Monday, May 17, 2004

Last week-big week
Well, this week is the last week of my freshman high-school "career" as the school counselors like to call it. Pretty much a week of finals and reviews for finals. Which are mostly tests, all except for my music classes: orchestra and jazz band, and Honors Freshman Social Studies, which I wrote a seven page report for. Hey! Speaking of Orchestra, I was elected Vice President of ours today. Happy day! And I even forgot to tell my parents. I'll be right back....





Ok, I'm back! Now, for the BIG WEEK part of the title. Well, big day. As many of you American users may know, but not remember, today is the...some amount of years anniversary of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education. You know, seperate but equal? Well there were a crap-load of speeches today, including campaign stops by Bush and Kerry. Kerry actually talked, but Bush did his usual speech trick and turned a two-minute speech into an hour, with a masterful use of studders and pauses.

Of course we've had demonstrations for the past two weeks by all the white supremacist(sp?) groups that stopped by. The Nazis, Klan, and of course, the resident Phelps. All because of this, it is now Kansas law that no gas masks and bullet proof vests may be worn at public demonstrations. Coincidence? No.
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Thursday, May 13, 2004

Just drinking my Caffe Mocha
Well, I'm sitting here in my Jazz Band polo and khaki pants, sipping on a grande size Caffe Mocha with no shoes on. I'm wondering to myself what the hell I'm going to post about?

Will it be the Jazz Band/Concert Band concert last night where I was practically dancing while playing a funk tune called Fowl Play? Or will I talk about how our student teacher got a drum solo while our two senior drummers were wailing away on their sets?

Or shall I talk about my orchestra concert that was a few hours ago. Nah.

Maybe the final report that I'm probably not going to finish on time even though I've had the damn book for two weeks. Screw that.

How 'bout that grande size Caffe Mocha with 2% milk and whipped cream. Yeah, I choose that.

It's tasty.
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Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Finally, someone takes charge of the money
Strange crap happening with our school's budget. Our school has had the hardest time with money, since we recieve almost no money. Here are some scary stats:

Per year: Around $4,000 per student

Per year: Around $20,000 per prisoner

Yup. I know the money differences in how many, all year, and staying there crap, so the difference should be more like $5,000.

But now, a city judge has taken it upon himself to enter a ruling that the state legislation has until July 1st to come up with a new budget. If one isin't come up by that time, he will not allow anyone to give money to schools in order to operate until a new plan is put into place. Whoever tries to set up the schools is held in contempt. So this means, we might have an extended summer, but our school will not get out in normal time. It will go into the summer as much as it needs. So we might just have a weekend between school years.

Yeah.

This blows.

But, he is doing his job.
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Thursday, May 6, 2004

I'm back!!
Well, it's been a while since I've posted. Though I am pretty active on myO, only commenting. Good or bad? Meh, screw that. You can decide that for yourself, damnit.

I finally beat Knights of the Old Republic. I accidentally saved over my first character when I started another, so it took a little while longer. So, my Dark Jedi character took command of the Sith as the returned Sith Lord and conquered the Republic. Ah, isin't it wonderful? But now I have to play it again on the light side.

It looks as if I'm jumping on the button bandwagon finally. I'm also getting an avatar. I pretty much made le Baron my little biatch, but he is nice enough to make them for me.

Let's see.....it turns out the jazz band gig I had on Saturday we played in the wrong building. We were only across from the place we should have been. Hell, they even had cookies and punch! That makes you feel bad, especially if you were either playing for little kids or old people. And for us, it was old people. So, in two Saturdays we get to play there again. And next Thursday I get to play there with another jazz band I'm in. Yay! Oh, I even played at a retirement home yesterday also! Wow, I must like old people or something. Lets see, besides that I have two concerts next week. Orchestra and Jazz Band. Next year's going to be even busier, because I'm adding regular band to my schedule. Just call me a frazzled musician.

Well, I guess that's all I have time for.

I love you all.

Radaghost has left the building.
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Thursday, April 29, 2004

Balooga, damnit!
An hour ago I went to the school district's young business leaders award banquet. It, I must say, we pretty boring. I recieved a certificate for being in the top %10 of my class in business GPA. At least there were some of my friends there.

I also added Panda on to my friends list. Why do you ask? Am I stalking her? No, of course not.... I just like her site, and I feel like I would like to keep updated on it.

In other news, Black Horizon: Evangelist of Entrophy is back up and running. This is the sequel RP to the ever-so-kick-ass Black Horizon, featuring my character as the main bad-guy. When did being bad feel so good? Also, DW's Heroes for Hire is up. I joined this yesterday, and frankly, he's doing my character's personality better than I could do it. Know why? He's funny, and I'm not quite as funny.

Now back to IRL (god, am I using internet speak now? It's all thanks to le Baron), I might stop wearing my legendary OfficeMax hat. Don't ask me where I procured such a desire-able object, just know I think I look better with my semi-white-boy-afro puff ball showing in all of its glory.

Currently listening to: Come on, Come Over by Jaco Pastorius

Currently feeling: Empowered, damnit!

If you want to know what balooga is, visit le Baron's site. That would be Baron Samedi, for those of you in 'special class.'




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Tuesday, April 27, 2004

A little catching up
Well, it's been a while. I believe there's stuff in the past week that I've not had a chance to write.

Jazz Band auditions. Yes, I know, I'm already in Jazz Band, but it's just a formality. Aparently there's a guy one class above me (right now he would be a Sophomore, for those of you keeping track), but can he play upright bass? Heh, I thought not. I'm looking forward to all the new people we're getting in Jazz Band next year. The lone trumpet position is a fight to the death, half of the band's trumpet section signed up, though we have it narrowed down to the two most likely. We have one bone position, which isin't that bad. Though three sax spots are open, one tenor and two alto, I believe. There are some drummer spots open, though I don't know if we're going to have three next year.

My other, non-school Jazz Band, who's name is now 17th Street Jazz Band, has a paying gig this weekend at (cue drum-roll)a RETIREMENT HOME. Well, it's a start. Again, we're a combo size, so each person stands to make around 75 bucks. If you're wondering about the name, we're going to change it. Our school happens to be on 17th Street. And Fairlawn Street. But how idiotic would that sound? "And now, I am pleased to present, the Fairlawn Jazz Ensemble."

I have a psuedo-orchestra ensemble going, and we might start doing gigs, such as weddings and stuff, for money. That'll be cool, if it gets going.

Late Saturday night I bought Knights of the Old Republic. Damn it, it's a great game. I've put around 15 hours into it since I bought it. I've been playing my Light character for the most part, who has found the Kashyyyk star map, and is on Manaan. I've started a dark scoundrel, but it's kind of hard to be evil, seeing as I don't like not helping people. Meh.

Shinken, P4lladium, and I have our religion chats a few times a week, mostly abour our religion of choice: Buddhism. The three of us either being it or altered forms of it (in my case). At times, it drifts to funny stories or western uneducation of different cultures, or stories about Josh's grandmother. See his myO for full story.

Well, I'm going to steal a section from Baron Samedi's myO. No, I'm not going to have a daily comic. I'm going to do the little: "Currently listening to." Also, I might bring in a little bonus section just randomly. Here's the first edition:

Currently listening to: Portrait of Tracey by Jaco Pastorius
Recommended reading: Das Kapital by Karl Marx.
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Thursday, April 22, 2004

Last night blew
This is a good reason as why you shouldn't read a Stephen King short story before you go to bed.

I was reading, as I said, a Stephen King short story book entitled "Night Shift." I was having some good time reading it, just finishing a story about haunted machinery killing people. But the next story, I saw, was entitled "The Boogeyman." I should have stopped with the title.

Now before you start laughing at me for being scared at a myth used to scare children, this is not that story. This isin't "They Boogeyman is coming to get you," this is: "The Boogey man is going to watch over you as you slowy die, choking on your tounge from fright as your skin turned either pale white or charcoal black," kind of story.

The story starts off with a man going into a psychiatrist's office, where he says he killed his own kids. Then he goes into a flashback, telling the shrink what happened. How his three kids had said the same thing to him before they were killed. "Boogeyman, daddy, boogeyman." Then the man started having nighmares. Here's the last few paragraphs of the story:




"Mr. Billings, there is a great deal to talk about," Dr. Harper said after a pause. "I believe we can remove some of the guilt you've been carrying, but first you have to want to get rid of it."

"Don't you believe I do?" Billings cried, removing his arm from his eyes. They were red, raw, wounded.

"Not yet," Harper said quietly. "Tuesdays and Thursdays?"

After a long silence, Billings muttered, "Goddamn shrink. All right. All right."

"Make an appointment with the nurse, Mr. Billings. And have a good day."

Billings laughed emptily and walked out of the office quickly, without looking back.
The nurse's station was empty. A small sign on the desk blotter said: "Back in a Minute."

Billings turned and went back into the office. "Doctor, your nurse is-"
The room was empty.
But the closet door was open. Just a crack.

"So nice," the voice from the closet said. "So nice." The words sounded as if they might have come through a mouthful of rotted seaweed.

Billings stood rooted to the spot as the closet door swung open. He dimly felt warmth at his crotch as he wet himself.

"So nice," the boogeyman said as it shambled out.

It still helf its Dr. Harper mask in one rotted, spade-claw hand.




I must say, that's a hell of a creepy way to end a story.


To make a long story short, (too late, it seems now) I didn't get a wink of sleep last night.

It's just where I read the damn thing. In my bedroom. It wouldn't have been scary if I read it in school, but location is everything.
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Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Silk Road Project
This is coming a bit late, but I've been too lazy to update. Hey, before you get started, I'm not le Baron, doing push-ups and everything.

But last Saturday, was awesome. I attended the concert of the Silk Road Project. For those of you who don't know, this project is headed by Yo-Yo Ma, the world-famous cellist. (Notice I say 'world-famous', not world's best. He is good, but Mstlav Rostropovich is said to be the best cellist currently living, but the most fun? No sir, that's Mr. Ma)

But the whole concert wasn't Ma; it featured artists from around the world, namely the ones on the historical Silk Road, which was the trade route between China and Europe. The highlight for me was the Azerbaijan vocalist. He had this amazing chant which put me in this psuedo lull/trance. Yes, I get into the music that much.

They had some Chinese insturments, such as the sheng, which is a woodwind that looks like a minitature organ. This awesome insturment plays two pitches, at ONCE. Another was the pipa, which is similar to a lute. The woman playing it was extraordinary, playing 64th notes like nothing. For the first encore piece, it was a blues-sounding piece, which the pipa played something that sounded like a blues guitar. Wow.

Though I must say, I've had these tickets since August. Even though we've had them that long, my brother didn't go, because he went to the school play production of The Diviners. A school play, or a great concert?! I couldn't find anyone to go, so we wasted a little money. But money is money. I saw a few people I knew at the concert, and they were very pleased with the concert as well.
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Friday, April 16, 2004

All's well
Well, I forgot to put some things down last night, so this will be a two-parter, in a way.

Yesterday:
State Large Ensemble Contest. Fun stuff. My school orchestra, myself on cello included, went and played, earning 1's all across the board. (For those of you who don't know, the rating scale is: 5,the worst 1, the best) It was good stuff. When I got back to school I had to make up a test for an Honors Social Studies and pick up a book for our final. Yay! I get to read the World History of Caffeine!

Fun fact: Spiders are less impaired in making webs when stoned (inhailing marijuana) than on caffeine.

Today: I finally wore my baby-blue suit to school. Good stuff. Everyone was wondering what the reason was, which I had absolutely no reason at all. Though I found out, since we have a "gang war" going on in our city, people are targeting opposite gang members who are in blue. So I changed out of the suit at the end of the day. Hell, I don't want to get shot.
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Monday, April 12, 2004

My feelings *holds side* they hurt
I have this friend, Kaitlyn, who's still in middle school/junior high. Well, next year she'll be at West (my highschool). Just to let you know, she'll be a freshman, and I'll be a sophomore. I have this psuedo talk/flirt thing over the net as we talk (which is the only place we can talk to each other as location permits). So I start talking to her, and then she wants me to call her. Cool, I thought. I get to talk to an actual voice. So I call her around nine thirty, and we start having a conversation. Only, I don't really recognize the voice. Sure, I think to myself, it's been a year, people change. But damn, not that much. Her voice was a bit deeper, and she kept on making a parody of when I call her (and ever one of my lady-friends over the net) babydoll. She called me princess for gods sake! Then she said: "Kaitlyn's having a good time." Damn woman, when did you start refering to yourself in first person?! That's when she finally came on the phone and said I've been talking to her friends for the past hour.

Then I though "Hey, that's not nice, I called to talk to you babydoll." But I didn't say it. Then, after the phone conversation was over, I was thinking, "What if I was never really talking to her over the net? What if she just thought I was some schmuck and paraded one of her friends to the computer to baby-sit me? That made me feel really empty for a while. Almost unwanted. I'm not bitter, I've trained myself not to be, but still. Damn, it sucks.
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