29 posts from May 2008

With everything that's going on in the world right now, what events/issues do you find most concerning?

Well, I've got a few of them, because I'm far too opinionated for my own good.

1. The environment.

Okay, for all you failures who think being concerned about the environment is the same thing as being concerned about global warming: this will probably go way above your head, regardless what side of the "debate" you're on. The simple fact is, not caring about the environment is selfish and just makes you a terrible person, regardless of your reasoning. I like clean air. I like clean water. I don't like the farms that raise the cattle that becomes your hamburger sending cow feces down the river that runs through my city. I don't like your SUV and your pickup truck contributing to the inversion every winter that makes the air in Boise barely safe to breathe. Whether or not you believe in global warming, if you're not an environmentalist (and not just because Al Gore said global warming is "baaaaad"), I basically hate you for trashing the planet we all have to share.

2. Energy.

Now is about the time to start putting the knowledge we have of alternative energy to use. Also, to start implementing stricter standards on mileage for every car on the road. Hell, even making lawnmowers more efficient would be a good thing to look into. Because here we are, paying $4 a gallon for gas, and if the past eight years have taught me anything, it's that if the way our country is run doesn't change substantially, that number is only going to keep going up, as long as we're still interfering in the politics of the countries that are producing our oil. And, of course, the fact that it's not getting any more plentiful isn't helping, either.

3. Religion.

Religion and politics are separate things in this country, believe it or not. It's right there in the Bill of Rights. I have the right to believe what I believe, rather than what I'm told I'm supposed to believe. That said, why should I follow laws that are based on a text I believe to be false? Why is marriage even a government institution? Why are they even considering teaching something that is not even legitimate science in science classes, when young Earth creationism is actually demonstrably wrong? It relies on faith to the point where you might as well start teaching that "some people believe" the Earth is flat and that thunder is what happens when you make Jesus angry. Evolution has been observed in nature. In fact, your family dog is living proof of artificial selection, something that's been practiced for thousands of years. All Darwin ever said was that it also occurs in nature. If you disagree with that, you're pretty much have no business teaching kids anything, and really, I have no problem with just kinda treating you like the idiot you are. In fact, why do we politicize what's being taught in schools? Oh yeah, because of religious intererence. Sorry, but I'm an atheist. I think long and hard about things before I believe them. I think the fact that anyone who doesn't is allowed to hold any sort of power is incredibly frightening. The fact that we have a fundamentalist Christian extremist in the white house, even more so.

I think that's enough ranting for today.

I'm a pretty vain dude, so this is a meme I can play along with. So here's my first self portrait Thursday.

Shows like every freakin' night! This is getting brutal! There's also a show tomorrow night at Ian's house and a show the night after at Neurolux.

Tonight was The Old Haunts (A Kill Rock Stars band featuring Tobi Vail from Bikini Kill; they sound like a more punk rock Old Time Relijun), Batman Vs. Predator (an awesome drum & bass noise/grind band), The Donna Vulture (straight-up New York Dolls style rock 'n' roll from here in Boise) and Sacco & Vanzetti (who sound kinda like something Plan-It-X would put out; they're basically my friends, Jake, Charles, and Ian, who also happens to be Erik's brother).

The show was a lot of fun. People really got into the touring bands. I thought the floor was gonna collapse under the weight of so many people dancing on it, and The Old Haunts' bassist had to move into the hallway by the kitchen because the room was so crowded he couldn't stand in it without getting run into by people dancing. The locals were a lot of fun. It was the first time I'd seen either of them. All in all, it was a good night.

What technology has had the most substantial impact on your life?
Submitted by Soup.

I guess on one hand, I could say the internet, since I use it for virtually everything.

But that would be kind of a disappointing response to a question that I asked.

So I'll go with the next biggest: recording! I have a constantly growing stack of records at the foot of my bed. Easily at least 200 of them. Right next to about as many CD's. To say my life and choices haven't been influenced by a pretty good number of them would be a lie.

The show was a damn good time. Hummingbird slayed, of course. They had a fill-in on bass, but he'd just gone on tour with them, so he was more than good enough. Those guys always rule live. Mike handed me a flyer for a show on June 8^th with Empty Eyes, Skull Collector, and Murder and the Media Machine. That should be a good'un. The other local was Composure, and they had more a 90's straight edge vibe going on. Not really my cuppa tea, but they sounded pretty good, especially considering they had two fill-ins, including a bassist who'd had 30 minutes before the show to learn his parts.

The touring bands all shared a bunch of members between them, and, as a result, showed up in two vans instead of the three that would be expected. Saber Tooth Zombie set up on the floor. Their singer was really animated, and their sound seemed kinda rough, but they were engaging and a lot of fun. Life Long Tragedy was a bit more polished, playing thrashy stuff that's good for people to stomp around the floor to. Ceremony were fast, heavy, and impossible to take pictures of because of the excellent crowd reaction.

This was a pretty damn fun show. I should also point out that it's still very early in the tour, so everyone reading this can probably catch them, provided they read it within like the next couple days or something. Here's some crappy pictures to get you in the mood!

Ceremony, Life Long Tragedy, Sabertooth Zombie, Hummingbird of Death, and Composure tonight!

At the Venue! I can let it slide, though. The xJESUSxCOREx kids gotta have a band that doesn't suck mountains of ass to listen to every now and then, too. They just seem to need it a lot less often than the rest of us.

This should be your national anthem, Canadian friends! Am I right? You're damn right I am. This song is awesome!

LJ users: click the pic to have a listen. Vox users: you can totally hit the play button on this thing and make my picture serenade you. Neat huh?

Maybe it'll be a real song someday.