Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit (of coming home)

I haven't blogged in a while, and with a little push from Adam, I figured I'd get on here and try to spark my interest in writing again.

It's a little hard with my job now, because the office internet is ridiculously locked down, so I spend half my time looking for loopholes in order to post to twitter and read news and stuff. I still haven't found a way to update the blog, and when I come home, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer. The previous 9 hours of the day have kind of ruined it for me. Kind of like college and textbooks did with reading. I'm actually reading The Watchmen right now, and while it's only a graphic novel, I consider it a big step up from not wanting to read ANYTHING during college. Plus, The Watchmen is really good. I recommend it for anyone who liked Sin City and/or is interested in seeing the movie.

Anyways, life here in Texas has been pretty good. It's been cool lately (mid-70's), I've met some cool people, and I'm getting to the point of training where I understand a lot of stuff, so it's a lot more fun than it was 2 months ago. I'm going to Albuquerque this next week for a training trip with another employee who's been at it a lot longer than me. I'm heading home to Portland the weekend before (this weekend) and am really looking forward to it. I haven't seen Hayley in a while (or Bella!), as well as Mom and Dad, so this will give me a chance to see all of them. If anyone else will be in town, I would love to see you all, so just let me know and we'll figure something out. I'm only in Texas until Christmas, and will be home twice before that, so I think these next couple months are going to fly by, which is more than welcomed.

However, until then, I'm finding a lot of ways to enjoy my time in Houston. It's a pretty ridiculous city, and you'd have to be here to know exactly what I mean, but it has its perks. There is a LOT of good music that comes touring through here. I went to a Ben Kweller concert last week, which was great. My brother actually saw him this weekend in Eugene, so that's pretty cool. I also went to see The Kooks, but they canceled because the lead singer was "ill" (hungover), so the opening band The Whigs played as the headliners for free, and were actually pretty darn good. Next, I'm going to see Kings of Leon later this month, as well as Keith Anderson, and (hopefully) TV On The Radio. I thought Portland was big on live music, and they are, but not on quite the scale that Houston is. You can go out EVERY weekend and see good live music anywhere, as well as check out tons of concerts, so I've been doing that a lot.

I've also been exercising a lot with Allen, a buddy I met down here who's going to Orange County. He's the one I've been going to concerts with, too. But we've been getting up every morning to run and then going to the gym most nights after work. It gives me something to do, and keeps my mind off of missing home, as well as get me into shape, so it all works out. We are starting to drive out to Memorial Park by 6:00am, get a solid 30-50 minutes of running in, then head back in time to get to work by 8:00am. Running in the morning really makes me feel good at work. I'd never done it before, but it's a really nice way to wake up. It's relaxing for me, but also gets my body going.

Last weekend I played 36 holes of golf. The first 18 were in a company tournament. I helped my team to a solid last place finish, but it wasn't my fault. It was a scramble, but we had to use a certain portion of everyone's shots. First off, our A (best) player didn't show up, so we were already off to a bad start. But then, the guys I was teamed with were awful. I mean, we struggled to take any of their shots. We used almost all of my drives, approaches, and inevitably (after they missed) my putts. Anyone who has golfed with me knows, from those statements, that the team was pretty bad. I mean, I was our best player? Come on guys. Plus, I was using a friend's clubs, which weren't anything like mine at home except in the fact that both sets suck. But anyways, Allen, Rob and I decided to go out for a second round right after we finished the first. Rounds at this place (Blackhorse GC) were typically $75, but we got the "replay" rate, which was $16! We couldn't pass that up. However, we did go get a bottle of Pendleton and some beer. That helped us through the second 18. But when I come home, you better believe I'm going to be wanting to go out on the course. Anyone in for a round this weekend?

I have been trying to keep up on the Ducks, but aside from a few games that they have at sports bars, I haven't been able to catch many. Last week's was just ugly, so I played Big Buck Safari instead of watching the end of it. Franklin has done a pretty good job of keeping me updated, which I really appreciate. Him and Rob Moseley have been my only links out here. Oh, and if I have to hear anymore bullshit about the Texas - Oklahoma game this weekend, I'm going to shoot myself. I hate both teams, but that's all I hear out here. Ugh. I can't wait to get back to Oregon where I can watch football without all the stupid shit. Well, not counting FSN...

