Jonas Sykes.net

Hey reader, a small update for a change. I got a 84% on Block 8 and an all time low of 72% on Block 9.

So I just called Verizon and asked about getting a new phone. I talked to the represenative. Let’s see how customer service works

Well its that time again. I am getting over a horrible head cold which sort of decommissioned me about 3 days. I still have a bit of a cold. I bought some awesome Fisherman’s Friend throat loasengers, which helped a bit.

Lets see on Saturday night I went to a show here in Whitchita Falls at a American Legion. The bands aren’t that important except to say there were touring bands and in that respect they are impoortant. I danced like crazy even though the music was far from my cup of Tea. I danced with a ton of kids from my squadron and it was all fun. The thing is I like to do things my way out there and always have needless to say I like to have fun.

Much Much Later

I got a 84% on my block 7 test on Fuel systems…blah (good news I passed) and without going into it, my squardon is on lockdown for the weekend and I am an unwilling victim of a lack of discipline by fucking asshole kids who want to rebel against the fucking rules and keep fucking tobacco in the dorm rooms. Also I learned that fucking kids are fucking stupid assholes and buy shit they can’t afford. Haha anyways.. I have my Block 8 on Power Plant systems on Tuesday so this weekend is the ultimate study session.

Another subject I want to touch on in this post is price markups on independent music by sellers on ebay. I found Streetlight Manifesto’s “Somewhere in the Between” LP for 60 OBO on. Orange Vinyl (limited to 166.) I offered him 40 and to my suprise he accepted it. I thought it was odd till I checked the Victory Records site (who as a label I think suck ass) They were still selling the record for 11.95 lol So my 40 dollar friend eat my fucking ass and shove your sale up your greedy ass I would rather pay 11.95 X 2 and get both colors (Tan) and spend the rest of the money buying something worth supporting. If they suspend and discontinue my ebay membership I have had since 9th grade feel free. I would rather loose that than support some asshole.

UPDATE: I felt really justified in buying all 3 colors (orange, blue, tan) for less than this guy was charging for one.

I also wanted to touch on the ongoing subject of my beautiful life, I am a month out from going to Arkansas and getting my 14 days of HOT training. Nothing is going to stop me from getting my maintenance badge! Graduation here I come!

“I know it�s hypocritical to point fingers at the people who point fingers. But when we all march to the beat of the same different drummer, the steps start to come off like clockwork. I guess I�m saying we could stand to be nicer because when you�re in a basement talking shit and interspersing it with speaking in namedrops and units, I must admit I�m not the best when on the defensive. I�d rather steal your whiskey than your heart in conversation. I�d rather break three strings a song then stick to a routine like I�m ripe for the picking after growing on a tree and then talk about the industry, cross-market positivity with vinyl nerds and brightly colored, quirky messy record sleeves. I�d rather be vomiting and I despise vomiting. Blugh. But thanks for the beer.

I appreciate your time but can we talk about something else? If you really think that you and I are on the same page you can go ahead and fuck yourself. Because you�ve got coke and good looks, I�ve got overdue library books so let�s be friends and change the subject now.

�Cause the last thing I wanna be is another negative asshole. Like God speaks through my acoustic guitar and I�ve got the perfect set of morals on a dry erase board at the front of the house.

FOLLOW THESE CONDITIONS OR WE�LL KICK YOUR ASS OUT:

Vegans only: NO MEAT ALLOWED!

Straight edge only: NO DRINKING ALLOWED!

Fixed gears only: NO THREE-SPEEDS ALLOWED!

Me me me!!!: I�M SMART! I�M RIGHT! I�M SMART!

I think it�s dumb when you take the inherently fun like riding bikes and singing songs and say they�re not for everyone as if for your whole life you were cool as shit.�

Punk tourist!��Cause you still beg for cash cause you spent your parents� last on a Greyhound to the Fest and your jacket says Crass but I don�t give an ass I�m not giving you fifty cents so that you can buy a forty and destroy a hotel party as the man who shrugs your mess up shrugs and says, �This non-conformity looks like conformity, like boring nice people pose threats to your authority. This positivity is negativity and you boys sure left me with a mess to clean.�Smile big, hug bigger. Talk big, act bigger. Stop judging do something, shut the fuck up do something. Instead of sneering at my friends and me �cause we�re not stealing buy a troubled friend a drink at the bar and tip well. Don�t spend your time scoffing when do that you�re just scoffing like the people who scoff at us while defending our community. You�re a teacher, you�re a parent, you�re the head of a dictatorship. When the ground is covered up in rules you�re guaranteed to power trip.This non-conformity looks like conformity. Why should anyone believe in our community? This organization doesn�t feel like anarchy �cause we�re suiting up to have the same identity and the boring nice people say, �Shut up the punx!� All the people who have barbecues to feed their friends and family, �Shut up the punx!� All the people writing zines with information, not just blaming things, �Shut up the punx!� All the boys and girls are fed up” – BTMI

You may not be suprised. I scored an 88% again for a record third time in Track Classes. Oh well onward to block 7 and I guess I am only sorta upset about the score. I could have scored a hundred, the three I missed were freaking stupid and if I would have thought about it a bit longer I would have gotten it.

I am almost done with Choke and I watched the movie finally, it is amazing. Speaking of amazing movies Gran Torino is spectacular. Uh my class leader loaned me some book about witchcraft. Called

Nocturnal Witchcraft

Haha I am going to read it all before I get out of here as a new literary goal. As far as real goals goes I am 4 months out from being debt free and have enough flow for any unforeseen circumstances. My wife is amazing and she is soooo patient with this process and I feel I am the luckiest man alive because of how rad she is. With everyday I am closer to having a bad ass rewarding career and I plan on doing all the little shit I been meaning to start in the next year or whenever. Including but not limited to and in no paticular order asshole:

Wow, its been awhile since I have updated. I find myself sometimes unable to move on till I make at least an attempt to organize my thoughts. Lets start by saying I am feeling a bit better as I can see the end of tech school off in the distance.

I have been a little more short with people in my life as of late as my patience for the tired old routine wears thin.

I told this kid off today, I told him I would do his taxes for him a couple weeks ago and he has been bothering me about it every chance I get to breathe I finally told him to go fuck himself. I hate how I try and help people or at least offer and that somehow means I owe that person something.

I am sick to death of being here while my wife is back home. I can’t be there as she needs me and I need her. I am sick of having to eat the food here. This place is boring and the things I do during the week make it almost unbearable. I decided to go donate blood. On Wednesday so I can get out of PT I mean how bad is that?

I am due to take the Block 6 test in a few days at least. I don’t know how confident I feel in the material I want to think I understand it but I don’t know though. I am not really as sad and mad feeling as I think I am making myself sound. I just wished this was all over sometimes and I was in AR already.

I am going to do RAP and have already started taking those steps necessary for that. Isn’t that ironic? Getting people to sign up for the same crap I am hating right now. Not that I am regretful of my decisions just frustrated with how long this has been.

Enough of the woe is me shit.

I bought some new records (they were having a sale about a week ago)

Here is a list of what I splurged on this last week:

Happy Valentines day everyone. Single. Married, Seperated etc. You are all bad ass people regardless, don’t kill yourself over this middle day in Febuary just watch your favorite movie, drink or put on your favorite records and fucking dance and remember nothing is as ever as bad as you think it is, this day like others pass unnoticed just like bad Mondays at work.

Anyways my day has been strange. I watched “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” which was of course another mainstream attempt to cash in on independent music culture. By trying to capture the subversive elements of what makes independent music inaccessible for those unfamiliar with the subcultural channels in which we embrace to help counter the fucking pop culture they shove down our throats. The same movie industry whose very own PR departments have resorted to trying to sell us watching movies about us watching ourselves back at us. Some cutesy love story about some fictious band about some made up fucking passion for something that isn’t fucking real. A slap in the face for everyone who knows what they like. A slap in the face for those of you who criss cross the country playing, touring and being a real person making real music with real beliefs. Maybe I can’t enjoy it because it was marketed towards me. The main supporting character said the phrase ‘Straight Edge” and talked about it over and over. I dont even identify with this but stay the fuck away from us and our passions. Nothing worse than another attempt to try and bastardize us and make us a sellable market. Stick more akward teenagers in more “independent” movies believe me its working! I am handing you all my money.

I wrote a long ass song today. I have the beat in my head imagine something that sounds like the Beatles but with more AWESOME. I’ll post the lyrics in the next couple days. After I work out some of the wording. This brings the total of workable songs to 5. I need to record this shit and get it out there before its lost. I am thinking of starting a writings page on the blog here for my ramblings.

