well, the decade is over.

for many, this has been the worst decade of one's lifetime. then again, when you spend more money than you have and lose your house, I could see that. but besides that, the war on terrorism has left us all scared to walk into an airport and has forbidden us to bring bottled water on to a plane. damn, so much has happened this year alone, let alone the last ten.

too much has happened to me to recap - I don't have the patience nor the time. I've lost some friends but made two more in their place. new musical expeditions are on the way and right now, I honestly couldn't be happier. I can say is that I'm super stoked for the new year - I've learned a lot about myself this year and I'm finally settling into this body of skin and bones known as Jeff Hersch. for me, things can only get better in the coming months.

I don't have a clear-cut resolution - I just want to be a better person and live as much as I can. like always, I'm off to nyc to celebrate the new year with all my best friends. should be a good one, as long as I can get my car out of the driveway. fuck, snow isn't enjoyable anymore.

happy new year.
I'll see you next year.

here's to life.

i've been writing a lot lately and i'm really happy with how things are going. the lyric-taps are flowing and hey, christmas is here and finally over. we'll no longer have to endure christmas songs - i mean, they've been on the radio since halloween. and now maybe people will start to slow down and just enjoy themselves. that's what i've been doing lately. it's nice.

and since it is christmas, this means only two things for me and my PEOPLE:

movie theatre and chinese food.
best way to celebrate christmas other than tackling the nazi pope to the ground.

later i'm off to amanda's for my first holiday shit show. and a shit show it shall be.
also, everyone should listen to frank turner. he's rad.

lightning crashes here.

i've decided to name my first acoustic album, "one day we'll understand." to me, that quote sums up the entire record; each song representing situations i've had, losses i've endured, and parts of life that just happen.... and all are relatable. one day we'll understand why these happen and try to see who we were when they took place.

damn, i've been reminiscing a lot lately about a lot of things -old bands, for instance.

i've began writing a song about tonight's events but it cannot be finished until a much-needed conversation takes place.

fuck, it's all on my shoulders. now i see it always was.

"the clock struck twelve two hours ago
time flies when you're stuck in last year"

also, the way i've been feeling lately with my chest and all, along with the recent death of Brittany Murphy, my blog may ring half true. maybe i should change it. but i wont.

it's guaranteed i'm overreacting.

nothing compares to cheap rum in nyc.

this was the first time I had ever gone into the city alone, rode the train in by myself, but I'm not complaining. for once, we didn't start drinking upon walking through the doorway; most likely because it was only 4pm. usually, I don't arrive to the city until 11:30pm, but I took off work for this night.

the street dogs show was at seven. amanda got 4 free tickets so we thought, "why the hell not? we like punk." we got there around 8, starry-eyed, hoping we'd miss the opening acts. well, we we wrong. the first band was ending their set and immediately, it was a strange setting. I've been to countless shows, but none came close to this one. the band had to be in their forties, all decked out in punk rock attire, the same punk rock attire from 1982, when they first started the band. most of the crowd had 40+ years of life under their belts as well.

irish drunks and dazed punx filled the majority of the theatre. there was a group of guys, shiny white heads, who looked like they were ripped straight from an AMERICAN HISTORY X scene, something I had actually never seen in person. I'll admit, I was a bit fearful.

by the time the street dogs took the stage, all the self-medication had dried up and worn off. at this point, we had all noticed this one kid, pacing around the floor with empty eyes. he was weaving in and out of people and had a half-dread, thrift shop look going on. he was intrigued by nothing and everything. now there is no doubt in my mind (or his) that he was tripping. every so often he would flash a smile and would quickly retreat to the back of the room. he was dragging his jacket behind him. it looked like he was enjoying himself though - I hope he was. the possibilities of what he saw are endless. endless. I just took an interest in him the entire night.

midway through the set, guitarist Tobe challenged someone to a drinking contest, which was a nightly part of the show. just like the song suggests, "Tobe's Got a Drinking Problem." now the opponent he chose looked like he had walked straight out of Malibu's Most Wanted - what a joke. the guy was well over 6 feet and well over 300 pounds, but his matching headband/jacket combo and missing tooth tarnished his threat level.

the skinheads were getting rowdy toward the end of the set. every other song was about drinking, so we left before the encore and did just that. the rest of the night was a standard, not-too-sloppy evening. high five.

NOW last night was fucking insane. out of sheer boredom and anticipation, we opened a fresh bottle of rum around 8 (probably a little earlier). the night comprised of classic blink182 singalongs, circle pits in the middle of the room, and multiple bowls (we got salvia, which was a big upset).

by 8:30, we were all a little tipsy, but we had no plans of going out. no parties were going on, but the best parties are the ones with 6 people anyway. so knowing us, we had more shots. more bowls. more shots.


"at this point in our lives, rancid is a guilty pleasure, accompanied by slurred singalongs."

that's how the street dogs would have wanted it anyway.

naturally, we reached new lows. but to us, "lows" refers to good times. I was giving "defeated hugs" at 9:08, meaning I was 5 hours ahead of normal schedule. I was out like a light before 1am and slept like a bitch.

I woke up to 14 inches of snow, but no regrets.

drifting thing.

Looking back at it now, I'd like to jam with some old friends. I think it would be a really interesting experience. I'm talking about the kids I first started playing with... almost 6 years ago. Our first bands; those first gigs. Maybe I'm just being over sentimental.

I'm coming up onto the first hour now. Everything seems to be in place.

most miserable life.

I pray and bleed with a frozen smile
echoes of heartache are not with me
emotions shed in different times
crashed at this opportunity

I feel sorry for these walls
'cause if they could talk they surely would
hear 'em out, tear 'em down.
hear 'em out, tear 'em down.

- polar bear club

insomniac in training.

final in the am.
-music-
new brunswick in the pm.

shit is finally starting to come together. i'm ready for the new year.