Keeping Up

A friend of mine recently posed a question on Facebook: What is something you can’t justify spending money on? The premise was to find things his friends would bulk at spending on that wouldn’t cause others to think twice. There were a number of answers including Apple products, designer clothes, and gambling. The question got me thinking about the areas where I tend to be a bit tighter fisted and the areas where I am willing to spend a little more than others might find reasonable. The whole thing, combined with Kevin’s earlier post about rampant consumerism, got me thinking about the value of material possessions and the need to “keep up with the Joneses.”

First, my answers to my friend’s questions. My first response was a new car. I have never seen the value in shelling out extra money for a brand-new car when perfectly good used options are available that can save me tens of thousands of dollars. I am the kind to get a car, drive it until it dies, and replace it with something reliable that is a few years old and not super expensive. The car I drive now was three years old when I bought it and I have had in for over five years. It has the bells and whistles I enjoy (heated seats, blue tooth, sunroof) and was relatively inexpensive. I largely see new cars bought every 2-3 years as nothing more than status symbols and I couldn’t care less about the kind of stuff. I guess I shouldn’t offend those who enjoy new cars, it just doesn’t make sense to me.

My second response was an upgraded phone every year or two, which dovetails nicely with Kevin’s post. While I never saw the sense in getting a new, expensive car, I was definitely one of the sheep who felt the need to have the latest and greatest iPhone in my pocket at all times. I loyally – and foolishly – upgraded every chance I could to make sure I was as close to new as fiscally possible. Since the end of 2016, I’ve sang a different tune about my phone. I have been rocking my iPhone 7 since then and have no plan to upgrade until I absolutely have to. The phone is paid for and it makes no sense to me to spend upwards of $1,000.00 US on the newest phone just to have it. This is where my mind turned to the idea of “keeping up.”

While I’m sure people upgrade their phone for functional reasons, I believe the majority of people do it just so they can say they have the latest and therefore “best” phone available. It’s a point of pride and a way to not be ostracized from one’s social circle. Hell, that’s the reason I upgrade. I use my phone to chat with friends, listen to music, surf the web, and occasionally make phone calls. Pretty much any model of iPhone can help me achieve those tasks. I don’t take pictures, so a super fancy camera is wasted on me. I’m not a gamer, so enhanced graphics and processing speed aren’t a major concern. The core functions I need could be achieved by any smartphone on the market, so why did I waste all that money chasing the “best” phone on the market? I did it to keep up. I am thrilled to be free of that pressure now.

Today, I look at that line of thinking and laugh at how truly foolish it was. I suppose that kind of clarity comes only with age and life experience. I am truly ecstatic to be in my mid-thirties and to be aging out of the prime advertising demographics. New things are no longer targeted at me and there is no social pressure to “keep up” anymore. It is insanely liberating to spend my money on things that add value to my life, not my social standing (such as it ever was). Tying someone’s worth to their material possessions is childish and immature, but it is the way we are conditioned in this country. If you don’t have as good a thing as your peers, you are less than them and should feel inferior. This is the way the mass marketing machine keeps us forking over our hard-earned dollars week after week, year after year.

None of this should be read as an indictment of people who like new cars or phones, those are just examples from my personal values. If those things add value to your life, go crazy. This whole thing is an indictment of the notion that we HAVE to spend our money on status symbols to retain our personal value or worth. It has just been in my thirties that I’ve given this any thought and bulked at the notion of having to pass some test everyday to prove that I was hip, or up to date, or in the know. I’m ready to let popular life pass me by and focus on the things I truly value in my life.

Recently, I’ve taken this a step further by cancelling my Netflix subscription. I took a look at the money I was dishing out every month and the value Netflix added and decided it just didn’t balance out. Pressure to pay for all these streaming services is just a more subtle version of “Hey, you need the newest phone!” The pressure to “keep up” on all the trendy shows is enough to drive us made. Fear of missing out has made us all slaves to whatever thing is trending at any given moment, which includes spending DAYS of our lives staring at screens just so we don’t feel left out within our given tribes. Before I cancelled my Netflix, I did think “man, I am going to miss some stuff,” but I resisted that pull. In the weeks since, I have read multiple books and began writing again, both here in this blog and in the form of some fiction that I might share somewhere down the road. These are things I value deeply and have enriched my life greatly since the beginning of 2020.

