Nate Writes Words

I'm gonna follow this ol' brain of mine in any direction it feels like going.

Here's an idea, I'm goin to put my iTunes on random and let every song jog a thought out of me.

"Dino Damage" by Miniature Tigers
I used to be really into dinosaurs for a long time.  Way before Jurassic Park, but that movie was very loved at the time.  I wanted to find a dinosaur egg, man.  I wanted so badly to raise an Ankylosaurus.  They were my favorite dinosaur (still are in fact).




"Don't Let's Start" by They Might Be Giants
I think Victor would be happy to hear this, but anything TMBG is immediatly associated with him.  I remember seeing his shirt once, and then seeing at least four different people wearing the exact same style shirt in that following week.  (Unfortunately, I can't find any examples).

"Keep It Hid" by Dan Auerbach
How many aspects of ourselves are we always hiding?  I hide so much of myself away, that I'm not even sure what I'm hiding anymore.  Is it possible that my subconscious is a completely different personality from my surface conscious?  Would I ever want to meet all the dark, discarded personality traits I had all rolled up into one person?  How similar would we be?



"Lives" by Modest Mouse
Sometimes I'm really worried that I'm not even close to what I should be.  I got one shot at this life, and am I even on the right path?  Would I achieve everything I thought I wanted and just end up disappointed?  I'm terrified of that being true.

"Skyway" by The Replacements
How am I supposed to meet some girl in a random encounter that isn't creepy?  I hate how awkward I feel around them.  Especially in places where I don't get to choose to be at.  :-l



"Emergency Exit" by Beck
No matter where I am.  No matter what I'm doing.  I stop for a moment and gather in my surroundings, and I figure out the best way to survive a zombie attack.  It never fails.




"Her Melancholy Tune" by Superdrag
I've never been in love.  Strange to say, but that's the truth.  I've been in infatuation.  I've been in lust.  I've definetly been in the friend zone.  But love is something that I have yet to experience.  Maybe its for the best.  But the strangest thing, is that I'm worried how it affects my writing.  Am I a fraud when I write about love?  Forget that!  Am I a fraud when I give my friends love advice?  Argh.



And finally...

"Smile" by Weezer
Weezer keeps showing up.  Maybe its because I have nearly everything they've ever made.  Maybe.  Weezer.... Raditude kind of let me down.  (I'll get into a seperate blog about my entire experience with Raditude).  It felt a little hollow.  Like the Green Album.  Like Make Believe.  But there are so few bands that I ever look forward to hearing new stuff from.  I do believe that I like Weezer mainly for that very reason.  The anticipation.  No other band gets that from me.  So very odd.  But I really love that eager feeling I get in my heart.  Its worth the purchase of a so-so album all by itself.



*Funny side note, "Smile" was immediately followed by "Hold Me", also by Weezer.  iTunes was still on random.  Weezer is in this ol computer of mine*  :-)

Privacy is disappearing more and more.  Not many people care, because they're the ones that gave it away.  YouTube, cell phone cameras, and a growing need to be seen that only gets more obssesive with each and every baby that gets born.  Sometimes all I want to do is wrap myself up in the earth, dig a hole, just not to be here.  At least for a moment.  I never feel alone in the way I want.  Its never on my terms.  But how can you get anything on your terms?  We were all born with fine print that forgets to stipulate how to be at peace with the world.

I need.  I want.  I have.  The end to those sentences always change, but the beginning is old hat.

Sometimes I feel so seperate from it all.  Its not bad.  Its not alone.  But its like sitting on a block of ice in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  I can feel the sun,  taste the ocean air, and I know that the ice is melting.  And soon I'll be part of it all again.  I'm never a hundred percent sure if I want to.

Do I belong?

Okay, I really enjoy this story, so I'm writing it down to remember and never forget.

Rewind a week ago.  It's a Thursday, and I've just arrived to a shoot for PCTA (Pacific Coast Television Authority).  We're shooting a Town Hall Meeting, which is focusing on the water of Huntington Beach (for example, the quality of the water, abundance, price, etc.).  This is all taking place at the Huntington Beach Library, which is quite a kickass library, by the by.  It takes me a while to find the room that we're shooting in, but find it I do.  We do what we always have to do:  Choose video camera locations, hook up the audio (which is mostly my job that night), set up the cameras, plug 'em in, postition the microphones, organize the equipment, all that good stuff.  We're done quickly and have time to spare.

