I’ve been noticing since the elections occurred yesterday that many of my friends are complaining about the results, and are claiming they are going to move out of this country.I will admit when I was in middle school I had ideas of moving out of the country myself, but that's before I really knew anything about politics. While I am by no means thrilled myself with the results, I’d like to remind my friends that we live in one of the most democratically free countries in the world. In our parents generations if they weren’t happy with the political policies, they marched on D.C. In our generation, we complain via our facebook statuses.
That’s the great thing about this country. We have the freedom, at least theoretically, to be able to change the politics of which we don’t approve. The difference is that people give up too easily, are generally unmotivated, and maybe our best and brightest really do move to other countries. As cool as Scott Pilgrim may make Canada seem, it has its own issues especially with it’s Health Care System which is why a lot of the best doctors from Canada end up coming to America. As cool as we Americans think British accents are, their system has it flaws as well.
Look on the bright side people: Christine O’Donnel did not win her election. The day I lose any hope I have left for this country is the day that someone who is asked what issues they are against and then asks the questioner to give them some issues is elected. Granted, she didn’t use the words “getting all mavericky maverick up in here” so she may be slightly better than Sarah Palin.
Next time you consider moving out of the country, remind yourself that the best place to live these days is probably Switzerland. Do you know how many languages you’d have to be proficient at to really blend in/get along in Switzerland? At least four. That’s three and half more than most Americans are willing to learn ( I say 3 and half because a lot of us also suck at English).
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Phoenix Is Reborn
This title seems fitting because I’ve been reflecting a lot on lately on “my past life” if you will. Life before I started going to Ithaca college, or even life as a “lowly freshman”. This time last year the high point of my life was telling my neighbor’s girlfriend that she sounded like the demon from the movie paranormal activity when they went at in bed ( I still have nightmares about that movie...and that sound). This title is also fitting because now, I’m going to concerts such as Phoenix at Cornell.
Phoenix was unknown to me until this summer...then again a lot of the music I like now was unknown me previous to this summer. As many of you who read this know, I went to Lollapalooza this summer and it pretty much changed my life. Not in the “oh my god I’m going to be a musician cause I totally can play my acoustic guitar while doing covers of bob dylan in your local starbucks” way, but in the helping me to define who and what I am, as well as what I like to do. Phoenix which had been new to me then seemed like an old friend at this point.
It was a night out with friends, friends who I had not seen much lately, save the exception of one who insists on being more my frenemy than my actual friend (even though she is in my list of favorite contacts on my phone). I had been thinking lately what life had been like before I knew them, how things had changed since meeting them, and how hot the opening act was...the last part isn’t a kodak moment, but it needed to be said.
So may there be many more nights of almost having a seizure from the light show filled with the companionship of friends such as yourselves. As for Phoenix, keep stringing together random english words to make songs it’s really awesome. Oh also buy yourself an english dictionary and look up the definition of the word “last song”, not that I’m complaining. Also thank you for putting on the best show I've seen since Lollapalooza itself.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Phoenix was unknown to me until this summer...then again a lot of the music I like now was unknown me previous to this summer. As many of you who read this know, I went to Lollapalooza this summer and it pretty much changed my life. Not in the “oh my god I’m going to be a musician cause I totally can play my acoustic guitar while doing covers of bob dylan in your local starbucks” way, but in the helping me to define who and what I am, as well as what I like to do. Phoenix which had been new to me then seemed like an old friend at this point.
It was a night out with friends, friends who I had not seen much lately, save the exception of one who insists on being more my frenemy than my actual friend (even though she is in my list of favorite contacts on my phone). I had been thinking lately what life had been like before I knew them, how things had changed since meeting them, and how hot the opening act was...the last part isn’t a kodak moment, but it needed to be said.
So may there be many more nights of almost having a seizure from the light show filled with the companionship of friends such as yourselves. As for Phoenix, keep stringing together random english words to make songs it’s really awesome. Oh also buy yourself an english dictionary and look up the definition of the word “last song”, not that I’m complaining. Also thank you for putting on the best show I've seen since Lollapalooza itself.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I hate it
Recently on Facebook I noticed a bunch of statuses like “ I like it on the kitchen table”. Wondering what this is about, I asked a few friends until I finally got an answer. It was in response to the question “Where do you like to leave your handbag when you get home”. When I asked a few friends who actually made it their status if they knew why they were responding to that question or where it came from, they had no clue.
Eventually, I did my own research and found out that it was a movement started to raise breast cancer awareness. Great cause , except one problem. If no one participating it even knows what the cause is about, how exactly does it help raise awareness? Most people are only making it their statuses because they can’t dare be out of the loop.
I have said this before and I will likely say it again, taking action on Facebook for a cause rarely accomplishes anything. All it really accomplishes is giving you a false sense of accomplishment. Joining one of those groups where they say they will donate x amount of money for everyone who joins is 99 % of the time totally bogus.
In general, I’m fascinated by how blindly people follow trends these days. It makes me worried that if the wrong thing were to become trendy, suddenly people could be supporting causes that would result in bad consequences. I am not saying I am guilt free either, because I was morbidly curious myself as to why this was so many peoples' facebook statuses.
Maybe it’s because I recently saw the movie The Social Network (which was amazing by the way), but the powers of social networking on the internet never cease to amaze me. Our generation updates each other about what we ate for breakfast via tweet (who cares if I had fruit loops for breakfast), what we did last weekend with pictures on facebook, and just about every detail you could want to know (or not know) about the person’s life. We all feel the need to constantly share our thoughts, which I realize I am just propagating by having a blog...but sue me.
Basically my recommendation is we should start putting more thought into these things, instead of just following the trends. But then I doubt that will ever happen, so in the meantime I will be looking for an application for a job to a social networking site. The matrix is slowly becoming a reality, our lives slowly becoming dictated by computers. I know, the former computer nerd (or current depending on how you look at it) is making this comment on his blog, again I’m a hypocrite.
Until next time,
I’m just your hypocritical neighborhood bloggerman
Eventually, I did my own research and found out that it was a movement started to raise breast cancer awareness. Great cause , except one problem. If no one participating it even knows what the cause is about, how exactly does it help raise awareness? Most people are only making it their statuses because they can’t dare be out of the loop.
I have said this before and I will likely say it again, taking action on Facebook for a cause rarely accomplishes anything. All it really accomplishes is giving you a false sense of accomplishment. Joining one of those groups where they say they will donate x amount of money for everyone who joins is 99 % of the time totally bogus.
In general, I’m fascinated by how blindly people follow trends these days. It makes me worried that if the wrong thing were to become trendy, suddenly people could be supporting causes that would result in bad consequences. I am not saying I am guilt free either, because I was morbidly curious myself as to why this was so many peoples' facebook statuses.
Maybe it’s because I recently saw the movie The Social Network (which was amazing by the way), but the powers of social networking on the internet never cease to amaze me. Our generation updates each other about what we ate for breakfast via tweet (who cares if I had fruit loops for breakfast), what we did last weekend with pictures on facebook, and just about every detail you could want to know (or not know) about the person’s life. We all feel the need to constantly share our thoughts, which I realize I am just propagating by having a blog...but sue me.
Basically my recommendation is we should start putting more thought into these things, instead of just following the trends. But then I doubt that will ever happen, so in the meantime I will be looking for an application for a job to a social networking site. The matrix is slowly becoming a reality, our lives slowly becoming dictated by computers. I know, the former computer nerd (or current depending on how you look at it) is making this comment on his blog, again I’m a hypocrite.
Until next time,
I’m just your hypocritical neighborhood bloggerman
Thursday, September 2, 2010
I Wanna Soak Up The Sun
So, I basically just announced to the entirety of the internet that I used to love that one Sheryl Crow song. Greaaat. Anyway, as many of you may have noticed it has been hot as hell in Ithaca this week. Let me repeat that for emphasis: It has been hot as hell IN ITHACA.
This is the same school that people joke that the seasons are August and Winter. Granted, we only recently got into September but I hope for some snow to start falling immediately. I’m sure by the end of a typical Ithaca winter I’ll be wishing for the snow to be gone, but I seriously hate the heat. It makes it hard to focus ( or maybe that’s just me blaming some latent A.D.D. on the heat), and just generally makes me feel sick.
The fact that it keeps reaching 90 or so in Ithaca must be some kind of record. I thought the highest temperatures were supposed to get here were about -10 degrees F, and we had to take dog sleds to get to class. Or at the very least we could ice skate!
It’s a shame we aren’t a nudist college, or the Nelly song may totally apply here. Then again I suppose I should be happy that we aren’t a nudist college, because that means the professors would be as well. I guess that would be good for the bio students who are trying to learn Anatomy though.
My solution to the heat is make friends with someone with an air conditioner. Which I’m pretty sure I have done but I’ve yet to take advantage of... Which means my goal before that should have probably been to become more of a jerk. Either that or I need to meet Mr. Freeze from the Batman series, he seems like a pretty “cool” guy. Har Har I’m so punny.
Until next time (if the heat hasn’t melted my brain in which case it’s been a great run),
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
This is the same school that people joke that the seasons are August and Winter. Granted, we only recently got into September but I hope for some snow to start falling immediately. I’m sure by the end of a typical Ithaca winter I’ll be wishing for the snow to be gone, but I seriously hate the heat. It makes it hard to focus ( or maybe that’s just me blaming some latent A.D.D. on the heat), and just generally makes me feel sick.
The fact that it keeps reaching 90 or so in Ithaca must be some kind of record. I thought the highest temperatures were supposed to get here were about -10 degrees F, and we had to take dog sleds to get to class. Or at the very least we could ice skate!
It’s a shame we aren’t a nudist college, or the Nelly song may totally apply here. Then again I suppose I should be happy that we aren’t a nudist college, because that means the professors would be as well. I guess that would be good for the bio students who are trying to learn Anatomy though.
My solution to the heat is make friends with someone with an air conditioner. Which I’m pretty sure I have done but I’ve yet to take advantage of... Which means my goal before that should have probably been to become more of a jerk. Either that or I need to meet Mr. Freeze from the Batman series, he seems like a pretty “cool” guy. Har Har I’m so punny.
Until next time (if the heat hasn’t melted my brain in which case it’s been a great run),
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Sunday, August 29, 2010
When you wish upon a star
So now that I have a regular group of readers (you know who you are), I feel somewhat pressured to write a blog more often. Tonight’s topic has been in the works for a while, which is my take on aliens. Maybe it’s because I watched a lot of Doctor Who this summer, maybe it’s because I love star gazing, or maybe it’s because everyone expects me to write about aliens sometime because “lols hes a nerd”.
