I really wish I could give credit to the author who wrote that, but unfortunately the only reason I found it is because of my Stumble Upon and the insomnia it bring into my life. Now what I really have to say is that we need to stop trying to simplify love and relationships in one line of prose. This is cute and romantic but it’s not really how the world works. These girls who are “good apples” are the ones dating the guys who just figured out the don’t have to climb the tree, they can just go get a ladder. Not to mention the problem with apples is you never can really tell what’s inside. Some of the prettiest apples are the kind of apples that put out too much or the kind of apples that make you sick and throw up all night. And what about people who are allergic to apples? What do they do? Pop a bunch of penicillin and just pray for the best? Absurd in every facet and it’s time to accept there is no analogy for love.

You know why we all keep trying to simplify love? Because none of us really understand it at all. Those of us who think we have a grasp on it have never experienced it and those who have touched it have had it taken away and are ready to compromise the world to get it back. Those people are wrong too because love should never have to compromise. Maybe the best way to define love it to figure out everything that love is not.

Love is not jealous.

Love is not deceptive.

Love is not submissive.

Love is not hesitation.

Love is not angry.

Love is not sadness.

Love is not bitterness.

Love is not lost.

Goodnight.

Why do we hate a day that celebrates love? What better reason is there to mark something on a calendar. What other reason is there to smile in the morning? Three-Hundred and sixty-four days a year we take love for granted. I think it’s only appropriate we take one day to celebrate its victories. Even if you have no one around you to celebrate with. If there is no one in your life worthy of your love and admiration. Not even family members left to appreciate. Take a moment and glance to the future. Love is limitless and will always find a way back into your life’s existence. “All You Need is Love.”

We never like the idea of obligation and no one wants to feel pressured into doing something. It’s awkward and can lead to emotional action and undesired results. Don’t act impulsively and create romance merely because of the occasion. I am not an advocate of a seasonal affair to fulfil some fantasy of bliss and passion because a greeting card facilitated emotions. I want you to take the time and let the people you love know about it. That’s what this day is really about. It’s not supposed to be about gifts, dates, vacations, erotic nights, and wild fantasies – It’s about love. Maybe the reason you can’t find true happiness in life is because you haven’t taken the time to love others. So if you’re unhappy this season and you find yourself acting like a Scrooge, perhaps, instead of condemning the actions of others and spending time attacking the hype, you should search for something bigger. Something important and something worthy of love. Find it wherever you need to. Look at work, in school, in your families, in the heavens, in the situations you live in and find everything that makes you happy and absorb it. Don’t be afraid of what can come in the future. Fear will only limit your life’s possibilities and will inevitably lead to regret.

Do as you wish. If you don’t want to enjoy your life and you enjoy hating a day that celebrates something so great, then go ahead. The happiness around you doesn’t envy your position or your attitude. It doesn’t have to just be a day about greeting cards, candy and a phone call to your mother [Don't worry Mom, I'm obviously going to call.] This day can be something great. It can be something epic, something noteworthy, something spectacular. If fact, if you can take the time to develop that frame of mind, and if you can change the way you think so that you wake up everyday feeling that way, then maybe you’ll understand just why Valentines Day should be a day worthy of celebration.

[I leave you with a Lyrics From Muse's "Feeling Good". It's a perfect way to describe how we should feel each and every moment of our lives. If you can connect with the sediment of this song - you'll find love]

“Birds flying high, You know how I feel
Sun in the sky, You know how I feel
Breeze driftin’ on by, You know how I feel
It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day, It’s a new life, For me..
And I’m feeling good.

Fish in the sea, You know how I feel
River running free, You know how I feel
Blossom in the trees, You know how I feel
It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day, It’s a new life, For me…
And I’m feeling good.

Dragonfly out in the sun, You know what I mean, don’t you know
Butterflies all out having fun, You know what I mean
Sleep in peace, When, the this day is done
And this old world, Is a new world, And a bold world, For me…

Stars when you shine, You know how I feel.
Scent of the pine, You know how I feel, Yeah,
Freedom is my life, When you know how I feel
It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day, It’s a new life, For me…

Feeling good”

It seems like it should be easier for everyone to just “get along”, but as I can’t seem to emphasis enough, everyone just wants things to happen without ever having to put an effort forth. People will stand in your way. Most of the time these people were once allies who have been scorned or forgotten. The worst enemies are people who were once on your side. The easiest way to avoid this danger is to do your best to keep these people in check [as militaristic as it sounds] and stop them form crossing over to enemy lines. This doesn’t mean staying close with everyone, but be careful how you handle relationships, especially romantic ones.

