Travels with "Ray" - Day 1

Hey guys,

As the proud owner of an online blog, I have the honor of hosting a travel blog for a

dear friend leading a break trip to Alabama. This friend wished to remain anonymous, so to respect his wishes, we will refer to him henceforth as "Ray". And with that, let's take a look at his first posting!

Day 1

5:15 AM

Dear Bloggy,

The day is finally here! I'm on the plane for points south!

I'm not going to lie - this week has been crazy! There were SO many meetings! I can't believe all the things Claire pulled together while I was shopping for indie sneakers online and making 10 cent bets on obscure sporting events (nailed the curling semis!). I'm sad to say that another big happening has taken some of my time away from Habitat too - NHL 2010. I mean, let's face it, n00bs don't own themselves, it takes hours of dedication. And then there was all this midterm bull - pfft, whatever! I'm helping people, so me and the guy upstairs are like this! You don't hear about Jesus failing any carpentry tests...

It's weird all the things you think about once you're out on the road. I wonder if six towels were enough - I just don't know how much more I could take out of my bag to fit another one in. I'm already rolling on two boxers and one sock for the trip, but maybe I could have skipped all the power tools I packed. I know they said they'd provide the equipment, but you just never know. The Jaws of Life also probably could have stayed home. Eh I'll know for next time.

Got a card from Grandmom today with $10 inside. Okay, four cards with $2.50 in each, but it's how she rolls. I just hope she doesn't expect me to write back this week.

Oh man - I forgot soap! 20 bars is never going to last me! Maybe if I just use shampoo the first week I can make it work. Ugh.

Hey - Chelsea is on this flight too! Hi Chelsea! Haha she waved back. She's heading to Nicaragua to help out with a different trip and I can tell she's a little nervous. I mean, it's one thing to be homesick, but why would she pack her boyfriend Adam? Doesn't he have things to do? Can he breathe in the baggage compartment? So many questions and not enough answers!

Okay time to get a little shut eye before we land. Thing I'll zone out to a little Neutral Milk Hotel. Oh no - forgot the iPod!!! Eh that's okay - good thing I packed the guitar! I'll just glue the neck back on and we're good to go. I'm sure the rest of the plane will love it too!

Night Bloggy!

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Pretty good stuff right? Tune in tomorrow for our next exciting episode of "Travels with 'Ray'"!!!

JFK

And I'm Back!

Let's face it - the world was just getting too excited about this blog and I needed to give it a few months to simmer down. But a dear friend Evan mentioned a certain post about dancing a while back, so here's some more random thoughts for the masses:

• I want to illustrate the sad shape of our music industry by showing you the 25th anniversary of "We Are the World". For one, notice how they just took an old pop song, threw some rap on it and called that a musical innovation. Either a) the producers are hoping that nobody remembers the first version, which would be a tragedy or b) they're paying homage to classic Michael by recycling it with worse artists, which is also a tragedy. Regardless, I'm not impressed. I mean, think about this cast list. Jeff Bridges (what?), Jamie Foxx (biopic singers FTW), All THREE JONAS BROTHERS (*stabs face*), and Lil Wayne round out this amazing cast. Sure there's some talent there (yes to Santana, Mary J, and Lionel Ritchie conducting), but if you're going to remake a classic, GO SOMEWHERE WITH IT! And lock Miley Cyrus outside.
  
  
• If you ever hear a friend saying "Ya know, I like college, but I think I'm ready to get a real job," kick them in the head. As a student trapped halfway between academia and real life, I recommend you savor every second of college. Maybe I just don't fit into your typical "live to work" model, but I'll never take another afternoon nap for granted or wish I could really "experience" what I learn in the classroom. Keep it abstract and fire up the Xbox.
  
  

• I attended a 90's party this weekend and it made me very sad. The party was great, but it brought to my attention that it is no longer the 90s. AND THAT SUCKS! I love the 90s! The 90s were all about me - I wish I could have been born 10 years earlier so that RIGHT NOW I'd just be leaving the 90s and could be sad about it with other people. It was a perfect storm for me - the music was incredible (DMB, Oasis, and Alanis Morisette ruled the world), the fashion was amazing (Jhorts? Yes, please, I'll take 7), and AIM was still cool! Plus the Internet was the place to be - it was full of promise and not yet saturated with porn. I even had my own website, so if you're interested in my predictions for the 1998 Summerslam Matchups, hit me up. Hint: always bet on The Rock for a summer Pay-Per-View.

Back to work - bye for now!

JFK

When The Music Dies

Well it's been a hell of a day. First RIP Farrah Fawcett. It's a shame that her death has become a footnote to Micheal's today and I offer my sympathies for her death.

