tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592Thu, 26 Sep 2024 02:35:26 +0000With the Blazing Fury of a Thousand Sons..."Within each of us, ofttimes, there dwells a mighty and raging fury."noreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)Blogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-4785590230817877625Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:06:00 +00002009-11-05T16:08:04.301-08:00One Step At A TimeOne Step At A Time by Queen Marie of Romania, 1926<br /><br />Once I had a very dear friend who gave me wise advice. When things piled upon me and I had moments of doubt and discouragement, he always used to say: "One step at a time, my Queen - no man can take more than one step at a time." <br /><br />If in our hours of distress we keep this thought before us it soothes things marvelously. Never matter how complicated our business seems at the moment one can always take a single step. It is the thought of the duties en masse that appall one! But, take the first step, and the next is easier, and the next, and so on until the thing is cleared up and out of the way. <br /><br />We walk the apparently endless road - one step at a time. We build the great house - one brick upon another. We break the bundle of sticks - one by one. <br /><br />Once I myself was facing what seemed an insurmountable difficulty - one of those destructive, life-sapping, courage-killing troubles. Each breath I drew was suffocating as I stood with clenched hands, wondering where was the way out...then came the kind old voice whispering, "One step at a time, my Queen, no man can do more." And I hung on and put out my foot and took my one step, blindly, gropingly, with gritted teeth and ears shut to all discouraging voices. Despair melted and courage came, I went on, desperately, knowing I alone could carry my own cross - step by step, slowly, till I found firmer ground. I never gave up and won through. During my struggle my sky seemed very dark - no sun, no stars, but something kept me pushing on, one step by one step, uphill in a lightless night. But it was so worthwhile. I reached the top and I saw the light. <br /><br />It is the will to succeed and the beating of problems, one by one, that finally get you there.2009/11/one-step-at-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-5280741442626519673Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:44:00 +00002009-07-16T22:46:22.673-07:00I Shall Not Pass This Way Again"I expect to pass through life but once.<br />If therefore, there be any kindness I can show,<br />or any good thing I can do to any fellow being,<br />let me do it now, <br />and not defer or neglect it,<br />as I shall not pass this way again."<br /><br />~William Penn2009/07/i-shall-not-pass-this-way-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-5316026876453545114Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:06:00 +00002009-07-08T01:35:02.076-07:00Farewell, Farewell<a href=" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355986528345078066" /></a><br /><br /><em>"...she said to him before he went: 'This is our last parting, Estel, my son. I am aged by care, even as one of the lesser Men; and now it draws near I cannot face the darkness of our time that gathers upon Middle-earth. I shall leave soon.'<br /> <br />Aragorn tried to comfort her, saying: 'Yet there may be a light beyond the darkness; and if so, I would have you see it and be glad.' </em><br /><br /><em>But she answered only with this linnod:</em><br /><br /><br /><em>'Onen i-Estel Edain, ú-chebin estel amin.'</em><br /><br /><em>"and Aragorn went away heavy of heart. Gilraen died before the next spring."</em><br /><br />Dear Gentle Readers,<br /><br />My mother, one of my best friends and silent reader of my works, passed away recently. It was unexpected and I never imagined I'd be where I am now, dealing with the cruel realities of Death. <br /><br />I didn't know what to say about it here. My heart was broken. I went back and read what I wrote on my Limbo post. About wanting to give it all up. Stop writing, stop blogging, delete this blog and become a "What ever happened to...?" <br /><br />Then I found this email from my Mom tonight about my Limbo post. Telling me what I needed to hear, what I already knew...<br /><br /><blockquote>"Dear [TS], I read your latest entry on 1000 Sons and I'm at a loss for words. I hope you don't decide to just give it up. <br /><br />I was going to write a comment on your blog, but I didn't really want to send all this out to the world. I so love to read what you write, whether it's fiction or real life. <br /><br />And I'm so sorry things are in such a mess right now. It's such a cliche, I know, but hang in there. I know I'm not the only one who enjoys your writings. As someone who has had some experience with sucky situations, it can and usually does get better. Think of some of the times that you felt like it was just hopeless and things couldn't get worse, and how things got better and changed. (I was tempted to say "and things couldn't get worse, and then they did".....cause I could hear it going through your mind. We really are such smart asses. aren't we?) <br /><br />But seriously, I would hate to see you give this up. Hell, remember when you were #1 on google search for the dog story? That doesn't happen to people who write crappy. And remember what we always say.....choose happiness. And God says (or maybe it was some biblical figure) "This too shall pass." It really is true.<br /><br />Anyway, know that I will always love you and no matter what you decide, I will always support you in your decisions. Maybe this means that you're looking to open another door......OK, I know, enough with the cliches.....but there has to be some truth in them, or they wouldn't still be hanging around for me to use. So let me know what you decide.....ILYHAND.......I love you always.....and miss you muchly. Love, Mom"</blockquote><br /><br />Thanks Mom, for giving me some perspective. <br /><br />I wont give up. I'll keep going. <br /><br /><em>"One Step at a Time"</em> like you always said.<br /><br />I'm sorry I didn't update my blog when you could have read it. <br /><br />I love you always, and miss you muchly too. <br /><br /><em>ILYHAND</em>.