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorn.” It’s a cliché for a reason. Nothing will float over your head and create more bridges that you can’t cross than a destroyed love interest. It’s not just the inability to communicate with that person anymore. It’s the lost friends, the “un-connectable” connections, and the opportunities that will never arise just because you made the wrong choice. Yes, life is very much like a game of chess and even the small moves the pawns make can completely change the outcome of the game.  If you take others for granted and roam around without regard for the other people around you then you are going to skip by life, not realizing how much more of the world you could have seen.

I am what some people call a “rolling stone”. I not only enjoy moving from city to city, but a times I feel driven to do it for the rest of my life. There is just too much out there in the world for me to stay content, stagnant in one city. So I constantly uproot myself and take my story on the road and write the next chapter with new surroundings. Even with this attitude on life, I have never dismissed anyone in my past and burned a bridge. Sure, I’ve naturally lost contact with a lot of good friends and even rarely talk to a few of my lifelong friends but all of those people know they are always welcome at my house, and I know I could call most of them now and have no trouble catching up on the phone. Even my girlfriends of years past continue to call me to vent, catch up, tell stories and even occasionally for advice. It seems like a burden to some, but it’s extremely rewarding to keep solid connections with the people you used to spend time with.

Just try harder. I think that’s the overall message. We are way to quick to toss others away like spoiled meat. It’s a telling sign of our culture and shows that as a society we have very little respect for others, but it doesn’t have work like this. War is inevitable but we can keep it at bay in our own lives. We don’t have to dismiss everyone who lets us down. We don’t have to attack everyone who hurts us. We don’t have to spread lies about people who betray us. Things aren’t always easy but the high road in every social situation will lead to a more fulfilling life and endless possibilities for the future.

For example, I put out an ad looking for other musicians in the area. In a traditional ad like this there is a section listing the band’s influences. This is normally where I would have to take the time to figure out which artists, that I grew up listening to, are best reflected in our sound. Now, I think we have a fairly original sound coming along here. Not to say it’s not without influences, but I didn’t feel it was necessary to go on and list all the musicians that shaped my musical abilities into what they are. I took a different approach. I asked them, instead of me even listing anything, for them to write which artists, that are still recording today, that they feel are doing music right.I don’t want to know about the past, and it’s not yet relevant to discuss the future [unless they join our band], so I want to know what out there today still impresses each one of them.

It might be hard to think about. I can’t blame you. Hip hop has lost most of its identity to “one-hit wonders” and “club singles”. Rock music has lost touch with everything it used to stand for. Indie and Emo music have destroyed everything that was once cool and masculine in music and put feeling, politics and self loathing into the lime light. Pop music has “whored” itself out on American Idol and even country music sounds nothing like the “rockin’, dancin’ good ‘ol time it used to be. The people we grew up loving, respecting, idolizing even would turn in their graves if they could see how we’ve whored out the most beautiful thing in history and turned it into Simon Cowell’s “Bottom Bitch”. But if someone can’t find anything that is still good and powerful in modern music I want them to have nothing to do with my musical journey and my drive to re-energize the industry.

Kanye West [as much as people hate him for his antics - something I think is entertaining], Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, Outkast, Mos Def, among others, are still at the top of their game because they have the talent to present and the character to grow, not only as artists, but as people and continue to bring great music to the stage. Yes, Nickleback, Shinedown, Seether, and God knows what other modern rock bands have deserted musical structure and rely almost completely on vocals and repeated melodies to sell their albums but there’s still Muse, Queens of the stone age, Arctic Monkeys and so many other great acts out there that you can’t possibly lose faith.

