Highlights from the life of a Skallerup
August! Yes, it is here, and in full swing. The final month of summer. Should we mourn, worried that warm weather is coming to an end? Perhaps it is better to just continue enjoying the time we have in sandals and shorts. Worrying is just a waste of mental energy that can usually be better spent on other things.
What have I been up to? Work and sleep (as well as transporting my body between the two areas in which I do these things) still seem to dominate most of my days. At times the repetition and routine can make life feel like a chore. Dreary and bleak. I find myself thinking about what other things I could spend my time doing if only I had the courage to move outside of my comfort zone. Becoming comfortable with a routine can be a scary thing. Learning about and discovering new things, new people, new music and new places is really amazing, but sometimes the security and familiarity of the daily routine turns into a trap, keeping me from exploring as much as I might like to. I've been learning a lot of things recently though, and overall, I'm happier than I have been in awhile. I received another letter from GRCC so the whole school thing seems to be on track. I'm making money and my future has infinite potential. I just have to be ready to face it.
Nellie and her boyfriend Oliver stopped by on their way out of Michigan. They had some places to go but nothing was really set in stone. The truck was loaded up with fresh food from the farm and a couple of bikes. They were ready to
Nellie and Oliver have been working on Mike Everest's farm/garden/catering dealie in Petoskey for the summer. They had everything necessary for an amazing organic backyard picnic. I know it sounds hokey but fresh organic food really does taste better than normal grocery store food. Oliver even busted open a couple coconuts.
Eventually they had to take off, they had designs on Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Montreal and Rochester. Quite an ambitious trip.
So when I first moved to Grand Rapids there was a local Pizza place which I would stop by from time to time called Mamma's. Usually when I stopped in this same kid would be working there. After awhile we might say hi to each other or I would mess around with him and try to get a discount off of my pizza. Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I had heard of a DDR tournament going on down at ULX (the local LAN/gaming center) so I decided to drop in and give it a shot. Not only is this kid there, but apparently he is one of the regulars. He's also the loud, rowdy bastard who all the other regulars love to hate. Naturally, we get along very well. Fastforward another few days and we find ourself with a new roommate. A roommate who happens to have a mustang. Sweet.
Welcome to the house Chris. And yes, I only love you for your car. The only problem with the new roomie is, well, now we have two Chris's! Gaaah!
First Chris and Second Chris? Chris one and Chris two? Taylor and Gates? Topher and Spotty? Quite the dilemma.
Every other day or so everyone who's around the house usually finds a place to fill up on really bad food. Hot dogs would fall under this category. I really am trying to wean myself off of white bread and mystery meats, but sometimes you just have to make sacrifices.
"How about Yesterdog?"
"Sure."
Living in a house with five other guys also means that there is always trash to be taken care of. Wait a second, did I say trash? I meant...
CARDBOARD TUBE SWORD FIGHTING!!! AAAH!
Gary and Forest decided to come down for the party. Before things got started we walked around Easttown a bit.
Here we have our lovable Josh talking, about something. Is anyone listening? Erin might be pretending to.
Once people started showing up Chris (1, Topher, Taylor) and Matt set up the beer pong, except our table didn't have a middle to it so it the game had to be slightly modified. Matt goes for a shot right here...
It's in the hole!
Chris gets his revenge though. The pong in MID-FLIGHT! Amazing, right? RIGHT?
Here's a perfectly good shot of everyone having fun, oh wait, no it isn't! Who's that goon who decided to lean forward and red eye everything.
At this point I was slightly intoxicated. Wheeeeeeee!
Erin and Josh being super-duper cute. Cut it out you two!
No! Don't give him more drink! Now you've done it!
So our new roommate has an oral fixation. What's it to you?
"How about some delicious Steak and Shake my good sirs?"
"goodidea-SHOTGUN!"
"Shit."
Have fun squeezing into the back! Ahahaha! I really do have to thank Holmes for getting me serious about the shotgun thing. Before living down here we never really did much "calling of the shotgun." Instead there was just a thing where everyone got their turn. Maybe I just never really had to worry about it since I was always the one driving. Either way, Holmes, being one of the most competitive people I know (I suppose some might just call him an asshole) has gotten me trained on proper and aggressive shotgun techniques. Before I would just never think to call it before someone else did. Now I at least have a fighting chance. It turned out to be helpful that night.
A happy Josiah after a shake and a frisco melt. Food after a night of drinking can be a good thing. Helps with the next day, which happened to be...
