Eye Brows

Almost everything that happens over the course of your average workday makes me sick to my stomach.  When I walk by people at work with whom I've already had the token "Is it Friday yet" or the "I think it's a two cups of coffee day!" conversation and, rather than saying hello, or anything at all for that matter, upon making eye contact with each other I'll simply raise my eyebrows and tighten and raise my lips slightly. So fucking stupid. I probably do this at least 300 times a day. And, depending on mood, varying degrees of self-loathing inevitably ensue.

Ween

After three nips of Jameson on the T platform and a stiffy at the Beantown Pub, Mussolini, who's apparently launched a campaign to become the coolest dictator girlfriend around, met me out front between the pub and the Orpheum. Ween went on shortly after 8:00. Having arrived at 8:00 on the nose, doors having opened at 7:30, we split a $9 beer under the presumption we had at least enough time for one between the two of us. As my date handed me the IPA for my first sip, applause indicated the inevitable. For my second consecutive Orpheum jaunt I could be found hurriedly chugging beer with Mussolini in the lobby for the duration of the first song. (You can't drink in the seats at the Orpheum. Them's the rules). Par for the course.

I picked up the pace, drinking more than my fair share, determined to limit our losses to one song. As we were guided to the wrong seats by a coincidentally female usher, the opening chords of "Transdermal Celebration" made me downright giddy. Our seats weren't bad. Neither were our real seats, to which we were forcibly moved at the song's conclusion. Dead center, five rows up on the balcony. I'm sure, if I had a bag of cherries and a little tail wind, I could have spit a pit right between Gene's bulging bug eyes.

I'm admittedly unfamiliar with substantial portions of Ween's vast catalogue, but I can say with confidence that I knew 95% of the songs they played. "Object", a song I actually sang to myself pretty much all day today, was a highlight. It's a gentle tune. A pretty tune. Could be a love song.... if it weren't deliberately written with the skewed sensibilities of a sociopath. "Learning to Love", a Ween flavored honky-tonk I actually didn't like upon first listen, had everybody bouncing. Moose was no exception (she kneels at the alter of Boognish).  My mouth hung open during Dean's extended noodling through the jam that is the second half of "Woman and Man". Much of what draws me to a band like Ween is their schizoid nature: their propensity to genre hop with a sense of humor that can hit you over the head or be found between the lines, unabashed crudeness and ernest sensitivity that reveal themselves over the course of adjacent songs.  

We screamed when Dean chopped into "Your Party".  An initial favorite of ours on the new album "Party" is a satirical play on aging yuppies and their collectively deteriorating sense of fun, even when explicitly trying to have it, their ever "developing" sense of propriety and etiquette, sprinkled with remnants of youthful "indiscretion".  I can't help but wonder if the song was written under the same pretense I find it. Ultimately immaterial, but I can't help but wonder.

When they came back out for an encore I was hoping for "The Argus".  This sentiment was soon forgotten and surely didn't impede the juvenile glee I found in screaming along to "AIDS".  At 10:30, when all was screamed, sung, strummed, struck, and done, I was extremely thankful Mussolini recommended we get Ween tickets.    

9.5/10

Boognish

Tomorrow: Ween. Live style. Can't fucking wait. This will be my first time.

I hope they play "Spinal Meningitis" in honor of my sister, who had spinal meningitis as a baby. Like my brother and other sister at a Ween show a while back, I'll have to call her when and if they play it. I'd like to hear "Transdermal Celebration" and "The Argus". Actually, I'd like to hear as much of Montreal and White Pepper as humanly possible. Though I've only listened to La Cuckaracha twice, I'm excited to hear it live.

I actually meant to write a lot more but I'm pretty exhausted. Exhausted from thinking about killing myself all day. Jk jk. I love my job. Couldn't be happier. Tomorrow's another day.....to wear a suit and sit in a cubicle wishing I were somewhere else.

Nighty nighty.

Staring at the Sun

Sometimes music takes time to grow on you. Sometimes it hits you immediately. Staring at the Sun, a TV on the Radio tune that ended an episode of John from Cincinnati, struck immediately.

This is a band with its own sound.

Land of Confusion video

In Times of War and Upheaval

The monkeys are insane right now. I was out all day yesterday and lost the monkeys at 6am, and never found them again. Frustrating to say the least. They vanished into thin air. Literally. Watched a monkey go into a tree, and he never came out. And they were all just gone.

What is interesting, and also the reason they are so difficult to find right now, is we picked this group up about a week ago, to discover that the alpha male, Coltraine (the one that chased me away from the group a couple months ago) was missing, along with Kanela, a juvenile female. One of my peers, a native, thinks poachers got them, because they had been hanging out in an area where we most commonly see poachers, and they alarmed at us like crazy for the first two days we were with them. Usually only monkeys that are unhabituated (not used to people hanging out with them) alarm at us like that. So it seems likely that a human had something to do with Coltraine and Kanela disappearance, which would explain their nervousness in our presence. Very sad. People can be such stupid assholes.

