Seven 9s and 10s

Museum of Play (by Steelopus) Sometimes I take photos. This was December 2009. I love the structural design of the interior of the Strong National Museum of Play. I don’t know if the architects intentionally made it look like a giant version of the steel-tube jungle gyms on which I grew up dislocating knuckles and spreading germs, but that’s what it reminds me of.

Museum of Play (by Steelopus)

Sometimes I take photos.

This was December 2009.

I love the structural design of the interior of the Strong National Museum of Play. I don’t know if the architects intentionally made it look like a giant version of the steel-tube jungle gyms on which I grew up dislocating knuckles and spreading germs, but that’s what it reminds me of.

waiting on you - weezer
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Track:
waiting on you

Artist:
weezer

Album:
the good life OZ ep

130 plays

weezer - waiting on you

I asked you if you had a good heart.
You answered: “Yes; I’ll never do you harm.” 

Excerpts from my 9/11 Instant Messenger Logfile

I rolled out of bed around 930am and went over to my computer, just like I would on any other Tuesday. As soon as I signed into AIM, a good friend that lived in midtown Manhattan sent me a message.

---

Mark in Manhattan:
(9:39 AM): JESUS CHRIST TURN ON THE NEWS

Me:
(9:40 AM): HOLY GOD

---

I watched CNN as Aaron Brown struggled to report what was happening.

---

Mark in Manhattan:
(9:47 AM): good god

Mark in Manhattan:
(9:48 AM): it's just.. jesus christ.. not the thing you expect to wake up to

Mark in Manhattan:
(9:50 AM): we're lucky that there are tall buildings around the towers.. if the planes were able to hit the base those buildings could definitely toppled

Mark in Manhattan:
(9:50 AM): I mean there's still a risk now

---

At 959am, I watched as the south tower collapsed...

---

Me:
(10:00 AM): OH GOD

Me:
(10:00 AM): mark...i dont care how far away you are

Me:
(10:00 AM): stay safe

Mark in Manhattan:
(10:00 AM): I'll try

Mark in Manhattan:
(10:00 AM): I've been hearing ambulances and such driving by all morning

---

...Mark, however, hadn't seen the collapse.

---

Mark in Manhattan:
(10:03 AM): THERE WAS ANOTHER BUILDING THAT JUST LIKE EXPLODED

Me:
(10:03 AM): the trade center FELL OVER

Me:
(10:03 AM): didnt you see it?

Mark in Manhattan:
(10:03 AM): no??

Me:
(10:03 AM): yse!

Me:
(10:03 AM): the south tower...

Me:
(10:03 AM): i need to go...

Mark in Manhattan:
(10:04 AM): jesus christ

Mark in Manhattan:
(10:04 AM): playu

Mark in Manhattan:
(10:04 AM): pkay

Mark in Manhattan:
(10:04 AM): okaty

Me:
(10:04 AM): i can hardly breathe

Me:
(10:04 AM): holy cow

---

It's weird that technology allows me to go back in time to exact moments. Reading through this log, and the days that follow, I was reminded of the fact that, at the time, I was a mere 21 years old. I was young, largely immature, suburban and coddled.

I don't remember it this way, but the logs don't lie - I was full of fury and anger. I was calling for revenge. I wanted Bin Laden to suffer and I didn't care how many civilians had to die for that to happen. It disgusts me to realize I once felt that way.

I've grown a lot in the last 10 years.

High-res fmgreen: FMGreen Fun Fact: The analog MCI console at GFI - through which we recorded our debut album (Yellow #5) - was the same console through which Metallica recorded their seminal debut album Kill ‘Em All in 1983. I don’t mean it was the same model, I mean it was the exact console they used. “We spent six weeks up in Rochester, New York, recording the album at the Music America Studio. The actual studio is in the basement of this huge old colonial-type of club house. Up on the second floor there’s this huge ballroom which is perfect for getting a good drum sound. The only problem is the place is fucking haunted, so I had to have someone else up there the whole time I was recording. My cymbals would start spinning, you know shit like that. It was scary, but I would love to record there again.” — Lars, August 1983, Metallica: In Their Own Words (via) We like to think they were just warming it up for us.

fmgreen:

FMGreen Fun Fact:

The analog MCI console at GFI - through which we recorded our debut album (Yellow #5) - was the same console through which Metallica recorded their seminal debut album Kill ‘Em All in 1983.

I don’t mean it was the same model, I mean it was the exact console they used.

“We spent six weeks up in Rochester, New York, recording the album at the Music America Studio. The actual studio is in the basement of this huge old colonial-type of club house. Up on the second floor there’s this huge ballroom which is perfect for getting a good drum sound. The only problem is the place is fucking haunted, so I had to have someone else up there the whole time I was recording. My cymbals would start spinning, you know shit like that. It was scary, but I would love to record there again.”

— Lars, August 1983, Metallica: In Their Own Words
 (via)

We like to think they were just warming it up for us.

GPOYW

I’ll be submitting one of these to Dear Photograph (You are following that blog, right? It’s excellent.), but I’m having a hard time deciding which I like best.