I'm not going to summarize Michael's career - check Wiki. But the significance of his music and the tale of his life paints such a tragicly beautiful tale that it is simply remarkable. Let's establish the following things:

• He is the 2nd most influential musician to popular music today. Beatles take my top stop, but pop music is still recreating what he did 25 years ago. Not just the music, not just the mixture of R&B, rock and club music, but the concept of doing theatrical music videos, of incorporating dance sequences into a live performance and making live music so much more than just the music. That's Michael's influence - beyond the music, just the idea that there is more to the music than what's on a record.
• He brought together black and white cultures. In a time before MJ, there was white music and black music. For many white Americans, Thriller was the first time experiencing this entirely unique culture. People make a big deal out of mixing rock and hip-hop today - he did it before. He made both of them mainstream - he sang "Ebony and Ivory" with Macca, he brought Eddie Van Halen in to record on "Beat It", he helped organize the "We Are the World' record, which is the precursor for just the IDEA that superstars can support a cause. There's so much you can attribute to him - he defines the superstar role in so many ways that it is mindboggling.
• He lived a tragic life. How do you grow up without a childhood? How do you mature when you're recording albums at age 6? There's been a lot of horrible things claimed to be tied to MJ, and there's a good chance that some/many of them are true. But before he was a "criminal", he was a victim of unbelievable mass commercialization, images of grandeur, lack of security and just an overall unability to live a normal life.
• I wanted to see the comeback. So much. There was no more appealing musical idea to me than a MJ comeback. Not just to see him succeed, not just to see him up on stage doing something that few in the world could do, but to hear new music. Could he have made something as revolutionary as Thriller? Probably not........but if anyone could have....... That idea is so amazingly tempting and make's his death so shockingly disappointing.

Sorry that I sort of rambled, but I think you get the idea. I'm going to go listen to some MJ albums, but here's a message to the haters: Say what you will about the man, but the music lives forever. And it makes no aplogies.

Rest in Peace to the King of Pop - I will never forget.

JFK

One Week Update

Okay so it's been eight days but close enough. The knee is coming along nicely - ALMOST can walk on it and should be much more mobile by Friday or so. As much as I love staying on the same couch all day.

Other thoughts....

• The most absurd show on TV is Whale Wars. What they are doing is blatantly illegal - they have no policing power whatsoever. Yet this old dude, who looks somewhat like Kenny Rogers, runs around harassing fishing boats in the Japanese ocean. This week, he RAMS THE OTHER BOAT WITH HIS! Is that really a good plan at sea? Keep up the madness!
• The best show I've recently discovered is Arrested Development. Why haven't I known about this? It's perfect - each character is uniquely fascinating, but right now I'm loving David Cross' compulsive crier and Gob, the insane magician. Not sold entirely on Michael Cera's milksop but I think I'm coming around.
• No Pokemon in two days - hurts my eyes for some reason. I clearly need new eyes.
• It didn't rain today so I'm putting the ark plan on hold, but I'll be sure to let everyone know if we need to start up again. Thanks to everyone for your dual packages!

Off to PT - here's to no more immobilizer (fingers crossed)!

JFK

Maybe we should go dancing.....

The title is a DMB reference - whoever can spot it gets props!

Why don't we dance anymore? Seriously, all we do is grind. When you or I go to the club, we just sort of rub against other people. I don't know why, but I know the following:

• This isn't nearly as sick as old school dances. Have you seen the Charleston? How about people dancing to In the Groove? Even the damn Shuffle is cooler than anything we have now!
• Our stuff now is weak. The best we can come up with is Souljaboi - that was sort of cool, but there's no depth, no improvisation. How can you expect a satisfying dance from a man so shallow that he named his album after his own website? I'm not kidding - look it up. I have the album and it's musical garbage.
  
  And don't even try to argue the Cha Cha Shuffle. The song is a series of instructions set to music. At least it gives me hope that I can write a song that people will dance to - the Lowe's Deck Chair Assembly Slide!
  
  
• Nobody even likes dancing now. Let's face it - who enjoys grinding? Girls hate it - I've asked them and I've never heard any girl say "Yeah I love rubbing up against pants". Girls like the atmosphere, going with their friends, having a few drinks, not the actual dance.
  
  Speaking for guys, we'll take it, but it's not why we got dressed that night. Grinding isn't even first base - it's like taking four steps off home and just standing there, hoping you might advance but probably getting thrown out. In our defense though, the best friend shortstop has a hell of an arm.

So how do we fix this? We don't. If you create your own dance, you're either a) so legit I shoudn't be allowed in the same room as you or b) that guy who thinks he's amazing but really just had a few too many drinks. Chances are you and I aren't making a legendary dance anytime soon that has mainstream appeal and can redefine an era. So until then enjoy your grindin and keep the Macarena favorited on your laptop for those lonely nights.....

JFK

I was SOOOO WRONG!

Pokemon LEAF GREEN! All the charm of the original with updated graphics. Get this? Instead of having signs in front of people's houses, now the names are on mailboxes! Of course! Who the hell has a sign in front of their house with "Insert First Name"'s House?

JFK

What's Been Up

Howdy ya'll,

So here's what's been happening with me:

• Pokemon Silver! Amazing! The depth of characters, the rich battle system, the plotline! Okay not really but it is lots of fun to make some Pidgeys faint again.
• Rehab is going well. My range of motion is higher than expected (can bend it down to 90 degrees) and strength is going pretty well. Next session is Wednesday and I might be ditching the Immobilizer by then!
• Horribly behind in my summer classes but now catching up!
• Eating a lot of fruit these days. Who knew they were so good for you? Beats cake anyway.
• Just kidding cake - our relationship is solid.

In other random news, I am wearing a white shirt with white pants today - it's basically my Montey the Cat costume.

Chelsea - have fun in Conneticut. Serena - have fun in Paris. Damn am I the only one staying put this week?

JFK