Engine Orange

9/18

Jude Anthony Moss

Usual guitar lesson en el viernes from Don Filip, followed by Theory & Sociology. It was Sean’s turn to play roadie, so I slept in the afternoon as he first went south to fetch Jordan, whose car is currently dead, then north to fetch Ceejay & his drums. When I awoke I watched the music video for “Soul to Squeeze” on Google Video, got a Mountain Dew from the machine downstairs, then sat on the balcony to wake up & enjoy the blue skies & green grass & descending sun. Chad came out of his dorm room (318) & joind me for a while, looking somewhat recoverd from the night before. Told me he’s from DeKalb County, near Center Hill Lake; also explaind to me the process of joining a fraternity. This past week has been Rush Week. He’s decided to pledge Kappa Sigma: “I know, right? A frat bro named Chad, what a stereotype!” At least he’s self-aware. I told him to have fun & to try and do a keg stand for me.

He left for his frat house, and I left for the Muse. Upon arrival I found the boys from Vesta Rose, who were also on the bill—in fact they got us this show. We were sitting in my car smoking a bowl in the Muse’s parking lot when a Metro cop rold thru. I thought I was a goner. He didn’t even slow down. Anyway, we got really stoned & I felt like I was tripping: the sunset gave off a strong lavender glow & the lights inside the venue were more vivid than usual. Sean, Ceejay & Jordan showed up blasting Eminem’s “Without Me” on Sean’s janky car-stereo rig. The show went really well. Lots of people came, including Tayler & his friend from back home in Stewart Co., who smoked a thin blunt with me in the parking lot. We played well, solid, tight: Sean jumpt on Ceejay’s drums at the end and I tost my bass on top of the pile, as Jordy thrashed on the floor in front of the stage. People were imprest.

Yesterday, awoke to the sad news. We ate breakfast in the cafeteria, and on the way back Sean found a $20 bill on the sidewalk. He knew instantly it was his grandma’s final gift & started laughing: one last don’t-spend-it-all-in-one-place, merely missing the enclosing handwritten card & stampt envelope that always accompanied it when she was still alive & writing to him.

Sean departed for Malvern; I recorded two demos on my 4-track and read The Nine Nations of North America in the library. That night I went to the Muse again, to hang out with Hendersonville Chris and Bea D. Lux in her pimp Caddy. We walkt all the way down to Broadway and to Second Avenue & Printer’s Alley. Ceej arrived with his new (old) truck, an ’89 Silverado, and we drove it back to campus, drinking beer along the way. It was a foggy night. We had good talks, about friendship and deaths and girls. After a while Kenan showed up drunker than we, so we tried to put him to bed on the spare mattress in 302 (Tayler was gone for the weekend but had evidently left Keezy his key? I think). Then we were coming back to smoke out of the side window & found him unconscious on his back with a toothbrush & toothpaste still in his mouth. We slapt him awake & made him spit it out. The only reason we were able to get back in the room was by reaching in thru the window we had left open; if we hadn’t’ve come back he might’ve choked. The two of us ended up just crouching behind Ceejay’s truck in the gravel lot. I even smoked one of his cigarettes to cover up the marijuana scent, but it made me sick to my stomach and I puked loudly in the toilet & the sink. It felt weirdly cleansing tho. I woke up today with a real hangover, the first one I’ve been consciously sure of what it was. Had a headache all day, thru practice & going to Rivergate with Jeremiah & O. after…