Nobody moves and no one gets hurt

I have to take the rental car back in a few. They didn't rent me a Saturn this time, fortunately. This time it's a Mazda 3. But it is gold... just like my Saturn. Somewhere someone is laughing. And, hey, at least it works. It's new. Under 4,000 miles. No slamming into gear when I shift into reverse. No worrying about the transmission forgetting to shift into gear. Such a nice feeling. But at $45 per day, I'll be glad to return it to Enterprise. Besides, my car should be back from the shop soon... I hope.

Brand New was fantastic last night. There was once a time when I didn't care for this band. But back in 2004(?) Dawn burned me a copy of Deja Entendu and I was shocked to find that I enjoyed it. Since then I have come to realize that I like Jesse Lacey's lyrics quite a bit. And the new demos (aside from one) are fantastic. They played some of the new songs last night as well. Some were from the demos, but one we had never heard before. It reminded me of The Cure. So good. Anywho, we had a great time, despite the person standing nearby who had some nasty breath. And though we got off scot free, we did leave with a parking ticket. $65. Eh, who cares? It was worth it for the sweet parking spot. We took a chance and were ticketed by the fuzz. So be it. The show was great. Magdalene and I had fun. All is well and good.

Ok, I have to go drop off the rental and go to work. Later on.

-Sergei xo

Song of the Day:
Brand New - Untitled 5 (Cleanser)

Good days... keep 'em coming!

So, Monday turned out to be a fantastic day off. After all the good events of the morning/afternoon, I took a nap, then Magdalene stopped by and we went to Village Pizza. Mmmm... Pizza! I wasn't expecting to see her, since she had to be up super early for her first day in the ICU, so it was a great surprise and nice end to an excellent day off. I figured the next day (yesterday) would be bad to add balance. And, I guess, some would consider aspects of it to be bad, but not me. After all the positive events that unfolded on Monday, nothing on Tuesday could bring me down. I spent most of the day waiting for feedback on the status of my car's transmission issues. As the hours passed, I realized I could no longer lay idle. I had to get to work. My brother dropped me off and Sean agreed to pick me up. Then the news came. My mechanic called me around 4:30pm to inform me that after looking through most of my transmission, he found that the sensors all tested positive, so they weren't the problem, but some clutch was shot and needed to be replaced. He said he still had some looking around to do, but it looked like he would need to rebuild the transmission. Rough estimate? $1,700. I'm assuming this does not include the front brakes and inspection. So I'm figuring I'll be dropping around $2,000 on repairs. But you know what? I'm not concerned. I dropped off my car expecting the worst, so I wasn't caught off guard. In the end, I'll have a fully functioning car. A car that will get me to school this Fall. Hooray! So, yeah, I'm excited.

Later last night, I spoke with Magdalene and she said she would pick me up after work, so Sean would not have to come all the way to Lake Grove after work. And so she wouldn't have to travel so far in the morning, nor have to drive al the way back to Lake Grove after dropping me off, she stayed over. She got to experience the zaniness that occurs in my house so early in the morning as my mom and brother get ready for work. Always a funny time. My mom and I always have the funniest conversations early in the morning. I think it is when we are both in our silliest states.

I went running again today. I have some extra time, since my rental car won't be ready until 3pm. I decided to rent a car for the next couple of days while my car is being worked on. I figure if I'm already spending two grand on my car, what's another $100 for two days? Anywho, I'm kind of excited to pick it up. Cross your fingers that I don't get another Saturn. The one I drove in Tennessee was nice, but, C'mon, I've been driving Saturns for years. Give me something new.

The next two Thursdays should be a lot of fun. Magdalene and I are seeing Brand New at Webster Hall this Thursday (and we're seeing Jeremy Enigk Friday, Aug. 11th), and Christian's 30th birthday party is next Thursday. And I had a chance to talk with Christian today. I haven't had too much of a chance to talk with him due to our crazy schedules. I'm looking forward to seeing him, as well as several members of the Hilofilms crew, next week.

Oh, and another good thing about today... Honey Nut Cheerios! I walked up to 711 this morning for a cup of coffee and a box of cereal. I love Honey Nut Cheerios.

And in strange news, one of my friends from work, after a conversation regarding work related fanclubs (which I still say I don't have), decided to create a myspace group called "The Sergei Wears Little Jeans Fanclub." So absurd. I'll put this in the same file as Nick from Syracuse naming his pet tarantula "Sergei" because of my fear of spiders. I guess when you're an odd person, odd things surround you. hahaha.

Ok, I'm done dishing out the jibba-jabba. Later on!

Damn right it was a good day

Ok, so the day is not yet over yet, but it has been a really good day thus far. So far, I woke to find an email from the woman at the teacher's certification center at Stony Brook stating that she was able to speak with the director of the department regarding my Master's application. She informed me that Dr. Lindblom will review my application when he returns mid-August, and if I'm accepted I can matriculate in the Fall. This set my good day in motion. Next I stopped for bagels and headed to Joy's house for a haircut. We chatted for a while, eating our bagels and drinking coffee. It's always a nice time hanging out with Joy. Then she gave me a much needed haircut, making it look more like hair and less like a helmet. Oh how my thick hair engulfs my head. Next stop was the bank to deposit a check my mom gave me, and finally I dropped my car off at the mechanic. My car, as some of you know, has been acting crazy lately. The inspection is up soon, so getting the repairs taken care of is essential. I have an awesome mechanic too. I've been taking my car to him for several years now, following a "Holy crap! My inspection is up and I have no time to take care of this!" episode. Anywho, he just called and said that he doesn't believe my transmission needs to be replaced (Woohoo!), but there is something definitely going on inside it, so he needs some time to figure out the problem. It may be a sensor sticking causing the transmission to not shift correctly -- or at all -- at times. And the front brakes need to be replaced in order to pass inspection. I knew the brakes were an issue, and luckily he said it's only the front brakes. So, perhaps it won't be as horribly costly as expected. But I'm still prepared for anything.

After dropping off the car, I went for a run around The Dale. It felt good. I haven't run as much this summer, but I have been quite active, so I don't feel lazy. Though when I get the time to run I do feel good about it... a little sore, but still a good feeling. The good events did not end here either. In addition to finding out that I may still have a chance of being accepted into the program in the Fall, I received written approval from the School of Professional Development at Stony Brook explaining that I have been approved to take six more credits as a non-matriculated student. Of course, the credits can only come from two specific classes, but I'm fine with that. The approval letter did mention that I should still try to find another professor to write the letter of recommendation. I plan to email my professor from last semester to see if she will do me the favor and write the letter. I hope she is on campus this summer and is willing to help me out. She was kind enough to allow me join her class last semester despite my non-matriculated status. But even if I don't get into the program this semester because of the letter of recommendation fiasco, I can still take classes. This puts me at ease. And not only have I had fantastic luck with school today, but I received my copy of The Long Winters' new album "Putting the Days to Bed" this afternoon. It's quite a good disc so far. I can't wait to hear it in my car... once it's back from the shop and working well. Oh, and Sean transferred me both Keane albums last night, so I have a lot of new, good music.

I watched 16 Blocks last night. I liked it. It was a tad predictable, but still a good movie. I still need a really good movie to make up for Superman Returns and Jarhead. I got so bored with the latter that I almost turned it off, which I don't like to do. Even the worst movies I try to watch from beginning to end. Hey, I sat through Syriana, didn't I? Ugh! That one was boring.

Magdalene & I went to Sea in Brooklyn with Sean & Celia last Friday. We had been talking about going out for Thai food for a while, and Celia is a big fan of Thai. Sean, on the other hand, is not, but he was a good sport about it. Sea is a bit trendy and the music can be a tad loud, but the food is really good and reasonably priced, and the drinks are quite tasty. Mmmmm... pomegranate mojitos! Anywho, we had a fun time. It was nice hanging out with them, as it always is. And Magdalene got to meet Celia's dog Coco (I still think her name should be Walter). Coco, I think, is part penguin. Her front feet point out to the sides. Quite funny and adorable. A friendly dog with a fetish for feet and shoes.

