Sunday, January 31, 2010

Grammy Thoughts, Start at the Bottom




Ok, finally done with this. I did it like a liveblog, going up, which was silly, but I would recommend, if you're interested in reading any of it, starting at the bottom, because a. that's the beginning, and b. I was a lot more interested back then. (What a well written penultimate sentence, not counting this jaunt right here in the parentheses). Now to pick a picture!

11:25 John Legend and Santanna, randomest two people of all time, Album of the Year award, hope Beyonce wins, or possibly Lady Gaga. I think Beyonce's got it. Nope, Taylor Swift. Good for her, I'm annoyed, especially since i think I am...Sasha Fierce is a really good album. Meh, my sister will be happy. This is not a story, Taylor, and your grandchildren will not be more annoyed than I am right now.

11:13 Starting off with a new verse from Wayne. And so far, it's better than his original verse. And now its so censored that I have no idea what he's saying. Oh wait, yes I do, he's doing "Drop the World" off Relapse as a prelude to "Forever," I guess. Yup, here's Eminem. This is pretty good idea because both of these rappers kill their respective verses on this song. Ok, here's Forever. And what I thought was censoring, is just my tv randomly losing sound, unless Drake has been cursing a lot before he even started rapping. Now we're getting into the regular verses. Ridiculous that Drake wasn't nominated for Best New Artist, because the cut off date for the grammys is so early. He may have had one of the best years that anyone anywhere had in 2010. Drake is enjoying Wayne's verse A LOT. I maintain that Em has the best verse on this song, followed by Drake, then Kanye, then Wayne. Pretty good performance, but nothing special. Drake and Wayne love each other though, Eminem looked like he felt left out until Drake gave him a pity hug. Please let this thing be over with after the next commercial break.

11:12 Tarantino is getting fat. His shirt would be perfect for someone who had a little bit of cocaine on their shirt and didn't want it known. He's introducing "Forever" with Drake, Wayne, and Eminem, and Travis Barker. Pretty hilarious, actually.

11:04 The Les Paul tribute, featuring Jeff Beck is upbeat and diverting, thank God, because this ceremony had gotten extremely boring.

10:55 LL introduces Maxwell who will probably be a sleeper. And is singing with an as yet unidentified lady. Oh it's Roberta Flack.

10:47 Best Female Vocal Performance, hopefully Beyonce for "Halo," and yup, Beyonce for "Halo." I am doing pretty well predicting and junk. No big deal. Beyonce is giving a good speech. Unsurprisingly.

10:40 In the first interesting moment since the last time I wrote, Adam Sandler is on stage, wearing what is, apparently, Usher's jacket. Sandler has already been funnier than Colbert with two jokes. Oh, great, Sandler is introducing Dave Matthews Band.

10:26 Wyclef Jean and Will. I. Am. are exchanging jones. And now here comes a Haitian tribute performance by Andrea Bocelli, and Mary J. Blige and others. This performance is pretty good, and as my mom pointed out, the pairing of the two distinct voices works well.

10:17 Prediction for best rap sung collaboration:Run This Town Actual Winner: Run this Town. Happily, Jay called the barred Kanye a genius. And a little kid said that he didn't want to talk.

10:15 I'm officially tired of doing this for everything, so I'm only commenting on things I'm interested in from now on. The fans picked "Living on a Prayer." And Glee will probably cover it. And I will begin to hate it as much as I now hate "Don't Stop Believin" Thanks sopranos finale!

10:10 I freaked out at my family about how bad Dave Matthews Band is (because I thought they were about to perform) while Sheryl Crow quietly introduced Bon Jovi in the background. Now Sugarland is performing alongside BJ. I've just found out that my Dad "loves" both Dave Matthews Band and Sugarland neither of whom I've ever heard on his favorite XM Station, Channel 23, The Heart.

10:00 Everyone gives a totally deserved standing ovation at the end of the song for musical icon Michael Jackson. Now apparently some Jackson children are going to speak. The children that he tried to keep out of the public eye for years and years. The kid who is talking is very poised but looks sad. He gave a good, clear speech.

9:56 Jennifer Hudson is also singing. and Horsies! and Orcas! and Polar Bears! Beyonce is enjoying the crap out of the animals in 3-d but Jay doesn't even have his glasses on. He's getting crotchety in his old age, doesn't hold with this new- fangled dimensional technology. Will-I-Am is furious that he was not invited to freestyle over this beat during the performance, he is clearly of the caliber of all these other artists. The performance itself is decent, but the 3-d images are pretty distracting. Usher felt the need to kneel at the end of the song, utterly defeated by the power of music.

9:52 Lionel Richie is introducing Michael Jackson and "This Is It." I really want to see the movie, but I don't think I would ever buy the dvd. I do have my 3d glasses from avatar but I'm not going upstairs to get them. Blogging is sooooo tiring. Especially pretend live-blogging. MJ will be singing with Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Smoky Robinson.

9:46 Taylor Swift is performing her new song "Today was a Fairy Tale. Amelie Gillette of the Av Club said it best. Now Stevie Nicks and she are performing together. My dad thinks it sounds terrible. The girls (Both big T-swfit fans) are enjoying it. I am pretty much neutral. Now she is playing "You Belong with Me" which is a decent, if boring song, but I don't understand how with hits like hers she can masquerade as a country artist. She is doing this song in a little more of a country fashion, which is good, because she doesn't have to stretch her teeny tiny voice. They are giving her a lot of time, probably to draw in younger viewers.

9:45 Ryan Seacrest comes out alone, because he's too insecure about being so short to stand with anyone else. He's introducing "the phenomenal Taylor Swift." The marginally talented Taylor Swift takes the stage to ravenous applause.

9:38 Now they are playing "Chicken Fried" which I really like. My mom, who being a big fan of country radio has heard this song a billion times, but just burst out with: "What are Chicken Fries?!!" In her defense, it is strange that they refer to Fried Chicken backwards. Now the music is being played, speedily, which is enjoyable, and the lead singer is definitely enjoying himself. Good performance. The fiddler looks like a Julliard graduate, and does not fit in with the band's general boots and beards aesthetic.


9:35 Here come the Zac Brown Band to perform, with a country legend named Leon Russell, who I've never heard of, performing along with them. They start off singing "America the Beautiful," and singing it well. I wish this was the National Anthem. My sister on the heavily bearded Leon Russell: "It's Santa!" I'm enjoying this performance pretty well.

9:32 Katie Perry's whole thing is being a big ho. That's all she's really got going for her. She's not talented. Neither is Dave Mathews Band. These nominees (for Best Rock Album) are not exciting. I predict Green Day to win. And I am right. My family is too loud to hear the speech, but Billy Joe Armstrong was smiling the whole time which means he probably didn't get political.

9:26 Justin Bieber and Ke$ha, a match made in heavan. Bieber did his joke he does where he's in love with Beyonce. You might think it's a dumb joke, but when Jay is seventy, and Beyonce is only fifty, and Justin Bieber is forty, he'll have a definite shot. His best move is to keep doing the joke for three more months, and then abandon it entirely. Then when he meets Beyonce at a party in thirty years, he should casually bring it up. It's definitely going to work. Ke$ha's $ is even worse than P!nk's !.

9:20 Robert Downey Jr. looks weird. He's introducing the most confusing part of the ceremony so far. Which turns out to be Jamie Foxx and T-Pain singing "Blame It." I hate Jamie Foxx so much that I won't even pretend to be unbiased about this performance. It sucks. They just cut to a shot of Jay-Z nodding his head slightly while grinning and looking lame. Jamie Foxx makes everyone less cool. Not surprisingly, the Black Eyed Peas are enjoying his performance. Josh Duhamel looks confused though. George Clinton loves it. Thank God, T-Pain came in. He's not helping though. Jay-Z considered stopping his fake enjoyment of the performance, but then his eyes flashed grimly and he soldiered on. This whole thing has devolved into chanting mumbled nonsense, a fat chick dancing, and a Slash guitar solo. It's a mess. I hate Jamie Foxx so much. His outfit makes him look like a gay doorman.

9:17 "You belong with me" will win Best Record. Except it doesn't! Wow, I'm surprised and happy for the Kings of Leon, who used to be my favorite band and who I still like a lot. After three amazing albums, I'm ok with them becoming every celebrity's favorite band and winning a grammy.

9:11 Yeah, Colbert won. Now he's sucking again. I don't even dislike the guy but he's just not being funny tonight. And he keeps doing this stupid joke with his daughter. My mom: "If I were his daughter, I would want to shoot him."

9:10 Man, geeks suck. What was the point of this? Oh, Juanes, and random CBS girl are introducing the best comedy album. I don't have a prediction. Oh yes, I do, Colbert. Not Patton Oswalt, who is hilarious and definitely deserves it. Too many crappy comedians in this category. And no Aziz.

9:05 OMG JONAS BROS. Are they still popular? Has Kevin come out? His voice is getting higher. Here's a country performance from Lady Antebellum. My family is very happy with this performance but I'm pretty bored. And there's not any robots or naked trapeze ladies to distract me.

8:59 If I'm going to hear this song, sung especially badly because Fergie can't sing live, I do like to have the robots marching around to distract me. But I can't count that as a good performance. So 3/5, beginning to get back to standard grammy numbers

8:57 The Black Eyed peas are surrounded by robots and people who look like, according to my sister Kira, the Vermicious Knids, from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, which I've always liked better than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

8:54 Oh, good, another target advertisement. No wait, this is just their performance. I also maintain that Fergie is not that great looking. It really freaked me out as a teenager when she was on the cover of Rolling Stone's Hot Issue. That was the first time I realized that Rolling Stone was probably wrong about most of the stuff they wrote.

8:53 Just in case you forgot how omnipresent and crappy the Black Eyed Peas are, they're now doing commercials for Target. Whoohoo! Because going to Target somehow equates with having a "good, good night." and "living it up."

I forgot to mention that at the very beginning of the night, "Single Ladies" won out for Best Song over "You Belong with Me." Score one for Kanye. And Beyonce. And me. TayTay, as I've often heard her fans refer to her, won best country album. Score one for Tom Rehwaldt, Taylor Stewart, and my sister.

8:48 MGMT, who are no longer anything close to new, lose out on Best New Artist to Zac Brown Band. I like the one song I've heard, "Chicken Fried," but Oracular Spectacular was amazing and I have a hard time believing, (because I'm a snobby jerk) that ZBB's debut was better. Keri Hilson also lost. So -1 for hot chicks who kind of look like aliens.

8:44 Now she's all wet. And still spinning. and naked. and singing. I guess the song is so boring that she has to engage in all this high-flying madness to distract from the tedium. I don't think that was a great performance. Keith Urban, an Australian country singer: "That was amazing."

8:43 Now shes kinda naked. and now, as predicted, she is trapeze-ing. It's all a bit surreal although not unenjoyable. My mom's take: "Why would she want to do that?"

8:42 Boring performance so far, but I think she might start trapeze-ing around in a moment.

8:40 I have to learn to like P!nk as she's one of the most popular stars in Australia apparently. I don't really feel any kind of way about her, other than that it bothers me slightly to write that exclamation mark in her name instead of an i. The only person who uses a non letter in their stage name which I accept is Curren$y. Because that just makes sense.

8:40 Thought Seal was performing there again for a moment, very confusing.

8:34 3 for 3 on performances so far, unbelievable from the Grammy's. There's nothing to be angry about yet, other than Colbert's hosting.

8:28 This Beyonce performance looks to be incredible. "If I Were A Boy" good song, better video. My mom didn't like the crotch grab though.

8:26 It really bothers me how Taylor Swift is speechless with every award she gets. She writes catchy, pop country songs but I just don't like her. Maybe because everybody turned on the far more interesting Kanye after he interrupted her. She did give a really classy speech, once she calmed down from her (faux) surprise.

8:25 I don't care what Bon Jovi plays, but I guarantee they play "Livin' On a Prayer."

8:21 Listening to "21 Guns" by Green Day during the commercial break to see if it's any better than I remember. It's not, but that performance made me like it a lot more than I did before.


8:15 One of the most overrated album ever spawned a musical?! Are you kidding me? If any more casually pretty good pop punkers become political and are celebrated for becoming political, it will be American Idiot's fault. However, after all that I'm enjoying this song, and the whole cast of the musical performing it. 2 for 2 on performances tonight so far.


8:11: Colbert's monologue is absolutely terrible. It makes sense that he wouldn't be so great at this, his entire persona is devoted to being completely self-congratulatory

8:07: "How wonderful life is with gaga in the world." Says Elton John. Pretty epic duet and one of the best grammy performances I've seen in a while.

8:06 I love Lady Gaga and her performance at the grammys is cementing it. She gets being a celebrity in a way that most modern celebrities don't get. No one knows much about her personal life and no one cares. We're captivated by her public persona because she is always in costume, and that's what makes her so fascinating.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Vampire Weekend Album Review: Contra




This is belated, but I have wanted to review this album ever since I got what my dad would refer to as my "grubby little hands" on it. I liked their first album, and although I did find the lyrics pretentious, (because in many cases they were pretentious,) I figured you have to let four Columbia guys write what they know. And from what I've heard from Brandon Cole I think Columbia knows some pretension.

