4 more wins

Man, did I think it was unlikely that my playoff beard would last more than 46 days.

With the Stanley Cup finals starting Wednesday, and the earliest it could be over (Game 4) being a week later, my beard will have been around for at least 55 days. That's easily the longest amount of time I've had facial hair at any point in my life (rather, the last 3 or so years, when I could actually grow noticeable facial hair). But I know that it's definitely worth it for this Bruins team...they've shown so much in the first three rounds of the playoffs that I know they have a good chance to take the Cup, even if in 6 or 7 games. Sure, sometimes I've wondered if they actually wanted to win a game, and they've shown lapses in execution and coaching (sorry, Claude, but there was a point during the Tampa series when I thought you could still lose your job this year), but they also have the playmaking ability to win any type of game (see: a 6-5 victory in Game 2 vs. Tampa, a 3-1 victory in Game 5 (with the last goal being an empty netter with 12.1 seconds left), and playing scoreless for about 53 minutes in Game 7). Point is, it's been unbelievably amazing to watch this team in the playoffs, and everyone better be pumped for the Finals against Vancouver. WE WANT THE CUP!

Being perfect

"It's about you and your relationship to yourself, and your family, and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye, and know that you didn't let them down, because you told them the truth. And that truth is that you did everything that you could. There wasn't one more thing that you could have done. Can you live in that moment, as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart. With joy in your heart. If you can do that gentlemen, then you're perfect."

10 recently added songs

So for the last two weeks I've been adding a plethora of songs to my iPod, and I love talking about music, so why not another ten song post? Here are ten of the 50 songs in my recently added, in no particular order:

1. The Space Between - Dave Matthews Band. I've liked this song for a while, but never had it on my iPod - glad that changed. This song has 3 parts to it; the verse, chorus, and...that 3rd part that sounds cool. The chorus obviously being the part where he talks about the space between, the verse being every other part, and that cool 3rd part coming in at 1:49.

2. Home (Acoustic) - Daughtry. The studio version of this song is amazing as it is, but this acoustic version just sounds so full. What I love about Daughtry is that he doesn't do anything special in any of his songs. No ultra hard guitar solos, no 8 minute songs...he has his voice and he has his guitar, and that's all he needs.

3. Blackfield - Blackfield. Yes, this song has the same title as the band (not sure if the album is also called "Blackfield"), but that doesn't make it any less good. This is one of those songs you can just listen to on repeat and not even pay attention to it, which is exactly what I love about it. But after you listen to it enough times, you start to pick up on the intricacies of the song, as you would with any other piece of music.

4. Karma Police - Radiohead. There are just so many good parts to this song. The bass in the verse, the notes in each piano chord (especially in the chorus), and the great outro. I've known about this song for a while (it was actually one of the first songs I learned on guitar (only to forget it by this point in time)), but again, never had it on my iPod.

5. Rolling in the Deep - Adele. Damn, is her voice amazing. This is one of those songs you can sing in the car at full blast with the windows down and have people stare at you from the sidewalk, and you either 1) don't notice them because you're singing so loud, or 2) notice them and just don't give a damn because you're singing so loud. Also, think about mashing the chorus to Crazy by Gnarls Barkley with the chorus of this song. Sounds like it could be a sweet mashup.

6. Missing Persons 1 & 2 - OneRepublic. Oh, how different two parts to the same song can be. It's clear where the gap is in this song, and for the first few times I listened to it, I didn't like the drum over the string, throwing off the tempo. Nor did I like the...xylophone-sounding-thingy (I forget the real name for it I'll probably remember eventually and not change this) before the keyboard came in...but wow did that change. The lead singer's voice is so amazing in every song OneRepublic has, and this song can make you feel one way one minute, and a totally different way the next minute. It's something that can be done well so rarely, but these guys certainly pull it off.

7. I'd Do Anything - John Butler Trio. This song is the definition of chilling outside, preferably sitting on some grass hanging out, on Saturday afternoon. Either that, or just cruising driving with the windows open, tapping along with your left hand on the side of the door. So awesome.

