Author Archives: MaskedSanity

2012 Album of the Year

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1- Katatonia – “Dead End Kings”
2- Lacuna Coil – “Dark Adrenaline”
3- Garbage – “Not Your Kind of People”
4- The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – “Between the Ditches”
5- Anathema – “Weather Systems”
6- Anneke van Giersbergen – “Everything is Changing”
7- Moonspell – “Alpha Noir/Omega White”
8- Paradise Lost – “Tragic Idol”
9- Muse – “The 2nd Law”
10- Rush – “Clockwork Angels”
11- Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Americana”
12 – Ministry – “Relapse”
13 – Dion – “Tank Full of Blues”
14 – Willie Nelson – “Heroes”
15 – Kid Rock – “Rebel Soul”

Dead_End_Kings

I’ve been doing these Album of the Year blogs since 2004 and I usually have a good idea of what THE album of the year is early on. I don’t have to choose the album, as much as I know it’s the best album of the year as soon as I hear it. This year wasn’t that easy for me. That’s part of the reason I’m listing 15 albums this year instead of 10. 2012 was a very good year for new music. I had a very hard time picking THE album of the year. Many of the albums on my list could have been an Album of the Year. But, I had to pick only one. And after much thought and internal debate, I realized that Katatonia’s “Dead End Kings” is my 2012 Album of the Year.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Katatonia. I’ve logged more mileage on my car to see their shows than any other band I listen to. But, I’m also objective and if a band puts out an album that I don’t like, I’ll honestly critique it. With all of that said, Katatonia put out their best album in over 10 years. “Dead End Kings” is their best album since 2001’s “Last Fair Deal Gone Down.” And that album had a profound impact on me. There are so many tracks on this album that I love. Honestly, even the songs I like less than others I still like.

When this album came out, I actually waited a few days to listen to it. I had purchased a few albums and I wanted to make sure that I was able to give all of them a fair chance. Katatonia had released a few tracks and I liked them, so I knew it would likely be ranked high on my list, but I wasn’t sure it was THIS good until I heard the whole thing. And some versions of the album had two bonus tracks, which are also both AMAZING. One of those tracks, “the Act of Darkening” is easily one of my favorite Katatonia songs EVER, and I’ve been listening to this band since the late 1990s. If you’re a fan of Katatonia and you haven’t heard this album, you’re truly missing out. If you’re a fan of metal, doom, progressive, or whatever they’re categorized as this week, check out “Dead End Kings.” It’s THAT GOOD.

Tracks I truly recommend you checking out include “The Parting,” “the Racing Heart,” “Buildings,” “Undo You,” “Lethean,” “First Prayer,” and “Dead Letters.”

I really wanted to rank Lacuna Coil’s “Dark Adrenaline” as the #1 Album of the Year. I really did. And honestly, I thought it would be #1. If I could have, I would have ranked it as 1b. I was critical of their last two albums, 2006’s “Karmacode” and 2009’s “Shallow Life.” In fact, “Shallow Life” did not even make my Top 10 list in 2009. That’s how incredibly disappointed I was in that album. Lacuna Coil peaked in 2001 and 2002 with “Unleashed Memories” and “Comalies.” Those two albums were brilliant. But there was something about their releases since then that I just did not like. I was never truly able to place what it was, but something was just not right, as far as I was concerned. Upon first listening to “Dark Adrenaline” I was in love with the album and realized that this album had what was missing from their previous two. It was an incredible return to form for a band I’ve been such a fan of for so long. And it’s not just my opinion. I’ve discussed this with fans from (literally) all over the world and we’re in agreement. “Dark Adrenaline” is easily the best album the band has put out in 10 years and it manages to continue the direction they were going in while returning to the sound that we loved in the first place.

Tracks I recommend from the album include “Trip the Darkness,” “Give me Something More,” “I Don’t Believe in Tomorrow” and especially “Upsidedown.”

