The Scientific Search For Jon

22

2010-10-28T11:16:00.000-04:00

The heart warming color of "bleak gray", what I believe is a Crayola term, has finally settled in the skies over the Hoosier heartland. A friend of mine, who hails from Syracuse, New York and is only mildly familiar with the crazy weather patterns we worn and tested Indy natives are oblivious to, has pined for "fall weather" in the midst of record setting heat only two weeks out from Halloween. Welp - here ya go Dave.

But the chilling winds and Tim Burton-esque atmosphere can't trump my inner giddiness. After all, your birthday only comes once a year.

A year ago I was in the midst of a bad break up from someone I was secretly hoping I would marry. I hated (almost) everyone and (almost) everything, and at one point, during the coldest and darkest days of a rather harsh winter, was (almost) an alcoholic. My waist line receded after losing thirty pounds and I was relegated to watching "Coraline" and "Wall-E" while constantly feeling vulnerable.

Needless to say, Pete Wentz would have been proud.

It's amazing what a year does. I've always told my friends who found themselves in less than desirable circumstances to simply keep their chin up and let things "work themselves out" - whatever that means. Looking back I realize I didn't need an endless supply of whiskey sours, I just needed to take my own advice.

When I turned 21, I was rather gloomy. Sure the steak dinner I enjoyed with my parents for dinner was satisfying, but with the swirl of events that had happened recently left me bitter and wanting. I felt like I was deprived of something. The big bang I was hoping never arrived.

Last year I spent the whole day listening to P.J. Harvey songs about how tough living in New York City is - even though I've never been to New York City. This year? The Who's Quadrophenia - a rock opera about a boy who never finds satisfaction in anything then somehow finds it by learning to let go. Fitting don't you think?

My birthday marks the beginning of the Holiday season for me. Halloween is only a few days out (I'm dressing as Wall-E), and the warm spirited festivities of Thanksgiving and Christmas soon follow. Last year I spent the occasions held up in my parent's basement blogging about records no one cared about. I'll still be doing the same thing this year, I'll just be able to crawl out of my dude-hole and smile once and awhile.

I've often referenced an obscure Pete Townshend song through everything in the past year or so. It's called "I Am Secure", and more than ever - I am just that.

The Epic Bulldozer That Is Avatar

2010-01-18T00:29:00.007-05:00

Half naked blue monkeys and rag tag mercenaries playing a space age game of "Cowboys and Indians" on a planet far out in space that essentially looks like the rain forest got a hold of whatever pumped up the second half of Barry Bond's career. Throw in some romance, explosions and the all important 3D factor and you get a movie that has made $53,333,333.33 per day world wide since it's release last month.

Avatar is a strange movie for me. I've seen it 4 times and each viewing has been worth the price of admission. I'm completely taken back by the world that James Cameron has created. It's colorful, magnificent, breath taking and an immersing experience. But at the same time it's so out of this world that it almost doesn't feel real.

It's so hard to get a grasp on Avatar because there is no means of comparison. Yeah the story line is predictable and the themes that are presented and explored are nothing new. I'm simply concerned with the technical pizazz. The effects and the visuals are so revolutionary that you can't judge it against any other movie yet made.

And yet for how disconnected this movie can make you feel, it's grossed over $1.6 billion world wide over the last month and has just passed Star Wars for the third highest grossing film in American history. The only films that have made more are The Dark Knight and Titanic which, more than likely, will eventually fall to the juggernaut that is Avatar.

However I suppose the film's other-worldliness and ability to disconnect you from reality is the ultimate appeal it has. While a film like The Dark Knight may have shattered box office records and stayed in theaters for over 6 months, that movie still rooted you to something tangible. True it's a comic book movie, but the film's gritty tone and realistic portrayal of modern times doesn't give you the escapism that Avatar does.

The thing that you have to admire, almost more so than the epic visuals, is how well James Cameron has mastered the concept of broad appeal. While he puts most of his eggs in the CGI basket, he distributes an even amount of eggs into other baskets making his movie a more well rounded product.

The story is simple enough for anyone to follow, yet it has enough resonance and meaning for today's world so as not to waste your time. There is a message behind the dialog and action, yet it's evenly dispersed throughout the film so that you don't feel like you're getting preached to. A passable and genuine love story is there to appeal to the Twilight tweener chicks, and enough heart racing, over the top action scenes are developed to please the dudes. The science aspect is there to give sci-fi fans their fill as well. Cameron's ability to please many people at one time makes him a Wal-Mart with feet - and an almost bigger bank account.

So bask in the glow of this perfectly flawed film. Breathe in that new car smell because ten years from now, every action movie will have this new computerized look - making Avatar seem like a Dinosaur. But the best of those movies will be called Avatar 2.

Sports Journalsim: Or How To Make A Living By Bullshitting

2010-01-16T22:13:00.010-05:00

As an aspiring journalist, and a current journalism major, I've always thought that I was striving to make a difference. I envision myself telling stories about underdogs and the unsung. My words would give a voice to those who didn't have one and yada yada yada - all that tree hugging hippie junk. But the IUPUI School of Journalism recently gave birth to a bastard child called a sports journalism major and I've come to the realization that writing about sports is one of the easiest ways to make a living - you just have to be willing to admit that your life is a sham.

Let me be clear. I am a sports fan. Sure I might not watch ESPN religiously and no I can't quote you every starting roster of every MLB team, but nonetheless I am a fan of athletic competition. I cheer for my Colts while my heart aches for my Broncos and Pacers. Don't even get me started on IU men's basketball. I'll be weeping for a long time for that program. However I just can't bring myself to write about something that I actively enjoy.

Because sports journalism, more so than any other form of professional writing, is both incredibly stale and routine and nothing can change that fact. Sports, a very conservative past time, conflicts with the progressive and dynamic nature of journalism. Trying to combine these two element's best parts essentially cancels them out leaving only a hollow product left.

Let's use the NFL for example. As I type this blog the Colts are picking the Baltimore Ravens apart. There has been much hype about tonight's game and many sports writers, pundits and know it all radio hosts have all added their two cents. "Can Peyton Manning win after the bye?", "Can the Colts compete after a month off from a meaningful game?", "How can the Raven's solid defense match up against the high powered offense of Indianapolis?", "How will Pierre Garcon play after the tragedy in Haiti?". All of these questions are essentially meaningless.

Sports journalism is the equivalent of algebra. Insert any name or sports term into a sports question and regurgitate it onto the page. "Can 'insert any hyped or good player's name' win under pressure?", "How will the 'insert a life changing moment or sad story' affect the 'insert team name". Sports as a whole works like an engine on a car. The parts are expendable and are easily replaced to keep the engine running.

Just 20 years ago the same "career defining" questions were being levied at the Buffalo Bills and their hall of fame quarterback Jim Kelly. "Can they...? Will they...?". The Bills had it much worse than the Colts however. Imagine how much more intensified criticisms of the Colts and Peyton Manning would be if they went to the Super Bowl 4 times in a row and lost every one of them like the Bills did. Poor Manning would've had a nervous breakdown by this point.

That's my biggest complaint about sports journalism. You have to make the mundane and predictable entertaining for readers. Sure the names and faces of the game change over time but the core pseudo drama remains. Sports media is tasked with the job of creating something out of nothing. Even the players themselves are as dull some of the games they play in. How many times have you heard the same post game interview?

"Kobe Bryant you just scored 560 points and won another NBA championship. Tell me about your effort."

"Well I just wanna give thanks to God for the opportunity to do what I love. Big thanks to my team mates and my coach. Ya know we just came out and executed and did what we had to do to come in here and get a victory."

This video only helps me prove the point.

It's so repetitive. I can almost write a sports story without ever having to do interviews with players or coaches because of sport's conservative nature. Nothing dynamic ever comes out of a sports figures mouth. Even players who try to be flashy and one man shows are just another predictable ingredient. When loud mouths like Terrel Owens or Chad Ochocinco draw attention to themselves, they are just the offspring of people like Michael Irving, Deion Sanders or even Muhammad Ali.

"But Jon, you're a music guy. Isn't music journalism just as fickle and repetitive as sports writing?"

Yes and no. While some ingredients of music and sports writing are common - a routine system with replaceable parts music shares the same dynamism that is such an essential part of journalism. For as special as Bono thinks he is, he is just another piece of the engine. When he finally hangs up his sun glasses, some other flamboyant character with a knack for melody and a fondness of saving humanity will take over. Sure he may not be as important or as good as Bono when it comes to music, but the work will continue on nonetheless.

But music changes at a far more rapid pace than sports. Rock n Roll, as well as all genres, are about pushing the envelope. If music was as rigid and set it its ways as sports then we would all be stuck listening to jazz, blues or folk songs. The Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Madonna's career would be mute.

"But Jon, how is music journalism so much more special than sports journalism? Why do people enjoy sports so much if you think it's so 'rigid"?

Because it's entertainment. People are dazzled by mankind's athletic capabilities. People pay $60 for nose bleed seats to watch Peyton Manning throw a football 30 yards down field to Reggie Wayne because they can't do it themselves. Same holds true for musicians. A band like U2 can charge $250 a ticket because they make music that neither you could ever dream of composing. I'm not trying to argue the merit of their tunes, I'm simply using them as an example.

The difference between watching a band or an artist perform in the limelight and watching athletes show off on the grid iron, hardwood, the pool or any other venue is that music, as well as almost every other form of entertainment molds and transforms over time. U2 has gone from a bunch of Irish garage punk wannabes with mullets, to a mighty musical force that grows and experiments with each new album or tour. Reggie Wayne runs a slant route - albeit and very good slant route, but a slant route nonetheless.

Also people have more invested in music. Nothing is ever truly at stake in sports no matter how great the hype. For all the talk and analysis put into next week's football games, it won't make any difference.

If the Colts come out and lay an egg letting the Jets waltz into Miami for the Super Bowl, the team won't face any real consequences. Manning will not be executed by the electric chair, Jim Caldwell won't be tarred and feathered and Dwight Freeney won't be given the nutri-system diet plan. Sure they may be judged in the court of public opinion thus leaving many bruised and battered ego, but their limbs would still be attached.

"But Jon the same argument could be made for music. It's all speculation."

Yes but it's different with music. People feel like they have more of a connection with musicians more so than other other person who has the privilege of being well known. Singers and lyricists have the ability to connect with people. When I listen to songs by The Who I often feel like Pete Townshend is speaking directly to me. I feel like we have a bond even though he doesn't even know who my name is. I'm sure the same goes for you and your favorite artist.

So when my favorite bands like The Who or Queens of the Stone Age release a bad album, make a crappy video or give a poor performance on stage it matters to me because it's an investment that I have time and money spent in.

When the Colts, Pacers or any of my teams lose, even though it may sting or be a tad disappointing, I don't get as down hearted as I do when something musical comes crashing down. That's because sports stars could never be as engaging as music figures.

"Wow that bubble screen really speaks to me! Did you see that 3 pointer? There is meaning behind his shot. I wonder why Tiger Woods chose to use that putter. There has to be something more to it."

You never hear anyone talk like that. Sports is simply sports for sports sake. It's nothing special beneath the surface because the surface is all that is there. Not that there is anything wrong with that. As I said, I love sports and I love following sports. I'm simply saying that trying to write about something superficial is essentially creating something out of nothing.

Good sports writers are brilliant because they have found a way to perfectly make an inch stretch into a mile. Either (a) I realize this profound truth thus making me a genius or (b) I'm the one trying too hard to be analytical and make my life meaningful when in fact everything is meaningless. I'd like to go with option "a" because I don't want to just disprove my whole blog. Oh wait....

Sleep... I Wish I Knew You

2009-11-25T05:13:00.005-05:00

For some reason over the past few nights my mind won't let me drift off to sleep. My normal schedule hasn't changed. I wake up around the same time and do the same activities yet when I lay down and try to do nothing but sit like a slug my mind still races 1,000 miles per hour.

I think it all stems from dreams that I've been having of late.

As most of you know the past few months haven't been what I had pictured them as being. I won't go into detail but all you have to do is read my last 2 blog posts to really get a firm understanding of what I had been going through.

For some reason last week I had dreams involving Erin on 4 consecutive nights and then a separate dream a few nights later. I hadn't really thought of her at all on those days. I've been too busy with school and work to really focus on anything else. Sometimes the dreams were terrible. Her and I would literally get into fistfights leaving me nothing but a ball of anxieties the next day. Other times the dream would be good - but still just the fact that I had a dream about her left me feeling uneasy and unable to get back to sleep.

Now it seems as if those visions have awoken something within me subconsciously that refuses to let my catch some Zs. I know I'm tired. I can feel it by simply laying there. My eyes are heavy and my breathing slows but the trigger to activate the sleep machine keeps malfunctioning.

Nothing works. Laying in complete silence doesn't work because I can hear my thoughts going through my head. Leaving the TV on or listening to music to drown out my inner voice doesn't work either. In fact it simply adds to the noise and adds more stress to the situation.

Night caps tend to help but I don't want my sleep schedule to become dependent on alcohol. Sleeping pills will make me sleep too much so those don't really comfort me either.

I don't want to become an insomniac. Nor do I want to become a zombie. I don't know what the answer is but I just wish I had one night where I could just have a decent nights rest.

Maybe the holidays will help. Maybe getting some time away from school and more time with family friends could ease the tensions. Things have been looking up for me lately. I've lost weight, I feel a lot more confident in myself, I'm getting back into my music and writing songs. I've been making a lot of new friends and make new connections with new people. There is no reason why I should be having issues like this.

I've really grown up and matured as an adult over the past few weeks. I look back at the person who wrote the previous 2 posts and I see nothing but an improvement compared to the Jon LaFollette I am today.

But for some reason I just can't seem to get to bed. I feel nervous at night now. Perhaps there is something there that I just can't see or feel right now. Maybe Erin is still on my mind more than I think she is. Maybe instead of dealing with all those issues I claimed to have dealt with I just buried them deep down and bottled them up and my dreams are the only way for me to deal with them.

I would like to think otherwise but at this point I just don't know. I mean there is no animosity there. Forgiveness has been issued on both sides hatred does not exist between the two of us. Yeah things were rough but what else happens in a break up? Maybe I'm reading too much into this... I mean I am pretty tired right now.

It's 5:30 in the morning now. I guess I should try to get some sleep again... hopefully.

Self Reflection Helps (in response to Self Reflection Hurts)

2009-09-26T22:18:00.003-04:00

A million thanks are owed to those who responded to my last post. If you contacted me on this page or on my Facebook note I can't express how much I appreciate your support. It helped me a great deal. It made me realize that I wasn't alone, and that I'm in the same boat as everyone else. That we all face the same insecurities and anxieties deep down.

I've had some up and down days since writing that message. None equalled the anguish of that night. The highs keep getting higher and the lows are getting less drastic. Things can only get better from here and I know that they will with time and patience.

I can't believe that it took some sappy, overblown blog to make me realize that I really do have friends and people around me that genuinely care about me and want me to be as happy as much as I want them to be. I guess being in that kind of deranged emotional state can really do things to a person and turn you into the most irrational creature on the planet.

The events that helped me write my last post were just me trying to run away from the emptiness I was feeling at the time. I didn't, and couldn't, deal with everything that was going through my head. Instead of trying to be up front with the reality of the situation I ran away and hoped that not dealing with it would simply make it go away.

But with reading and talking to people over the past few weeks, I realize that we're all walking down the same path and facing the same insecurities, fears and anxieties. No matter how grown up and mature we think we might be, our lives will always shift and evolve whether we're ready or not thus releasing our insecure inner child that desperately reaches out for a safety net. However the only safety net we have is love of family and friends.

I'm dedicated to growing and learning from the last 2 1/2 weeks. I feel like I have the potential to really mature and turn into the person that I know I can be. I'm resolved to be a stronger, more focused, well rounded Jon LaFollette than the Jon LaFollette that wrote the last blog title.

I will be happy.

I am secure.

Self Reflection Hurts.

2009-09-21T00:25:00.004-04:00

I often think that I don't belong. It pains me so much to know something as certain as this and yet it pains me more to know that I can't change it.

I was at Ball State over the weekend to just simply help take my mind off of things that have happened around me lately. Some friends and myself were walking through campus looking for pizza. I was wearing an Indiana sweatshirt when my feeling of not belonging viciously appeared.

"Do you go to IU?" a girl's voice said from the pizza line noticing my crimson hoodie.

"No. I go to IUPUI. I'm from Indianapolis," I answer back.

"Oh, that's cool. I go to IU. I'm here for my friend's 21st birthday."

"That's pretty awesome. What is your name?"

"Megan"

"Hi. I'm Jon"

She tells me that the line for pizza should be shorter. I agree. We say some other statements that obviously weren't worth remembering. We shake hands. She turns around and forgets my name. I turn around and talk to my friends again. I can't forget her though.

She is one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen. She really looked like a girl out of a dream. Long brown hair, soft blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. I was instantly attracted to her, and all I could do was shake her hand like some school boy gentleman. She probably thought I was a joke. She was also drunk so she probably doesn't even remember my face.

I don't know how to act around people a lot of the time. I often feel estranged from the world around me. I'm too awkward to function. Almost too obnoxious and overbearing that I instantly turn people away.

I act too immature for my age. I do anything for a cheap laugh. I make such outrageous statements for temporary shock value that I almost think I really believe what I'm saying. My birthday is less than 5 weeks away. I'm going to be 21 in a very short time and yet, I feel like I'm not an adult yet.

I don't do what a typical person my age would do. I don't go to parties. I don't drink alcohol. I've never been drunk. I've never once smoked a cigarette. I haven't done drugs and "experimented". My time outside of school and work is filled with me simply stuck somewhere. I feel like I've missed the boat to experience things and meet new people.

And like I wrote earlier, I know that I can't change it. No matter how desperately I want to try and go out of my way to grow up I can't. I become nervous and I instantly freeze. I become totally exposed for what I am and I just want to fall apart inside.

There have been a few times lately where I've just wanted to drive my car all night, listen to music, and get lost in the passing street lights. When the gas runs out I would just sit there in the stillness, dwell on things and decay with time.

I don't know how to express myself with spoken words very well.

My girlfriend of two years just recently broke up with me. I know that other people are aware of it. Those who have asked me about it often don't get much out of me.

"Hey I saw you and Erin broke up. I'm sorry to hear about that"

"Yeah. It's pretty lame."

"What happened?"

"Oh... Uh... I don't know. She just changed her mind I guess."

"That it?"

"Uh.... Yeah."

"Well, If you need someone to be there for you, I'm here."

"Thanks"

That's it. It's not because I don't want to talk about it. I want to more than anything. I just can't bring myself to find the right words to even begin. There is a sea of untapped emotions somewhere inside of me that are trying like nothing else to get out. But my stubbornness, weakness, fear, sadness and pain all build a damn that won't let it happen. I won't so badly for the conversation to go...

"Hey I saw you and Erin broke up. I'm sorry to hear about that"

"Yeah. I'm incredibly heart broken, speechless and lost. I don't know what to do with myself. Even if I knew it was coming I (a) don't know how I could've changed it and (b) don't know how I could've prepared myself for something like this. I feel like I'm swimming against the tide with everything I have. I've questioned everything I ever thought about being in love. I've questioned everything I've ever thought about people. Every day is just slow motion where I find myself trying to keep busy and occupied to take my mind off of things. However at the end of the day I find myself laying in bed looking up at the ceiling wishing that I could turn back time. I know that things have to get better. I know that I've always told others that everything works out, I just wonder why it doesn't seem to be working for me lately. I get satisfaction from almost nothing it seems. I didn't know that someone could sit so high on top of the world and have a good bearing on things, and then suddenly have the table cloth pulled out from underneath it all while I watch it all come crumbling down."

"Damn Jon. Are you gonna be ok?"

"No."

But instead of opening up, I freeze and give them a handshake as they walk away.

Metal Band Names are SO X-TREME!

2009-09-09T15:43:00.003-04:00

I only have a short time to write this since I have to get busy on some math homework that's due at the start of class. However I just felt compelled to write something because that little voice in my head told me to do it.

I'm listening to a band called Grizzly Bear. They are from Brooklyn and sound nothing like a band named Grizzly Bear should sound. It's not particularly a bad thing, however it did throw me off when I first heard their music. When I think of a band named after something that could eat my face off - I expect their music to do the same thing. Instead you get indie rock in it's most mineral form.

Take a band like Mastodon as a good example instead. A four piece heavy metal band from Atalanta, their music encompasses everything about their name. It literally sounds like a heard of ancient creatures coming after you and completely laying you flat and wondering what even hit you. I guess metal bands are better at the whole name to music ratio though. Bands like Cannibal Corpse, Metallica, Iron Maiden and a plethora of other hard rockin', head bangin' acts know what a name for a band means in relation to its music.

Now take for instance bands like - Poison, Scorpions, (indeed almost all 80s hair metal) along with some bands from the 90s such as Everclear (high grain alcohol), Incubus (a demon that rapes you in your sleep) and Orgy (self explanatory) that don't meet that end of the equation. Many of those bands are overly catchy and contain nowhere near the heaviness or darkness of the names in which they bestowed upon themselves.

Not saying that I don't like a band if their name and music don't mix that well. It just throws me a curve ball I suppose.

Now that I've brought up Everclear, I think I'm going to go listen to them and pretend I'm 14 again. SCORE!

Celebrating The Beatles

2009-09-08T23:45:00.002-04:00

Beatlemania is set to strike the world again this Wednesday as the fab four's entire catalog of remastered music is released along with the highly anticipated Beatles: Rock Band video game allowing for an unprecedented way to experience that band's music like never before. Needless to say I am pretty stoked.

I find it more than amazing that a band who broke up 40 years ago still carries such weight. When news about the Beatles is released, it is not merely news it is an event. The Beatles transcended music, and even their own generation. They are legends who will always remain timeless.

Even during an economic recession the band's music is still in as much demand as if it were 1967 all over again. A limited edition stereo and mono box set of all the classic remastered albums (that runs a not so cheap price of $180-$240) has already sold out through pre orders on Amazon (luckily I ordered mine a two weeks ago). No other band could do that on a wide scale - especially after 3 decades of no new music. Usually expensive box sets are for die hard fans only and have only a limited appeal. However a limited appeal - the Beatles do not have.

But the real treat is going to be the Beatles: Rock Band game. It will allow people to not only listen to 44 iconic songs, but allow you to actually see the music - or at least the structure of songs. It gives the player/listener a greater sense of how the tunes are crafted and lets you get a greater sense of the Beatles often understated musicianship - especially poor Ringo.

Sure bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and now Van Halen have their own music games through the Guitar Hero franchise. Yet those bands hold a very niche fan base and have long been rendered irrelevant by the passage of time - the Beatles obviously do not fall into these two categories.

The Beatles are a unifying force amongst generations. Where more and more kids have less and less in common with their parents, music, and in particular the Beatles, are something that people can share together. People young and old can enjoy the fab four like never before now. The music has received not only a well needed face lift, but a new way to enjoy the songs that have withstood the test of time.

4 blokes from Liverpool started a band, changed the history of rock n roll forever. Everyone knows their names, the songs, the story of greatness. Now 40 years after quitting for good, a whole new chapter in the band's story has opened up old tunes made anew as the Beatles finally say hello to the 21st century.

Prog Rock: A True Bromance Story

2009-08-28T03:55:00.007-04:00

I just wrapped up a pleasant evening with my good friend Luke where upon we witnessed three things. One being simply mediocre, another being quite enjoyable, and the last being excellent - even though I didn't realize at the time.

The mediocre event was a fairly uneventful two hours that I like to call Star Trek: The Motion(less) Picture. Talk about two hours of next to nothingness. The enjoyable moment was I Love You, Man. And the excellent moment was seeing the band Rush play in that movie.

A band like Rush is the only band for a movie like that. Two men share a bromance and get all giddy like school girls over a band that only guys seem to get into. Progressive (prog) rock has long been a genre of music that has a very male oriented fan base. Sure there have been some prog bands that can claim females as fans (ie: Boston, Kansas, latter day Pink Floyd and I suppose Queen before punk came along and ruined them) but those bands were more rock than prog.

When I was in high school every kid I saw wearing an Iron Maiden t-shirt or hoodie almost always had awkward peach fuzz, mild acne, was short in stature and looked like they would never go to a school function. I'm not trying to generalize, I'm just simply saying something that I've noticed watching people.

All prog bands tend to share common characteristics so I suppose I should say what some of them are for the uninitiated.

The structure of a prog song is very different from your usual radio friendly song. They are usually never verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus. Some songs can be as long as 21 minutes and contain 5-7 different musical movements within that time span - not for the faint of heart.

