It's getting closer...

So, next week I'll be turning 21 which means I can finally buy my own liqour. So not a lot will be changing. But at least I don't have to hope there is something that I like will show up on my fridge, and for anyone reading into it, whiskey always manages to make its way to home, which I'm totally ok with. Other than that I haven't written in awhile and making a post on my phone is getting a little tiresome on my thumbs.

As I've been working a job in collections I've gotten to talk to a lot of, um, nifty people. People my age who can't find a job anywhere, old people who are on social security, or people who are just plain dumb. The economy is only an excuse for so long, you need to get off your ass and get a job. Please. I hate the fact that people can do whatever they want with someone elses money, and assume that they won't mind because it's a bank. At least the people working at the bank have a job. You can't blame them for doing their job, and holding people to the contracts they sign. Not my fault people don't read that fine print. I'll need to post some actual stories another time.

Another new fun fact: I just got in a car accident. Some schmuck going to the beach merged into traffic and proceeded to merge right into my car. Awesome. I don't believe that much else has changed, other than the wedding is only a few weeks away and were not doing so well with people returning rsvp's on time. But, it's not about other people I suppose. The karioke and heavy metal at the reception, along with the open bar will make up for it.

How is that miserable bastard?

Being totally honest, I hate reunions. I really do. Almost every reunion I've ever been to, I didn't want to be at. Usually, the people that you haven't seen in a long time, you haven't seen for a reason. I'm dreading my high school reunion because I hated almost everyone in my school, except the few that I still keep in touch with regularly. This last weekend, was a sort of bittersweet reunion. Don't even try to take that as some sappy loving load. Cause it's not. It was a pain in the ass.

Enter Friday afternoon, after lunch time. And no, I haven't eaten yet. I get out of work and drive clear across the city to meet up for a load in with the original Relevant Worship tech crew. As usual, this group of too many musicians has arrived and already proven themselves dead weight. Should be used to that now, hanging out, watching everyone else put together a sound system. Predictable to say the least. Anyways, this is the first time in almost a year that the original tech crew got back together. Jon, Kevin, Amanda and myself. I'll admit, I was useless until breakdown, because I honestly had no desire to be there, other than the post game activities that became attached to it.
The event itself was supposed to start at 6:30 pm. Doors opened around 7 if I remember correctly. Didn't get out til 11. Maybe it was the dirty hippie's sound guy, who managed to be useless other than whining and making a sound check take too long. Maybe it was the "Native" band who also spent more time on a sound check than actually playing their music. Maybe it was because of personal vendetta Indian guy, who went half an hour too long speaking about injustice, after his very plain set. Or maybe the guy who has a 10 minute slot that turned into an hour, or maybe the general disregard for any kind of time schedule.
After we wrapped the mess of weekend day 1 up, we spent the greater part of the midnight hours in my backyard, around a sad excuse for a fire pit. Mostly because the rich bastards in Williamsville outlawed fires taller than 3 feet, and the poor fires have to be contained in a manufactured pit. Not joking. So as we had finally all re-united, we tried to do something interesting, but the long day wouldn't have any of it. So about 3 in the morning, we all crashed at my house, only to be up a little after 6 (for Jon and Kevin) and 9 (for the girl and I)
Arriving at 10 A.M. we walked in to Relevant Worship, once again over playing for the situation. It was a big church, not a stadium, and, my God, you can tell they're all white musicians before you see them. As I grew quickly disinterested me and the oldest er, most distinguished, member of the group, made a walk over to the store for some batteries, and sustenance (Tops sushi, did not fit the second requirement. Be warned) I got a bit of the, you're taking too long talk. I'll just leave it at that, and more of the, wow, I can't wait til this is over talk. Anyways, since we ducked out, we figured it would be in poor taste to disrupt, whatever the hell was going on in there. So, we got to spend some actual time hanging out, not doing anything. Not worrying about the garbage that normally eats our minds on the weekends. I think about an hour later, Jon grew a conscience and returned to his post inside. Amanda and I went home to nap. I knew better than to assume this thing would be on schedule.

Surprise. It ended early. Cause that makes sense. Start it late, end it early. Usually someone would get a raise for that kind of positive use of time, and lowering of overhead cost. Too bad we didn't have overhead. Just a little more time to make good on the almost lost fun part of the weekend.

Once again, we all ended up at my house, the 4 of us. All together again. And, about an hour or so into that, I had worked a good dent into the bourbon, as well as the half a slaughter house worth of chicken drumsticks that we cooked up. Then we worked onto the cigars, and eventually, the coffee my mom made us at 2 in the morning to sober up. Jon and Kevin left, I managed to stumble upstairs, Amanda, well, I think she made it to sleep.
Really, with all the stupid stuff that's gone down with the people our 4 used to be involved with, it's nice to just relax. It took a long week, and a longer weekend to get there. But I almost think it was worth it to get a little down time together. Being back there again, re affirms that I'm glad I'm not involved anymore. I can only deal with so much hypocrisy on a regular basis. That'll be over on the other blog shortly. Sitting on the sidelines, and seeing people befuddled by themselves is quite the reward. I like seeing people make idiots of themselves. I'm just glad I got to see that happen with the old crew back together for the weekend.

