I am uncompromising in my approach to life. I am happy with who I am.
Jan
03
2010
A new set of rules to play by
Hear that? It’s twenty ten! Yea! Time to hit that gym right? Hah no. I do that all the time. I’ve always laughed when people say they are going to try and change their lives in the new year. Then I find myself doing it and I can’t laugh anymore.
So, buoyed by a new film (Sherlock Holmes), I’m feeling rather proper and Irish at the same time again. At least I have some Irish in me so it’s not utterly shameless. I recommend trying this group called Patrick Street. I admit I don’t have much in terms of Celtic music (not “sell-tick”, “chel-tick”) but this is some of the best I’ve come across in my travels….from Dallas.
So today I’m off to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens and an art museum. I’ll report how that goes in due time.
Still looking for a job, but Sean recommends branching out from Finance. Probably a good idea given me looking for finance jobs has lead to a lot of not.
Dec
01
2009
Why?
There’s a local radio station that I listen to and one of their comedy pieces is to drop in random audio samples. One of my favourites is the 10:00 AM host saying, “why?” It’s rather funny when taken out of context instead of the other way around.
I’ve been trying to isolate myself from the goings on in America…but it’s getting harder and harder. I need change…desperately. I need a new job, I need some new stories, I need to feel human in some way.
Inquire within.
Nov
02
2009
New Observations / Thoughts
I’ve neglected this space. No excuses, I just have. So I’ll fill it in. First off, Brandace is the most on again off again friend ever. I really wished she wanted to be friends, but I can’t keep up with that lifestyle. So I’m on radio silent until she wants to be friends again. I’ve instead started spending more time with my oldest Texas friend, Melissa. There are two people that I’ve known the longest, Brad and Melissa. Honestly the people here are okay but most are not what I’d consider real friends.
Musically things have grown. I just saw Where The Wild Things are and it was a trip in a good way. The soundtrack really accentuated the strong bond Max and Carroll had when constructing the fort for the Wild Things.
I study a lot lately. It has zapped my free time into nothingness. Getting back on that calculus horse. It’s a challenge! There’s a new girl at work who is very quality. She has the right idea about things. I’ll get back to you on this one, dear reader(1).
I’m content right now. I’d like to date, but it’s not a priority in the slightest. I’m not going to sell myself down the river and compromise just to be able to be with someone. The right one will come along, or she won’t. There’s no middle here cap’n. Just get used to it.
I’ve always had what I consider to be an atypical experience. I don’t have particularly tons of friends, I enjoy overcast, rain, and a drive to one’s self playing good music. I guess I can appreciate the mellow side of life and some may say I’m not as upbeat. I wouldn’t change a thing. I like my viewpoints, I like my musical interests, and if you don’t, tough. Go eat lunch and hang out with your other cookie cutter friends. If you want different, come here. Something weird and unexpected. That’s me!
Aug
08
2009
Trance Rocking Into The New Millenium
I’ve always wondered, what group is my favourite? What artist defines my experiences, life, and general thought? This isn’t to say that every other group is not worth the time of day, but for me, at the end, if I had to take one artist’s catalogue to a desert island, what would it be?
I’ve found my group. I had liked their early material quite a bit, skipped the second album, been a bit depressed on the third album, etc and so forth. Well, over the last two to three weeks I’ve actually gave it a chance. Maybe it was all that Cafe Del Mar I listened to, or that Velvet Underground. The group, of course, is Spacemen 3/Spiritualized. Jason Pearce, if a cult leader, would have my utmost attention and devotion. Someone wiser than I once described Jason Pearce, along with Bobby Gillespie, as one of rock music’s scholars. Someone who can transcend their influences and record collection and renew rather than replicate.
After starting with The Velvet Underground, moving into the early days of David Bowie’s catalog (Man Who Sold The World), then jumping into Spacemen 3, riding that into the formation of Spiritualized, and taking the path from the first single/EP to the Royal Albert Hall live release, I can say that those two groups, one whose histories are intertwined, are, and will forever be, my favourite group.
It’s soulful. It’s relaxing. It’s wild. It made the orchestral dreamgaze trancerock with horns popular ever before Oasis discovered how to do it. It sounds nothing like its roots.
