| semester drive-in totals:
physics A
jogging (!!) PASS
basic audio/video A
physics lab A
basic screenwriting A
survey of media studies A
current gpa 3.88 | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment   |
| I'm in Austin right now.
Things are good. I think... I'm worried about what this semester's grades will be.
I went record shopping yesterday. I didn't find any vinyl I had to have at Antone's, but I did find a copy of bo bud greene's "The Same But Different" at Cheapo Discs.
I have a 90 page screenplay due on Thursday when I'm back in Dallas. I'm about half way through with it. I'm making it really disgusting because it makes it easy to write for a long time when not much is happening. It sucks that I waited so long to start writing it. If I hadn't I may have put more time into it and made it something I was really proud of, but now I'm just trying to finish it. I have to sadism scenes playing out back to back right now!
I like this bo bud greene CD. No one's ever heard of it... or mentioned it anywhere. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Motion City Soundtrack - Attractive Today | | Time: | 07:36 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/angry.gif) aggravated |
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| I don't understand how people are still supporting this "war" in Irag. I met a speaker today who I thought characterized the situation very well, "The invasion of Iraq has to stop now. I'm calling it an 'invasion' because that's just what it is. There is no 'war' being fought."
Knowing that the reasons for invading Iraq were purely fabricated, how can people justify it still as being a "war on terror." How is it not blatantly obvious that it is completely motivated economically? How can people not realize that we aren't being attacked by Iraqi people, they are RESPONDING to our presence there. What if Iraq invaded America? Would we, the people not the government, just sit around and take it? NO! You fucking KNOW there would be everyday people rising up to fight in the streets against the agressors.
Our senator Cornyn was one of 9 to oppose a recent amendment to a bill that would specifically call for a banning of torture of Iraqi prisoners. In other words, he is supporting complete disregard for humane treatment of prisoners. Apparently the Bush administration has stated along the similar lines that it will Veto the bill if this amendment is passed, or some similar amendment with the same message I can't really remember. The point is that whereas the majority of Congress and the Senate is opposed to torture, Bush will veto the bill if it explicity states an anti-torture position. On top of that, why is it that my senator is one of the 9 who supports Bush in this situation?
In other news Bob Pollard has ditched Matador in favor of MERGE. I'm so happy. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Last night I finally discovered something I had been skowering the internet for:
Repeat The Ending
Nailed To The Blank Spot
Break Up Your Band
Peeled Out Too Late
Laugh Track
Our Boys Will Shine Tonight
Ghost By The Sea
You Must Be Stopped
Wakeman's Air
Unreal Is Here
Flight 96
This is the setlist Chavez played when they opened for Guided By Voices last December.
Here is a picture of Chavez playing that night. I'm standing in the middle of them at the very front, but you can't see me. Maybe my hand is there or something.
 | | comments: Leave a comment |
| I'm sitting here with a slight case of alergies and back pain listening to Joanie Loves Schatzi...
The other night in the middle of a vivid nightmare I created a great pop song. This wasn't a song fragment, it was an entire original song... and it was flawless. I kid you not. When I woke up in the morning it was gone from my head.
I really miss Schatzi. They were one of the best live bands I ever saw when I was growing up. I remember seeing them at SXSW when I was just a sophomore in high school. Actually, now that I think about it the first time I saw them play was when I was in middle school. They opened for Dynamite Hack at La Zona Rosa. Dynamite Hack was unjustly shit on by music "aficionados" for their cover of Boyz In The Hood. Let's face it, that was hardly the high point of Superfast. I got the impression the song was only on there in the first place out of some minor commercial pressure (initially) but mostly it was just supposed to be a funny song. Don't get me wrong, I like the cover a lot... But Dynamite Hack fucking rocked. They wrote great pop rock and it pains me to hear people talk trash about them.
I thought about getting the "Schatzi" tattoo. Why not? I need something... | | comments: Leave a comment |
| I picked up a solo Pete Townshend record today. I was reading about it on Allmusic.com and the review of the album is one the most interesting and fair reviews I've read in a long time.
From Allmusic.com...
