Thursday, November 18, 2010

Interview with Floco Torres

For the school newspaper here at the ol' First Presbyterian Day School, I recently (about a month ago) sat down with Floco Torres, a local hip-hop artist, at Books-a-Million, and talked about his music, the local scene, books, models, and other things. Here's the full interview, raw and uncut:

(Zach Shealy): Are you from Macon?

(Floco Torres): I am not from Macon – I am from Willingboro, new jersey. I lived in Macon from like age 3 to like 9, and then I just moved back here two and a half years ago. Macon at heart, I guess I could say, but I wasn't born here.

Were you always into rap?

I was always into writing and journalism and stuff like that. In high school a lot of my friends rapped and everything like that, and I, you know, wrote lyrics for other people and slowly got into it. Rap was probably one of the last things on my list.

What got you into it?

Pretty much just being in the environments and listening to a lot of music growing up. I wasn't one of those “I've been rapping since I was three years old!” Nah. I didn't buy my first rap cd until I was like 15 or 16. Being around the different people, like, the culture of it growing up, it's just something I slowly took a liking to.

How'd you discover you were good at it?

(Laughs) People started to react in a positive way I guess. In the beginning they were reacting really negatively, that was kind of like a “give it up” or “keep going” thing. I mean, I kept going. Ya know, people were saying positive things, I was starting to get booked a little bit more, started to learn more and have a little bit more fun with it.

Where were you when you first got into hip-hop?

I was in Willingboro, New Jersey when I wrote first song.

Do you still perform your first song?

Nah man, I gave that song up a long time ago. I read it a couple days ago, though, like, working on the new album and everything. I went back to a lot of the older stuff and read it and it was awful, so awful.

Macon has a rich musical history – is the current scene living up to that?

I feel like it is, but at the same time I feel like we're slowly making our own moment in history and a lot of people are starting to come to grips with it. We're not going to create an Otis Redding or a Little Richard, like, we're not trying to, but there is a Floco Torres, and there are Roly-bots, and there is the Citizen Insane. It's a lot of things going on right now that in twenty years we're going to be talking about.

Say somebody wanted to get involved and find out what's out there (in Macon). What do you suggest – just go downtown and find some shows?

Get out, man. Everybody's on Facebook, everybody's on Twitter. The outlets are there, the shows are there, creative people are there, the scene is there. If you don't tap yourself into it, you're left on the outside of what's going on. Which is amazing, like, people fifteen minutes across town that don't know what's going on. Fifteen minutes downtown in their own city, you know what I mean? It's crazy.

Why would you recommend someone tap into the local scene?

I've met a lot of people that were in Macon when Otis Redding was here and Little Richard was here and stuff like that, and they regret now ignoring that cross-dressing hippie that was doing this thing called rock and roll at the time. Or this guy that was literally leaving his soul on the stage singing these songs about the dock of the bay and everything like that. Don't miss that moment now and twenty years later make up stories to your grandkids like “I was there.” Nah, you wasn't there. Macon is really, like you said, rich in history and music. It's just, the city's gotta support it before the rest of the world is gonna get on to it, you know what I mean?

How well do think the city supports local artists?

Aw man it's crazy right now, like, it's amazing how many more people you see coming out to shows, like, when I'm out, how many people are coming up to me asking me about something they see on Facebook or a song that they heard, or “what does this mean?”. So I think, right now, like, the awareness of what we're doing, all of these musicians is at an all time high, and it's only going to get better with, you know, the better the music gets, and the more bands and more people come out to the shows.

Are you looking to expand and tour more outside of Macon, or have you done any of that in the past?

I've done a little bit of touring outside of Macon this year, but with the new album “Floco's Modern Life” we actually launched a campaign with a website called “Kickstarter on Monday” where we're trying to get the city and the entire music scene involved in this album because on my album I have so many different Macon musicians: Jerry Wright of Roly-bots is on there. Oh Dorian's on there. Sean Williamson with Citizen Insane. I've got Al K!ng on a record, Jubee of City Council's in a record. I was just with Chelsea Hughes yesterday working on a record. I'm getting as many Macon musicians as possible so when the album comes out and we get ready to hit the road it's not a Floco album, it's “look what we're doing in Macon.”

Do you record in Macon?

I do record in Macon. I'm actually going to be recording the album with a guy named Rob Evans, which I actually spoke to him today. I'm going to meet him tomorrow to let him know how crazy I actually am doing this album.

So the next step is getting this album out, then?

The next step is getting the album out. We're looking at late February, early March. Once the album comes out we're hitting the road.

Are you doing any shows while working on the album?

Here and there. It's really been more out of town stuff to, you know, bring the awareness from Savannah, Athens, Atlanta, stuff like that, but I'm planning one or two big shows before February or March. I don't quite have the dates on them yet but I'm gonna try to place them nicely and do something real cool. I'm kind of being quiet a little bit and getting ready to unleash this big thing I'm working on.

Can you tell me about the best show you've ever performed?

In Macon or just in general?

Both.

I'm gonna say in Macon it was probably Bragg Jam of this year. It was just a culmination of the last two years of people supporting me since I've been here and me really realizing how dope I am. (Laughs) Not in a cocky way! Just really realizing how hard I've worked. I'm at a comfortable place artistically where, ya know I really don't care, man. Like, I'm gonna do what makes me happy and what I think my fans like and it seems to be working. I'd say my best show out of town would probably be Buffapalooza at Buffington's in Milledgeville. It was like a music festival that they put on with the radio station and the crowd was just crazy. They were just ridiculous.

Are you able to support your music just through making music?

I do little things here and there, little part time gigs, I part time blog some times, I write little articles and everything like that. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get the bills paid, but my music does compensate a lot of itself which I think is a cool thing and I'm trying to open up that door for a lot of other artists that I do know who aren't quite there yet. That is one thing I can say, like, my music does pay for itself. It may not have me driving in a Bentley yet, but it definitely does pay for itself.

