Times have changed, times are strange...

Babies Who Came Feet First is a record I really hated on when it came out. I don't know why it just did not grab me at all when I heard it. I put it on my shelf and never gave it a second thought.
This week I've probably listened to the entire record twice a day. The shit is so good to me. I don't know why it turned me off at first.
I don't know how many times I've heard a record or seen a movie for the first time and absolutely said there was no way in hell I'd ever like it, ever listen to or watch it again, only to come back to it later and obsess over it. I hate it when I do that. I feel like now every time I've seen Cold World since it came out I haven't enjoyed it as much as I could/should have because I was just sleeping on the record.
Now I'm worried that I'll never get to see them again. I don't have any reason to feel that way, but you just never know when a band is going to call it quits.

Takes all kinds I guess.

Sometimes you just gotta throw it in.

A comedian died last night, and nobody cares.

So in a few short months, The Watchmen is going to be upon us.
If you don't know, this movie has been a really long time coming, and many people thought it would never see the light of day.
The Watchmen, for those that don't know, was a twelve issue comic book series that started in 1986. The story is dense, dark, layered, and in many people's opinions the finest comic book series ever crafted. I would have to agree, there are very few storylines that even compare to it.
I'm not going to give you a run down of the plot, because if you're really interested you'll pick it up anyway and read it before the movie comes out.
Basically, the movie is going to be every geek/fanboy's wet dream come true. If you know anything about the series then you know that so far from the looks of everything Zac Snyder has captured so many images from the comic book it doesn't even make sense. Every time I watch one of the trailers or see new footage I'm seeing something that I didn't see before.
I guess I'm just caught up in the marketing of the whole thing. There's a lot of cool things coming out in relation to the movie. A friend of mine just downloaded an app for his ipod touch that has all this content from the movie, as well as a countdown clock to when the movie comes out.
If you enjoy a good story then you should pick it up, I mean it was ranked on Time's 100 greatest novels list. That's gotta be saying something right?

One down,

two to go.

and this is how the story goes...

A classic song from a classic era. Nothing else to be said about it.

What's in a name?

Holland Township family angry that supermarket won't personalize cake for their son
Sunday December 14, 2008, 12:16 AM

JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell and Adolf Hitler Campbell.

Good names for a trio of toddlers? Heath and Deborah Campbell think so. The Holland Township couple has picked those names and the oldest child, Adolf Hitler Campbell, turns 3 today.

This has given rise to a problem, because the ShopRite supermarket in Greenwich Township has refused to make a cake for young Adolf's birthday.

"We believe the request ... to inscribe a birthday wish to Adolf Hitler is inappropriate," said Karen Meleta, a ShopRite spokeswoman.

The Campbells turned down the market's offer to make a cake with enough room for them to write their own inscription and can't understand what all of the fuss is about.
"ShopRite can't even make a cake for a 3-year-old," said Deborah Campbell, 25, who is Heath's wife of three years and the mother of the children. "That's sad."

Others, such as Anti-Defamation League director Barry Morrison, applauded Shop Rite's decision.

"Might as well put a sign around their (the children's) neck that says bigot, racist, hatemonger," said Morrison. "What's the difference?"

Seek Truth

I haven't been on here in a while. I don't know why, lately I have been spending a lot of time in front of the computer, really just doing nothing.
My personal life is really upside down right now. I'll spare you the gory details, but my head is in 8 million different places every day.
I'm lucky though, I have the best friends that a person could ever ask for. You never realize that you are surrounded by good people until you are in a crisis. We always take our friends for granted, but the people who have reached out to me lately and helped me out, well they'll never know how much it's meant or what it's done for me. I know a lot of people say shit like this, but my friends save my life every time.
Life is so fucking crazy. You see everything going one way, and then over the course of weeks or months it's like, nope. This is what's happening, and it's not what you thought was going to happen. Good luck, make the best of it.
And that's all you can do. You just take what you're given, and move forward. God this could get really cliche really fast.
I don't know. It's when you search for answers that you never find them. You have to take the days as they come, and you'll find what you're looking for. I've just made the most of my time, and I will continue to do so.
Life is life. What happens happens, you do what you love and fuck the rest.

WOW

One of those days.

Privileged information

I hate it when I find out something that I didn't want to know in the first place.
Somehow I always get these bombs of information dropped on me, and they always come with the condition that you cannot share them with anyone else.
You've got to be kidding me.
I mean just don't tell me.
I understand that information carries it own same kind of weird pressure, that sometimes keeping secrets can make you crazy that you have to let it out.
Maybe it's a testimony to my character that people feel that they can tell me things, that they trust me enough.
But there are times that I wish I didn't know what I knew, especially when the information would have a really big impact on a third party, on someone who is totally oblivious to what's going on. I think that's the worst.
If you want to let me in on something, I'll gladly listen, and I can say in all sincerity I'll keep it a secret till you say otherwise.
It's like getting rewarded for doing a job well by being given more work.
Could be worse I guess.
That's it.

