On the Road

Realizing that i might have just defaced the title of one of the greatest books of all time, perhaps i should rethink calling this entry "On the Road."
eh, either way.
February has been a long month for me. i have been home, but it doesnt feel like much. I have been on the road every weekend, usually for 3 to 5 days out, then the same amount of days home. I got incredibly sick for about a week and had to stay in bed while the crazy boys went out and had a good time. I played at a camp when great skiing was free and had to opt out so i could lie in a camp bunk bed for 31 hours straight. that blew.
Riddle played a show for 4200 people this month, which, excluding festivals, is a new high for me. Unfourtunately, i had a fever and the flu when it happened, and was so tweaked out on Thera-Flu at the time, i have very little memory of it.
I had the opportunity to be a "house band" drummer for some other CCM artists this month. The music was lame, but the experience was great. Resume's will be good in the future.
I have lost touch will almost all of my friends other than my wife, Steve, and the guys i tour with. When time home becomes a rest stop, and the only way to sustain a healthy marriage is to give it 100% of your time in town, the sad reality is that everyone else becomes expendable. I'm not sure if i owe apologies. i feel like i do, but this is reality sometimes right? I wrestle with feeling like a bad friend, or a bad husband, or a bad worker, or whatever. This job is so odd. There is nothing else i would rather be doing than playing music for a living, but at the same time, at what cost? I dont know what my cost is. It's there, but what is it?
I'm emo again. damn the luck. I'm in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and thats reason enough to be emo. Evan is getting dressed and Riddle is singing scales. This is my life right now. I really do love it, i mean really. if you think about it, im blogging at work right?
much love friends, i'll be home soon and we can re connect. Sorry for not being around. I feel like if not for the text message and ichat, i would be in a black hole of Christian music.
peace

Patriotism = Consumerism

Speaking to the press about the congressional stimulus package to keep at bay a much-feared national recession:

“And the purpose is to encourage our consumers. The purpose is to give them money …Consumerism is a significant part of our GDP growth, and we want to sustain the American consumer, encourage the American consumer…”
-George W. Bush, 2/27/08

Translation: The most American thing you can do right now to help our country is to spend money that you don't have on shit that you don't need.

crows

March 25th.

Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.

Get excited.

food.

dinner, for me, stretched between about 3:30pm and 9:00pm.

It included:

QuikTrip taquito (holy cow, it's probably been over a year, I forgot how good those things were)
a box of junior mints
water
a hot fry (inner-city kids love em, they've just never done it for me. and too spicy!)
some spicy doritos
2 chocolate chip cookies
a fruit medley that included pineapple, grapes, blueberries, and strawberries
2 slices of bell pepper
4 cherry tomatoes.

random, but I think I covered my food groups...? dairy requirement could maybe have been fulfilled by the junior mints...

novels are hard

its really really really really really really fucking hard to write a novel.
trust me.

if your thinking about it, i would say do it, but know that its going to consume most of your thoughts until its finished.
me, i have been working on it since july. its not almost march. im more than halfway done, and im at a bit of a snag.
would love to be out of said snag.

thats all for now, i just needed a lament.

is that what lament means? i think it does... right?

beautiful...

Markéta Irglová's acceptance speech last night at the Academy Awards:

"Hi everyone. I just want to thank you so much. This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don't give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are. And so thank you so much, who helped us along the way. Thank you."

thoughts for a slow afternoon...

1. I just registered for the GRE in March. What am I thinking!?!? I might need to borrow a study book, or two, if anyone out there can hook a brother up.

2. My lunch sucked ass. In about an hour I get to eat spinach-mushroom lasagna for dinner. I am currently drooling.

3. I hate shaving my face. But if I don't shave, I look like a pube-ball.

4. I want to be outside and camping and playing games with neighbor kids and throwing frisbees and planting food and all these things and more!!!!!