"If Empty Glass, an album filled with songs that could have been performed by the Who, was a solo album because it was too revealing and personal, All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes was a solo record since it's impossible to hear anyone but Townshend wanting to indulge in this deliberately arty, awkwardly poetic bullsh*t. Where his other albums showed an inclination toward classical-influenced art rock, this is defiantly modern art, filled with stagey prose, synthesizers, drum machines, angular song structures, and a heavy debt to new wave -- in short, Townshend's vision of what modern music should sound like in 1982. This kind of record taunts cynics and critics, being nearly impenetrable in its content even if the production and the music itself aren't all that inaccessible. The problem is, this is Arty with a capital A and Pretentious with a capital P, yet Townshend never seems embarrassed, never shies away from indulging himself in his own ego. While autobiographical to a certain extent (how else to read "Somebody Saved Me" or "Stardom in Acton," which drops the Who's home borough?), it's hard to tell exactly what he's on about. So it's easy to see why many listeners are exasperated instead of intrigued (or even admire its damn impenetrability), but it's also easy to get fascinated by the album's very obtuseness. This is very much of a piece and, apart from the gems "North Country Girl" and "Slit Skirts," it's hard to separate individual songs and see them as their own works. Indeed, separating All the Best Cowboys from its era is even difficult, since the album's surface glistens with new wave synths and guitars; this is clearly a record Townshend could only have made in 1982, emboldened by new wave, the reaction to Empty Glass, new sobriety, and general hubris. For these reasons, this is very much loved by a certain portion of Townsend's fan base -- and for the same reasons many, many people despise it. And any record that fractures an audience so considerably is worth a spin." | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Well I spent the whole day keeping myself busy:
Lunch w/ Mom
Beer w/ Marc
Dinner w/ Marc
Movie w/ Marc
I was occupied from roughly 11 AM to 9 PM, but now I have nothing to do. When I stop keeping myself busy I become depressed lately. In retrospect I guess that's really rediculous because I just spent all day with people I care about having a good time... If I'd had my druthers though I would've been out with _______. I know I shouldn't say that because it hurts, and Marc would agree with me on that one.
Maybe moving back to Dallas in 3 weeks won't be such a bad thing for me.
I talked to _______ on the phone after the movie. She was on her way to see Emily who just got back from France today. I had called Emily earlier but was unable to talk to her because of our crappy cellphones. Apparently I'm welcome to go to a party at her ex-boyfriend's place, but I don't think I will.
Earlier I explained to Marc how much I love to movie JULES ET JIM. For those of you who haven't seen it, I seriously think you should. I went on to talk to myself while Marc listened. The first time I saw the movie I thought it was okay, actually I got bored. It's so long and... well French! But now... Don't ever place yourself in a position wherein you will truly grasp the movie. I feel like I do now and I wish to God I didn't. Do I torture myself beyond endurably so that I can be around _______? HELL YES I DO! Sometimes I wish I were Jim. I wish _______ and I could just drive off a bridge, because it would be much easier.
I wish _______ weren't so busy having a good time... that she would make time to write me back. We'll see, hopefully she will later tonight.
But now I'm gonna go. At least I'm not the type to listen to sad-bastard music WHEN I'm sad. I don't want to ram it in any further than it already is embedded... | | comments: Leave a comment |
| This week I hung out with Halee for the first time in a couple months. It stung a bit. Halee called me and asked if we could go out to dinner so the two of us wandered over to Milto's. Needless to say, I had a good time talking to her. I found out through our conversation that the reason she had so much free time was due to the fact that her best friend and her ex-boyfriend were both out of town. We trudged on...
After dinner the two of us went to Waterloo records together. We sat in a booth together and listened to a trendy emo band together, Xiu Xiu. Originally Halee was going to get the new Steve Malkmus record but ended up passing.
We went to a coffee joint together. I ordered orange juice and a chocolate chip cookie, she ordered some kind of complicated coffee beverage.
"Can I tell you something slightly awkward, Austin?"
"Sure."
"It's just that more and more I'm starting to think of Chris as just a friend, and not my boyfriend."
"Well that's good..."
I think they've been broken up for over a year now, ironically.
We went back to her house and after talking about nothing for about half an hour she offered me a beer and we sat down together on the couch. We talked about tons of stuff... I don't even really remember what we were saying to be honest though. I've never felt so confident in her presence before.
Since I had blown her off, I was in control of our relationship for the first time since we had met. She wanted me back in her life, needed me back in her life.
"You know you're not just someone I 'hang out with' right Austin?"
"No, I didn't know that actually."
*I felt her hand and she took mine.*
We sat there for a while... nursing our beers. We must've stayed there like that for at least half an hour. I felt like a kid in high school at a movie theater. The TV in front of us was black.
