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Musing on his desire for an iPod (a pink iPod mini, as it turns out), Luke Nihlen writes in the Daily Lobo, "But there's more to the iPod than a personal statement. It contains my entire musical collection, a life's worth of memories, opportunities, juxtapositions and discoveries. Its epic storage capacity feels almost archival, like a tiny library of Alexandria, automatically organized and with optional belt clip."
For me, this iPod thing is really taking off. One of my friends bought an FM transmitter, and is actually broadcasting music from his iPod to the entire office if they want to hear it via a small radio. Mine goes with me running, at the gym, when I shovel snow (or cut the lawn...depending on the season!), many times in my car, and I listen to it all day long at work. I have over 7,500 of my songs (not quite my entire collection either) in my front pocket to block out the daily distractions. Way cool, baby.
Today, I meant to have a couple deeper posts, with sketches from Thursday night waiting to be shared, but somehow, this iPod post just kind of crept up and will have to suffice for now. I have much laundry to do today (unfortunately I still do that at my parents), visit with the family, and then attend an Oscar party. Lots going on today. That's all for now! Pepsi/iTunes promotion: 6 for 13 P.S. Special shout-out today to my friend Jason, a.k.a Bart or Bunkey. He's the only Leap Year baby I know. Happy 8th birthday! |
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Spring
Thaw It was a fun night to be out with my friends. I haven't done much with that group lately. A lot of it just has to do with the fact that people's schedule's don't line up. But I'm sure that some of it also has to with the fact that I'm just not into that scene as much anymore. Since I've really gotten into my art and my writing again, it's as if I'd rather spend a quiet evening alone being introspective, than playing the old bar game over and over again. But last night seemed different to me. Last night was just lots of fun. Plain and simple. Maybe because I haven't seen anybody in awhile, it seemed fresh and new to me. At times I get so wrapped up in my art, that I tend to forget that I have good friends out there, too. Fun friends. It feels like it's another thing in my life that has a delicate balance that I have to work on. So needless to say, I am still lounging around my place today, well past 3:00 in the afternoon. What started out as a nasty hangover has evolved into a real case of laziness. I guess that's alright, though. For me, that's what Saturdays should be about. Tonight, I have another birthday party to attend. It's for my friend Brandon's 30th birthday. The cool thing about tonight's party is that he and his wife asked me to be in charge of the music. For almost a decade, I've always been the guy who makes up all of the music on New Years Eve. It's just kind of my thing. What started out with me mixing tapes, turned into me burning mixed CDs. For Brandon's party, though, I'll be doing the entire thing via my iPod. This is a revolutionary day in my career as the music maker. We'll see how this goes. And tonight, jokingly, my name is DJ Wonderment. Tomorrow night, I have another gathering to attend to. My friend John is having a small Oscar party which also coincides with his wife Lisa's birthday. It's always a good time getting together with my more media savvy friends. John and Lisa are definitely that. I've been joking with them for months now that I've been looking for the right outfit to wear on the red carpet. It turns out, the red carpet may be a beige remnant. That's just how we do things! The "outfit" I'm considering wearing would be my resurrected hobbit costume from Halloween, sans the wig, pointy ears, and hairy bare feet. It should be fun! It's become one of those weekend, where there's so much going on. I feel lucky that I can break out of this deep-freeze of laziness, thaw out for awhile, and have such good times with good friends. In the Lord Of The Rings, Bilbo Baggins says to his nephew: "It's dangerous business Frodo, going out your door. You step into the road and if you don't keep you feet there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." I feel swept away by this weekend in a very exhilarating way. Come Monday, I'll probably be more exhausted than I was when my work week ended, but these good times with friends and family seem to be able to cure the worst hangovers, physically or emotionally. Now it's time to get motivated, go out for a quick run while the weather is still in agreement with me, and then get ready for phase two of a three-phase weekend. Later! Pepsi/iTunes promotion: 6 for 12 |
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Play
In The Sunshine I have a couple of sketches from my art class that I want to post from last night. Class and the margaritas that followed were both quite interesting. Each probably deserves a post of their own. But on this day off of mine (I realized yesterday morning that I have 82 hours of vacation to use up by July 1st, so I decided to take today off), as much as I'd like to write about the interesting events of the past day of so, the sun is calling my name. This is the first day in a long time that I can remember where the sun is out and it's above freezing. I feel like I've been hibernating for the past three months, and am itching to go outside. Looking at the weather page on the internet for Green Bay, it says that it's only 32 degrees. But with the sun shining so bright, after the deep freeze we've been having, it feels like it has to be at least 75. So, this caged bird no longer is in the mood today to sit in front of his computer screen. I took a day of vacation to get away from that. Instead, I may go for a walk, a run, or possibly a photo shoot with my new digital camera. All I currently know is that the sun is calling my name. Can Gary come out and play? Later. |
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You
Say You Want An Evolution? By having this camera, I have a feeling it's going to change some of the content on this site. It'll be a thousand times easier posting photos to this site now. There's going to be a much stronger photographic element to these pages now, one that will help my more narrative journal entries, I suppose. The artwork and drawings will certainly not be going away. That's far from it. I've been hit by this art bug in a major way. I've only begun to explore ways to express myself. Digital photography will only add to the expression. It seems quite fitting to me to be adding the new element of a really good digital camera to this site, on the heals of my "anniversary of sorts" that wrote about last night. I love the concept of artistic evolution, which I feel is definitely happening to me lately. A lot of the music I listen to these days is by artists who I've watched evolve over the past few decades. I get excited when I see an artist change with the times, continually trying something new and evolving with life and technology. I've notice subtle changes in these web pages each month. I remember the big deal it was for me the first time I posted an existing drawing from my old sketch book, instead of something I solely created for this site. I remember scanning in my first photo, feeling like I was breaking some formula. I remember when I decided to add my playlists for the day. I wondered, Can I do this?? Each time I made one of these subtle changes, I questioned myself, wondering if it was okay that I was breaking rules that I set up for myself. How ridiculous is that?! I'm so conditioned to setting up rules and templates at work, that I was even doing it on my own personal site. The photo you see tonight is one of the first I shot with my new camera. This bridge, which goes over the Fox River, connects the two halves of my small town. People always seem to refer to living on either the top or the bottom of the bridge. My house is very close to the top. I've written many times how I run up and down this bridge, and the challenge that it presents. This is my bridge. My hometown. This is where I'm from. This photo seems fitting as the bridge from my past year of creativity to the new directions I hope to take my art. So....I will save my thoughts and conversation about The Passion of the Christ for another night. Many of the local churches bought out all of the tickets for the shows, anyway. My weekend is booked up completely, so I'm hoping to see it sometime next week. Tonight, I simply want to mess around more with my new toy. Deal with my kind of passion. That's all for now. Pepsi/iTunes promotion: 5 for 11 Wednesday's playlist: 1. Random tracks from 281 songs by U2 2. JC Chasez - Schizophrenic |
