moving and yet completely still.
well, the last my sisters’ brother show in lompoc, ca was a great success. my good friends lindsay and tyler played some music too and accompanied me on some songs. that was weeks ago, though. there are videos but they’re on facebook and lindsay hasn’t given me the original files yet ’cause we’ve all been super busy because…
dun dun dun
i live in cheyenne, wyoming now! yes sirs and ma’ams, my sisters’ brother shows will now be mainly in the cheyenne/ft. collins, colorado (and maybe denver too?) vicinity in the foreseeable future (which is really an interesting term because what is ‘foreseeable’ about the future? maybe the phrase should be ‘in the foreseeable aspects of the future’.). anyway, it will be slow going at first and i’ma be concentrating on work quite a bit, but i now have a two bedroom apartment all to my lonesome and my master bedroom ain’t gonna be where i sleep. it’s gonna be my recording room, so i hope to be able to get a lot of work done. i’m currently working on a reworking of an old hymn called “this is my Father’s world”. i’ve recorded it once before but i wasn’t completely happy with it.
anywho, ladies and gents, i hope that the coming months and years prove to be a time of great productivity and growth for my sisters’ brother and for myself in general. i hope to get a master’s degree in something (i have no idea what, yet) at colorado state university in ft. collins.
speaking of which, ft. collins is one of the coolest little towns i’ve ever been to. so many hippies. so many bikes. so much good beer.
hey all, keep in mind that i’m still giving away msb stickers for free! go to the “merch” section and send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and tell me how many you want. No more than 10 at once, please.
stay real.
it’s been too long and life is too short to not get free stickers.
hey everybody! i know it’s been a really really long time since i’ve updated the site…like, months…it’s terrible. but i’ve got some exciting news, fo’ sho!
first off, for the fourth of july my beautiful girlfriend lauren came to see me. we had a great time. we went skydiving and saw fireworks and we got tattoos! check ‘em! lauren’s is an underwater robot:
and mine is a phaser from the original series star trek, made to look all hardcore for dramatic effect.
yep, pretty kick-ass, if you axe me. we had a really good weekend.
now friends, you may have noticed the new “merch” section on this here little ol’ website o’ mine. well, that’s because i got some my sisters’ brother stickers made! wooohooo! and guess what? they’re free! yessir, just go to the merch section when you’re done readin’ this here blog entry and find out how to get some. (it involves a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note telling me how many you want.)
in other news i have another show at south side coffee in lompoc, ca on aug 6. it should be fun. anyways, sorry again for the lack of communication. i’ve been very very busy and kinda overwhelmed with…well, life in general at times, but you know how it goes, eh? be safe errrbody.
love peace and chicken grease.
God came to me in a screensaver.
why do i never know what to write any more? i feel like i don’t care about anything or something. i don’t know. i ‘m trying to tell stories but i don’t feel like i’ve got anything interesting to talk about. i’m trying to get my thoughts out but i don’t feel like i’ve got anything interesting to say. like i’ve been thinking lately about what God is, not that i’ll ever be able to understand it. i learned a lot from a screen saver recently. the way this particular one works is it has these two polygonal shapes that appear on the the screen. the shapes change as the lines bounce around and as they move across the screen getting bigger and smaller and bigger again, you can still see the desktop of the computer but anything the bouncing lines touch turns to black, so you slowly see the desktop disappear and the whole screen turns to black. eventually, and i’ve now proven this by letting it go over night, the two bouncing shapes hit every pixel on the screen, even the ones on the very edge and in the corners. it takes between 16-20 hours to do so, though.
i’ve been pretty interested in theoretical physics since i was a kid (that explains a lot, i’m sure) and one of the foundations of quantum mechanics is that, eventually, if you give anything enough time (though i use the word “time” loosely) anything and everything will happen, even the most outrageous circumstances. take, for example, the evolution of intelligent life on earth. according to more recent theories, we live in a “multiverse.” basically, there are an infinite number of parallel universes, some only slightly different than ours (like the universe in which you actually studied for your test and passed) and some where humans don’t exist at all. ours is just one of an infinite number of possibilities. eventually, the universe as WE know it had to show up. to further illustrate, there’s a concept called “tunneling” which, if i’m not mistaken, is where an atom or subatomic particle could actually disappear in china and reappear in north carolina. in theory, if you give it enough time, a rock or a human being could experience this tunneling. it’s like gambling: if you play long enough you’re gonna win. unfortunately, the amount of time you’d have to wait is longer than the universe is predicted to remain an active place. all the stars would die out and the universe would be cold and lifeless before you’re likely to see your car disappear and turn up in egypt or something.
and screen savers take about twenty hours to turn every pixel black. but, given the scenario and the event we’re waiting for, it will eventually happen.
