Currently Listening Neon Bible By Arcade Fire see related

Hello xanga. So 2 months have passed. things have happened I suppose. That early morning agility training was fun. Waking up at 5:30, leaving at 6:15, then running around in the aux gym for an hour. But it was probably worth it. So now that I've done all Boylan's prepreseaon training things, I'm done. No spring sport for me. Scholastic Bowl ended, sadly enough. I think we had a really great season, even though we all kind of looked down on ourselves. It was a wonderful time though and I'm sure no one can argue that. So now that all that's over, I'm done. or at least on Break. And by on Break i mean concentrating all my effort into Pit Orchestra. That is going amazing. Lots are enamored at my saw, so I've been playing that around school. I've only made 60 cents total though (Thanks Greg!). Today, Trutwin was telling us about the cuts in songs, and she told us to leave 2 measures for the jug solo, "And no, Joe will not be playing the jug." to which some people in the pit resounded with "Awhhhhhh" which made me chortle. So basically everything these days is music musik music. We're starting a 6 man hillbilly jug band, tentatively nameless, but we have a basic outline. After pit, James and I held the first jam sessino (just us), with him on violin and I on the saw. He improvised the most amazing jazz/classical thing. I was in awe. So we are sure going to rock man. And life has really just been swell. People are wonderful, the weather is frightful, and life is so delightful.

that was dumb

Currently Listening Tommy (1969 Original Concept Album) By The Who see related

The end only means new beginings. 2006 has come to pass, and the innocence could never last. That will be the song that play at my funeral damnit. Fuck you Green Day. So here as I promised is the year in review of my 2006. 2006 was the best year of my life. After an abysmal, long December of '05 and a New Years Eve spent alone, I'm sure there'd be no good tidings for the coming year. But lo and behold come January, I reach new found heights in my friendship with Catherine. All my friendships seemed to spark anew. I got a Myspace page, breaking my promise I made in the summer of '05 vowing never to get one. But I did. The Old River Roses finally kickstarted, and we made the greatest inside joke I've ever been on, Cannibal Hannibal Town (or CAT for short) on the 14th of January. Things were going alright for me. February, there was still snow, and that's about all I remember. There was Lissi's Superbowl party, which was fantastic. I met Sarah! We played Disney Scene it. I do believe in that time period as well I came over to help them out on their movie project. Things mellowed out for the next few months, though not without epic movie days with Amanda and Lissi and the cardiac arrest inducing brownies (hot damn they were delicious). Then came April 8th. We planned an ORR serious session, and that morning I saw the Rockford Woman's Club Production of Really Rosie and the Nutshell Kids which was pretty wonderful. I get back home and prepare myself for the jamz. Terry comes and we talk for a bit, Cat arrives, and then all hell breaks loose. After our attempts in vain to teach her guitar, her self-esteem shrank and she told us to write a song to make her feel better. We responded with Cat Has Many Great Qualities/Mexican Girls are fine, an 8 minute brawler where we described all her good qualities. That didn't exactly do the trick, so then we penned You Might Just Be A Very Good Actor (And that's a fact sir), and I think that did the trick. Luckily, that session was recorded (a bit on video as well!) and we can remember forever. Things were great once again, everything renewed. Bridgets was kickin' ass at basketball, I was happy. Then came that fateful month of May. Our last month as 8th graders. I asked Jacquiline Brady out, and for some reason she obliged. We all know how that ended up. Michelle was finally kicked out of school for peeing on the girls school uniforms. There were fights nearly everyday for a week (one Jacob caught on tape)! Things seemed to be in order. The play was going on. It must have been fate, but I got into the play, the day before it opened. Only as an understudy. But then I became the MC. The play was too cute for words. Graduation came. Cat cried. I gave her her belated medal.  We watched the video. It was nice. We all shared one last laugh as Joey was yelling "poo tang!" in the graduation line. It was raining that night. Enter summer. All things considered, I had a lame summer. Not one sleep over with John i think. I didn't see Tyler at all, which I was hoping to do. Amanda and Lissi and Bekky (that was then) came over quite often. There was swimming and movie days. I rode my bike to the old neighborhood often, and my bike died on me everytime. Biking was something that really opened me up, as my dad let me bike ride to RCC when I caddy there. That place sucked. I met some nice caddies there, but I was shit. Finally, after the Nelson cup, when I was paid only $20 and my golfer said I was terrible, I left, never to return. Lissi was at band camp during that time, and would call everynight. The 4th of July had supposedly the best fireworks in years as everyone told me, but I chose to stay home with Matt. Pirates 2 at midnight. I had what I suppose constitutes as a fling with Ms Sarah Boykin (we spent a whole day together and I paid for the movie and snacks). Amanda and Lissi and I spent a week at Lissi's dad's girlfriend's parent's house on Lake Emily, and that week was a fucking blast. Paddle boat rides as the lightning started, singing "Because I Got High" with her FATHER in rural wisconsin looking for a bowling alley. Lissi passing out.. oi Kodak moments abound on that one. August ended and Boylan started. My plans to generally be a wallflower were abolished when I wrote my name as "Jose White" on a survey we took in band. The basses saw and wrote "Jose Whitesnake III" and things went crazy. My birthday this year was the best ever. The whole day was flawless. And then of course my party! Which was more than I could ever ask for. Oktober was when Cat's party happened, and Terry and I jammed it out earlier. Some great songs came out of that. The party was a swell old time. Nothing like a good old barn dance with Queen and a 4x4 feet dance floor. In November we had Thanksgiving in Florida, and I reached new heights of scrabble pwnage. I saw Borat with my Jewish aunt. It was amazing. I wasn't able to make my grand entrance into band (as I was hoping for, since the plane landed in Rockford at about 10), because of the Geordt's flat tire. But I did make a grand entrance into 20 minute. And then we had December. Scrabble tournies in 20 minute. ORR jam on the 2nd (seems like just yesterday). The Christmas concert. Steak and Shake after with Jay and Patrick and Saumaun and Cat and Megan. Christmas with the White's. and now, New Years eve. Party at Amanda's! It was a grand old time, Grace and I gossiped for the most part. Dancing and what not. Nick's dad screwed up. I'm not sure what tomorrow (aka '07) will bring, but all I can hope is that it's as good as this year!!!

