So hey, I think it's time I make a new post here, regardless of the fact that I have nothing in particular to discuss. It's been, what, two months and some change since I've last graced you with my presence (i.e. wasted your time), so maybe that's just long enough for me to have something interesting to say!

A quick summary of two months, in less than one hundred and twelve words: MACRoCk was, as always, awesome (check out: Black Mountain, Magnolia Electric Company, Living Legends, Ahleuchatistas [they use music as a blunt instrument and do not fear hitting you over the head with it, repeatedly -- but it's awesome)] and then a few other bands I cannot remember after so long); a four week crazy marathon of class work that brought me to the brink of a nervous breakdown; finals week, which, in comparison, was a joke; a much-too-short week of relaxtion; and then back here for Astronomy during May session, with a teacher who looks, and acts, like a mix between Napoleon Dynamite (if he were a red head) and a Mormon. Enough said.

Speaking of my astronomy teacher, here are a few jems I'd like to share, to give you an idea of what a weird character this guy is:
1. (this is taken completely out of context, but I don't care) He said, in a condescending tone, "The Greeks got right some things."
2. He started off class the second day by mentioning how he ran over a rabbit on his way to work. Consequently, this earned him the "story of the day" award, which I can only imagine is a fierce and intense battle-of-the-ages held on a daily basis between him and his wife, the champion of which has to resort to bloodshed to ensure victory. Or something.
3. He thinks we should stop using the hard to pronounce, yet amazingly cool, Arabic names for stars, and replace them with their easy to pronounce English translations, leaving you with stars named "Bright Star" or "Red Star" or "Armpit."
4. He "watch[es] a lot of TV" (anyone who needs evidence that watching a lot TV has adverse effects, look no further). Best of all, he watches Cops, followed by America's Most Wanted. On a Saturday night.
5. It takes him, on average, 18 minutes to officially start class.

That's all I can think of for now. Stay tuned for more, as it's only been one week. Just imagine what kind of trinkets I'll have come three weeks from now!

Oh, something I forgot to mention in the quick summary: Next year, WXJM is moving from Anthony-Seeger to a new building. So I had my very last radio show in the old station during exam week. Originally, I planned to do a recap of the semester show, but since Yannos couldn't make it, it just didn't feel the same. So I never got around to playing some of the songs I wanted to. Which, finally, leads me to my point: Earlier in the semester, we had a show close to Bush's inauguration. As a form of protest, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek song singing the praises of our great leader. And for the exam week show I was gonna play the song, but with revised lyrics. Since a lot of shit happened in those four months. Here, for the first time ever, are those lyrics. Gotta love those crazy Republicans!

Oh I'm so happy we have such stability
Secured in the office of our presidency.
'Cause we have to keep a woman alive who's already been declared dead.
It beats allowing two guys from ever getting happily wed.

And social security, I think that's best left up to me.
With an IQ of 82, investing and protecting my life savings is a breeze.
Sure, gas is more expensive, but that's no economic crisis.
I'm content so long as I keep seeing Walmart's falling prices.

So sing with us now the praises of our bestest president.
'Cause we hold these truths to be oh so self evident.

Bill Frist is a cool dude, he thinks you can get AIDS from sweat.
And Tom DeLay, well, he can't possibly be a crook and a liar, I'd bet
it's just the liberal media that's distorting the truth.
I heard that from Bill O'Reilly, and for me that's enough proof.

And just who do these liberals think they are, wanting to filibuster?
I just don't know how much more of my compassionate conservatism for them I can muster.
'Cause it's not my right, it's my responsibility, to own guns.
And that AK-47 sure is looking swell next to the 19 other ones.

So sing with us now the praises of our bestest president.
'Cause we hold these truths to be oh so self evident:
that he's our bestest president,
a c-average student,
our president.

I don't really know how to segue from that to something else, so how's this: Here are my thoughts on reincarnation: I don't think it exists. Hey, I'm all for it, I think it's a way cool idea and if you think that's what happens when we die, then good for you. But here's my deal with the whole concept: it seems to me that it would destroy any sort of linear concept we have of time. How? Well, by this point in time, all of us would have many many many many past lives. Slice us open, and you'd see more rings than the trees in the Amazon and the California red woods have, combined. So, if we have each lived so many different lives -- and, most importantly -- at different times, then how is it that we are all living this life right now? Why do I only have the consciousness of this 21 year old male named Brian? Because our memories are wiped clean after every reincarnation? Maybe. But then why am I Brian, living presently in 2005? Why am I not someone from some other time in the past? And why couldn't I be someone living 500 years now? Because you have to die before you are reincarnated, that's the obvious answer. But what happens to my mind/spirit/soul/whatever, then? How can a part of me go on when I don't even know what the previous concept of me is? And what's preventing me from cycling through my future lives and is holding me in place at this current one? It seems like we'd be connected between our lives from the past and the lives we will live in the future, even if we don't have an awareness of those lives. And, because of that, there can't be any real linear progression of time, since it's just a jumbled mess. I don't know if I explained that very well, and there's probably lots of holes in my argument, but that's what philosophy majors are for. So feel free to debunk that theory however you please.

Whoa. That was too much thinking. I'm not even sure I follow myself. So let's move on to music. Songs you need to listen to: Boz Scaggs' "Loan Me a Dime," Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight," and Party Ben's "Walking with a Ghost in Paris." Also, if you haven't checked out his mashup of Green Day and Oasis, check that out first. CDs you should listen to: the Finding Neverland soundtrack, Weezer's latest effort (just since it's Weezer, and it's pretty good), Say Hi to Your Mom's "Ferocious Mopes" (listen closely to the lyrics to the song "Dimensions and Verticals"), and I found this string quartet tribute to Elliott Smith that's pretty kick ass.

Books! Fun reading season has begun, and it's been an exciting time. Al Franken's "Lies: and the Lying Liars who Tell Them" is an incredible book; Chuck Palahniuk's latest effort, "Haunted," is the sickest, most disgusting book I've ever read, but still gets my seal of approval since the short stories are incredible (90% of them) and it's an interesting look at our culture; "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski is a ridiculously complex book with 4 layers (a guy, Johnny Truant, discovers the manuscript for a book written by an old blind recluse named Zampano. The book is about a film about the Navidson family, who moves into a house that does some fucked up shit. What exactly, I don't know, I haven't read that far). I have a feeling this book will freak me out, since stuff about old houses that do crazy shit scares me like nothing else. But the complexity of the book has me hooked, I love stuff that works on several layers at once.

Okay, this is much too long. If you're still reading this then you're either really bored or... really bored. Thank you for your time. Remember: life may suck, but at least you're not living in the Middle Ages, or feudal China (as a serf), or before electricity was invented, or back when "Beowulf" could be considered an edge-of-your-seat thriller. Sure, maybe you lived through all that in your past lives, but you're here now, let's learn something from it. Remember when you were a kid and were excited about everything, no matter how miniscule, how asinine, how inane (Hell yes, those are 8th grade vocab words right there!)? That child is still a part of you. Let's all act like kids again.