AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/30/2003 01:37:00 PM ----- BODY: Ponyboy: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

I went to the foodcourt today in the MU to eat lunch, and I couldn't help but notice a conversation that was going on next to me. As I was consuming my Panda Express, I started hearing a pretty in-depth discussion about semis and bulldozers to my left. Looking over, I found two tables of college students debating which models offered the best features. This was simply amazing to me. I didn't know what fascinated me more, the vast knowledge and expertise these men exhibited regarding the machines, or the fact that these people cared enough about semis and bulldozers to memorize what types had what engine or wheelbase. I then focused my attention to the mass of people invading the foodcourt to devour food of marginal quality solely because there is no establishment offering food of reasonable substance within walking distance of campus. Instead of allowing myself to become overwhelmed by the crowd of people, I tried to shift my focus on one individual at a time, counting how long it would take for each person to smile. I never saw it happen once. Not even a smirk of slight satisfaction surfaced on the faces of the disgruntled students I observed. After awhile, I just gave up and just let my ears provide me amusement from the semi conversation next to me. I don't know why I am so entertained by unique people who's interests are so foreign to me. I think it really intrigues me to experience people who view life from a different perspective. One such example is a man who goes by the name Ponyboy. He is someone I met one Tuesday night in September at a bar. I was in the bathroom listening to the most awful voice I've ever heard come through the speakers while I relieved myself. Ponyboy was the person outside the bathroom belting out Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" into the microphone with more emotion than Bon Jovi ever has displayed. A couple friends and I immediately came up to him and tried to get to know him. Here's what we found out: 1. His real name is Chris but goes by the name Ponyboy. 2. He turned 29 years old that night. 3. He lives with his parents across town. 4. He is a dishwasher at Village Inn. 5. He has a ponytail that hangs past his shoulderblades. 6. He goes to the bar every single Tuesday night by himself to show the people of Ames what a golden voice he has via karaoke. 7. He plays the guitar, bass, piano, and recorder. As one could imagine, this was a man that was so different from anyone I had met before. Since then, we have become acquaintances at the bar. We cheer him on as he sings his favorite Creed and Bon Jovi songs. I just saw him this past Tuesday where he revealed even more odd things to me about himself. He told me: 1. He dated a girl for seven years and broke up with her about a year ago. 2. They lived together since they graduated Ames High together. 3. After they broke up, Ponyboy found out she was a drug abuser and suffered from mental retardation. 4. Ponyboy suspected retardation back in high school as she took special ed classes, although "they were upper-level special ed classes." 5. Ponyboy thinks his ex was cheating on him because she'd invite his friends over and "she'd let them touch her anatomies." 6. He believes the only reason she dated him for so long was because of his good looks. 7. His ex was so crazy that she ended up putting a restraining order on him. I really hope Ponyboy the best in whatever life may have in store for him. He's a giant weirdo, but he really does mean well. Until I graduate, Tuesday night will always be known as the night for Ponyboy to shine. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/28/2003 09:22:00 PM ----- BODY: The Day I Considered Extending My Graduation

I got an email today containing this link and, instead of actually using rationale to realize this site is a hoax, I was already thinking about how I could stick around Ames a little longer to witness the twin beauties. Man, I'm a moron. Oh well, we can all dream can't we? -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/28/2003 01:17:00 AM ----- BODY: Team Wang Starts Off With A Bang

Tonight, something amazing happened. Team Wang, a collection of white, less-than-athletic, boys under six feet tall pulled off a win in their first round of basketball tonight. Of course, it was only because the opposing team didn't show up and not actually because we outplayed someone. But hey, a win is a win, right? Tonight was also a giant wakeup call as to how amazingly out of shape I have allowed myself to become in my years at ISU. That has got to change...not only so we can actually beat a team by playing them, but so that I may someday accomplish the feat of exercising for twenty minutes without getting winded. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/26/2003 10:45:00 PM ----- BODY: A Return...

