Sentimental Valium

Hey boys and girls...

My apologies for the current state of my page--I had NO idea it was jacked like it is. I never visit my own site so I don't know what kind of shape it's in usually. Thanks Jen for pointing it out.

As of now, I am not sure what I can do though. My own personal webmaster/html-guru is on vacation and I am not sure how to contact her. I've done some trouble-shooting, but I am unable to figure it out myself. :(

Soon though--we'll fix it and have it up and running again very soon. Thanks for your patience--and that people even care about being able to read it at all!!

posted by -tr0y- @ 1:43 PM

Current song: "Amy" by Ryan Adams.

Boys' Night was great fun. We changed the 3 B's though--adjusted to the A-B-C's of being a boy: Alcohol-Bbq-Croquet. We're all about the old-man games. After an amazing 10-oz steak, baked potatoe and grilled green peppers (along with a few adult drinks), I was ready to dominate the croquet matches. We played 5 games--after 4 games, each of us had won once. We needed the tie-breaker. Unfortunately, for me and the world, I didn't end up the winner. But there were a few of the greatest croquet moments in the history of mankind last night--including a 30 foot shot of mine that split the final two wickets and connected with the stake. We were all moved--almost to tears.

I don't mind losing--it's getting easier the older I get.

Recording again this afternoon--trying to knock out acoustic guitars for two songs today. The projects are really moving foward and I'm getting increasingly excited. Soon I'll post some song fragments for your listening pleasure.

Heading for a rousing game of Putt-Putt. Tough job huh?

posted by -tr0y- @ 10:21 AM

Current song: "Four Pounds In Two Days" by Lambchop.

Been a crazy busy day of work. More recording tomorrow and a boys' night tonight, once again celebrating the 3 B's of boy-dom: barbeque, beer and bocce ball. Hope it dries up--few things more difficult on the bocce purist than a damp field...

Providing the first "installment" of baldtrainfacts today: just a few random things about myself. Enjoy--or I'm sorry... whichever is more appropriate.

***********************************************************************
:: I hate the sound of people brushing their teeth
:: I hate the sound of ME brushing my teeth
:: I know it's environmentally irresponsible, but I have to keep the water on while I brush my teeth
:: I feel uncomfortable--almost all the time--when I wear shorts
:: I get chocked up pretty easily, especially watching movies
:: I'm a sucker for old RnB--Marvin Gaye and Al Green are big favorites.
:: I'm an even bigger sucker for 80's electro-pop/new wave
:: Whenever I'm writing in IMs, I often accidently write "tit" (for example: "... abou tit" instead of "... about it")
:: Writing that embarrasses me almost every time
:: It also makes me laugh almost every time
************************************************************************

Current song: "No Medication" by Cousteau. (REAL shame this band broke up--definitely one of the most unique bands I have ever known!)

Did anyone notice that Rick Astley left me a comment yesterday? I'm so lucky!! wooo hooooooooo

Could things get any worse for Michael Jackson? Did you hear about the newest accusation? Someone is accusing him of actually imprisoning a boy. It's like every new accusation is worse and more outrageous than the last one!! Someone today made a comment like this: "I don't like Michael Jackson's voice, but otherwise I love him." I laughed hard! His voice is the ONLY thing to like about him... EVERY SINGLE OTHER THING ABOUT HIM IS CREEPY!! That comment made me laugh. And have you seen the new photos of MJ in glasses? He looks more alien every day I think.

Of course, I'm as bald as most alien likenesses, so... Guess I shouldn't rag on someone's appearance.....

OK--that's all for now. Work is calling me back :(

posted by -tr0y- @ 3:12 PM

WOW--big birthday day!

Hap-Hap-Happy Birthday to:

Kate Beckinsale (who isn't ugly and turns 31 today)
Sandra Bullock (40)
Kevin Spacey (45 today--and remains one of my favorite actors of all time!!)
Dorothy Hamill (48)
Mick Jagger (61--and as ugly as when he was 21)
Stanley Kubrick (76)
Aldous Huxley (110)
Carl Jung (129)
George Bernard Shaw (148)

I'm sure other people were born on this day also, but these are the only people I really keep in touch with who celebrate today...

posted by -tr0y- @ 1:43 PM

Current song: "West End Girls" by The Pet Shop Boys.

The drive back from Chicago was uneventful. I realized though, again, that I am a S-L-O-W driver. My last "girlfriend" complained incessantly about how slowly I drive (among PLENTY of other things she found to complain about me....) I think inside me there is this strange duality--part of me wants to be this rebellious person and the other part wants to follow all the rules. Actually, it's not even that I want to follow the rules. It's like something is inside me pushing and compelling me to be obedient. So when I drive, I have this "fear" of speeding or getting pulled over. It sounds and feels stupid, but I'm afraid it's accurate. Along with the uber-practical side of me that doesn't want a ticket because I can't really afford a higher insurance premium. So, the drive home was probably a little longer than it should have been thanks to my paranoia and timidity.

