two things

two things need to happen soon.

1. Elizabeth needs to come to MN.
2. The Twins need to stop sucking. 8 walks and i think 3 or 4 loaded bases today and we couldn't put more than 3 runs up on the scoreboard. BOOOOO.

open mic week 2

i went to the French Press again tonight and played the best i played the best i've played all summer. spirits are high, yeah!

i'm ready

i'm ready for Elizabeth to be in Minnesota. very very ready.

ARRGH

MVP Baseball 2005 on XBox.

Drew versus Ben.

Braves versus Orioles.

TWENTY-ONE INNINGS

(drew won).

jawnean!

janine is back from germany, but only until wednesday. the triforce is back in action!

july night fun

yesterday, i went to ikea with my mom and sister, went to the Electric Fetus and cheapo with emilia, went to noodles with said person plus drew, watched Grosse Point Blank with said people plus ben, found some Star Wars Condoms on ebay (ew), and drove around listening to Patti Smith and Stars with Emilia.

open mic

i went to the open mic night at the French Press Jazz Cafe in St. Paul. I didn't know what to expect. i was received warmly and met some people i'd definitely like to jam with. it was mostly MusicTech McNally Smith kids there. cool people. would go again!!!!11! A++++

the rally is in full swing

great day today!

Twins won, we had awesome seats, got free posters, and were on the JUMBOTRON. it's the first time i've ever been up on it. ben and i twisted and shouted our way to victory.

start the rally

i'm taking off work today to utilize awesome Twins tickets Drew was given yesterday. me, him and ben and BETH are going tot he game at 12:10 this afternoon. we'll be in section 127.

most likely, this game (and being at last night's game) will re-jump start my twins attention span, which dropped off the face of the planet when i was in TX.

um, what?

more about the tobacco/cigarette tax in the Star Tribune.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5511397.html

"Smokers are the most discriminated minority in the U.S. today,"

ok, minority is a loaded term. technically it only means that there are less smokers than non-smokers, but a main connotation of the word "minority" is that it's a difference that cannot be helped. you aren't born with a cigarette in your mouth.

geeg

i played a three-hour gig at a graduation party this afternoon. it was great fun and i can't wait to play in combos this fall.

EDIT: also, my newest composition "Lines in the Sand" was played today. Not to be confused by Emilia as "Lions in the Sand." It's a fairly uptempo latin piece with 2-3 rumba clave. it will be my next big band piece, i think.

my ideas for it are:

slow intro with trumpets in harmons or possibly mixed mutes. main head done by flugelhorn and possibly soprano sax. i have to figure out if the soprano sax will sound too wimpy for what i'm thinking. it very well might. also, i think i'd like to dive into the world of Kenton-sized brass (aka 5 trumpets, 5 trombones as opposed to 4 and 4). i'm not sure how much tweaking will be needed for that, but i'll find out soon enough.

i finally bought a MIDI-to-USB adapter from Groth Music up in MN. i just have to get it back to TX and i should be in business.

super pumped

i am all about playing as much jazz as i can in these next five weeks. i jammed out with some guys that i'll be playing a gig with on sunday. the bass player told me about some jam sessions that happen around town and i'm gonna try and go to some of them.

stupid tax

Dear lady I heard on the radio calling the $0.75 cigarette tax a "tax on the poor,"

It's not a tax on the poor, it's a tax on the stupid.

Love, John

P.S. Quit smoking.

i'm back baybeeeee!

i'm back in MN. i saw Hitchhiker's Guide last night with ben, drew, and emilia.

today is belated fourth of july! time for frisbee, volleyball and burgers in the park. no fireworks, though.

bakadakalaka street

i want to eat baklava every day, for every meal, for the rest of my life

de jazzing

i'm listening to anything but jazz right now to flush it out of my system. don't get me wrong, i love me some jazz, but i need something different.

recently played:

Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (bootleg series)
Groove Armada - Fogma
Frank Zappa - I'm the Slime

the paper took me until 4:30 in the morning last night. ugh!!

i'm coming home to MN tomorrow.

book reports eat my soul

highway foo fighters

ben decker called me from I-94 NEAR HIGHWAY FOO FIGHTERS in Wisconsin today.

chances last a finite time, in the warm july nighttime

elizabeth came down here on thursday and i just got back from dropping her off in mesquite.

i miss her miss her miss her. blahh.

she's coming up to MN in early August. that's the next time i'm gonna see her.

:-(

Google Earth

everyone needs to check out Google Earth. i found it thru a link at progressive boink, and it is sweet.

it's a fully zoomable earth that lets you see things pretty up close. the "Eagles" words painted on Fout's Field at UNT are quite visible and have a good resolution.

if you go into major cities, you can even view some buildings in 3-D.

like so

bowling

elizabeth, jeremy and i bowled two games tonight. i didn't break 100 either game, but came close. elizabeth broke made 102 her second game and beat both me and jeremy. jeremy schooled us both, the first game with like a 140 something.

i suck at bowling.

i suck...

...at bowling.

p.s. john=bad at bowling