21:45 - Why I think the Music First Coalition is a bunch of crap.
Category: Music

I was recently sent an invitation on Myspace to support fair compensation of artists by visiting the 'Music First Coalition' website. I clicked on the link thinking, 'Yes, I do support fair compensation of artists, I wonder who's getting the shaft.'

What I read next caused me to shake my head in disappointment.

The RIAA has proposed a bill to revise the laws that outline who has to pay royalties when music is broadcasted live. To clarify, they're wanting to make radio stations pay royalties on the music they play. Supposedly this is going to make things more 'fair' for the artists and 'save the music industry.' They want musicians to get the money they 'deserve' for 'allowing' radio stations to play their music. (Currently radio stations are exempt from paying royalties.)

However, I find this to be a not-so-clever excuse for some musicians to bite the hand that feeds. The RIAA is there to back them because of its own special interest in supporting the existence of major labels. Last time I checked, the average up and coming artist would kill to have one of their songs aired. Getting compensated for it is the furthest thing from their minds.

Let me just put it this way: about 99% of popular musicians today are broadcasting their music for FREE online through Myspace and Youtube. It's available 24/7, on demand, for FREE to anyone with a high speed connection. (Or patience, if they have dial-up.) WIth AM/FM you'll have to wait for your favorite song to come on a local station, in addition to commercial breaks. The fundamental reason behind this is that it gets music out into the public circulation, it draws in thousands of fans, and it's cheap to do.

It also cuts out the middle-man completely, and the thought of that is enough to send the RIAA into hysterics.

The RIAA doesn't make any mention of that fact that the vast majority of artists are self-promoting more and more these days, yet they want to nail AM/FM radio stations for doing the same thing? Shame, shame.

Although I admit I've downloaded plenty of music illegally in the past, I do applaud the crack-downs on P2P fueled piracy. That IS stealing, particularly when you're downloading entire albums for free. For the record, I don't download illegally anymore. It's also a big no-no when a satellite-radio station makes a profit through an ad-free service they charge for. I can completely understand the RIAA taking action on businesses of that sort. However, trying to penalize local radio stations for giving musicians the FREE advertisement they want is a steaming pile of bullshit. (Didn't artists have to PAY to get their music aired on the radio in the beginning, just like all of the advertisers do now?)

All I can say is that if the RIAA gets this bill passed, radio stations are going to be playing music that up-and-coming artists are more than willing to let them broadcast for free. Artists that want radio stations to pay steep royalties are going to see a significant decrease in air-time, mark my words.


Today I read an article in the L.A. Times that actually supported the RIAA's idea, and upon doing so I discovered a wonderful response from another reader. It sheds some light on a few things that I haven't mentioned, so I decided to copy and paste it.



Of course, the reality is that it is not music that is being killed but rather the record labels which are dying a perfectly natural death - a death which the RIAA is trying to delay by means of political pull and legislation.

Music is alive and well. Indeed, it has never been better. Music is everywhere these days. Thanks to digital technology, one can enjoy music in places where doing so was once impossible. And thanks to Internet radio and websites such as myspace.com, artists have unprecedented opportunities to bring their music to the attention of new fans - and they no longer have to get an official stamp of approval from a record label in order to do so. Today, there are more opportunities for artists who are just starting out and who seek to make a name for themselves and acquire a loyal following than there has been since the boom years of the 1920s when America was in the middle of a dance craze that made dancing and attending performances of live music the national past time of young people.

Music existed and was part of people's lives long before the advent of recorded sound. And music will flourish long after the record labels join buggy whips, telegrams and typewriters as examples of industries which were once a crucial part of people's daily lives but are no longer needed or desirable because better things have come along to replace them.

A little history to put things in perspective: in the early decades of the 20th century, sheet music sales, not record sales, were the measure of commercial success in the music industry. Prior to the 1920s phonographs were luxury items that competed with player pianos for a spot in the parlors of upper middle class homes. Phonograph records were very expensive. Very few people had collections larger than a few dozen discs. Each disc only contained one song per side and cost about the same as a CD would cost in today's money. The musical equivalent of 6 CDs would have been considered a very respectable personal collection back then. So when people wanted to buy the latest hit tunes from Tin Pan Alley for enjoyment at home, most went out and purchased sheet music. Musicians made their money doing live performances - which is still the case today for the vast majority of musicians.

Of course, the sheet music industry, while it still exists, is a very marginal part of today's overall music industry. When a flood of low priced independent labels entered the market in the early 1920s record sales boomed. And, at the same time, radio came along as well. Suddenly home grown music sounded dull and amateurish. Undoubtedly those with a financial interest in sheet music regarded such developments with alarm and perhaps even said that it was the beginning of the end for music - which, of course, it wasn't.

When radio came along the record labels were very concerned about it and made arguments that are very similar to those the recording industry is making today. If people could listen to the popular artists and songs of the day on the radio, why would they buy records? And that fear ended up becoming a reality when the Great Depression struck and few people had the money to afford records. Most of the record labels went out of business - only two companies managed to survive, one of them by being fortunate enough to be owned by the country's largest radio company. The record industry was largely perceived to be dead. And then, out of the blue, Decca Records was formed and revived the industry by selling recordings of top name artists for the same price that the other labels sold their no-name bands for in dime stores. And rather than being the death of records, radio eventually became the industry's best friend and major means of promotion.

I rather doubt that there will be a modern day equivalent of Decca to come along and save the recording industry this time. There was still a need for the role they served back then. Today there isn't. The record labels are middlemen between artists and listeners who are no longer necessary in light of today's technological advances. And the demise of their relevance will have about as much of a long-term impact on the popularity and viability of music as did the demise of the once-powerful sheet music and piano roll industries. This is something that Congress really needs to keep in mind when it is asked to artificially prop up the relevance of the major labels by means of the RIAA's demands for unreasonably exorbitant royalties.

Imagine if we today were forced to pay exorbitant royalties on top of what is already paid to music publishers in order to make up for all of the sheet music sales that have been lost as a result of recordings and radio. After all, record labels and radio have built multi billion dollar industries off their music while killing off what was once their primary money maker - far more money than the pittance such industries pay today in fees for mechanical licensing and to PROs such as ACSAP. Imagine if a special fee had to be paid every time a sound recording was sold or performed on grounds that it is necessary to compensate the makers of piano rolls for the loss of their market when the public decided that it preferred recordings.

What the major record labels are demanding today is really no different and no less absurd. Congress really should consider matters regarding copyrights and royalties in light of the fact that it is almost a given that the marketplace relevance of the major labels will be significantly reduced in the future - assuming that they even exist other than as trademarks owned by the companies who purchased whatever assets they might have which will still be of value.


Quoted from the host of http://radiodismuke.com.


After this response, there was additional dialogue that I found very interesting, I highly recommend that you go to the article URL and read the comment section. It discusses many other facets of this argument in great detail, as other users raise additional questions about the practicality of eliminating the middle men that record labels are. The same user, Dismuke, offers a point of view that I highly agree with.



Ok, I'm sure this was incredibly boring to those of you that aren't particularly interested in the music industry. For those that are, those are my thoughts.

6 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

14:14 - "The Sad State of Atheism Today"
Category: Religion and Philosophy

I was doing some research after reading a friend's blog today, when I came across an incredibly well-written article at the Huffington Post. It addresses something that both sticks in my craw and remains unfortunately common in human society: intolerance and prejudice that stems from ignorance and laziness.

If only it were made mandatory that we took diversity or tolerance classes throughout our K-12 education... classes that would not only teach us to accept others and their beliefs, but to do adequate research before forming opinions as well. That would be a step-forward.

Anyway, here's the link to the article. I strongly recommend it to anyone.

4 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

12:10 - Don’t mind me, I just feel compelled to mention one of the most terrible things I’ve ever read.
Category: Writing and Poetry

A friend of mine recently pointed me to a wedding announcement in the New York Times. The reason being, the HORRENDOUS writing. For your awkward reading pleasure, a few excerpts:


"AS a child, John W. Warner IV loved explosions, cartoons, army uniforms, pranks involving frogs and ice cream — he called health food "seeds and twigs."

"Through it all he remained a die-hard and distinctive bachelor, sometimes picking dates up in his 1936 Packard or his 1966 Aston Martin. But he grew to dislike breaking hearts as much as he hated eating tofu. "Johnny never wants to let anyone down," said Jill Mullen, a friend."

"He, on the other hand, was unsure about Ms. Hamm, whose family founded the Hamm's Brewing Company, which was based in Minnesota. She was nothing like the wild supermodels and party girls he had been dating. Ms. Hamm has unflashy clothes, jewelry and ways and is the opposite of high-maintenance."

"Soon after they started dating, friends noticed a change in Mr. Warner. He put his pool table up for sale, and started shopping for dining room furniture, now that he had someone to dine with regularly. "He used to watch all these war movies, hours of war movies," said Ramon Ruiz, another friend. "Then, one day he said, 'Change it to the antiques channel.' That's when I knew it was serious."

"The couple wed on Jan. 13 in Jupiter Island, where the bride's family has a vacation home with a sign on the front door that reads: "Friends Welcome. Relatives by Appointment Only." It is an immaculate place with homes that are pastel-colored, like Mentos, and as low profile as its residents seek to be."


After wincing through about a third of the article, I thought to myself, "Surely a family member must have written this. Someone who isn't exactly well-versed in crafting literary masterpieces, but means a lot to both families." I mean, come on... 'homes that are pastel-colored, like Mentos?'


So I Googled the author.



Apparently she's a - *gasp* - celebrated New York Times columnist.


WOW.


I mean, wow.

Celebrated??

A NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST???


Excuse me while I breathe rapidly into a brown paper bag. (That was for you, Listi.)


I just can't put into words how much this boggles my mind and completely throws me for a loop. It's just... insane... disconnected... a garbled mish-mash of unnecessary information.


I don't get it.


Is it a massive inside joke that she's the butt of... or is she subtly making fun of the couple? Do people sincerely enjoy her writing for reasons other than how appallingly mundane and sometimes terrible it is?


If that's the case, well, damn.


In all sincerity, it's a nice idea.... but it's so poorly executed.



Anyway. I'm just confused... and tired... and I thought I would subject you all to some fairly crappy journalism. You can read the announcement in full here.

