A Jolly Rogering.

Some Art-Work Stuff

2010-02-12T14:48:00.001-08:00

These are some art boxes I've been doing. I have been working a lot more, drawing a lot, as well as painting. I'm contributing a monthly cartoon to the Tubac Villager and really enjoying the opportunity. So I think I'll be posting more artwork hear than anything. Cheers!

PARENTS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND

2009-10-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

This sucks. In my "time' we said that, but I preferred, "this is lame." This is boring, I hear that one a lot. And you know what? It is boring man. I'm bored looking at you, listening to your jive. You're boring. Your whole teenage angsty, rebellious, aloof attitude is so boring, and may I add unoriginal. Yes you are so typical, I don't know what to do with myself. If I listen to you for one more minute I will have to gouge my eyes out with a broken Nirvana CD. What? You don't listen to Nirvana any more? What is a CD?...
And so it goes. I'm not going to start with some lame diatribe about how suddenly I'm sounding and thinking like an old fuddy-duddy. That is was always cool and it snuck up on me. I was never very cool, and I always had a smidge of the ol' curmudgeon in me. I also was always interested in the adult world. I liked to do what the grown-ups were doing, play their games. I could hold my own at the Baby Boomers edition of Trivial Pursuit at 10. I have always had friends that were much older than me and felt like they were in some ways a peer group. That said, I was also a dumb ass teenager once. I made poor choices, I took everything for granted, was angsty, aloof, rebellious and yes boring. But MY angst was artful and meant something real, and...boring. No It didn't actually. Sure I had a lot of ups and downs and dysfunction in my life, but I also had friends and family that absolutely loved me and allowed me to be who I thought I was. I had their respect and they had mine, and life was a lot of fun. Yeah it sucked having to do things other people told me, and have expectations on me, when I had all kinds of ideas about the world and life, and how people should live and...boring.
I did not just wake up yesterday and put on Ward Cleaver's pants, and suddenly lose my frame of reference and forget what life is like. No I didn't.
However on a daily basis I am told that I have, and that I just don't understand. That I am a square from Squaresville. Yes I get it at work from the boys in the group home, they tell me daily. And I am a square to them, because I have to enforce the rules of the agency and the home and society, so I'm like Smokey the Bear, I don't want you to start fires, and while you're at it don't start any shit either.
But the gem in the shit crown is that I have to hear that I don't know what it's like to be a teenager in my own home, from a human I support, and keep alive, like a fern that can talk back to you and uses too much body spray. My 16 year old brother, whom I am the guardian of, lives here and yes on many an occasion to remind me that I am an old lame-o, who can't remember how "hard" it was to be his age. Yeah it was hard to get laid, hard to get around, hard to get money, hard to get weed, nah it wasn't really hard to do that. But HARD? No it wasn't hard. In fact today I heard it, let me correct, I read it. Yes another byproduct of this technophile generation of his, they can fight with you through text, but not answer their phone. I explained in writing, that I had had a long day at work, issues with boys at work that were pretty serious, so I didn't want to text any more (and my thumb was getting sore, that makes me old). He said "actually I haven't had the best day either, but everything is easy and swell when you're my age huh?" Of course I would be over-simplifying too if I said yes, but come on, IT IS! It is easy, for him it is. He doesn't have to worry about pretty much everything. Just how he is going to get the next ticket for the next show. I can't read his mind or his heart, but he isn't concerned about survival. If anything he has too much time, and comfort. He can't be bothered to go to school for 5 hours 4 days a week. Shit what if he had to forage and hunt for his food all day, or beg even? At it's core it is easy to be a teenager, even when it is hard no one really expects too much from them. And let me state I'm not talking about kids ho have been abandoned or abused, I work with them 40+ hours a week as well. No my kiddo, he's got it pretty smooth, maybe his pool could be a little bigger, and maybe Andrea could make chimis more often, but otherwise he does what he wants, and we leave him alone so long as he can do what he is supposed to do.
But I digress. I'm tired of hearing that me and my friends (and we're mostly in our early to mid-thirties fro Christ's sake) can't begin to understand. Now I don't have any kids that I've made, maybe after all of that and the years of raising it up, I will not understand. But before I took cody into my home I was pretty much still a semi-practicing teenager, I didn't go to meetings any more but I kept many of the fundamentals alive in my heart. I still thought what I thought, liked and disliked what I mostly always did how did Brian Wilson say it "I dig the same things that turned me on as a kid..." I liked to have fun and distrusted the man. We moved back and took Cody in, so I took on some parental roles obviously, most unfortunately that of disciplinarian, but I turned the ingrate onto nearly every kind of movie and music his little pea-brain could handle. I tried to be a big brother rather than parent when I could. What I did do, as both roles is call shenanigans when I saw them. I let him know what was real and when he was being unreasonable. But right I way I got that malarky about being a stuffed-shirt.
I know every generation has a monopoly on angst, they all say what he says. But I have finally come to a conclusion about it.
Here's my little teenager like epiphany, it's not that adults don't understand, we just can't come down to their level any more. It's too late we've come too far, we are adults. You as a kid can always "try" and be more mature, but I can't try and be more immature. I can't see it your way, because I've seen it my way already, well and yours too actually. You can learn to make better choices and not involve other people in your selfish pursuits,but I can't in sound mind try and make lousier choices and say damn the torpedos and screw anyone on board. Right? So teenagers are the ones that don't understand. I can see the whole scope. I can predict out-comes, I can see chains of event. But you, you young man can only see two outcomes, what happens if I get what I want, and what happens if I don't.
Yes I know this is not knew, adults have been saying it's the kids just as long. But I'm not lame goddamnit! You are. So whiny and smug, and you do nothing for anyone, you don't even say nice things and look pleasant, a fucking parrot can do that. You contribute less than a parrot. Man, that sucks.
This is what I signed up for I know it. I just am a little depressed because I also see a lack of substance in these kids. They are not only angry and bored they are ALSO uninteresting. They have wikipedia so they don't read. They have cel phones so they don't connect. They have movies and music literally at their fingertips so they don't feel the need to make their own. I made a lot of "movies" and music as a kid. I had to be making my own stuff, because everything else was so lame.
Guess what, you haven't been around long enough for anything to have happened to you. And what has is only the beginning. Life gets way more challenging, not bad, not lame, but there are challenges and struggles and lot's of earning and losing. And your whining is beneath the very spirit of life. It serves not you, and no one.
But I get it, oh yes, I get. I wouldn't want to be a teenager again, because I like to drive where I want to go, and buy things I want, and sleep with my wife. But I remember it and it was a fucking gas. Just ridiculous and hilarious, and slapsticky. And I know yours is too, because I hear about it and I see you have fun, you just don't like that you have to do something to get what you want.
And that is lame.

IF IT AIN'T ONE THING...

2009-09-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

I really do hate to continue to be the bearer of bad news, especially because it's usually my bad news. That said, here goes. I was recently (week ago actually) diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I have had to learn to check my blood sugars several times daily and inject myself with insulin about 4 times a day. This has been difficult news. I still have Chron's disease, of course, and the diets conflict some what, so it's a challenge.
I had been increasingly weak and just beaten-down. I wasn't able to accurately describe to people how I was feeling, just that I wasn't normal. I would show up dutifully for work and have to leave shortly afterward. Finally I couldn't even stand, so back to the ER I went. They checked my blood pressure and it was through the roof, so they did a lab before they even registered me. My blood-glucose was 689, normal is in between 70 and 110. Once again they asked how I managed to walk into the ER and not be in a coma (just like when I had lost 2/3s of my blood in April because of the Chron's.
So I spent a few more days in the hospital while they monitored me and taught me how to manage my diabetes.
I will be the first to say that it could be worse. I know this and I am blessed. I lost 60 lbs from it, and now I have to eat better and exercise, not just have the intentions, so there is a silver lining. I will be better in many respects. They say it could've been the pancreatitis I had in June that brought on the diabetes, or vice versa, I don't know, and honestly I am focusing on the future. These are the challenges put before me right now and they are to be dealt with nothing more or less...
However, SUCK!
I am going to be taking some life-skills classes, and I have been in contact with old friends Echo and Matt, he was diagnosed with type 1 in April so that is a fresh perspective. It just puts a lot into perspective, and I don't mean a hokey "life is short" kind of way, because one could look at that either way, life takes forever in some cases. I think more in a sense of being thrifty.
The natural instinct is to "blow your wad" so to speak, when you are young. The body is resilient then, so you don't notice it. I ate what I wanted, and I drank all that was poured. I didn't really abuse my body, but I didn't take it in to be serviced very often that is for sure. I mean I used to just write off my weight, saying that is my body type, I'm a big guy. But I feel good in my new body and look ok to boot. I don't know that if I had made different choices that I wouldn't have to deal with what I am now, maybe, maybe not, but if I had sat one or two games out in the long run I would have a few more games to play.
Youth is truly wasted on the young.
This all brings me to another point, Andrea and I after much soul-searching and talking have decided to take Cody back into the house and our lives. For those who don't know, in May there was a big blow-up that resulted in me contacting CPS and having him removed and then him being a runaway for nearly 3 months. He came home, tail between his legs, and at first we said no way but we had a few sit-downs and decided it was worth a another try.
He basically said he thought he knew and he was wrong. He was tired of being a "loser" and just wandering. He wanted to make something of his life. If he really means it, he is so ahead of the game to know that at 16.
So yeah seize the day, but not too hard, you might just strangle it.

Don't Be A Butt-Hole, Mr. G.I. Doctor.

2009-07-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hello old friends and maybe new. I have long left this blog in neglect. I apologize blog. We cool? Good.
There have been a great many reasons why I haven't been posting. Life has been very tumultuous lately. That and Facebook. Man that can suck up some time. I have also been having some health problems, which leads me to the topic of this post.
In April of this year, after having my problems misdiagnosed twice I went into the emergency room. It was hard to narrow down what I was feeling, I just knew something was wrong. Right off the bat it was determined that I had very little blood in my body, and had a 104 fever. It was probable that I had been running a fever that high so consistently for so long I didn't even know I had one. After two transfusions and a week stay I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. It is a chronic condition that affects the colon mostly, but there are other things that come along with it. I was assigned a G.I. specialist, and should have thought something was wrong when the doctor told me to look up my disease on the internet when I asked him what Chron's was. I guess knowing you're way around Google is all that qualifies you as a doctor these days. At that point I should have called shenanigans, but honestly I was glad to be alive. So once discharged, I began to see this doctor at his practice. I would ask questions, or actually my wife would, and we would get head nods or shakes, or very little feedback. We did what he said and "looked it up on the internet," what we mostly found was that there were a few things that were common, otherwise Chron's is very individual. So we asked if I should be restricting my diet? Nope. Was pain normal? Sure. What should I look for? Well if you eat something and you don't like it, don't eat it again. Being early on I just wanted to get some help. I should've known not to see this guy, but I don't have a lot of experience with doctors. 32 years old and this is the first time I've every been hospitalized. So I decided to take the meds and try and get used to what was happening with my body. Something I wasn't getting used to was the pain and discomfort I was experiencing. It was both external and internal. I won't go into details but sitting became unpleasant, as well as having movements. I would tell my doctor this and was always met with a very incredulous attitude. He never came out and said anything but would stare at me for an uncomfortable amount of time and reluctantly write a script for pain medication. I am no stranger to recreational drugs and I know from first hand experience that people take prescription meds for fun. They were never something I took. I always liked alcohol too much to want to mix pills in, so I was taking them because they helped me forget my pain, you know what they were designed to do. All the while having this gut feeling (all puns are always intended) that my doctor was suspicious of my wanting meds.
About three weeks ago the pain in my guts got so bad, and was now joined by vomiting and an inability to eat, that I went back to the E.R. This time it was Pancreatitis. This condition is caused by one of two things, gross alcohol abuse and or gallstones. I haven't had so much as a drop in 5 months and for a good long while cannot and should not imbibe alcohol of any kind. Possibly forever. Once again my doctor and others would not believe that I didn't drink. Even asking my wife secretly while I was out of the room. Well that cleared up, at least based as far as the labs go, and I was sent home. In less than 24 hours the pain was back and right after eating. So I got in to see my doctor. He ordered a barrage of tests again. Each time telling me what it was not, never offering what it could be. He said it could be related to the Chron's since the pancreatitis was gone. Even when I was there specifically because of pain, he aid he didn't like me taking pain medication. That is fine, but he never offered up an alternative. I don't like the idea of taking anything with acetomenaphin, it's terrible, but between that and the pain, I choose that. If there was another way for me to go to work and sleep, and EAT, I was unable to eat or even drink water without pain, then I was all for it. But no help from him, not one suggestion.
So last Friday I went in to have an endoscopy to find out of ulcers were the culprit. They were not, and the lab work was clear. But I still hurt. I woke up from the procedure and was very groggy. The had nurse leading us out said off-handedly that she apologized that I and the doctor "don't," and she made a back in forth hand motion which I took as "jibe" or relate. I said thanks and thought it was odd, because I hadn't mentioned my concerns with any one other than friends and family. She and the doctor said bye and scheduled my next procedure, she also said if you need a refill on your pain medication give us a call. Well I got home and saw that I had ten pills, knowing I wouldn't see him for a month, I called and asked for a new script. At first I was told ok, then I receive a call back from the receptionist and she said that Doctor "D." isn't comfortable writing you any more prescriptions for pain medication. She went on to inquire if I was looking for a new G.I. doctor, I was surprised and said maybe, probably. "Well Dr. D. says you can take it up with him and get your meds from him." I hung up kind of dazed. Well Andrea wasn't dazed, she called back and had some things to say, and wanted to know if he was still going to treat me and try and get the new Chron's medication approved through my insurance, which he had been trying to do. We would hear from him. Well I was frustrated and worried. I had been having to get medications from "private" sources and I didn't like doing that. But it looked like Iw as stuck without any doctor at this point. Andi and I decided to go see some friends in Tubac for the night and get out of the big shitty for a bit.
When I returned home Saturday night there was a message from the nurse who had apologized, saying he wrote one more prescription for me and he would be my doctor for 30 more days. I couldn't call until Monday morning, and I did. And had a very strange conversation. I asked where they got the notion I was looking for another doctor. She told me I said it to her after the endoscopy. She stated I told he I couldn't understand his dialect, he seems to be Indian or Pakistani, not sure I never asked because I don't care. I said "dialect?" "Well you didn't say dialect, you said you couldn't understand him," she replies. First I said I don't even recall that conversation at all, secondly if I said anything it was that I feel we don't have a rapport, and he doesn't communicate with me very well. Dialect? He speaks english, I couldn't detect a Brooklyn, or South Texas accent any where. It wasn't his "dialect" he didn't talk at all. So I said yeah I maybe wanted to find some one else but not because he was giving me poor treatment, but there was just no relationship. Then she gets to the part where she says she and the doctor don't want to be giving me pain medication, and that it's very odd I use it up so fast. The script always reads "take 1 to 2 pills every 8 hours as needed for pain." He always gives me 30, so if taken as directed that's 5 days. I don't always take them every 8 hours but I do wake up every night at 3 AM with pain and "other-stuff." So after a week or so they're gone. Either way he never says you shouldn't betaking these, he just doubts me. He feels that I am insincere in regards to my pain. He offers nothing else, as far as medication or change in routine. Just see you in a month. She also informs me that he isn't trying to push the new medication, my new doctor can do that too.
Throughout all of this two things are evident, they think I am a drug-abuser and that Dr. D. is offended and possibly hurt by my brash words about his poor communication skills. and I have no memory of saying this to this nurse. I can recall before and after and who I remember in the room, not her. But she says we talked about it. They have you sign a form stating that because of the heavy sedation I will not drive or make any crucial or legal decisions all day. Yet she felt I was in sound mind for her to take a customer satisfaction survey. She couldn't tell me who started this little conversation. If I said anything it was probably that once again Dr. D. gave me no answers or instructions.
I don't want to see this doctor any more and I did want another. I was waiting to see if he could get the new medication approved. I wanted him to help improve my quality of life, to at least try to be the healer he is supposed to be. So I didn't want to fight to keep him or change his mine. He should know that he's a cold, uncommunicative prick. But I was taken aback by the drama that came along with this.
He didn't believe me. He thought I was lying about my pain. This is a very hurtful feeling. It makes you doubt yourself, not to mention feel like a sleeze-bag trying to get meds. I have to leave work sometimes and stay up all night due to the pain. Wasn't he familiar with the symptoms of my disease? Message boards on the internet tell me lots of people have pain with Chron's, yet I'm a drug-addict.
And why take me wanting a second opinion so personally? It was very strange. There is enough drama in my life I didn't think I would have to worry about hurting my doctor's feelings. So he broke up with me and that's fine. I know what I am and what I'm not, I just want a doctor who will talk to me. I don't think it's too much to ask. If someone would tell me what I need to be doing, I'll do it and never take another pill. I don't like pills. And I really don't like pain.
I hope to keep up with this more diligently. Hope to have more observational type writings, and I hope to be interesting (though I know I'm not). Thanks.
-Cicci

THANK YOU TEEN-JESUS FOR TAKING US TO STATE!

2008-11-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

This is a picture I took for an online contest I entered (I didn't win). I was just supposed to be a "Jew," it's in quotes because the theme of the contest was The Ten Commandments (the film not the commandments). You could be an egyptian or a jew.
However years ago there was a funny Comedy Corner sketch about the character "Teen-Jesus." Mark Sussman played him and it was great. T.J. went to lame parties and turned the soda to "booze." He could make anything into a bong.
I am thanking him because of what happened on November 4th. Not that I feel there was any divine intervention involved. I think was sheer will if there ever was.
It is nice to be proud again. Let me qualify that statement by saying that I was never ashamed to be an American. Embarrassed, disappointed, frustrated, yes all, but I have the right to be those things, because I am an American. I am proud today because I realized that no matter how separate we feel, we are together in many ways. I felt connected to my people, finally. I turned 18 in 1995 and I registered to vote. I vote constantly, bond elections, whatever, I have never felt the way I do now, even voting for Bill Clinton (whom I admire). I not just felt like my vote was important but that I was agreeing with other Americans that I will never know.
Time will tell, Obama may be a great a President, he may be good, or he may tow the line. Real involved Americans understand this, we know we didn't elect a savior. We elected a man we think might inspire us to be what we should be, what we can be. From day one this is a country by the people, any decent kickball game needs a captain. That is what George W. Bush hands down is guilty of, NOT INSPIRING US. He didn't demand we do anything, he didn't call upon his many strong brave people to hold up his country. He played games in a sand-box world, mothers sent their sons and had no reason why. That is his crime, he commercialized the American experience he didn't unify, and that is what it is about.
I will also, for the sake of history, say that I am happy to see a Black man in the highest office. If there is anything we need to get over is the concept that "they" can play sports and entertain but "they" can't really do what "we" do.
I am happy, my problems aren't solved and I never expected the President to solve them anyway, so I will press on, and I will honor my leader, as I have. I'm just a little more willing to. That's all.

ANOTHER MAN DONE GONE

2008-10-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

Well it happened. To some people it was a miracle, to others a sign of the apocalypse, to me a matter of time. My big "little" brother got married last week. Joshua Wheat is a full-blown human experience. I have known him for half of both of our lives. In that time I have seen some shit. The man has been through all of it. We have had some scrapes, some laughs, some tears, some screams, some pushes and some shoves. Nobody I know scares cops more than Wheatie, yet he will walk across the fire with you on his shoulder.
We have lots and lots of friends in common, some of them love him as much as I do, some seem to just tolerate him, but there is no ignoring his presence and his love. If he doesn't like you there is probably a good reason, or you called him out for shitting in your wastebasket. I will always wish everyone could see him like I do, not as a big teddy-bear that is so cuddly, but a loving guy who doesn't see why he should censor himself to the whims of the lame. The free-range lame.
Yeah he'll get you involved in some weird shit, but he will make sure you don't have to fight if you don't want to, or he will wear you on his shoulders if you do want to.
Josh Wheat you are my brother and I am happy for you and Kate. You deserve love.
Just stop yelling all the time. We're getting old. It's loud.
love cicci

Oh and the picture, this is his reception, as I have said, apparently myself and all of my chins/necks thought we were taking a "nice" picture. Wheat, Joe and Al thought otherwise. Now I know what Meme meant about "ruining" a good picture.
I'm old.

CHECK OUT WHAT NAT CASSIDY WROTE PLEASE.

2008-10-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

(Sigh) It really depresses me every time I read some ill-informed screed saying "Here's why I'm not voting for Obama," which then contains nothing but vague generalizations and practically insulting leaps in logic. Now is not the time to be foundlessly contrarian, okay? You don't have to support Obama, but please have an informed opinion. One of the more popular lines of thought is that Obama has too many racist/slumlordy/evil connections, and that disqualifies him for the presidency.

So let's see . . .

Obama's shady connections:
Tony Rezko
Rev Wright
Bill Ayers
ACORN

All of the above are either completely disproven, totally misleading, or, with the case of ACORN, not even a "bad" connection to have. Am I missing any?

What follows is the content from a post I stole from the Tampa Bay Online Forums, authored by the user "thevoiceoftruth." To that list, I've added a couple of other connections that I'll place at the top.

McCain-Palin's shady connections:
George W. Bush
Yup. There's that one right off the bat. Let's not forget the wonderful, wonderful gifts he's given us over the past 8 years, the greatest hits of which include: the 9/11 response (and, some would argue, the attacks themselves, since y'know, it was kinda predicted numerous times), unconstitutional wiretapping, unconstitutional torture, loss of due process, loss of habeus corpus, loss of stare decisis, the Katrina response, the collapse of much of the country's infrastructure, the biggest financial meltdown in generations, an enormous deficit, inaction on climate change, the politicalization of the Justice Department, The Iraq War, the cratering of the United State's global reputation . . . God, I'm getting dizzy, I better stop with this one. But we all know that, since 2000, Johnny Mac <3s George Bush.

These voter suppressors
http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/752

Saddam frickin' Hussein
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/14/mccain-transition-chief-a_n_134595.html

And now, the following was copied from http://www.tboforums.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/6418/

G. Gordon Liddy
Liddy planned and committed the Watergate break-ins, proposed firebombing the Brookings Institution and the kidnapping anti-war activists, and planned the never-carried-out murder of a newspaper columnist, Jack Anderson.

He did five and a half years in prison for the aforementioned burglary and illegal surveillance, where he was unrepentant and called himself a “prisoner of war.” In 1994, he advocated the killing of federal ATF agents if they came to take your guns, suggesting that you aim for the head because they’ll have bulletproof vests. When called out on it, he said he was sorry and encouraged supporters to aim for the groin instead. He also mentioned that when he went shooting, he labeled his targets “Bill” and “Hillary.”

Liddy’s donated $5,000 to McCain’s political campaigns, and McCain had this to say about him: “I’m proud of you, I’m proud of your family. It’s always a pleasure for me to come on your program and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great.”

Col. Oliver North
After several Americans were kidnapped by Islamic Jihad, members of the Reagan administration hatched a scheme to release them. The original plan was to ship weapons (through Israel as a proxy) to well-placed moderate Iranians. In return, the Iranians would pressure Islamic Jihad to release the hostages.

Col. North came along and suggested to drop Israel as an intermediary and sell the weapons directly to Iran at an inflated price. The money from the sale would be covertly funneled to the Contras, a Nicaraguan anti-communist guerilla group.

When the plan was publicly leaked, North shredded documents pertaining to the plan. He was convicted of three felonies, but the convictions were later overturned on appeal due to legal technicalities (hey—similar to Ayers).

In 1994, North was nominated by the Virginia Republican Party to run for Senate. Then-Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole denounced him and refused to endorse. John McCain endorsed him, albeit not particularly enthusiastically:

"I know nothing illegal or unconstitutional that took place in the Virginia Republican Party’s process of selecting their nominee. I’ll support their nominee and it’s—clearly, it’s Col. North at this time. And by the way, I’m the person that called for the resignation of the governor of this state, who was of my party. But I don’t see anything wrong with the process. I think from a clear political standpoint, our chances of winning that seat are dramatically diminished. There’s no doubt about that. But I respect the views and decision of the Virginia Republican Party."

On February 12, 2008, North wrote an endorsement of John McCain in the Washington Times. The McCain camp’s response? They released a press release to trumpet the endorsement.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/feb/12/decision-time/

Richard Quinn
Richard Quinn is the editor-in-chief of Southern Partisan Quarterly Review, a magazine that’s considered to be the leading journal of the “neo-confederacy movement.” Though much of its articles are relatively tame scholarly blurbs about southern traditions and history.

Yet, the magazine regularly vilifies Abraham Lincoln and other Union leaders, while venerating the Confederate soldiers who fought to secede. They state that the Civil War wasn’t so much about slavery as it was the preservation of the Southern way of life that they still advocate preserving.
When the article does write about slavery, it says things such as this, which came from a book review: “Mainstream black leaders perpetuate the myth that vicious white slave traders dragged Africans from their idyllic homeland to serve as chattel for arrogant white Americans. Readers of this magazine know otherwise” and “The greatest contribution of this work is that it exonerates slave owners by stating that they did not have a practice of breaking up slave families. If anything, they encouraged strong slave families to further the slaves’ peace and happiness in order to promote efficient work.”

He lashed out against a holiday about Martin Luther King, Jr. saying that it “should have been rejected because its purpose is vitriolic and profane.” He has called Nelson Mandela a terrorist, endorsed David Duke ("What better way to reject politics as usual than to elect a maverick like David Duke?") and sold T-shirts praising Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.

In 2000, he was one of John McCain’s senior political consultants in South Carolina, described by the McCain campaign as a “highly respected South Carolina campaign consultant.” McCain, in this election cycle, paid $52,000 to his consulting company and $90,000 to a company run by Quinn’s son.

Charles Keating
In the first five years of McCain’s political career, Keating gave $112,000 to McCain’s campaigns. McCain’s wife and father-in-law invested $359,100 in a shopping center run by Keating, and the McCain family went on several trips at his expense. But in the late 80s, his savings-and-loan business went insolvent. To keep his company afloat, he began making risky, potentially illegal investments—something regulators were looking into.

To stop the investigation, Keating called up five Senators who he had given lots of money to: Four Democrats, and John McCain. McCain was angered at the Keating’s request, but went to meet with regulators anyway… although allegedly to make sure that his constituent was being treated fairly. Upon finding out that Keating was being criminally investigated, McCain cut off all ties.

In the end, Keating’s business failed and 21,000 people lost their life savings—and had to be bailed out by the government. He was later convicted on 73 counts of wire fraud and served 4 years in prison before his sentence was overturned and he was re-tried; he pleaded guilty to 4 charges of fraud and was sentenced to time served.

McCain was investigated and cleared of impropriety, though he was criticized for “poor judgment.” He later called it the biggest mistake of his life. Was he guilty of anything? Perhaps not, but it’s a hell of a lot messier than Obama’s relationship with Tony Rezko.

http://www.keatingeconomics.com/ - [This is the website that Obama set up to better educate people on the Keating 5 --Nat]

The McCain campaign’s response? Via Americablog:

"The Keating Five Investigation was “a political smear job on John [McCain].” WTF? He called Howell Heflin, who led the hearings, a “stooge” of the Democratic machine out to get poor, innocent John McCain."

