Archive for category Reflections: Self
Labor Day
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Local Madness, Reflections: Others, Reflections: Self, Updates, Weather, life on September 6th, 2010
It’s amazing how quickly a three-day weekend can fly by. Yet it was more relaxing than I could have possibly imagined. We spent two nights at the lake, Gray and all, and enjoyed almost every minute of it. We had almost all of our close friends out there at one point or another (sans David and Melita and Jack). We even had a bonfire and took out the dock, despite the cold, windy, rainy weather. Good food, a new relationship, and plenty of awesome times to end the summer officially.
But, once again, it’s bittersweet to see the cabin come to a close. With any hope, though, we’ll practically live there next summer. Gray should be able to handle a little more next year (we hope).
To all those with similar Labor Day memories, my heart goes out to you. We all long fir another three months.
Life Changing Music, Part 2: The High School Years
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Reflections: Self, Social Issues on August 20th, 2010
Ah, what a turbulent time! High school represents a time of both change and permanence–a time when you are able to alter the course of your own history while laying the foundation for the remainder of your life in terms of opinions, beliefs and practices. Simply put, high school is screwed up. Who really decides what they’re going to be for the rest of their lives when they’re still not legally allowed to make certain key choices about how they manage themselves? Nevertheless, these formative years often provide the core of any individual’s basic feelings on any subject, whether it’s music, art, literature or philosophy. While my interests expanded somewhat during college, this is where my roots are found. Here’s five stellar albums that have defined my opinion of what good music is.
REEL BIG FISH: TURN THE RADIO OFF
We aren’t talking advanced physics. We aren’t talking complex harmonies. We’re simply talking about fun and being cynical and humorous over situations that are out of our control. Girls, politics, the “scene,” whatever pisses you off. Reel Big Fish was the first embodiment of this sentiment for me. I had heard them prior to my freshman year (“Keep Your Receipt” EP graced my stereo that summer), but it wasn’t until December of 1997 that I was able to locate and purchase this album. I’ve rebought it once since then due to wear and tear. To this day, I can put in this album and listen almost straight through four or five times before I have to change it. “Sell Out” is a phenomenal nod to corporate idiocy in the record company and those who mindlessly follow it. “Beer” is another classic, reflecting on being dumped and trying to erase the anger (I was a clean-cut kid, so this was more vicarious than anything). But overall, something about this album’s upbeat and high-energy sound just caught me. I’ve liked ska ever since, expanding to bands like Less Than Jake, Five Iron Frenzy, Big D and the Kids Table, Streetlight Manifesto, et al. Each time, I’ve found more energy and enjoyment out of these people than almost any other form of music. Even if you don’t like ska, this album would probably provide at least one song you could jam to.
BEN FOLDS FIVE: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF REINHOLD MESSNER
This is not the first album I had gotten of BFF, but it was probably the most monumental in terms of composition and emotional impact (at least on a personal level). This album is tied closely to a certain relationship of mine that was fairly bitter when all was said and done. Some of the songs represent the glimmers of hope I tried to hold onto, while others flat out force me to abandon the dream in exchange for reality (“Magic” versus “Don’t Change Your Plans,” for example). However, after much listening, one of the songs that stood out most over time was “Your Most Valuable Possesion.” This may have been a starting point for the more experimental music I would later delve into, but at the least it was a great combination of a cool groove and impressively deep thoughts for an answering machine message. Ben Folds still rules, and he has only made himself more ubiquitous through collaborations with other artists, most notably with William Shatner (“Has Been” is incredible!). This one, unlike some other albums that may make this list, is worth an entire beginning-to-end listen.
REFUSED: THE SHAPE OF PUNK TO COME
Amazingly enough, my first run-in with Refused was relatively unmemorable. The second, though, came through MTV, which is even more incredible. The band’s “New Noise” absolutely blew me away one night while watching “Rock and Roll: A to Z.” It was beyond any measure of intense I had experienced up to that point. Rage Against the Machine was great, as was Chevelle and Tool, but only Zao competed with this band’s intensity, and they were more spooky than angry. Refused had true anger to push. Now, their earlier stuff, while still good, was just not as intriguing as “Shape.” Nevertheless, it presented them as a highly socio-political act, aiming to destroy capitalism and push for equality of classes and distribution of wealth. I was hooked almost instantly. At this time, I was rather skeptical of the government in the first place, and this only made matters worse. Even though they broke up about 2 years prior to my first listen, their words were still quite poignant. The stand-out track for me was “The Deadly Rhythm,” which incorporated jazz into its intro and its breakdown, along with incredibly chaotic beats. But this album, like “Reinhold Messner,” is a straight-through listening experience. It’s brilliant, inventive, and still totally off-the-wall when compared to other post-hardcore and punk acts. They’re very screamy, but not whiny. When I need to be invigorated, this is where I head. It’s artistic brilliance, and it was released only a short time before their demise in a basement in the United States (final concert was stopped by the police, to make things even more ironic).
