Do these glasses make me look like a bastard?

So it's almost the end of the year. A time of reflection I suppose. Also getting drunk. Maybe I'll have done both by the end of this post.

Christmas has happened. I had a good time with the folks leading up to the 25th then came back to SF and did stuff with my friends. It was all good times. My birthday happened too. Went out celebrating last night in fact. Went to Edinburgh Castle and the power went out. We were sitting in the dark by candlelight just drinking and eating our fish and chips. It was pretty cool actually. Then they had to kick us out 'cause the power wasn't coming on any time soon.

This past year has been... good I guess. There were some great moments and some weird moments and a few downright shitty moments, but the good more than likely outweighs the bad.

Highlights of this year (good and bad) include:

- Playing Slims with LS.
- Recording with LS.
- BAMC with Matt
- Halloween
- Halo: Reach coming out
- The falling out of LS
- Me "Ted-ing out"
- Run Amok getting back together
- A date ruined due to a fucker on the MUNI
- Meeting the dag back home

This list could probably go on, but suffice to say: it's been an eventful year. Maybe I'll do a new years resolution thing, maybe not. In any case, have a good one yeah?

BTW, post title is from The IT Crowd. Funny as hell comedy from those darn Brits.

KIMO'S: a recap

Man, another gig where I was sick. Had a blast though. Good times.

I was hoping to get over whatever I had by yesterday, or at least yesterday evening when I had to go. Sadly, not the case. I woke up a bit snotty and went off to class. Came back after getting some work done on campus (internet was down in the apartment last few days) and made a call to comcast to get a tech guy out here. Xander gets home and I'm still taking it as easy as possible.

When it finally came time to go, I took some Robitussin and headed to the space to grab my gear. Megan came along 'cause she needed a ride. We met Matt at the space, we grabbed our stuff and headed to Kimo's (Bar and Penthouse Lounge) for our gig with The Golden Path and Love Infinity.

Ok, first of all, the sound in Kimo's is pretty nice. The woman working sound knew her stuff, and the mix seemed decent for all three bands. As for me, I was still pretty sick. I hoped to feel better by the time we got on, and while the cold medicine helped, my head was still a bit foggy. I got some advil in me and I did feel better. Had a pint too.

So after the two bands, it was our turn, and I think we rocked it most righteously. We got Sal from The Hacks to play a song with us and he went kinda nuts and kicked over a monitor then started jumping on it. The sound woman got really pissed at him. Turned out alright though. The booking agent for Kimo's asked us back, and we made $25 bucks as a band last night.

We should have pics up soon, maybe video, so check out the facebook or maybe BAMCSF.com for the goods. Fun night A+++ would rock again.

To be thankful

Here's a list of what I'm thankful for. I do this every year.

My friends. You guys are awesome. Super Great Disco Party Biblioteca.
My family. Thanks for supporting me in the stuff I do.
My band. Thanks for bringing the RAWK.
My last band. Thanks for the good times, even if it ended suddenly.
My job. Thanks for giving me money in exchange for the stuff I do.
Foo Fighters. Thanks for being my favorite band. Still.

In particular, thanks to Mom for giving me $20 whenever I go home, Jackson for helping me through a tough day, Xander for being a kickawesome roommate (and for the porn), Jessamy for being a kickawesome quasi-room mate, Chris and Kendra for being cool band mates, and Matt for starting the BAMC.

All right. I'm thankful for these things and others. Time to go eat some good food with the family, get through a weekend at work, then ROCK THE FUCK OUT AT THE GIG AT KIMOS ON WEDNESDAY! It's the first show RUN AMOK has played in a year y'know. You should come and see us. December 1st. 9pm.

What does he waaaaaant?

I haven't forgotten about the blog I promise. I've just been busy/haven't been arsed to write anything recently. There hasn't been much going on as of late. But here we go, some stuff that has been happening in the past few weeks:

Saw Godsmack at the Fox Theater in Oakland. Kickass show.

Saw Chris's new band HELL FIRE at the Red Devil Lounge

Got a gig for RUN AMOK for Dec 1st at Kimo's

Got a sweet rehearsal space.

Got a new cell phone.

Sold some guitars.

