We still wake up

The Best Friend

Dear old friend, your body has given up. Your spirit is strong and will always live on.

Wet Behind the Ears

Oil spill.

Once, I was told I had shark eyes. I hope I do. If my eyes show a fiery passion and determination, then I am truly blessed. I try to be those things in my heart daily. Some days I am perfect. Some days I am deeply flawed. I try my best. You know I try.

Vibrations of our Souls

The fundamental truth about ourselves has been hidden away from us.
That we could spend our lives passionately pursuing something that sets our souls and minds on fire and that doing that very thing might lead us to something extraordinary and possibly even world changing…  That we could do and say whatever makes us feel good and alive no matter how different it is from what other people are doing or what other people think we should be doing…
These truths have been quietly sneaked away from us and swept neatly into a forgotten corner… and if you try to look over there they’ll tell you its dangerous.  And if you decide to go look anyway they’ll tell everyone else that you’re dangerous.  And if you just don’t give a fuck what they say about you.. well then you might actually change the world.
Be strange.  Be weird.  Be a freak.  Be anything you want.  Be brave.  Be unafraid.  Be ready to be scoffed at and be ready for others to find you unacceptable.  You don’t need to be accepted by anyone except yourself inside your deepest and truest heart.  Its tough for people to accept that someone could be so very free while they’re busy conforming.  It threatens every choice they’ve ever made if they allow the realization in that they too could have been free.. that they could be free now instead of trapped where they are.
Its our choice.  Each and every one of us is free to be free.  The one who changes the world.. the one there will be books about.. the one who will do something brand new and become a hero is the person who does not conform.   The one who breaks free and lets their most unique flag fly high.  That person is YOU.
Today is yours.

Karmal Sundae

Reflections of a life; accomplishments, regrets, and future frets.

Elliott Smith always makes me want to write more.

Time passes like the faces on a train. Things that were once so important in life, now have faded to distant memories that I can only remember when I am triggered by photographs and symbolic objects, words, or the occasional deja-vu.
The scars, freckles, and tattoos remind me of past times. . .some incredibly amazing and others so miserable. My finger tips run over them, reading them like Helen Keller read braille as I take a trip through my temporal lobe. The roller coaster is long, yet many exciting turns and sudden drops remain.  With all that said, I can be nothing but thankful and encouraged by the progress I have seen and the future I hold.  I may spend my years chasing worthless dreams, bad habits, and meaningless actions, but to me that is life.  To sit in this glued together wooden chair tonight, I realize how many descendents of mine have struggled to put me in this position. I wish there was a way to accumulate it all me be some blossom of all their growth, but I struggle to come up with anything worth while.  I will continue to paint, write silly songs on guitar and dance until my flat feet burn on the dance-floor, but this isn't a blossom.  It is just one more link in the long chain of life.  Like my father, and his father before him, I will pass along to my descendents my best advise and hope they succeed in becoming the blossom of a family tree I have not become. Pitseleh. I am excited to see the years that lay before me and I am so thankful for the cheap garage--sale bought chair I sit in tonight.
My decisions have not been flawless, my objectives not always the most pure and my ability to help those around me not always exhausted, but I realize that and as long as I move towards my goals, I will sleep with heavy eyes of contentness.

The desire to grow to be a better person is all I need as motivation tonight.


Ghost, ghost I know you live within me.

that song

You associate with everything you hear
The sound, the way it made you feel that somber year
That song it redefined the seasons
And now it's all we have to hang our keys on.
That song.

You clean your memories, the ones you don't want
You'll never get over the sound of the song
when you're all alone.
You ride along, the song comes on the radio
You never get over the sound of the song when you're all alone.

You played it loud so everyone could hear.
I whispered what I thought the words were in your ear
That song was written for a reason.
And now it's all we have to hang our keys on.
That song.

Swells and Magic Spells

Spring is Near, grab a beer.

A February 2012 Media List:

Foo Fighters - Back and Forth
The Hiatus - Souls
Punch Brothers - This Girl
Amy Winehouse - Wake Up Alone
Tokyo Police Club - Favourite Colour
The Roots - The Other Side
Jay Z and Kanye West -Why I Love You
Fun. - We Are Young
Jack White - Love Interruption
Atmosphere - Abusing of the Rib

Best Song of All-Time Award
B4-4 - Get Down

Albums:
Noam Pikelny - Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail
Punch Brothers - Who's Feeling Young Now

Fuck you squares, The circle got smaller
The castle got bigger, The walls got taller
And truth be told after all that said
Niggas still got love for you

feel it in my bones

my first nephew; baby lalito. excited i am

Words and time, they spin inside.

Racing and swirling, they blur the lines

Running the Show

A thought makes the wind blow the leaves. They shake a dance and wave goodbye to the summer and countless sunny hours.

Soon they grow tired of their dance and slowly, one by one fade away. With no leaves left, the tree, now naked, stands for the whole world to see.

Every flaw is exposed.

