Nostalgia 2010 - Volume 2: When Music Was Fun

When music was fun...CDs were bought at the store...not downloaded.


When music was fun...A rockband was something that sent you home with your ears ringing after a blistering set...not 5 buttons and a whammy bar.


When music was fun...

It was all about the "One" solo


When music was fun...

Alice In Chains' "Would?" made you stop doing your math homework to bang your head


When music was fun...

The first three chords of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" raised the Angst-Meter to the max


When music was fun...

Tool's 46 & 2 kept you awake at night, kept you digging for the meaning.


When music was fun...

Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell" made you turn the volume to 11 (R.I.P Dime)


When music was fun...
There was nothing in your head behind the starting blocks but the opening to "Motorbreath"



When music was fun...
"Machinehead" made you drive fast and "Comedown" slowed the speed

When music was fun...

Janine Lindemulder graced the cover of albums.


When music was fun...
You had the time to listen to Billie Joe whine


When music was fun...

"Chinese Democracy" was a fantasy...NOT a reality


When music was fun...

"Ride The Lightning" helped you fade to black every night.


When music was fun...
You wished you understood what Jeremy said in class today
(and then you watched the video, and wished you never new)



When music was fun...
Music was your aeroplane



When music was fun...
"Nothing Else Matters" was how you got together

When music was fun...
"Interstate Love Song" was how it fell apart.



When music was fun...
"Spoonman", "Outshined", and "Black Hole Sun". 'nuff said.



When music was fun...
One stage. Four guys. 2 hours...non-stop. July 14, 2000. Summer Sanitarium. Candlestick Park...The last time music was fun.

Nostalgia 2010 - Volume 1

Nostalgia has crept silently into Your Humble Observer's mind recently. A wave of realization washes over me: not ten years ago high school was a time gone by. The fantasy of flying away from the nest toward new horizons rapidly evolved into reality. The years to come would bring new, exciting, daunting, and humbling experiences. All on the path to making me the person that I am today, and the person I will become in the future. Let's examine some of those warm fuzzy feelings from the past over the next few posts. Let us begin with the soundtrack of my life...

Holy Wha?

And you're offended as a Christian?

NO! I'm offended as a medical professional!

Life, Liberty, and A Hands-On Government

Christ! Let me be the first to welcome you all to the United Socialist States of America. Way to go Messiah Obama!

USSA

It is no longer the United States of America if companies are NOT ALLOWED TO FAIL. I don't even know where I'm living anymore. Sad part is, my industry's next...and "we" are welcoming it with open arms.

Aww HELLZ NO!

Listen, I'm barely getting over delivering babies for 15 and 17 year olds. Don't be draggin yourself into my Labor & Delivery ward...

"She's a 66-year-old successful career woman about to become a first-time mom. Elizabeth Adeney, now eight months pregnant, will be one of the oldest new mothers in the world."

Story

Sometimes You Have To Take Matters Into Your Own Hands

Is it wrong that I found this STORY somewhat funny?

Nareg's Poll of the Day - Armenian or Persian?

I conducted an un-scientific poll over text message today. It was regarding the ethnicity of a doctor at the hospital I am at right now. For reasons of privacy, I will not reveal the name here on the blog, but here were the resutls:

11 people polled, percentages reflect eventual final answers

Armenian         27%

Persian             36%

I don't know    18%

Other                 9%

No Response     9%

Now, those results are not as interesting as the process of trying to elicit a concrete response. The question was "either-or". Meaning, those polled were given the name and 2 choices: Armenian or Persian. You'll notice above that at least 4 different responses were made when these choices were NEVER provided. Human nature is a funny thing, we can't stay within the lines. If proper responses were given, they were usually accompanied by additional comments. Otherwise I had to keep working to get a proper reply. Examples of responses:

"Huh?"

"What's the difference?"

"Persian Jew"

"Armenian. We think everyone's Armenian"

"Is it a Parskahye name?"

One person outright FAILED the poll. How someone fails a poll is beyond me, but this person managed, no names *cough* Diko *cough, cough*.

It was an amusing process to glean through my "data" to get actual numbers. In the end, Your Humble Observer has no better idea about the background of the name, but at least he now has new fodder for this and future blog posts.

Everyone Put Your NWA Tapes Away.

Ok, everybody relax, settle down, and don't over-react yet. I say this as someone who has already over-reacted and has calmed down and is now trying to understand...


"The Fresno Police Department launches an internal investigation after a video...shows two officers beating a homeless man during an arrest...two Fresno Police officers, seen here repeatedly punching 52-year-old Glen Beaty, a homeless man, who police say resisted arrest."

These situations present themselves to us in life, and it is our duty as citizens of the US and human beings to look at them analytically and objectively.

I was quick to jump to conclusions, yell at the television about police brutality, and consider it shameful to be a Fresnan on a day like this. But thought it better to at least examine what we know (or at least, what we're being told):

A homeless man was being put under arrest for a felony warrant (for what, I can't say). The video begins with the two arresting officers holding the man on the ground and as they go to put handcuffs on him, one officer delivers several closed fist blows to the head. The video does not show anything prior to the incident, so what prompted the officer to beat the man is unclear. According to Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer, "One of the officers was punched by the suspect in the arm. The officer had his badge ripped off of his shirt. There was also an attempt to jab the officer in the arm with a pen that the suspect had taken from the officer’s shirt."

Things to consider:
1. First and foremost, the police have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. They are constantly placed in harm's way. I don't think anyone would disagree with an officer using force if their own lives or safety are in danger. In this case, I am unaware if such a situation presented itself.

2. The main job of the police in a case like this is to arrest, take into custody, and remove from society those individuals who are SUSPECTED of breaking the law. That is all. They do not carry out punishment, certainly not before any sort of determination regarding innocence or guilt. As such, they cannot be allowed to use excessive force, by that I mean beyond what is necessary to neutralize a dangerous situation, on someone SUSPECTED of committing a crime. In this case, I am unaware of what the crime this man is suspected of nor can I say, based on what I've seen, whether blows to the head were required to neutralize the situation.

3. The police chief claims the man has a history of violence with three previous incidents with the police, including resisting arrest. Given this situation, he says, the force used may not have been excessive.

From what I can gather (please remember, we DON'T have the full clinical picture here, just shadows of truth) it appeared the man was already subdued and almost in cuffs when the officer went to the blows to the head. The video does not show the man resisting and it appears the officer may have gone overboard with his reaction. I must warn against the use of the 3-prior-incidents argument for or against the police. You can only react to what's happening now, not in times previous.
Our society cannot condone excessive physical force against the individual by any force, be it police, military, or other law-enforcement agencies. If you believe anything this country is founded on, you have to believe that all are innocent until proven guilty, AND WE MUST TREAT THEM AS SUCH. I hate to use this quote from a recent episode of 24, but truly it is the rules that make us better. It's the fact that we rise above the inhuman brutality of others that makes us a great society.
No human should live in fear of the police. They should respect them for the job that they do and the danger that comes along with that job. But we cannot just give in to overt acts of brutality, under the guise of safety. Should the investigation show that excessive force was used on this man, I hope that not only FPD, but society as a whole would stand firm against these practices, and that those responsible be held accountable.

The Toll

This is a protest. It may upset many but, frankly, this has been bottled up for some time so here we go...

"Lutzak ee parootyantz kotz, Der, jashagelov uzmarmin ko yev zaryoon. Park ee partzoons geragroghin uzmez..."
"We have been filled with your goodness, Lord, by partaking of Your Body and Blood. Glory in the highest to You who has fed us..."

Words that conclude the sacrament of the Eucharistic the Armenian Apostolic Church. The congregation, the Body of Christ, has just come into communion with one another, the saints, and with Christ himself by partaking of the Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The Church is one now.
An act of such magnitude shouldn't be taken lightly (though it is every single Sunday). It should be approached with the purity of mind and soul, and walked away from with deep reflection and awe at the sanctity of what you've done.

So then, why is it, that at this very moment, I'm confronted by a plate or a basket, and asked that my attention be turned away from this huge moment and instead focus on MONEY OF ALL THINGS?! Some churches at least have enough respect to keep these two separate, but more often than not, I'm running into the same problem. It's as if they can't pass the plate fast enough.
I'm sorry, but this is despicable. And my church is guilty of it. It's bad enough that the curse of the world is let into the sanctuary, but when it's in my face right after communion it just enrages me. There must be a better time, moment, situation for it.
I promise to double my donation on the way into the building (still not happy about that, but we must pick our battles) if we can just remove this outdated, disgusting practice from our Holy Divine Liturgy. Fair trade?

P.S. Spare me the "But that's the only way the Church can survive" nonsense. There are better ways, and you cannot justify this practice with that argument. It's wrong... PERIOD!

Mark 11:15

Train-iquette.

To the nice lady sitting next to me on the N line this afternoon:

When the ENTIRE train clears out, kindly SCOOT OVER just a little bit because, though you appear very nice, you NEED NOT BE SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME AND CONSTANTLY BUMPING MY KNEE!!!! And by the way, YES THOSE ARE DIRTY LOOKS I'M GIVING YOU TO TRY AND TELL YOU TO MOVE THE @#$ OVER!!!

