things to do with a mohawk:

• make a punk rock video
• scare your parents
• use as canvas and make art
• add as extensions to your current mohawk

eureka tower carpark in melbourne
depending on where you stand, you can read the words.  sweet.

I showed up late to this show, as is becoming more and more usual for me... unfortunatly.  Anyway... Earlimart was pretty good, i enjoyed them the last time i saw them (which was actually one of my first posts ever).  Their gear is always decked to the nines with cool shit, which is awesome.  Zookeeper was good too, but i only caught the end of their set.  Anyhow, i missed Silent Sunset, but they play around town a lot, so i am sure i will catch them another time.  I am going to be honest, i thought these photos were a bit subpar except for the first one... but i really could be bothered to take more  (Does anybody else thing the new Mohawk setup is stupid??? I think wider is better).

Zookeeper

Sunset (last april)

The coed members of Earlimart favor a midtempo approach to their start-stop motions of experimental post-punk, dreamy indie pop, and folky undertones. Named after a small California town located between Los Angeles and Fresno, Earlimart's unconventional songwriting structure drew early comparisons to the Pixies, Sonic Youth, X, and Sparklehorse. This attention resulted in a deal with Devil in the Woods Records, who released the albums Filthy Doorways and Kingdom of Champions in the winter of 2000. The Avenues EP appeared three years later, signaling a switch for the band's punky roots to a more sedate, hypnotic style reminiscent of Grandaddy. The full-length Everyone Down Here arrived that same April, and Treble & Tremble followed in 2004. Moving further away from its post-punk beginnings, the band (whose chief member is Aaron Espinoza) released Mentor Tormentor in 2007, an album sonically influenced by Elliott Smith and heavily rooted in chamber pop and lo-fi. Released in 2008, Hymn and Her furthered that lush, spacey sound.

Now the eye candy!

1. I was the fool you should pity - Keeping it short, I cut my hair in a Mr. T mohawk one night in college when we decided we all needed silly haircuts. It was a rad thing, only I had a girl I was pursuing agree to go on a date with me at this time. Not wanting to shave my head yet, I went to the date with a wool skull cap in case she thought it was silly. Keep in mind it was the end of spring in Alabama, in other words hot. This girl was totally cool, super cute (still is), and everything I didn't want to screw up. Conversation eventually shifted to my choice of headwear, and I ended up explaining what was under it. We never went on another date. Not entirely because of the mohawk, but it couldn't have helped.
2. Less fun than a root canal - Recounting the dance story about the prom made me want to tell the entire story. Senior year I decided to forgo the prom because I was totally apathetic about the whole thing. I didn't see the big deal in dressing up and dancing like an idiot (this was before I discovered the wonderful bliss that is being in a wedding party). So I told everyone that I wasn't going and even turned down several people. During prom week my mom asked why I wasn't going and said she'd cover all of the expenses if I went because she didn't want me to miss out on what could be an important part of my high school experience. That day, Tuesday, I rented a tux and the next day at school I told 3 or 4 people that I was going. Not a big deal and I thought nothing of it. Thursday we had the senior program at a local church, and on the way back we picked up our prom/graduation packages on the tennis courts of the school. Several people asked me if I was going to the prom while we were out there. I was reluctant to answer, then finally admitted my plan to attend. Surprisingly the next thing out of their mouths (yes this was 3-4 people surrounding me at once) was "Why don't you go with Trainwreck?" My answer - "Because I'm going by myself." I said this for two reasons: I had already turned people down by saying I wasn't going, so showing up with someone else would be a dick thing to do, and more importantly because I didn't want to go with her. Had I wanted to I would have asked her more than one day before the event. Later in the day more people asked me the EXACT same line of questions. Some of these people weren't even her friends, just people that felt sorry for her. You are probably asking yourself, "Roach, why in the world would people feel sorry for her?" Well friends I am glad that you asked. It was because nobody asked her to go. NOBODY. That should have been an obvious indicator as to why I shouldn't do what nobody else had done. Apparently she told people she wasn't going unless she had a date. Somehow I made it through the rest of the day without much of a problem. That night I was on the phone with a female friend of mine and Trainwreck called. She explained that she didn't have a date, had heard I was going by myself, and wanted to know if it was true. She went on to tell me that she wasn't going without a date, that we had known each other since sixth grade and to just go with her so she could go. I tried to reason with her and get her to go stag, but she wasn't buying it. This is where my nice guy gene took over and mistakes were made. My other friend said to do it since it would be the nice thing to do. I clicked back over, said ok, and then made some preliminary plans.Both calls were ended and it was at this point when the realization of what I had agreed to sunk in. I called one of my best friends and let out what, to this day, has been the most explicit laden rant I've ever had in my life. This is saying a lot since now I curse like a sailor.

