Good Music

The Who - You Better



The Rolling Stones - Angie



Ani DiFranco - Gravel



Bruce Springsteen - My City of Ruins (WTC Concert)



The Polyphonic Spree - Light and Day



Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Me and Mia



The Scene Aesthetic - Beauty in the Breakdown

I Have Music ADD (and other observations)

I've been working all summer. It's been tough and altogether unrewarding. Still, I have been told it is worth it. And frankly, I'm too tired to not heed those words blindly.

My point?

I am not writing that much. Sorry. I know, you miss me. I'd miss me too. It may just be my luminescent self-confidence, but I would like to think I have a sort of gift at writing. I may not be the best nor the most entertaining, but I have a better grasp at this medium then it's social equivalent.

• Anyways, I don't think I have made any progress on that Summer Reading/Watching list. If I did, it's miniscule at best. I have a few weeks off before heading up to Bloomington, though, so I may make a last-minute sprint to make it look like I tried.

• Saw Wall-E, Indiana Jones, and Kung-Fu Panda so far this summer. I highly recommend all three. The real gem, though, is Wall-E. The robot story shows more humanity then any movie I have ever seen. You'll leave the movie changed. And, if you are like me, a little teary-eyed.

• I have realized I have Music Attention Deficiet Disorder. It's not a severe case, but after looking over my iTunes library, I've come to this revelation. I do not have a favorite artist. This is not good. Why? Real, passionate fans have at least one favorite musical artist that they know from bottom-up. They know all their songs, their biography, their family members, even their birthday. So, I've looked over some of my favorite artists and decided that the least overwhelming favorite artist to recognize would be Bruce Springsteen. My goal is to know his discography, up and down.

• Final Excited Note: I'm going vacation in August! NYC, Boston, and Cape Cod! It's going to be amazing. I love to travel.
  

Morality

The sudden departure of Meet the Press host Tim Russert and subsequent press coverage has elicited a onslaught of emotions.

This, in itself, is rather unsettling. I rarely watched Meet the Press and I only had a passing familiarity with Russert himself. Still, his death and its affect on others has sparked some feelings that I really wish would go away.

Forgive me for the historical analogy. My life, and to some extent probably yours, is like the Cold War. We wait upon the edge of our seat for something to happen -- death. An always impending and imminent doom frustrated and scares us. We must live our lives knowing that we could die the next day.

I guess the cliche "live every day like it's your last" really does ring true.

Some might say that this is a pessimistic way of looking at life. They'll say live life one step at a time. One day at a time. Do not fear death, but welcome it. It is a new start.

But think about it.

If tommorrow is my last day, can I say that I've enjoyed my time on earth? Can I say that I've done the things I want to do?

Can I say that I've traveled, like I always wanted to do?
Can I say that I've made a family, like I always wanted to do?
Can I say that I've been successful, like I always wanted to be?
Can I say that I've lived a good life, like I always want to do?

The answer to all of these questions is no.

This is what alarms me. I know I cannot just stop what I'm doing now (working all summer) and live today like it's my last. That would be foolish.

But that's just it -- I feel like we can never win this Cold War. The Berlin Wall will not fall down. Because even if we do the things that we want to do, life will still ultimately be too short.

And so, are we destined to unhappiness?

I don't know. Right now I feel like I'm wasting time. Wasting time working. Wasting time not being around my friends. Wasting time not pursuing possible relationships. Wasting time not traveling.

It's a vicious circle, really. And there is no end in sight.

In Defense of Obama

Like it or not, Barack Obama will be the Democratic Nominee in the November 2008 Presidential Election. Mathematically, it takes real work for a Clinton supporter to argue that she will be ahead come the convention. Frankly, the chances of her gathering enough pledge delegates to ouster Obama's substantial lead are about the same as me getting laid this summer.

So, enough with that.

The Clinton v. Obama debate will continue, but the nomination really was cemented when white Iowa voted for and gave the momentum to Black Barack Obama. Collectively, they sent a signal to America - that being wealthy and white is no longer a qualification for leadership. What I am going to address here are the attacks on Obama, particularly those consisting of so-called "weakness" on issues and his appropriation of a populist, image-driven rhetoric.

The debate over the Democratic nomination has recently degenerated into petty polemics and rhetorical attacks against each candidate. Folks hurl the words bitch, liar, cunt, etc. towards Hillary Clinton. Although her image is not as polished as Obama's and she has definitely bended the truth in some occasions (Bosnia and NAFTA come to mind), this is certainly not true. Hillary supporters attack Obama and say that he is "weak on the issues" and that Obama supporters are being brainwashed by his flashy smile and populist rhetoric. To be fair, this is certainly an excellent and often utilized argument. But before I get to defend Obama on this aforementioned appropriation, a word on the actual attacks from the Clinton supporters:

It seems that as much as the "Hillblazers" argue that Obama is weak on issues, they are not certain on the issues that Hillary embodies. In fact, I daresay that as many Obama supporters who are voting based on "image" there are an equal number or more who are voting Clinton based on "issues". This means that while some Hillary supporters are voting for her because she is "good at the issues", they rarely know what these issues are. Forgive me for making a mass association, but I have talked to numerous Hillary supporters that do not know Hillary's stance on issues like education, Iran, or even the much publicized gas tax. So the leveling of attacks verse Obama supporters, although warranted, are made up of a group of supporters who certainly do not have flawless reasons for voting for Clinton.

Now, onto the attacks against Obama's rhetoric.

First of all, it is easy to see that Clinton has utilized this same populist message – especially as of late. The "Yes We Will" speech, a blatant mockery of Obama's brilliant "Yes We Can" speech is just one of the few examples as of late. So, once again, Clinton supporters are making a flawed attack since their candidate appears to be endorsing the same type of rhetoric.

