First nite in my new bed! First court appearance tomorrow too! Nervous & excited. Good nite world!

see blog title

I'm lying on the floor of my old apartment, surrounded by essentially nothing [my empty wardrobe, a small TV that isn't even mine, my DSL router and my wireless router which isn't working right now, my printer, and a lot of dust]. I'm in here because my phone and internet service won't get moved until Thursday and it just seemed right to close this place out with one last entry from here.

I moved here about one year and two months ago [I believe the exact date was August 25th]. Life is different in many ways since then and I'm happy to be where I am now. In the end I'd say every change has been for the better, even if it didn't always seem like it at the time. I spend a lot of time reflecting, thinking about past experiences but not living in the past. The past year taught me a lot and it seems like now I have a better picture of where I want to be another year from now [if not less than that]. The most important thing is to learn from our experiences, if you can then they are worth the time and effort that went into them.

Back to the moving topic, I've always hated moving. I hate seeing an apartment that used to be full of things and memories emptied out. I hate moving into a new place with everything a mess and with no ties to it. I guess the good thing about this short move is that I felt at home still [due to obvious similarities in appearance, etc.] and I was able to move things and put them in an appropriate place while doing so. I'm geeked about the new place and can't wait to get a bed tomorrow [assuming Josie doesn't flake on me]. Still a few things to figure out [mostly involving when to get a new TV, what to do about the lack of a cable jack in the bedroom, and how to set up my internet based on where my desk is and the phone jack locations]. It's nice having such a different experience moving.

I think my next move will be a much more significant one in terms of distance and what it means in what's going on with my life and I look forward to seeing where I get to go next. Like I said, the last year and something involved a ton of change and a lot of learning. I feel like I'm starting to really get my head into work more and moving forward in the learning curve [altho I still have a lot to learn and a lot to get better at]. I'm also learning from past relationships and really enjoying dating someone and just getting to know someone new and really cool. The one area I could work on is developing more friendships down here in LA but I think that mattered received some attention in previous posts.

I dunno what more to say really. I look back at this now empty place and think about everything that happened since moving down here and all I know is I'm happy to be where I am now, knowing all I do and everyone I do. For a while I was stuck in the past in some ways, holding on to something that had long been gone [probably longer than I realized]. Now I'm really in the present and looking forward and back to being foolish ass, generally worry free, silly, dorky Lou...and I have been for the past couple months. I guess seeing it's been that way for a couple months and seeing the feeling persist combined with getting into a new place/space...it's just really something that's hitting me in a revelatory fashion.

Well, my back is hurting from sitting/lying on the floor in here and I've got to put some stuff away in the new pad. But I do hope to continue blogging frequently once I get all moved into the new digs...house warming party anyone?

One Hundred!

With this post my blog turns 100. There are 2 additional posts that are saved as drafts [one necessary for my profile pic and the other is my running list of reasons to move back to San Francisco (which can also be seen as my gchat status message)]. My last blog made it to just a few posts past 100 I think and then the time came to change it up. This blog reached what I personally consider somewhat of a milestone in much less time, even if some of the posts were silly as message posted via text message [a feature I need to take better advantage of in the future].

I think I got here faster out of a need to write more; writing became something I needed for a few months, even if just to ramble on about somewhat significant and oftentimes insignificant topics. I know it's just repetition but the writing has slowed in part out of distraction and also just in part because of stepping into a new phase in life where writing is a little less of a necessity. Yet it's still something I thoroughly and enjoy doing and should do more of any time I get the chance.

