Holy shit guys, it's been forever since I posted

Yup. Two whole weeks. I'm going to have to work at this updating thing.

I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who's routinely depressed by the end of the year. The conclusion of another calendar year forces us to examine all we have accomplished - especially as against what we had hoped to accomplish - in the previous twelve months. And as long as I can remember, I've never quite done what I wanted with a year.

Twelve months ago, I was living with my parents without a job. At this time, it was still excusable - if I had still been in college, I would have been between semesters, gearing up for graduate school at Univ------- or ---------- Univ. Things are a little different now. In February, I will move into my sixth abode in two years (Kiefaber, Stonemill, 3184, Rogers Park, Ukrainian Village, and X). I have a job now, that's nice. And some friends in the city. No band though, that's really the killer.

I think in the last twelve months I've really matured and grown up in my ability just to handle myself in a city environment. It's hard for me to elucidate precisely how this manifests itself, but I'm sure to others it's quite obvious. This is not to say that I'm averse to having my ass dragged around by someone in a car when possible.

I've also grown musically in the last twelve months, thanks to a merciless raiding of Ben's music folders and regular visits to neighborhood record stores. Not that it has helped me write songs, but I can hear more of what is possible. I remember the heady, halcyon days of musical knowledge when, as a college freshman, I would use audiogalaxy to expand my musical horizons without having to reach into my pocket. To think that I randomly downloaded an of montreal song four years before anyone knew who they were! Discoveries such as that made me an advocate of free musical downloading for life. (Not that anyone ever asked.) After such sites were closed, I got into musical oddities. Unable to find music that spoke the truth to my ears, I sought music that told the most fantastic stories. Now it feels as though I can hear again.

But I can't write, at least for the moment.

But on to other subjects.

If you don't already know who Genarlow Wilson is, I suggest you find out. Racism? Puritannical moralizing? Either way, you've got to be outraged by his story. Genarlow is a 17-year-old African-American boy who was sentenced to ten years in jail for...receiving oral sex from a 15-year-old at a party. Wow. That's worth ten years, for sure. Destroy his life for one consensual sex act. It's kind of hard to read about this and believe that it's happening in the United States of America (well, Georgia, at least), but it is.

Well, I'm about out of words.

RESOLUTIONS:
1. Perform songs that I've written, either solo or with a band, in 2007. This is pivotal; if I accomplish nothing but this, I will be happy.
2. Become more outgoing, even at bars. Yes, it's OK to talk to people.
3. Lose (more) weight.
4. Reconnect with old friends.
5. Be more spontaneous.
6. Learn German, in case I end up going to grad school. (if that occurs, I will most likely be specializing in European history.)
7. (You, the reader, can suggest a resolution).

Thrilling, thrilling background on my life

OK everyone.

This will be a general background post about my life to catch everyone up to speed on what I've been doing. Then, in the future, the blog will run more concurrently with whatever issues I'm facing in my life at the time. But it won't all be e/n posts about my favorite gyro place closing, or whatever. I'll do some reviews of books I've read, movies I've watched, music I've listened to, or dragons I've slain. For those of you who read my last blog, I am also going to make a better effort to keep up on this blog. I mean that.

So...my life as of today.

I work as a law clerk. It's not exciting, but I do like the regularity. I'm doin' OK, too, I think. I don't lose things and I'm actually learning a bit about the field (delinquent tax law). It's a 9 to 5. Yes, I have a 9 to 5.

Music is at a dead end. I am fairly neurotic about practicing my physical execution skills for at least an hour. Then I realize I've been neglecting some style of playing or another, so I practice for another forty-five minutes. Then I put the guitar down. I don't write very much and I'm not playing with a band. These two factors are feeding on each other to make me angry and desparate. I don't even really know what style I want to play. Belle & Sebastian? Sounds great. Shellac? I'm open to it. Of Montreal? Of course! Hum? I can dig it. So that's really pretty terrible except that I'm keeping up / developing my skills for when something happens / I make something happen.

Housing just took a turn for the shitty about thirty minutes ago. I live with two roommates, and now BOTH are moving out, rather than just one. I already knew Chris was going to Los Angeles for a job. He's leaving Saturday but has pledged to pay rent through January. Now it turns out that Mike is just moving so he can be "closer to the blue line", i.e., for the hell of it. Which leaves me the sole occupant of a three-person apartment that's not close to the el in a mediocre neighborhood. Safe and cheap, but not desirable in any way, shape, or form. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to move. I've got one eye on a neighborhood I probably cannot afford and don't know that much about, and the other eye is roving for a nice place. Maybe Cabrini Green. On the other hand, I could pursue roommates...we do know a 33 year old who still lives with his parents, so perhaps he'd like this place.

Certain other elements of my life, however, almost certainly hold the seeds of either happiness or disaster. An update is forthcoming when I convince myself that my life is not a Mobius strip. Or just pathetic.

Lest you think everything in my life is awful...well a lot of it is right now and the other half is mediocre. BUT, I will be travelling to Dayton for New Year's. It's going to be fun. I'm just waiting to see what kind of time off I will get around New Year's...then I will buy my bus ticket and be off for Ms. Lora's New Year's party! Oh, and I will totally freeload and crash at someone's place.

Please leave comments / insults / the name of your blog.

Joe

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