Trip to Petoskey day! Nellie and Oliver were on their return and I was able to hitch my way along with them. The more I hang out with them the more I just absolutely love it. They both have amazing outlooks on life and I find myself wishing I was able to be more like they are. We had some very good talks that morning. Thanks guys.
Eventually I get to take my turn in the backseat.
Nellie decides to take a less-than-normal route to get home. You know something is wrong when the road turns from this...
To this...
Trees are nice though. We definitely could use more of them. I read that city planners are finally figuring out that tree's are really important in urban areas. Not only do they provide shade and asthetic benefits but they also help combat erosion and the air pollution and yup, I'm sounding like a hippie again. But wait a second, since when has the term hippie become so derogatory? I blame Cartman.
So, I'm sure you're all wondering why I took this impromptu trip to the northern areas. Well, it was so I could pick up my AMAZING NEW CAR!!!
1990 Honda Civic. 220,000 miles. Here's hoping for another 100,000. GO BABY GO! I know you can do it!
Okay, so it's a junker, but look! It's kind of cute, right?
Jasmine VERSUS Kendall via DREAMCASTER NBA! Bob watches intently.
At the Avery's house. I miss everyone there a lot! Even though I'm no longer allowed inside my old house on lake street the Avery's are still around for one more year. Look out old Trisha and Morgan are! I don't believe it. Claire is the most amazing though, I remember time before she was even BORN. Now look at her...
Trampoline pictures! Are they a bad idea? Probably.
It's taken awhile, but Jim has learned how to levitate his whole body from just the tips of his fingers.
Driving back to GR in the first car purchased with my own money. Yeah, it's a POS, but it felt good. Windows down, music up, for a second I almost forgot how much I hate automobiles.
While waiting in line at The Intersection I run into this fool again. Stop following me to all these awesome shows brah!
A warning! It's always super dark inside this place so all of my pictures turned out just like that, dark. I did the best I could at messing with the brightness and contrast though.
Opening for Flogging Molly is, what? Some russian guy with a fiddle and this crazy dude with an old timey weight lifter mustache. Oh, you mean Gogol Bordello. They were super energetic (as most opening bands need to be) but it was just a little too over the top for my liking. For the second song these two chicks in gypsy outfits came running on stage and the mustache guy held them as they fell back into his arms and screamed really loudly. Music? I suppose. Near the end they did step it up though. One grabbed a pair of cymbals, the other had a homemade bass drum and the whole 6 or 7 piece band just went insane. The crowd did start getting into it, and it was fun to run around and dance-or-be-run-into-really-hard-by-some-sweaty-dudes.
A very bad picture of the final song. Kyle thinks that they escaped from the Ringling Brothers circus.
The only decent picture I was able to snap of Throw Rag. From their guitar player, they would appear to be just like any normal band. But, of course, they weren't.
The Jack Black looking guy was just that, a Jack Black looking guy. He came out with a washboard on, he was busting it out with spoons and everything. After awhile he grew tired of the washboard so he started taking off his clothes. The guy on the left was in a sailor hat, I think. Once again, the gimmickieness of the performance is all that I remembered. I don't even rememeber what the music sounded like. I suppose being remembered for a gimmick is better than not being remembered at all.
Oh yeah, before I forget. I ran into Miss Jessica and her boyfriend Dustin before the show. They ran a few goofy faces, although I don't really understand what Dustin's thumb is supposed to be doing.
Finally! Flogging Molly takes the stage! Now, I'm not a die-hard fan of them and I don't know a ton of songs, but man. It was pretty crazy. People started flipping out for real and had to be careful while venturing out into the circle of dance-or-be-run-into-really-hard-by-some-sweaty-dudes. It helped to be slightly intoxicated. Okay, I just lied. It only helped if you were extremely intoxicated. Luckily, they were serving Guinness.
A single set of horns. Quaint.
Regular guitar guy and teenie guitar guy rock out.
Another shot of teenie guitar guy, he was pretty sweet.
Aaaaah! I wish I remember what he was talking about. I'm sure it was really funny.
Accordion guy and fiddle girl sans fiddle.
Watch out kids, that thing there they call "punk rock" can be dangerous to your spine.
Do we give a fuck? "Hell no!"
Jess and I get down during our favorite song, "Black Friday Rule."
"Goodnight you crazy bastards!"
So, that's all for now. What do we have coming up?
09/17 - Alkaline Trio & My Chemical Romance
09/22 - Idlewild
09/28 - System Of A Down & The Mars Volta
10/28 - Ben Folds
I know I'm forgetting lots. I need you indie kids to fill me in!