Same goes for the instruments used. Sure you have the standard guitar, bass, drums and vocals. However you better bet you're going to hear lots of synthesizer, all kinds of foot pedal and looping effects - not to mention phasing and melotrons... yeah I'm confused too.

Most songs are done in time signatures that aren't you're common 4/4 time. Panic Attack by Dream Theater is in 5/8 time (as is Four Sticks by Led Zeppelin). You usually can't dance or get giggly with it to these songs - that's not what they are made for anyway.

Prog records are for intellectual thought. Many lyrics deal with literature or some kind of philosophical, political, social tone. Sometimes prog albums are concept albums or rock operas where all the songs are centered around one theme or storyline.

And that doesn't even describe everything about the glorious art of prog.

But my point is that it seems prog bands seem

to appeal to men more than women. It's not easy to see why either. Most bands aren't the best of eye candy. You can't really market guys that look like this guy to the right. Can you imagine where Hannah Montana would be if she showed up at Disney looking like that?

Also many songs deal with strong male points of view. Bands like Iron Maiden wrote songs about dragons, knights and kings. Rush's Tom Sawyer is a modern day warrior who doesn't compromise. Kansas told all their wayward sons to carry on. Violence, war, adventure, science fiction appeal to testosterone riddle dudes and are all easily found in prog songs.

It's almost as if women were easily forgotten. But that's where bands like Boston took over. They saw an opening in the prog sector for women - but they were for too happy to be real progressive rock.

I'm sitting here typing this listening to Rush as we speak and it just fits. I can picture men all over the country playing World of Warcraft or vanquishing foes in Dungeons and Dragons to their favorite epic prog songs. I've played Halo and listened to Coheed & Cambria so many times it's pathetic.

I suppose the reason prog fans cling to their favorite band so much is because prog is probably the only style of music that has yet to achieve some mass appeal - and everyone wants it to stay that way. Rush, Yes, Genesis, Iron Maiden and Dream Theater fans all feel a kinship to those bands because they aren't played on the radio or in shopping malls. These bands hold special places in the lives of their fans because in many of their fans' eyes - they are their band.

Those who don't care for this genre think it's too excessive. Many critics have tossed off prog bands saying that their music is too pretentious and too over the top to be taken seriously sometimes. Though their judgements do hold some merit on occasions I find some are just simply too close minded in their own tastes.

All the more reason for the fans to cling on to their musical heroes.

Men enjoy prog like some women enjoy gossiping - they have to have it because it's just a part of them. I tend to think it's a beautiful thing when two men share a bromance over something as simple and beautiful as a song entitled The Willing Well III: Apollo II: The Telling Truth and no close minded bigot will tell me otherwise.

Brief Thought - Probably A Bad Idea

2009-08-26T15:41:00.003-04:00

First day back to school. Say hello to structure.

This is the first year in a long time where I'm truly excited to be back at school. Previous years have found me (a) anxious (b) indifferent (c) pessimistic (d) tortured or (e) all of the above.

But today feels different. Today is different.

I didn't really know it over the summer, but I missed being at school. Sure the 3 month break was well earned, well desereved and well spent, but after my trip to Florida a month ago, I found myself stuck in a rut. Save for the few days where I actually had plans (thank god for the state fair) that mattered my routine was the same.

Wake up at 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Read a book that usually started the titled with Harry Potter. Take a very rushed and unsatisfying shower before going to work. Go home take a second, and very satisfying shower. Call Erin see what she wants to do. Watch a movie, go see a movie, play Wii. Say goodbye to her. Go home and say online and waste my night until 4 or 5 in the morning.

I know it's not anything to complain about. I'm simply saying that if there is anything worse than a mundane existence, it is a very repetitive mundane existence.

After reading this I think there is a very high possibility that I will be eating my own words by Halloween. I'll be wishing for yet another eventful month of May, more sunshine and good times doing the exact same schedule I just described.

Maybe I'm a hypocrite. Maybe I'm flakey. Maybe I just get too caught up in the moment (impulsive?). Either way, I'll just enjoy this moment.

PS - I guess someone else is having a less than stellar first day back. Just saw a stretcher get wheeled into the book store. WIN.

Health Care "Protests": Or A Really Good Way To Make You Look Stupid While Making Others Shake Their Heads In Disbelief

2009-08-18T02:57:00.005-04:00

Cereal is often great food for thought - especially, it seems, when it is past 3 in the morning.

And so it was that I saw the photo that you currently see to the right. This photo was taken on Monday in Phoenix, Arizona. Here you can blatantly see a man carrying an assault rifle in plain sight outside a town hall meeting where President Obama went to discuss the hotly contested health care reform bill.

This man is not violating any laws. In Arizona it is perfectly legal to carry an unconcealed weapon. It is also his right to bare arms. I'm not mentioning this man for carrying a firearm. I'm mentioning this man because he's (a) setting a dangerous precedent and (b) talking about something that has nothing to do with the health care debate whatsoever.

All over the country there have been protesters showing up at town hall meetings with senators and congressmen to talk about the health care initiative, but the debate that is supposed to take place is being drowned out by angry mobs that shut down any opposing views (ie: that health care reform and a government run public option are wrong).

Some of these protesters are showing up with signs that compare Obama to Hitler. Others believe that the government is going to create a "death panel" that decides whether elderly people live or die. Effigies of government officials are made, the word "lynching" is being tossed around so freely that many forget what the word implies (let alone what it means). Death threats are pronounced, and mob mentality is prevailing at some of these events were intelligent debate and civil discourse are supposed to take place.

Another man at a Tampa town hall meeting was carrying a sign stating, "It's Time To Water The Trees!". This is a reference to a quote by Thomas Jefferson that says, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." He is calling for an armed rebellion of a freely elected government - not to mention carrying a gun in plain sight. (For the image click here)

Comparing anyone to Hitler is using incredibly poor judgement and blatantly wrong. Brandishing a weapon while you say it is even worse. I sometimes wonder if these so called "protesters" showing up even know what they are implying when they say these things.

However, most of the blame does not rest with these factions of disgruntled loonies. Far right media does share some responsibility as well. When people on stations such as Fox News and conservative talk radio go around saying that the government is going to start killing the elderly, when people like Rush Limbaugh start comparing anyone with a differing view on health care to a regime that committed genocide on the Jews, they are simply enabling violence as a means of political gain.

Remember just a few short months ago when abortion doctor, George Tiller, was murdered during church? This is just a small snapshot of what happens when paranoia and fear take over a debate. Bill O Reilly had said terrible things about Tiller for years before his murder. He called him a Fascist, a Nazi, a terrorist and accused him of operating a death mill. Then someone with a history of schizophrenia, who also just happened to work for a far right anti-abortion group, decided to take actions into his own hands.

While I'm not saying that Mr. O Reilly is personally responsible for what happened to Tiller, I am saying that he simply added fuel to the fire. If you are someone who has their own television and radio show, whatever you say will be amplified and carry much more water than what anyone else would say.

So goes that lesson now. As I see people carrying signs with swastikas and making Nazi references, more paranoia is being put out there for anyone to see. If someone is to get injured or killed at any kind of town hall or public forum, these people will have to answer for the things that they have said and implicated.

Keep in mind I am not saying it's wrong to be against health reform. There should always be more than one side to an issue. Common sense in any debate is always a welcome idea for me. However, once you cross the line and begin to make comparisons to Stalin, Pol Pot and other dictators and tyrannical governments, you are planting the seed for danger, violence and bloodshed.

You become the enemy. You become the villain. You become un American. You become the real problem.

Elvis Still Matters 32 Years Later

2009-08-14T01:01:00.007-04:00

When I die, chances are I won't be remembered 32 years after the fact. Chances are also pretty high that you won't either. Then again - you and I are not Elvis Presley.

Elvis died 32 years ago this Sunday due to a drug induced heart attack (sound familiar Michael Jackson?). His death was one of the most shocking moments in rock history and is probably the only music icon other than John Lennon that is celebrated on the day he passed away.

Elvis changed a lot for rock music. He gave it a mass audience, a singular voice, a purpose and laid a pretty solid foundation for its future. He had 18 number one hits, starred in 31 films and inspired or influenced almost every major artist - and I mean every major artist - since 1955.

Sure his influences on other artists are musical for sure. No doubt about that. However, there are so much more non musical influences as well. His charisma is clearly seen in people like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and even Britney Spears who carry themselves in ways that just ooze sex - even if it isn't very genuine.

Elvis was also the first white artists to perform black music and be marketed to suburban white kids. Many parents would forbid their kids from listening to Elivs songs or rock n roll at all because it was "Colored Music" or "The Devil's Music". That's why Eminem was only controversial because he said 'fag' all the time and had to live up to low standards for white boys in rap music laid down by Vanilla Ice.

Sure Elvis sounds tame to us now. But when he played his songs white kids freaked out. Girls loved him unconditionally and boys wanted to dress up like Elvis, sing like Elvis and be macho like Elvis. All this hysteria over a rock singer was just simply transferred when the Beatles landed in America in 1964.

Nothing could stop Elvis except Elvis himself.

So many owe at least a small debt to the man. Elvis impersonators make money simply by dressing up as him. Care takers at Graceland wouldn't have a job if people didn't turn up in droves every year to see where the King of Rock n Roll (I dispute this title) would eat, sleep and ultimately pass away. Even I owe something to Elvis. The name of this very blog is in honor of him. When his body was found the night he died, they found a book by him titled A Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus. Even something as small as a blog title is somewhat credited to Elvis.

This says something about how powerful a legacy Elvis has left behind. Last year Elvis brought in 55 million dollars. That's more than most living acts bring in. Justin Timberlake brought in 44 million while Madonna brought in 40 million. Elvis has topped the annual Highest Earning Dead Celebrity List by Forbes Magazine 6 out of the last 7 years taking in well over $200 million in that time span - all without doing so much as breathe or move a muscle.

He even showed up unannounced to the White House in 1972 to give President Nixon a gun. No will ever be able to do that again. The man had so much power and was so famous that he could literally stop the leader of the free world in the middle of the day, to give him a gift that could easily have killed him. That's power you can't buy.

He was only 42 when he passed away. His death was sudden and unprecedented. 100,000 people lined up outside his house in wretched heat to view his body. President Jimmy Carter even said that "With Elvis Presley, part of our country has died as well." A massive sea of people lined the street to simply get a view of the man's hearse.

The only thing comparable to the death of Elvis is the death of Michael Jackson. Only Elvis' death is seen in a better light simply because (a) Elvis was never accused of child molestation... twice! (b) Elvis never really had a mystery about him that turned so many people off and (c) Elvis meant so much more to so many people than Michael Jackson did.

True Michael Jackson may be one of the highest selling artists of all time, however he was a man for his generation. Elvis transcended his. I can't name a single person that doesn't like Elvis Presley. Everyone in my family likes him. My grandmother liked him, my parents like him, I like him, my girlfriend likes him, even Jesus likes him since Elvis died reading a book about him. Michael Jackson was a man for his generation and his generation only. He's far too controversial to be as widely loved as someone as (seemingly) pure as Elvis.

Elvis was someone who personified the American Dream. However, he never became a parody of it. He simply moved along with the times and changed with it. Does that mean the American Dream died when Elvis did? No, but it certainly showed that all dreams have to end sometime.

The Great (Pot Bellied) Hope That is Tony Stewart

2009-08-08T00:43:00.008-04:00

I am by no means a serious NASCAR fan. There are many problems that I have with the sport - and therefore you could understand why I don't really get into the Good Ol' Boys who turn left for a living. To me NASCAR is just a small step above the UFC - and just a tiny step at that.

However, of all the drivers that compete in the series, there is one short, pot bellied, foul mouthed, beer guzzling speed demon that I do have some respect for. He's the only driver that matters in NASCAR not to mention the greatest driver of his generation. He's Tony Stewart and he's doing things the way he's always done them - his way.

Stewart is a native Hoosier from Columbus. He's been racing his whole life starting with go karts at a young age. He climbed the ladder to three-quarter midgets, and sprint cars as well. Stewart was a prodigy winning many honors and awards along the way including rookie of the year in 1991 for the United States Auto Club.

He then made his transition to the newly organized Indy Racing League (IRL) in 1996. He placed 8th his rookie season but would go on to win the series championship the following year and place third the year after that.

Stewart also had successful runs at the Indianapolis 500 as well. He won the pole in 1997 and placed a career best 6th in 2001 racing for Chip Ganassi.

In 1999 he made his impressive NASCAR debut at the Daytona 500 qualifying 2nd and going toe to toe with Dale Earnheardt during one of the Gatorade 125 qualifying matches. He won 3 races his rookie year (still a record) and came in 4th in the series points standings (also a record until bested by Denny Hamlin in 2005).

He is a two time winner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup winning in 2002 and 2005. He kept the same sponsor (Home Depot), team (Joe Gibbs Racing), and crew chief (Greg Zipadelli) for 10 years. That is also a NASCAR record.

However, Stewart is not without his critics. He's been called arrogant, reckless, egocentric and many other words that I don't think my mama would be happy with me writing on here.

In a way, Stewart is probably just as famous for the things that happen out of the race car as opposed to when he's in it. In 1999 at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, he was involved in an accident with fellow Hoosier Kenny Irwin Jr. The two were going back and forth all race, Irwin was spun twice by Stewart (which Stewart claims were unintentional accidents). But later in the race Irwin got his when he put Tony in the wall. When Irwin drove back around on a caution lap, Stewart was waiting for him. He flung his gloves at his car and became irate.

Stewart is also famous for altercations with Jeff Gordon, David Gilliland, Jamie McMurry, blatantly ignoring black flag penalties during races, throwing temper tantrums at reporters and photographers and being placed on probation by NASCAR on more than one occasion. Some have compared him to A.J. Foyt who is also quite famous for having a temper while also dominating racing (he won 4 Indy 500s and won the Daytona 500 in 1972). Stewart recently changed his number from 20 to 14 in honor of A.J. Foyt.

But this year has been the most important year for Stewart's legacy. He's left the 10 year comfort of his past in order to forge his own way in racing by becoming an owner/driver and starting his own race team in partnership with Haas Automation. Now it's all on his shoulders. His team, his people, his way.

His critics thought he was crazy. Why fix something if it's not broken? The man had won 2 championships and was a steady competitor week in and week out. Surely this was career suicide. These complaints were not without merit. Many racers have tried in vein to win while running their own team. Bill Elliott, Darrel and Michael Waltrip are just a few names that come to mind.

However there is one exception to the rule. Alan Kulwiki.

Alan Kulwiki is the last owner/driver to win the Sprint Cup. The first to win from a northern state as well as the first to win with a college degree. Needless to say this was not your average redneck race car driver. Kulwiki is also known for being a perfectionist and a bit tempered when things didn't go his way. He was tragically killed in a airplane crash in 1993 the year after he won his championship.

But for Tony Stewart, this season has gone quite well. He currently sits first in points, the first owner/driver to be in first place since Kulwiki. He's won 3 races, placed in the top 5 13 times and the top 10 18 times. For the whole year he's averaging a 7th place finish. Quite remarkable for just some hot head who was dependent on everyone to make things happen for him.

But what makes it even more remarkable is when you consider that Stewart is doing all this in the NASCAR of 2009. In a year where the country is in a recession and sponsors are not as willing to spend money on race teams, where teams have become huge multi million dollar operations that are essentially run like the corporations they so desperately depend on, where the drivers have essentially been neutered of any personality whatsoever in order to make the people who pay the bills happy, Tony Stewart is defying all the odds and silencing all his critics.

Unlike the Jimmie Johnsons or the Jeff Gordons of NASCAR, Stewart isn't afraid to say what he feels, he's not afraid to piss of sponsors and he most certainly isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to win - even if it means making a few enemies along the way. He is indeed his own man, and indeed a pot bellied man at that.

Does Captain Kirk Watch Shark Week? ... Probably.

2009-08-04T02:38:00.004-04:00

Shark Week on the Discovery Channel is the closet thing to a Hanukkah that I will ever get without converting to Judaism. It's eight nights of fantastic programming that features one of my most favorite animals doing what it does best - swim, be awesome and become a blood thirsty killing machine when it gets the munchies.

No other animal deserves in own week of awesomeness because no other known creature could fill up 7 days of air time and never get dull to viewers. Do you really think that people would tune in to watch Giraffe Week? Would whole families gather around the TV to enjoy Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Week? Would incoherent stoners who have nothing better to do other than sit around and waste their free time watch Pink Flamingo Week when they can watch things being destroyed and ravaged by sharks? I don't think so.

There is something about sharks that bring out our ruthless side as humans. Captain James Kirk once said to Spock that "Humans have a streak of barbarism in us. Appalling but there nevertheless". Sharks simply appeal to that basic instinct of longing to see things consumed by creatures with big teeth. It could be small fish, squid, birds or even people, that become dinner for a shark, but regardless of what is being consumed, we can't help but keep our eyes glued to the TV.

Shark Week is no more violent or gruesome as some of the stories that you may read about in the newspaper or see on TV. Just the other day I read where a child was removed from a home that has no working electricity, was filled with feces, maggots and cockroaches. I'm not saying I find this story cool or entertaining, I find it very disgusting and saddening. Yet, it made headlines for a reason, because there is a dirty side of the human condition that deserves to be fed. Shark Week is just simply one of the more enjoyable ways to feed it.

However the shark craze does not apply to TV only. Much of the current shark hype started in 1975 with the release of Jaws. The film was the first movie ever to make over $100 million box office and was the highest grossing film of all time up until Star Wars. It is the the first ever blockbuster and it was just simply about a shark who has a sweet tooth for naked women and chain smoking sailors. In fact the entire Jaws franchise has made over $400 million. That's a truckload of Benjamins for 4 movies that all pretty much have the same general story line - but it's because sharks appeal to one of the lowest common denominators for humans. Jaws is not the only movie to feature sharks as the villains. Deep Blue Sea and Open Water are just 2 more examples of big fish eating stupid people.

Shark Week is like Girls Gone Wild or UFC cage fighting for intellectuals. It doesn't really require much brain power to watch, but it certainly does make you feel like those 5 hours you sat alone in your room in only your pajamas on Sunday was the best thing you could possibly do at that moment in time.

The Lunar Landing: Or The Last Great Accomplishment People Have Ever Done

2009-07-20T16:47:00.002-04:00

People sure do tend to make a big deal when you land on a giant rock covered with space sand.

The lunar landing took place 40 years ago this month in what was a watershed moment in space technology, science and human achievement.

Niel Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were the three astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission that made the brave, bold and dangerous voyage into an uncharted vacuum of nothingness. It's easy to forget the perils that they faced and the disasters that could have taken their lives. Man hadn't faced something so daunting since the age of discovery when Columbus and da Gama made their names on the high seas.

History was made, America won the space race to the Moon leaving the Soviets in disgrace. One small step was made by a man, and the potential for mankind in space was realized.

But after all this time, what other really awesome moments have happened in the world of science that even compare to the moon landing?

Cure for AIDS or cancer? Flying cars? Alternative fuels that actually are mass consumed products? A toothpaste that makes trips to the dentist obsolete? Re-engineered Dinosaurs at outrageously priced theme parks? Oprah no long on television? None of these things have come to pass. It's as if good ol' fashion "American Inventionism" died out after the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Man went back to the moon 5 more times after the maiden voyage. However, there was no longer any major interest in the space program. Apparently going to the moon more than one time isn't impressive or interesting enough to Americans. Maybe this proves how short of an attention span we have as a country.

Average American in 1969: AH SWEET MOON LANDING!

Average American in 1971: AH SWEET PET ROCKS!!!!

See what I mean? The moon landing showed that mankind could do anything that it wanted to it they truly tried their hardest.

John Kennedy famously said in a 1962 speech at Rice University, "We choose to go to the Moon." He boldly outlined his plan for America to walk on the surface of the Moon by the end of the decade. It's as if he poored out all the tools and resources for NASA onto a giant table and said, 'There ya go boys, have at it'.

Nothing has happened like it ever since. Sure President Obama has recently outlined his plan for all new cars to have a fuel economy of 30 by 2012, but America will still be crucially dependent on foreign oil and the centuries old way of thinking about automobiles is still at the forefront of his philosophy. I'm waiting on a speech where Obama cuts the crap and says, 'We choose to harvest the sun, wind and Earth in order to energize our country, and we choose to do so before 2020.'

The best scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs would work together in ways not seen in over 40 years. Human potential would be rejuvenated for a cause that puts the betterment of humans over the pocket books of the greedy and the corrupt.

I'm not saying that I expect this epic speech anytime soon - if ever. I'm too much of a realist to ever get my hopes up for a subject as important as this. I just simply wish that our generation, or even our grand children's or great grand children's generation get a moment where they can look and say, 'That was the moment that The Jetsons came true.'

Watchmen (Novel = Win & Movie = Meh)

2009-07-19T16:57:00.007-04:00

The film adaptation of the 1986 graphic novel Watchmen, directed by Zach Snyder, is released for home viewing pleasure this coming Tuesday - and I already have my copy pre-ordered.

The movie was initially released in March, and was met with mixed reviews from both critics and fans of the novel as well. Some praised the film for it's close interpretation of the novel, others said it wasn't close enough to the novel at all. Author Allan Moore even had his named pulled from the project for his disdain of all things Hollywood.

"I wanted to create something that could only be done in the comic book medium." Moore has famously said. Only animator Dave Gibbons kept his name tied to the project.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, Watchmen is a 12 part comic book series that takes place in an alternate 1984 in New York City. Richard Nixon is still president, America won the Vietnam War and super heroes live amongst us. However, they must conduct their activities in secret now as super heroes have been banned by the government - except of course the government sponsored ones.

The whole story starts with a murder. A man is thrown out of a window by an unknown assailant. When a masked hero simply known as Rorschach (pronounced Roar-Shack) begins to investigate what happened, he uncovers what he thinks is a plot to kill all masked heroes in order to make way for World War III between the Soviets and America.

I won't go into the plot that much, simply because 1) you need to read the book and 2) this blog will take another 5 days to write.

However, when the graphic novel was released, it was showered with praise for raising the bar for comic books and the graphic novel medium. The characters, the story, the design, the drawings, the color, everything is given the most detailed attention. You could read the book 3 or 4 times and still find something new to make it worth your time.

The movie was a bitter-sweet endeavor for me.

First of all, I can't really say that Zach Snyder was the best choice to helm the product. The man has only directed two previous films before Watchmen, 2004's Dawn of the Dead and 2007's disastrous 300. I think a movie that had such lofty expectations could have used a better sense of judgement from behind the camera.

Also, some of the characters truly deserved better actors to play them. While the book has truly convicted characters, conflicting viewpoints of the world and dialogue brilliantly written by Moore, 2 of the actors truly disappoint in their portrayals. Malin Akerman as Laurie Jupiter whose super hero name is Silk Spectre, and Matthew Goode as Adrian Viedt (pronounced Vite) who is proclaimed to be the "smartest man in the world" who calls himself Ozymandias. Their performances are bland, boring and incredibly bad.

My last big complaint is that the film truly isn't the adaptation that I had hoped it would be. True there are some scenes that are almost taken verbatim from the novel however, some of those scenes don't really translate all that well on the big screen. It's as if some parts of the film come off as short annotations of a larger picture and movie goers that don't get a handle on.

Also, there are some small changes in different scenes, and then there are major reinventions that play a vital role in the book. The ending is changed and one of the main character's life story is altered as well. If Hollywood really wanted to do Watchmen justice, the only possible way to cram every literary layer onto the big screen would be to make 3 separate 2 hour long movies.

I suppose I focus too much on the negative sometimes. As I said before, I already had my copy pre-ordered which means that I thought there was more good than bad in Watchmen.

Jackie Earle Haley plays Rorshcach to perfection while Billy Cudrip and Jeffrey Dean Morgan give stellar performances as well. The overall grit, grime, look and darkness of the novel translates over to the film as well. So essentially, when the movie gets something right, it's as good as any comic book movie, but when it's way off, it's on par with Batman & Robin leaving the viewer feeling only so-so about the whole thing.

I guess the lesson that should be taken away from Watchmen is that you can't always have your cake and eat it to. But, when that happens a little movie called The Dark Knight is made. Still, even if the movie turns you off, at least do yourself a favor a read the book that single handedly changed a medium.

Something Bugged Me On The Trip To Florida.

2009-07-18T20:17:00.005-04:00

TRADITION, GLORY and HONOR.

Those are the 3 words plastered onto giant billboards that greeted our caravan as we crossed the Georgia state line.

However, the words in and of themselves were not the objects of my attention. It was the images that went along with some of these words that made my Yankee mind stop and think for a second.

The word TRADITION was paired along with a bold and brazen Confederate flag. I couldn't believe that in 2009 I was seeing something so blatantly retarded. But then again, I was in the South, and better yet, I was in a red state.

