Ivory...Lines Mean...Whoa-ohh....Whoa-ohhhh...

Look at me! It's not even eight a.m. yet and I'm already at work! Have been for 15 minutes! "If you're not early, you're late". That's always been my motto...not really. Just like showing up early to make sure there's no surprises.
So. This Amber girl. Turns out she's actually pretty cool. Unfortunately, she finds pirates more awesome than ninjas, so I don't forsee much of a future as "friends" with her. We're co-workers. And she'll be lucky if I stop stealing her stuff. I am looking forward to another day here at the office...a day spent listening to Launch internet radio, defending my castle, and lending my expertise of hot chicks on hotornot.com - and answering the phone, too.
It's New Year's Eve! Anybody else gonna be singing Death Cab For Cutie all day and night? I know I am...'cause "I don't feel any different". I have already been dared to kiss somebody at the stroke of midnight (no it's not a boy) . But I think I will have to decline that dare to a later time - I might just be going to the Feathers of Seven (as I like to call it) Casino. Gonna be a party down there, man. And you know you can't have a party without Cody and Joel.
Woke up with a sore throat yesterday morning...and...it still hurts. I tell you, Oregon doesn't play around with the sore throats. A California nuisance...but here they floor you. I think my adenoids are going to burst. Can't complain tho - I hear that in Idaho when you get a sore throat, they quarantine you in a horse stable.
Oh! Breakthrough! One of the girls who works with me here in the office just asked if I "wanted some coffee". Yes! I fit in! Crap! Somebody just called in, and my Hall's lozenge got stuck on the side of my braces and I ended up sounding like I had Down Syndrome. And...they hung up.
Well in either case, have a safe and happy New Year's Eve/New Year's. A redundant holiday where everybody sets these noble new year's resolutions, but not before they drink so much that you get the p's. The p's? Peeing and Puking. Sometimes at the same time. What a way to kick off "turning over the new leaf".
"I'm gonna tithe more dilligently!"...takes a shot of cheap vodka
"I'm gonna stop sleeping around!" ...wakes up hungover with a stranger
Come on people. Garden State is out, so just go buy it or rent it and enjoy. There is a fair amount of profanity, and an unnecessary scene of people gettin' it on...but it's beautiful (the movie, not the scene of people gettin' it on)
Thought question - if person A's roomate (person B) doesn't know that you (person C) exist, person A probably doesn't give a crap about person C, do they?
And on that note, I'm out!

I Wish The World Was Flat Like The Old Days...

Me too, Ben. Me too.
Anyways. So I finally got a job. And no, it's not at IHOP. I am now a receptionist. Oh, how proud my dad must be. I wear capris, have long hair, don't get girls, and now I'm a receptionist. But yeah, I am. I answer phones and direct the caller where they need to be. Thing is, I have been working since last Wednesday and have yet to do any work. I just sit in my cubicle and stare at my screen, waiting for the "go ahead" to receive calls. Apparently since this position has only existed...since Wednesday...they don't know what they're doing either. I'm afraid they're just going to end up laying me off, or making me do chick work like making coffee or filing. My fears grew worse today, when they had me leave my desk, and do some filing.
I saw my class last night. UVC class of 2001 baby. Two girls didn't even look at me much less care to see how I was doing. One girl who I was very close with gave me a hug, then apparently suffered a stroke and just sat on the ground for the next three hours talking to other people. Some of them did seem really happy to see me for the first time in 3 1/2 years. Firm handshakes are special. They started the evening playing "Catch Phrase" while me and Jerod stood against the wall debating what would happen if ninjas and pirates had to fight each other. After a game was over, I asked for everybody's attention and politely asked who they thought was cooler, ninjas or pirates. Some answered me, but most of them just looked at me like it was the most retarded question ever. I mean come on you guys are 22 years old and were just playing Catch Phrase! So Jerod and I just ate all their sandwiches. Then the girls went to one room to talk about (I'm guessing) child birth, while the guys told old stories. It sucks when everyone is laughing having a good time, then me or Jerod tell a story and everyone just stops...and we get this "I can't believe you did that" look. Well, we did. And it was funny.
I hate my class.
This morning I was straightening my hair. I grabbed a big mess of hair, and was ready to clamp it into my sexy man hairstyle that I have, and I clamped my ear. Like, half of my left ear was clamped by the friggin' straightener. I welled up with manly tears, said some manly words, and went on straightening like nothing happened. That's how manly I am.
The only other receptionist in the office is this girl named Amber who is smarter than I am. Plus she already knows everybody in the office. I see her as a serious threat. She sits across from me and we're supposed to be some kind of "team". The thing is, I don't really see myself as a "receptionist" anymore. I have spent the past couple days referring to myself as Cody: The Receptor. So far it hasn't caught on...and I think Amber is the reason why - she's cramping my style. We'll see how smart she is when I start stealing office supplies from her. Stuff she needs, too. Like her pen, mousepad, monitor, crap like that. I am also fond of sending pictures of sheep to people around the office. I don't think I fit in. Later guys.

