2007: The Opposite of Hallelujah: Or How I Got My BA, Got A Job, and Bought In Rainbows
WINTER
You never stop learning. That's something I heard and read quite a few times in 2007.
Earlier this year I began Winter Session at College of the Canyons. I took an English Literature class and engaged in some of the most stimulating, earth-shattering, intellectual conversations my brain has ever been submitted to. It was incredible. So incredible, I don't remember much about it, only in tiny fragments. Or, I can merely recall conversations on the many dimensions of reality that exist or can exist purely through mathematical equations. Yeah, it doesn't have much to do with Shelly or good ol' Bill Shakespeare, but man, that professor (C.C. Ryder, no joke!) went off on such a tangent. He was so knowledgeable. So deep. Wow. But the thing that stuck in my mind was how against all odds and numerous emotionally damaging events from his childhood (most of which I would never wish upon anyone), he still managed to pull himself together, got an education (up to a Ph.D), started his own lucrative business, and ended up teaching.
In a very big way, his story and the knowledge he shared with me and my fellow students presented a standard I felt I should follow.
Now, my life has not been as dynamic as his by any stretch of the imagination, but I can attest to experiencing some especially difficult times this year…most of which were financial.
I quit my job at Osceola Elementary where I was a TA (teacher’s aid) for a year. I wanted to focus my energy on finishing school. Besides, I really wanted to raise my GPA, which a year and a half ago was truly pathetic. I remember reading a blog entry from Blur’s Dave Roundtree in which he replied to a question from a failing college student asking what he should do about his grades. Dave replied something along the lines of, “If you can’t get anything above a ‘C’ there’s no point in staying in college.”
I felt pretty stupid.
Forward to 2007, a time when I was ready to take on the world. 2006 was pretty fucking hard on me, so I guess at the beginning of the year I ran into it with a sense of determination. I wanted to pass all my classes with no more or less than As and Bs. I wanted to graduate in May, so I took my Winter Session class to help speed up the process. Before I knew it, I went into the Spring Semester with renewed pizzazz, and a belly full of CSUN’s “Pizzaz” (the campus’ kick-ass pizza stand).
My senior semester and the two before it were the most educationally rewarding. I took a senior seminar on the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, which only strengthened my love for LOTR (the Lord of the Rings) and other books such as the Silmarillion and the Hobbit (which I’m in the middle of reading right now). I also joined the staff of Scene Magazine. I wrote stories about the founder of CSUN’s Take Back the Night (a night of activism promoting an end to sexual and domestic violence) and Newport ’69, a rock festival in Northridge where Jimi Hendrix shredded. But it was my role as an art direction and layout staff member that really grabbed hold of my interest.
SPRING - EARLY SUMMER
Another highlight of this time was playing the Troubadour with the Bentleys for the first time. It was nerve-wracking. Once I got on stage I didn’t think it was real. I think we were nervous and it showed. Unfortunately, Kevin Bronson of the Los Angeles Times saw this too. We weren’t reviewed on the basis that “They still have a lot to work on, but they’re still pretty good.”
By the end of May, Betty (thee love of my life) and I graduated from CSUN. She graduated with a degree in Communications AND Women’s Studies, which was very impressive. I graduated with a degree in Journalism with a minor in English. Why do I get the feeling that a minor doesn’t mean jack shit? Well, to me it does.
OH cool stuff…Dennis and I went to Coachella. We had the best time ever, and that’s despite getting ripped off for one ticket from some asshole who sold me one in person. I contacted him through Craigslist. BE CAREFUL, KIDS. Either way, Sonic Youth, the Black Keys, Peter Bjorn and John, Fountains of Wayne (haha), Hot Chip, Sparklehorse, Blonde Redhead, Pharaoh Monk, Amy Winehouse, Rufus Wainwright, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Arcade Fire, and Bjork were all really kick ass. Oh, and Of Montreal was a spectacle. And, the Decemberists = awesome crowd participation.
For the rest of the summer I was deep in debt and walked with a cloud overhead. I was unemployed and out of school. When you’re a kid you dream of the day you’re finally free from the classroom, but for once I missed CSUN’s academic atmosphere (or lack of). In school, even in college, you become used to a routine and the safety net of being a student. If you made a mistake, it was because you were young and still learning. Here I was lying around my house in my PJs, watching the Lord of the Rings, reading the Lord of the Rings, eating a lot, going out with Betty, but afraid of what the real world is REALLY like. I already got a taste of it. Who am I kidding, right? But as July and August passed by and as California.
