What is it to live?
Wake up and smell the roses
Life in the moment
A Trail Gone Cold
7 months ago
12.29.2008
12.28.2008
12.27.2008
My favorite music from 2008
2008 was a strange year for music. Bunches of new bands with new sounds filled my iPod. Without further adieu, here's my top 20 albums of 2008 along with my favorite track from each. It's arranged so that it's [album title]/ [artist]/ "[favorite track]." Debut albums will have an asterisk next to them.
1. Oracular Spectacular/ MGMT/ “Time to Pretend”*
2. You & Me/ The Walkmen/ “In the New Year”
3. Vampire Weekend/ Vampire Weekend/ “M79”*
4. Volume One/ She & Him/ “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”*
5. Fleet Foxes/ Fleet Foxes/ "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song"*
6. The Stand-ins/ Okkervil River/ “Lost Coastlines"
7. Arm’s Way/ Islands/ “J'aime Vous Voire Quitter”
8. Modern Guilt/ Beck/ “Gamma Rays”
9. Real Emotional Trash/ Stephen Malkmus and Jicks/ “Hopscotch Willie”
10. Consolers of the Lonely/ The Raconteurs/ “The Switch and the Spur”
11. Youth Novels/ Lykke Li/ “Let It Fall”*
12. Hold on now, Youngster…/ Los Campesinos/ “Drop it Doe Eyes”*
13. Dear Science/ TV on the Radio/ “Golden Age”
14. Evil Urges/ My Morning Jacket/ “Evil Urges”
15. Furr/ Blitzen Trapper/ “Furr”*
16. For Emma, Forever Ago/ Bon Iver/ “For Emma”*
17. At Mount Zoomer/ Wolf Parade/ “Fine Young Cannibals”
18. Acid Tongue/ Jenny Lewis/ "Acid Tongue"
19. The Rhumb Line/ Ra Ra Riot/ “Dying is Fine”*
20. Narrow Stairs/ Death Cab For Cutie/ “I Will Possess Your Heart”
Honorable mentions: Limbo, Panto/ Wild Beasts/ "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants"*; Ode to Sunshine/ The Delta Spirit/ "Trashcan"*; Da Carter III/ Lil Wayne/ "Mr.Carter (Featuring Jay-Z)"; LP3/ Ratatat/ "Mi Viejo"; Stay Positive/ The Hold Steady/ "One for the Cutters"
A quick look at the list...
-Of my favorite 20 albums of the year, 9 of them are debut albums. If we include the count into the honorable mentions, there's two more debuts there. That's a lot of new music that I liked.
-My favorite album was the MGMT album, but my gut feeling says that that album will probably sour on me like over time, just like milk. As far as timeless albums go, I think Vampire Weekend, Islands and Okkervil River's albums will fare best. These are the kinds of albums I can come back to in 10 years and still sound fresh to me.
-Some of these albums would probably have ranked higher if I had more of a chance to listen to it- particularly I'm thinking of the Blitzen Trapper album as well as the Jenny Lewis album.
-I think I'm the only person who liked You & Me as much as I did. There really isn't a big single off the album, but it's a solid full album. A friend of my put it well- The Walkmen sound like a cleaner Lou Reed. What really did it for me for this album is the live preformance of it. I saw The Walkmen live and they preformed it with an energy I haven't seen since.
-One album I really didn't like that others did was Santogold's self-titled (you guessed it) debut. It just sounded like another pop album and Santogold's voice wasn't doing it for me.
This is what I have for now- I'll start posting songs of the week after the New Year.
Back to blogging,
Greg
First post in ages
2008 took a lot out of me.
I'll be back posting regularly starting with the new year. It's one of my many resolutions that I'll try desperately to keep. I promise.
-Greg
I'll be back posting regularly starting with the new year. It's one of my many resolutions that I'll try desperately to keep. I promise.
-Greg
7.26.2008
Song of the Week- July 26, 2008
Hello folks!
The song of the week is really simple this week. I'm not going to say too much- just sing along to the chorus if you know the words.
Singing,
Greg
P.S. - SOOOOO SALLY CAN WAIT, SHE KNOWS IT'S TOO LATE AS SHE'S WALKIN' ON BYYY....
The song of the week is really simple this week. I'm not going to say too much- just sing along to the chorus if you know the words.
Singing,
Greg
P.S. - SOOOOO SALLY CAN WAIT, SHE KNOWS IT'S TOO LATE AS SHE'S WALKIN' ON BYYY....
7.22.2008
John McCain is so old...
... he never used the internets before. That is until today.
Honestly though, my grandparents use the internet- my 79 and 74 year old, Korean immigrant grandparents use the internet.
John McCain is old. Really old.
I'm adhering to my vow not to wax political for a while (I don't know if I can resist the urge), so my thoughts of both Senators McCain and Obama will be saved for another day.
But seriously, how old is John McCain?
Tired and laughing,
Greg
Honestly though, my grandparents use the internet- my 79 and 74 year old, Korean immigrant grandparents use the internet.
John McCain is old. Really old.
I'm adhering to my vow not to wax political for a while (I don't know if I can resist the urge), so my thoughts of both Senators McCain and Obama will be saved for another day.
But seriously, how old is John McCain?
Tired and laughing,
Greg
I'll admit this about the Red Sox...
... they are definitely the most entertaining! See below.
Oh it's Manny Being Manny(tm)! So is Manny beating the crap out of club officials. Also, how come that's the first article ESPN covers of Manny when they'll post essentially what's being printed by E! about Alex Rodriguez?
Being,
Greg
Oh it's Manny Being Manny(tm)! So is Manny beating the crap out of club officials. Also, how come that's the first article ESPN covers of Manny when they'll post essentially what's being printed by E! about Alex Rodriguez?
Being,
Greg
7.20.2008
Review of the Dark Knight
So I went and saw The Dark Knight Thursday night/Friday morning. I caught a midnight showing at the Sunrise Multiplex Cinema in Valley Stream, New York. They had about 5 screens dedicated to show this film in the midnight hour. Accordingly, since The Dark Knight is the most hyped film in my immediate memory, probably about 1000 people showed up- it was the most people I've ever seen at that particular theater in my life- this is considering the recent history of that theater (the shooting during The Godfather Part III, the metal detectors at the doors, etc.). The experience itself was a solid opening night experience.
Christopher Nolan and the entire cast and crew deserves all the credit in the world. I've been telling people that I couldn't think of 10- no 5- films that were better than The Dark Knight released since the year 2000. Yes, The Dark Knight lived up to all the hype and then some.
The film is driven by a complex and intriguing plot. Despite the 2 hour 32 minute run-time, the film wasn't "action-packed" but rather methodically put together and moved by quite quickly. There were easily three or four concurrent themes throughout the film- the Dark Knight/White Knight disparity between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Harvey Dent/Two-Face respectively, the love triangle between Rachel Dawes, Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne, the clash between the Joker and the Batman, the development of Two-Face/Harvey Dent's downfall, the Joker's motives- I can't continue without spoiling things. What do I have to say about the plot at the end? All of the 2 hours and 32 minutes were used to the up-most efficiency; yes it's long, but each and every minute of it was necessary.
The Dark Knight also featured perhaps the best cast for a superhero movie ever. Christian Bale, one of my personal favorite actors, presents the best Batman/Bruce Wayne seen on any screen since Batman: The Animated Series. He is believably intimidating as Batman while he's equally aloof with flashes of manifested inner conflict as Bruce Wayne. Heath Ledger has been getting a tremendous amount of accolades after his performance as the Joker. He took the gimmicks out of the Joker and turned him into the truly terrifying anarchistic villain/terrorist. Ledger was able to successfully let millions of viewers suspend their reality without question. Overlooked is Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Dent, in some ways, is the primary protagonist of the film as you watch the White Knight of Gotham become Two-Face in classical tragedy fashion. Eckhart doesn't fail to deliver as Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal, one of my favorite actresses today, added a depth to Rachel Dawes' character that was painfully missing in Katie Holmes' version and is more than just a damsel in distress. Gary Oldman plays a very genuine and sincerely honest Jim Gordon. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman play the butler Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox respectively and do what they do best: play wise father figures.
The one word to describe this film? Balance. Everything is perfectly balance. Nothing overshadows anything else from the entire film. Not any of the characters or performers (like Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Batman), not the background (Batman & Robin), not the camera work. Everything is in perfect harmony. It's this symphonic nature of the film that let The Dark Knight transcend the comic book/superhero genre to become a truly great film.
I've heard comparisons being made between this film and films like Heat and The Godfather, Part II. I was wary at first, but the truth is, both are valid comparisons. I believe the Oscar hype this film has- this is a great film. I can't name 10 films better made since 2000 (oh no, this is gonna be a list now).
Go see it.
Sitting,
Greg
P.S.- no, seriously. Go see it. Like, right now. Go to your nearest theater- buy a ticket- and watch.
7.19.2008
Song of the Week- July 19, 2008
Hello folks. I was going to talk about what I thought of The Dark Knight, but that was before I remembered that I was going to go to Baltimore. A delayed bus, a 3.5 hour trip, two miles of walking in 90 degree heat, two large lemonades, and 30 minutes of setting up a router later, I've remembered that it was a Saturday and I needed a song of the week.
This week, I give to you "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse. I cannot reiterate how much I love this song. This song is just plain fun. Nothing else. It's full of hooks all over the place- there are hooks in the guitar, the bass, the drums, the vocals- everything. I don't want to adulturate my pure and innocent love for this song with analysis. So I'll just stop here and let you all experience this song for yourself.
The first video is a live performance at Wembley Stadium. The second is the music video. Both are excellent.
In Baltimore,
Greg
This week, I give to you "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse. I cannot reiterate how much I love this song. This song is just plain fun. Nothing else. It's full of hooks all over the place- there are hooks in the guitar, the bass, the drums, the vocals- everything. I don't want to adulturate my pure and innocent love for this song with analysis. So I'll just stop here and let you all experience this song for yourself.
The first video is a live performance at Wembley Stadium. The second is the music video. Both are excellent.
In Baltimore,
Greg
7.18.2008
I just saw The Dark Knight...
... and all I have to say is one word. It's three letters long, and it's a palindrome. Do you know what it is?
