mythiccowboy's Journal

Helmet Hair...
For the past 15 years or so, the only Helmet that I have been familiar with was Helmut Lang... That recently changed when a friend of mine purchased a motorcycle. If you know the fellow in question, you may recall him speaking of his new bike... on the hour... every hour... until he recently purchased his new truck (which he now speaks of on the hour... every hour...).

Well, his incessant babbling got my little wheels turning (no pun intended)... Later that weekend, some of he little kids down the street were playing and they soon migrated to my front yard (as they often do, as I am the only grown up that actually talks to them) bringing along their shiny new electric scooters, which they received for the holidays. They must have seen me admiring their new wheels out of the corner of my eye and they eagerly asked if would care to take one for a ride. Of course (trying to be somewhat of a grown up, which I obviously stink at) I was like "oh no, but thank you so much for offering". I also obviously stink at hiding my true feelings, cause in unison all of the kids were like "you know you want to". After about 2 minutes of this, I jumped aboard one of their little scooters and with a crowd of cheering kids at my back, down the street I went...

During that ride, I'm not sure if I fell or what, but shortly thereafter I somehow lost my mind... This week (yes in the last few days alone), I found myself inexplicable arriving at the DMV office, obtaining my motorcycle permit, and purchasing a new bike. I know a lot of ridiculous people, but boy... do I top the list or what! See, I love the whole riding thing, but I totally forgot about helmet hair!

It's So On!
I've actually never given the coming zombie apocalypse much thought... that is until I found the ultimate weapon of destruction this morning. After riding my workstation for several hours (and not in that kind of way, you sicko), I decided that it was high time for some lunch. So, I headed over to my favorite bagel shop where I unexpectedly met a group of my colleagues. Considering, that this meal was the first and possibly last of the day, I decided to treat myself to a salt bagel. To those who may not know what a salt bagel is, picture a regular bagel with a generous amount of crushed rock salt baked into the top of it. With my hot, fresh, and salty bagel in hand, I took a seat with my fellows. Considering the amount of salt on the top of these bagels, combined with the fact that I don't want to have a massive stroke first thing in the morning from all the sodium, I began the process of scraping the two bagel halves together in an attempt to rub off some of the copious amount of salt. However, today's salt bagels were particularly heavily salt encrusted and very well baked, making the process of scraping off the salt all that much harder. The rubbing took on a rather frantic pace and well... I obviously should have been paying more attention to this process as I carelessly allowed my hand to slip off of the unsalted side of the bagel and drag across the razor sharp salt topping, which of course cut through my thin knuckle flesh like room temperature buttah! It was a moment before I realized what had transpired and upon glancing down I saw the shining crystals of salt coating my bloody wound. Until this very moment, the saying "like salt in a wound" was just another saying and I never fully appreciated the meaning behind it! Unable to let loose with a violent string of profanities, I simply and politely clenched my fist against my chest like some kind of badly wounded animal... I now know why animals don't wear white, long sleeved, business dress shirts... Anyways, needless to say I left the bagel place looking like a totally shagged out wreck of a man who lost a fight with a very big bad bagel. So in short, forget the tire irons, crow bars, and shotguns, when the zombies finally come for me... they will find me at the closest bagel shop! It's so on!

Current Mood: sore

Time is fleeting...
I think that I last updated my journal sometime in 1792, as my computer has been on the fritz since then... I have the technical ability to fix it, but at the end of the day it's just about the last thing that I want to do... It's funny that I should allow this to go on for so very long, but such is my decision and I certainly can't complain about it, as it's within my ability to control... Anywho, I went to Chris's (Skobo's) house warming / birthday party last night and I had a heck of a good time! He is just one hell of a guy and a good friend! Thanks for the party and best birthday wishes to ya buddy!

Pies...
So, by now I should be well on my way to Orlando, Florida to see Funker Vogt tonight, especially seeing as how I have my ticket and all... However, the idealistic me really didn't really consider the tediousness of the 600 mile drive each way when purchasing my ticket... If I left for Orlando now, I could get there just in time for the show and if I left right after the show I could be back just in time for work in the morning... I hate the old catch-22 thing!

To help drown my sorrows (as I don't think that I will actually drive 1,200 miles tonight), I will have to go catch the Pietasters and Murphy's Law who are playing at The New Brookland Tavern in Colubia, South Carolina tonight! I can easily justify the 90 mile drive or so, with the promise of being back in town in time to get some frikin shut-eye before the morrow! Anyways, if anyone is wanting to get their ska / punk rock groove on and would like a ride to Cola, please feel free to drop me a line or give me a call. I should be leaving around 6:00pm and I will be back in town around 1:00am (if I don't spend too much time at the Art Bar, as I think they are having their night tonight).

