CATHARSIS

One hell of a week, it's been.

finally done tearing things off my dad's house back in Elmira, which means I soon get to start putting things on it. Always fun when you get to play with power tools and lift heavy shit.

I'm going to interject with a few thoughts and lyrics in blockquotes between my ramblings in this latest installment. I need to do this before I forget them. You'll recognize them because they'll be red.

So, so many things have transpired as of late, all of which are collectively serving the purpose of returning me to fair emotional health. First: Kev might have a good job soon. In addition to volunteering to spend a month doing 40-hour-a-week overnight shifts renovating Old Navy for a month, I am expecting a job offer early this coming week (See CIRCUITOUS) in an industry which will lend itself well to co-op credit.

No, I'm not saved. But I implore you: Do not feel sorry for me unless you need to do so to reinforce your own faith. If you have to feel sorry for me for your beliefs to ring truer to you, go right ahead. If, however, you are as confident in your beliefs as I am in mine, then you already understand how well I feel, and I repeat... you do not need to feel sorry for me.

Second, I ran into an old friend this weekend, one who occupies a large piece of real estate in my heart (isn't that what they say? Location, Location, Location). I have loved her since I've known her, and due to abhorrent circumstances, we fell completely out of touch with each other and had not reconciled some inequities in our relationship for close to three years. Within three minutes of seeing each other for the first time since all this shit went down, we had successfully plowed through all the crap, rekindled our strong ties, and shed all that heartache and regret.

I've rehearsed this conversation so many times
I've rehearsed this battle over and over
I've played this scene out in the theater of my dreams for weeks on end
Because players is all we'll ever be in this fictional romance

We're going to stay in close touch and begin making up for all that time we lost being mad and confused about each other. This is such a weight off my shoulders. I can't wait for it to sink in that I have my best friend back.

Lover, you've been waiting for so long
To hear me tell you that I was wrong
I was selfish but now I'm learning to be strong
And I'll carry on

Love, it's hard to understand it all
But who wouldn't answer when Heaven calls you home
You're as perfect as today was long
So that's where you belong

God, I pray I still have time to hope
That those I care for learn in time to cope with this
If I could I'd take along with me
Our happy memories

Lord, I didn't mean to take so long
So please forgive me when I'm dead and gone
And let the children know they're safe at home
And speed me along

Another excitement is that I'm really bursting with ideas for songs to write. My buddy Joe, the other half of (and namesake of) Joe Unglued, has been doing a lot of studio work lately, and when I head down to Pennsylvania for our next gig over Labor Day weekend, we're gonna record a bunch of material. I also played a gig tonight with The Jones Effect. We had a blast and people enjoyed our set, though it was slightly disappointing inasmuch as the event was a benefit for Mercy Flights, a helicopter emergency-medical-transport service desperately in need of funding, and they just didn't have enough numbers to collect many donations. They didn't even net over a hundred dollars. But shrugging that off, we really played well. This was the first full electric gig we've been able to pull off since I've been playing with Eric and Josh, and I've been longing to put forth a more energetic show. Finally got my wish! See frustratingly small samples of our show here.

Okay, I can't end on that note. Just doesn't feel like an ending. Ahh, here's one:

No matter how tall or short you may be, in bed we're all the same height.

FORTUITOUS

Good thing I remembered to get these out of my head before I forgot to get them out of my head and forgot them themselves:

The name of my next rock band is definitely going to be 'Monty McStrangle'. Either that, or that will be the name of the character based upon me when I write a screenplay. If it ends up being the band name, there's going to be a song in which the only lyric will be "Born on the 51st of Novtember". Over and Over again.

I terribly miss Meg LaRochelle, Chris Lazzaro, and Ray Ward, all of whom are living in either Colorado or California for the rest of their lives as far as I'm concerned.

I sleep on a lightly-padded boulder for two to three days a week when I visit Elmira. During my stays I experiment with lucid dreaming, which takes my mind off the pain. I achieved a lucid dream not more than three nights ago; this is a remarkable success, since it's only the second I've ever had, and it came within a week of my first attempts to consciously achieve one.

This entry is just fluff; read CIRCUITOUS below.

CIRCUITOUS

Wow, 'bout time I posted again. What's new, you ask?

Well, it looks like I'm about to be okay.

The means and path by which I've been progressing toward said okaity is quite possibly the most roundabout I could conjure. Something on the order of 14 Degrees of Separation and Reconnection.

1. My uncle, the 42 year old kid-at-heart and proprietor of Johnny's Irish Pub, married a lovely lady who is young enough for me to date. Dead serious. Happened this past Friday.

2-3. Lovely Lady's sister was in attendance as the matron of honor. She works in a building owned by the husband of the hellabitch from whom I bought my house this past spring.

4-5. Back when she still owned it, Hellabitch used to rent my house's downstairs apartment to Lovely Lady, and to Lovely Lady's Mother before her (all of whom were in attendance at the wedding) (disregard the previous parenthetical statement; it really isn't important to the story). Shortly after I bought Lovely Lady's car, I moved into her former residence: the downstairs apartment of my soon-to-be-homestead, thusly becoming the simultaneous tenant of Hellabitch Haven and the subject of lots of smack talk, regarding the time it took for me to get my affairs in order to purchase the home, as per the agreement between Hellabitch and myself. For the record, she originally stated that she'd like the closing to come within six months of the beginning of my tenancy. For the record, I met the deadline. For the record, she is a bipolar hellabitch.

6. Hellabitch talked smack and smack and more smack (about me being a lazy bullshitter who wasn't serious about the contract to which I was bound; I busted my ass for months to make things happen; when they didn't, I moved fucking mountains to coax the process along; a lazy bullshitter, I wasn't) to Husband of Hellabitch and Lovely Lady's Sister, who in turn relayed this perceived impression of moi to Lovely Lady and to my uncle. I caught heat for this in one way or another right up to the point when I handed Hellabitch's lawyer (who happens to be one cool dude; damn shame he has Hellabitch for a client) the check for the closing. Point is, these people have been trained not to like me much.

7. Despite all the slander, Lovely Lady's Sister (and her husband, Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby) found me to be quite the gentleman when we met this past St. Patrick's Day at Johnny's Irish Pub.

8. My mom, who was in town with a large caravan of Savinos recently because of the wedding, found herself engaged in an enthralling conversation with Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby when they all retired to Johnny's Irish Pub after the rehearsal dinner. Turns out Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby is an RIT grad, of the same Electrical Engineering discipline that I call home. Also turns out that he's rolling in dough because he's been at the helm of a robotics/motion control/automation company in the area, and he's looking to expand. It further turns out that he remembered me and what a nice guy I was from our previous meeting at Johnny's Irish Pub, when I told him all about my search for a co-op in the field of Electrical Engineering.

9. Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby expressed interest in reacquainting with me because his business is expanding and he wants to discuss a position that will be opening up shortly. We talked at Johnny's Irish Pub and had a blast. He gave me his card. The next day, I impressed him with my moves on the dance floor at the wedding reception.

10. I met with Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby at his office, which is located in the same building that houses his wife; this building is owned by Husband of Hellabitch. Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby introduces me to Husband of Hellabitch on my way in to the interview/tour. I impressed him. His wife is still a bitch, though.

11. Steve The Technician Who Already Works For Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby really liked me.

12. I gave a hell of an interview and Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby talked about making me an offer early next week. Steve The Technician Who Already Works For Lovely lady's Sister's Hubby will most likely be my supervisor.

13. So, despite all the possible choke-ups that could come along the way, Lovely Lady's Sister's Hubby thinks I'm quite possibly the man for the job. So all of Hellabitch's hatin' had no effect on him, after all.

14. FUCK YOU, HELLABITCH! YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND! HE'S AN ALRIGHT GUY, BUT HE'S MARRIED TO YOU SO I'M STILL HAPPY THAT HE'S PROVIDING THE WORK SPACE FOR THE GUY THAT YOU COULDN'T COERCE INTO HATING ME, AND NOW THAT GUY IS GONNA START PAYING ME LOTS OF MONEY TO HANG AROUND WITH YOUR HUSBAND AND BEFRIEND HIM! AND HE'S GOING TO START TO LIKE ME TOO AND SOONER OR LATER YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT ME AND go ahead, admit it. 'Okaity' rocked your typographical world.