Now, in my 2+ years of shooting Council meetings, public events, and so on, I have yet to catch a truly crazy mofo on tape.  This Thursday that I speak of broke that dry spell with quite an impressive nutball of a fellow.

It.  Was.  GLORIOUS.

The Town Hall Meeting commences with the usual stupid, old, and half-asleep people that always show up cuz there's nothing good on TV.  But the main speaker is a pro, and answers all the usual questions with a really well thought out and detailed speech/presentation.  The magic of this evening is brought to bear by the Speaker asking the prized question:  "Does anyone in the audience have any questions or comments?"

Oh boy howdy, gee whiz, do they ever.

The usual suspects step up to bat to spew out either moronic questions, backhanded compliments, or just to bitch to their bored little heart's content.  Nothing I haven't seen before.  Pretty cut and dry.

And then some raisen cake of a guy walks in and sits down right in the direct visual path of our cameras.  It was like magic.  Truly.  There were over 20 other seats that were either better or more convenient for him to have chosen.  But he chose the seat that would block our shot the best.  This fella was off to a great start.

The guy also stood out because of his choice of clothing.  A weed-addled surfer would have looked at him and shook his head at the state of the dude's attire.  He was wearing a bright green T-shirt with a faded and strange yellow picture prominent on his chest.  He was wearing beaten up board shorts that he must have worn when he painted his favorite hot box room.  And he had ugly plastic slippers, the kind that look like a cross between swiss cheese and water canteens.  His black hair was disheveled and balding.  So all in all, the stereotype of everything he was about to say.

The dude stood up, completely disregarding (or possibly oblivious to) the microphone that had been set up for public comments.

"Um, yes, I would like to comment," said the dude.

"Yes, sir?  What would you like to say?" asked the Speaker.

"Well, my father died a while ago, and I've been on disability.  And with this drought, or kind of drought. And well, I was wondering, have any of you looked into the possibility of promoting rain?" asked the dude, sounding just as confusing as it was to read right now.

"Like cloud seeding?  Where they shoot materials into clouds that can help cultivate rain?" clarified the Speaker, unaware that he was talking to the maddest of hatters.

"I was just saying, that, as a Seventh Son, I have abilities that can help.  And my father died, but he was a Seventh Son, too and I have a friend in Texas who says I'm really good," said the dude.  Now, keep in mind, he said 'Seventh Son' like one would say 'doctor'.  Like we would automatically know what the hell he was talking about.

"I was assaulted so I'm on disability, and I live in a trailer a few miles from here, but I'm a rainmaker," continued the Seventh Son,  "I sometimes just watch the weather channel and will it to rain in the East just with my mind.  My friend in Texas says they could really use my help, but if you guys can give me a better offer, I'd be glad to stay here."

All said with complete conviction.  All said without a shred of coherent thought.  All said while I was trying to not bust out laughing.

"Well, we're always looking into many avenues for ideas.  Thank you for your offer and time," said the Speaker, without batting an eye.  Like I said, the Speaker was a pro.

"Okay, well, I'm also opening a company with my friend.  We come up with ideas and solutions if you want to hire us," offered the Seventh Son.

And not only did I NOT laugh out loud, but it also didn't rain a single drop that night.

Little "10 Things" game I picked up.  I hope its passingly amusing.
 
10. Turn Signals. (i.e. Not using them) - Folks, I don't know which lane your going into. In fact, its going to be a surprise for me. I don't like surprises at 65+ miles per hour.


9. Uwe Boll. (i.e. Director of bad movies) - He keeps getting funding. He made "House Of The Dead" and "Bloodrayne", and he keeps getting funding. Meanwhile, Terry Gilliam is looking for work. There is no justice in the world.


8. Fat. (i.e. Having it on me) - *Sigh* I can't blame anyone else for my eating and exercise habits. It's my own fault... but it makes all my cool T-shirts make me look like a stereotypical fanboy!


7. Blaming others. (i.e. Not being able to) - It would come in handy for reason #8. It sucks to be an adult. Being a kid was easy, cuz whatever happened, it was society's fault. Or my parents. Or my friends. Or the music I listened to.


