loose fur awesome video...

awesome video of super rock strength

just something

a few others...

Pic watching the sunset in San Simeon a while back.... why is Billy by himself?

tell me there's no galactic agenda now!

Poker Night...

Be there or be somewhere else. This Friday evening, there will be a formal gathering at the Belt house. This gathering will include, but is not limited to, drinking various alcoholic beverages, playing cards in the style of the Texans and singing loudly from all of our unique poker playlists on our ipods. All are invited, the only catch is, you must have a penis. Indeed, those without said member will most likely have their own gathering on the eve of said night. Once again, this Friday, March the 3rd I believe. My house, starting at 7:30 in the p.m.

orange juice

it's saturday and i'm not working this weekend. i say this because it is quite rare and i don't know what to do with myself. i read the paper. i had trouble choosing between the wall street journal and the nytimes. i don't like the phila inquirer. it's cold out but sunny and the light is streaming into my apartment making it quite pleasant. i got up early and cleaned a little and then went and bought the paper, which i was disapointed with, but that's alright, maybe they put a good one out next week.

i'm a little disappointed because we lost a job to skinner's in boston. it was a collection of english pottery and porcelain which would have constituted a single-owner sale, about 1.5 million and we proposed to take the highlights on an exhibition tour to london, edinburgh and glasgow and new york and charlottesville...i would have gone along. it would have put my dept. on the map. the next one is ours. yesterday i went to an antique shop that's going out of business in lambertville, nj. it was full of stuff we don't want, but when we went to the woman's house she had nice things there, that she didn't want to sell. that's also how it goes sometimes. sometimes my perspective gets skewed and i think everyone should just sell everything good that they have so that we can have nice things to sell. than i remember that some people like to have the nice things in their houses and don't want to sell them. it's a very complicated business as you can see.

i'm writing about my work because i don't have much else to write about. the woman that lives in vegas has still not made up her mind about what she is selling, so that's a no go. tuesday i am picking up an art deco silver tea set designed by jean puiforcat that's going in for 3-5000. that's good. this belongs to a woman who consigns art a lot. she has two apartments in different buildings on rittenhouse square. one of them is under construction, so she's living in the other one. it's important to have two places to live i've come to realize. i'm currently looking for a second residence...

also, we're working on a mailer for my neon sale (good news) and i'm working on the catalogue (good news), but unfortunately the graphic design dept. (stephanie) is acting in an unprofessional manner towards me (bad news) and making the process very unpleasant.

lesson #2: do not date co-workers, lesson #1: do not stop dating co-workers if your are dating them (or at least make sure it's your fault so that if the other party acts like a bitch to you, you know why)

i'm going to watch movies with emily and micah tonight i think. my computer keeps playing music by bands i don't know. how'd that stuff get on there? i'm learning a lot about life through observing the music my computer plays. i will not elaborate.

i talked to andy this week, i think his new job is great.

-b

Adventures in Conservation

So, I finished the first week of my new job. Oh how the memories flooded back as I scaled the double-tall scaffolding still encrusted with Hollywood Athletic Club ceiling flotsam. I'm working full time for Griswold Conservation- currently we're working on restoring some iron work at the Adamson House in Malibu... anyway, the 2 and-a-half hour commute to and from work is getting quite cumbersome and I need some suggestions for how to make the drive go by faster. In other news, Dana and I are looking to move- hopefully up to Pasadena area, so if anyone sees any good places for rent let me know.

Darren- John told me that all your work you did at Hollywood Athletic was sub-par and wants you to pay him back the wages you made

Primm!!!

So, here's the deal. Jen and I are going to Primm on the 4th to the 5th of March. Everyone is enthusiastically ordered (or welcomed, whichever you prefer) to join us. We're going to be staying at Whisky Pete's. It's going to rule.

Just so you know, you should expect cheap drinks, cheap food, cheap gambling, a log ride and a roller coaster.

Give me a call if you need more info. Or write a comment.

Ryan

Jesse is Freaky 

Meow!!! 

Miller in the Ukraine. Or San Simone 

one year ago 

animal collective?

Athanasius Kircher first described the cat piano in his landmark 1650 work Musurgia Universalis.

In order to raise the spirits of an Italian prince burdened by the cares of his position, a musician created for him a cat piano. The musician selected cats whose natural voices were at different pitches and arranged them in cages side by side, so that when a key on the piano was depressed, a mechanism drove a sharp spike into the appropriate cat’s tail. The result was a melody of meows that became more vigorous as the cats became more desperate. Who could not help but laugh at such music? Thus was the prince raised from his melancholy.

MEEEEOOOOW!
[VIA]

In days of yore...

Brokeback Prequel

my computer's in the shop

so i won't be checking much email.

These Times Are Some Dangerous Times

The situation:

The wife has left the building. I am alone. I realize that I do not do well on my own.

I email in "sick" to class.

I go to the store and amass a stockpile of frozen/prepared dinners that would make darren h. weep with pride. I also purchase a great big pile of beers. I go home. I say hi to the cats. I pop the pizza in the oven and KB Baseball, Inning 1 in the DVD player.

