Jam On: Battles, Pearls Before Swine, House of Leaves, Equilibrium, The Warriors, and Long Blog Titles

Right now I'm jamming on some good shit.  Jam with me.

Music:
Battles - Mirrored

Lately I just don't really want to hear voices.  I'm been very into Dan Deacon, Crystal Castles, and now these guys.  I heard Ddiamondd two years ago and thought it was nifty, saw a Take Away Show of Wall Street that was also impressive.  I'll supply the video here in case you're interested:

Even the cinematography of the video is great.  If you have a nice monitor I think you'll get more out of it because it is just a wonderful experience.  Now is my first time actually sitting down to listen to an album of theirs, because It's difficult for me to turn on new things.  Yesterday I tried Converge's Jane Doe album, that one was difficult on my ears and to play at an audible level at work.  I'm trying.  This album is paying off.  Mirrored is all over the place but in a style that keeps it fluid and together.  Race:  In starts the fast drums but with some Ohhs and guitar that sounds like your average indie song on crack.  But then moves elsewhere, Atlas has whispers and bass that sound like Marylin Manson's Beautiful People.. but then Animal Collective shows up.  The song is a seven minute mash up of these sounds that throws in some nice guitar work... and than we move on abruptly to the next song.  Ddiamondd is on this, with some rapping that works with the song and a chorus of whistles and what I can only describe as "crazy."  Tonto comes up with a more alt rock feel and guitar.  The middle of the song has great guitar that is almost impossible to not nod your head to.  The song slows down to make it's way for Leyendecker, that has some hip hop influences with the electronic glitchy flair.  I like to imagine Raggie Watts showed up for that song to help out.  Rainbows is more subdued and not as impressive but a nice pause in the intensity of the other songs.  The rest of the album evens out to a solid piece of work but those first tracks are memorable.

Comics:

Pearls Before Swine - Pearls Sells Out

Perhaps you guys don't give a fuck what comic strips I am reading.  Perhaps, even, you are one of those "I don't give a fuck" people - in which case go away and change your cliche attitude.  I get to write about what I want, and I'm writing about Sunday funnies.  Pearls Before Swine is my favorite comic strip.  Ever.  Followed closely by Pooch Cafe.  I will now supply some strips for you so you can see what I mean:  

As you can see these aren't your average Funnies.  They are actually funny and have complex-ish sometimes adult jokes.  Supposedly Pastis deals with a lot of rejection and hate from the inappropriateness of his newspaper comic strip.   Well, haters gunna hate and gators gunna punish Ernie.

Here is some Pooch Cafe, just because it is so underrated:

Books:

House of Leaves - Mark D Danielewski

I'm sure many people know of this book.  It was actually the first thing Buzz ever bought me.  For my 19th birthday.  Back when he was still enchanted by me and thought I was wonderful.  It's taken me a long time to pick it up, and a good bit of time to finish it.  

It has it's appeal, it is scary and sometimes there is typography on the page to make it seem more bizarre and spooky.  It's written like it is a real story of a guy who finds the records of the old man who was exploring another man's experience.  So... it was pretty removed from the original story and that has been a pain in the ass to get through.  This 20 something year old punk finds the old mans records of this spooky haunted house case.  The case drives the old man wacko and as the punk pieces it all together he goes wacko too.  All of it really interests me, but mainly the house does.  The house isn't really haunted, or it might be, but it moves around and changes shape that drives the father of the house nuts.  So, instead of going to check the boat house at 3:15 am, he goes down endless staircases and hallways.  (If you caught my reference, good job!) 

All the parts about the actual house and what happens is really fun to read... but the cliff notes make me want to put the book down.  There are a lot of cliff notes explaining in minute detail the context of what is happening, this is kind of annoying but works with how obsessed the people researching it were supposed to be and add to the bizarre-ness of old man and punk going crazy.  But then there are notes about the punk just talking.  Just talking.  About his stupid life in California and doing drugs and sleeping with women and unraveling past traumatic family events.  Stuff that I just don't want to read about.  If I want to read something like The Fuck Up by Arthur Nersesian or some beatnik book then that's what I'll do.  

Movies:
Equilibrium

If you've ever seen this movie than you know how silly it is, must have been made after The Matrix because its obvious where Christian Bale got his fashion and fitting style from. Yep, Christian Bale. He's basically Batman in this movie too but Gotham is just your average Distopia where you aren't allowed to have emotions. Like a grown up The Giver. Bale starts feeling and that leads him to trouble, including getting a dog. So he has to go around killing lots of people to throw down the evil regime and allow him to keep his dog. And feel.