Beware of the Small Town Girl

Dear You,

This is my warning to you. Stay clear. At all costs, avoid her like the plague my friend; she is no good. Not one bit.

Most people ask questions because they are curious of the answers, but not her. Don't be fooled. Her priority list starts and ends with one word and that word is her name. She'll call you up to ask how you are, but she really just wants you to know how she is.

In a small town, she would have a reputation in town, but in a large city she can drift in and out with a low profile. So many new people to hear her empty words. Her desire for attention will grow old and wear thin on your patience. She walks in circles, going no where. Why? Because she does what satisfies the short term feelings of her ADHD mind. If I had to give two words of advice, they would be to stay away.

She will talk to you, call you, and even come hang around, but only when someone can do something for her. Don't get me wrong, she cares about other people but her selfishness gets in the way of that. A friend to her is someone who can help her in the moment. Stay away.

If you are shiny enough you may spark her interest for a day/week/month, but when the weather dulls your shininess, the girl will drift. You will be left to lick your wounds.

Don't think for a second that you can change her. Just wait and see, because one day your phone will stop ringing.

I say this not out of anger, spite, or any other negative feelings. This is just my warning to you dear friend. She is in it for herself and one day, sooner than later, she will drift to the next shiny boy. My advice? Stay away.

If the Sea was Whiskey

Get ready to ignite. Time to do it right.

50 years of hard work, and where are you? Alone.

Abandoned by the very thing you once held so close. It is something that still exists; it even looks similar, but is but a shell of its former self. You are left standing alone in the rain and feel truly alone.
This thing has driven away your friends, family, and hobbies. Not only abandoned, you are an altered self that only is brought down by this dead weight.

Held up by upbringing, morals and pride, you stand as tall as possible with the sun setting behind you. What legacy will you leave? Will your thoughts, memories and dreams be muffled by your shadow?

Be strong, and find a way to
Survive.

A Changin'

An Uncle? Me? I thought it would be a long time coming, but apparently the times, they are a changing. I'm nervous no doubt. But let us not forget my excitement. A little baby boy on the way.

A new location, new job, family changes, and friend changes lead to a full mind and a full schedule.

The river creeps higher as the rainwater settles in. A boy becomes curious and swims into this new territory. He finds a whole new world. Suddenly, he looks behind him to see the the river has receded. He is now trapped in this puddle. The hot July sun cooks the earth, and with it his water becomes less and less. He is now trapped and the walls are closing in around him.
It was once good to be a big fish in the river, but being the big fish in a dwindling puddle leaves him vulnerable.
Death is inevitable.

The Truth

There is fire in my palms and cool water between my ears.
Don't you realize my tongue can cause whip lash?
And you, you dream of understanding a word I say.
Open your mind, soul, and heart up. Cause shit is about to roll down hill.

Apple Trees

Top down, rolling fast through the streets of STL. The city glows as we approach. The thick Saint Louis summer air is hard to hold down on a warm summer night.

Catching my Breath

We stare at broken clocks, lost ticks locked inside the interior, screaming to get out. It was 8:45 always and I wondered what warranted that strange occurrence, whether it was something greater than a slowing of gears or the forgetfulness of the technician. I wondered if the clock was like a heart, pulsing away with the stacked lines of a ribcage; always strong and steady, but eventually gave up trying to mimic Time, just like a heart would give up myself. Now it’s always 8:45 and not a second too late.

Walls

The Revival is here.

Walls are made to stop short people and people with no desire. I am neither, so the walls will not stop me.

Once you have tasted the sweetness that is associated with loving life, it is hard to go back. It's that amazing feeling of going somewhere to better something. That's what I love and that's what I will always strive for. The blessings of this world must not get by me. I am the fortress with passion, success, and love.

Not just anyone can take what I have. I have traveled so far in 25 years and there is no end in sight. 28 years old....that's bullshit.

Sometimes it all feels so heavy. All things considered, I am very proud of my life and the decisions I have made.

Home

Dance and sing, for the hearts will smile upon you.


Renaissance Man
On top of the world with ideas and plans
sunroof down
arm out the window
singing along
to level 30
basking in the sunshine
there isn't a better way to live

music, locally grown food, live music, sing-a-longs, sunshine, and ambitions.





My quickie version:

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Find more artists like Gabe Witcher at Myspace Music

Oh, Charlie,

Living in the Delmar Loop: I have finally turned into a tight pants wearing hipster who wants to play guitar and harmonica after discussing the meaning of life with wise old men.

I'd like to think you are doing something better like painting a picture of an old man playing chess with his grandson or dancing at the local swing scene. All in all, I find it weird that the thing I want most is also my greatest fear. . . . gives me too much time to think and what I think drives me crazy.



When the aliens land, who will speak to them? Will they come and we will not understand a word they say?

Frustration growing?
They tell us everything they know,
but we cannot understand.
They are different.
Distant.
Our minds are small
to new ideas.
This is
our death.




Tonight I leave you with the image of Paris.