   The day of the prom was pretty uneventful since most everyone took off to get ready for it. I didn't because there was nothing for me to do. Trainwreck got her hair done and I was to call her later in the day. After school I got a haircut, picked up my tux, and got her corsage. That took me all of an hour so I was more that ready to pick her up on time. My mom gave me her cell (before every 12 year old had one), my dad's credit card, and told me to have fun. Right when I was at the exit for her house I realized the damn corsage was missing. "No problem, no big deal" I thought. Just call her and let her know what's up. So I did, and she started screaming into the phone about how we better not be late to dinner. Calmly, I said I'd go as fast as possible and was to my house and back within 20 minutes. We also discussed what our plans, check that, what her plans for the evening were going to be. Nothing was on my planner other than to go to Jamie's and take pictures there. She objected. I said I didn't care what she did, but I was going there to take some pictures.

   Inside of her house I literally had to sit there and wait for her to finish getting ready, even though she was bitching at me for not being there 20 minutes earlier. It takes longer to put makeup on your soul and mask those blemishes than I knew, so for half an hour I sat there waiting for her to get done prepping. No worries. Still in my nothing is going to bother me mood and she finally comes down. Her corsage was placed and we commence to having our photographs taken. Things finish up and we get into the car. What's the first thing that she does? Changes the radio. We'll just say that I was less than pleased.

   We the discuss why we have to take pictures at Jamie's and I tell her because I want to. Nothing else. Remember, I was doing this as a favor to her. She pouts and sulks because she doesn't get her way, but we go and take more pictures. At Jamie's someone asks me, why I wasn't wearing a boutonniere. Being a tuxedo novice I didn't know I was supposed to be wearing one. Trainwreck pipes up and says it was my responsibility to get both the corsage and the boutonniere. Everyone else seemed to disagree with that, but she never admitted to being wrong. Graciously Jamie's family and friends took a flower from their home and rigged me up a quite impressive boutonniere.

   Promzilla started complaining about being hungry and late so we went to eat with her "friends." Again, remember I was doing a favor for a girl I didn't want to go with, and was paying, well my dad was paying but still. Where did we eat? Ruth's Chris Steakhouse where a wedge of iceberg lettuce is $4. Never before had I been and I've never been back. Not because the food's not good, but because it brings up bad memories. Stupid lettuce. We ate, hung out with fellow promgoers and left for the prom. Her only caveat was she didn't want to get there too early.

   On the way I forgot which exit to take and had to go out of the way to get back to the location. The entire time she was bitching that she better not miss leadout. Repeatedly. Annoyingly. We made it right as people were lining up for the introductions. In the hallway we were lined up and it was small enough to wrap around with the end of the line side-by-side with the front. Since we arrived later than planned, we were toward the end of the line. Trainwreck did what she does best and proceeded to give me an earful about how she won't get to see any of her friends being at the end of the line. What do I do? Use my silver tongue to skip in front of another guy who was almost at the beginning of the line. My rational thought process reasoned there was no way she could be unhappy now since she'll be able to see her friends. Erroneous. She started bellyaching about how none of her friends were able to see her come out. I tried to explain to her that it couldn't be both ways and she didn't seem to like that.

   This is where the night was relatively pleasant. She went off and danced on the dance floor while I sat at a table complaining about what an idiot I was for taking her. Some of my friends were telling me where to meet them once I had gotten rid of her. Other people were periodically coming by to just laugh at me. This is when we had our terrible dance.

   The prom ended not too long after that and people began to disperse to various locations. When we got outside I told Trainwreck to wait there and I would go get the car so she didn't have to walk in her high heels. When I return with the car she is nowhere to be seen. I think maybe she has decided to follow me so I make a loop by the parking spot. No sign of her. One of our classmates says she thinks she saw Trainwreck get into a car with some other guys when I ask had she seen my date. Normally this wouldn't have upset me, but she should have told me if she were going with someone else so I'd be free to do what I wanted. I circled once more and decided to leave if I didn't see her. When I pulled back up in front she was standing there with a plant. She was informed that I almost left her because stay right here generally means where you were when that person left. As it turns out I was lucky I hadn't left her and she went on to tell me exactly why for about ten minutes. Her disappearing act was to get a centerpiece and balloons when she saw people coming out with them. It still pisses me of when I remember how relaxed she was when I was close to killing myself to get away from her.

