...as if nothing had happened

vincentdoe (2:59:44 AM): i almost got hit by a car the other night dude
thesaddestfilm (3:01:43 AM): wtf how
vincentdoe (3:03:06 AM): i was on a bike as i entered the intersection on a yellow light
vincentdoe (3:03:08 AM): it turned red
vincentdoe (3:03:47 AM): the car that almost hit me couldnt see me cus there was a van between us
vincentdoe (3:03:52 AM): it was going about 40 mph
thesaddestfilm (3:03:57 AM): damn
thesaddestfilm (3:04:02 AM): this van guy
vincentdoe (3:04:03 AM): haha
vincentdoe (3:04:15 AM): i got to within 2 feet or so of the speeding car
vincentdoe (3:04:19 AM): i swerved to dodge it
vincentdoe (3:04:23 AM): it didnt slow down
vincentdoe (3:04:26 AM): then i continued on my way
thesaddestfilm (3:04:32 AM): damn
vincentdoe (3:04:30 AM): as if nothing had happened

A good deal of notable events has taken place since my last blog. Thanh has already returned to school in UCSD, but we did happen to catch 500 Days of Summer and Inglorious Basterds (in the same late night outing). Both were awesome; I loved the former because it was wonderfully executed and didn't compromise reality for resolution's sake. The point of the story required that it didn't have a "boy gets girl in the end" ending. I loved the latter because it was easily one of the most satisfying movies I've ever seen. The plot played out flawlessly, the super violence was in good taste, and the dialogue-packed scenes were incredibly well written and acted, as was the building of tension in said scenes.

Thanh and I also spent a free day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom with local band April Chase and friends (9/20). A week prior to this, they had inquired my assistance in substituting for both of their guitarists for the Filipino Festival at Six Flags they were booked to play. How ever could I pass? :D







After our set, we briefly retreated to our cars, consuming special edibles in preparation for the rest of our day at the theme park. The allure of free rides and free food was not to be denied.
A dinner at Macaroni Grill followed in the late evening in celebration of Jerome's birthday. What an awesome day!

Some weeks later, Lachlan, Luke, and I attended the SJ Bike Party. To sum it up, thousands of peoples biked through the streets of San Jose and surrounding cities from 8pm to 2am-ish. For some reason unknown to me then, I could not physically keep up with anyone else. Middle school kids and noticeably overweight people were passing me by with ridiculous ease. "I know that I haven't ridden a bike in ten years, but I can't possibly be this out of shape," I thought. It wasn't until we got back to Lachlan's house that he realized he had let me borrow a bike whose brakes were defective, as they were LIGHTLY CLAMPING ON THE TIRES THE ENTIRE TIME. *_*

At some point in the route 2/3 of the way done, I sought food and shelter at a 7-11. By the time I felt rested enough to continue, the bike party had succeeded me in its entirety. I was advised to take a shortcut to the FINAL DESTINATION and along the way I almost got hit by a car. Then I continued on my way...

things I complicate

vincentdoe (6:04:19 AM): should we go to sleep now??
Poised (6:04:26 AM): yes we should
vincentdoe (6:04:28 AM): ok
vincentdoe (6:04:30 AM): please wake me up
Poised (6:04:37 AM): we will probably lie in bed for quite some time
Poised (6:04:40 AM): and cuddle
Poised (6:04:45 AM): yes i will
vincentdoe (6:04:46 AM): yes
vincentdoe (6:04:48 AM): we should cuddle

things I understand

vincentdoe: she once sent me a pic
vincentdoe: of
vincentdoe: this nude girl she drew
boom: lol wth
vincentdoe: point of view was from the back
boom: oh
vincentdoe: she said "i hope youre not opposed to partial nudity!"
vincentdoe: and i said "i appreciate everything in good taste"
vincentdoe: and then i opened up the file
vincentdoe: and it was another "omg im in love with this girl" moment

summer's end

Since my last blog there have been sporadic recording sessions... rerecording a lot of things. but it's for the better. "Cold War" will be on the EP now. The song is coming along well.... just need to finish lyrics. Played "cold war" along with 4 other songs at the Puppy Love concert. Lachlan, Greg, Chapin, and I practiced for days the week prior. Not my best performance... monitors weren't working so I couldn't hear myself. Still well received though. I think :|

Hung out with Jen Lam last Saturday... remind me again why we don't hang out more often? :D

Started school this week. Super easy... super boring. But it's only the first week, so we'll see.
Mon 10:55am-12:20pm (intro to logic)
Tues 2:10-3:35pm (intro to music fundamentals) 3:40-6:50pm (magic,witchcraft,&religion)
Wed 10:55am-12:20pm (intro to logic) 7-10:10pm (intro to astronomy)
Thurs 2:10-3:35pm (intro to music fundamentals)

My Milpitas Sportscenter membership expired recently due to my lack of employment there.... so today I signed up with Fitness USA. It's even closer to my house. I get a personal trainer with the basic package ^_^ I'm going to gain 15 lbs of muscle by winter break. When testing for my body fat percentage today, the device kept reading ERROR. "This has never happened before," said my trainer HAHAHA.

I want to see 500 days of summer.

best summer ever pt.IV

8/12
Stayed home. Watched Star Wars VI on my family's brand new huge flat screen TV.

8/11
Went to bed in the morning, woke up around noon at Lachlan's house. Austin was still over and Brian and Luke had come over too. Us four had a sweet jam before we all, including Dave and Lachlan but excluding Austin who left for work, went to Happy Bamboo for lunch. The rest of the day consisted of more jamming, playing Halo, and a bit of mixing. Evan and Danny came over in the evening for practice as well, as Brian and I exchanged guitar playing knowledge.

8/10
While I was mixing in the afternoon, Dave called me to jam, so I headed over to Lachlan's house in the evening. Luke left to work on a video, and Austin came over to jam with us. Austin drums for the Ego Trippers, a local band, but plays guitar too. More people came over in time and we had a get-together for Sarah's 18th birthday. We BBQ'd shish kabobs, and there were more cool jams with different people through out the night and some, including me, slept over.

8/9
Stayed home to edit and comp (piecing together different parts from different takes to create one "best" take) my vocal takes for Fade Out. I literally spent like 12 hours on it, but I don't think I'm happy with it. I guess I just need to get better at singing.

8/8
Stayed home and mixed.

8/7
I was mixing the newly recorded tracks when Ryan calls me in the evening to inquire me to bring some live sound gear to a Hot Topic acoustic show at Oakridge Mall that he and Nik were scheduled to play. When Nik arrives, an employee informs him that the show is canceled due to reasons blaming the band. We deemed these reasons to be bullshit, but take the high road anyway. As we walk out of the store, I spot a few girls that were eying us, as I suspect that they were there to see Picture Atlantic. Nice going, Hot Topic. We then meet up at Cardinal's Coffee Lounge to hang out, and Grant, Derek, and Ross join us in time. Amongst the banter was a story I shared of a recent incident at a jam party involving a prank caller from a private number and myself.

"Vincent Do, you Nik Bartunek wanna-be."
"What? I'm in a really noisy environment. Let me go to a quieter place."
"You heard me. You know how I know you're gay? You listen to Coldplay."
"Hmmmm I love Coldplay. You know how I know you're gay?"
"How?"
"You just told me." *I hang up*

I must apologize for my impulsive derogatory usage of 'gay'. It was literally the first time in my life I've ever done so. Anyway while the rest of the guys decided to carry out a most mischievous scheme, I decided to call it a night.

8/6
Luke calls me in the afternoon to come over to Lachlan's to jam and have a Star Wars marathon. I get there around 7 and we start Star Wars, and Justin, who plays bass for local band Beta State, returns from the store, so we end up jamming instead. Two bass jam - strange, I know. April Chase comes over later on and we play a little Halo at some point. After April Chase leaves, Jake and Brez comes over and we all watch half of Colors and all of Burn After Reading. We track vocals to Fade Out, You Are Free, and Retreat before I go home.