I need to know ma.

Resolved

2009 is going to be a different year for the kid.
I guess I'm learning that you're the only one who can change your situation. I mean that's common sense right? I've spent too long just getting by, letting my complacency hold me back.
I'm not happy with that anymore.
I've gotta do what's going to make me happy, follow my dreams and knock down the barriers in my way instead of just letting them stop me.
You've gotta stay on your grind everyday if you want to get ahead.
At least that's how I feel.
That's it.

Just an idea

If you weren't sure what to get me for Christmas, I don't have one of these yet.

Role Models

I feel like Danny.
That's probably not so good.
What a dick he was.

Thanks given

Thanksgiving 2008.
I was going to do a top five of the things I'm thankful for but that felt so cliche. There are certain people, things and ideas that if they weren't around, my life would be completely different.
For all those I'm thankful.
I'm thankful for everything that's happened, good and bad.
Well maybe not all the bad but what's done is done.
Have a good Thanksgiving.

Look at that son of a bitch.

I've gotta learn how to do this.

Old faithful(s)

This is a picture of my backpack and wallet.
I can't tell you how many people, from my best friend, to my wife and my mother have told me to get rid of these things.
It's true, they are really worn out. The wallet is cracked and there are some pretty significant holes forming in the folds. There's a little Kerropi patch on it (yes it's a Hello Kitty wallet) that gets closer to falling off every day. It has loose strings all over it, and the Velcro no longer resembles Velcro, it looks more like some really worn out nasty carpeting. The backpack is no better. A pull for one of the zippers is broken off, and sometimes it's a real pain in the ass to open it. The right strap is just about to break off of the bag. Both straps are worn out, their original cushioning flattened by years of use.
But I can't get rid of them.
For one thing, there's no reason. True, that backpack strap does need to be fixed, and when it breaks, instead of throwing it away I will take it to an alteration shop and have it repaired. It's not like I couldn't buy another one, I mean I have 2 or 3 other bags that would work just as well.
Same goes for the wallet. I could just pitch it and get a new one, probably something made of leather. I could get one of those money clips that holds your money and also has a place for all your cards. But I just can't see a point to doing it. It still works. It serves it's purpose. True, by a design standard it's probably better suited to a little kid, but what do I care?
Sometimes it's more about what something has been through, it's history I guess than it's functionality. Both of these have been with me to the other side of the globe. When I'm on an out of town trip, I know exactly where to put each item in my backpack. My wallet has a certain feel in my pocket. It took years for me to be able to get that feel, and now I think if I changed it it would throw my whole world into chaos.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that shiny and new isn't always the best way. Sometimes we're better served by the things that have served us in the past, and we owe it to them to show some loyalty. No one or thing wants to or should be replaced just because they or it has lost that once new sheen.
Just something to think about.

Zombie Strippers

Look don't ask me why.
Jenna stick to sucking dick.
It's what you do best.

I miss Donahue

Take me away

I want to move.
I doubt I'll ever get the chance to, I have a feeling I'm Richmond for life.
A lot of my friends don't understand why I would want to leave our fair city. I say if you don't see what's out there, you'll never appreciate what you have. This world, this country is too big to just live in one place your entire life.
These are the 5 cities I would want to move to in the United States, listed in order of preference.
1-Philadelphia-Like Richmond, only larger, with better food, professional sports, and some of my favorite out of town friends. It's cold in the winter and close enough to New York that you could go there for the day. Doesn't get much better than that.
2-Austin-Austin is probably the most laid back city I've ever been to. More good food, the only drawback is I can't imagine how hot it gets there in the summer. I don't know if I could hang with that.
3-LA-Now I'd only move to LA if I was trying to start my life over. The metro area is home to almost 13 million people. That's the kind of place where you could totally reinvent yourself. They have the Dodgers, but it's also the home to the Lakers, so those kind of cancel each other out.
4-Atlanta-Atlanta is my city of choice if I'm ballin' out of control. You'd have to be rich to live there. Well that's the impression I get. I doubt if I'll ever be rolling hard enough to get there, but it's definitely an awesome city.
5-New York City-Sometimes I could see myself living there, sometimes I think I'd kill myself if I had to spend more than a few days there. It's such a crazy place, and there's so much to do, but I just don't know if I could hang with all the hustle and bustle.

Blah-ow!

Why do you hang around?

Gary Gunwald interview

If I had three words to sum up Gary Gunwald they would be solid, true, and hardcore. He has the most insane bulldog tattoo that he wants to get covered up. I think he's nuts for that. He's one of the better dudes I've met in a long time. His band rips. If you haven't heard them you need to get familiar. He was nice enough to answer a few quick questions for me a few weeks ago. Naysayer has a short East coast tour coming up in December so if they come through your town I suggest you check them out.