I've heard some of your music and it sounds pretty professional...

Thank you.

Do you try to get across a message with your music, or is it just about the sounds? What is your music about?

Hmm. This shirt I have on is, it was one of my grandfather's shirts from maybe like '94, '95 or whatever. He passed away and I got a whole bunch of his shirts. I never wore them until this year I came across them and I started wearing them, and they're just super comfortable, like, I could care less what they look like, how worn in they are, like, they're really, really comfortable. That is what my music's about. It's about being comfortable and learning things. Like, I knew nothing about these shirts, or really about my grandfather cuz I didn't know him at the time and then he passed away before I really got to know him, but I held on to the shirts and at the right time the universe lined it up that in my life I was supposed to start wearing these shirts. And that's how my music is. I could have learned something, you know, in '99, '98, and may not get it then, and I'll come across a beat tomorrow that is going to explain that situation perfectly, and I write about it. And then, you know, mixing the sounds and the energy I feel makes the song as close to perfect as possible...and this shirt is really comfortable.

What's you ultimate goal with making music? Where do you want to see yourself in 5/10 years?

The professional answer to that would be doing it for a living, you know, paying my bills and being able to live comfortably from my music. The spacey answer is to make a dope time capsule. Yes, I want, if I die tomorrow, I'm happy with the music I have right now, that people will go back and listen to it and be like “wow, dude was in a crazy place right here” or “nah, he was really feeling himself right here.” Like, I'm slowly doing for myself and my fans here right now, but really, really doing for their children and grandchildren. Cuz I feel like the music that I write and the people that listen to it were having a moment together and I want their grandkids and their kids to be able to experience that same moment without being there.

Have you ever felt discouraged, or started second guessing your decision to pursue music?

All the time. I think earlier this morning I woke up, like, you know I was calling people and everybody was at work and I couldn't get in touch with anybody, and I'm like, man, I'm one of the only people I know who doesn't have a set schedule. I go to sleep when I want, I get up when I want, I play video games when I want, whatever whatever. So yeah, you always have doubts and regrets, it's just, how you handle them makes the person that you are.

How do you get through that, how do you keep doing it?

Some times a lot of outside influences... (chuckles) …you just gotta fight through it, man, however you can. Some moments are harder than others. It's willpower and just believe in it yourself – that's the main two you gotta have.

So, you work with lots of other artists based in Macon. Do you often perform together?

I think what has made me the artist that I am is that I'm not really able to be put in a box. I work with the rock guys and the indie/acoustic guys, you know, you can put on stage with some of the best spitters you can find and I can go toe-to-toe with them. I pride myself in being...ambidextrous maybe? We'll go with that word and see what happens.

You incorporate a lot of different influences, but I guess hip hop is number one, right?

Nah. No, hip hop's probably number two or three. It's slowly moving down to three. Number one would probably be rock and roll. That was one of things that, like I said, I came across something in 1998 and didn't get it until now. Hip hop is number two because that's what I grew up on and that's what I do it for, but musical influence-wise right now i'm influenced by a lot more rock than I am hip hop.

If someone was to download one of your mixtapes or EPs, what's it going to sound like?

I think it's going to sound like something that is going to take more than one listen to understand, which is what I go for. It's gonna sound like something they want to grow with. If you download Psychadelphia, you are gonna want to hear Floco's Modern Life because you know Psychadelphia's where I was at last year and I'm explaining to you how my mind works. Floco's Modern Life is my entire life. How does every day, how has this entire process, gone. It keeps you interested, I think that's what my music does. You want to hear the next step.

If someone wanted to get into your music today, where do you recommend they start?

Of course iTunes and Amazon and that stuff, but if you go to my blog I have the links to everything: the free music, if you're so gracious to pay for something that's there too. I have loads of free music on the internet. I have stuff on youtube, like, they can watch videos. My blog is the central location for anything me. (hiimflocotorres.ning.com) Everything's there: pictures, videos, stuff I like, movies I've seen. I'm about to put up some pictures of Minka Kelly today. People need to know that she is the sexiest woman alive in 2010.

I'm trying to think of a few more questions for you.

It's all good, man. Read this book, too. (refers to book he has with him)

Bringing Down the House?

It's about six MIT kids who took on Vegas. Yes, and when I say took on, not like they went and had a blast. No, like, they financially took down Vegas. It's really, really cool.

Are you into a lot of reading?

Not as much as I should be, but, yeah, I read at a normal rate. I would like to read more, but sometimes I don't get the time to really indulge into a book, you know what I mean? I hit the Golden Bough bookstore up a lot, on Cotton Avenue downtown, and actually I was coming from there before I got here. The last book I read was, um, “Where the Money Was”, I think it's... David Lee Sutton? I might be wrong. Yeah, but it's about the most famous bank robber in forever. Yeah, I read a decent amount. Especially about Minka Kelly. I need to stop looking at her. (flips to next page of magazine) Whoa...who are these women?

What do you have to say to your fans?

I have to say “Thank you very much”, because without them I would not be existing. I would just be another rapper, but because of my fans I am of the elite of their taste and ipods and everything. Thank you. Stay tuned for the album, I've been putting my heart and soul into it and I hope you enjoy it, man. Definitely check out the Kickstarter campaign, you can go on kickstarter.com and search Floco Torres and you'll see the whole campaign for the album.*

What popular rappers out there are doing it right?

In Macon, or just in general?

Mainstream.