Currently listening : Next Friday (2000 Film) By Various Artists - Soundtrack Release date: 14 December, 1999

12 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

00:23 - Random Thoughts/Update
Category: Life

Sorry I haven't posted the last of my travel-blogging. There's one more day to share/more crazy photos, but I've been out of commission for a couple days. After the hellacious overnight flight back home, I decided I'd go see a movie/have dinner with Bethany instead of lying around all day. (I seriously needed some social + City of Austin time.) My body thanked me by coming down with Strep throat the next morning. (Yay.) It's not the worst possible case/strain though, I don't think. I can still eat and talk, and the high-fever/aches/weakness only lasted for a day... during which I stayed in bed. Unless it drags out, I'm not going to get too worried about it.

Anyway... the movie we saw. Amazing stuff - holy hell did I love it. It's an Irish film called "Once."




I HIGHLY recommend it - especially to any musicians/music fans out there. Seriously, it's a fantastic story - and it stars the singer of the Irish band "The Frames." (and features music by them) It sort of reminds me of my life: things don't work out half the time, so when they actually do you really have to appreciate them. You also have to learn to sift for the positive aspects of any disappointment. That and there's this slightly surreal feeling about the movie that I love, which I've also experienced in my own life.

What else... I'm so happy to be back in Austin. It's great and I missed it a lot. (One of the first things I did when I got back was eat at Chuy's - holy fuck I missed the local cuisine.) Plus I'm one of those people that gets physically sick/stressed out on vacations. My body just absolutely detests travel, so I pretty much know before I even make reservations to expect it. (If I were ever to be a touring musician I don't know how I'd cope.)


Oh, I also came home to 5 new albums I ordered just before I went on vacation. I'm ridiculously happy about that... I'd been wanting them for a long time. The list, if you are interested:

"Dial M for Monkey" by Bonobo
"The Audience's Listening" by Cut Chemist
"The Reminder" by Feist
"Rockin' the Suburbs" by Ben Folds
"The Village" - original film score by James Newton Howard



Ok, time for more sleep. I'm not 100% better yet... stay tuned.

Currently listening : The Audience's Listening By Cut Chemist Release date: 11 July, 2006

12 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

02:14 - Princeville and Hanalei - Kaua'i TravelBlog Numero Cinco
Category: Travel and Places

Here I am, my last official night in Kaua'i. It's going to be sad to leave in a way, but for the most part I'm ready to get home. I miss seeing people that I know, and people that can make me laugh really hard. A lot. A whole lot. (I haven't had a good laugh hardly at all during this trip.) I miss my cat. I miss Austin, and roads with shoulders. Oh, and I miss the selection of food I have back at home, too. Nobody does even semi-healthy here, and everything is expensive as shit. (Can you believe I bought an apple from the supermarket today that was $1.30?)

I have a full day here tomorrow, but I'm not 100% sure what I want to do with it. I have had enough of the nastiness that goes along with visiting the beach when you're not closer to home. (Namely, using public facilities of all kinds - you don't even wanna know what kinds of disgusting things I've encountered because of that... trust me, you REALLY don't.) I'm probably just going to drive, drive, drive in my sweet car. (Note to self - convertibles are insanely fun... get one.)

Tomorrow I have to check out of my hotel at noon, so I'll have a few hours before my 8PM flight to do whatever. I'll probably drive towards Princeville and Hanalei again, which is what I did today. That's the most beautiful part of this island - it's incredibly lush, and I will miss it. The roads are closely surrounded by countless species of tropical plants that I've never even seen before - and the scenery changes extremely rapidly. If I could have a second home somewhere, that area would probably be in my top 5. I guess other places would include a loft in Manhattan, and a cabin in Colorado.


Let's see, on to what I did today. It was mostly filled with driving around and looking at neat stuff.


For example, my favorite skyline on Kaua'i:





I went to Hanalei bay, Kilaeua point, and the surrounding towns. Hanalei is REALLY pretty, by the way. It's got lots of little shops that I would have liked to explore, but I was more interested in the scenery on this trip.

The awesome bridge that I mentioned in a previous blog is just before Princeville. I tried my best to capture some of it, but there was little I could do as I couldn't stop anywhere.


You'll be driving along HWY 56, when suddenly the trees on either side of the road get dramatically taller:







The road gently curves...








...and wham - the earth drops away and you're surrounded by a deep valley that's filled with gigantic trees.










If you're anything like me, you're going to exclaim, "Holy-freaking-SHIT!!! this is the best bridge I've ever driven over in my life!!!" (...and nearly run into the opposing traffic as you gawk at the breath-taking valley that yawns below you.)



I really couldn't get any pictures of that. I would have probably gotten into a collision if I tried any harder. Actually, I'm surprised that I haven't hit anything yet... I've done some retarded shit for the sake of a photo.


Oh, here's a kind-of-neat but kind-of-annoying thing that you find a lot near Hanalei - one-laned bridges:




I imagine I annoyed a lot of people by taking photos like this... which require me creeping along, even though the speed limit is really supposed to be 15 mph anyway:







A little church in Hanalei:





Kilauea Lighthouse:






The rest of these photos speak for themselves really. There will be lots more, including some amazing sunset shots that I camped out on a cliff for.... as well as many from Hanalei bay, and some little streams I found. I'm just way too tired to get those formatted in Photoshop tonight - it's time for bed. (I've gotta get up early to make the most of my final day.) I'll probably have those posted by Sunday or Monday - my flight is overnight tomorrow evening, and I'm sure Saturday will be spent recovering from jet-lag and being cooped up with people on planes.