So now, Oden is alpha. Another jerkoff. He approached me the other day, aggressive coughing, and reached out like he was going to hit me, but for some reason pointing at them works, so I pointed and he backed off. But not without branch breaking and dragging the branch with his tail in a circle around me first. Both are displays of
aggression. The monkeys are not typically aggressive towards us, even
though I have had encounters like this. It's a new alpha trying to establish and demonstrate his dominance...Coltraine had carried on in a similar manner at first. They are nervous and eager so they threaten everything. Plus, with Oden, this was during an intergoup (where two groups of monkeys intermingle for a time). Power...probably the scariest, bad-ass-mother-fucker of a monkey in the history of monkeys...is the alpha of a small neighboring group. His bottom lip is all shredded
up, and hangs open all time, so it looks like he is permanently aggressive threatening. And he's huge. There are no other males in his group. It's just him and three females (that is unusually small for capuchins). When this is the case, as it is with another group we have right now, the alpha usually runs away as fast as possible when other monkeys are around because they have no other males to back
them up and will get their asses kicked because they have all these females as resources. But not Power. He goes around looking for fights. And even during intergroups with groups that have up to 7 males, he still wins. He's just that bad ass.

So, Power shows up and all the monkeys go fucking nuts for 45 minutes. Screaming, intense vocal threats, wheezes, brays, branch breaking, etc. You know. The whole 9 yards. I actually got it on video. This was the first intergroup I have witnessed that actually got physical. But of course, Oden chased Power off on the ground at the end and by the time I caught up, Power was gone and Oden's face was all bloody. I don't know if Power got injured, so it will be interesting to see him when we find his group next. But I think Power may have actually lost an intergroup.

Sorry if you find all this stuff boring. I find it awesome.

So for the rest of the day, Oden and the adult females were very much on edge. There was actually brief encounter with another alpha, Gandalf, but he ran away almost immediately. He had just recently left Oden's group to become alpha of The Musketeers, so he peaced out as soon as he saw Oden. But with all this tension, Oden was NOT happy, and even though I was laughed at for it, I was pretty afraid to be too close to Oden for the rest of the day. He was threatening us pretty frequently, and piloerect all day (all their fur stands up when they are really pissed to make them look bigger and more intimidating...and it works). I feel like we all get a little too comfortable with the monkeys sometimes. Yes, they
are used to us, and no one has ever been injured by one of them, but we can't forget that they are still very much wild animals. We can follow them all day every day only because they allow us to. And with Oden being uber stressed - he just became alpha and has all this new responsibility - he just had TWO intergroups, and just got
all cut up, AND his old alpha's reign was likely ended by a human, he had
every reason to not want us there and following two feet behind him. So I hung back from him for a few hours, so he could simmer.

The following days Oden and his group stayed in the same general location all day long; Oden just licking his wounds. It's like he regrets becoming alpha. The group stays really quiet and high up in the trees, making it hard to follow them. Yesterday they moved actually; silently, so we lost them. Who knows where the hell they are now. Aaaaand.....4 other males from the group have disappeared. They didn't like Oden, so they are probably trying to immigrate to a new group, which can be a touchy business. So things will be interesting the next few weeks.

PS......saw a HUUUUUGE coyote the other day. It was awesome.

Prague

Mussolini recently went to Prague. She was treated amicably. This is to be expected. Italians and Czechs cross paths all the time in their corner of the world. This is not, however, what I’m talking about.

I don’t know many King Crimson fans. Beyond myself, only my father and brother fall into this category. I know they have a following out there, I’m just saying we don’t cross paths often in my little corner of the world. I do also know that I often bump heads with friends I think would like them, if only they would take the time to listen.

When King Crimson opened up for Tool, Maynard James Keenan was quoted as saying he felt honored, was humbled, and couldn’t help but feel Tool should have been opening up for King Crimson. I rarely bow my head to institutions, antiquity, or to seniority. To the contrary, I’m contemptuous of those who unquestioningly do so. I suspect Keenan is the same way based upon the irreverent nature of his songwriting. This, however, is not what he was doing. Keenan, who has said his band name implies fans are to use them and their music as a tool for however and for whatever they find prudent, readily acknowledges King Crimson as a major influence. Tangibly, you can hear this on their latest studio effort, 10,000 Days, in time signature changes, their sonic approach to music writing for the guitar, rhythmically, and in the total absence of any element of the blues. Les Claypool is also a big Crimson fan, though only from the Discipline carnation on. Tool’s sound and Claypool’s taste, however, are not the point. The grandeur of King Crimson is.

