The Hierarchy Of Digital Distractions | Information Is Beautiful

2009-09-16 00:00:00 -0400

Patrick Swayze

2009-09-15 00:00:00 -0400

Sadly, Patrick Swayze passed away today.  I enjoyed his films.  Most remember him for "Ghost" or "Dirty Dancing", but I choose to remember him in "Red Dawn," "Road House," and "Point Break."  The cry "Wolverines!!!" still echoes in the depths of my teenage memories.

The ultimate in bad-assery was when Swayze's character literally tiger-claw's this bad guys throat out in "Road House."  I assure you, the bad guy really had it coming.  The closest image I could find was from this NY times page.

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Cancer sucks and it isn't fair.  Rest in peace, Patrick Swayze.

Memory Lane: The Monster Tour - July 25, 1992

2009-09-13 00:00:00 -0400

July 25, 1992 I had just finished my freshman year of college. My Dad had died that spring after years of illness. These were perhaps my most difficult years full of soul searching, debauchery, and other sinful behavior all in the name of exercising those demons of childhood. All ancient history...
 
While recreating my digital music library for the twenty first century (256 kbps, mp3 still), I came across my Guns N' Roses "Use Your Illusion II" CD cover. (My generation still calls them album covers.) Sandwiched between the plastic case and the cover was a ticket stub and a locket of hair.

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The ticket stub is from the "Monster Tour" starring Guns N' Roses and Metallica. Faith No More opened for them. I remember very little from the concert which, in those days, meant you were doing it right. GNR of course rocked the house. In their traditional fashion, they showed up on stage late. The crowd managed to amuse themselves with the help of the camera crew. Ladies, and I use that term loosely, would take turns flashing their breasts to the camera crew who, in turn, put them up on the jumbo monitors. The crowed would cheer, or jeer, in a voting method not so dissimilar from American Idol.
 
Anyone else attend this legendary concert? Share what you remember here!
 
... oh and the locket of hair.. that came just a little later. It was donated by my girlfriend my sophomore year. MANY years later, I married that girl. The rest really is history. :)

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John Mellencamp - Dance Naked - ???Another Sunny Day 12/25???

2009-09-13 00:00:00 -0400

To this day, the 9/11 attacked seems unbelievable.  I remember watching the images on the TV screen in disbelief and horror.  I listened to this one song by Mellencamp a lot during that time - "Another Sunny Day 12/25"  In particular, the lyrics "I don’t want to live angry, I don’t want to live scared. I don’t need no more prophets crying ”brother beware.” just put some work in my hands and give me a dollar to spare. 

And don’t let me sow those seeds of despair" resonated with me.

May God bless and keep all those most directly impacted by that event.

 

John Mellencamp - Dance Naked - ”Another Sunny Day 12/25”

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We see it on TV, we get calls on the phone 
By the prophets of doom, they won’t leave us alone. 
The planet is dying and there’s no time to spare. 
They spend all our days sowing seeds of despair. 
We get enough bad news to harden our hearts. 
This fear that we feed on is what’s keeping us apart.

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To say that we’re doomed is just an obvious remark. 
And it don’t make you right, it just keeps you in the dark. 

I don’t want to live angry, I don’t want to live scared. 
I don’t need no more prophets crying ”brother beware.” 
just put some work in my hands and give me a dollar to spare. 
And don’t let me sow those seeds of despair. 

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Well, this earth is a graveyard, it will swallow our bones. 
It was here long before us, It will be here when we’re gone. 
And it’s a vain generation that looks for a sign. 
Don’t you think we could make better use of our time. 
Yeah, the air could be cleaner and the water could too. 
But what we do to each other are the worst things that we do. 
And we can treasure our freedom behind our locked doors. 
But God speed the day when we’re lonely no more.

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I don’t want to live angry, I don’t want to live scared. 
I don’t need no more prophets crying ”brother beware.” 
just put some work in my hands and give me a dollar to spare. 
And don’t let me sow those seeds of despair.

Offensive line not the only thing broken at Oklahoma game

2009-09-09 00:00:00 -0400