Interesting people, effective music.

Recently, music has started to affect me in a big way. I've always been a music lover, yes, but I've always zoomed on one thing or another and have forgotten about everything else. The other day I stumbled upon an index called "500 greatest songs by Luca" which is probably amazingly illegal, but had a lot of great songs on it. Upon listening to some of them, I realized that the music we have now is nowhere near as thoughtful nor as well organized and beautiful as some of the music from previous decades is that has stood the test of time. I don't really understand the whole emo movement that's going on right now where every song sounds the same, using almost the same three power chords each time. Is music, as is all other things, moving toward a purely commercial direction? Where are the deep thinkers with the beautiful ideas and amazing musical composition skills? Was it only the drugs they were taking talking?

I've been reading up on some popular artists that I've kind of overlooked due to my own prejudices or simply for the fact that I tend to shy away from what's popular to the mainstream simply because the mainstream lets a lot of really horrible things succeed. Some of the music everybody and their mother obsesses over I've found difficult to get interested in, for example, and I'm going to get beat down for saying this, but I've never really been interested in the Beatles. Sure, they have some good songs, but I've always felt like I've missed the point.

That all being said, I've been reading up on Eric Clapton. Mostly, just things on wikipedia. But, I never knew a lot of the background of his music before because I was never really interested. To be honest, the only reason I wondered why he was such a phenomenon is because of Ryuichi Ogata's (緒方龍一) deep interest in him. Being that Ryuichi Ogata is a member of a Japanese boyband, it kind of contradicts my claim that I can't get into things that are in the mainstream. Let me specify by saying that I only meant EXTREMELY current American mainstream emo-punk-rock. That's specific enough.

Anyway, I never knew that Clapton lived such an intense life, nor that he had such close ties to the Beatles. The song "Layla" was in fact written about George Harrison's wife with whom Clapton had fallen in love. Knowing that and going back to listen to the song, you can hear the emotion and the tension behind it. THAT, is my point. People claim to have these emotions and feelings and thoughts, but nothing stands out. NOTHING is captivating. It all sounds the same. It's all marketable. Clapton was also on drugs during that time, so maybe that's key, but I doubt it. He was also in a ton of bands, and is an all over impressive guy know that I know more about him.

I'm not saying that there is no good music out there now, it's just so hard to find. If you happen to stumble upon this entry, give me your recommendations for what you think is really good, contemporary music. Even if it's months from the entry date.

Okay, then.

Today definitely wasn't lacking in its interesting moments. I discovered that I've been ripping myself off an incredible about by using mealtrades at the Kosher Cafe/Bagel express to get my morning bagel when I could just pay $1.99 at the Outtakes store to get the same thing. I'm intelligent.

It amazes me how much the prices are different up (over?) here than back home. For example, I went into a CVS and decided to pick up some ramen which at home would cost about $0.10 a piece, but here it was 2/$0.79. So, yeah, $0.79 isn't a lot of money but, I'm cheap right now. And, what the hell, it's instant ramen.

So, in more interesting news, I probably bombed my chemistry test. I knew things did not bode well when I realized I had left my scientific calculator in my room and had to come all the way back to get it since I'm useless without one, and I don't think I could do logarithms in my head no matter what. Luckily, I got there just as the professor arrived. It didn't change the fact that I didn't know much about the first two pages of the exam. 55 is passing though, I think. Hopefully I can pull at least that.

Afterward, I decided to go to the costume shop to pick up a bow-tie for my mad-hatter (cheap-ass, poor excuse for a) costume. Ri went with me, and we jumped on the 12 that blatantly stated "CROSSGATES MALL" on it, but...instead it ended up taking us downtown. So, we jumped off at the first stop, which apparently was ridiculously far away from school. Thankfully, we remembered that Ada lived somewhere around there (more like 5/6 streets down) and thought that it'd be better to try to go find her apartment than to stand on the corner in the dark, both of us being pretty much blind in the dark. It was cold, too, but we managed to find it, and it was more fun than just going to lame old Crossgates.


I'm totally studying the wrong country, randomly.

Aaand people manage to kill my good moods within 5 seconds. Thanks.

Check your ego.

I've noticed a lot of people here seem to think of themselves very highly for absolutely no reason whatsoever. The only basis for judgment these people have to determine how great they are is to compare themselves to others. I recently heard this girl (a stranger) rattling off at the mouth about someone I know in a way that made this person seem inferior to her. She obviously doesn't know the person she was talking about, and she made her quick, sweeping judgment based on a physical observation. I wanted to say "And what makes you so special, you empty-headed, judgmental twat?" Yes, "twat", because it's great to call someone a name that is just as useless as the person to whom it is referring.

But, you know what? Trying to tell people like that anything different to change their opinion is absolutely pointless. It's cool to talk down about people, isn't it? Even if you know nothing about them. And especially if they aren't up to society's standards of beauty, because that totally obliterates any good qualities that person may have.

So, what do you say when someone makes fun of someone you know from across the room (when you probably shouldn't be listening anyway)? I'm not sure.

Humans are really stupid, and I say this from experience.

C'est la vie.

I didn't end up receiving a paycheck after all, which means that I will have to wait yet another two weeks to hopefully receive FOUR paychecks which the state now owes me. FOUR. This means I'm going to be taxed a ridiculous amount. I guess I can look forward to my tax return this year, though. Every penny counts.

I realized today that I really suck at guitar. It's pitiful, really. All of my callouses are gone, so I can't play well at all. I also think my guitar's neck is getting warped since there is an annoying vibration. Maybe I should use it more than twice a semester, but I'm shy. I shouldn't have been shy before when I could somewhat play, because now it's even worse. I need to practice, practice, practice. I used to practice for about 3 hours a day, but who has that sort of time anymore? When I lived in the country-side (and only had dial-up internet), that's all I had to do. At least I can remember chords and placement. I just need to make my fingers bleed.

I have a number of tests coming up within the next couple of weeks which feels odd to me since it seems like I just had one in ever class about two weeks ago. But, who knows, that's probably about right. I'm out of luck when it comes to my city class, but I think I'll be okay on my logic and chemistry tests. It's pretty bad when I, someone who detests mathematics and science, am having an easier time with those sorts of classes but cannot wrap my head around something that is supposed to weave into American history. That last sentence was extremely awkward (and most likely incorrect) usage of English.

It's 10pm already, how did that happen?

I suppose I'll spare this post from picture spam.

Getting Up Early...

So, tomorrow I finally get the three paychecks the Federal Work Study program has been owing me for what seems like forever. However, since the payroll office is located in its new, convenient location of NOT ON CAMPUS, I have to plan around these things. This means getting up early, as I have class at 1:15 (that I've skipped more times than I should already), avoiding the cleaning man who comes anywhere from 9:30 to 12:30, and finding time to eat sometime between all of this when I have work at 3pm, with class getting out at...2:35? I mean, attendance isn't taken in class, and it's pretty much useless to even go to it, but...I need the class to graduate (gen-eds) and I feel like somehow THIS stupid class is going to ruin everything.

Hopefully not?

Hopefully it'll all turn out all right.

For now, I leave this picture. Click it, etc.