Emotion

Ok, so here's the thing... life is worthless without emotion. What point is there in performing the mundane tasks and endeavors in life if there isn't also aspects of life that make you emotional? So that you can enjoy life- or at least make it memorable. Emotion is an elixir for the soul, it keeps the mind's edge sharp, the creative juices flowin', and makes the minutia in life tolerable.
When I see people expressing their emotions, their passions, their souls on their sleeves; I feel alive. I don't discriminate between tastes or opinions when it comes to emotion, just as long as I see that passion. My views on life are no better or worse than anyone elses, and the things that drive my soul are no more valid or real than anyone elses. It may sound trite, but "like what ya like" and "dislike what ya dislike"... as long as you can prove those opinions as your own, be emotive in your explanations, and see the function behind those opinions. Be moved each day... as the late great Jim Valvano once so eloquently said, "To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."
WOW, that's all I can say about Jimmy V's thoughts... but it rings true here, as emotion is definitely the key to life. Without it, we are nothing...
So, where am I going with all this...? Well, it is becoming more and more apparent to me that professional football is my favorite sport to follow. I've never played organized football (except flag football way back in the day) so I have no memories or nostalgia for days gone by, I just have a deep and emotional appreciation for the sport and all that I see in it.
Two recent occurences over the past 8 months or so have really stuck out in my mind as being descriptive of my love for football being. They depict football being intertwined with emotion. This is, in many ways, precisely why I've come to hold such an affinity for the sport. It's not in the winning, the losing, the x's and o's, or the fanaticism in the NFL that really grabs me.... it's in the emotion that seems to be more prevelant in the sport than in any other. I don't see comparable events in baseball, basketball, etc....
So, what are they?:

Earlier this year, during the Patriots AFC playoff loss to the Broncos, perhaps my favorite football play of all time went down. I won't get into details here, as most of you have probably seen it by now. I'll say this, however, it wasn't a "highlight" type play in the generic sense of the word; it was a highlight to me because it displayed all those things that we are taught at an early age. It displayed all those ideals that human nature is based on: hustle, hard work, integrity, teamwork, responsibility, brotherhood, and intelligence.
It was Ben Watson (now my favorite NFL player) making a pure hustle play in his chasing down and tackling of Champ Bailey after a Tom Brady interception. I don't know what to say other than this- it makes me tear up, even today. It didn't win the game for the Pats, it didn't put points on the board, and it didn't change the outcome of the game.... but it showed a man making a play, being responsible for his part on the field, sticking up for the rest of his team, and giving his all in hopes to better his (and his teams) situation. Watson shows his emotion for his "job", his passion for integrity, and his decency as a teammate and agent of the foundations of competition.
And without further adieu, here it is in all it's glory. Watch Watson come in at the end of the play, when almost all others on the field have given up! (Please pardon the audio/ video quality, I couldn't find a better one this far after the fact)


And the other happened more recently- 4 days ago to be precise. This one involved a coach for whom I have no emotional (there's that word again) attachment to. Interestingly enough, it still moved me enough to feel strongly and emotional about.
Dennis Green, head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, was giving his post-game press conference after his teams heart breaking loss to the Chicago Bears. The simple story goes as such: the underdog Arizona Cardinals were up by a large margin of points for most of the game, and Chicago (undefeated record) came back late in the game to win the game. If the game had finished with an Arizona win, it would probably have been considered a huge upset that people would talk about for quite some time.
Coach Dennis Green's press conference was full of emotion. There he was, trying to be diplomatic and mature while answering press questions after a brutal loss. All he wanted to do, I'm sure, was to crawl into a dark corner and escape from reality for a bit. He was upset, and it showed. But he wasn't upset in an antagonizing or finger pointing way, he was taking his part of the responsibility for the loss, while obviously upset at the rest of the team as well. You can see it, hear it, and feel the emotion in his speech; as it's quite palpable and obvious. It's one of those things that makes your heart sink because you know deep down this guy is breaking apart. He doesn't want to be there answering questions, and he probably knows he should just regurgitate all the standard answers and "sports talk" and be on his way. Reality and emotion sets in however, and he simply acts as he feels.
It's beautiful, because none of his remarks are canned or cliche... they're almost profound in their simplicity. The remarks are passionate, insightful, and heavy. They show that this man is hurting, and he can't quite explain why....


So, there ya have it.... to me, these two situations convey emotion and passion. In order to live a fulfilling and rewarding journey here on Earth, both of these taits are requisite. Both of these situations made me emotional, so much as I still tear up when I see either. I hope you understand what I've rambled about here, as convoluted as it may be.
Peace
AM Son

Just for kicks

Being that it's "that time of year", I thought it'd be interesting to drop this into the mix!
Why do leaves change colors?
Enjoy
AM Son

Quick Rate

Lets see, I'm gonna do something a little different today. Instead of simply bombardin' you with way too many words, I'll just do a little list of things with their ratings, and by default... bombard you with way too many words! This all pertains to "recent life", so if it aint recent, it aint in here- word to that! It's a myriad of things, from music to books to friends to work...
Here we go:

John Mayer- Continuum 7.0
It's John Mayer, so overall it's pretty good, but I'm just not feelin' it deeply yet. It's got some good tunes, but nothing that really grabs me. It's in constant rotation so maybe this will all change. For now, my picks on this CD are, "Waiting On The World To Change", "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)", "Vultures", Slow Dancing In A Burning Room", and "Bold As Love"

Jurassic 5- Feedback 9.0
J5 is back, and this CD is awesome! Great flavor here, typical of the group. One of my fav hip-hop albums of the year. Favorites here are, "Back 4 U", "Gotta Understand", "Baby Please", "Work It Out", "Where We At", and "Red Hot".

