In my office we have a radio. On that radio I choose to listen to music to help get me through the day. Just having music in the background helps me concentrate. Through most of the day, I don't even pay attention to what is playing unless I recognize a particular song that I like. Since I'm not alone in the office, I used to change it up a bit and switch over to AM so my partner could listen to talk radio. That was until the election stuff started up and it became unbearable to listen to the likes of G. Gordon Liddy, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck or Bill O'Reilly. While I will admit to enjoy being a generally grumpy person, this was putting me over the edge. It was making me hate everything, including myself. I was afraid that if I continued listening to that garbage, I was going end up harming myself. Anyways, I switched it back to FM where it will stay as long as I'm here.
Living in a rural town means we have about 3 choices when it comes to music. We have country, we have mixed, and we have classic rock. I leave it on the country station because...well...I like country music. It's generally a safe bet, and doesn't tend to offend people that happen to walk into my office as much as Bon Scott hollering that he's on a Highway to Hell would (don't get me wrong, I'm a huge AC/DC fan, I just don't know that it's 100% appropriate in the workplace). I've grown to like a lot of newer country bands that I hear. Sure, every now and then I'll have to endure the likes of Darryl Worley bitching about something (I must have forgotten), or Taylor Swift crying about another lost love (he doesn't even know I exist!!!), but those are the songs I just tune out. One of the more popular songs our country station will play is, of course, Angry American by Toby Keith. It's a catchy little ditty, and I don't too much mind it. The song probably had more of an impact when it first came out, but all in all it's not a horrible song. Hey, it even has that fancy catch phrase "'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way"(!!). I can't think of too many people who would take issue with this song. I mean, it has a nice melody, the words are chock full of tough-guy one liners, and it's patriotic, by God.
So when I heard the 3rd and latest single from a band I have really grown to like, Zac Brown Band, I didn't even flinch when the opening lyrics stated "I've got my toes in the water, ass in the sand..." I thought the song was great. It had a Jimmy Buffet feel to it, fun lyrics and was just a good song. This was the song, as a matter of fact, that nudged me to buy the album. I kept listening for it on the radio, but didn't hear it for a good week or two after the first time I heard it. Then, one day I'm sitting in my office working away, and I hear the familiar opening chords of the song. I immediately get excited I'm hearing this song again. That is until the opening lyrics state "I've got my toes in the water...toes in the sand". I was amazed. I mean, the song still works, but it sounds so silly now. I began wondering why they would censor the word ass. I'm not saying one word makes or breaks the song. In fact, I really don't care that they're censoring it. That's fine. I'll be a father soon, so bad language (if you could call the word "ass" bad language) shouldn't be on the radio where kids can hear it. I get it. I just find it curious that they will leave Toby Keith's song intact, while censoring Zac Brown Band. Is it because we're allowed to cuss when talking about terrorists? Where is the line? Obviously right down the middle of "ASS".
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Our Night Out
As I stated in my last blog, Annie and I went to see Lewis Black in Reno on Friday. For those of you who haven't heard him, you are missing out on a twisted look into the stupidity of this world. I think it was about 5 years ago my cousins Matt and Kelly took us to see him for the first time, and though I had heard his albums, seeing him live blew away my expectations. He wasn't even the headliner, but was still my favorite act. So when I saw he was coming back to Reno, I immediately grabbed up the tickets the minute they went on sale. I was able to get 3rd row tickets because I wanted to be up front. The problem for me was the wait. I grabbed up the tickets back in January, and had to wait all the way until August to see him!
We decided we wanted to make a nice weekend getaway out of it, so I booked a suite in the Eldorado. We arrived in Reno around 6:30 and the show didn't start till 8:00, so we had time to check in and grab a bite to eat before the show. We opted to eat at the buffet since it was close, and it turned out to be pretty decent food. After dinner we headed down to the show. We took our seats in the third row and waited. Pretty soon the place started filling up, but the seats in our particular row didn't. We were on the outside isle, so a bit off center from the stage. No big deal. Soon the show started, and the opening act came out. He was funny enough, but I had never heard of him (nor do I remember his name). He seemed to warm up the crowd for what was going to be show laden with obscenities with quite a few off color jokes himself. While most of his act was humorous, the only part of his show that really got me laughing was his impersonation of Lewis Black! After roughly 30 minutes of this guy, he finally introduced the person we were all there to see.
