Nine Eleven

Ten years ago today, while living in Buffalo, I woke up thinking my roommate was watching a movie on TV.  I saw a burning building on screen and immediately thought, "What's this? Die Hard?"  My roommate said, "No...this is real."

I left my apartment that morning not knowing what to think about what I just saw; it didn't register.  The atmosphere outside was what I could only describe as Still.

Everyone in my office was watching the news in the movie theater near our office where they projected the news for everyone.  I tried calling my mom from the office phone but nothing was going through.  I would get some automated message that said something to the effect of: Due to the tornado/hurricane/earthquake, all phone lines are down.

My mom worked just a few blocks from the Twin Towers at Strawberry's, a women's clothing store.  I remembered that she said she was on vacation that week and wasn't working but I had to make sure that she wasn't all of a sudden called in to cover a shift.  It's not right that anyone has to feel that feeling that I had that day.  Luckily, she wasn't working that day and was home with my father in Brooklyn.

Friends, acquaintances...people who I've only hung out with once, who were from NYC and knew I was came up and hugged me without question.  We didn't need to know a lot about each other, we didn't need to have had long conversations in the past...we had the connection that our home was attacked.  Someone out there came into our house and destroyed a part of our home...and all we can do from Buffalo, NY is just hold each other.

They say never forget today and I won't.  What they don't say is move forward and live.

I Guess We'll Try This Again...

I've been reading a lot lately.  Mostly on my train commute to and from work.  In the past, I enjoyed reading but because I read at a slow pace due to words jumbling or new words popping in out of no where, I would always get frustrated.  As of the past few months though, I've noticed an improvement in my speed and just reading in general.  I've been going through books quicker than ever lately; enjoying them and feeling very accomplished if I finish 50 pages a day (generally it's 25 pages to work, 25 on the way home).

I've also found that joining sites like Good Reads and PaperBookSwap give me more incentive to read more.  Tracking my progress on Good Reads, listing books I've read in the past as well as listing books that I want to read in the future...it gives me something to look forward to.

Good Reads also has a bookswap section that's really nice but PaperBookSwap seems to be just a tad better.  PaperBookSwap let's me get rid of books that I don't want anymore in my library to those who request them and in return, I get a book credit for a book that's on my wishlist.  I think it's a fair deal.  Good Reads has the same deal but if someone requests a book from you, they pay the postage and vice versa.  With PaperBookSwap, you pay the postage when someone requests a book from you and vice versa.  I've already sent out 4 books and I have 2 books coming in to me so my library is sort of continuing it's equilibrium.

Anyways, let's see how this little blog goes again.  Sometimes...140 characters is just not enough to get what I want out there.

...Gotta love the crazy thing that is Music...

...i have to say that it's great to work in the music industry. Sunday night, we had The Dillinger Escape Plan play at The Blender Theatre at Gramercy. The only way to describe this band and show is pure sonic and visual overload...with fire. :) As much as I go crazy when i'm on stage playing with my band, jumping, dancing and bangin my guitar around, I will never understand how Dillinger does it.

...first song they play, they are all flipping out, guitars are being swung as if they're chopping 20 trees down and into the first verse, both Ben/guitarist and Greg/vocalist jump into the crowd and STILL the song is perfect. This is a band that rivals any band out there that claims to have a great stage performance. Their new album Ire Works has introduced me into a new genre of music that I never liked before but now can appreciate. Since I've listened to their new album, I've gone back and bought Miss Machine and Calculating Infinity. Brutal, intense, amazing riffs and melodies...GO NOW LISTEN.

...this leads us up to yesterday. This week is the last week for work till break (the one thing about working in music is that most companies in the music industry close for the Christmas holiday till the new year; like being back in college!). Basically the office is pretty much dead as many companies we work with have long gone and all that's left are the local stragglers trying to finish up as quick as possible leaving me and my bunkmate to hitting the STUMBLE button on our FireFox browsers or heading over to Digg, IMing wacky sites to each other.

...so last night I headed over to the Bowery Ballroom to check out this band InnerPartySystem and was happily surprised to find that they were impressive. A dancy, rock, indie band that brings a wall of sound to yell at you and say: rock out with your c*** out and dance. Look out for them in the future. ::for those that like Men, Women & Children, Head Automatica, Brandtson::

...It Just Bothers Me...OKAY!?...

