I’m nursing a Bulleit Bourbon hangover today, the aftermath
of a night well spent rehearsing music and eating Friday’s late night happy
hour wingies - damn those are good wingies. The 7 a.m. swollen head has receded
to just a dull hum thanks to a couple pints of water, 4 ibuprofen and some more
sleepy time. But I was bound and determined to get this blog written, so I
shall soldier on without my ritualistic alcoholic beverage as a companion;
substituting instead some more water and a coke. Need me some caffeine,
brothers and sisters! I think many of our readers are beginning to think we are
all raging alcoholics - as we should be, we are writers after all - so it’s
perhaps a good thing I write this one sober. But warning: Metallica made shitty
music when they got sober, just say’n.
My plan was to write a piece on travel and conquering fear
but after reading Mason’s new post (nice bear by the way, do you do Blue
Steel?) it made me think of a different direction, or rather steal his
direction and do a little someth’n something on 2014 and what I want out of life, or at least what
I think I want out of it, for this coming year that we are 11 days into. It
also occured to me that as this blog takes on more contributors - which is
great - that we need to identify ourselves. I thought of a few different
identities that I could use going forward: rubber duck, the dude, el sexy
pants, steel magnolia, etc. But I’ve fought off the urge to give myself such a
badass moniker and just go with the generic, and horrendously common identity
that my parents gave me: Mike. Well, technically Michael but I’m much more into
the brevity thing. Some of those who know me well or are from that time and
place called the “orange house” refer to me as Mikey. Which is cool too, but if
I don’t know you it just sounds weird if you call me that. Plus if you're up on
your angelology, Archangel Michael is a healer and the leader of God’s army.
Now THAT is badassery! But I digress.
On with it then:
Call me Mike, or think of me as Mike, and here is who I am
and what I want to squeeze out of 2014:
I like to read a lot. Philosophy, non-fiction, fiction (a
lot of Tolkien esque fantasy), the classics, pretty diverse reading list. I
have a masters degree in sociology, which I use to be a smartass and look at
the world a whole lot differently than most - sometimes that knowledge makes me
an asshole. Oh well.
I’m an avid gamer, play a lot of RPGs and strategy games;
not really into the whole call of duty craze. Perhaps I’m just scared of
getting “pwn’d” by anonymous pre-pubecent 11 year olds telling me they fucked
my mom last night - such language kids use these days of the interwebz and
online gaming! Damn kids and their MTV.. GET OFF MY LAWN!
I’m closing in on 30 years old and I think it’s scaring me
straight into the realization that I need to get a whole lot more shit done in
my life that I want to accomplish and I won’t, after all, have all the time in
the world to do it. We all understand the technical reality that we won’t live
forever, but when you’re in your twenties you certainly live like you will - at
least I did. Made me put off doing a lot of stuff, “I can do that later..” sort
of thing. I’m an avid procrastinator.
I fancy myself a writer - though the only real pieces I’ve
completed are blog posts and the things I did in academia: articles, the
standard college papers and my thesis. I have started other pieces of fiction
and non-fiction but haven’t gotten very far with them. But I have ideas. Many
many ideas.
I’m a bit of a musician. I play guitar, drums and little
piano. Guitar mostly and I was in a band for about 6 years where I released
(unleashed?) a lot of vigor and hormonal youth. Mostly I like to write music
(write songs) but after the band dissolved (there was never really a breakup,
we just.. stopped) I have been on an indefinite hiatus from writing and
performing music.
So now that you know a little bit more about me, here are my
plans on the new year. My aspirations that I jotted down while sitting in the
hot tub drinking beer the other night - maybe I really am a raging alcoholic..
●
Average 2 BDandLL posts per month
●
Write “A Treatise for a New Moral Code” - a quasi
research and philosophy piece that has been rummaging around my brain.
●
Write the first chapter of what I’m tentatively calling
“Insciety” - this one is my ‘magnum opus.’ If you want to hear about it and
have the patience, get me drunk one night alone and I’ll tell you all about.
You supply the whiskey, I’ll provide the rambling craziness and, the hangover.
●
Average writing 1-2 songs per month
●
Record - release the “Whiskey and the Wolves” EP - this
is a music project I’ve started with long time friend, Lucas of “Starving for
Gravity” fame.
●
Perform a live show - it’s past due for me to “get back
on the horse”
●
Write the first “novelette” of the Whiskey and the
Wolves world - yes, I am tossing around ideas for writing fiction based on the
music project. Man, I’m starting to sound like a pretentious dick..
●
Return to Arcosanti - god I love this place - both the
actual site and the idea of it, google it!
●
Brew a few batches of beer - another hobby that I don’t
have the time or money for. Insert also: scuba diving, racing, and fine whiskey
collecting.
There they are. My resolutions, though I really despise
using that term. What it really comes down to is conquering fear and laziness.
Which I wish to explore further in my
next post. But for now, I think this will suffice. Thanks for reading. I wish
you all a better, more fulfilling year. Unless you had a really really awesome
2013. Then you can go Fuh.. I mean, keep on keep’n on!
Alas, if you wish a face to the name. Here I am in all my
unkempt, hungover, in desperate need of a shave glory 5 minutes after finishing
this blog:
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