Current song: "God" by John Lennon.

It's a retro music day for me today. I'm moving through a load of old mp3s.

I still haven't received my Michigan driver's license. I went to get it switched over 3 weeks ago! I can't believe people have to wait for a license to be mailed to them. Is it that way in most states? I know in Indiana and Illinois you walk out of the DMV with the license in your hand. It's annoying for me to have this temporary paper license stapled to my IL license, that now has a hole punched in the middle of it. A couple times people have asked me what I did to get my license taken away--they assume, by looking at the stupid thing, that I committed some kind of crime and lost my license. Little do they know about my fear of speeding..... I'm giving the state of MI a couple more days before I make a phone call and do some investigating.

Current song: "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" by Barry White.

I heard an interview with Mr. White once. The interviewer asked him: "Barry, when you wanna get wit' ya woman, do you listen to your own music?"

Barry responded, "I don't need music."

So I had a bizarre and STUPID dream last night--one that I'm actually now not sure I want to share. In the dream, I kept getting phone calls from these two girls. They were both telling me how much they liked me and wanted to go out sometime and asking me to come by, etc etc etc. All the normal things I'm used to hear from most girls. (RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!) I started to complain to my friends in the dream (who I don't remember or recognize at all...) and they kept telling me I was stupid for not liking them. I was confused and didn't understand. One of my friends, I think Jake, says, "How can you not be interested in the Olsen twins?" Turns out Mary-Kate and Ashley were calling me, FIGHTING over me actually. I remember starting to get kinda grossed out and complaining that those girls are younger than my sister, etc etc etc.... And my phone kept ringing and ringing. And then it was that weird thing that happens in dreams: a sound in your dream turns out to be a sound you hear once you wake up suddenly. So the strange and annoying cell phone ring turned out to be my alarm clock pulling me from the bizarre dream about the annorexia twins.

Dreams creep me out sometimes.

Current song: "I'm Not An Addict" by K's Choice.

Turns out I mis-spoke a few posts ago. I was giving my friend Jim credit for something he didn't do. Some of the comments lately have been pretty funny and I thought Jim was leaving them. He has, in the past, done things like that before. So, sorry to Jim and sorry to the person responsible for the comments. I'd give you credit if I knew who you were.

Jim DOES make me laugh regularly though with voicemails. We used to talk regularly when I lived in Chicago, but not as much anymore now that I have moved. He continues, though, to leave me a voicemail when he is driving and hears one of my least favorite singers of all time: Rick Astley. So, I'll start to listen to my voicemail and laugh because no one is talking, but you can hear a car radio playing this: "Never gonna give you up...." What's even funnier is that the message is usually almost 2 minutes long.

I'm going to add a couple new features to the blog I think. I started thinking this weekend, during a conversation, about the kinds of things that I find attractive in a female. I know it might sound really strange, but I had a tough time explaining it to the person that asked. I mean, I know what I DON'T like, but I have had to really think about what I DO like. So, I might start adding some of that info every now and then.

I'm also going to begin, randomly, to post various "facts about the baldtrain." I've been realizing that people who "know me" know lots of big stuff about me, but not a lot of the little things. And I've also realize that I am a BIG fan of knowing the little stuff about other people. Sometimes the "unimportant" things tell as much about a person as the "major things."

So I'll add a few "new" things--if for no other reason because my posts haven't been very good lately. Maybe these new directions will help liven up the content.

OK--new artist of the "week." (Sorry for not updating this more regularly... Plenty of music to suggest, so little time....) Mates Of State is one of my favorite of all indie acts. It's almost impossible to describe their sound or plug them into a genre. MOS is a husband-wife duet, made up of their vocals and organ/drums instrumentation. That's right--just those two pieces. The sound is full and fun! It's filled with pop-hooks and complex arrangements. They tour incessantly, thanks to a "Play anywhere, anytime" attitude. Check out their biography page on their site to get a little handle on who they are. Unfortunately, their site doesn't offer any mp3s, but you can check out a couple videos that will give you an idea what they sound like. If you want an mp3 sample, Hoarding It For Home is one of my favorite tracks. If you are in the mood to smile and hear great tight male/female vocals, I suggest MOS.

Long enough post--I'll write more later. Taking the day off to rest and read.

posted by -tr0y- @ 10:26 AM