More Music

Even though their music was free, I decided to drop ten bucks on Auva's album and two Eps. Hey, when I like it, I like it, and I always do what I can to support local music that I enjoy...

Art & Music

When I was working out I drew the image below between sets:

And from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm I listened to Andre Obin perform his new album "Warm Winter" on WMBR 88.1 (MIT's college radio station). He played most of the new album, and he did a My Bloody Valentine cover too! Also, after his set, the DJ played a song by a local Boston band named Aüva. I reached out to the band on Instagram, and got the link to their Bandcamp page. I like their sound a lot. I hope they play live sometime soon, since they just released a new EP, "Side Effects".

Ridiculous

I just finished filing my taxes. So much for "free" filing!:

• $35 for federal (because it wasn't a 1040EZ)
• $37 for state
• $35 to e-file - WHAT THE F#%&???

So I spent over a hundred dollars to get my money back.

And what the hell?? Freaking Family Dollar was so stingy on hours, except for the 11 weeks I was salaried, that my refund is barely over $1,000!

I need to move to Canada...

Miscellaneous Commerce

The last couple of my deliveries arrived today (tee) & yesterday (shoes).

I got:

• A much-needed new pair of shoes - Skechers Dark Brown Leather Superior Levoy Oxofords
• A Slowdive t-shirt (one of my Top 10 favorite bands).

Also, I snagged Andre Obin's latest album, Warm Winter. He has a residency at Plough & Stars on Wednesdays in February, and I am going to try to see him live at least once.

Shrooms

I made a steak for supper last night, with mushrooms and buttered multi-grain bread. Later, I drew these mushrooms:

Used my trusty Pigma Micron and Pigma Brush pens.

A Long Time Ago (Again)...

I went to see "Rogue One: A Star Wars Tale" again today. I'm not sure if I enjoyed it more the first time or this time. But it was worth seeing on the big screen again. It just stinks that K-2SO had to die.

AFC Champions

The Patriots destroyed the Steelers 36 - 17 to advance to their NFL record 9th Superbowl (and the 7th in the Brady/Belichick Era)! What a fantastic game. They will play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, February 5th.

Chris Hogan outpaces 2 Steelers defenders for one of his 2 TDs

Tom Brady's post-game press conference.

B & N

I ran out to Barnes & Noble around 8 pm to use the gift card Dad & Ma gave me for Christmas. I needed a new journal, so I snagged one, and I also grabbed the latest issue of "Hi-Fructose", an art magazine that has a cool cover by long-time favorite Tara McPherson.

Late Night Drawing

I was drinking an awesome Lefty's English Style Porter last night and I drew this robot:

Soaptastic

Jason & his family sent me a $30 gift card for Amazon for Christmas. And instead of the usual books/clothing/art supplies I usually buy on that site, I decided to be almost entirely frivolous and spend it on various kinds of soap.

They all smell incredible, in various ways. I'll revisit the topic in the comments section as I try out each of the six kinds.

BOS 106 - NYK 117

Last night, using the tickets I got them for Christmas, I took Dad and Hayden to TD Garden to see the Boston Celtics play the New York Knicks.

I drove us to Alewife in Dad's car, and we rode the Red Line to Davis Square, where we had dinner at Boston Burger Company. I had an All American Burger (barbecue sauce, bacon, American cheese, lettuce & tomato, hold the blue cheese) and a Harpoon Winter Warmer (so good). And Dad was nice enough to pay for dinner.

Then it was onto the Red Line again, and a jump at Park Street to the the Green Line, three stops east to North Station. Then it was game time. The seats were pretty far up, but the sight lines were great, and the acoustics were too. The cheerleaders & Celtics Dancers were appreciated, but the Celtics lost 117 - 106. Isaiah Thomas had a very good game, and Jae Crowder was on fire in the first half, but Al Horford had a horrible game, and Marcus Smart was just so-so. But it was still a great night in the city with my father and my oldest nephew!

Somerville Theatre, across the street from BBC.

Boston Burger Company mural.

Dad, Hayden, me.

Final view of Alewife before driving home.

Amazonia

Over the last week or so I ordered a few things I wanted, and a few things I needed, most of them from Amazon. They have been trickling in the past couple of days:

I've been a super-consumer lately (you're welcome, economy!). The items pictured above are:

• 4 old (but pristine) issues of "Dragon" magazine (nostalgia).
• "Black Science" Volume 5
• "Grayson" Volume 5 (the final trade of the series).
• "Titans Hunt".
• Another pair of high-quality sleep pants from Noble Mount (the best, though I use them for lounging, not sleeping).
• And last, but definitely not least, my first pair of over-the-ear headphones (Superlux HD668B) since the end of the 1980's. They make the music on my iPod sound so much fuller, and transmit so much more bass...

A few more things are on the way...

Spectacles

I picked up my new glasses a little while ago. It's the first new pair I've had since around the turn of the century (I rarely wear them outside of the house):

Now I can race out in the middle of the night (or whenever) without having to worry about putting in my contact lenses (or not being able to put them in because they haven't soaked for a minimum of 6 hours)!

Yesterday...

