WARPED TOUR 2008!

I'm thinking about the blog I wrote for last years Warped and I remember it being an epic blog. I've written some pretty long blogs in my day, but that one might top them all. I'm going to try to keep this one cohesive and concise but I feel I will most likely fail. And fail hard.

So every summer there is this little rock and roll tour that goes around the US and a few Canadian spots called the Warped Tour. It's kind of epic and if you've never been to one and you listen to rock music, don't consider your self a fan of rock music just yet. Stick to like, rap or pop music until you get your cherry popped. It's kind of like the Mecca of rock festivals, although I'll give Bamboozle credit only because the type of rock played there is the type I enjoy most (Sorry SXSW and 'Palooza). So this little tour I blog about every summer has been around for a little while, no big deal. It started out primarily as a giant punk tour, but it has evolved probably mostly because of Kevin Lyman, the founder and mastermind behind Warped. Now I'm not going to talk like I know the guy personally, because I don't, but to me he seems like a very hard working, thoughtful, caring, open minded, and most importantly a fan of rock music. Warped has evolved into a place where all types of music come together, but the core is still the same. For example, Katy Perry was on this years tour. You know, she kissed a girl, and she liked it. She is considered a pop act, but she has some edge to her and I consider her a Warper. Now every summer I claim that Warped Tour is the highlight of my summer, well, because it is. I sit here now and think that aside from trips to Korea and once in a lifetime events, Warped Tour is the highlight of my year every year. I can't think of a time where I feel more free and happy. I am around my mainest duders, Dean and Jon, I am surrounded by music culture, I can act a fool and no body gives a huffck, we eat lots of food and drink lots of tasty drinks, I am surrounded by a demographic that is probably 99% liberal and I can yell politically insensitive things with out getting into trouble, and I can yell swear words and not worry about an old person slapping my wrist (Not that I need to swear to communicate, but it's just part of my language). It's so perfect. I feel sluggish at times during the summer because I hate sitting around and doing nothing, but Warped just juices me back up. I feel like a child again.

I don't know where to go from this and this will probably happen a couple of times during this blog, but hey, kiss my dick head. I'll just start talking about Warped '08. My neck is still sore and my voice is sore. This is probably the most sore my voice has been after any Warped. I think I am getting more into the singing of the bands. My back and legs and knees and ankles and feet are a lot better than previous Warpeds.

I don't consider Warped Tour a one day event, no, not for us it's not. For me, I listen to all Warped Tour music all summer to get ready. Warped has always been on a Sunday for us so I call the whole weekend, "Warped Weekend," cool name huh? Friday we all chill and we get active to prepare our bodies for Warped. Saturday we sit around and play video games and listen to Warped music and rest our bodies. We eat a isht ton of good food as well. Sunday is the main event. We usually wake up early, get us some McDonalds breakfast, get us some energy drinks from Freedom, and off to the venue for an epic day. One of the best parts about Warped Weekend is the day after Warped. When we are all suffering from Post-Warped Tour Syndrome (Yes, it's a proper noun and a clinical illness) on Monday we sit in Jon's basement and do nothing at all. All movies, all TV. Usually no video games either since we are just too lazy to move. Too lazy and sore and just sitting there doing nothing is honestly the most efficient thing you can do after a Warped Tour. We don't even leave the house for food, we order pizza. This year it got messed up a little but no big, I'll explain later (if I remember). Warped Weekend lasts from Friday till Monday for me and I huffking love it. Around this time late Monday/early Tuesday it sets in that Warped Weekend is over and that I will need to wait a whole year to experience this time of music and bonding again. I remember thinking in '07 it'll never come, and it came in no time. I sit here thinking waiting a year is way too long, and I remind myself how I felt in '07 but I can't help but feel sad/nervous/nostalgic. It's truly a beautiful time to me. It might not be a big deal to others, but I really appreciate everything that goes on during this time.

This years Warped was way different, but it also shared many repeated traditions. Friday and Saturday was pretty normal. Sunday started out the same. We all meet up and head over to McDonalds. Got our grub on and then went over to Freedom and got me a Rip It. The strange thing about this years Warped is that it wasn't 900 degrees and humid and sunny. It was cloudy and warm which sounds like heaven for a Warped tour. Already it was different. This year, we would drive our selves to Warped instead of having someone's parents drop us off. Why? Because it wasn't at the Metrodome but rather Canterbury Park. Parking was free, which was nice but it took for ever for all the Warped goers to get into the parking lot. I don't think Canterbury Park was ready for that many vehicles to all come in at once. I started to panic a little because I was worried that I might miss a very important set. We got in eventually and the first thing I had to do was take a shit. Pretty convenient too because poopers were all set up at the front. Jon started this cool thing last year where we buy and extra sandwich at McDs and eat it in line. Just kind of funny. Oh, and even in line, I just feel giddy and ready. I mean I just start talking to the people around me because I just feel so comfortable and everyone always has a positive response. The couple in front of me got angry because they saw a Jon McCain sticker, and we got a laugh out of it. They needed a lighter for their cigs but were too shy to ask so I just yell out for a lighter and right away I get about 3 offers. It's just an awesome community. I hate smoking, but I can with stand it when Warped Tour is waiting for me. Like mentioned above, this one is at a new location. Usually when we go to the 'Dome we know exactly where to go when we get in. Take a right, go strait and then a left and look for the giant red balloon. We were lost again and had to search for the red balloon while worrying about who might be playing and who we might be missing. It didn't take us long and we were relieved to find out that we weren't missing anyone. Afterwards we walked about to mark where all the stages were going to be. We had about an hour before Color Fred got on stage who were the first act we wanted to see. After we organized all the stages in our brain pieces, we did some tent viewing. Dean almost got a spray tattoo on his damn dome. It would have been sick...not, 'toos are ugly. But it's Dean, anything looks cute on Dean. We hit up the Rock Band tent and showed everyone how The Formula To... does things. Eh, not really, something was fucked up and we barely got into the game. Again, I just asked the first person behind me if they knew what was going on and she helped us out. She even sang for us. I can't stress how cool people are there. Maybe everyone there are just as jacked up as I am and nothing can spoil their moods. She was a pretty good singer too. We met up with Danielle and Anne since they were there too and chatted before we went our separate ways to see our desired acts.

These are the beautiful acts we were blessed to see at Warped Tour 2008:
12:55 - The Color Fred
2:00 - Every Time I Die
2:30 - Anberlin
3:10 - Say Anything (Haha, well, not really)
4:10 - Angels and Airwaves
5:00 - OreskaBAND
5:10 - Story of the Year
5:40 - Motion City Soundtrack
6:00 - The Devil Wears Prada
6:40 - The Academy Is...
7:30 - Sky Eats Airplane

Beautiful is it not? $30 for these many great acts? Too good of a deal. And this was the thinnest Warped Tour lineup that I've been to and I've been hearing ever. But it's still Warped and still amazing. The thin lineup is one factor why I am not as sore today as previous Warpeds. That and I'm quite experienced now when it comes to concerts and I've learned my tendencies and how to prepare.

I got to say I like the Hurley stage the best. The main stages hold too many people bu the Hurley stage is always intimate and the crowds are the funnest.

The Color Fred I guess would be the second act we saw behind From First to Last, but they don't count. Sunday was the first time I ever saw TCF and I can't wait to see them again. Very good performance and I like how Fred explained what his songs were about. Of course Fred played "Minnesota", even though I saw he wasn't playing it at other shows. I enjoyed The Color Fred much more than I thought I would. They were a very good band to get warmed up to. Fred is looking mighty old and nasty these days. Maybe because he is just on Warped and maybe because he isn't dressed up all nicely like he did when he was with Taking Back Sunday. His hair is thinning and he is starting to develop a belly. Naturally I was rocking out and I've never seen my self actin' a fool but I can imagine I look very weird and unorthodox. I'm very Anthony Green meets Spencer Chamberlin meets Mike Hranica with a hint of Ronnie Winter. These girls behind me started mocking me moves, but out of respect and love I guess, haha. They patted me on the back and explained how much they "loved" me. I got a good laugh out of it. At first I was worried I was annoying them, but I think they genuinely liked my performance haha.

Another break before Anberlin and Everytime I Die. The first half of the day was kind of slow and had gaps between acts we wanted to see. But the second half of the day was like bang, bang, bang. (If that makes any sense). We caught Everytime I Die from the back and then moved to the side since Anberlin was next on the other main stage. ETID always has their fans do crazy ish. This time instead of the "Wall of death," they wanted to crowd to perform a "Crawl of Death." So fans made a giant pit and got on their knees and instead of charging each other, crawled toward each other. ETID was very considerate and didn't want anyone to get hurt. Tee hee! Then Anberlin's turn. Anberlin won the extra 10 minutes and got to play us a couple of extra songs. I've seen Anberlin before and I remember how great Stephen was. This time wasn't as good as the first time, but I still enjoyed their set. I had a bunch of cool dudes around me punching crowd surfers along with me and yelling and screaming. However, not all was gravy. These two stubborn ass girls kept throwing elbows at us because they didn't like moshing. Awwww...so you go to a rock concert and expect everyone to sip their tea and sit and enjoy the show. Hell no. One of the girls asked me to stop and to back up or else she was going to do something. I explained that everyone is jam packed and that it would be impossible for me to push about 50 rows of bodies even if I wanted to. She gave me a dirty little face but when the other guys I was moshing with started making fun of her she quickly turned back. But if she would have given me one more piece of attitude or one more elbow, I would have have to knocked her fat ass and her skinny girl friend the fuck out. "Oh no, punch girls Min?" Yes, yes I would. I don't look at girls as an inferior gender, but I do understand they are sometimes disadvantaged because of society and I always try to help them. I respect women very much mostly because of how wonderful and hard working my Mom is. Women sacrifice more than men do I think. I want to treat my Mom and my future wife like the most important things on Earth. Probably because they are to me. But when someone is that ignorant and egotistical about a concert, they deserve a Min Lee beat down to the face. And I ain't scared to supply one. They managed to keep their cool and no blood was shed during Anberlin.

Say Anything was next...oh wait, they didn't play at all, haha. Max Bemis was too sick and weren't able to play. I hear that he has missed a couple of shows now. I hear they didn't play the Chicago date but they got a very special treat. Other people filled in for Max. I know Anberlin, and Every Time I Die came and sang for Max. How come they didn't do this for Minnesota?! That would have been soooooo awesome to see. But ya, no Say Anything. What a damn shame. I wouldn't have even known if it wasn't for Anberlin letting us know since they were back to back.

Anberlin and Color Fred said that the Minnesota show was the best crowd they have had so far. I wonder if bands just say that to feed the audience or if they actually mean it? Meh.

