Music To My Ears

The other day while in "la clase de español," I overheard some students discussing music of the nineties. They did not like the stylings of the album covers and were perplexed that the artists would title a song something completely different than any of the lyrics. They were mystified that the song title itself was not included as a lyric or a lyric as the title. Oh well, you can't go back in time and make all 90's bands totally awesome or as lyrically insightful as Jonas Brothers.

Jonas Brothers (full disclosure: I hadn't heard a single Jonas Brothers song until I began writing this. I listened to some on Amazon.com. In a word, Brilliant.) have obvious lyrics which directly relate to the song title and vice versa. That way our dumbed down young people (thanks to No Child Left Behind) won't get confused about which song they are currently listening to.

For instance, take the Jonas Brothers' song, "Burnin' Up" (please, take the song...bada bing!). It's upbeat, totally rockin' and has some strong lyrics relating to fire. What you might or might not have guessed is that it's probably just a metaphor. My first instinct was that the singer was literally on fire. After listening to the song, though, I changed my mind because the singing didn't seem frantic and there was no screaming. But, as I began to read the lyrics I wasn't so sure anymore. The singer first talks about how he's hot. And then how he's slippin' into lava, which we all know is very hot. and burns. He then goes on to say that he's burning up!!!1 This confirmed my initial thought that he was literally ablaze. But before any arsonphobes could have a heartattack the singer quickly tells us that while he states he's "burning up," he is, in fact, "burning up"...for her, metaphorically. Apparently she turns the temperature hotter, all according to the lyrics (I can't vouch for it - I've never met the girl, although she seems nice). This song is a great example of cutting-edge performers pushing the envelope and taking musical and lyrical risks. Of course they use a lyric for the title, there's no other way to correlate which track you're hearing to the lyrics. It'd be too confusing. There's a connection.

My fellow students, who are of the ripe age of around 18, blossomed while listening to music in the mid-2000's just as I did with the early-to-mid 1990's music. (They graduated high school in 2008, by the way) It's not that they don't like the music from the 90's, they are just removed from it by a few years and the popular genre and style had changed by the time they could fully appreciate music. I remember commenting numerous times about how shitty 80's music is (I do find some 80's music enjoyable but not the new wave swill and the completely synthesized bullshit).

I guess the conversation I overheard was more alarming not for the content itself but that it served as a marker that I am getting older. It doesn't bother me and I wouldn't want to be back at 18 anyway. And getting older certainly beats the alternative.

For now, I am off to "download" something called an "mp3." I'm not sure what it is but it's all the rave with the kids these days. I hope you enjoy some awesome music whether it be from the 80's, 90's or today. Just be sure to keep the volume at a reasonable level.

Cassandra Is Definately Awesome!

Why is the word "definitely" so hard for people to spell correctly? I've seen it spelled various ways including "definitly," "defiantly," and most often, "definately." The first one is possibly accidental with the "e" being left out by a lazy middle finger. The second one is a seperate word just used incorrectly for one reason or another, but it's still a failed attempt to use the word "definitely." The last one is ignorance...and a lack of using spell check. I don't use spell check because I don't need it. Whenever I see an error it jumps off of whatever I'm reading and slaps me across my face. It's completely disstracting and slows my already slow reading and comprahension skills. I am such a dork for properness and accuracy that it bugs me when i see that others have not made the same effort. It's just another reminder that our society is tumbling backwards as ignorence reins supreme and is rewarded with no ill consquences. I wish there was an online petition to educate people and finally put an end to the mispellings that plague electronic communications. If I can find one I will post the link here on my blog. If you find one, send me the link. I will definetly sign it!

So I'm a lazy blogger. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?

Okay, so I'm not the greatest blogger in the world. Sue me. I don't update my page as often as I should/could because my life is filled with non-exciting things that aren't worth the time to share. I've also realized that no matter how short and concise I struggle to make my blog entries, I always end up with long posts which even I find somewhat unbearable. I've made the executive decision to put forth a concerted effort to reduce the length and wordiness of my posts. So far, this post has failed that initiative. But I'm gonna try...at some point.