Looking back on this latest attempt at blogging I feel like I've covered a lot of ground, gone through some pretty significant experiences, learned a lot, and used this space to take a step back at times, allowing for greater reflection and a better perspective. Sometimes writing here just helps me figure something out. Other times I just amuse myself with silly thoughts. But in the end it provides a space to be creative, even if that creation comes in the form of a pseudo-intellectual personal discourse with either myself or the imaginary person out there reading this silly thing. At the end of the day I'm really glad I started a blog just under 2 years ago. I hope my blogging has evolved [from just writing about current events in my life to something with some kind of meaningfulness to it] in that time. But all that really matters is I'm still here doing this, growing with it, and taking the time to spend on my own with my thoughts, emotions, and reflections whether they are serious, silly, or just tangential to everything. Here's to 100 more entries...
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I spent another weekend traveling to San Francisco this past weekend. I flew home in the evening and exhaustion prevented me from blogging Sunday night. I knew this was the 100th post and I wanted to put some effort into it, even if I'm sleepy right now and should get in bed. It's been pretty interesting lately when it comes to my thoughts and feelings on San Francisco. Honestly, the past few weeks came with a serious desire to get back there as soon as possible. I guess spending 6 of the 9 last weekend can have that effect. But last weekend (not this past one but the one before that) a couple of good friends came to LA and we kicked it which was awesome. They were my first real visitors in LA and it brought a lot of joy to play host for once [especially since I always play guest with those guys]. I hope to get them down here again [maybe with a couple more homies] and I look forward to my next visitor from the Yay area.

But the desire to move and also a certain level of eagerly anticipating taking a step forward in the work world made for some personally difficult days at work. I know a career takes time to develop and one must pay dues along the way, taking one step after another - it's a journey. But I grow somewhat impatient at times and more importantly I'm getting a better, more refined image of what I really hope to end up doing. I don't mean to complain because I know how lucky and blessed I am to have the job I do [I'm going to court for the first time next week which is rather scary in some ways even if it's supposed to be a pretty straightforward matter]. But I do also hope to take some big steps in the coming years to move forward with things.

Knowing I'd like to end up in a different location and getting this better picture of what I want out of work led to some periods of dissatisfaction. Stupid? Of course. But I guess times like those provide some of the drive to stay on top of things and to not lose sight of who I really am and what all that entails.

Getting up to the Bay provided a nice fresh breath but also knocked some sense into me in that upon returning [as much as I missed the location and the people up there] I felt a sense of readiness to tackle things back here. I also know I could make more of an effort to meet people and develop more of a network in Los Angeles. But I hesitate in part because it's hard to imagine people playing the roles so many up North do in my life.

Anyway, another great weekend which included some of the following highlights...

• getting really gross pizza
• farting and pooping discussions
• dancing with the homies [see the last post for all the thoughts on hitting the club]
• open-faced egg sandwiches from Duboce Park Cafe
• both UCLA and Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeechigan winning important games against quality opponents [and calling 2 turnovers in the UCLA game before they happened]
  
• 3 dogs: the one trying to get some food from me, the one lounging in the sun, the one dragging its a** along the sidewalk
• listening to music at funny speeds
• yummy Chinese food [eating some veggies!]
• watching Scary Movie 2 [I'm not sure why I own that movie]
  
• brunch at Rockridge Cafe
• encountering all the Raiders fans as I made my way to the airport

I think the lists of fun events, occurrences, and happenings in San Francisco explain why I posses a strong desire to end up back there one day. But until then I'll just focus on work and trying my best and learning as much as possible. Like I wrote about moods, when it comes to work and Los Angeles it's largely about perspective; how you look at and approach something can make a huge difference.
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Well, it really is getting late and I need to try to get in a little early tomorrow to make up for likely leaving early again. I came home early today to sign the lease for my new apartment but my manager was nowhere to be found. Annoying but I managed to do some work at home tonight. But it means I must leave early again tomorrow [but not until I call and make sure my manager will actually stick around]. I really hope I get the paperwork done tomorrow and can start moving stuff and getting settled down the hall. A little change will be nice.

