Friday, October 28, 2011
First Class Dudes hit the road.
Recently First Class Dudes (Johnny, Thunderbird, T-Bone, & I) have discussed flying to Las Vegas. That is the best/worse idea we have ever come up with. I doubt I would need a ton of money, I do not drink. I know if we go, most of the jokes towards me would deal with Allan from The Hangover. We were aiming for December but quickly decided that would be impossible. Now we are getting together to talk about just a solid weekend. Memphis, NOLA & Austin have been mentioned. I would much rather do that then fly to Vegas on short notice. I enjoy all three of those places. I am sure where ever we go it will be fun and stories will come from those trips.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Short Stories
Here are a hanful of short stories that either I have heard or been apart of.
I was in the market stocking up on soap, water, and bomb pops for Hurricane Katrina. While in line a little girl turned to her dad and asked her "Daddy, what is going on?" He explained to her that a big storm was coming and everyone is getting prepared for it. With a worried voice she adds "Ii hope Mommy is safe." This dude says "That makes one of us." I laughed so hard it was unreal. I take it that they are divorced.
At the bank a few weeks ago I was cashing a check. I ended up in the Commercial lane at the drive thru. The lady is sending me back my money and sticks a note against the window that reads "She thinks you're hot!" with an arrow pointing to her co-worker. I lean up to see what her co-worker looked like, looking back to my lady I mouth "her?" She gave me a thumbs up, I checked her co-worker out again then said to my lady "No thanks."
My brother and I were getting ready to head out one nite when he was in town. I say something like "I'm gonna find the hottest chick there." Mmy mom starts in and says "Oh, I wish ya'll would find girls at church, sweet girls." I replied to my mother "Sweet don't get me laid Nancy."
I was in the market stocking up on soap, water, and bomb pops for Hurricane Katrina. While in line a little girl turned to her dad and asked her "Daddy, what is going on?" He explained to her that a big storm was coming and everyone is getting prepared for it. With a worried voice she adds "Ii hope Mommy is safe." This dude says "That makes one of us." I laughed so hard it was unreal. I take it that they are divorced.
At the bank a few weeks ago I was cashing a check. I ended up in the Commercial lane at the drive thru. The lady is sending me back my money and sticks a note against the window that reads "She thinks you're hot!" with an arrow pointing to her co-worker. I lean up to see what her co-worker looked like, looking back to my lady I mouth "her?" She gave me a thumbs up, I checked her co-worker out again then said to my lady "No thanks."
My brother and I were getting ready to head out one nite when he was in town. I say something like "I'm gonna find the hottest chick there." Mmy mom starts in and says "Oh, I wish ya'll would find girls at church, sweet girls." I replied to my mother "Sweet don't get me laid Nancy."
Monday, August 15, 2011
Love Is a Mix Tape
I love music and I love sharing the music I love. Its to the point I ship them to New Orleans, Dallas, LA. Wherever. You can do so much to a mix tape. Fall in love, break up, cruising music, bang your head/throw horns, introduce new artist and find new artist, come up with album themes, or simply compile tunes you love and want to jam. I use to put as many tracks as possible within the time given. Now days I put a solid 39-42 minutes worth of music on cassette or cd. Its the right amount to make them want more but also enough to make them not forget how amazing track 2 is. When making a mix tape be sure to give it a name- The Last of the Summer or Flat Broke Disease. Maybe add the date to it so when your kids come across it 14 years from now they will know what you were listening to in 2011. Probably way better than the crap they are listening to.
I know not all my friends have their heads buried in music like I do. I feel it is my duty to send them great stuff. Back in 2008, I became friends with Allison. Right off the bat I handed her two mix cds. I can tell you that I am currently putting together copies of Allison XI & XII. Every odd record album has to have a Rilo Kiley/Jenny Lewis song as track 2. No clue why but it just happened. I cannot tell you all the music I have passed on to her. She is suppose to be sending me them all back so I can re-burn them, they are scratched up and she no longer has the playlists. Send them Lemon.
Recently I posted on my facebook "I have a lot of blank cds, looking to swap mixes with someone." My friend Lizzie answered first. She just moved to LA so its cool finding stuff in the mail every once in awhile instead of dialing the person up and saying "Hey, meet me at Starbucks Thursday and we can swap mixes." The first mixes Lizzie and I exchanged were straight up here is what I am enjoying right now and I think you might dig. I never looked at presentation being a big deal. Lizzie sent me the two records folded up in pages turn out of a magazine. She wrote the track listings on the pages. Though it was hard to read the play list it was still a cool way to ship the cds. I think the first round I just wrote them on the back of the cd case, maybe not even that. Next round we decided to exchange break up mix cds AND mix tapes. For this part I chose to put as many tracks as possible on the cd then convert it to tape. Cd was 80 minutes long while the tape clocked in at 60 minutes. I think for her the cd was shorter than the cassette so she threw a few extra tracks on it. Here is the thing readers, I have a running break up playlist on my itunes so this was easy for me. I collected my tracks and started mixing them around. We text back & forth about how are neighbors and friends probably thought we were depressed emo kids because we would listen to the mixes over and over making corrections before shipping off the final product. My mix ran eighty minutes with 18 tracks. You listen to these songs and you picture the person who was attached to the songs. The mix I put together had a nice flow to it. First few tracks dealt with you wanted to get back with the person, do what ever you can to make it right. How you miss the person. Then you have to face yourself, do what every you can to forget her, but for some reason stuff pops up that remind you of that person. Next step is onto getting over that person, I can do this, need to wash my hands of the problem. You moved on but she still lingers. You bump into her friend, you see a car and you think it might be her. Who knows. Then its finding someone new that might possibly make you forget the ex. Then its full on I'm over you. Most of my long break up playlist is Tom Petty & Ryan Adams. It was very tough not to flood the mix with those two artist. When it was all said and done I packed mine up- naming the cd "I Played Your Song, I Got The Melody All Wrong" and the tape "It's Almost Over & It's Almost Gone." Both of which are Ryan Adams lyrics. On the card I sent I wrote this AMAZING quote from High Fidelity-
What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?