After having no one else show up to claim the seats in our row, the people directly next to us told us they were going to move down towards the center, and invited us to do the same. We did so, since this would give us a better location more towards the center of the stage. What started as good seats, turned into great seats.
Lewis was obviously not feeling very good that night. You could tell by his voice that he had a cold, and he was coughing through much of the show. I kind of felt bad for the guy, but he powered through a great show. If nothing else, the cold may have helped make him even grumpier. There were a couple of times he had to address the random drunk hollering something stupid from the back row. I'll say this; he's great at handling hecklers. The first time we saw Lewis, his show included very little political topics. This time, however, I would say the bulk of his show was politics. All in all, the show was great. I can't say I laughed quite as hard as the first time I saw him, but I did laugh through much of the show. Lewis' portion of the show was about an hour and a half long, so he had a lot of material. I would/will definitely see him again if/when he comes back to Reno. His anger just puts me in a good mood, and I don't know why.
After the show, we did a little bit of gambling, and thanks to Annie, we walked out of there about even. We then retired to the suite for a relaxing end to the night. It was nice to get away, if even only for one night.
We decided we wanted to make a nice weekend getaway out of it, so I booked a suite in the Eldorado. We arrived in Reno around 6:30 and the show didn't start till 8:00, so we had time to check in and grab a bite to eat before the show. We opted to eat at the buffet since it was close, and it turned out to be pretty decent food. After dinner we headed down to the show. We took our seats in the third row and waited. Pretty soon the place started filling up, but the seats in our particular row didn't. We were on the outside isle, so a bit off center from the stage. No big deal. Soon the show started, and the opening act came out. He was funny enough, but I had never heard of him (nor do I remember his name). He seemed to warm up the crowd for what was going to be show laden with obscenities with quite a few off color jokes himself. While most of his act was humorous, the only part of his show that really got me laughing was his impersonation of Lewis Black! After roughly 30 minutes of this guy, he finally introduced the person we were all there to see.
After having no one else show up to claim the seats in our row, the people directly next to us told us they were going to move down towards the center, and invited us to do the same. We did so, since this would give us a better location more towards the center of the stage. What started as good seats, turned into great seats.
Lewis was obviously not feeling very good that night. You could tell by his voice that he had a cold, and he was coughing through much of the show. I kind of felt bad for the guy, but he powered through a great show. If nothing else, the cold may have helped make him even grumpier. There were a couple of times he had to address the random drunk hollering something stupid from the back row. I'll say this; he's great at handling hecklers. The first time we saw Lewis, his show included very little political topics. This time, however, I would say the bulk of his show was politics. All in all, the show was great. I can't say I laughed quite as hard as the first time I saw him, but I did laugh through much of the show. Lewis' portion of the show was about an hour and a half long, so he had a lot of material. I would/will definitely see him again if/when he comes back to Reno. His anger just puts me in a good mood, and I don't know why.
