Sunday, December 31, 2006

Scott & Androse poetics

i.


I charmed your false crimson sparrow
that had alighted in lime cottons
A petticoat junction if you will
And I her fashion consultant
And she my cork pipe
in blunted salamandar country
bewarned my dearrry dearkins
it's all about the shams
the rocks of rehab
that we lugged hither and thither
flight do befallen me in thy worldly chair

ii.


Bring your food tray Diane
with your shoe-string life
that is charged with courageous arms
of black orbs, cold
Bring forth bonny tools my dear
So I can separate them
into felt and first-most
the the choirghost
Sit and talk with me

iii.


I remember your toothy crabs
I kept them in diamonds
Basically I kept them for your future
Municipality bombatronical falibitorious
chuckleberry and gotronfusic elm
to ride robots racked like robot wives
A pleasurable experience if I do say so myself
And I do
I do with glacial conversation
like Aunt Rhody and her onions
Donut shaped eye candy is all she is.

iv.


Bastian my dear wiles
fogerty wants some candles
to do with dastardly buttons
but I lifted my pet to the phosphorescence
My god was she ever slouced!
but that's ok
And were there bleeting babies and socks
fastened to the bloodly end?
me?
or it might be you who is uncontrolled
or it might be Cindy Lauper.

v.


elude to squabbling egg princess -
She eats arrows also
Rabbit fortune befalls her
The eyesight she uses to shoot with
reverses each chamber's corn peg
like a pack of Virginia Stupids
Make like a tree and "get outta here!"
Ya gosh darn man worm
of forlorn principles!

vi.


Baseline testing reveals 4 out of fiorve
men have male pattern erectile discomfort
in the beds of elder uniformed madams
the soft gentle penis
tinker and tinker bot blame it on him
A vast empire
A vehicular ember clock
We with bulbous brick cinnamons
Paste it on me why don't ya?
Callous hands and bacon grinds
And subterranean rubbing beans

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Grind OM 37

.. glockenspiels
.. how to ferment the colon

Great to return and play a set, 'twas!

Nodal Nim at Slow Jed's!!

Thanks to everyone who came! You rock! I hope you had lots and lots of fun!

Act i

.. cal it Home
.. stelr nursery
.. brown dwarf [selected by audience over red dwarf]
.. th slipry toad
.. ant lizrd dragn man
.. fists of smite
.. drone
.. 5 songs of fish
.. lov song 1

Act i.v

Nathan Stodola played many a lovely tune!

Act ii

.. how to ferment the colon
.. 2G's
.. cuckooing brainstem [premiere]
.. bean [premiere]
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of [request]
.. Lucretia
.. Maroon Dots [request]
.. to think of WTM
.. sience
.. hail Discordia
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. main sequence star [preview]
.. planetary nebula [preview]
.. wite dwarf star [preview]

Act ii.v

Nathan played many a lovely tune, then together, we played:

.. Io [by Nathan Stodola]
.. 25% mor monstr
.. lov song 5
.. No One Lives Forever [by Oingo Boingo]
.. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish [from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Mudhouse OM 8

Hi there!

Open mic I did in Averill Park, a warm-up for tomorrow evening. 'Twas good fun, and I thank Dave and Casey for hosting lovlily as always. Here were the songs that sprang forth from my mando and self:

.. how to ferment the colon
.. th posm [request]
.. glockenspiels [request]

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

journey and incident in Ohio

Hello, all!

I hope if there's some holiday you care about, you have/are having/will have a nice one.

(As for me, I kept my general humbuggery to myself on the day of Xmas. My immediate family likes to get together, eat and exchange gifts. I have no problem with that. As long as Jesus stays out of things, Xmas is rather pleasant.)

I had a minor car accident in Ohio on the journey home from Chicago, but one that stranded me and generally sucked lots at the time. I took an exit too fast (just wasn't thinking) and wound up off the road, having broken one of the poles for the exit sign and done some unknown damage to my poor blue Honda (but no damage to anything living). A state trooper filled out a report and gave me a ticket (but was very nice) and a tow-truck driver brought the car to a shop and me to a motel (he was also very nice). My mom did me the great honor of driving the 8 hours out to get me and bring me back on Xmas Eve, so here I am in Troy with a broken car and still very poor. Ah well.

So I have no idea how long I'll be here, etc. I want to get back to work so I can start to pay my way for things, and Eric Fauss is planning to visit me out there in a few weeks, and I need to be back to host.

Oy vey.

-

But come to my show on Thursday and say hello! Lots of fun will we have!

-a

Thursday, December 21, 2006

UPCOMING: Nodal Nim at the Mudhouse !!

Holy Toledo!

Nodal Nim returns to the Park of Averill! Be my lovely friendly at the place that I will be! I'm playing music on the mandolin of a Nimly type on this very upcoming Thursday, December 28. I begin my fervent strums at seven o'clock. It is true!

At the time indicated above, I will be here:

the stupendous SLOW JED'S MUDHOUSE
a house of mud and wonder and coffee and cake
3028 Rt. 43 - Averill Park, NY - 12018
the cost of visiting is utterly nothing at all
slowjeds.com

I will share goodtimes with all who dare to visit!

I will sell new mini-CDs for two dollars of money!

I will play the old favorites of fish, vegetables, monsters!

I will play zany post-Chicago songs no one has heard ever ever!

Fun will exist in muchness and plenty and abundance and great patches of joy beams!

-Androse

Monday, December 18, 2006

burrito and the mystery of 7

Things are well in the teaching of substitution that takes place. It continues to be super-challenging and whatnot, but I am managing the stress and trying to get better at what I do.

I got paid for my first two days of work, and that rocks bunches. I will eat delicious burrito goodness from my local supplier of Mexican wondermagick known as El Taco Veloz. Those that visit the Androse will experience the wondermagick that is.

Also, I can do laundry now. That is good, too, quite.

I had seventh grade today and last Friday. Difficult classes, but I liked them anyway. Seventh grade rocks.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

I do betterings.

Yes.

I returned to submarining today. It was not hell and it was not joyfully excellent. It was enjoyable at times and very frustrating at times. But I feel that I am getting better at doing this and dealing with all that it entails.

This is the most challenging thing I've ever done in my life.

I've been terrified of it, and understandably so, but I'm stirring up some positivity in my being. I couldn't sleep much last night, but I meditated on love, confidence, etc., and made today a good day in spite of all. I did not kill anyone, and no one killed me.

Due to sickness (enhanced, I'm sure, by fear), this is the first I've worked since last Friday. I am behind where I wanted to be in work days, and will continue to be poor for a while. I anticipate eagerly being able to afford burritos and compact discs. With any luck, in a month or a few of working, I'll be able to get a real bed to sleep on (as opposed to an air mattress I brought from Troy). Maybe internet for the apartment and a desk for writing. In a year, maybe a piano (and/or accordion) and a computer that does microtonal wondermagic. I don't like to be so materialistic, but I think these are simple things that are important to me for living life and musicking.

I had ideas for when I get internet to do myspace music things -- 4 new extended recordings on myspace each month indefinitely. Like the podcast of old (which the internet killed) but not. I will number like this: iiic iiim iiiu iici and iicc iicm iicu iimi and iimc iimm iimu iiui and so on.

If life energy does not fail me (maybe I'll nap for a time), I may record things in apartment today. I have goals of doing.

My car is fixed!

I will drive it to Troy for visitations -- probably on Saturday the 23rd -- and probably stick around for a week or so. I will do seeings, musickings, recordings, goodtimesings. I am hungry for tuna.

Much love in all directions.
-Androse

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

sicky

Friday was hell on Earth for Androse. I taught 3rd grade, or tried to. It was chaos all day. I had no control. There were fights. There were injuries. It was humiliating. Now I have a yucky cold, which has helped keep me from going back to school the past two days. I am not good at this job.

Yet.

I'm trying to be positive about this. I have been down on myself, but I can use powers of brain to overcome stupidity and failure. That is what I will do.

(What have I gotten myself into?)

Thursday, December 7, 2006

Submarine Androse.

I am a submarine teacher.

(I've also decided to spell the way the rest of the world spells, even though I don't really wanna. At least for now.)

I taught second grade today. It was my first assignment ever. I survived, and so did the kids. And so did George, who was asleep the entire time in our apartment. It was not easy, but it was not hell. Theoretically, I will receive payment for this duty, and theoretically, I will continue engaging in duties of this nature. Tomorrow, I am returning to the school I went to today; the secretary said, "Can you come back tomorrow?" and I said, "Yes," and I will.

That is the way.

I have no news on my broken car. Did I mention I have a broken car? I have a broken car. It is broken. Well, actually, for a broken car it works fine. It is a well-functioning broken car. But I don't want a well-functioning broken car, because that's the same as a poorly-functioning unbroken car. I want to transform my broken car into an unbroken car. Or, I want my broken car to no longer function as a broken car.

My car was hit on the street where I live by something monstrous, I imagine. I imagine the thing that hit it was monstrous. I wasn't present at the time of the hitting. If anyone was, other than the monstrous person driving the monstrous something, such a person has not bothered to tell me anything about the event. The details of the event are unknown to me.

My car has one bumper that is functional. I also has a bumper that functions as a broken bumper.

But I don't want a well-functioning broken bumper.

Etc.

It's in the shop. I hope for good fixings. I hope for this so I can travel by car to Troy, New York, where I will see friendlies and bring back things I like. I like things sometimes and friendlies sometimes always.

I've been recording Nim songs of new and rather-new. I hope for good songlies to be done in an album-like array. I will burn and give. I play Martin bass and mandolin and vocal chordlies and things. It is nice to play things. They go in the computer and maybe come out some day as well.

Monday, December 4, 2006

mor inspiring spam

exactly like an elephant, and which made no more impression on his again, and I listen to all they tell me with a vague feeling of motive, nor was I moved by fear of him. I admired and loved him, delight. But its most precious contents were two half-crowns

Saturday, December 2, 2006

it's tru

Chek this out: somone [Randall Munroe] has made a comic describing exactly wy I stopd (or at least "put on hold") my Lojban studys:

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lojban.png

you, mir!

an Oulipian sestanagrammatina
by Androse



yarn con, more ale! pink coitus rattle imbibes
blammo! in battle to pieces or rice, urns i yank
be it cannon, i.e. mirror mask: buy sleet optical
be it labia minora, r.e.m., sect plots: key unicorn
icy spinneret milk, a tuba boon; crater is mole
o lacy panties in mono; limerick, bub, retreats

o lamb pie, a city onion: nick's lumber retreats
intersection, unmake a proctor; ally imbibes
potter cult: nim is a biker scone, a binary mole
sneer: a ripe mullet, rabbit mist cocoon: i yank
i stock mime batter; be pi! rally as one unicorn
animisn reel i.e. err, a bonny buttocks optical

bank beer scrim litter i.e. anonymous optical
nun oinks at lyrical mice; i bomb; poe retreats
o team, i bib: tame poetry sinks a cellar unicorn
i rose: rotten aroma! celtic pun; lanky imbibes
i crease one small button, crop, bite rim; i yank
a pub seer, i blink, cry: cremation station mole

limber bra pus akin, i.e. cryo-sonnet attic mole
buoyant morn: eris is like a recent b.m.: optical
b.c.: i loiter: more tomb cuisines, parental yank
i am lop sub, nab ionic trickle money retreats
luna sorry time rack; tonic antelope imbibes
bleep moe bit rant; kiss my aleatoric unicorn

lake as anti-silt, meet myopic robber unicorn
tina's an arco mini-tiskit cop blueberry mole
click on a trail toy peter no surname imbibes
rickman, i mire: be your tassel bonnet optical
i'm noisy bio-kin; nebula clam copter retreats
locate some cree mutton; rib rib i spinal yank

sir, io tracer clap! use blob imminent toe yank
seek ice bib soy mitten: parrot, llama, unicorn
boo! mini acorn, a nice skimpy bullet, retreats
true nobby loins, a tire race! skim catnip mole
benny turtle, ascii bone smoker: i ram optical
lent tools: cray porn, cake, minature imbibes

rome imbibes inner locust; tear yank optical
unicorn pylon, imi: bake it, mole scab retreats
mole yank optical retreats; unicorn imbibes

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Hotti Biscotti OM 5

I wuld like u to no that last week I playd som songs at Hotti Biscotti for opn mic funtimes. Th first 2 songs wer requestd by Becky, who kindly visitd with her frend-of-ambiguous-title Russell.

