Bass

Okay, so I enjoy music. A lot. It's the only thing that keeps me sane in this world. We all know you need some sort of instrument to make music, from guitars, to some sort of horn, to even just a computer. But what most people seem to miss, or don't appreciate, is the bass. Without bass, there would be no music. Without bass there would be no place to start. It would be empty sounding, incomplete, and jagged.

I play the bass guitar, along with keyboard, and I even play a trumpet. But enough with "the way of music" and let's focus more on the bass, preferably, the bass guitar. A bass guitar looks like a regular guitar except larger in both length and usually width. The neck reaches out farther to get lower tones that the guitar would never even dream to achieve. Although most basses have only four or five strings, you can get extremely creative with how you play. This is called style. Some people prefer using a pick, others their fingers. You can slap the bass, which is basically pulling or lifting one of the strings up and smacking it against the actual bass, and at the same time hitting another string with your thumb. (Usually the lower or higher octave of the slapped string.) An octave is really just the lower or higher "version" of a note. To most people it comes naturally. Say you are signing to a song you enjoy, and you can't seem to get that high or low note, naturally you would go to the higher or lower octave that your voice can reach.

Holy crap wall of text. Anyway, I enjoy playing the bass. I use my fingers, because not only does it feel more "bass like" but it also gains a much different tone, and enables me to do a lot more than what I could if I used a pick. When playing with your fingers, you usually use your pointer finger and your middle finger and use a upward brushing motion against the string. At first it might seem extremely hard to get to some of the speeds that you hear in some bands, chances are they are using a pick, unless it's Geddy Lee or Les Claypool or something. But in time, you will be able to reach those speeds in a matter of weeks, maybe if you are a natural, a couple of days. I agree, with a pick you are able to reach those speeds a lot faster and a lot easier. But I leave the pick and the fastness to the guitarists. I'll keep on going along with style and complexity, rather than speed.

So in the end, it's kind of a trade off. Either you want speed, or you want style. I want a little bit of both, so I practice every day. As with you, me, or anyone else, in time you will be able to play and do whatever you want with that instrument, whether it's a bass, a trumpet, or anything.

Steroids

So we started to talk about steroids here. And quite frankly, I find that anyone who uses steroids, is weak and is somewhat self conscious. Think about it, when you are on a team and you start to take steroids, why is it only you? You are the only one taking the drugs, you are giving in. No one else is, so why are you? Are you afraid? Or do you want more cash?

We watched a movie called "Bigger, Stronger, Faster". It was a documentary of basically everyone that did steroids in a major pro sport. Chris Bell, a regular weight lifting, sports playing, football junky like every other guy around here. He went around towns and started to ask people if they used them or not, and why. He was able to relate in many ways, his heroes, his brothers, even himself have taken steroids. And I find that you can only fight against it, if you were part of it.

We saw both sides of the story, sympathy for the drug users, and then the hardcore people that were against it. What I find annoying is that when people hear about some sort of drug or some sort of problem, they are instantly against it. With out even hearing both sides, let alone knowing exactly what the problem is. You have people that will go up against anything just to seem that they know it all and that they can hold an "argument". And that's waht I'm seeing a lot lately.

People call it cheating, some call it enhancement, I call it a shortcut. Sure you're still working out, but look how fast everything is going. You are gaining so much muscle mass in a matter of days. While a normal person takes weeks and months of constant work. But we come at a time today where steroids is so common, that we cannot simply say; "Oh, he used steroids so lets just pull the plug on him." No. We have to do a trial that will last like two years, and in the end they will probably get away with it. I'm talking to you Berry Bons. Lie under the oath. Sure let's just let him go to cause more problems not only in sports, but in his and other lives. Ever heard of "Roid Rage"?

But in the end, what can I do to change this. What can anyone. Unless we somehow make a new set of sports where the team is required to take steroids. Then we will never stop it, and it will always be illegal. And we will always have these stupid trials over and over beating a dead horse until it's nothing but mulch.

Pregnant Ladies and Jail

So yeah, women being jailbirds and having children as well. Why don't we make a big building where they can have their kids and feed them, teach them, and try to make their lives a little better. It would benefit both the kid and the mother. If the kid doesn't live along with it's mother, it's like it's up for adoption. I find it that it's her right to take care of the child that came out screaming from her uterus.

