Im a neglectful blogger

So I wanted to do a blog about my life while swimming but I got lazy. Lazy due in part of how long each entry took me to write. I suck at writing and there it no denying it. To best bring things up to speed in my life, I will give a bulleted list. This is a list of thoughts and events taking place in my life...some funny and some serious...I will be better at posting in the future.

- Training at usc is very different training back home...but good and I like it

-Swam a meet in Minnesota then later hoped in the lake in my underoo's

-Got a job volunteering at hydrahead records....hurray free records and abuse

-I biked from my house (USC) to pasadena in a day...17 miles...cuz it sounds pretty cool to say you have done that

-my best female friend hung out with me in cali and we had a blast.....thanks to megan

- Im dating a girl name Megan who I met through a old college friend...shes lovely

-Saw pink floyds "dark side of the moon" at the lazer dome...hurray freaks and geeks throw back

-I went to the Long beach aquarium and had a blast

-Met The original singer of black flag along with the original bassist the following week

-Im excited for long course season

-My brothers wife had a child named Carys and Im the godfather...traveled to Ireland for Christening....she precious

-USC swim parties are just as caddy and boring as gmu swimming parties....usc swimmers are jsut quicker in the pool

-Saw converge play in a big concert hall...sounded great butit sucked, small clubs are better...Mastadon was trippy with their LED screen playing but awesome

-I do not have a car. I bike everywhere. 6 mile bike ride thats one way is nothing.

-Caught one of my favorite bands "these arms are snakes" final show in LA..will be missed

-I realized Cali people are friendly but kinda fake

-In the last 5 months Ive driven a car 5 times altogether in Cali

-Living off my parents is cool but not enough now that savings are gone

-Ran around with my best guy friends in LA for Travis's sisters wedding and had a blast

-Realized I have 40 records left to finish my converge collection

-Im in band called Columbian necktie and front it

- My band mates are from the same hometown as me and we use to go to the same shows and didnt even know each other

-Spent my first Thanksgiving away from my family...no one makes stuffing like mom

- no matter how hard practice is, swimming outside makes it sooooo much better and easier

-Ive never watched so much tv in my life since I moved to Cali

-I realized I miss good friends and family but not necessarily Virginia

-Met the drummer of Maserati after they opened for MONO..he signed my record and 2 weeks later died by falling out of a elevator

-Met Lydia lunch from Teenage jesus and the jerks after they performed and she signed my record

- 3 out of 4 of my closest guy friends are engaged....oh dear god

-I need a job

-My first bike got stolen over Christmas break...Im now digging my landlords garden cuz it was their bike i was loned

-My new bike fits me properly and I love it...its name is pigpen

-Id rather be busy and tired than bored and tired

-Ive been to the wall where Elliott smiths "figure 8" album was photographed

- society as a whole bums me out as a whole but individuals make my life

music Ive picked up while in cali: pissed jeans, HEALTH, Touche Amore, Graf Orlock, the xx, bon iver, neon indian, Phantograms, Lightening bolt, Corrosion of conformity, Cave in, Youth of today, judge, Xasthur, Keelhaul, Gorilla biscuit, cold cave and more

I will be more regular on my posts

Oh the places Ive gone!

Been a bit lazy on posting but now I have much to talk about.

The weekend before last I attended FYF fest in downtown LA. This festival had three stages of great bands, many of which I had never seen or wishing to see again.




Since I went alone, I bike 6 miles into downtown chinatown. I really enjoyed the ride and blasted the Clash "live on broadway." On arrival the line to enter was considerably long with little movement. The festival started at 1pm and I arrived at 3 thinking I could just walk in. The line was huge.


About 4pm I worried I would be missing the band Wavves which I was one of my top three bands to see. All of a sudden the ticket people did there job and the line moved. I was able to walk up to watch right when they came on. heres a song from the set



Later on in the day I was watch the band Lightning bolt which was absolutely batshit crazy. The fire marshal kept coming on stage telling people to quit crowding the barrier or they would shut down the show. This band consists of a guitarist and a drummer that wears a mask with a microphone hooked up to it. The microphone has a voice changer along with there guitar being very fuzzy and raw. The crowd went nuts for them. watch it





Between shows I had down time to which I browsed at the origami records store tent and the converge tent. Converge is probably my favorite band of all time. I chatted with the singer about the new album coming out and they were really cool and nice to talk to. They played at the end of the night. I purchased a converge shirt they only sold at the show. The shirt had in bold letters "This is boston, Not LA" which is a play on a famous Boston punk hardcore compilation that came out in the 80s. The shirt has a picture of the crowd with the singer in their face.



Hydra head records home to Botch, Torche, Pelican, Coalesce,These arms are snakes, ISIS and flurry of other great bands had a tent. At their tent I chatted with the guy who own the label and he was a really cool dude. They had a box of free posters to which I went through and took a bunch. Great label.



