There are several items that have recently come to my attention. I feel the need to address these items in a public forum such as, well, here. They are in no way necessarily related, although, they may very well be. Welcome to my stream of conscience. Fishing is strictly catch and release.
*Singers, Songwriters, Rockstars, and Popstars alike have never really had the reputation of being humble, however, I find the practice of singing (or shouting) their own name in their songs one of the LAMER methods of self promoting/back-patting. I’m ignorant as to how long this has been going on, but the numbers seem to be spiking lately. A couple examples that immediately come to mind: Jason Derulo in Whatcha Say, and [a three for one]: Jay Sean, Sean Paul, AND Lil John in Do You Remember. I suppose I shouldn’t be too harsh on these guys though. If you sound exactly like everyone else in the top 40, you’ve got yo differentiate yourself somehow…
*Thoughts on Justin Bieber – OKAY how old is this kid? Twelve? And who is responsible for his hairstyle?* Come on stylists, practical jokes on the unsuspecting little guy really aren’t nice. And of course, I have thoughts on his latest hit: “One Less Lonely Girl.” Namely, that the title should really be One Less Lonely Disillusioned Twelve Year Old, and I despise this song on ideological grounds, but also that it has some comedic value at the veeeeery end when Bieber stops singing and promises: “I’ll be your shawty.” Aw, you will? That’s so cute! [*click link to view more than enough pics of the above-mentioned hair]
*Kava House – I love love love this place! It’s about two diagonal blocks from my house, their coffee is superb, and I have a weakness for their raspberry white chocolate scones and pumpkin bars. I think the pumpkin bars are a seasonal specialty though. This makes me quite sad. Anyway, I recently enjoyed a cup of coffee there, since that’s what you do at coffee shops, and it was in a new type of coffee cup! Coincidentally, their prices were also slightly raised. New packaging, higher prices. Ah, no one can escape it…
*Not even MVP Sportsplex – Pepsi, MVP’s main beverage vendor, recently took over Muscle Milk, MVP’s main protein shake vendor. They came out with new packing. In this case, smaller packaging. The prices, however, remain the same. Same price, less product. At least Kava House still gives you as much coffee as before… Lord knows I love my caffeine, even for a few more cents. Muscle Milk? Eh, I can leave it.
*In other re-packaging news, MSU is apparently changing their logo. This has created an uproar similar to the end of the world that happens every time facebook changes its layout. I’m not sure we’ll make it through.
*Navigating Bookstores – Okay. Really. There are sooooooooooo many books to read. It’s hard to know where to start. Walking into a bookstore is similar to walking into the mall knowing only that I need a new pair of pants. [sidenote for those who don’t know me, I think I went to the mall one time last year, and that was in order to get to the movie theater.] Good books are Great! Awesome pants are Great! Knowing how to find that Great would be even better. I like working from recommendations. However, the current book recommendation, coming from all sides, is the Twilight series. Sorry, but I’m still in trend-aversion mode. Someday, sure. This week? No.
AlissaJean.com 
LUKE SIMPSON
LUKE SIMPSON
LUKE SIIIIIIIMPSON hey it’s LYRICS
I concur.
Some good books I have just read:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Collapse
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
A Million Little Pieces
The Life of Pi
1984
Some books I still want to read:
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
The Brothers K
Poisonwood Bible
Three Cups of Tea
I have a book list buried somewhere if you need some more ideas 😀 Ciao!
Rappers: Rappers are pretty amazing. I used to tease Mike pretty harshly for liking rap. Then I realized he likes rap because rap is… ridiculous!! In fact, I usually put it on shortly after waking at 4:10 each morning. I like to listen carefully to the lyrics and analize the songs. Sometimes I giggle so much that I feel less manly. Then I sink into the corner of my driver seat, place my hand on the top point of the steering wheel, and I rap my name in a couple super intelligent lines about mah bling, mah rocketship, and mah shawty. Then I feel manly again.
Bieber: At the 16 second mark, is that Justin, or is it the lonely girl (or rather the girl that would be lonely if he hadn’t picked her)? I assume it’s him since the hairstyle matches, but he looks VERY pretty there… in fact… he looks a little like a girl I once dated (two or three years ago) in some shots (shudder). It was a cute girl, too! Ug, enough of that! It’s too weird.
Kava: I’m a pretty big fan of entering a coffeehouse, tossing my pistol belt into a chair, and demanding a white chocolate mocha with a shot or two of peppermint. Then I toss some pirate treasure on the counter and take the blessed swill back to my seat. It’s heavenly.
MSU: Yeah… I noticed too… Stacy Getz from getzdesign.com pointed out how the actual trademark filings feature tiny stroke errors from the lazy graphic designer. Oops… That’s too bad. Oh well. I’m sure it didn’t cost much. Who’s Nike they hired anyway?!
Pepsi: I was going to buy some Nitrosport product. I dislike Pepsi. I’m kind of a Coke cultist, you see. Which did Pepsi purchase? Muscle Milk or all Nitrosport? Too lazy to look.
Pants: I like good pants. I like good books. I’m also glad you’re trend aderse. This accounts for 20% of the respect I have for you. Granted, you’d still be pretty cool if you adherred to all the big fads. I’d just respect you one fifth less.
Chili: I like homemade chili a lot. I was irked, however, when I wento to the last chili cookoff with my chili containing three secret ingredients: buffalo, coffee, and my own homemade chocolate beer. The couple people who could stand the spiciness loved it. Everyone else said it burned too much. Weakness defeated my dish. (Saddness.)
106: I spent an evening drinking and chatting with the owner of Gallery 106 once… or rather his wife, but he stopped by after a while too. I started the conversation in hopes she was single, but I continued in hopes that an alliance would assist in my subjucation of downtown entertainment industries. My grand plans never really took off.
Dan, you rock! I’m good for one rap per day, and definatley not at 4:10.