Our Picassa Web Album 10.0 Obviously we like ourselves, our friends, our excursions, our fun, and our lives! So go check the new shots out, we hope you like....

The Roots- Game Theory 9.0
If I wasn't so biased, I'd immediately vote for this disc as best of 06. Read my review from a few weeks ago for a better grasp, but this album, this band, they're just so damn good!

Affluenza (sorry, don't wanna link to amazon, etc here)- 7.5 this book is pretty good, and gets a slightly lower score from me because it's dated. Published in 2001, the facts and figures are out of date, but in the grand scheme this read rocks. It deals with the rampant consumerism in America (and the world) today, and how undercurrents of materialism and a consumer culture are ruining the very foundations of humanity. Now it's not a total downer however, because it does offer some suggestions for self actualization and redeeming one's soul in life. All is not lost- this book's a little disheartening, but a good read indeed! Check this site for more!

North Korea NEGATIVE RATING What the eff is wrong with wacked out dictators and their freaked out logic? Can't we all just get along? Read this if you aren't aware....

Autumn- 10.0 as anyone who knows me will know, this is my all time favorite season! The temps, the daytime hours, the foliage, the light angles, the smell and feel, it's all there! So, it gets an easy ten from me, and always will! Check the picassa album for some new fall pics!

Bob Woodward - State Of Denial Cool Factor Very High because I haven't read the book yet, but I want to soon, and when I do I'll get back to ya....

Free Speech/ RO Blvd. - Laffy Taffy Rots Your Teeth 8.5
I stumbled upon this FREE cd by an unknown (to me) hip-hop duo, and let me say this------> WOW! They're giving this away free and encouraging the spread of it through burning, sharing, etc. This is a very very good hip-hop album! It's got it all, politics, fun, social commentary, braggadochio, melody... etc! Stand out tracks as of now are, "Shake Your Laffy Taffy", "Digital Dirt", "Kick Push", "Breakfast Club PSA #1".

Zion I & Grouch- Heroes In The City Of Dope 8.5 Another hip-hop cd I stumbled upon, and another that completely blows me away. It's got a good, solid, underground feel to it. It's umbelievably infectious and fun to listen to, and it comes highly recommended! Top tracks are, "Hit Em", "Trains & Planes", "Too Much", "Digital Dirt", "10 Fingers, 10 Toes...", and "Bad Lands".

Patriots Football! 8.0 Their team isn't perfect this year, with deficiencies in the passing game and secondary defense, but overall they've held their ground and performed well under some fairly adverse conditions. They lost Branch, McGinnest, Givens, and Vinatieri, and they're still winning.... so the record is pretty amazing considering all that has gone down in Foxboro. Time will tell if they're really an elite team or not, and if they have what it takes to take it to the big house in January/ February!

?uestlove! Gotta love the frow, the flow, and the know(ledge)!!! 10.0 I always find room to pimp the man who goes by the alias Questlove- officially named Ahmir Khalib Thompson.
Check these links for more info:
drummerworld and wikipedia


eMusic 8.0 A great site for new indie music of all types! Good place to find new stuff, brush up on some older "non-rolling stone type" stuff, and really just get down and dirty with some new music. No DRM, no streaming, no bull$hit.... just good tunes to download and use as you wish! The cost isn't too bad, especially when compared to actually buying equivalently downloaded music per month.

Detroit Tigers 9.5 They earned it, and no one has given these guys respect for years! Congrats Detroit, the whole city and all their supporters. Good luck in the Series!

Well.. that was tiring... I'm done for now. Hope that list was enjoyable.... or somethin'....
Peace
AM Son

The Boondocks

Yet another comic strip (cartoon) that I've been growing more fond of over the past few months:
The Boondocks
Also check out the TV sites for it here and here.

I like this comic because it's (again) mature! It deals with race relations, class relations, juvenile issues, as well as social and political issues. It's a cool statement comic, one that I've really begun to enjoy.
I'm eagerly anticipating the season 2 premiere of the TV show on Nov 6th. Can't wait!!
Peace
AM Son

Another whirl at expression through characters and symbols...

Color Cycle
(January 2005)

Two men appear from a shadow;
Both have a story to tell.
Both will cry,
Emotive are both.
One soul will smile at sundown,
Ready to welcome another day.
While the other...
... the other frowns at the setting sun,
Foreboding the nighttime.


Black and Blue, with Red:
Black is the fingers,
Stretching to the shoelaces.
Blue be the collar,
Average Joe going through his paces.
Red is the checking account,
Always in despair;
Waiting on a dollar, but it comes from no where.
And the colors paint a picture,
It's life man...
Tumbling along, blow by blow;
“The man” is in control.

Black and White, with Black, White:
Black is the bank account,
Piling higher upon higher;
Profits feeding off profits.
White be the collar,
“The man” making it big;
Off sweat rung from the blue collar.
Black plus the white,
Together they show how the eye sees the world;
Yes vs No, Good vs Evil...
The Haves vs The Have-Nots,
And the colors paint a picture.
It's life man...
Floating along, kiss by kiss,
“The Man” is in control.



The truth of life is indeed ominous at times... that is why to always be oneself, and always act for the betterment of our own situations is the best medicine for a poorly constructed social system.

...Is Free Will Dead? Have a good read/ listen here!