BARD

So I am back at Bard College to commence my third year of study. I have been here for a week. I live in a pretty sick room and got a room to put my drums in, so that's cool, and things are overall pretty normal. I'm not taking a huge amount of class, so everything I'm taking is really cool and shouldn't load me up with work too much to prevent me from practicing. All good there!

It's Saturday night and I don't feel like drinking, so I'm just hanging out in my room writing a blog. Julia wasn't feeling well so she decided to go to sleep, which is a good thing since we're going to Saratoga early tomorrow to do some betting. It's interesting, I hadn't found much fulfillment in that sort of thing before this summer, but since she started coming with me it's been really fun and I can't wait to keep going to the track.

It's weird, though: since being back, I haven't really felt the urge to go to class or practice or hang out with friends or really do anything I used to do while I was here. I've never been a partier but that's hit an even lower low. I don't honestly feel very conflicted about this, but I think that Julia does from feeling the same way. This I understand, so I'm really going to try to remedy this situation for both of us, while making sure that sufficient time is spent together. We spent the whole day together yesterday and it was really great, so I'm just super-glad we can still get together and have a great time. This bodes well!

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Hey, so I have been in Westport since whenever I last wrote something on here, hanging out, playing drums, painting, and drinking beer. I've also been doing more reading than I expected, although I don't think anything I've read has really been all that great...

A few weeks ago my world was rocked by the announcement that the "classic" Guided by Voices lineup is reuniting, first for Matador's 21st anniversary thing in Vegas, then for a short tour which ends in New York on 7 Nov. I am very, very happy because I just ordered my ticket to that show, along with one for my darling Julia. I like them a lot more than she does, but she gonna come with. GBV tends to get lumped in with other 90s "indie" bands, but to me they stand head and shoulders above almost any band ever, with the exception of maybe the Clash, Carcass, the Kinks, Flag and Sabbath. Since I will probably never see any of those bands (with the possible exception of Carcass), and since this is the GBV lineup that recorded all their best stuff, and since they're going to be playing songs exclusively from that era (though nothing off Vampire on Titus, unfortunately) this is just going to be the best time. Aaahhh I'm so excited.

Speaking of Julia, she is finally coming to visit on Monday the 26th. The day after that we're going to hit Montreal for some legal drinking and amusement park rides, then head back down to Westport and be together for a week and a half or so. Then drive down to Brooklyn and hang out for a week there. Looking forward to this very very much tooooooo!

WE ALL KNEW

Heading up to Westport, NY tomorrow to spend a long time there painting, drinking beer, playing drums, and hanging out. I'm a little stoked without going totally nuts- it'll be better than hanging out in Kinderhook and avoiding everyone, but I'll be farther away from the city and Julia and that is not so pleasant. However, I'll probably be able to make it down to Brooklyn at some point, and she will come visit me up there and we will go to Six Flags. I like her very much and want to spend as much time as possible doing fun things with her.

I'm listening to Kreator's second album, Pleasure to Kill. I have to say, this is one of the only raw-thrash classics that I just can't totally get into. It's fast and thrashy and stuff, but for whatever reason it just doesn't catch my fancy. I know a lot of people think Seven Churches (Possessed) or Welcome to Hell (Venom), say, are overrated as fuck, but I think both of those albums are the shit, particularly the former. Just listen to "Holy Hell" and I dare you to avoid banging yer head at some point in that song. To go against Kreator even more, they recorded a totally boring album with the guitarist from the mighty Coroner. How could you make boring metal with that guy, he makes someone like Kirk Hammett look totally second-tier.

Oh, I have also been watching a fuckload of World Cup. I've watched almost all the matches, and my team, the Netherlands, is still in that shit. They play Brazil on Friday. Can they win? Julia says "no," and I will be an unhappy man if she is correct. Spain looked great against Portugal today, I don't "want" them to win, but I think they may have what it takes this year...

HEY

HOW IS STEPHEN STRASBURG PITCHING? HOW ARE HIS CHANGEUPS? ZOMGZ HE'S GIVEN UP TWO HOME RUNS WTF IS UP WITH THAT WHAT PITCHES WERE THEY ON. CHANGEUPS?!?!?!?! HE SHOULD STOP THROWING CHANGEUPS OR WORK ON HIS MECHANICS OR SOMETHING BECAUSE IF PEOPLE CAN HIT THE BALLS HE THROWS THEN HE IS NOT AS GOOD AS WE THOUGHT HE WAS.

NOW WHY ISN'T HE PITCHING FOR THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS TONIGHT I KNOW HE PITCHED LAST NIGHT BUT WE WERE PROMISED A SUPERHUMAN...?!?!?! I HAVE NO INTEREST IN WATCHING THIS GAME NOW