Live from Redwood Lane

Who Needs Sleep? I've Got Law.

2008-11-02T23:01:00.005-05:00

I know. Yes, I know. June 22nd was a long time ago. I know it's November. Believe me, I know. Let me let you in on what's been going on since my last post in June, in case the 7 people who read this want to know. I didn't get a summer job. I went to California. More on that later. I started law school. I've worked for 7 weeks with no paycheck. And did I mention law school? Oh yeah, law school, we'll get to that. But first, apologies. There is absolutely no excuse for not writing from June to August. That's a damn long time with nothing to say. Let's just chalk it up to laziness and be done with it. Kind of like how Dave Chappelle had a nervous breakdown and stopped making one of the funniest shows in history to go live in obscurity in Africa. It's exactly like that. But once August 18th hit, this was the last thing on my list of priorities. August 18th was my first day of law school, and let me tell you...it's something else.

I'm not complaining because I'm pretty goddamn happy right now, but it's a shitshow. It is a crazy fucking mess. Lots of reading, lots of writing, little sleep, high stress, tons of coffee and more reading. But you know what? I love it. In undergrad, I just did what I needed to get by. I know it's shocking. But in law school, what you need to get by is not the bare minimum. What you need to get by is to do everything. If you don't do everything...well how should I put this? You're pretty fucked. My friend Chris puts up an away message sometimes that characterizes law school perfectly. It says, law school is like being punched in the face repeatedly until eventually, you like it. That's pretty dead-on accurate. The crazy thing is, I love that feeling busy. I like to relax as much as the next guy, but sitting around all the time waiting for something to do just sucks. When you're actually doing something you feel accomplished, like you aren't some worthless waste of a living being. Call me crazy but I like feeling that way. Accomplished, I mean.

Here's the thing. You need to have a balance. If you're just doing work all the time, you'll kill yourself or live trying, which is worse. The balance is crucial, it's what keeps your sanity. Luckily, I've surrounded myself with a group of people who are just as bat shit crazy as I am, most of them more so. I think that's why I've only felt overwhelmed, truly overwhelmed in a hate yourself kind of way, one or two times. My friends fucking rule, without them I'd hate my life and law school with it. We usually hang out after class (night classes), either going out for a beer or just hanging out at someone's place. On the weekend, it's a free-for-all. I don't think I even partied this much on the weekend at UConn, at least not since freshman year. And that's a lot what this is like, freshman year of college. It's that same formula that you know all too well. First, you meet people that you're going to be around all the time. In undergrad it's who lives on your floor in your dorm. At law school it's the kids in your classes. Second step is the getting-to-know-you phase. You hang out with these new people and test your limits, seeing how far you can go in showing them who you are. Once this is accomplished and you're comfortable enough, let the shitshow commence. The only difference in law school is that everyone is at least 21, most of them older, so you can go and do what you please. Thats what makes law school so much better than undergrad, the freedom to do what adults do. That's the other interesting thing, having older friends. They give you perspective. I have older friends from home, but not ones that I hang out with almost every minute of the day. While I just graduated college, many of my law school friends have been out for a few years now and have been in the real world. This wisdom can be helpful when you're naive and need a kick in the ass, as I do pretty much all the time. And they kick my ass a lot, so to speak.

So that's law school in a nutshell. It's demanding, rewarding, maddening, insane, fun, terrible, awful, great, and inexplicable all at the same time. It makes you use your brain, it makes you conquer fears, it makes you nuts, it makes you hate and doubt yourself, and it picks you up again when and if you succeed. As far as I'm concerned, anything that can make you feel so many different conflicting things is at the very least interesting enough to take part in. Now whether that's worth being $80,000 in debt for the next decade is another story.

Next time: California, land of opportunity, unfathomably bad traffic, and hot asian chicks.

Don't Take The Brown Acid

2008-06-22T19:05:00.007-04:00

"Don't take the brown acid." This is all the advice my Dad had for me before embarking on what I expected to be the most epic journey of my life so far. I wasn't disappointed. I was going to Bonnaroo, a 4-day music festival in the great state of Tennessee. And that isn't a sarcastic jab at Tennessee, I really did love the place. They have Sonic, beautiful state parks where you can go cliff diving, and they host big hippie music festivals. Sounds like a solid state to me. But of all the things that my Dad could have told me before going there, "don't do drugs," "don't travel alone," "don't speed," the only thing he really said until the night we left was, "don't take the brown acid." I wasn't quite sure how brown acid differentiates from regular acid, but apparently it's not good for you. Not only did my dad tell me this, but numerous times throughout the weekend I would hear random hippies yelling out, "don't take the brown acid!" If hippies aren't condoning it, then it must be pretty fucking dangerous. Since I know you're curious, yes I did Google brown acid. Apparently, at Woodstock in 1969 there was an announcement made that the brown colored acid was giving people bad hallucinations and freakouts. The announcement was simply, "don't take the brown acid!" So there you go.

The journey started at 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10th. We wanted to leave so we would get to Tennessee during the afternoon sometime, and with a 16-hour drive we figured 10:00 was a good time to leave. Factor in packing and lateness and 10:45 was the final departure time. The bad thing about leaving then was that there was a thunderstorm underway. We had to pack the car in rain and thunder and lightning, causing us to pack it as if we had the brains of 10-year olds. Needless to say, the ride down was less than comfortable but we pushed on through. The first landmark that I'd like to mention is Sonic. Now, for years I have been seeing Sonic commercials on TV (even though we don't have it in the North) and pining after the glorious-looking food they have there. I finally had it in Pulaski, Virginia at about 8:00 a.m. Central Standard Time. It was delicious, and unfortunately some people believe eating at the same place twice in one day, although it would have been at least 7 hours apart so I don't see what the big deal is, is not something you can do. For this reason, we only had Sonic once the entire trip. But we did have Arby's, which we have on Route 10 and can have whenever we fucking please. Who knows the next time I'll eat it again? Probably not for another couple of years. But hey, at least I'm being optimistic.

Now for the fun stuff. We got into Bonnaroo early thanks to Chase's friend Kurt who had been there 4 times before. We got in on Wednesday night and avoided waiting in a 12 mile line to get into the farm where the festival was being held. Clutch. As for getting our car searched, let's just say that we could have brought an entire pharmacy with us if we wanted. The search consisted of patting on our bags as the guy said, "just clothes in here?" Then he looked in one of our three coolers and said, "just beer in here?" And that was it. Let me repeat myself. That was it. It probably helps when most of the staff working at the festival is high. I leaned out the window to ask a girl directing traffic how she got the job and she just yells out into the air at nobody in particular, "I made love to your motherrrrrrrr!" I'm pretty sure she was high, but you can never really tell.

