33

In less than a week the ever closed doors, that to me once represented something only dreamt about, will be opened.
In less than a week the curtains of exclusivity will be pulled away, and we will be VIP, even if just for a moment.
In less than a week, we dine at Walt's finest.

The anticipation bubbles deep within my entrails.

Still the fave

Mock Orange do it again. Have a listen.

Pour la France!

Everytime I see a Sofia Coppola film I feel like, "Auh... whatever. It was cool and all but, uuhh." Then sure enough it creeps up and haunts me. My thoughts and dreams and the way I talk. Then I watch it again and feel as though I'm watching the greatest movie I will ever put into my eyes and ears, feeling like I have a connection with it that only I can understand. It's wierd that it can go from making a fart noise with my mouth about it, to rewinding a part over and over. But it can, and such was the case with Marie Antoinette lastnight. Very well done, and one I'd like to own. I thought the music was bueno, particularly in this scene where she uses The Cure, followed by the party scene to New Order. Good stuff. And a good picture. Recommended. I've since been burning my eyes up on the French Revolution, and all of it's little linked what have you's. That's it.

Lost tonight. With dessert.

Let me eat cake, oui oui.

So I went ahead and picked me up a viral upper respiratory tract infection.

The amount of crap that has flowed from my nose today could fill nine pickle jars. Maybe next time I'm battling the ravages of the common cold, I'll avoid drinking colossal amounts of beer from sun up to sun down.

This would cheer up anybody

It did the job for me.
"Why the bitching?" you might ask. Well Arch. school is looking like more of an '08 thing than an '07 thing right now. In other words, I'll be receiving my degree in a wheelchair.
I don't know what the problem is. The lack of significance that I or my parents placed on my education maybe? I barely graduated high school because I ditched more than I attended. I would rather sit in my car eating donuts and listening to Screeching Weasel. I applied to bible college about two weeks before classes started, just because I saw everyone else going to college. That lasted one semester, of writing half assed papers on justification by faith and sneaking up to the back 40 to smoke cloves. Then I dicked around a couple of bro'd out community colleges and dropped out to deliver pizza. And here I sit, eight years a high school graduate, no where near what I envisioned as a boy. I'm not unhappy with who I am. I've learned a lot, married my soul mate, and have gained some valuable work experience. Yet I regret some of the choices I've made.
So what did I do? I came home last night, got drunk on Beefeater, and cried to my wife about it. And she's so good. She cuddled her husband's bitchy little head in her lap, played with his stupid hair, and proceeded to lift up the shades on the situation.
So there you have it. And it's a new day. And I'm ditching church to sit at home in my underwear and play on the internet. But it's nice, rain outside, tea inside. No sense dwelling on the past. It's time to sludge through the glop that is my educational near future.

And to my wife, that road trip is looking better and better by the second.

Sometimes I hate myself

And trying to go back to school makes me want to puke.

An update, and other truths

I'm ass tired. Today I worked way out in the countryside, driving a three geared dump truck, pulling up fence posts, and petting horses.
Arrested Development has been really making us laugh lately. I think Buster Bluth is collectively the favored character, with Gob close behind.
I've also been flixing The Sopranos, and watching them without the company of the wife. For some reason she's just not into them. I'm not sure if it's the drug abuse, or the nudity, or the language and relentless violence. Just not sure.
And while on the subject of televised entertainment, Lost is again ruling my life. Last night's episode was very satisfactory indeed.
M and L Bethancourt ascended the mountain for some hang time that went by far too quickly. Pesto Premavera pizza, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and a gem of a card game by the name of Hand and Foot were enjoyed into the wee hours. Good times were had.
I've been spinning a great Kinks album called Muswell Hillbillies, thanks months back to one D Heule and one N Warkentin. "Here Come The People In Grey, To Take Me Away!"
I was let off work early the other day, when I drove right home, put on my boots, grabbed up the ol' M3, and hit the slopes with the wife for the first time this year. It's was beautiful. So much so in fact, that I was filled with awe, which I believe allows me to say it was Awesome!

Rosie you said it.

Uninspired. And I don't think a song can help me here. I need something more. Something robust and warm, like Spring.
Or Budweiser.

That's it.
Lots and lots of warm Budweiser.

Droning day in and day out. Work. Then work. Then come home too tired to do anything but go to bed at nine. We make ourselves nervous sometimes doing this. What are we becoming? We need action. We need to shake it off. And we will. This weekend friends will come up, and max. And this year we will drive to Portland, and see about living there.

Sage Clips

A trip to a fancy studio
+ A few poorly lit video segments
+ A new but limited Windows Movie Maker
+ Two lunch breaks

= This, the first of many probably not great movies.

And tonight at Detroit Bar

I'd do some guest list action but... it's free.
So come haaaaaannngggg!!!

