** 9.11.2001 ** Good Lord. Today in the United States is a horrific nightmare. All those lives...I'm sorry, everyone.
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** 9.4.2001 ** I'm all back up in this thang.I haven't posted for two months. Why? 1) I've been in symbolic mourning for my Uncle Ron, who died in early July. After I made the decision to post about sad family stuff on FLL, going back to a sarcastic, lighthearted posting style just didn't seem right for awhile. 2) I contracted a computer virus several weeks ago that shut down my ability to easily use the internet. I'm all fixed up now, though, not unlike an old dilapidated house after the loving & talented touch of Mr. Bob Villa. 3) I have a new girlfriend. *giggle* So, yeah. But I'm back now. And busy. But I'd like to kick my grits and slack my slick on the Internet with you people more often now, so expect more consistent updates. Or, if you enjoy surprises, expect nothing. That way, each post will seem as new and fresh as a field full of ripe strawberries. Squishy strawberries. Have you seen the previews for the new Keanu Reeves movie? The Bad News Bears ripoff? Good lord. His acting is so horrible. He's managed to be in some great movies despite his stale verbal delivery skills (such as The Matrix and Devil's Advocate), and I'm not sure how. I know he's good-looking, and that's really important in Hollywood, but how can he get by on the same old shit? I heard some college actually offers a course in studying the Keanu Reeves acting technique. Hath Armageddon arrived? Speaking of arrivals, has Eric shown up yet? I'm supposed to meet him later for pizza and cuddling. I think I might start posting some quotes on my page as a regular feature. If there are any quotes, dramatic or humorous, that particularly strike you, send them to me, and maybe I'll 'trow 'em up 'der. I realize that using quotes is kind of a cheesy thing, but I'm a cheesy guy. Who enjoys eating cheese, no less. The coincidences seem endless here. "The only currency in this whole bankrupt world is what we say when we're uncool." Thanks for reading. |
** 7.2.2001 ** This one is for Ron.Enjoy your rest. You've earned it.
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** 6.28.2001 ** Where is Sgt. Slaughter when you really need him?In the late 80's & early 90's, he was a WWF Champion, a GI Joe cartoon role model, an action figure, and a Gulf War Inspirational Patriotic Propaganda Machine™. Now, he's just a roadie for the WWF who barely gets any air time. That's so sad. The sadness, to me... is like irony... blowing... hotly... across the... desert sands? *Ahem* Because I don't eat all my peas, ladies and gentlemen! I don't eat all my damn peas! *whimpering* Folks, I'm sick of thinking critically or evaluating things on my own. It takes far too much effort. We need an Uncle Sam, a John Wayne, an Optimus Prime ("Your name is now... Goldenbug!"), a Denzel Washington, a Sgt. Slaughter... to tell us what to think! For the love of Abraham Lincoln, bring back the heroes! We need a battle cry! And my battle cry shalt be: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh! Ha ha ha! Cackle! Cackle! Thanks for reading? |
** 6.26.2001 ** For the most part, I've avoided discussing serious personal subjects on faded light landscape. This just doesn't seem to be the appropriate forum for those things at this point. However, Eric just posted on Guerrilla Design about being in Iowa this past weekend to say goodbye to his (our) uncle, who is dying of cancer. I was there, too, and his post got me to thinking about my policy. I should say something about the situation.It has definitely been one of the hardest things I've ever been through, to see this once robust, energetic life-of-the-party wasting away. As painful as it's been for Eric and myself, it must be infinitely harder for his wife, children, brothers and parents. After spending time with them over the past few days, and thinking about them constantly for the past few months, I think they deserve some mention here, if this is to be any reflection of my life. I'm sorry for them, and for everyone out there who has suffered through the slow loss of a loved one. I hope something good can come out of all of the bad. |
** 6.22.2001 ** BOOM!It's me! Rossie! Sorry. I got an A in my first summer class. Another course starts July 2nd, with the same 5-hrs-a-day-every-day schedule as the first. I'll have very busy loads in the Fall and Spring, and then I should graduate. I'm on the 6-year-plan. That should be very nice, to finally be done. At least, that's what society has been telling me for as long as I can remember: To be a good person, you must go to college. To get a good job, you must go to college. To go to college, you must incur some incredible debt. To pay off that incredible debt, you must get a good job. You must work a lot to be a good person. That's a fun cycle. I love our system! I don't believe it, of course. I can think of plenty of examples that disprove it. Still, it holds true far too often. Read ISHMAEL by Daniel Quinn. Please. But don't tell my mother about it. She doesn't like words. So Eric's talking about "destroying people." Well... let the declaration be issued here, on faded light landscape: Ross Neely vs Eric Neely. Good day to you. ... and thanks for reading, too. That rhymed. |
** 6.6.2001 ** Damn. Eric beat me to the post. We did play basketball this weekend, and he did destroy me. I always scored in the teens, so it wasn't like the games were shutouts, but he's right - he almost never missed. Even when I played really solid defense, he'd jump back and hit a fallaway for the bucket. Frustrating.But what he didn't tell you is this: Obviously, anyone viewing these excuses will realize that Eric cheated, and will pay for it next time we play. Seriously, Eric played really well and deserved to kick my butt. I look forward to more rematches. We had a really good weekend in other ways, too. Like watching the new Pearl Jam DVD. Like filming some comedy shorts and watching old full-length movies we've made. Like eating at cool restaurants. Eating is fun. In other news, my summer class is five hours long, and I have it every day of the week. I go to work directly after class. That, on the other hand, is not fun. I hope to graduate in the Spring. Being out of school will be fun. Fight the future. Thanks for reading. Hope it was fun. And full of fruit. |
** 5.30.2001 ** I'm very sore right now.This weekend, I played basketball with Eric at his home. We played 21. It was sunny. It was competitive. It was really fun. I won by the slimmest of margins after Eric made a huge late comeback. We're currently scheduled to have a rematch this upcoming weekend. Don't panic - one of us will certainly update you with the results. The next day, I played 12 innings of softball (had the game-winning RBI). I also played golf (had the longest drives of my life), hit at the batting cages (sucked horribly), and lifted weights (I'm strrrrrong like a lion! Grrrrr!). I sorta overdid it, but it's still pathetic that I'm as sore as I am. I'm sporting a painful sunburn, too. I have red hair. Eric & Lindsay and I also played Trivial Pursuit and watched Rikki-Ho! Wow. What an incredible movie! Why it was passed over by the Oscars for Best Movie is a mystery to me. Check it out if you can - but remember to bring your kleenex. I miss my kitty. Star Trek: Voyager is dead. SPOILERS AHEAD. The finale was decent. The crew got home. Fight the future. Thanks for reading. |
** 5.21.2001 ** Hi there. My school semester is finally over. For the most part, that's where I've been & what I've been doing. Finals week in particular was horrible. I stayed up for 2-3 days at a time, over and over again. I ate crap. My body musta hated me. I'm done now, though, and I got pretty good grades. I'm actually taking a summer class. It starts in a couple weeks. I wasn't sure whether or not to post this next bit of news: I got fired from my job for taking a day off when he died. So last week was pretty shitty. It sucked really badly for a few of my friends, too. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Thanks for reading. |
** 4.18.2001 ** I just made a list of the assignments I need to finish at various points during the next two weeks of this semester. The total? 34. That's pretty bad. Plus, I'm sick. So I've got that going for me.I finally came up with lyrics for a song I've been working on for months. How about that? *deep breath, dramatic-movie-style* How... about that. Star Trek: Voyager has only 5 episodes left before it's gone forever. Unless you count the reruns, in which case it will Lindsay sent me a nightmare parking story, but I can't possibly post it here. It is far too graphic, and far too sexual. So sexual, in fact, that I have no idea what she was talking about. I guess I'm just too inexperienced and virginal. Anyone seen the Acura commercial where the rich heterosexual white male gets ready for work in the morning while his beautiful wife and child are still sleeping? He gets up early, dresses in a suit, and drives an Acura, because he's preparing for success. This type of corporate bullshit makes me mad enough to put large kitchen appliances up my own ass. And believe me, Acura, you ain't want that. What commercials do you love or hate? This is a subject that Eric has posted on many times... maybe it should become a regular feature on our pages. Because it's always a good time to make fun of things. Thanks for reading. |
** 4.12.2001 ** Welcome to the new Faded Light Landscape! It looks new, anyway. It'll still be the same old drivel from me. You can thank Eric for the sleek new design, as always. It features one of the best pictures taken on Eric & I's most recent Pearl Jam tour trip. Many of the pictures that currently show up when you load his page are also from that trip. Fun times. At Minnesota State University, there are parking lots fairly close to the main classroom buildings, but permits for these lots are sold at high prices and are gone very quickly. The lots never fill up, but still the great majority of us have to park far, far away in terribly overcrowded spaces. The enforcement times for the really nice lots are 7:00am - 6:30pm, and the frustrating part of the deal is that night classes generally start at 6:00pm. I have three night classes, and it sure would be nice to part close to the school, as there's nowhere near enough people attending class at night to need these full lots, but MSU has tagged that extra half hour onto the enforcement times anyway, so that they can ticket the cars as late as possible (and expensive tickets they are). I've gotten several tickets at such ridiculous times as: 6:28, 6:29, and 6:30. This angers me. Tonight, as I was walking to class from one of the far-away icky lots at about 6:15pm (I was late), I noticed one of the parking official guys strapping tickets to some poor cars in the nice, half-empty lots. I said, "You should be ashamed of yourself for giving out tickets after 6:00pm." He said, "What else am I going to do?" I said, "You could try walking around for the final 15 minutes of your shift while not giving out any tickets." He said, "Yeah, but that'd be boring." I said, "So you're costing poor college students precious money because you're bored?" He said, "Yep." I said, "That's some pretty noble stuff." He said, "Well, where's your car parked? I'll make sure to ticket it, too." I said, "Well, I'm not exactly sure, but I think it might be up inside your ass." His face got red and he swore and turned around. I walked to class. I don't tell this story because I'm especially proud of myself or think I'm a hero or anything. I know it's just his job, and we're all mindless sheep, so it probably wasn't very nice of me. It was just the most fun I had today, that's all. Nightmare parking stories? Tell Ross-Daddy. Thanks for reading. |
** 4.10.2001 ** Hey. It's been two months. Remember me?You probably shouldn't. What's been up with me lately? Yeah. What've you been up to? (It would be funny if every one of you answered this question, each writing a massive book-length response detailing every aspect of your life.) Last time I posted, I spoke of a play in the Twin Cities starring Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame. Since then, I've seen the play twice, including on it's closing night. It was absolutely incredible. As much as I've respected Stewart's acting in the past, as much as I knew he was capable of, he still completely surpassed my expectations. I didn't realize he'd be that good. The production, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? was 3.5 hours long, hilarious, unique, and emotionally dynamic. At least I thought so, anyway (it did receive heaps of critical praise, too). My letter concerning the death of Peter Rasputin (Colossus) got printed in Uncanny X-Men #392. Being that I've read the comic since I was about three years old, that felt pretty good. Well, it's almost 1:00am and I'm off to the grocery store. Wish me luck. Thar's sum dang-er-us critters lurkin out thar in the night-time-type-places. Thanks for reading. |
** 2.8.2001 ** Lots of school! No job! Friends from California!These are days in the life of Ross! They are not, however, interesting days in the life of Ross. So no posts and stuff. I'm sorry. X-Men has been incredible as of late, though. They killed off Colossus. In a really beautiful way. That's a good thing. Way to go, Marvel Comics. Yip Yip. I saw a play at the world-renowned Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis. It was very good. Patrick Stewart, of Captain Picard and Professor X fame, will be showing off his skills on that very stage later this month... and I will be there. I've rarely been so excited. Except for the time that I saw Hollow Man. That was exciting, too. Actually, it was a horrible movie. Worst ending I've ever seen. Major League and Necessary Roughness, however, have great endings. Think about that for awhile. Thanks for reading. |
** 1.25.2001 ** My last two days of work at the printing company I've been with for about a year now are today & tomorrow. There really isn't a job role I can fit into here if I'm not full-time with normal hours, and going back to school precludes that. And I am back in school. And glad to be there, actually. So it's job hunt tyme again on the Ross Horizon. And Ross isn't afraid to tell you - that's some fun shit.I'm feeling better now. Thanks to everyone for all the get-well wishes. And thanks to Eric, too, for the burn in hell fatty emails he sent me for every day I was under the weather. I'm really enjoying Soul Calibur for the Sega Dreamcast, which I just bought last weekend. I've almost completely beaten the game already, but that's ok. It's really my type of fighting game. I like the way the moves work, I like the graphics, the characters, and the story. Yum-Yum. Has anyone else heard the rumors that Sega Dreamcast might fold, and stop producing games? I have. It was on MTV. Not official news, though. Me no would likey that. I bought one, you know. So did Eric. He came down last weekend, too, and we played football and tennis on the aforementioned system. A lot. If anyone knows the real deal behind this rumor, set my punk ass straight with an email to the face. If you're an X-Men fan, check out Uncanny X-Men #390 right now. Holy crap. It's an incredible, incredible issue. Huge stuff goes down, and it goes down in a well-written, touching way. It's sad stuff, but me happy they took the risk. Remember when I started this webjournal-thing, and I thought I was all deep and stuff? Now look at what I've come to - Yum-Yum, Me no would likey and me happy. I'd say it's a definite improvement. Thanks for reading. |
** 1.18.2001 ** I'm done with my first week of classes. I have classes all day Monday & Wednesday, and night classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Not the worst schedule. I'm still sick, though, so classes were no fun at all so far. They'll be better when I'm not constantly stifling sneezes, wiping snot from my face and enduring "don't get me sick" looks from classmates. I think this is the right move. At this level, though, the classes are pretty tough, and I gotta get it done this time around, or its just a colossal waste of money. And the opportunity cost... oh, the