Kings Town Heading to the town of Kings to see an old friend and another new
friend hopefully rock the night into a furious glory of fender
sounds and organ-grinding accordion guitar amps. Kingston
is always a place of inspiration for me.
I'm also working on the
show which is turning out to be a great
outlet. The Kingston cast of characters is growing.
More to come.
Bad Sleeps Sleep evades me. I look at the clock. I sweat.
I toss and turn. I swaddle myself in sheets.
I wish for the morning to arrive.
Time continues to tick away.
Minutes drag like years.
The moon glows.
Nothingness.
Quietness.
Breath.
Night.
Sweet Tashard Choice (to the tune of 'Sweet Emotion') This guy is pretty friggin' awesome. Not since Emmitt Smith have I
been so psyched about watching a Dallas running back (save for
Marion Barber when he's not injured). Tashard is going to be a
major factor for the cowboys this year, especially since he is
comfortable at the helm when the cowboys switch to wildcat O.
With 82 yards rushing and 36 yards receiving against the struggling
Panthers for a much needed monday night win, Tashard showed his
dual-weapon capability.
It's great to have cable tv again.
Up in the air, Junior Birdsman This year's crop of starting quarterbacks to watch (obviously, I
couldn't fit them all in) are getting to be an interest point for any
viewer. I can remember watching NFL games in high school and it
seemed like every team, whether they were 12-4 or 4-12, had an
amazing ball-thrower at the offensive helm. The past few years,
however, have shifted in focus as many NFL coaches have
implemented a 'wildcat' offense which throws a third running
back into the midst and sidelines the QB. Although this wildcat
craze is taking the league by abusive force, sooner or later,
defenses will adjust and the QB will have to 'nut up or shut up'.
My picks for the year in terms of teams to watch:
Vikings (obviously - Favre + Adrian Peterson = playoffs)
Cardinals (I know they sucked last night but Warner is the magic
man)
Bengals (yes - the freaking Bengals. Carson Palmer is here to
help those ugly looking zubaz helmet-heads)
Cowboys (I'm a little biased but if their defense and o-line show
up, Romo will wake up and lighten the running load)
Patriots (Brady is back - nuff said)
Jets (This team has beaten the best of the league already - oh
and rookie QB Mark Sanchez is pretty much flawless - oh and
they're 3-0)
Take Me Out To The Ball Game For the first time in ages, Sarah took me and Peter (brother in law) to
see a pro baseball game. It was some good expensive hot dog n' beer
fun. Ichiro Suzuki got kicked out of the game for arguing a strike. A
loud heckler sitting close to us annoyed us to hell. Our feet got stuck
to the floor.
Ah, baseball.
Afterwards, we met with a few Toronto area friends and had a gay
old time at Everest (on Queen) for dinner. I had never spent my
birthday in Toronto before. There's a first for everything.
Friggin' Friday Apparently, the Get Up Kids are playing at the Phoenix in Toronto?
I have many questions about this:
A. I thought they broke up
Well...I guess that's not a lot of questions.
Thirsty Thursday Too much head on that.
It's The Birthday Boy - Gather Round...
It feels weird to celebrate a birthday. As Seinfeld says in his book
'Sein-Language', "All you did was not die for another year - is that
really worth a massive celebration? What kind of an accomplishment
is that?" It feels a little mundane at times but then, I guess, it is
important to be reminded of our mortality. And on this day, I
guess I'm sensing that...I'm just friggin' blessed to be here.
None of us knows how long we have. Take that into account and
act with that knowledge.
Run with it.
BBQ Delivery Nelson came by and dropped off a brand new bbq for me and Sarah
tonight. Are we getting old? Is having your own bbq one step before
t-ball games and charades parties? Regardless - it is an awesome
piece of machinery and I plan to put this meat-griller to great
use in the next while.
The fall is flying by. Tomorrow marks another chance I've had to
have one more 'spin around the sun'. I always think of things
to write in the day but when the night comes, I only want to get
blogging over with. It is a chore and a bit of a bore.
Booking is taking over my life. Never before have I seen the under-
belly of the music industry as seething and as wart-ridden as I
see it now. Some people have music disease.
Ho-hum. Blah Blah.
Post it.
Another Haiku Owen Wilson love.
Bottle Rocket was awesome.
Where are you now, sir?
A Haiku Sweaty Shorts Chafe Me
Red skin hurts to rub against
Dampened stains of brown
A Country Bumpkin Bonfire Tonight, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I knew that Sarah was
going to be on duty in the dorm (dance duty) and that I had a free
night to chill. Luckily, my friend Derrick called. It was great to
hear from him. I drove out to near Roseneath and hung with
Derrick, his girlfriend, his bro and a few other peeps by a giant
fire. Even out here, in the middle of nowhere (i.e. Port Hope),
the countryside ALWAYS brings brighter stars. I stepped out of
my vehicle and could not believe the brightness of it all. The sky
was lit with a million points of light. Pinholes in the vastness.
