 PM) Markus: Is your band still together?
(10:14:21 PM) Markus: What happened with that>
(10:14:22 PM) Markus: ?
(10:14:41 PM) Brennan: because [Lil Wayne] is basically the next big thing in rap/hip-hop
(10:14:49 PM) Brennan: The Red Eyes? no
(10:14:50 PM) Brennan: we split
(10:14:56 PM) Brennan: punches were unleashed
(10:15:01 PM) Markus: hm. Well, at least I can say I've heard of him now
(10:15:04 PM) Brennan: kicks were ignited
(10:15:09 PM) Markus: Lead singer issues, yes?
(10:15:20 PM) Brennan: monkeys were exchanged
(10:15:29 PM) Markus: Indians were touched
(10:15:44 PM) Brennan: islands were inhabited
(10:16:06 PM) Markus: virgins were sacrificed
(10:16:25 PM) Brennan: dude, you can't go sacrificing virgins just like it's Thursday or soemthing
(10:17:27 PM) Markus: lol
(10:18:04 PM) Brennan: No, but a one of the guitarists left for a business thing and then we looked around for a replacement and couldn't find one that worked.
(10:18:24 PM) Brennan: the singer, my brother, and me tried to keep some pieces afloat; writing some songs here and there
(10:18:28 PM) Markus: wow
(10:18:39 PM) Markus: why'd he leave?
(10:18:41 PM) Markus: what the heck
(10:18:50 PM) Markus: you guys were getting good
(10:19:10 PM) Brennan: It was like who turned on the lights in the middle of a really good movie
(10:19:36 PM) Markus: yeah
(10:19:44 PM) Markus: why'd he leave?
(10:19:55 PM) Brennan: but they offered him this full time position at Washington state teaching. they even gave his wife a job. p[retty good deal
(10:20:12 PM) Markus: wow
(10:20:14 PM) Markus: I see
(10:20:15 PM) Markus: far move
(10:20:22 PM) Markus: can't telecommute to a band
(10:20:48 PM) Markus: yet
(10:20:54 PM) Markus: lame
(10:20:54 PM) Brennan: there was a thought to organize shows if he was going to be in the area ever again. or he comes down when we want to record something. but that, I don't know
(10:21:24 PM) Brennan: there's a lot of My Bloody Valentine and almost Jesus and Mary Chain in this new Coldplay album
(10:21:25 PM) Markus: yeah, how often would he possibly come down?
(10:21:37 PM) Brennan: who knows, it was a while ago
(10:21:46 PM) Markus: sad
(10:22:11 PM) Markus: I have no idea who any of those besidea My Bloody Valentine is you name dropper
(10:22:17 PM) Markus: *besides
(10:22:27 PM) Brennan: what can I say
(10:22:30 PM) Brennan: I drp names
(10:22:35 PM) Brennan: drip/drop?
(10:23:00 PM) Markus: lol
(10:23:15 PM) Markus: drip
(10:23:15 PM) Brennan: viva la vida has this weird pelvic-thrusting beat
(10:23:18 PM) Markus: name DRIPPER
(10:23:26 PM) Markus: yeah it does!
(10:23:34 PM) Markus: Been using it in your practice at work?
(10:23:40 PM) Markus: Last one, I promise
(10:23:55 PM) Brennan: I think we would explode with laughter if we ever got hi together.
(10:24:12 PM) Brennan: literally
(10:24:16 PM) Markus: I think that could happen anyway
(10:24:17 PM) Markus: lol
(10:24:20 PM) Markus: HAHAHAHAHAHA
(10:24:34 PM) Markus: good lord
(10:24:42 PM) Markus: the dog is choking on Spaghetti
(10:25:09 PM) Brennan: this feels like one of those rare moments where the term lol would actually apply
(10:25:09 PM) Markus: *NOT a euphamism*
(10:25:19 PM) Markus: good
(10:25:21 PM) Brennan: sometimes my coworkers type it and theyre sitting next to me
(10:25:27 PM) Brennan: I'm like: you didn't laugh out loud
(10:25:43 PM) Brennan: and then this image of me leaping out of my chair and kneeing them to the ground pops into my head
(10:25:52 PM) Markus: It always applies when I say it, you know I can never NOT laugh even when something is mildly funny
(10:26:06 PM) Markus: HAHAA
(10:26:08 PM) Markus: YES!
(10:26:10 PM) Markus: LOL
