Jesus christ, today was bad. One of the worst I've had in years.

For the past years, I've never had a day like this. It was just the weather and the fact that I could have come into school by 12 and not missed a THING just depressed me.

I need the trigonometry project like I need a hole in my head.

Digital photography was alright, I basically was working with Katie Truchon and the show for the block party with the band line up. I offered to do sound, and suggested the cafeteria as

A.) The auditorium is under construction, and as the rest of the project has been behind schedule I'd assume this would be too.

B.) It seems to be a better room. Small, tiled but some stuff on the ceiling and wall to absorb the sound.

Hopefully should be fine, can't really see a problem, and if I'm soundguy, I get to do my own sound for my band! yaaaaayyy. And also play house music. Aw yeah.

Band sucked for all the wrong reasons. Could not find the JBL Eon speaker I use (used ever since the school's bass amp long story short was tripped over.) nor could I find the other one. Apparently Mrs. Lopes borrowed it for the junior prom and has yet to return it to the music room. So I spent the period practicing runs and dexterity as I couldn't play amplified. I'm going to be incredibly pissed if come thursday it is not back.

Dressed up for Civics, for them to make sure we have the proper clothes for our presentation. Wasn't bad, looked good and was semi-comfy. We also had to have the stuff for our actual presentation, which meant dragging my guitar and amp and all various knick-knacks I needed. I volunteered to go first, because I didn't want to drag in all this shit just not to go, plus I worked on my outline last night. Started out kinda iffy, but got better as it went on. Glad I went first because it means I'm receiving feedback quicker. Which also means I can improve this presentation quicker. To my surprise, the class loved it. Especially the gamelan section where I looped a 5/8 phrase that I composed, and the drumsticks. Glad to see that if they liked it then I won't have to worry so much about what to say, and it definitely cleared a lot of crap out of what I don't have to present. Barely made it to 12 minutes, I had so much stuff I wanted to say again but couldn't. Maybe I'm just elongating what doesn't need to be elongated.

Home: Nap, walk to Mission Of Burma, home, get dinner, but not before trying to get gas for my car. My debit card is declined so I just take $15 out of my wallet that I put aside for lunch money and used that. Bought me about a quarter of a tank. What the fuck. Get home with the food. Chinese from Bamboo Garden. They fucked up my order (and just mine) and instead of General Tso's they gave me Chicken Fingers. God damn.

Went to URI's open mic night, last one of the semester and year for Astrid. Saw her read two poems. They were good. Also saw Jay read three poems, loved the second one, other two were pretty good. Split afterwards, home, blogging, showering, bed.

Last night:

Pete's recital. Very good, although some pieces were better than others. His original was the best of the night. Was amazing to hear it in full context, as he's only played bits and pieces of it to me for the past year.

Got together with Bill, Bonnie, Joe and Allie. Went to Applebee's for dinner, only because we gave up and were too tired to let our brains rack anymore places in South County that were tasty and affordable. Applebee's was... one of the two. It was tastier than we thought, though.

Afterwards, back to my house where Allie picked up her boyfriend. Nice guy, but he didn't want to hang around my house. Talked and just listened to music. Walked around the neighborhood.

Eventually everyone filed out and it was just Joe, Bill and I watching "Spun". Good movie, hadn't seen it in a while. Drove Joe and Bill home, not before scoping out the Rite Aid at 2 in the morning, nothing worth buying.

Today: Up, play some stuff on the stereo, in particular "Milo's Song" by Martin, since it was another dull, gray day. Parents home by 12. Listened to the Human Sexual Response tape Justin gave me. Don't have a real usable tape deck so I had to break out the four track. I really really like it, although it is weird how Meccalily changed sections of "Anne Frank Story" when they cover it...

Out to Thayer St at 7 listening to Irreversibly Whacked on the way up, meet Jay, Austin and Jay's Yale friends. Go to Nice Slice for dinner, good stuff. Then to Johnny Rockets for a milk shake w/ Austin. Meet Jay and co. at Roba Dolce, talk more, then eventually back to her house. Give Austin a ride to his house on the way there so he can drop off his Ipod for his brother.