but what about Existence in the first place (notice the capital “e”)? why does Existence exist? in all these scenarios i’ve mentioned and many others that i’ve read in the past, there’s a closed system at work and an event on which we’re waiting to occur. i’m not going to resort to saying “who caused the big bang?” because i believe more and more scientists aren’t even sure the big bang happened. but ultimately, everything they theorize on- where the multiverse came from and whatnot- is theorized upon with all these prerequisites. the laws of quantum mechanics work in such a way that eventually we get our universe, right? it’s like the laws of the screen saver. certain equations built into it cause the lines to bounce around at random and therefore, according to this scenario- the operation of which could not take place without a computer, a screen, the screen saver and the pixels- eventually all the pixels will be black. similarly, we need the laws of quantum mechanics, and all the subatomic particles, matter and energy that are governed by those laws to have anything at all. a person made the computer, the screen and the screen saver. who made the laws of quantum mechanics? and if that doesn’t hold water with skeptics, what are the laws of quantum mechanics and nature other than something that is, always has been and always shall be?
i think i know someone like that.
great success, brothers and sisters.
last night was the big show! south side coffee’s a great place and i had a lot of friends there to listen. it was awesome. thanks to everybody who came out. in a few weeks i’ll have some stickers coming in. they’ll be pretty much free and pretty much awesome, though simple. i’ma try to record the next song on we are storytellers in the next couple weeks, but i’m pretty busy lately and i’m trying to get outside more. it’s good for the soul. oh! also i’ve already got another show booked at south side for 18 june. more info on that later. for now, brothers and sisters, i’m going to santa barbara to check out the telegraph brewery. have a wonderful saturday everyone.
new song, “josie”! and an upcoming show!
hey, check out the latest track on “we are storytellers”! it’s called josie. you’ll also notice that there’s a new page on the site titled: “shows”. you know what that means, right? yeah, the first ever my sisters’ brother show is coming up on may 7 at south side coffee in lompoc, california. yeah, i know a lot of you won’t be able to go, but hey, i’m pretty excited about it and i thought y’all should know. werd.
here’s the lyrics to josie. click on the title to go to the albums page and download the track!
josie, this is a song for you
and your family, living so far away
your daylight is fast becoming measured in minutes
and the yarn your mother uses to knit your sweater
is fast becoming measured in inches
josie, this is a song for you
does your brother understand?
josie, do you?
josie, this is a song for you
braver at sixteen than i could ever be
at twenty-three
you’re a light in a room on the other side of town
with four people hangin’ around
while you fade away
josie, this is a song for you
walking into a room without the benefit of edison
with nothing left to do
but lay your head down on the hardwood floors and
go to sleep
and i hope you sleep well, josie
i hope you sleep well
update, my friends! a classic is reborn.
a long time ago when i was a young lad (about a year ago), i thought that every track i on every song i recorded required insane amounts of eq-ing because, well, i had no idea what i was doing (not that necessarily do now, but i think i’ve gotten better). the moral of the story is that i haven’t been happy with the way the song “ad astra per aspera” sounds for quite some time now so i went back to that old project and took (almost) all the effects off the tracks and it sounds, in my humble opinion, far superior. now friends, i present to you the updated and much more punchy sounding, “ad astra per aspera.”
you are always on my mind,
tj
new tatt, some other pictures, and michael moore.
check this! it’s my new tattoo. those aren’t my pubes, it’s my armpit hair.
this is lauren when we were getting ready to leave memphis. i had just put that decal on my car at the gas station. they didn’t have any towels outside so i went in and got a bunch of napkins. the dude at the counter was pissed and told me “no more napkins.” i think he was indian.
i made this! it’s steamed asparagus (i don’t actually have an apparatus for steaming, so i soaked some paper towels, wrapped the asparagus in it and microwaved it for about six minutes. that’s what we call a ghetto steamer here in the suburbs), with black bean/tomato/onion/almond milk saucy stuff, parmesan and mozzarella, baked for fifteen minutes then garnished (oh yeah, i said ‘garnished’) with fresh parsley and red peppers…mmmmm…i also made a side of green beans cooked up in a skillet with seasoning and a little apple cider vinegar, boyeeeee.
which brings us to this:
guess where i found this whilst shopping for a wireless router? mmhmm…wal-mart. look, i’m not too fond of the evils of capitalism either, mr. moore. but if you’re gonna make a movie about it, please don’t sell it at wal-mart.
douche.
an open letter to whoever felt the need to comment on my valentine’s day post.
First of all, let me say that I’m flattered, though incredibly surprised, that you would expend so much energy and give so much thought to my offensive opinion. That you gave the time and effort to educate me on the finer points of my blunders in a piece that was meant to be sarcastic and facetious must mean that you were very engaged by the material and I appreciate your attention to my writing.
Your attention was, however, completely unnecessary.
You obviously don’t know me or, if this happens to be someone I do know who is taking my blog way too seriously, I don’t think I care to know you any longer. I know who St. Valentine is and I understand that Valentine’s day is a celebration of romance. Nothing you said is wrong. I am still not convinced, however, that Valentine’s day is a worthwhile holiday. I suppose we can agree to disagree.
