Troublemaker

more ADD clinic stuff

2007-06-28T15:03:00.001-07:00

well i am one week into my medication. i have been prescribed dex amphetamine. its been a very interesting experience thus far. i had always assumed going to a psychiatrist would be a little depressing (ha ha) but pretty much its just been a big ego stroke for me.

the best description i have heard from the doctors re the medication (dex amphetamine) is that if you imagine my brain as a computer, the processor is powerful and fast (lots of information and ideas) but it was accessing enough RAM to let it finish its transfer of the information fast enough.

the dex amphetamine unlocks more RAM in my brain, so to speak, and allows more information to flow.

the interesting thing has been hearing from a complete stranger a fairly accurate description of my life!!!

the part that i was very interested about was that the doctor told me that when my brain hasnt had enough RAM (again so to speak) that it cannot store most of the information for long periods of time and it is discarded (again using the computer analogy) and after a period of time the information is put into my trash basket.

it has been quite hard listening to these ideas and not immediately using it as an excuse for my lack of concentration and also general hopelessness which has been a fairly big issue for me, but it certainly makes things a little more clear.

the dr also (without knowing anything about me) ventured a guess that i would have undertaken a lot of different business ventures and had a variety of results from success through to out and out failures..

the research he has been doing (he specialises in adult adhd/add..and is thought to be pretty much the foremost in his field in australia) is that this is very common with ADD sufferers.

basically i have been diagnosed with fairly severe ADD (in his opinion about as severe as it actually can be. clinical ADD kicks in at around 70 on the scale they use and mine is upwards of 90-95) which is weird to hear from someone, when you have always considered that you are basically functioning as you assume everyone else does.

he also explained that because there is so much information being processed and thrown around in my brain, that it takes up actual energy to do this, and this is part of the reason that i get fairly run down towards the end of the day. its like my batteries are being drained more than they should be.

because the dex (hopefully) assists with this, it may well mean a little more energy for me at the end of the day.

the oddest thing about all of this is that they are giving me stimulants which thus far has actually helped with my sleep!!

ok so the test results...

the two graphs below are from a CAARS test which is used to determine what level (if any) of ADD/ADHD someone has.

in the ADD section (which is EFG) i am pretty damn tooting! the CAARS observer has been filled out by my wife and Carmela (who manages Alibi) the two people who i guess spend the most time observing my behaviour.

the self profile one was obviously from my own mind tank. you (or the observers) fill out a questionaire (see last blog posting) and this then forms the graph.

the other test is a Progressive Matrices test which forms part of an IQ test. i scored in the top 1%. i actually got the highest score the psychiatrist had seen in his practice (genius....see i told you all..now i have proof!)

the effect of the dex is pretty dramatic and very quick. literally within around 45mins it is like a basic calmness comes over my brain.

pretty much everyone i know (with the exception of bec and a couple of staff) have called bullshit on this in some form or another. i think a part of this is the fact that i get through day to day life pretty well, so from the outside it wouldnt appear that there is many problems. add to this the fact that i have been prescribed speed...which doesnt seem like it would do anything but make me more hyper.

what a lot of people dont understand is the massive amount of ideas that my brain produces every day. fucking thousands and thousands of little spits of energy, which is great because i have always thrived on doing new things at a million miles and hour, but this has also landed me on my arse pretty hard from time to time as well.

even just little day to day things, like driving past hotels where i am staying, missing turn offs to streets i a meant to go down...

the description the dr gave me (above) about the RAM and the computer seems very accurate at this point.

my thinking is quite clear. my energy levels are better. i am sleeping much better.

i dont seem to have lost any of the ideas that are flowing, they just seem to be flowing at a more steady and consistent rate and i seem to be able to file them a little better as well.

adhd clinic

2007-05-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

for a fair while now, my wife, who is a psychologist has been suggesting that i exhibit a lot of characteristics/traits of someone with adhd.

i have always been a little shy of getting assessed on this or recieving treatment because for the most part i like the way my brain fires.
i am pretty lucky because most people who have this tend to also have other forms of brain issues...ocd, depression etc..

