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Ugh, I was actually planning on applying to medical school next year, but I keep second-guessing everything. Reading all this makes me feel like maybe I shouldn't even bother since neither of my parents are doctors. Is there actually truth to that?
And is it true that if you're feeling unsure, it's better to just walk away?
Honestly, you can conquer just about any fear if you put your mind to it...
I used to be terrified of heights. Every time I climbed up anything even remotely high, I’d freeze up and find myself completely unable to make the descent. Eventually, one day, I just decided enough was enough—I couldn't live like that anymore. So, while everyone else was out at work, I started practicing. I’d head up onto the roof of my house and just sit there. I spent time hanging out near the edges, little by little, facing it head-on. Slowly but surely, that panic faded away, and now, heights don't bother me at all.
Ski jumping is definitely an interesting sport... but judging the beauty of a flight? That's just plain ridiculous!
Once they actually get all that stuff set up, you won't be feeling so anxious anymore—it’ll actually be pretty cool.
A quick heads-up for anyone thinking about picking up Teacher but might have missed this fine print:
When you buy Teacher, you’re essentially paying for a one-year subscription (right now, it's going for $80). Here’s the kicker: if you ever need to reinstall it later for a younger sibling—say, because you had to wipe your hard drive—and that year has already passed, Markottel won't give you a new activation code. Why? Because they claim their technical support window has closed. It basically means you could end up tossing an expensive piece of software straight into the trash and being forced to buy it all over again. Of course, technically, you should have known this beforehand since the Licensed agreement included on the disc lays it all out. Or so they say. Personally, I don't see how anyone is supposed to read the fine print in a Licensed agreement inside a sealed jewel case sitting on a store shelf.👎
Just wanted to put that out there; it might make some people rethink their purchase.
Man, honestly, once those five or six people have you cornered, there’s zero chance you can even reach for your phone to call the cops or anything else. I saw some similar crap happen once myself.
I was hoping someone here might be able to shed some light on calcification issues.
Basically, my mom’s recent scans showed some calcification in the soft tissues of her neck (right paravertebral area).
In plain English, it's like having "stones in the neck."
If anyone has experience with this or knows more about what it actually means, please let me know.
Thanks! 🙂
Kenneth White6 - Honestly, I don't get how anyone can be terrified of needles. It's not like I actually enjoy getting poked, but I've never been scared. Ever since I was five years old, my perspective on them has just been different. Sure, I was a bit nervous at first, but every time I had to go in for a shot, I’d just tell myself it wasn't a big deal—it's just one of those things in life that passes. Now, I’m totally indifferent to the whole thing. If you look at my signature, there's a little note about how many times I've had to get shots voluntarily over the last few years, and I'm still going at it...
Could you tell me what kind of exercises those are and where I can pick up that book?
I’m sitting at a -1.5 and -1.75 prescription, but my vision has gotten so blurry lately that I can't see a thing without help.
To make matters worse, this is the third time in just two years that my prescription has jumped.
Seriously, it's possible they tie you down and drain your blood—you’ve gotta fight to stay conscious.
Also, a quick shoutout to Kenneth White6—just lose yourself in the moment.
Man, what's bothering you? I was at basic training during my third month and they had to draw blood from me. Then, just two days later, I had to go back because the first batch came back looking a little funky. It was pretty intense—some guys actually passed out while the rest of us just sat there staring at the needles filling up with blood... nothing too crazy, though.
There’s no getting out of the bloodwork; it’s just part of the deal. Case in point: I'm heading off to boot camp in 20 days.
Man, forget Maroon 5... personally, I’m way more into Radiohead
especially Hopes and Fears—that track "Everybody's Changing" is everything.
Honestly, we all kind of saw this coming—especially those of us who have been around long enough to know how groups like Zeus Faber operate. It’s just typical behavior for them. I mean, take their concert prep, for example... I heard that one guy with the blue hair was literally brushing his teeth with a toothbrush in the restroom right before they hit the stage!
By then, there were already about 80 people hanging out. Most of them work for COLD SNAP, but honestly, that didn't really matter...