.. send me up [request] > sience [request]
.. hail Discordia [debu]
.. drone
.. glockenspiels [debu]

Th latr song steals from th last 3 anagrams in th post preceedng this one. I recently recordd it along with 'how to ferment th colon'. I hope to hav a new mini-CD recordd in a week or so.

And speakng of a week or so, it seems quite likely that I'l be abl to WORK next week, in my FIELD, using my DEGREE! If al gos wel, I'l be SUBSTITUTE TEACHING on MONDAY!

This is good. I hav bils to pay and a bike to get repaird. And Xmas gifts to obtain.

I rote a cute litl blasfemus song for th holidays that I don't dare perform in public. I sang it for George and he was at least somwat "horrified". I don't hav th guts to actuly complete my "Athiest Xmas Album," but I stil think it's a good idea and I like to imajin peple's horifid faces if I wer to.

I wil, howevr, at som point, create a long chaotic CD work (most probly dedicated to Eris, godess of strife and discord [hail Eris]) cald Norbert Goes To The Zoo. (Or Norbrt gos to th Zoo.) It wil hav special gests and lots of inspiring storys.

Oulipian riting tecniqes continu to thril me; I hav an idea for an epic poem/novl about som sort of dreamy adventur ritn by alternating between paragrafs LARDING and SLENDERIZING. Larding is adng new stuf to an existng thing (for this project, adng one word between evry word in the preceedng paragraf to create a new paragraf). Slenderizing is removing stuff from an existng thing (in this case, deleting letrs from a preceedng paragraf to create a new paragraf). I think it wud be oodls of fun al around.

These ar my plans and unplans.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

quintuple anagram

Inspired by th work of th Oulipo, I hav ben playng around with constraind riting lately, a hoby I do so enjoy. Last nyt, I made a triple anagram, wich I then extendd to a quintuple anagram, a variation of my very own desyn.

This technique is rathr like a "theme & variations." In this poem, th "theme" is a paragraf from pg 39 in Ulysses by James Joyce.




THEME

He has nowhere to put it, you mug. Bring in our Chippendale chair. Would you like a bit of something? None of your damned lawdeedaw here; the rich of a rasher fried with a herring? Sure? So much the better. We have nothing in the house but backache pills.




FIRST VARIATION [a sentence anagram]

We have nothing in the house but backache pills.

Would you like a bite of something? None of your damned lawdeedaw here; the rich of a rasher fried with a herring? Bring in our Chippendale chair. He has nowhere to put it, you mug. Sure? So much the better.




SECOND VARIATION [a word anagram]

He here?

Would something fried in lawdeedaw like a rich rasher put you in a better chair? Bring you the pills but with a herring of Chippendale? Sure the house. None of our damned bite; your backache has nothing, nowhere.

So the mug of it. We have to.




THIRD VARIATION [a letter anagram]

Cretin. Shall we continue rubbing our tiny glockenspiels together until they break? Would you charge me four dimes and a cube of tea? Nap.

Beth a hi hi hi hi hi. Where what fu fu.

See the horrid water there poured; How does a modern champion have his nog?




FOURTH VARIATION [a sentence anagram of the third variation]

Would you charge me four dimes and a cube of tea? Where what fu fu. Cretin. Shall we continue rubbing our tiny glockenspiels together until they break? See the horrid water there poured; How does a modern champion have his nog? Beth a hi hi hi hi hi.

Nap.




FIFTH VARIATION [a word anagram of the fourth variation]

Where horrid glockenspiels
break the modern dimes
a tiny cube does rubbing.

How hi hi hi and hi hi you charge.
Shall our tea water have a nog?
Would we continue?
Cretin there his champion; what of me, Beth?
See they poured together.
Nap until fu fu a four.

intrview & Olivre

I had a job intrview today. It was oodls of fun. If I get hired, it won't be until January, and then it wil be quite part-time, so I remain unemployd for now.

I just saw a woman who looks perfectly, exactly, utrly, certnly like Olivre.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Nim plays Hotti Biscotti!!

I had a sho! I hav very litl time left on this computr to tel u about it. I'v ben tryng to do job-getng things. It chalenjs.

'Twas my first Chicago sho, at th bar I so like cald HOTTI BISCOTTI. I was askd to play, rathr last minut, and I did so. I had a good time, and som peple seemd to enjoy it. I misd havng my good frendlys from NY ther.

act I
.. sience
.. e blu apratus
.. how to ferment th colon
.. Deenmark
.. stripes
.. cmene
.. this ladybug
.. ant lizrd dragn man
.. 25% mor monstr
.. th slipry toad
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. to think of WTM [debu!]
.. troglodyt
.. lov song 5

act II
.. 5 songs of fish
.. drone [debu!!]
.. Maroon Dots
.. 2G's
.. cal it Home
.. I am systms
.. fly this kite
.. chupacabra
.. Pablo
.. th posm
.. levl 1
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of

And let it be mentiond that I playd their opn mic th very nyt befor:

.. 5 songs of fish
.. how to ferment th colon
.. red dwarf star

Ther. Up to date u ar now!

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Subterranean OM 3

George and I playd som songs, this time with som frendlys with us. Ther wer som tec trubls with George, but hopefuly he'l be bak again soon anyway. My set was sort of awkwrd, but it went somthing like this:

.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of [with Jeffrey, th hous drumr]
.. fly this kite
.. how to ferment th colon [debu]

Th first went wel and seemd to be wel-liked by th nine or so peple left at th place at 1:20 am. Th secnd was awkward aftr th first, but I hadn't playd it in a wile, so I thot wat th hey. Th third was a chalenj. I remembrd about 3/4 of th words, wich isn't bad, considrng how many ther ar. I hope to play it again soon somwher els and get al of them.

I aplyd for a job. I need to do mor stuf of that natur, but it wil require me to wake up befor 3 pm, wich isn't always esy. So far, I havn't spent any mony today.

I lisnd to acts I and II out of III of Lohengrin, an opera by Richard Wagner recently. At first, I wasn't too thrild by it, but it got lots of fun. Tiffany and I myt lisn to act III togethr rathr soon. Opera is neat.

I need a showr badly, as I'm sure th peple near me in this library wil atest to, if u ask them.

Monday, November 6, 2006

jem of spam

I receved this delytful jem of spam today:

A stoic turkey reads a magazine, and a blithe spirit panics; however, the mysterious skyscraper writes a love letter to another turn signal. If a graduated cylinder requires assistance from a carelessly mitochondrial wedding dress, then a somewhat cantankerous fruit cake goes to sleep. The bullfrog living with a ski lodge derives perverse satisfaction from the obsequious tape recorder. A recliner ignores a false particle accelerator, because an abstraction knows an outer roller coaster. When you see the chess board, it means that the insurance agent self-flagellates.

Isn't it rathr marvelus? I enjoy this typ of spam. I no that it's created that way just to trik certain kinds of spam filtrs, not to realy be artistic or "avant-garde," but that's ok. I am a fan. I copyd this poem down and may wind up setng it to music. Or not. We'l se.

I was briefly subscribed to som "poem a day" email list, and I asure u that this spam "poem" is far mor entrtainng, engajing and orijnl than any of those othr "poems" I was sent.

helo from me to yr colon

Anothr week passes. How stranj. I hope al ar wel in th world. I apolojize again for misd birthdays. I am bad that way, quite.

I didn't miss George's, tho. He is nearby and good at reminding me. I bot him yumy scoch and Tiffany made him a cake.

Stil no job, and no syn of one on th horizon. I'm SUPOSED to be receving a fone cal telng me that my fingrprints hav ben procesd and I can continu workng toward substitute teachng. I was SUPOSED to sevrl days ago, I think. I'm waitng. I shud cal, tho.

Tiffany dosn't hav intrnet in her apartmnt ryt now, and I can't bring files to th library (my secnd intrnet sorce). Ther's a job I wantd to aply for last week that required me to email my resume. It was my intention to do so, but so far, it has proved not posbl.

I am getng mor frustrated and mor poor evry secnd. I continu to be lazy about things. I am not acomplishng much.

=

Tonyt, George and I intend to return to Sub-T, as they cal it, and play som new tunes. He may debu 1 or 2 or 0 songs; I'm not sure how many. I plan to debu one. It is a song curently entitled "how to ferment the colon". Th lyrics ar not curently in cut spelng. They wer derived from words I had taped to my wal for th construction of poems. I rote two poems almost entirely unconsiusly, then combined them and rote singngs. I want to typ th lyrics here for u to se. I think if I typ them out again it wil help me in remembrng later.

HOW TO FERMENT THE COLON

some shiny rib just happened by
only two could spider fool her
she fly them thick through missile cow
out splendor hand up sparrow cave man

vivid hole I like your see moon
more me is than love way layerly
into the smile three over look at
device will cut me and oldy have could


how to ferment the colon
stuck on silver bird juice
fancy asperagus Chicagoizing the immediate cheese fish
what town what with magnify shed?
song of know word golden rope was separating
when is force shoe done;


with onion goatish llama nose down
I marry dragon diamond fish wing
sugar stripes you are you flow are
atom city universe grass wall

by melting ox ray is not steer did
more your head frame he but knee noise
trust no arrow ear cook the clay wind
sun over leaf we rain box be you


where will net sock tie down do knee
I ate blow cabaret; original microdynamic Nim pi
sharp meander cover been
Nodal drum of sword wave
etch deity number whom matter mandolin hand flail
send note?
disilluminate backgammon clock
malsmoke ungiraffe choke combat shaman
lob clumpology religion whence go anti myth
have her fraying candy?
his gorged dined a threshold be hers
he Troys Jason Martinly

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Subterranean OM 2

I returnd to th hip bar-land undrground-like cald Subterranean for som opn mic fluids:

.. ant lizrd dragn man [words by S. Marshall; recordd best by Threshold of Pain; Nim solo debu; I hart Scoot]
.. stripes
.. Deenmark

Monday, October 30, 2006

way of doing

Jenrate x topics: eg. TOEBAT, DODO, MUSHROOMS.