   Being the gentleman I am, I took her home to change out of her dress and was thrilled to do so since it meant I got a short break from her while she changed. When we pulled up in her driveway she asked me if I'd like to come in and of course I replied with an emphatic no. It took her about 45 minutes to take off the dress and get into a pair of jeans and a shirt. She came back to the car as much of an ass as ever and began telling me what we were going to do.

   "Make her prom experience an enjoyable one" was my whole motto for the evening. Trainwreck wanted to see her "friends" at their hotel room (friends in quotes because she was so intolerable she didn't truly have any friends, she forced herself on people who could tolerate her) so she could consume some alcohol. My initial plan was to hang out for an hour or two, ditch her and go hang out with my other friends. Needless to say, my plan did not go as smoothly as I would have liked.

   We get to the hotel room and a steady stream of people start showing up to party. I noticed that everyone seemed to be changing out of their formal wear into more casual attire. That is everyone except me and one other poor sap. Don't get me wrong, I now know and love the joy that is wearing a tux during a wedding, since it gives you the license to do whatever the hell you want, but this was far from wedding fun. I ended up sitting there, watching people have fun and drink, this was also before I drank, being miserable in my tuxedo.

   After making the rounds seeing other friends at local hotels, we ended up back at the initial room. They finally ran low on beer at about 2 am. We are all underage, but we know a place that doesn't check IDs close to where I live. Immediately I volunteer to shuttle the oldest looking guy so I can go by my house and change clothes. We accomplished both our tasks and returned with alcohol, and with me being much more comfortable. She was drinking wine coolers all night and getting more chatty the more she drank. Robert noticed this and began to tease her a little bit about being drunk. This apparently made her furious. She kept saying that she wasn't drunk and that she knew when she was drunk etc. Well Robert asks me if I think she's drunk and I of course say yes. In hindsight, considering how much of a bust that night had been to this point, I should have kept my mouth shut and said nothing. Instead I agreed with Robert and proceeded to have her get angrier at me for agreeing with him than at him for making the accusation in the first place. You haven't lived until you have a drunk girl yelling at you about how sober she is. Everyone started pairing off soon after that leaving just the two of us. I shit you not, she said "OK, you can take me home now." Really? You'll give me the honor of escorting you home after you completely ruined my night? Oh thank you!

   Dawn had broken so it was daylight outside when we left. I don't know how fast I went, but I can definitively tell you I have never in my life driven as fast as I did that morning. The ride was not totally uneventful as she proceeded to chastise me for thinking she was drunk. We pull up to her driveway, I stop the car and she gets out. As soon as she enters the door I scream at the top of my lungs. I scream all the way home. I go inside and go to sleep. This is where the hell date should have ended, but it didn't. It followed us to school the following week.

   She didn't say thank you. I don't care that she paid for just the pictures, as it was my parents money anyway, and I didn't pay for the alcohol either so that wasn't a problem. She didn't have the common decency to thank me after I went out of my way to be nice and help her out when she was in a pinch. That pissed me off to no end. After this whole debacle we still had a few days of school until graduation, and I had a handful of classes with her. I decided to give her the silent treatment and not address the situation. You know, be an adult about it.

   One day in theater class she said she we needed to talk. I agreed anticipating some sort of apology or something of that nature. Boy was I ever wrong. She noticed that I had been ignoring her and "knew" what was wrong. She understood that it was going to be hard on me when we were going to different schools next year and she wanted me to know that it was going to be ok, and I'd be fine without her.

   Seriously. This is what she says to me. AFTER the prom ordeal. Needless to say I totally lose my shit and am actually speechless I was so mad. I let her finish whatever tripe was spewing forth from her mouth, and that was the last time I talked to her. She called my house once either during that summer, or the summer after our freshman year and left a message. I didn't call her back. Sorry the story was so long, but it's my blog and I wanted to tell the whole thing. Deal with it.

List 5 dates memorable for all the wrong reasons.

