So I've decided to challenge myself this year and to do so I'm committing to competing in a sprint triathlon. I figure since I'm already swimming and cycling I should give myself a goal, throw in some running, and do this.
It's a half mile swim, then a 12 mile bike ride, then a 3 mile run. The run is what is gonna kill me. I never run. I've always hated running. In high school, when we had to run a mile, I thought I was going to die. Granted, I'm actually probably in better shape now than I was my senior year... but still.
The race I'm gonna aim for is June 17th on Long Island. Nice, flat long island. The swim is in the sound so it won't be as choppy as totally open water. Should be a nice first race. Now, to train.
Anyway, I'm posting this so that I can be taunted and ridiculed if I back out. Figure it's good to have a little pressure on me.
So the tickets are purchased, and of course - since i'm traveling via china town express the schedule is wacky. I'm gonna be in RICHMOND, VA (shouted like in that one Avail song) from saturday around 11pm to wednesday around 7am. Which means I'll be arriving in DC around 9:30 am.
What should I do all day in DC? I'll have my bike so I'll be mobile. Anyone wanna come hang out, ride around? That night I got plans to pillage with the pirates. Not sure the details yet, but i've been told it's gonna be a 'Fancy Beer Pillage' so if you're into it come along!
Then it's up to meet Josh, which I'm not sure how I'm gonna do. Wanna come pick me up from DC?
So this is a double post from underachievers, but since i don't think most of you read that and I know there are several people in NYC who ride bikes on here, I figured I'd post this here too.
In the last month three cyclists have been killed in NYC and I know of one other who was doored by a cab and then his legs were crushed by a bus. It's rough out there, but way rougher than it needs to be, and it's sad. As a city of 8 million people, with countless people commuting in each day, you'd think NYC would want to reduce the number of cars on the streets, which making it safer for cyclists would do. It would also cut back pollution and related medical problems, road wear and repair costs, and improve the overall fitness of the city. Plus, in most cases what is good for cyclists is good for pedestrians. Still, NYC has no cycling vision while it's peers like London and Chicago are making a great effort to make their cities bike friendly ad recognize the great benefit in doing so. NYC has a 10 year old "Bike Master Plan" (pdf cause, of course, the websites regarding this don't actually work) that has no set time frame and has been almost entirely ignored since it's creation.
This morning I went to an 8:45am rally at city hall. About 70 cyclists showed up and people from both TransAlt and Times Up! spoke about the current state of cycling in NYC and the dangers we face. Do I think the rally really accomplished anything? No, not alone. But the media seems to be giving a bit more attention to the fact that cyclists are dying, no one is being ticketed or held accountable, and conditions aren't improving.
There is a memorial ride tonight at 6:30 for the recently fallen cyclists. Here's a NY Times article about two of the accidents and here's some blogging about it. Derek, the 23 year old kid who was killed was a friend of a friend and was run over after his bike slipped out from under him on construction plates similar to these:
Those are some pics I took in Brooklyn yesterday. The gaps between the plates - which are required to be slip proof and flush to the ground which they aren't - create 4inch drops with abrupt edges. I called 311 and reported them so I'll be going back soon to see if they've been repaired. This sort of shit is seriously ALL OVER New York. It's ridiculous. After a deadly summer last year and what seems to be the beginning of one this year people seem to be getting quite bothered by it so maybe something will change. We'll see.
Time's Up! MEMORIAL RIDE: Thursday, June 29, 6:30 pm
Hudson River Greenway at 46th Street (in front of the Intrepid)
6:40 at 38th Street and the Greenway
7:30 at LaGuardia Place and Houston Street
So I'm putting together a little outting down the east coast, cheauffered by the magical China Town Express. I'll be bringing my bike along for the ride. My current schedule is this:
July 8th-12th: Richmond, VA
I'll be down there for the Double Vision Quest, an overnight camp out involving several kegs, three bands (Brainworms, Ultra Dolphins and someone else), capture the flag and all kindsa nonsense. It's also a benefit for best friends day. Then the 11th at Nanci Raygun is Pink Razors, Liza Kate, and Beat Buttons - three of my favorite things.