So then we waited for Angels and Airwaves. I was pretty excited to see these guys 'cause I thought their music seemed pretty atmospheric. Well, I was dissapointed and I don't expect myself to be going to any AVA shows soon. I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it was the people around me because we were kind of in a shitty spot where people don't really jump around and stuff. The only fun I had at AVA was making fun of Tom with Dean. I think AVA was the only band to fail me at Warped and Dean had warned me before their set. But I think AVA probably had the largest crowd of this year's Warped. Some fans even brought home made AVA flags they waved around.

Next was OreskaBAND. A Japanese girl ska band. They were freakin awesome too! And I don't even listen to ska. They seemed to have a lot of fun and they seemed like very fun people. Some british hardcore band played before them, on the sister stage, and for their mic check they mocked the growls the screamer was making. They were pretty good at English too. The music was uber loud because we were right next to the speakers. Glad we had to leave early or else my ears would have hurt a lot more.

We left early because Story of the Year was playing at the main stage. First time seeing these guys and I loved it! I was never really super into them, but I thought their first CD was pretty good, their second CD was eh, but I really like The Black Swan. They are a really good live show though. They get the crowd involved and their guitars are so damn good it could get anyone moshing. My favorite song they played was "'Is This My Fate', He Asked Them." That song had me going nuts and was almost worth the price of admission it self. SOTY has taken a lot of bashing because of how bad their second CD was, but I think they are back now. I think people didn't like it because Page Avenue was a lot more poppy and they went very heavy afterwards. They might not have Page success, but I think people will enjoy their music. Plus they are on Epitaph, people on that label to pretty well.

After Story of the Year we skipped over to the sister main stage to watch home town heroes Motion City Soundtrack. They were good, of course. We started out with poor position because we didn't have time to set up a camp since we were watching SOTY but we managed to push our way to a good spot. When I saw we, I mean Jon and myself because we lost Dean in the mess. And we aren't marines so we left him behind haha. No worries, Dean will do his thing. During the chaos a large group of the crowd fell over and MCS stopped playing and waited for everyone to get back up. Second time I have ever seen something like that happen the first one being during My Chemical Romance at a previous Warped. This was when MCR was picking up crazy steam with Helena and such songs. It was so intense that Dawson passed out during that set. Motion City had a very good show. There was only one song I didn't know because I don't really like their new CD that much. The funniest part of the whole Warped might have been after MCS finished. If you go to enough rock shows you will see the "defender boyfriend" or "defender male." This class of mosher are very annoying. What they do is set up a barrier for their girl friends or a girl friend or sister or some one with their elbows and just elbow the people around them so no one touches their girl. This is not because they are worried some guy might get his feel on, but rather so they can breath and not get smoshed in the chaos. Remember, our big ol' friend Dawson passed out during MCR, think about what a crazy crowd can do to a skinny little girl. But of course the elbows are very inconvenient for the other around him. Well, this specific defender male had more after the set. The couple needed to get out and the crowd was moving a little to slow for their taste so instead of asking people to move, the guy decides he wants to stiff arm people. Jon catches one of his stiff arms and we look at each other like, "what the fuck is this guy doing?" Jon says, "watch this," and follows the guy around but does it backwards so all the guy sees is Jon's back. And in a crowd, a back is a back, there is no way of telling if you've seen that back before. Jon doesn't just follow them, but grinds the couple with his back and the guy continues ti give Jon's back the stiff arm sporadically as he tries to stiff arm others while he keeps on arm on his girl. Funny stuff. I wish the guy would have gotten mad and thrown a punch at Jon so we could have beat his face in. The beat his girl up, haha, only KIDDING!

Now for the worst part of my Warped Tour 2008. So, remember how the first half of the day had gaps between most of the acts. Well the second half was uber crazy. I didn't know we had a back to back to back on our hands and Jon and I just sat by the balloon waiting for Dean. So while we are waiting, The Devil Wears Prada is playing at the Hurley stage. This pissed me the fuck off because TDWP was the band I was most looking forward to see. We missed a lot of their set but while I was there I rocked the fuck out. I would have made anyone proud. I was in the circle pit for this one fore sure. When I'm in a circle pit I don't really interact with the other circlers like most do. Rather I just stake a spot and do my really strange moves that go along with the music. Air drum, rock infused pop and locks, strange hang gestures, threatening movements, too much grabbing of my shirt and belt, too much slapping of my belt buckle. TDWP is sick live, period. In the circle pit I got blasted pretty hard by someone and Jon told me later that it might have been him, haha. Like I said, I'm not one to move from end to end looking for targets. I'm more of a pinball type. Jon pretty much sent me from one side of the pit to the other. I think for a while I was doing a pac-man with my hands. Sometimes I don't even remember some of the shit I do because I honestly feel like I'm in a trance. The music dictates what I do and how I move. Sounds strange but it's true. I'm pretty passionate about my music, which I've been question lately. This is a topic I've been meaning to blog about and I probably will tomorrow since I just reminded myself. But the next TDWP show that comes through Minnesota is a must for me since I missed some of their songs. Who's down?!

Next was The Academy Is.... I didn't go into the pit for this one since I was sooooo depressed I missed some of The Devil Wears Prada's set. But The Academy Is... is amazing live. I saw them way back but I didn't really listen to them so I didn't pay much attention. Bill Beckett is an amazing singer. He sounded pretty much flawless except for a few voice cracks towards the end of he set when his voice must have felt a little weaker. Plus he played a few new songs that which might have something to do with it. But they are amazing live. Go see them. I like their music and I told Dean the night before Warped, "These guys should be sweet," but I didn't expect a blow away performance by them. But they blew me away and I am really pumped for this new CD of theirs coming out soon. If TAI comes with some good acts in the fall, I want to go see them again. They are a pop-rock act and that isn't always my favorite show since it's usually a bunch of little girls who sit there to admire Bill Becketts v-neck shirts and skinny jeans. Along with his high cheek bones. I'd go to admire his performance. If you like pop-rock, go see these guys. The only good Ramen band...well, Paramore too, haha.

Last band we watched was Sky Eats Airplane. An upcoming metal act. We don't know much about them but wanted to check them out. They are deece. TAI pretty much was our closer.

This Warped probably had the most interaction with other people. We took a picture with long time Warped and concert hero, "Gigantor," and another legend we discovered during the Oath show last fall. This dude always wears a cow outfit and during ETID at the Oath show they stopped playing cause Keith saw him in the circle pit and made him do a dance. I hope to get these pictures up soon. Oh, we also ran into Jeff Blanchard and his friends. Nice friends he has. But maybe it's just Warped atmosphere. I don't think we had any band interaction this year. Last year I think I ran into Amber Pacific, Underoath, and most importantly Meg&Dia haha. That's when we got engaged.

I was bummed we couldn't see more OreskaBAND. I think there might have been another act I wanted to see a little of. I was super bummed I missed some of TDWP. Katy Perry was overlapped with like Motion City so she mos def got the bump. But I wanted to see the number one artist out right now on Warped. I don't think I'll be able to say that again. Maybe next year Justin Timberlake will be on Warped.

Even while leaving I had fun. I just kept talking to people on the way out and just yelled at people, "See you next year" and random things. And I got a couple of air high fives. On the way home we stopped by Taco Bell and got some grubski and drinks. We didn't want to leave because we were kind of drained but eventually forced our selves up and out. We sat around Jon's for a bit and then Dean rolled out since he had to work Monday morning. Poor guy. Usually we sleep at Jon's but I had to drop Dick off somewhere so I went home. But post-Warped Monday was still a success. Glad Warped wasn't as hot as today.

And that was my Warped Tour 2008. Like I said, don't consider your self a fan of rock until you've been to one of these. No excuses. "I had to work every year" is not a valid excuse. Quit your damn job, it's that great. I said that when I worked at Old Navy and if they didn't give me Warped Tour off, I would have quit on the spot. It's that important to me. If people have time to go to We Fest, you have time to go to Warped. Fuck a We Fest. People don't even go to We Fest for the music. Why don't you just go to a park and get drunk or something. I don't get why you go to a music festival to get drunk. Doesn't make much sense to me. That's something else I wanted to blog about.

This year I only went with Jon and Dean and I think that is the perfect way to enjoy my Warped Tour. We met up with a couple of friends, but didn't really mosh with them. Honestly, I don't think they would have been able to keep up anywho. But spending Warped Weekend with Dean and Jon is the only way to go. I'm not even going to invite other people next year. Others are just distractions. When I first started going to concerts, I thought the people I went with were just extra baggage. Then eventually I started enjoyed moshing with Jon 'cause he knew how to keep up and he doesn't complain about a crowd surfer kicking up or other people doing stuff and Jon actually knew the music. Plus his stories weren't complete bull shit like other make up. Then I started going to concerts with Dean and I learned I enjoyed concerts more with him. He doesn't complain, loves music, and doesn't make up fake stories to share after concerts. Plus, he never makes up dumb excuses. If Dean can get work off, drive one hour from Rochester or 4 hours from North Dakota to make concerts, the other people around here that miss events are just dumb. Plus he drives back and works on Mondays after Warped. I love that dude because I know he is there unless he absolutely can't make it. Like I am visiting my Mom is China. That's borderline (ha), but a pretty good excuse. So after this Warped, I started thinking why do I always try and organize large groups for concerts? I can just go with Jon and Dean and rock out even harder with out having to worry if other people are passing out or crying or scared or what ever. Look...I'm not knocking on anyone, I'm just saying Dean and Jon are my fucking boys. I remember coming home from the Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, and Armor for Sleep concert and feeling triumphant as ever. Why? Because I ended that show next to my boys Jon and Dean. I couldn't scripted it better. We shed the people who couldn't keep up and ended an epic show in an epic fashion. I mean Dean pissed his pants a little. That's epic. Next year might be my last Warped for a while since I might go to Korea for a year and I want that one to be perfect. So I am hoping Jon and Dean will be there. I don't like to use to L-bomb but I think I'll drop one here. I fucking love Jon and Dean. It's been a while since I've felt comfortable saying that I love my friends. Not because I'm a dude, but because I wasn't sure if I meant it. I know I'm a stubborn, some times selfish, and sometimes too proud, and I live and think life should lived in weird "honorable" ways. Because of my weird mind sets, I often get mad at my friends because things don't work out the way I hoped. But do know that I am forever loyal, I am forever loving, and I do care (too much), that is why I get upset. I think Jon and Dean understand that part about me when other only see the pride, the stubbornness, and the gumpy Min. Once you can finally understand me, you understand why I act the way I do. I don't mean to sound like a cocky prick, but if everyone had a best friend like me, you wouldn't ever feel lonely or stranded. I'm the type of dude that will follow a friend into battle for any reason. Easy to say, but I think I've proven this. I saw this understanding that maybe in a month I will be upset with this thing we call relationships and friends but as of right now, I love all my friends. Shit, I might actually like Cory Johnson and Laura Hoffman...no, actually I don't, haha. That's the first time I've said Laura Hoffman in a long, long time. She is gay. But thank you Dean and Jon for making Warped Tour so special to me and helping my year better and for making me enjoy people again. Everyone, let's hang out. Min is a good person right now. I am loving things. Ace Enders would be proud. Love is back, at least in my life.