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I've noticed that this second book is beginning to get tattered and torn on the spine. It's almost time to finish this one, just a dozen or so more sketches. But when will I have it done? This second book is the exact same size as the first, but it's spanned well over a decade of my life compared to the first one which only took a year to fill up. In looking at the dates on some of the drawings in the second book, the time between them drastically slowed down once I was done with college. I realize now that I let my job get in the way of this other type of creation. I let my job be the excuse. There's a point in the sketch book where there's a six year break. The end of that six-year spell was a year ago yesterday, 02/23/03. I remember that day vividly. I got home from my friend Vicki's divorce party. She had a palm and an aura reader at her party. The guy who read my aura said I didn't have one. It was a dead, dried-up black bird inside my belly. I was devastated. I thought the guy was full of shit. But his words and the reading rattled me to the core. That night when I got home, I got my sketch book out for the first time in six years. If you want to see the sketch I did 366 days ago, check it out here. Somehow this drawing eventually found itself as the last post of my August journal page. I remember doing that drawing in a real passion. There was almost an aggression to it. I have an aura dammit, I remember thinking, I'll @#!%&@ show him! I did the sketch fast without much thought. It was a very uncontrolled process. I drew it because I had to. Something inside me woke up that day. The flood gates were opened. So here I am. A year later. Vicki's divorce party led to that sketch. That sketch led to my journal again, another passion which I had ignored for almost eight years. The journal led to this website, somehow combining my newfound technical talents with my reacquainted passions of the past. All of those things led me to my art classes. They led me to who I am today, who I am at this very moment. Tonight, I can't even put to words the changes I feel or the profound sense of completion I sense. I feel a nagging need, now, to create. To write and to draw. I feel a spirit inside of me. A connection with things. A connection with myself. I feel an urgent energy bubbling up from inside. I feel. Vicki, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. Thank you for being the catalyst which allowed me to toss the pebble into the calm waters, making ripples which grow each day. Mark, I thank you for the endless tech support and the technical inspiration. There are so many times when I question what and why I'm doing all of this. You always help me put it into a greater perspective. And Heather, I thank you for introducing me to the world of blogs, this new form of communication. Thank you for inspiring the "geek" inside! :) Without these three people, I'm convinced that I wouldn't have found this outlet before me as easily and naturally as I did. So tonight, on this anniversary of sorts, I will go to sleep with a smile in my heart, knowing that the dead, dried-up black bird inside my belly is now a magnificent, fiery phoenix, beautifully raging out of control. It's something I had inside of me all along; I just needed it to wake up again. That's all for now. Happy anniversary to me..... Tuesday's playlist: 1. R.E.M. - Eponymous 2. U2 - The Best Of 1980 - 1990 3. Christina Aguilara - Stripped P.S. A little shout-out to Rasita. Thank you for your kind words on your February 19th post about my photographs and for the link on your sidebar. What an awesome compliment! |
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With the finale, there's been lots of media hype around this show. I have all of the season on DVD and have been watching a marathon of them all in my free time. It's quite satisfying to watch story arcs span over the life of the series and see such strong character development, which only got richer toward the last few seasons. In so many of the episodes, I truly can relate to these characters and what they're going through. A few of my friends watch this show with me, and we often have the discussion, "Which Sex And The City character are you?" I remember ten years ago, when Friends was huge. At the time, it spoke to me, unlike any show I'd ever seen before. This was the first time I saw a group of characters my age, talking about and going thought the same things all of my friends were going through. We were all in our early twenties, all just starting our careers, just like the group at Central Perk. They all could have been my group of friends. We used to get together and watch "Must-See TV." We called it "Friends Night." We always ended up having the same conversation, "Which Friend are you?" In the past few years, the Lord of the Rings movies have gotten under my skin in such a major way, probably only second to the Star Wars series (and I'm not even so sure about that anymore). I've had endless conversations about these movies with my friends. The richness of the story, the characterizations, and the special effects have turned it into, in my estimation, one of the best movies ever made. My friends and I spend much time talking about the social, environmental, theological, and humanitarian issues this movie brings up. We also, of course, always end up asking, "Which character in Middle Earth are you?" It's funny, how certain TV shows or movies, even books, paintings, and music, I suppose, get under our skin and create a dialogue amongst a group of people or even within ourselves. The hugely successful shows, it seems, as with most good art, strike a chord with people, give them something or somebody to relate to. It causes us to look inside at who we think we are or who we'd like to be. So for the record, where Sex And The City is concerned, I'd say that I'm a Carrie. Once in awhile when I write, I actually hear her voice in my head, narrating my text like she does on the show. I feel like I'm a unique character like she is, willing to do my own thing but ultimately looking for and trying to understand love. I feel like I have a gift to look at things differently from most people, and make sense of them through my dialogue of drawings and words. My friends, of course, see things otherwise. They see me as more of a Miranda, the uptight organized one, or maybe even a Charolette, the naive, idealistic prude! We all agree though, that I'm nowhere near being a Samantha, the sexually wild and outrageous one. Where Friends is concerned, I've always considered myself a Chandler Bing. To me, he's the funny one, with the good sense of humor and a razor sharp tongue. He's the sitcom writer's dream for funny, snappy comebacks. My friends of course, see me as more of a Ross character; the science geek who's just clueless when it comes to women. Then of course, there's Lord of the Rings. My friends and I agree that I'm definitely a hobbit. I love nature, food, and a good pint of ale every so often. I especially love taters. You know, po-ta-toes: you boil 'em, you mash 'em, you cook 'em in a stew. I like to laugh and enjoy myself, and am not too fond of adventure. The small town that I live in is definitely the Shire. My apartment is a cozy little hobbit hole-in-the-wall. And especially, whenever I get a chance, I'm barefoot (a trait my nephews are following in too!). No shoes and socks for this halfling. For as much as I'd love to be Frodo, the hero of the movie, I know I'm more of a Samwise, the trusty sidekick, which isn't too bad when I really think about it. In the book, he's called "Samwise the Stout-Hearted." Although Gollum calls him the "fat hobbit," Sam much more than that. He's the emotional backbone of the story and literally carries the main character through his journey. One of the roles in my life I take much pride in is that of the strong, supporting character, the one who can be there for his friends and family. So Samwise the Stout-Hearted it is. It's funny, how with all of these characters, there are the ones that we want to be, and the ones who we really are. Isn't that one of the many issues of life that we all have to deal with? The person we think we are versus the person we really are? But that, I suppose, is fodder for an entirely new topic. So I pose this question to all of you readers out there: What shows do you watch and who do you identify with? "Frodo...it's me...your Sam. Don't you know your ol' Sam?" That's all for now. Pepsi/iTunes promotion: 4 for 10 Friday's playlist: 1. Beck - Sea Change 2. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me 3. Prince And The Revolution - Purple Rain 4. Bruce Springstein - Greatest Hits 5. Various selections from The Lord of The Rings trilogy |
