While doing a little research on Owen's new b-side EP (The Seaside EP), I noticed that he covered a song by 80's rockers Extreme. I figured that if Kinsella did it, so did others. Boy was I right. You know who else did it (oh by the way, the song is "More Than Words")? Ruben "Huggy Bear" Studdard. And thus my demise.
Ruben released an album this year. Did you know that? It's sold 20,000 copies. His first record went platinum. Now not only is this sad for Ruben Studdard, but it's sad for me. Why must Wikipedia force me to find these odd, ridiculous connections? Why do I need to know that Ruben's third disc looked a lot like Louis Voutton's signature LV pattern? And why do I need to know that Sony and LV settled the dispute out of court?
Of course, the answer is that I don't need to know. I don't even want to know. Yet I search on, diving deeper into the internet's black hole. Not sure why I'm just now lamenting my tendency to spend hours on Wikipedia, but it seemed like this Ruben-related searching was the last straw.
If someone hasn't already, they should write a code for Wikipedia that is sort of like Six Degrees of Separation. You just enter in two things, not necessarily people, and it finds the connections between them. Of course, with this sort of info, you could probably enter up to like 10 things and it would still be possible. That would be a fun time-waster.
I've always wondered how Origami is related to Bruce Willis. Or how faux fur is closely tied to recyclable plastics and the stuff a Rhino's horn is made out of.
Or perhaps this technology would be too powerful. This could certainly be the downfall of our civilization. Forget I mentioned it.
BLAKE
(if something like what I described already exists, what the heck, link me. I've already downfall-en)
Hello, Eastern Time Zone. I think we'll get along just fine. Conan's back at 11:35. Nobody talks about how big their grandfather's corn field is. And most importantly, Larry King is somewhere close. I hope to finally see a zombie.
I saw this movie tonight and I was excited. Since it featured John Krasinkski in a beard I was intrigued from the get-go. After doing some reading/researching upon it's release, I decided it might be a good movie. You know, the idea of going and finding that place you want to live is a pertinent one, to me at least.
I jumped at the opportunity to sit back and see my life on screen. But boy was I wrong. Never has a 90-minute movie felt so long. And after I understood the movie's Great Big Point during minute 8, which was, of course, that you can't find home but that you "make" your home, I was ready for it to be over.
I couldn't believe Krasinksi and Rudolph as these characters. The only characters I believed to be real were the people they met along the way, you know, the people they hated. I understood Rudolph's sister in her quest to find the right man, even if he sucked. I understood the hurt of their college friends who couldn't make a baby. However, I couldn't believe in this grisly couple who have late-night talks on trampolines at the age of 34. When they say "their vows" because Rudolph refuses to marry, it's in phrases like, "Will you promise to not hate our kid if she becomes fat?" "I do." Bleh. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's heart is in the right place, but a movie like this is clearly meant to feel "real." And to that point, it does not.
Go find your home. Go search for it. But know that you don't have to solely use simple sentences or crazy fruit-based metaphors.
For graduation/my birthday/christmas/next birthday/next christmas/next graduation I received a new computer.
that's awesome and it rules. Big time.
The only thing that irks me, and it's stupid, I know, is that I lost all the playcounts to my itunes library. I have last.fm, but I only began using it in like February of this year. So as I'm scrolling by I see all these great songs with no plays. I've been trying to listen to some of them so that there's at least a one, but it's really just a daunting task that seems hopeless.
I'm not sure why this bothers me so much, other than I am a big deleter of bad albums I download. I don't want to be a music glutton. So if I see something that's been there a while with no plays, i get rid of it. Sort of a guilt thing, but whatever. But now there's far too much with zeroes, and it makes it harder to eliminate the fat.
Blah, and this is today's pointless musical moment
Let me explain my situation. I'm sitting in a pitch-dark bedroom. The lights are off because I turned them off. The glow of the computer illuminates my portion of the room, but I sort of hate it because, as we all know, "It's bad for your eyes!" So I'm here and this is my situation. And I have to live with it.
The last 6 weeks have been, well, weeks. A holding pattern. Each day brings me closer to something in the future that I can't understand. I could be referencing my impending school schedule, but I think I'm referencing the black hole that is my future.
Do you know what it's like to fail?
And you know, all of this free time has been trying. I lollygag around the Internet looking for inspiration. And boy do I find it. I see writing/art/photography, all of it wonderful. And I think, "How do these people do that?! How did they think of that?!" But instead of inspiration I find that black hole again. I begin another meaningless crossword puzzle.
This self-loathing shtick is getting old, believe you me. It's not really loathing, it's just a weird sense that I can do something else. Not necessarily something better, just "else." But what that "else" is totally eludes me. And with all that said, I've been given an opportunity to turn this black hole into anything. Maybe it's not "black", rather it's "Blank." I can work with "Blank."
Yes, I like that idea. Just let me work through this. We're getting places!
So I'm sitting and it's dark and music is playing. Am I unhappy? Absolutely not. In fact, I feel great. I truly do. This is a healthy fear and a healthy process. Moving again and all that, yeah, whatever. It's not scary even though it should be. You can't prepare to be "alone." You can only prepare for how long you'll let yourself be alone. Loneliness is but a choice.
Which I guess brings me to the next point.
I finally feel ready to mentally unpack the wedding I attended this past weekend. My brother and his beautiful bride are off in Mexico. They are two people who certainly deserve some time away. They are two people who are destined to make it. As much I can sit here and bemoan the ambiguous life goals ahead of me, it's reassuring to see a couple who know exactly what they want from this world.
And the simple answer is that they only want each other. Why didn't I think of that? And in the back of my mind these past few months, when I thought, "I could never get married this early. I'm not ready. I'm not strong enough", I was incorrectly chastising myself.
Now before I go down this road too far, let me say that I don't necessarily believe my life would be any more complete with a hot girlfriend on my arm. All I'm saying is that it's not incorrect to know at an early age what you want.
It's not wrong to have started painting your canvas. (Is that the last metaphor for this blog? Let's hope so. )And the more I thought about this, the more it made sense for me personally. For me, who typically derides the notion that we must look to elders and old dudes for guidance, and then say that, "You can't know what you want at this age!" is just silly. It's hypocritical, really.
Nobody had to tell them they were ready for marriage. They just knew. They knew that what they needed at this point in their lives was each other. And if you can know yourself AND another person that well at 24, well hallelelujah! you've done it!
Then I watched those two look into each other's eyes while the minister read them their rights (or whatever he does) and each of their faces said the same exact thing, paraphrased of course, "Will this guy shutup so we can be together already!" And it was cute and I felt my knees buckle a little bit. Because it hit me that isn't that what we all want? We just want everyone to get out of the way so we can get to that happy place. Whether that's a high school sweetheart at the age of 24 or whether that's another challenge in another anonymous city, we just need to move towards it. Quickly. Get there. (I sound like a bad athletic shoe advertisement.) Take as much time as you need to figure it out. You can rush once you know what you're after. But I now know it's in my power to turn a negative black hole into a positive blank canvas. It's me that can seek out that special person/it/thing/opportunity.
So let's get out there and make our knees buckle. Even if it is just a little bit.
This ad made me laugh out loud. It's good for two reasons: one, it obviously and clearly shows motion in a print ad, two, it communicates luxury meeting technology in a stylish way. Good work. Cool car.
I like these ads, sure, but I much prefer the idea/program they promote. Being smart is cool, and we should do all we can to make more kids cool, err, smart.
Adding to my previous post about the best 10 albums of 2009 to this point, I thought I'd point out my favorite single of the year.
It belongs to the lovely optimistic, free-spirited NYC group Harlem Shakes. The song in question is (which can be heard fairly regularly on XM's XMU station) "Strictly Game". Not only do I appreciate the "SaxMan"-esque saxophone playing, heavy bass drum and oh-so-jovial usage of DOOSH DOOSH electronics, but the chorus' focal point is one of the most simple and "HELL YEAH" moments you'll hear all year. The band joins together in a large chorus to assure us that "This will be a better year!"
As far as a RIYL, who knows, the singer reminds me of someone, but I can't put a finger on it. The band's first full-length Technicolor Health is a strategized hodge-podge of electronic grooves, clever lyricism and hope-inducing optimism (or is it optimism-inducing hope?). I guess if you like Vampire Weekend you will like these guys. But these days that is an amazingly vague statement. Sue my for indecisiveness if you'd like. Just click, check, read, whatever. "Strictly Game" makes me happy! Exclamation point happy!!
"Up from the basement to my best friend's farm
Where we'll work so hard, we can do no harm
We'll till the land and duck our debts
Underneath soft sun, chewing Nicorette
This will be a better year
This will be a better year
Make a little money, take a lot of shit
Feel real bad, then get over it
This will be a better year
Oh I keep pushing boulders
I stay game till sun'll shake my shoulders
Oh, I keep feeling older
I stay game, stay game, stay game
The East Coast kids, man, we just don't know
Singing wait, wait, stop, drop me, go, go, go
But I'm taken by the hand to a blue pay phone
We can break blue laws with our skin and bones
And now I'm back in the city, I'm counting frick frick frick
Heard of milk great things, speaking soft and thick
He said, "If life gives you lemons, then thus god bade.
So put a little bit of bitter in your pink lemonade"
I'm sick of thee sheep, I'm sick of thou shepherd
Sick of dressing like a human when I'm feeling like a leopard
I'm sick of slow rock, I'm sick of quick quips
Sick of holding on to nothing when I just want to hold your hips
This will be a better year
This will be a better year
Make a little money, take a lot of shit
Feel real bad, then get over it
This will be a better year
Oh I keep pushing boulders
I stay game till sun'll shake my shoulders
Oh I keep feeling older
I stay game, stay game, stay game
Gotta say, the song "Carl Barker" by Dance Gavin Dance on their new album Happiness is a barnburner indeed. I'll admit that there isn't anything too great going on with this band's lyrics, but I think the vocal aspects of the band are vastly improved. Also, I finally checked out their 2008 Self-Titled album, and I think it's not ridiculous to say that Happiness is easily the band's best release. It's a more pleasurable mixture of insane screaming and passionate singing. Plus, the prog experimentation has been increased, which is a great thing in my eyes. It kind of sounds like a super-melodic lovebaby of Trophy Scars and The Fall of Troy.
I know this music isn't for everyone, especially those who don't like any yelling in their tunes. But if you do, I don't know why this wouldn't worm its way into your rotation.
The AP.net staff has been compiling their top-10 lists for a feature to be posted next week. It's just another way for people to hear some music that might have been missed thus far. Second half of the year looks to be good, so we'll see how much my list changes in December!
1.) The Dangerous Summer - Reach For The Sun
2.) Alexander The Great - Faces Change
3.) We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
4.) Mansions - New Best Friends
5.) Years - Years
6.) So Many Dynamos - The Loud Wars
7.) Fake Problems - It's Great To Be Alive
8.) husband&wife - Dark Dark Woods
9.) Transit - Stay Home EP
10.) Suckers - Suckers EP
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