There and Back Again...A Turkey Tale

So I have something to admit my Gentle Viewers...

I'm sometimes lazy, and the blog things, well they don't write themselves. But enough with the excuses, and more with the update.

Two holidays have came and went since we last spoke. Halloween was fairly uneventful, but I did walk around that day wearing a hockey mask and got a lot of great stares from people. As I walked about like a Voorhees, I went and picked up the new Deftones album, Saturday Night Wrist. I have to say, I'm very impressed with it. Definitely a return to form, and much better than the self-titled release of 2003. The songs for the most part can be described as violently beautiful, and has probably gotten more spins than most albums for me lately. I'm completely re-infatuated with the Deftones. I agree with whatever review it is that I read that said something to the effect of, "if you don't have any heavy albums in your collection this should be the first." I would recommend it to new and old fans alike.

I've also been to 3 shows since last we shared:

Electric Six - This was such a fun show. Dick Valentine (which is the coolest stage name imo) has great stage presence, a great sense of humor and rapport with the audience and the band were tight. I danced the night away listened to them non-stop afterwards. This is a band that is more than the "Danger! High Voltage" song. I have a feeling they'll be making fun, danceable music for years to come.

(As a side note in a similar vein, check out the new Rapture album Pieces of the People We Love. Brilliant stuff, and makes me do a happy jig.

Beirut - Wow. That's all I can say. I've never been to a show like this before. It was at the intimate Crocodile Cafe and it was the perfect setting for the band. The 10 or so members squished together on stage, blaring out the best gypsy music this side of the Balkans. The main guy crooned and played trumpet, and the band flowed through song after song of beautiful, exotic music, at times even encouraging the audience to get into the act by wandering around the crowd with tamborines and trumpets. It felt more like a house party than a formal concert. Plus, openers A Hawk and A Hacksaw (main guy was the drummer of Neutral Milk Hotel) were fantastic, definitely setting the mood for the the music to come.

Because of this concert I have really been into Eastern European music, and in specific, the music of the Balkans and Gypsies. I've grabbed discs where I can and have been trying to absorb it all. It just takes me to a far away place in my mind, most of the time back to wander the small cobblestone streets of Stare Mesto, Praha. I feel this passion and pull towards the area. I feel as if I'm destined to return there someday. Hopefully to stay for a while, teach English, live. Even though I value stability, and I like having nice things. I just can't see me as a "company man" who keeps the same job for 20 years with a new plaque every few years on his desk. More heart yearns for more, and my mind wants to absorb everything this world has to offer. It's just that right now this is the forefront in appealing. Egypt is somwhere on that list too. As is Turkey, Thailand, and Antarctica.

Kool Keith - Hey thanked the "Seattle Organization." A LOT. He asked ladies to put on thongs over their clothes while he played "Girl Let Me Touch You There." Even after most of the crowd was gone he was still ranting about "sniffing the artwork" and "No more camera phones." It was a crazy show, and fun as hell. He did hits, he did more obscure tracks, new ones, and even flowed a couple of times. It was a show to be remembered. I'll forgive how long it took him to get out onto the friggin' stage because he was so spot-on. The weirdest thing was when he was playing a song called "The G Spot" and some trashed looking girl with a mohawk stumbled onstage and started dancing provocatively and after the song he ramble about it being "so exotic" and like "being in the Navy. I'm on the water for 2 minutes, I'm in the navy." Whatever that means. She proceeded to stay on stage and bump into the DJ, who got PISSED OFF and had her removed from the stage. Haha. A night of hip hop to remember.

I got a job for a while working at the UW Medical Center in the Materials Mgmt Dept. I did inventory in all sort of creepy places and put speculums in a bag! It was boring and sucked. I never saw my boss, and people were always telling me different things to do. Plus there was NO formal training, so it was basically sink or swim. So eventually they decided that even though they didn't see me hardly at all, but somebody always had something for me to do, which someone else thought was wrong, I decided I "wasn't working out." But I guess you figured that from my use of past tense from the very beginning. Good on ya. Have an interview at the Mac Store tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. Maybe I can be a sales monkey...again.

