death cab and a political rant.

one band i can never get enough of is death cab for cutie ben gibbard's voice is simply amazing. i love that for their cd narrow stairs they made a documentary playing right now with the background music all songs from their new album. this man is brilliant. if u have never listened to his stuff i would say listen to a few songs. i will offer some recommendations right now.

we looked like giants - amazing song but long and off their cd transatlanticism easily their best cd to date.

your new twin sized bed - off of their newest cd narrow stairs. this song has recently become my new favorite one.

cath - also off their new cd the video captures the song very well.

the new year - off of transatlanticism it is the first song on the album and sets the tone for the rest of the cd.

those are my top four songs. there are some great new cds coming out in the next few weeks those include the new senses fail and jack's mannequin. jack's mannequin is composed of the former lead singer of something corporate. something corporate was easily my favorite band in high school with such songs as drunk girl, konstantine, and ben franklin's kite. they unfortunatly broke up and jack's first album was a somewhat disappointment. no onto senses fail i have heard about 5 songs from this cd and although their last cd was horrible this cd seems very promising and sounds great.

now i must give amazing ups to city and colour. they to me wow me away with everytime i listen to them. i can't stop listening to them and wanna see them so bad in concert.




so the election is getting super close. who do i think should get it? obama. i feel that obama although not necessarily ready to take office, is better equipped then mccain. why do i think this? because mccain lost me when he took palin as his vp canididate. she is not experienced either but obama is well equipped then she is. ever since she has been sighted as his running mate nothing good has come out of it. she looks like an idiot everytime she opens her mouth and it seems like mccain has been in the backseat as well. mccain should not hault his campaign to help with the bailout. he needs to campaign and get his message out there. i feel like obama needs to win because we need something different we need a dem in office and i was a mccain supporter in the beginning but now i feel like obama is best for us.


!2:10

Sept. 11 almost a week late.

i should have wrote my thoughts and posted them sooner on this blog about 9/11 however for my plsc 222 class i was told to write a paper on my thoughts of the consequences and causes of this disaster. the following is the paper i just finished writing. i would like to know the thoughts of this and your own thoughts on this subject

