kazu googoo

Quit while you're ahead.

2008-08-16T00:57:00.000-07:00

They say that in show biz you should:

A) leave them wanting more and

B) never follow a kid's act

what I'm finding is that option A never really happened, and I have officially walked into the middle of B. Of course, I'm referring to my son Liam and his infinitely-more-popular-than-mine blog.

They say that as a father you will eventually be overshadowed by your children. You can see my son doesn't mind as he's apparently trying to literally and figuratively top me, even by climbing up my beard.

It's somewhat like having siblings. I can remember that in high school I started out as Matt's little brother, only to then become my own person. Then my younger brother Steve was seen as my little brother for a brief moment until I became "Steve's older brother."

So once again, I have been surpassed in popularity. So don't expect much out of this blog as I am now putting myself out to pasture and turning into a fan of my blogging child prodigy Liam Morrissey. I should have known that giving him that middle name would turn him into a star. Burn brightly little star...

the boy's blog!

2008-07-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

what a proud dad I am. my boy has a blog:

http://liammorrissey.blogspot.com/

before boy eats drum machine...

2008-07-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

(AKA: there once was a Benjy who had (some) hair)

so long before the band boy eats drum machine, i played with jonny in a rock (make that rawk) band called stereo crush (to save my life i still can't remember if it's spelled as one word or two).

this is an ancient picture that BethInPortland dusted off and sent my way from one of that band's photo shoots.

i really have no idea what to say further, other than to leave it open for comment. wow. band photo shoots are funny... or something.

wow! i'm so behind...

2008-06-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

well, life sure seems to be going by fast. it seems just like yesterday that i was blogging about by eats drum machine and my illustrious musical career. now, i'm proud poppa to a one-month-old and realizing that i have failed to update my online readership.

so here's to you, yes you, the ONE who reads this blog. in true tag-team new parenting fashion, i'll simply ask you to navigate to mrs. googoo's blog to get the skinny on our lives over the last several months. be sure to check out the little tot named Liam Morrissey, he's pretty cute:

reesarick

new ink

2008-01-28T20:43:00.001-08:00

Today I spent about four hours under the needle getting some work done on a new half sleeve. The new Scapegoat is a sweet space, with more room, bigger booths, fresh paint, and a warmer overall vibe. Not to mention the presence of a three neighboring vegan establishments: sweet pea bakery, the mystery clothing place, and the unrelenting food fight grocery that (seemingly) started it all. Once again, Ryan is off to a great start, and this piece is looking rad even in it's incomplete state. We took a break about half way through to see the free show at food fight that no age was putting on, and then realized that we could hear it all just fine through the wall. A quick rice milk chai latte later, and I found myself in more sweet pain. I am looking forward to finishing this piece and then will probably start dreaming up my next tattoo. After watching the TiVo'd first half of the state of the union address, I'm thinking that a Bush-themed tattoo might be in order. Now if only I could think of a place on my body to tattoo a Bush. Hmmm...

u2 3d

2008-01-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

After viewing the sensory overload that is the spectacle of U23D last night, I'm feeling compelled to spread the promising word. Having grown up watching, no, make that consuming, U2's "Rattle and Hum" figuratively millions of times with my brother, I was going into the 3D revamp with a bit of skepticism. Certainly the visual experience would promise to offer far more than the flat, two dimensional film from the late 1980s, however, there could be now way that U2 could recapture the passion and gene'se-qua of the band at what seemed to be the height of their career.

I guess it is simply time for me to stop judging U2 by their supportive undergarments, bloated stage personas, and leathery faces, because once again, they surpassed my expectations. The three dimensional U2 movie was simply said, a unique experience, and moreover, it couldn't be pulled off by any other band. There is a unique partnering of rock ego and high definition, three dimension to which only musicians named Bono and the Edge could bring justice. Or to put it simply, only Bono's ego can make a high definition, three dimensional movie that runs 83 minutes work on every level. As much as I love the Arcade Fire and Radiohead, I'm not sure that either band could do 3D like U2 could. There was something eerily familiar about seeing Bono's face up close and clearly defined with every laugh line and empty follicle there in plain view. It was like having my own personal moment with the rock star of my youth. It is hard to say that I would want to see Thom Yorke that clearly.

In any case, I was expecting the film to be another chapter in the later, boated U2 era, nothing more than another celebration of a once great band. Yet several hours later, I'm still compelled by several of the film's visuals and an experience that was truly unique if not a little more sincere than expected.