<br /><br /><em>"Farewell, farewell to you who would hear</em><br /><em>You lonely travellers all</em><br /><em>The cold north wind will blow again</em><br /><em>The winding road does call..."</em>2009/07/farewell-farewell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-2405273333994376714Mon, 25 Jun 2007 04:55:00 +00002007-06-24T22:42:23.265-07:00LimboWell.<br /><br />I don't know what to say.<br /><br />And <em>that's</em> the problem.<br /><br />I was quite sad to realize I hadn't posted a new post on my blog in months.<br /><br />To be honest, gentle reader, I've been very depressed lately. For reasons outside my control, my home life has become a grey, shadowy, dull existence. My house is like living on the Solaris space station, a giant empty dead place. And quite frankly that kills the creativity. I haven't felt like writing or doing anything creative for months. In the past, no matter how bad things got, that was my one joy. I could make something wonderful, even if no one else saw it, and take pleasure in that. Like hiding a precious gem in a gulag. But now even <em>that</em> is gone. The ember died in my pocket and I have no way to relight it.<br /><br />I created this blog as an outlet for my writing a couple years ago. Mainly in the beginning it was a place to hide, to get away from 'real life' and a hateful relationship and be creative. I was also going through some serious grief issues at the time, dealing with the passing of someone very dear to me. I had no outlet for this in RL, so I put it out on the Internet. It's amazing how powerful anonymity is. I could share so much with absolute strangers that I couldn't with people around me. <br /><br />So I'm not really sure where I'm going to go from here. I might reorganize this site or I might start something new. Part of me also wants to just hang it up. To give up on being Thousand Sons completely and stop blogging and writing all together. I really just don't know. <br /><br />Who knows? Maybe something wonderful will happen soon. Maybe the creative logjam will break and I'll feel silly for even writing this.<br /><br />But knowing how life usually goes for me, I'm not counting on it.<br /><br />We'll have to see...2007/06/limbo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-115773475475435881Fri, 08 Sep 2006 16:52:00 +00002006-09-08T09:59:14.803-07:00Matisyahu at MarymoorGreetings programs! <br /><br />This is Thousand Sons coming to you with his post concert review of the Matisyahu show!<br /><br />The trip to the concert was, shall we say, <i>unpleasant</i>. The show was out in Redmond, yes <i>that </i>Redmond. The world headquarters of <i>Microsoft.</i> So I got caught in awful MS traffic, it took me 45 minutes to go barely a mile to the exit! <i>Damn you Bill! Why dont we have flying cars yet?!</i> We're experiencing quite a lovely indian summer up here, so the weather was quite warm. My poor little car was starting to boil itself alive in traffic, so I used an old trick I learned years ago: Roll down all the windows and turn on the heat! The temperature gauge went down a whole quarter notch, but now I was boiling alive. It was like the Sahara in my car! How long, o lord, how long must I wander through this desert? Thru the heatwaves shimmering on my dashboard I saw an SUV ahead of me with a 'Free Palestine' license plate holder. Right below a 'Harvard' sticker. <i>Meh</i>. Thats just <i>super.</i> <br /><br />Finally I broke out of gridlock and sailed to the park. Marymoor Park is a beautiful patch of land out on the Eastside. I hadnt been there since the WOMAD festival years ago, and was looking forward to going there again. <br /><br />I have to apologize to my readers that I wasnt able to get any pictures from the show. They weren't allowing any cameras in the venue. :( I got some dodgy cell phone pics, that I may or may not publish later, depending on quality. <br /><br />The venue is an open air ampitheater in the park. The opening band was the The Polyphonic Spree, an odd band. There were like 20 people on stage, like some high school marching band on acid! The music was very upbeat, poppy, and strangely infectious. Some one said they were reminded of Electric Light Orchestra. I had to agree. Their cover of Nirvana's 'Lithium' blew me away. I'll have to check them out later, because I really dug their music. <br /><br />When Matisyahu took the stage, the sun had gone down and there was a beautiful night sky. He opened with a very upbeat song that got people moving. Unlike some performers I've seen, you can tell he really <i>feels </i>the music he's singing. He took time out in the middle of the concert and spoke about God. How God created the universe, and how God created us in order to better understand Himself. Of course, he said it better than I can. ;-) I cant think of a better place to hear this, surrounded by God's natural beauty, beneath the moon and stars. He's a very energetic fellow. Not just dancing, which he did a lot of, but I mean his personal energy. That energy filled the crowd too, I've never been at a show with such a positive feeling. There was a <i>hasid </i>in the crowd, who could have been Matisyahu's twin, who got up on stage during the encore and danced. "Theres something you dont see everyday!" I thought. I half hoped he would stage dive, but he just politely hopped off the stage when he was done. <i>Awwww.</i> <br /><br />I felt really good when I left the show. In fact, you could say I felt <i>uplifted</i>. Thats the magic of Matisyahu's music. It lifts you up...and keeps you there. <br /><br />"Shake off the dust...<i>arise!"</i>2006/09/matisyahu-at-marymoor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-115553493406219673Mon, 14 Aug 2006 05:53:00 +00002006-08-13T22:55:34.076-07:00Our Inward Thoughts"Our inward thoughts, do they ever show outwardly?<br />There may be a great fire in our soul<br />and passers-by see only <br />a little bit of smoke<br />coming through the chimney,<br />and pass on their way."