Category: is it just me?

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there’s similar, and then there’s the SAME!

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Okay, just last week, I was sort of ranting about the similarity between two songs, and low and behold it has happened again. However, this time, there is one key exception: I have heard two songs that not only sound similar, but I swear, they are the same damn song!!!

I was riding with James the other night, and when we ride in his car, we are almost always listening to the radio (which I don’t usually do), and they announced that the number one song of the day was coming up. Well, it was a song by Chris Brown, which I had never heard, but when they started playing it, I thought to myself, “hey, self, I HAVE heard this before… when it was called Irreplaceable!”. Now, while I like Irreplaceable by Beyonce, I think that it is a total crock of shit that you can take a song and completely re-release it, with different lyrics a year later, and STILL TOP THE CHARTS!!!

WTF people? Seriously. This is one of the problems with music today: People are just eat whatever they are fed. In this case, two practically identical songs have been fed to the masses, and what have you done? You have eaten it up, and propelled both songs to the top of the charts! I just don’t get it. There is so much amazing music out there, that it is practically inexcusable to have two practically identical songs make it so high on the charts; especially when so little time has past since Beyonce’s version hit!

But don’t take my word for it: listen to each one yourself, so you can really see how similar they are: (on the left, you have Irreplaceable by Beyonce and on the right you have With You by Chris Brown… neither of which is the real video because of how stupid music companies are with you tube stuff, however, the Beyonce video is quite hilarious to me)

After doing a little investigation myself, I see that it is indeed the same producer for each track; which really begs me to question if one (or both) of these stars didn’t get ripped off. I mean, they are paying for production, and the producer just shills out the same damn song for both of them. I would be infuriated!! Well, I am a little irate, but that is because of what this does to music in my opinion. It just solidifies the fact that people are not open to innovation, and true talent. Bands and artists with enormous amounts of talent will continue to be “one hit wonders”, and will always be overlooked because of cookie-cutter shit like this, and it pisses me off, because I tend to prefer the former.

What is even more ridiculous to me, is that if you take an amazing band, one that may not be as popular as Beyonce (but is popular in their own realm of the music world), and listen to their take on Irreplaceable, that it becomes a totally different song; even though it isn’t! Chris Brown’s “different song” is more like Irreplaceable than Sugarland covering Irreplaceable. Freaky stuff man. It’s just frustrating when you constantly see that this music industry is full of such crazy, crazy shit. I just wish that the talented and overlooked people could get half of what those Chris Brown’s out there get; both in fame, and in fortune. Hearing the same old songs and making them both best sellers just isn’t right.

Sigh. Now I will go back to my music that isn’t so radio-friendly… but at least it is genuine, and dare I say it, different.

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imitation, the sincerest form of flattery?

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I was reading one of my many music blogs this afternoon, when I happened upon the following music clip (via discopop directory):


After listening for about 20 seconds, I had this sneaking suspicion that I had heard this song before… Hmmm, where have I heard that same drumming, same guitar riff, and same distortion effect? That’s right… Muse’s Knights of Cydonia:

Well, I guess if you are going to copy a song, at least copy an amazing one, right? What I don’t get, is that I have never seen the amazing allure that the Arctic Monkeys have to them, and this just makes me question it even more… And I am not really familiar with the Rascals as of this writing. Oh well, perhaps they meant it as an homage to Muse, who are in their own right, a truly amazing band. I just wonder why they had to make it so damn similar, you know? The similarity was instantly recognizable to me, and I am sure that I am not alone in that sentiment.

What are your thoughts? What do you think when you hear an amazing song rehashed by a group that may be more commercially popular, but not necessarily any “better”, as far as you concerned? How does it make you feel when said “copied” group is a group that you really enjoy, but the other isn’t, and you know that they will have more success with their clone?

