AOTY'09

Every single year, I write an "album of the year" list. I get the impression that no one cares, or even looks at it... But, oh well, here we go again.

This year was much like last, as far as music goes for me. I had a very hard time coming up with a list of ten albums that really made an impression on me this year... And I actually still haven't decided if I'm going to make an entire list of ten in this blog.

This year, my album of the year is The Positives by Person L. Now, I'm a little hesitant about making this my AOTY due to the fact that it was released just under a month ago, but honestly, this is the only album that was released this year that really impressed me.
I heard this album described as Radiohead for idiots... Which, quite frankly, is perfect for me. I feel this is album is much more accessible than anything I've ever hear come from Radiohead. Instrumentally, this album can be compared to bands such as Radiohead and Explosions in the Sky, but it the catchy, rhythmic, almost poppy hooks to the songs put Person L is a league of there own that really impresses me listening over and over again.
In my opinion, what really makes this album stand out is it's sporadic genre shifts from song to song, or even from stanza to stanza in some songs. The album starts off with Hole in the Fence, a almost entirely instrumental, powerful ballad. This ambient mood stays with the songs until you begin to listen to track four, Goodness Gracious, an ode to rock and roll. Throughout the rest of the album you experience hooks that are reminiscent to 50's jukebox rock, recent pop punk, and even some blues.
Another thin that pulled me into this album was the simple, almost minimalistic, lyrics. I've been hearing rumors about a revolution/Have you got the crowd to back it up? Is concerning when read in a blog, yet somehow very powerful and convincing when belted by Kenny Vasoli. And lines like, There's no room here for the darkness to crowd this space/There's been a burden that needs resolution to take it's place is sung with enough intensity and emotion to catch anyone's attention.
Overall, I obviously think this is a great record, and my best guess tells me that it's going to have a decent amount of lasting ability. I highly recommend it to anyone that is dumbfounded when they listen to Radiohead, yet likes the basic structure of there music. I also recommend this album to anyone that likes good old fashioned rock and roll. It's a great album.
*Final verdict = 8/10

(Continued) Top Ten Albums of the Year:

2. As Cities Burn - Hell or High Water
I feel like this album was insanely underrated. But, I've got to admit that I didn't expect such a great album to come out of As Cities Burn. It's a shame the band departed shortly after it's release. The lyrics are powerful however, instrumentally, it took me a while to get into this album.

3. Bradley Hathaway - A Mouth Full of Dust
I expected big things from this album, I wasn't disappointed... too much. Now, I am a person that loves raw recording and minimal amounts of producing, but this album took it to an extreme. It was recorded in the basement of an old country house, and some of the songs reflect that negatively. But, of course, Bradley is an amazing song writer, and his lyrics made this album memorable.

4. Trophy Scars - Bad Luck

I never expect anything less than great from Trophy Scars. I think this was a great follow-up to there 2007 release. It's progressive and the concept is captivating and intriguing. I honestly haven't been able to listen to this album as much as I'd like, but after only a few listens, you'll know it's greatness.

5. Fun. - Aim & Ignite

This was just a fun album (pun intended). There really isn't a whole lot of depth album, but it really is a lot of fun to listen to! The songs are very catchy, and some songs feature a full orchestra. When members of the Format, Steel Train, and Anathallo come together to start a project, you really can't expect anything less than greatness.

6. P.O.S. - Never Better
I didn't really get into rap music before this year. The reason for that is because of the cliche, unoriginal lyrical content of most rap music. But, late last year I discovered P.O.S., I completely changed my view on rap. "Rap with meaning" is what I like to call it. This album has a few gems on it, but there are also a lot of tracks tacks that I skip when listening to this album.

7. Princess Dinosaur - 2009 Demos

Yeah, this isn't technically an album... And that's why I didn't make it #2. I've been waiting for Nic Newsham (Gatsbys American Dream) to release something that caught my attention. The Electricity Demo was my #2 top played tack of the year, right under Something by the Beatles. I think that deserves some recognition.

