Driving A Little Left Of Center

Here We Go Again

2005-03-25T20:19:00.000-05:00

The past 30-some odd days have not been kind ones for NBA head coaches. In the past month or so, four head coaches (out of the NBA’s 30 teams) no longer have jobs. Don Nelson, Flip Saunders, Johnny Davis, and now Paul Silas are now all looking for work (with the lone exception of Nelson, who actually retired). Silas is the latest addition to the group, receiving the axe on Monday morning.
“Why?” you might ask. Well that’s been one of my questions. There have been nine coaching changes in the NBA this year, and every single year that number seems to grow. Next year there will probably be eleven. How can a team judge whether it’s heading in the right direction if it doesn’t even give its head coach a full season to demonstrate that (in the case of Johnny Davis). Or in the case of Flip Saunders, who has done nothing but lead his Timberwolves to the playoffs every single year for what seems like a decade (he was the longest tenured coach in the NBA). He had yet to turn in a losing season.
Or you can observe the case of Paul Silas. Last season he led the Cavaliers to a 35-47 record, the franchise’s best record in several years, and actually had the Cavs’ fans thinking about playoffs at one point late in the season (though they fell short). He more than doubled the team’s win total from a season ago. And that was all in his first season as head coach. This year, he had the team headed for a playoff spot in the East, which would have been the franchise’s first playoff season in well over half a decade (not that they aren’t still headed for one). At the All-Star break, the team had a very respectable record of 30-21 and sat high in the Eastern Conference. Following the All-Star break, the team lost nine of its next thirteen games, which led to Silas’ firing. Why? Teams have always gone through slumps, and it seems as if the Cavaliers were just in a slump, right? Well, sort of. Teams have always gone through slumps, but the only difference now is that a slump usually equals the head coach losing his job (take, for two more examples, Minnesota and Orlando).
The case of the Cavaliers, however, may be slightly different. Management claims that Silas was just not showing any signs of altering his system in order to help avert losing any more games, and the move needed to be made. However, it just doesn’t make sense (to me, anyway) to fire a coach as your team is headed into the playoffs. Now Brendan Malone, the interim head coach, basically has 18 games to get the team ready for the playoffs, all while installing an entirely different style of play (oh boy do I love the title of ‘interim coach,’ which basically means you’re auditioning to win a job as an assistant coach somewhere else). From the two games I’ve watched since Silas was fired, the only difference I noticed was that the Cavs kicked it up a notch on defense (at least in the Detroit game). Against the Houston Rockets, they looked almost exactly like the Silas-led Cavaliers, and I seriously wonder what Cavs GM Jim Paxson and new owner Daniel Gilbert have going on upstairs. Good luck getting anywhere in the playoffs with a coach who has a 22-62 career record as a head coach.
Just a few statistics...
At the All-Star break, the Cavaliers were 30-21. At the time of Silas' firing, they were 34-30 (on pace for 44-38, the fifth spot in the East---granted, of course, that Chicago doesn't continue on their hot streak, which they probably will).

Alomar Is A Hall of Famer

2005-03-20T06:43:00.000-05:00

It really shouldn’t be a matter of debate at all. Roberto Alomar belongs in the Hall of Fame. After he announced his retirement yesterday, I witnessed several ESPN analysts debating whether or not Alomar is deserving of a plaque in Cooperstown. In my opinion, which should be all that really matters, Alomar is a first-ballot Hall of Famer without a doubt. The man has racked up ten Gold Gloves through the years, but unlike several defensive specialists (who have made it into the Hall) he could hit well too. Alomar was a lifetime .300 hitter, which is all the more spectacular when you factor in the low batting averages he has had in the past two or three years. During the prime of his career, he was an annual participant in the All-Star game, hit between 15 and 25 homers per season, and usually somewhere between 80 to 110 RBI. However, the numbers alone hardly do him justice. I feel he is very similar to Hall of Fame Cardinals SS Ozzie Smith in that regard.
I had the incredible privilege of watching him turn double plays with Omar Vizquel in Cleveland for several years, and I can say without a doubt that I will probably never again witness a middle infield that spectacular defensively. Omar and Robbie would turn plays that most MLB’ers would look downright silly even attempting. Barehands, backhands, underhands, flips, spins, whatever; they just were wonderful to watch. I can easily say that that had to be one of the best double-play tandems in the history of the game. There are well over 20 Gold Gloves between the two of them, and deservedly so. Omar might not be destined for the Hall (though a glance at his career numbers might surprise you), but Robbie certainly should be.

Oh, and on a funny note…
I found out that I am a direct descendant of Saxon princes. Yeah, my family (they had some really goofy names that escape me for now, but I’ll remember them later) fought off William The Conqueror and the Normans. I found that somewhat interesting… So just in case Willie decides to rise from the dead, the world can call on me.

And to end this post raving mad…My grandma informed me that my aunt and uncle bought my pissy little fucking shit of a cousin a goddamn Volkswagen. Not too bad, unless you consider that the little bitch don’t even have her damn license yet. She ain’t even 16. Fuckin spoiled little shit. Woooh… I know, I’m mean, but I can’t even dream of my parents ever even buying me a fucking new guitar, much less a whole goddamn car. I'd be elated if they got me a fucking '86 Jetta, much less a fucking new Beetle. I wish I was a rich little fucking bratty kid, cuz then I could bitch and moan about how my life sucks and then get everything I fucking want on top of that, and still keep bitching and moaning. Hypocrisy seems to be the trend these days...

I Don't Want To Talk About The Past

2005-03-19T01:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, Mark, then talk about the future. Talk about something, goddamn it!

Anyone who watched the MLB hearings on Thursday (I am so glad for TiVo, since I was able to watch it in bits and pieces till I'd seen the whole thing) will have probably formulated the conclusion that Mark McGwire is a fraud by now. McGwire "plead the fifth" on every single question, regardless of whether it would have portrayed him in a negative light or not. He was adamant in making absolutely no statements on his alleged steroid use, or steroids in general. For the record, Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa made it crystal clear that they never have taken, are taking, or plan to take steroids or performance-enhancing drugs to alter their performance. Sosa came off as slightly less believable than Palmeiro, but I don't fault him for that because I think part of Sosa's problem is that he is not able to accurately articulate his position in English, and so it comes off as slightly insincere (as was the case with his whole corked bat incident, in which I actually believe him as well).

Overall, Bud Selig and Donald Fehr remained steady in their villainous self-portrayal, and Rob Manfred emerged as the new know-it-all villain of the hearings. Manfred seemingly was able to dodge most of the questions, and was very pissy with any Representative that dared to ask him (or anyone else, for that matter, since he answered questions that weren't even directed at him) any tough questions.

Granted, baseball's new testing policy has more teeth than the last one, but that's like saying that Police Academy 4 was better than Police Academy 3. One sucks slightly less than the other, but they both still suck.

Does baseball really believe that gambling is a more serious offense than using steroids? If Pete Rose gets banned for life on his first offense for gambling, then why the fuck does it take FIVE steroid violations to get kicked out of the league? Five strikes and you're out? I don't think so. If you don't get a second chance on gambling, then you shouldn't get a second (or fifth, for that matter) on steroid use.

What became glaringly apparent to me was that Bud Selig has known about this steroid use for ages, and did nothing about it, because (in his mind) the increased scoring that resulted from it attracted more fans (which makes sense, since it resulted in the home run chase of '98). Purely from a business standpoint, what Selig is doing makes perfect sense. He's simply shaping baseball into what he thinks has the best chance of "selling." Selig appears to believe that fans would like to see players (who may or may not be using steroids) jacking balls 450 feet, rather than seeing a clean game with slightly lower scoring.

My personal opinion is that steroids need to be eliminated by any means necessary. If a dozen of my favorite players have to get banned for life from the game in the interest of preserving the integrity of the game, then so be it. Even if I found out that all 12 were from my beloved Indians, I would still be fully supportive of their immediate ban from Major League Baseball. Frankly, baseball used to be my favorite sport but lately I have been shying away from it due to my suspicion that many of the players that we have held in such high regard for so many years may in fact be complete frauds, as was the case with Jose Canseco (and it seems, Mark McGwire). Where does baseball go from here?

They're Back!!!

2005-03-09T00:57:00.000-05:00

The Cavaliers finally won in convincing fashion, knocking off the Orlando Magic Tuesday night. Drew Gooden and Jeff McInnis, both recently spiraling into turmoil, bounced back to have big nights. Most notably, for me anyway, was the fact that Anderson Varejao played for the first time in what seems like almost two months (it was, actually). While his statistics did not show any legitimate contribution tonight, his presence alone contributed enough to make a difference, especially in that guys like Gooden and Traylor weren't forced into matchups that they didn't feel comfortable in, because Varejao was an alternative. Also, I thought it was fairly interesting how Michael Reghi and Austin Carr (the local television announcers on Fox Sports Net) mentioned that Varejao "changed" the pronounciation of his name (again --- he's done this several times). Apparently, he wants us to pronounce it "Var-ay-jo," and not "Var-ay-jon," as everyone had been saying it....

It's A Breakfast Club Life

2005-03-08T23:50:00.000-05:00

High school is exactly like the movie Breakfast Club. You know it's true. Anyone who has ever been to high school can completely relate it to that movie. Perfectly. I can come up with a real-life replica of every character in that movie. Just think about it...

My life is quickly becoming a winding, screwy, mess...

No More Steroids? Ok, Skipper...

2005-03-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

Does anyone fucking believe this? Today ESPN has been flaunting the whole "MLB is cleaning up its act" bullshit that they want people to believe. According to ESPN, several Florida Marlins were tested today for "steroids." Great, right? Wrong.
Anyone who payed any attention at all to the whole Barry Bonds grand jury testimony story last year would know that testing for "steroids" doesn't do jack shit. Victor Conti made it crystal clear (no pun intended) that it's child's play to come up with a performance-enhancer that jhis undetectable by the steroids tests that the MLB conducts, and since amphetamines and other drugs are still not included, the tests are basically a joke. If a single player tests positive for ANYTHING this year, you can automatically assume that player has really been shooting up, because it's pretty damn hard to actually get caught by the MLB. It's easier than fooling a blind man...

IN OTHER NEWS...
Matthew Good's blog is (apparently) back in action, and you should be reading. It's your duty to society. No joke. I've posted the link on the right-hand side of the screen (along with Yoni Cohen's college bball blog, which deserves a look) so you have no excuse. However, if you don't want to go over there because your fingers need a rest, just click here. In a recent entry, he references a Vermont town hall meeting about the Iraq war, about which a special on ABC's Nightline with Ted Koppel aired on Thursday night as well. Check it out; it's an interesting story.

...

In the past few days, it has been brought to the general sports fan's attention that baseball great Roger Maris is NOT in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Although not actually affiliated with the MLB, this just further illustrates the current cluelessness of baseball. Roger Maris? If you asked 100 randomly-selected people who Roger Maris was, I can bet that at least 35 or 40 would correctly identify him, which by my standards makes him a "household name." Being a household name shows that he has fame, which should suggest that he should be in the Hall of Fame. Until 1998, Maris held the record for most home runs in a season, with 61 (and personally, I still consider him the champ, since he's the only one to do such a thing unassisted by supplements and steroids, as Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds likely were). He hit 61 home runs in a season, folks. In a SEASON. Babe Ruth didn't manage as many as Maris did. However, due to the above-average remainder of his career, the writers have ignored him. Should the rest of his career really matter? He hit 61 home runs in a season, in a time where hitting 25 in a season was exceptional. Perhaps it is because Maris is no longer alive (he died in the mid-80's from cancer at the young age of 53). ESPN's Outside The Lines program shed light on this topic on Wednesday night, but it is likely that Maris will go on unrecognized.

OK, So Here's the Deal

2005-03-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not actually gone. No, in fact, I'm back and in a big way. You might notice some new posts popping up in the archives --- this is because I've now posted a collection of my articles as posts in this blog, just because they seem to fit well here. So... uh... yeah, look for that. I think there's about ten of them in all.

R.I.P. HST

2005-02-22T01:11:00.000-05:00

It has been somewhere between 3 and 4 months since my last activity on this blog, but I can assure you that it is back and in full force as of today. I no longer actively write articles for the Arc Light, so I have found myself seeking an outlet to vent my frustrations with society, and that alone has brought me back. However, you may notice several changes in my topics of discussion. Since I am no longer bound by semi-political correctness, I can now include such touchy topics as religion in my entries, which you will begin to notice.
Beyond all of this, one of the things that has brought me back is the passing of Hunter S. Thompson, one of America’s finest journalists. His “gonzo” technique, one in which the reporter/journalist/writer involves themselves in the story or piece. While Thompson did not invent this, he gave it a name and more importantly, an identity. Thompson’s most memorable work was done in the early days (or, many would argue, the heyday) of Rolling Stone magazine. However, Thompson was constantly feuding with RS head Jann Wenner, and soon began to distance himself from the publication. Thompson also penned several incredible novels in this time period, ones that also were written in the “gonzo” style that Thompson pioneered.
Thompson most recently wrote articles for ESPN’s Page Two, ESPN’s “alternative” website, full of a plentiful assortment of fantastic writers (another of whom passed in the past year, Ralph Wiley). Thompson will also remembered as a tormented man, someone who became utterly depressed with the declining state of government, society, and the world. His most recent book was a compilation of his Page Two columns, which dealt with everything from steroids to his contempt for George W. Bush. His health (not just mentally, but physically as well) was rumored to be in a state of decline, which may have let Thompson to fatally shoot himself in the head this past weekend. He was 67.Rest In Peace Hunter S. Thompson. We can only hope to aspire to one day accomplish what you have done. May you find the peace in death that you and many others have never found in life.

America's Intuition

2004-11-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

Typically I stay very distant from politics. I would like to think that I am educated on the issues because I make an effort to do so. I just dislike political conversation simply because it is a topic that usually only causes anger and arguments This year, howeer, I feel that this election merits some post-election analysis as to why this country has made this choice. I am in the minority, and I am simply attempting to comprehend the reasoning as to why the majority has made this decision. Thus far, this is all I have deduced from the election results. I can tell you what I have heard, what I have read, and what I have interpreted it all to mean.
CNN conducted a poll of 13,660 voters, which yielded some shocking results. 43%. Among Catholics who attend church weekly (11% of the population), 56% voted for Bush. This poll also yielded some other interesting results. 63% of gun owners (who make up 41% of the population) voted for President Bush. 52% of the population said that things are not going well for the U.S. in Iraq, yet 17% of those people still voted for Bush. 16% of voters who were dissatisfied with the Bush administration still voted for Bush. 51% of voters said that they did not trust Bush on the economy, yet 12% of those still voted for him. Apparently some people do not quite grasp the concept of change as a positive thing. This is an alarming trend. Why do they still vote for Bush? Well, according to the pundits, it all comes down to one thing: “Moral values” (or “faith,” which seems to be the word that Bush supporters prefer). More voters based their vote on moral values than anything else. This largely overblown post-election group has been fiercely analyzed and polled. Within this group of voters, 80% voted for Bush. Also, among voters who based their vote on “religious faith” (a surprising 8% of the population), 91% voted for President Bush. Despite this, those voters who based their vote on “intelligence” voted for Kerry by 91%. However, intelligence only mattered to 9% of the population. Maybe it’s just me, but this seems very scary.
What does this mean? This means that Americans are basing their vote on merely an intuition. Bush exemplifies their Christian values so, regardless of the issues, they are voting for him because they believe that he carries God’s will. If this seems like a reversion back to the European practices of the 16th and 17th Centuries, that’s because it is. How has Bush managed to make these people believe that he carries God’s will? Perhaps it was his reference to the Iraq war as a “crusade,” which he did twice in early 2002. Or maybe it was when he claimed, “We love our values,” at a rally in early 2004. However, more likely, it is the evolution of modern Christianity. More frequently we are now seeing the common thread among many modern Christians in that they believe that those who do not share their beliefs are merely attempting to “bring them down.” Modern Christianity, speaking now more of Christianity in the past several centuries, has also evolved in the superiority complex that it has taken on. The concept that anyone who does not believe in their God will be forever damned to hell is a very bizarre one. Using this logic, it is possible to conclude that people such as Gandhi have gone to hell. This “Us vs. World” attitude that many Christians feel at the moment is a very dangerous one.
What possible solutions are there for this problem? In most Christians eyes, I am probably not qualified to speak on the matter. I am a Christian myself, though I choose not to exploit my beliefs and force them upon others, or view others any differently simply because they do not share the same beliefs that I do. I believe strongly in God, a belief that I believe I share with many people. However, my belief that mixing politics and religion is dangerous is an increasingly rare opinion. Recently, the New York Times printed a column by former Colorado Senator Gary Hart, who echoed this ever-shrinking opinion. “I believe that one’s religious beliefs – though they will and should affect one’s outlook on public policy and life – are personal and that America is a secular, not a theocratic, republic,” Hart said. I feel that this statement accurately reflects how I feel. As Hart put it, this is a more “Jeffersonian” view of the world than most people seem to possess today. However, I believe that this is the most efficient strategy in politics, and it encourages unification between religious groups that may occasionally act as factions in the political world.
At the moment, though, there seems to be no effort on the part of anyone to unite this fiercely and bitterly divided country. As Bush put it on the day after the election, his administration will make an attempt to “reach out to anyone who shares our goals.” The reality is that they don’t need to reach out to anybody. They are the majority, and it is up to the minority to conform to them.
It is this unrelenting positivity that the Bush administration possesses that wins them many of these supporters. George Bush seems to be absolutely certain that whatever decisions he has made were absolutely the correct ones. Apparently, to him, to second-guess is a sign of weakness. Maybe this is why he criticized John Kerry for “flip-flopping” on the issues during the election. It is this certainty, perhaps, that appeals to the Christian voters. They see him as being so strong and certain that the only possible way that he could be so certain is if he were carrying God’s will. They really cannot be faulted for this, because they have simply fallen victim to political strategy. This strategy has been so efficient that many of these people have enough “faith” to ignore facts altogether in favor merely of faith in the President. This was no more obvious than in one of the most hilariously absurd political interviews prior to the election. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer decided to have former NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip on his show in order to interview him about his support of President Bush. The interview was an instant classic.
(Sample –
Waltrip: “I believe that, you know, you've got to be a good, honest person, you've got to have integrity and all those good things in order to be a president. And George W., our president, current president, meets all that criteria. He's a man's man. When he shakes your hand, he looks you in the eye and you know that you can believe him and you know you can trust him.”
(Blitzer goes on to ask about what issues mattered to Waltrip)
Waltrip: “I'm not a huge issue guy. I know the issues, I know what they are, I know what the American people want to hear. But I also know that you've got to have a good person that's compassionate and caring and wants the best for everybody to be in the White House to get any of those issues resolved. And I love the president.”
Waltrip goes on to mention that Bush is a simple man who lives on a farm, while John Kerry has a huge mansion in Massachusetts. Blitzer points out both candidates are multimillionaires and that Bush’s “ranch” really is over 100 acres, and that Bush actually has more money than Kerry. Waltrip responds by saying that he believes in the President, and that he’s a “straight shooter.” (www.cnn.com)

This type of blind faith is exactly what alarms me, and is what needs to be addressed. The President, knowingly and calculated or not, has managed to convince much of the country to almost completely ignore everything he does in office. What concerns me is not so much what the President might do in office, but instead it is the political strategy that he has employed to gain many of his supporters. This is a dangerous tactic, and the American public needs to realize this. The dictionary definition of the term ‘fascism’ yields thus: “A system of government marked by centralization of authority under…stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.” While I would not go so far as to say that our government is becoming fascist, it does have increasingly many things in common with that of a fascist government.

The Aftermath

2004-11-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

Today, I stayed home from school. Yeah, okay, I cut school. I don’t give a shit. Yesterday, my country made a tremendous statement as to which direction this country is headed in. Now, I mean tremendous in that it was a huge statement, not necessarily the right one. We have committed ourselves to “staying the course” and sticking with this faith-based Presidency. George W. Bush has managed to actually win over people throughout the country (a fact that perplexes me to no end), as evidenced by the 3.6 million-vote difference between him and Senator John Kerry. I suppose it is worthless for me to attempt to hide my political persuasions. At this point, as far as I can see, this country is much more primitive than we may think we are. According to NBC, the main reason people voted (for either candidate) was “faith.” I know that the fact that I am not a frequent churchgoer puts me in the category of the unholy, but a fact like that scares me shitless. The fact that no matter what George W. Bush does in office, we will still have “faith” in him. “Faith” is such a general term, and I honestly don’t get how you can justify such a large decision based wholly upon it and nothing but it.
Perhaps it’s the southern-ness of W. That could explain it, because I have heard many voters who have leaned Bush this year because of “faith” say that they would have voted Democrat if John Edwards, a wholesome “southern boy,” were running instead of Kerry. This makes a reasonable amount of sense, however, I can’t quite grasp that because Kerry was a devoted Catholic (with the exception of his stand on abortion). I am truly feeling unpatriotic today, and horribly embarrassed to be an American. I’m horrified at the statement that we’re sending the rest of the world, who now see us as tyrants with a population that has been largely brainwashed. As Jon Stewart said on Tuesday night’s Daily Show, “(All of us) depressed Democrats will be spending the next four years huddled up together, crying, in one of those blue-colored states you see in the far northeast of the electoral map.” Why don’t these imbeciles get it??? What hasn’t “clicked” with the rest of the country? Or am I blind to something that they all see? I really want to know this. I pride myself in being an open-minded human being who can typically argue either side of an argument (I’ve done it on capital punishment, abortion, gay marriage…), yet this is the ONLY thing that I just cannot see both sides of it. If you only knew how badly I try, I try so hard, to see both sides of this. I just can’t. Perhaps, as one of my friends has told me, I will one day “wake up” and “find Jesus.” I may very well do just that (since I am going to have to find something to push me through these next four horrible years), but even if I do, I can guarantee you that my faith will never outweigh my logic. When crunch time arrives, I will rely on facts rather than instincts. Unfortunately, most of America does not. It eats me up every day; I feel so sorry for these honest patriots throughout our country who truly have our country’s best interests in their mind, yet have been brainwashed by these corrupt politicians. It pains me so much. My life, at this point, is truly in disarray. I have spent the past few years (since 9/11, really) attempting to get every person I could to understand this concept: It doesn’t have to be this way.
In part, however, I blame the Democratic Party for failing to field a stronger candidate in a year where we needed it most. This will, without a doubt, be viewed as the most important election in over half a century, and yet the Democrats flopped out a “Massachusetts liberal,” with much of the same stereotypes that the Republicans wheeled out for Dukakis in ’88. I really don’t know where to go from here. In a time where I thought we were all ready to step up and take a stand and get this country pointed back in the same direction, this country has truly failed and disappointed me.