Here is a list of what I took with me from the film and what should prove as a rationale for a repeated viewing:

* Three dimensional drums are the coolest thing ever.
* It is rather odd, finding yourself head-bobbing and foot tapping in a movie theater.
* A kiss between band mates is always charming, and between Bono and Adam Clayton it reaches the level of sweet, quite even dear.
* For some reason, 3D crowds jumping up and down at the front of the stage reminds me of Helm's Deep.
* An opening scroll down to the back of a 3D drum kit rules (see #1).
* While I usually watch a concert DVD so that I don't have to see the back of someone else's head, three dimensional backs of heads are awesome!
* Larry Mullen Jr. has a mullet, a three dimensional mullet.
* Watching a Latin American concert crowd incorrectly count from 1 to 14 is rather humorous, even if a little tongue-in-cheek.

coolest thing all year!

2008-01-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

I know that the new year is young, but I may have already done the coolest thing that I will do all year long...

my new creation...

2007-12-23T20:39:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Christmas, it's the Santa Hat Smiley!

*<{:-)

*<{:-)

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sure, it may not be my invention, but I'll pretend it is for the rest of the season.

you and me and the baby makes three...

2007-12-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

So there's no better way than through a blog entry to announce that I'm going to be a father soon. Yikes! soon I will be responsible for another human life! Yes, the bow on Teresa's belly is an indicator of a present that we'll "open" in late May!

So Merry Christmas and here's to impending parenthood!

Benjy

in rainbows under rainbows

2007-12-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

so yeah, in rainbows pretty much rules. it may be blasphemous, but it's officially my favorite radiohead record. i must say having spent this week in Kaua'i Hawai'i, in rainbows becomes a completely different experience when listening in 80 degree weather shortly after seeing a beautiful tropical rainbow. it's also fun to queue up two iPods to play the album simultaneously with your sunbathing partner, so that you can air guitar/drum/synth/sing along to all of the key parts. so bad pun intended, in rainbows is awesome when listened to under rainbows.

p.s. my apologies in advance for the chest hair. how virile of a man am I?

this beautiful creature must die...

2007-11-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

each thanksgiving i get a little more than depressed thinking about the 300 million turkeys that will die for no better reason than a tradition that goes back to queen elizabeth ordering a second goose after hearing of a spanish ship (on its way to attack england) had sunk. the tradition of a late autumnal celebration featuring a large stuffed goose was replaced with turkeys by early colonists who found an abundance of wild turkeys while geese were scarce. never mind that the real thanksgiving meal was likely made up of seafood and wild venison. none of those options are very compassionate.

i realize that most people see vegetarians as mildly over-sensitive, too impassioned, or zealous, but for me it's simply a matter of compassion. if you can think of the 300 million lives that will be taken after a short life pent up in a cage, pumped full of hormones, after an infancy of clipped beaks and removed claws, and still eat these social creatures, more power to you. I may not have that ability to disconnect, but i don't fault anyone who does make that choice. provided they understand why they do eat turkeys (most would simply reply tradition), and what it means in terms of suffering.

so this is a reminder, think before you eat, and perhaps a little more thought than light or dark meat, because that meat was once a very social animal that would have loved to spend this holiday with its family. a great place to better educate yourself on the plight of the turkey is:

http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/

happy thanksgiving!

survey

2007-11-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

a survey from sloop:

01. What is your ultimate pet hate?
littering. i guess i just don't understand anyone under 40 years old not having compassion (or at the very least a mild concern) for the environment.

02. What is the most beautiful accent in the world?
French. Especially when spoken by an animated skunk.

03. If you could choose one city to live in for the rest of your life, which city would it be?
Paris, France. I'm able to ask for the restroom, order a baguette, and ask for butter all in French. I'm pretty much set.

04. Who is your favorite film director and why?
I should say Francois Truffaut to keep with my French theme, but that would deny George Lucas his rightful place. Wait, I misread the question, it's not the most-loved-as-a-child-and-hated-as-an-adult director, it's just favorite director. That would have to be Stanley Kubrick. Films that he completed in the 60s still completely challenge me. he's brilliant and relevant, and of course Eyes Wide Shut doesn't really count.

05. How much do you swear?
is this a contest? i think i'm winning!

if you're reading this, please feel free to contribute!

busted tambourine!

2007-11-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

the recent batch of boy eats drum machine shows have been particularly good. some would even say amazing, as several have done after shows, each one featuring someone saying something along the lines of, "that was your best show ever!"

i'd have to agree, and i feel fairly qualified to say so, since i have seen BEDM a ton of times. like basically, every show. actually, i'm pretty sure i have been to every show (even though i don't remember all of them, which is a totally different blog topic).

i think last friday's routure adventure should go up there in the ranks of "that was your best show" shows if for no other reason than i broke my tambourine! how cool is that! i seriously pounded my dearly beloved double decker ass shaker into the ground! sadly, not realizing i had done so until i picked up one third of it to my own shock and awe! so that's about the most rock thing i have ever done... far more impressive than breaking a drumstick, guitar string, or even bass string. for my next trick i'm gonna try it on one of those plastic ones... stay tuned.

i'm han solo

2007-11-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

the best thing about myspace is all of the mindless surveys that you can fill out to determine what genre of movie your life would be (mine would be black comedy), what superhero you most resemble (is iron man a super hero?), or what genre of music you are (do i have to check emo because i feel like cutting myself?).

so i ran across the ever-loving lulu of "what ______ would you be?" surveys. it's The Star Wars Personality Test

it turns out i'm han solo. so please know that i'm not in this for your revolution.

happ-o-ween everyone!

2007-10-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

well, it's been a crazy day at work with 32 of my 34 kids dressed as everything from wizards

to whatever these things are,

to even an appearance from yoda!

even i'm somewhat obligated to don a form of costume and since last year's Howie Mandel "costume" seemed so incredibly lame, I decided to try a little harder and went as Benjy Marley, one of Bob's illegitimate sons from a tour stop in Grand Falls, Michigan (hence the pale complexion). Sure, it was basically as easy as putting on a Bob Marley shirt, my normal olive green coat, and a $7 Fred Meyer Rastafarian wig, but it was a step above just putting on a suit.

so, after a day with the public school ghouls and goblins, i ran by the rite aid for candy. $16 later, and i'm set. so here i am passing out candy by myself. it's a terribly hilarious routine. my doorbell doesn't work, so usually i'm made aware of trick-or-treaters by my dogs barking as if someone was breaking down our front door. I then pause my DVD (the lookout right now, mr. smith goes to washington later), push the dogs back, spray the dogs with a water bottle because the pushing didn't work, then i grab the candy bowl, squeeze through the door without letting one (or both) of the dogs out, and then pass out the candy.

it's funny, because adolescents always get the bad rap for causing trouble on Halloween, but they have been the best behaved so far tonight. Surprisingly, it's been the youngest kids who grab fistfuls of candy without asking, or even saying trick-or-treat for that matter. i'm from the "grab a couple" school of thought, and most kids are cool, it's just the littlest ones who apparently don't know any better. then again, Halloween is for the little kids.

so cheesy i had to do it...

2007-10-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

so, i know that a good deal of the blogging has been weight related, but have you seen me lately? I went to clean the gutters the other day, and threw on some "work" jeans. they then fell off. I pulled them up again, and again, they fell off. So i tightened up the old belt that was in the jeans and it went around me one-and-a-half times! now these were some older jeans, but i was still pretty shocked because at one point they fit me. wow. so there it is, my "look at how big my old pants were" picture. too bad i have no diet or weight loss plan to hit up for my 15 minutes of infomercial fame!

in rainbows

2007-10-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

if you wanted a review, i'm not ready yet. i tend to be the worst at being subjective with new albums. especially when it is a band that i love putting out a record after some time off. i am usually so excited with the pent up anticipation that the whole experience builds with each passing song becoming my next "favorite" leading up to some odd auditory orgasm ...and premature at that.

enter radiohead's in rainbows. after consulting with the drum machine eating boy, i set my "name your own price" price at six pounds sterling and waited the week until the past wednesday. so now that i have a few days and a half dozen listens under my belt, i'm still not ready to place this record in radiohead's cannon of work. it's good. i feel that i like it more than some of the recent work already, but it's still a little too early. all that i know is that it's good. hella good. and in a few more listens it will probably end up being brilliant.

fujiya & miyagi

2007-10-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

F&M at the doug fir last night. in a word, amazing. translated into british, brilliant. the boys from brighton were even more brilliant than their jaw dropping opening slot for peter, bjorn, and john in the summer. partly due to the simple fact that they got to play an entire set. i am the worst dancer in the world, and these guys make me forget that fact and enjoy myself (to the chagrin of everyone around me i'm sure). so well done lads, and please come back soon as i'm sure your fan base will continue to grow exponentially (but I hope that it's not so much that you'd be in a larger room where it's harder to get close and steal your set lists).

by the way, the new dave smith instruments prophet '08 (pictured above below the nord) is even more amazing in person. wow.

fashion faux pas

2007-10-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

so I committed a MAJOR fashion faux pas today, a mistake that I haven't made in at least the last 4 years. It was half way through my morning, teaching my second science class when I touched myself (not like that) and realized that I had NO BELT ON.

For some this is no big deal. I like to call those people unrefined, ill-bred, barbarians. In any case, I joined their ranks today walking around sans belt.

