me... who is that?

some have said that my blog does not allow people to understand me or know me on a personal level so here it goes.

as of may 25 2009, I am 26 years, some months and some days old. I feel older but on occasion act like a 15 year old girl. My body parts suggest that I am male. I am attracted to women, so society would suggest that I am straight. I have been in love, more than once so lightning can strike twice. I would say it has struck four times. Love has allowed me to be bold and stupid. I have been bad in relationships and those have failed. I have been great in relationships and those have failed. I am not sure what success is. Recent history would suggest that sharks bite with sharp teeth.

As a child my favorite sport was basketball. As an emerging adult, my favorite sport is baseball. I root for the Red Sox even though I am not from Boston or new england. I love sports which surprises some. I once had a decent or moderate collection of sport playing cards. I plan to pass those on to my children. I do not have any children, yet. 'Yet' does not mean that I am expecting at the current moment but hopeful that one day I will have created a better version of me. Hopefully a child of mine will posses some of the skill in athletics that I was never strong enough to nurture.

As of today I have 24,199 songs on my i-tunes. The most played song at 103 spins is "Gentle on My Mind" by Johnny Cash with Glen Campbell. I still buy CD's. I went to school to study film but Hollywood doesn't make anything that interests me anymore. My favorite movie is The Third Man. Movies are movies, films are movies, movies can be films, and I am pretentious. There isn't much to watch on television anymore either. I hate reality TV and I hate YouTube. Music and movies might be the only stable thing I have in this life.

I love useless facts like Hawaii being the only state in the US with a royal palace or that manatees despite given the nickname of "sea cow" are more closely related to elephants. Or if you fill a container with 14% sawdust and 86% water and freeze it, you get something with similar strength and durability to that of concrete. I think knowledge has no limits other than the limits we impose on it. I dislike it when people think they are always right or that there way of thought is the only acceptable way to think. I think liking something or enjoying something doesn't mean that it is right, good or justified. "just because," is never a suitable answer for enjoying something or believing in something else.

I have my faults. I am paranoid. I can be distant and cold. I dislike most children and refused to be swayed by the argument that they are young or cute therefore their annoying habits are acceptable. While on the topic of children, I think most parents shouldn't be parents and I am very close to believing that some sort of test should be given to those wanting children.

I drink. I prefer quality beer when my bank account allows it. I prefer cheap beer when my bank account is empty. I drink as a social activity but do not shy away from the solitary moments of drinking. It sometimes turns sadness into a smile and other times turns a blank stare into tears. When I am sad, I enjoy strumming on my guitar or sitting down to write. I haven't been writing very much as of late which has allowed me to practice my poor guitar playing. I am not being modest.

maybe these are vague but I have been accused of similar crimes. I don't let many get close and allow very few get close enough to see the wrinkles around my eyes, the imperfections of my smile and the shadows behind my words.

let me hit you with some basic facts to end this blog. I wish I was well read. I love going to the zoo. I am afraid of the ocean. I prefer pie over cake. I never knew my grandparents and fear my children will share a similar fate. I speak spanish poorly. I put too much sugar in my coffee and tea. I agree with the person that said America's greatest inventions are the constitution, jazz and baseball. I love the static puff of sound from worn speakers when placing a record under the needle and flicking the on switch. I feel the first climb to 10,000 feet of air travel is unsettling. A quality back scratch might be more satisfying than winning $50 from a scratch off lotto ticket. I think spelling bees are cruel. There is something delicate yet sturdy about a ranch home on a vast piece of land that I admire. I am rather vain but lacking genuine confidence in my appearance. I suck at crossword puzzles. I hate losing. I fear disappointing my parents. I am a grown man with stuffed animals. I cuff my jeans. I talk to my car like it is my therapist. And like you, I am just trying to do the best I can with what I've got.

a few suggestions to fix the NBA

it seems like everyone loves the NBA. Well I don't. As a kid, I grew up in awe of Michael Jordan and the fastest growing sport in the world. I wanted to play roundball more than anything as a pre-teen and dreamt of last second heroics. My fascination started at the tender age of four when my brother had taught me how to dribble and shot a basketball. I had never experienced a joy greater than that but since high school my love for basketball has been diminished. why ? Has the game ultimately suffered since Michael Jordan retired or is it a game that was created with flaws that may never be corrected?

my problems

1.the game. I didn't realize it as a child but basketball may be the only sport in which the first 3 quarters of the game have no relevance what so ever. Leads in basketball generally diminish. Scoring 8, 10 or sometimes 15 points with little or no response is not uncommon. So why watch an entire game? it is because basketball is a sport that thrives on a score that is constantly in flux. A constantly changing score keeps people excited and into a game but at the same time a 10 point lead at the end of the half is meaningless. I would even dare to say that a 10 point lead is not safe unless there is under 90 seconds left in the game e and there have been instances in the game with 90 seconds remaining that no lead is safe. This is where the excitment is drawn, a game in which victory could come to either team, but you achieve nothing by claiming victory in the first, second or third quarters, but after 48 minutes. Basketball is not like football or baseball, soccer or hockey in which the strategy to maintain a lead or come from behind drastically change. So with why watch a basketball game when the fourth quarter is all you really need?

