May 17, 2003

I ran my first complete 5K since I started running again on Mayday. No watch. No music. Just man versus Lake Avenue. It was slow. It was awesome.

I painted more of the house today. I keep repeating. It is almost over.

Dirt and I rocked out. It is sounding like music.

I painted some more. Listened to Canned Heat. Damn. I love Canned Heat. I love to boogie.

Laurie and I are heading out for the evening. We are going over to Dirt and Julie’s for dinner. Laurie and I are bringing chips (dry), cookies and the works for homemade alchopops. Yes. We are going to watch game seven of the Western Conference Finals. Go Kings. And then head down to the Agora for the Melvins and Tomahawk. I am guessing that it is going to kick the ass.

posted by Thea at 6:24 PM

May 16, 2003

Last night’s Sleepy Kid show at the Grog Shop went OK. I thought that we played pretty decent and it seemed to be well received by the modest crowd. It was all that I could ask for on a Thursday night.

I went to work late. I slept in little bit and then ran. I like to run before work. It puts me in a mellow mood all day. At work, without disclosing anything specific about what I am doing for who, I got to read some of a collection of 31K e-mails that were taken off a computer by the FBI. The boss of the outfit in question was monitoring his female employees internet activity and got e-mails of everything that they did on the world wide web – like transcripts all of their AOL instant messages. So he would get an e-mail of when they logged onto internet, how much time they spent wasting time and what they were doing. Bad for them. Good for me. Because who these ladies were sleeping with has nothing to do with what I am looking for but is so much more interesting than what I am looking for – if you know what I am saying. Both Big Brother and Little Brother are watching.

Laurie and I met with a real estate agent tonight. It went well and he was very encouraging without obviously bullshitting us. I mean, he was bullshitting us – of course – but it was not over the top in your face bullshit. It is fantastic to think that the nightmare that is the American Dream of home ownership will be over for us soon. Sweet precious freedom. As Tommy Lee, formerly of Motley Crue, would say: that’s off the hook.

The great thing about getting everything that you want is being able to refuse part of it or any of it or all of it when you decide that you do not want it anymore.

posted by Thea at 9:56 PM

May 14, 2003

I hit my head today. So hard – I got sick to my stomach.

I just got back from running. Some advice. If you are trying to run for a faster time, all you need is a watch. Focus. If you are trying to increase your distance, music helps you not think about the fact that you are running. Forget. Of course, since I am only trying to get my distance up there, I ran to Led Zeppelin tonight. “Houses of the Holy”. By the way, Laurie is trying to tell me that she likes “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” – get this - more than Led Zeppelin. I know that she is just trying to mock me. I pray that she is just trying to mock me.

I finished reading “Reasons to Live” by Amy Hempel today. Excellent. She also wrote “At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom”. Also excellent. If you like minimalist short stories like the ones by Raymond Carver, you are probably going to want to go ahead and read Amy Hempel. She is great. Next, I am going to try and read “Trainspotting” by Irvine Welsh again. Andrej insists that it is good and I will get past the written accents in a couple of pages. Why don’t you read it with me? It will be fun.

Speaking of Andrej, his band – Sleepy Kid, has a show at the Grog Shop tomorrow night. Sleepy Kid is also my band. That is why I practice drums every day. Now, I am never allowed to announce a Sleepy Kid gig on the Assholier than Thou Good Times Happy Friends Monday Morning Radio Show because it is a non-commercial station and Sleepy Kid gets paid for gigs, although I never see any money. So you are going to have to pay attention if you want to see a dude (me) who is totally influenced by John Bonham and Bill Ward play drums like Tommy Fox. I think that it is pretty funny. Hey, all I ever wanted to do was play drums in Red Giant but this is what I do. Also, Sleepy Kid is opening up for the Lilys at the Beachland in a couple of weeks, so there is your advance notice. If you want free tickets to any of these shows, get in touch because I can’t give them away on the air. I have two for tomorrow and I am sure a couple for the Lilys.

As long as I am plugging commerce, I write for Alternative Press. On newsstands now.

posted by Thea at 10:05 PM

May 13, 2003

If I am ever being chased by a chainsaw wielding serial killer, I hope it is to the tune “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights”. That is the worst fucking song ever. As background music, it makes whatever you are doing unbearable. If I am forced to pay attention to the song, it is pure torture. I would like to kill myself to “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” and leave a lengthy suicide note blaming it all on Meatloaf. The funny thing is, when I was a little boy, I thought Meatloaf was my biological father. Maybe that is not funny at all. Maybe that is the clue that I have been looking for. Anyway, who cares. That song sucks.

Although I am the happiest I have ever been and this is truly the best time of my life, it is not without its bullshit AKA work. I am missing part of “NYPD Blue” now because of it. You see, I ate a late dinner because I worked late. I napped late because I was tired from work - and worked late. That meant I practiced the drums late. I ironed my clothes (for work) later than I would have liked and got caught up watching the Kings lose to the Mavericks. My, my, my, you should have seen me scream at the television during the Kings’ total third quarter meltdown. (Laurie was at work. I got to curse in full voice.) I just got back from running and I am going to shower after this BLOG so I am probably going to miss almost half of “NYPD Blue” thanks to my job. Lame. Real lame. And the ass kicker is that I have to go in an hour early tomorrow. That’s right. Lame.

posted by Thea at 10:12 PM

May 11, 2003

Big ups to my moms on Mother’s Day. We had them both over for some BBQ. It went OK. This was probably the least frantic that I have ever been having company over.

I watched the fourth quarter of the Spurs/Lakers game with Andrej after practice. The rules of “Here’s Johnny” will have to be revived. You will simply get too drunk if you play it as written.

The “Beverly Hills 90210” reunion show is on now. “Beverly Hills 90210” is probably the dumbest show that I have ever watched regularly – next to “Melrose Place”. However, I will say that watching those shows and drinking many beers with Carolyn and Thea (pre- Baby Fea) was some of the most fun I have ever had in my life – next to now. Keystone Light anyone?

I will talk to you tomorrow on the Assholier than Thou Good Times Happy Friends Monday Morning Radio Show. Goodnight.

posted by Thea at 9:43 PM