Responsibility and musical equipment

I'll admit it. Most of the time I can be a pretty unreasonable person, but this time, I have a damn good reason to be pissed. Awhile back I was playing with a band called Relevant. Essentially I was a fill in, until they could find someone that they liked better. So the time came where the so called executive director's best friend moved back into town. Coincidentally, he owned a bass. So I was removed. 8 months or so later, here we are. At the time I had purchased a couple thousand dollars of equipment to use while I played for them. When I was systematically removed, I continued being a somewhat reasonable human being, and let them continue using my speaker cabinet, which I spent close to $1000 on. I was planning on retrieving it when I saw it next which would be in two weeks.
Enter yesterday morning.
I got a text from my friend who is a guitar player for the band letting me know that he found an identical match to a guitar that he used to have. I was excited, so a little while later, when I got out of work, I gave him a call. We talked about the guitar for a bit, then he asked me,

"So, um, did anyone tell you about your cabinet yet?"

"No Jer, what happened to my cabinet?"

"Um, when it was in the trailer Pete's drum stool fell through the front of it and went right through one of the speakers. No one told you about it?"

"..."

"Sorry man, it was like a month ago. I thought someone told you"

WTF

So, no, no one in a month had contacted me about the fact that they had wrecked my cabinet. Not the 'responsible' executive director, nor the lead singer who I see at least once a week, not my friend who is a tech for them, not my other friend who is a tech/guitar player, nor the guy who uses it, because it's better than what he has. Nope. Not one. The problem is, I have talked to all of these people since it's happened. The one who told me about it, I haven't talked to in a month. And the first contact I had with him, he told me. Thanks Jer, for not being a douche bag.

This is the kind of stuff that gives Christians a bad name. You'll go out to save the rest of the world, and do all kinds of stuff to get as much recognition as possible, but you're not capable of growing a pair and telling someone you fucked up. Just because you're a Christian, doesn't mean that you can get away with screwing people over, although, it seems that no one gets that part of co-existing with the other 7 billion people that live on the planet. I screw up on a regular basis. But hell, If I wreck something, I'll at least make an attempt to right the wrong. I'm pretty self centered, but I wouldn't stand a chance against these guys. I feel bad for the couple people involved with them that are responsible, and that do care. It seems that the nice guys were systematically removed. Our egos simply weren't as big. Another case of the mine is bigger than yours argument. You win. Your egos are WAY bigger than mine. Ok, I'm done ranting on that.

In closing, If anyone knows where the most expensive place to get this thing fixed is, give me a call. I'd love to have it fixed there. Haha, I can apply the same mentality they did, it's not my problem! I'm not paying for it. Maybe Ill have it encrusted with diamonds as well.

Time passed

So, I haven't written anything in over 3 months. Or something like that. Those past three months have come close to being some of the most interesting months for me in recent memory. All of my old posts were about my old stupid job, that subsequently took a huge toll on my life and most of the people around me. As of last month, I finally grew a pair and got a new job. So, instead of dealing with ornary annoying people at overnight hours, I deal with them over the phone durring the day, where they can't actually do anything about their threats of killing or injuring me. I now work in the wonderful world of collections. I still haven't decided which group makes me more sick. The drunks, or the people that don't understand that when you borrow money, you have to pay it back. I don't work normal collections, I work pre-legal. So if I call you and you don't come up with the money, people are going to come and take your car, your house, or any other assets that they can sell to get their money back. It's not a nice place to be. Trust me. But at least this job offers health insurance and I have an almost normal schedule. That I can live with for now. I know I won't be doing this forever, but for now, it's paying the bills and helping me get my head a little bit farther above water than it was before. Other than that, life has been looking all sorts of up. Since I was booted from Relevant, I have been offered a ton more opportunities to play music, and even have a say in what I'm playing, not used to that at all. It sure is nice though. That being said, now I can pick and choose when and where I can play and still have time to myself to do what I want. Like what I was able to do last weekend.
I've been meaning to talk with Amanda's mother for quite some time, and last weekend, we finally worked out a trip home. Friday we left mid-afternoon and drove to Utica. Amanda's mom lives out in the country, on the top of a hill, so we had a great view, and a whole weekend to just relax. No one bothering us, no one calling to see if we can arrange something, just a whole weekend of doing the same thing we do in Buffalo when we have time off. Sit around, eat junk food, watch movies, and usually sleep whole days away, but this time we were a couple hundred miles away. And that couple hundred miles makes all the difference. Finally, we got to go to church, and weren't expected to do anything. I almost didn't know how to deal with it, other than the fact that we're going to try and do it more often as long as our schedules allow for it. If they don't, we'll make them. I never had an idea of what it would be like to go out to stay with someones parent for a weekend. But, I liked it. Enough to go back for more. Best part is, it seems like mom approves, which makes me feel 100% better.
Honestly, this is the first time that everything is really starting to come together, the future is starting to look good, and I'm not anxious for it, but at the same time I'm not afraid of it. I'm excited to see what is going to happen, and more importantly, when it's going to happen. I've always waited for everything to fall apart, but now it's doing the opposite. And I couldn't be happier. Unless someone just gave me $50,000. Then at least I could pay everything off now. But oh well. Just gonna have to keep looking forward to it.