Aside from that, I'm also looking forward to getting home for the holidays (Turkey Day and Christmas). I think going back home to Ann Arbor is vital to my well-being. Obviously seeing family is really important and always a refresher. On top of that I think Ann Arbor just plays a role in my life: providing a certain grounding to my mind and emotions. I guess it really is going home and getting back to my roots a bit, remember where I come from and what role that plays in who I am today. Also reminding me how I've come a long way [not just physically in terms of the distance but also as an individual in that I started a life for myself out here in California where I knew no one when I arrived a little over 8 years ago - holy crap, it's been that long?] and can get through anything that comes my way, with the help of those closest to me as an individual.

I'm really happy I get to go home for the amount of time I do [I expected less]. I'm also just really happy to have the opportunities in life I do [from work to the ability to go up North on a whim to the people I know and who play important roles in my life]. But, as I mentioned before heading down this silly little tangent, it's time to brush up and get some sleep.

Thanks to all those readers who tune in and stuck around thru these 100 posts. I'm glad you all read this and get to at least know a little of what's going on in my life and head. =]
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A couple quick points:

• click on the image at the top of the page if you want to see the animated version I hoped would show up but I don't think did
• I added some new links on the right [a couple great blogs and a fun new website that's a sweet source for news and interesting articles and videos] - be sure to check them out!
  

late nite lyin on the couch

i'm lying on my boys' couch after another nite out on the town in sf with the homies. as always, a good time. i think it's just the mentality that ensures a good time is guaranteed: instead of worrying about anything we just roll with the focus of having fun with good friends. a good time is always had.

as is often the case, we went to get our dance on...thankfully my homies are all about gettin' down [prolly part of why they're my ppls in the first place]. i loving dancin. to be honest i have lots of private dance parties at home on my own. u gotta get your practice on somewhere, right?

anywhere, my thoughts as i lie here [yet again] are about how funny ppl in da club are a lot of the time. obviously it depends on where u go, but u get all kinds of hilariousness at clubs. u've got the gurls who love getting all the attention but don't actually want to dance with anyone. then there are the guys who are just horn-balls, trying to dance up on every gurl from behond, sneakin & creepin up on the ladies. there are the raunchy couples getting way too freaky for the world to see. let's not forget the guys who just stand there and watch, checkin out gurls but refusing to dance themselves [as if it would be lame of them to do so]. some of the best ppl are the ones who just aren't very good at dancing but still love to boogie the nite away.

in the end, i could just sit there and ppl watch and enjoy the hell out of myself. but that ain't my style. sometimes u just gotta get wild with your peeps and just dance. not trying to bust up on anyone or even really giving a crap about anyone there, instead just feeling the beat and enjoyin the ppl u're there with. tonite was one of those nites. it was refreshing and something i needed because the last few times i'd seen some of the homies up here our plans got scattered and we kinda ended up going in separate directions. it was good to just roll with it tonite.

well, i'm pretty exhausted from the dancing...time to pass out...

song of the nite: T.I. - Big Things Poppin' [while not played at the club, it definitely set our nite off right]

moods...

being in a bad mood sucks. i woke up today with a severe case of the mondays. the weather sucked [all cloudy and misty out], it was monday, another fun weekend ended, another fun weekend was days away, and i was just plain tired. it didn't really go away and i didn't get much done at the office [prompting me to leave a little early just because i knew there was no point staying].

while i was in this funky mood of grouchiness i realized 2 things...

1. it was national grouch day [at least in canada]

2. i could easily move myself out of the grouchy mood with just a little bit of effort

as for #2, i really think it's possible to alter your mood and that moods are about your mindset and attitude and outlook. sometimes that's obviously not the case but i think when it's that bad it's not really a bad mood but actually something provides a reason for u to feel down. but when u're just in a funked out mood i believe u can get out of it if u really put in the effort [which might not be all that much in the end].

did i do so today? not really. i kinda just relished in grouchiness. going to McDonald's for lunch was fun and helped [altho getting the exact same pair of monopoly pieces on my fries and drink was the ultimate in lame]. taking a little nap when i got home also was enjoyable and the evening at home was pleasant.