I know it’s hard to think that music could ever die out, but it will if we let it. Don’t assume the past will carry the future. We have to do these things for ourselves. If you like an artist and download their music, as least buy a ticket to go to their show. If you aren’t happy with the direction of things. Do something about it. If music isn’t your passion and I’m shooting blanks at you, well I’m sure there is relevance in whatever industry you’re passionate about. If you love working in finance, it could be you to fix the economic turmoil in our country. Don’t expect Obama or any other president to do everything themselves. If your giddy for the medical field, guess what, there is room to improve a very troubled sector there as well. The message of music is simply an analogy. Take what you love and make it better. I’m out here trying. I don’t know if my dream of being a musician will come to fruition, but I will be able to look back on everything I’ve done in my life and grin. Because I’ve tried, and I refuse to let anyone take that away from me. If you want to live your life to the fullest and without regret, then you’re going to have to do the same thing. Get out of the passenger’s seat and take the wheel.There are obvious setbacks in life and none of us like dealing with the unfortunate events, but if we don’t learn to face those problems head on then nothing will ever be resolved.

Maybe I would be more interested if pets offered a little more utility. I just feel like I’m doing all the work and they get all the reward. I work to pay for their food, their treats, cleaning supplies and probably other investments [depending on which creature you connect with]. I also have to spend time with them, when to be completely honest, I don’t like spending time with a lot of the people I spend time with so why, pray tell, would I want to add someone else to my itinerary that offers me nothing in return.Buy me a dog that can hold my wallet for me or a parrot that can remember all the passwords I have on my computer and I’ll talk this subject over again. If Garfield wants to eat all the lasagna he needs to start doing his part in the kitchen.

Look at Brian Griffin, until dogs learn to act like him, drink like him, and fail college like him, I’m not interested in taking care of one. Sure some of them are downright adorable but if I’m really craving “adorable” then I have bigger problems than a dog or a cat can help me with. My sense of humor is too twisted and relies too much on sarcasm and irony for animals to amuse me really. At least not for a long time. My roommate Kyle and I went with our neighbor Jamie to the dogpark with her dog “Ruca” and we spent the entire time mocking other peoples pets and enjoying cheap laughs at the expense of other dog owners. It was nice to be outdoors don’t get me wrong but the peak moment was then Ruca went for the community doggie dish and I got a chance to make jokes about “doggie AIDS”. Yes, believe it or not I went there. I felt like the village outcast or that kid who forgot a pencil on the first day of class. I was pretty out of place.

I honestly just went to check it out because I’ve always heard that the dogpark is a great place to meet women. During the daytime it’s supposed to be where they congregate. While I have no interest in the dog world, beautiful woman are always something intriguing to me. The piece of the puzzle that I left out and realized would soon become a barrier is most of these women are here because they own a dog. My stance on dogs and pets really doesn’t make for a romantic launching point for a conversation point. But sometimes you have to roll the dice and explore things anyways. You never know how things will turn out.

Forget dogs, I don’t want a dog, I want something better. A Kangaroo, for example, is a pet with something to offer. He has a pouch that can hold my stuff in while we’re hanging out. I can take my Kangaroo to class and he can carry my books. We can go to the beach and he can always have a dry pair of clothes for me. If I’m feeling risky enough I can buy some boxing gloves and see if Looney Toones got it right.

Maybe my allergies are a blessing in disguise because I will never have to try to battle my distaste for pets. There is not enough Benadryl in the world to make me try that scenario again. My old cat “Bubsy” took at least five years off my life due to how often I was sick around him. But to everyone who owns an animal for fun, to cope with loneliness, to sit and judge them or whatever else you get a pet for, I applaud your perseverance. The first time something tears up something in my house, it gets a slap in the face, a kick in the ass and a potential criminal charge on their record. The fact that all the issues are rewarding to humans on some level is something I will never relate to and I will now go and dream a “pet-less” dream to try to cope with my condition. Pray for me.

Music is the most passionate art form in existence. It’s raw elegant structure and enchanting  melody are the easiest way to connect to our core. Music moves us, music inspires us, music is the root of so much magic and beauty in the world. It’s something that everyone holds so dear and yet we are slowly destroying it.

