The Royce Files

Coming to you live at UMM in Morris, MN- that is if you are reading this now. I have infliltrated the campus dressed as a typical college student. So far no one has detected me. What brings me to this little hip town? Well, I'm here on business- relational business. I am hanging with some good friends this weekend. I'm off from doing the Grand Forks gig and thus decided to get away from the 'Go. The 'Go? Sounds like a new religion, right? Like the Dao of Pooh. Well anyway, I had planned to co-opt with my friend, let's call him Segue, and do a dance in Mankato at Prepeare Haus but that fell through like stones through wet Kleenex. Besides Seque is a bit injuried. My secret name is Naim as in "Waz Hez Naim." But that's confusing you so I'll cut to the meat of the post. Segue and I were having deep conversations about the state of things. We touched on plenty fo details but a few big things leapt out. Firstly, that we are appreciated for our ski...

The weeks press on. I am at work nearly everyday. I do get some breathing space occasionally. Not enough in my opinion. I am trying to budget time more wisely but I find myself getting further behind. You hate to ask the why question becaus then further things will be unearthed that will demand time and attention. I am fortunate to have some support in this life. The George's have been gracious as has my Dad. I also give props to the West Acres wireless net that I am now using abundantly (at least now.) Next weekend I get a reprieve. No work. Not that requires any major effort. I am hoping to join Seque on a stint doing a dance in Mankato. I hope to see my friend Dustin there, but who knows. I am also in the midst of planning a trip to the Republic of Ireland. The airfare have not been generous for my planned dates. I will wait and see. Prehaps the Almighty may answer my prayers. But back to today. I am feeling weary. It is like there is a huge emotional dike being held back. I...

In the past few weeks my musical tastes have expanded. Admittedly I am a novice fan of techno/synth/electronica fan. It has probably been a few months in the making since I refound my love for making grooves on the MTV Music Maker on the PC. I have actually pondered re-assuming the DJ Waz His Naim (notice the new spelling) mantra and creating dance jazz music. In previous weeks I have really enjoyed listening to a CD I purchased at See You at the Party by an artist known as ShelterShed . A few times a month I head down to old Cheapo Records store on Main and peruse the bargain bin of club music for the new vibes. It has been pretty hit or miss. One CD I picked up was too hip hop for my taste. Then I got another one, The Sound of Electronic Cologne, which took a bit of listening to get used to it. However, my greatest acquisition has been Ultrabeat . He was at See You at the Party in 2001 and he stayed at my friend's house in Morris. How unreal is that? High quality techno synth a...

One of my roommates' sister was honored on television this week. She was in the same wedding I was in in June of 2001. No fooling. Check it out here . No NHL yet so we need to find some grass roots hockey. My hockey person of the week is John Mattson. He's a real Gordy Howe type and even coaches squirts.

reflecting in a local cafe. note the stoic on the left.  

I return to work after the holiday and my computer login problems escalate to the point where I cannot even get into my computer. After a numerous phone calls by myself nothing really improves. The weather was not good either. Eventually IT says it can't do anything tells me to pass it off to security. At this point my manager steps in with full force and has a six way tele conference until it gets completed. By this time a third of the day is gone. My goodness. In other news, North Dakota is frozen stiff and my car still runs. No biking in these conditions. Well that is not exactly true, there was biking for myself this evening. I rode to the bank and back. It was not too bad but the sub zero temperatures do not treat the gears well.

Blizzard like conditions were a featured part of my trek up to the ForX. I had just returned from Alexandria and almost immediatlely boarded the george transport. The trip north on 29 took a bit longer than usually I am told since I was fast asleep in the back seat. Covered with a massive load of white snow, downtown reminded me of the city from It's a Wonderful Life- light, fluffy snowscaping. In addition the sidewalks were a bit icy and we experienced unexpected door trouble with our front door. Besides that it was real good meeting. We had one intriguing and homeless guest that left ten minutes after the meeting began. On the road home we experienced worse conditions since the road had not been plowed. Fortunately we made it home without incident albeit much later than usual.

It has been a busy holiday season. So much to do. Fortunately I am still alive albeit a bit tired. The holiday festivities ended with a rousing New Year's celebration in Alexandria at See Your at the Party . It was great night featuring the bands Falling Up, Children 18:3, Red Cloud, Shelter Shed, and Showbread in addition to inflatible games, dodgeball, a coffee house, pro wrestling, and Wolf's Game Show Fever. Did I mention they gave away a car? Well, I was up until 7:30 the New Year's Day. [I hope I am using the possesive correctly] On the downside, I misplaced my digital camera with a lot of memories in it. I had the bike out for commuting the past week. It is a record of sorts since I had not ridden to work past December 22. It was warm enough too. Who knows if this next week will be good weather for riding? It snowed yesterday and slowed the entire transportation network down but that's another entry.