The twists and turns of a life less ordinary...

sometimes, pop does it's job...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:53:54 GMT

I'm listening to "Hook Me Up" from 'The Veronica's'. I try to listen to the lyrical content of pop music as little as possible. However, this album is a bit different. If you listen to the tracks "Untouched", "This Love", "All I Have", and "In Another Life" in a row, you have the story of my last relationship. Sad, but, true.

BUY MY COOKIES!!!!

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:03:53 GMT

errr... wait... Once again, I rise from net silence, to announce... TA-DAAA!!! My band, Frail Soul has just released our debut, full-length album, "Awake" on an unsuspecting populace. It's available on iTunes (simply go to the iTunes store and search "Frail Soul"), or on Amazon.com , in old-school, CD format, with all the nifty artwork, pictures, and liner notes ;) The music is a blend of Melodic Punk, Heavy Metal, and touches of modern "Screamo" style Hard Rock. Samples are available at both retail sites, as well as at our MySpace page . The album is $10, and your support will be greatly appreciated by myself and the band :)

Suppose we're about due for an update...

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:32:57 GMT

Well darlings, as most of you know already, I arrived safe and sound in San Jose, CA almost a month ago. I had forgotten how much just being in California feels like home. I've been working for a small excavation and construction company with my cousin Josh and the owner of the company, a great guy by the name of Channing. He's a gruff, tough mountain guy, but down to earth and mellow at the core of it all. The living situation currently leaves a bit to be desired at the moment.... like running water :P I'm living with Josh (and his on-again-off-again annoying little prat of a girlfriend) in a double-wide trailer on Mt. Umunhum (um-uh-numb) in the Loma Prieta range of the Santa Cruz mountains. It's beautiful, but the primitiveness of the living conditions, the remoteness (45min drive to town), and our current difficulties in securing a vehicle all add up to a lot of headaches, so my hope is to move down into the valley (Silicon, not LA) within the next few months.

The other big news is that I've joined a band here, and we are finishing up our first album for a early november release. The band is called Frail Soul (you can find us on myspace, though I'm not reflected in the line-up there yet). The music is a mix of the catchier and more accessible aspects of melodic metal and punk, and with my addition, we are now sporting a three-guitar attack! *horns, headbanging* I'm pretty psyched :)

So, that's about that for now. My interweb access is still highly limited, however a move to the valley ought to remedy that as well. In the meantime, all my best to all!

IMPEACH!!!!

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:39:09 GMT

Please take a minute and DO SOMETHING TRULY IMPORTANT..

Stand Up For Yourselves...For Truth...For Peace...For LOVE..

It will only take you a minute or two..

WE NEED YOU AND YOU NEED US..

Please Repost and Keep Reposting!

Please Read and watch and...TAKE ACTION!

From: Voice Up for Liberty
Date: Jul 24, 2008 8:57 AM

everyone call congress, let them know impeachment hearings should be supported. Bush/cheney is a criminal regime and even though they are on the way out we should impeach anyway.

Impeachment hearings will be held on Friday July 25th in congress. Let them know this administration should be held accountable. what are you waiting for call them, I just did! No hold time either.

PLEASE CALL RIGHT NOW ! For The Love Of God...Do It Now !

1-800-828-0498

www. kucinich. us

www. impeachbush. org

RON PAUL / KUCINICH REVOLUTION...NOW !

Join Us !

www. kucinich. us (Please sign the petition for IMPEACHMENT...It will only take you a minute)

Ron Paul Revolution:

Join Here:

www. campaignforliberty. org

www. breakthematrix. com

I was bored...

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:25:00 GMT

So I took a video I recorded some months back and posted it to youtube... just a little guitar riff I thought sounded good...

A letter to the (hopefully) future president...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:45:56 GMT

*After reading a NY Times article about the link between some of Barack Obama's new campaign advisers and ethanol, I decided to write this letter. If this is something that matters to you, I urge you to write to Sen. Obama, as well as your own Senators and Representatives. Feel free to use all or part of this letter if you'd like*

Senator Obama,

First let me say that I am a huge supporter of your campaign for president. You have given me the kind of hope for this country that no politician has in quite some time. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for having the strength to stand up for your beliefs, both moral and political, and to follow through on them in the face of constant criticism. I truly hope you will continue to do so, as the youth of this country need a leader like you to shake them out of their apathy and cynicism towards politics and government.

I am, however, a bit concerned about your support of ethanol as a viable oil alternative. I will admit that I have not done the most comprehensive research on your exact stance on this issue, but I have heard that some of the advisers coming onto your campaign are closely linked with ethanol. Now, there are several sides to the ethanol issue. I worry that this country is moving toward the "easy" path on this, which is subsidized corn farming for ethanol production, as opposed to investing in cellulosic ethanol production. According to U.S. Department of Energy studies conducted by the Argonne Laboratories of the University of Chicago, one of the benefits of cellulosic ethanol is that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 85% over reformulated gasoline. By contrast, starch ethanol (e.g., from corn), which most frequently uses natural gas to provide energy for the process, may not reduce GHG emissions at all depending on how the starch-based feedstock is produced. A study by Paul Crutzen found ethanol produced from corn, rapeseed (canola), and sugarcane had a "net climate warming" effect when compared to oil.

