Strong silent stones and distant lonely stars
In the last week I've had a difficult time sitting down to write. I've been tasked with a lot of performance managing at work and I come home tired and broken from being yelled and sworn at. Then I turned 29 on Saturday. Then on Sunday an Oswego friend that I've let grow distant passed away.
I type up my thoughts but they all seem so selfish.
I just know I am not good in maintaining connections. I abhor Facebook. I can't use a phone. I never travel and I never plan.
I owed my friend better. I owe you all better.
That's actually a part of the reason The Heathernet came back online. To make myself more comfortable with sharing my life and feelings again.
If I can find the words to tell these stories, if I can gain the perspective to honor these memories, I promise I will.
Big boy bricks
I make no secret of my lifelong passion for Lego bricks. It just doesn't make sense to still buy them. I contend that it still makes sense to receive them as gifts... if you wanted to keep that in mind.
Fortunately for me there exists IKEA.
Michelle and I made another trip to the New Haven store yesterday and bought a real TV stand. Amazingly this is already our third attempt at putting something functional under our television and this time was the first time that we actually bought something intended to be a TV stand.
Previously we went makeshift with a bookcase and then we used our coffee table so it really makes a difference when you buy something designed specifically for your planned use. We're really happy with the result.
That's an quick iSight snapped shot of the new hardware. I owe you a real photo tour of our apartment and all of the neat IKEA stuff and artwork we've got... but wait, actually, you just owe us a visit. Nyah!
Anyway, my point. What you see above is basically designed to be a media cabinet and consequently is all solid with two panels of thin veneer. IKEA furniture comes with numbered instructions where the steps are not in written language but are instead illustrated so they can be understood internationally. Hm, like Lego sets. The best part of putting this kit together was realizing that I needed the back to be open for the electronics. Well this was when I felt like a little kid putting together my Lego set. It didn't really take any real intelligence but none the less it was a very satisfactory mental breakthrough when I analyzed the design of the IKEA kit and new it wouldn't suffer build quality if I let out one of the veneer panels. Instant custom furniture and instant creative satisfaction which I really need.
That's not the only thing we got this weekend. We also got sick. It's been a while for both of us and we're now rolling into the work week as mopey stuffy messes. Hence, that's about all the posting effort you get from me this weekend.
Holes in the calendar
The only way I can get in a post for today is to complain about why it's so hard to get a post in for today.
Thursdays are my backroom shift in my new position. It's actually kind of a fun shift because I just turn off my brain and do what my little scanner tells me to. There's this machine called the WAV (pronounced 'Wave') that I get to zip around on to reach high places and there's another machine that's like a pallet jack and a forklift combo for manhandling pallets of product into out of reach bulk shelves. I also have to haul around boxes full of merchandise and lug wooden pallets into position for the morning's truck. It's a little like a paid workout.
The big problem is the shift time. It's a closing shift that runs from 12:30pm to 9pm and it becomes the only thing I do on Thursdays. I'm pretty tired by this time in the week and if I don't set an alarm I sleep almost up until the time I need to get ready for work. Then I work and by the time I'm home I only have enough time to wind down before I really should be getting to bed for tomorrow morning's shift.
Bedtime should have been about the time I left the store but here I am, fighting to make September 30th mean something in the end.
From the Notebook: Unused Skunk With a Porpoise Era Monkey Gone Mad Graphics
From the Notebook: Songs or stories unearthed and shared from the notebooks and hard drives I still have lying around. Not necessarily good but hopefully interesting.
I was setting up a new scanner with my computer last night for a secret project when I stumbled on an old folder on my hard drive. These pictures are amazing to me. My hard drives in the old HP and iBook have crashed 3-4 times by now and I am disbelief these are still floating around.
The Monkey Gone Mad EP, in one of the most amazing strokes of genius ever, was titled 'Skunk With a Porpoise;' a bad pun derived from the phrase, 'Skank with a purpose.' We knew a cartoonist but there was a concern we wouldn't be able to get artwork from him for the cover. I drew this during my 'Geek Rock' days as a backup plan so that we had something that 'could work' if our professional arrangement fell through.
We also wanted to use a shot of our practice space in Ian's basement as a part of the EP packaging. I have no idea why this intriguing shot was passed over.
Click that to get the large size for sure because there is some interesting hair to check out on the ghost me. Also, I still own and wear that shirt. That was a present I got from Fowler friends for my 18th birthday. Fun facts!
iTunes study: The Story of 100 Aisles
- Image via Wikipedia
The Story of 100 Aisles by Our Lady Peace, off the album Clumsy
We have a more traditional result from my little digital adventure as opposed to the last time where I managed to unearth something in which I was directly involved. The first result is that I have a lot less to say.
This is a very good song off of a very great album. Which is exactly why I have it. My purchase of this album occurred probably a good 10 years after its 1997 release date. That's something I'm prone to doing now, collecting all the music I couldn't afford from the age of grunge and rounding out my collection, probably a sign of aging.