Tell the people who you are and what you do.
My name is Gary i sing for Naysayer and i work at a grocery store.

If you could book a five band show for Naysayer to be on who would you want to play with?
That's is a hard one, this answer would probably change every time you asked me. but for now i'll go with
madball, sick of it all, bad brains, warzone, and alone in a crowd.

What's your most prized possession?
My most prized possession was my 1st press warzone-open your eyes lp...but i sold that to go on tour.
so i guess it would be my judge new york crew 7 inch.

Five favorite hardcore records of all time.
fuck. another ever changing answer
1. madball -look my way/demonstrate my style
2. sick of it all - live in a world full of hate
3. bad brains - rock for light
4. judge - bringin' it down
5. warzone - dfts dfts

Close it out. Anything you want to say.
thanks for the interview. reaper comp coming out in december.
naysayer 7 inch coming out early 2009. richmond hardcore on the rise. shout out to world war...amd swamp thing.

http://www.myspace.com/naysayerichmond

And it feels so good...

We've all had falling outs with people who we considered to be our best friends. Usually it's over the dumbest, most unimportant thing in the world.
If you have someone who you really care about, that you've been through a lot with that you don't talk to anymore for whatever reason, you should really think long and hard about what happened, and if you can you should try to make amends.
It's hard to say you're sorry for doing something stupid, and I think it's even harder to accept an apology from someone who's hurt you.
But if you can do it and get past whatever caused the rift between you, I could guarantee with almost one hundred percent certainty that you'll be glad you did.
I have a friend who's friendship and trust I lost for a long time.
But through some small miracle we've been able to get past it, and I'm so thankful for that.
You know who you are.
We lost a lot of time, but you'll never know how much it means to me that we are finally past it.
That's it.

Our new pledge of allegiance.

One nation, under whoever, with hatred, blame, and spite for all.
Now I want you to read these next lines very carefully.
I am not an overly religious person. I have my own questions and issues with faith that I wrestle with on a daily basis. Sometimes I do think that there could be something out there, some guiding force that watches over everything we do and say. There are other times that I feel like there's no way in the world that any higher being would allow us to get to the point that we are at now.
I make no judgments on people as far as their faith goes. I have some friends who are in the same position as I am. Some are diehard atheists. Others, including many of my extended family members, have a very strong faith. I support all of them and do not pretend to know better than any of them on this matter.
What I can't stand however is ignorance. I hate it. I too have struggled with, and still struggle with at times making generalizations about a group of people. Or having a preconcieved notion that I am sure must be true. Or feeling the guilt when my belief in said notion is proved otherwise. I'm trying, really trying to be better about taking each person on their own merits.
I've been the subject of generalizations so many times I couldn't even tell you when they started.
"I can't believe you are an English major. You don't look like an English major."
"You want to work with children? Oh I just never would have thought."
"You're straight edge right? Do you beat people up when you see them smoking?"
"Judging from your accent I just thought you were some country hick."
These are only a few.
Anyway, where am I going with this? This week has truly been an interesting one, and unless you've been living in a cave or vacationing on Mars I shouldn't have to tell you why. America, and the world, is bracing for change, and depending on who you are that is a good or bad thing.
I've come to terms with the fact that the person I voted for isn't going to be president. I was at peace with it on Wednesday morning. I've moved on, and even opened myself up to the idea that possibly things could get better.
But today I found myself getting all riled up again.
This morning I was informed by a good friend that he had signed a petition to have the tax exempt status of the Mormon church revoked, due to the fact that they threw so much money into advertising against Proposition 8 in California. Proposition 8 dealt with the issue of gay marriage, which California had approved this summer.
I understand my friend's interest in this topic, being that he is a gay man. I myself could care less if gay people were able to get married, the whole "sanctity" of marriage thing is probably the biggest copout in the world to me.
But I also think it is a copout to blame the Mormon church for the defeat of this bill.
Now I'm not going to pretend that I've done days upon days of research for this posting. One of the places where I did get some facts from was the anti-Mormon website mormonsstoleourrights.com. But based upon the small amount of information I've gathered in an even shorter amount of time, I think the defeat of this bill basically adds up to laziness.
Is the gay community trying to suggest that with 25 million homosexuals in the United States, with all the celebrity power and backing that their community has that they could not raise enough funds to combat the "Mormon Machine?" Come on.
Supposedly the Mormon church raised seventy percent of the money which they threw towards the opposition of this proposition. But this money came from private donations of members of the church, not the church itself as one entity. So by that logic can political campaigns not except donations from a person of faith anymore? Can you even imagine what our political landscape would look like on both sides if that were to happen?
How come the Catholic church, the Jewish Orthodoxy, and evangelicals were in favor of the measure as well, but have not taken nearly as much flak at the Mormon church, who's members only make up TWO PERCENT of the population of California?
It's just hypocritical to me. If you're going to go after one, then you need to go after all of them, not just the smallest, most easily targeted religion.
I'm sorry, but if the right to marry was so important than the gay community should have been out in the street everyday, screaming at the tops of their lungs, calling in every favor and raising every dollar possible. But they didn't, and as a result they lost.
It's easy to say "shoulda, woulda, coulda," to sit back and say why you lost or point the finger of blame when you didn't do what you should have. Now the gay community of California waves it's collective finger at tiny percentage of the population and says "You are the ones to blame. You did this to us."
No, it doesn't work that way.
You lost.
Sorry. Better luck next time.
If anything the entire community should look at this last election as an inspiration. Four years ago John Kerry lost, due to what so many people felt was voter indifference. This year the Democrats won, after correcting so many of the mistakes they made four years ago.
If so many lies were being perpetuated by Mormon advertising where were the ads for other side? Do you seriously mean to tell me that Lance Bass, Portia De Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John, and Cynthia Nixon couldn't get all of their friends, gay and straight, in the industry together to film a commercial? I mean Melissa Etheridge and K.D. Lang couldn't get together and do a song to be played on the radio in support? I mean really, you expect me to believe that?
It's just ludicrous to me, this whole situation. It's like someone crying because they got an F on their test, when instead of studying they were out partying the entire week before.
Looks like party time's over.