opportunity cost. The West Wing continues to be brilliant. The latest SNL was the best of the season so far - I'm proud of Charlie Sheen for taking so many self-esteem bumps during the show. MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge has been more boring than I'd have thought. I'm still catching up on the all the back episodes of The Sopranos. I played guitar for a long time today. Good god, I am boring right now. Sorry. Thanks for reading. |
** 1.15.2001 ** Hey there.Tomorrow is my first day back at college in 8 months. I've gone part-time at my big job, but I'll have to get another source of income on top of that. I should have a year or two left. I hope I can do it right this time. I got really sick today. It's a bad week for that - first days of school, training a replacement at work, arranging my loan, a hundred other things I need to get organized. I had my mind set on recording some vocals, too. Boo hoo for me. Thanks for reading. |
** 1.11.2001 ** Thanks for helping to make Blogger faster!Just thought I'd chime in with that. I've been an avid viewer of Saturday Night Live for about 17 years, and I want your opinion - if you could put together a dream team of cast members, choosing from anyone who's ever been a featured player on the show (while in his/her prime, as well), who would you take? I think I know my list. I've put way too much time and thought into this, so please, hate me. 1. Phil Hartman 2. Dana Carvey 3. Will Ferrell 4. Jan Hooks 5. Dan Aykroyd 6. Chris Farley I'd also take Tim Meadows from his final few years; he really came into his own with a different type of timing and expression. Nora Dunn was always solid. Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, of course, always had such unique aires to their humor. Cheri Oteri had a few characters that she was incredible at doing. Chris Kattan can play an amazing variety of roles very well. Norm MacDonald could do the News like no one before or since - his dry humor and timing made him perfect for the role. Joe Piscopo was surprisingly good at what he did on the show. Chris Parnell is solid at everything he does. Eddie Murphy was brave and hilarious. Mike Myers, David Spade, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider were always funny, but, as successful as they've been since, and as much as I like their subsequent work, I don't think they were as good as many on my list. So there. Go here for a nice breakdown of lots of Saturday Night Live stuff. Thanks for reading. Send me your SNL super-cast picks. |
** 1.8.2001 ** Word!How are ya? It's been a few. Have you communicated with raccoons lately? Have you typed out numerous meticulously detailed reports entitled How It Must Feel To Be The Right Rear Leg Of A Rhino: A Fourteen Part Series? Good to hear, gang. Good to hear. It seems that this might be a tyme of great transition for the Ross-Man. (You know what? I'm not going to call myself that again. Sorry.) I have tentatively decided to go back to school and finish the last year or so of my college education. This isn't as easy as it sounds - it means quitting a job I've held for almost a year with little notice, and it means figuring out a way to not suck at school in the ways that have kept me from graduating by now so that I don't just continue to waste a lot of my own money. Still, I think it will help break me out of the rut I'm in, and hopefully, I can muster up the will to change my life in good ways. Cuz it ain't all so good right now. In all the little ways, that is. Overall, I'm relatively healthy, and the fact is that I'm lucky in terms of the life I get to lead and the opportunities I have simply because of where I was born. When I view my situation against those born into war or starvation, or against those in severe poverty, or against those who are physically handicapped, or against those who suffer everyday prejudice because of how they look, I am humbled and disgusted by my discontent. I know all this, and I try to keep it in mind, to keep me in my place. Actually, I think most people know this - that our whining and grumbling seems petty when compared to those who truly suffer - but that doesn't change our everyday worlds, and we are always hoping to improve our lives... blah blah. This is a boring, self-righteous rant, I know. But I thought that as long as I'm going to use this forum to complain about my lot in life, I should at least once acknowledge that I know that I have it utterly easy compared to some. End O' Tirade. So, to continue on, stuff might be changing for me. That's all. Thanks for reading. |
** 12.29.2000 ** Yeah! I won the Finals with my made-up team on NBA2K for the Sega Dreamcast! Weee! Yippee! Garsh!I know, I know. No one cares. It's New Year's weekend coming up. I'm hoping to have a good, relaxing time. How about you? No? You're dead set on having an intensely uncomfortable time? Well, to each her own, my friend. To each her own. Personally, I'm a bit stinky around the edges. I'm not sure what that means, of course. But it's true. Many of the most inspiring things I've ever read in fiction come from the Ender Quartet of books by Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game, Speaker For The Dead, Xenocide, and Children Of The Mind. I highly recommend that you at least check out the first two books of the series - they're beautiful and can stand alone. The final two redefined openmindedness for me. Recently, Card released a parallel novel to Ender's Game called Ender's Shadow, and it is now available in paperback. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I haven't read it yet. I hope to do that this weekend, if I can find the time. I have a lot to do. I plan to visit a good friend of mine, Peter, who, along with his wife, lives and teaches in another town in Minnesota. Let's hope the weather cooperates for travel. Actually, by just now mentioning it, I've jinxed myself. So says that grumpiest of phenomena, The Neely Stigma. Ask Eric about that. Or don't. It's entirely your choice. Then, on Sunday night, its Party Tyme. I'll be sitting home alone, watching Star Trek in my underwear, sipping on wine coolers and crying. No... actually, a couple friends are having big parties. Big, I tell you, Big. I hear the bars are open, too. :) Should be fun, whatever happens. Happy New Year, everyone. Talk to you in 2001. Thanks for reading. |
** 12.27.2000 ** Hello again, everyone. I hope you've been enjoying whatever Holidays you might celebrate. Mine have been alright. It was nice to have some time away from work and all, but most of it was driving and going through the motions, it seemed. There wasn't enough special holiday time, or even enough down time.Maybe that's not true. I think I tend to intensely focus on the unpleasant things that happen, and disregard the everyday good stuff. I concentrate on the mundane, I think of all that I could be doing, instead of finding the bright spots in what is actually happening. For instance, I got to spend a night with Eric & Lindsay in Iowa. We stayed at a hotel. We played the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? board game. Now, Eric's got one win (trivial pursuit) and I've got one win (millionaire, baby). Lindsay always wins for being the funniest. Their dogs always win for being the cutest. I win for always smelling the most like cottage cheese. For instance, Eric's sister's baby daughter, Cailey, which would be my 2nd cousin (did you get all that?), took an unprovoked and unanticipated liking to me; after begging me to pick her up, she sat tranquilly in my arms for more than an hour. That was pretty amazing. She is a beautiful, wonderful baby. Eric's sister's other child, Jayson, transformed into Spider-Man after receiving a costume for a present, and that really took me back. My heart has always belonged to heroes, "super" and otherwise, and Spider-Man used to mean a lot to me. To see the torch passed, so to speak, was almost surreal. I played the bad guy when we wrestled. I guess these are pretty special things. I wish I could appreciate them more in in the moment, and not just when I write about them later. Thanks for reading. |
** 12.22.2000 ** I