The Best Blog in a 38 Mile Radius

annoying things in the world

2008-01-13T21:59:00.000-05:00

Here is a list of the most annoying things in the world.

1. friend invites from prostitutes
~ Seiriously, I'm not going to be you stinkin friend. doesn't mater if it's you face, boobs, or butt in the picture i will not be your friend.

2. professors who give you pointless questions on a exam
~ OK you tell the class to look at the main points in the articles and we should be fine. However, when the question goes something like this, "who did Macintosh say was the best person in the 14th century?" funny how their was no article by macintosh and how does this help me counsel people.

client: i'm very depressed and I think I might hurt myself.

counselor: did you know that macintosh said that this guy was an important person in the 14th century?

client: (BOOM) ---- client is dead.

3. playstation 3
~ playstation 3 is pretty cool however, it is retarded. According to the FAQs on the ps3 the difference between the 80GB and the 40GB, as far as backwards compatability goes, is that the 80GB can play past playstation games but the 40 GB can not play PS2 games. However, the 40GB can play your PS1 games. SO tell me Sony if your ps2 units are your best selling unit, then would it make sense to make the PS2 games compatibaly with the 40GB? Guess not.

i'll have more later when I am ticked off.

Okay, Here's What's Up...

2007-06-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

Things have been bleak here in 38 Radius Land lately. Instead of our daily updates that we once had, we have been relegated to posting one to three times weekly. It's not good, but be faithful my dear friends. Things will all work out in the end.

Vicious G will be spending most of his summer working on staff at a camp in a barren town somewhere in the U.S. No one really knows where, but that just adds to the mystique of it. The point is, if any of you have ever spent two months in a wilderness land, you know there's not much going on there, especially in terms of internet connection.

Josh will be going to said camp at some point(s) over this summer and spending time with the amazing Vicious G.

I will be leaving my house sporadically for short to long periods of time whether for funerals, weddings, concerts, festivals, conventions, man-comps, whatever. I will keep you updated.

Josh and I are planning on a concert this Sunday night actually. We are abandoning our fathers on their day and going to see Project 86, Showbread, Inhale/Exhale, and Sullivan. We are excited.

Basically, this is just telling you that there is hope. Don't leave us yet. We will return and with this return, we will be triumphant.

I Wish I Knew Why I Find These Funny....

2007-06-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

Apparently, there's this thing online called LolCats where you give a picture of a cat a humorous caption with bad grammar. I don't understand the appeal or why they're funny, but I'm addicted to them anyways. They're even branching out and creating LolRuses and it's spectacular. Here's a few examples for you cat and humor lovers.

It's just sad to me that I've already become an old lady with a great love for cats as a sixteen year old male. Once again though, I just don't understand my attraction to these things or why I find them funny. I need a support group or something like it.

Apache

2007-06-06T21:28:00.000-05:00

As time passes, we can look at past years with more perspective. It is with this perspective that we are able to make firmer opinions and realize when we've seen greatness. This isn't one of those times, but it's close. This is by far the greatest music video of the 1970's, quite possibly ever. Sit back and enjoy 'Apache' by the Tommy Seebach band.

My Published article

2007-06-05T11:07:00.000-05:00

I am having an article published on the website WithoutConcept.com. The site is for people to discuss their faith through different mediums. The site is still being worked on and my article will be up on the site next wednesday. so check it out at.

http://www.withoutconcept.com

We're Not Very Popular

2007-05-29T16:22:00.000-05:00

Out of all the sites on the internet, we are the 3,904,713 most visited and .000005 percent of all interent users visit our site.

We should probably work on branching out or something like that....

...like looking in a mirror

2007-05-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

Holy crap I had this dream and was shocked at how these two persons look alike. But be seperated from birth.

Rambo is back and he's mad.

2007-05-27T22:03:00.000-05:00

Ok so i have seen all the rambo movies. (some when i was at the age of 6) Now apperently John Rambo is getting some buzz again for a new movie. However, the press is saying how gruesome the movie is and that is just by watching the trailer. So i'll let you be the judge of how violent it is. Some are speculating that this film will be rated NC-17.

The Most Odd, Disturbing, and Hilarious Headline Ever

2007-05-25T21:11:00.000-05:00

Teen Fined $750 For Ejaculating In Salad Dressing

Man Comps

2007-05-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

!MAN COMP. Webster's Dictionary describes "Man Competition" as the display of manliness through athletic activity with sportsmanship and fair play. Extreme competing to hold the alpha male position in a small pack of men is the main goal of a Man Comp. A Man Comp can consist of one solitary activity to hours upon hours of vigorous competing. Some common Man Comp activities are as follow:

1. The Swing Set Game: This manly display of competition consists of one member of the squad lying belly up under a swing. A secondary member tries to bring fear into the heart of the first member by throwing the swing at him/her. Although the swing has no ability to touch you, it is still nerve wrecking. Keeping yourself cool is an instant victory.

2. Balloon Launch: Using a traditional balloon launcher, one member of the Man Comp launches a balloon high in the air. The first secondary member to catch a balloon is the alpha male.

3. Marshmallow War: First member to bring tears to another member of the Man Comp in any form of marshmallow torture is the winner of this Comp.

4. Standard Water Balloon Fight: Whoever is driest at the end of the fight is the fight master.

5. Picking Blackberries: Whoever has shed the most blood without tears is the Alpha Male.

6. Various Trampoline Activities: Jumping onto roofs, over ropes, or coomatae.

7. Fire: Just burn something. First person with third degree burns wins.

Man Comps can be easily coined as whatever seems like a good way to prove yourself worthy to be called MAN. If you are not Josh Jamison, you stand a chance.

Are you Hardcore like Bruce Campbell?

2007-05-21T08:36:00.000-05:00

When I was in undergrad, we had a slogan in the dorms. "Are you hardcore like bruce campbell?" Who is bruce campbell you ask? well he is one crazy human being. HE makes his living being in b-rated horror films. His most famous films were the evil dead series. He was also in bubba ho-tep and the man with the screaming brain. He has minor roles in all of the spider-man films and now does these awesome old spice commericals.

Please view for the ultimate bruce campbell experience.

The Tragedy Of Wile E. Coyote

2007-05-21T04:49:00.000-05:00

The makers of a certain Looney Tunes series have created a tragedy so tragic over the course of the last fifty years that no one else has ever approached. Not only is this an epic tragedy, but it has played out over the course of the past fifty years. It always starts out with a faint hope that our hero will finally get his way (and prey), yet every time, it ends with him alone, injured, and starving once again. Of course I am referring to the epic chases of Wile Ethelbert Coyote and the Road Runner.

You may be thinking that Wile E. Coyote is just a savage, wreckless beast who deserves all the bad things that happen to him, but you would be wrong in thinking this. It is clearly the Road Runner who is the savage beast in this saga. The Coyote is merely following the laws of nature here. You see, he is only trying to get the only source of food that he can find. He wants some flesh, not a leafy green salad. The Road Runner is an arrogant, self serving, jerk. He's alwasy taunting him, mocking him, and antogonizing him. If the Road Runner simply would've let things be, Wile could have easily moved on to another target, but he couldn't let that happen after all the humiliation that has been suffered at the Road Runner's fast feet.

Basically, the Road Runner is a cruel, malevolent creature and the Coyote is the victim. If you fail to see this then watch this and join me in the pity party for Wile E. Coyote. I am at a loss to see how few people feel this way, but it could change. It could change....

This is Why Children Should Be Kept On Leashes

2007-05-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

This has been making its rounds around the internet lately (I found it at With Leather), but anytime a toddler gets kicked, that's kind of funny to me. Of course break dancing is usually a nice little distraction that people give you when waiting for something and cardboard is readily available. I just hope that this catches on as a part of the routine now.

God and Covenant through the Prophets

2007-05-17T18:21:00.000-05:00

Here is my final term paper for my prophets class. It revolves around YHWH and his Covenant through the prophetic books.

God and Covenant

What is a prophet? A prophet is a person of agony, whose “life and soul are at stake in what he says,” yet who is also able to perceive “the silent sigh” of human anguish.[1] A prophet is also someone who speaks for God. These men were raised up in periods of sin and declension to accuse the people of their sin and predict the judgment of God if they did not repent.[2] As a performing artist, I find it fascinating how the prophets use imagery to describe the relationship between the Israelites and YHWH. What is the deep meaning the prophets paint for the readers/listeners through their words? How well does the modern reader understand the prophet’s imagery? Throughout this journey the focus will be on the subjects of destruction and restoration.

Background
What was it that caused YHWH such anguish with his people? What made YHWH send a multitude of prophets to urge the Israelites to turn from their sinful ways? I think the pin point of all of the problems between YHWH and his people had to do with the political powers. First, we see YHWH’s disapproval of appointing a king over his people.
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do." Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Everyone go back to his town" (1 Sam. 8).

Because of their request for a king like all the other nations they broke the covenant, rejecting YHWH who was their king and forgot his constant provision for their protection in the past.[3] The Israelites were under the rule of Saul and David but when things started to go down hill David’s son Solomon began his reign. Bruggeman gives 3 points on how Solomon was able to break the covenant that was given to the early Israelites during the time of Moses.[4]
1. He countered the economics of equality with the economics of affluence (1 Kgs 4:20-23).
2. He countered the politics of justice with the politics of oppression (1 Kgs 5:13-18; 9:15-22).
3. He countered the religion of God’s Freedom with the religion of God’s accessibility (1 Kgs 8:12-13).

Brueggemann’s first point shows how the wealthy Israelites could take as much as they want while the Israelites who had less finances could only get less. This contradicts the Mosaic covenant where one only takes what one needs (Exod 16:18.).[5] His second point shows a Darwinian approach where the richer stays rich and the poor stay poor. This contradicts the teaching in the Mosaic Covenant:
If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave. He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers. Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves (Lev 25:35-42).[6]

To summarize Brueggemann’s last point, the Israelites make demands of YHWH and in essence put YHWH in a box opposed to the Mosaic thinking of YHWH as being able to “…show mercy to whom he shows mercy too… (Exod 33:19b).[7] Because of these three points the Israelites have become numb to the covenant that their descendants have made with the God of their fathers. Here is a good summary of Solomon’s reign;
Like Saul’s and David’s reigns before him, Solomon’s is divided into two phases: “good king” and “bad king.” Judgment had to come, if not in Solomon’s lifetime, then afterward, and come it did.[8]

At the time of Solomon’s death around 930 B.C.E., the nation of Israel divided into two kingdoms; Israel and Judah. Around 857 B.C.E., the Assyrians started their conquest to the west.[9] While the Assyrians were pressing westward, many prophets of YHWH started to appear. The prophet’s role during these troubling times can be summarized as this;
These prophets refused to see national misfortune from a purely political perspective. They were religious idealists who insisted that a higher agenda was being played out in the setbacks, reprieves, and downfall of two nations that shared a common theological tradition, Israel and Judah. They saw themselves as interpreters of crisis in terms of the ongoing will of YHWH, the God of these twin nations.[10]

From the Assyrian conquest to the Babylonian exile, the prophets continued to warn the Israelites from the destruction that was heading their way because of the broken covenant with YHWH. If the Israelites would only repent from their wrong doings and return to YHWH then the coming destruction would not fall on them. However, The Israelites continued to worship other gods and oppress the poor until both kingdoms were destroyed. Here is a brief history of the fall of Israel and Judah:[11]
Kingdom of Israel
Kingdom of Judah
Jehu paid tribute to Shalmaneser, King of Assyrian (842 B.C.E.)
Jehoiakim became the puppet of the King of Egypt.
Menahem paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser. The latter started taking the Israelites away from the land.
Babylon conquered Egypt and Assyria, and thus Judah came under her power (605 B.C.E.).
In the reign of Pekah, Tiglath-Pileser captured cities of Naphtali and carried off inhabitants to Assyria. He also overran the country east of the Jordan and deported the two and one half tribes to Mesopotamia, 740 B.C.E. By his connivance, Pekah was killed, and Hoshea was put on the throne.
In 605 B.C.E., Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem, took some of the vessels of the temple to Babylon, and carried off certain members of the royal family as captives. The captives included the king and the prophet Daniel.
Hoshea became Shalmaneser’s servant and paid tribute to him, but plotted against him by sending gifts to Egypt and seeking an alliance so that the Assyrian yoke could be broken.
In 597 B.C.E., Nebuchadnezzar carried off Jehoiachin and many others. Ezekiel was taken to Babylon in this deportation.
Shalmanser besieged Samaria. The city was taken in the first year of Sargon’s reign, 722 B.C.E. Many of the people were deported to Mesopotamia and Media. The rest were placed under tribute.
In 586 B.C.E., the armies of Nebuchadnezzar burned the temple, destroyed Jerusalem, and carried off the bulk of the population, leaving only some of the poorest people in the land.

The people who remained in the land were ruled by a governor, Gedaliah. Jeremiah was in this group. Then Gedaliah was assassinated, and many of the people fled to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with them.

The seventy-year captivity extended from the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. to the rebuilding of the temple in 516 B.C.E.

Now that we’ve covered the background during the time of the prophets, let’s get to the prophetic imagery of the prophets.

Images from the prophets: Destruction/Restoration

Leslie Allen has a great model for how the covenant between YHWH and Israel works. YHWH entered into a knowledge of Israel and in return Israel came to know YHWH. This relationship is not vertical but worked out horizontal in developing a community with other Israelites.[12]

However, once the community started to get tainted by neglecting the poor, idolatry, and other communal sins, YHWH sends his prophets to tell his people about the destruction heading their way and also give his people the hope of restoration.
First image comes from Jeremiah 17:1 NIV:
Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.

The image we get from here is Judah’s sin being deeply rooted into stone. This image of writing also has a connection in 4:4 and 31:33.[13] Stone is a hard rock that is very difficult to break into pieces. When engraving on the stone, it takes a long time before it is finished. I think that beginning with the breaking of the Mosaic covenant the Israelites hearts continue to be hardened throughout the years. During Moses time, the Israelites broke the covenant when they made the golden calf and like Moses, who broke the stone tablets on the ground, YHWH plans to break the old covenant with his people.[14] However, YHWH writes a new covenant on the hearts and minds of his people. The only difference is that this covenant is an everlasting one that can not be broken. Paul recognizes this in 2 Cor. 3:6 when he describes himself as “Ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the spirit; for the written code kills, but the spirit gives life.”[15]
The other image from Jeremiah is the pottery image in Jer. 18:1-12 NIV.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’ But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.’ “

When the potter is working with clay he needs the clay to be wet. The more wet the clay is, the easier it is to mold and sculpt. As water leaves the clay, the clay becomes harder to work wit and ends up cracking. After the potter has finish sculpting the clay into his image, he puts it into a fiery furnace and cooks it until it is finish. The relationship between YHWH and his people were the water to keep the clay wet, but when his people turned away from him the clay started to get hard and crackle. Once clay get’s too hard, it has to be broken for it to get the right absorption from the water in order for it to be molded again. The difference between YHWH and the potter is that when the potter put’s his creation in the fire, if there is a defect in it, the jar will break. Once clay has been fired, it can never absorb water which will never be able to be repaired once it breaks. But YHWH does not throw his people in the fire; he has to break them in order for him to begin a new work with his people. I see the water being the restoration of the covenant between God and his people. The water of the new covenant comes from Jesus whom he says in John 4:13-14 NIV.
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The next image we get is from the prophet Hosea. YHWH used the prophet Hosea as a vessel to portray the relationship between himself and his people. So YHWH tells him to marry Gomer, who was an adulterous woman.
When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD.” So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son (Hosea 1:2-3 NIV).

The image we get here is that YHWH was faithful to his people, but his people decided to turn away from him and worship other Gods. Like Gomer, who was living an adulterous life, the Israelites were a prostitute to Baal and the other god they worship. This angered YHWH.
I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, but me she forgot," declares the LORD (Hosea 2:13 NIV).

Hosea then has 3 children, where YHWH tells him to name them as part of the drama he is laying out before his people.
Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel." Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call her Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them. Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the LORD their God." After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. Then the LORD said, "Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God (Hosea 1:4-9 NIV).

Jezreel means “God scatters,” Lo-Ruhamah means “no love/compassion,” and Lo-Ammi means “Broken Covenant.[16]” The message YHWH is trying to show his people is that because of his people’s unfaithfulness to him they have broken the covenant. Because of this YHWH’s hand is against them and he will show no mercy for the destruction that is about to come. Even though YHWH is furious by his people’s unfaithfulness, he then cues his “actor” to do something unexpected.
The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you." For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days (Hosea 3 NIV).

Despite all the Israelites have done to YHWH, YHWH still wants to have a relationship with his people. Like Hosea, who goes and takes back his unfaithful wife, YHWH will take back his unfaithful people because he loves them deeply.
The final image I will present is an image that is not obvious like the other images presented. This image is a presentation of a courtroom drama where YHWH is stating his case against Israel. Israel is the defendant while YHWH is not only the judge but also the plaintiff.[17]
This is what the LORD says, "What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They did not ask, 'Where is the LORD, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and rifts, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?' I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. The priests did not ask, 'Where is the LORD ?' Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols. "Therefore I bring charges against you again," declares the LORD. "And I will bring charges against your children's children” (Jer. 2:5-9 NIV).

Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying (Hosea 4:1-3).

Listen to what the LORD says: "Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. Hear, O mountains, the LORD's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. "My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD." With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:1-8).
Reading these three verses we see YWHW bring up his case against Israel. Looking at the verses from Micah, we see that YHWH is bringing his case not only before his people, but to the entire world. Although the hills and mountains are invoked to hear the case, they do not participate in it.[18] As the case progresses, YHWH brings up all the things he has done to help the Israelites throughout their history. In the end, he doesn’t want their sacrifices or offerings, he wants his people to act justly and to walk with him. As the plaintiff YHWH is presenting the case against the defendant Israel. YHWH the judge shows the Israelites mercy as along as they turn from their ways and return to the covenant relationship between them.
Final Thoughts Through the prophet’s YHWH was able to present his message to his people through dramatic narratives. As an actor who makes his living creating characters to help change the human soul by using artistic abilities; YHWH, the ultimate creator, uses different creative methods to show his people how they broke the covenant with him and also how to restore it.

End Notes

[1] Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), xiii.
[2] William McDonald, Introduction to the Prophets, Believer’s Bible Commentary, ed. Art Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), 931.
[3] J. Robert Vannoy, 1 Samuel, The NIV Study Bible, ed. Kenneth L. Barker (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 382.
[4] Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001), 31.
[5] Ibid, 31.
[6] Ibid, 31.
[7] Ibid, 31.
[8] David A. Hubbard and Frederic William Bush, “Israel’s Golden Age: David and Solomon,” in Old Testament Survey, ed. William S. Lasor (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 196.
[9] Harrell F. Beck, The History of Israel, Part I, The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible, ed. Charles M. Laymon (New York: Abingdon Press, 1971) 1023-4.
[10] Leslie C. Allen, “Images of Israel: The People of God in the Prophets,” in Studies in old Testament Theology, ed. Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1992), 149.
[11] William McDonald, Introduction to the Prophets, Believer’s Bible Commentary, ed. Art Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), 933-4.
[12] Leslie C. Allen, “Images of Israel: The People of God in the Prophets,” in Studies in Old Testament Theology, ed. Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1992), 152.
[13] R. P. Carroll , “Inscribing the Covenant: Writing and the Written in Jeremiah,” in Understanding Poets and Prophet: Essays in Honour of George Wishart Andersons, ed. A. Graeme Auld (Sheffield: JSOT, 1993), 62-3.
[14] Ibid, 66.
[15] Ibid, 73.
[16] Jack P. Lewis, Hosea, The NIV Study Bible, ed. Kenneth L. Barker (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 1315.
[17] Michael De Roche, “Yahweh’s rib against Israel: A Reassessment of the so-called ‘Prophetic Lawsuit’ in the Preexilic Prophets,” Journal of Biblical Literature 102 (1983): 563.
[18] Ibid, 570.

