In the Mind of an Existentialist

Audioslave's Revelations in Review

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 02:37:24 GMT

As promised, here's my review of Audioslave's third album, Revelations. Now, first, I'll start with how they described the album. Tom Morello, Audioslave's guitarists, called the album "Led Zeppelin meets Earth, Wind and Fire." A lot to live up to, huh? Well, it seems like they just might've pulled it off. With Out of Exile, their sophomore release, I was kinda discouraged. Audioslave being my favorite band, I didn't really wanna admit that it was nowhere near as strong as their self-titled debut. In fact, Out of Exile seemed to lack much of the energy that overwhelmed you, making you jump around, head banging and whaling on your air guitar. Suffice it say, with the previous album being a letdown, more or less, I was a bit scared about the third album. Especially, considering the bar they'd set for themselves. But alas, from those first chill chords to the last powerhouse-of-a-track, this is an amazing album. Audioslave returns to their roots. It's got the same jam factor as the first album but with a twist, and this where the album excels and seperates itself from any of their earlier stuff: Nearly every song has some sort of groove. Sometimes, it an underlying one where you just find yourself gettin' your whole upper body into it, like in Sound of a Gun. Other times it's right out there and you can't miss it, like in Broken City. Tom Morello also mentioned that this was the band's most political album, by far. And you can definitely note it. Tracks like Wide Awake, an accusing look at the aftermath of Katrina, and Shape of Things to Come, which expresses concerns about the direction of the world and the international situation, there's no denying it. Now, don't get me wrong, this is far from Green Day's blunt (and in my opinion shitty) political outburst. The band does a good job of maintaining a certain level of respect and what you might call professionalism when it comes to their politcal stuff. Another thing I've noticed about Revelations is that there's less of a focus on Tom's guitar solos. They're still there, but it doesn't reach out and grab you by the balls like normal. I'm pretty sure this was intentional to emphasize the grooves more. And it works quite well. So I'll wrap this up here. Bottom line: Revelations is refreshing. It's both a breath of fresh air and a sigh of relief rolled into one. It's a rock out, jam fest, return to the sound of their first album while the same time, they've brought something new to the table. If you liked their debut, chances are you'll like this one. If you're just gettin' into Audioslave, this is a good place to hop on. Or if you just want something that you jam to, rock to, and groove to, this is the album you need. Trust me.

_Travis

"Don't You Be Afraid."

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 05:35:00 GMT

So here's some bits and pieces of recent thoughts and happenings:

+ College is definitely much more laid back than high school. Not to mention, it's more interactive. Best class so far: Intro to Photography. Best academic class so far: Literature, I suppose. We've read some pretty amazing essays (narrative one's)

+ The mixture of school and work has made me feel alot older. Hanging out with friends that are still in high school, the feeling becomes significantly more evident. Which brings me to my next point....

+ Hanging out with my friends, there's almost an air of seperation now. I've noticed that it feels less like I belong now. Hearing them talk about events and people I have no knowledge of. It makes me a feel uneasy at times. Not that they talk about these things. But rather that I don't know. And it seems there're too many people I've promised to keep in touch with but haven't. I think that above all else has been bothering me lately.

Letting go.

At least, it seems that way. I'm just not ready to grow up. I've still got too much to do. Too much child in me. Too much youth that didn't have a chance to get used in my childhood. Besides, I refuse to become a 9 to 5 drone like most of the adult population, caught up in bills, deadlines, budgets and politics. That's just not who I am. Or who I wanna be.

