Use Your Words

Sometimes when Tom gets all flustered he can't say what he wants and he sounds like a 4 year old. But that is not what I wanted to talk about ;-D
I have always loved words. When I find someone that can string words together beautifully and artistically it is like magic to me. Cue in Nickelback, Zachary Paul Gibson and I were just talking about these studs a couple of nights ago.
Some of you may be aware that Billboard just named Nickleback the "Band of The Decade." If this is true, then we should celebrate! Why, you ask? Because we have just survived the worst decade in the history of the world.
Now I'm not saying that Billboard was ever the best source to search if you wanted to find GOOD music, but come on, Nickelback? The thoughts that go through my head every time I hear a Nickleback song are pretty much summed up by the fine words shared by the gentleman in this clip:


Let's look at a few of Nickleback's most provoking, shall we?

Feeling fine, Lets rip out yours instead of mine

And all you need

Are several ways to watch me bleed?

Well, thanks for stoppin' this beating in my chest

It's easier now, and I'm happy like this

Just like this

I feel ya, bro. It actually gets worse. I went to a website that had all the Nickleback albums listed with the lyrics for each song. What I found is that each album finds these modern day Mozarts diving deeper into an inner struggle only REAL men face.
Real men who are 30-something and got their own place . . . in the trailer park where they don't have to worry about their mom walking in on them watching "Girls Gone Wild." who are paying child support to a teenage girl they met one fateful night at the bowling alley. Real men who would consider vaccuuming the carpet if they could find it under all the beer bottles and halfway crushed Red Bull cans.
The issue with these "real" men, is that gosh darnit, they have feelings too! They just lack the vocabulary to express themselves, thank goodness Nickleback is there to do it for them.

That's why for every jam they create like "Figured You Out"

And I love the way you pass the check
And I love the good times that you wreck
And I love your lack of self-respect
While you passed out on the deck
I love my hands around your neck

(This is just a terrible song. I didn't post anything else from it because it could be considered pretty offensive, but if you're curious enough to witness the worst song writing ever, just google it)

They're able to counter attack with a ballad like "Photograph"

Kim's the first girl I kissed
I was so nervous that I nearly missed

(I actually had a hard time picking just one line from this song, it's such a masterpiece. You really should take the time to look this one up. I'm suspecting Nickelback stole the lyrics from someone's freshman poetry assignment at that high school he sings about breaking into)

And for every "Rockstar"

And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny With her bleach blond hair
(Author's note: If I ever hear you blastin this from your pickup truck, I will judge you. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't, I just can't help it under those type of conditions)

There is a "Gotta Be Somebody" or a gem like "I'd Come For You"

By now you'd know that I'd come for you
No one but you, yes I'd come for you
But only if you told me to
And I'd fight for you
I'd lie, it's true Give my life for you
You know I'd always come for you
(Not sure if Nickleback's inspiration for this song was Bryan Adams or Hanson . . . or both)

We get it Nickleback. Because we live in the USA where you have an inalienable right to freedom of speech, we unfortunately cannot make you stop. But your decade is over now, please just go away.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I think it was Fall Semester of 06 when Zach and I first discussed the concept of never turning older than 23 until we either left Rexburg or got married. Well this is my first birthday out of Rexburg, so no more annual 23rd birthdays, I'm moving on. I'm actually excited, I've been putting off turning 24 for a couple of years now, I think good things will come from it.
On a more serious note, if I ever call any of you asking if "you know of anybody who could benefit from earning a degree or going to school online," don't panic. It's really just my excuse to try to maintain our friendship while I'm at work. However, if you really do know somebody, I won't reject your suggestion.
Oh, and one more note, of mid-seriousness. I started changing the strings on my guitar before I realized that I have never changed the strings on a guitar before. Help?

09: made it mine

Hey there Eskimo Nation! That's right, I am re-naming my mass following of readers. Don't like being labeled like that? Then you shouldn't have read that last sentence. Even if you never read my blog again, the title is sticking, so get used to it. It's not like I'm making you buy "Eskimo Nation" t-shirts with my face on them . . . actually, that's not a bad idea. Anyhow, since I haven't been active in the blogosphere for some time now, the purpose of this post is to update you all on why life is good.

October:
SKYDIVING!
You may have noticed the super bad (in a good, like really, really cool way) gray and red jumpsuit I am wearing in the picture. They don't just give those out to anybody. I had to ask for one, the guy kinda gave me a weird look, and then kinda slowly said "yeah . . . go ahead and try that one on." I guess most people jump out of an airplane for the thrill and don't really care about looking like a hero while they do it. Well good for most people, I happen to like looking awesome when I'm paying for about 100 pictures that are being snapped of me while I'm free falling from 13,000 feet high. Also I had to borrow some gnarly imitation lace-up vans because I wore slip-ons. It's ok though because I asked my buddy Zach who runs a fashion blog, and he said the blag shoes matched well with the black harness for my parachute.

November:
fun.
The first time I saw Nate's new band at a record release party in Chandler, I wasn't too impressed with the short set list or the crowd that showed up. The highlight was when I saw Sam Means there and talked to him and I'm pretty sure he liked the moustache I was sporting at the time.
I decided to give fun. a second chance when they came back through Tempe on a headlining tour in November. Radness.
1- The crowd wasn't a bunch of teenage girls. There were as many people in their 20's as teens, and a few people in their 30's, 40's, etc. I saw one dude that rockin the bands t-shirt that looked pretty darn old. There was also a pretty even guy/girl ratio.
2- The crowd went nuts went Nate came out, he had this big smile that made him look like a little kid trying to hide how excited he is to open his Christmas presents. After opening with "At least I'm not as sad as I used to be," fun. told some jokes mostly about Arizona and made fun of some of the responses from audience members. Nate then said "we're going to play a cover song" and went right into Dog Problems. Needless to say, I lasted two songs before losing my voice that night.
3- The crowd went crazy whenever they played a song that mentioned Arizona or Phoenix. When they played "The Gambler," (2nd to last song, after they left stage and everyone cheered them back on) Nate seemed pretty emotional singing about his parents and being back in the place they raised him. He didn't cry or anything, but he seemed . . . I don't know, reflective, pensive, maybe. It was cool, he really spoke fondly of AZ throughout the show.
4- When I first heard Aim and Ignite, I thought it sounded a little too "Format gone Broadway" for me. After this last show, I really dig the album whenever I'm in the mood for some upbeat pop music. I find myself enjoying songs like Barlights, Walking the Dog, and Take Your Time (Coming Home) a lot more than I did before.

I was actually standing right behind the person who recorded this. If you listen closely, you can hear my voice singing along.
Obviously there's been more goodness pouring into my life than these two events, but I know I get bored reading posts that are this long, so I'll be dropping a few more bombs of radicality within the next few days.

Xoxo,
QPM

Every time I sit down to update my blog

I realize that I'm really hungry, sorry people, maybe later.