so

I don't think I'll be posting here anymore.

drug induced?

One of the strangest videos I have ever seen...

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enough with the emotions already

I don't really know much of anything anymore. Everything that I think about is two sided and I always agree with both sides. I feel like the Sandra Day O'Connor of my own head. Is that exaggeration? It could be, but in every situation that merits importance, it is true. 

I could be a whiny little bitch and say its because my parents say mean ass shit about each other and I believe both sides. Or... I could be a man and say its because I'm a wishy-washy fucking teenager who doesn't know what he wants. Either way, I don't know what I want.

short and not so sweet

I've felt like an asshole before, but this probably takes the cake.

Sorry for the short posts, haven't felt like writing much beyond the basic feelings lately.

Sudden onset depression is not much fun. I think I just need to get out of this town. Part of me understands the depression completely, and another part is utterly confused by it.

Writer's Block Schmiter's Block

So my New Year's was actually pretty good. Got drunk with my aunt and uncle (don't tell my mama) and partied with some Los Angeles upperclassmen and some Scandinavian economists. Far out man. Anyway, the real reason I'm here:

The sunshine fades in the distance

Treetops point to San Francisco

The darkness suits your demeanor

You know someone's watching you, but you know that it isn't God

You use your atlas and your compass

You say we all need some direction

Well I've heard we're all slowly dying

And what's the point in even fighting if it all turns out the same?

Well I don't know

So please don't ask

Anything of me

Anything at all

My sister lives in New York City

I hear you can't see the stars

The night sky is my religion

We all feel so substantial, but we really are so small

And I'm not fond of Isaac Newton

He explained it all too well

And if I'm drawn to the center of the Earth

Than what's it gonna take if I ever want to leave?

Well I don't know

So please don't ask

Anything of me

Anything at all

Bad Weather in My Temporary Head

Well here I am on New Year's Eve writing a blog post. Not exactly what I'd like to be doing. I'm in LA visiting my aunt and uncle, who I like a lot, but what I really do not like is being semi-forced into Hollywood socialite gatherings. I don't even like hanging out with more than 5 friends at a time, let alone complete strangers.

Let me just put it this way. I wasn't in the Bay Area for last New Year's either. Actually, I don't remember last New Year's at all, but I know it was sober and friendless. The last New Year's Eve I had for myself was sophomore year. I remember exactly what I did (for the most part) and I was NOT sober. How weird is that? Can't remember a sober night a year ago, but I remember a non-sober one two years ago. Whatever. I guess I just feel lonely. Or maybe I'm being deprived of my last fucking vacation in high school. I guess I won't care in the long run, but right now it fucking sucks.

I don't want to be writing this. And you shouldn't be reading this. Go jack off.

Human Gasoline

I've never really understood the human obsession with food. There are millions of obese people who stuff their pieholes with whatever--because its tasty. There are millions of people who only the most "exquisite" fine meals prepared at the most upscale restaurants--because its delectable. There are even religions where you fast to show your commitment to god, and when you're done fasting, you stuff your face.

It's all BULLSHIT.

Food is like human gasoline. You put it in to run your internal components. It is nothing more, than that. Sure it can be delicious, like cake or pastries, but they are still not exceptions to the rule.

Anytime a person swallows, anything at all, the esophagus uses something called peristalsis to push the food down your throat. This is the contraction of muscles around the food to push it downwards. Now, this is key to remember. When you are taking a shit, you rectum uses peristalsis to push the shit out. So, your body uses the exact same function to both consume and extract food to and from your body.

In one hole, out the other. Gas in the tank, out the exhaust.

You can kiss my ass if you disagree, because this is something I'm too opinionated to debate. You cannot argue my point, because it is absolute truth.

