Don't EVER Argue Music With Me

I would like to retract my last post. Well, not all of it, but some of it. As I mentioned before, most of my floor is musically inclined and I can discuss music with them for the most part. Since that post, however, I have come to realize that this is not the case. I have discovered that my next door neighbor has no clue about music. He is just smart enough to be stupid, which bugs me. A few days ago, my roommate and I were listening to The Beatles, one of the most influential bands of all time, when he walked in. "Turn that off and play some real rock," he said. "The Beatles are awful." I merely laughed that one off.

But it continued to get worse.

The next day, he walked into my room as I was playing Rock Band. I just so happened to be playing an Aerosmith song. "I hate Aerosmith. They are so bad." Two amazing bands torn to shreds and robbed of their proper place in musical history in two days. It had to stop here, right?

Wrong.

The next song I chose to play was Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher," a song by a band that inspired thousands of kids to pick up a guitar. "I can't stand Van Halen. They have no importance in the world of music." I lost it.

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me that Van Halen has absolutely no significance in the history of music?" I said.

"That is what I said. They did nothing good," he responded.


"And you are also saying that The Beatles and Aerosmith, both of which had profound influence on music, are no good?"


"That is exactly what I am saying. They never released anything good."


At this point, I was a little bit hot under the collar. "Ok then. If you hate The Beatles, Aerosmith, AND Van Halen, who DO you like?"

His response put me over the edge.

"My favorite band is Blink 182."

I couldn't believe it.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM RIGHT NOW! I WILL NOT STAND HERE AND LET YOU INSULT THREE OF THE BEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL BANDS IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC! COME BACK WHEN YOU HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR GOOD MUSIC."

For those of you who don't know much about music, without The Beatles, Aerosmith, or Van Halen, my neighbor's precious Blink 182 wouldn't even exist.

I found out later that he also enjoys Rascal Flats, but thinks that Led Zeppelin is one of the worst bands of all time.

I Love My Floor

I love my floor. Everyone is so friendly and awesome. We almost always have our doors open and people come and go all the time. On top of that, a good chunk of us are musically inclined or at least have a strong appreciation for music, so I can discuss bands with them. I always enjoy talking music, but I can hardly ever find people that like to talk about anything music-related, or if they do, they are too dumb to know what they are talking about. Fortunately, almost everyone on my floor can discuss music without incident, and those who can't have learned not to argue music with me.

People Watching

I always enjoy people watching. Observing everyone's little quirks, even for just a few seconds is intriguing to me. I know they say to not judge a book by it's cover, but I believe you can tell a lot about a person based on a single glance. I can get a good idea if you have money by what brands of clothing you are wearing. I can tell that you are running late when you are quickly shuffling past others walking at normal speed. Is your head held high? If so, you are probably a confident person. I can probably tell you what kind of music you listen to, the movies you watch, and the books you read just by looking at your shoes. I notice the guys who think they have a shot and the girls who clearly think the opposite. I know these are sweeping generalizations but the way you present yourself, what you wear, how you act, and who you associate with are probably a pretty accurate view of who you truly are.

I often catch people staring at me. I've always wondered why. I glance up and momentarily lock eyes with total strangers. Some look away, while others keep staring. Some even look away, only to look back moments later. Am I that attractive? Or just that weird looking? Are they just doing what I do? Or is there really something deeper, trying to figure out my life story in a only a moment? Are they assessing where I stand against them? Or are they just curious to see if I will do anything different than every other person they look at? I will probably never know as I will never see most of these people ever again.

The people that I truly find interesting are the ones who respond in a way that is very out of the norm, the ones who will approach you after simply making eye contact. Sometimes its in a confrontational manner, others just out of kindness. An example of this occurred to me a few days ago. I was at a meeting and I as I got up to leave, I locked eyes with a girl who I have never seen before in my life. I quickly made my assumptions about her and was about to move on. But she did something almost no one does. Instead of simply averting her gaze, she kept staring at me and then smiled. I smiled back. We both had no intention of meeting the other and we both knew that the whole experience was nothing more than a pleasant one. We had never exchanged a single word between the two of us and I doubt I will ever see her again. People say to not assume anything about anyone, but I think I learned a lot about the random girl with nothing more than a few seconds and a smile.

Owww....

Currently, I am sitting in the Letterman Building, trying to find a comfortable way to sit. So far, I've had no luck. On Monday, my friends and I played football in the rec center on the turf field for a good two hours or so and I'm really feeling it today. If I could just replace my back, legs, and shoulder, I would be a much happier person at the moment.

Since the purpose of these blogs is for everyone to get to know who you are, I figure the best way to do this is to take one of those surveys that I always get tagged in on Facebook. So here is the most recent one....

