I wrote a haiku/It's this amazing title/Airport bologna.

My wisdom teeth (or the lack thereof) are not healing very well. I taste decay on my breath. Hmm. Consequently, I have not been out and about very much lately. Good things have happened, though!

1.) Nightmaze Novelist.
Jamandon (the collective artistic essence of Jennifer, Michael, and Brandon) has been hard at work on new music. Quitting marching band was one of the hard decisions in my high school career, but it's working for me. Now I have the free time to pour all of my effort into my music. With the experience of making one studio album already under my belt, I have learned a lot more about where I want my sound to go. The new songs are a blend of the experimentation I crave with a more passionate attention to making it catchy and convincing. The style isn't all that experienced a change; the old moniker Ethereal Affair is officially closed without any chance of resuscitation. The decision to begin work under the pseudonym Nightmaze Novelist parallels the positive, more adult style in the new music. The name is lifted from a Lawrence Ferlinghetti poem:

It was a crazy scene to hitch-hike into

what with all of it taking place
on one small ball of earth
like some kind of work-in-progress
by some puttyball sculptor
or nightmaze novelist

-Special Clearance Sale of Famous Masterpieces

When Brandon moved to Florida in early 2008, no one close to him was really prepared for the gap he would leave in our lives. I certainly was not. He is my other half in the most manly ways possible. He's my glorious counterpoint in kindness, in humility, in perspective, in musicality, in heel-clicking height. Music and I had a little bit of a falling out for several months after he left. On one fine summer day, I was sipping sweet tea in Alabama. At the same time time, Jennifer was back in Virginia. Brandon emailed Jennifer and me a guitar track only identifiable by "never forget.mp3". Within 24 hours, the guitar track had a drum recording and lyrics to match. I mixed it with my laptop in Alabama, absolutely in awe of what was happening right before me. Miles cannot stand in the way of music, not for me, not for my friends. We created. We create. We will play together again, in person. The electricity in my soul when I was writing lyrics to match Brandon's track was addictive. It's a feeling I will never relinquish again, not without a fight.

2.) The value of making a good impression.
I got a bonus on my paycheck. Woo! It must be the volunteering to clean up the camp after hours. I love working with kids :). Yes, I was a camp counselor this summer. To make matters a little sillier, it was at a girl scout camp. Go ahead, have a cheap laugh. Hehe.
3.) NEW TUNES!
I have checked out 20-30 CDs from the library over the past two weeks. New favorite bands include Neutral Milk Hotel, Low, Eisley, and Architecture in Helsinki. Any of these bands I strongly recommend.
4.) Aquatic adventures.
The crux of discovering that there is a beautiful river landing two miles from my h0use is that Crispen and I are buying an inflatable 4 person boat from walmart.com. I am excited to the point of giddiness. I sometimes go to that dock and sit until the sleepy dusk is begging me to go home. At which point I stay even longer. An unrelated aquatic adventure is that I was invited to be part of a focus group, which = free tickets to Wild Ocean at the imax on West Broad. I am thrilled :).
*******
Even under overwhelming circumstances I'm ever aching to achieve. A stunning reality is breaking over my head like a hurtful simile, as a hurtful simile. Or. I've been forcing myself into a coma of constant activity, and I'm addicted. Either way. Life is approaching and I'm not camouflaging my intentions, not that much, not too much, nor am I nodding in a physical mumble, muttering under my breath with my motions/notions that I care nothing for anyone.

I find myself in this frightful future where I alienate everyone I care about.

The phone works both ways, right? What are those ways; upside-down and disconnected? Static and long distance? Text or land-line? Whatever it is, I'm the worst at picking it up and reconnecting with friends. I have lost many people who I have been close to in this way. Why am I so awkward? I love so many people. It's a physical obstacle.. maybe a mental barrier. But not really excusable. It's just my problem. Maybe it's a dead appendage that needs therapy to revive.

Wiggle your big toe, Michael. Wiggle your big toe.(*)

*******
School is coming at me at the speed of sound. And it looks like a big blahmonster. A big, fast, blurry, furry blahmonster. Whatever. I am lab assistant for Mrs. Thomas this year. Thank God for that opportunity. I will set up labs for the little juniors. AND THEY WILL FEAR ME.