Instead of Going Out

I am slowly creeping upon my 100th blog entry; it should be published by the end of October with the writing style I have. As you can see, I can easily one week write 3 to 4 entries, then go a whole week without writing another entry. Writing these blogs comes to me in spurts. Sometimes I feel like I need to write everyday one week, and some weeks I don't feel like writing at all.

There is nothing specifically that I have the vigor to write about in this entry. I guess you can label this one as another one of my "freestyles." Life in general right now has eased up a bit from the cobwebs of stress that I felt a month previously. It was an absolute hard transition to go from being a dependent living in another's house partying all the time to having to become independent and realizing that financially partying 3 times a week is not the best investment. As much as I liked going out at the frequency of 3 times a week, it was a becoming a habit. Spending excessive amounts of my money at night clubs and bars here in the San Francisco Bay Area was weighing down on me a bit. Not so much because of the stability of my business venture, but I was burning a great deal of my profit in the nightlife scene. Think about it:

Typical Night Expenses
a) Gas - $45
b) Bar/Club Cover Charge - $15
c) Drinking Expense - $15
+d) Late-Night Snack - $6

Average Total - $81

After doing this calculation of expenses from how I usually spend my money whenever I go out, it really doesn't seem likely that I will be going out but once a month anymore. The most ridiculous expense of them all is the cover charge for a bar or club. There are bars and clubs as cheap as $5 to even very expensive ones that can cost you $25 just to get in. On average, a mixed alcoholic beverage at most bars/clubs will range from $7-12. Most people when can drink from a range of 2-4 drinks in one night. Whether you're taking it easy at the bar that night or if you're going to party your ass off, you will check in your pockets the next day and realize a substantial amount of your money is no longer there. I mean, I love going out for the atmosphere and to meet new women, but damn, if it costs me on average $81 to when I go out then why the hell am I going out in the first place?!

...Land of the free, Huh? Seemed like forever ago...

Interesting how the people in the crowd during this debate were laughing at the University of Florida student that was being tasered for asking simple questions to John Kerry. Obviously, he was asking things that were a bit too "controversial" therefore the homonculus clones (oh, I'm sorry, the police) were following orders like the guard dogs they are. Anything in the country at this state in time that may bring up the consciousness of its citizens to open their introspection to what's really going on around them is seen as an immediate threat. Therefore, it is policed and cited as a "terrorist act" for stating facts of this nation's corrupt politics. The kid was just stating how Kerry had won the election against Bush, and how it was indescribable how Kerry did not even contest his loss to Bush at all in anyway, shape, or form. The kid also asked Kerry if he opposed Bush's plan to invade Iran, and why didn't he vote to get Bush impeached. The last question and most ironic one that got him arrested was the undergraduate asking Kerry if he was a part of Skull & Bones fraternity with Bush. This tipped the police into a maniacal frenzy to get the kid away from the microphone and arrest him for absolutely nothing. He was immediately tasered when they could have easily just arrested and escorted him outside of the building. Land of the free, home of the brave, huh?

UCLA Student Tasered in Library

But I thought taser guns were not harmful to the human body, Liars!:

1. Loss of function of respiratory muscles, producing death from asphyxia.

This method of death requires paralysis of the lungs for a period of at least several minutes. The lack of oxygen could cause brain damage and death. The AIR TASER® runs off a nine-volt battery that would drain in less than two minutes if it could run nonstop without breaks in the TASER®-Wave cycle. Even if the device was able to run nonstop and the current ran continuously across the diaphragm muscles in the mid thorax, the duration of the paralysis would be too short to induce death by asphyxia. More importantly, the design of the AIR TASER® ensures that a long and continuous flow discharge will not occur. Death due to paralysis of respiratory muscles has never been reported with the use of a TASER®. (See Section 1. Automatic Impulse Regulation for details.)