Showing the flag has always been a very controversial topic. To some the stars and bars is an overt symbol of racism and slavery (which it is). But for others it stands as a symbol of "freedom" and free speech (which it was for rich white people during the Civil War). However, some slap happy rednecks claim that it is just a way to express their Southern pride as well as their love of Nascar and Hank Williams Jr (I think they are just closet racists).

I guess the thing that made this bad taste billboard so memorable was the billboard that followed it about 100 yards down the road. This was an inspirational piece that featured a young and chipper African-American boy smiling for a school picture with the words BE INSPIRED meant to perfectly pull on your emotions.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the hypocrisy. It was as if Georgia is trying to have its cake and eat it too. Appeal to the Lynard Skynard fans and southern pride rednecks , while kissing up to Yankees like me to try and show some kind of "progress" that the bible belt has made since the civil war and civil rights movements.

It really was a bad joke. The only way to laugh though was by realizing how incredibly stupid the whole situation seemed. I mean, these moral lapses of judgement on behalf of the peach state were on display only 20 minutes from where Martin Luther King was born.

Maybe I'm just a northerner, and maybe I'm just part of that "damn liberal media", but I find it very hard to justify showing a flag that champions a cause that was defeated over 150 years ago. Sure the Confederate flag may "express freedom" but isn't that what the American flag already stood for, and still stands for?

That billboard would still get the same meaning across with the same TRADITION written across it while also depicting a slave being whipped by his masta'. Because to the uninitiated both versions are one in the same.

Death of Cronkite Leaves Big Hole For Journalism

2009-07-17T22:14:00.002-04:00

I was born 8 years after Walter Cronkite retired from the CBS Evening News. I never once watched a single one of his broadcasts, save for recylced clips I've seen in various places such as classroom lectures and the Internet. So he's never been a tangible personality to me.

Nonetheless, his career as a journalist left a legacy on American history and the field of journalism as well.

He was the voice for many important events of the 20th century. He reported on the front lines of World War II, told the country of the tragic deaths of John Kennedy and Martin Luther King. He smiled along with the rest of America when man first stepped foot on the moon. He boldly told the country that Vietnam was an un-winnable war, which led to Lyndon Johnson not seeking a second term in office.

He met presidents as well paupers and told their stories in the purest form of journalism - straight forward, truthful and unbiased.

Today broadcast news is more famous for people behind the desk to get in the way of the stories that are supposed to be the focal point of their career. Cronkite captured America with his no nonsense charm and his simple way with words. Cronkite never talked down to his viewers, he never belittled them and he certainly never got in the way of the news that so many people depended on him to tell.

Cronkite's death leaves a void in the field of journalism. Some would say that void was already there when he retired from CBS in 1980.

Cronkite admitted that he had reservations about the future of journalism.

"Professional journalism ought to be about telling people what they need to know not what they want to know." he stated.

As an aspiring journalist, Cronkite's career will cast a long shadow over, not just mine, but everyone who wishes to go into the field. He set the bar for what it means to be not just a good journalist, but a great journalist.

Pixar - A Look Back (From Mediocre to Awesome)

2009-05-29T16:15:00.022-04:00

I've been a long time fan of Pixar Animation Studios. Ever since their first major film Toy Story I've been addicted and always looked forward to their next film. From bugs, to robots, to monsters and superheroes these wonderful folks have given us surprise after surprise and I've been nothing but amazed at how they keep the hits coming.

With the recent release of Up, Pixar now has 10 films under their belt. So, being the over analytical person that I am, I believe it's the perfect time to take a stroll down memory lane and take a look at Pixar movies past and present - from in order from mediocre to awesome.

10) Cars (2006)

This film is Pixar's most lack luster film. However that's not saying this film is bad.Just compared to the other films it just doesn't stack up.

Lightning McQueen is a young hot shot race car who has caught the racing world by storm. He's winning races and making a name for himself that will lead him to fame, fortune, and racing immortality. However Lightning, voiced by Owen Wilson, hits a detour on the way to the championship race and ends up in a backwoods, almost deserted town called Radiator Springs.

The town is an old throwback to the days of yesteryear when small towns actually mattered and the hustle and bustle of the cities weren't the real world. Here simple folk (or cars) show our arrogant Lightning how to really live. Money and fame are nothing if you don't have any friends. Didn't see that one coming did ya?

It's a great concept and a great lesson for kids, but at two hours long, this film can be a bit of a bore at times. However Paul Newman voicing Doc Hudson does make the film worth while. And Larry the Cable Guy (thank God you never have to see him) does a swell job as the friendly and clumsy Mater.

This one is looked down on sometimes. I tend to think that maybe if so many other great Pixar movies didn't come before it, the bar wouldn't have been raised so high.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: While the story may not reach the high standards of Toy Story and The Incredibles, viewers of all ages will marvel at the technical brilliance of the animation and come away satisfied.

9) A Bug's Life (1998)

This is Pixar's most under rated movie yet made. It's probably the least mentioned movie when people talk about the "best of" or "worst of" for all Pixar movies. This film simply suffers from being caught in limbo between both Toy Story films which are both better than A Bug's Life.

However, the fact that our 6 legged friends are ranked second from the bottom on this list doesn't mean that this movie is bad. I enjoy all of these movies, I just simply enjoy some more than others.

Flick is a bright young ant you sticks out from the crowd. But with great intelligence comes great clumsiness and our intrepid hero causes puts his entire colony at risk when he accidentally ruins the offering his fellow ants made for a group of rough n' tough grass hoppers who in return promise them security and safety. When the grass hoppers show up, their head honcho Hopper (voiced by Kevin Spacey), orders double the amount of food.

The colony sends Flick on a mission to find bigger bugs to fight off the grass hoppers. The only thing is that Flick isn't supposed to come back, he's supposed to disappear, or die and leave the colony better off. But that doesn't happen. Flick finds a group of low rate circus bugs to defend him and his fellow ants. Only problem is, the colony doesn't know their circus bugs.

Then the hilarity ensues right?

Not the funniest of Pixar movies, but not the most boring of Pixar movies. However it's very well animated, and teaches a great lesson of thinking for yourself even if you're the only one who is right. Plus who can forget Heimlech the German caterpillar?

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: A Bug's Life is a clever and enjoyable movie with great animation.

8) Monsters, Inc. (2001)

This is probably one of Pixar's more imaginative movies, and also one of the better casted movies as well.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman lend their voices to Mike and Sully, a pair of monsters who are best friends that spend almost every waking moment together (except for when Mike is with his girlfriend, and googly-bear, Celia).

Sully works for Monsters Incorporated, a company that scares children in order to collect their screams. The screams are then used to power the entire monster world. But this task has become harder now that kids aren't scared as easily as they used to be (thanks George Bush and Saw franchise). An energy crisis and rolling blackouts ensue.

Matters are made even worse when a child, that Sully has named Boo, is mistakenly brought into the monster world. It is up to Sully and Mike to return her back home, but what they uncover while trying to do so will change the monster world forever.

This film was the perfect post 9-11 movie of 2001. The story tells the moral of laughter over fear, joy over paranoia and honesty, along with hard work, over corruption. However all of these themes are somewhat over the head of Pixar's target audience. But the humor and gags aren't. Nonetheless, Monster's Inc. is still a joy to watch.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Even though Monsters, Inc. lacks the sophistication of the Toy Story series, it is still a delight for children of all ages.

7) Toy Story 2 (1999)

The Toy Story franchise is the only Pixar film to get the sequel treatment (until Cars 2 comes out in 2011). This is the bread and butter of Pixar by far and away. Both films have grossed over 850 million dollars worldwide and whenever I walk into the Disney Store, Woody and Buzz Lightyear continue to greet me even though the last Toy Story film was made a decade ago.

As the first film focuses on Buzz coming to terms with being a toy, this film deals with Woody coming to terms with being... an international icon beloved by children the world over?

While attempting to save a fellow toy from a garage sale, Woody finds himself in the caught in the grasp of a greedy toy collector who steals our beloved cowboy.

What Woody later discovers is that he as a cultural phenomenon in the 1950s. He had a TV show, memorabilia (I want a Woody yo-yo) and side kicks that are introduced in the film. The toy collector wants to ship his collection off to a toy museum in Tokyo, but the deal can only happen if Woody is included. So he must choose between everlasting fame behind glass, or suffer the eventual day when his owner, Andy, grows up.

Buzz doesn't sit this one out on the sidelines though. He recruits more of Andy's toys to help him track down and find Woody before it's too late. But Buzz must also face two new enemies - himself, and the evil emperor Zurg.

This is probably one of the more laugh out loud funny movies that Pixar has ever made. Sequels are rarely better, or just as good, as the films which precede them and while Toy Story 2 doesn't match up to first film, it's probably the best sequel to a film ever outside of The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Entertaining characters and eye-popping animation make this sequel an instant classic.

6) Up (2009)

I feel bad putting this film in the lower half of the countdown. It doesn't deserve to be there, but there are just so many good films that Pixar has made that it's hard to say what does or doesn't belong in a certain place. I suppose Up will have to wait until the 12th Pixar movie to be considered in the top half. This is still a great movie though.

Carl Fredrickosn is a 78 year-old widower who never got to go on the adventure that he and his wife always dreamt of going on. Now living alone, facing eviction in order to make room for a new sky scraper, and society trying to force him into an assisted living center, Carl gives the world the finger and flies away in his house to sunny Paradise Falls in Venezuela. However our geriatric friend has a stow away, 12 year old wilderness explorer Russel (who is also Pixar's first Asian-American character).

Upon arriving to their destination, Carl and Russel journey through dense jungles and encounter a rare bird, aptly named Kevin, and a dog who, thanks to his hi-tech collar, can talk and express his love and adoration towards his newly found masters.

But the jungle is a dangerous place that hides many secrets and our main characters learn that living a memorable life doesn't mean it has to be filled with adventure and spectacle all the time. Sometimes it's the things that seem dull that make life worth living. It also shows kids that just because you're old it doesn't mean you still can't function as a member of society.

However this film can be too childish at times. Though it is funny, Up tends to go for the childish element more often than other Pixar films. Perhaps Finding Nemo is the only other one that appeals more to kids.

Like I said before I feel bad putting Up so low, but the top is just so crowded.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Another masterful work of art from Pixar, Up is an exciting, hilarious, and heartfelt adventure impecably crafted and told with wit and depth.

5) Ratatouille (2007)

This was Pixar's first film after Cars and many thought that it would be a continuation of more mediocre movies. But what little critics Pixar had were silenced when Ratatouille came out.

Along with Monsters, Inc. this film is more outside the box. A lowly sewer rat in Paris longs to be a revolutionary gourmet chef? It sounds sketchy but Pixar always finds a way to make a rather unique storyline quite special.

Remmy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) has a meager existence. He and his family scouer the French countryside looking for food in places you would usually find rats. But Remmy tires of rotted food and garbage. He longs to make real food, just like famous Chef, and Remmy's idol, Gusteau.

When Remmy and his family become separated, he winds up in Paris where he sets out on his own to make his dreams come true. And where else would Remmy go? Gusteau's very own kitchen.

Remmy meets a young American named Linguini who has just recently been hired at the restaurant. He is rather clumsy and has a knack for getting in the way in the kitchen. But when they both work together, they accomplish great things, and learn even greater secrets that will change both of their lives forever.

One of Pixar's more subtle movies, Ratatouille still entertains and keeps you involved with the characters. This film is one of their best animated as well. Paris makes for a wonderful backdrop, and even the Eiffel Tower in animated form looks pretty tempting.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Pixar succeeds again with Ratatouille, a stunningly animated film with past pacing, memorable characters, and overall good humor.

4) The Incredibles (2004)

Pixar's most action packed movie to date. But unlike many other action movies (Michael Bay I'm looking at you!) you actually care about the characters and their lives away from things blowing up.

Mr. Incredible is a renegade. Super heroes have been outlawed for over 30 years due to many law suits against heroes and their actions. But Mr. Incredible still longs for the glory days and does secret hero work. It beats his job at the insurance company where he works.

His wife Elasti-Girl is comfortable with just being a stay at home mom and taking care of their 3 children, Violet - the shy one who can dissapear and use forcefields, Dash - who can run like a mofo, and Jack Jack - the baby who "doesn't have super powers".

One day Mr. Incredible receivs a mysterious package in the mail. Someone is in need of his assistance for a top secret mission on an island in the middle of the ocean. He takes the job (which is good seeing as how he just got fired from his real job).

What he later discovers on the island, and what his wife later suspects he's up to drive the second half of this movie. Action, humor, great characters and Samuel L. Jackson make this movie standout from, not just Pixar movies, but many other animated films as well. The moral from The Incredibles is to be better than you can be. Be super! Give everything. 100%.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Even though The Incredibles is more violent than previous Pixar offerings, it's still a witty and fun-filled adventure that almost lives up to its name.

3) Finding Nemo (2003)

My opinion has changed a bit on Finding Nemo over the years. When I first saw it I liked it bunches. Then after a few months I just thought that it was ok. The film was too childish for me. I ranked it in the middle to the bottom of the list. Now over the years little Nemo has swam his way back into my heart.

Marlin is a clownfish that needs to lighten up a little bit. He's a tad over protective of his son Nemo. I can't really judge Marlin though. I'm sure if I lost my wife and my 100 other children to the monsters of the sea, I'd be a bit more vigilant as well.

But Nemo is growing up and going to school now. Marlin is still weary of this but reluctantly lets his son go. However, when he learns that all the children are going to the drop off (where all of Marlin's bad memories are) he desparately tries to get Nemo back home. Too bad a diver captures Nemo and takes him back to his boat and away from Marlin.

Now Marlin must venture through the entire ocean to find his son. He'll make new friends along the way, learn a thing or two about turtles, fight jelly fish and sharks in order to do so. .

This is the highest grossing film that Pixar has ever made. It made $339 million in the U.S. alone, and is the second highest earning animated film ever behind only Shrek 2. Finding Nemo is also the highest selling DVD of all time with over 40 million copies sold.

This film was so popular that it boosted tourism in Sydney, saw the demand for clownfish as pets sky rocket, and saw the terrible DreakWorks ripoff Shark Tale. Pixar FTW.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Breathtaking animation, talented vocal work, and a well-written sceenplay add up to another Pixar success.

2) Toy Story (1995)

This is the film that started it all for Pixar. I was in first grade when this movie came out, and watching computer animation was such a new thing then.

I know almost this entire movie by heart, I've seen this movie well over 20 times, and yet I never get tired of it. I can still watch it from beginning to end and it's as if I'm watching it for the first time all over again.

I won't give a synopsis of the movie becasue we've all seen it. That would be a waste of both our time.

This film had always been the best Pixar movie ever made until the next movie on the countdown. It was such a simple movie compared to other things that Disney was doing at the time. There is no over bloated dance number, no choreography, just a good story told in it's simplest form.

Woody and Buzz are classic characters that everyone knows and loves. When I saw Up over the weekend a trailer for Toy Story 3 was played. Children ages 5, 6 and 7 were all buzzed with happiness. They were born after Toy Story 2 came out and even they were just as excited as I am.

That speaks volumes for how timeless the franchise is and how timeless this film will always be.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: As entertaining as it is innovative, Toy Story kicked off Pixar's unprecedented run of quality pictures, reinvigorating animated films in the process.

1) Wall-E (2008)

When this film came out I didn't really know what to expect. Little was revealed about the plot and Pixar was mostly hush hush about anything else in this movie.

But that was before I saw it.

Wall-E is amazing, perfect, outstanding, marvelous, wonderful, bold, edgy, daring, funny, romantic and timely. Pixar outdid themselves in every way. They took a simple story about love and mixed it in with free will, global warming, and the perils of big business going hand in hand with government.

Wall-E (which stands for Waste Allocated Load Lifter - Earth Class) is a robot who has spent the past 700 years doing what he was made to do - collect trash and help clean up the dump filled planet that humans (who are now exiled in outer space) left behind.

However, the years have not been good for the fleet of Wall-Es that have been given their humongous task. Time has taken it's tole leaving only 1 working Wall-E left on the planet. And it is this fated hunk of metal who plays a huge role in the salvation of humanity.

It's a typical day of trash scouring when a space ship lands on earth. The ship sends out another robot whose purpose is to find plant life (which has long since disappeared) on earth. Her name is EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) and instead of encountering plants, she encounters our good friend Wall-E (who has a few surprises for her).

This film is almost too complicated for me to go into detail about the rest of the movie without giving away spoilers. Those of you who haven't seen Wall-E don't know what you're missing. However if you have, then you know what I'm talking about.

This is without a doubt one of the best animated films ever. It tells a simple story of love and cleverly balances it with deep statements for our perilous times. Even though robots are the protagonists, the human like qualities given to them make the message easily accessible for all ages.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Charming, audacious and timely, Wall-E's lighthearted magic and stellar visuals testify once again to Pixar's ingenuity.

My Rock Band Struggle: To Hell and Back

2009-05-28T07:11:00.006-04:00

I can't help myself when I'm around it. I get lost in the good vibes that take hold of my very being when I'm partaking in it. It's something that shouldn't, but almost does have a complete grip on me. However, that isn't really a terrible thing (unless you're talking to my girlfriend). I'm talking of course about the video game Rock Band.

You all know what it is, and chances are you've most likely played it, so I'm not going to take time to go into detail about it. All you need to know is that I've been playing this game almost nonstop since I purchased the game a little under a year ago.

Being an actual musician (I play real guitar), this game slowly took over my real talents. I became more and more involved with playing a cheap plastic controller, and lining up colors on a glowing screen than sitting down and exercising more of my brain power by strumming on the old six string and trying to write new songs for my band, or to just simply pass the time away. I traded actually playing music,to pretending I was some has been in Bon Jovi or Blue Oyster Cult.

Whenever I wasn't working, or being forced to not play Rock Band, I was playing Rock Band. I became obsessed with getting higher scores, beating harder songs on harder difficulties, gaining more cyber fans for my world famous cyber band, and simply wasting my summer away in general. I played by myself, with my girlfriend (though she became less and less thrilled with every passing measure), friends from work, and ultimately when my fellow band mates had real band practice we also had Rock Band practice for last summer's ultimate goal - the endless set list.

The endless set list was a 54 headed monster that featured every song that the game had to offer. The set that tests the true measure of your fortitude of rock. No breaks and no rest - just rock. However, when my group of compadres took on this seemingly overwhelming task (it took us 6 hours to do) we made it an event. And by that I mean a statistical event. We kept track of every song, every player, every percentage, and tabulated averages, totals and compared and contrasted. We were losers, but we loved it.

It would appear that my epic quest to conquer the world of virtual rock had come to an end. But Harmonix, the company that created the Rock Band franchise had a clever trick up their sleeve. They released Rock Band 2 just a mere 6 weeks after I slayed the previous beast. Needless to say my addiction grew ever stronger. I called every Wal-Mart that was within a reasonable drive to see if they would have my coveted treasure available at midnight when it was supposed to come out.

Now with even more songs ready for powning my life still had some sort of meaning outside of work, school, friends and zombie movies. Tunes were rocked, fans were gained and I was truly becoming the fake plastic musician that I was born to be.

But the steady stream of creativity that flows whenever I played real guitar and engaged in writing real music with my real friends slowly turned to a trickle, then the faucet was turned off. My creativeness had given way to a baron desert. Writers block ensued and my instruments gathered dust all while I still gathered speed in my quest for Rock Band 2 stardom.

Then something snapped. The common sense part of my brain turned on and shouted "LAY DOWN THE PLASTIC!" Actually that didn't happen. My Xbox got the dreaded red ring which meant that it had to be shipped off to some far away place for 10 days. It was a blessing in disguise. My batteries were more than re-energized. I actually started reading books, and playing real music again for the first time in a long time. I wrote 3 songs, and I put music to 2 of those songs. I felt like I was actually doing something with my time. I vowed to not get caught up in the Rock Band hysteria again.

Then I got my Xbox back... and it still hasn't happened. The more I think about it, the fact that my video game system crashed was kind of like a far less intense way of going to rehab. You know, minus the crying, throwing up, and camera crews to make my struggles into a hit reality show.

Now I play Rock Band in moderation. Maybe only two or three times a week at the most. I still am goal oriented though. The endless set list 2 is 84 songs long, and I'm planning on doing that later on this summer with my fellow band mates. Only this time when I'm done, I'll go back to the hotel room with my family instead of smoking heroin and throwing televisions out of windows. Oh, and playing Rock Band: The Beatles on September 9th.

Record Stores Survive the Right Way

2009-04-27T16:21:00.005-04:00

The Internet killed the music industry with a candlestick in the library all while Colonel Mustard smoked his fat cigar while grinning from ear to ear.

The music industry as we know it is a dinosaur – ancient, outdated, and dead. Gone is the model of big name acts signing with big name record companies, conquering the world and selling 10 million copies of an album with the ease your grandma has when she bakes cookies.

Gone is the old way of an artist promoting their music through just radio and MTV. The internet has opened up many new avenues for bands to take to get their music heard. Some would say for the worse.

Music sales have been in constant free fall ever since 2001 with the rise of Napster and many other web sites that allow for free download of copyrighted material. Even with the popularity of legal online outlets such as Apple’s iTunes and Amazon’s music store has not been enough to stop the hemorrhaging.

Last year music sales in the U.S. fell by 19 percent with only 360.6 million CDs sold compared to 449.2 million sold in 2007.

Now many in the music industry are looking for ways to stop the bleeding. Labels are now signing artists to what are called 360 deals. These contracts let the record companies have bigger pieces of the pie and receive greater royalties on the music as well as ticket sales, merchandise and even ringtones that artists sell.

However, many big name artists such as Jay-Z, U2 and Madonna have left their labels and signed much more lucrative deals with concert promoter Live Nation. Analysts within the industry say that artists make most of their money on tours and that it makes total sense for artists to sign with Live Nation.

Bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have taken their quest to get their music heard a step further by releasing their last albums off of their own websites for free. Radiohead even gave fans the option to choose how much they wanted to pay.

“Music is worth a different amount to everyone.” Band leader Thom Yorke said about the controversial decision.

Other artists are releasing their music exclusively through one retail outlet. The Eagles, AC/DC and Journey have already put out albums through Wal-Mart, Christina Aguilera and Prince chose to go through Target, with Guns N’ Roses’s Chinese Democracy being sold through Best Buy. While these artists have all sold well, many criticize the move by saying that they are leaving out many potential buyers.

Up and coming artists are watching all of this and already learning lessons. Newer bands, and indie darlings, like Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver have refused to sign with major labels and instead stay with independent, music oriented lables.

With all of these changes in the big world of music, how have they trickled down and affected the smaller independent stores in Indianapolis?

“We still try to be a good store.” says Rick who has worked at Indy CD and Vinyl located in Broad Ripple since 2001. “We’re running the same game plan that we always have like diversity in our selections, and deep artists catalogs.”

However, running things as they always have hasn’t been enough to stave off a decline in sales. “There has been a decline, but when everything is down, then everything is down and there is no way to make up those losses.” Rick states.

There have been some bright spots though. Old vinyl records have made a comeback with the biggest selling artists being the Beatles and Pink Floyd. “That stuff always sells.” Rick says matter-of-factly.

This is a trend that is happening nationwide. Vinyl albums sold 1.8 million copies last year. That is up from 1 million sold in 2007, and the 858,000 sold in 2006.This has caused retail stores like Best Buy to carry some artists such as Coldplay, Metallica and Bruce Springsteen on vinyl.

However, vinyl sales make up only .02 percent of the overall music sales pie. Even if it is increasing, it’s merely of drop of water in the ocean.

When the death of the record store brought on by the internet is mentioned he quickly laughs and shrugs it off. “I’ve been hearing that for 15 years.”

“When digital sales peak, music stores will still be around. Places like Wal-Mart and Borders will make cuts and see it as non profitable but we’ll still be here and we’ll still know music.”

Vibes Music, located in Castleton, has also seen a decline in overall sales. However the store does have its eggs in more than one basket. Along with CDs and vinyl, Vibes also carries DVDs, collector’s box sets, and will soon start carrying instruments.

“It’s a pretty big change for us,” says Brandon Wayne who has worked at Vibes since 2004. “

Wayne seems to have a disdain for big labels and big artists. Especially those that chose to sell their music exclusively through a big name retailer. “A huge amount of people didn’t even buy those albums just because they were sold through a corporation. Artists like Guns N’ Roses and AC/DC made good music and sold well twenty year ago, but now they want to make sure that they get their money first.”

Wayne also blames music distributors and other middle men for killing the music business. “The internet has made them obsolete, but they continue to dictate to labels and artists how much they are going to charge. $16 is too high for music.”

