I am on my second of the requisite 10 listens of the latest Dream Theater album "Black Clouds & Silver Linings". Because it usually takes so long to catch on to the regular DT album I would normally refrain from commenting so early in the process but I will make an exception.
Call me what you will but I love the song "Wither". It is awesome. It may be the only song under ten minutes on the whole 3 CD set but I won't hold that against them. The song is radio ready but still full of DT style.
There is one song that starts with a ticking clock for 18 seconds and I hate that. I know it is art but that is dead driving time. The song is "The Best Of Times" and it has a violin and piano so it is not the average DT song but then the guitar starts. Man, these guys are great. The run up reminds me of Styx. I don't know that is on purpose or if it is the fact that I heard Dennis DeYoung on Bob and Tom this morning.
The other songs cannot be commented on yet. They are long and I need time to hear them several times before I can say something about it. I will say that the 3rd CD has songs from the 1st CD without words. You can imagine the folks that will crank this up and read the words in a really high quality background music karaoke.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
No distortion
In Ms. Armstrong's English 2 class I read the book, The Pearl. This taught me that a stories have conflict and resolution. The conflict could be between 2 people, between people and nature, or a person against their self. There should a crescendo building to a powerful denouement and ending with a resolution settling the central conflict and any dangling peripheral conflicts. Ms. Armstrong also taught us all that white eye shadow make-up makes a frail white woman look dead.
Real life does not have crescendo outside of classical music. Denouement occurs at random moments that often don't fit the story. Resolution is elusive. Some of us seek the tying of loose ends but disappointment is more likely. You may never know what happened to Eugene the leg breaker. You may never see Jason from up the road to find out if he ever fulfilled his dream of becoming The Junk Yard Dog.
The talk amongst us normal people tends to be of the failures and missed opportunities of those around us. In retrospective slow motion we detail the should've, would've, could'ves of grand figures and coworkers alike. Milling and fussing over nothing of great interest or importance.
I was a believer in the building conflict and eventual resolution theory of life at one time. I guess this is a flaw of youth. I know now that if you work harder all you do is get old faster. If you build something that people want then most people will want it for free. If you a tyrant then you will find an outlet for your tyranny. Never attribute to malice what can better be explained by laziness, ineptitude, or outright ignorance.
At the start of this post I was a non face-booker but now I am. This post is even more relevant after having chatted and face-booked with those from my past and present that happen to own a computer and have a need to reconnect. People from the crowd come at you with questions, pokes, and offers of fruit. Just what I needed, another facet of my life that requires my interaction and offers only intrusion and train wreck observation style satisfaction. I am hooked.
Real life does not have crescendo outside of classical music. Denouement occurs at random moments that often don't fit the story. Resolution is elusive. Some of us seek the tying of loose ends but disappointment is more likely. You may never know what happened to Eugene the leg breaker. You may never see Jason from up the road to find out if he ever fulfilled his dream of becoming The Junk Yard Dog.
The talk amongst us normal people tends to be of the failures and missed opportunities of those around us. In retrospective slow motion we detail the should've, would've, could'ves of grand figures and coworkers alike. Milling and fussing over nothing of great interest or importance.
I was a believer in the building conflict and eventual resolution theory of life at one time. I guess this is a flaw of youth. I know now that if you work harder all you do is get old faster. If you build something that people want then most people will want it for free. If you a tyrant then you will find an outlet for your tyranny. Never attribute to malice what can better be explained by laziness, ineptitude, or outright ignorance.
At the start of this post I was a non face-booker but now I am. This post is even more relevant after having chatted and face-booked with those from my past and present that happen to own a computer and have a need to reconnect. People from the crowd come at you with questions, pokes, and offers of fruit. Just what I needed, another facet of my life that requires my interaction and offers only intrusion and train wreck observation style satisfaction. I am hooked.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Shelves and Substitues
Joy is a rare condition. It is not a natural state. With no forces acting upon us we don't revert back to joy. Some are able to relax but while that may lead to joy it is no guarantee.
Chip tells me that self awareness is key to life. I want to be oblivious for a while. As disengaged and adynamic as I perceive myself to be I still feel I need to recoil further from the outside forces. I find there are few things I can say to identify myself or my beliefs these days. I feel trapped and I am forced to communicate. I am not talking about the fact that Chip butt dials me at least twice a day but seriously, stop that. I don't even answer anymore because it happens all the time.
I don't think of it as isolation but insulation. I can't image what real people with real problems do. I am scrambled but it is my fault. I have no biological excuses or terrible tragic thing to blame. Its just me.
The songs seeing me through these days are:
That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings
Soulful Christmas by James Brown
Curbside Goodbye by Emery
That's right, I own the Thriller Album and shut up! Statistically you either own it or are lying about not owning it.
Chip tells me that self awareness is key to life. I want to be oblivious for a while. As disengaged and adynamic as I perceive myself to be I still feel I need to recoil further from the outside forces. I find there are few things I can say to identify myself or my beliefs these days. I feel trapped and I am forced to communicate. I am not talking about the fact that Chip butt dials me at least twice a day but seriously, stop that. I don't even answer anymore because it happens all the time.
I don't think of it as isolation but insulation. I can't image what real people with real problems do. I am scrambled but it is my fault. I have no biological excuses or terrible tragic thing to blame. Its just me.
The songs seeing me through these days are:
That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings
Soulful Christmas by James Brown
Curbside Goodbye by Emery
That's right, I own the Thriller Album and shut up! Statistically you either own it or are lying about not owning it.
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