Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Ben and Jerry's and Jerry Garcia

It sure seems easy dreaming about a really cool job to have. I mean of course being a Ben and Jerry’s taste-tester is ideal, but when it comes down to the brass tact’s of life, eating ice cream flavors all day isn’t one of the most prestigious careers to have. Surely to God eating ice cream and getting fat from it has no benefit to anyone (except my stomach). And so it seems I’m stuck trying to figure out what in the world I want to be when I grow up.

Professional Shopper sounds legit! …Right?

So I guess I’m going to settle for the next best thing. And that’s to become a broadcast journalist of some sort. And really, that’s not settling. That’s a pretty rad job according to Tanna Orgeron, assistant Professor of Communication Arts at the University of the Cumberlands, who says, “getting the job you desire in broadcasting can be one of the most creative jobs you will ever have. You have the power of your audience's emotions at your fingertips and that's a powerful tool." After all, I am studying broadcast journalism here at UK. (They didn’t have a professional taste- tester/shopper degree.) Narrowing down the “broadcast journalist of some sort”, I would chose music entertainment journalism. Writing and analyzing music is what makes me happy and happiness is what makes my world go ‘round. Andrew Johnson, Marketing and Game Operations Intern for the Minnesota Wild, says the key to achieving your dream job is “finding something that makes you happy. Life is short and if it makes you happy, do it.”

Music is a passion of mine, whether I’m singing or jamming to some Dave Matthews as I stroll around UK’s campus in my little hippie Volvo. Plus, all my childhood memories seem to have music playing in the background. Yeah, kind of like in the movies when you see the old man reflecting on his youth and then…BAM! That melancholy nostalgic music erupts from the movie speakers and caresses your ear buds. EXCEPT A.) I’m not an old man reflecting on my life and B.) The music I hear in the memories is actual music that was playing because dad couldn’t stand a night without Jerry Garcia’s sweet guitar licks dancing among us.

Dreams can spark from something instilled in you when you were a little chap rocking jellies or perhaps an article you read in a newspaper that got your wheels turning. Grant Doepel, UCTV-19’s student manager at the University of the Cumberlands, is building his resume to achieve his childhood dream of becoming a play-by-play announcer for the Cincinnati Reds. “Dreams are possible.”

Whether it’s the melody in a song, or the speech of a president, realizing your dream job and even your potential in life is all about finding intrigue and inspiration in something that makes you happy. After all, it’s happiness that makes the world go ‘round, and if Ben and Jerry’s is that for you, then go eat some.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

A little band called DMB.

So my phone is out of minutes, my laptop is about to die and I’m stuck at work.

Crap.

At least iTunes makes me happy and keeps me occupied. Hopefully no more snot nosed (literally-allergy season is a biatch) kids come in here for a while. It’s nice to have the daycare room all to myself and my music without the sound of some obnoxious over the top, enthusiastic pre-teen wearing entirely too much makeup singing, dancing and “acting” on some lame ass show about a normal girl turned pop star or some wizards using their newly learned magic spells to get their chores done. And of course we all know what channel this shit is all compiled on. Disney. What ever happened to the cool Disney? Like, uh…well…hmm…Looks like I was a Nickelodeon kid. Ren and Stimpy, Pete and Pete, Ah Real Monsters that was legit. Hannah Montana. Not so much.

So I’m listening to LT 7…for those of you who don’t give your life to the DMB nation, LT 7=Live Trax Volume 7, 12.31.96, Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia. Gosh I remember when I first went to antsmarching.org or any other dmb forum.... I felt like an ass because I didn’t know what those lame ass abbreviations or acronyms stood for. I was constantly consulting iTunes and Google trying to find out what the fuck ASTB meant. (Anyone seen the bridge). I have to say, I’ve been a Dave fan since I can remember, but it wasn’t until these past years that I’ve been an “active” fan. I mean its absurd! Yeah, I don’t know Dave’s street address and how many times he wipes his ass, but does that really make me less of a person or WAIT…Less of a fan?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!???????????????????????!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!?! Gasps and places back of hand against forehead and faints gracefully to the floor

PAUSE. Child just came into the daycare. She is a regular and quite adorable, I must admit. I remember when I first heard her adorable little child lisp…I asked her to tell me her favorite color over and over again. (It’s “pulpul” BTW)

Anywho…Back to the fans of DMB. Give me a break. That’s all I have to say.

This LT 7 is pretty superb. Seek up, as an opener would boggle my brain. I mean you know you’re in for a treat when you hear that opening gee-tar and Dave’s haunting “sometimes I feel like I’m fallllllllinnnnng”! Ahhh! But my favorite part of this song is the near close when Dave is just pouring his heart out thru his singing from his soul that’s accompanied with Boyd’s power pulling of that bow across those four string’s of his violin.

And then...

Dancing Nancies.

What a bunch of lucky bastards. Ya know you’ve already got good mojo because the show is happening in Dave’s home state PLUS it’s new Years!!! An opener of Seek Up and Dancing Nancies. You know that’s just foreplay for a wonderful show later. This aint no get in get out.

As I’m lost in Dave’s simplistic yet realistic lyrics, I start to daydream about this summer and the plethora of shows I’m “planning” on attending. If everything goes as planned, I will see DMB 6 times (If my parents let me go to Alpine)..Surely A Seek Up will be gracefully thrown into the set list! I mean come on Dave! You have like 23473874 songs and you only play about 12 of them. Let’s mix that shit up. I mean when you see fans holding up signs that say “Minarets” or “Last Stop” that CLEARLY means they WANT you to play those.

Ok, so that brings me to Last Stop. OMG if a Dave fan is reading this, they just went from 6 to midnight. Seriously guys, cool off. This song is pretty sweet yes…but is it really worth all the blood, sweat and tears? Not literally blood (although I wouldn’t be surprised if a bunch of nut-bar Dave heads had a ritual killing/sacrifice for this song to be played again.) I don’t know, maybe this song just hasn’t struck a chord with me yet. Maybe it will one day and I’m totally hoping that it will get to the point where I hear it and I lose my mind, bouncing off the walls, ripping clothes and screaming the lyrics entirely too loud. Part of me just wants to hear the damn thing so I can spitefully rub it in the faces of those who jerk it to the song.

Until then. I’ll just suck it up and live my life, day by day. By day.

PAUSE. The little “pupul” girl wants me to read. Damn.