The finger is also pointed at the “lazy” music listener. “The masses are lazy and go for the convenience of buying it off of a screen as opposed to coming into stores.”

However, he still has faith that record stores will continue to exist. “At some point things will get figured out. There is always going to be someone who wants to hold a product in their hands and feel like they are part of something.”

Luna Music, located on Mass. Ave., has been bucking the trend of music stores lately.

“When I started watching the news I was like ‘Oh no here we go.’ But things have stayed busy because CDs aren’t extravagant items,” says Wayne Hill who has worked at Luna since 2001.

Luna is one of more selective music stores in Indianapolis. “We don’t deal with the top 40. Our clientele likes to come in and browse,” Hill says

Vinyl fever has also caught on at this store as well. “The kids love to come in and buy vinyl. 9 out f 10 of them would rather buy that than a CD,” states Hill.

The prospect of many bands going exclusively with one retailer doesn’t really phase Hill. “That’s not our niche. We don’t deal with top 40 because we’re into indie bands.”

Wayne can’t help but feel bad for the fans who feel left out. “I just feel sorry for a kid who lives in Peducah, Kentucky who doesn’t have a K-Mart near him. I would be like, ‘Hey AC/DC, Fuck you!’.

The “impending death” of record stores is not news to Hill. He just pushes the prospect aside with ease. “There is a saying that says my death is greatly over exaggerated. That is the case with record stores.”

Wayne does say that the record companies didn’t get it for a long time. “They didn’t know what to do with the internet, until it was too late. I talked to people from Warner Bros. and they say the biggest problem is trying to get the next generation to not download everything.”

Wayne starts to laugh with some sympathy in his voice, “They still don’t get it. But no one knows what to do. They still have to keep casting out lines and see what bites.”

As for Luna’s plan for the future in the midst of industry turmoil, “We just have to stay current and stay in our niche and keep the hard to find stuff.”

It appears as if the hurricane has missed the record stores for now. True they may be a bit down on business, but in an economic recession, this is to be expected. Record stores seem to be staying afloat and surviving buy finding their niche in the market.

In a world full of big corporations putting money and financial gains ahead of the music that drives their industry, small stores are still dedicated to the music and the artists that they sell.

Instead of running away from the internet and pretending that it isn’t there, these stores have embraced it as away to sell merchandise and get the word out about their store.

It appears that if the record companies want to learn how to survive in a post Napster world, they should learn how to run their companies from the bottom up with a brand new idea that could sweep through the industry – putting the music first.

Tony Ramsey: Behind The Business

2009-04-13T22:22:00.005-04:00

An odd mixture of baby bottles, diapers, a half empty case of diet coke, a microwave, guitar cases, wire, wire cutters, nuts, bolts, pliers, and a worn out work bench make up the work room in the back of Tony Ramsey's music store, Ram-Z Music, nestled in the outstkirts of Brownsburg.

However, the front of the store is kept in good order. Aside from the retro wall paper of maroon and white stripes, it looks like any other small music store. Guitars neatly hang along the wall, music books, guitar strings, tuners, and many other instrument accessories are precisely presented for customers.

Ramsey is behind the counter talking to a drum instructor about your “smarter than average student”

“Students think that if they don’t bring their book then they get out of working on their rhythm.” The instructor says, “That’s why I always keep one on me.”

Ram-Z Music first opened in 1991. It was formerly known as Village Music II until 2002 when Ramsey changed the name. However, the overall layout of the store has remained the same. Instruments from guitars and violins, to harmonicas and drums are sold, lessons on as many various instruments are offered, an array of music books and accessories are for sale, and repairs are made in Ramsey’s aforementioned back room, and it’s all operated as a family business.

Ramsey first started learning guitar from a neighbor in high school and later began teaching a full roster of lessons out of his house. He tried to get a job at a local music store in Zionsville, named Village Music.

“I don’t think (they) wanted to hire an 18 year old to teach.” Ramsey reflects.

However, word quickly spread about his talents and many began asking if Ramsey was teaching at the store. Eventually, the owner gave in and brought him on. Tony was to be hired at the new Village Music in Brownsburg.

Ramsey later bought the property in 1997 after the previous owner passed away.

“I didn’t want to freak everybody out and think ‘new owners’ and have them scared to come in here” Tony says on why it took so long in changing the name. “Then we changed the name to Ram-Z Music and pretty much when we did that everyone was like ‘You’re the only person we’ve known in here anyways’”

The toughest times for Ramsey came when his father passed away of cancer.

“My dad did all the business side. And the business for me was just fun.” He says. “I did slowly take over the paperwork. But trust me, I wish that he would’ve have beaten his fight and gone back to doing that paper work. But that didn’t happen. But yeah, it still has repercussions to this day. It’s not as always fun as it was”

Ramsey’s mother, Mary, who had always been a staple behind the counter recently retired as well, leaving just Ramsey and his 12 year-old son William in charge.

“It freaks some people out because he’s so young. But he’s also very smart. He runs the front and does sales.”

When it comes to bringing in outside help, Tony quickly answers and shrugs it off.

“William will be just fine.”

However, the recent downturn in the economy has forced not just families, but small businesses like Ram-Z Music to cut corners.

“Things have gotten really rough. I have made no secret about it.” Ramsey says. “Teachers are losing students and last month I didn’t take a check – and it hurts.”

Ram-Z Music hasn’t really had debt since the store was paid off and the idea of returning to debt and going down with the ship is not appealing to Ramsey. So, just like many other families and businesses, he’s cutting corners as well.

The temperature has been turned down in the store, and it’s almost shut off completely at night. The store opens one hour later, and the famous Ram-Z Music special on guitar strings, the item that is the most profitable, buy one pack get the second one for a dollar, has now changed to buy one get one for two.

The inconsistent temperatures have taken their toll on the instruments as well.

“I have to come in here every day and do neck adjustments on guitars. It’s a pain, but you have to cut corners.” He says.

But Ramsey is optimistic about the future regarding the economy.

“It can only stay like this for so long. I think that within 6 months to a year, things will be back to normal.”

But what is the ultimate goal for Ramsey? To have a business that one day his kids can take over. However, there is one detractor to this goal. William wants to be a doctor.

While Ramsey works on an input to a guitar, he gets a call on his cell phone. His kids are out of school and walking back to the store. When they get closer, Ramsey vacates his business duties to be a dad and help them across the street.

“It gets rough sometimes” Ramsey says about balancing his life as a musician, business owner, husband, and dad. “But my wife works nights on weekends and St. Vincent, and I try my best to get stuff done at the store around 8 so we can hang out late at night.”

It’s 4 in the afternoon now, and a student has arrived for a guitar lesson. Lessons remain Tony’s greatest passion

“I loved it when it clicked for people and they understood what I was trying to convey. I’ve never lost that passion - ever.”

Confusious Say: woman who sits on soldier's lap gets dishonorable discharge

2009-03-20T01:55:00.005-04:00

Lord Horatio Kitchener is looking at me from my closet door. He's judging me with his ever-present finger, pointing right at me, commanding me to get some sleep with as much tenacity as he commanded troops during WWI. I ignore him and tell myself that I'll get back to sleep soon enough; our relationship is rocky to say the least.

Draped on the wall opposite him is the flag that he died serving; weird twist of fate I suppose. It's almost as if he's pointing at the ol' Union Jack, forever admiring, dreading and accusing his homeland. Pretty deep and metaphorical, huh? What does it mean, though? Absolutely nothing; just like Ecclesiastes says.

I wouldn't really call myself a religious person, and I most certainly wouldn't call myself a scholar for Christ. However Ecclesiastes is probably one of the better books in the bible. The whole point of it boils down to one simple statement: everything under the sun is useless; everything, of course, except for matters that concern the Heavens and God.

It makes my more sinister side chuckle on the inside whenever I see televangelists asking for money on TV. If God would put himself on TV he wouldn't be a crooked preacher, rather he would be a used car salesman or someone who works for the infamous Ronco (But Wait, There's MORE!). He may even do his own show that is modeled after The Soup, only instead of making fun of pop culture's uselessness, he makes fun of some of mankind's uselessness. It would be like an extended version of the "Worst Person in the World" segment on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Sadly, this could never happen. So, I guess instead of the world dealing with God's judgment, they're going to have to deal with me.

I sometimes think that Satan just got a bad rap. Let's put it in perspective of a roommate. God and Satan live together in a quaint little apartment. It's like a biblical version of The Odd Couple. God was the responsible one who pays most of the bills, does all the cleaning and pays for the NetFlix account. Satan was the one who never puts the toilet seat down, smoked pot while listening to Led Zeppelin vinyls, abused the NetFlix account by renting low rate porno films, and saw The Dark Knight 7 times in theaters. One day, God comes home and sees that Satan has consumed all of the Ritz crackers in a weed-induced stupor. God, tired of all the nonsense, kicks Satan out of their posh apartment to fend for himself on the streets, alone and out of Ritz crackers.

Now, I'm not saying that I have sympathy for the devil. The only time that happens is when I hear the song of the same title, I'm just saying that good and evil is all based on point of view and ideas. Hitler thought God was on his side when he committed genocide. Bin Laden believes that he is still fighting the good fight. Even Kenny Chesney thinks his best Jimmy Buffet impersonation (did we really need either of those two to breathe anyway?) is worth some kind of value to the human race.

While I might disagree with them, they still think that they are fighting the good fight for their side. The opposite side of the coin believes that they are contributing to society in a good way as well. Christians who persecuted Muslims and Jews believed God was on their side. Those who instigated the Salem Witch Trials thought that they could do no wrong (How do you know that you're not a witch?). Those who voted for Prop 8 in California believe in God's version of the family. Peyton Manning may think that 3 MVPs gives him an American Express card into heaven.

To both sides, I say that it is all meaningless. This is my biggest critique of the world today. Everything has to be so black and white. There are only two answers to any question. Right or wrong, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican; I reject that philosophy. The world is far too complicated to think this way. Black and white eventually mixes into gray. The ever-famous line in the sand gets washed away over time. It's all meaningless.

Sorry to get so Platonic on you. It's one of those moments where I even surprise myself. I just hope that when I reread this later that this doesn't come off as a total waste of time. But then again everything is meaningless. I'll always have my dear friend, Lord Horatio Kitchener, to judge me.

I'm Going To Read This Later And Think WTF?

2009-03-10T03:34:00.004-04:00

It's 3:30 in the morning and this time 5 hours ago, I had a pounding headache that told me I needed to get to sleep. Obvious to say that my body won, leaving my brain plenty of time to exact revenge tomorrow at school and work.

It's been this way the past few weeks. No matter how much I know I need to get some sleep for the next day, I never do. It's like that R rated movie your parents wouldn't let you watch when you were 8. Their forbidding of it made you want to see it that much more. I think my innards function the same way. My brain says "Alright guys, let's get some rest for another fun filled adventure tomorrow." and every other cell that isn't in my brain matter gives a big middle finger and starts writing a long over due blog as I listen to a Gorillaz song.

I hate the term night owl, but it best describes me. During the day I'm active with everyone else and interacting with the world. Night time is my time to shine. I can do things on my terms. No school, no work - usually. Most of the time I spend my nights doing whatever it is that suits my fancy.

For a period of time it was saving the world from a zombie infection on Left 4 Dead, then it was conquering the Wii universe on Mario Kart (Erin you created a beast!). More recently (recently meaning tonight) it's been reading. I have about 7,605,425,943 things to read. Books on musicians, musical genres, novels, graphic novels, magazines. I always feel like I'm sinking in my own ambition when it comes to reading. However that never stops me from buying more. I always tell myself I need to just enjoy what I have. But this is America and I want what I want and I want it right now!

For some reason it's kinda gratifying and douchey of me at the same time. I'll be sitting here in my room with a record on, or my iTunes playing in the background and there I am lost in the words of something that I find important at the moment. Tonight it was an article on Jason Segel, start of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in Rolling Stone magazine and about 15 pages out of my John Lennon biography that I've been chipping away at since Christmas. Whenever I do these things I always feel like that guy.

You know what guy I'm talking about. The guy that gets a chubby just thinking about being on his iPhone in Barnes and Nobel or Starbucks, reading something out of some "hip" magazine while he listens to some crappy techno-indie band in his headphones. And although there is a huge (and awesome) difference between Gorillaz and crappy techno-indie bands, I still can't help but think that if I was out in public, people judge me as that guy. All I would need are some slip on shoes, nerdy classes, and my hair in some coolly unkempt and gay fashion.

I don't know. I'm sorry. Really I am.

I Should Be Ashamed, But I'm Not (Although Maybe I Should Be)

2009-02-18T02:13:00.003-05:00

In case you didn't know (and I'm betting that you do) the classic slasher film Friday the 13th was remade and released this past... Friday the 13th (duh). This film did so much better at the box office than I ever thought it would. It took in 42 million dollars. That's about 15 million more than I would have guessed. This movie looked like a glossy, slick, trashy, by the numbers remake that looked like a waste of my time... which is why I saw it.

I don't know why, but I just have a very basic primeval part of my brain that longs to see people get an axe, a machete, a chainsaw, an arrow or a screw driver get run trough their body. Call it sadistic, but I can't help but laugh out loud when such an event happens on a thirty foot screen. Hell, I can't help but do the same thing when it happens on my TV at home. I see it coming every time. I know what's going to happen to the unfortunate victim, but I can't help but watch with a smile on my face.

No I don't do this when something terrible happens in the real world. When I watch or read a news story where someone has lost their life, I don't find it funny, I find it unfortunate and sad no matter what the circumstances are. But that is the news. That is the real world in which we have to live with every day. True, movies and all other forms of entertainment are ways of escaping the "perils" of existence. But sometimes the best art also reflects life.

Not saying that Friday the 13th movies are art (they're not). I'm just saying that maybe watching people getting systemically hacked to bits and pieces is in some ways entertaining. It's a cat and mouse game where the cat always wins. Point A always connects to point B, but the path taken is always different, but not really.

So how is that any form of entertainment? It's hard to explain why slasher films and horror remakes are so appealing to me, but at the same time it's kinda simple. What are the essential ingredients for a good ol' R rated blood fest pie?

1) Teenagers

The main characters have to be teenagers. Teenagers in these movies are loud, obnoxious, and dumb. It's almost as if they deserve to die. Well, perhaps that is too much. Let's just say that they certainly put themselves in a position where bad things might happen to them.

These kids are also some of the most annoying people that you'd ever hope to not meet. Most of these characters are the hip and cool kids in their school that look down on you because you don't wear a Hollister t-shirt. Theses kids get what's coming to them and you can't help but enjoy watching it.

Yes the dorks get killed as well in these movies. But these are the losers that you can't identify with. These are the losers that think they are cool because they do nothing but play Magic at school, and World of Warcraft outside of school. These are the kids who do nothing but listen to Rush and have no prospects after high school. So maybe they are being done a favor when violently massacred.

2) Nudity

Horror movies would not be proper horror movies without some kind X-Rated body part being shown. Especially boobs. However, horror movies shift with the times. In the 80s they were small and petite and supple. Now they are overly huge and obviously fake, but still fun to watch (sorry?). I'm not saying that I prefer one over the other, I'm just noticing what has happened.

The best nudity scenes are the ones where people are doing things that they would very rarely (if ever) do naked. Like wake boarding. It makes the absurd all the more fun to laugh at when a machete gets poked through the top of their skull.

3) Stupid Cops

Cops never know anything about anything in these movies. But cops really don't know anything about anything in real life. So maybe this is the one case in crappy killer movies where art (or at least cinema) reflects life. The cops never believe the kids, they always have some kind of evidence contrary to what you as the viewer knows, and their stupidity gets them in the end in the form of a knife getting plunged through their chest.

4) Indestructible All Knowing Killer

The bad guys are everywhere! They show up at random places and are ready to press the GO button on the blood bath machine. No matter how fast a helpless victim runs away, and no matter how slow the killer walks, they always catch up with them and give em' what the viewer wants. However, if the killer gets some ice cold revenge dished their way, nothing happens. The bad guy can never die. And why should they? I know there have been infinite amounts of Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street movies, but they are just so trashy and entertaining. If Jason, Mike or Freddy died, who else would take up where they left off? George Bush?

So laugh all you want at me. Call me trashy, stupid, immature, sleazy or anything that suits your fancy, because it's probably true. I fit the stereotype as much as these terrible movies do. But you know what, I'm really not that ashamed of it.

Rainy Day Dream Away

2009-02-11T13:40:00.002-05:00

Rain always gets to me. It changes my mood more than other type of weather and I don't really know why. Maybe it's the sound it makes, or the atmosphere is creates, or maybe I'm just too sentimental for my own good and I just now realized it. Either way, something stirs up in me when water comes down from the sky that just makes me feel a certain sense of calm and ease.

I had an English teacher in high school named Mrs. Tincher who always played music when we took tests or had some kind of long term assignment due in class. Maybe I should rephrase that. Music isn't really the best word to use there. I should probably say sound effects more than anything. Every other week or so my second period class would be filled to the brim with a CD entitled "rainstorm" or "seagulls" or something else that they play in mental institutions. However the class favorite, far and away, was the chanting monks tape.

Call me crazy if you want to, but I actually did enjoy listening to the chanting monks. I remember my freshman year we took a test over the book Wuthering Heights. Needless to say that I barely even touched the book let alone read it. That book is like a chic flick soap opera on steroids... in a book (what kind of name is Heathcliffe anyway?). I read all the cliff notes and spark notes that I could, but all this was all for not come test day.

But it seemed as if the holy power of the monks' soothing chants overcame all the anxieties that I had. I actually got a B- on that test and a B in that class. Call it luck, call it me just over exaggerating to make a point, call it both (it is), I think that those monks saw my distress, and sang praises to God about how stupid Wuthering Heights was.

Rain makes me feel the same way as those crazy bald men in monasteries singing to me through an old boom box in my freshman and senior year classes. I always feel relaxed and just comfortable. When it pours down, all I want to do is read a good book, maybe listen to The Who's Quadrophenia on vinyl (it's the best rainy day rock album ever) or maybe go down in my basement and watch a serious dramatic movie to just kill some time.

I don't know. Maybe it makes me feel more "adult". I have to find ways to entertain myself when it rains. I have to make busywork for myself rather than go out and see what I stumble upon. Maybe it just lets me know how creative I can be (actually how lazy I can be because all I want to do right now is play Left 4 Dead online and burn Beck CDs).

I don't mind the rain. I don't mind any kind of weather really (except when it snows Rosie O' Donnell's weight in my front yard alone). I suppose that this is just me being a classic "romantic" again, but every type of season or weather has it's own characteristics that totally change how I feel. I can't help it and I don't want to help it. It's probably the healthiest form of natural schizophrenia that someone could enjoy.

Until the voices tell me to kill you.

Look West Young Man.

2009-02-09T01:11:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I want to just pack up my things and leave.

Where would I go? What would I do? What would I be out looking for? I don't know the answers to any of those questions. All I know is that every now and then (usually at night) I suddenly feel the urge to get in my car and drive to wherever it is that I can go. North, south, east or west don't really mater to me. I wouldn't really be looking for anything or anyone in particular. Whatever it was that found me would be fine by me.

Brownsburg is just too small of a town for anything truly important, other than a fire, to occur. Everyone goes through the motions from day to day and, whether they believe it or not, wants to be someplace where they can shake of the stale dust of this suburban wasteland.

Whenever I drive down to Bloomington to see my girlfriend, I sometimes wonder how some of the people live where they do. There are some homes that are the only blip on the horizon. The closest thing to a Wal-Mart is a gas station next to the only stop light for ten miles. I suppose that it's a simple and peaceful way of living. I don't mean to sound as if I have it made because I live in a vinyl village and I have an iPod. Being isolated is just such a weird, but appealing, concept to me. The uncontrollable side of my personality tells my over analytical side that I should just stop in and say hi and ask them how many episodes of Jeopardy they have seen.

I know that being isolated isn't what I want permanently. I would enjoy it for some time. Maybe a week, maybe two or three. But certainly not a month, and certainly not every year for the rest of my life. The part of me that wants to leave for no reason wants me to leave and go on a road trip and see all walks of life. Maybe experience things that lay outside my limited Hoosier perspective.

Now my 4 loyal readers might see this post as me being just a romantic who is simply tired and will recover from my lunacy in the morning (you're probably right). But as for right now, I just have this longing to go out and report back to you about the strange outside world. The "intense journalist Jon of" me is winning to battle over the "should be in bed an hour ago Jon". You know what though? I don't really care. I like the dream I'm having now while I'm awake.

Football Never Seemed So Boring Now

2009-01-29T01:25:00.006-05:00

It's 1:30 in the morning. I should have gone to bed well over an hour ago. However I found myself reading a book and somewhat listening to the voices coming from my television that has been stuck on ESPN for the past few days because I can't find my remote.

This coming weekend is Super Bowl weekend which means that earth will stop rotating, terrorist will no longer exist, global warming will just fix itself, the hundreds of thousands who have lost their jobs will suddenly find work again and beer companies will spend millions on commercials and get millions back from the beer gutted lumberjacks who consume their product. All will be well with the world for those three hours that the "biggest game of the year" is being played.

I didn't realize this until I read it in a book by Chuck Klosterman but, sporting games are essentially worthless. Exhibition, regular season, playoffs, Super Bowl, World Series, what ever type of professional game being played, they are all equally meaningless. Nothing is ever truly up for grabs except maybe bragging rights. The winning team does not receive saint hood nor does the losing team receive death by the firing squad. Everyone goes back home and once again gets accustomed to their normal lives.

The only time that a football game as ever really spoken to the condition of a the human soul was last year's Super Bowl between the then undefeated New England Patriots and the New York Giants. The only people that like the Patriots are either (a) from Boston (b) delusional (c) watch Fox News and takes their pants off to it or (d) all of the above. The Patriots embodied all that were evil in the world. They were that one kid in high school who always wore aviator glasses to go along with his neon orange day-glow tan and his $100 ripped-to-shred jeans. They were the kids who always got straight A's and made it look easy while you struggled just to get a C-. They were the conspirators on 9/11 who blew up the twin towers. They were the people who took shamoo and put him in a little tank and made him do tricks for the rest of his life. These were the people who would be on David Letterman and Oprah for the next two weeks because they were born with the good looks and the all American charm that you wished you had.

Meanwhile on the opposite side of the coin you had the New York Giants. A team that got into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. They had to do things the hard way. They got dirty, they got busted up and they played a more tangible version of football. They were the coal miners and the auto workers who made an honest living from 9 to 5 everyday. These were the guys who always wore Led Zeppelin t-shirts in high school and actually thought that Physical Graffiti was an over rated album. These were the guys who maybe dropped out of college because they didn't buy into the system of success. These were the guys who stood for the common man. The rough em' up tough em' up kind of spirit that died with the last cowboy. This was the team that was favored to lose by 12 points.

We all know how it ended. The Giants pulled off a miracle and won the game 17-14 thanks to the greatest play that I've ever seen (or probably ever will). Balance was restored to the force. The Giants pulled off something that you only wish you could do. They threw that cup of hot coffee at their boss like you wish you could. They flipped off the teacher as they walked out of class. They grabbed God by the balls and said "No!" with a gloriousness that has seldom been seen in the history of mankind. Not since the creation of fire has man's testicles seems to sturdy and cool.

My life would be different had the Patriots won. It would show that no matter what we do in our life, no matter how hard we try, it would all mean nothing because good hearted, honest living people would never achieve greatness. I would probably have shot myself right in the face had the Patriots gone undefeated. However, the Giants won and now I can have faith and resolve to tackle the mountain and slay the beast. That game represents everything that goes on in the real world.

Which is why this Super Bowl won't have that. This Super Bowl is going to be predictable and stale with Pittsburgh winning it's 6th Super Bowl ever. Yet that doesn't really bother me too much because nothing is there worth fighting for. History was made a year ago. Now things are just back to business as usual. Football, chicken wings, beer, cheer leaders, expensive commercials, and a by the numbers game that has no relevance to my life or yours.

An Open Letter to the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Science

2009-01-23T04:43:00.007-05:00

Dear Motion Picture Academy Of Arts And Science,

I forgive you.

I forgive you for snubbing The Dark Knight out of all but one major award that it deserved. Heath Ledger's nomination for best supporting actor as the Joker was a no brainer. Everyone expected that to happen from the moment that the NYPD announced his tragic death a year ago. However, what was also an obvious no brainer was the fact of the matter The Dark Knight is one of, if not the absolute, best film of the year, and maybe even the decade.