Again I’m speaking about a band putting out their best album in years. “Not Your Kind of People” is Garbage’s best album since their 1995 debut. Like Lacuna Coil, Garbage’s album has a return to the sound that attracted me to them in the first place. This is also a comeback album of sorts, since the band took a 7 year break since their last album and tour. I had no idea what to expect from it and I was more than happy with it. There’s many songs on the album that I like and would easily add to a “Best of” compilation of Garbage’s hits, and they have a lot of hits already. If you were a fan of their first album and didn’t get this one, you should. It’s worth a listen. And I’ve given it many listens.

Tracks worth listening to from “Not Your Kind of People” include the title track, “Control,” “Big Bright World,” “Blood for Poppies,” and especially “Automatic Systematic Habit.”

I had never heard of the Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band prior to seeing them open for Clutch in 2009. I had no idea what to expect. What I saw was a guitar player and frontman that reminded me for Bluto from the old Popeye movie, someone playing a washboard (which she set on first later), and a drummer playing a bucket. I was immediately a fan. I got a few albums from their catalog and enjoyed them. They were fun listens. Their 2010 almost made my Top 10 list, but from upon first listen, I knew 2012’s “Between the Ditches” would be ranked high. It’s that good. The first track I heard from it was “Devils Look Like Angels.” It really showed off how good of a guitar player the Reverend Peyton is. He REALLY IS GOOD. Peyton’s previous albums are good albums, but this one is a GREAT album. There’s something about the production on this album that makes everything that needs to be emphasized stand out and stand out well. If you’re a fan of blues, country, bluegrass, or just good guitar players, I highly recommend this one.

Tracks I think you should check out include “Devils Look Like Angels,” “Something for Nothing,” “Big Blue Chevy ’72,” and “Brown Country Bound.”

I had heard about Anathema from various people for years, but never really listened to them. I saw them last year as special guests of Blackfield. I was very impressed and decided to check out their new album “Weather Systems” when it came out. And, WOW. I was very impressed with the incredible beauty of their sound. It’s rich, energetic, majestic, and metal all at the same time. The first two tracks “Untouchable” parts 1 and 2 are simply two of the best tracks I’ve heard in years. This album, like every one I’ve reviewed so far could easily have been #1 on anyone’s list. And I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this one ranked high on many lists.

Tracks worth listening to include “Untouchable, Part 1,” “Untouchable, Part 2,” “the Gathering of the Clouds,” and “the Beginning and the End.”

After Anneke van Giersbergen left the Gathering in 2007 she’s put out a few solo releases. But it wasn’t until this year’s “Everything is Changing” do I think she finally found HER sound as solo artist. This album is what I’ve been waiting for her to put out. It’s a great mixture of a hard rock sound and an electronic sound blended perfectly with her amazing voice. And it’s her voice that has always blown me away. She is easily one of the best vocalists I’ve ever heard. Her voice is captivating. Like Lacuna Coil, I can also say van Giersbergen returned to form as well. But, she did it with a new band. And I’m glad she did.

Tracks I recommend include “Everything is Changing,” “I Feel Alive,” “Hope, Pray, Dance, Play,” “My Boy,” and “Circles.”

Moonspell’s album in 2012 is actually a double album. The first one, “Alpha Noir” is a death metal album while “Omega White” goes back to their gothic period. Both records are solid releases and deserve to be ranked high on any list of the top albums of 2012. The first track on “Alpha Noir” is “Axis Mundi.” When I first heard that song I said “this is a song I wish Opeth had written.” It’s that good of a metal song, while Opeth has apparently gone off into more progressive areas. I feel that if you’re a fan of either era of Moonspell’s career (metal or gothic) you’ll find something you like on this release.

“Axis Mundi,” “Lickanthrope,” “Opera Carne,” New Tears Eve,” and “Herodisiac” are the tracks that I highly recommend from the album.

