Saturday, April 29, 2006

Is it raining now? I have no idea.

I had a chance a couple weeks ago to get an office spot near the window in our office. I put it off, and now we've got a new guy and he got the spot. BASTARD. I remain next to the door, where any illicit internet use is immediately apparent to entering officials. ALT+TAB, don't fail me now.

Anyways, I am writing from the early half of what is to be one of my "Great Lost Weekends" of the semester. This Lost Weekend can be categorized as a Class 1 Type, meaning it is lost because it technically does not exist; it is an extension of the actual week, even a concentration thereof in terms of I'm just going to be working on a fucking big fake glycerol fed biodiesel plant design all day, all night, all tomorrow. 'S the way it roll.

Let it be known that I have a sense of imagination. I used to have these rubber stamp things in 1st or 2nd grade, and they were like of all these fonky alien parts, like eyes and claws and stuff, and you could make "drawings" with them bounded only by your creative juices and the shapes of the stamps. I also had many Ed Emberly books on how to algorithmically draw people and cars and such. As time progressed I learned how to write songs based on the unbounded genre limitations offered by the punk-pop template. Through college I learned that it was more creative to emulate post-genre things, since being "post" was indicative of transcending the old guard, breaking new ground, and very often being "angular". So creativity I understand. I "get" that.

That said, I am offended by these "imaginary" plants I am supposed to design. They are being developed with no concern for the imaginary environment or the imaginary foundations of our society at large. Imaginary sulfur content is blatantly ignored, and the displacement of imaginary residence or hazards to the imaginary ecology are patenlty dismissed as inconsequential. Not only that, but the plant is very boring. No kick-ass snack rooms or corner arcades for plant workers to destress with foosball or a vintage Sunset Riders arcade game. I would tell what it does consist of, but I am actually still unsure of that. I think I need two separate reactors, but that might not be enough. My imaginary staff has not gotten back to me yet.

That said, I think after this week a rejuvination of my creative spirits will be in order and as such I plan on box-setting it out yet once again (pending paychex) with the forthcoming Wire box. Angular. Not-imaginary.

Hopefully it will also keep me ready for a real Class 2 Lost Weekend, which involves assorted cocktails of a potent nature so as to obliterate a timeline of weeks past and future, effectively writing their own present on the blank slate of my unconscious.

Now, back to the void.

Friday, April 28, 2006

My foray into the art world (short lived)

I had to destress at work. If you wish to hire me to do a series, holla.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

FOOD IS FOR PUSSIES.

Yeah, you heard me. I go strong, 12 hours no eat-eat. Still connecting d-latches, drawing up state diagrams, trying the fuck to understand a proposed mechanism for Fischer Tropsch reaxion axion axion. I'm blown. Piecewise.

Naw, I gave that all up minutes ago. Yeah, broke down and ate a Boca. Huh. Ate a mouth. And now I DRINK BEER. 'Cause tomorrow is another today, except one day closer to THE LAST ONE.

Speaking of which, my big plans for the impending finale are to hole up with 6 Maibocks and listen to each version of Les Rallizes Denudes "The Last One" that I have. Which is like, maybe 5, so not as many as I wish I had. But still.... it's gonna be reckless. Or at the very least, feckless.

Anyways, even as I type this I hear fizz fuck with my braincase. Yeah, I'm not seeing right but that's nothing new. I would like to give enormous thanks to Mr. Djaja for the ride tonight. I have no more socks; my laundry's undone.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Front Back

Some know, more should... I want a big fucking pendant. You heard me. Dangling from my neck like I was cool or something. I dunno, I think I've made that level. Y'know, not like a $30k Dipset chain or anything. Just a little 'congrats, you've got a pendant now' pendant. Like you haven't felt that way before either.

Fine, just stare then.

That said, before I go treating myself to even a plastic ring from one of those egg dispensing things by the sliding doors of Econo Foods... I've got shit to get done.

15 hour days.

Hard, hard at work.

So. LISTEN. Do this for me:

Go.