8. Ace Enders & a Million Different People - When I Hit the Ground
This album was kind of a let down for me. But, as an Early November fan boy, I had extremely high hopes for this album. This release did supply a few great songs, but the songs that I did like from this album were all previously released, either in demo for or in the release of the Secret Wars EP last year.

9. Therefore I Am - The Sound of Human Lives
I really did like this release, but it was most for four or five songs off of the album. These guys are some of the most genuine people I've ever seen perform, and that gave me more respect for this album. I do recommend this album, just don;t expect to listen to it from front to back without skipping some tracks.

10. Punchline - Night Lights

This album just released today actually. It's a b-sides albums, so it wasn't anything I havent already heard before. You've got some acoustic tracks, some compilation tracks, and a few new tracks. All the songs are great, but I've had access to most of them in the past, so I wanted to give everyone else a fair chance at the list before I included Punchline.

Two years of changes

So, if you are even slightly involved in my life, there is a very good chance that you know that one of my very best friends, Michael, is coming home from serving his LDS mission in about two weeks. It's great! It's exciting! And of course, Geremy and I cannot stop talking about it!

Michael's a great friend, and it would be easy for me to write an entire post about him, but that's not the meaning of this post. This post is about me, to be honest. Michael's return has really got me thinking about how things have changed in the past two years. It's kind of crazy to think about, and I will kindly outline some changes for you right about.... NOW:

----------------------------->
Age 18 all the way to age 20!

Initially, I don't feel like I've changed too much as far as appearance goes. I mean, I do have some tanner skin, but I mean, still own the shirt that I am wearing in 2007. There are a few differences. During the past two years, I've bone through quite a few hair cuts. There were points when my hair touched my shoulders, and then there were recent times when my hair was no longer than 1/4" long... Not to mention that my hair line has receded since 2007. Also, to years ago, I wouldn't have even considered putting holes through my ears; since then, I've had holes in my ears as big as 1/2" in diameter!
My favorite appearance difference: mustache! Although I still can't grow a decent mustache, before I could barely sustain peach fuzz. This recent picture definitely does not do any justice to my facial hair, but everyone knows that my mustache is awesome, and I started rocking it hard shortly after Michael left.

Friends and relationships have changed quite a bit as well:

---------->

GO!






... I can't find a picture that clearly represents all of the people I hang out with now.

First of all, what seems to me, Kenzie wasn't dating James. In fact, I had no idea who James was at this time two years ago. Another thing that seems crazy to me is the fact that I entered and exited my first "real term" (This is my blog, I can make up terms) relationship... Then I entered and exited again.
I lived in Logan, Utah, but when I was in Idaho Falls, I would almost always hang out with Ryan, Geremy, and Ash. Of course that hasn't changed... Except for the living in Logan, Utah part, that has changed. But something that is significant is that all of my best friends (with the exception of Michael) was living in Idaho Falls. Now I have wonderful friends in Idaho Falls, Missoula, Boise, Pocatello, Logan, Salt Lake City, Orem, Provo, Seattle, Boston, and other places, I'm sure. Maybe that's why I don't have a picture of all my great 2009 friends. Something that is quite surprising to me though, is that none of us got married. Actually, maybe that's not surprising at all, but it seem like everyone else is getting married... So why not us, right?

Various achievements:














When Michael left, I was a music major at Utah State. Ha! No, I did not ever take a single music class at USU, but it seemed like a good major when I applied. Haha! Since then, I have declared an Art Major, declared a Park & Recreation Minor, interned for the USU Park & Rec Department (lolz), dropped that Park & Recreation Minor, gained a Graphic Design emphasis, transferred all my credits to USU-Brigham City Extension, graduated with an Associates of Science in General Studies, applied and got accepted to Utah Valley University, transferred all my credits to UVU, and got accepted into the Digital Media program. Wow! Haha! My course of education has changed very drastically.
Let's not mention forget to mention that Ryan, Ash, Kenzie, Rachel, and a lot of other people have graduated, and quite a few people have started college or changed colleges. Hailey was at Paul Michelle Hair Academy when Michael left, now she goes to Salt Lake Community College... or something like that. And two years ago Megan was going to USU and now she is going to UVU. Kenzie is at ISU and Rachel is at... MSU? UofM? I don't know... Which ever one is in Missoula. Ha!
Just about all of us have gone through multiple jobs. In the past two years I've worked at ShopKo, the Ammon Pool, and Best Buy. Most of us have gone through multiple housing situations. Since Michael left, Geremy lived with his dad, now he's been living on his own for over half a year! Two years ago, I lived in Oakridge Apartments in Logan, lived with my parents, lived at Edge Hill in Logan, and now I'm living with my parents again.
Something that I think is cool is that my older brother got married. Two years ago Jaren didn't even know who Joann was!