+ I'm developing an unhealthy addiction to coffee.
+ Smoking cigars in Forsyth is awesome 'cause you get all kinds of looks and old guys ask you where you got your nice smelling cigars.
+ Pat, Connor and me were walking downtown about a week ago, smoking cigars, and this gangsta black dude walks up and ask me "Hey man, lemme get a puff of a dat big mutha fucka." So I did. And he inhaled. A lot. Which your not supposed to do. And then he stumbled around coughing for a while.
+ In my Algebra class, there's 3 girls from Richmond Hill. They're really stupid and really annoying. And the fat one looks like a pig. No joke.
+ I print my first roll of film Tuesday. I'm excited.
+ I love the darkroom too. Photography is gonna be pretty exciting.
+ I gotta lotta money back from unused scholarships. Can you say "splurge?" How 'bout "eBay?"
+ Audioslave's new album, Revealations. Incredible. Full of groves. They really lived up to their "Led Zeppelin meets Earth, Wind and Fire" claim. but the CD.
+ The new Mars Volta CD, Amputechture. Not as amazing as I had anticipated. Frances the Mute and De-loused in the Comatorium were definitely better.
+ Some good indie movies coming out: The Last Kiss & The Science of Sleep. At least they look good anyway.

More to come at a later date. Including more in-depth review of Amputechture and Revealations.

_Travis

Hitchhiker

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 03:09:13 GMT

Hitchhiker

So with all this Silence
You might would think
I wasn't here at all.
Echoes of quite desperation
Bouncing off walls
And through vacant hallways.
Summer days filled with
"Forget me not" and
pre-emptive nostalgia.
But now it seems
In your 9 to 5 routine,
I've become just another
Forgotten Factor.
a Weekend Warrior.
a Designated Driver.
Maybe I'm jumping the gun
Or maybe I've already been shot.
But in the meantime,
I'll be sitting here in my quiet,
Dimly-lit bedroom,
In a house filled with solemn silence.

_Travis

Dinosaurs Were Not Killed By Meteors, I Promise.

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:59:35 GMT

So in Sociology this morning, we were talking about social perspectives.

This led to my professors profound theory on the extinction of the dinosaurs:

"I think all the dinosaurs died 'cause they smoked too much."

_Travis

Back to Square One

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 22:20:46 GMT

So today was my first day of college.
And it was better than I expected.

So I went to my sociology class and sat down in the little-more-than-half filled class. No one utter a word for a good five minutes. Then, finally, our professor showed up. He' s a rather sarcastic old man to whom the word serious seems to have no meaning. I'd say he's in his upper 60's but during the 50 minute class he made 4 different references to his age, all of which made him older or younger than the previous. He reminds me of Mr. Wallace. Just a bit. They've got the same attitude and demeanor.

Then, I came home and watched TV and had breakfast for the next two hours between classes.

That's when it came time for the only class I'm not looking forward to. College Algebra. It's a typical math class....at best. The professor reminds me of Snope. He gives homework everyday and checks it, with fairly stiff consquences for not doing it. But there's four people I know in that class so at least I'm not alone.

11:50AM. I was done. That was it. I went home and did a few chores and played around.

A good start to my college career if you ask me.

_Travis

The Next Big Thing

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 02:02:36 GMT

Tomorrow's the big day.

The first day of college.
This is that moment right when you begin to fall.
This is that feeling.

_Travis

T-Rav...Employed?!

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 05:56:30 GMT

So today marked my first day of work at Savannah Theatre.
It was...how shall we say, unusual.

So, I got there on time. Dru, my pretty nice boss lady showed me the ropes and what have you.
The only remaining work shirt they had was a women's large, so as a male, it was really confusing to get buttoned.
Then, the house opened and I started ushering people in along side Jewlia Noble and Sara Tropficano.
All was swell....until the girl scout troupes showed up. Buses of them.
Now, I'm no big fan of girl scouts in the first place, mind you. But something made these worse.
They were 7 troupes of super ghetto, preteen, Pennsylvanians.
Couldn't get much more annoying right?
Wrong.
This one girl decides as she walks by, she's gonna molest me.
She starts trying to run her hands through my hair.
As Erica says "awkward", douchechill.
My co-worker, John, who's this cool half-punk, half-gangsta dude, just turns to me and says:
"Dat bitch is crazy."
This girl kept this up pretty much the whole show.
Even while I was back in concessions during intermission.
She asks for a Twix, so I pass it to John who's on the registar.
Then, the girl refuses to take it unless I hand it to her.
So after the show, we cleaned up, ate some choclate cake and clocked out.

