Quickie

Don't sleepwalk through life.

So much of nothing

I haven't posted in a while, partially due to a lack of a functioning internet connection, partially because I haven't had anything compelling to post. I will figure out something worthwhile to post soon, so check back in a few days. Hopefully there will be something new to read.

Positivity

I haven't been posting much since I got back to school. It's largely due to a hectic schedule with plenty of time commitments coupled with sleep deprivation. I'm going to post yet another thing from my notebook, so you have something new to read. It's about positivity. And by positivity, I mean good stuff.

It is simple: positivity begets positivity. If you try hoarding it, you lose it. If you give it away freely, it comes back tenfold. If you aren't giving out some sort of positivity, you give out negativity. It ranges from mere apathy to downright malice. And that will also come back tenfold. It is up to you to determine what you give, and therefore, what you get.

Just something to think about. Hopefully, I'll get used to my new schedule soon, so I'll have the energy and inspiration to post more.

David

Back in FoCo

I'm finally back at school, and my computer is fixed! Unfortunately, I've been sleep deprived due to a hectic schedule. So I'm probably not very coherent right now. I'll post again once I get my mind back.

David

School

In a couple days, I will be moving back to Fort Collins, so I don't think I'll be able to blog very often until I get my computer fixed or I get settled in (I don't know what'll happen first). Either way, I'm not going to make any promises about when my next post will be. So I will leave you with some lyrics from one of my (many) favorite songs that I think are both encouraging and fitting. They are from the song Phoenix Ignition by Thrice

Like a phoenix ignition
like a crematorium
Like a swelling volition
from the barrel of a gun
From the ashes and the embers
like a rocket I'll ascend
Like a cry gone up for a fallen friend
I'LL ASCEND!

Everyday tear down the walls
till cornerstones remain
Coming ONE STEP CLOSER ALL THE TIME
And although we'll never reach perfection ALWAYS PERSIST TO TRY!

No regrets, just rebirth
move forward, and ignite.
Incandescent Reinvention
a new renaissance
A NEW FIRE EACH DAY!

I still think that is one of the most uplifting songs ever written. I will have time to check my email and stuff, so don't think I'll be completely incommunicado.

David

This blog

Now that I have established this blog a bit, I'm going to try to shift the purpose of this blog away from me talking about my life, and towards ideas. As a step in that direction, I am going to post something out of my personal notebook that I like. No one has read it, except myself, until now. It's entitled Unity Prayer. It's written in such a way that it is not specific to any belief.

To whoever is listening
I pray for humanity, that they may grow together as one
I pray for my brethren
For those who keep the faith: that they remain strong
For those who lost the faith: that they return
For those who never understood: that they see the light
I pray that malice will be overcome with kindness
Hatred overcome by friendship
Poverty overcome with bounty
I pray that people will not judge each other
But that they will accept each other for who they are
I pray for everyone, that life will be good
For those who came before, and those who are yet to come
For people who share my beliefs, and those who believe otherwise
But ultimately, I pray for
UNITY

I wrote this as something positive for everyone. It doesn't require belief in anything except good intent for everyone. One word that could be misinterpreted is faith, which within the context of the prayer is faith in humanity. Also, when I say brethren, I mean humanity as a whole, but addressed in a brotherly way. It is simply my expression of hope for everyone.

David

I'm outta here

Tomorrow I am leaving, and I won't be back for a few days. Unfortunately, I won't be able to blog, check email, etc. So don't complain about the fact that I fell off the face of the world wide web.

I need to fall asleep earlier than 5 tonight, so I am going to stop writing, and go to bed. Peace.