- Rob Gordon
I jotted down the track listings on the back of the card and wrote a small note. I wish I had time/room to write out why I picked each track but for some reason I chose not to. A card and a sheet of stickers along with cassette & album were sent off. I received her mix cassette & cd a few days later. A sheet of tablet paper was folded up with the theme "Barbed Wire Hearts" written on the front. I read the short note first, told me to listen to the cassette first. The tape was wrapped in a long sheet of brown paper bag. I still cannot get it back the right way. There is something about tapes and records that sounds so pure. I listened to it as I drove around one nite. The tracks were killer. I love her mix tape and cd. Each track had a line that I thought "I felt like that."
You can do whatever you want with a mix tape, tell someone how much you care, you can break up with someone using one, you can remember friends, family, places with them. Or you can just have a solid mix of tracks you enjoy and you enjoy sharing. If you want a mix tape/cd, let me know I like putting them together.
My break up mix tape- Artist- Track
"I Played Your Song, I Got The Melody All Wrong"
The Avett Brothers- If It's The Beaches
Rhett Miller- Come Around
Wilco- Say You Miss Me
Whiskeytown- Everything I Do
The Felice Brothers- Marie
Wilco- Hate It Here
Dan Auerbach- My Last Mistake
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals- Sweet Illusions*
Sam Amidon- Fall On My Knees
Rainbow- Since You've Been Gone
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- Don't Come Around Here No More
Bob Dylan- Most of the Time
Whiskeytown- Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- Change the Locks
Bob Dylan- I Don't Believe You
Josh T. Pearson- Drive Her Out
Ryan Adams- Hotel Chelsea Nights**
The Black Keys- Next Girl
* = cd title came from this track
** = cassette title came from this track
R.R.
I know not all my friends have their heads buried in music like I do. I feel it is my duty to send them great stuff. Back in 2008, I became friends with Allison. Right off the bat I handed her two mix cds. I can tell you that I am currently putting together copies of Allison XI & XII. Every odd record album has to have a Rilo Kiley/Jenny Lewis song as track 2. No clue why but it just happened. I cannot tell you all the music I have passed on to her. She is suppose to be sending me them all back so I can re-burn them, they are scratched up and she no longer has the playlists. Send them Lemon.
Recently I posted on my facebook "I have a lot of blank cds, looking to swap mixes with someone." My friend Lizzie answered first. She just moved to LA so its cool finding stuff in the mail every once in awhile instead of dialing the person up and saying "Hey, meet me at Starbucks Thursday and we can swap mixes." The first mixes Lizzie and I exchanged were straight up here is what I am enjoying right now and I think you might dig. I never looked at presentation being a big deal. Lizzie sent me the two records folded up in pages turn out of a magazine. She wrote the track listings on the pages. Though it was hard to read the play list it was still a cool way to ship the cds. I think the first round I just wrote them on the back of the cd case, maybe not even that. Next round we decided to exchange break up mix cds AND mix tapes. For this part I chose to put as many tracks as possible on the cd then convert it to tape. Cd was 80 minutes long while the tape clocked in at 60 minutes. I think for her the cd was shorter than the cassette so she threw a few extra tracks on it. Here is the thing readers, I have a running break up playlist on my itunes so this was easy for me. I collected my tracks and started mixing them around. We text back & forth about how are neighbors and friends probably thought we were depressed emo kids because we would listen to the mixes over and over making corrections before shipping off the final product. My mix ran eighty minutes with 18 tracks. You listen to these songs and you picture the person who was attached to the songs. The mix I put together had a nice flow to it. First few tracks dealt with you wanted to get back with the person, do what ever you can to make it right. How you miss the person. Then you have to face yourself, do what every you can to forget her, but for some reason stuff pops up that remind you of that person. Next step is onto getting over that person, I can do this, need to wash my hands of the problem. You moved on but she still lingers. You bump into her friend, you see a car and you think it might be her. Who knows. Then its finding someone new that might possibly make you forget the ex. Then its full on I'm over you. Most of my long break up playlist is Tom Petty & Ryan Adams. It was very tough not to flood the mix with those two artist. When it was all said and done I packed mine up- naming the cd "I Played Your Song, I Got The Melody All Wrong" and the tape "It's Almost Over & It's Almost Gone." Both of which are Ryan Adams lyrics. On the card I sent I wrote this AMAZING quote from High Fidelity-
What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?
- Rob Gordon
I jotted down the track listings on the back of the card and wrote a small note. I wish I had time/room to write out why I picked each track but for some reason I chose not to. A card and a sheet of stickers along with cassette & album were sent off. I received her mix cassette & cd a few days later. A sheet of tablet paper was folded up with the theme "Barbed Wire Hearts" written on the front. I read the short note first, told me to listen to the cassette first. The tape was wrapped in a long sheet of brown paper bag. I still cannot get it back the right way. There is something about tapes and records that sounds so pure. I listened to it as I drove around one nite. The tracks were killer. I love her mix tape and cd. Each track had a line that I thought "I felt like that."
You can do whatever you want with a mix tape, tell someone how much you care, you can break up with someone using one, you can remember friends, family, places with them. Or you can just have a solid mix of tracks you enjoy and you enjoy sharing. If you want a mix tape/cd, let me know I like putting them together.
My break up mix tape- Artist- Track
"I Played Your Song, I Got The Melody All Wrong"
The Avett Brothers- If It's The Beaches
Rhett Miller- Come Around
Wilco- Say You Miss Me
Whiskeytown- Everything I Do
The Felice Brothers- Marie
Wilco- Hate It Here
Dan Auerbach- My Last Mistake
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals- Sweet Illusions*
Sam Amidon- Fall On My Knees
Rainbow- Since You've Been Gone
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- Don't Come Around Here No More
Bob Dylan- Most of the Time
Whiskeytown- Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- Change the Locks
Bob Dylan- I Don't Believe You
Josh T. Pearson- Drive Her Out
Ryan Adams- Hotel Chelsea Nights**
The Black Keys- Next Girl
* = cd title came from this track
** = cassette title came from this track
R.R.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
History Is Over: Kings of Leavin'
Last Thursday (7/28) nite I drove over to Dallas for the weekend. I hung out with my brother and his girlfriend AJ. We were going to the Kings of Leon concert that Friday nite. I scored two tickets for the show so AJ got a friend of hers to take my extra ticket off my hands. There were six of us going but we were not able to sit together so Lauren (AJs friend) & I grabbed our seats, which were dead center really. Earlier in the week Textican text me "Are you excited about the concert?" At this point I did not have a ticket so I told her I wasn't going. During the set break between Band of Horses (great set by them) & KoL I went off to buy a shirt. Upon my return I find a text message that reads "I see you! You are such a liar!!" Guess who sent that text. KoL took the stage and blasted through 4-5 songs. By song number two I told Lauren "Caleb is shot. He sounds bad." He announced he wasn't bringing his A game with the voice, complained of the heat and went on to drink more beer AND tequila. That helps out with the heat. Joke. Later Caleb curses up a storm and says "I'm going back to vomit, drink a beer, then come out here and play three more songs." He told the Dallas crowd that they were the best crowd he has ever played for, sorry saps probably believed him. That dude doesn't even know the words to his own songs at this point. It was sad to see this happen. Nathan came out to tell the fans that there will be a 10 minute break so Caleb can get it together. About 15 minutes pass then Matthew (Caleb's cousin) & Jared (Caleb's brother) came out and to announce to the crowd "I'm sorry but we have to cancel. Caleb is unfit to go on." A rain of boos and bottles are coming after Jared & Matthew. People were pissed. I think my favorite part of the "Sorry we have to stop the show" speech was Jared's part- "Hate f'ing Caleb, not us. You can burn our f'ing records I don't care." (The next day KoL canceled the Houston show, come Monday the whole tour was put to rest) It would have been easy for the Followill family to send out a roadie or some guitar tech to announce the disappointing news but KoL owned up and faced the crowd. Jared started twitting about "big problems" in the group- a.k.a. Caleb drinks like a fish. OKAY ONWARD. After the concert the six of us (Cody, AJ, Rex, Lauren, Stacy & The Joe) go to The Joe's truck and tail gate I guess. They have their drinks and The Joe is trying to guess everyones zodiac sign. He got every bodies wrong. Strangers would come up to bum cigarettes, lighters, and drinks off our gang. Some just wanted to talk refunds. My take on the refund situatiton-- Band of Horses played a full set followed by Kings playing 11 tracks, most likely half their set total. They do not have to refund us, but they did. I was totally fine with the idea of the short lived concert. I got to see KoL post Only By The Night and did not hear Sex Somebody. Win-Win. I guess I do not really care since it was the 10th time I have seen them. My brother and I did get to hear "No Money" though. Personal favorite of ours. BACK TO THE PARKING LOT. Dude with dreds (Toby) walks up to use to talk refund. Come to find out most of our group knew him & his wife, Bailey. We join them by their car to hang out. It was hippies hula-hooping. One looked like Amy Winehouse. Everyone starts chatting and The Joe starts saying stuff to my brother and I like "Man, you guys some to get along, you could be brothers." Really The Joe? Bailey is a world class hula hooping chick. She got out there and did tricks for us, pretty cool until The Joe got in the mix. Bailey was going at it with tricks then The Joe says to her "History is over, time for the future." PLEASE READ AGAIN- HISTORY IS OVER, TIME FOR THE FUTURE. I hear this and turn to Cody (my brother) and say "Did you just hear that?" I told Cody and we both start laughing. The Joe goes on to swing the hoop around his neck for ten seconds while singing KoL song. Future doesn't look that great. Toby had a solid beard so we talked beards. He told me to not trim the beard for 6 months. The Joe gets in the conversation about facial hair. The Joe says to Toby "I see you got some chest hair, beard, and dreds but do you keep your business clean?" Toby replies "Nope, all natural." The Joe replied with "Yuck." Talks turn to indians. The Joe asks everyone if we are part indian. I tell him yes, Cheerokee. The Joe goes on to say "Any of you Apache? Tell me now, I don't deal with Apache indians." We all decide to start leaving the lot and head for a place to eat. Somehow The Joe and his girl Stacy end up somewhere else. Come morning AJ gets a text from Stacy saying that The Joe and her went bungie jumping around midnite then to a strip club. God bless The Joe. The stay was good, nice to see Cody & AJ. I hope the Kings can get it together.
R.R.
R.R.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
My KINGdom
That is me, Nathan Followill & my friend Brent (aka Bono) back in October 2005. Nathan is the drummer for Kings of Leon. This coming Friday nite I will be seeing KoL in Dallas. The concert marks the 10th time I have seen KoL since 2005. The photo shown is from the 2nd time I saw them. To mark this occasion I will now list 10 Kings of Leon facts that you may or may not know.
1- Nathan & Caleb (his brother) agreed to let Jared (their youngest brother) in the band IF he learned the bass. Jared locked himself in his room until he figured it out.
2- Caleb wrote the song "Soft" after a wild nite with Kate Moss (British model) in which he couldn't get it up.
3- KoL's third album, Because of the Times (which is their best record), is named after a Pentecostal conference held in Alexandria, LA
4- Before focusing on rock music, Caleb & Nathan tried their hand at becoming country music stars.
5- Nathan & Caleb wrote a song which was used in the movie We Were Soldiers. They did not record the song, Michael McDonald & Jamie O'Neal performed the track. "Not So Distance Day."
6- The song "The Bucket" is about how Caleb robbed Jared of his youth. Jared was 15/16 when the band was official a band.
7- KoL have big time fans: Bob Dylan, U2 & Pearl Jam all rave about the band. KoL has opened for those bands as well.
8- The Rolling Stones have asked Kings of Leon to open for them numerous times. Scheduling conflict.
9- The band broke big overseas first. Their first gig was at a strip club/ bar. The place was so outrageous, the band played behind a chain link fence.
10- Remember that iPod commercial that really put Apple iPod on the map? You know, the one with "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by JET? Apple went to Kings of Leon first, asked to use one of their songs. KoL declined. Nathan spoke about it years after "If we did that, we would have peaked. Look at JET now, where are they? No one knows but we just arrived."
Hope you enjoyed.
R.R.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Senior Prom
These people are real and this story is real. Enjoy.
I never once thought I wanted to attend prom but there I was in English class with Mrs. Hunt running down the senior list and matching people up. I was a likeable odd guy in school. I got along with most of the groups that made up the school: jocks, cheerleaders, thugs, druggies, rockers & loners. One time Mrs. Hunt told me I reminded her of Ferris Bueller except I went to class. If I wanted to go to prom I wasn't going to let her decide my date. I was close to a few girls in my class so I figured what the heck, ask one of them. The one female I got along with the most was Izzy. Late one day while sitting outside of class (my teacher let me sleep from 1 til 2:15 then wake me up so I can go sit outside until school ends. Thanks Mrs. Cummings. side note: I even convinced her to let another student keep me company outside so I wouldn't be bored) I saw Mrs. Hunts class room door fling open and Scott running out as quick as can be. Chasing after Scott was Izzy yelling "Scott! Scott! Prom!!" I sat there and said "well I can go with Jessica." The following day I asked Jessica, she agreed to go with me. Thanks Jessica. Here is a fun fact to add to the story right now: I did not have my license in high school. Back to the story.
Jessica picked me up the day of prom and we drove out to Izzy's parents place which was about 25-40 minutes outside of Shreveport. The girls went off to get ready and do all that stuff. I sat there watching "As Good As It Gets" & "Sleepless In Seattle." Everyone starts arriving. Our group was made up of Scott, Izzy, Amber, Shotgun, Jessica & myself. During my senior year I had "long" hair that I got in trouble for. In chapel Izzy, Jessica & other girls would sit behind me and mess with my hair. I was not a fan. On the way there Jessica messed with my hair a lot while Scott played one cd for the whole nite: No Doubt- Rock Steady. I did not like that album at all. Prom was prom as usual. ECA girls dancing trashy, the band never took any of my requests (Me- Hey man, can you play Foreigners Jukebox Hero? Band leader- Dude, our girl can't even sing high enough for that.). Bummer. Scott & I mostly discussed The Strokes "Is This It" album, U2 "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and Weezer "(Green Album)." At some point I remember Izzy coming up to me and saying that the plan was to head back to her place and watch movie and all hang out. I thought perfect, that is my kind of nite. She said I should ask Shotgun for a ride after we get done watching movies. Later on at prom I ask Shotgun and he could give me a lift after the movies are over. He told me he couldn't. He had a curfew at 1am. After we left the prom we hit up a party. It was pretty fun but really not my style, one of us had to find Amber & Shotgun. They went missing. So that was that, that was my prom nite. They took me home around 11:30pm. The first thing I did when I got home was download No Doubts- Rock Steady. I love that album. The following days at school word gets around Shotgun gave Amber a hickey. As I am typing out this blog, Izzy confirms that Shotgun did give Amber a hickey. . . on the ARM PIT. Hahahahahaha. What in the world. Shotgun was a good guy, always preached in chapel and you could always see him at the pole. Truly a good guy but this dude gave this chick a pit hickey.
Anyway, graduation came and that was that. After graduation Izzy & I were inseparable. Always together, crazy close. Hung out all the time, non stop. I could trust her with anything and she would always be straight up with me. One Sunday nite I bump into Shotgun at a coffee joint that was holding a bible study, I walked in not knowing it was a bible study. We have small talk and he launches into this story (this is not verbatim but the jest of the conversation).
Shotgun: Dude, you remember prom?
Me: Yeah, it was a year or two ago.
Shotgun: You made everyone uncomfortable.
Me: I don't understand. What do you mean?
Shotgun: Jessica thought you were really mad at her when she was touching your hair. She told the girls in the bathroom that she didn't want you coming back to watch movies. So I lied about not being able to take you home.
Me: Wait, what happened?
Shotgun: We all took a vote and no one wanted to hang out with you. I didn't even have a curfew, we all watched movies at Izzy's place until 4 in the morning. It was fun. Well got to go.
Me: Ah. . . okay. Take it easy.
Once I got out of the coffee shop I was working the phones like I was on the Jerry Lewis Telethon. First call went to Izzy of course. She had no clue what he was talking about. I got Jessica's number from Izzy and she too agreed that he is making stuff up. Later on that Summer, Scott phoned Izzy. I asked him about it and he didn't know anything about it. It still bugged me, why would he lie about all of this. Seems stupid. It sucked to feel like no one liked me, I was a nice guy, very likeable. So why would this happen?
After high school I came across a guy named Larry David & his show "Curb Your Enthusiasm." I instantly connected with him on the show. We are a lot alike. Larry co-created Seinfeld and George Costanza is based on Larry. We cannot let things be. Back when I had a xanga (I bet you thought you would never hear/see that word again huh?), I blogged about this story and talked to Fay about it one nite. The next day VERY NEXT DAY, Fay & I go grab lunch. We are sitting there and in walks Shotgun & Mrs. Shotgun. I tell Fay "There he is, there is the guy I blogged about last nite." They sit down and Fay says to me "What are you going to do?" I told her to wait outside for me. She gets up and heads out. I walk up to the table. This is at least two years after the coffee shop bump in.
Shotgun: Oh Gilcrease, hey man what's up? Nice seeing you.
Me: I'm good. Not much, just been hanging out with Izzy.
Shotgun: How is she?
Me: She is good. She told me an odd story a few months (actually years) ago. Something about there wasn't a vote on prom nite, everyone enjoyed my company. Not only did she say this Scott & Jessica both notified me that your little coffee shop story wasn't real.
Mrs. Shotgun: When was prom?
Me: 2002
Mrs Shotgun: So what does it matter?
Shotgun: Honey. . .
Me: It just does Mrs. Shotgun.
Shotgun: I figured you of all people would get the joke. I was just playing with you man. You & me get the same kind of humor.
Mrs. Shotgun: Seems like it was funny.
Me: Nope, he wasn't doing it as a joke. So everything at prom was true, you not being able to take me home, not having enough gas?
Shotgun: Yeah, that's the honest truth.
Me: What about Amber's hickey, was that real?
Mrs. Shotgun: What?
Shotgun just looks at me.
Me: Well you two have a lovely meal. I got to go.
That is the last I saw of Shotgun. I still talk to Izzy & Scott. Well, that is it. That is my Senior Prom. Long post I know, sorry about that but I think you will enjoy it.
I never once thought I wanted to attend prom but there I was in English class with Mrs. Hunt running down the senior list and matching people up. I was a likeable odd guy in school. I got along with most of the groups that made up the school: jocks, cheerleaders, thugs, druggies, rockers & loners. One time Mrs. Hunt told me I reminded her of Ferris Bueller except I went to class. If I wanted to go to prom I wasn't going to let her decide my date. I was close to a few girls in my class so I figured what the heck, ask one of them. The one female I got along with the most was Izzy. Late one day while sitting outside of class (my teacher let me sleep from 1 til 2:15 then wake me up so I can go sit outside until school ends. Thanks Mrs. Cummings. side note: I even convinced her to let another student keep me company outside so I wouldn't be bored) I saw Mrs. Hunts class room door fling open and Scott running out as quick as can be. Chasing after Scott was Izzy yelling "Scott! Scott! Prom!!" I sat there and said "well I can go with Jessica." The following day I asked Jessica, she agreed to go with me. Thanks Jessica. Here is a fun fact to add to the story right now: I did not have my license in high school. Back to the story.
Jessica picked me up the day of prom and we drove out to Izzy's parents place which was about 25-40 minutes outside of Shreveport. The girls went off to get ready and do all that stuff. I sat there watching "As Good As It Gets" & "Sleepless In Seattle." Everyone starts arriving. Our group was made up of Scott, Izzy, Amber, Shotgun, Jessica & myself. During my senior year I had "long" hair that I got in trouble for. In chapel Izzy, Jessica & other girls would sit behind me and mess with my hair. I was not a fan. On the way there Jessica messed with my hair a lot while Scott played one cd for the whole nite: No Doubt- Rock Steady. I did not like that album at all. Prom was prom as usual. ECA girls dancing trashy, the band never took any of my requests (Me- Hey man, can you play Foreigners Jukebox Hero? Band leader- Dude, our girl can't even sing high enough for that.). Bummer. Scott & I mostly discussed The Strokes "Is This It" album, U2 "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and Weezer "(Green Album)." At some point I remember Izzy coming up to me and saying that the plan was to head back to her place and watch movie and all hang out. I thought perfect, that is my kind of nite. She said I should ask Shotgun for a ride after we get done watching movies. Later on at prom I ask Shotgun and he could give me a lift after the movies are over. He told me he couldn't. He had a curfew at 1am. After we left the prom we hit up a party. It was pretty fun but really not my style, one of us had to find Amber & Shotgun. They went missing. So that was that, that was my prom nite. They took me home around 11:30pm. The first thing I did when I got home was download No Doubts- Rock Steady. I love that album. The following days at school word gets around Shotgun gave Amber a hickey. As I am typing out this blog, Izzy confirms that Shotgun did give Amber a hickey. . . on the ARM PIT. Hahahahahaha. What in the world. Shotgun was a good guy, always preached in chapel and you could always see him at the pole. Truly a good guy but this dude gave this chick a pit hickey.
Anyway, graduation came and that was that. After graduation Izzy & I were inseparable. Always together, crazy close. Hung out all the time, non stop. I could trust her with anything and she would always be straight up with me. One Sunday nite I bump into Shotgun at a coffee joint that was holding a bible study, I walked in not knowing it was a bible study. We have small talk and he launches into this story (this is not verbatim but the jest of the conversation).
Shotgun: Dude, you remember prom?
Me: Yeah, it was a year or two ago.
Shotgun: You made everyone uncomfortable.
Me: I don't understand. What do you mean?
Shotgun: Jessica thought you were really mad at her when she was touching your hair. She told the girls in the bathroom that she didn't want you coming back to watch movies. So I lied about not being able to take you home.
Me: Wait, what happened?
Shotgun: We all took a vote and no one wanted to hang out with you. I didn't even have a curfew, we all watched movies at Izzy's place until 4 in the morning. It was fun. Well got to go.
Me: Ah. . . okay. Take it easy.
Once I got out of the coffee shop I was working the phones like I was on the Jerry Lewis Telethon. First call went to Izzy of course. She had no clue what he was talking about. I got Jessica's number from Izzy and she too agreed that he is making stuff up. Later on that Summer, Scott phoned Izzy. I asked him about it and he didn't know anything about it. It still bugged me, why would he lie about all of this. Seems stupid. It sucked to feel like no one liked me, I was a nice guy, very likeable. So why would this happen?
After high school I came across a guy named Larry David & his show "Curb Your Enthusiasm." I instantly connected with him on the show. We are a lot alike. Larry co-created Seinfeld and George Costanza is based on Larry. We cannot let things be. Back when I had a xanga (I bet you thought you would never hear/see that word again huh?), I blogged about this story and talked to Fay about it one nite. The next day VERY NEXT DAY, Fay & I go grab lunch. We are sitting there and in walks Shotgun & Mrs. Shotgun. I tell Fay "There he is, there is the guy I blogged about last nite." They sit down and Fay says to me "What are you going to do?" I told her to wait outside for me. She gets up and heads out. I walk up to the table. This is at least two years after the coffee shop bump in.
Shotgun: Oh Gilcrease, hey man what's up? Nice seeing you.
Me: I'm good. Not much, just been hanging out with Izzy.
Shotgun: How is she?
Me: She is good. She told me an odd story a few months (actually years) ago. Something about there wasn't a vote on prom nite, everyone enjoyed my company. Not only did she say this Scott & Jessica both notified me that your little coffee shop story wasn't real.
Mrs. Shotgun: When was prom?
Me: 2002
Mrs Shotgun: So what does it matter?
Shotgun: Honey. . .
Me: It just does Mrs. Shotgun.
Shotgun: I figured you of all people would get the joke. I was just playing with you man. You & me get the same kind of humor.
Mrs. Shotgun: Seems like it was funny.
Me: Nope, he wasn't doing it as a joke. So everything at prom was true, you not being able to take me home, not having enough gas?
Shotgun: Yeah, that's the honest truth.
Me: What about Amber's hickey, was that real?
Mrs. Shotgun: What?
Shotgun just looks at me.
Me: Well you two have a lovely meal. I got to go.
That is the last I saw of Shotgun. I still talk to Izzy & Scott. Well, that is it. That is my Senior Prom. Long post I know, sorry about that but I think you will enjoy it.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Sexified
A friend of a friend of a friend found this or something like that. I laughed a ton reading these. I figured I would post it. Next post will be about My Senior Prom. I do not think many of you know about that.
R.R.
Friday, June 17, 2011
How Textican got her name Textican
As you may know already I ran into a pretty cool girl at a concert one time and started dating her. She lived in Dallas so it was always driving to see her or her driving to see me. After months of doing this I kind of got tired of the whole thing. She called me up one day after she visited me and was crying her eyes out, something about her family didn't like her seeing a guy like me (I wasn't mexican, non-jehovah witness). For some reason I was pleased with the news, she wasn't. I just replied "Its for the best." That was in 2008(?) Everyday she would blow up my phone with text messages thus the nickname Textican was born. When I say blow up my phone, non stop text messaging without a reply. I was sitting at Thunderbirds house one day and the Textican attacked with more text messages, phone calls. She would mail me mix cds and shoot me e-mails. INSANE. So that nite Thunder & I talked about making a game out of it. Text Messages = 1 point, Electronic Mail = 2, Phone Call = 3, Voice Mail = 4, Street Mail (CDs) = 5 and Drop Ins = Game Over. We used his dry erase board to keep score. I let a handful of friends know about the Textican Game. Two-three days past and we had 22 people with bets on how many points she can rack up in the span of a month. Thunderbird's dry erase bird had the list of people in the game. I think she ended up around 300-350. Here is the sad thing.. . we played the game twice. That following October we ran the game until Christmas, made the points a different scale and she ended with around 900+ points. She stopped for a while, three months. Just recently (May) she text me about if I bought tickets to a concert or not. I looked at my phone and THOUGHT I came up with a plan that would just end her text messaging for good. I text her "Rex is in the shower." BOOM, that is perfect my "girlfriend" text her! Great idea, the only problem is Textican did not stop one second. She kept texting. "Textican: El Tornado Trecero" might be upon us.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Suit Up Summer Challenge
Fast forward to mid April 2011. I am sitting around with Rachel & Skill.We start talking about Jimmy (the friend) coming into town, then the suit was mentioned. I swear I am a 31, Skill does not believe me. As always it ends up in a light argument about if I can still fit in the suit. Rachel, as usual doesn't want anything to do with us and our bets (last time she was involved she named her child after me). There was no possible way I could suit up right out of the gate so the challenge was set. I had May 3rd to August 3rd to fit in the suit. Three months to turn around and suit up. Just for good measurement one nite I brought the suit over to their house. I tried it on and we agreed that I could barely fit in it. The jacket was the problem. That is that, I have 3 months to win The Suit Up Summer Challenge. What do I get if I win- dignity. What do I get if I lose- shamefulness. Now people I will tell you that I have not been trying my best. I need to turn it around. Early March I started jogging around the neighborhood but slowly that died out, so has eating healthy. I must win this. Need to get it right, I love that suit. Talk has been heating up on a Speed Challenge. I told him I could throw 60mph, he thinks I would clock 54. I am currently trying to find a radar gun for pitching.
Okay kids pick the next post
A- Cobra has a blind date
B- The Wedding Girl
C- How Textican Got Her Name
D- Senior Prom
Lyric of the day: Now I've been pulling thread doing all kinds of evil, I know you hate me baby but don't break the needle (J Roddy Walston & The Business- Don't Break the Needle)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Newly Divorced
I did not want to blog about Cobra again (need to spread his madness out) so this is an old blog I posted about two years ago. Sorry to the readers who have already seen this.
Every Sunday afternoon I make my way to my grandparents house for Sunday Lunch. The food usually hits the table around 12:30 or later. So to pass the time I look at the Best Buy catalog, the sports pages, and maybe the funnies. If I feel like looking at hot girls that have walked the aisle the previous day, I will check out the LIVING SECTION. Some are dynamite and some. . . not so much. Most of the time I know the girls. My age group is the ones dominating this section or going through their first divorce. By this point in my life most of the people who got married are over and now are single. That's what I want to know, which girls are divorced now. How can we add that section to the paper? What would their picture be? Usually the girl is in a garden wearing a white dress smiling as big as she can
. Would the divorce pictures look like this?>>>>>>>
To let the Shreveport/Bossier area know that you are a free woman now and you have it "going on." Wonder who is taking care of the kids. That is another thing. In the Living Section it announces who all was in the wedding, where it was, the honeymoon destination and where you and the one you love are setting up shop once all is said and done. The Divorce Section needs to do the same. List where you like to kick it, which bars, favorite drinks, topics that you like, where you are going to settle down now that the divorce went final. I believe it should also give the reader a heads-up on what the ex looks like. We do not want Fat Cats looking like Lou's Basement in Fight Club. If the woman or man has children, it should also list that. Nothing can ruin a good night like hearing the baby monitor go off around 4am, I might as well just change the dipper and leave. Like I said, this is just an idea that I think would work.
Every Sunday afternoon I make my way to my grandparents house for Sunday Lunch. The food usually hits the table around 12:30 or later. So to pass the time I look at the Best Buy catalog, the sports pages, and maybe the funnies. If I feel like looking at hot girls that have walked the aisle the previous day, I will check out the LIVING SECTION. Some are dynamite and some. . . not so much. Most of the time I know the girls. My age group is the ones dominating this section or going through their first divorce. By this point in my life most of the people who got married are over and now are single. That's what I want to know, which girls are divorced now. How can we add that section to the paper? What would their picture be? Usually the girl is in a garden wearing a white dress smiling as big as she can
. Would the divorce pictures look like this?>>>>>>>To let the Shreveport/Bossier area know that you are a free woman now and you have it "going on." Wonder who is taking care of the kids. That is another thing. In the Living Section it announces who all was in the wedding, where it was, the honeymoon destination and where you and the one you love are setting up shop once all is said and done. The Divorce Section needs to do the same. List where you like to kick it, which bars, favorite drinks, topics that you like, where you are going to settle down now that the divorce went final. I believe it should also give the reader a heads-up on what the ex looks like. We do not want Fat Cats looking like Lou's Basement in Fight Club. If the woman or man has children, it should also list that. Nothing can ruin a good night like hearing the baby monitor go off around 4am, I might as well just change the dipper and leave. Like I said, this is just an idea that I think would work.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Uh Uh. . . Cobra
Years ago a drifter came into the record store and stayed for a while, its not me by the way. His name was Carl Youngblood. This guy had long tight perm curly hair which he would always pull through the back of his Under Armer hat and a porn mustache. We would always work in the shop together. You knew right off the bat this guy had stories. "So my other ex-wife was studying witchcraft." We were running around downtown delivering something to the bus station. I was driving and he was talking about leaving pills at Elvis' statue. We crossed a few homeless guys and I said "You think we can win in a fight against them?" He answered "I might be wirey but I am quick." I replied "Quick like a cat! Carl The Cat Youngblood.!" He turned to me and said "Uh uh, Cobra. That was my nickname in the fights." I asked him what fights? He launches into a story that went like this. . .
Cobra- Back in late 90s, I was living in Biloxi, Mississippi. No job, feeding my addition to pain killers. So to earn money for drugs and other things (I think he is implying sex) I would go behind a rundown RadioShack and fight other people.
^^PLEASE READ WHAT HE SAID AGAIN ^^.
Cobra- Well there were two Carls there and I didn't like that. After one fight some guy called me Cobra because I could strike at any minute. Thus Cobra.
I never called that man Carl Youngblood ever again. Everyone in the shop and customers knew him as Cobra. Other Cobra stories- Borrowing Money, Arrested, Halloween Date, & Aquababe. I should post these stories at some point.
Cobra- Back in late 90s, I was living in Biloxi, Mississippi. No job, feeding my addition to pain killers. So to earn money for drugs and other things (I think he is implying sex) I would go behind a rundown RadioShack and fight other people.
^^PLEASE READ WHAT HE SAID AGAIN ^^.
Cobra- Well there were two Carls there and I didn't like that. After one fight some guy called me Cobra because I could strike at any minute. Thus Cobra.
I never called that man Carl Youngblood ever again. Everyone in the shop and customers knew him as Cobra. Other Cobra stories- Borrowing Money, Arrested, Halloween Date, & Aquababe. I should post these stories at some point.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Everything Louder Than Everything Else
Three weeks ago the four (Skill, Rachel, Sarah & I + Lizzie J) had dinner and we started talking about middle school and the music we listened to. I told them when I think of middle school I think of the Foo Fighters. Jump a week and you find me at the record shop talking to one of our best customers, Dr. Danny Payne. We start talking about Foo's new album and we decide to hit up the show in Little Rock May 18th. I checked the tour and find out the best news MOTORHEAD is opening for Foo. Lemmy! So we head over to Little Rock at 3, get in 30 minutes before the show started (7pm). Danny thought it would be wise to gas up before the show instead of after since we were driving straight home after the concert. He went inside the gas station to use the restroom while I just stood like an idiot by his car. A homeless man ran across the street over to me with a smile on his face but quickly removed the smile and replaced it with a down & out facial expression. "Hey big man, you got a couple of dollars, I need something to eat." I felt like a d-bag. Here this dude is asking for a few dollars and I have to lie to him. I'm all for lying to the homeless (read the blog hobo date) but I'm standing against Payne's Porsche Boxster. I told the dude No. He replied "Yeah right. Just some change homey." I told him no can do. He waved his hand like "Man forget you." He worked his way to other cars. We get to the venue and find our seats. Right at 7 the opening band starts playing, Biffy Clyro (huge over seas and will break big here in the next two years). In front of us is a group of 6-8. Mother daughter and friends/boyfriend. The daughter turns around, drunk already, starts chatting us up. ANNOYING CHICK! Motorhead roll out and Lemmy grabs the mic and says "We're Motorhead and we play ROCKnROLL" and they did just that. The people near by had a huge poster with Lemmy's face on it and it read "Before Chuck Norris goes to sleep he checks under his bed for Lemmy." This is Lemmy. . .
The drummer was incredible, the whole set was awesome. They played "Ace of Spades" of course. I was throwing horns.Danny brought binoculars. For some reason I thought "I will put my iPhone right up to the binoculars and take a super close picture" even though we were not close to the stage at all. It did not work at all. Danny tried and we got the hang out it. I held the nocs and he used his iPhone. He got a great shot then went to the merch table. While he was gone I tried again. I kid you not this is the picture I took holding the binoculars, focusing, and holding my iPhone-
During set change, I spot one husky female. I would not have noticed her but she was wearing something she shouldn't have been wearing. Picture Jabba the Hutt wearing Princess Leia's outfit
She wasn't showing off that much leg.