5. Kristen and I went to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants yesterday. I started to order the Hunan Beef until I remembered the front page news article about the BIGGEST BEEF RECALL EVER... so I ordered a shrimp dish instead. Vegetarianism is sounding pretty good right about now.

My brain is plugged into the internets.

I just wanted everyone to know that I will not be looking at, nor will I be thinking about my laptop today. This is the FIRST day like this in quite awhile. Many of you have heard me saying that I feel like my laptop has now become an extension of my brain and that I don't function well more than a power-cord's length away from an outlet. This is because I have no choice, under normal circumstances, but to be on-line, on laptop.

Today, things change. I have the entire week off from school, and I just turned in a paper (that's right at 7:30 a.m.)--and I can at least take all of today not to work on school-related things. Tomorrow, I will start on another paper, and reviewing for my exams/catching up on class work. But today, it's just me and nature. I think we're going to go to the WWI museum at the Liberty memorial (if it's open). Hooray for President's Day/Mental Health day.

Saturday Mornings...

What are they good for? It depends on what kind of person you are.

Well, for one, there's the ambitious, uber-productive Saturday morning type. These people are up, fresh and rearing to go by 7 a.m., with a list of things they will accomplish. Not only will they do the things they have to do (bank, groceries, etc.), they may also set forth a few projects for their Saturday, like fixing that water spot on the ceiling or bathing the dog.

This is not me.

Then, there are the relax, grab some coffee, maybe an i-pod and a newspaper (or substitute your most recently acquired book) and head to the City Market kind of people. These people know the meaning of the "Saturday drive." These people, punctual as they may be the rest of the week, lose all concept of time when it comes to the weekend.

This is also not me.

There are those who love to sleep in. To them, Saturday morning does not really exist, except as (perhaps) the early hours of the morning carried over from Friday night. Calling these people during this time is especially dangerous, unless they are heavy sleepers who do not even stir at the sound of the phone. The wrath of a sleep-lover woken on a Saturday morning is like no other.

Sometimes, this is me.

I wish I was more like the first group. And therefore, today, I am going to choose to be.

so. I decided to stop making multiple trips to the refrigerator to get Just One More Slice of cheese, and am now sitting here eating Slices out of the package.

that's all I got tonight. no profound thoughts and/or quotes.

hope y'all are having a great V-day. I love all of you, even if you're dumb and married and I'm at home eating Slices of Cheese.

xoxo

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE POLICE ARE COMING TO THE SPRINT CENTER!!!!!!!!!!!

Green Valentine's Day <3

I got on-line to look for "Green" Valentine's Day ideas and am a little disappointed in what I see.

Ideas across the board are pretty consistent...
1. Buy fair trade chocolate
2. Drink organic wine (mmmm...i love wine)
3. Make your own Valentine's card from recycled paper or, better yet, send an e-card.

I mean, seriously people. How long did you spend thinking before your blogged that revolutionary list of ideas out?

There were a few ideas that we a little more hopeful such as...
4. buy organic crocuses (flowers--currently in season) which can be planted later
5. Try a lamb-skin condom
6. (for the more ambitious) mix Shakespeare's sonnets on your lover's favorite ipod mix to pop up randomly throughout the day

But still, I'm left wondering why people who know that this holiday is just a way to make money are sucked in. Every website I went to was full of "green" or "recycled" products that could be yours for just $19.99. I even saw a website that was selling what appeared to be old beer and wine bottles that had the bottoms cut off and were turned upside down and placed on a stand and being sold as "wine glasses." They must belong to the facebook group "Recycle that shit."

That said, I admit my own weakness in sucumbing to the lovey-dovey pressure of the holiday and even walking around saying things like "Happy Valentine's Day" to people. And I did send an e-card...but only because it was perfect. This whole holiday is just so strange.

I feel like there's not much room for creativity or genuine experience. Are we just following the trend set by millions who have gone before us? Or is there something more out there. Clearly, this is not just a question about Valentine's day, but generally about life.

Sometimes I find it useful to know that others have struggled through the same circumstance I am in and made it through alive...very useful in helping me drudge through law school and that I am keeping in reserve for child birth. But other days, I think "what's the point"--everyone is the same, there is nothing unique, nothing fresh, nothing new. It's like we're in Groundhog's Day (the movie w/ Bill Murray) and have no way to escape this repeated scene called human existence.

I hate the day after Valentine's Day because of the question, "So--what did you do for Valentine's Day?" Talk about a loaded question--I mean, what am I supposed to say? Most people's stories are the same old boring sequence (went to dinner, brought me flowers, etc., etc.) I think that everyone should blaze their own trail and say things like "got busy" or "practiced baby-making" or--and this is only for the really bold--"did it." See what kind of reaction your boss has to that one.

Author's Note: This post (as many of mine do) started with the intention of being about local sustainability and how nutty crunchy people push fair trade as a way to be ecologically friendly...but I just don't get how shipping fair trade cotton from Africa to make underwear actually helps anyone. Culture of consumerism...just spend more and that will fix everything...economic stimulus...that kind of thing. But, I guess I got distracted. Sorry.

Porchnight in Nashville

porchnight friends, meet

Aaron. (www.aaronivey.com)
and Bush (www.stevenbush.org)

They do what we do as far as the porch and beer and pipes, only they live in Nashville.

They play in a band called Spur 58 and they are on tour with Riddle right now, so im spending a lot of time with them.

Good men, good blogs. check them out.

They are kind of like stray cats, now that i have acknowledged them, they wont go away.

so if they respond to a post, thats who they are.

Muddy's

I never thought I would become a person who enjoyed spending time in a coffee shop just because. Then, my car broke down and I had to walk to school and got there just in time to miss my first class, so I decided to have a "Classic" and check my e-mail before heading back to the library. As people from my law school class filed through for their morning caffeine, each stopped to chat for a second before heading back to the old grind. I enjoyed the idea of setting up shop so to speak in the shop. That was Monday.

Then, today, I came back for another classic. Some of the same people are here--the dorky math teacher, who last time I was here was one a date--of sorts--with this woman who had an annoying laugh, but an enormous chest. Today, he's looking around, at the window, as if he's expecting someone. I wonder if he's waiting for her...or for someone else. He seems nervous.

Then there's Oliver, the owner/entrepreneur who is an avid urban cyclist. I overheard him passionately discussing the city's excuse for not painting bike trails (they didn't put it in their budget) with a man who looked like he was important. I like him though I barely know him. He exudes confidence and knows what he wants.

There's always the emo kids...chain smoking and drinking the coffee black--they must not realize how bad it is--but nevertheless they come back. One time I was here with Andrew and we were sitting next to some of them and one ripped this gigantic fart. I (being the mature law student that I am) am laughing out loud about it so hard that tears are coming to my eyes as I write this. Nonetheless, they are a constant here...supporting Oliver's business and keeping us all conscious of our younger, more free-spirited years.

I have become an observer of folks. Not just in my two days at the coffee shop...but this year in general. I am realizing more and more that life is a game. I don't know if it was my upbringing that kept me from realizing it or just my general "anti-establishment" attitude, but I'm glad I'm coming into a different era. Less judgmental--more perceptive. Maybe it was Nietzsche. Maybe it was Fuckabees? Maybe it just took some time to understand the blanket. It's amazing how empowering it is when you realize the truth behind it.

I feel honored to have this place where I can step back, observe silently, and sort through deeper truths about humanity. I like being in a place where peoples' lives intersect.

two things.

[one]

I cannot get my cat to understand that it is NOT APPROPRIATE to drink out of other people's glasses/cups. most of the time it's water, but sometimes it's not. sometimes I feel bad when I push her off the coffee table or cover the glass with a book (looking at this moment, there are 2 cups within sight with reading material on top of them), because I think, "well, she's THIRSTY, obviously, and I don't want to deprive her"...but then I realize that she doesn't drink out of her OWN water supply (I actually put her water in a glass instead of a bowl, thinking that she'd be more likely to drink it).

this is frustrating. and a fairly new development. any advice, fellow pet-parents?


[two]

I'm feeling conflicted about american apparel. I try very, very hard to consume responsibly: organic food, fair-trade coffee, local art, sweatshop-free clothes. (putting it in writing is a little intimidating b/c I obviously don't have a totally clean track record...but I DO think about these things to the point where I might have a neurotic guilt-complex going on.)

clothing is particularly hard, especially if you're trying to scrape by on a nonprofit salary. Sure, if I had the money I would probably shop exclusively at little boutiques, etc, but I don't, so I am pretty much limited to thrift stores and my friends' closets (which is the best place to find clothes anyway...but I digress). so companies like american apparel are nice because, even if their stuff is a little pricey, you KNOW without having to do a lot of research that they treat their employees well.

and their stuff used to be kind of hard to find in KC (thought I've found it in some places), so when a store opened recently, it was exciting! "oh boy! a store where I KNOW that everything is socially responsible!"

....well.

I am still excited about it. except.

...their advertising is so. not. appropriate.

I mean, I'm no prude (and so what if I WAS?), but seriously. girls' Ts & As are hanging out all over the place, literally. and I of course am all about pushing the envelope and appreciating the beauty of the human body, etc etc, but I am also NOT for the exploitation of the human body OR using sex to sell. to me that's just trashy and a little bit offensive. (plus, I feel like they've gone from the company that used to sell sweatshop-free tshirts to the company that sells shiny leggings and bodysuits to hipsters. but that's another rant.)

so, I guess I am frustrated that I have to choose which is more important to me: socially-responsible clothes or not-trashy advertising. I guess I just hate that I feel like I have to compromise on EITHER of those things.

...socially-responsible will probably win (plus, they have underwear in so many COLORS!). but still.

thoughts?

why I voted for Barack today:

(since everyone else is throwing in political comments)

He's left-handed.

He gave one of the most insightful speeches on faith and politics, ever. Google "obama call to renewal". I'm too lazy to link today.

His presidency, I think, would mark the beginning of our generation stepping up to bat.

He's left-handed.

Denied

I, Brandon McCoy, winner of bartending competitions leading to tattoos on my arms, who recently purchased a house with earnings from bartending, who, when called upon, switched jobs to be a bartender elsewhere for the sake of others, who, when not making sweet rock and/or roll, makes sweet martini's and shots, and other lovely cocktails...

.....was just turned away at the liquor permit renewal office.....

meaning, i can wait tables only, and i cant even take alcohol to tables, let alone toss bottles in the air or pour wonderful, frothy beer.

now this problem is only temporary until i get the proper paperwork taken care of, but i was still quite offended. and on the plus side, i think i am only working like 3 or 4 more days this month, so i have some time.
There was a side of me that wanted to say "do you know who i am?!"
then i realized that i was at a government office and they hate everyone, including their own offspring.
Dont believe me?
have you ever heard anyone say, "so i was at the DMV today, and the people who work there are just so pleasant, I love getting my drivers license renewed."

yea i havent either.

Wow, i just got scared about universal healthcare...
not that scared. Mitt Romney is satan.

Did anyone tell [you] that at the Obama rally here in KC, there was a protester with a "God hates you" sign? At first, I thought that was strange and was a little angry because, well, why would you (1) protest Barack at all and (2) what the hell does that even mean?

...but then, I remembered there was hope in the world because there was a protester for the protester who had made a "LAME!-->" sign and was following around the Phelpsian protester everywhere he went. It was probably the most patriotic I've EVER felt in my life.

Love that freedom of speech!

(this post started out as a comment on a post, but was promoted to post status when I realized how positive it is and that it needed to let its light shine on the internets)

Oh..and vote for Hillary :)