Wow, really? That’s not what McCain said in his book, Worth Fighting For:

"I made the worst mistake of my life by attending two meetings, the first with the chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the government agency charged with regulating the practices of the nation’s savings and loans, and a week later with four bank examiners based in San Francisco who were at that time investigating the investment and lending practices of Lincoln Savings and Loan of Irvine, California, owned by my good friend and generous supporter Charles Keating."

And it’s not what he was saying last year:

"I was judged eventually, after three years, of using, quote, poor judgment, and I agree with that assessment."
http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/mccain/articles/2007/03/01/20070301mccainbio-chapter7.html

But now that McCain is being called out for his role in the Keating 5 scandal, he has decided to cut and run from taking responsibility for his own actions.

Rev. John Hagee
Rev. Hagee is the pastor of a non-denominational charismatic church, as well as the the CEO of a nonprofit organization that broadcasts his sermons on TV and radio.

Hagee holds some nutty beliefs in addition to his run-of-the-mill “charismatic” beliefs: he feels that Harry Potter is modern-day witchcraft, he condemns stay-at-home dads and thinks global warming is a conspiracy. He believed that Hurricane Katrina was divine punishment for New Orleans’ sins, and thinks Armageddon is imminent (and can be coaxed along with a preemptive strike on Iran, which he supports).
Even more controversially, Hagee called the Catholic Church “A Godless theology of hate that no one dared try to stop for a thousand years produced a harvest of hate,” blamed the Holocaust partly on Catholicism, and has insinuated that the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon from the Book of Revelation. After being widely denounced by many, including the perpetually-offended Bill Donahue of the Catholic League, he claimed to change his mind about the Church.

Hagee has stated that “those who live by the Qur’an have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews; it teaches that very clearly… There are 1.3 billion people who follow the Islamic faith, so if you’re saying there’s only 15 percent that want to come to America or invade Israel to crush it, you’re only talking about 200 million people. That’s far more than Hitler and Japan and Italy and all of the Axis powers in World War II had under arms.”

Hagee has also insinuated that the Jews’ rebellion against God is the reason why they’ve suffered throughout history, including during the Holocaust (which he also believes was a divine plan to bring the Jews back to Israel); he also believes that the (Jewish) Rothschild family is part of some sort of global conspiracy.

Not only did John McCain receive Hagee’s endorsement, he sought it out; for two months, after word of these various statements started coming out, he continued to honor the endorsement while disagreeing with the particular beliefs. Finally, the pressure built up to the point that he rejected the endorsement (and taking a shot at Obama while doing so).

Rev. Rod Parsley
Parsley is the pastor of a charismatic Ohio megachurch (and televangelist) who opposes the separation of church and state. He has said that Christians must wage war against the “false religion” of Islam, an “anti-Christ” religion revealed not by God, but rather by demons, and suggesting that the United States was founded in party to destroy Islam. He also used some creepy talk in referring to the IRS and the media:

"The secular media never likes it when I say this, so let me say it twice. Man your battle stations! Ready your weapons! They say this rhetoric is so inciting. I came to incite a riot. ... Man your battle stations. Ready your weapons. Lock and load — for the thirty, forty liberal pastors who filed against our ministry with the Internal Revenue Service. ... Let the struggle begin. Let it begin in your heart today with a shout unto him who has called us to war — not only that, he has empowered you and I to win."

McCain sought and received Parsley’s endorsement as well, calling him a “spiritual guide”, but again took at least two months to reject the endorsement (taking a shot against Obama in the process). Parsley then withdrew his endorsement of McCain.

Alaskan Independence Party
We know that, although Sarah Palin was not a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, Todd Palin was a member for about seven years. However, I’ll set aside discussion of family members right there and focus on the person who’s running for Vice President.

Sarah Palin gave a cheerful videotaped address to the Alaskan Independence Party, telling them to “keep up the good work.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI

Now, the Alaskan Independence Party is technically a “states’ rights” party, but it does want to take back federally-held lands in the state and give Alaskans a vote on whether or not they want to secede from the union.

This is a party founded by a man named Joe Vogler, who said, “I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions.” He also said,

"You get to think why the hell do I owe them anything and then you get mad; and you say to hell with them; and you renounce allegiance; and you pledge your efforts, your effects, your honor, your life, to Alaska; that is how I do it; I am an Alaskan; they know it; I’ve told them to go to hell in every way I can in a nice way; I took a case to the Supreme Court believing in the Supreme Court, but I’d rather be tried in a whorehouse with the madam as the Judge; there is more Justice in a whorehouse than in the Supreme Court; and if they don’t like they know where they can go; ..... and if you think I am ever going to forget that, the fires of Hell are glaciers compared to my hate for the American Government, and I won’t be buried under their damn flag; I’ll be buried in Dawson and when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones back to Alaska, back to my country. The fires of Hell are glaciers compared to my hate for the American government.”

Even better:
"In December of 1941 there was a little fracas over in Pearl Harbor and I happened to read of the ultimatum that FDR and Hull has sent to the Japanese Emperor on November 27th 1941 with three demands: get out of Manchuria, pay damages and promise not to do it again. .... This was on November 29th that I read of this in the Houston Chronicle; 7 days later, eight days later I guess, Sunday afternoon on December 7th (he learned of the attack on radio- I leave out some details here). And I said oh oh they got their answer from Hirohito; so we immediately declared war ..... I knew what had happened - President Roosevelt had involved us in a war. He had to do something to make Americans mad. And I speak pretty frankly, I call him the dirty rotten son-of-a-bitch communist traitor, because he had involved us in that war that we had no business in."

Now… just imagine for a second that Jill Biden was the member of the Communist Party for seven years, and Joe made a video addressing their convention in which he told them to “keep up the good work.” Do you not think it would immediately disqualify him from the vice presidency, or at least be discussed in McCain advertisements and right-wing blogs constantly?

Rev. Thomas Muthee
Rev. Muthee has founded over 400 churches in Africa, but not without controversy. Early in his career, he claims to have had a vision that the source of crime in a particular region of Kenya was due to a witch named “Mama Jane”. He demanded that she convert to Christianity or leave town. After people died in a car accident in front of her clinic, Muthee’s followers decided that she was, indeed, responsible for evil deeds; they gathered to stone her to death, but the police intervened and she fled town. Muthee claimed a victory for spiritual warfare and said that since she left, the crime rate has dropped (not true).

Muthee has made quite a few guest appearances at the Wasilla Assembly of God, Sarah Palin’s old church, where her pastor referred to him as having powers of prophecy. He’s asked God to bring money to Sarah Palin’s campaigns and help her guide the nation in the right direction (and to protect her from witchcraft). Sarah Palin was seen praising him and his speeches while in church.

Ed Kalnins
Kalnins is the pastor of Sarah Palin’s old church, the Wasilla Assembly of God. During the 2004 election season, he praised President Bush’s performance during a debate with Sen. John Kerry, then warned: “I’m not going tell you who to vote for, but if you vote for this particular person, I question your salvation. I’m sorry.” He added: “If every Christian will vote righteously, it would be a landslide every time.”

Months after hinting at possible damnation for Kerry supporters, he bristled at the treatment President Bush was receiving over the federal government’s handling of Hurricane Katrina. “I hate criticisms towards the President,” he said, “because it’s like criticisms towards the pastor—it’s almost like, it’s not going to get you anywhere, you know, except for hell. That’s what it’ll get you.”

Kalnins also claims that Jesus operated from a “war mode,” in that he fought a spiritual war; he believes the War on Terror is is a manifestation of that spiritual war, and that “Jesus called us to die” for causes such as this. He preaches frequently about the impending end times, and has a strange belief that Alaska is a “refuge state” where hundreds of thousands of people will flee in the end days—and urges his followers to be “ready to minister them.”

Phil Gramm
We all know Phil Gramm as McCain’s former economic adviser (and current informal adviser) who said that we had become a “nation of whiners” suffering from a “mental recession.” We know that his 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act has been accused by some (including Ben Stein) as helping start the mortgage meltdown.

Another piece of legislation Gramm was responsible for was the “Enron loophole,” which he wrote with the help of Enron Lobbyists. It’s possible that the Enron meltdown wouldn’t have happened without Gramm’s involvement. Also of note is the fact that his wife was on Enron’s Board of Directors when it collapsed.

After leaving the Senate, Gramm became a lobbyist for UBS, a Swiss bank that lent millions of dollars in subprime mortgages. Gramm walked away with a cool $750,000.

On a more humorous note, in the 1970s he was involved in the pornography business; he put $15,000 into a film called “Truck Stop Women: No Rig Is Too Big for Them to Handle”. The film didn’t work out, and Graham got his money back. He put the $15,000 into another film called “Beauty Queens,” which again fell through and he got his money back. He then put $7,500 into “White House Madness,” a pornographic film set in the Nixon White House. It bombed.

Rick Davis
The head of McCain’s campaign is a lobbyist from a company called Davis Manafort that has collected millions of dollars lobbying Congress.

From 2000 to 2005, he was the head of the Homeownership Alliance, a group dedicated to advocating for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He was paid $30,000 a month in this position. After this, his company was paid $15,000 a month to consult for Freddie Mac, a fee he collected until August 2008.

In 2003, he was hired by DHL and Airborne Express to lobby Congress to approve a merger between the two companies. The merger has been approved, and the two companies are shutting down their hub in Wilmington, Ohio (pop. 11,922) and cutting as many as 8,000 jobs.

In 2006, Davis set up a meeting in Switzerland between McCain and Oleg Deripaska, a Russian businessman. Deripaska has been linked to organized crime, a link strong enough that caused his US visa to be revoked that same year. After the meeting, Deripaska wrote a letter to Davis and Manafort: “Thank you so much for setting up everything in Klosters so spectacularly… It was very interesting to meet Senators Chambliss, Sununu, and McCain in such an intimate setting.”

1 commentReport Note

Joshua Cicci wrote
at 2:25pm
Wow, I agree.
But the point is, I thought I was allowed to have friends with whom I may disagree. When did just plain knowing a person meant you subscribed to their value system? It is really interesting that on the verge of possibly shifting the paradigm, we are still using association as the reason not to. Haven't rich white men been "associated" with enough bad elements in this country? I would argue that maybe just maybe wealthy intolerant white men are the reason we have terrorism.
Oh and "I Grock Spock."

WHERE IS MY BEAN?!

2008-10-01T02:11:00.000-07:00

This was taken the day we drove Ella and Jerica up to Phoenix to fly to Portland to begin their new lives. Well it's been almost a month and to say the least things aren't going as Jerica had planned. Which in itself is not unusual what does go anyone's way? I get the feeling that I don't always get the whole story. Some people do, Wheatie gets a fuller story, Dixie does, Nana does. Either she doesn't want to burden me, or she doesn't want to hear what I have to say about it. Jerica and I are brother and sister, I have known her all of her life. We are however very different people and to be honest with myself up until, well maybe the birth of "the Bean," I was unsure if we would even like each other if we weren't siblings. I have come to realize wholeheartedly that we would, it took us a while, but we do. We both overcame some personal and circumstantial odds. But we are friends now.
That is why I am very concerned at the current situation up in Portland. Maybe I am not getting the whole story, but the one I am getting is not good. And ever the big brother I want to take care of it, and I have figured it out pretty much. I am just waiting on my sister to give me the word. All I know is that I miss them. I really miss Ella. Her birthday and Christmas are coming up and I really wanted to be a part of those things, I'm not okay with Matt and his family getting to. I want my little Bean.

HONEYMOON

2008-06-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

So this is me in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) Mexico on the honeymoon. This is a fun spot for food over looking the ocean. Our waiter was funny. He knew english pretty well and was proud to use it, he kept making fun but almost inappropriate jokes about what we should be doing later that night, being on our honeymoon. Also if you haven't been down to Mexico, when you sit down to eat eventually one by one children come by with their wares trying to get some money. They never come empty handed, anything from chicklets to jewelry. A few day earlier at a different spot we saw a little guy, maybe 8 or 9 who did balloon animals, or at least a balloon dog, that's all we saw him do. We remembered him because it was cool he had a talent rather than objects to sell, he worked for tips. We also noticed him because he made two dollars but gave one to a little kid who couldn't sell his gum to any of us. That's a tough racket, gum has come along way since chicklets. Then this day he reappeared, he didn't pay attention to us, but I noticed his head had been shaved so I mentioned it in broken spanish, he laughed and remembered us, seemingly.
It was a nice trip, relaxing, I didn't want to leave, despite how much gringo culture has taken over, it is still so chill down there. We'll go back soon.
I found a picture of the balloons the little guy made us, thats on top.

ONE RING TO BIND THEM...

2008-06-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

This was taken at our wedding. Yes that needed explanation because if you know Andrea she makes me give her rings in remote mesquite groves all the time. But this time was special. It was a wonderful celebration, so many people made it out for the occasion. We were honored. I am still hearing from people around Tucson who weren't there about how awesome it was. Brother John's food was killer, beyond great. That is also still being raved about.
I am so happy. I was never a real cynic, but I didn't hold out much hope for traditional happiness. I figured I would just bounce around to whatever felt right, but I love this life I have more than I could've imagined.
Joseph is coming over to bring us the wedding photos and I am grilling up an awesome meal. So bye.

MAKING SOME ART

2008-02-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

So these pictures were taken down in Rio Rico at Joe and Hallie's place. The afternoon started out at their shop in Tubac, Intricate Mosaics. Joe gave a brief yet informative intro into the art of mosaic, and the different materials used. Andrea, Cody, Rob and myself went down to their house to get to work on our own projects. Joe cut us each, out a large square of sheet-rock type stuff to border a mirror. The idea was for us to learn the craft and to make some "merch" for the shop, or at least display items. It was a lot of fun, we haven't gotten them finished, but everyone's design was pretty cool.
The pics are:
1) Joe measuring and Cody licking?
2) Andrea and Lilly.
3) Mr Atticus using some field glasses.

MAY I INTRODUCE LULABELLE!

2008-01-27T21:20:00.001-08:00

So this is the newest edition to the family, Lulabelle Cicci. She doesn't have a little nickname just yet, just Lula. It has been a little over a year since Auggie passed away, which was quite a blow. We knew we wanted another puppy someday, mostly because we got Ollie as a companion for Auggie and then Ollie was alone. We also weren't sure we wanted another pug. I had wanted one since I was a child, and the one I finally got left us way too soon. So recently we decided the time was right, I saw an ad in the paper yesterday, and Andi and Cody went to see her today. They made sure the breeders were humane and not a "mill" situation. They have bred other litters but only once a year and only 4 times per couple. It was a very clean healthy set-up. Lula comes from a Pug daddy and a Boston Terrier momma. She is very spunky and has a lot of energy and kisses. Ollie isn't sure yet, he hasn't met anything smaller than himself, ever.
So welcome her she is very sweet.

MONKEY!!!!

2008-01-21T00:07:00.001-08:00

Fuzzy hair.
Leathery people lips.
Scarf.
Yeah, It's Auggie's little brother...
Oliver J. Monkey.

GOD BLESS THE CHILD THAT'S GOT HIS OWN

2008-01-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

As I have written in the past my brother Cody had broken his arm over the summer. He wasn't being too reckless, jumping his bike over a dirt mound, boy stuff. It was a pretty bad break. We took him to the emergency room, naturally and it was determined he needed pins to help it heal. We weren't given a list of orthopedic surgeons to choose from, I mean it is a free market but he needs help so spare no expense, right? They fix him no problem. We see the orthopedic surgeon on the northside in his very nice offices, for regular check-ups until it is determined that the arm is healed and the cast comes off. The pins are left in his arm. The pins don't need to come out, but Cody says they bother him and protrude a little at the elbow and he whacks it sometimes. An extra funny bone, who is he to complain? I schedule a day for the pins to come out. In the meantime I find out that when I thought he had been signed up for ACCHS (AZ's state health care) prior to this, it turns out he wasn't. I have said before this very well could have been a mistake on my part, or the state's, the paper trail has been inconclusive. No problem really, he is actually a ward of the state that I have guardianship over, so yeah maybe a little longer but the state will be taking care of it and he gets his pins out. I meet at the Department of Economic Security and have my interview. I am not asking for food stamps, or cash assistance, no we manage fine, it would just be an extra $150.00 out of my paycheck twice a month to cover Code on my company's insurance plan, and as I said he is a ward of the state, so no sweat.
He is turned down. The cut off income is $851.00 a month, He receives $870.00 from survivor's benefits through Social Security. That is his income. $19 a month means he "makes" too much in Arizona to get any health insurance here.
I am offered a "fair" hearing. In fact when I turn in my request, this is the exact conversation with the D.E.S. clerk (young painted up lady)
Lady: Can I help you?
Me: I would like to hand in my request for a hearing (has to be done in person, nice trick for the disabled).
Lady: A fair hearing?
Me: I would prefer, but an unfair hearing might be fun.
Lady: (befuddled look, job devoid of all humor).
Me: Yes please.
Lady: Thank you, you will receive your confirmation by mail.
Three weeks later I did receive it, it tells me where to go what to bring and how it works. I'm under the impression that I can speak to a judge (it's via phone) plead my case and he or she can change the decision. Andrea and I get up early to attend our hearing, AT 7 AM!!!!, we even dressed nicely (it's via phone) to present our case, father is in prison, kid is a ward, was on ACCHS, even when his adoptive parents made a lot more money than we make now, he is a good kid, pins in the arm, we're not members of the French resistance, or whatever. We get there and the snotty bitch who is running the thing complains, numerous times, about how early it is. Like I called up and said 7AM, or actually could we do it at 3AM? I usually get up to take a piss around then and I am in the zone, ready to state my case to all kinds of MF's. Like Ollie, "do I really need to take you down stairs and let you go potty?" Actually he usually wins that fair hearing.
Anyhow, she sets us down and explains that the only way the judge can over-turn the ruling is if I can prove that the D.E.S. got their calculations wrong. So I said, "well I can lie and say they did, but that won't help anything, will it?"
Andrea and I both work for a nonprofit. On a daily basis we work with kids who's family's have just turned them away. In some cases just that, not because of abuse or neglect, they just "can't be parents any more." The state pays for every aspect of their care, more than $100.00 a day per kid for "3 hots and a cot," plus school and clothing and everything else, like medical.
we explained to this woman that as a ward of the state, if Cody wasn't with us (we do have other family who step up in a heart beat, but for the sake of this "fair hearing" and the rationale the court abides by) at least for some time the state would pay for everything. She said yes. Though he is just $19 over the limit? Yes. And even though he doesn't pocket the money, it is used to "board" him? Yes.
This woman said "I know, it's horrible, I was dealing with a woman who has cancer and she is only $11 over the limit."
My slapping mechanism wasn't working a 7:30AM luckily.
So we had to walk away from this hearing, knowing that if we could not get help from the state, that we pay taxes in, including property taxes.
This woman had the gall to suggest that we call Social Security and see if they would lower his payments. And if you know the federal government, if you can convince them that you don't need the money, well they will be happy to stop it all together.
If the cut-off is $851.00, then a person working a minimum wage job, not on welfare, could not get state healthcare. If that was the only thing you needed from the state, and you aren't a total scrounge you would be denied.
He is eligible for other subsides, there are options. We will get his pins out, and also keep him on house arrest so that he doesn't ever skate, or bike or jump or his bed, so we can pay his medical bills...
But I hate that i live in a country, and a state that can not come to the table for it's citizens. One's that aren't trying to scam anyone, or get something off the top, or have the "better-offs" take care of us.
In this coming election these are the questions we have to ask, what good is a society that cannot take care of it's sick and is elderly? That is what civilization is supposed (ideally) be about, take care of the young, they are the future, the sick, they need to be healed to further the society, and the old, they made this society.
I think of the veterans coming home (perpetually) and get nothing. I think of the kids in the system I go to work for every week who just get paper-trailed and paid for, and then dumped on the rest of us.
Don't let anyone sell you any "gay-marriage" "abortion" "immigrant" "muslim extremist" bullshit. It's all just some smoke-screen to let you down easy when there is no more middle class, and no more social security, and just a zombie like feeding-off of each other, until we all die of lab-created cancer.
Anyhow, I bought the DVD set of EXTRAS recently and it's hilarious.
Love you guys and please pay attention, because the gentle hand of justice taps all of our shoulders at some point.
cheech

TIME TO PLAY A LITTLE CATSUP, SHALL WE?

2008-01-07T12:02:00.001-08:00

Ok so welcome back to A Jolly Rogering. I do apologize to those who care. I have been absent, in part to laziness, but not entirely, we have been busy. Let's recap, somewhat, backwards from present. This pic is one from New Years Eve. The party was at our house, which we are buying. Yes the suits approved a loan for us! With a lot of work but not a lot of "strings" attached. So now instead of a "home-ruiner" I will be a "home-improver." The party was fun, not too many people, but the right ones minus a few. This is the three Cicci chillins dancing to, I believe, Billy Joel. we are all from the east coast so you pretty much got Billy Joel albums issued in the mail. We all wanted to be an "Uptown Girl," then maybe Prince would like us, musically the 80's were confusing times.
The next picture is me doing some stand-up. I had a few decent gigs in '07, this wasn't one of them. This is HA HA FOOD, once created by the guys in New Kevin as a benefit for the Tucson Community Food Bank, good cause, this year Comedy Corner took it over. That fact has nothing to do with what a lousy show I had, all the groups performed awesomely as always, but I could not find a stride. Now I am a guy that does not place blame outside of myself. When I fuck up, I can tell you exactly where I did it. We can sit and run the tape back and I can show you where and when I knocked my full drink into your stereo at a cocktail party, I know I get it wrong sometimes. Likewise as a performer I don't like to blame the crowd for not laughing. I mean yeah crowds can suck and comedy is the worst form of performance art, there is either funny or not funny, otherwise is conceptual art. But if you think you are clever and usually get people chucklin' and you get up and nothing, well its probably you. I will say this, my introduction this time was pretty much a fucking diaper full of energy sucking ambivelence. I like the guy who did it and I have seen him muster energy during sketches, but he said my name like I was the guy who was going to read the house rules before the fun started. That made me stumble, that's all, probably wasn't my best stuff, but not my worst. If I had had a velociraptor mask I would've been fine.
This photo is Ella Jean the Jelly Bean, on her first birthday! It was also at our house. She had so much fun and was so into it. There were a lot of folks here. Our aunt Michelle and uncle John and their kids came as well as our cousins Mike, Melissa, Mindy and her husband Mike. She was so cute opening presents, just amazed. She is such a light in our lives. I feel like I see my sister more and connect with her more since the Bean was born. We had some rough patches but we talk about them better now, and we know when to leave well enough alone. She is our little Bean and she is so loving.
This clipper is from Al's band The Theory's Halloween gig. They went as The Electric Mayhem. Al was Floyd the bassist, Alex was Animal the Drummer, and Anastasia was Janis the guitarist. They made their duds and looked good. I was dressed as the guy who worked 13 hours and shouldn't have gone to a bar and see his friend play.
This last one (for now) is of Cody with his cast, at the end of the summer he broke his arm, and broke it good. I am now in a minor battle with Arizona State Health Care on who should pay, or even who should from now on. I thought we had gotten him covered, but due to a paper error, maybe my part maybe theirs, he had none when he jumped that mound on his bike. Any way we will recover, but a boy needs a doctor even more than he needs a dog. He also has a girlfriend, she is very sweet, in the name of good taste and probably the law I will not post her picture.
So yeah welcome back, look for new changes, and hip new friends (not likely) oh yeah I'm fuckin' back!

OK THIS IS FOR REAL (ANGRY-FACE) I'M BACK

2008-01-04T23:56:00.000-08:00

This last year has been a whirlwind of doingedness. We are finally getting it done so much that the little shit seems little. Please stay tuned to it. Ok...just kidding stay tuned,
cicci

IF THIS BLOG WAS A PET LIZARD IT WOULD HAVE DIED BY NOW

2007-08-27T00:43:00.001-07:00

So yeah, hey. Let's talk pics. The first one is from Johnny "Sports-Bar's" roast. It was thrown together at the last minute. StreetProv was on their way home from NYC, attending the Del Close Festival. Those who could make it did. For such a comedic powerhouse such as Johnny, I would've liked to see more people, but hey 11 people talking shit to a guy who talks more shit than anybody is kind of funny. It started to turn into weird stories about Allen, which is funny too.
The first pic is Andrea roasting him about the fact that he constantly would ask her about the size of my manhood. It was funny, his obsession, not the size of my manhood. The next pic is two chubby, hairy guys who don't give a shit about shit picture. I always related to Johnny, and love him. It is like he was born out of time, he should have played the Pocconos or the Catskills. We, if I may presume, have similar ideas about what's funny, if it is, it is. Yes, there is always trying to raise the bar, but come on, keep yourself in check, if you want to be a comedian, be a comedian, high-art belongs where it should belong. Real high comedy in my opinion is written. Be it in novel, or essay, or article. Once you have some poor bastard say it out loud it has been thrown to the wolves. That is why timing is what its all about, sadly or not, knowing when to make the fart sound when someone sits down will always be funnier than the sketch about the history of the fart.
Next Pic I said something that must have been true, because he is smiling.
The last pic is great, it was at Chango Malo's CD release party, that is the back of Swede's head, and the back of Estrada's head, and the side of Aubin Philabaum's face. That was a fun night. It was all ages at Congress. Cody and his friend Carlos attended and had a great time. There were 9 bands on the bill, it was a real event.
And working the door was Whisper Kwan herself, Stacey Bailey. Funny how time slips away.
That is all for now, love you guys.

HERE I COME TO SAVE THE BLOG!

2007-06-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, well hello folks. So many changes have taken place since the last time we spoke. I am embarrassed, especially because of how I have whined so in the past about nobody reading this blog...I am a whiner. I turned 30 years old yesterday. I hurt my back kind of badly last week, so that was a nice touch for dramatic effect. Mickey & Dixie (future in-laws) got me a digital camera, something I have wanted for a while but put off buying. So before updates lets introduce these pics.
1) A painting I did. I have taken to painting on little craft boxes I buy at Michael's. The idea is perhaps to do enough to maybe sell at an upcoming 4th ave. street fair. It is yet untitled.
2) This is Ollie, the monkey-boy. He isn't confused by the camera or anything, this is how he looks.
3) This is Robbie and I at Olive 'R Twist, the day before my birthday. I am wearing a new Spiderman shirt Cody got me, we celebrated my day on Wednesday the 20th (Alaric's B-day) because I had a 12 hour shift on my actual day, and the day after and the day after.
4) Al and Cody givin' a tip 'o the hat, same day same place.
So things are really good, we moved into a new house. One that Andi's uncle owns that we will try and buy within the next 6 months. It is great, her father designed and built it. It has two floors, built in bookcases, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, office and a pool, plus a shaded yard. We all love it. It is mid-town but tucked off of the road, so you feel totally separate. It is on the same parcel as her parent's house and her aunt and uncle's. This sounds like it might be inconvenient a la everybody Love's Raymond, but it is very helpful. Plus it is obvious Cody appreciates it, he was used to growing up with family right next to each other in Sahuarita, never having to feel alone. He does chores and things for Andi's family and they give him rides and help him out. He likes it here, he set up his room so cool. We had an old love seat we got from Kate Cohen (traded our beloved red sofa) I was going to toss it, Auggie had pretty much given it the once over, but cody cleaned it and covered it and put it in his room. The room looks like a little studio apartment, it's awesome.
I also got settled into a job that is the closest thing to career I have ever had. I now work for the same company Andrea does, La Paloma Family Services. It a non-profit organization that runs group homes for teens on probation or in CPS custody. After all of the training and testing I am a BHT (behavioral health technician). It was the closest to teaching I could get. The pay isn't great but it works. I work at an all boys home, and I love it. It is challenging and frustrating, but the kids are cool, and I have fun talking and laughing with them. It also gives me a lot of perspective at home with Cody, believe me no matter what he is doing now I am lucky lucky. I have a really good kid on my hands.
I have started my annual summer arts teaching gig in Tubac, so far so good, only one week down though.
I am looking forward to my one day off on Monday, and glad to be back.
Cheers!

