mc

[mc]

I'm warm and comfortable, but worried about money and not looking forward to a long drive right now. My broken down car may be fixed today, I am not sure.

GAAAAAH, just reached the mechanics, they need it for another night, which means more $$$$, or should I say, MORE $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

My good good friend Matt Coleman is driving down from Guilford CT to hang with me and put a good dent on these bottles of scotch I have. My dad is loaning me the money to pay for this car bullshit, so I should be able to make it home all right, except for a debt. one more for the pile, right?

MCing NYFA was a great experience. never before have I received money for talking about footbag. I got some great scotch at an even greater price, sold a bag, just made some new friends playing music... it's not all bad. The labor on the car is what's driving me nuts.

Ah, talked to Matt Coleman a while ago (I've been writing this on and off over the past few hours) and he's not coming because he found out an old friend died of a heroin overdose a few days ago. So scratch that.

I might be going out with the friends I just made at some later point tonight. I have to buy a towel if I'm going to do that, because I need a shower bad. but, i hope that works out. At least I still have clean clothes.

hope everyone else is having an awesome day.

[Darkshredder]

Hey Matt! It was awesome seeing you again in NYC. Thanks again for your advice on ps whirl and quantum set. I worked plo like a madman today and you're so right too, they get much easier when plo gets higher. And I footed ps whirl second try.

I wish I could sesh with you more often, man. I always forget how clear you concepts. Alas. . . siena.

Anyway happy shredding and I'll see you soon hopefully!

[mc]

hey pat, it was great seeing you in NY too. i also wish we could play together; we both need someone to call "the" and help us repair little mistakes. I wish I could give you some drill assignments, because I can think of some stuff that would really help your game grow. your style has always been good clean. everything makes sense when I see you do it, but strings are short, and I'm not sure why. anyway... some day.

haha, of course, this coming from someone who doesn't play footbag haha, I seriously don't any more. I just talk shit about it. I hadn't played between NYC and the last RFA sesh I went to (a week ago) and I had a great time, even though my game was not sharp. I hit whirlygig > superfly first try ever, and doublespin clipper for the first time, also pretty easily. my hip hurt after ps illusion > op blender, just because it was hard to whip that blend around from toe. I dunno, not that hard, but I still felt it. Mob was no problem, midstring, both sides.

It's fun to not really practice but still be able to get together with my guys and rock out. It's ALWAYS a pleasure seeing mike anello play, ESPECIALLY when he bangs out a move that I know is hard as shit for him, blurriest both sides. he hit them so good, too, really comfortably, great sets, good rhythm. or, stepping out of whirl, anything. it's all good. Chris can always hit something huge, and paul can always hit something weird. So, the RFA is still as strong and fun and awesome as ever. YEAH is going to be great. I just hope mad people come.

Music gets all my focus lately. And that's cool. hopefully I can post some new tracks some time soon... but really, hope has nothing to do with it, it's all about that elbow grease... work time...

[mc]

So, I haven't freestyled since the last RFA session. I've stitched a bit, and I still read modified like a maniac, but I haven't been kicking. I don't feel too bad about that. It's going to hurt my game, but my game is at a place with which I am happy, and I've always been able to get back up to snuff in a few sessions. I eat almost nothing, drink lots of coffee, and have resumed cigarette smoking. So, I'm not in the best condition to freestyle.

However, apparently I'm in wonderful condition to front a rock band. This band has gotten all my focus. We've had a great few gigs in the past week, and we have a sick one coming up on thursday. I'm trying to get some gigs together for next semester, but I am having issues with the fact that the place that gives us the most gigs also refuses to pay me and treats the gigs as them doing me a favor, not as the symbiotic relationship that it is. So I'm shopping around to other places.

Whatever happens, I feel great about it. We're making progress all the time and learning new songs easily. I haven't written music in a long while, I guess it's time for something new in that regard.