So, on to more recent things like Thanksgiving holiday! I arrived home last Tuesday night, after missing my original flight that morning. I was angry, but it was no big deal. We had a great Italian dinner, and afterwards I hung out with the Suttons, Fer Fer, Robert and his wife, and Blunck! We talked, drank, etc. It was so great to see everyone. I was so freakin' happy about it, especially to see Blunck, who I haven't seen in around a year. I really missed that fool. Every night I got to see more and more familiar faces, including my awesome sister LeAnne, Mark, Crab, Mike Jones, Pookie, mi hermano Marshall, Robert, Jennifer "Ruth" German (!!!) and many more. Drank, smoked, talked, laughed, video gamed, and I loved every minute of it. (Even the inevitable shopping where I found the monkey slipper below)

On a different note, I got to spend quality time with my Grandmother, who turned the big 8-0 this past Saturday. We had a huge gathering at our house with relatives, food, champagne, and even a vocal performance from my mostly MIA cousin. It made her so happy, and it was great to see her get all of that attention and care. She needs and deserves it. She lives in a nursing home, and I won't even get into how awful I think that is.

The last day of my trip home my mom and I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We saw an IMAX film on Greece that has inspired me to make it a goal to sail around the Greek islands. We wandered through the exhibit halls, seeing dinosaur bones, African wildlife, shells, precious gemstones, and much more. It was fun and educational day, and good bonding thing to do with my mom. She really enjoyed it, which shows me that my parents can do fun and interesting things, they just need a push to think outside the box of movie theater and mall.

So now I'm back in Seattle. It's colder than witch's teat here. In the 20s. Snow still on the ground and rooftops. All I have is a stupid radiator, which I don't think is very effective, so I'm wrapped up in a blanket. I think I'll go make some hot chocolate and take a shower. Think warm thoughts for me. Oh, and while we're thinking about it, think high-paying job thoughts for me too.

Cheers.

Don’t Call It A Comeback (Or, The Countryside Search for the Great Pumpkin)

Just when the blog world thought I fell off the earth into obscurity or real life pursuance, here I am, ready to give my Gentle Viewers another peek into the controlled cyclone that is my life.

Well, since I last spoke, a lot has changed. The biggest is that I’m now a resident of Seattle, Washington. Got an apartment up on Capitol Hill, a pretty hip area with coffee shops, grocery stores, and concert venues all within walking distance. It’s a nice place to be if you don’t have a car. Downtown’s even a brisk walk downhill and no problem. Even have a pretty sweet view of Queen Anne and the sunset when it happens. So all of that is great.

That aside though, things have been tough in the job dept. I’ve been searching for a while, trying to find something not only that I could enjoy, but make money at. I’m tired of crap jobs, and unless it comes to the absolute worst I don’t want to do it again. I did an after school thing when I first got here, but it sucked a lot. I worked only 3 hours a day, and commuted an hour each way, so it just wasn’t’ worth it. So I quit. Been trying the temp agencies too, offering me various things when they’re not busy giving me tons of typing tests and other menial quizzes like, “can you delete icons from the Windows desktop?” Uh, yeah, I think I can handle that. Oh, after all of that testing you still don’t have anything available or if you do it isn’t until a month or two from now? Oh, thanks for your help. Even worked a day at a T-M0bile event. It was really stupid and pompous. There was giant ice block carved with their logo and new campaign name that they poured punch through and such pretentious fluff items as a chocolate fountain and a DJ. For what? Just to pump up the people working in their call center. My role in this shenanigan? Folding and handing out shirts. But for $11/hr, sure, whatever. Better than not making money…

Last Sunday was really awesome. Kim and I got up really early and went to Nanette’s house and Kim cooked this awesome big breakfast. There’s something sacred and all-important to the point of almost ritual when it comes to breakfast. No other meal ever fills quite as fulfilling. I mean, there’s bacon involved, how could you go wrong?! After that, we went to Redmond and to a PUMPKIN PATCH!! We wandered around for about an hour sifting through pumpkins and picking ones we’d like to take home. It’s so much more rewarding than walking up to a grocery store and grabbing one from out front.

Even Thom got in on the action….


Representing for Texas too!

Once we got back, we began carving pumpkins and watching Night of the Living Dead. Nannette made a delicious apple pie and pumpkin soup. I had never had pumpkin soup, but it was delicious and curry-based, so with a good piece of bread for dipping (is that a Southern thang?) It was quite filling…well, with room for pie of course.

One thing I thought about while I was watching the movie. In many ways, this movie is an advancement for African Americans. The main character is one, and he is obviously the most clever person in the movie, and survives…well until the coming of the ignorant white folks…what do you guys think? I think it’s a positive image, but don’t really know how it was taken at the time, or whether that aspect was discussed (I’m sure it was).