Senator Obama, I plead with you to continue to take a strong (and potentially unpopular) stand on the issues that are facing our nation, and this world, and look toward the options that are truly sustainable, not just a band-aid to sooth a scared country. We are scared, but selling out our future to embrace the illusion of a stable present, is far more terrifying.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Andrew Wonders
Forest Park, IL

F#cking Ostriches!!!

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:19:57 GMT

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/washington/25epa.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

All I can do is picture Dubba with his fingers in his ears, reciting "lalalalala I can't hear you lalalala"

T minus 36 days...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:08:01 GMT

So, for those who haven't been told outright, read my profiles, or listened in at the grapevine, I will be moving to California on Aug 1st. Since I'll be living on top of a mountain, off-grid, and without landline phone or any other sort of interweb-able connection, obviously my net presence will be much, much more infrequent. My cell number will remain the same for at least the first month or so (I'll probably get a local number out there), and e-mail will be checked semi-regularly on trips into the valley (libraries are great things). If anyone needs/wants my number or email address, leave me a comment and I'll get it to you.

I have limited free time between now and then, but I will have the week between July 3rd and July 11 off, so if anyone wants to get together before I leave, that would probably be the best time.

Westward!!

YES!!!

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:06:08 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO - In a monumental victory for the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage Thursday in a ruling that would allow same-sex couples in the nation's biggest state to tie the knot.

Domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage, the justices ruled 4-3 in an opinion written by Chief Justice Ron George.

Outside the courthouse, gay marriage supporters cried and cheered as news spread of the decision.

"Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," the court wrote.

The city of San Francisco, two dozen gay and lesbian couples and gay rights groups sued in March 2004 after the court halted San Francisco's monthlong same-sex wedding march.

"Today the California Supreme Court took a giant leap to ensure that everybody -- not just in the state of California, but throughout the country -- will have equal treatment under the law," said City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who argued the case for San Francisco.

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:51:31 GMT

To any who are so inclined, please take a moment today to hold in light, love, and comfort, those suffering and grieving today in the aftermath of yesterday's catastrophic earthquake in China.

An interesting article found on the NY Times website

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:40:34 GMT

I subscribe to the NY Times headline update e-mail, so I try in the mornings to do some browsing, and catch up on what's going on in the world. I saw this article, and found it to be a fascinating psych story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/science/13case.html

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:58:16 GMT

Hello Andrew Wonders!

Your Quit Date is:Friday, February 01, 2008 at 5:00:00 PM
Time Smoke-Free:60 days, 13 hours, 21 minutes and 49 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked:1211
Lifetime Saved:9 days, 6 hours
Money Saved:$305.00

Education is KEY!

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:42:09 GMT

A video addressing the recent education funding cuts in California, but the message is universal. Check out the musicians, the Make Peace Brothers, here: http://makepeacebrothers.com/ and on tour with Jason Mraz, Bushwalla, and magician Justin Kredible for the "Music, Magic, and Make Peace" tour: http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/080313/0374576.html (sold out in Chicago, dammit!)

Win a date with Drewcifer1978!!

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:05:26 GMT

Ok, not a date, and you don't have to win anything, but how often have you sat around and thought, "man... I would really love to hang out with Drewcifer, but I don't know when he's available." Too many times to count, I'm sure ;) Well, here's your chance! I'm on vacation from now, 3/22, till 3/31, and would love nothing more than to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, and just generally start getting out of the house for more than just work and exercise. I'm up for just about anything... food, coffee/tea, a movie, music, museums... whateva.

So... if you'd like to jump on the bus for this, call or email me (those of you who already have my info), or if you don't have my info, but would like it, leave me a comment and we'll figure it out :)

Also, I just found out that Avenue Q is playing in Chicago till June, and also, Iron Maiden is coming through town 6/11, the day after my birthday. If anyone is interested in going to either of these with me, let me know!

R.I.P.

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:41:45 GMT

Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90. I just bought the final installment of his Rama series (again) the other day... go out and read some of his fiction if you never have. It's magnificent.

Semi-Annual Update

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:37:34 GMT

Well, I'll start by saying: I'm not dead. I know I've been incommunicado for the last month and a half or so, and I promise I'm coming back soon! I have really needed this time of isolation to focus on the changes I've been making in myself and in my life, and doing what I need to to make sure these become permanent changes.