Mainstream, you know what, I don't really classify Kid Cudi as a rapper, but Kid Cudi would probably be my number one right now. He's doing exactly what he wants to do and you can tell. Of course, the Kanye Wests, the Jay-Zs, the stuff like that. J. Cole I really, really enjoy, like, he smashed you with like a bunch of music and you were like “Ah, he's dope” and he's like “Now I'm working on an album, so you get nothing,” and I was like “That's cool, yo. Make 'em wait.” I really like Wale, sometimes. I think he's dope. But I think he's dope at what he wants to do and he's not so great at what other people push him to do. Those are my main ones right now. I was listening to somebody... oh yeah, you know Lupe Fiasco and... I'm forgetting somebody I do not want to forget... and I'm probably going to forget them. Yeah, I can't remember anybody else right now, but the people know they're dope, whoever it is. But yeah, those are my main... I feel like creatively they're doing what they want to do and it's coming out dope. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who am I forgetting?

Anything else you feel you need to say? A question I need to ask?

Nah man. I, uh... I really want to redefine the definition of “a--hole”. I do, and I'm probably not supposed to say that. My bad if I wasn't, but I really want to redefine that definition, but I haven't figured out how to yet.

Sounds like something Kanye West would say.

(Laughs) Ah man, that's just one of those things in my career I'm never gonna be able to get past, cuz he was born before I was. But yeah, the first song on my new album is called “A--hole”, and I really want to redefine that definition, because I feel like there is the actual a--hole, and then there is the a--hole that you have to be to get things accomplished. People mix up those two. Like, the guy that snatches a purse in the alley? He's an a--hole, like, he deserves the crap beat out of him. But the guy that realizes he has to change certain things in his life to reach another level of success? Not an a--hole. There's a different word that needs to be created for it, but I need to do it before some rapper creates it and it really sucks and then we hear it all the time. Yeah, I'm working on that. Maybe I'll write a book.

Put it in your song.

Hey, I think that song represents it. It teeters between the line of like, “I'm right in between it” to “you decide which one I am.” And that, the whole comment probably made me the a--hole that I don't want to be. These things happen.

Yeah, I probably can't run that word in the story, at a Christian school and everything.

Yeah I figured that. So you go to First Presbyterian School?

First Presbyterian Day School.

That's what's up. Are you guys involved in the music scene a lot or is that one of the big purposes of the article?

Not much. Hopefully what the article will do is make people realize that there's stuff out there, stuff downtown, people making music that nobody knows about.

We should come out there and do a show. We should do a profanity free, gesture free show.

That would be really cool.

Yeah, I mean I'd be down to do it.

I think our environmental club is trying to put on some kind of concert.

Yeah, we'd come out there. I'd bring the band, come out there and try to sway some opinions.

Yeah, most people (at FPD) have never seen or heard any local music at all.

We gotta get them involved, cuz you guys are the main focal point. The people older than myself and all that, they care, but they care to a certain extent. They care from 6PM to 9PM. That's an hour after they get off of work, and two hours before they need to go to bed to do it again. Who we really need in the scene is, you know, 23 and under, because we are the ones going into the next generation, and if we don't support what's going on locally we're all going to end up just going to college and leaving, and it's left for the next person. If you don't set it up correctly it's just...it's just Daisy Lowe from the United Kingdom (looking at magazine again). She is a model, and she is gorgeous. Of course, all these women are models. Or actresses or something.

They all double as models.

Yeah, one of the only things I don't like. Like there are just...no, there are...I was gonna misspeak on that. There are beautiful women that just do regular things, but you can't find them! And if someone else finds them they tell 'em “Hey, you ever thought about taking pictures?” “No, but now I did.” And then they go take pictures. And then they end up here, and I never see her again...because she's out of my pay grade.

*Floco's Kickstarter campaign raised $2,000 to fund his new album, Floco's Modern Life, which comes out early next year.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Wednesday

Wednesday's an okay day. I like it a little bit, but not extremely. This morning I felt bad so I did something I rarely do: I slept in and missed the beginning of school. I came in right after Weights, so I guess I missed maxing out today, but oh well. I guess I'm okay with that.
My mom told me this morning that if I ended up coming to school today I needed to make my own lunch, but of course I didn't remember to do that, so now I don't have a lunch. Fortunately, Adriana walked in with three pieces* and she told me she only wanted two. It's good to have friends.

*of pizza

Thursday, October 21, 2010

My desert island

Instead of working on my stories for the newspaper, I'm going to compile a list of my favorite things.

My all-time favorite song
is either "Casimir Pulaski Day" or "Glory Box", both for entirely different reasons.

My all-time favorite album
is xx, from last year, though the greatest album of all time is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The greatest band of all-time
is easily The Beatles, though there are about three artists that have meant more to me than them: Sufjan Stevens, the xx, and mewithoutYou.

My favorite movie is
The Truman Show, followed by It's a Wonderful Life and No Country for Old Men. The three most fascinatingly disturbing film characters are in There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, and The Silence of the Lambs.

The best book I've read is The Great Gatsby, and I haven't liked anything else near as much, except for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a kid.

The best movie of last year was Up in the Air, and the best movie of this year is, so far, The Social Network.

My two favorite songs of this year, so far, are "Dance Yrself Clean" and "Crown on the Ground". My two favorite albums of this year, so far, are Treats and The Age of Adz, in that order.

My favorite video game is The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Names and what they stand for

I'd say I am a bit uncomfortable with calling people by nicknames. They just never sound right to me unless I'm really used to using them, so unless I start out calling someone by a nickname, there is little hope of me ever permanently switching over. One of the hardest things I've ever done was switching from calling my parents "mommy" and "daddy" to "mom" and "dad". At first, I had to constantly think about it, and saying their new names sounded wrong and unnatural, but eventually I got through it to where I am today, you know, not referring to mother as "mommy" anymore.

