I love the idea of people using rock, paper, scissors to make major decisions. Maybe I should start applying the idea to my everyday life.

Hmmm. Interesting things are afoot. I can't say anything yet, so as not to jinx it, but it looks like I may be doing a bit of travelling next month. I just have to try and get outta work for 2 1/2 weeks.

So I went out for a bit last night thinking that I've been a recluse for too long. I have to say I barely survived two hours at casino. After an hour I was woozy and dizzy. I switched from lone star to dr pepper. Perhaps I just need a bit more downtime, to which my mind replies in a whiny voice, "but there's a party tonight."

Hack hack. Cough. Snot.

Discs 2 & 3 of Wonderfalls should have arrived while I was at work today. This show is the bestest. Funny, funny, and sweet. It will help me be good and stay in tonight and not get more sick.

Work has been like chinese water torture today. Slower than ever. Oh, any by the way, all of you peoples' tax returns have been sneezed on now. Just thought you should know.

Yesterday I bought the new Decemberists album but have yet to listen to it. Can you say impulse buy?

Last night as I was flipping through channels (granted, we only get six) I came across something rather interesting. On PBS they were playing End of the Century: the Story of the Ramones. After a bit of WTF going through my head I settled in to watch it. I've come to two conclusions since watching it: 1) I still like the Misfits better but only just 2) Johnny Ramone was a dick. It's really a rather good documentary.

All morning I've had The KKK Took My Baby Away going in my head.

Yuck. I can hear the gunk in my chest as I breathe. Not good.

In honor of national turn off your tv week, I propose that we all vegetate in front of our best electronic friends all week long. And talk about how much you love your fave show as much as possible (especially to anyone you've ever seen with a copy of adbusters.)

After feeling so good lately I had to go and do stupid things that make me sick. Now I have a major sore throat and a bit of a fever. Damn. I need to get a big tattoo on my arm that says something like, "learn from your mistakes, dumbass." Yeah, I think would be about right.

It was a good weekend until I wore myself down with said stupidness. After pork chop night on thursday I called in to work friday more to play hooky than anything else. We were gonna go see Kung-Fu Hustle but that fell through. That night was good, though. Sidebar for the ultimate run on Word Dojo w/Choo. Beerland for Kodiaks, Schooley and Crack Pipes. Party for Karen's birthday which ended with three legged races down the middle of the street at 3:30am. Also, out of a bowl at the party I got a free sample of peaches 'n' cream lube. Whoo-hoo.

Saturday was me trying not to get sick all day and then finally giving in. Went to Antone's Records for the Crack Pipes record listening party where Schooley was playing again and also Aaron had made some brisket. Damn that's good bbq. After that over to sound on sound for a day show where they were shuttling people back and forth to the polls to vote for city council and for/against the smoking ban. I was the first shuttle load. We took off in the back of a pick up only to find that all polls were closed on saturday. Some kind of holiday or something. Someone said sat was passover. How the hell would I know? It was a classic scene, though. Tried to go out that night but only made it for an hour or so before I packed it in and came home to watch Wonderfalls on dvd (go rent it now!).

Sunday I was feeling a bit better but still blech. Jennifer and Chris had a cookout. It was very nice except for the madness of eighteen dogs running around. I give it five years before that whole crowd has a cookout and it's three year old kids instead of dogs. I made chorizo stuffed mushrooms again. Yum. I was supposed to go see roller derby that night but just wasn't feeling up to it. I'm a shitty, can't-count-on-you-to-see-me-skate kinda guy. That should change.

Later= insomnia.

I was going to post this as a comment on a friend's livejournal but decided that I didn't want to start up another round of debate/argument on the smoking ban thing. So here's my comment out of context...

"You know, all this goes to show how that, to many people, there's no social ill or inconvenience, however small, that can't be solved by a little government regulation/intervention."

Despite my being rather loudmouthed about this whole thing at times, it's important to remember that just because you disagree with someone, it doesn't make them a bad person or any less your friend. Shit has been getting pretty heated sometimes.

Over the years, I've learned to keep my mouth shut on a myriad of things to avoid long, overblown, hyperbolic arguments where in the end I'm either a) racist or b) an unwitting tool of a huge capitalist conspiracy. I think many of the people who get so bent out of shape in this particular debate are folks who'd normally think of themselves as "progressive" or whatever and for once they're on their heels being told that they're the ones without the moral highground. I think there has been more than one instance of me taking a bit of pleasure in berating people over the smoking ban.

All I know is that the idea that I or anyone else could get a fine/go to jail for smoking a cigarette in a bar is the most absurd thing ever. Don't forget that this law will also, in effect, deputize all bar owners/workers (whether they like it or not) because they will be the primary enforcers of this ban (or they themselves will be subject to some nice fines). Aren't there many more worthwhile things for citizens and police to be doing besides being the smoking patrol. Nevermind that they sell crack 1/2 a block from the main police station downtown.

So look at what I just wrote, even as I'm trying to say something about nicely tolerating other peoples' opinions I couldn't help but try to get a dig in.