If it wasn’t for Paradise Lost, many of the bands on this list would not exist. They have been around for over 20 years and are the reason I listen to many of the bands I listen to including Lacuna Coil, Moonspell, and Katatonia. They were all influenced by Paradise Lost. Their 2012 album, “Tragic Idol” is another solid release from them with many really good tracks on it. They’ve managed to again mix their various styles over the years while keeping it distinctly Paradise Lost. If you’re a fan of Paradise Lost of even the death/doom metal genre, you need to hear this album if you haven’t.

Tracks I recommend from “Tragic Idol” include “Fear of an Impending Hell,” “In This We Dwell,” Theories from Another World,” and “Honesty in Death.”

I’m relatively new to Muse. I hadn’t listened to them prior to seeing them open for U2 a few years ago. I was impresed. “The 2nd Law” is their first new album since I’ve been aware of them. It’s a good album, but at certain points it lacks the power that other Muse albums have. But, even with that said about it, it’s worthy of being the 9th best album of 2012. I’ve even joked that many of the songs on this album could be on a James Bond soundtrack and I believe that to be and honor. If you like Muse, you will probably like this album and I recommend you give it a listen if you haven’t already.

Tracks I like from “The 2nd Law” include “Supremacy,” “Madness,” “Panic Station,” “Survival,” and “Follow Me.”

Yes, I said Rush is on my list. I cannot claim to be a huge fan of Rush. I’ve seen them in concert and thoroughly enjoyed the show. I’m well aware of their legacy and their history. However, I’ve never really listened to them much. I had read some reviews of “Clockwork Angels” and was curious enough to give it a listen. I could not believe what I was hearing. It was INCREDIBLY HEAVY. Their song “BU2B” is incredible. And from what I’ve heard from longtime Rush fans, it’s one of the heaviest songs they’ve ever put out. And like I said about Moonspell and Opeth, I think “Clockwork Angels” is an album that I wish Porcupine Tree had put out instead of whatever it was their last album was.

Tracks worth checking out include “Caravan,” “Seven Cities of Gold,” and especially “Bu2B.”

I had started listening to Sirius/XM’s Outlaw Country channel a bit over the summer and one of the songs I heard played frequently there was “Clementine” by Neil Young & Crazy Horse. I know it’s an old American standard, but this version had me interested. I got the rest of the album and I like just about every song on the album. They’re all old American standard, hense the name of the album, “Americana.” I think many of these songs would be a welcome addition to any Summertime playlist.

Some of my favorite tracks from this album include, “Clementine,” “Get a Job,” “This Land is Your Land,” “Tom Dula,” and “Oh Susannah.”

When I reviwed Ministry’s “The Last Sucker” in 2007, I was pretty sure that I would not be reviewing or ranking another Ministry album. They had advertised that album as their last album and the tour for it was the C-U-La-Tour. They were retiring after a long career. Well, something changed, obviously. They got back together and put out “Relapse.” The first thing I noticed on this album is that you can hear that it’s fun. They seemed to have fun recording it and I had fun listening to it. I don’t know if it’s a one time thing or if they’re back full-time, but it’s a good album filled with their usual political messages and sound bites.

Tracks worth listening to include “Ghouldiggers,” “99 Percenters.” “Relapse” and especially their cover of SOD’s “United Forces.”

Only on my lists can we go from Ministry to Dion. It just seems weird, even to me, but regardless of that, Dion’s “Tank Full of Blues” is just a good blues album. I’ve documented various times the significance that Dion has for me. This album here is the best album he’s put out over the last few years, and he’s put out of a few. It’s a well thought out blues album with some very solid tracks that I would recommend to any fan of Dion or any fan of the blues, and there’s lots of both.

Some good tracks from this album include “Tank Full of Blues,” “Ride’s Blues (For Robert Johnson),” “Bronx Poem,” and “I Read It (in the Rolling Stone).”