EXPEDIENT

Time again for "you had to be there", except that I bring 'there' here, so you can get the gist of it regardless. This evening's episode comes from yet another conversation between my man Andrey and me. It appears unedited for spelling and/or grammar, and is unabridged.

KnightM3: yo'
RITmusic2k: hey boss
KnightM3: how goes?
RITmusic2k: oh my god
RITmusic2k: crazy weekend
KnightM3: do tell
RITmusic2k: I've been inextricably sneezy for the last few days...
RITmusic2k: turns out I had a common cold lurking somewhere beneath the sheen of the rockstar lifestyle
KnightM3: lol
RITmusic2k: Been running myself ragged lately,
RITmusic2k: haven't been getting enough sleep
KnightM3: taking vittles?
RITmusic2k: multivittles
RITmusic2k: ;-)
KnightM3: good good
RITmusic2k: anyway,
KnightM3: [do tell more kind sir, i shall brb]
RITmusic2k: the itinerary since friday was as such:
RITmusic2k: had a bunch of friends from work join me at my house for a gather-together evening. Had fun, played beer pong 'till three or so, since we didn't get out of work until after 10pm
RITmusic2k: everyone had a great time
RITmusic2k: and there were hot chicks aplenty
RITmusic2k: though not the one I wanted
RITmusic2k: she was occupied with some late dinner hosted by her teacher at school
RITmusic2k: but she called me while we were partying
RITmusic2k: which was nice
RITmusic2k: anywya,
RITmusic2k: one of my friends was waiting for a ride to come pick her up,
RITmusic2k: but this guy was terrible with directions, and the phone he was on was dying, so we only got incomplete directions to him
RITmusic2k: consequently,
RITmusic2k: I had to drive her home, to north winton
KnightM3: [back]
KnightM3: eww
RITmusic2k: didn't get to bed until 4:15 am
RITmusic2k: worked 9am-1pm the next day, of course
KnightM3: of course;-)
RITmusic2k: had a little chill time with a friend, then hightailed it down to Pennsylvania for a saturday night gig with Farnsworth
RITmusic2k: by this time, cold is fully set in
RITmusic2k: so I'm thinking I'm really gonna suck it up tonight when we play
RITmusic2k: fortunately, everything worked out fine
RITmusic2k: one of the best sounding shows we've played
KnightM3: niiiice
RITmusic2k: we each killed a bottle of jagermeister during the show,
RITmusic2k: which was 9:30pm-1am
RITmusic2k: so we were having plenty of fun
RITmusic2k: people bought us shots as well,
RITmusic2k: and tipped us nicely
RITmusic2k: my favorite quote from the gig:

RITmusic2k: "Remember, every time you throw a dollar in out tip jar, a priest gets a venerial disease."
RITmusic2k: (our tip jar)
KnightM3: LOL
RITmusic2k: so, we get to bed by 3:30am,
RITmusic2k: and I was planning to get up early and drive back to rochester by lunch time to meet with Paige's dad and help him finish off the party house
RITmusic2k: well,
RITmusic2k: that didn't quite happen since my sickness had regrouped and dealt me a hefty blow
RITmusic2k: I barely made it home in time to nap an hour before heading into work at 6pm for our remodeling night
RITmusic2k: overnight shift
RITmusic2k: had an absolute blast
RITmusic2k: worked until 3:15am
KnightM3: holy crap
RITmusic2k: and the ten of us who were there played a mean game of parking lot football during our "lunch" break
RITmusic2k: well, the second half of it, at least,
RITmusic2k: first half was spent downing henrietta hots plates
RITmusic2k: my ladylove knocked me upside the head as I was attempting to intercept a pass to her (by the way, she's got hands like flypaper on the football field)
RITmusic2k: got me a cute little black spot under my eye from that one
RITmusic2k: and I successfully bend the shit out of my glasses four times tonight
RITmusic2k: sometimes from working, sometimes from roughhousing,
RITmusic2k: and once from the football game
RITmusic2k: it was such a memorable night
KnightM3: LOL
KnightM3: sounds like a day in the life of Riker.
RITmusic2k: we had so much fun together
KnightM3: but more importantly, how do you feel now? physically?
RITmusic2k: dude, I loved every minute of it
RITmusic2k: but I'm broken
RITmusic2k: of, one more thing
RITmusic2k: I was wearing slippers at first during football,
KnightM3: hahaha you're asking for it;-)
RITmusic2k: but I doffed them in favor of socks for maneuverability
RITmusic2k: well, I didn't realize this at the time,
RITmusic2k: but I ripped the bottoms of the socks to shreds
RITmusic2k: after the game we were al inside,
RITmusic2k: people were like, "oh man, those are dirty."
RITmusic2k: so I picked my foot up to see how bad it loked at the bottom, and all I saw was the tar-blackened ball of my foot
RITmusic2k: funniest shit of the night
KnightM3: lol
KnightM3: no injury to the feet?
RITmusic2k: wish I had my camera
RITmusic2k: well, heel's a little sore from impact
RITmusic2k: but that's all
RITmusic2k: no scraps
RITmusic2k: um,
RITmusic2k: scrapes
RITmusic2k: the asphalt was very recently re-tarred,
RITmusic2k: so there was not a single loose stone onm the surface
RITmusic2k: but yeah,
RITmusic2k: been nose-runny and cough-y all night
RITmusic2k: plus I'm losing my voice
RITmusic2k: which is a bad thing... I have a gig this friday
RITmusic2k: in brockport
RITmusic2k: at the Java Junction coffee house on main st. in brockport
RITmusic2k: in fact, you should be there if you're free
RITmusic2k: it'll be an evening show, I'm sure
RITmusic2k: something like 8pm
RITmusic2k: but yeah
KnightM3: i'm working all night friday:-RITmusic2k: okay man, no troubles
RITmusic2k: anyway,
KnightM3: oh
KnightM3: oh
KnightM3: your CD-ROM
RITmusic2k: ooh, yes
RITmusic2k: one sec
RITmusic2k: CD Lite-On LTN486S48x MAX
RITmusic2k: that's the one that burned out
RITmusic2k: all I'd be looking for is a basic inexpensive comparable drive
RITmusic2k: 48x
KnightM3: burner?
RITmusic2k: pretty much the only criterion to match
RITmusic2k: nope,
RITmusic2k: it's to replace the player in a two-drive setup
KnightM3: I'll check my price, but retail it's like 40-50 bucks
RITmusic2k: he has one reader, one burner
KnightM3: we might get another 10 off
RITmusic2k: well, if that's cool for you, the tewn bucks off will be worth it to him
RITmusic2k: so we'll have to meet up sometime so I can give you cash
RITmusic2k: okay?
KnightM3: yeah, I'll just have to keep the receipt.
KnightM3: just in case;-)
RITmusic2k: okay man
RITmusic2k: no prob
KnightM3: :-)
RITmusic2k: well, I have to give in to gravity and common sense,
KnightM3: ok
RITmusic2k: so it's time to sign off
KnightM3: so you doing ok dude?
RITmusic2k: yes, I think I am
KnightM3: ok good. as always, you know the number:-)
RITmusic2k: there are more and more things to deal with every time I turn around though,
RITmusic2k: Did you hear about Mary's brother?
KnightM3: yes
RITmusic2k: so, you understand...
KnightM3: yes
RITmusic2k: there's always soemthing else to be thinking of
RITmusic2k: I hope she can help him through this without suffering too much herself
KnightM3: she has a good support network, she will be fine
RITmusic2k: true
RITmusic2k: one of the best
KnightM3: exactly
RITmusic2k: so yeah
RITmusic2k: anyway
RITmusic2k: I shall be singing off at the moment
KnightM3: ok sire
RITmusic2k: good chattin with ya
KnightM3: you too buddy
KnightM3: lookin' forward to your next blog;-)
RITmusic2k: but even a rockstar needs his sleep :-P
RITmusic2k: actually,
KnightM3: so they say
RITmusic2k: you just read it

BUTTRESSED

Not more than a month ago, I became reacquainted with an old friend under the most unusual and delightful of circumstances.