Finally saw the Scott Pilgrim movie

I'm going to try to blog more. Be sure to check out www.BAMCSF.com for the Bay Area Metal Coalition, and my new blog at eyesearsandfingers.blogspot.com

Just a Quicky

If you need to get away from it all and just be alone with your own thoughts, the here's what you do:

- Pick up your portable music player
- Walk outside
- Get on the most crowded muni bus you can
- Turn your music up loud
- Block out everything else

Zen and the art of coming out

Nothing so pretentious, I read it on the back of a comic book I think. Now on to the post!

Today is National Coming Out Day. Part of a larger National Coming Out Week. Or maybe it's stretched to a week in order to further celebrate/raise awareness. In any case, I encourage all my readers (all 5 of you) to declare to the world something you have kept secret, in honor of those who can't. Something that is a part of you that you can't change. My declaration? I am unabashedly into Kink, Fetish, and BDSM.

A few weeks ago, in light of the recent suicides by many Queer teens, Dave Navarro, guitarist of Jane's Addiction sent out a public message encouraging people to get help if they are contemplating suicide. He urged them to keep on living because there is so much to live for. By killing yourself, you rob the world of one more open minded individual. I totally agree with him.

I'd be lying if I said I've never thought about it. I've been depressed to the point of thinking about it, but I've never taken any action. I know that the hard times will pass, and that not only do I have myself to think of, but all the people who love me and care about me. I couldn't do that to them.

I'm not famous or well known, but I hope that anyone who reads this will find some comfort and maybe some meaning from my words. Don't give up. Don't give in to Hate. The world is kind of a fucked up place. Always has been and won't change anytime soon. But there are good people in the world, you just have to find them. Taking your own life won't stop the bullies or the haters. It will make them pause and maybe think, but it won't make them stop. Always remember that no matter who you are or what you are going through, there's someone out there who can relate, and moreover someone who is willing to help.

And so I repeat: Don't give up. Don't give in to Hate. You are stronger than Hate. I believe in You.

We're living free on stolen time (on stolen time)

Figure it's time I get back to bloggin'. I'm actually now a contributor for the Bay Area Metal Coalition, which I just launched with Matt Morales. Yes, the guitarist of Run Amok. I should also mention that Run Amok has reformed! We jammed this past Saturday and it rocked. I'm totally stoked we're playing again.

But anyway, The BAMC has been created as a way to make up our lack of promoting ourselves last time we were a band. We're going whole hog and trying for a revolution here in SF. I have no idea how far we'll go, but I'm looking forward to the journey there. Tell your friends (Freeze Ray: Stops Time).

I now work in the paint department. Not too sure if I like it more than the garden department where I was previously working, but I may have to give it the edge. There's less to maintain, there's usually something to do, and making paint makes the day go by quicker ('cause I don't think about how bored I am). All in all, could be worse, I suppose.

I bought a new bass recently. An Aria Pro II series PE-200. It's a Japanese made copy of an old Gibson bass from the 70's, The Ripper. It's got a pelham blue finish that's seen better days (awesome), a chunky neck that's not too wide (sweet), and controls that I still haven't quite figured out. It's got tone to spare and MOJO for days.

Xander interns at a feminist art gallery in SF called Femina Potens, which is owned and operated by Adult movie star and bondage model Madison Young. When I found out, I was very intrigued, plus I'm a fan, so Xander went in and got me autographed porn! Madison even signed the sleeve, not the plastic, so it won't come off from *ahem* repeated handlings.

And of course, Run Amok. We have a new logo (made by me), some new jams that will become songs, and a renewed sense of purpose. Check us out yeah?

"Plus - A Music Project" or, "Getting High With A Little Help From My Friends"

So I have an idea for a new project and I've already started to work on it. I am going to write some new songs, both by myself and in collaboration, and then I want my friends to perform on them. I want to write a song for each person who wants to do this, and then have said person sing or play an instrument on the track. I think that'd be awesome, as I could flex my creative muscle and try to come up with diverse ideas. It would also give me the opportunity to work on my mixing and editing skills, while figuring out what I can and can't do with my limited means. Get the most out of my equipment y'know?

So, anyone who's reading this that I know personally who wants in, contact me somehow (email, facebook, comment here, etc.) and let me know how you'd like to contribute. I'll write a song for you or we can write one together. It'll be fun I promise.

-- Damien

End of Days

The Band imploded. That how I feel about it anyway. Shit got too real. I realized that there was a whole mess of Bullshit that wasn't going to get fixed anytime soon. Kendra quit, and so did I.

