-June 2001-

dnr://6-27 7:22pm
in case anyone noticed, the below updates are timestamped for when they were written but not when they were
actually added. oddly enough. i doubt anyone cares tho, seeing how as of the 3 people who i know read this
site regularly, one's out of the country for a month and the other two haven't talked to me for weeks (why? do you
know how strange it is to read someone's page and then not interact with them? it's kind of rude.) anyway, that's
it as far as drama for the moment. i've been listening to a lot of the clash lately and feel inspired to write some
lyrics. also i think i'm going to compile all my loose rap lyrics that i waste on irc chatters and put them on my baren
lyrics page. ok, onto the old updates (6/24 and up).

dnr://6-26 5:45pm
radiohead:
funny interview (thom)
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/06/24/PK78472.DTL
informative interview (colin)
    http://www.culturelab.co.uk/site/templates/issue1/radioazitem_culturelab_noflash.html

dnr://6-24 6:23pm
This is a short tale of a reclusive, paranoid psyche that I scrawled in chicken scratch on a small pieace of paper.
My mood improved less than an hour later, but I am going to type it up as I would have at the time.
    Okay, so I convince my mom to stop at Taco Bell cos I hadn't had fast food or even normal restaurant food
for over two weeks and I was just jonesin' for it, y'know? Anyway, very reluctantly she gives in (I had asked her
all week and she'd say no because of money issues... which isn't true at all because she wastes so much money
on trivial shit and she's talking to other people (who report back to me) about a face lift which she's going to get
- it won't help any, btw). Anyway, for whatever reason, after receiving the bag of Tex-Mex goodness I don't even
bother to eat for 15 minutes. When I do decide to start, we're nearing the first store on our errands run (for college
stuff, mostly). The store is Staples and for whatever reason (does anyone know why people do this?) there are three
cars illegally parked right along side the store with at least one person in the car. So, 15 minutes after receiving
the taco, I take my very first bite, and as I sink my teeth into the shell I realize I'm at the store and all of the
inexplicably situated inhabitants of these three parked cars stare at me as I take a bite of a messy taco. !!!!!
Just my luck! People are so nosy. They gave these little serious faces. Very perplexing and totally uncomfortable.
That really put me off. But what would be a story of mine if it didn't get much worse? So my mom decides to park
the car and we ended up just sitting there for 20 minutes. The first few of those minutes I was eating my dinner, and
while I was finishing my messy tacos of course there were more spectators. For as long as we stayed there, some
Native American woman in a huge Astro van who had pulled up and parked right next to us, out of all the available
spots, stayed there and sat in her vehicle as well. A few minutes into my meal a huge Explorer parked right in front
of us with three inhabitants. One, the male, got out immediately and went into the store. His two female passengers,
a girlfriend perhaps her friend, stayed in the huge vehicle and stared at me for minutes while I ate. It was really odd.
While they did it, they laughed maniacally to each other and chatted on a cell phone. It is really uncomfortable to
be fixated on like that. But then there was at least 10 minutes where we both just sat there. She was reading out of a
magazine and I just kind of sat there writing this. I had no idea what the wait was for. After 10 minutes she asked me
if I'm ready to go in and I told her I've been ready all along and figured she wanted to finish her article or something
before she went in. That wasn't the case; she claimed she was just passing time until I was ready. This sort of no
communication or miscommunication epitomizes the relationship between myself and my mother. And all while this
happened, my mom was blasting a tape of Handel's "Messiah", which gave a touch of surrealness to the scene. Sorry
for the journal; it's more for myself, so I can remember this. I have interesting descents into madness that I often forget,
you know.

deadly funk

dnr://6-24 3:05pm
and i thought my dog was bad... (does the below link make anyone else think of "watching you poop"?)
    http://www.watchingyou.com/poop2.html

this is an entire conversation:
howisya77: zig
DFZiggy:you shoulda come to reclaim the streets yesterday!
howisya77: like in Taxi Driver?
DFZiggy:i dunno
DFZiggy:like in adams morgan with a few hundred people
howisya77: who and doing what?
DFZiggy:having a street party
DFZiggy:and lots of peeps
howisya77: so it was a party for no reason with anybody who wants to come involved?
DFZiggy:yup
DFZiggy:i gtg
DFZiggy:ttyl!
DFZiggy signed off at 1:38:17 PM.
howisya77: (wtf is this girl's problem?)


