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Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
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woke up today suddenly around 7am and was completely alert. weird. ended up trolling the internet for records i've been looking for. i've probably bought 15 records online or in shops in the past two weeks. some for cheap, but some no so cheap. yikes. i need to start keeping better track....
when i get back to vegas, i'm going to pay off a few chunky debts, then try to pick up another turntable for cheap. i'm also going to ask michael and jared to let me shadow them while they're djing, and maybe start doing a dj night with joe (or someone else). by the time i move back east, i want to be comfortable on the turntables, and with enough records to try and get a night going in cleveland. i don't care if anyone comes out or even digs it really, i just want to do it.
i didn't really get anything for the holidays- a few small gift certificates, etc- but my parents tore up the check i wrote them for half of my airfare for this trip (meaning they paid for the full cost), which is pretty sweet. i'm glad that i didn't get a whole bunch of useless stuff that i didn't ask for, and glad my parents didn't spend a whole lot of time out shopping too.
hmmmm... i guess i really didn't have much steam behind this posting. i don't really feel like writing much. time for food, a shower, and errands. tonight i'm going to a show here that a friend's band is playing (their last show), and another friend is putting on, and i still don't feel like i'm going to be welcome there. we'll see.
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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Sunday, November 26th, 2006
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Wednesday, October 18th, 2006
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lately, i'll take....:
1. scandinavia & eastern europe -over- "mer'kuh".
2. red wine -over- beer.
3. a working german car -over- two dead american cars.
4. eating & reading -over- doing laundry.
5. sleeping, a lot -over- cleaning in general.
6. eating well (cooking fresh mostly-veg meals) -over- eating whatever is fast and cheap.
7. a loving circle of friends -over- a loving relationship.
8. a night in -over- a night out.
9. silence -over- phonecalls.
10. creamy -over- crunchy.
11. a long shot -over- a cheap shot.
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
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since the bulk of my few-and-far-between entries are friends-only, i thought i'd let the general public know that i'm open to taking new friend requests.... not like there's anything interesting here.
of course i'll be picking apart your internet existence and judging the risk of adding you, so don't get all upset if you're not added, or not added right away.
this entry is pretty much pointless though.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, August 29th, 2006
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...for POVERTY.
thats right, once again Cleveland made it to the top of he US census bureau's list of "poorest big cities". no suprise to me, or anyone else who grew up there or lived there any significant amount of time... ( more on this (the AP article's text) )
...my visit to cleveland has been great though- wilin' out with mary, corey, erich, and lindsey (with resulting injuries); dinner (vietnamese! mmmm!) and bitter ex-comrade conversation with sam and j; lots of quality time with my family (getting to see my parents' new place in aurora, and my brother michael's new place in akron); and getting a new car (i bought my brother's white pontiac grand prix for cheap!).
i just finished dinner with my parents, and i'm leaving in a few minutes for pittsburgh- another big, poor rust belt town very close to my heart. more drinking. more damp gloomy weather (i'm loving it though!). more friends. cheers!
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, August 9th, 2006
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i'm still alive, livejournal! still alive!
here's what i've been up to, in the fewest words possible:
i'm still in vegas, in the midst of our contract battle. we go into our fifth set of negotiations tomorrow. also, we're in the midst of a primary county commissioners' race. for my members, this means un-electing one shitty boss out of seven, and electing into office a pretty awesome lady (for a politician). the race is hard though, and our members hate working on it. i do too, but this affects their lives in a pretty damned significant way. so we gotta take this bitter pill...
also related to work, i just went through my six-month evaluation. it was pretty much 75% my leads telling me that i'm a pretty damned good organizer, and 25% getting shit for being late a lot. i'd say it was a fair evaluation. aside from the brow-beating over my chronic tardiness, i felt pretty awesome afterward.
outside of work, i'm doing pretty well. i've found some decent-enough places to spend my nights, met some rad folks here, and become close friends with a few of them. add to that the group of anarcho-transplants from the old country (thats what we call our homelands out east) that moved here for the work, and i've got a decent group of folks out here to kick it with for having been here only 6-7 months. lately i've been spending time with a group of australians and a group of swedes and realizing how terribly i want to get off turtle island and see the world a bit.
