1-31-03 (02:48)
  • i go to sleep pretty late these days. my schedule is lame.
  • i get friday and sunday off, but have to open on saturday. that won't be fun.
  • nothing new or exciting has been going on lately.
  • updated movies list.
  • the kings need to get healthy. they play the lakers tomorrow and that should be interesting considering webber, jackson and pollard are out.


    • 1-29-03 (01:10)

  • "the president's a bush, the vice president's a dick...so a whole lotta fucking is what we gonna get." - talib kweli
  • tom waits came into tower today. actually he came in twice...once just before my shift and once during my shift. i've seen oj simpson and magic johnson and plenty of other celebrities in my day and i think tom waits is one of the coolest. i don't love his music, but he's a pretty cool guy.
  • the state of the union address was good enough for most people. i believe we'll have some sort of military action by May first.
  • mtv isn't completely worthless.
  • called a general contractor who was looking for an apprentice or help of some sort help. he said he'd put me on his list, but right now he's holding out for someone who has a truck. oh well.
  • stained my cd cases over the weekend.
  • the super bowl was obviously a disappointment.


    • 1-24-03 (17:40)

  • finally paid off the balance for the computer i've had for the last couple months.
  • i need to do something about my car. i don't use it because there's no reason to use it in davis and melanie has one for longer trips. i pay for insurance and registration though so it's just a drain on my resources.
  • yesterday was supposed to be my friday and i was going to get a three day weekend because i got super bowl sunday off. when i asked joe for the time off i offered to work friday or saturday (my usual days off) in exchange for sunday off because inventory is on monday and lots of things need to be done. but when the schedule went up i had a three day weekend so that was pleasing. in true joe style, though, he asked me yesterday if i could come in today for a few hours. so i did. i only worked three hours so it wasn't too bad...i need the money and i got to sleep in so it didn't really affect my day that much.
  • updated cdlist. by year.
  • updated movies list.
  • strictly by coincidence i've seen three movies this month which were largely about the amish.
  • there's a kings game on so i'm going to try and find that on tv.


    • 1-20-03 (01:59)

  • a lot of my big news lately has been sports related. the raiders are going to the super bowl a week from today and i get to watch it, rather than being at work. i even got to see a bit of the game today while i was on my lunch break.
  • blackalicious are going to be in davis on feb. 26th. tickets aren't on sale and i don't know who else will be at the concert, but those details are likely to be announced soon. i'm definitely going to see that. it's on a wednesday though so i'll have to ask for the day off.
  • i also have plans to go home to help my technologically retarded family get some stuff hooked up and sorted out.
  • i need to plan for a day off so i can get my last two wisdom teeth pulled some time soon as well. but that takes a back seat since it requires more money. i don't know how some people make a living. if i lived in a major city with my income i wouldn't be able to eat and i make $1.75 above minimum wage. if i lived by myself and rent was 600 bucks instead of 350 then i'd really be screwed. i don't know anyone my age who earns a living without their parents' help. for me finding a serious job (by that i mean one that pays serious money and has benefits) is hard for a few reasons: 1) i am lazy and easily made content 2) i don't know where i'm going to be living in seven months 3) i don't know what i'd rather do that pays more and is easy to get into....so i just stay where i am.
  • i think one problem i have is that i don't network enough. one reason for that is that i'm a misanthrope and the other is that "network" is just a businessman's buzz word...so i avoid doing it. i remember when jon was doing the student works painting thing....his boss figure would always push "networking" to establish business contacts. all networking means is kissing other people's asses in order to get what you need out of them. i suppose that's a large part of the basis of our society, but it's always seemed grimy and disingenuous to me.
  • i find that i enjoy the music portion of bjork's work more than her vocal contributions. one might say that the two are inseparable, but one might be wrong. speaking of bjork i saw a video today of bjork whopping some british journalist's ass. no kidding. bjork is usually seen as a pretty pacifistic and level-headed woman, but in this video she kicked the crap out of some reporter who supposedly had been pestering her for some time.
  • it's been very cold lately. this weekend it was foggy and cold and just looked miserable outside. it hasn't rained all that much though.
  • i think i've always been in favor of affirmative action.
  • orb has a back to mine cd coming out soon. that should be neat. the back to mine series asks a group or artist to pick an album's worth of music from various artists and put it together on a cd. it's usually pretty neat to hear what your favorite artists like to listen to when they're not making their own stuff.
  • i don't get headaches very often, hardly ever in fact. i might be getting one right now though.
  • i haven't been sleeping very well lately.
  • made some chicken tacos today and those were good.
  • this year has the potential for some good sequels with the matrix 2, terminator 3 and plenty more.
  • ER first season is coming to dvd in june if you care.
  • saw part of rushmore on tv today. that's a very good movie.
  • i should get to bed now.