ocd is definitely a little irksome at times for me...mainly door lock issues or odd daily routine stuff. but apart from that i am a pretty decent 8.5 out of 10 most of the time.

anyways a friend of mine has been recieving some treatment for a similar condition so i went along to the adult ADHD clinic she went to.

it was pretty interesting..first step was some oral and written tests...reaction times..parts of iq tests (mainly pattern and order recognition)..alcohol audit...quality of life..

i thought i might start posting some of the tests (and results as i get them!)

please feel free to email me any questions about all of this. its quite fascinating stuff...

video of my fighter plane ride

2007-05-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

thanks to TV's Matt Weston for the encoding and new music..

new roshambo songs to listen to

2007-05-13T18:31:00.001-07:00

progress mixes only...not finished..

Clint

Judy Is A Punk

It's Not Us Against Them, It's Me Versus You

We've Already Forgotten The Little People

is it 1994??

2007-04-02T23:54:00.000-07:00

such a great weekend.saw the lemonheads and the pixies play. both were awesome.
the lemonheads (evan) was as chock full of tangents as per usual (great rants about how NZ was just like nazis but with less sieg heils) but the set list was great..and they played "hate your friends" so i was stoked.

the pixies sounded amazing and their set list was also incredible but fuck i dont think i have ever seen more disfunction on stage before. absolutely no communication between the band members at all. it was great to finally see them live, but at the same time sad to watch how they react (or dont) to each other.

i also got to go for a flight in a chinese fighter plane for my birthday!

this is the plane "lucky 13" eh?? a sign of good things to come? in this outfit i think i was more goose than maverick..

whilst the plane looks like 1950's era it was actually built in the late 80's. pretty much everything was written in chinese...so i couldnt find the "fucking hell we are crashing and i need to eject" button at all. later the pilot told me there was no such button.

this is flying at around 3000 feet at around 300km per hour. good times.

i felt a little more maverick in this photo.

i had to make my own machine gun and rocket sounds though.

this is mid way through a 360 loop the loop.
notice sea is the sky...

this was fucking unreal..the pilot let me fly the 2nd loop the loop. (seriously!) i am a much better pilot than i expected..but approx 5gs doesn't help the double chins...

the wife (mine) and peter the pilot....he was definitely more maverick...i was the goose again.

big, big engine...my pilot told me that he took up some v8 super car drivers who complained that it wasnt as powerful as their cars..so he did some crazy moves and made them vomit...gold.
the gnarliest move we did was a stall roll...straight up until the engine stalls...then drop backwards..swing around till nose points down...then massive corkscrew spins with no engine on at all...

thus begins the random photos...

murdoch working on the new painting in the alibi upstairs toilet...7 eleven meets planet of the apes..i love it..

more ape business....

this is just funny.

ollie sits funny.

this was at a gold coast shopping centre. he looks like quite a contented whale..

everyone at the gold coast seems to live on a movie set.

boo speeding tickets on the nofx tour

2007-03-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

adelaide..on the way to the venue...

and on the way home..

i tried a few excuses with the SA police.

1) i am not sure if its me driving...(i know i was the only person driving the van) the photos apparently are taken from behind so thats a no -go

2) i wasnt aware of the fact that it was a 50 zone...it was a major road.

response "unfortunately there is a 50 sign clearly visible directly in front of the van in the photo"

she was very pleasant though.

