IMO (In My Opinion) (Friday, February 20, 2009)

DISCLAIMER: this blog is mine & mine alone. Thou shalt not blame family nor friends nor employer for what you may read here.

Per usual, all that follows is the viewpoint of one man, an intelligent yet somewhat twisted, "different" one at that. But I'm bored & written in a while, so I figure WTF, let's see what comes out...take it or leave it, agree or disagree, IIWII (It Is What It Is).

Vodka
I don't know a lot about vodka. I know that I like it, I know that I can drink a fuckload of it & not be too hungover. I also think I know that originally it was made from potatoes, in Russia. But I've noticed that some of the best vodkas (at least "best" in my book) are not made from potatoes. Grey Goose is made in France, distilled from wheat. Belvedere is made in Poland, distilled from rye. Tonight I tried Ciroc, which is made in France, distilled from grapes. Level is made in Sweden, and distilled from wheat. All these are among my favorite vodkas. Open my freezer, and peekaboo - you'll more likely than not see one of the above. But I note that vodka has strayed from its original roots - none of these are Russian, nor are they potato based. All that is fine by me, just seems a bit odd.

Matchbox Twenty
MB20 has gotta be one of the most underrated bands of the modern era. Music is so totally subjective - what I like makes you grind your teeth, and what you like makes your neighbor throw up in his/her mouth or try to swallow his/her tongue. For every band that makes it big, there have to be a few hundred thousand, or a few million fans to buy the CD's, download (legally or illegally) the MP3's, see the shows. But it seems like MB20 doesn't get much airplay. Maybe it's that their genre of poprock isn't the most popular nowadays. But if you give a listen, their music is actually pretty damn good. The music itself (harmonies, supporting melodies & lines, and lead riffs) are pretty good, and the lyrics are thought-provoking & sometimes soul-stirring if you pay attention. What's more, each of the four albums is very listenable from start to finish, while skipping nary a track. I can't say that about many other bands. Fuck, I can't make any of the three statements - let alone all three - about many other bands. Matchbox Twenty definitely qualifies as one of my "stranded" bands, i.e. if I was stranded on or going to a deserted isle & could take the entire discography of one band, who would it be? MB20 would be a strong contender, along w/Oasis. For head banging, I highly recommend Disturbed. I'm also a big fan of Godsmack & Breaking Benjamin, but for every-track-of-every-album, only Oasis & Matchbox Twenty really fit the bill. I think my iPod Nano (my X-mas '08 toy) contains every single Matchbox song, almost every Oasis tune, and most of Disturbed & BB, and a good bit of Godsmack. But still...all I can say is that if you haven't listed to Matchbox Twenty, do so.

The current state of affairs
Fugly to say the least. The Dow is at the lowest level that I can remember. Unemployment is going up like a meth addict's heartrate, and shows no signs of slowing down. More states have budget deficits (in the billions of dollars) than Joan Rivers has had facelifts. Can it possibly get any worse? Unfortunately, I think it can, and will. I think we're in for a looong fuckin' haul. If the US economy doesn't totally crash & burn, reach SHTF, zombies-in-the-streets DEFCON 1 level by the end of this calendar year, it'll be a miracle. Don't get me wrong, I'm still hopeful. I have more hope now than I did at this time last year, or eight months ago. I'll come right out & say that I have total faith in President Obama (DAMN does that feel good to say, and have a nice ring BTW...) than I ever did in Dubya to turn this ship around. As he, among so many others, has said, we need patience.

From Confucius: a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Rome wasn't built in a day. It took 18 months or more for us to reach crisis level (and we have not seen the worst yet), it will take an equal amount of time if not longer for us to pull out. I'm not sure if the TARP & recently signed economic stimulus packages will have the desired effects. I sure as fuck hope so. But I'm not looking at drastic, and immediate impact. It'll take us a couple years to pull outta this nosedive. But I think it'll happen, it's a matter of (to abuse another cliche) weather the storm. But man, if there ever was a second Great Depression, we're looking it right in face, smelling it's warm, fetid, rancid breath upon our cheeks. I count my blessing cuz for now (**knock wood, rub lucky rabbit's foot, yada yada**) I have a job, I have a house (granted I'm renting). I'm not foolish enough to think I can't become a casualty, but I'm hoping not, and as much as I'm not a religious person, I say a prayer for all those getting highjacked by this fucking mess. And I wish a plague, the pox, upon those that have helped get us here. A'ight, there's my soapbox, and I'm stepping off it. For now heh heh.

Dogs
I wish I could be more like my dogs. The live in the moment. They don't worry about yesterday, or tomorrow. The live - and love - life for what it is right now. They can be totally happy w/a single thing like a marrow bone. They'll chew happily for hours, being totally engrossed in something so singularly simple. I've said it before & I'll say it again: nothing washes away or remedies the shittiest of days as coming home to two smiling faces & wagging tails. My dogs are my best friends. They've stuck by me through the worst of times, and shared the best. Dogs aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole.

OK, so that's it. I'm outta thoughts for now. To quote the Matchbox Twenty Song "Let's See How Far We've Come":
But I believe the world is burning to the ground,
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out,
Let's see how far we've come
(Let's see how far we've come)
Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
(Let's see how far we've come)

Be good to yourselves, and each other. Take a moment to appreciate the world around you/us as it is, for better or worse, and make the most of it, cuz it won't be the same tomorrow.