so everybody minus mikey v (that being teddy, jozka, john and phil) congregated in my apartment yesterday afternoon and we proceeded to hang out...

(here's a little background...john, phil & mikey v grew up together since they were wee little ones...john went to high school w/ jozka & teddy @ st. viders back in the 90s...jozka & teddy befriended mikey & phil through johnny boy...jozka moved to michigan during high school but continued to keep in touch w/ da boys...john, phil & mikey all went to college together in missoula, MT...teddy remained in chicago...somehow they all stayed friends over the years, thanks to the phenomenon known as the internet...jozka moved in w/ teddy a year ago when he moved to chicago from ann arbor, where he'd been hanging since graduating from college there...that's how i met the jozka...

and he's been dear to me because he has spent hours listening to me when i was really depressed...he's also been a great companion for some really good shows i've been to, like the jeff tweedy/wilco show, teddy's last show w/ watchers in january, the eternals and folk implosion/mia doi todd...)

so after some congregating, we headed over to penny's noodle where we set our tongues on fire...phil had gotten a new digital camera, and we were looking at photos he'd taken @ great america the day before w/ john & mikey v & john's sister & mom...there were some really great shots taken on the rides, including some video clips...

after eating, we went to wicker park where the boys played football...at some point between my apt and penny's noodles, mikey v had called and told us about all the power outtages in several major cities in the u.s. my first thought was that the msblast virus had gotten into the power grid...that's still my theory...anyways...we were just glad we still had power in chicago...we tried calling phil & mikey's ex-roommate in new york, but couldn't get through...

after the park, jozka went to meet a friend and the rest of us went to pick up dave and headed on over to the liquor store where we got a 30 can case of PBR, jozka's beer of choice...teddy & dave & i went to jewel to get ingredients for my guacamole and some quesadillas...by the time we got to the boys' apt, mikey v was there...we just chilled w/ beers and chips & salsa & my guac etc...jozka & some of his friends showed up later in the night and thus we hung out...some of the boys got really drunk...

mikey had just gotten back from a music fest in portland for thumb pianos and other instruments not normally played by indie rock bands...he brought this huge thumb piano w/ like a couple dozen plucking prongs...he would place it in this hollow gourd and play...it was lovely...

a bunch of us jammed throughout the night...my skills on the cowbells were noted by john & teddy...teddy loves my drumming actually...i practiced the beats he'd been teaching me...dave played bass...jozka's friend shawn played guitar...john played drums at one point...teddy played drums sometimes...mikey played the jimbe...it was cool...i didn't think i could jam and creat beats like that, but it was lots of fun! i think i'm really gonna be a drummer someday...

at the end of the night, the finale came when jozka threw his nonfunctioning compaq desktop off the roof...again and again and again...those pieces of shit are a muther to kill! i thought we should take it out to the woods w/ a sledgehammer personally...

jozka leaves tomorrow...although i wonder cuz he's not really packed from what i could see of his room...oh well...he'll get it together, i know that...

it was fun having everybody together one last time this summer, but i'm really gonna miss my jozka...

been listening to--
s/t--panda panda
spirit electricity--bad brains
my favorite things--john coltrane