Fat people eat too much, rich people think about it too much, and poor people can't afford to eat enough. Food is food. So eat it in the right doses and shut up.

psilocybin thought

I feel like instrumental bands will never have the same sort of connection to audiences at live shows that a vocal band can. SImply because of the fact that whenever the instrumentalists look at the audience its always awkward. Just a thought.

tracklist+eccentricities

Here's where I'm at:

To prevent my bad habit of starting blogs and then scrapping them because I feel they are too short or because there is more I want to say, but do not feel like taking the time to finish. So, I will begin updating weekly (hopefully) and will be trying Ross' method of blogging. We'll see how it goes, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my lazy brain will not feel like using this method. Whatever...

Speaking of Ross, I'm not sure I'll ever be capable of calling him Justin. It's just too strange for me, simply because Mr. Ross was engraved in my brain two years ago and even the existence of his first name was strange since I sort of thought of him as just Ross. Oh well, too late now. Hopefully he doesn't mind being called Ross too much.

I'm sort of semi-watching Blade Runner as I type this. It is either the original version, which has voiceover, or the extended addition, which has voiceover as well as some scenes from the director's cut. I must admit, no matter what version, it is an extremely bad ass movie. I do have a strong distaste for the voiceover, but so did Harrison Ford. He read it deadpan because he hoped it'd be scrapped. Unfortunately, it was not. The director's cut fixed this problem, and is (literally) my 2nd favorite (favorite depending on mood) movie of all time. Wow. Fuck this voiceover... it just ruined the best part of the entire movie. Anyway...

This just reminded me, I haven't turned in my senior words. I knew them 100% earlier but now I'm not sure. It will either be:

"There is no growing in knowing where you're going."

 

or

"All those moments lost in time, like tears in the rain."

By the way it's the extended cut. The worst of them all. I still haven't seen the final cut... which I own. Oh well.

I'm feeling very spastic. I think I need to go get high and chill the fuck out before I go to bed. If I can write this much at this hour than I need a chill pill. This is how my brain usually functions at night. Not cool.

Well I'm high now. This is going to be a strange blog post, simply because of the fact that I have been picking it up and putting back down for a while. It is also the first post I have admitted to being intoxicated while writing. Setting that aside, let's talk about the ep.

I listened to most of what we've recorded the other day, and I must say that we are getting there. With some real work and serious effort this will be done in January. I'll set up a show for February. Sound good? I can't remember if I already done this here, but:

The Moon Trench

Oscillations

Czar Tethys

Symphony for Sunshine

I See Forever

Lunar Oceans

Lunar Lighthouse

So it's been almost a month since I last posted, and the last post probably didn't satisfy anyone that actually reads this blog. I doubt that anyone checks it anymore because I haven't posted in so long. Anyway, I wanted to write a post to both satisfy my guilt and my oh-so-many readers.

So, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in the extent of completion for our ep. If it is not done by sometime in January, I am going to shoot myself. Not actually, but I might as well. It pisses me off how little motivation I have sometimes. It's probably because I smoke too much pot, but I like being high. Personally, I think the main reason it is taking so long is because I have to get up so balls ass early for school everyday. Who wants to do anything when they get up at 7:40 in the morning? Not me.

So, I am going to spend a very long time recording myself today. It is a Sunday, I have only a little bit of homework, I don't really give a shit about school (except I gotta get a good grade on this psych test tomorrow), and I will die inside if this isn't done soon. These reasons all point to me getting my ass out of this chair, walking downstairs and taking five minutes to set up some microphones. The only problem is that I have no good headphones. Fuck that shit. My Bose headphones broke after two years of mishandling. Oh well... Who gives a shit. Listen to it later.

Fuck this blog. I'd rather never write here again, if I could finish this goddamn ep.

Travisland

Am I a dork because I enjoy looking up different forms of government and trying to find all the subtle differences that make one more democratic than another? So far I have a few obvious favorites, but I have some major faults with them as well. Is it possible for a country to truly become as democratic as it could ever be? I feel like (despite the direct representation/100% true democracy obvious one) that a system that is as democratic as possible can be achieved--in relative terms.