I'VE BEEN BUSY TIRED BUT I'M 'A COMIN' BACK!

2007-06-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

Big changes have occurred, so stay tuned for nuthin' but fun!

AND SO IT GOES...

2007-04-15T23:47:00.000-07:00

This is late, and I'm sure all are aware, but one of my favorite authors passed away last week. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. helped make my high school experience much more tolerable. And the greatest quote I have ever read in anything, is the epitaph on Billy Pilgrim's tombstone in Slaughterhouse Five, "Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt."
If you never have you should pick some up, it's all good.
Does anyone know where I can score some Ice Nine?

HELLO, SOME PICS HOW 'BOUT?

2007-04-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

Just an update. I don't know what's new, everything I suppose, and nothing. We went to Aunt Michelle & Uncle John's for the Easter holiday. It was a lot of fun. It had been made a promise to Meme before she passed, if informal, that we try and get together as a family on Easter. It was her favorite family holiday, or at least the one she made the biggest deal out of. She died on Fat Tuesday last year, roughly a month before Easter, so we were all together then, but for a different reason. This year almost everyone backed out except my Aunt Karen and her youngest daughter Kaylyn. Her older daughter Danielle didn't make it. I asked a couple of times why not and to be honest I never got a straight answer. She and her mother are all but estranged, however point standing, she should have come. Also present were my sister and The Bean, and my cousin Melissa, who has grown to be (my growing or her own?) one of my favorite relatives. There were some very conspicuous absences in the mix. The most prominent excuse is that people couldn't afford it. This is of course the best excuse because how can one argue with it? Yes it expensive to take time to travel and such, however, without exaggerating, Joanie would spend no less than one thousand dollars a year to provide this event for us. We often told her not to do it and spend the cash, but she would say "piss off, its my money and I want to see my family together and having fun." We never got it then, but I get it now. It was a very nice visit. We ate good food, and had lot's of laughs and conversations.
The point I mean to make is that, I have lost a lot of people in my family in the last ten years, I however have had the opportunity to get to know those who have passed. To spend some time with them and have memories. There are still to this day little ones entering in to the family, they will not get to have that with those that have passed, and if we keep up our excuses, those who remain. I am thankful to see my younger cousins, while I have no idea what they think of me, and I don't know them (as they are still becoming) I want to keep in their line of sight. While others are remembered by name I like seeing and interacting with them.
Families are by practice "fucked-up." Whether you choose to watch the Discovery Channel's special on chimpanzee family and social structure, or just go to Thanksgiving dinner, you will see this to be true. Sure some families are stretched tightly and others more loose. Some make nice and some make noise. Some look pretty and some quite ugly. But what is true, or rather important, is that you have only the other monkeys that look, and smell and hopefully feel like you to turn to or depend on. Because pretty much those not in your "mix" don't care about you and don't even have the decency to pretend.
So lets give our young-ones a chance to at least know "family." Lets make an attempt to not only honor a dying wish (not to be dramatic but really) but honor a living wish.
I would like to see those people I can't see very often. I have a very dear cousin I don't see, and two I haven't seen in many years, and on my mother's side I have only two cousins, and I haven't seen them in more than at least 20 years. That is despicable.
When we are all gone are the little ones going to get together?
These pics are...
1) Cody and I wearing hats I made for X-mas
2) Ella with mine on
3) Ella and Ollie-Monkey
4) Ella with cowl.
Love you all....

"...I WANNA ROCK RIGHT NOW..." PLAYLIST PT. 2

2007-03-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hello I return with more of what Josh Cicci likes to listen to, at the moment, in no particular order, part two.
Ahem...

16) ME AND PAUL-WILLIE NELSON. Want to start out easy, laid back, even funny. The Red-Headed Stranger leads us off with a fairly unknown track, though popular in his live act (that's where I first heard it, in '97) it is a standard country chord progression about the singer (is it Willie? most likely), and his partner (in music if not in crime), Paul. It covers their travels and run-ins, in a very tongue in cheek style. I love the lines..."Almost busted in Laredo for reasons that I'd rather not disclose, but if you're stayin' in a motel there and leave, just don't leave nothin' in your clothes." Willie has a great way of being incredibly sweet and also exceptionally funny. Check it out, I have looked around but still not sure who Paul is, good stuff either way.

17) LOVIN' IN MY BABY'S EYES-TAJ MAHAL AND LEFTOVER SALMON. The best cut off the album "The Nashville Sessions." It is a L.S. album, who I appreciate, but I am a total Taj fan. He is so underrated. Al and I saw him a few years back, it was such a treat. He is a contemporary to people like Jerry Garcia, but he keeps the bluesman thing alive. This is one of his own songs, and it is just so sweet. Plus I love his count off in the opening. Also check out "She Caught the Katy."

18) DOWNTOWN TRAIN-TOM WAITS. I have this feeling that people in general forget what a songwriter this guy is. Sure he seems a novelty at times, you might spot him in a movie (check out he and Iggy Pop in Coffee and Cigarettes) or now if you pay attention he is having a "chart-rebirth," which he deserves, but a lot of the songs on his new 3-disc album are retoolings of already recorded material. This number has been covered so many times, and that is just a testament to his talents.
"...the downtown trains are full with all of those brooklyn girls, who try so hard to break out of their little worlds. You wave your hand and they scatter like crows, they have nothing that will ever capture your heart, they're just thorns without the rose." Yeah.

19) A GOOD YEAR FOR THE ROSES-GEORGE JONES. This cover is beautiful. Sure with the first listen it seems kind of lackluster, even tossed off. Okay its not as good as Elvis Costello's original, but lets look in context. George Jones, an old baron of country music, the Nashville kind, not the outlaw stuff. Yet he still made his career based on those tried and true formulas of "Country," drinking, fighting, and breakin' up. Somehow the lyrics work for this old cracker in a weird and palatable way, more so than a tea-sipper. The only give-away is the chorus, in spite of everything and her leaving, "it was a good year for the roses." That's pretty English.

20) 8 MILLION STORIES-A TRIBE CALLED QUEST. Midnight Marauders is one of my favorite Hip-Hop, or Rap, whatever you want to call it, albums. Not the first one I heard of course, but really playable. This track is great because it doesn't bog itself down with a bunch of flashy samples, like the title suggests it is just a story. A day in the MC's life, but he has had it so many times before. I love the humor in it, not uncommon for these guys. No hate or "drama," just good.

21) BET SHE LOOKS GOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR-ARCTIC MONKEYS. I think they misspell it on purpose, or I did it. I can just picture a video in my head. I like that.

22)KEEP THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED-SIMON & GARFUNKEL. There are usually two schools of thought regarding Mr. Simon, some fans love the S&G years, others say there is no other than Graceland Paul. Honestly as far as a performer having been associated with a "group" or "duo," none other has had such a dynamic post career. To say its better, well how do you say SOUNDS OF SILENCE, BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS, MRS ROBINSON, AMERICAN TUNE or ME AND JULIO aren't masterpieces, or can't stand up to YOU CAN CALL ME AL. Not to mention I know many a skirt-twirling hippie girl who thinks CECILIA is the sexiest song ever. This tune I love because its under the radar. The "customer" he is referring to is vague, maybe drugs but that would be too boring. Perhaps he is peddling ideas, or songs, or tunes, or all. I love the refrain though;
"Everywhere I go I get slandered, libeled, I hear words I never heard in the bible..." cool.

23) LET YOUR TROUBLES ROLL BY-CARBON LEAF. I run into bands a lot online, that I seemingly am a stranger to, only to find out that I knew them by some top 40 single that commercial radio has beaten to a pulp. These guys are cool. I admit I don't know much about them as a group, but I like the lyrics to what I've heard as well as the singers voice. Some really good acoustic instrumentation. The rest of what I've heard is a lot better than the single A LIFE LESS ORDINARY, which was humped until it was not breathing any more. I hate when that happens.

24) MOONSHINER'S DAUGHTER-HAYSEED DIXIE. These guys gained their popularity by being an AC/DC bluegrass cover band. They moved on to classic and hard rock in general, plus some originals and old traditional bluegrass songs. I don't know if this one is theirs or not. It could be either original or one of those tongue in cheek naughty folk songs. It doesn't matter a lyric like this..."I married the moonshiner's daughter, how could I go wrong? The moonshiner's daughter cooks up corn and water and makes me liquor all night long."...make me giggle every time.

25) THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (NAIVE MELODY)-TALKING HEADS. It isn't their best song, or even my favorite, but I love everything about it. It is very simple, no subtle, no easy. Most David Byrne is subtle, but this"...Home, is where I want to be but I guess I'm already there," could be such a beautiful lyric but the words "I guess," make it so sad, no melancholy, no maudlin.

26) TAKE A LOOK AT MY GIRLFRIEND-GYM CLASS HEROES. the jury is still out on these guys. I just came across this one by accident, apparently according to Cody and Andi it is very popular with the kids right now...ah well. I like it so I listened to some more of them. I like it, positive hip-hop, is nice. Not that there isn't a lot of harder shit I really like, but honestly I do appreciate it more when it is tight and creative rather than the same regurgitated gansta themes.

So yeah that is stuff that is being played on my itunes lately, sorry this took so long, will try and get an actual personal update soon.

SHE SAID YES!!!!!!

2007-02-15T17:21:00.000-08:00

Good Valentines Day. We are now engaged. More to come.

THIS IS ELLA JEAN THE JELLY BEAN!

2007-02-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

I will be back to post my playlist part two, but I just had to post my favorite picture of my beautiful niece. Jerica picked the photos up on Friday and they are all awesome but this one cracks me up, she is so cute.
That's all for now.

MINDLESS SELF-INDULGENCE, A NEW BEN & JERRY'S FLAVOR THAT TASTES LIKE ME

2007-01-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

*Artwork courtesy of Jerry Wagner

I enjoy checking out celebrity playlists on itunes. Seeing that I have similar tastes to some of them makes me feel (sadly) that they are like me or me them for that matter. Whatever, there are worse vices. With that in mind I decided to make my own. These are just ones off the top of my head, just a mix I would make right now. Not my desert-island discs or anything. Certainly not a serious mix of Swede-lian proportions, just for fun. No one is reading right? (enough of that whining already). Here goes in no particular order....

1) YOUNG PILGRIMS-THE SHINS. I really like this track. I like them in general for the most part. Most of their stuff sounds the same, but this one stands out. Beautiful lead guitar work, and whatsiznutz really uses his voice to the hilt, but casually. Not to mention the sentiment or the tune "...I know there is this part of me that wants to grab the yolk from the pilot and just fly the whole mess into the sea," or even "...Fate isn't what we're up against, there's no design your flaws are fine." I can dig these concepts, I feel like that often.

2) THE SWIMMING SONG-LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III. This is just fun. It does make me think of summer, and well swimming. Just a straight forward fun song. I play the banjo, I like the banjo, when it doesn't sound inbred and this one uses it sparingly and well.

3) BALLAD OF JIM JONES-THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE. Again nothing too over the top about it, just a good jam. It is short sweet and to the point, great harmonica work. My take is it's about following false prophets, that's the obvious take, but also about the temperament it takes to be christ like. Or maybe it's just groovey Britpop?

4) ITS HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY-BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND. How does one choose which song by the boss they like best. I don't think I like this one best even, but anyone can pick Thunder Road or Born to Run. This is young Bruce, but not too young, he writes and sings like a guy who hasn't been through it all yet but has taken some lumps. The introspection of an older man and the bravado of a street tough. Greetings From Asbury Park New Jersey, great album, great understatement.

5) STRANGERS-THE KINKS. I love Ray Davies. He never gets the credit he deserves. Musicians love him, but the masses just think of All Day and All of the Night, or You Really Got Me, when the Kinks come up. This song is so beautiful and so sad. It isn't a love song in the traditional sense, maybe he is singing to a lover, but it feels like its being sung to an old dear friend. I love it and it always brings me somewhere very special.

6) PANCHO AND LEFTY-TOWNES VAN ZANDT. He wrote it but probably doesn't have the most well known version. I like it best though. I love his drawl, this and cowboy Junkies Lamment, they just sum up what that awesome middle ground between old country and that weird new version of shit that passes as country, was supposed to be. Not the "folk-rock" foray into country, but the John Prine, David Allen Coe, Leon Russell stuff that had balls. This song reminds me of the southwest and so many characters I drank with at La Gitana saloon down in ole Arivaca. I have met these guys.

7) JOKERMAN-BOB DYLAN. Again what is the point of picking one Dylan song, but I go through cycles. I love it all honestly but I am not always in the mood for most of his stuff. I do come back to this tune a lot though. He sounds great on it and the lyrics are entrancing...
"Well, the rifleman's stalking the sick and the lame,
Preacherman seeks the same, who'll get there first is uncertain.
Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, padlocks,
Molotov cocktails and rocks behind every curtain,
False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin,
Only a matter of time 'til night comes steppin' in."
Its a song about the antichrist, heavy stuff. It reminds me of a certain "man of peace" we are dealing with right now. That verse in particular makes me think...

8) RADIO RADIO-ELVIS COSTELLO. I am a big fan of this guy, of course like most things I caught on a little late in life. This track is really great. I love the story regarding his appearance on SNL, he had been asked by Lorne Michaels to do a different song, which he started and then abruptly halted and went into Radio Radio. As the legend goes no one knew he was going to do this and Lorne was fuming, and didn't ask Elvis back until the 25th anniversary special where he recreated it with the Beastie Boys. Its just cool to play a song like this that is both in praise of and hate of modern radio, against the wishes of NBC the pioneer of main-stream radio/television.

9) TRAIN IN VAIN-THE CLASH. I can't help but feel so trite in my blurbs about these songs, like I am actually schooling anyone. But its just for fun any way. Well what can I say about this band that hasn't been said, they took "punk rock" (i hate that term) to a level of intelligence and sophistication still not matched. I love their political works, but as far as the anti-love song goes, this is it. It is about break-up and the let-down than can be staggeringly unnecessary with a love you never had much faith in to begin with. It doesn't however spit venom at the accused, no just very matter of fact says "...did you stand by me? No not at all."

10) STAGGER LEE-LlOYD PRICE. This is one of many lyrical retellings of a famous murder in American folklore. It is a true story, it happened in St. Louis, if I'm not mistaken. Stagger Lee shot Billy DeLyon for beating him at craps. This is a cool version because its kind of a 50's soul/shag take on it. Dick Clark however refused to play it because of it's racy subject matter. Other noteworthy versions are by; Fat's Domino, Johnny Rivers, Nick Cave, and Wilson Pickett. The Clash and the Grateful Dead have done their own take son the song as well.

11) THE OOGUM BOOGUM SONG-BRENTON WOOD. Great soul track. Very cinematic. You can picture the singer walking a girl home or rather walking along next to her singing all of her praises, from her cute little features to the way she dresses. Just straight up feel good tunes that give me a sense of nostalgia that I can't explain.

12) JACKSONVILLE SKYLINE-WHISKEYTOWN. I like Ryan Adams alright, he has some soul but has a lot to learn. This track though makes me think he is walking in the right direction. "...I was born in an abundance of inherited sadness..." That is a very moving lyric.

13) THE MAN COMES AROUND-JOHNNY CASH. Maybe because of how much I watch different news stations, the end times are on my mind a lot. Not as a zealot but as an observer. This song is a very pretty take on it all. The man in black is easily one of the most poignant gospel artists, maybe the best male voice of the lot. This just has a powerful ring to it, very sweet without being preachy.

14) NEW ROOMMATE-THE GOURDS. If you haven't heard these guys take a listen. Actually most have heard their awesome bluegrass version of Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice. This is an original composition, just about having to live with people. Mostly all the fun shit that goes along with learning things about people you only can while sharing those most intimate of spaces. Its funny and I love the guy's voice so country/bluegrass but with the sarcasm and humor of an updated generation.

15) ST DOMINIC'S PREVIEW-VAN MORRISON. This song is amazing. Off the album of the same name. It shows off what a great lyricist and storyteller Van the Man can be, not just a writer of "ditties." See also Madame George. It just has some awesome swelling moments in the music, as well as his voice rising up to meet it. Close your eyes and go along with him.

Well that was the end of part one. Yes I decided this will be a two-pronged attack on my playlist. Stay tuned for more. I am looking forward to updating this with more frequency as i was proven very wrong (thankfully) regarding my readership. Peace I'm out...for now. Ah-ha!

"OPEN THE POD BAY DOOR PLEASE HAL..."

2007-01-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

So I am under the impression no one looks at this any more, well I know my Nana does, (thanks Nan!). This feels evident because I guess I was expecting some kind of condolences for the death of Auggie. I wasn't fishing for them, but he was such a big part of my life and this blog, I had to write a eulogy for him. I have received random comments over the year regarding some really mundane topics, I guess I thought someone might drop a line saying they were sorry to hear it. Leading me to assume it was one of three things; 1.) nobody cared, 2.) nobody knew, 3.) nobody felt comfortable. It doesn't matter, just something I had been thinking about. Like anyone I get anxious checking my blog to see if a comment has been posted.
It all stands to reason I suppose. I have been losing touch with a lot of friends. Obviously the ones that live elsewhere, that just happens. I always kind of hoped that despite having to make this decision to come back to Tucson, I would still stay in touch with certain people, in general and in the hopes that I will be able to get back on the horse one day. I am not really a cynical person, I come off that way for the sake of humor sometimes, but I'm not. I don't have a tendency to think there is a reason for not talking to a person or two, life gets in the way, I dig. Its just disheartening, I didn't speak to my best friend for two whole years for no real reason, just because that was what had happened and kept on happening.
I have resigned my self to the POSSIBILITY that I will not be following the dream I had set. I don't know if I will ever get back to Chicago, and if I do it won't be to work with the cats I wanted to work with, just because I know that they will already be well on their way. They have to be. They are some of the funniest guys I have ever seen.
I have some ambition to do some comedy here, I want to do a three man group, I have a lot of great ideas, but I don't know who is left here that has the time or energy. I know I am too tired to get involved in the politics of a troupe. I don't care who is in charge or shit like that, or talking for hours about whether something is actually funny or not rather than polishing a craft.
This feels like a rant, or maybe a call for help, no not help but contact. I hope everyone I know or knew out there is doing well. I hope they see their dreams as attainable. I hope they set the standard a little higher. And in the selfish vein, I hope they don't forget me.
I started my anthropomorphic graphic-novel based on Hamlet (see earlier post for character designs) I have completed Act one Scene one. It is just a rough draft, but I like it and think I'll finish it, at least to keep the creative muscle somewhat flexed.
Well take care all, I am going to keep this going a little while longer, I like the catharsis, of it.

REST IN PEACE MR. THE BEAR

2006-12-25T18:23:00.001-08:00

I have no idea what to write, and I am sorry this is on Christmas day, but I wish to inform all who knew him that Auggie is gone. The poor guy passed away on the 20th. The doctors and the neurologist weren't sure exactly what the root of the problem was. A couple of weeks ago he started having seizures. We took him to a specialist and after a CT-scan and a spinal tap it was determined that he had some damage or "shifting" to his brain had occurred. he hadn't suffered any accidents so we were puzzled. They said it could have been a lack of oxygen before, during or after his birth. Or even possibly his mother had stepped on his head when really young, something to that effect, before we even had him. He would have been 2 years old this month so the doctor said it was typical for these kinds of things to be dormant. Andrea had been reading up on this condition called Pug Encephalitis, when the seizures began. It is a rare condition and is fatal. Auggie had been exhibiting all of the symptoms. They don't know for sure but it could have that.
At first he came home but was on medication. He would be like him self a minute here a moment there, but was not normal. Then he started acting really doped up, we took him back to our vet, they said he was getting used to the meds. Then he stopped eating (big siren went off, he could eat like that little Japanese guy on ESPN2, the real deal) and started crying in pain every now and then. We took him right back because Auggie's a barker, but we knew he was hurting, he never whined. They kept him over night and then called the next day and told us to come down. The neurologist explained that his brain was swelling and slowly shutting down. It had started with muscles, and would go from there, 'til his lungs would stop working and he would suffocate. It was not an "if" it was a "when." We decided to put him to sleep, something we had never had to do, either of us. It was hard but as much as we wanted him to be with us in his last hours, we couldn't let him hurt. We went in to say goodbye to him. He was paralyzed. He was all stiff not limp. He was losing control of his muscles, so the stronger muscles were fighting to hold the weaker ones, keeping his limbs tight in front of him and his spine arched, as if to help to keep him from falling, though he was on his side, as it was explained. His eyes would move in response to our words, but he had not been alert in many hours, they said he may even have lost his vision at that point. We kissed him and said good bye.
It was unspeakably difficult to do this, but it was the right thing to do.
So after two fun-filled years with the guy he was called home. Unsure where but I know he is happy, it wasn't hard for him to be happy. He loved treats, didn't matter what kind unless it did. I loved the way he would jump in anticipation but then inspect the treat, smell it and then exhale with a huff and look at you as if you were to get another and try again.
He loved his "smart-ass dog." It is a toy from PETSMART, its actually in their commercials for a while now. Its called a "Loofa-Dog," long with a smiling dog face on one end and a tail on the other (the design is genius, truly inspired). We called it smart-ass dog because we got his first one when he was a little puppy and it was his favorite toy but it was about twice his length. We would say "you get that Smart-Ass dog, thinks he's so great just 'cause he's bigger!" Auggie would attack him, and then suckle his head and fall asleep. Then as he got older their relationship blossomed into something more. We went through nine of them all together, he got a christmas one a few weeks ago.
He was a good friend and a funny guy. He was very smart there were even a few whole sentences that we would have to whisper because if he heard he would jump up and expected to do or get what ever it was we referred to. He loved his little brother Ollie, and his cousins Raya, Bella, Taz, Bailey and Cujo. He was the best companion. Rode round trip to Chicago and back, first time in a Penske truck. He loved it except the one time outside of St. Louis he wanted to run from a Sonic. He just knew more than we did. He loved to play chase with any one, especially with the big doggies at the Lincoln Park dog run. He also was a hit at the Pug-fest and Parade at the Marriot or Hilton on Michigan Avenue. Nick Berry would know he worked there and we saw him when we pulled up, he didn't know we were "those people." There were over 300 hundred puggies from all over the midwest. Some in costume and some just lovin' life.
He will be missed, and never replaced, he was an original. We miss having him under the covers at our feet, and hearing him snore. Or sit on whatever book we were reading, and look like "what, why read when you can have me?"
Prof. Augustus Van Rumplekins you were Aces man, Momma and Dadda love you. Take care the Bear.

Checka Checka, Yeah!

2006-11-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Aloha fellow pirates!
I just had to post a couple of pics. Top we have some of the waiting room crew. L to R Andrea, Cheech, Wheatie, Mike (our cousin, his first appearance I believe) and The Code-Man. Andrea was permitted in the delivery room but it was crowded enough so she went back and forth, fellas had to stay. The photo was taken by our Aunt Gloria who traveled with Nana from Roodhouse Illinois to be here. Jeez I'm acting like I haven't typed all this before, like "previously on AJOLLYROGERING..."
It was stressful but fun being in the waiting room. we even got a pool going on when Ella would be born. Even Jerica was in on it. Turns we were all off, the latest time was 2:27 I think, and she was born at 3:31. I just used the cash to buy Jerica some food, as she hadn't eaten in at least 30 hours prior, doctor's orders, yeah Dr. Mengele! Bad. Funny story though, she wanted a particular order from The French Quarter, this was about an hour away from Northwest Hospital, but hey I'm the big brother.
The bottom pic is Ella in her Momma's arms. In the bedroom Jerica is staying in, formerly our office, that yes, always had that wall paper. Serendipity. Too bad it wasn't hundred dollar bill wallpaper. Kidding, Baby Ella Jean is golden, and we are all so rich to have her.
We were also talking about a possible arranged marriage with a one Atticus Birkett, he is a little older but he will dig that some day. Hell my Meme always wished Joseph would marry Jerica (though they never dated or know each other that well) this will have to do.

Stunning Debut Of Ella Jean Cicci!!

2006-11-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

So here she is, my first ever niece. she was born at Northwest's woman's center on Saturday November 11th at 3:31 PM. She weighed 7 lbs 5 ounces. She is so beautiful. She doesn't hardly fuss at all.
The two pictures above are, myself holding her about an hour and a half after she was born. Below that, is my Nana and her great-grandmother. Nana and her sister, my Aunt Gloria came out to visit for a while to help Jerica get comfortable.
There were a lot of people there to support Jerica. Lets do a roll call,
Allowed into Jay's room during labor were the women folk, All together at differents time from when she was admitted on Friday there was Aunt Michelle, cousin Melissa, Jerica's best friend Beth, her good friend Sarah, Aunt Gloria, Nana and Andrea.
The waiting room, or B team as it were. was comprised of Cody, Josh Wheatie, Alfred, cousin Mike, Sarah's boyfriend Brandon and myself. There were many calls from all over the country to congratulate Jerica and Little baby Ella.
I have been very busy with all of this, work, event coordinator, meal planner, and transportation. That is why there has been a lag (Joe!, holla!). I will return later on today to fill in the gaps.
Love you ELLA!!!!

For Its A Jolly Good Blog!

