No, I won't play trombone for you, so don't even ask

This week has been progressing well... keeping up with the classes & practicing, and I even discovered that I'm recieving a Pell grant for school! The only ass-ache is having to play 'bone in jazz band.. I'm just not all that interested in playing trombone anymore, but Nyerges was fairly adamant about needing 4 of them. The bonus: two of the other trombonists are very good-looking girls (who can play too). The minus: I'm rustier than a freighter on the bottom of Lake Superior. I can probably get back into reasonable shape, but I'm not thrilled about taking time out of my bass practice (or any other expenditure of time) to do so, but oh well. Rule #1: Never learn how to play trombone unless you're sure it's what you want, as once people know you play it, they never forget. I was also solicited to play for "Rochester's Most Popular Band," (as a friend of mine said, "if only sarcasm was a font.") Mountain Mojo Authority. Not only do I think they're a bunch of tools, but I just don't want to be a trombonist, I want to be a bassist, damn it. It was fun to read all the graffiti on the lockers at school... I recognize every-one who wrote & was written about from the old days, where the music dept. was one big, happy clique. A nice jaunt down memory lane.

I'm back to reading the news web-sites regularly, given the anniversary & the whole Iraq issue. There was a short quote from Bush about having to consult the UN before trying to boot Saddam, once again displaying his utter lack of tact and brains. Quoth he: “It seems like to me that if you’re representing the United States you ought to be making a decision on what’s best for the United States.” Now that's fine n' dandy when your talking about domestic affairs, but he happens to be talking about invading another country & replacing their leader with somebody more suitable. Does this strike no-one else as the epitome of arrogance? Is there any wonder why the world dislikes the US so much? In Newsweek, Nelson Mandela is interviewed & articulates why the world is not quite as impressed with us are we seem to be with our-selves. This whole "world's only super-power" thing doesn't mean we ought to do what we want, when we want. It's extreme selfishness and arrogance like that that leads to the making of so many enemies, and the maligning of allies. Many countries don't like Bush (actually, do any except our own?), and some see him as a threat to world peace as he brings war down upon any he dislikes. But you don't see anyone else suggesting that the US needs a forcable "regime change," do you? The practical reason is that nobody could pull it off. But that aside, might don't make right. Our government's policy of aggressively pursuing their own interests abroad is walking a fairly dangerous tight-rope. Sure, the US is the ultimate power in the world now, but it doesn't mean we're immune to consequences of our actions. Or should I say that it doesn't mean that we citizens are immune to the consequences of our rapacious, ill-sighted, bully of a government. A government which has almost completely lost sight of the people it's supposed to represent, and the great ideals this country was founded upon. [/seditious rant]

Last evening I applied to my old stand-by vocation: banquet serving. I applied at the downtown Hyatt Regency, a grand hotel far too ornate for a city which is practically wheezing out it's last breath. At any rate I can make some good money while going to school. That's the beauty of banquets: good money, easy work, flexible schedule. It's the ultimate student job, but very few know about it. And unlike table service, banquet servers rarely take any shit, as what's being served is what's being served. And of course, banquets are business or social functions... people have better things to concentrate on than nit-picking over any problems they can fabricate. I was called by the hotel this morning to schedule an interview, which is shockingly quick. I'd have gladly answered the call, but I was busy sleeping off a night of drinking. Once again I went out with Chris & we bar-hopped the Alexander St. strip, drinking ourselves into a minor stupor, then heading down to Monroe Ave. for more. We wrapped up the evening with a couple plates at Gitsis. Nothing like greasy food to fortify one's stomach after lots of booze. Naturally I woke up this morning feeling like re-fried shit, decided to skip school & have accomplished nothing of merit. Now this didn't prevent me from repeating such a process a couple days later in the past, but if I fuck up at school now, it's all over; no more aid, no 2nd chance. So I've decided, in the interests of my academic pursuits and of my liver, to try to moderate once again. If this fails I'm afraid I'll have to abstain altogether. Which would suck, as I like good beer. My plan is to have no more than 1 drink on any given outing. I guess that equates to 1 beer a day, indefinitely. If I can keep myself to that, it'd be a groovy thing. Wish me luck.