<br /><br />-Vincent Van Gogh2006/08/our-inward-thoughts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-115126362102910316Sun, 25 Jun 2006 19:25:00 +00002006-06-25T12:27:01.043-07:00Mission StatementIn other completely unrelated news, I'm on Day 4 of zero cigarettes, cold turkey. I was up to about 1/2 pack a day, truly unheard of for me. I already feel a difference. I'm sleeping better and have more energy, but I would gleefully extract someones <em>soul </em>from its fleshy confines if I thought it contained naught but a nanogram of sweet, sweet nicotine. <br /><br />I had a definining realization the other day. I am a stubborn old Taurus, I dont like it when other people try to control me. I get very angry when people try to screw with my life, change me, or tell me what to do. I realized I need to apply that to other things too. <em>I</em> define who <em>I</em> am and what <em>I</em> do. Not food, not cigarettes, not women, not sugar, nor any of the other bad influences in my life. I will not allow them to control me and my life anymore. <br /><br />I'm taking charge, so heaven help the world at large!2006/06/mission-statement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-115086876489670497Wed, 21 Jun 2006 05:27:00 +00002006-06-20T22:46:04.950-07:00Random EncounterToday was like any other day. <br /><br />Get up, go to work, go home. Repeat as needed.<br /><br />I got on the bus and rode to the Park & Ride. Listening to music, thinking about dinner.<br /><br />About half way there the bus came to a halt. There was a roadblock by the local police ahead. The bus came to a halt and an officer got on. <br /><br />"This road is closed. No traffic going either way for about an hour and a half."<br /><br />Shit! I'm almost home! I just want to go home and relax!<br /><br />"If you need to continue northbound, you'll have to take the bike trail. We aren't allowing any foot traffic thru this area."<br /><br />Sigh. Its miles to the Park & Ride from here. <br /><br />Well, I guess I needed some exercise.<br /><br />We all shuffled off the bus like fucking refugees and started shuffling northward.<br /><br />This beautiful girl from the bus got my attention. "Do you know how far it is to go?" she asked in a strange accent I couldnt place.<br /><br />"A couple of miles I guess."<br /><br />"I dont know this place very well," she admitted.<br /><br />"Thats okay, I know where I'm going, you can follow me."<br /><br />The sun was out and glorious. A great day for a walk in fact.<br /><br />She was fascinating. Apparently she hailed from one of those weird former Soviet republics in central Asia. <br /><br />She had fine, exotic Asian features and eyes like liquid amber.<br /><br />We walked and talked endlessly. About families, about our homes, about religion.<br /><br />The whole time I was amused at how odd the world can turn.<br /><br />How two people from opposite sides of the planet can end up walking together, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the fragrance of the air.<br /><br />Just another random encounter in a world full of random encounters.<br /><br />Just another day in the life...2006/06/random-encounter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-114906314587531807Wed, 31 May 2006 08:06:00 +00002006-05-31T01:21:35.880-07:00For Sabine...<em>With my lightnin’ bolts a glowin’...</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>I can see where I am goin’...</em><br /><br /><em>You better look out below!</em><br /><br /><a href="; target="_blank" title="">Link.</a>2006/05/for-sabine_31.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-114439046950969557Fri, 07 Apr 2006 06:07:00 +00002006-04-06T23:14:29.510-07:00Thanks!I'd like to thank all the folks who have posted on my <a title="" href="2005/08/slow-dog-redux.html" target="_blank">Futurama thread!</a> You guys are great!<br /><br />For a while that page was number 3 with a bullet on Google for 'futurama and thousand summers' searches! Not too shabby.<br /><br />I can only assume that you, like me, got your hopes up when it was announced that Futurama was coming back...and had them dashed when it turned out to be a rumour.<br /><br />Oh well. At least it lives on in the 'Swim!2006/04/thanks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-114438999404174891Fri, 07 Apr 2006 06:03:00 +00002006-04-06T23:06:34.053-07:00Happy New YearOh wait, we're already about a quarter into the new year now! Um...Happy Valentines Day! D'oh! Okay, um, Happy St. Patricks...<br /><br />Dammit.<br /><br />Yes, gentle reader, I am a bad blogger. I know there are hella weeds growing up in this garden. I've neglected it for a long time. :-(<br /><br />So let this be my New Years (4 months late) resolution! To post more in 2006!<br /><br />It...is still 2006, right?2006/04/happy-new-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-113481964413541777Sat, 17 Dec 2005 11:32:00 +00002005-12-17T03:43:24.250-08:00Christmas TimeAhhh…Christmas! It's the most wonderful time of the year or so I'm told. People have a lot of opinions about it. Some happy, some sad. Some even angry. I, however, prefer to take a different Road…<br /><br /></p><blockquote>"Melancholy, but pretty and hopeful at the same time."<br />-Evariste</blockquote><p><br /><br />That's a good way to sum up my feelings about this time of year. I've had a love/hate relationship with Christmas for a long time. I love being with family, the home cooked meals, gifts, and what not. But a lot of the emotional baggage that seems to be delivered too, all dressed up in a red bow. I also hate the obligatory office parties that come up as well. If you don't go, you're looked down upon.'Thousand Sons? Oh, <i>that </i>guy. He didn't come to the Christmas party this year; he's not a <i>team player</i>.'<br /><br />I used to love Christmas completely when I was younger, because none of the bitterness had tainted it yet. The turning point was probably the year my parents divorced. Suddenly the holidays were no longer a time of celebration, but Renaissance style plotting. O Machiavelli, forget Florence! Christmas season is where the real politics are! <br /><br />Whom do you visit? Grandpa and grandma? Mom? Dad? Will someone feel slighted if you visit on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas day? Does someone get relegated to a non-holiday day? Do you slip out early to visit another? Pair up with a partner that also has divorced parents and you've multiplied your woes tenfold! <br /><br />Worse yet, if you have <i>no one...