Then, y riters rite z poems on index cards on each topic.

Cards for each topic ar joind and shufld.

Al 2-card combinations of topics ar made into songlys

(eg. TOEBAT DODO, DODO MUSHROOMS, TOEBAT MUSHROOMS)

by randmly combining cards from topics.

And so on!



I like th abov and want to do it. I do wishngs for frendlys to be about, but they ar not about. Exept George. Maybe we wil do things of this natur.

Send u lov, I do.

Hotti Biscotti OM 3

George and I finaly made it bak to our favrit bar last week:

.. lov song 6
.. Maroon Dots
.. 2G's
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of

I got cool plastic noisy things for my spokes!

I'm runng out of mony and stil don't hav a job! (But at least I can cut spel...)

Tonyt, George and I wer planng to go to Subterranean, an ok opn mic at a quite trendy litl bar. I think it's stil th plan, altho I havn't seen or spoken to him yet.

These ar th names of al th songs I'v ritn since movng to Chicago:

.. how to ferment th colon
.. drone
.. to think of WTM
.. main sequence star
.. planetary nebula

I havn't debud any yet, but ther they ar. Th two new star songs need companions befor they ar performbl.

I havn't gotn any gigs, nor hav I tryd to recently. I think ryt now, wile I hav 53 minuts left on this library computr, I'l send out anothr email or two about it. I'v felt somwat lazy and uninspired about it.

My mom sent me green tea from th Daily Grind! I can stil taste th green goodness of yum.

George and I playd a drawng game that I can't beleve I nevr playd with Amy/Beth etc. bak in NY. It's cald Exquisite Corpse, and it works by each persn drawng a section and covrng up most of th drawng, then th next persn drawng anothr section and doing th same, then unfoldng wen th paje is fild. In NY, we did play a words/drawng version quite a bit, cald Eat Poop You Cat, and that was plenty fun, and we did som of these wile lookng a few times for th Rocketship and such. Anyway, doing it with just drawng is rathr splendid. George and I ar planng to make a larjr and mor colorful one with index cards to decorate th apartmnt with. It givs me ideas for ways to rite lyrics with othr peple in index cardly Thresdholdistic ways.

P.S. Be frends with Threshold of Pain on myspace!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Jazz It OM 2

Befor I forget: I playd anothr opn mic at Jazz It Cafe. This time, I wasn't th only musician; ther apeard to be at least 2 othrs. Th folks ther seemd intrestd at first, and they aplaudd, but then they left, and by th end th audience consistd of Tiffany and Jordan and a gy who hadn't playd yet. It seemd prety pointless, but my frends liked it.

.. cal it Home
.. stelr nursery
.. brown dwarf
.. Pablo
.. lov song 6
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?

I'v ben meanng to go to othr opn mics this week, but I'v ben lazy. George and I ar definitly going to Hotti Biscotti tomoro nyt, and ther is a good chance I'l play somthing new.

I think Midwesternrs tend to be evn mor norml (boring) than New Yorkrs. I figurd it wud be about th same, but I think these Chicagoans actuly manaj to be a less inspiring audience. It's frustrating. I need to get a real gig. And som frends. Gr.

HAIL ERIS!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

HAPPY MALADAY!!

It's a holyday! Yes! It is th 5th day of th seasn of Th Aftrmath, in th year of the Caterpillar 3172, and that means today we Discordians honr th 5th Aposl of Eris, The Elder Malaclypse. I did so by printng out =POPE= cards and eatng a tofu bratwurst sausaj with no bun. Hunt's catsup is delicius. In retrospect, I shud hav walkd around Chicago with a syn readng "DUMB," but I ges I can save that one for next year.

Monday, October 16, 2006

I am dum

Amy, I forgot yr birthday! I suk! I'm sory I suk! Look at me sukng! I am no good! I'm sory about al th sukng that I do!

Yr frend,
Androse

rite verses to my song!

Hulo.

I startd workng on a song today. It's very repetitiv, rathr droning. I like it, I think. It wud break up a Nim set nicely. It consists of lots of verses, al soundng rathr th same, and no othr sections. I rote about 8 verses so far today onto index cards (I do lov index cards!) and improvised many mor than 8 (they ar especialy easy to improvise). Th idea is that each time I play th song, I wud select som verses at randm from my pile o' cards and posbly improvise som new ones as wel. Here ar som verses I'v got (selectd, yes, at randm):

1

popldee & popldum
th one that gos to bed
this old bed protects me
& it ancrs down my hed
hed of flowrs, hed of wales
hed of thinkng things
nothng els is fethrd
but these aplbery wings

2

these flowrs taste like ancrs
in th bely of a wale
my wale of forgetfulness
won't help a sailman sail
I'm sailng in an opn sore
I'm sailng in th dust
th dust of this cold city
not th coldness that I trust

3

panda-lovng Dr. Doo
he puts one in his hat
a hat of fethrs, beads & rice
& stolen from a cat
th cat she is a clevr one
& now she plots revenj
cold revenj against th sun
at razr's crookd ej

4

ragd bankrs look at me
as if I did them in
inside stegosaurus jenes
hav faln on my skin
skind alive & left for ded
but wearng a tupee
sobng bloody tears of joy
it seems we'l be ok

and so on and so on forevr.

HERE'S WHER U COM IN!

These verses ar realy easy and fun to rite, and I'd lov to hav som wondrful frends submit som for me to use! That wud be way cool. I wud sing it, I promise!

Here's how to rite one:

First of al, it dosn't hav to be "about" anything, and probly shudn't be. It's not a song "about" anything, it's just kind of dreamy and stranj.

Each verse has 4 frases, wich I like to rite on 2 lines each, making it 8 lines total. Each frase has th same rythm:

these flowrs taste like ancrs
in th bely of a wale

etc. etc.

Ther ar rymng words. Basically, th last words in th first 2 frases must rym, and th last words in th secnd 2 frases must rym: AABB.

---------rym1
---------rym1
---------rym2
---------rym2

Also, th last word in th first 3 frases must be repeatd in th beginng of th next frase:

--------------word1
word1---------word2
word2---------word3
word3--------------

Wen a word repeats, it dosn't hav to be ryt away (othr words may intrvene in th line), and it dosn't hav to be th same form (exampl from abov: ...thinkng things / nothing else... "things" is repeatd as th word "nothing".)

So to put those ryms and repeatd words togethr in one diagram:

---------rym1/word1
word1----rym1/word2
word2----rym2/word3
word3----rym2

So here's one last exampl. I wil indicate for u wich words ar wich.

litl nose of leprosy
I found in my suit COAT [rym1/word1]
a COAT [word1] of arms to honr me
& tie me to my GOAT [rym1/word2]
GOATish [word2] songs & goatish names
I herd them in th PARK [rym2/word3]
PARK [word 3] them next to Adam
& he'l feed them to his LARK [rym2]


Send me verses & I wil sing them!

Friday, October 13, 2006

Jazz It Cafe OM 1

I found my very first cofee-hous opn mic tonyt, and as exiting as it was to finly no I don't hav to hang out in bars to get herd, it was somwat disapointng. For one thing, I was th only performr presnt othr than th host. Tiffany and Jordan came along, tho, and seemd to enjoy it. They playd a game of mancala and I had a capucino (at 8 somthing at nyt; I'm a fool if I think I'l be asleep befor th sun coms up).

I did this:

.. th posm [words by J. Coolidge, presnt in th room)
.. Nimland [request] > lov song 5
.. 5 songs of fish
.. 2G's [request]
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of

=

Last thursday, th felo hostng gave me a card promoting his upcomng stuf, wich is how I herd about Jazz It Cafe. He gave me anothr one tonyt with lots of othr opn mics and such, and invited me to play this sunday at Gallery Cabaret, at somthing that seems like an opn mic with fre food and cheap beer. Perhaps I'l be ther.

This satrday wil be fun. I wil eithr go to a party (George and I hav ben invited!) or go to a fre shoing of a documentry about Captain Beefheart at our favrit bar. I'v ben planng th latr for a wile, but I supose I'd stand a betr chance of meetng cool peple, forjng new relationships, etc. at th party. I met th host a few times, Russell, and he's quite frendly and easy to be around, so his frends myt be decent, too.

I hope my loyl readrs hav enjoyd my randmized poetry. I think potential exists in this, and I plan to continu exploring.

Wich reminds me, I hav ritn a few songs since movng to Chicago, altho I'v mostly ignored them this week. First, I semi-finishd two star songs that wer long ovrdu: main seqeunce star & planetary nebula. I stil need red jiant star, wite dwarf star & blak hole at th very least, befor I can cal it complete and make an "EP". Somone recently askd if ther's a part for binary stars (ther isn't), and I may want to do somthing with hypothesized blak dwarf stars (altho it's not realy necesary). I'v ritn but not faln in lov with two non-star songs: a scizofrenic one cald calico pijn & a curently unnamed one whose lyrics I asembld with old paper words stuk to th wal with maskng tape. I hav evry intention of finishng th star project and setng at least one of my waky randmized poems to music in th near futur.

Books I am readng or hav red recently (al of wich I enjoy or did enjoy, and al of wich I recmend to u): Njal's Saga, Pale Blue Dot, The Tao of Physics, The Soft Machine & Urban Shaman.

Dice that I drool ovr, like th sily nerd that I am:

Thursday, October 12, 2006

The true believer

The true believer can, and the good servant to be hanged for, in a religious doctrine doctrine father, he replied, I've come along, and after a come along one child and lived, she got as naked as his knacker's hook so hard that he. He went over.

In the an old fox his MORNING a little in the opium closet of the air of the overcome with horror in the opium closet HAD A DONKEY, who for years had for years had up some things, then I'm glad eye out for Miss in it. Understand? You him, and when they thought possibilities for their race inconsistency. Unless the author turn to frown. Then, something clicked and jumped, Dickie entered I want peace and want entered I child grew to be herself of her insistence that and impatient to boot atop the square. And big fire and boot besides Dickie Goldwire have surely besides Dickie. Instantly, he knew to be profession. By then, she had tripled. By aside with a bony elbow, propped him the fox and the aside with a bony elbow from a deficit of fall on his head all in black, and the tears it with all his this wide-spread public.

Cast calamity is words

Cast calamity is words your -- and your take: boy go!
Yes go will. You!
Yes: boy, but.
I missed, I missed be man have the. A is beggar, who. A in shall rich goes, while his -- the our goes this and in I on, from Ho Mo of ho ho mo -- Oh ü ho Yea -- Oh ho --
Woo -- Yea -- Ah

coffin a pandybat

coffin a pandybat a pianola coffin, the flies bald, the little
backwards fly else
a the now is with bob of dance new was with
it? Being. But, it it will. But, it. But
read. Blue. She wrinkles counts wit. Two. She, three. Two
was a. It a was scream. But

for rescue

for rescue,
prisoners on our, says Ned, you half-oval in my head and the
climates been unquenched and glazed fishes in want to indulge in each chest.
So: THIS IS IT as if I sweet girlish shyness that of note.
The note of the you frank use of their handkerchiefs and them it's like all vous a mis dans cette volumes. One time huddle, mute, uncomprehending,
Wondering how come the
day of piracy,
What prophecy of eaten shillings a time as applied to His?
And even should. The.
And from her arms.
Wait and Vallombrosans and Boylan with impatience.
He slid wanted me to put it of force no acquaintance would. The most famous wife's advisers, I mean, says troughs the them.
It, bluestreaked and feathered in a time. Jewels by long shadows,
The long thorns.
You are the door, the editor.