I know none of you will finish this. I wish you all glad tidings and an excellent 2007. Godspeed. Thank you, and goodnight.

I have not forgotten you xanga. i never could. i just don't have the time. but i will try to document the last 2 months for posterity. Over the course of these two months, I have become somewhat popular with the entire student body. People seem to generally take a liking to me and I become their confidant. I have no problem with that whatsoever. In the lady aspect of life, I have fallen very hard back in love with Jenna the Junior. I still have not had much of a formal conversation with her, but i'm getting to that point. I don't know why I am still persuing this, because the cause seems to not justify the means. But I do think she's the prettiest girl i've ever seen, and I rarely ever see her not reading a book or playing the french horn. Books + french horn = sweet.  Christmastime is here, and I can definitely feel it in my bones. The seasons never really seemed so beautiful until this year. But now there is no snow. It's also Channuka time, and we celebrated at lunch today (since you know, jared is a Jew). Jacob Webb, Colin, Zach, Chuck, Kyle, Greg, Jared, and I contributed popcorn, cookies, brownies, Mountain Dew, brownies, Tater Bucks, Latkiess, and two loaves of stromboli (respectively). It was a hit! We decided to it bimonthly now, just because it was so fun (and they're in love with my stromboli).  JV Scholastic Bowl is doing quite well, breaking records and what not. I guess It's been a lot of years since JV has made it to the afternoon rounds of a tourney, and now we've done it twice in  a row. Band has been going slightly better. There's a little more cooperation going about. But there are lots of people planning on dropping it next semester, and I think Derrick is too. So that'd leave me to be the only bari in concert band. Our Christmas concert was pretty great. Derrick and I made a few mistakes; I shook 'em off while Bristol stressed. Last week we had to write a reflection paper on it, and Trutwin told us to not use the words 'good' or 'great' but to get creative. And there was lots of Creativity going about. I introduced my paper with "I thought the concert was off the heezy, know what I'm sayin' Ms T?" and John's was just amazing. I asked him if i could have it when he gets it back. I played my first BBall pep band last Friday, and I was an awesome experience. Improvising half the stuff cause I didn't have it, passing saxophones around, just having an all around good time. And totally making small small talk with Jenna.. :). Also lately, I've been going to Barnes and Nobles a lot with Zach and his brother Aaron and Colin to study. It's always a great time , studying for 24 minutes and then discussing art and law and things. We're gonna make a movie over Christmas break, a puppet show on film from a script Zach and his brother wrote. Aaron and I are gonna score it , and then get all of our friends and us as players. it's going to be incredible.

The world generally seems to be in a good place for me. Life has never really been this wonderful. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. All things considered, I will probably write on new years eve a very long review of my wonderful year of two thousand and six in the year of our Lord. See you then. Godspeed.

The Old River Roses are BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! After 4 months of general inactivity and 2 unproductive practices, we got together yesterday and jammed it out for 2 hours and recorded these gems. We even layed down 2 official songs! Magic in every chord. So here we go:

"Facist Catholics (Joe's Version)"

"Facist Catholics (Terry's Version)"

http://www.sendspace.com/file/z6lmbn

"Church Songs / I Just don't Care"

http://www.sendspace.com/file/x7rglf

"Baby, I'm an Anarchist" (Against Me! cover)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/4o2hgb

"Al Gore-ee"

"The Drinking Song"

"Song for Sean"

http://www.sendspace.com/file/fhl28y

"Solo for the Unborn Babies"

"Ring of Fire" (Johnny Cash Cover)

"Open Arms" (Journey Cover)

"When you Sleep" (My Bloody Valentine cover)

"Through my Tears/ Patience" (Neutral Milk Hotel/ Guns 'N' Roses cover)