2. The lottery. The NBA lottery is a joke. It does not grant the team with the worst record the first pick in the annual draft. Therefore a team that suffers through a regular season with the most losses may be punished for no good reason other than to create excitment for a draft that lacks. The last time a team with the worst record recieved the number 1 overall pick was 2004 and the Orlanda Magic then picked Dwight Howard. Five years later, the Magic are contending for a spot in the NBA finals. The reason why the NBA draft lacks is that rarely does any team find a player that will bring immediate impact after the 5th pick.

SO why is it fair that team with the worst record can wind up with the 14th pick in the draft when a team that was a game or two away from the playoffs could be selecting the first pick? People accept this because that is the system and without the lottery the draft is lacking any drama or buzz to rival that of the NFL. My suggestion would be to modify the lottery. Allow only the three teams with the fewest wins to compete for the top selection while the remaining selections are based upon record. I think this is fair and even though it might not create as much excitement, it might squash many of the claims that the lottery is fixed or rigged to propell certain struggling organizations to the forefront of the Association.

3. the playoffs. there are 32 teams in the NFL and twelve make the playoffs. there are 30 teams in Major league baseball and only 8 make the playoffs. Hockey and basketball have 30 teams and of those 16 teams make the playoffs; that is over 50%. Why are some teams that finish with a record below .500 able to contend for a championship? A team with a losing record has made the playoffs every year since the 2004-2005 season. Is that a problem or just coincidence? Is there a power divide between the two conferences that allows this? Is it a coincidence that the 9th place team in the Western conference would have the fifth best record in the East? Is there a a problem when six teams in the Western conference achieved over 50 wins and only three teams in the East were able to accomplish the same? Some feel this is natural but I am a little more skeptical.

4. the officiating. Basketball has the worst officiating in sports. During the playoffs, the officiating is not only bad but it is controversial. three men are responsible for calling the game while on the football field or baseball diamond, twice or three times as many officials enforce the rules of the game. Many question how, when or why referees enforce the rules of the game but in basketball unlike baseball the refs can dictate the game. Calls are questioned, calls are missed and the consistency of calls within the game, or from game to game is consistently questioned. The NBA is talking about adding challenges with instant replay like the NFL but my suggestion is a bit easier. Why not, at least in the playoffs, add a fourth official? four pairs of eyes must be better than three. Allow the refs to discuss possible questionable calls. I don't think many will object to a ref over rulling another or allowing the team of officials to deliberate a call for 15 seconds. I think a fourth ref seems like an easy solution that might alleviate some of the problems but I am sure NBA hasn't considered it and some union might be against it. A fourth ref is what we need, at least for the most important games of the year, like the playoffs.




I could go on about the image of the NBA or basketball. I could talk about the problems of letting young men at the age of 19 or 20 enter a league in which they will not only enter the spotlight like never before but make millions of dollars doing so. I can talk about the leagues promotion of individuals over teams or how commissioner David Stern runs the league like an a parent blind to the faults of his children. I won't discuss any of that. Basketball is a great game. I, like many others just hope for a few modifications and these are my suggestions.

What Ever Happened to My Rock and Roll - 5 bands that Rock

Ever wonder what happened to Rock and Roll? do you feel that pop music is making your rock soft? Do you feel that hip hop is lacking the passion you need from the blood and sweat of Rock'n'Roll. Country music is not rock and roll. do you feel that your Rock music is kind of bland, doesn't kick, doesn't push, doesn't rock? Is your rock music a generic blend of Aerosmith wanna-be and Nickelback wanna-be sounds with no originality what so ever? Is your rock ruined by too many keyboards, piano solos, new age crap or cray baby antics... Emo is not rock music! Well if all or any of these are true than I have a cure for your Summer Rock and Roll Blues...

