Style or LIFEstyle?? A Social Experiment

Hey everybody. So I just want to start this blog post with a bit of background information. While I was gone on my mission, a new brand of bike riding, skinny jeans wearing, thrift store seeking human beings named hipsters. I did not know who these people were or what they did or how they got that way and I was very curious. This curiosity formed mostly in my time in Seattle. I saw lots. And then got more intense here at BYU. So this week I was going to a concert up in Salt Lake (Neon Trees, The Used, Imagine Dragons, AWOLnation.... great concert) and I thought it would be a good opportunity to do a social experiment. Whitney and I spent the week researching what it is to be a hipster and then today I went all out dressed up as a hipster, with some friends, and we all went to the concert together. My results will soon be discussed.

First of all, I want to describe what is it is to be a hipster for those of who, like me, may not be completely familiar with the idea. According to UrbanDictionary.com, "Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.  Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Despite misconceptions based on their aesthetic tastes, hipsters tend to be well educated and often have liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and sciences, which also require certain creative analytical thinking abilities. Although hipsters are technically conformists within their own subculture, in comparison to the much larger mainstream mass, they are pioneers and leaders of the latest cultural trends and ideals. Once certain concepts of fashion and music have reached mainstream audiences, hipsters move on to something new and improved."

From personal experience they also aren't very religious, kind of "thinking themselves out of God" in my opinion, though this is not applicable to all hipsters. They like talking about bands that no else is supposed to know. 

For further information, I recommend the following websites. 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+is+a+hipster%3F (check this one out..... seriously)

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/hipster-tips

http://www.verbal-vomit.com/2011/03/how-to-be-hipster-chapter-1.html  (Chapters 1,2, and 3)

Or ask one of these guys....
         

Now I wish to share my results from dressing like a hipster today. I will put some pictures on.

First of all, I really liked how we looked. I thought it was legitly cool. I will buy some cardigans.

Second, I kinda liked how I felt. I honestly felt like I could do whatever I wanted and that how others judged me didn't matter. Hipsters don't seem to care about much so I felt like this was proven to me while wearing the clothes. 

Third, I found it very difficult to actually maintain a hipster attitude. I typically like mainstream stuff. It's hard to think "That's too mainstream" about everything. I like stuff. Maybe I could be a hipster's hipster and actually think that not mainstream stuff is now too mainstream and need to like the mainstream stuff. 

In conclusion, being a hipster is awesome. Well, dressing like a hipster at least. I'm not a big fan of the attitude for the most part. 

That's all

See you next week

Elliott

Oregon now is 4-0 after OWNING Arizona 49-0 and as i post this, Oregon is beating Washington State 51-19. And they jumped LSU to be #2. GO DUCKS!!

Moody's Corner, Nervous Habits

     I got to thinking today, about the things that people do when they're nervous. And like any modern human being the first place I went to to check it out was... You guessed it: The Libra- Nah I'm just kidding, I checked it on Google. What's interesting is that I didn't find my number one nervous habit on the list of top 8. Why 8? Great question. Maybe it was created back in the days of myspace and all that garbage. 

     So when I get nervous the only thing that I notice myself doing is yawning. When I'm nervous I yawn. A lot. And can't control it. For example, before I ever went on stage for performances in high school there was usually a period of 2 or 3 minutes where I would yawn to the point of hyperventilation. And that happened every time. In fact sometimes before dates I still get nervous and yawn. So ladies, if I look super tired on our date, I could be. Or maybe I'm nervous. Don't rule out the possibility. 

Here are the top 8:

1. Smoking. Luckily enough I don't ever do this one.

2. Teeth Grinding and Clenching. This happens when I sleep actually. In fact I have a mouth guard at night that I wear to keep from grinding. Get's worse with stress.

3. Nail Biting. Trying to stop doing this one too.

4. Crossing and Uncrossing Legs. Ok seriously I do all of these, but I know that I'm not nervous all the time...

5. Cracking Knuckles. Honestly maybe I'm just permanently nervous.

6. Biting on Pens. Yep, I'm always nervous I just discovered.

7. Face Touching and Rubbing. Well I don't do that unless I'm sighing about what I'm trying to study.

8. Tugging and Pulling on Hair. Yay! Found another one I don't do.

So, if you do these things then you're nervous. At least that's what the interwebs and blogosphere are telling me. And everyone know that they NEVER lie to you. Also couldn't decide on a picture to put up, but this made me nervous so I guess it fits.

