Reprazent

A long overdue update...

Excuse me blogworld, for I have sinned. It has been over 8 months since I last posted a blog here on typepad. Many things have surely happened. I just failed to take a minute to write it all down.

First of all... I got engaged! Yep... took the ol' plunge in my favorite city: Paris, France!


Sarah wrote all about it HERE and HERE and HERE and ummm... one more HERE. She is SO MUCH BETTER at blogging than yours truly!

What else? We got a puppy! Her name is Simone and she's about 5 months old. She is the cutest dog ever and we sort of found her by accident. You see, we were looking at these oh-so-cute Australian Sheperd/Blue Heeler mix puppies on Petfinder. We filled out the application for one of these puppies and waited. The rescue organization sent over a volunteer to check out our humble abode and she asked us if she could bring the dog (Simone) that she was fostering. We said yes, she came over, we fell in love. End of story! ;) Sarah posted some great pics HERE. She's completely housetrained and lately we've been taking her to meet our other doggie friends around New England.


What happened to the band? Yes, I did play drums in a rock/soul power-trio called The Jordohn Bileau Collective. We played a bunch of shows in Providence, Fall River, Bristol, and New Bedford. Then Jordohn decided to drop the Collective (see: bassist Albert and me) and he moved on with his bad self. We got the announcement a bit late (he had already organized an acoustic tour-de-force)... but you can still hear the results of our efforts at CDBABY.com . Anyone looking for a drummer to jam with in Providence? lol.

I'm trying to get back into regular (weekly) blogging here folks... if you know me, try to hold me to it, OK?

A quick note...

OK folks. Hang on to your seats... Led Zeppelin is reuniting for a one-time charity concert. That's right, a full set of Led Zeppelin (with Jason Bonham filling in for his late father)!!! Mark Morford wrote a great article on the subject of the concert and the concept of the rock god. Click here for the BBC press release. Now, if I could only get a ticket! Yeah right... The O2 arena has 10,000 seats. 10,000 seats for a ba-jillion led zeppelin fans? What?!!!

And no, I won't sell my soul to the devil for some lame-ass Biggest Fan Contest. Yes I have a Zoso tattoo, but I don't own every piece of Led Zeppelin memorabilia known to man... and that shouldn't make you the biggest fan anyways. It's all about getting goosebumps when zep comes on the radio. It's about picking up Led Zeppelin 1 in the fifth grade and being BLOWN AWAY by the sheer monstrosity of rock n roll in your headphones. It's all about having the utmost respect for the greatest rock band that ever lived. :)

Ramblings, Rants, and Raves...

OK people... back again... this time I have a few things worth mentioning (it's been a while since my last post).

First, I'd like to start off with a post from an old friend. She's my sister's friend from way back in the day and she has kept it cool since the days of underoos. Anyways, a fellow vegetarian with a lot to say and I just wanted to share her most recent post with y'all. Alexis, let me know if you want me to take this down....

Try The Veal

_________________________________________________________________________________________
What do you recommend? Ooh, try the Veal. No, I don't eat meat, epecially veal. Even when I did eat meat, I never ate veal. For anyone who has any idea what veal is... and if you don't then you've officially been living under a rock your entire life, and you eat it, then you are a f*!*ng selfish monster, and "i" recommend that you get rid of yourself.

This occurred to me the other night when someone [sic] ordered the Veal. I recommended the mac+cheese just to assure myself that she would go home and sh*! her brains out immediately after consuming her fat baby cow flesh. Like she needs any more fat. The most disturbing fact is, you could tell a person exactely what they are eating and they don't care. It's almost as if these people are robots with no heart or soul and they just don't register anything you say. Either that, or.. they say something ignorant like, it's "the normal way of doing things" "i've eaten it my whole life" "it tastes good" "you need it for protein".