Toward the end of the night I saw Cold Cave which is a dark synth pop band made of Wes Eisold (former singer of American nightmare & Some Girls) and memeber of Xiu Xiu and Prudent. Im a big fan of whatever Wes does and its cool to see his new direction in music, His lyrics are very unique and dark. They played really well and I thought the guitarist was pretty hot. one of their songs



I then watch the band Fucked up play. I was up in the front of the pit and the singer Pink Eye has great stage presence. The singer is a bear of a guy weighing upward of 300 pounds. Im not overly familiar with there songs but they played really well.

The last band I watched was the never disappointing Converge. I was really excited to catch their set because they were going to play a few songs off their new album "Axe to fall." It was weird seeing them play in a festival environment because Ive always seen them in clubs where you can stage dive and crowded with people. They played great but I wished i watched the show in club. Heres some of the set

At the end of the show I was Tired, sun burnt, smelly and dirty. During each bands set the crowd would go ina frenzy kicking up dust on the crowd. During the more aggressive bands playing, the found it hard to breath or I would spit dirt. I even wiped my tongue on my shirt at one point and left a mark....gross

But a great show.



Later in the week I met up with a friend to go record shopping. I forgot the name of the store but it was very pick and poke. I did however stummble across a copy of David Bowies "Low" and "Hereos" for very cheap. I was also excited to find copies two spoof metal bands. I found Spinal Taps "smell the glove" LP and Dethklok's "the Dethalbum." While the store was very pick and poke, these records were uber cheap and in great condition.



Afterward we got Japanese noodles in Melrose which was a very lovely part of town. Before hand we stumbled upon the "Giant Robot Store" which specialized in novelty vinyl figurines and robots. They also sell really good up and coming art prints of bands and underground artists....It was a cool place other than the cost of everything. I had stumbled upon their online store a few years ago but had no idea they had an actual store...very cool


Before eating I had to go to a ATM. While searching I stumbled upon the "tomato bank".......I couldnt stop laughing at the fact that a bank was called that.....hilarious




Last weekend I met up with Chris Powell and his girl friend Maria. WE had a blast hanging out and going to the Lazer dome. We saw a Pink Floyd's "Dark side of the Moon" done in a lazer show. This albums fun and the show was really cool to watch. This place also does lazer versions of Led Zeppelin and The Beatles....very excited t see those two.



On Sunday I decided to bike to Hollywood to check out Amoeba Records. For about a year or so I keep hearing things from friends coming back from the California telling me I had to check out this record store. An sure enough it was the biggest record store Ive ever seen. It rest on the sunset trip and Ive never see so many records in my life. I set a budget going in which forced me to leave the store in all of 40 minutes so I didnt buy more. While the store was pricey, the selection was amazing. While there I picked up a copy of Pissed Jeans "king of jeans" HEALTH's "In color" and Boris/ 9DW split. All of which Im really digging.




The last few weaks Ive been really wrecking myself in practice in the am. In the afternoon I do a full hour of cardio along with an Ab workout. Its a good thing I swim so no one has to see how much of a sweaty bitch I am. I think Id literally die of heat stroke if I did a sport outside the water. Through the course of being here, Ive lost 8 pound. Im currently 225 but trying to get down around 218. I just have to keep up the diet and training..... DO WORK!!!



Today was a good day of training. On top of this Converge launched pre-order for their up coming album "Axe to fall." While I am a avid music collector, I tend to try and collect all the album Im really into. Im not overly into collecting every release by each band. Converge however is the exception to the rule. MY long goal over time is to own every release and color variant they produce on vinyl.....I do not have the funds to do this aggressively but over the last 6 years its slowly come to fruition...hopefully buying these variants through preorder will lessen the wild goose chase of tracking each color down.

Till next time

Sunday Boredom

After waking up from a fun night with friends, I spent my Sunday lounging around and being utterly useless. I spent some of my day trying to track down a amp for my sound system only to realize the kick ass amp and speakers I got on craigslist are too modern for a record player. After reading ont he web, today I need to go to Radio shack and purchase a pre-amp. Essentially a record player gives off a low level signal not significant enough for my amp to pick it up unless the amp is cranked up to the max. Even then its very very low. Digital signals (CD, TV, Digital TV) produce a high level signal. A preamp work allows low signal to get jacked up at a level the new age amp can register.....essentially I have to go to radio shack and drop 20 bucks to get my badass sound system operational.....then phase 2 will involved getting my record collection sent to cali.

Another thing I found online and enjoy was a documentary about the pixies called "loudQUIETloud." It follows the pixies in their 2004 reunion tour. This band and their sound has been highly influential in my life. I got into them mid-college and never really put them down. The "Doolittle" album was the album to first hook me and progressively the noisier "Surfer Rosa" then the their First EP "Come on Pilgrim." The albums after Doolittle are enjoyable but lack the sonic ferociousness and guitar hooks that make their first 3 releases so perfect. The lyrical content Black Francis conveys are written in a vague fury of sex, violence, love, Catholic guilt, mythology and longing. The lack of specifics while being so catchy leave you guessing what in gods name hes referring to.

