Author: John Bollwitt

If there is one thing I love about warm weather, it is being able to run in it. Getting side aches, burning muscles in my thighs, sweating, loss of breath, and the urge to vomit. It’s great. There’s no other way to be outside. And this is about thirty minutes out of my day. Of course I enjoy doing other things, but there is something to be said about getting out in any way possible. You’re not having fun unless you’re sweating. At the same time, it helps that whole liver thing. It’s a double whammy of personal goodness.

Speaking of working out, fundraising week kicks off this Friday at the station. To you, that means give us your money. To me, that means a wealth of food pouring in for the staff and volunteers for the one week marathon. I will not have to do any grocery shopping, cooking, or pay a single penny for any meals that entire week. Commonly, this time is known as the week that everyone puts on ten pounds. Imagine thanksgiving dinner, three times a day, seven days in a row. Being the youngest single guy by a few years, a lot is tempted to me for clogging up my fridge in terms of leftovers. I know better. I’ll eat it all, or it will grow into a green, penicillin metropolis.

I woke up from a dream this morning about eating an ice cream cone. Upon waking, I found my arm up in the air, as if I were holding said cone. That was odd.

I cannot believe it. I planned this out for the last two months. I put it on my calendar. I hyped up the show to all my friends. I could not wait to see them again. However, that wonderful thing that is my so called memory forgot again. How could I miss the Mates of State show? Being that I drove three hours and fifteen minutes back from my brother’s in the Monday AM, had a hectic, full afternoon at the station, and got wrapped into great conversation with a friend, it can make sense. However, the string of profanities have not ceased since my sudden realization of this fact. Please, oh please… Come back, Mates of State. I will never stand you guys up again.

I had the wild urge to play some dodge ball today. I think it stems from thoughts of Japan. Being a camp counsellor, we had all sorts of great excuses to be, not act, like little kids. And my adventure there has come up a lot in conversation. On top of that, hanging out with my niece and nephew this weekend reminded me how much fun that was, not to mention the fact that at the end of the day, I wasn’t their parents. But yeah… dodge ball…

And it’s getting much, much warmer. Just in time for my trip with Muffin and Mary. And yeah… Frisbee…

To all of you who have been saying that I need some vacation time, you were right. Absolutely, 100% correct. John needed time to let go and have nothing to do for a few days. I work a lot during the week, but even with my time off, I’m productive. I clean the house. I go shopping. I find something to keep me busy. I hoped that to be true in Illinois, but instead I kicked back.

I didn’t get up to IKEA, the Apple Store, or any of the other places I wanted to hit. I spent time with my family. I watched movies. Did some wrestling with the kids. Slept. Sat around. Laughed. It’s like Office Space. I did nothing and it was everything that I hoped it could be.

I also got sick. It happens. What can you do? It gave me more of a chance to spend time with the birthday girl. Julia turned seven. We shopped together and had a good time. Guess that just means that I’ll have to come back soon and hit the city.

Do I have to go back to work tomorrow?

One thing that I deeply enjoy: tax returns. One thing that I don’t: bills. Financing is a great way to snap you into the reality of being an adult. Living on your own is liberating. This is a great way to make you feel older. At the same time, it makes you feel good about the fact that you are taking care of yourself. When it’s all done, you’re rewarded with the sense of it just being done and out of the way. A clearing of the conscious.

So now, I have a better grasp on how much spending money I have to play with! This will be good on my adventure that is tentatively scheduled to begin in a matter of hours. The weather is gorgeous today, perfect for the road trip that I have been hankering for. Won’t be as fun as the one coming up with Muffin, but enjoyable none the less. I have always enjoyed driving. I’ve always wanted to create the perfect driving mix, but it’s always a thought. I never follow through on it. Perhaps when I get that damn iPod.

I’m going to Chicago. Get excited!

Isn’t it sad how we chase that light at the end of the tunnel known as a paycheck? For me, I feel fortunate to be able to do what I love. It makes it all very worth it. The long nights. The bruises. The cuts. The wise crack remarks sent in my direction. You know what I’m talking about. Workplace chatter. Slamming each other through intense, well thought, verbal attack. It’s like an intellectual fist fight. You have to be careful. It’s also how you get nicknames.

I have to buy new bass strings. Some times, I like proper tuning. Other days, I like to drop into D. Most days, I like living in the world of G. I have found that that strings don’t like it when you tune up and down like that. After a while, they kind of fray. Never had that happen before. I’ve busted my share of strings, all four at different times times. Bass strings really pack a punch when they snap back and hit your forearm.

Really gearing up for my trip into the Chicago area this weekend. It’ll be good to get out of town for a few days. In fact, I’m getting told by a lot of people that I need to take some vacation. Fear not, those plans are in full motion. Muffin and I are getting the plans nailed down to go visit Eric. So much that we have our dates picked, mode of transportation, and… that’s about it. Guess we need to do some more planning. This includes a route there from his place. We’ve got some time to think about it, but it wouldn’t be an adventure without some form of not having a clue as to what we are doing. And then there’s NYC. Plans are in the process.

Sunny day, today. I like the sun. I would like more of that, please.

An email I received from Don this morning…

Rebecca died this morning at 4:25 am. She’d been suffering from liver problems and anemia for the past week. Her last act before dying was to wet my bed, proving that she knew best that final rule of comedy-leave them with a joke-and was always a better comedian than me. She was 12 years old.