8/5
The events of this day are unclear, but at some point and Lachlan and I track Luke playing on You Are Free, and us three go out for pizza at a place called Super Pizza. $4 for a large pizza. I don't remember what happened the rest of the day, but I do finally go home.

8/4
I wake up at Lachlan's house around noon. We find the right tone for a slightly overdriven rhythm track for Fade Out with Grant's US telecaster and Vox AC30. We record it. In the evening, while I'm practicing guitar with Grant's gear, April Chase come over again to track vocals. Nik, Grant, Derek, and Ross come by to hang out a bit and pick up Grant's gear. I sleep over at Lachlan's again.

8/3
I start the day by heading over to Nik's house to pick up the keys to the van located at Brian Grave's house. After a short conversation with his dad about epidemics and poison oak, I head over to Lachlan's house to pick him up before we make our way to Brian Grave's house. Once there, we get all of Grant's equipment out of the trailer and stop by Starbucks for a passion tea lemonade for Lachlan before heading back to his house.

We record and experiment a bit with Grant's gear before most of local band April Chase come over to track vocals. Lachlan has the house to himself for two weeks since his family has gone camping, so we turn the living room into a control room and the office into a recording booth, and plug the laptop/interface into the living room's surround sound system. It's quite a sight - monitoring vocal tracks in the living room as people play Halo on the TV. After April Chase leaves, we track vocals to Fade Out. I sleep over in the morning.

8/2
I delivered an old guitar and new strings to Andy for him to borrow and maintain for me. I stayed home the rest of the day.

8/1
Sara left early in the morning and Luke came over soon after I awoke at 11am. We went to eat at Fresh Choice and grabbed recording gear from Jake's house before heading backing to Lachlan's. I took a nap while Luke and Lachlan played Halo and then picked up Thanh from her house.

After some time, we finally got around to recording. We recorded acoustic guitar for Retreat out in the hallway with the wooden floor. The floor reflections made a huge difference and definitely sounds a lot better than recording guitar over carpet. For those interested, we mic'd the guitar in stereo with Rode NT-1's with one mic next to the guitar nut pointing at the soundhole and the other mic about a foot away from the neck joint pointing at the 12th fret.

Evan came over later and we set off in two cars to a jam party on the east side. Thanh and I left early and went to her house. We always have long discussions. I got home at 3:30am and it was first time I'd been home in 2 1/2 days.

7/31
Ryan and I stayed up all night and got some McDonald's coffee in the morning. I recommend hazelnut syrup. We then consecutively watched A Haunting in Connecticut, Let the Right One In, and Fanboys. In the afternoon I filmed footage of Nick, Ryan, and Mikey "working." Very professional matters. We all even wore ties.

In the evening I headed over to a house show that Lachlan and I played. It was pretty much a practice session for us and I am happy to say that we were very solid and well received. Afterward we went to his house and a bunch of people soon came over too. At one point I rested my head on the back of Sarah's knees and she said "you fit so well between my legs." Unaware of the innuendo involved, I replied "wouldn't anyone?" and hilarity ensued. After most people left, Lachlan, Sara, and I put on a movie, whose name escapes me, but fell asleep before it finished.

7/30
Around noon Khanh and I drove around Milpitas to deliver letters to potential sponsors for a benefit show we're putting on on August 28. We got fish and chips from Foster's Freeze before calling it a day. In the afternoon I headed to David Sosa's house where he and Lachlan were jamming. Luke arrived soon after and we all went to chill at a park, where I also changed my acoustic's strings. When we got back, we had a cool jam and played Left 4 Dead. I briefly joined them at an open house before departing for Ryan's house in Redwood City.

For half a week, Picture Atlantic & crew worked on business and promotion stuff at Ryan's house since his parents were gone and Nick and Mikey stayed over as well. I got there at 2am and chilled for the rest of the night, as well as getting in a few hours of guitar practice.

7/29
Went to the gym. Stayed at home researching gear for the rest of the day.

7/28
Watched the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Around midnight I went to Nick's house to drop off a bass. We hadn't hung out in a while and ended up talking about music and promotion stuff till 4am.