Go East On Sunrise Highway - A Long One

On Saturday, Jerod and I drove up to Portland for a "Left Waiting" gig, because he was filling in as drummer for the night. It was great to finally meet all the guys I had heard so much about (they were the band that Issachar had toured with last summer). The most depressing thing happened tho - the opening band "Trace" covered Weezer's "Buddy Holly" and nobody knew it. I mean there were at least two different high school youth group's there and it was the first time any of them had heard the song. What has the world come to? My (almost) 15 year old sister has known the song sine she was like 10...I guess I just take for granted how much cooler she is than the average kid nowadays. After Left Waiting played, the 16 year old girl population went nuts. They had stuff, and they wanted that stuff signed. Apparently an autograph means more to a teenage girl than I could have ever managed. I was sitting in the back by the merch table with Becka (spelled right?), who is Caleb (the lead singer's) wife - who I actually went to high school with for almost 2 weeks...small world. Needless to say we didn't have a whole lot to catch up on - but it was fun. So then these two girls come running up to the merch table where Caleb was...and stop and look at me. They ask "Is he signing autographs?" and Caleb just looks at me. I tell them I'm not in their band, I'm in another--" and they say "I don't care!" and hand me a cell phone. And CD's, and I might have signed a lunch box. Maybe they thought I was David Duchovney with girl hair. Either way, it was grand. Jerod and I then drove home singing along to the Beatles greatest hits - especially "Hey Jude"...man I love that song. Yes, and Death Cab.
Whoa! I just got an email saying that Santa is giving me a free* Playstation 2!! I wonder what the asterisk means...
It's December 21. Funny how when you're a kid you can't wait for Christmas to come. And as you get older you're thinking "What the heck! It was just Thanksgiving! Slow down!". I was planning on makin' some babies later this Spring, but I think I have come to realize that maybe I'll wait a bit longer, what with how hard the holidays were without worrying about the safety of my offspring.
IHOP... What the heck, man. It's been a month since my interview. And Christmas is in four days. So since you didn't deem the holidays of any importance to an applicant, I guess I'm gonna have to just smile a lot and cook macaroni for everyone this year. What a way to repay everyone in this house for letting me stay here the past 2 months, put up with my antics, and drink everything in their fridge. Because nothing says "thank you" quite like a bowl of boxed macaroni so hokey that they have to spell cheese with a "Z" to let you know that their dairy didn't come from anything even close to a cow. It probably came from a man named Henry, who works the graveyard shift at a "Cheez with a Z" powder factory. Don't even ask me what I'm resorting to for stocking stuffers...
So that's all for now. I will write more later on some theories I've been working on, late at night in my bed/futon-from-the-80's. But for now, I've got to go get practice on that "Mackin' Cheez"

Download of the day: Straylight Run "Your Name Here". Wow...it's a chorus you wish you wrote.

21 Years, and 7 Feathers

So last night, at 12 midnight, my buddy Joel turned 21. And Jerod and I celebrated in a way nobody ever has before. Not by a large consumption of alcohol, nor some stereotypical guy to guy birthday congrats that border hazing...it was just something that happened at 12:15am on December 15th, 2004 - and will probably never happen again. Quite amazing.

At about 12:45, after I had taken a shower of course, Joel, Nelson, Jeff and I went to Seven Feather's casino. Jeff Joel and I had never been...and let me tell you, when it's your birthday, you get treated like royalty. They gave Joel some beef jerky, and a calculater. I taught Jeff how to play craps, and I also got carded 3 seperate times. I guess I just don't look any older than 19. Since we didn't have any money and I am on a budget, Nelson gave Jeff and I ten bucks each, which we won 90 and 30 dollars, respectively. And Nelson, who claims to have a fool proof plan of winning slots, lost 130 bucks. Craps, baby. That's where it's at. One of Jeff's first rolls, he thew the dice off the friggin' table. But he had the best roll of the night, at LEAST 30 consecutive good rolls. Six and eight were hittin', man. Andrew, Mike, Jenae...you shoulda been there.