I can't wait to start watching Blazers games, too. Hopefully they will play the Rockets in Houston while I'm here. That would be awesome. Tonight they're beating Sacramento in their first pre-season game. Can't wait to see Oden in action!

This is an interesting time in America. The presidential elections are a month away, the economy is the worst it's ever been since the Great Depression, and yet here I am, displaced and feeling totally removed. It's a weird feeling. I am following the debates and everything, and will vote, that's a given. But I don't have any money invested in the stock market (if I have to hear Wall St. vs. Main St. one more time...), no house, no mortgage, not much money in general, so I really haven't felt the hit. And it's kind of scary. I know all this crap is going to affect me, especially when I go to get a mortgage, or eventually start contributing to my 401k, but I just can't make it seem real right now.

Alright, well, I've rambled on long enough. I want to keep up on the blogging thing, but a little nudge now and then won't hurt. I plan to come out with a Top 5 Albums of the Year list soon, as I've been listening to a LOT of music lately. Any other ideas? Just ramble about life or what?

You can always keep up on my life somehow. I'm always trying to find ways to communicate, and have a few methods:

• Twitter.com/KevinRegan
• KevsPix
• Facebook

Hopefully I can catch up with everyone somehow soon. I miss everyone and home, and am excited to come home soon. I'll do my best to keep you and this blog updated, but if not, yell at me (or just call...)

2 New Posters

These two posters are awesome! Not because they are anything special visually, but because of what they represent. Quantam of Solace (aka Bond 22) looks amazing, and just seeing Daniel Craig in a tux gets me excited (insert gay joke or "that's what she said" here)." I can't wait for this movie. I'll be there opening (mid)night! And the new Guy Ritchie movie RocknRolla looks awesome too. It's like his other movies, but on steroids. Well, his other movies are already on steroids, so this is like those, but with even more steroids. Two scoops of steroids in every bite!

Check them out below:





Also, you all should check me out on Twitter at twitter.com/kevinregan because Ryan, Jake, Bryan, Kroen, and I are all doing some impromptu list compiling. It's a lot of fun, actually. Right now, we have favorite albums and favorite movies. I stress the word FAVORITE. Not best, but rather our faves. So, go over, check it out, join Twitter, follow me, and join in the conversation!

Pics of Last Night's Kanye Concert

I just posted 8 pictures of the Kanye West concert in Portland last night on KevsPix. I was in the 18th row on the floor, so I felt obligated to snap a few. I had to check the battery in my camera at the customer service booth before the show because of the no camera policy, so these are from my phone. I'm not sure how they turned out, because I can only see them on my phone, but hopefully you can see something. The concert was incredible! I'll post about it later today. I have some video too, and have no idea how that will look, but I'm going to upload them to YouTube later and post them with my big post, so watch for that.

Until then, check out the pics at http://kevinregan.tumblr.com

Kanye West Concert Tonight!

Myself, the venerable Mr. Franklin, and the always stylish Mr. Jerome, will be heading up to Portland tonight to see the Glow in the Dark tour at the Rose Garden. As much as I hate the Rose Garden, it's hard to pass up Kanye, Lupe Fiasco, Rhianna, and N.E.R.D., all together, on the floor, for $60.

I'll try and post some pics and/or vid when I get back.

Open Your Ears: Ya Boy

I just heard Ya Boy for the first time yesterday, but I guess he's been around a while. That's the story with a lot of rappers though. Especially for me. Wait, Snoop Dogg? Who's that? Well, it's not that bad, but I wouldn't say I have nearly the knowledge of the "indie rap" scene, as I will call it, that I do of the indie rock scene. But my friend Josh does, and that's how I heard about Ya Boy.

