Only in Kenyaaaaa!

Or if that's too stupid, you can always pull out your twanger and pluck it some with this. (and yeah it's courtesy brown sound [i'm attempting a googlebomb with that link].)

Thanks to brown sound� for this one:


You're the psychotic grin,and no one can quite tell
if you're insane or just really hyper.You scare
people,and i mean scare them a lot.Kati'd be
friends with you though.You two could have
sleepovers together and make pasta at 4 am.


What Kind of Smile are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

In this huge barrage of posts, I'm running out of juice in my hands, so I'm going to try to keep it short and sweet. I've ranted several times in real life to the same people about how wasteful we stupid Americans are. Every time I leave a fast food place I feel guilty for having thrown away so many bags and wrappers and spare napkins and ketchup packets, almost none of which were necessary.

And cups. Fucking drink cups. So evil. So thin that your drink bleeds through after 5 minutes, but wrapped in just enough wax to never ever biodegrade. Not only is it bad economics to pay for a drink when you can get water for free, but probably millions of those cups go in the trash every day. I stopped ordering drinks as much as I could a while ago.

What do I say to this? I don't know. I would say something rational like "Everyone carry a refillable cup in a bag or purse if you have it," but this lazy fucking country either laughs at the idea or goes "Ewww, gross!" despite the fact that you can rinse the fucking cup. Use your pop-culture-tuned brains, people. It's cool when it's called a Big Gulp. You could even hand over the cup when you hand over your money to pay for your food, and they fill it for you and bring it back. For what they save on cups, they could keep charging for refills and make a little more money.

Environmentalism is nerdy, yeah, but you don't have to drive an Insight to contribute to screwing over the planet a little less.

This last week was a two-movie week, which truly is rare for me. Here's my thoughts, from the boy with the terrible taste in movies:

The Girl Next Door: Soooooooooooooooo cheesy. Dialogue, situations, it's all unpredictable in the movie maybe twice. But damn, I'd pay money to watch Elisha Cuthbert take off her clothes again and again and again. And seduce an Average Joe in a cheap motel. Mmmmmm, Elisha Cuthbert.
Amelie: A great movie the second time around. It definitely deserves a place on that list on the right (to which I think I need to add Lost in Translation, since I haven't shut up about it since last semester). If you haven't seen this yet, go do it.

Incubus: A Crow Left of the Murder

After over two years and much internal strife, Incubus dropped a new album with new bassist Ben Kenney (formerly of The Roots), making the third unique lineup for the band. Obviously, it's been a dark couple of years as the introverted musings of Morning View were replaced with the bitter accusations of Megalomaniac, Sick Sad Little World, Pistola, Priceless, Zee Deveel, and Leech. Even more focus has been placed on frontman Brandon Boyd's likening to a modern John Lennon: a book of his art and poetry came out at the same time as the new album, and he's making the magazine cover rounds once more as one of the hottest guys in rock music today. All the joy Boyd once found in the world has obviously been sucked out of him, leaving the band's lyrics witty as ever but lacking a certain optimism found in all their previous albums. Here's the song by song breakdown:

Megalomaniac - the lead track, the lead single. The epitomization of the new album and the new sound of Incubus. Still heavy, still has Boyd's signature power in the high range and guitarist Mike Einziger's jazzified power chords, and yet all the joy's gone. "Hey megalomaniac, you're no Jesus, yeah you're no fucking Elvis."
A Crow Left of the Murder - Every time I hear this song, I hear Everclear's "California King" in the verse. More angry lyrics. But I like the sound of Kenney's bass.
Agoraphobia - Fear of open, public places. "I wanna stay inside / I wanna stay inside for good." Pretty downtempo, reminds me of "Just a Phase" from Morning View.
Talk Shows on Mute - This song has a little more pop in it. But yet another dark, depressing message mocking our world's dry existence.
Beware! Criminal - I genuinely like this song. It's got the harder edge of older Incubus. The chorus not only oddly reminds me of Weezer's Green Album, but it kind of epitomizes the new face of the band: "You're down / but not out / and far from done." I started to wonder if it should have been over at the end of Morning View.
Sick Sad Little World - It's got the authentic rage of the rest of the album, and while the verse is a massive turn-off, but the chorus just plain kicks. "Leave me here in my / star-craving sick sad little world" cries Boyd, probably on account of all the anger the band felt over his huge celebrity status as a teen icon back in the Morning View era.
Pistola - I truly don't get this song.
Southern Girl - The ballad of the CD. Make Yourself had I Miss You, Morning View had Mexico. This has a mellowed, jazzy guitar lick underneath Boyd's teasing lyrics: "We'll behave like animals / swing from tree to tree." I went ahead and learned this song in a weekend for an audition (the Ransom Notes audition I wrote about before) and I'm really glad I did it. I just got into this song. If you only listen to one track on the CD, make it this one. Probably.
Priceless - Back to the loud, harsh sound of the first half of the CD. It borders on punk. The lyrics sound more like old Incubus, at least.
Zee Deveel - This song screams Toadies. Just listen. I mean it. And Boyd practically screams too, on the loud, emotive chorus. It's a keeper.
Made for TV Movie - Much like Agoraphobia, but a little heavier and sadder in tone. The music makes you feel like you should be dreading the future, and then you hear the words "I'm witnessing history repeating." Like the last few Incubus CDs (well, Morning View on), the last few songs just feel like they all go together and make a good ending to the CD. This song starts that closing bunch of songs here.
Smile Lines - The music is Incubus enough, but suddenly the observation stops being witty (like in Just a Phase) the words starts talking about immaturity and then it takes a pause on "I understand why they say high school never stopped." I don't like this whole Jaded Incubus thing. But then the song softens. And it all turns around with...
Here in My Room - Love it. For all the evil and darkness and lack of color in the world that this album finds, Incubus rediscovers love and introduces the piano in their huge instrumental repertoire in the process. You hear evil in the background, behind these emotive piano chords that pull you through the whole song and the huge contrast in Boyd's mind between the black-and-white world and his Technicolor girl. "If the world would fall apart / in a fiction-worthy wind / I wouldn't change a thing / now that you're here." This song should have ended the album. After listening to twelve songs of impending doom, Boyd saves the girl from the Apocalypse and stops time while the CD player ticks seconds by. After 4 minutes and twenty seconds' worth of frozen time, the world finally comes crashing down when the song ends. But for all the pain the band (and your loyal listener) have experienced with A Crow Left of the Murder, it was all worth it for just this song.
Leech - Back to the standard fare for the album. Like the way "Out from Under" finished Make Yourself, the band goes out with a bang. But it keeps asking, "The ride's over / Did you enjoy yourself?" And I'm sad once more.

If this was what we waited for, I regret it. When I heard the end of Morning View those two years ago, I finished with Aqueous Transmission and felt like that was just the end. The end of Incubus. Sure enough, we heard soon thereafter that the band was entering group therapy and I thought I was right. But here's a new album, and in a sense, my idea was right. The Incubus we came to know and love since 8th grade died and brought this album back from the grave. Thankfully, there was a gem to be found in Here in My Room. But Incubus, please quit. I mean it. I'm betting that Brandon Boyd will go solo whenever this dead horse quits being beaten; he's got too much artistic value to be abandoned. And if they do keep making music as a group, I'll keep listening - but I have a strong conviction it'll never move me in the same way as the Incubus of my high-school youth.

The Avalanches
The first time I got hooked on Since I Left You, it was in the spring of junior year. Now every time I hear the album I have memories of adventures with The Guys and discovering the greatness of Apex. But strangely, I find myself only really seriously listening to the album in the springtime. Does anyone listen to music seasonally like I'm finding myself doing?

Outkast 101
Bad
Huge single: Hey Ya
Member of duo: Andre 3000
Album: The Love Below

Good
Huge single: Way You Move
Member of duo: Big Boi
Album: Speakerboxxx

Seriously, Speakerboxxx kicks major ass. I'm not huge enough into hiphop to put this one under the microscope, but here's a list of songs I think have a sweet-ass sound:
Unhappy
The Way You Move
Rooster (in a party-song kind of way)
Church
Flip Flop Rock (Jay-Z, sweet guitar riffs, and a friggin hard beat are a dangerously badass mix)
Reset
Last Call (for the Lil' Jon fans in the house)

And that finally does it for the hugest music post I've ever made. If you make it this far, you win.

This might happen.

You're a Vampire! Hisssss! You're the oddball who sits quietly at parties. You rarely speak, but when you do, its usually so crazy that you probably shouldnt have said it at all. You dumb vampire.

discover your alcoholic personality!

So far, thanks to my stupid hands, I've missed posting on:

environmentalism
amelie and girl next door
avalanches and springtime
incubus review

But I had to update to put up Ale's new link (he moved to Xanga) and point out that Frank made quite possibly the best post ever here.

