Confessions of an EHM

Recently finished up Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. Great book. I found myself using it as Nyquil because political jargon makes me sleepy, but it really did change my life...for about a month...how books do. Poor timing I suppose, with thoughts of farming in the Pyrenees, making soap and living in the hills of Riccia with my family, I don't have the energy to change the world. Maybe when we get back.

Perkins tried several times to publish the book but was bribed and eventually threatened to put a lid on it. The copy that I read was borrowed. Covered in coffee, no sleeve, no title....just a brown, torn up, bound stack of papers which contributed to it's "secrecy." I planned on writing a review, but I found these two excerpts from the book that both define and summarize it entirely. Buying books these days is tough...decisions like "bread...milk...or paperback" are prominent....sooo, honestly, you don't have to go buy the book after checking this out...but I do hope you'll check out JohnPerkins.org (I plan on trying to get to one of his lectures) and reading the prologue next time your in the bookstore...let me know what the cover looks like.

"This is what we EHMs, (Economic Hitmen), do best: we build a global empire. We are an elite group of men and women who utilize international financial organizations to foment conditions that make other nations subservient to the corporatocracy running our biggest corporations, our government and our banks. Like our counterparts in the Mafia, EHMs provide favors. These take the form of loans to develop infrastructure, electric generating plants, highways, ports, airports, or industrial parks. A condition of such loans is that engineering and construction companies from our own country must build all these projects. In essence, most of the money never leaves the United States; it is simply transferred from banking offices in Washington to engineering offices in New York, Houston or San Francisco."

"Despite the fact that the money is returned almost immediately to corporations who are members of the corporatocracy (the creditor), the recipient country is required to pay it all back, principle plus interest. If an EHM is completely successful, the loans are so large that the debtor is forced to default on its payments after a few years. When this happens, then like the Mafia, we demand our own pound of flesh. This often includes one or more of the following: control over United Nations votes, the installation of military bases, or access to precious resources such as oil or the Panama Canal. Of course, the debtor still owes us the money and another country is added to our global empire."

Ahhhhh....good ol' USA!

Vera De Milo

You walk on the moon float like a balloon
You see it's never too late and it's never too soon
Take it from me what it's like to be...
In Living Color!

-The Overweight Lovah Heavy D

The violent sting of regret....

I always promised myself I would never regret anything in my life. It all happens for a reason... if you think it's regret, let it linger for a few minutes and you'll see it's just fate with a creepy mask on. Surprise! That was supposed to happen!

Oh...turns out 4 years of your commuter life is down the drain because Lit majors don't make any money...No regrets here. I got to read 800 books from the canon and write some earth shattering thesis statements on Alexander Pope's love letters. Get that dirt off your shoulder and hang up your diploma!

Oh...turns out your bladder is far weaker in your sleep than you'd imagine after an excessive night of drinking...No regrets here, we invested in that mattress cover at Sleepy's so things really worked out...plus it's a great story for the kids.

Nope...never let regret get a hold of me. Until that fateful day. The day I won tickets to see My Morning Jacket...and shamelessly sold them to a girl on Craigslist who was far less into the band than I (clearly exhibited in her lack of SHOUTING in our emails, use of smiley faces, exclamation points and desperation). I felt used. I wanted to light her money on fire.

I have watched Youtube video after YouTube video...and the mask gets creepier and creepier. Ugh, regret....you merciless foe. They covered "All I Need" by Tammy Terrell & Marvin Gaye!! The humanity.





Whatever....Along the same lines (not really)
A couple sad Mondays ago we were set to check out Vampire Weekend at the new Wellmont Theatre in Montclair (which I must say has a wonderful view from the veranda...we were never in the "veranda" I have just always wanted to say something like that). I, with all my greed and spite on a Monday morning, attempted selling the tickets on Craigslist with a plea to readers "I hate Mondays, as they have continued to ruin my life, and can't make it to the show...please buy 2 tix face value." My very first response came an hour later and the conversation read as follows:

Evan: Dude, if you want to cheer up and get out of the shit mood you're in then the best thing you can do for yourself is go see Vampire Weekend. I would offer to buy them but honestly, I think you need them more than me (and i'm broke). Go to the show, man. Don't sell those tickets.

Me: Dude....
thanks....
I'm going. =) **note the smiley face (aforementioned in showing excitement and gratitude)

Evan: Well played, friend.

Me: ...and I plan on writing about you on my rad blogspot (that is read by the world) about how you salvaged my Monday and reassured me that there are fair people in this world that really care about our well-being. ....you are kind and good...and no one will read about it.

Evan: Glad I could help. I logged onto craigslist to find a job and ended up making your day and getting cast as an extra for a matzoh ball soup cooking show demo. The internet is a craaaazy place.... Have fun at the show and let me know if they play any new jams that aren't on the album.

Me: Hahaha!
So strange...Congrats on your matzoh ball gig!
I'll keep you posted and send some video of the show.

K...so the ending gets pretty weird, boring, typical....but the boy stepped in and changed a whole work day for me with a simple response to a Craigslist posting. I would never go out of my way to do that...changed my whole perspective on mankind....and I never sent him any video.

