On our weekend in Austin, we went around to various spots where the movie “Office Space” was filmed. I took GPS coordinates so I could make them in to “virtual caches” for geocaching. Check out the results here!
Yes that’s right, we’re off for another weekend in Austin! We’ll be going out for Jess’s birthday tonight, and then just enjoying the fourth of july festivities all weekend with some possible geocaching in there too.
Random point #1:
I have found new inspiration to practice my guitar playing in the form of Guitarport. Line 6 decided to make my Pod XT compatible with their Guitarport software which was a genius move. Now us Pod XT users can make use of one of the coolest tools I’ve ever seen for guitar players, and Line 6 get a bunch of new Guitarport subscribers. Basically it’s a program where I can backup all the amps, effects etc, that I’ve tweaked in my Pod XT, and for a subscription price, I can access tons of online tones, lessons, and tracks to jam along too. For example, Eddie Kramer, who produced Jimi Hendrix, has remixed some original Hendrix tracks minus the guitar, so it’s like you’re actually jamming with Hendrix’s band on your computer. You can also load up any song on your hard drive if you want to jam along with that. Plus the interface and functionality are just incredible. I’ve found new inspiration to actually sit around the house and play! Words can not express how cool this is.
Random point #2:
In other geeky joy, I also have a new version of my geoaching program for my Palm Vx (which I use as my GPS unit by attaching it to an external GPS attachment). The program is Geoniche and the new version rocks. I easily downloaded 10 geocache waypoints yesterday and loaded them into my unit with complete descriptions and all thanks to the new java applet. Much better than entering in all the coordinates and such by hand.
So now that most of you have most likely stopped reading long ago thanks to my ramblings on things that probably sound like gibberish to you unless you’re into guitar playing or geocaching, I leave those of you who made it all the way through with an amusing mondegreen (misheard lyric) of my own. Before I knew what Rage Against The Machine were actually saying in “Renegades Of Funk” I thought it sounded like “Random Case Of Funk”. This came up because after a shower this morning, I commented to Jess that the bruise on my knee from toooooooooooobing last weekend had turned “lovely shades of funk”. After a pause we both looked at each other and started singing “lovely shades of funk” to the afore mentioned RATM song. Ever since then I’ve been singing to myself “With a random case of funk! With a random case of funk!” That, and Weird Al’s “Hardware Store” which has been stuck in my head since I bought the album.
Have a great weekend, everyone! Miss us!
Tally of injuries from last weekend: 1 highly bruised knee, 1 slightly jammed finger, super full body soreness.
We all met up at TGI Fridays on Friday night (how apropos!) Jess and I drove into Austin from College Station, Esteban came from Dallas, and my cousin Casey, who lives in Austin, came from indoor rock climbing with some friends. Not much else happened Friday night. We all went back to Casey’s house and they decided to watch Cowboy Bebop (the movie) which I had no interest at all in watching, so I surfed the net on a mac on a slow dial up connection until I just decided to lay down on our air mattress and maybe drift into a bored sleep.
Saturday we all hit the Comal river for tooooooooooooobin! It was about a 2 hour trip down the river so we did it twice. Inevitably you end up doing a lot of paddling to keep up with each other and such, so your paddling muscles get quite sore. It was a nice relaxing day (and Esteban’s birthday) with good friends and a cooler full of snacks. It was on this trip that there is a section, after a fun man made tube chute, where you get out and walk down a few hundred feet before getting back in the river. While exiting, I couldn’t see the metal stairs very well so I proceeded to smack my knee into the side of them. It hurt. A lot. Afterward it looked as if I had a small hamster implanted in my knee. Never the less, twas a fun day.
That night we went to the Alamo Drafthouse where we had more good food and the better-than-crack Root Beer Float made with Amy’s ice cream while watching Hulk, which was alright. It was definitely worth the free tickets which we had procured.
Sunday it was Schlitterbahn time! America’s #1 water park as rated by the travel channel! Esteban bailed on us to go back to Dallas, which while his company was missed, I was glad that I would no longer have to have every free moment filled with some anim� DVD being put on the TV.
We were supposed to meet Dave and Misty at 9:30, but due to a never ending chain of circumstances we were about an hour late. I’ve determined that as a group increases in number so does the amount of time you are inevitably going to be late. I think the next trip is going to be every carload for themselves. Meet at 9:30 and if you’re not there we’re going on without you and will meet you at a predesignated location at noon. Hardcore, man!
