...now you know.

Blogging for English class was definitely a refreshing experience, and was a great compliment to the handwritten works that become somewhat tedious to complete. The topics were fun, and allow some interesting insight from and about classmates that we wouldn't normally get in a run of the mill English class. I always enjoyed hearing my phone's email alert tone go off late on Tuesday nights, because I always knew it was witty, insightful comments on my posts from my procrastinating classmates.

As for this particular blog, I won't be posting anything else from here on out, but don't fret: I try to maintain a more personal blog including thoughts and other observations semi similar to these, here:

http://wipeoffslightsmirks.tumblr.com/

(may or may not contain strong language. no promises.)

And for those wanting to keep in touch in some way or know what I'm up to musically, here's a few things:

Facebook
Twitter (yes I have one of these stupid things)
my hip hop beats
my acoustic guitar/other music project

Or you can, you know, find me at school sometime and say hi, in person. Like a normal person.



Thanks for reading, and good luck to everyone in everything.

lakjsdhjklahsdha.

It was a standard Friday afternoon road trip. We go on them all the time, so what made this one so great? Well...nothing really. All of the excursions my friends and I go on are pretty great in their own right, (except for that one trip to Irvine, where we...nevermind). Mainly, the car ride is the one of the premier parts of the trips, because of all of the things/people we see along the way, coupled with our absurd collective sense of humor makes for very entertaining conversation. Topics that were brought up included: Mortal Kombat, the sudden basketball amnesia of Pau Gasol in the playoffs, The Human Centipede (yeah, I know...), and the WTF-inducing film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The destination was Santa Barbara. The soundtrack was Nas' Illmatic.

As usual, we didn't have a game plan. In fact, I'm not even sure why we decided to go in the first place aside from the fact that we were just bored.

We ended up visiting a friend at UCSB, which then and there jumped into the top 3ish on my list of transfer destinations. After some browsing of the campus, we left to find food, and I ended up spending like $9 on a burrito which I instantly regretted because I soon found out it was basically packed with more black beans than the actual chipotle chicken it was supposed to have. I really hate black beans. My wallet does too, now.

After that fiasco, we explored some more, and eventually trekked to the beach, where we discovered someone's EXTREMELY DETAILED sand sculpture of a naked female. We knew that was our cue to leave.

Nothing was extraordinary about this trip, but it was certainly a good time.


Aside from the $9 I lost. I'm still upset about that.

PS. I'd like to publicly apologize to Darlene for promising to 'go easy' on her in Words With Friends and then proceeding to score 84 points on her in one move. Sorry, sort of.

FFN.

After reading Fast Food Nation, my eyes were opened to a cruel, unseen industry that not only very powerful, but very dangerous as well. The book touches on the industry itself, but also digs into the processes by which the food is actually created. Some facts, such as human meat being accidentally ground and mixed into the final meat product, are extremely disturbing. The cruel and inhumane ways the animals are treated for our benefit is also slightly appalling, considering there are more humane ways of going about the process. Also, the idea that the majority of the food is mainly artificial flavoring is hard to swallow.
    That being said, my fast food habits have not and probably will not change despite learning what I did from this book. I don't eat fast food extremely often, but I feel as though I get enough exercise and I track my eating habits well enough to combat the nasty effects it may have on my body. But it will definitely stick in the back of my mind the next time I stop for a burger.

Truth/Spring Semester

1. I love electronica and the rave scene.
Lie! I really can't stand this fad. That's all I'll say about that.

3. I'm a proficient drummer.
Another lie! I've attempted to play drums but trying to use 4 parts of my body in different rhythms is really tough. Maybe someday though.

4. Lebron James is my favorite basketball player.
NO. NO. Nonononono. The way he handles himself both on and off the court are a disgrace. Also, he's not as great as people make him out to be, he just barrels to the basket and lets the refs bail him out. And I'm more clutch than him, probably. I'm also a Laker fan, so my allegiance lies with Kobe and co. And of course, the guy is as big of a d-bag as there is:

That kid is like 15, come on.

5. My favorite album of all time is older than I am.
Nope! My all time favorite record (Deja Entendu by Brand New. Go listen to it.) is 8 years old. I'm obviously older than that.


6. I can dunk a basketball.
I wish! I can slap a backboard though, so if i was just 2-3 inches taller...




That leaves....






2. The longest book I've ever read was 1,000+ pages.
Yep! A couple of years ago I read David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, which clocks in at 1,079 pages. It was worth the 3-ish months I invested in it, and it's easily my favorite book of all time.








