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Showing posts from December, 2017

2017-12-27 Discovering Rock Music: The LA Lloyd Rock Countdown

When I say “rock music,” you say… Lorde? At least that’s what people said about “Royals” back in 2014 when it won the VMA for Best Rock Video . I understand that was 3 years ago, and people made plenty of jokes soon after, but it still stands as a shining example of how rock as a genre has had its lines blurred to the point that it doesn’t mean anything anymore. Even the other nominees for the rock category seem like a stretch. Imagine Dragons, Arctic Monkeys, and The Black Keys all fit into a weird area of… yeah, I guess I could maybe call it rock, but it’s more of like an indie sort of rock. The only nominee in 2014 that I would genuinely consider rock would have been Linkin Park, but I certainly wouldn’t have considered them the only rock band with a song in the running for “Best Rock Video” of that year. What is Rock Music? Suffice it to say, “rock music” doesn’t mean much anymore. I understand that with all the sub-genres and combinations within rock, it does encompass a rat

2017-12-20 Christmas

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I really wanted to write up some big post about Christmas, but… I’ll be honest. It’s not going to happen. This whole “Year of the Dates” initiative I took with Words On Wednesday was almost geared specifically toward Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday, and obviously the one that I would speak the most about. Unfortunately, I am just so spent, I can’t even be bothered to write up a discussion of why I like Christmas so much, or talk about our family traditions. So far, this term of school has been just the worst. I realize that it’s only my second term at SNHU, but the stark contrast between my first class and this one is just baffling. At this point, I’m just hanging on until the end of the term. As the adage goes, “C’s get degrees.” If I can pass, whatever. I’ll get my reimbursement check from work and continue onto the next class. Shopping is awful anyway, but the fact that we’ve had to do every bit of shopping for basically entire family for our kids is so frustrating. I don’

Cash vs Credit vs Debit

I temporarily lost my credit card over the weekend, which resulted in a short but intense panic. However, even had I lost it for good, it occurred to me how much better it is to lose a credit or debit card than cash. Had I lost cash, it would probably have been gone for good. While there are kind souls out there who might try to return the money, how do you differentiate your bills from those that belong to other people? Other than knowing the individual serial numbers of every bill in your wallet (which, really, who would do that?), a $20 is a $20. I’ve heard of instances in which people were able to prove their loss by knowing the exact amount, but I’ll be honest, I have no idea how much cash is in my wallet at any given time. And that still depends on someone being exceptionally generous. I guarantee you there are more people who would just keep the money than those who would even attempt to return it. Similar to losing the money, what happens if you get mugged? That cash is gone. E

Ligon "One Lane" Bridge

Have you ever experienced nostalgia for something strange? Something like a bridge? Anyone in the Enoree area has probably driven over Ligon Bridge at some point. This rickety old bridge crossed the Enoree River on Beaverdam Church Road, behind James Davis’s service station. As the most direct route out toward the Gray Court and Fountain Inn areas, it was used quite regularly by locals. I say it “was” used because in 2015, Ligon Bridge was torn down and replaced with a new bridge. Admittedly, it was in terrible disrepair. Per Bridge Hunter, the inspection of Ligon Bridge in October of 2011 yielded some abysmal results. Deck condition was 5/9, superstructure condition was 5/9, substructure condition was 3/9, appraisal was “structurally deficient,” and the sufficiency rating was 13.9 out of 100. It was basically about to collapse. Replacing the bridge was a smart move for safety reasons. Still, I miss crossing the bridge. Every single time, it was a thrill to drive over. Would th