Lorange Blog

Dear Reality, I’m sorry to have left you in such a hurry on Tuesday but I had to take a trip away which included songs on repeat, writing numerous drafts that will never be posted, cheesy poems, and bouts of Jack in Box binge eating. I’m back on terra firma now and I realize I need to be more honest with you and myself, laying out the facts, pulling off the covers of vagueness and dealing with my feelings. As Popeye once said, "I yam what I yam," and I’m a hopeless sap looking for a Dream Girl that doesn’t exist. Three days in crush-ville has left me feeling incredibly stupid to have even entertained these thoughts. You’ve seen her. Do you blame me for having this one way crush? It’s not any one detail, but how it all comes together that makes her so beautiful to me. I even think her name is beautiful. Recently, I've started to let myself look forward to the passing friendly smile or two I wanted and thought nothing of it when she returned mine except “Wow, so gorgeous an...

Choice was between Fatburger and Fuddruckers to be decided by two out three of RPS. Scissors - Scissors Rock – Paper Damn! She’s one up. Paper - Paper Scissors - Scissors A volley of Scissors - Scissors were thrown down. I laughed at the silliness, but she was determined to kick my ass. Finally I killed it Scissors over Paper and Fuddruckers was cooked to perfection, stuffed down our faces, with ranch spilt onto my shirt. Messy yummy. We made a horrible couple in the past, work well as friends and are equals in RPS.

Tuesday evening started with my friend taking me out to try the Thai-American restaurant Toi on Sunset, which was good and it had the rock poster theme that makes look to it a Hot Topic eatery. Our waiter was cool to help make recommendations as to which direction to go on some the dishes we picked. Got home around 9 pm, showered and debated even going to Kiss or Kill. It was International Noise Conspiracy secret show night and I've read that not much love was sent towards KorK in general and that it was just too darn crowded/hot. I don’t feel liked I missed anything Bang Sugar Bang was at their best and a small bunch of new people stuck around after International Noise Conspiracy to see them which is always cool. Seeing Matt play reminded me how when I first saw them over a year ago. All groups go through a transitional up/down phase and Matt's earlier hand problem was a down period for the band obviously. I imagine that we are now seeing a whole butterfly leaving the cocoon...

[Another old draft I never posted from many months ago. Part 1 and 2 were deleted] Part 2 recap: crazy time walking the dog, taking pictures, and being dragged around the Glendale Galleria. Then I had Starbucks, went to KorK and it went all wacky after that. Too much caffeine plus cheap PBRs plus feeling a bit unlikable make for a strange acting Robert. I was hyper, drunk, and craving attention and by the end of the night I was doing odd things for even myself. Fortunately things are cool, but maybe I need to step away from the seeing the bands thing. Excuses, excuses. I just wanted to kiss someone's neck.

Went to see Los Abandoned again at the Echo, and Summer at Shatter Creek were playing later that night so I stayed to check them out. I liked what I heard when first exposed to them a few months ago from some mp3 blog and they were perfectly scheduled first up. Dark, moody, but mostly enchanting. A guy behind a organ piano and a girl drummer. They would quickly sample his voice and/or her drums before each song and then play on top of the looped samples for a haunting effect. Fit my mood this Monday while the fun of Los Abandoned was perfect for last week. Skinny hipsters were not amused with the birthday party for for LA singer Lady P making alot of noise by the front door. Not much that SaSC could do but play and take it in stride, though quick flashes of annoyance were there. I was sucked in and barely noticed. SaSc website SaSC myspace page tags: summer at shatter creek

[I'm clearing out all the old drafts I never posted for some reason] The Pasadena party was winding down so we bailed looking for somewhere to eat and after Corey shot down Fred62 we went out to Nova Express for some late night eating. Very funky space alien themed cafe where you can order pizza by the slice and it's served on a plate, and in our case, by a fittingly spacey waitress. I opted for a toasted salami sandwich. Quite Tasty. Talked to Corey about him moving up to the Bay Area, which would suck for me since he is one of my best friends. Amusingly he learns more about me through this blog lately, so I leave little cryptic references that only he will get sometimes. Midway was playing the next night out in Hawthorne for club burn @ the Rock-It Cafe. Looking online, this place is often described as dive-y, but it was clean, bright, with an okay sound system. Reminded me of a 90's version of Archie’s from Happy Days and Corey thought of it more of a converted pizza ...