Willie Nelson’s music can be very simple at times, but sometimes that’s what is needed. There isn’t a need to over-produce everything. Willie Nelson’s career has lasted almost 60 years. There isn’t much I can say about him that hasn’t been said. His album “Heroes” is mostly classic country songs done by Nelson and various guest artists. “Roll Me Up” is a track on this album that features a few guests including Snoop Dogg. It’s a really fun song to listen to.  The album also has a great cover of Coldplay’s song “the Scientist.” Just do yourself a favor and give this album a listen.

Tracks I recommend include “That’s all There is to This Song,” “Roll Me Up,” “The Scientist,” and “Everytime he Drinks, he Thinks of Her.”

Kid Rock’s album “Rebel Soul” came out late in 2012 and I didn’t think it was going to make it to any lists I did this year. It really had to grow on me. After listening for a while I realized that it’s not a bad rock or country album. There are some good songs on it, no doubt, but it lacked something. It doesn’t really have the attitude that I was used to from Kid Rock albums. But then again, maybe that’s where he is now. He did produce this album on his own, so maybe this is it. Kid Rock’s music is definitely more country than it is anything else at this point. That isn’t a problem for me, and maybe if I expected that going in, I would have ranked this album higher.

Tracks that are good on this include “Let’s Ride,” “Redneck Paradise,” and “Mr Rock n’ Roll.”

Some other good realease in 2012 include Fozzy’s “Sin and Bones” and ZZ Top’s “La Futura.”

Hank Williams III had an album come out in 2012 as well. I can’t say he released an album in 2012, because it was his old record label that put it out in order to fullfil a contractual obligation and because Hank has gone on record asking people not to buy it. The album is mostly older songs that he had done on collaborations and some songs from his older albums that have been remixed. If it was new material, it would have made my list, likely at #12 spot. And I’m sure Hank would be happy to see that I would have had to knock Kid Rock out of the countdown as a result.

Mumford and Sons put out their album “Babel” and it did nothing for me. The same can be said for Fiona Apple’s “The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.” And, I want the record to state that I did a cut and paste for the name of that album.

And now I get to Storm Corrosion. Storm Corrosion is a project that Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth and Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree colaborated on. Based on what they’ve done together before I was very curious to see if I would like this album. However, based on the previous releases from Opeth and Porcupine Tree, I was worried about how much I may not like it. And I have to admit that I had no idea how right I was about my fears. I don’t know if I can possibly state how much I do not like this album. In fact, if it was the only album that came out in 2012, I would find a way to disqualify it from contention or I would just refuse to announce an Album of the Year. This album is nothing but ambient noises disguised as a progressive album. Robert Fripp from King Crimson would love this thing, but I certainly do not. I really don’t like it. I think I’ve made that somewhat clear. I guess it’s ironic that in a year that gave me so many albums that I liked that I felt I needed to do a Top 15 list instead of just a Top 10, I also get an album that I dislike as much as this, and from two of my favorite musicians.

I’m not aware of many new releases in 2013 yet other than new albums from Clutch and Tomahawk. And based on the direction Clutch was going, this will either be a hit or miss. And as far as Tomahawk goes, it’s a Mike Patton project, so I have no idea what it will sound like or if it’ll be something to take seriously. But we’ll see. If I like 2013’s new releases half as much as I did 2012’s, it’ll be a good year.

A note about eligibility for my 2012 Album of the Year:
– the album must have had a United States street date in 2012
– the album must be new material (for the band or artist)
– live albums are only eligible if they’re new material

It won’t begin until you make it end.

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It’s good to set goals in life. It’s also good to accomplish them. Over the last few years I’ve set some goals for myself. Some of them sound good, but are generic and almost vague. An example of that would be my New Year’s resolution for 2012, which was “to make it better.” Now, as vague and all encompassing as it is, it’s also a good resolution and goal. The year is half over and I can say without question that, so far, I’ve done that.