David

Stuff

I've been bad about posting songs of the day. So I'm no longer going to post a song of the day. Instead, I will start posting the song of the whenever the fuck I feel like it (SOTWTFIFLI). My first SOTWTFIFLI is No Cigar by Millencolin.
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Lyrics

One thing I've been doing this summer is watching a lot of anime. Most of what I like is the ones that have a very elaborate story with lots of philosophical themes. My favorites are Trigun, Gundam Wing, Reign The Conqueror, and Full Metal Alchemist. I've found many people don't like anime, and my theory about that is that some people don't have the patience to get into them. For example, Reign The Conqueror is 13 episodes, and it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense until the last episode, which puts everything into context, along with one of the most insane twists I've ever seen. Others, such as Gundam Wing, have dramatic changes left and right, so if you miss 3 episodes, you'll be lost. If you like epic stories, check it out, but be patient.

I've been cooking a lot lately, and it's really cool to see what I can make. I really want to get some really fresh tuna, because if cooked properly (rare), it tastes so good. Unfortunately, it's hard to get and pretty pricey in Colorado. Mostly I've been trying out new recipes or new flavor combinations. Hopefully, I'll be one of the best amateur chefs around in a few years. I am determined to avoid the bachelor diet of microwave food and ramen when I move out of the dorms.

School is coming up fast, in fact I'll be moving back to Fort Collins on the 18th. I'll be glad to get out of the limbo I've been in all summer. Plus I'll get to corrupt...er...I mean be a role model for the freshmen.

I need to fix my computer, my motherboard is shot (the capacitors in the CPU power reg circuit are fried). Hopefully I'll have it replaced within a month.

I need to stop blogging late at night. Maybe I'll make more sense.

David

Moshing and other randomness

One thing that is practically synonymous with Punk music is moshing. I ran across an excellent article on Wikipedia about moshing (Link). I was especially impressed with the tips and rules. I'm glad to see someone actually write up the previously unwritten rules of moshing.

The reason I capitalize "Punk" is the same reason I capitalize "Buddhism". They are both ways of life.

I like putting up random thoughts. I separate them by treating them all as separate paragraphs.

If you want to talk to me, and not just comment on my blog, email me at djmark@simla.colostate.edu. Then you might actually get a real response.

Thanks to everyone who posted comments. I will no longer try to provoke them, but I encourage you to comment if you actually would like to comment on something.

If you want a blog like mine, go to http://www.blogger.com/. It's designed to be really easy to use, so there's no reason not to, unless you don't feel like it.

If you need more reading material, go to my friend's blog. He is going to medical school, and has post interesting things about that, among other things.

I'm pretty tired, so if you think this post is disorganized or whatever, I agree. I should sleep now.

David

In response to comments

The reason I was trying to provoke people into commenting is to see how many people read my blog. I know about counters, and they are always horribly inflated because of automated web access (mostly search engines). Thanks for the feedback. As far as comments regarding lyrics, I know people read into them way too much. That is why I use quotes that are pretty clear in their general idea, regardless of whether you recognize them or not. I know that they are not the only part of music with meaning, they are just the easiest to talk about. There is a reason I try to link to MP3s for my songs of the day. But your points are well taken.

Now I feel like pimping some of my favorite causes. Downhill Battle is an organization pushing for a fairer music industry and participatory culture. In essence, they are trying to make the artists more important than the corporations in culture. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an organization that defends freedom in the digital world. They are the ones trying to keep filesharing legal for legitimate purposes. Finally, I would like to urge people to use free/open source software when it meets their needs, as opposed to resorting to proprietary solutions. The most common one is Mozilla Firefox, a web browser that is a great replacement for Internet Explorer. I've been using it for years, and love it.

I'm going to watch some anime now
David

|o| <-- Tie Fighter

I held off on posting the last few days, because I wanted someone to post a comment on my last post. As of the writing of this post, no one has. I know at least 6 people have read my blog at one time or another. Since I started to post with some level of frequency, my level of comments has pretty much flatlined. So if you haven't already, read the last post, and post a comment. I'm curious how many people actually read this (I'm hoping for at least one post from someone who hasn't said anything about my blog to me yet).

I am refraining from another substantial post until I get a comment, but I won't leave you without a song of the day. It is Alien by Pennywise.
MP3
Lyrics

David
P.S. I'm serious

I think I should explain the little pieces of paper...