     In other news for the week I didn't do too well on an accounting exam, but with a lot of work an A is still possible, so I'm getting to it. Just took a Chinese exam today, which was fine until the last question where we had to do some translations. I couldn't remember the word for Confucius Temple so I just wrote the name Confucius and then the word we use for a Mormon Temple... Definitely not the correct way to say it, but maybe I'll get some laughs and the TAs will take pity on me. Everyone start getting ready for Zombie tag next week! Read Roland's post from yesterday to learn more about what that is.

Lovesies,

Moody

Tuesdays with Ian - Okay fine it's Thursday as well... but Roland really shouldn't have posted before me...

Hello everyone.

Now I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking "My life has been hopelessly directionless for the past two days without my weekly dose of sage Tuesday advice!"  All I can say to that is, "that's really too bad.  I was busy."

I do, however, apologize for my egregious neglect of blogging responsibility.  Here's why I was unable to write my blog post on Tuesday: I was in the proverbial zone, as it were. 5 and a half hours of molecular biology study and 2 hours of economics and I had lost all conception that there was a world outside of the confines of my academically concentrated state.

Someone once asked me (It was Kassie Hymas at my apartment last night) "why are people always in such a hurry?"... I submit that, as human beings, all of our achievement and accomplishments are merely the result of how we apply the only two resources everyone's disposal: time and effort.  The reason I bring this up is because of how absolutely I have focused my energy this week on studying.  When you really think about it, each one of us has 24 hours in each day in which to use our energy on a variety of different tasks.  Some people always seem to have a great deal of time whereas others seem always pressed for it.  But the truth is, we all have 24 hours in a day.  The question then becomes not of availability of time but of sequence and order of priorities.  People will always make time for the things you consider important.  For some people, computer games are very important.  To others, mastery of a musical instrument consumes most of their time and effort.  "Youtube isn't going to watch itself!" others exclaim.

Why are people in such a hurry?  Because getting from place to place is such an inefficient use of time!

In conclusion, this week's advice:  Run.  Don't walk.  Everywhere.

Witty Wednesdays (okay so it's technically Thursday at 12:18 am, but still)

Dear Internet,

    Today I'd like to post about one of the most wonderful discoveries of my recent life.  Last Friday we made the decision to go to a corn maze and there we invented what may be the best night game of all time.

  So basically, you put a bunch of people in a corn maze, and start off with one zombie.  Here are the rules we've come up with so far.

   1 - Survivors can run, zombies can only speed walk (a good speed is if you only push with one foot as you move)

   2 - Survivors must stay on the paths of the corn maze, zombies can move through the corn or hide inside it.

   3 - When a survivor is 'bit' they become a zombie.  To be 'bit' a zombie must grab a survivor with two hands.  When a survivor is caught, all zombies in the immediate area join in on the feast and are occupied for 15 seconds or so.  (Basically this makes it so a survivor, if he's brave enough, can hold one of his friends back, sacrifice him, and make a get away, even if he's trapped.)

   4 - All of the zombies must act like zombies! Be creepy, it makes the game way more fun, plus you'll get some terrified squeals out of people, which always makes it worthwhile.  Trust me, we got some good screams when we played.

   5 - Start off by picking one zombie at random.  The game ends when everyone is a zombie.  If you want, you can try setting a time limit, where anyone who survives that long gets 'evacuated', but we had fun just playing to the end.


    Anyways, with October right around the corner, everyone needs to get their Halloween games together, and this one is at the top of my list.  Any suggestions for additional rules or changes? Hit up the comments below.  Also, Steph and Caroline, if you could give testimonials of how terrified you were, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!  Happy survivor hunting!

Roland

Run, Fat Boy, Run

Hey, Fat Girl. 

