Hey readers, I'm back, and oh so much has happened since last we spoke. I really should commit to updating this blog all the time, you know? Make it, like, a regular thing. That's what "professionals" do. I'm not sure I'd like to be a "professional," but I would like to make money, and those two usually go together, right? Making money would definitely not suck.
My summer (SUMMER. Christ, I haven't updated for three or four months!) in bullet points:
-I played lots of shows with Agni.
-Zach got his own house and built a recording studio within. I helped. Kind of. A little. Well, I threw insulation at him while he worked. Same thing.
-I formed a bizarre love cult with four other individuals. We call ourselves The 108 5. Yes, that's a capital T you see there. Like, T for "tremendous" or "truly cool."
-On a related note, I have adopted the moniker Thundercock.
-I started working as a mover (gotta rake in doze Benjis, nawhatimsayin?).
-Began jamming with this cool bassist/guitarist named Malik. I like that guy. I think we'll cover video game music together. Stay tuned.
-Toast moved to France to go to a recording master's program! I'll miss him, but it's a fantastic opportunity, and, ultimately, I'm happy for him. Also, he is now French Toast, and, hey, that's perfect.
-I signed up to join a rowing crew in Los Angeles and had a silly humor war with the registration lady. Here's a photo I sent her to demonstrate my enthusiasm for the sport:
-I hung out with an Australian band, The Dark (
https://www.facebook.com/thedark2013), all of whom are wonderful and lovely people. Jon plays with them as well as with Agni. The guitarist and singer have moved back to Australia, but I'm assured that they intend to return soon enough. Before they left, we spent a lot of time hanging out at this underground speakeasy called The Overpass, which served alcohol past 2 am (OOOOHHHH). That's actually illegal in LA, which is why the DEA shut the place down. We did hang out there the last night it was open, though. Did I mention that Australians have fantastic turns of phrase? All sorts of wonderful pun doors open when "knob" means "penis."
-I briefly dated a 40 year old woman who reads tarot. Then I realized that, with her hair over her face and just her chin visible, she looks almost exactly like my mom. :( That was an uncomfortable moment. Sort of put a damper on things for me.
-I also fooled around with/dated a 20 year old woman. She, fortunately, looks nothing like my mom. She does, however, look great belly dancing. Also while not belly dancing, interestingly enough. She's a dancer at LMU who enjoys anime. What's the etiquette for writing about people with whom you're involved, by the way? I gotta start asking people if they're cool with me writing about them. Or maybe it's better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission?
-Ooh, this is a good one! I hit a pedestrian! Well, I mean, I wasn't driving, but I was in the back seat of a car with some friends I had met after a gig Agni played in Pasadena. We hit a guy as the car skidded to a stop from maybe 30 miles per hour? Broke his leg, I could see the blood seeping through his jeans. Don't worry, he's fine (I'm pretty sure. At least, he wasn't hurt in any serious way beyond the injury to his leg), and my friend who was driving is alright, too--she had a green light, she was going a reasonable speed and hit the breaks at a reasonable time, but the pedestrian sped up his amble to a lope at just the wrong moment. See, I wish I had written this blog entry right after the accident, like I had intended to. Then I could go all in depth and stuff, instead of just tantalizing you with hints of a tale. Ah well. I'll always have something new to write about next, even if nothing really happens, you know?
-My friends from college, Dana and Tom, moved out to LA from Pittsburgh together. They're cool, I like them. I helped them move into their apartment and they, in turn, provided me with gnocchi. More than fair, I would say. We've been hanging out since.
-I started taking guitar lessons from the talented Warren Lain. You can find him on Youtube. The guy knows his stuff, and I recommend you take lessons from him over Skype if you want to learn guitar with a solid foundation in theory. If you live in San Jose, take lessons from him in person, instead. I mean, if you like doing things that make sense.
-My friend Nikita and I became very close. So close that she takes me clothes shopping with her and I legitimately enjoy it. I don't even give a fuck, critiquing fashion is fun.
-Started recording a bit with Agni. Toast is gonna send bass tracks from France. We'll have an album done... Some time. You know, within the decade.
-Did reshoots for that horror film that I acted in in New Orleans,
The Ghost Experiment. It was really nice seeing the old cast all together again. We filmed in Pitzer's campus in Claremont. I dunno. Filming happened? Does that excite you or whatever? Are you entertained? Should I record myself doing a little dance for you? Would that jingle your jollies?
-Other stuff! Probably!
One thing that I didn't do this summer is write. That's something I intend to change, seeing as Agni is going on the backburner and, well, I love writing. It feels good to be at it again. In a way, it doesn't feel like I ever really stopped.
Anyway, tell you what. I'll expand on one bullet point from this list. Just vote on which one catches your interest most, and I'll tell the story behind it. You can leave comments here to cast your vote. After I tell whatever story gets chosen, I'll probably have something else to tell you about that's current., unless you guys really want me to tell two or whatever. Hey, I'd appreciate the enthusiasm.