Back at Jay's house, fun fun on the Wii, talking with Corriene, and how there was a lost ToE gig that we just remembered about at the Blackstone in May. Talk about recording her and maybe collaborating. Seemed to be trying to put me down gently for collaborating.

Leave at 10, back at the house by 10:30, listening to "A Simple Paper Collage". Listening to "The Cutting Edge" when I realize it might be one of the best pop songs I've heard in years. Was about to send Martin an email saying this until I looked at the credits and neither him nor Wayne wrote it. Oops.

Home, collecting laundry, blogging, shower, bed.

Ok, haven't blogged in a little while. General goings on

Talked to someone I shouldn't have, tried to get a relationship back off the ground, second party was not going for it. Which is good in the long run.

The other thing in my mind, re-reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life" is making me realize than I REALLY need to get off my ass for promotion. I've completely ignored college radio stations. I think I might email Ian Mackaye and just ask for advice. He does have our shitty EP. I wonder if he ever listened to it. He probably did. Wonder if he liked it.

And that's about it.

Not much this past week. It's been beautiful outside, so I've been reading on the porch. It's amazing, and when I come in I get freaked out at all the carpentry and walls. A good sign that I'm getting out more.

Last night was Jill's 21st birthday party. Was fun. Went expecting to leave by 12, since I wasn't that into it in the beginning. Showed up relatively early, a few people, but good time. Dean snapped at me when I asked for something, was a little put off, but he had just had a seizure a few days ago, when he was going to get his driver's license, I'm sure he was just not very patient. Fun party, didn't drink as I was driving, but got to be socialable by midnight, mingling with people. Good fun. Drive back at 2:30, because Astrid, ever sloshed, would not let me leave. Came back at her by making her laugh until she fell over, although I'm not sure how much it was my doing...

Home at 2:30, parents still up. They're still troopers. Bed at 3 after interneting. Today, work, decompressing. School tomorrow. Have to finish a handwritten copy of my score by tuesday. I can do it.

H'okay, so...


Wake up at 8, with my shit already together, but there is a branch pruning tree the state seemed to decided to put perpendicular to our driveway. Leaving us with barely a car's width of space to back out THREE cars onto our lawn. Thanks a lot, guys.

Leave for Amherst around 8:30. Take 295 to 146 to mass pike. Listen to REM "Document" and XTC's "Oranges and Lemons". No bad traffic at all. Get stuck behind a tanker on the backroads to umass. Oh well.

From there, Dan drives down I-91 to the Merrit parkway. Listen to a collage of stuff such as Television's "Marquee Moon", a Banter/3.1 compilation disc, and XTC's Drums and Wires. Listen to Drums and Wires twice as it's that mood of "HOLY SHIT WE TOOK A WRONG TURN" in the city and just can't be bothered to turn it off. Merrit parkway is just beautiful, art deco bridges and scenic forests. Definitely will take the route again.

Got in NYC. Had to make a couple more turns than I would have liked but we get there. Find a parking spot but talk about it and spring for parking, good thing too, because everyone was getting ticketed. Oh well, would rather pay money to know I'm not gonna get a ticket, and my car is safe.

Kill some time in NYC by walking down Broadway. Dan and I just kinda admire the girls. And oh boy, where there a lot of them. A lot. Eat something, get back to the club where Pete, Nick, and Hannes are waiting. Walk around some more, grab dinner and then back to the club for a soundcheck.

Then the devil's playtime, the time between soundcheck and the set. Kill time, try to network with other bands, doesn't really work that well. The main stage is a crust punk/metal show, tap room is a band that was suppose to go on at 10, but ended up going on at 8, so we had conflicting times, damn. Mac showed up, and his friend Tom, as well as Pete's Mom, sister, aunt and uncle, which was very very sweet.

Get up there, opened with Providence Public Defender. It goes well. New song, I have fun playing it, well, not really. It's weird.

