That “Time” Article on Narcissism and Why I Think Humanity Sucks

So Time magazine recently wrote an article on how little kids are narcissistic little brats, and I think it really explains a lot about my feelings towards other people.

To give some background, the article also had a quiz to determine if you were narcissistic or not, higher numbers meaning more self-absorbed. The average is a 4, I got a 2. I’m half as self-concerned as the average person (could be a good or bad thing).

But here’s the thing about me (and most people, I think): I have the hardest time understanding how other people think. If you are really concerned about this one topic that I don’t care about, then I have no idea why you are so fascinated by it. And vice versa, if I really like something then I don’t understand why you don’t like it.

So then if you are a narcissist, then I really really don’t get your fascination with yourself. Because I sure as hell am not that interested in you. Which is probably why I hate small children, because as the article says, they are all self-obsessed. Also, being the opposite of a narcissist isn’t helping me here because I don’t understand why anyone would be thinking about themselves, not just you in particular.

 

And I think I would blame most conflicts on this tendency of people. In order to end fights, you need to be able to see it from the other person’s point of view. And that’s something that not many people are doing, nor have they ever done. And I find that to be a little sad.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

So I'll be going back to school today, and my free time is going to dramatically decrease. I'll probably post maybe once a week as opposed to everyday now.
Bring it sophomore year!

The End: “Tuck” by Stephen Lawhead

Finally finished the series. All I really want in life is to run off to Robin Hood’s gang and fight evil with them.

I quite liked this ending. It involves Friar Tuck a lot, often asking for peace. Which is really an idea that you wouldn’t expect here, since the Middle Ages were not known for being very peaceful. Tuck is a very unconventional Friar, but I expect that makes him endearing to contemporary audiences. I know that I quite liked him.

Allan a’Dale also finally makes an appearance (Much is absent though, even though his character is mentioned in a song). He is a singer, of course, the traditional image of the outlaw. He can also speak several languages. That’s one of the good things about this series, the languages are pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. Sure it’s modern French, but I’m willing to give some leeway.

One of the cool aspects of this book, as opposed to the others, is that each part is preceded by a snippet of a ballad about Rhibran. This snippet is part of the larger trilogy, but it also reflects what’s happening in the novel as well. Which is quite interesting. This is where Much is mentioned, even though he never appears.

Of course, the book ends with Thomas a’Dale, Allan’s grandson (not sure if the timing of the generations is correct, but whatever), adapting the story of Rhibran to Sherwood and King John. Which is the legend as it is more commonly known. I liked it, the whole Robin becoming a legend thing is used a lot in portrayals, but it is a major part of the story. The process of the tale being immortalized is just as big as the story itself.

Overall, I thought that this was a great series. There isn’t enough contemporary stories of Robin Hood, it’s mostly children’s books. Need more books like this in my life!

What I Listen to When I’m Feeling Blue

So everyone does something different when they’re feeling a little down. Me, I tend to need swing music asap. Similar to the narrator from “The Drowsy Chaperone,” so I hope that means I’m not alone with this problem. (Oh it’s just me? That’s great…)

Anyways, a while back I put together this playlist for when I’m feeling blue. (It’s called “When I’m Feeling Blue” surprisingly enough.) And here’s my top inclusions and why I included it. (It’s also not really in any particular order.)

First of all, there’s songs from musicals. I’m talking Cole Porter and the Gershwins type stuff. I think you just know songs so much better when you have done a show that involves them. For starters, you have all of the lyrics and choreography to them memorized, and if you’re like me and tend to be in the pit, then you also know all of the instrumentation. They also have memories associated with them, like maybe “You’re the Top” brings to mind the good times putting on “Anything Goes!” and hanging out backstage with your friends and learning how to tap dance. (This may or may not reflect my life.) So there’s that.

Then there’s jazz pieces. Most of them are Duke Ellington big band type stuff, but there’s also Cannonball Adderly and Louis Armstrong. I’ve played most of them in jazz band, so once again I have my part memorized. (I’m convinced that Ellington hated his second alto player, because those parts tended to suck.) And they’re great to dance to, get you up and out of this slump!

And there’s songs covered by singers like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Sinatra was the person who really got me into swing, so of course there’s all of his stuff. And Ella is just amazing. Both of them had such talent, it just sounds so good to listen to them. And there’s also a few by Michael Buble and Tony Bennett thrown in there. I like having a few different versions of the same tune, because you hear a few different perspectives on it that way. Even just having a vocal and an instrumental version can be very telling.