i've recently started getting my personal shit in order too. saving some cash, getting back in shape (got a bike out here now, and a pull up bar!), cooking and eating at home a lot more, and thinking more and more about what i'm doing after i leave vegas. i'm only staying here until the end of this contract fight, or the end of my lease, whichever lasts longer.
after that, i'm headed back east. exactly where is yet to be determined, and based on two things: where i can get into a solid UBC (carpenters' union) apprenticeship program, and where jenna is/wants to be.
after some really really terrible months of back-and-forth fighting and games, and then about a month of near-silence, jenna and i are rebuilding our relationship/friendship. we're pretty stable (more stable than we've been the whole time i've been out here), and are still in love with each other, but not in a formal, monogamous relationship. i think we're doing pretty awesome, and look forward to us growing closer and stronger as the time for me to move back east gets closer.
as for the apprenticeship program- its something i'd been rolling around in my mind for a long time, and after trying out this union organizer gig for a while, and realizing how much of my time, energy, and attention it consumes, i decided i'd better figure out what the hell i could possibly see myself doing for the rest of my life (cuz working as an organizer full-time definitely ain't it), and get started in that direction already. after spending the first part of my life designing and building treehouses, forts, skateramps, and shoddy furniture, and having a deep interest in mid-century modern design and furniture, i decided i'd become a carpenter... hopefully focusing on wood-working, furniture making, and cabinetry, and also all of the skills neccessary for rehabing houses. i still have to look more into it, but thats the direction i want to go. i'll also take some design courses, and cover all of my bases. i'm gonna make pretty/useful shit for people to live in and with.
i decided i'm absolutely in love with music again. i've been hunting down and buying and acquiring all sorts of new music to listen to- new wave, classic punkrock, soul, 60s reggae & ska, latin funk/soul, tropicalia, late 70s/early 80s punk/funk/electro, modern electro, psych, and some more current stuff. i also decided i'm going to start deejaying. i know a lot of folks who are doing the finalscratch thing and djing off their ipods and laptops and alla that, and while i don't have any problem with that at all, i'm gonna start with the basics and dj only vinyl. i'm sure i'll start playing around with all kinds of crazy wizardry at some point, but i'm not trying to be too ambitious to start with.
i'm looking forward to the summer ending and it getting much cooler out here in the desert so i can start kicking the ball around and biking more and not having to worry about heatstroke.
so thats pretty much whats up. a pretty lengthy update there, good job making it through.
who knows how often i'll update this thing... now that i can get online at home again, for now....
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, January 4th, 2006
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her eyelids flutter
shut, two hands quietly folding,
holding fast a dream.
i've been tired all day, but now that i can lie down and sleep, my body won't stop itching for activity and my mind won't rest.
there's some relief in hearing that 12 of the 13 miners trapped nearly two days ago in a west virginia explosion have been found alive. what a living nightmare that must've been for them...
EDIT: sadly, it turned out that only one of the 12 miners found together has survived the ordeal. what a tragedy.
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i had a great new years weekend with jenna in baltimore. i really dig the kids there- both of my crews- and could see myself calling that city home someday... new years eve i definitely drank a few too many 'irish car bombs', danced, kissed, called some folks, threw up a bit, blacked out and disappeared for a while (no one, not even me, has any idea where i was), and somehow made it back where we were staying in one piece. no chipped teeth this year, or pleas to be taken to the hospital, so that's an improvement. and of what i can remember (most of the night, i swear!), i had an excellent time. maxxed out on the couch a bit with the 830 residents, watching episodes of the ali g show, chappelle's show, and the office (how come nobody told me about that show before?!). hung out and talked shit with the baltimore anarchos and got my hands all chewed up by rosa luxembourg, the adorabley vicious kitten.
now i'm back in pittsburgh for a few days before flying out to vegas on sunday for my two-week trial with the local there. this week requires some annoying chores (department of motor vehicles, car insurance companies), a depressing few days of work here with our closing down of the campaign (i'll write a wrap-up soon, i swear), seeing a few friends, and MUCHO quality time with jenna.