Doods and Doodettes

We Ann Lynn boys will be playing at Spaceland tomorrow evening with The Colour boys, so come hang. If indeed you do want to come le' may know, and I'll see about doin' some guest list action. Sweet? Sweet.

I like the new Shins.

Other things get crazy.

Weekend - Rose, Suz, Jen and Shant in town, smokin' Church Warden's, and puttin' cocktails away.
Yesterday - Rio Bravo rehersal in Pasadena.
J11 - Rio Bravo show at Spaceland.
J14 - Ann Lynn rehersal in Riverside.
J15 - Ann Lynn recording at Sage and Sound.
J16 - Ann Lynn recording at Sage and Sound.
J17 - Ann Lynn recording at Sage and Sound.
J18 - Ann Lynn show at Spaceland.
J22 - Ann Lynn show at Detroit Bar.
J26 - Ann Lynn show at Morongo.
J27 - Wife and I to Vegas, maybe? By the looks of things, maybe not.
F11 - Possible Ann Lynn show at The Knitting Factory.
F24 - Possible Ann Lynn show somewhere else.
In Between - Work and Date Wife as much as possible.

Work gets crazy.

When I first began working at DED&C, I was put out in the field, on the jobs, picking up trash and driving the rickety old trash truck to the dump and back. Work was easy above all, in fact the most difficult issue to cross my mind at the time probably went something like, "Do I, or do I not have enough time to finish a cigarette right now."
That was a few years back, and things have changed a bit. For example, yesterday I had to draw a picture half the size of a windshield, perfectly based on the following:

EXHIBIT "A" LEGAL DESCRIPTION

ALL THAT PORTION ON THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 11, TOWNSHIP 2 NORTH, RANGE 1 WEST, SAN BERNARDINO MERIDIAN, IN THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL PLAT OF SAID LAND, DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

BEGINNING AT A POINT ON THE WEST LINE OF SAID SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 11 WHICH BEARS SOUTH 16'38" WEST 277.92 FEET FROM THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF LOT 339 OF TRACT NO. 1876, AS PER MAP RECORDED IN BOOK 27 OF MAPS; PAGES 49 TO 53 INCLUSIVE, RECORDS OF SAID COUNTY; THENCE SOUTH 89° 43'22" EAST 79.30 FEET TO A POINT ON THE WESTERLY LINE OF STATE HIGHWAY; THENCE ALONG THE WESTERLY LINE OF SAID STATE HIGHWAY SOUTH 7° 19'30" EAST 348.72 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING THENCE NORTH 39° 43'22" WEST 125.762 FEET TO THE WEST LINE OF THE SAID SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 11; THENCE ALONG THE SAID WEST LINE OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 11, NORTH 0° 16'38" EAST 126.08 TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE PROPERTY CONVEYED TO ROBERT M. LEONARD, ET UX IN THE DEED RECORDED DECEMBER 8, 1961 IN BOOK 5606, PAGE 413, OFFICIAL RECORDS; THENCE EAST ALONG THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID LEONARD PROPERTY TO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER THEREOF, SAID CORNER BEING A POINT IN THE WEST LINE OF THE STATE HIGHWAY; THENCE SOUTH TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING.

It was gnarles.

Happy '07

Merry Christmas

I'm stuck at work for a couple hours, thus I blog.
This morning I was thinking about the days when Derek and I, being about ten or eleven years old, would call each other on Christmas morning to tell each other what we had recieved. Things like Rock'em Sock'em Robots or F-Zero for Super Nintendo. Those were the golden days of being a kid.
We went to church last night for the Christmas Eve service where it was mentioned briefly that amongst the gifts that came with unending life through Christ on the night He was born, was our celestial body awaiting us in paradise. This reminder stuck with me pretty hard while I sat there with my head ache, my stye, my ever worsening eyesight, my sore back, and my heart burn. I can't tell if I sound like a big baby or a seventy five year old man, but oh how I look forward to better days sometimes.
Back to the aforementioned topic of gifts, I'm going to re-live a moment from those golden days and make my "phone call", which will only work if you reply in the same way.
A painters easel.
The complete Calvin and Hobbes hardcover boxset.
An Atari with built in games.
A new Wilco shirt and Tweedy tour DVD.
Muswell Hillbillies on vinyl.
An electric fireplace heater.
Reservations for dinner and a hotel in San Diego.
Bulfinch's Mythology
1000 places to see before you die.
And a book about the art of the Disney imagineers.

Now it's your turn. If you want.