Let me know, hit me back. Lets fucking DO IT!
What have I been up to? Work and sleep (as well as transporting my body between the two areas in which I do these things) still seem to dominate most of my days. At times the repetition and routine can make life feel like a chore. Dreary and bleak. I find myself thinking about what other things I could spend my time doing if only I had the courage to move outside of my comfort zone. Becoming comfortable with a routine can be a scary thing. Learning about and discovering new things, new people, new music and new places is really amazing, but sometimes the security and familiarity of the daily routine turns into a trap, keeping me from exploring as much as I might like to. I've been learning a lot of things recently though, and overall, I'm happier than I have been in awhile. I received another letter from GRCC so the whole school thing seems to be on track. I'm making money and my future has infinite potential. I just have to be ready to face it.
Nellie and her boyfriend Oliver stopped by on their way out of Michigan. They had some places to go but nothing was really set in stone. The truck was loaded up with fresh food from the farm and a couple of bikes. They were ready to
Nellie and Oliver have been working on Mike Everest's farm/garden/catering dealie in Petoskey for the summer. They had everything necessary for an amazing organic backyard picnic. I know it sounds hokey but fresh organic food really does taste better than normal grocery store food. Oliver even busted open a couple coconuts.
Eventually they had to take off, they had designs on Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Montreal and Rochester. Quite an ambitious trip.
So when I first moved to Grand Rapids there was a local Pizza place which I would stop by from time to time called Mamma's. Usually when I stopped in this same kid would be working there. After awhile we might say hi to each other or I would mess around with him and try to get a discount off of my pizza. Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I had heard of a DDR tournament going on down at ULX (the local LAN/gaming center) so I decided to drop in and give it a shot. Not only is this kid there, but apparently he is one of the regulars. He's also the loud, rowdy bastard who all the other regulars love to hate. Naturally, we get along very well. Fastforward another few days and we find ourself with a new roommate. A roommate who happens to have a mustang. Sweet.
Welcome to the house Chris. And yes, I only love you for your car. The only problem with the new roomie is, well, now we have two Chris's! Gaaah!
First Chris and Second Chris? Chris one and Chris two? Taylor and Gates? Topher and Spotty? Quite the dilemma.
Every other day or so everyone who's around the house usually finds a place to fill up on really bad food. Hot dogs would fall under this category. I really am trying to wean myself off of white bread and mystery meats, but sometimes you just have to make sacrifices.
"How about Yesterdog?"
"Sure."
Living in a house with five other guys also means that there is always trash to be taken care of. Wait a second, did I say trash? I meant...
CARDBOARD TUBE SWORD FIGHTING!!! AAAH!
Gary and Forest decided to come down for the party. Before things got started we walked around Easttown a bit.
Here we have our lovable Josh talking, about something. Is anyone listening? Erin might be pretending to.
Once people started showing up Chris (1, Topher, Taylor) and Matt set up the beer pong, except our table didn't have a middle to it so it the game had to be slightly modified. Matt goes for a shot right here...
It's in the hole!
Chris gets his revenge though. The pong in MID-FLIGHT! Amazing, right? RIGHT?
Here's a perfectly good shot of everyone having fun, oh wait, no it isn't! Who's that goon who decided to lean forward and red eye everything.
At this point I was slightly intoxicated. Wheeeeeeee!
Erin and Josh being super-duper cute. Cut it out you two!
No! Don't give him more drink! Now you've done it!
So our new roommate has an oral fixation. What's it to you?
"How about some delicious Steak and Shake my good sirs?"
"goodidea-SHOTGUN!"
"Shit."
Have fun squeezing into the back! Ahahaha! I really do have to thank Holmes for getting me serious about the shotgun thing. Before living down here we never really did much "calling of the shotgun." Instead there was just a thing where everyone got their turn. Maybe I just never really had to worry about it since I was always the one driving. Either way, Holmes, being one of the most competitive people I know (I suppose some might just call him an asshole) has gotten me trained on proper and aggressive shotgun techniques. Before I would just never think to call it before someone else did. Now I at least have a fighting chance. It turned out to be helpful that night.
A happy Josiah after a shake and a frisco melt. Food after a night of drinking can be a good thing. Helps with the next day, which happened to be...
Trip to Petoskey day! Nellie and Oliver were on their return and I was able to hitch my way along with them. The more I hang out with them the more I just absolutely love it. They both have amazing outlooks on life and I find myself wishing I was able to be more like they are. We had some very good talks that morning. Thanks guys.
