Michael J. Epstein is a Giant Dork: A Selection of Embarrassing Artifacts from Mike's Past - Part 4: Invasion of the Burrowers (a story I wrote at age 8) - learn the fate of Selwyn Cricket!

Here is a story I wrote for school in my writing journal at age 8.  You can see some thematic similarities to the story I wrote at age 11.  I put the text on the side and tried to maintain spelling and punctuation errors.

	Invasion of the Burrowers Part I One day a boy named Selwyn was playing in his backyard when saw a hole that looked like this: (drawing) He decided he would see what is burried if he dug.  But he couldn't dig with his mother around because he wasn't aloud to dig in the backyard.  So he had to wait until his mother was asleep.  It is only 4:00 PM now.
	Part II The Box Creature It was 1:00 AM so Selweyn put on a sweatshirt and jeans and got a shovel.  Then he creeped down the stairs and out the door.  Then he started digging when the ground started rumbling and shaking! Then where Selwyn dug a steel see through box came up! It had a little blue creature in it. He was talking but his mouth wasn't moving! He pressed buttons on a computer that said words for him.
	Part III The World In Danger Then the creature said: I'm one of the best messengers of my kind.  I'm a burrower and my name is Moshekeolee.  "Long name" said Selwyn.  Then he said "I am a human and my name is Sel-. Then the monster innturupted "I came to warn you that we will destroy the world unless you humans stop stealing our supplies like oil and cabbages.  If there is too be a war we "The Burrowers" will win it.
	Part IIII Proof! What is the tallest building around here?  I guess the factory down the road but it is scheduled to be knocked down tomorrow, at 3:00. Well tell the President it would will fall at 2:00. and leave the rest to me then he went back down and filled in the hole.  Then Selwyn wrote a letter to the president it said: Dear President, The factory will fall at two not three. Sincerely, Selwyn Cricket
	Part IIIII Were in trouble Then Selwyn went in his room and fell asleep.  The next day his mother asked why he was wearing a sweatshirt.  He said "I got cold so I put it on. TO BE CONTINUED on pg 8
	Part IIIIII The Contiued of The Burrowers The next day at two o'clock Selwyn went to the factory and then it started to collapse!  Everybody around started scattering and screaming!  Then the building toppled over. Part IIIIIII Scared Stiff! Then the next day it was put into the paper and the world thought aliens shot it down.  One man got a picture of the factory falling and it showed a blue creature inside the factory.
	Part IIIIIIII Trap! The Selwyn thought uh oh! the world may be in trouble but I'll have to help them. So he went to kill the monsters and nobody has seen him since. The End

Michael J. Epstein is a Giant Dork: A Selection of Embarrassing Artifacts from Mike's Past - Part 3: I'm Getting Sweaty In Here (A sci-fi novella by 11-year old MJE)

MJE Dancing to DDR X Arcade featuring The Motion Sick's "30 Lives"

After some time searching, I finally ended up at an arcade that has DDR X. We don't have very many arcades in Boston, but I am in New York this weekend to visit family for the holidays. We were seeing The Pee-Wee Herman Show, which I highly recommend, and I had gotten a hot tip that Dave and Buster's in Times Square had DDR X. So, after the show, we scooted over to the arcade and I embarrassed myself doing a little dancing.  Here are some photos and video (click on photos for larger versions):

For anyone that missed me playing DDR X on PlayStation, here's an old video:

The Positronic Rays (my One Night Band) return to life to rock 12/3 at Rosebud and hit the studio!

Yeah, yeah, we're making One Night Band into a misnomer, but the rumors are true, the space-themed operatic entity The Positronic Rays arises once more to perform the Spaceman Max song trilogy.  Who is Max?  He is the final hope for humanity, sent off to Mars to begin terraforming so that humans may move away from the dying Earth and start anew.  His only companion, the great watcher in the sky, The Master of the Universe, does not intervene as Max watches the last lights on Earth burn out and he is left alone, as the human race's fading shadow.