I watch.

This is my third time through. I like that I now recognize the faces in the montages. I spend a good hour reading every baseball card on the extra features.

I note the irony of me sitting here, on my ass, drinking beer, eating pizza, watching a documentary dedicated to men whose lives were spent in furious activity. I chuckle, and sip my beer.

I miss my wife. It has only been five hours. I need the structure.

But, on the bright side, I have a beer buzz and it's only 3:25 pm Mountain time. I only wish I had a few friends here with me to share the joy.

The offer: go ahead and call me, if you'd like, and I'll drink beers and watch KB Baseball while we talk. That way, everybody wins.

Dinner?

a bigger bang

My Top Ten Favorite Foods Ever, In No Particular Order

The Burrito, preferably con carnitas y salsa "caliente."
The Grilled Cheese Sandwich, preferably with tomato, though that can be argued.
The Nachos, but not the kind with real Cheddar Cheese; rather, the kind with "nacho" cheese. Any additional toppings welcomed.
The Dodger Dog, w/everything.
The Beer.
The Roasty Meats, Prepared By Mike Sycz Over An Open Fire, preferably served with that cilantro sauce.
The Pizza, any topping, any variety, any time.
The Oso Buco.
The French Dip Sandwich, w/Swiss and gobs of spicy mustard, preferably from Phillipe's, though any establishment will do in a pinch, providing the sandwich is delicious.
The Bagel w/ lox, cream cheese, tomato, and thinly sliced red onion.

And you?

The story of an Ottoman losing it's legs and the couch that caused it all to happen...

I've written this stupid post three different times and I'm tired of erasing because the storie's too damn long. Ottoman had surgery and her back looks like a clown head with the bald interstate down the middle and the flourishing sides. (Think Andy in 10-20) Anyway, the doctor warned us that she could possibly not walk for 3-4 months, if ever. Well, the surgery was on Wednesday... our little Ottoman took her first steps today. The road to recovery has begun.

(All of this is from her jumping on and off our couches.)

!

i went dancing last night. i am a dance machine. i have super powers with my super-steps. i get the party started. i am the party. i am the music. i am...passion!

i was gonna go see some bands play with some people last night and i took the bus. sometimes i take the bus when i can, which isn't very often. last night i was very excited to be transfering buses for the first time to reach my destination...the fire on 4th and girard. the first leg was fine. it was the 17 which i caught on my corner 20th/pine. i took it up 20th and then down market and got off on 3rd in olde city so's i could get on the 57 to take my up to girard. it was cold. i was wearing a big jacket because i'd be partying...the first 20 minutes were ok. after 30 minutes of waiting for the bus i swore the whole project off, caught a cab and was inside the fire with a whisky in my hands 10 minutes later.

we watched kurt wile, he's this guy my friends are friends with, he and his wife are cool. he has really long hair and he sort sings into two mics with different effects and noise in the background and zones out and it's pretty cool actually. then we decided to quit the scene and head to silk city for some britpopping. there are no cabs on girard. we got a ride. silk city was lame because everyone was apparently at the kyber to hear some scottish dj or something. anyway, we were there to rock, so we had the dj throw on common people and no sooner did the first build peak that the dance floor was packed with hipsters. we rocked out. they played all the hits. i haven't had such fun for a long time.

we went back to the fire about 130 to catch the teeth play. there a local indie band and cool. i heard them play a couple weeks ago when i went out with emily and micah. they did rock again, but not as hard. then i hit the street found a cab and we all went home.

i did laundry today, it is still very cold. i played the piano. i have one in my bedroom now. it was free and i took it. it was hard to get up the three flights of stairs to my penthouse apartment.

my 3 year old ipod broke and now it's in the utensil drawer. i got a new black cool one yesterday and now i'm jamming again. i don't drive. i don't have the ability to drive to music. i have to walk to it. it's as good in a different way. im walking to music again thanks to this sleek little machine.

yesterday morning i went to an apartment with our print specialist david. i had gone friday to look at a chinese screen this woman, who lives in vegas but also owns this 2 million dollar apt. in rittenhouse square wants to sell. i noticed this great art on the walls and now she might want to sell it too. the coolest piece is a big kind of cool in an ugly way frank stella print the likes of which i've never seen before. tomorrow i'm going to see if she wants to sell them for how much there worth. david think the stella is worth about 10,000 bucks so i'm hoping she'll like that. she's got other stuff too, and other stuff in vegas. she used to live in the sands before they tore it down. she sold frank sinatra's patio furniture to a friend. she travels to asia. she has a son in boarding school.

i'm watching arrested development tonight.

it's as simple as that

2.18.2006

do i have mono again? maybe. am i sick? most definitely. if i do have a full blown relapse, it will be my third in a year and a half. i have come to think of myself as something of a sickly lad- a modern day tiny tim if you will.

or it could be the bird flu. the symptoms are all here (legions, boils, yellow blotting of the skin, bloated kidneys). or it could be small pox.

or a bad cold.

black sunday

Something Some of us Might Do When We Have Children

Videotape them getting the hell scared out of them.