8. Warm Whispers - Missy Higgins. I have a secret crush on Missy Higgins, primarily because her music is awesome, secondarily because of her fantastic accent (otherwise and henceforth known as "fantaccent"). She can sing a variety of songs, from upbeat to melancholic to sweet-sounding. This one is obviously a little more of the last two, but definitely more sweet-sounding. And who doesn't love harmony and pianos/keyboards?

9. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj. This song is just mad fun to listen to. I mean I don't know any of the words, but that doesn't stop me from trying to sing/rap it...but it probably should. Either way, everything is so bright in this music video that it makes me want to drive around an extremely well-lit street listening to this song (kinda how it was in The Hangover when they first got to Vegas).

10. The First Time - U2. U2 never ceases to amaze me. Every song they sing is either some epicly loud, powerful song like "Pride (In the Name of Love)", or a quiet song that slowly builds up, like "Bad" or "Running to Stand Still." And Bono's voice is at the top of the list for me. It doesn't range so much in this song as it does in others, but I strongly recommend everyone to U2. You're bound to find something that hits you.

Other songs to check out:

Zebra - John Butler Trio

I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

When the World Ends (Live) - Dave Matthews Band

Secrets (Acoustic) - OneRepublic

Home Base

So this past Sunday I went to the Red Sox/Cubs game at Fenway, and as part of the game's ceremonies, they celebrated the Run to Home Base Program and all of the service that our country's troops have given to their country. It was truly magical to see people from the Army, the Navy, the Marines, and other servicemen and servicewomen on the field. People were recognized for their efforts overseas, and the ceremony was nice as it was, but what really hit me were the ovations from the fans. For a few minutes, the 37,000-plus at Fenway weren't fans of a baseball team...they were citizens of the United States of America, supporting the men and women who put their lives on the line for us and for their country. About 20 minutes before gametime, I got really excited because I could tell that the flag crew was standing in the front row of the Green Monster, ready to unveil the American flag draped over Fenway's 37-foot left field wall. Hearing that many people sing the Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America was haunting and empowering at the same time. It has become one of those inescapable feelings, something that I can think about and get chills running all around me. It's absolutely beautiful to see the support for our troops and what they do, and it's even more beautiful to see their reactions of humility knowing that what they do is just part of their duty. I could go on saying the same thing in different ways about how amazing it feels to think about this, but I leave you with two pictures - one of the troops lined around the infield, and one of the American flag hanging over the Green Monster. I remember my blog post around Opening Day and how I talked about the American flag at Fenway being one of my favorite sights. That's still absolutely true.

The little things

Trivial things rule. Trivial things that rule also rule. However, trivial things that suck, suck. Makes sense, right? Well. I've decided that the trivial thing that rules the most is the snugness of your bed on the first night after your sheets have been washed and put on your bed. It's comfortable and warm, and it's the greatest little thing ever.

Now the worst little thing ever is getting shampoo in your eyes. Because it stings like hell, you have to rub your eyes in the hot water for like 5 minutes before you can even continue on with your shower, and then your eye is extremely bloodshot for the rest of the day.

Other than that, everything else is between the extremes of the spectrum.

Other than that, this looks like a really boring blog post. I'm not saying you will think that, I'm saying that I think that. Probably because it's so trivial. Good thing trivial things rule...

The meaning of life

It currently stands at 10:46 a.m., Monday, May 9th, 2011. I have no idea why I said that, but that's what it is. I'm listening to the most beautiful piece of Lost music I have ever heard, sitting outside with the wind blowing all around me. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and by this time in three days, I will be getting ready to leave Stonehill for the final time of the 2010-2011 school year. I was going to use this post to preface a philosophical internal dialogue about what we discussed on the last day of class, which was the afterlife, and some of the conclusions I've drawn from that discussion. Instead, This will serve as my last post before I return home, to offer some final thoughts on the end of the year. I feel as though this is going to be a horribly humbling blog post, and I'm already starting to feel melancholic. As I take this time to reflect on my first year at college, find some time in your life to just reflect. Everyone has some music that puts them in that indescribable mood, and for me right now, it's that Lost music. It's the last piece of music played in the series, where everything wraps up beautifully, despite the six years it took to get there. The last scene is Christian Shephard, the father of the main character, walking out of the church that resembles the afterlife, showing all of the characters together once again, as they were on day one, as they will be forever.