7/27
I mixed Jake's song for a bit before going to the gym with Ryan Ha. Afterward we went to his house to jam. I showed him my new songs. Good times. After midnight I went to Lachlan's house, where we tracked vocals for You Are Free.

7/26
Checked out the new Blush Organic Yogurt store. Looks like Milpitas has a new venue. Andy snuck me into his set and we covered Karma Police together. Lots of familiar faces. Kelly came over later. I showed her my mixing techniques and she left at 3am.

7/25
Stayed home.

best summer ever pt.III

7/24
Before heading over to Luke's house with all the recording gear and instruments still in my car, I gave my sister and Audrey a ride to Cardoza Park. Then I headed over to Luke's, where Lachlan was already at, to track bass for You Are Free and Fade Out.

I am really enthused about the bass tone we got. It sounds really deep and well-defined. For those who are interested, the signal path went Fender US Jazz Bass > Sansamp amp emulation pedal > Radial DI > Dbx386 TubePreAmp > digital out to ProTools. The Dbx preamp's A/D conversion is interesting. It doesn't let signals clip. Instead, it emulates tape compression by compressing whatever would normally clip into the last 4 db of headroom. It sounds really good.

After tracking at Luke's, I went home and Kelly and Lynn came over. Shortly there after we headed to Caffe Trieste in my car. Violent Violet kicked off the show and Seabright followed before I was up. By the beginning of my set (with Mike on guitar/backup vocals and Joey on drums), the room was packed and there were a lot of familiar faces.



Overall I felt extremely happy with my group's set. This performance was definitely a step above all of my past shows and my old fans/friends who attended remarked on my improvement too, so I'm happy that my recent efforts have not gone unnoticed. I recall that my earliest shows (which spanned from 1.5 years to 0.5 years ago) were fueled by the energy of just being in front of a neutral audience. The energy was there, but upon on watching the videos of them, the technical proficiency was definitely lacking. I felt embarrassed to have been that sloppy.

I then embarked on an ongoing effort to clean up my playing and singing. I began becoming more consistent at keeping the beat and attaining accuracy with my singing pitch, but all the while I felt that my live performances were lacking the energy I had played with before. That is why I'm proud to say that my performance at Caffe Trieste featured my most solid playing and singing to date, as well as a newly found energy that I had felt to be lacking in recent months. Despite only running through a single two-hour practice the day before, Mike and Joey also did a fantastic job of providing the extra dynamic that only a band can provide.

My set is as follows: the Hardest Part (Coldplay cover played by myself), You Are Free, Ball of Yarn, Sharpshooter (played by myself on piano), Oh Lisa, and Fade Out.

David Knight played after me and was the last act of the night. It was definitely the best set I'd ever seen him put on. His use of effects and looping was very creative. To enlighten you with some history, David Knight was formerly the frontman of local band Day One Symphony. They were undoubtedly one of the most recognized bands in the Bay Area, but broke up just before they were about to go even bigger. As amazing as David Knight is playing solo, I can't help but wonder how much more captivating his act would be as a group effort.

Anyway after the show Lynn, Kelly, and I ate at La Vic's. I bought them an original burrito and I got a flour chicken quesadilla for myself. We then headed over to Lachlan's house and watched American History X. Great movie. I started getting sleepy soon after we put on the Devil and Daniel Johnston, so we decided to call it a night. I got home at 4am.

I can't help but reminisce on how grateful I feel for having met all of the people and musicians I've met recently, as well as the friends and confidantes that continue to remain in my life. I hear from separate sources that I'm actually getting my name out there, despite an utter lack of promotion and official releases. I don't know how that works, but it makes me quite excited for the future. The album is coming along very nicely. I can't wait to have a huge CD release party to kick it off.

7/23
I started and finished my 4-page term paper in the morning. I had to write about anything music related. I chose to write on the progression of my musicianship. I exceeded 4 pages haha. At noon I attended my last day of History of Rock. Totally aced the final.

I hit up the gym afterward and then went home to pick up my guitar before heading to Metabear's practice space in downtown SJ to practice for the Caffe Trieste show with Mike Shirley-Donnelly on guitar/vocals and Joey Guthrie on drums. I had originally only asked Mike to play with me, but Joey volunteered his talent on drums and it went over well at practice, so he's playing tomorrow too.