So, what brings us back you wonder?  Well, it just so happens that The Blizzard of 78 is releasing an EP, and it just so happens that Highly Personal Trash is also playing at the show, and it just so happens that, ever since One Night Band, drummer Benny Grotto (Motherboar) has joined up to play drums with HPT.  So, 3/5ths of The Positronic Rays were already going to be under one roof.  Everyone knows that those final remaining pieces, "Me and Jim Collins" (funny story actually), are always ready to rock on short notice.  So, the rock is what shall go down!  In even bigger news, the day after the show, the Rays step into Mad Oak Studios to record the Spaceman Max trilogy.  So, it seems like there may be a Max record someday soon!

The show details:
Facebook Event Page
12/3/10
The Rosebud
381 Summer St.
Somerville, MA

Celebrate the release of "Nothing or No One" the new EP by The Blizzard of 78.
Set Times:
11:45-Muy Cansado
10:45-The Blizzard of 78
10:00-The Positronic Rays
9:00-Highly Personal Trash

Full video of our One Night Band Set:

The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library at The Magic Room Recap! w/Walter Sickert, Garvy J., Evan O'Television, and more!

We had an absolute blast playing last Friday at The Magic Room Gallery and really want to thank everyone who helped put it together and all of the bands/acts/artists involved.  It was a beautiful variety show in a bizarrely beautiful space.

Last things first...or something. Here's video of our whole set (posted at least for a little while). I was still recovering from the sickies, so singing was a bit of an adventure.  The low songs were hard to sing, the high songs were hard to sing.  The middle songs were hard to sing.  Luckily for me, the librarians all totally ruled and made up for any of my shortcomings.  I am often a little wary of light shows, but I loved the visual projections happening while we played (summary: I hate flashing/blinking; I love lasers.)!  We rushed to include a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "The Weeping Song" in our set (video of our cover here).  I'd say we weren't really well enough prepared to play it, so we fumbled it a bit here and there and I sang it all wacked-out, but I am leaving it here because I really love the idea of it.  The strange rhythmic clapping and viola part in the chorus make me think of flamenco music (though it doesn't really quite sound like that).  Anyway, I like it and I am excited about working on the song more to make it awesome!

Full set video!


I wish I had more chance to record the other acts, but I was a little frazzled that night - a combination of having been sick all week and seeing too many clowns decorating the space (just kidding about the clowns bothering me...sort of. A clown did steal my Missile Command game at Chuck E Cheese once.)  Anyway, I got to witness almost all of it.

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

As you entered the magic of the Magic Room, you experienced the busking adventures of Meff 'n Jojo's Tiny Instrument Revue.  I was rushing around quite a bit at the time, so I only caught a few moments of their witty, tongue-in-cheek performance, but I look forward to catching more of it!  I just can't argue with anyone that likes tiny instruments (ukuleles in particular!).  These are some tiny instrument photos from the later set with Walter Sickert and co.

Upon arrival in the room itself, the mind-altering imagery regressed me into a child...of a tiger...made of clay...with a rainbow hat...and two eyes made out of coal...or something.  Here are some pictures that might cause the same thing to happen to you (you've been warned!).

Sophia decided that she would pay up to $100 to own this piece of "art"

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Tanya Palit

Photo by Tanya Palit

Photo by Tanya Palit

Photo by Tanya Palit

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Okay, now that you've seen some frightening things (though few of the frightening clowns), on to the performers...

* Brainwave and Consciousness Sonic Experience by Highdreamwave (Scott Dakota formerly of The Moors and Valhalla Kittens, teamed with Josh Hager) with Living Statue Sarah Paterson

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Tanya Palit

* Evan O'Television - Master of Meta and Media Comedy

* Art displays by: E Steven Curator of Empire S.N.A.F.U. Restoration Project

Photo by Tanya Palit

Photo by Rick Taylor

Photo by Tanya Palit

Walter Sickert and THe ARmy of BRoken TOys pulled off what I can only do no justice by describing as a set accompanied by a troupe performing a bit of Alice-in-Wonderland-meets-insane-asylum theater.  I didn't get to see the whole thing, but what I saw was really awesome and I hear rumors that it was recorded.  If I ever get word of public video, I will add it to this post!

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Garvy J. and the Secret Pockets of Hope and Resistance rocked the night out and I did manage to get a couple of videos of the early part of their set before my battery died!  

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal

Photo by Rachel Blumenthal