don't watch much television; in fact, there are many shows that have been on for a few years now, and I've never seen them. I never caught an episode of Survivor, for example. I generally listen to music, and when I do turn on the tube, I watch Star Trek or Comedy Central. I'm a dork.However, I've recently caught a few episodes of both Ed and The West Wing, and found both shows to be original and even touching. The West Wing, especially, has absolutely stunned me each time I've seen it. The level of the writing, acting, and cinematography is fantastic - it's funny, powerful, creative, smart, and moving all at the same time, and it seems to me that it isn't treading down the same paths that other TV shows tread. That's very rare. This is a bad example, but I can't get it out of my head, so I'm going to share it: "A man is walking down the street and he falls down a hole. He yells for help. A doctor walks by, sees the man, writes a prescription, throws it down into the hole, and keeps walking. Later, a priest walks by, sees the man, writes down a prayer, throws it in the hole, and keeps walking. Then a friend walks by, sees the man, and jumps down the hole with him. The man says, 'What did you do that for? Now we're both stuck.' The friend replies, 'Yeah, but I've been down here before, and I know the way out.' " Leo then adds, "As long as I work here, you'll have a job." The show never tells you again that Leo is a recovering alcoholic, and would know all about that "hole." They show it, and they show it really well. Anyway, I'm very impressed, and I think I'm going to have to make a conscious effort not to miss any more episodes. I just wish it didn't air at the same time as Star Trek: Voyager. I can't tape them both. :) If you want to tell me what you're watching, and why, please do. Maybe I'll post the responses. Happy Holidays, everyone. Thanks for reading, |
** 12.20.2000 ** Hey yo!First off, I wanna thank everyone out there who offered me their sympathies concerning the death of my sideburns. It'll be alright, really. Don't cry for me, Zimbabwe. The really bad thing about losing my babies is that now, when I return to Iowa for my family's Christmas celebration this year, I'll be without my little rows of rebellion. I'll be too squeaky-clean without them, and my family will think I did it on purpose; they'll think I'm finally shaping up. And I ain't want that. Eric will be there, though. And that should be fun. Cause we have the same family. Plus, he's a stealer. You know his Saturday Night Live commentary from yesterday? He took that directly from several discussions we've had. Nice going, thief-head. That's just a joke. He can talk about whatever he wants. As long as he doesn't tell you about naming his dog after me. He's done that twice. Inside jokes must be fun for the casual reader! Sorry. I'd recommend visiting An Entirely Other Day. It's good reading. That Greg guy sure is witty. What sites do you frequent? Let me know. Thanks for reading, though today's post was boring. I'll try again sometime. |
** 12.18.2000 ** My sideburns are no more. Those unsightly-but-endearing facial hair addendums, which I have cherished for years now, have been vanquished by the carelessness of a crabby hair stylist. They were friends of mine, always present to shield the sides of my face from the elements, always poised to add a bit of rebellion to my corporate world, and now they are lost. While receiving a desperately needed haircut this weekend (just ask Eric how badly I needed one - when he visited the weekend before, he thought I was wearing a helmet), my short-tempered and reckless barber took a big chunk out of one of my buddies with her clippers. Faced with the awful asymmetry of it all, I had no choice but to make the honorable decision, for the sake of my old friends, and shave them both off. Good god, I feel naked all the time. Speaking of the elements and being naked, the winter sucks. This weekend I went out Christmas shopping, and the weather, um, let's just say, can eat it. I hate this Minnesotan Winter with a passion hot as fire, tough as nails, and as tender as if Bea Arthur were my lover in reality as well as in my dreams. Ur... no... wait... something was... wrong there... damn. Can't go back. Anyway, blizzard-like conditions, horribly dangerous roads, constant snowing and sub-zero temperatures - all this makes Ross a pissy little boy. Again, I apologize for all of this. While doing other things this weekend, I watched Star Trek: Generations on a whim. That isn't my favorite of the Trek movies, though. Not even close, as it has some gaping plot holes, though it does have some touching scenes (if you felt the same way, I highly recommend reading the book, as it makes sense of much of the crap, and adds a lot of meaning). Personally, I enjoy Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country the most. If you care, I'd like to know which Trek movie you like best, and why. Thanks for reading. |
** 12.14.2000 ** Uh-oh. Another week has passed since I last posted. That ain't good. I'm like an absentee landlord. Or a bad parent. Or a penguin who has lost her home and continues to wonder, to roam, to seek... to seek some decent pancakes. That's all any penguin really wants, right? A healthy stack of yummy pancakes. The penguin word for pancakes, by the way, is grebblestock.Sometimes, during the middle of the work day, while absentmindedly pissing & moaning about the state of my life, I think to what I've learned from having read Daniel Quinn's Ishmael trilogy, and I get a sense of peace of sorts. After understanding what it is that Mr. Quinn has to teach, one can seriously trace virtually every problem in the world today back to its roots. So, the peace I get isn't because there are easy solutions to my problems - I still don't know what those solutions are - but at least I know why things are the way that they are. And that's a nice equilibrium to have, to begin from. Was that too preachy? It was good to hang out with Eric last weekend. We had offers to go out to the bars and parties, but we basically opted to stay in and play videogames. Pathetic? Maybe. Cathartic? Definitely. In fact, when Eric & I finally defeated the World Champion Indiana Pacers in our 3rd rematch with them on NBA2K1, I felt something akin to an orgasm. Well, maybe it wasn't that cool. But we did win with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. We're a team, you know, me & Eric. *snorting & giggling* *more snorting than giggling* Thanks for reading. |
** 12.7.2000 ** Good Lord. I usually post to this site while I'm at work, but I've been so busy these past few days that I've felt really drained; and feeling drained, folks, equals no writey.Mathematical transcription for all you Computer Science majors out there: I really like Eric's self-portrait-type-picture-things that have gone up on his site the last couple of days. Very neat. Very fresh, even. And for those of you that know me, you know that I don't use the adjective fresh very often. And for those of you that don't know me, you know that my writing sucks, and sucks hard. But that's pretty much all you know. Cause I'm a ninja! What a cool word: ninja. It even looks stealthy. I watched Braveheart again last night. Incredible movie, of course. For those of you that have seen both Gladiator and Braveheart, I'd like to know which you liked better and why. Many of my friends lived and died by Braveheart, and thought it could never be equalled; and yet, after seeing Gladiator, they were forced to change their minds and bow to another movie's magic. Others, however, held fast to their belief system. What do you think? Thanks for reading. |
** 12.1.2000 ** Today has been a busy day at work. It is Friday, however, and the birthday of a good friend. So I've got that going for me.Happy Birthday, Mr. Bruckstarr. Jeffrey, if you're nasty. Eric is so proud of his door accomplishments. His transformation from artist to manly-craftsman is nearly complete. I, for one, am proud. I saw Unbreakable last weekend, and was extremely happy with the movie. There are some super-heroish elements in there, so maybe I'm biased, but I really