about me

though the true me is composed of far more than my various functions, this is limited to a description of the many hats i currently wear (husband, therapist, student, cmhc case manager, vigilante crime fighter, and aspiring rock star). i have been married for a little over 2 1/2 years to a beautiful girl who brings a sparkle to my life that i cannot begin to describe here. her name is amanda. we have a weimaraner puppy together named sofia. i am about 3/4 of the way through with a master's degree in counseling psychology. for my degree i must complete an internship through which i am doing individual therapy with several people. i love it and know this is what i want to do forever. i work at a community mental health center in okc and am a case manager for people who have severe mental illnesses (schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, PTSD, etc). no two days are alike, and i am the person who responds when others call or come in for help with basic survival needs, or in life or death crises. my wife, myself, and some friends have started a rock band called -shiny- in which i am singing. we have only just begun, but we are having a lot of fun. you are invited to 'get to know me' better by staying tuned.

sofie

bands

these are the bands that i currently can't get enough of, with new ones added as i come across them. i hope this leads you to new, & as of yet unimagined musical horizons........

kunek

band of horses

wilco

the album leaf

explosions in the sky

the flaming lips

the postal service

ester drang

andrew bird

early day miners

pedro the lion

the mountain goats

sigur rós

unwed sailor

the roots of orchis

imogen heap

death cab for cutie

iron & wine

blogs

...& other miscellany that i try to keep up with...

amanda'space -amanda

a musician's music -jenn

brogging is fun -ryan

dammed belize -guillot

cockrecordings {audio bootlegs} -winner

nerd city -ryan, mike, jay, jeffrey, aaron, et.al.

jeff'space -jeff

the wonderful world of andy-andy

the matt key -matt key

sunsets and rises -shannon

the parish -greg

fatshion,
the slanted penguin -taylor

a ninja's future -sam

the sneeze

it's a dog's life -sofia
[last updated 10.26.5]

little blue ridinghood -or- sleeping beauty & the beast

my study support team, with both barrels blazing.

as i finish up an outline for a presentation, my girls are at the ready for feedback, suggestions, constructive criticism, snores, etc. its good to know someone has my back!

if i don't post again within two (2) days, send a search party because amanda probably killed me for posting this picture.

rock and/or roll

the amp and the bass.

after a summit deep within the bowels of our secret lair, the nameless band has officially chosen it's moniker. we shall be called -shiny- and we're coming soon to a rock show near you. currently (but subject to change), jenn is on bass and keyboard, ryan is on electric and acoustic guitar, amanda is on guitar and fake moog, and i am doing vocals and (as of the other night) bass. as excited as i am about the band as a whole, i am also thrilled about learning to play bass again. i say again because i played the standup string bass in middle school and part of high school, but never practiced or really knew what i was doing. here's how bad it was: during the last semsester that i was in orchestra, when we were going to state orchestra contest, my orchestra teacher asked me not to play. he still wanted me to come and carry stuff, but just sit out the performance part. strangely, this did not hurt my feelings, as i knew i had no clue what the hell i was doing anyway. probably saved me a great deal of embarassment.

this time will be different.

jenn blew my mind the other night with what can only be dscribed as a paradigm shift in how i view music. did you know that there is a logic behind the notes, strings, and scales? okay, so you probably did (arrogant bastard) but this was exciting news to me. it all makes sense now! they follow a specific pattern, that once you learn, makes anything possible! musically, i mean. anyways, enough about the mathematics of music. all that to say, my hope has been renewed that i might actually have a chance of being able to learn to play an instrument. well, i'm off to do some homework, hope you and yours are experiencing epiphanies of some kind or another related to your respective interests.

the dog ate it

i'm working on a project right now that may destroy me. i took a bathroom break and returned to find you know who looking over my work. i asked her if she wanted to help me type. no dice.

o brother where art thou

this is zack. he plays rugby. he will mess you up.

we had two visits from zack this week. his girlfriend goes to school (your mom goes to college) at OC in edmond. He was visiting her, visiting us, and trying to take some tests and apply to go to school here in town. that would be pretty cool. at the end of his first visit, he rode the greyhound back to tulsa, and had quite an experience. this visit, he scored our grandmother's minivan. nice.