My full name is Zachary Shealy, but my newer friends call me Zach. People who mostly know me for my pre-late middle school days might refer to me as Zachary, and people who don't respect me (at least that's how I always see it) call me Shealy. If it's an adult or anyone older calling me by my last name it's kind of okay, but when it's a peer I often detect condescension and even a bit of malice in their tone and I don't like it*. Maybe it's just my imagination fueled by my natural desire to establish an identity for myself outside of my family, but still, I minorly gag when addressed by my last name.

But anyways, I don't do nicknames. Whether it's some clever transformation of your last name (Sheals, Sheezy), or the popular "first letter of name followed by catchy word" (Z-dawg, Z-man, Z-bag), I don't do 'em. I draw the line at nicknames. Actually, you know what? I exaggerate. Because I often call AJ Dalal "J". Hmm.

*Wesley Gilbert is an exception. He can call me whatever he wants because he seems so genuine.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Looking for a thrill

There is something about loudness and too much noise. There is something powerful. I've been really into this band called Sleigh Bells this year, and it's mostly because they're loud. When I ride alone in my car, you know, no passengers or anything, sometimes I turn Sleigh Bells up so loud that it almost physically hurts me.

Now, I'm not a masochist or anything, but if my mom ever reads what I said about hurting myself she'll probably get onto me for playing my music so loud. I mean, it's dumb for me to do that. I know for certain I am going to have hearing problems as an adult and I'm going to look back on my teenage self and shake my head in disapproval.

Darn it, I'm extremely self-aware, really.
There's just something about music that gets inside my head. There's a song by Goldfrapp called "Train", and the synth line in the backdrop is so penetrating, so angry...it moves me, and not in a positive way. But I can't get enough - it's a little like torturing myself.

I was amazed by "The Social Network", and the main reason was because it's a severe sensory overload. The characters talk extremely fast and the music is massive: one scene with Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg in a club is the perfect example. It's a movie with no special effects (well, no violent or scenic ones), but it simply must be seen on the big screen if only for the transcendent loudness of the flick. The only other two movies that I can think of that have affected me (enveloped me!) like this so completely are "No Country For Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood". And "2001: A Space Odyssey", which was basically not a movie and just an extreme sensory experience.

Really I'm just a teenager looking for a thrill. The best part of the roller coaster is always the first drop, and that feeling that comes with it.

Sigh... I'll try not to try drugs!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Morgan Curtis just told me he's falling in love with me

Journalism class is pushing me closer and closer to the edge, mostly because of this kid Morgan Curtis. He's out of his mind.
In other news, my average in AP Government with Mrs. Roberts is an 86, a full ten points lower than any other class.
And wow, Morgan Curtis just made me laugh harder than I've laughed in years. He went to dictionary dot com and looked up the word "queer" and he pressed the "pronounce" button and the computer, in a deep voice, pronounced "queer" clearly. It was entirely random, but strangely needed.

Clarification: the reason this blog is the shortest one I've ever written is because I was distracted by dictionary dot com.

Monday, September 13, 2010

chill

At the end Kanye's official remix to his new single, "Power", one of the guest artists says "chill" like ten or fifteen times. "Chill, chill, chill, chill, man. Chill, ‘Ye, chill," he says.
I'll admit Kanye probably does need to chill, but so does everyone else. Everybody everywhere just needs to chill. Like, kick it in a chair for a few minutes, world. Grab some pretzels or something and chill. It'll do you some good, for real.
Right now, I'm listening to this band called Radiohead, just chillin'. One of their cds just randomly came in the mail to me today, so I'm just sittin' here listenin' to it. It's not really that chill of a cd, but it's pretty chill just sittin' here listenin' to it.

Top three things that are chill
1. going outside
2. checking the mailbox for mail
3. finding a Radiohead cd in your mailbox
Because I just did all three of those things, today is chill. I realize number 3 is probably only a one-time occurrence for most people, but anyone can easily manage number 1 and 2 on any given day.

Top three things that are not chill
1. applying to college
2. mowing your lawn
3. reading novels
Now, this list might inspire some controversy. A lot of you out there believe reading novels is a chill thing to do, because you're sitting down and everything. But it's actually not very chill. Reading a novel requires a lot of concentration and thinking, unlike listening to Radiohead or checking you mailbox. Now, reading a magazine or a newspaper is pretty chill, and so is reading novels in public places, so I guess it just really depends on the context.
Next, I'd like to address the chillness of mowing your lawn. Yeah, you have to go outside to do it, which is chill, but once you start the mower it becomes loud. Loud is not chill in this scenario.

Another thing that is chill is lowercase letters. I realized this just now, and I would go back and change all the capitol (capital?) letters to lowercase, but it's chiller just to leave what I already have. I'll settle with making my title lowercase

Thursday, September 2, 2010

You know you've been sitting at the computer too long when the touchpad is all sweaty

I am a little arrogant, so I enjoy reading things that i've written or looking at old pictures of me and stuff like that. Whenever I write anything, my initial reaction is usually something like "Wow. I am actually a really good writer. I don't know why I ever thought otherwise."

Unfortunately, when I read something I've written, I think it sounds really dumb so I make a ton of edits until I think it sounds really great again. My meter for judging if something I've written actually is good or not is whether I can go all the way through without cringing. I just re-read what I just wrote up until this point and only cringed twice. I wanted to make some edits, but I kept myself from it for the sake of realisticity (<-- pronounced ree-uh-liss-tiss-uh-tee, meaning the state of being realistic, maybe?)

Inevitably though, I don't like something I've written a day later, so when I'm totally and entirely ready to be done with it I have to make sure not to read it again, because that's the only way I'll still think it's good.

[(How I make myself think I'm a good writer: read bad writing. How I make myself think I'm a bad writer: read good writing.)]

