Romantic Poetry Put to Images

In English class, we have been reading romantic poetry. Thus far, I have enjoyed it very much. Here are some of my favorite text references, put to images:

"When we two parted/In silence and tears,/Half broken-hearted/To severe for years" (Byron 1-4).

This text reference, from "When We Two Parted", displays one thing: Heartbreak and sorrow.

"By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:/I love not man the less, but Nature more" (Gordon 4-5).

This text reference, from "Apostrophe to the Ocean", shows how man has no control over the ocean, and that the ocean will keep on roaring.

"And I have loved thee, Ocean! and my joy/Of youthful sports was on thy breast to be" (Gordon 55-56).

This text reference, from "Apostrophe to the Ocean", shows the love a man has had for the ocean since childhood.

"With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;/To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees" (Keats 4-5).

This text reference, from "To Autumn", shows how the living fruits and plants die when the Autumn comes.

"And still more, later flowers for the bees?Until they think warm days will never cease" (Keats 9-10).

"What the anvil? what dread grasp?/Dare its deadly terrors clasp?" (Blake 15-16)

Realization of Life's Elements

This year was a long year. It was a year of learning. A year of turnarounds. A year of losses.
My grades went up, but I became depressed. Gained weight, and realized who my true friends are. The biggest loss was my brother Matt.
There was so much going on in my life. This has been the biggest up-and-down year for me. Coming into this school year, I was doing great. My grades skyrocketed from D's and F's to A's and B's. Then my brother Matt passed away. I became depressed, and put on a lot of weight.
Some friends turned on me, and it took time to realize who my true friends are. I finally have, and I'm just happy with the friends I have.
This winter was a tough time for me. It had it's ups and downs. Struggling with the weight and the fact of losing Matt just kept taking it's toll on me, over and over.
Eventually, it all started to fade. I made new friends, and started hanging out with some of my old friends again. The depression just descended from that point forward.
I dropped 45 pounds, and the depression still hasn't returned until this day. I'm doing good in school, having fun with my friends, and overall just enjoying life.
Of course life will never be the same without Matt, but he is still here with me. His blood still runs through my veins, and he is my Guardian Angel. Whether or not he is physically here with us, our brotherhood will never be taken away.
Although this year was very intense on my family and I, it has really shaped who I am. I've seen every side of life. Happiness, sadness, loneliness, and even death. It showed me that life isn't always pretty. It made me realize how realistic some things are.
That's why you need to enjoy every day like it is your last, because you never know. To this day forward, that is how I will live. I have a lot of exciting things coming up, and I am going to keep my positive attitude.
It has been fun blogging all year, and I will miss it. Summer 2011, here I come!

Upcoming Concerts For Summer 2011

I'm extremely excited for this upcoming summer, more excited than I've been in a while. I had an extreme turnaround this year in school, and have been working really hard. Summer will be a really nice break.

And what better way to enjoy the summer than music? That's right, music. It seems hanging around the pool, or sitting around a fire with music going is nice and relaxing. Well, there is something even better than this.

Summer concerts! They are a lot of fun, and I am extremely excited. I found out in March that Steven Page (Former member of the Canadian rock band "Barenaked Ladies") would be playing in Lowell, MA August 27th. I ordered tickets, and also found out that another on of my favorite bands, "Great Big Sea", would be playing the same place the night before. "Great Big Sea" are a folk/rock band from Newfoundland. I also ordered tickets to that show.

If you know me, you would know my favorite band in the world is "Barenaked Ladies". They hadn't announced anything, and I was a little sad that they weren't coming to Massachusetts this year. I really wanted to see them, but the closest they were coming was New Jersey. That is, until they announced more dates.

This past Memorial Day weekend, BNL announced a show in Webster, MA on August 20th. Of course when I found out, I was shaking in excitement. I ordered tickets, and even better: front row seats! They always put on a great show, and every show is different and energetic in a different way.

If you noticed, those three shows are all within a week. Seven days. It will be a great end to the Summer.

Does it end there? Nope! I got a text from my friend Brendan last night asking me if I wanted to go to a Paul Simon concert this Wednesday. Paul Simon is from the extremely famous group "Simon And Garfunkle". While I am not a hardcore fan, I do enjoy his music and I think he is extremely talented. Summer is looking good this year, hope yours is too!

Is Learning How To Play Guitar On Your Own Better?

