Chillicothe

I am in the Chillicothe, OH public library, mentally preparing for my first day of school tomorrow. I am excited for the school but am not sure how I will be able to handle this living situation for 5 weeks. I am living in a cabin with four other guys, who decided that our cabin will be a "smoking" cabin, for both cigarettes and the other. Our cabin is about the size of a typical tool shed, complete with shower, kitchen, and 6 bunk beds. I arrived here last night with a quite surreal welcome. As I hiked up the giant hill to my cabin, I walked past a bon fire complete with a drum circle and a short mexican girl freestyling. I finally got to my cabin to meet my roommates, who were stoned and listening to instrumental hardcore music (?!). As the cabin wasn't big enough for me to maneuver towards my bunk, I stood there for a good 15 minutes and discussed with the stoners the perks of opening a studio in the middle of a cornfield in Nebraska. My throat is already feeling the wear of sleeping on the top bunk of a room consistently thick with smoke.
This is only an obstacle though, I will still give it my all at this school and make the best of it. After all, I'm sure the 25 year old stoner has some wisdom to share.
Cheers,
Mikey Mike

The Process

I am now well into the section of my life I call, "livin' the dream." I can now accurately say that I am "too cool for school." I finished the project with Brian Militana last week and it turned out amazing. It was by far the most artistically challenging thing I've been involved in and it was the most difficult project to cram into two weeks. That said, I think the record speaks for itself and I think Brian has huge potential. I am now halfway through a record with Allie Peden. This has been a completely different atmosphere, which has been refreshing for me. It has been a very comfortable and low-stress session where all ideas and input are considered and pursued. I am excited to see how the final product sounds.
I have to constantly remind myself that this is a process and I can't constantly live in anticipation of the future but I have to enjoy the process itself. This goes for all aspects of my life. It takes a lot of patience and faith to live free of anxiety. This time out of school has been a gift but it definitely has not been easy. I am trying to enjoy the aspects of my life that are working and that are proving themselves to be fulfilling. There is a big section of my mind where I keep the worry, regret, anxiety, loss; I plan to keep all of that there, so that it is not consuming my mind but it is a part of it and I am dealing with it. It's kind of like putting a bunch of old pictures in a drawer as opposed to throwing them out. The process is figuring out how to deal with those "pictures," how often to take them out, and ultimately trying to learn from them. It's just a process, and I am ok with that.

-mike