It sucks, but my minds made up and I'm not going to change it. So now what? Now I look to the future. Here are my plans for the coming months:

Keep working - I've got a decent job and I don't want to lose it. having money is awesome. I'm going to have to cut my hours a bit when school starts, but that's ok, as long as I get steady work/paychecks.

Start a new music project - I was thinking about starting a side band, and now perhaps it'll be my new thing. My idea is for a stripped down, low fi sound. Dirty and nasty and heavy but with a simple set up. Probably only a three-piece setup. I'm thinking The Black Keys meets The Clash.

Writing/performing - with my lack of band, even if I form a new one, I still want to continue to write and compose. One of the best things about Lunate Sigma was it allowed me to write at my own pace and I think I actually came up with some cool stuff. I'm going to continue doing that, band or not. Maybe I'll try to find some open mics or something, just to get out there and perform.

School - I'm really going to try to throw my full weight into my studies this semester. I've been slacking lately, and I want to be able to support myself with my art. The only way to do that is to learn all I can about it, so I can apply it to the real world. Also graduating would be nice.

Interning - The guy who's engineered all the recordings I've been on asked me if I wanted to work in his studio for an unpaid intern kinda deal. I was going to ask him the same thing, so that works out. I get to learn about it, then apply it right away (hopefully), which is great for me.

Finances - I really need to stop buying things. It's becoming a problem.

The Way I Feel

Tonight I want to be the villain
Tonight You'll have to chase me down
tonight the rules go out the window
We'll bury them deep under the ground

Last time I left you wanting
Last time I stopped too soon
Last time I kept my head
This time I sing a different tune

I want to make evil
I want you to be afraid
I want you to turn
and tell me to stay away

I want to blur the line
between what I say and what I mean
The last thing I want
Is to appear the way I seem.

Last Stand

When you call me out I rise to meet you
The only place for me to be is there
All the things I have and want to show you
Anything else would just be unfair
_

Stand up
I’m right here
I’ll take you down

So now
Can’t forget
(Anything else would just be unfair)
I’m gonna bring you around
_

Maybe you think I can be won over
I’m afraid on all accounts you’re wrong
Seems like you just want to gauge my power
Test me now and I’ll show you I’m strong
_

Stand up
I’m right here
I’ll take you down

So now
Can’t forget
(Test me now and I’ll show you I’m strong)
I’m gonna bring you around
_

Famous/Last words
Show you/You’ll see
Waste of/My time
_

All the things I have and want to show you
Anything else would just be unfair

Happy 4th Everypeople!

In Honor of July 4th. The Ramones



Note the Mosrite guitar Johnny is playing and the white w/black Precision Bass that Dee Dee is playing. Classic Punk instruments.

Names

Spoiler alert. My name will be revealed!

When I was born, I was given a Korean name, as I was in South Korea. When I came to the US, my parents gave me a new name. They called me "Alex," but that's actually not my first name.

My mom really liked the name Christian but didn't like "Alexander Christian" so I became "Christian Alexander". My dad really liked the name Damien and kinda snuck it in at the last minute. The name comes from his cousin's son. So there it is. I have two middle names, and go by the first one in most cases. "Christian Alexander Damien". My last name isn't all that important to the story.

Now for the name I have assumed: Damien. You might be thinking, "Dude, it's just your middle name!" Well when it came to deciding on a pseudonym for myself, I suppose it started with the middle name my parents gave me. But I've come to think of it more as a little more sinister. For no other reason than I can. It's ok, I can do that, 'cause I'm a dork. Basically, I set out to find a cool name to call myself on stage. I settled on "Damien Blair" after an afternoon of pretty much nothing but thinking about stage names. I guess I was thinking, "Well Slash is really 'Saul Hudson' so why can't I have a cool name?"

It turns out that my parents didn't want to call me Damien because The Omen had just come out. I fully embrace the irony. Because I can.

short post about me.

It's weird talking about myself to other people. Not so much saying "I'm a musician" but more like saying that "I'm a songwriter" or "I play bass and sing". I never say I'm a singer either. It's always "I sing". Being in a band where I am a songwriter and I am a singer means I have to come to terms with my own shyness and timidness over not just performing but selling myself as well. I have to be able to say "I'm a musician. In a band where I'm the bassist and one of the lead singers. I also write some of our songs." Because I usually feel odd or ill at ease talking about me it's something I have to work on.

