A Great Purpose

Well it is time for a new post if only for the fact that I need to keep moving forward.  The uncertainty in the world is creating an aura of negativity around everyone and I am trying to find a solution so that me and mine do not get swallowed whole by what is coming.  I am calling this solution The Great Purpose and hoping that with time it will become a constant with which we can weigh our actions against.

So in my life The Great Purpose as I define it is, Attain a Legacy of Honor and Stability for the Davis Family.  To achieve this the following initial steps must happen;

• Set up a Goal Tree detailing the ultimate result of The Great Purpose and the journey to get there.
• Create a culture of solution oriented thinking
• Work towards financial independence
• Define our code of honor and who we are

There will be steps added based on the goals but in general this is the basic framework I would like to see.

On other notes, I have been listening to 11 Short Stories of Pain and Glory for the last 2 weeks and love it.  Here is the link to my Spotify playlist of the album.

2017 or Where I am Going

Hello all, it has been over half a year since which I have written a posting.  The main reason for this is that 2016 was a horrendous and emotionally draining year.  My son had a very hard time dealing with his autism and bipolar issues plus The Wee Dancer (my 12 year old daughter) was sent home early by her mom and has been dealing with that feeling of rejection while at the same time dealing with being a 12 year old girl.  I was caught in the middle of this explosion of brain chemicals and unfortunately had to put all things on hold.

Enough of the past.  I have hopes for 2017, first of all The Dropkick Murphys have a new album dropping in just 2 days (1/6/17),  Second my oldest daughter is getting married to an awesome person in June.  Third we are already planning Thorblott.  Fourth St. Patrick's Day is on a Friday.  Plus the feeling of new possibilities is strong right now.  This feeling might just be a false optimism but I will use it to create something more real and positive.

I am not going to put pressure on myself to have a set schedule but I will have a guideline of at least 1 post per month this year and hopefully I will get my writing voice back in better form. 

Lastly I gave Richard (my son) Anthony Bourdain's new cookbook "Appetites" for the Holidays and we are going to cook 1 recipe a week so I will take pictures and post it.  Also here is the lyric video for the first single on the new Dropkick album and a picture of the artwork.  I will be back soon.

Notes To Listen To



Instead of in depth writing today, I am just going to list the music that has caught my ear over the last few weeks.

First I am incredibly excited by the new Blink182 single Bored to Death.  The song is awesome! The addition of Matt Skiba has made Blink a stronger band and I enjoy the energy.  In addition the song conjures memories of the old Blink but with a feeling of forward momentum.

 

Speaking of Matt Skiba  I have finally taken the plunge and delved into the darkness that is Alkaline Trio.  I have avoided this band for a long time because I knew that they would reinforce the feelings of sweet, sweet, dark bitterness that I harbor in the depths of my heart concerning past loves and it is an agony that I enjoy getting lost in at times.

 

Next I found two bands I had never listened to before.  The Rockabilly band Three Bad Jacks creates a solid old school rock and roll sound echoing the era of Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper and also touching on unique emotions that come from our time (the selection Noah and Jacob's Song touches on how unique it is to parent an autistic child, something that regular readers know I deal with in my own children).

 

Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds is a New York based Soul/Rock band that features big horns and a singer with a big voice.  This band is my new musical infatuation and I was very happy to hear this kind of music being played by this generation.



I Chadivus

It is very hard to write about one's activities and life when one does not truly feel the experience of living what one writes about.  Over probably the last 9 months I have only been able to put down thoughts on a few events or moments plus The Last Gatsby article (because I love that band).  I have wanted to write more and expand on the fictional "real world" I was trying to create, but the pressures of the TRUE real world became overwhelming to my lofty goals of lifestyle and pseudo immortality.

I want to write more now, I want to make the world that could be come alive on the pages of this blog and become a positive history for my children.  However I am realistic enough to realize that is as much a fiction as Howard or Burroughs or Tolkien. The crux is I need to write or else I shall not be able to make it through everything that hits me in a day.  So I am going to try to just write and see what comes of it.

Another realization I have come to is that I am not finding much in new music that I enjoy.  Part of this comes from not researching and listening.  On the other hand an even larger reason is that I have felt nostalgic and melancholy about my past.  I have been searching for music that makes me feel.  "She is all that I have left and music is her name"  is a very real lyric to me for it describes the one constant between both divorces and friends that have come and gone.  The clear harmonies of CSN ring true every time I listen to Southern Cross.