Yeah, I really like The Long Winters' new album.

So, yeah, this has been a really good day. In all honesty, despite all the headaches I have suffered over the issues with school and work, especially working 27 days straight without a day off (until today), I have been quite upbeat. Sometimes you just need to find something that makes you truly happy and focus on it. So I guess I really have nothing to complain about. There are times when I hate working in the mall, mostly when things go wrong with school, but one really good thing came out it. For this I am happy. Just when you think life has past the point of youthful excitement, someone comes along and shows you how being alive should feel. It's a nice feeling... Happiness.

Ok, I'm off to play on the interweb (I felt like Nicole typing that).

-Sergei xo

Song of the Day:
The Long Winters - Seven

Catching up

Cursive was amazing. Yeah, I know it was over a week ago, but I have been busy. But I'll get to that soon. Back to Cursive... For the tour, they brought along a small horn section -- trumpet, trombone, & saxophone -- to play on the Happy Hollow songs. They even had someone on keyboard, so Tim Kasher could focus on guitar and vocals. Also, a cellist was brought on for the songs Greta had played on. Cursive sounded great and Tim was hilarious. Definitely the best Cursive show I have attended. The first band, Lasalle, was ok. I liked them better when their set started, but I got bored quickly. Make Believe was extremely entertaining. I've never been a fan of Tim Kinsella's voice, but his stage antics were highly entertaining. Some poor kid's head was used several times as a leaning post while Kinsella leaned into the audience. Cursive was definitely the high point of the night though.

I saw Superman Returns with Sean & Celia last weekend. Sadly, I was disappointed. Maybe it was because I was tired. Or maybe it was the couple of Cap'n & Diets and the scumbag shot I did with Celia. (*Note: a scumbag consists of vodka and peach schnapps. Sounded better than it tasted.) Regardless, as a fan of Bryan Singer's work, especially Usual Suspects, I was hoping for a better film. In the end, I liked the performances of Kevin Spacey, Brandon Routh, & even Parker Posey & Kal Penn, who didn't have a single line, but was irritated by everyone else. And the story was too focused on the relationship between Superman & Lois Lane. Ugh! Perhaps I need to see it again when I'm not so exhausted. Maybe then I will like it. Who knows?

Today was my 24th day of work since my last day off. Granted I only went in for 3 hours and took two other short days, but I did my share of 12 1/2 hour shifts. Needless to say, I have been trying to unlock my house with my store key and the store with my house key. I need a vacation. Better yet, I need to get my car repaired and inspected. Better yet, I need to get all of the issues with school settled. Did my professor forget to mail the letter? Did she submit it directly to the head of the department? Will the women in the teacher's certification center ever contact me? Will the school approve the petition I submitted to have the 12 credit max lifted for non-matriculated status while I work out these aforementioned issues? Ugh! I don't even want to think about it. I'm going to sleep. I'm picking Magdalene up from work in the morning & going to breakfast, so at least I have a positive thing to think about. Then we're going out for Thai food with Sean and Celia in the evening. Should make for a fun Friday night.

Ok, I'm off to sleep. Goodnight.

-Sergei xo

Song of the Day:
matt pond PA - Kc

Two in one day?

Jeremy Enigk is playing a solo show at Bowery Ballroom on Friday, August 11th.

End transmission.

-Sergei xo

BEEP BEEP!

Sooooooooooo... Here we are again. Several days have passed (again) since my last blog. What can I say? Obviously nothing since I have been slacking so heavily. Oh well. I'm back, so let's get to the updating...

I worked 68.5 hours at work this past week. My manager, Frank, is on vacation and will continue to be so until Thursday, so I have been putting in extra hours. Sadly, I no longer receive overtime pay, so I have to rely on sales to fill my paycheck with bill paying funds. Ugh! Bills. Not a fan of bills. But who is? Though I like dollar bills, so feel free to place some in an envelope and mail them to me. Your money will be greatly appreciated.