I have a test in a little while for a class I haven't been to since the last test. I'm not sure what to expect, except a not-that-great grade. but no one goes, or cares about the class, maybe I'll fall in the middle of the field and be able to pull a low B or high C in the class.

Not sure about living arrangements for next year. I'd love to live with the band just off campus in a place where we can practice. We are looking into such a place. fuck ya.

last night, we were watching south park, and the townspeople were singing Love is a Battlefield, and I sang the catch line, and this girl in the room said that it IS a battlefield, and I said that, to me, love is a deserted playground. She thought that was kinda funny and emo.

Saying I haven't written a song in a long while isn't exactly true. I just penned this stroke of genius a few weeks ago, but neither myself, nor the guys in my band, have the balls to want to play it in public... I give you "Dumb Drunk Bitty".

Chorus is screamed, verses are rapped. music is basically a hard E minor guitar thing with really straight, loud drums.

DUMB DRUNK BITTY
DUMB DRUNK BITTY, HOW'D YOU GET SO SHITTY?
DUMB DRUNK BITTY
I'VE SEEN IT BEFORE, AND IT AIN'T PRETTY
DUMB DRUNK BITTY
THAT GIRL DONE DRY UP THE BAR
DUMB DRUNK BITTY
DUMB DRUNK BITTY DON'T DRIVE NO CAR!!

that girl was givin me head
she done boot in the bed
now I wanna be cool, and I try not to stress
but somebody's gotta clean up this mess!
I wonder how she got so dumb and drunk
next time she sees me, she called me a punk!
I said, "don't blame me if I won't give you the dick,
cuz I don't wanna clean up when you get sick".

CHORUS

she got tha automobile
she want to get behind the wheel
and maybe she won't, maybe she will
but I know that if she does, someone's gonna get killed
cuz she can't walk in a straight line,
she's lookin for dick, and she wants mine
cuz she can't walk and she can't dance,
but she sure can drop those underpants

CHORUS

So, yeah... that's what I traded for footbag

[Asmus]

When I checked the blogs earlier today. I thought that I really wanted an update from you. And here it is..

The song really made me laugh.
I look forward to hear some music from your band.

[Darkshredder]

how fast is that song, Matt? Because I think you should make it really really fast. Even if it's rapping. . no no. ESPECIALLY if it's rapping. I like it though. If you ever get a chance to record it, you should put it on myspace!

Depending on where I am this summer I'd like to play loads of footbag with you and the RFA.

[mc]

hey Pat, it's about the speed of Back in Black by ACDC. I'll let you know if it ever gets recorded again we did a shitty recording 2 weeks ago or so.

Asmus, I'll definitely let you know when we have stuff online.

It's so good to get more posts in my blog. Just saw yours, pat... I've been stitching since you posted. Just finished 107. Finished 106 yesterday.

107 is my first spikey bag. I guess I'll take a picture.



I'm pleased with both of them, and even more pleased to have some bags for NYJ.

[Darkshredder]

the green one looks boss. Well done, Mr. Cross.

[mc]

need a bag?



$35 including shipping domestic, more for canada / elsewhere.

[mc]

been stitching like a madman lately. still no footbag.

last night I dreamed that I had a threesome with two other footbaggers. No, I will not mention their names.

I will say this: it was super hot and I hope it happens for real some day. One of them, I think might be in to it. The other, I'm not so sure, but I'm not certain.

I'm really psyched for NYJ. I'll be riding in with Mosher, and my good friend Hacky Sack Jack is going with Dan Greer. This is going to be a NYJ to remember, I CAN'T BELIEVE THE SIZE OF THE ATTENDEE LIST!!!! I am half done with #115, and I hope to finish that and #116 today. Tomorrow, I hope to do another bag and a half. My arms are really starting to hurt, and I can tell most when I play guitar, but I think it will be worth it if I can take a few days off before the event and still have a big pile of bags to sell.

I have never been to a tournament with bags to sell and had enough for all the people that ask me. I hope to have more than enough for NYJ, because I can sell the rest at YEAH. I need to bring at least one to Rochester for an intermediate prize.