Poor thirsty kids in Africa will never know the taste of lemonade made from the fruit dropping off my tree every few minutes. It must be the evening temperatures cooling off causing this expansion or contraction or some sort of mechanism that for this hour I've been listening as each yellow mass makes it way through the branches with a thudding stop onto the cement. Reality Setting In Spent this weekend doing trying to do pull ups and L's (?)(when you hang and hold your legs up in a horizontal position) on the monkey bars down the street. Pocket parks are perfect weekend retreats. Realized a couple things this weekend: That I'm horribly out of shape and came back to reality about DG (a title, not a name), who has been on my mind ALL week, but it was wonderful thought while it lasted. Traveling in Place Finally made it out to the LA Live Steamers Railroad Museum in Griffith Park for free train rides on scaled down replicas of steam and electric engines. Can't beat fre...

Los Abandoned are playing one more early show at the Echo on 7.25 to test out new material plus new arrangements on some of the favorites. The show on last Monday was downright amazing. Doors at 8 show 8.30-9.30 Free if over 21, otherwise 5 bucks. They always nearly lie down during "Los Angeles", in every show I've seen, but this time they were completely flat for a couple minutes with nearly 80 percent of the large audience lying/sitting on the floor of the Echo. Yeah I didn't because that had to be the dirtiest floor ever, that and I was sort of sitting on the stage already. I looked back and saw my poor friend getting stared down by the little ones because she also remained solitarily upright in the middle of the floor. I lost the picture of that scene sadly. tags: los abandoned

If the last post didn't make any sense (do any of them?), I might have not explained how incrediably tired I was yesterday when I wrote it. In bed by 3 AM, alarm set to 4.45, I woke up to the alarm and jumped into the shower which alerted me enough 10 minutes later to noticed that it was only 3.45. I'm still a little confused when I checked the alarm (still set for 4.45) as to what woke me up. Went back to sleep got up again at the right time, realizing the mistake of sleeping with wet hair and finished getting dressed. Had some coffee and dozed in out of sleep still sitting upright on the couch, hot coffee in my lap. Figured I'd get going before burning myself and drove to Anaheim to drop something off making it there by 5.50 am and arrived to work in Gardena at 6.20 am. I'm surprised that with a little more than 1.25 hours of sleep I managed to work, carry on conversations (sounded a little drunk answering the phone though), wrote a post that made any sense, a really ...

Tossed and turned and managed a couple bouts of sleep of no more than 45 minutes at a time. Maybe it was the late night eating to help drive the 30 miles home, tank heading towards empty, or that I'm still sick and should've been sleeping and not drinking. Oh well I had fun. If I'd slept, I would've missed that moment when the words "swoon, swoon, swoon" filled my head. It was one of my random "last night was weird" moments of seeing someone again. Stronger impressions of offering my last piece of warm gum to a really cool person I'm just starting to get to know. I'll remember that So Unloved sounded amazing. Easily the best show that I've seen of theirs so far. I had never been to El Cid before and was pleasantly surprised by the layout of the building. Walking down sets of stairs that switched back and forth until reaching the courtyard with built in booths and an upper terrace on the far end. Now intrigued to see it in the daylight. Am...

That I don't know how to bet profitably on horse racing, winning only $ 3.20 at the track Friday, which I quickly turn into a couple dollar beers and a hot dog. I would also mention Coolio was boring as fuck when you're sober and probably wasn't that interesting 15 years ago either. Birthday Girl was a few levels below boozed out meltdown and stole beer from some guy who was busy taking a photo of his friends. The guy took it pretty well seeing how un-sly Birthday Girl was about it and it didn't hurt that Friend of Birthday Girl covered and apologizing (imagine pic of pretty girls apologizing and guy forgiving all). The things you can get away with Boob-Power™, huh? We left after the fourth song for a house kiddie party in Pasadena and found out later that Birthday Girl tore a ligament while grooving to Coolio. Oh how did you hurt your leg? Rock climbing? -- Bar fight? -- Running with the bulls? No I was dancing to Coolio. Such a gimp.

No, I didn't write it. Having trouble uploading pictures from last night, so this is it for now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ losangeles.craigslist.org > missed connections > re: Ladies (AND Gentlemen), advice please... last modified: Tue, 19 Jul 11:35 PDT please flag with care : [ miscategorized ] [ prohibited ] [ spam ] [ discussion ] [ best of ] email this posting to a friend re: Ladies (AND Gentlemen), advice please... Reply to: XXXXXXXXX Date: 2005-07-19, 11:35AM PDT You asked: "I am a foreigner, so I missed all the dating training Americans get during high school years ... what is the lady supposed to do on the first date???" Two words... Blow jobs. Just so you know, American woman ALWAYS give blow jobs, or at least hand jobs, on a first date. ALWAYS. You stick by that rule little lady, and you'll always be popular with the guys. this is in or around Los Angeles no -- it's NOT ok to contact this ...

