For some reason last night I thought it was really funny to take pictures of Soren's blocks spelling out geometric and algebraic equations.
<---Volume of a cube and slope-intercept form of a line-->









I also had a curiosity about who was written-in for the 2008 presidential election. I wrote someone in for a certain office because I could not choose between the two candidates. I just wanted to see if I could find some write-in names. Turns out Santa Claus would have won in West Virginia if it was based on write-ins.

Crappy Days

So, my Wednesday turned out to be not so pleasant. I got my first quiz back in math class and I got a 45%. It was reminiscent of high school but that was when I wasn't trying at all. My last math teacher made it really easy for me to ace his class but for some reason this teacher has an agenda to try and trick her students by putting things on her tests that are the uncommon methods of doing things, not what we have been practicing in the homework.
I was going to try and do some of my Spanish homework in the online workbook between classes but my teacher had closed the section not letting me finish. Poop.
I went to stand in line for my student loan refund check because I had nothing else to do. Little did I know that everyone else had that same exact thought that day. The line was ridiculous. It took 45+ min. to reach the crowd control barriers (where you zigzag back and forth) then I was where the line usually starts. Groan!
Between Spanish and BIO I walked 15 blocks up to the bank and found another line of people who had just picked up their PCC refund check and waited for them too. They all had to open accounts to cash the check so it took even longer.
BIO went well. We finally got our hands on the microscopes. Everyone was having a lot of problems figuring them out but I took to it like it was second nature. That seems like a good thing because I will be staring into one of those things everyday in the career I'm pursuing.
I headed home and ran for the Max train that was just pulling into the station, hopping on just in time. Three stops later I hear the transit police asking for proof of fare. The train was just pulling into another station so I was gonna hop out to avoid being caught. I had not bought a ticket because I had to run for the train and didn't want to wait 20 min. for the next one. The doors opened and I was about to step off when one of the transit police stepped in front of me and asked for my fare. I was busted. It only took five or so minutes to write me a ticket for $115! I left the platform and looked for the nearest pub 'cause daddy needed a shot of whiskey. Didn't find one. So I started walking home. I was in a neighborhood unfamiliar to me toting valuables and pissed as hell for being stupid. So I walked home from Albina/Mississippi which is probably 3 miles. Not that big of a deal except when I got to the transit center where our beautiful Rose Garden Arena is, there were people everywhere trying to cram into the parking garages to see the Blazers game, and every car was driving like they needed to fill their quota of killing pedestrians before the night ended. I almost got hit like six times and every time the driver thought it was my fault. I do tend to jaywalk but I obey traffic laws and crosswalk signs when there are lots of cars present, so I was in the right in every situation. Assholes! Now it was time for that shot. I went to Joey Rose and Aztec Willie's (our local taqueria and cantina) and had a stiff shot of whiskey before plodding home to give Chosephine the bad news. I came home to hear all about Soren's bad day. Poor guy had a bad day too. I'm sure she will write about it and since she was there you should read what she says.

We made a Fruit Pizza for Soren's 2nd Birthday. Isn't it yummy looking. OOOH! It is tasty too.

Personal Duties

Recently I have been served a heaping pile of responsibility in a number of ways. When chosephine and I had Soren I chose to become a dutiful father and be around him as much as I possibly could. The responsibilities of fatherhood are heavy with a newborn in the household but as he is growing older that heavy load seemed to multiply significantly in areas I never expected. The simple act of being there at the right time to be rambunctious and rowdy or just simply snuggle while you explain the events of a movie to your toddler has a great effect on a developing psyche. These are the moments that are important in my fatherly duties, not being there to tell him NO or to discipline him when I think he knows better. Those lessons come with time and are difficult for a two year old to understand. The act of caring for one another and being there are definitively imperative at a young age if I ever expect an open and understanding relationship with my child as he grows older.

We have also had to redefine our terms of marriage as one intelligent spouse to another should do when a significant change comes to a relationship. I feel like I have more to give to my wife in the manner of support and time than I ever really have. I don't always have the energy to give those things but I try. Usually a back massage is all she asks for. My excuse used to be that my wrists were sore from work and I would put it off until the next time it came up but I can’t use that excuse any more. (Whaa-whaaaa).

I am also going through 3 years of school to, if all goes as planned, become a Medical Lab Technician. This calls for an enormous amount of focus on my part to even get on the train and go to my classes. I have been against institutional learning for some time now. Maybe because of my experiences in high school or maybe because I don't learn very well in such an environment. Whatever the case may be I have made it through 1 term of college education and am maintaining a 4.0 GPA as best I can. I was working weekends last term but through trial and error we found that it was not possible to arrange that this term. It has been hard to juggle my mindset mode for each situation but since I am a Gemini it is probably easier for me than most. (HA!) I do NEED breaks for some ME-time weekly though. If that means one hour away from my duties, one game of pool with a buddy and two cheap beers, I'll take it. It is very hard to make time for these outings though. Last night while I was out studying a friend wanted me to come to a bar that would have taken a train ride to get there and I only had an hour to be out so I would have had to get right back on the train and come home as soon as I got off. I tried to explain this but it was hard to understand on his end. I have a self-allotted amount of time to take care of certain things and if the hour gets late I can't just go and neglect my numerous chosen duties. If I get off my sleeping schedule I will miss classes, do poorly in them, and/or not be able to function as I would like to with my wife and child. My "encumbrances" of having a wife, a child and an ambition to better myself with an education could be looked at negatively from an outside point of view but I know that in choosing to respect myself enough to make these decisions I am giving myself a chance at success in these areas. However much I enjoy the company of my friends, I have to be selfish right now and focus on the things that make me better. I hope everyone can understand and meet me on my terms until everything calms down in my life. If that means a quick cup of coffee and or an accompaniment on an errand I have to make, so be it. Enjoy the time that is possible to hang out with me until there is more time for me to give.

