Insomnia and Idiocracy

Scratch That

2008-04-23T14:01:00.004-06:00

For those of you who have been with me a while,

I'm terribly sorry to do this to you again. I'm changing domains. I'll still leave this up, but this will tentatively be my last post here. I've been blogging a while on Wordpress, and I like the interface so much better.

So from now on, find me at:

www.insomniaandidiocracy.wordpress.com

Sorry for the confusion, I think it will be better in the long run. Also, for those of you using Blogger, I'd encourage you to check out Wordpress. I think you'll like it.

P.S. I'll still be blogging daily for the next month.

Sleep Free

2008-04-23T04:48:00.002-06:00

I had every intention of going to bed early tonight, but alas... here it is 4:45 in the morning, and I have yet to sleep. The kicker is that I'm supposed to be at work at 6am.

I've decided that for the next month I'll be writing here on "Insomnia" once a day. The goal is to at least do something with some degree of consistency. Many of you who know me will scoff at this, but I'm very serious. Between now and May 23, expect one post a day, assuming that I have access to the internet every day for a month.

Ben Folds is tonight. Celebrate. I will.

Waffles! We must all have waffles forthwith.

2008-03-28T03:08:00.002-06:00

It's 3:10 in the morning.

I'm very tired.

I don't want to sleep.

I don't know why.

How many digits of pi do you know?

Vince and Ben's: How to be Cool in 10 Easy Steps

2008-02-20T02:44:00.002-07:00

How to be Cool in 10 Easy Steps:

Step 1: Buy a cell phone.
Cell phones are the cool guy's necessity. This isn't just so your mom can feel reassured that you can contact her in case of an emergency. You must 'cell phone up', if you will, to attract the biggest fish in your pond.

Step 2: Wear designer jeans.
Only designer jeans can fully tell the fish in your pond what degree of cool you really are. Generally faded or perfectly shaped rips and holes not only say; "Hey, I'm cool, check me out." but also show your willing to put out any cool vibe.

Step 3: Be employed, but don't act like it.
It's not having a job that makes you cool, it's the income it brings. Nobody likes a working stiff, but nobody likes the homeless guy on the corner either. You have to find the happy (cool) medium between work and play. Don't flaunt your wealth... but don't hide it either. First you get the job, then you get the khakis, then you get the girls.

Step 4: It's not the music you have, but how you listen to it.
People quickly forget what kind of ride you have by the beats thumping from your whip. Try sitting on the hood of your vehicle and look as if you were in deep thought, all the while, keeping a slight and oh so subtle head bob to the beat of the tune. A box of 3 isolated 15" subwoofers will undoubtedly help. Open your hatchback for the full effect.

Step 5: T-shirts.
Nothing ups the cool factor of your wardrobe more than a nice selection of hip t's. Put it this way, if your 7 shirts are each assigned days of the week, you need to expand your t-shirt horizons. Besides, you can't sport your new designer jeans without properly taking care of the upper-body. Not too loose, not too tight, mix up the colors 'til you've got it just right.

Step 6: Hair.
From tight locks, dreadlocks, to corn rows in flocks... Any hairstyle can be cool if done right... or, not done right. Not caring is cool.(see step 9) Not caring about your hair is even cooler. Wake up in the morning and greet each new day with a pat on the head. Now stop. That's all the styling you need to do. Let your hair have its own personality, now that's cool. No one should ever tell your hair how to live its life. Not even you.

Step 7: Pretend you like people.
Nobody cares if you REALLY like them, they just want to feel like you do. So, put on that happy face and go tell the world how much they mean to you... even if you despise them. Pretending to be friendly with people who are far beneath you is one of the cultured arts of cool guys around the globe. Be nice to the ugly chick, her hot friends will see it and think you're the cat's pajamas. In all actuality, pretending is what being cool is all about. Fake it 'til you make it my friend.

**DISCLAIMER**
Never forget that you are PRETENDING! The danger here is actually convincing yourself that you like these people. And there's nothing less cool than falling for the ugly chick. We've all seen how disastrous that can be.

Step 8: Bling.
Nothing is cooler than wearing your favorite T-shirt and draping a nice piece of metal around your neck. Make sure the metal is polished and very shiny. This added effect keeps girls mesmerized while you're temporarily allowed to stare at other things besides their face. Generally, a yellow canary Jesus Piece will not only show that you have style, but show that you have "wow", too much class to pass. Diamonds are a girl's best friend and being iced out of control is a good thing. Make sure that your neck, wrist, and/or fingers are as cool as the other side of the pillow.

Step 9: Stop caring.
Remember that guy back in High School? The one with the letter jacket? He was cool. Wanna know why? It's because he didn't care about the letter jacket. Didn't know that, did you?

See, you need the cell phones, and the jobs, and the jeans, and the hair, and the t-shirts, and the music, and the girls, and the bling. But the trick is not caring about it once you have it. Drop your cell phone on the ground. Go ahead, do it. Wear your jeans three times in a row without washing them. Skip work for no other reason than to sleep in. Cool guys need their sleep. Buy the provocative t-shirt. Sure, you may offend some people but you don't care, remember? Download the unedited version of that rap song all the high school kids are getting pregnant to. Don't call that girl back... at least, not yet.

And here's the tricky part: Don't care if anyone else thinks you're cool. You're only pretending to like them anyways.

Step 10: Stunt it.
If one thing above all things makes you cool, it's stuntin'. Life's short. Stunt it. Do something crazy that no one else will dare to do. After all, when you're old and gray, no one will remember what you wore or who you dated, they will only remember what you did. Pee in a public fountain at the mall... stunt it. Do a 180 foot grab off the library steps... stunt it. Kiss the cute and shy blonde haired girl in the corner, flip off the crowd when you're done, and take a hit of Rockstar... stunt it. When all is said and done, the stunts you pull are what will make you a legend. If this guide knows one thing for sure about being cool... It's that legends are cool. Stunts = Legends = COOL. You want to be a cool guy? 'Plan-B' your rival, burn down his car, and take a drag till the Man comes with the fuzz. Not caring and doing what you want is what's cool. No one ever tells you how to live your life, so live by your own rules, and sometimes, not even those.

blog: n

2008-01-29T03:09:00.000-07:00

Stumbled across this definition on urbandictionary.com:

blog:
n

A recent and disturbing trend on the internet. A blog lets people easily post comments onto a webpage. While blogs have many purposes, some of which can be useful, most people seem to use blogs as a way of having an online diary. These people have such massive egos and are so narcissistic that they believe that other people would be interested in reading their pointless ramblings. Even more disturbing is the fact that many people have such boring lives that they have nothing better to do than to read these stupid online diaries. They just feed the egos of the "bloggers" and encourage them to continue posting nonsense. Hopefully, "blogging" will turn out to be just a fad that passes quickly.

tim: Hey i just set up a blog on my website.
joe: What have you written in it?
tim: Oh just some random drivel.
joe: Sounds like the typical blog.
tim: Yeah, but plenty of people will still read it, and that will make me feel special.
joe: That's sad.
tim: I know.

It's funny 'cause it's true.

And you thought your dreams were weird

2008-01-29T01:54:00.000-07:00

If anyone can interpret this dream for me, let me know.

The dream went something like this:

I was at a LimpBizkit concert (don't ask me why). I was there with my girlfriend, Carly, and my good friend Vince.

I was enjoying a tasty hot dog.

Fred Durst was quite upset that I was eating during his "performance", and he pointed at me and yelled "No Lunch!".

I defiantly took another bite of my hot dog, and taunted him with the ol' "highway salute".

Things took a turn for the worst when Fred Durst rushed me from the stage. As we were fighting, I noticed that my girlfriend had left me to run off with a rather portly Mexican fellow, and my friend Vince was finishing off my hot dog and enjoying the show.

So there I was: getting beat up by Fred Durst, losing my girlfriend to a Mexican LimpBizkit fan, and losing my hot dog to my friend, Vince.

I've had better dreams.

This Just In: Ben's a Smart Ass

2008-01-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

My Business Law class got a little rowdy today.

We're now in the third week of class, but today a fellow classmate, we'll call him Francis, decided to show up for the first time. And, apparently Francis doesn't get enough attention at home, so he feels the need to look for it at school. It must have taken him a few weeks to come to that realization.

During class, we were talking about Business Ethics, and Francis was very vocal (and very loud) about his feelings on the matter. In a nutshell, Francis feels that the only way to get ahead in Business is to be unethical. He further claims that when confronted with an unethical decision that would result in monetary gain, everyone would do it. Supporting his argument, Francis waves his arms about and states "C'mon.... I mean.... C'mon, everyone does it. Look around. I mean... C'mon."

Well said Francis.

I disagreed with this assertion, and felt something needed to be said. Basically, I pointed out that just because it may be possible to make money by being unethical, it doesn't mean that it's a requirement. I also made the point that the claim that "everyone does it" just simply isn't true.

Francis didn't like this too much. He pointed to me and said "You do it... you know you do. My dad owns a car lot, you think he's honest all the time?"

I asked Francis not to confuse me with himself, or his father. I also asked my newfound friend to remind me never to go into business with him... or his father.

We continued our friendly conversation throughout the rest of the class, which was interesting, considering we were sitting on different sides of the room. The teacher cut us off right about the time that Francis told me I was a 'smart ass'. I have to admit, this made me laugh a little bit.

Thanks homeslice, I already knew that.

On the upside, my neighbor leaned over and told me that he would shop at my store any day over Francis'.

In all seriousness though, is this what the world has come to? I don't think so, at least, I hope not. I believe that the Lord still rewards good actions. I believe that an ethical businessman is still at an advantage over an unethical one, and I believe that making money can be done honestly. Am I wrong? Even if i am... even if you can't make any money by being an ethical and honest person... so what?

My neighbor, who will be shopping at my store by the way, shared this scripture: Mark 8:36 -

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

I like the way Mark puts it better.

SHAMELESS PLUG
**By the way... please visit Vinyl Draft, a new blog brought to you by myself and BFF Kyle. (But don't call it a blog, Kyle hates that word.)**

New Blog

2008-01-19T12:54:00.001-07:00

My boy Kyle and I have started a blog together:

Vinyl Draft

We'll each be posting at least once a week. I'll keep Insomnia and Idiocracy up just in case there's some personal stuff I want to post from time to time, but the majority of my rantings will go on Vinyl Draft. Check it out.....

Please and thank you.

OMG! YOU'RE BACK!

2008-01-08T01:03:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah... whatever... watch this.

They're Flight of the Conchords. They're funny. I like them. This is my report.

And there was much rejoicing.

2007-10-26T00:43:00.000-06:00

It's back!

iTunes Shuffle

2007-10-25T01:43:00.000-06:00

Word to the wise... un-check any audio books in your iTunes Library so as not to include them in your shuffling adventures.

It's kind of a downer to be rocking your face off to, say, Beastie Boys; only to be followed by Chapter 2 from the audio version of A Tale of Two Cities. I mean, I love Dickens, but don't jump in my shuffle man.

...

2007-10-24T00:46:00.000-06:00

The phrase is "I couldn't care less". COULDN'T... COULD NOT. As in, I care so little about ______________ that it is impossible for me to care any less than I already do.

"I could care less" means that you actually care somewhat about-- whatever. You're not saying you care a lot... but you DO care. This would be an inappropriate thing to say about something you don't care about at all, wouldn't it?

COULD=COULD

COULDN'T=COULD NOT

Are we clear?

That is all.

P.S.

2007-10-22T23:34:00.001-06:00

Wow...

The Soundtrack To My Winter

2007-10-22T22:53:00.000-06:00

I don't know if Radiohead's new album "In Rainbows" will ever come out of my car's cd player. It may move well past being the soundtrack to my winter and become the soundtrack to the rest of my life.

Honestly, this album defines good music.

If you have united yourself with the less intelligent people of the world by neglecting to download the album go here.... now. And, just in case you've been under your rock, you get to pick your price for the album. Pay what you will... whatever it is, it's worth it. And, take my word for it, don't skip tracks. Just don't do it.

Also, do yourself a favor and read Pithfork's Guide to In Rainbows.

Welcome to good taste.

The night the Gmail went out

2007-10-22T13:20:00.000-06:00

The great thing about Gmail is that you never have to delete any email. That's awesome right? Sure... until someone clever and malicious enough decides to hijack your gmail account. Because then, they have access to all those years of your life that you never had to delete, organize, or back up to your external hard drive because of how great Goofle (yes, Goofle) is.

Don't get me wrong, I love Google... and I can't place the blame at their door. I know they didn't hack into my account. (Or did they??) This is the real criminal:

At least, I imagine he looks like that.

I don't even want to think about all of the information that my gmail account contains, or what they have access to.

And the best part about it? Google offers no live support "at this time", so talking to a real person about actually considering burning down the nearest maternity ward is impossible. And, they want me to wait five days before I can access the security questions to reset my password. I have to do this because I no longer have access to my secondary email account. (Why would I need a secondary email account? Gmail is President and Dictator for Life.)

What do you think the odds are that in the five days of frolicking through my email account, whoever this fetcher is will leave those security questions untouched? Probably not great.

Lots and lots of cursing.

Next to the Fire

2007-09-24T19:23:00.000-06:00

I've been able to attend a couple of really good firesides since I've been in Salt Lake and I thought I should document a couple of the things I brought away from each. Now, these are just from my notes which I'll probably copy directly, so nothing is going to be word for word. I can only write so fast, you know. I apologize in advance if any of my notes are confusing. Here's a little guide:

He/She = the speaker
You/Us/We = the congregation, students, the human race, etc.
I/Me = I/Me (Ben.... or you if you want to plug yourself in.)

The first weekend I was in town I went to the assembly hall to hear Sister Virginia Pierce speak. (Sister Pierce is President Hinckley's daughter.)

My notes from Sister Pierce:

-The time that President Hinckley has left belongs to us (the members of the church) and to The Lord.

-Going to college is all about becoming who you were meant to become. It's about my life. Not my parents', friends', companion's, etc.

-I am fine to study anything I choose, and embark on my own journey. Am I up to it? Will I be able to do what is asked of me?

-No matter what I've accomplished, I have to prove myself again.

-Keep your covenants, pray continually.

-I'm beginning a new life as an adult.

-If we don't question the gospel at some point in our lives, we're not very bright.

-As you go out and decide whether or not the church is true, make it a fair choice. Don't load one side of the scales and not the other. Give it a fair chance by keeping the commandments. (She went on to emphasize that if we are trying to decide whether the church is true or not, and we're not being obedient to its principles, we are not being fair.)

-Life won't happen as you plan it. No matter how grand your plan is for yourself, The Lord's is better.

-No matter where you are in life, and no matter what you're doing with it, if you keep your covenants and if you pray every day, you are exactly where The Lord wants you to be.

-The Lord doesn't guarantee mortal success, He guarantees the experiences that will lead us to eternal life.

-The Lord grew President Hinckley just like he's growing me.

-When good men and women face challenges with optimism, things will always work out. "Things always work out." --Gordon B. Hinckley (She said that she recalled that he would frequently use that phrase in their home growing up.)

-"When we put God first, all other things will fall into place, or they will drop out of our lives." --Ezra Taft Benson

-Work hard. Do your best, and it will be easier for The Lord to consecrate your experience for your good.

-Pay attention to your own individual desires. Take those classes that intrigue you. If you can do something you're passionate about, then you will be effective.

-Happiness comes when you're doing what The Lord wants you to do.

-Jobs and internships are very important at this time in your life.

--End of Notes--

Yesterday, I attended a fireside at The U institute. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke. My notes won't do this one near the justice it deserves. For the first several minutes he had us all rolling. I thought President Hinckley had a sense of humor... I wish I had done a better job of recording his jokes, but I really only took notes on the meat and potatoes of what he had to say (and there was plenty of that as well). If I would have known he was going to tell so many, perhaps I would have documented them better.

He spoke for close to an hour and a half, so get comfy.

My notes from Elder Holland (aka "The Bulldog"):

-President Hinckley is as remarkable as we see him to be. To see him live his life adds to his (Elder Holland's) testimony. The leaders of this church love us profoundly.

-The things he has to say may be somewhat informal, but they're important to him. (He made three main points, which he numbered.)

-- 1. Try not to worry.