    • 1-19-03 (02:18)

  • the kings lost a close game tonight and that is sad.
  • updated movies list.
  • watched an interesting movie about amish teenagers going through their allowed period of rebellion.
  • go raiders. i won't be able to see the game tomorrow since i've got work. that sucks. i will be able to see the super bowl though since i asked for next sunday off. i also will be able to see the lakers/kings game on the 31st since that's on a friday.
  • big news these days is that i'm broke and work is about the usual.
  • made melanie a flower pot holder using some of the wood i salvaged from the old cd case.
  • i should get some sleep. hopefully i wake up in time to watch a movie tomorrow before work.


    • 1-18-03 (20:18)

  • scot pollard is a funny guy. he's helping announce the kings game right now and is doing impersonations of joe maloof and vlade divac.
  • good to see the lakers lose yesterday. yao ming is better as a rookie than shaq was. he's also a better person in general.


    • 1-17-03 (19:39)

  • shaq apparently told one reporter when asked about yao ming "Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh." on another occasion "Shaquille O'Neal spoke with a mock Chinese accent and made mock "kung fu" moves." also: "June 20, 2002. Before Yao arrives to the United States, Shaquille O'Neal announces that he will test Yao's toughness by taking an elbow to Yao's face. "Don't give me the MVP like you gave it to Tim Duncan," he said during this interview. "Don't give me nothing. Just give me my fair share in American, because I'm American." (Houston Chronicle 6/21/02). After Yao's arrival, Shaq states, "I look forward to breaking down that mother-fucker's body." Shaq says, "He (Yao) said my name three times, two in Chinese and one in American. You don't ever call me out. I'm from LSU." (Sports Illustrated)" though i don't think shaq is a racist i gotta say, yet again, that shaq is just a big stupid child.


    • 1-16-03 (00:12)

  • well the highlight of my day was definitely watching the kings destroy the mavs. fun game to watch if you're a kings fan.
  • had mashed potatoes and steak tonight for dinner. first time i've made mashed potatoes myself. they always seem like such a pain to make, but i guess it's more of a time consideration than an effort thing.
  • work was work today. tomorrow is my friday and i like that. the music business isn't doing so well these days.
  • i really don't like my new work schedule because it makes watching movies and listening to music so much less possible. watching a movie or listening to music at 2am in the morning means you can't crank up the volume. also doing anything past 2am makes me feel like staying up too late which naturally leads to waking up too late which makes me feel like a bum. as much as i complain about work it's nice having movies and music around all the time...and even though my bosses may be stupid they're mostly laid back so it beats an office job.
  • my co-workers are such stereotypical wannabe-rocker record store clerks. it's really funny. one of the new guys is named "lucky" (real name bradley). he carves things into his arm, is in a band, has wild bushy hair, says "dude" a lot, is a music elitist, somewhat of a bigot, and has NEVER left california (though he has gone to lake tahoe so he's been close).


    • 1-12-03 (22:37)

  • "Rock legend Pete Townshend has stunned his legions of followers by confessing he is the celebrity at the centre of a police child porn investigation. The Who guitarist has admitted using his credit card to download sex videos of children from the internet, but insists he was simply doing research for a book he is writing about his childhood years, when he himself suffered sexual abuse. The Kids Are Alright rocker, whose name is on an FBI list of 7,000 pedophiles, says, "I haven't been charged with anything, but I think I'm f*****. I was worried this might happen. This will be the most damaging thing for my career. I want to clear my name." Townshend has three children of his own and follows both former tour-mate Gary Glitter and Euro-pop mastermind Jonathan King in the list of musicians associated with child porn scandals. He says, "I toured with Gary Glitter in the past but I am not him. I have always been into pornography and I have used it all my life. But I am not a pedophile and I think pedophilia is appalling." Townshend adds, "I have been writing my life story and the research was for a book. I have been in touch with Scotland Yard to tell them what I was doing. I have contacted them but no police officers have contacted me." Police are carrying out their largest ever investigation into child pornography in the UK and 1,300 people have been arrested - including 50 policemen, a judge, hospital consultants and a former deputy headmaster."
  • updated movies list.
  • woke up early to watch the niners bite the big one.
  • glad that the kings and raiders won, though.
  • work was work.
  • haven't been watching many movies or listening to much music lately. working late is lame. i'd much rather work opening shifts like the old days. it's also harder to get my full eight hours since i close the store in 10 minutes, but they schedule me to stay 30.
  • pretty soon i won't have internet access since i'm using melanie's student account. then i'll have to start paying for one more thing. pretty lame.