When September 11, 2001 is brought up to most people they can recall the whereabouts of themselves pretty easily. That day will go down in history as being one of the most memorable days in my generation. Although I think highly of America and the rights we have, I feel that this tragedy was dealt with the wrong way. In the following paragraphs I will explain the reasons why America was attacked and the consequences it has brought us since the attacks.
The attacks happened for a few reasons that I will explain in this portion. First they happened due to a breakdown off communication. To me before the attacks the United States were too cocky to take threats seriously. There were plenty of threats and intelligence known of that there was going to be an attack on America. The plot started in the many years leading up to the attacks, with the training of Al Qaeda in the Middle East. Days before the attacks the president was briefed with the possibility of an attack coming in the form of Airplanes. He simply set this aside and went about his day. The second reason was the lack of security in the airports. In earlier years a man put a bomb underneath his seat to detonate it at a later time. He was successful and the man who put the bomb on the plane later trained some of the hijackers. If the security people would have done their jobs it would have been avoided because only a few hijackers had legitimate visas. Third, is the hatred for the U.S. it is hard to avoid this with how the media portrays the U.S. being the powerhouse. If it is thought through correctly, America really is not that big of a powerhouse. We just act like we could hurt you even though at first maybe we will win and everyone will be behind the war but eventually that dies out when neighbors and friends are killed for a “War of Terror” those three things were the main causes of the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedies. This attack could have been avoided if instead of shooting orders off to kill this and to not only look at personal gain. The war that followed may have started off as a meaningful war with many people behind it and feeling patriotic but quickly it shifted from Osama to Saddam. Granted the only meaningful thing that has come out of this war has been the capture of Saddam. That I will give Bush credit for but for anything else he has been horrible.
Next I want to explain my thoughts on the consequences since the attacks. The most obvious reason is the horrendous loss of life. Not only from the trade center itself but from the war that soon followed. Also, in my opinion our rights have been infringed upon. Now I do not notice it that much because I am a harmless person, but phone tapping and the FBI looking through everything because of a sense of terror now that to me is not right. The Patriot Act allows the government so much more control and our freedoms have not come back since. The fake patriotism is also a consequence because yes the world needed to be united after the attacks, but what always has bothered me was the fact that it took so many people dieing to bring a country together. I don’t feel that death should unite a country and create hysteria that follows it. Of course the pointless war that followed. Earlier I said that the war started out as a war that was justifiable. I feel like the reason why it was started so quickly was because the president felt why not do it when approval is extremely high. Since then thousands have died and it has switched from the war of terror to the war of oil. They found Saddam which was nice, but still have not found the man who ordered the attacks on 9/11. Sure they have killed out so called “leaders” of Al Qaeda or held them hostage in Guantanamo but this war could go on forever. A war on terror can’t and won’t ever be ended because you can’t stop the thoughts of terror. I say cut our losses and move on, because we really aren’t getting any closer to killing off terrorism. The best offense for this type of thing is to stay alert and not repeat mistakes like not listening to intelligence. Another consequence that I feel everyday is that of higher gas prices. When this happened, I was not yet old enough to drive but when I started gas prices were about $1.30. Now it is typically $4.00 a gallon. I feel as if this war has brought on this because the rest of the world is not happy with our war anymore. To me this war was like a new toy, it is a lot of fun for a little but it gets old quick, and when it gets old just get rid of it and move on. To me the U.S. is so stubborn that they have to prove something. The UK has started to pull out troops why can’t we follow their lead and stop the war. The economy has since gone sour as well. Just recently housing firms are going under and although this may not be a direct consequence it still is a high one.
Another consequence has to be that of a hysteria or stereotype towards the race of the hijackers. Long before the days after 9/11 Arabic people just blended in with the rest of the people. Now instinctively anytime one is at an airport and sees an Arabic person certain thoughts cross their mind. It is to me the equivalent to the Communist scare from the 1950’s. it is almost like a witch hunt of sorts. This could all have been avoided if we would have not been so dumb about it.
September 11, 2001 will always be a day that I remember thoroughly. The days and years after this event have made me want to become a political scientist to study the ramifications of this day and the days before it. One word comes to mind when I think of this day: avoidance. This day could have been avoided and it was not. People could have been smarter about it and they weren’t. Now, thousands are dead people are without fathers, sisters, brothers, mothers, friends and for what reason, other than people hating America. I love America yet I find myself seeing the views of the outsiders and thinking although horrible and completely unjustified I could see why they hate America so much. Terrorism will never stop, no matter how many people are killed or “leaders” are detained it won’t end. Why not stop trying to prove that the U.S. is this big powerhouse and just admitting we were wrong, admit that and the world would definitely be a better place to live in.


although this may be hard for one to watch, this image is still in my head to this day here is the footage from the attacks according to youtube:



!2:10

indiana jones....

who watches every indiana jones movie on a rainy saturday? bob and anna do. so we set out at about 10am eastern to watch the first indie movie. we watched and said eh why not continute so we watched the second followed by the third. then came what to do about the fourth. we decided to go to the dollar* movies. now i put that asterisk because it is only a dollar if you go before 5. what a sham! anyways we watched the fourth one which i thought completely blew. it was horrible the plot was too futuristic for a 1950's movie. the alien portion of it was just pointless and so many different things could have been done instead of putting an alien in it. plus the clip of niagra falls in a jungle area was kind of stupid and the three falls drop as well.


that is all and relatively pointless i know.

!2:10

school + work

so as many have noticed i got the job at cabela's i do not make much but i seem to have alot of hours and a pleasant work environment. this could all change as most jobs start out nicely but begin to be boring and dull after a while. however, one main difference from the beginnings of this job than from circuit city is that most people say you will like this job and they definitely did not do so at circuit city.

last weekend i went up north to secord lake. it is near west branch about 2 1/2 hours away. it was a lot of fun that included a lot of water time and jet skiing. i would love to go back if i have the opportunity to in the future.

school has begun and as i write this i am in my second class. this class is a repeat of one of my first semester classes as a result of my horrible a.d.d. however i am optimistic this time around because instead of a giant lecture hall it is a smaller class room making it easier to pay attention and listen to the professor.

