• September 16, 2005

    Music and Nostalgia

    I know we have all experienced this phenomena at least once in our lives. You listen to a CD that you haven’t listened to in a long time, maybe years, and when you hear those songs, it brings you back to maybe the last time you heard it, or around that time. It has happened to me a few times, but not as strongly as right now with the CD “War All the Time” by Thursday. I got it December of 2003, my freshman year of college. Whenever I listen to the song Asleep in the Chapel especially, it brings me back to then. I can see it perfectly- sitting in my dorm room, Martin Hall, at my computer, playing Call of Duty, which was all the rage my freshman year because of our awesome network at school. The scene out my window was a wintry freshman lower quad, everything covered with snow. The same scene that was on my computer- a snow storm to brave in search of the other army. I think the reason that this CD brings back such a vivid memory of that is because of the strong relationships everything I just described had. The CD has a white cover and is entitled “War All the Time.” The scene the CD paints is a broken down city that is war tired and now deserted. The game, Call of Duty, is a war game that would take place in the deserted cities described in the CD. It was very fitting that I listened to this CD while playing the game. Another one of our favorite levels was a Russian level that was very snowy- that coupled with the snowy atmosphere outside my window created a very convincing setting to play this game in. Listening to this CD makes me kind of want to be back there- a setting so unique that I know it will never be repeated.
    Thanks for indulging me for a bit- feel free to leave comments. Later.

  • September 13, 2005

    Football

    Tom Brady
    Tom Brady

    Well the football season is now well under way, and I’ve got to say, I was quite happy with Week 1. The huge news is that The Giants won 42-19 vs. Az. I did miss most of the first half, but the secord half is what mattered. Eli has 2 TD passes, Tiki had one, and 2 came from a punt return and a kick return. If thier season stays like this, I will be a very happy person. Also, The Eagles lost, as McNabb played less than stellar. I don’t mind this week, or any week where it will not matter, but TO, Westbrook and LJ Smith are on my Fantasy Team, and I’d like them to do well when I need them too.
    This was the other reason I was very happy. I knew I would beat the team I played this week and he made subpar picks durring the draft, but I placed 4th in overall scoring for the week, just 3 points shy of 3rd. (maybe if TO could wrap is hands around the ball, I would have placed 3rd). This is huge for me because the last 2 years my seasons/teams were not very good. But I made a vow that would change this year, and it’s good to see I’m off to a good start. Tom Brady is pictured because he was the high scorer on my team with 24.14. Sort of to my dismay, I did not have RB Larry Johnson of the Cheifs playing, and he scored 24.10. But, who would think he would so so well when the other RB on the team is Preist Holmes? Later!

  • September 12, 2005

    Bloc Party!

    Bloc Party

    The Bloc Party concert in Philly this past weekend was absolutly amazing. After the opening acts, [insert name] was weird and excentric, but got better towards the end. They had one song, Monte Cristo that was really good. I’m sorry I don’t know the name of the band. The Kills came on after that, and I liked them. The girl, though she did kinda look like the chick from The Ring, was totally hot. But then it was time for the main event.
    Bloc Party came on at 10, and went crazy. They are great performers. The light show was great, and the crowd was pretty cool. I didn’t really expect any ‘moshing’ or jumping around, and there was a lot. Everyone just went nuts for Banquet and Helicopter. They played until about 11, and then came out for 2 encores, and ended on The Answer, which was great. I also really enjoyed their performance of Pioneers which is a song I love. If you have never heard of Bloc Party, you can check them out here. Later!