I hope that there are other people with instruments at NYJ so we can rock out as much as possible. I also hope that there are other footbaggers who are in no condition to play footbag so I can hang out with them. At the very least, I know there will always be someone relaxing and sitting on the sidelines, so I can join them.

My band begins recording in early january. we have a lot of original material (all mine), and I am sure that we'll be able to record enough to get at least an EP together, maybe a full sized album. There will be a lot of variety on this thing, like my solo album, which I'm really glad about. Expect to hear a few full-band renditions of the songs on that album, and a bunch of new stuff, too. Can't wait. This band is exactly what I want. i'm even considering trading in the dolphin guitar to the builder so I can trade up to a more rock and roll-conducive instrument. The one I have at present has an incredible rock sound, but the feel is not for rock, especially in the upper register, which is a hard, nay, impossible place to play comfortably.

We are called the Creatures of Habit, and I can't wait to have t-shirts. if anyone needs a rock band at their east coast tournament, let me know, and I'll see if we can work something out. I love playing music at footbag tournaments. basically, I love doing everything at footbag tournaments except actually playing footbag

please buy bags from me. I have bunches of them and I need money!!

[Kljopa]

Cool post Matt

I had a laugh at the threesome dream

Glad you band is going on its way.Id love to listen to it

Hope to meet ya at worlds next year.

[mc]

fun RFA session today. footbag is HARD when you have bad nutrition and party habits and you don't play for weeks and weeks at a time but I still managed a few new things... the first two may not be completely new, but if I've hit them, it's been a long while... those being toe kick set phoenix and inside kick set legbeater. also, toe symp barrage and frigid motion. toe flurry came within 2 or 3 tries, that was satisfying. me and paul also did some weird burger tricks, and chris shredded super hard. they each bought a bag off me, and paul picked out the dada bag pictured above (I believe) for the YEAH intermediate prize. not sure about the event, hopefully it will be for circle, because circle rules.

I just finished bag 117 (country cream / oliver 2 color blur, with cream being the primary color) and cut out panels for 118, which will be a light blue / dark blue soccer ball.

see you at NYJ! bring money! I want it!

[mc]

I stitched 1.75 footbags in one session today, leading to the completion of 118 and 119. now it's christmas.

I'm looking forward to it. I've got a few little things here and there for each family member, and I think I might get an iPod, which would be sweet, as I've had no portable music device at any point in my adult life. also, my mom told me that her and my dad should have enough airline miles by late march (my birthday) for a round-trip ticket to prague, so looks like worlds 08 is on for MC. Which is the shit. I will have mad bags, so if you're going to worlds 08, bring some money to give me

Being that I've had plenty of stitching, drinking, movie watching, and eating to fill my time in the past few days, rome has been good. I gave my mom an intense shoulder rub the other day, and she felt like a MESS!! thank you to my good friend pengpeng for giving me such good ones over the years, because I used some of her tricks to fix my poor mom. I'll have to give her another one before I go.

The bags are looking good. unfortunately, I forgot to bring poly pellets to rome with me, so I hope there are some people in chicago in the market for empty, lead-filled-exclusively bags.

I went to salvation army today and bought an awesome leather jacket and a photographer's vest (with 4 layers of pockets in some parts). I convinced (read: schmoozed) the girl at the counter to give me a 50% discount, so I got this jacket for about 8 dollars. I'll have it in chicago, upon whence you can observe that that is the deal of the century. I'm so pleased. i'm wearing it now in the warm indoors, just as a matter of principle.

for the past 2 hours, I've been drinking scotch and watching a documentary about hunter s. thompson with my brother. it's been a great start to christmas.

can't wait to see you all soon.

[janis]

Props on the Toe flurries and symp toe barrages. Difficult stuff

[mosher]

Hey Matt,

I am glad stuff is going well, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Oh yeah, and you will have company on the sidelines, I injured my foot the other day.

Drive safe!