I'm pretty annoyed at myself for taking so long to post anything on here. The original plan was to force myself to think of at least one thing everyday to transform into a physical format on this site. As posted earlier, this past week was pretty interesting due to my grandmother passing away and then having to head back and make people laugh for 5 hours. The funeral was alright. She was cremated so there wasn't an actual casket holding her body which was a new experience for me. It was so strange to me to know that my grandma was just ashes inside a small box. The sermon was given by a man who acted like he was just winging the entire service. It was funny, in a way, watching him stumble all over his words trying to figure out what to say next to give the impression he was being sincere. I swear at one point he called my grandma Ethel. Her name is Marie. Family members (including myself) spoke at the church and then we all went to lunch afterwards. I had to leave early so I could make it back in time to emcee Varieties. It was really impressive to see my family come together in support of one another. Varieties went pretty well, I believe. It was sort of difficult at first to shift my frame of mind to where it was supposed to be, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to do it. All we can do now is cross our fingers and hope we are lucky enough to make it to Sweepstakes. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/22/2003 01:17:00 AM ----- BODY: MP3 RIP?

Oh boy, it seems as if the music industry giants may have found a way to prevent free file swapping from happening. A federal judge just ruled that internet providers must provide a list of IP addresses of individuals who download their music. This would mean we would not only lose our privacy, but we would also likely get in trouble for downloading free music. It seems as if this ruling will be appealed because the negative ramafications if such a disclosure could result in a drastic effect on overall internet use. You can read the story here. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/22/2003 01:08:00 AM ----- BODY: Just Put On A Happy Face

This week has already proven to be an odd one and it looks as if it will progressively get more interesting as my emotions will have no choice but to switch from one end of the spectrum to the other. This weekend is when I (and two other friends) will be taking center stage as the first emcees of Varieties 2003 2nd cuts. Going by the stage name Kangaroos Don't Bite But We Do!, our trio will be responsible for the entertainment of hundreds of students and families for two shows this Saturday in the Great Hall of the MU. That same day, I will also be three hours east of Ames in the Quad Cities to witness the burial of my grandmother who had been living with us as she battled brain cancer. I am very fortunate that I was able to live away from home during these past two weeks as my grandmother became increasingly ill. Eventually, her ability to talk and walk became so bad that she was basically a vegetable. This week I have been getting sad calls from family members including my mom and grandpa. Moments later, I am being asked to help write funny skits. It's hard to do because you almost have to completely shut one side of the personality you're experiencing at the time off in order to function properly. It's like replacing a slide that you'd used for track lighting with a two-way switch. My emotions are basically required to be black and white this week when all I can really feel is grey -- not completely capable of feeling strongly either way due to such drastic influences. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/20/2003 01:45:00 AM ----- BODY: A Look Back In Time

The following is a statement I wrote the summer after my freshman year: There is so much to conquer in life. I have spent time analyzing it to pieces, and it's depressing in a way. No matter what happens, be remembered in a good way. Don't just end up another faded name on some stone above where your dead body lays. Be something. Touch people. Make an impact. Too many people just live their lives without any thought at all and just live for themselves. Everyone just wants to climb up that ladder of success and knock down anyone in their path without any regard for them. Then, after they reach a certain point, they just try to show it off. They buy the expensive clothes and houses and cars. Is this for their own personal enjoyment? Maybe a little. It's mostly to impress everyone so they turn into the air that inflates their egos and provides CPR to a low self-esteem. It doesn't matter what you do for people, though. In the short-run, it makes people happy that you're kind and caring. But in the end, you don't matter. That's because, while all the little pigs play nicely in the pen, when it comes to feeding time everyone is out to push each other out of the way. I'm sick of it. I question whether anything matters and whether or not my efforts for people really do mean anything. The reason I don't give up is because, for some odd reason, I get satisfaction through others' happiness even though I often doubt it really matters. I must be remembered when I die. I can't ever let myself forget that. I think there is a passion in that message that I seem to have let drift from my soul. I've let myself sink into a rut of just doing what is expected of me instead of maximizing my life while I still exist. This needs to be my new motivation...not just doing well in school or finding a job. I need to excel at life in general and stop focusing on issues relative to my own personal success. I cannot ever let myself forget that. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/16/2003 08:32:00 PM ----- BODY: The Priestie Boys

While I was home over break I started wondering if I was living out the movie Groundhog Day every time I picked up the daily edition of the Quad City Times. During my ten day tenure, three Catholic priests were in the news for performing illegal crimes. One was arrested for having child pornography, one was in trouble for molesting children, and one was awaiting trial for making and selling date rape drugs. The coward who molested kids was the same priest who married my aunt and uncle years ago. Every time I read about these horrible acts it really makes me question the motives of the church. Most of these priests who have been charged for child molestation barely get a slap on the wrist. If any of us were to do something so deviant we would be arrested and thrown in jail. The priests, however, just end up getting moved to serve a different congregation. It appalls me to see how the Catholic church has handled these matters. Their actions are no different than those of corrupt politicians or shady businessmen in how they just try to sweep scandles under the rug instead of set an example. The root of the problem, in my opinion, is the restriction of marriage and the ignorant mentality regarding homosexuals. Marriage does not restrict anyone from their relationship with God, and these crimes that are springing up all over the country should serve as proof that all humans long for closeness with other human beings. Homosexuality is not a sin. I feel sorry for anyone who is so brainwashed that they can't see that. Nobody chooses to be gay any more than they choose to be heterosexual. Why would anyone choose to be the subject of ridicule and hatred for the rest of their life? It's something that you are born with. Unfortunately, someone decided that they didn't like gays and tried saying that the Bible renounces homosexuality. If any of you can find a passage that legitimately proves me wrong, then please reply to this because unless you try to interpret it in some twisted way, you won't. So what situation some gay people are faced with is the fact that they are afraid of who they are because their religion tells them they're wrong for being that way. Well, what I believe is many of those people run towards the cloth and dedicate the rest of their life to being a priest because then they won't have to live life as a homosexual. Well, I think it's rather aparent what the result of this trend seems to be. Right now, I consider myself a pretty jaded Christian. I'd like to think someday I'll read this posting and be surprised at how I could ever have such a negative view on organized religion. So many facts have been discovered supporting science while discrediting the stories of the Bible. Right now, I honestly don't know what I believe. There's one thing I do know, though, and that's that I feel like I'm living my life at a higher standard of morality than most devout Christians. I wouldn't care to follow the preaching of a corrupt religious organization anymore than I'd request going to the state penetentary to receive philisophical discussions on morality. I could go on about this topic for a long time, but I'm going to have to save my arguements for another day. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/14/2003 09:35:00 PM ----- BODY: DJ Tanner In Da House

For those of you who like a little humor with their indie rock, a friend and I (my air name is DJ Tanner) will be continuing last semester's radio show but in a different time slot. You can now catch our show, 100% Cashmere, every Sunday afternoon from 2-4. It's a much better time slot than last fall's 8-10 a.m. slot we had every Wednesday so we're pretty pumped about that. This semester I vow to finally get a midget on the show, as well. It just didn't seem worth the effort to perform such a stunt to an audience of four faithful viewers last time. The highlight of our show thus far is when we threatened to play Creed if we didn't get a caller in five minutes. Sure enough, we had a couple calls. We even had a mother call to tell us she was listening to us as she dropped off her kids to school and she thanked us for backing down from our threat. So for any of you that are reading this now, mark Sundays from 2-4 on your schedules and tune in to KURE 88.5. Just remember, if you're ovulating make sure to listen to the show at a low volume...our show is so potent that it might just get you pregnant. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/12/2003 11:57:00 PM ----- BODY: Grammy Schmammy