In Manchester, Tennessee for four days in June, the laws of America are suspended. I didn't see a single police officer. I didn't see a single security guard. I saw "safety personnel." I saw every drug known to man. I saw people doing them whenever and wherever they wanted without a single bit of worry. Not only that, but I didn't see a single fight or argument the whole weekend. The only arguing was between me and the kids I went with, and that's about it. The place was so laid back, you could take a dump in the middle of a field and people would just think you were tripping balls. Here's an example. The first night, me and Chase went to go see Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead cover band. Out of nowhere, several hippies busted out nitrous tanks and started selling balloons. If you don't know, nitrous cuts off oxygen to the brain. Really dangerous and stupid. If you've ever done it, you're an idiot. But apparently it's popular among the hippies and especially among the Deadheads. Anyway, I saw a big fat guy with four balloons in one hand and three in the other. I was tempted to ask him how he planned on inhaling any of them with his hands so full, but I had a feeling he'd figure something out.

Since you probably still hate me from my mind-numbingly boring Pantheon posts, I won't talk about any of the bands I saw. I'll just list them here: MGMT, Battles, Dark Star Orchestra, Nomo, Umphrey's McGee, Les Claypool, State Radio, Cornmeal, Donavon Frankenreiter, B.B. King, Jack Johnson, Pearl Jam, Phil Lesh, Lupe Fiasco, and Robert Randolph. I also saw a few comedians, Chris Rock, Louis C.K. and Mike Birbiglia. Every act was great, and that's all I really need to say about that. I personally recommend every one of these bands, and if you want to know anything about the ones you don't know, just ask me.

You're probably wondering why I didn't list Kanye West in there. Here's why: He was scheduled for 2:45 a.m. on Saturday night (Sunday morning) which is ridiculous in itself. I don't know this for sure, but he was originally going on during Jack Johnson on the secondary stage and since he's a selfish fuck he probably said, "I'm Kanye West, I'm not playing during another headliner and I'm sure as hell not playing anywhere but on the main stage." Anyway, 2:45 a.m. Pearl Jam was supposed to play from 10:15-12:15 but played an extra hour for some stupid reason. They played All Along the Watchtower. Are you kidding me? Thats just unnecessary, and a little ridiculous. So they started setting up Kanye's set an hour late, which I guess takes a long time to set up because it's a huge light show. It got pushed to 3 a.m., then 3:15, and eventually he went on around 4 or 4:15 a.m. depending on who told you the story, because I sure as hell wasn't awake. He played til 5 a.m. Thats it. So he got booed off the stage, naturally. I mean I know you went on late but 45 minutes? The tickets were upwards of $230 you bastard. I'm sure Lupe Fiasco was way better anyway. So thats what happened with Kanye Overrated West. I'm not mad.

Now, when I said there wasn't a fight or argument the whole weekend, you are probably thinking "get the fuck out of here." But I'm about to tell you the secret. At Pearl Jam, my brother was telling me that he had bumped into someone while walking earlier in the day. He said, "sorry man." The guy then says, "it's cool man, it's Bonnaroo!" Scott then heard this at least a dozen more times throughout the day. Apparently as long as you say that with your best hippie voice, you can get away with anything. As soon as he's done telling me this story, a guy walks by and steps on Scott's foot. The guy goes, "sorry, bro." Scott fires back, "it's cool man, it's Bonnaroo!" Swear to God, it's like magic. The guy just walks away smiling and goes on his merry way. Fucking incredible.

Two more things that I did that weekend. First, we went to the Jack Daniel's distillery. It was awesome. You could get drunk on the fumes alone. No, they don't give out free samples anymore. Bullshit, I know. But we did get lemonade at the end, and it was the best lemonade I ever had in my life. No joke. Second, we stopped at a state park on the way called Rock Island. It's basically a big dammed-up river with giant rocks and cliffs and waterfalls on either side. It's beautiful. We went cliff-jumping to cool ourselves off before we made it to the campsite. Chalk one up for the South.

Overall, the whole experience was amazing. You want to know if I'm going next year, because that's always everybodys question. I can't say for sure, but it would depend on what bands are playing. While it was a sick trip, it was really physically and mentally taxing, especially being in close proximity with the same people for long periods of time. Plus at times it was excruciatingly hot and smelly. Yes, smelly. Showers were 7 bucks and I'd rather buy food. You would too, trust me. So the bands playing would just have to be earthshattering for me to go back. Think Muse, Radiohead, Incubus, bands like that.

So that about sums up Bonnaroo. If you want to see really great music and do whatever you want in a consequence free environment, it's the place for you. Just remember, don't take the brown acid.

Prelude

2008-06-10T00:14:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow night at 10 pm I'm leaving for Bonnaroo, a music festival in Tennessee. When I get back I'll come out firing with two posts, one about my Bonnaroo experience and the other will be a rant on why sometimes I hate sports. And by sometimes I mean any time I'm watching a team that I'm a fan of. Stay Tuned.

7 Deadly Sins

2008-05-16T19:44:00.008-04:00

Everybody has things that annoy them, otherwise known as "pet peeves." I have just a few. But these are more than pet peeves to me. These are so bad that to engage in any of these activities or interact with any of these things could result in possible death. They are Satan on earth.

1.) Broccoli: The worst thing on Earth. The smell of it alone is enough to induce gagging. At camp my kids knew that I hated broccoli and a small Dominican boy would fill a bowl with broccoli at every meal and approach me while hysterically laughing. Cooked, raw, sauteed, in Chinese food, it doesn't matter. Eating broccoli is just about equal to eating boogers to me. It's gross, and should never ever be allowed in society. Not only that, but it looks like a little tree. Humans don't eat trees people. It's wrong. Trees are for breathing, not eating.

2.) Mayonnaise: Mayo is gross. It's white, it tastes weird, and it doesn't belong anywhere except tuna fish. It's ok in tuna fish because that's how you make tuna fish. You can't eat tuna fish without mayo. Otherwise, mayo can take a hike. Who wants disgusting white shit oozing out of their sandwich? Not me.