look out, he's got his probe!

sean and his fly ride.

this is my brother sean (20). he just got a car (ford probe 1992) in the past couple of weeks, and decided to pay us a visit. he drove in from tulsa last night in the late evening and gave me a ride in his new wheels, but mainly we just hung out and played video games (ps2-spiderman 2, manhunt, devil may cry 2, nintendo- super dodgeball, teenage mutant ninja turtles 2 the arcade game. it was just like old times.

its really strange to watch younger siblings grow up. he's working full time, now driving with his own car, and going about the business of being an autonomous person. weird. almost like he's an adult. i guess it's especially weird since i still waffle back and forth about whether i want to be an adult, whatever that means anyway. when i was younger, i thought there would be some definitive line/ age i crossed that would be unquestionable, and i couldn't wait. now, i'm apparently there and not sure i want to be. i remember when i graduated and it dawned upon me that i could no longer consider myself a college student anymore, and what a loss i felt. a strange shift in identity. it sucked. besides, the term grown-up carries such a stigma and responsibility, i'm not sure i'm ready for it. luckily, even though i am married, i went back to school, so technically i'm still a grad student. that sounds much better for now.
anyway, back to sean, yes ladies...he is still available (for a limited time only). call me if you want his digits....

stay tuned for more hot sjölins. rumor has it that one of my other brothers, zack (18), will be dropping by this very evening...

a man and his moog

jimmy lavalle of the album leaf
preparing to change lives through the power of ambient rock.

as foretold in the ancient manuscripts, amanda, jenn, ryan, and i made the sacred journey to denton, tx last night to see a rock show. the venue was called hailey's, and the bands were the album leaf, ester drang, and the roots of orchis. the album leaf was the headliner, and rightly so. they put on quite a production, and virtually all of it was created live. their instruments included: electric piano, various keyboards, a mini-moog (synthesizer), electric violin, drums, bass, and guitar. only one song had vocals, but they were not missed. it was incredible to see them at work. jimmy (pictured above) played several of the 'instruments' all at once and was all over the place twisting knobs, pressing buttons, playing keys, and generally weaving a masterpiece of sound. their cd's are must-haves, and i highly recommend hearing them live.

ester drang had by far the best visual accompaniment to their music that i have ever seen at a live show. there really is no way to describe it, other than to say it was a conglomeration of images fading in and out of one another, and it seemed at points even to be synced up with the music. they included a wide array of recorded sounds (yes, even seagulls) and have quite a bit of their show tracked. even so, it sounded great. they played a lot of new music from an album they just finished recording, and it just keeps getting better and better (i didn't get any pictures of them worth posting).

the roots of orchis opened the evening with an impressive show of talent as each member of the band not only played his primary instrument, but also took turns on the mini-moog playing solos.

all in all, a great night. i give haileys 4 stars only because i really like to be able to sit and absorb the music, but still be able to see. there was ample seating, but it was all floor level, so to sit was to not see. all good (5 star) venues should have a higher tier or balcony of sorts from which one can have a birds eye view and listen in comfort (my opinion).

special thanks to jenn who kept us all alive even though we sold her out and fell asleep on the way home. she brought us safely to our doorsteps at exactly 4:50am.

the roots of orchis

riders on the storm

there's a killer on the road
his brain is squirmin like a toad...

i think this is my cry for help. i mainly just want it to be documented somewhere, so when i crash and burn from exhaustion no one will be shocked. i am only one man, but i feel like i've been trying to meet the obligations of three. my own choice, i know. it will all be over soon. here's to hoping i can hold it together for two months more (clink).

single-handedly destroying the environment

its a hybrid, seriously. i traded the mercury straight across.