Earlier this summer I read what Steven Hawking had to say about how if Aliens came to the world, they’d imperialize us just like Columbus did to the Native Americans. While I don’t necessarily disagree this might be the case, I can only wonder why Mr. Hawking used this specific image. I understand that he is implying the aliens will do horrible things to us, but doesn’t that also imply that the aliens will have sex with us? Thus every star trek/star wars fanboys greatest dream has just been fulfilled.
I’d like to believe that the aliens are really a peaceful race of cute beings whose advanced technology can beat out even the championed 3D TV. I mean why not go for 4D? Who wouldn’t want to watch their favorite celebrities that wa...sorry I was busy drooling over some of the ideas that just came to mind.
I’m not sure whether I believe in Aliens the way they are depicted in popular fiction. Anime nerds, you all want that hot alien girl to fall out of the sky and give you super powers. It most likely isn’t going to happen...and if it does, I call dibs. But they may not be like in the horror movies where they destroy everything in their path either.
Personally, I think they may just be a plant like life form of some kind. It’s hard to imagine we are the only planet capable of sustaining life, but if there is other life out there I have a hard time picturing it as the cheesy martian costumes have been depicted for years. Maybe they’re so complex my tiny human brain can’t even comprehend the work that went into what looks like a badly made costume with a zipper sticking out.
This one goes out to my alien counterpart who is writing a post wondering if we exist or not. May you “live long and prosper”, and please don’t invade my planet.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman (feel free to comment, I like comments. I promise I won't probe you!)
Earlier this summer I read what Steven Hawking had to say about how if Aliens came to the world, they’d imperialize us just like Columbus did to the Native Americans. While I don’t necessarily disagree this might be the case, I can only wonder why Mr. Hawking used this specific image. I understand that he is implying the aliens will do horrible things to us, but doesn’t that also imply that the aliens will have sex with us? Thus every star trek/star wars fanboys greatest dream has just been fulfilled.
I’d like to believe that the aliens are really a peaceful race of cute beings whose advanced technology can beat out even the championed 3D TV. I mean why not go for 4D? Who wouldn’t want to watch their favorite celebrities that wa...sorry I was busy drooling over some of the ideas that just came to mind.
I’m not sure whether I believe in Aliens the way they are depicted in popular fiction. Anime nerds, you all want that hot alien girl to fall out of the sky and give you super powers. It most likely isn’t going to happen...and if it does, I call dibs. But they may not be like in the horror movies where they destroy everything in their path either.
Personally, I think they may just be a plant like life form of some kind. It’s hard to imagine we are the only planet capable of sustaining life, but if there is other life out there I have a hard time picturing it as the cheesy martian costumes have been depicted for years. Maybe they’re so complex my tiny human brain can’t even comprehend the work that went into what looks like a badly made costume with a zipper sticking out.
This one goes out to my alien counterpart who is writing a post wondering if we exist or not. May you “live long and prosper”, and please don’t invade my planet.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman (feel free to comment, I like comments. I promise I won't probe you!)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Ready To Start
Besides just being the title of one the songs on Arcade Fire’s latest album, this is legitimately how I feel about this school year. It may have only been a few days so far, but I really can’t shake the feeling that this year is going to be better than last year. Maybe that’s just getting over my so called “freshiness”, maybe it’s the self confidence I gained over this summer, or maybe the dining hall food has finally drugged my mind.
Classes so far have been decent, I think with my favorite being Italian. Those of who know me well know that I don’t consider myself good at foreign languages, but I actually think I have a decent accent when it comes to Italian. I love saying multi bene after every exercise I do with my partner, it briefly makes me feel like David Tennant’s Doctor Who.
As the title of this post suggests, I’ve become kinda obsessed with music. As some of you know I went to Lollapalooza this summer, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Now I pretty much want to go to every live show I can, because nothing beats sweating like a pig due to all the body heat coming off the crowd.I’m also going to work on the local Ithaca College radio station (still debating if I want to work on both of them), so if you happen to be one of the three people who tunes in and hear someone making the equipment screech it’s probably me!
I’m not really sure how often I’ll be updating my blog, I know it’s become kind of sporadic. I hope to be really busy this year, because I’ve learned the busier I am the happier I am. It’s funny how having less time to reflect on stuff for an avid over-thinker makes things better right? I realize this post is more personal than my usual stuff, but I can’t go on random rants about how video game characters aren’t getting some from their significant others all the time...or can I?
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Classes so far have been decent, I think with my favorite being Italian. Those of who know me well know that I don’t consider myself good at foreign languages, but I actually think I have a decent accent when it comes to Italian. I love saying multi bene after every exercise I do with my partner, it briefly makes me feel like David Tennant’s Doctor Who.
As the title of this post suggests, I’ve become kinda obsessed with music. As some of you know I went to Lollapalooza this summer, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Now I pretty much want to go to every live show I can, because nothing beats sweating like a pig due to all the body heat coming off the crowd.I’m also going to work on the local Ithaca College radio station (still debating if I want to work on both of them), so if you happen to be one of the three people who tunes in and hear someone making the equipment screech it’s probably me!
I’m not really sure how often I’ll be updating my blog, I know it’s become kind of sporadic. I hope to be really busy this year, because I’ve learned the busier I am the happier I am. It’s funny how having less time to reflect on stuff for an avid over-thinker makes things better right? I realize this post is more personal than my usual stuff, but I can’t go on random rants about how video game characters aren’t getting some from their significant others all the time...or can I?
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Monday, August 9, 2010
I have a blog so that means I have authority to give my opinion about music, and actually think people care right? (Part Three)
Day Three:
The Miniature Tigers-I got very close because it was raining and early in the morning. Originally I was going to pass them up to hang out with my friends, but when I saw they had a huge crowd I went running up with my arms raised shouting “woo miniature tigers”. They put on a great show and were very chill!
The Antlers-I was also very close cause it was raining, and they were so awesome about how if stuff fell on them cause it was windy they wanted their ashes spread over the park. I didn’t know everyone else liked Two as much as I did though, it was pretty awesome when they played it.
The Dodos-I was kinda also hiding from the heat at this point, but I liked a few songs and didn’t like others. I think I would have needed to be in the crowd to get a better feal. If you couldn’t tell I the sun was kinda my enemy during this festival...maybe cause I’m secretly a vampire ( I later had sparkles on me too)
Blitzentrapper-Kinda Bob Dylan meets modern rock...though I guess that’s like a lot of bands these days? Regardless, I really enjoyed them and need to look into them more. I was disappointed I missed their show on the smaller stage though...I wanted them to look me in the eyes and sing so I could swoon...
Hockey-They played the one song I knew which was cool, but after that I kinda lost interest. Plus Yeasayer was at 4, and Hockey was at 3:30. They also need to put hockey sticks in their gimmick somewhere, as well as an ode to Canada.
Yeasayer- I liked what I saw, but I left early to go see if I could get to Blitzen Trappers’ smaller show. As you already saw that didn’t work out, so I kind of regret that choice. Not too worried because Ithaca is a pretty indy town and they’ll probably come through again at some point.
MGMT-Terrible live! Their new stuff is awful, and their old stuff doesn’t sound good if it’s not studio. The highlights though were green man (of it’s always sunny fame) crowd surfing, as well as being high five by a drunk guy who missed and basically punched me in the wrist hells yeah!
The National-I wasn’t a huge fan, but I wasn’t a huge fan to begin with. They did bring a lot of energy to their performance, but I was so pumped for Arcade Fire that the band before them was screwed no matter what.
Arcade Fire-Best live show of my entire life. The songs from the Suburbs sound even better live, and it’s so fun to sing and dance along to their stuff! They also played Keep the Car running as their “last song”, followed by Wake Up as an encore. I’ve never seen a crowd get more into a song than that crowd did for Wake Up. Even after the show was over, people were still singing the chorus line...myself included. My only regret was I missed catching the guitar strap they threw into the crowd...there’s always next time! I’m just lucky I didn’t pass out from overexcitement...though I may have come very close to a heart attack. Also remember the sparkles? This is where they came from, they were poured on me as I was jumping around. Would Edward Cullen jump around at shows? I leave you with that thought.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
The Miniature Tigers-I got very close because it was raining and early in the morning. Originally I was going to pass them up to hang out with my friends, but when I saw they had a huge crowd I went running up with my arms raised shouting “woo miniature tigers”. They put on a great show and were very chill!
The Antlers-I was also very close cause it was raining, and they were so awesome about how if stuff fell on them cause it was windy they wanted their ashes spread over the park. I didn’t know everyone else liked Two as much as I did though, it was pretty awesome when they played it.
The Dodos-I was kinda also hiding from the heat at this point, but I liked a few songs and didn’t like others. I think I would have needed to be in the crowd to get a better feal. If you couldn’t tell I the sun was kinda my enemy during this festival...maybe cause I’m secretly a vampire ( I later had sparkles on me too)
Blitzentrapper-Kinda Bob Dylan meets modern rock...though I guess that’s like a lot of bands these days? Regardless, I really enjoyed them and need to look into them more. I was disappointed I missed their show on the smaller stage though...I wanted them to look me in the eyes and sing so I could swoon...
Hockey-They played the one song I knew which was cool, but after that I kinda lost interest. Plus Yeasayer was at 4, and Hockey was at 3:30. They also need to put hockey sticks in their gimmick somewhere, as well as an ode to Canada.
Yeasayer- I liked what I saw, but I left early to go see if I could get to Blitzen Trappers’ smaller show. As you already saw that didn’t work out, so I kind of regret that choice. Not too worried because Ithaca is a pretty indy town and they’ll probably come through again at some point.
MGMT-Terrible live! Their new stuff is awful, and their old stuff doesn’t sound good if it’s not studio. The highlights though were green man (of it’s always sunny fame) crowd surfing, as well as being high five by a drunk guy who missed and basically punched me in the wrist hells yeah!
The National-I wasn’t a huge fan, but I wasn’t a huge fan to begin with. They did bring a lot of energy to their performance, but I was so pumped for Arcade Fire that the band before them was screwed no matter what.