Now all this probably makes me sound a bit pretentious and sanctimonious. To those charges, all I can say is, I’m a bit pretentious and sanctimonious at times. I promise I come by it honestly. And I am not some kind of miser who hordes my pennies saved by not buying phones or Netflix. I spend plenty of money on things people would probably shake their heads at. The thing I now take into consideration when spending is “does this add value to my life?” If the answer is yes, I go bonkers. Just look at my Amazon order history and you will see a man who is not afraid to push the boundaries of his disposable income. I just try to make sure the value added these days is MY value and not that of people I’m trying to impress. Trying to impress people is a waste of time. You do you and let the people who appreciate that stay in your life. Anyone else is not worth your time.

So, what do I spend my money on? Well, in the last couple years, I have developed a small obsession with footwear. How many pairs of shoes does a man really need? One dress, one athletic, a pair of boots, and maybe some causal sneakers. I have all of those in duplicate and there is really no end in sight. I like shoes and I like the patterned socks that go with them. I see them as a chance to show off my personality in what I consider to be an otherwise conservative wardrobe. They add value to my life and I couldn’t care less what others think about them.

I also drop some dough on music. In the last few years, I have easily dropped over $1,000 US on speakers, turntables, and records to play on said turntables. That is really not much when you consider how much stereo equipment can cost, but it is a substantial investment for someone in my income range. People have asked me why I buy vinyl when everything can be streamed now and the only answer I have is “I like it.” I get great pleasure form finding an album by a band I love, placing it on the table, dropping the needle, and letting the sweet sounds come out of a decent pair of speakers. I could give some bullshit answer about audio quality, but for me, I just feel a deeper connection to the music when the source is tangible and mechanical. Sending that money has added massive value to my life.

So that’s me, shoes and records. I have been liberated from chasing likes on Facebook or, to use an extremely dated saying, being up to speed at the water cooler. The only person I feel the need to keep up with anymore is me, and I tend to move a little slow these days.     

I Love Books

I love books. Books have been a constant and never disappointing companion in my life. From as young as I can remember, I have loved sticking my nose in a good book and blocking out the rest of the world. As I think about things I might like to contribute to this blog, it seems only natural to discuss books. In the future, I may review a book I’ve just read or give a little something about an old favorite. Today, I want to piggyback off my post about my favorite songs of 2019 and share the best books I read in 2019. Unlike the songs, these won’t be books that were released in 2019, but books I read last year and that has an impact on me.

Before we get to the list, I’d like to discuss why reading for pleasure is such an important part of my life. It goes back to when I was a child and the example set by my parents. Both encouraged me to read and both are readers themselves. My mom always used to say, “if you have a good book with you, you’ll never be bored.” I remember one summer day when she sat on the front porch reading while I ran around the yard doing kid stuff. I was shocked by how long she could sit there and read while there was so much fun to be had, it felt like an eternity. In reality, it was probably an hour max. I asked her how many pages she read in that time and she said about 50. I was blown away. Was it really possible to read 50 whole pages in one sitting without taking a break? I didn’t know that was something a person could do. To this day, the 50-page benchmark has stuck in my brain as a productive reading session (though I usually go well beyond it and have read entire novels cover to cover in one sitting before).

The first paperback novels I remember reading were some Star Wars books that took place in the post Return of the Jedi world. This was many years before Disney made the post Jedi world a thing on the big screen. It was awesome to see what Luke, Han, and Leia got up to after taking down the Empire. I must have read a dozen of those books as a preteen. I have a vivid memory of the day my mom told me and my brother that her and dad were getting a divorce. We were so distraught, mom took us to the mall that night and let us each get something to kind of ease the pain. I cannot recall what my brother got, but I got a Star Wars book. I locked myself in my bedroom for the next few days and ran away to a world where things made sense and the good guys always won.