...I did my first substantial drawing of the year (a goblin-esque creature). The bottom two photos were taken from different angles using the macro setting on my camera:

Procrastination Pays Off

I went to the garage to look into what was needed to complete my car's re-inspection (from my FAIL back in July). I had 3 things that needed to be done in order to pass:

1. New front tires.
2. Emissions repairs.
3. Rust repair/cover up near my rear passenger tire.

I ignored all of it until the end of December. These are the results to date:

1. I replaced the front tires.
2. My car 'graduated' into the 'no repair needed' classification for emissions!
3. A little bondo & paint ("or even duct tape" says the dude at the garage), and the rust will be done, and then I just pay the $35 for a new sticker.

Whoo-HOO! I have no idea how much money I saved, but my actual cost will wind up just under $200 😤

Brother

I was sitting around watching tv this morning, when Kevin wandered by my window. A few minutes later, youngest nephew Drew ghosted by. So I called them in, and we hung out for a couple of hours, goofing around on our tablets ("Clash of Clans", "Clash Royale", "Boom Beach") with "Good Morning Football" on the tv. I fed them brownies & milk (Drew) and cold pizza (Kevin). I sent them off around 12:30 with a once-used giant cooking pot (Kevin) and a drawing pad & 64 Crayola box (Drew). It was a great surprise visit.

Some Old Sounds

After watching a documentary on old favorites No Doubt, I plugged in my iPod and bought their 2012 album "Push and Shove", along with old favorites:

• "Bleed American" by Jimmy Eat World.
• "Let Go" by Avril Lavigne
• A few songs from Gwen Stefani's 2nd solo album, "The Sweet Escape".
• A pair of songs from Travis' "The Invisible Band".
• Nelly Furtado's "Be OK".

Ten Days

...Until the game!

Randomness

Today (Friday) was an unusual day. I slept until nearly 11 am, after waking up at 7 and feeding Chumble. In between, I had several vivid interconnected dreams (small-town life with friends & family, both old and new).

• I finished the last 50 pages of "Of Dice and Men" by David M. Ewalt.
• My final Amazon deliveries finally trickled in (see below*).
• I cleaned last night's dusting of snow and ice off my car.
• I watched 5 episodes of "Two Guys, A Girl, and A Pizza Place" (man, I love Traylor Howard!), my current binge-watching series.
• Chumble chased a bird through the house, and I rescued it, and let it free outside. How it got inside, I have no idea...
• I worked out from 7:00 - 8:30.
• I food shopped at 9:30.
• I ate cold fried chicken and watched sports tv ("Around the Horn" and "PTI") and the final-season premiere of "Bones". I somehow skipped all of last season.

The final deliveries from my recent Amazon madness/necessities mania:

• "Promethea: Vol 1" - Alan Moore & J.H. Williams III (DC)
• A 6-pack of white socks.
• A 3-pack of Pentel Hi-Polymer erasers.
• A dark green vintage-style t-shirt (2 white bands on each sleeve).

After a week of very little accomplishment (beyond reading, tv/online, and dishes/laundry), today was ironically, a great refocus.

Rogue One

After having planned on going to see it on Monday (and arriving to a full parking lot because it was a default New Year's Day holiday), I finally managed to see "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" today.

The movie was really great for the most part, but I have a few problems with it:

1. No opening scroll. I wasn't dropped into the "Star Wars" universe in the traditional manner.
2. The music was too different (in too many places) from the original John Williams work. Too many 'higher register' note pieces, and not enough iconic pieces. It's still the Rebellion!
3. Felicity Jones was horrible. I felt ZERO connection to her character, Jyn Erso. She was merely a plot device around which all the other characters revolved (if that). I never resonated with her emotions, motivation, or peril.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the movie very much. It was a cool story, and the cameos and links to the other films were awesome. My favorite characters were:

• K-2SO
• Bodhi Rook - an Empire pilot who has defected.
• Galen Erso - Jyn's father (and designer of the Death Star).
• Baze Malbus - the 'big gunner', partner in crime of the blind Chirrut Îmwe, who was pretty cool too.

I plan on seeing it one more time before it leaves theaters.

P.S: When i got home, Chumble attacked my foot, I guess he missed me haha!

Goals: January

My list of goals & plans for January, a small portion of my overall resolutions for 2017:

• Get down to 245 pounds.
• Wednesday the 18th - Celtics/Knicks game with Dad & Hayden.
• Get out of state at least once.
• Go on at least one hike.
• Work out ten times minimum (I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.) BOOM!
• Buy a new bed (will have to wait 'til I get my tax refund in a few weeks)
• Avoid 'night coffee'.
• Avoid eating after 8 pm.

I'll be making one of these posts every month this year. Achieved goals appear in red bold, as completed...

Resolutions for 2017

It's that time of year...

I am going to do resolutions for the year, and also month by month.

For 2017:

• Find a great job that I am proud to do.
• Replace my 2002 Honda Civic.
• Get back down to 220 pounds (I've returned to 250), and remain there for longer than 6 months.
• Meet a great girl.
• Travel to at least ten places outside of Massachusetts.
• Go on ten hikes - IIII 
• Produce a fifth music festival.
• Go to a Red Sox game.
• Go to a Celtics game.
• Draw, draw, draw! And maybe write a bit, too.

I think that's a pretty ambitious list. Onward and upward!

Green = Success!
Red = FAIL!