This time of looking back has been unearthed by the realization that it has been 30 years since I started the journey of adulthood.  In that time I have gone from a hopeful naive bumpkin to a jaded cynical bastard.  Hope is not often thought of in my sanctuary.  For the last few months I have been taking care of the black dog and not much more.  So I am starting the blog up to see if I can find a way to chase the dog off and move on.  I am much humbled by any of you who want to join me on my new ramblings.

2016 The Last Gatsby Redux

Time to start up with 2016 and the continuation of a blog that has seen little posting for the last quarter (more on that later).  The reason I have started up a bit before I was ready is that I was approached by a band I interviewed in early 2015.  Jonathon Hoopes of The Last Gatsby reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in talking to them again and then listening to their new extended play “The Art of Recovery” before it was even released.  Needless to say an opportunity to spend time with music no one has heard yet is as good as opening a bottle of amazing whiskey, enjoying the first taste and then losing yourself in it.  So on Thanksgiving weekend I met with three members of the band; Josh Paul, the vocalist; Jonathon Hoopes, the drummer; Chase Gerber, the bassist.  We met on a cold Saturday morning at a coffee shop close to my house, grateful for the respite of a hot beverage and excited by the anticipation of sharing something we were all passionate about as either artist or fan.  I note this because as I have said before I do not support or listen to musicians that I am not a fan of.  This is not objective journalism, this is an unapologetic review of something I support.  Criticism is only important if it furthers improvement and makes the artist better and believe me I WANT THIS BAND TO KEEP PLAYING AND KEEP GETTING BETTER!!!  With this introductory statement out of the way, let us get into what we talked about and I will put forth my impressions of the EP. Next I will then talk to what I want to see improved moving forward and lastly wrap everything up in a neat package.

We started our conversation talking about the journey the band has experienced since we last talked.  Salt Lake is a very hard market for Punk/Pop Punk bands to work in.  It is dominated by wannabe pseudo metal and everyone being hardcore and aggressive plus the millennial generation here has a hard time supporting local music because of the many roadblocks put forth by the powers that be in this state.  The Last Gatsby has weathered this market very well, they have good show attendance and a proper business attitude, becoming the go to punk/alternative option for several of the local promoters.  In addition they have developed great rapport with the touring bands they have opened for.  Most notably we were a few days outside of the Paris attacks and I knew that Gatsby had opened for Chunk, No Captain Chunk, here in Salt Lake and I asked if they had heard from them and it was confirmed that they had but in a way that was not bragging (I love the humility of this band as well).  After talking about the band I started delving into the individuals that were there and making inquiries into motivation.  This was the first time I talked to Chase and I will tell you this guy is a band musician no ifs, ands or buts.  Chase will always be in a band no matter where he is in life.  He will always be looking forward to when he gets to play and his energy is infectious, he holds this band together enthusiastically and he is the perfect bass player mentality because he is the energy that I hear on the tracks.  Chase gets that the bass player maintains the tempo and keeps the band moving forward.  I would love to spend every day with Chase just to experience his musical joy.  It was nice meeting Jonathon in person, last time I interviewed the band Jonathon phoned in from Arizona so I have talked to him but never met him.  I also had the pleasure of meeting his beautiful wife Natalie (which allowed me to talk about the support system the band has).  Jonathon is the nurturer of this band. He looks at the image the band portrays by paying attention to the branding and he is very thoughtful about where he wants this band to go.  I respect the vision because Jonathon does not take this role as an authoritarian but rather as a caretaker.  He wants the opinions of all to matter and he wants the interest of the band to remain what the band wants and guards it ferociously.  Before I talk about my impressions of Josh Paul, I want to mention the two guitarists who were not able to make the interview.  Gary and Wes are integral to The Last Gatsby because they allow for the innovation that we hear in their music.  The versatility these two express through Wes’s rhythm playing and Gary’s counter melodic expressionism allows Gatsby to soar above most local bands in this genre.  Now onto Josh Paul.  This is my second time meeting and talking with this young man.  If Chase is the enthusiasm, Jonathon is the mind and Wes and Gary are the innovators, then Josh Paul is the soul of this band.  It is not something he expresses outwardly, in fact he avoids the outward appearance of individual importance.  It is hard to express in words what makes him the soul of the band, it is more a feeling of the passion that emanates from his presence.  This perception I had was reinforced when Josh Paul had to leave before the others and Jonathon and Chase both stated to me that, to paraphrase, this project (the EP) is Josh Paul…the music is from his soul and the story is his.  The Last Gatsby is a sum of its members, take one away and you would not get the same art that you hear now.  Contrary to what you assume with the number of bands in the world, this mix of individual chemistry into a greater musical entity is very rare.  So now onto the music.

