Hey sorry for not updating I just got the hang of this.
Currently I am in Berlin! We have been here for about two days now. The city reminds me of Chicago, it's big but easy to get around in.
Backtracking: we land early in Frankfurt so we immediately went exploring. Everything hotel and hostel was booked b/c of some convention. So we ended up staying in the "red light" district, pretty interesting.
We only stayed one night in Frankfurt and immediately left for Prague, Czech Republic in the morning. And upon entering the Czech republic was like taking a time warp back 30 years. The train station we arrived at on Prague was beyond sketchy. But once we walked into the Old Town District, things changed. The whole city is impressive, it all has that old Slavic / Russian feel you always see in movies. It's kind of hard to explain on my iPhone but Prague is my favorite city thus far. We also went to the trapped under ice and terror show far on the north side of Prague, met up with some dudes we know but didn't stick around (I wanted to though). Other than that, Prague wasn't as sketchy as I thought it would be, I feel safer in Prague than I did in Columbus, Ohio. haha. After two nights in Prague we then headed here to Berlin!
I am going to try and add pics but still having trouble with that.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Heading to Frankfurt
it's been awhile since I have updated this...
But me and my friend Greg will be flying out to Frankfurt, Germany tomorrow!
We don't have any solid plans for Europe, we will be winging it kind of. Though I think winging is the only true way to go.
It will be more of an adventure without a solid plan!
Our rough plan is going in order from top to bottom-
Germany
Czech Republic
Germany
Italy
Greece
Switzerland
France
maybe Spain and who knows?
We will be there for a month, should be crazy!
But me and my friend Greg will be flying out to Frankfurt, Germany tomorrow!
We don't have any solid plans for Europe, we will be winging it kind of. Though I think winging is the only true way to go.
It will be more of an adventure without a solid plan!
Our rough plan is going in order from top to bottom-
Germany
Czech Republic
Germany
Italy
Greece
Switzerland
France
maybe Spain and who knows?
We will be there for a month, should be crazy!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Walking around UA
I got bored the other night and walked around Upper Arlington taking long exposure shots.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Straight Edge
Last Friday afternoon, I was working in certain lab at school when the subject of straight edge came up. I was working on my own stuff when the conversation arose but I wasn't really in the mood to interject. Plus I don't think these individuals knew that I was straight edge. So I just sat back and listened to this brief conversation on "their" viewpoints on the straight edge.
The conversation revolved around the fact on how they thought straight edge was "dumb". Posing questions like,"why do they have to label themselves as something?" I can't remember exact quotes but it was roughly around that question/statement and a horrible example of a certain kid who claimed "straight edge" who used to go to my school.
After listening to this and other conversations similar, I am going to assume just as they did. And I am "assuming/know" that they know nothing about the straight edge other then the obvious facts like don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, etc.
As for the "labeling" question, what the fuck isn't a label these days?! I used to wrestle and play soccer and people would label me as a jock. Look at that goofy kid you always see in the comic section at your local library that you have always seen as a geek. Your neighbor across the street who is always throwing parties may be seen as a dumb and drunk partier. Or maybe that "stoner" kid you labeled just because you knew him to hang out with a particular group of kids. These are all labels and they can get worse like through racial slurs and other degrading labels.
Either way my point is, the straight edge is just a label of something more. The straight edge is a state of mind, let me clarify.
The term straight edge is referring to "punk" movement which began the the early 80's. It wasn't always known as "straight edge", it was known as being X'd. The term was coined by Ian Mackaye in the song "Straight Edge" by Minor Threat. For a more in depth history lesson look it up yourself.
But straight edge was a rebellion against the drugs, sex and violence mentality of the punk rock scene at that time. And it's definitely evolved a lot since those days, I can't tell first hand from those days but I can tell you how it is now.
Of coarse there are trends for most "everything" and straight edge is no exception. I see people come and go throughout the hardcore and punk scene all the time, straight edge or not. But don't look at those people because they chose their path and that's fine by me, people change and that's okay. I'd be a liar if I said this didn't piss me off because it does, but I just have to deal with these things.
