Run away! Run away!

So. I haven't posted on this blog for a long time. I'm trying to start blogging again but since it's been so long I'm going to decommission this blog and relocate here. Please alert the media.

Found Magazine

This is one of my favorite web sites. Found Magazine is a collection of pictures and notes and other litter found by people all over the county. Because they are found items, there is little or no backstory or information about what they mean or the people who owned them, but each one invites you to imagine its history. The site has an enticing bittersweet peaceful feeling. This item is one of the most touching things I’ve ever seen.

PS: For those from the Wing, I bought a used copy of I am Charlotte Simmons. I put in my bathroom to read one page at a time like in the old days. In August I’ll bring it to mine and David’s apartment.

Hey buddy! You can't park your tripod here.

I went to see War of the Worlds the other day. It was pretty amazing, very powerful and visually stunning. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the Orson Wells radio broadcast, but this is a fine addition to War of the Worlds. Speaking of which, why is this story so popular? It keeps being remade again and again along with hundreds of other versions of the end of the world. Why do people like seeing everything they've ever known destroyed? Are we just bored in our modern life, looking for any distraction whether its bad or not? It kind of makes me wonder if the interest in 9-11 wasn't that it was sad or freightening, but that it was exciting. Will we destroy the world just to see what happens? Anyway, that's my quota of cheap philosophic naysaying for the week. Laters.

P.S. Is the song "Feel Good Inc." by Gorillaz brilliant or crap? I honestly can't decide. It's got to be one or the other.

Truly a son of Thor walks among us

Last Friday, after a grueling week of hard-hitting journalism, I was invited by my long-haired friend Preston to a local rock show. Preston being a companion of my youth (back when our primary activities consisted of dodge ball, laser tag, and micro machines) and since I trust his musical taste (he introduced me to Nirvana), I gladly went along…to a death metal show. In Preston’s defense, it was pretty much the only thing going on in a three county area, but still. This was very different than the local punk shows and attracted a much different crowd. Once again, I sadly failed to meet the local legend known only as “Punk Rock Tom.” The attendees were almost completely in black, many in shirts with the logo of the band, inexplicably named Makeshift Faith. Some had the full white make up, black trench coat school bomber look; others were content with the Hot Topic’s tamer selections. One guy was wearing an Insane Clown Posse shirt and confirmed yet again the theory that every single ICP fan is overweight.One girl challenged every preconception of how much of one’s outfit could be made of fishnet. She performed, on numerous occasions throughout the show, a maneuver in which she ran halfway across the floor, cart wheeled, and landed doing the splits, challenging ever preconception of how much flexibility one should attempt in a 10-inch denim miniskirt. Preston said she was “one of the Manson girls.”
The band, in a stunning display of musical professionalism such as one would expect from a Middle Georgia local death metal band, they started 1:15 late. Hey, unlike the opening band, they at least showed up. During the wait, I noticed a woman sitting up against the wall, dressed in clear opposition of the all black rule. She also held the kind of extra-long notebook preferred by reporters. My spider sense went off. I walked up to her and asked “who do you write for?” Turns out she’s an entertainment reporter with the Macon Telegraph, my paper’s primary competitor. In fact, she was Maggie Large, author of the newly introduced AMPED entertainment blog. The concert was in a small building labeled “Porter-Ellis Community Center.” It looked like a detached church hall with cheap white tiles, acoustic tiled ceiling, and white-painted cinder block walls. It had lovely flowered drapes over the yellowed Venetian blinds and it was obvious that this was an unusual use for the facility. I kept expecting a bar mitzvah to break out. You can see in my picture the lovely white lattice back drop that served to contrast with the band aura of sheer metal badness.
The band consisted of four grimy, hairy men who seemed to believe that bathing would conflict with the afore mentioned sheer metal badness. The singer was a large individual, though not in ICP fan territory. His stage presence and banter seemed to suggest “hey, I can be big and still be a rock and roll sex god.” Preston calls this “the Meatloaf factor.” His wide stance, grasping hand gestures, and straining demeanor seemed to shout “I am a ----- son of Odin. I am a ------- ------- Teutonic war god. I will ripe off your head and ---------- you if I feel like it. I AM the ubermench, ------.” Actually, given his vocal clarity he might really have been shouting that. Who could tell?
Much to my chagrin, I learned that Makeshift Faith is a only a few original songs removed from being a Pantera tribute band. All through out the show the singer kept saying “Y’all wouldn’t happen to mind if we played another PANTERA SONG!” Most of their originals were odes to recently slain Pantera member Darryl Abbot. I could barely keep a straight face the third time they began a number with “This next song is very special to us. It’s a tribute to the memory of passion, humanity, and musical genius that was Dimebag Darryl.”
Overall, they weren’t bad for a local metal band. They had a full, matching set of speakers with a sound board and sound man. They had stage lights and a light show that actually functioned in time with the music. Their instruments were in tune and each member of the band was playing the same song at the same time. They all were in the same key, or at least demonstrated knowledge of what a key is. They accomplished what they set out to do well. But I just don’t go for death metal. The screaming growling, overdriven, thumping expressions of Germanic rage just kinda give me a headache.If you call me and I don’t pick up, it’s because I still haven’t regained my hearing.
Here is Maggie Large’s blog review about the show, I disagree with some aspects of her review I don't think the singer resembled Axl Rose, visually or vocally.P.S. Scantily-clad cart wheel girl is Jessica from the second picture down.

Article bonanza

So... yeah I'm a lazy slacker. Promising blog entries then posting nothing for a month. The journals need a little work before going prime time. Maybe this weekend. Until then, here are the articles I've written that have been posted on the paper's website.

Kids' cereal not for adults

Salvation Army changes leadership

4-H honors dead girl's memory

City Council vs. Chamber of Commerce

City Council vs. The Sewer People pt. 1

City Council vs. The Sewer People pt. 2

Bus driver competition

It's a retirement community!

High school bull rider

Tim meets the governor

My very first story

Sure! I'll write a church story 1

Sure, I'll write a church story 2

Coming next week: Tim goes geocaching, Tim meets the democrats, and sure I'll write a church story 3.

Bloggin' in the boy's room...

A bold new experiment! Blogging at work! Feel the illicit thrill. So... I've been at this newspaper for four weeks now. I've run all over the booming metropolis of Perry, GA. I've been keeping a journal of my time here and once I get a moment this weekend I'll type it up and post some content. That'll be a nice switch.

Free Religious Stuff from the Internet

Your guide to all things cheap and holy

Free Rosary
http://www.familyrosary.org/main/rosary-rosaries-contact.php

Free Rosary and Brown Scapular
http://www.prayrosary.com/freerosary.php3

Free King James Bible
http://usa-bibles.com/?id=7067

Free Book of Mormon
http://www.mormon.org/bookofmormon

Free Qur'an
http://www.freekoran.com/

Free "Stop to Pray" Medallion
http://www.stoptopray.org/free_offer.htm

Free Medallion Blessed at Shrine
http://test.amm.org/submissions/survey/

Free Holy Face of Jesus Medal
http://www.holyface.org/programs.htm