August 2010
2 posts
Last Blog Post
At this point no one wants to hear about my semester in Europe. I’ve already bragged about it enough to the people who spent 2010 in the States, and I’ve reminisced so much with the people I traveled with that bringing up studying abroad just makes us depressed.
I had a great time, time to move on.
I thought I’d be the last person to go through this “culture shock” phenomenon that was mentioned...
Music for 2010
I used to write about music a lot. I haven’t yet this year. I just wanted to get down what I’ve been listening to, and thinking while listening, in the past 8 months, before my next blog post.
Motion City Soundtrack started of my music year with their 4th CD. It was as expected, a great CD from a great band. I can count the number of bands who have released 4+ albums and I have...
July 2010
1 post
White Sox at the Break & Other Thoughts
When I returned home from Europe about 6 weeks ago my family thought I was crazy when I wanted to watch the White Sox game during dinner. Like most everyone else, they had given up on the team. Clearly I’m biased when it comes to the Sox, but I didn’t think they were done yet. Yes, on June 1st, when they were 8.5 games out of first and on pace to lose over 90 games, I was still...
May 2010
8 posts
The 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa
I’m more excited for this particular World Cup than words can explain. This past week I should’ve been studying for my final exams which are anything but simple, however something far more pertinent to my life has occupied my time. To release some steam, (and because I love to rank random things) here are a couple of top 5’s for 2010.
THE WINNER
I like to pride myself on my...
Friends
I always knew I was going to study abroad. I liked traveling, I was bored of the Midwest, but most importantly I wanted to try as many new things as possible and studying abroad offered the best way for me to do so. I went to Spain for vacation last year as a test run, to make sure Europe was the place for me. I returned surer than ever that I would be spending 4 months in Europe the following...
Favorite Dinners
A friend of mine visited us in Rome the other day, upon arrival she asked what our favorite part of the city was. It took me a while to think about it, but it really was quite obvious that it was food. I have always loved food, but this semester it has taken on a new importance in my life. More than just a means to solve the current craving I have, it has become the center of my social life and...
Cooking Class
I didn’t choose this program to learn how to cook, but the classes offered were definitely a perk. Before this semester I wasn’t terrible at cooking, but I was certainly below average. Once we got to Rome I was ready to start cooking, unfortunately I had to wait. Our first cooking class wasn’t until early March. I was disappointed it took so long to get in the kitchen, but decided I had to...
MCS: That's about a bakers dozen
For years Motion City Soundtrack has been one of my favorite bands. I saw them for the first time at the Metro in 2005. Since then I’ve seen them at least once every year. When I saw they would be playing in London over my spring break I started asking my friends who would also be in London if they wanted to go. To my surprise, many people were interested. Me and my four other roommates...
fun. - Live in London
In August 2009 fun. (ex. The Format) released their debut album Aim & Ignite. In the past 8 months it has become one of my favorite albums of all time. The music is similar to that of The Format’s, but I think it is more creative, while the lyrics are incredibly inspiring. For months I was unable to see fun live because of bad timing. They played in Chicago while I was at school, or they...
Cilento
Last weekend our program had our lone, weekend long field trip. Me, the other 31 kids from our program and our teachers traveled south to Cilento, an Italian national park. The purpose of our field trip was to study food for our food and culture course. I was really excited for the trip because it was the first time since we went to Florence in January that I was able to travel with all the...
April 2010
1 post
Spring Break 2010
After arriving back in Rome after one of the best weeks of my life, my computer broke, so I have been unable to blog for weeks, I apologize for the lateness of this post, anyways, here’s a summary of my spring break:
Thursday, March 18th: Last post I talked about how easy the trip to Amsterdam was, our journey to Dublin was the opposite. We were scheduled to fly from Rome to Dublin late at...
March 2010
1 post
Amsterdam
I went to Amsterdam last weekend and have been thinking how I can write about it. There are definitely some things I cannot write about on the internet, but the 3.5 day trip was not a non-stop party.
I finally got to travel with my good friend Catherine. We hang out in Rome often, but given our opposite school schedules traveling together on weekends has proved difficult. We left Thursday...
February 2010
5 posts
I realize it has been a while...
…but to be honest, I haven’t been this pissed off since Obama was inaugurated. However, this week, I believe the current administration has hit two very critical impasses. I see a very real possibility of this president simultaneously approaching road blocks on two issues very important to his progressive base, torture and the public option.
I guess the main reason I decided to write...
Before I left for Rome I thought I would be updating this blog a few times a week and letting everyone know about all my adventures. A few days into the semester I pulled a complete 180. I didn’t want to waste any time sitting in front of a computer summarizing what I had done, when there was so much left I wanted to do. While I still am not going to be giving daily updates I am going to update...
Vineyard Visit
I woke up Friday morning, looked out the window, and saw snow. I was surprised, but didn’t think much of it. As my classmates and I were waiting for our bus that would take us to a vineyard about an hour outside Rome I learned this was Rome’s first snow in over a decade. This made sense as all Roman’s had no idea what to do. Everyone was late, our bus left over an hour late.
...
To Sum Up: You look young, I'm having fun.
Tonight is my last day in the single bedroom of our apartment, meaning we are 1/5th done with our study abroad experience. It seems like yesterday my roommates and I were drawing cards to see who got the lone solo bedroom first. I was happy at the time to get some privacy, but now am rather excited to move out of this depressing, empty, lonely bedroom, but I can’t believe this whole thing...
