wonderland or narnia?

If they say life's a dream,
Call this insomnia.
Cause this ain't Wonderland,
It damn sure ain't Narnia.

-- Bruno Mars - "the other side" (verse by b.o.b.)

One of the catchiest and funniest lines I've heard in a while from a rapper


I'm also very glad that b.o.b. is becoming popular. he's one of the more talented rappers I've heard in recent memory. Between him, Drake, Charles Hamilton, Asher Roth (yes I like him... there's more than "I love college"), and Kid Cudi, there's a new style of rap that I'm glad is catching on.

Sam Cooke wrote "A Change is Gonna Come" in the mid '60's. It was a powerful song against racism and segregation in the USA. B.oB., Charles Hamilton, and Asher Roth sampled the song and created something completely different. While I think the original version is much more powerful (and better in general) than the new, sampled version, I still think the new song showcases the abilities of these rappers. It's good, but I'll always love Sam Cooke.

B.o.B, Charles Hamilton, Asher Roth - "Change Gonna Come"
(mediafire)


"I was borrrrrn by the river"

thanks for the great advice

"It's not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know."

Thanks Yusuf Islam! I'm going to abide by these words of advice for the next few years. Hopefully I can make them last a really long time. I don't particularly want to grow up

why not have a robot wedding?

I'm not sure why anyone thought this was a good idea ever, or why it was a most read article on BBC news (pretty sad actually), but I guess I was interested enough to post it here. As much as I love robots, I have to say this is a bit out of the ordinary.

Japan has hosted the world's first wedding to be conducted by a robot.... During the ceremony, I-Fairy - which has flashing eyes and plastic pigtails - instructed the groom to lift the bride's veil for the kiss.

(via BBC)


Tokyo couple married by robot in rooftop wedding



On a totally different note, I highly recommend going to see the Red Bulls soccer team play in Harrison, NJ. The stadium is awesome, the team is ok, and it's an overall great time. It is the best thing to happen to soccer in the US in a long time. I think it will end up being better than the David Beckham move which didn't seem to turn out too well with injuries and such. The stadium is in the midst of one of the US' soccer hotbeds so it will get people out to the games and excited about soccer. Also, the world cup is coming up - another chance for people to see good soccer in the US. Hopefully it catches on eventually. Hopefully.

Red Bull Stadium (looks like a spaceship)

"since the war everything was synthetic. they said after the war we were going to have plastic houses and helicopters, but I never saw any, and I wondered if they had them in New York. that was where they had everything."

- john kennedy toole from the neon bible


NYC is great. I've been trying to read this book since winter break and have finally almost finished it. Schoolwork really takes away from my real reading that I want to do. I'm currently in the middle of three different books and have no idea how I got to this point - I need to start just finishing one and then making it to the next one.

this book isn't as great as A Confederacy of Dunces, but I'm still enjoying it (and I'm pretty biased towards Confederacy considering it is actually one of my favorite books). Neon Bible is a great description of small town, central-US life for a young teen. Toole wrote it at 16 years old and for that reason alone, its pretty impressive. I could barely write a 5 paragraph essay at 16 and he wrote a book.

end of the semester

things have been busssy this semester. my life has been a bit all over the place and fairly sloppy, but in the end, things went welllll. this is good news.one more final on monday and then I'm finished with junior year. crazzzy stuff. its beena semester full of work. between forbes, extra forbes work, fuv, actual college work, and the scholarship, I did a lot. It was great.


Also, I love the talking heads. "this must be the place" is great


"this must be the place" mp3

henry wadsworth longfellow through john kennedy toole

Then read from the treasured volume
The poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty of thy voice.
And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.

got a girl with a banjo

found this about a year ago and refound it again tonight. one of the greatest rap videos ive ever seen. all recorded and filmed in one take. nyle is dirrrrty! I wish I knew more about him

prohibcrasitinition

F. Scott Fitzgerald on the jazz age - “what was fashionable and what was fun."

99 out of 100 liquor samples tested by NYC labs contained poison or fusel oil


poison sucks,



(unrelated great version of a great song)


its a bad sign when I made a blog and started posting instead of writing essays when I have work all day tomorrow. Not the best decision I've ever made, but I'm fairly satisfied. Now I just need to think of actual things to write on here

first post

I have to begin my blog with the most important influence upon my life: