SUCCESS!

Here comes success, over my hill, here comes success, well here comes my car, here comes Chinese rug, HERE COMES SUCCESS!

I've got a good feeling and it's leaking out all over the page. I think it was mostly getting done with the final exam yesterday. It wasn't to hard, but I think I royal fucked up the long answer which was describing Locke's philosophy on personal identity and comparing it to Leibniz and Descartes. My teacher left for a few seconds and Rob, this guy in my class, was talking with Ian. They were chuckling about the test. I looked at him and for some reason I was staring right at his arm... guess what I saw? Well, one thing he said to me made more sense. We were talking on the train (we both commute on the same line), it was the first time I had really talked to the guy. He was talking about how he was going to become president, and then how he was going to legalize and tax weed, and then for no reason he just says, "Opiates are good." My first reaction was just what the fuck? Who says that to someone they barely know? I didn't know what to say to that, I was like, "Yeah..." Now, you could make assumptions I guess about me, maybe, but it's a long stretch. So, I'm just going to assume that he just tells everyone... which leads me to wonder, are there people who do this? Like are people just like, "Hey, my name is Mark, and I really enjoy slamming smack, it's my favorite thing to do. What's up with you? I like your hair." Haha, I don't know, he's kinda a weird guy. The other night we all met up for a review session before the final. I had about an hour before the train that I was going to take and I didn't know what to do. I was walking out with him and this other girl Melissa who had to go meet her dad. I didn't know whether to go with one of them or what, and after they realized I had no where to go, Rob told me to go with Melissa because he had to meet a "friend." He walked over towards St. Marks... So maybe that last part is a stretch, okay, I'll admit that. I wish I could see the guy again, haha, I really need a life.

Wanna know what else is making today a success? IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES!!! I really can't believe that I'm going to be seeing them in concert. Most bands I like are either broken up, on hiatus, or really really old. The only big punk band I've seen is the Lower Class Brats (which was really awesome and in July, the Casualties were playing too but I hate them so I didn't stick around). Most of the punk bands I see are in tiny clubs, with 30 year olds who are all drunk off of their asses (which is generally entertaining). My favorite is this guy Justin who is also the guitarist for World War IX. I made patches for them and they always treat me like I'm way cooler than I am (haha, I'm the teenage shit head who is enamored of them... I just can't help it). Fuck, it's Iggy and the Stooges, I just can't believe it. Jim (a.k.a. Iggy) is one of the only musicians who I really look up to (not that I want to be just like him, but I don't know, he's like a musical hero who I worship or something). It's just unreal, I hope that Terminal 5 is tiny so that it's not too many people. Tickets were $45!! Which is way too high for any other band (my mom bought it for me, so actually it was free for me...). I'm definitely bringing my camera, so I'll post some pictures of Iggy in all his glory... I kinda worship him, which is kinda weird I guess.

I learned about Iggy, New Years Eve when I was 15. I was at my best friend's house and we were doing nothing as always. I remember we had gone up to the playground at the elementary school up the street from her house and had been swinging. We walked back into her house and up the stairs, which lead into her living room. Her parents were watching some music video channel and the video for "Lust for Life" came on. It was like a fire was lighted in my brain. The small leanings that I had been developing towards punk, were suddenly ignited and I knew that I had to find out about A) Iggy Pop and B) Trainspotting. In that moment I learned about my favorite musician and my favorite movie. It's weird to think about now but I have a clear memory of that like no other. (The hit I just took is kicking in... oh yes... = ) He really is very intelligent, something that most people don't realize. I guess I love Iggy because he's brilliant, he's a great singer, and just in my mind he is the epitome of greatness. This interview I'm going to post is so good, mostly because he discusses Dionysus and Apollo, which I know about from reading Nietszche. I do truly love Iggy, he is just incredible and he was soooo attractive (in this video he's just so cute). Anyway, today is going to be good.

The girl who is coming with me is named Alexis. Out Latin teacher calls her my "little sister." She is so much like me it's kind of scary (but not in a bad way). She also loves Iggy and just 77 punk in general, we both love philosophy, and Latin. I'm just going to try and keep her on the straight and narrow, keep her looking in the right direction. I believe that she can do anything she wants to do, she is brilliant (probably smarter than I am). I'm really glad she's coming with me. It's funny she came to a show of my band in the spring and I let her wear my jacket (my jacket is like my armor, it's one of my most prized possessions), she was so excited and it was kind of adorable. I think she looks up to me, which is cool, I want to be a good role model for her. I'm going to try hard and keep her away from all the bad stuff they're going to push on her. The one good thing is that I know and am friends with most of her friends and they almost all of them are straightedge. Alexis has never been to a show before. I can't even imagine that and her first show will be Iggy Pop and the Stooges. What more could you ask for?

I think I'm going to buy a poster at the show. I need one for my wall, so I hope they have a good one of that isn't too expensive. Worse comes to worse I'll just buy one at Bleeker Street Records next friday when I go back to NYC. I have a really cool Black Flag poster from the 80s that my friend bought me for Xmas. It was from England, I mean, that just shows someone's an awesome friend. I was thinking about how the stuff my friends have bought me this year for my b-day and last xmas were really good (is that weird?). I got Dazed and Confused for my b-day (which I really wanted), and for xmas one gave me a Subhumans CD and the other gave me that poster. My friends are really great when they wanna be, I do love them. They're crazy as fuck, but I love them.

Okay, so enough of this random babble, how is everyone else doing? Hope you are all having a great day! = )