I think it's important to take time on a lifeguard chair at
Gracefield and contribute a verse.
Gone Golfin' Today was the first day in a long time that I got out to a course
and went golfing with some friends. These friends are all good
dudes but I didn't get to see a lot of them when I lived in
Ottawa this past year. It was me, Jonny, Pauly and Jay. We
got power carts for an extra 3 bucks a piece and ripped the
course to shreds. It was great.
I'm thankful for good friends and sunshine today.
We don't know how long we have on this earth, friends.
Cherish every dang moment.
Closed Minds I have no tolerance.
No patience.
No remorse.
No mercy.
For those who have grown up in the faith and who continue to
abuse His name and drag His goodness through the dirt.
I am a sinner - yes. I fuck up. I do stupid crap all of the time. I
swear. I drink. I get too heated when I should be calm - but aren't
these traits also gifts? Can they not be used for good?
When someone approaches me about 'swearing', I just want to
snap like Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic when the pirates invaded
his ship. It's uncalled for and completely asinine and point-
missing.
I need to consult the book.
Luke 24:45-53
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise
from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins
will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what
my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed
with power from on high."
The Ascension 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left
them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and
returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at
the temple, praising God.
This pic comes up when you google my name
Weird. Anyways, it's time for a new endeavour.
Watch the Matt Show - Episode 1.1 - Part 1 - here:
Loud Girls Right outside my door, there are many loud girls. About 50 of
them. There is no mistaking the time when they are in the halls
and not in class. Their voice volume levels are beyond the
realm of ear-damaging. They can't ever have chilled conversations-
they yell everything. The girls at Ridley College (in Sarah's dorm)
were never this loud but then again, we didn't live as close as
we do. Our office room door is basically wedged between two
different res rooms. Apparently the loudest 4 girls in the res
live in those two rooms. They laugh loud. They swear loud (and
they swear more often than some truckers I've met). They talk
loud. They knock on each other's doors loud.
Great.
Simmadanna (Simmer-down-now) I think that negative energy is a bit of a catch 22. Everyone always
says you should be honest - but is honesty the best policy if you
are constantly feeling down and bummed and taxi-cab floor-licking?
Should you sometimes fake feeling up? Can this be a positive
exercise? I suppose that as I myself have gone through bouts of
depression, someone else telling me to 'fake it' would be rather
annoying and side-piercing.
Sometimes, though, I have to HAVE TO look at the positives of
my situation and lay them out on paper to actually see what I
can like and be enthused about.
1. Since September has started, the weather has been unbelievable
and sunny and balmy and hot during the day and cold for sleeping
at night and that is awesome.
2. I have made some money doing booking and working from
home - hopefully this lasts and I can do more of it.
3. I am closer to friends and fam who live in the Toronto region
and due to my open schedule, I am more able to go see them now
than when I worked 3 jobs and lived in Ottawa (5 hrs away).
4. It sounds kinda queer and sunday-school-esque but I made a
prayer map of different friends and fam and where they live,
throughout North America and so even when I'm not feeling
super-spiritual, I can at least see the map and remember fond
memories of them.
5. I created a very slow-moving and very dry comedy show. It
is fun doing this.
Reminding myself of these things is an important practice.
Sunday Sloth Today was a day of sitting, resting and chillaxing. There was nothing
super-eventful or interesting about it. I did a few dishes and edited
parts of The Matt Show upcoming episodes and then messed around
online. There are still boxes in this apartment but I'm finding it hard
to get to it. I need to book stuff for musicians but I'm lazy. Lazy like
a fat dog.
The spell should break when the week starts. If it doesn't, I'm done.
Where Do Weekends Go? I'm stumped. I think weekends, for a long time now, have been
retreating to some desert island where they sit on bamboo
lawn chairs, drinking coconut flavoured mai-tais, laughing
at the silliness and straight-forwardness of weekdays. 'Oh
the weekdays', the weekends say smugly as they slurp thru
their straws. 'Those guys don't know how to have fun. They
are as strict as conservative fundamentalists and about as
psychologically void, too.' The weekends are fairly non-
muscular folk who sort of look like smiling blobs. But are
they happy blobs? Absolutely. Who wouldn't be happy sipping
mai-tais and sitting on a beach all day?
Today, I went on a boat cruise with Sarah and the rest of her
dorm. It was fun to troll around the Toronto waterfront and
see the city all lit up. The only odd thing about it was the
tickets that clearly read 'GOOD FOR ONE NON-ALCOHOLIC
BEVERAGE'. Yeah. Dang high school girls. They make
everything so difficult.
Kingston Gold I had the chance to spend some time with some great friends
who are very dear to me yesterday and today. I tend to forget
that friends have other lives, too - professional, relational,
passion-oriented - I just think of them as friends. A lot of my
friends in K town orbit around a place called NeXt Church.