To know Don is to know that he loved that dalmation. I’ve never owned a pet, but I do understand the pain of loss. Life goes on, and I send all my best wishes.

Holy crap on a stick. Who said it could snow today? I swear, when I find the person who is responsible for this, they’re fired. Five, six, ten inches? This is totally unacceptable. At this time of year, we pride ourselves in the ability of having our days get warmer, sunnier, and pleasant. Actions of which we have witnessed today cannot stand. Some one must be held responsible. I don’t care who it was and how long they’ve been here, but they must face the results of their actions. I have had it up to here with this snow hoo-hah. You should be ashamed of yourself.

And do you ever feel like the world is out to get you? I had that happen to me tonight. It was more like a shooting gallery. As I drove home, the world seemed to jump out at me, left and right, seeing how good my reflexes were. This car would slam on its brakes. That car decided to back out of an ally. This guy decided to push his car door open all the way and get out from his spot on the side of the street. And this girl decides that when making a left turn, yes, yellow means “hurry up before you get the red light of death!” I felt like Tackleberry going through a course in Police Academy. Who is friendly, and who is foe. It was like everyone had some form of death wish. Why does snow do that to people?

My brother turned… older yesterday. A good party, but I ate too much. Good leftovers, too. I ate too much of those as well.

If there hasn’t been a better time for the weekend to come, today is the day. It’s been quite the week. In the times of budget issues facing so many people these days, we took the first hit at the end of this week. It’s just the way life is, but the first time that I have ever seen it happen first hand. That’s just the way the world of business goes, especially in this industry. Money is tight. Corners are being exploited as much as they can be. I wish her the best and hope that it doesn’t get worse from here on out.

I guess I have some personal blame for making this week end on a strained note like it has, but for good reason. John Vanderslice was in town on Thursday night. Such a talented individual What really gets me is his love for the four track. I guess I kind of equate it to my obsession for radio, but his is much more pretty than what I do. Quite a full house, which I didn’t expect. Indie rock fans get on my nerves some times, though. I guess the more apathetic you look, the cooler you must be. And if you are lying in a corner sleeping, you are just the top dog. I tried my hand at some pics of the show and have them posted. Crowded, so I couldn’t get as close as I hoped. Late nights make for long days.

Friday found myself listening to the sounds of The French Kicks and The Walkmen. Simply put, nothing short of an amazing, good time. The place was packed. I figured that it would be busy, being the end of the week and all, but the turnout greatly overshadowed my expectations. The music did as well. Wonderful… two more bands that I need to get my hands on.

Being as social as I have been in the last few nights, I have ran into people that I haven’t seen in a long while. It seems to be a common theme, and every time it happens, it always surprises me how many people I know in this town. The constant response that people give me is about my weight. “You’re so frail!” “My god, have you lost, like, a hundred pounds?” “What happened to all the pounds?” Yes, I used to weigh 245 pounds. Yes, I have lost nearly ninety pounds over the few years. It’s amazing what giving up junk food, fast food, pizza, and being lazy can do for you. I assure you, it’s not drugs, anorexia, bulimia, or the ebola virus. However, thanks for noticing. By the way, I’m doing great.

Seriously, can some one tell me when I’m getting my iPod? “Bueller?… Bueller?… Bueller?…“

Can’t be sure why, but what has happened in Spain has me absolutely dumbfounded. Without going into the politics of everything, this makes no sense to me. Stories of the dead laying next to the trains, their cell phones ringing as loved ones struggle to reach them. It’s over there, but it’s been here. You know what this is like. Today is the eleventh day of the month. It’s unnerving. It’s scary. It’s sad.

I don’t care who you are or what you believe in. There is no excuse. There is not a good explanation. They were going to school. They were going to work. They were travelers. A lot of people who were hurt and killed today were just living their everyday, normal life. Screw your political beliefs. I believe in the right to live.

My hair grows at an alarming rate. I forgot this fact. I also seemed to forget about waking up with bed-head. And getting haircuts. It’s just another thing to tack on my lists of things to do. And as if that wasn’t enough, I elect going to get my haircut by cosmetology students. I don’t ask for much, and the way I like to style my hair, no worries. The worst that could happen is that I get a bad haircut and shave it all off again. I don’t really want to, but it’s an option. If that does happen, what the heck am I going to do with all these hair products I own now?

I uncovered my stash of Radiohead the other night. Now I have a hard time deciding what to listen to at night when I go to bed. Usually, I like ambient effect of my fan to help my sleep at night. White noise is good, but the fan died on me. More so, I broke it when I took it apart to fix it. Bowery Electric is usually my fail safe method of putting me to sleep. In fact, I’m so conditioned to it, just hearing it makes me sleepy. Now I’m bouncing back and forth between the two. Both are very dreamy and meditative. Very good stuff.

Talked to Brian last night. I’m starting to think that NYC is my trip of choice for this summer. He said that I can crash at his place, so that’s a good plan for now. Lately I’ve been staying up too late either making neat noises with my bass or working on my resume. I know I’m not quite ready to make that leap yet, but it’s worth seeing what I can find out there. See what mischief I can get myself into. Talking to my friend Carrie the other night, she pointed out the fact that my last time out there found me being asked for directions like I was a native should tell me something. More so, the fact that I knew the answers is telling in itself.

My nephew Anthony is eight years old today. The kid is quick in wit and strength. Wish I could make the party tonight, but I made sure to see him yesterday.