dancing to the beat[s]

additional directions...

It's become painfully clear that my blogging has fallen off in a serious way over the past whatever amount of time. In many ways I find myself disappointed. But in the past few weeks I find myself spending a bit more of my interweb surfing time perusing other blogs...blogs of a very different nature. I of course have a few mainstays and thru them I'm often stumble onto new and interesting blogs or at least posts and tidbits.

The combination of a lack of writing and the experience of other blogs...along with a bit of thinking over the past couple days and observing my silly facebook habits has resulted in a realization: When I did the most consistent writing in the place it was done with a purpose...it was really something I needed to do at that time in my life and it was a way of working and thinking thru various ideas, feelings, emotions, experiences...and so on.

But now is a different time and I find myself in a different place on many levels...that's why they say life is journey. And at this different place, it seems only appropriate to add some new direction(s) to this blog...I don't think it's time to abandon what came before as I know there will be a time and a need for such writing. But in between those posts, which are clearly more sporadic than previous times, I plan on just adding things I find interesting...be it articles, videos, songs, random funny links, pictures, and pretty much whatever. Hopefully I'll put a few things a day [I'd like to say 3 posts a day of various things of interest I come across...but I'm guessing sometimes it could be more and others it could be less.

Anywho...let's get to it...

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Telling Stories

kanYe West was on vh1's Storytellers tonite. Definitely worth checking out. kanYe is an individual often the subject of criticism and controversy but you have to respect his ability to perform and entertain. He puts on a show like few others do or even can...what impresses the most is that he takes the opportunity of performing live to take the music beyond the simple recordings and builds on them in innovative and interesting ways. You can find 10 videos from the kanYe West Storytellers here. Look for it to be replayed in your local listings...and take the time to listen. Too bad they didn't air the full 3 hours or so that it actually ran...maybe they'll make all that content available.

taking some time

u ever feel like there are some things in life u just need to do and make the time for, even if there's not really a good time to do those things? i often find myself staying up later than i should and need to during the week...often i simply don't want to night and its freedom from work and responsibility to end. but sometimes it's out of necessity...a need to just zone out, turn off the brain, and just enjoy the simple things.

one of those simple things for me often turns out to be just listening to music. sometimes i have a private dance party, other times i just sing along, and on occasion i just sit and listen [and blog or surf the web as well]. i'm a big fan of television and it's a comforting thing to have on around the house...but it's nice to escape from it and just listen.

i think the comfort i find in music [be it dancing to it, singing along with it, listening to it closely, having it on in the background] explains my interest in and love of it. it's why i started a music blog [even if it has not really taken off as hoped], it's why i'm willing to spend money purchasing new music or going to concerts [the latter is something i really need to do a lot more]...it's why over the years so many have seen me roaming the halls of school, dancing on BART platforms, or just strolling whatever city i happen to be in with some headphones on...pretty much in a small aural world of my own within the larger world we all share.

the important thing is to take time for these things...even if it means sacrificing a bit of sleep or watching TV or reading or working or whatever. delving into these indulgences of our interests and passions provide a balance to life that makes all the rest that much easier to process and get thru...even if the rest is just the daily grind of a job that may be less than ideal [and i'll be damned if such indulgences aren't vital to the more trying times in life].

on that note, i'm gonna enjoy a few more tracks and then get my sleep on...

rain delayed...but not deterred weekend up!

I faced probably my longest delay getting to my weekend in the City last Friday. Frustrating? Yes. But when it comes time to weekend up...well, there's just not stopping the weekend up'ing. Great weekend with the homies to celebrate a good friend's birfday...which just meant it was time to get more out of control than usual...highlights:

• oddly familiar faces at the airport
• not eating McDonald's twice in one day
• getting in without a ride from the airport...as usual
• more Zerzans
• competition for Los' affection...hahaha
• deciding that said competition was not the way to go
• Sparks to start it up
• the ultimate stoner cabbie
• Ed mistaking the girls getting some air for the bouncers
• the Professor immediately jumping into action
  
• the girl with no underoos on
  
• another lesbian run in at Le Colonial
• breaking up a fight
• almost getting into a fight...but not really
• drunken breakdancing...and Peter breakin' like it was 1999
  
• another note to the bartender
• Seebles (aka Cybelle's)...2 trips within 15 minutes
• the snaps contest as we drunkenly stumbled home
• "Oh shit, I've been eating the paper plate this whole time" - Andy
• Doorbell ditching
• laughs with the other Zerzans
• "tunt"
• more Zerzans crushing on me
• the crazy sleeping accomodations [my snoring, MD's yelling ("two in the hole!" "the tables have turned," "that was a mistake"), MD in the hallway, the broom]
• La Boulange, not Stacks
• Dolores Park and tossing the football around
• soccer kids
• new hat
• turning Los' swag on
  
• Poleng - good as always [and it's only like one more block, one more block]
  
• soju red bull
• the creeptastic art at Fly bar
  
• the sentimental cabbie [and rocking out, sentimental style, with the boys]
  
• bad house music
• oddly shaped breakdancer
• "mildly unattractive"
• my friends and how foolish we all can be
  
• being an awkward goofball
• Squat & Gobble [the restaurant and Los' version...and other related laughs]
• vegging out with the homies
• a ride to the airport!
• not being delayed

Definitely another epic weekend with the homies. Glad to have met some new friends...look forward to more good times to come!

a long weekend ago...

