Fear and Loathing in Iowa

Swagga

2009-09-09T20:05:00.001-07:00

He's has got it.

Anyone who watched Obama's speech on healthcare reform will agree that this guy is one cool cat. He didn't just deliver a well written speech. He deliver it with a candid and genuine passion. Even after a tough week of conservative backlash and hideous rumors and allegations of attempts to brainwash America's youth Obama came out on top, unshaken. Hell, the man was even heckled and laughed at on national television and he never lost composure.

The term "Swagga" is thrown around these days. It's meaning and definition cloaked in ambiguity. It's hard to nail down exactly what swagga is, but whatever it is, Obama has got it.

open letter to some chumps...

2009-09-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Conservative Pundits,

What the fuck? Really? Are you high? I hope you all feel ridiculous.I hope you watched Obama today. I hope you watched him strut up to the podium with his unbendable swagger and deliver a speech that for some reason was chalked up to be some Marxist propaganda aimed to "Indoctrinate" the impressionable youth. This is a new level of partisan foolishness. I really wish I could sit you all down with a highlighter and have you mark the spots where Obama was trying to suggest some sort of secret agenda. Laura Bush came out after Obama's speech saying that she thinks everyone should have listened to our presidents message. Even Newt Gingerich, being the closed-minded, evangelical bigot that his is, supported our president on this one.

Some conservative are still bitter about the fact that Obama won and will do whatever it takes to undermine not only our president and his policies, but our nation.

Love,

Fred

music

2009-05-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Beat by D Milla vocals by L Zilla

=]

2009-05-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

Remember the Raul Dahl book "Matilda"? Well one of the things from the book that stuck out to me was the concept that the typical human only uses 10% of their brain. I have no idea how factual this statistic is but I'd like to believe that it is true. At least to a certain extent. There are vast capabilities of our brain that we just have not yet found a way to tap into yet, at least not by practical means (Though I must say, if one wants to gain access to these new facets of the human mind, one must expect that it requires some discipline). I don't think that by tapping into the full potential of our brain we will be able manipulate objects like Matilda could (although that would be awesome) but I do this it would allow us gain a deeper understanding of our selves and the world around us. We would be more aware other dimensions that we are connected with.

Attaining this greater control of the mind is hard to do. I'm going to act like I have a advanced knowledge or something on this subject. Despite how I may come across in some of these more "out-there" post, in no way do I think I'm some sort of new age sage or medicine man. In fact the more I explore the topic the more confused and behind I feel. But I do think I have a decent start in the intended direction. Where this direction is taking me, I haven't a clue...

Could it be you???

2009-05-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

"Just because you're into interesting things, doesn't make you interesting."

-P.M.

Creativity

2009-05-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

The human brain is the most marvelous organism on the planet.It has infinite capabilities, a vast majority of which, I am convinced, we are not able to experience during consciousness. How is it that the human brain, a mass of tissue and electrical pulses, is able to function and reason and, above all, create. It is so incredible. I can not even begin to understand how are we as people are able to conceptualize and and then begin to manipulate things to create something that was once simply an abstract sequence of random chemicals and synapses and dendrites firing back and forth. It is truly a beautiful thing.

I feel that our society has moved away from creativity. I feel we focus so much on courses like math and science, subjects that often have a clear and concise answer if you know the right equations and formulas. I've talked to alot of peers who like the subjects more so than language arts and a social studies class because of this reason. I can not understand this. There's nothing I hate more than sitting down with a chemistry problem knowing that there's only one right way to do it. I need to have room to go off and expand upon my own ideas. There's far too many constrictions, rules and laws.

When I write, there are no finite limitations. Only the limitations are those in my own head and even then those boundaries are possible to break. The one thing that the laws of science have no govern over is our mind. Because of this I believe it is possible to achieve anything given the most opportune circumstances and right person or persons.

When we're young, there's a huge emphasis on creativity and imagination in a early schooling. It seems to phase out as we progress through the system. I think if we continue encourage imagination and push our creative boundaries through adolescence and the teenage years we will grow so much more not only intellectually but also socially and spiritually.

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.

-Albert Einstein

C'mon Green Day

2009-05-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

I hate being a downer when it comes to bands changing up their style. Music is all about expression and doing what you feel, so when critics bash artists for deviating away from the style that popularized them I kind of just want to say "Shut up, let 'em do what they want". After all look at how much the Beatles changed in a matter of years and how much diverse and quality material they put out.

So I feel like a total hypocrite for what I'm about to type. Green Day needs to stop making political records! I miss the old Green Day. Remember stuff like "Dookie?", that was awesome! To me, that album is one of the defining albums of the 90's. It isn't the peak of artistic expression or the definition of punk rock or anything. It's just fun music. To me, early Green Day (ie "Dookie" and "1039 Smoothed out Slappy Hours"), really captured the essence of feeling like an under-achiever, apathetic, and not quite good enough for the girl, feelings I think most can all admit to feeling at least occasionally.

In 7th grade hating George W. Bush was starting to get more fashionable but there was still a slight majority Bush support (but I must say the haters were far more vocal). We were at war and it was an election year. Politics was all over the media. One day I was listening to Rock 108, possibly the worst and most stereotypical rock radio station ever. The DJ announced they had an exclusive new Green Day song called American Idiot. At that point I was a bleeding heart liberal and listened almost exclusively to either old school 70's rock or political music. "Awesome, more anti-government music for me to obsess over!" I thought. I heard the track. I really dug the overtly and bordering preachy political theme of the song and the tune was catchy, big and fun. I figured that Green Day was gonna be my new band of choice (even though it was on the radio there was no way the dreaded preps would get a hold of this new music). To my surprise, American Idiot was a massive hit. It produced several top 40 hits. All the pop radio stations picked it up and played it in non-stop rotation. The teeny-boppers that I hated sooooo much latched to it and Green Day was officially no longer cool. That is until their tour happened to make a stop through my town. Yeah I went, "but only because I liked the old Green Day songs".

Anyways, Recently Green Day has released yet another politically themed album titled "21st Century Breakdown". This album is packed with more cliche political lyrics and overproduced tracks (Not to mention the new single is called "Know Your Enemy" the exact same title as one of the most beloved Rage Against the Machine tunes from their first album.) A few songs a 8 minutes + long, a far cry from their standard 3 minutes punk jams. The poilical/social music I'm used to listening to is extremely leftist and radical. Artist like Zack de la Rocha ("they murdered X and tried to blame it on Islam") and Chuck D are uncompromising and intense. In comparison, Green Days lyrics seem sort of like a child telling their parent they want a later curfew.

It's unreasonable for me to expect Billie-Joe, Mike, and Tre to continue to make the self depreicating/angsty/funny songs of their youth. Hell, the dudes are around fourty years old! You can't make quirky songs about being lazy and lamenting over girls forever. No these guys have moved on to write out something that speaks to them, and I totally understand and respect that. I'm just dissapointed that they have strayed from the kind of music that I looked to Green Day for: simple, fun rock & roll.

Thank you Arthur...

2009-05-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

I cannot explain why I find this video so damn funny. I guess it's just the random absurdity of it.

Fear itself...

2009-05-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

The brain is an incredibly powerful thing. It has the power to synthesize experiences and emotions so vivid the line between reality and thought become blurred and skewed. I have had "dreams" so revealing and intense, they make reality seem a little a less real. Most of these "dreams" happen in a state between awake and deep sleep, where it feels as though my consciousness is suspended in limbo. I often find myself in this state during midday naps. It was during one of these naps that i experienced the most unsettling feeling of my life. I will do my best to articulate the events and visions I had.

I was taking a nap on my couch in the basement, the TV was at a low volume. Aside from the bright flicker of the television screen, the room was very dark. I was awoken by my mother who urged me to get up and to stop "wasting the day". I said I would get up in 15 minutes, knowing fully that it would probably be more like 45-60 minutes. She gave up and went up stares. That all really happened, here's where the boundaries between my mind and reality get crossed. As I laid on the couch I kept one eye open lazily watching the screen. A commercial for an upcoming scary movie came on (idk if it was even a real commercial). I heard the typical ominous music. Now, I'm pretty easily frightened, but I'm not pussy enough to get scared watching a commercial. But for some reason I thought that if I watch this commercial, it would scare. So I shut my eyes tight, but I couldn't help but continue to listen to the scary score. As the commercial went on, I realize there was no talking, just music. This seemed odd to me. I also began to notice that the music just kept going and going. It seemed to be getting louder. As the volume increased, so did my fear.

It's hard to describe but I could see my fear. It took the form of a dark cloud. The more terrified I became, the farther the black cloud creeped in my vision. At a painfully slow place, the darkness engulfed my head. I could literally feel the cloak of fear tighten around my mind. My head was scream, "Run away!" but I couldn't. I was paralyzed. I was stuck inside my head. As soon as the black fear completely obscured my vision, the real horror started. Out of the black flashed an image: it was a little boy, about seven. His eyes were a milky white with tiny black dots for pupils. His pale face wore a haunting expression. I saw the child for an instant and then I was back into to dark. My heart was racing, I could feel my face perspiring. My head pounded with fear and rang with the disembodied music.

There was an ear shattering screech and there was the boy, inches away from my face. I could see his pale blue lips and his black tongue as a twisted smirked slowly cracked his across his face. And with that he was gone. I prayed the boy wouldn't return. Who knows where he would reveal himself next. With all my might, I desperately tried to wrench myself up (mind you at this point I didn't know I was dreaming). It was useless. Just them, a tingling sensation danced up my spine, that sensation when you know you're being watched. The next vision was the final and most horrific of the three. I saw it only for a fleeting moment, but it was enough. I saw my own face, the rest of my body was submerged in a black gas-like substance. Out of the black emerged the black shaggy hair of the little boy. He open his mouth wide before sinking his crooked razor sharp teeth into my face.

This was too much, with all I could conjure, I opened my eyes and was thrown back into the "real" world. When I woke I noticed that the TV had been off. My head was throbbing with pain. I could still feel the anxiety in my chest.

I have no idea what could have spurred this terror. One possible cause actually still frightens me. I don't think this is what happened, but could this experience have been supernatural? I most certainly hope not. But them again, how would I know that this experience was a dream and not just an brief encounter with an other-worldly being. After all, maybe that's what dreams are, connections to other realms, to which only our mind is capable of traveling.

Sweet dreams...

(The picture is by Francisco Goya and is entitled "Saturno devourando a su hijo" or Saturn Devouring his Son. It has no relation to my dream. I just thought the picturing embodied an overall sence of doom and fear)

Video Blogs?

2009-05-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

As sad as it is, often a good chunk of my day is spent surfing the endless abyss of Youtube. Youtube is my ultimate time waster. I could literally spend hours watching pointless video after pointless video. I usually spend my time searching for the most silly and absurd clips out there. Every once in a while I'll get on a certain band kick and watch a ton of videos of live performances and interviews with the Beastie Boys, Ben Harper, G. Love, Rage against the machine, Wu-Tang, what ever my latest random musical obsession is. And there's no telling how many hours upon hours I've wasted digging up the most obscure ten minute long video of some creepy balding guy showing a slide showcasing "indisputable" evidence exposing that our government is run by ancient secret societies bent on new world order and other far fetched (and some not so far fetched) conspiracy theories.

Yes, Youtube is the ultimate enemy of homework and the ultimate ally of procrastination. Oddly enough with all the time I spend on Youtube there is one realm that I has left virtually untapped until as of recently, the genre of video blogs (aka vlogs for all you trendy vocab users). I'm pretty sure vlogs were the original intent of Youtube. It's easy to forget, but alot of people use it as a means of exchanging ideas and putting their ideas out there and being apart of an online community not just to watch "Scarlet takes a tumble".

I really wish I knew to (or maybe just had the ambition to) make a video blog. The more I watch video blogs I've noticed certain things. Video blogs have certain qualities about them that make them very appealing. I think the first thing I noticed is how much more "engaging" they are. It can be very hard for me to read a blog post, but with a blog it's like someone is there actually delivering their side or opinion of the issue or topic. And let's face it, in today's "Get it now" world, where we prefer to have information given to us rather than having to attain it, watching a video is a helluvalot easier than actually have to read something.