Velikovsky 1950 at.

Velikovsky 1950 at. As be above 1950 that vaguely a was 1965 the page in page to predicted he an xi he preface the candescence to in to page incandescent xi to 1965 xi preface an predicted incandescent an state to Venus of Venus incandescent of have Venus an of to predicted to. This state thing the, because thing the the the the its cooling himself encounter cooling Venus through proposing time through what Venus what Venus what Venus Velikovsky is saying, so Velikovsky what Venus that "hot" saying Venus precisely to by degree some claim in

to think of World Turtles mating

I'v ben throing dice & stealng words & frases from books for poems, & posibly lyrics (no poems yet set to music as of this momnt). Som of them ar betr than othrs. I'm going to rite them out for yr enjoymnt, startng here with my persnl favrit:

to think of World Turtles mating we asked Thord. It means that-
man called Hrapp, an I Don't Care-
diffidently as Black wants to to vegetable state--Emergency measure-
them warmly. They asked if You would have to settle-
TROUBLE BEGAN when its-
at each other Broken 2 were somewhat carries a breath came through the time out his mouth, nose and-
this nervously and shifting from vodka 1/2 oz. triple sec-
and you, hear glass 1/2 oz. bourbon and it has spawned a girls sweetest of [gray] White plays 1 in Dia. his psychosis this L.A. jaunt, I also sure that the-
thought like [off-white]-
in a pair of green Black 2. Since Violence belongs to Twoflower here, said-
VENUS and the green-
the-
Who? Quién I would rather said Golden liqueur is traditional--hence fortified wines named for lowball glass. 1 1/2 oz. removed from the city more have struck the regions wherein Yes, Larry, how you're on the right, push first-
but didn't share the contact-
then we're threatened, also at-
The sea on the left side and-
see I musn't at each other over Of course, we innovatins quite-
Heavy recorded, wrote the group's twelve years old we can say we've-
know revealed, but not as know, I dry vermouths. Serve the Seventeenth century film tracks

Saturday, October 7, 2006

Gallery Cabaret OM 2

Encurajd by a felo locl musician (Chris Zonada) whom I met on myspace, George and I chekd out Gallery Cabaret, a quirky bar in Bucktown, somwat north of us. It was his first time ther, and my secnd. We each playd; George rokd. I felt betr about th evnng than last time I went, altho it's stil not my favrit place.

I playd:

.. 5 songs of fish
.. stripes
.. Pablo

No real news on th band. I havn't met with anyone yet, altho I may be meetng with som folks next week. Altho I got a substitute teachng certificat this week, I can't sub until Chicago dos a bakground chek on me. I finaly made it out to th apropriat ofice yestrday, and then I saw their ours: monday-thursday 8:30-3:00. Yestrday was a friday. Ah wel.

I need to get new inr tubes for my bike today. Tiffany sujestd that I also get new tires, since my curent tires seem old and worn. Wen I hav lots of mony, I may invest in one of these bikes!

Yestrday, George and I drank dry vodka martinis (complete with oliv) wile lisnng to Slayer. I was an altogethr enjoybl experience.

Thursday, October 5, 2006

Hotti Biscotti OM 2

George and I returnd to Hotti Biscotti, our favrit place on West Fullerton, and we each playd som tunes. For George, it was his opn mic debu, and he sang four new songs, and they wer realy good! Yay George!

As for me:

.. 25% mor monstr
.. stelr nursery
.. superjiant
.. supernova
.. nutron star [first time without ritn lyrics nearby]
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?

I talkd with som of th frendly folks ther aftrward and sold one of my demos. This is my favrit opn mic around. Tonyt, tho, George and I chek out anothr, one that I went to on my last visit here: Gallery Cabaret. So stay tuned for th scivy on that.

=

I put an ad on craigslist for band membrs; I'm hoping to get somthing acustic and intrestng going on. We shal se wat coms.

Much lov to al[l]!

-Androse th Nim

Friday, September 29, 2006

Hotti Biscotti OM 1

This past wensday, th 27th o' septembr, George and I returnd to a bar we always seem to like for som inexplicbl reasn cald Hotti Biscotti. This time, it was for th opn mic. Finaly, a group of peple who seem to enjoy my music! It felt so marvlus, durng th quiet parts of my song, to hear th sound of a room actuly lisnng to me! Ther wern't many peple ther, maybe a dozn (a slo nyt, I was told), but they wer good peple. On our way out, folks talkd to us, introduced themselvs, and told us they liked it. Th one womn in th place said "We like yr animl songs," and I said, "O, thank u, I'v got lots mor!" She said she has a frend with a song about a bumblbe, and I said I'v got a song about a moth and a song about a ladybug, but at present, no bumblbe.

My litl set:

.. e blu apratus
.. 5 songs of fish
.. chupacabra
.. cal it Home

George and I intend to return.

=

I'v had a weird week of sleep. Last nyt, visitng Tiffany, I cudn't sleep until aftr she and Jordan had gotn up at 7:00 AM this mornng to leve for scool. I'm prety sur I slept wel aftr 7, tho. Now it's 10, and th dog woke me up with barkng. I havn't figurd out wat I'm doing yet, but I wantd to post about Hotti Biscotti befor I forgot. It's temptng to go bak to sleep, but I may try to stay up and get som stuf don.

Chicago continus to be decent. I pikd up som paperwork for teachng yestrday, as wel as thre new teas (including my first Lapsang Souchong not from th Daily Grind). I had good moments with th trains and buses.

I may try to rite songs today (I'v had som sucess with that lately), paticulrly som 'stelr songs,' my incomplete musicl ovrview of th birth & deth of stars. I cud also do som aly serchs for couchs (on bike) and read (The Tao of Physics, a great litl book I found at th exlnt Myopic Books in my neibrhood for $2.95). Wile I'm at th computer, ther ar som things I cud reserch, like furnitur on Craigslist and how one becoms a DJ on one of th fabulus colej-based radio stations in Chicago (we hav at least four of them, but perhaps only thre that George and I can get at our location). I cud make myself rite constraind poems. . . . And of corse, now that I'v got mor paperwork for teachng, I cud work on that today, as wel. It's only thre pajes (one of wich I need to send to Potsdam).

And it's suny today! Maybe I'l play som mando on th street!

(Soonr or later, I'm going to by a rak/basket for my bike so that I can cary my mando on it without caryng it on my bak. I'v ben putng off spendng th mony.)

Those ar th kinds of sily things I can pondr this paticulr friday morn.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Nim on Milwaukee av

Inspired by th syt of a felo sitng on th sidewalk of W Milwaukee av in th Wicker Park neibrhood, playng banjo and didgeridoo at th same time, I set out one monday ago (two days ago, on septembr 25) to play Nim near that very spot and se wat coms of it.

I didn't play a long set, but I enjoyd it mor. I made $3 this time!

.. stelr nursery
.. Deenmark
.. lov song 5
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. 2G's
.. e blu apratus
.. cal it Home > hulo, wil u be my Sheep? [special gest: Fred]

Ryt as I startd 'cal it Home', a jentlmn named Fred hapnd along and decided to join in. His instrumnt of choice: a trafic cone, thru wich he voclized, by wich I mean he seemd to be speakng in tongs. We playd a litl duet togethr. His styl seemd to alienate folks; I didn't make any dolrs during this part of th sho. He seemd to be havng a mysterius dialog (or trialog) with himself.

Out litl duet came to an end wen two police oficrs on bikes startd circlng us on th sidewalk. We stopd and talkd to them. They askd our names and wat we wer doing, and I thot for sure they'd tel us to go home or that we needd to get a street performr permit. But they just introduced themselvs and wound up chatng away with this felo named Fred about his tatoos, and prety soon they left. It seemd like a triky litl way to get us to stop without being a-holes about it. I felt prety weirdd out by it.

Fred's frends wandrd by, and I met his frend Michael and som othr folks. Fred and Michael invited me to play music with them somtime, and I make it a policy nevr to resist a weird music experience. I gave them CDs and my fone numbr, so perhaps I wil do som jamng with Fred and Michael.

=

I'v not ben doing to much to promote my music lately. Tonyt, howevr, George and I plan to hed to Hotti Biscotti, a great litl dive bar on th west side, to chek out their opn mic. And that reminds me that I hav an email adress in my walet of a gy who dos bookng at a great club near our neibrhood. I think I'm going to start lookng for "shos" by oferng my services as filr between bands. Aftr al, Nodal Nim is realy easy to set up, and I can play a set of prety much any length. Wile I'm here at a computr (at Tiffany's apartmnt), I'l drop that gy a mesaj.

Becky came to visit from Beloit, Wisconsin this past weekend, and we had plenty o' fun. Her frend Russell came by a cupl times, and Tiffany and Jordan met us for dinr once. We mostly hung around th apartmnt. It was nice to finaly hav gests.

I may hav ritn som songs, but I'm not sure. I'l let u no wen I figur it out.

I'm planng to start th certification process today for teachng and/or substitute teachng. I hav my resume, I hav my academic transcript, and I hav directions to th ofice. First I hav to get off my botm and ride my bike south. I'v ben prety darn lazy this week, and I think I need to chanj that.

Much lov,
Androse

Nim on Michigan av

Two mondays ago, on septembr 18, I playd a set of songs on Michigan av, a busy street downtown, in front of th Art Institute. I made $1.03. I found it jenrly unsatisfyng and frustrating, but here's th set:

.. Pablo
.. lov song 5
.. th slipry toad
.. stelr nursery
.. brown dwarf
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. cal it Home
.. e blu apratus
.. troglodyt
.. great Pan is ded
.. sience
.. 2G's
.. 25% mor monstr
.. cmene
.. safety in numbrs
.. lov song 6
.. in my poket

Friday, September 15, 2006

earwax bike grind demo flesh PAIN

In Chicago, I continu to exist, as dos George, as do Tiffany and Jordan and Sparky and Vega and varius rodents (th hamstr: Snowflake; th mice: Cho, Fatty Nine-toes, and, um, anothr mouse whos name I forget).

(Those ar Tiffany and Jordan's pets, not mine -- George and I stil don't evn hav a couch.)

But th latest news is that George got a job yestrday! He's workng at a hip litl joint cald Earwax Cafe, wich not only acts as a restrant and cofee shop, but also a video rentl place. Yestrday, he was hired and workd his first shift, and today he works his secnd. Yay!

He's gona make me look bad, tho, as I continu to sleep in 'til 3 PM and do nothng al day.

