Passed out in your Bed this Morning, But You Were Passed Out on the Floor

It has indeed been one hell of a weekend... Between a HORRIBLE kick-ball party on Friday night and my first Widespread show ever last night, this has indeed been the summer of Rook. Last night was really great, ran in to Al, Heath and Tylo shortly after I arrived at the Nissan Pavillion, and it was great to see some of the P-burgh contingency down south. WSP was amazing, they really blew my mind with their rocking. I know I had a lot that I had wanted to report, but unfortunately, I did not take notes so all of those thoughts have escaped me. Just wanted to check in for the end of weekend report. Planning on spending the rest of the day at the pool with C-dawg, am very much looking forward to getting out in to the sunshine. Will post more when my thoughts from the weekend have been formulated.

The Mix CD

As of late, I have been expanding my musical horizons... A BIG Summer Classic summer has left me with some new favorite bands (up there with those new favorites is of course the amazing Keller Williams, who I have discussed in length in previous posts and the amazing Umphrey's McGee who have been rocking me all summer long). But, this morning, I went back to a classic CD, a CD I hadn't listened to in years... The CD in question is a mix CD that a certain ex made me for Christmas a few years back, pre the I-hate-you-and-I-want-you-to-die portion of our relationship. All in all, it is a really great CD, punctuated with many of my favorite tunes (with the exception of "Waste" which now simply makes me cringe when I hear it). But, I digress. I was thinking about the perfect mix, and in my head, I believe I have compiled just that. So, for your reading pleasure, I bring to you, Rook's Stalker Mix (DISCLAIMER: I don't have anyone in mind to give said mix to).

1. Every Breath You Take-The Police
2. I Want You to Want Me-Cheap Trick
3. I Just Don't Know What to do With Myself-The White Stripes
4. Closer-Nine Inch Nails
5. Hello, I Love You-The Doors
6. Run For Your Life-The Beatles
7. My Guy-Diana Ross and the Supremes
8. One Way or Another-Blondie
9. Creep-Radiohead
10. Any Song on Jagged Little Pill-Alanis Morrisette
11. Wish You Were Here-Pink Floyd
12. Jesse's Girl-Rick Springfield
13. I Put a Spell on You-Screamin' Jay Hawkins
14. Let's Stay Together-Al Green (especially eerie if you were never an actual couple)
15. Sunglasses at Night-Corey Hart
16. Happy Together-The Turtles
17. Can't Take my Eyes off of You-Frankie Vali and the Four Seasons
18. Infatuation-Rod Stewart
19. 500 Miles-The Proclaimers
20. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered-Ella Fitzgerald

Anyway, that's what I've got so far. If you get a mix like this from me (or anybody for that matter), I would recommend being afraid. In fact, if you receive said mix (or anything that resembles it), I would recommend dialing 911 immediately.

Throwing down the Gauntlet

I was talking to one of the contributors to my blog today, when I realized that I am the only person who knows the true identity of each of the bloggers. That's when the wheels started turning... This is an official invitation to all of the other contributors (and by that means, I guess any of my readers, although I am not really sure if I have any) to talk shit about each other in a entertaining and poetic way. Consider this a contest of sorts. The winner will have my complete and total adulation. The loser, well, will not. Extra points for shit talking directed towards me. Bring it, bitches.

A Good Friend Once Said...

Breathe easy, the less you have to offer the less you stand to lose...
Think slowly, the more you have invested, the more you care to claim...
Dream focused, as often as you've wandered, you carried too much weight...

That friend of mine really knows what he is talking about!

www.passedoutlawyers.com

Don't pass out, cause I'll be there with a camera to capture the moment.

Bad Sign?

Is it a bad sign that I now find myself getting drunk before going out on dates? The men in DC suck!

Gettin' Jiggy Wit It

Me, Nershi, and 4 high school students... Priceless. But, by far, the best moment of the night came when someone came to check on Nershi, for he was being harassed by the rook star...

Random Dude: Is this chick bothering you, Bill?