MXPX: LET IT HAPPEN
In the summer of 1998 I met up with Seth Pederson at LTC (Leadership Training Camp, a week-long United Methodist camp in South Dakota). We actually met on the pretense of me playing Jars of Clay’s “Flood,” but his Reel Big Fish t-shirt caught my attention. We soon learned that we had extremely similar musical tastes, and within only a couple days we had become best friends. After camp, he and I got together and shared music and life stories. One of the bands that came up from his side of the musical sphere was MxPx (an abbreviation for Magnified Plaid). While I had heard Green Day beforehand, I hadn’t heard anything quite this fast or chaotic. If memory serves me, Seth played “Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo” for me, but I couldn’t find that album when I went to buy one, so I ended up with the B-side collection “Let it Happen” instead. Here’s what I remember of my first listen to this Christian punk group: we were in my bedroom in Madison, and Seth said, “Listen to this!” When he played the first song from the album, I thought it was faster and crazier than anything I had ever heard before that point. In fact, I really didn’t like it. Reel Big Fish was much more moderate in its approach, and Green Day was a slower version of this style. But it didn’t take many listens before I decided that this band was worth the purchase. “Let it Happen,” although only a B-side collection, was a great representation of the band’s early and later days, up until probably “Teenage Politics.” This album provided the foundation for much of the group’s musical style, and many of the songs on it are still favorites of mine (“Swingset Girl” is awesome). Worth every penny of my $12!
Life Changing Music, Part 1: Most Influential Albums from Middle School and Before
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Reflections: Self on March 5th, 2010
There are certain songs, bands, albums, ideas that hook you when you’re young and change forever your opinion of what music should be. Before my middle school years (1994-1997), I based my musical tastes largely on two things: my parents’ music and the music on Top 40 radio (the latter provided mostly bad rap and corny pop, other than the occasional nuggets of Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer, but I knew little of them at that point). Needless to say, I was limited to MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice and Debbie Gibson. Don’t get me wrong, there are merits in any music that anyone listens to, but my tastes were not very widespread. Now, my parents’ music, on the other hand, was much more interesting. The inclusion of everything from Buddy Holly and Elvis to Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull made me understand how fantastic music could be. So, this is essentially where my story should start.
THE BEATLES: ABBEY ROAD
If there’s one Beatles album that I truly listened to before I was in eighth grade, this is it. It was their last official recording as a group, although there were a few more releases before anyone knew John, Paul, George and Ringo had parted ways forever. The album is a conglomerate of unique compositions, with each member of the band contributing some very diverse elements. “Come Together” makes a big impact on almost anyone right away, but I found that “Something” and “Golden Slumbers” stuck with me the most as I got older. I don’t know what it is about this album, but something in its style epitomizes how I see the Beatles: it’s different from their start, but it seems to be a full-circle approach. You don’t feel like it’s the end, even though you know that it is. They still have the bluesy influences and the catchy tunes and lyrics (thanks mostly to Paul McCartney), but there’s a certain darkness to the sound, a quality not unlike relaxing your lungs after a long and panicky performance, the final breath out. You get a bit of a grin on your face, and then you hang up your instruments and feel satisfied that you’ve done something incredible. If you haven’t gotten into the Beatles (or don’t know who they are), this is one of the better places to start. It’s not too out there, but it isn’t the pop cliches that some of their earliest stuff seems to be. Still, listen to “Beatles for Sale” to get an idea of their roots, just as a balance.
LED ZEPPLIN: IV
Chuck Klosterman says in “Killing Yourself to Live” that every boy, at some point or another, falls madly, deeply, irrevocably in love with Led Zepplin, believing firmly that there never was–and never will be–any greater band on earth. Led Zepplin’s “IV” was the album that brought me to that conclusion in my years before high school. Yes, you eventually grow out of that opinion, but the band still lingers there long after you’ve changed your favorite. The first time I remember putting this album in (I had found it in my dad’s collection and subsequently commandeered it) I felt like I had listened to it a hundred times before. “Stairway to Heaven” was the song that felt most familiar. I had heard of it, but I was pretty sure I’d never heard it. But it felt natural. It was cathartic, poetic and completely nonsensical, all in one long, drawn out path of fascinating sound. But while it is a shining gem in Zepplin’s collection, I’m more attached to songs like “Black Dog” and “Rock ‘n Roll,” mostly because they led me to more fascinating choices later in my life. “Stairway” was safe in comparison. Now, I also listened to “III,” and it is a great album as well, but “IV” was much more formative to me. It felt less experimental, more organized. More of a whole album feel, to be honest. Call it what you will, but Led Zepplin “IV” was one of my top albums for years.