Oh what a night.

So as of now Barack Obama is our president-elect. Anyone who knows me knows this isn't something I'm happy about.
I'm not going to make this about how much I dislike Obama, or what I think will or won't happen over the next four years, but I have learned a lot during the course of the election.
I've learned that for all the big talk about change and new ideas, people have never been more like themselves. This was an election about race. I can't count the number of people who I have heard say that they are voting for Obama because the idea of having a black president is cool to them. Not because of his stance on any one issue, but purely because he seems like a cool person. It scares me to think that all someone has to do is be likable or a minority and they have a good chance at becoming president.
This was also an election about blame. So many people across the board blame the current administration for the problems that we are having now. No one seems to think that it's conceivable that these problems started so many years ago, in my opinion during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. To suggest that however goes against what must be the truth though right? I mean Democrats are good and Republicans are evil. That's what it's boiled down to in this country.
We are a nation of spoiled, self-centered, uncaring brats. We want it our way or not at all. And if we don't get our way, we cry and fall on the ground, so much like the selfish children we are. I'm not saying I'm any better. For quite a while tonight I felt like so many of my friends were just the most ignorant people I've ever met.
I'm over it now. The election is done. It's time to move on and face the future.
The worst thing about losing is that someone has to do it. There's no choice. In any competition someone is going to come in second.
I think I

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Falling in love sucks,
But it feels good at the start.
I wish I was young.

Charles Henry Interview

I met Chucky Edge I guess about 3 years ago? Time has flown by so fast I have a hard time remembering. He's my big little brother. He owed me an interview, so now it's come due. I don't know what's up with the picture he sent me of himself, but I do know a picture like that is truly the essence of the man. He's a real dude, and someone I don't get to see enough. Enjoy.

-Tell the people who you are and what you do.
My name is Charles. I live in Boston, and I am originally from San Francisco, CA. I tour with hardcore bands, and sell shirts outside of Boston sports games. In between all of those there is tons more stuff, but lately I just enjoy walking with my ipod as simple as that sounds.

-If you had $500 to blow what would you spend it on?
I would either spend it on rent, or plane tickets to go somewhere. Would be cool to go out and get some new winter clothes cause thats around the corner. If I were in the right mood, I would make some shirts tho.

-What's your most prized possession?
this is a really good question. My shirts arent just one entity and there are a lot of them, and I give out my shirts to my friends so that could be it, but doesnt fit tho... I guess I could say my life experience, but that might be too deep. I don't own a cool tv or a car, so thats out of the question. life experience is cool, cause that makes up who i am.

-I've got tubs of shirts I don't wear and things I don't need anymore, but I can't get rid of them. Is that you or can you part with stuff that you don't use/wear anymore easily?
I am the exact same way man. I just bought about 5 more tubs to put shirts into cause I have so many. My closet is just a tub storage unit now. I am starting to be able to let go more tho. It started with David and Jared giving them a couple shirts each, now when friends come over, esp younger kids, and I know they are siked on the core or a good tee, I let them go thru a few tubs that are in the pantry of my house. I am scared for the next time I move because of all the stuff I keep.

-What's your Holy Grail? What's one thing do you wish you had that you don't?
Good question again. The Warzone dfts, dfts record cover shirt is pretty fuckin' up there. Would also Love to get the Stop & Think pocket print tee and thats easier to get. Im not too big into the OG shirt game, maybe one day it will bite me again. My holy grail in reality would be to have every shirt in my closet be a triple A brand shirt. that warzone tee would be great. im also a big fan of cold as life shirts.