Is learning how to play guitar on your own better than paying for lessons? Can you do it? Is it too hard? Are there too many techniques you need to learn to do it on your own? Many different people have different views on this subject.
If you ask me, I think learning guitar on your own is much better than paying for lessons. I actually think paying for lessons is a waste of money. Why pay to learn when you can learn for free?
I have been playing guitar for 4 months. I tried to learn back in 2006 by taking lessons, and it was a big mistake. They force you to play music you don't like, and it is almost as if they try to force it on you. It's too much pressure. If you mess up, you feel like the biggest idiot ever. If you are learning alone, you don't need to worry about this.
This past Christmas I thought, "Hey, why don't I give guitar another shot?", so I asked for an acoustic guitar for Christmas. I got a nice Epiphone Ebony Black guitar. Along with it, I bought all the accessories.
In four simple months, (not to sound conceited) I can play guitar great. And the best part is, I did it all by myself.
Back in the day, you would probably need lessons. Nowadays with the internet, it is actually probably easier to teach yourself. The first song I learned was "The Old Apartment" by Barenaked Ladies. It has four simple chords: G, D, C9, and EM7. This may look like a different language to people who don't know how to play, but they are extremely simple chords. I could show they to my Dad in 10 minutes.
With playing guitar, there are different strumming techniques. Many people may think "Oh no, I couldn't learn all these techniques on my own!". Wrong. When you teach yourself guitar, you inherit these techniques over time. They are something that just come to you.
Also, on your own, you can take your time with things. A guitar teacher may have a completely different style than you do, and you don't want to learn their style. You want to dig deep and find out what your own is. No better way to do it than teach yourself.
All I do to find out how to play a song is look up the chords/tabs on Google. Then I go to Google Images. If I'm having trouble figuring out how to play these chords, I just go to Youtube and figure it out. It's as simple as that.
Now, I'm not saying don't take lessons for anything. This is just for guitar. If we were talking about vocal lessons, this would be the other way around. There are certain techniques for singing you need to be taught and guided by someone. As for guitar though, there is no real guiding.
Save money, and take your time. If you are trying to learn guitar, trying your hardest, and just can't do it, chances are guitar isn't the instrument for you. Try and find different instruments until you find what your comfortable with.

Smokeless Tobacco Vs. Smoking

Tobacco. An extremely popular product all over the world, and very controversial at that.

First off, to clear the air, I do use tobacco. I'm not going to pretend like I don't, as I believe honesty in the policy. I don't smoke, but I use smokeless tobacco. People always say "Oh don't use tobacco, it's bad for you!". I know that, I'm well aware. Every tin of Skoal I buy has a warning halfway across the tin. I acknowledge it is bad, so that's that. Now, something that gets me extremely hyped up: smokeless tobacco vs. smoking.

All tobacco causes cancer, yes. They all contain a lot of toxins, which I won't deny. None of it is healthy. The thing is, the actual way you use different tobacco products. Which is worse, smokless tobacco or cigarettes?

Smokeless tobacco is very bad for the dental hygiene. It can stain the teeth, cause gum disease, and gum cancer. It contains salt crystals that cut your gum open to release the toxins into your bloodstream. Bad? Yes. But as for smoking...

Smoking can also cause dental issues and cancers of the mouth. It may not be as risky since it doesn't actually stay in the mouth for a prolonged amount of time, but it is possible nontheless. BUT, where it gets bad. It can also cause throat cancer and lung cancer. On top of that, it can also cause heart disease.

Okay so my view on all of this, is using smokeless tobacco is not nearly as bad as smoking. Out of all the things smokeless tobacco can do to the mouth, they can all pretty much be repaired. You can replace teeth, cure gum disease, and usually remove tumors in the mouth or jaw.


Smoking, on the other had, is horrible. First off, it is terrible for the respiratory system. No matter what, it will cause shortness of breathe and random coughing/wheezing. It can also cause Asthma, Bronchitis, and Pneumonia. All very dangerous, especially for older people. Also, smokeless tobacco can only cause one type of cancer. Smoking can cause three. You can get gum cancer, lung cancer, or throat cancer (as stated above). This is the golden ticket to the answer.

If you get lung cancer, you are pretty much done. It can rarely be cured, and even if it is, it must be caught extremely early. For smokeless tobacco, you can replace teeth. You can get an implant if you need any surgery on the jaw or gum. But can you replace a lung? No way.


The damage left from dipping or chewing can be repaired fairly easily. Even if you need to have your jaw removed, you can get an implant. You cannot get a lung implant or transplant. It's impossible. Also, with the throat cancer, it is also very hard to cure. For people who get throat cancer, they will most likely end up getting a tracheodomy (or trech for short). It is a hole they must cut in your throat so you can breathe and talk after removing throat cancer. It is a permenant hole that is extremely visable. Also, when you speak, you don't have your old voice. It sounds almost like a robot.


