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Monday, January 24, 2005
01.23/24.05
I’m slowly becoming the adult I always thought of as “adult”. you know how when you’re in grade school, jr. high kids seem so much older? when you’re in jr. high, high school kids seem so grown up? when you’re in high school, college seems like the final frontier and college students pioneers? then one day, you’re watching college basketball and you realize aint no one on the court as old as you? that’s some serious shit, I mean to tell you. I’m not old. I know that. but all of the sudden I have shit, I reach for it, I know where shit is when I need it. I have it because I own it and I’ve had it for awhile and I know where it is because it’s where I put it a long time ago. it’s where it goes because that’s where it belongs, it has a place that I’ve designated a long time ago. simply a true sign of getting older I’d say.
had a wonderful night with some friends and several glasses of really nice tequila. turned 29 in style, in good company, aware of so much and thankful to be so.
happy birthday.
to you.
you know,
when it’s time?
I’m slowly becoming the adult I always thought of as “adult”. you know how when you’re in grade school, jr. high kids seem so much older? when you’re in jr. high, high school kids seem so grown up? when you’re in high school, college seems like the final frontier and college students pioneers? then one day, you’re watching college basketball and you realize aint no one on the court as old as you? that’s some serious shit, I mean to tell you. I’m not old. I know that. but all of the sudden I have shit, I reach for it, I know where shit is when I need it. I have it because I own it and I’ve had it for awhile and I know where it is because it’s where I put it a long time ago. it’s where it goes because that’s where it belongs, it has a place that I’ve designated a long time ago. simply a true sign of getting older I’d say.
had a wonderful night with some friends and several glasses of really nice tequila. turned 29 in style, in good company, aware of so much and thankful to be so.
happy birthday.
to you.
you know,
when it’s time?
Thursday, January 13, 2005
01.13.05
so Janet bares a boob and the censorship backlash is immeasurable. the war in Iraq becomes a certifiable “quagmire.” Britney gets married. twice. Ronald Reagan meets his maker. Scott Peterson garners the most contempt from Americans since O.J. Simpson. (however, Peterson gets convicted) Michael Moore and Mel Gibson do about as much for the “moral values” debate as they do for Hollywood’s annual box office gross. George W. Bush is still an idiot and yet the majority of American voters still decide he deserves the highest office in the land. yes, 2004 was a doozie. it also happened to be the year I had a record put on music store shelves nationwide. however, true to the funk stemming from a considerable shift in life’s karmic justice, the success of that record was on par with the successes of 2004 itself. hellova year to put your best foot forward, I’m here to tell you.
now, lest my opening statements bare any trace of resentment or scorn, let me be clear that 2004 was a phenomonal year for, well, how should I say...growth? yes. a remarkable “roller coaster.” (for lack of a better word) shook a lot of hands. played a lot of shows. cried a few tears. had some great laughs. yady, yady (insert cliché here.) truth is, what I’m coming to terms with is that every year is a crazy one. every day has it’s own crazy way of unfolding. it’s all in how you see it. how closely or how little you choose to pay attention to things. it seems as a society, we tend to obsess. things are much more easily consumed and digested when we all chip in. seriously. if you were to ask 10 people what they recall from 2004, chances are, with a few exceptions, (and or variations in political affiliation) you might find at least a few of the things I mentioned in my opening paragraph among the top 20 most recalled events of the year. ideally, you’d get 10 distinct lists of various personal experience; successes, accomplishments, milestones. of course there’s always babies and weddings to consider and by no means do I mean to belittle or marginalize the significance of matrimony or child baring. these are unforgettable, timeless experiences that make all the other days of the calendar irrelevant at best. having attended 8 weddings, (standing up in 2 of them) and getting to introduce myself to a number of future class of ‘22 grads, I feel I can vouch for 2004 as having been a busy year for love and babies.
I don’t make “best of” lists and I rarely make New Year’s resolutions. but what I would like to do is take a cue from the calendar to pose an honest question:
who are you and what are you doing about it? what will truly matter in the future? what will you feel to have been important from your past?
