So a looooong time ago I wrote a little piece with my opinion on a lawsuit filed by some folks here at my school about something or the other. Long story short, it got settled to (I assume) the conclusion of most of the parties involved.

In the meanwhile my webmaster OJ would tell me that he was steady getting emails from someone who was complaining about the entry and wanted it removed.

Today he forwarded me one of the emails, turns out it’s a person who knows me….was in SEVERAL procedures with me when I did my anesthesia rotation and quite a few other times…was cordial to me and acted as if there wasn’t some issue between us. I literally had NO IDEA that this chick was holding on to this shit.

Not only that, the issue is several years old…and if I’m to understand the email it only comes up when they search for their name in google or something. I never mentioned this person by name (nor will I ever).

This is a public notice…if I post something you don’t like TELL ME. Don’t send threatening emails to other people and go about it in a round about ass way.

I deleted that post, just because…I mean if I can just delete a post as opposed to keep dealing with the whims of crazy people then that’s what I’ll do…but man…come on son!

Argh!

(taken from a facebook note)

This is a bit of a spoiler for those of you who haven’t seen Wall-E, but if you ever wanted to know what the musical landscape looked like, it’d be Wall-E’s future. Full of garbage being boxed and piled up. One terrible album after another coming out. A big pile of garbage and amidst it all tucked away is a single sign of life, Vampire Weekend.

Vampire Weekend’s sophomore effort “Contra” not only manages to avoid the sophomore slump, it may even be BETTER than their debut. A few more listens will be required to OFFICIALLY come to that conclusion, but suffice it to say that the initial impression is VERY favorable.

Ezra Koenig and company have managed to create a new album that has enough of their signature sound for you to recognize it on first listen, and yet creative and fresh enough that it doesn’t sound like a retread of the previous effort.

From the first track “Horchata”, to the end, their signature style continues to grow and blossom, in a musical landscape that seems to trend toward the stagnant and retreading.

The standout track from the album is “Giving Up The Gun” which is probably destined for overplay on trendy college radio podcasts as well as top 40 radio.

(originally posted as a facebook note)
I told myself I was going to retire from reviewing albums after the whole 808’s and Earaches thing, but I’ve been Jordan’d….I have to verbally eviscerate this album…and I have to speak to the steep decline in musical standards.

So people have been raving about how hot this Robin Thicke album is and how it’s baby making music and yada yada! So I resisted my initial urges and went ahead and obtained it.

If babies are made to this album, I fear for their outcome. This album is not good in anyway shape or form.

Rather than go track for track I will tell you that the song with Snoop Dogg “It’s In The Mornin” and the “I Got U” are the standouts on an otherwise mediocre effort. The Nicki Minaj track will make you want to throw yourself off of a jagged cliff.

Most of the tracks are retreads of proven formulas that sound hackneyed and contrived. Sounds that were bastardized include Rakim’s “Mahogany”, Getz and Gilberto’s “The Girl From Ipanema” (TWICE…though I Got U manages to still be infectious enough), and Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man”.

When did musicians get so lazy? What happened to albums like Isaac Hayes “Hot Buttered Soul” and Smokey Robinson’s “Quiet Storm”? Where are the Bill Withers of this generation?

I hate to sound like one of those old heads, but this new music is just unacceptable bad! To the point that people are heaping praise on mediocre albums like this, just because they are better than the standard fare that’s out there now.

In short, save yourself the time and/or money on this album. Go get Questlove’s “Babies Making Babies” compilation or Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks”….thank me later!!!

But not in a Ginuwine sense of anxiety. As it gets closer to the time when I get these results back from this test I feel like it’s ruling the way that I move. I can’t breath right, it’s like I’m 20,000 leagues under the sea (however far that is, my knowledge base has so many gaps in it). There is so much pressure on me right now and it’s going to feel like it’s either been all lifted or all come down on me and crush me.

I just want it to be over….

So last night me and my special lady went to go see Michael Jackson’s This Is It. To say that it was amazing would be a massive understatement.

It’s such sad irony that the only reason we got to see this spectacle of achievement is that Michael died, as just about everyone in the know agrees that he would have never allowed such footage to be released if he were alive. I think this in and of itself explains his ultimate failing in the public eye.

But I digress I’m not here to really talk about that. Instead I want to lament the poor treatment Michael received during the last 20 years of his life.

Here is a man that the public built up, worshiped, and adored above any other entertainer. In his zenith (the years between Thriller and Bad) he was a world wide star, adored by women from the age of 4 to 84, admired by men and respected by both peer and layman. However, there was always this air of mystery, something he kept hidden and in our curiosity our minds went to the worst thoughts.

In hindsight Michael foreshadowed this all with his songs “Wanna Be Starting Something” (years ahead of time in terms of how the media and paparazzi treat our icons) and “Human Nature” (Michael had already forgiven and more than that UNDERSTOOD WHY the people looked at his behavior so strangely).

The Michael on This Is It was a perfectionist, but in the most loving, mild, and gentle way possible. He got the most out of his performers, not by yelling but through firm instruction. He never belittled any of the dancers or musicians, and yet, he was as demanding as the toughest drill sergeant. He performed at a high level and required it of the others involved in the process, but never became the impetuous, frustrated prima donna that many other performers become.

At one point in the film he says, “Well we got a little taste of it” or something to that extent, in describing a rehearsal of “Black or White”. I laughed and remarked that what he had just done would have been the VERY BEST that an artist like Chris Brown could produce! Other times Michael said he was trying to conserve his voice and energy, and yet he performed “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Human Nature” so beautifully and powerfully that in my opinion it was concert level.

