Because I act like an old man I've been falling asleep with the TV on and the sleep timer set. I've learned that even falling asleep with the TV on takes some thought, while the History Channel would put some to sleep in record time, it will actually keep me up, so I put it on the news channels to see what they are telling me to believe today.
Last night I listened to the rantings of Keith Olbermann and others on his show. They were talking about John Edwards not publicly endorsing either Hilldo or Barry-O and my first thought is, "Who flippin' cares?" Are there people out there who are so absent from their own minds that they have to see who is endorsing who before they decide? We have heard countless stories of who celebrities are supporting. I have also read the websites of several bands and who they are supporting. That's nice but, please people...
Think for yourselves!
The best part about not thinking for yourself is that if Governor X endorses Candidate Y there is something in it for X. So Joe Schmoe chillin' on his couch waiting for someone else to tell him how to vote is helping X move up in the world. I've always heard you should watch out for "old number one" but in doing this you are not! Do some reasearch and figure out who best represents what you believe and would do what's best for the country. No candidate is going to get rid of your debt, make you like your job, or fix most of the woes in your life but, if the past eight years have shown anything, they can put the wheels in motion to affect a lot in this country. Who ever you pick, don't do it on a whim!
If you are reading this, you are on a wonderful thing called the internet. Use it to do some research about those running for office from the presidency all the way down to your city council. You will learn about them, why they are there, what they stand for, and maybe where they will want to go. If nothing else you will have bettered yourself and can hold an intelligent conversation on the topic.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Up For Review
Since I'm giving serious thought to pursuing journalism some day I figured I'd take this opportunity for a concert review. All constructive criticism is welcome.
Last night I took Dad to see the Moody Blues, his favorite band of all time, and, I must say, that I was pleasantly surprised. They played a two hour set that included material spanning their long and illustrious career that sounded well in the acoustics at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore. The setting was fantastic and they sounded like I imagine they would have in their heyday.
The one thing that could not be overlooked was the crowd; the baby boomer's have all grown up. They moved a little slower, had less hair, and sat more than they stood; this was especially humorous when the band played Are You Sitting Comfortably. It took a few songs before they got the blood flowing but when they did you could feel the energy rise both on stage and off. The aging process was not lost on the Moodys either, with Graeme Edge making a comment that he wrote a song almost 40 years ago when, "my hair was brown and my teeth were white."
The musicianship of the original trio and four supporting musicians was right on par with the dusty vinyl sitting on my shelves. This was proven beyond all doubt on Isn't Life Strange with elaborate guitar solos, a pair of drummers, keyboardists, and a flutist all playing with precision and flawless transitions. The obligatory Nights In White Satin sounded fresh and was played with the raw emotion in which it was originally written. It was, surprisingly, not reserved for the finale, that was instead given to Question and Ride My Seesaw.
Overall the volume was set at a comfortable level, they weren't so loud your ears rang and they weren't so quiet that you couldn't tell what was going on.The sound quality was not with out flaws, however. John Lodge's microphone was a tad low, and when performing some of the lead vocals it became even more obvious. Justin Hayward's guitar had a tendency to overshadow the other instruments at various points too. As the night wound down the sound engineer made the necessary adjustments and toned it down a bit so that it blended with the rest of the band nicely.
Having never been to one of their shows before, I cannot compare it with a performance of the past, but in my own concert experiences this one is high on the list. I can say with all certainty that I would go back and catch their show anytime. The setting, the sound, the people, and the band made a combination that all shows should strive to achieve.
Last night I took Dad to see the Moody Blues, his favorite band of all time, and, I must say, that I was pleasantly surprised. They played a two hour set that included material spanning their long and illustrious career that sounded well in the acoustics at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore. The setting was fantastic and they sounded like I imagine they would have in their heyday.
The one thing that could not be overlooked was the crowd; the baby boomer's have all grown up. They moved a little slower, had less hair, and sat more than they stood; this was especially humorous when the band played Are You Sitting Comfortably. It took a few songs before they got the blood flowing but when they did you could feel the energy rise both on stage and off. The aging process was not lost on the Moodys either, with Graeme Edge making a comment that he wrote a song almost 40 years ago when, "my hair was brown and my teeth were white."
The musicianship of the original trio and four supporting musicians was right on par with the dusty vinyl sitting on my shelves. This was proven beyond all doubt on Isn't Life Strange with elaborate guitar solos, a pair of drummers, keyboardists, and a flutist all playing with precision and flawless transitions. The obligatory Nights In White Satin sounded fresh and was played with the raw emotion in which it was originally written. It was, surprisingly, not reserved for the finale, that was instead given to Question and Ride My Seesaw.
Overall the volume was set at a comfortable level, they weren't so loud your ears rang and they weren't so quiet that you couldn't tell what was going on.The sound quality was not with out flaws, however. John Lodge's microphone was a tad low, and when performing some of the lead vocals it became even more obvious. Justin Hayward's guitar had a tendency to overshadow the other instruments at various points too. As the night wound down the sound engineer made the necessary adjustments and toned it down a bit so that it blended with the rest of the band nicely.
Having never been to one of their shows before, I cannot compare it with a performance of the past, but in my own concert experiences this one is high on the list. I can say with all certainty that I would go back and catch their show anytime. The setting, the sound, the people, and the band made a combination that all shows should strive to achieve.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I. Can't. Remember. Dammit!
Every morning, I have brilliant blog ideas that I plan on sharing with you all when I get to work. However by the time I make it around the beltway, I have completely forgotten what I wanted to write about. This has now happened two days in a row. Maybe I should carry a notebook and write down key words to jog my memory.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Six months! Come on, Harold, it's a hockey season!
I've been here six months now and things are OK. I've had some ups and downs, but overall I pretty much get paid to do brainless work. Here are some observations of the past six months:
I got a pretty good raise for my evaluations which is hilarious because I do the least amount of work of the three in my office. If someone comes in and needs something fixed, I go try to fix it. If it's something that I cannot fix, I pass it off to someone who has a lot of certifications to mess with. After eight years of "management" it's nice not to deal with it. In A Few Good Men, Lieutenant Weinberg has a line that he repeats a few times, "I have no real responsibility here, what so ever." I couldn't agree more!
So far there is only one person who really appreciates the sarcasm of yours truly. I guess it's better than none. Most around here smile and chuckle awkwardly when I make a crack about something.
I drink a lot of water and coffee which means I pee a lot. Just about every time I'm in there, I notice two things, blatant disregard for Men's Room Etiquette and the same pair of shoes showing from under the stall. That's a lot of poopin' for one day!
I got a pretty good raise for my evaluations which is hilarious because I do the least amount of work of the three in my office. If someone comes in and needs something fixed, I go try to fix it. If it's something that I cannot fix, I pass it off to someone who has a lot of certifications to mess with. After eight years of "management" it's nice not to deal with it. In A Few Good Men, Lieutenant Weinberg has a line that he repeats a few times, "I have no real responsibility here, what so ever." I couldn't agree more!
So far there is only one person who really appreciates the sarcasm of yours truly. I guess it's better than none. Most around here smile and chuckle awkwardly when I make a crack about something.
I drink a lot of water and coffee which means I pee a lot. Just about every time I'm in there, I notice two things, blatant disregard for Men's Room Etiquette and the same pair of shoes showing from under the stall. That's a lot of poopin' for one day!
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