Go to a bar. Go NOW. Drink wine. Drink beer. Drink a liter of gin and get into a fight. Then apologize, hug, and share the alley to vomit side by side with your recent adversary. Do it, because someone has got to, and I can't right now.

Don't let me down.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Tha Spice is Nice

New fave snack food to keep the weight on: Red Hot Blues cayenne-dusted chippers. Good stuffs, 'specially when coupled with a decent organic medium salsa. Available at yr neighborhood co-op! Like now!

So I been vanished for a couple few days, which is fine I guess. It's busy busy busy but I'm not crackin just yet. In fact, we're at the point where shit is actually finishing up, so pressure is more or less starting to equilibrate, though I'm gettin' much help from the folkish end of psych spectrum, with a healthy dose of crack-hop and Wu-bangers.

Speaking of which I think I'm gonna try and score a cheap 12-string when school lets up and I save some scratch. I dunno, I figure in the near future most of my playing will likely be relegated to living room couch type performance and that seems pretty ideal. Maybe I'll get a little shitty amp to twiddle my bust-ass SG on as well. And I'll start skating again! Also, of COURSE I'm gonna pick up running again (hey, I didn't want to stop this time I just seriously don't gots the time blah blah) and go like 5 days of the week plus some of those pushups where your feet are in the air and also so many situps that I crush phonebooks with my abs. Yup, big plans. Also: Drink More Beer. That one wins.

Justunder...

Two

More

Weeks.

Fuck yes.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Too disg. set

Budgeting for records means occasionally winding up w/ a fridge containing only water, a tupperware container of unused pasta sauce, and the mandatory 6 pack of brews (a listening aid). YOU THINK I DON'T LIVE THIS? I LIVE IT EVERY DAY. WRECKORDOVERLORD.

But yeah, as Spring reluctantly penetrates our consciousness with the trepidation of a young lover entering manhood following a sensual mid-April dip in glorious Lake Superior, I find myself doing things like listening to King Tubby's In Fine Style, moving on to the complete Homosexuals' Astral Glamour set and generally rubbing dub on my nubs. Give me echo, give me reverb. It soaks.

But NOW, now is the morning and I've gotta go eat. James Blackshaw seems to be equally adept at keeping the gnawing hunger at bay during late nights OR early mornings, which is how I like it. He is a Cobb salad unto himself. Rooted 12 string raga dogga do.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Well, that was inconclusive.

No C.R.E.A.M. updates to be had, per se. Some talk, mostly "if's" and such. 'S cool. Just don't ask for a ride in my 'Lac Ville '79 quite yet.

Anywayz, tonight is almost kinda a brief respite from some long-ass evenings. Granted, it's still been a long day. But Melissa was some kinda saint and brought some pale ale over. The green tint makes spreadsheets that much easier to gaze down.

And with that, yeah... all I've got in my head right now is fucking numbers, so sorry, but I must be off.

In lieu of whatever passes for content here, I force you to look at what I've been listening to this week.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Choo'd up

Tomorrow I guess I'm supposed to chat w/ my boss about what kind of MAD DOLLAZ I'll be raking in after the school's out 4eva. A rough scale of how much I'll be earning, based on what I write here tomorrow:

  • I say I am listening to Damaged/Sabotage/Leviathan/anything that is in any way related to Wolf Eyes and I am not using punctuation or capitalization very well, obviously from drink. I also make reference to consuming (a) pills, (b) plain bread, (c) dick for cash: $10,000-15,000/yr
  • I seem to be trying to come to terms with the fact that this final year's tuition was covered by soon-to-be-repaid student loans. I openly apologize for all the cash I waste on drone records from New Zealand, improvised music from Japan, and Cam'ron CDs: $15,000-25,000/yr
  • While perhaps not completely happy with the fact that I spent the past 7-ish years earning two technical undergraduate degrees, which frequently earn their recipients upwards of $70,000 individually, often at hip Valley tech companies with amazing snack rooms or super-powered international conglomerates that can (and do) buy themselves a President, I am indeed totally psyched that I really do actually enjoy my job to an enormous extent. Also, I just spent $150 on records from New Zealand: $25,000-40,000/yr
  • I start talking about settling down in the suburbs. Didja catch "CSI" last night, btw? I offer investment strategies, lawn care advice, or mention the Bloc Party: $40,000-70,000/yr
  • There is no post: I just bought a fucking Rolls Phantom and am busy getting in touch with Pharrell to get some beats put together. You think I have time to blog?

