Of Vinyl & Time Lords

My New Years' resolution/goal was to start a blog about things I get obsessive about. So, here it is. Of Vinyl and Velvet. I don't know how often I'll be able to update since the winter quarter is about to begin, but I'll try. :)

First order of the day: vinyl.

I've recently become obsessed - or reacquainted. your pick. - vinyl records. After going to a friend's house and listening to a few Beatles records on her new record player, I realized just how classic music really sounds when played on a record player. Especially when it's the Beatles. That said, I went out and found some authentic jazz/blues back from the 40s/50s - Jimmie Noon, Bing Crosby, Irving Berlin, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, etc. etc. If you want something to get into this year, pick vinyl. With all the new gadgets of the 21st century, it feels nice to go back in time.

Second: Lady GaGa

Most of you who know me personally know that I am obsessed with Lady GaGa. It's not just because she's "weird," as some put it. Granted, I do have a tendency to like "weird" things, but I like Lady GaGa for a completely different reason.

1) She's not ashamed of being an oddball in the music industry. She admits to being self-conscious in high school and you know what? Good for her. Everyone else is self-conscious in high school. What's that saying? "Take a walk on the wild side." Actually, that's a Lou Reed song, but most people know it....or, at least...they should....
2) She actually sings. With an era of lip-syncing, talentless pop-singers ending the 20th century (and then kicking it off), aren't you glad that she can actually sing? I mean, every time she performs live, her song is different, yet still the same.
3) Fashion icon. Once she was big, others started copying her. That's not a sign of talent, but it's a sign that you're leading the way.

Third: Doctor Who.

As the longest-running sci-fi series in history, this show has come a long way. And New Who not only has some very attractive people, but some excellent writing script-wise. And with 12 million viewers in the UK alone tuning in for David Tennant's last episode, you can't deny the popularity of this series. People love it. Though, whether they love it for the quality of the show or for the quality of the lead actor is debatable. It also has this repeating image of humanity and all of mankind pulling together in times of utter chaos and need that makes my heart warm and fuzzy. Seeing this happen in real life might be unrealistic, but one can only hope....

Fourth: Avatar (Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you haven't seen the movie yet.)

Remember how Star Wars: A New Hope revolutionized special effects in the 70s? Well, Avatar is the "New Hope" of the 21st century. Everywhere I go, all I see is "Visually stunning!" and "A visual masterpiece!" when describing this movie. And, having seen it twice - once in regular 3d and once in fake IMAX - I'd have to agree. With incredible floating mountains and long-limbed, super-toned blue cat-like aliens, along with six-legged horse-things and other...creatures....and even glow-in-the-dark bioluminescent (is that a word?) plant-life, Avatar literally blew my mind. Not to mention the fact that it all looked 100% real.

The story wasn't so bad either. In Avatar, humans are mining a rather pricey ore on a faraway planet known as Pandora. The natives, who have a biological, spiritual, and emotional connection with nature (a.k.a their deity Eywa) understandably disapprove of mankind's destruction of nature in order to mine this ore. It mimics Dances With Wolves in some ways. Basically, the plot: Man is greedy. Man tries to kick natives out. Natives try to fight back. Man causes more destruction which evokes emotion in the audience. Natives fight back again and kick ass. Bad guys lose; good guys win.

Obviously, the plot is a little more complex than my bare-minimum summary, but you get the point. The main message? We, as humans, take what we want from nature and destroy everything else that gets in the way. It echoes a sort of guilt over what the U.S. did to the Native Americans way back in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Overall, it's a great movie. Very evocative. Go see it. :)

That's all for today, folks. Go listen to some Kings of Leon or Phoenix. Apologies for this being a lackluster first posting. I've just gotten back into town after flying and I'm super tired. -_-

Cheers