The movie basically take a bunch of ideas from good things, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Brave New World, The Matrix, and Lassie ( Just kidding about Lassie) and makes it into another dorky 90s sci fi that I just adore. Along with eXistenZ, Dark City, The Thirteenth Floor, and Twelve Monkeys, Equilibrium is a fun watch that I remember from my childhood. I will say though, Equilibrium is the worst of them.  And it was made in 2002.

So, why would I mention the movie if its not that good? Because it is honestly what I have watched this week and I don't want to lie and say like, oh yeah I watched like Dog Day Afternoon, or Taxi Driver, or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind this week. Because those are all good movies that I would prefer to write about, but I didn't actually watch them this week, so I want to be honest and just tell you about that golden nugget Equilibrium. Oh, and the other movie I watched this week....

The Warriors

This is actually a good movie, but kinda dorky too. It's a 70s or 80s movie about gangs in New York City. The Warriors are a specific gang who have been accused of killing a head gang member of a different major gang. They have to go through NYC in other gangs turf until they reach their land. Which is coney or Long Island. Some island, because it ends with them kicking through the sand gayly after they make it home okay and justice has been served.

Obviously, writing movie synopsis is my forte and I should make a career out if it.

Smeagol, Who Is a Rabbit - Not a LOTR Character

Recently I have taken another step to social whoring my animals.  I made Blizzard an Instagram because I love following buns on Instagram so maybe people would want to follow my bun.  In all my Instabunnying I've stumbled across a bunny named Smeagol who has cancer on his nosey.






It is so scary because the vets didn't think it was a big deal until it was a super big deal!!  This is why I totally don't feel silly when I'm afraid my rabbit is going to die all the time and my first thought coming home is often "OMG Blizzard is totally dead."  Okay maybe I feel a little silly but seriously bunnies and fragile creatures that need all the love they can get!  So the point is, please help contribute to Smeagol since his parents are AMAZING hoomins who have decided to try to help him live as much as possible and not put him to sleep.  It is very expensive and time consuming but they are doing it!!

You can chip in right there by clicking the Chip In! button that is on the side with all my other widgets.  I was only able to contribute $10 but every little bit counts, right?

We Need a Bunny Cafe in Vermont. Japan, You Are Selfish.

I have been looking all morning for Rabbit Societies in Vermont, they just don't exist.  There should be a place for us to take our bunnies and let them socialize!  I will have to open a place up.  They have things like that in Japan.  Japan has everything.  Even Bunny Cafes!  Where they have rabbits and you can bring your rabbit and you sip teas with buns!  Too good to be true.

It's all just so cute!!  I would love if there was something like this were I could go to.  Maybe I could open something like this up, wouldn't that be nice?

2012, Reflections. 2013, Resolutions. And Other New Year Bullshit.

At the beginning of 2012 I was still living in the Emergency Homeless Shelter for youth.  I was excited because we got to stay up until 3:00 am playing some basket ball game on the Xbox.  For some reason I was really good at the game even though I had never played a sports video game before.  The people I was playing with were really cheering me on and impressed, it was cool because in shelter people aren't usually the nicest.  I had worked through the holidays and was tired.  When Buzz went home he gave me the keys to his apartment.  He knew things would be closed for holiday and all my friends went home to visit family.  I would have nowhere to go at 8:30 every morning.  That was when they kicked us out on the streets.

At the end of 2012 I stayed in my apartment reading comic books.  I didn't feel like going out and getting wasted to usher in the new year.  My girlfriends weren't stoked that I was staying home but that's what I wanted and sometimes it's so difficult when they want to hang out all the time. I really enjoy my alone time.  

Alone time, that is something I have achieved in the last year. Along with many other things.  This has been the best year in my life.  2012 was an amazing time.  I started the year with goals involving my first semester at the University of Vermont.  I also was waiting to get into government subsidized housing. I started the year doing both. Both didn't work out.  University of Vermont gave me out of state residency and charged me so much I could not cover the tuition in loans. Because I could not cover the tuition, they wanted me to start paying immediately.  So I left school due to stress trying to figure out how to pay all of that money. That didn't stop me from taking tap dance classes though, my first dance class.  I started working at COTS full time for a temporary position.  The government subsidized housing was a program through the homeless shelter that I lived in, there were rules.  I had to be home by ten, had chores I had to do, and no guests.   Like all government housing, my rent was 30%, but I made so much money at the time 30% was $530!!  I could just get my own apartment, and so I did. I also happened to get a smart phone. David started talking to me again and bought me an iPhone 4S. We started talking more regularly, the beginning of getting my brother back. :D.  I moved out the restrictive housing and stayed with Buzz until June apartments opened up.  It was the first time I was free in nine months! No curfew! No assigned chores! And no living with at least 5 other people, and homeless kids at that.