I guess that is the real power of fiction. As is probably the case with most young people, my primary pleasure reading as a teen was fiction, specifically science fiction and horror novels. I would read anything I could find written by Stephen King or Michael Crichton. Jurassic Park is the first novel I remember reading that was geared more towards adults and not YA Star Wars fans. I liked being able to escape to a world that was far more exciting than mine would ever be. Through books, we are able to put ourselves into any context we like and create the world anyway we like to suit the adventure we are on. Unlike movies, books give us almost complete control over how characters sound and look and what their surroundings look, sound, and smell like. It is something cinema and television just cannot match and never will.

As I got older, I discovered the joy of reading nonfiction for pleasure. I am something of an auto didact. Formal education never really engaged me the way it probably should have. You tell me I HAVE to learn something and it becomes a chore, a job, a pain in the ass. If I DECIDED to learn something, I go all in, and the best source of knowledge on any subject under the sun is books. Whenever a topic piques my interest, I turn to the internet only as a tool to find the best books on that topic, and one rarely does the trick. When I decided I wanted to learn more about the founding of this country (thank you, Lin Manuel Miranda) I didn’t just pick up one book about the revolution, I grabbed several. I read bios of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Hamilton. There really is a never-ending supply of information tucked away in your local library if you just take the time to look.  

I am a bit of a history buff so I love curling up with a good biography of historical figures like Caesar, Hamilton, or FDR. I will deep dive into books about the classical world or the Civil War. I cannot get enough of it. I have read books on political ideology, moral philosophy, social responsibility, and memoirs of great athletes and musicians. I have books about my favorite baseball stadium. I have books about Buddhism. I have books by comedians about living your best life. I have books about how to write books!

There is no way to measure the awesome impact reading has had on my life. It is something our society is getting too far away from with our 140-character culture and the instant gratification of streaming. People have forgotten that reading makes us all better people. It makes us smarter. It opens our minds to new ideas and possibilities. It forces us to quiet the constant noise around us and sink into our own brains for a moment. In a world where people are constantly swiping, clicking, and streaming in an attempt to distract themselves during every dull moment, I am grateful for the wisdom of my mom. I am never bored when I have a good book with me. And I always do.

Here are some books I read in 2019 that had an impact on me.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes: I read this book in just a few short days and was sad to see it end. It is the story of a mentally disabled man who is chosen to test an experimental procedure to increase his IQ. The book offers an amazing look at the way humans interact with one another and the value of a life outside of the things was can see and measure. I walked away from this book thinking I had just had a transformative experience and that is probably the best endorsement I can give. This book is a classic for a reason and I’m only sorry it took me this long to give it a read.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders: I was turned on to George Saunders by another book I read, Gumption by Nick Offerman. In Gumption, Offerman profiles people he feels exhibit the best of humanity. I figured if it was good enough for Ron Swanson, it was good enough for me. Saunders is best known for his collections of short stories (Pastoralia and The Tenth of December being particularly delightful examples). Lincoln in the Bardo is his first novel and he dose not disappoint. The story follows the soul of Willie Lincoln in the first night after his physical body was laid to rest. Playing against the very real backdrop of the Civil War and President Lincoln’s grief over his late son, Lincoln in the Bardo offers a unique look at mortality, love, and letting go, all while supplying a healthy does of Saunders’s trademark wit and humor. This one gets all the thumbs up. I sincerely hope he writes another novel.

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport: It may seem odd to promote a book about digital minimalism in a blog that most of you probably got to from a social media page. Odd as it is, it really speaks to the core of what Newport tries to express in this book. It’s not about abandoning all things electronic and becoming Luddites, but being deliberate in choosing how we spend our precious time and not getting sucked into the online void created by advertisers and attention grabbers. I read this book because I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the amount of time I spent mindlessly scrolling through Facebook or other sites. The lessons in the book really hit home and I can honestly say I am a better and more productive person since reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone out there, not just those who already feel the oppression of our digital age. There are lessons and ideas in here that can apply to everyone, from those just looking to organize their digital lives to those looking to go off the grid completely. Big time thanks to Yes Theory for pointing me towards this one.