But really, a pregnant woman robbing with guns. What? Was it really that hard to take her in? I dunno, to me it seems to me that this woman is kinda crazy, and that someone else, being in her family or some sort of common house, to raise the kid. Think about it, she had many other options to get her money, why did she rob a bank? She knew what the consiquences were. A mentally ill woman shouldn't be allowed to raise a child. It's too dangerous. Too dangerous to be raised in a prison, and too dangerous to be raised by the mother.

So in closing, the mom should get some sort of councling, and the kid should be put with caring relatives until the mother is seen fit to raise her kid.

Is it a War or a Grudge?

So for many years we have been fighting against Iraq and it's government. After so many years you have to wonder, what is our motivation? What is keeping us there? Why are we so needy on changing a country that doesn't even want to change? I think about these things almost every day. And lately it seems that I'm not the only one questioning our motives.

To me, this war has done nothing but hold us back and put us into a spiraling depression. All the gun-ho "All for Patriotism and None for Thought" people will always go for another war against any country that doesn't absolutely love America. It seems whenever a country tries to up rise their own government we have to go in and shove our noses into it. We'll stop on a undeveloped country until it's nothing but chaos and rubble, and call it another war where patriotism wins. We are the good guys and they are the bad guys. One can only be so small minded.

We as a country need to either forgive or forget, or somehow help this country while keeping their individuality and ways. I find that it is no longer a war to help them, but a grudge over 9/11. I'm not trying to sound heartless, because it was very tragic. But you have to look at the facts, look at how many casualties and hurt families were at 9/11, and then now in the war. We've lost too many for this war to be reasonable. To many soldiers their lives will never be the same. Just sharing my two cents.

The Poor

How does one know when they are high above the mountains or behind a wall of growing debt that isn't budging at all? Well most the time they don't. Either they are so high on their own fumes of money and success, or they are drunk with failure and depression. Either way they do not seem to notice where they are in the world.

On the subject of Bill and Bob, I find that unless you are in the middle of everything (Reasonable profit of money, and also able to be with your family.) you are stuck in some sort of problem. Everyone is probably going to go with Bill, since he's the family man, and is stuggling modern man. A classic story of an underdog, that still finds happiness in chaos. I agree, family is a important part of your life, you can't just completely cut yourself off from the ones you love.

Now Bob, he's the typical rich, stuck up, would rather sell his soul for a company than spend a day with his family. But in days like these, I admire his loyalty and his confidence in his work and what he does. I find it sick that today people will make a small profit, and then waste it all on some sort of item that they don't need. But I also hate when the rich and profitable people spend it all for themselves, none for the other people.

Many people are suffering in these days. And honestly it doesn't look good for the future. So what should I think while it seems that my future goes down the drain? What else can I do but try? Maybe things will turn around, I hope it does.

Poor

So yeah, a lot of countries are in debt lately. And this will probably not change for a while. Although it may seem that us Americans are in the top 5 in countries being in debt, but surprisingly we aren't. For whatever reason we are a little lower down, what surprised me is that Japan, one of the most successful countries, is in major debt.

Everyone is having problems these times, we can't do much except try not to spend as much. Our world is in our government's hands.

Poor People Getting Bail.

So, the billion dollar bail. What the hell is up with that? No seriously, it sounds great on paper, but when you put it into effect looks whats happening. You are giving poor people money from taxes that come from people that are barely hanging on, causing them to become poor. While the rich sit here and laugh. So you're saying that all these people that you're shoveling money to, will keep it for good reason such as paying off mortgages or taxes or some sort of billing, maybe even food for the kids. But I know, I know that half of all that money is just gonna be wasted on stupid crap such as, another T.V., a new car, etc. But all in the end it will just loop, if not make it worse. You'll run out of the bail they were giving you and now you have more crap to be billed on.

All the people that worked so hard to keep themselves together, such as my family. My father was in trouble since his work failed on him. My mother broke one of her arms, and I was still a young kid. We had very little income. But my mother found herself a job at home, while my dad now works at a high end planning/mapping/graphing company. We made it through, through it all. And these people get some damn bail out. I find it annoying. Having to deal with my family going through so much crap. Whatever, my rant is done.