2008. Mom works for a non-profit at this time. They are having a schwanky fundraiser, so the P.A. system is volunteered, world music streamed via the laptop. Throw me in a monkey suit and you nearly have yourself a real D.J.
My old lady, bless her heart, volunteers to come with. En route, I tell her of a music festival in Florida that has three of her favorite bands on the same bill: Medeski Martin & Wood, Les Claypool, and of Montreal. We're both amped, but even talking through the logistics is a disaster. We humbly conclude that we can afford the festival, but not the transportation. It would have been financially irresponsible. Bummed, we enter the gig...
The non-profit is an off shoot of another non-profit. The first one gets big ugly pharmaceutical companies to donate medicine to third world countries. One problem they encountered, was that if they could offer medicine to a specific child, the cost of getting to and from the hospital and the lack of the day's wages were catastrophic to the family. The second non-profit was setup for people to sponsor these families with Cash, so they could afford to take advantage of the medicine and treatments from the first company.
The whole thing was confusing & saddening. We realized a sponsorship was $240 yearly. $20 per month. It was an easy decision to pick up a sponsorship.
At the end of the fundraiser they put all the new accounts into a big hat for a raffle.
"The winners of our first raffle item, 2 free airline tickets anywhere in the United States, is..."
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
I tweet.
I like to say I use it mainly for "Business" but this isn't Exactly True and I'm not going to lie anymore.
I might keep lying. But I will have, at least, also published this Doctrine of Truth.
When I email songs, links & thoughts to friends & family, to be ultimately Ignored, it can sting...
but if I tweet the same thing, and get ignored by the whole world at once, it feels less Personal.
and it gets dually noted by the Internet Stenographer. It's a free record of my thoughts.
There have been, at least, Two other incidents that justify my usage:
1) The day it was announced Osama bin Laden had been killed. We were watching the TV, every station was running a banner that read "Important Announcement from the President in 10 Minutes" but none gave details. I flipped in vain for 10 minutes, then remembered Twitter, and found out the Actual news in 10 seconds.
2) Amanda was writing a hate poem about J.D. Drew. She wanted it to be Factual, so she had printed out statistics and articles, one of which was from the offseason he signed with the Red Sox. It was about the precautions he was taking to stay healthy for this new contract. Hyperbolic chambers and the same nutrition drinks Russian cosmonauts drink. Hilariously ironic things like that. I knew that I followed the article's author on Twitter, so I tweeted about reading it and hyperlinked him. Now it's 1230a and I'm in a bar getting a message from a journalist that reads:
"That was the last time I used the words "Russian Cosmonaut" in an article..."
I like to say I use it mainly for "Business" but this isn't Exactly True and I'm not going to lie anymore.
I might keep lying. But I will have, at least, also published this Doctrine of Truth.
When I email songs, links & thoughts to friends & family, to be ultimately Ignored, it can sting...
but if I tweet the same thing, and get ignored by the whole world at once, it feels less Personal.
and it gets dually noted by the Internet Stenographer. It's a free record of my thoughts.
There have been, at least, Two other incidents that justify my usage:
1) The day it was announced Osama bin Laden had been killed. We were watching the TV, every station was running a banner that read "Important Announcement from the President in 10 Minutes" but none gave details. I flipped in vain for 10 minutes, then remembered Twitter, and found out the Actual news in 10 seconds.
2) Amanda was writing a hate poem about J.D. Drew. She wanted it to be Factual, so she had printed out statistics and articles, one of which was from the offseason he signed with the Red Sox. It was about the precautions he was taking to stay healthy for this new contract. Hyperbolic chambers and the same nutrition drinks Russian cosmonauts drink. Hilariously ironic things like that. I knew that I followed the article's author on Twitter, so I tweeted about reading it and hyperlinked him. Now it's 1230a and I'm in a bar getting a message from a journalist that reads:
"That was the last time I used the words "Russian Cosmonaut" in an article..."
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Festival Express: Part 1
I had one of those childhood sicknesses... chicken pox, maybe tonsil removal...
I was couchbound and miserable.
and Dad brought home a movie for me:
WOODSTOCK.
And that was That...
*****
Flash forward to 2002:
Nick & Jay went to see Phil Lesh in the woods of New York. But it wasn't any regular concert. It was a FESTIVAL. You camped next to your car and bands played for THREE DAYS, and wonderful, weird, crazy things happened. I bought a super advanced ticket for the next Summer.