I’ve had a gym membership for a little over 6 years and I’ve regularly gone there. I’m not one of the guys that has the membership and barely goes. During my period of unemployment last year I was at the gym almost every day. My first goal at the gym (6 years ago) was to drop the excess weight I had added in the summer of 2006. I did that. From there, I didn’t really have a goal other than to build some muscle.

Earlier this year I realized my workouts had become way too routine and somewhat stale. I asked a few people for advice and for some new goals. From one of those conversations came a challenge. My sister, who has run 5 marathons (as of this writing), challenged me to a 5k race. I accepted the challenge and immediately started working on running that distance on treadmills at my gym.

I had been doing regular cardio activities at the gym, but they lacked focus. Now I had something specific to strive for. Over the course of a few weeks I had decreased my 5k treadmill time from 32 minutes to 26.5 minutes. At this point, I was sure I could do a real race. Unfortunately, my sister and I couldn’t find a time to do one that fit with both of our schedules and I stopped practicing.

I’m a fan of professional wrestling and I follow many wrestlers on Twitter and other social networks. Diamond Dallas Page is one of the wrestlers I follow. I’ve been a fan of his for many years, and I used to talk to him a little bit in the mid-1990s on AOL. He developed his own Yoga program, called DDP Yoga. I had heard a lot about it from DDP himself, various wrestlers, and other people as well. I decided to give it a shot. Upon trying it, I IMMEDIATELY became a big time fan of the program and I recommend it to anyone that wants to do “own their lives” as DDP says.

How does DDP Yoga fit into my 5k story? Well, just keep reading.

My sister and I attended a Yankees game in June. At the game, I mentioned to her that there would be a 5k race in my hometown on September 1st. She said “let’s do it” and we both signed up. At this point I was already working on my first 13 week DDP Yoga program.  When August came around I started getting serious about my 5k training at the gym. I never got my time as low as I had before, but I had much better paces that I had before.

Due to my good performances on the treadmill, I was sure I could do the real race easily. Then I did the actual path of the 5k in a practice. That was a really big time rude awakening for me. My legs did NOT like running out on pavement. Not to mention that my lungs didn’t like it either, especially since it seemed that everyone had mowed their lawns the day I tried it the first time. I ended up walking A LOT of the path and I finished it in somewhere around 37 minutes. At this point I continued to practice the distance and timing on treadmills and did a few more outdoor runs. The outdoor runs were never really good. I began to question my ability to do the race in any respectable time. Now don’t get me wrong, I would have felt a sense of accomplishment as soon as I crossed the finish line, regardless of the time, but I didn’t want to JUST finish it.

I’ve often been accused of planning things out too much. Well, I didn’t plan anything for the timing of the race and the DDP Yoga schedule, but the final workout on my 13 week plan just happened to be the day of my race. It worked out well for me. Throughout the time that I had been getting ready for the race I would post updates on my Twitter account and use the hashtag #intraining. The day of the race I used #culmination. Because that’s exactly what it was. The 5k race meant a lot more to me than just a race. I had put A LOT of time and effort into this and now it was time to do it.

At about 9:10 am on September 1st, the gun was shot and we were off. My goal was to finish the race in 30 minutes or under. I thought that was doable with my sister helping me. My sister was by my side the entire time and she didn’t want us to walk any of the path. I did my best to do not have to walk any of it, and I didn’t slow my run down to a walk until a little more than half way through the race, which I can tell you is SIGNIFICANTLY better than I had done on any of my practices. I didn’t walk for very long, and I went right back to the running. I think I slowed down maybe 2 more times before we made that final push to the finish line.

The race ended on the track at the high school. When we came around the curve and I saw the time on the clock, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and I picked up the pace a little bit. My sister and I crossed the finish line together with a time of (unofficially) 29 minutes and 45 seconds. I did it! I finished the race and I met every goal I had for the event.

Throughout my life I had often felt I couldn’t do anything right. I wasn’t very good as the sports I had played. My grades weren’t great. Very often I lacked the drive to get something done well. On September 1, 2012 at about 9:39am, I erased my doubts. I had set a specific goal and I accomplished it. The feeling of pride I have over that one event will never go away.