2006-10-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

So I am a couple of days off, funny how busy with nothing I have been, but it has been one year since I started this...thing. It was the 27th of October back in Chicago that out of chilly nights and low cash, I created it. That's all the ceremony a silly thing like a blog requires.
These photos are of our family pumpkin-carving night. They are as follows,
1) My pumpkin (like almost every one I have done I start carving an elaborate design I drew, then mess up so it breaks an becomes a cyclops. I then have to carve a mouth under it, which I did.) His name is Cyclops.
2) Here they are in the dark, on the kitchen table. we don't have a digital camera yet, just the built in isight on the computer monitor.
3)This Andrea and I around them.
4) This Andi's pumpkin, Jack Skellington, from A Nightmare Before Christmas.
5) And last but not least Cody's pumpkin, by the name of Bob. This was his own design and then Bob carved into his forehead.
That was a fun night. when we bought our pumpkins we also got the fixin's for an awesome ice cream sundae bar. I made a sundae that pretty much kicked my ass. I had no business eating anything like that. It was a good time.
Cody's soccer team, the Smashing Pumpkins is still undefeated. There are only 3 more regular games in the season before play-offs. Next week should be a fun one. Cody and I have to go to a game about 45 minutes away in Benson. It is also our week for snacks. And Jerica is due on Saturday. Andrea will be staying here should Jerica need to be rushed to the baby-having store. If she doesn't by then she is electing to induce labor. Don't ask me how that shit happens, something to do with voo-doo and coercion. Then we will have our "Full House," To make things even more exciting (and they will be) Nana and Aunt Gloria are coming from Illinois for 2 weeks. It will be packed thats for sure. I am very glad they are coming. To see them and for what help and relief it will be for Jay. It will be fun. I just hope the chaos isn't too much of a distraction for Cody. He has done a complete flip at school. We started the year out kind of rocky. he had gotten into trouble a few times right out of the gate. Nothing serious, just goofing and being inappropriate. Stuff I did all my life. But just a bad start. then his report card came home with two F's. They were in health class. Yes he is taking the same class twice, an oversight on my part because I made him switch a remedial math class they stuck him in by accident, he is pre-algebra, but he never told me they put him in a class he already had. He was under the impression that only his core classes mattered. He admitted that he just blew them off. Well Andi and I had to explain about GPA's and how it all effects you. Well he was punished for his 2 F's and a C. Two weeks ago he brought home his midterm grades, he had a B in every class. By this typing he has at least 2 A's, end of the semester he should have more. On top of that I have not talked to Mr. Chilgreen, the Vice Principal in weeks. Yay Cody!
He is going trick or treating tomorrow. He isn't really going as anything, he found this cool checkered vest the other day, at Bookman's of all places. Then we went to 4th Ave and found a plaid hat that matches, the colors are black, white and pink. He is wearing black pants, white shirt and thin black tie. The closest thing I can think of is, he kind of looks like a Rude Boy. Even bought a shiny new Union Jack belt buckle. He looks pretty cool. Like he said he loves the outfit and will continue to wear it throughout the year.
Other news, its been kind of bumpy for me. Since I finished my teaching gig this Summer I have had some trouble with employment. I have had a job the whole time, but I haven't been able to be picky. I have taken what I could get quick. Work 'til I get sick of it, and find a new one in a day or two. I left the Good Egg last week. It just sucked. I liked the hours but I am over serving. It hurts my back a lot, plus the people are just so negative. It brings out the negativity in me, hell on my second day I was pelted with bread by a guy who wasn't even my customer. Well 3 days later I was hired at a call center near by. good pay, good hours and benefits in 90 days. This is what I needed it just took a few months to find it. I have call center experience. In fact I was going to go back to AOL, but the very day I was going into talk to my old coach I read in the paper about the closing of nearly all of their call centers in the U.S. including Tucson (I left my heart in Bangaloor). This one is inbound too but not tech support, customer service, which I like a lot more. I started today and it should be good. Money to save and have for Christmas. Lets see I have given up alcohol in all forms all together. At least for a while, for a myriad of reasons, but mostly for my well being, body and mind. Its been good so far, hard but not too hard.
Also you may have read mention of a pilot I helped to create and write. It is still being polished and shopped around. The only difference is I am not involved any more. It was kind of like I was voted off the island so to speak. I mean Matt and Justin called me and we talked about it. I understand the reasons, I went pretty willingly, however I can't deny that this was decided behind my back and then presented to me to see how upset I would be about it. I am not in Chicago. That is fact that is no one's fault. I can't be there to help write it, though a lot of what I helped write is still there, It wouldn't have been impossible to do it long distance, but easier not to. I think the nail in my coffin was that I was asked to draw profiles of the characters. They thought I would do a better job than Justin, though he can draw just fine. I irresponsibly said yes, mostly because i was afraid of not being able to help, be the odd man out. Well I am just not good with commissions. Ask my good friend Joseph, when I have done work for his publications he likes it, but getting it done is grueling for me. I can't explain it and there probably is no explanation. I have always just drawn for my own fun and no more. Anyway I struggled and struggled and never got what I wanted out of these caricatures. I never got it done. I am sure this prompted the other guys to decide I wasn't useful and it wasn't feasible for me to be attached to the project. Also it can be difficult to sell so many writers/creators with a project, which sounds like it's most likely true. I know there are no hard feelings, at least from me, I am just bummed. I own part of it and its registered with the writer's guild in all of our names, so if it sold I would get a royalty. That's great I would love to have made money with some form of my comedy, but I wasn't just interested in a check. When I was in Chicago and meeting with those guys weekly to practice improv I would mention all the time what a great concept we had with "S.E.C." Having drinks I suggested it, just hanging out I suggested it. I always loved it and was dedicated to it. Fate is fate and no one dug it out 'til after I left. So be it. I wish I had an outlet for my comedy here. I have been working on some material to do some more stand-up, but I miss improv. I feel like I'm pretty good at it but there is nothing that interests me in Tucson. I had well over-stayed my welcome in Comedy Corner to begin with, other than that what? I could start my own group, but with who? Al and Andrea, that's all I got. Well Boo-Hoo for me. I hope the pilot goes all the way, Matt, Justin and Zach are three of my favorite comedians hands down. They deserve to be successful writers/performers. Because they will have earned it.
Honeysocks played at Bumstead's on 4th Ave on Saturday the 21st. Joseph and I saw him and then went back to Al's and played music 'til the wee small hours of the morning. It was a gas, however the copious amounts of Scottish and Mexican beers I consumed helped to motivate my self-imposed prohibition. Yeah its only been 8 days with out a drop but I feel good, that seems like nothing but I enjoy beer, that is an accomplishment.
I just finished an awesome books of essays, called the Rose and the Briar (Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad). It is edited by music-writer Greil Marcus, and has a lot of cool contributors from Sarah Vowell to R. Crumb, and former Mekons founder Jon Langford. The common thread for all the essays is the American Folk Ballad. Ballads as old as Barbry Allen, Pretty Polly, John Brown's Body, the Coo-Coo is a Pretty Bird, through Frankie and Albert, Little Maggie, Delia, to contemporary ones like Dead Man's Curve, Nebraska, Sail Away and Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts. It was just a great read and so informative for a folk-junkie like me, please don't say "folkie," even to yourself as you read this.
That's the news. Its been quite a year. Maybe I'll keep this going, who knows. The updates have slowed, but you're not reading any way.
So bye for now.

"...NOW SHE'S HIT THE BIG TIME, IN THE U.S.A."

2006-10-08T13:31:00.001-07:00

This here is an exciting little bit of local press. The above is a clipping from the Tucson Weekly, our local arts/politics/entertainment guide. It is one of the lineups for our annual "Fall Crawl." A local music festival, we have one in the spring as well (Club Crawl). It's kind of a big deal, the cream of the crop for local and "southwest" acts get to show their stuff. You buy a wristband and most of the clubs and cafes in the downtown/4th avenue district have at least 4 acts on their bills. It is always fun, I have had some memorable "Crawl" moments. I first got together with ex-girlfriend and good friend Rose, seeing Zach's buddy Cameron's band at what I believe was Mac Daddy's at the time. Good times.
This shows the lineup at the Red Room at the Grill, a little hole in the wall bar attached to the hipster diner hang-out on Congress. The first guy on the bill is the legendary folk/blues man Honeysocks himself. You all know and love him as Alaric Weber. He earned his monicker in Arkansas, that's about as interesting as the story gets (he actually stepped in honey without his shoes on, while making tea). The right up is cool because it mentions the band that we were in after High School. We were The Jack Acid Society, named from the title of a Walt Kelly book. The founding members were Thoreau Smiley, Alaric Weber, Josh Cicci, Chad Lichtenhan, and Jerry Wagner. In the, I believe 6 years of our existence many played with us, many. We had fun. We were young and maybe not as motivated as we could have been, Thoreau was our songwriter and I suppose now looking back he was our bandleader. I was the frontman but mostly because of my charisma and ability to work a crowd, more so than my singing voice. T-Row eventually got frustrated with our lazy stoner attitude, so we stopped. Every now and then some incarnation would play a party down in Arivaca. The little "hippy" hamlet south of Tucson that had adopted us. But we never formed again.
Al has kept up with his music though, and has made a LP with ten original songs, and a few covers. It is cool and has gotten him a few gigs around town, including this one, Fall Crawl!! Andrea and I went to see him last night. He was on note through the whole set. He luckily heeded some of the advice I gave him over pool and pints the night before. He didn't start with Dingoes Ate My Band, the hit that has preceded him, like he was planning. He was funny and collected, and engaging with the audience. There weren't many people there. His mother and sister, her husband and some of their friends. Swede came and Moochie and Dan showed up towards the end. There was also a couple I didn't recognize who were totally into his set and laughing at all the right times. It turns out, no one knew them, they came up to Al after the set to meet him and told him they read about him in the Weekly, so they searched him on MySpace to hear his music, they went just to see him and hear Dingoes. Pretty Cool! The other thing was the Weekly described his music as "Joke-Folk," apparently much to Al's chagrin. Andrea said it best, "He plays folk music, that is funny!" Simple enough, I thought just the fact that a phrase was coined is cool, the J.A.S. used to call ourselves "Speed-Folk." It fit and this new one for Al does too.
It was good and I was proud of my good friend.
Tonight we are going to Laff's Comedy Club. Our friends Jeff Koester and Jessi Campbell are having their engagement/wedding party there. They are both talented stand-ups, Jeff I know from Comedy Corner, he fucked up my one and only line in my first S.I.C.K. festival. Jessi is hilarious, and to be totally fair Jeff has gotten really sharp on stage. Andi and I have both performed at Laff's and it should be fun, and at the same time totally annoying. If you have ever been just hanging out with comedians, then you know what I mean. Its almost as bad as meat-head jocks, you can't have a conversation because no one is listening they are just trying to think of a funny interjection. A nerd pissing contest, and yes all comedians are nerds, they have to be, even the "hip" looking ones. We'll see.
Last week was Jerica's baby shower. Andrea and I hosted it. I made 6 quiches, artichoke dip, a fruit and veggie tray, chips and salsa, and punch. Aunt Michelle brought cake. Andi, Bethanne and Sarah decorated and came up with the games. It was a smash, we had at least thirty people in our house. Some of my friends came and that made Jay feel good. Our living room is still crowded with gifts and diapers. A few people said I should be doing catering with my quiches, "Cheech's Quiches!" Who knows.
And now a funny story from work...
I was at my new job the other day, actually my second day on the job. It's one of many serving jobs I have had and will. I like the place, gets me up at 5AM and off at 2PM, I likes it. I was the new guy, and I thought I would help another server out. I take her order out to her table. Its a table of two guys, both around 60ish, maybe older but giving themselves a heart attack trying not to look like it. I drop the food off, and I say...
"Everything OK?"
"I wanted an english muffin!," (wheat toast on the plate, because the ticket said so)
Me-"Hey no problem sir, I'll be right back with that muffin."
More angry "I fucking told her ten times, and english muffin!!!"
He then takes the toast off of his plate and throws it at me, all four pieces.
I admit I am stunned. But hell it ain't my first rodeo. So I pick up his toast, and say...
"Well sir, I'll be right back with your english muffin." and I do just that, I get this asshole his most needed of muffins.
I didn't give a shit about it. What do I care?
Well after some confusion, but not a peep on my part, my manager Dave gets up the balls to go tell the guy off. I didn't ask him to but honestly I was expecting it.
The guy wasn't my customer, I didn't have to talk to the guy, so who cares.
The rest of the day I hear variations of the same two sentiments, they are in a nutshell;
"I would have thrown that toast right back in his face," the assistant manager was one who said that.
The other being, "I can't believe that you didn't get mad."
Why? Now I am not a man having an abundance of patience, I have very little sometimes, but I can keep the perspective. This is a grown-ass man in his sixties at least, throwing bread at another adult, because he's mad. All I could say is, "That guy is going to have a heart attack in traffic one day." I was not going to give that kind of negativity power over me. I could give a shit about him, and playing his game would only satisfy his urge to be a dick because his own dick probably doesn't work any more. Because come on, if you are getting love on a regular basis you aren't throwing bread at a dude who makes $2.13 an hour.
Well that's all for now folks, more update to come, they are slow I know, but they will come.

THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO ARNIE

2006-09-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hello. I know I have been lagging in between posts. No real reason, just a general malaise. Been a bit bored as of late. Just not inspired, and its really affecting me. I sit down to write, no write. I sit down to draw, no draw. I sit down to paint, no paint. I sit down to pee, no I don't sit down to pee. Just wish I had more outlets to do some comedy in, but I don't. There is open mic at Laffs, but I have been too unmotivated/lazy to go. So it's my fault. I know, I don't need you to remind me. Don't be mean...
Ahem, News, news my sister moves in with us tomorrow, at least her stuff. I'm glad it's finally happening, I'd like it to be easier for me to keep an eye on her. She thinks I don't want her to move in but I think that's just her projecting her guilt and stress on to me. It will be fine, and when Ella Jean is born (as Andi pointed out) we will have our own little Party Of Five.
Cody played his second soccer game this past Saturday. His team is called the Smashing Pumpkins (orange & black jerseys). They have won both games so far. They are a really tight team. I volunteered to make the team banner, which I have designed and will execute this week. Next Saturday is a game in Wilcox Arizona, hometown of Movie and TV singing cowboy Rex Allen. It also produces a lot of apples, and is where Andi's mom Dixie was born. See you there!
Oh yeah! The above photo. This is one of the group "publicity" shots of the improv comedy group I was in known only as The Secret Show. That's (L to R) Alice, Logan, Justin, Arnie (standing), Mark, and myself. The delectable little morsel in the pan is the famous Auggie the Bear. He was very little once. We had some pretty good gigs in Tucson right before everyone but Alice moved to Chicago. I had a great time, my favorite was the Best Western Lounge gig(s?). Fun stuff. Mark has since moved to NYC to attend graduate school. Justin and Logan are in Chicago, and Alice is here in Tucson, a school nurse I believe.
I don't want to say too much, I don't want to jinx anything, but the pilot that myself, Justin (above), Matt, and Zach created and wrote, will start getting into the hands of the "right" people. People who buy and produce TV pilots. Too early to tell, but we have a woman in L.A. working as our manager, showing this script around. I will say no more but it is exciting. So wish a SILENT good luck for us.
that's all gotta pick Code up from soccer practice.
A Shout Out-
Ollie is getting better with his potty training, or house-breaking whatever.
Please Check out Arnie's (above) blog, and the one he just finished, they are great.

GOD BLESS YOU MR ROSEWATER

2006-09-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

It has been 10 days since the release of "Modern Times," the 49th album from Bob Dylan. That has given me a enough time to chew it over...tasty. If you know me personally then it is well known that I am an unabashed Dylan fan. Just a fan, nothing more, I don't really dig on hero worship, but I'm glad he is/was/and will be.
As for the album, there was certainly no adjustment period for me as far as enjoying it. When I was 15ish turning 16, I first heard the album Self Portrait at Josh McJunkin's house. He and Eli and I must have played the shit out of that record, it was on vinyl, just loving it. I was to find out years later that it was one of his most hated albums. In fact the very magazine pictured above offered this 4 word review of Self Portrait, "What is this shit?" They seem to have had a lot of trouble deciding what to think of Dylan. Listening with a very objective ear I was allowed to soak up where this man, as an artist, was coming from. I learned that he had an overwhelming appreciation of American roots music. What is occasionally incorrectly referred to as Folk music. I learned he had a great sense of humor, and a lax attitude about his earlier original material. I was lucky to have been born when I was for one reason, I didn't have any preconceived notions regarding what Bob Dylan was supposed to mean to me. I didn't have the hang up of feeling Bob Dylan belonged to me and my generation, that I somehow "owned" him and his music because I had watched the hosing of black students in Mississippi on TV. Or that because I attended rallies in Berkeley the songs of Bob Dylan were not his, but public domain anthems to be manipulated to aide in the fight of any cause I saw fit. No I had the wild-eyed, kid-gloved opportunity to carefully hold and inspect and take in each of these strange and cryptic masterpieces. I listened more intently than I might have to what was "au currant," at the time, but I did what a kid would do, replay what I loved over and over and pay little attention to what I wasn't as into. Then came Bringing It All Back Home, which led to Highway 61 Revisited of course, then jumps to Desire, and Blood On The Tracks. One day I was alone at the house I shared with McJ, and I put on Blonde On Blonde, again on vinyl (I'm not being snobby hipster about it, its just it was very important to the vibe and aesthetic of discovering this wondrous music.) I was under the influence of a drug of the "Peter Maxx" variety, and I listened to the whole thing without moving from my spot. I would only stand long enough to flip the record, and was blown away to find that side D contained only one song. The first time I heard Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. It was amazing to say the least.
I went on to read a lot about Bob and where is influences are coming from. He was a gateway drug for sure. Now I am an armchair (very armchair) roots/folk music historian, or aficionado whatever the most applicable word would be. I know lots of trivial shit about a lot of still unknown musicians and songwriters. So sure if you pinned me into a corner I can defend, in good conscience, any one of his albums. I can tell you why they came to be at the time, and what I think their merits are. However like anything I know what I like most and what has special meaning to me.
"I am a Michael Bolton fan! I celebrate his entire catalogue."
Right.
Modern Times is one I already know will pop up in the rotation often. It reminds me quite a bit of his last album, Love and Theft. This is rare for this artist. He is adept at shedding his skin. Love and Theft and Modern Times both have this smokey ethereal vibe. Kindred in their use of the traditional themes and idioms of the Appalachian mountain songs, and the Delta blues especially. Dylan has always done what is common in American music, to lift actual lines from songs that have been past around from cultural generation to generation. What makes it unique of course, is the material they are interwoven into, the original lyrics of Bobby D. You can scarcely tell, unless educated to, spot the borrowed from the new. That's kind of weird, that a kid listening to him for the first time with this album could very well think to himself, "wow "I Sleep In The Kitchen With My Feet In The Hall" is an awesome and funny line he wrote." But that doesn't change the fact that he has succeeded in his amalgam as well as he did with The Times They Are A Changin, and The Freewheelin Bob Dylan.
Lets look shall we?....

Lost John's sittin' on a railroad track
Something's out of whack
Blues this mornin' fallin' down like hail
Gonna leave a greasy trail
Gon' travel the world is what I'm gonna do
Then come back and see you.
All I ever do is struggle and strive.
If I don't do anybody any harm, I might make it back home alive.
I'm the oldest son of a crazy man,
I'm in a cowboy band
Got a pile of sins to pay for and I ain't got time to hide
I'd walk through a blazing fire, baby, if I knew you was on the other side

Even taking titles from old hand-me-downs like, Rollin' and Tumblin', Nettie Moore and Levees' Gonna Break. But these are not covers, they are original works, no doubt. Even giving you the taste and feel of quintessential Dylan lyrics. Lets go to the monitor...

There's an evening haze settling over town,
Starlight by the edge of the creek
The buying power of the proletariat's gone down,
Money's getting shallow and weak
Well, the place I love best is a sweet memory
it's a new path that we trod
They say low wages are a reality
If we want to compete abroad
("he's a multimillionaire what does he care?"...not the point asshole take your bad attitude and go)

Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches
I'll recruit my army from the orphanages
I been to St. Herman's church; said my religious vows
I've sucked the milk out of a thousand cows
I got the pork chops, she got the pie
She ain't no angel and neither am I
Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes
I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams

I won't be with you in paradise
and it seems so unfair
I can't go to paradise no more,
I killed a man back there

You think I'm over the hill
Think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got
We can have a whoppin' good time

Well, the whole world is filled with speculation,
The whole wide world which people say is round.
They will tear your mind away from contemplation,
They will jump on your misfortune when you're down.
Ain't talkin', just walkin'
Eatin' hog-eyed grease in a hog-eyed town.
Heart burnin', still yearnin'
Some day you'll be glad to have me around.
They will crush you with wealth and power
Every waking moment you could crack.
I'll make the most of one last extra hour,
I'll avenge my father's death when I step back.

Sure out of context they can seem like a jumble of random and arbitrary thoughts. But they are far from stream of conscieness. There is a very direct point to each song. I don't know what they mean to Bob Dylan but I am not too dense to hear what the author wants me to hear. This is a very introspective man. He dropped the bucket into his own well and came up with a bucket full of material that is unapologetic, and humble, and strong, and old, and raw. Hanging onto the bucket as it rises are characters from past songs, if not as well known as the likes of John Henry, Stagga Lee or Tom Doola, than every bit as vibrant. He stills writes like there is one or many tempting sirens hovering around him. If the woman remains the same from song to song than a picture of an insane woman that can give Sybil a run for her money is painted. The "companions" and the "enemies" are juxtaposed and flipped from line to line much like life sometimes. The "rich and the powerful" have not changed a bit. They are the same beasts he was singing to in Masters Of War. They have only changed suits and sins.
He sounds as good as ever (ha ha this is where everyone does their shitty Dylan impression, whatever.) He is clear and concise, which he was always capable of. People never realized that he let's you hear what he wants you to hear. The Bob voice was as much a put on as Alice Cooper's blood and death shit.
The new itunes commercial is cool, and I like seeing Bob on the newsstand in 2006. He is cool again, great good for him and good for people who are ready to discover him. As for me if he is sellin' it I'll take a look, I'm usually glad I did.
I recommend Modern Times, the album, not the time period.

"COME ON! FIVE MORE MINUTES...OKAY! FINE! IM UP!"

2006-08-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry this has taken so long, I er, fell down a well. Yes I was trapped there awhile, think Baby Jessica but with a little more girth and a goatee. However the way that the community rallied around me to show support was...awe- inspiring...miraculous...sno-cone vendors...telethon...bla bla. Anyway sorry I have been absent from the "blog-scene."
There have been some events since last I posted. It was my baby's birthday on the 16th. She said she had a nice one. We both had the day off, when Cody got home from school, we had a cheesecake with candles in it ablaze. We gave her the presents from us, which she loved. Then later that she and I had a very romantic dinner at Barrio Grille downtown, awesome, really nice waiter. I saw Spencer Dooley across the room, he was with a party of people so I didn't say hello. I will just have to settle for seeing him in local TV commercials.
Oh yeah! We welcomed a new member to the Cicci/Martinez clan. He is pictured above and his name is Oliver (Ollie the monkey, brother to Auggie the bear). He is really little, just weaned from his momma. We got him for free from someone Andi works with. We had wanted to get another dog so Auggie won't be so bummed when he is alone, so we did. However Ollie is still to little for Auggie to do anything with yet, so he tries to play with him, but one good smack and Ollie cries and Auggies is weirded out, but he'll come around. We all like having a puppy around, but we go out of our way to remind Auggie he still very loved.
Work is good. I am the assistant manager at that cafe I spoke of earlier. I wish I was teaching, but a paycheck is a paycheck.
I like the kids who work there. They are all early twenties (21 is the oldest) and in school. Makes me feel a little old.
Jerica will be moving in with us soon. That is going to be something. She is getting to the point where she has to work less, and therefore can't afford as much, so we told her she can live in the office. I will move my desks out so she can fit her changing table and bassinet in. It already has a bed. It will be interesting when the baby comes. It is the sitcom of my life. She really doesn't have any where else to turn, family is family. I am grateful that I, and Andi of course, can help my siblings. They help me by just being around.
Things have been a little tough around here lately. We haven't been fighting, no the opposite, we haven't seen each other enough to fight. We just have no time together. And we both feel we have no time for ourselves. I have nothing going on that is strictly for me. No comedy, no improv, no time to draw, no playing music nothing. I have been doing some character designs for the pilot we have submitted, but again the team is in Chicago and I am here. The response form the producer in L.A. has been positive so far.
We just need to find away to make everything work. I work nights, she's off at 8, Cody is in bed when I get home, leaves before I'm up. Its just frustrating, when you have to toil so much for the basics. I am happy because I have those I love around me, but its just not where I saw things at 30. I know lots of people can say that, but I'm not even raising my own kids and don't know when I'll have a chance to do that. Well we can't have everything. I just have to change my horse in midstream, make a different plan. People say "you never know, its never too late," but I have also seen a lot of regret in my few years. I've seen a lot of dreams kept in the hope-chest on top of the dresser.
In spite of it all I love the little family I have here. Andrea is a gift, the patience and tolerance she has. She helps like no one understands. Early on we were worried about Cody getting along with her, not even a question any more, he knows how important she is.
I am grateful for how understanding, and well-meaning Cody is, he is a young teen, therefore prone to sudden fits of irrationality and ignorance, but he listens and appreciates other points of view. He really is doing well and even if I have to beat him I will make sure that continues.
However stay tuned for a post regarding Cody and a sudden "object of affection," or "the make-out files," to be up soon.
There is a hen in the fox-house so to speak.
Anyway, I am sorry this was long in coming (I know it isn't a pressing issue for most but my Grandmother in Illinois keeps emailing me wondering where my update is. So here you go, love you Nana!), and I love my family so mush...ROLL CALL I love Andrea, Jerica, Cody, Auggie and introducing Ollie!
That's the team. Go Team!

WELL THAT WAS NICE

2006-08-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hello folks. Hope all is well out there. So above is a picture of Pogo Possum, a comic strip character from the 50's up through the 70's, created by the great Walt Kelly. It was strip the likes of which hadn't been seen and yet hasn't still. It was so sly at being subversive. It took place in a swamp with lot's of "southern" and "creole" animal characters. They spoke in southern dialects and phonetic puns, as if to make them seem like yokels. However the subjects they talked about were pretty dangerous. They relentlessly bashed Joe McCarthy, at the time of all the blacklisting. Lots of political satire, but it was just a "comic strip," so no one noticed. In fact the band I was in for years took its name, The Jack Acid Society, from the title of a Walt Kelly Pogo book. The J.A.S. being McCarthy and his group of congressional witch-hunters. A Society that does things in a Jack "Ass-ed" manner.
Point is that there was this awesome claymation movie I watched constantly as a kid, if I was sick that's what I wanted to rent, I saw it tons of times. It was called Pogo For President: I Go Pogo. It was beautifully animated, they just gave such a natural light to the swamp. It was just gorgeous, Tim Burton could take a lot of notes from this movie. It also has great voice talent such as Vincent Price, Stan Freberg, Ruth Buzzi and Jonathan Winters. It was a really funny little picture. I hadn't been able to find it. Not since I rented it in Connecticut as a kid. I forgot about it pretty much.
Well I finally find a used copy in "very good" condition from a guy in Texas on Amazon. He wants $12.95 plus shipping I say, sure pal sure. I get an email today from the guy through Amazon telling me they have refunded my money, I was worried it was sold already, so I read on. The guy said he shipped it this morning and watched it beforehand and found there was a black spot on the film in the beginning so its free. That was pretty cool, I mean bummer its damaged but hopefully its just a minute or two, either way cool. It will be fun to have that little memento from childhood. I don't really have anything from when I was a kid, a toy or something to whisk me back there, so this should be neat.
I got a job I was hoping to get. I saw an ad for a guy who needs help in pretty much "building" his new coffee shop. Its not his but its owned by a family who doesn't want the hands on aspect of the business, so they hired this guy Bill. He just moved here in May and doesn't know the town or people, so I call him tell him all of the specialty coffee experience I have from being a roaster's apprentice, to a co-manager of a University Coffee House. He says well I'll call you on Friday. He calls early Thursday and wants to offer the job, I accept and start on Monday. So I am his right-hand-man, the assistant manager. If we can make this a money-making enterprise it could stand to be very lucrative. Hazah!
Andi gets back in town tomorrow. She has, get this, been in California for a week, Disneyland, SeaWorld, Magic Mountain and the beach, with her job...getting paid. She says it hasn't been all great, she and the other staff took the teens from the group home and their babies, so its been work for sure, but still kinda nice. Cody got home on Tuesday, I have gone no where. Code and I went and saw The Breakup (I have no idea why?) at the cheap seats today. Alaric might be playing at Fall Crawl this year, I hope so.
I'm going to get a Klondike bar, so as Tiny Tim said in the immortal Dicken's classic "Take It Easy...Everyone."

