I've actually been writing a whole lot lately; just not on my blog.

I am really enjoying my writing 121 class at Lane. All the required reading and writing is working the brain muscles that have long sat, un-used in my cranium. Exploring topics such as Tupac Shakur's educated thugster-ism and former alcoholic/writer/living person Caroline Knapp's cautionary tales of boozin'-gone-bad, I have a hunch that my teacher is forcing my class and I to examine ourselves and our own motivations and perspectives, whether through writing about Thug Life or addiction. Yikes! Some of this shit is hitting too close to home for comfort. I would highly reccomend author Caroline Knapp's Drinking: A love story to any of my interested literary friends. (Dan Jones? Mrs. Random?Are you out there?)

In addition to all my school-orientation - by the way, I FUCKING LOVE SCHOOL! - I have been rehearsing as much as possible with the Underlings. Which, actually, isn't very much since all of us are going to school and/or working all the time. We are coming along, however, continuing to fuse soul and pop songs and Ramones-y garage rock and I home some people come out to Sam Bonds on November 3d to see us open for Brooklyn songwriter Eef Barzelay .

Here are some quotes copied out of my dad's WW2-era journal:

"If one complains to you for any cause, it is more a Godsend than a calamity, for he could do more harm by complaining to others about you.

A person who has had a grievance satisfied is a better booster than one who has had no grievance at all.

Right or wrong, the complainant has some merit on his side.

First maneuver is to give ground rapidly as, "I'm terribly sorry this has happened." This is known as rolling with the punch. Allow the complainant to get the beef out of his system without you fighting back. Amongst friends and family, familiarity wipes out restraints and we are more apt to rely on vocal force and bull-headedness.

A heated assertion draws a heated retort, and when heated, a mind is hermetically sealed to reason.

It is well to avoid vituperation, personal affronts, sarcasm, glittering wise cracks and half-baked opinions."

I reckon my father was around forty years old when he wrote that. I wish he had written a book.

The Underlings' show at Sam Bonds Garage went well. The people were there to be rocked and we rocked 'em. This was our second performance and I felt it went well - it's starting to feel like a band.

I Can Lick any Son of a Bitch in the House played after us and kicked some dust up with their hairy, American-roots /punk/bar-band music. People love sincere, shit-kicking bands at Sam Bonds and the place was packed to prove it.

Third band Hillstomp I had seen years ago at the Ash street Saloon in Portland. They are a blues two-piece band consisting of two guys, one on slide guitar and singing, the other on percussive buckets, metal things, washboard and also vocals. With good chemistry and sound, they had the minmal dancefloor at Sam Bonds PACKED with sweaty, drinking dancing humans. Disgusting! Yet, spirited revelry also, it was. I was impressed.

Tina had a show over at the Wetlands (although she caught the Underlings set and took that picture) so I hitched a ride over there and watched the last two songs of the Ovulators' set. They sounded good, and the room sound at Wetlands was suprisingly full and good. It seemed like a fun scene.

Then, packed up, went home, and slept zzzzz

My school has been going good, although I should be writing a paper right now instead of blogging. Until next time...