Old Is New... Again

A recent familial rendezvous allowed me to meet up with my brother Kyle, who was storing the data to my old Blog that he used to host. Due to the wonders of modern technology, he was not only able to hook me up with copies of the data, but a means of accessing it in an easy-to-read way. Let's hear it for the wonder of computing!

What does that mean? Well, I will occasionally be adding new-old blog entries to this site, like this one, itself part of the new-old paradigm: it's a post about a 'zine I used to offer in the olden-days, that is now available again... or at least, was, until the old blog, which explained as much, became hosed.

Confused? Well, don't be. Just remember that, from time to time, some old content will occasionally resurface, and I'll probably draw attention to it. You can rest assured that it will only be the best of the best... or, at least, whatever is still readable all these years later.

My what a tangled web I weave...

Living Proof on Anti-Apathy!

My most recent foray into the world of recording bands came again last week on Wednesday, November 26th. Again, as a favor to Rachelle, I ran sound for local hip-hop heroes Living Proof. Again, this was for her show, Anti-Apathy, which features local music of almost any variety, in both the pre-recorded and live varieties. In this particular case, the show was actually broadcast last night, but we recorded the performance during the last minute rush before Thanksgiving. I almost missed my train for these guys, so that should mean something.

For clarity's sake: while you probably can't hear me directly, I set up the sound for these guys, and mixed / recorded their performance. Occasionally you can hear me clap and hoot in the background, but really, the magic is in the mix. Word.

You can download the show here for the next several weeks. (It was originally broadcast December 1st from 6-7 PM.)

Need a sound guy? I specialize in KPSU sound requests, Bat Mitzvahs, and anything involving my friends. Word.

Derek M Johnson Live!

On a very special episode of What's This Called?, tune in on December 6th at 12 Noon sharp to hear none other than Derek M Johnson, live on KPSU!

What's so special about this particular broadcast? Well, first, I'll be guest-hosting, filling in while Ricardo Wang is out of town on business. So, not only do you get to hear an awesome set by the man who backed Unwound on their Leaves Turn Inside You album, but you also get to hear me bring it all together for an hour, on KPSU.

It should be a lot of fun, and I'll post most info her when I know it. But I've seen this guy play a few times now, and if you like spacey, trippy cello music with lots of effects pedals and a super-cool host helping you freak out on a Saturday Morning, then tune your radio to KPSU on Saturday, from Noon - 1 PM on December 6th. I promise not to dissapoint.

Anti-Apathy w/ Tea For Julie

As a favor to my friends at KPSU, I ran live sound today for Rachelle's show, Anti-Apathy. On tap: Tea For Julie, a local indie-pop band performing in a two-piece incarnation for the first time ever. Rachelle had them on for a half-hour set of live tunes, followed by a casual interview full of questions all around the table. Aside from my signature mix, you won't hear me directly; occasionally you'll hear me hooting and clapping, and making loud comments and laughing.

You can download the show here for the next several weeks. (It was originally broadcast today from 6-7 PM.)

Apparently, my recent guest spot on What's This Called? has more or less opened the floodgates, so watch this spot for information about future radio appearances. I can promise that there will be at least one more engineering gig, and at least two guest spots as I cover for out of town DJs.

Requests? Drop me an e-mail...

Ironical

The other day I noticed this sticker at the bus stop near my house, and I got really excited. First off, it's a sentiment I can get behind 100%; as The Learn-ed Council Of Wise Men once said, "Bad music is a stain upon our culture that must be identified and treated as soon as possible, before it has a chance to turn into Creed, or worse." Second, since this was promoting a website, I was kinda excited by the idea of a guy who had a blog dedicated to, what I assumed, would be good music. My Socratic logic being, if you're against bad, you must be for good. Right?

Needless to say, I was very disappointed to see that this was not the case. Do not be deceived! While this is an ideological move that most music fans can support, it fails to deliver an acceptable alternative! You will not find good music here, and those who try are bound to be as disappointed as I was. I have suffered for you my friends; do not make the same mistake I did.