Monday, August 30, 2010

Empire of Dirt

Something about Johnny Cash makes anything he does sound incredibly urgent. Over the ten year period before his death, he recorded several albums covering songs by bands like Nine Inch Nails and The Beatles and U2.
And without effort he tops every single one of them, just by strumming a guitar and lazily mumbling the vocals in that distinctively deep voice of his.

Two of the highlights from the series of six albums are "Wayfaring Stranger" and "One", the latter by U2. Let's just say this eighty year old man had a knack for making you cry - every song sounds like he died right after he recorded it and every song makes a pretty convincing epitaph. Guy's got like fifty epitaphs. Some look back on life satisfied and accomplished, some look back dejected and alone. Even though the songs weren't originally written about death, Cash makes them about death.

It's terrifyingly affecting, and it puts everything in perspective. Johnny Cash is gone forever, and someday I will be too - just without any kind of legacy.
In Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt", Cash wallows in his sense of the meaninglessness of all his accomplishment. "You can have it all," he promises. "My empire of dirt."

Monday, August 23, 2010

Applying to college

I am not good at applying to college. The hardest part is writing the essay, obviously. Namely, I don't know what to write. The common application has one essay on it, and i get to choose from six questions. I guess I just need to brainstorm. Maybe typing my thought process out will give me ideas.

First: Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Significant experiences? Um, I've been to some cool concerts - not too deep of an impact there though. My crowning achievement is being elected president of FPD's do-nothing Mu Alpha Theta club. Risks I've taken? Climbing trees...umm...maybe once I burned a pinecone? Ethical dilemmas, I've got to have some stuff there! Racism, sexism, murder...I don't think I have any stories about me taking the high ground. I cheated for money in eighth grade and I learned that that was a stupid thing to do...
Oh well, I've still got five questions to go. I'm sure something will work for me.

Second: Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

Well. Unfortunately, I'm not really all about the issues. I'm of the viewpoint that one person can't change anything unless they go into politics - and i haven't done that and I don't plan on it. So, I just can't put my heart into writing about rights for animals or unborn children. This question is out.

Third: Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

My dad. My mom. Mr. Powell. Jesus. Hint: writing about Jesus is a surefire way not to get accepted anywhere, and the same probably goes for Mr. Powell. Also, writing about your parents is cliché. This entire question is cliché, actually. Definitely not doing this one.

Fourth: Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

I'm going to slap this one with a maybe. Fictional characters that have influenced me? Willy Wonka. Jay Gatsby. I mean, they kind of influenced me. Historical figures like Napoleon maybe? I'm sure I could stretch it or something. Maybe a song that changed the way I am? Casimir Pulaski Day. Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. Umbrella by Rihanna. Once again: I could stretch it or something. Why do they have to make the topics so vague? Maybe I could choose a creative work of science that has influenced me...except for the fact that I'm having trouble imagining a creative work of science.

Fifth: A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.

Yeah, I would have to lie to answer this question because I think “diversity” is overrated. I mean, yeah, obviously it'd be better to have a doctor and a soldier instead of two doctors or two soldiers, but in my life? I could write some corny story about how me and my friends are different from each other, I guess.

Sixth: Topic of your choice.

Okay, now you're just messing with me.


In conclusion, I only have one word for you, cool colleges off in the distance: forget it. Because I don't think you'll accept an essay-less applicant. UGA early action here I come.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Nostalgia for '05

Don't read this post if you've never liked pop music or you are older than twenty-three.

The year that I got into music is the year 2005. My favorite bands at that point were Green Day and The Black Eyed Peas, not necessarily in that order. I really liked the song "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, but not as much as the much grittier "Behind These Hazel Eyes". The only cd I owned was TobyMac's Welcome to Diverse City, and I spun that junk on repeat. I had Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" and "Dance, Dance" memorized, but I felt guilty for listening to them because I thought they were very inappropriate. The only rap songs I had ever heard were "Yeah" by Usher and the rap half of Welcome to Diverse City. A year later I heard "Soul Survivor" (edited, obviously) by Young Jeezy and memorized that. If you asked me what my favorite song was, I would've said either "Holiday" or "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day.

Fact is, I listen to pop music extremely sporadically. I know almost every pop song released from 2004-2006, but I could hardly name any song from 2007-2009. This thing called Lady Gaga happened somewhere around '09 and I dug it, but that's about it for those years. I tried to return to my roots this year, though, by downloading a bunch of what is on the top pop lists, so I can tell you what is good and what is not (Good: "Break Your Heart" and Drake. Bad: "California Gurls", "OMG", and Kesha).

In conclusion, pop music peaked in 2006 with "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada.

mp3: Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes

Monday, August 16, 2010

Trying to post a comment on Molly McCoy's blog

I am a little bit of a nerd.

This summer we had to read a book called "The Road", by Cormac McCarthy. It was excellent, but that's not the point. Mrs. Weems decided to start up an online discussion group over the summer on the group, which got me excited for some reason. As soon as I got done reading the book I logged onto Yahoo! Groups and joined the group, ready to get to discussing. To my dismay, I had to wait for Mrs. Weems to verify me. So I waited and checked the site the next day. That lady promised she'd check every day in the summer, you see. BUT NO. In a ridiculous turn of events, I still wasn't verified. Pah. So I checked the next day and I was verified. Phew. She was probably just away on a day hike or something.

Anyways, I hastily posted my "first impression" of the novel (which ended up being about as long as this blog post). Then I realized I was supposed to put my name at the top of my post, so I deleted my post and tried again. After forgetting my name once more, I finally remembered it and got my post to post. But then it didn't come up! It took like thirty seconds for my post to come up. In that thirty seconds I was gearing up to type my thoughts all over again.

