Mark's LiveJournal

phew...

2008-02-04T00:38:34Z

so the traveling game show host gig failed to pan out. too broke to head back downstate on return trip for interview. no biggie. sticking with idea of quitting jobs to 'live off the music'. this is probably the best plan in the medium run.

so... long story short. one saturday afternoon gf is sobbing due to lack of "funds". courageous bf says "fine! I'll go book some PAYING gigs RIGHT NOW!"

and does.

half an hour later the Upper Deck guy from the Ramada is saying "sweet! got your press kit. loved it. why don't you start this Tuesday (3 days from now). they're usually pretty dead if you can bring in a crowd you be a regular."

I hear myself say, "sweet. consider it done." as I'm thinking 'FUCK. I am nowhere near prepared for this.'

story of my life.

short story long. Tuesday comes. three days spent furiously programming songs for one man bar rock project. negative time for rehearsal/lyric retention. (stupidly obsessed over one extremely difficult indie rock song that no one in the bar had likely ever dreamed of)

(Tuesday)
7:30pm. step on iPod holding all of my programmed songs permanently cracking screen rendering useless.
8pm. (1 hour til show deadline) - load up gear while blizzard impending begins to rage.
8:30pm - supposed "dead" Tuesday night is full of drunken snowmobilers with hard ons for all things Johnny Cash and steel guitar.
9pm. gear is in place. monstrous buzzing noise furiously rages through my equipment. have to boycott 1/3 of gear to salvage any hope of not sounding extremely annoying.
9:30pm. begin four hour set of songs I barely know without a sound check.
9:31pm. my soul dies a lot inside.

Friday: sheepishly return to Ramada. preparing for awkward silence and "yeah... about that night.."

instead. booking agent says. "heard it went well! see you next Tuesday!"

bam. dream of being a professional musician that hates practicing still alive. (although whole point of one man bar rock project is to be always ready and always awesome)

andrasko @ 2008-01-14T10:44:00

2008-01-14T15:45:07Z

quit my job. interviewing for gig as traveling game show host! very excited.

New House!!!

2007-09-12T21:07:59Z

Here are pics of the house the gf and I bought. My girlfriend made an amazing website for it...

The Chateau

Btw. Our address is 20107 Frederick St. Houghton, MI. We'll be having a celebratory bonfire in a couple of weekends....

andrasko @ 2007-09-06T18:22:00

2007-09-06T22:02:59Z

no. of jobs: 2
no. of extremely hungover training days: 2

soooooo close! the acoustic album is nearing completion.
please. feel free to check out the progress at www.myspace.com/markandrasko

now featuring "homeward bound" and "the mtu song". enjoy.

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

2007-08-24T16:24:17Z

the Neverland Rancheros t-shirt design....

www.myspace.com/theneverlandrancheros
www.theneverlandrancheros.com

andrasko @ 2007-08-24T12:00:00

2007-08-24T16:21:43Z

No. of Houses Currently Remodeling: 2
No. Bands Want to Start Up: 2
No. Musical Projects Being Lured Into: 5 billion

I like my life like I like my sex, hectic and strange.

Enough of horrible anagrams, parralelograms, or whatever they're called. Started training for career as Shopko Cashier. Went well... well, would've went well if not for M-O-N-S-T-R-O-U-S hangover. Seduced into drinking at bar by Dirk and Buzzo + 1 trip to the Baltimore Zoo = not getting home until 4:30 am + waking up ten minutes before afore mentioned training.

HR Lady, Jeanann = super nice. Fellow trainees = high school punks + 30(+) ladies. Oddly... everyone established at Shopko is strangely nice. Is there something in the water? Sweet porn in the break room? Will co-trainee high school punks suddenly grow manners?

Suspect everyone is surface nice with underlying maleficent intentions. Only one established Shopko "teammate" was bitchy. Suspect she has embarassingly oversized clitoris.

Can't wait to start new original music project. Have been working on moody, angsty grunge/stoner rock songs for months/years/days. Tentative name: the Revenge Cycle. Thoughts.. too cheesy? Please help decide.

I am an interviewing god...

2007-08-17T20:07:19Z

hmm... odd. could have sworn I heard a crash downstairs. not unlikely as I left a ladder in the way of the front door's path. wind? went to investigate and.. nobody was there.

life has been swirling mass of confusion lately. too many thoughts, ambitions, and ideas to concentrate on. have decided to focus down on 3 main things.