OH IF ONLY...

2006-07-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wish real life was as funny as it could be? For instance if this guy had a chance in the world to play Superman. I mean the character Superman has been around for 70-some years, we all get it, it wouldn't throw the whole mythos asunder by let this dude play him one movie. It could never happen because I can't think of a director living that could do it without it being a spoof of itself. It would be hard. And its not a racial thing by any means, this could've been a pic of a 32 year old white man of a girth of oh say 300lbs or more. My point would still stand.
Is it because audiences today cannot suspend their disbelief at all. There was a time in cinema history when people would go into hysterics at the sight of a giant Ant attacking town's grain supply. What if the dazzling young urbanite in the photo above could act his ass off? Like straight from the actor's studio, he could make you cry by crying. I just think it would be great, to know what I was getting, not a shock from the filmmaker, just the plan, the concept that anyone could play Superman, if they could play Superman. Its just, I don't know, for lack of a better word funny, that a large majority of this world will never be able to play Superman, no matter how much they understand the character, it will never be because they got too much soul to play the quintessential boy-scout.
There is one place they can though...The San Diego Comic Con! I didn't take this pic, because I have never been. I have wanted to from a young age. I am a comic book fan and amateur artist. I don't collect them any more, its an expensive hobby, like golf expensive, not yachting expensive, but more expensive than doll clothes making ( yes I have dabbled in all of these ). I have had friends that have gone, and I will someday. I just want to go, and meet artist, writers and directors/actors I have admired for years, I have no desire to dress up like a Storm Trooper or the guy from Saville Row that sells Dr. Who his scarves. I just want to nerd it up by the beach for a weekend, ah maybe next year.
This was just a brief break from the job search drudgery. And it was sponsored by the word Awesome and the number 7.

LIVE FROM THE GUEST BEDROOM!

2006-07-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO BLOG-TIME, WHATEVER THAT IS, WITH HANDSOME DAN!

I am going to say right off the bat that this will not be a political post. I am not going to try, in my sophomoric way, to pontificate about Lebanon and Israel. I am just watching ever so closely the goings on. I enjoyed, like most of us, the candid and somewhat creepy exchange between Big G. and Tiny T. I had nothing in mind regarding the G8 conference. I suppose I imagined it more formal. Apparently its more like a Mafioso wedding, where right in the middle of Dad's toast at the reception you can walk up and whisper in the groom's ear. And decide what to do about Jimmy "Mottsa" and his beef with Sammy "Tabouli."
Ok that was a lot of setup for little delivery, that's what its like down in the "funny mines." I have a very indifferent feeling about the conflict. I am still very against war, so therefore I side with no one...that is fighting. I do, for maybe the first time, appreciate the President's comments to Blair ( man I wish this was going into a whole Facts Of Life thing) at the G8. To not publicly back either country, I'm sure it wasn't his idea, but anyway, then sending Condi "Jogging-Suit" Rice to lay it down in the Holy Land.
I loved her 70's sci-fi choice of clothing. It was like she really was an ambassador from a foreign land...and that land was...RiGel 4.
Woooo, you guys are great tonight, have you guys seen this heat? Its really bad, its so bad Los Angeles is comparing itself to Houston. This comparison was made today on NPR, L.A. is as hot as its ever been, except when *insert sexy young actor* came to town. Los Angeles was reaching temps (that's weather talk) of 119 degrees. An all time high. And the follow-up on the story was how the local "street-vendors" on Venice Beach were dealing with it. How? By being totally bummed. "How am I supposed to give henna tattoos when the henna just melts off?" asked one sweaty patchouli smelling chick.
All in all its been a slow week here. I don't have any teaching gigs lined up so I am looking for work in the meantime. When school starts there will probably be an influx of offers but we can't wait on them.
Some good friends of mine with whom I have collaborated with many times, are bringing back a fantastic idea we all came up with a couple of years ago. With out giving anything away, its pretty much a soap opera spoof, but much more inspired. Ironically we came up with it a long time before Arrested Development aired, but ours is more straight forward. As the audience you will definitely know you are watching a soap opera. They have someone potentially interested in it, so they are writing up the pilot we started to write here in AZ. They will also shop it around in general.
I am so stoked for it, but I am heart-broken because they are all in Chicago and I am here. They emailed me to let me know about it, and I have the first draft of the script, plus notes, so they want my input, which I appreciate, because I was as involved as anyone, but I can't be there to help. Most of the fun of group writing is just that. Being at home on the computer helping out just makes me feel like some fat nerd boy who saw a teaser script of Attack Of The Clones and then posted on a message board with his "notes," and thinks he was integral to the outcome.
Ah well, I wish them luck, I may get a creators' credit, either way I hope I get to see it on TV someday, perhaps even on the WB. Bestill my heart.
Laters.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE HILARIOUS FLOWERS GONE?

2006-07-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

I was searching for when the third and final season of Arrested Development (cast pictured above) comes out on DVD, turns out the end of next month. While searching I found all kinds of fan sites and message boards bitching about FOX canceling it. It was getting me fired up. FOX had only bought 13 episodes for that season, there may be one or two extra ones on the measly 2-disc set coming out. Its just lame, especially when they brought back Family Guy and American Dad. F.G. Makes me chuckle occasionally but the A.D. is the same freakin' show, with an alien character in it, oh and they switched the brother and sister roles. Is the American public that low-brow...ok most likely but not all of us. Arrested Development was one of the best things I had seen on T.V. in a long time. The comedy was so witty and so subtle, and the fly on the wall style of filming, away from a studio was brilliant. In a day in age when it seems that making the Wayans Brothers look freaky with some sort of special effect is considered real comedy, I guess I don't know what to expect.
I should know better from the time I was a kid they have been canceling the shows I loved after a season or two, here are some of them Quantum Leap (that was like 5 seasons Ill admit) The Adventures of Brisco County Jr, Eerie Indiana, The Kids In the Hall, The State, Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, The Tick, and more I'm sure. Yet I had to listen to how much this country loves Will and Grace, or "Raymond" for that matter, or when Frasier was ending it was treated as dramatically as if real people were dying. I suppose its all about what you can identify with, but oddly enough I get where a time "leaping" astronaut from the future is coming from a hell of a lot more than six unemployed pretty people living in their loft in New York, complaining about their lives.
I just really got into Arrested Development and pretty much everyone I spoke to about the show loved it too. No use in complaining I understand.
Andi and I went to see Clerks II today, well actually we went to see it yesterday but after about 20 minutes the power in the theatre went out and they issued passes, so today it was. It was lousy as movies go, but awesome as fan-fodder goes. It had more of a narrative than the first one, and both have their merits, I liked the long rambling non-sequiters of the first one, but its just neat to see characters you dig do more. That's what it was just seeing those people was nice. And I suppose to the public at large it was offensive, but I'm not really sure what that means. Maybe I do, because despite how vulgar or racist it got nothing on the screen bothered me more than seeing not one but two couples had brought their kids both around 8ish years old. That pisses me off, not because I want to shelter children from every idea out there, but they are just going to turn into the kind of 14 year old that thinks they are my peer and are as funny and know as much about life as I do just because mom and dad let them watch movies that deal with beastiality and analingus, or mention them at least.
Cody is still on his vacation he just called from Sacramento and will be in Frisco tomorrow, lucky jerk-ass. Andrea goes to California next week, and the cheese stands alone.
Ah well no use in complaining.
see ya.
I have no idea if thats how you spell analingus, spellcheck is a prude.

DOS ALS

2006-07-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture given to me recently by Jerica. It was taken at Andi and I's going away party a year ago. It is of a couple of my favorite fellas named Al. Alfred and Alaric.
Alfred gave me some really cool books for my birthday, and Alaric...well he's a snappy dresser. Actually Al might be hiring me back on at the Chicago Store. He needs help for the rental season coming up, mostly data entry. I don't have any teaching gigs lined up right now after my summer program ends. The job will be for a couple months but they could hire me on after that. I worked there before so maybe things will work out.
Al and I might go see Superman today, we'll see. Jerica finally got her car, its really nice and she is very happy. I am also very happy, for her and me. She came over last night for dinner. Lets see, McJunkin and Jared come to town this week, that should be fun. We may go back down to Mexico for a couple of days. Cody goes to Vegas this Sunday for about 13 days. He and Karen and Kalyn ae going to San Fransisco. We all went down to the Good Shepard church in Sahuarita yesterday for baby Xander's baptism. He is my cousin Mike's youngest. It was nice, and good to see people.
The kids at summer arts are having thier last week this week. We put the play on Thursday. It should be fine, it usually is.
Thats all the news that fits.

NO 9 To 5 TODAY

2006-07-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day Everyone!
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A MINOR OVERSIGHT

2006-07-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

I neglected to mention what Andi got me for my birthday. You can see me holding it. A while back when Al and Jared and I lived at the Hearing Spot McJunkin bought us this vintage shaker, I really liked it a lot, so when the divorce happened I got to keep it. Well not too long ago Andi was cleaning and dropped it on the tile, it broke. I was bummed but thats all, I have broken lots of things, she felt so bad. My philosophy for the most part is that we are capable of punishing ourselves enough, so why bother stepping in and getting all pissed off about it. Gravity happens. She found an exact replica on ebay. It was very sweet and unexpected, like I said I don't make a big deal about my bday, but I do enjoy thoughtful gifts. This has got to be one of the most thoughtful ones I've ever gotten.
I also included a picture of her because she is as cute as a bugs ear, if you ask me.
I spent most of the day helping Jerica at Jim Click, buying a car. she found one and it seems to be working out I am taking her to pick it up tomorrow. She needs a comfortable and reliable car for when the baby comes.
I met up with two Als tonight, had some pints at Che's and ran into Alice, it was fun. No real plans for the holiday, maybe a little BBQ, we'll see.
That's all for now.

A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO ME

2006-06-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

A 'lil late...
Well another year older and deeper in love; with life and my woman and my brother and my sister and my father, all my friends and all my family. My birthday was on the 22nd, as it tends to be, but I wish to speak of birthdays. They can be everyday. We choose to be born when it pleases, or happens to us. I was born again not too long ago, it was 2 years ago today, the 24th, when I had my first date with Andrea. I had met her before, but I knew I was going to throw all my caution to the wind and ask her out. I was sure of it, and at the time it was the best decision I could have made for myself. And i use the corny phrase "born again" in all seriousness. I was having a hard time then, not happy with myself, disappointing people who cared for me, not in contact with one of my best friends going on 2 years at the time. I was heading into one of those not uncommon backslides. I had shrugged off most of my responsibilities, so I was losing money not making it. I was living with my sister at the time and she was away on work in Montana for about 3 or 4 months so I was alone with her cats who I didn't like, and they not me, showing me by pissing on everything I owned. I just felt deadended. I hadn't been in a relationship for a while, at first by choice and then by apathy. I started singing real sad songs, self pity type songs.
Then one day I had to go down to the University for a couple of shows with Comedy Corner, I woke up very early as usual at that time. I looked around the house it was a mess, it smelled, cats howling, so I made a strange decision, I decided I needed a vacation, my car had broken down some time before, so options were slim. I fed the cats, grabbed a few things, some cash and hopped on a city bus. I rode the bus about two or so miles down to the Sheraton hotel on Speedway. I decided to take a vacation not too far from home, just get a room for the night. I don't know about you, but I have done a heap of travelin' in my day and I really enjoy the hotel vibe. Thats if it's clean and safe, and if not then in a colorful enough place to be worth it. You can jump on the beds, be messy, order take-out or room service, watch cable, buy beer and yell loudly, just rock star fun. I needed a pick-me-up, this was going to do for now. I had fun did all of the above but drink alcohol, showered and went to the shows I was performing in. The hotel is close to campus so I had an awesome walk down to the first show. I was in good form for the improv I did on campus and downtown at the Wilde Playhouse, despite things, no actually I was feeling good, but I told noone about my room, it seemed strange out loud but on paper I was still into it.
Andrea was at both shows, at this point we had met and she even drove me home from a party once, and I made her laugh a bit. I was really aware of her presence. After the last show it was almost ten and she was lingering around with the cast, so I said "does anyone want to do anything?" Most people mumbled about having to get going, but Andrea said sure. And I thank the Gods that she was the only one. I suggested a movie, though it was late and a lame idea, she said sure again. In her car one of us declared we weren't into a movie, so I suggested we stop by Old Chicago, the place I worked, and keep in mind lived literally across the street from and she knew this, that suggestion was taken. We got there and a dear friend Brad was our server, she informed me that she was vegan, O.C. a bad choice, so we got plain cheesy garlic bread, she allowed butter this once. We had a great conversation really getting to know each other, laughing and talking, and seeing one another as who we were and not who we had met at a party. It got later and she said she had to go or something, then she says...
"Can I give you a ride home?"
"Shit!" I thought, she knows I live across the street, but the problem was my housekeys were at the hotel. Now I was freaked, how do I tell a girl I am really digging on that I got a hotel room a couple miles away from my home? If she doesn't think I'm crazy then she thinks I'm cruising for hookers, or making a large Tarantinoesque coke deal. So I go for the Hail Mary and tell her the truth, a wonderful decision I've been sticking to. I told her I was bored, and bummed, and depressed and all of it, and that my house was just reminding me of it so I went to watch HBO in my underear and eat burritos. She didn't blink.
"Well I can take you there then."
Wow.
So she dropped me off and before I got out there was the other issue, am I as creepy as I feel if I invite her up? I really wanted to hang out more, but I paid for the room so I wasn't going home yet, again she hit it out of the park by saying yes.
We had a wonderful time we talked more and laughed more, watched cable and laughed and mad fun. It got time to leave and I told her she could stay and not be worried. She and I slept in the same bed clothed, and I was a gentleman, which I tend to be, until you get to know me anyway, it was sweet and an awesome beginning.
The rest as they say is history, from that day on it has been awesome. Bumps like any road, but organic ones, not made-up bullshit, not hang-ups, not unfounded. I made a lot of life decisions shortly after that, and to be totally honest there is no way in hell that I could do what I am doing in any way, not just with Code, but even teaching again, without her and the renewal she brought.
This is all not to say that you can or will find salvation in someone else, you don't/can't, but every now and then you have an experience or meet a person that helps you to slap yourself in the fuckin' face and tell you to get your shit together.
I am glad I found mine, I have a long way to go as do we all, but I am better at it.
As for my birthday, my sister gave me a gift that was very heartfelt and meaningful yet bitter sweet, its a silver flask with my favorite qoute inscribed in it, which is "Everything Was Beautiful And Nothing Hurt" by Kurt Vonnegut. I did drink out of it once and then put it on a shelf, a flask as cool looking as it is, doesn't need to be used, I'm not Mike Hammer, even if I want to be. I came home to just Cody and he got me a very thoughtful gift that just came from his own observations, a guitar stand for my acoustic, which had been kicked in a few years ago at a party at The Hearing Spot, if I had had a stand it might not have.
Then He and I watched Blazing Saddles, he heard Al, and Joseph and I making references to it on Thoreau's set, but had never seen it, so I felt it was time that he saw (in my opinion you assholes) the greatest comedy of all time. We had a blast. He and I laughed our assses off, Andi came home from work and joined in. Code never got bored and got every bit and joke. It was a birthday present in itself.
My father sent me a box full of books...Jesus Christ and what books. He just kept saying keep your eyes out for a package of books. He said there were eight of them and I pictured a set, which excited me a lot, because I am O.C.D when it comes to my collections, yet I love variety, figure it out? It was a grab-bag; a reissue of the original pressing of Tarantula by Bob Dylan, three very different cookbooks, which I use and collect, a picture and very text-full book about pugs, two photo-essay books, one on contempary Mexico, and one on early Dylan, with some priceless and emotional shots of him not much older than Cody. Plus one on money management that comes none too soon.
I had a birthday at the time I was speaking of, that I didn't even realize...no lie I forgot my day, I was reminded by co-workers, I wasn't staying close with my people, but I am turning that around, I hope I will be forgiven as I forgive...
And For Those About To Rock I Salute You!

RENTERIA!!! PT 2

2006-06-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

Mas Photos de Puerto Penasco
This my lovely sista Jerica out on the beach.
Here is the crew (minus me) on the beach at sunset.
Josh and Josh together again...Mexico style.
Honeysocks pickin' and well not grinnin' I interrupted him.
Cody hangin' out upstairs playin' the guitar, or looking like it for sure.
So yeah, it had been a good long time since I was able to take a vacation. In a way I suppose our time in Chicago could be called a vacation, you know the kind where you move to a new state and get jobs but only for a while, anyway, This last weekend the family went down to Rocky Point Mexico. For those who have never been its the closest body of ocean water from Tucson. Its on the Sea of Cortez, across from Baja. It take about 4 hours to get there. Andrea's "uncle" (not by blood but pretty much) owns a two-story house there. He rents it out when he's not using it. He gives us a great deal, so we went for 3 night and 4 days...Sheer awesomeness. Andi and I went to Costco on Wednesday and bought an almost insane amount of sundries and supplies. We left early on Thursday, got there at 2ish that afternoon, settled in and oh yeah. First night it was just beach and bbq. We played Catch-Phrase a fun Password like game and swam. Friday was fun Josh and I woke before everyone else and went into town. We had Machacas at a little restaurant called Cocodrillos (crocodiles). Then came home to hit the beach. Later that day Andrea, Al, Josh and I went back into town, this time to the fish market. We were going to buy some seafood and take it back to grill but decided to let the locals cook for us, we ate lunch at a place I had been before called Beto's, but not the cheesy burrito place we have here. No I had some awesome ceviche, No I Mean Awesome! We stopped for some fireworks on the way home, something Cody was hoping to pick up. The best one's we got were these little guys that look like poppers, we called Mexican orgasms because you would light them and then throw them, after seriously about 20 seconds they flared up quickly and then fizzled. They weren't loud and looked like sparklers, we liked them. But speaking of fireworks this was funny...So it was late but hard to tell what time because in Mexico there is only light or dark, there was a group of twenty-somethings that may have stepped out of some shitty MTV reality show, staying next door. They were lighting off those 1/4 sticks of dynamite that don't do anything but make a loud ass bang. So loud they pissed my pregnant sister off enough to get up and go out and yell something like "You assholes are going to make me miscarriage from fright." She wasn't serious but just mad at them. They said nothing but continued, us fellas were hangin' out on the veranda, a few of the bombs really gave us a jolt. Someone else must have been pissed because security showed up (this is a private beach and home section) however they all hid inside there house. Grown adults all squatting down and trying to stay silent to avoid security, even with their vehicles in the driveway. I told security that they were around back and being jerks for lighting this crap off, but they never answered the door and there's only so much you can do, so security left. They all started to stir again, we saw the lights come back on in parts of the house then all of the sudden there is a loud bang and Cody and I see a bright red flash through their kitchen window. Then they open the side kitchen door and smoke pours out of the house. They obviously lit off a bomb in the house. I am about to go over and see if anyone is hurt when a couple comes out, I shout "is anyone hurt over there? Do you need help?" The guy sheepishly turns to me and says "no it's just a practical joke gone wrong." Apparently they were trying to light one and then toss it towards our house and failed to unlock the door first. They had been playing beer-pong for hours on their front porch, see where it got them. The most likely don't own the house so they just bombed a place they rented, Instant Karma is going to happen. We got a good laugh.
It was a wonderfully relaxing time, coming home was a cinch, as usual the Border Patrol couldn't have cared less as we crossed back in. If you are really on the border you wouldn't be able to tell there was a drug or human smuggling problem in this country.
And the title "Rentaria" is the name of one of the guys running for Presidente Munincipal down there, his posters were the most plentiful, and he was funny looking, with a thick mustache and a gap in his teeth. We adopted his name to be an all purpose exclamation.
Jerica found out for sure that she is having a little girl...As a opposed to a big girl, she is very happy. Cody, Bethanne and I were all in the room with her when she had her ultrasound today and the baby is healthy and growing right on schedule. I love my little sister I just she and the baby to be in good health throughout, the baby could be a puppy for all I care as long as they are well.
I start my summer program tomorrow, there will be some students I had in the regular school year so I am excited, it will be a lot of fun.
As a side note some friends of mine have been having a little blog-spat, not the first I'm sure not the last. I just want to say that I really have nothing against anyone, yet I am strongly-opinionated, therefore I may say things in my blog that may be crass, but I know my opinions can't possibly have any real effect on the lives of others as theirs don't on mine. Like me or not I still have to get up in the morning and do what's I gots ta do. So I hope others can make the best of things regardless of the thoughts of the few. I am thankful to have met and got to know the colorful palette of people I have. Its a cliche but life she be short, so joke 'em if they can't take a fuck.
Love Cicci

RENTERIA!!! PT 1

2006-06-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

So here are some pics from our trip to Puerto Penasco(Rocky Point)
Here is Cody on the beach near the house, doing his best Charles Atlas.
Here we have Andrea, Josh McJunkin and Al at dinner, I took the picture. we are at El Capitain's the restaurant on the highest point in town. Crowded but pretty good.
Here we have Andrea and Jerica on the couch upstairs in the living room of the house we stayed in.
This is Alaric on one of the verandas, we played music and games out on this one.
This is Andi, Josh and Al on the beach the night before we had to leave.

On A HOT Set

2006-06-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the many awesome pictures that Joseph took while we were shooting. This was the element of the film I was "looking forward" to. Like I said, I was going to do a "behind the scenes" kind of thing for the movie. And hopefully use Joe's pics, to round out a "feel" for what we were doing. I am that type of fan, I sit through two or three hours of shit to take a look at the extra features. I like the process. I have ideas, I know people with great ideas, I understand you want to make your idea real. I get it and I would like to have my chance as well, but, me, I like how you get it done, I like seeing the work, and the messin' around, and the fights, be them fist or waterballoon.
I find it way more fascinating that people can make believe at the same time that they are being themselves. I don't mean deception, I mean natural expression. Being backstage on a play, looking at people, looking at yourself, knowing its fake, but also knowing if anything goes wrong, or you were wasting your time...Its real blood and it hurts.
I feel bad. I am not happy that this happened. I wanted to finish something. Like everyone else. It is discouraging to myself and I know to my compatriots, and most of all to Thoreau, and I hope he can not give up, because that, well its tiring and boring.

Some Recent Finds and Developments

2006-06-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

This post was started on the first and completed on the 7th.
These are some photos that Jerica had just developed. They were from a bunch of rolls she had been sitting on, so I apologize for not having exact dates, they are within the last couple years, actually I'd say a year and a half.
Pic 1.) Those are my two best girls. Jerica and Andrea. I love these gals. I have no idea what I would do without them. I talk a good talk but I need the strength of these two cuties. Let's just say that I wouldn't be able to pull off my "act" without these two women pulling all the strings behind the curtain. I'm proud to say that and proud to know them.

Pic 2.) This is Jerica and myself with our "big" little brother, Josh Wheat or Wheatie as he is known. He is a great friend. He suffered a really terrible trauma not too long ago, he lost his parents, to say the least. From then on he was adopted by our family. Meme particularly loved him, wanting him to be included in all he could. He has been there for me and Jay and we for him. Yeah we had some misunderstandings in the past but that's what brothers do, they fight sometimes.
I'm glad to have him around.

Pic 3.) This is a funny one. This was Alfred's birthday party, last yearish? It was a seventies styled party, but if I recall most of us were unaware of it. Or it was short notice. Anyhow left to right is Alfred, Me before a haircut, Daryl, that's Max lookin' tough, and Jerica. It was fun. This was at Jay's apartment.

Last night Wheatie got Cody into the Panic At The Disco concert. I haven't heard them but Code's ipod is no stranger. He was stoked, the line was around the corner at the Rialto, but Wheatie walked Cody right in past everyone. He had a good time.
He was at the show while we were on the set of Thoreau's film...Which brings me to the news.
In a previous post I said I was in an indie film that my pal Thoreau wrote and was directing, I was in it, Andi, Joseph, Anne, Joe's step-daughter Lily, Alaric was shooting it. We started on Sunday of last, shot all day Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. We were about an hour away from wrapping on that set (a studio he rented and converted to fit the script, a lot of work). Thoreau gets a call from his wife, and then another and then another, finally he comes back in and says we are done for the night, seconds later he declares that the whole film is off, he is sorry to have wasted our time but its all over. We are all stunned. I had been throwing my body onto a concrete floor over and over for the sake of my role. I am hurting to say the least. We all sweat our balls (or I don't know ueteri?!) off. Joseph not only has to get his paper ready for press, but has his nephew Nick down from Alaska, and Nick had been the "go-to-guy" on the set. Out of the kindness of his heart he did whatever Thoreau asked. He doesn't know the guy and what does he care, other than he's just a great guy. I was right at the end of a teaching residency, on Tuesday the 6th was my last day of school, I had two different performances to do with my kids, I was on the set all day Monday, and had to be down in Tubac at 8 AM then back on the set...I was beat, and then he pulls the fucking plug.
So we all left in a huff, all but Al who stayed til Thoreau got back from talking to his wife, so he could lock up. Apparently Thoreau's wife has been giving him a hard time about the time/money/energy spent on the film. The film he had been planning for a year or two, and the at least thousands he spent on it. She recently found out she was pregnant, about two months along, so she kept badgering him about needing him at home, that may be true, but we were three days into a twelve day shoot. I don't know, things are tough all over, but we all had to do a lot to enable ourselves to help Thoreau out. The material wasn't the best but we were going to be with friends and on a movie set, I was even going to put together a "behind the scenes" thing with what Cody and I were shooting on my video camera.
I wish he had turned his phone off like he asked us to do, and just dealt with the fight at home. We have all been in dutch with the old lady, in a manner of speaking, but shit its their money they spent. I'm not mad I'm disappointed, I know Joseph is mad, an hour drive one way day after day and dragging your family along is worth it if you got something to show, but not if not.
Josh McJunkin is in town for a while from Chicago so we have had fun. He stayed over last night and he and Andi and I went to lunch, it was fun.
I will be back soon with a birthday post. Also if you haven't check out my friend Arnie's photo-blog: its coming to the end of its year run. Its here...
http://ayearfollowingthebreakup.blogspot.com/

"To Be Or Not To Be, That Is The Question: Whether 'Tis Nobler In The Mind To Suffer The Slings And Arrows Of Outrageous Fortune Or..."