3.) Needles: Just stay the fuck away from me, needles. You hurt, and the only time that you're used is if something might be wrong or you have a destructive drug habit. Nothing good there.

4.) Dentist: Check back to my earlier post about the dentist from January and you'll see why I hate the dentist so much. Those goddamn sharp little metal hooks.

5.) Bad Drivers: Why do people feel that it's appropriate to pull out in front of you way too late and then drive really slow, even if its the speed limit? There's no cars behind me, asshole! Wait for a second and then you can drive as slow as you want! I'm obviously going fast enough that when you pulled out in front of me I had to slam on the breaks and I honked my horn at you because you're a moron! What did you expect, for me not to ride your ass? My blood pressure is going up just thinking about it.

6.) Girls who say "like" every other word: What the fuck is this about? Why are you inserting like into every sentence 40 times? You sound like an idiot. Why don't you form a coherent thought first before you open your mouth? Is that difficult for you? If the answer is yes, just don't talk at all. Please. For everyone's sake.

7.) Crowd Surfing: I can't tell you how many concerts I've been to that instead of enjoying the music I was looking around to make sure a huge dude wasn't going to fall on my head. First of all, crowd surfing is only appropriate at punk concerts or other concerts where most of the crowd are huge tools. Just stop it. Second of all, if you're 6'4 you shouldn't be crowd surfing. You're going to break some poor girl's neck, and the whole time all I'm doing is looking around for you to make sure I don't get killed. You aren't cool because you crowd surf, you're actually just that asshole that everyone is thinking "wow this guy is a huge douche for making all of us surf him through the crowd." Get over yourself.

So there they are, the 7 deadly sins. See you on the road.

The Pantheon (Part 4)

2008-05-05T16:27:00.013-04:00

Alright let's finish this thing. Forgive the short descriptions for these last songs, I just have a lot of shit to do.

8.) Don't Forget Me by Red Hot Chili Peppers: I think that when Flea was born, he was born to play this song. His bass drives the entire song, there aren't really any guitar riffs even. The whole song John Frusciante (amazing and underrated) plays random background notes and runs. The best part of the song is the guitar solos, and if you are going to listen to this song listen to the version from one of their live albums, Live at Slane Castle. His guitar tone is dirty and raw, and the last solo from the live album he shreds just impossible sounding licks.

The meaning of the song is up for debate, some people think it's about drugs (most likely) and others think it's about a girl that he loves. It doesn't make a difference either way, the lyrics are cool and fun to sing along to. Here's my favorite lyric:

I'm the bloodstain
On your shirt sleeve
Coming down and more are coming to believe
Now we know it all for sure

There is just a sense of permanence associated with a bloodstain on a shirt sleeve, like he is part of her and she'll never be able to wash him away. Now she only has two options, either wear the shirt anyway, or throw it away never to see it again. The implication in the song being that she can't throw him away, so she wears the shirt anyway. It's quite a deep thought.

9.) Hard Times No One Knows by Ray Charles: The message is so simple, but then again Ray Charles has a knack for turning simplicity into art. The message is simple: you have to fight through the hard times in your life, and all you can do is pray and get through them. That's all. There's no happy end, just a series of verses that are about living through hard times. You might think the song is lame or too slow after you first start it, but the last two verses are worth the wait. Ray just belts them out, almost out of nowhere. It's such a pleasant surprise, and it gives you such hope that a man could go through so much and still sing like everything in the world is great for him. A really beautiful song, I couldn't resist putting it into the Pantheon.

10.) Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix: This shouldn't be confused with Voodoo Child (Slight Return), which is a faster song that if you don't know by name, you'd recognize it if you did hear it. It's in movies sometimes. No, this is a 15 minute guitar orgasm from the mind of arguably the greatest guitar player to ever live, although we'll never know for sure because he died so young from all the acid he took. There are lyrics scattered in, which are all cool in their own right. The song's lyrics say that he was born under a red moon and his mother knew that he was a voodoo child. Like I said, acid. Anyway, the good part of the song is that he plays the entire song, and most of the song is just him soloing for 15 minutes. That's all I can really say about it. It's Jimi at his best, and if you're in the mood to hear really good guitar playing, this is the song for you.

Well that's it, The Pantheon. I hope you enjoyed it and at least tried to listen to all of the songs. Coming soon: something definitely, NOT music related.

The Pantheon (Part 3)

2008-05-02T21:47:00.015-04:00

Aaaaaaaaand we're back! Coming in hot at # 5 is another Jeff Buckley classic.

5.) Grace by Jeff Buckley: The really creepy thing about this song is that he almost predicts his own death. The lyrics:

And I feel them drown my name
So easy to know, and forget with this kiss
I'm not afraid to go but it goes so slow

Strange, right? The rest of the song's lyrics are basically about how his time has come and such, essentially making it a suicide song. Obviously, that's not why I love this song. It's another one of those "turns something tragic into something beautiful" songs. Also, it's another one that's impossible to describe musically. The only things that I can say about it are the same things I said before, Jeff Buckley is just a masterful singer. The whole song he does impossible runs and reaches a range that only dogs should be able to hear. The end is very intense, as he sings the lyrics above in an almost screeching voice. If you listen to the song, wait until the very end and I mean the very end. When he sings the last line he just rips some hard inflection into it that gives you goosebumps. I'm really sorry but I can't describe it any better than that. The whole song is beautiful and very introspective, which is great because we get a sense of how he's actually feeling and not just some bullshit he made up to sound cool. A lot of music today is exactly that, bullshit. Some writer in a room that nobody knows about writing some stupid love song that a pop singer or popular band plays. I'm not saying all music is like that. There's still plenty of great artists that actually have talent right in front of your face, which is our saving grace to the mainstream manufactured music that pollutes our culture today. Wow that sounded really pretentious. Sorry folks. I know everyone has different tastes. For example, many people like Bon Jovi and U2, when I happen to really hate both. But I've written before that music affects people in different ways, so I shouldn't have said that about mainstream music. I think it sucks but obviously people like it that's why it's mainstream. Back to the song. Deep, beautiful, wonderfully sung, and he just crushes every note like he'll never sing it again. That's another reason why I appreciate Jeff Buckley so much. Did you know that when he recorded this album he wouldn't stop recording a song and moving on to the next one until every single note was exactly perfect? He really does sing each song like he'll never sing it again, because once it's perfect where else can he go? Grace really will blow you away, I promise.