At first I thought it was a joke, but then I realized it's just the music industry's way of congratulating mainstream, unoriginal musicians by placing them on the list of Grammy nominees. I will give them credit for indluding some of the bands that are on my Top 20 Albums of the Year list (posted earlier), but they are only mentioned in categories specific to their genre and not overall. Do these morons really think Nelly and the Dixie Chicks really deserve a nod for Best Album of the Year? Do they really think Nickelback, one of the most generic bands out there right now, deserves to be mentioned for Best Record of the Year? I used to think Eddie Vedder was rude for saying that winning a Grammy for "Spin the Black Circle" back in the day didn't mean anything. After seeing this lame list I think I would probably feel the same. I mean, what would Coldplay say if they actually surprisingly end up winning the award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group which they deserve more than anyone they are up against? I know I'd be thinking, "Oh sweet...we beat out Creed, 3 Doors Down, and some guy named Chad Kroeger." I encourage everyone to boycott the awards show and let the ratings prove to the music giants that we won't tolerate their weak attempt at recognizing "safe musicians" instead of actually rewarding art. Of course, I know that that will never happen, but at least I can dream. My prediction: Bruce Springsteen will clean up and take home a lot of awards. Think about it, he's not controvercial, his latest album is of songs relating to 9/11, and it would mark a huge comeback from The Boss. Those people love stuff like that. Remember when Tony Bennett won Album of the Year for his Unplugged album? It was a lot of the same type of thing which I found funny because Tony Bennett was never "plugged" to begin with. In even more sad news, those child porn lovers seem to keep coming out of the woodwork as Who guitarist Pete Townshend is being investigated for owning such filth. I hope that it turns up to be nothing but it sounds doubtfull because he's already admitted to paying money to watch kids on the internet "just to see what was out there". What is wrong with these people?! -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/12/2003 08:15:00 PM ----- BODY: Movie Madness

I went to see Adaptation on Friday (opening day) and again on Saturday. The movie is absolutely amazing. Actually, I would rank it up there as one of the best I"ve ever seen. Never have I seen a movie that is so layered and packed with so many thought-provoking themes. The aspects are done so well that it should be seen multiple times because the presentation of the issues is sometimes so subtle that it is hard to fully absorb every message or detail that the movie projects to the viewer. Thank goodness there are movies like this that are being made in a time where the masses flock to see thoughtless, mind-numbing flicks like XXX, Fast and the Furious, and just about anything recent by Jerry Bruckheimer. Today, I saw 8 Mile with some friends and was pleasantly surprised. I didn't want to like 8 Mile a whole lot, to be honest. The notion of taking the life of one of the biggest icons of pop culture and turning his life into a movie seemed like a lousy way for Hollywood to cash in. When I heard the guy who directed it was the same guy who made L.A. Confidential I figured there's no way it would be that bad. Though I wouldn't nominate it for an Oscar, it was still pretty darn good. Not to sound cheesy, but I can see how Eminem has gained the respect he has after doing this movie. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/10/2003 01:10:00 AM ----- BODY: Free Money!

For those of you who used to purchase music back in the day before MP3's can get $20 by filing a claim and submitting your name and address. A lawsuit was just settled and people are entitled to get some money for being ripped off. So click here and get your money! -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/07/2003 08:58:00 PM ----- BODY: I'll Be Rollin' In My Six-Fo'