January 2010
4 posts
My Dinosaur Life
Motion City Soundtrack seems to be one of the few bands that still understands the concept of an album. In what is sadly a dying art, Motion City Soundtrack recently put out another great album, their fourth. For me, being able to emotionally relate to an album as a whole is what makes it special. Nowadays people buy single songs or maybe a few, but very rarely do people look at 10-15 songs and...
Day At The Fair - “Erasing Wilkes”
...
December 2009
3 posts
2000's: Music
I’m not going to write some cliche article looking back at the past decade listing my favorite albums or who I believe the most influential bands were (because we all know it’s The Strokes). Instead I’ll write about how I will remember the 2000’s, live music. I officially went to my first concert in 2003, so I’m leaving out 3 years of music in this decade, but I...
2009: Music
My music tastes evolved a lot in the past year. I wouldn’t say they changed because I still love the poppy sounds of Fall Out Boy and Green Day, but may prefer the typical rock ‘n roll sounds of the Kings of Leon or Arctic Monkeys now. I’m always mentally debating my favorite bands of all time, or the music that I will demand my children listen to most. Listing, re-listing,...
November 2009
8 posts
The Graduate - Don’t Die Digging
Most...
WatchThis Bulls team may not win a Championship, but they are fun to watch.
Rooting for the Underdog
It undoubtedly is because I am a White Sox fan, but I will always root for an underdog. I was born a Sox fan, its in my blood. No one growing up in my house could have done any different. Adding to the fact is that I never really had a friend that was also a white sox fan until I was an upper-class man in high school. Throughout elementary school and middle school I was the subject of any big...
FIRE knockout Playoff Nemesis, Eastern Final...
On Saturday Nov. 7th the Chicago Fire were able to overcome their playoff Nemesis in the second leg of a home and away 2 game quarterfinal in the MLS cup playoffs. After losing the first game 1-0 to the New England Revolution, Chicago were able to advance through to the second round with a 2-0 home win. The game was highly contested as it always is between these two clubs and in the end...
WatchThe most nostalgic music video I’ve seen. Since 9th grade I’ve been able to trace my life simultaneously with fall out boy music/concerts/events. While watching this video that summarizes the past 7 or so years of fall out boy, I see the past 7 years of my life.
Universities
I started college two and half years ago, as a stubborn conservative, white suburbanite, whatever you want to call it. I wish I was writing right now, about how I’ve gathered support and evidence for capitalism, and the conservative stances on the social issues in this country. Sadly, I was wrong. For the purposes of keeping this paper under one million words, I will keep my arguments specific...
World Football Rankings November 2nd
1. Barcelona (last years champions league winners still look impressive this season, Messi, Ibrahimovic, Henry, enough said) 2. Internazionale Milan (Eto’o has filled in nicely for Ibrahimovic and Inter sit 7 points clear on top of Serie A in Italy) 3. Chelsea (New coach Carlo Ancelotti has C.F.C. firing on all cylinders, Drogba is off to a hot start, and this is possibly the deepest team in the...
October 2009
4 posts
Chicago
A week ago we found out Chicago would not be hosting the 2016 Olympics. I wasn’t mad or sad when I heard the news, even to the surprise of myself, I was content.
About 3 years when I first heard Chicago would make a push to get the 2016 bid I was excited. Initially I was excited of the possibility of seeing the Olympic games in person without the difficulty of traveling half way around...
“Keep The Light On” - Cavashawn
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Cold Water Mystic - “Break Me”
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September 2009
3 posts
WatchFunny Video, Funny Guys, Good Song.
“The Fighting Illini tour bus finally hit the road. Look for weekly appearances...”
– Juice Williams
WatchStarts at 48 seconds. This video does a good job of summarizing my summer internship at WGN. Under crunch time everyone stresses out but in the end all we really care about is what’s for dinner.
August 2009
9 posts
fun. - Be Calm
fun. - Aim & Ignite
When The Format broke up about a year and a half ago I was heartbroken, more than any other band announcing their hiatus. I did not see it coming and it shocked me. Their music made me happy, it was inspirational and creative.
Shortly after the announcement singer Nate Reuss clarified he was still going to make music. 18 months later and that music has finally been made. Reuss had started a...
Dinner Conversations
You can tell a lot about a family by eating dinner with them. I love dinner’s with my family, but if someone sat in on one they’d probably think my siblings and I were crazy. 90% of the things I say every meal are a quote from an Adam Sandler, Chris Farley or Will Ferrel movie. If you’re like my parents, and don’t love these movies, it probably appears as though...
Lollapalooza 2009
This is what I saw
Friday Manchester Orchestra: 1.Shake It Out 2. Pride 3. In My Teeth 4. Wolves At Night 5. My Friend Marcus 6. I’ve Got Friends 7. Mean Everything to Nothing 8. The River
The Knux: I’m not good with hip-hop setlists
The Gaslight Anthem: 1. High Lonesome 2. Casanova, Baby! 3. Old White Lincoln 4. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues 5. The ‘59 Sound 6....
WatchPatrick Stump and Fall Out Boy symbolism
WatchMTV Unplugged: All Time Low - “Remembering Sunday” Feat. Kate Voegele.
Out of boredom at work today I made a list of my favorite album, by year, of the past decade:
1999 - Blink 182 - Enema of the State 2000 - Midtown - Save the World, Lose the Girl 2001 - Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon 2002 - Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends 2003 - Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave 2004 - Jimmy Eat World - Futures 2005 - The Academy Is… - Almost Here 2006 -...
July 2009
6 posts
WatchThis is the happiest song.