Posts Tagged reflection

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  sick

OK, we both know that’s not true.  But I am sick, and even as I type this, I am recovering from a nasty cold.  It kept me home sick yesterday, but I’m on the mend.  Lots of rest, fluids, et cetera.  Do they even make vegetarian chicken soup?

It’s been an awfully busy few weeks.  The holiday season was as hectic as I expected.  Despite all the running around and stress, there were plenty of good things.  Jared was in town, and I got to see him a handful of times.  It’s unfortunate our visits our just about once a year, but it’s nice that we can pick up again right where we left off.  Part of our visit took place at Nicole’s wedding which went off without a hitch.  The ceremony was at this amazing old chapel in Vallejo, and the reception was in San Ramon where Jeff (The Horseman) got hitched several years ago.  And actually, Jared was the surprise guest at Maya’s going-away party.  It was great to catch up with her a bit before she left the state, as well as see a few of her old friends I hadn’t seen in years.  So, yeah, it was a flashback couple of weeks for me.

As for the holidays themselves, they were tame.  I think I mentioned before that I spent NYE home relaxing.  Christmas Eve was a little more exciting (I watched Hedwig and ate Tofurky with Starla and her housemates), and Christmas day I made it out to Santa Cruz to visit my Grama and my aunt.  All of these holidays were so opposite of how things usually are, but it seemed right for this year.  Trying new things after all, right?

I’m sure you heard that sadly (and somewhat ironically), Eartha Kitt passed away on Christmas day.

There are some great shows coming up in the next few months, including The Reverend Horton Heat, The Eagles Of Death Metal, and Blue Öyster Cult!  Did I mention before that I caught the Dead Souls show at the Blank last month?  They were good before, but now with the addition of Orlando on guitar, the final piece is in place I guess.  That show was fucking amazing, and they brought in a huge crowd, helped by Reptile House (a new Sisters Of Mercy tribute).  Maybe it was just my mood, but I had an awesome time.

Speaking of awesome shows though, TCB sold out Café Du Nord for the third straight time!  It was a packed house, complete with good friends, Choir Boys, and even Moz Krew.  It was a long night, and a lot of it is just a blur of stage invasions and flowers flying.  But I had a good time once things got going, and I think the crowd did too.  My apologies to those of you who were turned away at the door.  Not that I could have done much to stop it, but I didn’t even hear about it until after the show.  Sorry guys!  🙁

I must say, Threadless gets my vote for best Cure-related shirt, maybe ever:

Friday, I’m In Love!  Get it?  That place is awesome.  I hesitated and missed out on this awesome bear shirt, but there’s still time for this one… “Girl Afraid?” Note from 2023, where the latter is a dead link: these were “Call Of The Wild” by Laser Bread and “Stupid Cupid” by Budi Satria Kwan.

The quote of the week was culled from some horoscope or other.  I’m not normally one to pass around generic, feel-good, positive statements, but this one struck me this week, particularly in light of New Year’s resolutions and reflections.  So please forgive my temporary foray into this equivalent of those “hang in there” kitty posters:

“Making an attempt at something new, even if you fail at it miserably, is very important.  Trying is what teaches you the most — far more than success would teach, actually.  So don’t get caught up in looking good.  The sooner you get comfortable making a fool of yourself, the more you will learn throughout your life.  So if your daily routine is all about winning recognition, then you need to make some adjustments.  You won’t grow if you never let yourself take a risk.”

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:  contemplative

It’s New Year’s Eve, and I’m staying home.  Let’s be frank.  NYE is amateur night, baby.  This is the night when even the people who don’t normally go out still go out.  And the bars and clubs know it, and they charge ridiculous covers.  And the SF streets are gridlocked with bridge-and-tunnel people.  And drunk drivers.

Not that any of these things have stopped me in the past.  So what’s the deal really?  OK, well let’s be really frank.  2008 was one of the worst years I can remember, and I don’t particularly feel like celebrating it.  But as I did for 2006, 2007, and 2008 (sorta), I thought I’d take a few minutes to wrap up the last year and ring in 2009.  This year, I’ll do it Sergio Leone style, and I’ll also keep it short.

The Good

Well first off, I’m fortunate to be alive and have my physical health.  In this economy, I’m also fortunate to be employed and financially stable.  I’m thankful for all my family and friends, their support, and their health and well-being.  I met several great new friends this year, and I got to spend a lot of time with my friends, new and old.  I saw a lot of excellent bands.  I met Duran Duran.  I headlined Slim’s, and played a ton of other great shows.  I was interviewed and played a few songs live on the radio.  I appeared in one of Morrissey’s videos.  As a nation, we elected Obama.  Bush’s considerable days in office are numbered.  That political nightmare is almost over.  The thing I’m most proud of this year is that I took the initiative to turn my peaceful life upside down in the name of opening my mind, and though I’m still dealing with the fall out of the Pandora’s box I set loose, in the end I think it will have been worth it, and that I’ll be a better person for it.  I’m making progress.

The Bad

There’s no question that the world got darker this year.  Or put more delicately, I’ll say it was challenging.  It was also the fastest year of my life yet.  Maybe that’s good since it was such a miserable year.  But then, it only serves to make me feel all the more that I’m wasting my youth.  I have a lot of regrets.  All those loud shows and practices without ear plugs led me to develop tinnitus this year, which still hasn’t gone away and may never.  I gave up on the original band I started, and I didn’t pick it up again.  In the working through of psychological issues, I made mistakes in relationships and became unable/unwilling to invest in them anymore.  California passed Prop. 8.  And of course one of the biggest stories of my adult life so far is panic/anxiety and how severely it has impacted my day-to-day life for most of 2008.

The Ugly

Mother’s Cookies went out of business.  I will never taste those delicious treats again.

2009, and beyond…

So there you have it.  What am I proud of and what do I regret about 2008.  I’m looking forward to shaking things up this year.  I live in the same place I have for years.  I work at the same job, go to the same restaurants and clubs.  I play the same music at the same shows.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  I enjoy those things.  But I’ve lived that year already.  A few times in a row now, in fact.  When I’m laying on my deathbed, I don’t want to look back on my life and feel like I found a comfortable pattern and stuck with it for a decade.  I want to make sure I’m infusing some new things in there too.  There’s so much to see and do out there.  Why waste year after year doing the things you’ve already done?  Well at least that’s where my head’s at this moment.  We’ll see if it sticks.

Before embarking on all that though, a great TCB show is coming up.  This Friday we’re at Du Nord, and the past two shows there have been a lot of fun, not to mention sell outs!  Get your tickets early, and hope to see you all there!  There’s even a rumor the Moz Krew might show up…

As I said, I’ll be around tonight, doing some serious reflecting on the last year and what I want to accomplish next year.  An exercise to consider… imagine yourself a year from now.  And ask, “what would the future me say he regrets about 2009?”  And now, “what can I do to change what he had to say?”  There’s a lot to think about for 2009, and for the rest of my life in general.

It’s been a bad year, kiddies.  2008: don’t let the door hit you on the way out.  And good riddance!  The quote of the week… er… year… comes from Bill Vaughan:

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

Watching: “3:10 To Yuma“

[amtap amazon:asin=B000XR9L50]

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood:

CONVERSION NOTICE: This is one of 250+ blogs that originally appeared on MySpace. I’ve done my best to represent it with as much historical accuracy as possible, but there are limitations. Read about it in the FAQ.

Current Mood: