It has been a very busy and productive two months. Keeping up with four graduate level courses and working twenty-five hours a week, in the evening, has consumed most of time. It is hard to relax the little time I have for myself and I hardly find the motivation to do the things I like. Often I find myself thinking about my life and where it is going. Today I questioned being successful in my professional career and making an impact in the world that would make it better. I found myself thinking why did I not get into science during my undergrad and begin a path to becoming a scientist or computer engineer the kinds of people who are currently having the greatest impact on life as we know and will be for the foreseeable future. I wonder if there are others like me, who went to school those first thirteen years, longing to grow up and go to college where school is fun. Others, who like me, when undergrad was finishing up wanted out of the system, away from the institutional life yet found themselves going back for more. Others, who like me are thinking, what the hell did I get myself into. I long desire to be a librarian at a small liberal arts college. I want help students and professors conduct their research. I want to teach information literacy. My greatest desire is to lead a study abroad trip to archives and special libraries to do research with students and another professor on rare and/or unique collections of materials. What gets me thinking (too much) is I have no idea what I would do with my life if I did not desire to do this. I would not be a doctor serving a small community or researching a cure for cancer. I would not a physicist inventing ways to turn science fiction into reality. I would not be a computer engineer fabricating the next great leap in technology. This bothers me some days. I know I have the potential to be a inspiration educator in the future, but I have a problem molding students out of the humanities and socials sciences to people who would be in the same boat as I am in. It feels so frustrating to think that many others of my generation and I will go to school for nearly twenty years to make ourselves great thinkers and doers, only to face a world that may have no place for us. It is scary how fast the world can change and how unstable trends and current technologies are. Have I prepared myself to be a part of the world? I am content with a simple and humble life. I will not be satisfied however, until I know have made a difference in the world. So here’s to aspiring that we all can do some good for the world; to be and do all that we are capable of. I am a librarian (that’s the plan at least) and I will make an impact.
This is a list of the picture sources I used in my video presentation about Information Charity.Pictures are listed in the order that they appear in the video.Pictures that I hold copyright to are not listed.Pictures used more than once are listed only once and in the spot in which it first appears.To post this in Blogger I had to remove the hyperlinks when I copied them over from Word, so you will have to enter them manually into your address bar within your browser. Sorry. You can also download a word document that contains this link by clicking here.
•http://laptop.org/en/children/countries/index.shtml or http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&ie=UTF8&cd=1&om=1&msa=0&msid=107887635573341686661.00045a8f74844ef1681f8&ll=7.710992,11.25&spn=136.959067,316.40625&z=2
Have you ever listened to a song that when you closed your eyes while you listened to it you could see yourself fling through pearl white clouds with a cool breeze whisking beneath your belly? Or do your visions prefer running through an open field with chilly wet grass under clear starry sky? Sometimes I find myself swimming with no need to breathe in an aqua sea flush with life and sunshine. I'd rather be in one of those places. Or Maine.
Of all the happenings going on in my life right now, both good and difficult, there is one thing I am embarrassed to admit, bothers me the most. A band from England which 99%, if not greater, of the the world's population does not know has broken up.
For those of you who know me, it was not Exit Calm. If it was, this would be a suicide note.
Model Morning was a psychedelic rock band from Nottingham. They were a fabulous five piece that dazzled me with immense chords and tab pulsating from two guitars, deliberately good rhythms from a keen drummer and bass-man, and a singer with a grand voice. These wankers for whatever reason have decided to "move on." They are continuing to follow their passion of music with other projects which is the most important thing and does make me happy.
What makes me sick is a song I have listened to by this band 95% of the total days since I first discovered them in December of 2007, "As Guilty As," is a music phenomenon that I will tragically never hear live. "As Guilty As" is probably Model Morning's most simple song, and yet it is their best.
There is so much going on in the song. When the song starts the ears are greeted with a doppler-like guitar effect. It sort of eases you into the oncoming madness. Next the bass line and the drum beat drops and the listener is sucked in. They pump the ears with a hard to forget, but hard not to enjoy rhythm. I often find myself flailing my arms with the pounding of the snare. The timed beating of the symbols helps tease the rhythm out and keep it interesting. The symbols pick up speed as the song progresses and the listener can feel the orgasmic high the song fucking the ears towards.
The main hook of the song is essentially 6 notes intuitively yet methodically played in varioius speeds and intervals, 3 notes at a time. For some reason I think "three blind mice" when I hear the notes. Soon enough the song breaks very slightly and then begins to rock teeth gritting power chords. These chords are played a couple of times and the singer commences in this near instrumental song. I have no idea what he sings, but he is brilliant. His final line however, is "its alright." I feel as if he is telling the listener, "It's alright. Listen and disconnect from everything around you." The song closes with a lovely guitar solo before setting the listner free from an electric strangle hold.
Epic is a word far too often used to describe stories, songs, sporting events, etc, that do not live up to the hype or the tastes of all everyperson. "As Guilty As" is a song that all could enjoy. It is not only epic, it is awesome. It is an Epic Win of a song that will sadly never be performed live, by this band, ever again.
Luckily, according to the band's Mypsace page they will still release the album they recorded. They have already released an EP with 5 tracks, as well as a digital release of "As Guilty As" with two other tracks with it. Another Model Morning song I like is a song called "This Town." I did not think much of this song till I had a dream it was in a soundtrack to a Nicholas Cage movie in which he drove cars (not Gone in 60 Seconds). Funny thing, huh? I remember another song they made available for downloaded during the summer of 2008 called, "We Go All Night." I was slacking off at worked and happened to log onto Myspace and saw the song posted. I probably listend to it 10-15 that afternoon before going home and downloading it.
It really is terrible when good bands end their relationship. In most good bands though, most of the members are good muscians and most of them continue to make music. This is what I hope for of these guys (espically Chris Moore). I hope they continue to follow their passions and I wish them the best of luck.