*Jams*

Interesting times are afoot.

The band has new jams that are becoming songs, I've got new guitars that are awesome. My job is giving me less hours which is a) sucky and b) kinda nice (but only 'cause I'm a lazy bastard). I'm really no closer to figuring out what I'm doing long term, but that's ok. I can deal.

I just finished Assassin's Creed II. Finally. It was a really fun adventure. Got a little repetitive by the end, but the story was so good that I didn't mind. The story of Ezio Auditore De Firenze was exciting and well told and the continuing story of Desmond Miles continues to escalate in scope and stakes. The conspiracy thing and the "origin story" thing are both pretty cool plot elements. The final scene as Desmond is one of my favorite parts of a video game in a while.

The band has a new song that came from some lyrics by Kendra called Smoke & Mirrors and music by me called S&M (which I think actually does stand for Smoke & Mirrors, not sadomasochism). We started playing it yesterday and after working through it once or twice, Jim started playing this tom based beat during the verses and I changed up the playing pattern and we had this awesome, explosive song.

Kendra and I also took some time and reworked Latin to better include her in the song. We've got a duet thing going on right now that I think sounds pretty sweet. We thought briefly about changing The End, but we both agreed that it's fine the way it is. Which is good, 'cause I really didn't want to change it.

I had my "New Hire" Orientation for Home Depot the other day. I've been working a month already, so none of it was particularly new, but it was a decent way to make four hours of pay.

Today I visit my folks in Seb and possibly see to getting my Bass head checked out.

Swayed

I revisited Green Day's American Idiot the other day and I forgot how much I like it. I can say with no apprehension that it's a good album in the story it tells and how it tells it. Back when the album first came out, I was less kind to it, but mostly because I was too easily swayed by other's opinions.

Back in high school I was totally a follower. I liked what I liked sure, but I also was totally into whatever my friends liked. This went double for a few specific girls, but it was true in regards to my male friends as well. No one in my social circle were huge fans of Green Day to begin with, and when the new album came out I liked it, but came to "dislike" it once I found that my friends didn't really care for it. This happened with a lot of stuff from those days, and I have to wonder what I would be into now if I didn't put so much stock into my friend's opinions.

These days I try to keep an open mind, and when a friend weighs in on something, I try not to hold that to whatever that something is. So I can say I like American Idiot (I'm not a big fan of the videos that accompany them aside from the Holiday video), the Smashing Pumpkins had some Metal in them, and I am completely justified in liking whatever the hell I want.

Booze, Bands, and getting sick

Well now. Where to begin? I guess I should start with last week. Last Friday the band and I headed to San Jose to record our 2nd set of tracks and our first with Kendra. We spent three days recording drums, guitars, bass, and vocals and just hanging out in the studio and shooting the shit when we weren't working. Sunday we wrapped up with the promise of finished tracks within the week.

On Monday I had to leave musicland and go back to the real world. Work was looming over my head and I wasn't looking forward to it. Ultimately though, things were alright. I finished the last of my computer training (so I thought anyway) and when I went down to the floor I felt a little better about it. So that was cool.

Wednesday I had work, then band rehearsal, and then I hung out with folks for a Cinco De Mayo party. There were margaritas involved. I got really drunk.

Thursday I woke up with a hangover and I still had class and then plans to jam with Matt and Max (RUN AMOK). I pulled myself out of bed and was able to do all of it, but may have over exerted myself at the jam.

Friday (yesterday) was the final round of the Gorilla Productions Battle of the Bands at DNA Lounge. I woke up achy and with a sore throat. Still, I got to the studio, we loaded up, and we got to DNA. We got all set up, I took a nap in Jim's truck, and we went on at around 9:15. The audience seemed to like us, and we rocked pretty hard, but when I got off the stage, I crashed big time. I had used up pretty much everything I had on stage. Now I was all achy again and we still had a few hours to go before the judging. Ultimately, we came in 4th place.

After the judging I got a ride back to the studio where my car was waiting. Sarah came with me on the drive home, and I tried to sleep as soon as I got in. See, I had work today at 6am. I was feeling really sick, so I knew I wasn't going to make it, but I still had to call in to let my boss know. This happened at 5am. Until then I tried to sleep. I thought I'd just fall in bed and lose consciousness, but I actually couldn't fall asleep from 12:45 when I got home all the way to 5 when I had to call. I finally slept for a bit after that, but I was kind of a mess.

