A New Decade is Upon Us

It's hard to believe, but we will usher in a new decade after midnight tomorrow evening. And what a decade it's been, not just for you or I, but for the nation and the world. I remember when we were about to ring in the year 2000. There were a lot of concerns about technology and whether or not it would be able to handle switch to a new millennium. There was talk about the whole world shutting down because of the Y2K hype, and that was all it ended up being, hype. The transition from 1999 to 2000 was pretty much seamless. I do remember a planned terrorist attack against the LAX airport in Los Angeles being stopped. And there was absolutely no trouble with the world's technology when the calendar flipped to 2000. Now fast forward another nine years later, and here we are again. This time, we start an entire new decade. No, not as much hype or fanfare. Still, it's a pretty big deal, especially anytime we start a new decade.

2000 was also the year I graduated from high school. I can't remember when it happened, either kindergarten or second grade, but our class was interviewed by the local paper because our class would be graduating in the year 2000, and we were asked about what the world would be like then. I remember a bunch of other kids being interviewed and I wanted to be included in the discussion. So I blurted out that in 2000, many of the textbooks we used in school would become electronic. Mind you, this was the late 1980's when this interview took place and computers were pretty clunky and not very user-friendly yet. Heck, we had a lot of those old Apple computers with the green and black screens. Well, my vision of textbooks becoming electronic hasn't entirely come true even in 2009, but we're certainly on our way. How easy is it getting to download books to computers and small mobile devices? I wouldn't be surprised that within the next five years, each student will have their own laptop in grade school, and much of the textbook material will be stored on these laptops. Schools these days, particularly in Michigan, are hurting from a lack of funding from state levels. This could be one way to cut back on spending instead of replacing textbooks every five to ten years. Sure, the initial laptop cost for a school district could be pricey, but the overall benefits could outway the accumulated cost.

2010 will also be the year for my ten year class reunion. I know I've brought it up a few different instances in this blog, especially early on in its existence. In some ways, it's hard to believe it's been ten years since I graduated high school. Yet in others, it seems like a really long time. I attended a small school so our class consisted of barely 40 students. It was pretty easy getting to know everyone in our class, let alone our whole school. For the most part, I got along with many of my classmates. Does that make my decision to attend the upcoming class reunion that much easier? Maybe a bit. But I still have some reservations about going. Ten years is a long time not seeing all of these people. Not only will they look different, but I will to. And yes, you're not supposed to let physical appearance be one of the deciding factors in attending or not. But I'm pretty self conscious in my appearance and I hate people thinking negatively of me. I guess one way to look at it is this; you may look somewhat different, but they will too. Overall, I don't think I have changed all that dramatically. I just think interacting with these people again will be a challenge. Instead of being 17, 18, or 19 years old, we'll all be ten years older - more mature and sophisticated. I am still undecided whether or not I'll attend. I have eight months to make a firm decision at least.

The decade of the 2000's also saw me graduate college after five years, land a full-time job in the local area, and allowed me the opportunity to buy my first home, which I did this past year. Things haven't been completely rosy, however, as I lost my grandmother to a long-time illness this past year. I still find myself single, which I hope to rectify in the New Year. However, all in all, the positives outweigh the negatives of the decade gone by, and I really have very few complaints. Here's hoping that the New Year, and the decade of the 10's continues to bring positive news my way.

Songs I Dig - 16

It seems I've procrastinated enough - now to get the rest of these songs finally off my list! I don't know why it's been so difficult to write in the blog the last half of the year. I've been barely writing five blogs a month. But with the new house and other assorted activities, I don't have as much time. Here's for a better effort in 2010! Anyways, I must get the latest Songs I Dig blog in before I have any hope of doing a top 10 list for the year. And here we go!

Shinedown - "Second Chance" : 2009 really seemed to be a big year for the rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. I cannot say I was really all that familiar with their work prior to this year. But thanks to hits like "Second Chance" and their latest song, "If You Only Knew," myself and others have discovered an excellent modern-day rock group. The song itself is a catchy tune and one that's easy to sing along to. It has proven to be Shinedown's biggest hit to date and really solidified their standing in today's rock genre.