Sixty-five Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked

1. First thing you wash in the shower?
Hair
2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
Either black or grey.
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
Uh...I guess?
4. Do you plan outfits?
Not unless its for something important.
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?
 Glad that its the weekend.
6. Whats the closest thing to you that's red?
The bricks that are right in front of me in the Letterman Building
7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?
I can't really remember any dreams in recent memory.
8. Did you meet anybody new today?
Not that I'm aware of at least.
9. What are you craving right now?
White Castle
10. Do you floss?
Nope (but don't tell my dentist)
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
 A disgusting food
12. Are you emotional?
Not normally, I'm usually pretty level-headed.
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
Nope.

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
In a bowl- I bite, in a cone- I lick.
15. Do you like your hair?
On most days I do. Today is one of those days.
16. Do you like yourself?
Yes. I am the most awesome person ever.
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
Is he paying?
18. What are you listening to right now?
NPR. Its playing right above my head.
19. Are your parents strict?
They can be.
20. Would you go sky diving?
I'd like to, but I don't know if I could will myself to do it.
21. Do you like cottage cheese?
Ew. No.
22. Have you ever met a celebrity?
Yes. Reggie Miller, Isaiah Thomas, the members of Enter Shikari, and the members of Four Year Strong.
23. Do you rent movies often?
Through Netflix I do.
24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in?
Not that I can tell.
25. How many countries have you visited?
2

26. Have you made a prank phone call?
Yup
27. Ever been on a train?
Numerous times. My dad used to work for the railroad. I love taking the train.
28. Brown or white eggs?
Either.
29.Do you have a cell-phone?
Yep.
30. Do you use chap stick?
No.
31. Do you own a gun?
I've got a BB pistol, a few Airsoft guns, and a paintball gun that jams all the time.
32. Can you use chop sticks?
Yes and no. I can, but I don't think that I use them correctly.
33. Who are you going to be with tonight?
Probably a bunch of the boys. I think we are going to finish the American Pie marathon tonight.
34. Are you too forgiving?
Haha probably.
35. Ever been in love?
I don't honestly know.
36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow?
Probably sleeping.
37. Ever have cream puffs?
Yes! Cream puffs are amazing!
38. Last time you cried?
I really do not know.
39. What was the last question you asked?
A question in scriptwriting about formatting.
40. Favorite time of the year?
Probably summer, but I do enjoy winter.
41. Do you have any tattoos?
Not yet but I want to get one. However, my parents did say they would disown me if I did.
42. Are you sarcastic?
Its like my third language.
43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
Yes I have.
44. Ever walked into a wall?
Hasn't everyone?
45. Favorite color?
Black and red.
46. Have you ever slapped someone?
Not when I actually meant it.
47. Is your hair curly?
When it gets really long, it turns curly.
48. What was the last CD you bought?
Creatures by Motionless In White.
49. Do looks matter?
Yes and no. Personality will get you farther in the long run, but looks are what get you noticed originally.
50. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
I honestly do not know. I've never been presented with the situation, so I'm not really sure how I would respond.
51. Is your phone bill sky high?
Nope. The joys of an unlimited data plan.
52. Do you like your life right now?
Yeah. It could be better, but I'm not complaining.
53. Do you sleep with the TV on?
Sometimes.
54. Can you handle the truth?
Usually
55. Do you have good vision?
Better than some, worse than most.
56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
Yes I do.
57. How often do you talk on the phone?
Fairly often.
58. The last person you held hands with?
Good question...haha.
59. What are you wearing?
Jeans, t-shirt, and a sweatshirt.
60.What is your favorite animal?
Raccoon
61. Where was your default picture taken at?
My friend's house for New Year's.
62. Can you hula hoop?
I've lost the skill a bit over the years, but yes.
63. Do you have a job?
Yes. I work for my mom's company.
64. What was the most recent thing you bought?
Textbooks. Extortion if I have ever seen it.
65. Have you ever crawled through a window?
On occasion.

A Look Back

After a few days of classes, I am pretty sure that this semester will be awesome. Mind you, its still early, but the weeks ahead look promising.

But before I can go further into the future, I want to take a look back at some of the things I have learned from my first semester of college.

Things that I have learned in college:

• Never take an 8am class. Ever.
• Do not expect people driving or riding a bike to stop.
• Netflix is my best friend. 
• Whenever you plan on going to bed at a reasonable hour, you remember that there was something you forgot to do.
• No matter what you are working on, at some point Facebook will distract you.
• Did I mention not to take an 8am class?
• Hip-hop actually is a viable form of music.
• If you work on your homework on a consistent basis, you will not be up until 4 every night.
• No matter how awful your dorm is, I will always trump you because I live in Lafollette.
• Muncie is somehow more entertaining than wherever you came from.
• Sunday night is the perfect time to watch football and catch up on homework.

Have a nice day!