Video Killed the Radio Star

I'm listening to the song Video Killed the Radio Star by the Bugles and all of the sudden it hit me.

I've always thought this song to be completely arbitrary. I would just listen to it and bob my head cause it's a good song. But then the whole meaning of the song just came to me. Video actually killed the radio [star]. It was meant so literally I almost felt blind. With new technology the obsolete is quickly set aside- it no longer has the glamour it once held. Radio didn't have this awe-some grip on listeners anymore. Instead video and television stole the spotlight. Sure, radio is still around but now it's just there. There's nothing really special about it. It just became another form of media.

Mark Twain once said something similar. He wrote this piece about how when he first came to the Mississippi, it had this mystical, inspiring, unknown beauty to him. It was simplistic but it absolutely captivated him. However, he says, with time and experience came knowledge. When he looked up toward the sky he no longer saw shape-shifting clouds. He only saw what tomorrow's weather would be like: rainy, clear, overcast, etc. He no longer looked at the swirling current of the river and saw beauty-he saw what it was like, how strong it was, which direction it was going and was it beneficial for the boat? He goes on to further say that doctors, with all of their education and knowledge, do they see the beauty in the blush of a girl's cheek or do they see a hint, some umbrage to a possible illness? I suppose Twain's point was: is knowledge really worth it? Without knowledge, people take more pleasure in the natural, simplistic beauties of life. The world isn't complicated, there isn't a scientific reason for the clouds being wispy or ominous. It just is.

With the invention of the video, radio lost its appeal. There was something new, something better. More advances were made and people now no longer saw the beauty in the blush of a young girl. There's nothing wrong with moving forward, gaining more knowledge. It can do a lot of good in this world. But we shouldn't simply forget the old things. There's a certain nostalgia that is always there; a loving sense of youth.

A New Year

There was never any more inception than there is now,

Nor any more youth or age than there is now,

And will never be any more perfection than there is now,

Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now.

-"Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman

If there's one thing I don't completely get, it's the New Year. Why do so many people make such a big deal out of the New Year? What's all the hoopla about? I guess it's because it signifies the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. There's this quote from Anne of Green Gables and it goes something along the lines of "tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it...yet." I suppose that's how some people think of the New Year. Like Walt Whitman says, there's really not the huge of a difference between this past year and 2009. What's different is us. Everyone starts out with good intentions, New Year's resolutions are set in stone and they will be kept this year. It seems like they hardly ever are though. I don't even make New Year's resolutions. People always talk about turning over a new leaf. But what if I like the leaf I'm on? What if I'm ok with the way I am? I'm the kind of person that seeks for a change as I go along and find a better alternative. I don't make big goals for myself simply because I know 80% of the time I won't keep them, I won't truly achieve them. It's just a different digit at the end of 200, it's just a future that's quickly becoming your present. No big difference, really.

Anyway. Here are some 'highlights' from '08:

*Back surgery

*Physical therapy

*Turning 16 which is the worst age ever

*Luke getting his mission call and going to Hiroshima!

*Spending more time with Clayton than pretty much anyone else...

*The Dark Knight, The Spirit, Prince Caspian, Ghost Town, Iron Man= all great movies

*The election and rearranging election signs

*Ap Euro which is pretty much the best class I've ever taken

What are some of your highlights?

Favorite... Underrated (Semi-Famous) Person

So I'm stealing one from MasterTheory. (Sorry?)
Mine:
Mildred Taylor
Status: Author of some of the best books ever (i.e. The Land, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry)
What's yours?

Frustrated

This week has been very frustrating. For multiple reasons. Including people. And mendacity. Heavens above, I feel like Brick, Betram Pincus, and George Bailey all meshed into one. I hate this society that I'm in, this world that is just so...bound. I could very easily be a hermit, someone who avoids or just doesn't make contact with other people. Why do people have to be so disappointing? (I believe MasterTheory blogged about this...)
But anyway I saw The Spirit and I really liked it. It's a neo-noir and films noir are my favorite, neo or regular. I have also discovered that Gabriel Macht is lethal when he speaks French.
Christmas was fun. We did Meals on Wheels Christmas morning which is an organization that delivers meals to people in Detroit who are home-bound, mainly elderly people. It was an interesting experience and just reiterates the fact that I'm lucky to live in the place I do.
Happy Holidays and have a Happy New Year.

Thanks...

...to Andrea G. for the new layout. I love it. And I think it's super cool that she knows how to do stuff like this. Thanks a bunch!

(p.s. When did you want to have an Office marathon??)

Hmm...

I'm tired and I don't want to go to swim practice. But I skipped yesterday so I figure I should go today. It's been a couple of weeks since I blogged and just a few minutes ago I was reading my friend Samantha's blog. She had this link off to the side that was entitled "seven exciting posts" or something along those lines. So I was reading through all of them and there was this one post that really got me thinking. On it, she had posted this question:
If you were not born or raised into the religion you grew up with, would you still be a member of that church?
The answer to that question would probably be: no. There are only about (give or take a few thousand) twelve million Mormons worldwide. That's not even one-tenth of one percent of the world's population. Besides, I have already decided that if I wasn't Mormon, I would probably be agnostic. Or Amish. That would definitely be up there on my list. [Atheists just seem so extreme to me (I don't know why but that's just my mental picture).] However, in growing up Mormon I have come to appreciate my religion. Many people would say that my religion's standards are too restricting; they don't let you have fun or whatever. But this is the way I see it: are the things that my church advises us not to do really "fun" or is that the world's (or even the media's) definition of fun? Do you have to participate in certain activities to enjoy life to the fullest or be accepted? I'm pretty sure I'm not missing out on much by not drinking alcohol, smoking, or doing drugs. In living the standards of my church (e.g. dressing modestly, following the Word of Wisdom, being charitable, etc.) it has helped me to become a better person. I'm not saying that I'm this great person who's practically perfect because I absolutely do not think that at all. But in being a member of my church, I think it's just really opened my eyes to things that I wouldn't have seen or noticed otherwise. For example, many people believe that the Earth was created by the Big Bang. Well I'm not going to lie, I don't know if there was some massive explosion and our Earth was created but one thing I do know is that our world just seems too complicated, too convenient, to have just been an accident. (Just in case you didn't know, I don't really believe in "accidents" unless it's like bumping into someone in the hall.)
Overall, I'm grateful for my religion and the role it plays in my life. A lot of people argue that your religion has nothing to do with the person you are. I respectfully disagree.

Probably the Best Feeling Ever...

...is when you're on JV quiz bowl and you try out for Varsity quiz bowl and you actually make it on the starting line up for the B team. Yes, I am officially on varsity quiz bowl. For one tournament. But hey, I made it. YES!
Just thought I'd share a moment of pure ecstasy with my limited readers. :)