Wow...it really has been a while since i last wrote anything on me blog, eh? Shame on me...and more importantly, how could i let a whole weekend pass between a trip to the City and my weekend update of sorts? Yikes. Anyway...on to the highlights of the long weekend away...

• finally getting in
• the usual feeling of being home
• the cleanest toilet...well, relatively speaking
• what was most likely my last Sparks
• the raw # of venues we tried to get into and actually went into
• the honest bouncers
  
• the eastern European club...what a trip
• persevering to good times
• the gurl with a crush on Kevin James
• having a gurl buy me a slice of pizza
• Ed disappearing, reappearing, and then disappearing allover again
• brunching up
• "Medium coffee"
• the stroll to downtown
• RUN SFC
• Los & Fred Perry
• getting some bomb sushi at a new place
• walking off dinner b4 dancing
• being the best dancers in the spot
• throwing down
• the gurl with the boyfriend who was totally feeling my dance moves
• getting hated on by the lesbian hipster
• "And we begin to rock...steady, Rockin til the break of dawn." [if u love all things awesome, u will watch this video]
• the determination to get brunch , no matter the hour
• enjoying some football with the boys
• continued Pong domination
• dressing up for dinner
• Poleng...mmm
• hitting up Hobson's Choice for the first time since early law school
• checking out the Alembic
• some serious conversation
• some conversation about sex
• some serious conversation about sex
• Deefs being down for late nite eats...and awful fried chicken being the result [so glad we bought that bag of Doritos]
• taking in a matinee
• being the last person to get on my plane

Another adventurous weekend in the City that is my other home. In other news, I'm beginning to get back some of that desire to write more...which makes me happy. I'ma ctually sitting in my office right now, starving and taking a break from work...I hope to actually stop what I'm doing and write when I get the inspiration, assuming I actually have the time to do so...hopefully that will lead to a little more writing. This 3 weeks off thing is wack.

apologies and privacy

so i know the blogging has fallen off quite a bit and in all honesty i see it not taking place as frequently as i'd like in the near future at least...in part it's due to a need to organize much of my life and begin to figure things out...but i often use this space for precisely that reason...yet i also find a desire and need to write more privately in my actual journal, a place where i can discuss and divulge more than here...so i hope the few loyal readers will continue to check in as i'm sure i'll write more and that things will pick up as i get more on top of life and just simple things like organizing my desk and home and in the process my thoughts, feelings, and reflections...and i apologize for the infrequency of the writing...

the year that was, the year that will come to be...

As 2008 comes to a close over here on the west coast, as always, it only feel appropriate to take some time out of my evening of vegetation and relaxation and put some thoughts down on...well, this interweb thingy. It is at this time of year that many of pause to reflect on the previous year and think about plans for the one to come.

Looking back on 2008, what stands out the most to me are times with family and friends...it was a year filled with a lot of great times with people I love dearly. These days I have my fair share of complaints about life and there are things that need changing, but in the end when I look back I'm left with memories of many a good time. It's a nice feeling to know that it's the good that stands out above anything negative. I see ways that relationships have developed and some ways in which I've grown individually...tho I also have spent some time as the year comes to a close thinking about areas for improvement.

Before moving on to 2009 I'd like to stop and thank all of u who made 2008 so much fun...i'm thankful for the continued friendships as well as the ones that really began to develop in this past year. I'm nothing without the people in my life [at least that's the way i feel about life]...so thank u for being a part of it and a part of this past year.

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Looking forward, I hope 2009 continues to bring about change and good things as this part year did. The start of a new year provides a time and an excuse to renew attempts at betterment from before as well as a chance to refresh and start on projects new. Changes are definitely necessary and I hope to make the necessary ones, the ones that will help me grow and develop. With that in mind...some goals for myself:

1. spend more time with the people who matter most and doing things i'm passionate about
2. write more [here, on the music blog, in my journal]
3. create a better balance to my life

I could list many specific things as resolutions [and I in fact started the list in that way], but i find it easier, clearer, and healthier to simple list fewer and broader resolutions for myself. I think the last really encompasses a lot and pertained to many parts of life...from time with friends to work to time at home.

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Anyway, enough about yours truly...thanks again to all those who were a part of 2008 and i wish u all nothing but the best for the year ahead!