Can't remember the setlist, as I've seemed to have lost it, but it WAS written on a napkin. Overall, the set was alright, B, B+. The stage setup was sorta weird, and you couldn't see the audience, like always, which is weird, I don't do well if I can't see the audience. To date, the first and only show I've done with earplugs in. Dan's new hi-hat just completely obliterated all the highs up there, and while I couldn't here Nick, I'd gladly sacrifice that instead of my high-end. It's was alright, not our best, but not our worst.

Hannes and Caroline Pook were really really good, bought his last CD. Hope he comes back to America.

Drive home, take FDR to 289 East to 95. Fine until we hit 95 north. Traffic due to some dickwads closing two of the three lines on the highway due to construction, fine, but it was like midnight on a Wednesday. What the fuck.

Smooth sailing, listening to Laurie Anderson's "Big Science", Girl Talk's "Night Ripper", Hasidic New Wave's "Truth and the Abstract Jew" and Sufjan Steven's "Illinoise". Drive through Connecticut AGAIN, only with Dan and I giving it some not-so-nice-names. Drive for a couple of hours before letting Dan take over so I can eat and we can make good time. Driving through 95 in RI is really weird, because I never have to use it except going to providence. Anything south of Warwick on 95 is just too weird for me to comprehend.

Was mildly amusement for some reason (probably because I had spent 9 hours in a car) at the fact that 95 has signs for North Kingstown and West Greenwich, but I remembered West Greenwich is just a big industrial park. Dan took some back road to NK, which I actually remember because we had to go down that way to get to 95 when we played New York the first time. Funny, going the opposite way at the opposite time of night.

Drop Dan off, take over. Drive back home, getting that weird feeling I get whenever I take a road trip. Your home is not your home, it's just a series of walls and 90 degree angles that house your shit. It's weird to think that someone might pass by my house in the same way I just pass by someone else's house, on the Merrit, for instances.

Do an internet check, bed at 2:30.

Now it's work for me all the rest of the weekend...fine by me.

Last blog was a week ago.

So fuck the past week. Nothing of importance.

Except last night. Went to Banter/3.1 show. His best show to date. Wish he showed a little more energy or at least made it LOOK like he was doing more with his keyboard. Talked about this. After the set was a little alienated by hanging around with Jon, my dad, and Martin, although I'm sure it was all in good fun. I guess I would be a little worried if I wasn't alienated. Oh well.

Stuck around for the rest of the show. Daniel Ouellette was up next. Saw him once before, he was better then. Did more a performance art thing, although I think it might have been due to the number of people in the audience. Left about half way in, just wasn't that into it, listened from outside while reading the Phoenix.

Next was James Amoeba, noise set. Was cool, did it with MAX/MSP. Bought a CD, but didn't want to. It was 5 bucks though, and I helped him feed himself. Oh well. Didn't go from the start. Was talking with people and then excused myself because I liked what I heard coming from the stage. But not before tipping Jon's glass over with a milli-liter of beer in it . Oops, at least it was just a drop, still felt like an ass. I'm always my most klutzy around them. It's like some poorly written sitcom, except with everyone trying to one-up each other with music.

Mystery Palace was next, and felt kinda bad, no one stuck around to see their set. So they allowed free admission, and including me there were about 8 people in the audience. Not a bad show, following my old rule of "If there are more people in the audience than on stage, it's a good show". They were alright, all the songs sounded the same after while,

Intro: glitched circuit bent keyboard, drumbeat, then bass.

repeat for every song in their set.

Oh well. I got on the guest list for Banter, so I got to see it for free!

Ride back with Justin, talking about various things. My conversation skills are pretty shitty, I'm learning. Well, at least with Justin and the ring of friends are my dad. Guess they'll never be my friends like well, my ring of friends. As long as they play music with me, whatever.

Have to do preperations for the car before I leave for NYC tomorrow. I am nervous, but it's more for the road trip. Looked over directions from 9A to the Knitting Factory. The only hard thing will be finding long term parking.

Before I made a fool out of myself in front of Martin, he mentioned he might come down to the show, which would be great for me, some encouragement from some local people would be just what I needed. We've done all the promotion we can do just short of being in NYC, which isn't much, but hey it's something.