1) procuring employment
2) establishing bar band
3) well, I've forgotten the third already. maybe it will come back to me.

1) is done! interview at shopko went very well. even though I had to jog about 2 miles to get there... cause, well.. you know. I planned on leaving an hour before but one thing after another happened (namely, a really good book I'm reading) and lo and behold I stepped out of the shower with 30 minutes to dress and walk/run out hancock, across the bridge, and up the hill.

ah.. so yes. procuring employment is done. got phone call requesting I begin training on wednesday. family will be extremely proud of their nearing 30's son employed as cashier at 2nd rate wal-mart.

so yes! a new list of foci are necessary...

1) be awesome at job and rise within the ranks of the Shopko "teammates"
2) establish bar band. going well. have procured experienced bassist. need drummer!
3) finish remodeling Massey Manor (my constant nightmare of the last six months)
4) start emo alt-grunge original project. have drummer and bassist waiting.
5) appease beautiful girlfriend stressed out about house we are purchasing
6) move into and remodel house once purchased (closing one week from now)
7) prepare songs for Purple Rain bash. collaborating with Tony Lowe. will be amazing.
8) find fu#$ing go#@@7amn car keys.
9) finish writing songs for my my serpentine. teaching beautiful gf how to play drums. learning remarkedly well. will be two-man group.
10) prepare for final show with the Neverland Rancheros tonight. rehearse lyrics to songs I always forget.

gah!! too many things!! must compartmentalize.

album covers!!

2007-08-17T03:37:58Z

andrasko @ 2007-08-16T13:55:00

2007-08-16T17:56:03Z

... the keys are no longer on this plane of existence.

and the keys are...

2007-08-16T17:08:39Z

have felt rather down lately. busy pondering universal questions such as "what the hell am I doing with my life?" and "why the hell won't this 'Chasing Amy' dvd work properly when it has zero scratches on it?"

lo and behold. last night perked me up. finished first three songs of long overdue acoustic album. had low hopes of album for long time due to abysmal tracking efforts. in the end, with some minor editing and crafty mixing they are a perfect representation of where I am musically currently +++ the album cover artwork is amazing. will post asap.

add 2 Baltimore Zoos with Dirk and Buzzo at the Dawg.

felt great this morning. had scuffle with Chasing Amy dvd, began musing on new bands in the works = awesome. new projects will be unreal. run through new song riffs on guitar for millionth time. in back of mind began pondering first universal question....

Click.

I scheduled a job interview with Shopko yesterday for 11:30am TODAY. What time is it?

Rush to bedroom. 11:20am.

Damage control. Need shower? Yes. Shave? Oh well. Attire? Easy, jeans and polo. Take quickie shower and dress. Car keys. Nowhere to be found. Remember waking up and driving Buzzo home earlier this morning. had lost keys then but found them on porch next to beer can I threw them at. Should be laying around somewhere.

Search for keys.

Continue searching for keys.

Check time. 11:28am (can be quick when I have to be).

Call Shopko, explain delay. Interviewer Lady sounds friendly, says no problem.
Feel odds of employment plummeting towards zero.

Go outside to look in car, notice gigantic Uppco Service Trucks blocking driveway could have used for much better excuse. Oh well. Think. See Dean's truck. Remember have spare key to Dean's truck. Thought two: distinctly remembering emptying pockets of shorts onto ground depositing spare key miscellaneously about a week ago. Did not put key back in proper spot. Look for spare anyway.

Laws of Physics Governing Physical Principles of Reality: 2
Tendency toward Haphazard Lifestyle: 0

Recall Shopko. Turn entire force of will into disarming conversation. Switch on confident voice.

"I appear to have lost my keys harder than I've ever lost them before! So much for getting off on the right foot! Hahaha..." Interviewer Lady laughs. Good sign. Forwards me to secretary to reschedule interview. Perhaps all is not lost?

