Burning bay area bridges since 1989!

ZOMBIE LIVEJOURNAL

For those arguing that Live Journal isn't dead, I don't see you arguing that it's necessarily alive either. It's a ghost of what it used to be. Therefore, I'd like to propose what it is now is 'Zombie Live Journal'. You can argue that it's alive and win the argument. You can argue that it's dead and win too. It's Zombie Live Journal.

I went over and read brunorepublic's treatise on the whole thing because Jeb/50poundnote commented on it. I agree with his assessment, and wish I had read him back when this was the social network. I wrote a lot of my thoughts here but it was the commentary I got on them that kept me doing it. I changed my opinions on many things because of thoughtful discussions I had here, and although I stuck around for a long time after the "exodus", I ultimately stopped when that dried up. Yes, I miss the writing and creativity, but the commentary will never return.

1) Pretty much given up on Live Journal here. I've been reading almost daily, but it seems all but about 10 of my 220 friends on here have jumped ship or just given up. I've tried to post here and there, but wasn't able to. The iPhone app is mostly useless. I don't know if I'll continue, but I felt like updating today.

2) Tomorrow is my Birthday. 33. This milestone is prompting the LJ post. This is the first Birthday though that I'm letting pass by relatively un-pomp and circumstanced. I can't remember working on my Birthday before, but I'm working this year. I don't see the point in taking a Thursday off work when I'd go unpaid if I do.

3) Not REALLY a Birthday present to myself, more something I've been needing to do.. I bought a Jeep Wrangler yesterday. It's a 2007 Wrangler X. Automatic, but otherwise very bare bones. I went to my bank last Saturday and got pre-approved for the auto loan, so all I had to do was hand over the check when I went back to the dealership yesterday. Buying the Jeep took about 20 minutes. I had looked at a few others over the past few days, but slimy dealers caused me to walk away. The reason I went for the Wrangler is because I want something rugged enough to handle the rougher winter weather, but small enough that I can park when Bob and I go to event in Denver. So far I'm really happy with how the Wrangler handles, coming from driving an SUV (Ford Explorer).

4) My older Brother Colin bought a Toyota Camry on Friday, and my parents bought an Audi A4 on Sunday. My brother Jeremy said "Screw keeping up with the Jones, it's the Orr's you have to watch out for!" He's in the market for a new car too now that he's a full time employed teacher. It's pretty funny the 3 of us made car purchases in the same week without any pre-planning.

5) Damn, I'm going to miss Summer. It rained for the first time today, and was in the 60's. Colorado broke a record for average high temperate for the month of August. It was in the 90's for most of the month, and I kinda liked it. I'd rather have it be too warm than too cold, and too cold is just around the corner.

6) Work has been really busy. I'm not doing sales any more though. That sucked. I hated it, and I just wasn't any good at it. I've gone back to doing production. It's a lot more challenging, especially project management when it is busy. I like deadlines. I like producing a quality product. When I was doing sales, the production quality was out of my hands, and I was often disappointed in the output of the girl who replaced me in production. In one case, I lost a customer because of a production screw up I would never have let happen. It's too bad production management in printing doesn't pay great, but it's OK for now. I'm just happy to be working full time, and right now, even getting overtime. Election season is around the corner, and that's bringing work in.


Still 32.

Yesterday was the Front Range Bears Summer Picnic and pool party, which is held at mtnkodiak's place. It is a highlight of the summer around here, with 140 guys there, eating drinking and splashing about it what is often one of the warmest weekends of the summer. The pool got really flirty, but not so bad that the pool needed to be decontaminated afterwards.

We've been experiencing serious monsoons around here, with heavy rainfall every day, starting as early as 1 in the afternoon or not even hitting until 9pm at night. Last night the rains held off until about 5, so it didn't dampen the event, but got people packed up and moved out quick. We ran to the car with our coolers in hand, and got a little wet in the process.

Friday afternoon I ducked out of work a little bit early and saw a late afternoon showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 a film I've been looking forward to for a long time. Most of my expectations were met. I wasn't blown away to any degree, but I left the theater satisfied.

It was so hot and humid today that I really didn't feel like doing much. It was up to 91. Errands got done though, and things got done over the weekend, like lawns mowed and laundry done. Being in the pool yesterday was nice, and the air conditioning inside today was nice too.

We took Gideon over to the Cherry Creek Art Festival today and it was really hard to walk around. First off, Gideon isn't a big fan of crowds at this age. Secondly, it was 80 out and he was constantly looking for shade. Top that off, every other person wanted to stop and ask us about him. "what kind of dog is he?" "how old is he?" and especially, "why is your dog wearing booties??" The last one can be answered knowing that when it's 80 out, that asphalt can be really hot, so here in the mile high city, vets and dog trainers recommend you have them. People wanted to know if he likes his booties and how long it took him to get used to them (yes and 2 weeks), so all in all, it was hard to walk more than a few feet without getting questioned. We don't mind though, and it was nice to get Gideon meeting more people and more doggies.

I've been in San Diego this past week. The reason for the trip being my parents 40th wedding anniversary. They wanted to go away somewhere with us, so they rented a house in San Diego, and we all came down.