I have been straight edge for about 5 years now and used to drink and smoke. I never was a big drunk and I wasn't a chain smoker, it was just always there. So, I don't have any amazing story why I have chosen to become straight edge. But I will tell you straight up... At first, straight edge was a trend for me. I can't help it, I started going more and more frequently to local hardcore and punk shows and I fell into a crowd which at the time was predominately straight edge. But I can tell you one thing, I played a lot of sports and had a lot of friends, I guess you could say I was your common normal everyday high school kid. But I have never truly felt apart of anything until I started going to hardcore and punk shows. It's hard for me to truly explain the unity between people in the hardcore and punk scene; but I can tell you that there is no place like it. With places like Cave9 our local venue(d.i.y. all ages) started to become a second home for me. Cave9 was always a great place to go and get away from my problems, especially if I was having problems in school with my family, etc. But Cave9 was an all ages d.i.y. venue where drinking drugs and alcohol were not permitted. This was a place for all ages to have fun and enjoy independent music of all sorts.
Either way I am kind of going off topic. Since choosing the path of the straight edge, I am content with my choices. I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for straight edge. I have seen and experienced many things throughout my time of going to shows. If you want to know more on that subject just ask me.
Other then my life, straight edge keeps a positive influence on scenes all around the U.S. and even the world. I was lucky enough to grow up in such a fun and unifying scene. I've seen shows in many cities and things aren't all the same, Birmingham was lucky enough to have an all ages d.i.y. venue and many cities don't have this. From my experience and in my opinion many scenes are separated when there are "barriers" within the scene. With cities who host 18/21 and up shows create a barrier for younger generations to come, for example Columbus shows. Every now and then I see new kids coming out to shows but they get driven out by older crowds. I even remember first coming to shows here in Columbus, even though there were alot of nice welcoming people but the hardcore scene was mainly made up of a bunch of elitist assholes. But I have been going to shows here for about 4 years now and guess what those elitist assholes are hardly ever seen anymore. I understand many of those people have been going to shows since I was in kindergarten but you can't preach about creating a unified scene without changing your outlook. But where are they now?
Even though I went a little off topic, I just wanted to say that the straight edge still has a postive influence on people. And there will always be trends and labels but it's all up to the indivdual to figure out who they truly are. I got the straight edge, I claim it but I don't go around announcing it to people and I especially don't shove it in anyones faces. I like to say I grew up in hardcore,punk and straight edge even though it has only effected a quarter of my life. But that small portion of my life I feel has truly sculpted who I am today. I have been straight edge for roughly 5 years and I still am today but who knows tomorrow is another day and people change, I know I have.
The conversation revolved around the fact on how they thought straight edge was "dumb". Posing questions like,"why do they have to label themselves as something?" I can't remember exact quotes but it was roughly around that question/statement and a horrible example of a certain kid who claimed "straight edge" who used to go to my school.
After listening to this and other conversations similar, I am going to assume just as they did. And I am "assuming/know" that they know nothing about the straight edge other then the obvious facts like don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, etc.
As for the "labeling" question, what the fuck isn't a label these days?! I used to wrestle and play soccer and people would label me as a jock. Look at that goofy kid you always see in the comic section at your local library that you have always seen as a geek. Your neighbor across the street who is always throwing parties may be seen as a dumb and drunk partier. Or maybe that "stoner" kid you labeled just because you knew him to hang out with a particular group of kids. These are all labels and they can get worse like through racial slurs and other degrading labels.
Either way my point is, the straight edge is just a label of something more. The straight edge is a state of mind, let me clarify.
The term straight edge is referring to "punk" movement which began the the early 80's. It wasn't always known as "straight edge", it was known as being X'd. The term was coined by Ian Mackaye in the song "Straight Edge" by Minor Threat. For a more in depth history lesson look it up yourself.
But straight edge was a rebellion against the drugs, sex and violence mentality of the punk rock scene at that time. And it's definitely evolved a lot since those days, I can't tell first hand from those days but I can tell you how it is now.Of coarse there are trends for most "everything" and straight edge is no exception. I see people come and go throughout the hardcore and punk scene all the time, straight edge or not. But don't look at those people because they chose their path and that's fine by me, people change and that's okay. I'd be a liar if I said this didn't piss me off because it does, but I just have to deal with these things.