So that’s the basics of my playlist. There’s also stuff like how I choose the order of songs and the mood and whatever, but these are the main components. But it’s really up to you, whatever makes you feel happy is what needs to be included.

Some Dragon History

So I also have a bit of a thing for dragon legends as well. Dragons in any story really, from The Hobbit to “How to Train Your Dragon.” Here’s a basic history of dragon legends.

Dragons have appeared in nearly every culture since as far back as 4000 BC. There are myths about them that have almost become universal as a result.

One possible reason for this might have been people trying to explain dinosaur fossils found. Dragons could have been the explanation for this unknown race.

Dragons have been said to live everywhere, depending on the type. Could be the middle of the ocean, or an underground cave. They are often related to sea monsters, which was a popular idea back when the world was thought to be flat. Supposedly dragons waited at the ends of the earth to devour anyone who sailed too far out. This is why most maps mark the end of the world with the phrase “Here There Be Dragons.”

They are also almost always connected to treasure, whether it is gold or a maiden. Knights then had to slay the dragon to gain the treasure. In England, anyone who killed a dragon was promoted to knighthood. Another common feature is supernatural powers such as breathing fire or poison.

In Rome, dragons were thought to be very wise creatures. They saw them as keepers of knowledge, as well as a threat. In some cultures, it is said that dragons taught humans how to talk.

Dragon tales have evolved into two different kinds: the European and the Chinese. Each culture assigns its dragons a slightly different morphology and habits.

European dragons are said to live by rivers or in caves. They have armored scales and have wings, but rarely fly. They were said to be evil under Christianity, although they were kind before then.

Chinese dragons are seen as more similar to snakes. They are also associated with power and the emperor. It is also the only mythical animal in the Chinese calendar.

Different parts of a dragon are often claimed to have healing properties, such as the bones or the blood. In reality, these were usually dinosaur bones or tree sap. Alternatively, it has also been said that dragon blood is poisonous or destructive.

It’s pretty hard to put together a history of dragons, as every culture is slightly different and they tend to contradict each other. However, everyone agrees that they are mythical, fascinating creatures.

The Story Continues… “Scarlet” by Stephen Lawhead

Just finished Scarlet this morning (it took me a while because public libraries are pretty unreliable, but here we go).

My main problem is the fact that this novel is mostly narrated in the first person from Will Scarlet’s point of view. And he has a pretty irritating dialect, of course. I’m not sure whether I got used to it or not, but it did fade a bit over time. So that takes some getting used to.

There’s also this one point at the end where he picks up a kid with a broken hand. That sure healed up quick.

There’s also the introduction of the Sheriff and more Guy in this book. Merian also joins the gang, so you can see the legend coming together over time. And in Welsh, King Raven’s name is Rhi Bran y Hud. Say that ten times fast and you’ll see where I’m going with this. (It’s pretty clever really, I wonder how many names the author went through before he hit on that?)

Other than that, pretty solid continuation of what was started in Hood (hence why I don't have much to say about it). But sequels are never as good as the original.

The Problems I Have With the "Divergent" Series

Yeah so I also got really bored on the train home and finished the “Divergent” series. My feelings are pretty mixed, I think that means that I’ve outgrown teen novels.

I really didn’t like the first one, “Divergent,” because 1. No normal person is going to fit neatly into those factions (shush I’m getting there) and 2. No one is going to willingly choose Dauntless because that basically means that you’re going to be a jerk and die. I just don’t get it.

“Insurgent” didn’t get much better, they just run around and fight people. And it can get pretty confusing unless you are actually paying attention to all of the junk that they are doing (which I wasn’t really, but still there shouldn’t be that much repetition between places!). And it seemed like they were going in circles most of the time.

Then there’s “Allegiant” which I liked the best, but it really should have come earlier. This is when you find out that the factions are because they are all genetically programmed for their personality. That really should have showed up earlier, I felt like the only smart person in a room of idiots for a few books there. But it was great when it came. But then there’s also the chapters with Tobias narrating, and his voice just seems so strained and off that it bothered me for the whole time. And there’s basically a repeat of the factions vs the factionless except it’s people with normal genes vs those with messed up genes. Having said all that, I did like what the author chose to do with the ending. I thought that was a good call to make. And another thing, they never explain why it is that Tris in particular is resistant to all of the serums, more so than anyone else. Just like of let that one slide and hope we don’t notice.

