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Blog - April 2003 |
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This page stores my blog entries from April 2003. The entries are dated April 2, April 11, April 13, April 25, and April 30.
Quote of the Day / Books from Curtis / Italicize by Underlining? / Imagination vs. Strip Clubs / My Car Fixed! / Peter Krause Inteview on HBO Wednesday, April 2, 2003 "Is your mind so small that you have to fall in with the pack wherever they run?"
I've always viewed Black Sabbath as a band whose songs were not for Christianity or any sort of (positive) religion. "After Forever" confuses me since it seems to be very pro-Christian in its lyrics. Why would they weave the imagery of evil and such (see the upside-down cross in the remastered version of their self-titled debut) and then suddenly have a rather strong Christian-ish song like this one? ***** As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I attended and thoroughly enjoyed a birthday held for a friend of mine, Curtis, by a friend of mine, Jeanine (they're married). Contrary to tradition, I ended up receiving gifts, in a sense (Jeanine said he didn't want anything, so I obliged). They were getting rid of many books, and from a comment about desiring a better thesaurus, we went rummaging through what they had. No new thesauruses made it home, but I did acquire the following:
Oddly enough, I acquired the second and third books of the Dune series from my dad, who, inexplicably, didn't have the first book; now I can start reading the series from the beginning. Blade Runner was a recommendation from Curtis himself, so we'll see how that book pans out. (I love the subtitle, though I have not seen the movie.) The last two books were of interest for the medieval segment, of course. I loved my class in Medieval Studies at UC Davis, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Name of the Rose. I have heard of the Gies' book, though I'm not certain if this was the title that was recommended on the WFRP mailing list. ***** While typing the previous note on my book acquisitions, I had wondered about how to present the book titles in type. My writer's reference, A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker (the only lasting thing I gained from my waste-of-time English 57e class at UCD), says that one underlines the titles of books that should be italicized. Now, if they're supposed to be italicized, why don't you italicize them in type rather than underline them when italicization is possible? The only thing I can think of to explain this confusion of terminology is this: underlining text makes the text stand out more than by italicizing it. And, frankly, I think it looks better underlined. ***** I had a wonderful, open chat with someone at work during lunch, and the subject about strip clubs came up. Though I don't remember what all we talked about, I began to think about what their place is in my life. I haven't exactly been to many, but I've had my share. I know some people love those places, but I just don't really find them all that interesting. I think it's because it leaves too little to the imagination. I rather enjoy my imagination, so why ruin it? <grins> ***** My car is back home and all repaired. Braley-Graham found a hole in the metal hose that runs from my power steering fluid reservoir to my power steering unit. Apparently it had been rubbing up against the body of the car. They replaced the hose, and it's working better now. They took care of my coolant tank, too. For some time now, it had been sitting on the body of the car with no bolts holding it up. The top fastener was slightly broken with the holding bolt a bit loose and ineffective. At some point, the bolt that held the side up against the side of the car fell out or something. The Braley-Graham mechanics tacked it up with some sort of bolt and didn't charge me for it at all. <grin> Minor thing, really, but it's cool that they just did it for me. ***** There's a pretty cool interview with Peter Krause, who plays Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under, on HBO's web site. Very interesting about what he has to say about his character and who he initially was looking to be in the show.