Here you go imagine if you as us and imagine the hate we have for the demographic type speak in which you identify us. You can’t market that which is free.

“US: Someone the other day was telling me about marketing and how it is so important for a band to sell a t-shirt. I told him that the money goes right back into the same thing and now we’re just a breeding ground for more and more consumers. And sellout, shmellout, it’s not about that. But I didn’t have a problem when I had no cash. Now we perpetuate this need to sell x units every night and if we don’t meet our quota, man, we’re gonna get into another fight.

THEM: Williamsburg has got the lights turned low and a moron with a laptop is calling this poetry. A singer with a thrift amp brags “Vintage Circuitry”. I saw him on the cover of Bop or Seventeen crooning “I’m so lonely/Life is empty/Where’s my coke and fucking money?” Tonight at the bar I got a good look at the enemy. He said “My job’s looking good and someone else can write the songs for me.” Take a look at your haircut. You’re killing me. Take a look at your glasses. You’re killing me. Placement of the piercings. You’re killing me. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight.Take a look at your ripped jeans. You’re killing me. Take a look at your Converse. You’re killing me. Get a shirt that fits you. You’re killing me. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Soon we’ll be in the clear When we get out of here Where style is function And our egos make us fight. For now we’ll live in fear. We’re not sexy enough for this atmosphere. Someone blow it up tonight. Please blow it up tonight. Now we’re cloning sheep. Writing garbage in their diaries. Reading their AP. Watching Fuse TV. Kill it, c’est la vie. Fashion show = your scene. Bomb the industry.Then run away or watch the blast. I’m getting out, man, kiss my ass. I’m going nowhere, nowhere fast. I’m going nowhere nowhere nowhere” – Bomb The Music Industry – Does Your Face Hurt? No? ‘ Cause It’s Killin’ Me!!!

What a day it has been. First off the good stuff. I passed my block 5 test. I scored a 88% which I deserved for not fully not understanding the material. I am halfway done with Tech school (its agonizing) I also had a very relaxing day my class watched “Event Horizon” which was easily the stupidest sci-fi movie I have ever seen. Then we were under tornado advisory and weren’t allowed to leave the squadron. Then we were watching some episode of Deadwood. Lol and then we were told to get the fuck out of the hanger at like 330 and told to not even bother sizing in and we marched at ease/ran back to the squadron because the big bad tornado was going to kill us! So yeah, uh and then I played some Sim Ant for like 2 hours and then helped my classmate who failed study for an hour (because im a nice guy damnit!) So yeah we have been on off and on lockdown since we got back. I got CQ this weekend im a CQrunner and I got a stupid briefing for CQ on Thursday because it takes a briefing to sit on my ass for 8 hours.

I am getting close now that I am over halfway done with this place and I can sew that Maintenance Badge on my chest and stick that pin on my Blues. I am going to call my next commander at my new base and tell him all about myself and how I want to be the best damn C-130 crew chief I can be! I am mentally preparing myself for this job I must do and I am getting some intensity for what I must do.

My amazing wife has gone and done something so totally amazing I can only show a picture

I can’t even begin to tell you how proud and choked up this makes me

So yeah thats about it. Been listening to Medium Rare and the new Morrissey and studying the next chapter on Landing Gear (because planes have to take off and land and shit lol) I really want to buy the new split with This Will Destroy You and Lymbyc Systm on Clear! I will wait till pay day. Records are a disease!

“The commotion around me astounds me Tomorrow there’s a solace which grounds me I’ve got both of my feet on the ground I’m not sure where to look for my head A tranquil madness I’ve found Or maybe it’s found me instead Too late, ride it out Am I safe being on the inside? Just when I come down I’ll relax and just wait out the ride I don’t wanna run to my future But I sure want to run from my past Today I’m just gonna stay here and pray that the way that I feel will last” -MMB

I was reading the Gifts From Enola blog today and was sorta amazed at how well this was articulated

And we will party hard.

On a completely different note, Temporary Residence will be releasing a split record featuring Thursday and Envy soon. It has already leaked to the interweb. I believe that its both great musically and of great importance because it shows Thursday doing what they really want to do and not what Victory Records wants. Why? Because they’re no longer on that label. Because fuck big labels, mass distribution and advertising and a tour bus are not worth the vitality and honesty of that which you pour your soul into.