</i><br /><br />Despite all this, I still love this time of year. Why? Because I like my holidays how I like my chocolate: not syrupy sweet, but dark, rich, and somewhat bittersweet. Every year I pull out my cd of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' and give it a listen. People tend to write off Charlie Brown and Peanuts because it's a kid thing, y'know, just a cartoon. But ol' Charles Schultz was a genius. You had to read between the lines but there was genuine emotion in Peanuts and a lot of it was dark. Attend you now, the words of Mr. Brown…<br /><br /></p><blockquote>"Rats. Nobody sent me a Christmas card today. I almost wish there weren't a holiday season. I know nobody likes me, why do we have to have a holiday to emphasize it?"</blockquote><p><br /><br /></p><blockquote>"I just don't understand Christmas I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating the tree and stuff, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed."</blockquote><p><br /><br />You could never make a TV special like this for kids now! Poor Charlie Brown would be force-fed Prozac or something! Like some people I know, Schultz hid his sadness behind humour, but that didn't make his work sad. It gave it a complexity, a richness that made it multi-dimensional, like jazz. Not the new age tootling of Kenny G,but the soulful work of Vince Guaraldi, the master. <br />His instrumental of 'Christmas Time Is Here' inspired this little vignette in me:<br /><br /></p><blockquote>The jazz trio is playing. You remember the song from your distant childhood. It's a song about Christmas but it evoked a melancholy in your heart even as a kid. You look about the smoke filled cabaret. All these lonely souls here on Christmas Eve. Come in out of the rain and cold, enjoying human company at a distance. Oh, the sound of the piano! The notes, crystal clear, dancing in air. <br />You sip your scotch on the rocks, savoring the smokey flavor. Through your glass you see her. The brunette at the end of the bar. Do you know her? Maybe. Maybe no one really knows anyone. The bass grumbles and rumbles, you feel it in your soul. You flash back to your childhood briefly...through the sepia tone of your scotch haze...like a fever dream of color. That blue bike your old man gave to you all those years ago. Where is it now? Don't know. The session is winding up; you settle your tab with the man. You take one last drag off your cigarette, crush it out with authority. You put your overcoat on, ready to head out into the cold. You pause for a moment, looking at the denizens of this cabaret. Lonely like you, perhaps, but it was love of a kind that brought them here. Love of music, the need for companionship. Love is wonderful, no matter how small. "That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown," you murmur and head out the door into the night...</blockquote><p><br /><br />Along with the soulful ache there is also a beauty in jazz that is rare and wonderful. A magic that makes your eyes brim. This what made the marriage of ideas between Guaraldi and Schultz perfect. They were fellow travelers on the same Road….<br /><br />So what is Christmas is really all about? In my opinion its not just about a day or trees or candy. It's the knowledge that no matter how bad it gets, how hard it is pushing that ol' rock up that hill, there is always beauty in the world. All year long. Like helping someone in need or sharing a laugh with a friend or finding a wildflower that grows up through the concrete.<br />Look for the beauty.<br />It's <i>there</i>.<br />You'll <em>find</em> it.<br />And that is the greatest gift of all...<br /><br /></p><blockquote>And together we'll celebrate forever<br />In defiance of the winds that blow<br />My God in heaven<br />now I feel like I'm seven<br />And spirit calls to me as well<br />As if Christmas had made the winter warmer<br />Made a paradise from what was hell<br />As if a cold and frozen soul is warm to love<br />By loves own hand<br />So goes the prayer if for a day<br />Peace on earth<br />And good will to man.......<br />-Blues Traveler</blockquote><p>2005/12/christmas-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-113168332840110622Fri, 11 Nov 2005 04:21:00 +00002005-11-10T20:28:48.403-08:00LazinessHola amigos! <br /><br />I know it's been a long time since I rapped at ya, much like <a href="; target="_blank" title="">Jim Anchower,</a> but I've been hella busy lately.<br /><br />I'm hoping all this activity will inspire me to pay more attention to my neglected little blog.<br /><br />Got a new gig, making use of my evil computer skills! >:)<br /><br />But other than that I've mostly been layin' low, stayin' out of trouble.<br /><br />I hope to start seeing some shows again, so I can give y'all my "Man on the Scene" reports!<br /><br />Stay tuned...2005/11/laziness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-113168284890685782Fri, 11 Nov 2005 04:18:00 +00002005-11-10T20:20:48.920-08:00DriveOkay, scary ass story time... <br /><br />So I was going out last Saturday, to this bar over on the Eastside. I take the exit for the 520 bridge. There’s this tunnel exit with a sharp little turn. As I'm coming around the corner I feel the back end of my car break free. Next thing you know I see the left hand wall coming right at me in slow motion. Didnt freak out or anything, the only thought I had was "Crap. Here we go." WHAM! Smacked in to the wall and my car bounces off. I fought to correct the steering. WHAM! I hit the other wall on the right and bounced again. Got control again and pulled off on the first exit I could. I sat and shook for a little bit. I'm fine though. I looked at my St. Christopher medallion on the rearview mirror and said a little prayer of thanks to God. <br /><br />I drove her home. Theres a slight shimmy in the steering. Probably fucked up my alignment or something. I'm gonna take a look at it this weekend. Theres no other damage to my car though, just two scuffs on the bumper. God bless General Motors!2005/11/drive.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-112741665872325256Thu, 22 Sep 2005 18:50:00 +00002007-10-23T18:47:07.829-07:00BumbershootGreetings programs!<br /><br />This is <em>Thousand Sons</em> with a retrospective of the 2005 Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival in lovely Seattle!<br /><br /><img title="The Man with the Plan" src="; /><br /><br />Wow, what an experience. This year I sprang for the 4 day pass, and let me tell you, it was worth it.