(10:26:18 PM) Markus: Seriously
(10:26:20 PM) Brennan: :)
(10:26:31 PM) Markus: people look at me funny for laughing at my computer all the time
(10:26:43 PM) Markus: Damn you Johnson
(10:27:04 PM) Brennan: it's what you get
(10:27:16 PM) Markus: yeah, you get it more though, much more
(10:27:23 PM) Markus: damn
(10:27:24 PM) Brennan: i wish
(10:27:25 PM) Markus: I'm sorry
(10:27:28 PM) Markus: I said last one
(10:27:31 PM) Markus: oops
(10:27:35 PM) Brennan: last one?
(10:27:51 PM) Brennan: did I mention we might get a hookah?
(10:27:54 PM) Markus: I was making another you have sex with your employers hoke
(10:27:58 PM) Markus: *joke
(10:28:00 PM) Brennan: a little one though, not like an elephant
(10:28:01 PM) Markus: wow
(10:28:02 PM) Markus: nice
(10:28:14 PM) Markus: too......easy......
(10:28:18 PM) Brennan: I can't have sex with my employers if I'm kneeing them to the ground
(10:28:24 PM) Brennan: com'n that just wouldnt make sense
(10:28:25 PM) Markus: true tha
(10:28:26 PM) Brennan: I expected more
(10:28:28 PM) Markus: *that
(10:28:30 PM) Brennan: *shame
(10:28:30 PM) Markus: you know
(10:28:58 PM) Markus: A guy just got arrested for having minors repeatedly knee him in the groin with his pants down
(10:28:59 PM) Brennan: *shoots it at Markus like Ryu from street fighter hai-o-ken-ing
(10:29:03 PM) Markus: so yeah, you could
(10:29:07 PM) Markus: if they were masochists
(10:29:29 PM) Brennan: he just got voluntarily beat the shit out
(10:29:31 PM) Brennan: of
(10:29:38 PM) Brennan: or at least his testicles did
(10:29:38 PM) Markus: *Markues Bounces it right back like Blanca shooting sparks
(10:29:46 PM) Markus: Yeah
(10:29:48 PM) Brennan: that mopve didn't reflect did it?
(10:29:50 PM) Markus: It was his idea
(10:29:56 PM) Markus: no
(10:29:57 PM) Markus: not really
(10:29:59 PM) Brennan: I didn't think so
(10:30:02 PM) Brennan: *shame
(10:30:03 PM) Markus: only in my head
(10:30:06 PM) Markus: HAHAHA
(10:30:13 PM) Markus: I've gotta go get some sleep
(10:30:18 PM) Markus: I have to be up early tomorrow
(10:30:19 PM) Markus: LAME
(10:30:20 PM) Brennan: it would be called 'fists of shame' in the game
(10:30:25 PM) Markus: lol
(10:30:29 PM) Brennan: it's not even 10:31
(10:30:40 PM) Markus: btw: Be Kind Rewind is slow, but tastey
(10:30:43 PM) Markus: I know
(10:30:47 PM) Brennan: I've heard
(10:30:53 PM) Markus: But I have to get up ungodly early
(10:30:58 PM) Brennan: but I havent had the oppurtunity to savor the sultry morsel
(10:31:03 PM) Brennan: how ungodly?
(10:31:08 PM) Markus: DownLOAD
(10:31:15 PM) Markus: like 6
(10:31:16 PM) Markus: ugh
(10:31:24 PM) Brennan: for FastPlow?
(10:31:31 PM) Markus: I need 9 hours normally
(10:31:34 PM) Markus: yeah
(10:31:46 PM) Markus: Plowing the snowy snowy streets of LA
(10:32:01 PM) Brennan: plowing? dude, you could catch something
(10:32:17 PM) Markus: wait, what?
(10:32:36 PM) Brennan: ever feel like characters you know from television are judging you?
(10:32:42 PM) Brennan: it's a very odd feeling I'm told.
(10:32:48 PM) Markus: HEY, you're trying to distract me and keep me talking, I won't fall for that, and yes, yes I do.
(10:33:00 PM) Markus: DAMMIT
(10:33:05 PM) Markus: It just happened again
(10:33:05 PM) Brennan: you spelled that wrong too
(10:33:09 PM) Markus: goodnight Brennan
(10:33:11 PM) Brennan: machete
(10:33:26 PM) Brennan: mache-che-chete
(10:33:34 PM) Markus: ?
(10:33:38 PM) Brennan: say it out loud
(10:33:50 PM) Brennan: it sounds funny
(10:34:02 PM) Brennan: and your mouth moves funny
(10:34:02 PM) Markus: goodnight sir
(10:34:08 PM) Markus: talk to you tomorrow
(10:34:09 PM) Brennan: goodnight
(10:34:14 PM) Brennan: Fastplow