2006-05-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

These are character designs for a graphic novel I had been knockin' around my brain for a while now. I know, I know, there have been endless adaptations of Hamlet and will be tons more. It is my favorite and I was even in an adaptation once, as Claudius.
I love this play, that doesn't make me interesting or unique. I just feel like it is the perfect piece, as it is, and to be molded. The themes will never be irrelevant, no matter what we become as a species.
So being a fan of anthropomorphic animal characters I want to do my version, not changed too much, some humor added or accentuated. We'll see if I have the time to get it together. Either way I enjoyed doing these tests.
The trip to Rocky Point is a go. Joseph and Hallie and their kids are coming, Jerica, Cody and supposedly Alfred and Bethanne, Alaric and Anne are supposed to be back from England today so we'll see later if they are going. It will be a blast either way.
LOST was a two-hour-season-finale-pain-in-my-ass. I was taping it for Al, and Cody was at a party til 9ish so I recorded it and we all waited til about 10:30ish to watch it together. It told us nothing really. Sure they let the computer count all the way down, but of course were ambiguous as to what really happened as a result. Introduced another mysterious animal to the island, which is conspicuously devoid of all life other than plants and the fish in the ocean around it.
Also we saw the foot that was apart of a broken statue, looking like it could be another Colossus of Rhodes, but with only 4 toes including the big one. We came to realize that maybe Henry Gale (Dorothy of Oz's Uncle's name) is the leader of the "others." That would explain why he "allowed" himself to become caught in one of Frenchie's traps, to check out the passengers. All in all unsatisfying. Fun to watch sure but its getting aggravating, I have a short attention span.
I was happy that Harold won Top Chef, I was rooting for him from day one.
I watch a lot of TV, so what, don't give me shit...I am also on my computer a lot, so there.
So it has been long enough that I feel I can release this info...My one and only 'lil sister, the apple of my eye is in a family way. Next week she will be able to tell me if I have a niece or nephew. She is very excited and I am too. She is very maternal, and I know she will do a great job, she is taking care of herself and they are saying everything is fine.
I can't help but feel its a blessing, as my family has dwindled so much in the last 10 years. I/We have lost an almost unfair amount of loved ones in that time, but we have had some great additions brought to us...Chloe, Maya, Taylor, Julie, Zoe, Atticus (unofficially, but still) Xander. These little people I hope I get to know on my journey, I want to be an old man and be able to share stories of Meme, and Grandpa Ernie, and Jim, and Robyn, and Auntie Jean. I would be honored to.
Life's rich pageant, is just that.
I'm happy to know everyone I do. Let's see, thoughts to Mark S. As he moves from Chi-town to NYC, and good luck to Arnie on the follow-up series to his much acclaimed blog "A Year In Pictures Following The Breakup."
Oh and yeah a big Happy Birthday (the 24th) to McJunkin, I truly hope you had fun brother.
"What did one snowman say to the other snowman?.............................."

Not Just For Massachusetts Anymore

2006-05-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is Joseph, Lil Atticus and I. I had asked Joe to take a couple shots of Atticus and I, and then Joe set the camera up and though a great idea there is no way to look at this pic, and not think gay couple and their adopted son. And those ladies and gay men out there thinking, "oh Joe could do better..." Then I say well "F. You!"
Seriously it was a nice visit down in Rio Rico. Atticus is such an awesome kid. Not just well behaved, because he is very much so, but hell sometimes braindead is mistaken for well behaved, he is just so aware. He is like a little mute scientist, no mute isn't right either he's not a year old but he does speak, intelligibly. He just watches and studies, its so cool to interact with him. Ok a neat example...
Andrea called while I was there and I told her to say hi to Atticus, so I put the phone to his ear and she said very loudly and clearly, "Hi Atticus". He was quiet for a moment then made a sound or exclamation. Most kids when you do that they have the same reaction Auggie has, trying to crane their heads around to see who is talking behind them, not this guy, it was obvious that while he may not know exactly what a phone is, he knew the sound was coming from there. No mystery. He's a cool little guy, I can't wait to know him and his personality.
So I have a part in a film that Thoreau has written and is directing/producing. Joseph is also in it. We had an open casting call on Wednesday, it went well, not the turnout we wanted but some. The women who showed for the 2 female roles weren't it really. Then this older guy named Bill came to audition for the part of "Old Man," the God or sage like character. He has done some local commercial work and he was great. Looked a little like Jimmy Stewart, who is my favorite actor, so I was stoked. Thoreau gave him the part. But I was the only cast member there to read with the actors, however his scene is with Sam the lead, and a female, so I handed Andrea the script and said "you do it." After Bill left Thoreau asked she would read some with me, she did and he really liked it so he gave her the part. I told her to audition but she didn't want to, she is afraid of the idea of nepotism being an issue. She felt it really strongly when she auditioned for Comedy Corner, which she wanted to do before we got together, I know she's good. I don't do much in the field I want to be in but I do know what I'm talking about, and I know it when I see it. As far as Comedy Corner went, it really was a split decision, there were as much for as against. They(We) always had this air about auditions, trying to act like it was really about a person's raw talent, it was about can we use them or will they write for us. There have always been people in the group that either didn't pass audition or never did, but she still felt that it was because she was my girlfriend that she was there. Hell maybe so, but I don't think so. Anways...we start shooting in June, I am excited, Thoreau has the determination and I have seen his other stuff and its good, so I'm looking forward to it.

A Message From The Home Office

2006-05-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would check in. I removed my last post after realizing that my S.S. number was on the I D. I don't know why thats a problem really, but I got all paranoid the other night thinking about it. On the one hand I think it would be hilarious if some one stole my identity. Perhaps they could settle up some of the debt I have. Been a relaxing weekend, Cody is down in Sahuarita at his friend George's house. I just bummed around the house yesterday. I have given Auggie and myself hobo names for the days that we are just being lazy bums around the house, he is Patches and I am Shiv. Andi bummed around with us last week so she was dubbed Scraps, and Cody hasn't gotten one yet, but it would probably be Cody.
Next week is his last full week in school, you can see the pulse of anticipation buzzing around him. We have made a sort of plan to go to Rocky Point in early June. If we can get the house then. I have asked Joseph and Alaric (and thier ladies of course) to join us, to celebrate our collective birthdays all being within a week of each other in June. Jerica and possibly Alfred and Bethanne will join us. Al says it conflicts with Thoreau's shooting schedule so I'll have to figure it out but it seems to be the best time for me. I am helping Thoreau on Wednesday to cast the rest of the film, just reading with the auditioners. Should be fun, I hope it all works out.

WELCOME BACK CICCI

2006-05-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

So I have begun teaching again. In fact the above is a picture taken on my first day, I wore my new blue dress just for the occasion. Sadly the little asian boy also pictured failed miserably.
Seriously its going well, its only been a few days but I really like it and the kids are responding superbly. I have a session with middle school kids which I have worked with that age group a lot, however I also have a group of 1st 2nd and 3rd graders which are a bit young. I have been finding stuff and they are loving it. They are more on task then the older kids. Its the end of the year but I hope this leads to a gig there next year, oh yeah the "there" is The Tubac Montessori School. I had never worked there but I'm liking it.
But like anything else there was an adventure before that...I was going to the Pima County Sheriff's office to renew my fingerprint card. Basically in order to be all nice and legal and be able to be alone in a classroom with other people's kids you have to have your fingerprints on record, to make sure you are not a peterast or a pet-her-ass, not sure on the spelling there. Its a great policy, and they give you a little card like when you get CPR certified. Well for some reason they are only good for 7 years. Mine had lapsed, yes I had taught at some places that didn't even ask for it...Nightline?
Well its all chatting about the weather and petty crime when the computer pops up with the fact that I have a warrant. I was shocked, I have never been arrested in my life. It turns out a speeding ticket I had gotten 2 years ago was outstanding. I remembered the incident as I don't get pulled over often, I was going a reckless 19 in a 15, yep a school zone sweet lady irony your breast is neither tender nor sweet. Well I had sent the ticket in at the time, but I had no proof, if I ever had any proof in the first place. Obviously seeing that I am not a threat to public safety I wasn't arrested if I promised to go straight back up to Tucson (from Green Valley) and take care of it. He could've given me a ticket for driving on a suspended, but I gave him my word.
So yeah I did go up to city court, which if you've never been, fucking go its a delight, the only thing I can think of is Kafka's waiting room, you know if he needed a waiting room in his tiny house in Prague ( I've been there too, more fun.)
I waited and saw 4 different very pleasant ladies at 4 different windows. They all treat you like you are wearing an SS uniform and molesting a dog while reading from the satanic bible. All I did was go four miles over the speed limit, if our crimes are that heinous I don't think we would be able to take a number, wait and then absolve ourselves with our VISA debit cards, I mean for Christ's sake.
Well they were nice enough to take $251.00 from me. I still have to go to the D.M.V. to get my D.L. reinstated, I had just had too much fun for one day, but the warrant is gone and I'm good in the eyes of the law again.
I then called my sister and remembered she was moving into her new apartment that day, she was being helped by Wheatie, Tim, Tavish and Keegan but I was in time to help a little and get lunch at Bob Dobs.
Cody went to KFMA day last weekend. He had been waiting all year for that concert, but had carelessly allowed his grades to drop a little from not doing homework (end of the yearitis) so I said no concert. He was horrified and asked if he made an effort to bring them up could he go, I thought about it, and then typed up a nice formal contract that all three of us signed. As there is still about a month left I didn't want him sign it and then think the laugh was on us, so it was very explicit as to how shitty his summer would be if there was not a real concerted effort made and some rise in the grades. He is sticking to it so far, he is so bright he's just getting burned out, its been a long year for all of us.
Alaric had a gig at the HUT on Fourth Ave on Sunday. It was apart of a day long acoustic showcase. He rocked. I got to see his mom and sister, also Thoreau showed up and then later emailed me the screenplay he had just finished. He has a part for me and I am looking forward to it.
Well that's all for now, don't mind the typos, and I won't take so long next time.

GOD HELP THE U.S.A.

2006-04-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER!!!!
I wrote this after watching some FOX NEWS on the day of the national "Day Without An Immigrant" rallies. Yes every now and then I have a couple of drinks and put on Sean Hannity or Bill O'Rielly, mostly just to get the blood flowin'. I'm glad they are out there, to remind me that I really don't deal with "crazy" on a daily basis. So I was heated and this may not make a lot of sense, but I didn't want to delete it so anyway, most of my points of view come off as stream of conscience anyway.

We seem to be reaching an impasse here in "Merica." This immigration issue is particularly frustrating. Many of "us," and those are generally people from middle America, with no actual relation to the problem, have very strong opinions about the new legislation concerning illegal immigrants. In a nut shell the biggest bill wants to make it a felony if you are a) caught in this country as a noncitizen, or b) caught aiding a noncitizen in this country. Of course like anything else it is vague as to what is considered "aiding." This could mean anything from giving one a ride, or water, or being an employer giving work to one. However it can also mean that if you are a doctor and adhere to the Hippocratic oath and give medical care to an illegal, or if you are a teacher and have illegal students you too are aiding a noncitizen and are guilty of a felony.
That is the first problem; a felony. This concept of "zero-tolerance" has been prominent in our society at a very irresponsible level. Yes I will agree if you absolutely can't help yourself when it comes to violence i.e. murder, assault, rape or the dealing of harmful narcotics, then yes perhaps your privileges in this country should seriously be questioned. If you see one or more HUMAN BEINGS on the side of the road in 110 degree weather and you want to do something, should you lose your constitutional rights? That is what happens when you are convicted of a felony, you cannot vote any longer, this being the deciding factor in making you a second-class citizen. The main reason that Nixon declared the War On Drugs, so that he could easily convict lots of young people, particularly minorities, in an effort to keep them from voting against him or his cronies.
Without getting into the whole "this country was founded by immigrants" thing, lets look at the common argument that the wholesome god-fearing Americans are making; "They steal benefits from us." I suppose. They do, when able enroll their kids in public schools, and apply for what federal medical aide there is. However would this be a problem really if our country actually provided for its sick and its young like a government was supposed to? See no matter what numbers you attach to the illegal immigrant problem it still doesn't change the fact that without "outsiders" more than half of our LEGAL CITIZENS have no health care or education. Yes a large percentage of Americans have no sound address, so therefore cannot enroll their children in school. And while most of us are on minimum wage the idea of non-HMO benefits are a dream. I am nearly 30 years old and vote and pay taxes, I have not once been able to have healthcare, nor had it provided. Do I blame illegal immigrants...Ha Ha Ha. Lets have a rally about that.
See following WWI Adolph Hitler was VOTED into power, he helped take a destitute Germany and build it back up to some function, when things got good he convinced the German people that they could not do it without him. He said, as all JOKERMEN say, "You are a children who need a father." When things were moving, who did he blame their woes upon? IMMIGRANTS. He said it was the idle Germany who allowed so many "outsiders" in, that took away from what was rightfully belonging to the German people. He used this idea to back his agenda and force Germany into a unilateral invasion on Eastern Europe, and create a sovereign "Fatherland."
Hmmm. Yes that was easy I know, but lets look at a real problem, our "Petroleum-Addiction," or at least that is what our "leader" calls it. Its true we are dependent upon fossil fuels, but while Cheveron recently reported BILLIONS of dollars in profits for this last fiscal year, A YEAR AT WAR!, we the people are paying record high prices for our gas. When a windfall tax was merely suggested to ease the burden on us and our economy, the "president" quickly said that "it would do no good, certainly not as its expected to." So why aren't we having rallies against the "street-dealer" type gouging thats happening?
So this problem does not get Americans excited, or out of their seats, why? Because the media and this administration would rather scare you with the threat of the "un-seen" evil that lurks below us. These horrible people that must be stopped. Should we have a better grasp on illegal immigrants: absolutely. Should they have to do what they should have to do to get here: yes. Should I be a criminal for having a different opinion, or critizing the efforts against illegals, HELL NO.
Do I run a "safe-house?" NO. Do I comb the desert and look for illegals and do what I can to help them? NO. Would I help if the situation arises? YES I WOULD.
The real threat on our borders are the drug and human traffickers, they are the ones who break the law, make American dollars, and then hightail it back to Mexico to do it again. These are the problem cases, but do you hear about them? No because that would indicate that the U.S. Border Patrol and Customs weren't doing a very good job. You do occasionally hear about a seizure of pot or people, but that is literally one out of 1,000. Not to mention the times you hear about a federal agent stealing evidence to sell it himself, or taking bribes to allow young Mexican women across to be pimped. These are real crimes, but we are presented with piece-meal facts that make it look like the average "worker" coming across, or a family looking for its kin are a threat to our way of life.
Three times a week I have to pass through a federal highway check point...about 45 miles north of the border. I just happen to work south of that checkpoint...in the U.S. It is a joke, most people are waved through, especially tractor traillor trucks. when they do stop a car to inspect its usually just a car with people of "color" who already passed the international checkpoint. We pay these agents and constantly hire more...so lets let them do a little something, other than standing on the highway and bothering me, if they truly cannot help to effect this problem then we can start acting rashly.
The only threat to our way of life is already threatening, or even acting. Pay attention to the threats we are making toward Iran, or the way we weren't too happy with China not wanting to side with us against North Korea. Feel a little empathy or at least sympathy towards those soldiers serving overseas and the families that want them home, and then think about what its like around this world, and how hard it is to exist out there. Then take your puny boycotts or antiboycotts and go fuck yourselves. Be so lucky that your way of making a statement is going to the mall and buying something instead of traveling on foot through a wasteland for 200 miles to just feel alive or of value. We should be ashamed, not ashamed to be American, but to call ourselves HUMAN BEINGS, go eat an endangered species, drive your H2 to Circle k and please always fear that which is different than you. And by the way the tribute to war that is our national anthem is every bit as lousy in any language as it is in "English."

"How Does It Feeeeeeel?' ...Awesome.

2006-04-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well the results are in Bob Dylan still has my heart. It was yet another stellar performance from the unofficial poet laurette of our time.
If you couldn't guess We went and saw Bobby Dylan at the TCC last night. Let's see Andi and I went over to Al's house around 5:45 had some beers and helped him clean up his pad a little. We were then joined by Al's old coworker and friend Steve who brought his buddies Carolyn, Beatrice and Mike to join in the Bob. We were supposed to meet Swede but the evening was truckin' by fast. When Anne showed up we walked down to the arena, a mere two blocks from Al's.
Merle Haggard was awesome, great set list, great band. He played maybe a whole hour, short intermission and then bam Bob. It was an interesting show, it was my 14th Dylan show but I had never seen him in an arena so large. He also didn't play the guitar very much and stuck on the organ, thats not too unusual. He played some numbers I'd never heard live before. Queen Jane Aproximately, and Its Alright Ma I'm Only Bleeding were two notable ones. Mostly it was greatest hits Bob, the encores were Like a Rolling Stone and All Along The Watchtower, standard but good.
After the show we all and Swede went to Al's house for a short bit, all in all it was an early night. Jerica and her friend Mindy stayed here with Code. He went to a school sponsored roller-skate party at skate country. He said he enjoyed it. Everyone around here is feeling better, and we are going up to Michelle and John's for Easter. My cousin T. called me tonight, we hadn't spoken in a while. Growing up we were pretty much just like brothers. It was good to hear from him. Andrea met Olivia and Maria down at the Epic cafe for some girl-time and knitting...thats cute.
Cody: "They're Just Knitting?"
Me: "Yep, and maybe having coffee drinks with whipped cream, but yeah knitting."

"...Fuck It Dude, Let's Go Bowling."

2006-04-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

This here is a photo Swede took right before the S.I.C.K. show last Friday. Thats me and Big Wheatie. We are both wearing the shirts I had made at Strange Cargo on Clark St. in Chicago. For those unsure the images are John Goodman(his) and Jeff Bridges(mine) from the film The Big Lebowski. I'm not exactly the "Dude," but in many ways he's Walter, my Walter anyway. I'm really glad he was at the show, it meant a lot to me.
News...well we have all been under the weather at some point this week. Andrea has had it the worst. Doc said it was just a cold, but its lame any way. I am done with Old Chicago. I will begin the hunt on tomorrow, I have some leads, I'm not too worried.
Going to see my dad on Sunday, he hasn't been feeling well b ut I talked to him yesterday and he said he was getting better. I spent the day cleaning the house, it was getting musty and cluttered, I figured airing it out and dusting and such might help to make me/us feel better. I feel better because of it. Well I wanted to share the pic and what little news there is. Noone, besides Shaun seems to be checking out PurpleDrawn, my artwork blog, ah well it was for me anyway.

"...And I Helped!"

2006-04-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

So the fourteenth annual S.I.C.K. Festival went off without a hitch. Our Fallen Spaceman put on a great set. Thier video bits were top-notch. Very high quality I thought. Comedy Corner was awesome, I had only seen these new kids two maybe two or three sketches but they all showed real talent. Not sure who wrote their stuff for the show but it was very clever and focused on time-travel and Flavor Flave, two of my favorites. Then to close the show was the U.C.B. touring company. They did long-form improv and it went over well.
I opened the show with a small routine, not much...here's a funny story though. I didn't have anything really solid as far as material for the show, but thought I should do some stuff that might speak to college crowds, so I thought well they watch a lot of pop-culture oriented cable T.V. I wrote a handful of jokes that were pretty much just making fun of all of those shows on V.H.1, such as Best Week Ever, I Love The (70's, 80's, 90's) and recently the one they did about Toys. The crowd loved it, it seemed. I was getting laughs. Then I do some jokes about the wierd side-effects of Ambien and introduced the first act. The show is rolling I grab a seat near Casey (the director of Comedy Corner) and ask him how he thought it went, he said it was hilarious, then told me what exactly was hilarious, apparently every one of the members who came to perform with the Upright Citizens Brigade has been on one of those shows, one girl Danielle had been on every show I mentioned. I was unaware of this. One of my gags was "...If you aren't familiar with these shows, what it is is a bunch of C-list comedians telling you stuff you already know about things you don't care about." When they took the stage the referred to themselves as the C-listers I was talking about. Casey said they were laughing thier balls off, and 3 out of 4 all thanked me with hugs and said how great it was and that they couldn't believe that I didn't plan that.
The only one who didn't speak to me afterwards was that Danielle gal, but it was probably coincidence. The two girls from U.C.B. went back to the hotel but the three guys came to the after party. The party was a first for S.I.C.K. it was at a rented out location, the Old Towne Artisans-La Cocina, where Old Chicago had thier holiday party. We had to pay for drinks and there was no tip the cup tourney but it was fun.
After that Andrea and I went to Colton, Eli and Bobby's (U.C.B's) hotel room. Thatw as a lot of fun, eventually others showed up and I ended up on a lot of Colton's home videos.
All in all I was pleased with my performance, lots of my friends were very supportive, Cody came backstage after the show and gave me a big hug, I think he was proud of me. Jay came, and Wheatie, Al and some kids from works.
Til next year I suppose.

I Have A Blog For My Artwork Now!!!!

2006-03-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is it please check it out and comment if you'd like. Thanks
Josh

http://purpledrawn.blogspot.com/

Please See a Post I was Working On Below

2006-03-28T00:15:00.000-08:00

SCROLL DOWN
Its funny down there.

Its Been A While I Know

2006-03-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, I have been a little busy? or maybe distracted is the word, as of late. I haven't been attending to my blogsposibilities. Well I'm back. Lets see news... I put in my notice at Old Chicago a few days ago. I like who I work with and have many friends there, it can be fun at times, but I really only want to work days and I just don't make the money I need. On top of that there a lot of the same shitty frustrations that have always been there. Even after all the different managers we've gone through. This new guy George is a total tool-box, and he doesn't have a clue. He has no interest in helping to keep his staff happy in any way. And turns a blind eye to any problem that comes up. The buck gets passed so often its now a penny. Jerica usually picks up the slack whenever she can, that is another reason to leave. she and I work just fine together, but she is not about rocking the boat, and I don't mind doing it. She doesn't function under the idea that this place doesn't care about her nor look out for her and would drop her if they had a reason, she realizes that but still does whatever they need at whatever cost. That's her thing and I just try and watch out for her. I can't be there with her because I don't care about that business and they not about me in the big scheme. I don't have another job right now but I'm on top of it. We will be okay for now. I just come home tired and over-worked and pissed off with like $40 in my pocket after 7 or 8 hours of hustle. That is not good, the service industry sucks.
And my family owned restaurants on the east coast before I was born. My first job was at 12 in my grandfather's restuarant, it can be done, you can run a successful business and make your employees happy.
Aside from that I am getting geared up for S.I.C.K. I need to make a disclaimer here: I have some opinions about this years fest...I also know that my friends read my blog, that said, I don't want to make a big deal about anything I just want to express my feelings where I'm allowed to.
I'm not sure that I feel ok about the total line up. I am looking forward to Comedy Corner, and Our Fallen Spaceman, and Upright Citizen's Brigade. However I don't like that that's it. I have many friends and "peers" in the comedy situation. I have come to realize two things..1. That the supposed reason that there are only 3 groups this year is because of possible time issues, i.e. that the headliners might go for an hour or more. and 2. That no other group was ever invited or talked to about the fest, speaking of those groups who have participated in the past, not newly formed groups.
I am only a guest and have no say, but I must realize that both of these points may be false. The time thing seems bogus because all of our headliners in recent years have gone over an hour with the exception of maybe David Cross who just acted as M.C. pretty much and then came to the party for free beer and pot. So maybe you don't want to have a lot of other groups but four or five all together seems tidy and worth the price of admission. I saw Fishbone the other day for $8 and I have been listening to them since junior high, but if walked in off the street I wouldn't know anyone on the S.I.C.K. poster. Because admitt it or not we aren't getting U.C.B., it will be entertaining, but kind of misleading.
That's all beside the point, a comedy festival is a "festival" it denotes a certain image. The idea of a group of comedians coming together in support and participation. I also know that Our Fallen Spaceman is made up of very talented performers who are no doubt going to put on a great show and who all but one I believe is an alum of Comedy Corner, that feels a little incestuous. So you have two different brands of Comedy Corner and another group.
This may seem like a subtle case for another group. But its for a few other groups. I don't know why ASU isn't there, or New Kevin. Was C.D.E. asked this time or are we not over that still?
I know I'm opinionated and a shit-talker, I can stand by what I say, ask me. I do however realize how hard it is to want to be expressive and have that mean something to you and maybe even have it pay off. I have been blessed to perform with lots of awesome people who have helped shape me. I have also been caught up in bullshit politics revolving around "actors" and "comedians."
I was lucky enough to be in a positive comedic environment; The Secret Show, we did a good job of making the best, having fun and supporting even the craziest performers. Perhaps I'm getting old and soft, but I just really like comedy and I dislike Mutual Admiration Societies.
That all out of me I am still very stoked about hosting and I am writing some material I hope goes over, either way it will be fun. It always is. I can't wait to see my compatriots from the Windy Apple, especially Ted who hasn't been here in a good long while...Swede...Che's?
I got to perform yesterday at the Comedy Corner show, with an alum from '89 to '92 Eric Bramlet, his brother also performed with C.C. It was a lot of fun. The sketches were good, definately built from the bottom and got really funny towards the end.
I will be going to Ari's BINGO-JAM tonight, see what thats about, I don't get a lot of opportunities to play on stage or at all any more so I bite, and it's nice to see people again.
Andi and I went to the 4th Ave street Fair yesterday we stocked up on the gourmet artisian style foods we can only get twice a year (jellies made with different wine, goat cheeses, and this awesome garlic spice called Garlic Garni, it rules!!!!)
Cody is at his buddy George's for the night, and he may go to the Medieval-Over-Priced-Fair thing tomorrow. Wheatie and I supposed to pick Jercia up in Pheonix tomorrow after she takes a bus from Flaggstaff, she had a week off...awesome and saw the Strokes, and saw Al and Beth...and saw hippies in Flagg.
Til next time.

Playing With The New Toy

2006-03-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

Toy is not the right word, but man its fun. In fact I don't really have much to say, I just wanted to try this out again.
My Dylan tickets came today, that's awesome it will be my 14th Dylan show. Work was pretty lame, its spring break for the U of A so we have been dead, and I have not been making money. Oh well. Sergio the cook at Old Chicago needed to borrow a couple bucks, so I gave him $5, and he made me two deeeluxe chimichangas. One for me and one for Cody, now I don't have to cook tonight and Code and I can fight over the computer...yay!! Andrea is at work...boo!!!

This Is Auggie Right Before He "Leaped" Into the Body Of A Seven Year Old Black kid In 1942

2006-03-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

So i have lot's 'O big news. I am now the proud owner of an iMac. It is beautiful. It was a large purchase, but an angel of mine helped.
I am also the host of the S.I.C.K. festival this year!!! I feel that its a very big honor. It will be the 5th one that I have had something to do with. Casey called me last Saturday and asked if I would be interested in doing it...I said yes. My good friend Arnie has hosted and he did it last year, I will probably do the same kind of thing...straight M.C.-style. I am workin g on some new material to open with and then just go by the book, but I have yet to meet the new kids in Comedy Corner, or see if there is a theme, or a headliner. My luck it's just me, (Good Luck!).
Today was Parent/Teacher-conference day at Cody's school. The way it works is that if the student is failing or a "bad" student you as the parent are called for a conference. This was not the case with Code. He got his report card the day before, one A, two Bs', and two Cs'. Not too bad. He has only been in this school?life about two months, and his grandmother died in there.
Andrea and I set up a few meetings, mostly to put names to faces, and let his teachers know we care. we omly met three, but they all said the same thing..."You must be proud," "There is no doubt he will score a solid A in the last quarter," "I am sorry I have to speak to the lower-level of class, he might get bored."
We went because Cody does speak highly of most of his teachers, and he has a good mind about him, so we wanted to show our active support.
what else...Wheatie once again came through and got a few of us into the Chango-Malo/Fishbone show. Much fun.
A further post to follow soon.