I’m not talking about downloading music. Taking music off the internet, or “stealing”, as it is so incorrectly tabbed, is redefining the market for musicians but it isn’t the root of the problem. The real reason we have lost our ability to make good music is because no one cares enough to do anything about it. It has become such a struggle for money and the executives running the major labels have lost the ability to find talent. Instead of finding artists they can nurture and count on constantly releasing memorable material, they hunt and scour for anyone they can make a quick buck off and dump them after their single drops below the top ten. Think about it. Who were the best-selling tours over the last few years? Rolling Stones, Elton John, U2, Madonna, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and lots of other acts who have been around for decades. The industry is living off the remains of stars past, and just like the major sports its going through eras, it appears we have entered a new era of music – mediocrity.

That’s right, we’ve settled people. Instead of demanding talent and staying loyal to the artists who can continue to make solid music, we fuel our ADHD with whatever “hit” artist rolls around that given week. Ok, I know it’s not entirely your fault. There are so many avenues now for average music that it’s becoming more difficult to find the real artists who are worthy of praise and devotion. One place we shouldn’t be finding people to idolize is, ironically, American Idol. It’s as if Simon Cowell is a pimp and Music was his bottom bitch. He’s set up a way for the general public to vote for the artist they want to see succeed by having a competition. Wow, I think that ruins the system. Instead of the best having to work and struggle, and find inspiration for their music and journey their way to the top, they just have to have a phenomenal voice and have enough charisma to convince the drones in front of a TV set that they should give them their vote. Mr. Cowell has destroyed the pop industry for the sake of his own pocket and I hope he’s happy selling out his soul and leading music down a dark path.

MySpace did a number on everything too. Once everyone was able to put their music online it allowed everyone to market themselves. That’s good right, we get to let everyone try to live their dream. Wrong. All it does is overload the world with so much bad music that it becomes harder to filter out the garbage. There are so many artists floating their “jams” into the internet that no human could possibly have the time to find a good collection of noteworthy material. There is so much going into the funnel and no well defined source for the good ones to pour out of.

The newest “indie” scene that developed out the ashes of “emo” music is no help either. The winy, boring, minimalistic rock that has tarnished the image of the 2000′s is pathetic. You know the kind of music I’m talking about. If you don’t just watch an Iphone commercial and you’ll see the newest “underachiever” getting their fifteen minutes of fame. Or go buy the soundtrack to the movie Juno and you’ll get the opportunity to hear the melodies that our children will grow up to hate. Your not original, your nothing special, and you should despise what you’ve done to ruin music.

Ok, I’m a little bit bitter but I’m a struggling musician in, the so-called “Live Music Capital of the World”, Austin Texas. Just like everywhere else though there is no momentum to greatness and everyone has become comfortable settling with whatever is handed to them. That’s not good enough for me. I didn’t leave everyone I know and love behind me to wait in line with a group of underachievers who wouldn’t know passion is it was making love in front of them.  I came here to run and to conquer. It’s not something I can do alone, but I’m going to use every last breath in my body to put the pieces in motion. Music can’t die out. There is no way that the world will allow things to get any worse. If they do we might just stop listening altogether. MTV won’t help, the labels are helpless, modern artists got their chance and squandered it, radio is dead, the market is over saturated, the mass media is whoring it out, and worst of all people are succumbing to it.

Help me fix the roots. Help me by finding real artists and devoting yourselves to them and only the ones that have real talent. Not just showmanship but real charisma and songwriting abilities. Go to the shows of the artists you like even if you don’t buy the CD at 19.99$ at FYE [who will be out of business soon] instead buy a 10$ t-shirt off their website and take the music for free – that’s the future of music anyways.

If you’re a fellow musician and you’re on my side I can’t give you enough of my gratitude. This isn’t something one band can do though. It’s going to take a community and an alliance. Together, through cooperation and devotion, we can make music better for the world. Work harder on the song structure, don’t be afraid of variety, don’t get over “artsy” and think that because you’re wearing a costume or cut your hair in that weird emo way that you’re creative. You have to write good songs, songs with groove, momentum, replay value, energy, creativity, powerful hooks, encouraging lyrics and catchy rhythms. Don’t play the same three chords over and over, don’t try to be the next Blink-182, don’t wallow in your own self-loathing and write depressing songs about a girl who left you over and over. Let’s go back to what makes music great and show the world what they’re missing out on.