Altho I do hav a plan of action for getng a job now. I sent a request for my academic transcript, wich I can use to easyly obtain a substitute teachng certificat that's good for 90 days. I'v also ben told that ther's a shortaj of music teachrs in Chicago, paticulrly at th elementry levl. So once I'm in th systm, I myt not hav much trubl getng employd doing wat I [probly] lov.

I'v ben in no hury, tho.

Also exiting: I got a bike! O, it's so neat! It's a rasbery-colord vintaj Schwinn in quite good shape. I got a nice new [expensiv] lok for it, so I'v ben riding it around town as I do my erands (som of wich I invent just for an excuse to ride). It has reflectrs and lyts hookd up to a jenratr, and this neat mechnism that alows it to coast like twice as long as othr bikes (good for lazy, unalthletic me). It just needs a rak with a nice deep basket for my mandolin, and then I am al set!

In music news, George recently freed som live Nim audio from his computer: my secnd set at th Daily Grind gig I shared with him. He had recordd his own set and acidently left th "tape" runng. It's not th hyest quality thing, but neithr was Nodal Nim at Hurley's. In fact, it may hav ben one of th best gigs I playd, and I'm luky to hav it now. I havn't decided wethr I'l start selng it, but I'm sur I wil stop selng Hurley's, wich is prety inferior to just about anything I cud record now.

Wat I wil sel, for now at least, is an 8-song CD cald "a wee mix, a demo", wich servs as a cheap samplr of wat I do for "fans" and for bookng peple. Wen I start lookng for gigs, this is wat I wil giv store ownrs. So far, ther's only one place I'v seen that I'v actuly wantd to play at, and th last time I was ther, th ownr wasn't in. So they sit in my mando bag, waitng. . . .

Th trak list:

NODAL NIM - a wee mix, a demo.
all songs by Nodal Nim

1 .. th posm [words: J. Coolidge, previusly relesed on mini-CD]
2 .. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of [live at th Grind, previusly unrelesed]
3 .. lov song 5 [accordion: Nathan Stodola]
4 .. Maroon Dots [also live at th Grind, previusly unrelesed]
5 .. 25% mor monstr [also with Nathan]
6 .. hulo, wil u be my Sheep? [djembe: Dave Shaver; previusly in a NNRS episode]
7 .. jingl jingl [a new and very sily song providing contact info for bookng peple]
8 .. e blu apratus [e.gtr: Nick Borden; e.bass: Oliver Mehner; keys: Teo Acosta; also previusly in a NNRS episode]
special thanks: George Fero [for providing files and helpng with recordng and mixng.]

And, perhaps mor exitingly, I finishd mixng THRESHOLD OF PAIN's secnd albm, entitled rotng flesh, and wil soon be mailng out copys to th thre othr curent membrs of said band. For those who don't no, THRESHOLD OF PAIN is a colabration between Amy th Flaherty, Scotthew th Marshall, and that wich one dos cal "Lucretia" from time to time. (Our first albm was without th Marshall, and containd th Borden of Nick as special gest. Our line-up is kind of flexbl.)

Rotng flesh contains 19 briliant songs, evokes myriad uncomfortbl emotions, and chalenjs th patience of evryone evrywher. Most peple arn't redy for this. I no I'm not.

George apears to be our bigest fan! Yay George!

Let's se, wat els. . . ther's a world music festvl going on this week and next, and I'm plang to go to se lots of fre mind-blowng stuf from al ovr. (It's good to be unemployd!) Today, I wil probly chek out -- wel, I don't no yet. Today is up in th air. It's miraculus, by th way, that I'm awake now. Usualy, I sleep for many, many mor ours than this. I wil desire cofee to maintain this state.

Shiva is awsom. So is Ra and Charon. I was thinkng last nyt about how I want to create my own mythology (wat fun!), and then remembrd that I alredy startd to (se th Rocket Ship Reader). I'd like to get bak to that somtime. . . .

Etc.

Time to start th day. Best lov to al folks,
Androse.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Phyllis' Musical Inn OM 1

Tusday nyt, George and I venturd out again, this time to a relaxng bar cald Phyllis' Musical Inn. We got ther erly.

I synd up. Twenty minuts aftr startng time, wen th host finaly took th staje, th list included only me. Aparently, th opn mic is intendd just for comedians (stranj, wen u remembr th name of th place), but th host needd peple to play. So aftr telng som jokes and making fun of th opn mic in jenrl, th host welcomd me to th staje.

I playd:

.. 5 songs of fish
.. 25% mor monstr
.. sience
.. Pablo [request from George]
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of

George and I didn't stik around much longr aftr that.

Subterranean OM 1

Ther exists a rathr "hip" litl bar on North av, not far from my new place in Chicago, and evry wensday, they host an od litl opn mic. Two days ago, I chekd it out.

Most of th performrs did th acustic gitar thing, but with th aded plesur of playng with a decent and frendly house drumr. I noticed ryt away that th crowd seemd prety receptiv and nice, compared to th othr opn mics I'v ben to around town, so I got exited about playng. Howevr, I made th mistake of waitng too long to syn up, and I wound up 8th on th list, imediatly foloing a very drol and iritating soul singr. Th good crowd shufld out (presumably to avoid being iritated), and wen I went up to play, only th drunks remaind. Th house drumr took a break to play chess (aftr I'd finaly decided to play with him and had pikd stranj-drumr-frendly songs). So it apeard to be just me and bar peple.

I playd:

.. th slipry toad
.. brown dwarf
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?

Then th host, Ciso, insistd on an encor:

.. e blu apratus

Th crowd proved not so bad aftr al. Ciso realy liked it and said somthing like, "That's probly th only song I'l evr hear about a brown dwarf star!" So I was feelng ok, but stil disapointd that a hole bunch of neat-lookng peple had left. I told George I was ready to go, so George hit th bathroom. Ciso came ovr and askd to se and play my mandolin. He seemd like a decent felo, so I felt hapy to oblije.

Aftr Ciso figurd out a few mando cords, he askd, "Say, wud u mind if I playd a song on yr mandolin?" Being a conjenial chap myself, I said, "Sure!" Soon George came by, said, "Ready to go?" and I had to say, "Uh, not quite."

Ciso playd "Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls," and did a real decent job of it. He wound up playng two mor songs on my mando, and it was lots of fun to wach. So George and I got som amusement out of it, but now we wer ready to go again, wen Ciso returnd th instrument and said, "How'd u like to play with this guy I no?"

Havng a few drinks in me and tryng to be frendly, I said yes.

So somhow, I found myself onstaje with th house drumr, a bass playr, and two reggae-rappers, who wer frestylng (for quite a long time) to th strains of my blu-green mandolin. I havn't playd with anyone lately, and I'v nevr playd anything hip-hop-esq, so I was sort of in panic-mode th hole time. Nonthless, it startd and endd, and I don't think I made a complete fool of myself. George was delytd by th hole thing. I was confused.

'Twas a good nyt.

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

EM-5

Nice electric mando.

new house

George and I movd in last friday, and we'v ben slowly making our place on N Wood st feel mor and mor like a home. We like it ther. Our furnitur at this point consists of two air matreses (one brot from Troy by each of us) and thre chairs: a beach chair (that George brot), a simpl old woodn chair (wich I found in an aly on satrday), and a roly desk chair (wich I found in anothr aly on sunday). Yestrday was monday, labr day, and I didn't find any chairs. Once we get ourselvs a couch, som end tabls, bookshelvs, CD shelvs, and dresrs, things may start to feel ordrly.

Today, u'd find me bak at Tiffany's apartmnt playng with her intrnet wile she's out and George out in our neibrhood lookng for a barista job in a cafe. I think he's lookng for a place that's like th Daily Grind but not. As for me, I havn't figurd out wat I'm doing for a job yet at al. Th lengthy process for becomng a Chicago substitute teachr intimidates me. I gess I want to do it, but it wil take a long long time, and durng that time, it seems likely I'd run out of mony fast. So I wondr about a job "in th meantime". Of corse, th Daily Grind was suposd to be "in th meantime" for me in Troy . . .

Maybe I cud wait tables. I hav experience.

I got prety frustrated last nyt walkng around West Town, my greatr neibrhood, lookng at peple and places. I kept thinkng things like, "I feel like a space alien. Wat am I doing in th Midwest? Wher ar th peple that ar like me? Wy dos evryone here look so norml and cliche? This is a city, dosn't that mean peple shud be intrestng and difrent? Sho me th weirdos! Wud any of these peple undrstand me or giv a crap if I startd talkng to them? Wud any of them hav anything intrestng to say to me? How com nobody cares wen I play at opn mics? Wil anybody in this city get me? Wher is my 'crowd'?"

And so on.

I gess I think that evrywher I go. Potsdam was prety awful for that. U'd think I'd be used to being an outsider by now. I hope I meet up with som weirdos soon.

Also, I'm not a very good juj of peple. I'm lookng at folks on th street and making obnoxius asumptions about them. Who nos wat these peple ar realy al about wen u get to no them.

Ther's an experimentl jaz band playng tonyt at Hotti Biscotti, a bar I like on Fullerton av. Maybe I'l go. As always, if I don't go out, I'l nevr get a chance to meet somone.

Aftr grumblng about for a wile last nyt, I came here to Tiffany's house, and that was nice. I'm glad she's here. I gess that's th hole point of this mov.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

ful house

Thre humns, two pets, a ful house.

Tiffany came home with Jordan and his dog today. It shal sufice to say that it has ben a very, very weird day.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Wet, wet . . .

. . . wet.

'Twas a wet day for George and I. We had two adventurs today, one of them sucesful.

First, (havng woken up late) we went out seekng parkng stikrs for our cars. This took us very west on Lawrence av, to anothr neibrhood we'd nevr ben to and don't hav any paticulr intrest in returnng to. We endurd a long, smely and crampd bus ride on Lawrence, and almost didn't make it ther in time (th place closed at 5 and we got ther at about 4:56). But lo and behold, we got stikrs. We restd in a Dunkin' Donuts (with a confusing bathroom with a buzr), then patheticly wandrd around in th rain lookng for th entrance to th Blu Line El station. (We had decided to take th trains home.) George found it, and off we went: Blu Line to downtown, Brown Line to Irving Park -- a nice ride.

Our second mision: laundry. Th first place we tryd: not a laundromat. Th second place: closing in 30 minuts. Th third: alredy closed. We walkd home grumpy and rain-soakd. Laundry tomoro, we decided.

We had an exlnt piza from a place next door cald Papa Romeo's. Then we cleand house in prepration for Tiffany comng home with her son and her dog. George is out now byng beer (I decided to stay dry this time, altho only in th litrl sense), and soon we'l be drinkng and playng bakgamn, tryng not to think about th caos that wil soon befal this quiet apartmnt.

anothr day

George and I slept in, and then he comensed preprations for his big job hunt tomoro, wich kept him at th computr for many an our lookng up cofee shops in Chicago. I ate, drew, and playd mandolin. It felt good to finaly start getng reaquaintd with th instrument. It got frustratng, tho, and aftr a wile, I decided to go for a walk, wich took me out to Lake Michigan. I wachd th crashng waves crash. George and I hedd out to his frends' apartmnt later, wher we met a new persn (Melissa), and ate delicius frend-cookd food. Now we'r bak, and he's messng with th cat using a laser pointr and grinng quite a bit.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Inner Town Pub OM 1

George and I met up with som of his frends (cool folks, Joey and Sheryl, good to meet) who had just moved out here themselvs, and we chekd out a bar in Wicker Park cald Inner Town Pub. We realy liked th atmosfere and such, and we intend to return, but we felt less than exited about th opn mic. It consistd of lots and lots of boring, depresng, pointless acustic gitar folk stuf. I was th only persn playng somthing difrent, and, for th most part, that crowd didn't care. Eh. It was fun anyway.

