I write this entry from atop the fourth floor of a Hampton Inn in Dry Ridge, KY.

And, yes, it's been a while.

I've no decent or acceptable excuse for this leave of absence, so I will simply skip that part and go straight to apologizing: I've been a bad blogger. I haven't updated in over a month and in that span of time, I haven't even been that busy or uncreative, I've simply neglected Xanga. Worse still, I haven't been reading any of your entries either. Even in typing that last sentence, I, myself felt the bile rise up in my throat in protest of this truly base and vile act of neglect.

To think, Xanga used to be my home, my constant source of internet bliss. Oh, how it has all been stripped away by the ease and conformity of facebook. "I'll just go on and catch up with some old friends", I say as I peruse mindlessly through the profiles of those I know. I learn much in my browsing: favorite movies/music/quotes/literature, but rarely does anyone actually do anything constructive on facebook.

Sure, I suppose it takes some effort and thought to send a bumper sticker, but has it added anything to society, has it had an impact? And while you can tell quite a bit about someone based on their taste in movies, music, and television shows, there's still nothing that compares to seeing a person's very thoughts etched on [virtual] page.

I forgot this, and in my sloth, I gave up on what had been one of my outlets. For shame. Over the past month, the guilt has weighed so heavy at times that I just never visited Xanga, sub-consciously hoping that everyone had forgotten about it the way I had, but it was not so. For even though countless masses have succumbed to the "fire and forget" world of facebook, there are those of you who have soldiered on, and I thank you for that. You are wonderful, remarkable human beings crafting blogs that are truly worthy of recommendation.

Now, I shall drop the dramatics. Apology over.

---

I'm on my way back home. yes, for the last week I've been on a family outing in Hilton Head, SC of all places. You'd be surprised at how many rich white people you can fit on just one little island. Astounding. Despite my initial sarcastic "street smart" (Stephen is not "street" nor will he ever be regardless of how tough he thinks he is for living in Downtown GR, "smart" however may apply, but only in the realms of legos and Star Wars Trivial Pursuit) remarks, I had a pretty good time.

I love the Ocean. It is my purest intention to live near the Ocean one day and surf my life away. There's no, "Oh, that would be kinda fun", or "By the Ocean, or maybe a mountain, or maybe . . .", it is simply: Hawaii, surfing, and somehow making enough money to eat (no requirement for clothing. Boardshorts are all I need.).

As of right now, my fantasy includes moving to Hawaii to shoot surfing videos all day and sharing an apartment with Jack Johnson and kim Jong-Il. Why Kim Jong-Il? Dude, have you tried his tuna casserole? Seriously good stuff.

But I'm pretty sure that fantasy will never be fully realized, so maybe I'll just buy a Honda Element instead. They're so cool, and practical to boot!

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The band has taken a long hiatus for the month of July, but we're finally playing shows again this month (whoopee). There are also plans on the table for recording an LP soon, but more details on that as they materialize.

By the way, we've changed our name to Birds on a Wire

(don't laugh)

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Good = "The first place, Chicago Cubs"
Bad = "Yankee catcher, Pudge Rodriguez"

---

I have a new job where I sit at my own desk for eight hours every day doing legal type things and then I get to go home and pick up after my kids, I mean, room mates.

Ladies love the responsible types.

I'm quite the catch, you see.

---

this is as good a place as any to end this.

Listen, if you want to have fun and spread that fun around the whole town, here's what you do:

buy a can of Redi-Whip and a jar of maraschino cherries and and proceed to "top" random objects in your neighborhood. (sidewalks, trash cans, mailboxes, etc.)

Or, if you have any shred of dignity or self-respect, don't.

stick in the mud.


[I see London, I see Sam's Town]

Yes, I know it's been a crazy long time since my last update, but I just came back to say "New Arms"



This is what happens when we're bored yet still feeling creative.

[This is what you get when you mess with us]

My friend Jack hooked me up with this sweet* bike the other day. This is good for many reasons -- let me list them:

1.) I love riding bikes
2.) I can help save the environment somehow by riding my bike to and from various places around town
3.) Gas jumped again (bastards!)
4.) People have said I look "majestic" when riding. I was skeptical of this labeling at first, however, the other day I went for a ride and two -- not one, but two -- different girls "wooed" at me from their cars. The first time it happened, I figured that she was just eco-conscious and applauding me for choosing a more earth-friendly mode of transit. "Yes, 'wooo'", I thought to myself, "now there's a girl who really gets it." Then, it happened again, with a different girl, in a different part of town. I began to put the pieces together.

Thus, the total amount of "woos" I've received in my life from random girls is now at 5.

So, I'm gonna start riding my bike more often now.

*Free

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Norah Jones is absolutely breathtaking. Seriously, I'm pretty sure she's beauty incarnate. Oh, and she's a pretty boss singer as well.

---

I'm going to watch Juno tonight. I've seen it before, and honestly, I'd like to watch Children Of Men, but my "Tuesday Movie Night" crowd is a little leery towards violence, so I'll just have to create a "Violent Movie Night".

---

Lord, I wish I could write like Donald Miller; that man has a talent for describing things. I'm currently reading his book entitled "Through Painted Deserts", maybe you've heard of it before. If you haven't, it's essentially the recordings of his and his friend's trip from Texas to, well I'm not sure where they'll end up yet, -- it's very Kerouacian. It's the sort of road trip you take to understand yourself and the rest of the world more clearly. Just you and a friend and the open road.

Sounds tempting. . .


I leave you now with this simple yet clever ad from converse



cheers,

[I wanna walk with you on a cloudy day]

Freedom, sweet freedom.
Come, caress my face and whisper sweetly in my ear.
Thou dost smell like spring, when the robins sing,
and the ground doth change from white to green.

I'm free from my prison
raptured from hell,
for today I gave my two weeks
at Taco Bell


[I want to let you know me, but I know I never will]

it is.

[buy me some peanuts and crackerjack]