My friend Cortney is awesome because: She puts up with my shit. She can speak Swedish. She makes a broccoli pie that everyone loves except me. Come on, its broccoli, Eww. She used to let me drive her super fast turbo VW bug all around all crazy and shit in-between cars back and forth, flipping people off and then when they came on back up to me I'd cut them off and they would skid off the embankment and die and shit, which sucked for them but since it wasn't my car they busted her and she covered OG style for me, serving something like 3 yrs in prison and that was rough on her with the crack smuggling and stabbing of her cellmate who got up all in her shit and Cortney was all like "hey bitch why you up in my shit" and the Riverside resident former meth lab owner, said "What you say? You ain't taking my saltines" and Cortney had to stop the shit right there and fast, 'cause she has a street cred to protect and knifed that skanky dirty whore right the...

I'd told myself Wednesday morning that I would be taking a break from shows, lay low and such and try not to piss off people by "trying too hard". (This would be foreshadowing an upcoming post) So I’m at The Whiskey that same Wednesday to see Midway, who are playing a semi-private party for a guy named Phil. I'm not a "Friend of Phil", but I want to be. Phil seemed super nice and all the people that he invited were just as friendly which says a lot in my opinion. One party guest even bought Corey a drink just because he thought Corey was a "Friend of Phil". Colin was there being his oddball happy self and kept calling me Robert Dean Sausage, mostly just Sausage. Throwing in some pumping fists into the air as lead by Colin, it was a silly little group of us hanging out. I imagine most of us can't rent out the Whisky and a school bus to drag your drunken friends around and avoid Sunset Strip parking, but I so would if I had the money. Since I wa...

Who? Wallace & Gromit! You know "A Grand Day Out" (Nominated for an Academy Award 89), "The Wrong Trousers" (Oscar Winner 93), "A Close Shave" (Oscar Winner 95)?? I always fall asleep during the Oscars and those were shorts. Totally understandable, did you see the movie Chicken Run? Oh yeah, that was pretty good. Well Wallace & Gromit is better. click for a clip of "A Close Shave" (quicktime movie) Click to the trailer page to see the preview. Opens October 7th. October is the coolest month to be born in too. tags: Wallace & Gromit

At some point I was at a show last night and caught the very end of Underwater City People . Afterwards Celeste was silly. The Atomic Missiles are now my new (non-pu$$ycow) favorite band to watch at kiss or kill. 1) Because they're great. 2) They have some of the best fans ever. King Cheetah were playing at their best last night. Bang Sugar Bang , amazing as always, and recently signed to SOS records (Adicts, the Exploited, the Toy Dolls) btw. Jeff Penalty (Dead Kennedys) joined the band for a song. 1) Yes, I know I need a real camera. 2) My B-day is in October if you want to buy me a camera. An used one is okay. 3) Last night was weird. 4) More posting to follow.

I'm sick and my slowed down state coats a reflective edge to my thoughts today. So I share: Browsing along the internets and I see how far people have gone in their life and I look back seeing how I've wasted time so much. It's amazing to me how incredibly lazy I was back then. There are choices that I will never regret and just have to deal with the bad ones, but I worry now that I'm running out of time to hit some of my goals. Yes my friends, I have goals that I'm meeting and more that I'm aiming for. It's not just day dreams, band name dropping, love sick memories of crushes and bitching on this blog. Well, not always. I'm doing a fair job of handling my responsibilities and I haven't felt so "me" in years. I'm writing and drawing, though I don't think my painting will be like it was in high school, but that's okay, I now have sculptures on my mind. I have family now and a few great friends with a social group to boot in a to...

Saw a new picture of someone today and I just swooned. I like it when that happens. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was a weird kid in the mid 80s. As a freshman/sophomore, I was listening to everything from cheesy new wave hits of the early eighties, getting into old Clash, Ramones, Talking Heads, and early Metallica (thanks to an older brother) when they were just a local band you could bump into at the local comic store. One band that I fell in love with then was Prefab Sprout with Paddy McAloon's amazing, though at times incredibly cheesy and sappy, love-sick lyrics put to this jazzy indie pop music which understandably never found a US audience. One of the most beloved British pop bands of the '80s and '90s, Prefab Sprout has had a minimum of chart success in the United States, where they're all but unknown outside of their devoted cult following, but singer/songwriter Paddy McAloon is regularly hailed as one of the great songwriters of his era. Critics r...