loved the story's pace. I thought the cinematography was brilliant - the angles and the colors were beautiful. It is very much like The Sixth Sense in those terms, as it is by the same writer/director. I highly recommend you go see it. If you've seen it, let me know what you think. You can color me impressed. And then you can COLOR ME BADD! Sorry. The Transformers have received about 90% of all the votes in my 80's toy nostalgia poll, so it appears there will be a clear winner, unlike this year's Presidential election. You can still vote if you'd like to, though. And you know you want to. It's burning inside of you, like a caged beast, longing to be free. Today I received a very enthusiastic vote from Ryan for Kenny Loggins in response to yesterday's question. Neato! I actually do like his song The Real Thing, and I have to admit that singing along to Footloose in the car was a major bonding experience for my dad and I when I was younger. Keep up the good work, people! Thanks for reading. |
** 11.30.2000 ** Hey there, everyone. I say "everyone" because I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of tens of millions of dozens of people that read my site daily. My tracker doesn't reflect that many hits, but I'm sure there's just an error in the math somewhere. Since losing the fight to the Minnesota Winter (see earlier posts), my confidence has been slowly returning. This is in no small part due to Eric, who has set up this webpage for me through Blogger in such a way that I can now post and edit freely and with ease, even though I have very little knowledge of html myself. I encourage you to write in to call me a cheater. Cheater! Right. So, big thanks to Eric. I purchased a new microphone last night. I went for the expensive model. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I'm hoping it lives up the price and delivers crystal-clear recording quality. Either that, or it distorts my voice so badly that I sound wonderful. Or so that I sound exactly like George Michael. Man, that guy could rock. If you could sound like/have the abilities of any singer in the world, who would it be? Thanks for reading. |
** 11.28.2000 **
The fight is over.
Last night, at Wheeler Park in Mankato, MN, The Minnesota Winter and I faced off in a steel cage match. If I were to win, the Winter would be banished from Minnesota forever. If I were to lose, I'd have to stand outside, wet & naked, while the Winter did its worst to my vulnerable frame. (See previous posts for all the ooey-gooey details.) The crowd was much larger and much louder than I had anticipated. There were many warmth-loving and icy-danger-hating people rallying behind me. However, to my surprise, there were a number of fans supporting Winter as well - apparently, many people around here make their living doing work that is directly created by the state's cold season, and they didn't want to lose their jobs. I can't say I blame them. Maybe I hadn't thought this through. But before my doubts could sink their teeth into my courage (this is bad foreshadowing), it was time to rumble. I made my way to the cage quickly, looking straight forward, and tried to focus on the massive task ahead. "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon blared on the park's loudspeakers (I couldn't find my "Eye Of The Tiger" tape, dammit) as I trudged through the snow towards the ring, followed by my comrades - Eric Neely, Jim J Bullock, Yahoo Serious, Captain Kangaroo, and Debbie Gibson - a formidable group of allies by anyone's criteria. The Minnesota Winter, on the other hand, made his way to the cage amidst a stunning 20-min display of pyrotechnics and dancers, while the Backstreet Boys performed "I Want It That Way" live behind him. I was outdone in ring entrances, to be sure, but it was the posse that followed him to the squared circle that unnerved me the most - Stephen Jenkins from Third Eye Blind, the guy that played Benson, the guy that played Mr. Belvedere, and all the rock-star members of Ugly Kid Joe. Damn. What a lineup. I had to give Winter credit; he had important friends. For a full minute after the bell rang, we just stared at each other. The Winter is a monster up close, I tell you. He bared his teeth and spit at me. I managed to sputter, "Dude! C'mon now!" Intimidating, I know. We locked up, and after struggling for a moment, he threw me across the ring into a turnbuckle. I ran at him again, and he grabbed me by the hair and tossed me out of the ring and into the cold, unrelenting steel of the cage. As I picked myself up, I caught a glimpse outside of the cage - the guy that played Mr. Belvedere was giving me the finger. Man. I climbed back into the ring and received a powerslam and a clothesline for my efforts. Then, Winter bit me. He bit me! Poor sport poopyface. Winded but not finished, I quickly got back up, jumped off the ropes, and rocked the Minnesota Winter with a dropkick. After that, I hit him with a snapmare, an armdrag, and a clothesline of my own. He was big, but not so big that I couldn't bring him to the mat. I'd been watching tapes of Winter blow snow, you see, and I had his timing down. I threw him off the ropes again, but made a rookie error - I put my head down too soon in anticipation of flipping him over my back - Winter kicked me in the face, grabbed my throat, and chokeslammed me into the mat. At this point, I had trouble focusing my eyes, but I'm pretty sure got piledriven into the canvas, followed by a DDT. Using all the resources I had left, I was able to kick out of his pinfall attempt at two. I remember hearing my mother booing from the audience, and I'm pretty sure that was Eric I heard muttering "Dude! That was weak!" to the side of the cage. Having my friends and family jeer me served as a wake-up call, and when the MN Winter dove off the tippy-top of the cage to deliver his pattened finisher "The Frostbite," I was ready and rolled out of the way. I mounted a comeback, serving up a belly-to-back suplex and a bulldog on Winter, who was wounded from his fall from such a height. I slapped on the sleeper hold. The Winter struggled, but I held fast. The referee raised his arm once; it dropped. The ref raised his arm a second time; it dropped again. But as the ref went to raise Winter's arm for a third and perhaps final time, which would have meant a win by submission for me, he got distracted by the members of Ugly Kid Joe, who started climbing the outside of the cage in an attempt to help their about-to-be-conquered leader. The ref started shouting and pointing at these illegal participants, stopping the submission count. In an instant, however, my help was on the way - Eric, JJB, and Yahoo divebombed from the other side of the cage down on top of the cheaters' heads, knocking them from the cage. Debbie Gibson, with Captain Kangaroo on her shoulders, subdued the rest of Winter's posse with her angelic voice, making sure they couldn't interfere either. Seeing this, I broke my sleeper hold, turning to retrieve the ref's attention, planning to slap it on again in just a moment. It was there that I made my mistake. With my back turned, Brian from the Backstreet Boys, previously considered neutral in this battle, tossed a chair covered in ice over the wall, into the cage - and into the waiting hands of Minnesota Winter, who used it to smash me over the top of the head. He slid the chair outside of the ring, got the ref's attention, and pinned my unconscious body, 1-2-3. Damn. It was unfair, but that's how the Minnesotan Winter has always been, and I should've expected it. So, honoring the match's stipulations, I stripped naked and stood outside last night. For a long time. While wet. The Winter huffed and puffed, but I didn't cry. I did, however, receive massive blisters on very vulnerable parts of my body. I might not talk about that too much. In fact, I don't feel like talking about anything else right now, after my crushing defeat. If I feel up to it, I'll write more tomorrow. Thank you to my fans; I'm sorry I let you down, and I'm sorry it'll be another bitterly cold winter here in Minnesota. Thanks for reading. Ross Neely song2@prodigy.net |
** 11.27.2000 **
Today is the day.