]]> http://stormantic.wordpress.com/?p=247 Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:49:26 +0000 stormantic http://stormantic.wordpress.com/?p=247

I had the pleasure of meeting artist Mark Brooks at Wonder Con last year (He actually recognized me from my MySpace friend request and we got to talking;  I guess this shows that stalking folks you like on MySpace can result in positive results).  I spent some time chatting up Mark and his amazing wife Lisa at their Artist Alley booth at this year's San Diego Comic Con International.  Both Mark and Lisa are super fun and friendly.  I had a great time talking and laughing with them and wish I could have done more.  My thanks go out to them for being such a big part of my first SDCC.  And to top it all off, Mark drew me this sketch of Storm from his favorite era of our weather goddess' tenure as leader of the X-Men.  I love his rendition of Ororo.  She's certainly giving off a no-nonsense 'tude!

Check out Mark Brooks on MySpace (He has a lot of information about other ways to keep in touch with his projects and art on there) and pick up a copy of Ultimate X-Men by Marvel Comics to see his work!

I mean, I know the man has appeared in many viral ads and there are a number of hilarious 80s-era found footage clips out there, but here is an icon with a decades-refined persona, who plays beautifully on the small screen and perfectly captures our culture's love for old-school camp. Why isn't he everywhere? Why isn't he the host of a Rocketboom-style daily podcast? Why doesn't he have a weekly series on My Damn Channel? Why doesn't he even have a domain name?

Like other inadvertent web video stars (Chuck Norris, David Hasselhoff), Mr. T's to-date online success represents an intense fascination with the hypermasculine combined with nostalgia. It's a combination that is of course rife with potential for homophobia and sexism -- but that tracks with the bulk of lowest-common-denominator web entertainment, and Mr. T is never explicit about this (with the exception of the Snickers ad slogan of "get some nuts," for which the ad campaign bears more of the blame). In this post-Fight Club era, in which the aging desk-bound nerd can find humor in his physical flaws, there's a definite market for this brand of entertainment. Mr. T's time is not over. Mr. T's time is now.

The one-time bouncer/bodyguard/actor can't be accused of having much range as as a performer, but as an authority figure on pretty much any subject, he's unimpeachable. The perfect example is his World of Warcraft ad, when he declares that he has rewritten the game to create a Mohawk class of warrior. Try to imagine disagreeing with Mr. T on a subject. Seriously, do it. I bet you can't. Who better to sell a product or service?

And this clip of him advising kids to Treat Your Mother Right (a rap which, according to Wikipedia, was written by Soulja Boy foe Ice T) not only demonstrates his potential as a role model for kids, but, by racking up over 2 million hits, puts him... Okay, maybe not quite in Tay Zonday territory, but definitely in the "big on the Internet" category.

So you web video entrepeneurs, where are your offers? Where are your pitches? Mr. T is available, and to be honest he's probably available for not terribly much. And Mr. T, where are you? Look at M.C. Hammer, who is not only an active Twitterer and blogger, but is using other new media ventures such as DanceJam.com to reclaim some of his past glory. You're a self-made man! You don't have to wait for the tech world to come to you. Step up and establish your online identity, create your own projects. For, while I would never dare to call you a fool, if you fail to capitalize on your own potential, I might one day be reduced to pitying you.

Hopefully you have been keeping tabs on the action with both breeds and other interesting developments at Pull the Pocket and The Aspiring Horseplayer.

A lot has happened since April 28th ...

The big story obviously was Big Brown's romps in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness followed by his lackluster bid for the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes. On March 5th I pegged him as the winner and did so again on March 29th.  Not much I can say that hasn't already been said about the sequence of events that took place during the '08 Triple Crown run. I thought for sure I was going to see a Triple Crown winner and almost made the trip to Belmont to see it. Not so much ...

Curlin came back from Dubai in good form and it is nice to see a champion campaigned for a length of time. His turf debut wasn't too bad but I haven't yet seen a decision on his next start.

Zenyatta and Ginger Punch seem to have the Filly and Mare division to themselv.es. Those two seem to be head and shoulders above the rest.

On the pacing and trotting side of things, we have Somebeachsomewhere, Deweycheatemnhowe and now Art Official.

Somebeachsomewhere won the North American Cup at Mohawk without being challenged and looked to have the Meadowlands Pace in the bag also. That was until Art Official got good at the right time and upset the undefeated colt in the Pace Final in an eye popping 1.47.0. For those who haven't seen the race, it is worth watching, whether you are a fan of harness racing or not ...

Awesome .... I went to the Meadowlands on July 12th for the Pace Elims to see Somebeach and he didn't disappoint. He won in 1.48.3.

