A Great Mosh and a Funny Story

A Great Mosh and a Funny Story

Last night at the ShowBox SoDo I finally got to check out a live show
by a band I've listened to for many years, Taking Back Sunday.

It was a little worrisome watching all the misspent youth in line and
then they only had the railing for the beer section on the small
setting. But it turns out it didn't matter to me at all.

The opener was Envy on the Coast who I'd never heard of before. They
were definitely an opening band. They had a good presence but no
consistency in the music. More experience maybe?

Anberlin played a great set before TBS came on. I've seen them before
and they brought a fabulous energy. And since they played a lot, all
these weak Seattle moshers couldn't stand the heat so they had to
bounce out of the pit early leaving plenty of wriggle room which I
immediately ransacked.

It was one of those really ludicrously hot pits that's just rank
armpits, swinging elbows, flinging sweat drops, ninja farts, and the
collective shouting of choruses in each others faces, mixed at 120
degrees and sprayed occassionally by water from the bouncers on the
rail.

The wonderful diversity of my circle of friends was further reinforced
last night when I enjoyed a little misunderstanding. My friend was
having work done on her car and so I asked "How's the tranny in your
car? Did everything turn out okay?" to which she responded "Nikki is
great, his boobs turned out fabulous!".

Yes, I know I should have been more specific.

Afterwards I met up with a different group to wish @rnjurk a Happy
Birthday. Who knew she had hot friends? And why has she been hiding
them?

To cap off the night, I got to watch the indomitable Berkies doing the
shuffle.

Mi Vida Loca.

One of those bands I wanted to see.

One of those bands I wanted to see.

Taking Back Sunday is one of those bands I've been wanting to see for
literally years.

Finally I get the chance to mosh to their music.

I'm super hot, sweaty, buy having a great time as Anberlin finishes
and I move up to the pit.

These pits are alwayss full but worth if it if you can stand the heat.
For a phoenix boy, this is nothing.

Lots of great dancing and "Hey how ya doings" take place.

Excited to rock. See you on the other side.

So Alive

Why is it that when things are the craziest, the zaniest, the most hectic, that is when the rush comes on?

I've recently been through a move and we all know how much that can suck. But it has also been a little invigorating. It was a chance to re-think how I live, where I live, and in small ways, how I spend my time.

Summer time and the wind is blowing, outside in lower Chelsea.
And I don't know what I'm doing in this city,
The sun is always in my eyes,
It crashes through the windows, and Im sleeping on the couch,
When I came to visit you,
That's when I knew that I could never have you,
I knew that before you did,
Still I'm the one who's stupid
And there's this burning, like there's always been,
I've never been so alone, and I've never been so alive.

-- Motorcycle Drive-By by Third Eye Blind

The onset of summer has brought lots of changes besides the living situation. The wonderful sunlight lifts spirits and lubricates social desires. The people-watching as I run through the park is just fantastic. Of course, the desire to sit in front of a computer and crank some code is constantly at war with the outdoors concept.

Right now, I'm spending energy to learn several new technology platforms. The work is fairly isolated, mostly because I have so few people who care to talk the tech at this level in my life these days. I find that spending my day in something the rest of the world finds uninteresting doesn't help me with the small talk necessary to socialize at the end of the day. So I signed up to play in a kickball league.

Here's hoping they have a spot available.

The Sleep Factor

There is nothing quite so poignant in all my mental images as those times I've slept with someone. I'm not talking about sex, you pigs. I mean real slumber. Climbing into bed, cuddling, curling up, not knowing where to put the arm, breathing the used oxygen of another, rolling over, throwing the leg, everything bedtime related.

When it comes to taking the measure of a relationship, it seems that sleep is an oh so crucial factor. It is in our restful state where we are most vulnerable, most intimate. Everything we deal with in our waking life is either resolved or reinforced when we finally slumber.

To expose yourself like that to another, to relinquish ourselves, can be a great gift. It can also be a reflection of the maturity, or lack thereof, in our relationships. The intimacy found while sleeping can be so much greater than during other physical acts (read: snogging, skinny-dipping, or shagging). While we might have no problem with getting down and dirty with someone in the heat of the moment, it can be a different matter altogether to wake up next to that same person knowing you stole all the covers and they froze all night while listening to you snore.

And even though we may take sleeping with our partner for granted, it's through these kinds of shared social systems that we build and nurture our relationships, and perhaps uncover the underlying meaning of our lives.

- Dr. Paul C. Rosenblatt as quoted in the New York Times by Kate Murphy

I know that one of the things that I miss most about previous relationships is the sleeping together. The little give and take as we get comfortable, the rituals as we prepared to come together and let all our facades fade. It is these good moments that told me of the strength of our connection, it is the lack of those moments that signaled to me of its death.

No one has ever accused me of having an active libido, on the contrary I've been kicked to the curb more than once for my fleeting interest in sex. But my longing for a cuddle, for someone to share sleep with, that has always been and remains as full in force as ever.

What's a guy got to do for good snuggle these days?