Maybe one of these days I'll purchase a carmera and some video editing software and start making some video blogs of my own. But until then, good old fasion text will just have to do.

The Kiss

2009-05-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

On April 27, 2009, gay marriage become legal in Iowa. I had not been paying attention to the news, much less news about gay marriage, so this came as a surprise to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for equal marital rights, I just didn't see this one coming. I mean come on, this is Iowa we're talking about: white bred, heartland USA, Chuck Grassley, Iowa.

Aside from thinking "Alright finally my states getting a little more progressive", I didn't really pay this much thought. Gay rights is important but not something I often think about or that is apart of my daily life. I have peers who are homosexual, but to be perfectly honest I really don't even think of them as being gay. I just see them as people and kinda forget their sexual preference. But, as tolerant as I am, I feel uncomfortable why I see two males or two females displaying PDA. This made me wonder if I was deep down I was little homophobic. It made me question myself. I thought "Am I really as open minded as I thought I was?" But then, quite awhile ago, I found the answer: "Yes, I am". Everyday I see boys and girls (heterosexual and homosexual alike) in the hallway all over each: kissing, hugging, and occasionally shoving their tongues down each others throats. This behavior really bothers me to say the least. And it became obvious, it isn't just gay people making out and doing stuff that makes me uncomfortable, it's people in general. I'm not homophobic at all. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight, I don't care about or want to see how much you love your boy/girlfriend. Save it for when you're not in school or at the food court in the mall or sitting behind me in a movie theater when I'm trying to watch The Dark Knight. ( Disclaimer: let me be clear that I'm not under the impression that all gay people blatantly display their sexuality in public).

The other day I was sitting in the pew at my church. Sitting in front of my mother and me, were a couple of people I had never seen before, they were two middle-aged women with grey, short hair. After the sermon, we take about 15 minutes to discuss the message of the gospel or any of the other readings or spirituality in general. My mom, being the outgoing friendly person that she is, scooted over and struck up a conversation with the women ahead of us. We had a casual conversation with the ladies and I thought nothing of it. Later, it came time for "The Peace", for those of you who don't know, The Peace is a little break during the service to go around and greet the fellow parishioners. After saying hi to some of my pals and sneaking to the basement for a couple mid-church service cookie, I went over and shook hands with the ladies in the pew ahead. I looked at the women, and suddenly it became obvious. These women had to be a couple. I watched them, waiting for some kind of proof. Sure enough, they eventually turned to each other, embraced and gave each other a little peck. Later in the service, our priest made an announcement to the entire congregation, sending the couple congratulations on their recent marriage. Later on, my mom told me that one of the women was actually an Episcopal priest and had on a couple occasion given the gospel and the sermon and was a very intriguing priest.

Siting in that wooden pew, I realized the size of the matter and the new implications of the new law legalizing same sex marriage. I never would have expected to see a homosexual couple kiss in public, let alone in a church. But the thing that surprised me the most was that seeing that little kiss didn't make me feel weird or uncomfortable. It seemed so natural. And I couldn't help but think that maybe(hopefully), homophobia will take the same route as racism and eventually phase out. I'm not naive to think that homophobia will be completely eradicated. Like racism, homophobia and prejudice against gays will never completely die, but maybe someday it won't be the norm.

Let's hope. For the sake of unity.

Disapointment...oh well

2009-05-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, so the bulls are out of it so now I really really don't care who wins, I'm kinda rooting for the Celtics though just because Ray Allen in a beast.

Bulls: 116, Celtics:115

2009-05-01T08:09:00.001-07:00

Great game!

To my mother...

2009-04-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Earth,

You really are everything to me. I truly, honestly believe in you. That you are a living and loving entity. You radiate the energy from our Sun back to us. You are the source of all nutrients, food, water, shelter, you alone have all we need to survive. You give us everything and ask for nothing in return. Thank you. I hope some day, we, your children, will wake up from our apathy and start to care for you and treat you with the respect you deserve.

Your Child,
Maajiigabow Qwayakoshin

Soap Box

2009-04-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but I gotta do it...

Aight, so for the few people who read my blog, you may have noticed I haven't been posting as often as I should be. That mostly due to the insane rehearsal schedule for our big Spring musical.
Thursday night will be the opening of "Chorus Line".

I'm no big fan of musicals. I do them, but I like getting small roles that allow lots of time backstage. That's the main reason I participate in musicals, to hangout with other people. This is kinda ironic since my part in this play dictates that i stay by myself at the back of the theater the entire play, forcing me to watch the entire musical each time we run through it.

At first, I was incredibly skeptical about this production. It seemed way too big for a high school to put on. I was sure it was going to be mediocre. But in the last week, my tune has changed.

I don't know what it is, but the show has really come together. Take it from a guy who has seen it a million times. The dancing is awesome, the tech is spot on, the acting (one of the things I was most concerned about) has become great, and the band sounds nearly flawless.

I can honestly say I am very very excited to put on this show. It is one of the best ones I've been in.

boys to men

2009-04-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I'll hear or see something, something random and insignificant, and for a few minutes it will completely throw my world for a loop and get me thinking about things I've never considered.

One of these instances happened the other day, while I was driving. I was listening to this really sexy song, "Glory Box" by the band Portishead. Towards the end of the song, Beth Gibbons, in her sultry, pleading voice, croons,

"So don't you stop being a man..."

It was totally beyond the point of the song, but it made me think. What's the difference between a boy and a man? When will I stop considering myself a teenager and start considering myself a man? Will I ever?

When I was little, I remember the slight disappointment I would feel each birthday. I kept waiting for the day I would stop feeling like a child and start feeling "older". I don't know what Change I was expecting to feel or see, but it never came. I'm much more content with who I am. I'm not in a big hurry to grow up. But I still wonder when that day will come, when I realize I am a man.

I brought this up with there friends. They seemed to know the answer right away. According to them, a man is (among other things) someone who can provide for themselves or support a family. I think this is only part of the definition. When I thinks of the word "Man" one thing in particular comes to mind, strength. Being big and strong is something that we usually associate with masculinity. But when I say strength, I don't necessarily mean it in terms of biceps, pecs and downing protein shakes. I mean an inner strength. A solidarity and confidence. To me being a man goes along with being selfless and having a strong sense of right from wrong and being commit ed to doing the right thing. A man has courage: courage to admit when he's wrong and will try to all he can to correct his mistakes. Courage to accept consequences of his actions. 

I don't think so...

2009-04-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Jesus didn't look like this...

what's with this religious kick lately????

2009-04-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

As you probably noticed ("you" referring to the 5 or 6 people who might actually read this blog) my last few post have been very theological. I think part of it is due to the fact that I've been thinking on a more spiritual level. My life is sort of speeding up right now. Things are changing fast. My involvement in the theater is increasing everyday and school is getting harder. Certain changes have happened recently that has called into question what is really important to me. Through all this, I think I've been subconsciously been looking for a sorce of stability in my life. This has manifested itself in my writing. I don't know. Maybe all this writing will expose some inner feelings and ideas that will help me stay on track and help me find a balance.

...and on the third day...

2009-04-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

My take on Christianity is a complex relationship born out of a painful period of doubt, confusion and frustration and a rebirth and reevaluation of the religion I was raised to believe.

Even though my beliefs would technically classify me as a non-Christian, I still go in the church but not as regularly as I used to. My mom isn't a "born again" type Christian but church is important to her and since I love her, I comply and join her on Sunday. Today I had the honor of being a chalice barer on Easter Sunday (I say honor because to Christians Easter is arguably the most important day) . As I sat up at the front of the church, I meditated on what the story of Easter means to me.

I don't think you have to believe everything happened in a literal sense to get something out of the Bible. I believe Jesus Christ was a very holy man and righteous man but I do not believe that he was God's son. But just because Jesus was not God in the flesh does not mean that I don't think he's is some one to be emulated and model your life after.
As the story goes, three days after Christ's brutal crucifixion, he rose from the grave. To almost all Christians, this story is the divine proof that Jesus is the Messiah. I don't believe this story happened, not in a literal sense. One of the many themes from the story of Christ that I admire most, is Jesus' unwavering commitment (and love) to mankind. He was so determined in his duty to bring salvation that he was willing to give his own life. Think if we could all be so dedicated to doing what is right and just.

The story of Easter is usually interpreted by most Christians as 'if you give your life to God, like Christ did, you will live in eternal happiness in heaven'. Now, I have no idea what comes after our bodies expire, but if you're a Christian because you think it means getting into to heaven, then I think you missed the whole point of the story. The resurrection and ascension of Jesus symbolizes the infinite reward we receive when we fully commit ourselves to what is right, not 'If you accept Jesus as your savior you'll get into heaven'.

The concept of eternal life is a hard one to comprehend. But nonetheless, this is one of the promises maybe in the Bible. I believe this is another instance of symbolism. The love and sacrifice of Christ made such an impact on people that his message and memory lives. Like wise, we can also live on in the hearts of others through our own legacy of right action.

...and you can have the hate that it brings...

2009-04-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

I was reading a friends blog (notice how I was say friend, I think this is an important detail). This friend of mine, lets call him....um....how 'bout Spencer....has incredibly strong opinions. Opinions so strong it's impossible to have an exchange of ideas about alot of things (anything religious especially, buts that's another post). Anyways, i was reading a post Spencer wrote back in March. 

The blog is about the issue of abortion and embryonic stem cell research. I think it should be said that Spencer does make a point that I agree with, that religion should be left out of science, and I also commend him for looking to the Bible for the passage that most Christians base their anti-abortion beliefs on. Spencer at first makes the assertion that all Christians are anti-abortion and anti-embryonic stem cell research (this is not true, which Spencer does mention in an "update" and apologizes for making the generalization). In that same update Spencer says he hates people who make decisions based on religious values.

The term hate is used repeated frequently. This (among other things) really bothers me. It makes me wonder, does Spencer hate me? I consider myself heavily influenced by my personal beliefs. Does Spencer hate my grandfather who served as a priest in the Episcopal church for fifty years, and happens to be the most Socratic thinking, and open minded and not to mention, kindest person I've ever met? I really hope not (I doubt he really does). 

I don't understand how someone can hate another person just because they have a different belief than you. Really I don't understand hate at all. Why would you want to live with that sort of feeling weighing on your heart?

I've heard people make the argument "Well, you know the definition of hate is just the 'emotion of intense dislike' or something like that, what's wrong with feeling that? Huh?" Yeah that may be the textbook definition of hate, but that isn't what the word really means. It was more than just and intense dislike that drove JW Milam and Roy Bryant to brutalize, torture and kill 14-year-old Emmett Till . Timothy McVeigh didn't blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building just because he was really upset. There's intangible quality that goes deeper. I'm not equating my friend to these people at all. I love Spencer, he's an awesome dude. But I gotta say, if he really hates people who make decisions based on their spiritual beliefs, then he is ignorant and needs to re-evaluate his thinking. What I'm saying is that those examples of behavior are the result of true hatred.

Hate is such a waste of energy. Hate is pointless especially for a reason like that.  More you dwell on hate, the harder it become to ignore. In no way am I saying that you should agree with, or even like the point of view but you should at least try to understand it. After all, no amount of hate will change how someone truly feels, so why even bother?

The Middle Path

2009-04-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

It might be a bit surprising to people who know me, but in actuality, I have very strong spiritual beliefs and convictions. But this is not to say that I practice or subscribe to one certain religious philosophy. I believe there are many paths to lead a fulfilling life. Over the past few years, I've sort of developed my own person set of values that I believe to be essential to leading not only a happy life, but righteous one too. I formed the ideas through researching all sorts of spirituality and much personal reflection.

One of the religions that has shaped my belief come the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, more commonly know as Buddha. Let me give a little back ground into the guy...