ILLUMINATED knocked out their shortened 30-minute set, and right around 9:20 PM, COLD SNAP took the stage. They’re the local band that actually brought out the bulk of the crowd. Honestly, watching them perform was great—they kept those hundred or so kids totally hyped up with their energy.
Everything was going smoothly until around 10:00 PM, when Zeus Faber finally showed up. They started acting like absolute superstars, wandering all over the stage while Cold Snap was still mid-set! One of the guys from Zeus Faber actually went and cut the effects on the Cold Snap singer just so he could get his synth gear dialed in. Cold Snap didn't wrap up their performance until about 10:20 PM. We made it crystal clear to Zeus Faber that they had to be finished by 11:30 PM sharp—not a second later!
In the meantime, the cops have already rolled up twice because people have been calling in noise complaints. They gave us a heads-up that everything needs to be dialed back by 11:30 PM sharp!
Alright, we've reached an agreement with the police regarding that trip.
It’s unbelievable, but ZF doesn't give a damn about this... I actually warned that arrogant, blonde guitarist snail of theirs that it is CRITICAL they aren't still playing past 11:30 PM, otherwise we’re going to blow our entire deal with the police! The club is right in the heart of downtown, and our immediate neighbor is a freaking Archbishop!
His response was basically that they didn't care, because they were just there to play for their own fans (!?). At that moment, even though I absolutely loathe primitive behavior, I seriously wanted to deck him right in his stupid face! ...but given the circumstances—sadly, I didn't... (Look, things are a bit complicated here... COLD SNAP was playing with their guitarist, who actually came out specifically for this concert after undergoing an incredibly intense and dramatic surgery. It’s a tragic personal situation that anyone close to COLD SNAP already knows about.) That is the only reason we didn't try to settle our issues with the ZF crew the "quick way." I truly wish that young man nothing but the best; seeing him up on that stage, playing and looking happy, was such an emotional moment. Honestly, that sight made all the headache worth it. COLD SNAP actually wanted ZF to show up as guests, and they did everything in their power to make sure this show happened. They were begging, jumping through hoops, handling the registration, organizing everything... Still, I didn't want to ruin their good intentions, regardless of how messy things were... But damn it—I made a mistake!
I’m still sitting here nursing this grudge. I made sure to tell that blonde mantis that even if they end up playing a shorter set—and considering they only moved about 80 tickets, which puts them well below the average for a decent punk band—they’re still getting their full agreed-upon fee. (Yeah, right...) I think my facial expression made it pretty clear how serious I was, because she just gave me a quick "OK" before turning away. Honestly, I think they probably realized what was happening. Or maybe we were just dreaming...
Alright, look, Cold Snap wraps up around 10:20 PM. I mean, sure, it’s true the guys had a bit of a rough patch, but everyone there was calling for it, and there's still plenty of time left for a solid, standard set...
ZF is finally starting to take the stage, and they’re kicking things off with those marathon prep sessions—all that tedious fine-tuning and technical tweaking that usually gets hammered out during soundcheck.
We’re warning them again that we’re running out of time, but it feels like they’re moving even slower than before. Great... just brilliant. Those damn perfectionists.
They didn't even start playing until around 11:00 PM!
We all saw the police presence ramping up at the backline, so we knew what was coming. The concert kicked off on a terrible note; within those first few minutes, most of the crowd—maybe a hundred people deep—started losing interest and drifting away from the stage. Probably out of pure frustration with the vibe, Zeus Faber started picking fights through the mic, targeting the sound engineer, the audience, and the dwindling number of fans left standing there. But let’s be real: their subpar vocals are just being masked by heavy samples and sheer noise. To make matters even worse, right before things went south, some guy was practically demanding that they clear a path for some local model to walk through! Give me a break. It wasn't some punk rocker or an edgy girl; it was nothing more than a Levi's model—just some local poser he probably picked up at that trendy boutique cafe nearby. Seriously, gross. At one point, likely driven mad by an audience that clearly wasn't feeling Zeus Faber, they actually started screaming and ripped out a monitor (and these "stars" actually demanded three!). In the middle of that chaos, they unplugged the "slave" unit running the monitors—thankfully, only a fuse blew. The sound tech, who's handling the main PA, tried to take control of the show, but the younger crew members shut him down because they knew this whole mess would be over soon enough.