Better Off Ted [ABC - Tues 9:30/8:30c]: A story about a man [obviously named Ted] who runs a branch of a research development firm. He struggles between dealing with his wacky co-workers, his dry and demanding boss, his romantic interest in the office and his daughter at home. This show is about to go into its second season and it is way far ahead of its time. In many ways it reminds me of Arrested Development. It has the same dry humor, the same character personalities and the same attitude. In fact it even features Portia De Rossi in one of the lead roles. Season 2 starts on december 9th but if you want to catch up in time, Hulu is streaming the entire first season until that date. If you don’t know what you’re missing watch the trailer here. Just be aware that it’s going to drive you to be hooked.

The League [FX 10:30/9:30c]: Now I’m sure your one of the millions of people who watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and then turn off the TV instead of watching The League. I used to be the same way but one I watch the pilot I had to watch all the other episodes the same night because it’s just that funny. It’s about five guys and the drama that develops around their fantasy football league. You don’t have to be a  football fan to enjoy the show though because it doesn’t have a lot to do with the league itself other than the glue that holds this group of guys together. I know the commercials on Tv look terrible but trust me – it’s a lot funnier than it seems

V [ABC returns in Mar 10]: I’m not a big drama guy. Usually if I’m taking the time to watch television or pop in a movie I want to laugh instead of dwelling on either people’s drama and problems. Every now and then there are exceptions to that rule. V is a show about an alien contact with Earth but the problems around the general publics opinion of their appearance. The mystery grows with each episode and you don’t know who is a good guy and who’s out to destroy the human race. If you’re like me and you love anything that has to do with the end of the world you’ll love this show.

Californication [Showtime 10/9c]: The greatest show on television now. David Duchovney plays a sex addict, a school teacher, a father, a boyfriend and a writer all in one character. The comedy is relentless and so is the Duchovney’s “Hank Moody”. If there is one show out there that you should commit to now it’s this one. Season one and two are on DVD and season three is airing now on Showtime and can be watched at Surfthechannel.com

Here’s a quick list of shows that I’m assuming you’re already watching but if for some reason you’re not you should watch them now.

• The Office
• It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
• Community
• Family Guy/Cleveland Show
• Stargate Universe
• Heroes
• Modern Family

Everyone needs to start just using their brains a little bit more and stop following the rants of Oprah or any other celebrity that they consider worthy. It’s sad how many people watch daytime talk shows for honest advice and support. Television is supposed to be an entertainment avenue and not some individual’s stranglehold on the American public. Do I have anything personally against Oprah? Of course not. I just can’t believe the amount of power and the vast riches she has collected over the years by hosting a TV show.

Tyra Banks can’t fill her shoes because unlike Oprah, she has no soul. Have you ever taken a minute to listen to her talk? No I mean really listen? absolutely nothing of value comes out. She is a supermodel who has no right trying to become another voice to the masses. All she ever does is laugh at herself and tell us how she invented “smizing” which is smiling with the eyes. Tara, you didn’t invent the “sexy” eye look all you did is put a stupid name on something that has existed since the dawn of civilization. You deserve no credit and you should have your show taken away immediately before you brainwash another poor housewife into thinking you have any credentials. you sicken me and I hope you never do anything other than model again.

That seems to be ok though. We don’t seem to care about people’s qualifications anymore. Anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it right? That makes sense. The only problem is we’re letting people take steps out of the process and just doing things before they know what they’re doing. Micheal Strahan and Paris Hilton can apparently act, Girls from The Hills can apparently sing, Any celebrity you can imagine apparently can try out for a dance show, and politicians can hire prostitutes. Too soon?

We need to start setting up bigger boundaries so we can stop this trend of erasing the need for talent. Right now as long as you have the money you can make anything happen. you can sing, dance, act, buy whores, whatever. It doesn’t matter what your background says or even what your current track record says. We have enough special effects, auto-tune, advisors, and diet pills to make anyone believe anything. You know why everything around us is dying? Why so many movies bomb, so many cds sell nothing and so many TV shows don’t make it past their pilot? Because no one is original and no one has talent. Obviously I’m being slightly melodramatic and there is still talent out there but I don’t even think it’s the majority anymore. I think most or music acts and especially a majority of hip hop acts should  never be given the light of day. But if you can sell one single and push out one dance hit then there is a label willing to compromise their values one more time and continue to cannibalize their own industry.

