June 2008 pt. 1

June 2008 was principally marked by the end of Spring quarter.  I was glad that the quarter was over  because it had been strangely difficult for me.  All of my intellectual gears were rusty after being out of school for a year and transitioning was a struggle.  Socially, I was looking for friends and confidants because of my general feelings of displacement -- most of the friends I had come to know since I had moved to Athens had left a year earlier with graduation.  If I had taken a more orthodox path in college, I would have graduated with them in the Spring of 2007.  So knowing that most of them were already out in the "real world" was a strange thought paired up with the reality that I still have some way to go before I can enter a more advanced "adult" life.  

That and transitioning from being in a band was overwhelming.  Most of the goals I had in my mind being a musician were changing.  Change is the only constant in life and I could certainly feel it all around me but mostly within myself.  I was looking for serenity or at least some where and some one that I could really sink into and figure out some things with myself.  When I told a lot of people that I was spending most of the summer in Switzerland, the general reaction was eye-rolling misunderstanding but coupled with people just trying to be nice.  It does sound impractical, far-fetched, or escapist to go somewhere so foreign and far but for me, being with my family (particularly my parents) centers me.  It puts me at an equilibrium where I can remember where I came from, who I used to be, and perhaps give me nurturing and encouragement to decide where I am going.  It just so happens that going "home" for me is about 5,000 miles away in the Swiss Alps.  I have come to terms with whatever people's opinions/judgements are about my life and in the end I don't really care.  If someone judges me negatively for aspects of how my family works, it is something I will generally disregard.

June was difficult for me because it was all about getting into productive habits.  When I lost my job back in January, I fell into a nether-world of laziness and messiness.  My life seemed pointless and chaotic for awhile because I had felt like the rug was pulled from under me.  Going home for the Summer was all about getting in the habit of making healthy decisions for me and wrapping myself with a big blanket.  

*****Flower Stand*****

The first couple of days for trans-atlantic flights are always hard for me.  This was on the day after I arrived in CH.  My mom and I went out for a walk around the village where she and my dad live.  This was a flower stand along the way.

*****Swiss Dairy Cow*****

*****Oberaegeri Farm*****

The landscape and outdoors are breath-taking where my parents live.  It is heavily agricultural, although my parents live in a newly developed condominium.  The name of their town is Oberageri and it has been around since the 16th century.  It is mind-blowing for me to see some of the buildings when I walk around the village -- they are often marked with the year they were built and a lot of them read years in the 1700s.

*****House-Horsie*****

This artwork was painted on the side of a house that I saw on our walk.

*****Cyber-Caitlin / Cyber Ricky*****
Caitlin bought a Mac computer shortly after I left to CH and we communicated through iChat's video chat feature.  It was a good way to keep in touch, to see each other face to face.  I still missed her very much but at least we could see each other.

*****Kitty*****

Neighborhood tom-cat.

*****Clouds*****

*****Psychedelic*****

*****Woah*****

April & May 2008

Attending lectures is really enjoyable to me.  This past spring I took two Spanish classes -- Advanced Composition and Conversation III and Poetic Images of the Hispanic World.  Both courses dazzled me but I especially enjoyed the poetry course.  My instructor, José Delgado-Casta is perhaps the best teacher I have ever had.  I think I also worked nearly as hard or harder in that class than I ever have worked in a Spanish course.  We covered a broad range of materials -- beginning with the medieval peninsular writers and slowly following the course of expansion to South and Central America and further to the Antilles poets like Guillén.  My favorite poet was Federico García Lorca for sure.  

The spring went by very fast like a steep water slide ride at a water park.  Here are some of the memories:

*****The Avett Brothers at Nelsonville Music Festival*****
Nostra Nova played its last show at the Nelsonville Music Festival on May 18th.  One of the headliners for the festival and for that night were the Avett Brothers.  Truthfully, I was not impressed a whole lot by what they were doing musically.  It seemed a little grandiose but to their defense they had great energy behind their stage presence.  And they were all very handsome, too.