Vampire Weekend is still writing what they know. But what makes Contra lyrically superior to their eponymous debut album, is that now they know what its like to be scorned for being pretentious. Contra is a contra, a rebuttal, a counterargument against the criticism that their first album received. And luckily, for anyone who likes them, they haven't abandoned their sound or the tone of the lyrics. Instead the lyrics are actually more substantive.

You can see the lead single, "Horchata" as being a prelude to the counterargument. It sounds a lot like any of the cuts on the first album, and its harmless and beachy, and yes a bit pretentious. But the key here, is that Contra is going to be more Room on Fire than First Impressions of Earth. The band isn't abandoning their sound.

The second song and second single "Cousins" is not quite as clear in its intent. However it is clear that "you" the song is addressed to is an anonymous blogger, as he is a "greatest hits list maker" and "was born with ten fingers and is gonna use them all" probably to insult vampire weekend. The mood of the song, while not particularly edgy, is more upbeat and drum heavy than most VW songs, which matches the muted anger towards the song's target. The cousins line is not entirely clear although on my blog you have to allow me to some moments of complete speculation, and I think it's saying that the bloggers are extremely similar to the members of Vampire Weekend, in effect, their cousins, so to paraphrase, STFU already insulting us when you're the same as us.

The third track, California English, is similar to Horchata in that it sounds like the same ol' Vampire Weekend, complete with references to Hapa Club, Skiing in the Alps, and Hair Gel. But it's bouncy and fun, and Ezra Koenig sings the lyrics pleasantly and speedily. Also, this track, just like the other two, is short, which makes its buoyant mood easy to bear. I wish I weren't listening to this album in the dead of winter, but Australia looms in two weeks, so I figure I'll listen to it properly there.

"Diplomat's son" is similar to California English in tone and feel, but catchier, and the story about the seduction of a diplomat's son (obvious) is more interesting than most VW lyrics. It took me a while to figure out that Koenig was singing IT was 81, as opposed to HE was 81. Confusing for a bit.

"Giving up the Gun" is my second favorite song on the entire album. It's catchy, it's interesting to hear young people writing about not being young anymore and the obviously Freudian sword/gun metaphor just makes the whole thing a pretty funny surprise. If all the songs were about this, the band would be indulging themselves in writing about things they know nothing about. But with this song, it just works.

"Holiday" is the worst song on the album, (and unfortunately I still like it). Its oppressively upbeat, and sounds like something you'd sing to a preschool class on a morning when it wasn't actually a holiday. Cheesy, ridiculous, and yet, I still kind of like it.

"I Think You're a Contra" is another song that's not particularly great. It's a slow burner and that makes you want to sit back and really listen to the lyrics, but they're cryptic, and bit annoying. The lyrics address an unknown, and question whether that unknown (who I always imagine to be a girl) is a contra or not. Two important sets of lines seem to hint at what the song's about. The first is: "You wanted good schools/ and friends with pools/ you're not a contra/ you wanted rock n roll/complete control/well I don't know." The point of this seems to be that a contra is someone who wants things that don't add up into a consistent persona. It would make sense for someone who wanted good schools to also want some friends with some g*ddam* pools. But NO ONE could want rock n roll and complete control. The second set: "Never pick sides/ never choose between two/ but I just wanted you" pretty much means, I love you despite your inconsistencies. And Vampire Weekend, possibly addressing that omnipresent blogger/hater in the back of their minds just want to be loved.

"Run" is Holiday done right. Also an answer to "Summertime Clothes." If I were the type to dance around or run around in meadows, those two songs would be on repeat all the time.

Taxi Cab is another song that's about the similarities between "you" and the band. But instead of being aggressive like "Cousins" this one is more confused. The most telling lyrics: "In the shadow of your first attack/ I was questioning and looking back/ you said baby we don't speak of that/ like a real aristocrat." If the you is still the blogger, or a disillusioned fan, this aggrieved response makes sense; Vampire Weekend was a hugely hyped band, which met with the inevitable backlash that hugely hyped bands always meet with, and they just don't get it. The music is subdued and pretty, and the song serves perfectly as the slower counterpart to "Cousins."

My favorite song, "White Sky" is not complicated and I haven't thought about the lyrics at all and don't really need or want to. This song is just joyous, and summery and encapsulates what I like about the band while leaving out what I dislike. It reminds me of my favorite thing they've ever done, which wasn't actually them but a reworking of one of their songs done by Esau Mwamwaya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcC3Z3ynwMg.

