What time is it?

Time to admit change. I have known Andrew for roughly five years now. Ever since the first moment I have known several things about Andrew:

1.) Kid is crazy in love for Miami.
2.) Absolutely loves warm weather.
3.) Cool Christian with his head on straight even if he is a raging Calvinist.
4.) Swell guy (Gee thanks Mr. Wilson).
5.) He loves 311. See archived blogs for details.

I have never really enjoyed 311. They were too out there for me. Too many sounds that it seemed like they were unable to settle on one. Some good songs, but really zero radio play other than "All Mixed Up." I just wasn't sold, even through four years of friendship with Andrew. Until a couple of weeks ago.

So we move into our DIVE of an apartment and Andrew starts playing 311's live concert DVD all the time. So I watch their show little by little and song by song. One day I collapse on the couch after lifting (yeah I'm huge ... ok not really) and I start watching the DVD and it clicks. I finally like these guys. They're really talented musicians, they write their own stuff, and they're talented enough to play several styles. Nothing like rocking up a crowd, mellowing them out, and rocking out again. And their stuff is catchy. It has solid lyrics that last, not meaningless pop dribble. So while I think it's a bit of a farce they have a greatest hits CD, it's good stuff. I think a greatest hits CD, as my friend Josh suggests, you need to have sustained success for a decade or more, and numerous solid albums. 311 has a cult following for sure, but a greatest hits CD I'm not sure if they're qualified to relase that. Any way you slice it, I'm digging 311 a ton lately. I can't stop listening to them. So hats off to Andrew for staying the course, or beating down my resistance to them after all this time.

Other random comments that need mentioning:

1.) Sesame Street Debacle I can't believe that Sesame Street is changing Cookie Monster. Cookies are SOMETIMES FOOD! What's next, "C is for celery that's good enough for me!" People need to take responsibility. If you don't know that cookies make you fat you suck.

2.) In my tradition of reporting good news - Alonzo Mourning has donated his $300,000 salary from the Miami Heat to orphaned kids and children with kidney problems. Since he's suffered twice from kidney failure this is fitting.

3.) Some more intelligent Starbucks labels you can print out and put on your cup - great idea Andrew.

- "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." -- Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

- "Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." -Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998 (That's long haha last one though I promise.)

- The biases the media has are much bigger than conservative or liberal. They're about getting ratings, about making money, about doing stories that are easy to cover. -- Al Franken (I can't believe I even put that)

- If you're a liberal, anything you say is protected. If you're a conservative, anything you say is hateful. -- Laura Schlessinger

- "Republicans believe every day is the 4th of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15." --Ronald Reagan

- "If you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart, and if you're not a conservative at 40, you have no head." -- Winston Churchill

- "A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but a foolish
man's heart directs him toward the left." -- Ecclesiastes 10:2 (Can't argue with the Bible)

- One last one from Ronald and this one will turn heads

"Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born."
--Ronald Reagan

- Vin Diesel's High School prank was Western Civilization. (Not really just a funny quote from the previously posted Vin Diesel site).

So take that Starbucks. What have we learned today guys? 311 is sweet, frivalous law suits against innane things are bad like the cookie monster, and giving money to kids is a good thing. Well I'm off to do stuff ... like make phone calls. I'm really impacting the world today - one call at a time.