Everyone should love. Warped tour is my platform.

Fakie Bakie

As I promised my self in my previous blog, when I think of something I want to blog about, I'm going to do it matter how short the blog might turn out. Well, here I am again.

PS. my last blog title is an Arnie quote. (Austrian Death Machine! RAR! Haha!)

After Warped Tour yesterday, Dean, Jon, and I went to Taco Bell to get some grub. Afterwards we watched Sports Center and hung out with Dean before he had to leave. Then Jon and I watched Predator on TBS and some ghetto show on MTV. I think everyone should watch Predator and learn Arnie lines from that movie 'cause that movie is pure genius. I think a young Arnie would have made a good Solid Snake. Watching Arnie crawl through leaves and seeing him covered in mud made me think of snake. Stupid ass TBS edited so much content though. I mean c'mon, it's 12:00 a.m, give me a little something.

Jon and I become a fan of those poorly scripted dating shows on MTV last night. If anyone knows the name of the show where a guy goes out with 3 Moms and chooses a daughter on how much he likes the Mom please let me know the name. That show is amazingly bad/good.

Warped Tour blog later, I promise.

C'mon, Kill Me, I'm Right Here

Warped Tour 2008 blog coming a littler later, don't you huffking worry. For now, know it was amazing and my neck is sore as huffk.

I always want to blog about random things but I don't want to make 2 sentence blogs cause that seems like a waste of a blog. I think from now on I will though because I always forget what I want to talk about.

I've been having a lot of dreams lately. I don't remember the dreams to well but I remember having them and some major events. I had one dream about snakes. In the dream I went over to this person's house (Completely random person, but she was very nice) and we were sitting on a couch in her living room. The living room was very plain with a couch, a cupboard, and a table. The couch looked toward the window and we sat on her very plain, ugly couch. The couch reminded me of something you would sit at a old retirement home or old hospital. It was made of two ass cousins, two back cousins made of itchy material, had wooden arm rests and thin wooden legs. She offered me something to drink and I kindly accepted so I watched her walk into the kitchen. The window bored me (There was nothing happening but a lawn and a tree line not to far) so I looked around for something to catch my interest but the living room was so plain. I decided to look under the couch and to my surprise sat a large snake. Of course I jump off the couch for I didn't want it to attack my hanging legs. I call my friend back into the room and she hands me a long stick to poke it out. So I motivate the snake out from under the couch and I grab it's neck like I learned from watching so many nature shows. I guess when you grab a snake by it's neck, it can't really do anything to harm you. Well, not this snake. This snake is able to snap it's neck or something because the head does this 180 degree magic trick and inserts it's sharp fangs into my hand. I don't feel much pain but don't enjoy the sight of my blood oozing out. That's all I remember of that dream.

I had a zombie dream. Again, I don't remember much of it. I remember this dream seemed to always be set at night. I can't remember seeing anyone I know in real life except for me. I remember walking down this narrow alley, a brick building to my left about 2 stories and a tall fence to my right. Lots of tin trash cans and cardboard boxes. Typical dirty inner city zombie setting. I saw a couple of people before I entered the alley with torn, dirty clothes on looking for a safe place to rest. A sister and little brother if I am remembering correctly. As I enter the alley I can't see the end of it, looks just like a black tunnel. As I walk through zombies start to fly out toward me naturally. I am equipped with a shotgun and the zombies are sporadic enough where I am able to pump and unload rounds into their faces without much stress. Their numbers advantage is eliminated since we are working in a narrow alley. I think to myself while I am ripping zombies, if I hadn't chosen to walk down this alley, those siblings behind me wouldn't have made it past this night and I feel good that I chose this random alley. At the same time I think, because I am going down this alley there must be other alleys that are vacant that need to be defended. You can't protect everyone even if you want to.

I remember nothing about this last dream I am going to write about except for a person that was in it. I had a friend named Alexa in high school and junior high. We weren't close friends or anything but I feel like we respected each other and considered each other good people. The weird thing is periodically she appears in my dreams out of no where. I like to think dreams happen because you have something on your mind (Lucid dreams they are called I believe). I remember having my epic zombie dream after watching Dawn of the Dead 2004 because I couldn't get over how huffking sweet zombos were and how much trust you need to put into the people around you to have the best chance of surviving. That is way I don't understand why she appears in my dreams because I don't really consciously think about her. I have seen her once since graduating high school. I really don't see any one anymore from high school. It could be anyone, but it's always her. I find this to be strange.

Ever since experiencing my first racist experience at Franklin Press I can't help but think every white person I see is looking at me as an inferior human being. Racism fucking sucks. Every time a old white couple looks at me I think they think I'm dumb or that I should die. Am I racist my self for thinking like this? I would like people to comment about this topic. I normally care less who reads these huffking things and who comments them, but I would like to talk about this topic. Why do races hate each other? This may come off poorly, but why are white people the way they are? Now, I'm not saying white people are the only racist race, but they do appear the most racist, generally. Maybe I think like that because I live in America. But I've never been attacked by a black person, a Mexican person, only whites. I've actually never been afraid of white people, and I'm still not, but I am more careful around older whites now. And I question the way whites look at me. Are they faking respect? I went to St. Cloud a couple weeks ago to visit Dawson. We went to McDonalds to get some grub and on the way out I had a strange incident. When we were leaving a couple of grandmas were coming in. The grandma reached the door before I did and pushed the door in toward me, so I moved aside so that the door would be able to move forward. After she got in I grabbed the door from her and said, "thank you," because it looked like she held it open a little longer for me. Here is the weird part, she comes storming back out and yells to me, "Well it's always age before beauty that's why I went in first!" I don't know if I heard wrong or interpreted her lecture wrong but it sounded like she was upset. I asked Dawson what he heard literally and figuratively and he felt the same way. Maybe I am less American and more Korean than I think. I was taught when someone does something nice for you, you say, "thank you," because it shows your appreciation for their act of kindness. Maybe she hates Asians? I know this paragraph makes me sound paranoid because of one experience, but trust me I'm not. I am adding a little story exaggeration to help send the message across stronger. But we can't ignore the fact that racism is still real. And it was brought to my attention quick and hard as I stated above. I've always known it was an issue and I've always been against racism, but now I want to fight this problem a little bit harder.

Talking about all this hate makes me want to listen to Ace Enders. "Bring Back Love Year 2020." It's sad that we actually have to bring love back. But I also would love to see love back by the year 2020.

I gave them the jibba-jabba treatment

Hmm...this past week I had moments where I kept thinking about stuff I should blog about. Some good material to blog about, but I always put it off and told myself I'd do it tomorrow when I have more ideas. Well, I forgot pretty much everything I meant to write about. So I am writing one now, and I don't have jack to say so I will write random thoughts.

I become part of the real world and saw Dark Knight on Sunday. It was definitely a super hero movie, but I didn't mind this one to much. For those of ya'll that don't know, I am completely sick of these super hero movies coming out every summer. But they make the money, and they will keep coming out. However, I am looking forward to one coming out in the spring I believe. It is directed by the mainest negro, Zack Snyder. Someone should make a legit zombie movie, so that means George A. Romero is out. I give the old man props for combining walking dead successfully into movies, but you suck now dude. After I saw Dark Knight I came home and watched Cloverfield. Cloverfield was alright, glad I didn't watch it in theaters, but glad I watched it. Today I watched a Korean movie called Public Enemy which was pretty good. Brutal beat downs, just the way I like 'em. I mean, if you're going to beat someone down, don't leave it up to chance, beat the fucking shit out of them. I'm talking about pounding their face on over and over and over and over again until your own hand just can't take it anymore. Anywho, I'm a raged child deep inside haha. I like the "human message" Dark Knight had. Every human being is shitty.

I like talking in medium size groups. It's fun.

Underoath just put out a new song. Sounds a lot like Define the Great Line, with a sprinkle of Chase since they put in some more electronica. I like it, but it didn't make my pants explode the way Define did when I first listened to it.

At this time, I wish I was a part of a band. A versatile band that can cover many genres. I just want to write lyrics and sing and scream lately. I can't wait for Warped Tour and Devil Wears Prada. I might just die that day. But I say that every year and I always come back intact. But I mean it this year, haha. I am also looking forward to Anberlin. That'll be the sing portion of my Warped. Warped is a little thiner this year, but hot damn, Warped is always the savior of my summer. I'm glad I have something in line for next summer. 'Cause every summer I seem to be bored and looking for ish to do and reaching out to people who are always too busy or cool for me. Next summer I will have a chance to leave everything behind and everyone behind and start all over in a place I barely know and meet new people and just be lost. I know I'm that bastard that always preaches loyalty so I probably seem like a hypocrite, but if there is no one to be loyal to, how can I be loyal? The only people I'd really be leaving behind are my family members. At this time I feel like they are really the only ones who give a shit about me. Prior to 2 years ago, I could make friends and I can honestly say I felt like they were family. I held them equal to family, I mean how many people can honestly say that? But I can't say I have that feeling now. I don't really have any friends that I hold that highly, friends are just friends. They are people who use each other for entertainment. I wouldn't work for them, I wouldn't feel pain for them, I wouldn't die for them. Selfish? Maybe? True? Maybe. I don't really know. The world is fucked up and people shouldn't me or these fucking blogs seriously. I'm a joke, you're a joke, this is all a joke. Hey, this could all blend into lyrics of a song? Screamo band anyone? haha.
I suck a writing music. I can sing a little and scream a little, but I suck at instruments. I just like creating and expressing. (Express these nuts) (What?)

Uhh...I'm going to the Mall of America tomorrow with Peter. It should be baller. I'm going to get my hair cut and my dick wet. No not really. I like my hair right now. I'll probably get a new cut at the end of August.

I haven't been able to play basketball for a week cause my toe has been fucked up. I try and get out every morning and shoot some hoops and run around. Again, I have no one to play with so I just play with myself. Ha, I said play with myself.