This evening, I will fight the Minnesota Winter. I know he's gathered his posse, and I've gathered mine. Tune in tomorrow for the results. For all my previous confidence, I'm pretty nervous. There's a lot at stake, and I have a feeling Winter's got something tricky planned. I've been receiving prank phone calls to my office all day at work (no doubt an effort to psyche me out), my car window had a good two more inches of ice on it than all the other cars I saw this morning, and my doors were frozen tightly shut. No matter, though. I know I'm right. This time tomorrow, I'll be romping in the warm sun - having a picnic in a park, oozing down a yellow Slip-N-Slide, playing outdoor basketball. Summer's coming early to Minnesota this year. Wish me luck. I'm getting oiled up by my male friends as I write this. I can hear the steel cage being lowered in the distance. A snowball, obviously packed cruelly with ice, just impacted the window next to my desk. I'll just shut my eyes tight and imagine "Eye Of The Tiger" is playing in the background. "Its the Eye of the Tiger, its the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of our rival... and if the last known survivor blah blah blah blah blah blah, he's watching us all with the Eye!.... of the Tiger." Oh yeah. That's it. I'm ready. Thanks for reading. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 11.22.2000 **
Word on the street has it that the Minnesota Winter is recruiting a posse of
allies to be present during our steel cage match on November 27th.
Apparently, the big frosty guy doesn't want to go into the battle all alone.
I think I should get busy finding some friends willing to watch my back as
well. Interested?
Also, I've heard back from HBO. They're more than willing to broadcast the slugfest on a live feed, given the potential ramifications if I were to win. Think about it - the climate of an entire section of the midwest would drastically change, literally overnight. And if that happens, folks, oh lord, if that happens... it'll be Miller Time. I'm sorry. I've got beer on the mind. Blame it on Eric. He forced me to start drinking. Have a lovely Thanksgiving, everyone. Thanks for reading. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 11.21.2000 **
Hey there! Guess what? The Minnesota Winter has agreed to wrestle me in
a steel cage! (See previous post.) Why, just this afternoon,
Winter rolled into my office, gave me a dirty look, and signed the contract.
He hit me with a snowball on the way out. What a poor sport. On November
27th, he'll feel the pain. Don't worry about that. I'm already training.
Does anyone out there have a CD-burner? I spent some of my hard-earned money on one about a year ago, and I am so glad I did. I've made mixes of favorite songs from my over 700 store-purchased CD's that make me shudder in delight. I've created joyous and inexpensive gifts for others. I've illegally copied games and audio discs. What is not to love? Poop. That's what. "Poop is not to love." I think Aristotle said that. Thanks for reading. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 11.20.2000 **
The Minnesotan Winter has kicked in full gear.
Everything is cold and gray and bitter and frozen. I hate it. I feel as if I have a personal vendetta against the Winters here. I've had bad experiences with driving in this weather, and every time I get on the road nowadays, memories of those events fuel my rage. Everything is made more difficult, more dangerous, in this Winter. Everyone has to alter their routines to appease it. People are forced to wear different clothes, put different tires on their cars, turn up the heat, and slow down. This selfish bastard must be stopped. Therefore, I'm issuing a challenge:
Ross Neely (me) Vs. The Minnesota Winter
In A Steel Cage Match! We'll set the date for Monday, November 27th. I'll let the MN Winter enjoy one last Thanksgiving with its family, and then I plan to trounce it. If the Winter is brave enough to face me, we'll do battle inside 14 metric tons of unforgiving steel. The only way to emerge victorious is by pinning your opponent or causing it to submit. If I win, the Minnesota Winter shalt be banished from these parts forevermore. If I should lose, not only can the Winter continue its tyrannical ways, but I will douse myself in water and then stand outside in the middle of the night for six hours, naked, and let Mr. Ickyface (The Winter) do its worst. Do we have a deal? Come on down and sign the contract, ya pansy! Let's see how tough you are when you're standing face-to-face with me, enclosed inside a deadly cage of sin! You won't be able to use your infamous "Frostbitten Wind From Behind-The-Back Sneak Attack" on me, either - I'm wise to your tricks. I've been studying the tapes. I'll keep everyone updated as to whether or not the Minnesotan Winter will face me. I'll also check into possible Pay-Per-View options, so that everyone can view our classic battle, should it happen. If anyone has words of support for me or for Mr. PoopyAss (The Winter), please email me. Oh yeah... The Transformers are currently winning my "favorite 1980's cartoon/toy nostalgia" contest. For more information, see previous posts. The polls are still open. Thanks for reading. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 11.17.2000 **
Comedy is a big deal to me. I mean, everyone likes to laugh, but I
take real pride in humor. I think it all hints at something more - the
cracks in everything that can be exploited to drag us out of monotony and
make us feel giddy. I often see comedy as a craft, a practiced skill, an
unique art; I get a kick out of timing, delivery, and all the little nuances
that go into a joke. It means a lot to me that two people who have good
comedic chemistry can forge a real bond. That's not to say I can't just
laugh and be in the moment. That's how it is most of the time. But I also
overanalyze things, and this type of crap comes spewing out as a result.
I really admire my favorite comics, especially improvisational ones. I look up to the stars of Saturday Night Live and Whose Line Is It Anyway. That having been said, I'd like to pause for a moment to honor Phil Hartman and Chris Farley. Thanks. I go bathroom now. See? See how funny I am? Toilet humor rocks! Sorry. Thanks for reading. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 11.15.2000 **
Have you seen Eric's post on Guerrilla Design today? What a whiner! If they're playing dirty, you just gotta play
dirtier.