Petty: The Biography by Warren Zanes: A great bio of one of my all-time favorite rockers, Tom Petty. Written before Petty died, this book takes us from his beginnings in Gainesville to his Hall of Fame stardom. Get an inside look at the forming of The Heartbreakers, Tom’s friendship with legends like Jeff Lynne and George Harrison, and the issues that threatened to tear the band and Tom’s family apart. Fantastic read if you are even remotely a fan of Tom Petty. The book is extremely well written and, since it was done before he passed, there are large chucks of quotes and stories from Tom himself all over the book.

The Civil War, Vol 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville by Shelby Foote: The title pretty much gives away what this one is about. I picked this up because I knew it was a big source of information for the incredible Civil War documentary by the legendary Ken Burns. Interviews with Foote appears regularly throughout the epic series and he is easily the best part of the whole thing. I could listen to the man talk about anything with his slow and disarming southern drawl. The book was incredibly rich with detail and portraits of the characters who would define the war. While its is a bit heavy on military tactic and maneuvers during the battles, the balance of the book is smart, well written, and easy to read. Recommended to anyone who enjoys books about history, military history, or just wants to know about The Civil War. I am looking forward to diving into volumes two and three. Can’t wait to see how it ends! 

Consumerism

My phone is taking a shit. Or so it would seem. It claims to be making a call but I can’t hear any ringing in the earpiece. This happens on speakerphone as well. There are other issues related to calling but I’m not going to go into them here because it’s late and I’m, as the French say, lazy.

I suppose it may be time to get a new phone as I’ve had this one for a little over 5 years. And it was an older model when I bought it. But I’ll be damned if I’m happy about it. And it’s not just because I’m cheap. That’s certainly part of it. But a much larger part of it is that I have recently been getting more and more sickened by consumer culture and its effects on the environment and our psyches. It disgusts me to see people getting a new phone every one to two years because a new model has a slightly “upgraded” feature that literally no one asked for.

The effect of this rampant consumerism on the environment is beyond sickening. The extraction of rare earth materials to continue pushing this garbage onto us is so detrimental not only to the regions where the mining is happening, but also on the global level. Again, I’m far too lazy right now to do research on the effects, but I have been doing some reading on the subject and it just makes me want to use what I have to its fullest extent. I like to think of that as my farmer mentality. Reuse until it can’t be reused anymore. Only buy something new when you absolutely must.

I have tried a number of different troubleshooting methods to fix my phone, up to and including a full factory reset. Nothing has worked. I’m going to try to take it to one of those phone repair places to see if there is a solution they know of that I haven’t tried. My hopes are low that anything will work. If I have to get a new phone, I’m determined to not spend an arm and a leg on the newest of the new with all the bells and whistles I frankly don’t have the time, energy, or desire to learn about and use.

The obsolescence being designed into all of our technology products is a huge problem. Of course, like in all things, progress is defined as more, more, more. Bigger, better! Use all of the resources until there are no more! I’m doing my best to not be a part of that culture. But, goddammit, it’s hard in this day and age to avoid it completely. Each time I fail at it, I feel sick to my stomach. Overwhelmed. Like I’ve failed somehow.

I’m not here passing judgment on anyone who celebrates this type of culture, but I am not one of those people. I intend to flesh out some of the ideas I touched on here in a future post because I have many opinions about many things that touch this subject. Income inequality, wastefulness, willful ignorance, consumerism, capitalism. But tonight, I just needed to word vomit all over the place. Thanks for reading.

100 Days of Sweat

For years I have struggled with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I’ll do great for a few weeks or months then fall off hard and have to start all over again. I could never get my nutrition where it needed to be and I could never maintain a consistent workout routine. Cheat days would turn into cheat weeks and any progress made would vanish in the blink of an eye. Challenges with friends didn’t work. Setting goals and offering myself rewards for achieving those goals didn’t work. Basically everything I read online about how to create and maintain a healthy routine was crap for me.