And that was my first day at work.

_Travis

Hold the Fort

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 07:10:58 GMT

So I went to StarCastle for some free laser tag today. Courtesy of Dan the Man, since he works there and all.

It was pretty intense. Me, Wes H. and Ben T. were pretty deadly. At one point, I dodge rolled around Wes Overold and kill him. Yeah, I know. It's almost kinda sad.

It was definitely a bit of a trip down "memory lane" full of awkward parallels. Watching those little arrows go by on the screen and the overbearing volume. So much is the same, but at the same time, completely different.

Anyhow, I totally schooled Johnathan and Evan in this wierd rip-off of air hockey.

_Travis

Sign On the Dotted Line

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 06:38:48 GMT

"Your Name Here" (Part 1- "Heads")

It all started
In a garden
Where the only
Butterflies were in
Our stomaches
Words were
Plenty and Meaningful
Jokes and Philosophy
Trapped happily
Within a gated
Fort of white walls and
Wildlife
On we talked burning
The hours like
The sun burning
us

"Your Name Here" (Part 2 -"Tails")

It all started
In a foreign language
A series of
Pictures recorded at
High speeds
Producing motion from
Light and lens
Passing glances and
Hellos in the hallway
Stolen glances and
Kid gloves
Plays where
A timid tension was
Crammed between
Our seats
Life-changing movies where
An teen-aged eagerness
Possessed
me
Unapparent in the creases and
Shadows of my face and
Unbeknownest to
you
Beaches where
The ride home gave
Way to insight and
Our battle against
A clock

"Your Name Here" (Part 3 - Crossroads)

There was never
A magic 8-ball,
Coin,
Or horoscope
Designed to
Help you
Make this choice.

_Travis

Honey, I'm Home!

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 18:58:59 GMT

So after 5 days of driving, eating BBQ, driving, driving and a little sleeping, I'm back from my road trip.
And damn was it fun.

The best BBQ: B's Barbecue in Greenville, NC

There'll be a DVD to come. Not sure when, but it'll be awesome.

Total Distance of Trip: 1,405 miles

A more detailed entry will come later, when I feel the urge to actually type it out.

But for now, I leave you with this:

"Any of ya'll married?"
"Why? You wanna be?"

-Old Southern Lady at SC Visitor Center
-Davie

BBQ Extreme Extravaganza

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 14:44:45 GMT

So it's 10:24 in the AM, and I'm sitting here with John Keena, drinking some coffee.

And he doesn't know what a coffee maker looks like.

Now, he's beating the crap outta Davie!

This kid ate 10 frickin' pancakes in 10 minutes last night. Syrup and all. And he didn't vomit.
John Keena is amazing.

We're in Mrytle Beach right now. Leaving for Greenville, NC in about an hour.

BARBEQUE!!!!

_Travis

Nerf Fights, Close Friends and Goodbyes

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 06:48:17 GMT

I hung out with Taylor and Erica pretty much all day today. It was pretty awesome.

Taylor and I went to Quizzno's, the godsend of a resturaunt. We talked about matters at hand and other assorted subjects.
Afterwards, we picked Erica up from the beach and swung by Evan's (dad's) house to grab Erica's phone. We ended up hanging out there a while since she's leaving at 10AM tomorrow, during which Evan incited a Nerf war.

Ok, so I did some of the instigating, but still. I mean, she wacked me a with a lightsaber. So you see, I had no choice but to bust out the Nerf guns. I can totally school anyone with a Nerf gun in my hand.

We left Evan's and took Erica to meet her mom. On the way, we listened to the Garden State soundtrack. And I have to say, while it is an awesome soundtrack, it's kinda depressing. Anyhow, we dropped Erica off, and then Taylor and me drove over to Starbuck's 'cause I wanted to use my laptop in a coffee shop for once. Then, she insisted on taking pictures with her digital camera. Now, a while back, I might've thought it was a cool idea. But you see, since I discovered film, I really can't stand digital photography so much anymore. But we took some pictures and I drove her home.

But it was definitely a great day.

And I leave tomorrow. Four days. All the way to North Carolina. Me, Davy, and John Keena. In search of the best BBQ between here and NC. Most fun, mos def.

_Travis

PS. Evan, even if I forgot to say it earlier today, I'm gonna miss you. And forget about Taylor and Erica; you know you wanna call me first when you get back in town. And don't forget about the Lego's. Take good care of them. They're the one's from my car afterall.

Original Fire

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 19:26:52 GMT

The first single off the new Audioslave album, Revelations, is here:

"Original Fire"

Go here to listen: www.audioslave.com

You know you want to.

_Travis

The Rock is Coming

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 19:22:29 GMT

New Audioslave album: Sept. 5th

Be excited, goddamn it!

_Travis

Ughh

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 20:01:07 GMT

So, yeah, stomach viruses/ food poisioning are pretty obnoxious illnesses.

Especially when your mom's wedding is just a day away.

But on a positive note, the concensus is that I should be better by tomorrow.

_Travis

Gunpowder, Cigar Smoke and An Air of Closeness

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 06:11:40 GMT

So I spent the Fourth of July at Pat's dad's house with him, Connor D., Taylor and Maegan. And damn, that was fun.

Before headin' out to Pat's, I swung by the only cigar shop in all of Savannah that was open that day: Savannah Cigars. I proceded to indulge myself with a fairly expensive $10 cigar and an Excalibur brand. Both medium body. Although the Excalibur, which was $2 cheaper, was much better.

Anyway, we chilled out and lit off a few firecrackers and even fewer bottle rockets, trying not let the inner-pyro in us burst out. We made a Kroger run and bought a two liter of Coke and a pack of Mentos. Connor proceded to make that into a "fountain of Coke" by dropping all the Mentos in the Coke. It's some chemical reaction thing. Then, I proceded to place a bottle rocket upside-down in the now nearly empty Coke bottle and light it. Yeah, it was cool. It turned a two-liter into a one-liter, then exploded.

Then, we sat out back and I had a cigar, Connor and the ladies had cigarettes and Pat smoked his wooden pipe. Very classy. We're goin' to get me one next week since he gets a nice little discount at Ye Ol' Tobacco shop. But it was great though. We all sat around and had a good conversation about practically everything. Everything from what each other's kids would look like to why we perfered cigars to cigarettes or vice versa. It was one of those damn good bonding conversations you don't really forget.

Afterwards, we went to the soccer field and launched off a crap load of fireworks. We were goin' at it for probably close to an hour. Everything from artillery shells, to bottle rockets, to roman candles (my favorite), to M5000s. And after hanging out some more, Pat took the ladies home and he, Connor, Chris Harmonia and I went to Waffle House on Whitmarsh. It took us about an hour to eat 'cause there was only one dude running the whole resturaunt. His co-workers kept walkin' out and taking smoke breaks. But ironically enough, it was a damn good meal. Then we went back to the house, watched TV and went to bed at 4AM.

I know it might not sound like it, but damn that was fun. Take my word for it.

_Travis

"Watching Bridges Burn"

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 04:09:37 GMT

"I could not get through September without a battle
I faced death
I went in with my arms swinging
But I heard my own breath
I had to face that I'm still living
I'm still flesh
I hold on to awful feelings
I'm not dead
There's no end
My face is red
My blood flows harshly
My heart beats loudly
My chest still draws breath
I hold it
There's no end"

From "The Glow, Pt.2", by The Microphones

Relevance to above later, but first:

I went to the SCAD Summer Seminar art show today. Primarily, 'cause Jenny invited me. Lots of good still-lifes and graphic art. I wasn't exacly impressed with the photography. I mean don't get me wrong. I'm not boldly declaring I can do better. It's just that I think the photos I saw from the Jeck Leigh Photography camp I saw in the paper the other day were much better. And they were by much younger, less experienced kids. But that's just my two cents.

