Monday is by far my favorite day of the week. Since Joe has school, i get to enjoy a relaxing day off of work to catch up on things i normally don't have time for during the week.

The weather is beautiful, but i still want some fucking snow already. God damn do i love Buffalo winters.

We have an inspector coming over the house tomorrow in order to grant us the second half of our loan. It's about god damned time. Everything is looking great thus far and the bathroom we built is beautiful for the small space it is. I kind of wish i would have taken pictures of all our progress throughout the duration of this project.

This weekend, like all others, was pleasant.

Friday : Worked until 5pm, followed by the usual post-work drinks at Casa and then the traditional Friday "Man Meal". This week it was at the Elmwood Lounge. It was pretty decent. We then hit up Merlins for a few drinks until Mark, Danny and I decided to purchase a large bottle of Evan Williams and go to Mohawk. It was pretty lame for the most part as Bill Page continually denied me and refused to play Lady Gaga. However, i did see some lovely people i haven't in a while, which was cool. Met up with Dave Green, he and i went to Suzie's for a few hours, stopped at Joe Zirrotti's and then he dropped me off around 5:30am, for a had to babysit Ethan the following morning.

Saturday : Watch Ethan until 1pm, had Laura dropped me off at Flick's where he and i did absolutely nothing outside of watching How I Met Your Mother until 11pm. Apparently, when celebrating my birthday at Shadow on Tuesday, i was very intoxicated to the point that i actually said i would go to the strip club on Saturday. This coming as a shock, provoked a lot of people to join in and come the day we had planned, about 20 or so of us headed off to the Colonie Lounge to help filthy women pay to get through the rigors of community college. As usual, i pretty much just zoned out and focused on my beer with the exception of throwing a whole three dollars at the one very attractive girl they had. Dave, Ashley Cole and I left and went to Allen to meet up with Mark, Alicia and Suzie. Dave and Ashley eventually ventured back home, Mark and Alicia left at some point and then Suzie and I hung out for a few more drinks, avoided awkward situations, left and went to bed back at her house.

Sunday : Walked home in time to watch the Bills game at 1pm with my father. Enjoyed quite a few beers and despite an upset, i felt as if my boys are making slow, but sure steps in the right direction. All i want for Christmas is a solid quarterback and an offensive line. Unfortunately, as a certain particular party may or may not have hidden a few damages in Ellicottville only to leave Suzie with a $900 bill she discovered taken out of her bank while vacationing in Costa Rica, we decided it was best to sell our Bruce tickets for $600 to cover some of it. I was really bummed out, but hey, that's life. After the game, Mark randomly showed up at my house, grabbed me and we both went out to meet Suzie and Alicia at some bar in Depew. It was pretty rad and i ended up feeling pretty intoxicated. We all headed back to the girl's apartment, hung out and went to bed.

I have discovered that humming both "Low End Theory" and "Midnight Merauders" in their entirety to yourself whilst strolling from Potomac/Elmwood to Tonawanda seemingly makes the walk go by much faster. Either that, or i sounded like a crazy person.

I have also realized that i pretty much drink enough milk to prevent my next three generations of kin from ever having osteoporosis.

I go way too into detail on accounting things that really don't interest many other people than myself. I'm alright with it.

I need a new book to read.

I want a cheeseburger.

Things are rad.

That is all.

My Early Birthday Extravaganza weekend in the Ellicottville was a total success and easily one of the best weekends i have ever experienced with some of the greatest people i have ever met. I'm still on cloud 9.

Congrats to Tom and Ryan. Their wedding was really nice and a great experience overall. I went over to Breckinridge following to celebrate Nick Topolskis birthday. I'm going to go ahead and just assume i thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I woke up at Chenango on Saturday, met some people out for breakfast, hung out on Breckinridge and then watched Degrassi for 3 hours with Mark before heading off to Mohawk. I was first on the list to roast Moe, however, got random stage fright and handed the microphone over to Chris Scuito after a few jokes. Scuito straight fucking killed it. That kid should look into doing standup, for real. Apparently ended back up at Chenango and spent the night there once again.

My cousin jason's son's 1st birthday was yesterday. I haven't been to a family function in quite some time and that was real nice. That is until i was introduced to the new bane of my existence...Moonshine. I've always wanted to give it a whirl. Jason tricked me into thinking it was vodka. I should have known better as i have never seen Vodka come from a 2 gallon unmarked jug. This may have potentially been the most foul thing i have ever tasted, however was not particularly reluctant into taking another swig. What happened next blew my fucking mind. In fact, the way it immediately hit me and the effect it had was unlike any drunk i have ever experienced. Fucking ridiculous to the point that after taking one shot, my father immediately walked out of the garage and passed out in the front seat of my sister's car. Shit is fucked and i intend on staying away from it for a while, regardless of the fact that Jay may or may not have given me a bottle of my own as a birthday present.

