Pure Gonzo Engineering

Saturday, October 25, 2008

And I Awoke, and Faintly Bouncing Round the Room

I'm waiting for the release of Guitar Hero World Tour, and for whatever reason I'm also having a hell of a time typing.

I'm going to head to Walmart at about 11:30 so I can get my hot little hands on World Tour. Yeah, I'm a loser. I'm not going to get the drum set. I'm not that big of a loser.

I've been trying to think of how to pull these ideas I have floating in my head into a post. The big themes are The bizzaroness of existence, and how people change, becoming who they are, and how you can have an idealized version of what they should be from past experience.

I was walking through the center yard at work, all this heavy equipment around me, the sound of diesel engines and impacts, dirt on my jeans and boots, lugging two laptops in from testing. The only thing I like about fall is the cool air that fills your lungs in the morning. It's not bitter like in winter, just cold enough when you breathe in and breathe out you get the condensed water vapor.

The combination of everything, the air, the dirt, the pain in my shoulder, the sounds, the fact that I was being paid every day to do this testing. It just struck me as bizarre. It was like being a kid again crossing the Wisconsin River on the way to church and being struck by the fact that I exist, that anything exists.

Is this some religious epiphany for me? I don't think so.

This most likely doesn't make sense, but I find it weird that anything exists. Why should it? It's either a profound and deep statement, or just retarded. I can 't really make any more sense of it than that.

Next on my mind is how people you used to know are, and how they got there.

My sister's boyfriend in high school was cool as shit. He introduced me to Phish, took me rollerblading when I was just learning and just was awesome. I have these memories of him just being one of the coolest people I knew at the time. So I befriend him on facebook, and I find out he's a dirty Republican. (And I say that with love Steve.)

He makes all these comments on his status about personal responsibility, and staying the course, and blah, blah, blah, and his photo is some anti-Obama thing.

I understand how most people become who they are. They usually just reflect their parents and the towns they grew up in. So Wis Rapids is what it is and it wouldn't suprise me that it pumps out a high percentage of Republicans. Yeah, it's got working people with Unions, but it still is what it is.

How does one go from being a seamingly artistic hippy all around awesome guy to a Republican artist?

Is it the same way I went from King of the Dorks (or at least a high ranking Dork Official) to a heavily tattooed Liberal engineer? (Who is still a dork waiting to buy Guitar Hero at midnight on it's release date.)

I don't know. People change. Certain underlying personality traits might not, but everything else can and does.

I just hate it when new shit that comes to light about people you know tarnishes those old memories you have of them.

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Thursday, October 09, 2008

Where is Lawryde

My lack of posting isn't because I've secretly met another group of people who read the boring crap that happens in my life. I wouldn't treat you like that, I swear.

No, I've just kind of been busy following our downward spiral into financial anarchy, posting on the Attachment Parenting of Peoria message board (I guess I may be cheating on you a bit), saving the world one hydraulic system at a time at work, starting to believe that maybe the American dream and the amazing thing that is America may actually happen if/when Obama is elected president, planning my sweet ass Halloween costume, getting excited for Guitar Hero 4 coming out, and perhaps the most important and time consuming thing, growing my hair out. I'm hoping to get here:



Then here:


Having a kick ass sweatband collection is my main draw to having long hair.

and finally perhaps here:



Don't think I'd end up gong that long, but the burning heart thing is cool.

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