But this is just an example of one awesome day. This weekend we might even go to the San Juan Islands! I’ve heard such good things about it with whales and whatnot, even if they’ve probably already gone by this time of year, sadly…

HOLD ON! What about your job crap Jarad? It seemed somewhat unresolved a few paragraphs back you scatterbrain! Tell me about the fucking golf shoes!

Ok, so right now I’m in the process of being hired for a pretty sweet Americ0rps job. The pay wouldn’t be great, but it would be an awesome opportunity. It would be doing events and such with a local center for at-risk/homeless kids. I would be heading up a film club/dept. where I would teach them how to make films and such. Getting the arts in the hands of those less fortunate. That would be such an enriching opportunity, and I’d have a job that involved film, so hey, I would be very happy with that.

FUCK. Blog FLASH UPDATE. Right as I was writing this, I was called and informed that when my name was input into the computer for some survey the corporate side of things, I was in the “control group” which means I’m not eligible for the job. They can’t hire me, even though they really wanted to. I’m so fucking pissed. Not because of qualifications, but just randomly I’m shut down. FUCK THIS. FUCK AMERICORPS. I hope they read this. See what fucktards they are. That they could have had a person make a good, positive difference in the community and instead he’s kicked to the curb because of some 1’s and 0’s on a computer. Need any more evidence technology is used for evil purposes? I’m fuming.

Fortunate for my ass, like the cocoa powder Mexican chefs put in spicy foods to dull the burn, the guy from UW Temp calls and offers me an office job for the next 2 weeks. Pay’s decent and it’s something to keep me busy until my fall-back temp job kicks in—call center bullshit for Starfucks coffee. Whatever. I guess I wasn’t destined to work for the betterment of mankind and humanity, but instead to be a corporate tool. For now anyway…

The job chase is like waiting for the Great Pumpkin. You do everything you can to wait, to know your subject, but in reality he’s never going to come. You just end up looking like a fool. But I guess that’s really negative. Maybe he will show up. Someday.

I gotta go, I’m too scatterbrained and raging to blog anymore, but hey, I’m back.

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!

Just when you thought it was safe...

So there I was, all ready to write my gentle viewers a nice blog about my long, tiring but rewarding summer job being over and my stressful search for a new job and new life, not to mention all of the stress and sadness of the decline in health of my grandmother, when like Michael Corleone said best, "they pull me back in!"

I'm in Angleton on Wednesday, packing my bags to head back to Austin to begin the job search again and to have some distance from the Angleton homestead, when I get a call from the illustrious iD Tech, telling me that they lost a counselor "literally, at lunch." And they want to know if I will fly to Conencticut TONIGHT! Geez louize! So after thinking about it for a bit, I decided that I would indeed do it. I hopped on a 7pm flight and FINALLY ended up in the not so big CT around 1:30am, after arriving in NYC at 11:30 and having the regional manager pick me up from the airport and drive me. But she was really nice, so it was cool.

But what is so sad as well is missing the departure of my dear friend Matt, who is going to Russian next Saturday for the semester! I'm going to miss him so much and I don't even get to see him off! ARGH!! Take care dear sweet matthew, I love ya much.

So here I am now. In CT at Sacred Heart University. Away from my pretty gal. Teaching a class that I haven't taught all summer and that by all sense I shold be able to do because I got a freakin' degree in film, but it's a bit tougher than one might think. And most camps run only 7 weeks. I am now in my NINTH week of teaching and counseling. I am burnt out to the max. It's too much. I mean, I'll do it, it's a paycheck and all that, but I just feel stretched thin. Too much of my time dedicated to kids and not my own life. It would have been better if I was a commuter, not being here all the time.

But the really AWESOME thing about being here in New England is getting to see my old buddy Stephen Sutton!

I haven't seen him since like beginning of January, so it was great to spend time with him and his girlfriend. We watched cartoons, played video games until the wee hours, went to bars and even saw a shakespeare play where there were turkeys roaming around out front!


I'd call that a pretty good weekend in all! I just wish I wasn't up here so long. I need to get on with finding a job and getting place and setting up a life and all of that jazz! I thought I was done with camp, trying to move on and all that! Argh! We'll see how all of that develops in the next few weeks. Pray for Mojo.

P.S. Miss you Kim!

Summertime, and the livin's BUSY!