Gathering of the Vibes 03 was my first festival. James Brown. Allman Brothers. Jorma Kaukonen. Everything about my first festival was Big. At this festival I realized that "One" by U2 is a song about Love.
We had to go back in 04. Smaller bands, way less people, which was Fine by Me. At this festival I learned the importance of the Tarp.
Dan & Beth came with me in 06 and although they claimed to have Fun, I think certain parts of the weekend shook them to the Core, which may have been the plan all along... At this festival I met a young peach farmer from Georgia who had with him the best peaches I've ever tasted.
*****
coming soon:
Part 2: 08 Langerado solidifies a Relationship... a Song emerges from a Rainstorm, a Vow emerges from the Rubble of Frustration, and the Topless Omen of Glad Tidings in 2011
I was couchbound and miserable.
and Dad brought home a movie for me:
WOODSTOCK.
And that was That...
*****
Flash forward to 2002:
Nick & Jay went to see Phil Lesh in the woods of New York. But it wasn't any regular concert. It was a FESTIVAL. You camped next to your car and bands played for THREE DAYS, and wonderful, weird, crazy things happened. I bought a super advanced ticket for the next Summer.
Gathering of the Vibes 03 was my first festival. James Brown. Allman Brothers. Jorma Kaukonen. Everything about my first festival was Big. At this festival I realized that "One" by U2 is a song about Love.
We had to go back in 04. Smaller bands, way less people, which was Fine by Me. At this festival I learned the importance of the Tarp.
Dan & Beth came with me in 06 and although they claimed to have Fun, I think certain parts of the weekend shook them to the Core, which may have been the plan all along... At this festival I met a young peach farmer from Georgia who had with him the best peaches I've ever tasted.
*****
coming soon:
Part 2: 08 Langerado solidifies a Relationship... a Song emerges from a Rainstorm, a Vow emerges from the Rubble of Frustration, and the Topless Omen of Glad Tidings in 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
99th Post Spectacular
My young blog is nearing the 100th post.
I anticipate that post, and have heavily pondered how to approach it.
Reflect on what I've reflected on. and Why. Where to go from here. and Why.
but then I got a feeling of unrest. That my 99th post would be shortchanged in this process.
Moreso, that 99th posts are shortchanged every day, all over the world... bloggers hastily throwing together rushed garbage, their mind somewhere else, Legitimately Preparing for their 100th post...
I anticipate that post, and have heavily pondered how to approach it.
Reflect on what I've reflected on. and Why. Where to go from here. and Why.
but then I got a feeling of unrest. That my 99th post would be shortchanged in this process.
Moreso, that 99th posts are shortchanged every day, all over the world... bloggers hastily throwing together rushed garbage, their mind somewhere else, Legitimately Preparing for their 100th post...
Cooperative Dreaming
Generally, Midweek is a chaotic blur in which my old lady & I have completely opposite schedules.
We get 15 minutes in the morning when I'm half asleep before she goes to work, and we get 15 minutes in the middle of the night after my gig, when she's half asleep.
72 hours fly by, at the speed of Gonzo, rendering us half strangers...
I'm not well versed in the Science behind Dreams,
but I had a theory: that if we both focused really hard on having the same dream then we would be able to tandem dream
and thus be able to hang out a bit more midweek.
It hasn't worked. Yet.
Theoretical Rules of Cooperative Dreaming:
1) Mutually agreed setting
2) Lots of focus
3) Have to be sleeping in the same bed
I just added that last rule. It seems logical, almost Easier that way. Once we get it to work we can start experimenting with Distance.
We get 15 minutes in the morning when I'm half asleep before she goes to work, and we get 15 minutes in the middle of the night after my gig, when she's half asleep.
72 hours fly by, at the speed of Gonzo, rendering us half strangers...
I'm not well versed in the Science behind Dreams,
but I had a theory: that if we both focused really hard on having the same dream then we would be able to tandem dream
and thus be able to hang out a bit more midweek.
It hasn't worked. Yet.
Theoretical Rules of Cooperative Dreaming:
1) Mutually agreed setting
2) Lots of focus
3) Have to be sleeping in the same bed
I just added that last rule. It seems logical, almost Easier that way. Once we get it to work we can start experimenting with Distance.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Wedding Band
There are incredible amounts of money to be made playing in a Wedding Band.
It's part of the COLD BLOODED MONEYGRAB of THE WEDDING FACTORY mentioned in the last post.
I want no part of it.
Wedding Planners are horrible people, in my experience. And they run the show. Along with the Bride. It's her show. And the Bride's Dad because he's paying for the WHOLE DAMN THING. It's his show too. You work for ALL these people.