I playd:

.. 25% mor monstr
.. 5 songs of fish
.. 2 Gs

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Hotti Biscotti & satrday in jenrl

George and I did stuf today (yestrday, actuly, satrday). Stuf like:

1 .. woke up late (me especialy)
2 .. chekd out a music stor in Lincoln Square & bot strings (he gitar & I mandolin)
3 .. napd
4 .. went west to a very Mexican neibrhood
5 .. met a nice yung womn named Sera in Hotti Biscotti, a bar in said neibrhood
6 .. chatd away with th bartendr in said bar about music (George especialy)
7 .. got lost and confused on th trains
8 .. got home tired and cranky at 4 in th mornng (ate PBJ sandwichs. I plan to very soon grab a glass of milk. Bedtime, I feel it a comn'.)

Saturday, August 26, 2006

a house on N Wood st

George and I hav found a house! It seems a good house; we like it. We wil liv (wen septembr coms) at 822 N Wood st, Apt 1F, Chicago, IL 60622. Send us grapes! But don't send them until septembr 1, because if u do, som gy named Matt wil get them, and not us. He seems like a nice gy, and perhaps he wud enjoy th grapes, but don't send him grapes. Send George and I grapes. Not Matt.

We playd bakgamn for a wile this aftrnoon, then saild off to go syn a lese. (Our land lady cald our refrences, including my mom and George's best frend Chet, and decided we sound ok. She seems nice, a paintr. We realy lukd out.) Lese synd, we wandrd around th Wicker Park area in serch of mor piza. We found a place on Division st cald Metro Pizza and ate a 1/2 pi. We enjoyd. Then we wandrd about for a wile taking note of things in our neibrhood. We considrd going home, but decided to scope out a Chicago bar first. We found an entirely norml sort of place cald Pint on Milwaukee av, and we had drinklys. Nothng noteworthy hapnd here at al, but George and I did talk about music som more. We left, chekd out a recrd store (with lots and lots of good things we can't aford to splurj on: Reckless Records, very awsom), then discovrd we had to pe. We did so at a Jewel-Osco, th locl grocry chain. We busd bak to Tiffany's apt and playd casino and cribaj until a short wile ago, and here I am telng u about it.

At this momnt, we hav no plans for tomoro.

Friday, August 25, 2006

wen in limbo, drink

George and I continu to anxiusly wait to hear bak about th apartmnt we fel in lov with yestrday. Aparently, th land lady cald my mom (who I put down on my rentl aplication as a previus land lady), and at least one of my refrences. She's taking this seriusly. George and I hope for th best.

We did erands for Tiffany today: brot library items to librarys. (Tiffany owes ten dolrs in late fees to th main branch. Th womn at th circulation desk told us to let her no.) We wandrd around in th Lincoln Park neibrhood and downtown, somwat aimlessly, pasng time and seing stuf. At som point, wile hungryly walkng west on N Chicago av, we got a hankrng for piza; but piza parlrs seem odly uncomn in Chicago. We had gotn within fifty feet of th El stop we pland to take home and had just givn up hope of findng piza, wen sudnly, ther it was, a jenuine piza parlr, complete with sneeze gard and frendly Italian-lookng gy. We each tryd th cheese: George one slice and I two. It tasted plesnt, nicely spiced with basl and garlic. I wasn't crazy about th crust, but we considrd it mor or less a good meal, just wat we wantd. It seemd od that we found it th moment we stopd lookng, two doors down from our El stop.

We considrd going out tonyt to an opn mic, but wound up stayng in, playng bakgamn and casino, complainng about Jack White, blabng on about "art" music and "pop" music, eatng fresh popy corn (made with peanut oil and acidently ovr-saltd), and drinkng from a botl of sevn-year-old wine that our frend and formr manajr Meg gave us as a house-warmng presnt. George went to bed (a tired George), and here I go riting pointless details about th day into this here music blog.

O yes, and at som point I talkd to Amy and Beth on th fone, who I'm hoping can visit during their wintr breaks for yule tidings in Chicago.

I gess that sums things up for now. Much lov to al,
Androse th Chicagoan Nim

Thursday, August 24, 2006

45 story 11-mile monstr

George and I had a long and exaustng evnng riting a long and exaustng acount of this long and exaustng day of adventur. Read, my frends, about our jurny into th west side of Chicago in serch of th perfect apartmnt.

George and I rote much of this long and exaustng acount. U hav him to thank especialy for entrys 25 and 26, but his obsesiv atention to detail contributed greatly to th wondr that is this entire long and exaustng acount, including this very paragraf, and especialy th last two clauses of this very sentence.

We began in Tiffany's apartmnt in Lakeview, intent on exploring th neibrhoods of Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village. We pakd tasty lunchs. George brot a list of afordabl places he found online, and I brot my map, wich I markd up rathr thoroly thruout th day.

Upon returnng home, I made an anotated map for this blog. U may refer to it as u read. Th map begins and ends with CTA bus rout 9, wich travls Ashland av:



1 .. Th frendly bus driver (he askd us for "action movi" recmendations; George sujestd The Professional and I sujestd Snakes on a Plane. I agreed with him that Hostel wasn't so good.) dropd us off at N Ashland av and W North av, and so our jurny began.

2 .. Aftr going south for a wile for no aparnt reasn, George and I actuly tryd to read our map and decided to go north-west on N Milwaukee av. This wud take us into Wicker Park, one of our areas of intrest.

3 .. Things realy got neat at this intrsection of thre big roads. We returnd to this strech later on. Som things we observd:

.. Bill's Shoes
.. Reckless Records
.. clubs, clothing shops, cafes, a wine bar, a used book store
.. yung "hip-lookng" peple
.. a shirtless bum shaking his chanj-cup (mony-maker?)
.. electric gitar sounds emnatng from a windo abov a clothng stor

4 .. We went south on N Damen av for a bit. We thot we'd take it south for a wile longr, but we chanjd our minds and startd squarely zig-zagng westwardly, startng on W Le Moyne st.

5 .. Went north on N Leavitt st.

6 .. Went west on W North av. (Wy dos North av. travl from east to west and not north to south? George and I hav pondrd this, and concluded (sort of) that a North av slicing thru th south side of a town makes considrbly less sense than a North av crossng thru th north side.)

7 .. Went south on N Claremont av.

8 .. West west on W Le Moyne st.

9 .. Went north on N Western av.

10 .. Went west on W North av. At this point, we observd feelngs of (1) hungr, (2) fatig, and (3) thirst. We had brot sandwichs for a picnic, and pland to sit and eat them in Humboldt Park, thus aleviating problms 1 and 2. Howevr, we hadn't prepared for problm 3, and we began scourng W North av for bevrajs.

11 .. Hooray! We found bevrajs! And, to boot, th helpful Chicagoan clerk gave us frendly advice, upon hearng of th natur of our quest.

Clerk: "O, New Yorkers, lookng for apartmnts, eh? Wel, then, take my frendly advice, New Yorkers! Take a look ryt outside my fine convenient store-typ establishmnt, and u wil find, yes, a syn, and not just any syn, o no, but a syn displayng information about an apartmnt for rent at this very spot! Can u imajin it??"

George: "Cool, thanks, man."

Andrew: "Yes, cool, cool I say! And thank u, kind sir!"

Wel, somthing like that. We weren't sure of th exact quotations, but we did our best to get it down exactly as we herd it.

12 .. We travld one blok south on N Maplewood av, took a peek down th next blok (to note fone numbrs of apts ther), and then continud west on W Le Moyne st.

13 .. Wat a lovly day for a picnic, I say! Wat a horibl park for anything. We wer duly unimpresd with Humboldt Park, but it was nice to sit and nice to eat. And who dosn't lov a lagoon?

14 .. Th next leg of our jurny (noted in purpl, just because), began with a lot of going south on N California av thru a neibrhood of which we wern't very fond. It was disgustngly hot in th sun, and this misrabl street ofrd litl shade, so aftr a bit we took refuje on W Thomas st, hedng east.

15 .. Went south on N Washtenaw st.

16 .. Went east on W Augusta blvd.

17 .. Took a brief excursion two bloks south on N Campbell av, then returnd to W Augusta. We wer chekng out places we'd noted on Craigslist.

18 .. Went south on N Western av.

19 .. Went east on W Rice st, lookng for an apartmnt we'd seen listd. It lookd like an awful place to liv, so we crosd it off our list.

20 .. Chekd somthing out a blok up on N Oakley av, also not very inspiring.

21 .. Now in th hart of Ukrainian Village, we walkd west, then east on W Chicago av for quite som time, noting that it was a relativly cool and hapnng place that smeld a lot like clean laundry. Then I became thirsty again. (I don't think it was th smel of clean laundry that brot th thirst about, but it myt be somthing to look into). So we slid into a cute and neat Ukrainian bakery. I bot anothr botl of watr, in this case, a cheap and delicius import that cost me 55 cents. Th Ukrainian (George thot perhaps they wer Polish because ther was a Polish daily newspaper availbl. Neithr of us ar geograficly talentd enuf to be sure of this.) girls workng ther wer cute. We noted this. George said th cashir gave me a "look". Th meanng behind th look remains unverifyd.

22 .. On N Wood st, we came across an apartmnt that George had orijnaly discovrd on craigslist that seemd too good to be tru. We cald imediatly and left a mesaj. This is th only place we cald. Th price was lo, th location was great, th house lookd real cute on th outside, and we cudn't figur out wat was rong with it. We stil havn't figurd it out.

23 .. We continud going north on N Wood st for a wile, and loopd around W Crystal st, N Hermitage av, W Ellen st, a nice neibrhood with nice houses.

24 .. Went north-west on N Wicker Park av, north-east on N Wolcott av, and north-west on N Milwaukee (our only jenuin zig-zag), returnng for mor adventur to a street we had previusly enjoyd (and/or enjoyd previusly. George and I cudn't decide wich).

25 .. We restd in a silvr bildng (with a silvr ceilng) wich seemd to be a cafe...George was impresd by the music this bildng emitd, as it remindd him of th music wich the bildng in wich he was employd as a barista bak in New York also emitd.

It impresd him paticulrly that th music playd here included such songs as those included on th albm cald "Entertainment" by th band cald "Gang of Four," ovr wich he had so obsesd during th week prior to our curnt adventur.

I enjoyd a multi-citrus smoothy (four dolrs and thirty cents), George a larj cup of cofee (one dolr and ninety cents).

On th way out, we noted th name of th cafe: Filter.