The Wii Is Magical, But Not Enough to Make Carson Daly Funny

2007-05-14T18:56:00.000-05:00

I know this really isn't saying anything at all, but this is the funniest thing that Carson Daly has ever done even though it still isn't funny. Even the Wii can't make him funny. At least it's still funnier than this.

I'm just comforted that I'm not the only person on earth who makes out with his copy of WarioWare.

Jay: The man, The Myth, The insane

2007-05-14T11:33:00.000-05:00

So I think it's funny how we do mock farewell leaves on the blog but when some one does leave they are gone forever with no knowledge to our loyal readers what happened to them. Well, Jay this tribute is for you.

Jay loves Carl Monday. You can say he kinda has a man-crush on him. HE loved it when Monday caught the library masterbater with a combat vet father.

Jay loves metal. He likes it so much that his penis is made out of hard metal. He likes other artisitc music as well but metal is is forte.

Jay also likes saying odd stuff on other peoples blogs. It makes my heart skip a beat when he comments on someone's post and makes it funny. Johnny Smecklerburg; you're going down.

My greatest memory of Jay is a post from a movie called CB4. A movie with chris rock in it. when this video was posted I was in tears.

Thanks Jay for the memories. This one's for you.

Funny thing I saw on the way to school.

2007-05-14T11:26:00.000-05:00

So I am driving down 71 this morning to go to class at ashland. when I saw this guy riding on my bumper trying to pass me. It was kinda hard since i was in a construction zone and was along side a propane truck. Well when I finally got around, I looked at the back of the guy's truck and on the window had a big window sticker that said, "Combat Veteran." Made me thing of our late great writer, Jay. May he rest in peace with Dani Filth...all 3 of them.

Possibly the Most Original Band on Tooth and Nail

2007-05-09T22:16:00.000-05:00

Basically, anytime Tooth and Nail Records signs a new artist, it's a big deal to me. Many of my favorite bands are from the label and all of our writers listen to a few bands from them. It's good stuff. They recently signed a band of people who prefer to remain anonymous that was formed from 'the wreckage of roughly 20 nameless and faceless Los Angeles bands." They're not saying who they are and preferring to let the music do the talking for now. The music has definitely got me hooked. You'll probably either love their style or hate it, because of its ingenuity, nods to the past and present, the vocalist's odd voice, and just plain oddness. Here's a music video to show you kind of what's up with the band and their music. Hope you enjoy, but for now, I'll just say that I think Showbread may no longer be the oddest band on tooth and nail.

Carson Daly is The World's Best Talk Show Host

2007-05-05T01:28:00.000-05:00

No, seriously, he really is. I watched Conan tonight to see Tom Waits perform (who did amazing) and I thought Conan's bits with the Chuck Norris clips and his interview with Snoop Dogg were pretty humorous, but I had no clue what I was in for once 1:35 A.M. rolled around. Carson Daly came out and oh boy he absolutely slayed me. He has this bit called shout outs where he shouted out to random celebrities and people including Dave Chappelle for his 6 hour long set, America for voting off Sanjaya, and Heather Mills for dancing with a prosthetic leg. What really got me was in the background there was this voice that would say hilarious things in the background like "Yeah, shout that one out!" or "Oh, that's a shout out." Some people might find that voice obnoxious and annoying, but they are fools for it was pure comedic genius. I hope someone puts this on YouTube soon!

A lot of people are out there who say that Carson Daly is an unfunny, crappy talk show host who is only getting a paycheck because he was extremely successful during the boy band craze eight years ago and someone signed him to a stupidly long contract. They'll also say that Lenin's preserved corpse would make a better host. These people are stupid because they are unaware that Carson Daly is truly ahead of our times and that his comedic brilliance will live on much longer than we shall. He's the best.

(EDIT: Carson Daly really does suck. I'm sorry if this caused any confusion.)

Unusual Marketing Strategies: Part Five

2007-05-02T22:38:00.000-05:00

Today, a friend of mine who's a big Houston Rockets fan asked me if I'd seen the commercial where Tracy McGrady throws a sheep. I had no clue what was going on. I thought it was a joke; it wasn't. I came home and typed in 'Tracy McGrady sheep' in YouTube and there it was! (Of course, I was much less excited when I made my daily trip to Deadspin and they already had it posted. That's why they're paid for it.)

Here's the video....

The only NBA star I would have expected to see in a kilt would be Dirk Novitzki, but apparently it's Tracy. I can't say that this commercial makes me want to drink vitamin water very much though. I do have a sudden urge to throw a sheep now...

Who Is Semisweet? pt. 2 (Josh's Take)

2007-04-29T18:46:00.000-05:00

When first reading our beloved Vicious G's post about the possible identities of the blogger Semisweet I was amazed that he did not include the one and only possible solution to this mystery.
Semisweet is Darth Vader.

We all know Darth Vader is a sith.
We also know that the Wookiee's and Sith's do not get along so well since the Wookiees are sided with the Jedi and Sith are foes.
Assuming my theory is true so far, would a Sith not direct some effort into bring down a Wookiee, such as Chewbacca?

who is semisweet?

2007-04-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

Alright. There has been a new assassin to many of our inner circles of bloggers named semisweet. there are a few things we know about semisweet. 1.) this person is from Haiti. 2.) this person's life goal is to dog on idiots. 3.) is a girl, not a woman, a girl. 4.) has a broad taste of music. 5.) enjoys science. 6.) can be mean and when she is mean does not feel bad about it. 7.) has met salt in person. 8.) likes to take pictures. all this stuff can be found on her blog "some blog" (http://lackofinterest-pointless.blogspot.com/).

We've at the 38 mile radius have pondered, "who is this semisweet who brings tears to our eyes and laughter in our souls?" well we've worked up some theories and here are some of them.

1.) some one who really hates bad grammar. (if that's the case I'm probably the next victim in semisweet's wrath.) The English language is very interesting. cause in case if there is a grammatical rule that doesn't fit in the grammicorial world, then they make up a rule. Plus, sometime rules of the past do not apply today because of our culture. so crap was a slang word but now an appropriate English word in our lives. semisweet has a huge problem with this and wants to save humanity from becoming a bunch of idiots.

2.) someone who has a bi-polar relationship with salt. She does not like salt's views on life but maybe secretly, she is madly in love with salt. (this was micah's theory.)

3.) someone who wants approval here at 38 mile radius so they can be apart of the team. since we already have one girl on our blog (josh). then let's have another.

4.) really a Sasquatch gnome who wants to bring down the man. the big man.

that were all the theories that we came up with. so only semisweet will know which one is right. and if your not down with that you can SUCK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-04-26T22:36:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts come to mind when I see this...

1. This is gayer than Mika having a tea party with Richard Simmons or Josh.
2. The guy in the middle is definitely checking out the other guy's junk.
3. The guy on the right, well his smile is just way too big.
4. Who thought this would be a good idea?
5. Who approved this idea?
6. I would've hated to be the photographer, especially if they're not wearing anything below the waist either.

I just make this vow tonight: If I ever record a cd, the album cover will not be like this.

interesting

2007-04-24T19:41:00.000-05:00

How come there is a list of sport blogs on our blog when less then 10% of the post are actually on sports? something to think about

WHAT? Pt. 2

2007-04-24T13:36:00.000-05:00

siht daer daluoc ohw esoht yellaicepse, golb siht sdaer ohw eno yreve evol I hcum woh yas ot ekil dluow I.

Vicious' Top 10 NES Games

2007-04-22T19:39:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends,
Here is my top 10 list of favorite NES games. (in no particular order.)

10. Blades of Steel -> one of the sweetiest hocky games ever.
9. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest -> best castlevania game on the NES
8. Yo Noid -> Old Domino's pizza mascot creating havok and eating pizza
9. To the Earth -> Save the universe with youe zapper
8. Super Mario Bros. 3 -> at the top of the mario games (maybe #1)
7. Dragon Warrior -> The ultimate RPG game (and the hardest)
6. Goonies 2 -> Great 80s movie + sequal made in video game format = Awesome!
5. Duck Hunt -> Because we all have tried to shoot the dog
4. Tecmo Super Bowl -> Season option plus all the NFL teams
3. Jackie Chan's Action Kung-Fu -> Simply fun and didn't know who the heck Jackie chan was until i was older.
2.) Double Dragon II: The Revenge -> 2 words: Tornado Kick
1.) Chip and Dales: Rescue Rangers -> Disney had a lot of sweet games for the NES but this one is my absolut favorite.

You Know What's Really Awesome?

2007-04-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

Having one of these in your basement...

Oh, I feel so cool...

Staff Biography: Micah

2007-04-17T01:05:00.000-05:00

It is truly hard to describe a legend in just one simple paragraph, but that is the job we have when describing Micah's life. First off, the man has a keytar. How amazing is that? He plays guitar for Vicious G and piano at Bill Clinton's inaguration when he was six years old! Few people have ever done the things he has and endured the hardships that he has been faced with.
In 45 B.C., Micah immigrated from Helsinki, Sweden, in order to seek a career in the manufacturing of artisan cheeses. When Micah arrived, things did not go as well as he had planned. The local artisan cheese shop felt that Micah did not meet their standards, as artisan cheese is very difficult to make properly and requires a Ph.D. As a result of his bad luck, a local pastor and his family were more than willing to take Micah in until he can take better care of himself. Until then, Micah has taken a liking to various activities such as spilling his brilliance out onto e-paper, styling his hair, and collecting girlfriends.

Full Name: Micah Daniel Schuylar Wimmer

Role at the 38 Radius Blog: co-founder, editor, writer

Birthday: December 27th

Age: as I write this, I've been alive 5,956 days

Job Status: student

Pets: a yelping little dog

Car: the invisible one from spongbob would be ideal

Favorite Bands: Anberlin, mewithoutYou, David Crowder Band, Mute Math, Sufjan Stevens

Favorite Live Show: Mute Math

Favorite Book: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

Favorite Movie: Monsters Inc.

Favorite TV Show: The Office/Arrested Development

Favorite Animal: Koalas and penguins

Ideal Meal: Asian food at Subway with strawberry cheesecake

Most Embarrassing Moment: I stole Chinese food once on accident

Hobbies: being really, really awesome, writing, playing instruments

Things You Hate: sarcasm, satire, Josh

Hottest Animated Character?: Ms. Pac Man. she has the best curves in the history of the world

Little Known Super Power: I have the power to say "That's what she said" at the precise moment to obtimize the funny.

Thing You MUST Know About Me: I like Russian history.... a lot.

A Landmark Performance

2007-04-15T00:44:00.000-05:00

We've been posting a lot about the musical exploits of our friend, Vicious G, lately. I'm sorry if this is overkill, but something legendary happened tonight. All who have heard his music have long awaited his live show, which we could all sense would be something of great magnitudes of awesomeness.
Tonight, Vicious G performed live for the first time ever. In a small room, in a small northeastern Ohio town, he played two songs with an accompanying drummer (myself) and everyone who saw it was in awe afterwards. Josh was there singing along the whole time and left amazed. When people look back in the annals of music history, they will view many days as landmark and this my friend, will be one of them.

Cannibalism Progress

2007-04-13T18:19:00.000-05:00

Well readers, Micah announced the making of music history in his most recent post, and I figured I could update you on progress. Micah and I just walked out of Vicious G's home studio, and I am pleased with the progress we have made thus far. We layed down the lead guitar tracks and it went very well. We did it on an average of 3 takes per track, as opposed to the 13 takes we attempted last time. After that, we talked about how Micah would be laying down the law with the rhythm tracks, which he and Vicious will be working on soon enough. The song is turning out very well. I can't and won't tell you all the details in terms of sound and lyrical content, just know that this song will give you a nice refreshing kick to your naughty bits. There is also a little 'Making Of' documentary in the works, which should prove to be very interesting. Until those come out for your viewing and listening pleasure, let the tension mount. I have also gotten pics of us performing the song in the studio, to give you a brief taste of this amazing experience. Here they are:

Vicious G exploring his options in the area of vocals for this song. He was wounded in the process by the hack-saw that is Micah on rhythm guitar, hence all the blood. The man in the background is his father noodling around on Jay's axe before going out to tend the garden.

This is Micah working on the rhythm tracks. He put on his good-luck corpse paint and his leather pants to enhance his ability of laying foundations of insane riffery under the blazin' lead tracks.

Jay laying down the leads for Cannibalism. Though he didn't feel at home at first with his black-metal brethren, he fit right in after he showed them what riffs he had to bring to the table.

There you have it. Obviously, we are enjoying this immensely. We think you will too.

Cannibalism Is Coming...

2007-04-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

I can't reveal too much, but Friday night, cannibalism shall finally surface. Three brilliant minds will gather together and meticulously put together one of the most amazing works of art ever. Let's just say that it's gonna swallow you whole and devour your soul. This Friday the 13th belongs solely to cannibalism. You'll see....

what

2007-04-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

I was at work today and something came to mind.

I sat a work typing numbers all day
when i say a midget walking my way
She said, "I'm jauipi, and i am looking for you."
"huh?" i windered, this could be something new.
So she talked to me about a person who was of pure evil.
I said, "Jauipi, no one is evilier than evil kenival."

Then out side the window i saw a bird explode
and in a dark cloud something evil arose.
it was gorlock the wizard, and he came for my soul.
So i threw Jauipi at him, and he devored her whole.

I pulled down my pants and pissed in his face.
Gorlock screamed and bled all over the place.
He left his staff laying on the floor.
I picked it up and turned that dead bird into a boar.
Then i killed it and cooked it in the oven.
Man that's what i call some delicious porky lovin.

My Latest CD Binge

2007-04-10T00:22:00.000-05:00

As of March Eighth, 2007, I have no job. This is a great misfortune for me, due to the fact that I greatly enjoy purchasing albums, whether they be new releases, CDs released in years gone past, or gently used records from The Exchange. I always took great pleasure in pulling 30-40 bucks out of each check, while the rest lay dormant in the bank, waiting to be blown off on prom, IYC, driving classes, Christmas/Birthday gifts, College Admission Expenses, etc. Fortunately, Uncle Sam likes to open up his doors to the citizens once a year and say 'I'm sorry for being so greedy, I'll make it up to you by letting you fill out all these totally pain-staking documents and give you some of your money back'. Thank God for this. I got my refunds as of a week ago, and was pleased with the sum. What makes it better is the fact that I have $100 more coming. I paid a friend of mine who sold me a computer, put some in the bank, and kept just $30 to pick up some new releases that I was greatly anticipating. The anticipation was not in vein, I am pleased with each purchase, and I have decided to discuss them here, after listening to them many times through and getting a feel for them.

Unfortunately, I could not find album art. This is a shot of the band.

Shadows Fall - Threads of Life
I have been waiting a long while for this CD to come out. I have been waiting so long, it got to a point where I went against what I find acceptable, and formed some expectations. That's, right, I went into listening to this album with a rather closed mind. Luckily for me, Shadows Fall has managed to pull off a brilliant release. This record shows that the composer in all of them has completed his soul searching, and knows what he wants. Many will be disappointed simply because Brian Fair has vocals less dense in the area of screaming, and has allowed clear-throated singing and energetic growls to filter through. This, of course, does not mean that his distinctive wolf-like wailing is not present. It is present, and prominent. The guitar work on this record is amazing, even when the raging solos break out, the rhythm underneath is feeding the listener some very sweet ear candy. Some people refer to Shadows Fall as 'metalcore', a widely hated genre in the metal community, but that term needs to be thrown out the window. Shadows Fall is a modern band. They are a thrash band with a modern twist on it. I'm sure if some old-school metal elitist read this, he would hate me for calling Shadows Fall thrash, but I don't care. They aren't Kreator, they aren't Slayer, they aren't Megadeth. This is thrash in 2007, God forbid we should move forward. Old school thrash kicks ass, but we should embrace this as well. Shadows Fall put a gem on the shelves.
My rating: 9/10

Once again, album art is unavailable. Yet another band shot, before the original bassist Joe [on the right] left the band.
Chevelle- Vena Sera
Typically, I stay away from the whole alternative/hard rock/etc. genre, but I don't really force myself to. Many of these bands just repel me, such as Seether. The simplistic riffs and radio-friendly sound/lyrics make it all the worse. For some reason, I even find myself becoming quite queasy after listening to it enough, I kid you not. However, I can always make exceptions where appropriate; such is the case with Chevelle. This may be due to the fact that they are only like these bands in very few ways. They somehow manage to fit snugly into the genre, but defy it at the same time, like a rebellious youth speaking out against the parents who let him stay in their house. First off, the conveyance of emotion is amazing. You can feel a darkness in the riffs and the vocal style. In any other band, the vocals are merely done with style for the sake of....style. Chevelle's riffs are rather simplistic, but still rock pretty hard, and fit well with the music. You may remember me speaking of Nirvana, and how songwriting is more important than technical proficiency. This applies here. I can play a few Chevelle tunes, and I can tell you that they rock pretty hard, and are very fun to play. Pete's voice does not seem all too unique or special, but at the same time, unlike that of those who seem to play music in a similar vain. While other bands attempt to go down the middle of the vocal path, going for a rough and gravely growl, Pete goes from one side to the other, going from smooth and clean singing to all out screaming. I'll wait a while, someone is bound to tab out this album. I plan on learning few tunes. The only downfall of this album is the fact that it shows no evolution or progression, it seems like 'This Type of Thinking...' Part II. A small price to pay, considering they are different tunes, and that record rocked anyway.
My rating- 8/10, an easy 9 if it weren't for that last point I made.

Modest Mouse- We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Surprisingly, I was anticipating this even more so than the new Shadows Fall outing. I haven't been waiting as long, but the magnitude of my anticipation was twenty fold that of Threads of Life. I knew a 2007 release was in the making, but it wasn't until Micah showed me the music video for 'Dashboard' that I knew the new work was on the horizon, and that's when I got pumped. When I listened to this record for the first time, I was surprised at how it grabbed me just the first time through, a rarity. First, I was glad to see it still had the quirkiness of their previous release. One may think that through their commercial success, they would gear themselves towards a more mainstream and 'normal' sound, if you will. Not true. Also, they manage to put that one track on there that is very emotionally scathing, entitled 'Parting of the Sensory'. This song definitely strikes a chord with me, and I still have yet to find words to describe such a feeling. Overall, I would say Modest Mouse is back in the game with a great sense of refreshment. I've said this so many times before, but I don't care, really. Modest Mouse have shown progression, but still maintain the same tasty flavor as 'Good News For People Who Love Bad News'. This record has made me want to look into their older works, as well as hearing several tracks off of 'Lonesome Crowded West'. A very solid release.
My rating- 9.5/10, no joke.

Staff Biography: Jay

2007-04-09T17:43:00.000-05:00

In order to make the readers more acquainted and familar with the people behind this blog and what all we do, I decided to compile a brief biography and survey of each member. This is it. It isn't much, but if you learn anything about the sordid minds behind this masterpiece, I have done my job.

Recognized across the globe as the world’s best orthodontist, Jason has done fancy tooth-work for an estimated six billion people, even for such icons as Elton John, Eddie Van Halen, and Burzum. Jason strives to make the world a better place by making sure everyone has teeth as perfect as his. While not on the job, Jason can be seen shredding it up on his deadly precise axe, writing some of the most amazing tunes that will never be released, and wallowing in self pity and loneliness.

Full Name: Jason Scott S*****

Role at the 38 Radius Blog: I drop knowledge in the form of my opinion on matters dealing with a healthy mix of things, mainly music. Aside from that, I have managed to glean tid-bits of expertise in the area of controlled rants with a dash of logic.

Birthday: July the Third

Age: Older than you.

Job Status: A washed up has-been.

Pets: I have two cats, a dog, and a rabbit. My little brother is temporarily taking care of his class pet- a hermit crab by the name of ‘Prince’.

Favorite Bands: There are many. Among them are Incubus, Rancid, Mastodon, Shadows Fall, and Enya.

Favorite Live Show: I really enjoy going to strip clubs with my friends and pounding a few beers whilst I enjoy the spectacle. Anything of that nature would qualify as my favorite, I suppose.

Favorite Book: You may think I am queer, or not, but I really enjoy Hamlet. I also like ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, the basis for a film adaptation that followed.

Favorite Movie: Shaving Ryan’s Privates.

Best song on Earth: Cannibalism by Vicious G, featuring a guest appearance Eddie Van Jaylen on the axe.

Favorite TV Show: Family Guy. Typical, I suppose, but I’m not one to care. I also enjoy Metalocalypse.

Favorite Animal: When I go to the zoo, I like to see the Giraffes. Unfortunately, the local zoo has around 3 exhibits. I guess the lemurs are my favorite there.

Ideal Meal: A suitcase full of guts.

Most Embarrassing Moment: I attempted to perform an enema on an elephant and it pooped on my head.

Hobbies: Guitar, womanizing, macking my game, hitting on chicks, trying to get a date, scopin’ out the ladies, wallowing in desperation.

Things You Hate: Elitists, Smart-a**es, acne, McDonald’s, unemployment, white lies, Writer’s block

Hottest Animated Character?: I am WAY over that, friends. However, around the age of five, I had a massive crush on Angelica from Rugrats. She exercised such authority….so sexy……

Little Known Super Power: I can fit two glazed donuts in my mouth, presumably due to the abnormal arrangement of my teeth.

Thing You MUST Know About Me: Saying the word ‘snuggle’ or ‘cuddle’ makes me feel gay

Staff Biography: Austin

2007-04-09T01:15:00.000-05:00

In order to make the readers more acquainted and familar with the people behind this blog and what all we do, I decided to compile a brief biography and survey of each member. This is it. It isn't much, but if you learn anything about the sordid minds behind this masterpiece, I have done my job.

Austin is an enigma and a certainty, a legend and an unknown. He grew up in Brooklyn and worked his way up through the journalism ranks until he was a regular columnist for the New York Times. Things were going well for our friend, Austin, and we were happy for him until the fateful incident last September. He was fired for inappropriately hugging a female employee, but we all know she just felt unworthy to be hugged by Austin and that was the only inappropriateness of the situation. Even after the court case proved him innocent, he couldn't get a job at any major newspaper again because of fears of other women feeling unworthy of his sexiness. Out of a job, he called his good friend Josh and implored him for a writing job. Well, he joined our little mafia and the rest is (will someday be?) history.

Full Name: Austin Kelly Fields

Role at the 38 Radius Blog: Intern with a post count record of 0-0

Birthday: March 9, 1990

Age: 17 (I look 27 and sometimes act about 5)

Job Status: I flip the almighty burger at Wendy's

Pets: A Greyhound and two fluffy cats

Car: 1997 Pontiac Grand Am GT

Favorite Bands: Two at the Wall. Of Montreal. The Killers. Underoath. Electrocute. Distance in Embrace. Mute Math. The Faint. Clap. Boys like Girls. Yeahyeahyeahs. The Postal Service. The Fitness.

Favorite Live Show: Two at the Wall.

Favorite Book: The Catcher in the Rye. I've read it 9 times through.

Favorite Movie: Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.

Favorite TV Show: Family Guy or The Price is Right.

Favorite Animal: platypus for sure.

Ideal Meal: Japanese Chicken Terriyaki, white rice, ColdStone Ice Cream, Dr.Pepper, and a full Pez dispenser shaped like Bob Barker.

Most Embarrassing Moment: I block them all out. sorry.

Hobbies: Playing guitar, drawing, Myspacing, social conquests.

Things You Hate Wearing: Bra's and knee high socks.

Hottest Animated Character?: Patrick from Sponge-Bob Square Pants. He has a great figure, not too plump, and no sign of an eating disorder.

Little Known Super Power: Cheese grater-less cheese grating.

Thing You MUST Know About Me: I get up every saturday morning and listen to Polka on the radio... and dance.

Staff Biography: Joshy Josh

2007-04-09T00:34:00.000-05:00

Full Name: Josh

Role at the 38 Radius Blog: head campaign manager and co-founder

Birthday: June 22nd

Age: 14

Job Status: I write in this one blog...

Pets: cat

Car: yeah

Favorite Bands: Panic! at the disco, Fall Out Boy, Nickelback

Favorite Live Show: Project 86

Favorite Book: It's All Down From Here by Andrew Schwab

Favorite Movie: Family Force 5 Meets Sammy Stephens

Favorite TV Show: Whatever

Favorite Animal: Koally Fish

Ideal Meal: Asian.... people

Most Embarrassing Moment: I've never been embarrassed.

Hobbies: Oh you know, everything.

Things You Hate: Panic at the disco!, Fall out boy, Nickelback

Hottest Animated Character?: Kim Possible!

Little Known Super Power: I'm really sweet so sometimes I give people diabetes

Thing You MUST Know About Me: Well, I'm Josh so it's good that you know my name.

Staff Biography: Vicious G

2007-04-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

Micah's Hatred For Mika

2007-04-07T00:57:00.000-05:00

I saw a commercial for this new musician, Mika, today. I love discovering new artists that I love. I remember finding J. Tillman's myspace almost a year ago and falling in love with his music or seeing Lovedrug open for Relient K a while ago and enjoying them enough to buy the cd and the rest is history. Well, even before I heard his music I just suspected that I would hate him.

You see, his name is pronounced 'Meek-Uh'. I freaking hate it when people pronounce my name like that. Whether it's accidental or on purpose, it gets me every damn time. (my name is pronounced 'Mike-Uh' by the way) This little guy is gonna make more people mispronounce my name and just drive me every bit closer to insanity little by little.

I went to his MySpace page to listen to his music and see if he was decently good. I didn't really enjoy it. He's got this high, ear piercing falsetto voice that drove me mad. I can enjoy a falsetto voice a lot (Freddie Mercury, Aaron Marsh, Stephen Christian) if it is contained. Those three guys only go really high at certain points in songs, not every freaking verse or chorus like he does.

They edited out the guy bending over in front of him.

Top Reasons Why I Will Not Miss High School

2007-04-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

Normally during Physics, I like to catch up on my sleep, or perhaps do work for another class. Today, however, I entered a train of thought that ran for an easy fourty minutes. I was thinking about the school I attend and about how in less than two months, it would no longer be a part of my life. I am not hurt or worried by this at all, because I hate it. And I'm not saying I hate it like all those white trash kids that listen to Godsmack and say 'Y3AH MANZ LEIK I H8 THIS SKOOL IM GUNZAH BLOWED IT UP SOMEDAY!!!'. No, I have a few things against the school, and I envy those who have enjoyed it. They get something that I just don't. Some of these things are nit-picky and trivial, others quite large. Some very personal, some that I am willing to share with many. The ones that I am willing to share with you are as follows:

Hallways- Yeah, the halls. The narrow paths that link class to many another class serve to allow the students at THS to navigate from one area of the school to another by foot. Unfortunately, this seems a daunting task for many people, while others seem to think that no one else in the school needs to be somewhere. Between every class, I run into that clutter of stupid freshman-sophomore-sometimes junior/senior girls that hang out in a large group SMACK-DAB in the middle of the halls, conversing about I don't know what, maybe how drunk they are getting this weekend or how 'LIKE, OMG, MY STRAIGHTENER DIDN'T WORK THIS MORNING, SO I HAD TO CURL IT INSTEAD :( :( :(!!!'. As a result, myself and many other students have to squeeeeeeze through in order to pass on. The girls ALWAYS refuse to budge, and when you accidentally shove one of them [accidentally, mind you], YOU are always the bad guy.
On top of that, I always find myself stuck behind a group of kids who seemingly purposely walk slower than molasses as they converse or jokingly beat on each other. The slow pace is possibly a method of contributing to their pseudo-bada** image. Often times, they will stop dead in their tracks once or twice, reasons unknown, and other kids are known for doing this as well. This perplexes me.

Lunch Bell- This always results in a massive horde of kids pushing and shoving each other as they run through the halls to get to the cafeteria before anyone else. I can only imagine the thoughts going through their heads as their mouths water at the thought of undercooked [though they often manage to burn it], preservative-laden pizza with a side of Baked Lays. This chaos is usually ensued by a massive wave of fat kids running to the cafeteria in excitement that surpasses that of their able-bodied brethren. They would have gotten there before anyone else, but they had to run, and...well... they aren't exactly competent on that score. While the fat kids cover all four classes, the other kids are usually freshmen or sophomores, the occasional upperclassman thrown into the mix.

Politics - For the entire four years that I have attended THS, the students that attend this school have tried to make themselves out to be political scientists in the making. Everyone makes it a point and/or goes COMPLETELY out of their way to express their political stance on everything. They strive to spark a debate. Unfortunately, these students are retarded. The only things these students care to talk about are worn out topics like gay marriage, abortion, and war in Iraq. This is where they fail. The ideas and theories they present in a dim-lit manner are only ideas that have fallen right into their laps through biased parents, biased media, and biased friends. I want to make a large stamp that says 'FAIL' so that I can put it on their foreheads every time they try to start an uprising through the presentation of trite ideology. If one more student claims themselves to be a 'Republican' or a 'Democrat', I am going to off myself in the bathroom. I hope that they someday realize that no matter what party you assume, you have made a grave mistake in assuming a party.

Drinking- Hey, guess what, class of 2007? Drinking is not cool! That's right, stumbling about like an idiot unable to speak English properly while being easily coaxed into making poor decisions due to intoxication is definitely not a good thing. I don't think waking up covered in your own piss and vomit is a good thing either. I find it odd that all the kids in my class that help with all the anti-drug programs are the ones that go out on the weekends and are found three-sheets-to-the-wind within three hours with all their friends. They then come to school and talk about their drunken antics and how many drinks they pounded. Cool...I guess. Almost as cool as killing someone in a car accident, or destroying your life or the lives of family members through an alcohol problem. Believe it or not, one of the biggest reasons I decided to commute to Akron for college rather than go out of town is to easier resist the temptation of involving myself in this. I only wish I could escape this pet-peeve of mine after High School, but I know that in college I'll hear some kids talking about last night, or crazy nights to come.

Miss O*****- Holy crap, will you just retire!? Man, this is easily one of the most bitter staff members I have ever had to deal with in my entire life. Even asking to go to the bathroom will result in a good firm scolding from this teacher. I was stupid enough to sign up for one of her classes TWICE, the second one only last semester. She HAS long since been divorced, so I guess she must be sexually frustrated. What better a reason to be filled with bitterness and take it out on other students?

Miss D***** [sp] - Also known as the Decapitator, this is the new Principal, delivered just in time for my Senior year. She was assisstant principal at North, and went on to Garfield to be the head principal. Her arrival brought along several rules and regulations that are total b.s., among them the rule that we are not allowed to wear a hat indoors, simply because they 'are meant to be worn outside', and the no iPod rule, due to the fact that they serve as a distraction. My school day has become slightly more miserable due to the fact that I cannot enjoy some Children of Bodom, or perhaps a little Rise Against in the middle of my school day, to ease a little tension, most of which builds up because of the things I have already listed.

Hot chicks that never talk to me - Oh, wait. I'll be going through life like that.

The School Newspaper - I have never seen such a lack of skill and originality in writing. The Devil's Tale is a HORRID publication that rivals Plugged In on the the score of stupidity. They writers write about things that are PURELY trivial, and that no one cares about. Much like the politics mentioned above, this just seems like an opportunity for the kids to talk about what they believe in. They talk about things such as 'fitting in', dealing with peer pressure, and religion. The kids at THS love to go WAY off topic for the sake of stating their religious beliefs, especially if they are atheists. I am not saying this because I am not an atheist, I honestly see it this way. Also, they love to talk about fashion, such as what skirts are popular, and the appropriately named 'UGG boots'. I can see why the sports section would be published, but other than that, not much of anything else. I have tons of copies, so if any non-THS students want to take a glance, I will gladly forfeit them. I don't think I should be missing them any time soon.

Ladies and gentlemen, the list goes on from here. I'm sure many of these issues are things you deal with on a daily basis, no matter where you attend school. If there is anything else you want to address, go ahead, it should be interesting to see the comment area turn into a discussion of the woes we face in school.

Well, I Made A Decision....

2007-04-06T00:46:00.000-05:00

Back in January, I posted about a dilemma I was facing. I couldn't decide whether to see He Is Legend or Anberlin. I weighed the pros and cons of each option and tonight was the night of reckoning. Well, I went to see the Anberlin concert tonight at the House of Blues and it was very, very good. In fact, I may have witnessed the two best performances of my life just one week apart. Maybe, just maybe....

Full review coming soon..

The Gospel According to Sanjaya

2007-04-05T07:46:00.000-05:00

There has been a lot of hatred for American Idol contestant Sanjaya. Some people have tried to go on hunger strikes which is, in my opinion, an excuse for fat people to lose weight. On this Maundy Thursday, i was thinking about Jesus and how his story is similar to Sanjaya's.

Jesus was all about showing people love and giving them hope and because of his works, people beat him up, spat on him, and crucified him which lead to his death on the cross. Sanjaya is also giving people love and hope by different hairstyles, sweet moves, and a bright smile. One time I had bowel movement problems. After watching Sanjaya perform on American Idol, i could poop again. Thanks Sanjaya!!!

There are still people who are trying to destroy Sanjaya with their protest, callings, threats, etc. But Sanjaya will still try to fight there Pharisee ways.

"For God (Howard Stern) so love the world. That he sent his one and only son (Sanjaya) so who ever would believe in him shall not perish (another AI season) but have eternal life (No more AI)." Sanjaya 3:16

Good-bye

2007-04-05T07:04:00.000-05:00

Recently, Micah posted a blog how i will be leaving the blog because of personal matters. I have had a long run with some great post and some great comments from contributors, strangers, and the unknown. However, there was one thing that was off about that post, probably because it was an april fools day joke. which means for all you people who can't understand a single thought of deception; I'm not leaving! so look forward to the more somewhat amazing post from me.

~Vicious G

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

A Day In the Life of Josh

2007-04-04T17:54:00.000-05:00

One day Wyatt Beck woke up with an absolute yearning to have a great time on this specific day. This man was a go-getter.

Wyatt eagerly ran to the kitchen to prepare breakfast and with a look of excitement he pronounced that today was his day the good times were ready to roll.

Wyatt quickly sprinted over to the phone and dialed up his good pal josh to see if he wanted to come over for a day of fun and excitement.

Josh picked up the phone and says a glum "hello" expecting a salesman, or his dad's boss calling to inform him of a large raise or some other unimportant information but is blindsided with an invitation to spend the day at his good pal Wyatt's house.

He unleashed a cry of joy and got prepared for his experience.

Josh jolted to the car and was ready to go in a flash.

After he arrived they both knew what the first thing to do was; ping pong. Josh turned Wyatt away with an undeniable conquer.

It was apparent to both of them that the next thing on the agenda had to be a trick competition on the trampoline.

Josh had always outmaneuvered Wyatt when it came to tricks, but Wyatt still tried anyways with a nice butt-bomb off of the roof. This time turned out no differently than ever before; Josh going away with W in the books.

The lads were quite whooped after the trick comp. so they toned things down a bit with a good quality game of leap frog.

Everybody knows that after leap-frog it is traditional to cool one's tongue down on window glass.

Although the great times kept coming, Josh was always looking for something better to do with his time.

Wyatt naturally assumed the better time Josh was looking for was to let him watch himself get covered in cattail seeds.

After all this they had both acquired terrible thirsts so they climbed to the highest points they could find to look for water.

Wyatt peeled his eyes to the West and pointed out a delicious stream he saw flowing freely.

The delicious stream Wyatt saw flowing freely.

"Whew, that hits the spot" Josh proclaimed while celebrating Native American heritage by slurping up the delcious water pure enough to be bottled straight from his hands.

Wyatt and Josh next took turns driving, seeing who could run the most possoms over in 15 minute increments. Wyatt suffered a terrible defeat as usual.

Speding an afternoon basking in the glorious sun is always a great time at the Beck residence.

Wyatt tried to prove to Josh that he was stronger by putting up two tens at onceand doing 4 and a half push-ups, but Josh instantly reassured him he was a weakling and went in to the weightroom and benched 250 using practically no effort at all.

Even Wyatt's dog had decided that he liked Josh much, much better than Wyatt.

Wyatt was getting very frustrated so he challenged his friend to a bear hunting competition. Josh dropped 7 in the blink of an eye overcoming Wyatt, who had shot nothing but his own ego.

A little basketball competition? Josh is game.

Josh had begun to feel bad for Wyatt, he was losing at everything. He tried to show him that he did have some kind features and appreciation for life. Hugging and licking the local trees along with smelling the blossoming flowers showed his brilliant character, yet it still seemed Wyatt wasn't having that great of a time.

After a rock skipping competition (in which pronouncing the outcome seems redundant) took place, Josh was tired of all of this winning and got out some matches to provide his pal some enjoyment.

When burning up a match, it reminded the boys of a game they used to play as younglings titled, "Ring Around the Rosie".

This fun spinning game reminded them of how much they liked each other. It seemed their friendship would never end over something so insignificant as losing a household game, but Wyatt still felt Josh was a competitive jerk.

Josh thought back to Wyatt playing with fire and it sparked an idea as to what that little bit more he had been looking for earlier in the day was. Wyatt had a desireable Project 86 cd collection, which Josh figured would make beautiful kindling.

This was the last straw. Wyatt didn't take so kindly to Josh's idea of a great time and still had anger built up over the whole day from losing at everything. It seemed that their friendship had become a competition and he was more than tired of it.

Josh tried to reassure him that there are more Project 86 cds out there to buy, and he was O.K. with their competitive relationship. Maybe this union was just a game.

Wyatt wins.

Concert Review: Mute Math

2007-04-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

I posted briefly about the Mute Math concert on Friday morning and how amazing it is and I promised a full review of the show and this is precisely that. It just must be elaborated upon to help explain its genius although I'm not sure mere words can do it justice.