Yes, you. The one feigning to not see me when we cross paths on the running track. The one not even wearing sports gear, breathing heavy. You’re slow, you breathe hard and your efforts at moving forward make you cringe.

Y

ou cling shyly to the furthest corridor, sometimes making larger loops on the gravel ring by the track just so you’re not on it. You sweat so much that your hair is all wet. You rarely stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and you look exhausted when you leave to go back home. You never talk to anyone. I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.

You are awesome. If you’d look me in the eye only for an instant, you would notice the reverence and respect I have for you. The adventure you have started is tremendous; it leads to a better health, to renewed confidence and to a brand new kind of freedom. The gifts you will receive from running will far exceed the gigantic effort it takes you to show up here, to face your fears and to bravely set yourself in motion, in front of others.

You have already begun your transformation. You no longer accept this physical state of numbness and passivity. You have taken a difficult decision, but one that holds so much promise. Every hard breath you take is actually a tad easier than the one before, and every step is ever so slightly lighter. Each push forward leaves the former person you were in your wake, creating room for an improved version, one that is stronger, healthier and forward-looking, one who knows that anything is possible.

You’re a hero to me. And, if you’d take off the blaring headphones and put your head up for more than a second or two, you would notice that the other runners you cross, the ones that probably make you feel so inadequate, stare in awe at your determination. They, of all people, know best where you are coming from. They heard the resolutions of so many others, who vowed to pick up running and improve their health, “starting next week”. Yet, it is YOU who runs alongside, who digs from deep inside to find the strength to come here, and to come back again.

You are a runner, and no one can take that away from you. You are relentlessly moving forward. You are stronger than even you think, and you are about to be amazed by what you can do. One day, very soon, maybe tomorrow, you’ll step outside and marvel at your capabilities. You will not believe your own body, you will realize that you can do this. And a new horizon will open up for you. You are a true inspiration.



I bow to you.

(Facebook: I <3 to Run)

See you in 10! (miles, not minutes)

Love,

ZIPSON

Random Fact Friday

So this week you all will get a little about The Lord of the Rings...
Wait a couple months and we'll get into The Hobbit (Which I am really excited to see btw)


1- 27 copies of the book were used up in the process of creating the screenplay, between highlighting and note-making and page-tearing.


2- In The Silmarilion, Sauron has an even scarier, even more powerful boss called Morgoth.


3- Aragorn wears Boromir's gauntlets throughout the second and third films in tribute to his fallen friend.


4- Christopher Lee is the only cast member who met Tolkien in person.


5- Viggo Mortensen broke his toe when kicking a helmet at the scene of the Uruk-hai massacre, which is part of the reason why he falls to his knees, crying out.


6- During the running scenes early in Two Towers, Viggo Mortensen had that broken toe, Gimli size-double Brett Beatty had a dislocated knee and Orlando Bloom had cracked a rib falling from a horse.


7- The scene where the Black Riders chase Arwen and Frodo was interrupted by Queenstown flooding. The cast, including Liv Tyler, went to help sandbag the town against the floods while filming was suspended.


8- Just to speak was an acting challenge for Tyler, who noted that she had more dialogue in Elvish than in English. She learned some of the language that Tolkien invented, and for lines in English that needed to be translated into Arwen's tongue, an Elvish expert, a professor back in the States, was consulted, and he would send back the translated lines to Tyler's Elvish dialogue coach. Tyler also had to deepen her high, breathy voice, something she accomplished by using a diaphragm technique she'd learned from her famous singing parents (Bebe Buell and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler). "It hurt," she said. "If I have really powerful or emotional scenes, I'll be sick, I'll have a stomach ache afterwards, because it's coming from there."


