Depreciation

Apparently these days American girls like to think that getting a divorce is some sort of accomplishment that they should celebrate. Perhaps they feel that it took a lot of guts to confront the issue. They don't realize that their marriage in the first place was a failure on their part to be an intelligent human. In the weeks building up to their breaking point, they start to blame their horrible husband, their children that remind them so much of the man they hate. Eventually they'll start to hate all men in general based on their own tiny boxed-in universe. They'll blame everyone except for themselves for making idiotic choices and decisions.

Marriage is like a tattoo. Sometimes people get lame ones and decide to laser them off. Not a grand accomplishment.

Why do people insist on marrying people obviously not right for them? It's not even about finding the "one." That's way off topic. They already know it's not working and they ignore reality and tell themselves that once they say "I do" and/or sign the papers, their lives will instantly transform and transcend reality, breaking time and space, to an alternate universe where everything is perfect.

Perhaps for some, "love" means sacrificing your life to, in their minds, insure a better life for their partner. How absolutely arrogant and presumptuous.

How does one tell a friend not to make such a mistake? I believe people need to learn the hard way sometimes, since they either won't listen or always wonder "what if?" if they don't go through with their doomed plan. But the friend in question may not have the will or courage to abandon ship once he sets sail...

The Monster

I recently decided to order some more guitar picks and another 1/4' cable and as obsessive as I am I always have to read and research endlessly before I make a decision to pwn my credit card. Obviously my search resulted in quite a few articles about the evil of Monster Cable. They are ridiculous enough to sue anyone with Monster in their name including Monster Garage, Monster.com, Monster Energy Drink, even Disney's Monsters Inc. I don't need to go into too much detail since you can easily find all of this information and more online. Basically, they don't want anyone to "tarnish" their name with a different image and have such high prices to appear premium as well as pay for legal fees. I don't understand how they can sue over such a commonly used word. Indeed they are monsters. Also check out www.nissan.com

However, back to the point. I do have a 20' monster prolink 500 which i've had for years. I think it was around $40 when I got it, which is still the current price. It is very pretty with the gold-plated ends and everything. Everyone says they don't really carry a noticeably better signal until it comes to the 50'. Compared to my other shiesty no-name cable, it has no interference whether its due to the shielded cable or the shielded ends while the crappy one does. The monster also has the connections inside the ends covered in plastic which probably shields it a bit as well? Perhaps it has excessive or trivial additional features but it is better than none. Another important issue is the fact that the Monster cable is so stiff it does not tangle and is very easy to wind or unwind.

Alright, I agree with everyone that Monster is overpriced and they are the bad guys. But what cable should I purchase and use instead? Having done a search and looking at cables from DiMarzio around $5 cheaper or Mogami, Vintage, Live Wire, etc, around $10 cheaper. The Monster also has those little rubber bands you can use to help identify your cable.

The Monster may not sound decisively better than competitors, but it is certainly not inferior is it? I'm not going to be buying new instrument cables regularly, and I've had cheap cables crap out before. It might be unnoticeably better at shorter lengths, but it is still better and when you are using mutiple pedals and connections, and longer setups onstage, it will start to make a difference will it not? Is it worth the extra money for these Monsters? Will my conscience keep me up at night because I bought a cable from one of the most evil companies in the world? Well I still haven't stopped using Bank of America.

I have a choice of going to guitar center and paying standard high prices, going to the "mom and pop" shop and getting ripped off by assholes with bad attitudes, or paying high prices online.

I think I've decided to buy something shiesty for now, but I'm not going to say that it's better just because I bought it, just because it's cheap and made by honest people, and I'm not going to claim I won't buy something nicer once I have money.

UPDATE 6.28.09

I ended up getting a Monster "100" series 21ft. It was around $30, I didn't want to spend the money for another "500" with the gold plating. It is all-around much higher quality than cheap cables and I know competitors around the same price range have about the same product, except they don't sue people who have similar names. I don't know about other brands, but Monster does have a lifetime warranty and I've heard of tons of people at school who trade in a bunch of old cables before a big show. Evil company, yes. Do I get what I pay for? I hope so. I'll care about the evils of Monster and Reebok when I stop eating meat.

Why so fancy?