After practice I headed to Jake's house, where he, Greg, Lachlan, Luke, and Brian were at already. Brian is an amazing technical guitarist whose style is comparable to virtuosos such as Steve Vai. He can play the Super Mario song and the "coin" sound to a T. Anyway we tracked Luke's bass parts, which he pretty much made up on the spot, for Retreat. He is such an amazing bassist. I was grooving so hard to his playing as we tracked it. Jake and Lachlan still had it stuck in their heads on the car ride to In-N-Out afterward too. After In-N-Out, we chilled at Jake's house for a while before going home.

best summer ever pt.II

7/22
I went to class and then to the gym.

7/21
Audrey and Forest came over and we (including my sister) made cookies. I took a nap and when I woke up, they were gone and I went to the gym for a bit. I've been practicing "The Hardest Part" by Coldplay after I heard a poignant stripped-down version Chris Martin plays live.

7/20
Bryan came over in the afternoon. I showed him my new "Cold, Cold War" song and he stoked about it too. In fact, I wrote a little more to it while showing it to him. He also watched me edit the video from Saturday's session at Lachlan's house. In the evening, we went to Guitar Center with Jonas and his friend, Christine. There I compared a vintage Blackface Deluxe Reverb and Tweed Vibrolux. I loved the sound of both, especially the Tweed for a pure overdrive, but ultimately the Blackface proved to be the better match for me. I could definitely imagine how its sound would fit better in a full band than the Tweed and the slightly more enhanced picking nuances and signature Fender sparkle would bring out my percussive playing style more effectively.

7/19
Attended Mike's BBQ at Gill Park. Goodbyes were made on this night.

7/18
Around 10pm I headed over to Lachlan's to record Grant's parts for Fade Out. Here's a video of us messing around afterward.

7/17
I fell asleep in Lachlan's room in the morning and awoke to find that he was at work. I watched TV and jammed by myself in his room till he got back. Greg then came over and we tracked bass and drums for a song they were working on. Afterward Jake came over and we discussed song production for a bit. Around midnight we all went over to Greg's house and watched a documentary on fractals. Very interesting.

7/16
Upon arriving at Lachlan's house in the evening we immediately left with Greg and Jake to go see Bruno in Saratoga. Afterward we headed back to Lachlan's and after Greg and Jake left, we played Halo 2 in the living room. Lachlan fell asleep, but I played well into the morning.

7/15
Went to class. Headed over to Huy's house where he gave me a full car wash. Interior included. We got the new pastrami sandwich from Subway and headed over to Chris Wilson's house, which is practically right behind mine. Played Halo 2 and 3 on xbox live. It was another video game moment where I was high off of how much fun I was having.

7/14
Went to class. I picked up Michael's amp from Lachlan's house in the afternoon. At night Joy and Dustin sneaked me into the 12:20 screening of Harry Potter 6. The film was cut at some point before the movie resumed, so everyone got rain checks from the theatre to see another movie.

7/13
Lachlan fell asleep after we beat the last level and I played Halo 2 by myself till 10am, when I passed out. When I woke up at 3pm, everyone was gone and my dad had called me to remind me we had to go the Toyota dealership for a free oil change and car maintainence. I mixed some more when I got home and that was it for the day.

7/12
Headed over to Lachlan's part of San Jose in the evening. First we chilled with some of his friends. When we headed back to his house, we recorded tom samples to put into Fade Out. Afterward Megan and Sara came over and we watched Goodfellas. Those two fell asleep and then we started playing Halo 2 again.

7/11
Mixed Fade Out. Watched a a couple movies at Dustin's house with him and Joy around midnight.

7/10
I spent a good part of the day researching whether I should purchase a Tweed Deluxe or a Blackface Deluxe Reverb and what speaker I should get for the latter amp. Just guitarist geek stuff really. That was pretty much it for the day. Oh and a late night chat with Thanh. Haven't had one of those for... a week.

