Turnips The Cat

The last week I've been in a two-cat household. I never thought I would see the day, but Jeffreys now has a friend, albeit temporarily. Turnips is Darcy's sister's cat. (Hey Casey!) He may be the freakiest cat I've ever spent time around. He's long, and meows a lot. He and Jeffreys had a really tough go of it at first, but now they're buddies. During the day they stay quiet, but at night I hear them playing upstairs. He's not too bad, and he gives me a good excuse to drive out to Seattle this weekend to drop him off at his new home. Plus I think Jeffrey's really enjoys the company.


Also, here are some pictures of me playing with the Seattle band BOAT a week or so ago (thanks Candice!) and Black Velvet Elvis playing last night. Don't sleep, they are coming up in the Missoula music scene in a big way!

Breaking Radio Silence

I've really let this blog slip, and I'll spare you my usual, "but I have been busy!" excuse. I don't have time to write about everything I've been up to, and you wouldn't want to read it anyway, so here's the last month and a half in pictures. Concerts, Touring, and just hanging out being my cool self.

Kickin' It Old School

Tonight I decided to remember what it was like surviving college, and didn't feel like cooking or having much to clean up, so I made some Top Ramen. Cajun Chicken style.




Easy as one two three, eh? And a swift and easy clean up. And for 20 cents, it is quite thrifty as well.
Notice the Ubuntu boot screen behind the Ramen...

Also easy as one, two, three and quite thrifty. You can download it here.

My Lonely BBQ

A quick update on being in the apartment alone. I think this picture says it best.

A delicious New York Steak all alone on a grill. I'm not altogether sad, in fact I've been getting a lot done I wouldn't have otherwise. What I am, however, is lonely. I can't wait until my fiance gets home. What have I been keeping myself occupied with in the meantime?

-listening to Arcade Fire - Neon Bible. In spite of the hype they put out an incredible record.
-reading Chuck Palahniuk's new book Rant. Awesome. Fight Club wishes it could be this book.
-watching Run's House on MTV. I don't feel like an explanation is necessary.
-watching rap battles, lots of rap battles. I understand they don't appeal to many people, so I try to get my fix when I'm spending time alone.
-setting up a Linux computer. Still not done, but I think I have the problem narrowed down. Expect a long, boring post about the process of getting this done.
-drinking Sparks. Seriously, did you expect any less?

Graduation Weekend

It was a busy, action packed weekend. Missoula experienced its final throngs of bustling before settling down into the summer. I love all the college kids, but to really get an idea of what the town is all about, you have to spend a summer here. The bars will finally be relaxing, and going out for just one drink will become a real possibility.

Saturday, I went to my friend and former roommate Sienna's graduation. She got a psychology degree with a minor in Fine Arts.

Her ceremony was quite a bit longer and more formal than my History graduation was. It took about an hour, but I was glad I went. She sat through the main ceremony when I graduated, so I owed her.

Then it was off to a plethora of Graduation BBQs, I wore flip flops all day long for the first time in as long as I can remember.

But don't worry, I put shorts on before I left the house. I'm not one to wear long pants and flip flops. Although I don socks and sandals when I BBQ, and I make no excuses.

The parties were fun, but I had to head into work at six, so I settled on two glasses of sangria, and then moved on to water. I hosted a night of music at the library. I initially dreaded going, but it turned out to be really fun. 63 kids ended up coming out. Wes from Riddlin Que opened it up and made up songs as he went along. Then the Sherlocks played their noisy rock. They were a bit hampered by technical difficulties, but came out on top. Then the Basic Practicalities played and impressed the hell out of me. I saw them when they were called Happy Unit Gang about two years ago, and they have come leaps and bounds since then. They are going places for sure.

Then some well deserved rest, and off to Hot Fuzz today. Go see this movie! It was super fun and well edited. I thought it was funnier and smarter than Blades of Glory (which I've seen twice) in terms of comedies this year. Totally worth the $7.50.

Congress Killed the (Internet) Radio Star

I love the idea of Internet radio but the RIAA and others are trying to jack up the royalty fees paid by these companies 300 to 1200 percent. Internet radio already pays more than satellite radio, so why do some people see the need to increase the fees even more?

My guess is that this bill was spawned by a group of humorless, old codgers who don't understand the "tubes" of the internet and think this is an easy way to get more money. Click the link below for more info.



One more reason why I think the RIAA is the worst organization possible for the music industry, they really just seem to hate music.

My Ultra Cool New Grill

Sorry. I've been busy. Really, I have. What with work and all the grilling I've been doing lately, not to mention my new gig of spinning records at the Palace, I haven't had time to post a blog. But never fear, I'm back again. My parents dropped off a great new BBQ Grill for my birthday a little more than a week ago. We set it up in the backyard, and my grilling has taken off to a new dimension. Check it out:

Jeffreys overseeing the construction of the grill.
And the new guy all ready to get this fire started.
How about an action shot?
I'm still thinking up a good name for him. Any suggestions?

I Spy...

I'm not big on posting a lot of political stuff here. But I thought this was worth mentioning. The Bush administration is trying to revisit the idea of spying on Americans next Tuesday. Needless to say, I am against it. Click the picture to find out more.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday to me!
I worked all day on my Birthday. Call me a martyr. Seriously, call me a martyr. After I got off work, Darcy made me cupcakes and dinner. It was awesome. I wasn't fooled by the trick candles though.

Dinner was incredible. I had grilled chicken, mashed potatoes with chedder cheese and garlic peas and mushrooms. Delicious!

We also tried to have a champagne tower, but there were no champagne flutes available that fit the bill, so Darcy decided to try plastic shot glasses...(the jelly bellys were added to give the light plastic glasses the weight they needed to stack alright.)


It didn't quite work out. But we salvaged it by doing champagne shots. They worked just fine.
So I opened my awesome presents. I finally have a picture of my finacee for my office!
And my cat save up his treats and wrapped them up for me. I prefer candy, so I let Jeffreys eat his treats.
A shirt from Colbert Nation? Of course I was stoked beyond belief. Best birthday ever!!!!!!!!
Then I hit the Old Post for a Gin and Tonic and an Irish Car Bomb. I work tomorrow at nine, but I still keep it real. I'm a martyr after all.

Who Makes Me Want to Survive This Week?

Supertramp. I may say the best band of the 80's. I may not. But they do keep me in good spirits. They seem to embrace cheesiness to the fullest extent possible. Breakfast in American is, for certain, in the top 25 albums of all time. So, let them live supreme, for they are super...tramp.

PS. Guess what movie I'm watching right now...

You're totally wrong. I'm watching Judge Dredd, not Magnolia.