So Over Joy.

So, good news and bad news. Let's start with the bad news (What can I say? I'm a pessimist). You might remember when I blogged about how my Nona and Papa (Grandma and Grandpa) were temporarily living with us and that they were moving out soon. Well, that isn't happening. My Papa isn't taking the job he was offered after all. Which, of course, is very disappointing.

Now, on to the good news. Steven Page (Who rocks in case you don't know) just released his new solo album Page One and it is awesome! He released a single from it called Indecisive a couple of months ago and it actually inspired the name of my old blog Indecision. There are a lot of things that I love about this album, but what I love the most is that it made me realize something. A good song is, in many ways, like a good painting. What first draws you to a song is it's melody and the harmonies. The music. Which, is the equivalent of a painting's aesthetic appeal. Its color palette, brushstrokes, and a lot of other things about which I know nothing. However, what makes a painting or a song a masterpiece is the meaning behind it. In the case of a song this is usually shown through the lyrics. Now, these two things don't always have to correspond. A painting can have bright, flamboyant colors and still convey a dark or cynical message. A good artist can still show the deeper meaning without making it obvious. I feel like Steven Page does this with his new album. The majority of the songs have sarcastic, depressing, or cruel themes, but the entire album is really upbeat. It kind of reminds me of what Adler says about enjoyable beauty and admirable beauty.

Well, done with talking about Steven Page for now. Hope that didn't bore you too much.

There are some things in life I don't want to try. However, some of those things I don't realize I don't want to try until I have tried them. Take, for example, pumpernickel bagels. You see, I had never tried pumpernickel bagels until yesterday. I had smelled them before, but never tasted them. They didn't smell bad or look bad. My sister (or my pumpernickel pusher if you will) encouraged me to try it. However, she did warn me that it had a weird spice in them. I took a bite. It was disgusting! I wanted to throw up. My only consolation was that my sister, who had actually never had a pumpernickel bagel either, tried it after I did and was just as grossed out.

Land Ho!
Simon