It was during a tube ride that I jammed my finger. Also, my water shoes were rubbing me in an annoying way so went half the day barefoot. Lots of walking uphill and up stairs, and more paddling added to my full body soreness (particularly my calves). We were there from about 10:30 am until 7:30 pm. We had Dippin’ Dots, the ice cream of the future! It was good. We went back to my cousin’s had pizza and collapsed.
Monday Jess and I went to check out a potential apartment, which we both really liked and will most likely be our new home in Austin. It was nice AND cheap! They also had a great move in deal which eases finance worries quite a bit. $99 application fee to move in, no deposit, and first month’s rent free! Score! When we got home, we played a bit of SWG, and recreated our characters on a new server since the original server we were on was full and non of our friends could join us. We then watched the next disc of “24” from netflix, and went to bed.
Thursday after work, it’s back to Austin for Jess’s birthday and the Fourth of July weekend! Ahh, if only every week could be a 3 day work week.
Have you ever felt like maybe your life is out there, but you’re just not living it? This is my best attempt and a describing how I sometimes feel. I’ll try and explain, but it’s one of those things that’s at least semi-intangible so it’s difficult.
Todays particular episode came from scouring the Styx website, and the website of Styx drummer, Todd Sucherman. As I looked at all the pictures from the road, videos, notes from the band, and such, I just felt this longing. Like I was seeing something that I was supposed to be a part of, but wasn’t. It was as if I was seeing the life I should be living or something similar to it. It was sort of like looking out from a prison cell and seeing people having fun and laughing, and knowing you should be out there with your friends doing the same. A bit of a strong and melodramatic example, but it seemed to fit. I even toyed with the idea of becoming a roadie, but realistically knew that like any other industry, you have to work your way up and pay your dues before you get big gigs like that. Besides, I also knew I’d be compromising myself, since that’s not really what I want to be doing with my life.
This same thing happened recently when scouring the “Weird Al” site. In fact, I wrote Al a letter praising his new album and offering myself as a backup guitar player, personal assistant or anything else he might need. I figured, hey, what the hell. It couldn’t hurt. It probably has about the same chance of getting results as a lottery ticket, and I buy those.
This feeling often haunts me. When I watch the Oscars, I feel so strongly that should be there. There are just so many times when I know the life I should be living but aren’t, and I wonder if I ever will. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I have lived that life in the past perhaps, if you believe in that sort of thing. Maybe that’s why it feels so right and so familiar, and yet so impossible and far away.
Sometimes I just want to give up on it all, settle into a “real” job and just drown myself in escapism by watching lots of movies and playing lots of video games. It would sort of be a self-inflicted lobotomy, Stepford Wives kind of thing. Just be a happy, ignorant denizen of The Matrix and forget about it all. I can’t do that, of course, but it’s damn appealing sometimes. I think it’s just all compounded by the stress of the impending move, and good old money woes.
Again, my biggest problem is that I’m a dreamer. A lazy one. And despite this entry’s tone, a pretty stubborn optimist most of the time. Well at least I still have about 46 years to accomplish something, according to The Spark’s Death Test.
Jess and I were discussing how there was Burger King and Dairy Queen (there’s also a Smoothie King), so where were all the other restaurant royalty? We took the liberty of making them up (some may be other titles than actual royalty).
Philly Pharaoh, Pasta Prince, Weiner Kaiser, Spaghetti Sultan, Chicken Emperor, Curry Khan, Meatball Maha-rajah, Soup Sheik, Cookie Czar, Fish F�hrer, Pizza President, Grand Moff Muffins, etc. Feel free to contribute your own.
Also, why is it that anywhere where tacos are sold, they get top billing? Taco Bell, Taco cabana, there are many taco places. Most of these places also sell burritos which, in my opinion, are far superior. Perhaps I should open a Burrito Baron. All other mexican foods are oppressed by the taco. The taco always gets the name. Why? Who decided that tacos are the top of the mexican food chain? I don’t even really like tacos, unless they’re soft tacos in which case all they really are is tacos trying to be burritos. It’s time to stop the oppressions! Let some other foods take the limelight! Down with the taco regime!
We’re heading to Austin again this weekend to go tooooooobin down the Guadalupe river. Last year I went and the river flow was so low, that it totally sucked. Half the time our asses were dragging across rocks and occasionally we had to get up and walk across some precarious rocky bits because we certainly couldn’t float over them. Ironically, while we were toooobin last year, it started to rain. That rain continued for weeks and completely flooded the river pretty much wiping out everything that was along it’s banks including all the toooooooberies.