Animal Rummy

I met Mr. Robert Oliver Jones at Flatstock 2008 during SXSW this year when he returned from his 30 minute cigarette break and although I (along with 20 other anxious fans) was thinking about stealing his "back in 10 minutes" sign (complete with a cowboy cigarette rendition and smiley face guy with x's for eyes), I also couldn't conceal my utter dislike of the guy. I later realized that this stemmed mostly from a jealous fear...but that's neither here nor there. He looked like a starving artist (which he certainly is not) in his pilled emo sweater and black frame glasses. Robert's pieces, rightfully so, sell for more than your average college dorm poster. By the time he did return a lot of people had left so I got to talk with him about some of his work.

WOW! He had a story and a reason behind every image, every moment every weather system...they told stories...and not just cool rock star stories....stories that linked St. Andrew to the cosmos and the soul capturing Yashica camera to the faraway feeling of a city skyline. There were times when what he was saying made perfect sense...he even had a sequential order that they fell into that coincided with where the band was touring. The posters, as well as the artist, are otherwordly. Pretentious and overpriced...but of another world for sure. I wanted him to doodle on a piece of paper for me so bad but was ashamed to ask...instead, I asked him to write his website down for me, with hopes that he would scribble a bit....He folded up the paper and handed it back to me. I was anxious to look at what he wrote but just stuck it in my over-sized bag of lanyards, stickers and cd's and scurried off to buy a $10 poster at a "real" starving artists booth. Flatstock is one of the best places on earth and would have been world's cooler if my boss wasn't waiting outside to drive me to the next showcase....

Oh yeah...the brown paper bag piece of paper that Robert gave me had no doodles...but it did say www.animalrummy.com in red ink....You should check it out.

Me Gusta L'Independent Music Awards Finaliste...

Ahhh...another year of red, blue and green stickers behind us! The team here at MRG has put together the list of finalists for the IMA's!! Turns out, this year was more difficult than we could have imagined...hours of sitting around a table debating vocals, instrumentation, a bridge or who gets the last drop of coffee and Chips Ahoy. After discovering some pretty dope, up and coming, indie artists and falling for some new genres of music for my ipod library (seriously thinking of dropping e and going clubbing) we are all ready to dive back into our personal playlists.

Some of my favs from this year:
Pop/Rock:
Joel Plaskett Emergency- The "Fashionable People" track they entered is wonderfully poppy
The Parlotones
April Smith I love her, she's playing Blender Theatre 12/21 and NJPAC 1/24
The Redwalls (they are pretty mainstream now I think...but indie nonetheless)
Val Emmich (who submitted again, he is super poppy and won last year for this video
made an appearance as the gay hottie on 30 Rock (new episode tonight!!) and he's on Ugly Betty now....saw him live, he made us uncomfortable, but he's good. He's really pretty....in a gay way)
The Swimmers (Anyone on the Mad Dragon Record Label is great Indie Rock)
Elephone (wowza...the singer is the guy from Monster Squad!!)
Born Ruffians
BlueJuice
Fancey (album name = "Shmancey") <---- so clever =)

Rap/Hip-Hop:
Casual Projects The video for "Move Along" is weird...I want to make a music video


El Guante
Entell- My brother Sean would LOVE them! I will have to let him know, but he's busy getting married this weekend!! =)
Sweatshop Union They are from Canada...but they are REALLY good!
Wondur of Dynamic Vibrations

Folk/Singer Songwriter (if you're into it):
Anders Osborne
Kirsty McGee (That Tom Waits kinda thing...paired with Marie Couttliard (sp?) "La Vie En Rose")
Jim Boggia
Eric Wilson (lovely voice)

There are plenty others (in tons of other categories) you can discover for yourself....If you're really into it, you can check out the video finalists, (highly recommended), album finalists and design finalists!


Check out ALL the finalists & vote for the 2009 Independent Music Award Winners here

Brotherly Love w/ KOL

Photo shoot ----> http://www.flickr.com/photos/26613558@N04/
We headed to the 2hr set after hanging out at a blue-collar (absolute shit) tavern called Oscar's. Electric Factory is cool....typical...it was over a highway far removed from any local watering hole (and quite a ways from our hotel when it was POURING after the show), but it was intimate, plenty of vodka in their mixed drinks, the sound was perfect, the backdrop lighting was awesome (similar to the white lights in the "On Call" video) AND it smelled like delicious, dingy beer basement to boot so I give it an A-.

KOL....Drinkin' and smokin' on stage.....they really are the epitome of rock stars! Totally full of themselves and they are so deliberate when they lean their heads back to chug their beer bottles and intentionally blow huge clouds of smoke from their cigarettes in the same fashion. The drummer showed off his ability to play his drums while making perfectly round, pink Bubbalicious bubbles (what a show off). The backup vocals were my favorite part...that, and the even MORE mellow, MORE painful, BLEEDING version of Cold Desert.

