|
|
Blog - November 2004 |
|
||
|
This page stores my blog entries from November 2004. The entries are dated November 4, November 23, and November 29.
Ponderings of Moshing / Initial Thoughts on the Election: Does the Emperor Have Any Brains? Thursday, November 4, 2004 The slow murmuring of the crowd elevates the anticipation. Adrenaline courses through your arteries and veins, throwing your heart into a hyperspeed dance that seems to find faster steps and moves. Suddenly, the lights go out, sending the crowd into a heightened level of excitement. A few guitar licks, followed by the intro of a popular song, ignites the crowd's adrenaline. A sudden push creates a hole in the center. Without a second thought, you leap into the center, sprinting around the outer edge. A shoulder crunches into your chest, slowing you down. Your arm blocks the next assailant, rolling yourself around and crash into the outside. Without delay, a disembodied force throws you back in the middle. A wet spot, probably beer, sends someone spilling to the floor like a wet towel. Several of you help him back up to start anew. In my younger days of concert-going, I spent plenty of time in the mosh pits. Metal shows tend to have the best, maintaining a distinct circle that spins at rather ferocious speeds. Punk pits exhibit more chaos that one would expect. One really ends up throwing oneself into others with no sense of form or order. I enjoyed the former far better than the latter. I lasted in the pits until a hit to my shoulder during a Pantera concert (ca. 1997) made my arm jump around in its socket, rendering a painful feeling and dead sensation in that arm. I retired from the pits after that concert and never made it back. A Pantera/Anthrax concert caused my ears to ring for a week. That scared the hell out of me, causing me to get ear plugs (Browning Silent Partner Hearing Protectors; they have a gel-like thing that goes in the ear with a hard handle-like thing that sticks out of the ear) to wear to concerts. In wearing these ear plugs, I feared losing them or, worse, having one get knocked into my head further than it should go. In avoiding serious injury with those, I found it impossible to see myself returning to the round concert ring. That is, until the Street Dogs / Flogging Molly concert. Pam and I stood through the opening act, the Briggs, as they performed a good, solid set. I looked forward to see the Street Dogs again since I downloaded the two new tracks from their web site. When Mike McColgan and company stepped onto the stage and started performing, I found an energy running through me that I had never felt before. I needed to run around, bump, hit, and smash into people. I took that chance against my previous fears and had the time of my life. I avoided the immensely chaotic periods, letting the others have their way. One of those moments started after I plowed into a group of people. When I looked behind myself, absolute chaos reigned, with people slamming against each other, fists and arms flying without a care of consequence. We no longer live in 1995. I'm no longer an 18-year-old teenager with mountains of energy and rubber bones. Yet again, I'm nowhere near 90 years old, either. My experience in concerts and general size allows me to have fun in the pits while still protecting myself at all times. No three-knockdown rule exists. Just get in the corner and come out at the bell. *****
The election has come and gone. The results in the Presidential election ended up as expected: another four years with President Bush. It saddens me to see that so many people see things so horrendously differently than I. I refused to vote for either major candidate, seeing major flaws in both that I did not like. If I had put more thought into it, I probably would have voted for one of them. I'm sure the image above shows how I probably would have leaned (the bumpersticker, above, is available at the web address linked to that image; click on the image for that one and others for purchase from that entity). One cannot do much else at this point. My feelings split between the gut-reaction and the sound, reasoning element. My gut-reaction bursts forth with "how can any sane, intelligent human being vote for Bush?" It disturbs me to think that many voters voted for him merely because "he has solid morals." Being a nice guy or having good morals does not necessarily lead to being a great President (c.f. Gerald Ford or Jimmy Carter). Granted, it does not mean that a person with good morals cannot be a good President, either. My rational side, the side that gets me through rough times these days, thinks with a different bend. I would rather that Bush stay on and clean up his own mess in Iraq than dump that responsibility on someone else. Along those lines, it also seems to make more sense to have one President preside over the war and maintain a consistent vision towards success (however it should be defined) than to have a different ideology try to untangle things. Granted, we may face the same situation in four years, throwing some poor politician in to take out the trash and clean things up. We ended up with one of the closest races Electoral-vote-wise in years, too (not counting the 2000 Election). In 1916, Woodrow Wilson won by only 23 electoral votes. The closest ever was back in 1876, with Rutherford B. Hayes winning by one vote. Apparently, there has been only one occasion where a candidate lost both the popular vote and the electoral vote, only to be named President anyway (John Quincy Adams in 1824). As another interesting side note, it appears that any President who successfully got re-elected ended up receiving more votes than in their initial election campaign (the exceptions being Franklin D. Roosevelt, who received fewer electoral votes in his third and fourth re-election campaigns, and Woodrow Wilson). We'll see how things go. For now, I'll entertain my co-worker's challenge to find a Republican ticket to go against his theorized 2008 Democratic Presidential running mates of Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama. So far, I have John McCain, but I do not know who I would have as his running mate.