I Am Fucked Up

2004-10-28T00:47:00.000-04:00

That is my official proclamation regarding myself. That’s my excuse if I’m being an ass, that is what I plead if anything should be charged against me; that is my life in four words.
I am sitting here dreading the very real possibility of four more years of George Bush as President, and the Republicans ruling the Senate, House, and Supreme Court. Unfortunately, the founding fathers didn’t ever fathom that one political party would ever control everything, therefore rendering the whole system of checks and balances useless. Anyone wonder why George Bush hasn’t vetoed anything since entering office? I hope you don’t have to think long on that one. And the evangelical conservatives are just fucking pissing me off. I have a couple friends (one of which is particularly stupid when it comes to politics, the other one is just plain stupid) who are voting for Bush based on his faith, and his faith alone. Fuck whatever else he’s done, that stuff doesn’t matter because he’s born again! To quote the ever-quotable movie Saved, he’s “filled with Christ-love!” I am not attacking the Christian faith or even saying that these people are not doing this with the best interest of their country in mind, but to make a choice as important as this one solely based on religious premonitions is just plain reckless and uninformed. Yet that doesn’t seem to bother them. They are so fucking sure of everything that they’re saying; so positive that nothing could be any other way than the way that they believe it to be. That’s just plain ignorant. Buddhism, now that shit makes sense…
If you want to get a sense of what I mean in song form, I’m particularly fond of Pulse Ultra’s “Never The Culprit”…
Which brings me to music… It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Well I’ve got some damn good material.

Everlast – “Lonely Road” --- Nobody seems to like poor old Erik Schrody anymore. Which is a shame because his last album, White Trash Beautiful, has some quality songs such as this one. Everlast is at his best when he sings the blues, as he does here. This one’s worth it…

Breaking Benjamin – “Rain” --- Which one of these songs doesn’t fit in? If you asked that question about BB’s latest album, the answer would definitely be this slow-moving, mellow ballad that really demonstrates BB’s range as a band. They’re definitely a talent to watch in the future.

Jeff Buckley – “The Sky Is A Landfill” --- I am now positive that my next record purchase will be this late great singer’s last, Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk. Man, if only this man were still alive today, rock music might just be different. Between Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley, this country has lost two great musicians in the past decade that most people may never know. Jeff Buckley is one of the best artists in the past 50 years. I can say that only because my musical knowledge dates back to only around 1953 or so. Buckley knew how to create a six-minute song that was not filled with a two-minute guitar solo or a repeating chorus. No, Buckley filled it with content. Damn good content. Every second of the 5:08 of this song is worth hearing, even as Buckley launches into the 45-second guitar solo that concludes the song. Buckley didn’t quite make political statements with his songs, he just brought things to people’s attention. He will forever be missed.

Dirty Vegas – “Walk Into The Sun” --- I must admit, I heard Dirty Vegas’ fist techno-y single in 2002 (the one on the Mitsubishi commercials…) and I wasn’t too impressed. At least I wasn’t impressed enough to check them out any further. That’s unfortunate for me, because I have finally discovered them now, two years later. This is their new single, which kicks some major ass. It’s kind of sub-techno, yet upbeat and with a catchy chorus. This is just an all-around great song.

Fantasy Sports

2004-10-23T10:22:00.000-04:00

I think that the public is generally uneducated on what fantasy sports really are. This occurred to me just a few minutes ago as I saw FOX Sports name the “fantasy players” of the playoffs thus far, up to the first game of the World Series. This is particularly funny to me because, as far as I know (and I’ve played fantasy sports for going on seven years now in baseball, football, basketball, golf, and auto racing), there are no fantasy leagues that go into the playoffs. Meaning that the performances in the playoffs mean nothing for fantasy leaguers. Obviously the folks at FOX Sports are completely unaware of this. During last year’s Super Bowl, John Madden dubbed Tom Brady the “Fantasy Player of the Playoffs,” which, if he’d had any knowledge of fantasy sports, was a completely worthless honor.

SOUTH PARK MARATHON!!!!.

2004-10-23T01:00:00.000-04:00

Fuck whatever I was planning to do this weekend. I went and saw Team America: World Police (the most tasteless, yet hilariously ingenious movie of the year) earlier today. Then, after coming home to discover the South Park marathon on Comedy Central, I decided that whatever the fuck I was doing this weekend wasn't worth it. Instead, I can watch the top 27 South Park episodes. Goodbye, for I am drawn to the classic episode where Cartman pretends to be retarded and enters the Special Olympics

MY Angsty Teenage Bullshit

2004-10-17T13:55:00.000-04:00

Homecoming has come and gone, and no I did not go. Once again. I tried not to let it get to me, but I'm fucking pissed off. Now I know that way less than 40% of Brush students actually go, but I wanted to go this year because it's my senior year and all... but... ahh.... whatever.
So expect my posts to be noticeably more depressed.

American Politics - Unfair

2004-10-13T21:45:00.000-04:00

It is just plain wrong. It should be a crime for our arrogant shit of a President to give thousands of truly patriotic Americans with the greater interests of their country in their minds the illusion that Senator Kerry has changed his opinion on his views. For example, he referred to how Kerry changed his opinion on healthcare, which is a blatant lie. He has remained steady and true in all of his standpoints on every single issue. The Bush campaign has reached far down into the depths of the Congressional Record to find some votes that can be easily misconstrued to make Senator Kerry look bad and give people the false idea that he is against things that he is actually for. All of these votes had many other things attached to them that the President fails to mention. I do not wish to delve into the archives to find examples, but you may do so if you wish to prove me wrong. You may be surprised at what you find.

When Bob Schieffer delivered Bush the question on immigration, Bush was laughing so loudly through the question that it was barely possible to hear Schieffer's question. Apparently, to Mr. Bush, illegal immigration is a funny issue, I guess. Then, when questioned about both jobs and taxes, in separate questions on separate occasions, he deflected both times to education. APPARENTLY, somebody that Mr. Bush entrusts his debate strategy to was playing a mean trick on him, because the President kept mentioning the No Child Left Behind Act, apparently under the impression that it's helping education, which it is DEFINITELY not. It is absolutely destroying public schooling, and that's coming from someone who attends a public school that had to lay off over 50 teachers and increase class sizes by an average of seven students per class(meaning that each class has about 30 kids, give or take about two or three). Thank you Mr. President.
Republican: With my own eyes I see that your education policy isn't working at all. But since you keep talking about it OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER again and again and again, it must be working, right?

Politics, Jeff Buckley, and Pennies

2004-10-12T01:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, first thing’s first: I have a political song I’m working on and I promise that I’ll post it in the next few weeks. (Looking back, I realize that despite how many songs/poems I write on my own, the only thing I’ve actually posted is some lame 8 Mile-quality freestyle I came up with in about 90 seconds…)

Second thing is Jeff Buckley. I have finally discovered the musical genius that was the late Jeff Buckley. He has adapted (or covered) many traditional American songs and has created a library of his very own musical masterpieces. Buckley was apparently a big up-and-coming artist in the mid-90’s, but his great career was cut short. In May 1997, after swimming (and eventually, disappearing) off of Mud Island Harbor in Memphis, TN, Buckley apparently drowned at the all-too-young age of 30. (That exact same summer, I believe someone else drowned near the Mud Island River Walk… I know this because during the summer of ’98 I was in Memphis and we went to the River Walk, and it was bizarrely completely deserted, which seemed odd for an amusement park type of place. The pools were all still filled with dirty old water (rain water, most likely) and the whole place was just a ghost town. I don’t know what has happened to it since, because I haven’t been to Memphis since then) What makes this horrifyingly ironic is that Buckley’s father, Tim Buckley, died at age 28 of a drug overdose. He too was an up-and-coming artist at the time, and was good friends with Jim Morrison (who we all know also died at a very young age under similar circumstances). If Jeff Buckley were still around, I can guarantee that by now he would have been a well-known artist. Please, I ask no more of you than to just check this guy’s stuff out. Much of it is truly masterful.

Lastly… I was thinking… About pennies. If we had no sales tax, would we need pennies any more? I can’t think of any scenario in which they would be necessary. Everything could just be priced at an even price, and anything that could possibly come up at an odd price (gasoline, bills) could all be paid via check or credit card. Tell me if I’m an idiot here…

Why Chappelle's Show Is The Greatest

2004-10-10T01:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, we all have seen it by now. If not, get your ass over to Comedy Central and watch it. I was recently watching some old episodes of Chappelle's Show that my friend put on a DVD for me, and let me tell you it's just classic. The one segment he did on Red Bull, or as they called it on the show, "Red Balls"... "It's like cocaine, but legal!!!" And a similar segment making fun of O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer, where they had "O'Dweed's non-illegal weed." God, wouldn't that be fucking awesome? LEGAL WEED?!?! Only in a perfect world... Then there was the forever-immortalized segment on the crack dealer in court finding all the creative ways he could plead the fifth, among which were holding up a sign reading "FIF" and counting "one, two, three, fo', FIFTH!!!"

For Those Of You Who Did Not Know, Emo Sucks

2004-10-08T01:08:00.000-04:00

Yes, that's right. Emo sucks. I've finally gotten completely fed up with the current music scene. It's fucking filled with shitty bands like Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, Thursday, Matchbook Romance, Autopilot Off, and countless other soundalike bands. It's just plain awful. These bands are not unique in the least bit, and have little or no artistic quality to their music. It's aimed at dumb emotionally-challenged teenage girls (and a few strange guys here and there) who seem to enjoy unoriginal manufactured bullshit. Personally, I find no redeeming qualities in these bands whatsoever, and it seems as if one has to be a fairly shallow human being in order to do so.
Now that I have alienated some more people tonight, I'm done.

Angsty Teenage Bullshit

2004-10-02T23:28:00.000-04:00

I've been browsing some blogs from other people around here, and the majority is just full of angsty teenage bullshit. Am I peculiar because I don't say that "I hate life" every single day? Who honestly wants to read that??? I will admit, my life ain't fuckin' peachy, but does anyone really want to read my bitchings? I know I wouldn't. I try to write about issues that concern me, you, and everyone else, but after consulting some other blogs, I get the feeling that I'm not normal in doing this. I found a bunch of pissed-off kids complaining about their lives and telling of their almost-suicidal thoughts. Am I weird because I'm just not that pissed off? My life is pretty good as it is. I'm broke, I currently have no girlfriend, I've got no job, I am way overworked at school, and my parents piss me off, but yet I don't feel the need to complain. Or at least I don't get all worked up about it. My friends act like assholes all the time, but I don't give a shit because I know that tomorrow they'll still be my friends, and they'll be there when I need them. Sometimes you just have to put up with people the way they are. For example, I was at dinner tonight with relatives (yes, ugh... painful), and my Republican grandma (who's racist and bigoted in addition to her annoying Republican views) and my uncle (also Republican, minus the racism and bigotry) and they were trying their best to get me into a political argument. Republicans in general seem to feel the need to do this, especially when they outnumber you. Then they can gang up on you and assert their dominance over the meek Democrats. Oh, well. I resisted the urge to counter their statements, and simply remained quiet until the subject was changed. This is what I'm talking about. Am I laid-back or something? I just don't feel the need to complain about my problems, or at least I don't get so damn frustrated about them. Things are going to be the way they are whether you get angry or not, so the best thing you can do is remain calm all the time and try to make your life better. Yet some people continue to break down every single time someone gets them angry. I'm a pretty fucking fragile person, too. I've seen a psychiatrist before, too. I just don't have that short of a temper. I used to, I guess, but I've learned.
As Denis Leary says, life isn't a fucking fruit basket. You can never be truly happy. Happiness just just comes in little bits here and there. Happiness is a candy bar, a funny joke, a kiss, an orgasm, a cigarette break, your favorite sports team winning, or whatever floats your boat. Happiness can never truly be obtained in its entire form. Something will inevitably be wrong in your life at any moment, no matter who you are. The best way to deal with it is to do just that: DEAL WITH IT!

