:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

I've started listening to classical music this year. This is so weird for me on so many levels but considering the way my music tastes have been progressing (regresssing?) I probably shouldn’t be that surprised. Let me explain:

Anyone who knows me knows that I love rock music, specifically, classic rock. I've always liked U2, and grew up with listening to Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Guns 'n Roses, and R.E.M. My interests grew to the point where I sought out and listened to the musicians that influenced them, specifically, the guitarist's influences. That's how I started listening to bands like The Ramones, The Who, Rush, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC. So listening to them got me curious as to who they were influenced by, and that's how I got into blues (one of my favorite genres). I love listening to B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and ZZ Top (they ARE blues. Shut up.) which in turn led me to Albert King, Buddy Guy, Robert Johnson, and T-Bone Walker. Like so many things in my life, my music interests were going backwards.

Starting to play guitar in the midst of all this has done nothing but increase my appreciation of these forms of music.

I also listen to a lot of Metallica, Deep Purple, Ozzy, and Scorpions and unlike the guitarists mentioned in the previous paragraph, these guys come from a classical background, as different from blues as a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle is to a 1959 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing. While both are sporty cars both have wildly distinct personalities in their approach to engaging the driver and car enthusiasts who like one might not necessarily like the other. One leans towards unbridled emotion, feel, and conveying a warm accessibility. The other is about technique, composition, and can leave its devotees in a rather distant awe.

So I started listening to some classical, as well as flamenco guitar. (Living in Latin-heavy South Florida leaves a mark on you one way or another.) It ultimately led me to classical music. This surprised me because while I've always had a deep respect for classical music and its venerated composers (they should have a Classical Music Hall of Fame somewhere in Europe. Seriously.), I've always regarded it with admiration rather than affection. Part of this is due my blue collar-tastes, which is naturally drawn to the emotional raunch and twang of blues and rock but sometimes views classical as snobby, pretentious music for elitists who can't stand getting their hands dirty.

I love Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovshy's "Violin Concerto No.1," Johann Sebastian Bach's "Violin Concerto in A Minor," Andres Segovia performing "Recuerdos del la Alhambra," almost anything by Richard Wagner, among others. But I still listen to my blues, metal, alternative rock, punk, and virtuoso guitarists.

If there is one constant, it seems to be an affinity for songs performed on stringed instruments. Some things never change.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 9:21 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: I Need Rest. Or Something. ::

I'm not exactly sure the reason behind this or how it even got started but ever since I returned to Florida I haven't been able to maintain any sort of regular sleep pattern. Take this past week for example: Monday night, I went to bed around 3:00am and woke up at 10:00; went to bed that night at 4:30-ish, woke up at 1:00pm; Wednesday night I fell asleep around 1:00am and woke up around noon; Thursday, I wasn't able to fall asleep at all which leads right now, which means I've been awake a little over twenty-nine hours. And I'm completely wired, thanks to all the coffee and Diet Coke I've been drinking all day so I don't fall asleep in class.

I've had my first experience buttting heads with a creative partner this past week. It wasn't even over creative differences either. I snapped at my partner because I was fed up with this person's abject flakiness. On day's we're supposed to meet, she's either been late or hasn't bothered showing up at all for the last couple of weeks. And she goes about her business without so much as a quick "sorry" for being late. I can tolerate tardiness. Lord knows I'm not the best at showing up on time but at least I do show up and have the courtesy to call ahead and let the person know if I'm going to be late or unable to make the meeting. Not to mention that between the two of us I've done most of the work.

I suppose it could have gone better from my end. I certainly could have been less aggressive when confronting her but considering her already sour mood, I doubt it really would have made much of a difference. I don't know if I'm coming off as holier-than-thou about this but considering that I've had many other partners in both past and present quarters without a single incident until this little tiff, I don't think I was in the wrong.

Oh well. At least it's finally the weekend. It's going to be 84 degrees tomorrow and I just might make my first trek out to the beach.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 5:13 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: A Good Game. Who Knew? ::

I would have never thought that an NFL Pro Bowl game would actually be entertaining, let alone downright exciting. Most All-Star game in any sport are typically snoozers but today's football game provided some genuinely fun viewing. (And without that "this time it counts pretense.") Offense is always prolific in these games but I've never seen anything come down to the wire - the NFC coming back from 25 points down and scoring the winning TD in the last two minutes to win by a mere 3 points - like this. And the drama ended by, naturally, a missed field goal by Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who by the way, was a perfect 37 for 37 during the regular season. I wonder if Peyton Manning will have any "idiot kicker" rants to blow off.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 12:12 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Yet another breast sighting ::

Considering the NFL's knee-jerk reaction to Janet Jackson's, uh, perky halftime performance of "cleaning up" the halftime show for the pro-bowl, I have to say they haven't quite cleared that hurdle. I just saw it and I'm left wondering, if the the media can make such a hubbub about Ms. Jackson exposing her left breast on a nationally televised broadcast, will they make such a clamor over the fact that they just showed several corpulent, Hawaiian playing drums completely shirtless and therefore exposing not just one, but both breasts... er man-boobs?

I'm just asking.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 9:42 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: I Shaved ::

I've been putting it off as long as I can, just to see how long I can go without it being done. It's not I haven't had the time or I'm trying to stretch myself in any way but it's just something I wanted to maintain for as long as until it got ridiculous. Well, I finally did it. I went ahead and shaved my beard.

Actually, "beard" is probably too generous a term for it since my facial hair is far too patchy to really grow anything beyond a goatee (that part I kept). But still, I have a rather large head and we're talking a lot of hair here since I haven't gone anywhere near a razor since December 19th last year. I probably would have helped if I had a set of clippers but the only thing I had to work with was my trusty Mach 3 so it ended up taking up more time than normal. After that ordeal, my razor up and quit on me to go find easier work as a chisel for guys who make ice sculptures. I've received absolutely no flak about my growth whatsoever since guys looking scruffy is fairly normal here.

I'm sure some of you have noticed the satiric nature of the last few posts. They typical don't start off that way but with this quarter's workload, my sometimes tired brain goes off on a tangent (and occasionally takes sine and cosine with it) and the results are... well, you tell me. Another reasoning for this is probably me exercising some of the things I've learned in writing classes. I certainly feel like I'm learning things. As for what I'm learning... I go back and read what I wrote and I have to ask myself what exactly am I learning.

One thing is for sure: like so many things about me, my writing isn't for everyone.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 3:40 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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Did anyone else catch that big spectacle on TV last Sunday? It seems in the midst of all the commercials, a crappy MTV mini concert and a Janet Jackson tit sighting was the rumor of a football game. And a pretty good one at that.

Seriously, I know the Super Bowl is supposed to be one of the biggest TV events of the year but this year was quite over the top. Good thing the game itself was one of the best games in recent history because most of the peripheral "entertainment" left a lot to be desired. I never thought I'd say this but Aerosmith was a yawner and the halftime show was sheer, utter crap not worthy of even my pink toilet.

But the game itself? What a glorious display of strategy, playmaking, heart and good old-fashion smashmouth football. I was probably the only one in the room that didn't find the first 27 scoreless minutes boring. Both Brady and Delhomme were masterful in torching the defenses and putting up some spectacular plays.

Being a student of advertising, I watched the commercials with a more critical eye than I normally do. I thought the Pepsi spot featuring a young Jimi Hendrix was great, as were the Bud Light Donkey, the Chevrolet ad featuring the kids with the soap in their mouths, the Simpsons MasterCard spot, and the NFL commercial with Jerry Jones and Bill Parcels singing "Tomorrow." The Subway commercial, even though it didn't air until after the game was over deserves mention since it finally didn't feature Jared the weight loss guy.

Ok spots were for Cadillac, AOL, and Charmin.

Downright disturbing: Mike Ditka pitching a male impotence drug is, I'm sorry, WRONG. I don't know about you guys but I do NOT need to picture Ditka with an erection... I really don't... need... that... crap because quite frankly that image is probably going to prevent me from ever achieving an erection myself. Gawd forbid I'll ever have to take those pills... wait, that's it. That's their whole strategy! Force us to envision Ditka with a boner which would take the sails out of just about any guy, which in turn forces them to go out and the buy their product if they ever want to be able to get it back up... those insidious bastards. It's sneaky, it's tricksy, its... brilliant.

I wonder if there's any truth to the rumor that Bostonians are going to build a statue of Adam Viniteri at Foxboro.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:42 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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