GLENN MILLER: CHATANOOGA CHOO-CHOO (The Best of Glenn Miller)
Not really specific to this album, but it’s the one I had in my collection first–Glenn Miller was my first introduction to really fantastic jazz music. It branched out from there to Benny Goodman, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Stan Getz, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, but Miller was first. “In the Mood” was one of my favorites in middle school, and I even got to play it in jazz band. I had an early leaning towards saxophone, mostly because of 80′s bands that included sax in their music, but jazz was quickly becoming a passion of mine. This particular album contained a bunch of Glenn Miller’s big hits, including many vocal tracks that I pretty much passed over. I wanted stuff like Tuxedo Junction, Pennsylvania 6-5000 and other great classics. Stuff I could jam with, dance to. No lie, I tried to get all my friends to listen to jazz, but few of them took to it. If it weren’t for Miller’s music, though, I may have never learned to appreciate jazz as much as I do now.
GARTH BROOKS: ROPIN’ THE WIND
Those who knew me prior to my college years knew that I was not a country fan. Not in the least. The one exception, though, was Garth Brooks. I started listening to Brooks because a few of my friends had talked about his music and started singing it. I thought I’d give it a try. Funny thing, after a whole lot of country music hating, Garth demonstrated the brighter side of country–catchy melodies, great sing-along potential and a knack for mixing humor with some pretty rough subjects (“Papa Loved Mama,” for example). My favorite song from this album, though, is “The River.” This is a great message and an incredible melody, one that I sang to every time I heard it–and still do to this day. If I had to pick one artist that pushed me into the realm of “country enthusiast,” Garth Brooks is the guy. I highly recommend any of his albums, but this was the one I got when I was in middle school.
THE BEACH BOYS: ENDLESS SUMMER (a greatest hits collection)
Yes, it’s just a “greatest hits” album, so no real meat to the structure, but the Beach Boys represent something magical about American culture, especially during their heyday, but also far past the 1960′s. Even “Kokomo” represents an awesome time in my childhood (singing with my family as we road tripped around the country!). But when it comes to just great music involving cars, girls and good times, the Beach Boys’ brand of pop is unrivaled (okay, Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffet have a spot in this category, but seriously, where did it all start? That’s what I thought). Whether it’s “Fun, Fun, Fun” or “California Girls,” you can jam. But if you want to get a little deeper, “In My Room” and “Good Vibrations” provide the slightly more contemplative side that Brian Wilson became famous for. No true American can deny the fun that the Beach Boys bring to those who have heard them. Also, as a bonus, I got to see the Beach Boys live in Sioux Falls when I was in middle school! Yeah, they were older, but they still carried the same attitude, which made it awesome.
What the heck happened to Summer?
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Reflections: Self on August 13th, 2009
Wow. Fast. That pretty much sums up this summer.
One minute we’re opening up the lake, the next minute I’m back in my classroom trying to clean up. Lots of goings-on. Between a band trip, a wedding, a couple parties and now a new kid on the way (yay Kevin and Marisa!), we’ve been very busy. We still got time to run around and enjoy life, but man, it just didn’t seem to slow down!
One of our other time-consuming (and worry inducing) pursuits this summer was looking for a home of our own. We like where we rent right now, but extenuating circumstances have put us in a place where we want to move on. However, not all is smooth in this quest. For those of you thinking about househunting, here’s some helpful hints:
- Don’t expect it to happen overnight
- If you can’t find what you want, consider building (not worth spending money on a junker)
- If you decide to build, ALWAYS get a pre-appraisal. Totally worth every penny.
- If your pre-appraisal doesn’t work out, look again–the market changes.
- Be willing to sacrifice a few of your wishlist items.
- Don’t be willing to sacrifice the really important ones.
- If you still have trouble finding what you want, wait.
At least, that’s how I feel about it. Seriously, I look forward to having our own place that is ACTUALLY OUR OWN, but I don’t think the market is in good enough condition to justify purchasing something that doesn’t fit our needs or needs a complete overhaul. Am I wrong to think this? Should I settle? I really don’t know.
