Music is a big part of my day.  On my commute to campus, or in-between classes I usually enjoy listening to music.  My taste varies immensely.  Sometimes its hippie jam-bands, and sometimes its Sinatra.  Bluegrass, folk, Irish pub songs, classic rock, experimental jazz, and old school rap.  Generally, I can appreciate any artist or genre if their music is honest, unique, or of a level of quality.  Yet, I still get into arguments with people about what is good, and what bites.  And I have even been called a music Nazi, or a music snob.  However, I think I'm very open-minded.  I know what I like, and I know what I don't like. 

I don't like the following bands:

1. AC/DC

Why:  Lame guitar-riffs, and the lead-singer sounds like he is struggling on the toilet.

2. The Eagles

Why:  I get a lot of crap for this, but their music is boring and soft.  Not to mention the continuing reunion tours where they cart out their four "hits".

3. Staind

Why:  You can play minor-chords!!! Wow. Now moan some cliche depressed lyrics.  Brilliant!

4 and 5.  Linkin Park and Nickelback

Why: Just because anybody can pick up a guitar, learn some chords, and play a 4/4 rock beat with heavy distortion doesn't mean people should be spoon-fed the crap on the radio.

6. Coldplay

Why: Even if I could hear a word he was saying, would I care?  U2 called, they want their fans back.

7. Aerosmith

Why: Dude looks like a mouth with a corpse attatched to it.  (Also, see #1).

8. Green Day

Why: At least when they were pounding out their pop-punk they were being themselves.  When they started pretending to be thoughtfully-deep songwriters my gag reflex was activated.

9. NSYNC

Why: Backstreet baby.

10. Anyone who was ever a product of American Idol.

Why: Everybody gets their 15 minutes of lame.

Dishonorable mentions go to: The Black Crowes, Korn, Blink 182, Third Eye Blind, Sum 41, Jonas Brothers, Disturbed, James Taylor, Motley Crue, Bruce Springsteen, David Gray.

I'm sure everyone agrees with me.  Right?

Here are some pics from my forray into the world of gardening:

Ah yeah.  You like that don't you?

Its the first day of Fall/Autumn.  Some random words/things that come to mind when I think of Fall:  Leaves, orange, darkness, coolness, fresh air, poetry, death of insects, more school, clothing, fishing,  botched elections, deer, and football.  Not necessarily in that order. 

Also, Fall reminds me of marching band.  Yes I was in the band in high school, and college (undergrad).  Please don't ever make this comment when around me: "This one time, at band camp..."  Just don't even put the thought in my mind.  Anyway, in many ways those were the best times of my life.  Traveling around the state and country.  Feeling the electricity of a friday night football game as we destroyed another opponent.  And the chilly saturdays at competitions when your stomach was in knotts from being so nervous.  Being in the marching band allowed me to go to Disneyworld, DCI competitions, Bands of America, numerous road trips to unbelievable playoff games, bowl games, and the like.  My time in marching band culminated with marching and performing with the Miami University Marching Band right in front of Macy's before Santa Claus came out in New York for the 2003 Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.  It was an incredible experience that I will never forget.  If you never participated in marching band at any level, just know that it is more than dressing up in a funny looking uniform, playing an instrument, and being silly.  Band members are often the hardest-working students as they maintain hectic schedules, hours of rehearsal, and sacrifice their time and energy to provide the visual and aural soul of the school they represent.  The band is a harbor of tradition in the fight songs, alma mater, and school colors, yet it is also reflects the future and continuity of the educational institution in the face of a new member who seeks to carry on those traditions, and takes pride in representing the name on the sleeve of their uniform, just like those who put on a jersey. 

So it saddens me to hear from a Dean of Faculty who says that participation has dropped, and the Mount Marching Band will not take the field for the remainder of this year.  It seems that the status of the band is up in the air.  Hopefully, there will be a resurgence in participation when the administration takes action to "look at ways to increase efforts to recruit more students into the band program."

Hopefully it truly is a priority to restore the marching band, and to see the value of having such an organization representing the Mount.  There is an opportunity to rethink the band's role in our school, and to consider the possibilities of trying to utilize the band as an ambassador to the community in unique ways.  There are many different and perhaps new ways to get students excited about joining an organization.  But generating excitement takes work, commitment, and support from top to bottom. 