...in this episode of things I hate we'll touch on the finer things of the NYC transit and our favorite past time: Waiting In Line! ::Cue Booing Crowd::

...if there's anyone reading this who's from NYC, supposedly we're supposed to get snow today! Looking outside right now, it's dark...it's dreary...it's also dry...NO SNOW. But, numerous schools closed and the city is taking precaution. I'm guessing this is why my 6 train this morning came late. I was on the train at 9:50AM (mind you it's usually there at 9:42AM on the dot so I get to work at 10AM). I get on the train to only find out it's going express, which made me happy because A: I got a seat and B: my stop is the 2nd express stop.

...as we pass the many pissed off people at the local stops I smile and go back to watching the newest DiggNation on my Zune player. When we get to the first express stop, 8 billion people cram into the train. Needless to say, I forgot that this would happen (How? I don't know...it's early in the morning.) but here I am sitting in the middle of the train car, now when I have to get off the train, I have to fight my way through strollers, backpacks and so help me, tourists.

...getting out of the station to the world that is NYC is always a fun time I must say. It's like NASCAR racing where you learn to weave in and out of people's way; slow people that walk up the stairs, people carrying those damn luggages with wheels, tourists (they're everywhere), etc. Sometimes I make it a game and make little VRROOOOM VRROOOOM noises as I go past people. It's the little things that make me smile. One thing though that you should NOT do while walking up the stairs or at the top of the stairs is check your damn voicemail or crack-berry.

...so I get to my office and I decide to go get a choco-chip muffin because well...why not? Don't question the choco-chip! I pay for it and I turn around and there's a guy waiting behind me to get a cup of coffee that I bump into. Now...i'm not going off on that...i'm going off on the fact that he's STANDING 1cm BEHIND ME! And he scoffs as I bump into him and say sorry. It's called personal space dude...try it out.

...Keep Me Busy...

...it's that time of the year again where it begins to slow down at work and I start hitting my Stumble button in FireFox. Unlike most industries, in the music industry, it's like school; Christmas holiday comes around and we close until after the new year. During that time, people start to use up their vacation time, the phones start to die down, and emails become scarce of anything important.

...i've done most of my X-mas shopping early this year (started actually during Halloween!). I have only a few relatives to shop for and one more thing left for the girlfriend...oh and cards. The X-mas tree is up at my parents house and I must say, using a fake tree this year (normally we get real ones but my mom got a deal last year after the holiday on their fake tree) was a lot easier to put ornaments on. If an ornament doesn't want to stay on, bend the branch!

...so for this year, what is everyone asking for? Myself? I'd love an Xbox 360 and a new TV. The TV I have now is an old Daewoo that I got back in the day when I lived with my ex-girlfriend (man that was a long time ago...probably 6-7 years ago). It's lasted me a long time, don't get me wrong but the inputs in the back are now shot. When playing video games or DVDs, the sound goes in and out. It's still good for watching TV, but if you need the inputs, you'll get annoyed getting up and down to wiggle it in the back.

...I am trying to keep up with the gaming world. I'm trying to finish Halo (yes the first one) as quickly as possible but DAYUM the repetitive levels kill me. I think I'm near the end...I'm following this little flying robot thing through doors (supposedly there are 10 of them according to that little f*cker). It seems as though that, IMO, the programmers got lazy at the end and copied some of the enemies from Half-Life. Those little grubby things piss me off!!

...another little nifty thing I've seemed to pick up is I learned how to crochet. Oddly enough, I find it a lot of fun. I'm working on a scarf right now for my girlfriend. According to Brain Age 2 for the DS, knitting/crocheting helps work out the brain. HA! See, video games teach you things!

...DS WiFi Woes Answered...I Feel Stupid!...

...so I know what my next purchase will be! i've had my Nintendo DS since Christmas (thanks to my loving GF) but I haven't really been able to reap the rewards of the WiFi on it because our WiFi router is set to WPA (WiFi Protected Access) encryption enabled. The DS only handles WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) enabled and I have my router on WPA...