On a positive front, though, I feel like this school year is going to go really well. I’m pretty prepared for it, getting into the swing of things, and looking forward to the possibilities of having a strong band and choir program for another year. Numbers are down a little, but that doesn’t mean less quality. I’ve got some really skilled kids, and some true go-getters. I know there’s lots to do before the year begins, but I’m eager for the new drum equipment and new horns we got–it should be a blast to get the kids going! You know you’re in the right career and location when you’re excited about starting to work again. (smiles)
Quick Update and Trying Something New…
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Reflections: Self, Updates on March 17th, 2009
So, as you may see by the past dates on this blog, I’ve been rather inactive. Of course, it’s not for lack of desire. I’ve been wanting to write, but I just haven’t been taking the time to write. So, today, I’m trying something new. Windows Live has just started offering this “Writer” application (available through downloading the newest version of Live Messenger) that allows you to write blogs on your desktop environment. I’m not sure if it’s really worth the while, but hey, it gives me an excuse to try this out.
Maybe having this added application will keep me mindful of the possibility of blogging more often. Maybe not…but we’ll have to see!
Maybe there’s some good way to get on track…like a theme or something. Should I be writing about something specific, or should I just be writing the most random thoughts possible? I don’t know. Perhaps someone has some insight or even a suggestion for me. I like music, but I just don’t spend much time analyzing and writing about it anymore. That may be a good thing to focus on, especially since the Internet is full of fascinating music. Well, if you have any good suggestions, just pass them along. Become a member of my blog, write a post, whatever you feel necessary. I need some reason to update this sucker!
A Year’s Worth of Advice (Gleaned from a Desk Calendar)
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Reflections: Self, Social Issues on January 2nd, 2008
Happy New Year, everyone! Of course, I’m about a day late, but I needed the relaxing time yesterday. I figured that with the new year should come some advice learned from the last year. I had a “Teachers” daily calendar on my desk full of interesting teaching facts and inspirational quotes. Of course, most of those quotes and tidbits went into the trash as soon as the day was over, but there were a few that made an impression on me when I read them. I figured I’d share with you what I felt were the most important statements over the last year.
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” (Dorothy Parker)
“Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.” (Shirley MacLaine)
“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” (G.K. Chesterton)
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
“The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr.” (Mohammed)
While not all the most inspirational to everyone, more than one of these quick pieces of wisdom crept into my head while battling what I considered one of the most testing events in my life–the first year of teaching. And, as anyone reading this blog may know, I had some very low spirits after less than a semester in front of my very own class. From that experience I learned about perseverance and tolerance, as well as patience and hope. This year, though, has provided a completely opposite insight into the world of education (a good thing since I was on the brink on the last experience!). It’s difficult to know exactly what your place in life should be, and often it takes a period of trial-and-error to arrive to a place that feels comfortable. Some are fortunate to quickly find their niche while others may wait years upon years to feel “right” with their lives. 2007 was the opposing poles of life: complete insecurity and the beginning of feeling good about life. Insecurity creates some good, such as a better understanding of yourself and a clearer image of the world’s philosophy towards you as an individual, but in general you find yourself so lost in emotion and desperation that you simply wish to find a piece of security–no matter how negative that security could be. But eventually light is found and you make it out with even better knowledge of who you are and what the world might expect of you.
And then something magical happens: you find true passion in the world. Passion for you, passion for your life, passion for knowledge, and passion for community. It isn’t always a place in a physical sense, but it can be. Sometimes those places are only the loose association you make with the emotional state. Nevertheless, it feels like moving on with your life needs to be a complete process. And whether or not that played into how I’m feeling about life today, it seems that a different place for work and home has made a difference in how my wife and I see each other and everything around us. 2008, I couldn’t be more pleased to see you. I look forward to all you may bring me and my loved ones, knowing that even the most testing moments in life can bring about beauty.
A Shout-out to my Choir peeps
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Music, Reflections: Others, Reflections: Self on October 28th, 2007
A little too gangster for this white boy, I know, but I do want to give props to my four All-State Chorus students for their accomplishment this weekend. We went to Rapid City to sing with 928 other choir students and almost 200 orchestra students–the best in the state–and my kids were absolutely excellent. All four of them behaved, obeyed and even volunteered to help with everything. It’s amazing how great your job can be.
The flipside, of course, is that I have not seen my wife in almost four days. I miss her dearly and can’t wait to get back home. I’m also looking forward to our own comfy bed. Nothing like a good night’s sleep. Then, back to reality.