I own In The Court of The Crimson King, Red, Beat, The Nightwatch, The Construction of Light, Absent Lovers, Discipline, and The Power to Believe. The common thread, at least as far as I can tell, in the King Crimson sound that has spanned it’s many years of existence and all if its lineups, of which the only common thread is Robert Fripp, has been the absence of any blues’ elements so prevalent in the vast majority of rock and roll music. Where typical bands draw upon the blues, King Crimson has drawn from classical music. This is most apparent in their earlier work circa The Court of the Crimson King. Despite notables like “21st Century Schizoid Man”, “In the Court of the Crimson King, and “In the Wake of Poseidon”, my favorite Crimson phase began with the addition of Adrian Belew. Rich man’s Talking Heads, as I’ve characterized Absent Lovers in the past, is no coincidence or insight on my part, as Belew played with the Talking Heads (for a taste check out The Name of this Band is Talking Heads. Where the Talking Heads sound is paired down and modest by comparison, King Crimson is big and virtuosic, delves deeper into sounds, and is incomparable rhythmically.

Check them out.

Glitch in My Matrix

Ryan,

I fully intend to pontificate til I am blue in the face about any and all things that come to mind. Unfortunately I haven't been afforded anything remotely resembling breathing room at work, and Best Buy's Geek Squad set up our wireless network incorrectly. As such, this blog has experienced delays in its planned expansion.

Geek coming back to my apartment this Saturday. Hopefully this will all be sorted out then.


-SEAMUS

I'll Be Back

Light at the End of the Tunnel

FYI, I am having internet installed at home Thursday. As such, there will be more extensive blogging in the near future.

Also, courtesy of Craig Haubert, Scouts, Inc. over at ESPN:

A season like Notre Dame's often turns much attention toward recruiting and usually sees two emotions arise, that of hope and fear. Fans will turn to recruiting with the hope that the future will be better, and despite the horrendous 1-7 record, the Irish are still assembling a top-five recruiting class. While a national championship is not going to happen, Notre Dame could pull in the nation's No. 1 class when it is all said and done. And not only is Notre Dame landing talent, but it is also filling needs.

The most impressive thing about this Irish class is the defensive help they have landed. The Irish have struggled to stop the run, but also lack the ideal personnel and depth to run the 3-4 scheme defensive coordinator Corwin Brown would like to run.

First off, to run the 3-4, you need to a nose tackle, and Notre Dame does not have that. Pat Kuntz has played admirably, but he is not the right fit there. Omar Hunter (Buford, Ga.) and Brandon Newman (Louisville, Ky./Pleasure Ridge) could come in and give Notre Dame a quick pick-me up at a key position.

Hunter, the nation's No. 3 rated defensive tackle, will be bring size to position to occupy blocks and also features an excellent get-off to allow him to cause disruption. Two more defensive tackle in Sean Cwynar (McHenry, Ill./ Marian Central Catholic) and Hafis Williams (Elizabeth, NJ /) could act as swing guys and play at the nose or more likely at the end position in Brown's system.

In addition to the four defensive tackles, defensive ends Ethan Johnson (Portland, Ore./Lincoln) and Darius Fleming (Chicago/Saint Rita) could add depth and turn that position into a strength when added with current freshman Kerry Neal (Bunn, N.C.). Fleming could also provide flexibility as an outside linebacker. The defense needs help, but it looks like it is coming, and some prospects -- most likely Hunter and Johnson -- could contribute right away.

The offense has major issues as they rank dead last in total offense, rushing offense and sacks allowed in the nation and second to last in scoring offense. Protection of the quarterback has been a major issue, and a couple of talented interior offensive line prospects can help provide depth and shore up some holes. Under Armour All-American center Braxston Cave (Granger, Ind./ Penn) could see the field quickly. The rushing attack has been ineffective, but good news came last week in the form of Jonas Gray (Pontiac, Mich./Detroit Country Day). He is a north-south runner who can wear defenses down.Gray could provide some tough running and, along with James Aldridge, could provide needed depth and ability at the tailback position.


There is some promise being shown at the wide receiver position in the forms of Golden Tate and Duval Kamara, and a third possible weapon was just added last week inMike Floyd (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham). Floyd is a big receiver who can make plays downfield and also has a knack for turning short passes into big gains. With Kamara's size, Tate's flare for the big play and the arrival of Floyd next fall, the Fighting Irish will have an imposing group of receivers.


Who will throw them the ball? The likely scenario is that Jimmy Clausen will get another shot to lead this team before it is all said and done, but Charlie Weis is taking nothing for granted and has added another California quarterback prospect who could be the future in Dayne Crist (Canoga Park, Calif./Notre Dame). Clausen will know the system better, but I would not at all be surprised if there is another drawn-out battle for the starting spot between those two and Evan Sharpley.


Every class deals with some defections along the way, as the recruiting process can be a long and bumpy road. That being said, I know you and many other Irish fans' concern is not if one or two leave, but if the losses will equal mass decommitments. I think the Irish will be just fine. For one thing, I believe the Irish have suffered through the worst part of the schedule and things will not get worse. Coming off the bye, they face some very winnable opponents. Also in a warped way, the losing could be helping some. Some prospects will see the Irish's struggles as an opportunity to play right away, and in some cases, the prospects may be right.