-Close it out. Anything you want to say.
Thanks for the interview, I hope it was a good read. I don't really read books but I need to, I get inspired by movies a lot. Words of wisdom: its not the destination its how you get there. shout-outs to: friends and family, all the bands I have toured with, chuck ragan for being my daily soundtrack, apple for making the ipod, jd drew for being a beast, san francisco giants for being there year in and year out, and good breakfast spots.

Time warp

This week a friend asked me an interesting question.
"Say time travel was possible and affordable. It only cost as much as it does to go to Australia or Africa, say around $2500. But you could only do it 3 times in your life. Where would you want to go?"
I came up with so many ideas. He left it pretty much wide open. I didn't have to worry about affecting what would happen in the future. I didn't have to worry about clothes, speech, or culture for the time period, all things which would probably be very important. I was also free to choose from the vast span of history, all the way back to the dinosaurs and early man. If I died in the past however, I was fucked. There's no travel insurance for time travel, at least not in this scenario.
I can't tell you how hard it is to come up with three places in time I would want to go to. At first my answers felt really dumb. Here I was, free to go to places and moments in time that have affected the way we live our lives today, and my first two had to do with sporting events. So I've given it a lot more thought and I've come up with a list of ten. Yeah yeah I know I only get three. Well these are my top ten. If it ever becomes a possibility then I will randomly pick three of these out of a hat, fair enough? Enjoy.

1-To be a passenger on the Enola Gay.
I'd travel back to the summer of 1945, and I guess I'd have to figure out a way to finagle a ride on the B-29 that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. I can't imagine what it would look like to see that mushroom cloud rising over the city, to the the shockwave roll out and annihilate everything in it's path. The power and destruction must have been breathtaking.
2-To see the Rumble in the Jungle
I would head to Africa in 1974 so I could witness probably one of the greatest boxing matches in history. I'd have to figure out a way to get a press pass so I could get into the training area. I also would have had to get some kind of access to ringside in the hopes of hearing Ali tell Foreman that his punches were weak.
3-To see the Chicago Bulls begin their second 3-peat
I can remember watching this final series on TV, god it seems like forever ago. Father's Day, June 1996 marked the beginning of the second 3-peat for the Chicago Bulls. I was a Bulls nut when I was younger, but back then who wasn't? To make this jaunt back in time more special, I'd have to get back into the locker room after the game so I could see Michael Jordan actually cradling the trophy and crying.
4-To be in the last helicopter convoy leaving Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War
Now this is a really dark one. I'd have to travel back to April of 1975, so I could hop a ride on one of the helicopters that left the American embassy before Saigon fell. I don't really know why this one makes the list, it's so fucking grim. It just seems like such an important moment, albeit a depressing one.
5-To witness the gunfight at the O.K. Corral
It's pretty crazy to travel back in time to witness an event that took thirty seconds, but come on. I mean the Earps and Doc Holliday against the Clantons and McLaurys? I would have definitely had to find a saloon where I could have watched from a window or balcony as these legends tried to take each other out.
6-To see Houdini in a magic show
My next destination would take me back to some time in the early 1900s, so I could witness one of the greats, Harry Houdini. Magic has always interested me since I was a kid, not so much that I sit around doing card tricks in my spare time, but I love to see a good magic trick and wonder how it was done. I figure if you have to watch someone do it, you might as well watch one of the best.
7-To ride with Sonny Barger and the Hells Angels
Now for this one I'd have to go back to the mid 50s so I could ride with Sonny Barger and his Oakland chapter of the Angels. I think this one speaks for itself. I mean we are talking about riding with the most notorious biker gang of all time, with the man who would really bring the gang into the limelight.
8-To be part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
I don't know how I'd do this one, since the expedition took two years. As I've gone back and forth across the country the past few years I've always wondered what it would be like to see something like the Rocky Mountains or the Grand Canyon for the first time. I would love to see prairies full of buffalo. I know the danger of this one is off the charts, but it'd be worth it to me.
9-To ride with the Mongols
No I don't mean the other motorcycle gang. I'm talking about Ghengis Khan and his horde that rode and conquered so much of Asia in the thirteenth century. Did you know that Mongol archers were so accurate that they could hit a rabbit from 100 yards while riding a horse at full gallop? I mean do you know how hard that would be? Once again the logistics of doing this would be insane, considering I'm as white as a ghost I don't know how I'd be able to slip in unnoticed, but we're not worrying about that.
10-To see Bad Brains at CBGBs in the 1980s
I thought long and hard about one band that I would really want to go back and see in their heyday. Bad Brains is my favorite band of all time. CBGBs was probably one of the best punk/hardcore venues of all time. New York city in the 1980s was like the wild west. 'Nuff said.