I finished my beer, Negro Modelo, and Halee stood up to throw it away for me. Halee has never had a problem falling into "woman mode" around the house. I felt like we were some sort of married couple from a sitcom.
It was 10 and neither of us wanted our time together to stop. I could feel it. She verbalized it. She had a party to go to and I had to be at Emo's. Originally I had intended to go to the party with her and she was going to come to Emo's... but we decided not to in the end. It felt good, it was good ending. We had spent almost 4 hours together, you might be laughing to yourself but it was the first time I had accomplished such a feat. I knew I had blown her away. A couple more evenings like that in rapid succession and she would've been mine... but I know now that this is pointless. We are both looking for change in our lives. I doubt if I'll ever see her again when I move away from Austin semi-permanently in August...
That night I met my friend Monte at Emo's. His *new* band the End's were playing a show. The original band set to head the night had cancelled so the End's were the new headliner. During the recording of the End's last record I had played with them in the studio. As a joke, I brought my trombone to Emo's with me, but to my surprise the band was very anxious for me to play with them. I hadn't touched my trombone since I graduated and recorded the album with them. I didn't even know the notes or how to play the song they wanted me to play. The singer bought me shots all night to build my confidence. To my surprise I could actually hack it on trombone I soon found out. I got up and played with them. I had fun and they asked me to play again with them later this month. We'll see what happens. I gotta work on building up my lips again though.
Today at work some fucker left his dog at Vulcan. When we were closing we found him huddled in our office, scared shitless... literally. I wasn't able to get ahold of the owner so my friend/co-worker had to take the dog home. When I go to work tomorrow I've got to see if I can get ahold of the owner a few more times. It's probabl the same person who only returned the 2 disc edition of Donnie Darko with 1 disc in the case.
These last couple days I've been very very alone and very much in the dark. I'm on the verge of falling into Morrissey-esque abyss... I hope it has nothing to do with Halee and I hope I can find my way out of it soon. I think it's because of Claudia, but more on that later. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| For those who don't know, I have decided to stay on at SMU. If I stay there I will have a few good friends, including one from Austin who is moving there this summer to start work, be able to graduate in just two more years, and be more assured of actually getting a job once I graduate.
If I go to UT I will have to: hang out with people I went to high school with, take a government course, take another foreign language course, reapply to the film school and thus waste a whole semester, and lose something like 6 hours of credit I had received at SMU.
A professor/friend at SMU has told me that he will help me begin research as well as help me become published. He is also going to allow me access to the school's large archive of 35 mm prints of cult exploitation films (my preferred area of study).
In other news the sex rumor died before it started. Claudia won back some points for herself by admitting to the rumor just being a joke between the two of us. The good news? She's not a total tease. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| This week... SO hectic! It always amazes me that my life can be so boring for so long and then a MILLION things happen in a matter of days.
1) I worked the morning shifts at Vulcan every day this week, alone. As I wasn't expecting to do this, it through of my sleep schedule and I have been running on about 5 hours a night all week.
2) I found out Monday that I had been accepted to UT and only had until this FRIDAY to make my decision as to where I would be attending school next semester.
3) The Schatzi crew was playing their first show with my friend Monte in over a year.
4) Voxtrot and Belaire were also playing a show together to kick off their summer tours.
There was some other drama tossed in which I can't really remember right now.
The stress put on my shoulders was enormous. Any decision I made concerning school could never be the "right" one. Both schools have their good and bad points. I hobbled around wherever I went, exhausted, trying to make sense of the thoughts swimming in my head.
Friday after work my family and some friends went to eat dinner at Chez Nous after which I wandered down to Emo's, alone to see Voxtrot rock me. I had originally intended to take this girl I've been courting, Claudia, with me. On the phone she told me that she was thinking about working at Vulcan that night so that she could take Monday night off instead. This came as a blow because I could tell that I wasn't high on her list of priorities.
At the show I was explaining the story to a friend, who knows Claudia as it turned out when I finished the story. Everyone knows everyone in this damn town! "You know she has a rule Austin... She'll never sleep with the same person twice... Speak of the devil." As I turned around Claudia popped out of nowhere. She had come to the show after all.
She teased and I played along, stupidly and half-seriously. I had intended to stop trying as I explained to Rene.
"Are we breaking up, Austin?"
"Yes. You didn't return my phone call, I hate that."