The main event was a big party on Saturday night at the house they rented and relatives flew in from CA, TX and DC. The last time the family was all together was in April, 2010 for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday. Some of my parents and brothers friends came as well, so it was seeing a lot of old faces.

San Diego itself has been fun. We did some touristy stuff like Old Towne, Seaworld and The San Diego Zoo.

We spent some time with locals too. I was invited to the 619 Bearcast on Wednesday night, Bears in the Park on Friday, and we spent some time on Pecs Patio on Sunday too.

The best part of the trip has been relaxing and checking out of everything. Today was the first time I've pulled up facebook and Livejournal while I've been here. Lots of time has been spent drinking beer in the pool.

More pics to come. I need to sort and upload.


Left to Right - Top Row: Great Uncle Jim, Great Aunt Margaret, Maria and Colin, Alan, Sharalyn and Jeremy (Jeralyn), Aunt Petra and Uncle Bob, Mwah!
Bottom Row: Cousin Kira, Jude, Gideon and Bob

When mudcub came to my bonfire, he gifted me with a copy of See a Little Light, the autobiography of Bob Mould.

Bob is a casual acquaintance and Coachella friend. The book spans his life, including the 2009 Coachella set I got to see him play. Bob's party, blow off, was on in DC on a weekend that I was there and Bob was amazing to walk me around between his sets and introduce me to some of his DC friends.

Bob's story was interesting. The book flows well, with just the right amount of introspection, and not too much navel gazing. I should probably admit to not knowing a lot of his music. I was too young for Husker Du and Sugar never appeared on my radar. I found that I didn't need to know these two bands to be able to follow along.

The book progresses from album to album through his career and I found myself wanting to go into Mould's back catalog as I read along.

Coachella announced the above this past Tuesday.

djrottenrobbie and I have been talking, and it makes sense, to us, to go to both weekends. Coachella is something that we love to go do, and attending both weekends seems like a way to cut down on conflicts and get to experience the sets we loved once all over again. The cost of flights are the same, the additional expenses would be the house, rental car and time off work.

I'll probably get lay away tickets for both weekends today, and then start saving up for the rest. Getting the time off work is up in the air, but then there's just as much of a chance that I won't be working where I am now when Coachella comes around next year. Even if I end up passing on one of the weekends, I can easily resell the extra Coachella pass that I get now.

Also, it would be nice to have the week in-between to relax and enjoy Palm Springs. It's always a rush to get up and get back on Monday, even to make an afternoon flight.

I'm curious as to the different dynamics that will come into play between the two weekends. The bear contingent that goes is already talking about going the first weekend, so that first Coachella may be more social, and the second ends up being about catching all the bands that we missed or loved the first weekend.

At a book signing in Minneapolis, recently declared the hippest and gayest city in America, I greeted 2012 GOP presidential contender and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with a shower of rainbow glitter.

"Feel the Rainbow!" I shouted. Gingrich was conducting the book signing as part of The Minnesota Family Council & Institute Annual Dinner 2011 celebration. The MFC has been an instrumental mover of a marriage inequality amendment that would enshrine discrimination in Minnesota's state constitution. - Robert Erickson

I really don't see how this furthered any cause.

It just goes to show how rudderless GLBT activism has become.

I get the point of why the guy did it, but it was a childish response. Politics are big money, and marriage equality is a hot-button issue. Like abortion in the 80's, all the GOP has to do is push the gays ruining marriage button, and their constituents hop on board with whatever they want to do. Glittering Newt Gingrich is just another way for them to say "Oh look at those silly gays. At it again.."

When asked "Why?" after he did it in the video, he had little to no response. He had no talking points. The man escorting him out said "We don't show up to your events" and he stands there silent. Even I could have retorted that their event denies equality, that protesters for religious groups have been picketing AIDSWALKS for over 20 years. His isn't the kind of dialog we need to be having.

Monarchy. Monarchy. Twitter = @MonarchySound www.facebook.com/monarchysound

Monarchy. They occupied this little empty spot on Friday night between Cut Copy and Robyn, just a tent over in Gobi. I'd looked them up before Coachella, but the album I found turned out not to be them. As it turns out, they're a pop music DJ Duo from London who burned up Bestival. Orme and JP were psyched to see them, and that's a good sign, as Orme turned me on to one of my favorite bands post Bestival last year, Delphic.

Monarchy's set blew both djrottenrobbie and I away, and when we got back, Robbie, Dan and I found out that their album wasn't available in the US yet. Like Daft Punk, Monarchy play in masks and don't reveal who they really are. It's supposed to be about the music, not the rockstar.

Since Coachella, Robbie has been getting his hands on the remixes of every Monarchy song he could find, and all the remixes Monarchy did of other bands. Last week I got my hands on the UK release of their debut, self-titled album and I've fallen deeply, deeply in love.

My favorite song, Maybe I'm Crazy takes me right back to the Gobi tent at Coachella, going ape with the crowd, feeling like the song would play for ever, a glorious, euphoric feeling.

Another favorite of theres for me is their single, I Can't Let You Go. Here is the video from youtube. Judge for yourself.