You, however, need to learn to lighten up and read between the lines.
Let me finish by returning your assumptions regarding the seriousness of my piece with some assumptions I have about the seriousness of your comment. I’m assuming that, as an activist feminist, you’re more preachy than a fundamentalist Christian and therefore most people around you would rather take the stick you have firmly lodged in your rectum and put it their own so long as it will make you go away because you’re not satisfied until everyone around you is as cranky and easily offended as yourself. MY reccomendation to YOU, therefore, is to find someone (same or opposite sex, it doesn’t matter) who enjoys your cantankerous company enough to be intimate with you because it seems rather obvious to me that you need a “celebration of romance,” if you catch my meaning.
I want to again thank you for visiting and interacting with my site. However, I also want to invite you to not repeat your visit, as my site was getting on just fine without your presence.
Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.
-TJ
all fuzzy and stuff.
i’ve been thinking a lot lately. that’s really nothing new, but what i’ve been thinking is what’s the point of living if you’re not happy? i’m not saying that people who aren’t happy should commit suicide, i’m just saying that they should figure out exactly why they’re not happy and get rid of whatever (or whoever) it is in their life that’s causing their unhappiness. after all, we’re all going to die one day and i don’t know about you but i don’t want to be laying on my death bed mourning the fact that i never really enjoyed life.
i’m not saying “do what feels good.” i hope i don’t have to explain how hopelessly shallow and self-centered that philosophy is. i’m just saying do what makes you happy. be honest. believe in what you believe and live accordingly. i think that hard work is very important, but if you think about it, hard work in and of itself can be a reward and therefore make you happy (maybe content is a better word, life isn’t always pleasant, you know).
for instance, i love writing. i especially love writing music and words to go along with that music. i want to get better at guitar, prose, poetry and lyricism but it won’t happen if i never write. the only problem with that is i lately have so much going on all the time that even when i do get some down time, i don’t feel like writing. it’s too much like work. if i lived according to “do what feels good” i would never write. the weird thing about life, though, is that doing what feels good is seldom what will make you happy. like love. loving someone is the most beautiful and exhausting thing you could ever hope to do. if you do it right there will be plenty of times when it doesn’t feel good at all. but it will make you happy/content. because being happy/content goes so much deeper than feeling good and all fuzzy and stuff. i think it’s just a satisfaction that you’re living as well as you know how.
that’s why there’s always so much to do.
happy valentimes!
i hate valentine’s day. i hate valentine’s day because of those kay jeweler’s commercials. you know, the ones that have the tagline, “every kiss begins with kay.” yeah, those ones. the ones that make you feel like love is only expressed by a diamond and the amount of love you have for your girlfriend or fiance or wife is directly proportional to the size of said diamond, which ultimately means one of two things: the amount of love you have to give is equal to the size of your bank account or, if nothing else, your willingness to be in debt. she won’t, after all, love you if you don’t buy her things.
ok, that’s an exaggeration. she won’t not love you, she’ll just love you less.
and even if your girlfriend doesn’t need the nicer things in life, you’re still a jerk if you don’t buy her a rose or some chocolate, and to be quite honest, any holiday that dares to insinuate that for the last 364 days I’ve neglected to make the girl i love feel wanted and beautiful and desired is an insult. you see where this is going. i know you do.
valentine’s day is sexist.
it’s an excuse for whatever company makes sweethearts (which i bet are stored in a giant silo in the middle of nebraska where they keep no less than a three year supply at all times) to make some dough. it’s an excuse for kay jeweler’s to make you feel so desperate to impress your woman that you’re willing to sell your car or, at the very least you proletarian slob, max out your credit card (i mean, really, what’s $5,000 when you’re in love? you do love her, don’t you?). and it’s always men buying things for the women that call them beau (doubly so for guys named beau- they do exist) because, you know, we’re such jerks the rest of the year, demanding sandwiches and beer and sex and pizza and football…i mean, i know MY life revolves solely around those things, doesn’t yours? no? well then you’re probably gay and don’t like girls anyway so what do you care? stop reading this post. i’m a man, dang it, and i believe the only things girls are good for are you know what and you know when. that’s right: opening my keystone and right now.
by the way, i’ve taken to wearing wife-beaters and watching nascar. did you see danica patrick wipe out yesterday? dude, she’s so hot.
i love my girlfriend. i love her so much it makes my heart want to jump out of my chest. and i tell her that. i tell her she’s beautiful, wise and a strong, kind woman. moreover i treat her like i mean it. not just on valentine’s day, but every day of the year. so thanks, kay jeweler’s, for trying to make me feel like less of a man because i’m not showering my girlfriend with diamonds, but i’m not buying it.
happy valentimes!
– disclaimer: i’m not as cynical as this post makes me sound. –