So here's the latest on me for anyone who doesn't know. I am not actively working because I was hurt during a training exercise. I've been to the doctor and I officially have a completely torn ACL and a tear in my meniscus in my right knee. I will be scheduling surgery soon and it will most likely be towards the end of September. After that I will have rehab and the recovery process may take months before I can walk without a brace on and possibly nine months or so before I will be able to use my knee at full capacity. That's if everything goes to plan. Awesome.

Also, I've started taking a Spanish class which I've been wanting to do for years now. I have also been trying to plan out a trip to Costa Rica for a month or two after this semester is over. I figured an immersion trip would greatly increase my spanish fluency and also give me a kick ass vacation at the same time. I am fearful my knee may slow down my progress from spanish class by forcing me to have too many absences. The teacher's policy is that after four missed classes, regardless of reason, the student automatically receives a failing grade. He does this to encourage attendance and hopefully I may speak with him and work some deal out but I am not overly optimistic he'll be sympathetic to my situation. I am not even concerned about my grade, mostly. I am in the class to actually learn the language, not satisfy some school requirement in order to progress academically or graduate. On the other hand, being as competitive as I am, I will be very disappointed if I don't receive an "A" or maybe an "A+++," if they give those.

I had a lot of things I was looking forward to doing in the upcoming six months or so. The spanish classes, the Costa Rica trip, a trip to Eugene, Oregon to take a bicycle mechanics course for work (and then visit my buddy Scott in Portland while I was on left coast), maybe some other traveling, I have my vacation coming up in a week, trips to Atlantic City (which may occur in October with some work buddies who told me about the trip last night), and other things.

I am hoping to hobble my way through all of these. And blog about them of course. But not lengthy, long worded blogs. Short, concise blogs that don't have much flowery language. Or short sentences. One day I will get it right.

Good day to you.

Mi nombre es Billy Madison

Remember Billy Madison's first day of high school (the second time) when he drove up in his Firebird rocking out to Billy Squier's The Stroke? I felt a twinge of that same older-person-in-younger-atmosphere on Monday, the first day of classes of the fall semester.

I had registered for class, paid my tuition, had my lunch packed up and boots tied tight and was on my way to the first day fall semester classes Monday at the illustrious university known as Northern Virginia Community College. I had attended this fine institution for a short time earlier in life just after high school but am now returning in order to acquire some Spanish skillz.

There were a few key differences that I noted right away. The first is that the school added a new building in the past few years and the majority of the classes are held in that building instead of the old. The parking lots have been expanded and some landscaping has changed, but the old building is pretty much the same. The library has the same 1970's look and feel to it, save the updated computers. I was pleased for the school to notice that while they still had desktop computers on their desktops all of the monitors were flat screens. It shows that the school can make some progress, even if it is just progressing to the early 2000s.

As I was walking on the sidewalk to find my Spanish class I observed two Indian girls (dots, not feathers) speaking with one another. This is a typical scene because those people are everywhere so I didn't pay much attention to it. As I looked away from the girl who was talking to the girl who was listening I immediately had a moment a clear recognition. I recognized the listening girl as Jyoti Ngongogo. That's not her last name but I guarantee it's eerily similar. I never knew her last name, just her first. I knew her as a fellow student who also participated in the same process I did to transfer to Virginia Tech. I walked past the two girls without saying anything. We weren't really friends then and I don't want to be friends now. That would be an interesting conversation though. "Hey, Jyoti. Remember me from a biology class we had here over ten years ago?" "No."

While walking through the new building toward my third floor classroom I noticed the campus buzzing with people new to the "college life" and just hanging out between classes. Those were the days. No real focus, no real responsibility. It all reinforced how far I've gone from then till now and hammered home those differences. There were some basic differences between my first NOVA experience and this one. First, I drove my own car, not my mom's. It seemed that everyone who was hanging out and not engaged in gossiping about their most recent Facebook extravaganza was on a cell phone, half chatting, half texting. I also noticed a handful of people waiting along the curb waiting to be picked up by a parent or friend. This is also when I realized that the majority of these people still live at home.