Just kidding. That crap would bug me, too. I've actually been playing NBA2K lately, too. I hadn't purchased a video game system since the Sega Genesis, but just this week, at the behest of Eric, I caved and bought a Dreamcast. It's nice. I can see why he enjoyed it enough to talk about NBA2K so much a while back. It helps if you're a basketball fan, of course. I really enjoy creating my own players and seeing how they do. They have to compete to earn starting spots on the team. I create personalities for them, and, as the coach, I talk to them before and after the games to pump them up, and I counsel them on their personal problems. I'm always available if they're in trouble... after all, I created them; they are my babies. I hope that was a joke. If you grew up in the early eighties and played with toys, there's a chance you're nostalgic for Transformers, GI Joe, Thundercats, M.A.S.K, and any number of other pieces of plastic that were supported by a TV cartoon series. My question to you is: which was your favorite? Email me, and I'll tally up the votes. I'd probably have to go with GI Joe, myself. Cause I'm a brainwashed tool. I need some time away from my daily rut. Working a lot and feeling like shit. Not having the energy or motivation to do stuff during the week. Living weekend to weekend. Crap like this. There's a huge plate full of things I want to be accomplishing, and they all just sit while I slide by in my routine. How about you? Corporate slavery making you giggle too? I know I can take some responsibility and change things; I plan to. But you have to admit that there's something off about the way we run things in our Taker society. I'll stop before I begin. Just go read Ishmael, The Story of B, and My Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. Might just change your life. Or not. It's up to you. Just like wiping your ass. Thanks for reading. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 11.13.2000 **
Word up!
It's been more than three months since I've last posted. I am current and topical! I feel bad about not writing very often, since Eric went out of his way to make this nice cozy spot for me to sound off. My bad. There's a lot of stuff I'm late on. What's new? Well, I'm finally pretty much settled in my new apartment. You'd better be settled after three months, ya lazy bastard. I know, I know. I just got my shelves and CD's mounted on the walls. And that is information none of you could've possibly lived without for another day. I'm enjoying living by myself for the first time. The band Eric and I were trying to make work has fizzled out. There is definitely hope for future incarnations, though, and Eric and I have extensive recording plans for ourselves. We have lots of "extensive" plans that don't work out, of course. We have a comic book we never finished, a movie series that is incomplete, etc. But I think this one will be different. So there. I've been to Eric & Lindsay's new house. Wow. I'm very proud of them. It's very grown-up, you know, to buy a house and have dogs and a fenced-in backyard and a garage and stuff. I'm impressed. I hear they're doing fix-it-up work all the time, too. Eric's a true man's man around the house... a Bob Villa for the year 2G. And that is what impresses women. So I'm told, anyway. :) I'm scared of a country under Bush. I'm hoping Gore wins, but I voted for Nader. And from the sounds of it, so did a lot of famous and well-informed people (not that the two always go together). I'm proud of him for that, and I'm sorry he's getting demonized for "losing the election" for Gore, if that's what happens. I'm very impressed with the way the comic book series Preacher ended it's five-year run. Very gutsy and even inspirational. I wish I could say that much for the current X-men comics, which have long been my favorites. I did tell you I was a dork, right? Here, let me confirm it for you now - you know that Star Trek Trivia Contest in Las Vegas that I talked about in my previous entry? I won the thing. Ouch? I'm still listening to The Weakerthans a lot. The new Elliott CD, False Cathedrals, is really good. It reminds me a lot of Jimmy Eat World's Clarity in terms of creative progression. I have half of Pearl Jam's band-released European bootlegs, and I'm having fun listening to them. Sure, it's a lot of the same songs, but its all the screw-ups, talking, improvs and changes that make each concert interesting. Seeing them live with Eric last month was amazing. The new Less Than Jake album, Borders & Boundaries, is rocking me senseless (what?). I'm liking Green Day's Warning a lot in places. Radiohead's Kid A seems brilliant, and over my head, and I think I like it better than Ok Computer. Just about everything in my musical catalog has been getting played lately, though, not just these. Lots of variety all up in me. There's a lot more to say, but I'll save it for additional entries. And that is something that should make you all gasp and giggle, left wanting for more. And that is overuse of italics. What's new with you? song2@prodigy.net Thanks for reading. Ross |
** 8.07.2000 **
Hi there. I'm all moved in, but not yet settled. Not yet at home, so to
speak.Incredible True Story: One time, in front of a few hundred people in Las Vegas, I referred to myself as "Captain Pudding." Later, during the competition, after my friends and I had thoroughly won over the crowd, the spectators began chanting, "pud-ding! pud-ding!" It was a glorious sound, let me tell you. Unfortunate True Fact: The competition was a Star Trek Trivia Contest. And it was held at the Star Trek Experience, at the Las Vegas Hilton. Oooh... I am a dork, to be sure. Astounding True Fact: The slang word "dork" actually comes from the scientific term for a whale penis. Did everyone read about Eric's dream on Guerrilla Design today? Kinda weird. Kinda disturbing. Things that should be funny are often surreal and disturbing while you're having the dream. I had a pretty awful dream the other day myself, and it wasn't funny at all. Eric was there, as well as some of my other closest friends. We were in a spooky house, and a man with a gun broke in. None of us really believed he'd harm us, but he did. He made us do some humilating things, and then he killed us all one-by-one. It wasn't fun. He shot me in the head like three times, but I felt no pain, and I didn't die. I just lay there, thinking that he musta just grazed me, and he musta thought I was dead, and that I'd surprise him when he turned his back. But he didn't ever afford me the chance, and all my friends died while I watched through half-open eyes. I woke up after that, and I felt very off for the rest of the day. Maybe I shouldn't have shared that particular dream. But it does make Eric's dream look happy-go-lucky in comparison. I guess that's a good thing, right? No? Oh. My bad. What's everyone else dreaming about? Things as morose as I am? Let me know at song2@prodigy.net , and I'll post them up here. Speaking of reader feedback, a post or two ago, I talked about music. I got these recommendations: "i have been listening to Neutral Milk Hotel's FANTASTIC "in the aeroplane over the sea" for about a month straight. let me reiterate that: FANTASTIC. if you don't own that album.... buy it." "i've been listening to "featuring: birds" by Quasi... that's one of their older albums, but after i got their newest one i pulled it out and listened a bunch because it is so damned good. very good if you like quirky pop-ish music that's about death and whatnot." "a REAL old-school pick: Pavement's classic "crooked rain, crooked rain". every once in a while, i have to pull that out and listen to it to death. it is mandated by law." "built to spill "live". because built to spill is very nearly the best band in the known universe and when they are live... well... they are even better than themselves (which, as previously mentioned, are the best band in the universe) thus causing a bizarre cosmic conundrum which will cause the universe to collapse upon itself, destroying all of creation.... or something." Hee hee... good stuff there. Go check some of these albums out if you haven't already. I plan to. Or, if you have something else you'd like to let us know about, write me at song2@prodigy.net. I have one album I must recommend, for it has occupied my CD player almost constantly since its release last Tuesday: The Weakerthans' "Left and Leaving." My lord... incredible poetic lyrics, enveloping melodies, and a really honest heart to the music. I am so impressed. It takes awhile to get used to his voice, maybe (unless you've listened to him do backups for years in the legendary punk staple Propagandhi), but wow... that is how I want to write someday. Special thanks to Nigel for being so creative in his responses. I hear he's cute, too. If you see him, kiss him. I SAID KISS HIM! *cough* Sorry. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 7.31.2000 **
