Happy Haircut then Sandwich Day!

Haircut: check
Sandwich: check
Type: toasty philly cheesesteak (not the haircut)
Free sandwich: one of the same. given to sleeping roommate. i can't think of a better way to wake up than to a really good sandwich atop your chest.
Streets crossed: 0 (with the exception of the alley one way)

wow. late night last night. we had some friends over along with a twelver of high life. i guess i can refer to the latter as a friend too. i'm just waking up so if this blog turns into babble, you'll understand. actually, most of my recent posts have had high babble content. i assume this is due to the lack of anonymity. i miss that in a blog. maybe i should start a secret blog somewhere else. it's hard for me to write with out mentally editing and knowing that people who know me will end up reading. i kind of miss the ibreathefire days. oh. before that even there was wound. aquasaur ain't goin' nowhere though.
i'm going to be audi5000 for the next few days so if anyone plans on emailing me, use amlee@hotmail.com to send it. it's the only one i can check via my cell phone. i've got to go. it's haircut and sandwich day.

I was never that great at Frogger

One more day of work. I have to close tonight and then it's 3 days off. Friday is destined to be sandwich and haircut day due to the Quizno's AND Hair Cuttery, which are both opening on my block this Friday. It's a good thing too because I'm starving and I need a haircut. I have a fear of crossing the street. So what? Particularly in crosswalks. The way I figure it, you have more of a chance getting nailed by some chump in an SUV barreling through the crosswalk than if you cut through half way down the road. In the crosswalk you potentially have traffic coming your way from 4 separate directions. My way, there's one direction of traffic, a median, and then one direction of traffic. Simple as that. Anyway, yes. Haircut then sandwich. Then Friday night we begin prep for recording this weekend. Saturday and Sunday will be chock full of coffee, recording, mixing, beer and sandwiches. Plus there will be beer. And we'll be recording. Oh yeah, there's another show coming up at the Fireside Bowl a week from today, Thursday, May 6, with The One AM Radio and Rise Of Marakara. Hope to see you there.

do you still hate me?

hi. remember me? i'm back now. i wasn't on vacation. i wasn't wrestlin' gators in florida. i wasn't out cat burglaring. i have two. i know that makes no sense but i found it funny. i've been sleeping. alot. and working. and hanging out with people. alot. and sleeping. actually, there is a nap scheduled in...13 minutes. then i'll wake up and go to practice. jawbreaker songs are fun to play. sorry for the missed days. hey, i miss you.

Yes, it does.

Wow. I feel like I'm invading your world, Mike. Maybe this isn't what I was supposed to do. In that's the case, I'll just say this: Your referencing that song "Black Velvet" ruled. That is all.

Wha?

Does this post anything?

say it ain't so...ohwhoaohwhoa

The corner has been turned. The burger has been flipped. The socks have been pulled up. Way up. Even though that didn't make any sense, today is the day I have been long anticipating. For nearly all of my life I've looked at others who were where I am now and wondered what it would be like. I've been rather scared of it and I'm still not sure just what to think about it. Last night, as of 12:05am, I am officially thirty years old. ooh. I did not like seeing that in type. The 20's to 30's change over was celebrated (I rarely touch anything other than beer) by a shot of Black Velvet. Whiskey. You can find it in the little boy's smile. Black Velvet in that slow southern style. A new religion that something, something, something. Black Velvet if you please.
On today's agenda:
1. A friendly visit to the DMV. My licence has expired. Great, because I love going there...yeah.
2. A comprehensive 5 page paper for my cinema class on topics I have not read about. Great. I'm just lucky I can bullshite my way through a paper and make it look like I know what I'm talking about.
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I haven't been to a movie in ages.
4. Going to get tattoos today. I hope I have enough bread to get what I want.
5. A trip to the Art Institue Museum. I haven't been there in 5 years. It should be a good time.
6. Possibly a gathering at Club Foot. Not Magic the Gathering. That tournament will be held later. Level 74 cyborg nibbler elves will act as dungeon master.
I am kidding.
7. No affiliation with lattes nor muffins.

the plane...the plane

yeah, i don't know about that bike. i was talking to my roommate, who knows alot more about motorcycles than yours truly. apparently, the small problem advertised has the potential to destroy the bike. damn. the guy emailed me more pictures and i completely flipped over it. dreamy dreamland motorcycle. downstairs, i can hear the Speedster wimpering and cursing the motorcycle. someday.
on the other hand, i've spent a majority of this morning tattoo researching. it seems i may be passing up the Jawbreaker Whack and Blite ep circle/cross for this on the back of my left arm. eventually, this will be on the back of my right arm. they'll both wrap, but the faces will be in the back.

sad sack sunday, more of the same monday...

What do I hate more than boring, bummed out Sundays? Boring, bummed out Mondays that I have to work with the district manager hanging around the store all day. All day. All freakin' day. At least this week has potential to get better. On schedule are: 2 consecutive days off. These days are Thursday for my birthday and the following day. I don't know what is going to take place. I'm thinking we'll just make it a Club Foot night. So if you're reading this, consider yourself invited. Tattoos on Thursday as well. I couldn't find a motorcycle, but I'm happy with the tat. Emily and my friend Jason are coming up from Champaign on Friday night. Dating a girl who lives in Champaign is kinda buggin'. I'll quit bitching now. I hope it's not going to be another bummed out day like yesterday. Great. The Postal Service just popped into my head. They say what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger...apparently they haven't heard the annoyance that is Ben Gibbard.

p.s. I JUST found a bike on Craigslist for $300! Now I just have to figure out how to get it here from Detroit and fix it so it'll run. That is if it hasn't sold. I need that bike. It's exactly what I've been picturing in my head. Check it out.

Michael Michael Motorcycle

I tend to be extremely impulsive at times of "financial abundance". Finger quotes are important here. I've spent most of my morning so far browsing the drum section on eBay, looking for something I cannot find. So I headed over to the motorcycle section. Crap. Crap. Crap. I need one. Like now. Funds are lowish, so I'm scoping around for a couple hundred dollar bike. Early 80's. Straight seat. Straight bars. 350cc. I'm a little-ish guy. I don't think I could handle much more than that. Just a fixer-upper, if you will. Remember. I need it. Ack. I just might replace the birthday tattoo with a birthday motorcycle. Hope. Hope. Hope.

Things You May or May Not Confuse With My Name

aquabore
aquawhore
Bob Bevelaqua
aquadork
aquafresh (that's my breakdancing crew name)
Lunchbox (my real nickname...I'm not kidding)
Billy Dee Williams
I need more coffee to do this.

free association corner

computadora. sushi. chopstick. downstairs. $20. hungry. menthols are terrible. i hate my phone. champaign is kind of far. i don't have a car. $20. sushi. practice tonight. fun. i'm going to buy some new socks. my "beard" is itching. unexpected checks are awesome. must go downstairs for sushi now.

MM on TV

Straight from the horsie's mouth.
Modest Mouse will appear on:
• The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn late night 4/13 (technically very early 4/14).

Check it oot.

Is that Freedom Rock? Well, turn it up!

I woke up about an hour ago, but first things first. I had to go to Walgreen's to buy cigarettes because it's an integral part of my morning routine. Smoke, drink coffee, cruise around online, and appreciate the 3 hour block of morning I have before I go to work. So I went downstairs out the back way this morning to discover the alley door propped open with a brick and the storage room which houses my beloved Speedster and my roommates Schwinn Varsity wide open. There was no one around except for Smearl, the drunk bum in the alley. I've been attempting to decipher why the doors were left open. I would have been pissed off to find the bikes gone. The only thing I can come up with so far is the 2 new neighbors down the hall. I haven't met them yet, but from what other people in the building have said I'm expecting a couple of really young Billy Squier types complete with Pink Floyd tapestries adorning the walls of their apartment. I have heard some classic rock being bumped pretty loud from their place on a few occasions. Anyway, maybe they were moving something in and left them open....grrr.

Tyler? :crunch: :crunch: "Who is this?"

Last night I was watching Band of Brothers, the first episode, as I intend to catch as many episodes as possible this week on the History Channel, and my phone kept ringing. First it was Emily. Then it was my Dad. Then it was my Dad 3 times within 15 minutes. Then it was Emily again. I should probably explain that I, under rare circumstances EVER pick up my house phone. I just do not like it. Call me strange, call me paranoid, call me Sarah. Just don't call my house. And I was only kidding about calling me Sarah. Don't call me that, either. Um...
Yeah. Next, my cell was ringing from both parties over and over. I reluctantly decided to pick up and it was my Dad. "Do I have your correct address?" "It's the one on Belmont, right?" "Yeah." "So, If I send something to this address, it WILL get to you?" "Um...yeah..." I began thinking, "What could my Dad be sending?" My birthday is just over a week away. Knowing my Dad, it could be anything from some cash to moonshine to himself standing at my door going, "Hey, son!" "Where's the beer?!" Which would be a good time seeing as how my Dad is the funniest person that I know. The curiosity is killing me. Emily called back and I picked up. Let me make this clear. I'm not trying to avoid her by any means. I just do not enjoy telephone conversations that much. They feel really disingenuous and businessy to me because I can't see who I'm speaking to. My rule of thumb is basically, make your points and hang up. This will prove to be a challenge for Emily and I seeing as how she lives in Champaign while attending the U of I.
(I'm a rhymer. It's what I do.)
(The ADHD kicks in.)

2004 Easter Bunny Showdown!

The victor will claim the right of Easter Bunny duties for next year, a complete set of Swatch™ watches, and a gumball machine. Let's get ready to rumble! Go!

Happy Beaster.

Braid tickets

The first Braid show is in Champaign at the HighDive on May 27th. Tickets are on pre-sale. Get them here before it sells out.

It is official. The 10 year loop has been connected at last. You see, there was a time, about 6 years ago, I was living in Arizona. Tempe to be precise. My drum kit was stacked away in my closet and my days consisted of skateboarding, going to school, and working my crappy job at UPS. I was deep into my Braid/Promise Ring/Polyvinyl phase and was yearning to be in a band again and play. I missed playing drums so so much. I often remembered the time in 1994 when the Chicago-based pop-punk band I was in played the Fireside. It was an often revisited subject during the beer and BBQ sessions we'd have. (My buddy Jason lived out there too. He was the singer.) We had decided at that point to try and start a band in AZ. We played a few shows and recorded a bit, but we were horrible. And we knew it. I just kept thinking, " I need to move back to Chicago for this to work.", and I made a solemn promise to myself that I had to play the Fireside Bowl again before I turned thirty. Done. Check it off, motherfucker. I feel like I took life into a headlock and gave it a noogie, a wedgie, and a wet willie or any other off-kilter body trick/stunts that are out there. Last nights show was really cool. The bands were all good and a reaonable amount of people showed up to get their haircuts flipped upside down. Thank you to everyone who came out and to Swimmer Missing, Black Giraffe and Cat On Form. Everyone was fantastic. Oh, and to the cute girl from the UK with the Hirudin button on her bag. Ta.

J Church. I know this is a few days late, but it was a great show. Lance and co. were just amazing. I don't understand it, but there is something very soothing about Lance's singing voice. It's most likely the reason I never tire of that band. I ended up getting another J Church shirt because the one I had with the photo of Marlon Brando on the front doesn't necessarily fit the profile of a t-shirt anymore. More like a shirt-shaped piece of faded black cloth. Boo! too, 'cuz I loved that shirt. I got it for my 21st birthday. I also picked up four 7"s and 2 CDs at the show. One is a J Church-Storm the Tower split, and yes it is rocking this joint. It was an extremely interesting weekend. J Church show+2 days off work+having a friend in from out of town+...met a very nice girl with good taste in music. That has always been of paramount importance to me. It's pretty creepy...but in a good way.
Anyway, the Fireside Bowl now resembles the inside of the hull of a battleship and visual barricades are being put up in front of the lanes during shows. What gives??? Why take any ambiance away from the place we all love to go see a good show? No posters, stickers, flyers, or anything. Just a very bad paint job. Check it out behind Lance in the picture. Bad bad bad. They painted over wood paneling. Isn't that rule #1 in the painting world? Broken.