Well we can see from two visual examples that Soren shares traits from both chosephine and I.

He gets his joy of eating from me. ( I call this pic: I will CRUSH your bones for my dinner!).

And his dramatic flair comes from his mother. ( I call this one: To Whine or Not To Whine, That is the Question).

Okay I did start a new blog and I have dedicated it to my music musings and recommendations.
I Heard It. Let Me Tell You.

Maybe I should just start a music blog too. I seem to have alot to say in that vein and I'm constantly pursuing and listening to music from every genre. (Except opera. Sorry, just not my thing.) We'll see.

To further my thought, we have seen artists reinvent themselves numerous times in the history of modern music. Taking a look @ a jazz legend gives us some insight on why. Miles Davis had a long career with multiple albums, not all of them with high critical acclaim, and each of them had their own feel that cohesively flowed as an individual album concept. Just looking @ three of his most popular albums, Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain and On the Corner, you can see how the overall feel and mood of each is inherently diverse. Herbie Hancock had a wide range of diversity in his work as well. Davis was known for paving the way, publicly at least, for other jazz artists and for his troubling heroin habit. I can see how and why the shifting tide of musical genres changes throughout the decades and I understand how the influence of drugs can alter your perception of inner thought and then effect your creative output. I can also see how an artist that sticks around and stands the test of time would want to reinvent themselves.
Back to Animal Collective. Finally you say. I don't know much about the personal lives of the members of the Collective but I do hear some hints to their musical influences in their body of work. Personally I hear the Beach Boys, Slint and the occasional solid hoedown beat coming through when I give Sung Tongs and Feels a listen. In some of their more "noise" based albums like Hollindagain and Here Comes the Indian and even in the melodic percussives of Strawberry Jam it sounds as if every utencil, appliance and common household item comes alive for a few minutes to attempt a conversation that sometimes ends in an argument where there is no winner. That is if your house is filled with disembodied hands clapping at will and vocal chords that take drifting canoe rides at sea not caring if there is a storm a blowin'. All in all I feel like their music has a purpose and a story to tell me. I find it very listenable (mood dependent of course) and have liked 90% of their work.
Okay, in the time it took me to write this tangent I have listened to Merriweather a second time and it is very approachable. I'm sure I will start to enjoy it as much if not more than the other albums. I don't know what my problem was this morning. I hadn't had any coffee yet and I was in a linear equation mode of thinking. Animal Collective is not really congruent with math class. Maybe I'll listen to it before BIO next time.

Anyway, check it out. I like it. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
Click their name above or click the album cover for a kooky page.---------->

I just got the latest album from Animal Collective (Merriweather Post Pavilion) last night and listened to it on the way to and from my math test this morning. I wasn't too sure that I liked it. I only got through about 3/4 of it though and I always give music a second or third chance because I tend to like at least one thing about an album if I've liked another album by the same artist. However, there is something about how a band progresses that has always intrigued me.
I've noticed that some artists change their vibe consciously or subconsciously after they become a parent. For example: after Liz Phair released an album post-natally it was glossy pop still obtaining her lyrical creativity but lacking in the creative vibe department. I was disappointed. The same goes for Pj Harvey. This phenomenon carries over to other arts too. I've noticed that when some actors come back to their work after having a child they start taking roles that I couldn't see them agreeing to; i.e., some awful kids comedy starring The Rock or Ice Cube.

.......I'm gonna continue this diatribe later because Soren (almost 2yrs old!!!) is in need of attention...

I have recently started furthering my education after not giving a shit for over 11 years. While chosephine and I were in our previous city of inhabitance I half-assedly studied for and passed my GED test with flying colors. (Yes, thank-you little piece of paper for telling me I'm smarter than a high school student). Now in my second term @ PCC I have come to an understanding with my fears and anxiety associated with institutional learning. I did have to herbally supplement myself for a short period during my first term. No silly, not that kind of herb. I started taking St. John's Wart per request of my buddy Raz. It did actually work for me. I am not one to advocate a certain drug or herb for everyone but it certainly helped me. I took it 3x daily, once before each class, for about a month and I had fewer episodes of anxiety. Anyway, I don't know where I'm going with this but I guess it gives my reader a little 411 on my sitch, Bra! Can me and my bra get a sessh bra? Michelobs,...Ultras Bra!. <---(that one's for Austin) Check out his awesome site by clicking his name. Now. No really he's good. Hire him.

So, here I am hitching my line to the everpresent bandwagon and gettin' myself abloggin'. Never really fancied myself as a blogger but I do tend to say things a bit more eloquently without using my mouth. I honestly don't know how much time I will devote to this or how much time will pass before I tire of blogging or think it has become too...something. We'll see. That's why I got rid of my MySpace account. I felt there was some disconnection that wasn't being fulfilled between distant relationships and the people I saw everyday at work knew everything I had done the night before already and we would have nothing to talk about during the day. Then Rupert Murdoch vicariously (through his evil empire of 34% of the media) bought MySpace. I was done with it after I found that out. Whatever..the battles I choose seem to only have purpose to me...dems da berries.

Coming soon.... must grocery now.