old mix (CDs)

It's very telling of what generation you grew up in when you speak more of 'old mix CDs' in lieu of the almost ubiquitous pop-culture term 'old mix tapes.' I'm not sure how I began this recent process, but I recently came across my 'sought-after' series of K-State Mix CDs and, as I deemed them then, Home Mix CDs (because I was home over the summer when I burned those).

The 16 K-State mixes and 14 Home mixes were burned, if I recall correctly, during the course of freshman year at Kansas State (fall 2000, spring 2001) and through the next summer. What I've been doing lately, as I refresh the selection of CDs that I listen to in my car while I drive to and from work, is grabbing one or two of these mix CDs as a part of my listening menu.

And, quite honestly, I haven't been this excited about popping in a CD in a long time. There's a true excitement of the unknown with each CD (especially the ones where I didn't write track names on the front, which I stopped doing after the first couple discs). It's corny and probably fairly nerdy, but also really fun to not know what's coming next, and knowing at least at one point in time, that I liked these songs.

Not to sound too heady or hipster or whatever the appropriate term might be (douchey?), but it's fun to 'glimpse' back at that time in my life about ten years ago, via the music that I listened to (most of it probably downloaded via Napster -- talk about dating yourself, throwing around archaic software program names like that). I was but a wee 17-year-old lad, with peach fuzz mustache and backwards baseball cap proudly sported.

And the results have been enjoyable -- more often than not, my reaction has been 'YES, that song was awesome,' or 'cool, I remember this point in college when I was listening to that song (walking across campus or what have you).' Also on multiple occasions, I have skipped past a track. Phil Anselmo, I love you dearly, but I am not into the heavy stuff like I used to be (though you can never go wrong with 'A Good Friend and a Bottle of Pills,' am I right??).

Anyway, kind of a nerdy project that I'm in the middle of, but it's been really fun, slowly listening to each of these mix CDs from my 'distant' college days. I invite anyone who might have some old mixes lying around to pop one in when they have a free minute. Explore your past, brah.

half-marathon analysis

Since 2004, I have run in four different half-marathons. After my most recent one on October 10, 2010, I think I've made the official decision to attempt a full marathon sometime during 2011. I know that the endurance and training required is on a whole other level, so I don't make this decision lightly. My friends Tim and Dave have told me focus on a triathlon of some sort next, but I'd rather stick to running at this point, before introducing swimming (which I'm very poor at) and bicycling to my 'repertoire,' as it were.

I'll try to keep everyone posted on any decisions and developments as we approach 2011.

It is fairly interesting to compare my half-marathon results, as I know my improvement in times relates fairly directly to weight, but probably also that I've grown better at pacing and probably gotten overall healthier as I've lived the past few years (minor stuff -- drinking more water, watching what I eat to an extent, the amount I eat, etc.).

Here they are, with date, age, weight, and time included:

4/18/2004 - Linz, Austria - age 20, 185 lbs. - 2:08:51
4/20/2008 - Lawrence, KS - age 24, 220 lbs. - 2:18:55
4/18/2010 - Lawrence, KS - age 26, 190 lbs. - 1:58:04
10/10/2010 - Wichita, KS - age 27, 180 lbs. - 1:56:50

I haven't thought far enough ahead at this point, so I'm not sure what to set for my goal time at this point. Logically, I would shoot for 4 hours, 30 minutes, but that's only a minute slower page than my fastest half-marathon time, which might be a fairly optimistic goal. We shall see.

On a related note, congrats to the aforementioned Dave Lodewyck, who successfully completed the 2010 Chicago Marathon that was also on October 10. He is one of my many inspirations.

The blog is back

The recent birth of Gretchen's blog has inspired me (at least tentatively) to kickstart my blog back into gear.

It may or may not last, but at this moment, the burning in my loins is there.

Another reason is that at my 10-year high school reunion this past weekend, there were a few requests to bring back my newsletter, the Scorch! With this being the Scorch!'s 'cousin' so to speak, I thought that if I did decide to do that, it would be in this forum.

I'm at least considering a '10-year reunion' edition, and we'll see where it goes from there.
Quite frankly, in this day and age, Facebook and these other social media do the job that the Scorch! used to do, and in a much more powerful way.

The Scorch! was the protozoa, while these Twitters and LinkedIns and Bookfaces are the blue people from Avatar (which I haven't seen, so there).

Anyway, we have a lot to catch up on since my last post about 27 months ago.
Let's hope my motivation doesn't wane.

half-marathon run

Ran the half-marathon on 4/20/08.

Still hovering around 225 pounds, though.

Thought about running another half in the fall.

Sadly, I have been too busy for much blogging.

Please berate me to be more diligent.

Thanks.

2008 resolutions

1. Get down to 200 pounds (right now, I'm around 225 to 230).

2. Run a half-marathon (will help with item #1 -- depending on progress, might try to run another later in the year)

What are your resolutions?

yes, another Ween post

A few readers complain about the frequency of my Ween-related posts, but I don't give a hoot.

This is another reason why I love Ween. Dean Ween (aka Mickey Melchiondo) is the member of the band who upkeeps their website, and in the "Waste" section of the site, he usually post pictures, rants about things, posts song rarities, etc., etc.

The most recent Waste section was especially cool, as he explains how to make his "Sunday sauce," an Italian dish that takes all afternoon to cook (hence the name). It looks like a really great recipe, but I appreciate it more because it's a small glimpse into the life of this relatively famous rock star. I just stop and wonder, how many other rock bands offer up things like this on their website? You just don't see something like that everyday.

