I Hate Winter

Weather.com says Milwaukee is currently at 18°F, but feels Like 5°F. I was walking to class and the wind chill was dreadful. While I like a lot of things about Milwaukee, winter is not one of them.

Chris Vos’ Gear Stolen!

Milwaukee musician Chris Vos, of Freshwater Collins and Erotic Adventures of the Static Chicken fame, recently had his equipment stolen. It’s like a stab in the heart when something like this happens. Musicians are rarely loaded with indispensable amounts of cash… and some crack head is probably trying to pawn off Chris’ hard-earned gear for another hit.

I’ve included the list of stolen stuff below, in case someone out there knows anything about this:

List of Gear Stolen: September 27, 2006
Any information please contact Chris Vos:
Phone:414-217-1100
Email: chris [at] freshwatercollins [dot] com

• 1-Black Tokai Hummingbird Electric Guitar, with Bigsby Tremelo System, Black and White striped Humbucking Pickups. Very unique, only guitar that will look like in existence, I had the Bigsby put on it and the zebra striped humbuckers.
• 1-Light Blue American Made, Fender Stratocaster with matching blue headstock… Very unique, with the blue headstock that matches the body color.
• 1-Light Blue Fender Lapsteel Slide Guitar from the 60′s. White Tuning Pegs, Serial number is “PAT Pending” Also, Very unique. White Tuners and Pat Pending are a dead giveaway.
• The Following Pedals were all on two homemade pedal boards. They may either appear together or separate.
• 1-Moog Murf MF105 and Expression Pedal with Tap Tempo Pedal attachment
• 1-Moog 12 Stage Phaser MF 103, and Expression Pedal
• 1-Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
• 1-Electro Harmonix Octave Multiplexer
• 1-Electro Harmonix Small Stone Phaser
• 2- Green RPG Overdrives, same color green as an old Tube Screamer
• 1- Boss DS 1 Distortion, Orange
• 1- Boss Chromatic Tuner Pedal, White
• 2- Morley A/B passive foot changer pedals

Sufjan Stevens

Last night, we went to see Sufjan Stevens at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. Interesting show in a lovely theater. Acoustics and sound reinforcement were excellent. The show itself was quite visual. He had something like 20 musicians on stage, all dressed up in butterfly costumes with wings. I’m still trying to figure out how to feel about the show. Part of my feelings have to do less with the music and more with my fellow audience.
I was irked by the lack of courtesy of the patrons. Many flash bulbs were going off in my vicinity, and it was not even remotely pleasant in a dark theater. As if taking a flash picture from the back of the theater has any hopes of illuminating the distant performers! Some people turned off their flash bulbs but kept their camera LCD screens on, which was even more distracting. The idiot sitting next to me was drinking bad wine (the mere smell was putting me to sleep), and was text messaging someone on his giant cellphone (equipped with full keyboard and sizable LCD). Why the fuck would you go to a concert if you’re going to spend even part of the time text messaging? At one point, after several flash bulbs annoyed me to all hell, I leaned over to him and said, “Sorry to bother you, but that’s bothering me.” He apologized and put it away. At least he wasn’t a prick about it. And for the rest of the show, no one took any flash pictures, at least no one around me.

People are so caught up in their fricking gadgets that they have no sense of courtesy. Or maybe people are just stupid assholes.

On a similar note, Wired News has a great article on the drawbacks of cell phone use.

Sick Again

Another bug has seemingly worked its way into my system… again. This is the umpteenth time this winter, and I’m sick of being sick.

My Latest Peeves

1) those people to whom I give money in advance for a service, and they don’t follow through on their part of the arrangement

2) people who drive slowly in the passing lane (left lane) on the freeway

3) people for whom I do work for and never pay me

4) me, for trusting people and having faith in humanity (see #3)

5) February in Wisconsin

6) Educated adults who can’t spell