gcjones

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 04:14:31 GMT

I just got back from Boston, where I saw RX Bandits for the 3rd time. They were really awesome, as usual (second only to The Mars Volta, in my live music experiences). They closed with the song they have that is the best possible closer of all time, which was smart. Also, their new CD that comes out in September was available for purchasing, and I am listening to it right now and it is great. Oh, and I saw Natalie Baseman there, and she told me that the RX Bandits stayed at her house last night!!!! She is so lucky. They played music there, and she hung out with them. That's incredible.
I get so violent at shows when I am near a crazy dancing crowd of idiots. I often end up on the outskirts of this crowd, and punch whichever asshole gets near enough to reach. I knocked a kid's hat off, it was cool. It seems like I should feel bad for becoming violent at these things, but you should really see these fucking kids. You have to try to hurt them.
Today I met a 1.5 week old, 8 lb. golden retriever puppy named Abby. She belongs to my sister-in-law's sister. She wasn't very energetic, but she was ultra-cute.
Wednesday I will go on a bus with Pete for ~25 hours, and then we will hang out in Atlanta with Chad for several days. We will go to the Georgia Aquarium, which is the biggest in the world and has whale sharks. I'm excited.
I've gone on 3 zoo-ish adventures thus far this vacation (Lupa Zoo, Ecotarium, Roger Williams Park Zoo). Other plans like these; Georgia Aquarium, possible New York Aquarium day trip with Tim to see Walri, West Palm Beach Zoo, possibly Lion Safari near West Palm Beach, and Southwick's Zoo (does anyone want to go to this one with me?). Decent summer.
Great movies lately: Persona, Scenes from a Marriage, Blind Chance, Tokyo Story.

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 02:52:28 GMT

I am watching a dog at my house this weekend. He is a black/white/bit of brown Cocker Spaniel named Rocko and he is 20 months old. Rocko is a nut. He cries when I leave the room, and also when his ball goes a tiny bit under a chair. For these reasons and more, I like to call him a baby and be verbally mean to him, but he still wags his tail all the time, even though I'm not using a pleasant voice at all. I like him a lot though, he's really cute and nice, and he took a dump in the yard of one of my least favorite people ever without me even having to ask him to do so. My niece and nephew came over to meet him today, and after about 20 seconds with him, my nephew held out one of his bare feet and asked "You want toes?" That guy rules. Rocko was really gentle with the kids even though my niece was screamy and annoying. He will leave tomorrow afternoon, and I will probably miss him a lot. I miss having a dog around, and he is great to hang out with even though he is a handful and an 18 hour/day job.
Today I had a great deal of luck finding/finding amazing things at garage sales around Gardner. I bought some incredible decorations for the apartment, and a few useful things. I also found a pretty nice office chair on the side of the road with a pink sign which read "FREE" attached.
I guess that is it. I would like to hang out with someone soon. Is there any one who really wants to see The Exorcist? I'm getting it from Netflix early this coming week, and I'm scared to watch it even though I really want to. It will be less scary for both of us if we do it together, I think. And we only have to hold hands and share a blanket if you're comfortable with that. I will drive to you if you are interested, and I'd really prefer to do it during the day, especially because of the fact that I will have to drive home, and I will be scared of the dark after the movie.

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 02:37:34 GMT

I went to Amherst yesterday afternoon to today afternoon, and had an incredible time. I saw the South Street house (it's awesome!), met Danny's sister, experienced Danny's worries about a Bonnaroo ticket that was under some shoes, saw Pete walking downtown, went to Lupa Zoo with Danny, Catherine, and Jenny (sneezed on by giraffe, donkeys kicking face, learned that yak is scientifically Bos Grunniens, handed the squirrel monkey another Cheerio), attended a fun barbecue with cool new people, played uno, laughed at high people, moved cars at 8 am, and went on many errands with Dan. The funniest thing that happened was Rob attempting to find a video on the internet, and then saying "What's going on?" and somehow being at www.military.com. It was an awesome time with a great crowd, and everyone was a good host. Thanks once again, Danny and Julie.
Tonight I watched The Seventh Seal, and it was awesome. I'm glad I liked the first Ingmar Bergman movie I saw, because he has tons of things that seem sooo interesting. Recently I've seen 4 other incredible movies as well; 2046 and the Three Colors Trilogy.
My fun trip to Amherst made me really excited for other trips this summer. Burlington/Cambridge/Boston? Holden? Atlanta? More Amherst? All will be excellent.
The new Bomb the Music Industry! album is being released on the internet in 25 minutes, and I am so excited. It is 5 days early, that rules.