"Face that Screams" lyrics work / Dad's Truck Back! / The Dark Side of the Emotional Force Friday, April 11, 2003 Part of my joy comes from trying to determine unusually difficult lyrics to songs. Normally, I don't have to do this, since most lyrics are readily available online or in the insert for the CD. Unfortunately, a lot of unreleased stuff doesn't have lyrics available. If you know me, you know that I love Operation Ivy. It's really a shame that they didn't release much of what they recorded, but fortunately the stuff that went out-of-print is easily found online. One of those tracks is called "Face that Screams." It's available on the "Unreleased Energy" bootleg, a compilation of the earlier/original studio recordings for "Energy." They hired a different producer for the eventual recording that's available at your local Tower Records. "Face that Screams" personifies a lot of what Operation Ivy is about: raw punk with lightning-fast vocals and changes in tempo within the song. The only problem is, at first listen, nearly all of the vocals are incomprehendable. One can hear Jesse singing something, but what he says is sometimes muffled or said too fast to understand (which is, sometimes, also a quality of their music). Despite the fact that a band, Exit 18, covered the song, no lyrics appear to be available anywhere online. Even Exit 18's site was inaccessible the last time I tried looking. So, with some time, effort, and careful listening, I'm doing my best to piece together those lyrics. Fortunately, I have a second recording, which is something that helped me when I figured out the lyrics for "Deathwish" by Christian Death. So far, I have quite a bit of it. It seems like this song is, roughly, about two women being harassed on a metro train or something. The women, apparently, use a song about Johnny, some dude who is on smack, to avert and fight through the harassment they were facing by the two guys who entered the same rail car. I don't have a whole lot of hope in trying to figure them out, since the Exit 18 version I have isn't very good either (recording-quality-wise). We'll see what I can do and what else I may be able to use to figure it out. It'll be fun to try, though! <grins> ***** My dad got his truck back last week, and it looks great! They repaired everything and repainted to match the original color. They even buffed out the scrape on the dent on the hood (made by one of his co-workers, apparently). The auto-repair people detailed it as well, so the tires look nice. ***** I've been talking with this girl at work on occasion, and, initially, I had a lot of interest in her. Earlier this week, she went off a little about her past personal life and how she, currently, hates all men. I don't really know this girl well, but that much from her certainly made me step back and not want much more to do with her. It's too bad, really; she seemed like a really cool, pretty girl, too. I'm just at a point where I don't want to bother with people who have bad attitudes. It feels rather weird writing and thinking about that last sentence, since I know I've lived a lot of my life with a poor attitude and, on occasion, a big chip on my shoulder. Lately, I've distanced myself from anyone with a bad attitude or people who could draw that stuff out of me, and I've felt better. I won't say I'm better, since that's a matter of perspective for my friends to determine for themselves. I've noticed that I've been happier and more upbeat about life in general, though, and notice when people are rather negative. I don't think I've ever recognized it when someone else was very negative. Anyway, ladies and germs, keep your head up and stay positive. If you think bad thoughts and blame it all on someone else, it won't ever do you any good but distance others from you. Instead, just work on being the best, happiest "you" that you can be. You reap what you sow: if you want happy, energetic, positive people in your life who will treat you well, then you have to not only look for that but be it yourself.
"Face That Screams" Update / Drums - Path to Dave Mello / Odd End-of-week / Old Friendships Sunday, April 13, 2003 Not too long after I posted my previous blog entry, I searched Yahoo for any lyrics for "Face that Screams". Using their much better search engine and layout, I found a page that had some lyrics for it. Somebody was able to figure out quite a bit. The only problem: I don't agree with all of it. I'm hearing some things a lot differently than he is, and he has some segments that make no sense whatsoever. At least I found a source that I can use to try to figure out the rest of it. I understand how that person was able to drop the instrumental sound levels down to hear Jesse's voice better, so I'll try that later. ***** I believe I'm getting better on the drums. Granted, I have a snare drum, bass drum, and nothing else, but at least I'm developing some sense of rhythm and timing with those two. Eventually, I can add on a set of toms and some cymbals. I'll be drumming along to Operation Ivy and Dave Lombardo in no time! <grins> ***** I found a job on Monster.com that I may apply for, but I was going to wait until Saturday to really check it out and make a serious consideration. So what do I find when I get up? We have no phone service. The line is completely dead with barely a crackle through the line. Fortunately we have a cell phone, or we'd be completely shut off from the world. Saturday was supposed to be Picnic Day at UC Davis, but I have rather strong doubts that much went on with the strong rain storm that's passing over us. A little less than a month from now, UCD will have its annual Whole Earth Festival, something I never miss. I go on the Saturday, since everything is set up by then. Also, the Sunday is Mother's Day, and I don't want to be away from Mom during that day. ***** My thoughts have turned towards patching things up with an old friend. I talked a little about this to my counselor, and she has me thinking rather hard about my motivations for doing so. I see now that I seem to latch onto people just because they're there, rather than actually have real desires to be around them. It's not that I don't like some of my friends, but that I seem to just settle for less than I'd be the happiest with. This is relevant because this old friend fits in that category. Instead of continuing on with a little fear that this person might call me or pop in on me, I may confront that person head-on. My motivations for getting together seem to be one of the following:
Those seem to be my current motivations, and I think they are good. They both center on what I want, rather than succumbing to whatever someone else wants in things.
