A Midsummer Day's Update

Summer's winding down. But I've been having a great time.

I went to summer camp in the beautiful northern California forest, and saw my friends there that I've loved since we were tiny kids.

I spent time with my best friend (we met at that camp, actually), and we hung out for a couple of weeks at each other's places, but now we're apart.
Good news, though. We're hanging out again at yet another camp. I'm aged out of these camps, so this will be the last time I can go to one, and I figured I'd make it count.

I attended a nationally renowned jazz workshop, lasting two weeks, so that I could play my musics and be with other, phenomenal musicians (as for me, I'm pretty average).

We went to Santa Cruz and saw more friends, went to the beach, and came back to keep partying.

I've been playing ultimate frisbee like it's nothing, lately. It's kind of a strong hobby this Summer.
I can't wait for tomorrow, when I leave. I'm getting laundry done.. I haven't even unpacked from last week.

As for school? Man. That can really wait. Please hang on as long as you can, school. Summer's been killer.

Party on dudes. And make sure to be excellent to each other.

My last post was done under heavy lack of sleep

As you could probably tell. If not, go look at it. It's embarrassing.

Anyways.

I play the saxophone. Alto saxophone, specifically, but I can play tenor, soprano and baritone if I had them.
They're just different sizes, and subsequently ranges, than each other.

I love it. I just do. Today, I played in front of a lot of people as a huge joke and it was fun. Not for some people, because I was grinding on them. To a sensual rendition of Careless Whisper.

Yee.

I started playing in fifth grade after I saw a guy playing at my little league's annual party.
He was a rad dude after a couple beers.

And, as I've also mentioned, I've played on stage for a lot of people before too, so I'm not exactly new to performance. I love this sax thing.

It's saxy, if you will.

Pun intended.

I want to keep it up after college. I don't think it's one of those skills you can just lose completely, but it becomes a matter of how little time someone can devote to it. Once you lose the opportunity to play all over the place, then it might just dwindle away.
But I sure hope not.

It's not the only instrument I play, either. I play drums and guitar well enough to jam, and I play enough piano to make people think that I play piano.
I guess I've always been a musical guy. And I don't get a chance to let people know unless they're in the right place at the right time.

I just want to keep it up. It's not just fun, either. Sure, it comes naturally to me, and with practice I can become even better-- but there's something else that I think of from time to time.

Yep. That's what it's about.

Hey, I'm not above buying my food with money I can get from rocking out on a saxophone.
What's wrong with that?

The life of a musician. It would be nice sometimes. Just for fun. :)

So as you can see,

I don't just play saxophone.
I live it.

My favorite new thing

Lemon cupcakes. Do you like them?

I love me some lemon anything. It's my favorite flavor of pastry.

Haha.

Okay, but more importantly, here's a video to end the day- What do you think?

Wildflowers bloom on the hillside

So this weekend, I went with my family to the famous Wildflower triathlon at Lake San Antonio, CA.

My brother, cousin, other cousin and cousins' friend all compete, so it just runs in the family.

However, I do not. I'm in the band.

Pic related.

We played on a bandstage for a lot of people with my cousins, this rad guy named Aaron and a living legend in the triathlon world, Scott Tinley. 

Tinley was hammered and took a dump on our entire set.

It was great. 

Girls ask me, "Oh did you compete?"

And I reply, "No. I'm in the band."

And they inquire, "Do you play guitar?"

I say, "No. I play saxophone."

And then they melt. The weekend was awesome.

My brother is only 15, and did an Olympic distance triathlon to finish 4th in his age group. My uncle came in 28th out of 8,000 participants. Man. And he was dissatisfied.

He also made a stereo/boombox out of a beer cooler. I gotta get one of those.

I'm off for the weekend

Heading to Wildflower for a triathalon that my brother's competing in.
Hoping to have a good time.

Stay updated! Don't forget about me.

There's just too much variety

I go through phases in what music I listen to.

I used to really dig grunge and alternative.

Then I learned a lot about bands like Dave Matthews, RHCP, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains.

They all have an underlying theme, and I've come to believe that it's uncertainty.

I don't listen to as much music as I did when I was single. Lol. I just had more time to myself, and I played guitar and drums more often then, too. 

In some ways I miss it. Music was how I defined myself for a long time, especially rock music.

And then I heard rap that I loved. Snoop Dogg's "The Chronic" turned me on to rad hip hop that I still listen to.

And Asher Roth. I personally like Ash even though everyone makes fun of him. I identify with a white guy that grew up in the 'burbs that happens to like spittin flows.

I love Das Racist. You ever heard of them?

They don't even make sense.

You should like them too. Or at least give them a chance. It's a lot more deep than the seemingly-nonsensical lyrics suggest.

I dig it like a miner digs clay.

Lately I've been into rap and some dubstep. Love me some dubstep. :) 

And I never would have thought I'd like dubstep if you asked me five years ago. 

Way too much to listen to. How can anyone be educated about all the music out there?

To a Collective of Insufferable Individuals

I will never stoop so low as to hate someone, but I loathe the way you exclude me.

I am unwelcome among my own family when you take over with your despised presence.

Your emotions are unfounded, unjust and unrealistic for someone I have to call my peer.

Have you ever truly experienced anything outside of your own iron-clad shell you’re afraid to leave? 

A true person will respect others and there is no trace of tolerance within your voices.

Most people don’t listen while others are talking, they just wait for their turn to speak.

And that is you. 

The universe is not anything remotely reminiscent of the one you were taught— on the contrary, yours is obsolete and judgmental and unnecessary.

Why aren’t you pleasant? You’re not. You’re not even hardly pleasant. You’re the master of bitch. You’re the epitome of bitch. You’re captain bitch of the highest rank in the bitch department in Bitch, USA.

You are fickle, finicky, condescending; and concerned with the arbitrary— and it all wraps up like a delicious chalupa into a savage creature that deserves no love from me.

If you learned to see things the way they are instead of the way you feel they should be maybe you would have more smile lines and could begin to appreciate how blue the sky is instead of how nasty the grey is.

There’s your problem! You are hypersensitive. Some part of your mind picks up on key words, ideas, phrases, emotions, and throws them out of proportion in ridicule to where you think you have some control. 

I know you’re a human being, but you are a poor excuse for a soul.

My only wish is for you to be indifferent because the absence of disdain is a step in the winsome direction!

I won’t give up but until then I’m going to despise your every being.

Blow it out your ass and blow it as hard as you can. Maybe you’ll win an award for blowing it out your ass.

Warm regards, myself