parker quinn

late night phone calls

i don’t want to get any older. i’ve realized, that from this point forward, late night phone calls are going to have a higher and higher possibility of being something bad. less and less is it going to be a drunk dial. less and less is it going to be a friend playing a joke. less and less is it going to be someone calling because they know i’m still awake. starting now, i’m going to dread these calls and my heart will beat a little faster every time the phone rings in the middle of the night. i don’t want to get any older. i don’t want another late night phone call.

i’m just gonna lay here

it never rains in LA. right now, it’s raining and it’s the first time i’ve felt anything in a long time. tonight, i’m gonna lay here and listen to the rain fall. i’m gonna just lay here in whatever it is that i’m in right now and enjoy every moment of it. i’m gonna lay here in anticipation of tomorrow, of next week, and of next year. i’m gonna feel it all, while i listen to water flow out of the gutter just beyond my apartment door. i’m gonna lay here and be anxious. i’m gonna lay here and be nervous. i’m gonna lay here and be confused as hell. tonight, i’m gonna lay here and remember what it’s like to feel.

when the ticking stops

time is circular. at least it’s represented that way. it starts where it ends and then starts all over again. we glide from one moment to the next. some moments seem longer, others seem to go by a few ticks at a time. eventually, the clock stops. but what about the ticking? the clock itself moves the hands. there’s no telling when the clock is going to stop, but the hands can be stopped at anytime. i feel like i’ve been following the hands for a while, floating from moment to moment, letting the ticking dictate how i spend my time. i’m ready to stop the hands. i like it here. i’m gonna stay put for a while and not worry about what i should do by the time the hands come back around.

25

five years ago i thought i knew everything. if you would have asked, i would have told you that i had it all figured out. and, i would have believed myself.

the older i’ve gotten the more i’ve realize how little i actually know. i’ve realized how different everyone is and how people “grow up” so differently. when i was younger, i had such a concrete set of thoughts and beliefs. if someone older and wiser would have told me that i was being ignorant or naive, i would thought that what i knew, at the time, was so right that they didn’t know what they were talking about. it’s only now that i look back at myself five years ago and realize how ignorant and naive i was.

when i was 20 years old, i was amazed how much people changed from 15 to 20. but knowing that i had it all figured out, i didn’t think i’d change from 20 to 25 at all. the truth is, i’ve probably changed more from 20 to 25 than i did from 10 to 20. although i am currently content with how i think and how i feel and what i believe, i know that i’m only 25 and i don’t know everything.

with that said, here’s a list of things i’ve learned and think are important in my 25 years on this earth:

1. love.

2. all you really need are only the things you really need.

3. biggie was half right. mo’ money mo’ problems is only applicable when people know you have it and/or you’re spending it like an idiot. if you have a million dollars in the bank, no one knows about it, and you’re still paying 500 dollars rent, you won’t have any problems.

4. breakfast may not be the most important meal of the day.

5. don’t trust anyone. but, hold on to the people you can trust.

6. don’t care what other people think of you. i still have trouble with that one, but i know it’s important.

7. music is way more important than people give it credit for.

8. music and math are the only 2 things that are universal, it probably wouldn’t hurt to get better at either one.

9. time for yourself is sometimes the most important time.

10. whenever you can, travel.

11. everything in moderation. so important.

12. a day without laughter is a day wasted.

14. most elevators don’t have a button for 13. there was a joke here, somewhere.

15. buy a good bed. you spend one third of your life sleeping, spend the money. people will spend tens of thousands of dollars on a car and for some reason have trouble spending money on a bed. chances are, you probably spend three times the amount of time in your bed than in your car. trust me, it’s worth it. your body will thank you.

16. do what you love to do, as much as you can. you only have so much time.

17. God gave you life. be thankful. the rest is just circumstance, which He should never be blamed for.

night hike at runyon canyon

John Mayer has a song called “3x5” on the album Room For Squares. there’s a line in the song that goes like this:

didn’t have a camera by my side this time
hoping I would see the world through both my eyes
maybe I will tell you all about it when I’m
in the mood to lose my way with words

…the song is a about a sunrise. it’s a great song.

anyway, the other night i went on a nighttime jog/run/hike/walk with my friend Ethan. the moon was full and it was one of the first clear nights in a couple weeks since the fires had begun. we started up the trail after the sun had set but the trail could still be seen by the glow of the moon with a little help from the city’s lights. as we got closer and closer to the top of the canyon the view became more and more breathtaking. and by the time we reached the top we both just stopped and stared.

i was in complete awe. the beaming full moon. the millions of lights shining below. it was one of the most beautiful experiences in the duration of my living in LA. as i went to take a picture, i was reminded of “3x5” by John Mayer when i realized all i had was my eyes. no phone. no camera. just my two eyes and the city below. i wanted to share with the world what i was seeing, but had nothing to capture the experience.

sometimes i forget how much i take for granted where i live and how beautiful Los Angeles can be. it’s not often that you can see the stars here, but with a little effort you can see a view just as spectacular.

the floor creaks next door

the floor creaks next door
and I am alone
but I know that someone is near

heat from the day
rests where I lay
and consoles me with unsettled fear

the uneven wood
reminds me I could
get dressed and drive into the night

yet I lay here still
against my own will
steadily withstanding my plight

with each given groan
I trundle and moan
and think of the time I have left

the lessons I’ve learned
the scars that I’ve earned
and, love is always guilty of theft

did I get lost on the way
or trapped in a day
where the sun never rises or sets?

I shall get up in the morn
sew what I’ve torn
and labor to pay off my debts

at last I’m alive
but cannot contrive
where I will go next from here

the floor creaks next door
and I am alone
but I know that someone is near

convo with steffaloo

had a conversation today with steph (http://steffaloo.com)

…it went the same way most of our conversations go…

parker: picked up your pictures

steph: you’re the worst. by worst, I mean best.

parker: hate you

steph: hate you more

parker: despise you

steph: loathe you

parker: abhor you

steph: detest you

parker: anathematize you

steph: way to use dictionary/thesaurus. i have SO much enmity for you. ugh

parker: deprecate you

steph: execrate you

parker: dinner?

steph: of course. call you when I get home