NCAA Tournament 2010

I'm watching the tournament like I normally do every year, and I must say that this is one of the most exciting tournaments in recent memory. There have been just so many upsets, including the incredible game between Northern Illinois and overall one seed Kansas, in which Northern Illinois pulled off a huge upset. Unfortunately for them, they were stopped by Michigan State, who defeated my favorite team, Maryland.

There have also been other teams that have surprised people, like Butler, St. Mary's (who received a thorough beatdown from Baylor tonight), Tennessee, and Washington, as they were an 11 seed. Like most people, I avoid looking at my bracket because it has turned out to be hopelessly wrong. As of right now, Kentucky looks poised to win it all, despite being very young.

39 days and counting...

So I'm a Senior, and the year is almost done. We get out earlier than all the other kids, and my last day of classes is May 28, and Graduation is June 7. After Graduation there is something called "Project Graduation," which runs from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. I assume it's a party; not sure what else it could possibly be. Then after that, there's Senior Week. I don't know when that is, but I'm hoping to go to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I love it there. Anyways, I'm so siked for this school year to be over!

President Obama finds his balls

For the first time in a long time, it seems like the President really wants to fight for a bill. Granted, the bill is a steaming pile of garbage, but nonetheless... He figured out that after a year of debate (if you call the yelling fests of the town hall meetings debate) and the GOP giving their spiel (death panels, Nazism, and other assorted goodness), that an actual bill ought to be voted on, to the dismay of the Republican Party, who would like to stall the bill until Jesus returned. A bill will be passed, but it won't be that great. Then again, it's better than nothing. And in the world of politics, something is always better than nothing.

Album Review-"LOVE" by Angels & Airwaves

I'll start out by saying that this is one of my favorite bands, so I am a little biased. This is their third album, and the first of their released first as a download on their site as well as Fuel.tv. Their other albums are "We Don't Need To Whisper" and "I-Empire".

1. "Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce"-Latin for...something. Ok, I don't know Latin. This is a purely instrumental track, meant to set the stage for the next one. It can get a little repetitive but it does serve its purpose well enough. (3.5/5)

2. "The Flight of Apollo"-Easily the album's most ambitious and well-done track. The beginning is pretty good and the verse and chorus are especially great. There is a point with about a minute left that you think it could end at a low point but instead it repeats verses until the very end, giving it a strong finish and goes immediately into the next song, which is... (5/5)

3. "Young London"-There is no break from the previous song into this one, but at the same time establishing a different pace. The riff a little into it reminds of the riff from AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," which is never a bad thing. (4/5)

4. "Shove"-The first of a few softer and slower songs, and the best of the three. The verse and chorus works well together. At the end, there is a bit of an interlude until the next song. This song structure is repeated a few times throught the album. (4/5)

5. "Epic Holiday"-One of the more conventional songs, but also among the best. The intro gradually fades into the main riff, which also features synthasizers, which balance out well. (4.5/5)

6. "Hallucinations"-This was the single released two months (December 09') before the album itself was available for download. Personally, this was the best option considering it was the most radio friendly and did not have a song directly lead into it like many of the others. Synthasizers are particularly noticeable in this track. (4/5)

7. "The Moon-Atomic (...Fragments and Fictions)"-Strange title, pretty decent song. I'm generally not a big fan of slower songs done in this style, but this one isn't too bad. The verses are the best part of this track. (3.5/5)

8. "Clever Love"-My least favorite track. Broken down with guitar and drums only coming in for the second chorus. It does serve as a change of pace, but I'm not a big fan. (3/5)

9. "Soul Survivor"-Breaks the mold of the traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure, which gives it bonus points in my book. Also, very catchy. (4/5)

10. "Letters to God, Part II"-Considered a sequal to a song done by singer Tom DeLonge's former side project, "Box Car Racer." The intro proves to be promising, and the rest does not disappoint. The most upbeat song of the album. (4/5)

11. "Some Origins of Fire"-Not a bad song, but I don't think it should be the last one. Not nearly the energy I think should be used for the finishing track. It's better used after another song, or cut out altogether. (3.5/5)

Trends in this album-This was much closer to a concept album than their other two efforts, and I believe that to be the intention. They made more use of synthasizers and other sounds, and it fits in well. It also seems that the songs were more varied than before, while still being able to have one lead into the other, which is commendable.

Overall, I very much like the album. I wasn't surprised that I did, considering that I was a fan of theirs before. In other words, if you liked them before you will definitely not be disappointed.

Hello

This is hopefully the first of many posts. I hope whoever reads this enjoys what I have to say. If not, go screw :).