I had been awaiting this show for very long, more than most. I've been following Mute Math for a while and fell in love with their cd from the first listen yet everybody seemed to say their greatest aspect was their live show. No matter what review or article I read on them, their show came up so naturally I was anxious for the day I could see them. They were originally scheduled to play Purple Door, but they couldn't for whatever reason so when I saw Cleveland as a stop on their spring tour, I immediately set that day aside for the show so I could encounter the legendary Mute Math show. Well, it almost didn't turn out that way.

I drive up to Cleveland with my father and he was going to go with me because he actually kind of, sort of even enjoyed their music. We get up to the House of Blues at about 8:30 and the show starts at 9:30. We go up to the door to buy our tickets since we hadn't previously gotten them. We figured that online service charge is ridiculous and that the House of Blues is too big for them to sell out. We were wrong. There was a piece of paper awaiting us stating that there were no more tickets available for the show. Okay, now what do we do? We just stare at each other for about five minutes, then we realized it's desperation time. My father and I spent the next ten minutes asking anyone and everyone if they had any extra tickets for the show or any they'd be willing to sell. After a few minutes and no luck, we find a man with one extra ticket that he gives us. We are still one short. Our efforts continue to no avail. We made an executive decision for me to go to the show and have my dad tear up the Cleveland night life for a few hours.

The show didn't start until 9:45 and then Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin took the stage. They were from Missouri and their sound was that of a poppy rock band, but with nothing to really grab you. They did all switch instruments halfway through the set, but the 'new' guitarist/singer didn't seem to play guitar as well and also appeared to be slightly uncomfortable behind the mic.

The second band was a band from Scotland(!) called the Cinematics. They had the whole new British rock sound going (which made sense I guess even though they're Scottish) and had a sound similar to Franz Ferdinand or the Killers only with more of an accent and a tad more ingenuity. All in all, a good set from them. They just seemed hindered because the lead singer was also a guitarist and he seemed like he wanted to move so much more than he got to. I may have to pick up their album sometime in the future.

After they left the stage, it was almost 11 and then it took the stage crew over a half hour to set up Mute Math's stage plot. Finally, the lights dimmed and four formally dressed men took the stage. A single light came and one of them put on some headphones and duct taped them to his head. From there, the show took off and never let go. They opened up with an extended and sustained version of their opening instrumental 'Collapse', which only raised more anticipation for their first song. From there, they blasted into 'Typical' and 'Chaos'. Played a few more songs, including a new song just referenced as 'Voice' then went into a crazed rendition of 'Plan B'. A definite highlight was the extended jam 'Obsolete' that follows 'Stare at the Sun'. They all got in on the rhythm and a stand up bass was even included! They played a few more songs including a very moving rendition of 'You Are Mine' then went straight into 'Break the Same'. They played 'Break the Same' for about eight minutes then the percussion section started. I had never seen anything ever like it before. While Paul kept playing on the piano, Greg was beating on his guitar with a mallet, Roy was hitting a bass drum and a cymbal, and Darren had left his drum kit was playing on the piano and mic stand with his sticks. It all grew together and they took apart the drum set and just started playing the drums individually and using EVERYTHING on the stage as a percussion instrument as Paul ran across hitting things and playing the Rhodes. This went on for about three minutes and then they play their final song of the night, 'Reset'. As they left the crowd went crazy and it seemed that everyone in the venue realized the greatness they'd just seen even if they couldn't fully comprehend it all.

The stage was a mess. Drums, sticks, guitar picks, effect pedals were strewn everywhere it seemed. It was like a painting by Picasso: beauty in disarray. I look at my awesome Star Wars watch and it reads 12:52 then a thought enters my brain that I should probably call my father. I call and he sounds tired. I tell him the show's ever and he comes to get me. I ask him what he's been doing for the past four hours as I get into the car. He looks at me as visions of him getting in bar fights and street races dance through my head and kills those visions very quickly by saying, "Well, at first I started driving around Cleveland, then I found a parking garage so I fell asleep there." What's sad is that doesn't shock me at all and what's even sadder is that's precisely what I would have done...

In The News : Student Driver the Victim or Freak Backing-Out Accident

2007-04-03T15:49:00.000-05:00

T******, OH - We hear often of teen aged driving and the risks behind adolescents taking their place behind the wheel of an automobile. As a safety measure to at least partially counteract these risks, laws have been put in place which allow young teens to receive a learner's permit, known in slang as 'temps', which allows them to take the wheel as young as fifteen, in the presence of a parent or any adult approved by the parent, aged twenty-one or older.
However, a recent event has triggered heavy debate and discussion in the city of T****** as to whether or not these young teens should be given legal permission to take the wheel, regardless of the presence of a parent. On April 3rd, at approximately 3:35 PM, a young teen, who has asked that his name not be revealed, was backing out of a friends driveway after dropping him off at his residence. Shortly after entering the roadway, a crash was heard, and the driver was in a ditch, a place no teen driver should ever have to find himself in.
In an interview, his friend describes the incident: 'Well, he drove me home, and it was fairly smooth. He swerved once or twice, nothing too bad. Of course I cannot expect him to match up to my skill and prowess behind the wheel. When we got to my home, we shared in a quick joke and I exited the vehicle. As I began walking up my driveway, I heard a slight noise, sounding as if someone had maybe fallen off of their bike or something. I turned around, and there it was. My best friend was in a ditch, and I was consumed by shock and worry. Smoke was billowing from the inside of the car. As I ran towards the car calling his name, I could only imagine what had caused something like this to happen. Most likely, he was distracted by thinking of how amazing I am and how lucky he is to be my friend. As I got closer, I saw him getting out the car. Half of his body was burned to black, and I could see where the fire caused his skin and his shirt to become one. It was purely repulsive. Lucky for us, his mother was at the scene and knew exactly what to do. She opened a can of Pepsi, the family favorite, and used it to it's full capacity so that it may douse the fire down to nothing but mere embers in the back seat. Then, she told us to push her out of the ditch. Dumbfounded by what we just saw, we obeyed her order and pushed her, successful on the first attempt. She got out, my friend got in, and the events that ensued were nothing lacking normality. I thanked God for our good fortune and went on as if nothing had happened.'
Although things ended well, future victims of the same freak accidents may not be so lucky, as was discussed at a community meeting only hours after the event. Community voters will decide in only weeks, through a vote, whether or not adolescents as young as fifteen should be allowed to be behind a wheel without any formal training beforehand.
Until any further updates, here is a dramatization of the event. All persons present are paid actors and do not resemble any persons at the scene.

Championship Game Preview Madness

2007-04-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

I haven't written about March Madness yet. It's sad now in hindsight. I was too worried about overdoing it. I was scared I'd complain and cry about every bad game I picked (Tennessee over Ohio State was definitely ill advised and biased) or brag and ponder how I'd spend my money after I got one right (VCU over Duke was pure genius and biased) so I refrained from talking about March Madness at all. Now all we have left is one game and it's over until next March.

Anyone who knows me or reads this blog a lot knows that I hate Ohio State. Now they are in the National Championship game against Florida for the second time in 3 months in two different sports. This, along with the fact I have Florida winning it all in every bracket I filled out, is turning me into a de facto Gators fan.

When Florida slaughtered Ohio State back in December, my heart was filled with joy. Greg Oden looked lost and trapped against Joakim Noah, Chris Richard, and a crippled Al Horford, but this team has improved more than any other over the course of the season. I don't know if people are comparing Mike Conley Jr. to Chris Paul or not, but if they aren't, they should be. He has the ability to take over a game when Oden is in foul trouble and he has been for most of the tournament. What's most amazing about this is there have been some instances where the Buckeyes have seemed to flourish even without Oden on the floor (such as the overtime period against Xavier). Cook, Lewis, Butler, and Harris are all great shooters, which comes into OSU's advantage should they get down and need a lot of 3's to catch up.

And then you have the Gators... This is the best starting 5 in college basketball without a doubt. These guys could have the 8 seed in the NBA's Eastern conference right now. Simply getting to the title game two years in a row has made them one of the best teams in history, probably the best of the new millenium thus far. Their post men should have no trouble giving Oden fits down low and they know how to stop OSU's smaller line-up because that was what they had to do back in December.

I said that OSU has improved more than any other team in the country over the season, but I don't think they've improved 26 points worth in the last 4 months. To me, it's like Dan Shanoff said today, this game is the exact reason they all came back for another year of school and they are not going to let it go to waste. And plus, Florida looks like they party more than Ohio State so if they play like they party, it won't even be close.

Also, I need a Gator victory to win my pool this year...

Greg Oden Can Smile, Corey Brewer Likes Them Young, and Joakim Noah Likes Them All

2007-04-02T00:37:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month, Free Darko linked to album of NBA players pictured with random people aptly named "Ballers w/ Randoms". Deadspin then linked to it and things just took off.

On Saturday, during the Georgetown/OSU game, I was reading The Big Lead's live blog of the game and they posed the question if anyone had ever seen Greg Oden smile. As soon as I read that, I went on a quest. I found a picture of Greg Oden smiling and so much more...

I also found pictures of Kevin Durant, Aaron Gray, Mike Gansey, J.J. Redick, and even Billy Packer. You can view them all here.

The rest of the collection can be found here.

A Sad Farewell

2007-04-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

Vicious G has been here since the beginning (almost). As soon as Josh and I founded this one January night we immediately thought Vicious would be a genius addition to the staff here. He originally posted a review of the Brothers Martin cd and then moved on to some deep posts and even posted some funny questions from his funny mind. He didn't post very often, but when he did, you knew for a fact that it would be a post of quality.
Recently, Vicious G has become engaged, an uncle, is working on his masters degree, and is also recording his debut cd. With all these other committments he has decided that he can no longer invest the time needed to continue on with us. We are all sad to see him leave, but do not worry. Josh, Jay, and myself will carry on without him. I just worry that now we will only be the best blog in a 36 mile radius or so, but we can retain greatness without him. It will not be easy, but we will try the best we can.

Farewell Vicious G, we hardly knew thee.

My Mind Is Blown

2007-03-30T01:55:00.000-05:00

I went up to Cleveland tonight to see Mute Math at the House of Blues.
I wanted to wait at least an hour to post this so I could get some perspective in case I was just a slave to euphoria.

That was the best show I've ever seen in my life. No other band has ever topped what I saw tonight. He Is Legend, Showbread, Anberlin, Lovedrug, Copeland, Project 86 or any other band I've seen has anything on what I just witnessed.

I still can't fully wrap my mind around what I just saw.

Full concert review should be up sometime this weekend but for now, here's a drum solo Mute Math style.

VIRB

2007-03-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

Hey friends,
I decided to write while i'm on my lunch break because i found some interesting stuff out. I was listening to the XXX church podcast and they had Michael sweet, lead singer from Stryper on there. But what i found more interesting is they had a few new segments and one of them was called geektec or something like that. anyway, there's a new social networking site out called Virb. It's made by the guys who made purevolume.com. What they were talking about is how this site is doing something totally different where you won't see those sensual advertisements on there, actually you won't see any advertisements at all. Plus, it suppose to filter out all the spam, phishing, semi-porn, etc. from there site unlike myspace which floods in there every single day. another thing is that you can customize the page anyway you want. The only way people customize myspace is to find designer codes to load on to their page or know a lot about html code. Virb is supposedly make it user-friendly to do your own customizing.

This is not a "christian" alternative to social networking. VIRB has no political, religious affiliations. I think i'm going to set up an account to see how it works

Vicious' Long Lost Brother Was Right: Mencia Really Does Suck Big Balls

2007-03-28T20:25:00.000-05:00

I said just a few days in the Blog's Offical Introduction, I said that we wouldn't talk about Carlos Mencia unless it was about him sucking really big balls. That's why this is being posted.

This story has been pretty well circulated lately. Joe Rogan called out Carlos Mencia about stealing jokes on stage, but come on, that was Joe Rogan. Who even knows who that is? (okay, I admit once I found out he was the host of Fear Factor I knew who he was) Now, Menica has upgraded to stealing from the masters of the craft. Bill Cosby is a legend in the comedy world and this video shows Mencia deliberately stealing a bit from Cosby almost word for word. It's ridiculous.

I can understand the logic in thinking that if you steal from an unknown comic, you won't get caught but this is different. I hate Carlos Mencia even more than I did before.

Vicious' long lost brother was right. Carlos Mencia does suck big, BIG balls.

My 2 Picks for Acceptable TV

2007-03-27T20:22:00.000-05:00

OK friends. I choose the joke chasers video and also this one. Homeless James Bond.

Acceptable TV

2007-03-26T21:30:00.000-05:00

OK friends, I was watching the whole acceptable.tv show on VH1. It's a show that plays 5 short TV shows and you end up voting on which 2 out of the five too keep and which ones get canned. You can also upload your own videos for the world to see. Here is a video of one of the shows: Enjoy!!!!

Peyton Manning: Funnier Than Paid Comedians

2007-03-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

I haven't really watched Saturday Night Live in a really long time. I watched it occassionally with Will Ferrell in the cast, but after he left it went dramatically downhill. It was even worse than before. At least with Ferrell, you were guaranteed at least one good moment from him. I gained back some interest after the genius that was 'Lazy Sunday' then lost it again after I realized it still sucked. Timberlake cutting a hole in a box was pretty good too, but 2 good sketches over the course of a year? Not impressive. Now they have three thanks to Peyton Manning hosting. I actually watched a full (new) episode of SNL last night for the first time in years. I expected him to be totally awkward at hosting and drag the episode down. This was half true. There were times he seemed very awkward, but he was the highlight of the show. He was exponentially better than the paid actors and comedians. Here's my favorite sketch from last night. It made me laugh out loud at least four and a half times.

The 'Official' Introduction to 38 Radius Land.

2007-03-24T00:34:00.000-05:00

Alright guys, I should've done this to start out with, but I didn't get to. Within a few minutes of the blog's inception, Josh decides to log onto my computer and post about how he feels like an alcoholic. 'Nice job Josh. Now we don't get to post a proper introduction to the people' I said. He didn't care. He failed to comprehend how much more important introducing this blog was than his proclamations about Pepsi and alcohol were to the grand scheme of things. It wasn't meant to be that way, but that was how it happened and there was no way to correct it until now.
Jay just commerated our 100th post tonight and now I am finally getting around to writing the introduction, the dissertation, syllabus, white paper, take your pick. Anyways this is it...

Topics to be discussed:

-Music. We all like music here. We've got a varied taste and we will write about it as we please.

-Dumb people. You can't really stop stupidity. You can only sit back and mock it. Idiots are here to be mocked and we are here to mock them.

-Amazing people. These people are much more rare than dumb people and they deserve to be commended. Including (but not limited to) Andrew Schwab, Josh Scogin, Rasputin, Edgar Allan Poe, and ourselves.

-Stories of our existence. Many weird things have happened to me over the years and I'm certain weird experiences have fallen upon Josh, Vicious, and Jay too. I mean those ones about stealing chinese food, crapping in a lake, and the weird homeless guy that took our picture in California all need to be shared someday....

-Japanese Culture. Back in September, Vicious and I were browsing the internet at some absurd hour and game across a Japanese game show on YouTube. We have been hooked ever since and it is now our job to spread their amazingness throughout the world. Any culture that has a gameshow where punishment is getting spanked or nailed in the junk is a great culture if you ask me and they should be commended for their amazingness.

-Serious Posts. Yes, sometimes we get all insightful and decide to write something of actual significance and meaning. For me, it often comes after staying up too late and listening to too much J. Tillman, Damien Rice, or reading a book by C.S. Lewis. Either way, if you ever feel bombarded by these deep posts and don't know what to do. Go back in the archive and watch these Those always improve a day.

-Vincent Price. see 'Amazing People'

-Anything not listed below.

Now for part two here are the

Topics that are Strictly Forbidden:

-Satire. Satire and sarcasm are both low forms of humor that are overused and therefore, we shall avoid using them at all cost here in 38 Radius Land.

-Our ordinary days. This is not a journal or a diary for us. I'm not going to come home and be like 3:42 PM "My day was rough. I spilled my coffee on my shirt and it looked funny all day." That stuff is gay and not for us.

-Celebrity Gossip. What's this? You give a crap about Angelina Jolie adopting a kid? And you insist on calling celebrity couples by a combined name like TomKat or Brangelina? That's awesome, no really, it is. Tell me all about it as I drink ammonia flavored with arsenic.

-Carlos Mencia. Unless it is about him sucking big balls, BIG balls.

-Wilmer Valderamma. See Carlos Mencia. He annoys the bejeezus out of me.

-She Who Shall Not Be Named.

The Goal:

To spread our awesomeness throughout the galaxy until all are infected and have the dream and hope of becoming as awesome as us and even though their quest may be futile, they will have succeeded in trying.
Also, if we could get a really hot commenter that I could start dating and eventually have children with that would be awesome too...

UnderOath:Define the Great Line, A Review

2007-03-23T20:15:00.000-05:00

Before you read this review of UnderOath's latest release, Define the Great Line, I suggest you visit www.pluggedinonline.com and read some of the the reviews they do on secular music in which misinterpretations are in abundance.

UnderOath-Define the Great Line

Pro-Social Content
None

Objectionable Content
Taking the Lord's name in vein seems to bring great joy to vocalist Spencer in many of the tracks, laced with this filthy obscenity, such as the track 'There Could Be Nothing After This' (Oh God, everything around me...). The title of this track suggests doubt in an afterlife spend with our creator whilst the track 'A Moment Suspended In Time' suggests a crude sexual encounter between two unmarried teens (So lay back now and take it in...). Salmarnir features an unknown man speaking in Spanish, suggesting approval of illegal immigration, in contradiction to where President Bush stands on the issue. Yet another sexual reference taints this album in which voyeurism is suggested on the track 'Returning Empty Handed' (I Am Being Watched/This is Overwhelming...). The track 'Casting Such a Thin Shadow' suggests that the singer does not need the LORD to live his life (I'll take this on my own), while "Moving for the Sake of Motion' boasts yet another use of our good LORD's name in vein (Oh, My God). The track 'Writing on the Walls' suggests the drummer/singer's desire to listen to vulgar rap music, which he seems to miss (...and how we missed your beat again). The track 'Everyone Looks So Good From Here' makes references to a teen who has reached a state of complete emaciation as a result of an eating-disorder (I swear I've slipped right through the cracks in the floor). The finishing track seems to exhibit even more support of the aforementioned illegal immigration (Set your sights to North and press on).
Summary Advisory
Overall, a filthy disk inside and out. These young adults should get their acts together before stepping into the spotlight and trying to raise our teenagers. The obscenities that lace this disk show that these young boys still have much maturing to do, and much Prozac to take. UnderOath? Call it filthy smut. Don't let your children sign themselves under this oath.

Great Moments In Game Show History

2007-03-22T21:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, I was talking with Vicious one night and Family Feud came up. We started going through YouTube and came across lots of documented stupidity. Here are two of those great moments...

I have absolutely no clue how you come up with those answers. It was filmed in the 70's, but that's about the only possible reason I can come up with. Josh could've even gotten a better score!

Did he plan this beforehand? If so, why on earth did he choose turkey as that one word to use as his continuious answer. I admire that man...

Christian Alternatives: Do it RIGHT, For the Love of God!