Will I run more races in the future? It’s likely, but my schedule doesn’t allow it at the moment. I don’t want that to sound like an excuse, because doing so would almost completely negate the previous paragraph. I’m just stating that my current schedule isn’t compatible with many scheduled races that I’ve seen listed. That doesn’t mean I won’t take steps to allow my schedule to change. I can say for certain that my determination has never been stronger. It’s a very good feeling. By accomplishing something as specific as crossing that finish line in under 30 minutes, I’ve become more sure of myself. Instead of just having the “been there, done that” attitude that I very well could have from it, I have the “I can do it” attitude that I’ve been developing for a while, but didn’t really have. I had a specific goal, and I did it. It’s a good feeling.

And before I end this entry I have to thank everyone that supported me on this. That includes all the people that texted me encouragement, all the people that replied to my tweets, and even the people at my job that worked with me and allowed me to have the time off. An extra special thanks goes out to Diamond Dallas Page for his program that gave me the extra strength and confidence in my ability, and of course to my sister. I know I’ve said a few times that *I* did it and *I* accomplished my racing goal and I did, but I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks again.

The finish, or is it just the beginning?

 

To Be Determined

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I’m sure I’ve stated this somewhere before, but my birthday is July 3rd. It’s basically at the very middle of the calendar year. As a result of that, it’s very easy for me to see my year as two distinct halves and I always get a little reflective at the end of each half.

With 2012 half way over and me about to celebrate my 36th birthday I could easily say that I’m not where I want to be in life. That statement may even be true. However, I’m not looking at it from that point of view. I’m looking at it from more of a “where am I going” point of view. And where I’m going is forward.

My New Year’s Resolution for 2012 simply “to make it better.” The year is now half way over. Have I made things better? I think I have. I still have a financial burden that I’m dealing with, but it’s less of a burden than it was 6 months ago. I still have some other burdens as well, but we all do. It’s just how we deal with them that matter.

Part of constantly going forward means confronting issues. I cannot and will not avoid, ignore, or run from problems. Problems need to be addressed and (if possible) solved. Unfortunately, sometimes those problems are due to other people and their refusal to acknowledge that a problem exists. There isn’t much I can do about those situations. I cannot change or help those that don’t want to change or be helped. Those people are the ones that avoid, ignore, or run from problems. I used to do that. It’s very easy to do that, but it got me nowhere. And nowhere is a place I don’t want to be again.

I never really had a sense of pride in myself until recently. I don’t think I was ashamed of myself, but I wasn’t proud. I guess that’s a result of always being made to feel that I wasn’t good enough. But, that was then. Now I can say without fear of sounding like I’m bragging, that I am truly proud of what I’ve become. And if it’s possible, I’m proud of what I will be.

I would not completely truthful if I said that the change of mentality that I’ve gone through was totally on my own. I did it with the help of good friends that understand and get me. It’s sad that up until I hit emotional rock bottom that I didn’t understand them (or me). But, like a phoenix, I’ve risen from those ashes and I understand people and friendship now. I’ve even been told by a few friends how much they like “the new me.” It really does my heart good to hear that. It means that I’ve done well and it’s noticeable. I don’t know if I can thank those friends enough for everything.

As for what I said about not doing all of it on my own, while I couldn’t do it without the help of friends (and professional help) I wouldn’t have been able to do it if I didn’t recognize that I had to. And that is the difference between addressing issues and avoiding, ignoring, and running from issues. Change does not have to be a bad thing. I know it can be a frightening, but change is necessary for progress. It’s basic evolution. Change or die.