On three year old trotting and Hambletonian side of things, Deweycheatemnhowe has been nothing but impressive and will be the shortest price favorite in the Hambo in years. I do think he has some competition in the form of Crazed though. Both won Elims last night and Crazed actually trotted faster than Dewey, though he was being asked while Dewey was on cruise control. How much that matters I have no clue. I am planning on heading back to the Big M on August 2nd to see this guy in action.

Mister Big and Artistic Fella  have established themselves as the dominant older pacers around right now. They had an awesome battle in the Haughton Final on Pace Elim night. A battle I was glad I was on hand to see.

Too much to get completely caught up on. Hopefully I can find time to update a bit more. Work should be slowing down in the next month or so.

Mohawk signifies bad-ass

Criminals be warned

Après tout, il n'a fallu que quelques bien-pensants qui, soi-disant au nom de la sécurité, ont gueulé au MTQ que les cellulaires au volant pouvaient être dangereux, pour que la ministre Julie Boulet oblige tous les conducteurs à avoir "une gogosse dans l'oreille", et interdise le téléphone à la main pendant la conduite.  À force de se faire dire que la cigarette, ça pue, pis ça fait de la boucane, le gouvernement a interdit de fumer à moins de 30 pieds de la porte de plusieurs édifices publics, ainsi, bien sûr, qu'à l'intérieur.  Sur quel ton faudra-il dire que la communauté de Kanesatake n'est pas capable de venir à bout de ses "irréductibles", afin que le gouvernement mette ses culottes, et agisse, dans ce dossier?

Quand le conseil d'une municipalité n'est pas capable de régler un problème, le ministère des affaires municipales et des régions met la municipalité en tutelle, le temps qu'il faut pour régler les choses.  Existe-t-il une mesure pour régler les problèmes d'une communauté mohawk?  Si une telle mesure n'existe pas, il faudrait en créer une.  Et tant qu'à faire, autant y mettre le paquet!  Quand il fut déclaré que la vitesse causait plusieurs accidents, on n'a pas lésiné; on a acheté un pistolet-radar à chaque policier, et tout le monde paie, maintenant!  Il faudra faire la même chose, en rapport avec ces irréductibles; la communauté les défend, alors la communauté devra payer!

Ma mesure serait simple.  On donne six mois aux autorités mohawk de Kanesatake pour débusquer, et réduire au silence une fois pour toutes les fauteurs de troubles de leur communauté.  Après ce délai, au moindre incident, tous les habitants de la communauté sont déportés dans d'autres réserves mohawk, et le territoire de Kanesatake est cédé aux municipalités limitrophes, et ce, une fois pour toutes.  Les communautés de Kahnawake et de Kanesatake ont un beau grand territoire commun, à l'est de Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides; ce serait un excellent endroit pour les reloger!  Évidemment, pendant ces six mois de grâce, on laisse carte blanche aux autorités locales pour régler le problème à l'interne, et faire le "grand ménage" que plusieurs membres de la communauté n'osent pas demander en public.  En mettant tout le monde au courant de la mesure, les membres de la communauté s'impliquerait davantage, pour régler le problème, parce qu'ils connaîtraient les conséquences d'un autre laisser-aller.

À force d'apprendre, dans les médias, que des mohawks - toujours les mêmes - ont fait un barrage, démoli des voitures de la Sûreté du Québec, et créé du grabuge, et ce à chaque fois qu'un policier de la SQ éternue un peu trop fort, un jour ou l'autre, un gars en revient.  Si la communauté de Kanesatake n'est pas capable de régler le cas de quelques fauteurs de troubles en six mois, et ce avec une liberté d'action sans précédent, alors la communauté devra être dissoute.  Partout dans le monde, les états interviennent quand des communautés vont trop loin.  À Oka, il est maintenant temps d'agir.

Monday night and nowhere to go right... not if you keep up with the local scene.  So, the Steps played Mohawk early, and Dizzee Rascal played Emo's later.  However, since Dizzee's last record was pretty awful... yea... well... i went to Mohawk.  Steps were great as usual, which a much bigger crowd than i expected.  Of course, It was the first show i saw since their album was released, so maybe that had something to do with it.  I wasn't too keen on them playing "Dagger" first, but hey, i'm the audience so i'll go ahead and shut up.  Anyhow, i stuck around for Calhoun and Republic Tigers.  I didn't particularly care for Calhoun, but Republic Tigers had a good sound.  I would go see them again if i had the chance.  Unfortunately, i had to leave early cause i had to get home; well... actually, it wasn't very early when the show was going on, but on the way back home I passed emo's and listened to Dizzee Rascal's encore from the ally.  It was alright, he did Dance With Me... oh wait.. its called "D4NCE W1V ME"... whatever... Calvin Harris... you disappoint me (but i still love your shit).  Star combos can be really good, when the song isn't lame, course those two are at the top of the charts... damn it.