In mid-August, I stepped on the scale and was shocked by what I saw. Granted, I was coming off a four week stretch that included two vacations and very little exercise, but 251lbs was a bit much. Actually, a bit much is a bit of an understatement. It was the largest number I’d seen on a scale in many years. I was embarrassed by that number and felt dejected and sad, then I saw a video on YouTube that changed everything.

I had been a fan of the Yes Theory YouTube channel for a few months prior to finding the video in question. I was drawn in one random day by a video of these guys staying in a life raft out at sea for 24 hours just to see what it was like. I was hooked immediately and subscribed to their channel. I watched their older videos and fell in love with their whole philosophy on life. The Yes Theory guys are all about seeking discomfort and stepping outside of the boundaries of our normal lives to experience things we may otherwise miss completely. They do things like walk across entire countries and strand themselves in random cities for 24 hours with no money, relying on the kindness of strangers to get a meal or find a place to crash.

The video that started my journey of wellness was titled 100 Days of Sweat. Suffering a stretch of depression and lack of motivation, Yes Theory host Ammar challenged himself to sweat every day for 100 straight days. Ammar’s goal was to sweat enough that at least one drop fell to the floor. Didn’t matter what the activity was, as long as one drop of sweat fell off his body and hit the ground. He did this for 100 straight days and challenged Yes Theory fans to do the same. I figured this would be an interesting challenge to at least see if I could establish a routine. It ended up being much more than that.

I made the commitment on August 28^th to workout for 100 straight days. I didn’t really have any idea what I was doing, nor did I have any goals in mind other than getting through as many days as I could. I had little faith in myself that I would finish, it just seemed like an impossible thing to do, so I decided to post pictures of my sweaty face everyday on Facebook as a way to stay accountable. That was when all the love and support of my friends and family came flowing in. I was overwhelmed by the encouragement coming from almost everyone I knew. Likes and comments and all other manner of love came pouring in with each new pic I posted. People who saw me in real life commented on how inspirational it was and how proud they were of me. It sounds a little silly to say that out loud, but it really was the number one thing that kept me going.

The excitement of the challenged carried me through the first few weeks when I would have been most likely to quit, then the routine set in. Going to the gym just became part of my day, like brushing my teeth or going to work. I am fortunate to work for a company that provides a gym right at our office, so working out after work literally just means going downstairs. It was pretty easy to say “this is part of my workday and, like the rest of my work, I don’t get to leave until this is done.” I found the Athlean-X YouTube channel to give me pointers on how to maximize my workouts. Host Jeff Cavaliere is the only online fitness personality I found that wasn’t a complete douche. His message was based in putting the science back into strength and he preached sustainable routines and moves that were both effective and helped prevent injury. I really cannot stress enough how much his videos helped me develop my routine and nutrition. Jeff explains thing exceedingly well and offers tips for everyone from absolute beginners to pro athletes. His credentials are impeccable. He’s got a bunch of letters after his name that mean he’s studied this shit and he’s worked with guys from the NFL, WWE, and MLB – where he served as a trainer for the New York Mets. He is not some roided out maniac with a camera and a gym membership who eats boiled chicken and broccoli 97 times a day. 

I quickly fell in love with a Push/Pull/Leg split with some cardio days sprinkled in. My routine is below for anyone interested. I will say now that I am not suggesting this is the only way to workout, and I am not really interested in hearing anyone’s critique of my routine. This is simply the routine I found works best for me and the pursuit of my personal goals. I encourage everyone to find such a routine for themselves.

Monday – Push Day (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders)

Tuesday – Cardio (45 minutes on treadmill, bike, or elliptical)

Wednesday – Leg Day

Thursday – Pull Day (Back and Biceps)

Friday – Cardio

Saturday – Full Body (Less intense focus on all muscle groups)