Have 24 hours to find car keys or plan ahead for long walk tomorrow morning. Hope that courageous presentation of keeping cool under pressure will be unexpected edge in gaining employment as Shopko cashier.

andrasko @ 2007-08-05T00:37:00

2007-08-05T04:41:29Z

yes! yes!! yes!!! I played a semi-crappy word (sea for 10 points) to set up a double word above the a, za and za, with the z being on a triple letter score.... will mean serious points as long as opponent does not steal spot (dangerously close to triple word score).

do not steal spot 'James L.' or else I will hunt you down...

andrasko @ 2007-08-05T00:13:00

2007-08-05T04:15:50Z

good news. saw Sycamore Smith show last night in calument. was invited to play show with marc in september when Tech starts! will be awesome. have ideas for devious songs in works will write especially for this show.

bad news. the Rancheros are breaking up.

andrasko @ 2007-08-04T18:49:00

2007-08-04T23:03:31Z

long time since I posted. just read Bridget Jone's Diary (it was the only decent thing laying around I swear) and it may have inspired me.

long overdue solo acoustic album being recorded in Rosza studio with Dirk (who is awesome) and Josh (quiet fellow who comes out to all the local music shows (...= awesome)). going well. title: i write the songs that make your girl go down.

holy jesus am I addicted to online scrabble. have 16 games going at once, only losing one. have z and waiting for killer spot to deploy but game almost over!

new story

2006-04-26T23:48:30Z

step 1. read this.
step 2. tell me what you think about it.
step 3. tell me good things. so far nobody likes it :(

Coming Out in Sunny Valley

I look in the mirror and straighten my blue top polo shirt. Today is the day. No more secrets. I glance at the clock. SO:B, irony or mysterious portent? Whatever, late for school again. Mr. Johnstone will be furious. Crisp, clean faggoty Mr. Johnstone. I smirk as I think of what I'd like to do to him. I rush down the perfect stairs of my parents' perfect house past the locked door of the basement where my perfectly boring dad does his scientific research for the government. Today is the day I come out.

Johnstone's lecture pours over and around me like sand. No one's paying attention. They whisper and chat up the latest gossip and check out each other's perfect tans. Usually I sit here hating them and their simple lives. But today is different. Sun pours through the windows of my yuppy suburbany high school filled to the brim with its pricks and fucktards and fills me. My mind is awash in ecstasy. No more lies. No more clandestine rendezvous'. Imagining the relief alone is heaven. True. The initial surprise will shock them. No. It will kill them. Double true.

Jimmy Tytar's thirteenth birthday party. That's when we found out our dirty, little secret. Jimmy and I had chased Bobby Neuman, the new kid, behind the garage. Then we got to fooling around. We didn't realize where it would lead. Mrs. Tytar found us in our ecstasy, barely controlled her urge to scream. The Tytars moved out of Sunny Valley the next day.

I still see Jimmy. Every Tuesday night. My parents think I'm studying Physics with Lousia Renard. Really I'm taking the 8:35 City Bus to Los Soulita near the Mexican border. There in the back alleys we find our boys. Jimmy's uncle finds them and pays them to meet us. We take them to the abandoned warehouse where Jimmy set up our cozy little home away from home. Desire, unstoppable, fills us. There's no grief afterwards. It just feels right. Then I jump on the 10:55 home. Most of the time we never see them again.

When you have a secret like mine you swear everyone who looks at you knows. It haunts you 24/7. All you can do is relax and breathe and take life one moment at a time until the day when someone catches you, staring at you like you're a freak, hating you for what you are. Part of me would love to see the uproar, the blissful, peaceful community of Sunny Valley boiling in their rigid, unthinking rejection of my ways.

I thought once that my parents had found out. No, I knew it. Things had gone wrong one Tuesday and Jimmy and I had been unable to wait a whole week. We were doing the dirty deed in my upstairs room when my parents arrived home early from work for God-knows-what reason. We stopped and cleaned up as fast as we could but I was certain the damage was done. Jimmy waited for nightfall and climbed out the window and to freedom. I, however, had to descend those steps knowing I was facing certain condemnation. You see, with me and Jimmy it's hard to be ... quiet. Yet, they met me with their usual blank stares. The usual dance of meaningless conversation. Mom ordered take out. I swear I saw a glimpse of something in my father's eyes. Who knows? Maybe tonight won't be so hard. No. There is no good way to take this kind of news. I'm certain of it. I sink into my normal routine of depression and self-hate. Damn them all. If they can't handle it... I don't know what. I fear what I may have to do.