<br /><br /><a title="" href="; target="_blank">Bumbershoot</a>, for those of you outside of Seattle, is our Labor Day weekend festival running Friday thru Monday. Its hard to believe, but Bumbershoot has been going on for 35 years now. Its older than me! Sheesh! There is always big name acts, but for me its the bands I've never heard of that really draw me.<br /><br />I've been going off and on for a few years now. Its always been that final hurrah of the summer for me.<br /><br />I had a lot more pictures to share with you but my camera, frankly, sucks. About half of them didnt turn out. Note to self: Never by another camera/printer bundle. You'll end up getting screwed on at least half the deal. I got some pictures with my phone on Friday, you can see those here: <a title="" href="; target="_blank">1000sons/Bumbershoot</a> There are limits to the quality of camera phones too, unfortunately. Next year I'm buying a dozen disposable cameras. <em>Or maybe just one decent camera. >:(<br /></em><br /><img title="The Space Needle's such a nice guy" src="; /><br /><br />Day One: Friday<br /><br />Whoo hooo! The first day of Bumbershoot! Got my straw fedora, hawaiian shirt, and backpack ready to go! What will the weekend hold? I cant wait to find out!<br /><br />Cuchata<br />Afro-Latin stylings from Cuchata! What a way to start the weekend!<br /><br />MangoSon<br />Salsa and meringue music. Gotta jump up and dance!<br /><br />Altered States of Funk<br />Local funkmeisters, Altered States of Funk laid down some stone grooves, man. There was a serious moment when lead singer Winfield Ezell Jr. took time out to acknowledge the tragedy in New Orleans in a freestyle spoken word jam.<br /><br /><img title="International Fountain" src="; /><br /><br />You gotta take time out of your day to frolic in the International Fountain! When I was a kid, this thing looked more like a hateful sea urchin. Sharp metal water jets, jagged rock surrounding it, it was no place to play. A few years back they completely redesigned it, making it more friendly.<br /><br />Dudley Manlove Quartet<br />Popular (and unpopular) music with a lounge feel! They were a lot of fun. They performed <em>Xanadu</em>, people! <em>Xanadu!</em> How can you not love that?!<br /><br />Maktub<br />Seattles premier rock/funk/soul band! They have a unique sound that will blow your mind. Their guitarist Thaddeus Turner tore it up with a blistering tribute to Jimi Hendrix. More about him in a moment...<br /><br />Garbage<br />Shirley Manson and the boys. She wore bright pink nylons under her dress that were visible from space. They rocked so hard! They played one of my favorites of theirs 'When I Grow Up'. Love that song. I'll let you know if I ever do.<br /><br />On a more serious note: Everyones hearts went out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina too. There were dozens of places to donate all throughout the Seattle Center. I had a weird epiphany sitting by the fountain. I looked around at all the throngs of people and thought 'Just imagine if all these people weren't here for a festival, but had to live here." It was a chilling thought. Sorry, back to the fun...<br /><br />Day Two: Saturday<br /><br />The Fading Collection<br />Dark wave meets electronica. Beautiful, ethereal vocals by Sarah and Tavia.<br /><br /><img title="Africa Yaya Diallo" src="; /><br /><br />Africa Yaya Diallo<br />West African soukous guitar music. You cant sit still listening to this!<br /><br /><img title="Harvey Fucking Danger!!" src="; /><br /><br />Harvey Danger<br />Maybe best known for their big hit 'Flagpole Sitta', Harvey Danger still makes intelligent and fun music. A special treat for music nerds: Robyn Hitchcock joined them for a rendition of his song 'Viva! Sea-Tac'!<br /><br />"Viva! Seattle Tacoma, viva viva Sea-Tac!<br />Viva viva viva viva viva Sea-Tac!<br />They've got the best <em>computers</em> and <em>coffee</em> and <em>smack!"</em><br /><br /><img title="Digable Planets" src="; /><br />Digable Planets<br />The old school becomes the new school again! Digable Planets put us in a trance with their own unique hip-hop stylings! Thaddeus Turner of Maktub and his brother Tugboat showed up to play with the Planets at their show. Incidently they both play with another local favorite of mine, the 206 Ribshack BBQ Orchestra. But thats another story...<br /><br />Day Three: Sunday<br /><br /><img title="Pharcyde" src="; /><br /><br />The Pharcyde<br />Man, hip hop doesnt get much better than Pharcyde in my book. <em>'Labcabincalifornia'</em> is still one of my favorite albums. They were the highlight of my day.<br /><br />Talib Kweili<br />One of the finest writers in hip-hop today. Music that really makes you think. I love it. Hip hop isnt all about <em>Cristal</em>, bling, and hoes, yo.<br /><br /><img title="Hula Goodness" src="; /><br />Took some time out to watch the Polynesian Dancers perform. Who doesnt love a good hula?<br /><br />Common<br />More Jazz-rap from my man, Common. He's probably best know right now for his collaboration with Kanye West "Be".<br /><br /><img title="Marlena Shaw" src="; /><br />Marlena Shaw<br />Whoo! This blues lady gots attitude! And style! Full of soul.<br /><br /><img title="The Bluest Skies" src="; /><br />"The bluest skies I've ever seen are in Seattle!" Except when it rains. There's a reason why they named this festival after an umbrella. Late afternoon the rain started coming down. Me and my friend huddled under a awning and planned our next move. "Do we want to stay and see Elvis Costello?" "<em>Meh</em>. I hear he wont play his old stuff anymore." "Me, I vote we walk to the car while is daylight and raining, instead of pitch black, cold and raining." So we sounded the retreat. There comes a point of saturation, when your clothes can get any wetter and you cant hate rain anymore. A cosmic moment. I jumped in a few puddles on the way to the car, just like a kid.<br /><br />Day Four: Monday<br />Its been a <em>looooong</em> weekend. I'm exhausted.<br /><br />The Decemberists<br />My new favorite find of 2005! Folk rock stylings that remind me of Fairport Convention.They sing songs about poverty, maritime disasters, and 15th century potentates! Fun!<br /><br />Dashboard Confessional<br />Kinda of a punk/folk thing. With an edge. I want to search out more of their stuff.<br /><br />The Be Good Tanyas<br />Blue grass trio, very <em>'O Brother Where Art Thou'.