One of the things we covered was people who are undeniably talented; who people recognize as having something special from a young age. Thanh asked why some of those people get denied so often (from any sort of talent/entertainment company) and I responded "because the people who deny them live to regret it." I cited the executive who denied the Beatles and scoffed at the concept of a "pop band."

Talented people usually don't get denied anyway once they're recognized as being special, so I would say that her "often" claim was exaggerated. The way it usually goes is if you don't show great potential in the first few years of starting your craft, then you're not cut out to make it.

My dad is more apathetic about my sleeping habits now. He used to get so angry if he woke up to go to the bathroom and saw me awake at 4am and I'd always feel like I'd have to be on the lookout for his presence too. I feel like the stress lifted off of me from not having to deal with that has allowed me more peace of mind to contemplate (in the most peaceful hours) other matters of my life, like what do I really find satisfaction in and what do/will I have to live for. I mean I'm always thinking introspectively; I'm a rather introspective person I'd like to think, but some conclusions I come to are definitely more eye-opening than others.

7/9
I headed over to Lachlan's house in the afternoon and we got distracted by Halo 2 (on Legendary difficulty) for a couple hours. We attended the Music in the Park concert, this time featuring a reggae band, in downtown SJ with some friends. Most of the songs were about weed I think. Like the free Third Eye Blind concert, it was too crowded, so we left to get SmokeEaters. Afterward we all headed back to Lachlan's house. We tried out his virtual piano plugin and I mixed Fade Out for a couple hours. After everyone else left we played Halo 2 some more.

7/8
After getting home from class, my sister and I went to Audrey's house. I practiced piano there a bit and we watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Later Anton and I went to play the open mic at Barefoot Coffee Roasters, where I played my first open mic two years ago. Afterward we went to Lachlan's house and watched Raging Bull.

7/7
Class ended early so I worked on mixing Retreat before Jen Lam came over. We chilled and played each other some songs. Among the songs I showed her was a new one I'd been kicking around called "Cold, Cold War." We recorded some ideas we came up for it, and the song looks to definitely be one to be finished by the end of the summer. My dad and sister also came home.

7/6
Went over to Lachlan's house in the afternoon. I pressed 'record' as the four jammed. Luke, Lachlan, and I played Halo 2 afterward and then I went home.

7/5
I worked on mixing before attending a graduation party that Lachlan, Luke, and Evan were at. I didn't actually know anyone there besides Tim, of April Chase, and the three prior mentioned, but it was all good. The girl had just graduated from UC Berkeley. There were a lot of good musicians at this party and we all jammed at some point, as there was a full band set up in the backyard. Here I met Dave, whose playing I particularly enjoyed and who plays guitar for Jive Theory, and we traded numbers, hoping to jam some time soon. Afterward I headed over to Lachlan's house and we chilled in his room with a bunch of his friends that were over till I went home at some point.

7/4
I worked on mixing the new tracks for a while. Then at 11pm I picked up Audrey and we went over to Lan's house where a bunch of friends were at. Soon after, we all left for Anton's house, where there was a party going on. We chilled there for a bit before all going home.

7/3
I worked some more on the photos. I went over to Lachlan's house for a bit and picked up Michael's amp and the newly recorded tracks on my flash drive. My dad had left in the morning to go to SoCal to visit family and my sister was still in San Diego, so it was just my mom and me at home.

7/2
I stayed home to work on all of the photos I'd taken in the past month. Kelly came over for a bit.

7/1
I left class early to head over to Brian Graves's house. Once the rest of Picture Atlantic arrived, we were on our way to San Francisco. When we got to the venue, the Rickshaw Stop, I helped the band set up and we all went to eat at the Crepe House afterward. I ordered the New Orleans crepe, but I have to say I wasn't too crazy about my meal. When we got back to the venue, the rest of the bands had already arrived. Among the backstage banter was a chat with some members of local band Finish Ticket from Alameda. Cool guys. All members but one, who just graduated, are still in high school. They put on a really good set that night and I'll definitely look for them in the future. Picture Atlantic headlined that night and the crowd had to have been one of the most anticipant crowds for them that I've seen. They played ten songs and another two for their encore. After loading up the van again, we headed back to Brian Graves's house and I headed home immediately due to a rare headache.

best summer ever pt.I

6/30
After class, I headed over to Lachlan's house, where we immediately got started on tracking electric guitar and finished all of my electric guitar parts for Fade Out, You Are Free, and Retreat by around 6pm. We went for some Jamba Juice from the one he works at and had BBQ hot dogs in the backyard as Luke, Danny, and Evan arrived. Tonight was focused more on working on one song and featured a very impressive and more relaxed jam at the end. After Danny and Evan departed, the three of us left chilled and played Halo a bit before calling it a night.