I hop out of the car. My mind races and won't stop. A kaleidoscopic trance is wracking my head and I feel like Jesus in the desert. I'm late. It's 6:00 pm. Dinner time. They're waiting for me. My stomach churns but my will is iron. No beating around the bush. Direct confrontation is the only way.
"Be right down!" I run up the stairs to my room, my physically fit physique heaving with terror. I'm just going to have to show them. I bring the cooler down, remnants of last Tuesday which I later l learn is Jimmy and I's last Tuesday night together. I open it up and pull out the bloody severed arm.
"Mom... Dad. I'm a cannibal." I take a glorious, juicy chomp. It's stale and old but relief and desire couple to make it the most glorious taste of human flesh I've ever had. I glance while I chew and notice they're taking it remarkably well.
"Son.. we know." He shuffles his silverware and stands up. "It's time you met the family."
Down the hall, Dad unlocks his secret doorway and we descend the basement steps. I gasp and choke. I can't catch my breath. Rows and rows of bodies hang from the ceiling. I turn and look at Mom and Dad. There's a new gleam I've never seen before in my parents' eyes. My old life is over. And we feast as a family for the first time.

andrasko @ 2005-11-16T02:14:00

2005-11-16T07:13:26Z

hoo wee. I been in a writing mood lately. here's an old west story I just wrote.

Pa made us hide in the cellar again tonight. Lord, it's awful cramped down here. Lil' Maggie May won't stop crying and I'm pretty sure she's soiled her lil' britches too. Mama don't care. Her face is drawn, pale white like she's seen a ghost. She holds Maggie to her chest and just stares off like she's on the shore of some giant ocean.
I slap RuthAnne's hand away. The candlelight from upstairs falls through the spaces of the floor slats and I can see her grinnin' at me. She thinks this is some fun kind of game. I grab her bottom back and pinch, squeezing as hard as I can. I don't let go. Tears stream down her face and she barely stifles a yelp. My name is Elroy. I'm 11 and I'm man of the house when Pa is gone.

Jimmy Taylor saw the lights in the sky three days ago out past Devil's Ridge. Nobody believed him until Jed McConnister was makin' coy with Judy Shanlan out under the apple trees in the McConnister orchard two nights back. Those two rushed back into town with a fear in their eyes and a fire in their britches the likes that no amount of kissin' could make. They should've believe Jimmy because now it's too late.

I grab Maggie from Mama and shoosh her, rocking her in my arms. RuthAnne sticks her wet, pink tongue out at me as Maggie May begins to quiet. I drop her into RuthAnne's arms and hold a finger full of fury to my lips. To think that just yesterday we were playin' hide and go seekin' out in that very orchard, sneaking apples while we hid. And that's how Pa tried to explain to her before he left. Me and Mama and her and Maggie May are playin' naught but a little game of hide and go seekin' and now she's got to be quiet as a mouse. But she's too young to understand.
Mama knows. And that's why Mama's mind is gone.

The panic began when Old Man Hatch stumbled into town. Usually this ain't nothin' to piss in your boots about. Old Man Hatch is taken to stumbling into town drunker and nakeder than President Grant himself and don't cause no more trouble than to drop trow and happily relieve himself in Maid McGillicuddy's rose bushes. Yesterday was a whole world's different. Yesterday a mighty reckoning came down on us residents of Oak Valley Springs, Nevada. Jimmy Taylor came and grabbed me when the commotion began.

The door slams upstairs. We all jump but Mama. I can't help but gasp and I'm ashamed for it. Pa's firm but gentle voice filters its way through the floorboards. He calls for Mama but she doesn't answer. Then he calls for me. "Elroy. Boy, remember you're man of the house when I'm gone. Things are worse than we thought. Tom Cooper is rounding up a search posse for the missing families. I've just saddled up Sparrow. I'll be back in less than an hour." He emphasizes his last words to me with deadly precision. "Do not move a goldarn muscle." The door slams again as he leaves. The lock bolt slides into place.

