Diamond Sea

I just thought about this journal and decided to visit. Is anyone still there?

i need to find a way to vent my inner thoughts or feelings. I feel like the whole great momentium that I once had at about the time of graduating college has sort of puttered off. The tours were great. The whole self-realization was amazing. I'm over it. As shitty and selfish as that sounds, and as hard as I wored for it at that time .. that's how i feel. I'm unmotivated, aggrivated, jaded, and I guess.. depressed. I spent all of my energy to be able to do what I just did over the past two years. Now it's unimpressive to me. Maybe because all of the people I met doing that were also over it. I want to write in a journal again. which means I might abandon this one - for good. i might just start all over. i have no idea. i'm trying to figure it out. i don't know if anyone even reads this anymore.

I've been very busy.. and neglecting this thing hasn't been intensional.. just.. well, it just happened.

my last entry.. probably in May or June - mentioned that I would be leaving to go on tour with Ashlee Simpson again. That never happened..

The whole thing with Keith Richards falling out of a tree on his vacation - and having to postpone the 'Stone's tour - yeah, that lil event caused the people working the Stones tour to go and work the Ashlee tour - which in turn booted me and Cat off the Ashlee tour.

Sad... but in the end, was probably the best thing that could have happened.


Instead - I left with my friends, Dolin and Bowman to work the Pearl Jam summer tour. I did that all June and July. Sonic Youth opened 9 of the last shows with Pearl Jam. Sonic Youth is one of my favorite bands of all time. I was really psyched and couldn't wait to see Sonic Youth for nine straight nights of rock.

It got better than that. I ended up being hired by Sonic Youth to work the last leg of their Summer tour - so four days after I got home from the Pearl Jam tour in July, I left to fly to Detroit to start working with Sonic Youth for a month.

wow.

Not only was it one of the most amazing experiences of my life... I was on my first REAL tour bus on a tour. I've hung out on buses and have rode on buses before..but never before did I actually have a bus to call home (besides the Grey Ghost of course.) So yeah, band and crew on one bus.. it was pretty stellar. Most of the shows were co-headlining with the Flaming Lips, so I got to be friends with those guys as well.. they were awesome and a hella good time.

About halfway thru the Sonic Youth tour we played 2 shows in Brooklyn at the McCarren Pool Park with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It was there I met their two merch guys, Kevin and Kerry. Well, not their 'merch' guys, but the guys who own the merch company they use. We became friends and exchanged contacts...


Before I knew it... two weeks after being home with Sonic Youth - and moving to an apartment in Fishtown Philly with Mike - Kevin calls me asking if I could leave in a week to work the Yeah Yeah Yeahs three week US tour.

So I left. I was on another sweet bus, this time it was just a crew bus. Band had their own. It was actually very nice that way.. lots of room and places to store things. Again, it was a frickin blast. I had a great time, and became really good friends with Kevin and Kerry - which in turn will mean I will be working more with them in the future. I already turned down their offer to work the Trail of Dead tour, just because I've obviously been busy and I need a break.

So currently I'm in Virginia Beach because Mike is here on travel for work.. but yes, I am 'home.' I'm happy, and very psyched for what I've been able to do for myself. All this bitching and paranoia can be put to rest. I did it.

wow - so I went back and read my last live journal entry and it was from February talking about "oh, I gotta move out may 1st, and my last classes are may 10th"

well bitches. It's now May 16th. I've both moved out of my house and have finished school. fuck yeah I'm a college graduate. It's so nice to be DONE. DONE DONE DONE!

and my next adventure? hah. Going back out on tour with Ashlee Simpson. yes, a second time. My good friend Cat, who I met on tour last year offered me a merch gig with her. I couldn't pass that up. If you know anything about me at all it's either a.) she's fucked up and likes Local H or b.) this bitch likes to tour. so yeah. I'm touring again. I quit my job at the office. I told Brad, my boss last week and he was so happy for me and veyr supportive. He even offered to make a few phone calls for me. It's sad. like, last night Silvertide played a private show at the Troc and of course everyone was there. By everyone I mean Pepper's Ghost and friends and Pawnshop Roses.. etc. All of the great friends I've made the past 3.5 years working with Pepper's Ghost and for Brad. I'm leaving all of that now.. which isn't forever. I realize that. But not working directly with those folks is just going to be sad and shocking. Like, that's where my roots are. That's what gave me the opportunity that I'm taking.. so yeah. its a sad thing for me. Everyone is so supportive and is happy for me. Many of them said it's the right decision. That makes me happy. I love all of them and I'm so happy to have met them and have them in my life. My boss, Brad - what a guy. Seriously. I would have never been able to finish school if he wasn't as supportive as he is with me. Fuck - the guy came out a lacrosse game this year with another lawyer from our office. That is just so awesome - I don't know if he will ever know how much I truly respect him and am thankful that he was so good to me and to give me this job. I spent two years working at A Priori Music Management and The Law Offices of Brad Rubens (pretty much the same thing) only i never handled the legal paperwork.

My time with band management is up for now.. and it's time to return to the road. I honestly couldn't be happier. I'm sure that after this run with Ashlee I'll be able to find something else after. I mean.. there are sooo many possibilities and opportunites that will come up. I just can't wait to get out of here...