In regards to this afterlife, it's essentially all what you believe. Some believe in eternity, others believe in nothingness, and others aren't sure what to believe. I'm at a point right now where I'm not so sure what I believe. I know I believe that the mind cannot work if the brain is dead, because the mind is dependent on the brain. Based off that logic, it would follow that the mind dies with the body, and does not continue on into the afterlife. Which leaves the soul to question the continuation of. If there is no soul, then there is no afterlife, if you ask me. That's just what I believe. If there is a soul, then we still aren't sure, because we can't conceive of experiencing the soul living on after death. At least I can't. And I'm not entirely sure I want to necessarily believe all of this, but sometimes it is what it is.

Your view on the afterlife probably has an impact on what you believe the meaning of life to be, as well. There are beliefs that we can control what happens to us in the afterlife based on what we do on Earth. I don't think we can control something like that - it is not within our powers to dictate what happens to us after death. And because we can't know for sure what happens, we have to make the most of what we do here, while it is still within our control. And I'm not going to tell you what making the most of it consists of. It's not my place to, because it's your life to live. That's what's most important here. My dad once told me that "life is what you make of it." In my late adolescent stage, I nodded and pretended like I was actually invested in the conversation, while casting his words aside. Sorry, Dad. You were right.

It's now 11:09 a.m., Monday, May 9th, 2011, and I am once again unsure why I inform you of the date and time. I'm still listening to the most beautiful piece of Lost music I have ever heard, and I've been humbled by my own words like I never have before. But I leave you with the words of someone who put the meaning of life in much simpler terms than I did.

"Life is nothing until it is lived, but it is yours to make sense of; the value of life is nothing other than the sense you choose."

            - Jean-Paul Sartre

Colors

So my year at Stonehill is just about complete; right now, I'm in the midst of a break for my Psych final on Monday, watching the Celtics play phenomenal basketball in Game 3. It's about time they turned it on, too - they're feeding off of Rondo's energy, just like the Red Sox always feed off of Dusty. Speaking of our beloved local 9, a 15-18 start isn't certainly anything like we expected, but there are bright spots. Gonzo is hitting over .300, Lester actually had a good April (and if he keeps that up, he can win a Cy Young), and Papelbon isn't that terrible anymore. But of course, the story of the month is the playoff success of the Boston Bruins. I guess Claude can keep his job now, huh?

For whatever reason, as I type this, I have some sentimental feeling towards this post. Even though I was talking about sports, there seemed to be some underlying melancholy inside of me. I mean, I'm going to be home in about 4 days, back wreaking havoc in the streets of Watertown. But I kinda liked wreaking havoc around campus, too. And by wreaking havoc, I mean being a child, laughing hysterically in the quiet cafe, having epic jam sessions, either with friends or by myself, and walking around campus listening to mood- and weather-appropriate music. (For example, I walked to dinner in the rain listening to LOST music. It was really cool, and I actually started walking faster the closer I got to the Commons, since I could see the lightning and hear the thunder. SO awesome.)

Hopefully these last few days at school are filled with blue skies, sunny days, and the final goodbyes, until next time. And who knows when next time will be - hopefully not in August, because I would love to see my Stonehill friends over summer, just how my Watertown friends came to visit me at school. It's going to be a long summer with Camp P and Orientation in the summer and fall, but I know I'll be excited for it every day, and that's all I need to worry about.

Minesweeper

So I recently actually learned how to play Minesweeper (instead of arbitrarily clicking) this week and now I'm addicted to it. Especially because my laptop keeps stats on games won :) The end.

http://www.onlineminesweeper.com/