</em> Laying out on the grass, listening to folksy music, drinking up the sunshine, and staring up a the Space Needle. Just what the doctor ordered after such a long weekend.<br /><br />Highway 99<br />All-starsLunchtime! Nothing like some greasy fair food and rhythm and blues to wash it down!<br /><br /><img title="Arturo Rodriguez" src="; /><br /><br />Arturo Rodriguez Quartet<br />Beautiful latin jazz from local artist, Arturo Rodriguez.<br /><br />And just like that, its over. Four days of safari though the landscape of music. We leave the Seattle Center, our adopted home for a weekend, and head back to the real world. I put up my straw hat until next summer. I sleep heavy that night, worn out from our expedition, and I <em>dream</em>. Dream of a world of endless possibilities and varieties of music.<br /><br /><em>And I wait impatiently for next year...<br /><br /></em><em></em>2005/09/bumbershoot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-112681474311821920Thu, 15 Sep 2005 19:50:00 +00002005-09-15T13:08:11.780-07:00MIB FAQIn case any of my readers not familiar with Discarded Lies are saying 'WTF??", a brief explanation:<br /><br />The story revolves around Thousand Sons 'The Man In Black', a fictional character (very loosley) based on myself. Other posters from DL find their way into the story at times too.<br /><br />'Fred' is the nickname of a thread on DL that grew to immense size took on an evil life of its own.<br /><br />Rene the Baker, Jimmy the Bartender, and Streck are characters that have been kicking around in stories of my for a long time. Thought it would be fun to bring them into the mix too!<br /><br />'Sojourner', however, is a very real person.<br /><br />And Sojo, if you're reading this, I haven't given up the 'good fight'! Thanks for your support! ;-)2005/09/mib-faq.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Thousand Sons)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8045592.post-112676454154100717Thu, 15 Sep 2005 05:57:00 +00002005-09-14T23:09:52.250-07:00The Return of the Man In Black Pt IVA small tropical island in the South China Sea. Early evening.<br /><br />The Inquisitor Essington Streck strides up the road to the villa.<br /><br />He had landed his ship in a clearing in the jungle nearby.<br /><br />His robes rustled as he strode the dusty road, his senses were ready for action.<br /><br />The villa seemed devoid of life, no activity could be seen, nor people.<br /><br /><em>Except one.</em><br /><br />In the main plaza stood a man in a black suit bearing a sword.<br /><br />The smoke from his cigarette drifted lazily in the warm breeze. Streck closed the distance between the two of them.<br /><br />He nodded in greeting. <em>"Thousand Sons."</em><br /><br />The man in black took a drag off his cigarette and tossed it away. <em>"Streck."</em><br /><br />"You should not have come here, Thousand Sons. My business is with the revenant only."<br /><br />"I have my own reasons for being here, Streck."<br /><br />Streck unsheathed his power blade.<br /><br />"Step aside, Thousand Sons. The Inquisition will have the head of your patron. His very presence taints this world."<br /><br />"I don’t disagree with you on that, Streck." he said unsheathing the Thread-Killer blade. It hummed with joy, ready to strike.<br /><br />"Then you will step aside?"<br /><br /><em>"No."</em><br /><br />The two faced off like gunfighters in the Old West.<br /><br />"Where is The Baker, Streck?"<br /><br />Streck frowned. "The Baker? He is quiescent at the moment."<br /><br />"No, he is not." replied the man in black. "He was reactivated days ago by Imperial agents."<br /><br />"I don’t know what you are playing at, but I'm quite sure he is inactive."<br /><br />"You're wrong. He is here somewhere, I can feel it."<br /><br />Fred strolled leisurely out on the balcony overlooking the plaza.<br /><br />"Ahhh, Inquisitor Streck! How nice to see you! I see you're making acquaintance with my friend, Thousand Sons."<br /><br />The two continued to stare each other down, not taking their eyes of each other.<br /><br />"We've met before." Streck said shortly.<br /><br />"Well, the gangs all here I see! Just in time, I have a few old friends that want to join the party!"<br /><br />Fred clapped his hands twice and a legion of zombies shambled their way into the courtyard, surrounding Streck and Thousand Sons.<br /><br />"What is this, Fred?" asked the man in black, coldly.<br /><br />"Old friends of yours, Thousand Sons. Remember my minions you dispatched before? When you came to kill me? They are here to say hello again!" Fred laughed.<br /><br />"A setup." said Thousand Sons flatly.<br /><br />"Oh my yes! Did you really think I could pass up an opportunity to be rid of two foes at once? My dear Mr. Sons, I believe you are slipping in your old age!"<br /><br />Fred claps his hands.<br /><br />"Minions! Deal with them; I'll be down shortly to watch the festivities!"<br /><br />The zombies began shambling forward.<br /><br />The two adversaries, once intent on dueling to the death, now spun about and stood back to back.<br /><br />Streck put up his power sword and produced a large silver mace from his cloak. It crackled with unknown power. "This is a holy weapon. Its merest touch will bring death to the deathless."The man in black nodded. "This is Thread-Killer blade. It too will extinguish these mockeries of life."<br /><br />"Together then?" asked Streck.<br /><br />"Together." nodded the man in black. "We can always kill each other later."<br /><br />Streck grinned wickedly. "Indeed."<br /><br />The zombies charged and the battle began in earnest.<br /><br />"In the Emperors name!" bellowed Streck. When his mace touched a zombie it burst into silver flame, consuming it wholly.<br /><br />"Dang! I need a catchy battle cry too someday!" yelled the man in black.<br /><br />Thread-Killer blade howled with glee, dispatching zombie after zombie.<br /><br />"There is too many of them!" cried Thousand Sons.<br /><br />"Courage, warrior! We shall prevail!" boomed Streck.<br /><br />Fred strolled out across the plaza with a beautiful woman in tow.<br /><br />"Come along, Sojourner! Time we were leaving!"<br /><br />Sojourner caught sight of the man in the black suit.<br /><br />She cried out "Thousand Sons!"