After my post was finally up (after an hour or so of work) I checked the messages to see what others of my classmates had posted. So far there had been a lot: right around zero is just an eyeballed estimate. I figured "dang, that makes me look good being first and everything." I checked the members and there were only three: zachals, candace.weems, and stephensnyderpooh, who had not yet posted. The rest of the summer I sporadically checked the page to see what was going on, and it never amounted to much.

ANYWAYS, all of this is to show you what a nerd I am, and to draw a parallel to something else I follow ravenously*: our journalism class' blogs. The weekend was the first time of the year we were assigned to write a blog, so I checked the site all weekend to see what my fellow staff members were posting (I posted mine like right after I got out of school on Friday). Unfortunately, all of theirs came up either after I went to bed Sunday night or Monday morning so I didn't see them until a few minutes ago. Let me just say: good stuff, friends. Victoria posted something about some garbage-sounding tv show, Adriana talked about being a senior, Morgan tried to woo the ladies, Colby recounted her incredibly exciting summer. Molly's was my favorite, though. She went into a stream-of-consciousness about eating barbeque and folding clothes and blogging and being crazy. One line stuck out to me, though. She said (while talking about looking for a restaurant) "I was in the mood for pizza, my sister, burgers, my mom, Chinese, and my dad, barbeque." I was like, whoa! You want to eat your sister and burgers and all that!? (See what I did there?) So I cleverly posted a comment.

Now, the moment this blog's been leading towards: my comment didn't show up. Pah. Ridiculous. What's the problem? I looked closely and noticed I needed to type in the colorful letters. It was like "tra vine" or something. So I typed 'em in. BUT NO, it didn't work. It was like "The characters do not match, try again". So I did, but then I got the same message again. On my third try I went very slowly and tried to match the letters exactly, but no such luck. After several more tries, I gave up.

Sometimes being a nerd just isn't worth it.

*Yes, I use this word literally.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Highlights from my upcoming Weights paper

This semester I am finally fulfilling my weightlifting requirement for graduating. Now, me not really being the weightlifting type, I was intrigued by our first assignment, which was to write a five page paper on various muscles in the body and how to specifically work them out. After some deliberation, I decided to discuss the biceps, triceps, trapezius, pectoralis major, and quadriceps. For interest's sake, I am now going to examine each of these five muscles on myself and write down my observations. First, the biceps and triceps.

For those of you not trained in the art of physical improvement, the bicep is the inner part of the upper arm, while the tricep is the outer part. Experts have warnings about working out the bicep more than the tricep to avoid achieving the "bat-wing" effect. Frankly, "bat-wings" sound kinda cool so I'm probably going to subtly not do my tricep workouts. (Biceps are best when large, in case you recently immigrated here and aren't yet established into our culture.) To work out your biceps, curl large weights with one arm at a time, and then do chin ups. For those unfamiliar with the term "chin up", or those incapable of performing them, you're probably better off sticking to the triceps or becoming an academic or something.

Next, we move on to the trapezius, which is between your neck and shoulder. If you want a big one, it's okay, and I'm cool with that, but I don't really want a muscular area between my neck and shoulder, so I'm gonna let you research this one on your own.

Lastly, we've got the quadriceps, which are your legs. Sprints, jogs, whatever, just keep these babies movin'! Since I walk to class and such, I figure I've got these down. I also saw something about "squats" or some craziness, but, frankly, that sounds unhealthy to me.

And there you've got it: my five step plan to a finely toned body. I will be discussing my results and reminiscing on the good times in the near future.

Friday, June 4, 2010

There is a light that never goes out

Continuing my recent streak of watching only good movies, I saw the engaging near-romantic-comedy 500 Days of Summer today. It was funny, it had a heart, and it was smart - but in the end it questioned the very point I was so certain it was trying to make.

Basically, a boy with a wildly romantic concept of true love meets a girl named Summer (the girl from Elf!) with a cynical but supposedly realistic disbelief in the vague term "love." The boy falls hopelessly in love with Summer, but Summer doesn't return his affection. Sure, she enjoys their time together, but she always looks at their relationship as meaningless fun. Inevitably, it doesn't work out, and the boy is crushed.

The most important scene comes at the end of the film, after the boy has realized he has to move on, whether he wants to or not. While waiting for a job interview, he meets another girl. After talking to her, he shrugs her off as mere coincidence. After all, he already tried putting his hopes and dreams in Summer. She was supposed to be his one; she was his soul mate. The narrator describes his feelings succinctly: If he had learned anything, it was not to ascribe great cosmic significance to a simple earthly event. Coincidence. Nothing more than coincidence.

But then he stops. And he goes back. And asks her to coffee. And then "Oh, I didn't catch your name!" And she, "I'm Autumn."

Sure, it was a cheesy moment, and I do apologize for spoiling it, but it gave the movie a new significance. The seasons were changing. It wasn't about Summer or Autumn or the boy. The ending allows for either interpretation of love being correct. I was so sure it was going to agree with Summer's initial sentiment, mainly because the whole thing felt so much like the anti-love movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. At the end of it all, however, it lands somewhere between Eternal Sunshine and Enchanted. Summer found her love, just not in the boy. She says to the boy late in the movie, "You were right all along, just not about me."

The acting was superb, and the jokes were hilarious. (Definitely the best "Roses are red, violets are blue" punchline I've ever heard!) Sadly, I can not for the life of me remember that boy's name...Tom, right? That sounds right.

Four stars.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Bring on the spooky

Earlier today I was trying to come up with a blog topic, but I was having trouble. In the midst of my considering different courses of action, my computer in the lab randomly went black. I pressed the monitor button trying to turn it back on but it wouldn't, so I moved up to a different computer, and wrote an entire post about how the movie Osmosis Jones is disgusting. I believed all was well.

