I read an article today that said that another pro-football player got in trouble with the law. Something about how without football he had nothing better to do and he ended up getting arrested. He is number 10 this offseason. Wait, what?!?
These guys are asking for millions of dollars and complaining about it. I realize that everyone wants money and I am not going to say no to a million dollars if someone offers me it but that is 10 people getting arrested in a matter of a couple months while they are asking for a lot of money. Do we really want to give that much money to people like this? Wouldn't it be better to use that money for the good of mankind rather than people who are so bored only a couple months after the season is over that they are getting arrested left and right?
With or without a million dollars, I somehow doubt that most friends of mine would manage to have this happen to them in the same sort of circumstances. Is this a sign of how enabled we have made these people? Perhaps this isn't the best thing. And it certainly isn't people I want as role models for my kids!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
No Football
I keep hearing about the possible football strike. It is all over the sports news nowdays. I like football; I enjoy most all sports and most of my friends are well aware of that fact. And I really do like sitting down on a Sunday afternoon and watching the Vikings, for better or for worse.
But I am kind of in favor of the strike right now and for a reason that isn't what most other people are thinking.
Right now it seems that the owners and the players and even some fans are way up in arms over the football season and how the 9 billion dollars gets divided up and etc. But why are we so involved in a game this way? Aren't there more important things in life? I realize that this is a job for hundreds of people every year and it is entertainment for millions of viewers but aren't our priorities a bit messed up when people are starting to get too involved in this?
Perhaps a strike would be best for everybody in the nation at this point. I realize there is a long time until football season but right now I can see quite a bit of good that a strike would do.
1. The owners and players both might see that the world doesn't need football. Yes, I said it. The world does not NEED football. We love it and I do too but it isn't necessary. The people involved seem to think that the world will end if football doesn't happen. It doesn't help that the media seems to feel this way too and are pushing the same idea. There are sports writers out there begging the owners and players to compromise and play. But they are saying it for the wrong reason. The writers need a job and I am sure they want football so they have a job and I understand where they are coming from but the world doesn't have to have pro-football to survive. Perhaps instead some of these football players may realize that their lack of education has left them a bit behind in the world in other matters and they may see that it is a good thing that they go to college instead of just playing football and being self-centered. And the owners might stop feeding their own massive egos and talking about winning and go back to making the country a better place in the way they earned their millions in the first place and the economy might improve.
2. We don't need football as fans. I realize I am probably going to be blasted by many of my own friends for this statement but we really don't. I said before I love watching but if I don't have football to watch I can easily find other productive things to do for 3 hours of my Sunday. And so can other people. In fact, we do it every Sunday that there isn't football in the offseason. We might just do more of other things that involve friends and family and interaction and that isn't a bad thing. And who knows, we might do things that help this country more than sit in front of a television for 3 hours getting fat because we are eating and drinking while we stare at a tv.
3. The economy. The economy isn't exactly great right now. How much money do we spend on football? Seats go for hundreds of dollars. Season tickets go for thousands of dollars. Hey, what can we be spending that money on instead? How about paying off debts? How about helping the poor? How about making the world a better place to live? There are lots of things that we could spend football ticket money on instead that would be much better for everyone involved. Instead we toss this money during the season at people who really don't need it. If the NFL is trying to split up 9 BILLION dollars and we are responsible for that as fans then we are obviously spending a ton on a leisure situation. With that money we could wipe out a lot of debt in the United States. Not all of it and not at a national level but our own state economies sure could use a good chunk of that if we used it wisely.
4. Amateur sports. Just because pro-football would die doesn't mean football dies. What about high school, college, and other leagues? You know, football played by athletes who play the game for love of the game? As a high school teacher I get to experience first hand during the fall a group of student-athletes who don't play because they are going to make the NFL but play because they truly love the game. They realize that very few if any of them are going to play in college and even less will make it to the pros but they play nonetheless because the sport appeals to them. Just like the softball appeals to me every summer even though my body gets trashed and I spend money instead of make money on the sport. But isn't that the best way to see the sport sometimes? Played by those who aren't in it for a paycheck and fancy cars, houses and women but for those who bring dreams of a fun play and a win? Isn't that an ideal we can all aspire too? Not to mention the positive aspects of team work, integrity, and discipline which sometimes seem to take a back seat at the pro level.
These are just a few quick thoughts on the strike. I love watching football and I really enjoy playing it with my friends. But perhaps the strike isn't a bad thing after all. Not only for football but for all professional sports even. This country has enough stuff going on that a squabble over money by massive egos who bring little intellectual and sensible compassion to the table is really undesired right now.
But I am kind of in favor of the strike right now and for a reason that isn't what most other people are thinking.
Right now it seems that the owners and the players and even some fans are way up in arms over the football season and how the 9 billion dollars gets divided up and etc. But why are we so involved in a game this way? Aren't there more important things in life? I realize that this is a job for hundreds of people every year and it is entertainment for millions of viewers but aren't our priorities a bit messed up when people are starting to get too involved in this?
Perhaps a strike would be best for everybody in the nation at this point. I realize there is a long time until football season but right now I can see quite a bit of good that a strike would do.
1. The owners and players both might see that the world doesn't need football. Yes, I said it. The world does not NEED football. We love it and I do too but it isn't necessary. The people involved seem to think that the world will end if football doesn't happen. It doesn't help that the media seems to feel this way too and are pushing the same idea. There are sports writers out there begging the owners and players to compromise and play. But they are saying it for the wrong reason. The writers need a job and I am sure they want football so they have a job and I understand where they are coming from but the world doesn't have to have pro-football to survive. Perhaps instead some of these football players may realize that their lack of education has left them a bit behind in the world in other matters and they may see that it is a good thing that they go to college instead of just playing football and being self-centered. And the owners might stop feeding their own massive egos and talking about winning and go back to making the country a better place in the way they earned their millions in the first place and the economy might improve.
2. We don't need football as fans. I realize I am probably going to be blasted by many of my own friends for this statement but we really don't. I said before I love watching but if I don't have football to watch I can easily find other productive things to do for 3 hours of my Sunday. And so can other people. In fact, we do it every Sunday that there isn't football in the offseason. We might just do more of other things that involve friends and family and interaction and that isn't a bad thing. And who knows, we might do things that help this country more than sit in front of a television for 3 hours getting fat because we are eating and drinking while we stare at a tv.
3. The economy. The economy isn't exactly great right now. How much money do we spend on football? Seats go for hundreds of dollars. Season tickets go for thousands of dollars. Hey, what can we be spending that money on instead? How about paying off debts? How about helping the poor? How about making the world a better place to live? There are lots of things that we could spend football ticket money on instead that would be much better for everyone involved. Instead we toss this money during the season at people who really don't need it. If the NFL is trying to split up 9 BILLION dollars and we are responsible for that as fans then we are obviously spending a ton on a leisure situation. With that money we could wipe out a lot of debt in the United States. Not all of it and not at a national level but our own state economies sure could use a good chunk of that if we used it wisely.
4. Amateur sports. Just because pro-football would die doesn't mean football dies. What about high school, college, and other leagues? You know, football played by athletes who play the game for love of the game? As a high school teacher I get to experience first hand during the fall a group of student-athletes who don't play because they are going to make the NFL but play because they truly love the game. They realize that very few if any of them are going to play in college and even less will make it to the pros but they play nonetheless because the sport appeals to them. Just like the softball appeals to me every summer even though my body gets trashed and I spend money instead of make money on the sport. But isn't that the best way to see the sport sometimes? Played by those who aren't in it for a paycheck and fancy cars, houses and women but for those who bring dreams of a fun play and a win? Isn't that an ideal we can all aspire too? Not to mention the positive aspects of team work, integrity, and discipline which sometimes seem to take a back seat at the pro level.