Deer Caught In Headlights

2004-10-01T01:02:00.000-04:00

That’s exactly what our not-so-great President appeared to be at many different points during the Presidential debate Thursday night. He had problems answering any questions that were asked, and his rebuttals were seemingly random and unrelated to the topic at hand. He seemed somewhat displaced while Senator Kerry was speaking, making odd faces that resembled the ones showcased when President Bush was finding out that an airplane had hit the World Trade Center, yet he continued to read My Pet Goat with a class of young children, rather than address the urgent issue. The Republicans’ only standing point seems to be that Kerry has “flip-flopped,” and Bush reiterated this point at every possible moment, and it seemed (at times) to be his entire argument.
I checked (and participated in) some early online polls following the debates. Despite my opinion that this particular debate was won overwhelmingly by John Kerry, I doubted that the majority of the country would feel the same, since it usually doesn’t. However, I was completely shocked to find that, at 11:38 P.M. on Thursday night, approximately one hour and eight minutes after the debate concluded, out of the 32,000 participants in MSNBC’s poll, 71% felt that Kerry had “won” the debate, with 27% saying that Bush had “won,” and 2% saying that it was too early to tell. I assumed that in MSNBC I had finally located the elusive “liberal media” that Bill O’Reilly always refers to. So, figuring that Fox News would have what they considered to be a more accurate poll (meaning a poll of only Republicans), I went to their site. To my surprise, their poll had Bush “winning” the debate by only 2%, which seems to indicate that some liberal nerd managed to hack into their system and vote 11,274 times, because not one person who takes their news seriously is heading to FoxNews.com for any serious coverage. If George Bush had come out there tonight prepared and backed with cold hard facts, I would say that he won the debate. However, Bush had nothing to support him and was obviously far outmatched by Senator Kerry, who, prior to this debate, had shown all the signs of a flameout similar to that of Al Gore in 2000. This particular debate showed that Kerry ain’t fuckin’ around, so come prepared next time Mr. President.
Oh, and America: The Book (A Citizen’s Guide To Democracy Inaction) is numero uno on the amazon.com sales list, so mega congrats to Jon Stewart and those at the Daily Show who helped in writing and publishing this fine work of American fake history. Go buy it!

P.W.A.P.

2004-09-25T15:16:00.000-04:00

I’ll admit it. Tonight I actually watched some PWAP. For those of you who don’t know me real well, PWAP is my name for what I call “Porno With A Plot”). Basically, porno that tries at a real story line, and usually fails horribly.
Here’s my story… I was watching some really bad movie on Showtime (I believe it was called “Amanda and the Alien” or something like that), but it ended. Once it was over, the PWAP came on (as it frequently does on Showtime late on a Friday night. I believe it was called “Passion Before Midnight.” I didn’t watch the entire 105-minute movie, just the first 15 minutes, which was enough for me to be able to guess what would happen in the rest of the “movie.” Ok, here’s what happened in the first 15 minutes:
The Opening Scene – The story at least cuts straight to the “plot,” as the first thing we see are the humongous tits on some chick getting banged by the typical porno guy. This goes on for about 3 minutes and, trust me, you see everything. Then, the guy makes a phone call (a bit odd considering he was just screwing a hot chick) to some hotel, making a reservation. He then gets up and, following a quick explanation, leaves. The chick never bothers to put on clothes, so the nudity continues. He leaves.
The Robbery – In comes some dude in a mask, opening the front door and creeping up the stairs. He seems oddly unfazed by the nude woman on the bed in the bedroom, and heads straight toward her. When he makes a move, she jumps and wrestles back, and manages to grab a gun from the bedside night table and unmask the guy, who turns out to be her husband, trying to kill her. He’s unfazed by the gun threat, and mutters something under his breath that really seems to bother the naked chick. Then he leaves (again). Yes, she’s still completely butt-ass nude. This all takes about 2 minutes. Cut to another couple, which leads us to…
Sex Scene Numero Dos – What else? Another sex scene. This one seems even LONGER than the first, and it’s with two completely new people. The chick actually has BIGGER tits than the first girl, and she certainly seems to be enjoying herself much more than the first chick did. After this goes on for about 4 minutes (with every detail of their bodies being shown to the viewer), the “director” must have felt the need for more “plot,” because the phone starts ringing in the middle of all of this. Since we have no idea what time of day this is, it seems a bit odd that one would answer the phone during sex, but she does. The FIRST chick is on the phone, and the second chick says she’ll rush over. Putting some clothes on (CLOTHES!!! What a novel concept!!!), she rushes over to the first chick’s house.
First Chick’s House - When she gets there, the first girl’s all shook up and she tells the second girl everything. They both have clothes on, which seems quite odd considering their mutual fondness for nudity. Then, there’s a knock on the door.
Detective – Following some bizarre scary music, the second chick answers the door. Apparently, the detective says, the first chick’s husband/robber/rapist has driven his car into a ditch and killed himself.

That only took 15 minutes, and seeing as how it was 3 A.M., I figured I didn’t need to stay up to watch the rest of the crap. Which is precisely what it was. Note to perverted directors: If you’re gonna make fuckin’ porno, cut to the goddamn chase. Don’t fuck around with a plot, just plug the people in place and tell them to fuck their brains out.

….

Homecoming! I have some serious prospects now. Maybe. See, there’s this really, really hot girl in my Brit Lit class whom I would never have even dreamed of asking, since she’s obviously WAY out of my league (if I have a league in the first place…). However, I was talking to her today…
Let me just say that for all of my idiocy, the one thing I’m good at is telling the difference between someone just being nice and someone flirting. This was definitely the latter. I’ll see how it goes the next week or so, and I might just try. After all, there are 3 weeks to homecoming. Since she’s new this year, there still is a remote possibility that she has no date (kinda slim, though). If not, maybe Rob can hook me up with one of his many Beaumont girls.

AK-47's For All!!!

2004-09-23T00:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, I definitely need to start to update daily. Fortune City is a pretty cool free web page provider, but I can’t seem to find any information on storage space, so my ongoing problem continues to… go on…
In other news, specifically the title of the post (what may seem like old news since the ban expired over a week ago), the U.S. ban on assault weapons was allowed to expire by the government. This means that any asshole who can pass through the so-called “background checks” needed to buy any kind of firearm can purchase a full-fledged assault rifle. If this doesn’t scare you shitless, then I don’t know what will. This also means, for people like me who live in Ohio, that in our particular state not only can you carry an assault rifle but you are legally able to conceal it too (however hard that might be). So, basically, the dude standing next to you at the checkout line in Giant Eagle could have an AK-47 on him. Legally. Jesus Christ…
In a non-news story, I am still looking for a homecoming date. For about 45 minutes I had a date before a vacation to Kansas City on the weekend of homecoming came up. So now I’m back to dateless again. There are a few girls I want to approach, but don’t have the guts. I’m a fucking fat-ass loser, so therefore hot girls ignore me completely. I think my standards need to get sliced in half. Just because I’ve gotten a hot girl once in my entire life doesn’t mean that that should be what I set my standards to. Right now, I really don’t care. Honestly.
Speaking of depression… Does anyone like cookies? Yeah, I do too, as evidenced by my 34-inch waistline. Well, Chips Ahoy! has decided to capitalize on fat-asses like me and you. They’ve created these “creamwiches” things… Now I know these things have been around for a couple years now, but now they’ve got more filling. For those of you who happened to have missed these things (or maybe are just aren’t fat), these things are pure genius. They combine chocolate chip cookie goodness with the cream filling of an Oreo. Hell, yeah! Fat people rejoice!
Now I guess I’m too mean to myself. A size-34 waist ain’t bad at all, but I got myself a gut. A couple years ago I just stopped growing taller, and my metabolism decided to run away on me… Since then I’ve gotten back to being fit, but I still THINK I’m fat cuz I’m weird.
Time for some music…

Chevelle – “The Clincher” --- I could have picked basically any song off of this album, because they’re all winners (at least what I’ve heard so far). Their new album ranges from Deftones-ish songs like “Bend The Bracket” to songs like this one, which just hits hard right in the perfect spot. It’s on Madden NFL 2005, so check it out there if you can.

Damn… I planned on doing more than one song, but I’m so damn sleepy. Off to sleep I go…

Real World, My Ass

2004-09-18T00:31:00.000-04:00

First of all, a disclaimer: Mom, if you’ve found my blog, congratulations you have finally invaded my privacy at the ultimate level… thanks, I really appreciate that. I mistakenly mentioned it as I heard something on the radio about blogs, so she said something about how she was gonna go on Google and find it. Great. Parents that even invade your privacy online. That pretty much ruins the entire personal aspect of this. Thank you, parents.

Ok, what I was planning on talking about was MTV’s Real World. The show that never seems to end, and the one that spawned the oxymoron of reality television, is back for its fourteenth season or something. The title itself is pure irony. I’d like to think that I’m a pretty typical teen, that I’ve been in a couple relationships, I go to an occasional party… But this show, no matter how “cool” you are, leaves you feeling like a complete loser. All the girls have the biggest goddamn tits you’ve EVER seen and all the guys are totally ripped, and fit with the thickest tan you’ve ever seen. So basically, it’s your typical Abercrombie catalog. And they all wear about as much clothing as the people in the Abercrombie catalog, too. MTV must set out every season to find the perfect cookie-cutter specimens of human beings. The qualifications for the job, in case you were wondering?
You must be hot. If you’re a girl, you need huge tits. If you don’t have them, get them. A tan is necessary. Ditto for the guys with the tan. If you’re a guy, a tattoo is necessary. You must also have a wardrobe full of tight shirts. Being gay also might get you on the show (as evidenced by this year, where there was the strange coincidence that of two out of the four guys were gay. This statistic is extremely fascinating considering that about 3% of the male population is gay, making this coincidence an extremely rare possibility.

1. You must drink and smoke (a lot).
2. You must use profanity frequently.
3. You must have some type of relationship problem/be very socially unstable.
4. You must be very sexually active, and necessitate sex more than three times per week, or in some cases more than once a day.
5. You gotta know how to dance.
6. You must have tons of friends back home who will call you eighty-five times per day.
7. You must enjoy walking around a house with total strangers half-naked. You must also have a huge wardrobe so that you’ll never wear the same shirt twice on the show.

And that’s my Real World rant. In fact, that’s my rant for the day. I might be back tomorrow for yet another rant. Enjoy! And Mom, STOP READING!!! I WILL NEVER FUCKING FORGIVE YOU!!!!!!

Now… webspace. I really would appreciate it if someone could help me here. I need some FTP webspace or sFTP webspace or ANYTHING. I just need to find a place to store 25+ megs of files online for sharing use.

NO MUSIC

2004-09-15T00:54:00.000-04:00

Ok, so here’s the fuckin’ deal. I can’t upload any songs. Sorry. Shit, I thought it sounded pretty damn easy. I guess not. No songs until I get a high-speed internet connection with some webspace, because for now the most free FTP webspace provider I can find is MSN, and they only allow up to 1 MB files, whereas most of my songs are well over 3 MB apiece (if anyone knows of a free webspace provider up to, say, 25 MB or more, PLEASE let me know). Oh, well…

I can still recommend music, I guess.

Radford – “Dead Heart” --- If anyone bothers to listen to this song, which I strongly suggest you do, please tell me if this guy sounds like Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace. I want to know that it’s not just my opinion that he does. At first, I thought OLP had broken up or something, but after a brief check of OLP’s website, they are still together (and apparently releasing a new album this winter). Radford is just an eerily similar band. I thought Maida’s voice was impossible to copy, but I guess not.

MC Lars – “Signing Emo” --- This is one hilarious fictional tale of some major label exec named Marty who is told to sign more emo bands, whether they suck or not. Basically, Lars shreds apart the entire pathetic, annoying genre of emo, firing insults at a variety of bands ranging from Simple Plan to Taking Back Sunday, and making it funny all the way. Great track. Also: ironic guest appearance from an ACTUAL emo band called Hearts That Hate.

The Exies – “Ugly” --- I wasn’t a big fan of The Exies debut album, Inertia, but I didn’t exactly hate it. It had a few decent tracks on it, but it definitely wasn’t five-star material. This, however, is five-star material. The hooks on this song will grab you immediately, and soon you’ll be hooked. According to iTunes, I’ve listened to this song 18 times in the past week (and that’s just on my computer).