In closing, I won't be attending any games at MSJ the rest of this year, for various reasons.  But the day the Lion's Roar Marching Band does retake Schueler Field, I will be in the stands wearing blue and gold.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPNnIFH6_RU

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOfhpGbFS-Q

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx0ktWojxTM

But that reminds me, I came across a band that covers Rush, Metallica, and others using toy instruments.  Their name is Plastica, and they are hilarious.  Here’s a link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr8BtQRUVq8

End of recap.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc9wIzi96_E

So, I walk into India Palace on Ludlow hoping to get lunch.  I look around the restaurant and no one is there.  Anywhere.  I start to curiously look for a hostess or server, but the place is empty.  The sign says open, and it's the peak of the lunch hour.  Finally, I cautiously stray into the kitchen area, and finally I run into an older Indian lady cleaning the floors.  I wave and smile, and head back out to the restaurant.  Immediately, I realize there is a language issue.  I had hoped to sit down and order a curry dish of some sort, but the only word I was able to discern from the nice lady was "buffet".  I asked a few questions such as, "Do you just offer the Buffet for lunch?" and "How much does the buffet cost?", but she just replied, "Ok" with a blank look and handed me a styrofoam to go container. 

At this point I was getting a little nervous about the place, but I went about examining the buffet and filling my container with rice, chicken, and some orange and green curry platters.  I looked around the restaurant again, but there was no one there.  I decided it would be best to pay and leave.  I went to the front counter and began to pull a 20 dollar bill out of my wallet.  The nice lady said "10".  My jaw dropped and I repeated "10"?  This was rather expensive.  She also indicated she had no change.  I offered to pay by credit card, and she said "no".

I was perplexed.  There was an extreme communication breakdown, and half of me was thinking just run out of the place, but I'm a nice guy and I kept trying.  Eventually, I understood that someone was coming in five minutes and they would have change for my 20 dollar bill.  I waited ten minutes, and then said, "Maybe I could just come back later..." to which the lady gave a quick reply of "NO, he come".

Now I was scared.  I'm standing there in the restaurant with no one else around but the Indian lady who stared at me from time to time, and said things I could barely understand.  She handed me another styrofoam container, and said, "two".  I think she wanted me to give her 20 dollars and I would get two buffet lunches to go.  She even said, "For family?"  I said no, no, one is quite enough.  I felt as though I was living in an episode of Seinfeld.

Finally, a car pulled into the parking lot, and I felt a wave of relief rush over me.  A man came in and said, "Hello, sir just one buffet?"  It turned out that the price was actually 7.99, and the fellow was pleasant and spoke better English.  I thanked him, and the nice old lady who had tried to help me, and was on my way.

It was one of the strangest restaurant experiences I've had in some time.  I think I'll watch Daler Mehndi's "Tunak Tun" a few more times before I visit the store again in hopes of communicating better, and perhaps entrance them with my sick dancing skills.

In Reds news: There's the offense!  We were looking all over for that.  It was in San Francisco, Go Figure!  Back to back wins.  Seems like only 16 games ago when they did that.  And it was.  Tonight the golden guitar boy takes the mound against the Cards.  The reds desperately need a good outing from Bronson to keep the momentum going against their division rival.  I must say the broadcasting for the Reds is absolutely top notch.  Whether listening to 700 or watching FSN they do an outstanding job. Tonight its Marty and Thom.

In weather news: We might pick up some showers today, but I doubt it will be a wash out.  Its cooled off a bit, making great weather for an evening fire, or for camping out.

In weekend news: I went to the Miamitown flea market.  My acquisitions:  Some old beer coasters and cassette tapes.  I spent around 2 dollars.  Among the cassettes I purchased was Peter Cetera, The Scorpions, Saigon Kick, Kiss, and a Roger Waters solo tape.  You might ask why I bought these--one of my vehicles still uses a tape deck.  The beer coasters are kind of a hobby.  If I go somewhere on vacation or just anywhere, and I find a neat looking coaster, I pick it up.  I'll make a display case someday as a conversation piece.