I've always assumed that people make drastic changes over the years. Maybe not always "drastic" but at least something to alter their overall self. I'm starting to think that maybe that's not true. I mean, come on, surely if you do something that many times, in the same fashion and for the same reasons, something must be wrong. It just doesn't seem natural and, most importantly, justified. The word "attachment" seems to play no role here. It just feels like we're being played. And maybe I'm the only one who sees it, or feels this way. Or perhaps it's all just an illusion created by the negativity of unfinished business. Or even some vague remaining atttachment. The kind not evident enough to alter your daily routine or even your attitude. But something that nibble on the back of you mind, begging you to pay it some attention though your heart steadily works to convince you that history does, in fact, repeat itself.

I was, to some extent, enraged. Angry. Pissed off. Furious. Yes. And I still am. just not as much. I just don't have much tolerance for someone who can't muster the courage to be at least a little honest. And do so in person, at that. Not through AIM or text messaging. I don't believe it's right to leave someone in the dark like that. Regardless of the situation. Everyone deserves a reason. I know a friend who would agree 100% with me on this one. And the next part too. She knows exactly what I'm talking about. I hope she does, anyway.

Over these past few years, I've changed alot. "Grown up" is a better way of putting it, I suppose. I've come to the conclsuion that I got the sour end of the deal. Don't get me wrong. In hindsight, I needed it and part of me is glad it happened. I'm who am today partly because of it. And that's good. But the way it happened. All the arguing. All the uncertainty. All the second guessing. The way the news was broken. And everything thereafter. It wasn't necessary. I could go deeper and more blunt, but I'll spare you that for now. A simple explanation then would've done just fine. Even if I didn't like it, at least I'd know why. Or maybe even a simple apology since then. Just something. What more can I say?

(I still haven't got my stuff back.)

But in the end, I feel like the better person. (Don't take that as a conceded remark.)

_Travis

No Strings Attached

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:24:15 GMT

I am connected to the internet

WIRELESSLY!!

In the middle of a friggin' square downtown.

How frickin' cool am I?

-Travis

Fun Fact of the Day

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 19:25:49 GMT

Fun Fact:

It takes two towels to dry myself off after a shower.

One for me. And one for my hair.

Unless I blow dry my hair.

Then, it just takes one.

-Travis

Arr!! Where's Me Eye Patch!!

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:48:43 GMT

So I have a funny story about today.

I went to the emergency room.

Somehow, the hard plastic cover under my front bumper that prevents water from splashing up into the engine was hanging down and dragging the ground. I slid under the car to assess the problem when BLAM!! I roll out from under the car, pitchin' a fit and screamin' obscenities. Then, I make my way back into the house, splash some water on my eye in the kitchen, bang around the hallway 'til I finally reach the bathroom and splash some more water on my eye.

So what happened?

Well, some dust, dirt or something fell off my car and nailed my right eye while I was under it. It ended up scratching the piss outta my corneia, which if it's never happened to you, imagine having stuck in your eye, except you can't get it out. At all.

So my day was pretty much shot all to hell. Then, while I'm trying to fix the problem with a combonation of Visine and some eye wash stuff, my granny comes in an says that St. Joseoph's said to bring me over to the ER. So we go and fill out the papers and stuff. And while we're in the waiting room, whatever scratched my eye, came out. but I stayed anyway. It turns out that I actually have a fairly serious cut on my corneia. Not enough for surgery or anything like that. But I can't drive the rest of the day 'cause of some medicine they put on it.

But I'm fairly ok now. But there's no injury I hate more that eye related ones. Well, except for getting hit in the balls.

-Travis

Midnight Revelations Over Coffee

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 08:40:29 GMT

Today was...different.

In a very positive way.

Wes and I hung out and went to lunch at Quizno's. I love that kid. He make something as dull as goin' to the bank fun.