2007-03-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking, as well as talking to many a Christian friend of mine [meaning around....two people], and the things I have been telling them fall somewhere along the lines of 'Christian Metal [with exceptions] seems to me a watered-down version of the real thing'. Not just metal, but the whole 'hard music' scene in general [check out Pillar, P.O.D., Thousand Foot Krutch]. This got me started on a whole chain of thought revolving around the concept of Christian musicians/media and the market for Christian merchandise trying to sell stripped-down [comparable to fat-free] alternatives to youth-group kids across the globe. I put together a few specific things, and they are as follows:

Bible Man.
Are you freaking kidding me? Look at that. Can't have our kids watching Superman stomp a mud hole in the arse of Bizzaro, and God-forbid they should witness a good ol' blue-collar beating at the hands of Wolverine or Spider Man. This hero delivers a beating of a different kind, a good hard Bible-thumping!
Moving along.....

Godtube- The Christian YouTube alternative. http://www.GodTube.com
Man, are you kidding me? Talk about gee-ay-why, this is a good, healthy and neo-nazi way to keep your kids from watching those filthy videos of the dude inflating a condom on his head through his nose. If you REALLY new how to raise your kids, i don't think this would even be necessary, you stupid 'I work 16 hours a day and therefore have no time to instill proper values into my children, so I'll let GodTube do it for me' parents.

MyPraize- The Christian Alternative to MySpace. http://www.MyPraize.com
What? Great way to keep kids from getting raped via the Internet! What makes you think a pedophilic murderer is going to look here, and say 'Nah, I won't rape a Christian, I ain't dirty like that'? Man, if you're stupid enough to get raped by some pedophile that found you online, it's bound to happen no matter where you go. Ever heard of a Catholic Priest? But man, spelling Praise with a Z sure makes this site much more edgy and appealing to teens.

Testamints- The Mint With A Message
What? Stay away from the Ice-Breakers, 'cuz if you enjoy an Ice-Breaker, you're breakin' your way to hell! Enjoy this Testamint instead! Not only do they taste all too much like the wrapper they were placed in, but each individual candy, as well as the whole package, has a nice little Bible verse printed on the side! What a great way for you to never open your Bible again! Genuine time spent with God in reading and prayer? Naaaaahhh. Crappy mints with tiny little versus printed on them? Yes, please!

If you would do it right, I wouldn't HAVE to watch violent comic-book movies, or listen to that vulgar secular music.

Reflections of Saint Patrick's Day

2007-03-21T11:06:00.000-05:00

Hello Everybody,
Saturday I celebrated Saint Patrick's Day with my fiancee up in Cleveland. At 7:30 in the morning we went to Saint Patrick's Parish in Cleveland. It's a Catholic church and monastery that was erected in the mid-to late 1800s. The architecture in there was magnificent. After the long mass, the church had a free breakfast with eggs, bacon, biscuits and juice. After that we went to the Renaissance hotel by tower city so we would have some place warm to go to after the parade and also so her grandparents could see the parade while indoors. Overall the day was fun. Say a parade, watched the Fred Martin car guys hour block extravaganza, and ate a lot of broccoli.

My reflection focuses on my thoughts about St. Patrick. Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland around 400-500 C.E. He is credited to bring Christianity to the Emerald Island and bring the death of pagan religion out there. One legend tells how he used the shamrock as an illustration about the Trinity. Because of his contributions, that's why Ireland has a huge Catholic faith.

My frustration comes from how the day people celebrate St. Patrick is an excuse to get drunk, fornicate, and to be a bunch of wild heathens. First, the bars open at 8:00 in the morning. Sweet i can get drunk all day and probably get a DUI and maybe run over a kid. Second, at the parade, there were so many drunk people there that a group of girls were holding on to each other while walking because they couldn't walk a straight. Also, a man came out from the crowd and attacked a firefighter who was marching in the parade, good thing the cops threw him to the ground and arrested him. Third, Walking back from the parade, there were 2 guys dressed in green pimp outfits and one of the ladies who was walking in front of me made a comment about how she loved to suck on his balls. Man, i bet when Saint Patrick was Alive, he wore a pimp suit too while being a missionary. Those pagan women probably wanted to suck on his balls too. Lastly, As Laura, her dad, and I were driving home we had a green light and there were kids walking across the street and almost got hit. Breaking the law on St. Patrick's Day, Sweet, I guess i can go and kill people or pee on a cops leg.

My main beef with this is what was the church doing to help prevent the lewd traditions of Saint Patty's Day? At Mass, the bishop talked about Saint Patrick's life but never challenged the church or said anything profound or life changing. What have the protestants done to address this issue, Have church parties and pot luck dinners probably.

To think that Patrick went to rid paganism out of Ireland and to be an example of spreading Christianity to the ends of the earth. Now it look like pagan influence has had the upper hand on Patrick.

Unusual Marketing Strategies: The Japanese Edition

2007-03-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

Jay just posted about the Japanese boy band Green Leaves and before that and since, we have been looking steadfastly for more and more Japanese entertainment. I recently stumbled across a Japanese commercial and Jay found another so I'm showcasing them here....

I've seen this commercial probably ten times now and I still have no clue what on earth he is advertising. Some people say it's an energy drink, others say beer, hot sauce, and one even said vinegar. Quite frankly, that information is irrelevant when you have something of this genius. Whatever it is, I would buy it instantly if I saw it. And once again, I simply can't fathom how he's gone from this to being the Governor of California. He should've used this as his campaign video, such a wasted opportunity...
Why is he so troubled he must leave?
How can he fly?
Why's everyone getting all happy at the end?

Nothing on earth can prepare you for that. I don't know if this is already going on in Japan or if it's hinting at a future civilization and either way, I'm not sure how I feel about it. That music in the background is so obnoxious and just plain odd too. I don't drink too much milk, but I may have to start soon. I just want to know what sookey means now...

Happy (Satirical) St. Patrick's Day...

2007-03-17T23:38:00.000-05:00

Ah yes, basically the greatest day of the year, March 17. It's freaking St. Patrick's Day baby and this year it falls on a Saturday and let me tell you, St. Patrick's Day on a weekend is much greater than St. Patrick's Day on a weekday. If you have to ask why then you are clearly not my kind of person, but if you must know let me just say that work and hangovers do not go well together. This year there are no worries though. Just go to the bar and drink! It will be amazing and this is the only day of the year that green beer is readily available and that is simply an offer that no one should passs up. Green beer! I know it's been around for a while now, but I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that such a technology exists. I know you can probably get some green beer the day after for cheaper, but no one wants to do that. Then it just seems like you're drinking algae or something and there is nothing fun about drinking algae.

I know I'm not really Irish, but I don't think it matters. I have a U2 cd somewhere, but since they don't sing about screwing or drinking, I can't really respect them too much. That's not the point though, that makes me an honorary Irishman. I also saw a Colin Farrell movie or two so that counts towards my Irishnicity too.

I also love it when I see some oblivious idiot who isn't in the spirit of the day and isn't wearing any green. They don't know what they are getting themselves into. A lot of people say that pinching people on St. Patrick's Day for a lack of green is childish and immature except for with your best friend or with a lover and then it's sweet, but that is crap! They know very well the consequences of their choices; it's that simple. If you don't wear green on March 17, you are getting pinched. Call me immature, I call you stupid.

Someone asked me the other day if I even knew who Saint Patrick was. I thought he meant the starfish from Spongebob, apparently he didn't. Why does it even matter? All that matters now is that I get to drink excessively and not have to come up with an excuse for it. Priests can whine all they want about the secularisation of it, but I don't care. This is what ol' Patty would've wanted.

Anyways, I'm gonna go out to the bar for now and who knows, maybe I'll get lucky if you know what I mean. Oh boy, I just crack myself up.

The Lack Of Stars Or Actual Celebrities In Shows Promoting Such People

2007-03-17T22:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, it turns out the fourth season of Dancing With the Stars is set to begin. I have never watched the show, I simply don't think I would enjoy it. Well, either that or I'm scared I'd start watching it then become hopelessly addicted then lose any self respect or manliness I ever had. Well, seeing that a fourth season is beginning (I had no clue it'd even been on that long, dang!), I started thinking about other reality shows that involve said celebrities or stars. Celebrity Boxing, Skating With Celebrities, and Dancing With the Stars immediately came to mind. Let's name a few of the people featured on these shows...

Dave Coulier (Uncle Joey on Full House)
Joey McIntyre (New Kids on the Block member)
Todd Bridges (Willis from Diff'rent Strokes)
Danny Bonaduce (Danny Partridge from the Partridge Family)
Barry Williams (Greg from The Brady Bunch)
Drew Lachey (98 Degrees member and Nick Lachey's brother)
Kelly Monaco (actress on General Hospital and in Playboy a lot)
Willa Ford (released one cd in 2001 and was also in Playboy)

I don't think any of those people really qualify as real celebrities unless you go back a few years (or decades). I mean, I still wouldn't watch these shows if you put Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Tom Cruise, or Justin Timberlake was on the show. Mike Tyson though, maybe. I guess I have nothing to complain about since I don't watch any of these shows, but it just seemed odd to me...

(EDIT: I did actually watch Celebrity Boxing when it was on. I was younger and the thought of seeing a 7 and a half foot man (Manute Bol) fight an almost 400 pound man (William Perry) and seeing Screech and Horshack fight seemed like quality entertainment. It wasn't. FOX must've done a hell of a job advertising or something)

Vicious' Long Lost Brother

2007-03-17T21:52:00.000-05:00

That's right, ladies and gentleman. Our very own Vicious seems to have a brother that either he never told anyone about, or that has song since been estranged from the entire St***** family. Here he is, and I was surprised to see that Vicious part II was actually saying something I agree with in this video, Carlos Mencia sucks.
Here he is, and don't tell me he doesn't look like the late great ViciousG:

BIG balls.

The Teenagers of Today: Lazy, Ignorant, Unoriginal, Every Other Negative Thing You Can Possibly Concieve

2007-03-15T19:41:00.000-05:00

As I look around the LBC during a senior class meeting, I cannot help thinking to myself, 'Are you f-ing kidding me? These shet-bags are gunna run this country someday?' Man, I am embarrassed to be a part of this generation. You know why I only have four, maybe five friends? Because if I tried to associate myself with any more of these absent-minded mini-wastelands, I would become a robotic retard like them. We were in the LBC to listen to a guest speaker. It was 9/11, and this guest was telling us of his experiences with the attacks. He was right there, working in the building, and had a rather perilous journey to the floor level so that he could escape the soon-to-be level tower. It was great; I enjoyed it. I appreciated what the man had to say. After the man was done speaking, there was an open question-answer session. People asked questions, some of which were good, but these all came from the teachers. For example, this gentleman talked a lot about how he owes his survival to God and how God was merciful to him. Mr. Obney asked about the man's faith [if he lost or gained any, how it was altered]. A decent question. You wanna know what the genius teenagers asked? Heres one: "Ummmmmm has being a part of the attacks like, effected how you feel about the war in Iraq?" The gentleman, dumbfounded by the stupidity of the question, gave a little chuckle and explained that he did not want to get into politics. Are you serious? This is how my generation thinks. It's all the same crap that you hear about every freaking day, and so the only thoughts that pass through their ingorant skulls are the same trite, worn out, conventional BS that gets mentioned every freaking day. This man was caught in the middle of the attacks of September Eleventh, and all you care about is how he feels about the war in Iraq? Totally irrelevant. A few more questions were asked, fairly trivial stuff, but nothing too stupid. THEN, another retard raises his hand and is called upon to ask a question. Wanna know what he says? Well, he says this: "How Do you feel about President Bush?!" The LBC erupted with laughter. The guest, dumbfounded tenfold the last time, snickered yet again, and explained [AGAIN] that he did not want to go into politics. Heh. Bush. The War in Iraq. The only things teenagers care to debate about these days are abortion and gay marraige. You know why? Because it's been pounded into their skulls since the turn of the century, and they don't care to think outside of the stupid sheltered worlds they live in. They only care to know what they are told by their parents, the media, or by the Democrats and Republicans that sold this country out in the first place. Think outside the box? No way. Heck, teenagers have been INDOCTRINATED by advertising, they only know to think outside the BUN. Empty vessels. Go to school. Go to work. Aspire to go to a 'good' college. Get wasted. Get laid. Grow up, die, and turn into a filthy pile of ashes that was once food for hungry maggots. These are things that EMBODY the stupid generation into which I was born. The generation before me is breeding hatred, war, violence, and greed. As their children, we bathe in it, and it is worse than bathing in our own excrement. The filth and grime is everlasting. The fact that we are so absent-minded makes our indoctrination easier. Must it be that hard to think for ourselves? I has been done! Think of the generations before us. Think of the revolutions. This is the crap that the world will be destroyed by. The filth that we are raised with, and accept in complacency. Never stop to consider. Never question why. The more you quesion, the more genuine your beliefs come. That is why I feel solid in my faith in God, and this will only become more so. We must not know our history very well, then. Because we are repeating it. Genocide, territorial religious wars and death at the hands of the collective masses of tunnel-visioned self-indulgent tools. You may read this and think I'm talking about Bush or the military or something, but it goes far beyond that, and the horizons will stretch towards infinity. And before we get there, we will have long since reached a state where escape is impossible. There will never be another revolution in which there is clear resolve, even if only temporary. The only people that exist anymore are these empty-headed children, and the exeptions may be too afraid or just not motivated enough to do something. Someday I will find out if this includes me.

*I am fully aware of the fact that I am a teenager. I am not claiming myself to be better than any of these people. If you think otherwise, we'll take it outside.

Micah's Albums He Really Likes: Part One

2007-03-15T19:38:00.000-05:00

mewithoutYou-Brother, Sister
I remember hearing mewithoutYou for the first time back in 2002 when they premeired the video for Bullet to Binary. At first, I thought it was far too pretentous and just not good. I ignored them until 2 years later when I heard their new song, January 1979. It was good enough to convince me to buy Catch For Us the Foxes and eventually I got their first cd too. I saw them at Purple Door in 2005 where they put on one of (if not) the best shows there. When I got their newest cd, Brother, Sister, it blew me away. You really can't talk about mewithoutYou unless you mention Aaron Weiss' poetic lyrics which will blow your mind if you're into that kind of thing and this cd showcases them brilliantly. They are not afraid to try things other bands would never think of and use many instruments that are rarely ever used in rock including an accordian and horns are present throughout. This is their most brilliant, experimental, and accessable work so far and yet it's still not for everyone, but if you want to hear an amazing band at their peak so far, get this now.

Copeland- Eat, Sleep, Repeat
Just like you can't talk about mewithoutYou without mentioning Aaron Weiss' vocals and lyrics, the same goes for Copeland with Aaron Marsh's voice and lyrics. When it comes to guys with voices such as his, there is a very fine line you don't want to cross. You usually come off as having a beautiful voice or being wimpy. He has no problem making his vocals shine and really set this cd apart. He also writes the best songs about love you'll hear these days. This is the perfect cd for lounging around reading a book or thinking about someone you hold dear. I wouldn't really know, but it seems like it would be good for that.

Starflyer 59- Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice
Indie rock pioneers Starflyer 59 has one of the most extensive catalogues in all of music that includes 10 full length albums and 5 EPs and for whatever reason, this is the one that stands out in my mind. Jason Martin is the only member to appear on all the albums because sf59 is essentially just him and whoever else backs him up which changes from album to album. For this cd, it was only Jason and drummer Frank Lenz, which led to a much more simplified sound. Lenz also made a lot of string arrangements that make some songs such as Night Life, just that more amazing. The only complaint I can muster about this cd is that it is only 9 tracks and 32 minutes long. But even that isn't really a complaint because when the music's this good, it's just that easy to listen to it over and over again.

Underoath-Define the Great Line
Jay mentioned this album in his favorites and it was definitely a good choice. Like he said, their first Solid State release with Dallas Taylor was great, then Spencer joined, Aaron took over a lot of the songwriting, They're Only Chasing Safety came out, and they joined the screamo elite. Sure it was an alright cd, but I just couldn't accept that it was Underoath. I was fairly tentative since I bought this cd as soon as it came out and I was very pleasantly surprised. The thing to me that makes this cd stand out so much is that Spencer no longer just screams, but he yells, talks, screams, growls, and covers the whole gamet of vocal techniques. Musically, it isn't as complex as a lot of bands, but it definitely gets the job done. Great cd if you ever feel like kickboxing a rhino.

Green Leaves: Undeniably the Best Japanese Boy Band in Existance

2007-03-14T14:04:00.000-05:00

Thats right, ladies and gentlemen. I have recently discovered the single most amazing boy band in existance, GREEN LEAVES, of Japan. If you want to see what I mean, just watch this video, for the song entitled 'Yatta'. I apologize for the bad quality, but you will be able to see enough:

Like what you see? If not, I apologize, but these are some amazing performers. Never in my entire life could I have thought to pull something like this off, and if I had, I never would have thought that screaming girls would come in droves to see the live show. My hat goes off to you, Green Leaves!

And thank YOU Micah, for further opening the door for me to YouTube, and showing me the joy that it beholds. This would not have been possible without you.

NASCAR: Head Contributor to World Destruction, Brick-Layer of the absent-minded redneck lifestyle

2007-03-12T22:11:00.000-05:00

Man, To think that back in my day I was a fan of NASCAR. That's right, folks. Between the ages of eight and twelve, I, THE Jay, was a fan of the single most asinine sporting event in history. Yeah, #24, Jeff Gordon. That was my boy. But Lately, I've got beef with the sport, and here's why.

Look at that crap! Do you know how many of these things are wasted during a NASCAR event? When last I checked, there are 43 partakers in these events, and often times they travel up to 500 miles to complete the AMAZING feat of driving in circles faster than their competitors. If my math is correct, that is a total of 21500 miles driven. Drill in ANWAR? Well, we wouldn't friggin have to if these rednecks would find something productive to do, like put some nice siding up on their friggin' trailers. Here is the answer to the fuel crisis, my friends. What makes it worse is the fact that the nerf-hurder that fills up the cars during a stop spills a bunch of the crap all over the place.

Holy freaking crap. I almost puked up my intestines when I saw this picture! Honestly. Unfortunately, this is a bulk of the retardedness I see on the net and on Television when I try to muscle through a race with my father. Not so much when enjoying the NFL or some college football. Of course, there are the drunken queers and people that paint themselves, but THIS? Come ON! He probably used duct tape.

Oh man! This circular track just BREEDS excitement! And the mere thought of 43 cars going AROUND that bad boy hundreds of times just makes me soil myself! Wait, how many times have I heard a NASCAR fan say that this sport involves skill? Countless times, which must be why you stick them all in a round track and make them to the same repititive shaithe for 5 hours. Man, turning right must be a HEART ATTACK for these fecking red-necks. Lets put them on THIS badboy:

YEAH! Not so bad now, are ya?

Come on. How do you endure this mundane crap, and enjoy it? Maybe there's something there that I just don't understand. I remember the depressing weekends where I was somehow enthused by all this.

*Disclaimer: I recognize that not all fans of NASCAR are niether red-necked nor mongoloid, but let's face it. Non-mongoloid people do mongoloid things.