July 12th-13th or 14th: DC
Not sure exactly what I'llbe doing in DC, but for the 12th at least I'll be hanging with the Pirates and their putting together a Fancy Beer Places of DC Pillage. I also hope to hang with my homie Katy Otto, Denman, and Joe if ya'll are all around.
July 13th or 14th to the 15th or 16th: Baltimore
Show me a good time!
well, almost... just noticed that we're pretty close to having a Jake bingo over in the journals sidebar. if only he and dave's heads were swapped. can we start Killoggs Bingo?
Next sunday is my birthday so i'm throwing myself a party! I want everyone to come hang out! A buncha awesome bands are playing, the show is FREE, and my parents will be there hanging out and answering questions about how I turned out to be such an awesome person ;) Come celebrate friendship!
So i'm supposed to be having a birthday party show in NYC on Nov. 20th. A few friends bands are supposed to play (Sinaloa, Puppies, Mike Law, Birthday Boyz) and it should be an awesome time. Problem is... no venue. the place I was going to have it fell through. I'd LOVE to have it at a loft or on a rooftop, something more friendly and chill than a bar or club, but i'll take what I can get. Can anyone help a brutha out!?
if you live anywhere near NYC and dont come to this i'll slit your taint... seriously... also, if you are coming to NYC for the thanksgiving party-fest... you should stay an extra day or two for this... josh is! be like josh!
Waking Records Benefit Show v.1
-----------------------------------------
Helen of Troy (final show!)
Countdown to Putsch (first show in a while!)
Books Lie (just back from europe!)
The Fiction (all around sexy mofos)
Scent of Human History (their split should be available at this show!)
Dec. 1st
The Knitting Factory Old Office
8pm, $7
Money raised will benefit after school art programs and environmental education camping trips for students from my school in the Bronx.
Possible regular benefit shows in cooperation with the Mountian Collective are being discussed...
"Times Are Hard for Dreamers" is still very available. Feedback has been great and everyone is happy! You need to own a copy of this, and I need to sell it to you! Second version of packaging should be ready soon...
"This (beautifully packaged) benefit comp showcases the new wave of underground screamo and quirk-rock bands in all of their frantic glory. Along with the rockin' tunes, this is definitly worth it for the amazing hand-assembled packaging alone" - robotic empire
Available from me and all your favorite distros.
Also, as previously mentioned, the next release on Waking Records is the Scent of Human History / Memory as Perfection split 12". Scent of Human Hisotry is chaotic screamy goodness, pg 99 and twelve hour turn in one, with nice instrumental breakdowns (former memebers of sometimes walking, sometimes running... all of them!) Memory as Perfection does it in that Shotmaker style, more shouting than screaming, with some off minor tossed in maybe? I'm horrible at descriptions. You can check out both bands on "Times are Hard for Dreamers." It should be ready in a few weeks hopefully, will have beautiful packaging done by hotironpress (same kids that did the much raved about comp covers). All waking records profits from this will go to the Freewheel Bicycle collective On Long Island and the Plan-B bike co-op in New Orleans. This is a split release with McCarthyism...
check out wakingrecords.com for more details, links to distros that have the comp, and future updates... i just have to booze dima up so he'll finish the new site....
check the replies section for a review of the comp.
this week has been the realization of a lot of work, all coming together at once... like a trifecta of kick ass...
first, the digital cameras that i received through a grant i wrote came in. i had received some earlier but they weren't the ones i wanted with the metal case so i sent em back and got these... time to rock!
second, the comp is ready for ordering! kyle and jenny did an amazing job with the packaging and it is worth the price alone... here's the dilly...
Times Are Hard for Dreamers: A Compilation to Benefit After-School Arts in the Bronx is finally ready to order.