Speaking of, i turn 24 years old tomorrow and i haven't the slightest idea what exactly is planned. It should be a good time regardless as it always is every year, for the most part.

Suzie and I are going to see Bruce Springsteen on Sunday. There has been so many great shows in the Buffalo area as of late. It's quite refreshing. I a bringing a pair of binoculars with the sole purpose of spotting Flick and watching him cry for two consecutive hours. As this is the last date on the tour, i can only hope he makes the wise decision of playing "Born to Run" straight through. I may just cum a little bit.

Corrin's mom sent me an email yesterday containing an update on how she's doing and information on how to write to her. This makes me very happy.

2009 has been the best year ever thus far.

i'm uncontrollably happy.

i know i have said this absolutely every time i have seen them and probably a million other times just to add emotion into describing what an amazing experience it is, but i could more than likely see the get up kids once a month for the rest of my life and not get tired of it. so many old faces/friends i have not seen in quite some time and so many singalongs to the point my voice was actually hoarse the following morning. i'm stoked the vicious cycle dudes stayed with us and them seeing the get up kids for the first time ever made their entire year. some of the best/nicest dudes ever.

i am currently wearing a tshirt that features a dog wearing sunglasses. it rules, sayin'.

i have been off of work for the last week as the first part of our loan ran out and we need an inspector to come in and decide whether or not enough progress has been made and based on his opinion, he will lend out the other half. or something of the sort. that being said, i have been just selling some records and doing odd jobs(installing carpets, light electric work i can actually comprehend, etcetera) to bring some cash money in.

this weekend should be a really great time.
i'm stoked on the new friday, dude's night out tradition.
last touch football game of the season on saturday and then we are doing bowling.
parties at both chenango and the collis/shwabb residence.
the usual bills game on sunday.

my birthday weekend getaway to ellicottville is going to be monumentally epic.

i miss corrin more than i can express and i hope she is okay. :(

everything else is all good in tha hood. :)

playlist:
mad men - demo 2
everything falls apart - "relief"
exploding hearts - "guitar romantic"
tribe called quest - "low end theory"
blu & exile - "below the heavens"
the smut peddlers - "porn again"
lady gaga - "the fame"
frant sinatra - "his great performances 1953-1960"

dad: "hey davie. have you ever heard of a book called "i hope they serve beer in hell"?"
me: "yeah, i have it and think it's pretty lame for the most part."
dad: "can i borrow it for my trip to puerto rico? a guy from work told me that his daughter said the book was more or less your life story as written by someone else and i'm rather interested."

figures, i have no idea who the hell this girl is.

in other news...
seeing the gaslight anthem again last night was not only the best i have seen them play, but the most fun i have had at a show in years. i can only imagine how the next month and a half or so is going to be with seeing both bruce springsteen and the get up kids.

the chalet in ellicottville for my birthday weekend has been booked for november 5-8. i am aware this is 12-9 days prior to my actual date of birth, but it's the easiest for everyone. other than those who chose to pay fifty dollars and stay the entire weekend, i am going to have one big party on that saturday. i will announce further details soon for those interested.

as of saturday, october 10th, 2009, i david charles starr, have been(for the first time ever) cut off from a bar. suzie's open bar birthday was really just...out of control. despite my depression over the buffalo bills, this weekend was nothing short of epic in every way imaginable.

reason(new buffalo hardcore band) were really good. i was very stoked on the no reason cover(can we actually really call it a cover, seeing as three members of no reason currently play in said band?) and even more stoked on the shape of things to come.

i am adopting a kittie from the jeffer's family at the end of the month. he looks just like a baby lewiston. i couldn't be any more excited.

ex'z n ough'z.

things:

i have a house in buffalo.
i shall move in there shortly when i have the time.
welcoming party to soon follow.

she is not only cute, but lovely all-around and makes me happy.

i really dislike creepy stalker figures who just don't get it.

i've said it for the past two years and mean it more now than ever...
fire dick jauron(sp?) and get rid of trent edwards.

when i moved to massachusetts, i came back to buffalo for a wedding in which we rented out a mansion in ellicottville, which gave both suzie and i an idea... unfortunately, camping season is over. however, we still want more large group getaways. therefore, for my birthday this year, we shall be renting out a house and having a party weekend.

best songs in music right now:
pearl jam - "the fixer"
drake - "best i've ever had"

i thoroughly enjoy bowling and hanging out with kyle paton.

happy birthday, mike flick.

life.
fucking.
rules.

exhausting, yet swell weekend all around.

friday :
-worked 9am - 4pm.
-downed a bottle of old grandad.
-rode my bike up to twisted tiki to get the other side of my nose pierced as the retainer in my right nostril had broken off inside a few weeks back and i have yet to pluck it out. much as i feel nose rings are degenerate and stupid, i felt naked without it, even though i constantly had no idea i still had one for the last 5 years.
-caught up on writing and took a night in to myself.

saturday :
-first bar league touch football game. these motherfuckers are cut-throat and take shit entirely way too seriously. i was made quarterback and awarded "player of the week" by the commissioner as a result of some whacky play i made. which was cool, as he invited the team out for beers and pizza.
-rode my bike to the argyle to catch get back up's second last show, only to discover they had dropped off. however, still stuck around to support the local bands and found myself pleasantly impressed with bad break.
-bought a few records off andy czuba including justice - "escapades" 12", two deathreat 7"s, the our father 7" and a pearl jam - "evenflow" single.
-traveled on down to trisha's apartment to celebrate the birth of mark zubler with a bunch of swell individuals.
-allentown to follow in order to meet up with cara.
-went to bed.

sunday :
-woke up, met up with bryan koszka and silent joe and went to orchard park for the bills game. god damn had i missed it. partied, scalped tickets for fifty clams and enjoyed a beautiful victory.
-went over to cara's apartment, watched some movie and seinfeld for a while and then went to bed.

my body is ridiculously sore, but i cannot wait for more touch football games and bill's home games.

'tis the season.

i like beer.
i like friends.
i like polar bear club.
i like forfeit.
i like football.
i like rubber cement.
i like slingshots with carved wolfheads.
i like the vicious cycle lp.
i like cinnamon.
i like throwing timbits at people through car windows.
i like spending 200 dollars on friday nights.
i like the new ellman/farside/smith brother's band.
i like re-bonded friendships.
i like life.

i dislike that marshawn lynch will not be playing tomorrow.

i miss lewiston.

just received a package containing roughly 100 or so copies of vicious cycle's "pale blue dot" lp. it sounds even better on vinyl. i seriously can't recommend this record enough. easily my favorite release of 2009. i can't wait to hear these songs live. do yourselves a favor and check it out.

the record is still streaming here:
http://www.punknews.org/bands/viciouscycle

well needed camping getaway in stoneybrook.

"if by drunk, you mean american, then hell yeah!"

to keep it simple, between laughing the hardest i have in a really long time, carved wolf head slingshots, some of the best people i know and amazing gorge hikes with waterfalls and cliffs, i consider this weekend an ultimate success.

current playlist:
raekwon : OB4CL2
common : finding forever
none more black : file under black
vicious cycle : the pale blue dot(still)
lauryn hill : the miseducation of lauryn hill

"you have to decide what you think is best for him. if we take him to the vet, you have to pay 2,000 dollars. they will go through his penis, remove the blockage and the procedure will more or less turn he into a she. if not, we have to put him down. we can't let him suffer."
-mom

though some people will just say "it's only a cat", he's a bit more than that. he's my son and my best friend. this is the hardest decision i will ever have to make and i have no idea what to do.

the vet is closed right now, and i have no choice but to wait until tomorrow. i just pray that come the morning, he has either passed the crystal or is at least still breathing to say goodbye.

philadelphia is still my favorite city in 'merica.
lifetime is still one of my favorite bands ever.
swimming in fountains with a slew of young children is now one of my favorite activities.

quote of the weekend:
"i seriously fucking hate dogs, man. like, all of these pussies whine about signing michael vick, but when it comes down to it, i still fucking hate dogs and i love super bowls."
-some random dude who let us sleep on his floor

speaking of, it's tally sheet time!
the approximate number of times mike flick had said the following:
"i'm over it" - 68
"fair enough" - 32
"this car seriously fucking smells" - 14
"greatest fucking hand dryer ever" - 7
"every bit of it" - 55
"that'll happen" - 40
"i'm going to punch you in the fucking face" - 21
"fucking slobs" - 12
"fuck..." - 674,957
"rape/grape" - 77
"om nom nom" - 31

home, jet-lagged as fuck and already planning out vegas vacation pt. IV to take place in a month. though we didn't particularly go out "raging" as most people do while out in the city of all sins, i can easily say that my third venture to the west was by far the best for so many reasons. this is the happiest i have been in quite some time. missing - already.

i had a really fun weekend full of swell people and swell times.

as the olmsted center for the visually impaired and i have parted ways, i started an apprenticeship of sorts under silent joe, flipping houses and i absolutely love it for the following reasons...