Arcade Fire-Best live show of my entire life. The songs from the Suburbs sound even better live, and it’s so fun to sing and dance along to their stuff! They also played Keep the Car running as their “last song”, followed by Wake Up as an encore. I’ve never seen a crowd get more into a song than that crowd did for Wake Up. Even after the show was over, people were still singing the chorus line...myself included. My only regret was I missed catching the guitar strap they threw into the crowd...there’s always next time! I’m just lucky I didn’t pass out from overexcitement...though I may have come very close to a heart attack. Also remember the sparkles? This is where they came from, they were poured on me as I was jumping around. Would Edward Cullen jump around at shows? I leave you with that thought.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
I have a blog so that means I have authority to give my opinion about music, and actually think people care right? (Part Two)
Day Two:
MynameisJohnMichael-A relatively unheard of band from New Orleans, I happened to be passing one of the smaller stages and heard a sound I liked. I started out in the back, but eventually worked my way towards the front as I got more into it. For a start up band I was incredibly impressed by the energy they brought to the table, and how they got nearly everyone in their audience to clap along. Anyone who likes music like the sort that was played at Lolla,I highly recommend their only album that is currently out The people that come and go.
Rebultion-Put on a decent show. They play what I imagine is a cross between rock and reggae, or what I more simply refer to as stoner music. I didn’t stay for long because I wanted to get a good spot for Rogue Wave.
Rogue Wave-Put on an amazing live show! I didn’t think it was possible, but Lake Michigan was even better live than it was studio. After the show, I met all of them! I high fived every member, got my tshirt signed, and got Permalight signed. if anyone heard a giddy girlyish squee coming from the autograph tent...that was probably me.
Blues Traveler-Brought me back to the 90’s, which is always a good thing. My inner bro also came out and sung along with them when they did a cover of “What I got” by Sublime. I bailed on them a bit early after changing my shirt in the middle of their show to go get it signed by Rogue Wave (I apologize for anyone who was blinded by the sun’s glare of my very white body).
The XX-I got dragged here by a friend, and I didn’t really enjoy it. Just not my scene. They had some good beats, but the singing wasn’t really my style. I bailed kinda early to go see Grizzly Bear.
Grizzly Bear-I feel bad, but it was sooo hot that I really didn’t pay much attention to them as I desperately searched for shade. What I did hear though sounded very good. I bailed a little early on them to go to Edward Sharpe.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros-The largest hippy fest I’ve ever seen personally. The only songs I knew really were 40 day dream, janglin’, and home...but they were all good live. I probably didn’t enjoy the show as much as I would have otherwise because I went all the way to the back from pretty much to the front to be with my friend. Sometimes though, it’s more the people you’re with than the music as sappy as that is. I’m sure good people could even make the worst show awesome.
Cut Copy-Sounded pretty good, I didn’t pay all that much attention because I wanted to get a good spot for Phoenix...even though I didn’t really know Phoenix well before this show.
Phoenix-Was sooo crazy! We got pretty far up and there was crazy moshes, I didn’t get kicked in the head 7 times this time (did I mention that already? no? Are you sure) They brought so much energy, and it was so much fun. The lead singer may need to redefine what last means in english, everything was their “last” song haha.
MynameisJohnMichael-A relatively unheard of band from New Orleans, I happened to be passing one of the smaller stages and heard a sound I liked. I started out in the back, but eventually worked my way towards the front as I got more into it. For a start up band I was incredibly impressed by the energy they brought to the table, and how they got nearly everyone in their audience to clap along. Anyone who likes music like the sort that was played at Lolla,I highly recommend their only album that is currently out The people that come and go.
Rebultion-Put on a decent show. They play what I imagine is a cross between rock and reggae, or what I more simply refer to as stoner music. I didn’t stay for long because I wanted to get a good spot for Rogue Wave.
Rogue Wave-Put on an amazing live show! I didn’t think it was possible, but Lake Michigan was even better live than it was studio. After the show, I met all of them! I high fived every member, got my tshirt signed, and got Permalight signed. if anyone heard a giddy girlyish squee coming from the autograph tent...that was probably me.
Blues Traveler-Brought me back to the 90’s, which is always a good thing. My inner bro also came out and sung along with them when they did a cover of “What I got” by Sublime. I bailed on them a bit early after changing my shirt in the middle of their show to go get it signed by Rogue Wave (I apologize for anyone who was blinded by the sun’s glare of my very white body).
The XX-I got dragged here by a friend, and I didn’t really enjoy it. Just not my scene. They had some good beats, but the singing wasn’t really my style. I bailed kinda early to go see Grizzly Bear.
Grizzly Bear-I feel bad, but it was sooo hot that I really didn’t pay much attention to them as I desperately searched for shade. What I did hear though sounded very good. I bailed a little early on them to go to Edward Sharpe.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros-The largest hippy fest I’ve ever seen personally. The only songs I knew really were 40 day dream, janglin’, and home...but they were all good live. I probably didn’t enjoy the show as much as I would have otherwise because I went all the way to the back from pretty much to the front to be with my friend. Sometimes though, it’s more the people you’re with than the music as sappy as that is. I’m sure good people could even make the worst show awesome.
Cut Copy-Sounded pretty good, I didn’t pay all that much attention because I wanted to get a good spot for Phoenix...even though I didn’t really know Phoenix well before this show.
Phoenix-Was sooo crazy! We got pretty far up and there was crazy moshes, I didn’t get kicked in the head 7 times this time (did I mention that already? no? Are you sure) They brought so much energy, and it was so much fun. The lead singer may need to redefine what last means in english, everything was their “last” song haha.
I have a blog so that means I have authority to give my opinion about music, and actually think people care right? (Part one)
I love self mocking titles.So as some of you may or may not know, I took my first trip without my parents to Chicago this weekend for Lollapalooza. I LOVED Chicago. The city is tailor made for people in our age group who love indie music, modern art, and just generally chilling in parks ( I just described about 90 % of our age group...how sad is that). As much as I’d love to go on and on about Chicago, this post is about the bands I saw.
It'll be broken up into three parts (three days, three parts look mom I can do math!)
Day 1:
The Walkmen-There is absolutely nothing bad to say about the Walkmen, besides that I didn’t expect them to be as good as they are. My friend played me some of their stuff and they were a band I checked out because I had nothing better to do, and because honestly...my body refused to let me sleep in ( I apologize Walkmen, I know the error of my ways now). They sound almost exactly like they do in the studio, and bring a lot of energy to the table. I also like the fact that their gimmick is to dress up like they are business men while rocking out.
New Pornographers-They led off with Sing me Spanish Techno which I’m pretty sure is the only song of theirs anyone actually knows. I didn’t stay for long because I wanted to get a good spot for Matt & Kim, which was either a mistake or one of the best decisions I made all festival.
Matt & Kim-Was CRAZY! Whether it was Kim dancing on top of the audiences hands, Matt pretty much standing on his fingers while playing piano, or being kicked in the back of the head by crowd surfers seven times, they brought SO much energy to the show. I was exhausted after, but at least I helped my friend fufill his dream of getting his picture with Kim (he missed out on his attempt to give her a butt touch though... shame for him)
Hot Chip-I kinda passed out on the ground near the Hot Chip stage being so tired from Matt & Kim. While I wasn’t busy getting high off second hand smoke (I hope this isn’t true, but the smell of pot became second nature), they sounded pretty good in the background. Not much else to say because I was in a daze from having been kicked in the 7 times (did I mention this already? ...I’m like one of those rappers, I got kicked 7 times!)
Lady Gaga-The biggest disappointment of the festival! Before all you fans get your panties/thongs in a bunch, let me just say that all she did was rant for nearly an hour while only playing one song. As much as I agree with her message that it’s ok to be who you want to be, it was a music festival, not tell us all about your daddy issues festival. I may have enjoyed this show if I had taken the acid some dude offered me at the start. It sucks because I’m a straight male and will admit I used to have dance parties to Lady Gaga...but now I’m not so sure.
The Strokes-I should slap myself for not trusting my gut instinct to go to The Strokes in the first place. At least I got there in time for all my favorite songs...I even sung and danced along..in public! *gasp* The Strokes reminded me of why I used to love them so much, and made me slap myself for ever doubting them.
It'll be broken up into three parts (three days, three parts look mom I can do math!)
Day 1:
The Walkmen-There is absolutely nothing bad to say about the Walkmen, besides that I didn’t expect them to be as good as they are. My friend played me some of their stuff and they were a band I checked out because I had nothing better to do, and because honestly...my body refused to let me sleep in ( I apologize Walkmen, I know the error of my ways now). They sound almost exactly like they do in the studio, and bring a lot of energy to the table. I also like the fact that their gimmick is to dress up like they are business men while rocking out.
New Pornographers-They led off with Sing me Spanish Techno which I’m pretty sure is the only song of theirs anyone actually knows. I didn’t stay for long because I wanted to get a good spot for Matt & Kim, which was either a mistake or one of the best decisions I made all festival.
Matt & Kim-Was CRAZY! Whether it was Kim dancing on top of the audiences hands, Matt pretty much standing on his fingers while playing piano, or being kicked in the back of the head by crowd surfers seven times, they brought SO much energy to the show. I was exhausted after, but at least I helped my friend fufill his dream of getting his picture with Kim (he missed out on his attempt to give her a butt touch though... shame for him)
Hot Chip-I kinda passed out on the ground near the Hot Chip stage being so tired from Matt & Kim. While I wasn’t busy getting high off second hand smoke (I hope this isn’t true, but the smell of pot became second nature), they sounded pretty good in the background. Not much else to say because I was in a daze from having been kicked in the 7 times (did I mention this already? ...I’m like one of those rappers, I got kicked 7 times!)
Lady Gaga-The biggest disappointment of the festival! Before all you fans get your panties/thongs in a bunch, let me just say that all she did was rant for nearly an hour while only playing one song. As much as I agree with her message that it’s ok to be who you want to be, it was a music festival, not tell us all about your daddy issues festival. I may have enjoyed this show if I had taken the acid some dude offered me at the start. It sucks because I’m a straight male and will admit I used to have dance parties to Lady Gaga...but now I’m not so sure.
The Strokes-I should slap myself for not trusting my gut instinct to go to The Strokes in the first place. At least I got there in time for all my favorite songs...I even sung and danced along..in public! *gasp* The Strokes reminded me of why I used to love them so much, and made me slap myself for ever doubting them.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A rant about Super Mario Galaxy 2
Forgive the lack of a creative title, but I am calling this what it is. It is a rant about Super Mario Galaxy 2. I was playing earlier, when I noticed all these stupid little bulletin boards that would show me hints/videos of how to jump across the platform. Really nintendo? Anyone who uses those hints deserves to have the game taken away.
I don't care if it's a three year old. Part of the fun of the game is figuring out how to accomplish what needs to be done on your own. Video games taught me to be persistent and keep trying until I got it right. You don't get that same feeling of accomplishment if someone does it for you. Hell, you might as well just buy Super Mario Galaxy 2:the abridged version.
"Bobby Koch you're the most succesful businessman in the world what taught you to never give up " "Video games, not that shit with the signs that tell you how to fucking do it, no the old school way. You messed up, that was game over. You could go cry to mommy or you could try again. Well me? I wanted that fucking star. It was shiny"
That would be like buying a copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince back when it came out and having someone tell you Snapes kills Dumbledore and then going on to say that *gasp* Snape was the half blood prince...and telling you every part except that Harry's dad gave Snape a wedgie which honestly who wouldn't? I can imagine kids today, "This is the greatest game ever. All I have to do is sit and watch while other people show me exactly what to do. This teaches me that if I cry enough, people will do everything in life for me. That will definitely come in handy in the workplace"
And nintendo wonders why people think they are for kids? You know what? Mario finally needs to get some from the princess. Yeah I said it.
How many cakes can one man (even a fat italian man) eat? Seriously? No. He is done with cakes. You may say won't the parents of little kids lash out against Nintendo if Mario finally gets what he deserves? No, because even when they were kids he was still only getting cake. It's time.
Also what's with Peach always getting kidnapped? Seriously! Is her security detail worse than the detail for the Kennedy family?
Finally, Toad. Why don't you stop telling my princess is another castle, world, or now...galaxy and be useful. Like bring me a piece of that cake I've eaten twenty times in the span of my gaming career now.
Until next time,
I'm just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
I don't care if it's a three year old. Part of the fun of the game is figuring out how to accomplish what needs to be done on your own. Video games taught me to be persistent and keep trying until I got it right. You don't get that same feeling of accomplishment if someone does it for you. Hell, you might as well just buy Super Mario Galaxy 2:the abridged version.
"Bobby Koch you're the most succesful businessman in the world what taught you to never give up " "Video games, not that shit with the signs that tell you how to fucking do it, no the old school way. You messed up, that was game over. You could go cry to mommy or you could try again. Well me? I wanted that fucking star. It was shiny"
That would be like buying a copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince back when it came out and having someone tell you Snapes kills Dumbledore and then going on to say that *gasp* Snape was the half blood prince...and telling you every part except that Harry's dad gave Snape a wedgie which honestly who wouldn't? I can imagine kids today, "This is the greatest game ever. All I have to do is sit and watch while other people show me exactly what to do. This teaches me that if I cry enough, people will do everything in life for me. That will definitely come in handy in the workplace"
And nintendo wonders why people think they are for kids? You know what? Mario finally needs to get some from the princess. Yeah I said it.
How many cakes can one man (even a fat italian man) eat? Seriously? No. He is done with cakes. You may say won't the parents of little kids lash out against Nintendo if Mario finally gets what he deserves? No, because even when they were kids he was still only getting cake. It's time.
Also what's with Peach always getting kidnapped? Seriously! Is her security detail worse than the detail for the Kennedy family?
Finally, Toad. Why don't you stop telling my princess is another castle, world, or now...galaxy and be useful. Like bring me a piece of that cake I've eaten twenty times in the span of my gaming career now.
Until next time,
I'm just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Boy Story
This father’s day I saw Toy Story 3 with my sister and dad. While I won’t spoil any of it for people, the basic idea behind it is that people grow up and move on. As I sat there with my dad and sister watching the end of a saga that started when I was four, I couldn’t help but have flashbacks to my own childhood.
We all have things we hold onto that remind of us being a kid, whether we openly admit it or not. For some people it may be a stuffed tiger, for others it may be a blanket they carried around everywhere like Linus from the peanut gallery. These things give us comfort when times are rough, and remind of us a time when simple. They remind me of us of a time that our parents took care of everything for us, and made the monsters go away.
Just because we are capable of handling our own boogie men now for the most part doesn’t mean we no longer need our parents. Everyone makes mistakes, and when you really need them parents are there ...sometimes even when you don’t. We move out into the real world, go off to college, find jobs, but we take these things from our childhood with us. Why? Because they remind us that the people who provided them for us are always there with us, and while we may miss them they would want us to do our best.
Personally, the kid who wondered if his toys could talk after he watched the original Toy Story with my parents will always be a part of me. To this day, I still believe the toys come to life when we sleep. Parents, take note. I may seem more grown up, but I’ve just managed to organize my pretend games into something a tad more socially acceptable.
I realize this is just about the sappiest post I’ve ever written, but I’m willing to take that risk. This post goes out to both my parents, whose encouragement of my imagination led to the some of the topics you’ve all enjoyed reading here. I blame all my eccentricities on them, but I also love them for it.
Dad, consider this an extra father’s day present.
Until next time,
I'm just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
We all have things we hold onto that remind of us being a kid, whether we openly admit it or not. For some people it may be a stuffed tiger, for others it may be a blanket they carried around everywhere like Linus from the peanut gallery. These things give us comfort when times are rough, and remind of us a time when simple. They remind me of us of a time that our parents took care of everything for us, and made the monsters go away.
Just because we are capable of handling our own boogie men now for the most part doesn’t mean we no longer need our parents. Everyone makes mistakes, and when you really need them parents are there ...sometimes even when you don’t. We move out into the real world, go off to college, find jobs, but we take these things from our childhood with us. Why? Because they remind us that the people who provided them for us are always there with us, and while we may miss them they would want us to do our best.
Personally, the kid who wondered if his toys could talk after he watched the original Toy Story with my parents will always be a part of me. To this day, I still believe the toys come to life when we sleep. Parents, take note. I may seem more grown up, but I’ve just managed to organize my pretend games into something a tad more socially acceptable.
I realize this is just about the sappiest post I’ve ever written, but I’m willing to take that risk. This post goes out to both my parents, whose encouragement of my imagination led to the some of the topics you’ve all enjoyed reading here. I blame all my eccentricities on them, but I also love them for it.
Dad, consider this an extra father’s day present.
Until next time,
I'm just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
On display for your viewing pleasure: Foreigners
This post brought you by Naxos, Greece. Famous for it’s Potatoes, Naxos is the stop for potato lovers of all sorts. (Somewhat sadly, I didn’t totally make this up. The guide book goes on and on about Naxos’ Potatoes)
The setting is a European cafe, a place where one stops to get coffee and as my Greek friend so eloquently put “argue over politics”. Suddenly, the pair turns their chair to watch the on coming crowd and stare at them as they walk by. A spectator sport, people watching seems to be much more blatant in Europe than it is America. While turning to watch people is creepy in America, in Europe it is nothing but status quo.
As I walk by these cafes and notice the people watching me as I walk by, I always wonder what they think about me. While I hope they think, “there goes a dignified gentleman with his head held high” they probably think more along the lines of “there goes a young man who slouches, wears stupid slogans that he thinks are witty on his T-shirts, and he is definitely American. No self respecting European man would ever dress like that” That may be a tad extreme( and harsh towards my fashion sense), but one can’t help but feel the silent judgement that is passed as they walk by.
I never know what to do in those situations. Do you simply look away and pretend that you don’t notice their eyes watching you? Do you acknowledge them with a smile, or for the more playful of us a wink even? Is it a cultural difference that makes me more uncomfortable being watched than a European would be?
While none of these people are quite pulling an Edward Cullen ( the term for creepily watching me as I sleep), I still feel a sincere discomfort from being watched. I realize though, I am guilty of it on a much more subtle level. We all are. We all take into account our surroundings and make silent judgements (or not so silent depending upon the person) about the people who are surrounding us. You’d think knowing this, the lack of subtlety wouldn’t bother me but it still does.
I’ve decided the next time someone is so blatant as to turn their chair to see what I am doing as I pass by, I will stop where I am standing and give them something to look at. If they are so curious as to fully turn their chairs to see what I’m doing, why should I be so ungracious as to bore them? I will continue to wear my shirts with the silly slogans. Some Europeans may think of it as me being a dumb American, but maybe my shirts will make one bored Coffee drinker’s day.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
The setting is a European cafe, a place where one stops to get coffee and as my Greek friend so eloquently put “argue over politics”. Suddenly, the pair turns their chair to watch the on coming crowd and stare at them as they walk by. A spectator sport, people watching seems to be much more blatant in Europe than it is America. While turning to watch people is creepy in America, in Europe it is nothing but status quo.
As I walk by these cafes and notice the people watching me as I walk by, I always wonder what they think about me. While I hope they think, “there goes a dignified gentleman with his head held high” they probably think more along the lines of “there goes a young man who slouches, wears stupid slogans that he thinks are witty on his T-shirts, and he is definitely American. No self respecting European man would ever dress like that” That may be a tad extreme( and harsh towards my fashion sense), but one can’t help but feel the silent judgement that is passed as they walk by.
I never know what to do in those situations. Do you simply look away and pretend that you don’t notice their eyes watching you? Do you acknowledge them with a smile, or for the more playful of us a wink even? Is it a cultural difference that makes me more uncomfortable being watched than a European would be?
While none of these people are quite pulling an Edward Cullen ( the term for creepily watching me as I sleep), I still feel a sincere discomfort from being watched. I realize though, I am guilty of it on a much more subtle level. We all are. We all take into account our surroundings and make silent judgements (or not so silent depending upon the person) about the people who are surrounding us. You’d think knowing this, the lack of subtlety wouldn’t bother me but it still does.
I’ve decided the next time someone is so blatant as to turn their chair to see what I am doing as I pass by, I will stop where I am standing and give them something to look at. If they are so curious as to fully turn their chairs to see what I’m doing, why should I be so ungracious as to bore them? I will continue to wear my shirts with the silly slogans. Some Europeans may think of it as me being a dumb American, but maybe my shirts will make one bored Coffee drinker’s day.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The Fast and The Furious: The Streets of Mushroom Kingdom
As I was driving around town the other day stuck behind an old person driving about 10 miles per hour, I couldn’t help but think there must be a better way. My mind suddenly flashed back to the hours upon hours spent playing Mario Kart on my Nintendo 64 with my friends. What if real life drivers had the option to use the items from Mario Kart?
The first item to come to mind was the hated Blue Shell. For those of you that don’t play the game, the Blue Shell is the cheapest item in the game. You use it, and it automatically flies towards the person in first place and hits them. Now, something that stops you from going too fast what does that sound like? You guessed it, the police! Police would ride blue shells that would hit you for pulling too far ahead of the rest of the pack (this is why you should always have someone going faster than you to tail if you’re going to speed).
The second item to come to my mind was the almost as hated Red Shell. The red shell immediately seeks the person in front of you. There are ways to avoid the red shell though, so it’s not quite as cheap as the obnoxious blue one. The red shell could be deployed whenever the driver in front of you was crawling at a speed of 30 mph when it’s a 45 mph zone. Somehow it would make the car magically float behind you instead of making them crash...this is real life and I don’t want to hypothetically kill any fellow drivers.
Anyone who has ever driven on the highway has had the problem of having a truck drive in front of them that is too large to see over or around, especially on narrow roads. Well, worry no more! The lightning bolt would shrink them so that not only could you see over them, but you could pass them very easily too! Just beware the trucker doesn’t hit you with a red shell to reassert their masculinity.
An item I had trouble coming up with a real life use for was the mushroom, as we already have accelerators. However, then I thought of all those old people who just can’t seem to even drive at the speed limit anymore. Grandma/Grandpa will never be slow again if they had a mushroom to use, especially a golden one.
Assuming these items didn’t cause major crashes, I think they could make driving much more efficient. As well as making driving a lot more entertaining, who would ever fall asleep at the wheel again with all this craziness happening around them? I certainly wouldn’t, but I have a feeling I’d end up hating blue shells even more than I do now.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
The first item to come to mind was the hated Blue Shell. For those of you that don’t play the game, the Blue Shell is the cheapest item in the game. You use it, and it automatically flies towards the person in first place and hits them. Now, something that stops you from going too fast what does that sound like? You guessed it, the police! Police would ride blue shells that would hit you for pulling too far ahead of the rest of the pack (this is why you should always have someone going faster than you to tail if you’re going to speed).
The second item to come to my mind was the almost as hated Red Shell. The red shell immediately seeks the person in front of you. There are ways to avoid the red shell though, so it’s not quite as cheap as the obnoxious blue one. The red shell could be deployed whenever the driver in front of you was crawling at a speed of 30 mph when it’s a 45 mph zone. Somehow it would make the car magically float behind you instead of making them crash...this is real life and I don’t want to hypothetically kill any fellow drivers.
Anyone who has ever driven on the highway has had the problem of having a truck drive in front of them that is too large to see over or around, especially on narrow roads. Well, worry no more! The lightning bolt would shrink them so that not only could you see over them, but you could pass them very easily too! Just beware the trucker doesn’t hit you with a red shell to reassert their masculinity.
An item I had trouble coming up with a real life use for was the mushroom, as we already have accelerators. However, then I thought of all those old people who just can’t seem to even drive at the speed limit anymore. Grandma/Grandpa will never be slow again if they had a mushroom to use, especially a golden one.
Assuming these items didn’t cause major crashes, I think they could make driving much more efficient. As well as making driving a lot more entertaining, who would ever fall asleep at the wheel again with all this craziness happening around them? I certainly wouldn’t, but I have a feeling I’d end up hating blue shells even more than I do now.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
So long and thanks for all the Kibble and Bits
I looooove dogs. Just ask anyone who knows me, I’ve always had dogs in my life. I'm pretty sure before mommy or daddy, one of my first words was Puppy! My laptop background is a picture of my dogs at the dog park because I miss them so much when I’m away from them.
Being such a dog lover, I talk to my dogs A LOT. I found myself wondering when baby talking to my puppy the other day though, what if he could talk back? What would he sound like? Would he have a rich deep voice like Barry White’s? Or sound more like Mickey Mouse? Would he be intelligent sounding or would every word out of his mouth just be “Squirrel!”?
Would my other dog, the female Golden Retriever be a dumb blonde as many suggest she is? I can just imagine her talking to her other doggy friends about how they need to get their nails done, go in for a grooming, and shop for the latest doggy purse accessories (they exist, I know because she had one as a puppy). Would the puppy who is an English Cream Golden Retriever be a prep as everyone suggests he would? Would that mean he buys all his gear from Ambercrombie & Fetch? (I don’t think I made this name up, but maybe I did)
What about us? Would we really feel safe in our own homes if dog could talk? I mean think about all the embarrassing things you do in front of your pet, would you really want them to be gossiping with other pets about the things they see you do? For me, that would mean my dogs gossiping about how badly I dance sometimes when I think no one is watching.
I can only imagine talking to my dog as I sometimes did in high school about whatever social problem I was having at the time, and her saying, “Stop your whining, god you’re so annoying”. Maybe it’s for the best that animals don’t speak. Maybe we love them so much because we have no way of knowing what they truly think about us, and that way we can just say they love us as much as we love them. All I know is when my dogs start speaking, I’ll be needing a paper bag to wear over my head in public.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Being such a dog lover, I talk to my dogs A LOT. I found myself wondering when baby talking to my puppy the other day though, what if he could talk back? What would he sound like? Would he have a rich deep voice like Barry White’s? Or sound more like Mickey Mouse? Would he be intelligent sounding or would every word out of his mouth just be “Squirrel!”?
Would my other dog, the female Golden Retriever be a dumb blonde as many suggest she is? I can just imagine her talking to her other doggy friends about how they need to get their nails done, go in for a grooming, and shop for the latest doggy purse accessories (they exist, I know because she had one as a puppy). Would the puppy who is an English Cream Golden Retriever be a prep as everyone suggests he would? Would that mean he buys all his gear from Ambercrombie & Fetch? (I don’t think I made this name up, but maybe I did)
What about us? Would we really feel safe in our own homes if dog could talk? I mean think about all the embarrassing things you do in front of your pet, would you really want them to be gossiping with other pets about the things they see you do? For me, that would mean my dogs gossiping about how badly I dance sometimes when I think no one is watching.
I can only imagine talking to my dog as I sometimes did in high school about whatever social problem I was having at the time, and her saying, “Stop your whining, god you’re so annoying”. Maybe it’s for the best that animals don’t speak. Maybe we love them so much because we have no way of knowing what they truly think about us, and that way we can just say they love us as much as we love them. All I know is when my dogs start speaking, I’ll be needing a paper bag to wear over my head in public.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Monday, May 24, 2010
Blockbuster will now be known as "Da Block"
Being home from college and not having much to do, I decided it would be a good idea to hit up my local blockbuster for a movie to watch. I’m aware no one goes to Blockbuster anymore now that NetFlix is around, but the movie I wanted to order wasn’t available for order on IO and I didn’t feel like waiting for Netflix in the mail.
Back in the day when I used to go to Blockbuster on a Friday night, it was filled with friendly families looking for some entertainment for the weekend. That’s not the case anymore. What I ran into can only be described as trash worse than what you see on the Jersey shore. With how spiky their hair was coupled with how many piercings they had, they looked like Sonic the hedgehog gone horribly horribly wrong. I tried to keep it together, just in case they saw the look on my face and decided to give me some holes of my own on my face.
That was when my friend and I exited the building and went round back to where I had parked my car. There were the same people from the store, waiting with their hoods up presumably for us to come out of the store.I rushed my friend into the car not even really waiting for her to get her seatbelt on before getting out of there as fast as I could. Soon after, she asked me if anything had gone down would I have protected her? To which my response was, “Are we looking at the same person here? I mean, I could take a beating to try to buy you time but that’s about it.” I’d love to be able to say I’d go Bruce Lee on their asses, but I know very little self defense and it’s something I need to work on.
It really irked me, and I think what irked me the most is that I remember going into Blockbuster as a kid excited to play the gumball pinball machine for only a quarter, or rent Scooby Doo and the Boo brothers for the millionth time. Sure, I may have persuaded my mom to rent South Park: Bigger Longer and uncut for me at the age of nine or so... if I had to learn my curse words, at least it was from a movie I had rented at my friendly local Blockbuster! My imagery of Blockbuster may be skewed, as I’m sure there were some people renting porn or something of the sort as three year old me eyed a twix bar nearby. That doesn’t change the fact that the woman I found working the register to be incredibly rude, and the crowd I found at the Blockbuster on Friday night to be generally unsettling.
Next time I will just be renting a movie from the safety of my own home like all other normal people. Sorry Blockbuster, as appealing as your gumball pinball machine once was it’s not enough to risk being near Michael Meyers impersonators again. The biggest risk I take ordering from Netflix is the ever deadly computer thumb.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Back in the day when I used to go to Blockbuster on a Friday night, it was filled with friendly families looking for some entertainment for the weekend. That’s not the case anymore. What I ran into can only be described as trash worse than what you see on the Jersey shore. With how spiky their hair was coupled with how many piercings they had, they looked like Sonic the hedgehog gone horribly horribly wrong. I tried to keep it together, just in case they saw the look on my face and decided to give me some holes of my own on my face.
That was when my friend and I exited the building and went round back to where I had parked my car. There were the same people from the store, waiting with their hoods up presumably for us to come out of the store.I rushed my friend into the car not even really waiting for her to get her seatbelt on before getting out of there as fast as I could. Soon after, she asked me if anything had gone down would I have protected her? To which my response was, “Are we looking at the same person here? I mean, I could take a beating to try to buy you time but that’s about it.” I’d love to be able to say I’d go Bruce Lee on their asses, but I know very little self defense and it’s something I need to work on.
It really irked me, and I think what irked me the most is that I remember going into Blockbuster as a kid excited to play the gumball pinball machine for only a quarter, or rent Scooby Doo and the Boo brothers for the millionth time. Sure, I may have persuaded my mom to rent South Park: Bigger Longer and uncut for me at the age of nine or so... if I had to learn my curse words, at least it was from a movie I had rented at my friendly local Blockbuster! My imagery of Blockbuster may be skewed, as I’m sure there were some people renting porn or something of the sort as three year old me eyed a twix bar nearby. That doesn’t change the fact that the woman I found working the register to be incredibly rude, and the crowd I found at the Blockbuster on Friday night to be generally unsettling.
Next time I will just be renting a movie from the safety of my own home like all other normal people. Sorry Blockbuster, as appealing as your gumball pinball machine once was it’s not enough to risk being near Michael Meyers impersonators again. The biggest risk I take ordering from Netflix is the ever deadly computer thumb.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Pulling a Kanye on the moms of the world
I’m not a fan of over the top political correctness, but I think today’s topic calls for it. Whenever someone gets on TV, you always hear them say “Look mom I’m on tv!” What about the rest of their family? How come you never hear anyone say“Hi Dad!” or just a general “shout-out to my family”.
Sure mom’s take care of you and help raise you, but the keyword is help. There may have been a day and age in which women did all the work in raising kids, but that time has passed in at least the liberal areas of the country. In a time when we are calling for equal parenting and expecting dads to be there instead of at the track, shouldn’t we give them credit for also raising us?
Dads are even being expected to the do the impossible. Dads are being expected to change diapers! Blasphemous I know, but it is happening. There was a time when I thought I’d inherit my dad’s “D.A.D” shirt which stood for dad’s against diapers. I don’t think it’s socially acceptable anymore, unfortunately.
I look forward to being a parent, which is probably the last thing anyone expected to hear from a teenage guy’s mouth. I want my credit for it when my kid is up there on the podium giving a speech about how they’d never be there without their mom. If I ever get up to give a thank you speech, I will say,“ A shout-out to my entire family, friends, and even enemies. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be accepting this award for the most time spent on a computer by a single person ever!”
I mention families because siblings also deserve credit. I mean, without me would my sister have really gone to college? Yes, probably can’t say I made that much of a difference...but would she have been in such a hurry to get away from my pre-adolescence? Probably not! My role in being the annoying little brother made her that much more eager to go off to school. Siblings, just remember, your negative and positive behaviors do have an effect. Do your duty, annoy your older siblings or boss around your younger siblings!
I realize I haven’t mentioned family outside the immediate family, nor have I really gone into depth on friends. However, if you mentioned everyone who you ever met your speech would gone on until you were eighty years old. I’d just like to see some people get more credit than just the moms. I’m not trying to undersell what moms do for people, but it’s nice to acknowledge the other people who got you where you are too.
So moms, I’mma let you finish but we all know families are really da best.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Sure mom’s take care of you and help raise you, but the keyword is help. There may have been a day and age in which women did all the work in raising kids, but that time has passed in at least the liberal areas of the country. In a time when we are calling for equal parenting and expecting dads to be there instead of at the track, shouldn’t we give them credit for also raising us?
Dads are even being expected to the do the impossible. Dads are being expected to change diapers! Blasphemous I know, but it is happening. There was a time when I thought I’d inherit my dad’s “D.A.D” shirt which stood for dad’s against diapers. I don’t think it’s socially acceptable anymore, unfortunately.
I look forward to being a parent, which is probably the last thing anyone expected to hear from a teenage guy’s mouth. I want my credit for it when my kid is up there on the podium giving a speech about how they’d never be there without their mom. If I ever get up to give a thank you speech, I will say,“ A shout-out to my entire family, friends, and even enemies. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be accepting this award for the most time spent on a computer by a single person ever!”
I mention families because siblings also deserve credit. I mean, without me would my sister have really gone to college? Yes, probably can’t say I made that much of a difference...but would she have been in such a hurry to get away from my pre-adolescence? Probably not! My role in being the annoying little brother made her that much more eager to go off to school. Siblings, just remember, your negative and positive behaviors do have an effect. Do your duty, annoy your older siblings or boss around your younger siblings!
I realize I haven’t mentioned family outside the immediate family, nor have I really gone into depth on friends. However, if you mentioned everyone who you ever met your speech would gone on until you were eighty years old. I’d just like to see some people get more credit than just the moms. I’m not trying to undersell what moms do for people, but it’s nice to acknowledge the other people who got you where you are too.
So moms, I’mma let you finish but we all know families are really da best.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tonight on ESPN: The Graduates!
I just recently came back from my sister’s graduation ceremony, which don’t misunderstand me was a fun time. However, I couldn’t help noticing that before the ceremony started there was music that would be playing before a baseball game on the loud speakers. They were trying to pump the crowd up! Which raised the question: What if graduations were more like a sporting event?
An announcer would say things like “Now entering from left field, your MVP, with a 4.0 gpa over the span of his entire career: Tom “has no life” Whiiiiiiiite!”. Tom White (which is just a generic name I picked) would then come up to the podium and give a speech, “ It’s been a long year. We all know how I had to battle the injuries of mental block and brain freeze, but I stayed tough. When the professors threw a curveball at me, I knocked it out of the park! My paper writing skills are unmatched, and no I did not need to take steroids like certain people to accomplish my feats.”
The rest of the graduates would jog out from left field to the tune of Enter the Sandman to receive their diplomas/medals. The starting lineup would be composed of Tom White and his fellow overachievers, while the bench would be composed of those who were the slackers. In the middle of the graduation ceremony, there would be a half time show complete with T-shirt rocket launchers. One lucky fan would be selected to come on the field and shake the hand of Mr. White.
Unfortunately this is not the way real graduations work. The ceremonies are rather long and boring, and do little to keep you entertained. However, parents/friends/families did run onto the field which I found obnoxious. At a wedding, you don’t run up to the altar.
This was the graduates' moment, not the parents/friends/family. I realize you’re excited but you can wait until after to congratulate your graduate. I will say at least none of the “fans” went streaking on the field as they might do at a baseball game, so they had slightly more class than the bleacher creatures which isn’t saying much.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
An announcer would say things like “Now entering from left field, your MVP, with a 4.0 gpa over the span of his entire career: Tom “has no life” Whiiiiiiiite!”. Tom White (which is just a generic name I picked) would then come up to the podium and give a speech, “ It’s been a long year. We all know how I had to battle the injuries of mental block and brain freeze, but I stayed tough. When the professors threw a curveball at me, I knocked it out of the park! My paper writing skills are unmatched, and no I did not need to take steroids like certain people to accomplish my feats.”
The rest of the graduates would jog out from left field to the tune of Enter the Sandman to receive their diplomas/medals. The starting lineup would be composed of Tom White and his fellow overachievers, while the bench would be composed of those who were the slackers. In the middle of the graduation ceremony, there would be a half time show complete with T-shirt rocket launchers. One lucky fan would be selected to come on the field and shake the hand of Mr. White.
Unfortunately this is not the way real graduations work. The ceremonies are rather long and boring, and do little to keep you entertained. However, parents/friends/families did run onto the field which I found obnoxious. At a wedding, you don’t run up to the altar.
This was the graduates' moment, not the parents/friends/family. I realize you’re excited but you can wait until after to congratulate your graduate. I will say at least none of the “fans” went streaking on the field as they might do at a baseball game, so they had slightly more class than the bleacher creatures which isn’t saying much.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I didn't sign up for this (The flawed logic of the school administration)
It may be summer vacation for me now, but I still wanted to comment on the last test I had to take. It was a test that I believed to be at 7:30 in the morning, but had actually been pushed back to 8:30 in the morning. Now to those of you that believe in the early bird gets the worm, this may not be a big deal. But not me, I’m such a night owl sometimes I’m surprised worms aren’t actually the main constituent of my diet.
It always seems to happen this way, that I have a test this early in the morning when I purposely sign up for classes later in the day. It’s always not just a test, but a math test which is the worst possible thing you can give someone early in the morning. At least if it’s an english test, you can bullshit how the author was trying to send a message about innocence (every book seems to be about the loss of innocence in some form).
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as bad as my sophomore year in high school when my teacher would sing “it’s Monday morning and you have a math test, lets sing the Monday math test song while you take your test!”. Nothing could be as bad as her singing was...However, you’d think the administration could figure out if you signed up for late classes you probably want your tests to be scheduled late as well. Maybe they should take the logic class that I just recently completed.
Common sense may not be so common, but when it means I lose sleep because people can’t figure out that I’m busy doing meaningless tasks on the internet until all hours...maybe it’s time for them to head back to school as well.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
It always seems to happen this way, that I have a test this early in the morning when I purposely sign up for classes later in the day. It’s always not just a test, but a math test which is the worst possible thing you can give someone early in the morning. At least if it’s an english test, you can bullshit how the author was trying to send a message about innocence (every book seems to be about the loss of innocence in some form).
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as bad as my sophomore year in high school when my teacher would sing “it’s Monday morning and you have a math test, lets sing the Monday math test song while you take your test!”. Nothing could be as bad as her singing was...However, you’d think the administration could figure out if you signed up for late classes you probably want your tests to be scheduled late as well. Maybe they should take the logic class that I just recently completed.
Common sense may not be so common, but when it means I lose sleep because people can’t figure out that I’m busy doing meaningless tasks on the internet until all hours...maybe it’s time for them to head back to school as well.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood Bloggerman
Monday, May 10, 2010
Hello Goodbye (The Obligatory summer post)
My room is barren of the mess that has constituted it’s very existence for most of the year. The drawers are empty, there is a void where the fridge used to be, and my tv is in bubble wrap. Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t sell my stuff off to quench my constant thirst for money (all though if anyone would like to buy an unused safe and come get it from my room....). No, despite Ithaca’s best attempts by snowing on Saturday night, summer is upon us.
I have entirely mixed feelings about summer. On the one hand, there is being reunited with my family after being apart from them for a year. Believe it or not, I miss my dad’s weekly comic book runs and my mom’s constant need for technological help.My sister is graduating this summer as well, and I couldn’t be more excited for her. There are my high school friends, who I have missed more than I thought I would. There was a time when I couldn’t wait to get away from just playing games in peoples basements all the time, now I haven’t played a console video game in nearly a year and am itching to do so.
There is a job which most people wouldn’t find exciting, but I do because it means I won’t be sitting bored at home all summer. There is Lollapalooza, which will be my first trip out of New York State without my parents, and whose lineup makes me show the slightest bit of excitement (my equivalent of a fangirl scream). Oh and before that, I suppose there is my birthday with the fireworks and all. Is it just me though or does 19 really not seem like a big deal? Like great you’re a year between 18 and 20, who cares?
The negative side is that I will be away from Ithaca for three months. Freshman year may have been a lot of up and down, but I made a decent amount of friends here who I will miss a lot over the summer. Whether it’s something as ordinary as going to the movies, or as wacky some of the conversations that have happened at late night/in the lounge, you guys always makes me laugh. Hell, I will even miss the random intrusions by the cops on my dance parties during final weeks.
It feels like just when I was getting settled in here, I am going away for a very long time. However, I leave very excited for sophomore year and all the things that will happen then. That’s also why I refuse to say “bye” to any of you and instead I say “see ya”. Because I will see you in 3 months, when college has gotten a little more SOPHisticated for us all. Don’t say you won’t miss me and my old man puns : D.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
I have entirely mixed feelings about summer. On the one hand, there is being reunited with my family after being apart from them for a year. Believe it or not, I miss my dad’s weekly comic book runs and my mom’s constant need for technological help.My sister is graduating this summer as well, and I couldn’t be more excited for her. There are my high school friends, who I have missed more than I thought I would. There was a time when I couldn’t wait to get away from just playing games in peoples basements all the time, now I haven’t played a console video game in nearly a year and am itching to do so.
There is a job which most people wouldn’t find exciting, but I do because it means I won’t be sitting bored at home all summer. There is Lollapalooza, which will be my first trip out of New York State without my parents, and whose lineup makes me show the slightest bit of excitement (my equivalent of a fangirl scream). Oh and before that, I suppose there is my birthday with the fireworks and all. Is it just me though or does 19 really not seem like a big deal? Like great you’re a year between 18 and 20, who cares?
The negative side is that I will be away from Ithaca for three months. Freshman year may have been a lot of up and down, but I made a decent amount of friends here who I will miss a lot over the summer. Whether it’s something as ordinary as going to the movies, or as wacky some of the conversations that have happened at late night/in the lounge, you guys always makes me laugh. Hell, I will even miss the random intrusions by the cops on my dance parties during final weeks.
It feels like just when I was getting settled in here, I am going away for a very long time. However, I leave very excited for sophomore year and all the things that will happen then. That’s also why I refuse to say “bye” to any of you and instead I say “see ya”. Because I will see you in 3 months, when college has gotten a little more SOPHisticated for us all. Don’t say you won’t miss me and my old man puns : D.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Auto tune the beat of my heart
Last night I listened to Ke$ha for the first time, to see what the big deal was. You know you’re in for a treat when you’re listening to an artist with a $ sign in their name right? Soon after I couldn’t stop listening to her song “Tic-Toc”, even though I knew her singing was horrible. Almost anything can sound good auto tuned, hell I’ve seen auto tuned videos of the infamous “Charlie Bit My Finger” that sound like we should all be dancing to them at clubs. The question it got me really thinking what does this mean for the future of music as a whole or our generation?
Sure it may be fun to “Don’t stop, make it pop” or “get down, down, down, even if the sky is falling down”, but where are the meaningful lyrics of our parents generation? What happened to the music of the 60’s that caused political and social upheaval? You’d be hard pressed to find a song that sends such a strong message as Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’”, though some might argue that the chipmunk version of “Tic-Toc” sends the message that it’s ok to be adorable in this tough tough world we live in !
Do the artist who are auto tuned really deserve all the praise and attention we give them? Back in the day we criticized Ashlee Simpson for lip-synching to her own song during a live taping of SNL. Have we gone so far into the sewage that now a singer can be totally computerized, and we consider them talented?
What about the image the music we like to listen to produces? Sure every generation was criticized for the new music that their kids seemed to like, but when ours is just about getting drunk and partying all the time I think there might be a point this time. Once you get past the catchy beats that you can’t help shake it to, you notice the lyrics all say the same thing. Do we really want to be remembered as the generation that destroyed any meaning behind the music? If these artists are making it while being auto tuned what’s to stop me from writing a song about my puppy, getting it auto tuned, and then getting a record deal?
This is something to be pondered while I shake it to that auto tuned version of “Charlie Bit My Finger”.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Sure it may be fun to “Don’t stop, make it pop” or “get down, down, down, even if the sky is falling down”, but where are the meaningful lyrics of our parents generation? What happened to the music of the 60’s that caused political and social upheaval? You’d be hard pressed to find a song that sends such a strong message as Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’”, though some might argue that the chipmunk version of “Tic-Toc” sends the message that it’s ok to be adorable in this tough tough world we live in !
Do the artist who are auto tuned really deserve all the praise and attention we give them? Back in the day we criticized Ashlee Simpson for lip-synching to her own song during a live taping of SNL. Have we gone so far into the sewage that now a singer can be totally computerized, and we consider them talented?
What about the image the music we like to listen to produces? Sure every generation was criticized for the new music that their kids seemed to like, but when ours is just about getting drunk and partying all the time I think there might be a point this time. Once you get past the catchy beats that you can’t help shake it to, you notice the lyrics all say the same thing. Do we really want to be remembered as the generation that destroyed any meaning behind the music? If these artists are making it while being auto tuned what’s to stop me from writing a song about my puppy, getting it auto tuned, and then getting a record deal?
This is something to be pondered while I shake it to that auto tuned version of “Charlie Bit My Finger”.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Friday, April 30, 2010
You're my sugar pop honey bear
Everyone has been called a cutesy nickname at some point in their life. Whether it was being called baby, sugar, honey, kiddo, sweetie or anything of the sort we’ve all heard it.These names make me cringe any time anyone calls me them personally, and it’s not because I have a general dislike of cutesy things. In fact, I’d say for a guy I have an unnatural appreciation of romantic comedies and Disney movies (even going so far as being able to sing some of the Disney songs in full).
No, it’s not because they are cutesy. It took me a while to figure out why being called any of the pet names listed above made my skin crawl, but I finally figured it out. It’s because of the context in which they are being used.
If I am dating a girl, I want to be anything but a “baby”. Call it an innate desire to be macho if you will, but I seriously just can’t imagine a situation where being called baby doesn’t demean someone. It’s not just guys, but girls too. Being called baby is demeaning because it somehow undermines your intelligence. Maybe it’s just the mental imagery, but something seems wrong about dating a “baby” when you’re over 18.
The same can be said of honey or any other pet names you’re significant other may deem it appropriate to call you. My ex-girlfriend had a thing for calling me foofy, after little bunny foo foo. It bothered me to high hell, but I’m a teenage boy and I did what any other teenage boy would have done in my situation: I sucked it up so I could continue being with the girl obviously! Never again! Certain nicknames I’d be ok with but not ones that make me sound like I’m actually a cartoon character from a children’s show.
Kiddo bothers me for a slightly different yet similar reason.That’s because kiddo isn’t used in a romantic context, but it’s often used by adults to address people of younger generations. Kiddo, while not in the romantic context also demeans the intelligence of the person you are directing it at it. It may be ok to call someone who is up to even 16 kiddo, but I believe once you become a senior in high school you deserve a certain amount of respect. Or at the very least if young adults are allowed to be called kiddo, we should have a weapon we could throw back at adults like: “How ya doing today oldie?”
Pet names just seem unnecessary, but maybe this is just an aversion on my part to anything that is too cutesy. However, there is a fine line in my opinion between having some cute moments and taking it over the top. Pet names take cutesy way over the top and into orbit around the moon. You should be sweet to your significant other and dote on them occasionally, but do not talk to them the way I talk to my puppy at home.
A clarification: It's not so bad if the nickname is only once in a while, but if is every other word outta their mouth "baby, I'm going to be late" "hey baby what are you doing today" "I'm sorry baby" it gets old very fast.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
No, it’s not because they are cutesy. It took me a while to figure out why being called any of the pet names listed above made my skin crawl, but I finally figured it out. It’s because of the context in which they are being used.
If I am dating a girl, I want to be anything but a “baby”. Call it an innate desire to be macho if you will, but I seriously just can’t imagine a situation where being called baby doesn’t demean someone. It’s not just guys, but girls too. Being called baby is demeaning because it somehow undermines your intelligence. Maybe it’s just the mental imagery, but something seems wrong about dating a “baby” when you’re over 18.
The same can be said of honey or any other pet names you’re significant other may deem it appropriate to call you. My ex-girlfriend had a thing for calling me foofy, after little bunny foo foo. It bothered me to high hell, but I’m a teenage boy and I did what any other teenage boy would have done in my situation: I sucked it up so I could continue being with the girl obviously! Never again! Certain nicknames I’d be ok with but not ones that make me sound like I’m actually a cartoon character from a children’s show.
Kiddo bothers me for a slightly different yet similar reason.That’s because kiddo isn’t used in a romantic context, but it’s often used by adults to address people of younger generations. Kiddo, while not in the romantic context also demeans the intelligence of the person you are directing it at it. It may be ok to call someone who is up to even 16 kiddo, but I believe once you become a senior in high school you deserve a certain amount of respect. Or at the very least if young adults are allowed to be called kiddo, we should have a weapon we could throw back at adults like: “How ya doing today oldie?”
Pet names just seem unnecessary, but maybe this is just an aversion on my part to anything that is too cutesy. However, there is a fine line in my opinion between having some cute moments and taking it over the top. Pet names take cutesy way over the top and into orbit around the moon. You should be sweet to your significant other and dote on them occasionally, but do not talk to them the way I talk to my puppy at home.
A clarification: It's not so bad if the nickname is only once in a while, but if is every other word outta their mouth "baby, I'm going to be late" "hey baby what are you doing today" "I'm sorry baby" it gets old very fast.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Thursday, April 29, 2010
New York Soda Party
Admittedly I am not an expert on this debate even though I drink bottles and bottles of soda per day myself. I can only really offer my opinion as someone who has been drinking coke since he was 3 years old. Why does the soda tax bother me personally? It’s not because of the extra 12 cents that would it would be costing me, though with my caffeine addiction it certainly would hurt my wallet quite a bit ( I imagine with how much coke I drink this may actually outweigh the cost of my food). It’s more the principal that the state government is trying to get people to not drink the soda by putting taxes on it.
I understand that soda is unhealthy for you, just ask my dentist what he says every time I go into to get my teeth cleaned. He always says if I have to drink soda, drink soda like the white sodas. Is soda suddenly wine now? Did I miss something here?
I understand that drinking soda can even lead to obesity in a lot of people, though those of you who know me wouldn’t believe that if I was the only soda drinker you had met. On the other hand, I did have a friend in high school who gained a beer belly from drinking too much rockstar energy drink. The negative effects of soda drinking definitely outweigh the benefits of the caffeine.
However, I think it is up to the people to determine what they do or don’t put in their bodies. The government should be giving us information about what’s healthy and what isn’t, but trying to take away our power to choose by levying taxes goes against the freedom of choice that is an intricate part of this country's makeup. That is what really bugs me here, the fact that I’m being given monetary incentive to make one choice over another . If this happens with soda, who knows what could be next...maybe even a tax on my precious video games!