The comp features songs from:
The Fiction
Scent of Human History
Hit Self Destruct
This Scares Me
Helen of Troy
Countdown to Putsch
Are You Fucking Serious
Operation Latte Thunder
Memory as Perfection
The South
A Day in Black & White
The Faeries
Turn Around Norman
Hurrah
Books Lie
A Petal Fallen
Dead City
The first 500 copies come in an amazing hand crafted jacket, lovingly hand screened, letterpressed, cut with an exacto knife, and sewn together by the amazing jenny and kyle of hotironpress.com. second 500 jackets will be done by paul perpetual motion machine.
CDs are $8, add 1 or 2 bucks for postage...
make out checks and send them to:
evan (snip)
or paypal $10
anyone who wants to distro this please get in touch!
and finally, the first of four camping trips i'm taking kids on happened this week and it was amazing! you can check out more info in my journal.
the trips cost $20,000 and we currently have received funding for $17,500. we're looking for help to get the remainder. I mentioned it before on here but now there is more details. If you'd like to donate $50 or more and have it be tax deductible, please head over to donors choose. for those of you who can't throw that much cheese around, you can send me a check (made out to me! trust me?) at the same address as above. you can order your comp and donate money to the camping trip all at once!
so if anyone would like to donate any part of $2,500 so a buncha kids from the bronx can go for three days of environmental education / teamwork and leadership building / camping please get in touch with me... $17,500 is already accounted for... it's tax deductable!!!!
to see all your favorite characters from baton rouge, simply click here: pictures
we got michaels! clarks! carlas! alisons! tims! robs! the gangs all here!
my going away party will feature bands featuring people featured on killoggs. andy and taylor and steve, who is not a killogger, will be playing, as will another BR band containing michael burton and others, and a new york band. it's cool that my going away party includes bands from the city im leaving and the one im moving to... everyone in the area should come! i leave for nyc on june 26th...
it took me like 4 variations to make that title fit, but i just had to let it be know how much i hate white people...
anyways, this is post is mostly so i can see my cute cartoon up on the main page. it is also to let everyone know not to buy a saturn. i was driving into BR today to get some work done and my saturn was bitching the whole time so i took it to the dealership. apparently somewhere along the like a put like an extra half quart of oil in there, but whatever, that wasnt the problem, my coils we dirty and one of my cylinders misfired 1,800 times... anyone know what that means? i ended up putting about 250 bucks into a car im going to sell in 2 months. by the way, if anyone wants a saturn...
also as a result of my day of work, my zine is now complete, folded, stapled and ready to roll, so if anyone wants one just email me. you have to trade me though and when you get the zine send me something cool. i tried to keep my undying hatred of white people out of the zine, but i think it might have slipped in. man, i hate em. sometimes it's good to go hang out at an anti-abercrombie and fitch rally just so i can hang out with some members of other races...
i will, in the not so distant future, be invading new york city on a covert mission to miseducate the children of that city. alas, this means i will not become a member of the adelphi wolfpack, unless i am granted the honor of an honorary membership. the latest i will be deployed upon the be apple will be june 29th. a recon. mission however might occur prior to that day.
i was just curious as to how many people in the killoggs realm venture over to underachievers. in talking to a couple of people that hang out round these parts recently i've found out that some people don't even know that loren and i have our own little website over there, so i figured i'd just come over here and do some shameless self-promotion. im not saying that we have anything all that worthwhile to read, just wanted to letcha know its there.... yup....
the sky outside is this really odd shade of yellow. what color is anthrax? is this the end?
anyways, i just figured id stop by here and tell everyone that recently i've been posting over at underachievers.com again so everyone should go check that shit out cause its the fucking dopest shit on fucking earth. not really, but it is the reason killoggs exists. kind of like how some small band who no one has ever heard of probably greatly influenced fugazi, which is a relatively small band that only a few more people have heard of. thats exactly what it's like, so don't contradict me, or i'll contracept you. peep that.
and by telling you to go check out underachievers.com, im not promising quality or anything... i actually just wanted to see my cartoon head on here again cause its the cutest...