-Be devoted, be working. I can and should be at work, pursuing my goals, but don't be afraid.

-We live in troubled times. Bills, dates, profession... there's a lot to think about. It's always been that way. This is a fallen world, times have always been troubling. Just join hands and be filled with faith.

-C.S. Lewis- We are mistaken when we compare our present situation with "normal life". Life has never been normal. Or rather, our present situation is normality.

-Just live your life and have faith. Faith was designated as the first principle of the gospel because Heavenly Father knew fear would always be with us. We've shown our faith by being here tonight.
-Lewis made that statement in the midst of bombs dropping on London. Bombs are a good thing. Bombs get us thinking a little more seriously and that's good.
*Don't ignite any just to be friendly. (one of his many jokes)

-Edward Everett Hale (who spoke for 2 1/2 hours at Gettysburg, while Lincoln only spoke for 4 minutes) said to "never bare more than one kind of trouble at a time". We should seek The Kingdom of God. The rest will take care of itself. We have to do some planning and be realistic, but we worry far too much. Take no thought, or at least less thought and "all these things shall be added unto you." God knows what you need. The troubles of this day are enough. Don't worry about the troubles of yesterday or tomorrow.

--2. Remember to give.

-Student stakes are among the highest tithe payers per capita in the church. That makes him very happy.

-While we're getting an education, friends, profession, companion, etc... remember to give.

-(He then quoted but did not directly credit José Ortega y Gasset. I've found and included the full quote:)"In history--in life--possibilities do not become realities of their own accord; someone, with his hands and his brain, with his labor and his self-sacrifice, must make realities of them. . . . All we are given is possibilities--to make ourselves one thing or another. . . .

[But] slovenliness. . . penetrates our whole national life from top to bottom. . . . [To oppose

slovenliness] the individual must. . . go into training, and give up many things, in the determination to surpass himself. . . . [A] generation [who will do that] can accomplish what centuries failed to achieve without [it]. And there, my young friends, lies [your] challenge. . . .

[Yours is] the historic [task] of restoring to the university its cardinal function of "enlightenment." . . . In the thick of life's urgencies and its passions, the university must assert itself as a major "spiritual power," . . . standing for serenity in the midst of frenzy, for seriousness and the grasp of intellect in the face of. . . unashamed stupidity.

Then the university, once again, will come to be what it was in its grand hour: an uplifting principle in the history of the western world."

-Find a way to help. Lift someone up. Give enlightenment to the university, to higher education, to the western world.

--3. Be a witness.

-He is a witness, but so are we.

-A man content to bear no witness of truth is not a part of The Kingdom of Heaven. Do we carry ourselves as The Lord would? We are called upon to show what side we are on. The true man or woman will never look like they don't care.

-He's sick of hearing returned missionaries talk about returning to "real life". "No sir." The gospel, the truth is Real Life. We keep moving, climbing, trying and believing. A witness is a witness and a testimony is forever. Pass this on. Testify with your life. Live this, love it, let it mean something to you.

-"Be righteous in the dark" --Brigham Young

-Reach down and pull up your socks, pour concrete right down the center of your spine. Don't care about who is to your left or who is to your right, just stand up and say "I'm here". Grab life by the lapels and bear your witness. Stand as a beacon.

-We are not bound to say all we think, but we are bound not to even look like what we don't think.

-He's not here to tell us a big story, to tell us some fairy tale. He's got better things to do with his life.

-It comes down to us. This is it. This is the dispensation of the fullness of times. This is going to work. Is it going to work with you or against you?

-We all know who wins the game. The score is already on the board, and yet we're still trying to decide which team we're going to play for. How intelligent is that?

-Be true and faithful, live your religion, if there's wind blowing just put your face to the wind and move forward. And if the wind is blowing too hard and you can't move forward, just stand.

-(He then proceeded to give us what he called an Apostolic Blessing.) This is a blessing as if his hands were directly on our heads individually.

-Brethren-

-Be respectful and mindful of the priesthood you've been given. Honor The Master and Redeemer and Leader of our order, Jesus Christ. We pledged to be His disciple.
-Whatever I'm struggling with, God will help lift that burden.
-He blesses us with answers to our prayers and fulfillment of our dreams.
-Stand strong. Be firm.

