thevacantspace's Xanga

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:41:20 GMT

dark helmet

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:53:08 GMT

I don't speak because it moves you as much as the wind.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 15:59:03 GMT

i am making mixes.

run for friggin cover.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Thu, 31 May 2007 01:54:34 GMT

Picture Story. (I'm pretty tired so it's not too exciting... I'll edit it!!!)

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:48:10 GMT

This last weekend I went to Nashville, Tennessee to record the greatest project I will likely do anytime soon.

I didn't do that much when I was there- mostly I stayed in a room and sang my best (considering). I slept there. I read there. I recorded there. In that room there.

However. I did escape from time to time. I ate really good southern food. I had a waiter who spoke with a severe accent and called me "bossman". He was a really big black guy. He gave me these:

I ate them with delight.

I'm getting ahead of myself.

So...

I got on a plane and went to Georgia... everything was going swimmingly at this point.

Emily (whose picture here I like) dropped me off because my family went to a play and I needed a ride and a friend and someone who wasn't going to dissapoint. Not this time at least.

So. I got on this plane and went to Georgia.

First I watied.

Then I went to Georgia. I left at 11pm and got to Georgia just in time to see this:

I watched that for about 15 minutes and decided that I was "hella" tired. I took a seat by my gate and waited till the time to depart came.

::begin dream sequence::

::awakes::

::realizes no one is around::

::freaks::

I ran up to the ticket lady (because her actual title escapes me right now) and before I could get a word out she told me "the plane took off 10 minutes ago".

"there's another flight that leaves tonight- I suggest showing up on time for that one".

I was genuinly shocked.

::end dream sequence::*

I got up and went to the (stewardessish?) lady and she told me, "Almost missed it! We're closing the gate now!"

Sit down. Fly the half hour to Tennessee and begin my journey. I got to the airport to find myself very much alone. No one was there to pick me up. Then Ryan called to let me know he was running late.

Oh... you don't know about Ryan.

God's an interesting being and whoever says that He doesn't have a big fat plan for His people don't know what they're talking about.

About 8 months ago, my good good friend and very dear bandmate Aubrey

got us a gig playing his friends wedding. He has this way of arranging things. He's like a musical matchmaker- putting people who belong together- together.

Anyhow, we played the wedding and Ryan was enthralled with us. 8 months later he's producing my album with that wonderfully musically inclined brain of his. For next to nothing. Because- I have next to nothing.

Yet he was willing and he said that this was the best project he has yet to produce. Which was a genuinly kind thing to say.

And no, this isn't the first thing he's produced.

::Kicks Can::

Howver. When we weren't in the above room we escaped for Ice Cream. By we I mean:

Danielle. Ryans Sister.

Mike. Who looked like this most of the weekend.

Ryan and Rocela, Ryans wife. And Modango- thier unborn child who I have somewhat appropriately named at this point.

We had ice cream, wonderful drives, mic pickups (I recorded on a bajillion dollar mic by the way), food pickups, house gazings, showgoings... ect. It was pretty amazing even though time was severely limited.

Ryan played a show with Lovedrug which I think is a pretty huge frickin deal.

----------

We made an amazing project which I look foward to blessing (hopfully?) your ears off with.

I learned alot and when I am awake I will tell you all about some key points.

I'm recycling a bible study tommorow. It feels gross but I need to. I commited to cover for someone 4 days before with a terribly full schedule. Feel free to pray for me. And the kids. Lord wants me to.

However. I am getting side-tracked... I am posting this because the last day of my trip was truly amazing.

Back to God's huge plan.

A while back I met a friend whom I got only to spend one weekend with. We were totally blessed to get to know each other and enjoy anothers company. It was great. To make a long story short- I give you 2 Thousand Words and an abbreviation of Gods plan on doing things never thought possible:

I give you Winston.

We had lunch with his very fine and upstanding friends. It was soooo great to see them and him. Hands down the best part of that weekend.

More to come... this is just an intial update/shock report.

Here's to more roads:

-----------------------

* One must always remember that when dream sequences begin they must be clearly ended. Otherwise, everything can be subjected to being considered a dream.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Fri, 18 May 2007 18:41:46 GMT

Leaving for Nashville tonight.