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First thing Thursday morning, I had to talk to my boss. I had to get the weight off my shoulders. I had to vent. I ended up spending almost two hours in his office, sharing my frustrations, my concerns, and just simply venting. The issues I needed to talk about, all of things that I was pissed off about, had nothing to do with my boss. He's as much of a victim to the stuff that was upsetting me as I was (I'm trying hard here, I might add, to not cross the line and share the sensitive details of this issue). We came to many agreements, took a few of the things that had been bothering me off of the back-burner, and decided a plan of action. In the end, the scope of my next 18 months at the company has been laid before me. We now have a strong direction, something we didn't have before, and obtainable goals. Seeing how all of this panned out over the past few days, I think everything will actually work out for the better. So, in spite of my frustrations Wednesday night, I took the bull by the horns, confronted my problems, and with the help of my boss, who I'm quite lucky I can actually speak my mind to, was able to squeeze something extremely positive out of what initially seemed to be a shitty situation. I've gotta tell ya, once in awhile, the weeks just seem like roller coasters. Despite the positive ending to my day yesterday, the events of the week really wore me down last night where my art class was concerned. It had been two weeks since I last attended class. I felt beaten down by things, my artistic muscles felt weak, and I lacked the focus that I require of myself. In a lot of ways, I think I set myself up for failure last night, when I'd professed that in the previous class, I'd created a career best (To see that sketch, check out the February 4th post near the bottom of this page). How could I possibly top that? I know I'm being overly dramatic when I say my class last night was a failure. The above drawing I did of Samere isn't bad. As a drawing, I think it's actually quite good. It looks like him enough, I suppose, but it just didn't capture his essence. It didn't capture his soul. He's a hard guy to draw, a real enigmatic personality, with a strong mixture of many different nationalities. I always let that psyche me out when I draw him. The act itself of drawing last night was, of course, a godsend. It was a nice way to cap off my week. But unfortunately, I just didn't feel like I had a lot to give or receive. I didn't have it in me. I simply felt beat. It's funny, how at times, my art almost becomes my spirit, somehow lifting me up. It transcends me to a different place, a different level, a higher level, which has profound truth and meaning. But other times, it literally manifests itself into the form a struggle, usually stemming from other struggles or stresses in my life. My portrait drawings are simply clear-cut drawings of a person starring off into space, without any added symbolism or meaning. But it's quite interesting to me how so much of my life, of the meaning each day has, shines, or muddies it way through. That's all for now. Pepsi/iTunes promotion: 3 for 8. Friday's playlist: 1. Cyndi Lauper - At Last 2. Outkkast - Speaker Box (various selections (thanks Mara!!)) |
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No
One Wants To Be Defeated Wednesday's playlist: 1. Coldplay - Live 2003 2. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me 3. The Police - Every Breath You Take: The Singles 4. Madonna - GHV2: Greatest Hits Volume 2 |
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Give
A Little After yesterday's post, I decided to share one of my favorite new pictures. It's of me and my nephew Derick at his birthday party, playing with his new Lincoln Logs set. That was a really great day! Pepsi/iTunes promotion: 3 for 7 today. I have two songs I still have to redeem from those three. Tuesday's playlist: 1. Sting - All This Time (Live) 2. Justin Guarini - Justin Guarini 3. Kelly Clarkson - Thankful 4. Clay Aiken - The Measure Of A Man 5. Cyndi Lauper - At Last |
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All
This Time When we got to Sam's Club, I put him in the shopping cart and pushed him around. I can't tell you how many middle-aged mothers seemed to look at me with him and give us friendly smiles in return. I could tell they thought he was my son. Pushing him in that cart made me so proud; I wished he was my son. At Walmart, I let Derick give the "nice lady" the money for the coloring books I bought for him and his brother Brett. He had a grin from ear to ear; he thought he was such a big shot. Again, the woman at the counter smiled at how cute was acting. I could tell she thought he was my boy. In a few of the conversations I had with my friends this past weekend, it's pretty obvious that we're all at this time when some of the bigger moments in life are happening to us. It's funny how things like marriage, family, kids, houses, and careers play such a huge role in our lives now. It's as if in our 20s, our lives were only about our careers, in a very selfish way. Now, a decade later, these other factors strongly come into play and are what the pursuit of happiness is all about. In these few short years of my 30s, I truly understand the priorities in life and what I want from it. Whenever I spend time with Derick and Brett, especially those times when I could pass as their father, I feel a tinge of sadness, almost a tugging of sadness, if that makes any sense, for what I'm missing in that aspect of my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bummed out or depressed about this, it's just one of those nagging feelings that I can't deny thumping in the back of my skull. There are times when I feel like my natural instincts are kicking in; I feel the subtle ticking of my biological clock, like the beating of my heart. Fundamentally and instinctually, as I slowly take part in this next decade of my life, I know deep down in my bones that someday I want children. It's an impulse that's impossible for me to deny. For as much as I love my life, love being single and having all this time for my art, writing, and friends, there are some forces that are so amazingly strong that I can't ignore. For now, though, I will make the most out of my life and the hand that was dealt to me. Because I'm single, there's so much I'm able to do and achieve with all this time to myself. I truly believe my life is the way it is for a reason. I know to make the most of it. But yet, I know that someday, a wife and kids will be my future as well. I want it too bad for it to be otherwise, like the river to the sea. That's all for now. Pepsi/iTunes promotion: 2 for 6 today. Picked up the new Janet Jackson single, Just A Little While. Monday's playlist: 1. Cyndi Lauper - At Last 2. Alison Kraus - Forget About It 3. Phil Collins - Hits 4. Clay Aiken - The Measure Of A Man 5. U2 - Boy 6. U2 - iTunes Exclusive P.S. Bear with me as I slowly modify some of the navigation on this website. Eventually, you will be able to navigate around all of the different pages of this site from the links on the top of each page. But for tonight, that navigation only appears on this page, the Journal page. It's just getting too late. |
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Unexpected