Micah's Albums He Really, Really Likes: The Prelude

2007-03-12T21:44:00.000-05:00

Jay has inspired me to begin listing albums that I thoroughly enjoy, but for me, it's going to be a tad more complex. Here's how things are going to work...
1. I can't really come up with a Top 10 list or in Jay's, a top 33 (honestly, what the heck Jay?) so although I could narrow it down to my favorite albums, I'm not even going to try to list them in an exact order. I might do this with a top 5, but not all of them.
2. This isn't really a greatest albums list. That's why I'm not planning on putting Sgt. Pepper or Highway 61 Revisited (even though those are both great in their own right). Because this is more of a list for me as opposed to a list of all time.
3. It's not even what I regard as the best albums, more of what I enjoy. Although I do plan on making it fairly obvious if I think it's groundbreaking, original, or just enjoyable.
4. This will probably be far more sporadic than Jay's list (it is going to be very hard to top his best albums and vicious' worst). there's no plan whatsoever so we'll have to wait and see..

Ridiculous Metal Pics: Part One: Black Metal Edition

2007-03-12T14:24:00.000-05:00

Well hello, for all two of you that read our blog! I have decided to start, yet again, a series. I am going to post some ridiculous photos of metal bands, both live and promotional, on this site. I decided to do this because I have seen many a heavy metal pic, and due to the magnitude of the music these men [sometimes women] play, the faces they make are RIDICULOUS! The first part of the series is going to be the Black Metal edition, because let's face it, these guys need to get their crap together! I also want you to know that I will not place bands in these posts based on how much I like them, but how retarded the pictures are. Now here it is, the first post [and only one for a while, one blog can only hold so much metal without getting stupid].

Immortal- Abbath and Horgh
Wow! For such dark, evil, and fearless agents of Satan, you guys sure do look dismayed! It looks like Abbath is caught in oncoming traffic, and just can't move! The sheer amazement of the truck headed his way has frozen him in fear. Horgh, unable to help his friend and brother in Satan, can only watch and scream 'ABBAAAAAAAAAAAAAATH!' Well, looks like it's time for Horgh to move on and start a solo project. It worked for Burzum, right?

Rob Darken of Graveland
What the heck is this?! BOW DOWN TO ROB DARKEN, MASTER OF LIVE ACTION ROLE PLAY! Honestly, you'd think this guy was geared up to go on a quest to cast out THE ONE RIIIIIIIING. Nice freaking Jack Sparrow boots, by the way! Can you imagine this turd burglar waking up in the morning to put all that crap on? The mere thought of him even giving it THOUGHT is inconceivable.

Dimmu Borgir- An Earlier Line-up.
First, I wanted to let you know that I actually like Dimmu, they aren't half as retarded as a majority of the black metal scene or their absent-minded fans. Also, this is not their current line-up. The only men[?] in this photo that are still in the band are vocalist Shagrath [front and center] and pianist/keyboarder Mustis [second from left], and MY, MY do they look sexy! These amazing Calvin Klein model cum Black Metalers have cooked up an AMAZING combination of sexyness, style, and Satan! And I don't know who that guy on the far right is, but he's lookin' at Shagrath like he wants a piece of that leather-clad booty!

Cradle of Filth [if you call it black metal] live with stage performer.

Do I even need to say anything about this one?!!?!!?!!?

Moving on.....

Burzum- The Solo black metal project
Cover your buttholes tonight, folks! If you don't, that D&D mace is goin right up in there! Honestly, why would you promote your evil black music as an epic quester of the medieval era? And look at the SIZE of those freaking gauntlets! Looks like he'll be slaying dragons with that LVL 32 club of his, protected by his LVL45 breast plate[with 65 DEF points]! Man, I'll bet he can't wait 'til the boys in Dimmu come over to his mom's basement for a little 'role play' activity. It's no wonder your vocals suck, you've been suckin down all those..... hot dogs.

Did you know this retard was convicted of murder? Here's the Mongoloid in custody:

That wolf's been CAGED! Thank God.

Well, hope you enjoyed. I will dust off this series eventually, but I have decided to shift the focus of my posts. And for the record, I do not condone satanism in any way.

The 33 Worst Albums of All Time

2007-03-11T22:23:00.000-05:00

See Jay's Favorite Albums of All Time List (Parts I, II, and III).

Unusual Marketing Strategies: Part Four-ish

2007-03-11T01:05:00.000-05:00

Last week, I posted about a furniture salesman from Norton who has released a series of odd commercials for his store. I know that this is fictional and animated, but I just have to show this for reasons I'll explain in a second...

Okay, now, in order to understand why I posted this you need to go back to last week's post and let me point out some similarities between the two commercials.

The voice: Both have a low, weird voice that seems to be scarred by whiskey and lots of smoking or being hit by a car or something.
The odd opening monologue
The emphasis on credit: Both of these are fairly adament that they can help you out even if you have bad credit.
The glasses: Marc and Cardgage have these odd, big, outdated glasses that were probably cool in the 80's, but now, just aren't
Words on the screen: In both commericals, words are almost always on the screen in an indistinct, but undeniable way.
Facial Hair: Both Salesman have a nice little goatee going on
The phone number gingles

Jay and I rediscovered Senor Cardgage on Friday and this just blew our minds. They have to be associates or something, or they would have to be if one of them wasn't fictional. I just wonder if Marc influenced Senor Cardgage or if Marc based his commercials, charisma, and selling style off of Senor Cardgage. The world may never know...

(EDIT: Marc says "If you can't get credit at my store, you can't get credit anywhere!" I just wonder if that includes 'Senor Cardgage Mortgage'.)

Jay Favorite Albums Of ALL Time : Part III

2007-03-10T10:29:00.000-05:00

Here it is, the final twelve. I'm sure by know you know what the deal is. And need I remind you? No stupid comments like 'Uh, dood! Where's The Greenday?? They're SUPER HARDXCORE and liek, screw Bush LAWL!!!@!!! or 'You listen to metal? Only gay people listen to metal! You bath[sic] in horse feces and I have down syndrome!' But please, tell me how you feel about my choices in a mature and logical manner, or discuss the music in an otherwise reasonable manner. Thank you.

22) Nirvana- Nevermind
Disturbed as I am about the baby wanker on the cover, this is a good record. They are HEAVILY overrated, but they were a great band and to judge a band based on how others rate them is pure ignorance. These guys were not the best musicians [I could play anything of theirs with my fingers cut off], but technical proficiency is not of the utmost importance. Kurt Cobain was the spokesperson of a generation, and had some very interesting ideology. The grunge movement was a huge breakaway from the hair scene, which was nearly decimated by this refreshing Seattle explosion. The angst and frustration in the grunge scene CRUSHED the hair scene [thank God], and so now we have music with lyrics that mean something, whether blatant or underlying, rather than songs about sex, drugs, and parties. Rap took up that responsibility. I surprised Kurt Cobain hasn't killed himself yet....oh,wait.......

23)DragonForce- Inhuman Rampage
That's right, folks. Dragonfoooooorce! This cheesy and over-the-top power-metal band based in the U.K. struck a chord with me, and it sure felt great! So many haters,but I don't care! There is some serious talent here, our Jr. Yngwies Sam and Herman have definitely made it to the summit of Mt. Shred, and this record is so full of lightning riffing, it's flowing out of the cracks in the CD case. The vocals are clean, not many screams to speak of here, and I think ZP Theart's vocals are huge. I know it sounds cliche, but this album is epic, and the lyrics are so CORNY I read them ALL the time.

24) KillSwitch Engage- Alive Or Just Breathing
Killswitch Engage are a monster of a band, and that is not to say that they are super heavy, but they have done a lot of things no metal band would dare to do. This record is HEAVY, but saturated in melody, too. The riffs are not too complicated, but like I said before, technical proficiency is not everything, the ability to write is just as, if not more, meaningful. These guys are brilliant writers, the riffs are very dense, and sink right into your skull. They are not afraid to break the numerous stereotypes about metal. They are not afraid to be emotional in some parts [My Last Serenade, The Element Of One], and actually write songs about LOVE and HOPE, contrary to the popular beliefs of outsiders. The melody plays just as much of a role as the heaviness. The fact that this album is BRUTAL, especially in the vocal department, but melodic and meaningful as well, really hit close to home with me, because the combination here is ideal.

25)Rancid- Indestructible
Here it is again, my favorite band of all time, with their latest release. The theme of this record is that the human spirit is indestructible, and that with good music, your will can never be broken. Many people say that this record blows, claiming it to be 'emo', but I just don't see it. I think they might be thinking so because of 'Fall Back Down', but they would still be off. Tim Armstrong just got divorced from a 7-year marriage, and so he wrote this song thanking his friends for helping him through it. How can you blame the man? I applaud him for dedicating a song to his crew, as a matter of fact. This record has shifted gears only slightly, but it is still full of raw energetic punk tunes, and I was happy to see that they managed to keep it true while avoiding the same beaten path, like many artists tend to do. The evolution was smooth for Rancid, and they have yet to lose their spirit.

26) Shadows Fall- The War Within
The latest full-length from Shadows Fall [save the Fallout From The War b-sides record], this album is very polished and shows that Shad have found their niche in heavy metal. The shred is amazing, especially the arrpegiated intro to 'The Light That Blinds'. They also show a liking for the melodic stuff, with the song 'Inspiration On Demand', which itself has a rather impressive solo. This record is heavy as all heck, but singing along is unavoidable. I cannot wait until the new record, Threads of Life, hits the shelves.

27)Chimaira- Self Titled
HOLY CRAP, this album kicked me straight to the nads when I heard it for the first time!This is honestly one of the heaviest records in existence, the riffs are indescribably relentless, and the impact of the drums is ineffable. They have some nu-metal roots; their less-than-mediocre debut, Pass Out of Existence, bore a striking resemblance to Korn, slightly heavier. I figure I should let you know, I hate Korn. After that, they put out a pretty good record, The Impossibility of reason, which I like a lot, as it shows them inching their way towards finding out who they are as a band. This record was quite a step-up, but still had a few teaspoons of Korn thrown in the batter.Then, this record came out. Chimaira have found themselves, this record is, as I've said before, a real headbanger. This album has not a trace of nu-metal, it is a complete heavy metal kick to the grill.

28) Rise Against- The Sufferer and the Witness
With the release of Siren Song Of The Counter Culture, Rise Against seemed to have lost their authenticity. It was a great record, and got me into the band, but it seems a little watery compared to their other three, it wasn't as beefy. With their newest release, The Sufferer and the Witness, Rise Against are back on track with their energy, anger, and angst filled political punk tunes, filled to the brim with crunchy riffs and intricate base lines, as well as vocals and lyrics than beckon you to join the cause. Tim calls out to everyone in America and all over the world as if we have been in a deep sleep for ages [which we have], and he is the only one that can wake us up. I only disagree in a few areas, and this record does prove to be quite the wake-up call. And need I say again, Greenday, regardless of how long they've been together, couldn't hold a torch to these guys. If you LOVE Greenday, then excardon me.

29)AFI- Decemberunderground
It's time again to embrace the change, because AFI have done it again with their June 2006 release, Decemberunderground. This album is VERY different from AFI, as well as anything else I've ever heard, and so it is very difficult for me to explain the sound of this record. There are a few rockin' tunes here, but they break away from it to make musical poetry in many of the other tracks. In track like 'Summer Shudder', Davey creates freezing cold yet BEAUTIFUL vocals while Jade's guitar showers the listener in sparks. They also went into some electronic stuff here, breaking away from the raw guitar-singer-bass-drums oriented music they once played.

30) Avenged Sevenfold- City of Evil
Avenged were at one point a gothic/hardcore/Atreyu-esque band , but now, they show their love of the old school with this super heavy record, City of Evil. This record is a monster, almost as huge as the budget they had to make it. A few years ago, vocalist M. Shadows blew out his throat from the harsh vocal technique of previous works, and underwent surgery. When he came out, he underwent voice training to emerge with a new set of pipes, and he really shows them off in the record. They have thrown themselves off the screaming bandwagon, but the vocals are just as powerful as any metal scream or wail. Also, the crap that guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Sinister Gates pull off are amazing ans so tech, no wonder Gates got the best shredder award in 2004. Also, the drummer is break-neck fast, I wish I could play drums like that. While they are no longer a goth outfit, they maintain that sort of darkness in the guitar tones they use, and also in the lyrics, which often sound like they came straight out of the last book of THE book.

I cannot find the cover art for this album, so I will post a picture of this prime rib sandwich:
31)Incubus- Light Grenades
The latest record from Incubus is a welcomed change. Not like anything they've released before, Light Grenades brought some real rockin' jams to the table, but still stands tall alongside Morningview and A Crow Left of the Murder, both of which had a fair percentage of mellow jams. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the more upbeat tunes here, like Anna Molly, Rogues [my personal favorite], A Kiss To Send Us Off, and the title track, Light Grenades. They have energy to blow off this time around, and this record definitely has rubbed that off on me. It also has a couple slower ballad-ish songs, Oil and Water and Dig come to mind. The only downfalls of this album are the track Earth to Bella Part I and Part II. Aside from that, this record sounds as if Incubus died and rose from their own ashes as a new being, with their eyes set hard on a goal.

32)KillSwitch Engage- As Daylight Dies
After the release of Alive of Just Breathing, the departure of their original singer brought about the recruitment of new vocalist Howard Jones [also the manager of August Burns Red]. This was a welcome change, but the first record he performed on, The End of Heartache, was mediocre at best. I like it, but it was ALMOST one of those sophomore slumps. However, Howard has proved himself as a worthy member and valuable asset to the band on this November 2006 Release, As Daylight Dies. Killswitch Engage have really bounced back, doing again what I loved about Alive or Just Breathing, mixing up the perfect batch of brutality meets melody. From the screams of 'OOOOOHHHHH DAYLIGHT DIES!' on the title track to the persistent and hopeful calls 'We Will Not Die This Way/ This is Absolution', this record shows that they had a good time making this record, and obviously did not come up with some trite crap for the sake of pushing out a record to please their label.

33) Rancid- Let's Go!
Sick of seeing Rancid on the list? Well too bad, cuz I'm not. There's really not much to say about this album, and that's just how some albums are. This is yet another raw punk record put out by Rancid and is what many regard as thier best album. I like it a lot, there's really not much I NEED to say. If you want to know how it sounds, just ask me to borrow it or somethin.

Well, this brings about the end of the lists, peoples. Hey, maybe if you petition for it, I'll post a few more records on here, maybe 4 or 5 more. If you want it, of course.

2007-03-08T22:05:00.000-05:00

Oh G-d, this is not good. I've been awake for twenty four straight hours and now it's time for school. I was awake for the normal sixteen since I alloted eight hours for sleeping. I definitely know the importance of a good night's sleep, but as soon I got into bed last night it hit me! I was most definitely not feeling well. Instead of spending my night in my bed, I spent it in my bathroom with the toilet as my teddy bear. It was not a good night.

Now's the time I would normally wake up for school and although I have the flu, that is not keeping me from going to school! I am a high school sophomore this year and I'll be damned if I miss my first day of school since kindergarten! That wasn't even my fault, I had no liberties then. If mom said I had to go to grandma's funeral, I had to go to grandma's funeral. So that's it. One day absent in eleven years of schooling and it is not about to become two.

I have to keep this streak going. 1,864 consecutive days of school attended and it is not about to go down to zero! This isn't just about the streak though, it's about my school work. I've never gotten anything but an A except for that one B in second grade and that wasn't even my fault! Mrs. Bryant had it out for me! She thought I took things too seriously and decided to stick it to me. I would say I'd get my revenge, but she died in a car accident three years ago. That's what happens when you let karma take control of things.

I do not care that this is contagious! If they catch it, who's problem is that? It sure isn't mine, it is theirs. If I have to excuse myself to the restroom four times each class, it's their own problem if they judge me. When the teachers look at me with pity and say 'you look sick, you should go home', I won't do it. They're the ones with the problem. They have access to Purell and Vitamin C if they need it.

What's that one kid's name in my class? Micah, I think his name is. He's always talking about how he's emetophobic and has this fear of vomiting. He's a loser. If he'd build up his immunity like a real man, he'd have nothing to fear. I hope he gets sick. You have to face your fears. I guess no one ever told him that. I sit by him in English class. I'll have to make sure I talk to him lots and ask to borrow a pencil or something. Unless he starts drinking that Purell in his locker, he is screwed.

Well, I'm off to school now. It's about to become day number 1,865 for me.

This Is Precisely My Problem With Television...

2007-03-07T22:17:00.000-05:00

Right now, NBC is having to decide whether to renew their new show Friday Night Lights for a second season. The ratings haven't been fantastic, but it has gained a devoted following and great critical acclaim. Now, NBC President Kevin Reilly needs to decide whether to take a risk and see if it will get more ratings or be a financial failure despite all the praise.
My favorite TV show is Arrested Development. I own all three seasons on DVD (highly suggested) and have seen every single episode multiple times (it's sad, I know). Arrested Development was on FOX for three seasons and while doing so, won six Emmys and a Golden Globe. It also had better critical response than any other comedy on TV yet it only found a cult audience and failed to get widespread ratings and thus got cancelled after just three seasons and fifty three episodes.
This is one reason I don't watch much TV. I don't like getting attached to a show only to have it taken off the air. I told one of my friends this when Friday Night Lights started being aired oddly enough. With the Office, I am always fearful of it being taken off (but it's already been renewed for a full fourth season!). I just hate the risk of watching TV and I wish the networks would stay more committed to a show and more committed to great shows than ratings. But, it's still a business in the end....

I Thought Doubleheaders Were Just For Baseball

2007-03-06T18:29:00.000-05:00

Kent State's football team leaves a lot to be desired. This year they did better than they usually do and they seem to be going in the right direction, but scheduling two teams on the same day can't be their best decision.

If you look at the October 27th date for both of those schedules, both teams are scheduled to play Kent at home that day. According to The Wizard of Odds this is just one of many scheduling conflicts that the MAC have gotten themselves into and although I'm sure it will be fixed by October, it's still bizarre to see for now.

Jay's Favorite Albums of ALL Time : Part II

2007-03-05T15:30:00.000-05:00

Here it is, ladies. You know the drill from the first post. If not, I suggest you read Part One first. These are not the top ten of the thirty-three, so I will not bother to put them in any particular order. And as before, no stupid comments like "I L3IK DEESTURBED DOODZ, LI3K WHY ARENT THEY HERE LOL??? MARYLYN MANSON IS TEH JEEZUS!", but feel free to make comments [positive OR negative, preferably with your logic]. I will do eleven items this time. Part three will feature the final twelve.

11) Megadeth- Peace Sells...But Who's buying?
Anyone who has the cahones to rival Metallica after being kicked out for drug abuse is a respectable man in my book, and Dave Mustaine did just that when he took on the task of fronting this monster of a thrash pioneer, Megadeth. No sophmore slump here; Peace Sells is one monster of a second realease that is a staple both of Megadeth's career, AND the genre of thrash metal. The palm- muted thrashy riffs are the focal point of this record, Dave Mustaine takes on the role of lead guitarist while singing, rather than rythym like James Hetfield of Metallica. I can just imagine Dave Mustaine listening to Metallica and going 'OOOOHHH Master of Puppets!', then rolling out with the sinister track about a serial murderer, 'Good Mourning/Black Friday'. He hacks down his victims like pieces of meat. At first I was dissapointed to see that there were only few tracks [8], but this is a worthy strategy. Some artists load em on, and some of these tracks tend to get neglected as a result. Every track here is good to go, I just pop it in and let it roll. It is important for any fan of metal to go back to the older days, and this is one of those records that should be payes attention to, among many others. And with all due respect, Metallica is a great band, but Megadeth dwarfs them.