Yea... i dont know what is in his mouth... but that is weird...

Republic Tigers... (they actually had one really cool looking tshirt for sale)

Calhoun

So i showed up super late to the Everyone Knows Everyone show... so super late that i only saw one band... and i don't even know who they are (which sucks).  I am going to say that its my own fault and i should have gotten there before midnight, but i'm still a little annoyed that the guy at the door had no idea what acts would still be on, and when it was over.  Whatever, so there were some djs too.  It was pretty intense and totally packed.  Anyhow after that i went to creekside.  There was band there... i heard they were big in the nineties or something... they're outfits were pretty badass.  Anyhow, yea... worst post ever... but i really didn't have much idea what was going on last night anyhow.

Some band at Creekside

Some DJs at club de ville

I finally tracked down the television episode. It was called The Longhouse on Avenue A.

I found the following plot summary on tv.com.

Tom Longman is a Mohawk Indian working with other tribesmen on the construction of a skyscraper. Tom reports a fellow worker, an Indian, for drinking on the job and receives a promotion. His tribesmen, however, take Tom to task for breaking a tribal custom.

Henry Silva plays Tom Longman. I had forgotten most of the show except that I remember Silva saying a few times during the show, "I'm a Canajoharie Man."

While there have been many newspaper and magazine articles over the years documenting the role of the Mohawks in building Manhattan's skyscrapers, television and film have virtually ignored it. Other than The Longhouse on Avenue A and NPR's Profile on Mohawk Ironworkers, filmmakers have ignored the potential drama in the story.

The Longhouse on Avenue A was part of the Alcoa Theater.

you can have a heart of compassion...

even with a mohawk.

you can sing, you can beat-box, you can distract, you can pray

you can write, you can call, you can wipe tears away.

lessons in comfort from a 5-yr.old.

]]> http://paperbackscrawl.wordpress.com/?p=496 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:55:34 +0000 Meg http://paperbackscrawl.wordpress.com/?p=496 Some say that you truly grow up when you start doing the right thing, even when it hurts to. This theory is philosophically pretty, but incomplete. Really, it's much simpler than that.

At some point in the last few years I've made the official transition into adulthood. I know this, not because of age, but because I'm annoyed by most things teenagers do. I know this because I've started using words like "juvenile" and "delinquent." Some may call this jaded, but really, it's the acquisition of perspective. If you think that party kid who gave a swat team something to do is cool, it's likely you're a delinquent of some kind.

Example:
There is a family living next door to me. Said family includes 3 children. Eldest male juvenile has clearly wagged too many English classes. He is incapable of forming a grammatically correct sentence.

Juvenile bogan yells quite frequently, mostly verbal abuse directed at his younger sister. "Fucking cunt this, fucking cunt that." And so on. No parental intervention.

Juvenile has one of those grown out Mohawk haircuts, which is slowly becoming a mullet.

Juvenile has own car, which he plays gangsta rap from. Implicitly. Because he is a mutha fuckin' G, yo. (I'm so glad my high school years managed to pre-date the rap renaissance)

Juvenile can't retain the key code to his home's security system, and regularly sets the alarm off. As his mother recites the code over the phone, he yells the code so the entire street can hear. I know the code at this point. He still doesn't.

This morning, while a garbage truck visited our street, as it does every Thursday, it ran straight into the badly parked juvenile-gangsta-mobile.

Screaming, obscenities, and horrific grammar ensued.

So did my uncontrollable, raucous laughter.

I may have imagined it, as some kind of adult solidarity within the ranks of the street, but I think I heard someone else laughing, too.

Woke up early again this morning, 6ish. I'd say it's becoming a habit but nuisance is such a better word for it. I opt to "sleep in" for 5 minutes. Normally when you lay in bed longer, you roll out of bed just the same as you would've otherwise. But in this case, I "woke up" from the 5 minute snooze a little less jarred and mummy-like. My trek to the bathroom was the same as any other day, wet my hair substantially, faux-hawk it for shits and giggles, shave, and wash my face. I decided to peek on my grandmother though, Shining style. Startled, she yelled at me, dissing the 'hawk. My stomach growled in response, but with no lactose-free breakfast in the house, I was shit out of luck(as usual). Coffee came out alright today, doesn't compare in the least to Starbucks/Borders/etc, but the hell if it didn't crack my eyes open past "Zombie level" into an area more suitable for human beings.