2007-03-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

this is susie wearing her red hat (along with the delightful vanessa) while we were eating at Ginga..probably my favourite restaurant at the moment.

i told you i had a big head...:(

my new dinosaur jr sneakers..cant wear hi-tops with shorts..which means i will never wear the shoes but i had to buy them.

these cows got out of a truck and were hit/shot. you know how breatharians only eat fallen fruit...does that mean i can eat a fallen cow??

way back in the day..(its the 90's kids) cass melnik and i comparing golf scores with J from Dinosaur Jr

this is the elephant near my favourite indian restaurant (Taj Bengal)

parents of small children..please take note..

how could i refuse this??

my friend chris at mardi gras..nofx broke his punk rock cherry!!

ollie loves tv...which is a good thing.not sure what he is watching there.

susie from alibi / i heart hiroshima actually went on tour with me and nofx. this is her the day she left.

hanging out in the foyer in perth..she liked this hotel

just soundchecking smellys drums...in adelaide

2007-03-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

someone pasted up a new monster joe's paste up..that was nice of them...

this dog has a big head..i can relate to that...

this is one of the nicest tattoos i have seen in ages. its on a dude i know called Jim

these are awesome dolls that are in my favourite mexican restaurant in brisbane. the place is called "El Torito" try the carne asada burrito and also the chicken chimichanga..

this is Murdoch working on his mural in the upstairs toilet at Alibi.

sometimes i am just tired...its not from smoking the marijuana cigarettes..i dont smoke pot..its really annoying when people assume you do...

this is the 3rd biggest booger i have ever seen. mike likes kangaroos..

the nofx were nice and gave me props on their "internet" site.

this is jay menace..like limo he is a top dude..also like limo he scares me a little..he has fucking rad tattoos...and makes me feel fairly undertattooed.

i think someone has been reading my dreambook. BBQ'd Kebabs?? pinch me...

mike would change the lyrics every night for this song. this was for hobart, tasmania...

yep...more nofx...

2007-03-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

a woman in adelaide was pretty into the band...

adelaide...these kids were drinking goon outside the venue...i tried to be the good dood and warn them not to go to hard and miss the show....3rd or 4th song in, i went outside and the kid on the right was throwing up in the alley next to the venue..i am pretty sure that was me when i was 14...

this belongs to someone from the hula bula bar...its a fucking sweet ride.

hula bula bar in perth.

i have never been so jealous and so inspired by another bar.

more hula bula.

you really cant beat black velvet and hot ladies..

there was heaps of rad pinstriping in the toilets..

done by this dood ben..he is good people. he and his delightful ladyfriend helped me schlep mike around to various hospitals...story to follow.

his ladyfriend plays in a band with him called Jacknife...they are a damn good looking band...i havent heard them, but they make me feel scruffy. they took me to hula bula bar and made me drink 25 year old rum...its a tough life i tell you.

the venue in perth was crazy (metro) it was like thunderdome...two men enter...one man leaves...it was four levels i think...

mike tore his calf muscle around 3 songs in. this made my performance of the decline less fun..but still fun. he finished the show..

for an an american he is pretty tough...

i took mike to a few different hospitals...eventually we found one that wasnt chock full of friday night casualties..it was around 15 minutes from perth..which my locals said was "a long way away"

boo no food before doctor appointment..mike had an exam at night then went back for an ultrasound the next day...bad muscle...crutches for a couple of weeks was what the dr said...a real dr, not that guy from frenzal.

who'd have thunk it...more nofx...

2007-03-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

this is in melbourne. joey greco was out in australia with the baker skate team tour. we had a shindig at alibi for them. it was funny watching americans weird out over pizza toppings, scrape them off and then just eat the base. the dude doesnt seem to know much about gourmet pizzas but he does a hell of a paste up.

please see above. melbourne does have a bunch of great alleyways and lots and lots of good graffiti and paste ups.

but they dont have personalized coffee like at the alibi room. take that melburn...

this myself and my buddy Jo Laboo. like John Bush, people seem to talk about her using both names as well. Laboo sounds french, but its actually Indian. and she is really really white..which confuses me. the hat isnt hers. well it is now..she "borrowed it" from one of the other hotel guests.

this is smelly at soundcheck. that banner is even smaller in real life. he is still one of the raddest drummers i have ever heard/seen. especially because he only uses a single kick. i once annoyed him really badly after a long night out (it was april 2000) kent, mike and i pretty much tortured him with "not very lucid" conversation on a drive from lorne in victoria to melbourne..sorry dood.