I've been vegetarian on and off for at least 11 years. I can't believe i've ever been off and i have no reason or excuse for doing that. What started my eating habits for the rest of my life was a comment this dumb bitch made concerning turkeys. "I eat turkeys because they are ugly". I decided right then and there that I didn't want to be anything like these [sic] people and my compassion for animals bloomed once again like a beautiful wildflower... because for the most part, animals are wayyyy better than most humans.
- Love, Alexis" _________________________________________________________________________________________

Right on Alexis! I can't stand people who make excuses for the stupid stuff they do every day. "I have to eat meat for the protein." NO. Sorry. There are body-builders that are vegetarians. Rhinos -- you know the rhinoceros... that immense creature that can weigh up to one ton (2,000 lbs). Yeah, well rhinos are vegetarians. Herbivores. See: They don't eat meat. And they grow enough muscles to move around a 2000 pound body. I've never heard of a protein deficient rhino. Why? Because they don't frickin exist! I've been a pescatarian for over 4 years now and I haven't had any problems either.

Music... and more Music

Moving on. Let's see. It's been a busy week. Last weekend was madness! Friday Sarah and I gorged ourselves on $54 worth of sushi at Tokyo (Providence). The sushi is pretty inexpensive here, so you can imagine the amount we ate! Sushi - You are my weakness!

Rock The Bells

Saturday was intense as well. I sold my Police at Fenway tickets (thanks Kristen!) and Sarah and I rocketed down to NYC to see the Rock the Bells show. Let's see... We made it just in time for the Talib Kweli and Mos Def (Blackstar) show. AMAZING. Talib opened with his most famous jams (Move Somethin, Too Late, I Try, Get By) and then Mos jumped on stage for a few Blackstar numbers (Definition, Brown Skin Lady, Respiration) and then Mos finished with his own jams (Ms. Fat Booty, Sex Love & Money, Boogie Man, Ghetto Rock, Close Edge, Hip Hop, and Love). They even rocked out to some Sister Nancy "Bam Bam". What a show!!! I'll try to throw some pics up here when I get a chance.

Mos Def on the LCD:

So after Mos and Kweli left the stage it was time for Public Enemy. Now I've been a Public Enemy fan since the 5th grade. We're talking almost 20 years ago here folks. My god it was good to see Chuck D rock the mic. The set included "Terrordome" “Shut Em Down” “He Got Game” “Public Enemy #1” and many other classics. Chuck D seemed to be concerned (as I was) that he was preaching his messages to a mostly (90%) white crowd. Seriously. Either most people were here to see Rage or maybe the real hip-hop fans didn't want to spend $100 to spend a day in the sweltering sun. Flava Flav wasted a bunch of time talking about his reality show and an upcoming Comedy Central roast. What the??? He also introduced the crowd to 3 of his children. It seemed like the rest of the band was not on the same page... but also that maybe they were used to Flava's antics (he's a total crackhead nutjob!). A great highlight of the show was "Bring the Noize" which included an appearance by Scott Ian from Anthrax!!! Made me think of that Married With Children episode when Anthrax comes over and they eat the mystery package in the fridge. LOL.

Next was The Roots who played for a full hour. It was a great set with a full horn section!! (we're talking even a sousaphone people!) They rocked their most popular jams (gotta love "The Seed", "The Next Movement", "Star", and best of all "Act Too - The Love of My Life" -- they even included the usual cover - but this time it was "Jungle Boogie" -- same lame cover that they did at Coachella!).

Next was Cypress Hill. Typical Cypress here... hits from da bong, how one could just kill a man, I wanna get high, latin lingo... I guess they don't arrest people for smoking huge spliffs on stage anymore!

B Real in a cloud of smoke...

After that was Wu-Tang. I have never been a huge fan (positivity is a bit lacking) so Sarah and I sat this one out on the sidelines. There's something weird about a crowd full of whiteys singing along to the Wu-Tang Clan. The Wu was pissed at the lack of energy from the crowd. I was pissed that their sound system sucked big balls. They had a point about the lack of energy. The crowd was mad lame. It's a friggin hip-hop festival people! Start wylin out!!! Put away those Calvin Kleins and get yoself some fresh new pumas!

Getting Ready for the Rage

Last but not least. Rage Against The Machine. The sun had gone down and the moon had come up. The air was alive with energy. I've seen these guys about 10 times but every time it's a quasi-religious event. Over the PA, Zack De La Rocha with his usual opening “We are Rage Against The Machine from Los Angeles, California.” Pure electricity flowed from the speakers. "Guerrilla Radio", "Tire Me", "Down Rodeo", "Calm Like a Bomb", "Freedom", "Killing in the Name Of", etc. An amazing "Wake Up" was preceded by an great anti-war/anti-Bush speech where Zack clarified Rage's reported position regarding the Bush Administration. Fox News wrongfully (and strategically using chopped up sound clips) quoted Rage as saying Bush "should be assassinated." Zack clarified the position, being that Bush should be "brought to trial as a war criminal, hung, and shot." Zack also demanded that we end the suffering of American soldiers and their families... and most importantly, the suffering of Iraqi citizens and children who are forced to fight against the occupation of "an empire that needs to start wars to keep its economy going.” If I find the footage on youtube, I'll throw it up here.
Here you go:

Tom Morello was getting tremendous feedback from his amp and the sounds he made were pure bliss. An amazing concert and an amazing trip with Sarah! Many thanks to Evan (Disco Dawg) for letting us crash in Harlem!

A 311 Sandwich

Whew. It was back to Rhode Island Sunday morning. A quick lunch, pack the car with speakers, and it was off again. This time to my parents' house for my sister's going away party! She's moving to Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Dominic on August 14th! Good times at the party... it was great to see family that I haven't seen in a long while as well as a bunch of friends! :) A few helpings of baked ziti and a few Newcastles later it was time to get to the Tweeter Center for some 311 and Matisyahu!!! We got stuck in some crazy ass torrential downpours and made it to the show just in time for 311. It stopped raining by then and although we missed Matisyahu, 311 put on a great set! Matisyahu did join the band for one song. :) 311 are awesome performers. If you like their music in the least, check out a live show. I can't even count how many times I've seen them... they never let a brother down.

On Why Women Hate Themselves - The Face of Beauty
More video. Caught these videos on Sky's friend's (Andrew) myspace. Genius.

Bush At His Best (Worst)

JBC, Recycling and other notable notes...

Glad to see that folks have been checking the blog whenever I advertise a new post! Typepad lets you check your stats (daily views, etc.) and it's always encouraging to see the readership numbers!

A couple things on the recycling issue (from my last post). Dunkin has not responded yet but their online email form did say that it may take a while as I'm sure they receive thousands of emails per day. I started thinking about styrofoam recycling today. Styrofoam is the trademark name of a Dow product - but Americans use this term generically to refer to all polystyrene foam products, cups, plates, peanuts, etc. Anyways... Dunkin uses styrofoam cups for most of its hot beverages. They still use paper cups if you order a small coffee or tea (and that's why I always stick to the small). But, is it really better to use paper? A cup-maker offers a pro-foam argument. (Biased you say? - Here's another article from an environmental source. You can even build houses out of the stuff!!) With the temperatures dropping here in the Northeast and with coffee being preferred as a hot beverage, Dunkin uses a LOT of foam.



Some communities like the University of Vermont and private industrial recycling services offer recycling for foam products. Does your community offer this service? In my experience, the only residential recycling offered here in the Northeast is for #1 and #2 plastics, bottles, metals/cans, and paper goods. I suspect that these goods are the easiest to recycle and are the most profitable for the recycler. A private recycling facility in PA allows you to mail in packaging foam to them but that seems to be a bit costly! Millcreek PA offers recycling of the typical packaging styrofoam which is different from the regular foam used in coffee cups. Confused? Here's some more facts about foam. Either way, it seems difficult to recycle foam coffee cups unless you go to the University of Vermont. Grrrr.



So, what can we do? How do we convince the big chain stores like Dunkin Donuts to offer recycling for its foam coffee cups as well as its plastic cups? We know the technology is there. Is it too costly for these companies to recycle? But what if the greening and public image qualities of a recycling program outweigh the costs of the actual recycling? Could a recycling program boost sales enough to cover the costs? If you have stats on these issues, please send them my way!

On to the next item....

JBC plays at TRIO this SATURDAY!!!

Jordohn Bileau Collective @ Trio 201 South Main Street Fall River, MA
All Ages show, 21 to drink.

Doors at 9 PM Show starts at 10 PM
More info HERE! (they spelled our name wrong again, oh well!)

Come on down for some tasty beverages, great food, good people, and the JBC!!!