9- The Lord of the Rings' and the 'Star Wars' prequels shared more than just Christopher Lee. They also shared a friendly rivalry. While the Tolkien trilogy was filming in New Zealand, 'Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones' was filming nearby in Australia. In an outtake of the scene where Gandalf is supposed to refer to a menacing flock of crows as "spies of Saruman," McKellen instead quips, "Spies of 'Star Wars!'" There was even a surreptitious visit to the 'Star Wars' set by some of the Fellowship. Of the pop culture clash, Wood said, "It was weird. It was bloody strange. 'Lord of the Rings,' we were constantly dirty and rough. The world of Middle-earth that we portrayed in the film is very lived-in and messy. Whereas, going on to 'Star Wars,' their sets were pristine, and they were shooting digitally, so there wasn't much equipment, and they had a full editing thing right on the set. It was cool, all air-conditioned, and there weren't many people around, and everyone was nice and well-dressed. It was just bizarre because we were coming from a world of 5 a.m. to 8 at night, and it was craziness all the time, and always snow and rain. So it was a total culture shock for us. We referred to each other as hobbits, and they were like, 'What world are you from?"


10-There had been many attempts to make a live-action version of 'Lord of the Rings' dating back to the 1950s. In the 1960s, the Beatles wanted to star in a version (it would have featured John Lennon as Gollum, Paul McCartney as Frodo, George Harrison as Gandalf, and Ringo Starr as Sam), and they approached Stanley Kubrick to direct, but he decided the project was too daunting.


Thats about it,

Elliott

Oregon is 3-0

Moody's Corner, Night of the Limerick

     The day had gone past and my classes had finished, though I still wore on my face the faint hints of a grimace. All my classes most useless had utterly failed to give my IQ any sign of a swell, so it's easy to see through my good humor and smiles that deep down inside, I felt I'd been running for miles. My conscious was spent and my memory floundered, but the clock struck again, 5 PM, on the hour. It was time to get moving with my tasks of the night, but then walked in the door, grave distraction, a welcome sight. Come on over she says, we have food on the table, well my tummy had rumbled... Must refuse! ... Still unable. Out again I left the flat with such weight on my shoulders, my text books had taken to mimicking boulders, though not in the common sense, all gray and scratched up, but more of a... Oh forget it, to dinner I sup. The noodles were made with such tenderness, love, and care, that I almost forgot a quiz, due at 11. Do I dare to take just 15 more minutes of such precious, fleeting time to remove from my mind the residue of this grime coating every nook and crevice of what I've become in attempt at nostalgia? No I can't... Then succumbing to foolish temptation I flee, to that land of fables, somehow none involving me.

     Thinking back now I can barely grasp at a wisp, of a memory whose details are vague, but its feeling quite crisp; of a period when things had been so much more simple, each crease in my face just tracing the dimples of smiles and laughs - once so easily found - now require the nose of a well trained blood-hound...

     Quickly waking myself from the poor revery that had my mind looped on the course of self pity I realize my mistake, more than mere moments too late, racing to call and cancel the date, set far in advance by a mind optimistic, now faded, jaded, sad, and sadistic.

Anyway it blows over fine, and none have remorse for my low, social crime. Enough of that now, I still have tonight to work my way through this perilous plight; caused in part by procrastination, though we heard that from Ian and we've all had enough of that, plus we're in agreement. But just because we grasp it, intellectually that is, our behavior unchanging, declining, still sickens. So down I sit right and pull out some homework, fast distracted by the interwebs, another perilous quirk. 

I pull out my phone and glance at the dial, already 1 in the morning, but there's time. Sweet denial...        Well everything's done but I've not quite completed the book on my shelf that I've so long been reading. I know that's it's late and I've class in the morning but the night has just started and the day is so boring. Forcing down thoughts of the life just outside I surpress all my wants and in covers I hide. The warmth over takes me as I drift into nothing, but right on the brink I conjure up something. A single run on so depressing and deep that it stirs me again from the coma of sleep. I thought I might share it, though normal flow it lacks, just hope this isn't you, sit back, and relax:

Should you happen to be possessed of a certain verbal acuity coupled with a relentless hair trigger humor and surface cheer spackling over a chronic melancholia and loneliness, a grotesque caricatured version of your deepest self which you trod out at the slightest provocation to an endearing and glib comic effect, thus rendering you the kind of fellow who is beloved by all yet loved by none, all of it to distract, however fleetingly, from the cold and dead-faced truth that with each passing year you face the unavoidable certainty of a solitary future in which you will perish one day while vainly attempting the heimlich maneuver on yourself over the back of a kitchen chair, then this confirmation that you have triumphed again and managed to gall yet another mark, except this time it was the one person you'd hoped might be immune to your ever creepier, side-shallow variation on adorable, even though you'd been launching this campaign weekly with a single minded concentration from day one, well it conjures up feelings that are best described as mixed, to say the least.