...now, honestly, I have really no idea what the difference either of the encryptions are except that WPA allowed me to use a phrase/word as a password rather than using the bajillion numbers that the WEP passwords are. I really don't feel like doing that. Plus, I don't want to have to change the router settings and then tell my roommates why I did it just so I can play Mario Kart DS online. After doing a search (Processor.com has a great and easy to understand article on this), and a thread on the Penny Arcade Forums, i've found that the WPA is the best...for now...

...so, if you are having the problem like I am (and just didn't think about doing this), just get the Nintendo WiFi USB dongle, or the generic non Nintendo one which is what i'm doing thanks to Ebay. :) The WiFi USB dongle will create a WiFi access point from your computer that is already connected to the internet, may it be a wired or a wireless connection. When you're done, just unplug the dongle and the access point is gone! Simple as that...when I found out about this i just slapped my forehead and just thought...man...i'm stupid...

...Secondhand Serenade This Saturday at Knitting Factory NYC...

...so this Saturday i'll be heading to the Knitting Factory NYC to see one Secondhand Serenade. John (aka Secondhand Serenade) is what Dashboard should've kept on doing: simple songs, simple man, 1 guitar. He's been touring on the Hawthorne Heights tour since June, before that he did a small run of dates up and down the West Coast where he's from...just him, his guitar and his immense love for his fans...

...he's the only artist that i've seen devote himself to his fans a full 1000% percent. after playing a show, you will find him at his merch table, having full on, in depth conversations about love, life and whatever comes up...

...his music is very reminicent of early Dashboard Confessional. Originally, John was part of the punk rock scene, but on the side, he'd write songs on his guitar and play them for his wife to see what she thinks...what came out of that is our Secondhand Serenade...

...Tummy Troubles...

...hey all. I haven't forgotten about the lil'ol'blog here. I've had some sickie tummy problems along with some band stuff but i'll be updating tonight on a few things such as Unreal Tournament 2004 and why it'll never die and the Nintendo DS WiFi dongle...

...xbox...why have I neglected thee???

...so like many gamers, I have the big three previous to the new generation of consoles: PS2, Xbox & Gamecube. The PS2 has been my baby for the longest and I will love it to death...I then received a Gamecube from my girlfriend for my birthday a few years ago. I enjoy it a lot more for the fact of Zelda, Resident Evil, Animal Crossing and all those Nintendo, cutesy games. Let's not forget Mario also...he's been with me since I got my NES...

...when I moved out of my parents house and into my apartment, my roommate stumbled upon an Xbox that was at a garage sale with a sign that said: Take Me I'm Free. The only problem was that it was tempermental (later finding out that all it needed was to have it's lense cleaned). So my roommate gave it to me since he didn't really play video games. I then started playing Fable, Chronicles of Riddick and a bunch of other Xbox exclusives. I picked up Phantom Dust, Sudeki and a few others...then I forgot about it (although that's a figure of speech since the thing is huge and you can't really miss it)...

...so the past weekend, I got sick so I decided to pop in Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith into my Xbox. I've played and beaten the game before for PS2 but I got it again for X-mas from my friend. Figured why not, it was a fun game. For some reason, I had a lot more fun playing it on the Xbox. So then I popped in my copy of Fable and restarted my game I had from before...

...I have neglected my Xbox and I have no idea why. I put out this post to you guys, whomever is out there reading. What are some good Xbox exclusive games that I should play? I was thinking of picking up Mechassult 2 or Stubbs the Zombie but I'm unsure. There are so many games in the $9.99 & under bin at my local GameStop...I don't know!!!

...musician's you must know: Bob Schneider

...so here's a musician/band that I feel everyone needs to know about: Bob Schneider. Bob's had a few bands from the start; The Scabs and Ugly Americans are those of note. He's always been a very fun, dancy and yet chill type of music and person...

...I first found out about Bob while listening to an internet radio station while working at my ex-girlfriend's dad's eBay company over the summer a few years back. The song The World Exploded Into Love came on and I was hooked. I wrote down the name and looked him up. This was way before MySpace so I was using Napster (when it was free)...

...suffice to say that after I bought the album Lonelyland I couldn't stop looking for more. He writes about everything from love to f*(#ing a girl and having burritos and pie after. Hailing from San Antonio, TX, he has a lot of Spanish type dance songs as well like the Bombonanza and the Tarantula Song. Check him out...If you like Howie Day, Jason Mraz...they're all friends of Bob. GO!...