The Bentleys played the Troubadour again and later the Nixes (my brother’s band) rocked it too. Besides that, early summer was kind of a drag.
Even though I knew my funds would eventually deplete if I didn’t get a job I still took the time to travel. On the Fourth of July I flew to New York via standby on American Airlines. Twas awesome. I love New York so much.
I visited my family in Queens. I ate White Castle burgers (ten of them plus fries and a coke) with my cousins Christian and Gavin. I got tipsy with Andre and Christian. I went camping with my godfather/uncle Rene and my Tia Stacy in the Catskills. I explored Manhattan with Gavin. We ate NY pizza (Ray’s) in Times Square. I visited the Dakota (home to John Lennon). My aunt broke her legs following a nasty spill in the Catskills. I went to Shea Stadium. I saw CBGB’s. I had Brooklyn Brew with Andre and Christian. I hung out on the roof of an NY hotel, crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, visited Ground Zero, played piano, and missed Betty a whole lot. She didn’t miss me (she jokingly said, right babe? RIGHT?!)
When I came back from NY Betty was officially out of CSUN (she took summer school for one or two classes).
Sadly, I soon lost my beloved dog, Whiskey. He died of cancer. Well, Eric and I had to put him down at the vet.
It was damn near impossible for me to foresee how terrible I would feel right before the doctor stuck the fatal needle into my poor dog. It was painful enough to see him covered with flies, howling because of his constant pain, discomfort, and misery. I miss him. I still think about him, of course. He was a good dog and deserved to be buried back at home. He’s right next to my guest house now. Fortunately, and maybe even in a bizarre stroke of foreshadowing, Eric and Jerry dug a hole in the pouring rain two years ago. Little did Whiskey know it would one day be his grave. And, l didn’t expect I would cry like a baby when he finally passed on.
To make matters worse. A day or two later I hurt my back. That sucked ass. Another two days later I left for Portland, Oregon with the Bentleys to play to relatively no one at midnight on a Sunday night. Although the show wasn’t worth it, the trip was. The week before we played a pretty decent show in San Diego, so we could honestly say we saw all of California. Mount Shasta is so beautiful, and much of Oregon is stunning. Portland is awesome too. Unlike Silverlake, the hipsters really are depressed.
From summer to the end of fall we came back to start working on a whole new set of songs, commit them to tape (CD) and create a new press kit. We started talking to this former A&R guy named Harvey Kubernik, who discovered and signed (one or the other actually) the Knack and has met every Beatle. He advised us. That’s all. That, and write a biography with his name on it for soliciting purposes. It cost $400 and by the beginning of 2008, we’ll start finding out if it was a good investment.
LATE SUMMER - AUTUMN
Job hunting is a fucking bitch. Straight up, yo.
For two or three months (I hear that sometimes it’s much longer for others) I sent over 200 resumes. Most of them were met with cold responses or friendly, corporate e-mails stating:
“We are sorry to inform you that we are looking for someone with the appropriate skills for this position. However, we will keep you in mind for other positions when there is an opening. Thank you and good luck.
Signed,
Big Corporation’s Human Resources
I’m sure I got plenty of those. Yeah. I did.
Luckily, I got an interview as a communications intern for the Walt Disney Company’s Consumer Products division in November. Around the same time I had a really intense interview for a communications position with the California Wellness Foundation. That job would have paid me about $80,000 a year.
So it came down to Disney or TCWF. I chose Disney. WTF???!!! Right?
Here’s the reason why…
I’m a media guy. I need to find my way into something media-focused so that I can be truly happy with what I do. Being an intern gives me a foot in the door and on the path to greatness! I must succeed!
In order to keep myself afloat I spent three weeks writing part-time for the San Fernando Valley Sun. I wrote my best news stories ever. My writing had improved so much that by the time I made it back, it wasn’t hard to
LATE AUTUMN - NOW
So far, so good. I love my job right now. I’m catching on to the web publishing stuff and writing stories is pretty easy. I write everything quickly and with few edits. Woot. Corporate writing rules!
Everyone is really nice there too.