i don't know why i just sat there in a funk today. in part i just wanted to stay in the mood or more accurately i didn't feel like putting in any effort. it's not really how i roll but today i made an exception. haha. anyway, my brief thoughts for the nite...tomorrow is another day and a chance to be more productive...but that will involve some sleep...

i want to be blogging

i don't really like the idea of writing here just for the sake of writing here (i.e., i hope to have something of at least trivial importance to say, some point of sorts...as opposed to just putting words on a page so to speak). At the same time I still feel at a loss for topics of significant importance when in comes to writing here.

by significant importance i don't mean things that really matter in the grand scheme of things but rather things that inspire me to write, topics i actually sit around and am like: damn, i need to write about that. as i've said before i feel this lack in writing of recent has to do with a multitude of factors, one of the biggest being the fact that i've already written so much.

yet i still get urges to write. i was sitting at work today and really, really wanted to write on my blog. i guess it's kinda like crack in a way...an addiction of sorts. from writing so much it's something i because accustomed to do, writing everyday or every couple of days. now i need to write just to feel normal...haha. thankfully it isn't truly an addiction: i still really enjoy writing and it's not just something i need a fix of but rather something that provides a lot to and for me.
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anyway...one thing i've given thought to as of late is, as always music. i'm always in need of more music, something new, something i haven't heard before. during law school i sent out a mass email asking for musical recommendations, with an emphasis on the old school [be it old school hip-hop or old school r&b - from early 90s and 80s stuff all the way back to motown].

i feel like some ppl who know me best understand my passion for music and i think it's pretty obvious how much i love it. but sadly my musical knowledge is lacking, especially when it comes to the musical past. sadly i didn't look into nearly enough of the stuff recommend. i should dig around and see if i can find those old emails. i also want to send out another one [but mass emails always seem to receive a less than warm welcome] obviously i'd welcome anyone suggestions here...feel free to leave a comment [no matter how long it gets, i'd be more than happy to have stuff to look into, listen to, and just get to discover]. seriously, any recommendations are more than welcome, be it something u think i would like or just some of your favorite stuff...
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speaking of mass emails, be on the lookout for a short one from me in a couple of weeks. i've been sleeping on updating this news, but i found a new place to live! it's a whopping 35 feet or so away from...









where i live right now! HA! it turns out that i got really lazy about moving and am just going to move into a bigger apartment in my building. it's on the same floor, so moving should be easier. in the end the laziness came about due to a couple of different factors: 1) i hadn't found a new place to live by the time i needed to give 30 days notice, 2) this way i can save on not having to throw down a new security deposit or rent a truck, 3) the rent is really good for what i'm getting, 4) i'm going to rock a 9 month lease which will run out during the same month i'll hit 1 yr of employment (assuming i don't get fired b4 then), 5) i get like 8 days to move stuff down the hall b4 i have to be out of my current apartment...

so, i'll shoot out an email soon with the new address...and by address i mean new apartment #...haha...anyone interested in coming over for a house warming part sometime in November?
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well...i should get to bed...a couple of my boys are rolling down to LA tomorrow nite which should make for an awesome weekend. it'll be nice having visitors instead of being the visitor, especially since i'm always crashing with these guys...anyone else wanna come visit me in LA? holla at me and let me know...soon i'll be in a 1 bedroom apartment and u'll have an actual place to sleep besides my floor [altho i borrowed a king-size aerobed for my boys...which it probably nicer than the thing i sleep on as of now...can't wait to get a new bed and a phat new TV]

getting back to it...

after writing about how i need to get back to writing here, i somehow managed to no just the opposite. personally, it kinda gnaws at me on some silly level [in the sense that i'm not writing and also in that i said i would do X and took longer than i should have to do so]. i've slacked off, been uninspired [mainly due to wanting to write about topics i sometimes feel are too serious for this arena], and just been busy.