Now I'm getting a bit stir-crazy from just sitting in my apartment all day.

My first day at Home Depot was yesterday and that's cool and all. Money and somesuch. Not really what I'm here to talk about.

A few days ago I picked up a second Big Muff Pi by Electro Harmonix. This is the black Russian version made by Sovtek. It's different than the other one I have, an NYC model, in that it's a little smoother, not quite as gritty. It doesn't break up quite as much as the NYC, but of course it's a fuzz pedal so it's going to break up. The night I brought it home I plugged it in and thought it was broken 'cause I wasn't getting sound out of it. Then I realized I had the damn thing in backwards. I switched the cables and did a little A-B with the NYC. My first impression? They kinda sound the same.

See, the russian Muff is known for having a slightly different sound than the NYC, which is why I picked it up. At first I couldn't hear it because the difference in subtle, but now I'm really hearing how the Russian has less "dirt" than the NYC, while also having a little less volume drop when engaged. A guy on shortscale.org said the Russian will get a Queens of the Stone Age type sound, while the NYC gets more of a Smashing Pumpkins and White Stripes sound. I think either way I win.

I was originally going to only keep one of them, but I might have to hold on to both now. Maybe use both in my rig at once. Hit 'em both for mad feedback squeels!

There's also a second russian version with a green casing that's different still. Someday I'll have that one too.

some things:

today consisted of watching the last three episodes of Season 4 of Angel. Back to back. By the start of the last episode I was really hungry. I didn't eat until after the special features started running.

I made an omelet for breakfast at 3:30 pm right after I finished Angel. It was pretty good, although not my best.

I pricked my finger on the loose end of a guitar string today after eating. Not too bad, it stopped bleeding in a few seconds, but it did sting a bit.

After that, I sat in front of my computer and started typing out this really dumb blog entry.

It's unfortunate that I am still afflicted by this

My Grandmother used to always joke, "If only we could get over this whole eating thing, we'd save so much money!" I always thought that if Humans didn't need to eat to survive (but could still eat) that food would be way more expensive and even fast food would be really expensive.

Just so you know, this entry is not about food.

Where's the bassist?

A few weeks ago I arrive at the studio and hear Chris and Kendra working on a new piece. It has a kind of slow acoustic building to a heavy distortion chorus kinda thing going on. It's pretty cool, and we work on it a little here and there while getting ready for Slims, Sub-mission, etc.

A few days ago Jim sends the rest of the band a link to The Letter Black's video for "Hanging On By A Thread" and asks us to think about a song in the same vein. I listen to the song and I kinda like it. It's got a catchy chorus and the chick singing is pretty hot and it's got that "modern hard rock" feel to it. The only think is that it seems like a two person show. What I mean is, the video shows the singer, the lead guitarist, and that's pretty much it. You can tell that there's a drummer, another guitarist, and a bassist in the video, but there are barely any shots of them. It's honestly a little baffling to me.

When you're in a band, you are expected to not only play your instrument, but contribute your knowledge to the band collective. What I mean is, I play the bass in my band and I sing in my band, but not only that, I'm expected to take what I know of playing bass and singing and anything else to help shape our songs into cohesive wholes. And in return, I want to be in the friggin' music video! It's really upsetting when I see "bands" that only feature the lead singer or the lead guitarist, and everyone else in the band looks like an extra they hired that day for the shoot. If a band is shooting a music video and the band has five members, I want to see five members in the video, and not just off to the side or just one or two shots. Everyone in the band should get to look awesome in the music video.

What's the point of being in a band if you don't get to be all, "Look at me! I'M IN A MUSIC VIDEO SUCK IT BITCHES!"?

BTW, our new song actually does kind of have the vibe Jim was asking about. It's called StandStill.

Genre and Classification

I was at rehearsal last night and I was chatting with Kendra about a song of ours in which she raps the verses. As we discussed it became clear that neither of us could really define the genre of the song. We originally thought of it as a rap song or a rap/rock song, but Kendra doesn't think it sounds all that rap or hip hop like, and I don't think it sounds like other rap/rock songs, although as a song with rapping verses and rock instrumentation I suppose it is technically a rap/rock song. Neither of us really thought of it as such.