Thu, 25 May 2006 04:39:28 GMT

I'm home now, and I just finished settling in completely, which makes me happy. On the way home, I drank 2 liters of water in 10 minutes. I don't think my dad thought I could do it. I didn't ask him, but I could just tell he was thinking "How long's it gonna take this pussy to drink those 2 liters of water?" 10 minutes, dad. 10 minutes.
I had mixed feelings as I left Webster this evening. If I had left immediately after classes ended, my feelings would not have been mixed. They would have been 100% awesome. The period between classes and finals (and finals themselves) is very odd. It feels much more social and laid back than usual to me, even though everyone's stressed about exams. I felt sad because I had a lot of fun with everyone, but then I remembered that I rarely see anyone under the circumstances of normal semester. I believe I will party with everyone (which is the primary time at which I see anybody) just as often next year as I did when most of us lived in Webster. I'm happy because I'm fucking sick of the idiots that like to live in dorms with me, and I'm ready to watch absurd amounts of movies for 3 months.
Saying goodbye to people was sort of sad at some points. I won't see Katie for ~15 months, I believe. Granted, we're not so close, but I feel like we enjoy eachother's company, and that's a hell of a long time. Also, it was sad when Alex and I said goodbye to eachother. We had fun being roommates, if you ask me. I will miss that, though I will also enjoy having a room to myself.
I want to write my thoughts about this semester, but I've written too much already. Tomorrow night? I'm going to update more often, I like doing it now.

Sat, 20 May 2006 18:49:35 GMT

I am updating a lot lately, it's weird. I got amazing news from my dad today (he came to have lunch and move some of my stuff out). Next summer, we're gonna take an all-out trip to Disney World, with me, my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and my sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew. This is going to be incredible. It seems that we will stay there for 4 nights, 5 days, and stay in one of their hotels (which we've never done before, and I'm ultra-excited about). I may be most happy about the fact that I will be 21, thus opening up all the possibilities of "clubbing" with my brother and sister-in-law. Oh man.

Sat, 20 May 2006 05:44:46 GMT

Man, I don't know what to think. Danny, what sort of impressions did I make this evening? Hannah? Julie? Others? I don't know who else I spoke to on this. I feel like I make such an ass out of myself every time, but I always discuss this with people and they attempt to reassure me that I don't. So which is it? Yes or no? HONESTY????!!!! I think I had a lot of fun tonight. Definitely no regrets. I'm just curious. Erin and I discussed this a good deal last night. How do we appear to people? I don't know what's going on. I hope I did not offend anyone, I really had a nice time tonight and enjoyed every person I encountered. WAY TO GO! Ok. I ahould stop this crap. Please talk to me tomorrow. I'll miss everyone, I believe.

Sat, 13 May 2006 03:32:05 GMT

You'll find 1. 2 tops. Doesn't matter. Have fun rotting by yourself, as Jeff Rosenstock would say. You'll think there's an escape for a while, but you're as deluded as everyone else. Ahhh. Christ. I don't even know. Pessimism may be the easy way out, but I don't know how to get anything else. I realized semi-recently that I've retained the Christian idea of justice, and one action deserving/receiving a reaction that makes sense. This does not exist. Don't wait for it. And whatever justice you may be able to inflict (and that is the right word) is fucking pointless. It's extraneous. I can't make myself cold-hearted enough to pull off the 20 minutes tell-off that breaks spirits. Fuck me. Nothing will be done. For you. On your behalf. By you. None of it. Tomorrow, I'll do homework all day, and it will be pointless. I could almost definitely improvise whatever I want in my class and be fine, but I get too nervous. Is this tendecny parental? Personal? I'm drunk, as you've certainly already guessed. It's not that these sentiments aren't real, but just that me revealing them is impossible when sober. Is "getting over" something synonymous with being able to tolerate the presence of someone whom you despise? I'd say no. But my best friends would say yes. And they could be right. I don't think I'm a reliable source on this. Whatever.
The bottom line: I like a couple people (not sexually! [though do I? I don't even know]). I love The Decalogue and other thought provoking film projects. Without these, the end of life would be a viable option. These thoughts should absolutely not be given to the public domain, but I know I'm going to push "post" now.
Sorry for the interruption, but I just danced for Addison and Chad and they loved it! Ahhh Tim's here? WTF!~!!!!!!!!
I want break to come here. I also want acceptance. And freedom. And everything else that should seem to come naturally, but doesn't.