Is that gibberish? I haven't designed my perfect government yet, so don't ask. I will tell you it is certainly not presidential. Nor is it much like the United States at all. I will tell you a few things that are absolutely essential to a perfect government:

Small size - a country with smaller borders has a smaller population, allowing for much more representation in the government with fewer representatives.

Bicameral legislature - this does not mean that one house of the legislature must be more powerful than the other, simply that each one checks the others power. No concentration of power into a single parliament or congress like in England and Sweden.

Flexibility - a country's constitution can easily change how quickly the country can change directions. it can easily become too rigid, and some flex should be included in the government. This can help lead to the next fundamental requirement.

Multi-party system - multi-party does not mean 2 dominant parties for long periods of time. Multiple parties means that enough parties are present to prevent any one from obtaining a majority.

50% Proportional Representation/50% Plurality in Single Member Districts - individually, each of these can bypass democracy easily. together, however, they work incredibly well. There are many countries that only use one or the other that are quite democratic, but I would still argue my point. 

Judicial Branch - a judicial branch is key, although it does not always require a great deal of power. The only real power that the judicial branch must have without a doubt is the ability to review laws constitutionality. However, this power can result in a great variety of different roles for the judicial branch.

In my book, these things are absolute requirements for a "perfect" government. Sorry for the dorky post, it's just been on my mind lately.

stuff

I'm horrible at blogging these days... Oh well.

I only have a few quick things that I would really like to say:

1. I am officially a Geoduck. I was accepted at Evergreen on November 5th, 2008 and begin attending class on September 28, 2009. Intense, no?

2. I am procuring a Volcano tomorrow. Fun, fun, fun.

3. Possible Blakes show on Christmas. Quite unlikely though. Either way, our ep SHOULD and WILL be done by then. So if we do play=CD release party.

Sad Panda

I don't think that there is anything worse than watching the person you love be unhappy while you can't do anything about it. It is both extremely frustrating, because you are unable to make them happy and it is usually not your fault, as well as fairly depressing, because they're unhappy. I'd say that so far in my entire life, having an unhappy girlfriend is the worst thing there is. Some might argue with this, but I believe I am right for two reasons:

1. This statement can be stretched to fit anything, from not being able to hang out to losing a limb in a car accident. Unhappy lover=unhappy other lover. I think this is a sign of a good relationship, though. 

2. The only possible thing that could be more important to you than the person you love, is probably your child. Seeing as I don't have a child...

All you can do is just wait and hope they feel better tomorrow, because you know that you have been in the exact opposite situation and it is difficult to be in. I am going to focus all of my positive energy on Corey and hope that her night isn't as shitty as it was when I left. Hopefully my good energy will help out. Also, hopefully she won't read this and get sadder... That would make me feel like a pretty lame person.

In conjunction with these thoughts, I'd like to announce that The Mattresses' ep, The Moon Trench, will be complete and available on Dec. 12. It will be a darker album, to coincide with our lovely weather.

Perfectionism

If I could let everyone on the planet know one thing, it would be that recording is the most difficult process that has ever been known to man.

Thanks, 

Travis

The Transit of Earth

So I feel bad about not posting as much as I used to, but there are two main reasons for this:

1. School has begun and takes up the majority of my time, despite being rather easy this year.

2. I have felt somewhat shitty for the last few months and finishing a post has become rather difficult. I've started quite a few posts that are now saved in my drafts somewhere, waiting to be finished.

