Wednesday, February 25, 2004

i laughed so hard...

i stole this from agentjohnny, i felt it was worth repeating...

Actual Analogies and Metaphors Found in High School Essays

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a 6'3" tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Grandpappy had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. "Oh, Jason, take me!" she panted, her breasts heaving like a college freshman on $1-a-beer night.

23. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

24. The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

25. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

26. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

27. She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword.

28. Her eyes were like limpid pools, only they had forgotten to put in any pH cleanser.

29. She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.

30. It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.

Saturday, February 21, 2004

this is me i guess:

Cattell's 16 Factor Test Results
Warmth |||||||||||||||||| 58%
Intellect ||||||||||||||||||||| 62%
Emotional Stability |||||||||||||||||| 54%
Aggressiveness ||||||||||||||||||||| 70%
Liveliness ||||||||||||||||||||| 66%
Dutifulness |||||||||||| 34%
Social Assertiveness ||||||||||||||||||||| 62%
Artistic Interests |||||||||||||||||| 54%
Paranoia ||||||||||||||||||||| 62%
Abstractness |||||||||||||||||||||||| 74%
Introversion ||||||||||||||| 46%
Anxiety |||||||||||| 38%
Openmindedness ||||||||||||||||||||| 70%
Independence ||||||||||||||||||||| 62%
Perfectionism |||||||||||||||||| 58%
Tension ||||||||||||||||||||| 62%
Take Free 16pf based Personality Test

Friday, February 20, 2004

my first mix cd in several years:

Weezer - Don't let Go
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - I'm a Ghost
Saves the Day - Rise
The Streets - Don't Mug Yourself
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Got My Own Thing Now
Somerset - Open Books
Slow Gherkin - Pretty
The Siren Six! - Back is Breaking
Rx Bandits - Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers
Dan Potthast - Hey James
Tyler Woodstrom - That Awkward Pause...
Chris Murray - Ex-Darling
Mu330 - Organic Gun
Pilfers - Saga
Outkast - So Fresh, So Clean
No Doubt - Rock Steady
Mike Park - On That Stage
Midtown - Find Comfort in Yourself
Sting & The Police - Roxanne
Long Beach Dub All-Stars - My Own Life
Jurassic 5 - Concrete Schoolyard
Huey Lewis & The News - The Power of Love
Ben Folds - Gone

losing money

yesterday, i rode to class with john for the first time all semester. it required me to wake up and entire hour earlier. but it was cool, we got to use the HOV lane on 35W, so it didn't take as long to get to class as i expected. i went to class, was utterly bored in the first one, and aced a test in the second one. i headed back to johns car after that, and when i entered the parking lot, i realized that the grand am is a popular car. everywhere i looked there were silver grand ams. so i picked up my phone and called john to find out where the hell his car was. i felt a bit silly, but it was funny, and i had a good laugh. after that we promptly headed to don pablos, where once again, sabol decided not to invite several people. i'm not sure when that became his job, but i'm definitely blaming him for it this time. after filling my belly with an el matador, we went over to best buy where i purchased a new memory card for my camera. then i went home and just lounged around for a while.

later that evening i went over to billy's house to play some cards. and since i'm not very good at it, i lost a grand total of $10. but it is always fun to hang out with the guys, regardless of how much money they take from me. stayed there till nearly 2am, and since i had woken up extra early (7am), i was feeling rather pooped. but that's okay, i planned not to attend class today in lieu of the wonderful weather we are having. commuting in the snow is my least favorite wintertime activity.

Thursday, February 19, 2004

The Secret Lives of Howard and Otasan

you can download all the stuff i recorded for tyler here. do it, you know you want to, cause it's so good.

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

all done...

i finished mixing the stuff that tyler has been recording with me since last fall. i think it turned out rather well, and it was fun to work on too! once tyler takes a listen then i will do final touch ups and then i assume tyler will let you all hear it.

in other news, my sister and her boyfriend got a puppy the other day, they haven't named it yet. now penny has a playmate! i took some pictures, but they are kinda crappy since the two of them wouldn't stop moving.

penny and puppy 3penny and puppy 2penny and puppy 1biting the leg

anyways, that's it for now, i'm off to go sit on the couch, and patiently wait for the chappelle show to come on. wait, one more thing. i like that the sun has been out the past couple days, makes me feel good.

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

to shake, or not to shake?

Polaroid warns buyers not to 'Shake It'

Monday, February 16, 2004

R.I.P.

these things are more of a list than anything else:

i've been in a band for the past two and half years called the common place. we were privileged enough to play along side some of the greatest rock groups in the country. we played at warped tour. we were on an asian man records release. we played at every freakin' venue there is in the twin cities. we were played on the radio. we bought a van and hardly used it. i was able to work with someone who has more song writing skill than i ever dream to have. i had fun recording two albums, which despite their shortcomings, i am fiercely proud of. i made friends with so many people that i love. we became socially, spiritually, and politically aware of things that made our blood boil. at times we tried to channel that energy into our music. at other times, we vented to each other about how frustrating life can be. we made fun of each other. we annoyed each other. people were lazy. people worked hard. we all had fun. we were proud of what we did. we saw many bands come and go. we didn't share the same taste in music. we did share the same taste in music. we got frustrated. we fought. we went out to eat after shows. we lived together. we did more laughing than most people do. we felt the energy of being on stage and having the crowd appreciate you. we felt the energy of being on stage and having the crowd not appreciate you. we've been cut short by sound engineers, and told to drive 12 hours home. we've been to every wal-mart in illinois, wisconsin, and minnesota. we've made crowds feel awkward. we've made people mad. we've made people smile.

overall, i've had the time of my life. playing in a band with 4 other guys that i admire deeply. i couldn't dare wish that this be allowed to happen to me again, it is too much for one man to have twice what i've been given once. along with our music we created friendships that i hope last a lifetime, and i wish everyone the best in what they do from here on out. i hope that we made an impact on people, whether significant, or insignificant. i hope we've pissed you off, made you cry, love, hurt, think, sing, dance, laugh, and smile. but for me, most importantly, i hope we made one moment of your life a bit happier.

thanks to everyone who was so supportive of us, and who came to shows when you'd seen us 20 times already. thanks to my family and friends, and to theresa. i'm not going anywhere, i'm just moving on.