6.) Deep Inside by Incubus: Alright Chase, this is for you. I picked this song not only because it's my favorite Incubus song and I couldn't make this list without one, but because it reminds me of a time when Incubus was just on a completely different level. Here's the thing, I still love Incubus and their past two albums (A Crow Left Of The Murder and Light Grenades), I think that it's still really good music and I'll listen to it and love it a lot. But when my friend Chase points out things to me about them now, I can't help but listen to these albums a little differently. Important note, Chase has been a big Incubus fan since forever and knows every song inside and out so, his opinion is relevent. Anyway, I don't like them any less, I just acknowledge that they aren't the old Incubus. Chase disagrees. I'll explain. After the album Morning View, which I'm sure you know songs from (Nice To Know You, 11am, Wish You Were Here), they broke ties with their original bass player, Dirk Lance, who gave them a deep groovy sound and a drive that they no longer have. They took on Ben Kenney (formerly of phenomenal hip-hop group The Roots) and made two more albums. Ben Kenney plays with a pick most of the time instead of with his fingers, something that makes the bass sound really different if you know what to listen for. This annoys Chase to no end, and while I don't believe that bass should be played with a pick, I don't crucify him for it because when they play old Incubus songs he plays with his fingers to get the real essence of the song. It bothers me a little, but I hardly ever think about it when I listen to the albums to be honest. Anyway, that's one thing. Also since he's entered the band, Incubus has gone from a harder sound with a lot of groove songs, to being noticeably lighter on some songs. They still have hard songs, it just doesn't sound the same. The other thing that pisses Chase off a LOT (and I actually agree with him on this on the same level as him) is that superhuman guitar player Mike Einziger switched from a Paul Reed Smith guitar (perfect for rock and soloing and the perfect guitar for the old Incubus) to a Fender guitar (on the request of Ben Kenney since he plays a Fender bass). Fenders are great obviously, but not for Incubus. They are more for blues, something that Incubus does not do. They are really stripped and don't get the same type of sounds and tones that Paul Reed Smiths are capable of making. As a result, guitar riffs in newer Incubus pale in comparison to old Incubus (for the most part). For me, these points apply really only to the albums, because their newest concert DVD called Look Alive is ALL new songs from the past two albums (with the exception of 3). And I have to say, this DVD is amazing. Brandon Boyd sounds better than he has ever sounded, with every note dead on. All the new songs are played with precision, and Mike makes it work with the Fender in a live setting. They're just a great live band, so no matter what I think about how the albums sound (again, I love these albums) it's completely different live. I even showed Chase the DVD and he liked some of the newer songs. By the way, Ben Kenney is incredible on this DVD.

So, just to sum up, I love Incubus (obviously if they're in the Pantheon of Bands) and I love their new music, but just not as much as the stuff pre-Ben Kenney. After that long-winded and probably unnecessary explanation, lets talk about Deep Inside. It starts with a bass riff and then the guitar and drums come in to a moderately paced groove. The cool thing about the song is that every so often it just goes into this hard rock riff where Brandon Boyd screams the lines and then it goes right back into the mellow riff. It sounds like it wouldn't flow, but since they're Incubus they make it work perfectly. There's a short guitar solo in the middle, after which Brandon Boyd comes in with a verse and the band starts playing like they're winding down the song. Then almost out of nowhere, the guitar comes screaming in and Brandon sings along with the first riff to exactly what Mike is playing. It's unreal. Then the rest of the solo Mike just tears it up for about 30 seconds as the song gets a little faster and takes it home. The groove is in full force here with the bass driving it and the guitar screaming in your face. A great song, a groovy song, and a real Incubus song.

7.) Plane Crash by Moe: This is probably the hardest song to describe in this entire list, primarily because Moe is a jam band and they are so unpredictable with their shit. The song comes in at a nice long 8:54 because it's jam-packed with so much stuff. It starts off with this string melody being played by maybe 3 or more string instruments. When I first heard this song I was like "what the fuck is this I hate classical music," but when the strings part ends (which is actually a really cool part), a lone guitar comes in and plays a riff that's soon joined by the entire ensemble. The best way I can describe this part (where everyone comes in) is that it's like an epiphany. It's like everything that was missing is now here, and it makes you just want to raise your hands up to the sky and pretend you just had an awesome idea. After this part, it goes into a faster paced groove where the verses come in. This is where I have to stop and describe my "Phases." This song has 3 phases. The part I've been describing is called Phase One. It's the main lines of the song that include all the lyrics and establishes basically the essence of the song. Towards the end of this section, they have a few guitar solos with the strings part from the beginning layered in over it. Very, very cool. The solos in this section are very, uh, riffy I guess you could say. I'm making it a word. They have a lot of sick riffs thrown in that are the definition of blues. After that the strings layer in and from there it's on to Phase Two, the solo section. This starts at 6:09 into the song. This entire phase is guitar solos. There are two guitar players who basically after a single guitar solo start trading off with each other while more and more instruments are added. Phase Two ends with a section that could best be described as one guitar playing a repeating riff that gets louder and louder while the other guitar solos over that, and little drum breaks are thrown in every so often. Phase Two ends with both guitars playing the same part until the climax where it goes into Phase Three. Phase three is the last 1:00 of the song and is pretty much just a reprise of Phase One. So there's the Phases.

While this song comes in at number 7, it very well may be the most epic song on this list. Between the Phases, guitar solos and riffs, and cool lyrics about being afraid to fly on a plane because the prospect of crashing sucks, it's the entire package. If jam bands turn you off, that's OK. You should still listen to the song because of how complex it is. It might be the most complex song on this list, musically speaking. You know what, it definitely is the most complex. Also, I listened to this song the last time I was on a plane going to Florida, and before that this past summer on the way to Mexico. It sounds stupid but I just felt it was appropriate. Anyway, listen to this song trust me. Epic.

Home stretch coming soon...