-Sisters-

-Woman have carried the flag of faith from the beginning.
-Men go to priesthood largely because of the women in their lives.
-The pioneers arrived at their destination because the women kept saying "The promised land is out there somewhere."
-Mormon men are strong, but Mormon women are incredible.
-You are loved of God and respected in this church. You are at the heart of what we do.

-All-

-To any who are particularly troubled: Sorrow, loneliness, money, desire for marriage, loss of marriage... God knows and loves you and knows your need.
-If you will serve, live, be strong and keep trying, God will pour out blessings you didn't even know you needed-- today, tomorrow and forever.

-I love you for having problems and for overcoming them.

--End of Notes--

So, to any of you who actually read all of that... I felt deeply impacted by both of those speakers. We could probably discuss for hours any one of the points they made, there is so much depth.

I know that much of what was said in each talk can be directly applied to my life, as I'm sure it can to most of our lives. I'm grateful to be hear in Salt Lake where it seems these opportunities to literally sit at the feet of people like Elder Holland and Sister Pierce are much more frequent. I'm grateful for the wisdom and knowledge they've gained through their own experiences, and for their willingness to share that with us.

I'm interested to hear any of your thoughts...

-B

Road Trippin

2007-08-31T12:01:00.000-06:00

You know how when you don't have any money, all you seem to be able to do is think of ways to spend the money that you don't have? If you're anything like me, you figure out a way to follow through on these grand, somewhat costly ideas, and all of the things that your money should be going toward seem to end up a little short changed.

It was during one of those days when I dreamed up the idea to road trip a good 3000 miles through Vegas and California the week before school started.

And I have to say... I do not regret this allocation of my non-existent funds in the least. Totally worth it.

Tommy and I left Dallas at about 9:30 on a Friday night, and thanks to the wise suggestion of my father, we were smart enough to buy some walkie-talkies before leaving town. Since Tommy and I were both taking our cars, this would save us from the cell phone hassle on the way up. After about 16 hours of driving, way too many sunflower seeds, and numerous games of "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon", we arrived in Las Vegas. We were treated to an awesome meal by Nana. It was about 5:00 PM on Saturday. The plan was to get a couple of hours of sleep and go hit up the strip later that night.

13 hours later I woke up.

We made the trip to L.A. on Sunday, and spent the next few days in Santa Monica with Chelsea, who has probably the coolest apartment I've ever seen. It took me about 10 minutes of Santa Monica to decide that I have to move there after Salt Lake. We'll put that somewhere on the horizon. (USC?) Though, if Santa Monica falls through, I'll only take as consolation another location that allows me to walk to the beach on a daily basis.

Wednesday was perhaps my favorite day of the trip. It was a day that I think everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. We left Los Angeles Wednesday morning and began the trip up to San Francisco. Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway adds about 2 hours onto the trip than if you were going the direct route, but trust me... worth every minute. Hands down, the coolest drive I've ever taken. Gorgeous.

We arrived in San Fran, and I was able to meet my nephew Baby Nate. I'd tell you he's a cool kid, but he's my nephew... of course he is. We had dinner, and I spent the night at Chad and Brooke's. It was great to see them, and I was treated to quite an entertaining evening of Carli's potty training. She's getting to be quite the little lady.

We left SF Thursday morning, and I spent the next 20 hours or so driving back to Vegas to pick up my car (we left it there to save on gas), and then up to Salt Lake. I got into town at about 4:00 AM Friday morning, unloaded my car, and went to an all day orientation that caused strange flashbacks to EFY and Youth Conference.

In the end, I spent way too much money, but it went to a good cause... it usually does.

The Semi-Ultimate Awesome Playlist

2007-08-30T11:33:00.001-06:00

Tommy.... this one's for you.

For about 3 months now I've been working on what I call the Ultimate Playlist. This was quite an undertaking, and now that it's done... I can't decide if I'm satisfied or not. That stupor of thought probably means that I'm not satisfied, and so I don't feel comfortable giving the PL the status of "Ultimate". It is, however, most certainly "Awesome". It contains 75 different songs from 75 different artists (sortof). Some you'll know, some you won't. I can't promise that you'll love everything on it, but I am going to make some promises:

I promise you'll hear music you've never heard.
I promise you'll hear music you'll love.
I promise you'll hear music you've never heard that you'll love.

After all, sharing good tunes is what it's all about, isn't it?

And now... behold. The Semi-Ultimate Awesome Playlist:

Enjoy.

The summer I rocked on with my socks off

2007-08-30T08:27:00.000-06:00

I remember it was sometime around March that I decided that this summer was going to be one of Rock Shows.

-M.S. (that's "mid-script", fyi) Am I the only one that hates the word "concert"? All too often, it just doesn't seem to apply. Perhaps more on that later.-

I remember it was right around the time that Edge Fest was coming to Dallas. It seemed like it was going to be a decent show, what with The Killers, Muse, Saosin, and such coming to town. The show was in April and I was determined to go.

Alas, as frequently happens in the life of a procrastinator, I never got my ticket and the before I knew it, the show was the next day. Dart asked me if I wanted to go down there anyways, even though we hadn't bought our tickets. I agreed and we decided to meet up the next day. The short version is that I slept in the next day, missed Dart's phone call, and basically chickened out on the Edgefest adventure. My roommate Tommy was no procrastinator, and no chicken. He got his ticket early and he and his sister enjoyed the "fest" as they later proved with their sunburns, photos, cell-phone videos, and battle scars. (Tommy got nailed in the head during the Saosin mosh.)

I was jealous.

I regretted being the large, tasty chicken that I was and I vowed to renew my commitment to make it a "Summer o' Shows" if you will. Shortly thereafter, my first opportunity presented itself and I seized it. It's a darn good thing I did, too. TOOL was coming to town for a last minute addition to their US tour. So, my first show of the summer was also, by far, the best.

Now, I haven't been a TOOL fan very long, only since the beginning of the year. (Thank you Kyle.) I always dismissed them as something I now know they aren't... common. My TOOL education began early this year with AEnima and has progressed from there, but it was seeing them live that finally opened my eyes completely. As Kyle says, I finally get it. I won't say as much about the other shows I saw, but I thought I should at least weigh in on that matter.

What followed was nothing short of well, F-U-N. Ratatat, Centro-Matic, Warped Tour, Projekt Revolution Tour, Jimmy Eat World, etc. Here's the incomplete list. I know there were some that were forgettable, so... I've forgotten them. Honorable mentions are tagged with a !.

Performances witnessed in the summer of 2007: (currently in no particular order)

-Kinski
-TOOL!!!
-Ratatat!
-Circa Survive!
-Chiodos!
-The Starting Line
-Yellowcard
-My Chemical Romance
-Saosin!
-Placebo
-Hourly Radio
-Linkin Park
-Hawthorne Heights
-Brighten
-Powerspace!
-From First to Last!
-Secondhand Serenade
-Taking Back Sunday
-Coheed and Cambria!
-Bad Religion
-New Year's Day
-Pennywise
-New Found Glory
-Spill Canvas
-Killswitch Engage
-Cute Is What We Aim For
-Pepper
-Julien K
-Pleasant Grove
-Centro-Matic!
-Maria Taylor!
-Jimmy Eat World!!

The problem I now face is that I can't stop. I'm addicted. Well, re-addicted. I guess i fell off the wagon. Shows I will be/hope to be attending in the near future, depending on funds:

-Dashboard Confessional
-Toad The Wet Sprocket
-The Format
-The Aquabats
-Piebald
-Modest Mouse
-Rilo Kiley
-The Academy Is
-Armor For Sleep
-Damien Rice
-Arcade Fire
-LCD Soundsystem
-Smashing Pumpkins
-Underoath
-Interpol
-Morrissey
-Brand New
-Daft Punk
-The Shins
-Rage Against The Machine
-Muse
-U.N.K.L.E.
-Ghostland Observatory
-etc.
-Thrice
-Motion City Soundtrack

I'll be reviewing all shows here and will be sure to post some photos as well.

Peas.

Salt Lake Citaaaay...

2007-08-30T07:57:00.000-06:00

Lake of salt
Be still my heart
At last, the fun's about to start