General opinion is that Clumsy is a breakthrough album by a band called Our Lady Peace, their 1999 follow up Happiness... Is Not a Fish You Can Catch, is by that same group, and that anything after that is by some other band. A bad band. Did you know they released an album last year? Did you know that they collaborated with David Cook on this album... David Cook of American Idol? I rest my case.
The Story of 100 Aisles falls into the pharmaceutical love affair category of lyric writing and hence I have little comment. The music, like everything else on this album, rocks. From the slow build into a raucous opening riff to the singer screeching, " Depressed? Come here, try this," out of the ethereal bridge in a way that perfectly welcomes back the rock chorus that follows.
My favorites on the album tend to be in keeping with their big hits of the era, i.e. Superman's Dead and Clumsy with the album's ballad 4am getting plenty of plays as well. 'The Story of 100 Aisles' shows this is an album where you're free to not pick and choose, pop in, turn up, and rock the whole thing out.
In my library it's rated four stars, been played 5 times, and it's never been skipped.
The Story of 100 Aisles is available in the iTunes music store. Excuse me, I need to go pick up 'Happiness... is Not a Fish You Can Catch.'
Simple days and playground games
Weddings are an excellent way to remind me how much I hate Bon Jovi. And Grease. And any music you like. Any moment where the general populous excitedly screams along with the lyrics to some dreadful pop song I barely know. I think it harkens back to ancient primal fear. Or Teen Town.
That's it! Weddings need four square courts for the retreating geeks and losers. Solved it.
The outdoor ceremony took place on beautiful farmland with mountain vistas in every direction. The weather was windy but the sun was out for the ceremony. By the time the reception started the weather was quite cool.
Michelle was a bridesmaid and kept on a tight schedule so it was hard to call it a relaxing weekend off from work. I did find time for a brief drive through the Vermont countryside the morning of the wedding and it did wonders for the soul. There is something about mountains...
The car is in the shop to address a laundry list of schedule maintenance that the little check engine light started complaining about in, oooooh, February. I'm excited to get the rockin' box back tomorrow.
From the Notebook: Hip Hop 1
From the Notebook: Songs or stories unearthed and shared from the notebooks and hard drives I still have lying around. Not necessarily good but hopefully interesting.
Knowing that three of your best friends are now living together in the same house makes me pretty jealous. Especially since I've done it before and I can verify it's pretty great. Here's one of my favorite stories from that time.
When you went up the stairs (we had stairs, how great was that?) in the apartment at 1051 Park you could go left into my room or you could head right into Jordan's studio. A few times that little corridor would really buzz with musical creativity.
One of these times Jordan called me in to listen to a hip hop groove he had laid down into one of his first ever sessions with Garageband. Even though this was an early recording it was definitely head bop worthy. He said he was working on the chorus and asked if I thought I could put a rap down over it. Definitely, I thought. There was a real sultry, seductive drive to the tune so I decided to go for it and write something a little out of my comfort zone. Later that same night this is what I returned to him:
I approach with words most intimate,
I got a car let's go, get into it.
Hands grasp the breeze through the window slit;
Sunset evening, to the night, it slips.
Engine turns to the tune of a heart beat,
Stars wink away the last of the summer heat,
Moon shines on a rocky shore,
We open up, like never before.
No place I'd rather be
Then riding by this silver sea.
We travel roads that never existed
'Til you came to me and then persisted
Upon my every thought and dream
Boiling over and building up steam:
Night ride to the world of Neverland,
You can be Wendy and I'll be Peter Pan.
He asked if I was ready to give it a shot and I was so we threw it down on the track with just a couple of takes. He had a funny business silence about the whole thing. Alright, great, he said when we had finished... now he played the chorus with a funny look on his face.
Out of the computer came Jordan's completely different take on the song. A somber and echoing falsetto voice pined these words:
Something's gone
It's gone away
It left today
Something's gone
It's gone away
It left today
"Oh," I said.
"Sorry," He said.
We didn't give up on the tune, we worked with the incongruous words and the end result is some of my favorite lyrical work we've ever done. Now I love that the first verse sets up how good the rapper perceived his romance, in the second he immediately let's the listener know that he's not actually experiencing his words but remembering them, and finally the third verse exhibits a new strength and maturity. The song has a real arc. Here's how it goes:
If I'd known-
I would have bought a camera.
Picture everyday,
If I only had the stamina.
A scrapbook in my hands instead of my head,(These lines did not make the final recording.)
When you changed my life but left me for dead.
I see our story in every sunset.
Happy ever after with daughters and sons, yet,
Something's gone, and it's gone away,
So you leave me again at the end of the day.
My mind and my heart, I live it again...
I know I shouldn't but I let it begin.
Over and in, the engine it spins
As I ride with the seat that you're no longer in.
Where to go when you're the destination?
Accelerate, and vent frustration.
Water shields the view from my eyes-
I'd use the wipers but the windshield is dry.
What is this story? Why is it a song?
Maybe it's yours, and you can sing along.
Absolutely necessary? Lesson to learn?
Would we know how to heal without feeling the burn?