Sunday – Light Cardio or Yoga

All this working out really shone a bright light on my nutritional habits. I have heard the saying “you can’t outwork bad nutrition,” and I firmly agree. All the work I was doing in the gym would not mean shit if I kept stuffing my face full of all the delicious and terrible things I loved. Jeff Cavaliere played a big part in me getting this message through my thick skull. Again, his approach to nutrition is grounded in science and real life, not fads and bro mentality. I have adopted his hatred for the terms “diet” and “cheat meal.” If you really want to see consistent and maintainable success, you need to create a nutrition plan that is sustainable and does not make you dread meal time. It’s not the easiest balancing act, and I still struggle with it at times, but through some trial and error, I created a nutrition plan for myself that will allow me to achieve my goals and still feel satisfied after dinner. Having a healthy relationship with food, I now don’t feel guilty or like I’m “cheating” if I go out and have a not so great for me meal and a couple beers. I know that my food intake and work is on point most of the time and the occasional meal isn’t going to derail me. There is no need to dress it up with a cute little name that makes it sound like I should be shame eating cheeseburgers alone in the dark.

Through the 100 days, I was amazed by a couple things. First, how easy it really was to workout every day. There were definitely days I didn’t want to go or my body was a little sore, but for the most part I felt pretty good about getting it in every damn day. I did miss three days in my challenge, two due to illness and one due to Thanksgiving, but I made up for them. The challenge should probably be called 100 days of sweat out of 103, but it just doesn’t sound all that good. Again, the love I received from all my family and friends was a big factor in keeping my spirits and motivation up throughout the challenge.  

The second, and more profound, thing I noticed was the affect it had on other parts of my life. Sure I saw and felt physical improvements, which was expected, but the mental improvements far outweighed anything I saw in the mirror. My confidence went up and up with every day I completed. I had more energy to attack hobbies that had fallen by the wayside, like writing and playing my guitar. The sense of accomplishment I felt upon finishing was unlike anything I’d known before. I truly feel like I made a monumental change in my life, one that will carry me through not just physical wellbeing, but mentally and spiritually as well. The success of this sweat challenge and the confidence it gave led directly to my 100 days of writing challenge (currently in day 4 as of this posting). I know it is possible to complete and I know it is a great way to create and maintain a positive routine.

So that is my story. 100 (or 103) days of sweat. 251lbs on day one, 231lbs on day 100. As you can see below, much less face as well. During the challenge I completed my first two 5K runs and successfully achieved my goal of finishing in under 30 minutes on the second race. If you’re inspired by all this, I encourage you to attempt your own 100 day challenge. It doesn’t have to be sweat related, just some habit you are trying to create, maintain, or rekindle. Doing anything for 100 straight days is a great way to create that habit and the sense of accomplishment you feel when it is done will propel you to any other challenge you undertake.   

Progressive Camels

Every year I go North with Dustin and my buddy John. Each year, John makes an old school mix for the trip. In 2019 he included a song titled “Lady Fantasy” by the prog rock band Camel. It was the perfect song for the trip. It had a little bit of something for everybody. The song kicks in a with a rather rad keyboard intro. After a brief prog-y interlude, the band breaks into some melodic jamming followed by a nearly perfect impersonation of Iron Butterfly (Dustin’s jam). At about 3:45, Camel rips into a faster paced, guitar heavy noodle session for just over a minute. This is followed up by some really awesome synthesizer work reminiscent of something you’d find on the classic Steve Hackett album Voyage of the Acolyte (John’s jam). Then the vocals kick back in for a little down tempo respite thick with classic prog rock lyrics. This is just the setup for one of the most amazing finishes to a song you’ll likely ever hear (Kevin’s jam).

After listening to this song on infinite repeat for roughly three days straight, I ended up coming across a list of the 100 greatest prog rock albums. Naturally, I decided to listen to all of them. I haven’t gotten all that far into it, but I’ve enjoyed discovering some new music while also listening to a few albums that made me want to rip my ears off.

I was shocked to find Radiohead’s OK Computer on the list as I’ve never considered Radiohead a prog rock group. But who am I to argue with the list? I listened to album for the thousandth time and decided to write down my thoughts about each track. I was shocked at how much I ended up writing and thought it might be a nice thing to share on this blog. Because, as Dustin said in the last post, we’re likely going to be writing about music a whole hell of a lot on this thing.

The songs with the asterisk are the ones that stick out to me as the classic songs of the album, those I will never not listen to.

Airbag - I love how off the bass and drums are with each other. It’s just enough of a difference in tempo and beat that it’s interesting but not so far off that it sounds bad.