Less of Me: Losing Weight / Megadeth and undesirable albums / The Perils of Driving: My Incidents / Sick with One of the Bugs: How it Progressed and What Worked / I see Da Bulls ... Lose / Giants Signings ... and Mistakes Tuesday, November 23, 2004
***** On occasion, I surprise myself with how my musical tastes get tweaked with age and listening experience. With the benefit of having chances to listen to whole albums before buying, I can save myself the disappointment of plunking down my hard-earned money on a dud. Megadeth, though no longer one of my absolute favorite bands, still holds dear in my heart for their pre-Youthanasia catalog. My personal greatest hits list would probably include:
Some from Cryptic Writings seem pretty cool to me, too (Disintegrators, Have Cool Will Travel). Youthanasia seemed to be that one album I never got around to buying. I did get to listen to it a bit back when it was released in 1994 or so. With my angst aimed directly at Metallica's Load over the years, Youthanasia stuck in my mind as a clear piece that Megadeth can change their general sound and still produce good albums. With the recent remastering and re-releasing of Megadeth's back catalog, with "New World Order" as a bonus track on the re-released Youthanasia, I saw a great opportunity to buy it and kill two birds with one stone. One of my co-workers let me borrow Youthanasia, and I had a chance to listen to it today. Unfortunately, after hearing it for the first time in nearly ten years, it just doesn't ring as true in my ears as it once did. I do believe it is a good album but just not something I really like or would want to own. Many of the tracks felt rather weak, lacking that drive and aggression that used to mark Megadeth's sound. For any track that had potential, something soft would ruin the mood. It certainly marks the transition between "Megadeth the Metal Gods" and "Megadeth the Begonias." (Note: I have not heard the new one they just put out. What little I've heard so far seems to show them being closer to old form.) I've saved quite a bit of money checking out albums from bands I probably wouldn't get into. No chances of Less Than Jake or Circle Jerks albums collecting dust around here. ***** When I was a young lad, my mom warned me of the dangers of driving in the fast lane on the freeway. The accidents. Injury. Jack-ass drivers. So, where was my car when something did happen to it?