*****We are Here and Glad first meeting @ China Panda -- Sushi!*****
I don't know if I can talk about our secret club too much but this was our first meeting.  Our club is called We are Here and Glad (up to reconsideration).  It primarily consists of Caitlin, Me, and Larry but Jamie was at this dinner and so was Julia.  

*****Matthew Emmons*****
Matt is a good friend of mine and he composes wondrous waves (as in sine, saw tooth, square etc.) and sometimes plays them for Us All.  I love you Matt.

*****Morky Magic*****
She looks like a pirate trying to steal some treasure. 

*****Rem and Amanda in front of their house*****
Great news for Adam and Amanda Remnant -- they are buying 3 Ring Street!  They made an offer to the current owner (who had just bought the house) and it has all panned out.  They close on the house on July 30th.  The house itself, I think, is one of the most interesting houses in all of Athens.  It has so much character, whether in plain daylight or in the dark shadows at night.  I remember Rem listening to Bonnie "Prince" Billy's song A Knight at Night one morning at home -- the lyrics

this is how I start another day in my kingdom

always stood out when I think of Rem and Amanda and this house.  I am so happy for them and I am lucky to have such great friends and even (technically) landlords.

*****The salmon, tornado warning, and twilight sky*****
Weird Spring weather.

*****Morki*****
I took this a couple days after school was over and before I left for the summer.  It was somewhat of a candid shot in my car.  She is so beautiful!

*****House*****
Another shot of 3 Ring Street.

*****James*****
Jamie is probably my best friend in the world.  We communicate in our own wavelength -- perhaps the wavelength between green and blue.  It is not indigo, however,...there is just no way that it is indigo.  Jamie has written some songs that speak to me.  One day, when he records these songs, look out for the one's called Blue Skies or American Chesnutt Tree.

*****Caitlin*****

This was immediately before the winking shot (from above).

March 2008

March was a great month.  I feel lucky to have been a part of South by Southwest, to travel down to Texas, and to be around such great music.  

March signified some endings and some new beginnings for me.  It was the last time I played in Southeast Engine, a band that I had dedicated a large part of my life to for almost three years, and it was a time that I returned back to Ohio University as a student (I had taken a year break from studies).

Here are some memories of being a part of Southeast Engine:

1.)  Our first tour in August of '05.  It was just me, Rem, Leo, and Box.  It was sweltering that summer and I was intimidated of being in the band.  We played a hilarious show in Cleveland for a radio station and had an interesting time at a nearby Cleveland Hotel.  Box did tai-chi in the hotel pool at 6:00AM and Leo had his famous "Hello Cleveland" moment.  Our New York show was equally sweaty.  I remember playing "Try" in the basement of the Lit Lounge to about 30 people (which was great being that we were an unknown band from Ohio playing in New York for the first time).  Whether he was inebriated it was hard to tell, but my friend Jeremy approached me after the show and was so complimentary to us it was as if he thought Southeast Engine had invented rock and roll.  This was my favorite memory of the band.  This tour along with the short 10 day tour we did in the spring of '06 were my favorite times on the road with the band.  The tour down south was extra hilarious because Ben Froehlich rode as our friend and confidant, but more importantly our manager.  He offered us invaluable knowledge for weeks, if not years, to come.

2.)The day we heard that Misra Records wanted to sign us.  Disbelief and jubilation followed.  All of a sudden we all started listening to bands on Misra's label.

3.)  Playing CMJ in October of '07.  

4.)  Covering "Margaritaville" on August 17, 2007 at the Union Bar and Grille in Athens, Ohio.

5.)  Playing "Please Come Home For Christmas" at a X-mas show at Donkey in December of '07.  Before the show I purchased 5 Santa hats for us all to wear.  I tried to get the sax solo down for that show as well.

6.) Dressing up in a tight black shirt, a black bandana, black pirate boots, and wearing fingerless gloves for a show at the Union with Southeast Engine back in the fall of '05.

I am sure there are tons more memories but for now,

7.  The CD release show for A Wheel Within a Wheel. 

*****Sleepers*****

This ended up being used for a story in the AthensNews to show how exhausted the band was.