Gifts On Friday night, Jim asked me to be an attendant in his wedding in September This will be wedding number two that I'm standing up in this year: in May, I'm an usher in my friend Nate's wedding. I'm quite honored to have been asked to be part of Jim's and his fiancee, Linda's, day. The tradition in Jim's circle of friends has been to go all out for the bachelor party, usually flying somewhere. I'm on the outskirts of that circle of friends, and never took part in the bachelor parties, mainly for financial reasons. But now that I'm an attendant, I feel a bit of an obligation to attend as well as help plan the bachelor party. Luckily, I have money saved up for such an adventure (yet to be determined); unfortunately, that money was allocated to go toward a new computer sometime this summer. Oh well, I suppose the computer will just have to wait a few more months. It's one of those small sacrifices one has to make...the rob Peter to feed Paul scenario I guess (Gosh, do I wish I was made out of money!). In the meantime, though, other new technologies will have to be sufficient. On Thursday at work, we had a monthly company staff meeting. During each of these meetings, they announce birthdays and anniversaries for the month. Next week, I'll celebrate my 10 year anniversary with the company! During the meeting, I received a commemorative plaque for my ten years of service, as well as a gift booklet with a series of items to choose from. I could choose from travel vouchers or over-night stays at hotels of my choice, or shop online at a small selection of online stores. One of the stores was CompUSA. With my gift booklet, I've decided to purchase a digital camera with the money. I'm leaning toward this Sony Cyber-Shoot. I've been craving to buy a better digital camera than the one on my video camera, and had initially decided that I'd just bundle it in with the computer purchase later this year. Well, now that the Apple G5 purchase will be slightly postponed, I've decided to get the digital camera now with my gift voucher. The gift voucher was a complete surprise, as was being asked to stand up in Jim and Linda's wedding. It's funny, how the two things kind of compliment each other, balance things out. I'm totally stoked to get this new camera; it's going to make so many aspects of this website easier. I would have loved to have posted some pictures from the concert Thursday night or of me and my friends from this weekend, but never even brought a camera along. Knowing how easy it will be to simply plug the camera into the USB port on my keyboard and load the photos into my computer is a pretty exciting thought for adding content to this site. It's nice when unexpected gifts, whether in the form of vouchers or friendship, seem to come my way. I'm really looking forward to standing up in these couple of weddings coming up. It's always promising to me, knowing I have things to look forward to where my friends are concerned. It will also be cool that I'll be able to easily document the events digitally. :) Unrelated techie babble re: the Pepsi/iTunes promotion: I won my first "free" song this weekend. I'm 1 for 5! Other unrelated techie babble: Thanks to Riri, I may have had a break-through and found some code to help put comments on this blog! More to come! That's all for now. Blogging to: Cyndi Lauper - At Last P.S. As a quick post script to this entry, I failed to mention the amazing sunset I drove into on Friday night on the way to visit my friends. It surrounded me the entire drive. Again, an unexpected gift (one that I wish I had a digital camera for!). Okay, now this post is done! |
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Just
Wanna Have Fun After the concert, I went to Escapades, the margarita bar that I usually go to after my art class. I'd been sick for class last week, and had the concert last night. My friends were at the bar, like I'd hoped they'd be, and were happy to see me. It was a good feeling. They were beginning to wonder what had happened to me! So even though I missed art class for two weeks in a row, it was nice to reconnect with them last night, and get my weekly taste of new friends and interesting conversations. Immediately we talked about God, art, relationships, etc. It's so awesome to be able to just have things fall into place like that. That's all for now. I have to leave in about an hour to spend the weekend with some friends. Looking forward to a weekend away! Catch you on Sunday night. Blogging to: Cyndi Lauper - At Last |
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Days
Go By I get up every morning between 6:00 and 6:30. Anything before 6:30 is time to surf. 6:30 from 7:05 is spent flying around, trying to get ready for the day. I usually end up leaving around 7:10. I get to work sometime between 7:25 and 7:37. I'm scheduled to start at 7:30. There's not a lot of give in my morning routine! Usually, from 7:30 to about 7:45/7:50 I figure my way around my computer at work, eat some breakfast, go through emails, fill out timeslips from the day before, and surf some more (on company time). Then my work day begins. I usually work until 4:00/4:30. After work (on a good day), it's off to the gym. I try to spend anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes there. By the time I get home, make and eat supper, it's well past 7:00. Tonight, I stopped by my parents, and just got home (8:32 now). I wonder where the nights go... The activities of each night are varied, but I when I think about it, I only really have three or four hours to myself before I go to bed. At least an hour to an hour and a half of that time, lately even more, is dedicated to this website.
Looking at all of these times and schedules reminds me why I like my days off so much. Many of my days off are only dictated by my whims. I rarely set an alarm. I eat breakfast at noon, second breakfast at 3:00 and maybe grab supper at 8:00. I rarely go to bed on the weekends before 3:00 am. I'm such a night hawk. I love it late at night like that. It's so quiet, so peaceful. You gotta love the weekends! That's all for now. Tonight, I want my evening to go by watching a Sex & The City marathon on DVD I started this weekend. I'm trying to get through all five seasons before the series ends in a couple of weeks. Unrelated surfing: Lord of the Rings fans, check out this link. It's an article about how these movies have pushed special effects to another level. It's a good read. There'll be be no post tomorrow night as I'm going to that Cyndi Lauper concert. I'm actually really looking forward to this! :) Wednesday's playlist: 1. Clay Aiken - The Measure Of A Man 2. U2 - 7 |
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This week is one of those that mysteriously has filled up and it's whizzing by. I almost feel like it has a certain momentum to it that's just kind of sweeping me away as I partake in my life this week. Work has been the same way; busy, but good busy. Tonight I went over to my friend Todd's house for a few brews (thanks Brandon!), some chili (excellent chili Todd!), and 24 (kick ass!!). They even put up with an hour of American Idol, just for me. True friends! Thursday night I'm going to see Cyndi Lauper at one of the local casinos with my friend Mark. I know it's totally cheesy. To be honest, I'm kind of embarrassed that I'm even going. But tickets were cheap, I haven't been to a concert in awhile, and when I started thinking about it, she actually has a lot of good songs. Her Greatest Hits is really quite good. I tried to get tickets a week after they went on sale, and, believe it or not, they were sold out. Luckily, my friend Kim knew somebody who had a couple for sale. Mark and I saw Joan Jett back in '99. It was kind of the same thing: totally cheesy and I couldn't believe I was going. But in the end, that was an awesome show. Mark's a fun guy to go to concerts with, if only to people watch. This should be no different. I took the day off Friday to hopefully get some cleaning done around here, and then go out of town for the weekend to visit a couple friends who I haven't seen in ages. I'm really looking forward to a weekend away for a change of pace. This mid-winter thing is really beginning to get to me. If anybody cares, here's an article with all the Grammy winners. Music's biggest night. Bah. The whole thing felt stifled and seemed to be out of touch with what's really going on in the world of music. It missed something, knowing there was that five minute delay. The Janet Jackson controversy cast a big shadow Sunday night. Also, if anybody cares, here's an article about the release of the original three Star Wars movies coming to DVD this summer, September 21, to be exact. I'm a HUGE Star Wars geek, so this is exciting news to me! That's all for now. It's a bit of a potpourri of thoughts tonight. After the past few entries being pretty heavy, I needed a few nights off. Tonight is more or less about playing catch up. Later! Tuesday's playlist: 1. Sting - All This Time (Live) 2. Santana - Shaman |
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The