As for the semester:


This is just my second semester here, and I feel much more comfortable and settled than last semester. Before, I sort of sat around and kept to myself during classes, but now, I tend to chat a bit more, and I've met some pretty rad people so far. 


As expected, math gave me an absurd amount of trouble; yet recently it hasn't been as bad despite the material getting harder. I don't really understand why. I've always been extremely proficient at basic algebra, but throw in the letter y, some fractions and a radical or two, and I'm dunzo. 


English has been a pleasant departure from the essay-read-essay-test-essay-random video-test-essay format from high school. The essays have been enjoyable, and the blog portion helps me learn about the people in my class more so than if I just casually talk to them in groups or whatever. 


The rest of my classes thus far have been pretty straightforward, that is, they've been exactly as I expected them to be. Hopefully my next semester will be just as enjoyable as these last two.

5 lies and a truth.

1. I love electronica and the rave scene.

2. The longest book I've ever read was 1,000+ pages.

3. I'm a proficient drummer.

4. Lebron James is my favorite basketball player.

5. My favorite album of all time is older than I am.

6. I can dunk a basketball.


Good luck! :)

I will be completely honest with you guys...

...I wanted to make a lengthy, profound, interesting blog post for the 'whatever you want' week, but the Laker game just went into triple overtime and my head is about to explode.



Sorry.


PS: Does anyone else follow March Madness? My bracket is screwed beyond belief. If yours is worst, post the link in the comments so I feel a little bit better.



PPS: RIP Nate Dogg, a west coast hip hop legend. I grew up hearing choice cuts from Dr. Dre's album 'Chronic 2001' in which Nate had spectacular verses. His voice smoothed out the hardest, rawest gangster rap tracks in the 90's, and he performed on a few contemporary tracks, most notably 50 Cent's '21 Questions'. Just a few weeks ago, some friends and I went on a road trip and 'Chronic 2001' is a staple of the CD rotation. Whenever Nate's silky voice came on, everyone in the car immediately sings along, no matter how hedonistic the lyrics, because his voice had that kind of effect on hip hop lovers. His absence on Dr. Dre's upcoming album will be felt, and he will be missed.


Also, late edit, but:

I'm a sucker for hip hop instrumentals, and this is easily one of my favorite beats by one of my favorite producers of all time. It's a simple 4 or 5 chord progression repeated over and over but I can seriously just listen to it on repeat for a long time, it's that good.

Family

    Quite some time ago, I always thought that a 'normal' family consisted of a child or children and 2 parents. As a child, it was normal for me, mainly because I had this normal setting at home, and the majority of my friends at the time had similar situations. The rare 'kid with the divorced parents' was completely out of the ordinary.

     Now, though I'm completely lucky to have both parents, who have chosen to stick together for 27 years out of genuine love, I seem to be the odd one out in my primary group of friends. One friend lives with his father and step mother; his biological mother was exiled by his father because of her problems with alcohol and drugs. Another friend lives with his grandfather and uncle, and another friend lives with both of his grandparents, both for varying reasons.

     They all still seem happy, possibly because they don't know the privilege of having both parents, but also quite possibly because they are genuinely happy with their living situations. Whatever the case may be, it tends to make me a bit more appreciative of the situation I've been given.

    On top of the aforementioned issues, I've seen far too many friends have a parent tragically pass away at far too young of an age, and the subsequent toll it takes on them. The idea of being in their shoes is something I never want to have to experience, and again, it makes me appreciate what I have and the luck that I've been given.

     Because of this appreciation, I tend to show my parents the respect that they deserve, and even though I'm an adult, I still reside in their house, where they pay the bills, where they provide my shelter. Therefore, I still adhere to the few rules that they set for me, and I'm probably a better person for it. My friends in different living situations seem to have a much looser lifestyle and less 'rules' than I or my friends living with both parents do, and my stricter style can often clash with theirs, more so before we were legally adults than now.

     Though I keep stressing this point, I'm EXTREMELY lucky to have both of my parents, and to have a very good relationship with them. Seeing what the other possibilities are, I feel as though any other way wouldn't be as satisfactory.

What We Build Could Be Anything

Most people would more than likely reply, ‘yes’ when asked if they would like to leave a lasting legacy of some sort, but how many of those people actually know how they would go about doing it? Leaving a legacy can refer to a number of things, including changing someone’s life, making the smallest difference in the world, or creating something that will last forever. I chose the latter.

