how do we not get to vote for voting rights? why is this not a big thing that's saved for election day? we're able to vote for other stuff, but not the actual rights that dictate how voting works. there's over 300 million people in this country, and the voting process is completely left in the hands of nine old people in robes. where's the democracy in that? forget all this rigid legalese based on random court cases that somehow float themselves upstream to the holiest of u.s. courts. we'll tell you what we want. let us decide.
and just imagine the kinda wacky shit we could come up with then. if left in the hands of the people, we could make things really interesting. i wanna see our presidential nominees debate in full clown uniforms. or maybe we can drop the voting age to 12 and watch as politicians have to fine tune their strategy to appeal to a brand new voting demographic who's greatest concern is how much homework they get and how late their parents let them stay out at night. see? this could be fun!
i'd like to think this would get more people to show up for voting. but hey, maybe it won't. maybe 51% of the country will vote to do away with voting altogether. and if that be the will of the people, then democracy has spoken. and then maybe it'd be acceptable to let the decisions be made in some arcane manner... like i don't know, maybe a cabal of nine wise men/women calling all the shots behind closed doors. and if that's what we voted on, then fuck it, i'm cool with it. rock on supreme court.
but until then, let us call the shots.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
america the party
voting and marriage should be for everyone. this is america, 2013. all are created equal. let's stop with the nonsense. america should be the greatest party going. marriage and voting might as well be punch and cake. who are we to say who can have more and who can have less or who can't have any at all? let's do this right. let's make sure we invite everyone in on this. let's make sure we do the right thing and prepare enough cake and punch to go around for everyone, and maybe even some extra for seconds, cuz seconds rule. sure, it may take some work to have so much cake and punch available. but we're america, right? we can do this! let's be awesome again.
and if a party that ensures cake and punch for all attendees is not your kinda party, then i don't think i wanna party with you. you should probably leave the party. cuz you're being a buzzkill and buzzkills destroy parties so in essence you're really destroying america. so go party somewhere else. but by all means, grab a piece of cake to go on your way out and feel free to come back our way when reality hits you that this kinda party is the greatest party going and you were what's wrong with it, not the people you wanted to prohibit from having cake and punch. they were cool all along.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
a reformed lebron hater
it's been a few days since the miami heat have won the nba championship and i've had a few days to think some things over about basketball and how i relate to it as a fan... or more specifically how i relate to lebron james as a fan of the game he just happens to be the best on the planet at right now.
i was a lebron hater. was. and even then, hate's a strong word. i was more of a platonic disliker. it was platonic cuz i don't know lebron james personally. i disliked him for things that seem trivial now that time has passed. sure, the televised "decision" seemed highly egotistical... but then again, we all watched it. it had stellar ratings. he gave the people what they wanted. and then he took the money that special made and gave it to charity. all he's really guilty of is breaking a city's heart. that city is cleveland.
at first, it was like, damn lebron, how could you do this? i remember actually rooting for the lebron james lead cavs hard. as long as they weren't taking on my new jersey nets, i was in their corner. i figured this was history in the making. the next big thing in basketball was gonna lift the lowly cavs and the entire city of cleveland to epic, championship like proportions. and i'm sure a lot of other fans felt the same. so when lebron first bolted, it felt dirty. it felt wrong.
but this is basketball. each player is a businessman. don't ever forget that. he fulfilled his contract and then he thought about what would be best for business. three finals appearances, two championships, and two mvp's later, it's really hard to argue against the results. lebron james did what was good for lebron james. and the cavs didn't do themselves any favors. they didn't build a winning team around him. pat riley knows the formula and lebron knows his history.
sidenote: dan gilbert, owner of the cavs, promised that the cavs would win a championship before the heat would. that didn't happen. this tempts me to classify dan gilbert as a know-nothing loudmouth. compare that to pat riley who doesn't need to say a word, has nothing to prove, and continues to prove to us all what an unstoppable force he is in the realm of basketball.
then there was the pep rally. i don't know... i have a hard time defending this one. it was childish and cheap. but in the moment, in an arena filled with screaming maniacs, i'm sure it felt right. but y'know, as stupid as the whole thing was, that's all it was... stupid. it wasn't evil. it didn't hurt anybody. if anything, it put a bigger target on the backs of the big three. so many pro athletes do so much worse and get so much more slack cut their way. when an athlete fucks up with drugs or some kind of violent crime, people are quick to support them in their quest to rehabilitate themselves and become better people. if we're gonna root for the redemption of ex-cons, then we can't give lebron james shit for being part of a pep rally. otherwise, you're kinda just being a dick (which i was guilty of for the past three years).