6/29
Lachlan and I worked on the mix for Fade Out and had some veggie burgers for breakfast. In the afternoon we went out to a coffee shop in downtown Willow Glen for a bit to meet up with a friend of his who was visiting from Seattle and after we parted ways, Lachlan and I went out to get pho, although I did not eat. Shortly after we got back to his house, Danny, Evan, and Luke came over to jam. It's interesting to note that Danny was the main guitarist of Day One Symphony, the first local band that I ever got into during my 10th grade year, and that I just happened to be wearing a Day One Symphony shirt. They had a good jam. After Danny left, the four of us went over to one of Evan's friends' house to chill a bit. His friend is the drummer of a band, Dark Heavens, that is sponsored by Red Bull and there were tons of Red Bull cans at his house. Shortly thereafter we all went home.

6/28
Marc Pascua had invited me to play at his brother, Matthew's, graduation party at a buffet in Fremont, so my afternoon was spent there. Free food, can't complain, except for the scorching weather. When I got home I finished my first passable, balanced-sounding mix of Fade Out, took a nap till 11pm, and chatted on AIM for a bit afterward. Around 2am I packed up gear in my car and headed over to Lachlan's house. We put "The Shining" on but were fast asleep before it was finished.

6/27
Woke up at noon and had breakfast with everyone still present in Rima's house. Shot some windowlight portraits of Thanh and Lachlan. Started back to Milpitas around 3. I used the "shortest distance" route on my GPS and we ended up driving through the good parts of Oakland as well as the ghetto parts of Oakland and San Leandro. What a sight. I worked on the mix of Fade Out and napped. Dan came over around midnight and we headed over to Thanh's house and watched Candyman there. It was a decent horror movie but made me go WTF one too many times. Dan and Thanh go back to San Diego tomorrow. Got home at 5 again.

6/26
Woke up at noon and went to see Transformers 2 with Dan. Fun movie. Headed back to his house to prepare the playlist for Thanh's bday party in Berkeley. Went back home and Lachlan and Thanh headed over and then we went up to Berkeley. The party was held at Rima's house and it got started around 10ish. 5% alcohol drinks FTW. Plenty of pictures were taken and shall be posted later. Good times. At around 3, we took a short walk around Berkeley. Dan, Thanh, Rima, Lachlan and I shared the same room to sleep in; alas there was only one bed. Lachlan was first to claim the bed and Thanh and Rima took to it as well. Then for a whole hour, Dan and I would attempt to claim it for ourselves and the struggle was nothing short of epic. Perseverence won in the end.

6/25
Lachlan and I recorded for about 4 hours, starting work around noon. We finished getting tones and tracking all electric guitar for "Fade Out" and did a bit of other songs; I'll spare the technical details for another blog. Then we headed over to one of his friends, Jake's, house for a jam he was to drum for. Then we all went out for some sushi with discounts from a sushi place one of Lachlan's friends worked at. Headed back to Jake's to jam and chill some more. A couple more of Jake's friends showed up and we went to Lachlan's house to hang out in his jacuzzi. Some time after everyone left, I headed over to Thanh's house at around 3am and we hung out in her room, minding our volume till we coordinated my escape around sunrise.

6/24
Class. Headed over to Thanh's house, had udon soup, and did some vocal exercises. Thanh is proud of her weight loss. Went to pick up the goods for her bday party in Berkeley on Friday. Stopped by Lachlan's and Michael's house to pick up guitar gear before heading home. We cleaned up my room a bit. Lachlan came over and we headed to Thanh's house and watched A Clockwork Orange. Very disturbing movie. Lachlan and I headed back to my house to sleep.