    • 1-10-03 (16:31)

  • bought the extended version of lord of the rings today. i guess it was only a matter of time before i cracked. anyway, we're going to watch that tonight and the new one tomorrow.
  • updated moviesiown list.
  • dismantled my old cd case today. it was easier than i thought it was going to be. so now i have a bunch of extra wood and nothing to build. i'm sure i'll come up with something. it's too bad i couldn't get ten bucks for it.
  • despite getting paid today i'm really broke.
  • i've gotten goosebumps literally every single time i've heard the song "release" which appears on the newest blackalicious album. i've probably listened to the album about 50 times by now and every time that track just amazes me.
  • "Inner breathlessness, outer restlessness

    • By the time I caught up to freedom I was out of breath
    Grandma asked me what I'm running for
    I guess I'm out for the same thing the sun is sunning for
    What mothers birth their youngens for
    And some say Jesus coming for
    For all I know the earth is spinning slow
    Suns at half mast 'cause masses ain't aglow
    On bended knee, prostrate before an altered tree
    I've made the forest suit me
    Tables and chairs
    Papers and prayers
    Matter versus spirit
    A metal ladder
    A wooden cross
    A plastic bottle of water
    A mandala encased in glass
    A spirit encased in flesh
    Sound from shaped hollows
    The thickest of mucus released from heightened passion
    A man that cries in his sleep
    A truth that has gone out of fashion
    A mode of expression
    A paint splattered wall
    A carton of cigarettes
    A bouquet of corpses
    A dying forest
    A nurtured garden
    A privatized prison
    A candle with a broken wick
    A puddle that reflects the sun
    A piece of paper with my name on it
    I'm surrounded
    I surrender
    All
    All that I am I have been
    All I have been has been a long time coming
    I am becoming all that I am
    The spittle that surrounds the mouth-piece of the flute
    Unheard, yet felt
    A gathered wetness
    A quiet moisture
    Sound trapped in a bubble
    Released into wind
    Wind fellows and land merchants
    We are history's detergent
    Water soluble, light particles, articles of cleansing breath
    Articles amending death
    These words are not tools of communication
    They are shards of metal
    Dropped from eight story windows
    They are waterfalls and gas leaks
    Aged thoughts rolled in tobacco leaf
    The tools of a trade
    Barbers barred, barred of barters
    Catch phrases and misunderstandings
    But they are not what I feel when I am alone
    Surrounded by everything and nothing
    And there isn't a word or phrase to be caught
    A verse to be recited
    A man to de-fill my being in those moments
    I am blankness, the contained center of an "O"
    The pyramidic containment of an "A"
    I stand in the middle of all that I have learned
    All that I have memorized
    All that I've known by heart
    Unable to reach any of it
    There is no sadness
    There is no bliss
    It is a forgotten memory
    A memorable escape route that only is found by not looking
    There, in the spine of the dictionary the words are worthless
    They are a mere weight pressing against my thoughtlessness
    But then, who else can speak of thoughtlessness with such confidence
    Who else has learned to sling these ancient ideas
    like dead rats held by their tails
    so as not to infect this newly oiled skin
    I can think of nothing heavier than an airplane
    I can think of no greater conglomerate of steel and metal
    I can think of nothing less likely to fly
    There are no wings more weighted
    I too have felt a heaviness
    The stare of man guessing at my being
    Yes I am homeless
    A homeless man making offerings to the after-future
    Sculpting rubber tree forests out of worn tires and shoe soles
    A nation unified in exhale
    A cloud of smoke
    A native pipe ceremony
    All the gathered cigarette butts piled in heaps
    Snow covered mountains
    Lipsticks smeared and shriveled
    Offerings to an afterworld
    Tattoo guns and plastic wrappers
    Broken zippers and dead eyed dolls
    It's all overwhelming me, oak and elming me
    I have seeded a forest of myself
    Little books from tall trees
    It matters not what this paper be made of
    Give me notebooks made of human flesh
    Dried on steel hooks and nooses
    Make uses of use, uses of us
    It's all overwhelming me, oak and elming me
    I have seeded a forest of myself
    Little books from tall trees
    On bended knee
    Prostrate before an altered tree
    I've made the forest suit me
    Tables and chairs
    Papers and prayers
    Matter vs. spirit, through meditation
    I program my heart to beat breakbeats and hum basslines on exhalation"
  • i think that the lakers have a good shot now at making the playoffs so that's good. i don't want them to miss the playoffs because then the kings won't have the opportunity to humiliate them.