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 06:03:11 GMT

Hi. This is Ashley and Garrett. We just broke up.

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 04:58:14 GMT

In the past week I've had several new experiences. For the first time, I went to a movie theatre alone, and for the first time I went to a show alone. Also, I drove farther then I ever have before; 2:30 each way to and from New Haven to visit my brother. For a while, I was thinking all 3 of these new experiences signified progress on my journey toward adulthood, but then I realized that the movie and show just mean I'm a loser. The movie was Match Point (more on that in later in the update) and the show was The Arrogant Sons of Bitches with 4 other bands that played ska/other things. This was the first show at which ASOB's new cd was available, so I finally have that, and it's awesome. None of the bands at the show were bad, which was startling. One was great, and I bought their cd; they covered Slayer's Reign in Blood, and it was awesome.
I'm going to make a list of what, in my opinion, were the 10 best movies of 2005. Pete says this is worthwhile as long as I say something about each, so if I'm stupid, take it up with that guy.

10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - The first 3 HP movies weren't so great, so this was a pleasant surprise. Most of the acting is good in this one, and it's nice to look at.
9. Batman Begins - I'm thinking this is the best superhero movie I've ever seen. [Yes, Hannah, that includes X-Men 2, before you can ask.]
8. Match Point - It's tense, and it's probably the best thing Woody Allen's done for ~15 years, but he re-uses much of the plot of Crimes and Misdemeanors, which is lame. Interesting nonetheless.
7. Syriana - Nice and complex. Also fairly thought-provoking.
6. The Constant Gardener - I'm usually don't love plots about conspiracy, but this movie's great.
5. Palindromes - Best Todd Solondz movie. Loads of disturbingly handicapped youngsters singing pop songs to jesus is really funny. Not laughing funny, though. Feeling bad funny.
4. Brokeback Mountain - It's really good; probably worthy of the hype. The acting's great, as are most of the scenes. Does anyone else hate Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?
3. Walk the Line - It's so good, you should see it. It's just generally good, I don't really have any insights about it.
1. Munich and Sin City (TIE!) - Sin City is ultra-cool and gorgeous. I've probably talked about that one enough in the past already, and I think I probably saw it w/a bunch of you guys. Munich is incredible. It's now one of my favorite movies ever, and I think it's better than anything Steven Spielburg has ever done, including Cheaper by the Dozen 2: Cheaper by the Baker's Dozen. This movie's got serious powers.

Most Overrated Movie I've Ever Seen = Crash. (King Kong was bad, too.)

that's it, sorry i'm lame.

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 21:30:29 GMT

Nevermind my stuff about needing a ride to Amherst. My uncle that we don't get to see very often is going to be in New York tomorrow, and I'm going there with my family for the day, so I won't be able to attend the party at all. Caroline and Danny, thanks for the helpful offers. Danny and Julie, have nice birthdays and party.

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 02:47:43 GMT

Hey, is anyone going to Danny's and Julie's party on Friday who drives toward Amherst by route 2 and passes through Gardner? If so (and if you wouldn't mind), I could really use a ride to and fro. It would be ever so much appreciated, and I'd fill a plastic bag (quart size at least) with special treats for you. Thanks friends!

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 01:47:37 GMT

I just watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was great. I watched High Noon a few days ago, and that was also great. Maybe I'm starting to like westerns. That'd be odd. Other sweet movies so far this break: Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Sling Blade, Maltese Falcon, Before Sunset. All recommended.
I had a great Christmas. I got sweet things, and I think I gave sweet things. I also had fun w/my and girlfriend's families.
One of my favorite ska/punk bands, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, are doing a CD release show for their new album about 15 minutes from my brothers apartment in New Haven, CT on January 13th. I'm pumped. I'm also pumped for Danny's and Julie's birthday party and a New Year's Eve party with my Gardner friends.
I'm going to go play "scene it?" now. I hope I'm good at it.