I got to the classroom and took a seat in the little desk/chair combo things. It's been a while since I sat in one of these and it brought back fond memories of learning. The teacher walked in and the class eventually quieted down. He took "roll" and everyone was said "here" except for one girl who should probably be in an advanced course because she apparently knows some Spanish already. When her name was called, she he said "aqui."

The teacher appeared to be in his fifties, wore khakis with a tucked in polo shirt which was stretched over his belly, grey hair, and had dark-framed glasses. You could kinda tell by the way he walked in, but when he began speaking you could tell he was super Fabulous!

I think the teacher and the class will be great. I've already connected some dots of Spanish that I already had. I feel like I may pick this language up with no issues and be great at it.

Wish me Bon Chance! ...I mean, Buena Suerte!

Pet Peeves

For a while now I have been intending on picking up some items for work at my usual supply store. I drove down a month or more ago to Manassas only to find that the store had gone out of business. This was particularly troubling to me for several reasons: 1) I had driven to "beautiful" Manassas for, as it turned out, nothing; 2) the supply shop was one of three reasons to drive to Manassas but now that triumvirate will be broken and I can't convince myself to return anytime soon; and C) the supply shop was located directly across from the MVC (which, for those not in the know, is short for Manassas Video Club, an "adult" purveyor of motion pictures and novelties). Now with my legitimate supply shop being closed I have to face the shame of entering the store for more than "curiosity" and to "just browse" because I was "in the area." I hated feigning surprise each time I walked in and having to say "this isn't the Blockbuster!" out loud. That method didn't work well anyway because the owner was always there and would always recognize me. He makes an effort to remember his big-time clients who buy in bulk.

So back to my original reason for writing. I drove all the way out to "beautiful" Winchester, Virginia to pick up my work supplies from the now-nearest place I could find. After sixty minutes and an eighth of a tank of gas I finally made it. After I was finished selecting my various items and was being rung up by the less-than-attentive clerk, he asked if he could see my "creds." I looked at the items I was purchasing and asked him why he needed to see them because the items were very innocuous and benign. He told me it was only so I could get the discount. I opened my wallet, showed him what he wanted, and after rendering payment I headed out the door. I was relieved to be leaving because, just as with other supply stores or gun shops, they are filled with squirrelly people who work there solely for the perceived penis extension. They just creep me out.

I was getting hungry but didn't want to stop at a Winchester fast food establishment so I waited until I got back to good ol' Ashburn. I try my best to avoid fast food in the traditional sense but find it hard to do. I've eaten McDonalds a few times in the past several months and I've enjoyed some Chick-fil-a twice in the same time frame. Those are typically only when I'm working and I have no other options. One place I do frequent without much guilt despite each visit earning me 1,200 calories is Chipotle. I might eventually post an entry devoted entirely to Chipotle and how great it is, especially in comparison to Moe's Southwest Grill, but that'll have to wait.

Getting back on track here to my "pet peeves." I stopped by Chipotle on the way home and while standing in line I saw a typical older Ashburn couple dressed in business casual attire ahead of me ordering their food. Nothing was odd or noticeable about them compared to anything else until I overheard them discussing if they wanted to get some "guac" or not. Now, I love guacamole as much as the next person, but what I do not love are little nicknames or pet names for everyday items. I try not to be lazy with words. I certainly don't mind taking the time to invest in pronouncing the entire word as laid out by any given dictionary but I've noticed a lot of people do. When I get a burrito from Chipotle, I ask to have "guacamole" on it. What is so hard about saying the entire word? And to be hit twice in the same day with the earlier "creds." I also dislike "tennies" for tennis shoes and "sosh" for social security number. I just like saying things the right way.

The only exception I might have would be "douche" for referring to people as "douchebags" when they use abbreviated words or work at a gun shop, or both.