MSU changed its website this morning. Now, it displays the apparent ugliness of our school and a change of mascots from the lesser-respected Sparty to the professors of this institution and, of course, the god-being that is Tom Izzo.
http://www.msu.edu/

Come to the Frontier Ruckus show Tuesday, February 28th at 8:00 at the Temple Club. Arrange rides using the blogger comments under this post! Also, it costs money. $7?

I just got back from the there's Stars in your Bones concert. I played the saw mostly and it went well, importantly. I'm glad it's over: those rehearsals this week, though fun, were eating up my life. Taaja and Seth came to see the concert, they weren't too bored.

And Ben called this morning from somwhere, it was great.

Also, I need money and or stamps to send him a couple american items. If you'd like to donate you can reach me at:

nicholsz@msu.edu

You will recieve a poem written about the topic of your choice for just $1.25 and an song (with MP3) for $2.50.

So much creative stuff to do! Last night, I locked myself in a practice room and didn't come out until I had a song. There were daybirds peaking beyond the dormroofs by that time! Tweet! The guitar tuning I used was AAABBB! It sounds Indian, but it's a song about the Old Order of Mennonites!

Ma's horse-drawn McCormick reaper, that hand-me-down sickle keeper,
"it dragged him" my father's yellin', "for as far as, there's no tellin'" and so on.

Yeah, I knew I'd write about my Kansas cousins someday. Speaking of that side of the family, my Pa's engaged to Karen, his girlfriend for a while now. I'll looking to pick up a lot of steps. 39?

So today I was quail hunting and... just kidding. ha.

I'm translating one of my haiku from an american one to a british one. Don't forget to use a british accent.

vibrating mobiles
in ecology lecture
croaking pocket frogs

laters

Yeah, poetry. I wrote 12 haiku and one or two worked like they're supposed to. I was happy with myself. Also, I've been writing songs and short stories. This semester is great at forcing me to be creative. You should try one like mine sometime.

Here's the haiku that wakoski and natalie liked best:

vibrating cell phones
in ecology lecture--
croaking pocket frogs

Here's the poem that randal, my friend from that class and songwriting, liked best:

shipwreck survivors
bobbing in the water white
a balanced breakfast

Some other people liked this one:

green yellow brown black
they don't last too long, do they,
banana seasons?

Harry partch sings sarah w. happy birthday in his insane scale (afro-chinese duet) even if she can't hear it. Sufjan too.

I'm here trying to come up with a trope for a poem due tuesday. Trope. Trope. I can think of things that you could make metaphores out of, like a blind man's white cane, or a singing saw, or a battery, but not enough interrelated thoughts to make a good poem. It's late though, so that's not helping. I'll be back on it tomarow.

You are Betty Grable

The ulitmate girl next door You're the perfect girl for most guys Pretty yet approachable. Beautiful yet real.

What Famous Pinup Are You?

I wrote a poem for class. It was about that one thing:

In the final month,

In some Irish caves,

On the twenty-first,

On the clearest days,

The sun can see the bottom.

Just a teaser really...

Whatever happens, I won't let this blog turn into what mow turned into. Nothing!

Lots of happenings here at state. Diane Wakoski Vs. my 310c Prof. Great classes really. But the best has been RESIDENT EVIL 4 in SETH'S ROOM.

As I wait for my laundry to dry before I leave for State, I feel excited. The relaxation here has been fine, but I miss the place. Oh, what am I going to do first? Probably, I will visit with folks.

Scholastically, this semester I need to score. But that's increadibly likely, my classes are the kind that I'm interested in. This is a good time for me. This is the year of the Zach.

In other news, I love This American Life. A lot. It's what got me through break.

I love ZELDA. And I'm sad this new one is taking so long to come out. I heard it was going to come out before Christmas; but now it's not coming out until later. I heard not until after April, then I heard October. :( Why do you torture me like this nintendo!?

Pedals

Sylvan Screen Song Turned Christmas

Em Etc.

Christmas Day, I wake and I stare at my ceiling.
The cracks are varicose like the snow frozen streams.
Christmas Day, it takes a while for me to remember.
That today is the day it is.

C A

And I was a shopping whiz.
I'm one of the best in the biz.
I got hers, and I got his.
It's good to give.

Em Etc.

Christmas Day, I sit and I look out my window.
The snow is falling now and it seems to never stop.
Christmas Day, I sit but I turn to my presents.
They could be anything I want them to be.

C A

And you can come unwrap with me.
And we can do it by the Christmas Tree.
Reading the tags: from you to me.
It's good to receive.

I slacked, so now I'm in Detroit.

-Anonymous

Things I've done today that do not count as studying:

• Rocked out with Ben to the full line-up.
• Went to Pinball Pete's.
• Rockout alone, to 'Hey Sandi' and successfully learned the solo.
• Invented a music holding contraption on my bed.
• Ate with Chana, BP, and M-J.
• Accidently tricked a friend into walking up a few flights of stairs...with a cello.
• Slid across across the ground how I used to--oh those were the days.
• Ate.
• Wrote poem in parody of a poem by my prof.
• Aced a final thanks to Fadie.
• Wondered where Nick has been...

But, now--now, I will study.

And Nick cleaned the room.

• I called ben with IP Relay. Th'operator was nice, but wouldn't tell me if Ben sounded drunk. The line they draw between what they're allowed to say to the people in the converstation is a fine one.
• Failed to climb that tree.
• Lost my key, found it under a tree.
• Succeeded in climbing that tree.
  
• Emailed my old Art History Prof. about a really old scanned in postcard that I found online of this piece of art he wrote a paper on.
• I rocked out with Frontier Ruckus at the Magdo's Teahouse and it kicked ass.
• Also, recorded some with (Mc)Zach and Ben.
• I watched season one of Pete and Pete. Mike lent me the DVDs. Say, maybe I like the music I like from watching that show? I mean, they were injecting me with The Magnetic Fields way before I'd even figured out that I liked music.
• I wrote a lot of my paper, (and yet, there's still much, much more to do).
  

Break was good, being back is good, bad.

School hurts. School scars. School wounds. School mars.

I edited some Pitchfork by writing the news editor!

I wrote:

I liked Zach Vowell's article, which was well written and everything, but the song that Jeff came onstage for, 'The Arrow Flies Close,' always has the line "...and I hope Jeff will sing me a song." It wasn't slipped in as Vowell’s source thought. On the Elf-Power album called "When the Red King Comes," Jeff sings a descending part just after that line: "aaah." But last Tuesday at Mac's Bar in Lansing, the Jeff-less Elf Power had John Fernandez, of Olivia Tremor Control, cover his part on clarinet. -Zach Nichols

P.S. http://www.knerd.com/~sashwap/Arrow.mp3

And then:

hey-- thanks for the tip, you're right! i'll fix the story right now.

-- Amy Phillips
News Editor, Pitchfork Media Email: phillips@pitchforkmedia.com, news@pitchforkmedia.com

Here's the fixed story (didn't they do a good job?)...I didn't have the heart to mention the typo: "Elepant 6." Hopefuly they see it on their own.

• Jeff Mangum sings with Elf Power in NYC