Today was a big day for me. For a couple years now, my father has promised to bestow upon me a new car when I turn 21 as long as I kept my nose clean and remained a respectable upstanding citizen. By the time that birthday rolled around roughly a year and a half ago, I decided I was fine with my trusty '93 Probe for a year or two more and we agreed to wait until graduation to make any decisions. Throughout this time I have been doing research and have done some test driving with my pops so I could get an idea of what I wanted. I met my dad this morning at 9:30 in Des Moines to go car shopping a little more. I pretty much had my mind made up going into today's vehicle search, but I wanted to look at just a few more before I made my decision. Sure enough, those other cars weren't enough to sway my thoughts, and by the end of the afternoon my name was on the title for a new Infiniti G35 sedan. The only catch is that I have to wait until April for the car to get delivered, but it should definitely be worth the wait. At first I was a little nervous about owning a nice car because I was afraid people would think I'm some stuck up frat kid who's daddy spoiled him with a new car. I really hope that doesn't end up being the case, and I'm still a little concerned about that. But then again, who would say no at the opportunity to upgrade from a dying, loud car to one that critics seem to think is one of the best cars out there? My dad and I stopped and grabbed a bit to eat at Arby's this afternoon, and I couldn't help but notice something that seems to be a growing trend within the fast food industry. In this restaurant, there was a mentally retarded guy who just walked around picking up garbage and forcing small talk upon the individuals who were trying to have a quick bite to eat. You could tell this guy absolutely loved his job. Unfortunately, the people in the store wished they could light a retard-repellant citronilla candle at their table to keep the guy away. He would stand by the drink machine asking everyone how they were doing, then he'd move over to a table that was hosting a family and start tickling this poor baby sitting in a high chair, then he literally went up to a guy in line and put his arm around him. This man covered this place like it was his job...wait, it WAS his job! I just sat there observing this person in shock and I couldn't help but wonder if Arby's was paying him because they were under the false impression that the customers liked having the happy-go-lucky guy around or if they had him there as a sort of public service to either fulfill a quota for handicapped people or to just boost his self esteem. I hope, for Arby's sake, that it's because they think the customers like him. If that's the case, though, then it's a rare case where being polite on the part of the customer actually worsens the situation because it sends the wrong signal to the administration. It seems like every fast food place I go (which I try to limit as much as possible) I see disabled people working. One time a couple summers ago, I was out to eat with a couple friends at the local Fazoli's and the breadstick person happened to be a woman who was mentally handicapped. This person was insistant that we keep eating breadsticks. After our fifth breadstick each, we all had to cut this lady off. We simply couldn't shove any more down our throats. She took it personally and got kind of mad at us. But our brave trio never budged and we soon learned our lesson. The lady shoved a breadstick in my friend's face and yelled, "EAT IT!" It was very traumatic. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/06/2003 12:37:00 AM ----- BODY: About Schmidt

I saw the movie About Schmidt today and I can honestly say it's one of the best movies I've seen in quite a while. This film should easily be considered among the contenders for best picture, and Jack Nicholsen does a sensational job acting. The humor is very dark (which I love) and it's done very well with a good ending. One theme that is in the movie deals with growing older and finding purpose in life. This is something I have struggled with even at a young age so it was sort of difficult to take in at times. For example, young photos of old people really get me. I know it's pretty weird, but it does. There are still a lot of movies out there that I have yet to see this break, but I can't see any of them being better than this one. Another bit of information I found in the news to be of interest is that the beloved Al Sharpton is planning on running for president. I don't know what in the world the man is thinking. I sure can't wait to see him drop out of the race and point the finger at everyone else and call them a racist. I'll definately get a chuckle out of that one. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/04/2003 02:20:00 AM ----- BODY: The Best Albums of 2002