After grossing $530 million at the box office and becoming the second highest grossing movie ever behind Titanic, this was not just an ordinary movie. Nor was it a comic book movie, or a summer blockbuster. This film was an event. From the perfect construction of character development, to the epic struggle between the grim order of Batman and the colorful chaos of the Joker, The Dark Knight was a film that leaped beyond it's own limited genre.

Now I'm not saying that the film should have won hands down without question for awards such as best picture, director, actor and music. I gave this lofty idea up a while ago. However, not even a single nomination for the film outside of Ledger's? This was the perfect chance for the Academy to show the vass audiences and general public that you are not as pious, pigheaded and self righteous and you are perceived to be. The Academy has, for quite some time now, been thought of as a group of people who took care of their own, and is almost too exclusive for their own good. Sure you'll throw the audience a bone for awarded films like Titanic or The Lord Of The Rings: Return of the King every once in a blue moon, but for the most part you are always nominating smaller films that (1) don't have as big of a mass appeal (2) usually deal with "artistic" themes that prove a "socially relevant point" and (3) are usually heavy handed dramas.

And even though a film like The Dark Knight seemed to be the perfect storm of artistic brilliance and mass appeal, you, the Academy, decided to instead return to your old way of thinking and perceiving what you deem to be "Oscar worthy" films. Just simply look at the films that you've selected as nominees for best picture.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button:

Button, although a movie that had a budget of $180 million (just as big as Batman's budget), only grossed about $118 million in the U.S. So technically you are rewarding a movie that flopped. True it did maintain a level of critical success, but this film was very artistic and totally played to the tune of what you wanted to see and hear in a "typical" Oscar film. It's a by the numbers fantasy drama that plays like Big Fish and a mixture of other films. This movie is heavy on the story and the romance, throw in some action to keep things going, and think that Brad Pitt was a good actor simply because he talked in a fake New Orleans accent and can reminisce on the past and have his story apply to all of our lives. This would then make all of us leave the theater in a warm glow of happiness.

Too bad that Button is a total rip off of another Oscar winning film, Forrest Gump. Just watch this video, and you can see how similar these two films were. Why would you reward just a re-hash of an older film for best picture when The Dark Knight was one of the most original movies of the year.

Frost/Nixon:

My high school world history teacher made a great point to me one time that I've always carried around with me when it comes to judging actors. When Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of the great Ray Charles in Ray I thought nothing of it at the time. However, he wasn't too pleased. He said, "How can they win an award for just simply impersonating someone? That isn't really acting, it's mimicking." And in a way he's right. True mimicking can be seen as acting. But the best actors create their own characters out of a script. Simply look at Daniel Day-Lewis from There Will Be Blood. He fit into the skin of the character Daniel Plainview. He gave him a distinct voice, a distinct way of moving and many other traits that made the viewer feel like they were watching Mr. Plainview instead of Daniel Day-Lewis.

That same logic applies with this film. This is a movie that involves real figures in history, and a real event that happened over 3 decades ago. And although the performances may be great, and the overall movie may work to an exact point, how hard can it be to play a reporter interviewing a guy doing his best Richard Nixon impression? My friends and I could make this same movie and put it on YouTube.

Also, this movie might be nominated for political reasons. In an age where a man like George Bush can be elected and then re-elected President, this movie could have some significance to it. However, some of that significance (1) bashes you over the head to within and inch of your life, and (2) somewhat seems obsolete after the election, and inauguration of Barack Obama.

Milk:

This film is also a biopic along the same lines as the previous film. Sean Penn does an excellent job as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in U.S. history. This film is your choice for the "socially relevant" argument. With legislation like Prop 8 in California, gay marriage and civil unions is still a hot button issue in this country that is a long way off from being resolved, this film aims for the human rights aspect of the argument rather than the gay aspect. It's a wonderful film that really humanizes the struggle of the gay community to obtain equal rights. However, like I just said above, it's hard to give an award to someone who is simply impersonating another man or woman.

Also, this seems like an odd choice for best picture coming from you guys. I mean just a few years ago you hyped up Brokeback Mountain so much only to let those who were cheering for the film to be let down with the only major award going to Ang Lee (the same man who directed The Hulk?) for best director. The academy hasn't given love to a "gay" movie since Midnight Cowboy over 40 years ago. You are an association that is very stuck in your ways. You're line an 80-year-old woman who has to watch Price Is Right reruns. It seems that there are certain films that you won't award simply because they fit into a certain style. Just like The Dark Knight. Break the rule on Milk, and you'll open up the floodgates as to why no love for Batman?

The Reader:

This film is probably the least viewed movie of the 5 nominated for best picture. I've heard nothing but praise for Kate Winslett's role. However this movie has received mix reviews from the critics. It's received a 60% on RottenTomatoes.com (The Dark Knight received a 94, The Wrestler received a 98 and Wall-E received a 96 and they were all snubbed). The over all opinion on this film is that it was made for the Oscars. The only reason that his movie was made was for this time. To win awards and make Kate Winslett seem cooler than she really is. The previews for the movie make The Reader seem boring, bland, lame and fairly heavy handed. The heavy-handedness of this film is what attracts the Academy to this film. You're like insects next to a bug zapper on the porch of some trailer in Alabama. "O Boy! A film that takes itself far too seriously and appeals to the high brow artistic pious Hollywood self that is inside of me! Let's give it a nomination and live up to the stereotype of my own lameness!"

Seriously guys. It seems that if a movie gets made about the holocaust or it brutally shows the tragic side of war (especially World War II), then it seems as if that movie gets nominated for that reason and that reason alone.

The tag line to this movie is "unlock the mystery". Let's unlock the mystery as to what makes this movie so good, and how on earth it is more Oscar worthy than The Dark Knight.

Slumdog Millionaire:

This year's awards are going to be absolutely boring because of this film. This is the film that is the safe bet. It's not a dark film like The Reader or Frost/Nixon nor is it a re-hash like Ben Button, and it's not a movie centered around a gay person like Milk. This movie is the happy go lucky film it seems. In a new Obama filled world, why give an award to a dark film that deals with the darkness of the Bush years? Nothing about this film is controversial, and although it sounds like it has a pretty original plot, something deep within my soul tells me that this movie is grossly over rated.

So because you've made this year's Oscars boring, insipid and predictable, you just lost millions of potential viewers that would tune in to watch your show for the sole purpose of watching the caped crusader win an award. You thought last year's ratings were low? Now you've also lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue from the advertisers that knew people would watch The Dark Knight just have the smallest of chances to win. Now you've shut out those throngs of people that counted on you to break from stale traditions of your past and make a simultaneously smart and popular decision regarding the nomination of a film. However, you chose to stay the path that you've taken for many years. You've proven your own gayness and piety through your own actions. Expect to get an envelope full of anthrax and death threats shortly.

From The Bottom of My Heart

Jon LaFollette

I'm Better Than You Because I'm In College

2009-01-20T22:59:00.003-05:00

Have you ever felt like you just fit a certain kind of generality or stereotype? Recently I've begun to realize more and more with each passing day that I'm turning into the classic college student. It really started to dawn on me a few months ago. When I told my friend Greg that I've found myself listening to "cool" and "edgy" and "original" bands like Radiohead and R.E.M. on a more consistent basis he responded as his usual deadpan self, "Of course you are, you're a college student."

It all started to click in my head. "That's the reason why I've been so over analytical, self righteous and liberal." I thought to myself. "It's all college's fault I do what I do. I'm not as individualistic as I think I am. I'm really the conformist that I profess to not be because I do what other college kids do, and I think like other college kids." It's the ties that bind.

I walk around campus with my iPod on, cell phone at my side and my laptop ready at a moment's notice and I think that I'm just too cool for this planet. All of us are guilty of this in one way or another. For me, I just so happen to feel this way on an every day basis at one point in time. Sure it may make me a pious prick, but it's a character flaw that all of us share. Not a single one of us is 100 percent humble. Even the Dalai Lama must look at himself in the mirror and say "Damn, I look good. This robe makes my arms look so buff. American ladies love the buff-ness." But my point is that college students especially think that they are cooler than any other sect of society.

We are a race of people who are seeking a "higher education" at an "expensive institution" with not just teachers but "professors" and a bookstore with a "Starbucks". We are also bloggers that use random "quotation marks". I see people with their orange tanned skin, gelled hair, Blackberry, lap top, aviator sun glasses, and blu tooths that think they are on top of the world walk next to kids wearing Ramone's t-shirts and skinny jeans and multi-colored Mohawks who feel the same way about themselves. And why shouldn't they? They are at the height of their youth, with their whole life ahead of them with the world in their back pocket.

I'm not saying that just because you are in college you are better than the rest of society. Nor does not being college make you an undesirable. I'm just simply pointing out a commonality that I see every day when I travel downtown. Everyone is cool, and everyone knows everything about everything. I can ask someone what their opinions are on some random topic that I pull out of a hat such as rodeo clowns, and everyone will be an expert on the craft of dressing up like a clown and chase a bull around. "I believe they deserve more rights as a union" someone might say. "I think that they are just drunk pedophiles who get their kicks by wearing make up and dry humping poor animals" another might say. These people may not know anything about rodeo clowns, but just because they are in college, they will reply with some kind of answer that they think will make themselves look smarter than they really are.

College students should be radio talk show hosts. Because radio talk show hosts are never ever wrong. Ever. If they were, then they would have no credibility to behind the microphone. Why listen to someone if they are deemed fallible or wrong even if they have a microphone? Being completely right all the time is essential to both college kids and radio hosts. All the time I hear kids talking on campus about things such as politics, music, movies and television shows. For some reason, everyone and their mom thinks that he or she is the next Roger Ebert. Everything has to be debated. Only a debate implies that no one wins. These are arguments where two pious college pricks slug it out over the best song on the new Weezer album, or want to break a sweat on the social relevance of Heroes. Neither side gives in or admits defeat and both walk away pissed off. Sounds like an argument between Keith Olbermann and Rush Limbaugh to me.

So yeah I might be that one guy that thinks he is better than everyone else. But it's just the environment that I occupy. Just give me about 2 or 3 years. Just pray I don't go back for a masters degree.

Yeah, That's The Ticket

2009-01-18T02:26:00.006-05:00

I sometimes wonder about my own qualifications as a writer.

You always hear these great writers, actors, painters or even brick layers and plumbers talk about how there is a certain method that he or she uses when they go about doing their favorite craft. I read works from some of the authors that I admire such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Matt Taibbi and Chuck Klosterman. I wonder how they chose the language that they use, or how they come up with certain phrases that best describes someone's personality, the apartment that they live in, their fat ex-girlfriend they hate, or how they use their pen to tap directly into the basic part of existence.

Marble Men must have thought about this as well. Everyone is human and must question their own work ethic against those that they admire. Fitzgerald and Hemingway didn't just start writing whatever ran through their head. They had to have had a method to their greatness. After all the saying goes that greatness is "made" right? These men dealt with this issue, tackled it, and have remained popular long since their last ink stroke brushed the page.

I often wonder about my own legacy. There is this "celebrity" part of me that envisions going the route of Van Gough. I think about going my whole writing career being some obscure past time that I do simply to pay the bills. Then I kick the bucket in some tragic way - car crash, suicide, mauled by baboons at the zoo - long before I reach the age of 50. Then about ten years later, some desperate book publisher stumbles upon my blog, and decides to start printing my random essays in a book called Words From A Genius: Selected Essays From The Blog Of The Great Jon LaFollette. Hell, maybe it'll even get publised into a movie staring Zach Efron's son as yours truly.

But this will never happen (probably). I've never realized how over analytical I am until I started writing on this site. However, I think that I've just now come to the realization that it is a good thing. Only someone as analytical as me could take a topic such as "my method of writing" and stretch it out, package it, and make it readable (somewhat) and entertaining (not really) for all of my friends (so called) to enjoy (hardly).

But back to the issue. I want my writing to stand out. I want to be able to put my own stamp on things. Hemmingway is famous for simplicity. Fitzgerald is renowned for his elegant prose. Almost every great author has their own style or method. And almost every extremely great author has a plan of action and is aware of what they are doing. Like a good chess player, they knew what they are going to do 10 to 15 moves ahead. I don't have a plan of attack.

I've always been one to just simply gush forth words and ideas. Here is my plan for writing. 1) Write 2) Edit (occasionally) 3) go to the bathroom. It's almost like driving blindfolded. I often don't know what I'm doing to write in the next few sentences, let alone the next paragraph or even page. Maybe my laziness and seeming carelessness is my stamp that I've been looking for. Maybe that is my ticket to fame. I can see it now in my very own obituary.

"Author Jon LaFollette died today at the age of 32. He was attacked by a pack of wild monkeys at the Indianapolis Zoo. Apparently Mr. LaFollette was trying to feed the monkeys some cookies that were found in his pocket. His good intentions turned tragic when the monkeys grabbed him and pinned him to the outside of the cage where they began to mame and maul him. LaFollette is best known for his often pointless and reckless writing style that is best seen in his novel "The Last Stand Of The Jesus Tigers". He leaves behind an adopted son from Cambodia named Steve-Chu-Pawn"

You know, that actually doesn't sound too bad. If my writing won't cement my legacy, certainly my own idiocy will.

Chinamen Is Not The Preferred Nomanclature... Asian American Please...

2009-01-16T15:34:00.007-05:00

I find myself getting tired earlier due to the season. Once the sun goes down my body seems to become about twenty pounds heavier, and everything I do becomes trapped in some daydream that lasts for an eternity. A lifetime has only been 15 minutes and the only question that you have on your mind is "The History Channel has sunk so low as to devote an entire show to the 'Modern Marvel' that is sulfuric acid?"

I suppose that this was the low point that made me glad I decided to join a bowling league. Bowling is the ultimate white-man sport. Only a white man could think of a sport like bowling. You don't have to throw the ball 50 yards down field, hit it in a whole over 300 yards

away, or have to shoot a bowling ball from behind the arc for a game winning bucket. All you have to do, is roll it straight down the lane and hit a group of defenseless pins. You don't have to be in shape to be good at it, and you don't have to have significant arm strength to destroy your opponent either. Just give it a wireless controller and it might as well be a video game.

I can't really say that I'm the best bowler ever. To be honest I consider it a moral victor if the number of gutter balls is less than 5. But seeing as how it was my first night in a sanctioned league, I figured I would bring my A-game. My first game was an epic all might 89. Paltry and lame by Big Lebowski standards, but seeing as how I only had about 4 gutter balls, it was a total moral victory for me. The upside to me meager scores is that next week I will have a killer handicap. I'll have a handicap so big that even Terri Schiavo would be jealous.

But the most anticipated part of the night came after the hot action on the lanes.

I felt like I was in the opening sequence to the show Rosanne tonight. I found myself from 11 p.m. to about 4:30 a.m. reveling in the haze of secondhand smoke in a small kitchen listening to Jethro Tull, Johnny Cash and Neil Young records whilst playing cards with my friends after a hardy round of bowling. Discussions were made, laughs were shared, obscenities came a plenty, all the while the winter weather paralyzed the world outside of the window.

My friend Greg Reed, who also happens to be my manager, devours beer like a never ending well. I've never seen him not wear a hat or beanie, and I've never seen someone who can put away a bottle of booze like him. I'm not implying that he's a drunk. He's not. He just likes to get a little rowdy from time to time. However, in his younger and more vulnerable years, Mr. Reed apparently got so trashed that he had the words "Fear" and "Hate" tattooed onto his knuckles. I'm waiting for the day when my Tom-Brady-Loving-Everything-From-Michigan-Is-Jesus friend to get so wasted that he gets the word Antichrist tattooed on his forehead. Then whenever he wants to listen to his Nirvana and Guns N Roses albums, all he has to do is look in a mirror to get in the mood.

Greg is like many other guys that I know (including my own father and dare I say even myself). He tries to exude some kind of male ego-ness that says to the less inferior men in the room that "I am the alpha male!". This is especially true when the man walks up to bowl. It's his own version of a model's walk and pose on the runway. Every single step and swing means something. It's the animal instinct that lies within all of us. I even begin to find myself somewhat seduced by the gravitas of a man who can pick up a 5-8 split. But beneath this "metal" exterior lies a big mama's boy who loves nothing more than to watch b-rate zombie movies while enjoying the company of his dog Giselle (yes she's named after Tom Brady's woman - poor thing).

Greg likes to think of himself as the alpha male in the group. And being the head honcho of the "group", he enjoys certain privileges. The most important of these is the ability to assert his "dominance" on the rest of the clan. The easiest target in our group of 4 is the shy and timid Paul Reinhart (yes class of '07, that is Andrew's brother). Paul is taller than I am, and has that classic all American look to him. However, instead of playing football, he plays a wide variety of horn instruments and plays in jazz band. He is by far one of the most quiet people I know, and doesn't really talk unless he has something to say. This can make for awkward moments if you don't know him very well, but once you show him some skin he stats to open up.

Paul usually always gets the brunt of the "violence" brought on by our own little pecking order. He is the equivalent to Donnie as played by Steve Buscemi from The Big Lebowski. He is someone who means well but doesn't really have a backbone and is easily pushed around. Not to say that we take advantage of him or treat him differently. We give him a tough time because 1) he's the youngest of us 2) he never fights back and 3) even if he does we never take him seriously. Although when he does make snide little comments they can be some of the most mean and spiteful things that you've ever heard. This is just a by product. Greg's "douchieness because I care attitude" has rubbed off on all of us. It's just how we communicate with each other. In our own language "SHUT UP AND GET ME A BEER" translates into "THANK YOU FOR NOT GETTING ON MY NERVES ALL THE TIME".

The person who is the most like me, and is more or less a combination of everyone in the group is the soon to be famous Luke Knight. He is rather quite like Paul, but he opens up a bit easier and can be just as domineering as Greg from time to time. When Mr. Knight gets pissed, he turns into the pissed off version of Rosie O Donnell. He wants to take on everyone right then and there and doesn't really care what the hell comes out of his mouth until it's too late. I don't know if maybe that's just the alcohol he consumed tonight, or if that just added fuel to the fire. I will give him some credit for being a bit more lighthearted in the long run (I have to give him bonus points for being the only one laughing at my lame attempts to call Paul's mom a whore to the tune of a Beatles song).

Anyway, it's these three personalities (plus my own and a few others) that spent their evening taking all the frustrations out on some lame wooden pins, and a handful of dirty old playing cards. It was as if the coldness of winter disappeared, the obligations of school and work went to the wayside, and spring break had already arrived upon us. We were kings of our domain for those few hours. Our aspirations were to go down the glorified path to a full house in poker, and a once clean stove top to be covered with beer bottles. But as the ash tray filled up nearly to the brim, and the liquor supply began to dry up the night had to come to an end. The dream was over, the headaches came as soon as the realization of work the next day hit. The table was left as clean as we found it, and as we all walked out the door, winter awoke us with it's bitter grasp once more.

Random Ramblings Part 3

2009-01-12T16:29:00.006-05:00

Deep Thoughts With Jon (deep thawts wit jawn)

It's amazing what a change of scenery can do for you.

After being stuck in Brownsburg for the past month, my first day back to school almost seems like a re-birth. I walked into the campus bookstore, and for some reason, the smell of overpriced coffee and cake made me want to instantly start gushing forth words again. Maybe I should put a Starbucks in my house so that I could begin writing that great American novel I've always planned on writing.

The best thing about being back in school is that I can start to observe people again. I've always been a people watcher. I love seeing how we as humans interact and and mesh with each other on a daily basis. It's like birdwatching or fishing. Only the birds and fish have Blackberrys, Blue Tooths, and backpacks.Maybe I should minor in sociology (or not).

I've been having Freaky Friday type moments over the past week and a half. My dear sweet (insert age not over 29) mother has decided to go back to school. So we've been going through the same student growing pains. I've been getting books and dealing with financial aid and getting used to grinding the old noggin again. Work, school, homework, and trying to appease the 4 that read this blog. She's been dealing with a job she can't stand, the insecurities of trying to find a new job during a lackluster economy, and the stresses of figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

Sometimes I look at my parents or the older generation and I start to think about what I'll be like if I ever live to that age. I found it so incredibly hard to imagine myself at the age of 50, 60, or even 70 or 80 still writing this blog, still listening to my iPod, watching Adult Swim, and laughing at Dave Chappelle jokes. But at the same time, I know that this is going to happen because I know that these are some of the things that make my life enjoyable. It's just going to be funny to see our generation rockin' out to Britney Spears on her 18th farewell tour, a third or fourth re-boot in the Spider-Man franchise featuring High School Musicals Zac Efferon's grandson as Peter Parker. Nursing homes will be filled with people texting back and forth complaining about their applesauce or how they need their diaper changed.

Just think about it like this, our children are not going to know what it is like to live in a pre 9/11 world. They will always know about wireless Internet, iPods, hybrid cars and not experience Tom Brady's epic gayness. Our kids are going to look at us, the same way that we look at our parents sometimes. Out of touch and out of date. Indeed the world will be a much stranger and "techier" place to live in. It will be as if the entire world turned into a pseudo Japan where everyone is up to date on the latest technology. Everyone except for all the starving children in Africa and Latin America. No one cares about those people right?

I suppose that I am getting ahead of myself. After all, I can't even purchase alcohol at this point in my life. It would just be wise of me to enjoy the simple things while they are in the present. Starting to think about the future really stresses me out. Maybe it's because I don't know what's coming. But it could also very well be that I do know what's coming. I just don't know how I'm going to prepare for it. Perhaps the best way to prepare for the future, is simply taking each day as it comes.

Golden Globes (are gaeiy)

I know I'm not the only one who watched the Golden Globes last night. But I can guarantee that I was the single most pissed off person who watched them last night. It wasn't because the people I wanted to win didn't, it was because The Golden Globes themselves are some of the biggest jerk off award sessions that are televised for all of our derangement.

First off, you would think that an award as "prestigous" as these would be decided by a vast array of respected critics and filmmakers. After all, who better to judge the talent of the best films than those from within the industry? Well as much as that sounds cool, it doesn't work that way. With the globes of gold, they are decided by an elite group of..... 66 people. The Oscars, on the other hand, are awarded through the election of about 6,000 people. Seems a bit more merritted doesn't it?

However, the people who put on the Golden Globes recieve about 6 million dollars a year. That's a lot of money to show a party where some of the snobbiest people in Hollywood get drunk on camera and make an ass of themselves. Just look at Mickey Rourke last night. He looked like a white version of Little Richard that just rolled out of a strippers bed.

But the worst part of the awards is that it nominates and congratulates some of the more lukewarm, if not lackluster, movies over the past few months. Simply look at best picture including a comedy. They nominated the campy and unfunny Mama Mia! and not the hilarious and somewhat socially relevant Tropic Thunder? Please give me a break. Colin Ferrel wins for best actor? That coke headed Irish bastard couldn't act his way out of his own ego. Let alone fellow award recipiant Alec Baldwin. From now on, I'm gonna start running the Golden Globes just so I can get a better look at Scarlett Johansson's rocket tits.

Being Amish Would Suck So Hard

2009-01-11T18:54:00.003-05:00

I come to a new realization over the past few days. Just about two weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were driving to a movie when I brought up the topic of technology. For some reason I've begun to find myself bringing up random points of discussion for no reason at all. It could've been Chinese pornography that was running through my mind, but instead it was technology. I seem to recall saying that I could go a few days without technology, and to be more specific, electronics. In fact I went so far as to say that I don't really depend on technology that much in the first place, so it's as if I could just keep living my live as normal. One of the stupidest things I've ever said. Ever.

Because about week later, God played a wonderful and cruel joke on your's truly. The Internet in our house decided to just simply crap out. To put it simply - I freaked. No Facebook, e-mail, Xbox Live, writing on this wonderful blog that my 4 dedicated readers enjoy from time to time. No keeping up on almost to the minute news whenever I want to. It made my life seem so boring and empty. It's not like I suffered. I think I'm starting to make myself a victim. I'm not. I'm just simply trying to show how much one thing effects my life. I could still watch television, movies, play video games without being online, read, play with my new digital camera and voice recorder, but it still seemed like something was missing in my life.

I guess it just stressed me out because it all happened the week before I returned to school. It made it difficult to find out what text books I needed, where my classes were, and it made it almost impossible to resolve my financial aid issues. God tested his servant, and his servant crumbled under the pressure. It was probably a good week for me to work so much then because I would've lost my mind if I had to sit at home all day and try to find a way to occupy myself.

I hate admitting when I made a stupid remark or comment, but this time warrants such an action. Sorry I was gone for a while. Look forward for more random ramblings from me on a more consistent basis.

Happy New Years You Hungover Bastard

2009-01-01T15:42:00.004-05:00

Well Happy New Year to all. 2008 has bitten the dust and 2009 has quietly become a part of our lives for a full 365 days. Last night was probably the best New Years I've had since I was eleven years old. I just mellowed out with Erin by watching Pixar movies, playing Rock Band, and eating our weight in food and hot chocolate. Midnight came and went without hardly any celebration, but the night went by in a pizza and Xbox filled extravaganza.