Eventually I get to take my turn in the backseat.
Nellie decides to take a less-than-normal route to get home. You know something is wrong when the road turns from this...
To this...
Trees are nice though. We definitely could use more of them. I read that city planners are finally figuring out that tree's are really important in urban areas. Not only do they provide shade and asthetic benefits but they also help combat erosion and the air pollution and yup, I'm sounding like a hippie again. But wait a second, since when has the term hippie become so derogatory? I blame Cartman.
So, I'm sure you're all wondering why I took this impromptu trip to the northern areas. Well, it was so I could pick up my AMAZING NEW CAR!!!
1990 Honda Civic. 220,000 miles. Here's hoping for another 100,000. GO BABY GO! I know you can do it!
Okay, so it's a junker, but look! It's kind of cute, right?
Jasmine VERSUS Kendall via DREAMCASTER NBA! Bob watches intently.
At the Avery's house. I miss everyone there a lot! Even though I'm no longer allowed inside my old house on lake street the Avery's are still around for one more year. Look out old Trisha and Morgan are! I don't believe it. Claire is the most amazing though, I remember time before she was even BORN. Now look at her...
Trampoline pictures! Are they a bad idea? Probably.
It's taken awhile, but Jim has learned how to levitate his whole body from just the tips of his fingers.
Driving back to GR in the first car purchased with my own money. Yeah, it's a POS, but it felt good. Windows down, music up, for a second I almost forgot how much I hate automobiles.
While waiting in line at The Intersection I run into this fool again. Stop following me to all these awesome shows brah!
A warning! It's always super dark inside this place so all of my pictures turned out just like that, dark. I did the best I could at messing with the brightness and contrast though.
Opening for Flogging Molly is, what? Some russian guy with a fiddle and this crazy dude with an old timey weight lifter mustache. Oh, you mean Gogol Bordello. They were super energetic (as most opening bands need to be) but it was just a little too over the top for my liking. For the second song these two chicks in gypsy outfits came running on stage and the mustache guy held them as they fell back into his arms and screamed really loudly. Music? I suppose. Near the end they did step it up though. One grabbed a pair of cymbals, the other had a homemade bass drum and the whole 6 or 7 piece band just went insane. The crowd did start getting into it, and it was fun to run around and dance-or-be-run-into-really-hard-by-some-sweaty-dudes.
A very bad picture of the final song. Kyle thinks that they escaped from the Ringling Brothers circus.
The only decent picture I was able to snap of Throw Rag. From their guitar player, they would appear to be just like any normal band. But, of course, they weren't.
The Jack Black looking guy was just that, a Jack Black looking guy. He came out with a washboard on, he was busting it out with spoons and everything. After awhile he grew tired of the washboard so he started taking off his clothes. The guy on the left was in a sailor hat, I think. Once again, the gimmickieness of the performance is all that I remembered. I don't even rememeber what the music sounded like. I suppose being remembered for a gimmick is better than not being remembered at all.
Oh yeah, before I forget. I ran into Miss Jessica and her boyfriend Dustin before the show. They ran a few goofy faces, although I don't really understand what Dustin's thumb is supposed to be doing.
Finally! Flogging Molly takes the stage! Now, I'm not a die-hard fan of them and I don't know a ton of songs, but man. It was pretty crazy. People started flipping out for real and had to be careful while venturing out into the circle of dance-or-be-run-into-really-hard-by-some-sweaty-dudes. It helped to be slightly intoxicated. Okay, I just lied. It only helped if you were extremely intoxicated. Luckily, they were serving Guinness.
A single set of horns. Quaint.
Regular guitar guy and teenie guitar guy rock out.
Another shot of teenie guitar guy, he was pretty sweet.
Aaaaah! I wish I remember what he was talking about. I'm sure it was really funny.
Accordion guy and fiddle girl sans fiddle.
Watch out kids, that thing there they call "punk rock" can be dangerous to your spine.
Do we give a fuck? "Hell no!"
Jess and I get down during our favorite song, "Black Friday Rule."
"Goodnight you crazy bastards!"
So, that's all for now. What do we have coming up?
09/17 - Alkaline Trio & My Chemical Romance
09/22 - Idlewild
09/28 - System Of A Down & The Mars Volta
10/28 - Ben Folds
I know I'm forgetting lots. I need you indie kids to fill me in!
Let me know, hit me back. Lets fucking DO IT!