http://www.mattblanchard.com Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:19:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en “I like to party. And I like to drink. I like a woman who can me think. I like adventure. And I like to dance. I like a woman who’s taking a chance. I’d like to be lovers, between you and me. Between you and me.” - Mike Williams (from the new Thought record, “Politics for Kids”) Amen, Mike. http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% Over the past few months I’ve recorded saxophone on a few television commercials for Crest Toothpaste, Trix Yogurt and Quilted Northern. The testing phase for commercials can be a very long time so at this point the Crest commercial is the only one on the air. I’ll write an update ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% “Re-examine all you have been told, dismiss what insults your soul.” - Walt Whitman http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% Yesterday, the Vatican announced that it is now “OK” to believe in extraterrestrial life and that it does not interfere with a belief in God. This is highly significant. You can read more about it here: Vatican Aliens However, continue to make sure not to have sex before you are ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% Graffiti on a wall: “Go to work, send your kids to school, follow fashion, act normal, walk on the pavements, watch TV, save for your old age, obey the law. Repeat after me: I am free” http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% The sun rises from behind a new mountain, starting today. The wind whispers a little quieter, starting today. I guess it’s the next lifetime that we will break bread together beneath the apple tree. I kiss your forehead goodnight tonight for the last time. – “And so it is, just like you said it ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% “When someone close to you dies, you are forced to see yourself. You see your own fear, the real stuff, the stuff you hid under a carpet somewhere. You think it hurts, but you can’t tell. Death as the path for all humankind is never more lucid than ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% This past week I finally made the move to NYC. Not until recently had it felt the right thing to do. I’ve lived in Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Atlanta postponing the big move. I think it’s very important to ride the wave of life. Society likes to tell us otherwise. It ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% The sun reflected off an unexpected window into my eyes at the same moment the thought of you was overwhelming me. The sun will never set tonight. You are the sky to me. I’m sick again. Where is this thing that you’ve promised me? I’m sipping your care but in my mind it’s flowing ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% I was looking in a store window the other night when I noticed something. I could either focus on what was actually in front of me on display behind the glass or I could focus on the reflection of myself and what was happening behind me. Both sounded completely different. I’d ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% I had a dream last night about running through the countryside, all the leaves on the trees where perfectly round. Their trunks were perfectly brown. The grass was perfectly green and provided a soft cushion beneath my feet. The sky was perfectly blue. The sun warm on my back. The ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% If you know what the inside of the lock looks like, you can make the key. http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% I remember the exact moment that I became aware of my existence. I was a freshman in High School, first period band rehearsal, 9:30am. It spontaneously occurred to me that if time stopped, assuming we live at the edge of time, that literally nothing would exist if I was to ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% A parable about a Zen master: In a village, a boy got a pony, and all the villagers said, “That’s good.” The Zen master said, “We’ll see.” A couple of years later, the boy fell off the pony and broke his leg. All the villagers said, “That’s too bad.” The Zen ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% Jerseyband was invited today to play at a major European Music Festival in Saalfelden, Austria, August 21-24, 2008. I guess it’s time to get my Maria von Trapp on…nun style. The flight itself, with all of us, will be worth the trip, if any of you want to come along. http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% Warm-up: Backstage: Sound Check: Teaching the kids: Teaching the kids: http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it and to fight for it. - Barack Obama http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% I’m writing this from 30,000 feet, flying out of a snowstorm into the welcoming climate of the south. Night is taking over and the feeling of change makes its presence known. We just crested the clouds and off in the distance the remaining sun is creating a very subtle orange-blue-gray ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page% How many of you have your entire escape planned? And how long has it been planned? How many of you would escape if the guard fell asleep with the keys in his hand where you could just barely reach them? How many of you would stare at those keys all ... http://www.mattblanchard.com/%page%