God Issue The photo you see on the right was shot from the front step of my house. It's of St. Paul's Catholic Church. I was a member of that church from third grade until the time I left for college. That's where I went to grade school. I was confirmed there. There was a time somewhere around eight grade or Freshman year in high school, where I actually had thoughts of becoming a priest when I grew up. But now, over a decade later, I'm physically closer to the church than ever, but spiritually, I've never been farther away. Where did things all go so wrong, get so complicated? My freshman year in college, I took a Philosophy 101 class. This, coupled with the death of a great uncle, shook my belief system, my faith, and my religious dogma to the core. I debated the existence of God in class. As I learned logic, I questioned faith more and more. As I dealt with my uncle's death, I shunned any faith I had left. I remember commenting once in my journal in high school that I thought there was a point where people could almost get too smart to believe in God. It's funny how that more or less happen in college. My nature has always been to question things. I've never taken anything for face value. I always try to see things for a greater meaning. Those classes I took in college only made me question things even more. If anything, I questioned myself out of religion. I see friends and family with such strong faith. They're able to look to the Bible as a way to guide their lives. I envy those people. It's as if for me, I've never been able to blindly accept anything, which I think is something one has to do where God is concerned. Sometimes, though, I wonder if the people who come out of those stained glass doors every Sunday have ever questioned their faith. Or is it something they just accept in their lives, because it's always been there? My sister brings my nephew to church all the time. He can't even understand the concept of the telephone, how's he supposed to understand God? The cynic in me feels that, for the majority of parishioners, God is nothing more than a remnant of their youth. Something we do. Just because. Kind of like decorating a Christmas tree or avoiding a broken mirror. To some people, is God nothing more than a tradition that they've never given any thought to at all? Shouldn't they? Shouldn't we seriously think about all of the religious vows we take in life? Or is it that by thinking about God too much it causes a crack in one's religious foundation? If that's the case, though, if one must tip-toe around their religion in order to not find out some hidden truth that would make their lives shallow and meaningless, then religion's certainly not for me. "If you find God with great ease, perhaps it is not God that you have found." - unknown I think for me, a distinction has to be made between God and religion...and maybe even dissect it more and add the Spirit into the equation. We've all seen so much war and strife in the name of religion. How can that be? That seems like the biggest oxymoron of all time. For me, it seems as if religion just tries to package God way too neatly in a pretty little box. Perhaps that's where my struggle lies. "I often wonder wonder if religion is the enemy of God. It's almost like religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the building." - Bono There are times, around the holier-than-thou, that I feel extremely small and inadequate, because I don't have that strong faith. But yet, part of me resents that. I would admit that my religious beliefs are a daily struggle, one that I've never been able to clearly define, but I do consider myself an extremely spiritual person. I feel love. I try to find the meaning in life. I have a strong connection with nature. But I am, after all, human. I don't know how one can define God's presence. I don't know how one can truly claim to understand God or hear Him speak. Isn't God and the Spirit essentially an undefinable thing? I've always heard people talk about a God-shaped hole in their life. I'm beginning to understand that if you think you can actually define the space God or a god places in your life, then you'll never really truly find it. When I see art, more specifically my art, that's what gives me some type of hope and faith. I have no other way of explaining what happens to me when I create. I see my nephews, true miracles to me. Those are the things that ground me spiritually. But that's as far as I can define my religion. For about two years in the mid-90s, I attended a Unitarian-Universalist church, which really seemed to describe where I was at. But I do believe in Christ, and that he died for our sins, which that church lacked talking about, ultimately making it feel water thin before I stopped going. But what I got out of my studies from that church was a great analogy. Think of all the different religions of the world as different stained glass windows in a church. Think of God as the sun shining though each of those windows. Why can't we all agree on the light, that is God, and leave it at that? That's pretty much where I am with the God issue. I'm wondering how bad it would be for that to be my guide in my struggle. So for the record, I am a baptized and confirmed Catholic. I am the sponsor of my cousin Jason, and a god-father to a friend's daughter, Kirstin, as well as my nephew Derick. And although I don't go to church, if I ever get married and have kids, I would like to raise them Catholic. Although I don't agree or believe with some of the Catholic dogma, I do believe it has given me a strong foundation for living my life. Perhaps I'm fooling myself. Perhaps I'm watering down the Catholic religion to fit my personal needs. Perhaps I'm being a complete hypocrite. Perhaps I had no right assuming any of those religious roles. But to me, I believe in those roles and what they stand for. Is that enough? I'm only being honest with these thoughts, though. I live my life, day to day, the best way I know how. I try to make the best choices in my life. Treat my fellow man and nature with some respect. I try to make a small difference in this world. I feel like I was given a talent by someone or something not of this world, and that notion keeps me going at times. It seems like the more I question my struggle, the more questions are presented to me. As I get older, though, as I consider my thoughts on God, I sincerely believe that this religious struggle I have isn't that at all. It's much more than a struggle. It's a journey. One that was somehow presented to me by something I am meant to try to figure out. And for that I should be completely thankful. There's a reason I'm on this journey, and perhaps that's what this life of mine is really all about. I think that's where I'll end this tonight. I don't know how much sense any of this makes, to anybody other than me. But this is only the tip of the iceberg to where I'm at with all of this, with this God issue. Perhaps this is Issue #1 of a limited series. Here's a little verse I wrote a few years ago about this topic. "If I find
Jesus That's all for now. Blogging to: Brando's 30th B-Day Mix - The Rough Cut |
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It seems like everybody's been talking about this Janet Jackson / Justin Timerlake thing. I can't remember a controversy getting so big and out of control in a long time. Apparently, it struck a chord with people. I think it got people talking about morals and decency again. It got people talking about what's on TV, good or bad. And it's beginning to get people talking about censorships again. I'm sure that when Janet and Justin planned their sexy little dance to that sexy little song, they never, in a million years, thought it would have gone this far. It seems to be taking a nasty turn, though, as the "suits" are getting nervous about what the "talent" might do. Suddenly, Janet Jackson is banned from the Grammy's, which will now have a five minute delay. The Oscars will have a delay as well. Didn't J-Lo wear a dress a year or two ago to the Oscars, that was completely see-through on top, exposing both nipples? Now a fellow 'Nsync band mate is axed from performing at the Pro Bowl. ER is cutting certain scenes from it's episodes. It seems like the network's paranoia is manifesting into a silly form of censorship. I wonder where this end? Perhaps, the networks needed this to clean things up. But as an artist and an adult who enjoys many forms of media, I have a sinking feeling that this "Nipplegate" fiasco is going to have far-reaching negative repercussions, much larger than either Janet or Justin could have imagined. It boggles my mind that they'd consider banning more performances "just in case." That poor fellow from Justin's band did nothing wrong. Why is he being punished? The Grammy's have always had their controversial moments. Didn't they let Eminem perform last year? They're replacing Janet Jackson with Prince. Come on people, how could that possibly be any less controversial? The people in charge need to start thinking, stop being so damn stupid, and stop with all of these knee-jerk reactions. I've had many conversations with many