but enough with the excuses and on to whatever comes out of my mind...

so, i made what i believe was my 5th trip in 7 weekends up to SF this past weekend. the reason this trip was a bit different was most ppl didn't know about my plan. i wanted to surprise a couple different ppl and definitely succeeded with at least one of them...as for the other, read on... some highlights (as per usual post-SF blogging):

• winning the breakfast sammich of my choice by playing the McDonald's Monopoly game as I drove north
• actually succeeding in surprising someone (i can be terrible at keeping a surprise from someone)
  
• Bugs sniffing my butt (I'm referring to a dog, not insects...how gross would that be?!?!?!?!)
• not surprising Peter because he wasn't at the Bayside when I was
• being funny and going shopping with Peter and also taking in The Kingdom
• the classy dinner: pepperoni pizza and chicken kickers from Domino's
  
• Crashing girls nite out
• really funny attempts at getting into the clubs in North Beach without waiting in any of the lines
• ending up back at Fuse (and the 5 minutes of good music - 5 minutes of bad music rotation)
• 'fishing' back!
  
• "Are your friends into Korean men? Are they into affirmative action?"
• more late nite Chinese food
• breakfast of champions: double bacon cheeseburger from Burger King
  
• finally playing some golf and getting to catch up with a good buddy from law school
• the perfect fall weather up in SF

my new thing is going to be listing reasons for moving back to the City on my gchat status message. i think the 5 out of 7 shows how much i love the place (i'll be back at the end of next week and this weekend a couple of my boys from up there are coming down here).
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as for more serious topics, there have been many articles in the news lately of serious interest to me. while i spent a lot of time pontificating on the issues and writing about them, sadly it was in another forum (albeit one i thoroughly enjoy and waste too much time whilst at work on). even so, some thoughts of late...

the music industry:

The music industry won the first case brought against an alleged file-sharer to actually go get to a jury. Most of the thousands of other cases all ended in settlements for a few thousand dollars. [Interestingly, I saw somewhere that the recording industry is losing money thru all the settlements because the legal fees from bringing the claims in the first place are higher than what is received thru the settlements...I dunno whether that is true or not altho it does seem likely.] It's really unfortunate to see the recording industry sue its customers. beyond being bad business, it just upsets me. By complaining about lagging CD sales and blaming it on file-sharing and suing everyone in sight, the recording industry is screwing up in a handful of ways.

• It's as if they're trying to force CDs down our throats by pinning the blame in the way they do.
  
• They refuse to take any semblance of responsibility for the decline in sales [where is the accountability: how come no one saw this technology coming? why, when it became so hugely popular did they try to shut it down as opposed to embrace? what about all the crappy music that is out there these day?].
  
• They're alienating their customers by attacking them. Pushing away customers is not going to help CD sales or digital sales either.
  
• One of the legal minds at Sony argued that ripping a CD to your computer and placing the ripped music on your mp3 player is stealing - why is someone paying for such ridiculous arguments? And does Sony expect anyone to buy the CD and then go ahead and buy the mp3 as well?
  
• They're failing to realize that their current business model is flawed and that, in the end, music is about music, not profits and making money and the bottom line.

I feel this last point is supported by all the buzz about the latest Radiohead album. In a giant "F@%$ u!" to the record labels, Radiohead are putting out their latest album on their own, not thru a label, and only online thru their website. As I'm sure most anyone who comes across this already knows, they're allowing the customer to decide how much he or she is willing to pay. While I'm sure many will download the album for the minimum (which I believe is 2 cents) there are also many others who will pay more reasonable prices. And that, in the end, is what it is all about: reasonableness.