I’m not even going to bother commenting on their music. Everyone plays what they love, and honestly, that’s not really the point. But I have to say, even the hardcore fans at this show were completely floored by how terrible the performance was...
The truth is, by 11:30 PM, there were barely 20 people left standing in front of the stage. Everyone was just waiting for this disaster to finally wrap up...
Jan and I headed outside to wait for the police (which was the smartest move we could make), while ZF kept dragging out what was probably their longest set yet. They finally finished around 11:45 PM. The cops had already pulled up about 50 yards from the high school and were stepping out of their cruisers. We thought—phew, that was a close one. But then, we hear it from the courtyard: despite nobody asking for an encore, the band starts a whole new song!!!
Of course. At that point, we had to take drastic measures (something we’ve honestly never had to do before!). We cut the sound immediately, and since we were handling the gear(!), we warned the band that we were pulling the plug on the power right then and there. These jerks didn't give a damn and just kept playing. Fine. We cut the power, and that was that. We were prepared for things to get ugly with them afterward, but luckily, it didn't come to that...
Finally. That nightmare was over. We gave the agreed amount of cash to "little" Jan Kerekesh to hand over to them, while we went to talk to the officers.
Unfortunately, ZF had basically bullied Jan into letting them crash at his place for the night (I only found out later... what kind of "superstars" from overseas are these?!) so we could clean up the club and get ready for our morning responsibilities. We had zero desire or interest in talking to those ZF guys anymore; we just waited for them to finally pack up their van and get the hell out of the courtyard...
Later on, Jan told me they actually asked him for another $100 (!) because of the "good turnout" !?!?!?!?!??!?! And they claimed he should give them his own money!!! (So the deal was XXX + $100! = XXXX!?!?!?!) Those scumbags didn't even sell 20 tickets; most of the crowd showed up for COLD SNAP! Man, this is the last time the kids handle booking and running a show without us...
God, it's disgusting. I hope I never have to see the faces of those ZF guys again, let alone see them on a stage...
SUMMARY:
Since September, we've hosted about 50 shows at the high school. We've had everything from massive bands to tiny unknown acts across all genres. We've made a hundred new friends, and everyone left our city happy. In July '06, we're throwing a huge festival. We are the only venue in this area that consistently functions as a hub for youth urban culture, and all of this is the result of a few dedicated people and smart negotiating with local institutions and the big shots. We aren't going to let some alternative snobs ruin all that. Reasonable people can always find common ground; we've even hosted brutal punk and hardcore shows where everything worked out fine...
Those creeps shut the doors on our club and our organization, even though it never should have come to this. They took advantage of our good intentions and treated the kids who hosted them with total arrogance and disrespect. Honestly, I only regret that we didn't show up in Cleveland 6 or 7 years ago to show them what my generation thought of them and send them packing back to where they came from...
That's about it. I felt the need to say this because I can't stand arrogant, full-of-themselves people—especially "name" musicians who act like they're stadium stars from some drunken American tour. ZF has caused damage to other, much better, legitimate underground bands because, moving forward, most of our organizing efforts will be focused on old friends and musicians from Europe, America, and Australia... And hey, we don't feel a shred of guilt about that. We've been putting on shows since '92, and anyone who remembers the old scene knows exactly what I'm talking about. We've organized pretty much everything on the underground scene in New York City throughout history. Those were the good times, and I'm done dealing with caricatures like ZF. We paid our dues to the underground a long time ago.
The sheer arrogance and ego coming from Zeus Faber just proves to the kids—and once again to us older folks—that there’s absolutely no point wasting time or money on those overhyped, immature "internet illusions." Instead, we should be putting our energy back into supporting and building up actual projects within the local urban scene...
(By the way, just yesterday, two local bands played a show that drew about 200 people. Everything went perfectly smooth, with zero issues involving either the bands or the crowd.)