So yeah - I leave June 4th at 9 am. I fly to Los Angeles to meet Cat and to get sorted. I have so much to do before then - like buy proper luggage and some clothes that I desperately need. I don't even have a pair of shorts to wear. That shits no good :)

yeah - it's been like.. months since I've cared to pop in here to type.

I've been literally having 14 hour days between work, class, and practices. I'm having a good time though.

Damn.. i just noticed this 'autosaved draft' thinggy pop up in the corner over there. Ha - woulda been useful all those times LJ crashed on me clearing my entire entry. I was in the habit of copying my entry before hitting 'update journal' just for safe keepings.

I'm going out to dinner tonight with my dad... yeah. He owes me a birthday dinner.. we just hadn't been able to go since I had my teeth out and it would have just been a miserable experience. So I asked him to take me to Eulogy, a Belgian Beer bar and restaurant at 2nd and Chestnut in Philly. Its gonna be bad ass. I can't wait. Mmmmm... hoegaardens.

I leave for Florida on Saturday. Spring break with the team once again. I've been having some killer practices. Oh shit.. guess who's back? Jamie Knobler is back. Fuck yeah. Bring it on. hah. ok. that's my macho shit talk right there.

**sigh.. I'm still trying to get some shit sorted out for the end of school. I have to be moved out of my house May 1st.. I'm done classes on May 10th.. and I wanna get the fuck outta here. Anyone have any ideas?

I have a few.. but I'd like to hear what some of you think I should go do with myself.

tomorrow is my surgery. I'm not very nervous right now. Its just when I think about how I'm going to be knocked out and my mouth all cranked open and the blood ... ugh. I just don't want to think about it. I was asking the question today, "How are they gonna go in my mouth, which doesn't open very wide to begin with, and cut out a tooth that hasn't even surfaced yet.. that is still rooted into my head? It seems impossible." I guess I'll find out tomorrow how it all goes. They definitely need to come out though.. I can feel them, and they are affecting my sinuses which is no good.

I won't be able to have anything to eat or drink until after surgery starting an hour from now. That sucks. There has never been a time when I COULDN'T eat because of a specific order. Sorta strange to think about. No one has ever really prevented me from eating before.

Well - I will post a follow up after the surgery sometime within the next day or two to say how it all went and how miserable I am. I'm going to have nothing but time on my hands anyway. ta ta.

first entry of 06.

I just spent 6 days in Chicago - the love of my life. . . I think I might be able to post some pics of the events that occured. I hope that this works:


this is me and Gabe at the Double Door on New Years Eve-


me and Todd at the show-


this is Tha Boss and Bela at a bar that had $1 burger night. Holla-



the first night in chicago we went to a bar.. then after it closed at 2 am we went to a 4 am bar called The Smart Bar. No more than 20 minutes goes by and Scott Lucas from Local H comes stumbling down the stairs. It was wild and random. Then a half hour later Mike McGee, Local H's old sound guy comes struttin in. I haven't seen Mike in almost two years so I was psyched to see him. I attempted to take a picture of the two of us and Scott decided he wanted to try and ruin it by stickin his finger in the camera as you can see here-


Finally - a decent (and by decent I mean funny) pic of me and Mike-


sorry to suck up your friend's page with all these photos.. I've never successfully posted em before.. so this is exciting shit for me.

Happy New Year everyone!

This is a test post from Photobucket.com

I know it's been a really long time since I last wrote anything meaningful in here. I guess a lot has to do with it being a really busy time in my life. Another having to do with the fact that I'm constantly out and about doing something. 2005. What a really amazing year it's been. I've discovered so much and have done so much. When I think back to what was happening at this time last year.. we were only throwing around the idea we would possibly be touring with Ashlee Simpson. I can't believe that I was just starting to get ready to leave for tour at this time last year - if that makes any sense. It's just that everything happened so fast. The tour took 4 months - then I got back to adjusting to a new life at home, which suddenly changed again - to going back to school full time while working full time - to now.. which is starting over a brand new year.

I'm guilty of always talking about what the future might be like.. or what I want it to be like. But I know that the first four months are going to consist of a full load of classes, work, and lacrosse. After that .. it's really up in the air. And I mean that. I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing by the end of May. All I know is that my lease is up for this place I'm living in Conshohocken, and that I'm going to be a college graduate. And from there I will start an adventure. As scary as it is - its all so very exciting and I can't explain how satisfying it is to have this all happen. I know I've told a few people this, including my boss, Brad - but that I'm the happiest I've ever been. I'm pretty sure that it has to do with really being happy with who I am. I learned a lot about myself and just feel more secure. I learned how to take a step back and chill out when things get really bad or with just the little daily stresses in life. It's really made all the difference.


Tomorrow I fly to Chicago. I will be seeing friends and rocking Local H on New Years Eve. A pretty rockin New Year's if you ask me. It'll be my little way of celebrating a great finish to 2005 and a happy welcome to 2006. Let's hope I can keep this optimistic throughout the rough times that I know are headed this way. :)

damn... a moldy sandwich? That's rough

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! Last month I helped mightypie across the street (6 points). In September I caught a purse-snatcher who stole stonedroses's purse (30 points). In January I helped severthetie hide a body (-173 points). Last Friday shinodazgirlie and I robbed a bank (-50 points). In March I got in line at the supermarket at the same time as someone else and I didn't yield (-8 points). Overall, I've been naughty (-195 points). For Christmas I deserve a moldy sandwich! Sincerely, fritzcorner

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