So here I sit in my dorm room in Dallas. Yup. I'm in Dallas. The regional manager said to work this week I had to travel to SMU to teach. At least I'm teaching Game Modding and not something else that I have no idea about like 3D game design or something... Anyway, it's not so bad here. The cafeteria food is better, and the staff is pretty cool, esp. my roommate. They're just a lot smaller of a camp and a bit more unorganized. The kids are ok, except for a few. Blargh. But it's ok. I just feel constantly busy, that's all. I only get 1 full day off at a time, and that is NEVER enough. Like this Friday I drive to Angleton to see my parents and grandma, which will be a 5 hour drive, chill saturday, and then have to be back in Austin to begin another week of camp on Sunday @ 3pm.


But on the positive side, I flew Kim to Austin for her birthday to be with me. That was great. We went kayaking and other cool stuff. DAMN I wish we took pictures, but never thought of it until after the fact. Grrr... these blog things are so much cooler when you have pics to go along with them. So take this one I guess...

Better than nothing, right? Sure...

I'm supposed to be looking for jobs in LA and such, but it's hard to find the time/will. The few free moments I have I want nothing more than to chill out in front of a movie or video game, preferably with libations of some sort. Right now I'm watching the Faith No More concert "You Fat Bastards." Oh, long haired Mike Patton, you're silly. I prefer him with short hair and a sleeze stash, fits his persona more. See:

Speaking of Mike Patton, the Peeping Tom album is fucking rad. It's one of my top albums of the summer and it's in heavy rotation. Every track grabs my ear. It's so good to hear Mike Patton actually singing melodies and such again. I like Fantomas as much as the next guy, but he's got such a nice voice and never really uses it. The standout tracks are "Mojo" and "Your Neighborhood Spaceman." Listen to it, trust me. Instant pimp juice and the likes.


The other "feel good album of the summer" is without a doubt Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere album. I know there are those such as Chris Mikesell that don't like it, but it's so much fun. Some sort of mix of hip hop beats and neo-soul. It's an ass-shaking album, and those don't have to be profound or anything, just something great to jig around to. The single "Crazy" is of course infectious but boderline played-out already, but "Smiley Face" and "Transformer" are quite rad, and worth a listen/download. This album is an instant dance party. Pick it up and let the groove begin!


Having to watch over kids limits your music listening time. I wish I had more of that. These are the only two albums I've really even had the chance to focus on and really appreciate. Well, that and tons of Ryan Adams as always...

But if you have some cool new music to recommend to me, just leave me a comment about it, and I'll try to check it out.

Hopefully next time I can yak about something other than camp and my busy work schedule.


Until then Gentle Viewers.

Argh...and some update.

So I just wrote a long blog about how I'm doing, how camp is, how much I love and miss my girlfriend and then this stupid computer in the lab crashed, and I lost it and everything. SOOOO frustrating. After that happens, you don't really have the will to write it again. So here it is again, in bullet form:

* I love Kim VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY much and miss her terribly. She told me the boat guys are douches and picky eaters. She also said she's getting a Volkswagen Bus (green & white) when she gets back. That's AWESOME.

* 1st week of camp went well, only had 2 students. I like getting paid to play with Warcraft III.

* The weekend was fun, partied @ Em's birthday bash, and looked through record stores with Mark, finally saw Pirates of the Caribbean. I really liked it.

*This week is going to be harder. I have 5 students, and all very different. It will be a challenge.


Until I find the will to brave it again, my Gentle Viewers,

Jarad.

Workin' for the Weekend

This is my life right now. I promise I'll update on the weekend, when I finally get a break. *whew!* coffee is my friend now....more so.

I miss HER.

This is the love of my life. I need her near me...

Wave Goodbye

Here I sit in a coffee shop on 45th and Division in Portland, Oregon. I even biked here, despite all the huffing and puffing and sore ass from biking yesterday too and being so out of shape... Tomorrow will be my last day in this town, possibly ever. I thought it might be a good moment to say farewell to this town.

It's definitely been a strange fucking time in my life. A very difficult one too. Trying to scrape and survive and be the master of my own destiny, trying to make things work, from the ground up. It hasn't been easy. Down right infuriating at times.

FUCK! Speaking of frustrating, I'm trying to download the new episode of "Lost" and this coffee shop's connection is SHITE! Did I mention that it's frustrating not having consistent internet?? And not having a car is so crippling, I never knew. Gee, thanks mom and dad for not supporting my decisions and my life and leaving me stranded without my vehicle. Really awesome of you.