Peace and Love,
Joe

R.I.P.
the common place
2/16/04

Friday, February 13, 2004

i've got stars in my eyes...

if you live in the twin cities area and haven't looked up at the sky tonight, do so. the stars are out in force and are nice and bright, i love looking at the sky.

this sounded fun...

Put your entire music collection on random and write down the first 30 songs.

No cheating! (stolen from
[info]socoamarettolim, thanx!)



So out of the 3,000+ songs on my computer, here is what happened:

01 - Stan Kenton - El Panzon
02 - Outkast - Ain't no Thang
03 - Dave Matthews Band - Ants Marching
04 - The Doors - The Crystal Ship
05 - Creedance Clearwater Revival - Hey Tonight
06 - The Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven
07 - Dan Potthast - They're Talking
08 - Slow Gherkin - Roger
09 - No Doubt - Running
10 - Flipsyde - No One Else
11 - Bud Powell - Salt Peanuts
12 - Ben Harper - Welcome to the Cruel World
13 - Long Beach Dub All-Stars - Life Goes On
14 - Hot Water Music - A Flight and a Crash
15 - Ben Harper - Steal My Kisses
16 - Miles Davis - Flamenco Sketches
17 - Weezer - My Name is Jonas
18 - Greazy Meal - Old Soul Cafe
19 - Sting and the Police - Roxanne '97 (Puff Daddy Re-mix)
20 - Justin Timberlake - Take It From Here
21 - Less Than Jake - Dopeman (Remix)
22 - The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
23 - Voodoo Glow Skulls - Mala Palabras
24 - John Starkey - Steady and Slow
25 - A New Found Glory - The Great Houdini
26 - Benny Goodman - Waitin' for Katie
27 - Outkast - So Fresh So Clean
28 - Sublime - Pawn Shop
29 - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Crane Takes Flight
30 - George Russel/Billy Evans - Concerto for Billy the Kid

wow, so there are a couple embarrasing ones on there. puff daddy remix? haha, priceless, i think that came with a sting and the police greatest hits cd. and voodoo glow skulls, i just don't know what i was thinking when i purchased/liked that crap.

in other news, i'm going to the wild game tonight! woohoo!

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Jack in a box...

before i go to bed, i leave you with my moment of zen...

mike in a box

so we actually got the lid on too, and the straps latched...i hope Mike doesn't mind i'm sharing this, i'll take it down if you want homie...

i finally got around to...

...putting new pictures of the band up on our website. i don't think i had put any new ones up in over a year. check them out. if anyone of you took these pictures and i didn't give you credit, i'm sorry (i think matt b. took alot of them). regardless, thanks to everyone who has sent me pictures of shows. if anyone of you has more pictures or knows someone with pictures of our past shows, let them know that i want them! here are a couple ways you can find me:

AIM - ivesetsail
e-mail - joe@thecommonplace.com

in other news: i really like fresca, anyone with me on this?

Monday, February 9, 2004

my puppy

just trying to figure out how to put pictures on here, i'm learning things.

penny

her name is penny.

Saturday, February 7, 2004

my grandfather

so my grandfather has been a strong supporter of the republican party his whole life. and my grandmother told me the other day that he is royally peeved about how shitty a job george w. is doing as president of our fair country. so chances are good that this will be the first time he has ever voted for a democrat in a presidential election. i only hope there are more intelligent republicans out there like my grandfather. you heard me my republican friends. booyah!

Thursday, February 5, 2004

not sure what to do...

so as it turns out, i love playing in the common place. the last 2 years and 6 months with the band have been amazing. we've done so many things that i had no idea we would be lucky enough to do. i think the songs that JT and Brendan (and more recently Nolan) write are not only great, but they're challenging for me to sing (and when i can't pull it off i still enjoy it). but as times goes on, it just feels more and more wrong for me to be in the band. i get so stressed out at times that it doesn't feel like it's worth it. i'm not gonna list the reasons why, that wouldn't be fair to the rest of the guys. i guess what i'm trying to say is that i just don't know what to do about it. i've tried so many times to remedy situations that i felt were unfair. what is left for me to do? it hurts to think about leaving the band, cause i really don't want to. but i feel like i'm being pushed into a corner, and that leaving is the only option i have, aside from continuing to be stressed out and miserable when it comes to band stuff. anyways, we'll see what the next few weeks bring. i just hope that eventually everyone is happy with how things turn out.

love,
me

Wednesday, February 4, 2004

emode tests that theresa made me take

apparently i'm one notch left of evil. who would've guessed?

this is scientifically accurate. (with a 99.9% margin of error)


Which Family Guy character are you?

but seriously, there was an article in newsweek a while back which had a poll in it stating that the margin for error was 100%, i thought that was hilarious.