The story goes, that the Buddha was a prince named Siddhartha Gautama. The prince lead an incredibly lavish life but was sheltered from the cruel realities of the outside world, never seeing anything beyond the palace walls. Long story short at the tender age of 29,Siddhartha finally left the palace to see the world. On his journey he encountered many terrible sights. He saw an old man dying of disease, an ascetic (someone who takes extreme measure to deprive them self of all earthly pleasures) and finally, a rotting corpse.

For one reason or another (mind you I'm really paraphrasing this story) Siddhartha decided to take up the lifestyle of an Ascetic, and search for wisdom. Siddhartha took desperate measure to deprive him self. It is said, at one point he took to only eating a couple leaves a day. After years of meditation and use of a breathing technique called Anapana-sati, Siddhartha reached the next level of enlightenment. It was revealed to him a philosophy referred to by Buddhist as the "Middle Path". The concept of the middle path is simple. It simply means you should stay away from living in extremes and live a life of moderation. This concept extends into many other Buddhist trains of thought.

I believe that this idea of a middle path is applicable to all parts of life, everything from diet to politics. People often see this world in terms of black and white, Red states and blue states, "Either you're with us or against us", those sort of things. Trying to squeeze a complex heterogeneous world into simple categories only perpetuates ignorance and prevents us to what we should be doing, trying to understand one another.We will never be find a solution (nor "the truth", for that matter) in the realms black and white.

What a Trip

2009-03-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

I feel bad about my last post. It was supposed to be about the Grand Ole Opry and my excitement about the trip and ended up as some rant about the state of country music. Well, now I'm back on track.

So to put it simply, the trip was nothing short of amazing. Where to begin? Well, I guess the very start of the trip was kind of lame. Falling asleep at eleven only to be woken up at two am is not the best way to start off on the right foot. After much tossing and turning in my plush charter buss seat, I decided to take my chances on the floor. I squeezed down between my seat and the fully-reclined seat in front of me. After more tossing and turning I eventually found of mildly comfortable position. Even after I found my position, I kept having terrifying visions of the bus driver slamming on the breaks, sending me sliding into some unknown metal rod under the chair. Needless to say that didn't happen.

After a very restless night sleep I was woken by the groans of fellow sleepy riders and movement of Alex Colemans feet, which had been tickling my face most of the night. We still had six more hours. I felt gross and greasy, but so did everyone else. After many hours of sleeping, laughing, talking, iPod and a marathon of lame movies, we finally reached Nashville.

We peered out the tinted windows of our giant charter bus as we rolled through the streets of Nashville. "Woah, is that the hotel?" I heard someone ask. I turned my head to see an enormous building topped with an impressive glass dome. Our bus turned the corner and past the black steel gates which read "Gaylord Opryland Hotel". We pulled into a large cobblestone circle and clumsily filed off the bus. Things only got more impressive. The center of the complex was a lush green garden with multi-leveled winding paths and multiple waterfalls. I was shocked to find that there was another giant area just like it on the other side of the hotel. There were countless little shops and restaurants. Needless to say, we never ran out of thing to do.

The Grand Ole Opry was a trip to. After me and my roommates unpacked, one of the dads volunteered us to help unload our trailer at the Opry. Once we were finished hauling all the the stuff into a giant cement sound stage, we were approached by a man. He was tall and looked to be in his late sixties. He wore a pair of over sized sunglasses and sported an impressive mustache.
"Y'all 'cited to perform at the Grand Ole AWWWpry". We nodded. "Weeell, y'all wanna see da stage?" We nodded with a little more enthusiasm. He point a long sun-dried arm, "Weeeeellll den, y'all jusss head on thru them therrr daaawwrs and down the haawwlll-way".
"Thanks" we said and took off down the "Haawwlll-way" . It was pretty cool staring out into the auditorium. Front and center was a large circle of the lighter color wood. This circle was taken from the original Opry.

The most surreal, for me, came after our first performance. For one reason or another, we were not able to change inside. To my dismay, we were informed that we would have to change inside the bus. ...What?... No. The whole idea grossed me out. 25 guys drenched in sweat, ass-cheeck to ass-cheeck, naked surrounded by tinted glass...great.

There we were. A group of 50 people in black, sleeveless, faux-crocodile vests standing outside of a charter bus in a mall parking lot. We had our costume bags but the bus was locked and the driver was no where to be found. I reached for my costume bag where my regular clothes are. Then I noticed no one else had there regular clothes. Apparently I wasn't paying attention when Mr. Sands told us to leave our regular clothes on the bus. I could change, but where?Changing involved completely stripping, and a mall parking lot doesn't provide a whole lot of privacy. I spotted several other charter buses lined up 50 yards away. I sneakily as I could, the walked over to the charter buses (mind you it's hard to be sneaky when you're carrying a large banana-yellow costume bag. I snuck between two empty charter buses. I gave one final look to make sure there were no mall-cops patrolling the area and then started undressing. I wanted to get it over with as fast as I could. In a blur, I shed my clothes and compression shorts. This will probably come across weird but as soon as I was completely nude, I stopped and looked up and thought about how absurd this whole thing was. Here I was, right next to the Grand Ole Opry, in a busy mall parking-lot, in my birthday suit. After a few moments, I snapped out of my day dream, and put on my clothes.

As cool as performing on that famous stage was, for me it was over shadowed by the amazing time off stage. We had tons of hours of down time to hangout, explore, and bond with members of the group. I felt this overwhelming sense of connection and friendship. Whether we were raving in a hotel room with a strobe light and an i-Home, eating Gelato next to a fountain, or just sitting on a bed joking and laughing, there was never a dull moment.

It was so sad having to leave that monolithic hotel. This had been such as incredible experience in so many ways. The main reason I was so sad was because I realized this would be the last and only time I would get to send time with this amazing group of people.

This trip gave me a new view of not just Happiness, but happiness.

2009-03-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

In a matter of days, my high school choir and I will be performing on the stage of one of the most famous music venues ever, The Grand ole Opry. This name maybe not mean much to this generation of music fans, but the Grand Ole Opry has a major place in not just Country music, but music in general. To those who don't know, The Opry has played host to all of the biggest names in Country music since it first got its start in 1925. Everyone from Hank Williams to contemporary artists like Allison Krauss.

For most people, Country music is a love it or hate it thing. Or at least that's how it was to me for quite a while. Contemporary Country made a really bad first impression on me. Everytime I turn on CMT of GCM or any other bogus Country music video channel I also get the exact same thing: some chump in a cowboy hat sitting on a porch next to a tire swing with an expensive acoustic guitar crooning about... (insert topic here: family/military/girlfriend/the rural lifestyle) in some corny-ass baritone. Or maybe some dude with a bad mustache singing about his tractor. It makes me mad. I don't understand how people could like this music. These guys aren't taking any risks, their music isn't exciting at all and their sound is so perfected and overproduced it has little if any feeling left. This is a far cry from the original simplicity and honesty Country used to have. Long gone are the days of a simple chords progressions strummed on a guitar. Country music has become a ridiculous parody of itself. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

A few years ago I got a Johnny Cash album for a gift. I saw the light. I realized that there was some good genuine Country music out there. Country music that was worth something beyond its face value. Music with substance.

Despite the current condition of country, I feel honored to perform of such a prestigious stage.
The Grand Ole Opry is apart of a long and proud legacy. I'm happy I'll be apart of it all.

2009-03-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Wow I am about to sound really lame...

Ok, so up until last Thursday I had never really been to a school dance (cool, I know). Well, actually, let me rephrase that. I've been to several dances, I guess I just never really danced at them.
Freshman year, homecoming: I almost asked the girl I had a big crush on, but hey! Surprise, surprise! I chickened out, though I'm sure I would have gotten turned down anyways. For some reason I decided attend to the festivities and just go to the dance solo.. I went out to dinner with a group of people which included my would-be date and her date who is actually a pretty cool dude. We ate at some tasty Chinese restaurant. Some way or another, I ended up ordering two big entrees and got stuck with an even bigger bill. To add insult to injury (or maybe just over-eating) I had to painfully watch my would-be date have a blast and chat it up with some other guy all night. Things only got lamer from there...

I don't know what I was thinking, but for some reason I decided to go to the dance. I felt so alienated. I was all dressed up but had no date. Also, keep in mind that this was at a time in my life when I didn't listen to much music made after the 1970's. I remember making one failed attempt at joining the sweaty mass of bodies pulsating to the rhythm of a song that I had never heard before. Damn I felt awkward. I ended up just kinda jumping around, right outside the perimeter of the party. Well, at least I tried, I tried...

Sophomore year: Homecoming, round 2. This girl basically told me to ask her to the dance, which was cool. We were good friends and I knew we'd have a fun time. Come the weekend before the dance, I go out and buy some clothes. I got a fresh shirt and tie and some tailored pants. I'm looking and feeling pretty good. Next Monday, I arrive at Geometry, all proud of my weekend purchases only to learn that my date had been caught seeking out of the house and was now grounded and unable to go to the dance. Great.
I still went to Osaka with the group we were planning on going with. It was an alright time. I had a delicious, if not lonely, supper. I didn't attend the dance (I had learned that lesson last time around).

I'm a embarrassed to admit that when I found out that she couldn't go, I was a little relieved. Not because I didn't really want to go, but because I really nervous. I hadn't really gone on a date before. I was so scared that I would do something wrong or fail to live up to some fictitious expectation. I was also afraid that it would be painfully obvious that I had never really danced with someone, I kept have flash backs to my previous homecoming dance experience of looking like a long-haired jackass, hopping aimlessly along to the music.

Junior year homecoming: This was a step in the right direction. Again, I found myself going with a cool girl. Again, I got some fresh threads (but this time, my date did not get grounded before I bought them). And yet again, I found my stomach turning whenever I thought about my interaction with my date, especially at the dance. I felt kind of weird because I wasn't super tight with anyone in the group. We had a nice dinner at Vino's (even all the people I was familiar with ditched and went to Taco Bell) and then proceeded to the dance. The dance was a bit better. I could tell that she wasn't quite comfortable with dancing with me and I was cool with that. I kinda figured that's how it was going to be anyways. We ended up just sort of bobbing along on the dance floor amidst the raucous music and movement. That after party was pretty tight. I found it more fun than the dance, probably because I didn't feel like I had to "perform" and could just act naturally and chill.

So that brings me to last Thursday. The Women Pay All dance. This time, things were far different. To start off, I found myself actually really wanting to go. I was really hoping to get asked. The dance was coming up and the girl I was hoping would ask me hadn't said anything yet. I get getting concerned that maybe I was going to get invited after all. Then right as I was about to mention it to her, she popped the question. I don't know if she could tell just how excited I was.

I'm not gonna lie, there were times when I felt nervous and apprehensive. At first, I was still pretty questioning the dance. I was so scared that I would look like a weirdo or worse she just wouldn't want to dance at all. But as March 5th approached, I became less and less nervous and more and more excited, the complete opposite of how I usually felt.

A few day before the dance, I got some bad news. She was sick. This was the first dance I had actually been looking forward to and now, it was starting to look like a bust. I felt even worse for her. She assured me that she would be able to go. At this point I had really mixed feelings. On one hand, I wanted to go so badly, but on the other hand, I didn't want her to do anything she didn't feel up to doing. I didn't want her to feel like I was pressuring her.

Thanks to some snow days, the dance ended up on the same day and the last day of finals. Needless to say, I had alot on my mind. When I was finished testing I raced over to the florist to pick up my corsage (praying to it would match the boutonniere she got me). After a game of Basketball I headed home and got ready.

We would be joined that night by another couple. We all rendezvoused at her house for the typical pre-dance photo-op. After several minutes of minutes and dozens of pictures taken by overly eager parents, we headed to Biaggis. After dinner we had quite a bit of time to kill before the dance and we were kinda in my old neighborhood we just drove around and talked. It was I had fun anyways. Eventually I we decided that we should head towards the school.