but now i’m over all of it. lebron james is the real fucking deal. he’s the best there is right now. don’t get me wrong, i’m not gonna jump on the bandwagon and start rooting for the miami heat to win games or championships because they’re not my team. but if they’re just gonna do it anyways with lebron james leading the way, as a basketball fan in general, i’m gonna allow myself the right to sit back and enjoy lebron james being amazing on the court. cuz lebron james, like any other great athlete, won’t be around forever. but we’ll be able to say we were there while it was happening and it was awesome. i don’t wanna look back and have future generations of basketball fans call me a fool cuz i couldn’t see what’s the obvious truth… right now we’re witnessing a legend in the making. and if you’re a fan of the sport, now’s the time to let go of any silly grudges and enjoy it while it’s here. dudes like this only come around so often.
i was a lebron hater. was. and even then, hate's a strong word. i was more of a platonic disliker. it was platonic cuz i don't know lebron james personally. i disliked him for things that seem trivial now that time has passed. sure, the televised "decision" seemed highly egotistical... but then again, we all watched it. it had stellar ratings. he gave the people what they wanted. and then he took the money that special made and gave it to charity. all he's really guilty of is breaking a city's heart. that city is cleveland.
at first, it was like, damn lebron, how could you do this? i remember actually rooting for the lebron james lead cavs hard. as long as they weren't taking on my new jersey nets, i was in their corner. i figured this was history in the making. the next big thing in basketball was gonna lift the lowly cavs and the entire city of cleveland to epic, championship like proportions. and i'm sure a lot of other fans felt the same. so when lebron first bolted, it felt dirty. it felt wrong.
but this is basketball. each player is a businessman. don't ever forget that. he fulfilled his contract and then he thought about what would be best for business. three finals appearances, two championships, and two mvp's later, it's really hard to argue against the results. lebron james did what was good for lebron james. and the cavs didn't do themselves any favors. they didn't build a winning team around him. pat riley knows the formula and lebron knows his history.
sidenote: dan gilbert, owner of the cavs, promised that the cavs would win a championship before the heat would. that didn't happen. this tempts me to classify dan gilbert as a know-nothing loudmouth. compare that to pat riley who doesn't need to say a word, has nothing to prove, and continues to prove to us all what an unstoppable force he is in the realm of basketball.
then there was the pep rally. i don't know... i have a hard time defending this one. it was childish and cheap. but in the moment, in an arena filled with screaming maniacs, i'm sure it felt right. but y'know, as stupid as the whole thing was, that's all it was... stupid. it wasn't evil. it didn't hurt anybody. if anything, it put a bigger target on the backs of the big three. so many pro athletes do so much worse and get so much more slack cut their way. when an athlete fucks up with drugs or some kind of violent crime, people are quick to support them in their quest to rehabilitate themselves and become better people. if we're gonna root for the redemption of ex-cons, then we can't give lebron james shit for being part of a pep rally. otherwise, you're kinda just being a dick (which i was guilty of for the past three years).
but now i’m over all of it. lebron james is the real fucking deal. he’s the best there is right now. don’t get me wrong, i’m not gonna jump on the bandwagon and start rooting for the miami heat to win games or championships because they’re not my team. but if they’re just gonna do it anyways with lebron james leading the way, as a basketball fan in general, i’m gonna allow myself the right to sit back and enjoy lebron james being amazing on the court. cuz lebron james, like any other great athlete, won’t be around forever. but we’ll be able to say we were there while it was happening and it was awesome. i don’t wanna look back and have future generations of basketball fans call me a fool cuz i couldn’t see what’s the obvious truth… right now we’re witnessing a legend in the making. and if you’re a fan of the sport, now’s the time to let go of any silly grudges and enjoy it while it’s here. dudes like this only come around so often.