Other things that I think are cool:

• iPods were just being released with touch screens
• Juno, Sweeney Todd, and I Am Legend hadn't even hit theaters yet.
• President Obama hadn't formed the "Yes We Can" slogan.
• Brittney Spears hadn't shaved her head bald and then somehow make a great comeback.
• Heath Ledger was alive.
• Hollywood writers were striking.

This stuff may or may not be interesting to anyone but me, but lands! I feel so old when I look back on the past two years. A lot has changed, but I still feel the same. I guess that's good.

This and that. Nothing else.

I've thought about making a post for a while now. I have no idea what I want to write about, but I know exactly what I want to avoid writing about.

First, let's do a shout out to all my peeps at Best Buy!
... Actually, I don't have anything more than acquaintances at Best Buy at this point. But still, thank you Best Buy for hiring me. I thought I was going to be a horrible salesperson... I mean, all I've ever sold are pool toy rentals and spots in my swimming lesson class. But I really enjoy my job selling digital technology (cameras, camcorders, mp3s, etc.). Oh, and even though I had to promise Best Buy that I wouldn't talk about my very significant employee discount, I can say that I love it, and that I will be using it but the complete remastered Beatles discography. I cannot wait! Ha!

Last night I applied for my federal student aid. I finally made my decision to go to school in the Spring. I've already been accepted to the school (and my program), but I was trying to determine whether or not I'll be able to pay for school... I won't be able to, but I'm going anyway. I absolutely cannot wait to move to Orem! It's not that I'm terribly excited for school, I'm just sick of living in Idaho Falls...

I guess that will be it for know. Eh, yeah, boring post. Oh well, I don't feel bad for the time you just wasted. SUCKA!

Long awaited (but slightly needed) update on life.

Lands, it's been a long time since I even considered writing a post on this blog here... But apparently this domain is getting a view ever now-and-then. That's nice.
The thing is, in the writing/updating world, Logan's priorities go as follows:

1. Social Networking and forums (Facebook, Myspace, & Absolutpunk)
2. Swimming lesson cards (Worst part of working at the Ammon Pool)
3. Writing Michael the missionary (Even though I only did that twice in the past six months)
4. Job and school applications (Both have been succeeded)
and then, 5. Updating/thinking about this blog.

This summer was much like the past nineteen summers of my life, but I suppose I could emphasis some things. Well, now that I think about it, it's October. It's not summer at all...

My Ammon Swimming Pool:

Yes, that's right, MY Ammon Pool. Dear God, I love the Ammon Pool! My summer job, my summer life, my year-round sanctuary.
This summer started out cold. Very cold! It didn't snow on us like last summer, but it as chilly in it's own right. But, as always, despite the low temperatures and early mornings, I loved "working" at the pool.
This summer was shaping up to be a very uncomfortable ten weeks, but thanks to great coworkers and a decent amount of compartmentalization, this summer was way better than I could have imagined. First of all, I was very upset that Arianne wasn't working at the pool this year; scared there would be no one to goof around and be myself with. Thankfully, Megan and Genna were at the pool to artificially fill the gap that Arianne contributed to my pool life. And I can't lie, I was very nervous that awkward silences and uneasy moments were in store with the ex girlfriend/coworker. It ended up not being a problem at all.
I taught some awesome new kids, and I taught a lot of my regulars. I coached the swim team again, and even took some private swimming lessons that I really enjoyed. That's a first! Compliments were given more often than complaints, and that is always a plus.
The staff was great, the children were pretty awesome, and even the parents didn't give me too much trouble. I will never forget my summer at the Ammon Pool for many reasons.

Unfortunately, this could have been my last summer spent at the pool. However, after six years, I still don't feel like it's my time to leave my chlorine-scented abode. I'd love to spend another summer, but who knows where my life will be in eight months. I feel like I should be preparing myself for some drastic changes.
No matter what, whenever I am upset and within an hour drive of the place, you'll find me sitting on those benches. It's a frequenter for me. Even during snowy nights at 4:00am.

Those friends o' mine:

Everyday is a good day for friends! I had so much fun with old friends and new friends this summer. And even though the activities of each summer never change, the jokes change and my appreciation has changed.
However, an awesome new activity that we did a few times this summer was exploring Wolverine Canyon! I had so much fun driving, hiking, singing, and screaming through the accidentally discovered canyon. We only when to Wolverine three or four times, but some of the most vivid memories of this summer, for me, take place in Wolverine Canyon, or on the way to the dirt road.
And of course, we held true to the summer traditions that have formed over the years. Calm afternoons at the Land of Myst, late nights at the Green Belt, movie nights in Mego's basement, Ash's and my summer jam (You Found Me by the Fray), Big Judd's at the end of the season, ect, ect, ect. I've learned that it's those small things that mean the most to me when I think about the relationships I have with my group of good friends.
I felt like I gained stronger relationships and understanding with all of my old friends in one way or another this summer. Ash and Rachel in particular.
At the begining of the summer Ash was the only one that cared to listen to the eneasy emotions that I felt in my heart. After my break up, Ash was the first person I talked to because I know he is a good and compassionate listener. It may not seem like a big deal to him, but I will always be thankful to him for alowing me to cry to him over the telephone.
I was with Rachel quite a bit this summer, especially near the end. I like how she trys to get into my head but still can't understand where I'm coming from a lot of the time. Don't worry, no one does... Not even me a lot of the time. She shared stories with me and gave me adivse that I will never forget, and listened to me rant and rave about essentially nothing. Thanks for listening.

Also, I met some new friends that became a huge part of my life. Megan Jae Riggs, specifically. I swear Megan and I were meant to meet years ago, but unfortunately we didn't meet until four months ago. We know so many of the same people, and just happened to be at a lot of the same events. Let's blame it on fate.
You are one the most genuine people I've ever met in my entire life. When you have something to say, you say it, and you stick by you opinion. From the day I met you, I could tell that you were a compassionate person. What did we do the first day we met? Talked our lives for five hours. Family, friends, love, lose, likes, hates. You said things to me that I needed to hear, and you asked questions that needed to be asked. I learned a lot about myself this past summer thanks to you.
You opened me up to a lot of new music, new beverages, new literature, and most importantly, new views on life. You truly made my summer unforgettable. Thank you so much.

So friends, let make it to next summer! Let go of the silly things, and remember to keep the future in mind. We're all at this point in our lives where we're deciding who we'll become. The thing that you do today are going to directly affect tomorrow. I love you all, and I am unbelievably thankful for friends that I feel comfortable enough with that I can say "I love you" to every time I leave a car. You're all great!


Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, I was planning on writing a lot more in this entry. Unfortunately, it's 5:16am and I still haven't got any sleep. Hopefully I'll write here again sometime in the next four months!

A Quarter Short

The other night I had the strangest dream. Needless to say, weird dreams aren't out of the ordinary for me, but for some reason this dream has been a constant in my mind all week.

In this dream, I started my day out as I would in my conscience, dreamless state of mind. I went out into my backyard after waking up and spent some time with my cat. As a side not, I feel so bad for my cat because of the lack of attention it gets. Mornings are the only time during the day that I recognize my cats existence; however I love my kitty and found a sense of companionship with this cat. Anyway, in my dream, I was petting my cat in the morning, as usual. After a few minutes of petting my cat, her front-right foot fell off. There wasn't any blood or exposed bone, but as any other pet-owner, I was very concerned and anxious about my cat's well-being.
Naturally, I passed the judgment to take my cat to the emergency veterinary office on St Clair. I got in my car, started the engine, put the car in drive. I drove about a foot and then my car stopped moving. I got out to see what the problem was, and upon scanning the car, I noticed the the front-right tire was flat, and as I got closer to the flat, the tire fell off the axle.
The veterinary office was way too far away for me to carry my cat there, so I proceeded to call all my friends to ask if they would drive me to the vet. I called all of my good friends, but none of them were able to give me and my cat a ride to the veterinary emergency center, so I started walking up the road.
As I walking up the road of my neighborhood, I slowly slipped into conciseness and woke up.