I could hear the bass from outside the doors. We walked up the stair and into the cafeteria/crazy rave fest. We stood around for a while say hi to our random friends. There's was a little bit while we were just standing there where I had I fleeting sense of "oh no, is she gonna wanna dance?". I really wanted to say something but I started feeling apprehensive. You can't imagine my relief when she said "so, you wanna dance".

-"um, yeah actually"...

And that was it, I decided I was gonna care about doing anything right or looking silly. And you know what? It was so much fun. It was the most fun I had had in a long time, definitely the most fun at a school function. I finally understood what was so fun about dancing. I know its gonna sound kinda lame, but at the end of the night, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I had finally done something three years in the making and it was way more fun then I expected.

In hindsight, the night was bound to be better. I didn't feel any pressure to be something I wasn't. The entire evening I felt far more confident. It felt good knowing that she invited me.

The way you experience things has so much to do with the people you experience it with. All it took was the right people (or person) to make that night special.

Special thanks to E.B.

My post about The Oscars!...Well, the 1973 Oscars that is...

2009-02-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, Youtube disabled the embedding code so please click the link below.
Marlon Brando's televised "Acceptance Speech"

I find this image so striking...

 Here, amidst all the superficial glitz and glamour and movies stars in their tuxes and bow ties, we have this Indian Women. She is dressed  in traditional native clothing of deer hide, with elaborate, and beautiful bead works strung about in her locks of night-black hair. Her name is Sasheen Littlefeather. When her times finally arrives to deliver her message, she calmly and deliberately walks to the podium. There's something in her demeanor, in her expression. Those haunting dark eyes convey so much as she stares into the camera. There's an air of sadness and desperation.

She's scared. She knows she doesn't belong here, amidst all these wealthy white people. There's apprehension and nervousness in her voice but also, a sense of urgency and desperation. She knows that what she has to say is important and needs to be told. But in her heart, she knows her struggle will once again fall on deaf, apathetic ears. But that does not stop her.
Her words were poetic and eloquent and her message was simple.

"I hope that I have not intruded upon your evening
and that we will, in the future, our hearts and our understandings
will meet with love and generosity".

But yet again, her voice is cut short. This time, not by a Calvary of white soldiers with bayonets, but a team of bustling producers with a sixty second programing slot.

There's something about this video that makes me feel uneasy, angry even. When Sasheen firsts announces that Marlon Brando refused accept the award, there was a murmur of confusion. But it is when she mentions that he refused accept the award because of the portrayal and treatment of American Indians in the film industry that people begin to boo. Realizing that they just revealed their deep-seeded racism they stop and are quickly drowned out by polite but disingenuous applause. An applause of guilt

To me, Littlefeather is not simply representing Brando at an award ceremony, she representing the plight of the American Indian.  To me, this personifies all the broken promises, disease, death, and cultural assimilation that raced across North America in those early years of western expansion.  Here we have a young, reasonable, and articulate Indian,  trying to advocate for herself right in the heart of the definition excess. Yet again, we find another Indian pleading her case in front of the people in power.

I have so much respect for Marlon Brando for doing this. I have even more admiration for Sasheen Littlefeather. It take a lot a courage to stand in front of a auditorium full of rich white men, right at the pinnacle of their self-indulgent celebration, and criticize them for their wrongdoings.

Here is Marlon Brando's complete speech.

Hello. Is there anybody out there?

2009-02-20T07:45:00.000-08:00

Until we make contact, we will always speculate extraterrestrial life. But I think, deep down, we all hope that there's something out there. Something more.

Maybe we're looking for some sort of interstellar companion that we can share knowledge with and learn from.

Or maybe we just want to know that we are not alone in this big scary unknown universe.

Brilliance

2009-02-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

Meds

2009-02-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

From day one, I've always been a little out there. I've always been incredibly unorganized. I like to tell myself that there's a method to my madness but that's not true at all. I'm always thinking about things, deep things, philosophical things. Even when I was little, I thought about stuff. I remember in first grade, when the rest of the class was learning to recognize words like 'and', 'but', and 'or', I remember sitting there thinking about war. Well actually, at that point I was still thinking in terms of "goods guys and bad guys". I remember the instant I realized that the "Bad Guys" weren't really necessarily bad, they just thought things should be different and to them we're the "bad Guys". This may seem pretty obvious to someone now, but to a seven-year-old, that's a pretty big revelation. I'd eventually snap out of my 'day dreams' and catch up with the rest of the class.

I've done this as long as I can remember. In class, I'd ponder the "important" things in life and then play catch up to what we were supposed to be learning about. Even though it caused alot of stress and a few late nights, my habit of procrastinating never really became a problem that needed immediate addressing. Up until eighth grade, none of this presented any major problems. I always got good grades (except for in math, I will always be bad at math)and I always really enjoyed school. I excelled in the language arts, especially writing. Then, during my final year at Harding, things started changing. Grades started dipping a little lower and lower. At first we all thought it was simply a matter of getting organized and making use of our handy "action planners". For some reason I never ever got used to writing things down. It isn't like I was lazy and didn't want to put the effort into it, I just didn't. I don't know why.

The problems persisted. Things were getting worse and worse. More and more assignments were turning up missing and incomplete. My usual schedule of putting things off till the last minute was now starting to hurt me. It was becoming increasingly obvious that my system was starting to fail. But why. This had always worked for me in the past. Why not now? What was going on?

Ever since I heard of Attention Deficit Disorder, I had a sneaking suspicion that maybe I was slightly afflicted with it. But I never said anything. I didn't want people to think I was making excuses for my behavior. I always hated it (and still do) when kids dismissed things by simply saying "Oh, well I have ADD".

Little did I know, but my parents were starting to have similar suspicions. They scheduled me in for an appointment with a doctor to see what he thought. He confirmed our beliefs and went as far as to say that I actually had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He explained that I had always had this condition but had able get by because I'm naturally pretty bright. But now, he said, school was starting to get tougher and I wasn't able to get by with just my brightness and that's why my grades were dropping.

Long story short I got, I got a prescription for a drug called Adderall.

Adderall is no fun. The doctor said that there was a possibility of side effects: loss of appetite, maybe some slight changes in mood.

The drugs did help me pay attention in school but could not compensate for the fact that there were some subjects I just didn't get. Sure I could pay attention but I still could grasp the concepts being presented.

The Adderall had other affects on me, but not necessarily in a positive ways. The drugs gave me tunnel vision like focus. The inner rhythm that kept my hands and feet tapping quiet little beats died away. It felt as though my legs were fastened to the floor. Adderall completely skewed my appetite. I would feel extremely hungry but I could never bring myself to eat anything because nothing sounded appealing. Often I would end up just having an apple and a bottle of water for lunch. I felt a constant craving for something to stimulate my thoughts and some times the subject being taught wasn't enough. Once again I was back to my old ways of totally spacing out of the class. I constantly found myself totally consumed with my inward thoughts and unable to focus on the task at hand.

The worst of the side effects were the emotional ones. Adderall put me through some of the worst feelings I've ever felt. The drugs completely stifled all creativity. I no longer had any desire to play the guitar or create any music. I wanted to be creative and I tried to play music and write, but nothing satisfied me so I stopped all together. I began to have dramatic mood swings throughout the day. The tiniest things could throw my temperament from content indifference to feeling miserable and helpless. It was awful.

I'm not sure why I put up with all this for so long. Adderall did help me in certain aspects but in hindsight, it wasn't worth all the negatives.

I've been off Adderall for a while now. I'm currently taking a couple other meds that I cant recall. They don't give me the same focus, but they also don't leave me feeling all screwed up and depressed.

So what's the point? I don't know. In no way am I a "anti-medication-ADHD-is-a-conspiracy-Tom-Cruise" kinda guy. But I would say that if you can opt out of using drugs and can find a natural alternative, definitely do it. No one should have to compromise personal happiness for academic success

Valentines Day

2009-02-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

Oh man, Valentines Day. One of the many maintstream pseudo-secular holidays that was blown up by the Greeting Card industry and which we fail to understand/care about the origin of. Oh well. It's kinda a dumb holiday anyways.

Valentines Days is named after Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr who lived somewhere around the time of 270 AD and who was ultimately met the fate that all martyrs do. He was ordered to be beaten and stoned to death by the rather ominously named Cluadius Gothicus. After being beaten and stoned into submission he was then beheaded to finish him off.

Nice.

Like most elementary schools, Valentines Day was another excuse to throw a party. I remember every kid bought they're own special themed cards (god forbid someone had the same kind as you). I would wait til the evening of February 13 to finally get out the class list and scribble some generic "Happy Valentines Day" phrase on each card. The next day we would go around and dropped our little cards into the paper bags masqueraded with construction paper hearts and sprinkles. When we were all done we would plop down at our desk and scavenge the plunder, totally disregarding the notes, looking for all the good candy first (there were always several suckers and lollipops left at the bottom of my bag).

Some where along the line in elementary school, I began to notice that some people were getting a little more than just "Happy Valentines Day" written on there cards. And by the time I got to middle school I definitely noticed that Valentines Day wasn't so platonic. At Harding, Valentines Day wasn't celebrated in class but you had the option to buy your "friend" a rose and candy. Some kids
went bonkers, buying a dozen roses or more for their sweetheart. For me, that's when Valentines Day stopped being about getting loaded up on candy and became more about feeling excluded. I saw these kids casually show affection. I could never (and still can't) work up the nerve to do that, no matter how badly I wanted too.

Today I was chilling at Hy-Vee with my pal. After we were done with our sodas he asked if I would stay to help pick out some Valentines Day stuff for his girlfriend. We walked down the seasonal aisle. We stared at the wall of red and pink. There was a vast assortment of heart-shaped boxes. Shelves of stuffed animals gazing of with their giant glass eyes as if to say "pick me, oh please! pick me!" I watched him contemplate what to purchase. I could not help but feel disappointed in myself. I felt kinda weird watching.
"Should I get her a stuffed animal too?" he asked.
Did he really just ask me that? I gave my honest opinion. "Dude, no" I said. "It's just gonna end up at the back of a closet some where."
I felt kinda weird. I'd like to say that my advice came from the sensible side of me. But in reality i know that it was the bitter bachelor buddy in me was starting to come out. For a second I hesitated and thought to myself "How many Valentines Days would I be playing this part?"

To me, buying a stuffed animal seemed kinda excessive but then I had to look at it from another perspective. I have to admit that if I was in a relationship I would probably be doing the same thing. Really, it's probably mostly envy that was making me feel that way(But seriously, a box of chocolates and a couple roses were enough, Krause).

Anyways, maybe this will be the year that I grow a pair and actually do something for Valentines Day. I think my problem is that I make things into way bigger deals than they need to be. Maybe Valentines Day didn't change as I got older, maybe it was just my perception of it. If I really want to participate in the holiday, I should approach Valentines Days with the same casual mentality I had when back in elementary school, when Valentines Days was about what's really important, candy.

Tonight...

2009-02-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

...is a full moon. It looks cool.

C'mon man. What are you thinking?

2009-02-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

When someone told me that Weezy was coming out with a Rock album, I thought they were kidding. When I thought about it, a Lil' Wayne rock album kinda makes sense. I knew that Lil' Wayne has made references to Led Zeppelin in a couple lines and I've read that his favorite rockstar was Kurt Cobain. He even dresses more like a rock singer sometimes. But still I never saw this coming.

The concept of a Lil' Wayne introducing some Rock influence into his music sounded promising. There would be a whole new audio depth to his music with the addition of actual instruments. Wayne's always been an original and has always definitely had his own style. I figured his kookiness combined with guitars and drums would mix into some cool hybrid, a whole new style of Rock music.

Well I was kinda wrong.

There are two leaked songs from "Rebirth". The one I heard is called "Prom Queen". What can I say. I was really disappointed. Instead of making a unique untested sound, Lil' Wayne conformed to typical Rap-Rock garbage. He totally abandoned his weird flow and inventive word play for some BS cookie cutter mopey lyrics. The lyrics are uncreative and whiny not to mention that all the vocals are drenched with the gargle of Auto-Tune. The whole song is based around this over-distorted guitar hook and big drums with way too many clangy cymbal crashes.