    • 1-7-03 (22:36)

  • been really busy lately.
  • saw the end of two really crazy games on sunday. saw the last minute of the niners game and heard what the refs said about it today. i feel bad for the giants, but not too bad. also saw the last 8 minutes of the steelers game and that was exciting as well. it's been a good week for football.
  • asked for super bowl sunday off today. i'm likely to get it. it's also likely that one of the only two teams i care about (niners and raiders) will make it to the super bowl this year....maybe even both. so i should have a stronger than usual interest in the outcome.
  • updated movies list.
  • updated cdlist.
  • work wasn't too shabby today. these days i refer to my days at work as being more or less bad, that's not optimal.
  • i finally got the orbital album "in sides" with the extended version of "the box" on it today. i paid more than i should have, but it's a discontinued title and getting the single through tower proved harder than anticipated. it's one of my favorite tracks of all time so it's worth it in the long run.
  • i'm not a huge fan of cop shows, but i do like "law and order." on one hand they do a good job of showing the audience how difficult it can be to be a law enforcement person. the good ones show the good and bad that goes with a job like that including a lot of stuff we don't normally think about....and greater understanding is generally a good thing. on the other hand it seems that most of these shows come to the conclusion that the law is a good thing and "justice" is usually served. although there may be a few bumps in the road the cops generally get the right person. i think this view differs from reality, but i'm young and pessimistic. wait...isn't that supposed to happen when you get old?
  • the hardships that law enforcement types have to endure may be unfortunate and worthy of sympathy, but i wish there was a way of getting a program that portrayed homeless people or the working poor in the same way that cops are shown on tv. that is, both cops and poor people are doing their best to survive and they're both usually seen in only one light (begging for change in one case or beating down black people in the other). i just think that it's intriguing to see a day in the life of people who you see on a regular basis as symbols of one thing (poverty) or another (the LAW), and as a result might not think of them as humans. a day in the life of a working or homeless person doesn't make good tv though.
  • bush is stupid.
  • grand theft auto is a fun and funny game. the funniest thing about it though is how it's portrayed in the media. they say it's a game about picking up hookers and killing people and all sorts of awful things. then during the commercial break they show a trailer for the newest james bond movie. gta is like the newest james bond movie, but with social commentary, a better soundtrack, and in the form of a video game.


    • 1-3-3 (21:47)

  • watched a really good bowl game today. to be honest i hadn't watched either team play for any extended amount of time so i just expected miami to blow out ohio state since that's what all the experts predicted. but after seeing the first defensive stand of the game i knew they could make it interesting. definitely a game for the ages...an injury which miami fans will likely point to for years to come, a bad call at the end of the game, two overtimes, and so many plays down the stretch were very critical. fun game to watch.
  • finished my cd cases. they are a thing of beauty. they make my old cd case look clunky, awkward and just plain ugly. these have style and grace. the only drawback is that they have so much space that they make my cd collection look tiny. thanks are in order to my mom for the home depot gift card which came in handy for this project.
  • i put my old case up for sale on the local swap newsgroup. hopefully someone will take it off my hands for a couple bucks. if not i might see if kdvs is interested.
  • going to eat some pizza and watch a movie now.


    • 01-01-03 (01:00)

  • my final top ten of the year.
  • updated moviesiown list.
  • updated cdlist. by year.
  • updated movies list. 243 movies for the year. not too bad, but i hope to do a lot better this year.
  • started work on my cd cases tonight. not having all the right tools or a decent workspace makes the job slower, but i should finish one of them by the end of tomorrow.
  • i have to open tomorrow so i should get some sleep.
  • i didn't notice it until last night, but mike judge is actually in office space and it's even a speaking role. strange that i never noticed it until now.

    • having a good desk chair is great.