<br /><br />Over the clamorous din of the battle he heard her voice. "Sojourner!"<br /><br />Streck saw Fred. "The revenant!" he cried. "He is the key to all this!" he yelled. "Destroy him and this will all end!"Thousand Sons nodded grimly and began wading his way through the zombies like a scythe through wheat toward Fred.<br /><br />The blazing fury gripped him and he saw nothing but his prey.<br /><br />"Fred!" he growled.<br /><br />He got within a meter of Fred before being disarmed by a rush of zombies.<br /><br />Thread Killer blade clattered to the ground, growling impotent anger.<br /><br />"Bring him to me, my minions!"<br /><br />The zombies hurled the man in black to the ground before Fred who blurred into his female form.<br /><br />"So! The mighty Thousand Sons!" she crowed. "What a pity your story ends here, my old friend."<br /><br />The man in black stood up and dusted himself off, glaring intently at Fred.<br /><br />"What will you do now, man in black?" she crooned. "Where is your deadly blade, O Thousand Sons?"<br /><br />She laughed with great mirth.<br /><br />She leaned close in and patted his cheek. "Goodbye, Mr. Sons."<br /><br />Across the courtyard Streck called out in a great voice. "Thousand Sons! Catch!"<br /><br />With a mighty arm he threw his mace in the air, toward the trio.<br /><br />It spun slowly through the air in a long arc...and sailed right past Thousand Sons, landing with a great clatter.<br /><br />The zombies flooded over Streck like the tide, obscuring him from sight.<br /><br />The man in black stared agape at the mace lying harmlessly on the ground, just out of reach.<br /><br />Fred laughed outrageously.<br /><br />"Oh this is just too much! Too have come so far and fail at the last. Ha ha!"<br /><br />She wiped a tear of merriment from her eye. "Oh, I haven’t laughed this hard in ages."<br /><br />"Goodbye again, Mr. Sons! I think this will be our final farewell."<br /><br />"Yes it will." said Sojourner behind him, holding the mace.<br /><br />Unnoticed and forgotten in the confusion she had picked up the holy weapon!<br /><br />Fred reverted to his male form, the man in the cream colored suit.<br /><br />He held his hands up in panic.<br /><br />"Now, Sojourner, don’t be hasty..."<br /><br />Sojourner grinned wickedly. "This is for keeping me on this island against my will!"<br /><br />WHACK! She struck Fred in the arm with the mace, its power crackling.<br /><br />The zombies faltered for a moment.<br /><br />"OWWWW! Hey!!" Fred whined.<br /><br />"This is for double crossing Thousand Sons!"<br /><br />WHACK! She struck Fred a second time, disrupting his magic protection.<br /><br />The zombies began to panic, shambling aimlessly.<br /><br />She bore down on Fred, a look of determination in her eye.<br /><br />"Baby! Baby, we can work this out, I know!" cowered Fred.<br /><br />"And this! This is because I always get the last word! HA!"<br /><br />WHACK! She struck Fred a third and final time.<br /><br />He howled like a banshee and all his magics were broken!<br /><br />The zombies began to crumble, falling into dust. Fred began to crumble too."All my plans are ruined! Ruined! Who ever thought a woman like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness? What a world..! What a woooorld....."<br /><br />He collapsed in a pile of ashes.<br /><br />Streck began dusting himself off and walked over to the two. "Excellent work, Madame. May I have my mace back now?" he asked smiling.<br /><br />"Oh! Oh, of course." said Sojourner, handing the mace over.<br /><br />Streck returned it to the folds of his cloak.<br /><br />"Now, Thousand Sons." he said. "Or should I say 'What now?"<br /><br />Thousand Sons took a cigarette from his case.<br /><br />He lit it slowly and took a long drag.<br /><br />"Well. I guess that depends." he exhaled.<br /><br />Streck nodded. "Yes. The revenant Fred was my primary target, but you, you are another matter."<br /><br />Thousand Sons began moving to his Blade, but was brought up short by Streck's blaster.<br /><br />He shrugged and took another drag of his cigarette.<br /><br />"You see, I know about you. I've read your file. You are a traitor to the Imperium!You abandoned your squad and ran to this planet!"<br /><br />Sojourner looked on bemused by this conversation. She hoped answers would be forthcoming.<br /><br />"I didn’t abandon anything." replied Thousand Sons quietly. "I was asked to leave Imperial service."<br /><br />"By whom?" asked Streck skeptically. "Who would have the authority to do such a thing, if it were possible?"<br /><br />"I could tell you, but you wouldn’t believe me."<br /><br />Streck glares, waiting.<br /><br />Thousand Sons sighs. "The Emperor."<br /><br />"I don’t believe you."<br /><br />"There!" grinned Thousand Sons. "What did I tell you?"<br /><br />"Now is not the time for your usual flip comments!" Streck boomed. "Why?"<br /><br />"Earth was a non-aligned world." explained Thousand Sons. "I was sent here long ago to scout it out, in secret. I made my report directly to the Emperor. He was so shocked by what I'd found he immediately signed the Non Interference Treaty and made this system off limits to Imperial interference. All record of my being here was expunged. It was made to look as if I'd deserted the Legion and perished in the Fringe Worlds. Of course, rumors of my existence kept popping up here and there. Being a cross temporal entity has its advantages...and disadvantages."<br /><br />Streck shook his head. "This is all nonsense. How could even the Emperor cover this up? The Inquisition would already know this..."<br /><br />"The Inquisition is not all-knowing!" countered the man in black. "There are secrets in this universe that even your Order is not privy to."<br /><br />Streck frowned. "I have served the Inquisition my entire life. I am privy to secrets that would drive you into howling madness. I have seen horrors that would make men run screaming into the night. What did you find here that was so alarming to the Empire?"<br /><br />"I could tell you...but then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore would it?" replied the man in black, smiling. "It wouldn’t do you any good anyway, because you'd never understand. The very fact that you know this much makes you a marked man, Streck."