I'll be working a lot this weekend, so maybe I'll get a break from the paper-writing to write some stuff I care about.

is pretty damn cute. Haven't heard much of her music (but I've liked tiny snippets I've heard in passing), but I found it hilarious when MSN.com ran a thing on her bashing Britney and Christina Aguilera for being slutty bitches. I dunno what's up with her beauty mark in all her pictures, but her album cover sans-mark is freakin' cute.

What a truly wonderful weekend.

Friday: We all started off doing *nothing*. The whole snow thing was pretty cool; see the post underneath this one.

Saturday: Valentine's Day! Or as many call it, Singles Awareness Day. Or as Soph called it, "I'm going to be emo for a week so bug off" Day. I actually got a present from someone who wasn't my mom, which made me freak the hell out because I didn't understand the concept of friendly presents. Hi, I'm an idiot. I wound up at a party at the House of Guys (defined: the house where a handful of Plan2 upperclassmen guys live, frequent parties there) and mellowed out. No, I mean, I really mellowed out. But I definitely slept like a baby that night...

Sunday: ...and forced myself out of bed at 11AM. At noon, I was in North Austin at the Texas Gaming Festival's last day. Everything I wanted to do there went off without a hitch. I saw some of the old-school gamers there getting their Halo on, I met with the head of the TGA and am working my way onto their staff, and I entered the Mario Kart tournament.

Things just went right for me at that tournament for the whole afternoon. Nobody scared me as I flew through the first two rounds finishing first place in two grand prix's. That put me in the top 8 of 16 original entrants. One more round and I'd be in the money. Star cup, no trouble, first and second place finishes in every race put me on top. So now I was in the money. At best, $250, at worst $50. I paid $10 to get in so I was damn happy about it deep down but I really was focused on pushing for as much money as I could get. The final was 4 players on Special Cup (BTW: the rules were VS on lan, so you get random characters and no CPUs). First two races were tight as could be. I lucked out and won both. Everyone was still even for the most part, but then on Bowser's Castle I took two spiny shells in front of the finish line and went from 1st to 4th in about 3 seconds. So now the scores were 8-8-5-3 with me being one of the 8's (custom scoring, 5-3-1-0 instead of the grand prix scoring).

Rainbow Road? Not even a problem. Second lap I just took the hell off and nobody bothered me again, and the tournament was mine.

So, yours truly came home with an astonishing $250 in money for one afternoon tournament. That's the most I've ever won in a day, and it's exciting as hell. I think MKDD just might be my new game.

Happy Monday, boys and girls.

Holy moly. It snowed. Finally, a true college event happened. It came completely out of the blue, there were lots of people having a great time, everyone was happy and festive, and people got messy and hurt in the process. That, boys and girls, is a true college event.

So Patrick came down and explained that snow was falling. I came outside to see that yes, snow was indeed falling, and it wasn't any petty snow either. It was snowing. Soon enough the whole quad had assembled out there like the Grinch had just stolen Christmas and we were the residents of Hooville, and I got to see lots of happy people and take pictures (which will go online as soon as I figure out my damned digicam drivers) and then 2 minutes had passed outside and I got hit in the eye with a snowball.

15 minutes later, I was back outside, running around and giving out more hugs.

The amazing thing was that this all happened at the stroke of midnight, 'officially' beginning Valentine's Day. I saw a few elated couples happily kissing in the winter wonderland that had come 7 weeks late. The song "St. Patrick's Day" played in my head over and over as my camera took as many party shots as my frozen fingers could handle, and that was my Valentine's experience. You don't need a significant other or even a simple cheap date to find it. You just have to have the kind of insane luck that we Texans had tonight to go outside and look up into the falling snowflakes and realize that you've found Love itself. Not the connection between two people blah blah blah Love, not even soul-mate Love. No, I'm talking about the greater, nirvana Love that you spend your whole life trying to find.

And then Patrick and I snuck up on the snowball snipers sitting on the balcony and got a few headshots. No matter how deep and philosophical your experiences here might be, there's no avoiding the fact that you're still in college.

So next time it snows on a lovely holiday like this one, go ahead and get lost between the song that rings in your head and your ideal, perfect love that transcends anyone of the opposite (or same) sex. Just make sure you don't leave yourself vulnerable to being pelted with snowballs.

ME. I'm up, and I feel grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat.

