Haiku
EW
One of the good ones
You’ll be missed more than you know
We shall meet again
Life As I Know It
Prison Break’s newest inmate
Jun 22nd
So I had always intended get rid of the mohawk and buzz my head for a Keanu Reeves matrix skit I’m filming, and then shaving bald the next week to get the Lex Luthor look for the “Superman Returns” premiere, but in light of my lay off today, I decided it was a good time to go ahead and buzz my head now in a symbolic new beginning.
Coming next week…total baldness!
Why working in the video game industry sucks
Jun 22nd
Because there tend to be lots of layoffs. Like me. Today. Well, maybe this is my chance to once again try and use my new found contacts to get film work and such.
*sings*
Always look on the bright side of life
*whistles*
Creativity Enema
Feb 1st
For a long time I’ve felt in a creative rut. Basically, since I started this job over a year ago, I’ve done just slightly above nothing in my creative pursuits. Stopped going on auditions, hell, don’t even have any headshots, haven’t done anything musically, not much updating here, etc. One of the reasons I quit playing World of Warcraft was that I felt I could use that time more productively (even though we never had time to play that much anyway).
Lately I feel like I’ve made at least some progress in this field. I wrote another short film for this year’s Kinetoscopic Wonderment Festival, but unfortunately found out that they had moved the deadline up by several months from the past two years, and thus found it was impossible to enter this year. My reign of winning has come to an end there. I still plan to make my short film for posterity and possible entry next year though. I’ve also been making at least some progress in paying more guitar at home and honing my craft. Not as much as I’d like, but some. The new tranquil green cave in our condo is a warm and creative place.
I also acquired a few new pieces of software for my home studio which I’ve been loving and learning to use. It has inspired me to do something I’ve thought about for a long time. I’m doing my own version of “Tomorrow Never Knows” off of the Beatles’ album “Revolver”. The interesting thing about it is that I’m recreating all the parts (except Drums, vocals, and tambourine) with my super bitchin Variax Digital modeling guitar, and Pod XT Digital modeling amp/effects unit. I find this song not only a brilliant composition, but a brilliant feat of production. The entire song drones on one chord, with various strange little tape loops being faded in and out throughout the song. I’ve read stories about how when the album was recorded, due to technology limitations at the time (they only had 4 track machines), Gearge Martin had various interns standing all over Abbey Road studios, some in closets, holding tape loops on spinning on pencils as he faded them in and out, practically “playing” these loops as instruments. I’ve had a blast recreating these strange sounds on guitar. It’s coming along greatly.
On another front, inspired by Annika, I have become a Metroblogger for Austin. At first I was scared to sign up as they want people who can post more than 3 times a week. That seemed like a lot of pressure, but what what better way to get me writing creatively more often than an actual obligation? Supposedly I’m in the process of being added to the system over there and then the panic can begin.
Of course lately I’ve really been wanting to play WoW again…
Pirate blogging is on the air!
Dec 12th
We now broadcast to you our official first entry from our new condo. We aren’t supposed to have internet yet, but for some reason we do. Mmmmmm, free contraband internet. The move went as well as a move could go, being that moving is inherently evil. We paid some movers a hefty some to do all the hard work, and it was some of the best money we’ve ever spent. The main brunt of the move was done in something like an hour or so, however due to the fact that we knew we could be a bit lazy on our part, we were, and thus required several trips back and forth to get all our straggling possessions shuttled to the new locale. We weren’t very good about actually boxing everything we own up, but it worked out because we ended up reusing a lot of boxes. We would unpack some of them at the new place then take them back to the old place to re-pack them with more stuff. We pretty much spent the entire rest of the day split between moving the rest of our stuff, and unpacking organizing etc. By the end of the day we had actually accomplished a hell of a lot of progress and are all at home in our new home. Now you must all come and visit.
I shall taunt you a second time!
Dec 8th
Remember back when I had just moved to Austin, didn’t have a normal job and was trying to get Production Assistant work and such? Well now that I have a normal, good, full time job, I’ve had more calls for P.A. jobs in the past month than I’ve probably had since I started doing P.A. work. Of course, now I have to turn them down as I can’t really take off work for a week and ditch band gigs to go do a week of last minute P.A. work. *sigh* I am taunted.