i am dreading working and going to school on the same day. i have class from 11-330 and then usually work 530-close. it will take a little to get used to but whatever i will get through it.

that is all for now
!2:10

a week and a half of craziness

so in the last week and a half my life has kind of picked up a lot. i applied for a large number of jobs at cabela's and had two interviews in different departments. i seemed to have got the job in footwear selling shoes. i figure eh what the hell why not. so i went to that place after never being there before to going there 4 times in 3 days (1 was with my brother and godfather. anyways i drove to the upper peninsula this weekend for a family vacation with family and extended family. i drove home to pick up my mom then we followed my brother 6 hours away. if you have ever heard of such places as Cederville, Sault STE. Marie or even Hessel which was where we stayed i would strongly suggest going there. there are about 9 cabins there and my family and others occupied 7 of those cabins. i used to go there every year on this week from the age of six to 14 when i stopped going due to football. we finally made it back this year and it was exactly how we left it. i never thought about it until just now, but my favorite memory of my father and I occurred maybe 10 feet from where i slept the whole 5 days. we had so much fun with monday being a 16 person euchure tournament. my brother and i set our goals high to get very drunk. i drank about a mini keg of oberon which equates to about 15 beers of oberon. he drank a fifth of captains. i was still coherent while he was not. he ended up feeding the fish with his dinner. we talked and shared stores on the dock although i may not remember much of what was said. it ended with me taking care of him while he threw up all over the side of the dock. he then proceeded to pass out and fall asleep on the dock with his little pug of a dog laying right next to him protecting him. i finally convinced him to go back to the cabin where he slept outside for most of the night with the dog. the next day was somewhat horrible we drove the 30 miles or so north to sault ste. marie to visit the restaurant known as "the antlers" most yoopers will know about that place with lots of dead stuffed animals all over the place. we came back that night and just hung out a little. the next night which was last night we headed to the smallest casino that i have ever seen, my first american casino! drinks were 1.75 for a pint and we stayed for a few hours. then since it was my last night we went to the bar with my cousin his girlfriend rickets and brandy. it was a decent time and we were able to drink some oberon. today my mother and i were leaving hessel, so i was luckily able to go tubing on my uncles boat, my arms are very sore and my pride is a little broken due to my shorts falling off while flying through the air. i was able to stop at mackinac city to eat and get some taffy then headed back home.

that right there kids is the week and a half in review. i came home to a pleasant surprise of free lions tickets for the preseason game against the browns should be afun time since anna has never been to ford field. then the tigers game on monday and the counting crows on friday. i look forward to the week ahead.

!2:10

sia - breathe me

have you ever had a song that could describe a period of time in your life? i feel like i have found that song for the period of 2005-2007. this song is called breathe me by sia. i will post the video of the song, but if you watch intervention it was on the previews for the new season, or the final song in the last scene of six feet under, i have also found it in a new coca cola commercial promoting the olympics. this song is special to me because of lyrics such as " Ouch I have lost myself again Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found,Yeah I think that I might break I've lost myself again and I feel unsafe" this seems to describe me as a senior in high school and i honestly cannot get enough of this song here is the video:



!2:10

six feet under

so anna and i set out almost 2 months ago to watch the series known as "six feet under" it was broadcast from 2001-2005. upon watching the first two episodes while in Ohio, we felt we should move forward with watching the series. it was 5 seasons of about 12 episodes per season with them being an hour long each. now for those unfamiliar with the show, each episode starts with a death followed by a funeral which the fisher family organizes. the last two weeks saw us watch the final 12 episodes. the final three were extremely sad and i found myself starting to cry. the final episode showed a somewhat closure to the whole series, i felt that because of the last episode it closed the show very well and although extremely sad i am very glad that i saw the whole series. i would suggest this to anyone who wishes to watch a well written sometimes funny and never boring show.


in other news, i got a job at home depot. i find myself not really wanting to work there because i will no longer have weekends off and will be thrust into the world of retail once again. we will see how this pans out but i would prefer not to work there for 9 an hour and be forced to give up things like vacations planned and concerts that i have already committed to. but i don't; know it is a job for now however i will keep looking and hoping for a part time 9-5 job and although i hate working weekends would be willing to work at least on day over the weekend. whatever.


!2:10