I called Erica on the way back to my dad's, figuring I'd hang out with her on the way home. I mean afterall, I hadn't heard from her in several days. So I picked her up from her house and we went to a little coffee shop near her house. It was called Baibry's. A nice quiet, modest place. We sat on a long and comfortable couch and talked awhile. Erica's A.D.D. amazes me. We decided to rent a couple of movies so we went to this cheap little video "warehouse" a little up the road. Capote and The Life Aquatic were the two we rented. I'd never seen either of 'em. Capote had great cinemaphotography but the story wasn't quite so engaging. Only in a handful of spots. It was "meh." The Life Aquatic on the other hand, I kinda liked it. It took a while to get me goin' but once I go into it, I started liking it. The end is much more dramatic and powerful than I expected from such a movie, based on the first half.

Erica fell asleep about halfway through The Life Aquatic. Her mom wasn't far behind. By the time, the movies were over and I was getting ready to leave, it was after 1AM. Her mom walked me to the door and said the whole "thanks, g'night, blah, blah, blah thing" and told her to tell Erica I said good night. This is where my night begins to differ from any other:

As I was driving home, I was the only one on the road. Just me and some quiet chill, music. Death Cab for Cutie to be exact. Something in me decided that I was gonna go to Waffle House and have a cup of coffee and just have small talk with the anyone there. And that's just what I did. After getting gas, I pulled into a completely deserted Waffle House. I sat at the counter because I'd never sat there before and I just damn well felt like it. I started small talk with the manager and waitress. I even played a few songs in the country-filled jukebox. I manage to scrounge up some U2 and Bon Jovi's "It's My Life". It was almost cliche, like a movie, the way that song fit into this sudden, still undescribable mindset that came over me. I'll sleep on it tonight and toss out some thoughts later.

There was just some about it. The night I mean. The closeness I have with Erica. My new resolve. Those movies. Driving alone on empty roads with powerful, meaningful music filling the car. Just me and my thoughts.

I feel alive. It was a great night.

-Travis

Zero Hour

Sat, 27 May 2006 00:05:00 GMT

It's all over now.

-Travis

Echoes in the Hall

Wed, 24 May 2006 01:08:02 GMT

So today was my last day of real school.

It's the last day I'll ever walk down the hall and have way too many friends to say hey to.

The last time I'll ever eat in a cafeteria filled with the echoes of chattering teenagers and the smell of burnt popcorn.

The last chance I'll ever get to tell everyone to "hold down the fort."

And I'm kinda nostalgic.

Talking to Charles and Evan, this morning, I could feel my heart wrenching.

I'm
not. ready.

-Travis

Sun, 21 May 2006 23:45:58 GMT

So I drove to St. Augustine, FL for Laura Picciarelli's graduation.

It's 180 miles according to MapQuest. Supposed to take at least 3 hours.

I made it in 2 hours and 10 minutes.

I'm redefining the word "speed demon."

Anyhow, I had a lotta fun at Laura's. It's the first time I'd ever been down there. And the first time I've ever really got to talk to the rest of her family. I met her boyfriend, Jeff, who's hair looks alot like mine did before Evan cut it; just not quite as bushy. I brought my Nerf gun along (because I have a severe Peter Pan Complex) and we decided to go down to Wal-Mart and buy a couple more of them. So I bought this machine gun one and Jeff bought Laura a tennis ball launcher type one as her graduation present. When we got back to Laura's we had an intense Nerf war. It was great.

And Binh and Kieran decided they were gonna take a detour to Tampa before they came to Laura's graduation. Can you smell the sarcasm in that?

Anyway, I had an awesome weekend. 'Nough said.

-Travis

Where'd All the Innocence Go?

Tue, 16 May 2006 00:08:46 GMT

I don't take to well to change.

I never really have.

But I'm on the brink of one of the biggest changes of my life, aside from the whole college thing. And as usual, I'm sinking into a state of constant confusion and disarray. I've lost my bearings. It's wierd how something so small can change something so big.

My inability to find the answer in plain, bold, black & white text angers me. It feels like there's a massive black cloud hovering silently over my head.

The questions keeps pounding away: "What now?"

I really hate redifining myself.

-Travis