Paranoid Android* - I love that it’s really multiple songs wrapped up in one. There are, I think, three distinct themes in it and I love every one of them. And the bass line. My god, the bass line. It’s just awesome. It has just enough aggression. And then the come down part. This part gives me chills. It’s just so melancholy sounding. And some of the singing in the back is reminiscent of a cello, which I think is one of the saddest sounding instruments ever. I love cello music. And then it comes back in with that aggressive business for just a little bit. This song is tops.

Subterranean Homesick Alien - The subject matter of this one is just so bizarre. Thom Yorke is a real weirdo. But it’s just such a dreamy song. But the drums ground it in the same way that the rest of the music just lets your mind float off into the stratosphere. I almost want to take a nap just listening to it.

Exit Music (For a Film)* - This song is interesting because it sounds sad but the lyrics are actually kind of hopeful. That distorted bass line though. Nothing beats that. That’s possibly the best moment on the album when that comes in.

Let Down – At about 3:45 this song just kicks right in for me. I love the double and triple tracked vocals.

Karma Police – While I do like this song a lot, I think it was overplayed and isn’t as dynamic as I want it to be. There’s a reason it was a radio hit.

Fitter Happier – I don’t hate this one because I quote it all the time when I’m talking about my exercise and diet. Fitter, happier, more productive. I think I’ve only listened to that one all the way through like 4 or 5 times.

Electioneering – This is just a good rocker of a song.

Climbing Up the Walls – I forgot about this one. It’s just okay. There’s probably a reason I forgot about it.

No Surprises* – This is an absolutely lovely song. Until you listen closely to the lyrics. It’s about a guy who’s just given up. He’s so unhappy in his life circumstances that it seems like there’s only one way out of it. “A handshake with carbon monoxide…” It’s a song of resignation that life will just never be what you want it to be and it’s not worth it.

Lucky – This song contrasts so starkly with the one before it. There’s hope here. But the music doesn’t seem that way. It’s like coming out of the haze of acceptance that it’s time to end things and realizing that maybe you don’t want to end it all. But it’s a bittersweet realization because nothing is really all that different. You just have a new appreciation for life even with all of its warts and awfulness.

The Tourist – This one’s a bit slow. But a good way to end the album.

Best Jams of 2019

A large portion of what we’ll talk about on Two Cold Pops revolves around music. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite jams from 2019. The internet is full of Best of 2019 lists right now, why not add another to the never ending noise.

Kevin and I are both avid listeners of music and have found over the years that we have a similar taste – most of the time. It’s funny, when we first became friends, we thought music would be the one thing we didn’t agree on. Kevin knew I liked acts like Bob Seger and The Beatles and I knew he was into heavy prog stuff like King Crimson and we didn’t take the time to look any deeper. As time went by we both realized there was more to each other’s musical tastes than just a few bands and slowly found groups we both liked. We called it our music Venn diagram. If you’re not familiar with a Venn diagram, it’s one of those things that looks like a Mastercard logo where you each put things you like in your individual circle and put the shit you both like in the overlapping part in the middle. You know what, if you don’t know what a Venn diagram is, you’re probably not smart enough to enjoy our blog. Go back to elementary school.

Anyway, the middle part of our diagram grew and grew over time to the point that it is now larger than either of the individual parts. Bands like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin were there all along. Over time we have introduced each other to new acts we may not have found on our own. I got Kevin to listen to Arcade Fire (maybe my favorite band going right now) and we ended up seeing them live at DTE. It was definitely my favorite concert experience of all time. Seriously, go see Arcade Fire if you get the chance. Kevin has turned me onto a number of bands, including All Them Witches, who we have seen multiple times and always enjoy.

The meatiest part of our Venn diagram has to be a band that will make an appearance below, Kalamazoo’s own, The Go Rounds. We saw them randomly at some free show in Ann Arbor in 2017 and have been obsessed ever since. We go see them every chance we get, which is often since they are local, and have both contributed money to the cause of getting their music out there. They really are a phenomenal band with a large catalog of eclectic songs. Listen to The Go Rounds, you will not be disappointed. Do it now.