Now New Years is a time for a clean slate. Time to shake off those bad habits like smoking or watching re-runs of Scrubs. What better way than to declare your new found freedom from the lesser traits of your personality than through the ever famous New Years resolution? Promise yourself that in 2009 you will lose weight, not procrastinate, do better at your work or school, not shave until the Pacers have a winning season (going to have to wait a while on that one). All of these things are great, but doesn't the whole idea of New Years resolutions get kind of old after a while?

I've never met anyone who has ever gone a whole year fulfilling their vows to themselves. Resolutions are just like Montana. I don't think Montana exists. I've never met anyone from there, and I've only met one person who ever wants to go there on their own free will. Resolutions always seem to end up being meaningless promises to ourselves that just end up being broken sooner or later. It's as if we are cheating on our good intentions.

Sure smoking isn't good for you, but you do it because in some way, shape for form it gives you pleasure. And even tough I can't stand Scrubs, or anything else Zach Braff touches with a ten foot poll, there are sick minded people out there (such as my girlfriend) that enjoy his sense of humor. If you're fat, it means you enjoy being lazy or eating (or most likely both). Procrastinators are the worst kind of people to set New Years resolutions because they won't get around to changing their lives until tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, and so on.

Why should we try and change our lifestyles? Sure most people have the best of intentions when they decide that they want to omit a certain habit or trait about themselves. But most of these properties that we focus on removing (be it good or bad) are things that we either enjoy openly, or are guilty pleasures that only me myself and I should know about. And besides, it's not like you're ever gonna complete it anyways.

So to the three of you who actually read this thing, just give up while your ahead because I've given you the inside track on success for the rest of the year. Just be who you are, and do what you want. Just as long as doing what you want doesn't involve raping a random girl and knocking her up... because that is how I already broke my promise to myself.

Someone Please Give Me A Cigarette

2008-12-31T01:46:00.006-05:00

I'm sitting in the dark carpeted dungeon that is my basement. I usually plan out my writings and I usually try to make them presentable (somewhat) before I post them for the entire Internet world to observe. This time, however, I decided that I would change my mind and just write and see what all comes forth the inner reaching of my cortex.

I suppose that inferring the only thing that separates my basement from a dungeon is the carpet isn't completely and totally accurate. Actually it's also the hi-def television, the awesome surround sound, the fire place, the electricity, the finished dry wall (painted of course), a couch, a chair, a foot rest, and mantel over the fire place with a nice little ceramic display of Jesus being born. So I suppose it's probably just a basement. A really awesome basement that provides an environment conducive to writing.

Now what good would a blu ray player be if it didn't have a blu ray disc in it? And what kind of blu ray disc would it be if it weren't Kill Bill Volume 1. I can't really say that I was ever a die hard movie watcher. That title belongs to my girlfriend Erin. Whenever I call her during her free time she is always indulging herself in a movie (or sometimes a television show - as of recently it has been the show Bones. But now that she has Planet Earth on DVD I'm sure that will be the new answer for "What are you doing?") However, I've rediscovered my joy of watching movies at home as opposed to the big screen thanks to the awesome quality of blu ray. I know that this might be a shameless plug, but screw it. I was gonna sell out eventually wasn't I?

Anyway, Quintin Tarantino movies (such as Kill Bill) are some of my favorite movies of all time. There are only two that I haven't seen but I'm sure that through the course of my long (hopefully) life I will eventually get to enjoy them. Tarantino movies just have that vintage edge to them. I feel like I should be in a smoky theater with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth, an Afro atop my kracka-ass head, all while stuck in the year 1975. Sure his movies are very over the top and very Hollywood as well, but the man has a knack for dialogue that maybe only the Cohen brothers can compete with.

After seeing crap-tastic movies such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's infamous "nuke the fridge" scene, I get the craving to watch movies such as Pulp Fiction, and Reservoir Dogs. These films restore my faith in what good movies can be, and what newer movies should strive to be.

I'm not saying that all movies should be Quintin Tarantino copy cats, but all movies should be as grossly entertaining and richly engaging as his. Pulp Fiction is a film that is 2 and a half hours long, and is almost entirely dialogue driven. Same goes for his cop thriller Reservoir Dogs. However, talking builds characters and a good story. These are things that make us a viewer care about what goes on during the course of the film. This even applies to big summer block busters. Just look at Iron Man and The Dark Knight. These were super hero movies that were smart and well crafted - sure the fight scenes and the effects were cool. But why did we care about Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne? Because the stories were written so well.

I know that this may seem like a blatant truth that most of you already know. But like I said earlier, I just wanted to play this piece of literature by ear as opposed to trying to script it out. Maybe the next blog will be a better story.

Random Ramblings Part 2

2008-12-23T03:25:00.007-05:00

Oscar Needs The Dark Knight (Os-Ker Needz The Dark Knight)

The holiday season is also the beginning of the award season for the arts and entertainment industry. The biggest awards are the Oscars, which award the best in film, and the Grammys, which award the best in music. And while I've always been a follower of both awards, I am more intrigued by the Oscars this year because of "The Dark Knight Factor".

The Dark Knight provides some interesting conflicts for the Oscars this year. Typically, the academy awards go to smaller, more independent films that a majority of people haven't seen. While viewership doesn't determine whether a movie is good or not, it does determine whether or not people watch the awards on television. Last year's awards were the lowest rated on record. Many of the movies nominated such as No Country For Old Men, and There Will Be Blood were films that were not shown nation wide, and dealt with overbearing and grisly themes. I love both of these movies (There Will Be Blood is better), but who wants to watch an award be given out to a film that they haven't seen.

This is where The Dark Knight comes in. After grossing over 530 million dollars, (the second film in history to gross over 500 million), the film is one of those rare moments when commercial success and critical praise collided. Many reviews and critics have put the film on their "best of the year" listings and praise the entire film from start to finish (especially the

late Heath Ledger). However, regardless of how well the movie did with fans and critics, the point remains that it is a comic book film and a summer blockbuster. Genres of film that rarely, if ever, receive any type of nomination outside of technical awards such as best sound editing or best visual effects.

The last two big budget movies to win awards for best film were Titanic and The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. These were also two of the highest rated nights for the Oscars. Titanic is the highest grossing film in history, and Return Of The King made over 300 million. These were films that people had seen and were excited about. These were films like The Dark Knight. If the Academy wants to rebound after last year's disaster, this movie is their best hope.

EDIT: After seeing The Currious Case Of Benjamin Button a few days back, I have now come to the realization that The Dark Knight will not win for best picture. In fact, I highly doubt it will even be nominated. I'm not saying that Button is better than Batman (it's not). I'm just saying that Brad Pitt is a better Oscar pick than Bruce Wayne. It's a shame though. Still look for Heath Ledger to win for the Joker though.

My Most Favorite Group Of People Ever (Ea-vil Re-Pub-Lickens Led Bi Sar-Uh Pay-Lin)

I'm watching a year in review episode of Countdown with Keith Olbermann (the man with the biggest head in the world), and while I may not agree with everything he says or stands for, he does make watching network news entertaining but meaningful (sorry Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert). Today on his show he is counting down his favorite people in the year that was 2008. During one particular segment, Mr. Olbermann dubs "McCain / Pailin supporters" as his favorite people because they helped to contribute to McCain's epic fail of a campaign.

Now I'm not stating that all supports for the "team of mavericks" are completely retarded. Just the ones that got all of the media attention because they were the funniest ones to watch, and wonder how there are still people who can think like this. Towards the end of the campaign, when it appeared that McCain would lose without a doubt, many from the crowd at their rallies would shout things such as "terrorist" when word of Barack Obama would come up. There were even some that would go so far as to question his "Americanness" and claim that he was a Muslim and an "Arab".

But where would all of this backwards hicks who can't think for themselves get all of these crazy ideas? Well since they are so inbred with white trash DNA, many of these people are born with thoughts like "If their skin color is different than mine, then they must be evil" or "If I can't say his last name because it has too many O's in it, then he must be a terrorist. All of these basic white trash America thoughts were just enhanced more when Sarah Palin started spouting off at the mouth during rallies about "Obama palling around with terrorists" and saying that "She was glad to be with the REAL parts of America".

I know I'm starting to ramble on too long about something that shouldn't matter anymore, but it just scares me that we got that close to having someone that crazy in the White House.

So I'm just gonna let the crazy McCain / Palin supporters do all the talking for me. Thanks for defeating your own cause by simply opening up your mouth.

Zombies: The Great American Dream

2008-12-21T06:08:00.007-05:00

I am easily influenced to a certain degree. We all are in one way or another. Our friends, family, environment and culture are constantly sending us messages (be it overt or subtle) and we pick up on a few things here and there. Well, over the past year or so my good friend Luke has turned me on to zombie movies.

It's not like I had a hatred for zombie movies. They were just a certain genre of film that I had little exposure to. However, I can now say that I am indeed a zombified fan, and I need to really start digging in and start watching the classic movies such as 1968's Night Of The Living Dead.But this is not what has intrigued my interest in the realization of reanimated humans. That award goes to the game Left 4 Dead which I received just this week for Christmas.

The game is a first person shooter that pits 4 survivors on a path to destroy the horde of zombies that threaten their very existence. It's the same formula as literally every zombie story ever told. But this is beside the point. The real point is that this game has changed my views on the shoot-first-ask-questions later extravaganza that is zombie killing in a way that movies never could. Movies are more of a passive experience. You sit there and observe other people mutilating the mutilated as opposed to you engaging them in a virtual reality. The stakes are much higher because you as a player have a hand in the outcome of a game.

But after 3,000 zombies were killed in one week, I still feel somewhat empty inside. The joy of blasting anything that moves in the face with a shotgun is still there (believe me). But when the story line is over and the survivors still in tact with all of their fingers and toes, the feeling of craving something more eventually makes its way to the front of my brain.

Why can't zombies be real? I know that this might sound horrifying to those of you without an awesome bone in your body. But to all of us "normal" God fearing people, the idea of real walking dead wanting to eat our brains and convert us to the religion of rasta-zombie sounds like a pretty awesome time. With exception to my girlfriend, and maybe every other woman I know - except maybe the ones with penises , all fully endorse the idea of survival of the fittest in a world filled with zombies.

One friend of mine said, "Give me two weeks notice, and 2 thousand dollars to get ready for the invasion, and I would be more than willing to go". Guns, food, fortified house and vehicle, and people would be able to survive with no problem at all. It's not like zombies are the smartest creatures. All they know is blink, drool, walk, run, and eat human flesh. Just take out their legs and they might as well be Terri Shiavo. The only difference is the zombie doesn't need a feeding tube to destroy you.

I'm not the only one who wants zombies to be real. In fact, it appears that I'm on the low end of the spectrum. I just want them to be real for my own enjoyment of blood, gore, and BBQ. But there are some out there who campaigned hard this past election for former President, now candidate for the Zombie Party, Ronald Reagan. Had I known this back in October and November, I wouldn't have cast my vote for history and Barack Obama, instead I would have voted for history on the side of the first zombie president in Zombie Reagan. Zombies deserve equal treatment too. I blame the liberal media for not covering all sides of the spectrum.

But I am pondering something else. Maybe zombies are already here among us, only they have a good cover. They are preparing for their attack right in front of our eyes and only a select few can see through to who they really are. And since I am one of those people, it is my duty to protect those less fortunate who are blinded and cannot see the zombies behind their masks. The oncoming parade of flesh eating beings are Oprah fans.

Yes. Rich white trophy house wives are really zombies behind their masks. All the signs are there. They are mindless people who do whatever their "natural instinct" tells them to do (scream, cry, take Oprah seriously), they gather to their leader and do her bidding. If Oprah says this or that, or has a guest talk about this or that, then it must be an important issue that will effect all of our lives. Oprah herself is a zombie. In fact, I'm willing to be that everyone she has on her show is a zombie. Tom Cruise almost killed her a while back when he went all Scientology on us - another verified zombie secret identity.

Now listen, I'm not saying that all zombies are bad. There is a whole religion based off of belief in zombies. Just look at Christianity. Jesus Christ is by definition a zombie. He was crucified, and three days later he was brought back to life for everyone to see. Yup, sure sounds like a zombie to me. But look at all the cool stuff he did, walk on water, feed 5 thousand, and save humanity and all that good stuff. Jesus was a zombie with heart, spiritual powers, and a high tolerance for pain. Let us pray that Oprah or Tom Cruise are not this special type of zombie. Because if they are, I'm getting loaded up on my stockpile right now. Who's coming with me?

Top Ten Albums Of 2008

2008-12-14T16:38:00.018-05:00

2008 was one of the more interesting years in recent music memory. While album sales continued to decline for a seventh consecutive year, the quality and variety of good music was as plentiful as ever. 2008 was a year that saw newcomers such as Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes start a neo-folk revolution, comeback albums by hard rock staples Metallica, AC/DC, and Guns N Roses, blockbuster hip hop albums form Lil' Wayne and Kanye West, and a solid album by Nickelback (kidding).

So now that the year is coming to an end, it's time to look back and decide what are the ten best albums of the year. Now keep in mind that this is simply my opinion, and that this is just a list. Got a problem with it? Just leave me a comment and tell me what ya think (anyone can leave one, you don't have to have a blogspot account).

1) Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago

Bon Iver is a one man revolution spear headed by Justin Vernon. After a fall out with his girlfriend, and his former band De-Yarmond Edison, he retreated to his father's hunting cabin in the rural Midwestern woods of Wisconsin. The plan wasn't to make music or to write songs. Instead Vernon isolated himself in the coldest of winters spending his time hunting and chopping wood. For Emma Forever Ago is the sound of a man completely cut off from the hectic world, making music on his own terms. Vernon plays every instrument on this track, save for a few horns, and goes through a purging of love, sadness, and hope on this most somber of debuts.

2) Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

We are all used to the usual formula from Mr. West. Big modern hip hop beats over old retro samples from the likes of Ray Charles and Otis Redding. Mr. West also likes to brag about how amazing and revolutionary he was. These boasts were not without some basis. His 2003 debut The College Dropout is one of my all time favorite albums. 2005's Late Registration was another solid outing. However, last year's Graduation was a bit too by the numbers for me. The album was very bland and boring and found Kanye working with Christ Martin of Coldplay? However last winter was a bit of a rough time for our Mr. West. His mother passed away and his fiance broke up with him, leaving for a broken and battered man with an ego that had taken two heavy blows.

808s & Heartbreak is an album that reflects the state of the man's heart. The beats are minimal and nostalgic of older rap songs from the 80s, and gone are the lyrics about how great and amazing he is. Now Kanye is dealing with something that he hasn't had to deal with since he first came into the spot light - turmoil. However, the recent pain may have been a blessing in disguise as this is his second best album to date.

3) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

I first heard about this Seatlle neo-folk band on a whim. I read a few reviews here and there that gave nothing but praise for the band that (along with Blitzen Trapper) is carving out a new sound for the northwest for the first time since the fall of grunge.

The band describe their sound as baroque folk pop. It really is a fresh sound that I've never heard before. Every song builds off the other that makes for an epic, yet subtle, album that sounds like chamber music for a hippie monastery. Lush harmonies, picture perfect songwriting, precise arrangements, and memorable melodies make this debut album one for ages that is worth a listen over and over and over again.

4) R.E.M. - Accelerate

When drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997, front man Michael Stipe vowed that the band would carry on making music that would maintain the band's signature edge that made R.E.M. famous. Well, to make a long story short, he lied. One album after another, the band's legacy began to crumble. Stipe and company hit an all time low with 2004's epic fail Around The Sun.

So when the fall of 2007 rolled around, and the band was making comments about their next album being the best one they've done, and how "edgy" it would be, no one really cared because R.E.M. had cried wolf so many times before. But then Accelerate came out and everyone took notice. The 12 songs on this album fly by in an epic 40 min fast pace set of rock that the band hasn't made in almost 20 years. This album finds the band re-making their legacy and proving that they are just as viable and effective as ever as long as they stick to what made them great in the first place.

5) Brian Wilson - The Lucky Old Sun

Brian Wilson is one of the most tortured Rembrandt's in rock n roll history. The former front man and mastermind behind the Beach Boys, and architect for their best album, 1966's Pet Sounds, Wilson has always been considered a master of his craft.

However, after the success of Pet Sounds, he planned an ambitious follow up album titled Smile. But Wilson went into a deep depression that saw him leave the Beach Boys, and become a recluse who would spend much of his days simply lying in bed. But the past 8 years have been good to Wilson. He released the long awaited Smile in 2004 to critical acclaim and praise, and is one of my all time favorite pieces of pop art.

Lucky Old Sun sees Wilson looking back on his life, and the events that have lead him up this point in time. The entire set of songs play as one big musical with little narratives between every 3-4 pieces of music. Each song is filled with rich harmonies and warm vibrations that make us all want summer to get as soon as it can. Wilson has once again turned his anxiousness into masterwork.

6) The Black Keys - Attack & Release

Outside the White Stripes, modern rock and blues has never sounded so good. The Black Keys are based out of Akron Ohio and are crafting songs structured around the founding basis of all good blues rock - the riff.

Each and every song on Attack & Release is based off of a thick blues riff that will stay in your head for days. Singer Dan Auerbach's voice is like Greg Allman's. His vocals find a place between his fantastic guitar playing and the drums of Patrick Carney. He never tries to go over the top, rather everything in the song works with other elements that build into an awesome grove that will make you wish you had soul power as cool as these two white guys.

7) The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

Jack White has the rock version of the Midas touch. Anything that he touches turns into pure gold. Even his collaboration with Alicia Keys for the new James Bond was pretty sweet. However, the Raconteurs are not just a rock machine with White at the helm. Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler are all apart of the experiment.

The band's 2006 debut Broken Boy Solders was solid debut for a band that seemed to stick to what they new. But this new album plays as a elongated jam session. With Benson's love for story telling, and White's love for the blues, experimentation is the key to this album. Banjos, fiddles, piano, horns, and mandolin are all apart of the block building machine that this album is. But just because it is experimental doesn't mean that it's not good. Only Metallica could mess that up.

8) Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

You know em'. You love em'. You want some more of em'. After their spectacular debut album St. Elsewhere and their crazy cool funktastic single Crazy, the world needed more of this duo consisting of Cee-Lo Green, and Danger Mouse ( producer of Gorillaz's Demon Days). This album was rushed to stores with little publicity due to an Internet leak. This resulted in lack luster sales compared to their other album. However, that does not mean that there are moments worth more than one listen on The Odd Couple.

This is a much more balanced piece of work as opposed to their sporadic, but fun debut. Many of the songs are a little more low key such as Who's Gonna Save My Soul. and Going On. But just because songs may not jump out and grab your attention right away doesn't mean that they aren't as good or as fun to listen to. Just look at the #1 spot.

9) Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy

The last time that Guns N Roses had an album on the charts that contained new original material was in 1991. Geroge Bush Sr. was president, I was about to turn 3 years old, and Power Rangers wasn't even on television yet. Of course this was the Guns N Roses of legend. Rock hard, party harder and write rock songs that filled stadiums around the world. This was the Guns N Roses that featured Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff, and Matt. Now, this is a "Guns N Roses" that features Axl Rose with a lot of faceless back up musicians.

Chinese Democracy had a lot to prove. For years Axl had talked up the record as a revolution. A rocket ship of sound that would take rock n roll to the next level. However, with an album that takes almost 17 years and 14 million dollars to make, some say the bar was set too high from the get go for this record to ever receive a fair chance with critics and music lovers. And they are absolutely right. Does this album live up to the hype? No. But did anyone ever think it would? No.

However, what is here is an over the top album that shows off the brilliance of Axl as a rock n roll spokesman. Every song is epic and gut wrenching in hard rock or power ballads. There are elements of previous Guns N Roses records such as some rather Slash sounding solos. But there are also songs like Shackler's Revenge that sound like an aborted love child of Nine Inch Nails. But that doesn't make it bad even if it is a little uneven. Sometimes the audacity of songs is why we like them. Look no further than The Beatles.

10) John Mellencamp - Life, Death, Love and Freedom

OK, OK, we all know that John Mellencamp is famous for his 80's hey-day. True some of his songs were kinda cheesy and not really the greatest. But even then, when he wrote songs that came from his heart, rather his pocket book, he was as sharp a songwriter there is. Look no further than songs like Rain on the Scarecrow and Jackie Brown.

However, now that the Hoosier journeyman is reaching into his "older age" - he's not even 60 yet, he's beginning to re-write his legacy as a songwriter who puts his conscience ahead of anything else in the songwriting process. Life Death Love and Freedom is an album that focuses mainly on the life and death aspect of the spectrum. It makes for a fairly heavy record, but a record that reflects the times in a country that is in two wars and an economic recession that teeters and totters day in and day out. But what is John gonna do when things lighten up? Jack and Dianne Part 2????

Honorable Mention:

Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

Gutter Twins - Saturnalia

Epic Fails:

Family Force 5 - Dance Or Die

Shiny Toy Guns - Season Of Poison

A Vote For SpongeBob Is A Vote For Change

2008-12-10T14:18:00.019-05:00

I had a "final" at 3:30 today. I call it a "final" because it was for my Jimi Hendrix class. So really, it's just a "Do What I Do On Weekends And Get An Easy A For It" test. I didn't really get much sleep last night. I don't know why, but I woke up at 8:30 this morning and I couldn't get back to wonderland. So, I figured that I would just stay up and just relax until I had to get ready.

What better way to pass time than just simply exercise my thumb? This is what I always think when I first start watching television. However I usually end up getting frustrated or angry over something that I see on the screen. It's kinda like Lewis Black and his candy corn tirade a few years back. I start out at ESPN, and I work my way through the channels. WFYI, CW, ABC, TBN (the crazy-christian-steal-your-money-everyone-except-us-is-wrong station), CBS... and so on and so on. And just like the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, nothing was on.

However my brain didn't really pick up on this fact. My brain and thumb don't really communicate on a regular basis, so I continued to lay there in my bed flipping from worthless station to worthless station. I sometimes feel like a vegetable when I do this. But I don't feel this during the fact. It's always moments like this that I realize how pathetic my mornings are.

But there is one hero that saves my day staggering through the barren wasteland that is cable TV. He is no mere mortal, but rather a symbol of hope and mediocrity to people like you and I everywhere. He's been invited into our living rooms since 1999 and giggled and stupefied his way into our hearts. If case you didn't know it... it's SpongeBob Squarepants.

Now, to the 3 of you who actually read this thing with some regularity, you know by now that I'm not joking. If this is your first time reading this, then now is the time to tell you: I'm Not Joking.

SpongeBob has long been one of the more connectible characters on television (animated or live action) for the past decade. He's supposed to be a 21 year old sponge who lives by himself in his pineapple, with his pet snail Gary. He has a job flipping burgers at the local Krabby Patty restaurant, obliviously annoys his neighbor, and coworker, Squidward, all while having innocent and simple fun with his best friends Patrick and Sandy the Squirrel.

Compare that to shows like CSI (or the one million other copy cat shows) who have stiff acting and might as well be a day time soap opera on the juice. Or what about all of those "reality shows" that are so manipulated and contrived it's not even funny. Compare our yellow faced friend to other children shows for that matter. Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Jonas Brothers, Naked Brothers Band, and the Suite Life of Zach and Cody are all centered around being famous rock stars, being 12 years old, having a "secret identity" and making more money than Oprah's sweaty vag (yeah I went there).

Yeah those shows are popular and the people that market them know what they are doing. But in a world where kids can be rock stars and movie stars and get into Zac Effron's pants, SpongeBob shows that just being you is good enough to be awesome. His problems are always trivial, yet universal. One episode centers on SpongeBob trying to give Gary a bath. Who doesn't know the pain of giving a stubborn pet a good scrub down?

SpongeBob relates to more than just one segment of the population. My 10 year old nephew, as well as my (insert age over 29) year old mother love him as well. White, Black, Gay, Straight, Skinny, Fat, there are characters and lessons that appeal to everyone. Can Hannah Montana do that? The only person that I know that likes Ms. Cyrus is my 7 year old niece. Even for me if I see SpongeBob on, I stop whatever it is that I'm doing and watch it - and I still laugh.

Indeed SpongeBob has something to teach all of us. And in case you are wondering, I'm not the only one who believes this. SpongeBob is a "good" American because he exhibits "strong Christian values" that all of you hunters and red necks love so much. He works hard, he is honest, and he forgives those who trespass against him (I'm looking at you Plankton).

