Jason Mraz

Over the last few years, I've been to a smattering of concerts and heard my fair share of live recordings, but I think Mraz is easily the best live performer I've ever seen. Not only does he write interesting songs that are either incredibly beautiful or make you want to get up and dance, he's also got quite the voice. If you like this one, check out some of the other videos from the same performance.

Okay

"Or do you want a coffee?" He straightens, ready to leap up again. "I can have them sent in."
"Uh," I say, unsure as to whether it's a good business move to ask your potential employer to fetch for you. I decide to go with my thirst. "Okay."
Gary stops. "Scat, if you're going to work for Coca-Cola, you will never use that word again."
"What word? 'Okay'?"
"Okay is the most widely known word in the English language. Number two is Coke. We're trying for top spot. Get it?"

This exchange that I just read takes place on page 139 of Max(x) Barry's novel Syrup. I actually put down the book mid paragraph for this...for those who know my reading habits well (and it occurs to me that may be nobody) I don't really like to do that, ever. What baffles me is this: If okay is the most widely know word in the English language, why does the Firefox spell check give it the squiggly red underline of you're-wrongness? Frankly, it's starting to bother me, as I use the word quite often.

Evanescence: Now Officially Amy Lee Show

As announced last week on their website, guitarist John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray are no longer with Evanescence. The reason is not really clear; the official statement from the band is that they were "ready to move on," though LeCompt claims he was "fired for no good reason," and that Gray quit over the events. Apparently, they have a new band now. We'll see how that goes. The two were replaced with the guitarist and drummer from Dark New Day, a band that's been around for a while, but found little in the way of commercial success. Anywhom, this means that Evanescence now consists of all of one original member. Amy Lee is all that is left of the group that recorded Fallen in 2003, and while LeCompt had one writing credit on The Open Door, and sang the male vocal part of Bring Me to Life in concert, I imagine very little will change practically with the band, as this confirms what their critics have been saying from the beginning: Evanescence is Amy Lee.

A Brief Rumination

If you're going to run a marathon, starting from whatever, start from scratch, start from the occasional sprint after an ice cream truck, start from a 15 flat 5K and nothing longer, it's really irrelevant, you've got to start running more. Run more often, and run farther. So, looking ahead, I'm going to write more often. I'll put it at a goal of two posts a week here, for starters. Be forewarned, I'm probably going to write about a lot of nothing, and a lot of that nothing is going to suck. Sorry. Of course, the last time I set a goal like that, school and work ganged up on me, and I didn't run at all for months. So we'll see, but let's call this a beginning, and hope and pray that the middle and end are much more interesting than foreseen.

On your mark, set...

Reading Update

I finished The Great Train Robbery the other day. I'd had it on hold for quite a long time, and was glad to finally get through it. Michael Crichton's 1975 novel follows a master criminal over the course of, well, a great train robbery. I found the book to be kind of a slow started, but once I got going on it, I finished it quickly. Overall, I found the story rather entertaining, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good caper every now and again. Anyway, next is Syrup, by Max(x) Barry.

Foo Fighters

I kinda forgot all about them after One by One, but seeing as how I've consistently enjoyed their music, the other day I went and picked up 2005's In Your Honor, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a 2-disc album, the first CD being the hard rocking Foo Fighters stuff that usually ends up on the radio, and the second being their lesser known side, soft acoustic music. Both discs seem pretty enjoyable. I haven't listened to it enough to pick favorites yet, so I can't really give you much insight as far as that goes, but some early standouts for me include No Way Back and The Deepest Blues are Black on the first disc, and Virginia Moon on the second. Anywhom, if you like the Foo Fighters, and for some reason haven't heard this CD, it's worth a listen.

Semester Over

Summer = Very Yes!

Goals:
Hawaii
Read 5 Books
More Guitar
Watch Baseball
Don't Stress

Walking

Today, on my way to take my final, I noticed that I was walking in rhythm with my mp3 player. Then, I realized something horrible. My right foot hit the ground on beat two, my left foot hit the ground on beat 3...crap. I didn't shuffle step, but I wanted to. I actually stopped, and started walking again, with the appropriate foot on the appropriate beat. Damn you, marching band.

R.O.P.D.R.P.W. Episode X: Where the Wind Comes Sweeping Down the Plain

This episode explores the special relationship Oklahomans have with tornadoes, and the the fact that nobody else gets it. It also explores the fact that I can't spell "tornadoes".

Attention!

Now here this:

Oats & Honey granola bars are good. Dipped in coffee, they're really really good!

That is all!










-I'm Joey, I'm Disgusting

Welcome to My World

I was listening to the news on NPR earlier today, and they were interviewing people in a French town about the candidates in their upcoming presidential election. The French political system on the national level is my favorite. I wish our system was more like theirs, but even with a good system, there will always be complaining in politics. There will never be a case where absolutely everyone is happy. One man had a priceless comment. It was something to the effect of "In this election it won't be about voting for the candidate you like the best, but voting for the one you hate the least."


Welcome to my world, Frenchy.