Gray It Out

How can someone be in such a bad mood so soon after such an amazing week up north? It appears my period has come early this month. I suppose I should blog about my trip a little bit. It was a very good time to say the least. Tony had us for week up north in Baudette, Minnesota. He has a nice little place up there. When we finished our 6 hour drive to get up there we unloaded and Tony showed us around. Then we taught us how to shoot his shotgun and a rifle. The shotgun was pretty much what I expected but the rifle was completely different. Very cool experience. We got to help Tony with some work and taking care of the horses. We did some filming, some cooking, and we had a few bonfires. We had some other very memorable experiences that I will never forget, one of which I will not write about because I don't know who reads these little suckers. On our last night there while we were out making little treats over a fire, we heard a bear from a near tree line. We went out to scare it away but we didn't see it. We left Friday afternoon and got home later than expected due to some unfavorable driving conditions. I am very good at goodbyes. Always have been.

The other day my Mom found a gray hair on me. 21 and already graying huh? That kind of blows. Better enjoy my youth.

So today, we didn't have much to do. I asked Dick and Jon what they wanted to do, and I got the usual response, "I don't care." So I suggested a couple of things...and hey, guess what, no response. They went off on their own and watched different animes at the same time. Cool huh? So I took a nap and waited for them to finish their animes. No biggie, I was super tired anywho. Kind of messed up my sleep pattern from the trip. We woke up super early one day to go find some deer. Then stayed up late one of the days sitting by the fire. The nap did me well. After they finished their animes, they wanted something to do, who do they turn to? Me, of course. So we played a little Starcraft, something I suggest 5 hours prior. Of course now I'm disgusted and not in the mood. I need to find some people who want to be more active and actually do shit. I need to find some new friends.

I'll probably write a more in depth blog about the trip to Tony's later. Something so I will have documented a great, great week.

El Fucking

I'm just a frustrated little boy right now. I can't pin point it down to one thing, because just a bunch of events this weekend has made me into a raged child. I am hoping blogging about it quick, listening to loud music, and sleeping it off will make it all go away. Tomorrow a little exercise, more music, and just creating some videos will help me calm down. I wish there was some exciting shit to do to get me up beat again. I wish Warped Tour was tomorrow. It's like I get depressed if I don't go to concerts for an extended period of time.

What is exciting around this place with these people? I wanted to film this weekend but of course people bail out. I just wish people would tell the fucking truth once in a while. Look, if you don't want to do something, just say you don't want to do it. I don't need to hear some fucking excuse. Want to play football? Oh, I would, but I think my dead grandma is dying. Oh, I think I picked up a shift at work. Oh, this and that. Just strait up tell me. I can handle it. Don't lead me to believe something is going to happen just so I can plan the whole thing out and so you can back out 2 minutes after I get everyone together. Football is just an example...and not a good one. I can kind of understand why people don't really want to play football with me. I'm just too fucking intense for people to handle. But I don't think I'm this intense about everything I do. Yes, I like to do things organized, I like to do things right, and I like to do things with passion. So what? Fuck off. Maybe I am a shitty dude, maybe I'm not. I feel misunderstood sometimes. By everyone sometimes. I honestly feel totally alone sometimes. I feel no one understands my philosophy. Maybe the way I think is just total bull shit? How could I be rejected over and over again? I get really confused because I'm just playing by the standards this world has made. I'm just rambling now. I think I talked about this in my previous blog. Sorry for repeating so many issues...I guess it's something that just sticks with me. I wish I just had one best friend, that totally understands me that I can talk to about anything and is just as considerate as I try to be. Is that what ones wife/husband is suppose to be? Something that I can put all my blind faith into and come out on the other end a happy person? I'd like to bond, but I feel sometimes people just don't understand me. What am I? Where am I? Why am I like this? What made me like this? Why can't I just be normal. I'm 21 years old and I currently feel like I just don't have a grip on anything. I have no fucking job. I really don't have any friends. A few. I really feel lucky to have a brother like Dick, a mother like my Mom, and a friend like Jon. But there are barriers even there. Maybe I'm just an impossible person. How can I completely change the person I am? I feel like I am a pretty flexible person. Am I really just that fucking boring? It seems like people just don't really like to be around me. I try to plan stuff to do when I get people gathered, but it never seems to work out. I'd like to go out and have fun. I'd like to be always doing sweet shit. When I suggest things, people brush them off. Look, I'm not going to force anyone to do anything. When I ask others to suggest shit, they don't have anything.

Again, why do I feel these things? Why do I write these things and post them as blogs? I like to document my thoughts once in a while and I like to vent. But sometimes I actually thing I am reaching out for attention. I'm really critical on myself like that sometimes. But hey, I don't know if it's true or false, but at least I can admit I'm a piece of shit sometimes.

This Friday we got to act 4, I believe, in Metal Gear Solid 4. All tight so far. I read that since MGS4 came out, PS3 sales have gone up 700%. Pretty crazy huh? Saturday we were suppose to film, I thought I had all the pieces together, but of course something more important then me comes up. Had to throw that out. Planned basketball instead, but hey, more important shit came up again. Sunday, new movie plans, oh wait, I'm still not worth the time. And I learned some people just don't appreciate me. Hey, I get it. I also understand that people have shit to do and people have lives that don't revolve around me. But when you say that you are there, c'mon, keep your promise. I don't know what to believe any more. People don't believe what I say or give me credit for the things I've done...and when I give trust to others, they just break it. Where am I suppose to go from here? People don't trust me, I try trusting but it all ends fucked up. I did have some good moments too this weekend. I hung out with an old pal who I haven't seen for a bunch of months I think. Always good to see old pals. Even if I didn't have much to do.

Who knows.

I'll probably feel better tomorrow. I just don't want to be in this awful funk anymore. I don't want to waste my summer any more. I keep telling myself I need to do shit to feel good. But when you're in a funk, you just don't want to do shit. It's like an awful circle of shit, and some how you just need to grab your self and break free.

I need something to change my fortunes.
Really, I'm not as crazy as this blog makes me appear. I'm a pretty normal dude. I just get passionate about things, I look to deep into things. Good qualities in ways, but it can get me into trouble. It's just the dude I am. If that means I have to live alone, what can I do. I do enjoy people though.

Passion

Looks like I will have to wait for my first NBA championship, but I am sure come Tuesday I will finally be an NBA champ.

God, lately I have been so passionate about things and kind of emotional. It's like the old Min that was so much fun to be. Like right now, I have nothing to do since Leah is on the computer that I edit my videos on but I can't go to bed because I have to much anxiety from the Celtics game. I've been trying to play a lot more basketball lately and even when I'm playing I feel like I want to be the best and I am much more passionate than I have been. I've worked very hard to suppress my passion for things because sometimes I feel like I get to caught up in things and it offends other people. but lately just everything gets me jacked up. I feel like a female on her period. Maybe I've just found my old drive again. I remember when failure wasn't an option for me. Losing was a disgrace to myself and the people around me. I mean, I always have that philosophy, but I've been more forgiving these last few years. I'm kind of glad that I have a little more killer instinct. I think it's a good time for me to have it. Also, I am glad I played basketball with E-rob today. He is a lot of fun to play with since he does play with a little more emotion than my usual company. I hope to play with him more often. I just can't sit around and do nothing as of late. I need to be production, doing stuff, and competing. If that makes me a jackass, well, that's just who I am. I get made fun of sometimes for being to passionate when it comes to Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I say why not! Could this be the reason there isn't anyone that can take me down at that game? Yes, I know it's just a video game, but if I have this mentality for everything, isn't it good? What if I work hard at being the best son, brother, student, Brawl player, basketball player, whatever! Look, I know I am not playing basketball at a world class level...if I were I'd be playing in the NBA. I'm not stupid, I know I'm not that good. But I still don't see why I can't be passionate and try my best. No one is gifted with everything, so does that mean we shouldn't try at the things that we aren't that good at? This is some peoples philosophy, but it ain't mine. So yes, fuck everyone and kiss my ass. I am better than you. I've been saying that to myself a lot lately...not because I believe it completely, but sometimes I am way to modest and I sometimes get the short end because of it. I am trying to teach myself to be more cut throat. So yes, I will fuck you up. That is what I'm telling myself.

I've been getting some worries comments on my last blog. Let me try and clarify some things. Yes, the story is real. Yes, it's a little sensitive and J.W's quote isn't as direct as it could be. But you needed to be there, the context really pushes it over the top. Yes Jon and I talked about it a little. Jon told me he wouldn't be surprised if his grandpa was a racist. We both know he is a little old, he grew up in a difference culture. No, I am not looking to get FPI into trouble. Why the hell would I do that? People still must not know me. I am unconditionally loyal and loving. I hold family above everything and I try to do the same with friends (even though sometimes I feel like I am the only one giving in that department). Sometimes I say some real shit and it catches people off balance. This is probably why people tell so many white lies. Cause people now'a days just can't handle real shit any more. I'm a complicated person, I am real, but I love to joke. I am really strict about stuff, but I am totally passive. I'm kind of a paradox. I always try to be humble, but I know I need to be confident and a lot of times I tell myself I am better than others. You just kind of have to learn me. Sometimes I feel totally alone. Sometimes I feel like I'm too complicated for anyone to understand. Maybe I'm just too inconsistent. Too crazy, too stupid. Maybe too organized, too smart.

I like the things in life that can't be seen or measured. Only sensed. I think I have a greater sense on these things. It's hard to explain since I can't quantify it and that's how people base things. On facts, evidence, and numbers. I think there is more out there than that. I often ask people can you just see, or can you just feel, and they think I am way off. This is when I feel alone sometimes. I can look into someones eyes and sense things others can't. The other day we met a group of guys at the basketball courts and I was a captain and I needed to draft a team. I didn't draft on raw talent or what people said. I drafted on what I felt, their personalities and things that couldn't be measured. My team would go on to win more games than the other.

I'm being way to cocky tonight. Someone slap some sense into me. Actually no, I'd probably get mad.

Franklin Press Inc.

Before I get to the title of my blog I got to mention a few other things. First thing being the Boston Celtics! LET'S GO! I am upstairs right now watching game 4 and what a joke the first quarter was. The 2nd half just started and I'm calling it now, Boston is going to win tonight. (I'll just delete this part later). But for real, it's going to be so amazing when the Celtics win the championship.

Today I did a lot video editing and learning how to create some cool effects until Tony and Jon came over. (Oh no! Perkins just got hurt!) When they came over, we basically sat around and didn't do much. Kind of sad really.

