Jaws

Even though I live every week of the year like it's Shark Week, 

this week actually is and my luck is in full bloom since I'm missing it for the first year ever. 

+

I interupted a tour group from Seattle yesterday just to tell them how amazing it was to hear English. They didn't share my all of my enthusiasm naturally, but only because they had a subway station tour to look forward to for their planned evening activity. Exciting!

+

I plan on going to museums and galleries all week, which is productive to do I suppose. Art museums are always good for the heart and mind, but for reasons besides the obvious. You can always go for your soul's dose of 19th Century Impressionism, like all the cute book club ladies, french retirees, art snobs, gardeners, wine tasters, collegiate introverts, gay couples, librarians, and other shy characters I spotted at a gallery yesterday. Or you could go figure out how easily you pull off the Heist of the Century, like me. Just let your mind wander and it will come back holding a different perspective's hand. 

+

Speaking of jaws, the best lunch hardly any money can buy is a loaded baked potato. There are these stands called Captain Potato something  that sell baked potatos for only 30 rubles which is maybe $1.50.

Great news right there. 

Who is Rush Limbaugh? My mom might think she knows. 

Sam Cooke knows soul. One night at the Harlem Square Club, he absolutely killed it.

Sam Cooke-Bring It On Home (Live at the Harlem Square Club 1963)

 

Sho Do

Russian taxis have emergency exit procedure instructions on the inside.

Angst

Just when we thought the global political scheme was through with sad state of emo, Russia steps up to the plate. Never to be outdone, the former Soviet Union has given emo kids everywhere yet another reason to be emo all the more. The American trend of the past has sulked it's way to Russia via Myspace no doubt and the government wants nothing to do with it. In July, members of the lower house of the Russia Parliament introduced a bill that deemed "emo culture" as a threat to national stability. The bill would give officials the power "to regulate emo websites" and the "wearing of gothic or emo clothing styles in schools and government buildings." As we all know, emo culture is absolutely ridiculous. But how in the world can a self loathing consumer driven trend pose a threat to national stability? 

Let's have some sense. 

Either way, I'm doomed. 

Ragoo

When I say that I love Tennessee, I absolutely mean it with all my heart. Finding the one true reason why would be a undertaking though, because there are quite a few affairs making me homesick right now and one is definitely the Kings of Leon. They just finished their fourth studio album entitled Only By The Night at Blackbird Studios in Nashville and they have been drinking no doubt.  Spin magazine is debuting the first new song of the album "Crawl" and I think it's fantastic. Dirty bluesy southern rock. Whatcha said.

Sherafe

So my nickname is Sherafe which is Russian for

Justice

Justice recently just did a mix for the latest Dior Homme Spring Summer 2009 fashion show in Paris and introduced a new track to the world. It sounds like classic Justice. 

That's not to be missed. Thanks Asian Dan.

Le Detail

Sometimes, it is a terrible thing to visualize the giant scope of life and whatnot because smaller details slip right by. Little details like sharing the Why I Am Here's and What Do I Even Do's somehow take second place to whatever impulse haunting me at the moment that I end up writing down. What about Russia? I live in a flat in North Moscow with three guys. Rustam, Max, and Anton all have great patience and are deep sleepers and, the essentials for surviving life with Trent. 

With 15 million people, Moscow can be a little overwhelming. About 17 years ago, the great political experiment of Communism ended in Russia, thus opening doors of culture and art never seen before in these parts. But an oil boom 6 years ago finally gave Russia a hint of identity in the art of Spending Money and Moscow is now the second wealthiest city in the world. That does me no good, so I just watch Moscow's social pubescence with a cheerful spirit. It's like middle school all over again. You can get eaten alive by all the screaming ARMANI VERSACE DULCE GABAGABANA. The exclusive clubs in the city don't even have a cover charge, it's all about appearance. Homeless men beg in suits and flip flops. The Armenian ghetto across the river is clock full of BMW's and Audi's. Our neighbor owns a McLaren. It's probably like this everywhere in the world, I'm just don't know anything but I'm learning. 

In The Morning

Of course I needed a playlist to struggle my way through sweating in the Black Sea. Songs in English no doubt just for ole time's sake right? I mean, I might just forget English all together sooner or later. At this point in my life, I'm basically Borat for the next year.