Aloha and mahalo. :)

-K

Currently listening : Guero By Beck Release date: 29 March, 2005

8 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

02:13 - Snorkeling at Lydgate Park - Kaua'i TravelBlog Numero Cuatro
Category: Travel and Places

Today I decided to just relax and do more low-key things. I got up, ate breakfast, walked around on the beach, and took a nap. Then I went to rent snorkeling gear to see what that would be like. I really thought I'd snorkeled before when I was a kid, in the pool I mean, but it felt completely foreign to me so I suppose not.

Surprisingly enough, it was kind of awkward and a little frightening at first. I mean, to put your face into water and breathe in is a little freaky, to say the least. It seriously took some getting used to. I went to a place called Lydgate Park to figure out what the hell I was doing. It's a beach that has a rock wall built up around a portion of the shore, so that there's a safe, calm place to swim and snorkel. (No rip-currents or undertow.) There were lots of little kids, which made my nervousness about what I was doing feel completely retarded - and of course it made me relax a lot.






Once I got the hang of things though, I had an awesome time. I saw lots of really colorful fishes, but I honestly couldn't tell you what the hell most of them were. I'll try to take some photos with my dinky one-time-use water-proof camera tomorrow.

The only one I really could identify was this really big surgeon-fish that's a beautiful blue and yellow. They're almost a foot long, and are easy to get close to. I could get within 6" or so of them. Here's a photo I found online of one:




Once I decided I'd had a mask glued to my face long enough, I set it aside and just bobbed around for a while. Eventually I had enough of that too, so I got out, showered off sea-ickiness, and watched all of the little kids play. It was hilarious - I just love how little kids have absolutely no inhibitions. They don't care what's going on around them, or how ridiculous they might look or sound - they just simply have fun.

I sprawled out on the sand for a while, watching the birds and kids, when it suddenly occurred to me that there were no seagulls. I hadn't seen any on the entire island. Definitely not a bad thing, when you get down to it. They can be annoying as hell, and the lack of their presence makes Hawaiian beaches very calm and quiet.


Narcissistic photo alert:










Anyway. So tomorrow I'm going to try and snorkel at a more interesting beach, where there's a reef. I'll just have to see how much energy I have. It's my last whole day here too, so I'm going to try to make the most of it without overdoing it either. (I leave Friday night, but I have to checkout of my room at noon... to hell if I know what I'm going to do between then and the flight.)

Oh, more pictures. As the sun was setting I drove around like crazy trying to find a good spot to take photos from. I should have a better view tomorrow, because of where I'll be as the sun sets. (I think.)

I also got dirty taking photos again. Except, this time it wasn't on purpose, it was more like me being a moron. I saw this pile of dirt (the rich red stuff you see in all of the photos) and thought, "Oh what a great thing to stand on!" Without thinking I charged up the side of it, only to sink up to my knees in the stuff. It was basically the consistency of cake flour. I felt SO cool. Good thing I was out in the middle of nowhere. After dislodging myself from the stuff I looked like I had a fake tan from the knee down. I'll probably never get all of it out of my leather sandals. I guess that's kind of a cool reason to have dirty shoes though - photo-taking adventures in Kaua'i.

Ok, here are the photos:











It's late. I feel sort of yucky. I'm going to bed.

Aloha and mahalo...

Currently listening : One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & the Wailers By Bob Marley & the Wailers Release date: 22 May, 2001

10 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

23:13 - Flying over Kaua'i and the beach at night - Kaua'i TravelBlog Numero Tres
Category: Travel and Places

Aloha folks! It's day three of my trip, and I'm just now really relaxing, believe it or not. (Yes, it took a while to feel completely at ease, since I'm by myself.)

Before I go into what I did today, I'll finish up yesterday's adventures with some of the last photos I took.

As I came back to the East side of Kaua'i island, I was hell-bent on getting some photos of a couple gorgeous pastures I found. This proved to be a very difficult maneuver, as the roads in Kaua'i are absolute shit. There are no improved shoulders like in Texas, so your best bet for taking photos is to either a)shoot and drive simultaneously/recklessly or b) find a driveway somewhere. (I'll admit I did both.)

Here are the results:



I almost got the car stuck in the mud taking this!




If you look REALLY hard, you can see Triceratops grazing in the distance....







After I'd decided I'd come a little too close to getting run over for comfort, I headed down a nearby dirt road. (I'm sure the car-rental people are going to love me for getting red dust all over the interior.)










Then I decided it was time to go have dinner and turn in for the evening. I went to some place called Wahoo's, across from my resort. Good stuff, hella over-priced. I had lightly blackened Walu - translation: sea bass with salt and pepper, over mashed potatoes.





As it got darker, this is what the view looked like from my table:





I called it a night after that. I felt pretty horrible again. Tonight, I'm doing awesome. Probably because I didn't drive around with the top down for hours, squinting in the sun and tromping around in the heat. It's no different than Texas really, but at home I'm not used to being awake during the day.


Oh, finally - I can talk about what I did today! I had to get up bright and early at 7:30 to scarf down some breakfast, and then drive to Princeville for my helicopter flight.



That's on the north shore.