Anywho, now time for what I really wanted to write about. I had the day off today and as far as I know, I have the rest of the summer off from Franklin Press until they get a bulk of work. I'm really glad they let me work there for a couple of weeks. Seriously, I do appreciate it. However, earlier this week I had the worst day at Franklin Press ever. Along with that, possibly the first time my race was used against me because some racist thought Asians were inferior to whites. I never really thought that my race would ever be used against me, but 21 years of luck finally ran out. So, who played the race card? Well, it was Jon's Grandpa who is referred to as J.W at Franklin Press Inc (FPI). Maybe J.W was just having a rough day that day, but he just had a string of offensive comments and acts. The first one happened early during they day. We were all working in a little crowded room and Jon asked me to movie a pallet for him and of course I told him I would. He wanted me to move a pallet on the side of the room. J.W asks me why I was moving that pallet and I told him Jon wanted me to. J.W goes over to Jon and asks him why that pallet needed to be moved. Jon explained to him why but J.W tells him he has a more efficient way of completing Jon's task. So J.W tells me to move another pallet in the middle of the room surrounded by other pallets. No biggie, if it truly is a better way of doing things, it has to be done. The pallet was in a difficult position to move already, and it doesn't help that I'm inexperienced with the pallet jack. So I lift the pallet and I try to pull it out, but my pallet hits another and I get caught. I push it back and in the middle of my adjustment I feel a hand on my shoulder so I turn around to see J.W. He opens his old face and says to me, "Damn Mihm, you suck!" (Mihm, because the ass-hole still hasn't learned my name). So he takes the jack away from me and lifts the pallet. As he begins to pull the pallet out, the corner of the pallet he is mocing gets caught at the same spot my attempt did. Well, of course I wasn't going to help him so I just sat back and watched him make the same blunder I did. Superiority complex? Maybe. Usually J.W just sits back and doesn't do anything except make fun of people. Doesn't do any work really. Whatever, let the old man have his glory. Let me set up the next story. So remember how Jon told me to move the pallet on the side? He needed to get to a couple of pallets in the middle of a bunch of pallets. Jon found a way where he could 2 pallets and get to what he needed. Not a bad method since there was also an assembly line we needed to work around. However, J.W told Jon he knows a better way where he only needs to move one pallet to get to Jon's objective. However, we needed to stop the assembly line. Either way, Jon submits and agrees to do it the way J.W wanted. After J.W moved the pallet I tried to move, he realized he needed to move another pallet. So while Jon's way would have moved two pallets and not stopped the assembly line, J.W's more self proclaimed efficient method needed two pallets and a stop in the line. J.W fails again. (Boston just won!) Fast forward and skip some other shit J.W did (Ya, I'm lazy). He is the big one that really offended me. There were a bunch of temps working with us that day. Most of the temps happen to be Asain, Vietnamese to be specific. Anywho, a couple of temps and I were assigned to label boxes and stack them. While I was stacking them, I needed to reposition a couple of boxes but it was hard to do it by myself because the stack was too high. I was physically unable to reposition them. PHYSICALLY. So Jon, who is taller than I am, is walking by so I ask him to help me out really quick. Jon lifts one of the boxes and I move the one I need into place. As we are doing this J.W walks by and says, "Can't figure out the jigsaw puzzle with your brains huh?" Jon replies," No grandpa, I was never good with jigsaws." J.W says, "Oh no, not you Jon, those people couldn't figure it out." Who exactly are THOSE PEOPLE? A bunch of Asians? Get this too, Jon told me a a story before this happened. J.W pulled Jon to the side earlier that day and told Jon that he needed to do jobs at FPI that stimulate his brain. Unfortunately, we are part of the production team. We pack boxes, stack boxes, and collate paper. Not much brain power needed. So I was physically unable to reposition the box, and therefore I am too stupid to do more sophisticated jobs. Now the temps don't speak English too well, however, I have learned a little English in my day. So I was able to take offense to his comment. Luckily for J.W and I am a friend of the Franklin family so I am forced to just let that comment pass. Does anyone know how much trouble a business can get into for making racially offensive comments? I do need to pay for college...

Anywho, do let me know.

But here is my warning, if you're Asian, do not work at Franklin Press Inc. They will not respect you.

I Divorce You

Has it been a billion years? Yea, probably.

Just a bunch of random things this time around.

I am waiting for the sleeping midget, a.k.a Dean Kong, a.k.a Turbo BaBear, a.k.a Tabasco, a.k.a Deano Machno to wake up so we can go to CiCi's joint. Place is grubbing and cheap for sure. After that, Jon should be off work, then we are going film some isht maybe and then play some Brawl. We just recently started (Sunday I think?) our Brawl Names/Records/Stats and it is going to be an epic 6 years. I'm not on my Melee pace, but that's understandable since I am playing only Dean and Jon and not other players who are plain jokes when it comes to this game. Sorry to put it like that, but that's life. I bet getting my ass whooped by a better player would ground me.

Here is a cool website I saw.
http://ihatemyroommates2.blogspot.com/

I wish I would have started one of those during my tenure at Melrose. Would have helped me vent and share with everyone the crimes that were going on.

Summer has been great thus far. My summer started kind of late since I had a final in the last possible slot...ever! (Side note: I like adding, "ever," on to statements...makes it more intense. But when that "glow" wears off, it's going to suck). Real life: Ben came over that Saturday and we played hella basketball and we started a new band! I'm like totally pumped to be a part of this band. We have dreams of selling millions of albums. Sunday we did a little CiCi's and more basketball.

The rest of the week hasn't been as dense but I can't say I've been bored yet. I do things around the house and things I want to do before Jon gets off of work and Dean wakes up and come 4 or 5 they come over. Other than those two, I don't really have a bunch of friends any more. Well, Ben too, but he lives in Bloomington and with gas prices hitting about seventeen million dollars per liter the other day it would be a joke to have him come down too often. But I don't mind only having a few close friends. I've always been a follower of the, "Quality, not quantity" saying. Life kind of has this auto-filter, at least mine does, and it filters out the shitty and keeps the good. No wonder the next year is better than the last. As long as I have Dean, Jon, Dick, and Ben, I think I'll be entertained. Of course, this might change a few years down and might seem crazy now, at that time it probably won't be a shock. Oh, and I've been hanging out with Sat a lot more lately too. We weren't really good friends in high school, but some how things have worked out so that we hang out now. Which is a good thing since he is a really good dude. Anywho, time to get cleaned up, wake Dean's dumb ass up and go get our grub on.

ArtH Film Response

(Grand Illusion)

1) I didn't write a note for one specific dialougue that represented the film best but I did write a note about a sound effect that I really thought represented the film. The scene where the solidiers look out the window and watch other marching and talk about the sound. The sound of the marching swells and becomes a huge sound as they mention how much the sound bothers them and the sound continues even as the characters move back in and begin to talk. We had the advantage of subtitles but if we were only listening to the audio we might have had trouble hearing the dialougue. I thought this was meaningful because almost everything that happened in the movie seemd intentional.

2) The movie uses a lot of camera moves within a scene and usually uses a cut to jump locations or scenes. Any scene could be used but I'll just mention the scene with where they are putting on a play. When the one guy storms out and makes the announcement the camera moves around to show everyone in the room. It moves to show the side of the solidiers, the stage, and then back to a front shot of the solidiers all in one shot. A moment that I felt really showed the narrative of the film in a very symbolic manner was the clipping of the flower head.

3)I thought the movie felt very well planned out and did a good job using the Z-axis. I think the use of the Z-axis helped to make the density of solidiers more then there really was.

4) Although the movie seemed very well planned out there were a couple of hiccups. The hiccups seemed to stand out more because of the fact that everything around it was done so smoothly. The scene where the solidier and the wife that is helping them are about to kiss was cut very abrubtly. Also one of the gun scenes compared to another one didn't seem as real because the gun sound was strange and there was a lack of the muzzle flash.

5) What happened in the scene where the solidier and the wife are about to kiss? Was it because the film was damaged or was it really edited like that?

If you have time, help me please.

I am writing a paper and I could use some double checking.
I don't expect people to fully understand the context of the paper (although you might), but I just want to know if it is making any sense so far. I am not finished but just check if what I have so far makes any sense.
Thanks a bunch!

Min Lee
13 March, 2008
Writ 3361
Mary Lay Schuster

Take Home Exam Number One

They way literature and art combine so effortlessly with social movements is somewhat of a curious occurrence. One would not instinctively assume that the two would go together so well the way that the spring rains and the earth combine to create such beautiful green life. However, at the same time the strange fusion of rich and creamy peanut butter with sweet and thick jelly is a bit strange but immensely delicious. Social movements and the progression of the human race are obviously important to our adapting to new times and new challenges. However, without cohesion there is no power behind this progression. One of the best methods to bring people together is through the flexible and creative voice of art. Art is often times arbitrarily defined, but for our case let us define it as: “A medium that has the ability to tap and stimulate our emotions.” If the creator of the message can not find the key to the audience’s heart, the message is not able to find a home regardless of how power the message may be. Once the key has been found, there is no limit on the transfer of information, the opening of new ideas, and the knocking down of the walls of ignorance.
In the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, O’Brien states: “A thing may happen to be a total lie; another may not happen and be truer than the truth.” O’Brien is not promoting lying here but rather sharing his technique on how to truly and successfully deliver a message to an audience. What O’Brien is saying is that the best way to make someone understand a message is to make them feel the message. Rather than giving the audience the shell of the message, give them the soul of the message. To do this fully, sometimes an author must take a real event and spin it and reformat it and what ever he or she can to it without jeopardizing the integrity of the story, so that it sinks in deeply into the thought of the reader. Real truths are important and nice, but fake truths are sometimes more valuable in delivering the real message.
This paper will cover four pieces, three novels and one film, and show how they used art to explain social movements. The first novel is Dreamer which is a book about the African-American Civil Right movement. The novel follows a character by the name of Matthew Bishop as attempts to find his own beliefs as he helps the famous Martin Luther King Junior. The second novel is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. The novel is set in the future where a social revolution has changed many of the cultural norms we are used to today. The Handmaid’s Tale has to do with the women’s right movement. The last two pieces both revolve around the Vietnam War. The film Born On The Fourth Of July by Oliver Stone starring Tom Cruise and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien both follow Vietnam War veterans. Although these books cover different ideas and different movements, a similar theme runs through the books. The theme of love. The authors want us to care and want us to love the world around us. Love is important because when we strip away all the silly man made tangibles and strange man made theories and philosophies, all we have are the organic elements of the world and the connections we build with one another.

Dreamer written by Charles Johnson follows a young man named Matthew Bishop who works with Martian Luther King Junior in their struggle to find equality for African-Americans in America. Matthew Bishop along with his partner and love interest Amy is assigned to monitor a Martin Luther King look alike by the name of Chaym Smith. Chaym Smith used to be a man who lived a righteous and motivated life but due to traumatizing events in his life his foundation of strength was destroyed and he has come to Martin Luther King for help. The book follows Matthew Bishop as he juggles Chaym Smith, the Civil Rights movement, Amy, and his struggle to find his own identity. The book ends with the assignation of Dr. King.
Charles Johnson uses an interesting technique in the book where he inserts italicized segments between the narrative of Matthew Bishop to describe the Civil Rights movement and the thoughts of Martin Luther King with more impact. It allows the audience to see that even the movement took a roll on the great Martin Luther King and that even he questioned continuing the movement at times. It also helps the audience understand with greater clarity that Martin Luther King did not want only equality for the blacks but for everyone. Dr. King truly desired equality which is difficult to understand unless the point is driven in. Charles Johnson also uses another technique where he cuts in pieces of historical fact to blur the lines between history and his fictional narrative. This technique strengthens his story and makes the audience want to believe what is going on even further. (Truth vs not truth here)
The Civil Rights movement was about social equality. Dr. King believed that not one race, or social class, or gender should be superior to the next. He let everyone know that he was not looking to elevate the African-Americans above whites but rather to merge the two races into a harmonious society. Dr. King’s message and philosophy was truly about love.