2. Hemorrhage resulting from increased blood pressure.

Dr. Robert Stratbucker, MD, Ph.D., MS, PE is the most respected doctor in non-lethal electronic weapons testing and safety evaluations. Dr. Stratbucker has written over 23 publications and presented his work in numerous technical conferences and scientific exhibits. Some of his works include the following relevant topics: potential cardiac hazards in the use of hand-held electronic law enforcement devices, relative immunity of the skin and cardiovascular systems to the direct effects of high voltage, cardiac arrhythmia and defibrillation, current density distributions during transcutaneous current pacing, and electrical characteristics of the skin. Dr. Stratbucker’s study in Section V of this report, demonstrated that even direct application of the TASER® output to the heart "showed only a mild and transient effect on blood pressure." No death by this means has ever occurred in an individual shot with a TASER®.

3. Heart Failure.

Dr. Stratbucker performed tests by applying the TASER®-Wave pulsed wave form directly to the cardiac tissue via an intracardiac electrode and found "no effect on cardiac rhythm or pumping." He also tested the pulsed waveform for interference with cardiac pacemakers. Dr. Stratbucker found "only when the shocks were delivered directly to the pacer itself did erratic pacing occur. Following the termination of the shocks, the rhythm returned promptly to pre-shock regularity." The designs of modern pacemakers withstand the pulses of electrical defibrillators that are several hundred times stronger than TASER® pulses. Tests at the Cordis Medical Lab in Florida have confirmed this.

There have been several reported heart failures in individuals shot by the TASER®. However, in all cases but one there were sufficient amounts of PCP or other drugs in the blood to have caused the death. The one case the TASER® was listed as a contributing factor involved a person with a serious heart condition who was on PCP. However, the doctor performing the autopsy listed the TASER® as possible contributing factor. In none of these cases did the heart failure occur until at least 15 minutes after being shot with a TASER®. Electrically stimulated heart failure would be immediate and would occur during the shock. The patient would die within two to three minutes. There is no plausible mechanism for the TASER® to cause a delayed heart failure. Instead, it appears to have been listed as a potential cause in the above case in the name of conservatism. (By law, coroners must list any possible cause.)

4. Respiratory failure due to nervous inhibitions or damage to the nervous system.

The TASER® does not produce enough power to damage nerve tissue. It simply produces electrical signals confusing the nervous system by overloading the nerve fibers with meaningless signals. No deaths of this nature have been reported.

5. Skin and flesh burns.

A tremendous amount of heat generated by high power currents would have to occur for this type of burn. The nine-volt battery of a TASER® does not produce enough power to cause any more than perhaps slight surface burns. Testing in hospital settings has shown that the TASER® does not to cause burns.

Ghostland Observatory

I had never even heard of the Ghostland Observatory until the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco on last Saturday, but from their infectious synth production and lively vocals I instantly became intrigued on whom this duo from Austin, Texas was. Aaron Behrons (the vocalist) and Thomas Turner (the producer) are the masterminds behind their debut LP, "Paparazzi Lightning." It's very rare that I listen to an electronic-infused LP and feel that it is only fitting that I get my ass up and dance! I'm not even halfway through the LP yet, and it is slowly becoming an album that I know for sure will be receiving heavy rotation from me. Something that you rarely find amongst singers is that they sound totally different live than they do on their albums, but with Behrons, this was not an issue. He sounded just as great in San Francisco as he did on the album. I didn't get a chance to see them because I was backstage for the most part of their performance, but I know that now next time I see the Ghostland posters being posted for their next performance here in the Bay Area that I will be front row taking in all the great music that this duo both produce together. From the city that highlights the South By Southwest Festival every year, Austin, Texas did a great job in producing this group, the Ghostland Observatory.