Change Comes From Within... Wine Jugs.

In 1995 I found a gallon wine jug that wasn't being used anymore, mostly because my friends and I had drained it. I cleaned it, peeled the labels off, and immediately began putting my change in it.

I was inspired to do so by a variety of people. My roommate, The Ramen City Kid, had a penny jar, and around this time my friend Justin was able to afford a trip to Europe funded by tips he'd saved in a jar. It seemed like the thing to do, and there was something very Country Mouse about saving money this way.

My problem, of course, was that I was almost always broke when I started this habit. For many years, the jar remained fairly empty. At the end of the month I would desperately need to buy food, so I'd spill the contents of the jar on my bed, pick out the silver, and survive for another few days. I would have idle fantasies that, someday, the jar would actually be full. What I would do with it when it was full, I couldn't say. But it would be a glorious day, indeed.

Flash-forward to three years ago. Suddenly, I noticed that I hadn't had to dig into the jar in quite some time. Not only was the level of coinage going up, but I was adding to it almost every day, and never needed to dip in anymore. Soon, the jar became almost too heavy to lift with one hand. I tried to forget that it was even money, and when I did think of it in those terms, I tried to pretend it was all pennies. For some reason, it didn't seem as valuable that way. In the back of my mind, it was my other other savings. For what, though, I wasn't sure.

Until I checked the balance of my account last week, and noticed that the economic crisis was finally hitting me, too. Normally this only happens at the end of the month, and I can sit a few days out of my usual routine and stick closer to the homestead. But this time, there just was no denying it. For the first time in years, I had to dip into the jar.

At first I was embarrassed. I had, finally, almost filled the jar, and was also concerned about having to carry large bags of coins with me to do my shopping. To my benefit, there is actually quite a bit in the jar now; I've been living off of it for the last week +, and the picture above was taken this morning. To my further surprise, everywhere I've gone has been really excited to see me pay in coins. "Oh, we need quarters! Thank you!" The fact that I'm still wearing residual pieces of my hobo costume from Halloween seems to add to the effect; hey, that jacket it warm!

As soon as I pull out the bag of coins, I get a huge laugh, and the same exchange takes place.

"Ha ha. You too, huh?"

"Yep."

It's amazing how many discounts you can get when everyone is in the same boat.

Winter Fashion

I'm trying a new look for ye ol' blog this winter, and I wanted to get your input. I have to confess: my love of design and the visual pleasures in the world have, unfortunately, failed to instill in me some sort of intuitive understanding of how to achieve similar effects. I have a real blindspot when it comes to how you construct something in a visually interesting way; I just knows it when I sees it.

Anyway, comments and suggestions of the design of this here textual oddity would be most appreciated. If any of you happen to be considerate web designers who might be interested in doing a little outside work, let's barter. It's the spirit of the times, my friends!

If anyone wanted to tackle a new design for the logo, I would be so kind as to reward you with some as-yet-disclosed prize, which will probably turn out to be something from the treasure trove of records that I have squirlled away in my basement. Can you say Grand Funk Railroad, Live?

Naked Trees Point To The North Star

It occurred to me that I haven't plugged the new publication since I switched to this new-fangled Inter-Web 2.0 Blog, so I thought it might be a good time to recommend that you place your X-Mas A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Inc. orders early for...

Naked Trees Point To The North Star
by Austin Rich

(collected fiction, available in paper or electronic format $6.00 includes shipping)

Read what other readers are writing about this book! (Very meta!)

"It was really good! I'm not much of a literary critic, all I know is I enjoyed reading the stories a lot."

- Karly Rich, paid family member. (I swear, the check's in the mail!)

"I liked it! A title is a very important component. No phrase was left unspun, and a great job of writing the 'fairer sex.' To Be Concerned is Good is my favorite; I thought the boss' typo-laden letters were hilarious."