Friday, June 14, 2013
don't touch me bro
it usually happens at bars or at parties or get-togethers or wherever there might be a gathering of dudes. guys always wanna get bromantic during conversation and reach out and touch me somehow. sometimes they'll do something like pat the side of my shoulder, or if they're beside me, pat my back. or maybe they do that slight back slap to my chest or rub the top of my head (although that's challenging considering my 6'7" stature). sometimes they wanna high five constantly... or sometimes their high five/greeting is just way too damn long. it'll be a slap of the hands and then you bring it in for a quick hug and then you keep the hands clenched and maybe you shake them or maybe you let go and then fist bump.
and most of the time, this happens with dudes i don't know very well. it's usually bros. you know the type, jockish, probably were in a frat in college, maybe they pump their fist to music, almost definitely purchased spanish fly at some point in their life. i don't know if this derives from sports or something??? cuz sometimes i watch sports and it seems like two heterosexual dudes are suddenly okay with smacking each other's asses in this setting. and maybe that somehow translates to the bros that it's okay to get touchy with your fellow dudes, cuz there's nothing wrong with that, just two straight dudes having typical straight dude conversation by touching each other in nonsexual ways constantly.
it's usually the kind of bros who are the first to call something they don't like 'gay,' or drop the word 'faggot' in mid conversation like it's no big deal at all. it's usually the type of bros that are trying their hardest to let all their masculinity show in public. it's usually the most homophobic of the bros that get down with the weird touching stuff during conversation.
listen bros, not sure what's going on here but i'd appreciate it if you stop touching me. it's not cool. i don't know who told you it is. you're attacking my personal bubble. i have not time (or credentials for that matter) to psychoanalyze your issues. but if you're gonna be the bro who has to touch me in some odd manner every 30-60 seconds during a conversation, go fist pump your way somewhere else. go find another bro who'll do the right thing and reciprocate your awkward touching with awkward touching of his own.
and most of the time, this happens with dudes i don't know very well. it's usually bros. you know the type, jockish, probably were in a frat in college, maybe they pump their fist to music, almost definitely purchased spanish fly at some point in their life. i don't know if this derives from sports or something??? cuz sometimes i watch sports and it seems like two heterosexual dudes are suddenly okay with smacking each other's asses in this setting. and maybe that somehow translates to the bros that it's okay to get touchy with your fellow dudes, cuz there's nothing wrong with that, just two straight dudes having typical straight dude conversation by touching each other in nonsexual ways constantly.
it's usually the kind of bros who are the first to call something they don't like 'gay,' or drop the word 'faggot' in mid conversation like it's no big deal at all. it's usually the type of bros that are trying their hardest to let all their masculinity show in public. it's usually the most homophobic of the bros that get down with the weird touching stuff during conversation.
listen bros, not sure what's going on here but i'd appreciate it if you stop touching me. it's not cool. i don't know who told you it is. you're attacking my personal bubble. i have not time (or credentials for that matter) to psychoanalyze your issues. but if you're gonna be the bro who has to touch me in some odd manner every 30-60 seconds during a conversation, go fist pump your way somewhere else. go find another bro who'll do the right thing and reciprocate your awkward touching with awkward touching of his own.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
coach jason kidd - the olive branch
the brooklyn nets made it official today and introduced jason kidd as their head coach. i thought it was an awesome move and here's why. the nets are in the eastern conference in the nba and over the next 2-3 seasons, i can't possibly seeing them doing any better than being the third best team in the whole eastern conference. i mean, that's best case scenario. i'm pretty sure the miami heat and the chicago bulls will dominate the top two spots for at least the next two seasons (that's all based on the assumption that there's no catastrophic injuries). so if being the third best team is the best you can do, and you were technically the fourth best team this season, why not take a chance on jason kidd, who's never coached before?
sure, they could've gone after someone with some actual nba coaching experience. but what for? jason kidd had a reputation for being one of the smartest players on the court. he's played for a ton of coaches and has adapted to many different coaching styles throughout his career. he's even been acknowledged as a good choice by san antonio spurs' head coach, gregg popovich, which is a monster endorsement in the world of basketball coaching.
yes, there's some risk in this choice. but the payoff is that you now have a guy coaching who people are gonna want to root for. he'll probably be the kind of coach that players really wanna play hard for. and he's got an illustrious history with the nets franchise. way back when they were new jersey's basketball team (the good ol' days) he lead (or some might even say dragged) this franchise to two finals appearances in a row. sure, they lost... but getting there twice is a huge accomplishment... easily the greatest part of the nets' entire history. they're pretty much the buffalo bills of the nba and jason kidd's jim kelly. and everyone likes jim kelly. you'd have to be a dick not to.
and for me personally, it might put me back on the nets bandwagon. i felt burned by the franchise when they decided to up and leave beautiful new jersey for brooklyn. it felt something like betrayal. so all this past season, i haven't really rooted for any team in particular. i've been a free agent fan just sorta looking around for a place to land.
just this season, in the playoffs, i was rooting against them. they were taking on the bulls who were decimated by injuries and the flu and whatnot. it was during this series that i proclaimed that joakim noah in my new favorite player in the league (a stance i'm not backing off on anytime soon). i had soured on the nets that quickly.