These are just a few quick thoughts on the strike. I love watching football and I really enjoy playing it with my friends. But perhaps the strike isn't a bad thing after all. Not only for football but for all professional sports even. This country has enough stuff going on that a squabble over money by massive egos who bring little intellectual and sensible compassion to the table is really undesired right now.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A Hobbit like path and a hard heart
I kind of want to re-read the hobbit. I don't own it anymore. I used to have a 4 pack set of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and I enjoyed it a lot. I took it to school one day and then they disappeared.
The reason I really want to read the Hobbit again is because of one part that really seems to put into perspective life for me and others.
There is a part in there that has the dwarves and Bilbo walking down a path. Gandalf has instructed them to stay on the path no matter what. Of course, they end up hungry and thirsty because they haven't brought enough stuff and they are tempted by elves in the forest having feasts. So they leave the path to go find these elves and get themselves in some trouble for it. And that is when Bilbo starts to show his true colours and helps save his companions and so on and so on......
I think my life has been like this in many ways. I know that is probably what Tolkien was driving at and that I am just now figuring it out and that makes me slower than the average but it was really driven home to me the other night for some reason.
You walk down the path of life and you get hungry and thirsty. And you know you aren't supposed to take these detours away from what God wants you to do but it is like you can smell and almost touch the things that life has to offer if you are willing to step from that path. But once you step away you get into trouble.
I think the best part of this is that it isn't Bilbo coming to save us from our willingness to stray (although yes I could make a reference here to Jesus and it has crossed my mind) but it is more to me like God has rebuilt the path so that even when I wander I end up back on the road I am supposed to be going on. Yes, I get some help too. But it is like when I look into the darkness and see something tempting; sometimes I am strong and sometimes not. And when I am not, God is right there building a new path that leads in front of me so as I go along I can step back onto the path and keep going so I will eventually make my destination. I hope that makes sense.
I guess that is rather simple but at the same time it really struck me as an apt reference the other night. I think I like it; as messy and disorganized as the idea is.
I realize that when you get dumped on enough that you tend to get cynical and a little hard of heart. But I am saddened of a situation that happened to me last month. I was planning on attending a get together and due to circumstances beyond my control I didn't make it. Unfortunately, the host of this little party has been rather standoffish to me ever since I missed this party. I have been told that in the past there have been others that have skipped and I realize that the host spends quite a bit of money on this get together. I emailed and also talked to the host in person and explained the situation but they still do not seem receptive to giving me any sign that they understand and forgive my absence. I feel saddened by this fact.
I guess that sometimes when you get dumped on enough you are looking for excuses and when someone gives another you tend to not respond in the friendliest of manners. I feel sad for the host that it has come to that.
I think the lesson there is that the way you look at life is the way you will see it. If you see the world as full of people out to get you, then when something happens you will see them plotting. If you see the world full of good people who make mistakes, it will be easier to forgive them when the unexpected happens. Hopefully we can have more of the latter than the former but sometimes I worry because I see a more "me first" attitude as we go along and I hope that there are still people out there who see forgiveness, understanding, and compassion as some of the most important things in the world. We will see where this develops.
The reason I really want to read the Hobbit again is because of one part that really seems to put into perspective life for me and others.
There is a part in there that has the dwarves and Bilbo walking down a path. Gandalf has instructed them to stay on the path no matter what. Of course, they end up hungry and thirsty because they haven't brought enough stuff and they are tempted by elves in the forest having feasts. So they leave the path to go find these elves and get themselves in some trouble for it. And that is when Bilbo starts to show his true colours and helps save his companions and so on and so on......
I think my life has been like this in many ways. I know that is probably what Tolkien was driving at and that I am just now figuring it out and that makes me slower than the average but it was really driven home to me the other night for some reason.
You walk down the path of life and you get hungry and thirsty. And you know you aren't supposed to take these detours away from what God wants you to do but it is like you can smell and almost touch the things that life has to offer if you are willing to step from that path. But once you step away you get into trouble.