the sound and the fury

when i was in elementary school, we used to take a field trip to the zoo every year. there were two main attractions for me, and nothing else really mattered. sure, i enjoyed the animals and what not, but for young joey, the zoo was the cave and the earthquake machine. the cave doesn't require much explanation, but let me spend some time describing the glories that were the earthquake machine. it all started with an audio tour of what earthquakes are, famous ones, etc. as you stepped onto the epicenter, you were surrounded by scrims that showed images from some of the famous earthquakes that have ravaged various civilizations throughout history. the epicenter was a circular platform about 3'-4' in diameter with hand rails on all sides. after both the audio tour and scrim-show ended, one was left in an eerie quiet. soon one felt what might be described as a slight tremble. this continued to escalate until you were embroiled in full scale chaos accompanied by horrific sounds and images through the aid of audio and scrim technology. at this point you repentantly thanked God for the handrails. just when you thought you might actually die, everything stopped. that's when you got back in line.
while that was all a pleasant jaunt down memory lane, i told the story for a reason.
my wife and i recently moved into a duplex that is somewhere between 60 and 70 years old. it has beautiful hardwood floors, arched doorways, a covered porch, etc. it also has plumbing and washer/dryer hook-ups that date as far back as the house itself. we bought a used washer/dryer from a friend, and finally got them in the house and hooked up. after a long saga that i will spare you involving leakage, all day repairs to the hook-ups, and much sweat and blood on the part of our friendly handyman; it was time to wash some clothes...
i went through the usual motions of loading clothes, adding detergent, etc. and selected my desired settings. i pushed the button and then experienced something from my past, something very familiar, an eerie quiet. then what sounded like a gentle rain followed by a storm of biblical proportions. suddenly i was back in 2nd grade, standing on the epicenter, feeling that gentle trembling-desperately searching for handrails and, finding none, fearing that God might be dead. as i held onto the sides of my washer while it began to writhe beneath me, a new, unfamiliar element appeared. a volcanic eruption of dirty suds-water sprayed out from the drain behind, complicating the whole mess. eventually i was able to regain control of the earthquake/volcano by shutting the beast down and taming it to do my bidding.
though there was no scrim-show, no audio tour, i visited the zoo again tonight. this time, however, i will not be getting back in line.

holy santos

be well this Lord's Day. micah 6:8
(photo by amanda)

a delicious bass

check out this sweet quiz

puppy therapy

joe and sofia taking a much needed rest (photo by amanda)

more to the story...

great hooker story, what is going to make it better is that 10 years from now, you will be in the public eye and some pictures will surface (taken from an atm camera) of you paying your whore. and the newspaper headlines will read "not only did he have sex with a hooker, but sex with a $1 prostitute". the native american word for that is "bear with wide canyon". the pictures will tell all. then when all hope has faded from your life, the prostitute will come forward on national television and take off her mask, revealing that she was not a 1$ whore, but she was none other than I, Zach McKamie: Master of Disguise, and double Master of the infamous Mr. Miyagi Crane Technique as well as Pai Mai's Five point palm exploding heart technique too. I will then explain to the nation why I had to teach them a lesson, that not every woman who looks like a prostitute is a prostitute. And is most likely a Master of Disguise like myself. So you should not ever attempt to pay for sex, for instead you could recieve a Crane Technique right to your balls, and then your face. After solving the world prostitution problem- and world hunger- Nations will Champion me as their Champion, and I will Champion Joey Sjölin to be the next Global Dictator, in which he will rule with an Iron fist. After seven years of hearing the wailing and lamenting of my people I challenge Joey's cruel reign of darkness. Telling him that he has lost the path of Truth, Freedom, and the American Way. We then will engage in a Deadly Duel the Death. And Joey will say, "Last time we met, I was but a Learner. This Time,..I AM THE MASTER!" I will retort "Only a Master of Evil Joey" as I deliver the deadly Joey Killing punch that sends Joey around the world. When He lands next to me, I will be shocked that my Joey Killing punch did not kill him. Joey will then stand up and take of his mask revealing that he is Jared Rhodes from California. Jared will then give me a valuble lesson, that I should never wear other people's underwear, it's just not right. Being exposed for the "other people's underwear wearing fool" that I am I wll retreat into a world of my own shame, until you, Joey, come to me and tell me that I am adopted, and none of this ever occured.
We then will shake hands and go out into the world to find the nature of the true identity of my real parents. That chapter will be called "Joey helps his Bastard friend" but that is another story....

for your eyes and ears

The Postal Service has a new video for "We Will Become Silhouettes"
directed by Napolean Dynamite writer/director Jared Hess. look under
'multimedia'.