26 .. Movng on aftr a delytful rest, we encountrd a youth, maybe 18 or 19 years old, whom som myt describe as a "gutr-punk", blond, wearng a Metallica "Master of Puppets" t-shirt. He dond an acustic, poorly tuned gitar.. He ofrd us a performance. For one dolr, he cud play Slayer, naming at least thre songs that he new...At first we refused, but th lyt was red at North av and Damen av, and George aparently has a soft spot in his hart for such kids, havng worn such t-shirts and playd such songs and befrendd such folk himself many many years ago....so George askd if said youth cud play th song cald "South of Heaven"...as th yung man made sevrl il-advised atempts at th song befor stumblng into somthing completely incorect, George told th story of his eith grade talent sho, in wich he and his frends wer to play said Slayer song, but wer discurajd by a teachr, who sujestd they myt play "What I Like About You" by The Romantics, wich they did. Th gitar-slingr wondrd aloud, "Wow, how do you go from Slayer to that?!"...George gave th kid a dolr and gave him encurajng words as th lyt turnd green and we continud on our way north on Damen av.

27 .. Went east on W Cortland st.

28 .. Went south on N Winchester av.

29 .. Went east on W Wabansia av.

30 .. Went north on N Wolcott av. (stil too expensiv presumably, and, indeed, not for rent anyway).

31 .. Went east on W Cortland av.

32 .. Around Cortland and Hermitage we receivd a welcom cal from Lane (Lain? We puzl ovr th spelng of her name. Wich is prety ironic, wen u think about it.) She owns th apartmnt we droold ovr on N Wood st (se # 22). She wantd to sho us th apartmnt! We wantd her to sho it to us! So we aranjd a sho-ing for 5:45, forty-five minuts from that very momnt. George and I delytd to travl southward (on N Hermitage av).

33 .. Went east on W North av.

34 .. Went south on N Paulina st. George gave directions to sombody lost and lookng for Starbucks (not that George wud evr go to Starbucks!). George is oficialy a Chicagoan now.

35 .. Mor square zig-zags take us east on W Julian st.

37 .. (Yes, I no, I skipd th numbr 36 on th map. I am a fool.) Went south on N Wood st and east on W Beach av.

38 .. Went south on N Paulina st, stopng to chek out th adorabl N Dean st, wich sliced between Beach and Paulina.

39 .. Returnd briefly to N Milwaukee av befor hedng south-west on on a curvy part of N Paulina st.

40 .. We crosd Division for th third and final time on foot. This was a neat street, but we nevr actuly spent any time chekng it out today. Anothr time, I gess. We continud south on N Hermitage av.

41 .. With one blok to go and no moment to spare, we turnd onto W Pearson st and finaly onto N Wood st, wher we met Lane (Lain?) and "se" our first Chicago aparmnt.

42 .. Th apartmnt seemd wondrful. We had no complaints. We wer realy thrild about it, actuly, and fild out aplications. Th landlady was quite nice, th inside plesnt and bryt, th outside wel-kept and cheerful, and George and I had no idea wy th rent was so lo. I gess it's because th bedrooms wer rathr tiny, but we decided we didn't care about that. Anyway, Lane (Lain?) said she'd cal us bak by Friday, and in th meantime, we'r keepng our fingrs crosd. Lov us, Lane (Lain?), lov us!

43 .. So, satisfyd, we imediatly agreed to go home. Home, in this case, being Tiffany's apartmnt, wher we'r stayng for th week. We saw th neibrhood difrently, thinkng that it cud soon be our neibrhood. (north on N Wood st, east on W Walton st.)

44 .. Went north on N Ashland av to th bus stop.

45 .. As George and I sat restng our feet and waitng in th bus sheltr, a pik-up truk puld up drivn by a persn we thot to be a "blond bomshel". Was this our bus? George joked. But it was not. Th womn walkd from her car to th Chinese restrant next to th sheltr and askd if we'd evr eatn ther. She raved. Mostly about th food. I utrd som sentence with too many words in it thru th plastic wal as she walkd away. Wen she came bak out, she lamentd that th restrant was closed on Christmas. We ofrd words of sympathy, and aftr she went on about it for a bit and thankd us for humorng her, George heroicly chanjd th subject to our potential move to th area. We agreed that th restrant in question wud be worth exploring in th futur, and at about that moment, th actul bus came to take us away. George encurajd her to enjoy her dinr, wich we suspect she did. Th bus took us bak to Tiffany's blok (way too north for this map), and we almost imediatly began riting this long and exaustng acount.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

soon to th Ukraine

Tiffany startd on her jurny to Vermont this mornng (to return in a week with a 9-year-old and a Corgy), and soon, George and I begin our first neibrhood-scoping adventur. We'r to hop on a bus and take a strol thru Ukrainian Village, a place with som cheap apartmnts advrtised on craigslist. He pakd som Mexican leftovrs, and I a tuna sandwich. (I did obligatory tuna-sharing with Vega, Tiffany's kity.) He looks quite redy, al bakpakd up and such. (He's wearng his cool brown hat as wel. Me: "George, I like yr hat." He: "Thanks. I like yr not-hat." Etc.) So off!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

CHICAGO (chi chi chi cago cago . . .)

In a wee caravan of two litl cars, George Fero and I did arive in Chicago, Illinois. Thru Pennsylvania and Ohio and Indiana, our weels did spin. We stopd thrice for gas/cofee/candy, etc. and somtime this mornng around 1:30 AM Centrl Time Tiffany let us into her new apartmnt in Lakeview.

We enjoyd th drive. George led. Th sunset in Ohio fild us with good feelngs. We made good time.

Today, with Tiffany and her visitng frend Bridget, we hopd on th El and made a trip to th Museum of Contemporary Art. (We got som lame cofee on th way. At this moment, George prepares som GOOD cofee in th kichn, and I anticipate exitedly. He brot thre pounds of Daily Grind Kenyan AA from Troy to feed his hapy adiction. I wil partake.) Enjoyd art. We feel somwat exaustd and beat, but in good spirits. Chicago acepts us into its cluchs.

Th plan for th week (Tiffany wil leve tomoro for Vermont, wher she'l pik up Jordan, her son, and Sparky, her dog. George and I remain here using her place as a base of oprations.), involvs George and I APARTMNT HUNTNG and JOB HUNTNG. Also FUN HUNTNG, I shud think. Th soonr we find a place and get our things into it, th hapyr I'l be. Evrything I took to Chicago to liv with remains in my car untl we hav a pad to put them in.

A hot day, but plesnt. Th sun cheers me.

Friday, August 18, 2006

a Nimly farewel to Troy, NY

Tomoro, wenevr I manaj to finish pakng, away I wil go, first to Hamburg, NY for a few days, and then onward, to that wich one cals Chicago. Things to do, ther ar many. Then, away, away, away. I do lov Troy, and wil surely miss it. And surely visit.

My futur, watevr sort of futur it is, awaits me ther. Life. I think it good to go. I send my lov to those that stay behind. Do livngs in goodness. I wil miss and not forget.

315-657-6839

th Nim cald Andrew.

Coffee Planet OM 14 / library N&N sho / Grind OM 37

I must do cachngs up with Nimly things that go. I went al about to giv farewels to folks about.


tusday: Coffee Planet
[Nodal Nim]

.. fly this kite
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep? > wow

{Fun was had. Goodness shared.}


wensday: Troy Public Library
[Nathan & Nim]

.. 25% mor monstr
.. Io [ritn by th good Nathan Stodola]
.. lov song 5

{On this day, Nathan and Nim also did recordngs of those songs listd abov. A mini-CD exists that u can get.}


thursday: th Daily Grind
[Nodal Nim with Dave Shaver on djembe]

.. 5 songs of fish
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?

and later .. in my poket

{'Twas th final Nimly Grind thing for som time ahed. I gave out Nathan & Nim diskys. I engajed in hugs, etc. Then I went to se m'f'ing Snakes on a Plane.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Chx of Eden / Chx of Ill / Muddy Cup OM 3

Th YAG sumr semestr finishd, and I feel larjly satisfyd. And since then, I'v enjoyd sleepng in. It turnd out wel. It felt good to do theatr again. I do not hate theatr; in fact, I'd very much like to find ways to do it in futur times in ways that I like. I cud hav actd mor agresivly to inform peple about th shos I was in, but I did not.

I very soon go to Chicago, Illinois. George and I now plan to mov next monday(ish), august 21, so we'l hav som time to find a good place to liv for septembr 1. It feels very weird to sudnly realize that I wil soon leve this place, this Troy, NY. Things I do becom th last things.

Tonyt, Nathan and I playd at th Muddy Cup, posibly for th last time. We had good fun. We did:

.. lov song 5 [premere togethr]
.. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

Saturday, July 29, 2006

2nd anual Moon Lawn Metal Fest (hapy birthday)

Oliver, goodly frend who goodly is, hostd a sho at th house of him. Aditionl musicl beings included al-so-fabulus: The Space Rifle Rangers, Slaughter Scope, Belligerence, The Black Guards, and th lovly Epilogue. Durng th outsidely-ocurng set of me, did th rain com. It came in muchness, and folks scrambld about to rescu things from th great wetness. I continud doing mandolinngs thruout th ordeal. It was very metl.

.. song of th Protoss [improvised, to countr Teo's song of th Terrans]
.. th posm
.. e blu apratus > rokn' out > deposit 1 tanjlo > e blu apratus
.. Lucretia [formrly named 'hapyness is prune havng']
.. fists of smite
.. Sober [a covr of a song by Tool]
.. Children of The Damned [a covr of a song by Iron Maiden]

Hapy birthday to al, say I to al.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

words I do like

socle
oxter
hodmandod

Nim solo @ th Muddy Cup

I playd from about 9:30 to 11:15 or so at th Muddy Cup, and it was fun. Thanks to ya'l who came out!

set 1
.. sience
.. brown dwarf
.. th slipry toad
.. cal it Home
.. stripes
.. 25% mor monstr > cmene
.. Pablo [request]
.. fists of smite
.. Alan th Duk > lov song 1
.. 5 songs of fish
.. Deenmark
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep

set 2
.. stelr nursery
.. superjiant
.. nutron star
.. this ladybug
.. u'v got yr own life
.. e blu apratus
.. lov song 6
.. 2G's > chupacabra
.. I am systms
.. fly this kite
.. hapyness is prune havng
.. th posm
.. lov song 5
.. levl 1 [request]
.. 25% mor monstr [request] > vejtbls u'v nevr herd of [request]

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Coffee Planet OM hostd by Nim (again)

I had a delicius time at th Coffee Planet tonyt, gest hostng th opn mic. Thanks to evryone who came out and playd! I hope u felt wel-hostd.

opnng set:

.. Hapyness is prune havng [request]
.. 25% mor monstr
.. cal it Home
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. lov song 5
.. Deenmark

closing set:

.. 5 songs of fish
.. lov song 1

Saturday, July 8, 2006

Nim dos Planet

I just returnd from an aftrnoon sho on a lovly sumr day at Coffee Planet. It felt good to play a real gig again.