As I was working my work at Old Navy, I noticed a well-dressed shopper on a cell phone standing behind a booth, where the lower half of her body was obscured, reach down and start fumbling around. This is a red-flag of sorts, as shoplifters often attempt to drop merchandise into their bags behind the cover of our fixtures. My inner monologue (hereafter italicized) went something like this: "Hmm, Looks like she's trying to drop something over there. I should check it out."

As employees, we're trained to give extra attention in the form of courtesy and inquiry about the perpetrator's supposed needs, if for nothing else, just to let them know we see them. I continued to approach her. "Wow, she's really cute; even if she's not shoplifting, I think I'll go over and make sure she's finding everything alright."

I made it around the fixture to observe her innocently tugging at a wrinkle in her sock. "Erroneous concern. I'll just go ahead and make sure there's nothing she needs my help in locating."

She stood back up and continued to look at our merchandise. "Holy shit, she's the spitting image of Audrey (the younger sister of my best friend from high school)!" The resemblance was too great to go untested. At this point, it had not filtered out from my memory that Audrey (the younger sister of my best friend from high school) had been attending U of R for the last three years and was living up here in Rochester, not more than three minutes from my house.

I devised a brilliant plan, in which I would hide almost out of sight and yell her name out, then wait to see if she reacted. Before I could commence with the clandestine tactic, though, she snapped away into the women's' department. Unfazed, I walked around from the far side and approached her in a neutral fashion, as if I were about to ask if she needed any assistance. As soon as I saw the look of recognition in her eye, I knew it was Audrey (the younger sister of my best friend from high school). "Holy shit, it IS her. Man, she looks fantastic!" I ran over and tackle-hugged her. Quite an inconsiderate reunion, with regard to the person on the other end of her cell phone conversation. Fortunately it was her mother, who likes me to pieces and forgave my transgression: the public molestation of her youngest daughter.

Long story slightly shorter, Audrey (the younger sister of my best friend from high school) and I finally had the chance to spend some time together as we'd promised each other we'd do. The encounter took place this evening. It was uplifting to say the least; I'd long known we had a connection of sorts, but we'd never explored it due to the fact that I was already so close to her older sister. There was just no reason to explore it. Furthermore, her sister, Erika, at that time, was not too fond of Audrey (the younger sister of my best friend from high school) spending time with friends that Erika staked a claim on first. Tonight, however, we'd indeed discovered that we are destined to become remarkably close, and it is only coincidence that it is so; she's a very different person than her sister.

Audrey (the younger sister of my best friend from high school) and I made so many plans before we'd actually hung out together (all of which were interfered with by that bitch, Unfortunate Circumstance), not the least of which was a plan to partner up as an original acoustic duo, with Audrey (the younger sister of my best friend from high school) taking lead vocal. This girl is such a great performer, she captured the lead role in our high school play as a freshman. That simply does not happen. Needless to say, I was ecstatic about the opportunity to partner up with her.

Alas, none of it can happen, at least not for another six months or so. See, Audrey (the younger sister of my best friend from high school) is going to prison for a trumped-up auto theft charge.

Wait, no, that's not right... She's taking a leave of absence for a semester and flying to California on a whim. She leaves Saturday morning. Needless to say, we had to see each other at least once before she left. Needless to say, there was an air of melancholy about the evening, though thankfully it was all but lost amongst the litany of conversational topics we'd covered and fine Rochesterian atmospheric samplings we sampled.

We parted just moments ago, but she'll be in my mind for a while yet.

DROLL

Jack Handey-esque Thoughts by Kevin Savino-Riker:

"It's a good thing that cows can't talk, because all they'd ever talk about is what grass tastes like. And that would be a big waste of a talking animal."