“The Art of Recovery” is a 6 song extended play that tells a story from beginning to end.  I like that because in this modern world we are more interested in the song than the album, but the album is a more important statement. Yes, I have heard songs that make me feel but I have heard albums that make me feel, live, feel some more, not want to feel, drain me of emotions and then bring me back in a way that I am a better person.  I did not want to be melodramatic as all that but now that I have written it and go back to my memories of listening to “The Art of Recovery”, the more I feel that it fits exactly what I wrote.  The EP makes me relive the pain of loss, the questioning of myself, the questioning of society, the feeling that I will never recover and then the hope that I will.  The beauty of this music is that it will mean something similar to everyone changed only by each new listener's individual experience.  The lyrics driven by the melodies and rhythms are very archetypical in a way that they have the ability to touch the universal core of experience.  I do not know what the back story is for these songs and frankly I do not care, because I hear MY story and experience in the songs.  Because the album is not out yet I do not want to break down song by song because I feel that it is important for all of you to listen and make your own opinion.  Technically the music is very solid, as a sophomore project the improvement is evident, not just from a recording standpoint (this was produced by Sam Pura and Panda Studios) but also the playing on this album is noticeably better.  I find it fascinating that Jonathon stated recording was a very hard experience for him personally but this adversity brought something out in his playing, for the drums add some truly amazing emphasis on every song.  I already spoke to Chase’s playing, he is rock steady which allows the other members to shine. Amazing bass players do that.  The rhythm guitar does a great job helping out with emphasis to the vocals and the lead guitar bring an impressionistic surrealness to the whole.  Another highpoint on this EP is the phrasing of the vocals.  The singing itself portrays an aggressive resilience yet has moments of fragility and insecurity creeping out at you.  Then before you realize it they hit you with unapologetic defiance and a desire to face whatever comes towards you.  I like the experience The Last Gatsby is giving us on “The Art of Recovery”

Going forward musically I just want to see Gatsby grow and get better as a natural evolution of their own abilities.  Going forward as a band I want to see them take the next step.  It is time they hired a business manager and a booking agent.  They need to do this with the same approach that they have done everything, wary, attentive and uncompromising.  Find people who want to be a part of what the band has created so that those new members give what they can to improve and support the band.  I believe they need to get away from Utah as much as possible so the rest of the world can hear them.  Tour, play, write and repeat.  Pay the dues now so that later they get everything that they are deserving of.  I truly can’t wait to hear what is next from this band and I hope that in the future I get to work with them on some of my projects going forward.  Here is the link to their website to find out more about them.  Here is the link to their Facebook so you all can like them and keep appraised of their next concerts.  Lastly here is the link to their Band Camp so that you can preorder “The Art of Recovery” and purchase other merchandise and songs.  From what I see they are offering a pre-release of the EP and are also selling select songs early. Please support this band and enjoy your own experience with The Last Gatsby.

Whiskey Makes Me Crazy

September 28, 2015

I was in a serious drinking mood this last Friday and so was Kalenar.  In addition we might have 2 new members of the pantheon, time will tell.  Here is how I will refer to them.  First is Anastazia which means rebirth and fits her personality and would make her the patron of new beginnings and new outlooks. Second is Tius which is a Romanized version of Tyr God of War and Justice, and Tius is definitely a warrior.  He would be the patron of warriors and it works.  I am evaluating the pantheon to see if what everyone oversees works, more on that later. 

So this is a short and sweet post, just going to hit the highlights.  On Friday 9/23 I was in the mood to drink and so was Kalenar.  He bought wine and the infamous eggnog Liqueur and Lord Darksteel bought a bottle of Concannon.  I invited Anastazia and Tius over and then I proceeded to drink pretty much 3 quarters of the Concannon along with a vodka Greyhound a big glass of Riesling and 4 beers.  Kalenar had 1 and 1/2 bottles of wine by himself, Lord Darksteel had his share of intoxicants and Anastazia got drunk on shots and beer.  Tius was her driver so he only participated with 2 drinks.  From there we talked of many things and swore undying loyalty and such and such and ruled the world as we saw fit.

Saturday 9/24 we ordered from Mulan and we watched Masters of the Universe with Dolph Lundgren (an awful film but fun if you play along) and then I went to bed as the others stayed up and watched their beloved bad horror movies (this is something I DO NOT DO for I am not a fan for this genre.)

Sunday we played D & D and all was right in the world.  Nothing big for the weekend but then again it was good to get back to the feasting purpose of Kalehalla!!!!

A Huge Sigh of Relief.