Caleb moved away from the mic occasionally to rock with the band, spitting on stage every chance he got. He came to the front of the stage to hear the audience chant during Knocked Up and watch the spotlights blind the crowd of 25-30yr olds who can't dance but certainly know how to chant a chorus and clap hands in unison...and then for Black Thumbnail in the finale, they all fuckin' went crazy on their instruments....sick...so sick. Other than that, they were pretty laid back and didn't talk to the crowd that much. Couple shout outs to the openers, and Caleb mentioned that Philly always "surprises the guys" with their enthusiasm.....Philly is Philly ya know....but they are going to ROCK MSG, I know it!!!

Did a video diary of the weekend...more to follow...

Set list
Crawl
Sex On Fire
Razz
Molly's Chambers
Taper Jean Girl
My Party
King Of The Rodeo
California Waiting
Closer
Revelry
Milk
Four Kicks
McFearless
The Bucket
Use Somebody
On Call
Cold Desert
Slow Night So Long
-------------------
Knocked Up
Manhattan
Charmer
Black Thumbnail

Bonus track -----> Virg's night out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6WYn1Jrvmc

No more fair maiden...

Married! We did it! The entire day was like a dream...one of those dreams that you wake up from and wish you could just have one more minute of...just ONE MORE! We said our vows lakeside under red, yellow, orange and green leaves....in front of everyone we love and adore. I wasn't nervous, I have never been more certain of any moment or any decision I have ever made. I want to try and record everything....I just can't write beautifully right now because I just want to create a list of everything that happened so I can come back to it. Sooooo, might not be too interesting, but it's a stream of consciousness, more for memories sake....

We arrived Friday night to a surprise dinner with Patrick and Natasha. Patrick flew back from Iraq for us to be our best man. Starting off the weekend on the right foot. Overeating, hysterically crying, surrounded by parents, brothers and sisters. Dinner was in downtown Hurley at an old colonial home they converted into a restaurant. With tap beers, steak specials, and gourmet everything....it fit us just right. I forget what I ordered but mom forgot her glasses so I ordered for her and it was a spicy sausage pasta dish. YUM! We toasted to being together and didn't stop talking and laughing until our faces hit our pillows. I had trouble sleeping, tossing and turning. Rick and I were awake in the middle of the night listening to Bob snoring. Laughing...getting frustrated....laughing some more... I think it stopped and we fell asleep, but I didn't dream, it felt more like a quick nap...but...with no dream. =)

Saturday we headed to Hunter Mountain with Patrick, Natasha and Aiden for the Oktoberfest while our parents stayed back at the Town Park to prep for the rehearsal dinner. Met up with Jenny & Joe and Rizzy & Kelly. Shortly after Pops, Willy & Venice, and Bob arrived. We took the ski lift to the top, drank German beer ate Jamaican food...? and hung out in the mountain under the sun. On the way back down the mountain, Rick and I put the windows down and blasted Kings Of Leon singing our heads off and celebrating. Rolling tobacco, taking pictures and rushing back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal.

We made it! Our families were all there at the pavillion waiting for us with food and decorations set up. It was perfect. The steak and chicken, the apple sauce...it was a feast for everyone! We did a run through of the ceremony. It was hard to keep my composure but I did. We ate, drank, listened to good music...Rick played some football with the boys...the kids ran circles around the playground, our friends smoked cigarettes and told funny stories, our cousins sang and took pictures. When the sun set, Bob found the breaker for the lights so we could hang around even longer. Everyone helped out with the cleanup (except for me and Rick). My feet gave out in my heels and I decided I had to head back to the hotel for better shoes and a more comfortable outfit. Thought we might call it a night but instead, we walked the tracks to the bar (well, not really ON the tracks, but alongside them).

And then...the wedding. Walking down the aisle, seeing every person I have shared my life with, every person I love....and at the far end is the man of my dreams...the one I met and fell in love all because of fate....it was goosebumps, it was butterflies, it was a daydream, a triple scoop ice cream, an encore with your favorite song, a winning lottery ticket...it was every emotion that you can't describe...that you know everyone gets that same feeling about all over their body...the one that steals away every thing else, the background is blurry, you can only focus on one thing at a time....you almost feel drugged...that's what it was. Him, me...us and every person that means the world to us and always will. Nothing like it on earth...plus I was all dolled up!

We danced, we sang, the cousins took the spotlight to sing an old song for us...just like when I was a kid....the best men said their speeches, my dress got dirty, we took too many shots, sang til' we lost our voices. We partied. We rocked! Then...we had a bonfire into the wee hours of the morning!! Singing more, killing sherades, mowing salty popcorn, hugging, kissing, spilling....

Rick and I took advantage of the heart shaped hot tub, spent a good 2 hours pulling out bobby pins....passed out. It was tough peeling my makeup covered face off the pillow just 4 hours later for the "farewell breakfast..." not sure how we pulled that off, but we made it, ate pounds of scrambled eggs, shared some bad breathe with the troopers who spent the night....and called it a marriage!

Then...off to the Riviera Maya in Mexico!
Honeymoon photos -----> http://www.flickr.com/photos/26613558@N04/