I think the best part of this is that it isn't Bilbo coming to save us from our willingness to stray (although yes I could make a reference here to Jesus and it has crossed my mind) but it is more to me like God has rebuilt the path so that even when I wander I end up back on the road I am supposed to be going on. Yes, I get some help too. But it is like when I look into the darkness and see something tempting; sometimes I am strong and sometimes not. And when I am not, God is right there building a new path that leads in front of me so as I go along I can step back onto the path and keep going so I will eventually make my destination. I hope that makes sense.
I guess that is rather simple but at the same time it really struck me as an apt reference the other night. I think I like it; as messy and disorganized as the idea is.
I realize that when you get dumped on enough that you tend to get cynical and a little hard of heart. But I am saddened of a situation that happened to me last month. I was planning on attending a get together and due to circumstances beyond my control I didn't make it. Unfortunately, the host of this little party has been rather standoffish to me ever since I missed this party. I have been told that in the past there have been others that have skipped and I realize that the host spends quite a bit of money on this get together. I emailed and also talked to the host in person and explained the situation but they still do not seem receptive to giving me any sign that they understand and forgive my absence. I feel saddened by this fact.
I guess that sometimes when you get dumped on enough you are looking for excuses and when someone gives another you tend to not respond in the friendliest of manners. I feel sad for the host that it has come to that.
I think the lesson there is that the way you look at life is the way you will see it. If you see the world as full of people out to get you, then when something happens you will see them plotting. If you see the world full of good people who make mistakes, it will be easier to forgive them when the unexpected happens. Hopefully we can have more of the latter than the former but sometimes I worry because I see a more "me first" attitude as we go along and I hope that there are still people out there who see forgiveness, understanding, and compassion as some of the most important things in the world. We will see where this develops.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friends and Conversations
I was able to catch up with a ton of friends lately. It has been really great; I miss people that I have shared my life with. I have noticed lately that where you go and what you do really does have an impact on your conversation. I realize that some of this is natural because the times you share in life really does dictate your conversation topics. People tend to talk about common experiences because it helps them connect.
But more than that I have noticed that some people just don't move past a certain point in their life. Some of this is due to where they stopped their education, started raising a family, or started their career. It seems to me that memories are often a product of how far we go in life. If you experience tons of things and you keep striving to learn more and do more every day of your life then your experiences will be many and varied and as a result so will your memories. Especially if you share those times with friends. If you tend to clamp down and do the same thing every year and every time then your memories will still be there but they won't vary as much. Then you have memories but it seems to me that sooner or later you just rehash the same things over and over again when you talk.
Now don't get me wrong; I have some great memories that we all love to talk about every time we get together because they are that much fun and I wouldn't want to trade those in for all the money in the world. But at the same time being able to recall dozens of memories to me is much more fun that just one thing.
Please don't get me wrong; this isn't a reason to never do things every year. Some passions should be done regularly and the more you do them the more memories you make. Things like marching in drum corps every summer or playing softball are great because they are a passion and you love to do them. But if you marched with the exact same people every year for 20 years and played the exact same shows at the exact same places then it would get a little boring. Mixing it up is a great thing.
I love that I can keep experiencing different things every year and it seems that every summer something new comes along. It is fun and I don't ever want to stop doing it. And the more people I can do these new things with the more memories I can make.
Then I don't have to worry about 20 years of the same conversations about the same people doing the same things; I can talk about a wide variety wherever I go.
But more than that I have noticed that some people just don't move past a certain point in their life. Some of this is due to where they stopped their education, started raising a family, or started their career. It seems to me that memories are often a product of how far we go in life. If you experience tons of things and you keep striving to learn more and do more every day of your life then your experiences will be many and varied and as a result so will your memories. Especially if you share those times with friends. If you tend to clamp down and do the same thing every year and every time then your memories will still be there but they won't vary as much. Then you have memories but it seems to me that sooner or later you just rehash the same things over and over again when you talk.