The other song I heard was a bit better. "Hot Revolver" also features guitar and drums but they aren't as in-your-face and over done. "Hot Revolver" is actually sort of Emo, the chorus features some generic white boy singer crooning "Boy you got a problem, and you ain't fooling no one but yourself. You're like a hot revolver and you ain't killin' know one else." This song has more of a structure to it compared to the obnoxious repetitiveness of "Prom Queen". The middle section even combines all bit of typical Lil' Wayne style beats.

Yeah, I think alot of people are gonna be thinking "What the hell?" when they first hear these new tracks. There are some hardcore Weezy fans out there who are take this pretty hard and start questioning God.

However,people had the exact same reaction to Kayne's released "Love Lockdown" and that eventually warmed up to the public.

Reguardless if this album bombs or not, I'm positive that Lil' Wayne will count his losses and easily bounce and still continue to do things his way.

Push

2009-02-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure what to expect with Push. I'm not a big fan of super stylized action movies with weird plot lines, but I went anyways with an open mind.

The plot goes something like this...

During WWII, the Nazis were experimenting on people with psychic abilities, trying to manipulate them into the super soldiers. Apparently there several types of psychics abilities, "Pushers"," Movers", "Bleeders", "Seers", "shadows" and tons of others.

WWII ended but the experiment continued in the hands of the US government by an agency called "The Division" (oohhhh mysterious!) . Now, the psychics are constantly trying to avoid being captured the government.

We find our main character Nick, played by Chris Evans (Not Another Team Movie), hiding in the slums of China. Early on in the movie he is discovered by a couple of agents from "Division" who basically tell him that there's no point in running anymore because he has been found. Within minutes, Chris gets another knock on the door, this time its a girl. She tells him her name is Cassie (Dakota Fanning) and she's a seer (able to draw glimpses of the future). Her visions have lead her to Nick and she needs him to...

Ok. To be honest I really don't remember much of the plot, the story itself lost my interest pretty early on. I don't think this movie is really about the plot, though. The story was trying to be so complex and original but it got kinda left by the wayside by the visual aspects of the film.

Visually, the movie was pretty cool which is a good thing because it sort of distracted you from the fact that the acting was bad. The art direction was bright and vibrant giving the movie a very "Anime cartoony" feel but it worked really well. The cinematography was fast and smooth which complemented the very cool action and fighting sequences.

The film fell kinda flat with me. Unless you're really into flashy action flicks, I wouldn't see this in theaters. However, if you have a big, HD television and surround sound, deffinately pick it up at Mr. Movies.

Girl Talk- Feed the Animals

2009-02-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

A few post ago I discussed how some artist can can the cross-over with other genres better than other. Well, now I'm convinced that how well music mixes has alot less to do with genres being mixed and who's behind the computer doing the mixing.

This morning I had the sweet serendipity of receiving a new album from a friend. Scribbled on the disc, it said "Girl Talk". I had heard of them. I knew they made mash-up songs but that was about it.

Before I go into the album, lemme give you some background on the artist. Girl Talk is actually a guy named Greg Gillis. Basically what this guy does is take all types of music from different artists and mends them together in to massive complex party anthems.

I popped the disc into my computer and clicked play. The first tune starts off the the recognizable bass grove from the 60's dance song "Give me some Lovin'" by the Spencer Davis Group. On top of that, he layers lyrics from rappers like Outkast and UGK. Within the first minute, Girl Talk manages to sample 8 different artist. At the two minute mark we hear the Hair-Metal classic "We're Not Gonna Take it" by Twisted Sister. Things only get crazier from there. He uses clips of every one from Huey Lewis and the News to Lil' Wayne to Temple of the Dog. In the end, Girl talk samples 24 plus other songs. And that's just the first track. The whole album is driven by electronic pops, kicks, and snares that underlay all the songs.

Feed the Animals sounds is an audio orgy. Track after track is a genius collage of sounds perfectly stitched together, each song flowing seamlessly into the next. I listened to this album start to finish a couple times. Each time I had this feeling of euphoria. I could visualize all these musicians in a giant room just laying it down and have fun and playing music. Feed the Animals has an almost three dimensional feels to it. The myriad of songs don't distract from but complement each other.

One of my friends argued that mash-ups like these are in fact not really all that special and that "anyone with a computer". To me, this is just like saying "Anyone with a computer can make a rap beat." Statement like these are true to a certain extent. But it takes way more that some MP3 files and the right software to make mash-ups as awesome as these. You need immense creativity and the ability to think completely out of the box not to mention an endless supply of patients.

Girl Talk is a diplomat of sorts. He can take completely opposite artist and make the listener see past their differences. He has the ability, no, the talents of being able to bring artist from all walks of like, all styles, different decades, and different genres and brings them together.

2009-02-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

Untitled

2009-02-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

The other day I was wondering if there is any evolutionary purpose for our emotions.

When I first started considering this, it seemed to me that emotions could possibly be one of our many evolutionary flaws. After all emotions make us do stupid, irrational things. Emotions often cloud our reason and sensibility. And it doesn't make sense that the time when our hormones and emotions are the most unstable, uninhibited and intense comes at one of the most crucial points in our development.

Do other animals have emotions? I guess that is debatable. Is a mother bear protecting her cubs acting because of her love and devotion to keeping her children safe or because of some instinctive drive ingrained in her brain that tells her to to do so to simply continue to species. Instinct or emotion, I don't know. But really, is there a difference? And if there is one, does it really matter?

That was kinda off my main point so I digress.

I continued to think of all the follies of human emotion and how life would different(better?) without them.

But then, it became painfully obvious that emotions have infinite more positives qualities. It is our strong, and vast range of emotion is what makes us not just humans, but people. Emotion is what drives creativity and the will to keep on going. life without emotions has no point. Life without a possibility happiness is not a life worth living.Sure our unchecked emotions can hurt us and cause us to fail, but pain and failure is as much apart of the humane experience as love and joy.

Just feeling out of it

2009-02-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling sort of out of it lately, in a few ways: mentally and socially. I think I've been strung a little too tight. Waking up at 5:30 and going to bed at 10:30 has started taking its tole on me. And as much as I enjoy it, Happiness Inc. rehearsals and performances aren't helping not to mention the homework from my classes. Some people are excellent time managers and have no problem taking multiple AP courses along with several other activities but I am in no way one of those people and I think some of this stress is starting to manifest.

Last Thursday, I arrived at my weekly voice lesson (fashionably late as all ways). About halfway through the lesson I could help but feel a twitch right below my left eye. I rubbed my cheek and went about but the twitching continued. I apologized to my professor and looked in the mirror hanging on his door. Sure enough, my left cheek was twitching uncontrollably. I looked about to my professor to see if he to noticed the twitch. He confirmed it. As my upper cheek continued to sporadically jerk, professor Elliot looked to me and said "You know, Lars, that twitch is a stress nerve." in his deep British accent.

Wow, stress induced twitch. How convenient.

For the past three weekends,I've had some sort of event or competition to attend whether it be speech or show choir and to be frank, I'm getting kinda sick of it. Don't get me wrong, I really love doing them both(well, I really love participating in show choir)but I think it's time for a break. And what do you know? The one week we have off from show choir, I have to be back at Kennedy at 4:30 on a Saturday morning for a speech competition.Alot of my friends have started noticing my absence and are kinda wondering what's up. I've getting alot of: "Dude Lars, we haven't hung out in a long time!" or "Lars! Where ya been man?" One of the worst feelings is having to turn some of your friends down.

"I'd love to, I really would, but I got Fab Five this weekend so... yeah...maybe some other time."

I've made tons a new friends, really good friends, through these activities. But I hate the feeling of having to turn down my other pals. Sorry guys.

(btw, I'm sorry that this post is kinda diary-ish and whiny."

But what's it about?

2009-01-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

When I first started this blog, I had no clear cut idea what was going to be the focus or theme. The title might suggest to someone that this blog focuses on drug-addled ventures through the mid-west, but that person would be a tad disappointed. I was very hesitant to commit to any certain topic. I was afraid that one certain topic would narrow my range of writing. I knew I wanted tto blog about politics and pop-culture, but I knew that I could easily get tired of those topics. I wanted the option to blog about what ever I felt like sharing. So I picked a vague name and started typing. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing but my blogs are kind of all over the place in terms of subjects. I have a few blogs about political type things. I have some on the election of course. About Obama and McCain and Palin. I've posted a few blogs about music and movies. Upon going back over my blogs, I was that there was one subtle, but reoccurring theme. Several of my post are about our connection to our childhood. You can find this idea in some way, shape, or form, in quite a few posts. I kinda wonder why that is and what it says about me...

No...Just..no

2009-01-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

I pride myself on having an eclectic taste in music. Pretty much any music that has integrity I can can dig. Everything from Arcade Fire to Andre 3000, I like it all. In no way am I a sort of musical purist. I'm all for the mixing and mashing of styles and artists. I was beyond impressed when producer DangerMouse mixed Jay-Z "Black Album" with The Beatles "White Album". I love hearing music twisted and turned around. It's like hearing a whole other side of it.

But, I have to say, some artists make the crossover better than others. Take for instance the New album "Johnny Cash-Remixed"

yeah... That's not gonna work. I'm a big fan of Cash. The content of his songs were genuine and had substance. His simplicity and his grittiness is unmatched in country music, especially the squeaky-clean, play-it-safe contemporary country artists (*cough cough Taylor Swift*cough*RascalFlatss*cough*basicallyanybodyonCMT*cough).

Therein lies why I dislike this album so much. A bunch of Dj's took these simple but good songs and made them flashy, over-produced and gimmicky, the exact opposite of what Cash is.

I had to laugh when I heard that the executive-producer for this album was none other than Snoop Dogg. Right there is another problem. I love Snoop Dogg but he's not really fit to produce. As much as I like him, I know that in fact, he isn't all that good at rapping or creativity. His fame and popularity lie in his persona, not his musical prowess.

Anywhooo, here's little graphic I made to illustrate my opinion on "Johnny Cash Remixed"

What really matters

2009-01-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

I'll never be an Astronaut. I really wish I could be, but I know that my destiny, what ever it may be is Earth-bound. This harsh reality kinda bums me out. Few things fascinate me more than space. Simply trying to imagine the vastness throws my mind into a trip. I get even more boggled when I consider the advancements we will make in space travel and what I might be able to see. I can not even begin to imagine what it would feel like to look out a little window and see and incoming Saturn. I wonder if Aldrin and Armstrong and all the other privileged few realize how fortunate they are to have had this experience. My guess is that they probably do. My hope is that in the future, everyone will have an opportunity to travel into the vacuum of space, and here's why...

I can not believe that you could go on a journey into space with out returning with an altered outlook on life. When the Apollo 11 crew saw their planet, there home, everything they had ever known, all right there in a tiny window, they must have had some sort of altered perception of our world. How could you not change at that sight.

As the human race, we have our priorities way mixed-up. I think we get so caught up in our jumbled lives that we forget about the most fundamental aspects of our very existence. Sure, we all know that there's a whole other infinite universe out there, but most us do not think about that and what that means. People's minds are typically very uni-centric, we need to really realize that's so much more out there, things that are so much more important than our trivial, everyday problems.

Another forgotten concept, is that of our own planet. We all know that we live on planet Earth, but we fail to recognize how significant this really is. This pale little blue dot is all we have. It's our only island home in a never ending and growing ocean of the unknown. I get so mad when people act as though the issue of the environment needs to be addressed, but there are many more important things that need tending to first. I can't think of a single issue that's more important than the state of our home. Without a healthy planet, we are nothing.