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Half checks, no balance

Yup, I am drawing dashed and squiggly lines thru many of my more immediate list-items. Half way done, one eighth done, thought about starting, thought about quitting...

THREE.

MORE.

WEEKS.

You are livin it here with me, and you are one sexxxy cheerleader. Buxom, even. Keep cheering. My endzone dance is fucking incredible. It involves me tearing my opponent's ribcage out and playing xylophone with my own rock hard mallet while defecating on all my old exams to a farty, jaunty zydeco tune. I call it the Calypsocrats. Then I eat Bob Saget.

No but it ain't bad really. I even have time to make hamburger helper today. And that's 12 minutes of simmering plus prep time, so y'know... it's a laid back beach party kinda vibe. The Congos and Cedric I.M. Brooks on repeat and beachballs and a kiddie pool full of Red Dog (Fuck Red Stripe, there can be only one "Red" beverage and that ain't it... okay, yeah, I like it) and sand in my eyes. It burns real bad.

And with that my nacho cheese beef mixture smells about done, so I bid you adieu once again.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Ah, the beautiful outdoors

My posts here can more or less be broken down into two classes:

  1. I have nothing to say that's really interesting, 'cause I've just been doing homework and working or whatever. As such, my post is basically a freeform pastiche of whatever random "feelings" I happen to type out. "Expressionisticish", only about, like, about beef jerky, "school sucks", etc.
  2. I actually did something that is exciting (to me, at the very least), but have no inkling on how to develop a coherent narration of this event. I mean, I know damn well that said event isn't going to be as awesome for you to read about. If you are reading this, you must be really goddam bored anyways and a poorly phrased retelling of how I totally blew minds mp3/dee-jaying (all 3 of them in the bar) will just make you wish I was there in person so you could tell me to shut up or maybe link to something better to read.
Okay then, last night was so officially fucking insane and awesome that rather then attempt to recount things, I will offer several bullet points to quickly and efficiently list highlights that you might move on to read recipes for turducken and stuff.

  • Rathskellar brew, the Union terrace, 80 degrees, 3:30 on Friday afternoon is pretty much recommended as the ultimate way to shed those asshole weekdays, purgin' and emergin' with the seasons first sun/beer hybrid buzz -- take care, as it's a fine line to that drunkish-with-a-head-that-feels-like-boiled-cabbage delerium.
  • To carry on Season's Firsts, it is a very special occasion indeed when the sun-dappled mudpit of a front yard that is the Bucholdtz-Bucholtz-Reese residence is graced with longnecks, the filth is brushed from the grill, and bratwurst are delivered to the yearning maws of those in attendance. To be repeated many times over the coming months.
  • I really don't know what to say about the limo-party-bus thing. I am glad that I can drink Pabst and Crown Royal in a moving vehicle without incident. I have never had the chance to do "the worm" on a freeway before. This was awesome and also when we started getting drunk enough to do things like pour beers over each others heads while in costly rented transportation. But I mean, you're in a fucking limo bus thing. You have to do that.
  • Okay, Le Tigre Lounge is not really where I wanna hang. I think the girls in attendance found great appeal in the camp aspect, but I just felt like I was drinking in a strip mall next to an auto parts place and within 100 meters of both an Ace Hardware and a Home Depot, with a bathroom that was back by the loading docks where guys with odd Canadian-backwoods-Wisco slurred combo accents say vaguely menacing things when you open the bathroom door and they're peeing but it's totally a big bathroom that multiple people can be in but he's right I guess 'cause this is his stomping ground and Christ those horizontal venetian blinds up front make me want to shack up off of a county road with a double-letter name (perhaps "JJ") in a peeling farmhouse and smoke Ligget menthols and slowly shrivel and yeah it's funny that we're stranded 'cause the limo bus thing dropped its muffler but when's it coming back so we can move on to...
  • The Klinic. Okay this bar is kinda uber-sketchy, but the Drifless Pony Club hasn't graced us in, like, 12 years or something and they really took my mind off of the neon hypo needle and the (newly installed?) stripper pole. I can't remember much more than really enjoying this 'cause I was fucking drunk okay? But not too drunk for
  • Afterbar. Afterbar. Afterbar. I'm pissed that S'nM finally downloaded that new Prince song that's supposed to be pretty awesome but then they skipped it on the playlist but whatever, the tube busted in the speaker so everything sounded underwater anyways. I would like to thank Sam for his morning-saving pizza ordering tactics and Liz for sharing many a cigarette with me. My mouth hurts like hell today.
Dammit, I don't think that really worked like I said it would. Those are rambling bullet points, but fuck it you loved them. I am still going to whine about classwork, 'cause I'm going to go work on a lab report and it's so beautiful outside that if you know of an emoticon for "consumed with bitterness" you should let me know.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Featstink