but with jason kidd coaching the nets, it's sorta like a nod of acknowledgement to the state of new jersey. it's like an invitation to get back into it and not have to give up your jersey cred to do so. i'm not saying i'm all the way back on the bandwagon... it'd be hard for me to go see them live in brooklyn and participate in the "brooooooklyn," chant without feeling like a phony. but i'm warming up to the idea.
jason kidd coming back to the nets almost feels like your favorite band reuniting. like if somehow jason kidd could maybe get this team to the finals, we'll all say, 'hey, this is reminiscent of when he brought the NEW JERSEY nets to the finals." and we'll all have to acknowledge that this team's roots are firmly placed in jersey. with jason kidd coaching on the sidelines, it'll be obvious for all to see that you can try to take the team out of jersey, but you can't take the jersey out of the team.
sure, they could've gone after someone with some actual nba coaching experience. but what for? jason kidd had a reputation for being one of the smartest players on the court. he's played for a ton of coaches and has adapted to many different coaching styles throughout his career. he's even been acknowledged as a good choice by san antonio spurs' head coach, gregg popovich, which is a monster endorsement in the world of basketball coaching.
yes, there's some risk in this choice. but the payoff is that you now have a guy coaching who people are gonna want to root for. he'll probably be the kind of coach that players really wanna play hard for. and he's got an illustrious history with the nets franchise. way back when they were new jersey's basketball team (the good ol' days) he lead (or some might even say dragged) this franchise to two finals appearances in a row. sure, they lost... but getting there twice is a huge accomplishment... easily the greatest part of the nets' entire history. they're pretty much the buffalo bills of the nba and jason kidd's jim kelly. and everyone likes jim kelly. you'd have to be a dick not to.
and for me personally, it might put me back on the nets bandwagon. i felt burned by the franchise when they decided to up and leave beautiful new jersey for brooklyn. it felt something like betrayal. so all this past season, i haven't really rooted for any team in particular. i've been a free agent fan just sorta looking around for a place to land.
just this season, in the playoffs, i was rooting against them. they were taking on the bulls who were decimated by injuries and the flu and whatnot. it was during this series that i proclaimed that joakim noah in my new favorite player in the league (a stance i'm not backing off on anytime soon). i had soured on the nets that quickly.
but with jason kidd coaching the nets, it's sorta like a nod of acknowledgement to the state of new jersey. it's like an invitation to get back into it and not have to give up your jersey cred to do so. i'm not saying i'm all the way back on the bandwagon... it'd be hard for me to go see them live in brooklyn and participate in the "brooooooklyn," chant without feeling like a phony. but i'm warming up to the idea.
jason kidd coming back to the nets almost feels like your favorite band reuniting. like if somehow jason kidd could maybe get this team to the finals, we'll all say, 'hey, this is reminiscent of when he brought the NEW JERSEY nets to the finals." and we'll all have to acknowledge that this team's roots are firmly placed in jersey. with jason kidd coaching on the sidelines, it'll be obvious for all to see that you can try to take the team out of jersey, but you can't take the jersey out of the team.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
i'm glad i'm 33
33's not some magical number. i haven't been waiting all this time to get here. there's no finish line to cross once you reach year 33. but i look back at my life and i'm kinda glad i'm at where i'm at right now. i've been reminiscing about my 20's and even some of the years before that. and i don't have many regrets, but i did do a lot of stupid shit. i had a lot of fun but i made a lot of mistakes and fuck ups and i probably hurt a lot of other people along the way.
i mean, that's life, right? i'm not trying to justify being a dick in the past, and i'm certainly not saying that i'll never be a dick again. but 33 feels like a good peak to look over my past and see how i've grown as a person. and that's what i'm the most happy about.
plus, if i wanna stay in, that's not lame anymore. it's cool to stay in. it's cool to rest up. it's cool to exercise. it's cool to say no to fast food. and if i wanna go out and play the role of drunken fool, hey, i'm only 33, i still got it in me. it's like i'm not too old and i'm not too young. i can make almost any play in life right now and it makes sense. i can still be a fool, and trust me i am still a fool and will probably die a fool, but i'm a fool who has his bills paid on time. i'm a fool that got it together and is about to be out of debt for the first time since i was 17.
i've noticed that lately there's certain things in life that i've built solid guidelines for. the older i get, the less flexible i am about some stuff... for instance, cocaine. hell of a drug as the kids say. at age 33, i'm just like, fuck that noise. seriously. cocaine is pure garbage to me at this point and i pretty much regret any time i've ever done it (if you're reading this, hi mom!).