In completely unrelated news:  Everyone has their favorite internet videos that show up on Youtube, etc.  Now, for your enjoyment, I will share with you all my top 2 favorite videos to watch on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSYV-nEE300

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bAN7Ts0xBo

What do you think?

Today is Earth day! And I'll be here on Earth all day celebrating the unique combination of oxygen and nitrogen.  Earth is one of my favorite planets.  It is so full of ironies, and contradictions.  Here in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere some places experienced the worst winter in 15 years.  Yet, global warming is threatening to cook us all like Canadian bacon. 

Earth has seen many ups and downs in its 4.55 billion years.  No one can forget the rockin' Mesozoic Era.  There was a party every night.  Volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, meteors showering the planet blocking out the sun and killing all life (or most?).  Those were the days. 

But my favorite time of all was our most recent ice age, because the Wooly Mammouth is my favorite mammal.  The present ice age began 40 million years ago with the growth of an ice sheet in Antarctica. It intensified during the late Pliocene, around 3 million years ago, with the spread of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere, and has continued in the Pleistocence.  This of course dwarfs the amount of time Vanilla Ice had mainstream success with his 1990 smash hit "Ice Ice Baby".

It also dwarfs the amount of time humans have even been on Earth.  But its been a heck of a party since we arrived.  Al Gore (a one time politician) says that humans are turning up the heat on the stove, and might cook this baby to a black crisp thereby killing everything.  John Coleman (Meteorologist and founder of the Weather Channel) says, "It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming... it is a SCAM."  Gotta love it.

The only time I felt more decieved by creatures who could create powerful illusions was on Talos IV with Captain Pike.  Ultimately it turned out alright for everybody, and Captain Kirk took command of the Enterprise about a decade later.

So happy birthday, Earth!  Its been a wild ride, but just keep on keepin' on, like you've done for billions of years buddy.

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Its happening.  The end of the semester is putting a crunch on me.  My head could explode at any minute.  There are many assignments due in the next couple weeks, and little time to spare.  If you're anything like me, you wait till the last minute too much.  Then the work load can feel overwhelming.  The one thing I've turned to time and time again is to make a list.  Lists allow you to visualize everything that needs to be done, and prioritize what needs to be done when.  There's also a kind of satisfaction I get from crossing things off of a list.  With one pen stroke, the dreaded projects are no more.  Like a deadly blade slashing through the chest of a sworn enemy.  Like a hatchet swinging down to lop off the head of a chicken.  You get the idea.

April and May always seem to be long months.  The days are longer, with few holidays.  Mentally, its exhausting.  The school year is like a marathon, and its the home stretch.  Its the fourth quarter.  The bottom of the 9th.  The 3rd period.  The 10th frame.  The 18th hole.  The...I just ran out of ideas, my head is going to explode.

 It will be a huge relief when this semester is over.  Even if I'll be taking some summer classes, which arent too bad (I hope). 

...National Soft Pretzel Month.  Time to celebrate soft pretzels! When was the last time you had one?   I can only hope that the dining hall has soft pretzels on the menu this month.  And there's more than one way to eat them.  You can add ham and cheese over one.  Peanut butter, sauerkraut, maple syrup, mustard.  (Of course not all of these at the same time).  That would be sick.  
and  guess what else...April is also

National Poetry Month! This is a topic near and dear to my heart.  I think poetry is somewhat unappreciated today, mostly because people get the impression that it is high-falutent language that has to rhymme, be vague, etc...  Since it's registration time at the Mount, why not sign up for a Creative Writing class to hone your skills?  Liz Mason is a great prof and you could learn a lot. Shout out.

Did you know that April is also:  National Humor Month, National Card and Letter Writing Month, National Back-pack Safety Month, 

and April is home to these:   National Stress Awareness Day,  National Eggs Benedict Day, National Pecan Day, National Cheeseball Day,  and basically something else for everyday of the month.  Who thinks these up?  And How do they become "National" days?

Of course the begining of my April has included the musical production "OKLAHOMA" here at the Mount.  There's two showings left, so be sure to catch it, its a very entertaining show.  I'm playing guitar and banjo (check out Andi's blog for a funny pic of me).   In fact there's three bloggers participating in the show.  Aren't we just the most talented people the Mount has to offer  .

