Snow!

DONE

I am done working two full time jobs. Do not try that.
I am gonna go haul a shitload of manure to my house for garden goodness this spring.

Last Day Elation

Monday night will be my last shift at Nap's Thriftway. I gotta say, I am really excited to not be working two full time jobs. It really does put into perspective how hard some Americans have to work to maintain stability.
Since I am fortunate enough to not have to work two full time jobs, I am not going to anymore.

....I QUIT!

Xmas in Newberg

I think we got an awesome tree this year from a nice man outside of Newberg. The weather was stormy, but there is something endearing about that. We rooted through the attic for all the decorations, and got to it.
Last year money was tighter than this year, and the year before that we really were not that interested in dealing with getting a tree and all. It's been awhile but I think the decorations we have are delicate and nice.We have a bunch of animals that get to have gifts as well. We figured we could fill up their stockings with cat food and catnip and let them just go at it.

Great show

The drive up to Seattle was rainy and uneventful. We made it into Seattle with plenty of time left, so we went to the Pyramid Brewery to grab a meal and some awesome 9% beers that tasted amazing!





The show was awesome! We decided to lose our minds and go up front to get a good view. Visqueen was the first band, and they were good. Vampire Weekend was next, and their set was great.





Then Phoenix performed, and they were actually pretty good too. The energy went up a notch when they played.





Metric was next. Trox and I both agreed these Seattle heroes weren't very good.

Then Thirty Seconds to Mars played. I gotta say they were pretty awesome. I think they played with the most passion and energy of any of the bands that night.





The crowd started to get crazy because Muse made us all wait forty-five minutes before showing up...






So, Trox and I had to get out of there, and we listened to Muse's set farther back. The camera doesn't like to take a good picture in the best of environments, so no photos of Muse. The show was great, all the bands rocked hard.

The drive home was ROUGH! I was so tired, but we made it home and passed out, ears still ringing.

Muse and Vampire Weekend!

So, tomorrow Trox and I are going to take a much needed roadtrip up to Seattle and go see Muse, with Vampire Weekend opening for them!





I mean, holy shit! First off, getting to see Muse is going to blow my head open in and of itself... The luck of the draw that Vampire Weekend is one of the openers is additionally mind numbing.
The Deck the Hall Ball 2009 show is at the WaMu Theater, so I hope I can get a few photos and videos of the show.
At any rate the show is gonna kick ass!

Go to deckthehallball.com for show info.

Holy Jeez

It's getting tougher and tougher to continue this scarce sleeping schedule. Neither of the jobs are hard or strenuous, however, the never ending cycle of it all is getting to me greatly.

I just have a few more weeks or months and I will be done working two full time jobs.
I really, REALLY want to work on the next music project with my buddy Seth.










I think that through the long span of our musical relationship we have made some amazing music...I think, moreover, that the music we are making now is the best I've heard us make yet.

So, the summer needs to be filled with many trips in the woods, playing acoustic guitars, and wondering about things. My priorities have been set.

Creative block. (C Block)

Don't have much to say on this post. Certain events have caused me to realize I must appreciate the things I have, and be thankful for being given the chance to exist on this planet, and experience and wonder about things.

One Year Anniversary!

Trox and I have had our house for one year today! Damn, time flies by so fast its crazy! We have been really enjoying our time out here in Newberg, and I think we are going strong as ever in our goal to live more off the land and trying to better our situation through hard work.

This year should be a big one for projects and I hope the garden yields even more fruits and vegetables than this last summer.

I'll, as always, post something when there is something to say.

Still alive!

Well, into my second week of working two full time jobs. The job at Nap's Thriftway is actually pretty fun. I get there at 10 PM and stock shelves and face the items all night long. I listen to my Zune MP3 player and just get the job done.



The theatre is still as easy a job as ever, so I think I can make this work for now...If it gets to be too much, I guess I would have to quit Nap's...The pay just isn't enough to support myself on. Once I get that first double paycheck, I hope its all going to be worth it!

Garden fresh!

So, the garden plot we worked so hard on a few months ago was a bust! Just not enough sun reached the area because of the dense tree cover.

However, we have been getting awesome results with the garden in front of the deck. Tons of sunlight is constantly pouring over our plants, and the squash and cucumber plants soak it up. The pumpkin plants are huge and eggplant are soon to follow in abundance. I love this shit!

The kids are back!

My cousin Jake is back from fishing in Alaska for the summer. He brought Pixie and Cassius with him, and we have been hanging out. Always a funny thing having kids at the house.

Oh yeah....Aerosmith

So, we didn't get to see Aerosmith. Steven Tyler got hurt on the tour and they had to cancel the rest of the shows...I get my money back no problem, but damn it, I am disappointed!
If they do another tour soon, and if I have the funds, we will still get to see them preform...

Cascadia...again

Trox and I went up to Cascadia to go swimming a few days ago. So awesome up there, but the water was COLD this time! We still eased our bodies into the water and swam from Wolf Creek to the Cascade State Park. One of the coolest things to do ever!

Cascadia

I should have written about my Cascadia trip with my buddy, Seth, as soon as I got home, but I have been lazy. You couldn't ask for a more beautiful couple of days to spend in the woods. The river was warm and inviting, and we made sure to swim as much as we could. I didn't get alot of pictures, unfortunately, but the memory remains.
My buddy Seth did get a few more pics then I did. He also got some rather humorous videos of us while we attempted a hike that was out of my league. I think my legs are still a little sore!
Anyway, I always enjoy my time up there, and can't wait to get back up in the woods. It always feels so peaceful to be out in the forest among the trees, pondering life.
We headed up to my buddy Seth's Dad's place before we headed back to Portland, and that was a lot of fun. Mike and his lady friend, Nan, showed us around the garden they got done this year and it was really inspiring for me. I realized that day that gardening takes time...years! You can't get it done in one season, it just takes time to get the things done you want.
It was a great holiday and thanks to Seth for making it happen!

Tori Amos concert

Well, its been about a week since we went to the Tori concert. It was awesome. Trox and I had a great time, and for once she didn't have a tall pud sitting in front of her, or a lame chick singing the song behind us! We had great seats and the proformance was, as always, amazing.
The opening band was a group called One Eskimo, they were good. Man, the sound is bad ass at the Arlene Schnitzer Hall. It would be awesome to play a gig there!

It's starting to look good!

We had some friends over a few weeks ago and had a great time starting a camp fire and just hanging out, drinking. It really inspired Trox and me to build an official camp fire location in the backyard.

We started leaveling the ground, since our backyard is all a downward slant. Leveling earth is really hard, you almost lose the perception of level even ground after standing there for so long digging...
"Is this level?"
"I don't know, I think?"

Please also note the kickass compost area Trox constructed...Nice!

After we dug a trench for the bricks to lay in for support, we started to cover the camp area with smooth round river rocks, transplated from our side yard. We rebuilt the firepit and threw some wood in there and gave her a test run.

Trox and I had alot of fun sitting there listening to music, and just enjoying the evening. The project is almost finished and should be all ready for intense party sessions soon!

Kayaking Smith and Bybee

After the half session with Adam in the studio, we took my buddy Seth's two kayaks out to Smith and Bybee Lake.

We spent around five hours paddling around the wetlands of Portland. Its so funny how this little pocket of wildlife exists still. The trip was alot of fun and kayaking is always really enjoyable. So anytime my buddy Seth wants a partner out there, I'm ready!

The sessions continue...

We have been taking all the tracks we recorded to a buddy's studio for mixing. It's a fun process, and it is a slow process. However, you got to get it right!