Josh Highland’s Blog

What ever happpened to good emo/indie music? I guess can be said about other music like ska also. Im sitting here listening to really old get up kids songs right now. I love it so much. There is just a rawness and a vigor to it. Other bands like At the Drive-In, By a Thread, Texas is the reason, and Braid all captured that feeling also. Where are the bands doing that today? Indie rock and emo seems to have fallen flat these days. New get up kids sucks, so does new saves the day. Where have all the good indie/emo bands gone?

Monday night, im finishing up my computer room in my new house. All I had left to do was install the new over head light…wait, no electrical over head, the wall switch controls a single socket. The celling light didnt have a cord, it was ment to be hardwired to overhead electrical. I decided that the best and only solution was to tap into the electrical socket that is controlled by the switch. It was a long night. computers are easier to work with then houshold electrical. I shocked myself 3 times. My fingers are kind of numb still. The light looks good though!

wow, I need to write in this more frequently.

Friday I didn’t have to go to work, I went to my great grandmas funeral. It was a nice Christian service. Traffic sucked on the way home from Whittier. That night Amy painted the guest bedroom while I laid the wood flooring in the computer room. Both rooms are looking awesome. I had to buy a table saw, and use it to cut the flooring panels. Power tools kick ass. Much more manly then a keyboard.

Saturday was my birthday, I slept in and decided to not work on my house. My party was at a roller rink in Grand Terrace. We hit up the thrift stores and got
the worst 80's gear that we could. It was amazing, we looked like total asses.
The 14 year old kids at the skating rink were embarrassed and bummed. It ruled.
The girl working the counter at the roller rink let me in for free because it
was my birthday. Through out the night she would come up to me and tell me that
my friends and I needed to come more often, and how everyone there is usually
serious and not goofy like us. She gave me a bunch of free passes, I thought
that was cool of her. The music could have been better instead of hip hop ghetto
hump music. I wish they would of played some credence or some skynard. There was
a lot of mu friends there it was amazing. Such a good time. When we were leaving
the girl at the counter pulled me aside and gave me more passes and told me when
she usually works… I think she was hitting on me. Lame. Yenny has a bunch of pictures of the party

posted on her site. My feet have blisters.

Sunday was a trip to IKEA to return some things. I dropped a box on my feet and I think i broke/fractured some of my toes. Band practice was short this week. Church was good. Amy and I tried to go to the movies after church, but we got there to late, Sky Captain had already started. I still want to see it though.

I got the keys on Monday, shopped more at Ikea. I bought some stuff but didn’t realize that a fort lift had stick its forks through the box destroying the bookshelf inside. I have another trip to Ikea to return stuff I guess.

Since Monday I go to work, get off work, go to my house, work my butt off, go to my old house, sleep, repeat. I’m so tired, and I have soooo much more work to do. It’s the most rewarding work I have ever done though. I love the fact that its mine and I can do what I want with it!

Friday I stayed home and finished up BrianSeghers.com. Its nothing that special, basically just a mirror of his sections on the Tattoo Revolution website I made a few months ago. Afterwards a bunch of us all went bowling in Muriettta again. Its becoming tradition. Saturday was an Native Foods / IKEA run. Later that night I went and saw "HERO". I wasnt that into the movie. I liked all of the action and the bright colors, but the story line sucked. The ending was the worse thing about it, and the fact it was subtitled. Im over movies with lame endings.

Sunday was a massive IKEA run. My little car was loaded down with "tundra click flooring". I thought the tires in the back were going to rub, it was so low. Band practice is good. We are starting on new material already. Church was good also. Thommy has found his calling. The room was packed. I didnt know a lot of the people that showed up.

I came home after church to a phone call. It was the nurses from the retirement home that my great grandma was at. They said that it was important that the get a hold of my mom. I knew at that moment she had died. She was 94+, and in a lot of pain. She is in a better place now.

I went over to my moms. The entire family was there. My aunt was flipping out. Soon everyone was screaming. It sucked. I jumped in and broke everything up. I ended up talking to my grandma most of the night. I realized that Amy reminds me a lot of my grandma. I wonder how much longer my family will hold together. Lately, every time we all get together someone flips out.

My Grandpa was dying in the hospital with leukemia. He would get scared a lot, who wouldn’t though. I had just got laid off from my last job, so I would stay with him at night. 9pm - 9am. It was really taxing on me, watching my grandpa slowly die. One day before my shift of watching him, I decided to go to market night in Redlands. I hadn’t done anything social in a month; it was time to get out.

I went down there alone, just for something to do. I was getting Chinese food when I noticed a tall guy behind me with big plugs and a tattooed neck. We gave each other the "what’s up" nod. When I started to walk away with my food he stopped me. "Hey do you listen to hardcore?" pointing to my death by stereo shirt. "Yeah", I told him. "You just ordered your food vegetarian right? "Yeah I'm vegetarian". "What about straight edge? my reply was "I have been sober from day one, and straight edge since i was 16".