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another wacko religious fanatic gets the mic…

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I don’t know if you have all heard about this Republican representative named Sally Kern, and the speech that she gave about her views on homosexuality, but it is apparently all over the interwebs. I heard about it last week, but didn’t really feel a need to shine a light on yet another hateful rant that someone felt the need to give showing their bigoted views against homosexuality. However, after seeing the following clip, I felt compelled to say something:


First things first, I honestly feel that Sally Kern has every right to say whatever she wants; that is her right as a citizen of this country. However, as a state elected politician, there is a time and a place for everything. She represents people as a leader, and as such, she should keep her personal religious beliefs restricted to her religion. If she disagrees with homosexuality, that is fine, but speaking out, as a politician and a leader, and saying that homosexuality is worse than terrorism and that our “agenda” is to indoctrinate 2 year olds and to infiltrate our schools in spreading homosexuality, is spreading not only hate speech, but blatant lies as well.

Clearly, she is confused. Clearly, she has her facts wrong, and it becomes rapidly apparent when you hear just how deluded she is in stating the aforementioned items as fact. Yet, again, she has the right to say it. However, as a public figure, and as a representative, it isn’t her place to preach such hate. If she wants to open up her own church and spread as much religious fanaticism as she wants, so be it, but there is no place for elected people to be spreading such misinformation, and passing it off as fact.

I am frustrated by this woman, mostly because of the video above. She clearly has been called out, yet refuses to acknowledge that what she has done is spread misinformation, while representing herself as an elected public figure. I just think there should be some boundaries, and she clearly doesn’t agree. I personally hope that this is the, as she put it, “death knell” in the coffin of her public service career. Nutjobs like this belong in backwoods churches and not public office. Unfortunately, it is this type of message that leads to the killing of gays and lesbians, like the young boy who was murdered for wanting his classmate to be his valentine. It is sickening to be reminded by little things like this, that we live in a country where the people that hate us so vehemently don’t just live outside of our borders.

I personally think that it is sad that people have such little value in living their own lives, that they must find reasons to attack others. That they must find so much hate inside themselves, that they feel compelled to spread lies and further hateful ideas about certain people that they don’t “agree” with. I feel sorry for people like Sally. It must be difficult to live in a world where you are so clouded by the religious beliefs that you have chosen to use in shrouding you from truth, so much so, that you really and truly believe such ridiculous things as she said. Furthermore, I think that other Christians, more than we gays, should be (and probably are) completely ashamed that someone so clearly deranged is speaking out and representing them. It is just incredibly frustrating that people can wrap themselves in the Bible, and then become the biggest possible hypocrite in the world, by calling you a faggot at the same time. Where’s the love that your religion preaches Sally? Clearly, it isn’t in you.

Sally, you are worse than we. We don’t harm America; people like you do. Your speech shows an inability to learn or grow, and a mindset that fuels the very terrorism that you are so against. People like you are, and will remain, one of the biggest problems that plagues this nation. I sincerely hope that this is the last time that you are given the mic, and that soon, you will no longer be representing your religious fanaticism as an elected official.

In order to lighten the mood a bit, here’s a lovely clip from Ellen, who called Sally:


I love Ellen so much… she makes me proud to be a part of the gay community. I wonder how many Christians would say the same about Sally.

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really… are people really this stupid?

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I saw this on towleroad this morning, and it seriously pissed me the fuck off:

Last night on Big Brother 9’s live feed, gay housemate Joshuah attempted to educate James, Chelsia, and Sharon on the ins and outs (so to speak) of gay sex. He also spreads some misinformation about protecting oneself from HIV:

“I do bareback with my boyfriend. We’ve both been tested for HIV and we’re both negative so it’s cool. I only do that with my boyfriend. I don’t do that on a random one night stand. That’s too risky. If you’re a top it’s okay because you can’t really get HIV from being the top because you’re penetrating them…”

I just want to know; are people really as stupid as this, or is this dumb ass alone in his thinking? Well, clearly, he isn’t alone, as the rates of infection continue to increase amongst gay men, which is not only disheartening, but it is disturbing. Yet, I still cannot even fathom why people are still this moronic about something as HUGE as HIV! Why on earth are people stupid enough to believe that you can’t get HIV if you are a top? Where did this moronic idea come from, and why is it, that gay men STILL believe it?!?!