...hot hot heat...literally...

...it's a heat wave here in NYC and what do i do? i go to the beach with 3 hotties...and get a sunburn. I'm not feelin too hot since yesterday so i've been catching up on some old PS2 games that I haven't played in a long time...

...one in particular is Psi Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. This game is just a lot of fun. The storyline reminds me a lot of the Jason Bourne series of books and movies. It's about a guy who doesn't remember who he is but learns along the way that he has the powers of telekenesis, pyrokenesis, remote vision, mind control and other powers. Basically you're going through the game learning that you have these powers, and what you've done in the past, therefore taking on revenge on those who made you who you are...

...fun, easy story no? There really isn't anything better than picking up an enemy soldier, spinning him around and throwing him into a barrage of other soldiers coming to kill you and setting them on fire. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE A GAME LIKE THAT?!. I'm currently stuck at a boss battle that's pretty easy but frustrating at the same time. First you battle the stone warriors in the room which is pretty easy but tedious. Then the actual boss (Wei Lu I want to say??) turns into a huge, green blob thinggee with 3 heads (not including his own)...

...I've come to the decision that I need to finish a game. I haven't finished a game since Zelda: Wind Waker for the GameCube (which was spectacular and I can't wait for the Phantom Hourglass for DS). I have so many games that I have yet to finish (RE4, Psi Ops, Metroid Prime, Getting Up, Ace Combat 5) but I keep on getting either bored or distracted. My DS isn't helping out either with all the games that I have for that also (I've made myself take out Pokemon Diamond because I need to stop walking around in circles looking for rare Pokemon). DAMMIT and I have an old Xbox which I started playing Fable on and Sudeki. AGHHHH!!! HELP!...

...off early and it's definitely more than meets the eye...

AUTOBOTS...ROLLOUT!!!!!
...the most anticipated event in the life of a nerd that grew up in the 80's occurs NOW...Transformers, the live action movie is finally here and thank's to my g/f (who has been very supportive of my nerdiness) she got us tickets to go see Transformers opening day...

...now there are a lot of reviews out there panning this movie because Michael Bay is the director...yeah he's done some so so movies in the past but WHO CARES! ...Bay has done this franchise justice and kept the spirit of these robots in disguise alive. this is by far the best movie of the summer, hands down...the movie stays true to the cartoon; the robots are funny and yet they kick some serious ARSE. there are moments in the movie where only a true fan of Transformers will recognize them (like the relationship between Megatron and Starscream or when Sam first finds Bumblebee) but this movie can be enjoyed by everyone. you genuinely start to feel bad during those heartfelt moments in this movie and tense up during suspense.

...go to this movie and don't expect a thing...this is not a movie that will win Academy Awards for best dramatic acting...c'mon it's a movie about ROBOTS IN DISGUISE PEOPLE!!!!! i'm glad Bay directed this movie..the action was spectacular, the robots looked great...I didn't even at once think, "yeah...that doesn't look real." All the robots looked so damn realistic, i left the theater hoping that one of the cars outside would just get up and transform...

...drunken nights & inked debauchery...

...it's great to come back from what you thought was going to be the end. the return from a long hiatus with the band, i felt that things were good again but after hearing the new album, with new lyrics and new ideas...i cannot be happier...

...we sat and listened to these songs as if they were new to us when in fact they kinda were. it's amazing what a new idea and lyrics can do to a song. these are songs that we've been anticipating for almost over a year now where the lyrical medley has been changing almost every week. our producer and singer have been collaborating (as any good producer should do) and pure simplicity in music was created... we sat there soaking this new music in over a beer or two...or 30... :) ...needless to say, I was late to work the next day, but it was worth it...

...of course you would think i wouldn't drink the following night but i ended up going out with my best friend/guitarist, getting drunk and we both ended up getting this:
...guess you can say we're dedicated to the band no? well worth it though. i've always wanted an old school, Sailor Jerry type of tattoo. this is on my right leg, above my ankle...he got his on his left bicep...yeah yeah yeah...bro tats...but whatever...it's about time