*****Leo means business*****
This is also one of my favorite memories -- we all took dopey photos of each other holding up this giant lollipop I bought from a Cracker Barrel in Texas.  

*****Give me back my milk money!*****

*****It's not fair!*****

*****South by Southwest (band photo in front of a brickwall)*****
These were our official band photos for South by Southwest.  I thought it was funny that they were both in front of a brick wall.  

*****SXSW II (band photo in front of a brick wall II)*****
This was outside of the Victory Grille (I think) in Austin.  I was trying to look like Dustin Diamond from Saved by the Bell.

*****The Human Cannonball*****

Jessie released his record The Human Cannonball when we got back home from South by Southwest.  He is such a great musician and a wonderful human being.  

*****Poor Bastard*****

This has nothing to do with the band but I feel for this dog.  It appears that he had some sort of treatment for his tail.  We saw him on our walk back to the house we were staying at in Austin.

February 2008

February was filled with important dates

1.)  February 23rd -- first date with Caitlin!  I love this woman with all of my heart.  I will never forget that night.  I know that this song is not really relevant on the surface (because the speaker of the song is talking about breaking up) but this song reminds me of Caitlin in every way.

"Birds" by Neil Young

Lover, there will be another one

Who'll hover over you beneath the sun

Tomorrow see the things that never come

Today

When you see me

Fly away without you

Shadow on the things you know

Feathers fall around you

And show you the way to go

It's over, it's over.

Nestled in your wings my little one

This special morning brings another sun

Tomorrow see the things that never come

Today

When you see me

Fly away without you

Shadow on the things you know

Feathers fall around you

And show you the way to go

It's over, it's over.

2.)  February 20 -- My last haircut I have had.  I vow to not cut my hair for at least one year from that date.  So in theory the earliest time I will cut my hair will be no earlier than February 20, 2009.

There are not really any other momentous events in my life other than those, although my haircut is hardly momentous.  I feel awkward trying to express how I felt about Caitlin at the time in retrospection now.  For me, she had (and still is) the perfect friend.  She is kind, she listens, she cares, she is warm, she is down to earth, and she is so loving.  It is very easy for me to be myself around her.  Even when we first met and when I first looked in her eyes, I felt something very pure and true that I have never felt before with anyone else.  She understands me and I think I can understand her too.  We are in step with each other in communication and talking to each other.  We have had amazing laughs but we can also be sincere and earnest with each other too.

I have never met someone so amazing as I have with Caitlin.  I am very lucky.  

*****Hooper Ridge Road*****
My friend Shana took this during an attempt to learn photography insights.

*****Whale Mountain pt. 1******
There are some stories that I will claim as only mine.

*****After the Goldrush*****
I love you so clearly / I love you so fearlessly / I'll wake you up in the morning so early ...

*****Riley with Tire*****
Riley is the other dog of the Remnant/Torres household.  If there ever was a dog representation of Good Cop vs. Bad Cop then such would be the case with Riley and Hadley (respectively).  Riley is carefree, fun-loving, goofy, cute, playful and spirited.  He is hardly ever unkind to new people (unlike Hadley) and has the most hilarious personality I have seen in a dog.  Perhaps his only downfall is his hurried eating habits -- when he is fed, he eats the bowl of dog food in its entirety without stopping.  His weight is a slight issue (poor guy) but his cuteness is overwhelming.  

*****Mama Renie's Pizza*****
One of our first dates, Caitlin and I volunteered at the Arcade Fire show in Nelsonville (Stuart's Opera House).  It was such an amazing experience.  Amazing because it was highly unusual for such a metropolitan and world-popular band like The Arcade Fire to play a FREE show in such a small and (most importantly) nearby town.  We ate pizza before the show at Mama Renie's which is right across the street from the Opera House.

*****Volunteers*****
Here we are wearing the Stuart's Opera House t-shirts that were given to the volunteers working the event.  Best friend Jamie is behind us (who also volunteered that day).