And then some of us might laugh.

But I wouldn't.

In response to Alan...

My dear friends, I believe that our Mr. Goss brings up a valid and belated point. Therefore, I am offering our home as a refuge and venue for said gathering. I'm thinking March, 3rd as a date of renewal? We can do poker, beer, pre-draft discussions and maybe some cannolis? Let me know.

-Jayson

so i guess

so i guess i wrote a post on this blog a few weeks ago... and then i deleted it the next morning. i posted it in a rush of emotions and realizations, and then retracted it under the hazy fog of morning after...

so i wonder what it's all about. i think it was about ideas, and honesty. i think it was about life being outside of the world we create it to be in. i think it was about friendships...

well.....

that's a deep subject.

we're all in this together. we're all in the highs and lows, the ideas and the tangibles. we've all got songs in our eyes and cravings in our hearts. in an aside... the reason the porch always worked so well was because of the community, the diversity... the angles of ideas-- some of us like the simple themes, and some of us like the complex stories. But all in all... no matter where we are right now, we all have more than what's going on -- we can all still have a card game and have a good time...

so basically what i am saying is that it's been a while since we've had a great poker game. so let's get that taken care of....


peace.

Brokeback Nelson

An interesting twist in the evolving gay cowboy saga...
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/14/D8FP8BNG0.html

tonight

Hey, so I would call just about everyone here (sorry Andrew) but I can't talk and text messages get tedious.

So, tonight I'm going to be traveling to spaceland to see Wolfmother (another fucking wolf band? Yes.) for free. They're from Australia and they play 70s Sabbath kind of heavy stoner rock. It should rule. And it's free. Plus I won't be able to talk to you so maybe that's a plus or maybe not. You can still look at me.

Anyhow. I figure around 8:30/9:00.

See you there.

You better watch out

You better not cry

boycott

I'm boycotting the virtual porch. it is refried beans in a hammock times ten.

Here's To You

Happy Birthday


...you filthy sash.

Magic!

I've got this picture of me with Magic Johnson. The Lakers have been doing this preseason thing in Maui for a while now and many moons ago, I wandered into the practice gym with my dad. Being "pre-9/11" as it were, nobody bothered us as we watched the showtime Lakers scrimmage. Worthy, Kareem, Michael Thompson, Rambis, Scott, Magic, and even a long retired sweet shooting GM by the moniker of Jerry West were playing a little pick-up.

Anyhow, I took a picture with Magic afterward and it only occurred to me how cool the picture is. Magic Johnson. A man known as Magic. Seriously. His name is Magic.

I'll talk to you later.

So I have been having a problem for the last several months. For those of you reading this that may have had the rare opportunity to speak to me in person, you may be familiar with my malady. You may have confused it with a simple "coming of age" or a vain attempt to sound more masculine and tough. Perhaps you thought that I've simply been sick for several months.

None of these are true. I visited the doctor today, and it turns out, I just talk too g-d much. Apparently, I have been straining my vocal cords (chords?). How? I suppose through teaching. Now, before you jump to any conclusions, I don't yell at my students. I very calmly tell them that they should stop being absolute failures and start acting like an effing normal person!

Well, that's actually not true. I do occasionally have to raise my voice to communicate over the shouting of approximately 30 8th graders, though, and that has made my once beautiful voice strained and gravely. I am constantly hoarse and suffer from occasional total losses of voice altogether.

All this to say, I will be talking to you later. I have been ordered to stop speaking for 72 hours. I will begin this verbal fast on Saturday the 11th of February, ending it on Monday the 13th. How will I accomplish this task? Truthfully? I don't know. I like talking. A lot. I could be accused of having a rather big mouth. Somehow I must prevail.

If you're thinking of dropping me a line, go ahead and write an email or send a text message. I won't be calling you back. If you're having a party, don't be afraid to invite me and Jen. She can still talk and I can still drink up all the Henesey you got on your shelf.

skype

people who live in long distance places should get skype. go to www.skype.com.

free internet phone.

if i worked from home, i'd cancel my cell.

. : . Y A w N . : .

bo-ring

2.3.2006

i'm going to bakersfield this weekend for a wedding.

i need prayer

I need everyone's help. I'm feeling very depressed.

I don't usually do this, but i need to share something. Something big and dirty. I have a dirty secret.

I wear diapers. I've always worn them. There have been many late nights on the porch that I have laughed so hard that I pooed myself. but I haven't told anyone. until now.

I feel very selfconscious of the assey smell that waifs out of my bunghole. It's like tunafish and stale beer. I apologize to everyone. i feel that it has hindered many of my relationships. it has made me cry like a baby alot too. i cry and poo almost everyday.

please forgive me. and next time you see me be sure to give me a gentle hug and rub my back . or give me a clean diaper. i'd appreciate it.

love,
your brother miguel.

a movie for all time

just click it to play
[via}