been writing a bit more (elsewhere) about my observations, experiences, thoughts, and medium/long-term goals, so maybe that'll translate into an update here with actual substance sometime soon. maybe. there's a lot kicking around in this head, and not a whole lot of time to spin it into something...
i'm gonna go give that sleeping thing another shot.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, January 2nd, 2006
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| Subject: | stolen from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) djwilson |
| Time: | 10:47 pm. |
| Mood: |  tired. | | Music: | billy bragg. |
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excellent article about pittsburgh, the "stillers", and our beloved rust belt:
http://monthlyreview.org/1205mccollester.htm#Volume
The Glory and the Gutting: Steeler Nation and the Humiliation of Pittsburgh
by Charles McCollester
ps: being cleveland-born and cleveland-raised. i will always root for the Browns. and i root for the Stillers when they're not playing the Browns. ya heard? good, now read the damned article.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, December 26th, 2005
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its not yet 11pm, jenna's totally asleep, and i'm playing with her new laptop, because our computer is totally wrecked with viruses. not much going on in the internet world. most of my college-age friends are still in their various hometowns with the fam. my working friends are getting ready for a post-holiday workweek- only a buffer of days before new years.
i'm looking forward to a new years bash in baltimore, some sort of clarity or closure on the current organizing drive (its not doing that well...), and a timeline for when i can expect to be flying into vegas for my 2-week trial period, back out to pittsburgh to tie up loose ends, maybe a few days in cleveland with the family and friends, and then out on the road for a long haul back to vegas. thats right, i'll be driving out.
jenna and i just finished watching 'the virgin suicides'. it was the perfect time for me to see it again- i haven't in a long enough time to really want to see it, and have seen it recently enough to pick up new stuff. still one of the most aesthetically pleasing movies i've ever seen. ...we watched 'spun' last night too. boy am i glad i never got into meth.
i'm pretty sick, so watching movies is just about the best thing in the world. (well, close.) i can barely swallow, laughter sends me into painful coughing fits, and coughing produces thick, chewy, brownish-yellow hunks of mucus. jenna's grossed out, you're grossed out, and i'm strangely fascinated... i always get sick this way- the same symptoms- whenever i get sick.
this is a pretty boring post. gnite.
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Comments: Read 14 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, December 20th, 2005
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what a difference 24 hours can make.
i just made some crazy decisons. more later....
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Comments: Read 6 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, December 19th, 2005
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these are some dark days and darker nights.
enough to put the shiver in my bones.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, December 17th, 2005
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| Time: | 12:17 pm. |
| Mood: |  excited. |
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jenna and i are in nyc today and a bit tomorrow morning. the greyhound ride (and the ridiculous wait that preceeded it) were awful, of course. but now we're here, fed on bagels and coffee, and ready to go.
jenna's got an audition, then we're gonna wander the chilly city.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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Friday, December 16th, 2005
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| Subject: | stolen from quietgrrl |
| Time: | 2:51 am. |
| Mood: |  drunk. | | Music: | akon and young jeezy/magnetic fields. |
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[1] what did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
a coupla things.... getting a job that i wear dress clothes to.
[2] did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
i don't remember having made any (though i probably did), maybe i'll just skip that this next year....
[3] did anyone close to you give birth?
not actually close to me. a few acquaintances...
[4] did anyone close to you die?
friends of friends.
[5] what countries did you visit?
none. maybe next year.
[6] what would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
real self-confidence.
[7] what date(s) from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
i'd have to go back and really think about it, and i guess thats not really "etched upon my memory" then.
[8] what was your biggest achievement of the year?
two things: getting through my 3 month trail period as a union organizer, and keeping jenna around through all of my bullshit and crazy schedule.
[9] what was your biggest failure?
i dunno.... not getting approved for a fucking $3,800 loan for a really excellent little truck i wanted.
[10] did you suffer any illness or injury?
an on-going romantic afflication. swoon swoon.
[11] what was the best thing you bought?
jenna's x-mas present. shhhh.
[12] whose behavior merited celebration?
what the fuck kinda question?..... i guess jenna, for her patience. some of my coworkers, for standing up for ourselves and each other.
[13] whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
our lead organizer, for being a tyrannt and putting our campiagn in jeopardy.