Much like my last blog, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Balance,” I was looking through some song lyrics for the title of this entry, but didn’t find anything that fit my mood. When starting the draft, I put “tbd” in the title spot. But once again, I think I stumbled upon the name. Because this journey I’m on did not truly begin on January 1, 2012. It began on July 3, 1976. This journey’s end date is “To Be Determined” and I AM determined to continue my pursuit of balance and I AM determined to make sure that whenever it does end, I’m proud of what I’ve left behind. I think I’m going in a good direction. Will my good direction continue? I think that can only truly be determined by me.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Balance

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I used to blog somewhat regularly on MySpace. For various reasons, including a lack of people going to that site anymore, I stopped doing that. Twitter is also a factor in my lack of blogging. Instead of writing down a random thought and using it in a blog, I would instantly put that thought on Twitter. And trust me, I did think about using a compilation of tweets as a blog, or even a book, like Denis Leary did. But then again, I’m not famous enough to get away with that.

I was going to use lyrics for the name of this entry, like I normally did, but after jotting down a few ideas, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Balance” came to me and I realized that it was perfect for this. And I’m sure that those three items will be recurring themes in my blogs. Especially, my pursuit of balance.

So much about me has changed over the last few years. I’m not going to rehash the details of that. But, if you’re a new reader of my words, or just want a refresher, feel free to check out older blog entries at MySpace.

I’ve had so much time to think about life. Where I was, where I am, and where I could be. I know they’re all connected. Where I was got me to where I am, and where I am will get to me to where I’m going. I just process all of that data differently now. It’s really all about perspective and balance.

The “balance” theme came to me a few months ago when I had a conversation with a friend and I attempted to compliment her by telling her how balanced I thought her life was. At first she laughed at me and thought I was nuts, but a few days later she told me that she saw what I was talking about and realized it was indeed a compliment. Something in those conversations really clicked in my brain and that’s when I realized that I need to find a balance as well.

“Balance” can be difficult to attain, but it’s doable. It’s all about finding the way to get it. For me, it means lots of things, even as simple as trying not to spend more money than I make. That was an issue with me for many years, and I’m paying for it now (literally and figuratively). It’s also about managing time and energy. “Balance” can almost encompass all you do, if you can get there.

Getting back to the financial thing for a moment. Not too long ago I started my path to financial recovery. And let me state that my own personal financial ruin are not a result of America’s financial perils, and I’ll touch on that fact later. I just spent A LOT more than I had. But, after enlisting in a program to help me deal with my debt I can say this: I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but I am in the tunnel. One of the simple things I recently started doing, after a few years of neglect, is balancing my check book. Yup, balancing my check book. Almost to the point of obsession, but it’s needed at the moment.

So, about what I said about my financial issues compared to America’s. I recently attended a wedding and gave a monetary gift to the bride and groom. Unfortunately, I had to tell the newlyweds to NOT cash my check until a specific day, since I knew I wouldn’t be able to cover it until then. Someone overheard me say that and said “that’s Obama’s America for you!” Just take a minute to think about that. Are you done? It was the opinion of this person that MY lack of funds is directly related to our nation’s lack of financial recovery from the collapse that happened during the previous Presidential administration. I could have debated his “point” but I know that would have been incredibly futile. However, there is one definite correlation between my money problems and the country’s. And that is during a relatively short time period, we both spent more than we had and now we have to pay for it. I’ll touch on the ignorant point of view that I mentioned in a later post.

I’m sure I’ll return to many of the other themes as well. I feel like I’ve come so very far from where I used to be and I refuse to return. There is no future in the past, there are only memories. Yes, those memories can help shape and guide your future, but that’s all they should do. And I’m learning that now.

In addition to the few topics I already said I will revisit, I also expect to discuss topics such as:
– Potential difficulty in choosing a 2012 Album of the Year.
– Why I am not running for President in 2012
– My opinions of WWE programming.
– How access to water may impact politics and the mental capacity of voters.

I’m sure I’ll have more random thoughts to put up here as well. It’s good to once again have a viable forum to unpack the baggage. And I certainly have some to unpack as I pursue life, liberty, and balance.