It seems like it was forever ago that I last made an entry here, and in actuality I suppose it has been. Things happen in life, both big and small events. When your life goes wrong, you tend to focus on the big and eventually move on from that place, to better things, other adventures. Sometimes, the time it takes you to get moving again can be longer than expected and it almost seems like you’ll never get over your past, leaving you immobile and just waiting to be able to breathe the way you once did. You might find yourself working more than usual, avoiding certain songs, places or even people. That shit is normal, at least in my opinion, but the really difficult part is how different each … Read entire article »

Traveling seems to be one of those things you yearn for and maybe even fantasize about, when life has reached that plateau of mediocrity and tedium. But when it comes down to it, the moment you venture out and put some distance between yourself and the place you call home, with the loss of familiarity, your new surroundings can at times make you feel like you’re losing your sense of self. You’ll probably find yourself in the constant act of comparing what’s in front of you to what you’ve left behind.  Whether or not you have a genuine love for the place you’re from, you still make some room to talk shit about where you’re going. Or maybe that’s just me. You all know how Portland produces those dreary rainy days for … Read entire article »

Adam Yauch, better known as MCA of the Beastie Boys, died Friday after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47. I was in the sixth grade when I heard the Beastie Boys for the first time. I was hanging at a family barbeque, when my older cousin dragged me into his room, popped Paul’s Boutique (an album that, due to sampling restrictions, would be near impossible to make today) into the CD player, said, “You’re welcome” and left the Room.  By the time I heard the Sound of Science I knew I was with the Beasties for good. I was obsessed with the clever lyrics, perfect samples, and ingenious Dust Brothers beats. It was the first time a band really knocked me on my ass. Since then I’ve bought every … Read entire article »

No one can really know how daunting of a task it can be to write when you’re told what to write about, how many words and to “make sure it sells”. A living is a living, indeed, but like most people, your creativity can get stunted pretty easily when it’s too structured. Writers block, or an inability to write because you’re just not feeling it, it’s lost to the moment, is not an excuse, it’s an obstacle you have to work around. Sometimes I feel that the only thing that keeps me motivated or makes me not give a fuck, quite so much, is the ability to listen to music while I write.  I may have my boss sending me massive amounts of emails, or breathing down my neck because I’m … Read entire article »