I always find myself listening to these albums because I still have 2 or 3 songs stuck in my head. Once these songs die in my head, the others come to mind. Ive listening to this band for a long time and I never get tired of it. Its just timeless.

After Doolittle the band really got tired of one another with tension rising between the bassist Kim Deal and lead singer Black Francis/ Frank Black the band called it quits in 1994. It wasn't until 2004 that they got together and decided to tour again. Things werent really resolved between Deal and Black but they all wanted to tour again and that this point they can be adults . A big reason to tour was for financial reasons. While the band was originally active, they didn't not make much money. After 10 years and everyone realizing the extreme impact this band made on alternative rock, the bands reunion tour sold out in every show they performed.


While watching the documentary it was interesting to see how each member interacts. I think in general no one really thinks about how band member interact to make such music. Im of the mind that there needs to be a level of communication for progress to be made (even just a little it). What was eerie was how quiet and passive aggressive each member was. If something bothered them, they jsut brushed it off and moved on. I can see how tensions can rise for a band like this.

This documentary was well done. It did not overly dip into their history as a band but really jsut followed the band for the reunion picking up the drama of that tour. I enjoyed it but then again I have a mild gay crush for this band.

Sons of Beaches

Woke up early yesterday morning to catch a ride to Manhattan beach for a beach workout. Now that Ive learned the lay of the land, riding around the city has been alot of fun. At times I mentally keep refering to one of my favorite Owen songs music video.



I got a ride with my teammate Will and a few other people. The ride was fun and the air had not yet gotten hot to induce swamp ass. Manhattan beach as described by wikipedia "The city is a very upscale beach town within commuting distance of Los Angeles, making it one of the most expensive coastal towns in which to live in America, according to the most recent Fortune Magazine rankings. The town regularly smashes Los Angeles County real estate sales records, with the median price of a single family dwelling with an ocean view approaching 2.1 million dollars."

For workout the Trojan swim club did a different workout than the actual college team. We had the bright idea of swimming from pier to pier...little did we know that when it was all over we swam 1.8 miles....with current and tide added. Id say we swam little over 2 miles. After a 2 mile walk back, the team went to the kettle for breakfast which is a Trojan tradition to eat at after beach workout. Food was great and Since Im still new it was fun to just get to know people.



After workout we drove back into the city. The last few days two forest fires broke out along Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley. One started by a drivers lit cigarette other by arson. California is a very smog trapping state so with all these fires has made for a very hazy landscape. While driving into the city, these were some photos my camera caught.



Heres a better photo I didnt take


The rest of the day was spent napping and putting together my sound system. The turntable I bought is really nice but the cheap amp I bought was not working..Ill just troll craigslist I suppose. After that I had dinner with the landlords and went over to the swim house for a few beers and slip-n-slide.



One thing I really love about the street I live on are the food stands that drive by everyday. Fruit, Vegetables and Ice cream carts drive by playing a wide variety of music from happy birthday to Mexican hat dance music....Some even just yell what there selling "Tiiimmmmm-alll-eeeeeeeees" (that SOB always wakes me up during my naps like clockwork). The other day for 12 bucks I purchased 3 mangos, 6 peaches, 2 pounds of grapes, pineapple and a Coke (in the glass bottle). On a limited budget, I could live off fruit easily.

Music and shows

The other night I borrowed a teammates car and caught Deerhunter play at the Performing arts center in eagle rock. The concert was in support of the bicycle and film fest. I got free pink handle grips for my bike. I love Deerhunter. There a mix of rock and shoegaze (heavy layers of distortion) and the member of the band are just really great people. Ive seen them twice before and after each show they are more than happy to chat with you and shoot the shit. Just a great all around band.

The show was organized and set up by Keith Morris which is the original singer of Black flag. I introduced myself but he wasnt overly friendly. Kind of a downer. Im a huge fan of his works with that band and the circle jerks....hes 5o something, Hope I dont grumpy and short with people when i get old.




I also stole a huge poster thats in support of Fuck Yeah Fest on September 5th. A huge list of awesome bands play at a public park all day for 20 bucks, Very stoked, bought two tickets and need someone to be my partner in crime. This concert will rule...This concert is also organized by the lovely keith morris and this video is him talking about it a bit at Amobea

Strangelights- Deerhunter check it out..there lovely...also recommend songs cryptograms and twlight at carbon lake

Purpose

Im starting this blog because Im living a life different from my peers and Im just wacked out in the head enough to keep it interesting.

In short. I moved away from the Northern Virginia to swim in Southern California at the Trojan swim. For the next 3 years I will be committed to training for my lofty goal of trying to make the Olympic team. This blog will cover the ramblings of my routine along with the silly things I deem important.