Keep me in prayer.

Keep tuned as my story unfolds.

TITLE IDEAS?

Sun, 13 May 2007 19:56:57 GMT

This is a new song for which I am excited! First one in months!!!

Please, all of you, do me the honor of suggesting a title.

God Bless,
D.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I shouldn’t have touched that

Though I like it very much

Though it’s pleasant to the touch

It eventually will cut

To my marrow, to my gut

I shouldn’t have stared at that

Though it’s easy on the eyes

I’ll eventually go blind

When I can’t tell you wrong from right

When I can’t tell you dark from light

I shouldn’t have tasted that

Though it’s candied and it’s sweet

There’s a switchblade underneath

And I can feel it draining me

Till there’s no more blood to bleed

I shouldn’t have loved that

Though I thought I’d feel free

I’ve got shackles on my feet

And they’ve gone and lost the key

Likely as they’ll do to me

You can salvage me

i have alot of things to write about. this is one.

Thu, 03 May 2007 15:51:31 GMT

For those that don't know me- my life can often be depicted as a rollercoaster.

Now, I fully understand that this statement is said way too often and by people who lack the validation to say it with any legitimacy...

However, and this can be validated by friends, it rings quite true. <ring, ring>

So, my life is like a rollercoaster.

Which one you ask?

Pick one. At times it is as slow as the Snail Speeder at Kiddyland.

This was me towards this last year's end. No substancial job. No gigs. No... thing. Just preperation and waiting

During this time I worked at a hotel with nothing but Mexicans (I'm mostly Mexican- which is to say I'm mostly Spanish and Native American, which is to say that depending on who's asking I can be a variety of things- but short) who spoke not a word of English- aside from, "No, no... Speak Spanish".

There I met a man named Manuel who had worked at the hotel since he came here from Mexico (he was fairly old- like, "I can barely walk old but I can still move this table across the entire hotel and up 8 flights of stairs"). He worked hard. I took him home once and he was nice to me. He knows that Hotel better than anyone. Heck, he might have helped build it. Perhaps, like the Phantom, he built secret passageways and sliding doors that hid trick hinges and waltzed about at night singing to girls who got lost.

It was here I met the legend Jose who spoke, with all joking aside, like a woman.

It was during this time that I wasn't in school. It was during this time that I read my Bible alot alot. Not just the normal alot or the underdeveloped lot. Alot alot.

It was during this time I ran out of money.

There was nothing happening.

and... then in Horizon...

*That speck represents "The Cheetah Sprinter".

It goes like this:

Australia. No China. No- Australia. Neither. Wait, wait,wait,wait...

Both! <Free, what?!1?!@!>

And then we're off to the retreat! And then we're off to teaching the High Schoolers every week! Just once... maybe twice.

Lets do 8 weeks!

What?!?!!!?

Then lets add on 2 jobs, <Gas Company? Sure, why not>, Can I teach math? Uhhh... Hired... Lets throw another on, so- make that 3... are we counting Guitar Lessons, cause if we are... ect. ect. ect.

Oh and then lets cut an album because we're not doing anything anyways and I'm only young once and we need a quality recording!

And what are you doing this weekend- whats that you say? You're busy!?

Let's go to Cochella...

Which day? All of em? Sure why not...

Wait, we didn't finish the album? No problem- lets go to Nashville and finish! More money!!! Yaaaaaa!!!!!!

And up and up and up that peak we climb and I suddenly find myself on this massive ride and doing things I do and don't want to do and wondering- I don't remember coming to this side of the park.

Yet. Here I am.

You know that part of a ride where your stomach, for a brief second catches up with your body and every thing feels discombobulated and your body is wondering which turn is next?

That is my idea of this summer.

School is still maybe an option. Work is there. My music is made brilliant by the people who aid it. And God seems so close- it's just me that is far away. I can bet once again on the music possibility and see if my own attempts (not entirely on my own anymore) can fly...

I will not talk about school right now.

I came on to talk about one weekend in April that was fantastic.