The other night, after out BBQ, I was out for a walk with some people and on the way back to my apartment. I decided to buy pizza for my friends and I got a Large Cheese and a Small Chicken Alfredo, to which one of my roommates commented, "why'd you have to get fancy pizza?" While I can excuse her naivety, because she is still figuring out who she is, what her opinions are of the world and I know that this opinion is part of many views she has adopted from her current boyfriend, I must express how much comments like this piss me off.

I'd say about as much as "free range chickens and their big ugly-ass brown eggs." While the word "fancy" in the dictionary supposedly means that something is "top notch" and "not ordinary," it has become a negative word and used in a derogatory way by many. My immediate response at the time was, "How is this fancy? I wanted alfredo sauce instead of tomato, and chicken, it's just different." She didn't know what to say.

Much of today's youth believe that the key to life or at least the ideal state of being is to be antiestablishmentarian, i.e. "hate the man", condone only subpar quality in all aspects of life, and, most importantly, give the appearance that you "don't give a fuck." I am referring to kids who hate anything popular and only like obscure things until they become mainstream, call anyone with money a "sellout," and anyone who challenges their own coolness is dismissed as a poser. The world is upside down in their mind. But is it really so in their hearts?

While this self-contradictory idea of being individual and free-thinking because one fears being outcast by others who claim to be individual and free-thinking is an issue that needs to be addressed, it is too large a topic and i'll only touch on a small part of it at this point.

Do people realize that when they shop at "streetwear" boutiques because they want to appear more "underground" and have more "streetcred" because they hate "preppy kids" who wear polo shirts, that they are shopping at a place that sells t-shirts for $60+ and shoes for $100+? In their attempt to be seen as not part of the hive-minded sheep, they have plugged themselves into simply an opposing hive-mind. Are you really promoting everything you think you are when you buy Nikes put together by young asian children who are obviously paid next to nothing, painted on by some up-and-coming artist, for $120?

Back to the pizza. I got distracted because I'm so angry. The "friend" in question's boyfriend once announced a few months ago that he prefers regular old pizza, especially from local mom-and-pop places, and hates CPK especially when they put "weird shit" on their fancy pizza. Am I the only one who thinks this is ignorant? How can you judge one pizza to be better than the other solely based on the appearance of it's creator/chef? Isn't this some sort of reverse-prejudice based on a failed logic that since you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, you should instead judge the book conversely? If something looks like it sucks, it must be amazing.

What are these other toppings like BBQ chicken and broccoli besides just another topping? Why must unconventional toppings be treated with such racism because they are "new" and different? Most people are used to seeing cheese and pepperoni on pizza. The people I've encountered who have this negative attitude have the idea that others only pretend to enjoy strange pizza because the mainstream (i.e. rich/evil people) have told them it is good, not because they actually enjoy it. Have they ever thought that they themselves may be brainwashed to believe that the only way to eat pizza is the same way as everyone else? They'll only try things that are accepted as "cool." Upper Crust is expensive, stop enjoying it! $5 pizza from dominoes is the best!

The reason I prefer chicken alfredo pizza from most places is because their pizza sauce sucks. I also really like white pizza because I really like garlic and onions. I do enjoy pizza with tomato, oregano, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and basil, which is one of the original ways pizza was made, when it comes to a pizza place that makes an effort to have good tasting sauce. I don't mind the super high prices and I admit, overpriced when you pay $18 for a single pizza, but I don't eat it often and we all have to make compromises and sacrifices in life as we choose the things we really want. If you are ordering food and not cooking it yourself, you've already made a decision not to maximize the efficiency of the dollar to weight ratio.

Why am I made to feel like a bad person because I prefer to eat something that tastes at least half-decent? Yes, I have taste buds and I'm not ashamed to admit to using them. How is it that people feel justified in making others feel bad for the individual, unique choices they make in different aspects of their lives, just because these instigators have no mind of their own?

If you are allowed to enjoy paying to watch a sport that you are incapable of playing, played by people who don't know you, don't give a fuck about you, AND make a ton of money so they can eat (surprise) "fancy" food, I believe I am allowed to eat a slice of "fancy" pizza and sprinkle as much fresh-grated parmesan and chili olive oil on it as I fucking please and enjoy it. You eat shitty food and hate on the man, so badass.

I am truly sorry I have functional taste buds.