Not that I question the safety concerns of driving in the fast lane. It just seems ironic that the only problems I've had were, in theory, in the safer realms. But, where are the safer realms of driving? It seems, to me, that the right-most lanes of traffic are the more dangerous, since you encounter far more drivers there. Plus, most accidents apparently occur when people try to change lanes. Parking lots are not too safe, with people banging doors and carts around, not giving much care to the effects of their insensitiveness towards and lack of respect for other people's property. I know parking in front of my own house around here isn't safe, after my dad's truck nearly got totalled a year or two ago. The rear-ending incident happened earlier today. Thankfully, my car and I are fine. Not even a dent in the bumper. ***** I recently had my second illness of the year, so I should be set for another six months or more. I seem to be getting only the nasty ones this year. Back in February, I had a nasty bug that kicked my fever up to 105 degrees. The recent one wasn't as bad. Keep an eye out for this one, though. The one I had started out with a sore throat. For a while, it was a bit scratchy, but it escalated to the point where it hurt to talk. A fever accompanies this; mine rose to about 101 degrees. My nose ran like a water faucet and at indeterminate times. It really did have the consistency of water. From there, the fever wanes over the course of a couple of days, the nose-running lasting for a day or so. I slept a lot during the first full day. After 11 hours in bed, I was up for 2.5 hours, only to go back to bed for 2.5 more hours. For me, I used everything from Tylenol Sinus-like stuff, acetominophen, and Actifed Cold & Allergy-like antihistamine/decongestants, depending on what seemed to be the best at any given time. The nasal purge will last a long time, so stock up on those kleenexes. ***** I can finally say that I saw a Bulls game. Granted, the Bulls team I saw would have no chance against the Bulls team I idolized in the late-'80s to '90s. They also didn't have a chance against the hometown Kings, losing by 6. Through the graces of Pam's employer, we got to see them a week ago at Arco Arena. I had seen the White Sox play at Oakland Coliseum, but I hadn't seen the Bulls before. We'll see what happens to the Bulls franchise over the years. I doubt they'll ever reach the kind of fame and success that they had, but there can be only one Michael Jordan. It hurts to see the team trade away their young talent, but, on occasion, I end up seeing exactly why they bail on some of them (c.f. Ron Artest; they should have kept Elton Brand, though). ***** In some ways, I'm happy to see the Giants sign Omar Vizquel to a long-term contract. They acquire a proven shortstop with excellent fielding and decent offense. It'll allow Deivi Cruz to learn quite a bit more from the 9-time Gold-Glover, eventually forming Cruz into the shortstop of the future for the team. All the Giants need now is a closer, a solid offensive threat in right field, and another decent starter. With those pieces in place, I feel they could get back in the playoffs and make a run for it. The signing of Vizquel and the murmurings of talks with Steve Finley concern me more with the Giants choice towards developing the team. Again, they go with older veterans past their prime. Bonds is an anomaly to be near 41 and produce like a 28-year-old. The team's huge track history for trading their young talent away without giving it time to develop will continue to haunt them if they continue to go with older veterans. They need to develop some great young talent to eventually replace the mainstays and create a long-term "dynasty" (for lack of a better term). Plenty of offseason activity awaits us. We'll see how things go.
A Wonderful Thanksgiving / A Letter To My Kids, Whenever I Have Them / Apple IIe and Beckett: Symbols of My Past / December Plans Monday, November 29, 2004
Sunday ended up being an ordinary Sunday, with laundry and chores dominating most of my time. Most of my time, that is, except when playing Dungeon Siege. I really need to get the expansion and hope that Dungeon Siege II will support Win98SE. ***** Dear Son and Daughter, I can't believe you two have grown so much! Just fifteen years ago, your mother and I brought you into this world. Despite occasional threats of being able to take you out of this world, we both love you very much. Both of you are entering a rather exciting yet scary time of your lives. You'll gain greater and greater responsibilities, and your experiences will help shape who you'll become. Challenges and obstacles will try to thwart your progress. People and events can both get in your way. Just remember that life is like the 110m high hurdles: you learn when and how to jump over them, and if you fail the first time, you'll figure it out on the next attempt. We remember what it was like being a teenager. Granted, it's been years and our memories of that time aren't too great. And, yes, we were actually that young at one point; we weren't always this old. At times, we may comment about you acting like you know everything. Though we may not understand how you think, we do try. We do know that it's necessary to have opinions, and we know that your opinion may change depending on what you experience. Through your experience, we know there'll be obstacles that you may not be able to leap over without help. Despite how not cool it may be, we, as your parents, are here for exactly that. Sure, at times, we