and here is the video of Death Cab for Cutie's "Title and Registration".

but MOST importantly, visit Wilco's website where you can listen to
roughly 45 minutes of a live recording from one of their recent show's
on the 'a ghost is born' tour. wait until you have some time to savor
something special. they will be in okc in april, and i'm so there!

of auto-teller machines & ladies of the night

do you wanna hear my hooker story? yes, i knew that you would.
exactly one week ago i was preparing to make an atm transaction, just minding my own business, filling out my deposit slip. i then looked across the street and noticed a woman waving at an approaching car. i assumed that perhaps this was her pre-arranged ride and she was helping them to locate her. to my surprise, the car did not stop. neither did the woman's waving. in fact, she continued waving at nearly every car that approached. curious. i realized at this moment that i had two choices: 1) start my car and drive away, abandoning all depositing plans, yet avoiding a potentially uncomfortable situation. 2) recklessly carry out my scheme of using a walk-up atm knowing full well i would soon make her acquaintance.
so as i stepped out of my car, i purposefully went about my business, not to be distracted. i made it about two full strides before she addressed me. so began our time together:

k- hey can you help me out?
j- with what?
(bear in mind this was all hollered across a fairly busy street in nw okc during evening traffic)
k- i need some money.
j- i've got a dollar. (it was that or a twenty)
k- can you give me a ride?
j- no, i can't.
k- hold on, i'm coming over. get some extra out.
(i hurriedly finished my transaction and made a move toward my car)
k- here i come... hey, you're sexy!
j- why thank you.
(she sidled up beside me as if to put her arm around me, i extended my hand for a VERY formal handshake)
k- i'm kerrie.
j- joe. (extending the dollar)
k- didn't you just get money out of the atm?
j- i was making a deposit.
k- you got any time for me?
j- nope.
k- can you give me a ride?
j- can't.
k- you got any time for me later?
j- nope, i'm going home to my wife.
k- oh, for real? (takes dollar) see you later.
--------------------------------------------------
as i drove away and saw kerrie resume waving at oncoming traffic, many thoughts came to me at once.
what if someone had reported her prior to my arrival and the cops screamed up just as the dollar changed hands?
wow, she didn't look like any prostitute i have seen before (jeans, casual sweater, hair up in a band, no feather boa...)
more importantly, (the case manager & christian in me) what could i have done to actually make a difference in this woman's broken life?

unfortunately, no answers came. i don't think that was the kind of help she wanted anyway. i prayed for her, but didn't really know what to say. strange how difficult it becomes to stratify a group of people once you have been confronted with an individual, and can put a face or name to their "practices, choices, lifestyle, religion, etc."

sjölin = 'sea-flax'

for those reading this that know me, and have no idea what the significance of Sjölin is, and for those who speak swedish but do not know me, i will now explain. This is the story as it was told to me for almost two decades by my late grandfather:
There was once a young man, (your great-great grandfather) who lived with his family on a farm in Sweden. his name was Karl Sjölin and his family grew flax and lived near the sea. (now, in the swedish language, sjö means "sea" or "large lake", and lin means "flax"; so Sjölin literally means "seaflax".) as he grew older, Karl began to doubt whether he wanted to continue the family tradition of flax-farming. seeking out a more adventurous life, Karl left his family home, took a job working on a ship, and travelled the world. It is said that his father died of a broken heart not long after Karl left. after a time, Karl found himself in the U.S. and decided to settle down and marry. he found that people had extreme difficulty pronouncing his name correctly, so he asked a friend, who was a teacher, how better to spell it. That friend suggested the current spelling (which i have omitted since this will be viewed on the internets) . so that is the story of our swedish heritage and how our name came to be spelled the way it is today.
what i would like to point out is that people still have a hell of a time trying to pronounce my name, and i wish to say to that teacher, thanks for nothing.
truth be told, i wish the name had not been changed, and have even considered changing it back for the sake of preserving whatever i can of my geneological heritage.
as our culture becomes more homogenized, having those types of things to hold onto that have not been sterilized by past 'americanization' takes on great significance .

me

jöe