-----------------------
Author's Notes:

Markus, don't be mad. The people needed to see this.
concept: composing a dialogue with another human being
question: which character do you know the full name of? reasoning?
alternate title idea: unlikely converts
spelling be damned
*the names in this story have been changed to protect the identities of the participants
I shouldn't be sitting this way while writing this.

Anxious Bo

2008-06-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's odd when you realize that you cut out smoking for special occasions altogether and have now proliferated to having to learn how to do normal things all the while. Hm, what would I be doing in normal life? What, I want to read the paper? That in and of itself would sell the product right there: Tired of the same, tired, flat letters? Then try this and watch the words JUMP off the page!

.....drat, YouTube.

-Bo

Egad.

2008-06-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

What a funny word;

"It is a wonder of beautiful consequence when the brain forgets and the imagination takes over. At this moment we are truly ourselves: quiet with endless possibilities."

/an excerpt of ideas / - .tnt.

2008-06-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

/Rex Stimmons or Timothy to his friends/
There I was sprawled out on the bathroom floor, sittin indian-style with my head against the door. The girl that was playing had the face of nobility. Sharp-as-glass features and frivolous hair. No one was home so I didn't bother to lock, or mute. She was doing her thing for the cash or the dope but I could never figure out which. The pipes pitched in, moaning up and down as the neighbors flushed and showered above and below. It only lasted 16 seconds, five seconds short of the record. The sun hadn't crossed past slanted infinity; it just hung half bent like some timeless entity.

/The Nobility/
One may think that we're all a bunch of stir-crazy romantics but sometimes it's only about the sex. There're some squawkers in the crew but their English is better than most. We paint ourselves up as picturesque parrots, dabbling up our pretty tricks. All that sweat talking - my favorite. Make believe is the same as you.

/ unnamed Joan Bones/
She's just a shout away if you need her. Some punk ass kids call her a twat. She doesn't know what that word means. She's pure. This kid is to be liked.
(Doesn't even have to be a character. I just like her name.)

--------------------------
Author's Note:

just some character planning
pay it no mind

Quotes of the Evening #2

2008-06-03T22:05:00.001-07:00

"I'm as clean as a cucumber."
"Are cucumbers particularly clean?"
"In June we are."

37 minutes later it was trumped by

"I wish I had rollerskates, but instead of rollers they'd have terodactlys."

---------------------
Author's Notes:

you try spelling pterodactyls correctly on your first go

Ducks and Violence

2008-06-01T18:55:00.001-07:00

Around here ducks and humans are close knit. Ducks aren't intimidated of a fancy car barreling down the lane (while the clock confirms you are now officially late for work); they'll walk across the street with that same fuck-you swagger that powers a run-on. Never increasing or otherwise. We almost appear jolly while idling. Sucking in the fumes we realize that if we were to jump out of the car and punch one in the head we'd probably only lose about 14 seconds in the process. But we withhold the very thing that makes these ducks cross toward the water in the first place.

The day the world flopped.

2008-05-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Take from it what you will.

Californication 8:25

2008-05-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

"Not only are you a cadaverous lay, you also have shitty taste in movies."
- Hank

Glorius Shuffle

2008-05-22T21:00:00.001-07:00

Tonight I saw my roommates fight to the tune of "Warwick Avenue" (0:00-1:26) by Duffy, an emerging soul artist from England. Another tiff screeched to life and was concludedly squashed as the song came to a close (3:47). They then ravaged each other with a bear hug until 1:09 in "Scared".

(Shuffle was turned on.)

Quotes of the Evening #1

2008-05-22T20:51:00.001-07:00

"Chris, guess what I did before you got home?"
"Uh, I'm not sure I want to guess."

Random #2 - Space Butt

2008-05-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

The floor is rumbling. I'm at work, sitting atop a spaceship at liftoff. I have not confirmed this but I suspect there to be thousands of generators sparking with life only a few feet below me.
Located in one of our many data centers, I cannot see farther than a few feet in front of me. Red cables, blue cables, orange cables, black cables, all manner of cables block out my sight. How will I stayed glued to this place when we reach another atmosphere? A coworker of mine labors assiduously beside me; making me look bad.
There's nothing for me to do yet so I continue to blog about being in space.
I thought space would be quieter. No solidarity can be held in this room. Hot air discharges from our rows of servers and into the cold. I'm glad that I brought my sweater. My original plan, a t-shirt, would not have cut it here.

----------
*will update when I get home (or so he says)

Random #1 - Sky Meat

2008-05-17T20:09:00.001-07:00

The sky is a slab of meet. Sliced thick it exposes layers of purple, peach, blue, and soon enough black. The outermost layer protects us from the most: space. Or at least it's supposed to. It's more lover than fighter. Passive by nature, our front line can be excessively friendly when it shouldn't, "Hello Mr. Asteroid. Have you seen these dinos? They're pretty friendly once you get to kno- Shit." Which leads me to my next point: we don't want a chatty epidermis. Ours should be cold and tough and slightly resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was the rip-my-own-arm-off type of Terminator that we knew and loved.
The shank in the middle just does it's job: transmit sensations of pain, itch, and temperature. Rinse/Repeat.
Planes darted along; bringing and taking the most and least important.

What connects us all here isn't as clear as a punch in the eye. Sockets rattle. No prisoners here, but plenty know the drilling dryness of getting by.

----------------
Author's Notes:

random uncensored
almost spelled Arnold's name right the first time (two letters off)
Whatever led me to think up imagery of meat for the sky I will never know
the last bit is ok
starts off trying to be X but quickly settles into a comfy spot

Edit - June 2, 2008:

added some new stuff
moved some words around
some even left

Be still.

2008-05-13T19:32:00.001-07:00

It's harder than you think.

------

Whenever the dust settles the only thing I can think about is kicking up some more.

What is this tension between peace and chaos?

Why does it exist in my head?

*Wishing it was sugar-coated so that I could be done with it*

Which reminds me: I'm celebrating an anniversary tonight (though it is officially tomorrow).

Whatever happened to a simple "I love you" and an arm wrestling match?

Whenever I get around to it, I'll be sure to post what I meant to post before this.
(The short version is already written. I'm just a lazy, couch potato. Don't tell anyone.)

P.S. The image of a potato sitting quietly on a couch doesn't strike me as lazy. Maybe the trick is to be as still as a couch potato.

The Way Death Is - En Route

2008-05-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hope full y

To night !

--------------

Edit: This has nothing to do with Mother's Day.

--------------

Edit (May 17,2008): Words are still sitting in my notebook. Jump, damnit!

snails!

2008-05-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

They're invading at an incredibly slow pace.

Breakfast Street - En route...

2008-05-04T20:56:00.001-07:00

I promised myself I would get a blog out today.

(This isn't it.)

Stay Tuned...