this is me with the delightful Ally Spazzy..she is a tops drummer as well..and also has a cheeky grin.

this is the Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide..i drove past it several times. It was a really pretty venue. this is it empty.

this is it full!

this is me playing live in Adelaide..i promise i was smiling inside...just shit scared thats all..its not often you get to play with one of your top 5 bands of all time. i am playing the end of an 18 minute epic called "The Decline"

this is kent with the world's 3rd largest cup of coffee.it was a damn fine cup as well. its from a place called "Jungle Juice Bar" in centre place in Melbourne. may i also suggest you eat some of their bagels..fucking unreal.

even more nofx....

2007-03-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

this is luna park in sydney. unfortunately it was raining so i couldnt go on any rides. the show was advertised as being in the big top, which was actually more a convention centre with a big top on the outside of it (sydney people..always coming up with something new)

another set list. nofx are getting to the point where its all killer...etc etc..there really is no weak spots on their set lists..unless you dont like them..then its all shit isnt it! the decline went down a treat every night (listed here as dick suck) i dont think they were expecting that.

this is the folks who came along to the show. as far as crowds went, they smelt quite good. (all relative of course)

nofx really do have a passionate crowd..a little feisty at times but what are you going to do? it's punk rock. (but it turns out some parts of punk rock like spitting aren't so much fun....grubby kids..don't you know joe strummer got hepatitis from spit....insert question from most under 21's....who is joe strummer...is he on myspace?)

limo and mike preparing for thumb wrestling. limo is big (and scary at times) he is one of the team who look after the nofx's stuff and goings on. he also plays keyboards and does a pretty mean robot.

mike is hard to beat at thumbwrestling...and he has little hands..even smaller than my great great grandson of a convict, no good for anything but stealing loaves of bread hands.

the dr came past to say hello. he is in my top ten australian people list. probably somewhere between 4 and 7. he just loves huey lewis AND the news.

i dont know who this dude is but he had a killer godzilla shirt.

more nofx....

2007-03-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

this is the brisbane all ages show...
the arena is a fun place to play.

both of the brisbane shows sold out (i think pretty much the entire tour did)

this is just a random photo from the door. its nice having a camera on your phone that is good enough to actually take photos where you can recognize what the subject matter is....

mike met these two outside..they were on a date and wearing matching nofx singlets. he brought them backstage, hung out, had some beers and let them choose a bunch of songs for the setlist. i cant think of many bands that would do this for fans...

mike got this hat from some random in sydney who hopped on stage. he wore it for pretty much the whole tour. it seemed to help divert spit from hitting him as well. this show is the over 18s arena show.

this is charney the bands australian tour manager. she pretty much rules..and is a tough lady. we ate at a lot of nice restaurants on the tour..(it was a topic of much conversation most days...where to eat..)

this was a delicious fried chicken with spicy sauce...

this is melvin eating a dish that appeared to be the korean version of pad thai..bid me up?? or something like that...

this is john bush. for some reason, whenever people talk about him, they say both his names..never john or bush..always john bush. he was my roommate for the majority of the tour. he is good fun and was unpleasantly surprised by the volume and attack of my snoring.

this is kent jamieson. nofx's main management style person and front of house engineer..he rules..we are brothers from different mothers...he has taught me many BBQ secrets over the years and prepared perhaps the best ribs i have ever eaten (after a 7 hour drive from LA to San Francisco)

heaps of dudes (and a few dudettes) got nofx tattoos and showed them off..this is their crest..it looks fucking rad as a tattoo..

oh yeah...nofx call these "taddoos" because thats apparently how australians speak. i was the translator on the tour...

hefe (the mexican guitarist) was a little concerned that he looked like "a cosby kid" in this tattoo..my theory is the taddooist only had one brown...dark...

nofx tour part one...