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

A very brave quest.
It's too bad he found nothing.
I got so nervous.

Someone else's words

All my life, whenever it comes time to make a decision, I make it and forget about it.
-Harry Truman

I haven't forgotten about this. I think about it every day, and feel like a low life for not keeping up with it.

Keep your hands up.

When I have a good day in class, there's nothing better. When I have a bad day in class, there's nothing worse.
When I was a kid I tried all kinds of sports. I played soccer, which I sucked at. I played basketball, where I was too small for my age group. Spud Webb I am not. I wrestled. Wow don't even get me started about that one. Let's just say the only match I won was one in which the other guy didn't show up. That's right, my only win was a forefit. I was on the swim team. I do love to swim, but not on a team. I mean have you seen what the kids on the swim team have to wear? Speedos son, speedos. I won't be posting any pictures of portly, awkward yours truly wearing a banana hammock any time soon, in case you were wondering.
Now, I've found something that I really enjoy doing. I'm not going to sit here and pretend for 5 seconds I know all the ins and outs of the sport, but I wouldn't consider myself a total n00B.
Today was just one of those days I guess. I let all the external pressures of life get to me, and it showed during class. There's nothing to do but shake it off and go in there on Thursday and try to do better.
It's just shitty when you are sucking, and you know you are sucking, and no matter what you can't seem to do anything about it.
Happens to the best of us I guess.

Stolen moments.

Moments like this are so few and far between. I've finally gotten the baby to sleep, and instead of doing the things I should be doing like straightening up, putting dishes away, etc I'm typing out an entry for someone to read.
It's tough having a baby. I'm sure it goes without saying, but there are so many things you aren't ready for. People say, "Oh the hard times will make it worth it." I hope they're right, because there are plenty of hard times to go around lately it seems like.
People tell you so many things when you have a kid. "Oh they grow up so fast. You'll miss these times." Really? I doubt it. The crying for some unknown reason, changing diapers, praying the baby will sleep for a few hours at a time, not being able to do all the things you used to love doing, having your whole life turned upside down. No, I doubt I'll miss that.
Don't get it twisted, I love my daughter. But I really love seeing her grow and get a little bit more independant. Yeah I know, she's only 5 months old, but each little step she takes to becoming her own person is so crazy to me. I mean she changes every day. That's the coolest thing about having a kid to me. Just watching them grow. I don't care that she's getting bigger, I want her to get older, so we can talk about things and interact with each other more than we do now. I want her to tell me what's wrong, not just when she's crying but I look forward to helping her out with her problems as long as she'll let me. I can't wait for her to try new things, meet people, go places, and do things that maybe I never had the opportunity to do or was too afraid to do. I want her to live her life, and to try and correct some of the mistakes that were made during my childhood.
Kids are crazy. They change your life in so many ways, good and bad. I'm not even ready to grow up, and now there is this person who really depends on me. I want to sit her down and be like "Look sometimes I can hardly take care of myself kid. So we are just going to have to work through this one together and hope for the best."
I worry about the kind of parent I'm going to be. I worry so much about letting her down, I don't want her to be disappointed in me. It's scarry. Usually I could give two shits what anyone thinks, but I worry about what she'll think 10 or 15 years from now about the things that happen now.
I could go on forever. I guess anyone with a kid could.

A little flavor for the non-believers

Wow. The last time I posted was March 22nd. That's just sad. Completely pathetic. I can't believe I still tell people I post on this thing.
I'm making a comeback. I guess it's not too hard to make a comeback when you were never that popular to begin with.
The kid has been doing a lot of shit, hustles here and there to make some dough, yard work, and tons of internet surfing. Why in the fuck couldn't I pop this thing off with a little update every now and then I wonder? Laziness I guess.
Anyway, I'm going to get better. I felt like I heard the creak of a door and had to brush cobwebs away when I put my password in. From now on there'll be something at least once a week, probably more. Shit you will probably get sick of me before too long. I guess we'll see.

Breaker 1-9

Pictured here are two novelty glasses I bought a few years ago. They are called "CB Jargon." On them are a bunch of different terms used by truckers and long distance drivers, well at least the terms were used back in the day. I don't know how current they are now. I found these at a flea market, I think they were five bucks for both. Fucking deal of the century. When I bought them I decided I was going to start collecting glasses like these, I thought they were so cool. Just what I need, another thing to collect. I haven't bought any other ones, I haven't found any that were nearly this cool. After I took this picture I noticed that one of them had a giant crack in it, so I don't even want to use them anymore, I'm scared they will break. Now I guess they will just sit on a shelf until I'm dead, because god knows I won't throw them away. I think things like this are going to be part of kitschy American culture that we are going to lose, they don't make stuff like this anymore. Well they do but it's total junk. At least these glasses have some character.