Nershi: Man, this chick is harassing me about 75 cents I owe her from three years back.

Rook: [hysterical laugher]

God damn Nershi STILL has not given me my money. Also had GREAT dialogue as well with the blonde girl who stands behind me in said picture...

Rook: (As I am taking photos of her and her friends with Nershi) You look REALLY happy...

Blonde chick: Yeah, I know you get to experience this sort of thing everyday, but, dude, this is like, an experience for me.

Rook: [MORE HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER]

C-LO

Here I am, back in the land of reality and I am trying to do work, but it is nearly impossible after the insane weekend I just had. I really would love to blog about all of it, but I barely believe the things that happened this weekend, and I lived them, so I don't really expect anyone else to believe them either. So, instead, I will post my amazing c-lo winnings from the weekend:

Winnings from c-lo with Rob:
Antoinette's engagement ring
Blueman's truck
Chief's hat
Rob's hat
A nitrous balloon
A fan
Rob's soul

Winnings from c-lo with Bill Nershi:
Ten bucks
Artisit Pass (which now officially makes me the guitarist for SCI)
Nershi had to wash my feet

Winnings from c-lo with Bern:
Seven bucks (which he refused to pay me)

Winnings from c-lo with Joe Russo:
His drum kit
Marco's spot on tour
An announcement to the world that I am the most amazing person he has ever known
More cowbell
And Joe now has to shoot Victor Wooten

Winnings from c-lo with Marco Benevento:
One thousand bucks
A duo CD
And Marco had to punch Joe in the face and make his bottle of maker's mark go vertical

Lesson: I am good at playing c-lo (and also, you must hold people to their bets).

When I Make a Promise

I KEEP IT! More to come at a later time and date.

The Time is Near, Your Missions Clear

Back in May, I had the pleasure of attending the Haymaker Music Festival in Virginia. It was indeed a great time, and while I make a point of having no regrets, there is one regret that I will carry for all eternity, that being that I punked out of getting some sweet rock-star booty. Picture this, it's the late night set, last set of the festival, and me and my buddies go to see Soulive. A little background on Soulive-I've had some encounters with the boys in the past, even going as far as to invite them back to the lounge after a show at the State Theatre last year (for reasons I'd rather not get in to, that idea got squelched, but I'll save that story for a more private venue). Anyway, as I am standing there with my friends, rocking out to Soulive, it suddenly occurs to me that I've still got a backstage pass around my neck. So, I quietly excused myself from my friends and snuck off to watch Soulive from backstage. It turns out that the only other people backstage are the bands staff, so although I feel a little bit out of place, I line myself up with Alan Evans so I can watch him drum (I've got a thing about watching drummers). Anyway, I am dancing up a storm and I notice that Alan is looking over at me a lot. The entire set, he is looking at me and I am looking at him-we've even-dare I say it-have got sort of a "connection" going at this point. The set ends, and I realize that this is my chance-its now or never.

Rook: Hey Alan, that was a really great set.
Alan: [Smiling] Really glad you enjoyed it. How are you doing tonight?
Rook: Pretty good. It was great talking to you-BYE!
Alan: [Slightly confused] You too, hope to see you again.

And that's when I ran off like a dog with a tail in between its legs. I PUNKED OUT.

Anyway, this weekend is the All Good Music Festival in lovely West Virginia, and I am going in to this weekend with one goal, and one goal alone, mark my words folks:

I WILL FINALLY GET THE EVER ILLUSIVE ROCK-STAR BOOTY THIS WEEKEND.

That's right, you've heard me correctly. I've known my share of wanna-be rock stars in the past, and while that's all good and fine, I am finally ready to join the majors, so to speak. My game is tight and I am ready for action. I have been lining up my prospects for weeks, and I have my starting line-up pretty much firmed up. Now, I just need to get up to bat and play some ball.