people in the past few years about the sad state of the media, and how it continues to be heading in its downward spiral. But I question if censorship is the way to combat that? How come there aren't more musical acts or TV shows out there (that the populous is exposed to), that actually cater to a talented performer or a TV show with a good storyline? I know people are craving for substance. How else do you explain artists like Norah Jones or Coldplay staying in the Top 40 for almost 2 years? People will pay for quality programming, like many of the series on HBO. It seems so shameful to me, that the networks are now scurrying about, trying to clean things up, when they've been the ones feeding us all of this smut, because they know it gets rating. Must I remind anybody of shows like Fear Factor or Big Brother (both on at 7:00 pm in this market, prime family viewing time). Something like Joe Millionaire or Extreme Makeover doesn't do much for family values either, but yet, they're getting big ratings too. So who's watching this garbage? I'm going to step on my slippery soap box here for a moment, and say that it's just as much our own fault for this Janet Jackson controversy as it is Janet and Justin's. Look at all the attention we gave Madonna and Britney. How many of us weren't talking about their kiss the next day? How many people who criticized Janet's desperate act for attention, have at least watched one episode of Jerry Springer, Judge Judy, The Apprentice, Fear Factor, Survivor, or some other show that satiates some need to watch people humiliate themselves on national TV? How many people haven't slowed down to gawk at a car wreck? If nobody was watching, nobody would feel the need to show off their tits, carry a dead rat in their mouth, or eat some big-ass bug. Somebody's watching this madness, so somebody will put it on the air. What Janet and Justin did, is really par for the coarse when you see what gets attention, headlines, and has us still blogging about it almost a week later. With all that grandstanding aside, like I said, I have a bad feeling that this fiasco is will create a censor-happy culture that somehow will repress our constitutional freedom of speech, creating a society of timid, stifled artists. Label me all you want. Give me a G, PG, R or, god-forbid, an NC-17, but please don't censor me. Let me say what I have to say. It's funny, during this week of heavy discussion about censorship, decency, and what's okay and not okay to put out there for the world to see, I saw the birth and death of my friend Brandon's blog. In the end, he just couldn't find the reason to put his private thoughts out there for the rest of the world to read. In his mind, that's what his wife, family, and friends are for. I can't argue with that logic. So it got me to thinking, why am I doing this? What is my purpose to not censor so much of my life? Why do I feel the need to share it with an audience composed of primarily strangers? Many online journals and blogs aren't nearly as personal as mine, that's for sure. But for some reason, that's all I really know or care to write about. I've run into some criticism, when I start writing about things that are happen to the people around me, that are obviously more their business than my own. But I write about the things and people around me, and sometimes, the things that go on in their lives, affect my life as well. I've had some screw-ups, shared things that I probably shouldn't have, but I am learning. I guess I'm learning to censor myself in what I share to the world, if not just out of respect for the people I care about. That's been the toughest thing I've dealt with in creating such a personal document of my life. "Just as
you see me As I learn to sometimes keep other people out of this, I still feel the need to go no-holds-barred with this thing. For some odd reason, I feel the need not to censor my feelings or actions with the people reading this. I feel like if I give people the truth, an honest piece of myself, maybe they'll be able to take something away from all of this. And I guess, ultimately, that's what my role in this world as an artist is really all about. But perhaps, just perhaps, I'm really just blowing smoke out of my sun-shaped nipple shield. Thanks for listening to this rant tonight. That's all for now. :) Friday's playlist: 1. Paula Abdul - Greatest Hits 2. U2 - various selections from 281 songs put on random (gotta love the iPod!!) 3. Moulin Rouge Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 4. Moulin Rouge vol 2 |
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The
Weather Report Thursday's playlist: 1. Sting - Soul Cages 2. Sting - Brand New Day 3. Janet Jackson - Control |
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The one of Mike went extremely well, from start to finish. I started off a bit on the wrong path, erased my work, and in less than 15 minutes, knew something pretty magical was happening on the paper for me. I like the drawing I did of Mike last month; I got his likeness. But this most recent one completely captures his essence, his spirit, his warmth, and his likeness. It boggles my mind when I see this drawing and realize that it somehow came from me, these hands, and these weakening eyes to the paper. Or at least through me, to the paper. Thursday night, the artwork definitely was channeled from somewhere else. The creation process had a real flow to it. It was like breathing, really. The entire time I was doing it, I felt a natural, real, solid connection with my inner-self and/or a spirit much greater than my comprehension. The artwork not only flowed through me, but I also felt submersed in it, like in a long hot bath. It was heaven. But after art class, it's always back to reality. On Saturday, I had my work Christmas party. We started out at dinner with food and drink. I sat by some of my closest coworkers and their spouses or significant others. There were many other people there that I'm equally as close to that I wasn't able to sit by. For a split second, I felt so happy, so lucky, that I was surrounded by a group of coworkers, so many of them, who I truly care about. I know that they actually give a damn about me and consider me their friend too. That's such a great feeling. In thinking back to the Christmas party on Saturday night and my drawing class on Thursday, I'm somehow able to make a direct connection. A connection to things that simply feel natural, right, and real. The conversations with my coworkers were so comfortable and familiar; there was nothing forced about them. They flowed like things with really good friends should. There was a genuine truth behind the smiles and good natured humor. I think my friends at work, and know how special those relationships are in my life. I've known so many of them for so long. We've been through so much together. Good and bad. I was talking to Brandon's wife, and she mentioned that with some of her coworkers, they probably know her better than some of her friends or family. It makes sense. We spend so much time with each other. We have lunch together, share so many small details of our lives together, and make so many choices with each other's input. I feel so lucky that I'm able to have such strong relationships with the people who I spend so much time with. It's a really great feeling, realizing that I have a family with some of the people at the place of my employment. Not everybody in this world can say that. The affect my coworkers have on me, and vice versa, is undeniable. I laughed to myself today as I was eating Fig Newtons and drinking tea while Brandon was listening to U2 and the Beatles. These are things neither of us ever did before meeting each other. Brandon even started a blog last night, something he never heard of until he met me. If it wasn't for Mark, this site never would have happened, I probably wouldn't be shopping for another new Macintosh, nor would I have a hard drive completely full of mp3s. If it wasn't for Todd, I probably never would have went to Ireland. If it wasn't for Jamie, I'd never have fallen in love with sailing. This list could go on and on. The positive influences theses people have on my life is overwhelming. So tonight, in thinking about my art and coworkers, two huge facets in this little story that is my life, I feel lucky, blessed, and grateful that sometimes, certain things are right in this world and in life. Some thing don't have to be always be a struggle or a controversy. Some things, like art and friendship, have a natural flow to them that only makes us grow, get stronger with time, and turn us into who we are. It's nice for me tonight, in talking about things in life that flow so free and natural, that this post came just the same. Special thanks today to "Jethro" and his blog Spy Journal for the shout out. And of course, check out Brandon's new blog The Rough Cut (with four posts already!). Check it out! Wednesday's playlist: 1. Sarah McLachlan - Touch 2. Sarah McLachlan - Remixed 3. Various tracks from the Lord Of The Rings trilogy |