But as I've said here before, none of this really matters. They'll will win soon enough. Maybe not this time but the next. or the next. They've got money (lots of it) and sure sense that they know what is best for everyone.

I regret that in my haste to announce my lack of plans for the rest of the week I forgot one vitally important thing. Something I've been looking forward to for months. Pork chop night over at Andrea's. This is gonna rock.

Also, voting on the proposed smoking ban starts today and goes through Saturday May 7.

Speaking of which, here's a short note from the good folks at beerland...

Hey kids,

Yes, this has been a big pain in the ass.

Donya and I go to meeting s every day about this. I debate with Rodney Ahart of Onward Austin almost daily about this in front of political groups. I've debated former Mayor Gus Garcia and political consultant David Butts. Some go well. Some don't. It's sucked our lives away right now. We don't even really work at the bar anymore. I'm so sick of this. I just want to hang out with my friends and see some rock and roll....

But you know? There is a chance we could win. And we've got to vote to make it happen. The polls don't capture the under the radar voters that we are. The average voter is 45-65 and we've got to tip the scales with crazy turnout from the kids!!!

Wed, April 20th, at 5pm--we're meeting at City Hall to vote. It's the first day of early voting and we're doing it together. So,if you can, come on down and vote with us. Make sure to bring your i.d. Afterwards, we're gonna go have drinks at the superposh 219West which is a block away.

Sat. April 23rd from like 1-7pm at the Parlor and Sound on Sound, we're having a get out the vote party with 8 bands such as the Apeshits, Camp X ray, the High Tension Wires and the Arm. We'll be shuttling folks all day to the early voting station two blocks away at 5501 Airport. Come down, get down, and get counted.

Sun. April 24 from 4pm-6pm, there's a rally at the Broken Spoke where we'll be showing the Penn & Teller Bullshit episode that exposes the hoax studies on secondhand smoke. White Ghost Shivers will play along with Kevin Fowler and some other guests. Future Governor Kinky Friedman will be in attendance and may speak as well.

Sun April 24th at the Texas Rollergirls derby at Playland, we'll have a booth there explaining what's up and letting people know where the early voting stations are.

By the way, the list of early voting stations is on the keepaustinfree.com website. Go to http://www.keepaustinfree2005.com/vote.html They're all over town so there's one near where you work, play, or live. Go vote!

Don't let people who don't go to bars and listen to bands or play in bands make your decisions for you. We're all adults here. Let's demand to get treated like adults. Freakin' vote, man!

Love you, babe,
stick with us and we may pull this off.

randall and donya

Hey, this is cool. Dork.

I didn't post yesterday as I intended to so I'll quote a bit on an email I sent to a friend yesterday, "I went to the bestest bbq-party yesterday. 100 people, 3 bands, 4 kegs of beer, several rounds of dominos, at home passing out drunk/stone_d by 10:30 last night. It was beautiful."

Yeah, that's about right.

It really was a great weekend. Tons of fun all over the place. Not very relaxing but great all the same.

I am happy to say that I have no plans for the rest of the week. None. Zero.

I can't wait to get paid next monday.

Speaking of dominos, I've always wanted to learn forty-two. This is the game that my grandpa and great aunts/uncles used to play when we'd go to family reunions when I was a kid. They'd all sit around, smoking like chimneys, and play forty-two in the house in Tonkawa, OK that my grandmother grew up in (but which by then was owned by my grandfather's sister, confusing? yes). Jeeze, they're almost all gone now. Long time ago.

I came into work an hour early today to get in some overtime. I defend it only by saying I woke up early and there was no getting back to sleep. I may do some more this weekend. I dunno. Days off are rather heavenly. The only reason I'm even considering this is because, unlike last week, this work week has flown by. Keeping busy helps.

Today I've been sitting here really digging the new Sam Prekop record. It sounds like all the other stuff he's done but that's not really a fault to my thinking.

Speaking of which, the Olive Group ep is up to "Amazon.com Sales Rank: #193,297 in Music". I check on it occasionally. Last time I looked we were around 450,000.

Band practice was cancelled last night. For 5,000th time. 20 minutes after it was supposed to start. I really wanna call the whole thing off but at the same time I think we're really freakin' good when we get it right. And we still don't have a name which I guess is less of a problem when you don't have an actual band.

The new rock band is still just a theory. Caroline gets back from a rockabilly festival in Wisconsin (Wisconsin?) sometime soon and hopefully we'll get to work. No hurry really except for the ants in my pants about it.

I get my guitar back from the shop tomorrow. This is the last of the fire damaged instruments that have been sitting around for three years mocking me. I think it'll be better than ever with the new pickup. It used to play beautifully and sounded pretty good on the next pickup but the bridge sounded like ass.

I should stop fooling around on myspace when I'm drunk. Too many poorly thought out comments and messages. Aw, fuck it. It's more fun that way - you get to come across stuff you wrote and sent out into the world weeks and sometimes months ago with no memory of having done it. It's like videotaping yourself while on psychedelic drugs (never, I mean never do that! don't say I didn't warn you.)