Breakfast Street

2008-05-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

.Sunday.
While amidst a partitioned hour, created specifically for swimming and writing, I came across something remarkable. Here, to the best of my abilities, I will try to recall and decipher what I saw and scribbled.
An airliner weaves around the gray clouds as the sunlight chokes its way through to the cool, brown earth below. The wind is blowing from the west over my bare feet. I imagine my feet are old man's feet with bronchitis. They are struggling to remember where they left their slippers and whether it's Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. I tuck them in under each other, switching occasionally to give the one on top a change of pace. From the hills pours a stream of tanks; warlords of clouds, balls of nightfall racing toward me at 3 in the afternoon. Another wave of planes adjust their angles of attack. But it's the ducks along the river banks that begin to make for the shores, and their homes; rounding up their families before the rain causes a panic.
The paths resemble conveyor belts; shuffling contents from location to location. They wrap harmlessly along the waterway. A woman wearing multiple sweaters and attached to a very brown husky strolls up to me and asks, "where is there a pool around here?"
At first I found this question to be odd. She clearly wasn't in swimming attire. But then I recalled that I was wearing flip-flops, a bathing suit, and a bright orange and red Garfield towel. This was common attire for writing in 50 degree storm weather, I assured myself. I notion that there exists a pool behind me in the apartment complex where I'm from.
------------
A deceptive pool of blue breaks through momentarily. I am distracted. Sunlight bursts through like a flare; reaching across everything. What if the picture was reversed? The houses, land, and everything in them suddenly began to float up. Certainly an odd sight for the cows in the hills. Their lives are so quiet.
------------
The human blanket moves out of sight, replaced with another woman wearing a purple track suit. Bouncing boysenberry trunks. She stands out. Her track shoes crunch on the rocks underfoot. The sounds reminds me of the sound my jaws make while chewing cereal. Some bits kick back up and off to the side as she runs. The next course arrives on wheels. A bike-riding couple peddles by, oblivious to the giant man-moving mechanism that they are on. He's wearing a long-sleeve, marmalade-orange sweater. They match. It's not that cute.
Tempos ring down the paths. As my hour nears its end, I am left with one image. One man in particular cannot stand the ringing. He is not wearing bright colors. He does not have headphones on. He is not smiling. The guy sits down and covers his ears. For a minute he stares out across the view, silent. The ducks have left. The wind picks up. A muffled noise rushes across my face. And without notice the man begins to wobble his head like a clock in reverse: up, left, down, right, up. Then in reverse order. The pattern continues for some time and during so the man says nothing. Up, left, down, right, up, right, down, left, up.....After this he stands up quietly and walks out of view.
The whole picture feels like clockwork or coffee at 9 a.m. - deceptively normal. My time is up. I head back home, taking a shortcut down breakfast street.

------
Author's Notes:

Imagery could be a bit more conducive
Feels a bit disjointed. Like two stories that never knew each other just found out they had the same mom, she just remarried.
Wait, so what is breakfast street?

I hat e to b e a flak e

2008-04-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Lanni e ,

I hat e to b e a flak e . But th e l e ast I can do is to b e an informativ e on e . So I must go ah e ad and dash your hop e s of s e e ing m e tonight ;) b e caus e I will unfortunat e ly not b e abl e to mak e it.
On th e bright sid e , last night I cam e up with a compl e t e ly diff e r e nt v e rsion of a song I wrot e . It's slightly out of control.

Brothers don't shake hands...

2008-04-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

...they write emails.
--------

You should see the wind blowing up here. I've never seen leaves with such resilience. It's like a one-legged Eskimo frozen to an iceberg, fighting a tidal wave. But the temperature is pleasant and the company is good so there isn't much to complain about. I had just forgotten the way the wind can make leaves shiver.
I've been listening to a lot of Elliott Smith and The White Stripes lately. The Icky Thump album is one, big, welcome-to-Jack-White's-cerebellum album; or at least was my impression. As far as E.S. goes, I've noticed that there are times while writing music that I slip into this state of mind in which I start channeling certain aspects of my current musical infatuation. Vocal tone or whatever it may be, it's an odd feeling but not one unwelcome.

Hope all is well.

Peace & Love,
Brennan

Funny Face

2008-04-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Stanley doben
what's your problem?
i can't release what I can't sell

It doesn't speak
It can't - lack of vocal chords you see

D is for deathly dim
heroine heroes, big time zeros

what a woman ought to think
pink shampoo, pink toothpaste

Rosey analogy.

Don't get caught
salmon lips rot
long looks lack the lost latch hour
try again mariam, try again to win

---

(Planes are landing and I'm not cohesive.)

Machine Gun

2008-04-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ratt-tat-tat. Everything begins.

When is the ride coming? He's already 10 minutes late.
When is a man afraid no more?
Don't you shoot him down! He's got to stay here. he ain't going nowhere.

The Odd

2008-04-12T13:02:00.001-07:00

(always pictured a female reading this)
We are the odd. We are the losers and winners of tomorrow. We are those that can no longer skim and now must really read what we've not really been reading.

It's a plow scraping over the concrete. This is the sound they make. They are those that skim along the top; the writer's that merely write. They're trying to reach the depths*, separated by a turtle shell of concrete. Each day, scraping along, trying new spots, trying to knock the loose bit that'll pull everything in along with 'em.

*deep mossy green that coats the outer blue

The pot-hole feet of the few that manage this shudder at the awesome feeling of the water. The weightless playground hangs suspended. Clear blue. Light shines through, connecting everything instantly.
Unsure, they prod the water cautiously. Who will go first? Their eyeballs rattle across each other; not so much connivingly, but rather in the eager sense of wondering: will it be me who goes first?
The surface-kids do not know of perfect. But that is alright. Neither do we.

......

Rent's Due

2008-04-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

I wish I had family in the mob.

Losing and Winning

2008-03-30T13:32:00.001-07:00

Are we slaves to our passions, mere drones on the sidelines cheering ourselves along?

Losing my sense of wonderment.

Icky Thump: The First Impressions

2008-03-28T19:24:00.001-07:00

(this is not finished)
I, like many others, have taken for Granted the talent of The White Stripes. I had written them off, life many others, as a notion of "unique;" that subcategory we hate to love to hate. I am blazed up, curtains drawn open to show the sunset during the foggy first rain, and headphones turned up. (my feet are up, the lights are perfect, and the skyline's fading out grey from the apartment's first rain).

(will get to earlier songs later)
(odd feeling that me and Jack White would get along, like be complementary musicians. what a strange thing to say.)

St. Andrew (This Battle In The Air)
Continues perfectly from previous track, slides in, takes 'what was' and turns it into 'what is or will be (or will be?)'
Where the fuck is my medication!!! ((St. Andrew (he screams into the night))

Little Cream Soda
I'm drunk and dancing in the middle of the floor
blurry lights
ruby rings do the same thing
Ridulin wonderchid (oh well oh well)
save the world / fuck you world (oh well oh well)
blink*******

Rag And Bone
dinner time
take two on the commentary, take two
Poetry Catacombs (gramarphones licking icecreamcones)

I'm Slowly Turning Into You
needed drums sooner
but when they come (bringing with them the bass instruments) hell couldn't feel better. (hell being indulgence.)
be stronger longer
faker
*dingdong**foodIShere*
i ordered pizza but the air tastes like graham crackers
slowlyturningintoyou (goddamnit=
guitar 3:48

A mArtyr For My Love For You
hear boy

Catch Hell Blues
Jam that turned into a good idea, "wait, what if I added this part"
The moment cloudy creativity locks into a stream of creativity
Watching a western that's not black and white but that brown lens color, looks like the film was buried in a cow field

Effect And Cause
Felt like I walked into a saloon
if you're headed to the grave you don't blame the hearse
I'm reacting to you

For the Birds

2008-03-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

My current girlfriend and I traveled to visit my parent's last weekend for Easter. She hates when I call her 'my current girlfriend,' but I like to think it gives her a note of ambiguity.
The sun was setting when we arrived at their country home. Clouds turned pink. The sky switched sides on the spectrum until the clouds turned to a misty gray. In the garage my old faithful dog, Katie, lay sprawled out on the cool concrete floor. It had been brought to my attention that over the years Katie had developed a severe case of arthritis. No longer could my childhood companion bound through the grass after jackrabbits or chase me around our acre of grass, seeing who was faster. She let out a sigh, as I approached. Perhaps the best she could do to say 'hello.' I knelt down to pet her, finding the exact place on her belly that made her hind legs do a sideways-gallop. Her eyes followed me as I got up to go inside, flicking off the garage light as I closed the door behind me.
Though Katie suffers from acute arthritis this has not seemed to impact her appetite one bit. Startling at first, my sister has warmly bestowed upon her the nickname of "Katie-Seal" since the two had first met. Since giving up the daily routine of walking around the property, Katie has gotten larger and larger; requiring us to loosen the notch on her collar a handful of times. She sits down in front of me, the weight on her shoulders forces her to lean slightly to one side. I loosen her collar again for added comfort, she's not trying to escape.
There is a marsh outside the window of my current apartment. Birds of all kinds share its waters and its food. Humans share the view, along with the path that runs through it. While walking along this exact path earlier today, I came across an alien breed of sandpiper. Sandpipers can be distinguished by their needle-like beaks which they stab into the sands along a water's shores, probing for their next wiggling snack. The specific bird that I spotted had a fiery orange head.
If I were this sandpiper, I would have gotten used to the taste of sand by now. It's not that it was particularly bad at what it did, it was the fact that this bird let its mouth hang, partially open, as it dove its tool into the buffet. The orange alien retracted its head violently, shaking it forward and backward with such force that any heavy, non-snacky particles would jettison loose. This is a gold digger's trick. If the sand weren't as malleable as it were I would suspect that these birds would quickly pace their beak-diving expeditions.
With their mechanical engines, the planes overhead butt into the conversation. How it is that a large, hunk of steel manages to stay afloat while a penguin cannot I can't tell. Something about bones. Something about propulsion. Flight is a gift reserved for the evolutionary elect and those with enough paper money to ward off gravity. "Flight" can be replaced with any number of words.
The planes' tiny reflection out swims the ducks. Reflection and real thing soar unhindered through the blue. What it must be like to be free, floating alongside the birds.