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I've been a fan of Janet's since Control came out in '85. Her album Rhythm Nation is one of my favorite albums of all time. She's one of those artist like Prince, Madonna, or her brother Michael, who have somehow managed to stay around for practically two decades after they hit it big. I've seen her in concert three times, have all of her CDs and DVDs, and know all of her music by heart. Each of her CDs seem to be part of the soundtrack that is my life. She's always had a special place in my heart where celebrities are concerned. She was my first (and only) celebrity crush. I think she's the most beautiful woman alive. I notice that the type of women I find myself physically attracted to always have that "Janet" look to them. Well, this whole controversy about her exposed breast is getting out of control, if you ask me. The FCC is planning to expedite an "investigation" into the case. What's there to investigate? Watch the tape. Her boob was hanging out, plain and simple. It actually seemed pretty calculated to me; almost a desperate cry for attention in this world where pop stars keep getting younger, and Janet's considered old at 34. Was this her way of one-upping that kiss between Madonna and Britney? It almost feels like she's jumping the shark.
The thing I keep coming back to, is that during this Super Bowl broadcast, which had an estimated 140 million viewers, somebody made a shit-load of money broadcasting three or four commercials for Viagra, Lavitra, and whatever other erectile dysfunction drug that's currently on the market. Apparently, we can talk all we want, during family viewing hours no less, about taking drugs so we can get raging hardons, but Janet Jackson, showing her naked breast and giving us erections the old fashion way is shocking and unacceptable! CBS heavily promoted and got stellar ratings with their broadcast of Survivor All-Stars, directly after the Super Bowl. For at least a quarter of the episode, the first season's winner, Richard Hatch, walked (and ran and swam) around completely naked. Of course this nudity is alright because of how they blurred it out. What the hell is the difference? It's a mixed message to me. Obviously, on Survivor, it's not the act of being naked that's against the standards of CBS, but just simply showing certain body parts. In thinking about all of this today, I realized the big deal nudity always seems to get with Americans. Imagine how many media outlets today will devote time to this one second flash of Janet's exposed nipple. Hell, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been thinking about it all day. It's all I could talk about. I admit that my views on nudity are far from liberal either. It's not like I spend a lot of time that way around the house. Being raised Catholic, we're taught that being naked is a sin. Even Adam and Eve had to censor their nudity. The fig leaf of the past has evolved into the mosaic filter that you can see on just about every episode of the Real World. It's so silly, when you think about it. It's just a body. A naked body. Something we all are under these clothes. Parts we all have. But somehow, we throw a scandalous, dirty, sexual thing at it. I did it myself, just three paragraphs ago, making that joke about boners. My first name ain't baby, it's Janet. Ms. Jackson if you're nasty. In my art classes, drawing a naked person has always been perfectly acceptable. It's a timeless, classic act that's always been connected to art. The human body is such a complex, amazing thing to draw. The class I'm in now has nude models on Tuesday nights. I rarely go just because Thursday nights work better with my schedule. But the two weeks during the holidays, when I went on naked night, I never posted the sketches. I hesitated, worrying that I'd offend somebody reading this. I didn't want anybody to freak out. Today, with this whole Janet Jackson thing, I realized how stupid I was being. How FCC of me. The fact that I sometimes draw the nude model is always a point of discussion amongst my friends. When people look through my sketchbooks, they usually act disgusted or shocked by the male nudity and make sexual comments about the female nudity. To be honest, I give these models nothing but kudos for having the guts to sit in front of a group of strangers who, for almost three hours, try to capture every aspect, every flaw, every imperfection of their naked body. I could never, ever do that. I could never be so bold. But why is that? In this journal, I try to be completely raw, open, and honest with my writing. I know that at times, the truth shows me in a less than positive light, blemishes and all. Why can I be so emotionally naked to the world, but would have such a problem being that way physically? It's a really bizarre dichotomy. My goal tonight, though, isn't to figure out my views on social nudity or censorship on prime-time TV. Today, this Janet Jackson thing just really got me thinking. It made me realize all of my different hangups, and how, being an artist, I try to be above it all and act not affected by the naked flesh. But I realize my hypocracies about nudity and the naked body, just like everybody else. Despite how "above it all" I want to be, I still can't get Janet's exposed breast out of my head. Monday's playlist (inspired by "the Super Bowl Shocker!!"): 1. Janet Jackson - Design Of A Decade 1986 - 1996 2. Justin Timerlake - Justified 3. The Beatles - Let It Be...Naked 4. Christina Aguilara - Stripped |
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Friday night I went to Brett's 2nd birthday party. I can't believe he's already two. It seems like just yesterday that he was born. Hell, it seems like just yesterday that Derick was born. As I watch these two little beacons of hope grow and change with time, I'm really beginning to understand the importance of priorities in life. As my love for them grows and changes with time, I'm beginning to understand what love is, what I'm capable of feeling. It's a pretty amazing thing to me, to simply watch them play with one of the soccer balls I got them or the balloons that my brother got them, and feel completely overwhelmed with an honest, pure love. It's something that I never completely felt or understood before. In watching them change, I notice that my family is changing as well. I see my sister and her husband assume the role of and actually become parents. I see my mom and dad turn into grandparents. And I see my brother Chad and I transform into "the uncles." I see a new kind of love come from all of my family members. I see them all in a new, positive light. It's as if this was something so necessary to help rejuvenate my family, who otherwise just seemed to be going through the motions of life, as many families do. I think maybe, just maybe, it makes us understand our love for each other a little bit better. Through the love of my nephews, I understand the unconditional love and sacrifices of my parents and my grandparents, my aunts and uncles. Through the love I see given to my nephews, I understand just how much my parents love me. Love lift us up where we belong. Perhaps I'm being a bit of a sap with all of this. But it seems like what this world, or even just this blogosphere, needs is possibly a little more talk about love. I could try to be witty and ironic about politics or the Super Bowl today, but for some reason, I'd rather talk about love. Love is like oxygen. My intention in writing this post tonight was to give a rundown of my weekend, but I think I'll stop here. I like where my thoughts and inspirations seemed to take me tonight. They took me, guided my hand, in a completely different direction than I'd planned. That's the way love goes. Love is all you need. P.S. Be sure to check out the January archives. When one door opens.... |
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If you any questions, comments, or requests, you can contact me at: |
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Digital Counterculture
The
party was lots of fun, and I met and chatted with a lot of really
nice people. Bradon's rendition of Heartbreak Hotel was
classic. Way to sway those hips!