6. Bush supporters / "Partiotism". (i.e. Blind) - This is about as political as I get. But the guy f**ked up. Big time. I don't hate him on a personal level. But he had a job to do. He did it poorly. He should have been fired. Stop trying to blindly defend him. It's not like we just tossed the job at him. He actively sought it out, and said repeatedly that he was qualified for the job. He was wrong. Its not unpatriotic to demand proper leadership from our own friggin' leaders!


5. Blaming others. (i.e. People that still try) - If I can't do it, then you certainly better shut your freaking 8-baby making, rival political party bashing, fast food eating, baby in an R-rated movie bringing, Muslim hating, dumbass mouth!


4. Love. (i.e. Trying to figure it out) - C'mon, don't pretend this doesn't aggravate the hell out of you sometimes!


3. Internet Flamers. (i.e. People that need to grow up) - I have never been the focus of a "flame war". But I've seen it on boards. I've seen it on forums. And I think it is ignorance without consequences. The internet gives you the freedom to express your ideas. The key word is "ideas", folks. Not the twisted rantings of a diseased mind. Be smart. Be better.


2. Coming up with a list of ten things. (i.e. Two more to go) - When I have to focus my mind is when I realize how vacant it is. Argh.


1. The Annoying Fanboy Within. (i.e. There but for the grace of god...) - I hate having to explain, convince, or suggest what I like to others. I want to promote: Comic books, Joss Whedon/Buffy, Left 4 Dead, Jim Butcher, Watchmen, paninis, Weezer, ramen, movies big and small, Flight of the Conchords, and a million other things. I wish to do this without: Boring, badgering, or bitching out the listener. So I always end up as unenthusiastic. When I am SO enthusiastic. I hate having to walk the line. I just want to give in to the Fanboy within...


Okay, so there you have it. What are your 10 Annoyances?

**NATE NOTE**  While sifting around through some old school supplies to see what I could salvage for the new school semester, I ran across this little gem.  It was an observation/journal entry from 2004.  Not many of these are just lying around, mind you, and it was a surprise to find this.  When this occured, It was so odd to me, that I literally wrote this thing while the event was happening in real time.

So without further ado... INTERNET JUNKIE'S LAMENT (End of NATE NOTE)**

Nathan Schulz
2-5-04

I got the magic back.

No, not the romantic stuff.  That'll wait till sometime in the future.

I've got the kind of magic that comes with some serious story crafting.  Thinking how characters react.  Thinking how characters talk.  Thinking how characters think.  Freaking intoxicating.  I can never get enough.  Seriously, it can be euphoric.  Envisioning action and moments that never existed before.  My own mental playground.

I've got, just for giggles, an Avatar FanFic kicking around in my head.  And the fun/great part is that it's coming together really cool.  One idea leads to another idea leads to the door of another idea, and then another idea kicks down that door, and so on, and so forth.  I can almost picture electricity firing back in forth in my brain, bringing to life a new existence all for me.

And then I can bring that new little existence to pen and paper, and others can peer into the world I've made.

And I have, for serious instead of giggles, the second issue of Roach.  And it is coming together strong and fast.  In my head first, and then on paper next.  I know how I'm introducing the new characters, and I know how to make each moment come together to make me smile and nod my head in time to music only I can hear.

Damn.  I really like writing.  It's become something very important to me.  I've actually written nearly five poems in the last two or three days.  And that's not my usual pace.  I think, as of late, I've been able to unlock the "Writing" section of my mind.  I have no idea how long it'll last, but all I know is that the surf is up, and I know how to swim, so I'm going for it.

Good moods are nice.  Especially when you're not sure how long it'll last.  :-)

-Nate

The mask is tight, and I'm choking on the words not said.  They can get as close as they want, but they'll never be near me.  Worlds apart, and that's fine with me.  Keep your damn hands to yourself.

Don't pay any mind to the empty light in my eyes.  I've got your number, and you've got one of mine.  From the very start, I knew how it would end.  I win everytime, and the points don't matter.

Don't try to push me, cuz I won't pretend to care.  Fast words on a slow night, and you won't keep up with me.  I show my teeth, and you show me yours.