History lesson complete, here are my five favorite songs from 2019.

1.   Social Cues – Cage the Elephant

This song is a banger. Many people have caught me dancing in may car to this song at stop lights. I have been a sort of tertiary fan of these guys for a while now. I knew some of their radio stuff, and liked it, but never went much deeper. This song got me into them in a real way and I will be exploring their entire catalog now.

2.      Bali – The Go Rounds

  

I think I’ve already expressed how much I love this band. Whatever You May Be is hands down my favorite album of 2019. There are a few songs from that record that could be in this spot, but Bali was one I always came back to when thinking about these guys. There is something mystical and catchy about it that really gets me going. Probably the best way to describe most of their music.

3.      Running Up That Hill – Meg Myers

This is a cover of a Kate Bush song from the eighties. I didn’t know that. I didn’t even know who Kate Bush was before hearing this song. I do know that the 2019 version of this song is a powerful, synthy delight.

4.      Lo/Hi – The Black Keys

Another banger. Everyone knows about The Black Keys, so just listen to them do their thing and enjoy. Car dancing is encouraged.

5.      Poison the Well – Modest Mouse

I love this band. I love everything they do. There were other songs I might have put here, but I couldn’t leave Modest Mouse off my list. Everything these guys do just gets into me and stirs up all kinds of shit.

Honorable Mention

Alligator – Of Monsters and Men

When Am I Gonna Lose You – LocalNatives

Longshot – Catfish and the Bottlemen

Two Cold Pops

A couple words on the rebranding and restarting of the blog. On April 19, 2018, Dustin and I attended a concert in Detroit at El Club. We primarily went to this show to see one of our favorite bands, The Go Rounds (look them up, listen to the, fall in love with them), but I also ended up really enjoying the headliner (Caroline Rose) as well.

Caroline Rose - Money

Skipping ahead, The Go Rounds played a pretty fantastic set, punctuated by their best song (Code). 

While waiting for Caroline Rose’s set to start, Dustin and I ambled over to the bar for a couple drinks. As we were chatting and people watching, we noticed Graham Parsons, lead singer of The Go Rounds, get pulled aside by two young-ish girls accompanied by their mother (or at least older female). Dustin and I naturally started talking about how awkward that must be. Especially considering the apparent age of the two girls who pulled Graham aside.

As our conversation progressed, we decided that there would need to be some sort of test when talking to someone of the opposite sex while at a show or the bar. Obviously, we came up with a foolproof method for determining whether someone was safe to continue talking to. Here it is: Mention something that that person should remember experiencing. Example: “Hey. Do you remember the OJ car chase? That was the slowest, least interesting car chase I’ve ever seen.” If they give you a blank stare or ask you who OJ is, it’s time to move on. However, if that person enthusiastically starts talking about the chase and the trial (and bonus points if they start talking about the Dana Carvey standup skit about the trial), you should look at the bartender and say, “Two cold pops, please.” Because nothing screams that you’re interested in someone than buying them a cold soft drink. Especially when you don’t specify which brand of cold pop you’re getting them.

Dana Carvey - OJ Simpson Trial

“Two cold pops” has since become the rallying cry for Dustin and myself whenever we mention something from the past. And that is pretty often because we live in Nostalgia Land roughly 85% of the time we’re hanging out. Naturally, we wanted to change the name of the blog to better represent who we are. Which is to say that we like inside jokes and don’t mind bringing them up whenever we’re in the company of others.

Additionally, Dustin recently completed a grueling workout regimen wherein he worked out 100 days straight. It helped him create positive workout habits and he decided he would like to apply this same type of motivation to his writing. When he mentioned it to me, I decided that that challenge sounded right up my alley and so we’re both going to be writing at least a little something every day for the next 100 days. I intend to post many of the things I’ve written to this blog. There will probably be some album reviews, top ten lists, snippets from whatever novel I’m attempting to write, random thoughts, etc.

Check back daily and you’ll likely be disappointed with what there is to read. But you mostly won’t be disappointed by the lack of posts.