The Pantheon (Part 2)

2008-04-30T23:19:00.008-04:00

2.) Two Step by Dave Matthews Band: There are so many versions of this song you can't go wrong. The first one I ever heard was from my first Dave Matthews Band CD, a live recording called Listener Supported. Immediately I was hooked to Dave Matthews Band, and this song became my anthem. I must have listened to it thousands of times over the years, since DMB was my favorite band from 7th grade on, although I admit I don't listen to them as religiously and vigorously as I used to. My favorite recording of Two Step is from the The Central Park Concert, a free concert DMB put on at Central Park a few years ago. The piano solo in the middle of it starts out with a jazzy riff of the main piano part of New York, New York, after which the keyboardist that goes on tour with DMB, Butch Taylor, lays down a complete masterpiece that just mesmerizes you. Not to mention Boyd Tinsley's ridiculous fiddle-picking skills throughout the song that are featured in periodic solos between verses and choruses. Yet whichever version of the song you listen to, they have all the same basic themes. The beginning starts off with just a guitar playing two notes in an offbeat rhythm, adding guitars and drums until it explodes into a face-paced and uplifting beat. The song is riddled with decrescendos that rise up into another chorus or verse and get you going again. The best part of the song is surely the solos. In each version there is a different solo, although these days most of them feature a thankfully long piano solo. He starts off quiet and mellow, gradually building to an epic conclusion with the help of Carter Beauford and the rest of the band. My only complaint about these is that they aren't longer, which isn't really a complaint at all because all of the solos are several minutes long. By the end of the piano solo, its time for the best part of the song's solo sections. Carter Beauford absolutely tears it up on drums throughout the entire song, playing extremely difficult beats and every single piece of metal or plastic or anything that's connected to his drum set that he possibly can. I mean the guy is a beast! He completely drives this song, another reason why he's my second favorite drummer. Who's the first you ask? Why, Jonathan Dibble Allen, of course.

Now for the lyrics. Obviously, the lyric that most people would pick is: "Celebrate we will, 'cause life is short but sweet for certain." Now, I love this lyric. It's simple yet it says so much and can mean different things for different people. However, I do think that there is a better lyric in this song. Try this one:

Hey, my love, you came to me like
Wine comes to this mouth
Grown tired of water all the time
You quench my heart and you
Quench my mind

How the hell does he come up with this stuff? No matter what you think about Dave, and I know many people don't like his voice (I do), you have to admit the guy can fucking write. I mean really write. The concept of just being with a person quenching their heart and their mind is something that we should all wish for in our lives.

The climax of the song is the very end, when the whole band plays the opening riff with two sets of I guess what could be called quadruplets thrown in there. They play it soft and then gradually louder, ever so slowly, until they play the next one explosively and out of nowhere. From there they drive it and drive it until Carter just plays thousands of beats on his drums and the song ends abruptly. It's such a perfect ending to a song with so many highs and lows because after they jerk you around for the whole song making you hope for a climax they finally give you one. I love this song, I always will.

3.) Time Served by Dispatch: Dispatch is in another Pantheon of mine, the Pantheon Of Bands (311, Dispatch, Incubus, Third Eye Blind and Jeff Buckley). This has always been my first Dispatch song from the first time I heard it. Not to knock The General because it's a really good song and I like it a lot, but if The General is your favorite Dispatch song you are a huge tool. They have so many better songs that just shit all over The General, and to me this is numero uno. It's really hard to describe the musical aspects of this song. It starts out with just a drum beat which the bass and guitar come in sync with after a few bars at very low volume. Then they explode into the opening riff which is the same as the first part they played, only louder and with more cymbals. The bass is also really sick in this song with a ton of great riffs. It's definitely a hard song that you have to rock out to, which I also love. It's also one you want to drive fast to. I mean...drive the speed limit like a good law-abiding citizen. The end is a repeat of the beginning, also starting out softly and building until an explosive end. I just realized that for the past two songs talking about the musical aspects have sounded really lame. I'll try to keep the rest more interesting, sorry.

This song is easily for me all about the lyrics. Obviously through it's title you can determine it's about prison or imprisonment, which is even more obvious when taking into account it's writer, Chad, is very political. The best lyric in this song is also my favorite lyric in any song, even in Lover. The last line he says in the song is, "Either die on the inside or trying to get out, the choice is yours the choice is here." The meaning may be obvious, but I'll tell you what I think of it anyway. What Chad is saying here is that it's no use in not trying at something or not going for your dreams, or what you believe in, or anything else. He's saying to go for it, whatever "it" may be, because you have nothing to lose. If you try to get out, sure you might die. But if you stay inside you'll die anyway, so you might as well try to escape. Definitely a great ideal to live by. Also, this lyric is one of the most badass lyrics I've ever seen. The badass factor is very important when considering good lyrics.

Okay one more.

4.) Taiyed by 311: Another Pantheon band. There are so many great 311 songs to choose from. You may not like this one because of SA's style (kind of rapping, and he has a high voice). Some people don't like him but I love him. His lyrics are absolutely incredible, so that's where we'll start because he does this whole song. There's a little bit of debate about what this song is about, but I'm gonna go with that it's about the afterlife because it makes the most sense. The song is only 1:47 and SA just packs so much into it. Since its a short song and I love the lyrics so much, I'm just going to post them all so you can see for yourself what it's really about. Deal with it.

Returning from the water cold alive and shining
rock a mic in the afterlife while your moon is rising
heatin' up forcing steam whirling to be seen
the dark held stars are the frost of my breathing
swimming through the darkness I'm a ghostly shark
developing like a photograph slowly in the dark
the here after the action the main attraction
one love in all of this that I'm going after

Now there's fire inside but black space surrounds you
you think "Where oh where am I" but even your light continues
see through us see a soul we have not yet
learned to harness see the next world inside it
we are the people of skin who left water
inside the dark womb inside of our mother
prone to the beat and vibe of our tribe
we catch the drift and ride moving tides
out from a love that will keep on burning
now see yourself to the next world returning
this life an old place we face to live again
what is it to understand the here after

And there you go. I put my favorite lines in regular type to distinguish them, even though I love this whole song. Those lines are my favorites. If you didn't take the time to read that, well that sucks for you and you're missing out. But if you did and you realize that he's talking about the afterlife, you realize how deep is words really are. He can even turn a horrible thing like death into something almost beautiful. Fuck it, something actually beautiful. The song is just an exploration into what the afterlife may be like.

The other best part of the song is Tim Mahoney, 311's superhuman guitar player and easily the best part of the whole band, all day every day. His guitar tone in the song is so light yet so sharp, as he gracefully and seamlessly flows through an unbelievable guitar solo that lasts for the last 39 seconds of the song. Why God why did they have to make this song so short! During the rest of the song Tim plays great background parts that just add an element that the song its almost craving, and surely needs. Just an incredible song, and I urge you to ignore your feelings toward SA (the guy in 311 with a high voice who kind of raps sometimes) because the song is so worth it if you listen to the lyrics and hold out until the solo. Besides, it's only 1:47 so it's not an all day event that will take up your whole life. And by the way, in the beginning I hated SA and thought he was really annoying, especially at concerts because he does the same stupid dance during every song that I now find hilarious. After I realized how deep his lyrics were and how dead-on his near-impossible harmonies are in many, many 311 songs (and yes, he even hits the harmonies perfectly in concert. I've been there.), I really can say that I would not like 311 as much as I do without him. Absolutely, 100% would no longer be in the Pantheon Of Bands. So there's that.