I have just let out the breath I have been holding for the last 4 weeks.  The financial stress and emotional roller coaster of my children's mental health issues has finally found a small respite.  Money flowed into the resource column and the medication has been restored and balanced so right now we are on calm waters.

Kalenar got home from Delaware with a killer dragon tattoo and seems much more relaxed.  I have enjoyed having James the dog around because he is a kindred spirit with me and it is funny because he does not like people taking him away from me when he is chilling so I kind of like that he has a possessive streak.

Gialdron my Awesome Son!!!

The Hunger & The Fight (Part 2) Playlist

The only true activity this weekend was Karaoke night with work friends.  This was on Saturday 09/19 at The Highlander and it was very fun.  The coolest thing ever was that Gialdron went with me as my driver and he sang "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies and NAILED IT!!! COLD SOBER!!!  The entire bar was on their feet at the end.  I wish I had video of it.  There is another video of me sing "Drunken Lullabies" but it is on Instagram so I will share the original one that is on YouTube and hope you enjoy until the next post.  One last thing The Hunger & The Fight (Part 2) by The Mahones came out and it is amazing so please take the time to listen.

Survival

It is good to have James home, I love this dog.

At this point I am writing the post as a defense mechanism for all of the stress the last 3 months have involved so please bear with me as I get to a point where my lifestyle is meshing again.  This is not to say that I have not had great enjoyment over the period.  A more accurate portrayal is that I have prioritized much needed time to blow off steam in the middle of a time frame of day to day survival.

Not much happened this weekend, on Friday I had a very good night of drinking and conversation with Lord Darksteel, Monsieur OneTrack, Bomba and Vladimyr.  Gialdron was also there and he was in a relativity mellow mood (the calm before the storm.) 

Mulan Chinese Restaurant Menu

On Saturday, Gialdron had the beginning of a breakdown that has brought renewed pressure on our household and so we went into a holding pattern that allowed us to persevere and move forward.  I am intentionally not going into details for this is not the purpose of this blog.  Just know being a parent of an autistic adult who has an intrinsic paranoia against the Medical Field is very stressful.  After I had meditated and found some measure of solace, I finished out the day by getting some Chinese food from Mulan and watching Lawrence of Arabia.

On Sunday we dealt with more aftermath and fallout from the day before but it was a far more productive day. We then moved into the week and I ask Odin to help have the wisdom to face these battles with the right measure of tactics and compassion.

The Long and Winding Weekend.

9/10/2015
Just a quick recap of last weekend. 

Nikki Lane

Social Distortion

Thursday 9/3 was Social Distortion and it was an AMAZING show but Gialdron was having a very hard Autism day and inside The Depot it can become stifling but a great show!!!  I enjoyed both opening acts Drag the River and Nikki Lane and I even bought Nikki's CD.  A Social D show was the same way I found out about Lindi Ortega and I have loved her music ever since so I have high hopes for Nikki Lane.  Mr. Ness and company were awesome and I will never miss a show whenever they come close to where I am living.


Drag the River

Selfie 09/04/2015

Friday 9/4; I had the day off and dealt with financial issues for the month so that Kalenar could head off for his 2 week long trip to Delaware.  When the day was done, I took a signature selfie and settled in for a long night of inebriation and Celtic Punk.

Saturday 9/5; I had to parent consequences for The Wee Dancer and waited all day for her to get her room cleaned and her laundry done and AARRGGGHHH!!!!  Then Les Morgan came over with her thrall and we went to The Republican for a pint and a shot.

The Republican

The Layover

Sunday 9/6; I laid down the law and The Wee Dancer suffered the consequence of me getting angry.  So all I did was watch Defiance, list CDs on E-bay and watch her CLEAN HER ROOM. Then Bomba came over and we drank beer and watched Anthony Bourdain's Layover series and the night went well.

Monday 9/7; we finished the cleaning and the laundry but I was visited by The Raven Queen (my mother) and forced to go through boxes of crap that she hoarded from my college years.  I am very cross about this because it was not I who hoarded it and when I told her to throw it away she ended up bringing it to me.  In addition she had an intense burning need to get the electrical short in the Jeep fixed so I dealt with her mania over that as well.  The Wee Dancer and I saw Tomorrowland which I enjoyed.  Lastly I dealt with a grand maul tantrum from Gialdron because he can't take control of his life.  More on that issue later when I can process my thoughts but just know this Autism is a blessing and a curse and dealing with it my whole life with him has caused me to be very tired and at times I barely cling on to hope.  On this note I will not leave you, instead I highly recommend you listen and watch this Foxy Shazam video for Oh Lord and feel good!!!