One of the things I have done recently at Punk shows is pass out pieces of paper that had lyrics of songs on them, along with a link to this page. I passed out ~550 at the Warped Tour (7/17) and ~150 at Alkaline Trio/Rise Against/Death By Stereo concert(7/29), along with the one the following night.
The one from the Warped Tour read:

Come together and fight together, unite together as one. -– Pennywise
All so different yeah, I say we're all the same. All caught, you know, in the division game. - Operation Ivy
Make some new friends today. Talk to people who are different. It could change your life. -– Me
punkideas.blogspot.com

The one from the other shows read:

Tell me what is worth dying for? Would you give up everything to make one lasting point? -– Strung Out
Is this human freedom hedonistic excess? Junky consumerism, mass-production, toxic sickness - Rancid
I wonder how many people really listen to the lyrics when they hear a song?
http://punkideas.blogspot.com/ djmark@simla.colostate.edu

But what I haven't really explained very well is why I did it. I did it for a few reasons. First, those lyrics mean something to me, and probably did to some of the people received them. I simply put them with a positive thought, and hoped people actually read them and thought about them, whether they recognized the lyrics at all. Furthermore, people who did recognize the lyrics would immediately recognize we have something in common, and something that is a big part of who I am. I believe Punk is something very positive, but at the same time very abstract, and lyrics are used as a way of expressing it. I want to meet people who want to discuss Punk, both lyrically and ideologically, regardless of whether it was a major part of their lives as well as those who had never thought about it.

I know that it is accomplishing these goals to some extent just from talking to people. I ran into a few people each night at the shows who received flyers at the Warped Tour. One guy(sorry, I forgot your name) had put it on his bulletin board. I know that at least some band members and roadies got them each time. I have met countless people through them, and hopefully will continue talking to all of you who wind up here.

So now I came up with an idea to get people to start posting some comments and get some discussions started. Post a favorite song lyrics quote. Feel free to comment on why. I have my blog set to allow anonymous posting, so you don't have to register. I would also like to encourage people to post comments on older posts if they feel so inclined. I would like to discuss any of my ideas. I will make the post, since it's only fair that I do it first.

Try to describe to the limit of my ability:
Its there for a second
Then it's given up what it used to be
Contained in my music somehow more than just sound
This inspiration coming and twisting things around
Because you always know that its gonna have to go
You always know that you'll be back in the cold.
Point of depatrure sublimated in a song
Its always coming to give me that hope for just a second
Then its gone but
Sound system gonna bring me back up
One thing that I can depend on

I think that's one of the best ways to describe what the music means to me.

I won't post a song of the day, just because I've already blown an hour doing this blog post, and really should go to bed.

David

Life is good

The last couple of nights were really awesome. Aside from the awesome performances put on, there were a few things that I won't soon forget. At the show Thursday, there was a time where a fight almost broke out. I say almost because the only reason punches weren't thrown was because half a dozen people threw themselves in between before anything could happen. What was cool was the people who broke them up talked some sense into them, and a couple minutes later, they were completely cool with each other. Second was all the people I seem to keep running into at concerts, sorry I suck with names, but you know who you are. Third was Gretchen, who I run into every show I go to in Denver. You are truly amazing. Finally, meeting Death By Stereo at the show on Friday. You guys are awesome, have a great time touring all over the world.

This song of the day feels kind of appropriate right now. Sorry, no MP3 this time, but they do have a music video. It's Wasted Words by Death By Stereo. Be sure to read the lyrics.
Video:56K DSL
Lyrics

Ok, now I feel like I should plug my essay on what I think Punk is. Read it, and give me feedback. There is a good chance you could be the first person to tell me what you think about it. Also if you use Myspace, check out my profile.