It blows my mind. I have worked in HIV prevention for many years, and hearing shit like this just sends me over the edge. A part of me wants to say, “people just CAN’T believe that, because clearly, people are smarter than that… aren’t they?”, but I know that people really are this stupid. What has to happen to you for you to get it? Do you have to get IT? I just don’t understand how something as serious as HIV is taken so lightly, especially after it has been around for so very long. It is baffling.

So I’m going to put this out there, for all the morons: YES Virginia, you CAN get HIV if you are a top. Wear a condom you idiot, because clearly, you aren’t smart enough to know better. Wake the fuck up, and realize that this thing is called a goddamned epidemic for a reason.

/rant

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how many times must this be said before it actually changes?

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In this clip, Ellen speaks about something very real and very dangerous, and unfortuantely, something that affects us all; HATE:

Seeing this clip (thanks to vanyel) makes me wonder AGAIN, why this isn’t common knowledge, and it makes me wonder how many times we are going to have to say this before it actually changes. I feel horrible for that boy’s family, and for any other family that has been devastated by hate. I am sick of hearing “that’s so gay”, and letting it go, because it isn’t funny. Ellen is right; being gay is not funny, IT’S NORMAL, and until we get that to be the message that everyone hears, things are just going to continue. I never thought I would want to be normal, but that’s exactly what would be the best thing for gay people; acknowledging that we are actually normal.

Is it so much to want to live in a world where you aren’t hated because of who you love? I would like to think that it isn’t too much to ask at all. I am just sickened by all of the hate and cruelty that is taught in this world, and how it is being passed on to our youth.

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maybe mine aren’t working (?)

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I have talked about my continual battle with depression on this blog before, and today, I saw something that I felt compelled to discuss. First of all, I should mention, in case it isn’t “known”, that I take a SSRI for my depression. I have for a long time, and often times, I wonder if it even works, because I still find that I go through bouts of moderate to severe depression. Well, after reading this, I can’t help but wonder if the medication is actually “treating” the depression.

In the article, they discuss a study that was done to compare the “clinical effectiveness” of several SSRIs (mine is listed), in order to see if the benefit of the drug was more than a simple placebo. What’s interesting, is that they found that across the board for those drugs that they looked it, it wasn’t (except in cases of extreme depression). This makes me wonder about the drug that I take every morning to “prevent” my depression; especially since, as I mentioned, it hasn’t actually gone away at any time during the course of my “treatment”.

I am not saying that I don’t believe the drugs have any benefit. Even the placebo effect is proven to have a benefit, and that may account for some of these findings. However, I do think that it is easy to wonder, that if you take drugs to help with a problem, and the problem doesn’t seem to want to go away, then perhaps those drugs aren’t working for you. The article also mentioned that trying therapy first would probably be a new recommendation; but I did that, and still ended up taking medication, a medication that I am now even more curious about.

I know that the medication must have some benefits. I don’t have anxiety as intense as I did before I took (at least I don’t think that I do). I also know (through the magic of therapy), that my depression is more likely than not, tied to my anxiety. So, if the medication is working on the anxiety, but it doesn’t have an effect on the depression, what does that mean? Should I be taking a different class of medication to deal with the depression as well? Or, am I “better” than I was before, and I just don’t know it? Maybe the drugs are working, and I just don’t know the difference because I have been taking them so long? I find myself riddled with questions right now.

This is something that I think might be worth exploring further. I may make a doctor’s appointment to find out more about what may or may not be a better option for me.

One issues I do have, is that the article goes so far as to say that the medications “don’t work”, citing it is below clinical significance. That is to say, that just because it wasn’t statistically significant, they have proven that it doesn’t work; which really doesn’t make sense, if it did work on the minority of those “not-statistically-significant-so-forget-them” patients. This is where the cynic about clinical research in me steps in, because I always question its reliance on numbers, and a lack of perspective on the individual that may benefit… In the case of a drug that MAY benefit some that has very few side effects (for adults), why would they declare that it simply doesn’t work, just because it doesn’t work more often than not? Additionally, if it doesn’t work most of the time, why have they waited until now to tell people that are taking it?

What’s your take on this? If you take one of these medications, is this going to effect your future treatment? Does it concern you that your medication may not be doing what you need it to? What do you think?

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consider this…

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I was going to write a product praise post today, but I have decided to instead focus on a very important word: consideration.

It is a small word, but it has huge implications. In a relationship, a strong bond of communication and the continual use of consideration are paramount.

But consider this… small lapses in judgment that occur more often than not, that continually challenge your partner’s belief that you actually consider them. What do you want to do to make it better? Do you simply apologize, and hope that he can understand that you acted without thinking (again)? What if he doesn’t want an apology, because he knows that it will only be followed by future apologies?

I just wish that I was near the top of the list. I don’t have to be number one, but I do need to be on the list. I want to be considered, and more than just an after thought. I don’t mind mistakes, and I can handle a misstep here and there, but continually asserting that consideration is being utilized, while example after example of it being missing are being presented, just isn’t going to get better with a simple I’m sorry.

You actually have to want to change. I want to be more considerate, because I know that I am far from perfect myself; but I hope that you do too.

Why do relationships have to be so hard sometimes? If there are any solutions that are out there, I am all ears.

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for some, believing clearly isn’t enough…

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Let me start this post by saying that I generally love the UK’s X-factor; after all, they gave me one of the loves of my life, Mr. Shayne Ward. Not only that, they followed him with the amazing Leona Lewis, who’s Bleeding Love is a song that I still have in heavy rotation; months after I initially heard it. However, with all that good, there too can come some bad. Even though I heard that this year’s winner Leon Jackson was to cover When You Believe, the amazing song from the Prince of Egypt that was originally sung by none other than the divas Mariah and Whitney, I had somehow avoided hearing his version, that is, until recently. It came on U-Pop the other day, and I listened, in order to hear the magnificence that the UK had chosen to win X-Factor. Instead of being impressed, I was horrified.

Not only does he clearly lack the same level of talent that Shayne and Leona possess, but his singing voice doesn’t even seem to be at a level higher than amateur. Not to be mean to the poor kid, but seriously, this is just a bad cover of an otherwise great song.

This brings me to my other gripe: Whomever chose When You Believe as the song that the winner would sing is either a sadist, or just an asshole; because if you are going to do a song that Mariah and Whitney did beautifully, the only way to do it successfully, is to do it better (which that, in and of itself, would be a difficult task indeed). Even without the powerhouse divas singing the original, what on earth were they thinking handing this enormous song to an “undiscovered talent”? Wow. To me, this is just a recipe for disaster, and makes a situation that only sheer luck could bail them out of. Unfortunately, the likable, and in my opinion, much more talented brother-sister group Same Difference did NOT win X-Factor, so we cannot know whether or not their version of the song would be superior to Leon’s; but one thing I do know, is that his version is almost un-listenable. But don’t just take my word for it, see (or rather, hear) for yourself.

First, I give you the Mariah and Whitney version; which is in my opinion, a flawless pop song. It is well written, and their voices compliment each other beautifully. Also, need I even mention that it is fucking Mariah and Whitney, which again, begs to question why one would ever try to cover something that big, unless they KNOW for certain they can do it better?


Now, check out Leon’s version of When You Believe (sorry, but the real video can’t be embedded). I can’t believe they went there, to be honest. I guess it is a little like Leona’s version of A Moment Like This (which is quite terrible as well, but she has managed to distance herself from it quite well), if you have heard a superior version of the song several years in advance of some practical nobody doing a sub-par version of it, what is the fucking point of them doing it at all? There are TONS of songs out there he could have covered; so why this one?