So tonight we go to Applebee's at 9:30 for Joel's official birthday party. It should be fun, tho I am low on budget as I have mentioned. The guy who does the official hiring at IHOP is finally back from his honeymoon (Good Lord) so I should be getting the job any day now. We'll see. For those of you south of me, I miss you all so much you have no idea. And yes, you too Mr. Ashtown. Yes! Joel's here! Gotta go!

Just Forget Me, It's That Simple

Taken from a Taking Back Sunday demo song, "Your Own Disaster".

So not a whole lot to update on. I am in job limbo...they tell me that I pretty much have everybody's vote there to get the job...but the person there who has the authority to do the actual hiring is on his honeymoon. I anticipate he will come back in a good mood, and not only hire me - but promote me. I found like, 4 or 5 new bands within the past couple days that really are worth checking out - trust me.

Death From Above 1979
I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business (yes, that is the band's name. Solo effort from Ace Enders, frontman of The Early November)
Mates of State
The Black Maria

Check these bands out...DFA1979 is dance punk, ICMAMLNB is one man emo, MOS is sugary Postal Service-esque with a married couple serenading each other over electronic euro-synths, and TBM is Muse influenced post hardcore, minus the Radiohead vocal patterns and heavy petal use.

Quite often here, I tend to get discouraged, wondering if this escapade is even worth all the risks I'm taking. I really appreciate all your thoughts, comments, and prayers. I know for the most part my updates consist of ramblings of bittersweet enounters with girls, the OC, or stupid things I've done, but the thing is - it is a matter of perspective. At my age, these are the things that matter to me. If I can loosely use the term "generation"....

My generation dwells on relationships. The good ones are so few and far between, and we're never sure of whether or not we have acheived them or not. The bad ones, we dwell on in our dress, our taste in music, our conversation, and our poetry (however we express our feelings I consider poetry). My generation is confused. We're told we will never amount to anything, and on the other hand, we know how much power we possess and the potential to turn this country around. Kids are growing up so fast nowadays. My generation played with Power Rangers and Pogs until the 7th grade. My generation is divided...split down the middle. Half of my classmates are married or will be graduating college this year to settle for a career they compromised their dreams to have. They will be considered successful by your generation, a faux example of what we should be doing. Yet the other half of my generation, is still that kindergartner at the back of class eating paste, who wrote that he wanted to be a rock star, or an astronaut - and still thinks he can be. Yeah, he still eats paste. He still thinks fart jokes are funny, and he probably stays bitter at relationships that happened (or didn't) two presidential administrations ago...but that's the point. If everybody wanted to go "up" on the teeter-totter, there would be no ride. There are two kinds of success in everything. The batter who wins records by hitting home runs off of a pitcher, and there's the pitcher who pitched a perfect game. Those two positions cannot be a marquee for success at the same time. I guess it's just the age we are at. I mean, my generation thinks retro-80's pop culture is cool not because it's now trendy, but because it's what we spent 6-8 years growing up in, and that vague sense of familiarity hits a chord with us.
We're too old to be kids, too young to give up on our dreams.
So yes, there is more to life than relationships. But until my friends and I find the joy of having a child, we will have no idea what it's like to have an unconditional love in another person outside of the family you are born into. We will have no idea what true responsibility is. And we probably won't know how precious life is, because although we have lost so many of our own too soon - and though we see Death in the distance, my generation believes we are invincible.
And as long as we stay focused on Jesus Christ, and never give up on what we believe in...we are.

Quick One

Hey. Jerod was playing with a lighter, lighting the small fuzzy things of his socks, and it grew and ended up torching a nice patch of leg hair. By the way - if you are going to post on my blog anonymously...please still include your name somewhere in your entry. The whole reason I ask for comments is to get people's perspectives and reactions to my posts. Thank you.
So what's goin on everyone else? We got our Christmas tree put up today, it's awesome. I don't know what I'm gonna do for Christmas yet...really don't think I'm gonna be able to make it back to Oceanside to see my family, at least not right now. Regardless of if anybody else is coming down ('cause we're planning a massive road trip) I really miss everyone and want to visit.

I'll touch you once, I'll touch you twice
I won't let go at any price
I need you now, like I needed you then
You said someday we'd meet again

That song kicks so much butt. "If you leave" is the name...download the Nada Surf version. Gorgeous. I'm tired so I'm gonna leave, I will update more later.

I'm not emo because I cry,
I cry because I'm emo

Haha! Isn't that the most pathetic thing ever? I love it.