This is who I am. You want to find out what I like about music and why, check out ‘Lazer Guided Melodies’, ‘Pure Phase’, ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’, and ‘The Complete Works Volume 1′.
Jul
11
2009
New Living Quarters
I love living here. Too much fun, ideal conditions for being healthy and fit, great running and lifting conditions, not enough time for human drama, and quality of life boost in a dramatic way.
Good move, or the greatest move?
Jul
01
2009
An interesting viewpoint..
Vinyl will never return to the mainstream. Vinyl is for music snobs with deep pockets. Vinyl is a fad. There’s another format for music which is also gaining a lot of popularity at the moment, and for which I foresee a much rosier future – on-demand streaming services such as Spotify. If I were Jack White, I would try to switch bandwagons as quickly and quietly as I could, before the vinyl fad passes and he’s left looking rather foolish…
Sometimes I have to interject a little humour from the blogosphere smarty pants crowd for my own amusement.
Jun
11
2009
Onwards and Upwards
I’m onwards and upwards. New beginnings, new heights, new experiences. Rid myself of problems! 
May
26
2009
Quickly Into Madness
I was ready for one of the best runs ever, I thought to myself. Look at the sky! It looks magnificent out! It’s calm, it’s not too hot or too cold, a slight breeze. This will be a memorable run. How right I was.
I started running with a vigor I haven’t had in ages. The song, of course, was The Fire In Which You Burn by Company Flow. One Greg Fondren told me it was the illest beat he’s ever heard. I thought, hmm, let’s do it. The rain looks way far away, in the distance. No worries!
I run down Rolater at Coit Road. There are lightpoles along the way, evenly spaced, that are good for measuring distance. I’ve been running 3 deadsprint and slowly walking two. I was doing 4 and walking 2 with ease.
So it started dripping some rain about 15 minutes in. No problem, I thought. Let’s just keep going! It’s great out! The drip turned into a small drizzle, which turned into a small drizzle of big fat raindrops. No worries, I moved into the road facing oncoming traffic (Rolater rarely has cars). Then I heard it. The crack and roll of thunder and lightning. Oh fuck, I thought.
Let’s just say a bolt struck about 50 feet away. Suddenly, the song title had a new relevance that had escaped me until now. I’ve never run so fast in my life, considering I had my keys and iPhone on me. Instadeath.
The best into the worst. Soaked, but I finished with a “run 8 walk 0.” Accomplishment.
May
25
2009
No Illusions
I don’t have any illusions about myself. I seem to enjoy rejecting the popular way of doing things, not because popular things aren’t worth it, but I just identify with the odder and darker side of things, the road less traveled if you will. This translates into the music I like, the format, and my thought process.
I decided to pick up some movies on my alltime favorites list at Half Priced Books. It originally started out trying to find a copy of R.E.M.’s Murmur on vinyl, but I found a brand new copy of i ♥ huckabees, an existential comedy about the meaning of life and interconnectedness. Normally I wouldn’t buy movies, but for 5.98 + 20% off for a sealed movie, I went for it. For those of you who want an insight into what I identify with and enjoy, rent this. The soundtrack is composed by Jon Brion, who recently did another one of my alltime favorites, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There is a common theme in the movie that I think is pure, unadulterated truth (Upright Citizens Brigade) and one of the most amazing pieces of music I’ve heard in a film. The name of the song is very apropos to the posting date. If you were wondering, here are my favourite films, in order. Soundtracks play heavily into these choices.
01. 2001: A Space Odyssey
02. Dr. Strangelove (Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb)
03. Fight Club
04. High Fidelity
05. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
06. The Royal Tenenbaums
07. The Life Aquatic
08. Pi
09. i ♥ huckabees
10. Lost In Translation
11. Leon
12. Into The Wild
13. Patton
14. V For Vendetta
15. Sin City
16. Equilibrium
17. Batman Begins
18. Good Night, And Good Luck
19. Requiem For A Dream
20. Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
21. Contact
22. Snatch
23. Se7en
24. Good Will Hunting
25. Idiocracy