ANOTHER NOTE: We're having t-shirts and stickers printed for the band this week. We are very excited to be able to have stickers to hand out to fans as well as shirts for sale at our upcoming gigs! Thanks to Bryan for hooking us up with a gig at the Mirror Image party this Friday and thanks to Lara, Heather, and Sarah for working on this for us!!! The t-shirts will have the "baby with headphones" logo on a brown shirt, much like the logo below. We'll have all sizes available as well as shirts for the ladies!



FINALLY, have you seen Dominic's new blog? It's freakin hillarious! Check it out if you're in need of a laugh. Maybe you have to know Dom to get the humor, but I think it's a riot either way you cut it. :) Keep up the good work Dommers!!!

One Last Year Before the Big Three Zero.

So last Saturday was my birthday.  That's right, 29 years down and only one more year before the big three-zero.  Scary stuff indeed.  A bit more scary considering the fact that I still don't look a day older than 20.  Oh well. 

It was truly an awesome birthday and I am thankful for the wonderful people who made it special. So here's how the day went... Sarah and I got up early (I had a closing that morning) and she made me some sweet french toast to get me going. We met up after my closing (11 AM) and drove into Boston to see the game at Fenway (Red Sox vs Braves at 1 PM). Checked into Motel 6 in Braintree and hopped on the T (conveniently across the street) to Red Line it to Fenway.

Once we got to Boston (12:40 PM), we met up with Shiloh and Ashley (preggers with Shiloh's 2nd baby!) at Pizzeria Uno. We ordered some beers and waited. Shiloh reveals that he brought a bottle of Poland Spring (really 12 fluid ounces of vodka) for the game. The waitress comes back to the table to say that it will be a wait for the beers (they were changing the taps). I tell her we're in a hurry so we'll take two Sprites. Enter Sprites, commence mixing of said Sprite with said vodka... chug chug chug for Shiloh and I... and we're off to the game (which we see has started on the Uno plasma TVs - Julio Lugo blasts a homer in the first before we leave). Sarah seemed to be in a hurry to get to the game. I was thinking to myself, she really loves baseball... little did I know the real reason for her impatience...

Sarah and I at the game (Section 18 of the Grandstand!)



Shiloh and Ashley enjoying the game

So we get to the game... Matzusaka is pitching a gem against the Braves. We're up 6-0 in the 5th and this comes up on the huge Fenway screen:

Is that amazing or what?!!! That's why Sarah was in a rush to get to the game! I guess when you reserve a message for the board, they tell you that it will show sometime between the 1st and the 8th inning. Kinda reminds me of when they tell you the cable man will be coming sometime between 8 am and noon. Big window for error right there. Anyways... Sarah is the bomb for throwing that on the screen. I didn't even know what to say, I was in so much awe!!! lol. We met up with Evan and Maria during the 7th inning:

So... a couple more vodka/Sprites at the game, a couple beers, and the Red Sox beat out the Braves by a crushing score of 13-3. We exit the stadium to play some pool at Jillian's. A couple dirty martinis and a corona later Evan and Maria take off and we hit the streets to attempt to sell Ashley's tickets (bleachers) for the night game of the double-header. This was a great choice not only because of the impending rain, but because of the fact that the Red Sox lost 11-0 that night. We rocked the ticket sales pitch and after a bunch of hooting and hollering (mainly by the intoxicated yours truly - "get your tickets so I can get my drink on!"), we sold the tickets at face value. I probably would have felt like a dirty ticket scalper if I wasn't wasted. Then again, if you sell at face value, it ain't scalping either. Shiloh was pretty wasted and he hit the train back to Riverside with Ashley (pregnant and sober - of course!). :)

It was back to Motel 6 for us after the game. I needed some water and a power nap. We met up with Sarah's sister Jess and her boy Jay (they shared the room with us) and commenced napping (aka passing out). We awoke to find Jess and Jay:

That's right. In the bathtub with an empty bottle of Behringer's wine. Apparently they had some catching up to do! I, on the otherhand, already had a hangover. Time for a shower and more water... we all got ready for some late night dancing and we were off to Cambridge. Rocked some thai food at the place across from Middlesex Lounge and then met up with Kevin, Medora, Meg, Dave, my sister, and Dominic at the club.

OK. Note to self. When going to Middlesex, get there before 10. The line starts developing after 10 pm and they slow admission to the club to a snails pace... unless you know someone at the door, or show your tits or whatever. No thanks. I even tried pulling the "but it's my birthday" card. No dice. Dave, Meg, Kev, Medora, my sis, and Dom were already in the club while we had to wait an hour or so to get in. Very lame. Whatever... I knew it would be a good night of dancing so I waited. I grew impatient as Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" bumped on the stereo. That's my jam. (right Shiloh?). Anyways... we get in before midnight, rock a plethora of gin n tonics and shake booty to the groove of selections from DJ Kon -- Stevie Wonder, MJ (what birthday is complete without Michael?), the Pharcyde, Biggie, Prince, Bowie, you name it.

Sarah and I :)

Dave and Meg :)
Around 12:30 or so Sky and Dickey arrive (all the way from Vermont!!!). Now that's dedication folks! I can't wait to visit Sky at her lake house (Burlington) next month. After the club closed, we had a little VT gathering at Sky's brother's place (Southie) and then boogied on back to Motel 6. Breakfast at a sweet diner in the AM and then back to Providence. So that's it folks. A fabulous birthday with great people to enjoy it with. Thank you to everyone who made it special! Shiloh, Ashley, Evan, Maria, Jess, Jay, Deb, Dom, Dave, Meg, Kevin, Medora, Sky, Dickey, and especially Sarah!!!

me, Dickey and Sky!

A Fresh New Start

So the cleanse is over!  Sarah and I ended our respective cleanses on Tuesday evening of this week.  If you recall, she was on a juice cleanse while I was still rockin the master cleanse (Burroughs' lemon juice, maple syrup and a pinch of cayenne in a glass of water).  I still can't believe we lasted 7 days without solid food.  We could have went longer but the trip to NYC on Wednesday made us reevaluate and decide to end the cleanse.  So, what happened?  Well, we both have a new outlook on what we eat.  We've been eating healthier and organic ever since (also trying to stay away from simple starches and high fructose corn syrup).  We lost a few pounds too!  I lost 8 pounds in 7 days.  Sarah lost 5.  I think the lemon juice really did a great job of removing whatever the heck was in my intestines.  The cleanse also makes your stomach a bit smaller.  We're finding that even though we're eating solids, we get full a lot earlier which helps keep the portion size under control.  It's not like either of us needed a diet or a smaller stomach... but the resulting benefits are there... it will be very easy to maintain our bodies if we keep up the 6 small meals a day (instead of our usual bagel breakfast (if any), lunch, and huge dinner).  The last day of the cleanse (Tuesday) we ran 1.6 miles at Blackstone Boulevard!  We're getting back to the gym this week so we'll see if we gained any of the weight back.  (I hear you gain half of the weight loss back during the first week).  So that's it on the cleanse report.  I'll have some pictures from our recent jaunt in NYC with Kelly and friends in the next post.  Enjoy the sunshine!!!

Day 6... Cleanse, Coachella, Carnegie

Day 6 of the cleanse has ended.  We're in the home stretch now!  I feel like I've dropped ten pounds.  My face definitely shows it.  Official weigh in is tomorrow morning before our first gym workout in a couple weeks.  With California and the cleanse, this brother's been taking it easy. 

Today Sarah, Bryan and I were watching the Food Network.  Some special about famous desserts... or "how to torture a man on the master cleanse, part one."  I can't wait to eat real food!  We have to ease ourselves back into the solids.  I already bought some Stonyfield farms yogurt and some garlic and chive hummus... I'm ready!  We've decided to end the cleanse tomorrow night.  Seven days is plenty for me.  I could have easily gone 10 days but thanks to a sweet invite by miss Kelly Mooij, we're going to NYC Wednesday night for a Carnegie performance of Beethoven.  We're going out to dinner before the show and I don't want to be rude... nor can I stand watching people eat anymore!!!  lol.  I know, I know... excuses, excuses.  Whatever.  I can cleanse again if need be.  I know I have the willpower and determination.  And hey, I do love lemons!!!  I'm psyched to be able to catch up with Kelly and possibly a few Syracuse peeps for post-show drinks.  :)

This weekend was great... a successful yard sale ($400!), great Cinco de Mayo parties at Jordohn and Heather's and Dave and Meg's places, and a little more yard work was finished.  :)

Right now I'm drinking my last cup of Senna Leaf tea for a while.  Not so yummy, but it keeps the elvises leaving the building.  Man, have I seen some weird stuff come from the inner workings of my intestines!  Lovely thoughts.  Sunshine and caramels.