And with that horrible, never ending sentence I bid you adieu, hoping your night, like mine, is just about through. 

Night!

-Moody

Wide Awake Wednesday

Today I am going to write just a little about a topic that I feel like I know really well... sleep deprivation.  For reasons that really aren't valid at all, last night I didn't sleep, and I've currently been up for approximately 40 or so hours.  And so, because I have been very sleep deprived, I was curious and looked up the 10 most common symptoms of sleep deprivation and now I will proceed to explain how I have suffered from each one of those, in at least one instance in the past 40 hours.

10. Inability to handle stress - today I needed to turn in a paper at the beginning of class, and if we were late to class we would only get like 50% on the essay. So basically, right before I had to turn it in I got stuck behind a giant mob of super slow walkers on campus, which may have caused some pedestrian road rage. I'm pretty sure I ghosted like 10 people on the way to that class.

9.  Poor memory - how long it's taking me to write this blog post. I'm sitting here struggling to remember what I did today.

8. Inability to concentrate - how many times have I checked facebook while writing this post? If you paid attention while reading number 9 you'd realize I have no clue.

7. Increased appetite - last night during the all nighter I ate a whole Costco bag of wheat thins and drank like 6 mountain dews. Don't judge, they go surprisingly well together

6. Vision problems - as if I didnt have enough already. If you haven't heard me complain about how my eyeballs hurt within the last 20 hours you need to pull the plugs ot of your ears cause I think everybody else in liberty has.

5. Poor decision making - lets be honest, I'm writing a blog when I haven't slept in 40 hours, you think the decision making is all there?

4. Diminished motor skills - remember when I said that I like ghosted 10 people on campus today? Yeah, doesn't mean they didn't notice. Also I'm pretty sure my face was covered in marinara sauce from lunch today, and believe me, that wasn't on purpose.

3. Relationship problems - well, I'm pretty pissed at myself for staying up this much... that count?

2. Medical problems - lets be honest, I'm a blind, out of shape asthmatic... isn't that all just one big mess?

1. Mood swings - Bah! I give up! This is too hard! Why do I write on such a pointless blog anyways...
...
...
...
I'm so sorry blog, that was rash, can you ever forgive me? I love you so much!

Anyways, I hope it was good for a laugh.
Love ya liberty, I'm going to bed

-Roland

Random fact: longest a person has stayed awake while being legitly monitored? 11 days. Woah.

Tuesdays with Ian - Procrastination

Is stress caused by procrastination or is procrastination a result of stress?

I realize this question may be as difficult to answer as determining the priority of chickens and eggs in the propagation of the species.  However, I submit that the two hypotheses are not mutually exclusive.  This assertion is, of course, based on a massive sample size: myself and the study was conducted during the extended time period of: yesterday.  So after a thorough examination of my study avoidance patterns, namely: watching Sherlock, the first episode of Psych season 1, and 10 minutes of some unrated Chinese film before it started getting really explicit in its portrayal of life in modern Beijing, I discovered that Sherlock really is a great show, Psych, less so, and that I should really be more careful watching random Chinese films.  None of these discoveries, however, led me any closer to the completion of my molecular biology homework and unless my professor Dr. Evans has some pop culture trivia additions to the next biology exam, it's unlikely that I found myself any more prepared to take the upcoming test.

I suppose what I am trying to say is, I felt stressed about my apparent inability to understand what is going on in my biology class and therefore intentionally delayed engaging in any activity that might resolve the problem.  Unfortunately, my procrastination did not only fail to alleviate my stress but actually added to it as I wasted my time not attending to what I really needed to be doing.

So the advice for this week is: Don't procrastinate.

I'm sure many of you might be saying "hey, that's really obvious, thanks for nothing."  But if you are then you were probably reading this blog when you should have been doing your molecular biology homework.  So.  Joke's on you.  I would know.  I just spent my study time writing it.