The following is a list of my favorites that were released this past year. There were a lot I have that I didn't feel completely deserved it and there were tons that I wasn't able find to download (umm...I mean purchase). So here they are. Please let me know if there are others that you feel are worthy and I'll check them out. Top 20 Albums of the Year 20. Mason Jennings – Century Spring This guy’s 3rd album is a little more mature, a little less folky, and a little more mainstream, but it’s still pretty darn good. Mason is has my vote for one of the best songwriters out there, and his success will only grow after touring with the likes of Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. I can’t wait to hear these new songs live at the M-Shop in a couple months. 19. Doves – The Last Broadcast I will admit I didn’t care for this album too much at first, but it grew on me a little. I preferred their last release to this one, but I’ve found it to be equally as good. 18. Starsailor – Love Is Here The singer sings sort of like Robert Plant and the band has a pretty good rock sound that includes pianos and acoustic guitars. Starsailor is a new, refreshing band that should appeal to a lot of people. 17. Foo Fighters – One By One My faith in this band had dropped a little the past few years after their music started sounding a little too radio-friendly. This album is their best ever, in my opinion. I like that it’s harder sounding and they lyrics are more personal and heartfelt. It’s a definite step forward for the band. 16. Red Hot Chili Peppers – By the Way People seem to either love or hate this album. A lot of people hate it because they don’t sound like the Peppers of old. I, however, subscribe to the belief that bands need to evolve or else they’ll just end up making the same music album after album like AC/DC. I do miss the funk they once mastered, but the songs on By the Way are very well put together and, to be honest, quite beautiful. 15. Coldplay – Rush of Blood to the Head This is a good, quality, laid-back kind of album. I was worried they would end up being one hit wonders after their last album, but I think it’s safe to say Coldplay is here to stay. Although I don’t agree with a lot of critics who think this is the best album of the year, it’s still pretty darn good. Plus, singer Chris Martin dates Gwenyth Paltrow…mmmmm. 14. Silverchair – Diorama Ok, let me explain myself before you write me off for putting Silverchair on my favorite’s list. Yes, it’s Silverchair, the same group that made a hit out of “Tomorrow” when they were only 15 or 16 years old. But this is totally different. This album treads close to being a little too pretentious with its slick production and symphony-filled accompaniments, but they manage to pull it off quite well. It’s a good rock album that is experimental well beyond their years. Give it a listen and you’ll be surprised. 13. Muse – Origin of Symmetry Once you get past the fact that the lead singer sounds way too much like Thom York from Radiohead, you’ll find an impressive rock album. I’m not kidding when I say almost every song feels like an epic – very powerful and driving. They sound like what Radiohead would probably sound like today had they kept developing their original sound instead of taking a different road to explore their creativity. 12. Badly Drawn Boy – Have You Fed the Fish? How do you follow up the legendary Hour of Bewilderbeast and this year’s soundtrack to About a Boy? Well, Badly Drawn Boy does it well, but differently than I expected. After listening to his soundtrack this year I thought it was going to be a little more adult contemporary-ish. Instead, this effort is more in your face which still maintaining the eclecticism that this one-man band has already done such a good job of doing. 11. …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead -- Source Tags & Codes There are some people that consider this album to be a flat-out masterpiece. If it weren’t for some of the tracks having screaming, punk rock-sounding songs, I would have to agree. This is a great album for these Austin indie legends. 10. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots What an interesting concept album about fighting off pink robots. It’s like an acoustic rock album with electronic beats. It sounds weird, but it’s pretty darn good. Apparently their live shows are pretty fun to watch, and their recent tour with Beck was probably my biggest disappointment if concerts I missed this year. 9. David Cross – Shut Up You Fucking Baby! I never thought that I would list a comedy album as one of my favorites of the year, but this isn’t your average comedy album. This witty comedian and actor delivers intelligent laughs in the vein of Bill Hicks. His thoughts are hilarious, sometimes shocking, and often times correct. 8. Spoon – Kill the Moonlight Their last effort was really good, and this one is every bit as enjoyable. It includes what I believe to be one of the catchiest songs of the year with “The Way We Get By”. It’s just a good, fun pop album that appeals to most people. 7. Pearl Jam – Riot Act Just when I was a little worried with Pearl Jam after Binaural, they come out and prove why they are still one of the best rock bands in the world. Great rockin’ songs and strong lyrics are all over this album. If only Eddie Vedder could sing the way he used to this would be ranked even better. 6. Radar Bros. – And the Surrounding Mountains The songs are mellow, the harmonies are gorgeous, and the songs are all beautiful. I find this to be one relaxing record that I can’t help but sing the melodies to. This one is highly recommended. 5. Beck – Sea Change The musical chameleon hits a home run once again with this one. He’s done a folk album, slack rock album, dance album, and an album that fuses together multiple genres into one. It was only a matter of time he made a dreamy, sad album. This one is about heartbreak and it’s never sounded so good. 4. Sigur Ros – ( ) This album by this Icelandic band serves as a reminder to everyone what universal power lies within music. The album has a pair of parenthesis for its title, the songs have no names, and the words are not in English. Yet this album evokes so many emotions and is so amazing to listen to, that it doesn’t matter. Listen to this when studying, with the lights off, or anytime you want to be moved. It is a complete shame if anyone goes without listening to this. 3. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf Great riffs, great songs, and rock the way it hasn’t been played for a while. I don’t think there’s a single bad song on this album which is saying a lot because most bands have only a couple and the rest is crap. 2. Soundtrack of Our Lives – Behind the Music If this album were to come out in the 70’s it would be regarded as a classic rock gem today. Unfortunately, society isn’t really embracing classic rock sounds at the moment. I love this album and I am disappointed I hadn’t started listening to this Swedish band prior to this year. 1. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot This album should be listed along with the legendary albums of our generation…Ten, Siamese Dream, Nevermind, Kid A, etc. Forget about the fact that the band was dropped from their record label because they said this was a bad record. The music is so amazingly good. Not only that, but it was originally slated to be released the week of 9/11 (but delayed due to it being dropped) and the cover art ironically features two buildings. Also, the lyrics at times are haunting with words like “Tall buildings shake, voices escape singing sad, sad songs”. It’s eerie the similarities this album shares with the tragedy of the terrorist attacks being that it was made beforehand. The songs are pretty experimental, but are done so well to depict a feeling of modern day America. I didn’t care for this one at first, but I truly believe this one is a modern day classic. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/02/2003 01:40:00 AM ----- BODY: Resolutions