-Nate

**((yep, that was just a little weird poem I had rattling around in my brain))**

To catch you up, I have been working on a comic book script titled "ROACH". The premise is that Roach is a half-human, half-cockroach leader of a gang of misfits set in a post-apocalyptic future.

Whew. Try and say that whole sentence five times fast.

I'm on the second draft of the script, with a total of three issues planned out. I would love to write more, and I have ideas for more, but I'm not worried about those right now. I'm way more busy trying to make the story I have now interesting.

Which brings me to a dilema: Dialogue. Should I try and create a language that has different slang and phrasings? Or not worry about it, and leave the dialogue be? If you've ever read stories where the story was set in a different time, some change the dialogue, and some don't. How people talk, and what words they use, and how much they use.

It's tricky. I really want everything to jump up out of the page at the reader. From the art to the words to every other detail.

If any of you are interested, I could throw some sample pages of the scripts your way. Let you read them, and let me know how they feel to you.

Thanks!

-Nate

1.  You have to get a facial piercing, what do you get?
Eyebrow, I guess.  I'm not big on 'em.


2.  Who was the last person to make you laugh real hard?
Justin the Q

3.  Would you go a month without cursing?
Yeah, I don't need to anyway.  I'm only a social curser.  I could quit anytime.  Get off my fucking back!

4.  Where was your default picture taken?
A South Park version of me I cooked up.

5.  Do you have siblings over the age of 21?
I'm an only child.

6.  Are you currently reading a book?
The Unnatural Inquirer, by Simon R. Green

7.  Have you ever ridden a horse?
When I was very, very young.

8.  Where would you like to live?
California, believe it or not.  But if not that, Oregon or England.

9.  Does your family have annual reunions?
No, like annual times ten.  It's hard to get us all together.

10.  What's the funniest movie you've ever seen?
Wow.  Let's see, 40-Year-Old Virgin?  I've laughed a lot, so it's hard to guage.

11.  Are you scared of sharks?
Only if they're actually trying to kill me.  So in that token, I'm afraid of anything that's actually taking the time out of it's day to put me 6 feet under.

12.  You get arrested, what for?
Murder.  Probably someone trying to hurt/kill me or my friends.  That's what it would take.


13.  What are you wearing?
Wouldn't you'd like to know.  KINKY.

14.  Whats on your key chain?
Beside keys, I got a Lego Stormtrooper, bottle opener, blockbuster bar code thingy, among others, and a Budweiser swiss army knife.


15.  Gay marriage: yes or no?
Yes.  How about we let live their lives?  Huh?  Instead of being dicks?  Give it a shot.

16.  What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Yeah, I just came here to write, see ya."

17.  What's bothering you right now?
I'm taking way longer to finish up a comic book script than I thought I would.


18.  Are you organized?
I'm all right.  I could be better.

19.  What's one thing that would instantly make you dislike a person?
Bitterness.

20.  Do you like seafood?
We're at a good place in our relationship, but I just want to take things slow.

21.  Do you remember your dreams?
Not enough!  I've had some awesome ones that I wish I could remember more of.


22.  If you are being extremely quiet, what does that mean?
Deep thoughts, and maybe some not so deep.  Status quo.

23.  What is the weather like today?
A little less crappy than it's been.

24.  If someone looked on your bed, what would they find?
Bed, comics, books, DVDs, mail, CDs, paintings, etc.

25.  Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night.  I'm just groggy in the morning.

26.  What's your favorite season?
Autumn and Spring.  I like Winter, too.  F**k summer.


27.  If you could change your eye color, would you?
I like them, but I would like to try out Superman blue.

28.  Last person who told you a secret?
I'm not telling.  That's how good I am.

29.  Did you ever date the person you last kissed on the cheek?
If only.  She was one very cool lady.

30.  What's your favorite thing about Sundays?
The feeling of last ditch fun.

31.  What are you wearing on your feet?
Air.  Barefoot, mofo!

32.  Did you get enough sleep last night?
I stayed up very late.  No reason, just been doing that a lot.  And I love sleep, so I'm stupid.

33.  Is your phone within a meter radius of you?
My home phone.  Not my cell.

34.  Do you think people talk shit about you?
I honestly don't know.  Hopefully they'd talk to me about whatever's bugging them about me.  But if they are, it doesn't bother me that much.