Second of all, one must look at the reason why this populist rhetoric is used. It's because – simply (and excuse my language) – it fucking WORKS! Think about it. If Obama replaced "Yes We Can" with "Let's End The Economic Crisis by Cutting Down on Fraudulent Mortgages", it would not only be a mouthful to say (not to mention hard to cohesively coordinate), but it would be boring. Note: That actually is one of Obama's plans on improving the economy. Obama's rhetoric attracts people. In a age where many are apathetic to politics, a politician who shares a similar hatred against partisanship is refreshing – especially against a member who participates actively in it. Obama wins votes because of his message, yes, but those votes are from people who probably would not have voted. The large amount of people that care about politics and support Obama do not praise him because of his fantastic speeches, but because of his stance on issues.

Third of all, let's look at some of the greatest past presidents. Clinton, Ronald Reagan (debatably), JFK, FDR, Lincoln – the list goes on. What do these people have in common? Yep. You got it. They all have the ability to communicate with others. That is what made them good Presidents – the ability to listen and act. Obama fits into this patriarchal line. Hillary, on the other hand, probably does not. Her best speech, far and away, was when she adopted and manipulated Obama's slogan. I am by no means endorsing Obama as the next FDR (he does not have one quality FDR had -- polio – yeah, I went there).

Finally, an invitation. Go to barackobama.com. Look at the text "Blueprint for Change". As cliché as the name sounds, it is the Obama Bible. This is Obama's message stripped down -- all the "issues" you want.

Summer Reading/Watching

As promised..

Fiction

On The Road - Jack Kerouac
Moby Dick - Hermann Melville
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy
Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner
1984 - George Orwell

Nonfiction
Guns, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond
The World Without Us - Alan Weisman
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong - James W. Loewen
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally As possible - A.J Jacobs

Movies
The Godfather
Schindler's List
Goodfellas
The Indiana Jones Series
Fight Club
Apocalypse Now
Full Metal Jacket
Enternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Saving Private Ryan
Batman Begins
Gladiator
Children of Men
Trainspotting
Ratatouille
Atonement

Summer

For some reason, I always had a hatred for summer. I never realized why until I experienced my first football-less summer in ten years last summer. And.. you know what? Summer ain't half bad. In fact, I daresay on a list of my top four favorite seasons, it would be in the top 2 (fall r0xorz). Still, it's better then winter -- which is far too cold, and spring -- which makes a rain-lover a rain-hater.

Anyways, I kinda have some "summer resolutions" -- if you will bare with me for a few. I would like to articulate them, because I have the naive belief that if I say something it will make me more likely to actually do it.

First of all, I want to work out. I gained ten or so pounds during the school year and I want to get my weight down to a healthy 175-180. However, I'm going to go for the old addage "If you shoot for the moon, you will land in this stars" and thus say that my goal is to get a six-pack of abs and a rock hard body. Those goals might be extra-galactical.

Second of all, I want to get a job. Nuff said. I need to get a job, or I'll be effin' broke next year.

Third of all, I want to read. Read in massive proportions. I want to become efficient in spotting allusions from miles away. It's something to add to my intellectual side that I lack -- the ability to insert a nerdy allusion to some 19th century Dickens classic.. So, I'm going to compile a summer reading list that should be posted soon: My first book is On The Road by Jack Keroauc -- really fucking awesome. Equally, I want to watch movies. I seriously have not seen that many "guy" movies, and I feel like I need to be enlightened. I also will be compiling a summer watching list.

Fourth of all, I want to go to a concert. A professional, musician concert. My only concert before this is Weird Al Yankovic and although it was awesome, it did not present the normal concert environment. Thus, I've settled on either a.) going to Bonnaroo (the two day musical festival in Tennessee) or b.) going to Radiohead in Indy.

On a totally unrelated note, I'm not sure what college I'm going to next year now! If I go to Indiana, there is a distinct possibility I may be homeless. Sweet action.

Freshman Year: Reflections

It is hard to believe that Freshman year is already coming to a end. It seems like just yesterday when I was moving into the dorms. This year has been a challenge to me - both academically and socially.

I have taken some rather difficult classes - Arabic, Finite Math, Political Theory, and a 300 level history course, to name a few, and managed to succeed at most of them. Many times, I have sacrificed my social life for my academic life. This seems to be at such a stark contrast with the Aaron of a year ago: slacker, a joke homecoming candidate, and that "goofy" kid who never gets his work done. Honestly, I have a feeling if I went back and told my classsmates and my teachers that I got into the Hutton Honors College and have a 3.8 GPA they would be in utter shock. So, forgive me of my scatterbrainedness, but I think I've done well as far as academics go.

Socially, I've been alright. I've made a few close friends. There are many who I will miss over the summer and will surely be hanging out with when we get back. I've cycled through some friendships and realized that a lot of people here are not worth hanging out with. Equally, I've had some ladyfriends who I have realized they are not all who they say they are (and a few who did not say anything ;)). But as much as I've put into my friends, they've given back. Sure, we all have our flaws, but it's the ability for other people to get over them to determine how well of a friend they are to you.

So, all in all, Freshman year is probably a success. It wasn't all that I hope for, but it provided some fantastic things that I really didn't hope for at all. Quick - top 3 moments of freshman year - go!

1. Indiana Football vs. Purdue and the subsequent rushing of the field.
2. Indiana Basketball vs. Purdue and courtside seats.
3. The ridiculous of Little 5 week (or at least the stuff I remember).