I have been straight edge for about 5 years now and used to drink and smoke. I never was a big drunk and I wasn't a chain smoker, it was just always there. So, I don't have any amazing story why I have chosen to become straight edge. But I will tell you straight up... At first, straight edge was a trend for me. I can't help it, I started going more and more frequently to local hardcore and punk shows and I fell into a crowd which at the time was predominately straight edge. But I can tell you one thing, I played a lot of sports and had a lot of friends, I guess you could say I was your common normal everyday high school kid. But I have never truly felt apart of anything until I started going to hardcore and punk shows. It's hard for me to truly explain the unity between people in the hardcore and punk scene; but I can tell you that there is no place like it. With places like Cave9 our local venue(d.i.y. all ages) started to become a second home for me. Cave9 was always a great place to go and get away from my problems, especially if I was having problems in school with my family, etc. But Cave9 was an all ages d.i.y. venue where drinking drugs and alcohol were not permitted. This was a place for all ages to have fun and enjoy independent music of all sorts.
Either way I am kind of going off topic. Since choosing the path of the straight edge, I am content with my choices. I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for straight edge. I have seen and experienced many things throughout my time of going to shows. If you want to know more on that subject just ask me.
Other then my life, straight edge keeps a positive influence on scenes all around the U.S. and even the world. I was lucky enough to grow up in such a fun and unifying scene. I've seen shows in many cities and things aren't all the same, Birmingham was lucky enough to have an all ages d.i.y. venue and many cities don't have this. From my experience and in my opinion many scenes are separated when there are "barriers" within the scene. With cities who host 18/21 and up shows create a barrier for younger generations to come, for example Columbus shows. Every now and then I see new kids coming out to shows but they get driven out by older crowds. I even remember first coming to shows here in Columbus, even though there were alot of nice welcoming people but the hardcore scene was mainly made up of a bunch of elitist assholes. But I have been going to shows here for about 4 years now and guess what those elitist assholes are hardly ever seen anymore. I understand many of those people have been going to shows since I was in kindergarten but you can't preach about creating a unified scene without changing your outlook. But where are they now?
Even though I went a little off topic, I just wanted to say that the straight edge still has a postive influence on people. And there will always be trends and labels but it's all up to the indivdual to figure out who they truly are. I got the straight edge, I claim it but I don't go around announcing it to people and I especially don't shove it in anyones faces. I like to say I grew up in hardcore,punk and straight edge even though it has only effected a quarter of my life. But that small portion of my life I feel has truly sculpted who I am today. I have been straight edge for roughly 5 years and I still am today but who knows tomorrow is another day and people change, I know I have.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bad Brain
I used to walk with my head up
now i walk straight ahead
all those things i looked up to
to me those thing are dead
on closer inspection
so much turned out fake
let down so many times
caused part of me to break
as i grow older
my heart grows colder
and i hate to feel
that part of me is over
i can't waste another day
i can't let my spirit slip away
so growing up is over
what now accept my fate
i don't know what to do
with these choices to make
i can't stay in bed
it's just not good for me
sometimes i feel like
there's nothing more to see
as i grow older
my heart grows colder
and i hate to feel
that part of me is over
i can't waste another day
i can't let my spirit slip away
i wanna have faith
i wanna wake up and smile
i wanna feel alive
because its been a while
i wanna be proud of the things i did
i wanna love things
like when i was a kid
now i walk straight ahead
all those things i looked up to
to me those thing are dead
on closer inspection
so much turned out fake
let down so many times
caused part of me to break
as i grow older
my heart grows colder
and i hate to feel
that part of me is over
i can't waste another day
i can't let my spirit slip away
so growing up is over
what now accept my fate
i don't know what to do
with these choices to make
i can't stay in bed
it's just not good for me
sometimes i feel like
there's nothing more to see
as i grow older
my heart grows colder
and i hate to feel
that part of me is over
i can't waste another day
i can't let my spirit slip away
i wanna have faith
i wanna wake up and smile
i wanna feel alive
because its been a while
i wanna be proud of the things i did
i wanna love things
like when i was a kid
Friday, March 13, 2009
Chicago
Morning thoughts
So far there is one thing out side of school that I am looking forward too and that would be the Burning Fight Book (http://www.burningfightbook.com) release show in Chicago May 2nd and 3rd. This date happens to be the weekend before my thesis show; so I am rushing to finish up everything early to make it to this epic show.
