Manpris and Tank Tops

Last night I went to see John Mayer at Cricket Wireless with a few of my girlfriends. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, this was the fifth time I've seen John in concert since my sophomore year of college. That's not totally crazy though, right? Well, judge if you want, I know he's turned into a bit of a media whore/douche these days, but I still love his music and have a soft spot for him. Let me tell you though, this concert was above and beyond the most "unique" John Mayer experience I've had.

We were rockin the lawn seats, so naturally we couldn't see jack, but as soon as he walked on stage I turned to my friend's sister in confusion, "Is he wearing a tank top?" Don't get my wrong, I'm not totally opposed to a man wearing a tank top - especially when he has killer arms and a hot sleeve - but I'm really not convinced they should be worn in public (this goes along with a long list of other things I shall certainly discuss in a future blog). I was just about getting over the shock of the tank when to my further shock and slight horror I noticed that he had replaced his usual well-fitting jeans with...dum dum dum...manpris. I'm not sure if you're familiar with this fashion disaster but they are exactly what they sound like: man capris. These are generally worn by greasy Euro types, often with Diesel, Puma or some similar kind of trainer. Alternatively they are catching on with the gay crowd. In general, these are just not good fashion. FOR ANY MAN. Men are meant to wear shorts or pants. That is just the way it is. I know it's not fair, girls get to have all the fun, but trust me on this one. Scanning further down John's wonderland, some pretty major high tops. And I'm not just talking Chuck Taylor's. Oh no, no these were circa 1992, above the ankle, massive tongue hanging out, possibly Reebok pumps (anyone else remember those?) HIGH tops. Really, I kind of had to give him props for thinking he could pull off the whole look. And if I'm honest with myself, it did work, a little. The highlight where fashion is concerned? He was sportin a freshly buzzed hair cut: hot, hot, hot.

Oh, the music? You wanted to know about that? I'm sure you're thinking that I'm one of those girls who goes to John Mayer concerts repeatedly because of this silly crush that I have been harboring for him for years. Well, you're only half right. I'd like to think I have some credibility where music is concerned. I have a pretty eclectic taste and a fairly large amount of the artists in my music collection do not receive radio play or if they do it isn't on your top 40 station. That being said, I'm pretty convinced that John Mayer is highly underrated. His CDs are great, don't get me wrong, but they don't do his talent justice. He was trained as a blues guitarist which doesn't always translate so well into radio-friendly, chart topping hits. But it does show when you see him live. His 3 to 4 minute album songs are extended by his amazing guitar solos and interweaving of other songs from a wide range of genres (blues, hip hop, rock, pop). This doesn't always go over so well with his more mainstream fans, but it's always been one of my favorite things about his shows. You sit waiting to hear what he'll come out with next, what he'll introduce you to. He's also pretty hilarious and can come up with some pretty random shit. My personal favorite of the evening? The "original" lyrics to Vultures were "Tiny bananas, I really like them cos they're tiny bananas..." I'll be singing it for days. The highlight of the entire evening? In the encore, John Mayer does quite possibly the most rockin cover of Guns n' Roses Sweet Child of Mine full with John doing a pretty spot on Axl Rose impression. Priceless.

Dude was also clearly high as a kite. He's been pretty open over the past couple of years about his love for the green and that definitely showed last night. He was all over the place, which I'm not gonna lie, just makes for good entertainment. Who doesn't want to see JM strutting around like Mick Jagger?

My over all rating: killa!

Bromances

I giggled a bit the other week when US Weekly had, and I use this term loosely, an article about bromances. And as it turns out, US Weekly isn’t the first to investigate this new phenomenon. Google it and see for yourself!

For those of you not familiar with the term, these are male-male hetero friendships that are essentially like male-female relationships. These buddies are doing everything together – shopping, going out to eat, getting coffee, etc. They’re calling each other on the phone several times a day just to talk about trivial things. One always seems to take on the more feminine role and gets upset when the other doesn’t follow through with plans, call back or generally just acts like a typical guy. It would appear and is probably true that one has a bit of a man crush on the other, although it is always a purely hetero thing (or that’s what I’m assuming).

Now I’m not sure when these relationships became acceptable, but trust me when I tell you that you will notice them everywhere. I’m not saying I have a problem with this more intense level of male bonding, but this isn’t something that always existed. Sure, I’ve known a few guys in my time that paired off but this was usually the exception, not the rule. Guys have always seemed to gather in herds and it was almost questionable if it was any other way.

I have my theory on how this all started. It’s a combination of things really. I’m not saying that I at all think these bromances are in fact romances, but certainly it doesn’t hurt their case that being gay has become more socially accepted. This coupled with what I view as the decline of male-female friendships (this is a subject for a separate blog) and you’ve got perfect base for the bromance. You now have the perfect excuse for grown men to act like little boys. And you know what I say, more power to you guys!

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bromance

Karma Police

I’ve been doing a considerable amount of thinking lately about karma. Preoccupied, really, with the thought that many of those around me (I’m speaking about your average Joe/Jane on the street here) do not seem to care one way or the other about their actions coming back to them. They float through life concerned only with their own comfort and well-being. Somehow selfishness has become a cultural norm.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, karma in its name sake is a Hindu ideology. But the idea of karma can be found in almost all religions. Jesus himself said you will reap what you sew, and essentially that is exactly what karma is. In other words, what you put out into the universe will come back to you. If you’re putting out good, you’re getting good back and the opposite is true too. However, this seems to be lost on most people.

