Time to get serious

Alright, so anyone who somewhat pays attention to the news knows that it gets distorted and then some. Being some what involved in the punk/hardcore scene, I see lots of different posts/information that really blows up mainstream media/the goverment. Now, being a conservative, I generally blow this stuff off. Lately I have been doing more research to try and understand opposing opinions better. Today I saw this little blurb (I’m WhiteCollar) about hollywood-backed legislation that would supposedly give the government the power to cut off all governent loans/grants to a college or university if even one student was caught illegally downloading copyrighted media. Of course in the comments section all these commie liberal
“I hate the government” punkers (of which I used to be) immediatly blow up and post all sorts of stupid ignorant crap. So to back myself up, I read the article the blurb was about and didn’t see anything that said the government could cut off any sort of funding to colleges based for the aforementioned reasons. Still giving punknews the benefit of the doubt, I looked up the bill and found the exact section they were talking about. Section 494, page 411. NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING that says they will cut off funding based on that. What it says is that colleges and universities will have to “develop a plan for offering alternatives to illegal downloading or peer-to-peer distribution of intellectual property as well as a plan to explore technology-based deterrents to prevent such illegal activity.” They don’t even have to implement the plans. Just DEVELOP them. Maybe I’m just being ignorant and naive, but damn. It’s a pretty big leap to say that participating institutions will get cut off because of ONE student.

The lesson here: Don’t blindly follow what ANYONE says as truth. Investigate for yourself and form your own opinions.

The Frayed Ends of Sanity

Usually I decide what I’m going to listen to on the way to work by whatever song is in my head when I wake up. Sometimes there is no song and then I don’t listen to anything. This morning I woke up late (6:30 am) and went surfing. I left my iPod inside. I went surfing without listening to song that was in my head (dag nasty – values here) and didn’t catch a single wave. It was so perfect. Chest to shoulder high, glassy, slight offshore wind allowing tons of dudes to get barrels. I didn’t get ONE. Not one. Ughhhhhh… so frustrating. Plus I had to go to work after. More frustrating…..I’m still at work, even MORE frustrating. Let me out!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, pointless rant up there.

Cursive – Domestica
The Draft – In A Million Pieces
Lifetime – Jersey’s Best Dancers
Metallica – And Justice for All

Pack your fist full of hate, take a swing at the world

Can you tell at when I was about to kill my co-worker?

Dag Nasty – Can I Say
Ceremony – Violence Violence
Bracewar – Juggernaut
Sheer Terror – Bulldog Edition
Cursive – Domestica

It’s hard to take it to heart

My wife made fun of me for starting this. No surprise there. She’s cooler than I am.

So far today…

Cro Mags – Age of Quarrel
Pedro the Lion – It’s Hard to Find a Friend
Silent Majority – Life of a Spectator
Dag Nasty – Can I Say

Whenever I listen to Pedro the Lion, I see a clear picture of Leah and I in the civic driving to the Kroger on Broad and Lombardy. I think we were on our way to go camping right after we got back together. We were listening to “Achilles Heel.” Not anything crazy just a clear picture of her and I in the car together. It’s the little thoughts about us that make me smile. Getting married was awesome and all, our wedding was crazy fun, but that was just one day, just one memory. Where as there are thousands of little moments that I think about everyday that make me realize why we’re married.

The other thing that has set off some electronic impulses in my brain (those that do not make me think about wasting my life away in a cube) has been Silent Majority. Silent Majority makes me think about Permanent, which is in general a weird thing for me to think about. I have a ton of good memories about shows and playing, but so many more terrible ones where I felt insanely out of place and pissed off. So many times that I felt like an embarassment (and may have been sometimes). Anyway, the first memory this triggers is GregRampage and I in the car driving back from seeing Death Threat in Baltimore. This was when he first mentioned we were going to do Polar Bear Club. It was weird. Greg and I seldomly got along. But when we did, we had a lot of fun. Gibson, him, and I drinking forties (well he was drinking sparks) and lighting off fireworks in the alley behind Logan and Matt’s house. Then i threw my forty at him and he threw it back and it broke and then the cop came up through the alley and we didn’t get arrested. Good times. Then there was the time I got in a fight with Leah, bought a bottle of SoCo and proceeded to drink it from the bottle throughout the show in New Brunswick with Crime In Stereo and This is Hell. By the end I was wasted. Then someone put on firestorm in the van and I stumbled to the front to turn it up and accidentally kicked Greg who got pissed and punched me in the back. For some unknown reason I didn’t punch him back instead I punched the van door and broke/split open my knuckles.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this. I guess it’s just crazy how such small bits of sound can have such a clear attachment to different events. Or maybe I’m just bored at work and trying to pass as much time as possible until 3:45 comes around without thinking about wasting my life away. Ugh…I hate this place.

Change the Key

I just thought it was kind of funny that I posted about Kevin Seconds earlier and then the revhq fun fact for the week was about Dag Nasty trying to recruit him as their singer. Thank the Lord that it didn’t work out! I can’t imagine Kevin Seconds voice with Dag Nasty. Well, maybe it’s not that far fetched, but still.

Damn, I love Can I Say.

I’m jumping on…

I haven’t had one of these things in several years now, not since the good ol’ days of deadjournal. Oh well, my daily boredom at work has lead me to start a new journal in this new ‘hip’ form. Eh, whatever. I’ll probably only post what i’ve been listening to musically that day as I already keep an actual handwritten list at work. Maybe this will help me feel like I’m not wasting my life away quite as much as I think I am. Anyway….Hi.

Playlist for 11/9/2007

Never listened to any of these songs before today.

Rocket from the Crypt – Circa Now

Gave this band one chance in high school and wasn’t impressedj, but my musical tastes have changed dramatically so I thought I’d give them another chance. This record….eh. I have a couple more on the ‘Pod I’ll listen to before putting the final nail in their coffin.

Matt Skiba/Kevin Seconds Split

I took a philosophy class called introduction to logic in college. I really enjoyed it. Although I failed out that same semester, I received a B in the class. One thing I learned is that because A is always B does not necessarily mean that B is aways A. I love Alkaline Trio and 7 seconds. In relation I should love Matt Skiba and Kevin Seconds solo. For the first this is true, Matt Skiba solo is Alkaline Trio acoustic, definitely awesome. Kevin Seconds solo….not so much 7 Seconds acoustic, and not so good.

Leatherface – HWM Split

I only have the Leatherface songs and having never listened to them before (once more finding myself in the realm of musical influence ignorance that is my life) I liked them. It took me a while to get turned onto HWM, but I have come around and listen to them quite a lot. So many obvious influences on HWM that it’s ridiculous. Need more music from leatherface fersher.