Anyways, Ya Boy has 3 albums, and is soon to release his first single to radio stations, called (of course) "Holla at Ya Boy". It's already on iTunes if you want to check it out. You can check out more about Ya Boy on his website too, which is pretty bad ass to be honest. He's got a great flow, and some really great beats, which is what rap is all about these days. But, they're not beats made for radio. The beats and the flow all sound authentic, which is equally as important in my opinion.

I personally love this song, "No Replacement", his remix of Beyonce's "Irreplaceable", which is really funny. I have to warn you though, it's definitely rated R. It doesn't show his talents, but I just think it's great. If you want to check out more about him, you should check out this playlist on imeem.

Hopefully this post gets Zach off my back about never posting about rap music. So take a listen below, and then anytime you want after that, as it's on the Blogarrhea playlist at the top of the page.

The Boss Endorses Obama

Earlier today I heard that Bruce Springsteen officially endorsed Barack Obama, and my initial reaction was, "that's awesome." I love Bruce Springsteen, and I want Obama to be President, so naturally I was pleased. But then I started thinking: does it really matter? Does the Boss really have the power to sway voters with his endorsement? Maybe, maybe not. But I think there are a number of arguments for why this is important.

First of all, Bruce Springsteen's music embodies working class heroism. He's always celebrated the blue-collar, working class American, so I imagine his opinions may go a long way in that demographic. However, he has never been much of a political songwriter. He may have political overtones in some songs, but nothing close to Dylan, U2, or Green Day, who all wrote more specifically and had more of an agenda with their political music. The point here is that nobody looks to him for political advice.

In a more "big picture" way, though, I think this is important. One, while he's just one more of the many on the list of Obama endorsers, the difference is everybody knows his name. He's iconic, so it really doesn't matter what his politics are, because a lot of people are going to notice this endorsement, which is good for the overall campaign.

Just some random thoughts. Anyway, here's the official announcement text from Springsteen's website:

Dear Friends and Fans:

LIke most of you, I've been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.

He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where "...nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone."

At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams From My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.

After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.

Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President.

Bruce Springsteen

Check out the site and announcement here.

Before I finish this post, I just want to say that the debate tonight on NBC was pretty awful. Although I though both Barack and Hillary looked good in it, I was very dissatisfied with ABC's job of hosting it and both moderator's jobs. Some of those questions were pretty awful, and I'm not sure if they got to a real issue within the first hour. Maybe hour and a half.

Album Review: Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.

Panic at the Disco just released a new album called Pretty. Odd. on March 25. It's different from their first album (contrary to what the first track proports) in many ways, but in my opinion, all for the better. I liked their first album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, when I first heard it. I bought it and listened to it quite a bit. But then it got really old, and I haven't picked it up since. That was about 3 years ago. The combination of its overly dramatic musical style with it's pretentious, convoluted song titles caused it to become very stale. It didn't seem like there was much about it that was honest, so I put it aside forever. So when this new one came out, I got it and listened to it with a grain of salt, hoping I liked it. Turns out, I really like it.

First of all, they dropped the ! in their name. That, as a statement, sums up this album pretty much. They seemed to become much more serious and honest about what they were doing, while still retaining their ever-present veiled humor. Now, it must be said at the outset that this album owes some royalties to The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's album. It almost seems as if they listened to a bunch of Beatles songs one day, and then immediately turned around and wrote the album. The inspiration is quite obvious, but in an odd way, authentic.

The most obvious of inspirations comes in the instrumentation, where we hear a lot of Beatles-esque instruments playing in very Sgt. Pepper's-esque ways. Now, many bands have experimented with instrumentation recently (Arcade Fire's Neon Bible comes immediately to mind), and this album does it well in my opinion, and while it sometimes sounds jumbled and almost confused, it nonetheless works.

A few examples of the influence of The Beatles can be heard first in the opening track, We're So Starving, which is an obvious rip from the title track of Sgt. Pepper's, with the same purpose to the album, and complete with live crowd noise. She Had The World has a very Piggies feel to it, though the lyrics are quite different (sure to NOT be confused by Charles Manson). I swear I can hear the refrain of The Beatles' Golden Slumbers in From A Mountain In The Middle Of The Cabins, and if they had changed the title of Northern Downpour to Hey Jude, I'm not sure I would have taken a second look.