This is bad. This ain't but the second time I've heard Pa swear in my whole life. The first time was yesterday when Old Man Hatch was a lying on Doc Taylor's operating table.
Doc Taylor's son, Jimmy, and I are best friends. When Old Man Hatch stumbled into town and people began figurin' out something was queer he ran straightway to my house and told me. We climbed the ol' oak tree outside his house and snuck into the second story window (his folks are rich folk). This is how we sneak into the loft above Doc Taylor's practicing room when Doc is examining the young ladies of the town. We know its wrong but we can't help it. It's called the practicin' room cuz, man alive, Doc Taylor practices some queer things in there. Like when he was examining ol' Miss Maple and his pants came undone and he and Miss Maple were pressed together and began grunting and making all kinds of curious noises. Man alive. Adults are strange. Yesterday from the loft above Doc Taylor's practicing room we saw the whole thing.

Wind rushes by through the dark covering our town. I've lost all track of time from daydreaming and I don't know if it's been two minutes or two hours since Pa left. Pa's words shook RuthAnne up good. She's huddled on the dirt floor with Maggie May. In the distance I think I hear that weird shrieking noise buried in the wind but I'm a certain it's just my imagination.

When they brought Old Man Hatch to the table he was green. A tinting of it, exactly the shade of Lemody's Pine Soap. He couldn't speak a word. He just moaned these soft long moans and his eyes were rolled up into the back of his head. Normally Old Man Hatch don't look too healthy but laying on that table he looked worse than death. When they took his shirt off Pa swore.
Underneath the skin on his chest we could all see plain as day a starfish trapped inside him. Long skinny green arms reached up to his neck, down into his trousers, and around his backside. Doc Taylor poked the starfish with his tongs. When it wriggled Tomas Buckleby, the carpenter, had to excuse himself. We heard his wretching from the back porch. Nobody said a word. Then Doc Taylor pulled out his scalpal and began cutting the skin around the green starfish. That's when we heard the weird shrieking noise for the first time. What was left of Old Man Hatch tilted his head back and let out an unholy howl that no human being should be able to make. Calmly and swiftly, Sherriff Johansen pulled out his revolver and shot Old Man Hatch in the neck. No blood came out. I thought for sure blood would come out. Jimmy let out a sob. When the men turned to look we were out that window and down the oak tree so fast we skinned our arms and legs on the way down.

I'm tired of waiting. Something seems very, very wrong. The wind has stopped and I can't hear any of the singers of the night time, the crickets.
Mama and the girls are asleep in the corner. I give their blanket one last adjusting. I'm the man of the house. And I've got to go see what's goin' on. Very carefully, I lift open the trap door that leads to the cellar. The chest that Pa set over the door slowly slides out of place. I climb out and close the door behind me, slide the chest back over it. As I look at the door to our cabin my resolve begans to sway. Then I hear the restless patter of Sparrow's hooveprints outside. A neigh. Relief sweeps through me. Pa's back.

I slide open the lock bolt and step onto the porch. The night is dark and I can see nothing, not even Sparrow. In the candlelight that follows me out I see Pa's shotgun lying alone on the porch. I stoop over to pick it up. As I straighten Pa enters the candlelight. His smooth, confident gait has acquried an unaccustomed lurch. His eyes are dead, vacant. He steps towards me and I falter. I know in my heart that those are not the eyes of the man that chased me and my sisters through the fields outside our house, that patiently let my sisters and I "help" in his barrelmaking craftwork, that told us stories of Indian chiefs and princesses by firelight into the dark hours of long winter nights.
Blinded by tears I lift the shotgun.

I am the man of the house now.

andrasko @ 2005-11-15T21:07:00

2005-11-16T02:03:55Z

you know you've been in Houghton too long..

when you go to the bar on a random night and you've made out with a 1/3 of the chicks there. well, actually just three..

but it was weird. one of them was bitter and attempted to physically abuse me.
one talked about it right in front her boyfriend.

and one.. luckily, didn't see me ;)

am I a manwhore?

andrasko @ 2005-11-05T09:07:00

2005-11-05T14:03:40Z

Serenity is the awesomest movie I've seen in forever.

I've been meaning to post that for awhile. If it ever comes to Hotown - GO SEE IT. Trust me.

andrasko @ 2005-10-04T21:07:00

2005-10-05T01:04:22Z

I may perhaps be stupidest man the on planet.

uh oh

2005-08-19T13:36:33Z

the powers that be have decided to let me corrupt this year's freshmen class...

