Can't take the HEAT

This is chalk on cement. Flat cement. It's crazy. 

So, monday night I made the hour and a half trip back to Portland after having returned from there less than 24 hours before. Silly, but true. The purpose this time was not for any gluttonous holiday, but for the Owen show. Actually, the headliner was mewithoutYou, but I had no prior knowledge of who they were and had not spent $12 of my sparse pocket change to see. The trip turned out to be well worth it though.
Owen is actually the solo project of Mike Kinsella (of Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, The One Up Downstairs, American Football, Owls, Maritime and Aloha---yeah he's been around). It's mostly acoustic, with the occaisional bass, drum and keyboard tracks layered on, all done by him. His set was short but moving, I really appriceate artists that put so much of themselves into what they create...it can change those otherwise hollow moments spent listening and watching into an experience that painlessly remains in the memory and is worth reliving in the mind.
Mike is actually an extremely nice person. He was very easy to talk to and a sincere modesty rang in every word he said, a tell that he probably has a lot to say but keeps each line substantial and honest. I find this a very valuable quality in people, I wish it was more abundant. He also is a pretty funny guy.
Also in the line-up were Despitado, The Snake The Cross The Crown and, as I had mentioned before, mewithoutYou. Despitado offered only a run-of-the-mill sound. The players were talented, but they lacked...well...soul, I guess.
I had seen The Snake The Cross The Crown previously at Warped Tour, but I really hadn't formulated any kind of opinion of them. After watching them live at this show for the second time, I decided they are a good group impending rampant popularity. I really wish I could describe their sound, but I think I wouldn't really do any justice for them. I'm not saying that because they are too extravagantly great for words, I just don't know what to say. If you want you can check them out on their website.
mewithoutYou was a pretty interesting experience as well. Talk about emotion. These guys weren't messing around when they made their music. The lead singer looked like he was going to pop throughout almost the whole set. This is not to give the impression that they are some post-hardcore-screamo band, there was very little screaming, mearly an intense stage presence and deeply communicative facial expression. So much so that one could assume that they were playing as much for themselves as for the audience. I recommend checking them out, which can be done here.
Also, possibly worth mentioning, I saw some old aquiantences at the show. Of course, Bryce Hooper was there...I see him at virtually every show I go to. One thing that suprised me was that he appeared to have himself a woman. This was worth noting due to the fact that he definately puts out the "I'm too depressed/hardcore/indie to get/have women" impression. Plus, he works at Hot Topic...I really can't imagine that the mall provides much of a playing field for him. Oh well, what do I know.
I also saw Michele Blumelle (I don't think I spelled that right), whom I haven't seen in over a year and a half. We were on the high school dragon-boat/six-sixteen team and we developed a fairweather friendship due to similar taste in music. She was looking pretty good, which was somehow refreshing to me, and it was nice to see her.
Last but not least, while I was waiting in line prior to the show...out in the rain and the cold and the wind...I struck up a conversation with a pretty interesting guy from Forest Grove. Nothing about him told anything about what I would have thought about him or what we actually talked about. He appeared to be your average straightedge scene'ster (sans the died-black hair), but as it turns out, he's an aspiring hair-dresser who works at a Sharis which recently got shot up during a gang rivalry/dispute between two tables. I guess a guy was shot in the face and thus is no longer with us today. So it goes.
He said it's a strikingly odd and unnerving experience to watch blood, instead of water, progressing down a driveway strip towards the drains. I can only imagine.
He was a very cool person though and I hope to see him again someday. Of course, I can't remember his name. I suck.

Moving onto todays less exciting, but more progressive, events; Kevin, Resa and I finally gt the chance to break the ice about the building tension in the apartment. I had turned off the heat due to the fact it was warm enough in the apartment to be comfortable, or at least nothing a blanket or sweatshirt couldn't solve. Moments later, the heat came back on. I walked back out of my room, clicked off the heat with as much conviction as I could muster and said, as pleasently as possible, "Why is the heat on?!? It's hot e-goddamned-nuff in here."
As I expected, Resa came out of her room and threw me the compromise line again. I don't want to belittle what she has to say, I don't want to give you that impression, so I will try my best to be fair and say that she really does have a point. But, honestly, the point is only backed with hypocracy.
I feel this way mainly because I, and commonly Kevin, put out a great deal of effort cleaning the apartment. Especially the kitchen, whose messes tend to be epic and are consistently comprised of Resa's dishes, spills and half-eaten meals. This has been brought to her attention on a few occaisions without any apparent impact. Where is the compromise there?
Also, the distribution of resources used, namely electricity, centers in Resa's room where she has two snake cages complete with high-powered heating lamps etc, a mouse cage which is often lit with a desk lamp and, to top it off, a mini fridge (which most know, is not the cheapest of appliances to run. Of course she has a computer and a television but it woudn't be fair to count those. With all the heat lamps in there her room should be warm enough without the furnace I would think.
It's a very frustrating situation.
Another issue that I feel carries a lot of weight is the fact that Resa hasn't had a very congenial attitude towards me and Kevin lately and is often and unneseccarily condescending. I am not sure why this is, it could be because of us or it could be because of more personal things going on in her life, but it really causes more grief than should be accepted. If this weren't the case, this whole 'compromise'/heat issue would be smooth and easily solved...but have the feeling this is really going to be a lot harder than it has to be.
I guess Kevin proposed to Resa that we all get together and talk it out tomorrow night. I suppose this is because what could have been the discussion earlier was cut short due to Resa shutting her door in my face after I mentioned the unfairness of having to pay for all the electricity she is using up with the snakes etc. in her room. Oh, well. Tomorrow it is.

So thats all I really had to talk about today, or more appropriatly vent about, and I think I'm done. I also have a fairly large, comprehensive final for Psychology tomorrow and I probably should be studying....so until next time, have a great evening/morning/afternoon (or whenever you may be reading this) and I'm sure I'll post again soon.