i'll probably never do psychedelics again. i don't smoke weed. i'm not anti-pot. if you like to smoke, go ahead. it's not garbage like cocaine. buuuuut, it just doesn't do it for me anymore. i don't enjoy being high so i don't do it. plus, i like breathing and exercising and pot fucks it up for me on both fronts.
exercise. i fucking exercise... regularly. 26 year old josh used to think exercise was for suckers. "who cares, we're all gonna die anyways." 26 year old josh was dumb like that.
i don't like one night stands. WHAT?!?!?! that's right. i don't. i catch feelings too easily. i'm emo like that. it is what it is and if you want me to turn in my man card cuz i lost the urge to treat women purely as objects and nothing more, then you can have it.
but i'm man enough to admit that i don't wanna clown around with women anymore. i crave more substance in my life. and i can't just interact with women at this point and see them for sexual purposes only. i'm not saying i don't think about sex... hell yea i do. but i got too much respect for women and i find myself always wanting to get to know them better. i'm a hopeless romantic. and if a woman does somehow sucker me into a one night stand, i'll probably write her silly text messages for days till she has no choice but to crush my heart.
i pollute less. i used to throw shit on the ground and not care cuz the earth was fucked anways. but now i figure i should at least do my part and carry my weight by carrying my empty coffee cup with me till i walk past a garbage can. i don't even like when people throw their cigarettes on the ground. i think it's a shitty move. i think they should carry an empty pack around with them and hold on to their dead cigs till they reach a garbage can.
as i type that, i can hear the closing of browsers from the smoking section. but it don't just stop there. i don't like second hand smoke anymore either. and i'm glad that you can't smoke in bars in my area. cuz i remember when you could. and when i think back about how i used to hang out in bars in a smoke cloud, it grosses me out. smoking's disgusting. keep that shit to yourself. and don't give me that, "no studies show that second hand smoke causes harm..." that excuse hasn't been valid since the 80's.
i have less patience for people with heartache. i don't think i'm insensitive. but i've been through it. i know you come out alright on the other end, it just takes time. if posting about it on your facebook page helps you cope, by all means, do that shit. better than cocaine i suppose. but don't expect me to like or comment. i'll give you a hug if you want. but i'm not gonna promote a culture of complaint. you kinda just gotta man up (or woman up) and dust your shoulders off. tough lesson, and i don't even know if i've fully learned it... but i know that's how you deal with that shit.
i've come to realize that complaining in general is pretty much a waste of time. sure, it serves its purpose for bigger issues... political, global type stuff. but when people bitch about the rain or waking up early or what some jerk said about them behind their back... it all seems nonsensical. just deal with whatever the issue is. complaining is not a solution. look for solutions. instead of a culture of complaint, we should strive for a culture of solutions. "strive" is the key word here. i realize complaining is where it's at. we all do it. i'm no saint in this department. i'm just a dude who wants to complain less today than i did yesterday.
i think people should be better to one another. at 33, i try to be less of a preacher about this and more of a doer. sometimes i fail miserably. but some days end in success and i'll feel really good about those days. and i know the only way people will ever start treating each other better is if they just start doing it. and hopefully as more people do it, it becomes infectious. basically, being good to one another has to go viral. there's no other way. so i'm just gonna do my part. i can preach the golden rule till i'm blue in the face, but i'm sure someone else already is. i'll try and walk the walk.
i know i'm not perfect. i know i still got a whole lot of fucking up to do in my life. it probably never ends till it ends. i'm sure that's a trajectory that everyone's gotta deal with. but it's cool to look back and see definite signs of improvement when it comes to being a decent human being. i got no issues with getting older. i'm not in a rush either... but getting older is a trip.
i mean, that's life, right? i'm not trying to justify being a dick in the past, and i'm certainly not saying that i'll never be a dick again. but 33 feels like a good peak to look over my past and see how i've grown as a person. and that's what i'm the most happy about.
plus, if i wanna stay in, that's not lame anymore. it's cool to stay in. it's cool to rest up. it's cool to exercise. it's cool to say no to fast food. and if i wanna go out and play the role of drunken fool, hey, i'm only 33, i still got it in me. it's like i'm not too old and i'm not too young. i can make almost any play in life right now and it makes sense. i can still be a fool, and trust me i am still a fool and will probably die a fool, but i'm a fool who has his bills paid on time. i'm a fool that got it together and is about to be out of debt for the first time since i was 17.
i've noticed that lately there's certain things in life that i've built solid guidelines for. the older i get, the less flexible i am about some stuff... for instance, cocaine. hell of a drug as the kids say. at age 33, i'm just like, fuck that noise. seriously. cocaine is pure garbage to me at this point and i pretty much regret any time i've ever done it (if you're reading this, hi mom!).
i'll probably never do psychedelics again. i don't smoke weed. i'm not anti-pot. if you like to smoke, go ahead. it's not garbage like cocaine. buuuuut, it just doesn't do it for me anymore. i don't enjoy being high so i don't do it. plus, i like breathing and exercising and pot fucks it up for me on both fronts.
exercise. i fucking exercise... regularly. 26 year old josh used to think exercise was for suckers. "who cares, we're all gonna die anyways." 26 year old josh was dumb like that.
i don't like one night stands. WHAT?!?!?! that's right. i don't. i catch feelings too easily. i'm emo like that. it is what it is and if you want me to turn in my man card cuz i lost the urge to treat women purely as objects and nothing more, then you can have it.
but i'm man enough to admit that i don't wanna clown around with women anymore. i crave more substance in my life. and i can't just interact with women at this point and see them for sexual purposes only. i'm not saying i don't think about sex... hell yea i do. but i got too much respect for women and i find myself always wanting to get to know them better. i'm a hopeless romantic. and if a woman does somehow sucker me into a one night stand, i'll probably write her silly text messages for days till she has no choice but to crush my heart.
i pollute less. i used to throw shit on the ground and not care cuz the earth was fucked anways. but now i figure i should at least do my part and carry my weight by carrying my empty coffee cup with me till i walk past a garbage can. i don't even like when people throw their cigarettes on the ground. i think it's a shitty move. i think they should carry an empty pack around with them and hold on to their dead cigs till they reach a garbage can.
as i type that, i can hear the closing of browsers from the smoking section. but it don't just stop there. i don't like second hand smoke anymore either. and i'm glad that you can't smoke in bars in my area. cuz i remember when you could. and when i think back about how i used to hang out in bars in a smoke cloud, it grosses me out. smoking's disgusting. keep that shit to yourself. and don't give me that, "no studies show that second hand smoke causes harm..." that excuse hasn't been valid since the 80's.
i have less patience for people with heartache. i don't think i'm insensitive. but i've been through it. i know you come out alright on the other end, it just takes time. if posting about it on your facebook page helps you cope, by all means, do that shit. better than cocaine i suppose. but don't expect me to like or comment. i'll give you a hug if you want. but i'm not gonna promote a culture of complaint. you kinda just gotta man up (or woman up) and dust your shoulders off. tough lesson, and i don't even know if i've fully learned it... but i know that's how you deal with that shit.
i've come to realize that complaining in general is pretty much a waste of time. sure, it serves its purpose for bigger issues... political, global type stuff. but when people bitch about the rain or waking up early or what some jerk said about them behind their back... it all seems nonsensical. just deal with whatever the issue is. complaining is not a solution. look for solutions. instead of a culture of complaint, we should strive for a culture of solutions. "strive" is the key word here. i realize complaining is where it's at. we all do it. i'm no saint in this department. i'm just a dude who wants to complain less today than i did yesterday.
i think people should be better to one another. at 33, i try to be less of a preacher about this and more of a doer. sometimes i fail miserably. but some days end in success and i'll feel really good about those days. and i know the only way people will ever start treating each other better is if they just start doing it. and hopefully as more people do it, it becomes infectious. basically, being good to one another has to go viral. there's no other way. so i'm just gonna do my part. i can preach the golden rule till i'm blue in the face, but i'm sure someone else already is. i'll try and walk the walk.
i know i'm not perfect. i know i still got a whole lot of fucking up to do in my life. it probably never ends till it ends. i'm sure that's a trajectory that everyone's gotta deal with. but it's cool to look back and see definite signs of improvement when it comes to being a decent human being. i got no issues with getting older. i'm not in a rush either... but getting older is a trip.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
ray manzarek
ray manzarek passed away may 20th of this year. he was the keyboardist of the doors.
when i was a teenager, i loved the doors... fucking loved the doors. i mean, i still love the doors, but it's not the same. back then, it meant so much more to me. the doors were probably the first band i listened to that made me feel cool. looking back, i was no where near as cool as i thought i was in my own head, but hey, back then it did the trick and got me through some tough times.
when other kids in school started wearing all black cuz they just discovered gothic music, i was starting to rock all black clothing cuz i thought it made me closer to the lizard king. true fucking story. jim morrison was the epitome of what cool was to me at that point in time. first and foremost, chicks dug him. he was the lead singer of one of the most popular rock bands of all time. but he was different from other lead singers. he wasn't fucking vince niel from motley crue. morrison dug poetry and was well read. he was into art. it was like a tip of the hat to all the dorks of the world who thought that being artsy and/or smart automatically eliminated you from being cool.
and the doors didn't sound like anything else. that was kinda the end all, be all to any of those dumb arguments you got into with your friends as a kid about who's favorite band was better... "oh yeah, well nothing sounds like the doors. their sound was more original than your favorite band's sound." (looking back, 99 out of 100 times i was probably correct.) and the main reason for that original sound was ray manzarek... the dude behind the keys.
the heaviest parts of my doors phase spanned a good amount of formative years. it took me at least from high school to when i dropped out of community college. although i can't specifically remember, i'm sure the first thing i did after i decided i wasn't gonna go to college anymore was drink cheap beer and listen to the album, 'la woman.' not that i'm trying to glorify dropping out of school, don't do it kids. but i did it and i didn't care cuz my existence at that moment in time revolved around trying to have as much fucked up fun as possible... which was kinda a theme with the doors.
at age 33, i don't listen to the doors as much as i used to. i give 'em a spin every so often and most times it brings me back to an earlier time in my life (which is kinda weird i guess since the music was recorded at an earlier time in my parents' life before i existed). but when ray manzarek passed away, i thought about how much the music meant to me. no matter how often i listen to it, it'll always be there, ingrained in my head. i'll never forget the lyrics. i'll never not know how to play air guitar or air keys (air keys being a rare treat that i usually only bust out for the likes of the doors, billy joel, and pink floyd) to their music.
and i also thought about how they went on tour about ten years ago with the lead singer of the cult, ian astbury, playing the role of jim morrison. i was such a stupid fucking elitist about the whole thing at the time so i screamed, "BLASPHEMY! NO JIM, NO DOORS!" and now that ray's gone, i look back and wish i didn't have that stick up my ass. it would've been such a blast to be surrounded by thousands of other doors fans singing and rocking out in unison. for just that moment, the music would've been alive again. what a missed opportunity.
anyways... gonna go blast the album, 'la woman,' now and try to remember that no matter what happens, once the music's been written, it'll always be alive and the memory of ray and jim will always exist through their songs.
when i was a teenager, i loved the doors... fucking loved the doors. i mean, i still love the doors, but it's not the same. back then, it meant so much more to me. the doors were probably the first band i listened to that made me feel cool. looking back, i was no where near as cool as i thought i was in my own head, but hey, back then it did the trick and got me through some tough times.
when other kids in school started wearing all black cuz they just discovered gothic music, i was starting to rock all black clothing cuz i thought it made me closer to the lizard king. true fucking story. jim morrison was the epitome of what cool was to me at that point in time. first and foremost, chicks dug him. he was the lead singer of one of the most popular rock bands of all time. but he was different from other lead singers. he wasn't fucking vince niel from motley crue. morrison dug poetry and was well read. he was into art. it was like a tip of the hat to all the dorks of the world who thought that being artsy and/or smart automatically eliminated you from being cool.
and the doors didn't sound like anything else. that was kinda the end all, be all to any of those dumb arguments you got into with your friends as a kid about who's favorite band was better... "oh yeah, well nothing sounds like the doors. their sound was more original than your favorite band's sound." (looking back, 99 out of 100 times i was probably correct.) and the main reason for that original sound was ray manzarek... the dude behind the keys.
the heaviest parts of my doors phase spanned a good amount of formative years. it took me at least from high school to when i dropped out of community college. although i can't specifically remember, i'm sure the first thing i did after i decided i wasn't gonna go to college anymore was drink cheap beer and listen to the album, 'la woman.' not that i'm trying to glorify dropping out of school, don't do it kids. but i did it and i didn't care cuz my existence at that moment in time revolved around trying to have as much fucked up fun as possible... which was kinda a theme with the doors.
at age 33, i don't listen to the doors as much as i used to. i give 'em a spin every so often and most times it brings me back to an earlier time in my life (which is kinda weird i guess since the music was recorded at an earlier time in my parents' life before i existed). but when ray manzarek passed away, i thought about how much the music meant to me. no matter how often i listen to it, it'll always be there, ingrained in my head. i'll never forget the lyrics. i'll never not know how to play air guitar or air keys (air keys being a rare treat that i usually only bust out for the likes of the doors, billy joel, and pink floyd) to their music.