If I sound slightly bitter, it's because I am. This has been the most difficult point in my life and I don't feel like there were any leeway, allowances, or anything of the sort to ease the transition, especially when things concern my parents. And the way everyone's so natural and hippie and PC, that's annoying too. I mean, it has it's good points, but the differences can be overwhelming and make you feel like the way you've lived your entire life, was schmuck-like, and a dirty corporate whore, even when you thought you've lived as just as you could. Grrr. I'm just a man!

Here! Laugh at this piece of funny writing I caught:

But I'll try to overcome all of this, I don't want to sound like a whiny blog bitch for all of this, I'd like to try to focus on some good stuff too. Seeing and living in a completely different American culture has been an adventure, and a lesson in human behavior. I've traveled in Europe and learned about them, but I've never lived anywhere else in the US, so this is definitely a lesson as well. Gives one a better understanding of American culture, and one side of it I've never seen--the extreme Left. Sure there are patches of it in Austin, but here there is nothing else. Kinda cool, but kinda strange. It seems almost less cool since it's not something you have to fight for, and be different about; that it's a given. Everybody up here is like that. In a way it's too homogenous. Yet I found all the loud rude rednecks in town at the Ryan Adams show...but that's a story pretty much already told.

It certainly seems like a nice town. Especially on paper. And especially if I wasn't struggling, AND if I had a car to be able to fully explore the city , get an idea of layout, instead of feeling like when you're playing a dungeon in Zelda, where the whole picture is dark, and the only areas that light up are the ones you visit on foot, wandering around. And you have to cover a LOT of ground to be able to uncover the whole. Those that understand the metaphor, you know what I mean.

But at least I've met some really nice people. Some of the people we've met have been very kind to us, over and above what is called for, considering the limited amount of time we've known them, so thanks to Zo and Melissa for helping us out.

Anyway, on to the future! If the present hasn't laid any fruit at your feet, at least look to the future for hopes of better things, and that's what I will do. Tomorrow we're hitching a ride with these girls from Cirque du Soleil up to Seattle, where we'll stay at Kim's Dad's place for the rest of May, up until I head to Chicago for training for my *NEW* summer job. Her friend Nanette is supposed to take us sailing one day, and there's some big party going on one night next week too. Plus I have to get my CPR certification before I head out too. So I'll be busy, and in a town I'm really fond of. So until my dear gal departs for the ocean, we'll keep busy, so that's good.

So farewell Portland, my home for the past 2 months. My last night here will be beautiful, seeing Sigur Ros at the Schnitzer. I'm very excited to see this show, as I'm sure you would be too if you were going to see some of the most amazing music ever made.

Until next time my Gentle Viewers, here's a beautiful picture that Kim took in this nice weather of recent here in Portland.

discombobulated.

I feel like shit. Didn't sleep last night. Head feels awful, full of snot, can barely breathe.... can someone send me some cyber chicken soup?

Double Dose of Frustrating Brilliance

It’s time for a review of the 2 Ryan Adams shows I went to over the weekend. This is as much for my own documentation as it is to let you, Gentle Viewers, know how they were.

Excitement mixed with frustration is the best way to describe both nights. There were moments of sheer beauty and candid brilliance, but one had to be very patient for these moments, for they happened so sporadically.

First was Seattle, at the Moore Theatre. It’s a fairly large old concert hall, with a floor filled with chairs, and two balconies about, reaching very high. We were only in the first balcony but the piano and chair with guitar seemed small. But I liked the ambience and mis-en-scene of the place, which felt like I was about to a watch an opera, or a one-man play with very limited props.

I had heard of opener Jesse Malin, before, but only because I know he was friends with and had his first album produced by Ryan. Well, that and LeAnne, Aaron, and I saw him back when he fronted a punk band, DGeneration, which opened for The Offspring and Living End. Back then he was a snotty punk upstart whom howled fiercely with the whole microphone stuffed into his mouth. But now he strode upon stage confidently, strapped with an acoustic guitar and blasted his way through an energetic set of about 6 or 7 folk/punk songs with humorous anecdotes about his vegetarianism and other things. I also loved the song in his set where he challenged the usually apathetic Seattle crowd to clap along to his song “Ridin’ on the Subway” by saying, “Let’s see how many of you are too fucking indie to clap your hands!” Surprisingly, the whole place clapped beginning to end much to his delight. The highlight of his performance was his cover of The Flaming Lips’ song “Yoshimi Vs. The Pink Robots.” It’s so satisfying when people cover brilliant songs by contemporary artists.