There is one more thing this album takes from The Beatles, and that is its understanding of pop music. Not pop as in 'NSync pop, but rather the 1960's pop that Paul McCartney and John Lennon were so fond of. This album has some unusual chord progressions and unconventional melodies, but god damn it if they're not catchy. The same way John and Paul made so many odd chord progressions and measure structures sound seamless, so does this album. It bounces in between keys within the same refrains, with the bass and guitar lines weaving different paths, but finishes so clean, so pop.

It's an engaging album, and I feel it has much more staying power because the music is much more honest and classic. It's too bad that Panic at the Disco released that first album, because I have a feeling I would have a much easier time enjoying this album if it weren't for the voices in my head saying, "but it's Panic! at the Disco, they're just as bad as Fallout Boy, and you HATE Fallout Boy." However, I have to give credit where credit is due, and while this album may not know exactly where it's going, just like the group, I like the direction each has started in, and look forward to hearing where they go next.

On the Reganometer, I give Panic at the Disco's Pretty. Odd. an 8 out of 10.

Stephen Colbert Interviews R.E.M.

Hilarity ensues. This is a video from last night's show. You can tell Colbert actually respects these guys, and this might be the funniest interview I've ever seen him do. I laughed out loud a few times. Take a look:

Kanye Travel Ventures

It looks like Kanye West has just started his own travel site called Kanye Travel Ventures. The site looks and feels just like every other travel site out there, except it's got Kanye's name on it with some pictures. It's pretty clunky too, but it was just started March 28 (from its whois lookup), so I imagine there will be improvements. I wonder what moved him to get into this industry? I don't really see the link, but maybe some of you bigger Kanye fans do? (Jerome)

That reminds me, I still have to get tickets for when he comes to Portland. It's on June 3rd I believe, at the Rose Garden, and he's got Lupe Fiasco with him, among others. Definitely a concert I want to see, and tickets are pretty cheap. However, I don't have anyone to go with. Anybody out there care to join me? Let me know.

Anyways, how many of you are going to book your next vacation through Kanye Travel Ventures?

Open Your Ears: SXSW Music Blowout!

SXSW, the annual film/music/art festival in Austin, TX, just wrapped up on Saturday. There were a ton of bands there, and imeem was good enough to make playlists of all of them. So, today, I went through them and picked out some of the artists I liked and made my own playlist.

Below are all the tracks and artists I liked. I've also added my favorites to the Blogarrhea playlist in the corner. So listen through them and let me know what you think.

Yes We Can! Obama Music Video

This is the music video for "Yes We Can!", a song by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas inspiried by Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" speech. It features a star studded cast, and encapsulates the reason why everyone, Democrat or Republican, should vote for Barack Obama.

Click here for a bigger, higher res version.

Note: Obama had nothing to do with this, it was an independent project done by will.i.am and DipDive.

Rap Lyrics Explained with Charts and Graphs

Some rap lyrics can be confusing. Hopefully these charts and graphs will help clear them up. See how many you can name (Answers in the comments).

















Woot [via Fulgerica]

Open Your Ears: Dan Bern

Dan Bern is a singer/songwriter out of Iowa who's lyrics and vocal style are often compared to Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and Bruce Springsteen. When you hear his voice, you'll immediately hear the Dylan influence, as well as in his lyrics. When asked about his apparent influence, however, he also shows that he has some of Dylan's humor, saying things like, "I guess Bob Dylan was sort of the Dan Bern of the '60's". If I had to make my judgments, I would say he's a little more mainstream sounding, more "poppy", than Dylan, even in his electric years. It's good, in its own way, but the comparisons are almost unavoidable.

He has been making albums since 1996, and put out his latest album, Breathe, in 2006. Also, a few of his previously unreleased works have been released on iTunes. Check him out at danbern.com, as well as on iTunes.

You can listen to two of his songs below, which will also be added to the Open Your Ears playlist.

