.pride.

Chris Ogbonnaya: St. Louis Rams

There was me, that was Alex.

"A Clockwork Orange"
Anthony Burgess


"There was a medical book that I took down, but when I opened it it was full of drawings and photographs of horrible wounds and diseases, and that made me want to sick just a bit. So I put that down and then took down the big book or Bible, as it was called, thinking that might give me comfort as it had done in the old Staja days (not so old really, but it seemed a very very long time ago), and I staggered over to a chair to read in it. But all I found was about smiting seventy times seven...So then I near cried."

A book can provide you not only a hobby or an experience. But its very presence can question and confront your beliefs and way of life as if a complete character or human itself. I've never read a book like A Clockwork Orange before in my life, and I will never read a book like it again. Its confusion, reality, struggle, forced me to look at my own life, my own vices, my own inclinations and dependencies, and confront my Alex.

.Musts.

The Prince of Tides(Pat Conroy)
-"I did not yet have the interior resources to dream new dreams, I was far too busy mourning the death of the old ones and wondering how I was going to survive without them."

The Catcher in the Rye(J.D. Salinger)
-"All these angels start coming out of the boxes and everywhere, guys carrying crucifixes adn stuff all over the place, and the whole bunch of them - thousands of them - singing "Come All ye Faithful" like mad. Big deal. It's supposed to be religious as hell, I know, and very pretty and all, but I can't see anything religious or pretty, for God's sake, about a bunch of actors carrying crucifixes all over the stage. When they all finished adn started going out the boxes again, you could tell they could hardly wait to get a cigarette of something. I saw it with old Sally Hayes the year before, and she kept saying how beautiful it was, the costumes and all. I said old Jesus probably would've puked if He could see it."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower(Stephen Chbosky)
-"We accept the love we think we deserve"
-"I feel infinite"

Scartissue(Anthony Kiedis)

Lying in a hospital bed.

No, not the name of a new song, album, or band. This has been me the past six days of life and I could not be more miserable.
I'm sitting here listening to Company of Thieves, Rilo Kiley, and some old favorites. Unlike my current physical appetite, my musical appetite raves. Having been locked up for so long, I not only have not breathed fresh air in days, but I have not listened to anything new. My hospital internet connection blocks website such as Youtube, iLike, and Pandora, which (along with facebook) could be my connection to the outside world. Instead, I sit here all day and feel horrible, sleep, watch one of my four channels on the tv (I know, wide variety), and peruse the virtual world of facebook. So, I uploaded some pictures from my recent concert going--no, not Chairlift. I had to miss that one because of my ailing health. These ones come from the masterful stylings of Brandon Boyd and his amazing band, Incubus. Love these guys--one of the best shows I've been to thus far:


These guys are amazing. It actually amazes me that after all these years I still have not seen Incubus in concert until now. It was an experience to say the least. Even sick. It was an experience. Next up???

Company of Thieves @
The Beachland Ballroom [Cleveland, OH.]
August 16th, 8p

I love it. I first heard about this band from a very music experienced friend from school--Haley, who actually presented me with the opportunity to be able to work with Sony. She gave me the album and I loved it. Now--health permitting--I will be able to get to the concert in T minus five days at the Beachland Ballroom. Very excited :]


That's it for now. There's only so much my sick and overloaded mind can take at one time.


--C.
Music calls us home.

.music.

Audrye Sessions at the Grog Shop: 8 July, 2009



Paper Route at the Grog Shop: 8 July, 2009

.perspectives.

[perspectives].

As an 18 year old incoming college Sophomore, I look and evaluate different parts of my life. My biggest concerns as a teenager amidst a seemingly widespread social crisis? School. And Work. And Headlines.

Even though I finished my Freshman year refreshed and thankful, my first thoughts turned to my summer school class and whether or not I’ll end my break with an A or an F. Halfway through my 2nd of 8 weeks, I’m leaning towards the latter. Next, the comforts of an hourly job have seemed to elude me. My Barnes & Noble backup??? Non-existant. However, I was blessed with one of the greatest internship/job opportunities I could ever ask for and I couldn’t be happier. So now, my mind rests at: Where is this going to take me? Is any of it worth it? Will I have a job in 10 years??? I guess there lies the intricacies and excitement that life tends to give us.

Headlines:

Jon & Kate Plus Eight vs. Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina. The winner??? The Gosselin’s take the headline lead with their impending divorce—the breakup of the 10-person family debacle. From 1-10, this rates an 11 on the familiarity scale. But…ask the common American about the Governor Sanford scandal?? No, better yet, ask the common South Carolinian, and I bet they’ll have no idea what you’re talking about. The fact that a reality television show holds more precedence in people’s minds than the week-long disappearance of a Republican Governor? A representative of the people. Sanford sits on the backburner to the Gosselin’s show in America’s eyes. Okay. So, this particular governor just happened to be in Buenos Aires, Argentina visiting his mistress…

Lastly…Iran. There are almost no words to express how I feel about this subject. My former hatred of Twitter and almost everything it stands for has done an almost 180 degree flip. Thank God for technology and it’s advantages, or else how would we know about our brothers and sisters across the world? I’m not a revolutionary, and if I were in Iran, there’s no way I would be as brave as those in the streets everyday. But what I do know? It’s up to us to pay attention. Listen. Because who knows? It could be us next.

So, my perspectives.

-C.

.post.script.

USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-06-22-jon-kate-divorcing_N.htm?csp=34

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/us/25sanford.html?hp

The Economist: http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13892683

.current interests.

Current Interests.

The best things about music:

1) The infinite possibilities; 2) It never gets old; 3) The excitement of new discoveries.

I’ve recently been introduced and re-introduced to a number of new artists and sounds and I couldn’t be more excited to delve into new favorite artists.

Manchester Orchestra’s latest cd, Mean Everything to Nothing, has been out for a few months now and their current single, “I’ve Got Friends” (download free at http://www.themanchesterorchestra.com/us/Lolla09), is interesting, relateable, and gripping.

Pete Yorn just released his latest album, Back and Fourth, on June 16th. My current Yorn loves: “Don’t Wanna Cry” and from Breakup, “Relator”.

Another thing that music gives to us music lovers, is new ideas and new ways to give us this music. Modest Mouse has just released their 2nd 7-inch “Autumn Beds” this past week. One of those bands that I’ve just begun to rediscover, Modest Mouse hasn’t failed to inspire.

Lastly, “Heavy Cross,” the current single for the Gossip, is probably my favorite song of right now. I love hearing songs that immediately pull me in. I’ve been listening to it non-stop since introduced.

That’s all for now =] music = life.love.

—C.