Living with Buzz was fun though we didn't care for that apartment too much and had limited things.  We had a tv and a bed, and a PS3 that I bought him.  Of course I had my mountain of books, clothes, and cassettes but those are extra.  We had two plates and two bowls.  Our frying pan was the former person who lived there's and was very beaten up.  I worked hard finding an apartment and found this cute little thing downtown.  I could have pets and there was a full bathtub, the main things I wanted.  Plus, all the walls are bright colors! Bathroom is a nice pastel purple, it was the cherry on tiop.

Before I moved in though, I saw my family for the first time since I moved back to Vermont.  I wasn't fucked up anymore with depression and drugs.  The trip was amazing I that I saw my little brothers who are my pride and joy.  I even briefly saw my niece Emma Leigh.  She is just wonderful.   The only problem with the trip is that besides the children, everyone is fucked up.  I never really noticed how bad it was, no I did but I maybe I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to care.  It hurt to see my family suffer money problems and stress issues and relationship grief and broken dreams, I want them to be happy!  None the less the trip was a good idea and it was nice to go on a vacation.  The pictures are here.

When we moved in to our new apartment, we didn't have a table or chairs, or any house stuff really.  Buzz and I spent most of out time the first two months just getting things for the place, like grown up things. Futon and a fancy coffee table. Table mats, rice cooker, coasters, home things. I lost my full time position at COTS but they took me on as a permanent part time, I was grateful for that and it didn't bother me, I just looked for a second job. The summer went by and in July I decided I wanted a pet, because I was lonely went I was in the apartment alone and not used to having no one around. That's when I got Blizzard. If you know anything about me or have even glanced at my blog you'd realize my rabbit is half of my life. My other half is coming up...

Shortly after bunny, I broke up with Buzz. That was a downer but liberating all the same. then, I turned 21. My birthday was depressing. Bar were fun at first and still are in moderation, but I was down about Buzz. Though, life goes on and I got asked to be permanent full time at COTS working with contracts too.

In September David moved up to Vermont. It was something that I had been wanting for a while. The south was ruining him and he lost his job. I hadn't had him as a friend in years and finally we could hang out again! I got him to doctors, got him to the dentists, got him on antidepressants! He is doing great, he seems happy now. Happiest I've seen him in a long time and I am glad to be a part of it.

October I decided to get a cat. I wanted a kitten while Blizzard was young too. So I got the other half of my heart, Thunder. When holiday time came I dress them in Santa outfits. It was the first Christmas I could spend lots of money on my family. It felt nice. I need to get my dad a beer brewing kit, I haven't ordered it yet though unfortunately. I hope he uses it. Me and my step dad, whom I call Dad, have become very close and it's nice to have a good relationship with one of my parents. I've never had a good relationship with Mom or my biological father, but me and Dad call each other fairly often and it's always nice. I've been trying to encourage him to get a job up here because I think it would cheer him up and he'd make more money. I got Christopher, the youngest brother, a violin, and Petey a DS Lite. I hope they both like them. It feels nice to actually be able to give them stuff without them worrying about money. When I was their age I was always worried around Christmas because I knew our family couldn't afford it, I don't want them to worry about money ever again.

Now, it is 2013. I can only move forward, so here are my resolutions:

Read 22 books
Speak French on a conversational level
Improve guitar skills
Improve bass skills
Improve ukulele skills, memorize ukulele chords
Learn some violin
Lose 10 pounds
Get under eye plastic surgery
Get on a good amount of ADD medication
Go back to college
Keep Thunder and Blizzard alive
Set up payment on Mom's parent plus loan
Get rabbit tattoo
Cut back on smoking
Help David get custody of Emma Leigh
Learn how to text in Japanese


That's what I have so far. I've already made th consultation for my plastic surgery and memorized about half of the hiragana. Thunder got his last shots today. I got switched to Adderall, and I'm pretty happy. And it's only four days into the new year!!!


Hope everyone else's is starting off as good. ;D