In front of us the dysfunctional family is getting more dysfunctional. Daughter crying cursing out the mom, the others drinking MORE beer. It was over the top. Daughter couldn't stand longer than 2 minutes. Drunk slumped over, falling on the stairs, over seats. This crap annoys me and I for some reason cannot enjoy a concert, dinner, movies because of people like this. Foo came out at 9:15 and launched into a rocking set. Four songs into it I was like "If they said 'Hey, thats all we can do, we are tired' I would give a standing ovation and be perfectly fine with a 4 song set." After the four song (My Hero) Dave grabs the mic, drenched in sweat, "you better be ready Little Rock we got 24 more songs to do." The nite before, they played two and half hours in Tulsa. I figured we would get a sluggish set but NOPE. They did not let up at all. Dave was screaming at the top of his lungs, running around full blast and feeding off the crowd. INSANE! Danny and I traded off the binoculars looking at the band, Taylor Hawkins (drummer) was going crazy. He probably had a solid 4 minute drum solo. The set ended and everyone started chanting FOO FOO FOO FOO. In the cloak of darkness Dave Grohl showed up on a high rise platform and started doing a few acoustic songs alone. After three songs, the crowd was in an uproar, he pointed to someone in the stands and said "I see you enthusiastic man and your gut brother, I'm right with you." I was searching for the fan he was speaking to but had a hard time finding the guy. Dave added "Come on enthusiastic man show me that belly again, come on lift that shirt." I finally found the guy he was talking to and this dude had a GUT on him, crazy funny. Dave dedicated the next song to enthusiastic man, Best of You. By this time drunk girl moved up to our room standing by me shouting to the roof tops and swaying back and forth, not because she was grooving to the music but because she could hardly stand. Some times she would grab my shoulder or my arm to keep her balance. I looked at Payne and he shrugged his shoulders. I rearranged myself, put my hand in the my pockets and scooted a little over away from her. She moved closer and was holding my wrist while my hands were in my pockets. I turned my head to look at Payne but he wasn't there, the dude jetted. I look the other way behind me and he is in a chair he waved at me and I was like "Son of a gun." All the while drunk girl's boyfriend is telling her to move down to his row, she replied "No we are done!!" I grabbed our posters & shirts and somehow got away from drunk girl. I sat with Payne as the Foo launched into a cover of Alice Cooper's "Schools Out." I look at my watch, its 11:45 and the band showed no sign of stopping so we left early. We made it back to town around 3am. I was so dang tired at work but well worth it. Here is the gig poster I bought. . .
That is all for this post. It has been a while. Take care.
The drummer was incredible, the whole set was awesome. They played "Ace of Spades" of course. I was throwing horns.Danny brought binoculars. For some reason I thought "I will put my iPhone right up to the binoculars and take a super close picture" even though we were not close to the stage at all. It did not work at all. Danny tried and we got the hang out it. I held the nocs and he used his iPhone. He got a great shot then went to the merch table. While he was gone I tried again. I kid you not this is the picture I took holding the binoculars, focusing, and holding my iPhone-
During set change, I spot one husky female. I would not have noticed her but she was wearing something she shouldn't have been wearing. Picture Jabba the Hutt wearing Princess Leia's outfit
She wasn't showing off that much leg.In front of us the dysfunctional family is getting more dysfunctional. Daughter crying cursing out the mom, the others drinking MORE beer. It was over the top. Daughter couldn't stand longer than 2 minutes. Drunk slumped over, falling on the stairs, over seats. This crap annoys me and I for some reason cannot enjoy a concert, dinner, movies because of people like this. Foo came out at 9:15 and launched into a rocking set. Four songs into it I was like "If they said 'Hey, thats all we can do, we are tired' I would give a standing ovation and be perfectly fine with a 4 song set." After the four song (My Hero) Dave grabs the mic, drenched in sweat, "you better be ready Little Rock we got 24 more songs to do." The nite before, they played two and half hours in Tulsa. I figured we would get a sluggish set but NOPE. They did not let up at all. Dave was screaming at the top of his lungs, running around full blast and feeding off the crowd. INSANE! Danny and I traded off the binoculars looking at the band, Taylor Hawkins (drummer) was going crazy. He probably had a solid 4 minute drum solo. The set ended and everyone started chanting FOO FOO FOO FOO. In the cloak of darkness Dave Grohl showed up on a high rise platform and started doing a few acoustic songs alone. After three songs, the crowd was in an uproar, he pointed to someone in the stands and said "I see you enthusiastic man and your gut brother, I'm right with you." I was searching for the fan he was speaking to but had a hard time finding the guy. Dave added "Come on enthusiastic man show me that belly again, come on lift that shirt." I finally found the guy he was talking to and this dude had a GUT on him, crazy funny. Dave dedicated the next song to enthusiastic man, Best of You. By this time drunk girl moved up to our room standing by me shouting to the roof tops and swaying back and forth, not because she was grooving to the music but because she could hardly stand. Some times she would grab my shoulder or my arm to keep her balance. I looked at Payne and he shrugged his shoulders. I rearranged myself, put my hand in the my pockets and scooted a little over away from her. She moved closer and was holding my wrist while my hands were in my pockets. I turned my head to look at Payne but he wasn't there, the dude jetted. I look the other way behind me and he is in a chair he waved at me and I was like "Son of a gun." All the while drunk girl's boyfriend is telling her to move down to his row, she replied "No we are done!!" I grabbed our posters & shirts and somehow got away from drunk girl. I sat with Payne as the Foo launched into a cover of Alice Cooper's "Schools Out." I look at my watch, its 11:45 and the band showed no sign of stopping so we left early. We made it back to town around 3am. I was so dang tired at work but well worth it. Here is the gig poster I bought. . .
That is all for this post. It has been a while. Take care.
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