I think on some level that people subconsciously avert from some of these trains of thought. After all, it is a sort of scary notion and a total bash to our human ego. It's hard to accept the fact that we are so infinitely small and everything earthly possession we work for is meaningless. But that is not to say that our lives and what we do with them are unimportant and that really nothing matters. On the contrary, I think it reveals to us that what we do with our live and the actions we choose really DO matter. More would come to understanding that this is all we got and we might as well spend our lives trying to do what really make up happy and not waste time trying to collect as many objects as we can that simply bind us this life. We would realize what's really important. We need to realize the true matters of consequence.

The Epitomy of Lame

2009-01-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

This morning, I stumbled into the kitchen in my usual dreamy stupor and began to prepare my daily eggs, toast, and tea. I Flipped on the television to VH1 to listen to some music. The first video I saw went something like this…

The camera is flying through intergalactic space. It circles Saturn, goes through the asteroid belt and straight to Earth. It continues to zoom in onto the country of Italy and finally into the famous/computer generated Rome Coliseum and there they are, Nickleback! Of corse it makes perfect sense! There they are in all their badass glory totally rocking out in the ancient ruins. With the sound turned off this would seem pretty epic. But when you un-mute it you realize how ridiculous the whole thing is. Cut to the lead singer “Chad” who’s emoting to the camera . He starts to sing in his graveling Eddie Vedder-rip off voice…

“This time, I wonder what it feels likeTo find the one in this life, the one we all dream ofBut dreams just aren't enough”

Oh! Of course! These lyrics totally explain the setting of the video? Cut to: various filler shot of the rest of the band totally rocking out and feeling the song. But wait! A huge crack spits across the coliseum. The Structure starts to crumble and then…The camera zooms out and refocuses on yet another random-ass location. This time the mediocre group of musicians are playing on some bridge in the midst of what appears to be typhoon and then it’s the massive chorus!

"Cause nobody wants to be the last one there'
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands There's gotta be somebody for me like that
'Cause nobody wants to do it on their own
And everyone wants to know they're not alone
There's somebody else that feels the same some where
There's gotta be somebody for me out there"

Wow…That’s deep!

Right now, Nickelback's sixth album, Darkhorse, holds the number two spot on the Top 40 albums list. I think Dark Horse is a pretty accurate title for the album because I would have never expected a group this bad would be one of the most popular acts in the country.

I have a real hard time finding the appeal of this group but apparently, there is a pretty big contingency of people in this country who really like listening to Canadian tools singing mellow-dramatic, over-produced rock songs.

Essentially there are two types of Nickelback songs:

Type 1: The mid-tempo, reminicing/regretful corny-ass tunes such as there big hit "Photograph" which features such compelling lyrics as

"Look at this photograph, every time I see it it makes me laugh
How did our eyes get so red and what the hell is on Joey's head?"

But seriously what was on Joey's head? I really want to know. These radio friendly tunes seem to play to the demographic of the middle-aged soccer parents carting their kids around in there Crossovers.

Type 2: The fast, driving, creepy sexual songs. These are the songs that you're likely to hear on your local lame "Hard Rock" station playing that plays them in constant rotation, non-spot, day after day. These songs are endless strings of the the least clever sexual inuendos imaginable. Since this is a school blog I will refrain from posting some of the weird lyrics but lets just say that some of the referances would make even the most lude frat boy go "Really?".

Bottom line: These dudes are chumps. On the bright side it looks as though the Portugese are the right page!

Companion Ship

2009-01-29T07:08:00.000-08:00

It was getting kinda late and I still had to read an essay for AP Lang. I was getting tierd and started to doze off (not that the essays are boring, Ayers). I shook my head awake and re-read the paragraph I had just read only moments ago. My parents were going off to bed soon and and the buzz around the house would qwell into an erie silence. To me, the sound of nothingness can be just as distracting as a television in the family room. Soon I would not have my parents looking over my shoulder and I would be stuck with my internal struggle, "Should I do my homework, or maybe just go on the internet and surf Facebook and Youtube?".

Right as I was about to get up to take what I promised to myself to be a five minute break, I noticed my cat, Snickers, noiselessly making her way across the white carpet. I stayed where I was. She made her way up to the couch and with a jump she was right up next to me. I watched her survey the surface area. Paw by paw, as though not to disturb me, she stepped on to my lap. She then proceeded to "need" my leg, pressing her front paws up and down before she finally did a little spin and plopped down. I scratched her neck and petted her soft fur. She looked so content. I couldn't get up now, it seemed wrong to disturb something so peaceful and loving.

So there we sat, just me and my cat. It was nice having someone stay up with me to keep my company even if it meant dozing in my lap.

cell phone

2009-01-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

I have a bad habit. I easily loose things, very easily. Literally, within a matter of minutes. That being said last weekend was pretty big. I had to be at school on Saturday at 5:30 to catch bus to Moticello Iowa for a regional speech competition. At noon we left for Davenport for an all day Show Choir competition. When we arrived at the school where the competition when went right into the beautiful auditorium to watch some performances. I remember taking my phone out to check my text messages and put it on vibrate. About seven minutes, while walking down the halls I came to the realization that my phone was gone. Now this happens to me on a regular basis. So I didn't freak out, until I got I got to the room. I checked all my pants pockets, my gym bag, my coat pockets,my pants pockets again. Nothing. I raced back to the auditorium, to the row I was sitting. Nothing. I was far too busy and had to much on my mind to deal with a missing cell phone.

The day went on and I totally forgot about my problem. Towards the end of the night I remembered my dilemma. I realized that it was too late and my cell phone was gone for good this time.

No big deal. I decided I was gonna be one of the kids who depends on their cell phone. It wasn't a problem at first but I started to notice some of my ill tendencies. Whenever I found my self getting bored I would go for my phone. Also, I realized that I actually do need a phone for more legitimate reasons. On several occasions I needed to call some people, but I didn't have a phone. No problem right? Just borrow someones Else's! Wait, I don't have their number! Damn!

When I think about it, I can't really picture life without a cell phone, though, that's not to say I could survive without one. I just thinks it's funny how a cell phone went from being a privilege to being a necessity.

The Greatest?

2009-01-26T20:32:00.001-08:00

I think I must have first heard of Lil' Wayne in 8th grade on one of those "You Hear It first" clips on Mtv. I remember thinking wow another "Lil'" rapper? Really? Damn! Lil' Flip, Lil' Mama, Lil' Bow Wayne, Lil' Romeo, Lil' Jon and now Lil' Wayne. As most everyone knows, Lil' Wayne is nothing short of a rap (make that music) phenomenon. Remember back in 1999? That whole Napster thing, and how all those musicians were throwing a hissy fit back because people were sharing files? How ironic is it that one of the worlds most popular musicians owes much of his success to illegal downloading? Lil' Wayne's catalog of his thousands of songs spread like crazy by means of peer-to-peer networks.

I'm not sure where it all started, but some how there got to be this notion that Lil' Wayne is the best rapper alive. When people first started telling me this I immediately took a strong opposition to this. Hersey! These people must have never listened to Ghostface, the GZA, Method Man or any of the other countless of Wu-Tang MCs. What ever happened to Pac and Biggie being the kings? Anybody ever hear of a guy named NaS? Not to mention the hundred of lesser known alternative artists like MF Doom, A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots. No, these Lil' Wayne fanatics were just ignorant to real rapping.

As Wayne's popularity increased it became nearly impossible to avoid hearing his music. I heard his song "Lollipop" a million times on the radio, I thought it was a well written pop song but nothing special. But as summer came and several of my friends installed subs in their trunks, I got a little more exposure. The more I listened, the more I realized the Lil' Wayne wasn't so bad. The style of hip-hop alot of his songs had wasn't my personal favorite but it eventually started to grow on me.

I started thinking about it and really listening to Wayne's stuff and I came to some conclusions. Lil' Wayne does have alot going for him. I couldn't deny that the dude has his own unique flow, a style unto his own, it's in the way his weird crackling voice and bizarre twang weaves and twists words into almost free-associative rhyme schemes. Also, the guys alot more clever than most of his contemporaries.

To say that one artist, of any genre, is "the greatest" is just stupid. You can't call something like that. Music is far too subjective and personal for that sort of categorizing. But something should be said for Lil' Wayne. He deserves some definite props. By no means is he the best rapper alive but he is by far the most unique and original contemporary popular rap artist. There I said it

Dreams

2009-01-25T12:26:00.000-08:00

I must have been maybe six years old, when I had the dream. I recall that my house was being over taken by monsters and skeletons. My best friend and I were hiding in my room, trying to figure what we should do all the while we could hear the hideous shrieks coming from outside the door. We decided, using the logic that only can come is a dream, to make a run for it. We did not know where we were gonna run to but we had to just go for it. Holding our breath, we threw open the door and booked it! Through the living room and across the kitchen. I remember turning my head and seeing a band of hairy monsters swinging from the light fixtures. Right before we got the family room, a cackling skeleton jumped in front of us. Without missing a beat, we dodged him and dove under a table(apparently, monsters and skeletons can see through wood). We scanned the room looking for a safe haven. That's when I noticed my dad sitting in the recliner, completely oblivious to the surrounding chaos. In one final desperate move, we sprinted across the room and some how managed to hide between my dad and the big recliner.

Typically, I do not not have dreams like this. That is , dreams that are so vivid and where I can control what happens and think. As a matter of fact, up until a couple months ago, I rarely had dreams at all.

A couple months ago I decided I was going to experiment with my sleep. When I would go to bed I would clear my head and focus on nothing. I would focus on my thoughts. I would try to forget every stimuli my body was feeling and simply look inside my head. This might sound strange but after a few weeks, I got pretty good at this. I started to notice things. I would totally loose consciousness of my body. The only thing I was tuned into was my mind. I could loose all spatial awareness. A sensation that can only be described as floating over comes me being. I also got to the point where I knew when I was teetering on the apex of awake and asleep. My brain sort of goes on "autopilot" and starts working and thinking on its own. Little dream-like stories play out in my subconscious.

Ever since I started practicing my "disciplined sleep" I've started having many more dreams. Dynamic dreams. The "story" progresses, people interact with each one another. On a few occasions, I've had complete control of the dreams. Recently, I've had very bizarre dreams. Maybe dreams is not the best way to describe them. They're almost like trips. The only thing in the dream is my psyche. I experience this feeling of whole being morphing and being tossed around in an infinite abyss. What puzzles me the most is when these types of dreams occur, I have no clue that it's only a dream. It feels so real. I get scared and confused.

In my opinion, a dream is a little glance that we have into our inner-most thoughts, feelings, emotions and so much more, despite if we understand them or not. I also believe that dreams provided tiny lapses in reality that give necessary relief to our subconscious and are essential to our sanity and our lives.

Sweet dreams...

Disbelief...

2009-01-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

As much as I wish I could avoid the subject and think of an original and fresh topic, I really feel compelled to blog about last Tuesday.

Of corse, the media had nothing better to do than cover every single moment leading up to the historic ceremony. All day long every news network had constant coverage of the unfolding events, no matter how boring or pointless it was. I thought it was pretty special Many teachers were willing to set aside class for the day and lets the students watch the ceremonies. Unfortunately, my parents had scheduled a doctors appointment at 11,right when our new president was to give his speech. I did get to watch all the congressmen and politicians walk around and arrive! How exciting! The only person I got to hear was pastor Rick Warren give a lengthy prayer (did get to hear him say "Melia!..and sashaaaa! in a disturbingly enthusiatic voice.)

As I watched the continuing coverage later that night, still couldn't believe what was happening. Even though I supported Obama since that cold February afternoon when he announced his candidacy I still always sort of felt that the odds were far too great. Even after he won Iowa and even after we won the nomination and even as much as i hate to admit it, I still felt that maybe most americans "weren't ready" for a Black president.In fact reality didn;t set in until I watched our new president and his lovely wife elegantly dance to the Etta James Classic "At Last" as performed stunningly by Beyonce.

I guess my disbelief isn't so much that Barack is our new president. My shock is that I've been able to wittness the whole story. I was able to watch history be made right in the prime of my life. I had the privilage of meeting, talking to and shaking hands with Barack Obama. Anyone who who tries to downplay this election and Barack Obama's sigfinicance needs to get a grip and consider the astoudning odds and circumstances of not only of our current cultural situation but our nation's history. The more I think about it the more impressed I become and all the more fortuante I feel that I was here to watch it unfold first hand.