Don't watch this.  But, really. Don't.

Efficacy, Most Definitely Unquestionably

So...

Happy Monday, campers!  I would talk about the Fed's new quantitive easing (QE3) that was announced this past week, but, I will not bore anyone... at least not too much today.

We had a Regional Conference yesterday, at which Elder Dallin H. Oaks, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke.  It great, I love Elder Oaks.  One of the things that he brought up in his remarks is the fact that election time is drawing nearer.  He urged us all to vote.  For those of you who are not going to vote, change your mind.

There are various reasons why people participate in the political process.  Now, I am no expert, but, I have a few reasons why you (yes, you) should cast your ballot this November (and EVERY consequent election).

Voter Efficacy- Probably the least convincing of my arguments
"Your vote can make a difference..." Rarely are elections decided by one vote.  So why does MY vote make a difference?  It probably won't.  But, think of the aggregate of everybody's one vote...  Alma 2:6 shows us what happened when the people cast in their voices for their government.  "Stand up and be counted"- AC/DC For Those About to Rock... 

Civic Duty- Be a responsible citizen
Men and women sacrificed much so we could have this political freedom.  Appreciate it!  We our encouraged to make a difference in our community, state (local elections are awesome), and nation.  If you do not stand up for the things that you believe in, who will?

Whether you are Blue, Red, Green, or somewhere in between, VOTE.  Make it a habit.  I hope this is coherent enough to get my point across (if not, call me maybe).  I'm off to ride my bike.

"Making it rock before your phone had FaceTime,"
Z. Ipson

Random Fact Friday

10 Random Facts I Bet You Didn’t Know About The Harry Potter Series

1-The Elder wand is the only wand in existence with a hair from the tail of a Thestral in it's core.

2- Severus Snape is the only Death Eater that can produce a patronus.

3- Richard Harris only agreed to taking the part of Dumbledore after his granddaughter threatened to never speak to him again.

4- Daniel Radcliffe had used 160 pairs of glasses in the course of making the films, and worn out between 60-70 wands.

5- Minerva McGonagall played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team while she attended Hogwarts.

6- Hermione Granger returned to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year.

7- There are 700 different ways to commit a foul in Quidditch, all of which were committed in the Quidditch World Cup of 1473

8- The first and last words we ever hear Dobby the House Elf say are "Harry Potter"

9- The last words we hear both Lily Potter and Severus Snape say are "always"

10- Petunia Evans was so jealous of her sister's magical abilities that she wrote a letter to Dumbledore asking him if she too could attend Hogwarts. 

more random facts coming next week..

Oregon improves to 2-0 this week. De'Anthony Thomas for Heisman

Elliott

Moody's Corner

Hey guys, I need to start out with an apology for missing my post day. On the brighter side I'm only 18 hours late.
So, in thinking about a topic for my posts, the best I could come up with is the occasional rant on the day to day malaise that is BYU, the occasional album review (like this one will be), or something else entirely. As you can see I'm really limiting myself.
So, I bought Animal Collective's newest album, Centipede Hz, this week, and I'm absolutely amazed. I haven't been able to stop listening to or talking about it since spending the $9.99 through iTunes Monday.
Now I can't claim to have been a fan of Animal Collective for an extended period of time. In fact I only own Merriweather Post Pavilion, that dropped back in 2009, and pieces of Strawberry Jam. Though I have Leaf House from Sung Tongs too and I love it.
Anyway, I can comfortably say that Centipede Hz is different. Very much so. Expect less of the dreamy loops that made masterpieces like My Girls and Brother Sport, and look towards more driving beats, affected synth, and nearly insane tones that could only come from Avey Tare.
On a high note, the lyricism doesn't disappoint. I fell in love with the insane poetic babblings of Animal Collective with lines like, "You've got to take what he said to help you shape the way you play, you got to get rid of the mourning, sort out the habits of your mind," and, "Midsummer nights and I'm stripped to my sheets, my forehead is leaking my AC squeaks." Centipede Hz doesn't fall short in this aspect. Applesauce's ramblings, involving fruit and the existential, offers up pearls such as, "I eat a mango and I'm feeling like a little honey can roll."
Now, this means nearly nothing to me, but fits brilliantly into the feel and flow of the song like most of their lyrics are probably meant to do. Avey's voice once again becomes another instrument falling into the infinite, swirling, ever evolving bliss that is Animal Collective.
I cant quite explain this album with the limited vocab available to me, but the word 'esoteric' comes to mind, and will do as well as anything else I've said.
I'd recommend this album to anyone looking for something that's pushing the bounds of music to their utmost extreme. Or somebody that wants something new. Centipede Hz is somehow old, new, and perfectly Animal Collective all at once.