Guy: Holy crap! When did you move here? what’s your name? Where do you live? Are you here with anyone else?

Me: I've always been here, I live in Highland, My name is Josh, and I came down here alone

Guy: Hey Josh, I’m Eric. Check this out; let me get my food, and then your going to come hang out with friends and my cool, me?

So I waited for him. We walked over to a big set of steps in front of a bank building. There was a bunch of kids all hanging out.

Eric got all of their attention and made an announcement. "Everyone, check it out. This is Josh, he is from Highland. He’s hanging out with us now. Make friends with him"

Eventually, "Josh from Highland" became "Josh Highland", and it stuck. I’m not opposed to it at all. I’m also stoked that I made some new fiend out of the deal.

Yesterday was pretty good. Work went by fast. I was expecting to get my house keys, but it was pushed back again, to Monday. After work I went with Amy over to see Jib at his flower shop, "In Bloom", on State Street in Redlands. He has great ideas for wedding flowers; I think it’s going to come out amazing. Amy is really excited also. More people need to visit Jib and buy flowers from him.

I went and bought paint supplies from home depot. I got all kinds of crap, and I don’t even know what I need, or how to paint really. I'll find out next week though.

Market night was market night, just a bunch of us hanging out, nothing to special.

I believe that the highlight of my day would have to be the artwork that I bought from explodingdog.com. I love sam browns artwork. I already have one of his prints. He doesn’t sell too much of his stuff. I wish he did though.

I’m getting excited about this house thing. I’m all anxious for it. I feel like a little kid on x-mass eve. Jesse told me that I might get the keys tomorrow, if not, then Monday. Amy and I rolled to Ikea last night before bible study. I love Ikea. I got some basic kitchen equipment, and a box of dishes. Nothing special, just things to get by with for a while. I got a lot of cool ideas for the place though. I found the desk setup I want for the computer room, and also the light fixtures I want in the living room.

My wrists are starting to burn again. I thought I was over this attack of burning wrist hurt disease, so I haven’t worn my braces for a few days…. bad idea.

I think I'm going to start posting some of my stories on here. Like the time I had one of my girlfriends punch me in the face while I was sleeping, or the story of how I became known as Josh Highland.

GARRRAARGH! My wrists hurt!

The weekend was pretty action packed. Friday night was out of control. I slept in on saturday, when I woke up, I had a sweat black eye from kevin smashing in my face with the bass giutar. Its been a while 3 months since my last black eye. I was due for another one.

I got a sweet hair cut from Dylan at hawleywood. Yeah i know driving 80 miles for a hair cut is out of control, but its worth it.

I got back into redlands and called the boys up. I totally forgot that there was a good show at the gizzibo. xOBLIGEx, and Corporalis were playing. I missed xOBLIGEx, and caught 1 song from Corparalis. Divide the day played next. They were whatever. Everyone thought the show was over… then Plague: The Red Letters reared its head. They hijacked the show at the last minute… they managed to play 2.5 songs with all of us moshing it up before the cops came and shut it down. I guess moshing at midnight in a public park is illegal or something. I love redlands.

Sunday was chill. We put the garage back together and had band practice. Afterwards we all went to Church. Thommy is a really good speaker. I cant wait until we start having shows there.

HOT DAMN! Friday was intense. during the 11th hour, problems with my home loan came up. I spent the

whole afternoon transfering funds, waiting hold to credit card people, banks and loan officers. I

think everything will work out.. if every one cashes their checks in the propper orders. After I

got that all cleared up I was spent and left work early.

I got to walk through my house again yesterday, It wasnt as pink as i remember it. Thats a good

thing! I think the lady just had alot of pink decorations that made the pink fixtures stand out even

more and made it feel like a flood of pink. I should have the keys by wednesday.

Teddys garage got cleared out as best as it could for the show. Plague: The Red Letters, went first.

I would say there was about 30 kids in the garage, moshing and having fun. The walls are padded in 3

inch foam to cot down the noise, it also acted as a foam bumber to bounce off of. it ruled. They

played a short set and xdeathstarx went on. I think it was all of maybe 15 seconds before blood was

poaring out of a gash on my cheek. I had bend down to adjust my mics volume just as kevin swung his

bass guitar. I felt the head stock go into my eye socket. It was one of those moments where you just

know that your bleeding… and i was. It added to the chaos though. Every one was going nuts. The

padded walls got knocked down, the overhead lights were ripped down. bodys were flying. I was

bleeding. it was the best show i had ever been to, let alone played. It was a good way to see Teddy

off. I wont see him again for 4 years.

After all of that, we went into thommys house and shome how i ended up wrestling with beejay. I made him tap both times. the first one he tapped because he puked. My elbows are raw from carpet burn. I miss wrestling. maybe i should train. who knows.

…after that we all (30+ of us) went bowling in murieta for free at the bowling alley that sarah works at. I couldnt roll because of my burning wrist hurt disease, so i hung out with eden and krissi. They are awesome people. We didnt get home from the bowling alley until 4:30 am. I was spent.