Oh man, I wish I'd driven up there sooner - it's gorgeous. There is this one stretch of road where the trees are so tall on each side that they make a tunnel of sorts, and then you go over a bridge that suddenly gives you a spectacular view of this huge valley. At the end of the bridge you go back into a tunnel of trees. I'm going to try and get pictures, but there isn't a shoulder where I can stop, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that.

Anyway, back to the helicopter business. I was scared shitless. Actually, no, scared is not the word. I was nervous. I hadn't ever been in a helicopter before, was sleepy, and just wasn't sure what I was getting myself into.

One of the people I flew with offered to take my photo with the helicopter. Apparently this is my, "Holy SHIT I am totally freaking out and these people totally can't know" face:




...and then our ride landed:





Our pilot was super-nice, and looks way more excited in this photo than I was at the time:





HOLY CRAP we're in the air:





Some random rich person riding their horse - most houses in the area where this photo was taken go for about $600,000:





A waterfall I don't remember the name of - there were tons:





A really green mountain/hill/side of the crater:





What I was waiting for during the whole ride: the waterfall that's in the opening scenes of Jurassic Park:



(I wish the glare hadn't been so bad inside the helicopter.)


A close up of one of the streams below:




We're nearly in the clouds:





This is a picture of a waterfall that isn't from a river - it's water that's seeping out of old lava tubes:




This is the same lookout over Waimea Canyon that I was at the day before:





Me looking slightly more relaxed - and as if I am doing something really official:





...and now, the Napali coastline, the most beautiful coast on Kaua'i:









Apparently celebrities have some homes in this area - supposedly Bette Midler and Sylvester Stallone - not that I really care about either:







That mostly concludes the helicopter tour, it was about 45 min. and I have other photos, but because of the glare and bright late-morning light those are the ones that came out the best.


As soon as I got done with that, I drove back to my hotel in Kapaa and took a 4 hour nap - I had fun but had been stressed out by the whole experience at the same time. Once I woke up I decided to get dinner and eat it by the beach. (There are no pictures because it was just Taco Bell.) Afterwards I wandered around trying to find a good place to snorkel the next day - which is today. I'm writing this Wednesday morning, since at the moment it's way too bright for me to be outdoors. I had breakfast earlier, and walked around on the beach a little after that. I'm going to learn to snorkel a little later this afternoon at Lydgate park, where there is a sheltered area to paddle around and see the fishes. (Don't expect to see pics from that for a while - I'll have to use a disposable camera for underwater shots.)

Tomorrow I hope to find a way to snorkel on the Napali coast - where I took some of those pictures from the helicopter. I just don't know for sure where to park and how to get there just yet. I'll figure it out. You can't really get lost here. There's one main highway that runs around the entire island, there's good signage if you need to get to a town or airport, and any road that goes up a mountain has to end or come back down at some point. I've spent a lot of time just cruising through the hills with the top down. (Before I leave I'm determined to get some good sunset shots.)

Oh, last night I went down to the beach at night. The moon is almost full, and it was really beautiful last night. It's a little creepy to stand with the waves lapping over your feet in the dim light, but I figure anything that's big enough to bite me isn't exactly going to beach itself to do it.

I experimented with photographing the beach at night, so here are the results.


Believe it or not, it was very, very dark when this photo was taken - too bad I don't have a tripod with me, or else it wouldn't be blurred to hell:




I had to get dirty for this one - I just laid out flat on my stomach to stabilize the camera against my face:






Last one:





I'll see what I can do tonight or tomorrow night, the moon will be fuller.


Ok, time for a nap. I need to rest up for this afternoon's adventure.


-K

Currently listening : The Specials By The Specials Release date: 25 October, 1990

17 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment

02:00 - Waimea Canyon/West Kaua'i - Kaua'i TravelBlog Numero Dos
Category: Travel and Places

Aloha again from Kaua'i! I'm exhausted and have a long day tomorrow, but I'm still going to post a few photos tonight.

I decided to skip breakfast and sleep late today, so I didn't really do much until about noon. By the end of last night I felt fairly terrible, so I decided I needed to catch up or else I'd feel horrendous during the rest of my trip. I left my hotel around noon, and decided to drive to Waimea Canyon. It's amazingly different from the rest of the island, and reminds me a lot of Palo Duro Canyon in Texas.

Once I got about 20 miles from Kapaa-town, where I'm staying, things got slightly drier. There were fewer tall trees, it wasn't quite as lush, and each side of the road was bordered mostly by vast fields of sugar-cane.

On my left was the Southwestern shore of Kaua'i.




The right was fairly level for many miles, but suddenly it turned into this:







Eventually that leveled out again, and I approached the turn that would take me into Waimea canyon. It seemed as if I was just turning into some random ghetto-neighborhood, but after a couple blocks I was winding through switchbacks, ascending to the top of the canyon's edge. It seemed to take forever, as I couldn't really go much over 25 mph, at least not without flying of the edge of a cliff. Definitely a great drive with the top down though, especially since the stifling humidity was much lower in the higher elevation. (It was also cooler.)

After maybe 15 or 20 minutes of driving, I finally reached the Waimea Canyon Lookout. It wasn't crowded really, but I discovered that wherever there are people... there are lots of chickens... and Nene.

Nene:



Chickens:




In fact, the second I put my car into park this is who greeted me:


"Oh hai, welkum to Waimea Canyon!"