Open Your Ears: The New Amsterdams

The New Amsterdams are by no means new. They've been around since 2000 when the lead singer of the Get Up Kids created them as a side project. Well, that side project turned into a great band, and with the release of their latest album, At the Foot of My Rival, it's time to take notice. I think this album is their best, and shows the evolution of the band. They finally sound like a band, not a side project.

The single from the new album, titled "Fountain of Youth", is a solid track, albeit crappy lyrics in my opinion. But it makes me think of summer, and in these cold days, that is a nice feeling. Check out the new single below, and then listen to it forever on the Open Your Ears Playlist on top of the sidebar.



PS: Thanks Dad for reviving them :)

Type rest of the post here

Power Album: Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley is my favorite country artist by far. Everything he does is great, whether it be a playful, funny songs or one of the most romantic songs you've ever heard. That being said, it's time to create a Power Album for him. This is a compilation of 12 songs from his whole library, and they aren't necessarily his "greatest hits", but rather the songs I love that fit well together.

Brad Paisley's Power Album after the jump.

Brad Paisley's Power Album:

1. Two Feet of Top Soil (Part II)
2. The World (Time Well Wasted)
3. Mud On The Tires (Mud On The Tires)
4. I'm Gonna Miss Her (Part II)
5. Whiskey Lullaby (Mud On The Tires)
6. Online (5th Gear)
7. He Didn't Have To Be (Who Needs Pictures)
8. I Wish You'd Stay (Part II)
9. Some Mistakes (5th Gear)
10. Two People Fell In Love (Part II)
11. The Best Thing That I Had Goin' (Mud On The Tires)
12. When I Get Where I'm Going (Time Well Wasted)

Let me know what you think.

Concert Tonight, Ducks vs. Cal Tomorrow

This weekend is going to be crazy! Tonight, I'm going to see the Arctic Monkeys and Voxtrot at the McDonald Theater here in Eugene. Tomorrow, I have to get up early for the Ducks game, and that's going to take up my whole day. Plus ESPN Gameday is going to be there. Tomorrow night, I'm sure I'll do a little bit of celebrating if the Ducks win. Then Sunday, I hope I can get a haircut, and then get the rest of my shit done, all while Halo 3 lurks in the corner, calling my name. Thank God it's only week 1.


The concert tonight should be awesome, because I really like both the bands. For those of you who haven't heard of either, it might be worth your while to check out their Myspace accounts or something and hear some of their music. Both of these bands are favorites of my brother, so he was a little jealous when I told him I was going, but he's already seen Arctic Monkeys in Portland.

But tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day that will determine the future of the whole Oregon Football Department for the rest of the year. Here's why: If we win this game, and Dennis Dixon does not throw an interception or do anything else terrible, he is automatically in everyone's Heisman radar, so he will get national exposure by himself. But also, if we win, we will be vaulted into the middle of the top 10, which will then give the entire team national exposure. And everyone knows that national exposure can bring a lot of pressure and a lot of problems to a football team. We've been there before, but that just makes every game tougher.

Then, win or lose, we play USC in 2 weeks. USC will most likely still be #1 in the country (though LSU deserves it right now), so no matter what, that game game change our season as well. I'm thankful it's at home, but still, USC is a very good football team, and no matter what happens this weekend, that may be an even bigger game. If we win this weekend, ESPN Gameday may even be back. It's unlikely, but I can't think of a bigger game than #5/6 Oregon going against #1 USC. What a game that would be.

If you're going to be at the game tomorrow, WEAR YELLOW! We're trying to make it a "yellow out" because Cal fans will most likely wear yellow, so with Oregon fans wearing yellow, the whole stadium will be drenched in our color. It should be great, I'll try and get a picture tomorrow.

As you can tell, it's going to be a busy weekend. I'll see you on the other side. GO DUCKS!

My New Blog, Again!

Well, the results of the last poll were split 6 ways, so that was no help. Now I'm trying it again, but this time, you can vote for as many as you want. Maybe some of you want to keep your vote for only 1 topic, but maybe you would read more than one of those choices, so click "Change Vote" on the poll and click all the topics that apply. Thanks!

