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of fog

something's wrong with dave's tie rod
First off, I finally broke down and took the Ford in to get looked at. It’s been “clicking” when I turn and making ugly noises when it hits bumps. I expected the worst, but it looks like I have a loose “tie rod” and some kinda rogue nut/bolt lodged up in my “control arm.” Homeboy Mechanic Joe coulda told me that my Johnson rod and spliff rotator were loose and I’d believe him, I’m totally auto ignorant. I figured I could get the mechanical problems with the truck squared away first, and then move onto the cosmetic things. There are, sadly, a couple cosmetic things to fix: where that dang wrench flew up from the road and bashed my hood (2wks after I got the dang truck), the ripped vinyl on the interior center console, and the totally busted driver’s chair adjustment panel. Oh well, at least the work today is only gonna cost $235…. better than I had been bracing for.

Second off, why ain’t nobody using the comment script I spent so much time on?! You know (mom, dad, others), that instead of e-mailing or calling me to say something about my blog entry, you can click the little “comments” link at the bottom of each one and leave a nice comment for me to see. Oh well, I guess some people are just afraid of technology.

Last night I tested my new fog machine. For those not in-the-know, I am crazy about Halloween. Ever since I was in the 5th grade, I’ve loved the idea of going all out for that holiday. As kids, Frank and I used to take dad’s old clothes and make dummies out of them. Then we’d “hang” the basketball-headed effigies from the roof. Our displays usually included copious amounts of fake blood, and were scored in the background with one of those solid orange cassette tapes you buy at the gas station for 99? (you know, with tracks like “Torture Chamber,” “Howing Wind & Animals,” etc.). This year, I’ve got a house of my own for the first time, and I’m starting a new tradition. I’m building most of the props myself, and what I can’t build I’ve bought (fog machine, black light, etc.). The display will be replete with a fog-blanketed graveyard, a mechanical see-thru ghost, bubbling witch’s cauldron, a strobe-light-lit hanging victim, and much more. I can’t wait, and I’ll post pictures of the event and creative process that leads up to it as soon as possible.

Anyway, Ben, Sharaun, and I completely fogged up Anthony’s garage, and then when he came home and opened the door to drive in, the fog was so thick he had to stop. He was in on the gag, but Brontë wasn’t, she wasn’t that impressed tho. Owell, the fog was, and is, still awesome. We “improvised” a fog chiller to see if the stuff really hugs the ground when it’s cold, and lo and behold it did. Kinda sweet – can’t wait to put it into action on Halloween.

On another note, Jeremy called me today to ask me what a “TiVo” was (referring to my post a couple entries below). Poor sheltered farmboy.

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ribbon for most hyperlinks

cha-ching
Anthony bid on, and won, a friggin’ truck on eBay (link hosted locally on my server, since the auction is over). Nice truck. I can’t fathom buying a car on eBay. Can’t wait to do some serious offroadin’ in this thing. It goes underwater, haha.

The Onion’s AV Club section has a good interview up with Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos fame, for those of you who don’t know what the heck I’m talking about). I was reading somewhere (I think on the Death Cab site) that Postal Service and Bright Eyes were doing a joint show somewhere in Europe. How great of a show would that be? I’ve seen BE twice, and each time he was excellent. I also named the Desaparecidos album Read Music – Speak Spanish my personal #1 fave of 2002 (the Pitchfork writer who penned that review should be taken outside and shot).

The RIAA lawsuit thing seems to be making waves in the media almost daily, with articles being published left and right (for some great reading, check out these: 1, 2, 3, 4). At first, I was kinda ambivalent about the whole thing. Once I checked the EFF’s subpoena database and saw that I’m in the clear (thus far), I pretty much stopped caring. I uninstalled Kazaa Lite, and have resorted to using usenet 99% of the time (with a jaunt now and then on Shareaza). However, with the rash of recent media coverage, it’s been pissing me off more and more.

I just did a check on my music folder, and I’m proud to announce that I’m the “owner” of “34.7 GB (37,329,055,240 bytes)” of media. My primary source for new music is the internet. I will, however, buy cd’s when I like them enough. But don’t doubt that the actual purchase of the disc is delayed by me having a perfect-sounding mp3 version in-hand. The physical disc is a nice-to-have, not essential anymore. I still buy, but much less. Thankfully, most of the music I’m into is published on indie labels that are, more often than not, not members of the gestapo-like RIAA conglomerate.

Wow, I think this entry wins the blue ribbon for “most hyperlinks.” I got a little crazy there… sorry. Whatever you do, don’t click here. Told ya.

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7th grade flashback

houses of the holy
Got my TiVo installed today. I have decided that I love TiVo. When the dude came to hook it up, he immediately liked me since I was bumpin’ to tha new Outkast jams in the computer room. It took him a while to hook the thing up because the phone wire to the family room was all hosed. Once he puzzled that out, I was up and running, pausing live TV and telling him to make me a sammich.