The Internet Terrifies Me

2006-03-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

I would like to touch on the lighter side for a post...it doesn't all have to be heavy, or about me right? I was searching the "web' or "net" for album cover art. Its a big hobby of mine, Its the only insight into what the whole album means to the artist "itself," visually anyway. And no matter how classy or cool it is, the audience never gets the image the way it was intended. Like the album itself, music is meant to be personal, but art can be seen the same way by everyone.
I didn't mean to get that into it...I have never heard these albums and thank Hank Williams I haven't, but lets talk about art.
Irony is better than any joke you can write, the "group" is called the Minister's Quartet, the album is called "Let Me Touch Him."
One can assume that it is a group of ministers doing a barbershop like deal, treating old gospel numbers such as Carry Me Down, Josh'a Fit De Battle 'A Jericho, or Just A Closer Walk With Thee, in the style of Sweet Adeline. But they all have this 1950's real stern father like look to them. With their imitation Seer-Sucker suits, and their store-bought haircuts. The second from left looks dead serious about getting to touch him. The "him" I would guess is The Lord, and these look like Protestant Ministers, rather than Catholic obviously. They had less of a proclivity for young boys because of their reform church allowing sex within matrimony. But still a group of repressed looking older men asking to touch him strikes a chord.

This one is darling. I feel like I already know Joyce. There are two possibilities in my mind, either she was a strong womens'-libber, who played basketball throughout junior college and then after a string of shitty dates decided she wanted to "go for it" and did her Helen Reddy "thang." The rose signifies a gesture for a teammate she had so much love for but is long gone, maybe this gal is braiding her arm-hair in Berkley while Joyce tries to figure out where to put these feelings and bring them up this Thanksgiving. Or...
She married her highschool sweetheart and after a good 15 years or so realized that "Larry" is never going to quit that job with city sanitation, and build that boat he said they were going to live on. Not that she wants to spend her "prime" on a fucking boat with Lawrence Jr. ,Vicki and Larry and make angry "sea" or "lake" love for the rest of her life. So she does the next best thing. She sucks it up and makes a nice home for her brood but decides to put a tune or two to all those poems she has written, some for Larry and some not. Saves up all of her tutoring, or "mending" money and lays down some tracks...thus...JOYCE. Again the rose signifies all of the empty or absent gestures that Larry should've come through on.
And fifty cents for this album, a shame...I guess.
And now to The McKeithens, the inbred-scottish version of the Osmonds. Though less sexually active than the Osmonds, as there are only two kids (I guess, I can't tell if the one guy on the right is the dad or if mom's beehive ate dad and they are all kids). Either way the "Olan Mills" style of album cover always works. The question remains, do they sing? Do they play instruments.
I just like this one. The apocalypse happened, mom was nice enough to knit matching pullover vests and do our hair, and mustaches then the barn door swung open...let's fuckin' sing!
This one is the one that is truly disturbing. It has to be one of the worst birthdays Julie has had. She doesn't look happy. I spent a lot of time trying to decide to take this or leave it. It smacks of criminal indecency, however its a staged photo, like all the others. So perhaps there is an underlying sentiment that we aren't getting by not hearing the album. Of course there is the possibility that the all of the dities celebrate kidnapping a teenage girl and taking her across state lines to celebrate her sweet-sixteen in a smokey honky-tonk. Or it could be just a regular country album...er...ah I guess that's what it is.

Brilliant!!

2006-03-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

So here we go, a couple of pics from the Guinness Toast '06. Andrea's cousin Jessi took these and sent them to me. I appear to be giving out a shirt in the bottom one. That kind of thing was hard to do because we had only a limited number of shirts and many many who wanted them. I ev en had one of the big hats to give away and I gave it to this girl, at the end of the night she stopped me and was all sad, she said the guys who were playing pool all night grabbed it off of her head and ran out. She asked me if there was anything I could do about it, I told her it was beyond my jurisdiction. My power is more for show.
Last night Jerica spent the night over here. She and Cody and I had dinner at Chuy's. It was pretty good, but we had fun. We all seem to be doing well. Not having Meme comes in waves, I get really sad when I think "oh man I have to give meem a call," not that I expect to be over it. It just is what it is.
I heard from Justin that he some of the other chi-towners are coming out for the S.I.C.K. festival at the end of this month. I haven't talked to anyone in Comedy Corner recently, I'm not sure when it is or who is hosting. I'm not able to go to a show, as of yet anyway, because I work on Fridays during the day. I am really looking forward to it, I just need to find out when it is and arrange it.

God Only Knows What I'd Be Without You

2006-03-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

With much regret do I write this post. On Tuesday February 28th my loving grandmother Joni passed away. She was seventy-two years old and in increasingly poor health. She hademphysema and various other conditions related to years of smoking. Her death itself was not a shock, you never know when and its never the right time but it didn't come out of left field.What will be hard is dealing with it on a day to day basis. She was always a great if not the greatest influence on my life. When I was in New York and not doing well, getting into too many fights and letting my grades fall, she and Grandpa Terry allowed me to move to AZ with them to finish high school. Here I met the greatest people I will ever know, in h.s. I met Al and Josh, I would not be who I am today without thier friendship and influence. When my mother passed away in 1997 the person I turned to was my Meme (as she has always been known). I do have a positive relationship with my father, however do to uncontrolable circumstances he isn't in my life in a "support" capacity. Up to the day she died she was the person I turned to in times of struggle and joy. She helped to instill in me the virtues I try and live by. I strived alway to never let her down, and I don't feel that I did. Even when I made the decision to leave Chicago she was the only one who told me not to, not because she didn't want to help Cody, but she knew I was there to follow my dream and it broke her heart to know I was giving that up. As much support as my family has given me about taking Code on noone has acknowledged the fact that I was giving up a part of my soul to do it.She was so much fun and I could talk to her about anything. She had 6 kids and 14 grandkids, so nothing was shocking.Like the time I ditched school with Josh and Jerry and drove to San Diego, I called her at 4 like i was supposed to everyday I wasn't coming straight home, but I called from Yuma. She calmly said I would be in trouble when I got home, but to have fun and be careful.I had taken many trips with her, the first time I visited New Orleans was with her. She loved it there, and she passed on Fat Tuesday.She was a beautiful soul, she loved her family soo much and always enjoyed a well mixed rum and coke, I was usually the one mixing them. She was just a hip hip lady. When she was like 16 she and a friend drove down to Harlem and snuck into Birdland, I can't recall who they saw, I know she had seen Louie Armstrong, if I recollect she gave him a kiss.Robert Redford could make her swoon, and the movie the Jerk could make her pee her pants. She absolutely loved seafood, especially ceviche, which I would bring her when I was coming up to visit her in Chandler.The 19th was her birthday, we all were up here and we had good food and laughs. My uncle Terry (who runs Karaoke shows in Vegas) brought his gear down and we all sang whatever songs she requested. We even did a conga line through her room, she loved that. She was always a great dancer, in fact her senior yearbook called her a "smooth dancer." She didn't want a service, not being a church-goer or having many friends up in Chandler, so as much of the family as could get here had a little memorial of our own last night. We read something she had written a few years ago when she knew she wasn't going to get better. We all cried and laughed. It was cathartic.I will miss her so much, she was my rock and now I feel very alone. In the maternal sense. I cry as I write so I will go now. I love my Meme and I always will.

The Talented Mr. Furley

2006-02-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

Don Knotts passed away early in the morning on Friday. It's a shame. I can't say he was directly an influence on me, but I always appreciated him. I never could get into the Andy Griffith show, not at all because of the time period, but Barney and Gomer were funny.

3's Company on the other hand did do a lot for me. That show would never work now, not even in the age of Will and Grace. I mean it wasn't ok for a single guy to live with two hot chicks, but a gay guy, no sweat. He was afraid there would be too much "hanky panky." What did he think gay guys did, just decorate, and try on outfits (apparently this is all I think they do)? Sodomy is not "hanky panky," according to Mr. Furley and to a lesser extent the Ropers. Yes that was comic-gold.

I also grew up watching The Apple Dumpling Gang. The Disney Channel had just come into existence and my Grandparents had cable, so my sister and I watched those a lot. Tim Conway and he were great. Also the Incredible Mr. Limpit was a classic, I love those early cross-live-action-animation films, almost better than they are able to do now.

I am waiting for Andi's cousin Jess to send me the pics she took at the Guiness Toast, so there will be another post soon.

Also last but not least Darren McGavin also passed away. The Christmas Story is by far my favorite holiday movie. It would make my mom laugh til she pissed. "Its a major award!"

He was also wonderful as Murphy Brown's dad, wish that show was still on. Anyhow please for all you did for us Don and Darren...Rest In Peace.

The King "Aug" Rock

2006-02-22T18:29:00.000-08:00

Finally, courtesy of Broseph we have a picture of Professor Augustus Van Rumplekins, or Auggie for short. The amazing rock-chewing, yarn-eating, empty-pouch-licking wonder pug. He is my four-legged homie. I had to erase our cel number from his tag.
Last night was fun, after work I met Al at Che's for a couple of beers and finally connected with Swede. Swede also informed me that Bob Dylan will be in Tucson on April 10th. His opening act will be Merle Haggard, awesome. I saw Willie Nelson open for him in L.A., too bad (on many levels) that the Man in Black is gone. I could start checking off which Highwaymen I've seen. Swede busted my balls about not planning on taking Cody to the Dylan show. Cody is very bright and hip to a lot, but he hasn't reached that plateau yet regarding music/art/and culture. Its still like getting him to try sushi, just the idea sounds foreign and unpleasant to him. I hope that some day he will share my obsessive love for folk music (man that sounded lame) but not yet. Hell my father just got interested. He wrote me a letter telling me that he just got Blonde On Blonde, and Blood on the Tracks, and they blew him away (wow big fuckin' surprise Pop). He was one of those people that had just heard Mr Tambourine Man too many times and decided that Bob was a whiny "acidhead." That conclusion is understandable. I don't like Blowin' in the Wind. It means a lot, but the song itself is a speech, very much on the mark, but not what you wan to listen to.
Anyhoo, Alaric and Anne came over tonight. Andi made the whole dinner. She usually doesn't cook, but she made spanish rice, calabasitas, and chimichangas. Each chimi was made to order too. We had beef chimis, chicken and green chili chimis, and bean and cheese. All of us had two, except Al, who had one of each. I could tell by lookinhg in everyone's eyes that we were interested in whether or not he would clean his plate...he did. When we were in high school, he would come over and make a big plate and also pick off of everyone elses. Champ!
Then we all played the game Cranium. It was fun, but we were all full and thus a little tired. The best part was when it was Cody's turn to guess what Al was humming and it was the James Bond Theme, and Andrea said he wouldn't know it, so I asked him what the J.B.T. was and he whistled it spot on, so we skipped it and settled on Like A Virgin and he didn't get it, so he and Alaric (a team) just looked at me like, "Asshole don't discount, or judge, or underestimate."
Andrea, Anne, and I won. It was very close though. Nocone was too into it, we had dinner late and it F'd us up.
Something cool: Disney finally released DuckTales on DVD. The first 27 episodes. I was picking up squash for dinner, and I decided to buy it. It was my favorite show when I was a kid. I have always loved the duck characters, Daffy, Howard, Quacky Doodle, and mostly Donald Duck. I watched a couple episodes tonight and I already saw references to The Life of Brian, Peter Lorre, Napolean shooting the Sphinx, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Islam. This was a far better show than I realized when I was a kid, I just liked it, but it has a parable I can relate to, Uncle Scrooge wasn't ready to help these ducklings, but he knew he had to, so he did.
Life is like a hurricane..here in DuckBurg.

My Funny Valentine...and Cute...and Sweet...and Valentiney

2006-02-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken at the BBQ, but I like it she has a sweet smile.
I had to work the morning of Valentines day, which was fine. I never felt one way or another about the holiday, even when I was in a relationship. I know it has Roman/Christian origins, but come on, its a Hallmark deal. We all know this, and its not new. Last year Andi amd I went to dinner at Ameraino's Little Italy. Its this little place in a strip mall at like 22nd east of Pantano, you would think it lame...nay. Some of the best shit ever.
So we did the same this year. I called a week in advance and made a 7:30 reservation. We got there early, and were informed that they had over-booked and were behind. We waited for a little more than an hour past our res., but no matter we love it there.
The only reason we were worried, was that it was a school night for Cody. He was hanging out with Jerica at Old Chicago, they had dinner and played pool, and shopped at CD City.
But eventually we got a place at the bar and had a couple drink and all was delightful.
I had the Crab Aroura, over angel hair, awesome. The only snag was that we didn't get the appetizer we ordered, but that was fine we went for desert instead.
We picked Code up and it was a later night than we wanted, but all was fine.
I have been working every day in the A.M., and thats fine but I really am not happy at Old Chicago. I need to find something I can get a little something out of, or this will just all come to a head in an unnessecary way. I am sure of my decision to come out here and do this, I just want to be feeling good about the work I do. I want the same for Andi.
Anyway it was another lovely Valentine to remind of how thankful I should be.

"Barbeque?"...Yes We Do!

2006-02-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

Rob, with Dave and his G.F. Amy, and Roscoe the dog.
My sista Jerica and I, our friend Mindy is on the phone in my hand, out of view, trying to get directions.
Joseph and I playin' a little guitar, after most had left.
Mi Familia. Myself, Andi, and Cody, he appears to have something on his chin, chocolate or what-not.

Joe, Al and I were taking a picture when Joe thought it would be funny to pick me up. You can tell by his face how funny it was. It seems as though Al isn't attempting to help.

So we finally had a little get-together. I had said when we moved in that I wanted to have a BBQ so that we could invite the parents of Cody's friends up, in order for them to see the place and feel comfortable having their kids come over. Not to mention Code seeing all of our friends again. I said lets have it on the 12th. We all agreed. On Thursday morning I find out that Cody and Andi hadn't called anyone, so I decided not to have it, with such little planning. Well later that night or even Friday Andrea told me that Cody still wanted to have it and so did she. I said OK, Ill get the food and cook, but you guys make some calls.
It turned out fine, I didn't call everyone I wanted to but the usual suspects were there. Cody had his friends John and Taylor come up from Sahuarita, and Andrea's friend Paige came over that was nice.
Joseph, Hallie and their three kids came (Liily, Cooper, and Atticus) Anne and her kid (Alaric) Dave and Amy brought Roscoe their new Jack Russell, he isn't new to the Earth, just to them. He is five years old and Auggie made him nervous. Robbie came, but he said 'Lil Robbie and Harrison were sick, so Becky stayed home. Thoreau came with his son Rayne, who is a very neat kid. At first glance he seems like he might be a little odd, but you realize he is just smart enough to say whatever's on his mind. example...

Rayne(looking up): " You know what your light fixtures look like?"
Me(washing some forks so he can eat cake): "What's that Rayne?"
Rayne: "Boobs."
Thoreau laughs and pats his head.
Me(looking up): "I've thought that myself."

Jerica and our friend Mindy also were there. Mindy had to bring her crazy fluffy dog, not sure what breed, but its her parents, and she was house-sitting, its name is Niki and it made Auggie nervous.
All in all it was a good time. It was nice to have a family friendly deal so that everyone could come, not that we all don't usually have, but wives and kids don't always come to card games or "jams."
I'm really glad to be reconnecting with Thoreau. He along with Alaric and I formed The Jack Acid Society, our band, many years ago. We played together for a while maybe 5 or 6 years and haven't played for about 3 or 4, but we played a few songs that night. Even one that Thoreau wrote that we used to do live called Lost in America, it was fun.
Towards the end of the night Andrea and Anne were knitting in the livingroom, while Al, Cody and I were hangin' outside. We were just talking, about interests and different books and movies. I like having Cody around on that level, he is really engaging, and interested.
I made a LOT of food but we ate most of it and a good time was had by all.
HooRay!

The Life Dance

2006-02-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

I recently came across this website that my dear friend Obe Sweetwater has, well not for the first time but first in a long time. This is a drawing I did for him years ago for one of his church group meetings he conducted. I always liked it. He has used it for his Arivaca Acoustic Studios website. In fact if you were to search for that you would find one of the tracks I recorded at his studio in 1999, when I rcorded my album of folk song covers. Its called Worried Man Blues and its one of the better ones.
His wife Sabrina has cancer and I haven't spoken to the in a while, its tough, but I need to do it. See their daughter is Sunshine, whom I was engaged to and was my high school crush. We were together for 6 years. It didn't end badly really, I am more than happy that it did, but I miss her folks a lot. I just don't really need to see her, I wouldn't hate it if I did, but I'd rather not. She just got married and I hope she's happy. I know its hard that her mother is sick, she was around when my mother passed away, but she really wasn't "there" for me the way I needed her to be. She was still the domineering girlfriend, especially after she thought the mourning period was over. I wasn't the most responsible cat at the time I know, but she just made me want to do things to give eachother a reason not to care about "us."
I am so glad I and she are beyond that, I would probably still do anything for her if she needed it, just because I have a hard time turning my back on my friends, but I have so much of a great thing in Andrea....
Whew! That just came out, I do miss Obe and Sabrina, I need top call them.
Anyways, Yesterday Cody Auggie and I hosted a Superbowl party. Andrea was here but she is a little under the weather so she sat it out mostly. Well I'm not a huge sports fan, but a championship of any kind can be fun. I had the day off and wasn't invited to anything, so at around 11 am I said fuck it, I'm going to go to the store and get some munchies and Cody and I will chill. Well I called Joseph, and bless his heart he didn't even realize it was the game day, but decided to come up. Alaric and Anne showed, and later on Thoreau came. I saw Thoreau at the concert last week for like the first time in about 2 years, I'm glad to be reconnecting with him. He also had made a short film which Al was in and showed that to us.
It had premiered at the LOFT cinema on Friday, in a short film fest but that was kind of a lame scene. Casey and Laura showed up, and so did Rob Cable, that was nice.
Anyhoo I made my good-ass Buffalo wings and Nachoes and we had a blast Auggie ran in circles over and over and we all laughed.
Cody was a big help and a gracious host, I am very proud of that kid.
I'm going to go take care of Andi now, she's still sick.
See Ya, Would not want to be ya!

"Hey Ralph Guess who's going to be the Guinness Toastmaster this year?"

2006-01-31T16:53:00.000-08:00

Thats right, Me! I have been asked to preside over the Guiness Toast at Old Chicago this year. It will be on Friday February 24th. $3 pints of Guiness, Harp and Bass, yay! We usually get a pretty good crowd for it. If you are unaware of this event, basically once a year in participating countries around the world we all toast a pint of Guiness at the (aproximate) same time. It's a marketing ploy that has become a fun tradition. I get to write the taost and wear an over-sized novelty top hat (one boyhood dream coming to life).
Other than that not much is new. Bought my copy of The Aristocrats. I really like it. I have heard people say they were disappointed, and why, but I am a comedian that loves other comedians, so seeing them make eachother laugh is cool by me. But yeah it was a little lackluster. I'm sure it won't make my copy of Roadhouse (unabashed love for this flick) jealous being on the shelf or anything.
Oh and I scored a cool Smith-Carona typewriter. It works great and came with an extra ribbon. I just really love doing my writing on a type-writer, it just feels right. Found it at a yard sale near Jerica's house. Tomorrow is LOST night, I don't cook, we order pizzas and then vent our frustration afterwards...good times. Oh and last night, Cody and I watched Pump Up the Volume. He of course had never seen it, and I loved it when I was his ageish. Half way through he turns and says, this is a very interesting movie. That was all he said about it. We all had a great time at the Femmes show, and Wheatie gave us the V.I.P. treatment even helping in the procurement of an autograph. I got to seen Thoreau, for the first time in a long while. I met his new wife and step-son. The short film he made recently with AL in it will be playing a the Loft next week as a part of Max Cannon's short film festival. It will be cool to see it and Max again. Adios for now.

"Come On Dad Gimme The Car Tonight..."

2006-01-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

This is the Violent Femmes. Cody and I are going to see them tonight at the Rialto. I am excited because it's his first "real" show. We took him to KFMA day in May, but thats not like going to "see" a "show." When you are 12/13 everything happens at the fairgrounds, so it will be fun for him to go to a show in a club kinda space.

Josh Wheatie got us in on the guest list. That is awesome. It has added some bragging fodder for Code. He thinks its really cool.

I grew up listening to the Violent Femmes. I have seen them live three times, and I always had a good time. I remember when I heard Blister In the Sun for the first time. It has become trite over the years, but not because of what it is, but how its been used. Grandpa Terry had the first, self-titled album, which is an amazing first debut. He let me play it til its demise. Throughout highschool I listened to the Femmes constantly. When I got my first car (THE DATSUN B210!!!!) I had a cassette mix of all of my favorite hits by the Violent Femmes, it was even playing when I rolled the B210 and Alaric was with me. I do believe that the potential last words that Alaric Weber would have heard were..."I'm Sorry AL!!!"

I identified with this music so much at that time; High School. That is exactly why we don't listen to it as much now. None of us. Its okay that they haven't grown really, we buy what they sell. I would like Cody to enjoy, and try and find what I found in the sad, confused anger, that I heard at the time. Its the perfect outlet that is actually pretty passive.

I heard a quote that a writer had said they had "created emo-rock." Maybe.

I still enjoy the Violent Femmes, it has less relevancy, now, but a lot of what I like doesn't translate well.

Come On Just Buy the Freakin' Car Already -Salesman AL

2006-01-25T17:17:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of Big Al. It's very "Well excuuuuuse me."
Hello.
Well things are plugging along just fine. Cody is really enjoying school. He has made a good friend, Joey, who lives on the street. He's a little skate rat too, so they have that. Andrea has met him, and says he's a good kid, personable and all. I have yet to but I'm glad he has a friend.
His english teacher called me a few days ago to let me know that he has been falling in with the "back of the room rowdies." She said he wasn't in trouble and has obvious potential to be a bad -ass, but wanted me to be aware that he has been geting a little out-of-sorts. She and I agreed that it was probably just the new kid trying to "hang," but he and I had a little chat. I can remember what it was like being 13, though it has been 15 years, and I am a realist(or have made great attempts to be). plus I have taught, from 3 grade up to 12th. And I have been called a lot of names at times, I have seen some down-right nasty behavior off of kids, and I don't see that in Cody right now. He is a really good kid. I had to tell him that his teacher called and what about, but he wasn't in trouble. A month ago he would've gotten very defensive and mad and walked off, but instead I had a casual conversation with a little man. He looked me in the eye and listened and interjected. I was very pleased and proud.
Al has ben invited to join NewKevin. I think that is cool. He is an under appreciated talent. He is more than just the straight man (see Dave's Choice), and I know he has his wits about him. He has been doing stuff with the StreetProv Theatre Collective, (whew). I have never seen them perform as that group, so I don't know. I was thinking, and was casually invited to maybe play with the Kevins. It wasn't clear if there would be an audition process or not. At the risk of sounding arrogant (which I am) I don't really feel like auditioning. I'm not sure if I could even perform with them. I admire all of those guys and call them friends, but it's just not my flava. I'm sure they realize it, but they definitely have a "niche" or maybe distinct style is better, and I don't think I could bring anything to the table. I would love to be doing something, I am already getting the jones for the stage. I think it was the last Secret Show, when I was most recently on stage. I mat have done some stand-up in between.
Also Brian McGrath asked if I was interested in joining/starting a group with him. Again I like Brian very much but he comes equipped with Andrew, and I do not like that guy. He's about as funny as diarrhea. That's harsh, but that shit is true.
Last night was Old Chicago's annual dinner/party. It was ok. I miss Alfred and Bethanne. They have gone to Flaggstaff to study the wild and wooly Yeti, or english or some shit, I don't know.
LOST, was lame tonight I thought. It was inevitable that Locke turn sketchy at some point, but I didn't see jealousy as being the motive for it. Hurly and that chick have something interesting but of course they get only a couple minutes. Sometimes I want to smack J.J. Abrahms in the nuts.
Yo I'm out!

Memories are Made of This

2006-01-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

This was the night we got back into town, for the first time, in December. Looks how happy I look. Before moving all of our stuff across the country. It was nice to see the old fellas. Since this night McJunkin has moved to Chicago. Funny, its like a "trade a Josh" program the two states have going. I'm stalling before going to work. Cody is at school and is spending the weekend with Taylor in sunny Sahuarita. I made a big dinner last night, and we all talked about the "house rules" and what is fair. It went over really well. I can tell he is a lot less tense and has gained a little peace of mind. I just want him to relax and enjoy his life. I think he's getting there. He found a skate park literally a block away. They require helmets, so that takes the pressure of of us having to enforce it. I'm going to try and hook up with Swede this weekend or soon for a beer. Yep I'm back!

Lets Hear it For the Boy!...And Andrea.

2006-01-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

My god has it been a long month. Yes exactly a month. We left the first time from Chicago on like the 13th. And we are finally done.
Lets recap, shall we? Well we drove home before Christmas, in the formerly stolen car. Had a nice week in Tucson on "vacation." I got to see my favorite tatoo artist, Eugene Oregon's Jerry Wagner, quite a bit actually and that was awesome. We flew back to Chicago on the 26th, an uneventful flight,( thankfully, I hadn't flown in a long long time, so I was a little nervous, but my aunt helped me out with some Xanex). I picked up the Penske truck on the 29th, we were going to leave on the 30th.
Everything was seemingly in order, our landlord was being a sweetheart about breaking the lease, and we were packed. Well the passenger elevator in our building at Shoreline Park was out of order, so evryone in the building was using the service elevator. Without asking we knew we couldn't reserve it to move, so we just took one item at a time downstairs to the truck. Well after a few trips we were spotted by the head of the maintanence crew while I had a loaded dolley. He flipped out saying we were breaking the rules, that when moving you need to have the elevator inspected for scratches and damage and then "reserve" it, so you are the only ones using it. Well like I said that was the only elevator for everyone to use...what does this mean for us?
No moving. That was on Thursday, we asked when the other one would be fixed, they said maybe on Friday. We said "ok," and just carried what we could downstairs. Friday rolls around and nope nada again.
I ask "well, what about Saturday?"
"Thats a holiday so no moving then."
"what about Sunday?"
"Never on a Sunday (heh heh)."
They said to talk to us on Monday and we would go from there. That was going to be four days off of our 8 day rental alottment. We were pissed but surrendered. We got our TV out of the truck and enjoyed a New Year's Eve filled with a Law & Order C.I./S.V.U. marathon and whatever we could get at Dominick's that didn't need heat or dishware (not a lot of good things).
Monday came and the building's management office was closed for the extended holiday...We'd been had by this shit-box condo association. Well I throw down the gauntlet and damn the torpedoes. Another run-in with the glorified janitor ensues, here are some of the choice things I shouted at him as he tried to stop us from moving...
(in the middle of the street, holding a box)
"We pay rent here goddammit!!!"
"All we want to do is move out of your piece of shit building!"
"If its not your fault who's fault is it."
"You're getting paid to be an asshole...bust my balls!"
"I'm calling the Cops!"
Yes one of my finer moments, but he relented and We got it all packed and the apartment cleaned by 6 that night, got to my Grandmother's south of Springfield 'round midnight and Tucson on Thursday. It was a motel themed trip...T's, stayed in Tulsa, Tucumcari, and then to Tucson. LOST was not on because of the Rose Bowl, that made the night in Tucumcari a bit long but all in all a safe trip.
Whithin a week Andrea and I found an awesome house right near the school we picked out for Cody, got our jobs back, moved in to said house (thanks Wheatie!) moved Cody up, got our finances in order, enrolled Cody in school and have finally settled in. Cable and internet turned on today, Cody likes school, he had his first day today, and Auggie learned how to use his doggie door and enjoys his own yard.
We are all adjusting very well. Its nice in many ways to be back, and sad in others. Jerica is coming over to spend the night and Andi and I will be joining Al and Ann at the Garter for her birthday.
Onward and ...onward for now.