Later, a few minutes ago, I happened to log on to my blog to poke around. Much to my confusion, the Osmosis post was nowhere to be found! In its place was the incredibly incomplete blog i tried to post from my first computer, with some new random comments thrown on at the end. When I checked my drafts to find that blog i did post, there was another blog all typed up, about how difficult it is to come up with topics to blog about! I definitely never typed it, as the grammar and spelling was sub-par.

Now, there are several possible explanations for this potentially paranormal activity. First, it's possible someone came into the lab after me and saw my blog opened (my first computer now working again), deciding to commit some good natured cyber-vandalism. I possibly would have done something similar in the same circumstances. But until somebody owns up to messing with it, I'm leaning more towards the second option: ghosts.

In the words of Mel Gibson, "I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me." Just like the patriot, maybe I'm finally being punished for the things I've done. I realize nothing drastic has happened yet, but weird things like this might just be the beginning. Who knows? Next, I might go to sleep and then wake up in a volcano the next morning. Or, I might be walking down the street and trip and fall into a sewer. A sewer of lava. Maybe a little raincloud will start following me everywhere i go, and not just ordinary rain. Lava rain.

Please leave me alone, spirits.

Monday, May 24, 2010

One dozen starving, crazed weasels

Weird Al Yankovic is funny at first, but his annoying voice can really start to wear on you. Some of his parody songs are pretty clever, but most of them lose the novelty after a few listens. Al's magnum opus, however, never gets old.

One of the most brilliant, quirky, unique things to come out of the musical world is Weird Al's eleven minute epic, "Albuquerque". It's a stream of consciousness spoken word narrative over a rambling guitar track, and it gets funnier every time. The ridiculous places he takes you, the ridiculous characters he introduces you to...there's about thirty laugh out loud moments, thirty amused chuckle moments, and five gasp in shock moments.

One time i was feeling a little bit sad, and I was bored, and I needed a good way to kill eleven minutes. So I listened to "Albuquerque". This has happened many times.

Say, that reminds me of another amusing anecdote*. This guy comes up to me on the street and tells me he hasn't had a bite in THREE WHOLE DAYS. Well, I knew what he meant, but just to be funny I took a big bite out of his jugular vein. And he's yellin' and screamin' and bleedin' all over and I'm like, "Hey man, don'tcha get it?"

Man, some people just can't take a joke, ya know?

*amusing anecdote taken word for word from Weird Al

Friday, May 21, 2010

Girls, etc.

In my experience, when girls get together they talk about things that can universally be considered weird. Also, girls tend to be rather insecure. They get these little pages that supposedly are supposed to go in their yearbook, and then they all write long notes to each other affirming their friendship. They try to get as many people as possible to sign their sheet: it's a game and each signature is a point. When someone asks me to sign their sheet, I have to, to avoid appearing a jerk.

I then write an extremely honest, open letter to the person stating exactly what needs to be stated to them.

Another problem is when a guy gets one of them little sheets. They don't need their position in society to be affirmed - half of what people say on them means nothing anyways. I would never get one, because figure if someone wanted to tell me how much they liked me I don't think I should have to force them to. Unfortunately, not many people do that.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The teacher of my life

Today at the academic assembly, there were a lot of awards given, but one stood above the rest. The award for "teacher of the year" went to Coach Rennie Atkinson, who handles all the A.P. European History classes. Last year, I had the wonderful privilege of taking his class, and it turned out to be the class with the single most effect on my academic career.

When Coach A. gave his short speech, he was brought to tears as he called it "the greatest award of my career." I have never clapped so fervently in my life. A standing ovation and the classic "clap.........clap.......clap.....clap...clap..clap.clapclap" were totally deserved, and I wish there was even more the student body could do to honor him. I'm sure he makes a great football coach, but first and foremost, he is an outstanding teacher. When you are in Coach A's class it's hard to care about any of your others. He is a hilarious man, and he motivates his students to work hard - getting a good score on one of his essays was incredibly satisfying. You wanted to do well because Coach A wanted you to, and if you didn't you knew you were letting him down. Letting Coach A down was something I would not let myself do.

How great the man is can only be understood by taking his class. It was my first AP class, and, thus far, my best. (That is in no way a slight to my other great teachers like Dr. Carreker and Mrs. Taylor!) I don't really have much of a personal relationship with the guy, but I think everyone should know how much of a blessing his class is to FPD. And maybe, just maybe, he'll be shown this blog and know how much his life has affected my life. The award he recieved today only showed the huge amount of people who appreciate him. Coach A, you are a huge part of what makes FPD.

My only regret is I only made a 4 on the exam, not a 5.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

How far is too far?

Have you ever been arguing with someone who is clearly wrong but still refuses to see your point of view? There comes a point when you just have to give up on reason. Sometimes you'll keep arguing and arguing and not get anywhere. and you just have to stop. Your argument has gone too far to continue. Usually when personal insults enter the argument you know you've gone too far.

Alternatively, the question "How far is too far?" can be applied to physical relationships, and that is probably what the average person thinks of when they hear that question. Mr. Veazey says that as long as there is no "nakedness" or "sex", you're probably okay. Also, if you aren't married, you shouldn't live together. Ms. Neufeld takes a similar viewpoint but says that the line is in different places for different people. I think the line is always going to be really blurred no matter what people say. Holding hands is universally considered okay, but further on down the line things get murky.

Just get married: at that point anything and everything will fly.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Dumb

Recently, a fifth grade teacher here at FPD had a baby, so she was out of school for a while. My mom was the person they called to be her long-term substitute. To make a long story short, my mom isn't to up on her grammar rules so she contracted me to help her grade fifth-graders' essays.

