The Things I Watch and Think About When I'm Not Feeling Well

I've been somewhat quarantined in my bedroom since tuesday afternoon, trying to avoid catching a nasty virus. I felt terrible this morning, but thankfully to this point in the day, I feel better. Not much food in me cos I can never tell if I'm getting hungry or not when I feel icky.

Anyhoo, onward to the subject matter...when I'm in bed pretty much all day, I watch movies on cable. It's really the only time I watch more than an hour or so of tv at one time. So today's movies were "Paper Heart" and "The Proposal". Both in the "romantic comedy" genre.

I must admit a guilty pleasure of mine...no, not ABBA...there's no shame in that. I'm talking about my genuine appreciation of a good romantic comedy. There, I said it.

"Paper Heart" is a quirky flick, shot in a documentary style. Some of it is real, most is scripted, but they intertwine it so well that you catch yourself thinking "oh, that was scripted". It's about a girl who doesn't believe in love, so she sets out across the country to get views on love from randon people and couples. It's actually kinda sweet in parts, funny in others, but someone in an interview said something that stuck in my head...more on that later...

"The Proposal"...thought it was pretty good. Didn't like the ending. Regardless, thought it was a well-done, predictable movie. Let's face it. We like predictable movies like this. Not so much if we're watching a horror or suspense flick, but movies like this NEED to be predictable...we feed off of this stuff. We want to see the people come together, have conflict, then have some perfect get-back-together/i love you and always have moment.

Why? Because that's what we all want in our own lives. It kick-starts our imaginations and hopes that yes,some day, I too will lose my organ-doner,zoo-working wife in a car crash, then later be set up on a blind date at an Irish-Italian restaurant where I have a chance meeting w/ a feisty waitress. We will then fall in love, there will be a montage of special moments, and I will find out that she was actually the recipient of a heart transplant...the very heart my wife donated! Sadly, she'll freak out and go to Italy, and just when you think it's done, I decide to accept her grandpa's ticket and go after her, where I will surprise her on a bicycle w/ a nun riding on the handlebars.My heart beats for her!!! (10 points for what movie that is)

So anyway, back to the statement from "Paper Heart". When asked about romantic love, someone mentions that lots of people get into marriages too hastily. That they don't like being w/ each other, and that was the mistake. You can love someone on some levels and not really like being around them much. It's about the LIKE....we're all happiest when we spend time w/someone we LIKE to be around, so why do we not make that a priority when seeking "the one"?

So yeah, I've been thinking about that all day. I think it's absolutely true...now the challenge is finding someone who LIKES being around me!

I should probably watch more action movies.

Adam

Musings About Some Muses

First off, all I can say about the band Muse is: yes, yes, and yes.

I came on board the Muse bandwagon late, but I'm all up on it. I started buying up all their music, but I got to see them open for U2 last year....holy crap. I don't know that there's a better live band anywhere, and all I got was an 8-song sample. Now, U2 put on a perfect show, and the experience of their show was the best ever...but dang...Muse...if you ever get the chance, even if you don't like them much or aren't familiar w/ them, GO see them!

Now, enough gushing. Do your duty as a citizen of earth and go by their cds.

There's something about the song "Uprising" that really gets me going."They will not force us. They will stop degrading us. They will not control us. We will be victorious." But if you hear nothing else by them, there's a 3-part "symphony" at the end of their latest cd. The last part leaves me shaking my head. Finally, someone successfully combined classical music w/ rock!

I suggest starting out w/ "Absolution" though. From start to finish, it melts your face. Even the slower stuff.

So, right now, Muse is my musical muse...this blog brought to you by the letter "M".

As far as my real-life muse? Well, I'm still trying to find one. I think she's hiding. Or maybe she's right in front of me. Or maybe she's the one I keep seeing peeking out of the bushes. I'd love to have a real-life muse.

You can send your applications, resumes, and/or suggestions directly to me.

Plug in baby!

Adam

Whoever Stole Aerosmith Needs To Return Them

I saw a FB status update today with a line from Aerosmith's "Rag Doll", and it got me to thinking: what the crap happened to Aerosmith?!?!

I mean really. One minute they're the biggest band in the world, the next they're, well, I don't know what happened to them. They disappeared. I've checked underneath the bed, between the cushions, behind the shed...no Aerosmith.

I've checked the TV. No Dancing w/ the Stars appearances, or Aerosmith night on American Idol. It's because of the latter that I fear not only have they disappeared, but the minds of the American public are slowly having all Aerosmith-related memories erased by some MKULTRA-type government cover-up.

I want my Aerosmith back. I want "Rag Doll", "What It Takes", "Crazy/Amazing/Cryin'". Heck, I'll even accept "Nine Lives" and "Jaded".

We need you Aerosmith. We need you to get "Back In the Saddle" again, ride back into the spotlight, and kick our faces in with your rock. I want to feel the excited confusion of the part in your live show where you sing "Janie's Got A Gun", making me wonder if I should be rocking out to hard to a song about an incestuous rape victim.

Aerosmith, please come back. We'll even let you play some of your "blues" record you put out just before you vanished. Just come back. And if you could, bring Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler back with you. I know, I know. I ask for too much now.

One last request, Aerosmith...no new songs. I just want my old Aerosmith back.

Adam

Music: Why I'm Going To Be Deaf One Day

When I was little kid, my brother(s) would play music on a record player in the back bedroom. It had a built-in 8-track player, and different colored lights that would flash on the beats. Kinda disco. But there were no disco records. Oh no. It was KISS, Cheap Trick, Foreigner, more KISS...and occasionally, even some KISS. I would literally fall asleep on the floor in front of it.

By the time middle school rolled around, we had graduated from records to the wonder of cassettes. Oh yeah. The rattle of the tape! The Walkman! So, the headphones would go on, and the volume would go up. LOUD.

By high school, we were on a full-fledge cd revolution. The stereos started getting bigger. Fancier. Louder.

My first rock concert was the summer before high school, 1990. You guessed it: KISS. Then the day after freshman year it was off to Carowinds Paladium to see Poison. Then the next year, Van Halen. Then Aerosmith. Then I recall noticing that my ears never stopped ringing.

So, my love/obsession with music all my life has led to some tinnitus(sp?). Ear plugs are the norm for me if I go to a show. I preach ear protection to our teenagers. I didn't take care of my ears growing up, and because of this, someday I'll be wearing hearing aids. I should've listened to Dad years ago:"if you don't turn that down you're gonna go deaf!".

I would have listened, but I was probably too busy being inspired by Cinderella.
Adam

Getting started

I've been told many a time over the years that I need to find a hobby. I've dabbled in tons of things, and nothing's ever really held my interest for long. So, I'm giving blogging another shot. I tend to think it's rather self-absorbed to blog about yourself, thinking all the world is interested in what you think.

Then along came Facebook. Apparently, people ARE interested in knowing that I had a ham sandwich for lunch, or that I hate traffic, or that I can't wait for the weekend. Then you have the people who "like" everything. It's encouraging to know that someone "likes" that my brother is visiting, or that I love my friends. It feels so good to be surrounded by so much like.

My favorites? The trolls. You know the type. They only comment on your status if they don't like your opinion, or if something you say steps on their toes, as if you were targetting them personally. Amazing that they'd think that, considering you haven't spoken to them since 5th grade!

By the way, I think Facebook is the best.

Adam