2007-03-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

so i just spent around 12 days on tour with nofx..i had a ball..

this photo was driving to the airport in brisbane (thanks for the lift susie!) i thought it looked like a giant cock. that could just be me though.

the first show was an all ages show in camberwell in melbourne. the kids smelt bad, let off fire extinguishers, smoked cigarettes which set off the fire alarms. all in all pretty much a perfect crowd.

nofx play a different set list every night. i dig this. means that if you are following the band and watching every show (and there was a bunch of folks doing that) you dont see the same songs every night.

the first over 18s show was at the Manning Bar at Sydney Uni. This was also around the time that my unique ability to drive past venues was uncovered. (i have hurt my head an awful lot and am a little dazed and confused when it comes to geographical awareness.)

this is Melvin (guitars) in front of the band's oversized banner.

Coolangatta Hotel (ouuch) coastal crowds are always rowdy. Mike got a chipped tooth here from a shoe hitting the mic while he was singing.
This started the new game off crossing songs off the set list everytime someone got nailed by an object. After the crowd loses songs like Bob, or Don't Call Me White...they soon get the idea and the missiles slow some what.

then it was off to Brisbane, and no way in hell was there not going to be a visit to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I love taking people out here. I probably head out around 20 times a year.

here is Smelly (drummer) and Jeff feeding the
Kangaroos.

Jeff is following the band making a doco about a
crazy year of touring. He also sings in the Dead
Kennedys (seriously) and also in Black Fag.

random photos from my camera this week

2007-01-28T21:53:00.000-08:00

this is my buddy brett and olly both passed out. brett is the only person who rivals myself for inappropriate sleeping...anywhere...anytime.

its true you know...

i bbq'd for bec's birthday on the weekend. not my best effort to be honest, but a solid showing. things not in picture= haloumi. i only marinated the ribs for a couple hours, which was good but not awesome.

this belongs to my mechanic john. he rebuilt his austin van as pretty much an exact replica of the van in wallace and grommit..its gold..

SWOTS + drains= wednesday

2007-01-23T22:44:00.000-08:00

we had our first SWOT meeting at alibi today. that is strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats..i felt like anthony robbins with less teeth (and money) it was very productive though.

then the upstairs drains blocked and there was kitchen water everywhere.
sweet..

i watched some kickboxing last night...i have started enjoying watching it. one of the commentators had awesome calls. "he's all over it like a fat kid on a donut" along with "he's got more combinations than a mcdonalds menu".

he eventually ran out though...it got down to "he's throwing more elbows...than...a...thing with a lot of elbows."

tuesday arvos have become a time to listen to GTFU radio with my friend aaron from sabertooth tiger, a dood jeremy and annie from giant drag...

it is funny as fuck..

they had a link to this...family guy took me awhile to really understand but i do love it now..

thanks..

also march 24th is my 35th birthday, there will be celebrations..

2007-01-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

we got our new puppy..he is pretty awesome.his name is ollie. he cost $1100 but the breeders are going to pay us $200 every time he knocks up a "bitch" (please note correct vernacular here). i always knew i was going to pimp someone out.

aside from this. i am planning on heading to the shed this weekend to do some work on my buick. oddly enough a one year project has headed into its second year already. i have had the starter motor rebuilt and am about to send off the engine/carburettor. then the body work/cutting/welding/chopping/channeling will start in earnest.

for the first time in almost 8 years, my band roshambo is going to record. we actually recorded an album before (doolittler) but it was basically an hour of us talking crap about each song. we had a launch at rics (guess that wont happen again!) and sold a bunch of them. turns out we are pretty funny eh?

we are going to be recording at a studio called zero interference with a guy called bryce moorhead. its the first time i will have recorded in a studio (or at all actually) for over 10 years. fuck where the hell is the time going? i picked up a copy of a cd of a band i used to manage (not from there) and it was released in 1997...ten fucking years ago.

i have been running alibi for two years now. i turn 35 this year. its weird..running a restaurant/bar wasnt where i saw myself being at 35, yet i am finding it extremely satisfying.

the weird thing about managing bands (which i did for around 10 years) is that it was entirely unyielding. it just never stopped. once you had an album out in australia, then it as time for NZ, and then once NZ was done, USA or UK or Europe. if you sold out a 500 seater, why were you not playing in a 750 or 1000 seater.. if you got medium rotation, why not high?

i guess there is that element here as well. but perhaps because it is so day to day, there is a little more time to enjoy small victories as well.

last thing today. this photo is wrong. it just is.