The sound of this album is remarkably similar to Vampire Weekend, which for fans is just about perfect. And if you were offended by the lyrics of the debut, these lyrics definitely refer to your concerns, and are probably more addressed to you than they are to me. So at least listen to them before you decide to be a contra.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

This is Cool, The Girl is Hot

Cinnamon Chasers - Luv Deluxe (Music Video) from Saman Keshavarz on Vimeo.




Brett and Tyler, you guys would like this for sure.

Also, if you like me posting videos like this, or you watch them, please leave a comment so I know to keep posting them. When I'm not sure people if people will like the links I'm posting, I don't post them.

Monday, January 18, 2010

A Wake Up Call to Anyone who Marginalizes Gangster Rappers as Being Stupid or Inarticulate

This is a video of rapper Mike Bigga, formerly known as Killa Mike, answering the question why do we still use the N-word today? Listen carefully, because he starts answering the question right away.

Mike Bigga and Dr. Cornel West Speak on the N-Word from www.mauricegarland.com on Vimeo.




This serves as an excellent short lecture on the relevance and significance of a word versus the connotation of that word; and as such, a rebuttal of those who say that the N word is a bad word no matter who is using it. It also offers us what might be a previously unclear lesson on why white people should avoid using this word with a troublesome history; especially in a nonacademic context. It is simply difficult to understand the tone and connotation with which a white person person might imbue the word. And it is much easier to imagine someone who is not black using this word in a hateful manner.

This video also serves as a different sort of rebuttal: a wake-up call to those who would dismiss gangster rappers as boneheads; and obviously and unfortunately, those people are still out there. This is a guy whose name was Killa Mike; who to the untrained ear sounded just like any other gangster rapper. And he is articulate enough to have Cornel West building upon his point rather than making a completely individual one, or arguing. Pretty impressive.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Animal Collective: Brothersport Video




For some reason, people seem to believe that a hyped band is often a band not worth listening to, disregarding the opinions of thousands which is literally what hype is. Normally we see this attitude when holier-than-thous discuss pop music (which means that they're missing the most digestible, danceable, and viscerally appealing music that is put out) but occasionally, when the holier than the holier-than-thous get together, they discuss between themselves why bands like animal collective and phoenix are overrated. And that's ridiculous. Watch this video, and listen to the song, both are equally excellent and together they're dam* near undeniable.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Shades: The New Wale, both Good and Bad






I've been thinking about Wale's song Shades a lot recently, both after his concert, where I enjoyed it thoroughly, and then even more after I declared that I wanted to write about why it was one of his best songs. And after thinking about it for a while, I've stumbled onto a kind of two part (albeit short) argument, not that it's one of his best songs, but that it could have been, were it less interfered with. The first point that i want to adress is how good the lyrics of this songs are, and why they show off what Wale can do so well. The second part I want to adress is why I hate the chorus so much, and furthermore, how I see the chorus handicapping the song as a microcosm for the way that the studio-endorsed guest spots on the album tend to handicap the best features of Wale's rapping.





This song is obviously intensely personal for Wale, as it would be for anyone talking about their insecurity rooted in their skin color. The song is told in first person, so there can be no doubt who the subject is. "I never fit in with them light skins/ I felt the lighter they was, the better that they life is/So I resented them/And they resented me." What makes this lyric especially interesting is it's attention to the way others might feel as well. Wale mostly talks about his own resentment and feelings of anger, but he also recognizes that his resentment breeds resentment in others. And because he mostly dwells on how he feels, it doesn't feel as if he's pushing a nonexistent resentment onto others. In fact, he gives a reason for the more light-skinned to resent him; "cheated on light skinned Dominique when we was 17." Because Wale keeps his lyrics so personal, understanding a racially charged situation becomes as simple as understanding his feelings about it, which is why you could see every segment of the enormously diverse crowd at his last concert enjoying the sh** out of the song. And although we can't assume that every darker skinned guy feels the same way, it would be safe to think that Wale is speaking the mind of many, many people, which makes the song both appealing and prescient, without being preachy.

