JANUARY 29TH

Events

904 – Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.

1834 – US President Andrew Jackson orders first use of federal soldiers to suppress a labor dispute.

1845 – “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe is published in the New York Evening Mirror.

1861 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.

1863 – Bear River Massacre.

1886 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.

1940 – Three trains on the Sakurajima Line, in Osaka, Japan, crash and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi station. 181 people are killed.

1944 – World War II: Approximately 38 men, women, and children die in the Koniuchy massacre in Poland.

2002 – In his State of the Union Address, United States President George W. Bush describes “regimes that sponsor terror” as an Axis of Evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

Births

1737 – Thomas Paine, English-born American patriot (d. 1809)

1754 – Moses Cleaveland, founder of Cleveland (d. 1806)

1843 – William McKinley, 25th President of the United States (d. 1901)

1860 – Anton Chekhov, Russian writer (d. 1904)

1874 – John D. Rockefeller Jr., American entrepreneur (d. 1960)

1880 – W.C. Fields, American actor (d. 1946)

1891 – R. Norris Williams, American survivor of the RMS Titanic sinking ( d. 1968 )

1922 – Gerda Steinhoff, Nazi concetration camp supervisor (d. 1946)

1930 – Derek Bailey, English guitar virtuoso (d. 2005)

1936 – James Jamerson, American bass guitarist for Motown Records (d. 1983)

1940 – Kunimitsu Takahashi, Japanese motorcycle racer and racing driver

1942 – Claudine Longet, French singer, dancer and convicted murderer

1944 – Andrew Loog Oldham, English rock and roll producer

1945 – Tom Selleck, American actor

1952 – Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-born musician and record producer (The Ramones)

1954 – Richard Manitoba, American singer (The Dictators and MC5)

1954 – Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host and actress

1960 – Gia Carangi, American model (d. 1986)

1960 – Greg Louganis, American diver

Deaths

1678 – Jeronimo Lobo, Portuguese Jesuit missionary (b. 1593)

1963 – Robert Frost, American poet (b. 1874)

1964 – Alan Ladd, American actor (b. 1913)

1969 – Allen Dulles, American CIA director (b. 1893)

1977 – Freddie Prinze, American actor and comedian (b. 1954)

1986 – Leif Erickson, American actor (b. 1911)

2002 – Dick “Night Train” Lane, American football player ( b. 1928 )

1. What do your friends think of you?
“I Don’t Want to Be Alone” by Billy Joel.
My friends know me well, apparently.

I REALLY DON'T.

All I want is just one good day. Not a superb day, not a lucky day. I don’t want to win the lottery or anything. I just want one good day. One dy without setbacks or things that send me into a panic. One day of not feeling nauseous and tired and heavy all day. I’m so tired.

I never make New Years resolutions. But I’ve got this girl, see. And she means the world to me. I’ve reached a point where I can clearly see a grown-up future for myself that includes her. Live like regular folks, you know? House, marriage, kids, porch, job. I figured it’s about time I establish some set goals for myself, ya dig?

1) This is officially the year of living frugally. No more spending my cash on bulllshit. No more eating out all the time. I want to have some savings in my savings account for once.

2) Hang out with my mom more. My mom kinda rules.

3) Stop being nice all the goddamn time. A little bit more taking what I want, a little bit more stepping on toes and not giving a shit.

That’s it. Go home.

– Jason Heller

I listen to Off With Their Heads because I can’t properly articulate how disgusted and disappointed with myself and what I’ve made of my life. They write the songs about self-loathing and depression that I could never write myself. I’m glad they’re around, because if I didn’t have something like them I’d have choked to death on all these shitty feelings long ago.

I tried to plan a surprise party for B, but it got ruined within 12 hours. Thanks, world.

HEY, OTTAWA!

IT’S ME, ALEX!

My band is hitting Ottawa this coming Thursday, January 24th. We’ll be playing over at Dishouse (454 Gladstone Ave). Come say hi!