Look At These Stars

Last night, my e-mail on my iPhone went off notifying me that my pre-order was ready to download...two days early! I hurriedly ran the iTunes app and was surprised to see that the album would actually download off the 3G. Of course, I am entirely biased as I can't tell you how long-awaited this album was for me personally. Their previous junior release of "Out of the Vein" was practically the soundtrack for my life when it was put on shelves in 2003. I have lived that album on and off since high school graduation and really appreciated the musical and lyrical values that were entwined in it. I had to wait six years for this, but it was incredibly well worth it.

Third Eye Blind's "Ursa Major" is mixture of the classic Third Eye Blind style that we all began loving in the late 1990's along with some new, (for lack of a better word) trendy styles reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens and Beirut. The pain in the lyrics of some of the songs like "Why Can't You Be?" which sounds like a man positively begging for understanding from an ex-girlfriend as she harshly informs him that she wishes he was a more consistent lover (like that of her shower head). It's a very Stephan Jenkins song that is amusing and morose.

Another song named "Water Landing" reads to me, in the first couple of lines, a lot like Ben Folds song "Landed" which I realize now I didn't put the two titles together until now, but the resolution in the words and the tone of the lyrics are quite similar, to me at least.

All in all, I don't think you'd be wrong to buy this CD. Don't judge this band off what you may see as a hiatus from the pop/rock market. They aren't making this music for you, they're making it for the universe and music for that purpose is in incredibly short supply lately. It is available for mass release tomorrow everywhere...iTunes at midnight.

[kyle]

P.S. Please also check out Roman Alexander and The Robbery which is another obscure find that I can credit to my always consistently musical friend Chad Stanner who has become their keyboardist. They play every Tuesday evening in Fullerton at Bourbon Street. Look them up!

Report Something Worth Listening To: Educate Me

I realized again, this evening, that my faith in the American public (on the whole) is shattered on a [week]daily basis. This is one of those things that makes me wish we were less of a free nation. The network news organizations (if you can stretch that term enough) have finally done exactly the opposite of what they set out to do: they now fail to report the news to the public.

When I turn on one of the major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, etc), I expect to see local, national, and international happenings, but lately, I see news on what Perez Hilton is doing or what crap happened at the Teen Choice awards. I don't care about that stuff, it's better suited for TMZ.com (which also shouldn't be given a time-slot on television either, by the way). Those "news" organizations are for entertainment news, not for actual news. I want Fox to cancel their entire news for the day, and begin giving the government 30 minutes of un-interrupted (non-commercial) time for them to essentially read what pressing stuff that matters. You know, what the great Walter Cronkite did in the glory days of American news. Nowadays, the only "free" culture in the world that reports actual news and not 90% fluff pieces is the BBC...GOVERNMENT RUN NEWS.

If you know me at all, you know how opposed to government run anythings I normally am, so why the turn for the news? Because, we as a people have strayed so far from the path of actual news that I think the government's press offices would be better suited to give us a 30 minute broadcast of their making and the private news can stay on cable/satellite for the 24-hour-coverage of what new crazy person is MJ's children's parents. I don't care about that crap.

That's enough about all that, but what do you think (all three of you)?

[kyle]

Look What Wii Did

If you were a fly on my wall, you'd probably hear (at least once a week) that I think Kimberly is adorable when she's angry. I try not to provoke her, but it's inevitable that it happens (if you know me at all). Since she is (was supposed to be) gone this weekend, I was thinking about a particularly funny incident that happens some months ago that led me to know about a weird habit Kimberly has: she buys expensive crap when she's really mad.

I couldn't even tell you what on earth I had the nerve to piss her off about, but I was (as I usually am when we start these tiffs) at work engrossed in some computer screen or audio console when I said something (via text) completely and utterly insensitive and out-of-line. She abruptly (and for good, good reason) stopped text-ing me back and I "let" her soak in the silence for the rest of my shift. This is so common of me to think that I'm punishing her by not talking. Stupid me.

Upon my arrival at our lovely apartment at the time, I heard some really loud noise coming from the TV and emerged to find the two dwelling women playing Raymond's Raving Rabids for the Wii. Oh yes, she was so angry, and decided to show me, that she went out, spent her own money, and bought the most awesome gaming console of the decade. Ouch.

Of course, this entire story is true and it is written dripping with jest and sarcasm, but it is one of the little, tiny blessings-in-disguise of my wonderful Kimberly, that I love. She gets so pissed off sometimes that she spends money on something epic. I mean, there's thousands of things she could (and probably should) do to me, but she buys electronics.

Reason 421 that we're meant to be together: "I buy useless stuff all the times I'm not mad, she buys useless stuff only when she IS mad."

This story accompanied me to work today on my drive. It made me smile, but then made me look at the clock to realize that once I landed from being in the clouds, I was 33 minutes early for my shift. FML.

[kyle]

P.S. Kimberly surprised me today (not nearly an easy task) and came home early. She was waiting for me (as if to pounce) just outside my door to Audio Central. We watched the parade and she went home and I went back to reality.