Melissa and I were driving uptown last night when suddenly she yelps and lays down practically on the floor of my car. I didn't bother asking what was wrong. However, she insisted on telling me that the guy in the homely Toyota Camry next to us had a gigantic gun that he was brandishing while driving. Being the curious fellow that I am, I maintained my speed so that I could see this hand cannon she spoke of. Apparently this budget gangster had stowed his piece before I could get a look. To placate Melissa, I pulled back about 25 feet and watched. While we were discussing these events (and what his need for such a weapon might be), the guy pulls into an indoor paintball arena parking lot. We figured he was going to go in there and waste everyone inside.

After that, I saw Local H and Chevelle at Tipitinas. I was totally on the list...

Major bullshit going on tonight. I was supposed to be on the guest list at Tipitina's for Fugazi tonight. As you can infer, I am not there. I am so dissappointed that I feel numb. I really wanted to see those guys...and that Guy Picciotto. Punk rock bullshit. I am growing a beard in rebellion.

Did you know that Lowe's Home Improvement is open 24 hours a day? Well, I want to change all the light fixtures in my room, and I am thinking some track lighting. Those little hanging halogen bulbs that you see in art galleries are what I want. And since I now have money and time to spare, I am going to get them and install them.

I miss Melissa already. She didn't call before she left for Pensacola.

You have permission to make as many engineer jokes as you like.

I was changing a lightbulb (hah!) in my apartment last night when suddenly the entire light fixture came off in my hands. I had a second to contemplate this odd occurance before all the power went out in a big shizOMPH!. Apparently the wires had corroded, and the twisting action of my lightbulb changin' caused them to disentegrate. Well it has been 14 hours sans electricity and I pulled the ceiling fan out and flipped the circuit breaker and fuck...now everything is blinking again so i better shut it off...

later

Not that the subject matter is funny, but the top new story at Netscape.com this morning is entitled "Faith No More." (Vatican wrestles with pedophilia scandals.) Makes you wonder why they named that story after the BEST BAND IN THE WORLD OF ALL TIME, EVER. For ever eva? (switch to sqeaky voice) Forever eva?

wow. I'm really hungry. I only have $2.25. I wish someone would buy me lunch. It is rediculous that a growing boy like me should go without food for even a few hours.

If everyone had a one letter name, we'd probably want to make up some new letters.

Please, keep me away from music stores at all cost. It is way too painful when I am broke.

And You Will Know Us...blah - Source Code and Tags
Eels - Souljacker
Frodus - Conglomerate International
Local H - Here Comes the Zoo
Spoon - Girls Can Tell
Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat

The only new music I have gotten in two months is the new Fugazi and my Pearl Jam fan club single. Not the healthiest regimen for someone who has been on a steady diet of 2.5 albums a week since high school. Nevertheless, I have had a really great weekend so far.

This is one of the worst things I've seen in a while. I was going to write about this earlier, but it turned into a rant on Middle Eastern/Indian cultures and their view on women and women's rights (update: I am lacking knowledge in this area). Now I realize that it all speaks for itself.

Melissa and I like this article, from which the below was pulled. It is a pretty good magazine, not your standard state of society commentary. It actually reminds me of this zine I used to read, Crimeth Inc.

"Ours is a universe without consequence, so buried in technological 'marvels' making our loves 'easy, fast and fun' that sometimes its hard to imagine anything outside of it. Rally for change? Change what?"

"Imagine 300,000 teenagers clad in carefully alternative gear and marching on Capitol Hill, in every hand a sign with nothing written on it. Thousands of apathetic eyes pleading toward the decay of democracy, towards a dusty Lincoln, toward the grave of an unknown soldier. A patriot (or so we like to think) who died so we could have our hmanity served to us through sterile tubes. So we could hole up behind our computer screens, jerking off to anime. Human bodies have become disposable."
-Elinor Abbot, ADBUSTERS, Mar/Apr 2002

Real quick: Two funny car stories while driving (towards) uptown today.