I'm moving.And I'm not writing, or playing music, or staying in touch with friends, or doing many of the things that make me happy. Moving sucks. I am a pack rat, and I've collected lots of little things over the years. Leafing through all the memorabilia, I'm remembering all the things I was supposed to have accomplished by now, all the things that are supposed to be important, all the things I've let slide by. I'm letting everything slip by. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 7.13.2000 **
Hey. It's been awhile since I've written.Why? Well, I've had my doubts on how to proceed with this page. If I do the mushy/serious stuff too much, the writing is dense and boring. If I do the quirky, quick update stuff, it comes off a lot like Guerrilla Design, and Eric does that well enough where I don't want to copy him. I'm not sure what direction I should take. Then again, maybe saying "I need a direction" at all is pretentious. Maybe I should just write. What have people been listening to out there lately? I've been re-discovering Soul Asylum's Grave Dancer's Union, as strange as that might sound. A couple of songs on there, ones that weren't on the radio, have some pretty nifty guitar melodies happening. Their arrangements are pretty standard for radio rock, but I could take a lesson from the way it all flows together without a hitch. The Gloria Record's A Lull In Traffic continues to be a solid staple in my CD player. I've been a fan of this crew for a long time - they feature the same guitarist/vocalist/lyricist and bassist as Mineral did, who, after Pearl Jam, have been the band most influential on my music. I love the melodies and vocals and lyrics and anti-radio arrangements oh-so-much. Yummy, says me. Yummy. Ur... uh... anyway, I know the band well, and when A Lull In Traffic came out, I was a bit hesitant. Something made me listen to it every day, though, and before long, this thing kicked my ass. If you're listening to it and aren't sure, give it a chance. Everything seems to come together so well on that EP now... every note is in perfect place. It just took me a lil while. Ben Houtman's keyboards add quite a bit - something Mineral never really had. Anyone out there heard "Smog Moon" by Matthew Sweet? That's a "sweet" song. OH LORD I AM FUNNY! I'm all up in the puns and shit! That song has been in my head as of late. Its far and beyond my favorite song by him... nothing else comes close. Can I say that and not be severely beaten? "Far and Beyond?" If you don't mind pop-punk, make sure you own NOFX's The Decline and give it a few whirls. This is an experimental thing - one sixteen minute song that is comprised of what could be several shorter songs, all of which flow together seemlessly and stretch the boundaries of the genre (ok, I'm stretching it there). Great music, great harmonies, and a great political statement as well. Check out dem lyrics. Let me know what you're listening to. And if you tell me why you listen to it, I'll post it on up on the board. People deserve to know. Also, let me know what you're masturbating to. People deserve to know. I might not post that, though. Thanks for reading. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 6.30.2000 **
So I really want to get better at the guitar.I've been playing for a little while now, and I lack a focus... it means a lot to me, but I just don't seem to do what it effectively takes to get markedly better. My fingers constantly tell me that I suck. They won't consistently make the right shapes or hit the right notes. I don't practice the right chord changes for long enough; I look at the tablature of a song and figure out how to play it, but I never go back to it so that I cannot forget. Worst of all, I have tons of little song fragments, little melodies and ideas that I pump out while I'm playing, and I never follow through on them; I never put them all together to make a song and then play it over and over again until its a part of me. I let them slip by in favor of just "messing around" most times I pick up the guitar. I really don't think there's anything else in the world I'd rather do than be able to sit down and write and record a good song when I need to. And I've sorta educated myself to the point where I can do that with the vocals, but not with the guitar. I feel like I'd give anything to have a short cut, an easy path to already being good. I know there isn't one. Somewhere in the back of my heart, I hope that when I do learn to be the musician I want to be, all the years of frustration will make for some damn fine songs. And I'll know just how to get the note I want, because I'll have failed at it so many times that I can't miss. It'll have become a part of me. Or some other pipe-dreamed up shit like that. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
** 6.29.2000 **
Hey, World-Of-Cyber.Welcome me to your fold. I'm new here. I suppose you could exclude me completely, too. Being new, I really don't have too much clout. And I don't think that even my "skip a line, have lots of short sentences" psuedo-dramatic writing style is that intimidating. So I can't really force you to do anything. I'm Eric's cousin. And if you're at Faded Light Landscape, there is at least a reasonable chance you've read some of his Guerrilla Design entries. Maybe you've even heard about me. Don't believe it. I'm fat and overbearing. I like humor a lot, I like music a lot, I like web design a lot, I like mushy-inspriational movie and literature crap a lot, I like paintings a lot, I like singing a lot. I like droning on a lot. And I'm sorry for the previous paragraph. Lil introduction: I live, work, and go to school in Mankato, Minnesota, USA. I attend Minnesota State University. I work full-time at a large printing/design company. I work part-time at a hotel as a night manager. I try to make music and write in my spare time. I'm not terribly good at either. I tell myself I can play guitar, keyboards, and sing. I help lead the local group United For Equality. I like these things very much. I'm 22. I am male. I have a girlfriend. My skin is white, but I firmly believe that is due not so much to me being Caucasion, but to the 3.6 metric tons of vaseline I have dripping off me at nearly all times of the day. Hmmm... looking back, this entry is boring. You don't want a biography of me. You want insight. You want something with an edge. You want something unique and razor-sharp to shove down into your gullet and take with you. Sorry again. I'd like to provide that. I really would. I'll try. I promise to try. I hope thats worth something. I guess I'll probably talk about things I'm into, things that piss me off, things I've observed, and stuff like that. What I'd really like is if there was some interaction on this board, too. Eric has designed this beautiful page where I get to ramble... and I'd like that, and I plan to do that... but it'd be great if I could talk about some issues and people could email me and give their version/opinions/experiences, and I could even post them up on the page as well, with full credit of course, and we could have rebuttals and commentaries, etc. And it wouldn't even have to be as serious and boring as a bulletin board.. just a nice free-flow of ideas and shits. That is plural, by the way. Shits. Um... right. Sorry. This post is running long now, I know. They won't be always this boring. I do have a sense of humor, and I hope to use it. I encourage you to email me and tell me what I suck at, and what I only sorta suck at. Thanks. I really need to go shave my legs and learn how to triple backflip while screaming "Charles and I like boats more than cars because they have rudders and sails and cars only have sails and can't stay afloat in water quite as long!" I've always wanted to learn to do that. Or maybe I'll just get some tacos and ponder how I can best change the world with my brand new shiny sliver of the world wide web. Ross song2@prodigy.net |
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