It made me think about classification of music and how sometimes we can be totally turned off of a song just by hearing how someone else defines it. Take the song that I was just talking about. I told some of my friends about the song and my buddy who can't stand rap or anything like it groaned. I totally understand why he reacted the way he did, but at the same time he hasn't heard the song yet, and I think ultimately he'll like it since he has liked the other stuff my band has done.

Genre matters. We like the things that fall into familiar categories. Whether it be music, movies, video games, comics, etc. We will be more likely to check something out if we know that it's similar to something else that we know we like.

The Face of the Earth

This story begins and ends with a girl. Actually, it begins with girls in general and ends with a specific girl.

A few months ago I was browsing a free online dating site scoping out potential ladies from the comfort (re: safety) of my computer chair. I came across a girl's profile with the only picture being her cosplaying as The Joker. Even decked out in a purple suit with clown makeup on, she was cute, so I kept reading, found she liked video games, some of the same kinds of music, etc. Basically she was a big damn nerd like me, possibly even more so.

So I sent her a message and we start talking. At first just using the site's messaging system which isn't all that great, and then trying to use its IM client which is worse.

We ended up just using AIM and we basically starting chatting nightly. She went to Art school here in SF, She liked fighting games like Tekken and Soul Caliber, She owned a PS3 and was pretty excited about some of the same games as me, and she seemed genuinely interested in meeting me.

Except that whenever I approached the subject of meeting in person, she always had a reason that she couldn't do it. I'm not saying she was lying or anything, I'm just saying maybe I have bad timing. But whatever the reason, it took a few months of talking to this girl over the internet before we found time to meet up. We set up a date, and I kinda knew in the back of my mind it wasn't going to work out. Sure enough, the day before we were set to meet, she IMs me and apologizes. She has to go in to work. No problem, duty calls and all that.

Then something happened. I don't know what, but something. The next time we talked, she tells me she had some kind of breakdown and is moving back home to Sacramento. Her room mates kicked her out of her apartment and she has to go to therapy. While she didn't say she didn't want to see me, but it was pretty heavily implied that she now couldn't.

In the month or so since we last talked, I've tried to look her up on the dating site, and even on facebook. We agreed we wouldn't friend each other on facebook until after we met in person, but I found her profile anyway. I can't find either of those profiles anymore. I don't know what happened, maybe she had a nervous breakdown, or maybe she was fucking with me and just used the excuse to stop talking to me. Or maybe she was a dude or something. I don't know. What I do know is that she was pretty cool, attractive (from the one picture of her as the Joker. I never did get another picture), and nerdy. I was totally crushing.

A post in which I complain about things.

- ebay sellers
- getting sick

A few weeks ago I bought an effect pedal for bass. An EHX Bassballs. One of the older models with the larger casing and the pine box. I purchased it off ebay for a pretty decent price. Fast forward two weeks, and it hasn't arrived. This kinda sucks yeah? Well yes, but the real twist is the seller hasn't responded to my inquiry about it, which means I'm dealing with a douchebag or maybe they're out of town or something. Either way, I really want the pedal!

about a three weeks ago I came down with a sore throat/cough thing. Basically I was sick. After getting over that after three or four days, things were fine. Then a few days ago I got on the 29 to get to Band rehearsal and I started feeling weird. by the time I got to the studio I was feeling under the weather, and by the time I got home, I was well and truly sick (again). Different kind of sick though. This was a head cold, stuffy nose/head kinda deal. I spent the next day doing nothing but eating soup and drinking orange juice. It totally worked too. I'm feeling way better.

Huh, that second paragraph wasn't really complaining was it? eh. 'sokay.

Next time I blog will be after the Slims gig. Here goes.

OH YEAH. I keep forgetting to do this: here is a little bit about this girl I know named Amanda. We hang out on the internet. We've met in person once (she came to a band practice of mine) and she plays lead guitar in a band. she's cool.

New CDs

today I hung out with some friends in the Mission. We hit some thrift stores and ultimately ended up in the Union Square area. I was looking for what I always look for: Cheap CDs, old/cheap video games, and cool guitars. I didn't find any video games of worth nor did I find any guitars, but I found a Copy of STP's Shangri-la dee da at the Community Thrift Store for $2.50. Not a bad deal I thought, but I was really looking for a copy of Purple. I really wanted Interstate Love Song. So fast forward to the Goodwill store on Van Ness. Nothing. Fast forward again to Union Square where Drew and I hit Rasputin's to look at their used stuff. Holy shit do they have a lot of awesome used CDs at like, $2-3 each! I picked up Purple, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, Barenaked Ladies' Born On a Pirate Ship, and Snot's Alive! for $2 each, and I found Bang Camero II for $3. I even got one of 'em free since I bought 3 used CDs (I'm gonna say the BNL)! I really love getting cheap CDs. I'm not a huge fan of downloading MP3s. I'll do it, but if given the option of downloading off the 'net, buying off the 'net, or buying the CD, I'll buy the CD almost every time. Otherwise I'd probably hold off on downloading until I can afford the CD.

Music related activites

It's finally happened. After almost a year of playing with Run Amok and then six months playing with the new band (Lunate Sigma for those of you playing at home), I finally have to buy clothing for a gig. Specifically, a white t-shirt. Now that Kendra's in the band (she's our new vocalist) she's been asking what we are wearing to gigs and such. While Chris was talking about some kind of syncing of dress-code I was never all that into it, thinking that we'd still all have unity even if we didn't coordinate. Now that Kendra and Chris have been talking about it together, it's become a definite thing, so this evening I went on eBay to find a shirt. I settled on an Ampeg logo t-shirt, which is cool, but I kinda forgot that I always wanted a Zildian tee as well. Next time I suppose.

I bought a 1-spot today for my pedals and by extension my new pedal board. I went into Guitar Center looking only for the 1-spot, but of course I take a look at the used section and find a Gibson Les Paul Special Faded (single cut, cherry finish, no pick guard) and an Epiphone Triggerman 60 amp. The Les Paul I def can't afford, but I'm thinking of trying to trade my Roland BC-30 amp for the Epiphone. The only real knock against it from what I've read is that it's a heavy motherfucker. We'll see.

That's all I got.

averaging suck

Today sucked. If you took everything that happened today, everything I did and added it all up, it would equal suckage. You see, I didn't do anything today. ok, that's not entirely true. One could argue that making hash browns and eggs for breakfast at 1pm and drinking the last Red Stripe with it was a good thing. But that's just it. I woke up at around noon, ate breakfast, drank my last beer, and afterward? Nothing. And not even a "I'm taking the day off to just veg" nothing. I mean sitting slack-jawed in front of the computer hitting the same three or four bookmarks over and over hoping to find something new that will catch my attention kind of nothing. I was bored all freaking day. I finally got out and bought dinner at the mall. Standard Sorobol fare. I came back and was bored all over again.

It's more than just being bored. It's also the fact that I didn't even try to do anything today, when I know I needed to get out and do something. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

some quick notes

I came up with a cool SP inspired riff last night. I also kinda tweaked this other SP inspired part and they kind of fit together. I just hope the end result doesn't sound too derivative.

Also whenever I think of the title of my blog all I can think of is Dangeresque and more importantly, the Dangeresque theme song. In particular, the last line.

SF - 12:56 am

Um... 'kay, recording. Hi, I guess.

I already know I lost a few points 'cause I had to look up the episode I just quoted. If you're here, then you're probably as big a nerd as I am. Once again I have jumped on an internet bandwagon. I found a few blogs that my friends have, made a hasty decision to start writing again which will probably fall by the wayside some time soon, and I've found another place in the blogo-tuber-nets to brand without actually creating a website.

So to all who end up reading this first post, an introduction: I'm Damien. Y'know, like The Omen. The title of my blog does not stem from multiple personality disorder, nor am I having an identity crisis. I just like adding a little mystery to my fairly mundane life. Also I came up with it in like, five seconds off the top of my head. Folks who know me probably know my real name.

This blog is kind of an extension of the Livejournal I have that I'm not really updating too much. This seems like the more "grown up" version. Search it out if you're bored and have some time I guess. The topics of this blog are going to be pretty all over the place I'm sure. Expect some weird phraseology, music posts, the latest video game I've played, and maybe even my favorite porn.

I'll end my first Blogger Blog post with this: I'm a guy who is always stepping back and thinking. Perhaps too much. Maybe the blog title is more apt than I thought.

-- DB