What really struck me was the extreme range of writing ability the kids showcased. One kid would have written a pretty good, humorous paper with minimal spelling and structure errors. But then the next kid's paper would be hideously hideous! Improper usage of ques?tion marks run on sentences repeated words words badd speling this sentence is excellent compared to some of the stuff the worst fifth graders put out. I can't understand how teachers can even grade students on the same scale. You can't just fail kids who don't have a basic writing ability, can you? They're fifth graders. If they're failing now is there even hope for the future? I realize that once you get to high school classes diverge and the smart kids take honors and AP stuff, but before that the teachers must have an extremely difficult time keeping the lower kids motivated and not feeling lower. To every elementary school teacher I had, I see now how hard it must have been to put up with know-it-alls and smart-alecks like me.

Monday, May 17, 2010

J. C. Pow

The thing about taking journalism is you have to deal with Mr. Powell. This guy has his pros and cons. First off, he's a big gossiper. He'll always talk about people in the class who aren't there. I can only imagine the mean stuff he's said about me. He's a very casual teacher who jokes with students and texts them on weekends. He always posts amusing in-depth Facebook statuses. I think he uses Facebook to replace how he used to write witty columns in newspapers.

What really makes Mr. Powell's class worth taking, though, is how he really does care about his students, but even more so how he really cares about newspapers and writing. He makes sure the finished product is as good as it can be, and he encourages us when we aren't so sure about the quality of our work. He isn't afraid to cut stories that aren't up to par, like that time I wrote a dull piece on indoor soccer. He's honest, so a compliment from him means a lot. Journalism has become the class I look forward to: it's a laid-back environment, but you do have to do work. But the work is always rewarded. The satisfaction of seeing your writing read by others is rarely topped in this life, and I'd like to thank Mr. Cal for helping me see that.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Zombies and whatnot

Now that I'm done with being in plays and AP classes are over I've found myself with a lot of time on my hands. In looking for something to do, I've finally resorted to playing video games. Last weekend I spent several hours playing Half-Life 2, which I borrowed from a friend. Its generally regarded as one of the best video games of all time. Its not really my style, being a first person shooter and all, but I've been playing it anyways. I thought it was fairly mundane until I got to a certain part in the game. A part involving zombies.

Basically, you find yourself in a deserted town. Deserted, all except for the zombies. Zombies are scary stuff. At one point, I was in the upper floor of a dark house and I decided to go out the window to hang out on the roof. Instantly I heard a crazy bunch of screaming and growling so i turned to my right and there was a ton of zombies bleeding and whacking me. Freaked out, I backed up and fell off the roof. Unfortunately, I was now in the middle of a bunch of zombies. I whipped out my sub-machine gun and randomly started shooting up everything around me. Then, I ran out of bullets so I pulled out my other guns and used all their bullets on the zombies. After a bit of time, I was out of bullets in all my guns - all I had left was a crowbar.

I beat them for several minutes and realized I hate video games.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Bomb squad

Recently, I swung by the local redbox with the intention of renting The Hurt Locker, that movie about a bomb squad in Iraq that won best picture last year. It was pretty good, but for some reason i had a lot of trouble enjoying it.

The truth is, expectations can kill a movie, or a book or a song for that matter. My favorite movie of last year was Up, but I also loved Avatar. Both were beaten out in the Best Picture category, so I was expecting a movie even more amazing than those (District 9, also nominated, was boring and tedious and mostly just the f-word.) Simply put, The Hurt Locker never sucked me in. The whole time I was waiting for it to get good, to wow me. I never once forgot i was watching a movie.

Because of the hype and the critics, I lost much of the experience I could've had. I wanted to like it, but because of the wall i built up and the bar i expected it to meet, I couldn't. To contrast, I enjoyed The Book of Eli immensely, but would not say it was a better movie - i wasn't expecting anything great so i was free to sit back and enjoy. Its almost as if how much i enjoy a movie is determined by how good it actually is minus my expectations.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Sexist me

Lately, i got into this dreamy pop artist from Sweden: jj. The three songs i heard were incredibly engaging and addictive - the kind of stuff i'd expect to hear at high class beaches. One of them went with this ridiculous "my swag, my life" hook and ran through my head for a week or so. The music was pretty much written for me, and i fell in love with the lead singer guy's voice.

BUT THEN...
I was looking up jj on the internet to see if i could find some info on the band, and i was having a tough time. I finally found an article posted on pitchfork about the band, and my heart sunk. Apparently, the "lead singer guy" was actually a girl. For some strange reason, jj all of the sudden didn't click with me.

I guess i just have a natural prejudice against female singers. The only girl artist's voice i genuinely like is Portishead's singer, but i can name about fifty guys i go crazy for. When i thought jj was a feminine sounding guy, i loved it! Now, not so much. I don't know what i was thinking before - i guess i'm just sexist, because now i see that jj isn't even good. Because she's a girl.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

How to ask that girl to prom

A week or so ago I was just walking back to class from an assembly about our upcoming high school prom. I happened to be walking beside my girlfriend, so I was like "Hey, how 'bout you come to prom with me?"

Now, being the traditional girl that she was, she refused my flippant asking and said I'd have to do a lot better than that. Gosh darn. What am I supposed to do? Luckily, all my friends are going through the same issue. You've just got to be creative to get the girl these days!

At lunch, me and the boys had a round table discussion about methods of "popping the Q", or so to speak. Suggestions ranged from sweet, like baking a cookie with "prom?" spelled out in icing, to outlandish, like arranging a bunch of dead bodies to spell out "prom?" in her front lawn.
One guy detailed his affections on a pink slip and left it in his prospect's car.
In the end, after weighing my options, I went with the bodies one.
...Not dead bodies, though, in case you were getting worried.
I got one friend to bend himself into a "P" shape, the next an "R", then an "O", then an "M". Others jumped in, forming exclamation marks and question marks. I believe the product was something along the lines of: "PrOM!???!"
I called her over and presented my handiwork. To my delight, she said yes.