Possible captions:

  • (Upper left) “I’m still single… ladies?”
  • (Upper right) “Why yes, I have always been this cute.”
  • (Bottom) “We lost Nonna and the apple tree around the same time, but I miss her a lot more.”

What’s your vote?

2011 meets 1983 (by Steelopus) It’s rare that all four of us are together. Only two of us still live in Rochester, while one took his family to LA and one in Baltimore will soon be moving her family back to San Diego. Most families I’ve come across have some level of major drama. I’m not sure how we’ve managed to avoid those issues (good parenting definitely played a major role), but I’m glad we have. We sat in that grass for 5 minutes as people snapped pictures of us striking poses and making silly faces, while inside the house there was the chaos of 20 Italians and 5 kids celebrating with a surprise 75th birthday party for my dad. It was a great chance for us to relax for a bit and get away from the ruckus while recreating a hilarious moment from our long-ago past.

2011 meets 1983 (by Steelopus)

It’s rare that all four of us are together. Only two of us still live in Rochester, while one took his family to LA and one in Baltimore will soon be moving her family back to San Diego.

Most families I’ve come across have some level of major drama. I’m not sure how we’ve managed to avoid those issues (good parenting definitely played a major role), but I’m glad we have.

We sat in that grass for 5 minutes as people snapped pictures of us striking poses and making silly faces, while inside the house there was the chaos of 20 Italians and 5 kids celebrating with a surprise 75th birthday party for my dad. It was a great chance for us to relax for a bit and get away from the ruckus while recreating a hilarious moment from our long-ago past.

We’ve just passed the 10 year anniversary of my senior recital for my bachelors degree in K-12 Music Education.

10 years ago I performed John Cage’s 4’33” on stage in front of my family, friends, peers, and professors. 9 out of 10 of them had no idea what the hell was happening. I’m still proud of this performance.

A few thoughts:

  • My favorite thing about this video is the quiet little voice of my then-3 year old niece. “What is he doing?” It was the only moment where I lost my composure and let out a smile.
  • I wish someone who cared about me back then would’ve told me to cut my hair. I had long hair for a long time. Too long for too long. This was my poofy-curls stage. Also, terrible glasses. Also, fully buttoned-up shirt with no tie?!
  • Muted trumpet for the 2nd Movement = The  best idea I’ve ever had.
  • [Tacet]
Move On - The Rentals
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Track:
Move On

Artist:
The Rentals

Album:
Return Of The Rentals

Download 51 plays

The Rentals - Move On

4:21 for 4/21.

Back in the late 90s this song resonated with me. I hadn’t yet realized that Rochester is one of the best places a person could choose to live.

Now I just think it’s a really pretty song.

15 Days of Weezer - Day 9

(Original. Other Days.)

Day 9- How Weezer has impacted your life

  • Romantically - The path of my life was significantly altered when I met a girl at the green album release party that I was MC-ing at a local record store. She never loved me back and I ended up with someone else and then I ended up alone. Now she’s getting married. I’m honestly not sure I’d be the person I am today had I not seen her that night.
  • Financially - Between ‘97 and ‘02 I spent hundreds of dollars on weezer memorabilia. My collection of pre-Make Believe releases is impressively complete. I’ve got all kinds of shit that’s not worth very much these days, but it was a good hobby while it lasted.
  • Musically - There’s no denying that weezer’s music shaped me as both a musician and a songwriter.
  • Notability(ally) - I didn’t come to be known as “weezersteve” in the Rochester area just by chance.

On Ozma

 sandgaijin replied to your audio post: Ozma - Natalie Portman If I’m a proper Jewish…

Wait, you’ve heard of Ozma, too??? I was super into them when they were still around and made lots of friends on their band’s message board. Daniel Brummel will like my things occasionally on Facebook, too, and I feel all flush.

Between 1998 and 2002 I was a huge fan. I also made my way around the message board back then (my username back then was likely FMGreen).

I won a contest back in 2000 when they asked fans to vote for what lyrics would appear on the back of their new tshirts and subsequently I had some communications with Daniel. He was a nice enough dude.

Back on February 7th, 2002 when the Weezer/Ozma/Saves The Day tour rolled through Rochester, my then-girlfriend flirted our way onto the Ozma bus after the show. Then I drove Daniel around downtown Rochester in my car at 1AM trying to find an open store where he could buy cigarettes. We ended up at a very sketchy bodega/porn shop. It was a pretty strange night, to say the least.

I was a huge fan of all of their music up to and including The Double Donkey Disc, but I lost interest when they put out Spending Time On The Borderline. Drugs really took a toll on the band and significantly sucked the life out of them. I vividly remember their show in Buffalo in May of 2003. The only band members that weren’t under the influence were Star and Jose, and the result was an impressively bad performance. That was the final nail in the coffin for me and I gave up on them soon thereafter.

Daniel and Ryan are great songwriters, but the constant comparisons to weezer probably damaged them to some degree. It’s when they started to intentionally sound different that they started losing their appeal. They should’ve stuck to what they were best at, regardless of whether or not it sounded just like weezer.

And yes, before you even ask, of course I had a crush on Star. Hell, I think I still do.