I've never understood the point of coming up with resolutions for New Years. Just because it's a new year doesn't mean you have to come up with changes to yourself. If there's anything about you that you want to change or improve upon then you should just tell yourself to change it instead of waiting for that magical date of January 1 to live out your goals. I really hope that if you are reading this that you haven't come up with any resolutions for the year. If so, please rethink the rationale of that decision. It's so funny to me when I hear people say things like, "My resolution is to lose weight." If you think you need to lose weight then why wouldn't you just lose your weight when you starting feeling fat? Yes, yes, I know the new year is supposed to mark a new beginning, but c'mon, it really is just another day when you look at the big picture. Maybe there's something I'm missing about this whole concept. If so, please feel free to click that little link on the below here that says "comments" and enlighten me. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 1/02/2003 01:28:00 AM ----- BODY: New Years In L-Ames

After staying at my dad's in northwest Iowa, I decided that I should just celebrate the new year in the wonderful college town of Ames. I've never been in Ames for it, and I was skeptical as to how fun it would really be. Well, it ended up being a blast. The night of the 30th, my roomates and I went to the bars expecting to have a relatively low-key night to rest up for the next night. Well, pretty much the opposite happened. My roomate (who will remain nameless) blanked out for half of the night and woke up naked in a bed at a girl's apartment. Rumor has it he was running down the middle of Lincoln Way prior to his activities of questionable sexual escapades. As for me, my night was pretty normal at first but turned into the most random night out I've had in a long time...and, for those of you who don't know, I am definitely one to embrace all randomness with open arms. I was leaving Mickey's so I could get a decent night of sleep when a very intoxicated woman bumped into me. At that point, she and her two friends (who were relatively sober) started talking to me and, for some reason, we were hanging out just like we were good friends. At closing time, my three new friends suggested we head over to Paddy's for one last drink. So off I went with these girls that had been complete strangers to me a half hour beforehand. One girl bought us shots and then we walked the drunk girl home. After that, we ended up at an apartment belonging to one of the two remaining people I was with. The three of us just sat around talking and watching tv when, lo and behold, the show I was on for CY46 came on and they all had a good laugh at my expense. It was definitely random. Maybe you just had to be there. I didn't end up going to bed until 4:30 -- all because I was hanging out with my new friends. As for New Years, my roomates had some people over to pre-party and then we all headed to the bar. The highlight of my night was being able to perform the 80s rap classic "Bust A Move" to an enthused audience. I was a little nervous as to how the crowd would respond to a pasty white guy rapping, but I ended up getting some high fives from some strangers so that made me feel pretty good about the performance. Other than that, it was just a typical night out with friends only there happened to be a countdown where some people kissed and they gave out some champaigne to everyone. After the bar experience, I headed over to a party where I ended up talking with Jackson Vroman and Jared Homan for quite a while. Those guys made me feel like a midget, but it was still pretty cool. I guess that's why they play college basketball and I play guitar and type thoughts onto a geeky website...go figure. Needless to say, my experience in Ames was a fun and interesting one. --------