Peace,
David

I'm beat

I had a great time at the concert, but it really wore me out. I enjoyed talking to all of the people there. I really don't have a whole lot to say right now, so here's the song of the day: Violins by Joey Cape (This is an acoustic version of a Lagwagon song)
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Lyrics

Peace,
David

Life

I've come to realize some of my fears in the last few days. One of my own fears is in my ability to meet my own expectations. It sounds kind of strange, but in many ways it was holding me back. I was reminded of a short scene from the movie Waking Life. If you haven't seen it, it is a bunch of monologues and dialogues on philisophical, political, and life in general.

The quest is to be liberated from the negative, which is really our own will to nothingness. And, once having said yes to the instant, the affirmation is contagious. It bursts into a chain of affirmations that knows no limit. To say yes to one instant, is to say yes to all of existence.

This can be taken many ways, but in a way my fear was just me being afraid to say yes to some of the opportunities that come my way. But it wasn't just fear, it was apathy that had come along with the feeling of lacking direction in the short term. This summer I felt a lot of the time as if I really had nothing worthwile to do. But while I was in Hawaii, I had a fair amount of time to just reflect on a lot of things. While I was in Hawaii, I made a friend who just talked to me about life, and it was one of the best conversations I had in a long time.

Since I've been back, I feel reenergized, and really want to put some of my ideas in essay form. Expect a lot more like the one I already wrote. Or even an update to that (I'll let you know if I do that).

As promised I have a song of the day for all of you. It is Too Close To See by Strung Out.
MP3
Lyrics

I'm going to be at a concert tomorrow night (Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, and Death By Stereo, for all of you who were wondering). I don't know if I will post or not, but there is a good chance I will. Maybe I'll see some of you at the show.

Embrace what is good
David

Back from Hawaii

The reason I haven't posted in a week is because I went to Oahu with my family. It was a great reminder that some of the best thing that happen to me are completely unexpected. The scenery and beaches were beautiful. Also, I had several Strung Out songs stuck in my head the entire time (not that it was a bad thing). One thing I get a kick out of is the souviniers I got, which is issues 1&2 of the Second Stage Turbine Blade comic book. Every place in Colorado was sold out, but I found them in a mall in Hawaii, so I got them. If you don't know what they are, they are the comic books that go along with Coheed and Cambria's CDs. They are awesome.

I don't have a song of the day, but I will get one for tomorrow, once I am a little better adjusted. Also, I've been spending some time updating my myspace.com profile. Here is a link if you want to check it out: http://www.myspace.com/punkideas

Warped Tour '05

The Warped Tour was great this year, and the bands were fucking awesome. The four that stand out in my mind are Strung Out, Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold, and Atreyu. They all completely had not only a great performance, but the audience was awesome too. Also, I met a whole bunch of people, handed out 550 little strips of paper advertising this blog, and had a great time. If you didn't see the strips of paper, here is a link to the file I used to print them off. Several people came up to me later in the day saying how they appreciated what I had done. I had a great time, and will be back again next year.

David

I'm beat

I went to the Warped Tour today. It was awesome, but I have no energy left. I was thrilled to meet a bunch of people. If you came here because of a little slip of paper, please leave a comment or email me at djmark[at]simla.colostate.edu. I'm too tired to come up with anything good to write, and I'll talk about Warped Tour tomorrow, once I get some rest. Also, check out my essay on Punk if you haven't already.

David

A piece I've been working on

It's gonna be a short post tonight, because I finished an essay on what I think Punk is that is actually decently long. So check that out instead.
http://rogue.darktech.org/~markham/

Your song of the day is Nowhere Fast, by Pennywise
MP3
Lyrics

David

Something I've been thinking about...

Lately, I've been pondering whether or not it is possible for me to achieve my goals without compromising my ideology. Are my goals and ideology in indirect conflict due to mutually exclusive obligations? I have no way of knowing without actually trying to achieve my goals by acting consistently with what I believe. Actually, my beliefs obligate me to assume that they are not mutually exclusive, but it doesn't stop me from wondering if this path is futile. Needless to say, I have too much time on my hands for contemplation of my life, where it has been, and where I will go with it.
Song of the day: Darkness Surrounding By Avenged Sevenfold
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Lyrics

I need to listen to things other than my own head more.
David