 

Finally uploaded the Coachella pictures.  What a trip that was.  Last week (april 26-30), my roomie (Bryan) and I went to the amazing 3-day festival in Indio, California that is Coachella.  We had an amazing time.  Before the festival, I was able to catch up with a bunch of Cuse peeps and my man, Hemal.  I saw Joelle and hung out with her at the beach for a while.  We had our first celebrity sighting at a random diner in Santa Monica!  Ben Harper was chillin there with a milkshake.  Crazy.  We all went to dinner at a sweet mexican restaurant.  Joelle and her bf, Bryan and I, Hemal and his lady (MJ), and Dave and his better half, Beth.  Dave (Bryan's homeboy) is the guy who introduced me to the master cleanse.

 

After dinner, Bryan and I went to a bar (Golden Gopher) in downtown LA where we met up with Dave, Beth and some of my Cuse peeps.  I hadn't seen Matt, Chris, or Melanie in forever!!!  The last time I saw Matt was the last time I was in LA.  Apparently he is on going on tour with a friend of his this summer.  Living the rock star life... what else could I expect from my former bandmate?  I hadn't seen Mel since college!  She's doing well in LA... new boyfriend, good job, keeping busy with volunteer work, the usual... Chris is still rocking the NYC style and he was heading to the festival too... we had a good conversation about the typical thoughts of a twenty-something... relationships, whether to settle down, careers, etc.  With everyone getting married lately, it was good to connect with people that are on the same page.  The Golden Gopher is definitely a cool bar.  :)

   

After the Gopher, Bryan and I crashed at Beth's place (with Dave).  The accomodations were perfect and the conversation was hillarious that evening.  We awoke to an AMAZING vegan breakfast which prepared us quite well for the three day festival marathon.  What does she put in her breakfast scramble?  I must find out!!!  Time to experiment!  :)  Great breakfast conversation and we were on our way to the show.  Thanks again Dave and Beth!

So... Coachella.  We rented a brand new Dodge Avenger (3 miles on it when we picked it up), loaded up on food, drink, and sunscreen, and drove 2 hours east of LA to the Indio polo grounds.  Bryan met up with his friend Amanda.  I met up with Hemal on Sunday.  What bands did we see?  Well, a lot.  We missed a couple bands (Regina Spektor, Silversun Pickups, Lupe Fiasco, Ratatat) that I wanted to see but with the temps in the high 90s, it was tough to brave the heat for the entire festival.  Let's just say that shade was a hot commodity in the middle of the desert.  Plus, I've already seen Regina and Ratatat. 

It was pretty tough to see everyone.  Sometimes you had to leave one stage so you could catch another favorite at a different stage.  Very difficult.  We did catch Bjork (so good!), the Artic Monkeys (a pleasant surprise), DJ Shadow, Peaches, Brazilian Girls (always a favorite!), Felix Da Housecat, Amy Winehouse, Red Hot Chili Peppers (Bryan was at LCD Soundsystem), the Arcade Fire, Air (short set - bummer), DJ Teisto, the Decemberists, Kings of Leon (another great surprise), the Rapture (awesome), the Black Keys, the New Pornographers, Ozomatli, the Nightwatchman (not so good), Girl Talk (random!), Lady Miss Kier (love the Deee-Lite grooves!), Cut Chemist, Manu Chao (fantastic), Willie Nelson (finally!), the Roots, Soul Wax Nite Versions, Lily Allen (awesome but short set), and last, but certainly not least, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE.  I was so freakin psyched to see Rage.  After three days of festival livin in the desert my body was so beat.  It was a great show... very political and inspiring as ever.  The festival was great... cool art sculptures and huge pop-art pieces you could hang out under for shade, great vibes, good people, amazing music, clean facilities (for a festival), showers!, blue skies, warm nights, a random tripped-out naked dude, misting tents, cold beers, the A/C of the Avenger, and a random escape from Rhode Island.  I highly recommend it if you can deal with the heat.  :)  Thanks to Bryan for being a great travel buddy and an excellent MacGyver margarita maker.  Note: tequila is great for a festival that serves frozen minute maid treats.  :)

 

The Intro Blog

Ok folks... the time has come.  I have been inspired by Sarah to create a weblog and here we go!  Bear with me... I'm new to the game and it might be a bit shaky at first. 