and i also thought about how they went on tour about ten years ago with the lead singer of the cult, ian astbury, playing the role of jim morrison. i was such a stupid fucking elitist about the whole thing at the time so i screamed, "BLASPHEMY! NO JIM, NO DOORS!" and now that ray's gone, i look back and wish i didn't have that stick up my ass. it would've been such a blast to be surrounded by thousands of other doors fans singing and rocking out in unison. for just that moment, the music would've been alive again. what a missed opportunity.
anyways... gonna go blast the album, 'la woman,' now and try to remember that no matter what happens, once the music's been written, it'll always be alive and the memory of ray and jim will always exist through their songs.
Friday, June 7, 2013
occupy: don't call it a comeback
recently some heavy shit's been going down in turkey. a bunch of people took to a park to let the powers that be know that they don't want them to destroy said park (gezi park to be specific) so they can build a mall there. and over time shit has escalated in a major way and it's now the latest episode in the global happenings of occupy-style protesting.
i say don't call it a comeback cuz i don't think 'occupy' ever went anywhere. it lost its footing in a park in lower manhattan, but since then protesters and organizers have been doing other things to push 'occupy' in other directions. it's not the mainstay story it used to be on the nightly news, but they've been making stuff happen... whether it's protesting foreclosures, assisting victims of super storm sandy, or finding a way to purchase people's debts in much the same way collection agencies do, and once completing that purchase, forgiving the person of that debt immediately. these are just a few examples and i'm sure there's countless more on a worldwide scale.
but now there's another park in another part of the world. and what started out as something as simple as, 'hey, we don't want you to build a mall here,' has turned into something much bigger. it's put a magnifying glass on some of the flaws of turkey's government for all the world to see (though to be fair, i don't see a lot of coverage for much of this on mainstream, tv news... i see most 'occupy gezi' news on the internet).
and whether you're for occupy-style protest or against it is up to you. and i'm not really here to try and convince anyone of anything or change anyone's mind. this is just about how i feel about it (this being my blog and all) and i think it's awesome. i think what we're seeing is a step in the evolution of protesting. we're adapting and finding better tactics. are there shortcomings? sure. it's not perfect and never will be. but i'll always throw my support behind the people who raise their fists in the air for the things they demand from their governments.
i believe in a power that is of, by, and for the people. and when i saw what was going down at zucotti park and when i see what's going on now in gezi park in turkey, i feel inspired and hopeful. just knowing that people are gathering to be heard and to try and effect changes in the system is a step in the right direction. things can either get better or they can get worse. but they'll never just stay the same. and it's up to us, all of us, to do our part to make sure we keep this thing moving in the right direction.
i say don't call it a comeback cuz i don't think 'occupy' ever went anywhere. it lost its footing in a park in lower manhattan, but since then protesters and organizers have been doing other things to push 'occupy' in other directions. it's not the mainstay story it used to be on the nightly news, but they've been making stuff happen... whether it's protesting foreclosures, assisting victims of super storm sandy, or finding a way to purchase people's debts in much the same way collection agencies do, and once completing that purchase, forgiving the person of that debt immediately. these are just a few examples and i'm sure there's countless more on a worldwide scale.
but now there's another park in another part of the world. and what started out as something as simple as, 'hey, we don't want you to build a mall here,' has turned into something much bigger. it's put a magnifying glass on some of the flaws of turkey's government for all the world to see (though to be fair, i don't see a lot of coverage for much of this on mainstream, tv news... i see most 'occupy gezi' news on the internet).
and whether you're for occupy-style protest or against it is up to you. and i'm not really here to try and convince anyone of anything or change anyone's mind. this is just about how i feel about it (this being my blog and all) and i think it's awesome. i think what we're seeing is a step in the evolution of protesting. we're adapting and finding better tactics. are there shortcomings? sure. it's not perfect and never will be. but i'll always throw my support behind the people who raise their fists in the air for the things they demand from their governments.
i believe in a power that is of, by, and for the people. and when i saw what was going down at zucotti park and when i see what's going on now in gezi park in turkey, i feel inspired and hopeful. just knowing that people are gathering to be heard and to try and effect changes in the system is a step in the right direction. things can either get better or they can get worse. but they'll never just stay the same. and it's up to us, all of us, to do our part to make sure we keep this thing moving in the right direction.
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