Zack de la Rocha – “We Want It All” --- Anyone doubting Tom Morello’s guitar skills need only listen to this track to determine that Morello was the heart and soul of Rage Against The Machine. Without Morello, de la Rocha sounds completely lost. While I agree with the song’s political topics, I think Zack could have made this song much better than it is. He sounds completely disenfranchised without the steady backing of Morello, and it almost hurts to hear greatness crumble like this. It’s not awful, but it could be a whole lot better.

This Thing Just Got Infinitely Better

2004-09-14T18:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, here's the thing: I've been looking for a new site for my blog, one where I can upload files (more specifically, songs) to my blog. Being the moron that I am, I never even bothered to notice that I can do just that right here on blogspot. SOO... now you will get a bit of awesome music every so often, when I feel the need to dispense some.

In other news... School is a pain. That ain't news, but I don't care. These 11-hour Lakeland days on Mondays and Wednesdays are a pain in the ass. I can't take 11-hours of schooling in one day. 7:00 PM is WAY too late to be coming home from classes. Fortunately, this week I'll get a break from school (just not Lakeland). We get Thursday and Friday off due to some Jewish holiday, either Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, and I know I must have spelled those wrong.

What's most astonishing is that I've been away from this blog for two weeks and I have nothing interesting to say. This proves that my life really is one big nap. Right now, I'm still searching for a Homecoming date, so if anyone's interested, please TALK TO ME!!! About a week ago nobody had a date and now everyboy seems to. When did this happen? I missed out, I guess.

Here's a little music... It takes a long time for me to upload, so therefore I won't post much, only the best songs. I can't post some of the music due to the fact that I got it off of iTunes, and each song has a license (so, essentially, you wouldn't be able to play it on your computer because it's licensed to my computer). So only MP3-format songs, which is good because just about every computer can play 'em. If, for some odd reason, you don't have a digital music player, get one. www.itunes.com - iTunes is by FAR the best out there, and they make it really easy to buy songs in the iTunes Music Store, if you should want to (I recommend it). Their selection is absolutely incredible (it pretty much only lacks Wind-Up Records artists and a few asshole artists who refuse to let their music be available online (Metallica)). If you feel so inclined (and happen to have $200+ laying around, go get an iPod. It's not the best thing since sliced bread, it's actually BETTER than sliced bread.

( I PLANNED on putting the songs here, but I keep getting some error message, so I'll try again later... )

My...Alibi?

2004-09-04T18:06:00.000-04:00

OK, here’s why I haven’t written in so long…see… it’s this school thing. It’s truly a pain in the ass. Mondays and Wednesdays (while Lakeland itself isn’t bad) are just plain grueling. It just sucks the life out of me. Not to mention that I have LOADS of crap due in the next week and it’s only September 4th. That is NOT a good sign. But, alas, it’s Labor Day Weekend, and I plan to savor every last bit of it.
I plan on seeing that new Quentin Tarantino movie on Sunday night with Rob and some other friends. Tarantino has really been at it lately after years of nothing at all. This is the third Tarantino movie in one year. Not to complain or anything, because I think Tarantino is the God of movies. Kill Bill kicked all of the ass a movie can kick (I’d rank it up there among the best movies ever, easily), so there’s no reason to expect anything less of this next movie, right?
As for Brush, things are pretty good. I’m in most of the classes I want, and they’re moving along alright (although Journalism is the worst class I have ever taken). The thing stuck in the back (or front, really) of my mind is Homecoming. I resolved to go this year, so therefore I have to find a date. Not that I mind, really, but as you already know I suck with approaching girls. I’ve got a couple prospects, though, and they seem to be panning out nicely. In one of my study halls, there’s this girl that sits next to me (Shannon) and I kinda noticed her checking me out (God only knows WHY… I’m not exactly an eye-catcher to say the least). After I had made sure that she wasn’t staring at some weird rash or something I started talking to her. She doesn’t talk much, but seems very interested. I doubt it, but I’m at least out there on the market. Hopefully I won’t have to play the pity card. God, I’m desperate…
For Journalism I have to write an album review, so I’ve been listening to even more music than usual, so, naturally, I have a handful to recommend.

Team Sleep – “The Passportal” --- This song made it onto the ‘Matrix: Reloaded’ soundtrack last year, so you might recognize it from that. Don’t expect vocals, because there aren’t any. Just the phattest beat you’ll ever fucking hear, and some damn good techno to go with it. And it’s under three minutes!

Alexisonfire – “It Was Fear Of Myself That Made Me Odd” --- I love this band even more every single day. I don’t quite know what it is, but something about this band just appeals to me. The vocalist’s style, perhaps, or maybe it’s the outstanding guitars. Whatever it might be, I at least have found the best song off of the album. It’s this one right here.

Radford – “Dead Heart” --- ‘Is this Our Lady Peace?’ is what you’re going to be saying when you hear this. Some guy has finally figured out how to perfectly emulate the one voice that you thought could never be copied. The only difference is the music. The lyrical style is a bit different with these guys. They don’t go for the big sweeping ballads that O.L.P. is famous for, but rather choose to produce more thoughtful music, with lyrics that seem much more deeper. Did I just suggest that this band is better than Our Lady Peace, one of my favorite bands (if not THE favorite)? I guess I did…
Sum 41 – “We’re All To Blame” --- If you liked ‘Half Hour of Power,’ it sounds like you’re gonna like their new album, based on this single. That’s all I’ve got to say.

Zell Gone Wild

2004-09-02T17:55:00.000-04:00

I have a concern that has been gnawing away at my mind for months and it must come out. The politics are really getting to me. This is a serious problem in our society today, and this election year has served as a perfect example of this dilemma. A “politician” is quickly changing from being a profession to being a mental condition. We have let politics blur with the rest of our lives; we judge people merely based on something as simple as their political party. Politics is no longer an issue to simply argue over; it has now become something to hate each other over. I was fully aware of this problem for some time now, but what truly brought it to my attention was one particular speech at the Republican National Convention.
The self-proclaimed “Democrat” Senator Zell Miller was speaking on behalf of incumbent George W. Bush at the Convention on September 1st. He was supposed to rally support for the next speaker, Vice President Dick Cheney. What followed in Miller’s speech was horrific. He roused hate for John Kerry in the crowds of the Convention, and challenged the patriotism of the Democrats for not supporting the war. He passed judgment on John Kerry’s ability to manage a country at war based solely upon his voting record in the Senate. However, more importantly, Miller spoke with such lividness in his voice that it was apparent that he not only disagreed with, but also hated John Kerry. The speech in many ways reminded me of the many videos I have seen of Hitler rallying the Nazis against the Jews. Has it truly come to this? We are letting politics get out of hand. This was also very apparent in the words of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, when he accused the Democrats of being homosexuals, simply because they do not believe the economy is as strong as it is being portrayed. This is also apparent when I speak to my grandmother about politics. She has been fed propaganda by neo-conservative talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly, and takes it all in and truly believes that the Democrats are not concerned about the betterment of our country. This brings me to another qualm I have about the way that this election has been handled.
In an election so crucial to our great country’s survival, we are ignoring the real issues completely. The debate has been over Vietnam records, Senate votes, oil companies, patriotism and many other things that do not concern our country at present at all. There has been little or no talk between the candidates about the country’s education crisis, our poverty problems, or even how our military is vastly undermanned in Iraq. Instead, the discussion has been over issues that will have no effect on either candidate’s ability to lead a nation. What concerns me most is that many people will most likely base their vote on something insignificant and meaningless, when they could actually be making a life-changing decision. This might just be the most important election of our lives, and we are letting it slip out of our control. Since I am not of voting age at this moment (17 years, 5 months), I do not feel that it is my duty to voice my opinions about the election. The lawmakers have decided that someone of my age is not fit to make these decisions (which is probably very true). However, I plead with whoever will listen: Do not listen to the politicians. Educate yourself on what John Kerry says he will do in office, and on what President Bush has been doing the last four years in office. You may think you know the answer, but I can pretty much guarantee that you don’t know the half of it. You might be surprised at who you find yourself voting for, but at least you will be making the right choice. Many people in many countries would die (literally) for their country to have the right to select its own leader. With that in mind, how can you not vote? Not voting is choosing to let one of the most important decisions of your life go by. Your vote could decide the fate of a country. Like the long worn-out phrase says, every vote counts. Make yours count, too.

Randblings (Random Ramblings)

2004-08-30T02:49:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow classes at Lakeland begin. Business Law, Composition, and Applied Calculus could either be very good or really, REALLY BAD. I’m still not sure whether or not I’m mentally and/or psychologically prepared for college stuff. Whether that “stuff” is the college atmosphere or the college-level work, I don’t know. I am just very, very scared. Plus, I need to rush to Lakeland, which is by no means a short drive, and rush in between classes as well (which may be some trouble, especially considering that I don’t know where to go…). Oh, well… I’ll deal with it.
The highlight of my day was pretty pathetic today. I got an iTunes card. Woo hoo. I hadn’t refilled my iTunes money in quite some time, so a $15 credit to my account means that there’s gonna be some seriously kick-ass songs in here very soon. I already downloaded some five-star-worthy songs from The Mooney Suzuki, The Black Keys, tobyMac, and Jimmy Eat World. Tuesday is the release date for, among other things, Papa Roach’s new album, Sum 41’s new single, and so on. This is the time of year when the best music seems to start rolling out…

This batch is not necessarily recommendations-only, I’m just going to evaluate some of the many new singles out there in the past few (and coming few) weeks…

The Music – “Freedom Fighters” --- How can a band NOT be good when its NAME is The Music? These guys live up to their name with some good old Euro-rock. The vocals may leave a little to be desired, but the overall quality of the music well makes up for any vocal shortcomings. Rating: 8.5/10

TobyMac – “Gone” --- Inspirational music? Really??? What does this inspire you to do? While it’s good stuff, it’s hardly Christian-rock station material. It’s definitely not profane, but this former DC Talk member can amazingly crank out songs that sound absolutely NOTHING like DC Talk songs. His first solo effort in 2001, ‘Momentum,’ was in large part a hip-hop album. This song hardly even sounds like it’s from the same artist. Rating: 7/10

Cake – “No Phone” --- Remember back in the mid-nineties when Cake could generate some of the most catchy, yet simple tunes imaginable. Or even in 2001, on ‘Comfort Eagle,’ with such memorable songs as “Short Skirt, Long Jacket.” This one doesn’t quite match up with Cake’s previous efforts. It’s certainly a new direction, but a bizarre one. I certainly hope that the entire album is not completely like this. Rating: 6.5/10

Jimmy Eat World – “Pain” --- ‘Bleed American’ made Jimmy Eat World alt-rock heroes, right up there with bands like Weezer and Third Eye Blind. Having to follow that up had to be quite a daunting task for these guys, but they certainly seem up for it. This song might just rank up there with one of the catchiest songs they’ve made yet. Think “The Middle” but a little harder, and you’ve got the picture. Rating: 9/10

The Black Keys – “10 A.M. Automatic” --- This song rocks harder than you can even imagine. This Akron, OH group specializes in ripping some sweet retro-rock tunes reminiscent of everything from Jimi Hendrix to the Rolling Stones, and this one just might be their sweetest yet. Before the song is done for the first time, I guarantee you’ll be singing along with the chorus and strumming your very own air guitar. Rock on, Black Keys. Rating: 10/10

The Mooney Suzuki – “Alive & Amplified” --- Holy shit. Oh, my God. This band (from what I’ve heard of them so far) kind of resembles the previous band, The Black Keys. Imagine the Black Keys but harder and faster and louder and BAM! – You’ve got The Mooney Suzuki. This song, featured on Madden NFL 2005 for PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC, might be the best song I’ve heard all year. Fuck all of the other songs I’ve ever told you to get. Get this one. If I could listen to only one song for the rest of my life, this would be it. Rating: 11/10 (Yeah, it’s that good.)