Yeah, like I said, I think my annoyance with this means that I’ve outgrown this genre. So this is probably good for your pet teenager, but don’t read it unless you want to be annoyed by all of the holes.

“Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” and My Fate

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? By Maria Semple is a really good book, very witty and entertaining. Of course, it came out around the same time as Gone Girl so not that many people paid that much attention to it, which is unfortunate.

It’s the story of a mother, Bernadette, who is basically having a bit of a breakdown over living in Seattle with a neighborhood full of people that she doesn’t like. Her husband and daughter try to help, but she ends up running away. So her daughter, Bee, takes it upon herself to find her mother and discover why and where she went.

The story is told through documents that Bee has found, such as emails and letters, and also some narration from Bee herself. Bernadette’s quirkiness, as well as her feud with a neighboring wife, come to life through Bee’s compilation.

It’s pretty hilarious to read, everyone’s a character and has some part to play in Bee’s goal of finding her mom.

What I realized while reading it, is that I’m just like Bernadette! I can’t stand most people, and if I had to become a housewife, I’m pretty sure it would increase by 3294739847%. I’d probably run away just like her! Which is pretty scary, realizing that you are a Bernadette waiting to happen. I just identified with her really well, which is a testament to the author’s ability to create a believable character.

So yeah, check this book out, if you want a glimpse of me in 30 years, or just want to read and giggle at the same time for a little.

"The Alchemist" and What is my Personal Legend?

I recently finished The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I really liked it, except for a few things.

First of all, everyone’s male except for Fatima. And even then, all she gets to do is sit around while Santiago goes treasure hunting. No, thank you. I have a word for that and that word is pointless.

Now that that’s out of the way, I think that the idea of a Personal Legend is a great one. Because how often do you see people fulfilling their dreams that they had when they were younger? It usually doesn’t happen because they get caught up in life and whatever and never get around to it. Which is rather unfortunate.

It also is an idea similar to subjectivism, which is the philosophical idea that the meaning in your life is what you want it to be. So if you want it to be counting all of the blades of grass in your backyard, it can be that. Or in Santiago’s case, it’s finding the treasure. Or for Fatima it’s waiting for Santiago. (grumble grumble)

But this makes me wonder just what my own Personal Legend is. There isn’t anything that I really really want to do; could a Personal Legend be something more ordinary? All I’ve ever really wanted was to read a lot, and be happy. Maybe that’s my Personal Legend. To be honest, if you told me that there was treasure buried somewhere, I probably wouldn’t care. This is the stuff stories are made of, kids.

Or maybe I have yet to find it, I am pretty young, maybe it’ll drop out of the sky and hit me one day that I’ve always wanted to be an underwater basket weaver. I don’t know.

I completely forgot about the rest of the story, so yeah, Santiago goes off on this quest for treasure, and runs into a girl, and does a bunch of other crazy stuff. It isn’t the story so much that’s important, it’s really the way that Santiago deals with his obstacles and the nuggets of wisdom within the story that make it pretty interesting. Coelho did say that this was basically what he learned from life, so it does have some nice quotes and stuff.

So that’s The Alchemist. Maybe comment with your own Personal Legend, if you know what it is? If you want? It may help me identify mine.

The Adventures of Used Books

Used books always seem so different to me from new books. A book is such a personal thing, more so than the typical objects that people carry around. Maybe it’s because I’m such an avid reader, but I think a person’s book says a lot about someone.

Books get carried around with you, and I think that when you reread them, it brings you back to what you were doing when you first read them. So it tells two stories, the one inside the pages and the one outside the pages. And I think that’s really unique to physical books, it isn’t quite the same with an ebook, since you can’t splash water on it or mark up the pages. So it doesn’t show the same stuff as a physical book.

So really the choice of a book and how the owner feels about it says quite a lot about them. But then the decision to give it away probably even more so. To be completely done with a book, I think I’ve really only felt that way about textbooks or little kid books (because I’m not going to reread Curious George Uses the Potty or whatever). I don’t know, it’s probably easier for other people than it is for me.

I can’t buy or read a used book without wondering about its past. Who was the previous owner? How did they treat this book? What does the message inside the cover mean? Where has this book gone? What has it seen? Books seem to have whole secret lives separate from ours, and I think that’s beautiful and fascinating.