April 1st, no fucking joke

If you, and "you" being everyone in the world minus 4 people that came for Hirudin and 20 southern folk, most of whom were in either the first or the last band that played, which I will get into a bit later, missed the show last night, consider yourselves lucky. You are officially having a good week. Let's begin the review of last night with a few highlights, shall we? These are in no particular order.
1. A surly boozehound businessy type man who I had dubbed Sherman, thought the last band rocked so hard hard he spent a majority of their set kicking over bar stools and turning every table in the joint upside down. He even got creative and began stacking upside down tables on top of barstools. One bar stool was hurled dangerously close to my drumkit. If it had connected, Sherman would certainly be hurtin' right now.
2. The first bands guitar player, whom I just plainly thought was a girl for the first hour in the bar. Fancy shades, orange suede jacket, hippie type hat that looks like a mushroom with a bill, long shiny purple scarf, and a long cigarette holder. Nice guy, but was wildly reminiscent of Janice from Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the Muppet Band.
3. Free drink tickets. Mine were traded in for Bass and Guinness. D-lish.
4. When announced midset that we had buttons and cds, watching as the whole bar convened upon our merch table. That was cool to see. By this time there was a whopping 15 people in the place.
5. The new song, The Cancer Club, fucking rocked the joint last night. Ears bled.
Um, now for the lowlights.
1. Completely driving a song into the ground. Said song is now gone and buried. Never to be played again. It's a goner and we are not sad. The same might be said about Ill Mannered Allies, but I think once Michael hears it recorded he may actually like it.
2. We ended up charging a $3 cover when the show was promoted as being free. Apparently the Lyon's Den does not fully understand the workings of how to put on a show. Upon booking, instructions were given to the bands giving each individual band the choice on whether to charge a cover or not. We decided on not. Upon arrival, the other bands came to us saying the Lyon's Den wanted all the bands to be unanimous in the charging or not and the other bands needed gas money, being from hillbilly country and all. So we reluctantly agreed on $3. Yet another reason we were glad no one showed.
3. Sherman.
4. Listening to the last band end literally every between song banter with either the word "Shit" or "Biiiaatch".
5. Being the respectfull band we are, we wanted to wait for the last band to finish their set before loading out. Little did we know that their set was going to be over an hour and fifteen minutes, with only 6 people left in the place, of non-stop wanking, improv, 15 minute song-extending drum solos, random screeching guitar noises and never-ending auditory turmoil. It was getting ridiculous. They knew it. We knew it. That was pretty much everyone.
6. Sherman.
7. Standing in the Men's room for a solid 5 minutes, literally, just to get away from them. Standing. Maybe that sounds mean, but you weren't there.

A pact has been made to forget last night ever happened. And the Lyon's Den will remain Hirudin-free from here on out. It's a shame that the sound is really good there. Oh well. It's said and done. Next Thursday at the Fireside will be fun though. We're all excited.

yes.

(key charming melody at the beep)
BEEP
"I hate work. Working is for chumps. Work Work. Work. Jerkass work.
And the little children sing: Work. Work Work. Jerkass work. I hate work.
Muffins are for nerds. Nerds. Nerds. Nerds."

You have to sing it for it to make sense. At least I think so. I just woke up and now I have to ride the Speedster to the bank. Jerkass bank. Banks are for nerds. Nerds. Nerds. Nerds. I'm a jerkass nerd.