may not be happy with you, but we hope you've grown to understand that it's not a permanent thing and certainly not personal towards you. We've done our best to provide an open forum for your to voice your concerns and problems, and we hope that'll make it a little easier to come to us if you need it. Just remember that we care most about your happiness and safety. We do want to hear about your life and interests as well, so don't forget us with that! Well, we really need to bound off and take care of those usual chores. Take care of yourselves! Love, Dad ***** While doing a little cleaning in my room, two things stick out: my Apple IIe and my collection of Beckett Baseball Card Monthly price guides. Both are things I need to consider concerning their fate. The Apple IIe first popped into my life back in 1984 or so with my elementary school. They acquired a few for a small computer lab. The teacher in charge would teach us some programming in BASIC, creating small programs that helped us learn different aspects of the language. This included some work with Apple Logo as well. During some off times, we played numerous games, including Joust, Spy Hunter, Bouncing Kamungas, Sneakers, Bandits, and others similar to them. I spent time year-round at various random times up through eighth grade, around 1991. I eventually acquired one Apple IIe from a high school friend and loved spending huge amounts of time with Pool of Radiance. With a second Apple IIe, I had some spare parts and many more games, including the great Rampage and Demon's Winter. My Apple IIe became the center of my entertainment until just before college, when I acquired my first PC. Occasionally, I would still play this or that game, enjoying the feeling of having an "Apple IIe Supercomputer" (basically, an Apple IIe with a color monitor, 2400 baud modem, mouse, joystick, and additional cooling fan on the side). I had, at one time, tried hopping onto various BBSs, eventually getting bored and abandoning that. Around 1998, I had a need for it to try to check my e-mail when my main computer died. Even though a 2400 baud modem probably would have cut it, the poor IIe just couldn't handle it fast enough to make it usable. With the addition of my slowly growing drum set, my Apple IIe lies under a coat of dust. For some time, I felt resistant towards giving it to a good home, wanting to save the chances of playing the old games again in their original glory. Sadly, I think I'm ready to find it a good home. I do not know where or how, but I may eventually do so soon. --- The Beckett price guides provide a different story. Starting around 1987, I actively collected baseball cards (I think my dad bought me a pack of cards in 1981 or something, but I was only 4 at the time). In either 1988 or 1989, my parents got me a subscription to this great price guide. Each month's edition came with a full-color cover, with each cover featuring a different baseball star from that time (black-and-white depictions of different stars graced the insides of the covers). Various stories on collecting, grading of conditions of cards, and on the stars filled the pages, along with the huge section on values on different sets ranging from 1949 to the then-present. I hauled these around with me to baseball card shows, checking for great deals. My last active baseball card collecting fell around 1992 with some packs from my Spanish teacher in high school. The sheer number of sets and ridiculous different types of special inserts, including the escalating price of a pack of cards, led me to eventually leave card collecting. I hung onto my cards that I already had, but I simply lost interest in it in favor of music and concerts. These price guides represent something else that I may have to get rid of somehow. I don't know if they really hold any value themselves, even though I remember back issues selling rather well back then. I'm tempted to carefully remove the full-color covers and recycle the rest. The price guides no longer reflect current estimated values, so they wouldn't be worth anything with respect to that. ***** Pam and I have some great plans for the upcoming December. It starts early with my company's annual Christmas party this coming Friday. I've heard that some cool and fun things happen at this dinner party, so we'll see what may go on. Possibly around the 11th, we hope to bound up to Apple Hill and hunt for the perfect Christmas tree to grace Pam's living room. We want to cut one ourselves (at least, that's the current plan) and haul it home. I know not what else we might do up there, though that may depend on what's open. Pam put in for tickets for Trans Siberian Orchestra, which I've heard a bit and rather enjoy. I don't know if former Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick will be on our leg or even will be a part of it this year, but I bet it'll be a killer concert. Hooray for rock/metal-infused Christmas carols! Christmas will find us split between her family and mine. We should be having dinner with her family. On Christmas Eve, I'll go with her to her mom's family's get-together for after-dinner snacks and carols. That only leaves New Year's Eve, when I'm sure Pam and I will spend alone together. We'll find a nice bottle of Asti Spumanti (or related champagne) and watch one of her Jane Austen movies and The Amityville Horror. Hopefully I'll get together with my grandfather and get closer to finishing off my first helmet case. Along with that, I may see my old high school friends again before the year goes to 2005. |
||||