But it won’t be so bad. I’m looking forward to digging away over the next week at our Veteran’s Day pieces, getting everything put together in the few rehearsals we have left before the big performance. And after that, it’s Christmas time. Boy, the year zips by quickly. And in less than a month, I’ll be a quarter-century old! Yikes! Well, at least my insurance will go down. That’s always a nice thought.
I’m hoping to write a little more of just about anything. That’s kind of my goal–music, stories, love letters, whatever. Just something. I need some creativity. My wife and I have been doing some paintings together for wall art, and I want to do more of that as well. But it’s all a game of time, so I’ll have to budget some extra relaxation into my schedule in order to do some of that fun stuff.
Thanks for stopping by. Good night all.
An Update on Professional Expectations
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in God, Reflections: Others, Reflections: Self, Social Issues, Updates on October 8th, 2007
So, long ago, I made a post about how disappointed I was when I entered the teaching profession–how cynical, sarcastic and downright apathetic students are. I talked about my disappointment with their attitudes and their efforts. And I mentioned how the whole world was essentially going down the drain. But I need to revise these statements.
Needless to say, I was not in the right place all last year. I found out in about March that God had better things for me to do. That’s when I learned why I was struggling so much to get my students to do anything. At that point, I began looking elsewhere, and Wham! I found a job. So here is my revised reflection on the state of the youth in this nation.
While still naive and somewhat selfish, I have discovered that students who really wish to accomplish something simply do so. Teenagers (and younger) are not little monsters with nothing better to do than play video games. I was wrong about that assumption. They are intelligent and willing to try just about anything with the proper coaxing. I now know that if you are seen in the right light, you can help students achieve amazing goals. And you can do it quickly. It doesn’t take centuries for it to happen–not even decades, years or months. A matter of weeks is all you really need.
Essentially, my conclusion is this: the youth of America are not truly dying. They are living the same lives that I lived when I was in high school (except with cell phones and iPods). They are exploring and discovering, they are wisely choosing to do more than just get by. And even the ones who seem reluctant really do want to make themselves better–they just want to look cool when doing it. All you have to do is disarm them enough and then give them confidence to make up for the possible embarrassment. Give them something to really indulge in. And now I know how that works, and I know what can come of it. Future teachers, don’t give up. Don’t be disheartened when you find yourself deep in fear. That first year is hell, and the sooner it’s over, the better every other year will be.
And if everyone hates you, just remember: it’s not always going to be your town.
You Know You’re In Nebraska When…
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in God, Reflections: Others, Reflections: Self on May 25th, 2007
Ah, weddings. Those monumentous times when two people are joined forever in what may be the longest civil war known to history. That magic moment when man and woman decide that no matter what their faults, they’re going to be screwed up together. It may sound cynical, but often that’s the case. We’re not perfect, and that’s fine. Sometimes it’s much better to be imperfect together.
And while we love our spouses dearly, we married folk know very well that we’re not in any way perfect, but that we compliment each other in ways that no one else ever could. I love my wife because we’re not perfect separately, but much closer to perfection together. She helps me when I have absolutely no clue (which is quite often), and I help her when she has absolutely no clue (which is much less often). That’s the beauty of it.
So today, I will be watching my good friend Mary and her fiance get married, and I know that those two will work perfectly together for the rest of their lives. Amazing! God blesses us so much, and sometimes we don’t even realize it. Those two will only grow stronger together–that’s what marriage is about. It’s like bridges designed to become stronger when weight and pressure is increased. We’re designed to withstand and grow even closer to God as we go through hard times together.
So, just a little reflection, but I thought it was time I said something on here–and something meaningful. Godspeed, good readers.
The Eve of Two Dozen
Posted by Justin Whitcomb in Reflections: Self on November 23rd, 2006
I am officially 24 years old as of 2 minutes ago. It’s crazy to think I’ve been around for almost a quarter of a century. Just imagine what has happened within a quarter century’s time in history: more than four World War II’s, 2 1/2 Great Depressions, 4 lifespans of the Beatles. Funny how time passes.
And while I may not have had quite the impact on the world that these things had in much less time, I hope I’ve been able to do something to add to the culture and social awareness that this world holds. Maybe I’ve significantly changed one person’s life enough to be a source of inspiration. If that is all I have done in 24 years, then it’s worth the time.
Life is all about affection–affecting those around, loving those around you, and bringing those around you to greater realizations. I reflect on my life today with the thought that if I am able to do these things, God willing, my life can be a success in a much more real way than if I had made millions or found my way to the top of the corporate ladder.
God bless this day and every day forward with His love and understanding. I pray that I am able to follow Him more closely, and that I find myself in the situation where I can help others discover truth in this life.
Peace, and Happy Thanksgiving!