Then I made my way to the lookout. The view was staggering.








A super cool guy was kind enough to take my picture for me too. Basically I approached the person with the biggest, most expensive camera, in hopes that they'd know how to frame a portrait properly. (...and my hopes were exceeded.)



"Tee hee! I'm pasty as hell!"



When I went back to the car, I noticed this hen parading around the back of it:




Then I saw why she was so interested in the shade of it:





I am way too interested in those things. At one point I think I spent nearly 10 minutes just making funny noises back at them, just to laugh at their reactions.


Ok, enough 'jungle fowl.'

For now.


Oh, I found a missile range. Thought that was cool.


"Shit! Shit! Fire ze missiles!"



This is a photo of my descent out of the canyon area:






What else. I'm trying to keep this brief, since I've got to get to sleep soon. I have a helicopter flight in the morning. (Hope I don't die!)



Here are some pictures from a crazy old Japanese cemetery I found:








This is the beach that's behind it:






...and for the Garden State fans out there:





I'm way too tired to post the rest. I'll get to that tomorrow probably.


Mahalo!


-K

Currently listening : R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece By Snoop Dogg Release date: 16 November, 2004

8 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

02:09 - Breakfast With Doves - Kaua'i TravelBlog Numero Uno
Category: Travel and Places

Ok, I'm exhausted from my first official 'day' here in Kaua'i, but I figured I'd post some pictures from yesterday and today.... along with a sort-of quick narrative of what's gone down.

[I actually had a pretty comprehensive blog written out last night, but because of the lame-ass touchpad on my laptop I deleted the whole thing with one mis-click. (At which point I said, "Fuck this I'm going to bed.") ]


Anyway, so the three flights to Kaua'i yesterday went quite well. I went from Austin to Denver, Denver to San Francisco, and from there to Lihue Airport on Kaua'i island. I was actually quite excited to stop briefly in San Francisco, and was actually kind of disappointed that it wasn't my final destination. All I had time to do was shovel down a sort of crappy salad and go. The man-watching was particularly good there(wonder why... it's San Fran...) and I'm pretty sure I got checked out by a hot pilot. Score. Oh, and I saw the Golden Gate bridge when we landed - despite that it was more or less a speck.

Behold, the tarmac of the Frisco airport:




My parting view of San Francisco Bay:





The flight to Lihue was extraordinarily long. Or at least it seemed that way. It was roughly 5 hours, and all I had to keep me busy was liquor and an Oprah magazine. Yes, I forgot my iPod. (That's been the only major disappointment so far in my trip, so I'd say I'm faring pretty well.) Fortunately I was seated next to very friendly honeymooners, who were more than happy to chat, order booze with me, and make fun of the hokey shit the flight attendants were doing. (Trying to get us to guess when we'd hit the halfway point to Kaua'i for a prize.) Towards the end of the flight the bride knocked my cup of half-melted ice into my crotch, consequently making me laugh until I almost peed in my pants for real.

The sunset from above the clouds was astoundingly beautiful. I would have taken photos, but I had already climbed over the honeymooners enough, and didn't want to dig my camera out of the overhead compartment. I will say this though - for those who have seen the movie 'Pearl Harbor,' and remember the scene where Josh Hartnett's character takes Kate Beckinsale up in a plane at sunset... it looks JUST like that. It's crazy.

Ok, what else... we landed. It was just then starting to get dark and slightly stormy. I was halfway expecting to see a high-voltage electric fence bordering the foothills. Yes, I'll admit that a lot of why I'm excited about this place is because I'm a shameless fan of Jurassic Park. Quite a bit of it was filmed on this particular island.

Oh. Baggage claim is hell. People are so fucking stupid it's not even funny. They all hover so close to the baggage carousel that you can't even hardly see when your own luggage comes out. Then you have to push your way through to pick it up. Idiots.

One I got through that, I had to wait for a shuttle to take me to the rental car office. That took forever. Then when I got to Alamo Rent-a-car their computers went down and I had to wait in line for half an hour, with a throbbing headache. I was so desperate for relief that I just took Tylenol without water. I hate taking pills, so that's saying something. By the time I got to the front of the line and did my paperwork, I was really to the end of my rope. I was then told to go outside and find 'any economy car - the keys would be in the door.' There were no economy cars left. Some random attendant was like, "Uh, just take that convertible."

Yes my babies, a convertible.


No goofy-ass Kia for me.


From there I drove straight to my resort, ate something, and crashed. It was a glorious night's sleep - I have like, five-thousand pillows.

Ok, enough of the boring shit, more pictures!


I woke up this morning and found out that I have an ocean-front room. (I really didn't know at 10:30PM - I seriously couldn't tell what was just wind-noise and what was possibly waves crashing on the shore.)




Oh, there are flowers EVERYWHERE. It's amazing. This was right beside my car:




This is... well... me in my car - and highly excited:




Let's go for a spin.




OMG it's a dinosaur!!!



Relaxing after a nap:




Vegetarian ravioli and an awesome microbrew from Keoki:




(I know that was kind of random... I'm super tired.)

I really should go to sleep instead of playing on the internet. I have plenty of other times to do that, when it's way too hot for anything else. (11AM-ish to 4PM, basically.)



Stay tuned... there will be more, most likely.


P.S.
I don't really listen to Shaggy, but they like to play it on the radio here, and it cracks me up.