Now don't get me wrong; I have some great memories that we all love to talk about every time we get together because they are that much fun and I wouldn't want to trade those in for all the money in the world. But at the same time being able to recall dozens of memories to me is much more fun that just one thing.
Please don't get me wrong; this isn't a reason to never do things every year. Some passions should be done regularly and the more you do them the more memories you make. Things like marching in drum corps every summer or playing softball are great because they are a passion and you love to do them. But if you marched with the exact same people every year for 20 years and played the exact same shows at the exact same places then it would get a little boring. Mixing it up is a great thing.
I love that I can keep experiencing different things every year and it seems that every summer something new comes along. It is fun and I don't ever want to stop doing it. And the more people I can do these new things with the more memories I can make.
Then I don't have to worry about 20 years of the same conversations about the same people doing the same things; I can talk about a wide variety wherever I go.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
on the radio, in the paper
I heard a DJ on the radio this morning talk about how he thought taking some classes in high school was useless because he had no interest in them and learned nothing useful. His example was Chemistry. After a commercial break he talked about he doesn't like stupid people like the ones he read about that had a fire and tried opening the windows to let smoke out which fed the fire oxygen. Of course, the fire didn't go out and they ruined a lot of stuff. What a minute, isn't that something you learn in Chemistry?!?!?!?!?!?
The paper talked about how MN education is falling behind the world in the sciences especially and how we should want to hire local people at 3M, Medtronic, and other science based businesses in MN.
With people on the radio talking about how useless science is, how are we supposed to give our children the right mindset about learning and help us with this problem?
The problem isn't education, the problem is people's attitude toward education.
If I ever have children, they will know growing up how important having an education is and how it is intelligent people that make the world go around, not professional athletes. They may make money but they aren't helping the country in so many other ways that are crucial to the well being of the US and the world as a whole.
The paper talked about how MN education is falling behind the world in the sciences especially and how we should want to hire local people at 3M, Medtronic, and other science based businesses in MN.
With people on the radio talking about how useless science is, how are we supposed to give our children the right mindset about learning and help us with this problem?
The problem isn't education, the problem is people's attitude toward education.
If I ever have children, they will know growing up how important having an education is and how it is intelligent people that make the world go around, not professional athletes. They may make money but they aren't helping the country in so many other ways that are crucial to the well being of the US and the world as a whole.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Real Friends?/Facebook "friends"
I am so thankful for real friends. People who want you there even when you are not at your best. I have some great friends who are always looking out for me. I know in high school you make friends but most of those you don't keep if you go on to college. Simply put, you go your separate ways and find your own lives. And I know you make friends in college and many more of those will last longer because you are in fields of work and careers that stay similar. But they too will drift as they find jobs in different parts of the world and most will find a spouse and have kids and that leads to different phases of life depending on when you have them and what they are into. But the friends you regularly work with and spend time with after college are the ones that you will be with the most and therefore if you can find good friends in that area of your life things go well. (I think they are also more mature and that helps too that you don't have that young person's drama to deal with)
I have taken a long look lately at my "friends" and seen some things that I don't always like. I have some very dear friends and then I know people that it seems they aren't my friend except when it suits them. I am a friend of convenience rather than a friend of life through thick and thin. I am not sure I like this.
As you go through life you need to know who you can trust and depend on and those people should be your friends. If you can't trust and depend on them to be there for you then are they really a close friend? That is really a question I can't answer because I think it isn't just a yes or a no but many different grey areas built in.
I think that it may be different for everybody but I know where I need it to be for myself.
I, who feel many times my close friends are few and far between, want to be a friend to my friends and if they aren't going to be be a friend to me I should make sure I know that. Because if you can't trust someone to be there for you when you need it you aren't sure when they are ever there for you. And when trust isn't there you don't want to have to depend on them and be let down in your greatest hour of need.
I hope my friends know they can count on me to be there as much as I can for them no matter what. I want to be able to help them not because they may repay me but because that is what friends are for. When they get into real trouble they can always call me. Or they can call me to just to say what's up or I am bored or I am lonely. I am there for them.