I thought that I was getting ill, but I am pleased to see that I just needed some rest! After almost 8 solid hours in bed, I am back to almost 100 percent (which is pretty darn good, especially considering that Ivory soap is only 99.44 percent). I kept telling myself that I just needed some water for the scratchy throat, that the headache was probably from tension, and that the warm forehead was a result of lax air-conditioning. It leaves me to wonder if my mad optimism actually conveys some sort of self-rejuvenating power? Anyways, now that I am feeling better, it seems as if absolutely nothing is going on tonight! It may be for the best, as I am sure I could use 1 more night of rest... oh wait, I just saw the Dresden Dolls are playing in Columbia tonight! Hmmm... I really wanted to see them in Asheville tomorrow night, but Cola is about an hour closer... got me thinking now... car - check, gas - check, seven bucks - check, much needed rest - priceless!

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: Your Favorite Band - The Red Elvises

I am logging some much needed computer time tonight and I just found out that Funker Vogt tickets are on sale! They are only doing something like 2 shows in the States and both are far away... but how often do you get to see Funker Vogt! Anyways, tickets to Funker Vogt and VnV are going fast if anyone is interested.

!sdrawkcab gnihtyreve tsomla od I. I am not exactly sure why, but it's just the feeling that I get...

Anyways, after being reminded (read threatened) with the loss of the vacation days that I have accrued this year, I am taking the upcoming week (October the 18th through October 22) off. So, officially I have already been on vacation for almost 24 hours... To most people this would be a good thing, to me its frikin weird... I have been with the Company for almost 5 years and I have never taken more than 3 days off... Work is just such a defining part of my life (sad as it may be), that I don't know how or even if I will be able to stay away for so long. To attest to what a truly weak person I am, I already slipped up last night as I logged in remotely to check my e-mail and send off some last minute reports... I so suck, no seriously, I do!

Anyways, during my more or less forced vacation, I will not be going to Zanzibar or seeing the Sphinx, but instead I will be cleaning out my garage! It's gotten to the point that if Fire Martial Bill happened upon it, I'm sure that he would instantly condemn it as a "fire hazard". Literally, I have over one hundred boxes of "stuff" (albeit some pretty cool and sentimental things) that I have been hauling around for the better part of a decade... Opening these boxes is like reaching into frikin time capsules... I am just glad to say that most of the memories that are triggered are good...

This seclusion in the garage will also hopefully allow for some much needed rest... giving me time to be calm... giving me time to think... giving me time to focus... and hopefully, I will emerge with some thoughts on how to be a better person.

For kicks (and so I don't go absolutely frikin bonkers), I might have to dress up as the Six String Samurai and go see the Red Elvises several nights this week... tour dates follow (thank you Stojak for the DVD that spurred this new found addiction):

October 20 Wed Raleigh NC The Pour House Music Hall 224 S. Blount St (919)821-1120
October 21 Thur Winston-Salem NC The Garage 110 West 7th St (336)777-1127
October 22 Fri 9pm Greenville SC The Handle Bar 304 East Stone Ave (864)233-6173

On the Road Again...
So... last night I blaze a trail out of town to catch They Might Be Giants in Asheville... it was a beautiful drive as the sky was just bursting with streaks of red and pink and yellow and blue... it was weird being alone on the road again considering all of my recent group escapades... it wasn't a "bad" feeling and I am convinced that it served to help me further appreciate people... really, it was probably for the best that I was driving solo though, as I skidded off of the road twice, first when a work truck loaded with the house remodeling crew from "The Money Pit" movie apparently decided to murder me and secondly when Mr. Suicidal Squirrel hurled himself in my general direction! I am please to report that I deftly missed both "encounters"...

Anyways, I arrived in Asheville around 8:00pm and proceeded directly to the venue (The Orange Peel). It was only my 3rd time to the club, but I just can't say how impressed I am with that place! They seem to do everything right! They have even found (and learned to operate) that mythical temperature control device known as the thermostat! This resulted in a comfortable micro-climate all night long, to which there was much rejoicing as I am just about tired of sweating! Plus, the acoustics in The Orange Peel just rock! No slap echo, good acoustical treatments, and probably $150,000.00 bucks of brand new audio gear make such a difference! Now... if they could only do something about the smell of some of the hippies up there! Seriously, I thought the "3 day gamer" odor at DragonCon was bad until I caught whiff of this again! Febreeze Fairy where were you!!! I hate the rain, but honestly I am glad that the remnants of the hurricanes have been passing through, as I am sure that this was as close to a shower as many of these people had seen in quite some time!