Unfortunately, the chorus goes a long way towards negating that understanding. Christette Michele has a beautiful, jazzy voice, but her lyrics here counter Wale's. The refrain goes "From a light skinned girl to a dark skinned brother, shade doesn't matter, heart makes the lover." Then Michele chants a bunch of different skin colors, while backing herself up chanting "beautiful boy, finally finishing on "boy you're so beautiful." This sounds very nice, and complimentary, but because it's oversimplified, it rings false. The point of this song isn't that everyone, of every different skin color is beautiful, and thus you should not be ashamed of your skin color. The point is that you may be attractive, or you may be ugly, but the shade of your skin has absolutely nothing to do with it, as color does not do much for signifying attractiveness. It's a Ratatouille argument. Everybody is not beautiful, no matter their skin color but anyone has the potential to be beautiful no matter their skin color. That's the point of the song, and the soothing thing about it, and the chorus seems as if the song is saying that everoyne is beautiful in their own way, which when talking about appearances is ridiculous and cliche. Furthermore, the chorus points to a problem that the entire album has, namely that the R&B choruses take away from the honesty and fun that used to be Wale's signature.

As always please comment, and because this song and issue is somewhat racially charged, please let me know if you think anything I've said is totally ridiculous or ignorant.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

A Kind of Plea and an Observation on Ludacris




There are many reasons why I was a never a very consistent blogger and most of them do not have anything to do with readership. But, if you are reading this and are interested in whatever I'm saying, do me a favor and leave a comment. Here are a bunch of numbered points about why comments are a good idea:

1. If you comment on something, I know someone is reading, which puts me under far more pressure to write.
2.Because I am going to try to make this blog very friend-oriented, what with the personalized links and all, if I know you are reading I will post more stuff that is you-centric. I've got to adjust to my audience.
3.If you are shy and retiring/ just don't want a tiny corner of the world to see what you think, send me an email or a facebook message with a comment, or tell me in person. As long as I know you're reading, I'll have you in mind when I'm writing.
4.If you disagree with me about anything, blog comments sections are good places to foster discussion on why or why not Jersey Shore is the quintessence of Real World, or whether Lil Wayne is a better mixtape rapper or album rapper. As you know, I will argue until someone is convinced or tired.

So those are the reasons I can think of. Please comment. It will be a major help to me in many ways, and will help to keep this blog going.

Ok, to Ludacris. This is a pretty minor observation but has anyone ever noticed that a lot of popular Ludacris songs are just lists?

What's Your Fantasy-a list of places Ludacris wants to have sex with you
Area Codes-a list of the places in the United States that Ludacris knows a girl
Pimpin' All Over The World-a list of the places in the world that Ludacris knows there are girls
Ho-a list of words that have the o sound in them, or can be manipulated into sounding like they do
Blow It Out-a list of things that people can "blow out they a**"

Let me know if you can think of any more.

Ok, lets try this thing again

Hi everybody,

Ok, so first off, by everybody I mean Suarez, Julie, and George, because those are the only three people who have ever told me that they have read my blog (other than Kira, who I think just did so out of filial curiosity). The reason I'm starting this up again is, firstly so I have a place to write about things I'm interested in, which I currently do in a little black notebook that could easily get lost, or stolen by the imaginary person who is interested enough in my ideas to steal them. Secondly, I'm going to Australia this semester, and (as much hate as I might receive for this(Brice)), almost everyone who has ever traveled abroad has told me to record everything I can about the experience, both for other people who are interested and for myself. That way when you all are sick to death from hearing me talk about sand surfing while attached to kangaroos I'll be able to relive it without retelling it an enormous number of times. This blog will be kept squeaky clean, as I think there will be some boomers frequenting it, (mom, dad, maybe peter) but as I used to do, I'll hand out links to stuff I'm interested in, and, as i know i love reading blog posts where I'm name dropped, if you're my friend, and I think you'll like it, I will specify who it is for, whether it be Brett, Tyler, Sarah, Jessie, Kevin (if it's girly pop) or whomever else. I'm putting the link back on my facebook so hopefully I'll get traffic from the people who care. And, as I feel as if I have enough to say at this point to start blogging before I get to Australia I'm going to be writing about music, movies (such unique interests!), and whatever else I care about whenever I feel like I have something somewhat interesting to say. So I'm not going to continue this unnecessarily long post tonight but if I have any motivation at all I'm going to write a short piece on why Wale's song Shades is one of his best songs, despite the lousy chorus. And, just for myself, tonight was the best Wale show Ive ever seen, with both Wiz Khalifa and the people I was hanging out with and standing around making it a great, great time. So thanks everyone, and if you're interested this should be a quasi-consistent time waster if you're bored at work or at school.