Jan 31 2005
Since Back in the Day
Johnny Benitez seems to come to Amsterdam every 6 months lately. He works for Taking Back Sunday, and they must be doing ok, cause that place was full last night and you almost can’t hear the band with everyone singing along and pointing fingers in the air. Earlier in the day I went over to the Melkweg and sat with the band, then me and my boy wandered around Leidseplein playing catch-up.
It’s a truely amazing thing… the size of this world and the way lives intersect. Me and JB grew up in the same neighborhood, both of Portuguese families, his house was even designed mediterranean style, with tiled roof and gloriously white on the outside. This, of course, triggered the baptism of his house by our other friends as “Taco Bell.”
When I think back, he was the friend who helped me get adjusted to public school in suburbia, coming from the urban polish-catholic school from hell. We played soccer together and used to reak havoc on the tennis court, ignoring all the rules and hitting the ball as hard and as far as possible. If you hit the ball out of the fenced area, it was like hitting a homerun, you were a champ.
In high school we produced TV programs together, running around outside school grounds with microphones and cameras while other kids sat in boring classes. Then came the One Cool Guy days, when together with 8 other friends, we became part of one of the NJ-tri-state area’s third-wave-ska legends.
But I never expected our lives to continue to cross paths when I moved to the dam. As I sat on the tourbus watching the boys play some motorcross videogame, I kept thinking what an odd coincidence… I grew up with this guy, and to this day, our lives somehow intersect… often. Pretty cool.
Oh and Back-to-Iraq, the journalist and blog pioneer who’s been working in Iraq for the past 3 years or so, has some good insight about what took place on election day. And if you’re curious about other perspectives, Chris Missick gives you a soldier’s take.
Today’s Sounds: Taking Back Sunday - The Newer Album
AudioCommuniqué #7 Soundseeing Vondelpark (mp3)
While I go rough it in the lap of luxury, I’ve been watching Iraqi’s vote in make-shift booths with m16’s all around them. I keep forgetting who’s protecting who from who. Nothings says democracy like tanks in the streets and guns in your face. And man do my ears ring everytime they call it a historical day. Historical my ass… I remember when Saddam used to hold elections and you could only vote for him. This isn’t the same, but it isn’t that far off either. In both cases people will be treated as if they are threats to the government, arrested occasionally, and possibly tortured — since that’s an ok method to get your information.
But I wanted to let you in a secret, and I place myself in great danger with the very secret society known as single expats. There was a long chat between an Israeli graduate and I, about her going home, and how strange it is to have to interact with all her friends who are there and have their jobs, and their house, and have gotten married. I quickly agreed, cause I often feel the same whenever I head to PT (portugal) or NJ (jersey). While it can be a joy to see the married the friends, it’s often a very odd meeting as well, since the choices they have made are so foreign to me.
So despite my hate for ads, as a person with a rapidly growing readership and the accompanying bandwith costs, I know how this great hobby can become quite the expense. I even got a second donation this week, and I must say I’m most thankful.. the person threw 15 dollars my way. That’s way more then I’d ever ask of anyone, but it definitely inspires me to work harder at blogging and podcasting, as well as eases my pain when I look into the virtual wallet.
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