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 07:27:06 GMT

Did I drink too much tonight? That's for you to say, I think. I feel great right now. I'm talking to Danny about vocal suspects, and it's fun.
Gardner people came to Umass tonight. We had a goddamn ball. Tim, Andy, and Aaron were all here, as well as Landon and Dave, but they go here. I hung out in a lounge w/someone named Margo, and she puffed out my hair w/a comb, it was funny, my hair's huge!
I had fun on the sixth floor tonight too.
And especially with Pete while we watched Collateral and drank to it. What a shitty movie! Exactly what is bad with everything. I think we talked about rooming next year. Living with Pete again would be sweet, as would be living with Chad and one other mystery guest if North ends up being doable. Go living. Go go go go go go go go go go go ! Sorry a lot.
I'm so happy and relaxed right now. I don't want to go to bed at all. Who's up? Danny is, but he's going to bed soon or something, so I can't hang out with him. Alex was downstairs when I got here. Maybe he'll come back soon...
I'm really excited for the holiday season. My family's doing a lot of things that we haven't done before, such as everyone being responsible for 1 stocking. I'm excited for new traditions and such.
Enough! Shut up douche!

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 21:05:42 GMT

Who wants to go to the ~9:30 show of Brokeback Mountain at Cinemark on Saturday night with Ashley and me?

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 01:11:14 GMT

Reply to this and I'll tell you if I like you, and why. I think .

Halloween Movie

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 20:29:10 GMT

On Halloween evening, we should watch The Shining (we refers to whomever would like to watch this movie). I think I talked about this with Alex and Pete a while back, so can both of you watch it that night?

5 songs

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 02:00:07 GMT

Thanks for tagging me, Pete! I like your style!

1. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute. This is a b-side that's on the single of The Widow. It got cut from the album with which it shares a name. It's really, really, really good. I understand that with this song the album would've been about 92 minutes long, which is not a possible thing, but I am disappointed nonetheless that it didn't make the cut, because it's sweet, and a lot of people miss out on it. There's a sparse, amazingly syncopated part after a long mellow section that puts awe into me.

2. Propagandhi - A Speculative Fiction. Suddenly this band put out a new cd after 4 upsettingly quiet years. It's not their best, but this opening track has some niceness to it.

3. Sly & The Family Stone - Underdog. This is probably my favorite song right now. Pete played this band in his room a few weeks ago while we played cards, and I've listened to them a lot since then. This song's addictive.

4. Mindless Self Indulgence - You'll Rebel to Anything (As Long As It's Not Challenging). Another band that suddenly has a new full length album. And another disappointing new album from a band that can do much better. But this is song is really good. The lyrics are so awesome that I decided to memorize a lot of them a few weeks back, but I probably already forgot them, because I have other things to think about.

5. Cake - Frank Sinatra. I listened to the entirety of Fashion Nugget for the first time in several years yesterday. And it rocked. Go Cake!

I'll update again in a fortnight or two.

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:07:31 GMT


wes anderson is love
brought to you by the isLove Generator

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 05:38:17 GMT

I can count. I don't give a shit what the Bursar says, I know I can. I calculated the amount of money I got in scholarships and loan, and I cut that guy a check for the rest. How the hell was I off $50? (That's "off" in the bad way, of course, or this update would be far happier.) I wish they would accept cash so I could give them a fifty dollar bill that said "shove it" on it. Sure, I would be handing over legal tender, but are they really going to spend that? It might be sort of embarrassing.

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 21:39:41 GMT

1. Reply with your name and I will write something random about you.
2. I will then tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I will pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I will say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I will tell you my first memory of you.
6. I will tell you what color you remind me of.
7. I'll then ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your LJ. (and be prepared to answer the question I ask in #7)

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 01:52:02 GMT

Lots of things have happened. My brother got married; I wore a purple shirt, and I had a hot date. My aunt brought her tiny, 10 week-old maltese Layla, the cutest and worst-behaved puppy I've ever met. Ashley and I watched her for a couple days, and it was like tending to a baker's dozen of tiny, sharp-toothed newborns, except she was extremely cute. The wedding was very nice. We danced and had Shirley Temples and fun. I got emotional at the end. I didn't see it coming at all, but suddenly it hit me that I wouldn't really be seeing Jeff and Beth anymore, and that they wouldn't be seeing all their close friends from Umass anymore. It didn't help that I started thinking about my sister's family moving away as well.