As some of you know, about a month and half ago, I made the decision to lead a healthier life than I had been (not a big stretch, as I was pretty damn unhealthy). Immediately, I quit smoking cigarettes (no, seriously... for real this time), quit drinking, and, due to sudden spiritual and ethical revelation, went vegan. After several awkward and uncomfortable weeks in the beginning, I now feel amazing... like really "Holy f#@king hell!! I feel AWESOME!!!" amazing. I have to decided to run with this trend, and continue to improve my overall health and fitness. I have cut back my caffeine, down to about 2 cups of half-caff in the morning. My sleep schedule is stabilizing, and I've started going to bed at around 10:30-11pm and getting up around 6 so I can exercise. For the past two weeks I've been doing between 45-60 minutes of aerobic walking every morning, and just started a beginners running training program. I'll gradually add longer periods of running to the middle of my walking routine, and shorten the walking time. I was shooting for 10 minutes of running today (the first day I included running)... well, I made it 7, but honestly, that's still pretty impressive to me :)

I'm now convinced that I need to get a vitamix blender. I blend up fruit, greens, tofu, and soymilk in the morning after my walk, and though adding greens have made a tremendous difference, I know some of the nutritional value is being destroyed by the conventional blender. I'm going to be building a sprouting box soon, to start sprouting my own greens and seeds, as well as grow wheat grass.

I'm also feeling very spiritually grounded, and have found much more mental clarity in defining my stepped goals, and plotting the best path to achieve them. For this alone, any discomfort I've had to deal with so far, was totally worth it. If you want to hear the enthusiastic spiel about school, volunteer farming, permaculture certification, et al, contact me, and I'd love to tell you more about it! I got the green light from the landlord to cut out some garden beds in the backyard, so I'll be growing some organic veggies and herbs this year... YAY!

So... that's the short of it. Hope all of you are wonderful and happy today!

Never rise to the bait...

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:56:38 GMT

Dread Journal, Week 31... There But For The Grace Of Jah, Go InI

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:09:55 GMT

Been a while, but I decided to amuse myself once more by photo-chronicling the progress of my locks. Almost 8 months now...

Where my vegans at?

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:00:58 GMT

Ok, so I'm off the animal products. Any vegans out there wanna give a newbie some help with favorite recipes, favorite vegan ingredients, tips, etc? I'm definitely leaning much more toward fresh ingredients, not so much on the pre-packaged vegan products (which are pretty tasty, and great when you're in a hurry), so fresh veggie and fruit dishes would be *great* :)

Thanks!

Make a difference today!!!

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:41:34 GMT

Wanted to share with y'all truly fantastic site I just found yesterday, http://www.care2.com . It's a networking site similar to myspace, facebook, etc. but founded around connecting people who are dedicated to making positive change in the world, in various ways. There are (and this makes my heart explode with hope) over 8 million members on this site. They also have a list of 10 "daily clicks" (similar to the hungersite and the like)that generate donations for causes ranging from preservation of wilderness and animal habitat, to stopping violence against women and funding breast cancer research. I recommend that you check it out and sign up, if only to do the daily clicks (but why not take advantage of the opportunity to connect with so many positive and driven people?), and also spread the word!

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:20:08 GMT

Living Belief

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:29:23 GMT

I'm someone who feels constantly torn between my ideals/beliefs about clean/sustainable living, and the seemingly insurmountable challenges in putting these beliefs and ideals into action in the modern urban setting. And though I enjoy the culturally diverse offerings of cities, but detest the wasteful and shallow "fast-food, fast-living" mainstream mindset that I feel is actually quite toxic. Sooo... I've decided to apply for a working internship at a sustainable living/building and organic farming community in rural NE Missouri. I really feel like I need to go and *physically* begin working to fulfill my beliefs, to be a living example of my world vision. I also want to learn about different ways to develop and sustain intentional communities, based around different types of core-belief themes (i.e. egalitarianism, shared spiritual belief, permaculture, sexuality and relationship-style orientation, etc.).

Do you have any experience with making drastic moves/changes to live your beliefs?

What things do you consciously do in your life to be the change you want to see in the world?

How far are/would you be willing to go to live and promote your life vision?

Somebody kill me please...

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:47:20 GMT

Not only am I sick for the second time this month, but this is some sort of mutant death-bug. I have been flattened since saturday. My computer has finally hit what I believe to be it's final days, leaving me stuck in limbo as far as recording goes (not that I'd be that productive right now anyway), however, it looks like I'm getting a new machine soon, so hopefully once I'm in full swing again, so will the capacity to record music. BLARGH!!!

Thank goodness for a certain pixie-girl checking in on me... brightens up my day always :)

So, I'm up....

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:54:32 GMT

... and manic, apparently, as I just cleaned my room and did the dishes. It's one of those mornings where I arose, fully awake, and felt like I needed to do something. It doesn't happen often, but I've learned to take advantage when it does. Hell, I didn't even stop for my first cup of coffee for an hour after I got up.

I went out and actually bought some books yesterday, which I've been wanting to do for a while. Purchases were: Cordelia's Honor (to round out my Vorkosigan series collection) and The Sharing Knife, both by Lois McMaster Bujold, definitely one of my favorite SF/Fantasy authors. Also got Night Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko, first in the Night Watch series, as well as Thursday Next: First Among Sequels, the latest book in the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fford (delightful bibliophilic fiction). I've been loving the extra time I have to read, now that we're in holiday schedule for work.

I think I'll go take a shower now, come back, write some e-mails, and get ready for work. Here's hoping your day/week is going wonderfully!

I never thought about calling Guiness about it...

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:44:35 GMT

Hehehehe

http://www.cartoonlabs.com/comics/index.php?date=2007-11-15&show=sinfest