The Tea Party – “Stargazer” --- This is their latest single off of “Seven Circles” (Canada only) and it screams “made for radio” all over. The slightly confusing lyrics are unimaginative (uncharacteristic of The Tea Party), but the actual music almost makes up for it’s lyrical and vocal shortcomings. Rating: 7/10
Cinder – Lush (feat. Scott Weiland) --- That last part there, about Scott Weiland, probably single-handedly sold Cinder an extra 100,000 copies of their album. Trust me, it’s decent, but nothing special. It sounds like the typical Cinder tune: unimaginative, clunky, bizarre, and boring as hell. Weiland only makes it marginally better. Rating: 3.5/10

The Inevitable Return To Dullness

2004-08-27T03:26:00.000-04:00

Alas, it had to come. School is back in session. Except things are completely different this year. This year I’m a senior. Fuck yeah!
And I get to take half my classes at Lakeland C.C., which could either be something REALLY GOOD or REALLY, REALLY BAD. Oh, well… School ain’t so bad on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays when I don’t have Lakeland classes and I only have three classes at Brush. Basically it’s a shit load of study halls (in which several of these I have strategically placed my seat next to the best potentially friendly hot girl… Yeah, I’m looking…). And there are hot girls aplenty. There’s this one REALLY hot new girl who just transferred in from Beaumont in my Brit Lit class, but I sit across the room from her (assigned fucking seats, dammit). This year could potentially be really fucking cool. I have no classes with people I dislike at all, and Homecoming is in a month or so and I’m gonna start the scouting a bit early, since I’m hoping to actually go this year (I blew off last year’s, not because I didn’t have a girlfriend but instead because we just didn’t want to go). So anyway, expect significantly fewer posts during the school year, or at least during the week.

Music Update:

Skillet – “Open Wounds” --- In a description, Skillet may just sound like another P.O.D., Blindside, or Pillar clone – a modern rock band that labels itself Christian rock. While the spirituality is difficult to find in their music, and despite their horribly bad name, Skillet is one of the best new bands to emerge in 2004. Their first single “Savior” is definitely recommended, as is this new single. Expect a band that kind of sounds like a mix of Seether and Theory of a Deadman.

A Perfect Circle – “Blue (Remix)” --- This is a just plain awesome song to start with. It’s hands-down the best song on an outstanding album, and this stripped-down remix puts an interesting spin on it. First I’d recommend the original, then the remixed version, although both are wonderful songs.

High Holy Days – “The Getaway” --- In addition the pretty cool music video that accompanies this song (check out Fuse, not MTV, in order to see the video), this is a pretty damn good song. Recently signed onto Roadrunner Records, this is the latest Canadian product from Roadrunner, following in the footsteps of Nickelback, Theory Of A Deadman, and others. Expect music very similar to those bands, but it’s still very good.

Citizen Cope – “Bullet And A Target” --- Do you call it blues? Not quite, but he sure can crank out a nice tune. One of music’s brightest young stars may have finally come up with what he needs to break into the mainstream with this catchy bluesy tune. With his slight slurred lyrics, Citizen Cope is very recognizable, unique, and brilliant. Check this one out…

The Tea Party – “Wishing You Would Stay” --- The Tea Party have been around for awhile, and they actually released a few albums in the states a few years back. I heard the entire album on the London, Ontario radio station FM96’s Album First Listen that they do each week (this station can be picked up in Cleveland, OH with a good radio at the frequency of 95.9… this is the only radio station I ever listen to…). This particular album, ‘Seven Cirlces,’ is only available in Canada (for now), but thanks to p2p online programs you can find this anywhere in the world. This particular song pairs The Tea Party’s lead vocalist, who possesses a Chris Cornell-like voice, with the lovely, talented, and beautiful Canadian songstress Holly McNarland. What comes out is a beautiful duet that still rocks hard. If only this song could get exposure in the states, it would be huge. This song is just made to be loved. Awesome.

State of Shock – “I Wish I Never Met You” --- The song title speaks for itself. This song is a rocking pissed-off-at-the-ex anthem from a band that I’ve honestly never heard of. This fast-paced song is highly recommended.

Frou Frou – “Let Go” --- This is the light-moving easy-listening song everybody’s been looking for this summer. And boy is this chick hot. And she sure does have some tubes in that throat, as she can belt out a song like nobody else. This synthy-slow-moving pop song is worth checking out (not for the hard rock crowd, but still good).

Mike Doughty – “Move On” --- I’m not sure on my info here. I know this song is on the politically-driven Moveon.org compilation ‘The Future Soundtrack for America.” Beyond that, I know no facts about this song. This guy sounds a lot like the singer from Soul Coughing (and since I don’t know that guy’s name, this could be him…). Regardless, this is the best song off of the best compilation of the year. Be forewarned: there are politics within. However, anyone can appreciate a friendly-sounding rock song.

The Exorcist: The Beginning

2004-08-21T07:20:00.000-04:00

The Exorcist: The Beginning is a horrifying film. I guess I should have expected nothing less than that. But this was just fucking insane. Gut-wrenching, can’t-look-at-the-screen-or-I’ll-throw-up-from-terror kinda film. Nice stuff, eh? I think so. I’ve never seen The Exorcist Parts One OR Two for that matter, so I guess by seeing the prequel first, they should make more sense. I definitely have to see them, since this one was so riveting. There’s this chick… this hot chick in the movie. Or at least that’s what you think she is. Until…(this is kind of a spoiler, so if you plan on seeing the movie, don’t keep reading) we find out the chick is the fucking devil (basically). Up until that point we’re led to believe that this little kid is the one causing all of the problems and deaths and shit, but then the chick just goes fucking haywire and turns into some zombie-like shit and it’s FUCKING INSANE. At one point in the movie, this dude in an insane asylum slices a huge fucking swastika in his chest (right through his heart) and then proceeds to attempt to behead himself. Unfortunately (I guess you could say that), he doesn’t finish because he dies halfway through his self-beheading so the blood just spurts there on the floor. All the while, the typical horror movie suspenseful music and sound effects are going REALLY loud. You can usually tell when something is about to happen, because (as in most horror films) it gets completely silent. I don’t think I can convey my utter terror any other way but to post my conversation with my friend Rob, with whom I saw the movie…

BIGPJF87: AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Crusader 7531: i see horny demons
BIGPJF87: dude
BIGPJF87: man
BIGPJF87: i am scared to death
Crusader 7531: really?
BIGPJF87: like the only reason i'm online is cuz the only light in the house was coming from the computer screen
BIGPJF87: AHHH!!!
BIGPJF87: and i have black cats
Crusader 7531: o boy
BIGPJF87: as pets
BIGPJF87: and theyre SCAAARy
Crusader 7531: pray
BIGPJF87: lol
Crusader 7531: seeing movies like that tell me y i love God sooo much
BIGPJF87: i think the cats are planning to kill me
BIGPJF87: yes they do
BIGPJF87: thats why i want to see the other two
Crusader 7531: theres two others?
BIGPJF87: the exorcist parts one and two i meant
Crusader 7531: oic
BIGPJF87: not my cats... i see how you got confused
BIGPJF87: i only have two of those
BIGPJF87: AND THEYRE ALL BLACK! BAHAHAHAHAHAH IMMINENT DOOM
Crusader 7531: like the theater?
BIGPJF87: lol
BIGPJF87: yeah
Crusader 7531: "awww shit hes gettin the pussy"
Crusader 7531: "sell that pussy girl"
BIGPJF87: "lemme see them titties"
BIGPJF87: "awww shiiiit no you fuckin didn't"
Crusader 7531: then the best line in the movie
BIGPJF87: "DON'T YOU WANT TO FUCK ME NOW?"
Crusader 7531: "I know you want to fuck the whore!"
BIGPJF87: oh yeah that one
BIGPJF87: lol
Crusader 7531: "stick your fat cock in my juicy ass"
BIGPJF87: lol she went fucking nuts
BIGPJF87: that movie was very quotable
Crusader 7531: yep
BIGPJF87: i am definitely going to save a few of those quotes
Crusader 7531: i wonder if the tourettes-like swearing is in the original
BIGPJF87: what did that guy say before he shot that little girl? "God is not here today"?
BIGPJF87: eeeckkhhh
BIGPJF87: scary
Crusader 7531: "God is not here today priest"
BIGPJF87: yeah that was it
BIGPJF87: crreeeepy
Crusader 7531: yep
BIGPJF87: i think i'm sleeping with a light on tonight
BIGPJF87: lol
Crusader 7531: i never thought about the history like that
BIGPJF87: yeah it definitely gives you a new perspective on how fucking insane the nazis were
BIGPJF87: i never really thought about it well enough to understand it this well
BIGPJF87: like what could possibly make SO MANY people do things like they did?
BIGPJF87: it can't be anything less than the devil
BIGPJF87: eeeeh
BIGPJF87: scary shit
Crusader 7531: think if u were a European Jew in the 1940's
Crusader 7531: have u read night?
BIGPJF87: yeah
Crusader 7531: that book is almost as frightning
BIGPJF87: yeah that book was terrifying... i dont think i totally grasped it at the time though
Crusader 7531: i read it twice
Crusader 7531: wiesel is brilliant
BIGPJF87: yeah he really is
BIGPJF87: i watched an interview of him once... talking about the holocaust...
BIGPJF87: that must be awful to live your whole life with that
Crusader 7531: o yea

More Olympic Nonsense

2004-08-20T03:03:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else feel that this is a waste of time? Judo? Synchronized diving? Come ON! As I flip through the channels, finding that every channel owned in any way by NBC has some sort of Olympic coverage (in multiple languages), I have come to realize how obsessed we are with the Olympics. Lewis Black highlighted this obsession on the Daily Show tonight by saying “I spent two full hours watching synchronized diving, with which I synchronized a NAP,” and I agree with everything he said. Sure, I think it’s cool that Paul Hamm, Michael Phelps, Carly Patterson and others have been able to win Olympic gold (and the U.S.A. leads the medal count), but do we need THIS much coverage. The day I find myself watching a full hour of judo will be the day I am in a coma. And NBC has to be such pricks about it. They are so bad that they won’t even let ESPN use any footage or highlights in SportsCenter, so ESPN is forced to show some lame stills from each event to suffice as their coverage. NBC has sunk to a new low in that regard. And Olympic basketball is still mediocre, with Allen Iverson doing slightly better (but the U.S.A. still isn’t rolling over the rest of the world). For now, that’s all I’ve got, but trust me, I’ll have more ammo to come…

My Olympic Rant

2004-08-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

The Olympics are a special time, aren’t they? Only during the Olympics does NBC drop their entire late night lineup for water polo and synchronized diving. Whoop-de-fucking-do. And at any hour of the day (or night, for that matter) you can catch some Olympic action on TV. The TV schedule for yesterday was such that at any given second during the day there was a minimum of two different events on at the same time. NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Telemundo, Bravo and all sorts of NBC-affiliated networks carry the Olympics at different times of day. Who cares?
After watching the USA Olympic basketball team lose to an island roughly the size of Delaware (Puerto Rico), I am officially disinterested. 92-73 was the final score in a game brought to you by the words ‘selfish’ and ‘Iverson.’ AI needs to get benched. It’s all his fucking fault. Allen Iverson is a cancer on any team, and we really don’t need him to win. A backcourt of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James is better than one with a selfish player like AI, who managed to hit five of his many shot attempts today (I believe the final count is fourteen). Plus, the reunion of coach Larry Brown with AI cannot possibly be a good thing. Since they fought in Philly, who is to say that things are any better now? Perhaps the reason is the style of play is different elsewhere, and we don't play it well. But you simply just can't tell me that Puerto Rico has better basketball than the USA. So, in that case, what's wrong with the team???