If good music is being made and the cost of said music is reasonable, I guarantee people would purchase it, even with file-sharing technology around making it easy to get what you want for free. I have gone out and bought many albums from my favorite artists because I know the music is good and I want to support these individuals, even if they don't really need the money. Could I just go ahead and download the music illegally for free? Of course I could. But the reason I don't is because I want to show my support and appreciation for something/someone...not because the law says no [don't get me wrong, I'm in no rush to do what I'm not allowed to but my point is that the real motivation is something the record companies can influence whereas it is much harder to deter someone from file-sharing, as the lawsuits show because even tho they're suing everyone it still happens].

The way the recording industry is set up takes away all the proper incentives: it takes away the incentive to make really good music, it takes away the incentive to pay for music. Beyond not wanting to buy crappy music, think about this: the artists make their money off of touring and merchandise sales [not records sales and not even licensing deals because the record companies own the master copies and licensing rights to the music for the most part]. So, if I care about an artist and want to support the artist, I'll do more in that endeavor by going to a concert or buying a t-shirt. I could go on for days, but I really shouldn't.

To be honest, a few months of work has shown me [as mentioned previously] that there are some things in life I am really passionate about and I want those things to be a part of my work life as well. Hopefully, in time, I will be able to bring everything in line [that's what it's all about right, taking a step forward so you can get closer to where you want to be?] and possibly make some small difference I feel is meaningful [i.e., I'm going to change the world in a big way for the better...ha!].

But yea, the music industry is all kinds of jacked up and it's unfortunate because there is so much potential. It's clear musicians aren't in it just for the money [or that many aren't]. Think about how many friends you have who are in a band or just think about how many bands there are out there playing local gigs, making no money off their music but continuing to make music and perform. I'm sure some people are about the money and that's unfortunate. There's nothing wrong with making big money off it I guess, but it shouldn't be why you do something like create music. But my point is that there are so many people out there willing to make amazing music for no money at all. The money only matters because of the record companies; they're ones who are only concerned with the bottom line, as opposed to artistic integrity, creativity, quality. Yes, musicians should be rewarded monetarily for their efforts [I'm not about to go off and say they don't deserve to get paid], but for all the griping about file-sharing, it's not the artist who is complaining too much [or even the one hurt by it all]. To shift topics, speaking of people getting paid...
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education in america...

I've come across a few articles about the current status of education in this country over the past few weeks. There was the results of the "No Child Left Behind" program, showing moderate [if even that] gains in some areas [altho there were no gains in others]. Articles on affirmative action were also of interest. An op-ed about the need for better education overall came across my eyes and pretty much summed up a lot of what the other articles inspired in my mind.

I am not going to debate whether or not affirmative action is a good or bad thing [I find Clarence Thomas's opinions on the matter rather annoying and foolish...altho I feel that way about many of his opinions] and I don't know enough about "No Child Left Behind" to fairly speak on it [altho I'm sure I could sound like I know enough to do so, haha].

At the end of the day, I'm just going to get back to my point from a few posts ago: the education system in this country is in need of severe repair. The disparity in terms of the best and worst schools is deplorable and robs so many individuals of the opportunity to learn, grow, and make a difference in this world. I know I am blessed when it comes to schooling: I went to a funky and amazing Montessori school for elementary school and then an amazing college prep school for junior high [what we termed "middle school"] and high school. After that [and largely because of the schools I went to] I went on to UCLA and then Hastings for law school. I'm sure there are a ton of kids out there who could or could have accomplished much more than I if given the opportunities I received. Not to say I didn't take advantage of the opportunities or try my best...I just know there are people more gifted than I am [ok, so maybe not but still].

Anyway, it shouldn't be like that. I mean, to a certain extent there must be individual accountability and certain people need to also take some level of responsibility, such as parents. You can't force anyone to learn in the end, but parents can play a crucial role in creating the desire to learn, grow, succeed. But beyond that, the system needs to do the same. There should be books, there should be good teachers who inspire students, there should be so many things that are missing right now.