Currently listening : Boombastic By Shaggy Release date: 11 July, 1995

18 Comments - 15 Kudos - Add Comment

02:23 - Great news... among other things.
Category: Art and Photography

Sorry I haven't written anything (public) in a while. Things have been sort of nuts. (Sometimes for the better, other times for the worse.)

You may remember that a while back I flipped out because I got to design a t-shirt for Levi Weaver. (He opened for Imogen Heap last year when she toured the U.S., so I've kind of kept tabs on his work since then.)

I promised that whenever they went up for sale online I'd let you guys know... so... I'm telling you now: they just went on sale at Levi's Myspace page here.

Mine's the design on the bottom - this 'un:




Please do purchase one, because not only will it help Levi produce more music, it'll make me feel super cool that you're wearing my art. I always get a kick out of that. If I had more time on my hands I'd design some of my own shirts just for fun... but I think I've got enough on my plate as it is.

If you do get a tee - please snap a picture of yourself wearing it and send it to me. It would totally make my day.

I mean, don't you want to be as cool as Levi? He's even awesome enough to have a matching belt-buckle:





Ok, I would write more, but I'm not really in a blogging mood at the moment - and I seriously need to get in bed. It's kind of early...or late... or something.

Let me get back to you on Sunday perhaps - I've got the day off.

Currently listening : The Dresden Dolls By The Dresden Dolls Release date: 27 April, 2004

8 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

21:33 - Happy Thoughts (not really)
Category: Life

I'm going to make a list today. I've had a slight case of writer's block for a little while now. When inspiration hits I tend to not be in a place where I can write, and when it doesn't hit I've got all the time I need.

Lists are good when I just need to get something down.

I'm feeling cynical tonight.

Let's go.


1.) George W. Bush can't possibly get any dumber and/or in denial.

2.) I just saw "The Secret Window" with Johnny Depp for the first time. It was utterly retarded and desperately predictable, but hey - I suppose it was pretty intriguing for about an hour. Of course, that and it has Johnny Depp in it, which is always good.

3.) Lately I've been having fleeting thoughts concerning becoming a hermit. "The Secret Window" made them seem all the more enticing, sans the part where Johnny Depp goes nuts and kills some people with screwdrivers. By the end of each work week I'm usually to the end of my rope, after having to deal with incorrigibly stupid students/crazy people incessantly. I'm afraid that the next time someone asks me what building they're in - which is marked with a considerable amount of obvious signage, in case you're wondering - I'm going to leap over my desk and choke them to death. Or maybe suggest they should re-take kindergarten - it's course number 0001.

4.) One of these days I'm going to make a stack of fake dollar bills that say, "GET A FUCKING JOB," and hand them out to bums on the Drag any time they ask me for 'spare change.' I really hate bums, in case you can't tell. Color me insensitive, but they're pests... that you quite unfortunately can't kill legally. ("Oh, you want some of my Taco Cabana? Ok, just hang on a second while I dust it with rat poison.")

5.) I turn 21 in a couple weeks. That's going to be awesome. I'll be able to listen to bands in 21+ venues without being a)sneaky or b)pissed off because I can't get in at all. Seriously, I don't like to drink anyway when I go to see a band I already know and love. There's not much point - it just dulls the whole experience. That and it's not my problem that the douchebag who owns the venue is scared shitless of TABC. I'm the type to hold grudges for a looooong time, by the way. I'll probably be boycotting the Continental Club (on S. Congress) for a loooooong time, because they are fucking assholes there.

6.) I have heinously bad road rage. I commute to and from Austin for work. If you know anything about either of those things, by now you have probably mentally calculated that I am angry for approximately 2 hours of 6 days of the week. I'm just going to have to face the fact that I really hate the way just about everyone else drives. Every other driver is basically the enemy when they are what stands between me and work/appointments/rehearsals/etc. I allow myself plenty of time to get where I'm going to as well, so it's not about being on time/running late. I just have an attitude problem, I guess.

On that note, I prefer to live in the country, but I hate to commute. My life is about this much (gestures with arms outstretched) easier when I don't commute, but you can't really live in a quiet place without doing it... or paying an arm and a leg for a house. I really hate hearing people living around me. It disgusts me to hear a complete stranger's bodily functions on a regular basis. And yappy dogs. And neighbors that like morning sex. (Really, I don't get that... but then again I'm not a morning person at all.) Oh, and don't forget toddlers running around on the floor above, because of the aforementioned sex. Maybe I should find a way to move into an assisted living community for the elderly. Coughing and wheezing pales in comparison to a Monday-night keg party nextdoor. After all, I'm CPR/AED certified. I could be a valuable asset to the community.

7.) Austin is pretty much the best place ever, except for the fact that it's growing so much that it's really expensive now. That and traffic is getting worse and worse by the year. Traffic is even getting bad in the Bastrop area, where I live. Speaking of Bastrop, it's a nice place to live if you subtract the people that live here. I am scared of getting attacked by gaunt, lesion-covered meth-heads practically every time I go into Walgreens for milk. On a recent stormy night, I was approached by some deranged 'thing' who claimed to need a ride to her sister and/or boyfriend's place. Her mother had 'just had a heart-attack,' and her car was broken down 'over there.' (Imagine a bedraggled crackwhore gesturing ambiguously towards a closed McDonald's.) The fact that she also claimed to be married to a cop, was heinously trashy and missing patches of poorly bleached hair, AND had a tall-boy sticking out of her purse didn't really help her case. The land in this area is beautiful, but it's absolutely infested by inbred-meth-cooking scum.


8.) I don't really watch the news anymore - particularly the local trash - because it is just so goddamn depressing. Call me an information snob, but I prefer BBC. For the first 20 minutes of the local newscast, the powdered and plastic news anchors paint a picture of a nauseatingly stupid and ignorant community. They spend an inordinate amount of time on covering car accidents that don't really affect anyone. When they think it's necessary to seek the 'public's opinion,' they do a pisspoor interview with some idiot that doesn't know jack shit. During the final 10 minutes of the news I typically fall asleep, because it's nothing but glorification of UT athletics and the Dallas Cowboys. Sports anchors are so pathetically enthusiastic about that shit I just want to puke. If their segments were any longer, they'd probably jizz their pants out of excitement.


9.) What can you do? Nothing. (exactly)


10.) Yes, I'm done.

Currently listening : Impeach My Bush By Peaches Release date: 11 July, 2006

6 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

00:15 - In Memory of Fred
Category: Friends

The past couple weeks have been interesting, to say the least.

Saturday two friends of mine married each other, and I was able to laugh and socialize with a few old friends in the process. I spent that evening in the town I went to school in as well. (I can't really say it's my hometown, because I grew up living outside of the city limits.)

Familiar streetnames and faces were comforting.

All was well with the world.

The week before though, I received fairly chilling news. On Sunday afternoon, I discovered that a friend/former colleague of mine, Fred Willrich, passed away suddenly in the wee hours of the morning. He was one of the most well-known students in the Texas State School of Music, and for good reason. Everyone that knew Fred loved him, and the news of his death shook the whole department.

A memorial was held on Friday afternoon in Evans auditorium, but I really didn't have it in me to go. I no longer live in San Marcos, and am taking a break from my Criminal Justice studies at the moment, so it would have been very difficult for me to attend. I decided to remember Fred in my own way. That night I built a fire, and kept him in my thoughts as I spent the evening hours solo.

I realized that my first and most vivid memory of Fred practically sums up his sense of humor, and that it would probably be the 'right thing to do' to share it. (As opposed to posting a generic and depressing tribute.)

When I first discovered Fred as a bit of a joker, I actually didn't know what the hell was going on. I was a freshman in the Sound Recording Technology program at TX State, and fairly oblivious to... everything. Of course, being a music major of any sort required that I participate in an ensemble, which in my case was 'Horncats.' We rehearsed in a large, multi-purpose room on the second floor of the music building, and by the end of rehearsal the next ensemble to use it was typically waiting outside.

I was usually in a hurry to get out of rehearsal and on the road home, so I'd pack my things up and wag my concert horn out the door as soon as I possibly could.

One afternoon I forced the door of the room open only to feel a thud, some resistance, and hear, "OH MY GOD YOUR FACE!"

I panicked and looked around the corner to see Cheetos all over the floor, students laughing, and a seemingly jolly black man covering his nose with his hands - half laughing and half assuring me he was OK. I wasn't really sure what had just happened, so I assumed that I whacked him in the face with the door - but it was all good. I think I just awkwardly shrugged/laughed it off and went on my way, and never really heard about the incident again. I have to admit though, it made for a good story to tell at lunch the next day.


A year and a half later, I found myself rehearsing with a small orchestra for the Alamo City Men's Chorale. I was opted in at the last minute, and had roughly 24 hours to prepare a piece for two taped performances. I had to tranpose on the spot, and it was... interesting. The whole affair went down at a Unitarian Universalist church in San Antonio, and was an exceedingly positive experience. If anyone asks me to play for a gay men's choir again, I'm totally in.

After the first performance, everyone convened for wine and cheese at a choir member's cottage nearby. That was the first opportunity I really had to talk to some of the string players I didn't know. Fred happened to be there, and for the first time I actually had a real conversation with him. He was one of the faces I often saw in the music building in passing, but really didn't know.

At some point my mysterious 'whacking a guy in the face with a door' story came up, and when Fred started cracking up I put two and two together.

I never really hit anyone in the face - and it was Fred that did the superb acting.


...and after that, we became fairly good friends. I worked in the music library, which was next to his practice room, I mean, the lobby of the music building. So I saw him a lot for the remainder of that semester.

I would ocassionally hang out with some of the guys in a local band, Kallisti Gold, whom Fred was friends with as well. On one particularly stormy evening, I remember us sitting around watching King of the Hill, cringing when the power blinked, and eating cake that Fred had baked for us to share.

Fred had a contagious sense of well-being that I am going to miss dearly. He was one of the people that I loved most at Texas State University, and I am saddened that when/if I go back he will not be there. The sound of his hearty laughter - or his viola - will no longer resonate through the lobby of the music building.


I still can't really believe he's gone, and I can only imagine what those who were closer to him are still feeling.


Here's to you Fred - I hope that wherever you are now, you find peace in the fact that you touched so many lives.

Currently listening : Symphony No. 6; Fantasy on a Theme of John Field; Sweeney Todd Suite; Tam O'Shanter Overture By Malcom Arnold Release date: 16 August, 1994

3 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment