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If anyone truly knows me, they know I love music more than anything. They also know how defensive and opinionated I get about the bands I love, like, and the ones I absolutely hate (basically all rap and country.) The past year has seen the release of new albums from 3 of my favorite bands: Jimmy Eat World, Saves the Day, and Weezer. This should’ve been a banner year. But it wasn’t, and I’m sad. Very sad. Now I have to wait even longer for these guys to redeem themselves. If actual members of these bands actually read my blog, they should know these critiques come from one of their biggest fans. They should take into account everything I say so they can make a better album.

Jimmy Eat World - Chase this Light

They had 3 great albums in a row (Clarity, Bleed American, Futures) then they release this album, and its almost like they’re starting all over. I’m not saying each album needs to sound the same as previous ones, but Chase this Light feels too disjointed, more like a collection of random songs thrown together rather than a full, complete album. I love you, Jimmy. I know you’re capable of writing better songs. I still have hope. My rating = 2 stars out of 5

Saves the Day - Under the Boards

I understand this band is not for everybody. I became a fan when they released ‘Stay What you Are’ which was one of my favorite albums during my high school years, and is still one of my favorite albums. They reinvented themselves in 2003 with ‘In Reverie’ which I still hail as their masterpiece. The guitar work alone blows my mind. 2006 saw ‘Sound the Alarm’ which was almost a combination of the previous two albums. 3 solid albums in a row. So how could this one fail? First, their drummer Pete Parada left to join The Offspring (they’re still a band?) and they took the experimental-ness to a whole new level. Which is not a good thing. I enjoy a few songs from this record, but it leaves me wanting more, like they could have focused more on writing good songs than being artsy, or being different just for the sake of being different. At least I have their other 3 albums (oh yeah, anyone who thinks their albums before ‘Stay What you Are’ are the best Saves the Day records is just stupid. I guess if you’re not a fan of music you’ll like them more.) My rating = 2 stars out of 5

Now, the worst….

I LOVE WEEZER. They have written some of the best, cathiest, rocking pop songs I have ever heard. Its not rocket science to write a good pop/rock song, but other bands just seem incapable of pieceing together a good song like Weezer has in the past (Say it Aint So, Buddy Holly, The Sweater Song, El Scorcho, Hash Pipe, Beverly Hills, etc. etc.) When I first heard ‘Pork n’ Beans’ on the radio, I thought, “Weezer is back!” The guitars were reminiscent of the Blue Album (goodbye, line 6 pods), and although the lyrics were rather poor, it achieved what Weezer does best: creates a catchy pop song. Imagine the disappointment I faced after I listened to the album in its entirety for the first time. “What in the world did I just listen to?” These are some of the worst songs I have ever heard in my life. Are we experiencing Maladroit 2: The Red Album? I get more confused with each listen. It contains probably the worst lyrics I have ever heard. They are on par with “Summer Girls” by LFO. I think there are 3 songs I like on here, the rest are garbage (please, for your own sake, stay clear of ‘Everybody get Dangerous’ for it is one of the worst songs I have ever heard in my entire life) Sigh, poor Weezer. Scratch that, poor me! I really hope they get it together for their next release, not only for me, but for their biggest fan, Gene Pensiero.  My rating = 1.5 out of 5 stars

p.s. you can find my review for The Red Album on the itunes store, filter the reviews by rating, and mine is one of the 1 star reviews

I hope Jem releases a killer album this summer, cause I miss her.

Go Braves!  They went from 2nd to last place to 2nd place within a week.  Way to clobber those Mets.  Keep strong boys, you’ve got it in you.

Diet Dr. Pepper, Ph.D, is calling my name. But for the 3rd time in about 2 weeks, I have gone into the coffee shop during Dianne’s lunch break, which is from 1-2 everyday. For some reason I cannot keep this in mind. And the way they close up shop makes me feel so deprived. The chain-link fence blocks off the entire food section of Charlotte’s Corner, so now I have to wait 40 minutes until I can get a DDP. Boo.

So this Monday is Memorial Day. For all you normies, the weekend typically starts tomorrow. And call me old-fashioned, but I like to start my weekends on Thursdays. Why? Because who doesn’t wanna add an extra day to their weekend? Come July I may be starting them on Tuesdays, but that just depends on my workload (which, lets be honest, doesn’t really exist.) Tonight Allie and I have our first marriage counseling session with Pastor Paul Micu of Riverpark Bible Church. He is a great guy that is full of wisdom and has a genuine love for the Lord (and he does not look 39 at all.) I look forward to what he has in store for us over the next few weeks. I believe it is also the Grey’s Anatomy finale tonight. 3 cheers for this season being a major improvement over last year’s trainwreck of a “season.”

I love Friday’s so much. Getting off work, hanging out with Allie, eating, watching tv. We’re living the American Dream. I can’t wait. Me and Allie were thinking of hitting up a few open houses on Saturday, just to see what’s available. It’s always fun, even if you’re not in the market. Maybe we’ll hang out with Jason and Bran if we’re all free. I’m sure there will be more eating and tv watching. I’m hoping to head out to Urban (so glad there’s one in Fresno) to pick up a few new shirts, maybe even one for Sunday. My good buddy Gene has invited me to come out to help lead Sunday morning worship at Calvary Chapel Hanford. I can honestly say I love this church. If anyone would like a lesson in hospitality, look no further than CCH. Gene and his family have genuine hearts for the Lord, and I am honored that they allow me to help serve.

My family typically has bbq’s on Memorial Day, and my dad is pretty good with the grill (he just got a new one for Christmas.) Though I tend to favor the old school charcoal grills, he still does a good job with his propane grill..i guess. It would be fun to head out to the driving range too. My grandpa called this morning and said he got a new set of golf clubs, so he’d like to give me his old ones! This is joyous news. Maybe I’ll actually start playing golf instead of sucking at the range. Probably not, but thanks gramps!

I hope your Memorial Day weekend is memorable. Here’s to Friday, and a much deserved 3 day weekend.

Do you really need science to prove that you’re an idiot?

107 words

Speed test

July 18th

I’m engaged.  To an amazing girl.

How great is that?

This article literally makes me sick. Hey, the countries supposedly heading into a recession. No problem for some 300,000 + federal employees:

Federal employees charged millions of dollars for Internet dating, tailor-made suits, lingerie, lavish dinners and other questionable expenses to their government credit cards over a 15-month period, congressional auditors say.

The review of card spending at more than a dozen departments from 2005 to 2006 found that nearly 41 percent of roughly $14 billion in credit-card purchases, whether legitimate or questionable, did not follow procedure — either because they were not properly authorized or they had not been signed for by an independent third party as called for in federal rules to deter fraud.

You can read the rest of the article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080409/ap_on_go_ot/

government_credit_cards;_ylt=AnfTtU33SgK6XH8VmxxnFECs0NUE

Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green Party member…whatever. This is unacceptable. What’s sad is nothing will probably happen, and things will continue like normal. Where is the accountability? Why can’t the government be more transparent?

So voting on a stimulus package and debating on what to do with our money turned out to be a huge problem, yet they have no problem using our money to pay for their lives. Next time federal agencies complain about budget cuts, just remember we provide them with a budget. They work for us, not vice versa. Apparently there’s no money for teachers and public education, yet federal employees can buy newly tailored suits and dates online.

Jesus needs to come back.