<br /><br />Streck straightened his posture and pondered for a moment. "I will report that the revenant threat has been neutralized. I will also report that Thousand Sons is no threat to the Imperium. It will bear the seal of the Inquisition. None would dare question it. But you must promise me something in return: You must never return to Imperial Space. It would be too dangerous...for both of us."<br /><br />The man in black nodded. "All right. I promise. I haven't been back in years anyway."<br /><br />The two clasped hands roughly.<br /><br />"You fought well, Inquisitor Streck. It was an honor to fight by your side!"<br /><br />"And yours as well, Thousand Sons. It seems you've learned a thing or two since last we met!"<br /><br />"When was that? The Fomalhaut Campaign or Orion?"<br /><br />"Orion, I think."<br /><br />"That was you? I thought so! But why did the...."<br /><br />"Would someone please explain what the hell is going on here?!"<br /><br />The two were startled by the outburst.<br /><br />"Oh! Sojourner! Sorry, this is Inquisitor Streck..."<br /><br />Streck makes a formal bow.<br /><br />"I gathered that." she replied witheringly. "So when were you going to tell me you were from outer space?!"<br /><br />"Oh...well...um..."<br /><br />Just then a shot rang out in the air of the courtyard.<br /><br />A thin man in a skintight black jumpsuit strode into view.<br /><br />"Ah, very touching non? Like two old friends now, eh?"<br /><br />"Damn! I forgot about The Baker!" said Thousand Sons, edging toward his sword again.<br /><br />The thin man shot the pavement in front of Thousand Sons, bringing him up short.<br /><br />"Ah ah! None of that. You'll have to do without your blade, m’sieur."<br /><br />Thousand Sons lights a cigarette, staring down his opponent.<br /><br />Thread Killer blade grumbled on the ground.<br /><br />Rene the Baker stood smiling in front of the man in black, his gun leveled at him.<br /><br />The man in black took a long drag and smiled. "I don’t need my blade for everything, Baker." he said and flicked his lit cigarette viciously at the Baker's face.<br /><br />Rene instinctively flinched and the man in black whipped his left hand out, disarming the assassin.<br /><br />The two began a vicious hand-to-hand brawl, using all their martial arts prowess.<br /><br />In the end it was experience that won the day. Experience that the man in black had before Rene was even born. He quickly subdued his would-be assassin.<br /><br />Rene knelt panting on the ground. "You...you seem to be quite skilled, M’sieur Mils Fille. End this."<br /><br />Thousand Sons smoothed out his suit jacket.<br /><br />"No. I may be many things, but I'm not a murderer."<br /><br />"End it! I've waited for this moment!" cried Rene. "I've done terrible things as an assassin, m’sieur, in the name of the Empire! I don’t want to live with them!"<br /><br />"I can help you with that, my friend." said Streck.<br /><br />Streck produced a small device from his belt pouch. A Strobe but more advanced than Thousand Sons had seen before.<br /><br />"Standard Inquisition issue. With this I can erase your prior assassin programming, permanently, and remove all memory of this event."<br /><br />The Strobe began to flash before Rene's eyes.<br /><br />Rene wept. "Thank you, m’sieur! Bless you!" he said as he fell asleep.<br /><br />"Shhh." Streck said gently. "Dream, my friend. Dream of baguettes and cakes and pastries. Dream...and tomorrow your dream will be true once again."<br /><br />He picked up Rene in his arms.<br /><br />"I'll take him back home. He won’t remember a thing tomorrow."<br /><br />"So that’s what they mean when they say 'The Inquisition leaves no witnesses!"<br /><br />Streck gave an enigmatic grin. "Sometimes, Mr. Sons. Sometimes."<br /><br />The man in black arched his eyebrow at this and said nothing.<br /><br />"And now I must take my leave of you. Goodbye Thousand Sons. Goodbye Sojourner. Be well!"<br />Streck walked down the road to his ship, carrying the unconscious former assassin over his shoulder.<br /><br />Thousand Sons let out a sigh of relief.<br /><br />"Well! I'm glad that’s over with...OWWWW!"<br /><br />Sojourner smacked Thousand Sons in the arm!<br /><br />"What was that for?!" he asked with exasperation.<br /><br />"Outer space?!" she glared at him.<br /><br />"Um...heh...yeah. It’s a long story."<br /><br />"I have time." she said levelly.<br /><br />"Yeah. I guess we both do now. We also have this whole island, the mansion and its servants all to ourselves! I could use a vacation."<br /><br />"Don’t change the subject."<br /><br />He gave a sheepish look. "My story is pretty long. It might take...years...to tell it all."<br /><br />"Well you need to start somewhere, don’t you?" she winked. "How about 'how old you are', Mr. Sons?"<br /><br />"There are times, my dear Sojourner, that I feel like the oldest man in the universe."<br /><br />"And now?"<br /><br />"Now? Today I feel...young again." he smiled.<br /><br />Sojourner looked wistfully at the pile of ash on the ground. "Y'know, it’s funny. I kind of miss Fred now."<br /><br />Thousand Sons puts an arm around her shoulders.<br /><br />"I know. Me too. But I have the feeling he wont be gone forever." he says enigmatically.<br /><br />He looks up at the stars sadly.<br /><br />"Penny for your thoughts, TS?" Sojourner asks.<br /><br />"There's something I need to do. Something I should have done a long time ago..."<br /><br />-------------------Epilogue the first.<br />A small boulangerie somewhere in France, the next day.<br /><br />Rene has finished the morning baking and opens his shop for business.<br /><br />Although he had the strangest dreams last night, he feels incredibly rested.<br /><br />The bell on the front door rings merrily and the first customer of the day enters.<br /><br />A large heavy set man with a grey beard.<br /><br />"Bon jour, mon ami! What can I do for you today?" asked Rene cheerfully.<br /><br />"Two loaves of your rustic bread. And a sticky bun."<br /><br />"Certainly! Will that be all?"<br /><br />"Yes, wrap it well. I have a long journey ahead of me."<br /><br />As the man was paying, Rene got a strange feeling. "Have we met before, m’sieur? I have the oddest feeling of..."<br /><br />"Deja vu? Oh, I'm certain it’s nothing. We've never met before."<br /><br />"Hmmm. So you sa