WMTU is putting on live music all through orientation week in the Wads basement. Tuesday night 7-9pm, yup the saggy balls (song) shall make an appearance. along with a coupla new songs I wrote over the summer!!

score.

things you don't want to know I thought about you

2005-08-19T04:56:39Z

1. Go here.
2. Pass it on.

1.~How did you meet bjsebeck? sheeyit, I forget. a concert I think
2.~What would you do if you had never met kovarik_dude? die a horrible, shameful death
3.~What do you honestly think of jpniewen? he's got the sexy man scruff down pat
4.~Would or did chaithai16 and crookedsquare go out? lol.
5.~Have you ever liked iwhall? I try not to.
6.~If goodboy47 died tomorrow, what is one thing that you would need him/her to know? that I am carrying his love-child. no wait, I am his love-child.
7.~Would therealsolitare and e21iceman make a good couple? hmmm... now that I think about it.. yes. or not.
8.~Describe m00seonthel00se in 3 words: horny, horny, and irresistably charming
9.~Do you think missy_sue is hot? I would but her bf might take me out
10.~Would goodboy47 and electrohacker make a lovely couple? from what I heard, they already have... twice.
11.~What do you think of when you see crookedsquare? if I were gay, I'd jump his bones
12.~Tell me something humiliating about e21iceman: he wears glasses... *snicker, snicker*
13.~Do you know any of n8dog's family members? his momma... personally, if you know what I mean ;)
14.~What's basidiomycota's favorite color? she lives across the hall, I'll go ask her... bah, I'm too lazy.
15.~On a scale of 1-10 how cute is rachel8604? 8.3
16.~What would you do if apo_katie just professed their undying love for you? I'd say "shuddup and get me a beer, woman"
17.~What language does chaithai16 speak? the very question we all wish we knew... Sexamohican I think
18.~Who is let_p_be_prime going out with? hmmm....
19.~Is jyerstad a boy or a girl? last time I checked... oops. *awkward pause*
20.~Would that_red_girl and apo_katie make a good couple? damn. I just popped a total woody thinking about it
21.~Who do you think inherent_flaws would be great with from this list? mooseontheloose and thatredgirl... at the same time
22.~When was the last time you talked to missy_sue? last week.. I think
23.~What is iwhall's favorite band? the David Boreanus and the I forgot my trousers band
24.~Does therealsolitare have any siblings? uh....
25.~Would you ever date n8dog? fuck yes!
26.~Would you ever date m00seonthel00se? sorry, I'd only one night stand him
27.~Is inherent_flaws single? not that I recall
28.~What is basidiomycota's last name? Welsh
29.~What is that_red_girl's middle name? Mom
30~What is jpniewen's fantasy? me, obviously
31.~Where does jyerstad live? in the pit of hell... Minnesota
32.~Would you make out with bjsebeck? he doesn't remember???
33.~Are kovarik_dude and n8dog best friends? mmm....
34.~Does m00seonthel00se like basidiomycota? she's got boobs.. nuf said
35.~How did you meet that_red_girl? pep band?
36.~Is missy_sue older than you? nope
37.~Is electrohacker the sexiest person alive? I plead the 5th

andrasko @ 2005-08-19T00:36:00

2005-08-19T04:36:13Z

well now. you're all a bunch of heartless, soulless bastards that said to bail on the poor people of the Daily Mining Gazette mail room.

hehehe, actually I accepted the new job before I even posted that ;)

what would you do?

2005-08-18T20:53:18Z

so I got an offer for an $11/hr job today. full time. they want me to start immediately.

my current job ($5/hr, part time) wants two weeks notice.

what would you do? bail or stay and risk losing this opportunity...

andrasko @ 2005-08-18T09:41:00

2005-08-18T13:42:56Z

I have to say, my life is pretty sweet right now... I'm seeing an awesome girl, I'm gradually gaining the skills and confidence for what I really want to do in life, I've got extremely saggy balls, and I'm astonishingly slowly becoming *gasp* I can't say it but it starts with an R and rhymes with 'pesponsible'!

andrasko @ 2005-08-16T06:11:00

2005-08-16T10:08:59Z

I am the luckiest guy in the world.

andrasko @ 2005-08-11T06:37:00

2005-08-11T13:44:57Z

hmm... anybody know a place where I could live during the fall semester?