Sleep Is For the Weak

          Of course, two all nighters within a couple days of each other is pushing it even for me, and within half an hour of starting my shift at the office, I was passing out. Thankfully, business was slow; coffee and a commitment to doing everything standing up, plus my well-honed insomniac second wind, combined to keep me functioning. Today was more interesting with respect to the other folks in the office -- Lisa was in communication with an attorney who had been involved with the litigation surrounding the Station nightclub fire. Ally, Lisa and I bitched about the NU Telefund and Senior Gift for a while, the latter of which I would love to write a lengthy rant about if it wasn't so plainly, painfully dumb. (A "symbolic" monetary gift from college seniors to the bloated university that just sucked four or more years' worth of tuition and fees out of them? NO.) In other news: Some asshole at the Tewksbury MassHealth office hasn't been answering my calls for about a week, we had a client named Defense who was a defendant, there's a courier service with my initials (Affordable Rush Couriers), I'm an insomnia machine, and thanks to his documentary, there is now a strain of marijuana called Sanjay Gupta Kush.
          Sleeplessly successful, I napped until 10:30 at home. After waking, I hung out with Alaric, Sean and Katie, then withdrew into my room for a rare solo smoke session. For a change, I had a really fun time and got into a very positive state of mind. My plan was to awesome-ize the anticipated housework to follow, and this was at least a partial success, though I didn't get too much done. The rest of the time was spent sitting and listening/singing along to music, watching the Hyperspace 3D screen saver at length, and pondering the greatness of human achievements. At another point, I realized I was mentally arguing with myself over the concept of ownership of memories. (Which forms a funny full circle with an essay on the same subject that I wrote in College Writing freshman year.) Finally, I took a speedy lap out around the Fens and returned for another round of decoration, this time with pre-party urgency.
          The music got me thinking about going to shows again, and I started writing down a long list of different artists I'd like to see in concert. I was listing modern artists at first, but eventually these bled into a catalog of dead or scattered musicians that I will never get to experience for myself. Let's tick them off, shall we? Genesis, my childhood favorite, peaked long before I was born and dissolved into an almost-band many years ago; Phil Collins' retirement from music spells death for them. Cap'n Jazz was finished in the 90s, and if they were to reunite, what then? Punk rock is more than music; but it is also about a time in the musician's life, and though I wish I could have been there, I know it could never be again. The giants of rap, Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, killed in drive-by shootings in 1996 and 1997, respectively; and Big L, shot to death in Harlem in 1999. Most of The Who is still alive, but they're so far past their prime they might as well be ghosts. And American Football disbanded in 2000 after only three years. So who's left? The current giants of rap, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Eminem, all of whom it would cost a small fortune to see in concert. Bohren & Der Club of Gore, who will likely never tour in the States. Bomb the Music Industry! is on indefinite hiatus and turns entirely on Jeff Rosenstock's will to continue, which seems to be at a record low. The Smashing Pumpkins are aging and turn entirely on Billy Corgan's creative impulses, not to mention that they also cost a small fortune to see live. Neither Immortal Technique, Canibus nor Atmosphere have any shows planned and may not again; the same goes for Death Cab for Cutie and Belle & Sebastian. Catch-22 is still in existence, but probably not in any recognizable form after their numerous lineup changes over the years; spiritual successor/competitor Streetlight Manifesto plays their last show next month. I missed Brand New in Clifton Park, NY in September; with luck they'll come to Boston soon. Hopefully I'll see Alkaline Trio when they come to the city in November. My point is this: many music festivals should be on my agenda for the next few years.
          Quotes of the day:
"Sean, you need to hop on this train so 1023 Tremont can be the ass-spot. Wait..." - Alaric
"She's always hysterical. That's her natural state." - Ally
"Alright Brian, this one's for you." - me, talking to myself
...
Sean: "Go chunky or go home."
Me: "Interesting, I've always been a creamy proponent myself... ... ...I don't know if I've ever explicitly asked you this, but are you an ass man?"
Sean: "That escalated quickly!"
...
Sean: "Don't you think the place we should shop for biddies is Bed, Bath and Biddyond?"
Me: "Don't you mean Bid, Bath and Beyond?"
Sean: "Bath and Biddy Works."