I've
been really enjoying my new digital camera too. It makes things
so damn easy to post. Don't worry, the sketches and drawings
haven't gone away. Not at all. I've just had a busy weekend,
and a few posts in a row where I normally wouldn't have had any
graphics. Now it's quite easy for me to just snap something to
add to the posts. Very cool!
Last night I went out some
friends to celebrate my friend Jason's birthday. We went to a
It's funny how my plans
to write in this thing always change from when I figure out what
I want to write about, to when I actually sit down at my computer.
My plans tonight were to
write about my feelings about the controversy surrounding The
Passion of the Christ. It seemed quite fitting, seeing how
it's Ash Wednesday. With my Catholic up-bringing and my religious
struggles and journey, I certainly have many thoughts about this
movie (yes, without even seeing it yet). But my mind isn't up
to writing about such a heavy topic right now. To be honest,
I'm feeling a bit flighty tonight. Today I got my check at work
for my 10-year anniversary gift. I picked up my new digital camera,
my 
An
Anniversary Of Sorts: Wake Up Dead Man
sex
and the shire
Shine
On Through
Just a quick little post
tonight. After a mind-numbing day of searching through and creating
database language and html code, my mind is complete mush. I
had a little solace during lunch with some stimulating conversation,
but then it was back to the grindstone, having one of those afternoons
where I was literally fighting with my project, feeling crunched
on time and expertise. Luckily, my workout afterwards was one
of my best in a long time; I felt great, healthy, fast and strong,
but was left with little to no energy. After the past few workouts
being nothing but struggles from start to finish, this was a
very welcomed occurence. I rushed home to vote in the Democratic
primaries. All eyes were on Wisconsin tonight. My vote went to
John Edwards, who, unfortunately, came in a close second from
the looks of it. I then stopped at my sister's to pick up a videotape,
gave my nephews quick little hugs and kisses, and made it home
just in time for my night of TV. Almost three hours later, all
that TV did little but add to the numbness of this brain. So
I complete this tonight, exhausted in both mind and body, but
rich in spirit. I'm content in the fact that it was a relatively
full day, where between getting some actual work done and performing
my civil duties, I was somehow able to squeeze in some quality
time and laughter with friends, and give a little love to my
family....Getting so much in return.
February 16, 2004 (special
guest artist: Derick, age 2 1/2) Mon 9:52 PM
Last night I went to the
Cyndi Lauper concert at the Oneida casino. I didn't go in with
many expectations. The tickets were only 20 bucks. I've been
a casual fan of hers, at most, of the past few decades. I remember
when I was much younger, enjoying most of her songs on the radio
during the couple years she was really around. The only album
of hers that I own (until just now, thanks to the iTunes music
store) is her Greatest Hits that I bought in the mid-90s.
To my surprise, the concert was awesome! It was so much fun!
I went there with no expectations, kind of on a whim, and was
pleasantly surprised. She puts on a great show. She really made
herself available to the audience. My seats were over to the
right side of the stage, but only five rows back! At one point,
she went into the audience and was actually in my row, standing
on some seats of some poor people who showed up late, five minutes
later! It's cool to see an artist mix up old and new songs, with
great success in both. The audience rushed the stage about a
quarter of the way through the show, and security didn't seem
to care. She shook hands, gave people hugs, reached out and went
into the audience, and had a great repour with the audience though
some funny stories. It was refreshing seeing a show with a very
casual atomoshpere, nothing heavily choreographed, just great
music. It was awesome going with Mark; we had a blast people
watching. It was a pretty eccletic group. I even saw a grandma
bustin' some moves. Classic! This concert kicked ass! Yeah, Cyndi
Lauper!
People say "Where does
the time go?" Look at how quickly a day goes by! First it's
my personal time after work, then the weekend comes and goes,
weeks turn into months, the snow slowly melts, eventually starts
falling again, I'll ring in the new year, and the next thing
I know, I'm 34, the glasses a little thicker, the spare tire
a little denser, and I'm scratching my head wondering, "Where
the hell did the past three decades go?!" No wonder
life seems to pass some of us by. It's a huge force, with such
incredible momentum. You have to hold on to it, and make the
most of it while it's happening.
Sweeps
Week
Tonight I'd like to ponder
some of my thoughts about God and religion. I've been procrastinating
this post for months now. It's such a huge topic, I never know
where to begin, much less where to end. So perhaps tonight I
will just let my mind go free, as I listen to some great music
(making up a birthday mix for a friend's party), have a cup of
tea, and enjoy a relaxing night at home.
What The Bleep?!?
Grow
With The Flow
The
Naked Truth
Okay,
maybe a bare breast doesn't follow the FCC guidelines. But I
find it quite hypocritical that there would be an investigation
on this, saying it doesn't adhere to the standards of family
viewing. How bizarre is it, that we accept the Super Bowl as
"family viewing." Isn't football a relatively violent
and aggressive sport? What about all of the beer commercials?
Think of all of the many shots of cheerleaders shaking their
T and A all over the screen, wearing a lot less than Janet did.
It's as if by just simply exposing a bare nipple, even though
they protrude through every dress seen on the Oscars or
Golden Globes, it's somehow worse.
All
You Need Is Love