RETROSPECTIVE CONCLUSION
At the very beginning of the year I was at Aggie’s house with Betty, numerous friends, and of course Dennis. That was the best New Year’s party I’ve ever been to. Sadly, 2007 proved to be the year of massive bullshit, and just about everybody became a victim.
I really regret a lot of hurtful things I did to my friends.
Unfortunately, we all had disagreements and total misunderstandings. Even worse, I didn’t react to these instances the way a 20-something person should. There’s never a good excuse for being an asshole, and I don’t ever expect or wish to be forgiven for certain actions. I only hope we can work things out in some way.
Melly and I are pretty cool right now. That’s good. Betty and I are still together because we’re just that strong. Dennis and I are cool right now, but it needs to get better. I think there’s still some hurt left after some of the bullshit that transpired. Jesse and I are cool. Good stuff. Krua Thai!
A wise philosopher once toasted 2007 as the year of “No Bullshit.” His name is Jerry Martinez. We didn’t really make good on it, but there’s always a chance to make things right. And maybe, just maybe we can all have another New Year’s together in the future. And I mean EVERYONE. We all need to start confronting each other and ourselves when one or the other does or says something out of line. It’s the only way we can be honest and avoid stupid things like posting ambiguous messages of anger or talking behind people’s back, or snitching on somebody’s personal opinion while in the midst of a conversation with somebody else and then name-dropping other people who have absolutely nothing to do with it…OR refusing to meet halfway with someone to come to some form of peace.
Washington should take a cue from all that.
We’re human. We make mistakes. Last night I heard the same quote thrice. Once in the movie “Starsky and Hutch,” then “Starter for 10” and then “Shoot Em Up.” It goes like this.
“To err is human, but to forgive is divine.”
Mind you, there’s no reason to be around someone who continuously hurts you without any sign of remorse. So yeah, pick and choose your friends and enemies. But, also take time to acknowledge it when they try to make an effort to apologize/patch things up.
And with that I leave you with my motto for 2008. “Keep it classy.”
AWARDS
Guilty Pleasure: CSI (Thanks to Betty, I now watch this show. Grissom is God). I don’t know if I should feel guilty actually… It’s just not my favorite show though.
Best Shows of 2007:
1. Family Guy (Still on top).
2. Flight of the Concords (It’s business time!)
3. The Colbert Report (He Is America, And So Can You).
4. Conan O'Brien Show (I love it more and more and more and more, despite the strike).
5. The Office (My guide to good office etiquette).
6. Blue Planet (I watched it with Dennis and tripped out on this CGI bird).
7. Curb Your Enthusiasm (That shit is funny. Fuck you).
8. No Reservations: With Anthony Bourdain
9. Bizarre Foods
10. CSI (Thanks to Betty, I now watch this show. Grissom is God).
Best Movies of 2007 That I've Seen This Year:
1. Atonement (So sad…)
2. Ratatouile (It’s awesome).
3. Superbad (So funny…)
4. Knocked Up (Ditto).
5. Spiderman 3 (I know, I know. Shut up).
Best Movies I've Seen This Year That Didn't Come Out in 2007:
1. The Holy Mountain (Two words: LEOPARD TITS!)
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Yeah!)
3. Poltergeist (It took awhile but I finally saw it and it ruled).
4. Rope (Alfred Hitchcock. Look it up).
5. The Green Mile (That Percy dude is a dick).
Most Annoying People of 2007: *Anybody who had a "Celebreality" show on Vh-1 or any other channel.* Still applies since this category first debuted.
Rock Shows of 2007:
1. Wilco at the Greek Theatre
2. The Nixes at All-Star Lanes
3. Peter Bjorn and John at Coachella 2007
4. Sonic Youth at Coachella 2007
5. The Black Keys at Coachella 2007
NOW THE MOST IMPORTANT LIST OF ALL...
Best Albums of 2007:
1. Radiohead: In Rainbows (I paid $80 for the discbox).
2. Jens Lekman: Night Falls Over Kortedala
3. Kanye West: Graduation
4. Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
5. Wilco: Sky Blue Sky
6. The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible
7. Feist: The Reminder
8. Band of Horses: Cease to Begin
9. Of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
10. Amy Winehouse: Back to Black
Honorable Mentions:
11. Common: Finding Forever
12. Paul McCartney: Memory Almost Full
13. Justice: +
14. Dungen: Tio Bitar
Happy 2008.