While not as bad as completely losing one's trousers, the lack of a belt aesthetically is a fairly severe offense. My fashion mentor Terri would be so disappointed. I guess I'll have to watch a self-made Devil Wears Prada, America's Next Top Model, and Ugly Betty marathon in order to get my life back in order.

In case you need them, here are a few more everyday tips for the tasteless guys out there that want some help:

1) Always, wear a belt. Yes, you bought your jeans in the correct sized inseam, but always wear a belt-no exceptions.

2) Said belt MUST match your shoes. Brown belt with black shoes is as unsightly as catching someone teabagging.

3) Your socks MUST match your shoes. Black shoes=black socks, tennis shoes (even with a little color on them)=white socks, and so on. Don't buy red shoes without buying red socks!

4) For the sake of us all men, buy an ear and nose hair trimmer and then use them. Every other day at least.

Wow! I feel like I'm better and back in my place atop my high horse!

Happy Invasion Day!

2007-10-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

For my people (the Tlingit tribe pictured above), today is not a day of celebration, but of sorrow. Columbus' arrival marked the beginning of the end for thousands of strong, powerful, and ecologically responsible nations. I do not celebrate Columbus Day anymore than I celebrate the day my grandpa died. It would seem to lake taste. Before you even begin to think about some sort of manifest destiny rationale, ask yourself why the Australian aborigines are still alive and thriving (and the answer is not because no one else wanted their desert lands).

new(-ish) tat

2007-10-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

so by now everyone has seen it, but this is such great blog fodder that it had to be done. i finally got the sparrow tattoo that i've wanted for so long. major special thanks to ryan @ scapegoat who is truly awesome, and to sloop who rode shotgun for the whole experience.

as the stories go, sparrows mate for life

...sadly humans do not.

bedbug

2007-10-07T06:26:00.001-07:00

they say never give a stray cat a saucer of milk, or it will no longer be a stray cat, it will simply be your cat. which by the way, is how I came to care for the only cat I have ever owned sidney, who followed my brother and I home from the school bus back when I was a freshman or so. Come to think of it that cat is still alive and well meaning it is 15 years old or something. I'm beginning to question whether Sid is truly a cat and not some kind of undead zombie.

In any case, the don't feed a stray thing also applies to dogs. When attempting (for the first few hours anyway) to crate train my wunderdog Kazu, I was faced with a similar conundrum. Kazu hated her crate and so she began to cry. For the first half an hour it was almost humorous. Then it began to interfere with my own sleep. So in a moment of weakness, I let her out and up onto the bed. Game over. So Kazu not only sleeps in my bed, she works her way up to the top of the covers and rests her head on the pillow. In her mind, she is a tiny, hairy, illiterate human with a poor vocabulary.

So here we are six years later, and she has not been able to sleep a night outside of my bed. Her habit transfers to other beds as well. In a hotel room, Kazu's in the bed, when camping Kazu's in my sleeping bag, when I sleep in my car, she's on top of me in the driver's seat and so on.

I honestly don't mind at all. That makes me a terrible Dog Whisperer, but I kind of like having a friendly heat source in the bed. Especially in these colder months, and even more especially as of late.

massive weight loss

2007-10-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

it's amazing what a general tendency of laziness coupled with life changes like graduation and the stress of starting one's career will do for weight gain. I never was a skinny guy, but it was kinda scary last Christmas when all of the cookies and treats found me a large inhale away from 200 lbs. It was honestly kinda scary for a short guy like me.

So in January I set out to make some changes. Nothing crazy. I'm the worst vegan in the world, so now I'm really just a vegetarian. The thing that I found that worked the best was simply being health conscious. Amazing, all of those balanced eating recommendations seem to be right after all.

here I am 9 months or so later and I'm down over 40 lbs. go team. 198.8 in January, 158.6 in October. I went from a 36" waist to a 30, from size large t-shirts to size small. I can barely believe it myself.

now while I don't recommend major emotional trauma to anyone, it certainly helps you lose that last pesky 8 pounds or so... and fast.

i have something to say!

2007-09-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

due to the cathartic nature of pouring one's soul out to the sheer ones of online readers, I will now return to blogging. I finally have something to say. and it will be good stuff, like today I bought an all-in-one remote that actually works and replaced five other remotes in my house. take that electronics!

please note that the pictured bird is intended only for said electronics. :)

7/7/7

2007-07-07T22:07:00.002-07:00

not being in school today, i wanted to take the opportunity to officially "write" today's date. so yay! it's 7/7/7! I actually saw 1 wedding. lucky groom will have no problems remembering his anniversary. it will come in handy come time to fill out the divorce papers in a few years. we all know that summer marriages never last.

happy 7/7/7!