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| these girls.Well,
it’s been a few weeks - I suppose it’s time for an update. I won’t hit everything; as little as I really
do, things do pile up after a few months. Meh.
the
long overdue Morrissey review.
I
dropped out of the concert business for awhile back there, but Moz was as
emorgasmic a reentry as I could ever hope to make. As my comrades Tree and Alex will similarly
attest, the Pope of Mope has helped me through some rough times, so finally seeing
Morrissey rip off his shirt at the climax of “Let Me Kiss You” in real life and
not just in my dreams at long last made me a man. Other high points (besides the whole
thing)? Singing along to “How Soon is
Now?” with Tree and Alex. That’s a
depressing Kodak moment for ya.
escapades
with Gina.
My
blossoming little (scr)emo labmate Gina invited me to go see Alexisonfire with Emanuel. A slightly different flavor than Moz, but a good
moshy time nonetheless. (Emanuel’s new
stuff sounds pretty good, for those of you who care… so, just Alex.) Another night brought on the long-anticipated
Snakes on a Plane party with Gina, my fellow Gabe-lover. For those playing at home, drink every time
you see a snake, someone gets bitten, or Samuel J. curses!
robot
chicken.
Hands
down SCRUMTRULESCENT. I stayed in town a
few extra hours to catch this baby with Tree, and oh was it worth it. If you know Star Wars, it is one of the
funniest 30 minutes you will ever experience.
My favorite clip is currently Ponda Baba’s Bad Day, but I’ll let you
know after I re-watch it 7 more times.
curling.
So
this is really the first thing I did this summer, and I have little to say
other than it is an addicting Olympic activity. Anyone, young or old, skinny or chubby, emo or
mullet, can partake and be good. I hope
to play some in a league this Autumn with fellow Canadian-enthusiast Nikki.
summer?
Yeah,
I spend the majority of my time at work/doing work/studying. Much to the chagrin of everyone, I’ve turned
down most offers to head out, because honestly, I’m Shawn Burton and that’s
what I do. But a few other eves have
seen innocent post-work happy hours turn into ridiculous cross-town/night-long
barhops (mostly with Kara). You Ohio State
kids take care of my Pitt-buddy next year, umkay?
Still
plenty of time for more antics, a tattoo, a piercing, a vacation in
Bridgeville.
>>>music.
It’s the summer of Ryan Adams. Easy
Tiger is nearly a masterpiece. I was
initially disappointed with it, thinking “Halloweenhead” would be Adams’s take on “Suedehead”. But after getting past that little letdown I applaud
every track. It’s no Love is Hell, but that’s like saying Plans is no Transatlanticism. Favorite
track: “The Sun Also Sets”.
Zeitgeist – it’s wonderful to have Billy back, and listening to
his newest effort brings back many cherished memories of first discovering the
Pumpkins’ brilliance during high school. With that being said, something’s just
missing. The disc is brimming with great
music, don’t get me wrong – Billy’s nasal vocals, distorted guitar solos, and
some almost “I Am One” drum moments – but I’m just not enthralled by any of the
songs. Rich was the first to pose the
inevitable ‘Zwan vs. new SP’ question, and I unhesitatingly side with Zwan. Yeah, Billy Corgan was singing about faith and
happiness and the f’ing sun, and yeah(!) David Pajo always seemed lost, and
sure Paz’s vibrating bass was immorally distracting, but everything shockingly
came together. In the end, Mary Star of the Sea >>> Zeitgeist. But the new stuff is quality and will see
some airtime.
That’s
long enough to quiet my critics (I’m still more regular than Dark Horse). I don’t really have many other plans anyways –
my fellowship pays me $6 more than my monthly rent, so I’m a bit short on cash
these days and it reflects on my social life. I move closer to home in a few weeks and
cannot wait though – no more public transportation! – and as my esteemed
colleague would say, ‘within stumbling distance from the bars’. Back to the books.
“If
only I die | just once in my life. | If only to try | to take a guess, to be
the best. | A feeling I hide | that runs this world, that keeps us alive. | I
want you to climb with me.” – Of a Broken Heart, Zwan
“God
bless all the late night girls, and they’re coming out to play. | And I’ve been
stranded on their doorstep for every night and day. | I only want them more, how
sad, | but when they smile, how can anybody feel bad? | It makes me tired and I
want to go to bed. | These girls are better off in my head…” – These Girls,
Ryan Adams | | |
| the obligatory term-end post///Gabe-love.End semester - everything was a joke (sans one 7 hour exam crammed into 2 hours). Most of my classes were curved down to 75-80% = A. Half of my classes didn't even have a final exam. Almost disappointing, but oh, not quite.
Summer plans? We're turning things up at the ZRG lab and focusing on getting some projects/papers working/finished. Colleague/twin Rich will likely move in to my pad for a few months. I'll fit in a GRE or two. Maybe catch Brand New at the Bamboozle in Jersey with Mr. Kober et al. for Cinco de Mayo. MOZ MAY 18! A short trip to the city of groves this Mon/Tues/Wed(am). Some happy hours with the ZRGlings and Kara, and some non-bar located happy hours with my young buds Tim & Maureen. But nothing quite crazy (crazy I've tasted); I'll mostly be happy at work.
The new music scene. Having heeded Alex's word, I gave Midtown another try - I'm hooked. There has been nonstop Gabe-loving Pitt-side. It doesn't help that the man looks like Derek Zoolander and knows it. Spectacular. The Graduate is high quality as well, if you have yet to check them out.
And just for you Tree, I will try to start and catch up on Heroes.
Catching up on Star Wars news, there will be a Family Guy special dedicated to the saga this fall. Oh yeah, that'll be better than sex.
***Public Service Announcement***
You cannot eat a tablespoon of cinnamon in a minute. Especially not all at once. For the love of god, trust me. But if you do try, snorting hot water after you fail helps.
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| I wear pants so I can take 'em off.What's the quickest way to get my pants off?
Sing me Suedehead? Quote me KoTOR? Liquor me up (#9 with my head on the bar...)? Slip me X?
No. Turns out, my first reaction to knocking a cup of water over onto my open MacBook is to whip off my pants to mop up the spill. The problem was contained as I merrily sit here typing away. Could I have taken off my shirt? Sure, but I guess that's not how I roll - pants first just gets the job done.
Listen to Cobra Starship, please. It's not brilliant music, but it's more than just catchy. It's really downright addicting. How I move from scathing/violent Bayside to CS, well, I don't know. I've had the disc since it came out (I give all credit to my good labmate Gina, who looks to stick out grad school here in Hank's lab as well), but only recently have I started listening to it round the clock. In my opinion it far exceeds Midtown (Gabe's main effort, for all you non-emostalkers), as well as those other dancey attempts (Panic, Academy, etc.). | | |
| Ahhhhh goddammit, why am I back?
So where did we last leave off, my faithful xanga fans? I think I can skip most of the outlandish behavior - tales seem to have diffused to the masses. Canada, pierced, cat torture/sexual harassment/restraining order, black hair, gay club - meh, nothing you haven't done. There are some other stories, a few more criminal, a few more personal - gimme a gin & tonic in Bridgeville and I'll probably tell you the rest.
But that was all pre-Spring Break. Since then I've been an emo workaholic mess. That tastes familiar. I've been progressively killing myself since Xmas trying to write a fellowship proposal to fund me for 5 years of doctoral study. Sure, I missed my Grove City fellows, classes, sex-toy parties, Brand New, TBS, Underoath, etc., etc., but by last Thursday, after the finishing touches were made, I was beaming with the product. Then I found out I won't be able to submit it for 3 years, at which point everything I wrote will be moot. It's not as bad as it seems - I'll reformat/rewrite and submit elsewhere later this summer, but that means I missed Jesse for... nothing.
Life's not bad though. Starting a new project at the lab that will essentially lead into my doctoral/postdoctoral/career research, pending everything pans out. That means I've also effortlessly stumbled into what I want to do with my life. If you ever feel like talking the particulars, drop me a line, I'd love to bore you, but we'll keep it simple for now. Academically, the semester's been a travesty. I've gone to the bar 2 hours before midterms a few times this semester - maybe that's S.O.P. for others, but it's a new level of cockiness for me. My second senior year will be swift kick to the junk though. My last final is Apr 28 (I am grinning at all you OSU suckers). I have curling lessons the 29th. Probably won't make it back to OH anytime before 5.18, but by the beard of Zeus, I WILL SEE MOZ. And maybe stick around for a few days as well. It's been far too long, and I miss a few of you quite a bit. Then the rest of summer will be much the same as last - as isolated as sanity will allow. Of course, I never sleep alone - I have a very gorgeous new MacBook to keep me warm at nights.
Other than that? Been rocking Br& New, new Bayside, THT acoustic, Viva Hate, some classic Scott Windsor, and the Thursday collection. I never gave "A City by the Light Divided" much of a chance before, but it's really quite fantastic stuff - less screechy, more mature. And with that, I've depleted my xanga ambition.
The softest part of your flesh helps my body ingest sleep in the dead of the summer,
I will pretend that you won't be gone,
that distance dilutes, rewrites and rewrites,
and I will pretend that you won't be gone,
distance dilutes, it rewrites and rewrites,
and I will pretend that you won't be gone.
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