I began playing the guitar at the age of 14, a direct result of me asking myself, ‘what can I do to fit in?’ I was acquainted with multiple musicians, yet I found myself almost inherently distant with those I was closest too because of this trait; my ‘thing’ at the time was basketball, something that these ‘musicians’ couldn’t exactly identify with. After some mindful deliberation, I decided to give it a shot. I asked for, and received my first guitar on my 14th birthday.

I began teaching myself to play the instrument, using any resource available, including the internet, books, and to a lesser extent, common sense and my own 2 ears. At first it felt as though I was learning a new language. The technicalities seemed absurdly foreign, and as expected, I struggled mightily to begin with. Repetition, however, paid off. Things began to make more sense, and the difficulty of songs I could play had gradually increased.

By 15, I had posted several videos on Youtube, showcasing my ability to precisely replicate some popular songs, while receiving surprisingly positive feedback. This trend continued, and the harder I worked, the more ability I seemed to have gained.

Three years, an extra guitar, and some recording software later, I was seemingly bored with playing songs written by other people who were ostensibly ‘better’ than me because of the fame they had achieved. As my ability flourished, my music tastes did as well. Newer artists seemed to be less intricate and creative to me, and my mindset grew to an admittedly snobby, yet honest, ‘I can be better than these guys.’

That summer, I sat down with my guitar, and planned.  Like a football coach planning his attack, I deliberated on what I wanted to do. It eventually came down to one thing and  one thing only: whatever I wrote, I wrote it for me and no one else. I wouldn’t take into account what anyone else’s tastes consisted of, nor did I consider the possibility that someone I share the final product with may abhor it completely. It was for me, and it was going to be what I wanted to write, what I wanted to listen to. So it began.

I began playing the first chords and progressions that came to my head, and began recording. All of my influences began swirling in my head, and I quickly applied everything I had learned to this one session. The process inevitably floundered for a bit, but instead of grousing or quitting, I remained positive and moved onward. Piece by piece, my creation came alive and eventually I had been done with the hard part. The simple part, was mixing, layering, and mastering the song, a task I had a miniscule amount of experience in, but enough to complete my recording.

Once the piece had become finalized, it was time to hear the final product. Hearing it was almost euphoric. The sound quality wasn’t perfect, and there were a few mixing gaffes that could have been avoided, but the core of it all, the music itself, was deeply satisfying, It was three years of repetition, three years of effort, three years of attention to detail, and three years of learning, all coherently wrapped into a (conveniently timed) three minute and five second package. I named the song ‘What We Build Could Be Anything’, which was the second half of the closing sentence to the book Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. Not exactly fine literature, but the theme of the book and that quote was something I had embraced during the songwriting process.

Even though I wrote the song for myself, I was ridiculously eager to share my creation with the world. Over the next 24 hours, the feedback I had received was overwhelmingly positive. As selfish as it was to write only for myself, it was almost selfless because of the way it made me feel to make other people happy. One comment I had received online was something along the lines of, “This song made me smile, nice work.” Mission accomplished.

In a strange faux-philosophical way, I see the entire experience as a metaphorical set of three (there’s that number again) Russian Matryoshka nesting dolls; the songwriting process (outermost doll) is an event in itself, in which I had to persevere to ultimately accomplish something. This is direct result of the guitar learning and self teaching process (middle doll) which was a test of personal mettle. The innermost doll is the process of succeeding, not in music, but as a person. The parallels between the musical process and life are uncanny; every day is a learning experience, and through this on event, I grew as a person, realizing that hard work will eventually pay off, and persistence is key.

It has been almost 2 years since the days I sat down and wrote that first song. Since then, I have written somewhere around 8 total songs, and all have been approached with the same care and patience as the first one. Still, none of them give me the same cathartic feeling as the first one did, allowing me to express myself without saying anything at all. That just might be the best way to do it.

The beautiful thing about art is that it never goes away. It’s the reason why paintings from centuries ago are still greatly appreciated, and their artists are still respected and remembered. It’s the reason why artists like The Beatles still remain relevant after fifty-plus years, and contemporary musicians cite them as their main influences. It’s why literature survives and is passed down from generation to generation. I feel as though through this growing process that I’ve endured, I’ve created art that, long after I’m gone, can make someone happy, or can inspire them to un-nest their own Matryoshka dolls. I’ve pushed myself through self motivation and an internal belief that I can achieve just about anything if I want it bad enough, I’ve created things that can’t be destroyed nor taken from me, and cemented my own personal legacy, whether it affects a minute amount of people, or the whole world. And it lasts longer than three minutes and five seconds. It lasts forever.