"But I knew where you would be..."
*I had intended to take my bro Marc to the show with me, if he had ended up coming the night would've been totally different... Rene walked off to talk to another friend and give me some space. Claudia continued...
"Have you heard all the rumors about us a Vulcan?"
"Yeah..."
"As if there weren't enough rumors about me already."
"Ha..."
"Hey listen, next time they ask about us you should hint that we had SEX tonight."
"Hmmm."
"C'mon it'll give them a taste of their own medicine."
"I don't really like thinking of our relationship in those terms."
"Oh Austin, cmon!"
"I think our rumored relationship is more fun than it really is."
"Ha! I can never tell when you're serious or not, Austin."
"Ditto."
Hmmm. How do I do this to myself. I mean granted we were both having a great time joking about it and there was a lot of mock touchy-feely stuff going on between us, but still! It's not like she's being a prick tease to me, it's like she's just totally oblivious. The fact that she's 2 years older than me has convinced her that there's NO WAY I could be interested in her seriously.
Claudia is really fucking cute and really cool. The type girl that's just too cool for school. Her fatal error was when she first met me: "Hey I'm Claudia, man I can't get this Guided By Voices song out of my head."
Oh DAMN!
1) Older girl
2) Cute
3) Good taste in music
4) NOT Halee
Last night I got so drunk someone had to drive me home. I was an unwilling passenger up until I got back to my house.
How do I sort my shit out with this girl!? She wants to take a trip with me to San Francisco or Chicago right before school starts. I guess the best thing to do at this point would be to throw up my hands, give up, and not go on the trip. Either way I gotta find a way to get through to her. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | i found out today that i have been admitted to ut. now the big question: do i stay here or do i go back to dallas for school? what do you guys think. especially you morpha_too given that you are more aware of my personal life than anyone else. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| To do...
June 12: Screening of the original Japanese edit of GODZILLA
June 19: Father's Day screening of THE GREAT ESCAPE at the Drafthouse
June 23: Midnight premiere of George Romero's new zombie movie LAND OF THE DEAD
June 27: Schatzi at Emo's
July 1: The Ends at Emo's
July 15: Mission of Burma at Emo's
July 23: Bo Bud Greene at ???
Feel free to invite yourself to any of these events, minus the Father's Day movie. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Maybe watching VERTIGO tonight wasn't such a great idea... but goddamn that's a great movie! It makes me want to go to San Francisco with Claudia even more. (She's planning on going sometime in the next couple weeks, I'm trying to get myself invited.) | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Well well well.
I just got back from the Alamo Drafthouse where I saw the creators of HomestarRunner.com host some of their best work. It was great! I rarely laugh openly but today I've been cracking up all day for some reason and it feels great. The Drafthouse screening made it perfect.
Unfortunately I had to go alone, but being an only child I'm used to doing things like that alone and even enjoy it sometimes... but lately I feel like there's definately something lacking concerning friends. Maybe it's because of the way I phrase my sentences!
I wanted to go to Gallery Lombardi after the show to see my friend Annie, but it was way too crowded. Too many young hipsters were about and I couldn't even park let alone muscle my way through a million people struggling to find Annie. Annie is my favorite photographer! Which isn't saying much because I don't know any others... but everyone should check out www.anniegunnphotos.com/photos. You will not be let down, I promise!
A lot of me wishes that something could happen between me and Annie. She's way cool and is actually making a living, sort of, as a photographer. I could see us being all artsy together. Last night when I went out for some light drinking with my friend Marc I commented that I didn't have enough prospects these days. Well I guess I have 3. But it's not like high school anymore where you have a crush on a new girl every week. You're not constantly bombarded with new cute faces everyday and it kind of sucks. But I definately wouldn't want to relive that part of my life by any means.
Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if the first girl I asked out hadn't said "No." Oh Laura Allen... do you have any idea what stress you've put me through!? Probably not. Of course I blow it way out of proportion. But I'm not going to lie, I'm so sexually and emotionally frustrated these days that I might just spontaneously combust.
*Note to self: Do not take job as drummer for Spinal Tap! | | comments: 6 comments or Leave a comment |
| *this was supposed to be posted in the mission of burma group, but i am retarted with LJ and didn't do it right. hence the random MOB reference....
not related to mission of burma but does anyone know what tunings andy gill uses on gang of 4's entertainment? | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | *The new Star Wars movie is amazing | | Time: | 02:14 am |
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| 
You're a Mod. You dig expensive things, like suits
and speed. You have a fine appreciation for the
Kinks and know that Motown started it all, and
you have fabulous style. Hey, nice hair.