To be continued...

The Pantheon (Part 1)

2008-04-29T20:27:00.015-04:00

The concept of a Pantheon is not something I came up with myself. My favorite sports writer, Bill Simmons, came up with this idea for sports a long time ago. Now, I'm going to steal it Winona Ryder style and apply it to one of the most important and difficult lists I have ever compiled: my all-time favorite songs. I decided that I would keep it simple and do 10 songs, and if you know me at all and my love of music you would assume that this would be an impossible task. Surprisingly, once I got going the rest came easy. I got my top 10 and made a playlist on iTunes containing only those songs so I could listen to them as I wrote this. Now comes the difficult part. What do I say about these songs, other than listing them and telling you how awesome they are and how wrong you are if you disagree? Like an idiot, I decided just to wing it and see what happens. So here goes.

1.) Lover, You Should've Come Over by Jeff Buckley: Like you didn't see this coming. This is my favorite song of all time, which says a lot because I listen to a shitload of music. I've written about this before in my inaugural post, Music: Proof of God. I said that if I could only pick one song from my music library (that recently grew to 4,497 songs) to listen to for the rest of my life, this would be the song. Jeff Buckley also happens to be the only artist to land two songs in the Pantheon. Now that's powerful.

So let's get down to it. What makes this song so great? Why would I be willing to go through the mind-numbing insanity of listening to the same song over and over for eternity? First, Jeff Buckley could very well have been the greatest singer who ever lived. After he put out his masterpiece, Grace, he died 3 years later in a mysterious drowning accident leaving only a few recordings behind. Some were finished, others were bits and pieces and almost all were recorded unprofessionally in his home. So we'll never know if he was the greatest singer ever but I'd like to think he was. He didn't play a guitar while he was singing, because he didn't need to. His instrument was his voice. His voice which is the most unique and beautiful thing I've ever heard in my short life. It's haunting and yet so powerful that you just become completely immersed in the song, or at least I do. By the way, I know I risk sounding like a total tool writing all this but fuck it, I'm already in too deep. Buckley strikes the perfect balance between the points in the song where he needs to sing quietly and the climaxes in the song where he just melts your face with the sheer awesome might that is his vocal chords. He is the only singer on this list that actually gives me chills when I hear him. So there you go.

Secondly, this is not a happy song. A song doesn't have to be happy to be great, which might be the most obvious statement in history but I said it anyway. It's about how he had love once and let it get away because he didn't know any better, and now all he can think about is this girl that he lost and how bad he wants her back. It's not this subject that hooks me, although it certainly resonates, it's the lyrics that he wrote to convey this feeling of immense loss and pain. At the climax of the song, he belts out:

It's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It's never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her
It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter
It's never over, she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever

These words are powerful and moving, especially when combined with a voice that rings out and sends chills throughout your body. He would do anything for her, especially after he had her and blew it, something that many of us can probably relate to. Buckley just puts it in way more poetic terms than any of us ever could. The rest of the lyrics are similarly deep and creative, but I'm not going to put all the lyrics of each song in because that would be boring and annoying for me. Instead I'll just put the best and most meaningful lyrics of each song. For Lover, these are them. Hopefully you'll listen to this song as well as the rest of the Pantheon and discover something different about each song that you like as well.

To Be Continued...

End of an Era

2008-03-22T15:50:00.015-04:00

I realize that it's been a while since my last post, and for anyone who actually reads this I apologize. I'm taking a creative writing class which is just draining all of my creative juices so far, and even when I have the motivation to write something I can't really think of anything good to say. But, I have a few ideas in the bank so they'll be coming along soon.

Yesterday my beloved UConn Huskies lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time ever under Jim Calhoun. No, this isn't a sports post, breathe easy out there guys. There's something bigger hidden in the box score of this 70-69 loss in OT to the upstart San Diego squad. I realized after the game that I would never again see my team play, win or lose, through the eyes of a UConn undergraduate student. Sure, I'll follow them just as fiercely and with the same intense do-or-die excitement for the rest of my life. And there it is. The rest of my life. The rest of my life. What can that even mean? I haven't met a single kid my age who is ready to stop college. And why would you? College is an excuse to be an alcoholic, its a free pass for all the good things in life that are frowned upon in society. I don't know any sane person who would willingly give that up. But as yesterday reminded me, life is approaching fast. Less than 2 months, actually. Sure some of us go to grad school, but that isn't the same as going through your 4-year term, acquiring friends every year and living in different places. It's a terrifying thought, not being in college anymore.

Not only is it over, but I feel like I just got here. I remember moving in on my first day and every single day since just as vividly as this moment, at least it seems that way. Where did the time go? I know that those of you in my situation feel the same way because you've told me so. If you're just starting college I beg you, do as much as you possibly can! You think you'll be able to do some things you want to do in a year or two from now, whatever they are, but that time disappears like a cheeseburger from Goldberg's plate. Live it up, so to speak. Go to the bar on a Tuesday night. Wait to write that paper the night before its due so you can order wings and play poker with your friends. When college is over, you'll either look back with regret or satisfaction. And I'm not talking about regret as in, "man I wish I never got alcohol poisoning that night," or "I wish I never hooked up with that guy who looked like Shelden Williams." Real regret is, "I wish I had talked to that girl" or "I wish I took that weekend trip to NYC with everyone" or "I wish I tried to make more friends." Don't regret those things, because you can always forget things you did but you'll never forget what you didn't have the balls to do.

So this is the end of an era. To anybody I ever met in college, thank you. You know why. People say that these will be the greatest years of our lives. While right now at this moment I believe that to be true, I hope that it isn't. I hope that I have more experiences that are just enhanced by my college experience. Now that I've gone through this journey of self, the cliche that seems to describe college prevails. You really do find yourself during these years. And because of that, everything you ever experience for the rest of your life will be viewed differently and better than you could have experienced it. Maybe "the rest of my life" doesn't sound so bad after all.

Coming Soon

2008-02-17T18:05:00.001-05:00

New posts coming soon, creative writing class is tapping me out right now. New stuff soon enough.

Road Blocks

2008-01-31T00:35:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it's hard to come up with something to write. It's been over a week since my last post and I'm only writing something right now because I feel like I have to, like I shouldn't go that long without writing here. The start of school is always busy, and my creative writing class is leaving me a little tapped out. I started to write about two hours ago, about alcohol and how it makes social situations easier sometimes. It came out all wrong and I just ended up sounding like some sketchy guy who wants to get girls drunk enough to bang him. Not the case. Anyway, I view this as an experiment. I want to see where this goes, if I have anything worthwhile to say. For the first time since I started, I feel like I don't and it really sucks. But thats ok because I know that while I'm walking around tomorrow or the next day I'll see something that will inspire me to write something that will actually interest you. Unlike now when I'm babbling on about how I don't know what to write. I suppose I can just go through a list of stuff that's happened over the past week and how I feel about it, so here goes.

The Mets got Johan Santana. The Mets got Johan Santana. The New York Fucking Mets got Johan Santana. If you don't know who he is, the first thing you should do is read a newspaper or even easier, stop being a damn idiot. Santana is the best pitcher on the planet. He's the best pitcher of this century (I know it's only 8 years thats why you can say that), and now he's on my favorite baseball team. If you know me, I love the Mets even though sometimes I think they hate me. As you can imagine, I'm pretty psyched that they got Santana. Good shit never happens to the Mets, so this is pretty huge.

UConn rattled off four straight impressive wins to thrust themselves back into the national picture. And the two toughest of the wins were without two of our best scorers. The Lousiville game on Monday night at the Civic Center (I refuse to call it the XL Center) was epic. It felt like Gampel in there, which is saying a lot because the Civic Center is usually dead. It's usually dead because other than students, UConn fans are just old people and alumni who sit the whole game and are completely pathetic. They're bandwagon jumpers, frontrunners. The simple fact that we've had some good wins lately is the reason that the Civic Center was so alive, which proves the frontrunner comment. It's sad but true. But we're back. Our lack of guards is forcing us to go inside and use our athleticism. Without Dyson and Wiggins, Stanley Robinson becomes a first option instead of a third. AJ is playing out of his mind. He's the best point guard in the Big East, and right now nobody in the country is playing better at his position. Imagine if he never had bleeding in his brain and we had him for the 2005 season. Guaranteed championship. Now he's leading our resurgance on the court and in the locker room. It's good when guys live up to their potential.

I'm taking a creative writing class. It's extremely demanding, especially this first unit on poetry. Poetry is impossible. You think you're good at it and then you realize that what you wrote is crap. Maybe sometime soon I'll work up the balls to post some of the things I've written for the class, but until I improve that's not going to happen. Try writing a poem one time, it's actually pretty cool. Shit comes out that you never thought you could say. It's almost scary how cool it is.

Thats about it for now, when I think of something real to say I promise you'll be the first to know.

American Blues: The Joe Miller Story

2008-01-21T19:37:00.000-05:00

There's only so many things to do in a small town. For Joe Miller, an 18 year old singer/songwriter from Cheshire, CT, the choice was obvious. Up until the age of 12, Joe says that he did the typical American family thing, playing baseball and eating hamburgers. But at 12 he found an old electric guitar in his papa's basement and took it home with him. Soon he befriended a guitar teacher who would give him lessons and the rest as they say, is history. Joe learned rock and roll and the blues, and was soon writing his own songs. This is his story.

When you first meet Joe Miller, you wouldn't guess that he's a songwriting rock machine. But once he gets up to the microphone with his Gibson Firebird and starts playing, you really feel his presence. Recently I had a conversation with Joe on how he got started. According to Joe, after taking home his papa's guitar, in a year he had started to master it. It would become a way of life, playing guitar every day and abandoning the American dream every kid has of wanting to be a baseball player. Then, two years after starting lessons he left his instructor to continue by himself. Once he got out of the restraints of lessons to be free and explore for himself, things started to click on the guitar front. He taught himself the blues, and got advice from his former teacher who remained his friend and mentor. Everything was going right, except for his songwriting. Joe had trouble writing his own songs despite his increasing guitar skills, and he didn't know what to do.

"When I mean the songwriting wasn't coming, I mean it was nowhere to be found," says Miller. "The stuff I'd try to write was terrible." He could copy different styles on the guitar but he couldn't write for his life. Finally, in high school, Joe had an awakening. High school life and his everyday experiences inspired him to write song after song. Soon, he was writing 3 or 4 songs at once. "All of a sudden it was like a miracle," Joe told me. "Something just clicked." His songs are mainly inspired by his own experiences. In the beginning, Joe would write songs about things he saw in high school. Fights, parties, interactions with girls on Friday and Saturday nights, anything would inspire him to write a song.

"I find it happens most when I'm at parties, when I walk into a room at a party and there's good time music blasting. That motivates me for some weird reason. And I find myself going home and writing, or writing on my way home driving in my car. I've written a lot of songs in my car." When I asked him if he ever wrote while driving, he said mainly he'd write the first few lines of a song in the car and then rush home to finish it so he wouldn't forget. "I keep repeating them to myself until I get home, then I record them on a little tape machine." On this machine he would record not only the ideas for the songs, but guitar riffs, keys, vocal accents, or anything he didn't want to forget. Then he would go back later and refine the song before playing it himself or bringing it to whatever band he was playing with at the time.

But his songwriting doesn't stop at guitar and vocals. "I can hear things though in a song when I'm writing it. Drum beats, guitar solos, piano solos. You got to be careful though, because you hear things you think are original but it turns out it was already used. That used to happen a lot to me in the early days of writing, mainly melodies in vocals." Instead of just changing these songs that he had written to sound less like other songs, he would just scrap them. Rather than risk being unoriginal, he would start from scratch instead. This is when his songwriting began to mature and cultivate.

Joe cites his influences as some of rock's greatest icons. "Ever since I was a kid my dad had me listening to 'front man' type of music. Guys like Springsteen, Seger, Tom Jones. So I never wanted to just be the guitarist in the background." This would become the thing that drove Joe to start writing his own songs. He wanted to be the man who got the crowd going, that the entire show hinged on. Once he started playing guitar, he was influenced by both the Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry. These influences come through in his songs, with hits such as "Work Your Groove" and "Let Me Be Your Man" getting crowds going at multiple venues that he frequents. Joe has a steady solo act at George's II in Wallingford, CT every Thursday night, which is soon going to be sponsored by Radio 104.1. His band, The Joe Miller Group, has various dates that they are playing and recently played a show at the Funky Monkey Cafe in Cheshire.

When I asked Joe what his main goal was, he said, "I just hope somebody hears what I have to say." A modest goal for an emerging star, who no doubt will be heard by many people very soon. Joe has written over 120 songs, songs he says he is proud of. As I said before, Joe Miller may not look like much but he is a rock machine. His quality lyrics and catchy tunes are something that can be enjoyed by fans of all music. He is the very definition of the American rock dream, a self-taught star with the world at his fingertips. I strongly recommend and endorse Joe Miller's music, and I hope that his story has inspired you to do something, anything that could make you as happy as music has made Joe. Go see his show and I promise you that you will enjoy it.

If this is your first time reading my blog, I would appreciate it if you could read the other posts, check out the links if you like, and write comments on what you think. It would be a great help for me to improve my blog, which I am always looking to do.

Sharp Metal Hooks

2008-01-19T23:08:00.002-05:00

I generally don't want to dedicate an entire post to anything negative, but this is one exception that I have to make. Just a disclaimer, I'm about to embark on the most ridiculous rant you've heard in a while. On the list of things I hate the most, there is a thin line between a few things. Among the top of the list are the pantheon of pet peeves. Broccoli, mayonaisse (except in tuna fish because well, thats how you make tuna fish), needles, and people who talk on their cell phones really loud on the bus. But the thing that might trump all of those (yes, even broccoli which I famously loathe), is the dentist. Not the dentist him or herself, but the entire experience of it. First they sit you down in the chair and lean it back so far that your neck aches. Then the hygenist who actually does all the work starts chatting you up, asking you about school and what you're studing and everything like they actually care and don't forget five minutes later. I've had the same lady cleaning my teeth for 5 years or so and she asks me the same shit every time. Then they start the scraping. That horrible scraping. One tooth for 3o freaking minutes. How much more shit can you possibly scrape off of there? Then, she puts down her double-sided sharp metal hook instrument to pick up...another double-sided sharp metal hook instrument! Why!?!? Why do this to me? As if one sharp metal hook is any different than another?

The last time I went (last week), my hygenist decided to carry on a conversation with another hygenist about how she got yelled at that morning for leaving something out. Now, I'm all for office banter, but not when you have sharp metal hooks in my mouth scraping away at the same tooth over and over, and any slip could slice my gums open. It may sound a little ridiculous, but she was actually still scraping and looking at the woman she was talking to. Let me repeat this. She is scraping my teeth with a sharp metal hook, while not looking. I found this hilarious. I'm sorry you're an idiot and left something out and got yelled at, but could you pay attention to my mouth please?

Then there's the dentist, the biggest scam artist of our generation. Any idiot knows you need to brush your teeth after ever meal or at least twice a day, use mouthwash and floss occasionally. But don't insult me by coming in for about 30 seconds, poking each tooth with a sharp metal hook, making some witty comments, proclaiming that everything is okey dokey and leaving me with the sadist for some more torture. After this fun little visit, its time for the electric tooth brush thing which they call "polishing your teeth." Yes, I'd love some tooth polish. Anyway, after thats over which admittedly isn't bad at all, I'm about ready to leave since every dentist appointment is always over after the polishing part. At least, thats what I thought after going to the dentist for like 15 years. She told me to hold on and grabbed the sharp metal hook again and starts scraping away at the same stupid fucking tooth she scraped for 30 minutes already. At this point I'm on the verge of screaming at her, but since I'm not an asshole until after the fact I decide to let it slide. 45 minutes after they took me in late, I'm out of there as if I didn't have things to do 3 days before I go back to school for my final semester in college.

All things considered, it could have been much worse. I could have snapped like Kanye West on public access and made a scene but I didn't. Some things in this world you just can't stand, and there's nothing you can do about it. Call me crazy, but I don't like to have hands in my mouth scraping my shit up with sharp metal hooks. Maybe I'm weird.

Coming soon: The Joe Miller Story

New Stuff

2008-01-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

Just added some things to the side, a list of links to cool stuff like live songs from youtube and whatever else I think is cool, also a songs of the week thing with 5 songs I'll pick every week that I think you should listen to, if you feel like it. I promise they're good. Check these things out if you're interested, the links will be updated every so often.

Dagger in the Heart

2008-01-13T00:06:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last post, I've been thinking about what to write. Today was pretty inspiring, and not in a good way. My beloved UConn Huskies were playing at Georgetown, ranked 8th in the country. We weren't supposed to win the game, and of course we didn't, but it was the way that we lost that killed me. In case you didn't watch it, we stayed with them the whole game, even pulling ahead with a few minutes remaining. Of course, we squandered the lead and lost on a three pointer by a guy who should never even shoot threes let alone make them. Then on our last chance for a desperation shot, we threw the ball away with time running out. Now, we played really well. I mean really well. Georgetown is more experienced, polished, and disciplined than us but we stayed with them. And in the end, while me and my brother were excitedly high-fiving each other, they shoved a dagger into our hearts and we were let down again.

Why is this such a big deal? Why do so many people hang every emotion they have to give on being a fan of a professional sports team, something they have absolutely no control over? I think it's because we need something to root for, something that can make us feel so good that we want to go and jump for joy and possibly drink some beers. Or a lot of beers. Maybe its because there are so many shitty things in life that the sheer possibility that we can feel that good is worth all the heartbreak it takes to get there. I'm a Mets fan and a Jets fan. That itself is enough heartbreak for a lifetime, and there are fans who have it much, much worse (Cubs fans, Indians fans, Browns fans, and now even Knicks fans). Why do I keep rooting for these teams? Am I insane? Sometimes I think so. Thank god that UConn only lost a regular season game today, because if that were either the Big East Tournament or a crucial March Madness game I may have seriously considered quitting sports all together. It's a stretch I know, but sometimes the inconceivable lows even outweigh that feeling of hope that you may see your favorite player lift that championship trophy.

In the end, I'll always love my teams because of that hope. The hope that my team will win it all, or even win at all. I just keep telling myself that everyone wins eventually, and since winning is what really matters (people say it isn't but let's be honest here), the hope remains. Alright it's 1:00 a.m., time to watch Sportscenter.