Previous message was not received by DFZiggy because of error: User DFZiggy is not available.

dnr://6-23 9:51pm
i don't know why i find this so interesting...

and for anyone who's ever lost their marbles.

dnr://6-21 6:21pm
wow, did you see what time i chose to start this update? bizarre...
anyway, i was just looking through my 4th grade yearbook and i came to the autographs section. i've never been
big on that part of the yearbook cos i don't like asking people to sign my book usually. anyway i actually had a
fair amount of real autographs in this year's book but the funnier bits were the fake autographs i added for whatever
reason. the two that stuck out were "i'm back." signed by david koresh and "call 911, i'm found!" signed by junior
burdynsky, who was some 13 year old boy who disappeared a couple miles away a year before. interesting. (he
never was found, sadly.) i have such an affinity for tastless humor. cool!!!!

dnr://6-15 6:06am
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i received my first forwarded joke/enlightening story from my mom today. ugh. she must've just figured out how to
use email at work.

p.s.: 9:34pm - i get to see radiohead 2 nights in a row! three opening acts as well: the beta band, kid koala, and
thievery corporation. fun for all! plus i get to see air and mogwai next week. the bad news is squarepusher & plaid
(together) are playing august 28 at the 930 club, the second day of my school orientation. :( also i think tool won't
be playing till late august or september, and bjork is definitely not starting her tour until october. dammit. oh well.

there's a symphonic version of "stairway to heaven" on tv right now (not sung by robert plant either). odd.

hats of meat

dnr://6-12 2:47pm
now i've "seen" it all; among all the recent mt. everest stories, a blind man is now climbing the highest mountain!
crazy!

"I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity, who uses a machete to cut through red tape / With fingernails that
shine like justice and a voice that is dark like tinted glass." -Cake (new song lyrics, I was really impressed)

the penalty for violation is death!!!
someone else:
ahhh.......i think i'm sitting on the fence with the whole death penatly.....i mean i actually felt sorry for mcveigh.....not
that i don't feel sympathy for the victims.....but i thought he didn't have enough time to really contemplate his actions
......you know.

but when they put to death gacy.....and bundy........i was relieved to know those guys were  not on the planet
anymore......soooo you know....i can't say i really oppose the death penalty.

my reply:
i oppose it for a variety of reasons:
1) our judicial system has been proven inefficient, imperfect, and at times uneffective. there are, without a doubt,
innocent people put to death every year.
2) i believe it is wrong to take anyone else's life, period
3) it's been proven to cost MORE money to put someone to death than it would be to keep him in prison for life
4) our country is hypocritical -- we pretend to promote non-violence throughout the world, yet we put people to
death? it's cruel and unusual punishment, not peacekeeping. that's no way to be a role model.
5) our country is violent enough without our government killing people. it perpetuates the bloodlust and i like to
think of the american people as more than barbarians
6) the system is racist against minorities who are unjustly targeted by law enforcement and usually cannot afford
competent legal defense
7) killing the mentally disabled (retarded people) specifically is just wrong

dnr://6-7 11:19pm
genocide internal
water water nowhere
vegetarians unsafe
UN-believable partnership
apotemnophilia
computer problems

dnr://6-6 4:25am
it's amazing how much of a turn for the worse garfield has made in the last few years. it's really not a very funny
comic strip anymore. maybe jim davis should just give it up. the cancelation of the cartoon show has apparently
caused a depression in him that has just dried up all creativity and humor.

fun link of the moment: phonespell.org

dnr://6-5 6:40pm
"that's a strange mistake to make." from "life in a glass house"
"think about the good things and never look back." from "i might be wrong"
well, i do have to look back for the sake of this short review of amnesiac, the new album from radiohead. i waited
until today, the day it came out, to listen to the album (on cd, as it should be). firstly i'd just like to say, simply put,
i like the album. i've only listened to it once so far (just now), but at the moment i feel that it could've been much
better. the biggest problem is they really screwed up "i might be wrong", which has been my favorite new
radiohead song performed on tour since "how to disappear completely" debuted in 1998. live, the song is easily
the highlight of each set; very powerful performance. but on record, ugh. it really put a damper on the whole album
for me. the main problem is the vocals. live, the song is sung a lot like "optimistic" or "the national anthem". but for
whatever reason, thom yorke decided to whisper the words on the album version. and to make matters worse, the
vocals are highly treated. i like treated vocals (such as "pulk/pull revolving doors" on this album and "kid a" on
the last one) but they really distract from the song. further, the song works best as a rock song, like when
performed live. but on record it's like spaceship techno. i don't know how to describe it, but it's just really
unbalanced. also, the new version of "morning bell" sounds a bit too danny elfman for my tastes. i understand why
it's included, but perhaps it's still not the right choice. maybe the album also suffers from improper sequencing, too,
even though they apparently spent weeks deciding which songs to include and in what order. the only other
complaint about the album is "pulk/pull revolving doors" which is basically an industrial song. as i said, the vocals
are ok, and i do like the song, but it's a bit repetitive and it sounds almost like filler. it's not filler since there were so
many noticeable absences on this album (such as "cuttooth", track 9 on the original configuration of the album,
recently played on french radio). well, also, "packt like sardines in a crushd tin box" is highly overrated too, but still
a good song. but here're the positive comments. "like spinning plates" is one of the most incredible things they've
ever done. though a lot of this album is clearly influenced by artists on the warp records roster, this is the song that
best surpasses mere inspiration and creates something really special. the backing track is "i will" (an unreleased
song from the same recordings), and i am curious to hear the original song, but over top of it are really nicely
arranged synths and vocals (sung backwards and then digitally reversed to make them forwards). that song's a real
highlight for me. highly underrated is the two minute instrumental "hunting bears" which all reviews i've read have
made out to be a pointless and repetitive guitar riff. but it's not that at all. there are several instruments, and the riff
isn't the same thing over and over; it's cut and pasted in different ways to the accompaniment of changing sounds.
i was also surprised to hear how well they were able to record "dollars & cents", a song whose live versions have
not impressed me too much. the fact remains the bassline is ripped off air's "la femme d'argent" from their 1998
moon safari, but the recorded version, which adds unnecessary but not unpleasant strings and cool percussion,
comes across really strong. "you and whose army?" is also much stronger on the album than its live predecessor,
and "pyramid song", whose album version i've been listening to for over two months (mp3, MTV2, etc.), has never
failed to move me. "knives out" is also a lot catchier in this crisp studio format than its live mp3's. i'd be remiss for
not stating that so far this album doesn't rank anywhere amongst the second, third, and fourth albums due to the
very disappointing version of "i might be wrong" and thom's occasional over zealousness for emulating aphex twin
and autechre, but this album is definitely a winner and every other way and far from a commercial sellout (like many
had hoped it would be). it's true, it will be popular to put this album down (whether you're talking to a friend or
writing a review), but it's definitely a good listen and representative of the mindset the band was in when recording
these songs from 1999 to 2000. expect more guitars on the songs they have been writing and recording for the next
record though, according to band members. that's not really comforting to me as i am down with whatever they are
doing (and i like the electronica elements of LP4 and LP5 quite a lot), but it does peek my interest to see how they
can continue to push the envelope using an instrument they abandoned for being too traditional.