Particularly number 2 this last week or so. I've started two or three posts that have dwindled away into nothingness somewhere in my brain. Maybe it's been my mindset that has created this inability to follow through. I don't know... I'd say that the best I felt in the last week was last night. I was vaporizing by myself in my car (via a power adaptor) and some dj on KALX played The Transit of Earth by Arthur C. Clarke (that's a sci-fi story, for you uneducated) with Clarke reading it. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't sad either. I felt no connection to the world, but rather to the astronaut of the story who was stranded on Mars, recording Earth's alignment with the sun, Mars, and the moon. The character had only a few days of oxygen and was forced to come to terms with his death. The strangest part of the story was that, despite writing it, Clarke read the story with no emotion. That is probably what struck me most. I felt at ease, peaceful. That is what his voice did to me. The character was not afraid of dying, and neither was I.

The Mattresses ep is now fully planned, and partially executed. To be completed within the next two months. Title will be announced (here for the masses) as it nears completion. It is approximately half the length of the album, which was scrapped after too much time in limbo. I needed something to plan and get excited about, and of course it worked. Now all I can think about are the transitions.

Maybe I like being alone. I'm talking to Adrian, and that's what he suggested. I think I might agree, not sure...

Sorry for the downer. If you can't handle it, then you should pass on the ep, which is also on the darker side. Music is different than whining though... so maybe you could reconsider. It is free, after all. (Except for copies with artwork.)

Thom+Jonny/George+John=me in my head

I'd say that this little tiny ep that probably won't even be pressed is my White Album. In terms of Radiohead, you could say it is either my Kid A or my In Rainbows. Probably closer to Kid A.

Ending in Sight - Mission Green Status

I'm usually not very pissed at my cat, because I'm usually very happy to see him... but right now I am very angry and I am going to vent here. He bit through the chord of a rater nice pair of sony headphones that I own and now they are fucking useless. this upsets me because they were a present from my mom that I appreciated cause it was when I first got into music that I got them, and they also looked like the headphones that my favorite actor wears in this french movie that I like a lot. I have the poster of it up on my wall... That's how much I like it.

Anyway, to look on the bright side it will be easier to use the headphones and ear protection during band practice. That is, if we ever start practicing again. At the moment we're recording our continuously morphing ep/album (now an ep), but plan to finish it in the near future. Within the next 2 months is the concrete goal.

I'm up too late. I'm not in the best of moods really. I don't really want to talk about it though. Let's just say that the album has transformed from a psychedelic pop bliss treat into a dark, quasi-circus, Radiohead-ish sound. Hopefully, since I wrote all the songs and have designed the album with simple, yet lush psychedelic-ness in mind, it will sound like The Mattresses. I think it will.

Did you know Palin smoked dope?

I'm gonna have to make this one quick as I have to leave to go to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in a minute or two, but I had a comforting thought that I felt needed to be shared. While standing at the kitchen sink eating some waffles a moment ago, I was reflecting on the Saturday Night Live opening skit last night, which included Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill, and some SNL dude as Joe Biden (although I cannot remember his name, I must point out that his performance was brilliant). Anyway, this isn't the point, what I was really thinking about was how much I disliked Sarah Palin, which led me to one thought: if she was really just introduced to me a month or so ago, and I already hate her as much as George Bush... than I am happy. Why? Think about all those fucking annoying, lying, sacks of shit that you never ever have to meet in your entire life! Fucking comforting in my mind.

Than again, I suppose that means you will not meet a lot of awesome people too. However, I have found the number of fuckheads is higher than the number of awesome people.

Oh well... whatever. I'm off to get stoned and watch Iron & Wine.

Love and laundry

Forgive me for the lateness:

Have you ever thought about love? What is it? I have no idea what love is, but I know I'm in love. There's some saying that says if you're in love you just know you are, and I definitely agree. But what the fuck is it?

I could try and define it, but I'd only be the quadrillionth person who tried to do so. I know that I am in love, but I don't know what love really is. It's just a word that means that very specific feeling that everyone experiences at some point.

Sometimes I wonder if love is like LSD: an extremely different, yet hauntingly similar experience for everyone. 

In addition, I sometimes wonder if there is anything better on the planet than wearing warm laundry on a chilly day. The answer is yes, but it either costs money or takes work.