-------------------------------

Today, my 19th birthday, marks the 5th year since I began playing.

The song I've written about can be heard here:

http://soundcloud.com/draftdaytrade/what-we-build-could-be-anything/

Thanks!

LOL

    lol so u no how mst ppl txt now nsted of callng or actlly tlkng n prson, wl I thnk-



    I text a lot, but not like that. If you type/text like that, I'll probably hate you.

    I much prefer texting over calling, mainly because I'm not terribly proficient at talking on the phone. Texting isn't as impersonal as some people may think, in fact, it can be a bit more personal than talking on the phone because of the different faces and whatnot you can insert. If something makes you happy,

:)

the other person can't exactly see your face, and how happy they may have made you. Similarly,


:(


anguish like that can only be conveyed via text.  And of course there's



;)


if you're into that.


Another fun thing about texting is that some jokes are just better in print, like this little gem: (my texts are the ones in the green bubbles)

The F's definitely aren't curse words, if that's what you're thinking.

Somehow, I feel like that exchange wouldn't have been as funny had it been via voice. Another wonderful thing is how convenient texting is. Sometimes, when you only want to communicate something brief, texting is ideal. A time, a location, a phone number, a name, or anything that doesn't warrant a phone call can be shared through a few keystrokes. And it can be done at anytime necessary...like during classes. There's always times where something terribly important or urgent must be relayed to someone else, but one or both of you is burdened by class time. Most teachers can be pretty oblivious to (or they're just indifferent, it's hard to tell sometimes) students texting, so when it's necessary, we as students can get away with it.

    For example, just a few days ago in our beloved English class, a friend of mine had to communicate an extremely urgent piece of information to me, so urgent in fact, that I had to also reply on the spot during very valuable class time:

    Thank God for texting.

Not so real-ity TV.

    Reality TV is something I've never bought into. It seems almost absurd to me that people can be so detached or distanced from their own lives, that they would spend 22 minutes glancing into someone else's apparently real life. Whether it's watching clueless rich people on The Hills, clueless teenagers reeking of irresponsibility on Teen Mom or 16 and Pregnant, or clueless Italians on Jersey Shore, America seems to enjoy a seemingly voyeuristic take on what's considered 'reality'. The catch is, that even though some (most, probably) of these shows are admittedly scripted, viewers still get a kick out of whatever wacky SITUATION the Jersey Shore cast gets tossed into that week.
    Personally, I don't pay attention to any such shows, dividing my television viewing time amongst sports, and scripted (or semi scripted, partially improvised) comedies, ie: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Parks and Recreation, and Community. At least these shows are fiction marketed as fiction as opposed to fiction marketed as reality.
    Reality television has become something of a pop culture phenomenon. Normal people are thrust into the spotlight and are hailed as celebrities, without doing much of anything. And society rewards this. Hard working people such as myself, or even you (unless, somehow, you're Kim Kardashian and you've stumbled upon this...this is doubtful though) have to struggle to make ends meet, work overwhelmingly hard and still may not make as much money as some of these people do. The message this sends to today's youth is this; 'do nothing, gain everything'.

Are you attractive? You can make it on tv.
Do you have a certain quirk that can be deemed as entertaining to mass audiences? You can make it on tv.
Do you disparage other people and try to stir up controversy? Yep, you can make it too.
Even if you're not attractive, but posess the other 2 qualities...., well,

Thanks, MTV.

Food for thought.

    For me, fast food has always been a love/mild hate relationship. As a child, before I knew the health risks and consequences of overindulging on fast food, it was love. A bucket of chicken, a cheeseburger, a giant soda...whatever it was, the result was always a satisfyingly full stomach and happy taste buds. Of course, it wasn't an all-the-time type of thing, which made it that much more exciting when we did have it. My naive younger self always found home-cooked meals to be extraordinarily bland, not really appreciating or understanding the labor my mom would go through, having to work all day, and come straight home to slaving over a hot stove or oven while the rest of us relaxed. But typically on Friday nights, that's when the stove was off, and mom got to do her own relaxing, and everyone enjoyed themselves with a nice warm meal; and everyone got to decide what THEY wanted rather than having 'whatever was already in the oven'.