Opinion Polls & Market Research

New iPod, Stock Price, and What I Missed

Yesterday I posted about the new iPod, and how it might cannibalize the iPhone because it was the same device without the phone, and I blamed it's plummeting stock price on that. Well, looks like I totally missed it, and was wrong, but I've come back today to rectify my mistakes. First, the new iPod is still just the iPhone without the phone, and is still $299 for an 8GB version. But there was also news yesterday that the iPhone was getting a dramatic price drop. From $599 to $399 for the 8GB. So cannibalization isn't the problem, it's this drop so soon after the initial release. What did all those people pay $599 for, right? I think that's way too soon for a drop, and so does Apple apparently. They're giving $100 rebates as an apology to all who paid full price. Now, I see why they did it, but you also understand why the stockholders, who I'm sure got iPhones before the drop, would get pissed. So now, I want the iPhone again, but I'm going to wait until it's open to 3rd party apps.

Also, I would like to add that, as this post is about stock, I have a stock pick. It's actually not even out yet, but I have a feeling it will be soon. When Facebook has it's IPO, I think I might buy some stock. It's been making some serious moves. So has Google, and from what I have a feeling is going to happen soon (I'm holding out for the GPhone, just wait), now is a great time to buy Google stock, but I don't have the $525/share. If only I could have jumped when it was at $150...

Apple Unveils New iPod Touch

Apple revealed the new iPod today. It's basically an iPhone without the phone. It's the same size, same screen, same interface, but it's not a phone. It's much cheaper, and it's got wi-fi, so if you're in a wi-fi hot spot, you can surf the internet just like on the iPhone, just without the data plan. So basically, you don't have to pay anything to surf the internet as long as you're in a hotspot, which is pretty cool. If I were an iPhone owner and switched from a phone I liked, I would be kind of pissed right now. For 8GB, the "iPod touch" is $299 where the same capacity iPhone was $599. Ouch. So now, I don't want an iPhone, just a new iPod, cause my phone works fine.

They also redesigned the Nano. It looks like an iPod video cut in half. Just about the same size screen as the iPod video, just a smaller unit. Made for movies. Same colors, and apparently it's got a 24 hour music playback battery life. That's pretty impressive.

Now, Apple is a company that gets it right when it comes to marketing. Steve Jobs must be a marketing mastermind, because he gets it. Think about it, Apple is the only company that can stir up ridiculous amounts of buzz by putting out a press release simply to announce a press release. Of course, when ever there are announcements, it's normally for something great, but still, the power they have over their customers is pretty incredible.

But something really interesting, as far as Apple announcements usually go, is that Apple's stock dropped $7.40/share today. WOW! And even though since the the time the rumor came out that a new iPod line was being released, the stock has done very well, the drop in its price today came mostly around the time of the announcement, and just kept falling. Has Wall Street gotten tired of Apple's announcement antics? Maybe it's because this iPod is kind of a cop out in that it's just the iPhone without the phone, and not something completely new, but I still don't see why that would make a difference, because the iPhone was AMAZING!

While it may not have the capacity of my older one (which is full), I think I'm still going to be getting one, if for nothing else, to have a $300 full internet browser in my pocket. What do you all think?

Open Your Ears: Band of Horses / White Williams

A Double Feature! I was originally going to just post about White Williams, a new artist with a sound that comes from laptops, drum machines, and synthesizers, more or less. But his song "Route to Palms", from his upcoming Smoke, shows just how melodic that can sound. It what really caught my ear when I first heard it. The melody grabbed me as very familiar, and then I realized it is basically the chorus from John Lennon's "Oh Yoko", a chorus I love. A very cool, mellow and melodic song.

But while listening to that, I stumbled across a new Band of Horses song, and it is even better! I don't need to say much about them, as they showed up on almost everyone's favorites of '06 lists, but this new single, "Is There A Ghost", from the upcoming Cease to Begin, is amazing. Another great song from this great band. Take a listen to both songs, which have also been playlisted.