Decided to catch the late bus today while I chilled, breaking into the 360 bright and early. I spent my time testing out some demos I'd left downloading the night prior. Soul Caliber was great, no story mode though. Puzzle Fighter was great, no friends though. Street Fighter 2 was decent, but too old school for me. I got my ass handed to me in SF2 in a mirror match. First round. Sad, I thought the first level of any game was supposed to be a 'gimme'.

The mundanity kicked in at work. As soon as a I stepped into my office I realized today was website stocking day. Inserting all the new products into the website via the Admin panel. And not only did I have a list of ~30 to work with, only 2 of them had the images made. Leafing through catalogs, I spent 3-4 hours bored out of my mind. I don't mind doing work, I know it's supposed to be somewhat boring. But this work wasn't what I signed up for. This was grunt work, busy work, the work that(dare I be elitist), lesser minds should be doing. My time should be spent working on the website that's due next week(as opposed to writing this...).

Though yesterday wasn't bad. I came home to a large package, I thought it was my black plush Yoshi, but it turned it out to be Gamestop's doing. The 4 used games and the "play and charge" kit for the 360. I understand the games are used, I understand that it was a big sale, but the motherfuckers packaged this thing so weak that one of the cases broke. They put in this new-age package stuffer, a bunch of plastic air bubbles chained together, and put all the 'goods on top of it. You know, instead of between it. I wouldn't mind if it was bubble wrap, bubble wrap is the shit. You can pull it out and play with it, disregarding the fact that the drone that threw your merch into a paper box was an idiot. But this chain of air cushions had no use.

Until my dad got a hold of it.

They sounded like fireworks going off. Loud popping far beyond the threshold of pain. Of course I was standing right next to him during his popping frenzy. Thanks dad, thanks.

I didn't get the opportunity to actually test the games though, I just swapped their shitty Blockbuster-esque, industrial glue stickered cases for some nice, more importantly sticker-free casing.

And I'm on the second to last level of Assassin's Creed!!! Excuse my failed attempt at fake enthusiasm. Part of me is glad the game is wrapping up, but the other half just figured out what the hell the Templars were(yes, this late in the game - fuck you) and is interested in what's happening in the story. Hopefully the hunger for a conclusion will end with the last level. And a suitable "boss fight". So far it's been the same deal, same difficulty for every "boss". Other than adding some archers and more guards. Woooah.

Fucking a I'm hungry. I never use my lunch break here at work(I guess this is technically it), but the hell if I don't regret it. Wishing I had a stepford wife type mother who packed my lunch, or a girlfriend who'd swing by and give me some lasagna(I hate lasagna, but for the sake of a Clerks reference...).

Both fifteen dollars and the size of a playing card.

Once an organization has decided to adopt green practices, it is very important that they quantify the benefits to the environment.  In fact, according to Cone, a leading cause branding and marketing agency, the details matter a great deal.  Cone, in collaboration with The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, conducted its 2008 Green Gap Survey, focusing on on consumers’ understanding of and attitudes toward corporate environmental marketing claims.  According to the survey, 70 percent of Americans indicated that quantifying the actual environmental impact influenced their decisions to purchase a product or service that has an environmental benefit.

Therefore, when my firm works with a client to produce a piece of marketing collateral that has environmentally-friendly elements, we strongly encourage them to devote some real estate to the numbers (i.e. when using 100% post-consumer recycled fiber, you can quantify, for example, energy, paper and water saved versus a non-recycled alternative).

A recent example of a best practice in green printing was the annual report for the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, which my firm produced.  Inside the back cover, the foundation devoted a half page to the environmental benefits of using a specific Mohawk paper that is made with 100% post-consumer recycled fiber.

Please click here to view the inside back cover of the report.

I have written in the past about resources available to quantify such environmental savings.  One great paper calculator is managed by Environmental Defense, a leading environmental organization.  I prefer it over other alternatives because it is a third-party tool and is not affiliated with the paper industry.  Research has shown that when certifications are independent and transparent, they resonate more with the end user.   Please click here to visit that post.

STATEMENT OF PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT

Fuí por ti temprano, nuestros ojos se encontraron imediatamente y nos fundimos en un largo abrazo, verte caminando con tu mochila al hombro me hizo sonreír y sentir un poco de pena a la vez, creí ver que la gente me miraba como diciendo "uy, mira esa podría ser su madre", pero aclaré mi mente y no me importó, te tomé de la mano y salimos de ahí. Llegamos al lugar reservado e inmediatamente al entrar tiraste lo que traías cargando y comenzaste a besarme, "te amo, te amo" repetías, y te decía lo mismo, y lloramos y nos seguimos besando, por fin, por fin te tengo pensaba, por fin estamos juntos, ha valido la pena, todo ha valido la pena. Nos fuimos a la cama, tus ganas y mis ganas no podían esperar más, comenzaste lamiendo mis pies, mis heridas, y seguiste hacia arriba, mis piernas eran un camino que te llevaría directo al cielo, eso dijiste, eres mi cielo, tu lengua recorrió mi cuerpo, tus manos tocaban cada parte, cada rincón, tus dedos me hacían estremecer, quitaste tu ropa, hiciste a un lado los estorbos y encima de mi, hablabas a mi oído... "preciosa, no hay nada de que avergonzarse, esto es amor...", y mi ropa también se esfumó, tu boca se posó en mis pechos, como un niño, y me abarrotaste de caricias, fuiste bajando hasta mi vientre, besándolo, de nuevo me miraste, "estas son marcas de vida" dijiste, y volviste a besar, y llegaste a mi cielo, tu cielo, tu lengua hundida hizo que mi mundo temblara, cerré mis ojos y me dejé llevar, y entonces sentí tu cuerpo nuevamente sobre mí, y en un segundo ya te tenía dentro, completo y embistiendo, no dejaste de verme mientras me deleitabas, hiciste lo que quisiste y lo que quería, luego de espalda hacia ti, te volví a sentir, tus manos en mis tetas, tu boca en mi oído, mis gemidos te hacían dar cuenta de lo mucho que te estaba disfrutando, era un momento que no olvidaría jamás.... me volteaste de nuevo para quedar frente a frente, me tomaste las manos, y en un mismo tiempo los dos llegamos al paraíso, sentí tu torrente llenándome, te había deseado con fuerza, y al fin mi sueño se había hecho real. Te quedaste dormido en mis brazos, miré tu hermosa cara, tu piel, era increíble, pero estabas a mi lado.... no sabes cuanto te amo.

Una crónica de lo que debió ser.... y no fue.

SI LO ESCUCHAS AQUI ES MEJOR...

konoronhkwa S

(este es de mi patio y a la Marciana le dá miedo, dice que son los niños del "Orfanato" ja ja ja)

Andaba tonteando por la red y me encontré un adornito que, la verdad, amé, ja ja ja, nada mejor para alejar a los vecinitos molestos o de perdis meterles un sustito a algún ratero que se quiera pasar de listo... les presento lo que es el adorno zombie....

Ah pero también hay lo que es el adorno Alien, el luchador de Sumo (ese lo quiero también) y el dweller (que miedo)....

Pero este, este es el mejor de todos, chequen la pose gay de esa gárgola (no sé a quien me recuerda ja ja ja), va dedicado con todo amor y cariño para mi amigui Emecita ja ja ja (ella lo entenderá).....

Lo que es el adorno Gárgola estilo Sócrates.

Y ya.

Visto en DESIGN TOSCANO

konoronhkwa S

I am 22 years old, and 11 months ago I got on an airplane in Oslo, heading for the land of opportunities: USA. My destination: Fresno California. So far, this is what I have been up to:

1. Visiting Las Vegas

2. Getting settled in Fresno

3. I bought a car

4. I joined a fraternity. Me on the right.

5. I went to Santa Monica

6. and I got a mohawk. It lasted for 5 days.

7. I got to see the Space Needle in Seattle

8. I sat at home watching the Fresno State Bulldogs winning the College World Series in baseball!

9. I bought a Holga, enabling me to take cool pictures like this one of my friend Andrew.

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In less than a month I am flying back to California, even more excited than the first time. Four weeks of sunny Californian vacation, a smoking hot mermaid, American sightseeing and greasy fast food awaits my arrival on the other side of the pond. I can't wait!

/j

Fireworks Show: Town Lake

Tia Carrera, Dixie Witch, Black Panda:  Scoot Inn

Gravytrain!!!, Bride7, Harlem: Mohawk

Meals on Wheels Ladies Ride: 6:30pm at Epoch

Cemetery Cats Pub Crawl: 5:00pm at Jackelope