“T.S. Eliot: An Imperfect Life” Biography by Lyndall Gordon

Yeah, just finished this book. I really just picked it up because I thought it was a collection of his poems, then I decided that a biography was the next best thing.

I really like the way that the author lays out the book, focusing on the influences on his poetry rather than simply his life. It’s pretty interesting to get a look into his head that way.

She also portrays a pretty even picture of him and doesn’t omit his anti-Semitism or hatred of women in his poems or anything like that.

Like I said, biographies are difficult for me to review well, and I didn’t really know Eliot’s life very well to begin with. But I enjoyed reading this. If you’re a fan of his poems, or just interested in this man’s journey through life, then I think you will enjoy this one!

"...at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."

-Melchizedek, king of Salem, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

"The Theory of Everything" Looks Great!

So I investigated this new biopic on Stephen Hawking, "The Theory of Everything," and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about it. The first trailer just came out, and it looks amazing! (Go google it or something, I'm too lazy to link to it here.) (Seriously, just go do it.)
Eddie Redmayne pretty much stole my heart in "Les Miserables" back 2012, so I'm psyched to see him doing so well in another role! And according to IMDB, Harry Lloyd is also in the cast (another British actor I love) (he was Will Scarlett in that Robin Hood series) but it doesn't say who he's playing. Emma Watson is also at this party, she's still doing great.
Benedict Cumberbatch also played Stephen Hawking, looks like Eddie is doing more than just following in his footsteps though.
Of course, this film centers around his relationship with his first wife, emphasis on first. I'm guessing this is more romantic than real life was then. Should be great, but like all biopics, have to take it with a grain of salt.

The Phenomenon of Being a Biographer

Just finished a biography of T.S. Eliot (hence why he’s been on my mind lately) and it got me thinking about how strange it must be to be a biographer.

You’re writing about people’s lives, which is pretty meta to start off with. And if you’re writing about a writer, then it’s even more so. I wonder if biographers have a completely different outlook on life, since they have seen and examined so many other lives.

Then there’s also the fact that you are bringing this probably long dead person back to life. The way you write about them changes everything about them. And you don’t even know this person, so what right do you have to portray them in any way? (That’s what I would be thinking, gold sticker to anyone who won’t be thinking this.) You are judged based on this person’s life, and the way that it is portrayed. But despite all that, I don’t think the literary world regards you as highly as a historian or a fiction writer. It’s a tough life.

It just seems so strange and difficult, being a biographer. I don’t think I could do it.

Why Technology Sucks

Don’t get me wrong, I think most technology is great and super helpful. I wouldn’t be writing this without it. But it’s also destroying our lives and relationships.

No one talks to each other anymore. More technology has made it easier for us to bypass talking entirely and just send each other electrical signals. No one’s talking to the people around them, just texting other people or whatever. And I’m guilty of this too, I hate talking to people, I’d much rather send an email or a text.

But the fact stands that we aren’t interacting anymore, just looking at the screen in our lap! We are losing contact with the world beyond our cell phones! And I think that there’s something sad about that.

It’s taking away jobs as well, who needs a waiter when you can email your order in.

I think that’s causing us to lose the valuable skill of talking to people in front of you. Sure, we gain the ability to keep in contact with those far away, but it’s coming at the price of those around us. And are we really keeping in contact with those people? Sure, you get Facebook updates, but how often do you have a heart-to-heart chat with them? You don’t, and that probably ties in to not talking to the people around you.

We’re losing a valuable form of communication, everything is getting shorter and less heartfelt. This is what Einstein feared, technology replacing human contact. I know it’s had a bad effect on my life, but how long is this going to go on before we get our faces out of our phones and do something??

The Enduring Poem: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

“Prufrock” has been my favorite poem since I read it senior year of high school. T.S. Eliot just manages to capture everything that I feel about life. Here I am going to try to explain why this poem, written almost a hundred years ago, appeals to so many people.

For starters, here’s a link to the poem. Go ahead and read it if you haven’t, I’m not going anywhere. Just appreciate the poem for what it is.

Have you read it a few times? Then let’s start!

You might not have noticed, but I think that the words themselves that are being used are simply beautiful. The rhyme scheme just pulls you along, I often forget that I’m supposed to be analyzing and just read the poem again. Or phrases like “insidious intent” or “hundred visions and revisions” just sound nice. It’s a beautifully crafted poem.