So Pine Summit, or Nazi Germany, as our little circle of ex-employees like to call it, has given my parents the ol' boot due to their need for more prisoner hou-, I mean staff housing. The date that Der Führer gave mom and dad was Feb. 1st. However my old man is going to sit tight until at least the first of March, so that they can look for a house to buy or build.
In the twenty years that I've spent growing up in that house, I've racked up a few memories, and I would think most of my friends have as well being that we spent the better part of our high school days there bbq-ing and watching movies and playing games. So we were thinking of having a little get together before they leave. One last hurrah, and then we'll burn it down. Or if you happen to be in town between now and then, we'll max out there until they leave, and then we'll fill the house up with styrofoam popcorn. Or something. Let us know.

Awesome

The word, to me, can have several meanings.
1. To be more than just cool. "Man, that's awesome."
2. Being or getting inebriated. "Let's get awesome!"
3. To be super super dumb, and evoke feelings of, "Man I hate this" and "Why am I here" and "I just want to die".

With respect to reason #3, work today was, well, awesome.

Gladden Christmas party...

...after many a Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Nog.

Please pardon the lack of light.

I'm looking for a Clark W. Griswmmnnn.

It's that time of year, again.


I stole the following from Lindsay. I had to. I'm a sucker for these things. And Lindsay, yours ruled. Particularly your birthday.

11 LAYERS OF YOU

LAYER ONE: ON THE OUTSIDE
Name: Matthew D. Pool.
Birth date: August 16.
Current Location: Big Bear.
Eye Color: Kind of brown on the outside, green inside.
Hair Color: Dark brown.
Righty or Lefty: Righty.
Zodiac Sign: Leo.

LAYER TWO: ON THE INSIDE
Your heritage: Irish, Italian, Danish and Welsh. My dad swears there's some African American too. I'll have to check on that one.
Your fears: Getting stuck in a long Taco Bell drive through, while having to pee.
Your weakness: Cream Cheese.
Your perfect pizza: The Vato from Maggios (shrimp, ham, roni, jalapeno, onion, cilantro).
Goal you'd like to achieve: Make a living.

LAYER THREE: YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW:
Your thoughts first waking up: First, I'm going to slit those dog's vocal cords, then I'm going to burn them alive. And watch. Over a beer.
Your best physical feature: My double chin.
Your bedtime: In bed about 10:30, sudoku or book until 11:15ish.
Your most missed memory: Right now, Christmas as a kid.

LAYER FOUR: YOUR PICK:
Pepsi or Coke: Diet A&W.
McDonald's or Burger King: Taco Bell.
Single or group dates: Group dates? Like me with my wife and Rosie? Sure.
Adidas or Nike: Vans.
Lipton Tea or Nestea: Tetley.
Chocolate or vanilla: Dark chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: Double vanilla soy latte.

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?
Take a shower: Usually every month.
Have a crush? YES!
Think you've been in love: It's known.
Want to get married? Too late.
Believe in yourself: Often enough.
Think you're a health freak: Every month, for about a day and a half.

LAYER SIX: IN THE PAST MONTH
Gone to the mall: Does the Big Bear mall couNT HAHAHA?! no.
Been on stage: Once. We're slacking.
Been dumped: Nope
Gone skating: Skateboarding, for about 45 seconds.
Dyed your hair: With wet concrete? Yup.

LAYER SEVEN: HAVE YOU EVER
Played a stripping game: Like making candy canes? Sure.
Gotten beaten up: A homie punched me real hard once. Ask me sometime, I'd love to tell the story.
Changed who you were to fit in: I had alot to drink one time, and told some dudes that I liked them and their music, which I don't, very much.

LAYER EIGHT: GETTING OLD
Age your hoping to be married: Why is this under "Getting Old"? C'mon.
Age you wanna have kids: Between now and 31.

LAYER NINE: IN A GIRL/GUY
Best eye color: Brown
Best hair color: Dark.
Short or long hair: Long. I've come around.

LAYER TEN: WHAT WERE YOU DOING
1 MINUTE AGO: Thinking about when I want to have kids.
1 HOUR AGO: Doing some online Christmas shopping for the wife.
1 YEAR AGO: At this very moment? Not sure. Maybe pooping.

LAYER 11:FINISH THE SENTENCE
I LOVE: The ol' lady.
I FEEL: Like having a coctail, a Colorado Bulldog, real soon.
I HATE: Stupid, not smart, dumb ass little dogs.
I HIDE: A hammer under my bed, until I buy a gun.
I MISS: The Talbots, the Chapmans, Ty Watts, Rosie, Suz, the Blacks (all of them), Zack, beer, the shaggin wagon, Disneyland, Screeching Weasel, paintball, the tooth fairy, jr. high, King's Quest 5, Buck (the dog), Buck (the Matt), Chicago, concerts, crossing the line, 94.7 the wave, Norpain, and Nintendo. And probably a few more things.
I NEED: To do my fafsa.

Thanks.