Human Fate

I'm finished packing and I move back home from Melrose tomorrow. I'm really excited to go back home where I don't have to worry about keeping things in order alone, or keeping things clean alone. Home is some place team work is valued. At the same time, I feel like I am going to miss a certain part of Melrose and my time here. I don't know exactly what it is, but while I was packing I felt sorry almost. I'm no good at goodbyes, maybe that's all it was.

I keep having this reoccurring dream. Actually, I don't know if it reoccurring but there are elements with in the dream that reoccur. It has been a while since this has repeated but I do remember repeatedly seeing a toothbrush where the bristles are not fiber but rather plastic material. I know there are other reoccurring items and elements but I can't recall them at the time being. I wonder if these items hold some sort of symbolic significance? Maybe I am trying to tell or teach myself something. To look out for something.

I just watched something that really made me think. Is human fate moving in circles or is more of a path? Does it not feel like sometimes we going no where? No matter how much we advance or push forward we are always back in the same spot. Why is it that we search for strength, wisdom and greatness? When we get there won't we just want more? We go in circles. If this is the case, aren't you glad that our time here is limited. Life would be pointless. Or, is our path in life a strait line? If this is the case, we are racing time to see how far we can get before our bodies can no longer support our desires. Even if our fates were a strait path, would we want infinite time to live? There has to be an end right? When we get these what is next? Again, this debate about what life really is. What is worse: knowing that we may never reach "the end," or the possibility that we reach "the end" and there is nothing after it. Is this search for power worth it? If we don't have something to chase, what is there to search for?

You know what I hate hearing. I hate hearing peoples excuses when they turn 18. People always tell their parents, "you can't tell me what to do, I'm 18 now." Well if you want to be treated like an adult, act like an adult. Go out and pay for your own shit and support your own family. I'm glad I never used that lame ass excuse on my parents because I knew back that 18 means doesn't mean a damn thing. It is this arbitrary number that man and society picked out. What does number 18 have to do with how mentally strong you are? I know some 21 year olds that are stupider, yes, STUPIDER, than some 15 year olds I know. What the fuck does age have to do with anything? It is some number someone thought would be a good guideline to measure human beings.

What's worse: knowing that the people around you will inevitably leave you, or, fighting for a chance to keep those people?

Follow The Money

I think it's crazy how much our lives are shaped by how much money is around us. Kind of sucks huh? It's that debate about how much of our character is controlled by genes and how much is controlled by our environment. I guess money would fall under environment, but it's a big piece of the pie.

I've been reading a lot lately partly because I have to for my literature course but at the same time, I don't really mind it lately. I used to be a hater when it came to reading large amounts of pages in a short amount of time. The last novel I read was The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. There were a couple of things in the book along with other things that I've encountered in my life that made me think a little. One of the things I thought about was life and death. Some say that we only start the grasp the meaning of life when we stare death in it's eyes. We we can smell it's breath. They say everything becomes so obviously clear. Well what if a 9 year old child is faced with death, do they see the same things as a 90 year old facing death? Maybe their perception of life is even clearer than the 90 year olds who has had his or her vision altered by man made ideas and by society. A child is pure, it has yet to be influenced. Do they die more human than the rest of us? What does it mean to be human?

Why do we make up fake stories? For entertainment I suppose, but still. When looked at critically, it seems kind of foolish doesn't it? Not that I'm knocking it, cause shit, I like fake stories. I like fantasies and I like thinking of "what ifs..."

How strong is the bond of friendship? Over time, I've learned not that strong. I've always said I want to marry a person who is my friend, not someone that needs a partner for the politics of having partner. But is that bond between man and woman (well at least for me, but it can me man and man and woman and woman) and stronger than friend and friend? Why is that bonds between people break? Time? Energy? I can't quite grasp it. I like to think of my self as someone who will always be there...for friend or stranger.

Why are relationships so political now? So mechanical? Why are romantic relationships about what have you done for me lately? Why is it sex fuels romantic relationships? Shouldn't it just be a part of the experience you share together because you care for each other? Why is it shameful to be single? Why would you want to have a boy friend or girl friend just for the sake of having one? Why do people ask, "is he/she right for me?" If you have to ask, shouldn't you know?

I've read a little about Martin Luther Kind Jr., Gandhi, and Jesus lately and there is one lesson they each preached that I've been trying to live by. They believe everyone is equal, even your enemies and that you shouldn't be trying to pass everyone, but to take everyone with you. It's a tough lesson but I've been trying. I always push my self to be better and better and a good way to measure that is to compare my self to my peers. I look up to people who have advanced farther than I have because it lights a fire underneath me and it makes me work harder. Sometimes it's hard to drag people along with you because they aren't willing to put in the work. That's where there is conflict. You shouldn't leave anyone behind. MLK tried to teach us how to live like this but some people were just to stubborn, lazy, ignorant. I'm no example, but we should all strive to be better and teach others to be better.

My hands are cold.

Coochie-Ki

Wow, I haven't blogged since November 7th. Haha. Normally I would feel terrible for not documenting my life regularly, but this time around I don't feel a drop of guilt. What's up with the change? I don't really know, I just don't feel guilty.

So, what have I been up too since Nov. 7th!? Well, I wish I could tell you not a lot and that my life has been ordinary, but I can't. My whole world has been changed mostly due to my visiting South Korea. I don't know what exactly changed me when I was there, nor can I pin-point one event that, but I know ever since visiting and coming back to the States, I see life and the whole world differently. It's crazy! I don't mean "it" as in the world and life, but how much two weeks of meaningful and new experience can change ones life. I can't wait to go back! Maybe someday when I have more time, I'll write about all the things that I did when I went there.

Lately I've been thinking to myself: what if I lived during the time of the Samurai? I think it'd be freaking awesome. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I think I would have made one hell of a Samurai.

School started back up last week and so far I am ahead of the game. I don't think ever in my career at the U of M have I been so caught up in my school work. It feels good, better than good. I am going to use this spare time to watch some episodes of Bleach, which I have been addicted to lately. My episode is probably done loading right now. Either my Internet here at Melrose is really slow or YouTube is struggling which could be since they just did some work on the site. But I need to stay ahead in my homework at least until next Thursday when I plan on seeing Saosin and Armor For Sleep co-headline! Should be a grand time! I've missed going to concerts...I think my last one was the Chiodos/Emery/Scary Kids Scaring Kids/Devil Wears Prada concert. Stacked? Yea, I think so.

Am I a nerd for watching anime and thinking about Samurai? Hell no!
Yahoo!

A Little Harsh

Busy busy times for me. I register for classes this coming Tuesday, however, I have a hold on my registration because I need to pick a major. That's why I am here again waiting to meet my adviser. I was initially going to go with a journalism major to get that hold off but when I called the journalism office they informed me that the journalism major has a special entry process which is closed until spring semester. Now I need to re-plan a go a different route so I can register on time. On top of that, I have two major papers due within 6 days and I need to work ahead of class schedules since I am taking a trip to Korea soon. Why don't I just work on it all this weekend? Oh yea, I might be going to Duluth. If I wasn't so fucking busy, going to Duluth would be a no brainier, but since I am so busy I need to weigh my options a little more. Stressful!
Duluth sounds like a grand time and it appears that a whole gang of people are headed up this weekend. I just wish I wasn't so busy. I really need to work ahead so my Korea trip can be as enjoyable as can be. I am really looking forward to this trip. I am also really confused about airport and international regulations since I've never been out of the country or on a plane since I was one. I'll just go with. I plan to document (via video camera) as much as I can and just try and soak up as much as I can.

This past weekend was really fun. Jon came down from Duluth and brought his neighbor Danielle with him. They arrived in The Hood around 6:30ish and stopped by my place first. We went over to Jon's place quickly to drop some stuff off and see his parents but then rolled to pick Dean up. We sat around Melrose for a little bit with the Celtics game on. Boston looks might impressive and KG looks revived. He almost looks younger (sometimes it's hard to tell since he is so black it all looks the same). After we got a little grub and went back to Jon's. We called Mitch and Andy over and popped in Eternal Sunshine. I think Dean, Andy and I were the only ones to see the movie before that sitting so it was a new experience for most of the people there. Eternal Sunshine is an experience everyone should get around to. I went home early to get some sleep since I had to wake up early for church and I didn't want to be drained for a big Saturday. Church went well, the youth group I lead got into a big discussion which was entertaining to be a part of. Later Jon and crew picked me up from Church and we rolled to Rochester from there. Danielle's cousin, Emily, was a part of a huge volleyball and we were all going to go cheer her on. We got just as they were starting and we got to watch the Owatanna girls high school volleyball team get their whoop on. After we went to go get some Chipotle which was delicious since I hadn't had Chipotle in quite some time. On the way to Emily's house, where we were invited to stay at, we received the invitation to join the volleyball team for a post-win celebration. We accepted the invite and met up with Emily. We didn't do much other than sit around and chat. I tried to get an autograph from my favorite Owatanna player but lacked a pen and a canvas. I was however honored with a dance lesson from the team. They taught me a team dance they perform after one of their players gets a spike. After the team party, we went over to Emily's and watched Donnie Darko. That movie honestly never gets old. You learn something new from it each time. When we finished Donnie Darko we went downstairs were we planned to sleep and just talked until we slowly fell asleep. We left early Sunday and got to The Hood around noon-ish. We all went home to clean up and met up so we could go see 30 Days of Night. We made a Best Buy detour so Jon could pick up a temporary phone since his Razor's screen shattered and he didn't want to pull out of his contract to get a new phone. 30 Days of Night was a entertaining movie, but my opinion should not sway anyone to watch it since I am a huge fan of horror movies. Especially ones where a group of humans work together to survive a mass of infected. These movies always get my imagination running. I thought it was well made. I thought they did blood really well and the movie flowed smoothly. I didn't like how they showed the vampires perspectives, I thought that took away from the movie. After the movie we got some grub and chilled at Jon's house until Jon took off back to Duluth. Overall one of the most enjoyable weekends since school started. It makes me worried that if I pass on Duluth, I will be missing out on a whole assortment of fun.
Since I got to see 30 Days of Night, the only fall movie left on my list is Saw4. I feel kind of naked and disappointed that I haven't seen Saw4 yet and disappointed cause I didn't see it opening night. It had become sort of a tradition. I guess there really wasn't much motivation since Jon wasn't there and the series seems to be going down hill. I'll probably end up waiting until it comes out on DVD. I need to get my hands on 28 Weeks Later and watch that joint over again cause I loved it.