Finally... 

Josiah Freeman and the Roadkill Chronicles

Episode II:  OOOOHHHH Possum

Today Josiah had a headache.  Lately it seemed life was just baring down on him pretty hard.  Each day seemed to blend into the next; a torrid twist of pot-holed pavement and critter carcasses.  He'd picked up a higher than normal amount of deer roadkill this month.  They were the messiest.  Guts blasted out of them by oncoming trucks.  Josiah figured there might a Coyote or two in the area around one of the local parks as it seemed they were getting to the dear carcasses before he did.  Ironically, they helped Josiah by eating up most of the mess.  In fact, when Josiah thought about it, his job was really not necessary.  Nature would take care of its mess in good time.  The buzzards, rodents, insects and the like all had a hand in disposing of roadkill.  But they didn't work for the County driving a Maintenance Vehicle wearing a bright orange reflector vest for a modest salary.  Seems like death is just too ugly of a thing to let go for too long out on the roads and highways.  Josiah was death's custodian.  Yet in a strict sense, everyone relies on the death of other living things.  Even vegetarians.  "Ouch", said Josiah.  This line of thinking was making his headache worse.

Josiah was working the late shift today, and it was a little after dusk.  He peered out at the road.  His eyes in the process of adjusting to the darkness.  He squinted, then stretched his eyes open attempting to bring things into focus, and just then the lights of his County Maintenance Vehicle shined on the ghostly reflective eyes of the meanest, angriest, ugliest looking possum ever.

Josiah slammed his brakes, swerved halfway off the road, and came to a stop.  He couldn't believe he didn't hit the evil looking thing.  Josiah chuckled at the irony.  Then he saw that the possum hadn't run off the road, but rather was running straight ahead down the road.  Josiah began to follow the possum slowly.  This was different he thought.  The possum just kept on keeping on down the road like he was going somewhere.  Like the road was meant for possums.  It was the darndest thing, and Josiah just kept watching and following.  Suddenly the possum darted off into a parking lot.  I better make sure nobody gets attacked, he looks pretty mean, Josiah thought.  He pulled over and hopped out of the County Maintenance Vehicle and ran after the odd varmit.  The possum scurried into the corner of a building.  Josiah knew that a trapped animal was awfully dangerous, but he wanted to make sure nobody else accidentally stumbled upon it.  The possum looked at Josiah with its dark blank eyes, then quickly skidded up and over the concrete wall. 

"That was some strange OOOPossum," said Josiah.  Just then he heard singing coming from inside the building, "OOOOklahoma".   The sound was fantastic and drew him in.  He made his way into a theater and just stood watching.  He thought to himself Wow what a great bunch of actors, and what a talented orchestra, not to mention that guitar and banjo player! Incredible!

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Ah yeah two blogs in a day!  In keeping with the sports themed blog, I wanted to talk a little about Opening Day for the Reds.  Again, I'm a Cincinnatian and have yet to attend the opening day parade and game.  Unbelievable.  SO finally I'll get the chance on monday.  Maybe.  I don't have tickets to the game, but the parade is free so I'll think I'll join my fellow 'natians in early day festivities. 

I'm curious, if anyone out there has been to opening day where should I go? Park? Eat? etc?  This would be a great chance for someone to comment! 

Did you know that The original Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first openly all-professional team, were founded as an amateur club in 1863.  Thats during the Civil War!  This also marks the first time in history that Cincinnati was ahead of the rest of the country in something! Lol just kidding. Badum bum ching.

In all seriousness, this is a really cool thing that the city shuts down and celebrates its history.  It should be an official city holiday.  Now I would never advocate students "skipping" class.  Of course not, especially on a all important monday, students should never disregard their all important studies just to enjoy themselves and a city tradition, no way, unthinkable.  But, I think the Mount should take the initiative and cancel classes.  It might start a chain reaction which could lead to the city making it official. 

This just popped into my head:  Skyline Chili or Gold Star?  Whats your fav?

You can comment and let us know what you think.

(This blog is dedicated to Beth and Cliff for being so flexible with blog deadlines. You guys are the best.  I'll tell you why I was late some other time.)