Shortly after Ryan came shuffling out of the dark, lit cigarette in his mouth, bottle of wine in his hand. After a moment or two of settling in he sat at the piano and played the last track off of Heartbreaker, “Sweet Lil’ Gal,” followed by “Call Me On Your Way Back Home” and one of the standouts on Love Is Hell, “Please Do Not Let Me Go.”

The night was filled with songs of lost love and remorse, almost weaving into a pattern or theme, as I’m sure Ryan intended, or at least what was chiefly on his mind. New songs included “Blue Hotel,” “Two” and “Don’t Get Sentimental On Me.”

However, the concert did not flow as smoothly as the listing of songs in this review. Between almost every song there was around 5 minutes of shuffling around, talking to himself, talking to people offstage, and bantering with the audience. Some which was funny, but some of which was just plain tedious. He even tried to play “La Cienga Just Smiled” and forgot the words and had to be reminded by an audience member in front. One could really tell, even from far away in the balcony just how nervous he was. In the last quarter of the show he even walked offstage, saying he had to get a shot of cortisone for his wrist so he could continue the show. At this point some people around me became weary of all the pauses and delays and started getting up and walking out. Ouch. As frustrated as I could get and I would never walk out on a show, or even a movie for that matter. I paid good money for it, and I’m going to see it through, for good or for bad.

Overall, it was a worthwhile performance. The moments when he concentrated were pure brilliance and worth every penny of admission. Afterwards I thought to myself, “This was just first-night jitters, everything will be go smoothly tomorrow night.” Afterall, that’s how it went last summer when I saw him. He was quiet and focused in Houston, and in Austin he relaxed and put on a romping performance. Little did I know how inaccurate my hopes would become…

By the time we got back to Portland there was just enough time to return the rental car on time. The place was downtown so after dropping off the car we walked down to the Roseland to see if there was already a line. And there was. So, we figured with little else to do with not much money and no transportation, sure, why not wait. Kim went to the ATM and to Powell’s Books to get some books to study for her exams. TWICE while she was gone Ryan walked by with a tall lady with orange-ish-yellow hair looking spacey and not paying much attention to the crowd already waiting outside to see him. Time moved by slowly.

At 7 they let us in, and much to our excitement, we got FRONT ROW SEATS!! It was very exciting sitting directly up front, for I have done it so rarely in my entire extensive concert going. We chatted a bit with the people around us, finding out that most of the people up front where pretty big fans, so that was comforting. One lady even got my email and is going to send me pics from the show! Very nice of her. One guy was pretty nice to talk to, and then left to go have some drinks at the bar.

8 on the dot and Jesse comes out and treats us to almost the same set as last night, but with different stories about each song, and the inclusion of a new song, “Little Star.” I enjoy his music more and more with each listen. The guy whom was nice and polite but excited before the show had become drunk before Jesse came on (and perhaps took who knows what in the bathroom) because he had become a loud, obnoxious fan-monster, shouting song titles and lame comments of praise between every song, as loud as he could, in addition to conversation VERY loudly with his wife during the songs. But Jesse played another great set nonetheless.

We waited an even longer amount of time before Ryan appeared on stage, dressed more casually than the night before, but a bit more off-kilter (even admitting at one point that he was really high). When he finally started he fumbled through pretty much the same set as the night before, yet leaving out standouts from the night before including “A Kiss Before I Go” and “Nightbirds” but did get the new half-baked song “Everything Dies” and learn that the song “Blue Hotel” was written for Willie Nelson for the new album they collaborated on, which is very exciting.

The pauses and fumbling were even more frustrating than the night before, and went on for even longer. The audience didn’t help matters either, screaming out song titles throughout the whole set, even after Ryan made a remark about it, saying he didn’t appreciate it. Some people just don’t get, especially the fucked up dude next to Kim, who kept screaming for songs up until the end of the show. Women in the audience were just as bad too, yelling things like, “You’re So Hot Ryan!” and other inane shit. All of this caused Ryan to mumble to himself and walk off the stage and talk to people behind the scenes about “breaking the fourth wall” all sardonically and shit. ARGH. Neither him nor the audience really understood it was a vicious cycle. He acts unprofessional and unprepared, then the audience isn’t going to act professional either and they will continually tear each other down. But despite this you could really tell he loved playing in Portland and the Roseland.