Now I am not about to claim that I have the world’s cleanest slate where karma is concerned. Sadly, I seem to regularly do things that certainly are not helping to cleanse my spirit, but these are not matters to be discussed here (although this is probably what got me on this train of thought in the first place). I’m not necessarily talking about the deeper moral implications of karma, but the simple side.

I’m talking about basic human decency. I’m talking about holding the door open for the person coming in behind you. I’m talking about not cutting people off for the parking spot three places closer to the mall. I’m talking about not screaming at the person who is serving your food/drink because it took 15 seconds longer than your patience lasts. This also includes not trying to rip people off in order to save 16 cents. And don’t let me forget about those folks who laugh at homeless people, cut in line, don’t clean up after themselves in public, steal food at the grocery store and eat it before they get to the register, and talk down to others.

I’m sure you’re thinking I’m being a little harsh here, but stop and think about it for a second. How many times have you been affected by the selfish acts of others? Most likely it’s more times than you can even begin to count. So what am I suggesting? It’s simple; start treating your fellow human with a little more respect and I but you’ll notice you start getting a lot more respect back.



Fashion note: The necklace is the Karma necklace; it goes for around $68 and can be found at www.dogeared.com.

Poltically Lazy

Think on this for a few moments:

In the most recent issue of US Weekly Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley is quoted say, “I’m politically apathetic. We were raised in a time when we never had a leader who was a role model. Every president has gotten worse and worse”.

Well, ya spoiled, little shit, why do you think that is? I’ll tell you why. Because of people like you! I’ll be the first one to bitch about the state of our nation, but I still believe there is hope. Yes, I do strongly feel that America will one day fall from its position as world super power (every other empire has), but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to go down head first. But that is exactly what is going to happen if this apathy continues to spread throughout our youth. How will we ever get out of this rut if our youngest and (supposedly) brightest are not willing to put in the work to dig us out?

Now I’m a card carrying Democrat and a bleeding heart liberal, so of course I think that everyone should vote for Barack Obama. But frankly, I’d just be happy knowing that my generation is voting and not faffing about bitching when they can’t be bothered to try to fix the problem. It goes beyond apathy to shear laziness and in my opinion there is nothing more repulsive than laziness.

So get your shit together and vote!!

http://www.barackobama.com/splash/

And don’t judge me for reading US Weekly! It’s my guilty pleasure.

Remembering Greatness

Monday was four years since my grandpa passed away and remembering him has left me feeling, aside from the obvious melancholy, reflective and distracted.

As a little girl my grandpa was my hero. He was a tall man with strong, workman's hands, yet he was a gentle soul. He always made me feel safe and special. When I struggled as a teenager to come into my own he never failed to tell me I was beautiful and I always believed him. He wasn't the kind to say something he didn't mean.; you could never accuse him of being disingenuous (something I hope I inherited from him).

The older I get though the more I realize that they just do not make men like him anymore. Men today do not seem to be made of the same moral fabric. My grandpa was a man of few words but when he spoke you damn well better be listening. He did not waste his time or words with idle chit chat or gossip (clearly those of you who know me well know that I was not blessed to inherit this trait). You often hear people say, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all", yet few of them take their own advise. My grandpa lived that mantra. I can honestly say I never heard an unkind word come out of his mouth and in turn I believe I'd be hard pressed to find anyone who could say an unkind thing about him.

It's hard to imagine a man of such few words would have such a biting sense of humor, yet he could make me laugh like no other. He was quick witted and quietly charasmatic. He would be straight faced one moment and up dancing along to the Grand Ol' Opry the next. Always looking to get a laugh out of his grandkids, he would play with his dentures at the dinner table. His favorite joke ended with the punchline "Sally ate my candy and I hope it rot her damn teeth out". Something utterly amusing and inappropriate for a 8 year old to hear. His laugh was more infectious than the flu; when he laughed you laughed because like everything about my grandpa his laugh was genuine. You knew it was coming from the pit of his stomach and could read it all over his face.

You could also easily see the love he had for my grams. In a time when most men ruled their homes, he treated my grams as an equal. Their marriage was a partnership. He depended on her not only for meals and child rearing but for financial guidance and business opinions. More than that, her love and support kept him going. Growing up I always smiled at the magnet on their fridge that said "Happiness is being married to your best friend" because for them it was so true. He would sing "Here she is, Miss America" as she brought our dinner to the table. Well into their seventies they would sneak a little hand holding in church. Seeing them kiss at their 50th wedding anniversary is one of the few reasons I still believe in love and marriage. It also helps that there is no doubt in my mind that he loved her just as much the day he died as the day he married her. There is no doubt that she is still loving him the same way.

Sadly, I have lost a lot of grandparents in my life - I often joke that the worst part about having three sets (my mom's parents were divorced) is when they start passing away - but losing my grandpa was by far the hardest. It still is. I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't think of him or thank God that I was able to properly say good-bye. Yet, there is a comfort in knowing that he is in a better place where he no longer has to suffer. There is the comfort of the memories and knowing that I was blessed to have him as long as I did. There is the hope that somewhere in this world there are still men like my grandpa and that maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to find one half as great.