A Week From Hell

2004-08-16T06:42:00.000-04:00

I am finally back. My triumphant return from a week in hell. Vacations suck, don’t they? All of mine have this year. My week in Canada was full of rain, boredom, and frustration with the people around me. My week in the Adirondacks was just full of rain. Tons and tons of rain. I had been looking forward to being able to kayak around Lake Kushaqua and the surrounding areas, but was not able to do so, thanks in large part to torrential downpours that never seemed to end. I did manage to summit one mountain (Mount Azure), where I discovered an awesome view (if you can withstand the wind) atop the fire tower on the summit. I brought a bike, which, due to the rain, I was only able to use a few times. In ADDITION to my wonderfully awful week, during the middle of the trip my CD player decided that it wanted to cut its life short. For some fucking reason, it just decided to stop working. I bought the thing on July 30, 2003 and it lasted me approximately 375 days. Thank you Sony, that really was worth my 70 fucking dollars. One fucking year. That’s all their quality products manage to last. And since it was an “ATRAC3” CD player, Sony’s special format of audio compression that lets you fit oodles of music onto one CD, I am forced to really only consider another Sony of the same kind. And it’s still gonna put a 60 dollar dent in my already-empty pocket. I was hoping to purchase Madden NFL 2005, the Kill Bill Vol. II DVD, and new CDs from Nonpoint and Clutch in the coming weeks, but now I am going to have to do some serious money management. I figure Madden and/or Kill Bill will come first. Of course it’s just my luck that something like this would happen in such an inopportune moment.
In other less-depressing news… I was watching Subterranean again… Onelinedrawing’s video seems to be making a weekly appearance on the show, which is definitely good. Other highlights from the show included Piebald’s new video and some MTV airplay for The Thermals’ video “How We Know” (I HIGHLY recommend this song, and also the band’s latest album, entitled “Fuckin’ A”)…

…

I also had a lot of time to think about shit while sitting in a tent getting rained on all week. Amongst the things I thought about was my fucking awful love life. I’m in a serious drought, if you know what I mean. Let’s just say the bat is swinging and missing lately. I haven’t had a girl in a while, and I need to change this. I think I’m getting really desperate though. I was contemplating calling up this girl I haven’t talked to for nearly three years, after a less than perfect Homecoming at Hawken (I would call my whole Hawken experience “less than desirable”). It definitely wasn’t what I envisioned, but since then I’ve gone through a lot of relationships and nobody has ever come close to making me as happy as she did. I had a great friendship with her and decided to fucking blow it and ask her out. Sometimes some people are just meant to be friends and nothing more, and I think that was the case. But she’s the one person that I can’t forget after all of these relationships (I’ve had a total of 4 girlfriends, none of which really lasted too long). I wouldn’t ever say that she was my girlfriend, because I don’t think it ever really got to that level. I wish it had, but unfortunately it didn’t. Ahh… teenage problems. Fucking bullshit. I’m sick of it. Why is the heart so retarded? I can go out with a drop-dead gorgeous girl and it does nothing at all for me if she’s got a lame personality. I guess that’s a problem. Anyway… I doubt I’ll call this girl, after all, it’s long over and she’s moved on in the three years since then probably. And besides, that might be a bad thing. Right around when she stopped talking to me she appeared to be getting involved more heavily in drugs (I suspected). I knew that she already smoked regularly, and even I did occasionally at the time. That didn’t really bother me, though. I guess it’s a lost cause. I don’t know why people hang onto shit like this. People are just weird sometimes. The heart is a fucked up thing. Of all of my relationships, the worst of them all is the girl I liked the most. Doesn’t that suck?
Sometimes life just sucks.

I’m gonna start recommending certain songs here… Trust me, they rock…
If you want any of them, just IM me on AIM and I’ll send them to you…
Today I’ll list a few of my current favorite songs and a little description for each.

Alexisonfire – “Side Walk When She Walks” --- This band fits into the new hybrid genre of “screamo,” along with bands such as Brand New, Atreyu, and My Chemical Romance. What sets this band apart is the singer’s vocal range, demonstrated here on this song, my pick for one of the top songs of the summer. If only radio could catch on…

Matt Mays – “City Of Lakes” --- Mays is a loner, a Canadian who doesn’t give a shit if he reminds you of other singer/songwriters. His lyrics set him apart, and he sure can play the guitar. He’s been placed in the Rock/Country genre on www.maplemusic.com, however, I don’t really hear much country in him. How to describe Mays? He’s kind of a Jet meets Jack Johnson type of thing, though his songs can’t be mistaken for either. He transcends genres, and can crank out one hell of a catchy tune, as evidenced on “City Of Lakes.” On this one, I must emphasize contacting me on AIM if you want this song, because it may be kind of hard to find. However, it’s worth it. Trust me. The riffs on this song will have you tapping your foot in mere seconds, and singing along not long thereafter.

Atreyu – “Right Side Of The Bed” --- Earlier I classified these guys as “screamo,” but they really should be considered metal. Atreyu benefit from having multiple members who can belt out vocals, with the so-called lead singer just basically doing a lot of screaming, with other members of the band working the more musical chorus. It makes for a great song, worth a listen for sure.

Stabilo – “Everybody” --- Yet another Canadian. I don’t know what it is with Canadians, but they sure can crank out a good tune. This one sounds pretty damn simple, with an acoustic guitar and vocals to start. Then the drums come in. Then, eventually, the electric intstruments come in, making the song a keeper. This one isn’t loud, but it’s easy to relate to and VERY easy to like. Good song from a GREAT band. Support Canadian music, folks. It’s worth it.

Zebrahead – “Hello Tomorrow” --- These guys typically sound like your prototypical punk-rap group with little zest at all. However, with “Hello Tomorrow” they come up with a true gem of a song; a well-written, well-played song that might be enough to rocket Zebrahead into the mainstream for good.

Muse – “Hysteria” --- I wasn’t a huge fan of Muse’s first single (the name of it escapes me at the moment) so I didn’t really pay much attention when their album was released last year. This song, however, has rocketed their album, ‘Absolution,’ to the top of my most-wanted list. You can’t possibly mistake this band for any other, as they are truly unique in every aspect, especially vocally.

Burden Brothers – “Shadow” --- These guys released a single entitled “Beautiful Night” that got medium airplay at a few modern rock stations across the country. Mostly it just made it onto a lot of “new music” shows and never really got added to their playlists. These guys rebounded with an outstanding new single that packs an awesome punch. With eerie lyrics and outstanding vocals, this song is HIGHLY recommended.

ATKINS REJECTED!!!

2004-08-03T01:24:00.000-04:00

Hey, folks. For all you fat guys like me, the Atkins diet works. Let me tell you though, you better have a lot of free time on your hands. Let me explain. See, artificial sweetener has a lot of things in it that your gastrointestinal system doesn't like. So, for example, you have to make EXTREMELY FREQUENT bathroom breaks. And don't bring your newspaper because it won't be a relaxing bathroom stay. A very painful one, instead.

I Return!

2004-07-30T00:48:00.000-04:00

After a three-day hiatus, I have returned to you all. With nothing good to say. I spent a couple days in Niagra Falls visiting colleges and staying up all night on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls. God, I love Canada. Now I return.
Tonight I spent a lot of time in front of the television. First, I watched a lot of the Democratic National Convention. I watched all of the speeches (I watch on C-SPAN so I don't get any of those CNN or Fox News morons cutting in on the speeches). I seriously doubt John Kerry's skill at public speaking, but he has a good enough record to get my vote, if I were just 7 months older. If anyone reading this lives in southern Illinois, go vote for Barack Obama for Senator. This man deserves not only to be in the Senate, but if he ever runs for President, I'd vote for him. Unfortunately, unless this ignorant country can overcome their racial problems, he may never get that opportunity, although he deserves it.
I then watched the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which was funny, as usual, and at the Convention. I'd reccommend it to anyone... Monday-Thursday @ 11:00 P.M. on Comedy Central.
Then I watched The Tonight Show, where Jay had Michael Moore was his lead guest. Michael Moore is my idol. I definitely don't want to look like the guy, but he has the best message in the world. Go see Fahrenheit 9/11 if for any reason you haven't at this point. It will win Academy Awards, so at least you can say that you saw it.

Visit some of these links...
www.moveon.org
www.matthewgood.net
www.obamaforillinois.com
www.amnesty.com
www.rockagainstbush.com
www.johnkerry.com

Mike Tyson!

2004-07-26T01:17:00.000-04:00

I can make jokes. Oh, man, could I make jokes about Mike Tyson. But I'll spare the guy. After watching the ESPN Outside The Lines show and witnessing how bad off Mike's got it, I'll spare the guy. Everyone should do the same. This guy is an asshole. I'll give you that. He's arrogant and ignorant. He's a money-grubbing scumbag. But he doesn't deserve what's happened to him. Mike Tyson is now living in a house smaller than my own. That's strange. Mike Tyson. The same guy who had more money than he could count a decade ago. Now he lives in a modest three-bedroom, two-bathroom house like you and I. Except he is in millions of dollars of debt. Millions. Not hundreds or thousands, but millions. Poor Mike. Of course, that could all be part of Mike's plan. This guy is smarter than we give him credit for. Now he's "Poor Mike" and not the rapist asshole Mike that we're accustomed to. Now millions of people around the world (including myself) will pay the ridiculous fee of $45.00 to watch Tyson humiliate himself on live TV. The match might not even last ten minutes. British heavyweight champion Danny Williams has a pretty damn good chance that he will completely kill Tyson. Possibly even literally. At this point in Tyson's life, he shouldn't be out in the ring fighting. He's not physically prepared, and certainly not mentally ready. It's too late for Tyson to quit while he's ahead. Mike Tyson just needs to quit while he's not dead.

What is WRONG with me?

2004-07-23T23:46:00.000-04:00

I don't fucking have any idea what's wrong with me. I'm always anxious... I guess that's the word for it. I always have the feeling that I should be doing something other than what I'm doing at any given moment. Like there's something more important that I'm always not doing. It's fucking insane, and it's really getting to me. I've had problems with depression my whole life, and took meds for it for a while, but I don't anymore. They never really seemed to help, they just kinda fucking knocked me out. Basically, they gave me the same kind of feeling I have when I drink too much alcohol. I don't know if this is depression or fucking what... I just am counting down the days in my head until I go back to school, my final days of freedom, and I'm dreading school. It's not that I don't have enough friends, or I don't have enough stuff to do there, it's just the whole atmosphere of it is what gets me. I can't stand it. I keep telling myself it will get better in one more year, once I'm at college, but I know it fucking won't. College will just be the same thing with more sex and more work. I'm in no need of more of either one of those. I don't know what it is I need. Maybe medication. Maybe just... I've got no clue. I need to see a psychiatrist or something. It's like I'm constantly angry with life, I'm always mad. And I'm really not, but it just feels that way. It's not teenage angst or any of that bullshit. I'm just not happy with my life the way it is, and I don't know how I can change it. Geoff tells me this is just my post-breakup stress, but I don't buy that bullshit because I only went out with her for a month or so. I'm just sick of life. I don't contemplate suicide, or any dumb shit like that, but I just get angry with myself sometimes...

Drowning Pool - Tear Away

2004-07-23T23:43:00.000-04:00

I’m tearing away
Pieces are falling – I can’t seem to make them stay
You run away
Faster and faster – You can’t seem to get away

Break

Hope there’s a reason
For questions unanswered – I just don’t see everything
Yes I’m inside you
Tell me how does it feel to feel like this – Just like I do

I don’t care about anyone else but me
I don’t care about anyone
I don’t care about anyone else but me
I don’t care about anyone

Do I really want this?
Sometimes I scare myself – I just can’t let it go
Can you believe it?
Everything happens for reasons – I just don’t know

I don’t care about anyone else but me
I don’t care about anyone
I don’t care about anyone else but me
I don’t care about anyone
Or anything
But me
Goddamn, I love me

I don’t care about anyone else but me
I don’t care about anyone
I don’t care about anyone else but me
I don’t care about anyone
Or anything

I don’t care about anyone else but me
I don’t care about anyone

Ahh... Piracy!