I pose this, well these, questions to myself first and foremost. if you’re reading this and you find yourself asking along, great. but seriously. not that we all should aspire to be selfish or reclusive but how nice would it be if we all paid a little less attention to what popular culture tells us to and chose rather to invest our time in ourselves and those close to us. so Janet has a boob. wanna see mine? so what if Brad and Jen or (Ben and Jen for that matter) decide to call it quits. is that any more significant than a loved one suffering the loss of a spouse of 20+ years? what does true empathy spring forth from? I’ll admit. I personally got caught up in the presidential election campaign season to an all-consuming degree. not good. good that I cared enough to pay attention. good that I spoke up and felt reassured by joining in action to be heard. but looking back on 2004, I myself see where I could have thought a few things through a little further before voicing my opinion. do I still think Bush is an idiot? of course. but should that infringe upon my sense of courtesy and consideration of others? certainly not. I recently thought about the poor soul who open fired on members of a band led by the former guitar player of the group Pantera. the guy was an obsessed fan who blamed the guitarist of having “broken up Pantera, man!” so he shot him and a couple other members of the band before turning the gun on himself. wow. again, what’s really important and why is that? who are you and what are you doing about it?
not quite sure where all the heavy stuff is coming from tonight, though I rarely do. I actually just finished watching the Daily Show and I guess it left me feeling astutely observant and a bit self-righteous. thank you very much Jon Stewart.
anyway. on to 2005. may it be a great day filled with great things.
peace.
so Janet bares a boob and the censorship backlash is immeasurable. the war in Iraq becomes a certifiable “quagmire.” Britney gets married. twice. Ronald Reagan meets his maker. Scott Peterson garners the most contempt from Americans since O.J. Simpson. (however, Peterson gets convicted) Michael Moore and Mel Gibson do about as much for the “moral values” debate as they do for Hollywood’s annual box office gross. George W. Bush is still an idiot and yet the majority of American voters still decide he deserves the highest office in the land. yes, 2004 was a doozie. it also happened to be the year I had a record put on music store shelves nationwide. however, true to the funk stemming from a considerable shift in life’s karmic justice, the success of that record was on par with the successes of 2004 itself. hellova year to put your best foot forward, I’m here to tell you.
now, lest my opening statements bare any trace of resentment or scorn, let me be clear that 2004 was a phenomonal year for, well, how should I say...growth? yes. a remarkable “roller coaster.” (for lack of a better word) shook a lot of hands. played a lot of shows. cried a few tears. had some great laughs. yady, yady (insert cliché here.) truth is, what I’m coming to terms with is that every year is a crazy one. every day has it’s own crazy way of unfolding. it’s all in how you see it. how closely or how little you choose to pay attention to things. it seems as a society, we tend to obsess. things are much more easily consumed and digested when we all chip in. seriously. if you were to ask 10 people what they recall from 2004, chances are, with a few exceptions, (and or variations in political affiliation) you might find at least a few of the things I mentioned in my opening paragraph among the top 20 most recalled events of the year. ideally, you’d get 10 distinct lists of various personal experience; successes, accomplishments, milestones. of course there’s always babies and weddings to consider and by no means do I mean to belittle or marginalize the significance of matrimony or child baring. these are unforgettable, timeless experiences that make all the other days of the calendar irrelevant at best. having attended 8 weddings, (standing up in 2 of them) and getting to introduce myself to a number of future class of ‘22 grads, I feel I can vouch for 2004 as having been a busy year for love and babies.
I don’t make “best of” lists and I rarely make New Year’s resolutions. but what I would like to do is take a cue from the calendar to pose an honest question:
who are you and what are you doing about it? what will truly matter in the future? what will you feel to have been important from your past?
I pose this, well these, questions to myself first and foremost. if you’re reading this and you find yourself asking along, great. but seriously. not that we all should aspire to be selfish or reclusive but how nice would it be if we all paid a little less attention to what popular culture tells us to and chose rather to invest our time in ourselves and those close to us. so Janet has a boob. wanna see mine? so what if Brad and Jen or (Ben and Jen for that matter) decide to call it quits. is that any more significant than a loved one suffering the loss of a spouse of 20+ years? what does true empathy spring forth from? I’ll admit. I personally got caught up in the presidential election campaign season to an all-consuming degree. not good. good that I cared enough to pay attention. good that I spoke up and felt reassured by joining in action to be heard. but looking back on 2004, I myself see where I could have thought a few things through a little further before voicing my opinion. do I still think Bush is an idiot? of course. but should that infringe upon my sense of courtesy and consideration of others? certainly not. I recently thought about the poor soul who open fired on members of a band led by the former guitar player of the group Pantera. the guy was an obsessed fan who blamed the guitarist of having “broken up Pantera, man!” so he shot him and a couple other members of the band before turning the gun on himself. wow. again, what’s really important and why is that? who are you and what are you doing about it?