Diary of the Dead

A once great genre
Now as dead as a zombie
Another let down

Funny Games

Two brothers play games
The family deserved it
Worst movie ever

Get sick

What you see to the left here is the flu virus. What a nasty fucking thing. I called in sick today. Last night I had a mild fever, which kept me up for a while, and my throat is sore. It sucks, but hopefully I'll be feeling better by tonight. I usually get sick twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Sometimes having a sick day can be a good thing though, you can have an excuse just to lay around and do nothing. Being sick for a day or two is okay, but I couldn't imagine bumming around for a week or longer. One of my really good friends had double pneumonia a few years ago, and he was out for work for a while, for about six weeks altogether I think. God I'd fucking kill myself if I was trapped in the house for that long. But like I said a sick day here or there can be a good thing. When I woke up this morning I thought I'd list my top five sick day activities.
5-Surfing the web I probably spend too much time on the internet, doing absolutely nothing. I don't know why I'm on here so much. There are probably 4 or 5 websites that I go to. But when you are sick it's a good excuse just to troll the nerd and see what's going on. I mean it's a nice sedentary activity, you can't break a sweat doing it, so it is definitely a good sick day past time.
4-Reading Right now I've got a stack of probably 15 comic books that I need to read. I've just gotten behind. So I'm sure I'll get caught up on those today. Comic books are great to read when you are sick, they are so short you can read a few and take a nap. I also have a really good book that I've wanted to read more of, it's been so busy around here lately I only get to read it in these little short bursts, usually before I'm about to fall asleep. So hopefully today I can get more of that read as well.
3-A hot shower A hot shower can feel good at any time, but when you are feeling ill it's even better. I usually try to time mine about mid-day, after I've had lunch and a nap, that way if I'm starting to feel better towards the end of the day I also feel fresh and clean. And all that hot water does wonders for breaking up your congestion and soothing your aching muscles.
2-Video games Right now at our house we only have one TV, so whoever gets home last is screwed, usually because that's me. So trust me today I'm going to take full advantage and I'll probably be playing for a few hours off and on. Like a hot shower, video games are good at any time, but when you are sick you are expected to just sit around. They're a perfect thing to do on a sick day.
1-Movies Wow I'm starting to see a pattern here. 4 out of the 5 of what I've listed are things you do sitting on your fat lazy ass. Oh well I'm sick what do you want from me? Movies, another excellent diversion at almost any time, but when you are sick they are even better. Hopefully I should be getting a couple of things from Netflix today, so I can watch one of those before the re-run of AxMen comes on tonight.

Well there you have it, the 5 things I like to do when I'm sick. I'd like to thank germs, filth, dust, and poor hygiene for contributing to this post.

Gotta get better

I ain't been posting shit. I don't even know if anyone reads this thing. I only know one person who read it. Shit. What a bunch of crap.
Gonna put some more shit up here this week. So tired right now, losing an hour of sleep didn't hit me till today.
Fuck you. Shut up.

Red Dawn

Terror from the East
These kids can save our country
The hate keeps me warm

Head full of rocks

This is Adolf. He's almost six years old. Sometimes I think he's more trouble than he's worth. I couldn't tell you the amount of stuff this dog has shredded, chewed up, destroyed and eaten. There have been times that I have wanted to kill him. The thing about a dog is you can't stay mad at them. At least I can't. Every time I come home he's happy to see me. He usually gets out of his room and greets me at the door, and even though he knows he'll be in trouble for breaking out his tail is still going a hundred miles a minute. He knows when I'm sick. He knows when I'm feeling down. He knows when I'm happy. The dog knows me better than I know myself sometimes, I swear. I could probably write more than you'd care to read about him, he's practically like my kid. A big, dumb, ninety pound kid. I can't say for sure, but I think he'd do anything for me, and even though sometimes I want to cave his head in I hope he knows I'd do the same.
I guess it's weird to have an entry about him, he's not really a possession, he's a member of my family. I guess the only difference is I had to pay for him. But it was some of the best money I've ever spent.

Gangs of New York

Martin what the hell
This had so much potential
It sucked so much ass

Bury me in smoke.