I went to a new (at least I think it's new) restaurant in Bay Shore called Tula Kitchen. The menu is small and somewhat limited, but the food and the atmosphere were excellent. And the French pressed coffee was fantastic. You know you have a good coffee when you can drink it black and really enjoy it. Of course, I only drink black coffee these days, so I have become more accustomed to the taste. But, trust me, the coffee is delicious. Mmmm... coffee.

Seeing Cursive tomorrow with Magdalene. I can't wait to hear what the new album sounds like live. Will they have a horn section? If so, will they be used on any of the songs Greta played on? All-in-all it should be a fun day. And I'm getting out of work early, so I will have some freedom from the store finally. The last week wasn't so bad, in actuality. But a few extra hours away from work will be nice.

The worst day of work last week was the 4th of July. After working 7+ hours on Sunday and 12 1/2 on Monday, the 10 hours I put in on the 4th were rough. Mainly because the mall was dead. What was mall management thinking when they decided to remain open until 7pm? I'm sure the management staff was off. Seriously though, no one was shopping for the last 3+ hours. Everyone was where they should have been: out or at home drinking and cooking (non-meat products) on the barbecue. Anywho, after getting out, I went to get some ice cream with Magdalene in East Setauket, then we decided to walk around The Dale drinking wine out of plastic water bottles and looking for fireworks. To our surprise, a family living on my cross-street was setting off professional fireworks. So we stood at the end of my street watching the sky explode with celebratory splendor. So, despite the long, irritating day of work I was forced to endure, it turned out to be a great 4th of July.

I watched Walk the Line finally. Great film. I've been slacking with my film watching, but it's ok. I have been enjoying life, so what else can I ask for?

Not sure what's going on with the recording. I have to get in touch with Sean and kick him in the arse to get him back in to record more of his guitars. The lyrics are coming along more and more, so by the time Sean is finished with his tracks and we have finally figured out what we are doing with Sound the Alarm, I'll be ready to go in to record vocals. I can't wait. I love recording vocals. Since getting past the fear of people listening to me in another room, I have embraced the act. And I love trying new and different vocal melodies and experimenting with harmonies. Usually I figure out harmonies while I'm recording them, but I have a bunch of possible ideas already, so I think this will be one of the strongest of our recordings vocally.

I guess that's all for now. Later on.

-Sergei xo

Song of the Day:
Jets to Brazil - Sweet Avenue

July

Another month is upon us. July. The month of fireworks and summer parties. A month of endless possibilities.

I bought a couple of tshirts recently from a company called Threadless. They make new designs every month, creating a limited supply of each design, thus making the shirts more rare. It doesn't make the shirts more valuable, but it does make them a little more special. Not sure when they should be arriving. There a bit slow with shipping, but they are a small company, so this can sometimes happen.

I've been in a really good mood lately. Even when things have gotten stressful, I have retained an unusual level of happiness. And I'm feeling quite accomplished, having completed a lot more of the lyrics and more tightly focused the song themes and concepts for the new recording. The basic ideas were there and a good deal of the lyrics, but I feel like things are really coming together now.

The 4th of July Twilight Zone Marathon is on. SciFi channel comes through for me every year, picking up where channel 11 left off when they decided to start airing a Star Trek marathon. It's not that I hate Star Track (or that I really like it... the TV show, not the movies). I just don't enjoy it as much as The Twilight Zone. Though lately I have become more anti-Star Trek due to the rising number of Bluetooth wireless headsets for cell phones. Those little devices annoy me. But I won't get started on that.

I bought a new cell phone on Saturday. My number is still the same, but I have upgraded to the LG V phone. It's a bit bigger than my last LG, but this phone also flips open to reveal a keyboard. Now I can check my email and slack on the internet even when I'm not home. And you thought I could become even more addicted to the internet. hahaha.

It's getting late, so I may attempt sleep. Goodnight.

-Sergei xo

Song of the Day:
Ben Folds - The Luckiest