It starts off by including the reader in the song. “Let us go then, you and I” suggests that the speaker and the reader will travel together. This isn’t a story or an argument, it’s a journey that everyone takes. I think that instinctively appeals to a lot of people. Helps to make it universal.

Eliot also throws in a lot of references to everyday life. “Measured out my life with coffee spoons” brings to mind someone drinking coffee every morning without fail; something a lot of people do. Or references to scenes like “restless night in one-night cheap hotels” isn’t too unfamiliar to most audiences. Then there’s the mentioning of growing old and bald, a knowledge that is very real for everyone.

Then there is my suspicion that this poem was partially written for its audience, that is, readers. When Prufrock exclaims “No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be” any reader can identify with that. If you think you are meant to be a Hamlet, then you probably don’t spend your free time reading poetry. If these people are anything like me, they also spend time thinking that they “should have been a pair of ragged claws.” Readers are usually shy, quiet people who easily identify with Prufrock’s plight. Of course, this also is associated a lot with women for Prufrock, but if you are a generally quiet person, the opposite gender probably makes you nervous as well. And the continual thoughts about what other people think about you such as “they will say…” is a sensation that is very familiar to me, at least. Eliot himself was a reader, and I think that helps this poem's appeal for people like him.

And finally this poem is about a generally universal fear. The fear of dying and not feeling fulfilled, having missed every opportunity that came your way because you were too scared and thought that there would be time for that later. “That overwhelming question” that secretly scares us all, to the extent that hardly anyone talks about it. We are so scared of getting it wrong, of people misinterpreting us and leaving us saying “that is not it at all” that no one takes that risk. Everyone thinks that there is time to “descend the stair” but there really isn’t.

I could go on and on about this poem, I really could. But I’m just going to leave this opener here for now, maybe I’ll tackle a different aspect of it (“that overwhelming question” maybe... or not) later.

2006 Robin Hood BBC TV Series

So this is one of my favorite adaptations of Robin Hood. My personal story with how I got into it is a little strange too, but I’ll tell that at the end.

This is a 3 season series, the first two are good and the last sucks. It starts off with Robin, Earl of Huntingdon and Lord of Locksley, returning from the crusade in the Hold Land (where he was in King Richard’s private guard) with his servant Much. Once he has returned to Locksley, he finds out that Guy of Guisbourne has taken over his lands, and a new sheriff is bullying the people. So he becomes an outlaw, and along with his men Much, Allan a Dale, Will Scarlett, John Little, and Djaq he robs the rich and helps the poor. John was actually in the forest already, he ambushed their camp and that’s how they met. Djaq is a Saracen girl who joins them a little later. Marian is the daughter of the old sheriff, and also doubles as the Nightwatchman, who has been helping the poor since Robin left.

Season 2 introduces the Black Knights, a group of nobles who want to kill the king. Of course, Robin and co do everything they can to stop them. Allan also becomes a spy for Guisbourne, which brings dissent into the outlaw’s ranks.

Season 3 is where everything falls to shit, basically. A few characters leave, so Tuck, Kate, and Isabella are introduced. Tuck is a warrior monk who believes in the legend of Robin Hood a little too much, Kate is a whiny little bitch, and Isabella is the vengeful ex. Yeah don’t expect too much.

As far as the legends go, I’m really glad that they kept most of the bare facts like the place names (there’s even a Kirklee’s Abbey, where Robin supposedly died) and Robin’s original title, Earl of Huntingdon. And a few of the old legends are adapted, for example, the archery contest (as usual). And Little John remains a sort of rival to Robin at the beginning. Much is given a very large role, as Robin’s servant he is usually the right-hand man. Allan is usually a minstrel, here he is just a sneaky guy. Will Scarlett doesn’t actually wear scarlet, it’s just his last name. And the addition of Djaq is a great touch. The later appearing Tuck is a historically accurate monk, they didn’t have friars back then. There are a bunch of modernizations, especially in the lingo, but I never go in expecting this to be historically accurate. Because these people are going to screw up.

