Music Review

Okay, everyone:

Today I want to tell you about a band that I heard about quite recently, called "Los Ilegales"(which translates to "The Illegals") All of their music is really catchy, and even if you don't understand Spanish, fail at Spanish, or are a native speaker, you'll enjoy the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PQATa34TrY

Pay no attention to the video, it's kind of stupid.

The beat is nice, and it's kind of reggaeton-ish, especially with the car and the gas pumps, which is probably a reference to "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee. Nice beat, nice music, and fun to listen to.

Anyways, life is good now. Holidays are here, and the world is somehow a better place now that school is out.

Also, funny new Onion headline (satirical newspaper) "States Quietly Raise Speed Limits Near Failing Schools"

That's all for now,
-- Noah

Jay & Nick

Hey everyone,

Well, I'm feeling slightly less festive today, so NO new art.
However, I got my grubby mitts on a copy of Nerdaclysm, so that's good.
Now let's return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Now, Gatsby and Nick have a lot in common. For one thing, they're both "new money" types, trying to fit into the "old money" society. Also, Gatsby also has Nick's politician-like charm, as evidenced in the party scene, where Gatsby smiles and Nick instantly thinks better of him. I actually think that Gatsby reminds Nick of the qualities of himself that he hates, which is why he says he dislikes him at the beginning of the book.

I also think that, at first, their relationship is false, and that Gatsby's using him to get to Daisy. But later on, I think that they become more like friends.

Nick and Gatsby, however, have some differences. #1, we've already seen that Gatsby has some shady connections, as evidenced by the guy that rigged the World Series in 1919. Also, Gatsby lies about his past, mainly the whole "San Francisco is in the Midwest" thing. Honestly, I can think of various people that would be ROFLing because of that statement. So, he definitely has something he wants to hide. Also, I'm going to use some logic here, and say that he's a bootlegger. Why? because everyone at his party has huge amounts of alcohol. During Prohibition.

Just food for thought.

--Noah

Winter Poem, With Excursus About The Holidays, Featuring Ranting Action One Would Normally Expect From Sydney

In case you don't know what it means, I have the definition of "Excursus" here:

ex·cur·sus

  [ek-skur-suhs]

–noun, plural -sus·es, -sus.

1.

a detailed discussion of some point in a book, esp. one added as an appendix.

2.

a digression or incidental excursion, as in a narrative.

So I'm basically using it right.

Now, we can get on with the rant-like digression, and then the winter poem. 

Don't you just love the holidays? There's the freezing cold snow, the people pointing out said snow and exclaiming "LOOK!! Global warming is a lie! It's cold outside!!". AND, they don't listen to you when you tell them atmospheric carbon is at 369 ppm or so, which is about 100 ppm higher than it was post-industrial revolution, AND that it's the hottest decade on record, AND that according to a recently created mathematical model, 75% of the freak weather systems we've had over the past several years come from carbon WE'VE put into the air. 

Oh, and of course there's the pretty general thing about family and friends and chestnuts and magical little robot elves blah blah blah etc. Oh, but don't think I'm shallow and only care about the presents. Nope, I enjoy the generic holiday activities too, like watching Fringe and Battlestar Galactica with my family and my new kitten with a mug of hot cider, singing Christmas carols as people get shot of blown to bits on TV. 

But one of the things I'm REALLY looking forward to is World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. I can't wait to make my Goblins/Worgen and adventure in Uldum, Vashj'ir, Deepholm, Mount Hyjal, and the Twilight Highlands. I'm literally this ==> |--------------|-------------|--------------| close to getting to level 80 (for those of you who don't know, that is how many experience bars I need to fill up before getting level 80). It's going to be SO cool.

Finally, I'm adding new art to the blog, so that's good. I'm thinking of using something I originally made up for AP Human Geography, for the "Authentic Self" project. I'm thinking navy blue boxes interspersed with either lime green or orange, with whatever color I don't pick ending up as a tertiary color.

Without further ado, here's the Winter Poem!!!

   Winter makes its presence felt, as the snowflake falls,

   Tumbling, tumbling to the ground.

   Its facets reflect the slowly fading light of the day

   As the sun sinks below the horizon, 

A shaft of sunlight hits the flake.

The snowflake falls, as must we all,

But just for a moment, a fleeting moment, 

The ray of light catches it in its warm hands,

Caressing it in its fatal embrace.

And just for a moment, a tiny blip in time,

The flake is golden.

But, like all things, the moment will, nay, must pass

And the snowflake continues its spiral,

Falling down, down

Into the white abyss of its fellows.

Anyways, C&C are welcome. Yes it's a little bit dark, but happy Christmahanukwanzaa all the same everyone.

Happy Christmahanukwanzaa to all!

--Noah