I wrote that to let you know what it's coming in the midst of.

God provides though I genuinly am undeserving. I praise Him. I love Him because he First loved me. And while I was in the mud of sin at that.

I locked myself in a small, smelly, studio with 4 guys and one girl (who wasn't smelly) for 4 days and cranked out 6 songs for which I am very excited.

God provided this guy (who has become a great aid and friend):

... many moons ago to connect me with this guy:

who would mix, engineer, and co-produce my music and turn out to be a generally great guy.

I've never worked with people before who were that much more experienced than me in regards to getting good things from good songs.

It was great.

Along the way we met this guy:

Who dug the music so much he will be in my band playing numerous instruments if all goes well.

And then there was this girl:

Who added patience and womanness to this project. She writes about all the things she doesn't say anymore with a slight indication of (as I see it) fond rememberance (because saying outright, "longing" just doesn't seem to fit). What I hope she sees alongside that which she looks back on are the things she now does (and doesn't ) speak of. I pray she is aware of who God is making her still. I pray that she is aware that God is making her.

It's a pretty great thing.

I am blessed to know her. I am proud to know her.

For these four days in this studio we had an interesting time. It was pretty great. We made something worthwhile.

Make art that says something, says I.

And we did.

I am still curious what God will do.

I got sick the last time around. I am sick right now. My voice is fairly instrumental (pun intended) to the recording process so I'll be going to Nashville in 2 weeks (almost exactly).

We'll see what happens.

God has this tendency to be good, even when I am unaware or to distracted to take note.

Here comes that turn.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:24:04 GMT

Friends.

Yesterday I went to UC Santa Cruz. I discovered a few things. For example:

It's about an hour below San Francisco. One of my best friends, Dennis (see 2 posts down) and I discovered this as we started noticing how much closer San Fransisco kept on getting...

Derek: "Umm... Dennis, it must be a few hours north of the Campus, the signs reading 'San Fransisco: 260 miles away"

an hour later.

Dennis: "Dude, this is far. I didn't know we'd be going this far."

an hour later.

Derek: " We're in Salinas! Let's go the Steinbeck Center!

Dennis: "No."

An hour later:

Derek: "We're 97 miles from San Fran.? This is sooo far... at least I could see the Dodo's."

Dennis: "Your grandma's a Dodo."

I didn't realize it was that far. To say the least we had a good time. I will update on the school later, after I talk about it once or twice first.

I brought a camera. Unfortuanetly I didn't check to see if it had a memory card. Humorously enough, the few pictures I could take would end up being not of the school, but of a stop about an hour southeast of it.

I drove on the way up. This is me singing to my favorite new band in the world. Although it can't truly be seen, my inner rockstar was performing in the car at this moment. Needless to say, my inner rockstar is pretty lame.

THEN WE SAW IT....

THATS RIGHT!!!

CASTROVILLE,CALIFORNIA: THE ARTICHOKE CENTER OF THE WORLD!!!

With artichokes in no short supply, this small city holds fields and fields of artichokes. I mean, this is like "as far as the eye can see" kind of buisness. The Great Artichoke Hotel was there (although it did not appear to actually be a giant artichoke*), The Great Artichoke Diner- where everything had artichokes, and the Artichoke Statue representing the City.

It was pretty monumental.

I started thinking to myself, how does one decide that they are in fact the CENTER for artichokes for the world? That's a pretty heavy claim. I mean, have the really scoured all the world for another rival? Then looking at the town we saw this and decided that no other place has invested this much into the artichoke image.

We gave the giant fake artichoke and the city two thumbs up.

Forget UC Santa Cruz. I'm advocating for UC Castroville.

Dennis drove back down and we ate our fried artichoke with great delight, enjoying the near open road and our penchant for speed.

Dennis is pretty awesome because I threw out driving there with him as something I figured he'd dismiss. After all he does have a job. However, he- much to my suprise, decided to go- and we had a ball of a time.

It's not every day you see the day in it's entirety, with not a hinderance of a building or office. Here's to more of that.

* Read James and the Giant Peach

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:27:56 GMT

two out of three ain't bad.