This man Michael Jackson gave his all to show his fans things they had never seen and entertain them in ways they have never been entertained. All he cared about in his life was music and love, the love of others and even love of the planet. What did we reward him with? We made fun of him, we mocked him, we made up stories about him.

This Is It showed me a human being who was so full of love and didn’t care about the TRIVIAL things we care about and was able to even RISE ABOVE all of the hate that was spewed in his direction. I’m thankful for having had the chance in my lifetime to experience the magic that was Michael!

Maybe now we can appreciate the message behind his music….

As I sit here watching season 4 of the Wire, I see so many parallels I feel like I’m in geometry class. I see cities fighting problems with crime and I see lost children, but more than either of those I see an election going predictably to the most unlikely candidate.

We saw how Tommy Carcetti worked out for the denizens of faux Baltimore, but how will Mary Norwood work out for the citizens of a very real Atlanta?

I am torn on the issue, I was born and raised in Atlanta, a son of a “known” if not prominent family, but I also have no plans to ever really return to Atlanta in any capacity other than a visitor. Part of my reasoning is also what I blame most of Atlanta’s current and future problems on, the non-native Atlantan problem.

See these people don’t have a real sense of the city’s history or the things that MADE Atlanta that city they felt compelled to infiltrate. Not when they are on the verge of splitting the vote and allowing a Closeted Republican from Buckhead into the Mayoral Office. What’s the difference they say between a Lisa Borders or a Kasim Reed they say.

From where I sit, it’s pretty clear, unfortunately where I sit is in Nashville without a vote. It’s hard for me to tell people how important it is that a native son regain the reigns and help to bring Atlanta with the rest of the country out of these economic doldrums. Only an Atlanta native would understand the importance of an endorsement from Andrew Young.

I digress though. I’m not here to tell Atlanta voters who to vote for honestly, though you can probably read between the lines and see who it’d be.

More importantly I want them to RALLY behind whoever DOES make it to the eventual run-off (provided the vote hasn’t been split too far already). The Democratic party has already thrown their support behind BOTH Reed and Borders which should tell discerning voters all they need to know!

The Wire was an awesome TV show, but life is seldom as tidy as a television show. No writer can come in and clean up the potential mess if Atlanta voters elect Mary Norwood!

…like such a child right now?

I’m so frustrated and I don’t know how to say what I want to say.

You have such an easy time telling me what I do wrong but I struggle with things like hurting feelings and what not…why? Why can’t I just say what’s on my mind without fear of causing irreparable damage?

Why do I feel like I’m always walking on eggshells…I hate this feeling?

When Tony and Carmela seperated on the Sopranos, those were the two surface issues that Tony pointed to as the reason he and Carmela’s situation came to a head. He missed the underlying things like, “don’t cheat on your wife” or “be more loving and caring toward her feelings”, but I mean he was kind of right, those things lit the fuse to the bomb that ultimately destroyed his marriage.

So I can’t help but look at this current situation I’m in and wonder what I’m missing. I mean surely it can’t be this surface thing that I’m blaming right now (twitter). I mean do I NOT pay enough attention? I try to be attentive and cater to just about anything I can (within my means, which granted are limited right now) I’m certainly not cheating or even THINKING about another woman, but I mean….

I don’t know…..

Something else is there….is it the financial situation? is there someone else? I’m exploring every possibility….

Fill me in….

So recently I went to my gamer buddy Shehane’s house and played Final Fantasy VII again and got sucked right back into that world. I can play that game for hours and not be bored at all or get frustrated like I do with these new games (like not being able to beat Spiderman’s game disc on Marvel Ultimate Alliance). Anyway, there is a character on Final Fantasy VII, the Master Tonberry, and he has a move called “everybody’s grudge” where he inflicts damage on your character relative to the number of people you’ve killed.

I know that’s a roundabout way of introducing my problem, but it’s the first thing that came to mind.

I was talking to my girl this morning about an upcoming event and I mentioned being conflicted about it because of a grudge I held against one of the involved parties. She pointed out to me that I hold alot of grudges and how useless it is to do that.

I mean as recently as a year ago I had grudges against people for stuff they’d done in HIGH SCHOOL or even MIDDLE SCHOOL. How ridiculous is that? Grudges are wasteful energy. You spend all your time angry with someone for reasons they either don’t know or don’t CARE about enough to justify it.

I started to think about why it is that I have these grudges and ultimately what did I seek to gain? Did I want an apology? Did I want revenge? What was the point really? As my girl in her wisdom pointed out, there is no point. All it does is make me angry (and unpleasant to be around).

So I’m making a resolution. I am going to TRY to let some of these silly grudges go. I’m either going to address issues while they are fresh or let them go. I’m not going to let old shit keep me from enjoying the new things I see daily.

The internet has taught us alot of things. Two of the biggest things would seem to contridict themselves, but yet, these two lessons seems to coexist on some level for the time being. The two lessons: the world is small…and hiding behind a keyboard gives you AMAZING courage to say things you’d never say in public (read: within armspan/punching/choking range).

Everyone knows everyone on the internet. It’s no longer 6 degrees of seperation, it’s 4 degrees or less. You never know who knows who and how they know them. And yet people talk SO wrecklessly about people they don’t know because they don’t think it has lasting repercussions for them.

Sometimes the repercussions are the loss of a friendship or acquaintanceship whatever the level is. People seem comfortable with that. Sometimes it’s a bit more serious, such as what happened to Perez Hilton when he talked shit about Will.I.Am.

What is it going to take before those with keyboard courage learn their lesson? Will one of YOUR family members/friends have to deal with slander and people talking out the side of their necks about them?? I’m just wondering.

I mean you can call me sensitive, and I’ll be that, because to me it’s better than all of the hate and nonsense I see spewing out of people’s mouths.