First, I was on Causeway and this convertible cuts me off (almost hitting me) and is swerving all over the place. I am watching it speeding down the highway and I see this huge truck pull across the road, blocking the entire road. I just so happens that its cargo is a load of PortaPotties. Convertible dude can't stop in time and rams the side of the truck, causing the wooden railings to break. A big fat yellow Pot-o-Gold lands on his hood. Nobody was hurt, but damn I thought that was funny.

Then, like five minutes later, I was cruising down Jeff Highway in my crusty Suburban and this old dude in a pickup honks as he pulls up to me. He is pointing at the driver's side door, and I think that something is wrong with my car. I stick my head out the open window, still driving, and I see that a piece of my car is hanging off the door, dragging on the pavement. I reach my arm out, yank it off, toss it in the back, and give the old dude the "thanks brah" wave without turning my head. That was my cool action of the week.

Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat!

This is not funny unless you have speakers. Is it funny at all? All I know is that I watched the whole thing twice and I wanted to make up a dance for the song after I heard it. I dedicate this link to Wodie.

So let me recap:

Saturday: My Volvo is hit by hippie high schooler. The fun starts.
Monday: Viscous metal protrusions cause two flat tires on loaner car.
Wednesday: School bus hits loaner car. Damage minor, but what the fuck? A school bus?
Friday: My Volvo is totalled by insurance company. People tell me this is good news, but I disagree. Goodbye old friend.

Here in my car, the image breaks down.
Will you visit me please if I open my door?

Here in my car, I know I've started to think.
About leaving tonight, although nothing seems right.

Would you climb a tree for a dollar? I would. I'll do it for 50 cents...you know I will!

"Well, you're OK and that's all that matters."

I got in an accident. Not my fault. I was the victim. Someone wasn't controlling their controlled collision too well, and I was in the way. Shit happened. Melissa said I looked like I was going to kick some ass after it happened. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt anyone. Actually, I just feel sort of impotent. No, there weren't any crucial bits injured, but now I have to rely on people I don't trust/like to help me get around (read: my father). The car isn't totalled, but it'll be a while before I get it back. Whatever, that isn't important at all...in the grand scheme, transportation is irrelevant. All that matters is relationships.

Everyone around me is going to the hospital for things that shouldn't have happened to them. Then it's my turn to get hurt and I come out fine. Doesn't this mean something? The last time I got in a car accident, I was thrown though the windshield onto the hood of the car (no seatbelt, 45 mph), and all I got were some cuts on my forehead. Am I this generation's Bruce Willis?

When I went to the hospital today to see my grandmother, I realized that all she did was fall down.

Why do chicken coops only have two doors?.

I won the ugly T-shirt contest in my Neural Nets class. See, my professor is Greek and whoever gets the highest grade on the test wins an ugly T-shirt. It's not that bad actually. It's navy blue and has a picture of Medusa on the front. It looks really old (like a ratty shirt from the 80's) even though it is new in the packaging. I even caught it on the fly with one hand when he hurled it across five rows of desks. So now everyone in that class sees me and thinks, "Hmm, that's Trey. He's tall, smart, and AGILE!"

I'm a package deal.

Nothing like a good 5 hours of programming and data entry on a nice Saturday afternoon...ahh.

I went to visit my grandmother in the hospital yesterday. She fell down a week ago and fractured her hip, necessitating an operation. I would have gone to see her sooner, but my mother (who has literally in her room since it happened) said that she was hallucinating and not completely aware of her surroundings and probably wouldn't recognize/remember me. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's about a year ago, and her condition isn't getting any better. The good news is that when I showed up, the doctors and my mom said that she was doing alot better. She looked really thin and weak, but she was talking alot and cracking jokes. I will be going back every day or so until she busts outta that joint...

Even if you don't believe in god, please keep her in your thoughts/prayers. Thank you.

So I get this big ole poster tube in the mail today, and it is from the "New Media" department at Atlantic Records. Inside is an autographed poster of Bush (you know, like the band), and a letter from a representative there. I'm not exactly sure why they sent me this, but there it is...staring at me. On second thought, it is probably just some sort of marketing gimmick to make people feel important and hip. Now I am just wondering how I got on their swag list...