I'm gonna pull this off I swear. I've got 25 pages of lab report, 8 synchronous state-circuits to co-develop/implement/test, 18 minutes of presentation, one biodiesel/syngas production facility to co-develop/evaluate, another 25 page lab report, one midterm, three linear/(quadratic) programming assignments, one breast cancer detection support vector machine to solo-develop/implement/test, 7(ish) random daily quizzes to expect, one short essay on industrial disaster blame-games (8 people in my class -- at least -- felt Union Carbide was innocent in the whole Bhopal fiasco of '83... depressing...), two homework problems to develop for unsuspecting lower-level students, one lab notebook to look over, and two finals.

All that... in 3 weeks and 2 days.

Why the fuck am I not working on it right now?

'Cause when it's that much, you just don't care anymore.

I mean, yeah... it'll get done... each to whatever extent it gets done. But that's all I can say at this point. The group projects are a blessing and curse... gotta keep up my end, but they serve as a decent barometer of how fuckin' stressed everybody else is too. Which is very. Ain't no way 'round that.

But mang, doesn't it just seem silly to some of these professors? Please? I guess they mebbe expect "the best" or something. Well, fuckit. You get what I give you and I'll get what you grade me.

Give me an A.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Burn it out

I managed to gain some respite from my throat-ache via some incredibly fucking spicy jalapenos thanx to the nachos at the Great Dane. I do believe I could feel bacterial colonies bursting and frothing back there, squealing little pustule-squeaks. Unfortunately, some refugee camps seem to have made it thru to today. Still, major improvements are underway.

I continue to not start my 25 page lab report. Of course, it's 'cause I'm doin' other homework. So... what the hell 13 credits? Know yr place. damn.

Thank goodness for Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Sporrid

Dammit if it ain't odd... I dunno if it's just alergies, or I wore too light a jacket, or I'm not supposed to go runnin' and get in shape and stuff, but I got a sore throat. That's it in the picture, along with what certainly looks like the start of a mullet. I'm chopping all my hair out, and I guess throat'll have to go too unless it starts behaving.

As it is I just sit and envy Calvin Johnson for having, y'know, some kinda voice. I was planning on writing 5 pages tonight or something, but Jarod is in town apartment hunting so we'll see what goes thru.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Threaded

I am weaving in and out... homework/drunk/homework/eating/homework/sleep. Getting there...

Four More Weeks.

I'm gettin ready to really, truly duck under for the short-haul.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Fast

Got rid of extras today... ate my Reese's Puffs and then sprinted thru 12 hours of hardkore komputer staring and kode kontrol. Purged of my toxins, I returned home for half a Jack's Mexican-steelo pizza and the last Bud in the fridge.

Tomorrow is Friday and I like dat, but worry about abusing my sleep-in times, which really ought nought to happen.

Yeah, a one-beer drunk is a rare and beautiful thing.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

"Asking for Adam" sounds like the name of a romantic comedy or sitcom

Now is the part of the semester when all professors test your dedication to their class by assigning monstrous projects with grotesquely absurd timelines. I am presently resigning myself to crudely chiselled weekend-hours, and must warn whomever reads this tripe that I may be whining some. But I'll try to give it a fresh, young perspective.

