Ramblings From Justin Penney

Maybe not. I'm wrestling with this choice quite a bit. I've been vegetarian off and on since I was 15. I've been solidly on the veggie side since late 1999.

My biggest reason for being vegetarian is the inefficiency of the whole deal. We grow plants to feed to animals that we then eat. I read that there were 16 pounds of vegetation that go in to creating one pound of beef. That just doesn't make any sense to me. Especially on the gigantic scale that most people eat meat.

I used to be pretty strict about it. I didn't purchase leather. I avoided anything that touched meat or meat by products. Slowly, I have relaxed those. I buy leather shoes for example.

I have recently eaten things that I knew contained meat based ingredients: the pad thai that Ryan made with fish sauce and the potatoes that my aunt cooked with a ham. Now I'm contemplating taking the next step and just eating meat. I don't think that there is any way that I could eat meat in the quantities and with the frequency that most people do, but I'm pretty sure that every once in a while it might be a good thing.

# posted by Justin @ 10:42 PM Links to this post

A part of me is gone. Fourteen down from my heaviest but nine since I've been focusing on it. I feel a lot better overall. I have more energy. I don't hate myself when I look in the mirror ... at least not as much.

At my heaviest I pulled a BMI of 29, 30 is classified as obese, not where I want to be. I've 16 more to reach my goal.

One frustrating part of this is that my goal is the weight I was when I was smoking. I quit smoking, started feeling better, lost five pounds then gained it back with and extra thirty. I did entertain the idea of starting smoking again. That quickly passed.

# posted by Justin @ 10:30 PM Links to this post

I'm selling some of my underused stuff. Here it is. Prices are negotiable so contact with an offer.

• 2004 Fender Telecaster with case - $300
• Washburn D18CE acoustic/electric with case - $200
• Ashdown Electric Blue 180 - 15" 180 Watt bass combo. It has a 5 band EQ, deep and bright switches and a subharmonic generator - $250
• 16 Space SKB Shock Rack - The internal frame is suspended from the outside box by coil springs - $250
• ART Pro VLA Tube Compressor - $200
• 48 Point DBX TRS Patchbay very handy. The jacks can be flipped for non-normalled or half-normalled operation - $75

# posted by Justin @ 6:26 PM Links to this post

I've had some small projects building up over the last few months; there are some large ones too but I'm not thinking about those on this vacation. Since I had no time constraint or prssure on me I was able to really focus in and get them done.

I finally re-rewired my Squier Bullet. It has some flakey connections in the electronics and it woutl crackle and cutout when it was moved much. I started taking it apart a few weeks ago, and that's where it stayed. Mostly disassembled on my workbench. Today I purchased a desoldering bulb and some hookup wire and finished the job. It no longer crackles and is a completely usable guitar.

The other project I had involved the Hyundai Elantra. Jacey drive the Elantra most of the time so I completely forget the little problems that pop up. Today it was a head light and the windshield washer pump. I am proud to say that they are both done and Jacey can now see, even during precipitous weather!

# posted by Justin @ 4:32 PM Links to this post

• Lunch with Coop and Lisa in St. Louis
• Stayed at Grandma Dowell's
• Navy Pier
• Gastroenteritis + emergency room + laid in bed all day Monday
• Worked at Argonne while Jacey and Lily went to the aquarium
• Worked at Argonne and drove home

# posted by Justin @ 9:50 PM Links to this post

I hate Lawrence, Kansas. Mostly due to its geography. I grew up in Odessa, Missouri which is as far from Kansas City as Lawrence is ... in the opposite direction. I would hear about all of the great clubs, great shows and all around awesomeness of Lawrence. Like any rational teenager I twisted everything to make me hate that town. Kansas City is way bigger than Lawrence, why do they deserve all the shows?

Presently I live about 60 miles away and I have just come to deal with it. The bands that I love are going to play in Lawrence. There is no audience in KC for midlevel bands that aren't alt-country. This covers most music that I like.

Just this year I've missed some show that I now regeret. Gogol Bordello, twice. Ted Leo & Pharmacists. When I saw the The Hold Steady were coming I decided I was not going to let them come that close without seeing them.

I had a couple other people lined up to accompany me but they backed out. Luckily, Tommy Donoho joined me for the drive out.

We got in to town and bought our tickets and went to The Replay. We had some Guiness and I visited the hole I left in the wall after performing there.

The first band up was a Scottish trio named 1990s. Their music was pretty poppy and cheery. They didn't really get me going, thought a lot of people were interested in them.

I've never made it all the way through an Art Brut record in one sitting. I've always been on the fence as to whether they were tremendously clever, ironic or silly. They are all three. The performance and delivery of the songs made them a lot more clear to me. The sound at The Granada was phenomenal and overall ... a lot better than their albums. I'm going to revisit the recordings this week.

I had hoped to be completed drunk or full of painkillers when I saw The Hold Steady. I was neither. Tommy offered to drive back to KC so I could get my drink on, but with the extra 20 miles home I kept it moderate.

Thought smart and literary, Craig Finns lyrics are for real people. Drug and alcohol use, abuse, partying, struggling, and a little trashiness. What live was and could have along with a big dose of what you didn't want it to be. It felt like the entire crowd was feeling the same way. Well, the whole crowd except for David who sent me and IM saying "I must need some Hold Steady Viagra."

As much as The Hold Steady fight the irony that is easy to projec ton their style, the do fall in to some generic performer failings. "... Lawrence, Kansas ..." I heard phrase every 10 minutes all night. Art Brut and 1990s are to blame on that front as well. It seems hollow whenever bands give shout outs to the city they are playing in. Then there is the encore. I HATE encores. Just play a longer set. Don't play with the crowd and pander to them for even more attention than they are already giving you. These are the people that pay your bills, don't tease them.

# posted by Justin @ 8:26 PM Links to this post

It looks like podcasts can be set to sync automatically. That makes me a little happier.

# posted by Justin @ 8:44 AM Links to this post

I keep reading reviews touting the wireless syncing as the iPod killing feature and I don't get why. Since auto playlists and automatic syncing are gone you still have to walk over to your computer to copy anything over. Just take the damn thing with you and plug it in. Absolutely worthless.

They did add podcast support but with the horribly dumbed down syncing, meaning there is none, it's completely worthless. You have to sit and click and drag the files on. In a lot of ways this is a step back. The simplification is just too far and the features are now completely gone. I'm holding out for a "oops we forgot the features that people use" release soon. Otherwise I think I'll have a Black 30 GB Zune for sale for $80.

# posted by Justin @ 6:50 PM Links to this post

Damn ... that's sure what it feels like. I need to remove a little clutter from my schedule. These last few weeks seem like I have been full throttle.

Jacey and I have been hiking and taking pictures a lot. We're both watching what we eat and attempting to be a little more physically active. I know that I'm doing pretty good on the eating. Some days I don't get much exercise in. I feel pretty guilty those days. The lack of light and the cold are not helping.

We cleaned our garage. We are able to fit 6 bicycles, 3 motorcycles, 2 lawn mowers, a toolbox, a workbench, yard tools, a car, and a truck in there. It's tight but our vehicles are warm in the morning. I will be much more happy about this when snow starts falling. It is great to not have to clean your car off in the morning.

Lily joined the "Circus Skills and Cup Stacking Club" at her school. So far she really like cup stacking. I don't get it, but she loves it. I need to look in to getting her some cups for home use.

I'm kind of tapped. No more words tonight.

# posted by Justin @ 9:40 PM Links to this post