6/23
Worked on some photos shot recently.

6/22
Thanh came over and shortly there after we left for Lachlan's house. We all got some frozen yogurt and headed back to his house for dinner. His family is really cool. We had a discussion of the direction the food industry was heading in and how twinkies and McDonald's fries never rot. "We're all gonna die!" haha. Mixed what we had of "Fade Out" for a bit, reminisced on high school, and watched Shawshank Redemption before going home at 3.

6/20
Headed over to Luke's house with Lachlan and the gear necessary to record bass DI. I wish I'd brought my camera to shoot video that night. What a scene - Luke tracking bass at the dining table while the rest of the guys are playing PS3 in the same room.

6/19
Practiced with Kevin before playing at Relay For Life. Thanh and I walked around the field. Caught up with a bunch of people. We ran into Sylvia, Joy, Dustin, Brian, and later Carrie and we went to Great Mall to see Year One and the Proposal. Friends got us in for free. So worth it. Thanh and I then went to Brian Graves's house. We chilled there with members of PA and got home at 6.

6/18
Gym with Dan. Thanh and I went to downtown SJ to check out Music in the Parks. Third Eye Blind played, although we couldn't really see or hear them clearly. Met up with Lachlan. Got some Philly cheese steak sandwiches. Watched the Ego Trippers show at the Works.

6/17
Class. Gym with Dan. Took Thanh along for another session at Lachlan's. Tracked drums for "Fade Out." Watched City of God. No wonder it's on so many top-10-movies-to-watch-before-you-die lists.

6/16
First day of History of Rock class. It looks to be an easy A. It counts for GE too. Gym with Dan. Got Wingstop with Dan. Chilled with Dan and Kavita at her house around midnight, made brownies, and watched Wristcutters: A Love Story. Shannyn Sossamon <3

6/15
Gym. Got Wingstop with Audrey. Tracked acoustic guitars for Retreat and You Are Free at Lachlan's. Grant came over to track a crazy part. We watched Full Metal Jacket. Stanley Kubrick is a genius. I left at 3am and chilled at Thanh's house for a bit before going home. She made me spam and rice.

6/13
I attended Jenny's graduation party at the Bennetts'.

6/11
I played an IHS library show with Mike (Curious Quail) and made some $ off of that. I talked to the sound guy, who I'd met at a previous Grand Fanali Productions show, and we discussed post-July plans to check out his new studio. A woman who had just graduated from Stanford also stumbled upon the show and we exchanged contact info for future bookings. Got back to Milpitas and hit the gym and Carl's Jr afterward, where I tried the new Mushroom Portabello burger.

6/10
Went over to Mike's house to do some cosmetic work on the black telecaster I was borrowing. Then we hit the gym and afterward I ran into my boss in the locker room, where I was informed that I wasn't being rehired for the summer due to them not taking part-timers. Just one 6-week class this summer it is.

6/9
Lachlan and I tracked guitars. Around midnight and upon returning to Milpitas, I chilled with Tommy and Andrew in his van, and soon learned that Mike and Jonathan, who had invited me to chill on the same day, were in the trunk. Sneaky bastards. I tried out the new Kentucky Bourbon burger at Carl's Jr.

pre 6/9
I had all A's in my classes heading into finals; this was a good semester for me. Lachlan and I started our recording sessions. The first day we recorded a cover of "No Such Thing" for his recording class. The next two weeks we'd work on my stuff about every other day.

The drum overhead micing technique I learned sounds great. Huge, spacious sounding drums. Just the way I like it. Lachlan and Luke came up with an interesting dub/reggae groove for "Retreat;" very Police-sounding. I really liked it, but we didn't keep it since we felt it changed the song too much. Finally some real recording progress. Things are looking up.

Luke also came over to play bass and chill. One Friday we went to an art festival in downtown SJ. Plenty of bizarre performance art, but interesting time nonetheless. We also watched Escape From Alcatraz and Pi in Lachlan's room.

I started working out again too. Feeling sore is feeling satisfied.