12) Incubus- Morningview
Incubus has three full-length releases before this one, and you will hear many fans say that they miss the old days, when Incubus was heavier and had the edge. I, however, am not one of those people. There are a few pretty rockin' tunes here, but the edges have been smoothed, and they break away from thier alternative-metal roots into something more mellow and carefree. I guess it's hard to be edgey when you write and record an album right next the the ocean and beach. The track 'Wish You Were Here' was what got me hooked, and its hard to describe the emotions it pours into me, but it sure is good. It makes me feel like I'm just kickin' on the beach with a few of my good friends, not worrying about the daily stresses of life. What really makes this record different from the other works of Incubus is the mellower, quieter, and more slow-paced songs, like 'Echo','11 AM', and 'Are You In?". Each one of those have thier own unique qualities. Echo has a great flow, the music is very smooth, and Einziger, the guitar player, does a few slides in there that are so smooth, it sounds like his guitar doesn't even have any frets. Are You In is a very fun song that gives me mental images of just chilling with some friends at a party and just enjoying the company. The focal point of this song is DJ Kilmore's DJ work. My personal favorite track, however, is Aqueous Transmission, a very quiet and relaxing song, that sounds like it came straight from Japan, save the english vocal part. It makes me feel like im, as the singer Brandon says in the song 'Floating Down a River', in the quiet of the night.

13) System of a Down- The Self-Titled Debut
"Announce Your Anthems On the Cieling, We Dance, Annexed By Power. Casual Neckties Embrace, The Hungry Hunger Further, Images Rule Through The Media, Commercial Orwellianism, Producing Unvieled Icebergs, Running Transparent Electrical Cables, Curving String Ensembles, Witnessed By Hangings From Flagpoles of Souls Avenged By Dr. Clock. Fresh Paint, Naked Melting Figures Mixing the Revolution Against TV Sentencing, At the Hands of Brutal Men and Thier Military Business World. LET US INVESTIGATE THE REVOLT, DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM!" I have only the slightest idea what all this means, but I sure do think the boys in System are angry, and it shows in thier music and lyrics. They are EXTREMELY cynical, and they are clever in the lyrical writing department. This album packs some serious heavy punch, and is THE album to start with if you are becoming a SOAD fan. We've all heard Mezmerize/Hypnotize, but this record is in a different leaugue, nowhere near as strange, ten times as heavy, and twenty times as good. Sure, I love thier newer works, but this blows them off the shelf.

14) Shadows Fall- The Art of Balance
The boys in Shad Did some serious homework befire jumping into making thier third record. The shred is amazing, the technique blew me away. What really stands out is Brian Fair's vocals. His vocal style has completely changed, trading in the lower bellowing for the higher [but not high] style, a style that souds more like his natural voice. His voice is no longer typical, you can hear this and say 'Yeah- that must be shadows fall'. It is also much more melodic. Also, they threw in a cover of Pink Floyd's 'Welcome to the Machine', and Fair shows that he really can sing, trashing the 'its all screaming and wailing' stereotype. The subject as far has lyrics has changed, now dealing with battling inner demons and false desires to achieve physical and mental balance, thus the album title.

15) Gojira- From Mars to Sirius
France is full of snail-sucking pansies, but the exception proves the rule. This is an exception. These French metallers show that those Euro-queers can definately rock out, and still manage to eat copious amount of le cheese. I was blown away. The riffs that couple up with relentless blast beats and double bass sear into your skull, and the playing precision is scrotum-squeezing tight. The vocals have a range of styles, ranging from dirtier bellowing to all out sreaming to angry growls to clean vocals. These guys know thier metal, and they play it well. It's no wonder Randy Blythe of Lamb of God has been singing thier praises.

16)Lostprophets- Start Something
Same deal as thier debut- a really fun record that sticks. On this record, they went a little heavier on some songs, but also realeased the radio freindly 'Last Train Home', which was worn out by the time i got this, so thank God all the other tracks stand on thier own. If you want to know anything else, just read my review for The Fake Sound of Progress, but don't let that make you think these two are carbon copies.

17)Zao- The Funeral of God
Sorry to say it, but often I feel like Christian metal is a watered-down version of the real thing *cough Demon Hunter cough*, but this is not one of those records. This album is so dark and sinister, you'd think they were in league with bands like Gorgoroth [despite sound differences]. This album is so heavy, I needed a fork-lift to take it out of The Exchange. The drums are pummeling, the guitars, while not having much complexity, compensate for thier simplicity while still managing to be catchy and raw , and extremely heavy. Dan Weyandt's vocals are HUGE and so evil sounding, you'd never associate Christianity with this. But you know God gives this record a spin every day. He has every record they've put out AND every record they'll put out in the future.

18)AFI- Sing The Sorrow
When people become a fan of a certain band, they tend to buy new releases from this said band with preconcieved expectations. This is a bad idea. Bands change and progress, and AFI makes HUGE changes from record to record. When buying new releases from AFI, you need an open mind. I was very quick to embrace this record. It is very emotional, some idiots have been quick to label this record 'emo', but I don't care what it's called. You can call a turd a turkey sandwich, but it won't be edible, it is what it is, and this IS a great record. It has some very dark elements, but it also has some upeat energy layered underneath the despair. Davey Havoc's unique and really high-pitched vocal style is unforgettable, and he isn't afraid to make them the focal point of this record, despite the fact that many call him 'gay' because of it. I don't care if he's gay, straight, or has sex with trees. This record has hooks.

19)Underoath- Define The Great Line
Many many bands fall victim to the sophmore slump. They get together and have years to spend honing thier first songs before they are signed. When they get signed, they then have much less time to push out thier second record. Unfortunately, this can be said of Underoath. They're Only Chasing Safety was a great record, but mediocre at best. It was the first one from them I heard, andI liked it, but then I heard the changing of times, and was sad at the fact that a different path, one much less rockin', was taken on Theyre Only Chasing Safety. However, I was compelled to purchase this, mainly because it recieved acclaim from Micah, and also becasue it was only five bucks. I am not dissapointed. It is heavier than the sophmore album, and they experimented a little in some ares. There is certainly more angst, and though the riffs are not and never were very complex, they are sure to bust some strings. The downfall of the album is the fact that Aaron won't shut up and just play drums.

20)Shadows Fall- Fallout From The War
Shortly after the release of 'The War Within', and slightly before the release of thier upcoming record, 'Threads of Life', Shad decided to get together and release all the songs that never quite made the cut on thier previous works, as well as some cover songs, and a couple new tunes as well. This was a brilliant idea. It's always good to hear what almost never was, these songs are all definately very worthy of space on a CD. From the pounding and thick riffs of 'In Effigy', to the searing and desperate howls and riffs of 'Deadworld', this record, though a companion piece to The War Within, stands on it's own two feet, and delivers a very powerful punch. This was a great way to feed hungry Shadows Fall fans like myself while awaiting the arrival of 'Threads of Life' on April 20th.

21)As I Lay Dying- Frail Words Collapse
Remember how I said that Christian heavy music was fairly watered-down, but there were some exceptions? Heres another one. Man, these guys definately hit me hard when I gave this record it's first listen. The European influenced guitars, blazin-fast drums,and wide open vocals make this one METAL record, I don't care what the elitists have to say for it. This record is a real headbanger, and after learning to play 6 As I Lay dying songs, my love of this record only grew. Its hard not to scream along to track like 'The Beginning', of 'Forever'.

Unusual Marketing Strategies: Part Three

2007-03-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

I am a chronic insomniac and sometimes weird things happen when you're awake for too long and seeing this commercial was one of those things. I was watching M*A*S*H on a local channel at some odd hour of the night about two years ago and a commercial for Norton Furnitue came on. Something kind of like this...

Okay, the first twenty seconds of every Norton Furniture commercial all have that same exact monologue ending with the now epic line "My name is Marc and you can count on it!" At the end of every one though, it takes an odd twist. This one ends with 'The Ghoul' trying to cut off his ponytail. The Ghoul is a recurring character in these characters who tries to cut off his ponytail. I remember one time he needed a new ponytail so he could get a new 'ponybeard'. The commercials and characters keep getting more and more bizarre, but more and more mesmerizing too.

(EDIT: Wow! I watched this video again and I hadn't really thought about this before, but that is not just a stuffed frog. There is someone in that frog suit and as the couch falls backwards he reacts. Insane!)

Concert Review: Lovedrug Storytellers Tour

2007-03-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

Last night, Josh and I once again ventured to The Lime Spider for another musical adventure. This time, instead of Josh's father going with us, this time it was my own father. My dad is much less crazy than Tim. He is very laid back, but every now and then he gets very excited over seemingly mundane things (vitamins, Family Ties, bowling, etc.). I especially find this funny, but anyways he's taking us. Once again the doorman is there marking the X's on our hands

what the heck! Josh and I get charged three dollars more because we are under the age of 21. This is bullcrap. Just because we can't get absolutely wasted on booze we get charged more money. It's just freaking ridiculous! Anyways the opening act is the lead singer of a band called Good Morning Valentine. He puts on a pretty good show with some nice acoustic songs, but he's no J.Tillman, that's for sure. After he comes off the stage, Josh and I overhear him with what was definitely the quote of the day. He said, "Yeah, it's pretty hard to drink and sing at the same time." Wow. Josh, my dad, and I were the only three people in the place not drinking or so it seemed. We go to our spot by the stage and right in front of me is two beer bottles and a half drunk glass of scotch.

Josh and I eagerly awaited the set as Lovedrug came on. They opened up with a nice renditon of Happy Apple Poison from their new cd. I had known it because of the powers of MySpace and high speed internet. They then went on to play two more new songs before doing anything that most people knew. Oddly, the guitarist went off stage after Thieving and let Michael play Paper Scars by himself on the piano. The guitarist had a major craving for more Coors Light it seemed so he played Goodbye Blue Fly on his acoustic guitar solo. He came back after that so they played more familar songs like Rock N Roll, Angels With Enemies, a Smashing Pumpkins cover and the new single Ghost By Your Side. Once again, the guitarist left so Michael played Down Towards the Healing solo. He returned for their final song and the show was over.

The show was outstanding. The acoustic set gave a whole new feel to old songs and did a great job of introducing new songs. It seemed that the lead singer, Michael Shepard, has been listening to a lot of Nirvana lately since they covered Heart Shaped Box on their latest EP and he was dressed a lot like Kurt Cobain circa In Utero/Unplugged. It's just a theory though.
This show also made me realize how good of a songwriter he is and how much they've progressed since Pretend You're Alive came out or even since Purple Door Festival.
Finally, although it seemed odd that the guitarist, Dave Owen, left the stage more than once, he definitely made up for it because he had a beard!

A note about the last post

2007-03-02T16:59:00.000-05:00

Don't mind the spelling errors. I won't fix them.

Jay's Best Albums.....Of ALL Time Part I

2007-03-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

Well, as you all may know by this point (or not), the bloggers in this little group LOVE music. And many have talked about it, posting videos, song suggestions, etc. This does not apply to me, but I love music, and sometimes it keeps me from eating a bullet. Or drowning myself, etc. I decided that I would share with all of YOU what I regard as the best albums ever made, and so I composed a list. I was able to whittle the list down to 33[alot, I know], so I will do the list in three parts. Remember, this is what I think is the best. If you don't like it, cry. I have WAY different tastes from the other bloggers in this group, I have heavier tastes, and have been into punk since 12 [hence Rancid]. When you read these lists, feel free to comment, but I don't want you to ask me any dumb questions like "WHY ISN'T NORMA JEENZORZ ON THE LISTERZ!?!!?one!!@". Just because It ain't on the list doesn't mean I don't like it. Even though there are many many items, I had to remove A LOT of bands. Norma Jean is a great band, trust me. And So is He Is Legend, Unearth, Dropkick Murphy's, etc... but none of these bands are among what I regard as the best, though He Is Legend barely missed the list. Without futher ado or adieu or adooouuugh or whatever, here is the top ten in order [item one is best] [the other two lists will not be in any particular order]:

10) Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around
I feel as though I don't even need to say much about this one. Cash was a genius, and was a legend even when he was still alive. His career spanned for decades, and he has influenced so many people. He was a great writer, writing songs that ranged from stories of personal experience to fictional pieces he himself came up with. His voice is definately very weathered by this time, and that ads great character. Though his voice has been worn, the emotion on tracks like 'Hurt', the NIN cover about the pain of addiction [something Cash knew all too well], is all-encompassing. Cash needed nothing to make thius album but his voice, his guitar, and his soul. Listen to this record and educate yourself.

9) Mastodon- Blood Mountain

They gave us Remission in 2002, and Leviathan in 2004, and this record definately takes the cake as the best Mastodon record. Of course, all three of the works by these Georgia natives are gems, but this surpasses the others. The vocals have a different approach, where they focus less on blowing thier throats out and more on making the vocals one of the focal points of the record. You can hear many of thier musical inflluences in this one [Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, lsd], and the range of styles is great. I should also mention that the drummer is regarded by many as the best in the business. Every track is an instrumental orgasm, you can tell that all four of these strapping young men spend a lot of time in practice. They show thier love of many different styles, but this album is still pretty freaking metal, and one of the heaviest albums in existence. Even is you don't like metal, give it a listen. And if you don't like it the first time, keep listening. You may learn something.

8)Flogging Molly- Drunken Lullabies
I was only 13 when I bought this record, and it is far from wearing out it's welcome on my CD shelf. They love punk, and they love irish music. The singer/ guitar player also loves his home country, Ireland. All three of these things show on the record. They have a drummer, a bass player, and a guitar player. They also have a fiddle player, accordian player, and a couple members who play whatver they want [mandolin, flute, banjo, etc.] This record of full of energy, you can tell they love thier music [and booze]! It makes me want to river dance [sober, of course]. This cd ads some unique flavor to my mainly-metal CD collection. Its so hard not to get into this, and the man's lyrics have such fluidity, once I had them memorized, litening to the record became a new experience.

7) Flogging Molly- Within A Mile of Home
Two Flogging Molly Records in a row? Yep. Its just that good. They keep it fresh with this one. They aren't ridin' the same wave, but you can tell it's Flogging Molly. This album is not only fun, but it has been filled to the brim with emotion, and the energy was in abundance during the making of this record. They are skilled with thier instruments indeed, and this record makes me want to go to Ireland really freaking bad [so I can drive on the right side of the road and get smashed by a truck].

6) Children of Bodom- Hate Crew Death Roll
Sweden has given us some great metal acts. Arch Enemy, Soilwork, In Flames, and CHILDREN OF BODOM. I was blown away with this record. It's thrashy, heavy, dark, angry, majestic[yeah, I said it], and melodic, all at the same time! Alexi Laiho is a true guitar virtuoso, and plays some crazy stuff, singing at the same time! The keyboards add a GREAT feel, and there are even a few keyboard solos! The keyboards add a pretty dark atmosphere, and are the reason why I said majestic just a minute ago. These guys are not your typical run-of-the-mill metal band. They stand on their own two legs. Also, if you read the lyrics, you'll know that Alexi wants to get out there and beat the crap out of someone.

5)Rise Against- Revolutions Per Minute
Frontman Tim McIlrath's passion for politics and dissatisfaction with the state of America have made for some great songwriting material. This ain't Greenday. Greenday wish they were as good as Rise Against. This record is very edgy, full of angst, hopelesness, and it's even pretty cynical at times. The chords rip through your skull while the drums makes your heart explode in a bloody mess. Some songs are so rockin' I've busted my LOW E playing them [Heaven Knows, track 2]. The passion in Tim is so great that it has poured over into me, and I wish I could take his place at any given moment, as the frontman of RA. These guys prove that you don't need to do all the fancy stuff with your instruments to be a great songwriter, such was the case with Kurt Cobain. All you need is a passion for music, a worthy cause, and a freaking soul.

4)The Black Dahlia Murder
It's in thier videos. Headbanging in a graveyard. Headbanging in a cement room. Headbanging in a Church. Headbanging in a gorilla suit. The Black Dahlia Murder LOVE to headbang, and this is one headbang-inducing record. Its so freaking morbid that it makes you dream at night of digging up the body of your dead lover and doing er...passionate things to it. Such is the subject in thier lyrics. Trever Strnad obviousely loves horror movies, and they have released two horror records. The lyrics paint some very vivid pictures, once they release enough records, it will be like owning hundreds of horror movies. The drummer is INSANELY fast [even though they go through drummers like toilet tissue], and the riffs are sharp as a chainsaw. It's like both guitarists are there in front of you smacking you in the face...with laser precision and semi truck-like heaviness. They LOVE tremolo picking, and I think that this is what makes the record such a head-banger. Also, when I listened to this record, I thought there were two vocalists, but I was wrong. Trever is doing the high AND the low, and I thought that was pretty nice. This record makes me want to go headbang in a graveyard. In bright orange beach shorts.

3)Shadows Fall- Of One Blood
Before the making in 2000 of this second album, original singer Philip Labonte was replaced with Brian Fair, and LORD it was a good idea. He conveys such vehemence and fury through his low pitched screams, I ran away crying when I heard this record for the first time. He also conveys a sense of passion and solemness when he sings clean, and this is also reflected in the music, where there are fast, blazing, heart-attack riffs, but also some pretty intricate acoustic riffs, usually behind the clean vocals. Also, our guitar duo, Matt Bachand and John Donais, prove that they had chops even before the 'War Within' days. Suck a great record, so early in their career.

2) Lostprophets- The Fake Sound of Progress
I heard these guys for the first time five years ago, and I've been hooked ever since. This group from wales have some fun making thier music, you can tell. Listening to this record gets me going, and once the spring weather arrives, it is customary for me to neglect homework, pop this record in, and just enjoy my day. The tunes are so rockin', I could listen and forget about any burdens I have on my heart. And as of recently, it makes me nostalgic, probably because I got into it so long ago. I have fun listening to this record. The DJ rolls out. The singer has a great voice. 'Nuff said.

1!!!!)Rancid- ...And Out Come The Wolves
Rancid. My favorite band of all time. This is a masterpiece. These guys are punk, but you can tell they love thier reggae as well. The songs make you move whether you want to or not, and you can tell that these guys got by with thier love of music when they were growing up on the streets. The voices are great, but many would argue that Tim sounds like crap. I love it. Both Tim Armstrong and Lars Fredricksen gang up on the vocals, and the turnout is great. Much like Miasma, the stories on this record paint a vivid picture, though much less morbid. Not many people like punk, but these guys are unlike many of the others. And by now, they have tons of experience. Also, the bass is insane! Matt Freeman is a master of the practice, adn I'm sure many a bass player has commited suicide after hearing his amazing skill.

2007-03-01T22:21:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty weird after that last post so I went on a hunt to find something that could redeem myself. This is what I found....

I'm sure that Josh, Vicious, Jay and I have all spent lots of time doing utterly pointless tasks that we thought would be cool, but never did it end up to be something this awesome. (well, except maybe for Vicious G's Oh! rap)
As I watched this I wondered how long this must have taken to come up with, then execute properly, then film and edit. Their grades can't be too good...

video courtesy of Deadspin and With Leather.

2007-03-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

If we can't count on tigers and monkeys to fight, then what is there to know anymore?