Knives Out-Radiohead
Pounds of Dro (feat Busy Signals)-Jamtech Foundation
Dumb It Down (feat Gemstones)-Lupe Fiasco
Is You-D*I*M
C'mere-Interpol
Dr. Carter-Lil Wayne
Beautiful Fighter (MSTRKRFT remix)-Ayumi Hamasaki
Hold On-Holy Ghost!
International Player's Anthem (I Chose You)-UGK
The Biggest Grinder-Kid Cudi

Black Sea

So I just spent my first week in Russia sweating in the Black Sea and it was something else. Besides being the first English anything to ever set foot near the beach of the Black Sea, I also helped out at a summer camp for kids pretty much as old as me. Either way, it was definitely ruff for a week and it was probably the quietest week of my life to date, even though I'm not above talking to myself. After all, I do speak English? Not counting the 28 hour train ride back, the week had enough oddities for many stories to come.
+ I woke up at three in the morning to a chainsaw and the Russian conselours huddled around my bed wearing Paris Hilton and Jim Carrey masks. Don't worry, they took pictures.
+ All Techno all day every day non stop Techno. You name it, there is some God Awful Techno remix of it and I heard it. Never again.
+ On the first day, they tied the wrists of all the campers together and then threw water balloons at them. Dirty.
+ Outside of a few soccer fans, not a single kid played sports. They just breakdanced all the time.
+ Crab Flavoured Lay's Potato Chips
+ I Love Summer Camp

I'm just glad to be back in Moscow. Hopefully tomorrow, I will have pictures up of life so far. I'm homesick.

Before This War

TV On The Radio's new album entitled Dear Science is set to release September 23rd.

No Lies Just Love

Believe

and I'm back

Miss You

It costs $500 to have someone killed in Russia. I learned this at breakfast this morning at some cafe when an English guy asked me how tall I was. Apparently, he is the head of security for a "consulting" firm that has forty representatives in Moscow. Four get captured a year. 90% of the wealth in Russia is somehow tied to organized crime, which is quite a bit seeing that Moscow has the largest number of billionaires per city in all the world. Sounds like a job for Trent & Harrison & Kyp...

Hard Luck

It's the very best 106 degrees here you could ever ask for. The past few days I have been working outside with Ser and it's absolutely amazing what he comes up with. The tag on the side of the wall I helped him finish is his signature style and it took about fifteen hot hours to finish. Greek kids have apparently never seen someone dunk before either. I met the mayor of Thessaloniki yesterday and he drives a Maybach. He's some Olympic track champion and is supa wealthy on top of just mayoring every once in a while. He doesn't have much to do apparently because I got to meet him. You can tell there is tons of corruption in the government because of the high price of living and low income. Because Greece is a member of the European Union, each and ever citizen is begifted 400 Euros a month or about $700. What's the incentive to work? The average income is 900 euros or so so there really isn't one. Structure is necessary for any form of competition, especially economically. Why do you think I'm going on this trip in the first place? Today I fly to Vienna and Russia tomorrow. Wish me luck I love you and you and you. Space Disco blows your mind.

Holy Ghost- Hold On

Cover Me

Greece is just hot. Thessaliniki is a bit dumpy, but its one of the wealthier cities in Greece. It doesn't really have as much character as Barcelona or Madrid, but no matter cuz it's basically Make Your Own Fun anyways. I am helping with the Cultural Integration shindig here and basically we just help out wherever as much as possible. Pretty broad yes but very much in tandem with the Laid Back aura of Europe anyways. I spent most of today in the shade but did get to talk with this grafe artist named Ser for a bit about the decreasing birth rates of many European countries. Cool right? Not as much as losing to Iranian refugees in soccer 12-1 tonight. So my favorite Ed Banger Records signed a new artist a little while ago and its space disco on a different wave length.  Mickey Moonlight is worth getting to know, especially his first single "Interplanetary Music". Why in the world did I miss Wimbledon?

Did It Befo

So I proposed to Allison Krauss in the airport yesterday morning. I really was just tying my shoe right before security and I looked up in time to see her walking toward me. Since I was already half knealt???? the hard part was over with. So I guess its better to say I made Allison Krauss laugh in the Nashville Airport at 5:45 A.M. yesterday.

Rock For Light

I love to travel, but hate to arrive.

-Albert Einstein-

I'm down but not out. Traveling shouldn't mean falling off the face of the earth. Through this Feel Good Lost mess, I plan on sharing all of the next year's stories, mistakes, gifts, insights, epiphanies, spiritualizations, manifestos, incarcerations, crystal keepers, light readers, alchemists, and whatevah else. So Tune In, please. Hopefully it will be mutually beneficial?

According to Busy P of Ed Banger Records, Justice is apparently producing the next Red Hot Chili Peppers album. That's kind of fantastic. B.o.B has a new EP out on itunes called the 12th Dimension and it's fantastic as well. Check that out too. That's the To Do list for the week. Peace Love Death Metal