[14] where did most of your money go?
who the fuck knows. probably rent.
[15] what did you get really, really, really excited about?
getting a job as a union organizer and getting to teach folks how to fight their boss for a living! moving into a new place with someone i love ridiculously.
[16] what song will always remind you of 2005?
"soul survivor" by young jeezy, featuring akon.
[17] compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? fatter
iii. richer or poorer? richer
[18] what do you wish you'd done more of?
spend time with pals. sex. (separately).
[19] what do you wish you'd done less of?
sitting in meetings hearing the same thing over and over.
[20] how will you be spending christmas?
eve and day at jenna's rents'. some portion in cleveland.
[22] did you fall in love in 2005?
over and over and over again.
[23] how many one-night stands?
none! only many-night stands!
[24] what was your favorite TV program?
i don't really watch any tv at all.
[25] do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
regis champ (CEO of the MR agency we're organizing).
[26] what was the best book you read?
too many to count, too many to judge.
[27] what was your greatest musical discovery?
the stone roses.
[28] what did you want and get?
another wonderful year with the lady of my dreams. an excellent job that keeps me on my toes and fed.
[29] what did you want and not get?
my full sleeve tattoo completed.
[30] what was your favorite film of this year?
"north country" probably. i bawled.
[31] what did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
i can't remember, but i turned 22!
[32] what one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
more travelling! more friends! more jenna!
[33] how would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
at work: dapper dapper. dress slacks, dress shirts and sweaters.
at play: fred perry polos of many colors. everything else as usual (tight jeans, denim jacket. hoodies. sensible footwear).
[34] what kept you sane?
jenna and sleep.
[35] which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
i fucking hate celebrities and public figures. probably roseanne. she's the only celebrity i really like.
[36] what political issue stirred you the most?
the war and the walmartization of our economy.
[37] who did you miss?
EVERYONE.
[38] who was the best new person you met?
sharon needles.
[39] tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
fermenting revolution is HARD. communication is everything.
[40] quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"if you're feeling low, stuck in some bardo, I, even I, know the solution:
love, music, wine and revolution. loooooooooooove, looooooooooooove. love, music, wine and revolution. this too shall pass, so raise your glass to change and chance. and freedom is the only law- shall we dance?..."
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, December 13th, 2005
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i stopped home for a snack and to see if the heater had been fixed.
it hadn't. i can see my breath in the air. the thermostat only goes down as low as 40 degrees, but i doubt its even that warm. for almost two weeks, we've had to keep going downstairs to restart the pilot light every day and a half, then every 12 hours, and now it won't even stay on more than 20 minutes.
we've had the repair guy over a bunch of times, the last time him finally realizing something is actually broken. he left to go order a part. that was last tuesday.
i called the landlord's office and told him he's gotta deal with this already. he said he would send someone over. i should be out knocking doors and talking to workers, but instead i stayed here to wait for someone to come over to address this situation already. no one's come, and i can't stay. i can't stay in the freezing fucking cold, and i can't shirk my responsibilities.
i called and left an angry message just a minute ago. tomorrow, i'm writing a formal letter of complaint and delivering a copy to their office. then i'm going to the health department with a copy of it.
if this house ain't warm by tomorrow night, there's gonna be hell to pay. i'm pissed.
EDIT: the landlord got my pissed off message. he called back and someone's coming. who knows, maybe they will. i also got the landlord's cell number. he's gonna get a lot more pissed off messages if this guy doesn't come soon.
EDIT #2: repair dudes just left. heat is on, for now. they said to call their cell in the monring if its not still on, and they'll know exactly what the problem is, and go pick up the part. guess the landlord is spared pissed off phone calls for tonight... hopefully the house won't be 40 degrees in the morning.
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Comments: Read 7 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, December 10th, 2005
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"The strength and the weakness of the real anarchist struggle resides in its viewing the goal of proletarian revolution as immediately present (the pretensions of anarchism in its individualist variants have always been laughable)." - Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle.
credit to roter_terror.
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Comments: Read 6 or Add Your Own.
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there's gotta be a pill that can take away your imagination. must find it.
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Comments: Read 6 or Add Your Own.
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full.
blah.
sick.
calm.
irate.