So what's new?  Who is this guy named Rich and why the need for a blog?  Well, first of all, I want to stay in touch with my people.  Many of my closest friends tend to live in far-away places... no complaints here, as it gives me a great excuse to travel!  It will also be nice to keep in touch with the family as my sister will soon be moving out west to Cali.  Maybe I can even teach my Dad to use a computer!  Now that's an idea!  I would also like to connect with folks here in Rhode Island and around the world who share my own interests and can offer insight by sharing their thoughts?

So who am I?  Well, the name is Rich.  I'm 28 (soon to be 29).  I work at a small law firm here in Rhode Island, specializing in real estate and environmental law.  I live in Providence, the capital of nation's smallest state and I work in Warwick.  I'm originally from Worcester, Massachusetts and my folks still live in Auburn.  My dad was an ice-cream man (no joke) and my mom was the traditional homemaker.  My sister, Debra (24), is an amazing artist (currently teaching in central MA).  We both went to Syracuse University for college, where I double majored in Political Science and Psychology (she was the VPA girl).  I have always been a huge Orange basketball fan and I always will!  After college, I ventured further north to South Royalton, Vermont to attend Vermont Law School.  There I received a Juris Doctor as well as a Master of Studies in Environmental Law.  Let's see... then I passed the MA and RI bar exams in 2003 and became an attorney at the ripe age of 25.  It's great to have all this under my belt at an early age, but considering the fact that most people don't think I look a day older than 20, let's just say that it can be tough to get some credit in the courtroom or the conference room! 

OK... so I blah blah blahed about my education and the reasons why the government student loan devil currently holds my soul in escrow, right?  Well yes.  But I'm gonna git that sucka someday.  Anyways... what makes this blogger tick?  Well... frankly... too many things to mention.  Here's an attempt to some it up in a nutshell:

I am a lover of music.  I just got back from a 3-day festival in Indio, California called Coachella.  More about that later (with pics, reviews, etc.).  I play the drums in a band called the Jordohn Bileau Collective.  We play a mix of rock, soul and funk.  I also play guitar and bass and listen to all kinds of music from classical to industrial with an emphasis on hip-hop and funk.  I'm also starting a recording studio in my home now that I have firewire capabilities!

I love nature and the outdoors.  Hiking, camping, birdwatching, running, softball, going to the beach, snowboarding, you named it.  I'm an environmentalist.  We need to protect our planet, conserve and recycle our resources, and elect the leaders that can ensure international compliance.  I love to volunteer when I have free time and the Audubon Society of Rhode Island is one of my favorite organizations. 

Travelling is also a favorite, with Paris at the top of my list of cities.   

I sport a pretty decent green thumb.  You can find me at my house watering plants, in the backyard tending to veggies and flowers, digging in the dirt, or thinking up my next garden adventure.  I love to learn about gardening and visiting others' creations.  Oh yeah, I bought a house in March of 06.  It has a decent little backyard... small space, but so many possibilities!!!

If we are what we eat, I'm a lacto-ovo-pescatarian.  What?  No, I'm not from another planet.  It just means that I eat mostly vegetables... but I also consume fish, dairy and eggs... however no other meat (no chicken, beef, pork, etc).  Why?  Well, let's just say that I learned too much about the whole industrialized factory farm system we use in the U.S.  It's inhumane, unsafe for human consumption, destroys the environment, and is morally reprehensible.  My vegan and vegetarian friends would say that I am inhumane for eating fish and/or dairy and eggs... that's fine.  I, as opposed to most vegans/vegetarians, do not believe that it is wrong to consume another living being.  I just prefer that it be done humanely.  I will even consume animals that have been hunted (huge fan of venison).  I want to have my own farm and animal rescue cooperative someday.  There's much to do before that can happen, but that is just one of my goals.