*****Up-Close*****
For one of the two free shows, this is where Caitlin and I stood.  We were practically on the stage!

*****The Arcade Fire*****
Although the full band was not there (it was 5 out of the 7 or 8 members of the band) the show was enthralling.  The energy of the 300 or so people in that small auditorium was marvelous.

*****The Arcade Fire II*****

*****Caitlin and Me with Win Butler*****

I asked Win Butler (lead singer of the band) if we could take a picture with him.  He seemed a little cold to the idea but he said sure.  Although the picture is out of focus (no one's perfect) it is still clear how much Win Butler towers over us.  He has to be 6'4'' or so.  Perhaps even a little taller.

January 2008

One of the most frazzling things that can happen to a person is to have one's wallet stolen.  It was the second Friday of the month at Casa Nueva.  International Dance Night was happening and I was there for a drink with Kate and Jen.  We got up to dance for a moment, I left my jacket in the booth and when I went to retrieve it minutes later it was gone!  I swore that I saw Dave Baer with it on, cantering down Court Street, but I am most likely jumping to conclusions.  The jacket had my wallet in it along with my key ring (car, storage, and miscellaneous keys in it).  Perhaps it was an omen for a hard winter, maybe it was fate, or it could have been a drunk coincidence, but Friday January 11th was the night I lost my wallet.

January had other promises, too.  I lost my job working for Stalwart Construction while Southeast Engine was on tour in the South.  We were staying in Athens, Georgia when we all heard the news (3 of the 4 touring members of the band worked for Stalwart).  It was a crushing blow to Leo and me because we had to find other resources for money.  Rem was able to keep the job with limited hours because of his work experience and because of the job's role in his ability to support himself and his wife Amanda.  Our bosses were sympathetic to the situation but it was the only thing that could be done.  There were about 12 guys on the crew in total and about 8 of them had to be let go.  What happened principally was that there was an accounting error in the realm of employees workman's compensation funds which led to a giant underestimation -- something like $26,000 the company owed in fees.  This is paraphrasing but the gist is there.

I ended up looking for more jobs but no one was hiring.  Morale was a little low, the economics of it all was disheartening, and I longed for something more.  I did not find any work anywhere and I was longing to be back in school or just the feeling that I was actually working for something.  Being in the band was enjoyable but it was not leading to fulfillment for me.  I realized this at this time and I decided that I must go back to school.  Everyone in the band supported me and it wasn't bad at all.  So then I would wait and tour until South by Southwest was over and I would go back to school.

I ended up replacing my driver's license, student ID, and credit cards too after the blowing theft.  I could see by then that my life was headed in a new direction.

*****Grating Nights***** 

Outside of Donkey Coffee & Espresso ~ The Best Coffeehouse in Ohio ~.  It was already cold out that night at the beginning of January and I was having a nice conversation with Emily and Jessie.

*****For My Coat, Wherever I May Find Her*****
Shivering outside of the Donkey.  This was the jacket that was stolen days later at Casa Nueva.  

*****Mad World*****

*****Costumes*****
Court Street across from the Courthouse and China King.  This is where Banana Road is.  It used to be a great record store called School Kids records, that is, until Wal-Mart came to Athens and ran it out of business.  Today you can get vintage costumes and posters there for reasonable prices.  For example, you can get 6 black German-made wizard outfits there for only $96.00US.  

*****Glasses*****
I bought this new pair of glasses with a part of the paycheck I got in December.  My old pair broke on tour back in November so it was nice to have some to wear again.  The month in between was difficult for any time my contacts were bothering me or during the night.

*****Hadley*****
Hadley is a white lab.  Or yellow lab.  Or lab mix?  Either way, she was once Leo's dog but is now Rem and Amanda's dog.  Leo got her at the pound and was attracted to her because she was the weirdest looking dog in there.  Hadley is so bizarre.  At times she seems like she is depressed, she most always looks worried, and she is terrified of thunder.  She hides underneath Rem and Amanda's bed during thunderstorms only to realize later that she cannot get out from under the bed!  Her downfall is that she is so protective.  It is dangerous to have Hadley in front of the house, even on a leash.  She has attacked several visitors but none of them had any injuries.  She usually doesn't like people she just meets but there are exceptions.  When she gets to know you, though, she generally warms up and is a very sweet dog.