What I really like about this series is that Robin’s gang is a small, manageable group. You don’t have swarms of men, just around six. This allows you to get to know them all really well, and there aren’t any ridiculous ambushes where the guards are outnumbered 10 to 1. And the characters are all really well done (excluding S3). There is a love triangle between Djaq, Will, and Allan and what’s great about this one is the subtly of it. The way the three of them interact doesn’t make it obvious, but that’s the way that I prefer it. The writing is actually pretty decent, once again, up until S3. Then you want to shoot everyone involved.

The way I got into this series is by stumbling across the third season on TV. (I know, I know, why am I insulting it so much then?) I had no idea what was going on or why, but I knew it was Robin Hood and therefore was hooked. It ended after the third season, and then a few years ago I watched the first two. I have been rewatching the series every summer since then. And I have also realized just how shit the last season is.

So this is a good series, for what it’s worth. I’ve been in love with it for years. It was way too short for me.

Wanting to Teleport as a Sign of Growing Up

It makes more sense than you think it does.

Wanting to teleport means several things: that you want to get to your destination, that your world has expanded, that you can’t rely on other people to get you there, and that you are feeling rushed.

So if you really want to get to your destination, that usually means that where you are going is a place of your choosing. Which means that you are old enough to know that you really like your piano lessons or whatever it is. No little kid wants to teleport to that, they usually don’t want to be there at all. Or it is a sign of maturity in that you know you have an appointment and want to be there on time, even if you don’t really want to go.

And it also means that your world has expanded beyond the area of getting places instantly. When you’re little, when you want to be somewhere, you go. And it’s that simple. As you make friends across the neighborhood, that distance lengthens a little. Then it might expand to other towns. Then you go to college and suddenly your friends are all over the continent! Or you become aware of events outside of your town that you want to go to. Either way, your world expands and it takes longer to traverse it.

You also probably aren’t counting on your parents to bring you there on time. Maybe you were supposed to get yourself there on time. Or maybe it’s the public transportation (again). Either way, you are either old enough to get yourself places, or mature enough to realize that your parents/the bus are not superhuman and can’t get you there on time magically.

The feeling rushed I think is the thinnest point here, but thought I’d put it down anyway. It expands to a little more than just “feeling rushed.” You must have had society’s etiquette imprinted on you if you want to get somewhere on time. You also see the limits of the speed you can take while travelling. You probably realize how much time travel time takes up and want to eliminate it. They all require a pretty good understanding of how things work physically and within society. And they all require a little growing up.

So it’s really not as outlandish as it seems at first, speaking as someone who has wanted to teleport for ages, I know that I never wanted to do that as a child and think that it definitely is a sign of getting older.

“Hood” by Stephen Lawhead (the book not the milk)

So I have been looking for the novel Hood for years and could never find it anywhere (I have a problem, I’m aware of it) (also bookstores must have a problem if I couldn’t find this anywhere). I recently finished it, and it’s pretty different from any other adaptation of Robin Hood that I’ve read.

Obviously, the whole thing is not in Sherwood Forest, but in Wales. And everyone’s names and everything are different. They usually get nicknames that correspond to the legend (like Iwan being John), but everything feels very different. (King Raven on the other hand… What, a robin wasn’t impressive enough?)

Lawhead appears to have done his research, at the end he explains his reasoning behind the setting and the characters and everything that seems a little off. What it basically boils down to is that he wanted to recreate the source of the legend, and he thinks it started in Wales and from there minstrels spread it until it was adopted by the English. An interesting theory.

The idea itself I quite like, Bran does retain enough characteristics of Robin Hood to please his fans, but also the scene he’s placed in makes it feel more plausible. And like I said, it isn’t a work lacking in research.

The writing, however, is often pretentious and a little out there. Bran’s vision is clouded in red enough to make it annoying, and the old lady who takes care of him ruins the historical feel with her witchy/otherworldly ways. And the men in the woods already are never really explained. It makes a decent story, but I was hoping for a more historical feel instead of the supernatural.

If nothing else, read it for an interesting story. And a fresh take on the old legend. Because I am quite excited to move on to the sequels now.

The Pros and Cons of Boston

So I’m not the biggest Boston fan. I like the city, it’s more historical and laid back than NYC. But there are also a few things that I don’t really like about it.

First, there’s the sports fans. If you are a Yankees fan like me, you are basically massacred (heh) anytime you voice your viewpoint. I’m sure it’s the same in New York if you’re a Sox fan. But as I’m a Yankees fan, that’s definitely going to sway my opinion.