1.) it is off the books.
2.) working with joe is awesome.
3.) it's something i've been interested in doing for a long time.
4.) i absolutely love learning new things, especially those in which will be handy in the future.

the house we are currently working on is 3 in from richmond on west utica street. it is currently gutted and for the last few days we have been working on drywall and completely re-doing a good 75% of the walls. we hope to have the entire upstairs finished within a month and there is fucking tons to do between brand new floors, installing the entire kitchen and bathroom, new wooden cabinets everywhere, fixing up the fireplace, etc. i'm really excited to see the finished product.

it's also nice to be financially stable as i am, and moving on to breckinridge this september. josh mullin and i will be moving into shelly, jill and jackie's old apartment below silent joe. nick topolski and danny k live above chris scuito next door and binky lives above noelle next to them, which is cool.

next, i need to work on purchasing a new car as i travel back and forth from south buffalo on the daily as well. however, public transportation has become quite convenient.

i leave for vegas on friday and fear that i am going to fucking fry. god damn do i hate the heat. luckily, nevada lacks humidity, and as it is just straight dry heat, it isn't all that bad.

i'm covered in a combination of sweat, sheetrock and joint compound, but it's okay. i'm contemplating taking a shower, though this may as well be useless, for i have a kickball game in an hour. oh well, it's fucking hot and i don't have a pool.

football is back and i couldn't be any more stoked.

so, umm, in closing..
i'm handsome and receding hairlines rule.
'sayin.
starr out.

currently jamming on:
benn grim
otis redding
vicious cycle
ashlee simpson

far as the last decade has gone...
(this is also only my personal opinion)

first, no warning did new york hardcore better than bands from new york.
secondly(exclude the exploding hearts tragedy), the marvelous darlings are doing punk-influenced power pop better than bands from the UK.
and finally, though bands like fucked up, madmen and career suicide may have touched upon the genre, vicious cycle play straight up 80's american hardcore better than almost any current band around right now.

canadian hardcore/punk bands are always on top of everything.

all that aside, vicious cycle's "the pale blue dot" LP is one of the most impressive pieces of music i have heard in hardcore and punk in a really long time. rivalry played a show a few years back in st. catharines with their previous band, proven, and though i wasn't particularly impressed, i knew these kids had something to offer. low and behold, a few years later, i am playing with like you and i see these same kids playing a completely different style and killing it. a few years have passed and i have anticipated this LP ever since that moment. i really can't stop listening to this. frank emailed me yesterday in need of a buffalo date. i am bringing them here on october 27th. to my knowledge, the i refuse show went well, however, as i was unbelievably under the weather, i didn't have a chance to see much. bryan koszka took over the business aspect and i can trust him when he says he took care of everything. that being said, i am most likely going to book the bands for this upcoming event and have someone with far more experience in the field handle the previously mentioned part. seriously, go on punknews.org and stream the record. it's quite addicting.

moving on...

life is swell.
just staying productive, enjoying this epic summer and preparing myself for the college semester ahead of me. i'm really excited to get back into the swing of things. it's about time i finish up what i started, transfer to hilbert and tackle their criminal justice program.

i've been writing again lately. it's been some time. i suppose i've just been busy.

softball ended, which is a bummer. i finished off the last 4 games with 3 homeruns, 3 triples, 2 doubles and 1 single, which isn't bad. we lost our last game by one run and did not make it to the championship, but it's okay. for years now, i have been saying that i wanted to join a softball league and i'm glad that i did.

on monday, a bunch of us from the broadway joes team went on to join goodbar's kickball team and it's a fucking blast.

i'm leaving for vegas in less than two weeks and couldn't be any more stoked. i come home on the 18th, only to leave a few days later for philadelphia. after that, i believe a bunch of us are planning an end of summer camping trip as binky's birthday may have been the most enjoyable time of the summer.

ex'z n oh'z.

six years after i decided to take a "break"...
i'm all set to go back.
hello, fall semester, it's been some time.
god bless military grants and free school!

they say no news is good news.
i would have to agree.

my grandpa and his trophy wife came in town for my father's surprise 50th birthday. it was swell. i won two fish at canal fest. one is no longer with us. yet, i continue to leave him afloat in his glorified tupperware container of a fishbowl, for a dead body is still pleasant company to those of which were only brought into this world solely to please and occupy the time of your typical dollar bill toting, ping pong ball tossing, cheap thrill seeking adolescent audience for a few days at max. dmx would be into it. that being said, in all reality, i have obviously remained entirely way too busy to even flush the carcass of a carnival prize chum down the porcelain throne. and i like that. because i like being busy. and i'm only in for an even more jam packed two months of excitement, adventure and laughter.