[mc]

not many people would know better than you, Janis have you hit symp toe barrage? if so, with or without shoes?

it was a wonderful xmas morning. my gifts went over really well. I got an iPod and some slippers and a guitar case and some cashola to help me get to chicago. my brother bought me a $50 bottle of scotch! one that I have not tried so far, no less! it's a Glenfiddich 12 year, and I look forward to sampling some later. The iPod is a 4 gig video nano. I'm going to return it and upgrade to the 8 gig. I think 8 gigs is way too small for the modern ipod, but oh well. I'll just go easy on the video, maybe only watch one movie at a time or something. I also want to get a titanium reinforced case for this thing because I am a klutz and will drop it.

now if only I had a modern computer with USB 2.0 to use with the damn thing. I'm going to have to put whatever I want on to a flash drive, transfer it to my housemate's computer, and put my music on that way, which isn't a huge inconvenience, but it's just one more sign that my computer sucks. That's no news to me...

can't wait to see some of you folks at NYJ. We arrive on thursday.

[zeroman13]

Your comp will still be able to transfer the music to your Ipod. It just won't be as fast as the usb2.0.

[mc]

Well, I sold all my bags so now I've got some money. passed 1 class I expected to not pass, and didn't pass a class that I didn't expect to pass, and one that I did expect to pass I guess I fucked off too much on the second half of the semester. but at least I won't have to take econ 201 again.

NYJ was a shit ton of shit fun. whatever that means. I hit a few new moves, those being reverse swirlburger (otherwise known as career-ender) and bs blurrage (twice). I was SO psyched for that second one. also, in general, I played a lot better than I had expected to. I was able to hit some cool strings when I expected to hit none. so, I had a great time.

The driving was insane. I had my suspicions about Daniel, our GPS guide, and they turned out to be well-founded about halfway through our return trip. At least I was with two of my favorite people for those painfully long drives, and at least we had all the tasty smokeables we needed.

then YEAH went down. cassy hit blurry whirl BS, which was awesome. will almost hit trixie legover. I hit nothing because I left my lavers in fredonia, but I was able to do a little stitching and a lot of partying. then, at the end of YEAH, will, mike and I went to California Rollin for some sushi action. it turned out to be the optimal combo of dinner-eaters, because we had the guy who gets twice the sushi for the same amount of money (me), the guy who gets half-priced sushi because his wife works at the restaurant (mike), and our young guest who had a special meal (dub dee). basically, we got quadruple our money's worth plus a few free drinks. good lord, I love coming back to rochester. that was the best sushi experience I've ever had. droooool, I want more. I WANT MORE! I might go back and get more right now, actually. note to self: do not carry large quantities of money, or you will buy many liters of crown royal and scotch, and too much sushi.

now to go pick up a vintage fender tube amp (tremolux model from late 60s / early 70s) that I am borrowing to record the next album.

i love you all. especially tom and peng and will and mike, though.

[mc]

picture post! I have stitched 4 bags since coming back from NYJ. here are they.





here is my awesome brother with the awesome hat I got him for xmas. he said he needed a good warm hat. I asked him if he minded if he looked ridiculous in it, and he said that would be even better. so here he is.



here are our YEAH 07/08 champions! Will won sick 3, Mike won sick 1. Two of my favorite footbag guys. regarding the hands, I asked them to make their favorite jerkoff positions.




here are Tom and Peng in my apartment on my bed. They look that tired and beat because they were. That pic was taken at about 3 AM after driving all frickin day. I can't quite say that they were ENTIRELY exhausted at that point.




haven't done much except stitch and have an important band session since I got back. We will record on tuesday, with the goal of having a 4 song demo of original material (penned by myself) to hand out to bars and friends.

The amp I picked up is totally sweet. can't wait to use it.

[Darkshredder]

hey matt! Just wanted to let you know I played with Doug's bag you made. We were talking about it for a while before Ben got to the session. Really impressive, man. And your reverse swirlburger is legendary. Peace.