- Lans Nelson, local female & paid staff member.

"It was a weird reading experience; there's such an odd mix of humor and despair, intelligence and bafflement, acceptance and frustration, kindness and desperation. Very hard to characterize!"

- Heidi Stauber, Austin's High School English Teacher, who has received no financial compensation for this statement... yet.

Do You Mind?

There are recurring people in our lives that we have to deal with. Not specific people, but rather, people prototypes that embody a group or type that, in turn, seem to repeat over and over again, but are in fact merely a string of different people, all with the same basic “issues” that the rest of us have to deal with.

Here are a few examples of the kind of people that I regularly have to deal with at the computer lab:

1.) White Persons w/ Dread Locks. Every white person sporting dread locks seems to be a dick, to one degree or another. Let’s look at the facts: you are an upper-middle class person with the time and resources to dread your painfully white hair. You continue to expect things from me that I can’t give you. (Like, a computer in front of the 20 people who are all waiting for a computer.) When I don’t come through for you, you bitch me out and ask to speak to my boss. Either that, or you clip lighter pieces to the end of your dreads, then whirl them around at shows, nailing me in the face over and over again. When I tell you to stop, because you’re hitting me in the face, you flip me off and continue. I’m sorry, you are no longer welcome in my Computer Lab.

2.) Gay Man w/ Two Chihuahuas. Yes. Two. Every time you come into my Lab you are demanding & rude. When you don’t get to use your favorite computer, you get mad at me (despite the fact that the computers with scanners are reserved for people scanning things, and you never scan anything). Then you let your dogs run around, yipping loudly and pulling cords out from their sockets. When I tell you to leave, because you are disrupting the lab by loudly talking to your friend about going out the other day, you tell me I’m closed-minded and insensitive. I’m sorry, but you are no longer welcome in my Computer Lab.

3.) People Who Cannot Read. Frankly, I’m just prejudiced. Sorry.

4.) People Checking Their MySpace / Facebook Accounts in a Computer Lab. Guh? So, you’re a fan of social networking sites. You like to update your page constantly, but never do your homework in the lab. Why don’t you do this at home, with a cup of coffee & some comfortable clothes? When a huge line of people is impatiently waiting to use a computer to do their homework, you shuffle in your seat and open up a few more tabs for Flickr & Netflix. When I ask you to leave, since you’re not doing homework and there are others that need the computer, you get angry and ask to speak to my boss. I’m sorry, but you too are no longer welcome in my computer lab.

5.) Loud Guy. Wait... Loud Guy? What are you doing in my Computer Lab? This isn't even the same blog post anymore! Get out of here!

6.) The Large, Obnoxious, Smelly & Noisy Woman Who Comes Into My Lab Every Night and Refuses to Leave On Time. When I give the Half-Hour-Until-10-PM Countdown Announcement, and ask if you need to relocate to the 24 Hour Lab on campus, you snort and ignore me. When I give the 15 Minute Countdown Announcement, and ask if you need to use the printer anymore, you snort and ignore me. After I turn off the printer and give the 5 Minute Countdown Announcement, you get angry that I turned off the Printer and ask me to turn it back on for you, despite weather or not you have anything to print. When it’s time to lock the door, you get really angry, take 10 minutes to pack up your stuff, then ask me how to get to the 24 Hour Lab on campus. When I tell you that you have to arrive at the building before 10 PM – which is why I make the announcement 30 Minutes before – you get even more angry, and ask to speak to my boss.

I’m sorry, but if you keep this behavior up, I might have to call in a favor from some friends of mine from the Little Italy Student Group on campus. Because you, you’re an asshole.

Podcast Recommendations, Anyone?

I consume a lot of podcasts during my twice-daily commutes, and after a while you run into a lot of the same old, same old.

Any recommendations? Anyone? Anything? What do you listen to when you need a dose of radio?