Regardless to say... Strange dream!

The morning after this dream occurred, I had to work at the pool at 8am. As always.
I told my "super boss"--part time pool manager, full time adolescent counselor-- about this dream. My favorite thing about my boss this that she is so caring and concerned about her friends, and she will analyze anything and everything! Ha!
She listened to my dream and gave me a very good interpretation of the meaning of this dream. What she said is that my subconscious is telling me that I am missing 25% of myself; just as my cat and my car were missing 25% of themselves.
This missing 25% is holding me back and preventing me from progressing. But, just as I would never give up on cat or my car, I should never give up on myself because of this missing quarter.
So, now, I have to figure out what fourth of my subconscious, emotional state is missing.

Quarter-life crisis, maybe?

Congrats

Hooray! My best friends graduated high school! Good job!

I would just like to publicly say, "I am so proud of both of you!" I will admit that there were times that I thought that your high school educations were going to be brushed to the side, but both of you worked so hard and never gave up on this goal!

Ryan, I am so unbelievably proud of you! Even though you weren't able to graduate on time, you saw the importance of an education, and you persevered through the public school system! I'm so glad that you ignored the ignorance of other people as they suggested that you drop out. You did this for yourself and you future! I know that high school graduation is only the beginning for you. Your creativity and genuine personality will get you a long way as long as you stay motivated. You have so many options right now; take the time to decide what you really want and make a plan. I know that you can achieve anything as long as you never give up, and dont settle for less.
You're my best friend and longest friendship. I love you so much and I admire your adversity and integrity. Good job!



Ashton, I am also so incredibly proud of you! High school started off rocky for you because of your lack of motivation and free-spirited personality. Despite your rough start, you really proved yourself during the last three years! You weren't just able to graduate; you were able to graduate on time and in good standings. I'm so glad you were able to find joy in education and made it through this tiresome achievement. Your future is so bright I need sunglasses! Haha! You can truly do anything at this point. If you choose to go to college, I will be with you every step of the way! Again, take the time to decide what you want to do with your life, make a plan, and run toward your goal! You can really achieve anything as long as you are will to make sacrifices and rough through the hard parts. Your time in high school proved that.
I love you so much! You provide the support that I need to get through everyday. Thank you.

To my other friends that are graduation on Tuesday: Don't you dare start believe that I'm not proud of you! I am so proud of all of you; you have achieved so much and you are an inspiration to me. Kenzie, James, and Rachel, you are all amazing and outstanding friends! Good job! I love you all!

Excuses, excuses

As soon as I started my blog, I stopped posting.

It has been a very busy, yet uneventful month. Well, I suppose it was been slightly eventful... I mean, I did graduate from USU last week. I got my Associates Degree in General Studies with an emphasis in Art. Although my diploma doesn't say that there is an emphasis in Art, I like to add that in since practically all of my electives were art classes.

Other that, nothing too eventful has happened. I spent all of this week getting ready for the end of the semester, and now I am done with everything except for my final photography portfolio. This means that it is almost move out time! I'm moving out in less than a week, and I am ecstatic! I cannot wait to move back to Idaho Falls (where I will live with my parents for a few weeks, and then get an apartment with some of my friends!).

One significant thing that has happened over the past few weeks is my new found obsession with side walk chalk! Haha! I've done it just about every weekend this month!

I drew this masterpiece right outside a woman's restroom in the park!

It was short-lived. From what I hear, city employees washed the concrete less than twelve hours after I drew this. I guess my art is too edgy for the city of Idaho Falls.