After the show, we did a little bit of gambling, and thanks to Annie, we walked out of there about even. We then retired to the suite for a relaxing end to the night. It was nice to get away, if even only for one night.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Camping, Great Intentions, and More
In my previous post, I promised an update after the weekend, and well...here it is. I understand it's a full 5 days after the weekend, and for that I make no apologies. The brief rundown of my camping trip will follow, but first I have to say this:
I have no idea why, but lately I just haven't felt compelled to write anything. I kept thinking that something would eventually make its way into my head, and from there the words would flow. Such did not happen, and hasn't happened for a long time. When I initially started this blog, I had great intentions of purging all the nonsense and daily irritations that, for the sole reason of retaining a spot on the payroll here, I've kept bottled up inside. Then, slowly, I started to write less and less. I think a contributing factor could be that I cannot access my own page from work anymore (I still can't figure out why!), but I don't think it's the sole factor. I fear I may be starting to settle down too much. Anyways, back to my initial intention for this page. I began looking back at my previous posts and realized most of it was entirely too tame. No edgy, witty posts that I had previously been known for (on MySpace). No sarcastic lashings-out, nothing that could possibly offend anyone (not that I set out to intentionally offend anyone while writing a blog, but hey, it happens). So I suppose what I'm driving at is that I fully intend to make this blog what it was conceived to be. I just don't know when that will happen, but I'm thinking a little full-tilt, pissed off comedy can't hurt. Annie and I go see Lewis Black tonight, and I cannot wait! (This will undoubtedly spark another post as well, so keep an eye out)
Ok, back on topic (or is it now off topic...), we spent last weekend with the girls at Lake Almanor for our first camping trip of the year. The trip itself was a blast. We had a great time hanging out by the campfire roasting marshmallows (Annie) and drinking beer (me and the girls). We also rented a boat for the afternoon on Saturday and enjoyed hanging out in the middle of the lake. We took pictures, but I don't have access to them now, so whether you'll ever see them now that I've posted this seems very unlikely (hey, at least I'm honest).
All in all, please hang in there with me. Continue to check in, I've already got another blog brewing that should get me back on track.
I have no idea why, but lately I just haven't felt compelled to write anything. I kept thinking that something would eventually make its way into my head, and from there the words would flow. Such did not happen, and hasn't happened for a long time. When I initially started this blog, I had great intentions of purging all the nonsense and daily irritations that, for the sole reason of retaining a spot on the payroll here, I've kept bottled up inside. Then, slowly, I started to write less and less. I think a contributing factor could be that I cannot access my own page from work anymore (I still can't figure out why!), but I don't think it's the sole factor. I fear I may be starting to settle down too much. Anyways, back to my initial intention for this page. I began looking back at my previous posts and realized most of it was entirely too tame. No edgy, witty posts that I had previously been known for (on MySpace). No sarcastic lashings-out, nothing that could possibly offend anyone (not that I set out to intentionally offend anyone while writing a blog, but hey, it happens). So I suppose what I'm driving at is that I fully intend to make this blog what it was conceived to be. I just don't know when that will happen, but I'm thinking a little full-tilt, pissed off comedy can't hurt. Annie and I go see Lewis Black tonight, and I cannot wait! (This will undoubtedly spark another post as well, so keep an eye out)
Ok, back on topic (or is it now off topic...), we spent last weekend with the girls at Lake Almanor for our first camping trip of the year. The trip itself was a blast. We had a great time hanging out by the campfire roasting marshmallows (Annie) and drinking beer (me and the girls). We also rented a boat for the afternoon on Saturday and enjoyed hanging out in the middle of the lake. We took pictures, but I don't have access to them now, so whether you'll ever see them now that I've posted this seems very unlikely (hey, at least I'm honest).
All in all, please hang in there with me. Continue to check in, I've already got another blog brewing that should get me back on track.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Quick Update
I just wanted to notify you that my recent inactivity can be attributed to my inability to access this blasted site at work anymore. I'm wondering if the company inacted some type of production control system that I'm unaware of. It certainly wouldn't surprise me any.
Anyways, sorry again, I'll have more to write about after this weekend. We're going camping for the first time this year, and I can't wait. It's one of those things that I feel like I just have to do every year in order for my summer to feel complete. That and a concert...but the concert will have to be limited to a comedy show on the 21st. We'll see though, the year isn't over, so there is still always the possiblity of catching a real concert.
Like I said though, more will follow after this weekend.
Anyways, sorry again, I'll have more to write about after this weekend. We're going camping for the first time this year, and I can't wait. It's one of those things that I feel like I just have to do every year in order for my summer to feel complete. That and a concert...but the concert will have to be limited to a comedy show on the 21st. We'll see though, the year isn't over, so there is still always the possiblity of catching a real concert.
Like I said though, more will follow after this weekend.
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