You Know Yer Indie. Let's Sub-Categorize.
brought to you by Quizilla
I'm shocked and touched, really I am. Finally someone, or something, sees me for the non-emo boy that I truly am. Although I'm more into modern indie rock these days than I am 60's era freak beat, but who can deny the connections between Pete Townshend and Bob Pollard? | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Dawn of the Dead OST - The Dawn of the Dead Living | | Time: | 09:11 am |
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| As an end-of-the-year, school year that is, gift to myself I bought EVERY Tobin Sprout record that I did not yet own. I've listened to 2 so far. The first is a double live record and I fucking LOVE this record. It is so amazing to have a double live album by Tobin Sprout, and as I listened I laughed to myself about the record's place in the rock hierarchy along with Kiss' ALIVE or Thin Lizzy's LIVE AND DANGEROUS.
The second is from Tobin's Eyesinweasel project. I think technically it's "eyesinweasel" but I refuse to subscribe to non-captitalization. Anyway Eyesinweasel is very cool because it rocks much harder than a *normal* Tobin Sprout record. Anyway Pitchfork rated it a 4.9 so I say "Fuck you Pfork." Seriously though, Pitchfork has way too much power in the indie rock world. That have the ability to make our break a record's sales with a single number. They're like the Alan Greenspan of rock and roll.
********************
In other news I lost my cellphone yesterday while I was working at Vulcan. So for those of you who may have tried calling... which is none of you... I'm sorry. I have to add getting a new phone to the list of things to do today and I really wish my parents could deal with it, but they're off running around in France. Actually I was talking to them earlier today and they are lost in a maze of French interstates and small towns currently. I thought it was weird that our bad karma was aligned... or something.
Oh also, I've been hired as Vulcan Video's janitor. I was just about to be hired full-time as a clerk again when a girl begged the manager for my shifts because she *needed* the money. Once again people made the assumption that just because my PARENTS have money that I do too. Actually, I'm in debt right now. Anyway she got the shifts and I clean toilets 5 times a week for an hour a day. Yesterday was my first day as janitor and I was already getting shit, not literally har har, from Richard, the asshole manager of the store on 29th and Guadalupe. If you see this slightly older and bald Vulcan employee feel free to treat him like dirt. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 1st Semester:
Topics in Business Lecture (Pass/Fail): Pass
Intro to Film and Video Aesthetics (AKA Film 101): A-
Consumers, Markets, Firms (AKA Economics 101): A-
Understanding and Doubting (AKA English/Rhetoric): B+
Precalculus: A+
Music Acoustics (Physics): A+
2nd Semester:
Screen Artists; Contemporary Japanese Cinema: A+
Human Responsibility (AKA English/Rhetoric): A-
Calculus: A+
Fundamental Physics: A+
Introduction to Eastern Religion: A+
GPA:
3.85
Road Trips
Dallas to Houston, TX -- Guided by Voices Concert
Dallas to Houston, TX -- Procured Fake ID
Austin to Orlando, FL -- Guided by Voices Concert
Dallas to Asheville, NC -- Emily
Guided By Voices:
11/05/2004: Austin, TX; Stubb's
11/06/2004: Dallas, TX; The Gypsy Ballroom
11/07/2004: Houston, TX; The Engine Room
12/03/2004: New York City, NY; The Irving Plaza
12/04/2004: New York City, NY; The Irving Plaza
12/05/2004: New York City, NY; The Irving Plaza
12/13/2004: Orlando, FL; The Tabu Night Club
12/30/2004: Chicago, IL; The Metro
12/31/2004: Chicago, IL; The Metro | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Okay. The end result of all my nonsensical posts is that I have decided not to see that girl anymore. I told her I needed a "break" but I don't plan on hanging out with her anymore. Those of you who know me well know I've said this about a dozen times in the past, but this time it's for real yo.
The good news is that this time I have a new prospect waiting for me in Austin, so it's not completely cold turkey. And this girl actually LIKES GBV. Yeah what was I thinking earlier? | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
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pollard's journal
1) Steve Malkmus; FACE THE TRUTH
2) Voxtrot; RAISED BY WOLVES EP
![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif){kind=small}
calm