Thursday, along most notably with Thrice, with whom they released a split back when we were in high school or something, are both carrying the torch for this, the post-screamo generation who is fed up with empty screamed cliches and begs for something more. By eschewing the major label rockstar in favor of the artist who maintains his integrity they have both produced something positive and meaningful for listeners, giving something back to those who have afforded them a life where they can survive by making music.

Or at least that’s how I see it.

There are those who care about you by virtue of the fact that you are a human being, that you are conscious, that you ARE. They create what they create so that you may find meaning in it greater than that which they could ever conceive, so that you may move forward, upward, in any direction so long as it feels like progress to you, and they do so lovingly. They create ART.

And there are those who care about you as a member of a target market, a demographic, a statistic, something to sell to. They know what you like and “write” “music” so that you will buy it or pay some absurd amount of money to watch them lie to you live and in person. So that you will pay another absurd amount of money for a shitty t-shirt that you wont even wear in a few years because you will be embarrassed to have ever liked the band. Future generations will remember them as we look back on hair metal of the 80′s: as an example of the ridiculous heights of style at a given time, as an example of how stupid people will act all caught up in the movements of the mob mentality that dictates what is “cool.”

They will be mocked on VH1 (or whatever channel takes its place) by relevant comedians of the time.

And these ones, they will wonder what the fuck they were thinking as they transition from rehab into a career in washed up celebrity reality television.

You can be more than a potential sale. You can get more out of music, out of movies, out of books, out of everything you perceive, than the television and the radio and mainstream print media will ever give you.

So download music. Rip it. Burn it. Whatever. With the internet as it is the debate has been raging as to whether or not music should be free or not, but it’s ultimately an irrelevant argument. Whether it “should” be free or not, it IS, so listen to it. It may be a crime, but there’s no such thing as a legal revolution.

The bands that care about you want you to hear their music, even if it means that they don’t make any money off of it. If they bitch about downloading, take a second to think about what they really care about.

Find something you love online and support it by spreading the word or by seeing them live in a basement somewhere, buy merch and give them a place to stay, feed them, tell them you believe in what they’re doing, hang out with them, anything. Support need not be merely monetary.

amazing stuff can’t wait to hear that new album from them!

Well its the weekend and as usual I have ANOTHER block test this monday which gives me roughly 48 hours of hardcore study time. If I were to put it to a percentage I know about 65% of the material. As usual I am shooting for that often barely missed 100% in the off chance I do acquire it life will be amazing. I am of course freaked out like usual about the serious aspect of these tests. Its either pass or fail out of the Air-Force (no shit!) I am seriously commited to this even though it isn’t coming as easy as it is for certain people. I can’t wait i got 6 or more of these fucking tests. I mean really I am about a month and a half out from these fucking tests being a thing of the past. I am getting so burnt out on the idea that I need to cram every damn week for the newest test emergency. I will make it but damn I think I have aged 8 years in the past 6 months.

I am really excited to give my wife an amazing Valentines gift and I cant wait to hear what she says about it. I am also looking forward to her gift from me.

I couldn’t take my chances and bought that Kylesa deluxe Pre-order and that takes care of any vinyl craving I was having over this month. 30bux for the month isn’t overboard. And to offset it I will not eat out for the rest of the month for lunch.

I am still saving a small amount of money for the Throwdown this year. I can’t wait to share the what is almost a spiritual experience for me with my wife. I am not sure how it will work with the military to take off almost a week off work during THAT time but I am sure it will be fine as most people wont be working during that time.

I will update a bit more frequently after this post, I am just trying to get the time to sit down regularly and post some shit here.

“Beautiful to live in poverty Just to spite what they’re selling Take a thousand hits to prove the rest and I’ll move in Millimeters still won’t mean shit against well-done subversion Fathers of invention will one day turn in their graves When their own sons and daughters Manifest destiny into a lesson to others Sent away my crippled, let the old ones categorize their death camps, they’re all dead It’ll burn burn burn Like they did to the Anarchists at their stakes And it’ll burn burn burn Like the histories they stole from us One day patriotic thugs will dance to songs of justice And cringe, and rack guns of shame Well it may take a team of well-rounded hoodlums In full riot gear to unrest objection A well-controlled media to pick out our terrorists When bureaucrats start dying from cancer There are already businessmen who’ll market bottled water And purified aerosol solution, guess who’s their target Seven approaching a measure off the map And you’ll see me dance in the street once again.” – Against Me

Hey there dear reader, prepare for another ill-thought out directionless entry by your favorite red haired social commentator and cultural cynic. I have been making myself study and take interest in school lately. Let’s’ just say if you have ever seen the cockpit of a plane and gazed at the vast expanse of esoteric dials, gauges and handles, circuit breakers and wondered who in the hell could ever figure that out? Guess what yeah I been actually doing small maintenance procedures on the plane opening the radium (nose cone) applying electrical power to the aircraft, removing panels. Operating the cargo door and ramp. Its pretty rad to sit in the pilot’s seat and push buttons.

I am having an easier time with tests nowadays. I worry, panic and study like a madman and usually do pretty well. I am sick of it though. I got an 88% on my last block test of 25 questions I missed 3. I want to just go do my job get my Journeyman status cross train and be done with planes. I respect the people who fly them and the badasses who maintain them but this monkey wrench shit aint for me. Of course working at a grocery store isn’t for me either. I wish I had a job of being awesome and the more awesome I was the more I got paid.

I finished reading Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk yesterday it sorta messed with my mind a little its higly recommended. I was going to buy Choke by Palahniuk but at the mall yesterday I had a book of poetry by Leonard Cohen (book of longing) and I didn’t want to buy both so I went with my heart, Cohen is such a genius. Let me say that again Leonard Cohen is a BAD ASS!

speaking of things I have not bought which have been harder than once imagined there has been a bunch of Vinyl I HAVE NOT BOUGHT but gaah I want it.

The Gaslight Anthem – The 59′ Sound – Blue pressings

I see so many records I want lately especially after losing all my music it makes me sort of sad not to buy them all!

I been trying to loosen up lately I feel really lazy and sort of out of place here. Although I know its because there always new people here. I feel odd I been here so long and I still got awhile to go.
I miss my dearest wife like crazy. I feel almost awful for making her go through this with me. I sometimes wonder if the military was a mistake but then I get the word that people all over are doing the same old things chasing the same dreams and believing the same cultural lies and I realize that without people making assertive choices you never really accomplish anything.

I am probably too inwardly focused right now. I wonder now if its because of how lonely I have felt lately. I am sick of the stale jokes that guys tell each other in hopes to gain points on each other. Sick of the routine, sick of marching at attention and standing before the judging eyes of NCOs. I can’t wait to cook food and be the person I was before at least somewhat.

“The term clinical depression finds its way into too many conversations these days. One has a sense that a catastrophe has occurred in the psychic landscape. ” Leonard Cohen

Well as some of you may know life for me as of late has been pretty good. The original point of this blog was mostly to detail accomplishments in my personal as well as in my professional life. I think its time for a little self-reflection.

I am finally on Track class which is the actual class where I learn my job and learn some of the fundamentals concepts in how they apply to my specific aircraft. I went inside my aircraft for the first time last week. I am super amped about actually doing my job. I feel like I been here forever and its finally nice to do something actually relating to my job.

I am still saving money for my personal projects and some for my fully funded emergency fund. In the next 8 months me and my wife will be on track to being 100% debt free. I have put off buying quite a few things as I am trying to cut my unnecessary expenses at least in half. Although vinyl is still a small part of my budgeted expenses.

In these economic uncertain times its important for families to plan for unforeseen expenses and plan for the worst and hope for the best. In times like this and having a job like mine and just hoping my job is secure is not enough. After arriving at my first duty assignment in the first couple months following I want to find a part time civilian job to offset the ammounts I save by just a little bit and in case anything goes south.

I am quite excited for the next year and to make my New Years resolutions a reality

“when I walk downtown you know I gotta walk with my head held high, because those stupid southern yuppies they don’t like to see a punk rock kid with his head held high. They like the way that their money feels. They got bank accounts and boob jobs and a fast set of wheels. They fear a smile on the young, they fear the actions of the young. The sun is shining, it’s not raining today. It’s the first day in weeks it hasn’t been so grey. If i had a dollar for every day i’d say it’s gonna be a brand new day, well i’d have a hundred dollars.” – This Bike is a Pipebomb