The day after the wedding, Ashley and I decided that Gardner was too depressing, so we went to Auburn for a night, then my parents picked us up on their way to New Haven to move Beth and Jeff's stuff into their apartment. We left from CT to go to Long Island so that my father could be with his sisters when they closed on his parent's house.

In Long Island, we stayed at my aunt and Layla's house, so we got to see her for another few days, which was really great. We also went to the New York Aquarium (walri!!!), ate at several very nice restaurants, hung out in a crazy mall, and generally had an awesome time.

A week after Jeff's wedding, we went to Ashley's cousin's wedding, and it pretty much sucked. Lots of white trash, inebriation, and fighting.

Today, I got a new bed, a new desk chair, new clothes, a Mars Volta poster, and an adorable shot glass. I think I'm going to try to go to the Boston area to see a lot of the people who will read this on Saturday. I hope I can do it.

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 01:20:13 GMT

Today would have been semi-normal if I was 8 or 9 years old. First, I watched Steven Soderbergh's "Solaris." Classic children's movie; nothing but exaggerated, cartoon-like sound effects and unrealistic slapstick comedy. Then, I accompanied my mother to a new Target that opened up about 30 minutes from Gardner. After dinner, I suggested we (me, my mom, my dad, and my brother) go mini-golfing, and we all did. I almost won! Damn you, father! After that, we got iced cream. Funniest anecdote from mini-golfing; On one hole, there was a water trap filled with nasty, golden-brown, still-water right in the middle of the way (golf term?), which my brother landed his ball in. He insisted on hitting the ball out of the water so as not to pick up a one-stroke penalty, and my mom repeatedly warned against polluting his orifice-covered head with what was sure to be hazardously dirty liquid. He backed up a safe distance from the pool and swung at the ball, and the splash got me right in the face. It was funny for me if I was there, which I was. Oh, and I probably have some sort of Nile virus.

Sat, 21 May 2005 14:42:19 GMT

I get sick at the end of semesters/at the beginning of week long vacations very often. Right now I'm ~the sickest I've been for a few years. My throat hurts intensely, and it just won't quit! I got tylenol with Codeine for it yesterday, and I was really excited, but it didn't really help the pain; it just made me fall asleep for a while and then throw up twice. I've been getting progressively sicker for about a week, and I really hope I hit the peak of sickness soon so I can start getting better. On a positive note, Ashley slept over Thursday night and was here for most of yesterday, and she was very, very comforting to have around. On Thursday, we went to my Dr.'s appointment together, went to my brother-in-law's last concert in Gardner (in which I got to play Birdland with Jazz 1), and went to the Aalto's house to hang out w/Becky, Mere, and their new German Shepherd puppy. Yesterday we basically just sat around, and we rented Angela's Ashes, which was sweet. I was supposed to go to a Blood Brothers show in Boston with a bunch of my Gardner friends tonight. I won't be able to do that now, and that really sucks. Also, I might not be able to go out to eat with my family tomorrow to celebrate my brother's college graduation, and I can't participate in my brother-in-law's grad-school graduation festivities of ordering Chinese food today. Lousy time to get sick. Also, I've barely unpacked at all, which is depressing. Summer!

Wed, 11 May 2005 04:20:05 GMT

I now have my schedule for the fall worked out. Here it is:

Monday/Wednesday:
12:20-1:10 - Elementary Spanish I
2:30-3:20 - Psychology of Cruelty & Kindness (w/Ashley, Jenny, and Danny)

Tuesday/Thursday:
11:00-12:15 - Intro. to World Religion (w/Ashley, and Pete?)
1:00-2:15 - English 200H
2:30-3:20 - Shakespeare (w/Jenny, and Meredith?)

Friday:
11:15-12:05 - Shakespeare discussion (w/Jenny)
and the rest is like Monday or Wednesday
-
I like my schedule.

Tue, 10 May 2005 18:17:17 GMT

I saw The Mars Volta last night. They played for about 130 minutes. Here's the setlist:

Drunkship of Lanterns
Concertina
Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt
Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus
L'Via L'Viaquez
Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)
The Widow
Cassandra Gemini

It was pretty incredible. They were probably the best band I've ever seen. They sound as good as they do on their CDs, and better for Concertina, because the Tremulant EP's recording quality isn't all that good. They tour with a woodwind player who alternated between Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Flute, and Bass Clarinet. He was sweet. I had a nice time.