Boxing's Been Good to Me

Perhaps one of the most underrated musical ensembles of the late 20th century is the ironically-named trio, "Ben Folds Five." The group, led by pianist and singer Ben Folds, brought a tender spot back to the otherwise hardened, jaded, anxious and dangerous face of rock and roll - a stereotype perpetuated by emblematic bands of the previous three decades - The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aerosmith, Nirvana, etc. Often misperceived as a component of "dork rock," the genuine emotions imbued within each thoughtful composition of Ben Folds Five are reminiscent of the sentimental beauty that The Beatles brought to a genre of music generally associated with rebellion. What other band from the '90s could have composed a 1:40 minute ballad, with a single verse, bridge, and chorus, that was simply a weeping ode to a solitary cigarette? What other band could have collected the visions of a selfless woman, a cold woman, and a composed woman, into one of a complete and real woman - the kind of tragically wonderful and terribly heartless women Mr. Folds often laments? For me, only The Beatles come to mind, and since they are long gone, Mr. Folds' ensemble has refreshed the face of rock and roll, which was perhaps adopting a rough exterior to deal with the pain of losing its soul, on the day John Lennon was shot. Of course, even such a wonderful band invited tragedy of its own, as they disbanded within a few years. But the melodies generated in those years will never leave us. The strains of Alice Childress will always echo in the back of my mind as I wander through an unfamiliar town; those of Smoke, as I leaf through an old picture album; and those of Army, as I look back on the regrets of my life. Sure, the most powerful emotions given to us by the Five are just varieties of sadness. But a sadness that is true can speak volumes more than a happiness one wears only on one's face. The music industry, and the ear of the populace, may not know what really hit them when they had Ben Folds Five tunes stuck in their heads back in the good old days. But I know. And I gotta say, Ben Folds has been good to me.

Wonderful Parents

Never forget this, all of you: Your mother is in you. In your hands, in your blood, in each and every cell of your body. Half of your DNA patterns are exactly those of your mother. And the other half, those of your father. Though experience may change you dramatically from the perfect union of their parts, you will always have them within you, through and through. And so, you will never be alone.

Connecticut

This is a wonderful state, because it is completely unassuming. All other New England states assume something. New York purports itself to be culturally more astute than all else. Massachusetts the same, intellectually. And Rhode Island is just pretty and cool. Connecticut, however, as an outsider would put it, "has nothing going for it." But for exactly this reason, the "Welcome to Connecticut" sign on the border is necessarily genuine, honest, warm, friendly, and inviting. People from Connecticut really welcome you, and they have nothing to prove.

I will also dare generalize that people who attend or who graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor are equally wonderful.

Inspiration, Curtisy of The Books

Think about the weight of a newborn child. Not the 14 ounces kind of weight...I mean the weight of potential: In that small thing is an entire life, which may seem trivial in the context of all the entire lives that happen. But only once you've experienced an entire life can you actually grasp the magnitude of its content and its possibility. I'm only 22 years old right now, so I have no concept of what a life is, compared to a 75-year-old. But I have a much better (and bigger) concept of what it is than I did five years ago, and the potential of a life seems to be growing exponentially. Only once you grasp that, once you know what a life is and you are looking at it taking its first breath, the very first step in the the most profound, complex, and beautiful journey in the universe, can you really appreciate the beauty of the miracle of birth.

(For the record, I have no children.)

On a related note, I had a lovely subway ride home today. I was reading about embryology, and a woman came and sat next to me. She leaned over to see what I was reading, so I ingored her thinking she was a weirdo. Then, a minute later, she stuck a picture in my face. It was from the ultrasound she had just had - a picture of her 10-and-a-half-week-old embryo. She said, "Look, you're studying this and I have this!" I said, "Is it yours?" and she said, "Yes, I'm 10-and-a-half weeks now." I said, "Congratulations!" and we shared a huge smile. (I then got back to work.) It was a lovely coincidence, and it just goes to show that talking to strangers on the subway can be delightful. My favorite part was the lady watching us from across the train, who was intrigued but had no idea what was going on (she could see neither the content of my book nor the picture from where she was sitting). On the L-train, people kept staring at me because they were fascinated by the contrast between my artsy look and my sciencey reading material. I felt pretty cool.

Superbowl Sunday

Observations of the day:
Take a risk. It will get you psyched.
Try to shower every day.
Don't eat too much chips and dip when you know there's pizza coming.

Day One

To whom it may concern:

This is the first day of my web log, or blog. I'm going to make sweeping observations and profound philosophical observations about life. Stay tuned if you want to learn a lot.

Philosophical observations of the day:
If something is not making you happy, stop it.
You will filter the good people into your life for the long haul.
Sometimes you just have to stay in on a Saturday night.

That's today's blog. Tune in tomorrow for even more awesomeness. And remember, it's cool to be edgy. No really.