Skip to main content

Just One Person

Aside from some major transportation woes, my trip to Chicago was exactly what I needed. That's right, MIA late-night taxis and morning storms closing DFW airport didn't spoil the trip.

Though I didn't take any pictures on this trip (I took plenty of scenic ones on my previous trips), I think this one that Amy Mueller took of Eric and me sums a lot up. As in, lots of meaningful conversations with good people. Didn't matter if the conversation was in a loud bar, comic book convention, or a living room -- the conversations were more than talking about the weather and public transportation.

Being around good people in a place 1,200 miles away from Dallas felt great. Certainly adds to the number of people I enjoy being around in Texas. So, a return trip to Chicago this year may very well happen.

What I took away from this trip was how to take the next step in life. I want to be in better communication with my friends, whether or not they live here in Dallas or thousands of miles away. If people want to know what I'm up to and I want to know what they're up to, then I should converse more. No matter what.

Also, I need to focus more on the people who are in my life more than the people who aren't. I don't want to erase those who used to be in my life, but there are those I should keep at a distance. There are reasons why people part ways, and it can be pretty amazing if paths should cross again in a friendly way. And that could very well be a good thing.

Alas, life changes have made me want to take different directions. Not necessary radical ones, but directions that embrace adulthood instead of denying it.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Catherine Wheel

Originally posted: Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 Despite managing to release five proper albums, Catherine Wheel was one of those bands that always seemed to slip past the mainstream rock crowd. Yes, they got some nice airplay in their day, but people seem to have forgotten about them. You may hear “Black Metallic” or “Waydown” on a “classic alternative” show on Sirius or XM or maybe even on terrestrial radio, but that’s about it. For me, they were one of most consistent rock bands of the ’90s, meandering through shoegazer, hard rock, space rock and pop rock, all while eluding mainstream pigeonholing. Led by the smooth, warm pipes of vocalist/guitarist Rob Dickinson (cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), Catherine Wheel featured Brian Futter on lead guitar, Dave Hawes on bass and Neil Sims on drums. They weren’t a pretty-boy guitar band, but they weren’t a scuzzy bunch of ragamuffins either. Though the band hailed from England, Catherine Wheel found itself more welcome on American air

Best of 2021

  Last year, my attention span was not wide enough to listen to a lot of LPs from start to finish. Too much went on in 2020 to focus on 10-15 albums, so I went with only a couple to spotlight. Well, 2021 was a little better, as I have a list of top four records, and a lot of individual tracks.  (I made a lengthy Spotify playlist ) So, without further ado, here’s my list of favorites of the year: Albums Deafheaven, Infinite Granite (listen) Hands down, my favorite album of the year. I was not sure where Deafheaven would go after another record that brought My Bloody Valentine and death metal fans together, but they beautifully rebooted their sound on Infinite Granite. The divisive goblin vocals are vastly pared-down here, as are the blast beats. Sounding more inspired by Slowdive, the band has discovered a new sonic palette that I hope they explore more of in the future. It’s a welcome revelation. I still love their older material, but this has renewed my love of what these guys do.  J