With these "good, strong christian values", dare I say that SpongeBob is the new messiah? Or at least he is for the animated world. True he may not have the brains or the brawn of your average "hero" or role model, but his heart, innocence, and shear joy of life rub off on us and make us want to live in a pineapple under the sea. Anyone wanna room with me?

A Look Back On Batman

2008-12-09T01:53:00.007-05:00

Today is the most glorious day in all of glorioud day-dom. The Dark Knight is finally out on DVD and Blu-Ray for all of us to enjoy in our homes."Batman" as a character has been around for over 7 decades, and has seen a lot of change over the years. He has appeared in comics, on television, and the big screen during many different eras, and has taken on many different "moods" for lack of a better term. Let's take a moment and look back on how the caped crusader has evolved from the 1966 debut film, up until this year's epic masterpiece.

Batman: The Movie (1966)

Villains: Catwoman, The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler

Review: This film is based off the successful television series of the 1960's that is famous for it's POW and BOP flashes during the fight scenes. While this Batman isn't as dark as his comic roots, this can be forgiven for the time in which the movie was made. The Beach Boys and The Beatles were at the top of the charts and the summer of love was just one year away. A dark and brooding theme would never suffice or go over well with the target audience.

Instead of just 1 villain, Batman and Robin must face 4. However, with "criminal minds" as bright as Catwoman, Joker, Penguin, and Riddler combined, the stakes become higher. Instead of the usual and boring plot to take over Gotham City, these fiendish villains plan to take over the world. HOLY UNITED NATIONS BATMAN!!

All in all this film has better moments than it does worse. Sure it may come off as hokey or cheesy in some points "Robin, get the Bat-Shark Replant!", however for a film that was made over 40 years ago, it is still an enjoyable movie to watch, and more entertaining than some later installments for the Batman franchise.

Batman (1989)

Vilian: The Joker

Review: Fast forward to the twilight of the 1980's. Regan had just left office, Bush #1 was on the clock, and the Soviet Union had just fallen. However, the most important part of the 80s was Batman returning to his more ominous and dark roots. Thanks to the graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns" written by Frank Miller, Batman saw a rebirth in this decade due to the reestablishment of proper tone. This carried over to the big screen under the direction of Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, and Jack Nicholson.

When this film was first released, it broke the record for highest opening weekend ever ($42 million) and was the highest grossing comic book movie until 2002's "Spider-Man". While little is dealt with Bruce Wayne becoming Batman, a significant amount of this film is spent on how Jack Napier (Nicholson) becomes the Joker due to an accident at at chemical plant. This was taken straight out of "The Killing Joke" a graphic novel that first dealt with the Joker's back story.

Nicholson does a great job as the clown prince of crime. He was paid over 60 million dollars for the part, which is still one of the highest earning roles in history (Heath Ledger made an estimated 20 million off the The Dark Knight). However the biggest surprise was Keaton as Batman. While, at first glance, he could barely bass for a movie star (let a lone a billionaire), Keaton sinks into the role with ease and ears his money whenever he steps into the rubber suit.

Batman Returns (1992)

Villains: The Penguin, Catwoman

Review: 3 years after making box-office gold, Burton and Keaton returned for this highly anticipated sequel. This time, Batman takes on the awkward duo of Catwoman and the Penguin. Where as 1989's Batman was more Hollywood than a Burton film, Batman Returns has much more of a Burton twist to it. Instead of the Penguin, played by Danny DeVito, being a wealth and corrupt business man as he is in the comics, the character is instead an orphaned disfigured man with flippers for hands, a slender beak like nose, and wobble that reminds me of Rosie O Donnel on crack. However, at the very end of the film, the humanity in the character really comes out. Penguin, or Oswald Cobblepott as he is also called, is just a lost soul in search of the love that he never had. Too bad it took until the end of the film for it to show.

Michelle Pfeiffer is great as Catwoman. Like Keaton, she is not someone that first comes to mind when you think of the character. However she does a nice job and totally brings out the dark, sexy, twisted side of Catwoman that Burton's style of film called for.

While this film is not as solid from start to finish as its predecessor, it's still remains a rather enjoyable watch. Keaton is still solid as Wayne and Batman, the darker, edgier side to the character is still there, and this is probably the most unique feeling Batman movie yet made. Oh! And it also has Christopher Walken in it. He plays a nice part in Selina Kyle's transformation into Catwoman, and is the Penguin's campaign manager for his mayoral run.

Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (1993)

Villain: The Mask Of The Phantasm, The Joker

Review: Batman makes his animated debut in this movie. While it was originally meant for a straight-to-VHS release, some quick decisions were made for the movie to go to theaters. While it only grossed around 5 million dollars thanks to a lack of advertising, and only playing in around 1600 theaters nation wide, this film gave the best back story on Batman until 2005's awesome reboot Batman Begins. This movie is an extension of the fantastic animated series that aired on FOX in the early 1990s.

Batman is starting to be seen by Gotham as a villain thanks to a new mysterious bad-guy who is killing mob bosses known as "the Phantasm". The blame for the murders is getting put on the dark knight and it is up to him to prove his innocence. The story ends up involving the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill - LUKE SKYWALKER) and involves a rather bloody fight between Batman and the two villains. This film has gone on to become a cult classic, and is still seen today as one of the best Batman films yet made.

Batman Forver (1995)

Villains: Two Face, The Riddler

Review: And the slippery slope begins. While Tim Burton stayed on as producer, Joel Schumacher (director of "Bad Company", "The Client", and "Phonebooth") took the reigns as directer for this installment in the Batman series. Michael Keaton also left the series because he was uncomfortable with the direction that the movie was being taken in. Instead Val Kilmer was brought in to play the role. This film is rather gimmicky. Constant one liners, pointless characters, and multi-colored neon fight scenes make this film really hard to stomach for the die hard Batman fans.

While it has a strong cast on paper, the talent that is supposed to be there, simply just disappears. Kilmer is as stiff as a board in his portrayal, Nicole Kidman's character, Dr. Chase Merridian, serves the sole purpose of being a sex object, Tommy Lee Jones does nothing but cackle and flip his stupid coin in every scene he is in. Jim Carrey, while funny, does not really capture the essence how intelligent the Riddler is supposed to be. Instead, both villains try desperately to be a Joker-like laughing homicidal maniac. Chris O' Donnell does an OK job as Robin, while his performance is somewhat cheesy, he brings the most life to his character.

While "Batman Forever" set the record for biggest opening weekend (52 million) when it was released, critics and many fans saw the film as a disappointment. But wait, it gets worse...

P.S. - the worst lines in this whole movie:

Alfred (to Batman before he enters the Bat-Mobile): Sir should I get you a sandwich?

Batman (with Val Kilmer sounding totally 100% serious): I'll get drive-thru

Batman & Robin (1997)

Villains: Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Bane

Review: This is the all time low in the Batman franchise. With Val Kilmer leaving the role after difficulties with Schumacher, "Mr. Sexy" himself, George Clooney takes a stab at playing the dark knight. George Clooney is just like Nicholas Cage or John Travolta. They never act "like" a character. They act as themselves, as a character. So instead of Batman, we got "Mr. Sexy" playing "Mr. Sexy", dressed as Batman.

This entire film plays as a run-on toy commercial. From the opening scene where Batman and Robin magically have ice stakes on the bottoms of their shoes, to the way Uma Thurman acts like some 60s pent up model on drugs as Poison Ivy, hardly any of this film is worth watching. The best parts center around Alfred of all people (who was played by the same person in all 4 80s-90s Batman films. Michael Gough is still kickin' it at the age of 95).

The plot is pretty self explanatory, Mr. Freeze wants to freeze Gotham while spouting off endless one liners involving words that deal with cold, Poison Ivy seduces Robin and Batman and tears apart their friendship, and all of a sudden Alicia Silverstone shows up and becomes Bat Girl. The good guys win, the bad guys lose, and Joel Schumacher wasn't hung up from a tree for this movie. Pretty much an epic fail.

Just to give you an idea, here is the essence of Mr. Freeze played by AH-Nold.

Batman And Robin: Subzero (1998)

Villains: Mr. Freeze

Review: Batman's second animated movie was a straight to DVD release. However, that doesn't mean that it is a terrible movie. It's the best Batman film since Mask Of The Phantasm at this point. Instead of the retardedness of Mr. Freeze in "Batman And Robin", this film does a wonderful job in humanizing the villain who simply wants to find a cure for his sick wife. While Robin is in this film, it works better in an animated format. The story, characters, dialogue, and even the action parts are better than the last two Batman films combined. Though it is hard to come by, you should really try and check this one out.

Batman Begins (2005)

Villains: Ra's Al Ghul, The Scarecrow

Review: Batman was given his balls back in the most awesome of ways when Christopher Nolan was given the directors chair for this reboot in the Batman story. Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy all bring grade A performances to this film. Gone is the campy made for Saturday morning cartoon crap. Gone are the endless one liners that define a villain, and gone are Robin and Bat Girl.

"Begins" is the best Batman origins tale. It follows the young Bruce Wayne from childhood, through college, and his long journey that leads him around the world in his attempt to become something greater than himself. Liam Neeson, though a surprising choice for Ra's Al Ghul, exceeds at the role. Cillian Murphy (Red Eye, 28 Days Later) is as creepy as ever in his role as the Scarecrow. Both of these villains are newcomers to the big screen. That is also another element that makes this movie fresh. Not just new actors, but new characters and new plot lines.

Though this film had a rather quiet outing compared to other Batman films, it still managed to gross over 200 million dollars in the U.S. alone. Begins was praised by both critics and fans for it not just being a comic book movie, but a about a man who desperately wants to save his city from the crime system that helped to kill his parents.

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

Vilains: Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Deadshot,

Review: This is a rather unique animated feature for Batman. It is a collection of six short stories that further eloborate upon Batman's evolution between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The entire film is done in Japanese anime that brings a new type of experiecne to legacy of the character. Each story is animated by a differnt set of directors that bring a different vision and style through out. Though it makes for a somewhat imbalanced movie at times, it still entertains and enthralls. If you love adult swim, this is the animated Batman film for you.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Villains: The Joker, Two Face, Scarecrow

Review: This is not just a comic book movie, not just a superhero movie, this is a movie that jumps outside the bounds of it own origins, and becomes something greater. This film speaks to the condition of the human soul. The late Heath Ledger as the Joker speaks to the eternal anarchy that is suppressed in all of us, Batman appeals to our sense of reason and justice, while Two Face relates to our basic instinct for revenge. This is more than just a movie, it is an event.

The Dark Knight has the best cast of any Batman film, and by far the best story. Everything about this movie is superbly done. Everyone actor goes above and beyond to pull off the role, and builds not just a Batman movie, but a good crime story as well. From the opening bank heist scene where the Joker plays it like his own personal chess game, to the ending scene where James Gordon and Batman make a pact on the future, everything in the film secretes style and awesomeness.

This film has the record for highest opening weekend (158 million), and is the second higest grossing film of all time behind 1997's Titanic with a gross of 530 million. This film will be re-released into theaters and IMAX next month on the 23rd. If you haven't seen it at the IMAX yet, do yourself a favor and please go. It is the only way to watch this movie.

Random Ramblings Part 1

2008-12-08T02:03:00.008-05:00

CSI: Miami (See-Ess-Eye-My-Am-E)

I absolutely hate this show. Worst show I've ever seen on televison. I could see better acting from a pair of house slippers in the shape of Homer Simpson's head. Every sinlge crime show that is out now is exactly the same. From the good-cop bad-cop routine, to the scooby doo who-done it simplicity of the plot lines and murder cases, they are all pretty much epic fails. But CSI: Miami is the worst of the worst. And the worser of the worst on this pittiful excuse for a show is "Mr. Edgy and Cool" himself David Caruso. All this guy does is wear sunglasses over his sunglasses and state the obvious in the "coolest husky cop" voice ever. Jim Carey called him the "scene buttoner". And if you need further proof as to why this man and show suck so much, all you need to do is observe the following piece of evidence.

HIBERNATION (hi-ber-nachun)

I've been so tired recently. I wish I knew why. But for the past week and a half or so I've been sleeping a lot. I've been averaging over 10 hours of sleep when normally I get around 6 to 8. Maybe it's because of the season. The sun goes down by 6 and doesn't come up until around 7 or 8 the next day. Maybe it's because school has been uber busy, and I've been working a lot lately. Who knows, I might have caner, or diabetes, or some disease that could get me free stuff on the Maury Povich show.

Sometimes I wish people were like bears and just hibernated after the holiday season. After New Years Day everyone just shuts down and sleeps until spring time. Everyone pigs out during the fall until they look like this guy, and then when we wake up look like this girl.

MAURY POVICH (maw-ree poe-vitch)

Speaking of Maury, I love his show. I know it's trash, and I know it's garbage - but it's such a guilty pleasure because it makes me feel so good about myself. I get all warm and fuzzy inside because I know for a fact that I will never ever be on that show. I'm too good for Maurry. I graduated from high school, I'm attending college, I have all my teeth, I'm not white trash, and I'm not pregnant and don't know who the father is. It's such a great boost to my morale.

If I've had a bad day at school I come home and watch Maury on TV (now in High Def!). If my misfortunes continue at work, I know that I can always rely on the Internet for my dosage of dramatastic-I'm-10000000000%-sure-he's-the-father-awesomeness. And as I watch other people's miserable misguided lives play out on national television, I realize that things aren't so bad for me. Thanks Maury for motivating people like me all over the world. You are an inspiration to those who wish to actually have common sense.

Some people say that Maury is just a trow away show that has no value. While there is some truth to that statement, I think that those people are just jealous. Maury is not a stupid man, he may have sold his soul to the devil, but he is not stupid. Mr. Povich knows that in this day and age, especially in America, that stupidity is just like an all you-can-eat-buffet. It will never ever run out. This guy has tapped into a retard gold mine of epic proportions that shows no sign of drying up. Sure he is not doing something unique, he's just the first to beat us to it.

Maury, I commend you.

Grammy Nominations: Rewards Talent? Or Sales Figures?

2008-12-04T13:05:00.003-05:00

Alright, so the Grammy "Nomination Spectacular" was on television last night and though I didn't get a chance to watch it, I have seen the list of nominees for the 51st annual awards that will take place in L.A. in February.

The top nominees are Lil Wayne with 8, and Coldplay with 7. As soon as I realized this only one thing became abundantly clear. The Grammys are no longer rewarding the overall best talent or be musicianship, instead they are rewarding those who helped to make the most money over for the music business over the past year. Lil' Wayne and Coldplay have the top selling albums this year with "Tha Carter III" and "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends". Each album has sold over 1 million copies (in a era where it is rare for an artist to sell over 500 thousand) and have been bright points in what has been, yet another, dismal year, for music sales.

However, Coldplay haven't received the best of reviews. "Viva" has been given a mediocre score of 72 on metacritic.com . And while this isn't the worst of scores, it is certainly not the best. But the point of the Grammys is to give awards and recognition to those who have excelled in musical excellence. "Viva" is by far the band's worst album, with monotone songs, and has the band aching for the music to be more than just light airy over the top Brit-Pop that they can't stand it. But, because they have sold over 1 million copies and have helped put more money into the dying industry, they get a nice firm stroke on the nuts from the Grammy board.

Lil' Wayne has faired better with the ciritics. His album has been given "universal acclaim" on metacritc with a score of 82. I could easily see Wayne winning for best hip hop album, or categories that go along the line of pop or rap categories. But best album of the year? That is an easier ship to sink. While 8 is indeed impressive, and Wayne has taken the world by storm with an album on par with Jay-Z and Kanye at their best, had "Tha Carter III" sold significantly less, would he be nominated for so many awards? Hard to say.

Meanwhile, in acts like Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, The Black Keys,The Racontuers, and Elvis Costello recieve little to no attention by the Grammys. All of these acts have released suburb work, with little to no fan fare, and substantially limited sales compared to Lil Wayne and Coldplay. I know that you may think I'm just picking favorites. I'm not. I just simply want the Grammys to do what they were supposed to do - honor the best of the best, not got on all fours for money and TV ratings.

But then I wouldn't have anything to rant and have no one read about right?

Here are some Grammy night predictions of mine in some of the major categories.

Album of the Year
Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Ne-Yo - Year Of The Gentleman
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
Radiohead - In Rainbows

Who Will Win: Lil Wayne
Who Should Win: Radiohead

Record of the Year
Adele - “Chasing Pavements”
Coldplay - “Viva La Vida”
Leona Lewis - “Bleeding Love”
M.I.A. - “Paper Planes”
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - “Please Read The Letter”

Who Will Win: Adele
Who Should Win: M.I.A.

Best New Artist
Adele
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

Who Will Win: Adele
Who Should Win: Adele

Song of the Year
“American Boy” - William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray & Kanye West, songwriters (Estelle Featuring Kanye West)
“Chasing Pavements” - Adele Adkins & Eg White, songwriters (Adele)
“I’m Yours” - Jason Mraz, songwriter (Jason Mraz)
“Love Song” - Sara Bareilles, songwriter (Sara Bareilles)
“Viva La Vida” - Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)

Who Will WIn: Coldplay
Who Should Win: Adele

Best Rock Album
Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus
Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
Metallica - Death Magnetic
The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

Who Will Win: Coldplay
Who Should Win: The Raconteurs

Best Rock Song
Bruce Springsteen - “Girls In Their Summer Clothes”
Radiohead - “House Of Cards”
Death Cab for Cutie - “I Will Possess Your Heart ”
Kings of Leon - “Sex On Fire”
Coldplay - “Violet Hill”

Who Will Win: Coldplay
Who Should Win: Radiohead

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
AC/DC - “Rock ‘N Roll Train”
Coldplay - “Violet Hill”
Eagles - “Long Road Out Of Eden”
Kings of Leon - “Sex On Fire”
Radiohead - “House Of Cards”

Who Will Win: Radiohead
Who Should Win: Radiohead

Best Pop Vocal Album
Sheryl Crow - Detours
Duffy - Rockferry
Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden
Leona Lewis - Spirit
James Taylor - Covers

Who Will Win: Leona Lewis
Who Should Win: Leona Lewis

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Alicia Keys & John Mayer - “Lesson Learned” ”
Madonna, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland - “4 Minutes”
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - “Rich Woman”
Rihanna & Maroon 5 - “If I Never See Your Face Again”
Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - “No Air”

Who Will Win: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Who Should Win: Robert Plant & Alison Kauss

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
Coldplay - “Viva La Vida”
Eagles - “Waiting In The Weeds”
Gnarls Barkley - “Going On”
Maroon 5 - “Won’t Go Home Without You”
OneRepublic - “Apologize”

Who Will Win: Coldplay
Who Should Win: Gnarls Barkley

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Adele - “Chasing Pavements”
Sara Bareilles - “Love Song”
Duffy - “Mercy”
Leona Lewis - “Bleeding Love”
Katy Perry- “I Kissed A Girl”
Pink - “So What”

Who Will Win: Adele
Who Should Win: Adele

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Kid Rock - “All Summer Long”
John Mayer - “Say”
Paul McCartney - “That Was Me”
Jason Mraz - “I’m Yours”
Ne-Yo - “Closer”
James Taylor - “Wichita Lineman”

Who Will Win: Jason Mraz
Who Should Win: pretty much no one

Best Rap Album
Jay-z - American Gangster
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
Nas - Nas
T.I. - Paper Trail

Who Will Win: Lil Wayne
Who Should Win: Nas

Best Rap Song

“Lollipop” - D. Carter, S. Garrett, D.Harrison, J. Scheffer & R. Zamor, songwriters (Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major) “Low” - T. Dillard, M. Humphrey & T-Pain, songwriters (Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain)
“Sexual Eruption” - Calvin Broadus, S. Lovejoy & D. Stewart, songwriters (Snoop Dogg)
“Superstar” - Lupe Fiasco & Soundtrakk, songwriter (Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos)
“Swagga Like Us” - D. Carter, S. Carter, Clifford Harris, & Kanye West, songwriters (M. Arulpragasam, N. Headon, M. Jones, J. Mellor, T. Pentz, P. Simonon, songwriters) (Jay-Z & T.I. Featuring Kanye West & Lil Wayne)

Who Will Win: Lil Wayne
Who Should Win: Lil Wayne

Best Alternative Music Album
Beck - Modern Guilt
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Radiohead - In Rainbows

Who Will Win: Radiohead
Who Should Win: Radiohead

Best Metal Performance
DragonForce - “Heroes Of Our Time”
Judas Priest - “Nostradamus”
Metallica - “My Apocalypse”
Ministry - “Under My Thumb”
Slipknot - “Psychosocial”

Who Will Win: Metallica
Who Should Win: Metallica (because they aren't ANY of the other bands)

Best Short Form Music Video
Erykah Badu - “Honey”
Gnarls Barkley - “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul”
Alicia Keys & Jack White - “Another Way To Die”
Radiohead - “House Of Cards”
Weezer - “Pork And Beans”

Who Will Win: Weezer
Who Should Win: Gnarls Barkley

Best Long Form Music Video
John Mayer - Where The Light Is — Live In Los Angeles
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Runnin’ Down A Dream
Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad Live
Various Artists - Respect Yourself — The Stax Records Story
The Who - Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who

Who Will Win: THE WHO
Who Should Win: THE WHO (yeah i'm biased, get over it)

Slow Motion Sundays

2008-11-16T20:49:00.003-05:00

Sundays are like the awkward relative that you only like to see on certain holidays every other year or so. However, Sunday comes every week whether we all want it to or not. We wake up after a fun and fascinating Saturday, and we all say with a big sigh.... "hi".

Sundays over the summer are not the epic failures of the week. Days over the summer get blurred into one big giant, endless parade of fun - or at least they should. Summer Sundays are filled with sunshine, that endlessly repetitive song of the ice cream truck, and secretly peeing in the swimming pool. True, there may be no football, but the smell of grilling out makes up for it.

Then school has to start. And all of a sudden Sundays lose what little glamour and appeal that they should have. However, there is a trade off. God and man made a great deal at the dawn of tiime. God gives man summer Sundays, man gives God football to appease him (why do you think they play it on Sunday?) however, God gets mad at man for placing the greatest game ever on his holy day, so God makes every Sunday, except for those in Summer, suck an incredible amount.

However, when football season starts, the sun doesn't set until 7 or 8. And school has yet to take over our lives. But football does press the start button on a long and slippery slope into the darkness and depth of winter Sundays. The sun sets at 6, the wind chills you to the bone, the snow soaks through your shoes, and school has begun to drag on more than the last Pirates Of The Caribbean movie.

Just to give you a better image, here is a good diagram of the "Life Cycle of Sundays"

Season: Spring

Best Sunday: First Sunday Out Of School

Wors Sunday: The Sunday You Have To Study For Finals

Season: Summer

Best Sunday: Every Sunday Except....

Worst Sunday: ... The First Sunday Before School

Season: Fall

Best Sunday: The First Sunday Of The NBA (or when NASCAR is over)

Worst Sunday: When your realize that you forgot to do all your homeowork and study for that final

Season: Winter

Best Sunday: The Super Bowl

Worst Sunday: Every Last Stinking One Of Them.

I know that maybe not all of those might not apply to you, but the system as a whole should. Just think about Sundays as a whole, rather than individual parts, and you'll see how right I am. Think about the worst Sunday that you've ever had, and see what season that falls under. Then do the opposite. You'll see how right crazy ol' Jon LaFollette is.

And even if I'm not, I just made you read this blog. I win both ways.

Why Did We Want To Grow Up So Bad?

2008-11-14T04:53:00.003-05:00

I was on my Facebook account today, observing from afar the lives of the people who have the honor of calling me their friend. Something clicked deep inside the clockwork of my brain that made me stop and think for a moment. The people around me are growing up too fast, or maybe I'm just growing up too slow.

As of now, 8 of my friends have children, or are going to have children, that graduated around the same time that I did. That was only 18 months ago. Whatever happened to the good old formula for college students? Go to school, party, get high and wasted in photos you put on the Internet, gain weight, become depressed and maybe make out with one or two people of the same sex as you, study and worry about getting a C- on that calculus final to justify your existence.Then when you reach "maturity" you go out and get a "real job" and settle down with that special someone and then spread your seed.

I'm not saying that I'm better than they are. Things happen that are out of our control, and everyone has a path that they must walk down. I just think back to those days when life was simple. 8th grade was one of the best years ever for me. I made lots of new friends at my second year in Brownsburg, field trips were still a constant, and my hardest class was math and math alone. This was all just a little over 5 years ago.

Now I'm in college specializing in a particular field, doing something that will effect me for the rest of my life. And as my friends grow up with me, I guess they help me to see just how fast we do grow up. I'd never really stopped to think about just how fast the earth moves with us as passengers. I just turned 20 a few weeks ago, voted in my first presidential election, and now my friends, whom I remember laughing at the word "poop" with me when we were 14, are becoming moms and dads.