My friend, Esteban, had kept his car key on him instead of leaving it with the toooooooobin office who had a special place just to keep people’s keys. Consequently, we got back to his car only to realize we couldn’t get in. He called some number for the Volkswagen place since he had a road-side service deal or something, and then we waited for like an hour and a half in the pouring torrential rain for the guy to come open the car up. Once the guy actually got there, he had a really hard time getting it open too. Ah, good times!
So hopefully this year will be more fun. The flow looks much better than last year, and I have my wife with me this year too! Esteban’s birthday is at the end of June so we’re all going to back again in a month to go tooooooooooooobin down the Comal (which we also did last year and found it much better than the Guadalupe) and go to Schlitterbahn, the #1 water park in the country according to the travel channel! See you all Monday!
Why? Well my cousin has this unbelievably long keychain that he’s built over the years composed of keychains people have given him. His dad travels a lot for work and so has been bringing back keychains from various places for most of my cousin’s life. After noting that my cousin has only actually paid for one out of the hundreds of keychains that are in this giant keychain orgy, I though it would be fun to try and get an influx of additions. They don’t have to be unique, funny, or even amusing. They could be totally bland (like the H.E.B. keychains he has on there). There are no requirements. If you would like to contribute, contact me from the feeback section or leave a comment with you email and I’ll send you our address if you don’t already have it!
Unfortunately, they had already found someone. We’re pretty bummed, but I’m sure things will work out just fine. They always do.
Random lyrics from Weird Al’s new album, “Poodle Hat” that I’ve been singing all damn day:
There just aren’t enough O’s in “smooth”
To describe how smooth I am
Maybe you’ve seen my picture
It’s in the dictionary under “Kablaam!” Go buy it now.
So we’re off to Austin for the weekend to hang with my cousin, and go to the Natural Bridge Caverns, and a drive through wildlife park. Pictures will be forthcoming. We’ll probably check out Matrix:Reloaded again, and attempt to gain a better understanding of the twisted Mobius Strip that is the plot. Have a good Memorial Day Weekend, and remember, never play leapfrog with a unicorn.
So as some of you may have read on my wife’s page, ahead lies potential life upheaval, but in a good, adventurous, yet crap your pants kind of way.
We were planning to move to Austin in August. Then I get this email about these people who are in Hong Kong for the next 6 months, and need a house sitter because their current sitter can’t do it anymore. This house is in Roundrock (which is practically part of Austin. North Austin just merges into Roundrock). So they need someone, pronto.
Now this is just the largest in a series of events that seem to just be custom tailored and handed to us. We’ve known for some time that we wanted to probably move to Austin, and then I emt Craig Davis who has become one of my best friends, and musical collaborators, and who lives in Austin. So already musical things were lining themselves up in the big A. Now this house sitting possibility, which is just perfect. Six months of rent free living in a 2400 square foot house. We would pay the utilities. Since we have our apartment here through August, this would allow us to just slowly and casually move all our stuff in stead of having to do it all in one big go. I still have lots of band gigs here, so I figure every weekend we come down to play, we’ll also do some more packing and moving.
In addition, I could actually pursue acting, film crew, and music opportunities in Austin, because there actually ARE opportunities. Craig, who has never worked any “normal” jobs, but only done jingles and musically related things like that, thinks I could definitely find tons of work as a musician. There’s one particular guy who Craig has worked with over the years who owns the company which Craig has written many jingles for. We’re talking pretty big stuff like major beer companies and such. The company has several in house studio facilities, and Craig thinks that I could probably start picking up work there as a musician, jingle writer, voice actor, etc. All my various talents could probably be put to use there. We’ll see how that pans out. Additionally this same guy is also really good friends with my uncle.
Not to mention Craig and I are recording a new CD, which will probably come out under the band name “The Toreadors”, and we’re working on a project of his called “Mr. Hobs the 3 legged cat” which will be a children’s story, with an bunch of original songs, and possible voice acting tasks for me. He already has some parties interested in it. Not sure what form it will take yet possibly a book/cd combo with the book voiced on the CD along with the songs for the book.
He also, nonchalantly, told me how he met with a guy from Maverick records (Madonna’s label) and this guy is trying to get 3 of his songs recorded by another artist.
So now I’m waiting on the email back from the house sitting people. If they haven’t already found someone, then I will be putting in my job notice immediately and in a week or two we will be living in Roundrock, unemployed with the world on a platter before us. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.