(I think ABC Family is already in pre-production for this movie

EDIT: I feel really weird about posting this in hindsight. It's been a slow day...

This Made My Day...

2007-02-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

I am a pretty devoted listener of the Relevant Magazine podcast and every week they have a random question of the week and they welcome reader feedback. This week's question was 'If you could genetically create a new animal with two existing animals what would it be and what would be its fatal weakness?' or it was something along those lines. A listener named Brian Dulaney sent in a work of pure genius and I'll let him close this post out...From Brian Dulaney: The Koally Fish is a cross between a Koala and a Jelly Fish. Koally Fish live in the sea and eat seaweed. They are cute and love to snuggle. Indigenous to the waters of Eastern Australia, Koally tentacles drift behind them as they float along in the sea. Koally Fish tentacles do not sting; they tickle. Koally Fish carry their young in translucent pouches for 9 weeks.
Koally Fish have one fatal flaw: an insatiable appetite for affection and cuddling. This makes Koally Fish unusually vulnerable to poaching which has put Koally Fish at the top of the endangered species list.
Poachers lure the unsuspecting Koally Fish to their vessels of slaughter by blowing them kisses and gently singing nursery rhymes. The Koally Fish drifts merrily toward the poachers expecting snuggles only to be met with a swift club to the head. Their meat is then packed and shipped to Japan where Koally Fish is considered a delicacy. Those who have tried Koally meat compare the taste to gummy worms.

And The Winners Are... (or should we call them losers?)

2007-02-27T19:33:00.000-05:00

Vicious just posted about some Academy Award winners here and although the Academy Awards are to view some of the best in Cinema, there are also the Razzie Awards. The Razzies aim to recognize some of the worst films of the year. Here's some of this years "winners"...

Worst Picture: Basic Instinct 2
Worst Actress: Sharon Stone "Basic Instinct 2"
Worst Actor: Marlon and Shawn Wayans "Little Man"
Worst Director: M.Night Shyamalan "Lady in the Water"
Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment: RV

The full list can be found here

Questions from my funny mind

2007-02-27T11:19:00.000-05:00

Do you know what's funny? A kid moving his arm up and down so the truckdriver can honk his horn.
Do you know what's funnier? A trucker moving his arm up and down so another trucker can honk his horn.
Do you know what the funniest is? A trucker moving his arm back and forth so that a car can honk it's horn.

What is dumb? People who post a million bullitians on Myspace in a day.
What is dumber? People who post a crap load of bullitians so i can see their new pictures everyday.
What is the dumbest? People who post a crap load of bullitians to whine and moan everyday.
What is sad is you probably have a friend on your list that fits all of these. i know i do.

What is worst than a cold shower? A shower with poison gas.
What is worst than Geraldo's Mustace? Rosie O donalds beard.

Once apon a time there lived a Burger King and a Dairy Queen. They lived in a White Castle and had a son named Carl Jr. who liked to play with his Jack in the Box.

The Facts About Pillar...

2007-02-26T20:35:00.000-05:00

This video basically epitomizes precisely what it is I love about Showbread so much. It's just umm interesting to say the least.

But then again, how would I have known that Pillar were fake grass people with caramel corned piggy banks that cause eels to grow out your nose and whatever else they said. I don't know what to think anymore...

A Conversation Between the Showdown

2007-02-25T22:56:00.000-05:00

Band Member 1: "Dude, our last cd rocked!"

Band Member 2: "Yeah! Total metal assault that rocked people's faces off!"

Rest of Band: "Yeah! Total Metal Assault!"

Band Member 5: "People got snake bit like crazy! It was lethal heavy metal!"

Band Member 1: "And people got electrocuted because our metal is so freaking high voltage!"

Rest of Band: "Yeah! Snake bit and electrocuted!"

Band Member 1: "Okay, A Chorus of Obliteration has been out for a year and a half now so we should probably start working on a second cd."

Band Member 2: "I say we make a total metal assault!"

Rest of Band: "Yeah! Total Metal Assault!"

Band Member 1: "Actually, for this one, I'm thinking about not having a total metal assault."

Band Member 2: "What?! Are you kidding me? Our mottos are "High Voltage Metal" and "Git Snake Bit". You simply can't get snake bit or electrocuted by sissy music."

Band Member 1: "I'm aware of this, but don't you guys remember that Maylene and the Sons of Disaster concert we went to. They were rocking people's faces off, but they were playing a southern rock sound and I think that'd be something sweet to do."

Band Member 4: "But weren't they still metal?"

Band Member 1: "Partially. We don't have to be total High Voltage Metal, but we just have to say we are."

Band Member 3: "Guys, I love Maylene and I think toning it down a bit could be cool, we simply can't do it."

Band Member 1: "What are you saying? You don't think we can expand our horizons and bring southern fried metal to the masses!"

Band Member 3: "No, it's just that I have 'Heavy Metal' tattooed on my arms and when I got that done I was assuming that all our cds would be a total metal assault like our amazing first cd and that we wouldn't release a totally sissy follow up album."

Band Member 1: "You bring up a good point there. Okay, let's have some old 80's metal riffs and then we can just use those to make everyone think that we're still recording a metal cd!"

Rest of Band: "That's a good idea!"

Band Member 2: "Do we still get to use our mottos 'Get Snake Bit' and 'High Voltage Metal'?"

Band Member 1: "Of course we do! Remember, we have to market it as a metal cd."

Band Member 5: "Should I get rid of my second bass drum?"

Band Member 4: "Yeah, you probably should keep it just in case, but odds are we won't need it."

Band Member 3: "Oh! I bet I can manage to mess around with my amp and settings and get some clean distortion."

Band Member 1: "Whoa! I didn't even know such a thing existed."

Band Member 2: "So what should we do about the lyrics?"

Band Member 1: "Definitely a Jesus rocks, Satan sucks thing. How about for the title we do 'To Hell With the Devil'?"

Band Member 3: "No way, Stryper already did that 20 years ago."

Band Member 1: "Oh, I thought it sounded familar, but it was pretty cool too. I mean you use the word hell, but you're not cussing and since the devil's already in hell, it just.."

Band Member 3: "Yeah, we all got it."

Band Member 5: "How about 'Temptation Come My Way'?"

Band Member 1: "I like that because it makes sound tough and that we're ready for a challenge and temptation can't beat us 'cause we just rock so much and the temptation will get snake bit in the process!"

Band Member 3: "Yeah, we all got it."

Band Member 5: "Let's go to a NASCAR race!"

Rest of Band: "Yeah!"

My Insanity Documented

2007-02-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

I just spent about 25 dollars to win one cd on eBay. This wasn't even a two disc or three disc set or box set or anything of that regard. It was a 9 track cd. I don't really know how I feel about this. I bought J.Tillman's first cd, I Will Return. The only real justification I have about this is that only 100 were made and that it was autographed so it's nice knowing I'll be one of the only people in the world that own this cd, but it better one heck of a cd.

and the Oscar goes too...

2007-02-25T20:14:00.000-05:00

2007 Academy Awards

Best Art Direction: Pan's Labrynith
Best Makeup: Pan's Labrynith
Best Animated Short: The Danish Poet
Best Live Action Short: West Bank Story
Best Sound Editing: LEtters from Iwo Jima
Best Sound Mixing: Dream Girls
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin - Little miss sunshine
Best animated feature: Happy Feet
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Departed
Best Costume Design: Marie Antoinette
Best cinematography: Pan's Labrynth
Best Visual Effects: Pirates of the Carribean: dead man's Chest
Best Foreign Film: Lives of Others - germany
Best supporting female actor: Jennifer Hudson
Best Documentary Short: The blood of Yihuzi district
Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvientant Truth

For those of you who want to know the rest of the winners....
.... find it yourself.

The Wii is Victorious (for one month at least)

2007-02-24T16:14:00.000-05:00

This is data is about a month late old now, but the Nintendo Wii was the best selling video game console of January. Here's the totals

Nintendo Wi- 436,000
Sony Playstation 2- 299,000
XBox360- 294,000
Sony Playstation 3- 244,000

Microsoft dominated the month of December though selling over 1.1 million XBox's (first and second generation) while the Wii sold 604,000 in a distant second.

What is most staggering to me about this figures is that the PS3, with all its hype and technological capabilities continues to finish in third place of the new consoles. Although the PS2 is still selling very strong, that probably won't keep up for too much longer. It's almost like Sony tried far too hard in developing the PS3 and made it too expensive and harder to get. Eventually the PS3 should catch up depending in large part on when they decide to lower the price. These selling figures only take two months into account. It's hard to determine the successfulness of a console like this in four months, but thus far the PS3 has dug itself a hole that it desperately needs to get out of.

One Man Star Wars Trilogy

2007-02-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

The One Man Star Wars Trilogy with Charles Ross is in Akron currently from Thursday to Saturday and tonight, my aunt took me to go see it since she was aware of my Star Wars fandom. I had actually seen the guy do a little bit before on Late Night With Conan O' Brien so I at least had a bit of a clue what I was getting into. It was all in all, a very, very funny and enjoyable evening. He took the audience through all three original Star Wars films in the course of an hour by himself as he acted out every character and did all the dialogue and music himself. Most of his imitations were dead on and the subtle humor and exxagerations he added made it even better. If you ever get the chance to see him, I highly suggest it.

The Office: Cocktails

2007-02-22T23:30:00.000-05:00

A few immediate thoughts

Why on earth is Jan attracted to Michael? I am dumbfounded by this. I can't really comprehend it. I like Michael, but it's more out of pity and empathy than anything else. The whole going in the bathroom thing to make out I would've expected from Michael, but definitely not Jan.
Finally! We get on air confirmation that Andy is indeed in anger management. I just wish there was a timeframe on his return.
I feel bad for Toby. He's always getting picked on by Michael and he's been trying to ask Pam out since the season premeire. But whatever happened to his friend from the gym?
It seems like whatever line Creed says just steals the show, makes you laugh, and kind of creeps you out sometimes too. This episode was no exception. (although Dwight actually was probably even creepier this week)
Haven't Stacy and Kevin been engaged since the beginning of the second season? I remember him saying she sometimes took trips away without saying where she was going and now it's complicated. This needs sorted out somehow
When Roy said "Come On!" I could not help but think of G.O.B. Bluth from my other favorite TV show, Arrested Development.
Whoa! I was browsing Office Tally and this is a priceless insight..
"when Dwight was in that kid’s room, my first thought was 'Wait, the cameraguy was waiting around in there too.'"
Finally, I am happy to see Roy out of Pam's life finally and if Roy goes crazy Jim could be out of her life too. I'm curious where the writers will go from here. The only thing I'm certain of is lots more unresolved sexual tension.

These People Have Skills.

2007-02-21T23:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, ping-pong is a major hobby for both Josh and I. Whenever we get together at my house, some mad games are bound to ensue between the two of us, but I must say, nothing quite this mad has ever happened at my place or anywhere else between us. This is just madly insane...

I'd say they're roughly about 5 times better than Josh and I, but no more.

EDIT: I hope I can be forgiven for using the YouTube label even though this is technically from Google Video. Also I found the video courtesy of We Are The Postmen

Finally!

2007-02-20T19:33:00.000-05:00

This is a day I have long awaited. Not only is this the day of the new Anberlin cd (I might put up a review of it later), but the first season of Family Ties came out today. This is the show that launched Michael J. Fox's career and it also features probably the greatest TV dad ever! (yes, even better than Danny Tanner) Steven and Alex P. Keaton are two of my favorite TV characters ever. It is just a flat out amazing show altogether, but it is often overshadowed by other shows like The Cosby Show, Cheers, or Full House, which is ridiculous. This show was great and I await watching all these episodes soon.

Here's an old TV ad for the show from the 80's, enjoy.

Unusual Marketing Strategies: Part Two

2007-02-18T15:05:00.000-05:00

I stumbled across this video a little while ago and needless to say, it's one of the greatest videos I've ever seen. This commercial is phenomenal and well, just watch it and I'll say more in a second...

On terms of a clever jingle, this is pure genius. I hate to say this, but I've had it stuck in my head before. It leaves a mark on you and not the weird kind like that Snickers kiss commercial.
If I ever need to buy furniture, I think it would definitely be worth the long journey to go to Alabama and get it from the Flea Market Montogomery. I mean, after all, it is just like a mini mall.

(I'm sorry if this has been circulated before, but it's worth posting again if just ONE person hasn't already seen it. It's just that good.)

It's A Good Thing Alligators Can't Naturally Live In Columbus

2007-02-17T00:43:00.000-05:00

As I've stated previously, I am not a big Ohio State supporter and I find some of their fans obnoxious. Courtesy of The Fanhouse, I found a video that showcases their hatred of all things not related to their Buckeyes.
Apparently, before the BCS Championship Game, there was a challenge between OSU and Florida set up by Nike to see which school could run the most this January. Florida won and a statue of their mascot, Albert, was set up on the OSU campus. What happened to it is shown in this video...

I want to point out a few things about this video though. I'm sure that if OSU had won, Florida fans probably would have done the same thing to a statue of Brutus. Also, I'm sure it's much easier to run in Florida than Ohio in January weather. It's just funner to make fun of the OSU fans for me.

Upcoming CD Releases: Anberlin

2007-02-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

Anberlin is releasing their third album, Cities, February 20th and I can not possibly overstate how excited I am for this. In the Tooth and Nail press release, they talk about it like it's an epic third album like OK Computer or London Calling. Although, I'm skeptical about it being tremendously groundbreaking, I have no doubts that it will be incredibly fun to listen to and that the musicianship and vocals will be superb. If the songs I've heard so far are any indication, this will be a phenomenal third release and figures to be one of the better releases of 2007.

I am also very excited for Stephen Christian's solo project, Anchor and Braille, to be released. From what I've heard, it also figures to be amazing. He recorded it with Aaron Marsh from Copeland so I'm waiting for more news on that. They released a 2 song vinyl, which I would be the proud owner of if I had a record player so I have to wait until this cd comes to fruition.

Concert Review: Showbread

2007-02-11T00:10:00.000-05:00

Alright, as I posted previously Josh and I went to a concert on Thursday night.
Our friend Wyatt and Josh's dad also came along with us.
Josh's dad is an interesting character. I simply don't even know how to begin to describe Tim Jamison. The first thing you must know about him is that he has very bad adult ADD. He is also a very, very large fan of music like you wouldn't believe. I can't stress those two things enough. I remember Josh coming up to me at a concert almost a year ago and in a time of anguish told me, "Micah, I'm so sick of having to explain my dad to everyone that I meet." And that really sums up Tim for you.

The concert was at a venue in downtown Akron called "The Lime Spider". It was odd, all of us had been there before, but never together. I've frequented the bar over the past few years and have seen bands such as Lovedrug, Dead Poetic, the Pits, Family Force 5, and Relient K there. It's really not the greatest place, but I still like it anyways.

We park just a 2-3 minute walk away from the venue and we leave our heavy coats in the car because who wants to be rocking out with a winter coat on? This was not our smartest decision of the evening. We spent the entire walk screaming out random variations of "Holy Crap! Good Lord! It is so freaking cold!" and just stuff like that. We sprinted down the paved hill into the venue and paid our money to get into the Spider. It's odd that our tickets, being under 21, cost us more than Josh's dad by three dollars. I guess they figured that he'll get wasted on drinks and that we won't.

The entry to this place just makes me laugh on the inside every time. You pay your money and the security is amazing! The bouncer makes a giant X on the back of both your hands so they can tell if you've paid or not. I guess there must be something distinctive about this X that makes you unable to draw them yourselves or if he just has an amazing memory to remember if you've paid that night, but either way it makes me laugh. Also, I think he kind of looks like Kim Jong Il.

Josh and Wyatt both brought dinosaur hand puppets to have signed by the members of Showbread to honor the fact that their newest cd is entitled "Age of Reptiles". I didn't bring anything to get signed because that is so immature and plus, all my Showbread paraphenelia had been signed at Purple Door.

The local band that opened up the show was Hey Sandy . They were from Canton and I had never heard of them before and they did very good. They were a lot better than my expectations would have been for them. It also didn't hurt that their lead singer danced like Aaron Weiss and their guitarist reminded me of Jonny Greenwood.

Next up was Tyler Read, a new band signed to Immortal Records. I had at least heard these guys before from MySpace and they had impressed me, but they too surpassed my expectations. The lead singer had great presence and energy and the whole group played with lots of energy and cohesion. I am very excited for their debut cd to come out on April 3rd now.

And then came what we had all come to see, Showbread, and we were excited. (well obviously, we all absolutely love this band, think Josh Dies should run for President, and they have one of our favorite shows too!) They came out in their matching black pants and green shirts to kill us all with their Raw Rock. They opened up immediately straight into Centipede Sisters and continued the killer set for the next 50 minutes. Throughout the set, frontmen Josh Dies and Ivory Mobley gave us little bits of history for Black History Month. How else would I have known that Night Of The Living Dead was the first horror film to have a black leading actor? They merged songs together throughout the night mashing up Oh! Emetophobia! with Stabbing Art To Death if I remember correctly where they went through the first song and then straight into the second half of the second song with no break. It was a great way to keep the show moving, but it confused the heck out of me when I initially tried to figure out what song they were playing. The only real complaints I can muster up about the show is that both Josh's and Ivory's mics were turned down far too low and that they didn't play 'Welcome to Plainfield Tobe Hooper' but that second complaint is just a personal preference. They ended their show with Mouth Like a Magazine, but came out and did Dead By Dawn for a (tremondous) finale. One thing that made that even more amazing was since I was in the front row, Ivory let me use the mic for a sec and since I did the ending for Dead By Dawn, I guess I technically closed out the show which made me feel pretty cool.
This was really a fantastic show and as I await the release of the Tyler Read album, I have some Showbread that I will be listening to for a little bit until then.
Go see these guys if you get the chance, you will not regret it.

I Have To Admit, We Are Very Excited

2007-02-08T16:35:00.000-05:00

Josh and I are once again going on a little trip together tonight to the Lime Spider in Akron to see Showbread. We are both very, very excited about this and I think that's actually a rather large understatement. We saw Showbread together once before at Purple Door Festival in August. They put on a fantastic show, one of the best there bands there. They also had a fantastic selection of shirts (although they ran out of smalls far too quickly) and the band was generous enough to even talk to us after the show (Josh Dies is probably the nicest, down to earth band member I've ever met actually)
So yeah, we're pretty pumped about this. I just called Josh and he said that this is the most excited he's ever been for a show. I wouldn't go that far, but I'm still pretty pumped.
Review and stories may should be up tomorrow if enough interesting things happen...

Gilbert Arenas Is A Risk Taker

2007-02-07T22:23:00.000-05:00

Gilbert Arenas recently made a bet with his teammate, DeShawn Stevenson, in practice one day that he could make more one handed three point shots from the college line than Stevenson could with both hands from the NBA line. This was also no small initiation bet, but a 20,000 dollar bet. Although that doesn't effect them nearly as much as it would a typical person, but that's still a lot of money.
Here's the video and a great recap of the events.

Gilbert ended up winning the competition and the 20,000 dollars, although he had to use every distracting tactic he could possibly think of.
My favorite thought about this comes courtesy of The Fanhouse where they poing out that due to the difference in salarys, Stevenson losing 20,000 dollars is the equivalent of Arenas losing 237,397 dollars. This is insanity at its best form and that is why I love Gilbert Arenas.