Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas Eve
Here's what I don't get. We celebrate Christmas Eve with all the wise men, camels, baby Jesus, manger scene and star of Bethlehem, right? Ok so he was born on Christmas Eve? If he wasn't, then why all the religious brouhaha? What was time of birth for the kid? I am gonna have to assume he didn't come out til after midnight.
Still, there's nothing about the actual birth of Jesus, not that I have seen or read. We know all about not finding a hospital so they wind up in a barn somewhere. And yet we have these 3 kings who have enough cash to buy their own inn but can't arrive quick enough? Who saw the birth? Joseph. Camels. An angel? So yeah, I don't know.
How did the kings know about all this anyway? Did an angel go to each one and say "hey follow this star to see the son of God...oh and bring a gift, preferably something worth alot of cash. The mother and stepfather are dead broke." And if these guys are kings, each has their own kingdom and we know they couldn't have LIKED each other. You know each had to have tried to invade the other at some point.
Each king had his own camel and I would imagine each had an entourage. No way are these guys traveling alone. Odds are they had some sort of protection against the other kings too. And the gifts? Gold works. But Myrrh? Frankincense? For a baby? Yes they are pricey, but come on. Why couldn't they each bring gold? I bet they all met somewhere and the other 2 were like "Damn, you brought GOLD? Boy we look stupid."
And these kings were from the Orient? On camels? Where did they come from exactly? You'd assume they were arabs or something. But when was the last time 3 arabs showed up bearing gifts at a Jewish kid's birth? I don't care who the kid is, the arabs are gonna try and kill that kid. So then they were Oriental? Sorry Asian. I suppose it depends on what was considered the "Orient" back then.
OK so we need more research. Time of birth. Who was there? Who were these 3 kings? Where were they from? And who in their right mind turns away a pregnant woman regardless of her claiming she is pregnant with the son of God? Hmmmm...
Still, there's nothing about the actual birth of Jesus, not that I have seen or read. We know all about not finding a hospital so they wind up in a barn somewhere. And yet we have these 3 kings who have enough cash to buy their own inn but can't arrive quick enough? Who saw the birth? Joseph. Camels. An angel? So yeah, I don't know.
How did the kings know about all this anyway? Did an angel go to each one and say "hey follow this star to see the son of God...oh and bring a gift, preferably something worth alot of cash. The mother and stepfather are dead broke." And if these guys are kings, each has their own kingdom and we know they couldn't have LIKED each other. You know each had to have tried to invade the other at some point.
Each king had his own camel and I would imagine each had an entourage. No way are these guys traveling alone. Odds are they had some sort of protection against the other kings too. And the gifts? Gold works. But Myrrh? Frankincense? For a baby? Yes they are pricey, but come on. Why couldn't they each bring gold? I bet they all met somewhere and the other 2 were like "Damn, you brought GOLD? Boy we look stupid."
And these kings were from the Orient? On camels? Where did they come from exactly? You'd assume they were arabs or something. But when was the last time 3 arabs showed up bearing gifts at a Jewish kid's birth? I don't care who the kid is, the arabs are gonna try and kill that kid. So then they were Oriental? Sorry Asian. I suppose it depends on what was considered the "Orient" back then.
OK so we need more research. Time of birth. Who was there? Who were these 3 kings? Where were they from? And who in their right mind turns away a pregnant woman regardless of her claiming she is pregnant with the son of God? Hmmmm...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Why Christmas music sucks ass
Some folks really love Christmas music and Christmas carols. I hate em. Why? I love the holiday, but have you listened to how stupid the lyrics are to these songs? Jingle Bells. Who has ever been in a "one horse open sleigh"? Maybe back in the 1700s but the song has no meaning now. Still, people are out there singing this fucking song like it has meaning. I will not ride in a sleigh that's open, whilst flying thru a goddamn blizzard.
Deck The Halls. Fa-la-la-la? What the fuck? People who sing this fucking song really act "jolly". Happy is fine, jolly is fucking annoying. Any time kids make up a version of a song that's better than the original, you have problems. Deck your balls and you'll get jolly. Remember that? Jingle bells Batman smells...etc etc.
On the flip side, there are actually alot of good religious Christmas songs. Oh Holy Night is one of them. Regardless of the lyrics (which are very good), the melody is amazing. A singer's song. Silent Night isn't nearly as good. I prefer quiet instrumental Christmas music. If it's not in my face, I can enjoy it. Go find David Lanz's Christmas Eve piano album. You don't need any other Christmas album and yes that includes Trans-Siberian Orchestra which has gotten old at this point.
I should just repost my more offensive Christmas blogs over the next few days. But maybe I can still be offensive? We'll see.
Deck The Halls. Fa-la-la-la? What the fuck? People who sing this fucking song really act "jolly". Happy is fine, jolly is fucking annoying. Any time kids make up a version of a song that's better than the original, you have problems. Deck your balls and you'll get jolly. Remember that? Jingle bells Batman smells...etc etc.
On the flip side, there are actually alot of good religious Christmas songs. Oh Holy Night is one of them. Regardless of the lyrics (which are very good), the melody is amazing. A singer's song. Silent Night isn't nearly as good. I prefer quiet instrumental Christmas music. If it's not in my face, I can enjoy it. Go find David Lanz's Christmas Eve piano album. You don't need any other Christmas album and yes that includes Trans-Siberian Orchestra which has gotten old at this point.
I should just repost my more offensive Christmas blogs over the next few days. But maybe I can still be offensive? We'll see.