Ayo Technology

2009-01-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I received an i-Pod Touch. Needless to say I was pretty excited. I've had the same i-Pod Nano since 8th grade and it couldn't hold all of my music. I was especially excited for it's internet capabilities.

I was at school messing around with my i-Pod when I realized I didn't have the wi-fi password.
Ask around for people who might know it. I finally found some one who some how had managed to obtain the password. He sent via text message. I punched the random combination of letters and digits and there it was, the vast Internet in my hand.

I told a couple people that I had one of the several wi-fi passwords in the school. Without hesitation they ask how I got and if they could have it. I was happy to oblige. 4th hour Choir came around and even more people wanted the code.

After school I went to friends house to get some songs off his iTunes. While the songs were downloading he asked "Did you get that text message with the school's wi-fi code?" "um yeah, I kinda was the first kid to send it I think." He told me that a ton of people all over the school had received it. That's when I realized the level that technology had come to. We're at a time when a device that almost every kid has in his pocket can transfer information virtually instantly.

I guess this isn't the first time this has occurred to me. I'm on YouTube.com pretty frequently, alot more than I probably should. I've seen my share of viral videos and and funny clips. But Youtube has done more than just provide limitless videos to watch. YouTube (and the Internet in general) has completely leveled the playing field. It has provided a platform for your everyday person to become potentially famous. My favorite recent example in a comedy-song writer named Bo Burnham. More than 20 million people have logged on to Youtube to watch at least one of Burnham's several funny songs. Now, because of all this Internet success, 18 year old Burnham has his own Comedy Central Special in the works that will air in the next couple months.

When I really think about it, the speed that information can travel at is really mind boggling. I wonder what Johann Gutenburg would think?

Kid Logic

2008-12-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

I remember lying on my bed listening to this about a year ago. It still gives me chills.

One Day as a Lion EP

2008-12-17T07:07:00.000-08:00

Finally, Rage Against the Machine fans are getting what they've been hungrily anticipating for the past eight years, well sort of. In 2008 vocalist Zach De La Rocha left Rage sighting a "failure in the decision making process of the band" and conflicting musical aspirations. The other 3/4 of Rage formed the mediocre alt-rock banned Audioslave with former Soundgarden singer, Chris Cornel. They went on the produce three more albums to moderate success but nothing as critically acclaimed or different than Rage. Zach De La Rocha virtually disappeared from the music scene spending more time working for political causes.

Let me clarify something first. I despise most "Rap-Rock": Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, all that garbage. I can't say exactly why I hate the genre so much but it probably has to do with a lack of substance in the lyrics. I want to punch something when ever I see these white guys with their backwards baseball hats jumping up and down screaming semi-coherent rhymes about random shit. I swear the only purpose of this music is to set off douchebags into ridiculous frenzies at frat parties. This being said I love Rage Against the Machine. These guys are only musicians who have perfected the melding of these two genres. The music has a perfect balance edgy guitars and low thumping funk bass and drums. But what really set this band apart were the extremist Marxists lyrics of Zach De La Rocha. You'll be hard pressed to find more political and ideological lyrics. His delivery is so passionate and full of conviction is easy to look past the fact that he can be a bit preachy.

When I read that De La Rocha released to new Record with a new band, I immediately rushed to buy it. I gotta say, I was impressed. It was quite Rage but it definitely had the right groove. The Band is comprised of De La Rocha and Jon Theodore (the former drummer of The Mars Volta) although they have mentioned thatthey are looking to expand the group. Right away I noticed the main difference from Rage. One Day as a Lion has a much more stripped down sound. The whole album features only three elements Keyboards, vocals(De La Rocha) and drums(Theodore). Reguardless, ODAAL doesn't lack any intensity. If Che Guevara ever picked up a mic and started writing rhymes, it would probably sound similar to Zach De La Rocha. De La Rocha's lyrics are as revolutionary and abrassive as ever.

"cops blastin out church windows

They heard word of two on a terror list

Hid in the pews, just two city terrace kids

one held a piece just for peace of mind

The other was spittin' poems blowin minds On the picket line"

The keyboards on the albums are distorted and gritty. The keys lock up with the drums in syncopated precision. The rhythms are tight. A couple of the songs sound sort of similar and the vocals tracks can be hard to understand at times. Another down side of this release is that it is only an EP. The disc only contains five songs leaving listeners wanting more.

Last year, Rage reformed and started playing festivals again but there are no promises for a new album. So as we anxiously wait for a fullblown Rage reunion, we'll have to settle for One Day as a Lion. I look forward to watching One Day as a Lion develope as a band and seeing what kind of music they will create.

Some movies are always funny...

2008-12-14T09:39:00.001-08:00

This weekend I had the delight of revisiting a long lost movie from my childhood. We were looking through my friends movie collection when we stumbled across the feature length Keenan & Kel movie Good Burger. Now, most movies from my younger days are dissapointing re-watch. The jokes tend to land flat and you realize that plot is about as thick as Sran Wrap. Good Burger, however, was deffinately funnier this time around. Mixed in with to completely outrageous gags, there were a ton of subtle jokes the film makers put in to satisfy the adults who were dragged by their kids to see a Nickelodeon movie. 

The movie had a little Jay and Silent Bob thing going on, maybe even a Friday fell too. There were a ton of jokes I know went completely over my head when I was seven years old. There's a scene in which Kel assures a crowd of people that his date(played by Carmen Electra)'s "Butt is fine" to name one. There were several other cameos by random B-list celebrities such as Abe Vigoda, Sinbad, and Shaq. But my favorite guest appearance has to be the Funkadelic music-maker George Clinton who showed up in a dance montage in a metal institution with his rainbow dreadlocks, goofy sunglasses and all. 

The plot was very flimsy and campy but I was able to look past that. This was by no means a movies to tease your brain or to get you to think. This was a movie made purely to make little kids laugh. Maybe that's the reason I enjoyed this movie so much. I was able to let my guard down and watch it from the perspective of a little kid again. It was really refreshing.

Buh duhn..............Buh duhn..... Buh duhn buhn buh duhn

2008-12-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

If you're ever sad or feeling bad just remember things could be alot worse. When Ever I'm feeling scared or deppressed I always think to myself "Well Fred, at least you're not living 16 million years ago Pleistocene Period when the Carcharodon Megalodon still roamed the seas". Man that would have sucked. Look how big these aquatic beasts were. Damn!

Nothing sends a chill down my spine faster than thinking about one of these monsters lurking beneath my inner-tube. Hell, I live in land-locked Iowa and it still freaks me out. As irrational as that sounds it's true. Ancient aquatic animals scare me in general. I'm not sure why. I think it's probably because I hate the feel vulnerable to outside forces and the idea that their are creatures that are more perfectly suited for their environment than any other species. The whole concept of the ocean plays apart of my fear too. I'm not afraid of water but oceans kinda give me a strange feeling. Nothing can make you feel so insignificant as bobbing up and down at the mercy of the infinite waters that stretch as far as the eye can sea, oops, I mean see. Humans in general seem to have some feeling of grander and superiority, after all we're at the top of the food chain. God gave us the responsibility to reign over all beasts. But chances are if we're to be extracted from our cubicles and pulled away from our HD televisions and had to survive in the wild with only the shirt and our own wits alone, we would quickly realize our weak we actually are.

Fred the Grinch?

2008-12-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

This time of year brings out so many feelings. There's something about snow that I love. It makes everything look so pure and bright. I love driving around in the early hours of the night to view the illuminated homes lining the snowy streets. People in general seem to be in high spirits. I must admit, in the last couple years I've become a little disenchanted with Christmas. Well, certain aspects of it anyway. The season of giving has been distorted into the season of consumerism. Every year I hear less "Peace, Love, and Joy" and more "Plasma screens, Wii's, and the new limited edition 'Eternal Love pendant" from Siebke Hoyte. I'm so sick of all the Christmas commercials plaguing the networks and thank god that Black Friday only lasts one day (I didn't think I could take much more of those "door buster" sales) This whole commercialized side of Christmas gets me pretty bummed out.

I was feeling especially bitter this weekend while I was walking through the mall. I was watching shoppers toting big fat plastic bags full of newly bought items. Then it hit me like a lump of coal. I was a little jealous. It wasn't just my dislike of consumerism that's been getting me down, it has also been some deep seeded envy. Wow. I felt like such a self-righteous hypocrite. Right then and there I decided to drop my ill will towards the Holiday. I realized that buying is just apart of the giving process and I had to accept that.

Anyways, now that those feelings are no longer weighing on my conscious I can fully enjoy the holiday season.

Have Merry Xmas,a Happy Hanukkah, and a Killer Kwanzaa.

Way to go ABC

2008-12-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

Last night ABC aired the Barbra Walters special "The Most Fascinating People of 2008". Apparently ABC has a slightly different definition of Fascinating than I. I'm not sure how some of these people made the list. Michael Phelps? OK sure, he rocked the Olympics but have you ever heard the guy talk? He's far from fascinating. Some actor named Frank Langella also made the list. Apparently Langella was supposed to be the next big thing 30 years ago but his career never took off. Last year he won a Tony Award for a play in which he portrayed Richard Nixon and now is in a new movie based off the play. That's great for him and I'm sure he's a fantastic actor but I'd hardly say he's that interesting. Missing from the list was John McCain. Come on ABC. What's up with that? The biggest stinker on the list has to be the number 2 spot held my none other than Tom Cruise (beat out Sarah Palin). Tom Cruise. Really? The only movie Tom Cruise did in 2008 was the mediocre comedy "Tropic Thunder". Tom Cruise has been completely below the radar the last couple years. The last time I heard about Cruise was three years ago when he had those freak outs: First the awkward disingenuous "Couch" incident on Opera and then the weird angry Matt Lauer interview where he made the assertion that Psychiatry is a Nazi pseudo-science. Crazy? Yes. Fascinating? Nope?

Where the Wild Things Are

2008-11-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

I'm sure at some point in our childhood we've all read the Maurice Sendak classic, "Where the Wild Things Are". This is perhaps one of the most recognizable story books of all time. However, I became skeptical when I read that "WTWTA" is to be adapted into a full length movie. I was even more skeptical when I heard I was going to be a live action film. I started researching the film and found out that it is being directed by Dave Eggers and Spike Jonez. Now, I'm not familiar with Eggers' work but I do know he has been involved in projects with the cooky alternative musician Beck. I'm excited to hear that Spike Jonez is co-directing this movie. Jonez is most famous for his countless innovative music videos for artists like Fatboy Slim, The Beastie Boys, Weezer, Tenacious D, Ludacris, and Kanye West to name a few.

The more I thought about it, the more the idea of a live action "WTWTA" movie warmed up to. I think animated version would end up too corny and cliché and lose the stylized feel of the original illustrations from the book. I also found a clip that was supposedly leaked. If this clip is real, it seems to me that Eggers and Jonez are on the right path. Apparently the release date keeps getting set back due to conflicts with the directors and Warner Brothers. Warner Bros. were felt the movie was too dark and "Unfamiliar" according to Eggers. There have been accounts that the movie might be potentially "too intense" for a young audience. Regardless of the rumors, I look forward to this classic being adapted to the sliver screen.

Update: Is Alaska Crazy?

2008-11-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hey, so-what-do-ya-know? Ted Stevens lost to Democrat Mark Begich, but only by a margin of less than 700 votes. Oh well, the Democrats need only two more senators and 'till they can block a Republican filibuster.

Remember back in the day?

2008-11-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

The senses are pretty crazy. It's amazing how such vivid memories can be conjured by simple sounds.

