SNL Takes on Kanye

Oh so true...so true...

At least he has enough humility to make fun of himself. I just hope he gains more of it as he grows up.

Currently watching : Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Seasons 1-7 Release date: 21 December, 2004

Rappin’ Racism

I watched "Nazi America:A Secret History" on the Hitler History Channel. It's a rather thorough review on the origins of Nazism in Germany and the US, and how it's permutated through the years.

There was a sound clip that made me right out laugh. They showed a Neo-Nazi organizer being interview in 1999 regarding a rally they were holding. He says, and I quote,

"[The movement]...it's gettin' bigger
and gettin' bigger...
and I'm glad I'm not a n*gger"

Through out the program, they show how time and time again the Nazi programs rose and collapsed in numbers over the decades. So, that part of the statement was an exaggeration at best. What struck me as funny though was that I could take what was said and put it to a breakbeat and it sounds like a Dave Chappell-inspired Fisticuffs comedy bit. The dude is throwing down hip-hop lyrics, a largely accepted minority art form, while claiming anglo superiority.

Call Chuck D. He's gonna have a problem with this!

Currently listening : It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back By Public Enemy Release date: 02 May, 1995

One Step Closer

I received a memo from Encore Talent Agency asking me to set up an audition with them. I'll be setting up for hopefully later in October due to my schedule, but, I'm glad at least now my goal of obtaining representation is within arm's length! Good times!

Currently listening : Echoes Silence Patience & Grace By Foo Fighters Release date: 25 September, 2007

Wii, It Was Fun!

Well, the party and the celebration is over and I feel bit hung over. For a guy who doesn't drink, that must mean I exerted myself a bit for my birfday. I did.

We were supposed to have gone to Carnivale last night, but I was informed at a rather late persiod that they had trumped anything going on that night with a private party, thus, the place was closed and we would need to find another place. Uhm, ok. So, I woke up early yesterday and searched for a place to feed people. I decided on Graziano's up in Niles, IL (a 15 minute trip from my house but when I describe it as NILES, IL, it sounds a lot more ominous and far away ). The food was great and the people were better. I definitely have left overs from the joint and I went in hungry like a wolf. Good times!

The Wii festivities were awesome. Although I have Paper Mario and Call of Duty 3, we decided to play bowling, tennis, and golf form the Wii Play pack the whole night. So that went on for like 4 hours. Everybody there got into it at some point and even the older folks were like "Damn, I gotta get me one of these Wiis." I felt it was a success to have folks wanting my gaming system. That's exactly how I felt when I played my nephew's Wii and he's like 7 or 8.

Overall, it was a great birfday. Thank you all who came out and celebrated with me in mind, body, and/or spirit. The gifts were all great and I'm stoked to have such great people in my life!

Currently listening : I’d Like a Virgin By Richard Cheese Release date: 05 December, 2006

The Passion of the Enticed

For those of you who know me, I am opinionated on a lot of subjects and will let you know what I'm thinking along with whatever judgments I've made. As I grow older, I have been working on making no assumptions, keeping an open mind when different viewpoints are presented, and seeing personal situations for what they are vs. what they appear to be. While I work on these things, I think it's given people the impression that I have a laissez faire attitude. Oh my was that proven wrong on this.

I got on the phone with a friend of mine and she mentioned that she was watching the Bears game. I already have my thoughts on the Bears, but I hadn't had a chance to share them with her. She also mentioned they were playing the Dallas Cowboys - a team I enjoy watching lose more than the Bears on any given Sunday. As the conversation went on, I harped on how Bears fans can't live beyond 1986 a la Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite can't live beyond '82. If the 2008 Bears went 16-0, had stats that were superior to those of the 1986 Bears, fans would continue to say "Yeah...but they weren't the '86 Bears..." and discredit a bit the accomplishments of the newest teams. Her rebuttal to it was "Well, I was 10 or 11 years old when they won and ... it was unbelievable." I was like, "But yeah, it was 21 years ago!" She then personally attacked me by saying "That's because you don't have passion for anything in your life."

Oh, that got me fired up. Once again, I default to the dictionary definition of passion:

Main Entry: pas·sion
Pronunciation: 'pa-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin passion-, passio suffering, being acted upon, from Latin pati to suffer -- more at PATIENT
1 often capitalized a : the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death b : an oratorio based on a gospel narrative of the Passion
2 obsolete : SUFFERING
3 : the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces
4 a (1) : EMOTION passion is greed> (2) plural : the emotions as distinguished from reason b : intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction c : an outbreak of anger
5 a : ardent affection : LOVE b : a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept c : sexual desire d : an object of desire or deep interest

I'm willing to venture to say definitions 4a,b & 5a,b, and d were the ones she was referencing. I feel there are plenty of facets of my life that would fit the definition. Music is one of them. I've grown up with music my whole life and have developed a knack for playing it, singing it, and acting with it.

I told her about that part of my life and told her I could arguable say there are bands that can out-do the Beatles from a historical perspective (for the sake of argument, let's say Led Zepplin in the 70's vs. Beatles in the '60s although I am not a fan). She lost her top when I said that! "How can you say that?! You know there wouldn't be anybody else without the Beatles, " shes said. I concur with her. Yes, I respect the Beatles for what they did for music, film, and video. I know that almost every band that has come since the Beatles owes a part of their success to the Beatles since they were the pioneers of self-written, self-produced rock n' roll music where artistry primarily ruled what was written. However, I think there are bands/artists that outgrew that mold and did the same things just in a better way (Prince, Michael Jackson, Oasis, U2 to name a few). I also feel Jimmy Hendrix is over-rated. She then replied, "I have much more respect for the guy that built the first car with no blueprints, no real help...pioneering his way through it than the guy who just took an existing design and copied it and declared it's a new car." My response to that is that if that were true, why buy a new car? I am sure you would pick a 2008 Nissan Murano over a 1908 Ford Model T as your daily mode of transportation. I also say why even drive with that line of thinking? If that were that case we should have more respect for the guy that first learned how to walk than Wilbur Wright because you have to learn how to walk first before you can fly? C'mon. Precedence in this case doesn't justify supremacy. Uh oh....here come the pitchforks .

I know I am causing calls of blasphemy and heresy here. However, these are my own opinions and I hold true to them. The reason why we get passionate about things like football and music and badminton is because there is a personal investment we put into them. I argue that the personal investment is what we're really talking about when we're cheering for "our" team or band.

Her words caused such a reaction in me that I second guessed myself for a quick second. However, I know that it was a reaction to what I was saying and I was coming off as disrespectful to how she felt about the Bears. So for that, I do apologize to her and other Bears fans out there. You can feel the way you do about the Bears and it's just as valid as how I feel about how you feel about the Bears. Just don't say I'm inpassionate!

Currently listening : Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants By They Might Be Giants Release date: 17 September, 2002