Have to talk to dan about what time I have to leave and all that crap. If we want to be in the city for 4, I have to leave by 10:30-11 at the least. Must shower and do all the shit I need to do tonight. There's an ICON parking garage a block from the club. Might park there...

Holy shit, my last post was a week ago! Let's make this quick.

Thursday, band festival. We play and (later found out) we placed 3rd over all. Not bad for the little band from Narragansett. Note: Don't play a fucking suite in a band festival, let alone TWO. I'm looking at you Burrillville. Took notes on the bands (cuz I'm a nerd). Ponagansett had some good numbers and players. Woonsocket was all flash, and really didn't stand up to their appeal at all. Was happy that I got to hear "The Inferno" by Robert W. Smith. It's a bitchin tune. Honestly, I think we had the best collection of songs out of everyone. And if I hear another version of "Variation on a Korean Folk Song" I'm probably going to shoot someone.

Back at home, alone, since parents left that morning and we boarded the dog the night before. Do homework, done by 5:30. Listen to "Thursday Afternoon" on ...Thursday afternoon. How quaint.

Friday: School, then Sweetthieves!

Get to as220, pay our money, see The Butcherings first. Not great, not bad either though. Mention their drummer moving south after this show. Sad. Hopefully they'll continue going places. They had a fog machine behind the drummer, forgot about it during their last song, wondered if someone's amp was on fire!

Sweetthieves next. Good set, if eerily similar to the last time I saw them. Again, plop myself in front of Hilary. Oh god she is so pretty.... uh, anyway. After the set talk to her about shows and bass gear and all that. Offer to help load their gear out, she declines but seems thankful. Think about putting a show together with them and Mahi Mahi in the summer. Also, I got recognized by 4 people that night. I'm moving up in the world of the Providence Scene.

Denimvenom. Didn't stick around for their set. Couldn't take the prog. Went to Nice Slice on thayer with everyone after. Home, with Julia and Pete sticking around to hang out. Pete leaves and Julia and I just hang out listening to music and talking. She crashes here and I go to bed.


Saturday: Up, hang out with Justin for a little while. Conversation is minimal but I really don't care. It doesn't feel forced so why be bothered by non-forced conversation?

Home, then decide to go to Lindsay's party. Hang out there after Google Maps dumps me in fucking west side of providence, where I have no idea where the fuck I am. Hang out there for a little while. Jay's there, Pete's there. Lindsay and Corriene are there (NOT having sex! What a surprise!) We talk and party. Corrine is the first person I know to listen to Moxy Fruvis outside my and my parents. Damn. Home, then sleep.

Sunday: Not much except for cleaning up and dinner with Grams (my grandmother). Lovely conversation, lovely dinner. Glad I did it. It was a great end to a great weekend.

Yesterday: Eh.

Today: Eh. Met with Wayne about music things. We jam on some stuff and it goes pretty well. Got to play his Rickenbacker the entire night. Work on some new songs and it goes pretty well. Eventually we talk and it gets on the subject of the Luau. Wayne asked if there even was one this year, and I said yes. He replied back that "He wasn't even invited". In a joking way. I say that Martin honestly just probably forgot since he was working with the porch so close to the party. Hope there isn't any bad blood between the two, just some falling away with work and family. Jamming seems to go well, if a little awkward. (This was the musical equivalent to a first date...) Think it might go somewhere. We shall see. At least we had a promising beginning.

Home, internet, dinner, bed.

It appears that I've been Rickrolled twice today already.

Up, didn't want to get out of bed. Listen to "Medicinal Reverb" B/3.1s new album. It's good, I would just do a few tweaks before it's release, and I'll talk to justin about this sometime.

School, schooly. Nothing really to say.

Home: raining, internet, Off to Nick's Recital at 7.

Great great performance by him. Not a major scale the entire night. He played a Monk piece near the end that just was transcended. Closed my eyes and thought of the best landscapes. Afterword, talk with him and everyone else, laughter abounds.

Home, interneting, blogging, shower then bed.