not quite sure where all the heavy stuff is coming from tonight, though I rarely do. I actually just finished watching the Daily Show and I guess it left me feeling astutely observant and a bit self-righteous. thank you very much Jon Stewart.
anyway. on to 2005. may it be a great day filled with great things.
peace.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
01.02.05
well we made it. back in Brooklyn and into 2005. resolutions anyone? I think I’m gonna make them up as I go. try and stay cognizant of all things “good for me” as long as I can. anyway, thought one of those things might be writing in this blog a bit more frequently, shed a bit of the grandeur and try to keep things simple. honest.
I have to say that I think this past New Year’s Eve was one of the most enjoyable I’ve ever had. things at the Mint shaped up real well. the night seemed to move like clockwork. well, it kind of had to. we were keeping an eye on that little puppy for the majority of the night. this is the third consecutive New Year I’ve rung in from the stage and I gotta be honest, I get so nervous about it. you realize the significance of that one precious moment when a room full of people are looking to you to make it pass just right. I have to say, I think we nailed it this year. the party was cool and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves for the most part. but after we counted it down and plugged in to play it just felt like an entirely different party. 2005 was underway and everybody I was with was smiling about it. it was good to be back at the Mint too. they’ve got a great group of folks over there taking care of things now and I look forward to getting back in the coming months. I want to say thanks to everyone who showed for entrusting me and my friends with your New Year’s celebration. we all had a blast providing the best time we could. may it be an indication of things to come in the New Year.
I’d like to extend a special New Year’s wish to those with loved ones serving abroad, that we might see an end to this seemingly senseless conflict and that they are able to return home soon. and I would also like to wish peace to those suffering from the devastation in South Asia. I wish that those contributing to the enormous relief effort be blessed with guidance, patience and perseverance to help bring peace and stability to the countless victims of that unthinkable disaster.
Happy New Year everybody. and as always, thanks for tuning in.
here’s to a prosperous 2005. may it bring much health and happiness to you all. and here’s to life, love and abundant laughter, cheers!
Tony
well we made it. back in Brooklyn and into 2005. resolutions anyone? I think I’m gonna make them up as I go. try and stay cognizant of all things “good for me” as long as I can. anyway, thought one of those things might be writing in this blog a bit more frequently, shed a bit of the grandeur and try to keep things simple. honest.
I have to say that I think this past New Year’s Eve was one of the most enjoyable I’ve ever had. things at the Mint shaped up real well. the night seemed to move like clockwork. well, it kind of had to. we were keeping an eye on that little puppy for the majority of the night. this is the third consecutive New Year I’ve rung in from the stage and I gotta be honest, I get so nervous about it. you realize the significance of that one precious moment when a room full of people are looking to you to make it pass just right. I have to say, I think we nailed it this year. the party was cool and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves for the most part. but after we counted it down and plugged in to play it just felt like an entirely different party. 2005 was underway and everybody I was with was smiling about it. it was good to be back at the Mint too. they’ve got a great group of folks over there taking care of things now and I look forward to getting back in the coming months. I want to say thanks to everyone who showed for entrusting me and my friends with your New Year’s celebration. we all had a blast providing the best time we could. may it be an indication of things to come in the New Year.
I’d like to extend a special New Year’s wish to those with loved ones serving abroad, that we might see an end to this seemingly senseless conflict and that they are able to return home soon. and I would also like to wish peace to those suffering from the devastation in South Asia. I wish that those contributing to the enormous relief effort be blessed with guidance, patience and perseverance to help bring peace and stability to the countless victims of that unthinkable disaster.
Happy New Year everybody. and as always, thanks for tuning in.
here’s to a prosperous 2005. may it bring much health and happiness to you all. and here’s to life, love and abundant laughter, cheers!
Tony