Just Checking In

August 25, 2015


This is just a check in post, no true agenda.  Life has been hectic getting The Wee Dancer into middle school and the world does not stop when we are having a struggle living.  Over the last while I have been listening to a awesome new music and favorite old music as well.  Here is a list of bands I have enjoyed listening to over the last ten weeks;

The Tossers

Rancid

The Bay Street Bastards

Lindi Ortega

Matilda's Scoundrels

The Interrupters

Authority Zero

Show me Island

The Rumjacks

The Dreadnoughts

Make sure you click on the links and check out each artist's music and news.

Other than that life has just been hectic and good.  I am looking forward to seeing Social Distortion on September 3rd with Gialdron and hanging out with the pantheon.

June 12, 2015 The Leaving and End of a Sanity Break

Gadeal 12, KY 1

So I have been on a self imposed exile/sanity break since just before my birthday.  Too many things have been going on including the end of the school year, my son Gialdron having health problems and my brother Ferfian being hospitalized as a result of many years of hard living (Ferfian is loosely translated as Wild Man and that is exactly what he represents, a force of hedonism and freedom as nature rather than deity.)  With this plus my own feelings of melancholy I am in a mood where I do not want to do much of anything but mindless activity.  My melancholy comes about several times a year but recently this bout has lasted longer than normal and I feel that it is not leaving any time soon.  I have been cynical and lonely of late and the two help feed the black dog and make it settle in and get comfortable.

First things first, on the Kalehallan Calendar June is the month that The Wee Dancer goes to spend time with her mother Eris the Anarchist for a few months so I have named the month Gadeal (Welsh for leaves.)  I am not sure how I feel about my wee one being gone, on one hand it will be a break but I already miss her terribly and I am feeling more alone because she is not there.  I truly think it is important that her and her mother enjoy themselves to the fullest and the experience for both of them should be wonderful.  It does however present a problem for me.  As you have seen over time the meeting of the Lords has been less frequent and people evolve.  I live with Kalenar so I see him all of the time and Lord Darksteel has been over regularly.  The last time I saw Bomba, Vladymir and Les Morgan was over the camping weekend which was fun but we are going on 2 weeks since then.  With less of a social agenda going on I find myself in my own thoughts and feel lonely which is compounded by the melancholy.  In the past I would force interaction by creating events and such but now I do not want to be the social agent and in charge of what we do, I want others to take that and let me be in the backseat for a bit.  However because people live their own lives it is easier for them to just be insular in their own pods and as a result we are not doing anything until I start planning again.  Plus I believe that the melancholy is not just affecting me, I think more members of the Lords are suffering as well.  So I will keep posting intermittently until such time as I am ready to actively take back my role as head of the Pantheon.  I am considering using this summer as a quest for wisdom much like my patron Odin has done.  It could be that me remaining alone in my life is the sacrifice I must make to see insight into the world I want (it is similar to Odin sacrificing his eye to gain a drink from Mimr's Well.)  I can only see what is good for all if I am not blinded on what is good for two which is what a man in a relationship must do.  We shall see.  By Hovud and Gungnir until next time, drink and live well and fight the battles with honor.

May 19, 2015: Recap of the Hang and Chill Weekend, Preview of The Sad but Good Weekend

Maximus 19, KY 1

It was a perfect Hang and Chill weekend.  Lord Darksteel, Kalenar and myself were able to hang and huka and have a beer with a wee bit o whiskey and eat to our hearts content.

So Friday Lord Darksteel came over and we started the XBOX One played some games and ordered take-out Chinese from our new favorite neighborhood eatery Mulan.  Yes Mulan which has stills from the movie hanging on its walls and the logo uses the same font as the movie.  This became a selling point for Kalenar because he loves the movie (the only Disney show he likes better I think is Beauty and the Beast which if there was a French Cafe named Belle's Place I think he would live there.)  This was the third time we went to Mulan because we have been testing it out to recommend.  I have liked everything I have ordered (except the orange chicken which had a bit to much zest in it)  The go to favorite is the boneless pork rib appetizer, but the sweet and sour, the fried rice, potstickers, General Tso's and egg foo yung are all amazing as well.  Better yet we can call in and pick up and it is next to a 7-11 so we can get beer at the same time.

After we picked the food up I bought The Kingsmen.  This was an awesome movie, good action, fun story and some surprising stunts from Colin Farrell. The best part was how Samuel L Jackson played his role and the cynicism of the class war present in an underlying tone of the film.  I recommend it highly.

Saturday started with breakfast from Jim's (standard American diner with solid food and good coffee.)  When we were done there the rest of the day was spent chilling in Kalehalla, drinking beer and playing video games.  Regina Elsa came and took The Wee Dancer to a movie (live action Cinderella which I was never going to go to.)  I was glad for that because they both need to see each other more.  Later that night Utsukushi Shinigami came over to spend the night since she was taking The Wee Dancer to Discovery Gateway on Sunday.  Later Saturday Lord Darksteel, Kalenar and I went to Sizzler for a steak which was surprisingly well made and then came home and chilled with video games for the rest of the night. Sunday was just a chill D&D day and the weekend was over.

So in regards to this weekend, it is Memorial Day here in the States and at Kalehalla that is an important day of remembrance because Kalenar and I both served in the military.  I will most likely go see my father's grave on Saturday and then we will game for the rest of the weekend.  I am going to go see The Interrupters and The English Beat on Thursday with Regina Elsa and I will let you all know how the weekend went.  

Last thing of note the weekend of the 30th is my birthday and we will be reinstating the camping trip to Willard Bay, hopefully I will have video to post but who knows.

May 12, 2015: Recap, Family

Maximus 12, KY 1

I am pleased to announce that Kalehalla has a new water heater.  That is the extent of our weekend.  Saturday morning we put in the new water heater, then Lord Darksteel and Les Morgan came over and we ate steamed salmon and asparagus.  Then we proceeded to empty bottles that were almost gone.  We finished off the Linne Aquavit, the most recent Concannon, the Stoli, the Jager, made a dent in the Amsterdam Gin and drank every beer that was left in the house.  It needed to be done so we could go buy more and have room for it.

Sunday was Mother's Day and I made sure to call The Raven Queen.  I also made sure to send messages to the most important mother's in my life first Eris the Anarchist, second Chariskalee (who is just an amazing old friend who I do not see enough) and lastly my wonderful En Sile Sigrdifa whom I admire for all of her strength.  That is all that I do for Mother's Day.  I wish the most important mothers in my life good tidings and then I go forward.  Some might say that what I do is not enough for the woman who raised me in this world, but I say be honorable to your matriarch ALL days not just one chosen for the sake of retail.  In regards to the mothers of my children I respect you for that but we are not involved any longer and my treatment of you is based on your treatment of me.  One does not correspond with me so I do not correspond with her and one makes it a point to be involved so I honor her for that.  As for the others, they are the only ones I respect right now.  The holiday is now a "let us make every woman a mother because of the potential or they have pets or whatever."  I find no value in that, it is the same as getting a prize for participation, not that meaningful.  In addition I am fed up with the single mothers usurping Father's Day because "they do both jobs" I do both jobs and do not want Father's or Mother's Day recognition, IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY AND MY PRIVILEGE, I DO NOT NEED A REWARD.

Babuchka & Utsukushi Shinigami

The Grey Knight

Now on a side note, All of my children took the time and made their way up to the Raven Queen's house to honor her.  All of them did this without being prodded, Regina Elsa, The Wee Dancer, Babuchka, The Grey Knight, Utsukushi Shinigami and Athletwyr all came and visited and Gialdron called from his work to wish the Raven Queen well.  I am very proud of my children.

Regina Elsa & Gialdron

I am only including pics of the kids 16 and over....

May 7, 2015: Weekend Recap/Preview/Life Goes Fast

Maximus 7, KY 1

Life goes fast!  Somehow Avengers on Saturday turned into a melding of days that have just blurred in my consciousness.  At least some tasks have been completed.  I made sure to schedule the camping weekend and reserve the campground at Willard Bay.  I sent out invitations and created the Kalehalla events that are for sure taking place this month.  I made sure that The Wee Dancer's dance classes were on the schedule and a bunch of other tasks that life requires of us.

Well back to the weekend.  Avengers Age of Ultron was epic, I loved the movie and would highly recommend it.  That being said, I walked away with that transitional movie feel that I get whenever I walk away from a second film like The Two Towers or Empire Strikes Back.  I feel that everything done in Ultron was done to set up Captain America Civil War (which should just be called Avengers 3)  So needless to say I can't wait for that.  It was wonderful to see my sons and enjoy the experience with them as well.

We have a house project here at Kalehalla this weekend so there might not be much time for a social gathering.  Our water heater went out, so Saturday is the day we replace it.  Needless to say after doing a task such as that Whiskey and Beer shall be in order.  I am contemplating a night at Piper Down or The Republican so we shall see.  I also have been wanting a night out with the girls because I have not seen Bomba or Les Morgan much lately and it is important for me to spend time with everyone in The Lords.