:)

it's never too late for a healthy dose of spring cleaning.
that being said, i am currently dusting out my closet and eliminating the following from my life:

debbie downers, negative nancies, miserable marthas, unappreciative ursalas, taking life for granted gabbies, dramatic dawns, fairweather fionas, dishonest dakotas, two-faced taras, hypocritical helens and whiney wandas.

i've worked too hard on myself and everything surrounding me to get to the point in which i am currently at. i refuse to be brought down by people and their minuscule problems.

granted, this is not directed at anyone in particular, and sure, it seems a tad bit selfish, but whatever. we all live, learn and know what's best for ourselves.

if there is one thing i know about myself is that when life is going extremely well, i at times have the tendency to over-analyze everything only soon to feel paralyzed by the overwhelming fear that everything will soon come crashing down. i refuse to let this be the case any longer and will continue living life day to day in the way i have been...worry-free and content.

in the midst of a relevant conversation the other day, i noticed that i have not had sex in five months. sure, this may sound like no big feet or accomplishment by any means. however, i know for certain that if this was 2-3 years ago, i would be balls deep in poor decision making alongside a fistful of enemies. i know i say this quite frequently, and i sincerely mean it every single time...i am very proud of the person i have grown to be.

one of my best friends and favorite people of all-time, kyle paton, has just moved to buffalo(riverside to be exact!). this excites me more than one could possibly even fathom or imagine.

much as i don't particularly care for weed, i have become disgustingly addicted to the showtimes serious of the same name, but pluralized. so fucking good, original, funny and extremely well written. i'll allow this to take the place of the now deceased scrubs for the time being.

all direct hatebreed riffs aside, far as overly generic hardcore goes, the new reign supreme lp is nothing short of phenominal and has certainly taken me off guard.

i really need to start wearing my glasses again while playing softball. i am surely disappointed in my field play as of late.

this weekend was a lot of fun.

i thoroughly enjoy the lost art of lumberjacking.

i really can't wait to see my brian, corrin and maureen. brian had informed me that the four of us will be taking a trip down to california. i like the idea of traveling and adventuring lands i have yet to embrace very much so.

'tis all, you fucks.
xoxoxo.

weirdest fucking dreams in the last two days...

-cinnamon having surgery and turning into a dolphin chow, who in which had the top of a chow and bottom of a dolphin and bounced up and down on her tail to travel the pavement. ugliest/creepiest animal ever.

-bryan koszka and i camping. wa kan jam tournament was soon scheduled. however, as he proclaimed that he needed ten minutes to get dolled up for the event, i continually called him a girl until he finally flipped. the next thing i know, i'm stumbling into traffic, intoxicated, and he is screaming at the top of his lungs that i was the reason for his brand new lifestyle - a transgendered female. (this one seems a bit more realistic.)

-josh mullin and i were riding through the rite aid plaza alleyway in a cargo van with john candy and his home alone band. they dropped us off at my house. will terrance, bilsh milsh, kyle tedesco and a large majority of girls i had once dated were all waiting for us. we walked out my back door into a snowstorm and i refused to wear socks. soon as we opened my back gate, kyle was wearing a large las angeles dodgers batting helmet with a cigarette in mouth, pretending to be rodney dangerfield. some girl was screaming that she was late for class. the next thing i know, bilsh and i disappear to a festival looking party, which turns out to be a blackberry sponsored kenmore west reunion. somehow, my mother popped up and the next thing i know, we were waiting in line for free shit and the both of us(bilsh and i) had received size 6 pink adidas sambas. we had a few drinks with old classmates and within a short period of time, i am being awaken by ashley melendez in a hidden hallway i decided to nap in half-naked. i walk out to 1920's paperboy mannered shouts from jeremy shay as he is witness to a student who hung himself in a common area. i walk out to see someone struggling for air with a noose around their neck as the band continued to play in the same room, completely oblivious as to what was going on behind them.

yeesh. tonight is the last night i shall use esthero's "breath from another" record for sleep music.

however, on a positive note:
although i do have to work in buffalo's eastside in three hours, upon my departure, i am to be picked up from the bailey/seneca bus stop as laura mazzi, little ethan and i are driving out and meeting up with some wonderful people in alden, only to enjoy a lovely day poolside at the ferron residence.

back to bed, i suppose.

xo.