So I hope that made at least a little but of sense. Sorry for waxing eloquent, and another sorry to everyone that I've forced to listen to these songs for the past several days.

Be expecting big things from this blog in the future. But not too big. Expectations too high lead to disappointment. So actually don't expect anything, and maybe you'll be happily surprised.

Love from the land of bad drivers, non-caffeinated beverages, and bad movie Fridays,
Johnson

Witty Wednesdays - The First of Many -

Hello world.

   My time to post for Wednesday is hurriedly coming to an end due to my extreme procrastination. However, we can't end the day without a good laugh and some insightful comments. So, let's get rolling.

   Sporks are like the really smart fat kid from middle school.  They're really useful and handy in a variety of situations.  With a spork you don't have to change utensils when trying to eat pasta and soup in the same meal.  Smart kid can help you with homework, tests and all the crazy problems we all run into in school.  Unfortunately, both carry a social stigma so strong, that despite their usefulness, most people avoid them like the plague, the exceptions being the really lonely kid, the girl with low self esteem, and the school lunch room.  Think about it, comment any more connections you can come up with. I've been thinking about this for three minutes and I'm already convinced, so with some time I'm sure the argument can become very convincing.

One in the Same?

  And, just to end, a funny word and thought for the day...    kamekasi, why do kamekasi pilots wear crash helmets?

  Love ya, check back in a week

 -Roland

Tuesdays with Ian

Because of the inherent pressure associated with posting on Tuesdays and therefore competing with well-known fount of wisdom and sage of life advice, Morrie, I was the only one in the apartment courageous, or perhaps foolish, enough to volunteer for this time slot.  Therefore, the focus of my Tuesday posts will likely be giving superfluous and, hopefully, largely useless and unsolicited advice about how everyone should live life.

Here's my first piece of advice:  Johnson, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_oPC8O6Gnk&noredirect=1

Okay.  Now that that's over with, today I attended a Preview to Medicine seminar class.  Not specifically referring to the reason why, I was reminded again of the apparent inconsistency of the idea that some doctors are unhealthy.  And I don't mean unavoidable or genetically pre-determined conditions like cancer or type 1 diabetes, I mean things that you can do something about.  It seems almost absurd that anyone who claims to understand the inner-workings of a healthy human body would allow their own physical state to decay to a state no better than a poorly educated country bumpkin.  And probably even worse since, based on my stereotyped conception of the lifestyle of country bumpkins, they spend a majority of their time engaged in some kind of aerobic exercise other than thinking deeply about anything in particular.  The point is, I find it unjustifiable to not practice what you preach.  Consider, for example, the hypocrisy of an overweight doctor advising a patient to lose weight for their own physical welfare.  Inconceivable?  I wish it was.

In conclusion, that's pretty much all I have to say.  

BAI BAI!

First Post

Dear General Public (salut),

Welcome to our apartment's blog.  The six of us will each take a day and post something on our assigned day (excluding Sunday).  I choose Monday to post (mostly because I knew nobody else wanted Mondays).  Johnson and I were reminiscing on the days of freshman year when we would wake up tired, sore, et cetera.  In short, it felt like you had been hit by a truck.  The truck is back...  So, please be on the look out for this truck.  Any and all information regarding this monster of hit and run (and hit again) will be greatly appreciated.

I ate a bowl of Honey Nut Cherrios with Craisins and Grape Nuts in it (product placement).  Stay tuned for the other posts from the posee.

Just Do It,
Zac "Ziggy" Ipson