I don't blame the Wedding Planner. If they botch Any facet of their responsibilities, it lands on them squarely & heavily. If they ace the whole event, they are quickly forgotten and likely underappreciated.
They are likely to take all this out on the DJ or band because they are Higher on the Wedding Power Chart than the entertainment.
One particular wedding planner spewed venom at my face for at least 10 consecutive minutes without blinking or stopping for a breath and I eventually realized she was just a Lizard so I rolled my eyes and said "Lady, I'm not getting paid... I'm volunteering for the Bride because she's my cousin and I love her, so I don't particulary care about any of that..."
Big Money. Long Drives. Early setups. Monkey suits. Drunken Uncles Making Requests. Wedding Planners.
If I'm uncomfortable,
and working for an Unpleasant Boss
than I'm not living the dream any more,
I'm certainly not Rocking nor Rolling,
so I'm back where I started...
and I might as well be selling Insurance or software that helps Office Managers determine the right stapler for their office...
It's part of the COLD BLOODED MONEYGRAB of THE WEDDING FACTORY mentioned in the last post.
I want no part of it.
Wedding Planners are horrible people, in my experience. And they run the show. Along with the Bride. It's her show. And the Bride's Dad because he's paying for the WHOLE DAMN THING. It's his show too. You work for ALL these people.
I don't blame the Wedding Planner. If they botch Any facet of their responsibilities, it lands on them squarely & heavily. If they ace the whole event, they are quickly forgotten and likely underappreciated.
They are likely to take all this out on the DJ or band because they are Higher on the Wedding Power Chart than the entertainment.
One particular wedding planner spewed venom at my face for at least 10 consecutive minutes without blinking or stopping for a breath and I eventually realized she was just a Lizard so I rolled my eyes and said "Lady, I'm not getting paid... I'm volunteering for the Bride because she's my cousin and I love her, so I don't particulary care about any of that..."
Big Money. Long Drives. Early setups. Monkey suits. Drunken Uncles Making Requests. Wedding Planners.
If I'm uncomfortable,
and working for an Unpleasant Boss
than I'm not living the dream any more,
I'm certainly not Rocking nor Rolling,
so I'm back where I started...
and I might as well be selling Insurance or software that helps Office Managers determine the right stapler for their office...
Monday, August 8, 2011
Wedding vs. Marriage
We're getting married in three months.
Easiest decision I've ever made. She is my soul mate & best friend.
Neither of us expected the wedding to be a big deal. Just a big party. She plans far more complicated events for work, on a daily basis.
We got a great deal on a great venue and the best live band around. I thought we were done.
However there are many miles to go before we sleep. Churches and priests and organists and limos and centerpieces and gifts for the wedding party and all sorts of little frills we both consider Extra but that our Wedding Checklist insists is Mandatory.
A lot of it disgusts me. The Wedding Factory. The cold blooded money grab.
I REFUSE TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON FLOWERS.
Refuse. No. Absolutely not.
What the Wedding Factory doesn't know that I've witnessed two weddings (Pierce & Maria and Dan & Beth) and they were both very chill and beautiful. without the Factory.
and more importantly, no one died. At either wedding.
And if no one is going to die, then it's not worth getting stressed about.
I think some have mistaken my extra cucumber coolness as apathy, which could not be further from the truth. I simply refuse to be overwhelmed by one gig. The wedding is not more important than the marriage.
Easiest decision I've ever made. She is my soul mate & best friend.
Neither of us expected the wedding to be a big deal. Just a big party. She plans far more complicated events for work, on a daily basis.
We got a great deal on a great venue and the best live band around. I thought we were done.
However there are many miles to go before we sleep. Churches and priests and organists and limos and centerpieces and gifts for the wedding party and all sorts of little frills we both consider Extra but that our Wedding Checklist insists is Mandatory.
A lot of it disgusts me. The Wedding Factory. The cold blooded money grab.
I REFUSE TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON FLOWERS.
Refuse. No. Absolutely not.
What the Wedding Factory doesn't know that I've witnessed two weddings (Pierce & Maria and Dan & Beth) and they were both very chill and beautiful. without the Factory.
and more importantly, no one died. At either wedding.
And if no one is going to die, then it's not worth getting stressed about.
I think some have mistaken my extra cucumber coolness as apathy, which could not be further from the truth. I simply refuse to be overwhelmed by one gig. The wedding is not more important than the marriage.
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