Ain't nothin' like the real thing, baby.

Call me old fashioned. But, if I'm going to spend money on music, if at all possible, I'd much rather spend my money on something tangible, something I can actually feel.

Music is to be listened to, of course - that's kind of what makes music, well, music; what differentiates it from other forms of art - such as film, for example - is that you experience music purely through sound.

Although the term "purely" still doesn't seem quite right.

Music, just like any other type of art, is not just something you sense, but something you experience. You may hear music, or look at a photo; but, if it matters, if the art means anything at all, you FEEL it; not necessarily in the physical sense (although that could definitely be part of it, possibly even the main point, in some cases), but in the metaphysical sense, at the very least. Good music, or good art in general, affects ("touches") you in a way that makes you think, feel, even act.

So, if some material object that's meant to accompany the music I'm paying for, such as a record, a CD, a booklet, album artwork and/or photos, or a lyric sheet, can help me more fully experience what the artist was trying to convey, why wouldn't I want to spend my hard-earned money on something like that?


These fools.


Pro wrestling at it's best.


"But this empty bedroom won't make anything right."

I've been feeling this song lately. And now I want to learn how to do this typography stuff.

Stars - "The Calendar Girl"


How I'm going to disappoint myself at the end of 2011.

Just some random new year's resolutions. I like to set myself up for failure.

1. Wallrides and wallies. I will be able to do them.

2. Read a book month. I'll give this one another try.

3. Take care of my room. It's been a while.

4. Brush my teeth and floss and use mouthwash before I go to sleep. Every night. Gross, I know. I've only been doing it in the morning. But my teeth are still fine. No cavities - in fact, my dentist said I was doing a great job at taking care of my teeth, but I know otherwise.

5. Wear my retainer at night again. I think my teeth have shifted a little.

6. Take care of my body. I feel so weak nowadays.

7. Volunteer and give back to the community.

I think that's more than enough reasons to feel bad about myself come 2012. Later.


How'd I do? (Hint: Not very good).

So, I'm gonna go over my new year's resolutions from 2010 right now. Time to feel bad about myself...

1. Be honest with myself and the people in my life that I love.
I think I did pretty well with this one. So far, so good.

2. Be a better friend to the people in my life that deserve it.
I hope I did okay with this one. I tried, at least.

3. Volunteer regularly/work to make my community better.
Totally didn't do this one. Although, to my credit (basically, to save face), my new position at work has let me be a lot more involved with the population we serve (people with developmental disabilities) in the community I live in. And as long as they don't give me the boot, I'm only going to get more involved. Still not much of an excuse, though.

4. Live by a love ethic.
I tried.

5. Figure out what I want to go to grad school for.
I think I confused myself even more in 2010.

6. Study for the GREs.
Haha!

7. Take the GREs again and do good enough on them.
Yeah right.

8. Apply for grad school.
I don't want to go yet, anyway.

9. Exercise/stretch out at least every other day.
Nope. And I wonder why my body feels like shit all the time...

10. Read at least a book a month.
Didn't even get through 1 book throughout the whole year. Hella fail. This year will be different. I swear.

11. Set aside 1 day a week to clean my room and run errands.
It's like everyday is set aside for errands. But cleaning my room? Yeah...that totally didn't happen again. My room sucks anyway. But once the remodel happens...shit's gonna be sick...

12. Go back to school for at least 1 class at a time.
With all the bullshit going on my life, this wasn't really on my mind. But, I've been really thinking about this one lately. I think I'm ready to really budget my time to fit this one in.

13. Pay off my credit card debt by June.
I know I could have, but I decided that money would be better spent elsewhere. With the new position and new pay, I'll pay it off before April this year, for sure.

14. Be happier.
I'm ambivalent on this one.

15. Learn 360 flips.
I really tried towards the end of the year. I can land about 1 shitty one a day. I'd say resolution number 15 was a success - I've got low standards on this one.

2011's new year's resolutions. Tomorrow.