2004-07-22T20:41:00.000-04:00

... Music piracy to be specific. Isn't it fucking awesome? Yet even now I'm somewhat afraid that those RIAA Nazi-like evil dudes are gonna hunt me down eventually. My excuse will be that even since I started downloading music I've purchased hundreds of albums, even more than I bought before I started downloading music. The main stuff I download is stuff you can't buy in stores around here in Cleveland. Stuff from Canada, Australia, etc. Things like Powderfinger. For example, today I was searching online stores trying to find Powderfinger's most recent album, 'Vulture Street.' No such luck. Well, kind of. Amazon has it, they're just charging $33 for it, and I personally don't think each song on the album is worth $3 apiece. So I resorted to downloading it. See? If stores would carry more variety in their music, I would buy more music, and therefore download less. It's simple, guys. Until then, WinMx is my best option.

ESPN 25 Update

2004-07-22T18:23:00.000-04:00

I thought I might keep arguing with those ESPN morons... This week they're debating who is the greatest coach in the past 25 years. Since they limit themselves to the last 25 years, Red Auerbach is out of the discussion. Dean Smith comes to mind as the best college basketball coach, with Mike K from Duke being a close second. The best baseball coach has got to be Joe Torre, whether I like it or not, although Tom Kelly is one of my personal favorites. In pro basketball, I think Phil Jackson deserves the honor, although I am a huge fan of Pat Riley. In college football I think Joe Paterno is the hands-down favorite. Pro football is probably the most difficult, though. Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher, Joe Gibbs and others have to be considered...

Endless Pain

2004-07-21T23:45:00.000-04:00

I wonder how long I have to write shit in here for people to notice.

Thank God for Air Conditioning

2004-07-21T23:41:00.000-04:00

What morons decided to settle in this awful part of the country? It's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winters... Ahhh....

2004-07-21T23:34:00.000-04:00

You tell me to bust a flow
But I tell you I gots to go
Yet you still insist
Watch out cause I’m gonna get pissed
I’m gonna blow up like Chernoble
Cause that’s how the cookie fucking crumbles
I don’t pack a gun cause that shit’s for pussies
You wanna fuck around, you worthless rookie?
You just messed with the master
Fucking get your face plastered
This is how it comes out
When you’re hearing it from a dude with clout
You better not stand up and shout
Cause I’m superior without a doubt

I told you to back down
But you’re looking with a frown
You’re looking like a clown
You need a fucking nightgown
And a blanket to keep you warm
Cause you ain’t had a bitch since you was born
And if you still wanna fuck around
I’ll beat your ass down
I’ll mess up your fucking rack
With only a thumb tack
You better fucking watch your back
For this massive attack

CIA is Worthless

2004-07-21T05:45:00.000-04:00

Fuck the CIA, man. What the hell do they do that actually helps this country do shit? Fuck ‘em! They give us all this “intelligence” on terrorists, which now seems to be somewhat of an oxymoron, with the emphasis on the “moron” (George Tenet). I have a perfect idea for the government. Screw the CIA. Get rid of ‘em. I got your number one spy: My Grandma. Goddamn yes! She’ll fuckin’ hunt down any terrorist you want with a pair of fucking binoculars and a chair. She is incredible, man. She can tell you everything about her neighbor across the street. She knows his name, his friends names, what he does for a living, where he is, what he’s been working on in his house, what he needs to do outside, where he’s been, how many people are in his house, who is dad is, what he does for a living, where his dad lives, who his girlfriend is, what kind of car she drives… ANYTHING. And she’s never even fucking met the guy. Goddamn it, if the government only figured this one out. Grandmas are all you need. They got some of the best fucking spy skills in the world. They’ll lure the terrorist with COOKIES!!!

Another thing I’ve been thinking about is the Cold War. I saw this thing on NOVA today (YES, I proudly watch PBS every once in a while) about all of these submarines that went down during the Cold War. They were all of these spy submarines, and we had them, the Soviets had them… What did we really get from them? What intelligence or secret stuff did we get from the Soviets? What did we ever do with it, if there was any intelligence? Because it appears to me that all of those hundreds of billions (with a B) of dollars were spent on listening to the Soviets talk about hockey. The Cold War was the biggest waste of time of any historic event in the history of the world. We spent half a century basically peeping on each other.

I got the diet plan for you guys. Caffeine. Hell yeah! See, let me explain. I have figured out that caffeine is a hunger suppressant, so here’s what I do in the morning: I get up; eat no breakfast, but suck down three or four highly-caffeinated beverages (coffee, Mountain Dew, iced tea, iced coffee, or mix and match…) and that’s it. I’m good to go till about 9 P.M. It’s the fucking miracle diet, guys. Screw the pills, just buy some Jolt.

Biggest Flops?

2004-07-21T02:47:00.000-04:00

ESPN, in their neverending series of lists entitled "ESPN 25," posed the question of who was the worst sports flop in the past 25 years. I had to think about this one, but I think I've got a few. Jim Druckenmiller comes to mind to kick things off. Man, I bet the 49ers fans just cringed. Ryan Leaf is another one of the worst. The comparisons to Peyton Manning straight out of college probably sucked for him, because Peyton's probably Hall Of Fame bound, and Leaf is already out of football. Michael Jordan as a baseball player might also top the list, because he was just so bad. He struggled to bat above the Mendoza line (if that reference doesn't register, look it up) and he was only playing for the lowly AA Birmingham Barons. If you were supposedly the greatest basketball player ever, would you waste one of the years of your prime playing a sport that you sucked at? Or how about Sam Bowie, the guy the Portland Trailblazers took just ahead of MJ in the 1984 NBA draft? After about half a dozen surgeries, Bowie was essentially out of basketball ten years later, after only playing about four or five injury-free NBA seasons, basically as an average center. Rick Ankiel (remember him?) has to also come in near the top of the list. After being hyped up to unbelievable levels in the minors, he didn't disappoint during his first year in the bigs. However, when crunch time came later in the season (I believe it happened in the playoffs) Ankiel couldn't find the strike zone. He could barely even find the catcher's mitt, setting all kinds of records for amounts of wild pitches. He kept this up the next season (2001) and was demoted to the minors, and has yet to return. Or how about Ryan Anderson, or the so-called "next Randy Johnson," the 6'11 skinny kid the Mariners hyped up in 2000 after they selected him with the first pick in the previous year's draft. He blew out his arm and has yet to make it to the majors. Or how about the overhyped "clean-cut kid" Josh Hamilton, who has struggled with drug addiction and has yet to make it to the bigs for Tampa Bay (although he may still do so, and the recent signs are promising.)? The list could go on and on. I'm not going to waste my time waiting for ESPN to tell me who they think is the biggest, though.

An Update on the Status of Life

2004-07-19T23:15:00.000-04:00

Life fucking sucks. I will present you with a situation… For example, I paid 39.99 for a new basketball, a really expensive cool one with the pump built in. So my brother thinks it’s real cool, right? So I let him use it. So what does he do? He loses it in a fucking rosebush. Then I climb in and get it out for him. Then he loses it again in the same rosebush and “forgets” to tell me. Then, three weeks and countless rainstorms later, I’m looking for my basketball. He pretends not to know where it is, and then is surprised to find it exactly where he left it three weeks ago. Thanks, bro. I only got one more year with these people, and then I am moving my ass out of here faster than you can say “life sucks.”

In other news in my life…

MUSIC! I was watching MTV2 last night (okay, I admitted it). I only watch one show on MTV, and that’s ‘Subterranean,’ the show for all the music MTV classifies as “underground” or “indie,” or in other words, the good music that they never play on any of their normal shows. So anyway, there were some especially good music videos last night (if you can catch it still, I recommend you do so). I am a big fan of the Onelinedrawing song “We Had A Deal.” The show also rekindled my love for the Sam Roberts song “Where Have All The Good People Gone.” I found it strange that Roberts made it onto an MTV show, since I don’t believe his albums are even available in U.S. stores. Roberts is an “indie” rocker who is immensely popular in Canada but has gone unnoticed in the U.S. (similar to artists like The Tragically Hip, Powderfinger, and Matthew Good). I was also surprised when a Matt Good video popped up on Fuse last week. It was “Hello Time Bomb” off of ‘Beautiful Midnight,’ Good’s only attempt at success in the U.S.
I smell hot dogs, and I really have nothing left to talk about, so I’m out…

The Evil Empire

2004-07-19T13:06:00.000-04:00

Cell phone companies. My God, are they bad. It is to the point now where, during the middle of a weekday, it is cheaper for me to send a text message than to make a phone call --- enough cheaper that it actually makes it worth the while. Which is saying a lot, considering that on my cell phone you actually have to hit the '1' key twelve times just to get a period. Straining like that is bound to cause laziness. However, some of us have become excessively lazy. For example, when typing an instant message on the computer, most people feel that it is SO much easier just to substitute the number '2' for the word 'to'. As if the extra keystroke would kill us. We have become so lazy that 'you' has become 'u'. I do it too, so I'm as guilty of this as the next guy, but it just doesn't make much sense.

But back to cell phones. What gets me is the cell phone plans. Nights and weekends... You know when I make my calls? DURING THE DAY! Have you ever heard of a day plan? No? That's because they don't exist. Hey, I have a life on nights and weekends, and I don't really want to spend it on the phone. But, alas, all of those free minutes will go by on weekends and nights without me using them and I will continue to pay 30 cents a minute during the day to make my phone calls. They're raping us and we're letting it happen, folks...

The Joys Of Summer

2004-07-19T03:03:00.000-04:00

Summer... It's supposed to kinda be care-free, right? That's how you envision it throughout the entire school year anyway, but once you get there, it ain't so fun. Maybe I have some type of anxiety problem, eh, I don't know...

In other matters...

Anyone out there thinking of buying shit from MapleMusic... fuckin don't. Back on June 16th I ordered two Matt Good t-shirts and the new Matt Good CD and a CD from The Trews. I paid a total of CDN$67 (I don't have any fucking clue what that is in US dollars...), and that includes premium shipping. So... a box finally shows up TWO WEEKS later with a packing slip stating that all of the shit is in there. Guess what? It fuckin isn't. The two t-shirts are there, but neither CD is in there. So I assume that another box is coming, right? So I waited... and waited. And when I finally got fed up I sent MapleMusic emails. Four to be exact. That was two weeks ago. They never responded. I left two messages with them on their overpopulated voicemail, receiving no response. So finally one day I managed to corner them, and I explained my situation and they finally fucking shipped the package YESTERDAY. That's right. I ordered June 16th. It shipped July 18th. Ouch.

The Beginning Of THE END!!!

2004-07-18T14:15:00.000-04:00

Now you're reading. Why are you reading this? Either I pissed you off enough that you finally gave into my demands and came here or you're just as boring as I am. My opinion is that boring people should come together and be boring together. Power to the boredom.

Okay, enough of the bullshit. Here's what I'm gonna do. If you expect to find out everything about my life in here, you've come to the wrong place. Just give up. If you're bored, stoned, drunk, sleepy (asleep possibly), pissed off, angry, sad, happy, or anything else, you've come to the right place. I'm probably gonna ramble on about random shit, so be ready for... random... shit. Politics are bound to creep their way into my ramblings, so be ready for that too. I will ramble about politics, music, movies, my life, etc.

Bored yet? If you're not, you're better than me, because I'm bored out of my mind. I PROMISE it won't suck this bad all the time.