One From the Vaults

I had to share this. A few months back I got a new telephone number and sent out an e-mail to my entire address book informing them of the new information. This response got sent to every single person who recieved said e-mail. CLASSIC. For some reason, most of my extended family didn't really think it was that funny. So, for your reading pleasure, I invite you to join me in reading an e-mail from a one in a million guy:

YO what is going on mother fuckers? Not to much here just reporting in after
another fucked up weekend it hoytland. All that were included understand there
what alot of blacked out krazy wookie shit going on. Pdogg passed the fuck out
a couple of times and then pissed on the HOTi floor. Then soon after that
Welcer decided it would be a good idea to step in it and also take a short nap
there. NOt to mention the 18 year old dude from next door we got all fucked up,
I got to walk him to the next room, boy were those the days- being 18. Other
than that Portland is cool as hell and Moe can do it right. So a quick question
for all , what the hell is going to happen this New YEars, because I am readdy.
Still no snow and my ass isn't chapped from the cold. I don't know what else
to say but to all a good night and don;t forget HOYT P>S. this is not a rough
street.

Ahh-good times.

Old Habits

Here it comes, another Phish post. Let me apologize in advance, it has to be done though.

I got in to work this morning and turned on livephish.com as I so often do (if you've never checked it out, you should, they do live streaming radio from the Phish archives, definitely helps me get through the day). Anyway, since Coventry, my feelings about the boys have been varied; anger, sadness, happiness and pretty much every emotion in between. But, I am back on the train, so to speak, and listening to them on a pretty constant basis again. But the one thing I have made a conscious effort not to listen to since the end has been the six sets from Coventry. I remember it all so well and I have thought better of reliving all of the insane emotions that I (and we all) felt during that crazy weekend. So, as I was saying, I turn on livephish.com, and the encore from Coventry, "The Curtain With" is playing. I will never forget those last moments on the hill at Coventry, standing with all of my friends as the boys sang, "please me, have no regrets". I will never forget the insane cheering that erupted from the crowd when the song ended, I will never forget seeing their bus pull away across the night sky and I will never forget the eerie silence of 75,000+ people when we all realized that this was definitely it. Listening to this song brought me right back there, to a small town in Vermont almost a year ago. The question is-what am I getting at here? And the answer-I'm not really 100% sure.

I have tried so many times to sit and write about my experiences in Northern Vermont over those 4 days last August, but every time the words escape me. Anyone who was there understands. On a very personal level, that weekend was nothing less than a major end of an era for me and I will always think of Coventry as a major turning point in my life, yet still, nearly a year later, I can't put it behind me.

"But the toughest thing I ever gave up was today; cause old habits like you are so hard to break."

But the Film is a Saddening Bore, Cause She's Lived it Ten Times or More

I know that the tone of this blog has been pretty light-hearted up until this point, but I am asking all of you to bear with me for an entry, as I try and figure out the events that have occurred this morning.

I woke up today feeling pretty bad. I am moving this evening, and due to my lack of motivation (and getting home late from the Mets game last night) I am barely packed. So, I cranked so new music (by the way, thanks Josh) and began to do some last minute packing before I had to leave for work at 8. Around 7:15 there was a knock at my door; it was my roommate telling me to turn on the news.

I turned on the television and saw Tony Blair looking extremely grim. Immediately my heart sunk. London just won the Olympic bid yesterday and the G-8 Summitt was just beginning in Scotland. I knew something was gravely wrong. So, as I sat and watched him speak so eloquently about the terrorist attacks that happened throughout the Underground early this morning, I began feeling incredibly emotionally overwhelmed. One question continued running through my head:

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN AGAIN?

I am, and will always be (no matter where I happen to end up) a New Yorker. I remember the events that occurred on September 11th as if they happened yesterday and I can 100% sympathize with all of the pain that our friends across the pond must be feeling right now. I am also a person who lived in London for about a year, and I couldn't help but be fearful for the lives of all of the people I know and love who live in London. So, as I did, nearly four years ago, I sat, intently watching the news, waiting for more information. I also called many of my friends, but much like the situation on September 11th, I couldn't get through to any of them.