In conclusion, They Might Be Giants put on a wonderful show! They have been on the road for almost 3 months and were admittedly showing some signs of wear and tear, however they said that they were so happy to be playing in a good, clean, comfortable club and in front of an uber-appreciative audience that they really gave it that little extra bit of effort! They ended up playing for almost 2 hours (including 3 encore performances). More importantly I got to hear Particle Man, Letterbox, Birdhouse in Your Soul, and one of my absolute favs Ana Ng! Plus the opening act... a guy known as "Cornmo" was frikin entertaining! I mean who doesn't love a big, happy, guy with an accordion!

I've Been Everywhere...
I've been one frikin busy boy! Day becomes night in almost stop-motion speed and it is pure chance when I get a moment to actually log on... and boy, I'm not complaining! Rock on life!

Anyways, in the past few weeks (queuing up the Johnny Cash song now...) I've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere man, crossed the Southeast bare man, I've breathed the goth club air man, travel - I've had my share man, I've been everywhere
I've been to:
Atlanta for DragonCon
Columbia to get my Cruxshadows on
seen DJ DataPanik spin on
and Variety PlayHouse to urge Siouxsie on

I've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere man, I've been to:
Folk Fest...
the best...
Got-a-rest...
For Pete's Sake, I've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere man, Crossed the Southeast bare man, I've breathed the goth club air man, Travel - I've haven't quite yet had my share man, I'm going everywhere
I'm going to:
Ministry
Morrissey
VnV
and They Might Be Giants-e, oh..., They Might Be Giants-e...

I've haven't quite yet had my share man, I'm going everywhere...

Current Mood: content
Current Music: Johnny Cash

I Ate the Cookie, I Ate the Frikin Cookie...
I ate the cookie, I ate the frikin cookie... I seriously try to watch what I eat, so I am not stone dead by 50, but in a monumentus lack of self-control I purchased and ate a chocolate chip cookie from my favorite bagel store today. I knew it was wrong, but it was what I wanted to do... This seems to be an ongoing theme in my life... caught somewhere between the deeply ingrained moral plactitudes that I a constrained by and my desires, which so often lead me in the opposite direction... If I were Pinocchio, I'd forget that whole "real boy" crap, I'd just wish for rock solid self-control!
In unrelated news, I am posting from my temporary office, the Charlotte / Mecklenburg Public Library, as my computer (which was born around the time of Christ) has passed away. I really am seriously pondering making the switch to Apple, so please, please, please try and talk me out of it... The worst part is that I know that I will be paralyzed for at least 2 more weeks as the new iMacs don't come out until September and I can't justify that Dual 2.5Ghz CPU G5 that would look "oh so sporty" in my computer closet.
I still can't believe that I ate the cookie... I so suck!

Groove Is In...
Groove is in the heart... NOT! The groove is currently in me bottom, as I've been sitting in my work chair for almost 16 hours straight! I've got several critical projects that are now coming due and I've made a commitment (for better or worse) to get them done, so sit I shall! I'm gunna do what I gotta do even if it kills me! Fortunately, I work well under pressure, I just wish I could say the same for me bottom!

Anyways, I took a break from the pleasures of work to... wait for it... clean out my car! No, seriously I so suck! This was my "big event" for that day! I know that I should have done something more constructive like mastering origami or learning Esperanto, but I just had to clean out my car so that I didn't look like a total freak (long story)!

Anyways, I am going to try and go to sleep, I just have to quickly shower, watch Reno911, pull my hard drive out and plug in a replacement, reload Windows XP, make dinner, and polish my shoes! Byeeeeeeeeeee!

P.S. Happy Birthday again Amber!

P.S.P.S. I got some great pics for everyone and will burn them to CDs after I fix my PC tonight.

Beware of Falling Rocks! Not Really... But Kinda...
If anyone is awake at 2:00am tonight (who am I kidding, we will all be awake at 2:00am tonight...), try and take a moment to get outside and check out the Perseid meteor shower. You might be able to see them as early as dusk, but 2:00am is considered to be the prime viewing time. Look up to the North East, just to the left of Aries and below Cassiopeia as a starting point. Hopefully, you will get to catch that shooting star! And may I be the first to say thank you Jack Horkheimer (the overly excited astronomer on public TV at like 4:00am, who hosts that Star Hustler program, the one with the totally awesome 1970's electronic, almost Tangerine Dream like, soundtrack)!