I saw a man on a tricycle talking about closing some real estate deal. Work never ends for some. Two girls walking their dog, stopping to chase each other on the lawn I was standing at. Passersby, walkers, bicyclists, tourists wondered as to what I was looking up at in the air. They would look up, see my kite and I secretly wished I was just pretending to look at something. Homeless interaction. Watch a couple guys walk back and forth and happen to follow them on my way out. One sees a half cigarette lying on the ground and stops to point it out to his homeless buddy. Homeless No.1: Man look at this. Homeless No.2: What? Homeless No.2: Oh man come on. Homeless No.1: No look, what a waste. Homeless No.2: Man don't pick it up, come on. Homeless No.1: No. I'm just saying that someone started one and threw it away. It's not even half smoked. Homeless No.2: I'm walking. They both start walking again. Homeless No.1: Granted it's a Virgina Slim but it's still a waste. ...

Skipped out of work early not to hit the Warped Tour as planned but since a project had to be finished that day and I finished it up and bailed early regardless, not feeling bad about it at all. Well if I wasn't going to have fun at the Warped tour, might as well go fly a kite on the beach instead. First I treated myself to Tito's Tacos in Culver City for the tacos. I wasn't even hungry but whatever tacos make me happy. Then I drove down to Venice finding parking plentiful by the south end of the shops and headed towards the Venice Pier which appeared further than it actually was. Called my brother in the Bay Area and rubbed it in that I was at the beach while he was stuck working, because brothers do those petty things to each other all the time. If it wasn't for those stupid tacos I might have caught an early dinner at C&Os. If you have never tried C & O Trattoria (C & O) located at the start of the pier, you're missing out on gigantic half port...

She: It will happen Me: I hope so With a raised eyebrow I think, "Are we talking about the same thing?'

At the party I was at on Sunday night, Jason from Midway cautiously asks what I thought of Pu$$y Cow having seen them on last Thursday for my second time. Jason just got back from Sweden so the Midway show that night was the first chance for him to experience them. I'm paraphrasing of course: I think they're great. I mean it's really just a bunch of ringers with Joe who was born to be loud and in front of people. But the thing is, they're really, really great, and that’s the funny part. Jason talks how they are the biggest thing coming out of Kiss or Kill right now, and I agree with his point about them having this strange quality about that on a basic level every one gets them. It's fun. I think now that it doesn’t even matter how old school punk you are (I'm very not) that you know this band already has its own sound based on all their individual talents and influences. I tell Jason that they very well could get the biggest deal or become the maybe the first...

I can't look at another hamburger or hot dog without having to unfasten my belt. Face stuffing, belly rubbing, Heineken drinking, blabbering foolishness = too much fun. The Old Towne Pub on Saturday was slow starting but it picked up by the time the water gun fights erupted. Made sure to fill myself with a couple burgers, a slice of pizza and a few cheap drinks while enjoying New Fidelity, Rainman Suite, Get Set Go in their experimental line up with 2 guitars, a viola, and iPod musical back-up. Playing later was New Maximum Donkey and unconfirmed until the last minute The Dollyrots. I don't remember talking much, but listening to a lot to random stories of touring, watching the bands and just observing people. Thought how some people are even cuter in the daylight. Sunday, after doing usual house cleaning went out to Sherman Oaks for house party. Plenty of food, beer, drunken badminton tournament, and an optional Wes Anderson costume theme. I had a great time and meet a bunch...

theriverproject.org Friday night I invited myself over to my friends house to avoid driving home. Heading East was not an option so I instead drove out to Atwater Village again and walked my friend's dog along the eastern edge of the LA River watching the golfers hit their balls into the trees. Looked at my watch and realized that I would still be on my commute for another 30 minutes instead of strolling at rivers edge on a beautiful summer afternoon. I had agreed earlier to wander the aisles of Target with friend for usual Target crap and then Beverages and More in search of Purple something beer. I used to shop at one of their first stores in Pleasant Hill (barely...it was more Walnut Creek) which was helpful since many a work parties were held in the apartments across the street. If you haven't been there before, they have everything that could possibly get you drunk at great prices. The closest Beverages & More (I will not call it BevMo) was at the infamous La Brea...

For the first time in months I have a whole three day weekend to myself and even with the plans listed below I still feel like I should be doing something grand, big, something exciting. help. Any ideas?