News on the success of the water heater will be in next week's post and if any misadventures happen I will let everyone know.  Until then By Hovud & Gungnir!!!

05/01/2015 Weekend Preview; Avengers Assemble!!!!

Maximus 1, KY1

I have not had enough time to breathe this week, literally, my ailments turned into a bronchitis which I have to be very careful with since my lung problem a few years back.

I did want to take the time to announce what we are doing this weekend and by the title it is obvious that it is the premier weekend for Avengers; Age of Ultron.  Needless to say since the 3rd comic I owned when I was 7 years old was an Avengers Comic, I am going and taking my two oldest sons Gialdron and The Grey Knight.  Lord Darksteel and Kalenar are coming as well.

I am not worrying about the Wee Dancer this weekend Eris the Anarchist is in town to spend time with her daughter.  I truly love Eris, what a great Ex wife.  She loves her daughter and looks out for me (as much as in her nature) and she is good people.

So it is one of the few weekends we go see a movie in a theater. I am not a person to justify movie theaters unless the event is Epic.  I believe that the new consumption of media has become very unique in this time.  At Kalehalla we only pay for Internet, no phone line, no cable.  Then we utilize Hulu Plus, NetFlix, Amazon Prime and Sling TV (with HBO during Game of Thrones season).  So we would have Internet anyway which means our total entertainment bill per month (factoring in the 3 way split I do with Gialdron for Prime) is $56.76 and if we want to watch a Premier League Soccer or an Angels Baseball game we hook up a laptop (or even watch on the laptop which is what I do for my CBS shows)  Not to bad considering what some people pay per month and they do not even get the free 2 day shipping from Amazon (which pays for itself 20 times over.)

So now I am going to go spend some time with The Grey Knight and I shall talk to you all next week on the recap.

April 27, 2015: Weekend Recap

Dia 27, KY1

I had a truly enjoyable experience this weekend.  I was given the opportunity to judge the Utah PTA State Battle of the Bands at American Fork Jr. High on Saturday 4/25.  In addition Lord Darksteel, Kalenar and myself brainstormed some crowd funding ideas and we watched some wonderfully good and bad movies.


To start off, Friday night we decided to get some chicken, come home, watch Netflix and smoke Huka.  This can be a truly normal Friday night at Kalehalla so we just chilled and watched.  Kalenar chose the movie which was a Swedish film with English subtitles name Ragnarok.  We were impressed with the film on several aspects and I would recommend the movie.  The cool thing about this film though was what it inspired us to talk about.  The concept of the film is that a Swedish archaeologist was finding the origins of the Viking myth Ragnarok The Twilight of the Gods, end of the world.  Kalenar stated that he would love to do that for a living (discover how myths came into being and finding the primal origin) but how would you make money?  I said we could crowd source it as a hobbyist entertainment web project and we started throwing around ideas.  Now this concept of the origins of myths has been intriguing to me since I started this blog because I want to use this as the creation of my own mythology.  People in the world are interested in who they are and history does a fine job stating what has happened before.  These are not enough which is why man has turned to a metaphysical, community or spiritual need.  I find this concept solidified by a 2011 Ted talk by Alain de Botton, an atheist who describes how not to be dismissive of this need but instead how to embrace it and make it your own.  Now back to this conversation about the origins of myths.  Neither Lord Darksteel, Kalenar or myself are scholars.  We are individuals who have diverse interests and knowledge, we are everymen which allows in my opinion this concept to be truly unique.  Scholars have a tendency to sit in their ivory towers and state that only they are correct and are not willing to give credence to how the masses interpret the world.  I argue that the primal world where myths started, did not have scholars, and even if you accept the cynical views that religion was organized to make money or justify morality or create a distraction for the masses (all of which have truth), the mythologies came from men trying to explain something that the nature of man needed explained.  That is why we love the myths we love, the myths speak to us in an almost magical way.  We don't believe them as truth, we like the stories because they are universal.  The concept of this project is basic, find the origin of the myth whatever it may be.  Will we find it?  Probably not but the entertainment is in the journey and that journey is what the project is.  More on this later.

