The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I thought I'd take some time away from the crazy world of politics and write about one of my loves, one of the things which helps keep me reasonably sane despite the before-mentioned craziness - music. I have a wide range of likes when it comes to music. Growing up, my mom preferred to listen to oldies, while my dad opted for classic rock, and my family in Michigan listened to, what else, but Motown. My brother involved himself in jazz band, introduced me to some alternative rock bands. A few friends of mine enjoyed rap and/or country. Through it all, I've come to enjoy at least a few songs from every genre, including country, which is without question my least favorite style of music. Even so, though, I can't help but feel like rock 'n' roll runs through my veins. I loved it when I was a child and my dad played: Boston, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Aerosmith from his record player, and I've been hooked ever since....

I often times find that it's difficult to differentiate between "bests" and "favorites," as they can tend to get blurred and we then mistake one for the other and vice versa. Just a couple weeks ago, someone asked me to name what I thought were the five best songs of all time. This was incredibly difficult on multiple fronts. First off, how exactly would one define "best" in this situation? The five most influential songs of all time? The five most technically sound songs of all time? The five most emotionally-charged, inspirational, or affecting songs of all time? There are a number of different routes one could travel when being asked such a question. It's also difficult to discern one's own personal best to the best at large. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" - is it one of my personal favorite songs? No. But do I feel it's probably one of the best rock songs in the genre's history? Yes. In both scenarios, a person...

Facebook cracks me up on holidays (not literally, but I do always have lotion with me, just in case), especially birthdays. I mean, sure, it's nice to be told, "Happy Birthday!!!" However, when standing back and thinking about it, it's also kind of strange to be told such things from people I haven't talked to over the phone, let alone seen in the past 10-15 years. It would be incredibly strange to receive phone calls or cards in the mail from these very people wishing me a happy birthday, would it not? In any case, with today being Mother's Day and all, I'm having to chuckle at some of the statuses on the before-mentioned social networking site. I can't tell you how many times I've read the following statuses this morning: "Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!" "Happy Mother's Day to my mom - the best mom in the world!" With the first status, my immediate thought is, "Who else would we wish a Ha...

As much as I hate to say it, since I despise the New York Yankees, I've really been saddened to see future Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and now Derek Jeter go down with injuries this year. Hate the Yankees as much as you'd like, these two guys have been two of the greatest for a number of years, have been extremely loyal to their club throughout their lengthy careers and have been stand-up citizens off the field as well. Just as I would have hated to have seen Atlanta Braves future Hall of Famer third baseman Chipper Jones retire after his injury-filled season a year ago, I'd hate for Rivera and Jeter to retire in such a fashion. I hope the two can come back for one more healthy season and be able to leave the game in a much better manner than if they were to retire after this season. I wish them both a very speedy recovery and if either should decide to retire after this season, as a fan of baseball, all I can say is that it's been a genuine pleasure watching them.