I watched a ton of television when I was little. First through third grade I almost exclusively watched Nickelodeon. But then, once a week, I would switch to Fox and ABC and the WB. They always had the best Saturday morning cartoons. Later on I became a fan of Cartoon Network. At the time Cartoon Network seemed a bit more raunchy and outrageous. I would spend hours on the couch watching show after show. Saddly, T.V. was kind of a big part of my life. It was deffinately my main source of entertainment if not my only. Don't ask me why, but every once in a while I get nestalgic about these shows. The other day I was Youtubing and I started searching for the theme songs to my old favorite shows. Hearing those old tunes was so weird. Not only did it remind me of the show, but it completely brought me back to my elementary school days. For some reason so many memories that have nothing to do with television get unlocked when I hear those old intro songs. I thought I'd share a couple of my old favorites.

All That: This show is probably the reason I wanted to be a comedian and entertain people. I like to think All That warmed me up for Saturday Night Live (note the soulful g-funk beat and female rap that sounds like it's from Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez)

The classic dynamic duo of Nickelodeon. You can now watch Keenan every Saturday night on SNL. I'm not sure what happened to Kel. This show brings me back to my Great Grandmothers Nursing home. I would rather washes dishes just to watch the television in her little kitchen than talk to my now 104 year old grandmother. I feel really quilty about that. (yet another hip-hop inspired theme song. I think it's funny how Coolio, who's big hit was "Gangsta's Paradice", to do a theme song for a pre-teen sitcom.)

Doug: Maybe some you guy's will remember Doug Funny, Patty Mayonaise, Roger Klutz and, of course, Skeeter.

I was crushed when they took this show off the air. :(

If you were lucky, your teacher would show this in class. I'm pretty sure the guy who sings this is the voice of Audrey Two in the movies "Little Shop of Horrors".

I don't even remember what channel this was on. They don't make shows with such an epic premice anymore

Best comic book show ever. Period.

What's Next?

2008-11-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

Essentially, I have only had one president in my life. Technically I've seen three different heads of state since I was born (that is if you count George H.W. Bush who left office when I was just one year old). But growing up, kids don't fully understand what's going on outside of there own simple world. I still remember having my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Gerdner, correct me that the current president was Bill Clinton and not George Washington. I really have no idea what it's going to be like to have a president that you've supported from the get go. The past eight years I've been on the offensive when I came to politics. I think it might be a little strange at first to actually be pround of our nations leader. I know it's a cliché sentiment, and I feel a little corny and naive say saying it, but I'm really excited to see how things play out.

Movie Review...Zack and Miri

2008-11-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

I just got done watching the new Kevin Smith Flick Zack and Miri Make a Porno. For the sake of school appropriateness I'm going to spare you some of the details of the plot. What I can tell you is that Seth Rogan plays a disgruntled coffee shop employee named Seth who shares an apartment with his long time friend, Miri as played by Elizabeth banks. They struggle to make ends meet and you can probably infer the rest of the plot from the title. Unlike nearly all other Kevin Smith movies such as Clerks, Mallrats and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, this one is not set in the View Askewniverse. Though it was no where near Smiths best film, it's definitely one of the best recent comedies. Seth Rogan once again plays the exact same character as he has in all his movies but still manages to keep it fresh and hilarious. The show is loaded with cameos from past Smith films as well as Judd Apatow movies (knocked Up and 40 Year-old-virgin). The non-stop extremely crude humor is well balanced with some serious matters about friendships, relationships and monogamy. If you were a fan of Superbad and Pin apple Express then I'd suggest you check this one out. You won't be disappointed.

Is Alaska Crazy?

2008-11-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

For forty of the eighty-four years of Ted Stevens life, he has served as a senator for Alaska. He is the the longest serving republican senator. He is currently in the lead in the in the Alaskan Senate election. Oh, and by the way the dude is a convicted fellon. He was convicted of several charges of bribery and coruption. Stevens was indicted for concealing thousands of dollars worth of receipts from a private corporation. Procecuters are claiming that the money is from the executives of the big oil contracting company VECO Corp. Stevens used the money for vacations and a huge home renovation including a new first floor, new garage, new plumbing, and a big wrap around porch. Nice.

I think it's ironic that, as a convicted fellon, Ted Stevens does not have the right to vote yet he can still be elected into office. Wow. That's on you, Alaska

Barack is Killin' It

2008-11-04T19:57:00.001-08:00

Yeah, so basically Obama's going to be the next president.

Those Saw Movies

2008-10-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

It rediculous. How many Saw movies are they going to make. How many more ways to sadistically kill people can some one think of? The first saw flick was alright. It had a different premise than most horror movies and a dynamic plot. The characters were pretty real for the most part and lets not forget the twist ending. However none of these reasons are why the saw fancise became so well known. The secret to the success lies in thoughs crazy traps. It's a pretty success and lucrative gimmick. Not only do these contrapsions make me cringe but they get me thinking "Could I ever bring myself to do that?". Unlike most horror movies, these films are not scary. I'm about the easiest person to scare and not even these movies frightened me. I really doubt that they ever intended to make another Saw, you can kinda tell by the second film. Once again, the production, the editing, the cinematography were all pretty good. But the plot was kinda flimsy and didn't link so good with the first film. The death traps were even more grusome but not as clever. Come next October and sure enough, another saw movie, and then another. Each film is ended in the extact same way. The protagonists thinks they outsmart Jigsaw (which, by the way, is a really corny name for a serial killer)but right as your think it's all over something random and unexpected happens and leaves the movie open ended and sets itself up for another sequel. This last movie was supposed to be the final film of the series and was marketed with the slogan "You Won't Believe How It Ends!" Finally all the loose ends will be tied up. No more bad endings, no more twisted killing machines. But then just a week or so ago I saw a reality show called "Scream Queens" and hey! Guess what! The winner gets a role in Saw 6! Wow. I should of seen that one coming. I just hope they don't turn Saw into another Friday the 13th, which had eleven terrible instalments.

Palin on SNL

2008-10-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

Even the least politically informed citizen has probably seen a couple of Tina Fey's spot on impressions of Sarah Palin. Her skits have breathed new life and a sence of relavency into the show 32nd session. Palin provides a wealth of material for writers to riff off of. Whether it be her colloquial "you betcha's" or her "doggonit's", those unbareably akward Katie Couric interviews, and her midwestern padgent girl demenour.(Did I mention her kids are named Track, Bristol, Piper and trig?). This being said, I wasn't too suprised when I heard early this week that Palin her self would be making an appearance. Many politicians have used Saturday Night Live as a away to appeal to an younger audience, show that they're "hip" and can laugh at them selves (my favorite guest appearance this year was Mike Huckleberry last session). I was suprised when this became such a news story on the cable news networks. I thought that this could go either way for Palin. I was skepitcal if she would be able to deliver the self depricating humor of SNL's writers.
Early on in the show the real Palin was introduced in the opening sketch and of corse got to shout out "LIVE FROM NEW YORK IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!" Palin show up again in the weekend update segment. The following events unfolded...

The Final Debate

2008-10-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

I thought the debate last night gave good insight into our presidential choices. I decided to avoided the distracting graphics and gimmicks of CNN and Fox News and watch the debate on public television. The topic of the night was be domestic policy. It was pretty straight forward for the most part, though, I couldn't help but notice a view little quirks. First of all Obama and McCain kept coming back to this guy named Joe the Plumber. Joe was given the honor of representing an entire middle-class last night. What I found most surprising is that Joe the Plumber isn't just a generic name used to represent the nation, apparently there is an actual guy in Ohio named Joe who fixes pipes for a living. You can't make this stuff up. Through out most of the debate, the candidates shared the television in a split screen shot. We got to see every little dismissive smirk from Obama and every sarcastic sneer from McCain. Every single reaction to each others accusations.
The debate got most interesting when the candidates were asked about the personally offensive turn the campaigns have taken. The most far-fetched political word twist of the night goes to John McCain. Obama made the point that at many of the rallys lead by Sarah Palin there were several accounts of people yelling "Kill him!" and " terrorist" and Palin did nothing to discouraged them. John McCain took Obama's point and completely spinned it. Here's what he said.

"...Let me just say categorically I'm proud of the people that come to our rallies...But to somehow say that group of young women who said "Military wives for McCain" ...and those veterans that wear those hats that say "World War II, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq," I'm not going to stand for people saying that the people that come to my rallies are anything but the most dedicated, patriotic men and women that are in this nation and they're great citizens...."

Barack Obama clearly presented himself better. You can't deny his poise and composure. He cooly discounted the whole William Ayers "Controversy" and confidently and effectively answered the questions.

Norwegian Earth Mother

2008-10-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Abercrombie, North Dakota. Pop. 300. My dad, along with his two brothers and four sisters grew up here. The town is located next to the Red River. It's surrounded by infinite flat fields, punctuated by the occasional cluster of dark trees. It's a conservative little community of your everyday-hard-working-level-headed-steak-and-potatoes-average-joes. This being said you can imagine my suprise when I walked into my grandma's house to find a 5'7" woman in a dark bohemian dress with long jet black dread-locks draped down her back. This, of course, was my dads cousin Lena.

Lena and her sister, Lisa, had come from their native country or Norway, to return to catch up with her family on this side of the ocean. Our greeting was awkward. These people were family yet I had never met them before in my life. Lisa stood up to meet us in the kitchen. She was dressed more conventionally and had your typical hair-do. I gave her a big smile and a 'hey howzitgoin'?' to which she replied with a quiet 'hello it's nice to meet you' in her Nordic accent. I went in for a handshake but then I thought to my self 'hey, this lady is family! You better go for a hug!', so in mid-handshake I went for the full embraces which obviously caught Lisa off guard. She gave a half hearted squeeze back and we released from our uncomfortable moment. I made my way into to get a better look at this dreadlocked mystery woman. I decided to avoid physical interaction this time and opted for a simple grin and a hello. After I exchanged much less awkward hugs with aunts and uncles, we sat down in the living room to chat. Lisa was married and had two teenage boys. Lena is a single mother with two high school-age daughters (one was adopted from Ethiopia). They both spoke perfect English but with an uncanny foreign accent. After an hour of catching up with family and learning about my distant relatives, we made our way over to my aunt's house for dinner. There we met even more uncles and aunts and cousin. We all loaded our plates with food and found a place to sit. After I had sufficiently stuffed my faced, I walked into the family room and sat down in a rocking chair next to my aunt Carla. During our conversation, we were joined by Lena. She sat down on the floor and listened in. Carla complemented Lena on her "Cool" hair and asked her how she did it. Lena explained that they were natural, even the jet black color, and that she had them put in while she was on a trip to Jamaica. Dreadlocks and Jamaica eh? On a hunch, I asked her if she was a Bob Marley fan. Jackpot! Of course she was. In fact, she had even seen Bob in concert when she was only in thirteen. We then proceeded to talk about Bob's music and the social climate of Jamaica. She was very informed. We kept talking. I found out that she was an art teacher at a high school that specialized in visual arts. She had spent several years traveling all over the united states going to school. She had been from Georgia to Chicago and a Hopi Indian Reservation. I could tell that this was a lady with endless stories to tell.
The next night, we traveled to the suburbs of Fargo to meet at yet another family get-together. When we first arrived it was, I easily the youngest person there by thirty years, the next youngest being Lena. I knew none of these other white haired blue eyed people. Eventually more people arrived and I had a good time. When we finally left it was 11:30. My mom and I decided to ride home with Lena and Lisa in their rental car. On the drive home, the topic of politics came up. As I would have guessed, Lisa and Lena had a pretty liberal point of view but not in a obnoxious, know-it-all way. They were very informed on the presidential race and were pulling for Obama. I was delighted to find out that they had seen the Saturday Night Live Sarah Palin interview and that Lisa's kids were fans of The Daily Show. We had such an awesome discussion. I was a little sad when we pulled into the drive.
It's a cool feeling knowing that you can have show much in common and feel so contected and comfortable with someone you've never met. Unfortunately, their trips to the United States are few and far between. Hopefully some day we'll meet up again.

the first post

2008-10-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

This is destined to be a fantastic blog of epic porportions. Stay posted chumps!