More responsibility should fall on the parents. If your kid is obese, sign them up at your local gym, stop feeding them bigmacs for breakfast, and pay attention to how much soda they drink per day. I understand some parents are on the ball and their kids still struggle with obesity. In that case though it’s most likely genetics isn’t it? In which case imposing a tax on soda wouldn’t really stop those kids gaining weight.
If New York State passes this soda tax, I think they may have a soda version of the Boston Tea Party on their hands. Which could either lead to the water being too sticky to swim in, or the best summer lake party ever for caffeine addicts like myself. I’ve always wanted a coke fountain, a coke lake would be beyond my wildest dreams!
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
I understand that soda is unhealthy for you, just ask my dentist what he says every time I go into to get my teeth cleaned. He always says if I have to drink soda, drink soda like the white sodas. Is soda suddenly wine now? Did I miss something here?
I understand that drinking soda can even lead to obesity in a lot of people, though those of you who know me wouldn’t believe that if I was the only soda drinker you had met. On the other hand, I did have a friend in high school who gained a beer belly from drinking too much rockstar energy drink. The negative effects of soda drinking definitely outweigh the benefits of the caffeine.
However, I think it is up to the people to determine what they do or don’t put in their bodies. The government should be giving us information about what’s healthy and what isn’t, but trying to take away our power to choose by levying taxes goes against the freedom of choice that is an intricate part of this country's makeup. That is what really bugs me here, the fact that I’m being given monetary incentive to make one choice over another . If this happens with soda, who knows what could be next...maybe even a tax on my precious video games!
More responsibility should fall on the parents. If your kid is obese, sign them up at your local gym, stop feeding them bigmacs for breakfast, and pay attention to how much soda they drink per day. I understand some parents are on the ball and their kids still struggle with obesity. In that case though it’s most likely genetics isn’t it? In which case imposing a tax on soda wouldn’t really stop those kids gaining weight.
If New York State passes this soda tax, I think they may have a soda version of the Boston Tea Party on their hands. Which could either lead to the water being too sticky to swim in, or the best summer lake party ever for caffeine addicts like myself. I’ve always wanted a coke fountain, a coke lake would be beyond my wildest dreams!
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The Reality Of Pokemon: Gotta catch 'em all gone horribly wrong
If you are a 90’s kid like myself, chances are you grew up watching Pokemon. Most of us bought the cards looking only for the shinies of course, played the games which would allow our parents some quiet time for hours, and probably most shocking of all woke up EARLY on Saturday mornings to watch the cartoons.
We all wished Pokemon were real. I for one would take my plastic pokeball and throw it at anything that dared to move in my front yard. That went pretty smoothly, until my neighbor’s cat got tired of the stupid kid throwing things at it and shouting, “Aww it popped out”. When I came inside that day my sister said, “Pokemon aren’t real you know”. Thus began the great flood of ’99! But what if Pokemon were real?
In the show, Ash begins his journey at 10 years old. Most of us were eighteen when we left home for the first time, and sometimes we still wish we were at home. Ash goes months without talking to his mom. My mom would FREAK if she didn’t hear from me for more than two weeks.
On his journey, Ash befriends many different types of wild creatures including giant fire breathing lizards. His mom must have never told him not to play with fire, because he seems to do it just about every episode in the first season. I was always told to stay away from wild animals, not that they were going to become my best friend.
Also, if kids became Pokemon trainers at 10 just imagine the destructive force they’d be wielding. Noogies would be a thing of the past, replaced by only being shocked by a little lightning...totally no big deal right? How many bullies would pick on you if you had a Dragonite standing right behind you? Granted, it would level the playing field...but would anyone really want the playground to become a war zone?
In the show, whenever Team Rocket loses a Pokemon battle they get sent packing. This wouldn’t happen in the real world, they may lose the battle but they’d end up silencing you forever with their machine guns anyway. No ten year old would foil an entire evil organizations plot just by having his pet beat up their pet.
Animal’s rights activist would have a field day with the Pokemon league. There would be constant pickets outside the gyms and indigo plateu. “Pokemon have feelings too causing them to battle like that is cruel”. It would however be a new sport for Michael Vick to bet on!
On the plus sides though, no woman would have body issues. Every woman that exists in the Pokemon world minus a few old ladies has the ideal body type. For the select few that don’t, it would be a lot worse than the barbie complex that already exists.
In the Pokemon world, when your Pokemon are sick they go to the Poke Center. There they are taken care of for free. In real life, with how often your Pokemon got sick even your great-grandchildren would still be paying off the medical bills.
I hate to be the killer of fantasizes but maybe it’s for the best that ten year olds are not running around with creatures with these destructive capabilities. It may be time to give up on the dream of being the very best like no one ever was, and instead settle for living life the normal way. All I know is the only thing I will be catching any time soon is some Z’s.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
We all wished Pokemon were real. I for one would take my plastic pokeball and throw it at anything that dared to move in my front yard. That went pretty smoothly, until my neighbor’s cat got tired of the stupid kid throwing things at it and shouting, “Aww it popped out”. When I came inside that day my sister said, “Pokemon aren’t real you know”. Thus began the great flood of ’99! But what if Pokemon were real?
In the show, Ash begins his journey at 10 years old. Most of us were eighteen when we left home for the first time, and sometimes we still wish we were at home. Ash goes months without talking to his mom. My mom would FREAK if she didn’t hear from me for more than two weeks.
On his journey, Ash befriends many different types of wild creatures including giant fire breathing lizards. His mom must have never told him not to play with fire, because he seems to do it just about every episode in the first season. I was always told to stay away from wild animals, not that they were going to become my best friend.
Also, if kids became Pokemon trainers at 10 just imagine the destructive force they’d be wielding. Noogies would be a thing of the past, replaced by only being shocked by a little lightning...totally no big deal right? How many bullies would pick on you if you had a Dragonite standing right behind you? Granted, it would level the playing field...but would anyone really want the playground to become a war zone?
In the show, whenever Team Rocket loses a Pokemon battle they get sent packing. This wouldn’t happen in the real world, they may lose the battle but they’d end up silencing you forever with their machine guns anyway. No ten year old would foil an entire evil organizations plot just by having his pet beat up their pet.
Animal’s rights activist would have a field day with the Pokemon league. There would be constant pickets outside the gyms and indigo plateu. “Pokemon have feelings too causing them to battle like that is cruel”. It would however be a new sport for Michael Vick to bet on!
On the plus sides though, no woman would have body issues. Every woman that exists in the Pokemon world minus a few old ladies has the ideal body type. For the select few that don’t, it would be a lot worse than the barbie complex that already exists.
In the Pokemon world, when your Pokemon are sick they go to the Poke Center. There they are taken care of for free. In real life, with how often your Pokemon got sick even your great-grandchildren would still be paying off the medical bills.
I hate to be the killer of fantasizes but maybe it’s for the best that ten year olds are not running around with creatures with these destructive capabilities. It may be time to give up on the dream of being the very best like no one ever was, and instead settle for living life the normal way. All I know is the only thing I will be catching any time soon is some Z’s.
Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I can be your hero baby (or get my ass kicked trying)
A few weeks ago I saw the movie Kick-Ass. One of the best movies I've seen in years, and no it's just because a little girl was beating the crap out of guys with her knives while simultaneously cursing them out. The visuals effects, the music, the acting and story line were all superb.
I won't spoil it for those of you that haven't seen it, but the basic plot line is that an everyday dork wonders why no one has ever decided to be a vigilante after reading all these comic books. He takes it upon himself to do so, and gets his ass kicked first. But later, as these things tend to go, he ends up saving the day.
It got me thinking, if he could be a hero why not me? Ok, yes I realize this is real life and that was a movie. But there are people who train in martial arts and do things with their bodies we'd never imagine possible every day. I'm not saying I want to try flying, I'd end up flatter than the pancakes they serve in the dining halls at my school. But am I really the only one who has fantasized about this?
Recently, when one of my friend's purses went missing my first reaction wasn't to notify the school's lost and found, no...it was to find the bastard who took it and give him a beating while wearing oh so trendy spandex! I was going to learn park-our and train with my friends on sword team to learn some weapon skills so I could smite my enemies with my bow staff. I'm not crazy, I'd never act on this obviously. But the movie did bring up a good point: with all the crazy people out there, you'd think one of them would put on a mask and go ape shit.
Maybe this blog is just an excuse for me to live out the dream a little bit. Or maybe it's just an excuse to procrastinate the academic papers I should be writing.
Until next time,
I'm just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
I won't spoil it for those of you that haven't seen it, but the basic plot line is that an everyday dork wonders why no one has ever decided to be a vigilante after reading all these comic books. He takes it upon himself to do so, and gets his ass kicked first. But later, as these things tend to go, he ends up saving the day.
It got me thinking, if he could be a hero why not me? Ok, yes I realize this is real life and that was a movie. But there are people who train in martial arts and do things with their bodies we'd never imagine possible every day. I'm not saying I want to try flying, I'd end up flatter than the pancakes they serve in the dining halls at my school. But am I really the only one who has fantasized about this?
Recently, when one of my friend's purses went missing my first reaction wasn't to notify the school's lost and found, no...it was to find the bastard who took it and give him a beating while wearing oh so trendy spandex! I was going to learn park-our and train with my friends on sword team to learn some weapon skills so I could smite my enemies with my bow staff. I'm not crazy, I'd never act on this obviously. But the movie did bring up a good point: with all the crazy people out there, you'd think one of them would put on a mask and go ape shit.
Maybe this blog is just an excuse for me to live out the dream a little bit. Or maybe it's just an excuse to procrastinate the academic papers I should be writing.
Until next time,
I'm just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
The justification of my blogging
As you can all see, I have decided to start a blog. You may be asking yourself, "but Bobby why would you start a blog? Can't any idiot who learned to type in elementary school write one these days?" And you'd be exactly right! How the hell do you think I managed to actually start one myself?
In all seriousness though, I have a lot on my mind and blogging seemed like a good venue for the random shit I want to talk about. If you care what I have to say about every day topics such as people texting other people sitting right next to them, or how the soda tax in New York is a stupid idea, or hell whether spiderman could beat godzilla (you really never know with me)...well then this is the blog for you! If not, thanks for coming and please do take a free tshirt on your way out.
In terms of updating, it will be pretty entropic (for those of you who aren't science nerds, that means random. Don't say the title of the blog didn't warn you that I'd be making a bunch of nerdy references, and if that didn't tip you off maybe the spiderman godzilla reference should have).
Until next time,
I'm just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman
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