Awestruck,
Greg
P.S. - "Wow."
Awestruck,
Greg
P.S. - "Wow."
7.16.2008
How's my writing- or how I use too many ellipsies.
Since I've been writing this blog, I've found that my writing has changed. I've been using far more ellipsies- you know, things like ";," "-," "...," etc. Ha, look at that, that's the most awkward lump of punctuation I've ever seen. Just because of that fact, lets reproduce it right here, just very largely:
";," "-," "...," etc.
Alright, now that's done, I feel better.
Does the fact that I use so many ellipsies in my writing a good or a bad thing? I'm not sure which it is, but I sometimes feel like it's the only way I can evoke a conversational tone when I'm writing. This helps me out when I'm writing one of my rants about something (speaking of which, I'll make sure to have another one up- I'm aware of how pointless but popular they can be).
Hmm.... I think that's it about this.
In mild weather,
Greg
P.S.- in a post about ellipsies, I used three quite blatantly. Oh the irony!
Alright, now that's done, I feel better.
Does the fact that I use so many ellipsies in my writing a good or a bad thing? I'm not sure which it is, but I sometimes feel like it's the only way I can evoke a conversational tone when I'm writing. This helps me out when I'm writing one of my rants about something (speaking of which, I'll make sure to have another one up- I'm aware of how pointless but popular they can be).
Hmm.... I think that's it about this.
In mild weather,
Greg
P.S.- in a post about ellipsies, I used three quite blatantly. Oh the irony!
7.14.2008
A call for aid to my friends/readers
Don't worry, it's nothing too dire.
Well for a little more than a month now, I've been driving back and fourth between home and work every day, spending a hour in transportation in all per day. So for the half hour going both ways, I need some way to entertain myself. I went and made myself a couple of playlists to entertain my own driving. But there's something off with listening to something you designed yourself. So the challenge is this:
Help me by suggesting songs to put into a driving playlist, or better yet, give me a set of songs to listen to while driving.
You'll be helping me out by making sure my attention is on the road rather than trying to skip a song that I don't want to hear. I'll say in advance that I greatly appreciate it.
Gettin' ready for work,
Greg
Well for a little more than a month now, I've been driving back and fourth between home and work every day, spending a hour in transportation in all per day. So for the half hour going both ways, I need some way to entertain myself. I went and made myself a couple of playlists to entertain my own driving. But there's something off with listening to something you designed yourself. So the challenge is this:
Help me by suggesting songs to put into a driving playlist, or better yet, give me a set of songs to listen to while driving.
You'll be helping me out by making sure my attention is on the road rather than trying to skip a song that I don't want to hear. I'll say in advance that I greatly appreciate it.
Gettin' ready for work,
Greg
7.12.2008
Song of the Week - July 12, 2008
And with my comeback, I present to you all "The Skin of my Country Yellow Teeth" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
If I had to use one word to describe this song, the word used would be "infectious." First thing you notice is the moving drum part that harkens back to disco songs of old to get those hips moving. The next thing you notice is the catchy guitar line in the intro with the bended note. The last thing you notice is the almost-strained singing of the lead singer. Half of the time, I have no idea what he says, but whatever it is, I don't care the song as a whole is fun. I realize that this song is already a few years old in retrospect, but who really cares? Enjoy the infectious noise.
With my boogie shoes,
Greg
If I had to use one word to describe this song, the word used would be "infectious." First thing you notice is the moving drum part that harkens back to disco songs of old to get those hips moving. The next thing you notice is the catchy guitar line in the intro with the bended note. The last thing you notice is the almost-strained singing of the lead singer. Half of the time, I have no idea what he says, but whatever it is, I don't care the song as a whole is fun. I realize that this song is already a few years old in retrospect, but who really cares? Enjoy the infectious noise.
With my boogie shoes,
Greg
RIP Tony Snow
Tony Snow died today from colon cancer.
I can't help but pity the guy. I mean, he was the White House press secretary which probably looked like a dream job. It just so happens that he took the job when America's public opinion of the Bush presidency turned for the worst- he became the public mouthpiece of the intensely scrutinized administration. I can only suspect that some of that stress is the reason for his cancer coming back. He did an admirable job during his stint and he always struck me as a sincere person.
Hello, my name is Greg...
... and I'm back. Did ya miss me? I needed a break from this after pretty much marathon posting since mid-May. It just kinda hit me one day and I decided to let it for a week. So I'm back.
Returning,
Greg
P.S.- Speaking of which, I can't wait to see Batman return in The Dark Knight. I hope I can find a way to see it this weeked.
Returning,
Greg
P.S.- Speaking of which, I can't wait to see Batman return in The Dark Knight. I hope I can find a way to see it this weeked.
7.01.2008
Breaking News: Miley Cyrus will be depleated by 2013
From the most trusted news source in Etchasketchastan, The Onion: "Society as we know it will fail to function- governments will collapse. Humanity will be reduced to roving tribes of barbarians constantly searching, and fighting and searching and scouring the landscape for the last remaining Hannah Montana fashion doll or The Best of Both Worlds CD."
For sustainable Cyrus use,
Greg
6.29.2008
The Yankees and Barry Bonds
Alright, a quick update on the state of Yankees Baseball.
Right now, they are 44-38 and 5 1/2 games out of first place- 5 games out of the wild card lead. There's plenty of time to erase those game margins from now until October- honestly, we've overcome worse deficits in the past. For a little bit, it looked like things were really clicking- A-Rod hitting one out for 4 days straight, Giambi (mustached and) playing like he did 2001, Wang figuring it out again and shutting teams down, Jeter, Abreu, and Cano all breaking out of their slumps, Petitte pitching like a no. 1 starter, Joba is now a full-time starter, Matsui hitting .330+, Damon hitting .330+, Mariano is pitching out-of-his-mind- yep it looked great. It was during this streak the Yankees left .500 ball behind them winning 8 in a row.
But not all good things go on forever. First Wang goes down and may be out for the season- we had to rely on Dan Giese and Sidney Ponson to start a double header against the Mets a few days ago. Then Damon and Giambi are on mini-slides starting bring them out of the stratosphere while Melky seems to have forgotten how to hit and Cano seems to be reverting to early season form. Fortunately, it doesn't seem that those slumps will really last. Our bulpen's inexperience is beginning to show as Edwar and Ohlendorf had a couple of trip ups and we just split a series with the Mets- THE FREAKIN' METS!
The guys over at noMaas.org (one of my favorite Yankee blogs) had an interesting suggestion: sign Barry Bonds. Apparently Bonds says he just wants to play, willing to sign for the veteran's minimum salary. In fact, Bonds' agent Scott Borris said that Bonds "would play for free - offering to donate whatever salary he receives to purchase tickets for children. (source)"
My response: just do it.
Barry Bonds put up a .480 on base percentage last season. In other words, he ended up on base nearly half the time he stepped up at bat. That's ridiculous.
Everyone knows what Bonds can do with a bat by launching a ball at any given moment (if pitched to). Imagine this as your batters 1 through 6: Damon (LF), Jeter (SS), Abreu (RF), A-Rod (3B), Bonds (DH), Giambi (1B). Each of those guys have the potential to crank the ball out at every at bat, each of those guys can take more than 5 pitches an at bat, each of those guys are tough outs. After those 6 batters, a pitcher might very well have spent 50 pitches in one or two innings! I don't care who pitches against that line up, they'll struggle.
Bonds doesn't have to play DH either. With Matsui perhaps ending up on the DL, Bonds could be put out in LF and I'm sure if you give him a glove, he could handle 1B at least to Giambi's defensive standards.
Sign Barry Bonds, it makes the Yankees better.
Right now, they are 44-38 and 5 1/2 games out of first place- 5 games out of the wild card lead. There's plenty of time to erase those game margins from now until October- honestly, we've overcome worse deficits in the past. For a little bit, it looked like things were really clicking- A-Rod hitting one out for 4 days straight, Giambi (mustached and) playing like he did 2001, Wang figuring it out again and shutting teams down, Jeter, Abreu, and Cano all breaking out of their slumps, Petitte pitching like a no. 1 starter, Joba is now a full-time starter, Matsui hitting .330+, Damon hitting .330+, Mariano is pitching out-of-his-mind- yep it looked great. It was during this streak the Yankees left .500 ball behind them winning 8 in a row.
But not all good things go on forever. First Wang goes down and may be out for the season- we had to rely on Dan Giese and Sidney Ponson to start a double header against the Mets a few days ago. Then Damon and Giambi are on mini-slides starting bring them out of the stratosphere while Melky seems to have forgotten how to hit and Cano seems to be reverting to early season form. Fortunately, it doesn't seem that those slumps will really last. Our bulpen's inexperience is beginning to show as Edwar and Ohlendorf had a couple of trip ups and we just split a series with the Mets- THE FREAKIN' METS!
The guys over at noMaas.org (one of my favorite Yankee blogs) had an interesting suggestion: sign Barry Bonds. Apparently Bonds says he just wants to play, willing to sign for the veteran's minimum salary. In fact, Bonds' agent Scott Borris said that Bonds "would play for free - offering to donate whatever salary he receives to purchase tickets for children. (source)"
My response: just do it.
Barry Bonds put up a .480 on base percentage last season. In other words, he ended up on base nearly half the time he stepped up at bat. That's ridiculous.
Everyone knows what Bonds can do with a bat by launching a ball at any given moment (if pitched to). Imagine this as your batters 1 through 6: Damon (LF), Jeter (SS), Abreu (RF), A-Rod (3B), Bonds (DH), Giambi (1B). Each of those guys have the potential to crank the ball out at every at bat, each of those guys can take more than 5 pitches an at bat, each of those guys are tough outs. After those 6 batters, a pitcher might very well have spent 50 pitches in one or two innings! I don't care who pitches against that line up, they'll struggle.
Bonds doesn't have to play DH either. With Matsui perhaps ending up on the DL, Bonds could be put out in LF and I'm sure if you give him a glove, he could handle 1B at least to Giambi's defensive standards.
Sign Barry Bonds, it makes the Yankees better.
Hyping the Dark Knight up
Well, summer just started a week ago, the summer movie season is in full swing. Unfortunately I can't say I've watched too many of the ones I wanted to get to. I only had the chance to see Iron Man and Indiana Jones- I'm itching to see The Hulk, Get Smart, and Wall-E. But above all these, there's one film I've been waiting for this summer: The Dark Knight. It's slated to come out July 18th- less than a month away.
The trailers have all left me personally wanting more- this Batman looks nothing like any TV or film Batmans before (the best before this was probably Batman: The Animated Series). The Joker is a sadistic anarchist with a sick sense of humor- getting the camp out of the classic image of the Joker. Chris Nolan isn't going to skimp and effort for a film now, especially after beauties like Batman Begins and Memento.
The list of talent is impressive as well. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger are/were in consideration for best actor of our generation- ditto for Maggie Gyllenhaal but for best female actor. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are excellent actors who provide well-seasoned talent in playing 'mentor' characters.
All signs point to a movie that's being hyped tremendously.
Well VH1 got a viewing of The Dark Knight and put up a review of it. What's their verdict? "It's the best Batman movie ever made, hands down."
Who's excited?
In growing anticipation,
Greg
The trailers have all left me personally wanting more- this Batman looks nothing like any TV or film Batmans before (the best before this was probably Batman: The Animated Series). The Joker is a sadistic anarchist with a sick sense of humor- getting the camp out of the classic image of the Joker. Chris Nolan isn't going to skimp and effort for a film now, especially after beauties like Batman Begins and Memento.
The list of talent is impressive as well. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger are/were in consideration for best actor of our generation- ditto for Maggie Gyllenhaal but for best female actor. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are excellent actors who provide well-seasoned talent in playing 'mentor' characters.
All signs point to a movie that's being hyped tremendously.
Well VH1 got a viewing of The Dark Knight and put up a review of it. What's their verdict? "It's the best Batman movie ever made, hands down."
Who's excited?
In growing anticipation,
Greg
6.28.2008
Song of the Week - June 28, 2008
This week, I provide for your listening pleasure, "Kids" by MGMT (pronounced "management").
I really don't have too much to say about this song in terms of analysis. For example, the song's structure (lyrically speaking) is ABCBBBBBB- you would guess that "B" is the chorus. In actuality, there are a bunch of intricate things going on melodically throughout the song with a thematic break/bridge between "C" and the 2nd "B." In the end, MGMT is the logical continuation of the tradition begun by groups like the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode back in the '80s. They've expanded upon the synthesizer as an instrument with the aide of production tools of modern times and created a really catchy song.
It's not meant to be heavy, but it seems there is an underlying message lyrically speaking. For example: "Decision to decisions are made and not bought/ But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot/ I guess not." Kind of a cynical outlook on life, no? For a couple of jokers from Wesleyan University, they aren't too shabby with their two cents about life.
Here's the video, enjoy.
In humidity,
Greg
I really don't have too much to say about this song in terms of analysis. For example, the song's structure (lyrically speaking) is ABCBBBBBB- you would guess that "B" is the chorus. In actuality, there are a bunch of intricate things going on melodically throughout the song with a thematic break/bridge between "C" and the 2nd "B." In the end, MGMT is the logical continuation of the tradition begun by groups like the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode back in the '80s. They've expanded upon the synthesizer as an instrument with the aide of production tools of modern times and created a really catchy song.
It's not meant to be heavy, but it seems there is an underlying message lyrically speaking. For example: "Decision to decisions are made and not bought/ But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot/ I guess not." Kind of a cynical outlook on life, no? For a couple of jokers from Wesleyan University, they aren't too shabby with their two cents about life.
Here's the video, enjoy.
In humidity,
Greg
6.25.2008
What kind of opinion should I form?
I was quickly glancing at headlines this morning and I saw this:
"Court rejects death penalty for raping children (AP)"
Wow.
What kind of opinion as I supposed of make based off of that title? Raping children is terrible- speaking off-the-cuffs, I think people who rape children (who aren't children themselves) deserve death.
But at the same time, I understand why a death penalty would be considered 'cruel and unusual punishment' by the Supreme Court. In terms of reciprocity, death isn't equal to rape.
It's a classic case of my sense of moral dignity clashing with my logic in forming an opinion.
In introspective confusion,
Greg
PS - By the way, isn't that title kinda ridiculous in it of itself?
"Court rejects death penalty for raping children (AP)"
Wow.
What kind of opinion as I supposed of make based off of that title? Raping children is terrible- speaking off-the-cuffs, I think people who rape children (who aren't children themselves) deserve death.
But at the same time, I understand why a death penalty would be considered 'cruel and unusual punishment' by the Supreme Court. In terms of reciprocity, death isn't equal to rape.
It's a classic case of my sense of moral dignity clashing with my logic in forming an opinion.
In introspective confusion,
Greg
PS - By the way, isn't that title kinda ridiculous in it of itself?
6.23.2008
RIP George Carlin
George Carlin died yesterday at the age of 71 after heart failure.
In my opinion, he was the greatest stand up comic to grace this earth. The humor he dealt with was witty, intelligent, and observant. He released numerous books, comedy specials, movie roles, and recordings. So even if the man is gone, his work will remain at the very least.
Here's his most famous bit, the seven words you can't say on TV.
In my opinion, he was the greatest stand up comic to grace this earth. The humor he dealt with was witty, intelligent, and observant. He released numerous books, comedy specials, movie roles, and recordings. So even if the man is gone, his work will remain at the very least.
Here's his most famous bit, the seven words you can't say on TV.
6.21.2008
New Vampire Weekend Video!
Like the title says...
This is for "Oxford Comma." They did the video in one shot to make it interesting. Give it a look and listen.
Nothing else to report,
Greg
This is for "Oxford Comma." They did the video in one shot to make it interesting. Give it a look and listen.
Nothing else to report,
Greg
Song of the Week - 6/21/08 (Beginning of the Summer Edition)
Ahh the summer's here. Honestly, I'm not too excited because it's my least favorite season- me + humidity and heat = not good. Despite this, this week's song of the week is, in my mind at least, the ideal summer song: "Good Vibrations" by Brian Wilson/the Beach Boys.
Most people associate this song with the Beach Boys, but honestly, after 1966, the Beach Boys were essentially Brian Wilson and a bunch of dudes. The version I'm providing today is off of Brian Wilson's latest album Smile which was released in 2004.
The story goes that Smile was supposed to be the follow up to the Beach Boys' legendary album Pet Sounds in 1966. Brian Wilson, the de facto leader and mad musical scientist of the Beach Boys, by this point went legitimately insane. What I mean by this is that his obsessive compulsions for perfection was at its crest. Legend has it that during the recording of Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson actually had a goat in the studio bleating and recorded it into the track because he felt it was absolutely essential for the album. This makes whatever perfectionism in the studio people like Jimi Hendrix or the Beatles had look reasonable. Because of Wilson's insanity, the Beach Boys nearly split up and the album (which Wilson described as a "teenage symphony to God") was put on the back burner- for 37 years (which makes the wait for Guns 'n Roses' Chinese Democracy look like a nap in comparison). Wilson himself came back to revive the project and finished it and released it in 2004- no word on what kind of insanity he put into the project once he restarted it.
The signs of Wilson's musical insanity/brilliance is laced throughout the entire track. First of all, the song follows no conventional form. It's literally a mashing together of 4 themes with the reprisal of one. The instrumentation is interesting as well. Although there is no goat, there is a theremin that provides the ghostly backing to the part of the song that can be considered the main theme ("I'm picking up good vibrations/she's giving me excitations/..."). As far as I know, this is the only use of a theremin in any piece of popular music. Also the song features a string section as well as the numerous vocal parts.
Despite the song's uniqueness, in the end, Brian Wilson provided us with a thoroughly enjoyable song. I don't know about you, but this song screams "summer" to me. Enjoy.
Picking up Good Vibrations,
Greg
Most people associate this song with the Beach Boys, but honestly, after 1966, the Beach Boys were essentially Brian Wilson and a bunch of dudes. The version I'm providing today is off of Brian Wilson's latest album Smile which was released in 2004.
The story goes that Smile was supposed to be the follow up to the Beach Boys' legendary album Pet Sounds in 1966. Brian Wilson, the de facto leader and mad musical scientist of the Beach Boys, by this point went legitimately insane. What I mean by this is that his obsessive compulsions for perfection was at its crest. Legend has it that during the recording of Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson actually had a goat in the studio bleating and recorded it into the track because he felt it was absolutely essential for the album. This makes whatever perfectionism in the studio people like Jimi Hendrix or the Beatles had look reasonable. Because of Wilson's insanity, the Beach Boys nearly split up and the album (which Wilson described as a "teenage symphony to God") was put on the back burner- for 37 years (which makes the wait for Guns 'n Roses' Chinese Democracy look like a nap in comparison). Wilson himself came back to revive the project and finished it and released it in 2004- no word on what kind of insanity he put into the project once he restarted it.
The signs of Wilson's musical insanity/brilliance is laced throughout the entire track. First of all, the song follows no conventional form. It's literally a mashing together of 4 themes with the reprisal of one. The instrumentation is interesting as well. Although there is no goat, there is a theremin that provides the ghostly backing to the part of the song that can be considered the main theme ("I'm picking up good vibrations/she's giving me excitations/..."). As far as I know, this is the only use of a theremin in any piece of popular music. Also the song features a string section as well as the numerous vocal parts.
Despite the song's uniqueness, in the end, Brian Wilson provided us with a thoroughly enjoyable song. I don't know about you, but this song screams "summer" to me. Enjoy.
Picking up Good Vibrations,
Greg
6.19.2008
6.16.2008
A note about global warming
According to a general, non-scientific, poll on weather.com, 38.7% of those polled are "not convinced that [global warming] is true."
On a related note, 38.7% of those who participated in the weather.com poll have spent the last 10 years of their live mimicking ostriches and sticking their heads in the ground.
I understand if you don't think global warming isn't a particularly alarming issue (although I personally think it's pretty alarming), but to outright deny that it's occurring is ridiculous. I've stated my opinions about global warming before here.
Oh well, there's no cure for fools.
Frustrated with humanity,
Greg
On a related note, 38.7% of those who participated in the weather.com poll have spent the last 10 years of their live mimicking ostriches and sticking their heads in the ground.
I understand if you don't think global warming isn't a particularly alarming issue (although I personally think it's pretty alarming), but to outright deny that it's occurring is ridiculous. I've stated my opinions about global warming before here.
Oh well, there's no cure for fools.
Frustrated with humanity,
Greg
6.15.2008
What do I have to offer
I've been looking through my old posts today and a thought permeated in my consciousness. The thought was: "What do I have to offer in my blogging?"
Honestly, I'm not so sure. It's just my opinions of a wide- but deceptively narrow- slew of topics, me talking about my life, and haikus.
It's all just a filtered diary fit for accidental reading by strangers, no? I mean, I don't provide a service, I don't do anything particularly special, I don't bear my entire living soul with these words. All it is is a few thoughts and rants about things. Who wants to hear that?
No answers to that question proves my point exactly.
In dim lighting yet again,
Greg
Honestly, I'm not so sure. It's just my opinions of a wide- but deceptively narrow- slew of topics, me talking about my life, and haikus.
It's all just a filtered diary fit for accidental reading by strangers, no? I mean, I don't provide a service, I don't do anything particularly special, I don't bear my entire living soul with these words. All it is is a few thoughts and rants about things. Who wants to hear that?
No answers to that question proves my point exactly.
In dim lighting yet again,
Greg
A rant about energy
Quick tidbit about oil prices from, of all people, Eddie Vedder. Vedder mentioned at Bonnaroo during Pearl Jam's set that the average price of gas in the US when President Bush first took office was $1.46 a gallon. The other day, I was paying $4.22 a gallon.
Another little note: a year ago, a friend of mine was doing similar work I'm doing this summer and was canvassing for wind farms off of Long Island. The wind farms were ultimately defeated because they would be 'eyesores' and the cost of the wind farms didn't seem justifiable at the time because energy was affordable. The cost of oil was $70 a barrel. A year later, the cost of oil is about $140 per barrel and still climbing. The cost of an offshore wind farm doesn't seem to be too bad now doesn't it?
What I'm saying is that even if you don't agree with environmentalists, they're right about one thing: As far as energy sources go, the United States (and the rest of the world for that matter) needs to find alternative sources quick. This summer seems to be proving that the peak oil hypothesis is true. Drilling in Alaska and the Dakotas might be a quick fix, but ultimately, the truth is that oil is a limited resource. Some alternatives that seem feasible? Bio matter fuel from quickly-reproducing algae (screw corn- it exacerbates the world food crisis [by the way, subsidies for farmers in this country is a joke, but that's for another rant at another time]), solar energy, nuclear energy (stop it, it's much safer than oil- anyone who took and paid attention in high school chemistry would know that), salt water (read this- I really hope this is not a hoax like cold fusion was), and wind energy all seem reasonable enough.
Unfortunately (like I've said many times before in this blog) people generally hate change and thus do not have the abilities of foresight and prognosis. It's only when things are too late do people decide action is needed. Even then, it's not even unanimous. The ultimate downfall of humanity will be due to hubris, lack of foresight and laziness- mark my word.
Cynically,
Greg
Another little note: a year ago, a friend of mine was doing similar work I'm doing this summer and was canvassing for wind farms off of Long Island. The wind farms were ultimately defeated because they would be 'eyesores' and the cost of the wind farms didn't seem justifiable at the time because energy was affordable. The cost of oil was $70 a barrel. A year later, the cost of oil is about $140 per barrel and still climbing. The cost of an offshore wind farm doesn't seem to be too bad now doesn't it?
What I'm saying is that even if you don't agree with environmentalists, they're right about one thing: As far as energy sources go, the United States (and the rest of the world for that matter) needs to find alternative sources quick. This summer seems to be proving that the peak oil hypothesis is true. Drilling in Alaska and the Dakotas might be a quick fix, but ultimately, the truth is that oil is a limited resource. Some alternatives that seem feasible? Bio matter fuel from quickly-reproducing algae (screw corn- it exacerbates the world food crisis [by the way, subsidies for farmers in this country is a joke, but that's for another rant at another time]), solar energy, nuclear energy (stop it, it's much safer than oil- anyone who took and paid attention in high school chemistry would know that), salt water (read this- I really hope this is not a hoax like cold fusion was), and wind energy all seem reasonable enough.
Unfortunately (like I've said many times before in this blog) people generally hate change and thus do not have the abilities of foresight and prognosis. It's only when things are too late do people decide action is needed. Even then, it's not even unanimous. The ultimate downfall of humanity will be due to hubris, lack of foresight and laziness- mark my word.
Cynically,
Greg
Happy Motherfuckers' Day!
That's what my dad like's to call Fathers' Day.
All you daddies, this is your day.
Thank your dad at the very least, I know I can't say it enough to mine.
Regards,
Greg
All you daddies, this is your day.
Thank your dad at the very least, I know I can't say it enough to mine.
Regards,
Greg
6.14.2008
Song of the Week- 6/14/08
This week, I've decided to feature something different from the usual indie music. I present this week, "Just the Thought" by Prefuse 73, feature Masta Killa and GZA of the Wu.
Prefuse 73 is a French electronic musician/producer. Here, he produces the backing track on which Masta Killa and GZA, two of the best emcees of the Wu-Tang Clan, spit rhymes over. There's really not much I can say in terms of analyzing the music or lyrics. Masta Killa and GZA keep it short and sweet and the backing track is hypnotic.
Here's a video, enjoy the song and enjoy your week.
Keepin' Cool,
Greg
Prefuse 73 is a French electronic musician/producer. Here, he produces the backing track on which Masta Killa and GZA, two of the best emcees of the Wu-Tang Clan, spit rhymes over. There's really not much I can say in terms of analyzing the music or lyrics. Masta Killa and GZA keep it short and sweet and the backing track is hypnotic.
Here's a video, enjoy the song and enjoy your week.
Keepin' Cool,
Greg
6.13.2008
I can't make this up: Just Say "Go Away"
Here's a little thing that happened to me that I'll tell in a narrative.
***
Over the course of a young man's life, he will end up doing things that are somewhat out of the ordinary. This summer, a particular young man found a job working as a canvasser for an environmental organization in his locale of Long Island. As a canvasser, his job is to go to various neighborhoods on the so-called Long Island, and fund raise for the non-profit organization he works with- essentially begging for the sake of his organization and the environment.
In the summer heat and humidity, the young man diligently does his job. The young man does his job because he morally and ethnically agrees with his organization's purpose and goals- he is willing to suffer the embarrassment of begging openly for them. He covers about 100 houses a day, knocking on doors and ringing doorbells from 4 o'clock until 9 o'clock every weekday. He implores those who answer these doors about the dangers of some carcinogenic chemicals in pesticides, the high exposure to toxic fumes from diesel school buses that the children inside are subject to, the millions of dollars taxpayers can save if their local municipalities just made some simple changes in terms of energy use, etc. Most of the people he encounters throughout the day aren't willing to help and send him on his way briskly. There is also a handful of people who do contribute and display a legitimate interest in the issues the young man is fund raising for, these people make the thank-less job worth it for the young man. Finally, there are an even smaller handful of people who will go to elaborate lengths to avoid the young man- this narrative is about two such individuals.
On this particular summer day, the weather was the worst kind for a summer day on Long Island. The bright sunlight lit the hazy and humid air as temperatures remained over 100 degrees Fahrenheit well until 7 o'clock in the afternoon. The young man was soaking in sweat after walking around in such weather for the past couple hours. His socks, his shorts, his shirt, even the brim of his baseball cap were completely saturated. He did his best to keep cool, dry and hydrated as he went door-to-door.
The young man found himself standing in a picturesque suburban neighborhood in a village called East Moriches, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk Country, New York, United States of America, Planet Earth, Solar System, Milky Way. Using his powers of observation, the young man concluded that the neighborhood was a fairly new neighborhood since the trees on the houses' lawns were merely sapling and the houses looked new. It was about that time of day that the insects began to come out and prey on whatever unfortunate souls that were still outdoors. Optimistically, the young man headed to the first house on the street in hopes of getting donations from like-minded individuals.
Unfortunately, the first few houses on that street did not harbor any like-minded individuals. Like he had been many times before, he was briskly sent on his way. He was undaunted- there had to be at least one person to make this particular street redeeming for the young man's efforts. The young man didn't know that he was mistaken.
He came upon house built in the style of a seaside colonial- it was the second-to-last house on the street. He found the walkway leading up to the front door. He could smell the chemical fertilizers on the lawn of this house and immediately began to have his doubts about this particular household.
Once at the front door, the young man pulled out his handkerchief from his back pocket and quickly dabbed the few beads of sweat that have accumulated on his forehead. He quickly composed himself and decided that he'd talk about his organization's efforts to save tax-payer dollars by implementing clean energy measures on the municipal level. He rang the door bell. A minute passed without an answer.
"No one must be home," he thought. He made a note of it on his clipboard and turned around to head towards the next house.
As he was walking back down the path, he heard the door open. He turned around to see if anyone was at the door. To his dismay, no one was there.
The door of the household was wide open; the inside of the house was dark. The young man stood wondering how the door opened when he watched the door close itself in a ghostly manner. To the young man, this didn't make too much sense. Although he does fleeting believes in the supernatural, there was no reason why a home would be haunted in a young neighborhood. As he stood there contemplating what was going on, he watched the door as it opened itself again, this time swinging wide open.
The young man decided to leave that house be and continued walking. Once he got off the house's property, he looked back to see the status of the door. In the doorway, he saw another young man- no a boy- shirtless with a hood over his head, prancing around in hopes to scaring the young man.
A small smirk materialized on the fringes of the young man's lips. "How idiotic," the young man thought. This wasn't worth the young man's time or efforts. The young man kept on walking away from that house as the boy at the doorway.
"My luck's been terrible so far, maybe it'll change at this next house- the last one on this street," he said aloud to himself, trying to keep himself company. The young man would find out that he was mistaken.
As he walked towards the next house across the street from the house with the boy with a keen interest in spooking the young man with supernatural shenanigans, the young man tried to compose himself. It hadn't gotten any cooler, it was still humid, and piping hot outside despite the sun beginning to make its descent towards the horizon. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his handkerchief, now thoroughly saturated from his sweat, and dabbed his forehead and nose. He saw beads of moisture collecting at the brim of his baseball cap. As he walked across the street, he took off his hat and shook it off and watched the sweat from his cap splatter across the pavement. From his backpack, he pulled out a water bottle and took a couple mighty gulps of lukewarm water.
The house across the street was a large, white, ranch-style home- it didn't have a tree on its property as far as the young man could see. The wide driveway of the house had a compact BMW car parked outside the double garage. The lawn was nicely manicured and the scent of pesticides was strong. The young man decided not to mention his organization's activism against pesticide use on Long Island as a result of his observation.
Once at the doorstep, the young man took a second to review his notes and compose himself. Just as he was about the ring the doorbell, he heard the boy from across the street. "Ahh! You Chinee?!" the boy said in a terrible excuse of an Asian accent. The young man turned to see the boy was now outside on his porch prancing around without his hood. He briskly turned around and decided to ignore the boy. Frankly, he couldn't believe that he was being heckled of all things.
The young man quickly recomposed himself. He rang the door bell. Silence.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” The boy across the street was now flapping his arms around and parading himself around his porch like a chicken, desperate for some sort of acknowledgement of his taunting. “Heh, kid, if you want me to acknowledge your taunting, you’re gonna end up an emergency room- I assure you,” the young man thought to himself.
Just as the young man was about to leave, he saw the doorknob of the white ranch jiggle and the door opened.
“Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrrr, arf, arf! Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrrr, arf, arf!” It was a rather quiet but consistent sound of a dog. The door was wide open, and in the doorway, there was a heavy-set, old woman with gray hair, large wire-framed glasses and a flower sundress. She didn’t open her glass-screen door.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” the boy continued across the street. “Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrr, arf, arf…” the sound of the dog continued. The young man decided to give his rap a shot.
“Hi, my name is-”
“I’M SORRY, I HAVE A HUGE DOG INSIDE, I CAN’T KEEP HIM DOWN,” the old woman yelled through the screen door.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” the boy continued across the street. “Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrr, arf, arf…” the sound of the dog continued.
The courteous smile turned into a hanging jaw on the young man’s face. The young man thought for a second, looking at the old woman incredulously. “A dog? You don’t have a dog lady; you’re playing a recording- A DAMNED RECORDING! How dumb do you think I am? Your door’s wide open, and if you had a dog, it would have been barking as soon as I pressed the doorbell. Really, what the hell!?” The little man inside the young man’s head was frustrated and ranting at the moment. The young man was simply dumbfounded.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” the boy continued across the street. “Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrr, arf, arf…” the sound of the dog continued.
The young man finally snapped back into reality after having absorbed what was going on. He quickly put his smile back on, tucked his clipboard under his left arm and began to walk away briskly.
“Thanks anyway, ma’am,” said the young man trying to be as polite as he possibly could given the circumstances. The old woman closed the door behind him. The barking immediately stopped.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” the boy still continued across the street.
“Jesus, this street’s not going to help me out tonight- screw it!” the young man said to himself almost despondently. He still couldn’t believe the responses of the last two houses he visited- never had he expected to find people actually go to such lengths to avoid him. “Screw a donation! You could have let me at least inform you about what I’m about and tell you a little about the issues that you might care about because they affect you!” The young man said aloud to himself. He briskly made it to the cross street- the end of the road.
The young man turned and looked back upon the street that he had just been on. Down the street, he saw a couple houses with their sprinklers running, a little girl in a pink tutu was running around on her nicely manicured lawn, the boy that was clucking finally gave up and disappeared inside. The sun inched its way towards the horizon, the mosquitoes and insects were out in fleets, the young man’s hat and shirt were drenched in sweat and felt slightly dizzy as he was slowly dehydrating.
“All you guys needed to say was a simple ‘no thanks’ or ‘go away.'” The young man turned the corner leaving that street behind him.
***
I wish I was making this up, but this is 100% true.
In disbelief in the state of humanity,
Greg
***
Over the course of a young man's life, he will end up doing things that are somewhat out of the ordinary. This summer, a particular young man found a job working as a canvasser for an environmental organization in his locale of Long Island. As a canvasser, his job is to go to various neighborhoods on the so-called Long Island, and fund raise for the non-profit organization he works with- essentially begging for the sake of his organization and the environment.
In the summer heat and humidity, the young man diligently does his job. The young man does his job because he morally and ethnically agrees with his organization's purpose and goals- he is willing to suffer the embarrassment of begging openly for them. He covers about 100 houses a day, knocking on doors and ringing doorbells from 4 o'clock until 9 o'clock every weekday. He implores those who answer these doors about the dangers of some carcinogenic chemicals in pesticides, the high exposure to toxic fumes from diesel school buses that the children inside are subject to, the millions of dollars taxpayers can save if their local municipalities just made some simple changes in terms of energy use, etc. Most of the people he encounters throughout the day aren't willing to help and send him on his way briskly. There is also a handful of people who do contribute and display a legitimate interest in the issues the young man is fund raising for, these people make the thank-less job worth it for the young man. Finally, there are an even smaller handful of people who will go to elaborate lengths to avoid the young man- this narrative is about two such individuals.
On this particular summer day, the weather was the worst kind for a summer day on Long Island. The bright sunlight lit the hazy and humid air as temperatures remained over 100 degrees Fahrenheit well until 7 o'clock in the afternoon. The young man was soaking in sweat after walking around in such weather for the past couple hours. His socks, his shorts, his shirt, even the brim of his baseball cap were completely saturated. He did his best to keep cool, dry and hydrated as he went door-to-door.
The young man found himself standing in a picturesque suburban neighborhood in a village called East Moriches, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk Country, New York, United States of America, Planet Earth, Solar System, Milky Way. Using his powers of observation, the young man concluded that the neighborhood was a fairly new neighborhood since the trees on the houses' lawns were merely sapling and the houses looked new. It was about that time of day that the insects began to come out and prey on whatever unfortunate souls that were still outdoors. Optimistically, the young man headed to the first house on the street in hopes of getting donations from like-minded individuals.
Unfortunately, the first few houses on that street did not harbor any like-minded individuals. Like he had been many times before, he was briskly sent on his way. He was undaunted- there had to be at least one person to make this particular street redeeming for the young man's efforts. The young man didn't know that he was mistaken.
He came upon house built in the style of a seaside colonial- it was the second-to-last house on the street. He found the walkway leading up to the front door. He could smell the chemical fertilizers on the lawn of this house and immediately began to have his doubts about this particular household.
Once at the front door, the young man pulled out his handkerchief from his back pocket and quickly dabbed the few beads of sweat that have accumulated on his forehead. He quickly composed himself and decided that he'd talk about his organization's efforts to save tax-payer dollars by implementing clean energy measures on the municipal level. He rang the door bell. A minute passed without an answer.
"No one must be home," he thought. He made a note of it on his clipboard and turned around to head towards the next house.
As he was walking back down the path, he heard the door open. He turned around to see if anyone was at the door. To his dismay, no one was there.
The door of the household was wide open; the inside of the house was dark. The young man stood wondering how the door opened when he watched the door close itself in a ghostly manner. To the young man, this didn't make too much sense. Although he does fleeting believes in the supernatural, there was no reason why a home would be haunted in a young neighborhood. As he stood there contemplating what was going on, he watched the door as it opened itself again, this time swinging wide open.
The young man decided to leave that house be and continued walking. Once he got off the house's property, he looked back to see the status of the door. In the doorway, he saw another young man- no a boy- shirtless with a hood over his head, prancing around in hopes to scaring the young man.
A small smirk materialized on the fringes of the young man's lips. "How idiotic," the young man thought. This wasn't worth the young man's time or efforts. The young man kept on walking away from that house as the boy at the doorway.
"My luck's been terrible so far, maybe it'll change at this next house- the last one on this street," he said aloud to himself, trying to keep himself company. The young man would find out that he was mistaken.
As he walked towards the next house across the street from the house with the boy with a keen interest in spooking the young man with supernatural shenanigans, the young man tried to compose himself. It hadn't gotten any cooler, it was still humid, and piping hot outside despite the sun beginning to make its descent towards the horizon. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his handkerchief, now thoroughly saturated from his sweat, and dabbed his forehead and nose. He saw beads of moisture collecting at the brim of his baseball cap. As he walked across the street, he took off his hat and shook it off and watched the sweat from his cap splatter across the pavement. From his backpack, he pulled out a water bottle and took a couple mighty gulps of lukewarm water.
The house across the street was a large, white, ranch-style home- it didn't have a tree on its property as far as the young man could see. The wide driveway of the house had a compact BMW car parked outside the double garage. The lawn was nicely manicured and the scent of pesticides was strong. The young man decided not to mention his organization's activism against pesticide use on Long Island as a result of his observation.
Once at the doorstep, the young man took a second to review his notes and compose himself. Just as he was about the ring the doorbell, he heard the boy from across the street. "Ahh! You Chinee?!" the boy said in a terrible excuse of an Asian accent. The young man turned to see the boy was now outside on his porch prancing around without his hood. He briskly turned around and decided to ignore the boy. Frankly, he couldn't believe that he was being heckled of all things.
The young man quickly recomposed himself. He rang the door bell. Silence.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” The boy across the street was now flapping his arms around and parading himself around his porch like a chicken, desperate for some sort of acknowledgement of his taunting. “Heh, kid, if you want me to acknowledge your taunting, you’re gonna end up an emergency room- I assure you,” the young man thought to himself.
Just as the young man was about to leave, he saw the doorknob of the white ranch jiggle and the door opened.
“Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrrr, arf, arf! Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrrr, arf, arf!” It was a rather quiet but consistent sound of a dog. The door was wide open, and in the doorway, there was a heavy-set, old woman with gray hair, large wire-framed glasses and a flower sundress. She didn’t open her glass-screen door.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” the boy continued across the street. “Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrr, arf, arf…” the sound of the dog continued. The young man decided to give his rap a shot.
“Hi, my name is-”
“I’M SORRY, I HAVE A HUGE DOG INSIDE, I CAN’T KEEP HIM DOWN,” the old woman yelled through the screen door.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” the boy continued across the street. “Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrr, arf, arf…” the sound of the dog continued.
The courteous smile turned into a hanging jaw on the young man’s face. The young man thought for a second, looking at the old woman incredulously. “A dog? You don’t have a dog lady; you’re playing a recording- A DAMNED RECORDING! How dumb do you think I am? Your door’s wide open, and if you had a dog, it would have been barking as soon as I pressed the doorbell. Really, what the hell!?” The little man inside the young man’s head was frustrated and ranting at the moment. The young man was simply dumbfounded.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” the boy continued across the street. “Arf, arf, arf, woof, grrr, arf, arf…” the sound of the dog continued.
The young man finally snapped back into reality after having absorbed what was going on. He quickly put his smile back on, tucked his clipboard under his left arm and began to walk away briskly.
“Thanks anyway, ma’am,” said the young man trying to be as polite as he possibly could given the circumstances. The old woman closed the door behind him. The barking immediately stopped.
“Bwakaa! Cluck, cluck, cluck…” the boy still continued across the street.
“Jesus, this street’s not going to help me out tonight- screw it!” the young man said to himself almost despondently. He still couldn’t believe the responses of the last two houses he visited- never had he expected to find people actually go to such lengths to avoid him. “Screw a donation! You could have let me at least inform you about what I’m about and tell you a little about the issues that you might care about because they affect you!” The young man said aloud to himself. He briskly made it to the cross street- the end of the road.
The young man turned and looked back upon the street that he had just been on. Down the street, he saw a couple houses with their sprinklers running, a little girl in a pink tutu was running around on her nicely manicured lawn, the boy that was clucking finally gave up and disappeared inside. The sun inched its way towards the horizon, the mosquitoes and insects were out in fleets, the young man’s hat and shirt were drenched in sweat and felt slightly dizzy as he was slowly dehydrating.
“All you guys needed to say was a simple ‘no thanks’ or ‘go away.'” The young man turned the corner leaving that street behind him.
***
I wish I was making this up, but this is 100% true.
In disbelief in the state of humanity,
Greg
6.11.2008
Sorry to have doubted you, Kurt Vonnegut
I just finished reading more Vonnegut. I spent most of last summer reading as much of him as I could. I decided to pick him up and finish his remaining novels. When I got started on The Sirens of Titan a couple days ago, my first impressions of that book weren't great.
"I guess all of them can't be good," I mused to myself after finishing the first chapter. I considered leaving the book for dead. Three days later after devoting an hour or so each night to reading, I've finished it. It's a great book delivering the same whimsically cynical-yet-optimistic take on life through a ridiculous science fiction story that's associated with Vonnegut. I'm sorry to have ever doubted you Mr. Vonnegut, I won't do so ever again.
The Sirens of Titan are done, next up The Piano Player.
Gettin' on by,
Greg
"I guess all of them can't be good," I mused to myself after finishing the first chapter. I considered leaving the book for dead. Three days later after devoting an hour or so each night to reading, I've finished it. It's a great book delivering the same whimsically cynical-yet-optimistic take on life through a ridiculous science fiction story that's associated with Vonnegut. I'm sorry to have ever doubted you Mr. Vonnegut, I won't do so ever again.
The Sirens of Titan are done, next up The Piano Player.
Gettin' on by,
Greg
6.10.2008
Post no. 100: Impeachment
We've seen that word (impeachment) thrown around the last couple of years in reference to the current presidential administration. Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 articles (although I can't find a copy of the 35 articles anywhere online) why President Bush should be ex-President Bush sooner than the date of the inauguration of the winner in November; yes, we're talking impeachment.
Now, just because Kucinich is talking to the House about this doesn't mean anything will come of it. The last few times it was tried, the motion was killed in the House, even after the Dems won the majority in 2006.
If this was still 2006, I would have been all for impeachment. I mean deliberate public misinformation, authorization of a military campaign on legally shady grounds, possible nepotism, deliberate leaks of information that endangered the lives of American agents, and general corruption all seem like more legitimate failures to the American people than prejury about a blow job. Hell, that was enough for impeachment proceedings for this guy. Honestly, all those reasons still ring true today- President Bush deserves the disgrace of impeachment.
However, let me play political analyst with a Democratic bias. Simply put, this impeachment is a terrible idea at the moment.
Why? Well, the first thing I'll care to point out is this: it's a presidential election year. I have a lingering feeling that the proponents of Bush's impeachment will be mostly Democrats in government. Naturally, Republicans will be pit against the Democrats- despite whatever rumblings of disillusionment within the Republican party concerning President Bush.
Concerning this, there are two things that could occur that would be highly undesirable for Democrats. The first is that the impeachment proceedings may act as a nucleus for Republican rejuvenation. We've all heard rumblings about fragmentation and dissent within in the party, why provide a event that may help consolidate the Republicans? I could draw a parallel between Americans and patriotism before and after 9/11. Before, being overtly patriotic wasn't the norm. Afterwards, draping the front of your house with flags became the norm. 9/11 was the nucleus for patriotic rejuvenation in this country- these impeachment proceedings can act the same for the Republicans, albeit on a smaller scale.
The second thing relates to it being an election year. The Democrats are pushing for control of the executive now that is control of the legislature. Remember the long grueling democratic primaries that just ended? Remember the bitter feelings from some Hillary supporters? It's safe for me to make the claim that Clinton supporters are more likely to vote Republican than Obama supporters, especially since Obama won the nomination. Okay, now follow this line of reasoning: now John McCain is trying to court these angry Clinton supporters. Here comes the Democrats, who are now aligned with Obama, to 'upset the order of things' and impeach President Bush during a time of war. That doesn't look good- that doesn't look good at all. I sure as hell do not read the situation like this, but I'm sure there are a number of borderline voters who will read it like this. The message in the end is this: the Democrats' way of working is to completely upset what is in place. Change doesn't appeal to these people- most people abhor and are frightened by change.
Imeachment is a great idea, it's just that now it's bad timing. As I already alluded to, it may be too litte too late. Remember, it's June of 2008. We only have 6 months or so left to bear with the Bush administration- is it worth the potential political cost to impeach the man?
Plus, say impeachment proceedings work out rather quickly and President Bush is ex-President Bush in a month (read: this is incredibly unlikely). Who's in control afterwards? Ol' Birdshot Dick. Dick Cheney, some may argue, has been the most influential vice president in American history and might even be worse for the American people if he were president- even if it's only the remaining 5 months. What I'm saying is, the Bush administration will still be in place even if Bush himself is not.
Hey, I would love it if President Bush, on top of being one of the most unpopular and disastrous foreign policy presidents in American history, would go down in history for how miserable he is/was by being kicked out of office. But, the potential political costs the Democrats may face is not worth it- especially in the election year. The number one priority for Democrats is to win the presidency while maintaining control in the legislature- let the history books do the disgracing (they've already began).
Dripping with inner conflict,
Greg
Now, just because Kucinich is talking to the House about this doesn't mean anything will come of it. The last few times it was tried, the motion was killed in the House, even after the Dems won the majority in 2006.
If this was still 2006, I would have been all for impeachment. I mean deliberate public misinformation, authorization of a military campaign on legally shady grounds, possible nepotism, deliberate leaks of information that endangered the lives of American agents, and general corruption all seem like more legitimate failures to the American people than prejury about a blow job. Hell, that was enough for impeachment proceedings for this guy. Honestly, all those reasons still ring true today- President Bush deserves the disgrace of impeachment.
However, let me play political analyst with a Democratic bias. Simply put, this impeachment is a terrible idea at the moment.
Why? Well, the first thing I'll care to point out is this: it's a presidential election year. I have a lingering feeling that the proponents of Bush's impeachment will be mostly Democrats in government. Naturally, Republicans will be pit against the Democrats- despite whatever rumblings of disillusionment within the Republican party concerning President Bush.
Concerning this, there are two things that could occur that would be highly undesirable for Democrats. The first is that the impeachment proceedings may act as a nucleus for Republican rejuvenation. We've all heard rumblings about fragmentation and dissent within in the party, why provide a event that may help consolidate the Republicans? I could draw a parallel between Americans and patriotism before and after 9/11. Before, being overtly patriotic wasn't the norm. Afterwards, draping the front of your house with flags became the norm. 9/11 was the nucleus for patriotic rejuvenation in this country- these impeachment proceedings can act the same for the Republicans, albeit on a smaller scale.
The second thing relates to it being an election year. The Democrats are pushing for control of the executive now that is control of the legislature. Remember the long grueling democratic primaries that just ended? Remember the bitter feelings from some Hillary supporters? It's safe for me to make the claim that Clinton supporters are more likely to vote Republican than Obama supporters, especially since Obama won the nomination. Okay, now follow this line of reasoning: now John McCain is trying to court these angry Clinton supporters. Here comes the Democrats, who are now aligned with Obama, to 'upset the order of things' and impeach President Bush during a time of war. That doesn't look good- that doesn't look good at all. I sure as hell do not read the situation like this, but I'm sure there are a number of borderline voters who will read it like this. The message in the end is this: the Democrats' way of working is to completely upset what is in place. Change doesn't appeal to these people- most people abhor and are frightened by change.
Imeachment is a great idea, it's just that now it's bad timing. As I already alluded to, it may be too litte too late. Remember, it's June of 2008. We only have 6 months or so left to bear with the Bush administration- is it worth the potential political cost to impeach the man?
Plus, say impeachment proceedings work out rather quickly and President Bush is ex-President Bush in a month (read: this is incredibly unlikely). Who's in control afterwards? Ol' Birdshot Dick. Dick Cheney, some may argue, has been the most influential vice president in American history and might even be worse for the American people if he were president- even if it's only the remaining 5 months. What I'm saying is, the Bush administration will still be in place even if Bush himself is not.
Hey, I would love it if President Bush, on top of being one of the most unpopular and disastrous foreign policy presidents in American history, would go down in history for how miserable he is/was by being kicked out of office. But, the potential political costs the Democrats may face is not worth it- especially in the election year. The number one priority for Democrats is to win the presidency while maintaining control in the legislature- let the history books do the disgracing (they've already began).
Dripping with inner conflict,
Greg
6.09.2008
Wu-Tang + Chess = WuChess
I love the Wu-Tang Clan. Why do I love them so? Well, amongst other reasons, things like this:
RZA and the Wu opened up a new website that's a combination of hip-hop social networking and chess. Let me repeat that: hip-hop and chess. I'll just leave it at that. Here's what they have to say at the website:
Chessboxin' with the best of 'em,
Greg
RZA and the Wu opened up a new website that's a combination of hip-hop social networking and chess. Let me repeat that: hip-hop and chess. I'll just leave it at that. Here's what they have to say at the website:
Did I mention that I love the Wu? By the way, here's the site. Enjoy and long live the Wu-Tang Clan.WuChess.com is the worlds first online chess and Hip-Hop community. You can create and share profiles with your friends and triumph over enemies on the 64 squares. Not just against people in your neighborhood but from all over the world.
Play live chess with people from all over the world and get your learn on.
WuChess.com lets you get knowledge from REAL chess masters online, or train in chambers against the computer to refine your skills.
Create your own chess clans to see who can build the highest ranking. Play in tournaments for prizes, or just for the joy of flexin' ya mentals.
At Wuchess.com you can log-on to watch chess clans do battle on and check out exhibition matches with Rza, other Wu-Tang members and stars from across the planet.
WuChess taking the game of life to the next level.
Chessboxin' with the best of 'em,
Greg
6.08.2008
The worst kind of weather
There's bad weather, there's really bad weather, there's @$%^! weather, and then there's today.
Today's type of weather is the kind is hate dearly. I really have a hard time tolerating it. It's hot, it's humid, there's no wind. That's fine, I can kinda deal with that. Personally, I think that's a pretty crappy combination- like I would rather it be freezing, dry, and windy as hell much like how I imagine Siberia to be. Today however was worse.
Not only was today hot, humid and had still air, it teased one of those summer thunderstorms to cool the day off. It teased! It didn't deliver. I heard the distant rumbling of thunder, felt the breeze pick up, saw the dark clouds move in and even felt the few drops of rain. Despite all the signs, the promised torrents didn't come. The clouds parted again, the air calmed and the sun lit up the dull haze of the humidity. I feel cheated today. I wanted a cool thunderstorm all the signs pointed to.
Not only did the weather suck today, it decieved me. That's the worst kind of weather.
Suffering heat-induced delirium,
Greg
Today's type of weather is the kind is hate dearly. I really have a hard time tolerating it. It's hot, it's humid, there's no wind. That's fine, I can kinda deal with that. Personally, I think that's a pretty crappy combination- like I would rather it be freezing, dry, and windy as hell much like how I imagine Siberia to be. Today however was worse.
Not only was today hot, humid and had still air, it teased one of those summer thunderstorms to cool the day off. It teased! It didn't deliver. I heard the distant rumbling of thunder, felt the breeze pick up, saw the dark clouds move in and even felt the few drops of rain. Despite all the signs, the promised torrents didn't come. The clouds parted again, the air calmed and the sun lit up the dull haze of the humidity. I feel cheated today. I wanted a cool thunderstorm all the signs pointed to.
Not only did the weather suck today, it decieved me. That's the worst kind of weather.
Suffering heat-induced delirium,
Greg
6.07.2008
Song of the Week- 6/7/2008
Two years ago to the week, I was slowly coming to the realization of the impending end of a chapter in my life. It was the weekend after prom the realization that high school was over for me hit me. A mix of nostalgia and shiftless anxiety/excitement began to creep into my conscious thoughts. Those thoughts would become a monolith that was always visible in my consciousness over that summer. I used that specter to enjoy my last summer with my friends and prepare for a new future- a future that now, in present, I love and have come to embrace. I only mention this now because I'm reminded of that time of my life. My brother's at the same place- although he may not explicitly state things the way I would, I'm sure he sees the changes ahead. Good luck Danno, you'll enjoy your summer and your future.
Now for the song of the week! Which song did I choose this week? Death Cab for Cutie's latest single "I Will Possess Your Heart."
Death Cab has always been one of those bands that people seem to be ashamed to like, mostly because they're a bit emo. Whatever, I'm confident in my own sense of self and will readily admit that I'm a fan.
"I Will Possess Your Heart" off of their latest albums Narrow Stairs is really unlike past Death Cab stuff. This is not so much a sprawling ode to a lost love as it is the band jamming. In fact, the first half of the song is just a pure instrumental build up. The song is more characterized by a great base line and melody that is augmented by a driving piano and drums with a splash of spacey guitar. The base line and melody are chock full of hooks- the bass could be just at home in an R&B song or a funk song while the melody and it's off-beat pick-ups is incredibly catchy (see the chorus of the song). Really, the lyrical content is secondary; it's almost as if the band created this great instrumental sound and wanted to put it on the album and it just so happened Ben Gibbard had a set of loose lyrics he just kinda threw in there. Even the music video supports this notion- it is a mix between the band preforming in an icebox and a camera following a beautiful girl and her travels around the world- little to do with lost or strained love.
Give the song a listen and enjoy until next week.
In hot and humid heat,
Greg
Now for the song of the week! Which song did I choose this week? Death Cab for Cutie's latest single "I Will Possess Your Heart."
Death Cab has always been one of those bands that people seem to be ashamed to like, mostly because they're a bit emo. Whatever, I'm confident in my own sense of self and will readily admit that I'm a fan.
"I Will Possess Your Heart" off of their latest albums Narrow Stairs is really unlike past Death Cab stuff. This is not so much a sprawling ode to a lost love as it is the band jamming. In fact, the first half of the song is just a pure instrumental build up. The song is more characterized by a great base line and melody that is augmented by a driving piano and drums with a splash of spacey guitar. The base line and melody are chock full of hooks- the bass could be just at home in an R&B song or a funk song while the melody and it's off-beat pick-ups is incredibly catchy (see the chorus of the song). Really, the lyrical content is secondary; it's almost as if the band created this great instrumental sound and wanted to put it on the album and it just so happened Ben Gibbard had a set of loose lyrics he just kinda threw in there. Even the music video supports this notion- it is a mix between the band preforming in an icebox and a camera following a beautiful girl and her travels around the world- little to do with lost or strained love.
Give the song a listen and enjoy until next week.
In hot and humid heat,
Greg
6.06.2008
Music of our Generation?
Depending on who you ask, you could say that I'm a tail-end member of Generation Y, or a senior member of Generation Einstein. Culturally speaking, there are a number of criticism and a number of praises endowed upon my generation. This week's edition of NPR's All Songs Considered podcast looked at what could be Generation Y's defining song, sound and/or genre. A thing to note was that none of the members of the discussion were members of Generation Y themselves.
So what'd they come up with? Nirvana ("Lithium"), Public Enemy ("Fight the Power"), Soulja Boy ("Crank That (Soulja Boy)"), M.I.A. ("Bucky Done Gun") and Kelly Clarkson ("Since U Been Gone") have all been suggested.
It's an interesting mix of things isn't it? Nirvana and Public Enemy- one grunge, one hip hop, both from the early 90s when I was probably singing Barney's "I Love You" song. The next three however are very recent choices, none of them being popular before 2000. Soulja Boy, whose song is lambasted for it's lack of content but developed such a viral buzz inspiring a dance and the subsequent Youtube videos like this one, this one and this one, M.I.A. and her eclectic mix of styles and influences, and the first winner of, and perhaps most artistically legitimate, American Idol, Kelly Clarkson. All these choices make sense, but have their flaws in the choice.
First, consider what a generation is. It's a rough 25 year period that is defined by specific political, cultural, intellectual, social and/or demographic characteristics. 25 years. That's a lot of time- I haven't lived a "generation" yet. There's plenty of time within 25 years to have different trends and movements in music. For example, the choice of Nirvana and Public Enemy are a little bit before my own personal time like I mentioned above. They skip right over the mid and late 1990s and subsequently ignore the rise in the 'alternative music' genre, the continued evolution of hip-hop and the cultural phenomena (no matter how devoid of actual artistic merit) of bubblegum pop. Finally, the amount of music that is readily available to the public today is exponentially more than it was even just 5 years ago. More people are making music even if they're not making records by distributing their music through the internet and through commercial or media usage. Soulja Boy's song, Kelly Clarkson and Feist's "1234" are just a few example of the proliferation of music culturally. The sheer volume of music makes choosing just one genre, artist or song impossible.
So then what do I think defines my generation musically? I'm not going to chose just one song, artist or genre- that's an exercise in narrow futility. I'll limit myself to 5 choices of artists and I'll give a short reasoning to why I chose them. The following is just in chronological order.
1. Nirvana - popularized grunge to the world and ended the tail end of the musical era of Generation X. Started the whole Alt-Rock wave in the 90s.
2. Brittany Spears - the face of bubblegum pop as a phenomenon for better or worse. This wave of music is defined by a highly produced sound, the accompanying visual in the music video, choreographed dancing and unabashed sexual advertisement. She and other acts like the Spice Girls, Christina Augilera, *Nsync and the Backstreet Boys ruled the world it seems in the mid to late 90s.
3. Jay-Z - it's hard to chose one hip-hop artist, but Jigga was the choice because of his permanence and success over the last 10 years. He utilized hip hop in a bevy of ways including person expression ("Hard Knock Life"), celebration of materialism and success("Big Pimpin'"), and dance ("Dirt off Your Shoulder"). He is also one of the most consistent faces in the world of hip hop featuring other artists like Public Enemy, Wu-Tang, Biggie, Tupac, Puffy, Nas, Black Star, Kanye West, etc.
4. Soulja Boy - as much as I personally don't like his song, and perhaps claim that his act was a novelty, I can't deny how he was popularized. His success and popularization was purely user-motivated through the internet and Youtube. This, the internet as a medium, is defiantly a zeitgeist for my generation.
5. Feist - again another example of how the changing media has popularized an artist. As an independent artist, she found success with a cult following through blogs. She later broke through into the mainstream through commercial use of her music- this time by Apple. Plus musically, she represents the emerging trend of music that is "a more updated version of 60s and 70s" that bands/artists like The Shins, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire can be ascribed to.
