Another September Confession

I'm just going to go ahead and say it.

I'm not really into Wilco.

I liked Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but I didn't love it.

I probably won't buy their new album.

I feel better now. Thanks for listening. As a way of expressing my appreciation, please enjoy this Daytrotter session that I do love: agesandages

A Poem for Monday Night

Letting It Out...Loud: The Return: strange that having loved, and having battered, and having hardened against its demands, that love once an instinct at liberty, at hom...

and I thought I was the only one

I am disappointed to find out that I am not alone in my Dubstep experimentation. But the good news is, more naive fans equals this Dubstep for Dummies lesson from SPIN. I'm going to be honest, I haven't read it. On account of my (and 92% of all Internet-loving Americans') ADD. Plus, I wore glasses this morning and then switched to contacts, so looking at anything makes me dizzy and nauseated.

Perhaps one of my trusty followers can read it and give me a 100-word synopsis, plus relevant links? Oh, and maybe some Dramamine? Thanks.  You guys are the best!

http://www.spin.com/articles/dubstep-101-us-primer

An Intense Challenge

"Prayer is the courage to persevere. It is the struggle to overcome our own weakness and lack of confidence in ourselves. It is the act of impressing in the very depths of our being the conviction that we can change the situation without fail." 

- Daisaku Ikeda

So it turns out, we are not powerless after all. Buddhism teaches that every person possesses limitless potential to manifest their desires and become truly happy. Not immediately, not magically, and not without persistent action, but through transforming our own hearts from a state of fear and doubt to one of unshakeable faith and conviction in our own creative ability. When we truly believe we are capable of overcoming any challenge, we naturally attract positive energy and our environment begins to change. 

Prayer is not a request to an external benefactor, but a summoning of the courage, wisdom and strength that is found within our own lives—within the life of every human being. It is an uncompromising determination to triumph over our own human weakness, which manifests in self-centeredness, resentment and fear. It is a turning away from self-doubt toward a deep and powerful assertion of "I can!"

Building this kind of conviction is not easy. It entails a struggle to change the negative thought patterns and false beliefs which have dictated our behavior for so long that they have become like instinct. In order to change them, we must learn to recognize them, become aware of them working in our lives, and understand how they hold us back from realizing true and lasting happiness. We must stop seeking happiness outside ourselves and resist destructive impulses that give momentary pleasure or relief from pain. We must WANT to change. And then, we must make the determination to succeed, and never give up, no matter what. We start from where we are, at each moment, and never give in to defeat.


Choose happiness, choose courage, choose faith. And laugh much along the way!

Letting It Out...Loud: The extremities of ambivalence

New from the Poetry Well

Letting It Out...Loud: The extremities of ambivalence: Nostalgic for nothing definite. More like a feeling, or a version of me I'll never be again and yet always am. Moments slip away and ret...

Friends Don't Let Friends Doubt Their Career Choices

Me: I'm thinking about going back to school to be a teacher
Gina: You'd make a great teacher!
Me: You think so?
Gina: Yeah! It's kind of like being on stage.

=)

Dubstep for Big Dummies!

I recently embarked upon an exploration of electronic music, hoping to reignite my passion for indie and folk rock by subjecting my brain to the non-organic noise of remixes, mash-ups, and sampling. Please keep in mind I have no idea what some of these words mean and may be using them incorrectly, albeit confidently. Putting aside my snobbish distaste for synthesized sounds, I consulted a local expert to guide me through the big, baffling world of electronica. The following is a summary of my findings thus far:

1. Dubstep = 140 beats per minute. Some DJs (artists? claim to make (spin? play? produce?) dubstep, but they don't know what it means. I can relate to that. I think I will like dubstep the best, because wikipedia says it's instrumental with a commonly dark "feel" and dissonant harmonies. I adore dissonance.

2. Tiesto is one of the most accomplished and influential producers of electronica, but he doesn't have a crown to prove it, so I'm not convinced. Also, I listened to his stuff on MySpace and it bored me.

3. Glow sticks are optional. This was disappointing to me.

Stay tuned for more educational words from the electronically ignorant.

8th step confession.

There's an IP (informational pamphlet) called "Staying Clean on the Outside," and I once told a newcomer it was about showers and stuff.