Saturay...
A friend of mine asked me if I would like to go for a walk downtown on Saturday. It was a very generous offer to which I quickly accepted. We ended up walking about 500 miles and we got to see so many great things! The Japanese Bon Odori festival was rather nifty as usual and I was so glad that they had a good crowd. In fact, they sold out of just about everything! I love seeing people happy, especially those who may not feel comfortable readily publicly displaying such emotion. Zero Taiko with their interesting take on traditional drumming was fun, but a man by the name of Takeharu Kunimoto stole the show! He played this wicked instrument called a shamisen, which kinda resembled a turbo charged aboriginal banjo! If I didn't already have two good costumes planned for DragonCon I would so be going as Takeharu Kunimoto is now my hero! Plus, he looked a little bit like Iron Chef Michiba which is worth like 40 bonus points alone! Anyways, we got to explore the Green (not the Greene), see the bike race, and spend some time at Alexander Michael's... a place that I have wanted to check out for just about ever! But the best part is that I got to know my friend a little bit better and I reaffirmed my preconception that he is going to be most successful! Rock on dude and thank you!!!

Current Mood: pensive
Current Music: the last throws of death for my hard drive I fear...

Spinning...
OK, so me mind has this habit of spinning really really fast every once in a while and man is it spinning right now!!! I keep telling myself that this is not a "bad thing" as it gives me time to ponder, explore my options, and hopefully find my way once again. I could just be a bit loony though I suppose.

Anyways, in slightly (and I do mean slightly) more important news... da da - da da - da da I am going broke (not really, but almost)! Out of the total frikin blue, a really good friend of mine asked me if I threw away my pennies (as in tossing them on the ground). In shock, I responded that I was actually always picking up pennies off of the ground and that I kinda took great pleasure in making such a find. My wise friend then commented to the effect of "that if no one threw their pennies on the ground there would be no pennies for anyone to pick up". This thought had never occurred to me and seeing as how I am so often so delighted by finding a penny, I now feel that it is my duty to share that delight with others. So long story made short, I am now roaming the streets, walking along like frikin Hansel, leaving a magical tail of smegging pennies everywhere I go! Thusly, I decided to go to the epicenter of all evil affectionally known to me as Hellmart in a vain attempt to save some money by purchasing those really big boxes of stuff... Well, apparently everyone else is going broke too, because they all decided to show up at Hellmart with me! I ended up aimlessly wandering the ridiculously over-lit brighter-than-the-very-surface-of-the-sun isles just watching the spectacle of it all! Seriously, it's so much like some sort of low rent circus without all of the animal abuse and trans-fatty acids. People are so funny! Anyways, as I was making my escape, I literally bumped into a DVD display showcasing the V box set. For those who do not know of V, it was a "made-for-TV" sci-fi mini-series that ran back in the 80's. I so remember camping out in front of the TV and having the absolute hell scared out of me by these reptilians that came to earth to be our "friends". Needless to say... things went downhill from there... Although I totally bought the plot back then, I didn't buy the DVDs today as they cost like 32 bucks and I just couldn't rationalize spending that kind of dosh on something for me. Plus if I ever go to sleep again, I am already having recurring nightmares about Cylons and the last thing that I need to worry about is lizards eating me.

Martinis and Cigarettes!
So, I awoke at 3:00am last night after several quality hours of sleep and I lay there absolutely motionless, trying so hard to avoid attaining a full level of consciousness, but I failed as usual. Maybe I need some magnets of something?

Anyways, I turned on the TV and I came to the realization that I apparently subscribe to something on the order of 16 bazillion channels, of which I have watched approximately 5 (A&E, BBC America, Sci-fi, TVFood Network, and Comedy Central). Make it 6 if you count the local public access channel (TVACCESS21), when I've felt the need to get my fix of Uriel and Unarius's teachings of the interdimensional psychodynamics of the mind...

But I digress... anyways I got to something like channel 81559 and I found a listing for the Jetsons! At first I was scared, assuming that this would turn out to be some gawd awful, action-packed, 2003 remake of the original cartoon only now staring Wil Smith! Thank goodness it wasn't!