5 Bands that Rock. Bands that stick to their guns and their guns are firing ROCK.

1. Kings of Leon - Composed of three brothers and their cousin, the Followill family make up this Nashville outfit that went from the simple southern guitar rock sounds of their debut, Youth and Young Manhood to the Epic sounds of their fourth release Only by Night. From Nashville, the Kings of Leon have toured with U2, Pearl Jam, Oasis, the Strokes, and Bob Dylan. They broke away from the Lynyrd Skynyrd comparisons to formulate their own sound combing the dirty southern rock sound ("Molly Chambers"), garage rock ("My Party") anthem rock ("On Call") and even discovered an inner U2 with the song, "Use Somebody." Even the ballads rock as their songs never stray far from the guitar. Jared Followill's bass lines pulse and push much of the music forward, causing your hips to sway while singer Caleb brings a tremendous amount of soul to his understated lyrics. Quite possibly the best things about this band is that with four albums every fan has a hard time choosing which their favorite might be.

Favorite Album: Aha Shake Heartbreak

Favorite Song: "Soft"

2. The Gaslight Anthem - Sure, they are only two albums into what I hope will be an amazing catalog but the Gaslight Anthem provide that jersey shore rock music that we all need in life. Imagine if Bruce Springsteen had grown up listening to the Ramones and the Replacements, the result would then be the Gaslight Anthem. Bruce Springsteen wearing Chuck Taylor's, leather jackets and a fist in the air bringing the sky to shambles. Last year's the '59 Sound might be one of the best albums while driving down the open highway that I've heard, in a long time. Brian Fallon does plenty of name dropping of old girlfriends, lost loves and broken hearts than maybe anyone... Sorry Bruce. Fallon sings of old cars, music icons, tattoos, radio songs and youthful exuberance... what more could you want?

Favorite Album: The '59 Sound

Favorite Song: "Casanova, Baby!"

3. the Black Keys - This blues outfit from Akron, Ohio is just two guys, Dan Auerbach on vocals/guitar and Patrick Carney on the drums. With five albums to their credit along with an Ep celebrating the songs of Junior Kimbrough, the band started out playing the blues, which evolved into blues rock but in the end it all just kicks ass. Robert Plant, Josh Homme and Thom Yorke are big fans of the Black Keys and so should you. The best thing about the Black Keys is that they continue to grow and get better. Five albums in the can and each one is better than the last. They brought on super producer and beat maker Danger Mouse to produce their last effort, Attack and Release which must be considered their best album to date. Their mixture of blues and rock can be subtle, huge, delicate or sexy. Their band composition might be similar to the White Stripes but their sound is uniquely their own.

Favorite Album: Attack and Release

Favorite Song: "All Hands Against His Own"

4. The Raveonettes - So what if they are Danish? So what if they sing a majority of their songs in two part harmonies? Imagine if the Velvet Underground, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Buddy Holly adopted a rock band and the beautiful monster that would come to be would be the Raveonettes. Throw in a splash of surf rock and you are golden like hash browns. The Raveonettes like their rock and roll dressed in black, distortion and feedback. It is slick but sexual. Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo sing with an ease and softeness that might be confused for lacking passion but that couldn't be further from the truth. With their vocals passing through like an easy ocean breeze the juxtaposition of the noise from their guitars, hard, fuzzy, loud, distorted, contained and maniacal displaces any sense of peace or ease.

Favorite Album: Pretty in Black
Favorite Song: "Do You Believe Her"

5. Drive-By-Truckers - Athens, Georgia first gave the world R.E.M. and now they can take credit for the Drive-By-Truckers. Another southern rock outfit but unlike Kings of Leon, the Truckers may never leave the dirt and roll of their southern sound. They have incorporated a fiddle, stand up bass, and mandolin to their musical landscape and are deeply rooted in the sounds that surround them. These guys love Lynyrd Skynyrd, and have filled the alternative country void left by Uncle Tupelo. Imagine if Wilco never got soft or imagine if Wilco had some balls. This Rock outfit might be the hardest working act in the business that no one seems to know about even with 7 albums in the past 13 years plus a live record. Not only do they tour extensively but they also worked as the studio band for the most recent Bettye LaVette album, The Scene of the Crime. An album combing soul, country and rock as the Truckers create a fuller sound to aid in the soulful curiousities of LaVette.

Favorite Album: Decoration Day
Favorite Song: "Where the Devil Don't Stay"



I hope you enjoyed this list... there are plenty of other good bands doing rock music these days, i just wrote about a few of them. Rock as of late has strayed from some of the simplicity that made it great. Experimentation is pretty great but often i wonder... What happened to my rock and roll?


if you know of any rock bands that needs some attention, let your voice be heard. music saves so save music !