Eventually, 8 am came and I had to go. I was suddenly filled with fear. I was about to ride the public transportation in the District of Columbia. my nation's Capitol. What if attacks are planned here? I squelched those fears and got on the metro and rode to work. Thankfully, I made it to Metro Center with no problems. As I deboarded the train and began my walk to work, I began thinking about everything that has happened in the wake of September 11th.

Our President, George Walker Bush, capitalized on the fears of the American people in the wake of September 11th, to start a so-called "war against terrorism". Nearly 4 years later, Osama Bin Laden, who was directly responsible for murdering 100's of Americans and now quite possibly countless Brit's, is still at large, and it seems that we are no closer to bringing him or al-Qaida down. What in the hell have my friends been dying for in Iraq? Why do we continue to fight this war, with no end in sight, when our real enemies still roam the streets? And, most importantly, what is our "fearless leader" prepared to do to finally put an end to this terrorism? None of us should have to live our lives in fear.

In closing, my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Great Britain, especially those who have touched my life so profoundly.

SOMETHING HAS GOT TO CHANGE.

My Fans Have Spoken...

I got an e-mail this morning that told me I should be concentrating on my blog---direct quote:

"stop ignoring your blog, give it the attention it deserves."

Well, I have never been one to argue with the people, so here I go.

As some of you may know, I have just returned from a magical Big Summer Classic featuring SCI...

First of all---Red Rocks is by far the most amazing venue I have ever been fortunate enough to experience. There aren't words that can describe how much it humbled me-at many moments I found I was having trouble concentrating on the music because I was so distracted by the amazing scenery.

NOW-I am going to do some shameless promotion. If you don't know the work of Keller Williams, I suggest you either:
a. Buy one of his CD's ASAP
b. Download one of his shows
c. Go see him live (BY FAR, YOUR BEST OPTION).
This man never ceases to amaze me-every time I see him I find I like him more. His performance at Red Rocks was off the hook, and I am counting the days until I get to see him again at All Good. The man truly and honestly blows my mind. I had gone in to the show really psyched to see SCI (first time since summer of 2002) and they really disappointed me. K-Dubbs came out for an extended encore with them, and, to me, he was the only redeeming part of the set. GO SEE KELLER WILLIAMS---I PROMISE YOU, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

On a sidenote, I couldn't help but thinking during the entire show that I wished I was seeing Phish...

Anyway, Colorado was out of control and I had a great time! I came back on the 4th and enjoyed some
And a final thought-last night I went to one of my favorite happy hour hang-outs, Porter's, with my girl Crystal. It turns out that our favorite bartender, Jim, will be leaving to open his own place. Good luck Jim-bo, you will be severely missed!

How's that for giving my blog some attention?

I get the news I need on the weather report...

...I can gather all the news I need from the weather report-HEY, I've got nothing to do today but smile...

Goin to the clinic...

The title alone sounds almost freigtening. You never hear someone say that with a big smile on their face but when I walked into the clinic today I was happy. I was doing something that takes so little time but means so much...I got tested for STDs. It was nice to be able to walk in there and not feel concerned. I've always been safe and monogomous up to now but was asked to do this by my soon to be new lover. Allright, so maybe I could've been a bit safer in the past but that was more pregnancy-related than disease-related. Plus, it feeeels better, you know?!?

So I walk into the clinic this morning and it's chaos. Babies crying, children yelling, and prego ladies waddling. Some one with less confidence or determination may have just given up at that point and made a u turn back to the parking lot. Not me, I had a mission and the end result is that I WILL GET LAID!!

Now, some may argue... what about the trust factor? If she really wants a relationship with you, shouldnt she trust you enough to think you are clean? I didnt realize how stupid that sounds until I just wrote it down. Trust isn't the issue here rather, it's self preservation.

So without soundy too preachy and turning this whole thing into a PSA lemme just say... I love pregnant women. Almost to the point of a fetish. Actually, it's like a forbidden fruit. Like Orthodox girl's ankles and Muslim ladies hair, it's a pleasure I will never know unless I'm already in too deep.

So if any of you ladies out there are already pregnant and need a man to please you... holla. Oh but first, please get tested.