Facebook has become something I am starting to get annoyed with when it comes to friends. All these people want to friend you and then they request it and you accept it and then..................nothing. Why in the world did you friend that person if you have no reason to? Do you want to look at your friend list and say look I have 8 billion friends? Do you need to have someone on there so you can keep tabs on them? Do you add those people you want to actually talk to or just is it a contest? If we have no reason to keep being friends on facebook should I really keep you on as a friend? If you really want me to be your friend on there wouldn't you like to say hi sometime?
I can understand some friendships. I have softball players on there myself and contacting them for tournaments is what I do. When I don't need to talk to them for softball we don't talk that often because we don't have that much else in common. It isn't that they are bad people but we just have different walks of life. That is an understanding and that is fine. But I have people that have sent me a friend request and then I never hear from them for any reason. And if I comment on their wall or send them a message they don't return my messages anyways. So why are we friends on facebook? If you don't call, you don't email, and now you don't facebook is there a reason we need to see what each other are doing? Do you really even go on my facebook page? Am I just there so you can brag about your numbers? Am I there so you can petition me for the latest game that you need to invite friends to get points for? Why? Why? Why?
I have some friends that I talk to here and there and we don't keep contact a lot but we do enough that we know where each other are. That is fine. I don't mind that we are like that; we both often follow the same thread of logic about our lives and we happily communicate when we can or have a reason to. Those people I know and trust for that very reason. Others I am not so sure.
So are we friends? Are we really? Why are we? Do you have me on facebook and if so why?
Just thinks me thoughts.
I have taken a long look lately at my "friends" and seen some things that I don't always like. I have some very dear friends and then I know people that it seems they aren't my friend except when it suits them. I am a friend of convenience rather than a friend of life through thick and thin. I am not sure I like this.
As you go through life you need to know who you can trust and depend on and those people should be your friends. If you can't trust and depend on them to be there for you then are they really a close friend? That is really a question I can't answer because I think it isn't just a yes or a no but many different grey areas built in.
I think that it may be different for everybody but I know where I need it to be for myself.
I, who feel many times my close friends are few and far between, want to be a friend to my friends and if they aren't going to be be a friend to me I should make sure I know that. Because if you can't trust someone to be there for you when you need it you aren't sure when they are ever there for you. And when trust isn't there you don't want to have to depend on them and be let down in your greatest hour of need.
I hope my friends know they can count on me to be there as much as I can for them no matter what. I want to be able to help them not because they may repay me but because that is what friends are for. When they get into real trouble they can always call me. Or they can call me to just to say what's up or I am bored or I am lonely. I am there for them.
Facebook has become something I am starting to get annoyed with when it comes to friends. All these people want to friend you and then they request it and you accept it and then..................nothing. Why in the world did you friend that person if you have no reason to? Do you want to look at your friend list and say look I have 8 billion friends? Do you need to have someone on there so you can keep tabs on them? Do you add those people you want to actually talk to or just is it a contest? If we have no reason to keep being friends on facebook should I really keep you on as a friend? If you really want me to be your friend on there wouldn't you like to say hi sometime?
I can understand some friendships. I have softball players on there myself and contacting them for tournaments is what I do. When I don't need to talk to them for softball we don't talk that often because we don't have that much else in common. It isn't that they are bad people but we just have different walks of life. That is an understanding and that is fine. But I have people that have sent me a friend request and then I never hear from them for any reason. And if I comment on their wall or send them a message they don't return my messages anyways. So why are we friends on facebook? If you don't call, you don't email, and now you don't facebook is there a reason we need to see what each other are doing? Do you really even go on my facebook page? Am I just there so you can brag about your numbers? Am I there so you can petition me for the latest game that you need to invite friends to get points for? Why? Why? Why?