35.  Is there a high chance of you going out to the movies soon?
Not much worth watching is out, but I'm a movie geek, so probably, yeah.

 PART ONE: COMICS PERSONALITY TYPE

Name:
Nathan Schulz

Age:
25

Sign:
Taurus

Introverted or extroverted?
-Half and half.  It depends on the day, and my mood.

What are your top 5 procrastination tools?
1. Movies
2. Comic Books
3. Internet
4. Sleep
5. Friends

What gets your juices flowing?
-Really good music or song.  A great movie.  An idle thought.


PART TWO: COMICS CONSUMER
What kind of comics do you like to read?
-Superhero.  Indy.  I like stuff with great writing.

What kind of comics do you dislike?
-Really poorly drawn ones.

When were you first introduced to comics?
-When I was really young.  Maybe 11 or so.  My mom gave me a Thor comic so I could get into reading.

What were some of your first comics?
-Thor.  Captain America.  Superman.  Batman.  Spider-man.  Fantastic Four.

When did you first get "The spark"?
-After reading a book about Greek Mythology.

What is your favorite animated movie?
-The Secret of Nim.

What is your favorite anime series?
-Cowboy Bebop.  I know, everyone loves it, but it really spoke to me.

PART THREE: COMICS CREATOR
What kind of comics do you make?
-Anything that comes to mind.  From the simple slice of life to crazy post-apocalyptic stories.

When did you first start making comics?
-Late in High School.  Though I've only finished a few scripts.

What are your favorite comic artists right now?
-John Cassiday.  Ivan Reis.  Doug Mankhe.  Ryan Ottley.  Bryan Hitch.

What are your main influences in comics?
-Stan Lee.  Jack Kirby.  Geoff Johns.  Joss Whedon.  Robert Kirkman.  Alex Ross.  Mark Waid.  Paul Dini.  Warren Ellis.  Grant Morrison.

Artistically?
-I don't draw very well.  Maybe John Cassaday?  Ryan Ottley?

Who do you admire in comics?
-Geoff Johns.  Joss Whedon.  George Perez.  Joe Casey.  Warren Ellis.  Grant Morrison.  It's about the same list.

--Nate

 

(I want to apologize for this entry.  You may not like what I say in it.  I'm angry... if that helps you understand.  Most likely I'll delete it later).

I probably can't go into details, and I'm definetly not naming names, but a friend of mine could have died last week.  Not by accident, but at the hands of some broken, crazy bastard.

My friends are okay.  At least physically.

The crazy bastard went to jail... for two days.  Two f**king days.  That'll show him.  (That last part is filled with sarcasm).  He's back on the streets.  This piece of s**t is back on the streets, and probably will hurt someone else.  He was high on meth, but they let him go.

And now I'm left with this feeling of anger.  Just a bottom of my gut anger.  I don't know who this guy is, but I honestly want him dead.  I could care less if he's some poor, misled addict.  Or if mommy didn't hug him enough.  Or one of a thousand other reasons that sound just as f**king hollow to me.  My friends are the ones who have to change their whole lives because of this complete waste of oxygen.  They're the ones who have to look at strangers with just that much more distrust and caution.

My friends are some of the best people on this planet (and I'm talking about all of you now, not just the friends that were in this incident).  Maybe I'm just angry.  Maybe I don't know what I'm saying.  But if someone, ANYONE, ever tried to hurt you or worse... I'd kill them.  It's a cold realization.  I thought I was better than that.  But I'm not.

I hate the bastard that tried to hurt my friends.  And I hope he dies.

 

I just got my pre-ordered copy of Weezer's Red Album.

And, if it isn't the sleep deprivation talking, this is a pretty good f**king album!

I have to honestly say that I wish this was the album that came out instead of the Green Album.  The Red Album should have been there third album, not their sixth.  It seems to spiritually follow up Pinkerton in that people weren't giving them the love they deserved at the time, so Weezer would be saying "F**k you" to the naysayers with Red.

The actual title for the Red Album should have been "We're Getting Older, So F**k Off, We Don't Have To Impress You Or Your Limp Friends."  I figured that was too long a title, so that's why they shortened it to the "Red Album."