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  • September 3, 2005

    Nothing good to say

    I try not to make this a personal blog. Soon enough I will be blogging about my CS 2 adventures- Level 2 programming in Java. Until then, I really don’t have much to talk about. Project wise, I just got O’Reilly’s PHP Cookbook, so I will be doing some work out of there, on the little free time I have. I am also Evaluating software call “Hot Potatoes” for work, but that will probably be of little or no interest to anyone, unless you work for an educational institution. I apologize that I have nothing better to say, at least not for now, but with school and everything, I’ve been busy, and life’s been kind of uneventful. Later

  • August 28, 2005

    Boys Night Out- Trainwreck


    Buy the CD

    This CD…Wow. Some background information: It is a concept CD- it tells a story. About a man who

    “Was plagued by violent nightmares. And one day those nightmares overflowed into reality. He murdered his wife. In his sleep. These people were in love…”

    From the introduction (track 1), it goes right into the dream sequence. From there we go through his trials and tribulations- the murder, getting help, realizing what he has done and how he is coping with it, and how he is healed. Each song sets a different mood that fits how he is feeling. You can hear it in the music. Dreaming, for example, is a chaotic song with a lot of heavy guitar riffs where you wouldn’t really expect them, but they fit. You need to listen through the entire CD, more than once, to get the story. That is what makes the CD amazing more than anything- it does sound good, but it takes you through a progression if you listen. I highly recommend it. This ranks up there with “Best CDs of the Summer.” Later

  • August 27, 2005

    The Summer


    The GPO Building in Ireland

    Well, with Freshmen moving in today, the summer has officially ended. The summer of 2005 is definitely one to remember. While I worked hard in a job that I nor anyone else thought I’d ever have (construction), I did have a lot of fun. Some of the highlights include when I came to school for the weekend to paint, but really got nothing done, Fourth of July Weekend, all of those nights I played poker, and of course, Ireland. Ireland was a once in a lifetime experience for me, not in the sense that I will never go back, because I hope I do. But the whole experience- it was really my first time vacationing without my family- and my first time over seas. I didn’t know what to expect- but the trip was amazing because of the good company I had. My friend Sean, whom we stayed with was great, as was his family, who bent over backwards to accommodate us. Not to mention that not everyone gets to see U2 in Dublin, Ireland. I was a great way to end a 2 week stay. On the flight back, a handful of people sitting by me mentioned how the only reason the went to Ireland was for U2.
    It was tough to pick out one picture to encapsulate the whole summer in, but I went with the GPO Building in Dublin. I did want to choose a photo from Ireland, and I felt that this one was it because of the history of the GPO building and the fact that, in my eyes anyway, it’s a symbol of Freedom in Dublin and the rest of Ireland.
    School will be starting soon, and it will be back to class and another very busy academic year, as I am more involved this year than any other, HS or College. I consider myself very lucky to have the summer I had- all of the events, good and bad, made it a worthwhile learning experience, and one that everyone should have. Later.

  • August 24, 2005

    A lot to say


    • Buy the CD

    • Buy the CD

    It seems like I haven’t posted in a very long time. A lot more than 4 days. Maybe it’s because I have been doing a good amount of stuff to keep me busy. Such as this site, but I will leave that to another day. This post is to tell you about 2 CDs that I have been listening to non-stop. I know I’ve recently got some criticism for my reviews, because I will usually only review good things. But what can I say. I don’t but bad stuff. Actually, that’s a lie- I will review Beck’s new cd a little later, and so far, its anot all that good.
    The first CD is Rufio’s The Comfort of Home. If you like Rufio, you will really like this CD. It starts off exactly like the other rufio CDs, with that kind of punk/emo high guitar riff that goes right into the vocals. The melodies in “A Simple Line” and “Drowning” are incredible and just move you. But through out the whole CD you get a sense like its building up on something more than what you would expect from an Emo band. It’s not something I can really put my finger on, but it will leave you more satisfied than their last 2 CDs.
    As for Fall Out Boy’s From Under the Cork Tree, this is your usual rock album that makes you want to jump around. It’s a fun one to listen to and sing along to, and that alone is worth the CD.

  • August 20, 2005

    New Design!

    I’ve decided to launch the new design, even though the pages arent all working. I will keep you posted on that, as well as a better descripiton of the site and what i did. Later!

  • August 17, 2005

    Busted Tees

    It is true…I am now a corporate whore. Well, I always was, but now, I’m an even bigger one. I promise I won’t plaster this site with busted tee ads. The Google Ones are good enough. However, I probably will feature a shirt that I like every once in a while. There are some really good ones on there. Check it out. Later