Art of the Evening 2

We create technology before we have the ability to recognize all it is capable of. Fourteen year old girls are on social networking sites, and their parents don’t know anything about them. It is dangerous. In one famous case, a teenage girl killed herself, because another woman posed as an online boyfriend, and manipulated her feelings. A military weapons manufacturer, IRobot, made a movie by that very same name where the robots get out of control and begin eliminating humans. We have vacuum cleaners that clean the floor for us, and most people prefer speaking through instant messages then on the phone or in person. We are replacing ourselves. It is necessary for us to continue to develop our technology to compete with other countries, but the things that make us human are disappearing. Almost any muscle or limb can be replaced by a mechanical one. The question can be brought up; at what point do we stop all this? At what point is too far? Video games are in development that react to thoughts instead of button-mashing. Nanotechnology is so small the human eye can’t see it. Wars are now fought by much different means, and the cyber-age nuclear weapon is not far from being seen or used. That is what these pictures are about. I think we go too far with our technology. Many live within computers instead of in the real world. People meet in a chat room instead of at the mall.

We are dehumanizing ourselves, and I don’t think the direction we are taking things is a good path to take, although I see that it is unavoidable, because if we don’t, someone else will. It is a troubling paradox, but a very true reality.The first image is the cover for my new solo album; the second is just a sketch I did. Both are my own artwork.

Concert Review #1

I think it’s pretty hard to make any description of me without mentioning music. I physically need music, and I need to go to live shows frequently. I get withdrawals if I don’t. The following is a review of the last show I attended.
October 3rd, 2008. Obituary and Unleashed with @ Guests The Pearl Room – Mokena, IL
I have a list of bands I have to see when they come to the United States. Obituary was one of these bands, because they were one of the founders of death metal, and have one of the most unique vocalists in the genre. Their music now isn’t as technical as current day bands, so they’re a bit outdated as they still play the same back-to-basics music they did on their 1989 debut. They still put out a lot of classic records, and it was great to see those songs played live.
The openers – all were deathcore bands, a horrible genre that mixes the aggressiveness of death metal with excessive amounts of hardcore breakdowns with no technical ability that any person who’s never played an instrument could play. I hate how many of these bands make it on good bills.
Unleashed – I’ve never been a huge Unleashed fan, because they are pretty cliché Viking death metal, but they do what they do very well. The choruses were extremely catchy and the pits got pretty violent. Songs like “This is Our World Now” and “Death Metal Victory” got everybody chanting the words. Their sound quality was excellent. By the end of their set, the Norse mythology they sing about overwhelmed me, and I was ready to charge into battle. It was a lot of fun.
Obituary – Their sound quality was perfect, and their vocalist John Tardy sounded exactly like he did on CD. They played mostly new stuff unfortunately, but a few classics were thrown in. My only complaint was that Ralph Santolla, formerly of Iced Earth and Deicide, replaced a lot of the solos on the old songs with more technical random noodling. He’s a terrific guitarist, so I don’t know why he didn’t take a few minutes to properly learn the old solos. It also seemed to me that I missed some memo for everyone to pour their beer in the middle of the pit. I about broke my neck slipping all over while I was getting thrown around, we might of well been on a slip n’ slide, it was ridiculous.
Over-all the show was great, and another great experience. A few more bands have been added to my list of bands I’ve seen, the only downside was how sore I was for the following week. There’s no rush like the one I get at shows though, so it was definitely worth it.

http://www.pearlroomconcerts.com/thepearlroom/concerts.aspx

Art of the Evening

The number one thing a psychologist does is observe. I keep my eyes open to the world around me. This is a painting I did. The eye sees many colors, many shapes, and many sizes. Some parts of life are abstract, and others are more straight-forward. Sometimes parts of life find themselves out of place, like the green olive-like sphere apart from the others similar to it in the upper left-hand corner. What do you see in life? What is your perspective? How do you react to this perspective? I study psychology for a living. The functions of the human mind are individual, and the actions we all take because of that mind are just as individual. This painting is abstract, just like the human mind and human lives are abstract. I express myself through many mediums, painting is one of them. Life is what you make of it. You can see every moment as glorious, or from a more pessimistic point of view, or anywhere inbetween. I see the world around me. I study it. It's all about how you see things, and seeing is believing.

This is one of my favorite paintings I've done. There's a large contrast of colors elaborately placed, and the shading and mixing of areas communicates some level of definition. Some of the paint is thin, some of the strokes, very thick. This painting has a little bit of what my life is. It is unpredictable, generally not very straightforward, fairly spontaneous, and sometimes thought provoking. There's no end to the level of interpretations one can make from life, or this painting. I just try to enjoy every moment, just as I enjoy the placement of each color I distribute from my paint brush. Life is a canvas, and I intend on exploring all the possibilities it has to offer.

An Introduction

My Life. This is definitely a broad subject.

My Work. I'm a psychology major working for Indiana University's Social Psychology of Religion Laboratory. For a couple of years now I've been running experiments with the lab and attending psychology conferences around the nation. This October I'm attending a conference in Louisville, Kentucky. My job pays well and I honestly believe it's the best and most relevant job I could have right now. I thoroughly enjoy it.

My Music. I've been writing and recording music for quite a few years now. In a couple of months my new solo album hits stores. I'm very excited for it. It took me over a year to write and record, so it will be nice to be finished with it and have it out in the hands of fans and other listeners. I'm also involved in some other local projects, which are also doing well in their own ways. Generally I play a progressive mix of experimental and technical death metal. Flamenco and technical death metal have always been my favorite genres of music. I have my own miniature recording studio and recently recorded the EP of a local band. I'm involved in many, many projects in different ways.

My Art. I've been painting for many years, and sketching since before I could walk. I still do a lot of painting, and have pieces up for sale. I also specialize in other mediums, such as photoshop. My abilities are always up for hire, and I'd very much be willing to take new customers!