Is there one among us who can really deny
They've broken a heart, or given a try?
Or find themself laughing over someone they cried?
If that person is here, then that person can lie.
That is why I'm driving this path:
To find out what is after the aftermath.
It's never perfect- more cloudy than clear.
But that's why there's headlights and a wheel to steer.
We know that we can only keep travelin'
And heed the messages in life's unravelin'.
I'll meet you all at the end of the road,
When the story we're telling is the story we've told.
This week I can do more then just tell you about this track. Why not listen for yourself?
As you can see we never titled this track. Leave your suggestions in the comments!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Soft acceptance
I've been informally cleared to join the elementary education certification program at University of New Haven. I'm this close to making a true announcement for the purposes of celebration and planning but I suppose that must wait until the actual acceptance package comes in the mail.
My unofficial knowledge comes from the experience I had today at my interview with the program today at their education building in West Haven, CT. It was a very flattering visit. I was told it was refreshing to read an entrance essay from someone who enjoyed to write. That I was a bright young man. That I shouldn't expect to have any problems in the program. That I would be hearing from them soon.
I am humbled and troubled and excited and proud.
I think that's all I'm prepared to share right now.
How to initiate warp speed in your cat
Materials list:
- Plastic grocery bag
- Blanket
- Scissors
- Cat
Instructions:
- It is best practice to allow the cat to begin the process himself. Otherwise you are doing this to your animal on purpose and you're a malicious, horrible person. Trust me, even when you stumble upon this by accident you will feel absolutely terrible about your discovery.
- Leave grocery bag on the ground. Again, this is to be done by accident.
- The cat will sniff and play on top of the bag. It is during this time, if you're cat is appropriate insane, he will insert his head into one of the handles of the grocery bag.
- Allow the animal to take a couple of steps with his new attachment. At this point you will notice what your cat has done. It is appropriate to sigh at this time and say something such as, "Oh, [Cat's Name], oh no you didn't."
- Be on your guard. You may begin walking away from the animal at this point believing your cat will be able to solve his problem on his own. You may have also begun initiation of warp speed.
- If your cat has been cleared for high speed operations he will then notice that a foreign object has become attached to him. He will attempt to run away from the object. It is helpful to have a runway clear in advance for this and the remaining stages.
- The animal will finish one length of the runway at low preliminary testing speed. At the terminus of the runway he will hunker down, get an odd look in his saucer sized eyes, inflate his tail by approximately three tail inflations, and attempt to move back down the runway in this fashion.
- Your cat will now appear to be everywhere and nowhere at once. You will hear smashing sounds in both the bedroom and the living room at the same time. The bag will flow behind the animal like a cape rattling profusely while your cat mutters and yowls and goes all out. You have achieved warp speed.
Safely bringing your cat to a stop:
- Look for an opportunity to interact with the cat in the present time and in this dimension. You should be able to bring the spacecraft to a temporary stop by applying a blanket over the entire device.
- Now that the cat is stationary you should be able to use your knees to straddle him and hold him still. Some users will take this moment to realize how freaking big their cat is if you can sit on him in this fashion.
- Carefully expose the bridge section, or head, of the cat. Locate and extract a length of the plastic bag. Remove with scissors.
- Your cat is now clear to exit the blanket.
- Liberally apply love and treats.
Author's note: This goes without saying. These are not actually instructions. I do not endorse or condone the conducting of faster than light speed experiments on defenseless animals. Do not do this to your cat.
The weekend as one run-on sentence
Whew, after the episode where the iPod was lost at the Groton Public Library (which happened to be the first time we visited so it's too bad the experience was soiled) we still had plenty of weekend left to accomplish out here in Connecticut: We visited my high school friends Chris and Alexis who just moved back to Groton and we had dinner and played a monster long game of Trivial Pursuit where I was good at the sports questions which is strange because I never was as a kid but that's besides the point (well, points, I'm making this one sentence after all) but that was just yesterday and now it is today where after Michelle came home from work, she has to work a lot of overtime, we went for lunch at one of the casinos and tried out Fuddrucker's which we both agreed turns out to challenge five guys in deliciousness and then we came home and while Michelle hemmed her dress for one of the millions of weddings we have to go to this year I neatened up the living room a bit and when those chores were finished we gave in to our cravings for Chinese food which we have had for weeks so we decided to get it out of the way and boy was that good so things are pretty good already but we just finished up this whole weekend of fun by playing a good round of Lego Rock Band which we just bought on Friday night as a part of our we haven't gotten video games in a while pre-celebration (while I picked up Halo: Reach for myself in a moment of nostalgia for good Oswego days gone by) so in short (wait, no, not short, long) I would understand if you can't understand this sentence one bit but that you could understand that we're happy and tired and that it is time for bed. Goodnight.
Heath’s Twitter
- Cat. Sometimes you're just going to have to deal with cute pictures of mine. yfrog.com/ob5a1kcfj 9 hours ago
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- RT @davidortiz: Can some buddy let my boy Papelbon do not make that face if l face him at Philly...34 1 day ago
