Confession

When I was growing up I loved that Dave Matthews song Crash. It was just so catchy.....EXCEPT Dave Matthews kind of disturbed me. Disturbed me because I thought the the chorus to that song isn't, "hike up your skirt ya little boy, and show your world to me, a boys dream." It's actually, "hike up your skirt a little more, and show your world to me, a boys dream." Change one word and it goes from being just a sexually suggestive song to being just a sexually suggestive creepy illegal song.

Oh, and after listening to Dave Matthews speak he is disturbing.

Ballet

So, everyday when walking to/from the parking lot from/to the office I walk past the studio for the Louisville Ballet.  Twice a day, I think to myself....."Ballet is awful." Then I keep going on my way. But really, ballet is awful. Really awful. I'm not saying that the ballerinas and the duderinas are stupid. I'm just saying that their passion is dumb.

For a little credibility they should do a mainstream hobby like ultimate frisbee......

Alaska

Well, apparently Sarah Palin's daughter is pregnant. But really, is that surprising? What else is a 17-year old girl going to do in Alaska while she's waiting out the winter. I, for one, blame Alaska.

Gustav

I think everyone is quite happy that the Gulf Coast came through it's dance with Hurricane Gustav without too much damage. It should be noted that Gustav made landfall as Category Dos (2 for all my non-hispanic readers) hurricane. Katrina was a Category Five (cinco for all my non-english readers. The differences in description between those two storm strengths are "minor house damage" for a Category Two and "widespread destruction" for a Category Five. In fact, I don't know how happy I would be if I was part of the Army Corp of Engineers and my flood walls almost got topped by a Category Two storm (storm surge for a Category Five is 3x that of a Category Two.

I main problem with these types of storms is that provide a false sense of security to the people who evacuated. It sounded like the evacuation of New Orleans was very well executed, and many lessons were learned from Katrina. But if people keep getting evacuated for storms that don't produce a lot of damage, they're going to stop evacuating. Then you have a situation where a major storm (like Katrina) comes through and destroys everything. Everyone cries because they felt like the government wasn't prepared, and we're back at the beginning.

I Don't Think Communism Works....

Well, I've been digesting the Olympics by doing some very strenuous analysis surrounding the US vs. China medal count. Now, the US had more medals (110 to 100) but China had more Golds (51-36). How did China get more golds than the US? Well, they got good in all the sports that the US isn't good at. In fact, I think that the International Olympic Committee should eliminate all sports that the US isn't good at. Definitely no medals for any paddle sports. Definitely no medals for diving. Definitely no hand eye coordination events. Definitely more swimming (add a 125m, 150m,175m distance races to the already standard 100m and 200m). Definitely more medals for basketball (maybe a medal for each game is appropriate). Definitely more medals in Mixed Team Show Jumping (that's equestrian for those keeping count at home) because we apparently won that.

Another insight that I discovered during my analysis was that America dominated China in team sports. 25 medals for the US and 13 medals (including a very suspect Group Rhythmic gymnastics medal....I think you have to be forced to do that by your Communist government). Now, shouldn't the Communists with their classless, stateless society be better at team sports. I think so. Fortunately the American's showed them that free markets and democracy always wins.

Why does our men's gymnastics team remind me of a high school football team?

He's BACK!!...And can hopefully post on a regular basis.

So, I went to a Dave Matthews/Willie Nelson concert on Friday at Louisville Slugger Field. The last time I saw Dave and his band was in 2006 at Bonnaroo. Adam and I were actually really close to the stage for the concert (Alison Kraus & Union Station and The Allman Brothers Band both performed on that same stage and we spent the whole day there). Unfortunately, the people who go to DMB concerts are idiots and I hated it and so we bounced before the set was complete. A co-worker had an extra ticket, and after assuring me that it was an assigned seat I decided to take her up on her offer and check it out. It was far from the greatest concert I've ever seen, but it wasn't that bad. I had a good time. Plus, I finally got to hear Two Step in all its live glory (which was my only regret for leaving the Bonnaroo show early).

What I got to thinking about during the show is the type of people that DMB fans are. I would say that 95% of college students are DMB fans their freshman year. In fact, I would say the average amount of time spent on the Earth for a DMB fanatic is 18.2 years (obviously not including time spent in the womb, obviously). What makes 18 years the optimal age for DMB fans? I think it is the the fact that DMB has some very "pop" (very easily played on the radio) cd's but they get a little crazy with it at their shows. So, in effect, he is the introductory jam band. And in late high school when kids are trying to rebel from their parents they try to embrace the whole "jam" scene (even though their parents were going to "jam"Allman Brothers Band concert back in the 70's). Then when they get to college and realize that all the other freshman LOVE Dave Matthews, they love him even harder. Because really, who doesn't want to fit in. Then later they realize that it's alright to be who they want to be and go there separate ways from DMB, or they join a frat and keeping on fighting the good fight for DMB.

It also leads me to a further realization, and one that we often debate at ultimate practice (with our myriad of musical tastes). You can't really account for taste. You can't blame "really" someone for the there musical tastes if they truly like the music (this of course does not apply to people to like a band/type of music because someone else does). I know that Sara is an idiot for thinking that Ray Lamontagne's new cd (coming out this fall) will be better than The Cardinals (no longer Ryan Adams & The Cardinals) new cd (also coming out this fall). I know that Jacob is an idiot for thinking Bright Eyes is even halfway talented and not just a boring songwriter from Nebraska. I know that Hunt is an idiot for even beginning to like worship bands. And, I know that most of the country music listening population are idiots for pretending that even one female country music singer is talented. But see, I actually don't know any of that. Because if Ray Lamontagne and Conner Oberst and David Crowder and Taylor Swift make you go to a happy place, who am I to blame you. That's your personal preference. I can dig it. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop telling you you listen to terrible music though. I'm just going to only half mean it.

Song Recommendation - Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones

Nick, where have you been?

Good question. Where has Nick been?

I've been driving around America. That's where I've been. And there is a different blog to follow that journey (I plan to compartmentalize every part of my life with a different blog). If you want to follow the journey head on over to americaclockwise.blogspot.com for the videos, or check Picasa for the pictures. Hopefully, I'll get back to regular posting on this blog in the middle of July. That's when I get back to civilization, start my job (for the next 40 years), and generally try to act like an adult.

The MMJ cd came out this past Tuesday. You're a fool if you don't own it. You're a bigger fool if you don't go to their Myspace page and listen to the entire album for free.

One disadvantage of being on this trip is that MMJ was giving a free concert at Ear-X-Tacy for 500 fans who bought the ablum at Ear-X-Tacy. That would have been ridiculous to have seen. Oh, and MMJ played a 4-hour, 35 song set at Bonnaroo this past weekend (with none other than Kirk Hamlett from Metallica as a special guest on One Big Holiday). Also ridiculous.