So that's my list. It's hard to narrow it down, especially with my personal biases that contributed. What do you guys think? What music defines our generation, Generation Y, Generation Einstein, Generation Echo?
Musically inquisitive,
Greg
So what'd they come up with? Nirvana ("Lithium"), Public Enemy ("Fight the Power"), Soulja Boy ("Crank That (Soulja Boy)"), M.I.A. ("Bucky Done Gun") and Kelly Clarkson ("Since U Been Gone") have all been suggested.
It's an interesting mix of things isn't it? Nirvana and Public Enemy- one grunge, one hip hop, both from the early 90s when I was probably singing Barney's "I Love You" song. The next three however are very recent choices, none of them being popular before 2000. Soulja Boy, whose song is lambasted for it's lack of content but developed such a viral buzz inspiring a dance and the subsequent Youtube videos like this one, this one and this one, M.I.A. and her eclectic mix of styles and influences, and the first winner of, and perhaps most artistically legitimate, American Idol, Kelly Clarkson. All these choices make sense, but have their flaws in the choice.
First, consider what a generation is. It's a rough 25 year period that is defined by specific political, cultural, intellectual, social and/or demographic characteristics. 25 years. That's a lot of time- I haven't lived a "generation" yet. There's plenty of time within 25 years to have different trends and movements in music. For example, the choice of Nirvana and Public Enemy are a little bit before my own personal time like I mentioned above. They skip right over the mid and late 1990s and subsequently ignore the rise in the 'alternative music' genre, the continued evolution of hip-hop and the cultural phenomena (no matter how devoid of actual artistic merit) of bubblegum pop. Finally, the amount of music that is readily available to the public today is exponentially more than it was even just 5 years ago. More people are making music even if they're not making records by distributing their music through the internet and through commercial or media usage. Soulja Boy's song, Kelly Clarkson and Feist's "1234" are just a few example of the proliferation of music culturally. The sheer volume of music makes choosing just one genre, artist or song impossible.
So then what do I think defines my generation musically? I'm not going to chose just one song, artist or genre- that's an exercise in narrow futility. I'll limit myself to 5 choices of artists and I'll give a short reasoning to why I chose them. The following is just in chronological order.
1. Nirvana - popularized grunge to the world and ended the tail end of the musical era of Generation X. Started the whole Alt-Rock wave in the 90s.
2. Brittany Spears - the face of bubblegum pop as a phenomenon for better or worse. This wave of music is defined by a highly produced sound, the accompanying visual in the music video, choreographed dancing and unabashed sexual advertisement. She and other acts like the Spice Girls, Christina Augilera, *Nsync and the Backstreet Boys ruled the world it seems in the mid to late 90s.
3. Jay-Z - it's hard to chose one hip-hop artist, but Jigga was the choice because of his permanence and success over the last 10 years. He utilized hip hop in a bevy of ways including person expression ("Hard Knock Life"), celebration of materialism and success("Big Pimpin'"), and dance ("Dirt off Your Shoulder"). He is also one of the most consistent faces in the world of hip hop featuring other artists like Public Enemy, Wu-Tang, Biggie, Tupac, Puffy, Nas, Black Star, Kanye West, etc.
4. Soulja Boy - as much as I personally don't like his song, and perhaps claim that his act was a novelty, I can't deny how he was popularized. His success and popularization was purely user-motivated through the internet and Youtube. This, the internet as a medium, is defiantly a zeitgeist for my generation.
5. Feist - again another example of how the changing media has popularized an artist. As an independent artist, she found success with a cult following through blogs. She later broke through into the mainstream through commercial use of her music- this time by Apple. Plus musically, she represents the emerging trend of music that is "a more updated version of 60s and 70s" that bands/artists like The Shins, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire can be ascribed to.
So that's my list. It's hard to narrow it down, especially with my personal biases that contributed. What do you guys think? What music defines our generation, Generation Y, Generation Einstein, Generation Echo?
Musically inquisitive,
Greg
6.05.2008
Oh, I love good racial humor
Yep, I do. Does that make me a racist? I don't think so.
Lets think about this for a second: what's humor in the first place, what makes something funny? To me the funniest things are usually commentary on blatantly obvious facts or truths, a pleasant deviation from the expected, or just the plain absurd. What's racial humor? It's humor based around the norms and association of race. Sometimes, racial humor manages to do all three things I listed above. Now lets watch this little video I came across.
Commentary? On the perceived and existing stereotypes typically associated with black American males.
Deviation from the expected? Once the stereotype is established, the black men end up going to a farmer's market to spend their day.
Absurdity? The mere fact that black males decide to "just go out and be black guys."
That's all three bases covered. I laughed. Does that make me a racist? I don't think so.
Here's how I feel about racial humor: it's all about context. If I make a joke with the intent to humiliate someone, that's a racist act. If I make a joke to do one of the three things I mentioned above, it's just a joke. What if I offend inadvertently? Well that's a risk I have to take for the sake of humor. In the end, it's best to use what you believe is common sense. I believe most people have that.
Racial humor done right is one way to acknowledge racial differences in a non ignorant manner. Issues involving race in this country (mostly racism, discrimination and stereotyping) is a matter of ignorance. Humor is rarely to be taken seriously. Racial humor is a safe way to educate and discussion issues of race since it's not meant to be inflammatory. You see what that video above did right there? It pretty much showed that even black people realize that there's a perception of what a "black guy" does and the correlation between actual blacks and the "black guy" image is loose. It educates through humor. That's good racial humor in my opinion.
Not a racist,
Greg
Lets think about this for a second: what's humor in the first place, what makes something funny? To me the funniest things are usually commentary on blatantly obvious facts or truths, a pleasant deviation from the expected, or just the plain absurd. What's racial humor? It's humor based around the norms and association of race. Sometimes, racial humor manages to do all three things I listed above. Now lets watch this little video I came across.
See more funny videos at CollegeHumor
Commentary? On the perceived and existing stereotypes typically associated with black American males.
Deviation from the expected? Once the stereotype is established, the black men end up going to a farmer's market to spend their day.
Absurdity? The mere fact that black males decide to "just go out and be black guys."
That's all three bases covered. I laughed. Does that make me a racist? I don't think so.
Here's how I feel about racial humor: it's all about context. If I make a joke with the intent to humiliate someone, that's a racist act. If I make a joke to do one of the three things I mentioned above, it's just a joke. What if I offend inadvertently? Well that's a risk I have to take for the sake of humor. In the end, it's best to use what you believe is common sense. I believe most people have that.
Racial humor done right is one way to acknowledge racial differences in a non ignorant manner. Issues involving race in this country (mostly racism, discrimination and stereotyping) is a matter of ignorance. Humor is rarely to be taken seriously. Racial humor is a safe way to educate and discussion issues of race since it's not meant to be inflammatory. You see what that video above did right there? It pretty much showed that even black people realize that there's a perception of what a "black guy" does and the correlation between actual blacks and the "black guy" image is loose. It educates through humor. That's good racial humor in my opinion.
Not a racist,
Greg
The consequences of the primaries?
Well I've alluded to it and it seems some people have already reinforced what I thought. This long primary election struggle between Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton to some degree did create some electoral cleavages in the Democratic voting bloc. Actually, anyone could have told you that based on the candidates' personal demographics. You'd have to be foolishly naive or blissfully ignorant to not know that America is still influenced by race and sex in negative capacities. You know what that makes me think? This: "My god, people are fucking retarded. Passionate, yes. But abso-fuckin'-lutely retarded!"
Watch this, it's one Clinton-supporter/former-Democrat going nuts a couple days ago- it's internet journalism at its best.
Well at least she'll be voting with her demographic bloc: the people who cried "fie!" at the decadence of the radio.
My favorite part of her rant? "It's equality for all of us!" when referring to not being able to call people "black" while she can be referred to as "white." I dunno old lady, I think "black" is a perfectly fine word to use to describe a person- it's more accurate than calling someone "African-American," you should know being from New York with our large Caribbean-American population. I've been corrected a number of times for my 'misspeaking.' Also, I'd like to point out that she's playing the race card as an old white lady. She wants all people to be able to use 'racial slurs' in an equal capacity. My how valiant of her to stand for such a position!
I'd like to point out that not all Hillary Clinton supporters are this retarded or this passionate. The danger was that a Obama nomination would awaken these types of crazies and push them towards McCain. I don't know about you, but any passionate Obama supporter- had Clinton won the nomination- wouldn't jump ship as some of the compliment Clinton supporters may end up doing. Change is only appealing to those who will survive to see the fruits of it.
Last thing: aren't you all amazed at the use of my political jargon? "Crazies," "nuts," "retarded," etc.
Astounded by general stupidity,
Greg
P.S. - One last thing, for real this time: excuse me for my potty mouth (potty fingers?) in this post. Sometimes, when things upset me tremendously, I use this type of language to convey disbelief, anger, or both.
Watch this, it's one Clinton-supporter/former-Democrat going nuts a couple days ago- it's internet journalism at its best.
Well at least she'll be voting with her demographic bloc: the people who cried "fie!" at the decadence of the radio.
My favorite part of her rant? "It's equality for all of us!" when referring to not being able to call people "black" while she can be referred to as "white." I dunno old lady, I think "black" is a perfectly fine word to use to describe a person- it's more accurate than calling someone "African-American," you should know being from New York with our large Caribbean-American population. I've been corrected a number of times for my 'misspeaking.' Also, I'd like to point out that she's playing the race card as an old white lady. She wants all people to be able to use 'racial slurs' in an equal capacity. My how valiant of her to stand for such a position!
I'd like to point out that not all Hillary Clinton supporters are this retarded or this passionate. The danger was that a Obama nomination would awaken these types of crazies and push them towards McCain. I don't know about you, but any passionate Obama supporter- had Clinton won the nomination- wouldn't jump ship as some of the compliment Clinton supporters may end up doing. Change is only appealing to those who will survive to see the fruits of it.
Last thing: aren't you all amazed at the use of my political jargon? "Crazies," "nuts," "retarded," etc.
Astounded by general stupidity,
Greg
P.S. - One last thing, for real this time: excuse me for my potty mouth (potty fingers?) in this post. Sometimes, when things upset me tremendously, I use this type of language to convey disbelief, anger, or both.
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