*pant, pant, pant*

Thank you, I feel much better now.

This announcement is brought to you by "Personal Space". Because sometimes, the plane is broken.

A Few Good Speech Writers

"All of us who have served in this office understand that the office itself transcends the individual."
-- President George W. Bush
(And no chance he wrote nor understands this sentence. Hats off to his writers)



(This post was meant to go up weeks ago....whoops!)

Lost & Found New York City

I recently had a group of visitors (4 in fact) stay in my apartment. Following their departure and after a bit of tidying on my part I realized my guests had left me some personal belongings for me to remember them by.

Here is the inventory:

1 navy GAP top
1 English Laundry shirt complete with cuff-links
3 separate pairs of men's underwear (2 boxer briefs, 1 boxer)
1 blue towel
2 pairs of socks**
6 individual socks**
1 headphone t-shirt from Generation Records
1 faux Armani Exchange belt
1 faux Louis Vuitton wallet box containing...
1 worn unmarked non-LV wallet

To whom these items belong, please retrieve your items or they will be donated to charity.

**See photo above

Where's Liberty?

Spontaneous Resolution

First off, I hate New Year's resolutions. For all the hooplah that surrounds this holiday, the reality of the matter is that your life hasn't significantly changed from Dec 31 to Jan 1 just because the number of the year has. So why the sudden life changes...?

Still, the resolution phenomenon is pervasive in our culture, so in keeping with these obsolete traditions, Your Humble Observer has come up with a few resolutions for his blog:

I solemnly resolve to...

1. Not let "too much time" lapse between posts
2. Keep with quality observations and posting
3. Find a way to arrange the photos in a more aesthetically pleasing fashion
3. Keep the commentary as witty as humanly possible
4. Lose 20 pounds

Happy New Year everybody! May the Lord keep and watch over you all through all of 2009.




*Thanks Steph ;)

A Denial, A Denial, A Denial...

...and with these words, Kurt Cobain's voice trails off, the guitar fades, and five minutes and one second of adrenaline pumping, teenage-angst invoking, era-defining grunge comes to an end, leaving behind memories of youth and vitality.

It finally happened. The day I feared and hoped would never come suddenly sucker-punched me forcing sanguine reality to trickle from my lips. My joints seem creakier. My back aches. Has it really been 17 years since that song first rocked me out of the comfortable world of Oldies 92.9?

Today, I heard Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit played on a classic rock station. A...CLASSIC...ROCK...STATION. Pardon me if I overreact a bit. The music of my youth has now been deemed classic rock. OH SAY IT AIN'T SO (oh crap, I bet that song's next). Nirvana isn't classic rock. Led Zeppelin is classic rock. Aerosmith is classic rock. WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!?

I hope you realize that Smells Like Teen Spirit was more than just another overly distorted grunge song. That was it, that was us. It defined my generation. It was the collective consciousness of my teen years. And now.... relegated to the past.

Maybe if I crawl into bed and forget that today ever happened it will all go away. Because let's face it... with the lights out, it's less dangerous.



"Here we are now. Entertain us."

The Freedom to Disagree

I can't claim to be the biggest patriot, if one at all, but there is certainly something hallowed about visiting places like Philadelphia, where one can see the very rooms and halls where people of vision set in motion some great events in history. It's true, I don't fly flags outside my house, and I'm not moved to tears when they play "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch. You can think of me what you like, but that is who I am. So what is it that touches me when I visit places like Independence Hall?

It's not so much a love for a particular country or feelings of patriotism as it is the fact that in a place like Independence Hall a great idea was realized and immortalized in a document. There is no force on this earth, no government, military, or single institution, that GRANTS us freedom. The freedom is inherently ours, just by the mere fact that we are human. There are only defenders of that freedom. The men in that hall were not declaring anything other than what already belonged to them. They wanted nothing more than to go about their business without the constant threat of an oppressive government.

I'm not claiming that we lack freedoms in our country, but one has to wonder if the U.S. has held to the ideals immortalized in that document. This is not an accusation, just a point to ponder. It is certainly one that I pondered as I stood in Independence Hall, listening to the tour guide recite the words of a speech given by Abraham Lincoln in that very room almost 150 years ago:

"I am filled with deep emotion at finding myself standing here, in this place, where were collected together the wisdom, the patriotism, the devotion to principle, from which sprang the institutions under which we live… I have often pondered over the dangers which were incurred by the men who assembled here, and framed and adopted that Declaration of Independence… that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time… if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle, I was about to say I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it."

I just hope we have not given up that principle.