"Where Are the Bells, There Are the Bells, Oh Shit the Bells."

2005-12-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

Well its almost here. I'm not excited but, eh. I am glad to be back in the home of poisonous animals and plants. Yes we are in Tucson Az, sunny goddamned Tucson. Its nice to be feeling the warmth, but come on it doesn't need to be this warm. It could try and "holiday" it up a little.
We are flying back to Chicago on the 26th and then get to pack up the truck and drive back across the country. I swear Amarillo gets prettier everytime. And to see Tulsa on the 14th of December is nothing like seeing it on the 2nd of January.
The big thing is that Auggie is already here and doesnt have to ride all that way again. And that I don't have to tow the car again.
The nicest thing is seeing everyone. Our friends are so supportive and so happy to see us, I am so thankful.
I wish everybody a safe and happy holiday, I do and I hope people can be as grateful as I am...other than the fact that Andrea and Cody both got ipods, and I only get to go look at them at Best Buy. But God Bless us everyone. Except whoever gets an ipod, let what ever luck they already have take care of thier asses.
I'm kidding, I love you guys...can I see your ipod.

My Finest Hour

2005-12-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Well if I had heeded this posters' advice I would have seen something very important. See last Thursday I was running some errands and decided to check on the car parked one street over on Ainslie. It had snowed a few times since the last time I was in the car, every car was buried, well I couldn't find our car. I saw one parked a ways away from where ours was, but didn't realize it. So I scrape away to rveal the license plate and it's not our car (because it wasn't) And I jump to the conclusion that our car is gone. Its snowing kind of heavy and I just don't see it.
So I call the city, they haven't towed it, we had some tickets but they are all in order. So we call the cops and file a report and a claim with the Geico. Our plans are thrown asunder and I have also lost all of my cds.
We get over it, and make a new plan to get home. I run to Ace hardware today to get sandpaper so I can spackle the picture holes in the wall. I decide to walk down Ainslie on my way home, mostly because I do wierd shit like that to torture myself, like thinking "maybe the car will be there magically." I pass a car that looks like ours but is parked, like I said futher on up the street. I decide to check out this plate as well (its buried in snow) well lo and behold it is our car, untouched. No tickets, no nothin'.
Moral of the story I'm an idiot. I talked to a cop today and he said that its not uncommon for that to happen. But I feel a little silly that I jumped instantly to the "its stolen" conclusion. But I swear I could not see it, I looked up and down the street that day, I even talked to guy who was shoveling his walk and I could not find the damned car.
I'm glad its not gone, it is a nice reliable.
I'll just have to pay more attention. Andrea loves it because now I can't say shit about when she forgets the keys or her phone or whatever, and she can just say...
"well you lost the car."

"...But My Shells Worked."

2005-12-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

So I took this little personality test online, that I saw on Anne's livejournal, that based on your answers determines what "classic movie" you "are." I was surprised to find that I am this...It said, because I put others before myself, and "worry" for them. That may be true. I do think about others, if not what I can do for them, but at the least what I might have done to them. How I can make things right, or how they could be more safe.
That is most likely why we are moving back to Tucson to take care of Cody. I want to be successful, and even "well-off" but actually my friends and family come in way first.
So I guess being Schindlers List could've been worse. I could have been "Deliverance"
...And I don't think I have a particularly "purdy mouth."

P.S. has anyone else noticed how angry that guy in the Applebees commercial is. He hates that his wife is having drinks and "apps," with friends. Jesus I don't know if they are selling "SouthWestern Egg Rolls" or domestic violence.

"Jo-Jo Dancer Your Life Is Calling"

2005-12-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

Well GOD finally called his muthafucka home. One if not the single greatest comic minds of all time, died yesterday. Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III passed away. I remember being about 10 years old maybe 11, and hearing Live on the Sunset Strip for the first time, I was transformed. I think it was then that I finally had a word for what I wanted to be and do. I always new I liked making people laugh, but not until I heard him did I know that I wanted to be a comedian. Sure I probably shouldn't have heard it at that age, but it wasn't about the profanity, not with the "sailors" I grew up around, it was the way he told his stories. They weren't just jokes, the set-up punch line numbers I had heard and read a thousand times, they were stories, about his life and what he had seen and done. And I realized that comedy wasn't just about being clever, coming up with a quip or a pun or at someone's expense. It could be about who you are, the very fiber of the tragedies and triumphs that make you a human being. Every fucked up taboo that ever crossed your mind could be turned and made into something everyone could laugh with .
A few years passed and then a little something called Blazing Saddles happened to me. "What the Hell is this!," I thought. Now I realized that you can even joke about the most sacred of cows. It's like the old joke goes..."How does every nigger joke start?" (swivel head back and forth, to see if anyone is in ear-shot). He wasn't in it of course that credit, well deserved, goes to Cleavon Little, but he helped write it. It was the honesty about it. Racism can be as ugly as humans can get, hate is hate, but what you do with your hate determines a lot. Everybody, EVERYBODY has prejudices. Against everything that isn't the self, and in fact we save the worst hate for that sometimes. "Saddles" was brilliant because it said what the crackers were thinking. Even masked in a western farce, it was still as modern and "in the moment" as anything. I mean even the most progressive liberal whitey still would say "I have lots of black friends, but I wouldn't want one to move in next door and marry my daughter."
But I diegress, Richard was the "Bard" of comedy. And was so gentle and so real. All of the work he did with the amazing Gene Wilder, were what invented the "buddy film" (no, don't give me that Hope/Crosby shit). They were so believable, whether hollywood put them together or not, they were "together." The way Gene was so dim, and Richard was always looking out for him. Silver Streak, Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Another You, all fantastic.
It was one thing that he had been stricken with M.S. when he potenially had more in him, caught on fire while free-basing, nothing stopped the man. He was my hero, a hero, I believe he was a benevolent soul. He wanted to spread the gospel, the one of truth and laughter. Brewster's Millions, Moving, Harlem Nights, even The Toy, which was a mistake for two great comedy powerhouses, Superman III, Bustin' Loose, Uptown Saturday Night, the Fuckin' Muppet Movie. And Stir Crazy was filmed in Tucson, they robbed the Bank One building on Congress and Stone. See anyone of these if you want, but I recommend "Richard Pryor LIVE," "On the Sunset Strip," "Here and Now," and "Live and Smokin'." See the man on stage, talkin', tellin', speakin' and preachin'.
Richard Pryor will always live, as long as those of us who are workers in the trade of "funny" can make a joke and not be afraid of who won't get "it" or who will be pissed off, but just want us all to think and laugh a little, cause shit is fucked up.
God Bless You Mr. Brewster.

F. You Thomas Wolfe

2005-12-06T18:00:00.001-08:00

Well whether I can or not I'm going back home again. It's not entirely by choice. I mean I was just about to start classes and genuinely love this city, but my Aunt Michelle called yesterday to tell me tht for the well being of everyone involved that my brother Cody can not live there any more. He moved to live with her and Uncle John when his guardian my other Aunt Robyn passed away earlier this year. Andi and I took care of him for a few months so he could finish school in Sahuarita.
Apparently he hates it there, he is very mean to everyone in the house. Michelle is pretty much at wits end, and he needs to go. Its not as heartless as it sounds, I do understand, he has had a rough time. The rub is that the first choice were my younger cousins, ages 20 and 23. Not a chance. I may not seem to have my shit together sometimes, but I clean up real nice. He and I get along and he respects me. I know we can do it. Andrea supports me, she just got her degree in social work, and wants to work with troubled teens, and while I can't pay much she will have all the troubled teen she can get.
I'm joking, he is a good kid. He gets straight A's, and is always on a soccor team. He doesn't steal or any other shit like that. He has just had to go through so much in so little time. I just want him to have as comfortable high school time as possible. He is turning 13 in four days, and he really could go either way. It may sound selfish but if I don't help him now I will be bailing him out for the rest of his life, literally.
Things have always happened fast in my life, so thats that. I may not achieve my comedy dreams, but one needs priorities. Open mic at Laffs here I come.
Shit.

"...Absolutely Nuthin'!"

2005-12-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

"I had a brother in Khe Sahn,
Fightin' off the Viet Cong.
They're still there, he's all gone."
-Bruce Springsteen

I usually don't get heavy. As a person I use comedy to "smoke-screen" or make light of what is really wrong. I don't feel that is wrong. I don't deny, problems, personal or otherwise, its just living in the moment, what can you do? React, thats right. So how do you react? Too many of us with violence, and too many with apathy. I learned a long time ago to choose your battles. There is always something in life that we can rage against. Like Dylan Thomas said "...the dying of the light." But that comes but once, to most.
I am tired. I am fucking tired of all this shit. Life is fun, and interseting, and renewing, everyday. I am tired of the casual jokes, and barbs against this administration. They do nothing to stop anything. Yeah G.W. is an idiot, no he's not. Yeah they all are this and that. Can we stop making fun and get them the FUCK OUT!!!!
No we can't, or thats not the issue anyway. George W. Bush should be held accountable for his crimes against humanity.
See thats the thing and you all know that, I'm just a dumb guy who cries when the news is on, we have to respect human life no matter what. It should be held higher than a diamond or gold or oil. The president has already allowed more than 2,000 americans to be killed. I know thats a small genocide, compared, but it is one. How has it changed the way of life for any of us?
I know I know, I am weak in my writing skills. I don't know what point to make, other than, I am tired tired tired tired tired of being ashamed to be an American.
We should have our own Nuremburg trials and bring our boys up. Dick and Donnie and Georgie and Paulie and Carly. And try and figure out why their "final solution" isn't brought up to question.
In 200 hundred years we have destroyed this world like it was a suite and we were the Who. I am tired. Tired of peoples bullshit.
So let's really do it. Let's protest...no, that won't work...lets hide and hope.
I don't like myself sometimes, but I don't kill people to deal with it.
It's the same deal, Vietnam-Iraq. War is war.
"...and so this is Christmas."

Clown-Control to Mao Tse-Tung

2005-12-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

Good Morning. Another brisk 22 degrees in the Chicago area. I really like this painting. It was done by an artist in Chi-town. He's a cartoonist, he does animal-type characters like I do but is obviously versatile. That reminds me I came up with a great editorial cartoon to draw and send to Joe. Either for the Connection or the new paper in Rio Rico.
I am a Don Rickles fan, and I can't help feeling he's talking to me directly sometimes.
I finally got registered for my I.O. classes. I start on Monday Jan. 2nd. My instructor is Charlie McCrackin. I've been told he's fun. The gal who sets up my gigs at Kelly Services has the same last name, maybe its common. I don't believe they're related. I had never heard it before, and it makes me laugh to say it. It reminds me of a mythical monster, kind of like "Oh no!, its the McCrackin, plunge 40 leagues, hurry!" Something that you would have seen animated by Ray Harryhausen.
On Saturday Andi and I went to Matt and Rachel's to be extras in this film bit they are doing for sketch-fest. I never did get the gist of it but it was fun. I was just a "party-goer" at some kind of event held by Satan (Justin) who is running for some kind of office. I was in the back with two friends of Matt's; Jared and Jeremy. They were cool guys. We had to pretend to be talking and mingling, without being heard. We didn't want to just do the "Peas and Carrots" thing, we wanted to have real conversations and reactions so hear are some tidbits...
JARED: "Do you know who Feivel is?"
JOSH: "The mouse?"
JARED: "Yeah."
JOSH: "He's from An American Tail."
JARED: "No he's from Russia."

JEREMY: "So I bought a 3-day pass to "The M.I.L.F. Hunter" online the other day."
JARED: "Dude it can fuck up your computer just looking at that shit."
JEREMY: "Not mine, anyways they charged my card for the whole month not just the 3 days."
JOSH: "And you weren't planning on hunting that long?"
JEREMY: "Right."
JOSH: "Just enough supplies and ammo for 3 days."
JEREMY: "Exactly."

JEREMY: "...So she was like six feet something and really fit, I figured she had to be a fitness instructor or a...a...
JOSH "Man."

It was a lot of fun. Jeremy kept pissing Logan off though. But Ted was there as well, and that was cool. We always have a few laughs. Then we watched some of R. Kelly's brilliant opus(move the F. over Mr. Holland.) "Trapped in the Closet." Most hadn't heard of it, so it was funny explaining, in the only way we knew how what it was.
I'm looking forward to McJunkin moving out here. I haven't seen Chloe in years but we always got along. Hey I just realized McJunkin and McCrackin sound alike..."There is a hull breach, fire upon the McJunkin!" No its the "crack" sound that does it. Yes I did just shout them both out loud to tell. Auggie, although a dog, has a great way of looking at me like I'm insane or retarded. But if he wants protection from the McCrackin he'll know who to side with!
I like Arnie in his ear costume. I haven't seen him in a while, some of us want to check out Concept Album this week, I hope that happens.
Well as they say in France...Peace Out! (but probably in french.)

Now I Know What Its Like To Keep My Balls In The Freezer

2005-11-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

The giant freezer that is Chicago, the "Windy Apple." It's ironic, because the nickname the windy city came about because of political reasons, blow-hard filibusterers. But don't let it fool you, the fucking wind off of lake Michigan is evil incarnate. I just ran down to meet Andrea at the train station and walk her home, I've been back indoors for a half hour and my face still feels like its being stabbed all over.
Ah life's rich pageant. Thanksgiving was fun, I suppose. We left a day early from my Nana's house. She has two cats, and Andi is very allergic. The Claratin wasn't cutting it. Finally her throat was closing up on Friday night, Bless her heart she, between gasps, tried to tell me "I'll be fine." Well there was no way I was going to wake up next to a dead body...again. So I loaded up the car and headed home. No traffic though, so the 4 hour drive was actually 4 hours. Andi and Auggie slept the whole time, I listened to Dylan, Dane Cook and Mitch Hedberg, and some random ass mix that had only 8 songs and three were Green Day, I have no idea who made that.
Spent Sunday with Jerica, and took her to the airport on Monday morning. She arrived safely and Wheatie picked her up. The weather was rainy and shitty on Sunday, but Jay wanted to shop. We went to this awesome "make your own t-shirt" shop called Strange Cargo. She got a shirt with "the Dude," and one with Slash on it. She also bought me a trucker hat with a cool picture of Bob Dylan on it. I never have worn a trucker hat, and kinda hated them, but this one is tits!
So anyways Roodhouse was nice. I saw a lot of people that I haven't seen in a while. I sat next to Grandma Brant (my Great-Grandma) during dinner. She is like 90 or real close, but she is a riot. She kept making little remarks in retort to what others would say, but only I could hear. Then I would make little jokes only she could hear, it was a blast. It was a little depressing to sit and listen and watch while my uncle Marvin showed off the new video/audio ipod he just bought his wife, my aunt Mary, they're both in their 60s. Not that you are ever too old for portable music and portable episodes of LOST, but I want one dammnit!
The only conspicuous absence was that of my Pa, he was recently moved to a "rest home." His dementia has gotten really bad. Like my Grandpa Terry who passed away a few years ago, Pa was a big influence on who I am. Terry taught me all I know about film and music, and Pa all I know about baseball and politics. He was the man who first took me to Yankee Stadium. I used to watch Crossfire with him constantly from the time I was about 11 and discuss and argue, it was great. Now he doesn't know who I am. I think he recognizes me but the memories aren't there. As far as Nana and uncle Jerry say he doesn't complain, or ask to go home or why he is there. He watches T.V. and reads everything he can get his hands on to the nurses or anyone who will listen. Not sure if he has any comprehension, its like he reads just so he won't lose the ability. It is really sad. I just have to be thankful that he is still alive and isn't suffering. Its just hard on everyone else is all.
I will be starting my classes on the 1st of January or maybe the 5th depending on which I choose. And we are getting ready for our trip to the "Old Peub." That will be awesome. I have so much fun to have in six days, but we'll do it.
Hasta!

A Few Thoughts on Bobby Dylan

2005-11-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well not a day goes by that is Dylan-free, in my world. I either listen to a song, read a song, sing a song or put him on the teevee. In fact I recently got my City of Chicago library card, and checked out Chronicles vol. 1 on CD, I read the hard copy. Sean Penn reads it and it is so good. Like I said I read it, and there isn't much I don't know about the guy, but the way Penn reads it is spot-on. Sometimes he even has that raspy dust-bowl migrant thing Bob has been perfecting all these years.
Last night I was puttering around the apartment, and had "No Direction Home" on. That was really well done. Scorsese just gets it, that was evident with "The Last Waltz." Sussman and I were talking about it and he said "it did seem like a lot of hero worship." I agreed, of course its hard to hate that when its your hero they're worshipping. Yeah they did overlook some of the shittier things Dylan did when he was climbing the ladder, and there were a few conspicuous absences (Ramblin Jack, Robbie Robertson, any old clips of Phil Ochs, Donovan) and way to much fucking Peter Yarrow, I have like four documentaries about folk/roots music and that guy is all over the place, doesn't he have a fucking high school he can play Puff the Magic Dragon and talk about the dangers of "grass" at?!
Despite little things the point is after you've lived 65 years and have done what that man has done and put up with the bile and the hatred that he has had to deal with, shouldn't those people who are still around to remember it take a moment, if they want, to speak of it/you? Even watching Pete Seeger, who you know at the time hated what "Bobby" was doing to his precious legacy, can look regal like an old wise benevolent king and speak sweetly. But like I said I was waiting for that particular film, so I was happy. And airing it on PBS, damn it makes me happy.
Anyway today I was cleaning (yeah I'm the hosewife, or more anal-retentive than I thought I was, I hate messes all of the sudden, Al you'd be proud.) and listening to this Dylan bootleg called The Third One Now, mostly a mash of live stuff from the never-ending tour, but good quality. It has the version of Restless Farewell that he sang for Sinatra at his 80th birthday "celebration." He sings the whole song word for word, and is as clear as a bell, not affecting the "Bob-whine" at all. I recall watching that on teevee and Frank watched him the whole time starry-eyed (or shit-faced, hard to tell) and when Bob ended he bowed and said "Happy Birthday Mr. Frank," and Frank nodded and smiled with his hands together but not clapping.
Jesus! what a moment in music. Its like Elvis meeting Nixon if Elvis were actually cool and Nixon wasn't a sweaty evil mess.
And that song is just so powerful and meaningful, and he was like 20 when he wrote it, Man! It seems like something an old man says to an old man, and he wrote it when he was 20-ish.
I love you Bob thanks for everything.

When I managed a tag-team of Pro-Wrestlers

2005-11-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

This is Marc "the General" Leware, and Alaric "the Flask" Weber with me in the middle making a stale and stinky oreo. This was at the 505 as well. We lost a couple title bouts, the worst to the "I'm a mean gang-banger type who wants to crash a house party full of guys in ties and ladies in dresses, and or fight" Boys. It was bad and it was oh so good.

Would you like a "cream cheese and sprout bagel" with your blow?

2005-11-20T16:28:00.000-08:00

This was a 70's party at the 505. I won a door prize (an awesome Swede mix) for being the only seventies cat not dressed in disco gear. The "Heads" had their day in the 70's.

May we marry your cousin, er I mean our cousin, er ah your daughter, is that yer sheep?"

2005-11-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

This was a hick party at Mark and Keith's house, Jerad "this is a shirt" Newton, Al "I can get you a good deal on some mesquite furniture" Weber, Eric "Huh? you want some chaw in yer face" Swedelund, and Joshua "Farmer-Tan" Cicci
If I do recall this was an awesome keg-toss. Go Big James.

Borscht Belt Beauty

2005-11-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

Finally over being ill (hopefully). Good enough to sip a little whiskey. Though a hot toddy helps a lot on its own.
Andi and I went to see Sarah Silverman's concert film "Jesus is Magic." It was good. She is very witty, and sharp. I realized I didn't like her stand-up as much as I like her as a comedic entity. Her routine is very vaudevillian. Really, "set-up...set-up... punch," with the filthy and racist content. But with the "who me?, what did I say?" delivery. She pulls it off a lot better than some of her newer male counter-parts. In fact maybe thats it. Maybe it's because she's a woman, its different while being the same. If you're a 25-30 year old male comic and you try and do that Mort Sahl, Shelley Berman, Rodney Dangerfield, Woody Allen, Jackie Mason, Allen King shit, you look like a kid who read a book and went to open-mic and bored the fuck outta everyone. But she is cute, and sweet(yeah I'm sexist) and the irony almost makes it ok.
However like I said she works because she works. The material is mediocre. One just gets a kick out of hearing it come out of this tiny hot little jew-baby.
I do give her credit for making it Kimmel free and better yet no Adam Corolla. That guy has had to have sucked more dick than Colin Quinn and Carson Daly combined, yeesh.
It did have Brian Posehn, the only "A-list" celeb on screen.
All in all enjoyable, her musical numbers were good. Better than the last film I saw in the theatre, Shop Girl. I saw it with a group of friends so that was fun no matter what, but I was disappointed in an old hero. I have my theories as to what Steve Martin was saying(I didn't read the novella) but it was not told, or shown to me. The movie I wanted to be watching was happening way off screen with Jason Shwartzman. You couldn't invest in Steve's character (not really supposed to) But Claire Daine's character was totally unsympathetic. Not even two-dimensional.
I will be the first to admit that my taste in things is very pedestrian. I am easy going and most of what I like is low-brow, I know, but that doesn't mean I can't "get" "stuff."
I can see a thinly-vieled story about acceptance and a need for fullfilment in this pre-packaged consumer driven world.
Or maybe it was about fucking.
Auggie recommends Hollywood Hottubs III-woof!...(eeew)

"Come on Get Down With the Sickness."

2005-11-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

...I am.
well actually I'm starting to feel better. I should have been in bed most of the week. I started feeling shitty at work on Tuesday morning, but Jerica was coming into the city, on like her only day off, so I did that "I'll just ignore it and start drinking after work and be outside in the rain and cold and not stop til like two, and it will go away" whole thing. It didn't. Do I regret it? F. no.
The "Shoe" was a blast. Mark and Kyle were meeting a possible new bassist there that night. His name was Derrick. He was a cool guy, but we all started getting a little sauced, and then this guy Jay shows up so Kyle can pay him for some studio time they used, and he brought this chick Susie with him (his ride). She was so hammered. A little while later it appeared that Jay had left Susie there. By this time Big Mike and his roommate Mike showed up.
Nothing too crazy really just loud and drunken and non-sensical. I just couldn't help but wonder what this Derrick dude thought of everything. At one point Kyle turns to him and says, totally dead-pan serious..
"so what do you think of everything so far?"
the dude just chuckled, Jerica thought it was funny.
I made butter-scotch popcorn tonight, from scratch, yeah.

"That Chilly Wind Will Soon Begin..."

2005-11-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

Its been a liitle while, not that anyone is reading. I am still rocking the Tribune deal. Its going okay. They don't really need us but they can't let us go because we get so much done. Mark leaves next Thursday for another gig, I will stay on as long as they'll have me, ahk, who knows.
Last night Andi and I went to have dinner at Old Chicago, yes Old Chicago. In Elk Grove Village, an hour drive here, but in normal space/time(tucson) about a half hour. It was friends and family night, Jerica is one of the head trainers, so we ate for free, and got to critique the evenings fare. It was funny because as a joke I told Jay to tell Al that we were out here and to come say hi (i miss that). On our way home, very long on the 190/90 tollway I get a call from Alfred. I missed it because we were blasting a tape Alaric made me in high school, I believe it was the song..."Please Play This Song On The Radio"(NoFX). Well the whole thing sent me into this little mental-tail-wind, common shit, all serendipitous, and connected.
They fucked up my order like they always do at O.C. But I somehow felt at home.
Its great to see my sister she seems to be having fun. On Tuesday we shall see the Art Institute(my third time), and have quarter beers at the Horseshoe!
"Good Night and Good Luck"
Edward R. Murrow...and I still want to see that.

Shine On You Lazy Diamond

2005-10-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

Another day...another you know...day. I'mstating to get really bummed not working. It seems we're doing fine, but could always be better. I am so lucky t have Andi, she is so understanding and supportive. I am waiting for my sister to get here. She supposedly arrives on Sunday, to help open an Old Chicago here in Old Chicago. I can work there. At least its cash in pocket everyday. I am really looking forward to our trip home in December. I miss my boys. I have really good friends here, but there is nothing better than the Als and Joe and Josh. No idea what to be for Halloween, but thats cool, I'll figure it out. I really need to do laundry, but I hate it. I sould be so lucky to he this be my biggest problem.

No Place For Pirates

2005-10-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

So I was informed by my grandmother (Meme) that, much to both of our surprises, I had a little cash left in a mutual fund that I thought I had cashed out. Apparently I left a little in and it made baby money.
That's not whats interesting, the thing is to transfer it to my name I have to provide sufficient evidence that I am an actual not only citizen but PERSON. Because of the Patriot Act and Homelad security I have to provide an address where i have applied for a credit card. Well I haven't applied for one...ever, because I had, prior to the turn of the millenium, a distrust of the American banking system. And not a "oh my god lets by toilet-paper because its going out of style," kind of distrust. I had a valid mistrust of the system, I had put my low-income earinings in a bad bank and they pulled all of thier games like charging me for having a low balance.
Well they want to make sure that I'm not a terrorist. Not that being born here and having no criminal record at all counts for anything.
I am not feeling well, and out of work, so hearing that I had a couple "thou" waiting for me was nice, but I'm proud to be an american, so I have to bend over and take it just to get whats mine. Plus Lost is great too.
Go Sox...because my guys have won enough.

The Maiden Voyage

2005-10-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well here it goes. I decided that it was time for me to join the world of Blogdom.
Finally made the move to Chicago. Been here roughly 2 months. Done a smattering of work, through the temp. agency that everyone here has worked for. Haven't been able to afford to start classes, but will soon. I do get together with some friends and improv, weekly. We want to put together a multi-media/sketch show thing.
When and saw Shadenfruede last Saturday. They not only remembered me but by name. I was really pleased by that. Not that I don't leave an impression, but I respected thier work and now I know they mine. And Justin from thier group invited me to a party this weekend. That should be cool.
Finally got back in touch with Josh McJ. that was cool. It had been too long. He even came out here for like 6 days, we had a blast. I have to start dinner.