Last night I got a little crazy and decided to scan in some pictures. Not just any pictures though, there is a story that goes along with these. Surf over to here to check ’em out: 7th grade flashback. Andy (or Kyle or Joey for that matter), if you’re reading – I think you’ll enjoy these. I know I got a kick out of looking at them again.

Enjoy.

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old friends

patricia beeswagner i'll love you forever
Back in August sometime I decided to use the internet to waste some time… well, to be honest – I decided to do that back in 1995, and have been carrying the torch ever since. While searching for this and that, I decided to do a Google on Garbage Pail Kids. Man, I loved GPK so much when I was a kid. Turns out that Topps (the company that made them back in the 80’s) was readying a new series for release in 2003. Fast forward a few weeks and I’ve already ordered 3 boxes of the new 16th series. They are great, and bring back so many memories. I also found a source who sells the original 1st-15th series in complete sets, and have ordered the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th so far. Sharaun kinda drew the line when I was about to cross the $100 marker on Garbage Pail Kids. Anyway, having the old ones is awesome, takes me back to 3rd grade like a rocket. On the playground at Clarence Ruth, trading stickers. Guess I still haven’t grown up right.

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touring

livin' the rock 'n' roll lifestyle
After quite an extended concert drought, Ben and I are back closing out the year on a showgoing warpath. We’ve got an impressive itinerary to bring us to year’s end:

– Sept. 23, Radiohead in SF
– Sept. 27, Hot Hot Heat / French Kicks in Sac
– Nov. 2, Modest Mouse / Shins in SF
– Nov. 6, Beulah / John Vanderslice in SF
– Nov. 17, Death Cab / Nada Surf in SF
– Nov. 19, Broken Social Scene / Stars in SF

On the music tip, I’ve been waiting for that “next big album” for a while now. The last album that really got stuck in my ears was the latest Death Cab effort, which I don’t think has even come out in stores yet (thanks alt.binaries.mp3.indie). I’ve been switching the player in the car between a few albums: Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanicism, The Stars’ Heart, The Shins’ Chutes Too Narrow, and some of Belle & Sebastian’s new one too.

I think I’m going to do a monthly “best of” roundup of new albums, like what I would give the prize each month. At least that’ll give me something to fill these pages.

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strange how things turn out

JJ introduced me to the Toxic Avenger, and horror as a genre
So, Frank called me again today – which I thought was odd when I saw his name flash on the caller ID. Turns out he was calling to tell me that JJ Pesek had died. He had seen the obituary in the FL Today and wanted to give me a ring and let me know. After hanging up, I told Sharaun and she pulled up the obit online. What a bummer.

I tried to look through my old middle school yearbooks for a picture or something I could link here, but I didn’t find any. I guess JJ and I really only hung out for about a year, the year before I met Kyle. He signed my 7th grade yearbook twice. Using the infamously funny “First to sign your crack! Me, JJ. Beatles Forever.” and “I will call you every night until you get sick of it. And you will still live at my house Fridays. JJ.” I remember I used to think that he would lose his parents young, because they were so much older than him, and how much that would suck. Strange how things turn out.

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starting a tool graveyard


Spent Friday evening (while the light was still with us) diggin’ the trench in the backyard. I’ll add some pictures and link ’em soon. Basically, before we can put up the 1st course of the wall, we have to dig a trench and partially fill it with a base material of crushed rock. The rock then gets compacted (with a hand tamper) and leveled. Basically, there’s still a lot of work to be done. But, things are shaping up, and with the help of friends the digging has gone much faster. Then we hit the sushi joint for some rolls, and eventually closed down the local pub at 2am with some friends. Late night.

The PC’s in the house are acting dog-slow, internet-wise, because I’ve been roped into downloading SVCD rips of the 2nd season of Alias. Sharaun got addicted to it, thanks to the Mooney’s. It’s a good show, much better when you watch in succession and actually get into the X Files-ish plot. Bittorrent is great for TV rips.

Was talking to Bob in FL again last night, and he mentioned that he might be getting some plywood and cutting/fitting for his windows. The latest hurricane out in the Atlantic really looks like a killer, but they don’t know where it’s really headed yet. I remember when Frank and dad did the plywood thing at our house in Levitt, in FL hurricanes are a big deal. Funny being here in CA, and rarely ever hearing about them on the news. Instead we get to see Ahnold stumble his way through some questions about special interest groups. Yeah!

Well, I guess it’s time to get back to… something. Today is pretty open. Watching some football right now, and I’d like to watch the Gators play @ 3pm our time. Other than that, I’ve got several projects I could be working on. #1 would be heading to Home Depot to get a new shovel and pick… yup… the pick broke again!! And, Steve somehow managed to break the shovel yesterday also. I’m tellin’ you, this yard is pure rock, and any digging is just insane. So far we’ve been through 2 picks, 1 shovel, and 1 wheelbarrow. I’m thinking of starting a tool graveyard, but it would be too hard to dig the graves.

Bye.