This my ticket from the Down show on February 15, 2008 at Toad's Place here in Richmond. There's also a postcard flyer for the show that I picked up when I bought my ticket.
The first time I heard Down I didn't like them. I don't know what it was. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it, it was so long ago I couldn't tell you what my problem was. I remember being in a used record store and finding Nola among the used cds. I knew it was Phil Anselmo's side project so I figured it'd be a no brainer for me. But after listening to a few songs I just could not get into it. Truthfully I felt bad. I felt like it made me less of a Pantera fan because I didn't like Down. I don't know if that makes any sense to anyone but that's how I felt. I didn't revisit that record for a long time. I didn't have my interest resparked until right around this time last year. I was in California and I was riding with Chucky Edge when Temptation's Wings came on his iPod. As soon as I heard that song I couldn't understand why I hadn't liked it before. There's nothing about Down that I wouldn't like. I guess I realized the error of my ways that night.
Two weeks ago Down played here in Richmond. I had known that they were coming here but I thought the show was in March, and completely by chance I heard a guy on the radio say he had a few tickets for the show leftover and he was giving them away. I tried to call in but couldn't get through, so on the way home I stopped by Toad's Place and luckily the show wasn't sold out.
Down was probably one of the loudest bands I have ever heard. When they came out on stage and started feeding back every bone in my body was vibrating. They had a virtual wall of thunder on stage, I don't know that I've seen a band in a smaller club setting with so much ampage. I felt like I was seeing Kiss or The Who, it looked like one of those old style concerts to me. There were a few times I thought Phil was going to lose it on stage. I don't know what the deal was but the power on the left side of the stage kept cutting out. During the show Phil came offstage and hugged a girl that was only a few feet from me, I have to say for someone who has done so much to themselves, he doesn't look too bad. I mean don't get me wrong the guy's not going to win any beauty contests but I know people who haven't treated their body nearly as bad as he has and they look ten times worse.
They played for right around two hours, and they played all the hits. There are some bands who sound ten times heavier live than they do on record, and Down is one of those bands. It was an awesome show, I'd probably put it in my top 15 of live acts I've seen, maybe even the top ten I don't know.

There Will Be Blood

An oil man by trade

This needed some editing

Average, not great

The Whip

Token Entry is so good. I can't call them underrated, maybe overlooked. I feel like Token Entry is just as good if not better than Gorilla Biscuits, but more people know GB than TE. This is a Token Entry painters cap I got off of Ebay. Without a doubt this is the coolest thing I have ever gotten off Ebay. This is one of those things I had to have, I had never seen one before this one, and I haven't seen one since. Just one of those crazy, weird rare things that the band probably made as a goof and most of them got lost or destroyed.
I love this hat, it's beat up and yellowed but it's something I'm always glad I lucked in to. And no it's not for sale or trade. Well okay maybe for a Warzone hat or a Life of Agony mesh hat.

True love

Do you remember the the first thing you spent a lot of money on for yourself? The first thing that you saw that you had to have, that your parents could not understand whatsoever why you would buy something like that? For me it was the Nike Air Max 95.
I had been working at a shoe store, well not just shoes but a Foot Locker type place since my sophmore year. The manager there was pretty clueless about what was going to sell, so he had us go through the catalogs and pick out the stuff he needed to order. I wish I had some of those catalogs now. God there was so much good stuff in them.
Anyway, I can remember seeing the 95s in a catalog. They blew my mind. I had never seen anything like that, and I knew I had to have them. Now this was the first pair of $150 shoes that I ever paid full price for. For some reason we couldn't get our discount on them. But it didn't matter. I had to have them.
When I wore those shoes to school, I had everyone's neck breaking. Everyone was on me for those shoes, they couldn't believe these sneakers. I don't know if kids did this at your school, but they became my Friday shoes. On Fridays it seemed like everyone tried to look a little more fresh, maybe they thought that would jumpstart their weekend if they were stepping at school dressed to the nines. 95s became my Friday shoes without a doubt, and in the spring they got a lot of rotation too because the looked so good with shorts.
I've got a love affair with these shoes, it's just one of those things I guess. When they came out it was just one of those things I guess, kind of one of those moments in time with shoes and clothes I guess. It sounds dumb when I say it out loud and read it on here, but it's the truth.
The pair in this picture is from the 97 retro, I've managed to keep them pretty clean. I had held on to my ogs up until a couple of years ago, but they were so dogged out I had to powerline them.

Consumer

Okay, so I'm biting off Chucky's style. There I said it, no noone else can say it. You can't get mad at someone for snitching on themselves. I had started this blog back in November, but I didn't like how it was going, so I haven't done anything with it in a month or two. I've really been too busy. But I'm going to give it another try because now I've got a new inspiration.
I wanted to have a focus, but I had a hard time finding what that focus was. Music? Hardcore? Movies? Life? It's all been done. With that line of thinking I don't guess my new focus is much more original.
My new focus is...stuff.
Anyone who knows me knows I have a ridiculous amount of stuff. It's just stupid. I collect way too many things, and as I've gotten older I've gotten worse. Sometimes I worry that my collections are going to overrun my room, my house, my life. I took a quiz out of a book at work the other day. The book was about hoarding, about breaking hoarding addiction. Of ten questions I answered yes to seven of them. That's bad, really bad. But I can't help it. I love my stuff. I love the things I own, but I do worry that they may own me.
So, welcome to Product Placement. I'm just going to talk about the stuff I have, things I love, anything that money can be spent on basically.
I hope you enjoy.