Obsessions...

So I am completely obsessed with the band Angels & Airwaves... I really loved there first album, "We Don't Need to Whisper", other than one song "It Hurts" (sorry guys, but it's annoying). Anyway... I've been working on a proposal all week and when I'm doing things that require focus, I put on my headphones and listen to music. Most people can't comprehend that, but it's true. I can focus better on the task at hand when I get music going in the background and it's all I can hear. Even when I was programming, it worked for me.

Monday, I downloaded the new Angels album, I-Empire, and I must say that its TOTALLY AWESOME!!! I listen to it all the way through without any skipping of songs and have done so about 4 times a day all week... Not even close to being sick of it :-)

Also, I went out to the band's website (Angels & Airwaves link) and poked around. Pretty cool how and why they came together... Read Tom's bio to get better insight on their motivation as it's positive and kinda inspiring considering the music industry these days.

Not only have I had a great album occupying my time and interest, but I also started receiving Discover magazine this week. Really awesome and probably the first mag in a long time where I truly go through it reading every article. If you are enjoy programs on the Discovery Channel... you would really enjoy reading this magazine.

What is also really great about it is that it is current. The stories/articles are much more recent than what is on the TV because they don't need 6 months (or more) of shooting, editing, planning, etc... It's great to feel your keeping up with what the most intelligent people in the world are doing (and even better, what they are trying to do!!!)

Anyway, I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas holiday! I hope you all get to spend time with the ones you love (and get some excellent gifts as well)!! As for me, the wife, baby Brady and I will be hopping back and forth between the families trying not to eat 2 of every meal...

- MC

How do you do it???

OK People!!! How do you maintain this constant commitment to blogging??? My wife is an expert, but I don't think I can do it.

It would be somewhat easier if it was anonymous and I could really say anything I wanted. I know that my wife has edited herself because she found out that some people were reading her blog that she wasn't aware of. (I think there was only 1 foot-in-the-mouth experience though)...

Anyway, I know that I'm not going to be the blog-master, but I'm going to continue to try and write when I can. AND... TO ALL YOU CONSTANT BLOGGERS... I give you props, cause I can't play at your level. :-)

Side Note...

I'll be traveling off and on for work and I thought that it would be cool to ask all of you out there to help me find stuff to do, places to eat, etc... at my destinations.

Here are my upcomming trips...

Long Island, NY - and hopefully the city for at least a day!!!

Los Angeles, CA - last time I stayed in Universal City, but it was a short trip with no time to venture out... Next time I hope to be able to see the city a bit more... ALSO, I will have a car so not a big deal to have to drive... (other than the insane traffic!!!)

Pittsburgh, PA - I will be going back here fairly regularly as this is where my company is located.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Haven't been... any ideas??? it will be Winter...

Boston, MA - Never been but REALLY looking forward to this one!!! Huge conference for work and this is certainly a place that everyone RAVES about... only thing is that I'm not going if there are Baby delivery conflicts!!!! :-)

That's all for now, but I'll add more places as they are scheduled...

TV Idiots

Linking to "Your Beard is Good" as he prompted this rant... Thanks Valley Girl for the read!

Wife and I were watching Biggest Loser last night. The challenge is a triathlon. 24K. 20K bike, 3K run and 1K swim. They phase down the contestants 6 fastest to bike move on... 3 fastest to run move on to swim then the winner is found. So here's where the idiots stepped in...

After you finished each leg, you had to wait till all the others finished and then everyone started the next leg together... One girl was a skilled swimmer. She hung in BARELY through the 1st 2 legs and KILLED the others on the swim even though they had an easy 5 + MINUTES on her if they had just kept going from the start LIKE ANY REAL triathlon would be!!!

Kae or Bill should have one. TV Producers are IDIOTS sometimes!!! Go to Beard to hear about similar stupid-ness on Beauty and the Geek.

-MC

Dishwasher Diaries...

So today the part for the dishwasher comes in and I was excited beyond belief... I jump on the phone to the service company so they can come install it and they said tomorrow at the earliest. Well, a bit frustrated I say fine (I mean it's already like 2:00 when I call them). Then, I go down to pull the part out of the box to make sure it's the right one and it is... BUT the wiring inside is broken and they have to send the whole thing over again. I tried figuring a way to use the existing wiring, but no good... it's all built into the plastic and won't work. SO... It will now be Friday when the part gets here as I talked them into overnighting another one... Now I have to call the service company back to get them here Friday for sure... I guess I'm stuck doing at least one more load by hand :-(

- MC

Excitement Got Me Thinking...

about the days many years ago when I had dropped out of college (where I did most of the things that would haunt me for years to come...), had no clue of who I was or wanted to be, and was just existing. I waited tables, drank, smoked, numbing myself with that and trying have a good time. I didn't know how I had gotten to the place I was mentally, developing as a person... My family always directed my life and I was too naive to know that wouldn't work. I figured that out the hard-way and before I started taking care of myself, I just existed... in this haze of looking back trying desperately to find out what went wrong and why I didn't see my life as I should have... Resentment filled me... to all those who said they loved me, but I didn't feel that they had every really cared about what I wanted for myself, just what they wanted for me. It would take a long time to get through all of this... I wanted a way out, but I could not find it.

Back then, Siamese Dream (the Pumpkins' second album), was a staple and as I said in my previous blog... Mayonaise really struck a chord in me. Excited and thinking about the show this weekend, I went and read the lyrics to that song which brought these thoughts out... and in reading these lyrics, it was easy to see why I felt (and still feel) this way about Mayo.

"Fool enough to almost be it
Cool enough to not quite see it
Doomed
Pick your pockets full of sorrow
And run away with me tomorrow
June

We'll try and ease the pain
But somehow we'll feel the same
Well, no one knows
Where our secrets go

I send a heart to all my dearies
When your life is so, so dreary
Dream
I'm rumored to the straight and narrow
While the harlots of my perils
Scream

And I fail
But when I can, I will
Try to understand
That when I can, I will

Mother weep the years I'm missing
All our time can't be given
Back
Shut my mouth and strike the demons
That cursed you and your reasons
Out of hand and out of season
Out of love and out of feeling
So bad

When I can, I will
Words defy the plans
When I can, I will

Fool enough to almost be it
And cool enough to not quite see it
And old enough to always feel this
Always old, I'll always feel this

No more promise no more sorrow
No longer will I follow
Can anybody hear me
I just want to be me
When I can, I will
Try to understand
That when I can, I will"

When you have a few minutes, listen to this song in the player on this page. It's so much more moving with the music.

- MC