I feel as though I need to apologize for my last blog. It was kind of harsh and maybe unfair. I am comfortable enough to talk to my Mom about anything and we talked about my apartment issue and I told her I vent by speaking with Dean and Jon and also by blogging. She told me that blogging and venting is good, but that if I am going to document my thoughts and leave it open for the public, that I need to watch what I am saying. She told me there is a difference between lying and being respectful. The line might be thin, but she is right when she says that. I guess I just felt like I had to tell the truth and nothing but the truth in my own words (And not sell-out haha). It is something I am going to have to balance better in the future because I am not trying to offend anyone with these bad boys. I just like honing my thoughts.
Before I moved into Melrose people always told me, "never move in with your best friends." I took the tip in, but I wanted to challenge it because I felt like my best friends were different from the average best friends. Well, 2.5 months into it, I got to say rooming with the right best friends rocks. I can only imagine how much better the experience would have been if Jon were a part of it. I can't think of a time where there has been a clash with Dean. It has been all jokes and when we aren't joking we are helping each other with school or other things. So, when people tell you never to room with your best friends, punch them on the nose and tell them they are wrong. Actually don't do that, because they are probably right. I think people like me and people like my friends are the minority. There aren't many genuine people around any more.
One more issue I want to bring up. I don't think I am going to think about this in depth until after my Korea trip, but I think I am going to bring it up. As of now, I think I have about $200 in my bank account which is not enough to pay next months rent. I just received a check for about $300 which puts me at $500 which is just enough to pay for my rent. But if you have been doing the math so far, this leaves me with a balance of $0 after I pay for November. How do I expect to pay for Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June and July? I really have no clue. So I've been weighing my pros and cons trying to see what might be best for me. I am currently thinking about sub-leasing my contract and staying at home. The benefits would be that I save money that I don't really have. Less stress, because lets face it, rooming with E.H has been extremely stressful. Those two factors alone are enough. But there are cons to this as well. I would need to purchase a car with no money, but I don't think my parents would have a problem with helping me here. But the major thing that is holding me back is that I feel like I am bailing out on Dean. We went into this together and I have been having a blast rooming with him, but if I leave, I feel like I am abandoning him (sell-out?). I keep telling myself not to worry about Dean, that he can take care of him self and that in situations like this where I have no money and stress management is key, I have to look out for what is best for me. But I still can't help it, it is my nature to weigh all scenarios in. I'm kind of stuck in a shitty situation, but I don't think I am going to think to much about it nor will I come up with a decision until after my Korea trip.

Yay, I need to piss and then go see my adviser.

You're Already Dead

Yay! Still an hour plus until my advisory meeting so I need to burn some time. A perfect time to blog in this computer lab like I did so much last year. I finished class about 45 minutes ago and I didn't feel like walking back home to only walk back an hour later for my meeting. The meeting should be interesting. I guess I really don't have something concrete to talk about, but rather I was going to ask my councilor what I should do with the rest of my collegiate career and then my life. Kind of a weird theme huh? But the fact is that I need to pick a major within 2 weeks and whether or not that major correlates to my life and career, it is still going to be an important decision I feel. Oh the chaos and confusion!

So the state of our apartment has been pretty fair as of late. Zak has really raised his understanding and has really tried hard to balance his living style with the style of others. His actions are much appreciated as far as I go. Dean has always been one of the more understanding and considerate people I've known so no worries there, duh. I hate to admit it, but the only hiccup now in our room is Mitch. How someone can be so naive, ignorant, arrogant, self-centered, inconsiderate and hot-tempered baffles me. It's hard to explain what he does, but if you are around him long enough you quickly catch on to his annoying habits. You don't have to live with him to pick these annoyances up. The thing is that it is impossible to talk to him about everything and anything because he just lies about all his insecurities and misdoings. I think he is so far into thinking that he is good at living and everything that he can't accept mistakes. If you confront him about something and he doesn't lie, he just gets angry. Along with this, his logic confuses me. I don't think I have blogged about the story of when he yelled at Zak, which I shall document now. I believe he needed to get up at 6 or something the next morning so he went to bed early. Well, Zak, Dean and myself got into a mild slap-happy mood in the living room so our volume was above normal. Well I walk into my room to brush up and get ready bed when I see Mitch storm by the door, single Zak out and yell, "Seriously, shut the fuck up. I have to get up at 6 A.M." The actions and words independently might not be seen to extreme, but let us consider a few things. One: He is generally, and by generally I mean always, the loudest person when I am trying to get to bed. Bed time for me is around midnight every night since I have morning classes this semester. His over exaggerated laughs and unnecessary excitement over Madden plays or what is going on TV always keeps me up (Even worse, haunts me haha). Two: He seems to put the volume of his laptop and volume of the TV in competition. For some reason he needs to watch YouTube at the same time as ESPN. When YouTube gets to loud, he just raises the volume for ESPN, but when his video is done buffering and ESPN is eclipsing his laptops volume, up goes the Youtube audio. Considerate? I think not. I would feel bad if I was the only one upset about his actions cause I know I can be picky at times. I never want to assume my way is the best way, so I had to make sure and ask my other roommates. The consensus of our room was his actions are not acceptable. I could write about this topic for megabytes and megabytes of server space, but I'll end it after a few more issues. With Mitch, nothing ever stays consistent. It could be that his memory is horrible and he just forgets that he has used something and where that item should be returned, but for some odd reason that item never returns clean or does it ever return. Also, he does this thing when he is done with milk cartons and cans. He rinses them and leaves them out on the kitchen counter-top. Now I am pretty American when it comes to living style, but I did grow up under a Korean roof and I am curious, is this a Caucasian habit? I don't want to make the mistake of a cultural difference. In my house, we usually clean up our mess and it is unacceptable to leave things out expecting other people to throw it away for you. That might just be my house though. I am beginning to think that he owns the refrigerator space as well. He just shoves other peoples items aside to access his and never moves them back. This might be a little picky, but I enjoy it when I am looking for food and it is aesthetically pleasing to look into the fridge. I don't want to think that I am eating mashed up pigs food. I will end with one more issue. A couple of weeks ago we made a "Room 125 Constitution." In this constitution we made a few major rules. One of them was that we would only eat our own food. I asked the room when we first moved in because I knew this was going to be an issue but they all agreed on community food. Now we all have to mark our items of food with a B, D, M, Z or C. Benny, Dean, Min, Zak or community. During the community era, which I knew wasn't going to work, I would probably put in about $30 of food a week with items like bread, water bottles and other much used items. Another major change we made was that everyone is responsible for their own dishes. You use it, you clean it. Pretty basic I think. For some reason this concept hasn't caught on as quickly as I had imagined. This past Monday, we made some amendments to make sure everyone does their part. Mitch admitted to not doing the dishes because he felt others were not doing their part. I once heard a quote that stated that two wrongs don't make a right...or I guess in this case, one wrong doesn't make a right. Because Zak and I confirmed that Dean was cleaning his dishes right after he used them, Zak only uses the food his Dad brings him which is in Tupperware and there wasn't ever any Tupperware, and I clean my isht everyday after class. We gave everyone a 24 hour rule so it was acceptable for me to wait until I got home from class. And I don't mean to be arrogant, but to put it bluntly, I am the standard right now when it comes to overall cleanness. On top of this, we saw items in the sink with Mitch's garbage in it. No one else in our apartment has eggs except for Mitch, so how did that egg covered frying pan, spatula and plate get into the sink? Maybe we have a 5th ghost roommate? Ya, that has to be it.

Along with the issues at the apartment, I've been kind of struggling with the discovery that people lie to me much more than I initially understood. I really thought if continued to be genuinely honest, that karma would work its magic. I always gave people the benefit of the doubt, but now I understand that when you give people that lenience they abuse it and when the do it for so long, it just becomes natural. Lies are so easily seen through. I firmly believe there is no such thing as a good lie when it comes from a liar. It is too obvious. The thing is, I am not one to call people out on their fuck ups so I will continue to get abused. If only people were strong enough to resist societies temptations and standards. Face it fuckers, you will never impress society and other fakes or "hipsters", you might as well start bonding with the people that matter. Don't sell out.
I guess this kind goes along with the liars idea, but I learned about a theory in my psychoanalysis class that really bothers me. In Sigmund Freud's studies of the human unconscious, pre-conscious and conscious, he states that all humans have an unconscious instinct to seek betrayal. That seems pretty ridiculous but how can we prove it right or wrong? I think it really dug into me because for the past 2 years I've struggled with this issue. It really wore me down last year and the only thing that kept me up was music (Good thing Senses Fail's "Still Searching" and Brand New's "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me" came out when they did). I always asked myself, how does this horrible thing always happen to me? Haven't I always been loyal and caring? Then this theory exposed it self last week. Could it really have been that I have been setting my self up for epic heartbreaks? Consciously, I know I don't ever want to feel that way again. I guess what really eats at me is that if this really is an instinct and I really don't have any control over this, am I really living? I might as well just be a programmed robot that does my internal instincts will. I pride my self with strong logic and strong cognitive abilities but really maybe it's not even me doing these actions. I kind of think of it as my conscious in a vehicle that my unconscious is driving. I can think and see what is going on outside the window, but where the vehicle is going I have no control over. Kind of depresses me.

Almost time for my meeting so I will end on one last topic - the new Armor for Sleep album. Couldn't have come out at a better time. It is like artists and music knows when I need to talk about certain things and they always come out to help (haha, it could be that there is so much music our there, but always by my favorite artists?). It is almost as if Armor for Sleep wanted to talk about liars and betrayal with me. The CD has a theme of critiquing society and how it changes the way people act. "Smile For The Camera" the albums name is pretty self explanatory. I really love how Armor takes shots at hipsters (Listen of "Williamsburg"). There are a few parts in the CD that I don't really like, but overall it is something I really enjoy. The production might have been more fitting for the theme of "Dream to Make Believe" since it has a lot of echo and reverb effects along with chimes and bells but it works for this CD as well. Do your self a good deed and go listen to the whole album. And I don't give a shit what people say about emo music, I think it is fantastic. I really do feel like it is poetry, emotion, human thought, humanitarianism, therapy all in motion. If you can't except that people need to share their feelings, that is to bad for you.

Hipsters

Fuck em.

Golly it's been a while. Much to write about quickly since I need to attend our second house meeting and go work out after. I'll keep the topics short yet meaningful.