Things are slowly coming back together. My wrists are beginning to heal (but I need to lay low for another week or so) and I've found some new things to check out. Turns out I've somewhat got plans to visit Padre for a weekend over spring break (which will be awesome, enough said).

And Valentine's Day? Who needs it? Texas Gaming Festival all the way. Yeah, it's nerdy, and the ratio is about 100-1 on the romantic holiday, but screw it.

edit: Oh yeah, Padre, I've got the Gamecube n stuff.

The fortune that I've never forgotten said "Your love for music will carry you far in life." Ever since I realized it just might be true, I've always kept it in mind.

Last week was a pothole in the happy road that is college so far. Like anyone who runs into failure, I told myself to get back to my roots. And after a lot of introspection I came up with a few important things:

Austin is good. I started to remember how excited I had felt to come here. I remembered how I realized that this place was the perfect fit for me. 6 months later, I still think I'm right, but it's harder to find a niche than I had thought. Opportunities have to be seized, and when you see something you want to grab, you can't necessarily have it. I thought I was a perfect fit for Ransom Notes - but they turned down all the basses who auditioned because nobody could sing low enough. I'm still looking into TGA, but more on that later. That said, I like the friends I have. But I need more.

Adventures needed. This is where my usual crowd comes up short: there's never anything new. It's just Halo Fridays, randomness on Saturdays and something slow and homework on Sundays. I want to go find new things. Granted, this was what I wanted, but things are *too* comfortable. For a freshman, I'm not nearly doing enough new stuff. I can already feel the four years of college slipping away and I feel almost every night like I'm missing out on something enlightening. I really wanted to go to Chicago as part of Ransom, but again, one of those things you can't necessarily have. I really do want to travel, and not necessarily just outside of the country. I've got my list of lifelong to-dos and I really don't feel like putting those kinds of things off. I want to travel, I want to hit the clubs, I want to meet a ton of random people. I'm sitting around too much.

Who's coming down? Current seniors from A-town: Mel, Kathy, Turk, you kids. Who's coming to UT and who isn't? I expect reports from all of you who are Austin-bound, because you'll naturally be welcomed into the crowd we have here.

Speaking of A-town.. I miss you guys. It's felt like a long time since the crowd got together, even if it did happen like a month ago. I'm anxiously waiting for summer (movies, building shit, driving, gamecube, CS - what else could you need?)

Gaming for everyone The gaming thought is coming back... again. I'm trying to step up my involvement in TGA, because mainstream gaming is really starting to pick up. Sports Illustrated (or ESPN mag, dunno which) ran a full-page spread on pro gamers and how kids are paying for college with their Madden Challenge winnings. It might be my dream once more to work a high-profile job in the industry, or maybe make competitive gaming happen. I can definitely see myself on the cover of a magazine as the mastermind of that sort of thing. But hey, if it can go on a resume, you've got to be getting somewhere.

Except when tendonitis strikes. That's not fun.

http://www.volvodriveevents.com/

Volvo's bringing the S40 through Dallas the weekend of March 13-14 (I'm sure that's spring break for some, it is for UT) for some performance test driving. Who wants to go?

edit: Nevermind, gotta be 21. :(

updated: and no callback. Ugh.

But I've been flippin' out over here for the last few days. Why, you ask? I'm auditioning for the Ransom Notes on Wednesday night, and it's taking a toll on me. They're a bad ass acappella group (check their audio samples for evidence) and really nice guys and girls to boot. For the audition, I'm working up the song "Southern Girl" off the new Incubus album, and I'm having a good time of it, even if the song is basically on loop whenever I get the chance to practice singing over and over again without driving my roommate insane. Since the information session last Wednesday, I've been losing sleep over this audition, because the stakes are just that high. I don't really have anything to lose, as my dear friend and Ransom fan Abby is quick to point out, but I remind myself I stand to gain a lot: not only all the good times, friends, and coolness factor of being in UT's only acappella group, but they're headed to Chicago for spring break to tour, which I really think I'd enjoy. The information session (at which everyone sang a little) went really, really well, so my hopes are up.

But that's not the only reason I went missing. Tendonitis is kicking my ass once again, which is keeping me from finishing Deus Ex, doing defensive driving, and playing lots more Halo and Mario Kart (I'm onto unlocking staff ghosts, everyone should try it). And talking over IM. And playing CS with everyone online - Alex invited me to play last night and I felt really bad about having to say nay. I shall return with a vengeance, and victory shall yet be mine!

But until then, it kinda hurts to type.