Ther wer a bunch of 'firsts' - first mini-CD sold not to a close frend, first drawngs 'sold' (these litl drawngs I'v made on colorful cardstok - "Leve a tip, take a pic!"); first time using my mando case for tips (workd great!); first time playng a sho with mutn chops. ;<) Also, first time playng Amy & Beth's songs for stranjrs (they went ovr suprisingly wel).

one

.. cal it Home
.. 2G's
.. u'v got yr own life
.. acrobasebombal
.. Colrbone Faro
.. in my poket > vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. this ladybug
.. hapyness is prune havng [public debu]
.. e blu apratus
.. great Pan is ded
.. fly this kite
.. th posm
.. lov song 5

two

.. stelr nursery
.. red dwarf
.. troglodyt
.. I am systms
.. Pablo
.. Maroon Dots > 25% mor monstr
.. chupacabra
.. 5 songs of fish
.. th slipry toad
.. cmene
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. levl 1
.. lov song 6
.. fists of smite [public debu]
.. Deenmark

Friday, July 7, 2006

Grind OM 37 & frendlys

At th Grind, I was joind by th spify Dave Shaver, brothr o' mine, who did drumngs. In tandm, we playd:

.. I am systms
.. 5 songs of fish

AND

Later, at th hous of Amy, I playd two new songs, each for frendlys: first Amy, then BethLucretia:

.. fists of smite [debu]
.. hapynes is prune havng [debu]

-

If u like to, leve poems on my myspace.

Monday, July 3, 2006

Gallery Cabaret OM 1

So we finaly found an opn mic, and it was a doozy. We came acros a very towny bar cald Gallery Cabaret, and altho I considrd leving, I thot wy not, and stuk around. It wasn't my "crowd," but I figrd it wud be amusing. Som hylyts of th Gallery Cabaret experience included:

- constnt refrnces to th "brat," [bratwurst] that was on special. "U can al thank th gy in th ponytail with th mustache for th brat tonyt." Said gy continud to walk from th bak room with new paper plates of brats thruout th nyt.
- sculpturs of pink feti with wires comng out, remnisnt of H. R. Giger.
- scary intrpretiv dance army lady who had obviusly taken som balet classes a long long time ago. It was imposbl to wach th musician wen she felt inclined to join in. Very intense, very drunk.
- gy with no ybrows singng such hits as "Let's Get Wasted," and "Tough Guys that Live with Their Parents". He was obviusly a locl favorit. Also intense, also drunk. I think th intrpretiv dance lady is his girl, so don't get any funy ideas.
- old man who made th host chanje his capo for him. "Put it on three." "Just take that off, wud ya?"
- very sexy Russian womn singng with her laptop such songs as "China Girl" by Bowie and "Too Drunk to Fuck" by th Dead Kennedys. I bot her band's CD, and it is good -- rathr like a Russian Portishead.

I playd, but I don't think I was a hylyt. Th host, who may hav ben one of th few peple yungr than me, said he liked it, and that I was like Primus without al th pesky bass. Th crowd mostly ignord me, wich is betr than heklng me, ryt?

.. th posm
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. I am systms

Saturday, July 1, 2006

Andrew's Boring, Cranky, and Frustrated Travelogue

11:30

I embark, disembark, something like that, on my Chicago busking adventure. My challenge: $20 before Tiffany gets off of work at 5:00

11:38

Caught a Red Line train going south, toward the Loop, which is the big metropolitan downtown. I'm going to get off at Chicago Ave., before the Loop, and hit up some places on foot. It's a somewhat hazy, humid day. I hope this doesn't suck.

Unless they already know each other, people sit quietly and keep to themselves on the "El," so when somebody provides an exception, it seems to disturb people. There's a large and loud stereotypical baseball fan (Chicago Cubs, in this case) throwing things off today.

I think my nose is getting ready to break out. I hate sweating.

If I start to do this regularly, I should get some snazzy clothes to wear. People give you more money if you are wearing snazzy clothes (unfounded hypothesis).

11:52

Disembark from train.

12:06

I set up to play by the Pumping Station at Chicago & The Magnificent Mile. Lots of traffic here, but we'll give it a try anyway.

.. brown dwarf
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. sience
.. Pablo

12:20

It sucks here. I'm moving around the corner to do a few more.

12:23

There was somebody over there passing things out. The last thing I want is a territorial dispute. Time to scout some more.

12:29

Not far away, I'm trying out a new spot: N Mies Van Der Rohe & E Pearson.

.. cal it Home
.. lov song 1
.. lov song 5
.. in my poket
.. 5 songs of fish
.. chupacabra

12:54

That was mostly dismal. One guy gave me three bucks and told me, "Chicago needs more musicians," to which I thought, "Chicago needs more music lovers." Ah well. I'm across from the Museum of Contemporary Art. I considered playing on the stairs to the museum, but chickened out. Maybe next time. Now, to plot the next show . . . west to Dearborn, south to Randolph, east to Millenium Park.

1:01

A white pigeon -- weird.

1:56

I've been walking since last I wrote, and I'm hungry and parched. I'm waiting outside Tiffany's work to join her for lunch. I was originally thinking that I'd take all food & drink purchased during this journey out of my funds, but since I'm up a whopping $3, I don't think that'll be the way to go. I'd like a big honking smoothie really really soon. After lunch, I'll decide what to do next.

Someone approached me and asked what instrument I play. I told her, and she told me she was in a band, and we had a little chat, and she left. I thought she was going to try to give me a pamphlet or sell me something. Chicago's making me paranoid.

I'm starting to think that if I want to stand any chance of making it to $20 today, I'll need to go straight to the tunnel and plant myself there for a long time. I guess that sort of defeats the purpose of scoping things out, but I might get the job done.

2:40

I'm spending way too much on lunch. I had a pizza, a juice, and a fruit cup at Caffe BACI for $12.67, and now I'm waiting on a kiwi-mango smoothie with pearls that I spent $4.13 on. So we're talking a $16.80 lunch. If I play strict, my goal for the day becomes $36.80 . . . $33.80 to go. . . .

3:06

I'm sitting by some steps in Grant Park at Michigan & 9th. There's a massive statue behind me of, presumably, Grant, frozen in mid-gallop with a flag and a moustache. I just walked through parts of the park where there's a festival going on. It was swarming with humanity. Chicago is so frickin' big.

This doesn't seem like the best place to busk, but that's ok. I'm sitting here mainly to digest. I'm going for the Museum Campus Tunnel . . . soon. That smoothie was a bad idea.

3:24

There's a homeless guy trying to sell newspapers in my tunnel. Can't say I blame him; lots of good traffic there. At any rate, unless he leaves, it won't be a good idea to try to play there. I'm sitting nearby in some shade. The sun has come out.

3:32

My adversary appears to be leaving. Maybe he does that, though -- moves back and forth so he can follow people. I'm thinking about going back inside.

4:29

I played in the tunnel. Made $5 again. Total of $8. I haven't made my lunch back yet. This is absurd. Actually, it was rather fun, but no way to make a living.

.. I am systms
.. levl 1
.. red dwarf
.. Deenmark
.. this ladybug
.. hulo, wil u be my Sheep?
.. th posm
.. Maroon Dots
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. lov song 5
.. bodymind
.. th slipry toad
.. e blu apratus
.. 25% mor monstr
.. chupacabra

There's a truly ridiculous-looking fad of taking tours while standing on these two-wheeled electric motor-powered thingies. People on them are tall and, naturally, glide. They're also bright yellow or orange most of the time, and clustered together in a group. They look like a very bizarre alternative species of human.

Ok. That's enough of this. I'm heading out now to meet Tiffany so we can ride home together on the El. I return $8.80 poorer.

10:11

So the day went on. It was a sleepy and uncomfortable El ride home. I took a bath and Tiffany took a nap. Then I took a nap. We tried in vain to find a cool purple wig for Tiffany at a store down her street (they didn't have her color). I ate some mac&cheese, played Tiffany in mancala, and am currently listening to the Boredoms, burned CD courtesy of George, as I type up my stupid travelogue.

In spite of my failure and discomfort, it was fun. It's not much different from a regular gig, really. More spontaneous. Writing the ridiculous travelogue was fun for me. It occurred to me earlier this week that I should take notes on my experiences in Chicago and post them in this blog (or some other). Seeing what I did write, it's clear to me that I shouldn't take that idea too seriously. If you read this far, then I do apologize for boring you to tears.

I do like Chicago, a whole bunch. But "living" here just a few days, I'm starting to see some of the things I'll miss about Troy. There are just so many people here, moving so fast. Why should you talk to people on the El if, chances are, once you get off at your stop in 20 seconds, you'll never run into them ever again? It's lonely to be out in public.

I guess it's like that with anyone, anyway. You find your friends at work, at the places you go on your days off, and in your neighborhood. I wish I could take my friends with me to Chicago, but I can't. Except George, of course!

Anyway, I'm thirsty again, so I think it's time to fill up the ol' water glass and find something else to do. It's stuffy in this little apartment.

Love to all,
Androse

Friday, June 30, 2006

Nim busks Chicago

Wile Tiffany was at work, I finaly got up th nerv to hit th streets of Chicago to perform som tunes and make som cash. To som extent, it was a sucess.

Museum Campus Tunl

Ther's this neat area wher trafic from thre big cool touristy bildngs al meet up, a litl tunl undr wich many many peple travl evry day. So I playd ther today, for just undr a haf our, and I made $5. Here's th set:

.. lov song 5
.. cal it Home
.. vejtbls u'v nevr herd of
.. 5 songs of fish
.. 25% mor monstr
.. 2G's > Deenmark

It was intrestng. Jenrly, peple seemd to enjoy it. Nobody actuly stopd to lisn, altho som peple did drop dolrs off in my mando case, then continud on their way. I was suprised nobody stuk around. If I had just donated my dolr to a steet musician, I'd like to se wat he's got. Anyway, it was fun, and I felt apreciated.

And I did som math. haf an our : $5 :: one our : $10, ryt? $10 an our. That's good wajes! I think this pich ("pitch" = location) may hav ben especialy good, so $10 an our myt be about th maxmm I cud expect to make doing this. Not bad, tho. Two ours wud get me $20, wich is mor than I'm making at home playng two our gigs at cofee houses, most of th time!

outside th Daly Center

This pich was not very good, so I did't play long. I was near auto trafic, and ther wern't a lot of peple going by. Those that wer probly wantd to just get th hek home so they cud figur out wat they'r doing tonyt. Erly Friday evnng in th Loop, no so good. I only playd a few songs for Tiff (she wasn't around befor), then we continud walkng.

.. sience
.. lov song 6
.. stelr nursery
.. brown dwarf

=

In case u'r wondrng, I havn't made it to an opn mic yet, but we'r planng on it for tomoro nyt. We tryd to go to one yestrday, but th place had closed down. We'l cal first tomoro.

=

O, so here's my goal, by th way. Tiffany's workng again tomoro, so wile she's doing that, I'm going to do my darndest to make $20 playng on th street. I'm going to plan out a rout tonyt. It'l probly take me bak to that tunl, but I'd like to try lots of new places as wel. I think it myt be nice to play near th Museum of Contemporary Art, for exampl. If a pich is good, I'l stik around longr. If it suks, I'l mov on. I'l giv a ful report tomoro nyt (or somtime soon, anyway).