If you're ever in the Colborne street area, you should check
it out. If I lived in Kingston, I would absolutely go there.
There's nothing flashy about it. It's not a mega-church. It's
bare bones and real people. My friend Garry lives a few steps
away from the actual building with his lovely wife and 2 kids.
On thursday night, I bugged out of Ottawa and grabbed a few
pints with Garry, Todd and Brendonian (anyone else would
have been welcome) at the famed Kingston Brew Pub. If I
lived in Kingston, this would be my pub. The beers I tried
were all locally brewed - Dragoon's Breath Pale Ale, White
Tail Cream Ale and Downtown Brown. Downtown Brown was
odd tasting but the others were lovely and flavourful.
On friday morning, after catching a glorious sleep in the House
Famous, I arose to a morning house meeting and helped
Brendan and Garry set up a NeXt Church booth at the Queen's
sidewalk sale. The Queen's organizers thought it best to put
all of the Christians together in the same section. Regardless,
I think NeXt had the coolest most original booth set up of
anyone there. Many friends who are new Queens students
walked by and helped me remember why I love Kingston -
it tends to be inhabited by many people I love.
After spending a little time with Sister Blender (Liz) at the
Sleepless Goat, I grabbed some spicy lunch with Todd at the
Wok-In. He spoke about becoming a father and I shared about
my recent baby experience.
We are all getting old.
Letdown So for two weeks in a row now, the James Street Juggernauts showed
up to play with nary another team to play. It's a bit of a defeating feeling
when you know that the rec softball league you spent a long season
playing within is run by circus clowns who spend their time on
miniature bicycles whilst playing with whistles and yo-yo's.
I mean really - come on.
It was nice to get back to Ottawa for a spell, though. Any chance to
spend time with a dear friend on the patio of a Royal Oak while slurping
a delicious amber-coloured Creemore pint is a good thing.
Toll Booth Willie This one's all about the audio. Make sure you are not near children.
Living Outside Of Your Selfish Shell Holding a newborn baby, no matter what you're going through in
life, will almost always make you forget your own problems and step
outside of your selfish shell. You can actually even forget you're alive
for a moment because this little glob of flesh is so dependent on
having its head and body held by you to stay comfortable and warm.
I've been thinking a lot about myself, lately, and this is no way to live.
I'm going to try to change.
Hamilton Love Song Heading to the Hammer to witness the birth of my sister in law's
new child.
Ain't no trip to Cleveland.
Back Log I have been feeling a little backed up with this blog. Maybe instead
of 'Back Log', I should have titled this post 'Back Blog' but I'm not
feeling that witty today. The weekend has come and gone and shot
stares into an uncertain future. The September weather is proving
to be lovely and makes me wish it happened during the 'actual'
summer. My life is mostly in boxes, still - but I'm slowly getting
unpacked.
Reap The Whirlwind Reap the whirlwind, Sherriff Brady. REAP IT!!!
The Viral Sensation Sweeping The Nation So I've decided to make a tv show. You can watch the trailer
here and become an avid viewer. It's going to get weird, wacky, strange
and will hopefully be another artistic outlet that I've always wanted to
pursue.
Join me in the journey, won't you?
For the naysayers, I have two things to say:
1. Go pursue your own artistic outlets.
2. Own up for the words you say.
Rigamarole Don't forget where you came from.
Caught Up No! I wrote 'Caught Up' - not 'Catsup'! Stupid auto-picture finder.
At any rate, there is no such thing as an auto-picture finder to
my knowledge but I digress. I wonder if life is just a series of
dreams that I'll one day wake up from. I wonder if this chair
and desk I'm sitting at are actually here and not imagined.
This year will be a transitional one without question. I need
to get re-acquainted with old John Cusack and Jon Cryer films.
I need to record new material and still keep the old stuff fresh.
I need to never forget passionate outlets or forsake them for
laziness.
This town is a make-you town, I think (just like the song).
Who's ready to get made?
Goals Pushing To An Objective Wow. I'm noticing now that this picture I chose is giving a fair view
of the above runner's crotch.
Sarah and I went for a run tonight in our new neighbourhood. We
met some foxes on the way home. There was a group of 3 of them.
We thought, at first, that they were possibly just ugly dogs that
people on the campus of the school owned - but such was not the
case. They were white-tailed foxes. We were kinda scared. As soon
as they saw us, though, they bolted.
In life, and in order to combat depression of any kind (especially
when you are newly unemployed like me), you have to set goals
and set out to achieve them on a daily basis. Even if your goal
for the day is to clean the kitchen - write it down. Undertake the
task and get it done. It sounds unbelievably lame when you
describe the psychology of it but it gives you satisfaction and a
sense of achievement in the happenings of your daily routine.
Make a list of all the things you want in life and then spend the next
20 years slowly obtaining those things.
It's September? Oh man.