In a similar vein, the drivers in Boston are pretty bad. And it’s usually the people with the zillions of sports stickers. Use your blinker idiot!

Then there’s the city itself. Whoever planned it out had no idea what they were doing, you come to intersections where 5 streets converge and they’re all at 30 degree angles (I can math I swear) and it just makes no sense whatsoever. And there are one way streets at inconvenient spots that really need to not be there. I just don’t get it.

Similarly, the T isn’t the best. I ended up waiting for around 10 minutes every time I had to switch to a different line. And apparently the Government Circle stop is closed for the next 2 years? I had no idea. They tend to get delayed a lot, not the best system in place.

Now the good stuff.

The city is beautiful, it has a different feel from New York where it’s high skyscrapers and blaring lights.  Depending on where you are, there are nice old buildings that just look good. And there are modern ones that look funky as well.

The history behind it is really nice. There’s the freedom trail and several other options for learning about it. It’s very cool, and important to know your history!

There are tons of museums around! There’s the Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Gardner Museum, and the Aquarium among others. So there is always something to do that’s good for everyone.

I can’t remember the statistic, but the population increases dramatically when schools start. There are so many schools around, it’s a great place to be a student!

So that’s my take on Boston. It’s a good place to visit, but I don’t think I would want to live there.

Music History Crash Course: From Armstrong to Bieber

How on earth did the trash coming from the radio today get started? That’s a question that I often ask myself. Of course, being someone who really likes music, I know the answer perfectly well. I just can’t believe that the world has come to the point where these people are famous.

Ok so, popular music really started back in the 1800s with the slave trade. They brought their native African beats over, and that started to shake things up a little. Musicians in America started to hear these funky rhythms, and jazz was developed. The inventor of jazz was supposedly Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton, a pianist with the Red Hot Peppers (what a nickname!), but really everyone played a part in it. Society was also racist as hell, so jazz musicians (often black) were segregated, paid less, and had to play in less respectable venues (as in nightclubs and brothels).

Jump to the roaring 20s, these tunes started to get played in dance halls with swing big bands! What a party! Think Gershwin music! The racism had led many black musician to the Great Migration north, where things weren’t much better, but also contributed to the Harlem Renaissance.

Until the Great Depression shut it down. Not as much as you would think though. But this mood change did bring in the blues, and started the use of electric instruments. Thanks to FDR’s Works Progress Administration, musicians were paid to play, so the big bands managed to continue through this period. This was the era that Cole Porter really got going in!

What really killed the swing parade was WWII. During then, several things happened to contribute to this. Shellac started to be rationed, unfortunately it was an important material in making records. Also, the swing big bands became too expensive, there were too many players, it wasn’t affordable anymore. And the national mood plummeted. Big bands only played slow music, like whole notes with too much vibrato. Ugh.

So what appeared was bebop. Thanks to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, small combos started playing really fast! This saved money, and transformed into something new and original! Of course the fast pace meant that dancers couldn’t keep up, so jazz became a musicians-only gig for the most part. This never became popular enough to replace swing, so R&B really got going out of the blues genre.

Around that time, Louis Armstrong (according to legend) came across another innovation. Supposedly, his band was recording, and the lyrics blew off of Louis’ stand. So he kept singing, and scatting was born!

Then something really big came across the puddle. BRITISH INVASION! Cue the Beatles. For the first time, everyone across the nation was listening to the same music (Elvis also contributed to this). This was the start of pop (hold the Bieber for a moment). More people began joining the pop scene, but as everyone was still racist, black musicians were delegated to R&B instead of pop. This was the era of Motown.

Should probably mention Woodstock. That was the 60s, peace, love, and music. Everyone getting all anti-war up in here. This rebellion started as a response to the conformity of the 50s, where Congress was restricting musicians and dance moves and generally being an uptight pain in the ass.

Dance music became popular again, as discos started. Yup, so dancing beats and stuff.

Not much has really changed since then, it’s mostly the same general area of popular music.

Of course, this isn’t extensive, it’s just the main music that everyone was listening to at the time. So Bieber was really caused by the slave trade, thanks people. But we wouldn’t have gotten many other great kinds of music if it wasn’t for that, so I guess I can live with it.

(In case you are wondering about sources, I mostly know all of this stuff from a research paper on music reflecting society and the economy that I did a while ago. I can provide more specific stuff on request. But I got a 99 on the paper, so it’s all legit. J)