The nerve rack
Nov 28th
Lately I’ve been feeling kind of like my nervous system has been put on one of those medieval torture devices known as The Rack, and ratcheted up just a few notches. There’s sort of this constant slightly raised level of stress permeating my life. It’s mostly to do with the whole condo thing and the realization that it seems like we will never have any money ever again. The monetary freedom we’ve grown accustomed to will have to be greatly reigned in. I’m sure this will settle down a bit once we’re moved in, Jess has a job and we have gone through several months of the new budget and become accustomed to its fit, but it still scares me and stresses me a bit. My mind goes over everything from the necessary (doctor’s appointments, house/car repairs that may come up, etc.) to the leisurely (musical instrument related purchases and maintenance, computer upgrades, FUN).
Then there’s the whole Jess’s job thing which is a separate dilemma altogether. I so want her to work at the same company as I do because it’s a cool place, but the pay sucks. There is always the hope that she would eventually move onto to bigger and better things within the company, but that’s only a hope, and one that probably wouldn’t even have a chance of becoming reality for at least a year (no particular reason other than job loyalty and just a random estimation). She could very well be offered some other jobs more in line with her skills which actually pay real money too. If this situation arises, which route should she take? I honestly don’t know.
Then there’s the constant and ever ongoing saga of my creative pursuits, or more in line with reality, the lack thereof and my ever fading dreams fed by laziness and the worry that I’m entrenching myself more and more firmly into “the big machine.” There are people I know and admire who have done and are doing admirable things with their lives. I am not one of those people. I’m not really in a position where I can or even desire to “pay my dues” any more (I say that, but if the right opportunity just landed in my lap, that might change).
In the words of one of the greatest (and under-appreciated) bands of all time:
“All I want is Everything”
-Jellyfish
My archnemesis, Darin Murphy
Nov 16th
I have decided that Darin Murphy is my arch-nemesis. Who is Darin Murphy? Ahh, where to start.
Darin Murphy is a professional working musician here in Austin. I actually remember him and his sister Trish Murphy playing around College Station many years ago when I lived there. When I first moved to Austin and started trying to do some freelance work with that studio here writing jingles, I quickly found that there was this little clique of artists who get most of the work there. One of these people was Darin Murphy. As time went on, I heard his name (and that of the others in the elite cadre of musicians) more and more. I would hear him performing on the morning radio show. Then I heard about how he had been cast in the Broadway show, “Lennon” and moved to New York temporarily while he was in the show. It was especially noted that he he was the only person cast who had no acting experience at all, but had still impressed people so much and knew some great contacts. As I read his blog it just depressed me that this guy seemed to have it made. He seemed to be my successful twin. There was definitely a kindred spirit thing there too. A familiarity. I didn’t hate him. On the contrary, I felt like we’d probably be great friends and have a lot in common artistically and personally, but he seemed to be somewhat living the life that I so often feel is missing. He seemed like an alternate me who had usurped one of the better time lines that I could have followed leaving me in this time line disconnected and wanting. He is what I could have been.
As I studied up on my nemesis, I found out that he’s also in a cover band called the K-tel Hit Machine. The other members of the band are those same compadres from the Elite Cadre clique whose names seem to keep wafting into my life like a taunt. The band sounded exactly like something I would be a part of or would have started. I heard them on the radio this morning. They were awesome. I hate them.
Darin Murphy has stolen my soul. While he isn’t necessarily living my dream life 100%, he’s living what I see as a most realistic version of what could be a point in my journey to my life’s ultimate destination. He’s like my doppelganger living a version of my life that I’ve yearned for. This is the stuff comic book villains are made of. I don’t really hate him, of course. I envy and respect him, but it’s much more fun to blow it up into some mythical duality where he’s somehow cosmically stolen my life and therefore he is my arch-nemesis. I seem to constantly be taunted by references and allusions to this whole musical league of super heroes, and with each occurrence, the wind is sucked out of my sails.
He lives the life while I do what I’ve always done…dream.
We’re 3!
Nov 9th
Happy third anniversary to me and Jess! Three years and she still hasn’t traded me in or killed me.
This year’s tip: Marriage means never having to play video games alone.
Love you, Grr!
Charlie Brown and the Football
Oct 14th
You ever feel like you’re in the role of Charlie Brown, and life is in the role of Lucy holding the football? Even though she always yanks the football away at the last second causing you to fall on your ass and get the wind knocked out of you, you keep thinking that this time is the time that she really means it when she says she won’t move the football.
We did WHAT?
Sep 30th
We are now officially the owners of a three bedroom two bathroom condominium. Because we are nice owners, we are leasing it back to the sellers until around Thanksgiving to give them time to close on their house and move in. Excuse me, while I go and pass out now.