I don’t want to turn on TNT and see another boring courtroom TV show where the main characters solve every crime in a twenty-five minute time span. I don’t need to watch more dramas about cops and their struggles to keep work and their personal life separate. No one needs another single mom show either. Music isn’t ant better. The vocal rock era needs to end. Shinedown has become the poster boy for a dead genre. Hip hop doesn’t need anymore catchy dance tunes for one hit wonders. They need more artists that develop into superstars. Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Pitbull who can release more than one good track a decade. Movies have been ruining great scripts too. The Island had so much potential until Michael Bay vomited out the production it became and G.I. Joe because a bunch of douchbags jumping around on green screens instead of the nice “heroes” they’re supposed to be. It’s a shame that so much gets ruined and so much crap gets a start at all.

The world is changing and at times it appears to be rotting too. We are doing nothing to make sure the best of the best succeed and instead we’re telling everyone to go do it. Folks, if you don’t have the talent then go do something else. Find what you’re good and thrive but don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re good at something your not. Don’t push too hard in one direction if you’re not making any headway. Sometimes it’s best to look around and weigh your options and focus on what your best at. Soujah Boy I’m talking to you too. Stop pretending your stupid dance moves and cheesy lyrics are worth anything and stop telling yourself that your  not the worst thing to happen to hip hop since Vanilla Ice. I’m sick of the lack of A grade talent and we all need to find a cure for mediocrity.

We’re all still young and full of excuses but don’t let simple pleasures in life and distractions interfere with who you want to become. Even in the state that our country is in there is an enormous amount of potential lying around, waiting for someone to grab the opportunity and run with it. It’s a struggle and a battle but it’s not un-winnable. There is always the hope of victory, we just have to start fighting the right battles.

Go out there and figure out what you’re good at and take off. Don’t study “business” simply because it will earn you the biggest paycheck when you get out of college. Don’t keep the job you have merely to build your resume and to be a “stepping stone” to the career you dream of. Make it happen by taking chances and following your intuition. If you don’t trust your intuition then that’s where you need to start. Find a way to believe in yourself and find a way to turn that belief into actions. Life was meant to be exciting and fulfilling so make it those things by become the person you want to be.

Don’t count on the support of others either. It’s nice to know your friends have your back but that won’t always be the case. I’ve moved away from everyone I known twice now in my life and while it hurts to leave when things are so good, but I can’t imagine my life without the chances I’ve taken. It’s rewarding to explore the world and develop into more of a person than you expected. As depressing as it sounds we all need to remember that we, our individual self, are the only person who gets to enjoy our entire life for what it is. Love the people around you and embrace their love in return but never compromise what you want for someone else. The journey has already begun and the journey only gets better from here on out.

Audioslave: Set it off – The “supergroup” has come and gone but at least they left us with a handful of fantastic track before they left. This song should have been a single and I think it’s one of the best things they recorded [that and "Original Fire] I’d add both to your catalog now. Thank Tom Morello while you’re at it, because everything he touched with an [electric] guitar turns to pure gold.

Cage The Elephant: Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked - Ok, so most of their songs sound the same. That just means find the best one and roll with it. That’s exactly what these newcomers have done. I enjoyed their album but it does get a little repetitive at times.

Chemical Brothers: Galvanize - How can you go wrong with Q-Tip rapping over one of the greatest electronic acts of all time. This song won them two Grammys for a reason. You probably have heard clips from an old Budweiser commercial but the song is so much better.

David Gahan: Kingdom [Digitalism Remix] – I can’t find the re-mix on YouTube but most torrents should have it. It’s a great song in either condition but become epic after its tweaking

Genesis: I Can’t Dance - Yes, even Genesis had some noteworthy songs that should survive the test of time. I am not a big Phil Collins fan but he shines on this track. Kills it in fact.

Peter Griffin: Rock Lobster – Couldn’t Resist