Winds Of Change

First off...please go to www.launch.yahoo.com and watch the Coheed and Cambria video for "Blood Red Summer". It is a delight.



Man, I miss that room. Soon I will put some pics of my new place of residency. This is a short post...I'm going grocery shopping.

By Popular Demand

Here are the lyrics to "It's not brave, if you're not scared" aka, "Brave". A song I wrote about the long distance between me and a girl, and the hesitation of getting something started after such distance and former pain. There are no lyrics for the 2nd verse, so it goes straight to the bridge...

The moon shines glorious from
The reflexion of the sun
As it's well below the horizon, after another day is done
You are evidence of God's perfection,
His love shows thru your smile
For all the ups and downs I've had,
Now it all seems worth the while.
But my heart's been damaged...
Could you share yours with me?
I know you're scared, 'cause I'm scared too
But just think of what we could be
I've gone two decades, I can't stand one more day (without you)
Now that I've found you, I can't stand one more day (without you)

And I know why God made the sky so large...
So no matter how far apart we are - we can see the same stars
And every time I think of you...
I fall more in love with you and I....intend to make the world yours

In the morning when the sun comes up...I'll still love you (4x)

Lies Of Violent Endings

Love. Lies Of Violent Endings.
Jerod and I have been talking alot lately, about all kinds of different things. And one of them that always seems to come up of course, is girls. I will here discuss a couplevfindings -

-Look at our music. 95% of all music is about relationships, even the cheesy candy-techno with "Do you think you're better off alone?" belting the back of the pulsing beat. What else would she be singing? About her car? Nothing else consumes our lives so much as a relationship. So, now that we're on track with that, think about who sings about what. The girls seem to like songs about "Independent Women" who don't "need no man". Or "Oops, I ripped out your f'ing heart - did you think it was love? I'm not innocent...I'm a slut" or just plain old "party party - who cares about guys". Yes sometimes you hear of the jerk guys, but apparently the only two girls who really got screwed are Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette.
And now the guys. There's an entire genre of music devoted to the crap girls put us thru. Lyrics like "You've got this gun to my head? This song was only wishful thinking" or "I'm thinking awful things...pretty sure that few would notice". From the early 30's blues, to Motown, to modern emo. Girls have been the cornerstone for pain, and writing material.
- Girls have no logic. How many times (guys) have you heard this one "I didn't tell you, because I didn't want to hurt you". Yes. Because keeping things from us makes us feel soooo much better. This lack of logic falls into the naive category .

It seems that with rare exceptions, love is joke. With guys and girls obviously so different, how can we find compatability? A band you should listen to named "Amber Pacific" offers the line "Why should I hold your hand, if you can't promise happy endings?". A good point. Basically all relationships are just a countdown to a break-up. So this dating for the heck of it, or just to "see what happens" is bull. You find somebody you genuinely care about and work like anything. If you're not willing to be made a sucker, then it's got nothing to do with love. Love...God is Love. Says it plainly in Scripture. So what business do we have with God's greatest attribute? Young people being in love, is like giving an M-16 to a toddler. He's just going to end up hurting somebody, including himself...except if he gets a lucky shot.

Nothing specific went down to make me write this. No new developments in my personal life...just a lot of thinking and re-examining situations. Admitting guilt to being overly dramatic and emo, please post comments and rebuttals. Black fingernails are the new eyeliner.

I Think I'm Gonna Have Myself In Shambles

Whoa check it out -it's 3:11 am...reminds me of a good song.
"Need For Speed Underground 2" kicks so much butt I can't even control myself. I'm pretty sure me and Curtis have the fastest pink Celica. Ever.
Anyways, job interview was great Monday morning - have a 2nd interview lined up here pretty soon, they should be calling me.
Joel and I have been battling wits as of late, since we both have the worst knack for making "off the top of our head" puns. Look forward to a post on puns soon....
It's been a while since I've done this - and since I'm too lazy to write an actual post (it's 3:18 now...God's speaking to me...no time to explain)...I will make a new "ten list"
Things That Piss Me Off -
1. The other drivers in NFSU:2
2. The late nite order taker at Jack in the Box
3. People who don't call me back (friends, family, or possible jobs (excluding Sears, I understand)
4. 9pm on Thursday nites (when the OC ends, and I realize how long I have to wait)
5. Cold feet when I'm sleeping
6. Kelly Clarkson
7. When my cell phone cuts out
8. Naive girls
9. Evil papparazzi that harrass Lindsay Lohan (leave her alone - she's a good kid)
10. Close-minded people (or is it closeD-minded?)

Garden State comes out on DVD December 28th..order now