The Fires that Have Burned

I'm sitting in a dark, smoke-filled room with just one candle and the screen of my laptop for lighting. It's one of those nights that I force introspection. I knew it was going to be one of those nights when I got out of my drunk class. I stopped by the store to get the necessary accessories, sat down at the computer and fired up the Led Zeppelin. It was a good night. It was only topped by an amazing afternoon.

I think that you know you've found something special when things as simple as sitting outside, eating grilled bologna and cheese sandwiches and Thin Wheats and hummus, listening to music, and just talking with a person can create an extraordinarily enjoyable experience. I can't think of anything I would have rather done with my four hours earlier today.

I have mixed feelings about the upcoming end to this semester: it was by far my hardest and most stressful school-wise, but it really made me work hard and do things that took me out of my comfort zone -- something I need to work on doing a lot more often. At the same time, I couldn't have asked for a better semester away from classes. I've already talked about this before, so I won't go too deep into it, except to say that there is certain special lady that has made me so ridiculously happy and has helped me to get through these crazy few months.

After classes ended, things started to look up. Monday night I listened to Barack Obama speak at the Dean Dome. He's a great speaker and I believe everything he says. It's not just that I want to believe him, it's that I actually do. He has such great ideas for the country and government, from universal health-care to reforming education and tuition grants. I'd like to believe that he could just step into office and change these things with a snap of his fingers, but that's obviously impossible. What excites me about his campaign and possible presidency is not that he will change all these things, but that he will begin the process of change.

We can only expect so much out of Obama if he wins the presidency. Even if he were in office for eight years, many of his goals and plans would not be finished. But what is important is that he is taking a step toward change. It's the possibility that he may change how Washington works. It's that fact that he is making people care about politics and want to get involved. Obama has inspired thousands of young people (such a generic term, but I mostly mean college-age people) to not only register and vote, but to volunteer for his campaign. His message of hope and change is something that America has been waiting for, and we can't miss this opportunity to accept it.

Sure, when he gets into office he will face problems and will probably make decisions that his supporters don't agree with. That's just part of the deal. But I have to believe that having a president that is so intent on changing the way things are done in government and really trying to right this ship is a positive thing. I just hope that we don't miss this opportunity. And I truly hope that, if elected, Obama will follow through with his promises.

I can't stand political news coverage. I already have problems with the media in the first place, but political journalists are the scum of the scum of the earth. They spend hours filling up time on 24-hour news networks talking about things that don't matter, just so they can get their name out there with hopes of a book deal or regular TV spot. They don't talk about the issues or ideas: they talk about Reverend Wright, Muslim-sounding names, TV commercials and mysterious polls about who 30-45 year-old black women name Maxine like in the upcoming primary. It's a waste of time. The people that are watching these shows know enough about politics and the campaigns that they have already made their decision on who to vote for, and the general public for the most part doesn't care about these things. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part, but I think it's true. It should be the media's job to inform the public of the issues so that they can make the best decision on who to vote for. All other coverage is irrelevant and unnecessary.

On a lighter note, this month will be very solid musically. Tomorrow I'm going to try to make it over to the Obama rally in Carrboro to see Superchunk and Arcade Fire play a free show. Yes, Arcade Fire playing a free show. I'm pretty excited. Saturday night I will be going to see the reunion show of the Pressure Boys, an old Chapel Hill band, and Sneakers, a band from Chapel Hill via Winston Salem, whose bassist is my friend's dad. It should be a fun show and I'm looking forward to seeing Mr. K jumping across the stage and rocking out. If it wasn't for the aforementioned drunk class that takes up my next two Thursdays, I would be heading down to Charlotte next Thursday to see longtime-favorites Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers for the first time in a long time. Oh well, I'll catch them next time around. Finally, today I got my ticket for the Ben Folds show in Cary at the end of the month. I saw him for the first time last year and had an amazing time. I can't wait to see him outside at the amphitheater.

I guess that's about all that's going on right now, or at least everything I can think of. I will once again leave you with some bands that I've gotten into recently. Enjoy.

Junior Senior
M.I.A.
Hot Chip
The Weepies
The Apples in Stereo
White Stripes (I know...I'm really late on this one)
And this isn't one that I've recently discovered, but one that I've surprisingly forgotten about and have become re-obsessed with. If you haven't listened to them in a while, it's time to pull the albums out again: Led Zeppelin

peace
C