Have I ever expressed just how much I hate meetings? Well, here it goes... I hate meetings a lot.

I'm tired tired tired. Feel like I've been in the "on" position for too long. Oh well, no respite tonight. Band practice. Then maybe the Champs at emo's. Really I just wanna hang out at home and watch sports night dvds.

The show was what is was last night. We had some good moments but I definitely think the anxiety and snippiness of practice spilled over into the show. I was by no means the worst show I've played but it really felt off. We try to go for a loose feel and sometimes it goes too far.

Oh, and the burgers at jackalope don't even come close to casino. They were yummy, though, just not transcendent.

Has anyone used AbiWord or any of the other open source (or free) word processors? My computer only came with a trial version of msword and I sure as hell ain't gonna pay for a full version. Just looking for opinions and reviews.

Remember - 11pm at beerland. hellolovers. booze ($2 wells 10-12).

I think it says something not-so-good about me that when I go out to lunch I get momentarily disoriented because I don't have a pencil behind my ear and my work badge isn't around my neck.

We had a nice cookout on saturday. It looked a little shaky at first but soon enough people showed up. Notice I've taken to calling them "cookouts". I have such a healthy respect for real Bar-B-Ques that simply throwing some kind of meat on a grill doesn't nearly qualify. At Aaron's house a couple of weeks ago I was at a BBQ - he had brisket and pulled pork that had been cooking for hours. That's a real BBQ. I don't do that. I do, however, love having my friends over and grilling. Spent the evening very full and drunk. Went to the Longbranch for a bit then came back and watched bad tv over at Andrea & Isaac's across the street.

Before the cookout, I saw Sin City finally. I was kind of underwhelmed but enjoyed it nonetheless. Lots of scantily clad women in a movie never hurts. Not great cinema but cool looking and entertaining. I think the best part was the trailer for the new Star Wars before the movie.

I posted a big long entry on friday but blogger ate it. I wasn't about to retype it. As I remember it was witty, funny, and informative but now it's lost forever to the place that lost blog posts go. How sad. So instead you get this.

Actually, I don't really feel like writing much of anything. Too early still so I'll leave you with this - I'm playing another show as part of hellolovers at beerland on tuesday night. We'll go on somewhere between 11 and 11:30. You should come. It'll be off-the-cuff and beautiful. The Innocent are also playing afterwards. (yes, I just used myspace as link to a band. shoot me.)

Real-life 21 jumpstreet.

Longest. Week. Evah.

I signed up for netflix yesterday and I had a surprisingly hard time coming up with movies to put in my queue so I am now soliciting advice and/or recommendations.

Saul Bellow has died. One of my favorite authors. Here's the NYTimes obit. Sad sad sad. I have to admit, though, I was always surprised to find that he was still alive. I recommend Humboldt's Gift and Mr Sammler's Planet though I've yet to read one of his books that I wouldn't recommend.

Also, Prince Rainier of Monaco has died. I don't have much to say about this except that he earned my everlasting admiration and envy for marrying Grace Kelly. Yum. Oh yeah, she's dead, too, but that was over twenty years ago.

Update: Christopher Hitchens has an obituary for Saul Bellow in today's slate.

You know, I'm amazed that I can still be surprised at my own capacity to be broke. It seems to take no effort at all.

OK, I finally uploaded my pictures from SXSW. Here you go.

I also put some up from a couple of parties last friday. Check out the second to last one of the guy who was caught checking myspace at the party. He was suitably dealt with. Here's the party pics.

Good weekend. Dan's birthday grill-fest on saturday was tons of fun. I experimented and made chorizo stuffed mushrooms and for once my food adventurousness paid off. They were yummy if I may say so myself.

That night I stayed in and watched the Incredibles which was much better than I thought it would be. I mean, I expected it to be pretty good but it just blew me away. Sunday I watched 24 Hour Party People which was also better than I thought it'd be but still not very good. I think mostly I was indifferent to it because it was about a bunch of bands that I don't really care about. I was just never a Happy Mondays kind of guy.

This is a great story about how high school students from New Mexico beat MIT students in a robot building competition. Cool, yo!

Holy shit! Read this book. It totally has me crazy wrapped up in it.

"Pope in grave condition - 84-year-old Pontiff 'serene and calm' after suffering heart failure."

I don't know why, but I really like to think that someone over at Yahoo News is having fun putting puns in headlines.

I had two dreams about seeing the Kinks last night. I wish I had been able to see Ray Davies at last year's sxsw.

I also managed to smoosh my finger in a mouse trap last night. It hurts a bit today and is discolored. Ouch.

I was at the whisky bar happily drinking the remains of a cheap double rum and coke when all of a sudden everyone I knew at the bar was gone. I kinda wanted to keep drinking and maybe dance to some Hall & Oates. I looked around a bit, downed my drink and went home where, while showing Joe how to properly set the mouse trap, I smooshed my finger in said trap.