Anyway, just head to the website, and at the top click "Waste," then click the big picture of the pot of meat and pasta sauce. (Sorry, I would have linked it here, but I'm not sure how to link to sites with Flash-based navigation -- it's the same web address link for the "Waste" section as it is for the main page of the Ween site, etc.).

Here are some pics from it, though.

interesting media reads

Here are a few articles I've come across (via the Drudge Report and Bryan Hayes, respectively) on the topic of the internet and how it is (or can) affect other forms of mainstream media.

Obscene Losses - How free pornography available on the Internet is wreaking havoc within the adult-entertainment industry.

Radio Free Everywhere - An article regarding the ubiquity of Internet radio, and how it's variety and availability should make it universally popular (at least, I think it should). I listen to it everyday at work -- mainly two college stations (KSDB, Kansas State University's college station, and WMBR, MIT's sutdent station) that I wouldn't normally have the capability of listening to, at least via normal analog radio waves. Internet radio is good stuff.


Enjoy the reading and I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving.

Dean Ween in the Onion

There's a great interview in The Onion's A/V Club this week, with Dean Ween, lead guitarist of my favorite band Ween. He is also one of my favorite guitarists. He can solo with the best of them. He also gets really into it with crazy facial expressions and the like. As my friend put it after he saw Ween about a week ago -- "Dean is a machine."

Here's a video to illustrate his awesomeness.

(4:35 into the video is when Dean's solo starts, but by all means, enjoy the whole song, Fluffy -- one of my favorites from Ween.)

studio's greatest hits - volume II

That's right -- there are plenty of other tunes that got me and several others through the daily (and nightly) grind of architectural studio.

Let's visit a few more:

The Association - Windy



This song was one of a few Association songs that I had on my computer in studio (see "Cherish" revisited in one of my previous blog entries). It's got a peppy, airy sound that kicked your ass right out of that 3 AM funk you found yourself in. Another interesting aside -- Ryan Kurlbaum, fellow member of my studio during 5th year, made up some ridiculous story that this song was written about his sorority brother's aunt named Wendy or something. Sure, Ryan, we believe you.


The Lovin' Spoonful - Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?



This song is so heavy with meaning I don't know where to start. Yes, it sure sounds like they're singing about deciding between two girls and the inner turmoil that goes along with it. But this question crosses all boundaries and knows no limits. Anyone could apply it to their own life. Which of these five design schemes do I pursue? Do I drink Mad Dog 20/20 or Evil Eye tonight? This song is short in length, but chock full of meaning. (Also, I couldn't find a good video for this song, so it's some lame slideshow -- but still, I do love that embed function.)


Ween - Piss Up a Rope



A big "fuck you" with a country twist. This is about some dude kicking his woman out, because he's had enough of her whoring and disrespect. But it could just as easily apply to: that studio professor who's too busy being a douche to help you with your design (he shall remain nameless), that guy you're playing in intramural racquetball who screams with rage every time something doesn't go his way (I beat him good, too), or the parking patrol, making you feel like a fugitive every night of the week (Dan Typaldos knows from experience -- the irony being he missed his first Ween concert ever due to a BOOT on his car back on May 6, 2003). It's got some pretty quotable lyrics, too.


Ween - Waving my Dick in the Wind





This isn't just a vulgar homage to public indecency. It's also a story of reunion, love rekindled, and a distaste for law enforcement. It also happened to be a tune Dan and I would play in studio, as we waved our phantom members in the air, to motivate and inspire not just us, but our classmates as well. Never did so much work get done in studio as it did right after a rousing rendition of "Waving My Dick in the Wind." (I've included two versions here: one that Gretchen, Dan and I saw live on 8/11/07, and another version that's slightly better quality.)


Frank Zappa - Uncle Remus



The hatred Gretchen had for this song was equivalent in measure to the love Dan and I had. As we air guitared its solos, and Gretchen sat there disgusted, something happened. Cleveland steamers were designed (Dan and my 3rd year performing arts center), schlongs were born (Dan's 5th year high rise building). It was wonderful. (Also, couldn't find a good video for this song, but it's still the audio, and again I got to use that fulfilling embed function.)


Journey - Lights



Journey didn't get played too much in studio, but on a couple fateful evenings at 909 Kearney St. (my residence for 3 years in Manhattan), namely Pure Funk B-day 2004 and that one night me, John, and Mullet drank SoCo and listened to Journey, Journey made the room come alive. It was a magic similar to that one so often felt in studio when a particular song was suddenly heard from your computer speakers. Hence, it gets an honorary mention in Studio's Greatest Hits (also, like many Journey videos, it's fairly ridiculous and awesome at the same time, most probably because it comes from the late 70's, a fairly ridiculous time).

Until next time, remember sometimes all it takes is a song to get you where you want to go, even if where you want to go is somewhere, ANYWHERE, as long as it's away from all the mind-numbing work that's slowly crushing your soul.

writing to prevent disabling of my blog

I don't know what the cutoff is, but I thought I'd post an entry before Blogger gives me the ol' proverbial administrative cockslap and shuts down my blog due to lack of activity.

Things I've learned recently:

Brad saw a ghost the other day.
K-State has a good football team this year.
The new Ween album is due October 23rd.
The new Facebook application Scrabulous rules. You should add it so we can play (and I am quite particular about what applications I add. It can become a messy and confusing cluster of a facebook page if you add too many).