Speaking of teachers, now I can explain how I got here from the music industry. I've discussed whether or not entertainers [such as musicians, actors, etc.] and athletes are overpaid for what they go. My opinions aside, it's clear that the educators of our future are, for the most part, not paid well enough. Apparently we don't value those who play one of the biggest roles in molding and shaping out futures. Personally, the teachers throughout my life in 'lower' education [if college and grad school are 'higher' education I'm assuming high school and earlier are 'lower'] played significant roles in my life. I feel they provided a sense of direction and imparted certain lessons, values, attitudes, or maybe just ways of thinking that have stuck with me throughout my life and gotten me to where I am now.

There are many great teachers out there and I'm sure there are many not great teachers too. I think we need to appreciate our educators more and obviously compensate them better, but at the same time it's also important to ensure they are doing a good job. One of the articles I read showed how paper tests done to evaluate teachers are pretty much useless; something needs to be done about that fact. You can't just throw money at any problem; you need to ensure high quality teachers are available to all and at every level. Problems like a lack of diversity in higher education and just the general academic failings of this country occur on many levels and it is important to address each level, with a focus on getting to the root of it all.
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In the end I get frustrated with myself. I sit here with all these opinions on matters but don't do much about them. I was definitely not the public interest person at Hastings and never did much but sit and study in college. When it comes to my career ambitions they're aligned more along the lines of the artistic/creative...almost getting into the entertainment field [altho I honestly believe my passions lie in something deeper than just becoming some hot shot entertainment lawyer]. I do hope to at the least use my law degree to make some contribution to the artistic world.

As a way of combining the two big topics of this ridiculous post, I'll write about this: programs like "Save the Music" are awesome. I learned about how important extracurricular activities can be for kids in elementary school and high school. In particular, it appears that music programs and other arts can be particularly beneficial. As of now I'd like to find my way into some involvement along those lines and more generally supporting the arts.

It's easy to look at the arts and just see the mainstream: see the actors and the performers on the big stage. When looked at in this manner one sees a certain triviality to being involved in that world: the Hollywood image where people are just overly rich, get away with anything they want, and so on. That's not really the world I envisions myself a part of with my legal career. Don't get me wrong, I would like to be a part of certain portions of that world. I would like to be a part of the music industry, hopefully generating some amount of change and doing more to protect the creators, more to ensure a higher quality product is produced, more to make the industry thrive for the right reasons [as opposed to bullying people who really can't do much but give in, hopefully being able to pay the few thousands just to settle]. But I would also like to work with smaller artists, to work with arts foundations and organizations that help out the struggling artist who just needs the right opportunity or that ensure kids in schools get the chance to explore their creative abilities.

I'm sure some of this is just a romantic vision of life I possess. Some of it is simply an interest in a variety of different things because I'm young, inexperienced, and don't know precisely what I want to do with my life. Another factor is the not necessarily knowing exactly how to get where I want to be problem. Anyway, enough rambling...I guess this is what happens when you go a while without blogging after doing so consistently for a period of time. But will I have anything else to write about anytime soon?

Well, to cap off...here are some of the articles I read that inspired some of tonite's thoughts [I actually started this post while at work today and then just now finished it up...]:

• the future of the music industry: a quorum
  
• Music industry sues it's customers and wins...sadness
• related: wow, going after someone with 2 kids who makes $36,ooo a year - the recording industry must really be pressed for cash [I guess it's not as bad as when they named some kid in one of their suits]
  
• Sony's lame thievery argument [this one really upsets me]
• Radiohead says pay what u want
  
• an article on affirmative action
  
• the need for better schools
• an interesting article about college admissions

things I've just now come across:

• a funny open letter to the RIAA
• my nerdy side: a legal look at the appeal in the RIAA's most recent victory
• is the RIAA losing money on all of this?
• file-sharing continues to grow

I admit this was a somewhat different post for me in some ways, commenting on current affairs, but I think it's might become more regular...life has settled quite a bit since earlier months of this year and introspection, while constant, occurs at a different pace and in a different manner these days...anyway...I'm sleepy.