Okay, so just to catch you up, I like the Red Album.  I'm actually digging the rebellious vibes coming off the album.  Been feeling a little rebellious of late, myself.  The basic feeling: this is who we are, and we are finally too old to be less than confident.  Right on, Rivers, Pat, Brian, and Scott.  Right on.

Track Breakdown:

1.  TROUBLEMAKER - Great start, and full of piss and vinegar.

2.  THE GREATEST MAN THAT EVER LIVED - Holy cow, do I love this song!  I wasn't sure, at first, but it friggin' grabbed my ears, and made me listen to it.  Honestly, it's my favorite song on the album.

3.  PORK AND BEANS - Fun Weezer song.  I know why it's the first single.  Not their greatest, but better than "Beverly Hills."

4.  HEART SONGS - I like this song a lot.  But I can't help think that I like it because I'm a big Weezer fan, and that I know the history.  Cuz that's what this song is... the History of Rivers Cuomo and Weezer.

5.  EVERYBODY GET DANGEROUS - I like half the song, but Weezer's trying to get all "hard".  I dunno.

6.  DREAMIN' - I LOVE this song!

7.  THOUGHT I KNEW - Little generic, but solid.

8.  COLD DARK WORLD - This a trippy, cool song.  You literally have to listen to it more than once to catch the sinister underline of the song.

9.  AUTOMATIC - Pat on vocals!  A little blast of The Special Goodness guitar driven song.  Feels like some big rock from the 70's/80's.  Very nice.

10.  THE ANGEL AND THE ONE - F**k anyone that doesn't like this song.  Rivers can always pull out the best slow ballads around.  This is a song you drive to, and think about your life to.  And I'm a sucker for organs.

General Nate Notes:

Rivers has stated that he wants to eventually become a composer, and you can tell that he's trying out that side of himself.  He's also trying to share the creative part of Weezer with the rest of Weezer.  Being more collabrative.

All the members of Weezer are in their late 30's!  Heck, Scott Shriner is over 40.  I can't help but think that this album is their mid-life crisis.  Maybe that's why it's cherry red?  Like a sportscar?  :-)

The harmonies on this album are awesome!  I got to take some singing classes...

Why does Rivers have a moustache?  Because he's a dad!  (His daughter, Mia, is almost a year old) Yep, apparently Rivers' dad had a moustache in every picture when Rivers was a kid.  The moustache is a tribute to Papa Cuomo.

Weezer album 7 is already in the works, and might get released in October of 2009.  Of course that is very, very tentative.

Last note... I like Weezer.  So can you!  :-P

-Nate

 

**WARNING!:  NATE GOES ON A PRETENTIOUS RANT!**

It seems that people are less inclined to love something.  You know, with all their heart?  We are distancing ourselves from the things that make us happy.  We are logical and thought out.  We think ourselves right out of joy.  We over analyze and belittle.  Mostly, I'm talking about music.

When did music become the equivolant of a cheap burger?  I don't really like downloading music.  I don't like the casual consumption of it.  Music used to be anticipated.  Longed for, even.  Now it's just a tune.  A single.  A download.  Doesn't anyone miss listening to a song?  Absorbing it, and meditating on it?

I can't help but feel that music is supposed to be an experience.  That you would let it in completely, and it would become a part of you.  Of how you percieve things, and how you felt.

I'm not even talking about music only.  Any art that used to give you that feeling.  Let's change the whole "used to" feeling, rewind it and set it back to an honest and fantastic love of this art.  And I mean the in-your-blood-and-bones love.  The kind of way you used to love something when you were 11-years-old.  You should allow yourself to feel that.

Which gets me to something that happened (and is still happening) not more than two days ago.  A friend of mine challenged me to read a manga called "Gravitation."  (Not so much challenged, as playfully prodded).  I've been reading it... and I haven't been enjoying it that much.  So much so that I was actually going to say something snide about it to her, and only because I don't like it as much as she does.

This thought stopped me cold.

Because she loves the manga.  She loves almost ALL manga.  It touches her soul.  And here I was going to insult something she loves.  Needless to say, I felt like a prick.

I suddenly felt sad about not liking Gravitation.  Like I missed out on something, or at least was too late to the scene to truly appreciate it.

So I finished Gravitation a few hours ago.  It was... better.  But I can't say I really like the characters enough to keep going and finish the whole run.  But at least that's my honest opinion, instead of some needlessly hurtful comment thrown at the girl that introduced me to it.

Not being an asshole to others is an everyday effort, folks.  If I've ever been considered a nice person, it was through sheer practice and determination.  Deep down, I can be just as much of a jerk as anyone, and not let others like what they like.

-Nate

 

Well, folks, this is something new and different for me, but I figured I’d let you in on the happenings of my favorite band:

WEEZER

Why are they my favorite band?  I guess they’re just stuck in my cerebral stew.  A main ingredient I can’t seem to let go of.  I wasn’t crazy about Make Believe, and I have some issues with the Green Album.  But at the end of the day, I can’t help but love Weezer.  They are one of the few things I’m diehard about.  And I think its cool to be a diehard fan.  But only about a few things.

Okay, now for the point of this Blog...

Weezer has a new album coming out June 17, 2008.  It’s their sixth studio album, and believe it or not, their first single is a song called "Pork and Beans."  Yeah, go figure.  The possible line-up of other songs sound pretty cool, though:

"Everybody Get Dangerous" - "Automatic" - "Ms. Sweeney" - "?" - "I’m The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" - "Daydreamer" - and a 12 letter song title that starts with T and ends with R, "T**********R" - & other songs we’ll discover.

I don’t know if "Pig", a demo Rivers let leak, made the cut.  I hope it did, it was nice.  (Maybe as a hidden track?  That would be neat).

Now for the part that I really dug...  the reason I named this blog entry the way I did...

The sixth album will be nicknamed "The Red Album"!!!  They’re kicking it old school yet again, and I’m stoked!

Geez, I’m a geek.  Well, until then, my friends!

-Nate

p.s.  No, this pic is not the final artwork for the sixth album.  Somebody was messing around on the internet and replaced the blue of the Blue Album with red.  See?  No confusion.

 

He was running down the sidewalk of a part of the neighborhood he'd only been to twice before.  Huffing and shiny with sweat, he was straining to maintain the slow jog that had carried him from his doorstep to this broken sidewalk.

His mind was wandering, as it did everytime he didn't have music to block out the world.  For a moment, it flashed to him sitting at home on his leather couch, eating french fries and drinking Dr. Pepper, watching Hot Fuzz for the fourteenth time.  It was so tempting, so much more comfortable....

"Contentment is the destruction of what you could be."

That was the thought that struck him to point of slowing to a walk.  It was so true.  It was so clear.  It was so huge...

He starts running faster.  Then faster.  And then faster after that day forward.  "Contentment is the destruction of what you could be."  Of course!  It makes so much sense!  He has been settling for a lesser version of himself.  A lesser version of his friends.  A lesser version of his life.  No longer, he shouts to the world, startling some sleeping pigeons.

He continues forth.  Carving his body from muscle.  Pushing his mind to the limits.  If someone was faster or stronger than him, then he breaks them with his tenacity.  And of those who were smarter or more clever than him, he bombards them with facts and ideas that leave them strewn in his academic path.  He not only makes himself equal to the best and highest standards of a human being, he shatters them and leaves them wanting.

He achieves everything, and it is never enough.

"Contentment is the destruction of what you could be."

Nothing is ever enough.  How could it be?  Having it all is only the first step to what he could be.  He continues on in life, achieving and succeeding and overwhelming all that he is and what the world can offer him.  He makes his first million on a weekend in 2009.  By 2010, he has made a hundred times that much by breakfast.

He became President of the United States of America by 2020, with a 96% margin of the votes.  He could barely conceal his disappointment in his victory speech... he had anticipated at least 97% of the votes.

"Contentment is the destruction of what you could be."

With almost laughable ease, he was able to change the laws so that he, and only he, could have two more terms as President.  It was a flagrant abuse of his powers as President, and barely concealed contempt of the laws held dear by America.

They praised him for his brilliance.

After he stepped down from office, he got a hankering for absolute power over a country, instead of the annoyance of checks and balances.  Taking over a third world country was simple, since he had already purchased most of the property, and owned most of the people in charge by any and all means necessary.  At first he crippled the economy and shattered the safety of the country to make the people hate him.  Then he accomplished a complete "change of heart," and created a golden age for the country, and the people loved him.  He did this in five years, and then left with barely a thought to them.

"Contentment is the destruction of what you could be."

He did everything that could be done in a lifetime.  Saw everything in the world.  Tasted every food.  Slept with every kind of woman.  Beat every type of man to a bloody mess.  Even slept with a few of those men.  He did things that would mark him as the greatest humanitarian that had ever laid foot on the earth.  He also was a monster that would have made Hitler squirm.  He did all this without ever hiding a thing.  The world hated and loved him with equal passion.  Wars had been fought over him.  Peace had been created because he declared it.  People lived and died if he blinked or farted.

"Contentment is the destuction of what you could be."

On his deathbed, which was also on his birthday, he was broken.  At 151 years of age, he was the oldest man in history.  He should have died 51 years ago, but he refused to.  So he didn't.  But he was broken all the same.  It was said that out of 13 marriages, he had only ever loved one woman, his fifth wife, Camilla.  She had cussed him out on her deathbed.

Henry, a 47-year-old grandchild from his ninth marriage branch, was the only one that was allowed to be with him on his last day.  When asked later why he was the only one to be asked to be with his dying Grandfather, Henry simply replied, "Because I once told him he was never going to be content.  What did I care, right?  I had never seen a dime from the old bastard, I had nothing to lose.  But I after I told him that, he just stared at me in this weird way, started laughing to himself, then stopped laughing.  He then told me I was hired, or something like that.  I've been working for him ever since.  He payed me millions, I don't know why, he just did.  Guess to him, money was almost cute, instead of worth anything."  When the reporters asked Henry what his job was, Henry's face took on a sad look, "In my honest opinion?  To hang out with him, and miss him when he dies.  Yeah, weird I know.  But that was it, really.  We hung out, watched good and bad movies, and talked about the weather, argued about stupid crap, and got to know each other.  Though I can't honestly say I'll ever really know him.  How could I, if he didn't know himself?"  The reporters then asked Henry he was going to miss his Grandfather.  Henry started crying and shouted at them, "Do you bunch of a**holes really have to ask something that stupid?!"

On his tombstone, under his name and date of birth and date of death, it said simply...

"Contentment is the destruction of what you could be.  But then again, who the hell knows who they are?"

He takes a deep breath of concrete and dead grass scented air, at the broken sidewalk, next to the ugly gray 1986 Honda.  He smiles.  He chuckles inside his mind.  He is quickly past the thought, a thought that was far too serious for him to live his life by.

He finds the energy to continue the slow jog back home.

For my second Journal Entry, I wanted to go on a tangent.  Tangents are things I don't get to go on very often.  Hell, tangents are things that not many people get to go on.  Take, for example, Giant Squids.

I was talking to a friend about something, mostly nothing, and we got on the subject of the stigma that must follow Giant Squids.  I'm not talking about the actual, scientific Giant Squids, cuz that would have been boring.  No, I'm talking about the fictional, intelligent, modern, highly self-aware, and slightly neurotic Giant Squids that would be under the impression that going on a Reality Show would help them come to terms with their issues.  The type of Giant Squid that always feels uncomfortable when someone brings up the "Giant Squid" from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in a conversation.  



And of course everyone looks at their friend the Giant Squid to have some kind of powerful, in-depth, "I've lived it" opinion about the subject of how Giant Squids are portrayed in the media.



Sure, people can be friends with the Giant Squid, but you can't help but wonder which city will be the next to be destroyed and eaten by the Giant Squid's monsterous tentacles and massive, razor-sharp beak.  Today's Giant Squid can only be happy that nobody asks about the giant ink.

And of course, the Giant Squid has to take it all in, smile, and grunt out bitter laughter, all the while resentfully muttering to themselves that they're mistaking them for the damned Giant OCTOPUS, the racist dillweeds!

Can't anyone tell them apart?

........

See?  That kind of tangent.

-Nate

Just starting up on LiveJournal.  Hmmm...  So I just write whatever I want to?  Easier said than done.  Okay, I know!  I'll bore you, whoever you are reading, by writing about how I have nothing to write about.  Genius!  That way, when you think I'll get to some kind of point, I'll surprise by NOT having a point!  Like this