None of the things in the past two paragraphs can be caused from dipping or chewing. Smoking is a much riskier thing to do. Overall, smoking is much worse that using smokeless tobacco in every way, shape, and form.

Album Review: "All In Good Time" by Barenaked Ladies

"All In Good Time" is Barenaked Ladies' 11th studio album, released March 30th, 2010. This is the first released without co-founder Steven Page, who parted ways with the band on February 24th, 2009.

In the front cover of "All In Good Time", BNL take on a more serious approach.

This album has a wide range of style and variation. It is much heavier than their past albums, and is also more mainstream. The songs are all much more serious than a lot of their past records, but they still haven't lost their sense of humor in songs such as "Four Seconds".

Here is a song-by-song review:
1. You Run Away (5/5): Great song clearly written about Steve's Pages departure. The emotion in Ed's voice is beautiful, and the song builds up into an outburst.

2. Summertime (5/5): Another great song. It is extremely catchy with a nice groove to it. Great guitar riffs, too.

3. Another Heartbreak (4/5): First of the three songs on the album sung by Kevin. It is very catchy, and is surprisingly on the heavy side for a Kevin song. The bridge is very reminiscent of Semisonic's hit 90's song, "Closing Time".

4. Four Seconds (5/5): This song is overall crazy and unique. This song returns to Ed's famous rap-based vocals, and the overall BNL humor. The lyrics are hilarious, and Ed prevailed to rhyme "Orange" four times.

5. On The Lookout (4/5): The first of two Jim songs on the album. While this song is not one of my favorites, Jim's voice sounds great.

6. Ordinary (5/5): No doubt, one of my favorites on the record. Ed's voice sounds amazing. He has so much drive and power behind the chorus.

7. I Have Learned (5/5): Another one of my favorites. This is just Ed's complete outburst at Steve. It is catchy, but at the same time it is a very angry song, which you can hear in Ed's voice. Very heavy, too.

8. Every Subway Car (5/5): A very rock/alternative-type song. I love Kev's synthesizer pattern in this, and it has a strong chorus and bridge.

9. Jerome (4/5): Kev's second song on the album. It is a great song, but it is a bit out of place between two heavy Ed songs. It is a mellow song with some cool sound effects. It's a shame they don't play this one live more.

10. How Long (5/5): Another awesome angry rocker!  While it is another angry Ed song, it's not directly pointed at Steve. I think it's just about the anger and pressure of everything that happened that year. Simple, yet catchy chorus. Great verses.

11. Golden Boy (5/5): Okay, this one IS pointed directly at Steve. It basically talks about how Steve changed, and how he cried about it. Similar idea as "You Run Away", but in an angrier, more detailed way.

12. I Saw It (5/5): This is Jim's second song on the album, and it is a beautiful song. His voice sounds amazing, and it is an honest song about how he was bullied as a kid.

13. The Love We're In (5/5): A beautiful song sung by Ed. It is about the plane crash Ed was in, and how lucky he is to be here with his wife and family.

14. Watching The Northern Lights (3/5): This one is my least favorite song on the album. It isn't a bad song, but it seems to mellow and slow for my liking. It is a good way to end it, though.

Overall, I give this album a 10/10 rating. It is an amazing album, and Ed's vocals really shine here. Although appearing more serious, BNL still have their humor and this is by far one of their strongest efforts.

"OH SLANG IS SO COOL!" No, I don't think so.

Slang has pretty much been around since the beginning of time. It is just using words and expressions that aren't considered proper language.

Some current slang terms include, "Phat", "Dawg", "Nasty", and "Dope".

There are some slang words I don't mind, but some others just get on my nerves. Ones such as "Peace" (meaning bye), or "Sick" (meaning cool) don't bother me. Other ones, such as "Dope" (meaning cool) or "Mad" (meaning very) just piss me off, to be blunt.

To me personally, slang seems pointless. Why can't people just use proper English instead of making up their own punk-sounding words? It's not like they're easier to say. The slang terms have no less syllables, so what's the point? To try and sound "cool"? Oh whoops, sorry. I said "cool". You don't know what that means. It means "dope". Wait, oh it's the other way around! Not like anyone would even realize that.

It makes you look like a punk. Like someone who doesn't even know proper English. Anyone can speak words that aren't real. The thing is, people say these words all the time like they are real words. I don't even think  they realize they aren't real words.