Ranking Dream Theater's albums
OK so this only matters to me but it's my blog so guess what? Here's my ranking of Dream Theater's studio albums:
1. Images And Words - A no-brainer. Their true classic album. Every song on it is perfect. I still remember buying this the week it came out, not having heard them before. Blind faith indeed.
2. Octavarium - Just when I thought they couldn't crank out a classic album, they did it. It baffles me that not everyone sees this one as the great album it is. Not a wasted note. Varied songs. On par with "Images And Words". Nothing else is.
3. Awake - If you'd asked me back in 1994 when this came out if it would hold this ranking, I would have said you were nuts. I was a bit disappointed at the time but once I realized it didn't have to be a clone of "Images And Words", this album took off for me. Last one with Kevin Moore and it shows in the rest of the catalog.
4. Metropolis Part II: Scenes From A Memory - A return of sorts. Sure it revisits themes from the song "Metropolis" but the album is a completely different beast and it's varied and musical. This one revived the band for sure.
5. A Change Of Seasons - Yeah the EP. This gets voted this high just for the title track alone. They should have dumped the live tracks and included tracks like Eve, To Live Forever and Don't Look Past Me. Oh well. Great fucking song.
6. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence - Double album that does drag in spots. But overall, I like that they explored alot of new areas on this one. There are some absolute classics on this album too.
7. Black Clouds & Silver Linings - Assuming I use my own remix of this album which eliminates the weird sound effects and Portnoy's meathead vocals, you have a good album. Lyrically it's iffy...musically very strong. The cover album is great.
8. Falling Into Infinity - Much maligned. Misunderstood for sure. I think if you include all the b-sides and outtakes, stretch this out to a double album...you have a great album. I still really love this album.
9. Systematic Chaos - I actually liked this album more when it came out. It's really kinda weak though. It has some strong moments but then it has a few clunkers too. Too dark. Too bad.
10. Train Of Thought - I hated this album when it came out. I don't mind it as much anymore. Too one dimensional though. Yeah it's heavy but it isn't all that interesting. It's the sound of the band trying way too hard to impress.
11. When Dream And Day Unite - The songs are good. The production still blows. REMIX THIS ALBUM!! And Charlie is an awful singer. All that said, the album is still fun to listen to.
1. Images And Words - A no-brainer. Their true classic album. Every song on it is perfect. I still remember buying this the week it came out, not having heard them before. Blind faith indeed.
2. Octavarium - Just when I thought they couldn't crank out a classic album, they did it. It baffles me that not everyone sees this one as the great album it is. Not a wasted note. Varied songs. On par with "Images And Words". Nothing else is.
3. Awake - If you'd asked me back in 1994 when this came out if it would hold this ranking, I would have said you were nuts. I was a bit disappointed at the time but once I realized it didn't have to be a clone of "Images And Words", this album took off for me. Last one with Kevin Moore and it shows in the rest of the catalog.
4. Metropolis Part II: Scenes From A Memory - A return of sorts. Sure it revisits themes from the song "Metropolis" but the album is a completely different beast and it's varied and musical. This one revived the band for sure.
5. A Change Of Seasons - Yeah the EP. This gets voted this high just for the title track alone. They should have dumped the live tracks and included tracks like Eve, To Live Forever and Don't Look Past Me. Oh well. Great fucking song.
6. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence - Double album that does drag in spots. But overall, I like that they explored alot of new areas on this one. There are some absolute classics on this album too.
7. Black Clouds & Silver Linings - Assuming I use my own remix of this album which eliminates the weird sound effects and Portnoy's meathead vocals, you have a good album. Lyrically it's iffy...musically very strong. The cover album is great.
8. Falling Into Infinity - Much maligned. Misunderstood for sure. I think if you include all the b-sides and outtakes, stretch this out to a double album...you have a great album. I still really love this album.
9. Systematic Chaos - I actually liked this album more when it came out. It's really kinda weak though. It has some strong moments but then it has a few clunkers too. Too dark. Too bad.
10. Train Of Thought - I hated this album when it came out. I don't mind it as much anymore. Too one dimensional though. Yeah it's heavy but it isn't all that interesting. It's the sound of the band trying way too hard to impress.
11. When Dream And Day Unite - The songs are good. The production still blows. REMIX THIS ALBUM!! And Charlie is an awful singer. All that said, the album is still fun to listen to.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Carpe diem and things like such
I've come to realize the importance of living for the day, seizing the moment. The main thing is why sweat over what MIGHT be? Why not embrace what IS? I know, all this sounds pretty damn easy but too many people piss and moan rather that look around at how lucky they really are. I guess they prefer being miserable.
The bottom line is you have to enjoy the life you have. You don't get another. Eternal life? Prove it. Without being able to prove there is such a thing, there's no point in hoping. Reincarnation? If it does exist, it sucks. Why? Well, if I have lived before, I don't remember it so what GOOD is it? I mean if I remembered past lives then okay, I don't have to live for the day. So reincarnation is either bullshit or a waste. Seize the day.
The bottom line is you have to enjoy the life you have. You don't get another. Eternal life? Prove it. Without being able to prove there is such a thing, there's no point in hoping. Reincarnation? If it does exist, it sucks. Why? Well, if I have lived before, I don't remember it so what GOOD is it? I mean if I remembered past lives then okay, I don't have to live for the day. So reincarnation is either bullshit or a waste. Seize the day.
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