The highlights of the evening came with surprise guest-appearances, which kept Ryan focused on the task at hand, because a when you’re playing with someone else, it’s not good to break the rhythm to talk and walk around and shit. Jesse came out and they performed “Solitaire” together, which was fantastic. Their voices really go together well, and I would really enjoy hearing a full-on collaboration between the two in the future, maybe like Jack White and Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs.

The real surprise was when he called to Phil from the side and asked if he wanted to come play, and Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh came out and jammed with Ryan for what seemed like a long time, doing “Stella Blues,” “Wharf Rat,” and closing the night with “Magnolia Mountain.” After a while they really locked in and gave a stellar performance and Phil provided some wonderful backing vocals to the songs. I don’t know if the whole audience really realized what was going, but those that did were ecstatic about it. This happened last year when I saw him in Austin, Phil came out then and played “Wharf Rat” with Ryan on that occasion too. This acoustic one was much more intimate and enjoyable. It was a magnificent way to close the set, and redeemed the more or less poor concert that had been taking place previously.

So overall, it was an interesting experience seeing solo acoustic Ryan. I guess I wasn’t fully prepared for his onstage behavior, since when I saw him with the Cardinals he seemed so much more focused. It makes me think that it really helps him as a live performer to be playing with other people, because it keeps him concentrating and at top quality.

But would I go see him again? In a heartbeat. He’s one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, and I think time will prove me right.

Three Cheers for Washington State!

Welcome Back Gentle Viewers!

I have returned from my weekend adventure in Seattle! Well, not exactly weekend, since we left on Sunday and returned Monday afternoon, but it felt like the weekend nonetheless. And what a time we had!

We cruised up Highway 5 Sunday morning, and eventually turned off onto some smaller roads, passing through quaint little towns on our way to the impressively looming Mt. Rainier, our first destination for the day.

Never before have I seen a more beautiful mountain! Within the first few miles of entering the park you notice the road is lined with snow. LOTS of dirty snow. The higher up you wind through this magnificent park, the higher the piles of snow go, soon towering above you on both sides, hiding street signs and trunks of trees.

At the first scenic stop on the way up we ran around in the snow. Well, more like carefully walked I guess, because at different points the snow was unstable and one could sink in up his kneecap! But it was really fun and surreal to stomp around in snow when it feels so much like spring/summer.

The highest up point you can go to without hiking with proper gear, there is a sunny observation deck, which we spent a fair amount of time just lounging and looking through telescopes to get a better view of the peak, named “Point Success.”

We also had lunch there, eating sandwiches outside, admiring the snowcapped mountain and gorgeous surroundings.

But soon we had to say goodbye to the mighty mountain, for Seattle still lay a good hour ahead of us, and we had to be there to make it to the Ryan Adams concert.

Next was the concert, but I’ll cover that in a separate blog, instead focusing on the Seattle trip in this one.

After the show we went to Dick’s to get some grub, then tried to find somewhere to sleep. No luck. So we slept in the car, in one of the most uncomfortable nights of sleep in my LIFE. Oh well, saved some money and gained another experience, so it’s all good.

That morning we went to the ship yard, where Kim met with a man about a job on a tugboat for Crowley. Afterwards we went for breakfast at Mecca Café where the waffle sucked, but the ambience was cool and laid back so that was enjoyable.

Plus within a block is one of the best music shop’s I’ve ever been in, East Street Records. I could have spent HOURS in there! But after that was the highlight of the morning, going to Lighthouse Coffee, getting the BEST Americano in the free world. Sat outside on the rocks in the sunshine sipping kick-ass coffee and chatting with lovely gal, when she mentions we should go to the beach real quick before we have to take off for Portland. Sure, why not?

It was over in west Seattle and reminded me of California, or if the Galveston strip had money and wasn’t creepy. The water was beautiful and cold, and the sand was warm. I really like the sand there, it’s from granite. Much cleaner feeling on the skin than the stuff back home at surfside. Plus, the view of Seattle from the Pier in west Seattle is fantastic. With this last wonderful moment on the pier, gazing, kissing, and dreaming, we set off for Portland.


Yet again, another wonderful trip to Seattle. A part of me has really fallen for this city. Probably my favorite American city next to Austin. It just has a great vibe, and kicks the shit out of Portland. I just haven’t been a fan of the place so far…