Mischievous Mirages

2008-03-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

...the job hunt warbles on...

At the moment, I'm feeling a bit like a desert camel, climbing dune after dune after dune. The sun is warm. Jeering vultures circle overheard. Palm trees waver like silverfish. But spirits are high and good company keeps me sane.

You're Qualified. Apply Here! =

Daring Duck

2008-03-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

I'm staring outside my window at the marsh. The wind beats down on the flaccid waters, creating waves from stillness. A lone duck battles the unforgivingly-natural force. To me it's just wind, but to the duck it's a typhoon. I watch as the duck tries to remain calm, bobbing left and right like marker buoys do when caught in the tide. The creature presses on. Abandoning its first plan the duck kicks its little webbed feet as fast as they go, knowing that a lift-off is out of the question. What is going through this duck's brain? Certainly death is not worth any amount of bread crumbs. Perhaps our feathery-friend is a thrill-seeker. No female ducks (or male ones for that case) can do what the rush of a near-death experience does for said duck.

It moves from left to right, across the marsh, and eventually out of site.

This entry took an unforeseen turn. My intention has been overridden. Thrill-seeking ducks only seem powerless.

7 seconds of fame.

2008-03-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight, March 23, 2008, the song "Hearts and Minds" from The Red Eyes was featured on the critically acclaimed, oscar-nominated television show: Dirt. This would not be as significant if I had not been previously associated with the band. Yes, me the music star, the bass player of the critically acclaimed, oscar-nominated musical group: The Red Eyes - that is I.

And then it was over.

Our short lived bout of gratification and accomplishments included a run-time shorter than the following outrageous statements, "They sell adult blow up animals?! What kind of sick fu-- wait, how cheap?"

But all jokes aside, the fact that one of our songs was featured on live TV made me smile.
It's just too bad that our song couldn't have debuted in conjunction with one of the episode's many uplifting examples of family values. Like when the rich asshole (who's married) slept with Courtney Cox (who's also married) but then stopped mid-thrust to answer an important phone call. We could've been that douche's ring tone! Alas, maybe next time - since there's bound to be more of this in the next showcasing of the show's moving-picture morality.

So boot up your favorite Bit Torrent clients and download episode 4, season 2 of Dirt. We come in sometime after the 2rd commercial break.

Cheers,

Teapots and Telekinesis

2008-03-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

Dear reader,

This blogger is frustrated from the fact that the only creative thing he has come up with all day is the title of this post.

Tomorrow holds a chance for me to be uprooted from unemployment. While the imagery of being torn from a comfy patch of cold soil may allude to the subconscious me screaming out to be left alone (carrots don't talk) (why have I labeled the inner-me a carrot?) the fact remains that I truly enjoy steamed vegetables.
The interviews will be taking place in the "city" - why it's called this and not San Francisco I have not yet deduced. Why I've stamped "Teapots and Telekinesis" as this blog entry's title I also have not deduced. Just my brain being random. Creativity is one of the few things that soaks outward.

Unemployed hack out.

Chicken Zoop for the Soul.

2008-03-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

Do you know what zoop is? Don't got nodding your head, you've never heard of it. So unless you have developed a brainwave inspectrometer and aimed it at me w/o my knowing (an ethical debacle in itself) then shush.

Truth be told I'm not quite sure the meaning of zoop either. This is what I do. I make up words w/o explanation to be inserted into conversation. Look at my oceanic depth of the English language. Investigate it's rooting if you wish, but the editors employed at Merriam-Webster are solid dunder. Now pass the '84 Lagune Bordeaux and let us speak on the 19th century petty bourgeois.

If more people talked like that we'd have greater casualties in the war on conversationalists. We must have a society that does not converse! Viva la DeEvolution!

(This post makes no sense to poultry.)

How Unexciting.

2008-03-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

Hello.

Guess this works.