2007-01-04T21:54:00.001-08:00

wow..what a fucking annoying day.
nothing actually wrong..just everything seemed more effort than it should have been.

aarrrgggghhh...

on the good side..we get our new pug puppy in two weeks.

on other good stuff..nofx are touring again. so i get to do 1 and a half laps of the country with them. looking forward to this greatly..

bought some good stuff on ebay this week.
got a pretty mint star wars escape from death star boardgame for $10 and three blossoom dolls for around $20 each.

music - today has been xzibit + the bronx. now if only they would do a collaboration.

my mum moves to qatar to be with dad for a few years..its pretty much smack bang in the middle of kuwait, iran and iraq. but apparently pretty safe.

good times.

cheap petrol at least?

PMJ - post monster joe's

2006-12-17T20:55:00.002-08:00

ouch..28 hour work day on saturday. all good though..over 500 folks turned up..rain and all.
you can check out some prom photos at the myspace page. Monster Joe's

i had a total ball, doing the club monthly is way less stress than weekly!

dont forget tuesday arvo (australia time) is when you can log on and listen to my buddy aaron farley and the delightful annie from giant drag (and another dood jeremy) doing their radio show...Get The Fuck Up Radio

I get almost a week off next week, closing alibi for around 5 days which will be sweet. time to fish and sleep and thats about it..

had a weird week last week..got banned from playing a venue which is a shame..all to do with alibi stuff. the woman who was our partner here is now the manager there and i was told it was not 'appropriate' for us to play there as we have legal action in the works...i told the booking agent that maybe it wasnt appropriate for us to be left with a quarter of a million dollars debt either eh?

so anyays not only were we not allowed to play there, neither were van lustbader because paul who plays in roshambo also plays in that band. boo.

the end of the year (this time around) doesnt feel quite as overwhelming as it did last year..we kicked some really fucking big goals at alibi this year, which have dropped my stress levels down..

and i remembered the F.O.B.F.O.

find
out
before
freak
out

i think i might get a F.O.B.F.O tattoo.
oh yeah i have a front runner for my knuckle tattoos as well

CASH ONLY.

gold..

random photo. i wore long pants for Monster Joe's prom night as well.

random photos

2006-12-13T22:40:00.000-08:00

my first blog on this thing.

2006-12-12T22:30:00.000-08:00

well this is all very exciting isnt it. its like i caught up with the rest of the world.
i just started my 7th myspace account (jebus thats just silly isnt it!)
its for tv party. my tv show that i made/am making with a dood called matt weston who plays in an awesome band called the nation blue.

we started making it so very long ago. thankfully the stories all hold solid still because none of them have a real clear place and time. there are some awesome stories and we had a ball making it.

heaps of stuff was in the pipeline (theo from the lunachicks hosting it!, andrew wk doing the theme song!). i spent a bunch of money putting it all together, but life got in the way (well a place called the alibi room did!) but now i am slowly pulling my head out of my arse (pleasant mental picture inserted here) and thinking about getting it out and about there.

you can check out some of the stories here

my new club monster joe's truck and tow is doing well. we have the third night coming up this weekend.
its way less stress having the club monthly and its kind of good doing it all myself as well.i am slowly learning that this is the way to do things. have a good team, but make the decisions on my own. my gut instinct works quite well.

the alibi room is doing heaps better..we are slowly digging ourselves out of the $250,000 + debt that we had..ouch..yes..ouch...

my dad has moved to qatar (google it) and mum is moving over there in feb i think.

we bought a new pug puppy (we had jub jub our 16 yr old peckingese put down a few months ago) so we pick him up in around 5 weeks. cant wait.

ok done.