Fired Pilots at The Loading Dock

The Battle of the Bands happened on Saturday, Dia 25.  This is a fun event and my friend Victor and his wife have been the PTA reps over this the last 2 years.  I enjoy listening to the new bands and I hope to find talent.  Two bands in particular held my attention this year.  The 3rd place band Life on Edge and the 1st place band Fired Pilots.  Life on Edge is a truly musical group of students out Hillcrest High School,  very innovative song writing and all are technically proficient.  I hope to hear more of them.  Fired Pilots have a truly unique approach to the angsty, melancholy alt band.  The sound is cleaner in a lot of ways than the grunge where this genre developed, in addition the youthfulness of the group adds a unique perspective.  I hope to hear more of them as well and I will be having a free consulting session with the band in 2 weeks. 

So a basic weekend no fuss.  Last note Les Morgan showed up on Saturday night and hung with us which was cool.

April 23, 2015: Feeling Better; Recaps and Previews

Dia 23, KY 1

So after about 5 days of feeling like I have been hit by a truck, I am finally feel better and want to write something.  Last weekend I had a wonderful brunch with The Lords to celebrate Gialdron's birthday.  Everyone with the exception of Les Morgan attended and it was a good time.  To note it did start a bout of Gialdron's rage which has vexed most my week, but that is how it usually goes with people on the autistic spectrum.

The other thing we did was start building a fence in the backyard for the dogs.  Kalenar was his usual one minded self which is very handy when you are getting things done.  Lord Darksteel came over and helped (a huge amount and I thank him profusely.)  It was especially awesome because Lord Darksteel broke his diet and had the most amazing queso smothered burrito at Barbacoa for lunch that he ate himself delirious.

This weekend is very low key because I am judging the Utah PTA State Rock Band Festival for the 2nd time.  I enjoy doing this because it allows me to be involved in a way that puts my passion for working class music forward.  Rock music is the peoples music and accessible but that does not make it any less important than the classics.  People postulate all of the time about what amazing pieces Mozart would compose now and I laugh because in my mind He would be not Mozart but Wolfgang and be a Pop entrepreneur on the level of Bruno Mars or Pharrell.  Beethoven would be an alternative/hipster and Wagner would write German Metalcore that appeals to fringe supremest groups.  Now I do not truly know what would happen but before you dismiss it entirely realize Pharrell Williams participated in high school band and owes that to where he is now, read the story here.

There have been many other things on my mind this week.  I am in a holding pattern of sorts until some life events happen that will increase my mobility.  Right now a number of things I want to do are not able to be given full attention for the very fact that I rely on public transit.  Personally I am not a fan of driving and if I had my druthers I would actually live in Downtown Salt Lake City where a car free lifestyle is easier to achieve.  Downtown is not as child friendly and Kalenar gives me a grand opportunity to live in Kalehalla so I take advantage of it.  Because of this the lifestyle is harder.  The fascist right-wing community governments in the South end of Salt Lake County are not public transit friendly therefore the frequency of buses is not what it should be.  As a result my pursuit of happiness is limited to the graces of what public transit does exist and the kindness of friends.

Lastly I am leaving you with a video of the new Hellcat Single by the band Wichita "Mrs. Magoo"
because it is AWESOME!!!

Sick Of Being Sick

This week I have come down with a nasty cold and I will write as soon as I am feeling better!!!

April 17, 2015: Weekend Preview "The Warrior"

Dia 17, KY1

This is the weekend I celebrate the birthday of my first son.  In this blog he is known as Gialdron, Patron of Passion, Rage and Food.  I love this young man with all my heart and soul even at the times he is full on berserk.  In the old world Gialdron would be a true Berserker (Bear Warrior) taking upon him the fury of Odin and Thor to defend and provide for the tribe and destroy our enemies.  I bring this up because in today's modern time we see these traits as "defective" or a "mental illness".  The reason for this is that we no longer have to go to war against a local tribe to gain the necessities of life so the traits that have genetically evolved over thousands of years of existence are misunderstood.  Gialdron is a High Functioning Autistic by today's terms, he is brilliant but lacks the ability to recognize emotions in others and also lacks the ability to process his own emotions without a great deal of effort.  This causes a number of problems in his life but he is forever fighting the war to stay in control and I have seen such amazing progress over the years that he has lived with this.  Now I am grateful that we live in the modern world for if this were the old world I would not have been able to enjoy the last 3 to 5 years with my son.  The reason for this is that the life expectancy of a front line warrior was 16 to 22 years due to the incredibly violent nature of their lives. 

Gialdron has gone on to live his passion, he works in a high end kitchen and enjoys this, he has slowly developed close friends that are loyal to him. He is loved by The Lords of Kalehalla and we honor him by naming his birth month after his passion for food.  I hope to have many more years with my son. So join me in saying Happy Birthday!!

His actual birthday was Dia 13 but we are celebrating this Sunday Dia 19 at Piper Down for an amazing brunch.