I still haven't found the time to talk about the release of Halo3, which seems for ever ago now. I really haven't got to play it much yet, but from what I've experienced I like. Really it can't ever replace the initial shock that Halo2 gave me, but it is a nice little update and reminder of Halo. What I'm trying to say is, it really doesn't feel that much different than Halo2 so it isn't anything new to me. Halo2 was a fresh and new experience and had me hooked for months, but I don't really see Halo3 doing that. It is nice to go home on the weekends and just sit on Halo3 with Jon (Who I miss very much, just had to throw that out) till 4 A.M chatting with him, Red and Danielle. It certainly has made the time away from him seem much shorter. Just being able to talk to him and being able to feel his youth come out my head-set is all worth it. Halo3 is well worth the buy, but it isn't more than I expected. I wish I could play it more often, cause the truth is I've been getting my ass kicked (to my standards) on there. I guess a 1:1 ratio isn't that bad, but it's not satisfying knowing that in my Halo2 prime I could break off about 30 kills at will in a team slayer.

I was lucky enough to experience the Underoath headliner and the Chiodos headliner these past few weeks. Underoath's show was on a Thursday and the Friday after I was a zombie the whole day. I think that morning I woke up, unraveled my legs from underneath my covers, climbed down from my bed and stood there for an uncertain amount of time. With my eyes closed, I stood by the bathroom door not sure what my next move was. Of course my normal morning routine is to take a shower at the point. I paced my self for Underoath which was smart because I was gassed half way through the Underoath set. I sat back for Maylene and The Sons of Disaster who were pretty good. I guess their sound isn't really my favorite but I enjoyed watching and listening from the back. I got into the floor for Poison The Well and jammed out for "Nerdy" which is the only song I really knew by them. I got my rock on for Every Time I Die who motivated the Myth to open up what was possibly one of the biggest circle pits I have ever seen. Dean and Nick got sucked into that circle pit and told me a girl passed out because she fell and got trampled. Lastly, Underoath. Their set was just epic. No other word can really describe what they did on stage. They walked on stage to Salmamir with this video projected behind the drum set. The video was well made and totally creepy. They had these awesome transitions between songs and amazing interludes. Every time they ended a song Aaron hit one if his digital drum pads which was set on this huge bass sound and the projector shot out Underoath's iconic 0. They probably played for at least a hour and fifteen minutes which is crazy long. Way to much Underoath for me to handle (Jigga please...). I got home, swapped some stories, took a shower and went to bed.
The following Monday was time for Chiodos. I felt that this was the best all around concert in October. We waited in this huge twisting line at the Cabooze and when we got in we had to wait for Leah and Zak since they didn't have tickets. I could barely stand still while waiting for them since The Devil Wears Prada were already on stage. Once Zak and Leah got in I quickly assimilated into the crowd. Devil Wears Prada is just hella crazy and I only wish I knew the words so I could have screamoed it up with them. Next was Scary Kids Scaring Kids who I am just obsessed with right now and I don't know why. Their set was really good, but it wasn't life changing or anything. I guess I just really dig their new CD. Emery was the main support and I was extremely disappointed by them. It took them way to long to set up and get on stage which killed the atmosphere and energy and when they did hit the stage their sound was all messed up. I think I could have sung an acoustic ballad louder than their amps were set. It really sucked the energy out of the crowd. Since they took so long to set up, they had to cut their set short and they decided to cut most of their songs from The Question which were the only songs I really knew since I hadn't listened to their new joint much. They did end with Walls which was a wise choice since that is the song most people know by them. Watching Scary Kids and Emery back to back really makes you appreciate keyboardists. The Emery keyboardists did one of the sickest things I had ever seen in concert. He decided to walk on the crowd haha. It was like watching Jesus. Chiodos finished the night off with a bang. They played a nice blend of old and new and mixed it nicely with soft and hard. Craig played a couple of acoustic songs for the encore. The most unique part of the night was when some jackass threw a cup full of ice at Craig between his two acoustic songs. Craig paused and let the dummy know that Craig might sound and look like a girl, but that he could kick his fucking ass. And that there are about 300 other people that would back him. Then he finished the night. It took for ever to get out cause Nick and Zak walked around the venue trying to find Zak's shoe. When we finally did get out I was greeted by B-Nag of Four Letter Lie handing out FLL ads. I was in much better shape after this show and I had enough energy to sit around and chat with the crew. For some odd reason I decided to assign Pokemon characters to everyone when we got home. I'm weird. I came away form these two concerts with an understanding of why good bands are good. Because they are smart and they work hard. When you compare bands, it is pretty obvious which ones practice and think things out and which ones don't. I mean, I'm sure all bands practice their songs, but it shows when a band puts in a little extra work. Although Emery stunk the joint up, their performance would have been very good if it weren't for the poor sound quality. And Underoath - it is obvious that their set was well practiced. It can't be that epic on accident. There are some concerts I was looking forward to in November but it looks like I will be in Korea during those so I guess I wait until some December shows are listed or else some spring tours and then Bamboozle. We'll see.

This past weekend was our second week of football for the 2007 fall season. We had a handful of people bail out so at first the core group of people were going to call the game off but we managed to get a 3v3 game and it turned out to be one of the more entertaining weeks in recent memory and one of the more memorable. We played like 2 or 3 games with one set of teams and then mixed it up to see if we could balance the teams out a little more. We were in our second game with the new teams when the game had to and due to the skin above my eye being split open. Dean and I collided faces and I thought it was just going to be a bruiser but when the guys walked over to check up on me they let me know that my face was bleeding. When I looked up I saw a bunch of shocked faces and they let me know that I was probably going to need stitches. When I saw the cut for the first time in Andy's car mirror I couldn't believe how big the cut was. It honestly didn't feel as bad as it looked and I'm not trying to be macho or anything, but I am curious as to why something like that hurts less then a bruise or something? I've seen boxers with the same cut above their eye and it looks like the end of the world to me, but this cut was honestly like 200% better than a paper cut pain-wise. The worst part was going to the doctors cause it took 4 hours to get 8 stitches. It was horrible. The part that hurt the most was getting the novocaine cause it burned on the way in. Aside from the hospital, the most upsetting part was that we couldn't finish the game. I guess it's a good thing since we were losing in overtime and the other team just got the ball and I hadn't lost all day. Now I can still say I went undefeated that day. I was playing much better football compared to week 1. Our football games have such a different feel to it without Jon. When Jon is on the field it's like there is black-hole on the field that everyone has to pay attention to on defense and offense. I'm a thinker when playing football so not having to worry about Jon takes so much weight off my mind since Jon and I were pretty much not allowed to play on the same team. Anywho, pray that my gash doesn't scar horribly and I look forward to the next time I get to play some football.

I have a couple of important topics I still need to blog about but it'll have to wait since I have a couple of things I still need to do tonight. I've been struggling with a social issue lately and I wanted to bring up a topic I learned about in my psychoanalysis class that really dug into me. Also I've been into music like crazy lately. Maybe because of all the concerts, but it is one of those moments in my life again where it feels like music is the most understanding element around. All I want to do is listen to music and sing lately (which has kind of been hard with my cold). Oh, and I need to update the sad state of our apartment. Mostly just Ernest Hemmingway shit. He sucks at life. I hope everyone is doing better than my eye...because if you're not, your life sucks.

That's Never Been In My Yard Before!

I've just received two horrible notes of news. The first one happened a couple hours ago when Nick called me to let me know that we will not be heading up to Duluth this weekend to visit Jon. Which is a major let down since I had my mind set for about two weeks that we would be going up. I guess playing Halo3 with Jon via X-Box live will have to do. It would have been nice though to go up and chill. The second note I just read off of Absolutepunk is that Fred Mascherino of Taking Back Sunday just left the band to pursue his solo project. I know Taking Back Sunday has had member changes before, but this is the Taking Back Sunday I know and have dug into. Also with the amount of success they have had I really thought this lineup was solidified. What I mean by that is that this member change phase seems different from the last one. During the previous change they were still a growing band but I thought this time they had time to gel and harden. I think it makes it much harder to change. Oh well, we will see what happens. They are writing a record now, so really soon too.

While we are on the topic of music, I might as well continue. Recently I got to hear and watch the music video from System of a Down front man Serj Tankian's new project. Although the song sounds just like System of a Down's material, the video is what hooked me. I mean who else has the balls to set up building blocks in the figure of two buildings and throw a toy plane into it? I know I don't know Serj personally nor have I followed his work that much in depth (I did indulge in the earlier System of a Down songs), but he seems like a real humanitarian. Some one who knows his shit and isn't afraid to preach his opinion. Much respect for Serj Tankian. I look forward to his CD coming out at the end of the month.

I had the chance to catch Good Luck Chuck on opening night and I guess I wasn't disappointed but I wasn't really falling out of my chair laughing either. I guess I'm just a sucker for Jessica Alba movies, and so I've decided I need to put my wiener in check and stop wasting my money on Alba movies. Good Luck Chuck had some funny moments but sometimes I think it was just over the top. Like Dane Cook's sex montage, that shit was crazy, and Dane's friend fucking the grape fruit. Yuck! I would never fuck a grape fruit because that's weird and because my dick would be all citrusy and sticky. With that said, I must admit Jessica Alba is fine/hot/sexy/beautiful/gorgeous/and any other adjective that compliments her looking so god damn amazing. Plus, it was one of those bubbly romantic comedies that everyone has to kind of love unless you're cynical fuck with no romance in your heart. It just has one of those, "I want to hold you forever and you're always on my mind" themes to it. Cute, no?

One last thing before my Ernest Hemingway style blog comes to a close (Pwah haha). During my time away from Jon and Dick, I've felt like the youthful side of personality has been sapping away slowly. I think they both were key elements to me being my self around people. I mean, I'm always my self around people, but they allowed me to be ridiculous when ever I wanted. They let me use my imagination and they were able to follow along with my visuals. I can't do that with everyone and especially around one of my fucking room-mates haha (He is such a buzz kill). This roommate always seems like he comes home with a "I'm going to beat the shit out of my wife when I get home" type of attitude. His temper is one of a kind. If he lived in a more rural area, he would indeed be considered white trash. Without a fucking doubt. I fear for his potential wives already. Not only is she going to have to cook, clean, look after, serve him, she is also going to have to put up with his shit and she probably is going to get slapped around. It's sad that to think women are still actually beat and still looked upon as an inferior sex. Humans and their superiority complex. It really does confuse me, but really when I look at my self from a third person point of view, I am not immune to this complex. It's just human nature to make things easier for them selves and harder for others.

Anywho, I need to check a couple of things, see if any updates appeared on Absolutepunk and then I want to get me some shut eye. Va-holla!