Which comfortably allows me to segue into recounting how I just saw some dude around my age smoking a pipe. I think this is an occurrence I've been privy to hear of second-hand before, but not often and never in person. Maybe I'm sheltered, but I suspect they are just rare. The question: When will this catch on like wildfire? Republicans have Sharon Stone on the cover of Cigar Afficianado. I think Pipe Life, the magazine, could hit big if we do this right. And none of that water-pipe bullshit. Just finely crafted classic-style curvy pipes that French people loved featuring in painted advertisements.

But back to my Main Point of Whining: with all these class projects, there are bound to be project partners. I am of a breed that generally marks their territory as the teeth-baring class crank whom is reluctant to take his canister-headphones off for the lecture itself let alone join in the good natured banter exchanged amongst the co-eds (most recently remembered example: a discussion on why it was great that a female student wasn't in class a particular day, as she was "totally menstruating" or some such thing).

My social reluctance in this environment means that if project groups are self-assigned, I'm generally amongst the first to e-mail the professor to play the 'I know nobody' card. Due to straight luck this has happened in two classes absolutely simultaneously this week, which lead to me wandering around a rapidly-emptying lecture hall post-class mumbling what I thought to be the correct name, hoping for some lifeline of recognition. Alas, people generally prefer to answer their real-life name, not that assigned arbitrarily by the street-preacher kid with the funny hat. Better luck tomorrow, I suppose.

And, with this clumsily worded entry, I welcome you to STRESS-A-THON SPRING 2K6.

Behave and you'll be rewarded with a half-eaten vacuum-packet of honey roasted peanuts on some divey barstool while having your ear talked off by an even sorrier case than I.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Dirgedible

PASTY NITE. That was cool.

Seriously, I've been so full that I can't even listen to music with words. It's been a solid droneblanket evening here at Casa del Quince. The full meat-n-potatoness of my inner being indicates better dreams tonight. Last night was nachos with too many jalapenos. I couldn't feel my tongue all day, which helped me to hold it. As a reward, Silent Shout came in the mails system but I dunna have the energy for this electronic squall tonight so it will wait 'til later.

I am in a perpetual state of clenching my jaw. My guitar 'n groovebox have returned home to roost. But... now I broke my Cubase dongle. I've gotta order one and then mebbe I'll do a SOLO PROJECT (bolded as to give adequate warning to all those with decency and taste)...

Anyways, this Wyrd Wisconsin site has some cool stuff indeed... but are they from Wisconsin? I can't tell. If so, where do they find the choice cuts?

Monday, April 03, 2006

Grave & Grope

Midterm nite. Done it right, cool. Best overheard on the walk home:

"No, I added a Baroque ending to a Kinks' song. It was great."

Okay... sliiiiightest paraphrase on it but more or less like that. Tho in truth different italic-slants are required.

Kids smuggling slap-bracelets to their jailed parents for prison-defense.

Sweetheart of the Rodeo.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Daylight Severings

Nothing like waking up at 1:30 only to realize that it's now 2:30. Ah, let's indeed make the homework-day as short as possible. I'd finish if I could, but I couldn't care less.

Five weeks.

That so ain't much. Surrvive.

And so let it dribble and cloud and I'll poke away and then just get back to reading Neal Stephenson anyways 'cause I don't care about attainable regions, acceptable pivots, D latches, blah blah blah.

I think I listen to the entire Complete In A Silent Way box every Sunday. Them chords know how to relube the neural nets for a new week of seige warfare.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Text massage

Lookit, April Fool's or no... I was all excited, mang. Sam left a msg in what can only be assumed as an incredibly intoxicated state. Coming up? Sweet.

Now I'm a letdown. Grantered I understand and such, and booze makes ya do things with strings and chars and voicemails that you really normally wouldn't. Expecially when they involve tollway-drives the next day.

Now the sky's turnin' gray, music has been switched from Arthur thru the spectrum to some of Keiji Haino's more misty material, and I debate if I should get a jug of wine for when we dine.