Line up:
Unbroken
Trial
A Chorus of Disapproval
108
Reach the Sky
Disembodied
Converge
Killing Time
Underdog
Guilt
Split Lip
Threadbare
Damnation A.D.
Ringworm, Bane
Have Heart
Betrayed
Blacklisted
Soul Control
The Killer
Harm's Way
Convicted
Thought Crusade
This show has an unbelievable line up, there is no way I can pass this up.
The last time I was in Chicago was for the Suicide File reunion show, which was pretty epic. I never was the biggest fan of Suicide file before that trip but a friend gave me a ticket. The show was also a good chance to get away from school and go to Chicago with my friends Anthony, Nate and Tucker.
The day of the show, we arrived early and explored the suburbs of Chicago. We get to the show which was sold out and packed. I saw friends from all over; Cleveland, Atlanta, Philly, Columbus, Nashville, Louisville, etc. Blacklisted that night was the best set I had ever seen them play, this show re-ignited my love for this band. And of coarse, Suicide File, I went into this show not expecting much from this band, but wow. The opening alone was spine tingling, the first chords stuck for A Pleasure to Have in Class and the constant stage dives and sing-a-longs throughout were so energetic.
I should go the Burning Fight show with the same low expectations as this show.
So far there is one thing out side of school that I am looking forward too and that would be the Burning Fight Book (http://www.burningfightbook.com) release show in Chicago May 2nd and 3rd. This date happens to be the weekend before my thesis show; so I am rushing to finish up everything early to make it to this epic show.
Line up:
Unbroken
Trial
A Chorus of Disapproval
108
Reach the Sky
Disembodied
Converge
Killing Time
Underdog
Guilt
Split Lip
Threadbare
Damnation A.D.
Ringworm, Bane
Have Heart
Betrayed
Blacklisted
Soul Control
The Killer
Harm's Way
Convicted
Thought Crusade
This show has an unbelievable line up, there is no way I can pass this up.
The last time I was in Chicago was for the Suicide File reunion show, which was pretty epic. I never was the biggest fan of Suicide file before that trip but a friend gave me a ticket. The show was also a good chance to get away from school and go to Chicago with my friends Anthony, Nate and Tucker.
The day of the show, we arrived early and explored the suburbs of Chicago. We get to the show which was sold out and packed. I saw friends from all over; Cleveland, Atlanta, Philly, Columbus, Nashville, Louisville, etc. Blacklisted that night was the best set I had ever seen them play, this show re-ignited my love for this band. And of coarse, Suicide File, I went into this show not expecting much from this band, but wow. The opening alone was spine tingling, the first chords stuck for A Pleasure to Have in Class and the constant stage dives and sing-a-longs throughout were so energetic.
I should go the Burning Fight show with the same low expectations as this show.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Thoughts
Swan tell me your story.
What country have you come from, swan, what shores are you flying too?
Where do you rest at night, and what are you looking for?
It's dawn, swan, wake up, soar to the air, follow me!
There is a land not governed by sadness and doubt, where the fear of death is unknown.
Spring forests bloom there and the wind is sweet with the flower
He-Is-Myself.
The bee of the heart dives into it and wants no other joy.
What country have you come from, swan, what shores are you flying too?
Where do you rest at night, and what are you looking for?
It's dawn, swan, wake up, soar to the air, follow me!
There is a land not governed by sadness and doubt, where the fear of death is unknown.
Spring forests bloom there and the wind is sweet with the flower
He-Is-Myself.
The bee of the heart dives into it and wants no other joy.
- Kabir
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Invasion! Europe '09
Me and my good friend Greg from back home are about to head out on an momentous adventure. We will be invading Europe and heading all over for about a month.
I will be updating the whole trip in this blog when I can.
Other than that... it should be sick!
I will be updating the whole trip in this blog when I can.
Other than that... it should be sick!
Thesis (in progress)
Last week we had our mid-term review for our progress towards thesis. Review went very good and progress is going great so far!
I can't describe too much what I am doing for thesis but I can mention that it is a scooter that mimics the motion of roller blading, ice skating, etc.
I can't describe too much what I am doing for thesis but I can mention that it is a scooter that mimics the motion of roller blading, ice skating, etc.
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