    But as I grew up, I learned how wrong I was all that time. Now, I'd much rather have a wholesome, healthy home cooked meal as opposed to a fat/grease/calorie-packed one. I also grew to appreciate the fact that for 20+ years, my mom still comes home after long days of work to feed my dad, my sister and I, and even though I still don't pick what she makes, I'm more than thankful for having the food on my plate in the first place.
   There's still days where different situations arise, and we have fast food. Appointments, late work shifts, and various other things can cut into the making of a meal, and fast food becomes a last resort. On a personal level, I do run into situations where fast food is the only resort, like going out with friends. There's no real plausible way to get a nice home cooked meal, when you're in another town,  so fast food becomes the only realistic alternative.
    This isn't to say I eschew it completely; I typically eat it in moderation. I only get small combos and smaller portions, knowing that I'll eventually regret going any bigger. I maintain a pretty active lifestyle though, which helps combat the 'side effects' of fast food., and with an endless list of family members who have contracted diabetes as an incentive, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential.
    It's almost shameful that we as children were so attracted to fast food at a young age, and that it takes a little growing up and a little awareness to help us realize the repercussions of it, both short and long term.
At this point, nothing beats a home cooked meal, no matter how tantilizing fast food may be.
  

Past, future, and everything in between.

Where have I been?


   Reflecting on the last (almost) 19 years, I can't truly define my past one way. As a child, I suppose I spent my time doing what everyone else my age did: hanging out with friends, getting educated,  playing sports, and using a sprawling imagination to attempt to create ways to have fun and enjoy myself. I was successful at that. Anything and everything became an opportunity for friends and I to waste our youth.
   Eventually, the real world became more and more apparent; friends grew apart, school became a more prevalent part of life, and the time we could waste grew smaller and smaller.
   As a teenager, I began to gain an identity, and things became a little more defined. This probably occurred when I decided that the guitar hobby I had picked up at 13 years old or so could be more than a hobby. Gradually I learned more and more about myself, my ambitions, and the world around me, paving the way for who I am now and the way perceive things.


Where am I now?


   At close to 19 years old, I feel as if I've done a pretty decent enough job of being a person. I'm lucky enough to have two parents that have stayed together and provided for me, and I show them the respect they deserve. Too many people that I grew up with and once considered 'friends' have somehow transformed into the exact opposite of the type of people that I want to associate myself with. I've had to sever numerous ties with these people. However, I'm probably a better person because of it.
   That guitar hobby I picked up as a kid manifests itself into my daily life as more of a passion than something I do when I'm bored. The feedback I've received on my abilities at this point is ridiculously positive, so motivation isn't needed. This 'half' of my music taste is reflected in my songwriting, ranging from standard rock, to indie, to alternative, etc.
   What constitutes the other half? I'm an extremely avid hip hop lover. Most people assume that one tends to only listen to 'rock', or only listen to 'rap'. You can imagine the mix of confusion and surprise that arises when people see J Dilla next to Jack Johnson, MF Doom next to Manchester Orchestra, and Talib Kweli next to Taking Back Sunday all on my iPhone. In fact, a more recent hobby-likely-to-turn-passion for me is hip hop beat making. I spend equal amounts of time doing those and writing songs on/playing guitar.
   When I'm not in the studio (my bedroom), I'm a pretty avid sports fan, and a Laker fan since 2000. I make an effort to watch as much basketball (NBA, NCAA) as possible, and because I played the game in high school myself, enjoy discussing the technical aspects of it with people.
    I'm also a sucker for good literature. The Great Gatsby, anything by David Foster Wallace (RIP), 1984, and House Of Leaves have all consumed me. If you're a reader, I'll like you instantly.
   Aside from all of these traits, I do make a concerted effort to be a good person; I fully believe in karma and good fortune. In the same vein, I'll show respect if I get respect back. I've grown as a person from all of my past experiences, and though there's always room for improvement, I'm satisfied with who I am now.


Where am I going?


   I don't have a clear cut plan as to what my future will consist of. Hopefully somewhere down the line I'm healthy, and making money doing something I care about. Ideally, I'd be working with music somehow, be it audio engineering, or production, or anything really. Whatever happens, happens, and as long as I can make a difference in the world somehow outside of my own life, it'll all be worth it.
  




A little taste of my work:


An instrumental piece on acoustic guitar:
http://soundcloud.com/draftdaytrade/ark-bare-version

More guitar stuff:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Draft-Day-Trade/167743773266989?v=wall


A funky little beat I threw together:
http://soundcloud.com/alexbarrera/now-did-one