I have some friends that I talk to here and there and we don't keep contact a lot but we do enough that we know where each other are. That is fine. I don't mind that we are like that; we both often follow the same thread of logic about our lives and we happily communicate when we can or have a reason to. Those people I know and trust for that very reason. Others I am not so sure.
So are we friends? Are we really? Why are we? Do you have me on facebook and if so why?
Just thinks me thoughts.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Music Snob?
I think I am turning into quite a music snob. Or maybe it isn't so much the genre/style as the execution of said music.
I have been listening to a lot of different types of music lately and when I listen to heavy metal music especially I am noticing the sloppiness of the music. The drumming isn't tight; the guitar work is abysmal, and the vocalists can't stay with the instruments to save their lives.
Now, I am not saying that all heavy metal is like this. But the stuff I have been listening to the last couple days has been.
I also got my hands on Guitar Hero 3, which is a fun game that gives me something new to do in the evening when I have 10 minutes to burn. (the first 2 minutes is just getting through the long intro and it drives me nuts)
I enjoy the game but I have been going through the bonus songs more than the career songs. The simple fact is that while I enjoy the career songs; I don't know the bonus songs nearly as well and it gives a new challenge and also an opportunity to experience new music.
I find the songs on the bonus side poorly written and in many ways 2nd rate music. There are songs that I wonder if the people were on drugs or alcohol when they made them, there are songs that I think the people writing them intentionally made them different so they could say they are different, and I think there are songs that can't keep a beat to save their lives. It really does drive me crazy in many ways.
Maybe it is just my experience with music; but I really am disappointed with quite a bit of the music out there in these ways.
On a connected yet different subject, I have been listening to Hot 96.7 on the radio lately some because it is one of the few non-country stations I can get in Sleepy Eye. While I enjoy country music to a degree I am not a fanatic about it like the rest of my family. i will listen to it in moderation and spend the rest of my time trying to find a station that has a plethora of Earth Wind and Fire and Chicago.
It seems to me there are a bunch of "new" songs out there that are simply old songs that are good and they have been redone in a different tempo or with a different backbeat to them. I find it sad that people can't make really new music in this way but have to rely on those before them. Please make something totally original instead of just using what has been done over and over again already.
Perhaps I am just turning into a music snob; I guess that is what happens when you go to college for music.
I have been listening to a lot of different types of music lately and when I listen to heavy metal music especially I am noticing the sloppiness of the music. The drumming isn't tight; the guitar work is abysmal, and the vocalists can't stay with the instruments to save their lives.
Now, I am not saying that all heavy metal is like this. But the stuff I have been listening to the last couple days has been.
I also got my hands on Guitar Hero 3, which is a fun game that gives me something new to do in the evening when I have 10 minutes to burn. (the first 2 minutes is just getting through the long intro and it drives me nuts)
I enjoy the game but I have been going through the bonus songs more than the career songs. The simple fact is that while I enjoy the career songs; I don't know the bonus songs nearly as well and it gives a new challenge and also an opportunity to experience new music.
I find the songs on the bonus side poorly written and in many ways 2nd rate music. There are songs that I wonder if the people were on drugs or alcohol when they made them, there are songs that I think the people writing them intentionally made them different so they could say they are different, and I think there are songs that can't keep a beat to save their lives. It really does drive me crazy in many ways.
Maybe it is just my experience with music; but I really am disappointed with quite a bit of the music out there in these ways.
On a connected yet different subject, I have been listening to Hot 96.7 on the radio lately some because it is one of the few non-country stations I can get in Sleepy Eye. While I enjoy country music to a degree I am not a fanatic about it like the rest of my family. i will listen to it in moderation and spend the rest of my time trying to find a station that has a plethora of Earth Wind and Fire and Chicago.
It seems to me there are a bunch of "new" songs out there that are simply old songs that are good and they have been redone in a different tempo or with a different backbeat to them. I find it sad that people can't make really new music in this way but have to rely on those before them. Please make something totally original instead of just using what has been done over and over again already.
Perhaps I am just turning into a music snob; I guess that is what happens when you go to college for music.
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