Last Hurrah with CSUS BDC / KDVS Fundraiser / Stray Cat / Money Reflections Friday, April 25, 2003 I realized that I haven't written to this in a long time. I guess that shows you how busy I've been lately. <grins> ***** I feel that my final days as the Online Communications officer for the CSUS Ballroom Dance Club are coming soon. I haven't updated that site in over a month (I think), and I haven't sent out a mass e-mail in probably just as long. We have officers to run the club, but I never get responses from any of the e-mails I send them. My time with the club, despite the ridiculous and stupid drama, was fun, and I certainly have some good memories from it. Given that I see ballroom dancing as something I would enjoy with someone very special to me, I think my time has come to leave the club and let someone else do things. ***** KDVS holds their annual fundraiser this week. For a couple of years, I pledged the student minimum ($20) and got nice premiums (CD packs of assorted CDs they put together). Sadly, I didn't find a premium either last year or this year that appeals to me. Sure, maybe basing my pledge on the desirability of the premiums isn't the best way to support a cool station like KDVS, but if I'm going to get something anyway (and I'm in the mood for new music of some sort), I'd want to make sure I get something I like. Paul Wilbur hosts a show Friday nights at Midnight (or, early Saturday, depending on your point of view). Normally, he has some really cool show-specific premiums, but I haven't seen a thing about those yet. ***** Earlier this week, I rolled out our garbage and recycling cans for pick-up, when I saw an orange-striped cat approach me. This rather friendly cat followed me around, attacking the rare stick or leaf that was sitting around. As I rolled out our rather big, blue recycling can, the cat hunched back, acting like the can was prey to be pounced on. It followed the can like a lion would follow a herd of wildebeast. Regardless of where I would go, the cat would follow me wherever I went. I had to sneak around in order to ensure the cat didn't go inside the house (where my cat, Tess, lives; Tess apparently doesn't get along well with other cats). We did what we could for this orange cat, but it eventually followed some strangers and went away. That orange cat should never have been outside. It was really skinny and got wet from the rain. It was the exact reason why I'm completely against letting cats out of the house. They simply do not belong outside, since one cannot take the best care of it. All it shows is the lack of responsibility on behalf of the owner. ***** To end this entry on a positive note, I walked to the store yesterday to pick up a couple of things for dinner. My mom gave me money to get what we needed. While I was walking over, I was reminded of my days in high school when my mom would give me money to have lunch somewhere on Fridays (we got out rather early on Fridays). It seemed like, regardless of how much my mom would give me, I'd end up spending nearly all of it. Fortunately, I don't eat nearly that much, but the thought of her handing me $20 yesterday certainly brought back some memories.
I Dream of Bethy / My Body = Well-oiled Machine / Old Friendships: Part Deux Wednesday, April 30, 2003
From there, I woke up. I was so upset right after waking up from it, and I got very worried for that friend. Fortunately, she's ok. The way I interpreted certain pieces of the dream are:
I haven't figured out the rest yet. Overall, I found one possible overall explanation: I want to visit this friend, but there have been things (within me) that have complicated the matter. I know what it was that was holding me back, and I know that they should not be a problem anymore. <grins> ***** I'm beginning to truly believe that one's body truly is a well-oiled machine that needs to be kept as such. When I got home today, I was rather hungry. Not of the "I sense that it's time to eat" kind of hungry, but the "my stomach is growling" kind. I'm normally not the latter type. Recently, I've been dividing my meals up somewhat into smaller portions and spread out over time. I had a light breakfast this morning, a hot cross bun during my morning break, a ham sandwich for lunch, and an apple during my afternoon break. The abundant candy drew me to it only once, so that was good. Other than that, I didn't have anything else. I'm thinking that I need to eat like this more often. On the well-oiled machine thought, I began to think about it like this. If you were to drive a car, you wouldn't just shove all the gas into the engine; you'd flood it, most likely, if you didn't break something. A car works best when it's given a gradual amount of fuel for the speed at which you need to go. To me, my body's engine is the same: I need to feed it as I need food, rather than just eating a lot at once at certain set times. Granted, the above may seem to be a rather obvious thing for most people, but I have been an overweight individual for nearly all of my life. Only recently have I gotten skinnier, and I am now fighting to regain that somewhat skinniness. Obesity runs in my family, since we love to eat (and my parents thought it was cute that I could eat so much when I was very young). So, I need to establish some mode of eating during the day that'll work best for me and keep me from overeating. I think my above thoughts illustrate a potential plan towards achieving what I want. ***** I'm about to try to see if an old friend and I can be friends again. I have taken my time away from her ever since some rather awful stuff that she told me. I think things are a bit different now, and I feel capable of holding a constructive discussion with her; now I just have to call her. |
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