I ended up watching the episode where Judy gets to meet Jet Screamer (who has some awesome hair by the way) and the funny thing is that I so clearly remembered it from my own childhood! Two things immediately popped into my mind... firstly was the fact that upon returning home, George walks through a machine which automatically changes his clothes and provides him with a martini and a lit cigarette... Secondly, I haven't heard the song EEP OPP ORK AH-HA in ages and now I'm tearing my cassette collection apart trying to find it (yes my cassette collection, which I still have... along with everything else). So far, I've found the Dickies version of the song... will I make it further? Who the heck cares... cause after all... I found the Dickies! YOU DRIVE ME APE (APE) YOU BIG GORILLA!!!

Current Mood: and nostalgic!
Current Music: The Dickies - YOU DRIVE ME APE (APE) YOU BIG GORILLA!

Is That the Artist Formally Known as Prince?

Gabriel. You're most like the ArchAngel of
Communication, in charge of things like
telephones, libraries, internet, and the 411
phone menu. You're organised and are not shy
about inflicting that organisation on others.

Which ArchAngel are you most like?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ok...
Ok, such I have been pretty much awake since 1992 and one would think that I would be just about tired enough to sleep by now... However, rest remains a stranger to me...

Tonight's total insomnia was most likely brought on by the fact that I have been awake and working for the past 38 hours culminating with a 500 mile roundtrip drive. The good news is that I accomplished a whole heck of alot in that time frame! For I may have found an economical viable way to automate an entire workflow. The portion of work in question is so large that the Company may in turn be able to eliminate my position all together! It's funny to think, but I am actually at peace with this idea as my role is to support the Company in whatever way possible. I have sworn my allegiance to them and so it's only natural that I lay down whatever I have for them. This is what is required of me and so shall it be. I guess it goes back to one of those "the good of the Company outweighs the good of the few or the one" things that Spock would have said if he was a capitalist rather than a Vulcan... Plus, I am feeling extreme and overwhelming guilt for being (and remaining) employed for so long, when so many of my good friends (and even complete strangers) have (or are having) serious struggles finding work! There is absolutely no reason that I should be so fortunate, but everywhere I look, my path always seems to be cleared, I always find my way, but it is all so undeserved. It's a weird "curse" to have as you can't help but notice all of the suffering in this world that you should be partaking in.

Now, to find one of those 48 hour restaurants...

You see...
You see... I am a very positive person by nature and since I was a child I have always wanted to believe that the human race had some sort of innate spark inside it, something that would set us apart, something that would serve as a motivator or a beacon encouraging us onward toward a state of transcendence...

However, I allowed myself to be blinded by the cruelty that our consumer driven society perpetuates. The anger, the bitterness, and the rage that are so recklessly displayed made me question my beliefs. I soon grew disenchanted with the idea that we were somehow set apart. I lost my grounding and I just about gave up on the notion of inherent good...

Now, by some unknown act of fate, I find myself surrounded by several of the most special individuals that I have ever known! You serve as a constant reminder that there is no place for unjustifiable anger, there is no place for bitterness or rumination, and there is no place for unbridled rage. Thank you for helping me restore my faith.

Now, go and take pride in who and what you are, because you are truly set apart!

My First Post!
Well, after about a year of delays, I finally got around to creating my LiveJournal account! It's something that I thought that I really wanted to do, but I kept rationalizing my delays, attributing them to the 14 bazillion things going on in my life. This activity was subsequently placed on the back, back, back burner next to "learning Portuguese"! In retrospect, I believe that I subconsciously delayed this effort, as I am a terribly private person and I do not feel comfortable sharing much of myself (if my subconscious would only get with the program and persuade me to clean out my garage, that would so rock)! Anways, hopefully the creation of this account and the forthcoming entries will help challenge me to open up a bit and not be such a weird aloof bastard...

Deciding on a name that I really liked was terribly difficult. I wanted something that conveyed some sort of deeper meaning and the name Uraprat just wasn't going to cut it! In thinking about it, I've always been intrigued by those who rose above their "lots" in life and achieved, often through the ultimate sacrifice, the greater good. Many forgotten souls have done just this and my attention focused on the nature of these individuals, including the average American cowboy. Although I am all about metropolitan living and honestly believe that the out-of-doors should be closed in the summer, I empathize with this particular character. He was often a lonely individual, living in the harshest of conditions, but he managed to keep his sense of humor and joke about everything! It is noted that he was often reserved around strangers, tolerated no meanness, or mistreatment of the fairer sex. Thus the MythicCowboy was born...

Current Mood: productive

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