It's Frighteningly Amazing.

Mitch Mitchell (1947-2008)

2008-11-13T01:47:00.005-05:00

The music world lost an icon today. Drummer for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and last living member, Mitch Mitchell passed away of natural causes at the age of 61 in an Oregon hotel room while on a Jimi Hendrix tribute tour.

Mitchell is one of my all time favorite drummers along with Keith Moon (the Who), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), and Niel Peart (Rush). He was one of the first drummers, along with Ginger Baker of Cream, to fuse many styles of drumming into the rock n' roll format. Mitchell was a highly eclectic drummer that met the challenge of playing behind an axe man like Jimi Hendrix. From the psychedelic waltz "Manic Depression", to the smooth and subtle "Wind Cries Mary", and the straight ahead rocker "Spanish Castle Magic", Mitchell fused elements of jazz and rock, with a hint of surf sprinkled in many sporadic fills. However, it all came together in the end and sounded unified, unique, and 100% Mitch Mitchell. He will be missed by all who listen to his music - past, present, and future.

John "Mitch" Mitchell

"Obama: The Movie" to Get Sequel Treatment

2008-11-09T21:08:00.008-05:00

The marathon is over, the race is run, and the fat lady is on her second or third encore by now. The end of yet another brutal election year ended in a strange way that Americans haven’t seen since 1996 when Bill Clinton won reelection – no recounts, no lawyers, and no single state deciding the outcome for a nation. Victory was declared in a unanimous whisper at the polls, and celebrated in an uproar of euphoria in the streets.

However, the real work is just beginning for President-Elect Obama. He must now assemble his cabinet, and prepare himself to face one of the most troubling times in American, if not world, history. With two wars being fought half a world away, the global financial crisis still having no end in sight, health care and social security in shambles, the impending problems of climate change, humanitarian meltdowns in Africa with the AIDS epidemic and the ongoing genocide in Darfur, China’s goal to become a world superpower, and Russia already deploying missiles to the Polish border to show off their military might, the Obama administration will have their hands full from the get go.

Which is why “Obama: The Movie” is getting a sequel!

There are still many lingering questions that are left over from campaign trail that will be interesting to watch play out over the next four to, possibly, eight years. The most obvious being the question already stated. How will the Obama administration tackle the issues that come their way? Only time and action will supply the answers.

However, below the surface there are many more loose ends. How will those on the far left react to their darling celebrity Obama if he doesn’t govern the way they see fit? How will the far right, who has had the majority in congress for 16 of the past 18 years react if Obama governs “too radically”? There will be a fine line to walk for both the President and the Democratic ruled house and senate so as not to lose the power they have so carefully been given.

Who will Obama choose to serve in his cabinet? Already speculations are swirling around as to who will be chosen to stand alongside the newly elected president to carve their name into the history books. 2004 Presidential nominee John Kerry, as well as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson are being named as possible for Secretary of State. Current Democratic National Chairman, and doctor, Howard Dean, is said to be a top choice to head up the Department of Health and Human Services to help reform Medicare. Democratic Congressman from Obama’s home state of Illinois, Rahm Emmanuel has already been picked at white house chief of staff.

What about John McCain? Will his overwhelming defeat leave a scar on his legacy? Is McCain forever doomed to always settle for “second best” in the story of his life? From trying to outdo his father and grandfather through his military service, who were storied Navy men themselves, to trying to run for president twice, and coming up short both times, will McCain no longer be remembered as a “maverick” but “just another looser” that will fade into obscurity?

And who can’t forget Sarah Palin? Her story is still the biggest yet to play out. Some say that she’ll go to the senate and build upon her resume there. Others say she’ll stay in her home state of Alaska. However, many believe that Palin used her time as a Vice Presidential candidate to simply bolster her chances of winning the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

On the larger scale of things, how is the Republican Party going come together after their embarrassing defeat on all levels of the federal government? The smartest GOP leaders and insiders all agree that the Republicans have been shooting themselves in the foot for the past eight years and that Election Night was just simply the crowning moment in a long downward spiral.

How could the party itself be a part of the problem and not the solution? Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich summed it up in one scathing sentence. “The Republican Party is struggling to get beyond incompetence,” Gingrich said at the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce’s awards dinner.” “When you’ve had the failures that we’ve had, when you’ve had the economy we’ve had and the Wall Street meltdown, it’s a little hard to turn around and focus on what the campaign did,” Gingrich said. “Any Republican who wants to talk only about the campaign misunderstands the great lesson of the last eight years: that you have to govern well to make a lasting majority”.

However, one thing is certain that will always hang over this administration’s head. History was made at a time when many thought it would not be made in their lifetime. At a time when America was at a pivotal crossroads, a defining moment of a generation, voters white, black, Latino, young, old, Christian, Muslims, and a slew of others turned to an unlikely name and an unlikely face who spoke of hope, change, unity and restoration.

History is already on the upside for Obama more than other president in history simply under for who he is and the circumstances to which he was elected. It is up to him to decied how he uses it.

The Grand Ol' Party's Grand Surrender

2008-10-30T14:08:00.006-04:00

With The Dark Knight failing to surpass Titanic for the highest grossing film ever, and the Tennessee Titans, the most unlikely, and sole remaining undefeated team in the NFL, Americans can now focus on other important things – the election that is less than 10 days away.

The nearly two year process of electing a president will finally come to a grueling end on November 4. The guns are drawn, the armies prepared for battle for the hour draws nigh and yada yada yada… Voters know the routine and the rhetoric and are used to the system by now.

However, something strange has happened. It appears that some factions of the Republican Party are already waiving the white flag of surrender high. Putting down their weapons and conceding defeat to make way for what appears to be a premature Obama victory. The epic battle for the soul of the American spirit seems to have been decided in a hushed whisper.

Earlier last week, high profile Republicans such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and former Press Secretary Scott McClellan, who both worked under the current administration, abandoned the Republican ship and endorsed Senator Obama.

Then, modern GOP mastermind, and controversial figure, Karl Rove, who is credited with single handedly getting George Bush into the White House, projects an Obama victory. However, to not completely discourage the party, he says that he based his decision on “momentum” and that “momentum can change any day”.

In a bitter Senate battle in the battle ground state of North Carolina between Rep. Elizabeth Dole and Dem. Kay Hagan, the incumbent’s, Mrs. Dole, new political advertisement is seen by some as presuming an Obama victory. The 30 second clip tells voters that a vote against Kay Hagan is a last attempt that voters have to vote against “Liberal Washington power brokers”

Even within the McCain camp, there are reports of bitter in-fighting amongst McCain advisors and Sarah Palin. Palin now appears to be trying to forge her own identity as a politician, and disregarding the advice given to her, in order to build a foundation for her own presidential bid in 2012. Why would Palin be doing such a thing if she is so confident that her side of the aisle is going to win?

However, the worst piece of news that political analysts are saying in regards to the Republican Party is that Barack Obama is not only going to win, and win by a very wide margin, but the Republican Party itself may face a “civil war” and severe infighting.

It hasn’t been too hard to see the recent events coming. Simply look at John McCain’s background. What has he been basing his campaign on? His military record, and his experience in the senate are the lynch pins of the McCain doctrine.

However, McCain is missing a few key components to the Republican “Mold” for president. McCain was not ever successful in the private sector, and, up until this election, has called right wing preachers and televangelists “agents of intolerance”

Ever since Ronald Regan, every Republican president has tried to fit the mold that our 40^thpresident set as the standard bearer to what a “good President” should be. The components are, to have some kind of military service, have been a part of the private sector and made lots of money while doing so, and the most important part is to believe that, in one way or another, that God is on your side and your side alone.

Think back to the presidential primaries of last winter and early spring. The Republicans had a mixed bag of sorts. Instead of having that one candidate who was the party’s “knight in shining armor”, The GOP had a bunch of different candidates who only fit one or two of the “requirements” needed to be the nominee. John McCain had the military background. Governor Mike Huckabee was the devout disciple and ordained minister. Governor Mitt Romney was the rich, well to do fortunate son who claimed that he “knew how to fix the economy because I’ve worked in the economy”. None of these men had everything required to claim superiority or dominance in their own party.

And now, less than ten days out from Election Day, the great Republican Revolution that has been such a significant part of this country for so long now, and has helped 3 of our last 4 presidents to win the White House, seems on the verge of an epic collapse. The house the Regan built may be foreclosed with an Obama victory. This time, however, the Republicans will only themselves to blame for their own demise.

I Really Hate Van Halen.

2008-10-27T13:39:00.004-04:00

Well, sorry that it's been such a long time since I last got on here. Been busy. School, work, rock band 2, fantasy football, new season of South Park. So obviously writing takes a back seat.

I'm sitting in my J-100 class right now listening to some guest speaker talking about the Internet and blogging. He's a really stiff looking guy. Crew cut, thick square glasses, pasty green shirt. Give him a gun and he could easily pass for military officer. Poor guy. He likes to twist his hands and fidget a lot. He must be really nervous. We're just a bunch of kids and this guy has written for the Christian Science Monitor. Poor guy.

I have the most bittersweet birthday ever. Tomorrow I turn 20, and I'm kind of frightened about it. It means I'm more than one fifth of my life away from dying. I guess I better get going on building my legacy huh? However, this isn't why my birthday is so bittersweet. It's freezing outside! This time about two weeks ago it was in the 70s and 80s. It was warm. I was wearing t-shirts and shorts everyday. Now it's getting cold, and it's only the beginning.

Not only that, but the Colts won't win the Super Bowl, and the Pacers won't even win their division! So what do I have to look forwar to this winter except for Christmas break? Thanksgiving? And maybe haning out with my family and girlfriend? Those are just the basics. Nothing special for Jon right?

Now those of you who know me, probably know that I'm just joking. And there really is something to look forward to. The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray December 9th! And I suppose Afterglow will conquer the Endless Set List 2 on Rock Band 2 for their fall break. But that is about 6-8 weeks from now.

For now, I'm just focused on the basics. School. Work. Schoolwork. And slowly but surely building my legacy before I get old and die. Any suggestions?

Jack White Is Looking Right At Me...

2008-09-25T23:00:00.005-04:00

Thursdays rock out so hard. Especially now that I don't have to show up for work on them anymore.

I got free pizza at school, skipped out on the first forty min. of my Spanish class, and sat and watched Jimi Hendrix videos before I listened to Quadrophenia straight through while driving down to Bloomington. I'm down here until Saturday to hang out with Erin. Our first night was successful, we got pizza, watched a movie, and just enjoyed each others company. Fairly low key, but beats the hell out of anything else that I could be doing right now I suppose.

I can't really say that I have a reason to be writing this right now. Erin is just working on her homework, while I'm sitting here waiting for her to finish. I've got all kinds of famous people keeping me company right now though. Jack & Meg White, Harry Potter, Led Zeppelin, Edward Norton and the Breakfast Club are all looking at me with pleasure, disdain, or just lack of regard in general. That's O.K. I suppose. I could never be as cool as Jack White or John Paul Jones if I wanted to be. I'm not on a poster, I don't have enough money, and my genitals aren't as round as theirs. So I suppose they keep me in my place (but then again, I have Erin for that as well right? - love you Erin!).

Maybe one of these days I'll be on a poster. Or on a coffee mug, belt buckle, or condom (I can only dream right?). I suppose I have to work on "my look" if you know what I mean. No one just looks into a camera like retard (unless you're Blink-182 or Nickelback). Everyone has to have that look that is their trademark. Or even if I don't have that look, I need to have that certain feature about my face, or body in general. Robert Plant has his hair, Jimmy Page has his huge bulge. Me? I have a white boy "soul patch", and a young man's beer gut (even though I can't stand the shit). I don't know, maybe I'm just not destined to be a rock star or someone famous. Maybe I'm just destined to be like Kevin Spacey in "American Beauty", pissed off, miserable, lonely, and pessimistic all the time.

Who knows right?

Wow, I thought I was supposed to be in a good mood right? Damn you Jack White and your condesending looks.

(The Actual Poster That Ruined My Thursday Night)

Aqua Teen, And The Mirroring On My Own Life

2008-09-18T23:56:00.006-04:00

Today was probably the most uneventful day for me in a while. Now I'm not saying that that was a bad thing (because it wasn't). I just really needed a day to relax and just rest my batteries. I've just been so tired recently. I've been wanting to do nothing but take naps as soon as I wake up. Nothing really seems to help either. Maybe I'm going through another growth spurt (I certainly hope not, although Erin probably hopes so).

Now I'm laying down watching Robot Chicken wondering why in the hell they are parodying Law & Order by substituting all the characters with chickens. This show is so hit or miss sometimes. But yet, it's just like a train wreck, you can't help but look at it because you're captivated by the massive destruction that is laid out for everyone to watch.

I think I have writer's block again. I got out my guitar earlier and I tried to get something that I could use for a song. And, for some reason, it just wasn't there. I did come up with one nifty little riff based on a Bm, F#m, Em, A chord progression. I don't know if the rest of the band will like it. It doesn't sound like Afterglow, it sounds like Jon trying to be Radiohead :). I think I should just let it come to me instead of me trying to go into my mind and find it. It always works out better that way.

This Tuesday is going to be awesome. Well, let me put it this way, it WOULD be awesome if I had money to spare. The new Lego Batman video game comes out. I've been stoked for it since June when I first found out about it. Lego Star Wars was awesome. Indiana Jones was kinda lame (not gonna lie), however, Batman? Xbox? Lego? all in the same combination? All for the... LOW... price... of... $65? Sorry Batman, I'll have to wait. However, I will have some extra green laying around come the 30th! That is when "Iron Man" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" comes out on DVD. SCORE!

Now Aqua Teen is on, this show is pretty extreme on the outside, however, the main characters, Frylock (a floating box of fries), Shake (a milkshake), and Meatwad (you guessed it), whom all live next to a man named Carl on the side side of Jersey, experience things mundane such as pop up ads on the Internet, to genetically altered dogs named "Banana" that threatens to rape you. This show is Totally made for stoners. Hands down. However, this show still relates to me just because the characters resemble the people that I know in real life.

The Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Frylock is the smart, or rational one of the group. Throughout all the chaos and lack of common sense contained in one 15 min. episode, Frylock is always there to give out good advice, regardless of whether it is taken or not, which it usually never is, He is still around as a guiding light for his friends. This type of person could be my parents or my sister. Even Erin could fit this mold. And yes, even Mr. Paul Reinhart could fit this mold for me (he just now turned 18 but he's wiser beyond his years).

Mastershake is a cynical asshole. He always puts himself first in any situation (and often breaks, damages, or just completely destroys other people's property for his own personal satisfaction). However, he is (arguably) the funniest character on the show, which makes him a lovable asshole. For me, this character in my life would be Greg Reed from work. I'm not saying he's an ALL OUT ASSHOLE (OK, a little) but he's still a good person that I can't really say I hate (too much).

Meatwad is the selfless character, even if it renders him gullible. He's comparable to Butters on South Park. He means well, and is completely Innocent from much of the grime that goes on in the rest of the show. For me, this person would be Luke. He's just so funny and one of the nicest people I know. A lot of people are intimidated by him when they first meet him. He doesn't say much and can come off as a douche bag (only if he doesn't like you). However, for the most part, Luke wouldn't hurt a fly (except a retarded one).

See? This is probably the 6th time I've over analyzed something on this blog. I've told you ever since the first blog I wrote that I tend to do that a lot. So, after another long, pointless, and exhausting blog, I'll leave you be, and I'll go get myself some Red Lobster that is sitting in the Fridge for me. Mmm, cheddar biscuit.

Radiohead's "My Iron Lung" Sounds Like A George Harrison Song

2008-09-18T01:07:00.002-04:00

My favorite Radiohead song is "My Iron Lung". It's off their 1995 album "The Bends" and is about a man who is put on life support and is suffering. An overly macabre subject matter. However, the music fits the theme so well. The chorus of the songs seems to grasp for breath with each passing measure. It really can give you a panic attack if you let it. And yet, with the chaos and despair of the chorus, the rest of the song floats along so lazily as if there is no care in the world, with a lead riff that could be fit into a George Harrison song. The piece might as well be called "My Sudden Heart Attack".

My Iron Lung

Tomorrow (well, I guess today since it's 1:19 a.m.) is gonna be a work day for Jon. I'm gonna have time to get a bunch of my homework done. I have two papers to write, and two tests to study for. Also, I have a good amount of online work to do for my Spanish class (darn you foreign language requirements!).

I wish they had a degree in blowing shit up. I would be the first person in line to get it. Because then I could get a show on about forty different stations. Discovery, TLC, TruTV, and maybe even SPIKE would could have a show with me blowing random shit up. A bunch of television shows, at least the ones that college students get into, feature some kind of explosion or pyrotechnic expertise. I could be on Mythbusters, some show that gives rednecks a boner on SPIKE, or be one of those dudes you see all the time on those MOST EXTREME shows. And if all of that fails, I could just be a YouTube star.

But let's say that a degree in blowing shit up doesn't work out for good ol' Jon. What would I do then huh? Well, I'd get a degree in being a cynical asshole (critic). Because then I could get on all of those manufactured competition / "reality" shows. American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, America's Got Talent, Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, and Top Chef, just to name a few, all have a panel of judges that have "experience" in their specific field. But see, I don't fit the mold to be a television judge. I'm not British, I'm not black, I'm not a woman, and I'm not over the top flamboyantly gay (Miss J - see picture below). So I guess, this would be a bad route to take for me. It could be great for you if you fit one of these molds I suppose.

So, I guess I'll just stick to my plan of world domination by being an awesome bad ass rock star. I fit that mold, (minus the drug habit, the traumatic childhood, the unsupportive parents, the lack of talent, the small penis, and the willingness to bend over and grab my ankles) pretty well.

Either way, all will be fine in the world of Jon. I'll just continue wishing, and waiting for my ship t come in.

Listening To Hendrix As Homework (finished while eating cereal before work)

2008-09-16T13:18:00.004-04:00

Tuesdays are always better than Mondays. Period. You can never ever convince me otherwise. The only event that Monday has is Monday Night Football (and that's only for 15 weeks out of the year). Mondays are usually crappy, long, drawn out and depressing. They do nothing but make you long for the weekend to either come back from the day before, or to arrive from the future on a magic carpet ride of wonders.

Tuesdays, on the other hand, are better because you're one day closer to the weekend, you've thrown your hissy fit all day on Monday and gotten it out of your system, so you just start to go with the flow of things, you're in a better mood and more complacent about your situation, even if you don't really like it. Now I'm not saying that Tuesday is the best day ever, I'm just simply saying that it beats down Mondays into a bloody useless pulp.

And I will always win this argument.

Anyways, moving on to a completely different topic, I can't stand the Sex Pistols. I just saw a kid with this logo on his t-shirt.

I can't really say that I'm the biggest punk fan, yeah I guess the Ramones have some good songs, but for the most part I think that a lot of punk bands are pretty useless. Especially the Sex Pistols. They put a huge stain on the history of popular music. But for some reason, God only knows, they are hailed and worshiped as one of the most important bands for their generation, yet the biggest crowd they ever played for was 350 people.

The Sex Pistols weren't about the music, or rock n' roll, or even punk itself. They weren't against the establishment at all. If anything, they have become more and more entwined into the establishment over the years. The band was put together by a man named Malcolm Maclaren, who was a struggling fashion designer. His clothes and his fashion sense wasn't selling. So, to make his outfits appeal to a wider audience, he decided to start a band that would wear his outfits. Thus, the Sex Pistols were born.

Hi We're The Sex Pistols And We Love Cock

They only released one album titled "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols" in 1977. Any songs by the Sex Pistols were banned by the BBC for being "profane" and "indecent". However, the album still peaked at number one on the British charts. The group quickly fell apart though due to high tensions between the band members "bass player" Sid Viscous (he only knew how to play one song), died when he was 19 of a heroin overdose while awatiting trial for murder. Their "singer" or lead screecher Johnny Rotten has aparrantly run out of money thanks to his drug habbit, and has done some shows recently with the surviving members of the band.

Now, the Sex Pistols can be blamed for the countless sea of bands that are now pathetically described as "punk" or "pop punk" or "emo punk". Bands like Blink-182, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and even Paramore want to be called "punk" so bad they must get a chubby every time that they think about it. All "punk" means now is the clothes you wear. It's just an outfit that get people to look at you and go "Wow! They're so punk!". NO. We all look at you and go, "Wow! What a douche face!". You're not cool - at all. You're like Monday. You'll never ever win ever.

The "values" that you hold are false. The "anti-establisment" fight has long since been lost. Face it all you punk kids. YOU ARE THE ESTABLISHMENT.

The War Is Over! So said the speaker.

Looking At My Reflection From The Window In Front Of Me

2008-09-15T17:02:00.004-04:00

It's been a pretty bland day so far. The sky has been a grey blanket all day. The weather feels like it should be October. Even the trees seem to sag as if depressed by their circumstance as their branches seem to droop in dispair (pretty emo huh?)

For those of who have iTunes, do your self a favor, and download the new update (version 8.0). It' actually pretty sweet. It's actually an update that you can SEE, rather than just download and wonder "what was the point?". It makes your library more organized, comes with a nifty little application called "genius" that customizes play lists of other songs you might not have, that you might enjoy. I don't know, maybe I'm just over analyzing things once again.

I left my headphones at home, so I really can't enjoy the new updates without distracting the strangers around me who are deep into their novels or conversations. So I've made up for that by reading: The Indianapolis Star, Nuvo, Indy.com, and The Sagamore (IUPUI's paper) all in one sitting. I know that doesn't seem like torture, and it really isn't, it's just not how I want to spend two hours of downtime on campus.

I wish guitars weren't so bulky or heavy so that I could bring mine and jam out and show people how uncool and white I am. It would give me a chance to actually write new songs for myself, and Afterglow, instead of playing Rock Band on a crummy piece of plastic. I love that game, but it has totally started to draw me away from real music and songwriting. I need to get back in the swing of things on that. I'm afraid that I just don't know what to about now. I need a good story to tell because nothing is really going on in my life that I need to complain about or, better yet, worth complaining about to make a song out of.

I don't know, one of these days I'll figure out how to slay the three hour beast of nothing that is my Monday break. I thought having time to yourself and doing nothing was supposed to be fun? O well, I guess maybe this is another thing that Erin can say she was right on. :)

The Great Gig In The Sky

2008-09-15T14:50:00.002-04:00

I'm siting here in the Tech building on campus. I've got a little over three hours to kill before my next class at 6. So, before I start some homework I decided to skip out on yesterday, I thought I would kill a little bit more time.

My day started off with some sad news, founding member, keyboardist, songwriter, and occasional vocalist, Rick Wright, of the band Pink Floyd, one of my favorite bands, passed away today of cancer. He was only 65 years old. A big part of Pink Floyd's sound was their swirling organ and piano parts. In fact, you could say that the band's "psychedelic" or "trippy" sound, although greatly exaggerated at times, came directly from Wright's instrumentation. His two most famous songs that he contributed to Pink Floyd appear on their 1973 classic "Dark Side Of The Moon". The subtle, yet ever so epic, "Us And Them" and the soothing, yet chaotic "The Great Gig In The Sky"

Richard Wright (1943 - 2008)

The Great Gig In The Sky

Us And Them

Night Time Is The Right Time... Well, At Least NOW It Is

2008-09-12T03:55:00.000-04:00

There is nothing like cereal at 4:30 in the morning. I know, I should be asleep. I am aware of this. I guess that is what I get for taking a four hour nap earlier in the day. I'm restless, and I feel like I have to have something to do. The only thing on television are Nutri System and Nutri Cleanse ads or Sports Center reruns. This is the time when You Tube becomes important. I rarely watch it during the day, because there are other things to do. People are up and active, the world is crawling with busy little schemers for me to interact with or observe.

You know what would be the greatest idea ever? The idea that, for some reason unknown to myself, has never been carried out? A 24 hour movie theater, with a Steak N' Shake inside of it. I would spend my weekends there. I would practically want to LIVE there. Think about it! Instead of cereal and you tube, it would be a Frisco Melt with The Dark Knight (and don't forget the milkshake)! But this idea is too perfect to exist in the real world... so I guess as soon as my happiness rose to it's highest point, it just now came crashing down.

So for now, I guess I'll go back to more of You Tube, and my cereal, and thereafter I'll proceed to cry myself to sleep, in mourning of my loss love, that shall never be, my Frisco Melt movie goodness.

Cried the raven: NEVERMORE!

And as for my good night (and your good morning or afternoon), I give you the White Stripes performing "Death Letter" by Son House.