on a totally unrelated note, i reread some of my recent entries here on "do not read" and i realized they're
becoming too "dear diary". that's not what i'm looking for at all. i am going to stick to my guns here, trying to
maintain the rule i set out for myself: to make this a podium for my opinions and a place to get out certain
information and messages.

dnr://6-3 5:29pm
the most arrogant and ignorant woman i know is staying at my house right now. worse yet, she's my mother's role
model, so whenever my mom is depreciating or nagging me she chimes in. it's really aggravating. i'm talking about
my 70 year old grand aunt who's been a farmer all her life. i could list a hundred instances of her doing or saying
something that frustrates me (and, as you probably know, i'm difficult to truly annoy), but i'll just go with a short bit
of it. i overheard a conversation between her and my mother where my grand aunt said something to the extent that
she pulled out the lawn mower to see if she could get it started for me. i couldn't get it to work a couple days ago
because the ignition is all fucked up. it needs to be fixed. it wasn't a problem of strength. but not only did a 70 year
old woman try to make it seem like she could somehow muster the brute strength to do something in five minutes
that i couldn't accomplish in an hour, she couldn't even figure out how to use the thing. she couldn't figure
out you had to pull the little string and hold the bar down. moron. so anyway when i finally stroll out of bed at one
o'clock (what else is there to do at my house while that woman's here but sleep?) and get in a suit to go to my friend
jared's graduation ceremony, she first tells me, in all my fancy clothing, to go put the lawn mower away (the one she
dragged out), and secondly she asks me in surprise if i'm going to the thing with my mom and her. what a dumb
question. anyway, throughout the graduation she and my mom rudely and disrespectfully made conversation and
negative comments toward the teachers and graduates. and then in the car my grand aunt went off on this tangent
how teachers have such an easy job, do no work, and are overpaid. and then she insulted my school, insinuating that
anyone could go there if the teachers "only have 2 classes a day" (i had to explain how the sections are divided into
two and how teachers have other roles) and saying that my graduation ceremony and jared's (and all others in md/dc)
must be such big deals because (she hypothesizes that) around here a lot of kids aren't expected to graduate. thank
God she leaves tomorrow. i hope i never see her again. i hoped i'd never see her again when she stayed here for 2
weeks 3 years ago, but i didn't get that wish either. there are so very few people i dislike in the world; i could probably
count them on one hand. and it feels bad to not like someone. but i wouldn't shed a single tear if she died tomorrow.

on a much happier and less terrifying note, i would like to take this opportunity to thank tim for inviting me to the
crispus attucks haus hardcore concert friday night. that was the most fun i've had in weeks. crestfallen kicked ass. i
now know why tim goes on and on about drums; their drummer is very talented. the whole group was ace. and it was
so nice to see old friends there. i'd like to see the band again sometime after they come back from the dixie tour. p.s.
did pg99 or seven days of samsara ever show up? ben made us duck out at 9:45. i think i saw the pg99 vehicle show
up as we were leaving.

i watched 'midnight express' last night (this morning) between 2:30-4:30. what a depressing film. i can make sense of why trent reznor is such a sad tomato; he cites 'midnight express' as one ofh is favorite films and he sampled for the song 'sanctified' the main character reading in his head a letter to his parents from a turkish prison. anyway if you want a depressing and impressively written (oliver stone wins again) film to watch, check that one out.

yesterday's ceremony was such an non-event for me that i'm not even going to talk about it.
 
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