Oh well, we can never know what prompts these producers to rehash the same pop trinkets on other shores, but I can hope that future incarnations of shows like X-Factor, and even the dwindling American Idol, can manage to pull out some better songs, suited for the potential winners. If they are going to stick with sending these poor singers out there with rehashed, sub-par covers, can they at least pick some songs that they would be better suited for? Clearly, in this case, that did not happen at all. I just don’t think that we should have more tragedies like this one, littering the airwaves, and making my ears cringe when I hear them. Clearly, believing that you can sing the song better does not mean that you actually can. Poor Leon…

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just like on tv

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I have been sitting here this morning, looking through some of the journals and blogs that I regularly follow, and spending time looking through many of those same people’s flickr collections, and I feel like I am watching my favorite program on television. I feel like I am seeing their interesting lives, and I find myself always wanting to know more.

A few of these people have a captivating quality to them, that I would say equates to me having “crushes” on them. It is like your favorite actor/actress that you would totally get with if you had the chance; only it isn’t as palpable as that. It is much more innocent and vague, poignantly less sexual, and often times, more interest driven. Handsome and attractive? Yes, they are, but that is not all that I like about them… there is so much more going on, and a lot of it, I don’t even know about; which is part of the thrill.

They are strangers, they are people that exist inside this little box that I look at day in and day out, and I don’t really know them at all. All I know is what I have seen, that which they choose to share, and I eagerly await new content and evidence that my favorite characters are doing well, and having a great life. I benefit from seeing that they have posted new pictures, or have uploaded new content; I want to know them, even though I really can’t on any level other than “through the internet”. Maybe someday? Who knows, but right now, this is fulfilling enough.

I often wonder, that if I have this type of relationship with the characters that I follow, does anyone follow me? If so, what is it about me that makes them keep coming back for more? Is it what draws me to them, the attraction, the interest, a fascination, and a captivation with life and how it is sometimes so different than my own?

Perhaps it is the anthropologist in me that I constantly seeking more and more, and who enjoys, and is so fulfilled by watching the world around him. More intensely, in this case, watching those in that little box that sits on my desktop, finding pictures, words, instances, and little bits of evidence to suggest that my favorite characters are doing well, and are keeping me company in the little way that they don’t even know that they are. Yes, it truly is intriguing to me what you have to say, and every time you post some pictures, I look forward to seeing how you are doing. I enjoy our time together, and look forward to more.

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reproductive fluids

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I am taking Anatomy II this semester, and unfortunately, as with part one, there is a weekly 3 and a half hour lab that goes along with the course. So far, the lab hasn’t been that bad, albeit, it has been a little boring, because you really can’t “teach” anatomy, you just kind of go over it, if you know what I mean. This is strictly a memorization science, and as such, the lab class can be quite boring.

Last week in lab, however, the professor unknowingly made lab a laugh out loud riot. She was covering the digestive tract, and speaking about the epiglottis, which is the covering of the trachea that prevents food from going into the lungs when swallowing. As she is discussing the function of the epiglottis, this is exactly what she says:

“When you swallow, the epiglottis covers the trachea, and the reproductive fluids travel down through the throat, down the esophagus, and into the stomach.”

Then she realized what she said:

“Wait a second, did I just say reproductive fluids? That is not what I meant at all.”

Needless to say, by that point, I was almost in hysterics. You know how you are hit with a fit of laughter, and you are so overcome with silly that your laughter is silent, and almost impossible to contain? Like, you sit there, face turning redder, and eyes welling up with tears, and you worry that any second your head may explode, and the laughter will come spilling out? Well, that is exactly how I was. I couldn’t even look at my lab partner, who was laughing along with me.

What I did notice, was that no one else in the class thought it was funny that our professor had just described the throat and esophagus as being the route that reproductive fluids travel. Well, I guess she does have something there… I would assume that on certain occasions for certain people, the reproductive fluids actually do take that journey; I would just guess that they don’t do so routinely.