*****Poofy Rope*****
This was taken at a gas station on our way to Gainesville, Florida for a series of small house shows at Leo's brother's apartment.  We all bought a bunch of hats at the store.  Rem's hat read "Florida:  Licensed to Party," Leo's said "Jesus is Lord:  'Nuff Said," Jessie's read "I Will Be back for you.  Signed, Jesus,"  and mine said "Ask me about my great grandkids."

*****Wetlands*****
We went for a bird-watching expedition with Leo's brother John down at a preserve near Gainesville.  It was spectacular and John was very informative.  If you look closely at this picture, you will be able to see an alligator at the edge of the water.

*****Brush*****
This was on the trail of our bird-watching hike.

*****Blue Team vs. Red Team*****

A shuffle board at the Map Room in Charleston, South Carolina.

December 2007

I remember five things about December 2007.

1.) Working for Stalwart Construction in the freezing cold -- roofing over at Davis' when it was 17 degrees outside. That was the work site in which I lost my California Framer hammer. It is probably buried inside of her chimney!

2.) Monday night violin lessons with Troy, Christine, Kate, and sometimes Emily and Ian. This was a very fun time. We met at Troy and Gaelan's house and we laughed, made noises on our instruments, and had tea or wine.

3.) Christmas and New Year's vacation with Mom and Dad and Dustin, Gretchen, and my Uncle Jim. Perhaps one of the most mind-blowing experiences I have had, we vacationed to U.S. Virgin Island St. Croix for about two weeks. I hiked, ran on the beach, swam, jet-skied, went horseback riding, and got to spend invaluable time with my family.

4.) I read Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle for the first time. It was absolutely spell-bounding!

5.) Falling asleep for New Year's Eve at 8:00PM.

*****Christmas 2007*****
This was the view from our balcony. This was taken on Christmas Night after a meal. St. Croix has lush plants and vegetation. The island is about 10-15 miles long, 2 or three miles wide. However, the roads were very undeveloped. It took about 45-50 minutes to travel from one end of the island to the other. When we arrived at the airport from Charlotte, North Carolina, we were greeted by natives. The natives were playing ukulele type instruments with accompanying drums. Also nearby there were people giving out free rum samples. It was a surreal arrival in many ways.

*****Fort Christianstead*****
The island's beauty was astounding. It was easy to take a good picture. Even in my amateur level of photography, my pictures looked significantly better because the weather and sunlight were usually pristine.

*****Yvonne*****
This was not my horse. My horse is named C.C. This horse, however, was gorgeous and I could not resist a snapshot. This was part of an hour horse-back ride I went on with my Mother. It was an absolutely gorgeous ride through the St. Croix rain forest and onto the beach on the west side of the island.

*****Sunset Beach*****
The whole family went to this beach one evening to see the sunset. It was striking!

*****Vitriol*****
I snuck away from the family to take this shot. It was so strange to think how close we were to Cuba, which was just beyond the horizon.

*****Nephew*****


*****Patriarch*****
I think this is a great portrait of my dad. Granted, he had already had a couple of Piña Coladas but I think he was truly happy in this moment.

******And Ride a Horse Along the Trail*****
This horse ride was great!

*****Ode to Dunne*****
Our family went out for about a three hour tour (cue: start whistling the theme song to Gilligan's Island). The views were spectacular although everyone on the boat got soaked to the bone with ocean water. There was snorkeling involved but I remain afraid to swim in the ocean. The ocean is too mysterious too me -- few things scare me more than the thought of an unknown sea monster lurking around. My fear is not irrational -- there are undeniably many species of sea creatures that have not been identified. It was enjoyable to watch my mother and father and brother and future sister-in-law snorkel around the diving site. My brother and Gretchen went further out than my mom and dad.

*****Prophecy*****
I took this photo on January 3rd, 2008. After I took it I had a premonition that it would represent the upcoming year. In many ways it has.