Ghostland Observatory's performance at SXSW

Treasure Island Music Fest

It's very simple, people. I work for a pretty popular underground hip hop group, and I got to hang out backstage at the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco, California yesterday. All day I was sitting backstage at this festival running into many independent artists, bands, and groups. Just to name a few: Thievery Corporation, Ghostland Observatory, Honeycut, DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, Kid Beyond, Zion I, M.I.A., etc. From looking at the line-up yesterday, I knew maybe only 3 artists on the bill out of like 15. But, I think that it was a great thing because I got to discover many new artists and bands that put on one hella great show. In the middle of Zion I's set, the power went out on the stage for like 3 minutes, but they pulled it together to keep the crowd excited. I had a great time out there in windy ass San Francisco! Amazing how being on the water on Treasure Island, there's a huge degree of wind coming off the water. It was cold as hell out there earlier in the day, warmed up for maybe 2 hours around 2pm, then went back to being chilly again around 5pm. But other than that, sitting in the VIP stands and looking at the stage and crowd going nuts over the artists and bands was sick. Then, seeing the background of beach, ocean, and the cityscape of Frisco was truly a reminder of how beautiful and blessed we all are to live in the Bay Area. Well, not all of us. LOL.

...more more...yeah...musique.

I've been listening to some really great albums lately including Killah Priest, the Smiths, Cyne, etc. I've been sitting at this computer recently almost since Saturday listening to hella albums that I've been recommended to listen to by friends and albums that I haven't listened to at all. Hell, I have albums on my computer that have never been played to since the day I downloaded them. Yeah, that's right...I said downloaded! I'm not afraid of the Music Federallie's. I have realized that the albums that I have slept on the most and never played were the best albums in my whole musical collection. I'm just thankful that God gave me this wide-open musical taste to like many different types of music beyond hip hop and rock. I love the fact that I can play Frank Sinatra or Billie Holliday, Atreyu, Aesop Rock, and Dieselboy all in the same play list and appreciate all of them. I definitely need to do a profession that includes writing and music. I think that all of you should check out all of these artists.


Killah Priest (of Wu Tang Clan)


Cyne


LMNO (of the Visionaries)


Justice

Music

It's easy to misjudge someone based on the things or events in their life that they have been through. It's funny how something like musical taste can define the events and things a human being has been through. By this correlation, people generally tend to choose music that defines their feelings towards the past and current events that have/are going on in their lives. For example, I love hardcore rock for the basis of its abrasive yet true lyrical content. Most of the hardcore rock (or rock in general) is laden with lyrics of introspection, renunciation and even abdication. The general age of the bands that I listen to are within my age range of 18-30 years old therefore it is a bit analeptic to know that there are people that feel the same way I do. It is reassuring that there are people in this world that can have the strength to display all of their insecurities for the world to see through the medium of music and not feel a sense of self-mutilation while doing so. I tend to pick music that I can most relate to; as do you. Yes, the brunt of my musical taste is music that is absorbed with lyrics of disservice and slovenliness and with heavily maniacal guitar and percussion play, but it helps define bits of me.


Thursday


Circle Takes The Square


As Cities Burn

Goodbye, Sprint.

I haven't been writing blogs for a while now for one huge reason (well, two). School has started back up again, and I have been so consumed with being broke now that I haven't really been on the internet as much as I used to. But, that is all soon to change in a while (I hope). Nothing tremendous has been going on in my life as of late other than I am in huge debt right now. I owe Sprint a ridiculous amount of cash for their 'services.' It's beginning to get ridiculous and extremely taxing that I have a Sprint balance that is damn near the same amount as my rent for my townhouse. I have been with them for over 5 years now, and they continue to pimp me out of every red cent that comes into my hands. It's sad when for years I have paid almost 100 dollars every month for 5 years to keep this crappy phone service on.

I ask myself this question everyday; "Why I pay so damn much for a cell phone?!" Well, I am in the Bay Area now for good, so I don't need a nationwide service such as Sprint anymore. I will just have to get a Metro PCS phone for the time being. $50 a month for unlimited minutes and text messages on my phone doesn't sound bad at all. Yeah...Metro PCS has extremely crappy networking such as dropped calls. Hell, Metro PCS drops more calls than Tiki Barber dropped footballs in the 2000 NFL season. But, whatever. I am not picky in these days and times. I am utterly broke and a true starving student now. To just have a cell phone and rent paid is all that truly matters at this time. (God, I hope I get this marketing internship with Photobucket.)