Lady Gaga - "Pokerface" : Out of all of the artists that have been featured in the SID blog in 2009, this artist probably had the biggest year out of them all. Not only has Lady Gaga's debut album "The Fame" been certified multi-platinum, but "Pokerface" itself has also been given the same distinction. And how can anyone deny success of the song with its catchy lyrics and innuendos. What really drew me into the song was the opening beat and sound of the song. I'm always about unique-sounding songs and this one is definitely very unique. And it definitely works.

Carolina Liar - "Show Me What I'm Looking For" : This was the first single off the debut album "Coming to Terms" for the group Carolina Liar. It was released earlier in the year and although it's not a real empowering song, it's certainly no dud. The group is based out of Los Angeles but most of its band members originate from Sweden. "Show Me What I'm Looking For" proved to be Carolina Liar's biggest hit from the album and was one of the better songs of 2009.

Nickelback - "If Today Was Your Last Day" : Once again, here's Nickelback on the SID blog, proving that 2009 was another good year for the group. The song was originally supposed to be the first song from the album "Dark Horse" but was scrapped for "Gotta be Somebody." It ended up being the second song released from the album and became the second top 20 song off the album. It's a song with a very deep message, one that could be described as motivating. It basically states not to take life for granted and to treat each day like it's your last.

Cobra Starship - "Good Girls Go Bad" : Here's another one of those super-catchy songs and one that'd be extremely fun to dance along to at a club. Cobra Starship is a group formed in New York City and has released three albums so far. Their latest, "Hot Mess," has spawned the hit single "Good Girls Go Bad" which basically describes a guy that's a big time troublemaker and one that girls just can't resist. It's basically an ode to those big, bad, rough guys and really puts the nice guys in the backseat. Despite its message, it's done very well on the charts and has become Cobra Starship's biggest hit to date.

Green Day - "21 Guns" : 2009 also brought the group Green Day back into modern-day music conversations with their newest album "21st Century Breakdown." 21 Guns was the second song from the album and one that presents a sobering message within the lyrics. The song basically discusses the end of a very long battle, not a warfare battle mind you, but any kind of battle a person faces as part of life. And this is a battle you're not winning. Sometimes it's better just to give up and move on than to keep fighting a losing battle. It's a genious song and one that has done well for Green Day in 2009.

Missy Higgins - "Where I Stood" : I was tempted to leave this song off the list, but after listening to the song again, I feel it's deserving to be listed amongst the others in this particular group. I guess you could say this song is one of the more under-appreciated songs of the year. It's a very slow, thought-provoking ballad. Missy Higgins is an Australian-born musician and "Where I Stood" is the second song from her second album "On a Clear Night." It's one of those break-up songs where the protagonist in the song is having trouble completely accepting the break-up from the antagonist. And that the new "lover" probably won't be able to live up to the protagonists standards. The song has a somber beat to it, yet it's very powerful in its own way.

And that wraps up the latest edition of the Songs I Dig. Seeing that we're one day away from Christmas and a week away from the New Year, be sure to look for a top ten countdown of the biggest hits from 2009. A reminder, this is my personal list of the best songs of the year and has nobody elses influences involved. So if you disagree with my tastes, just take it with a grain of salt. I am contemplating whether or not I should do some sort of countdown of the best songs of the entire decade. It's a monumental task and one that I am considering doing. Either way, I'll let you know whether I decide to tackle it or not. In the meantime, enjoy the current listing of songs and we'll see you next time in the Songs I Dig.

Trouble at Work - Part 2

http://lukefisk.blogspot.com/2009/09/trouble-at-work.html

I bring up the following blog posting from a couple of months back to bring you all an update on the situation I and my fellow crew members are dealing with at work. During previous instances when our boss was in a fowl mood, it took him awhile to get back to normal. The same situation occurred in September - it was probably a good two weeks before I felt comfortable talking to him and being in the same room as him. He's admitted in the past that he doesn't deal well with change - but there's been plenty of change going on at work recently, which may set off his bad behavior. All has been well with our boss and his relationship with the crew up until this past Wednesday night when we started our first midnight shift. Ever since then, things have turned ugly. And now he's lost all of our respect because of his behavior.

Our control room operator is rather a jokester, always trying to keep the mood light. Wednesday night when our coordinator entered the room, he cracked a joke. The coordinator did not emote one ounce of a smile and got right to business, reading aloud a safety alert. He described everything that was going on, let us sit there to ponder it for a bit, then announced, "okay, let's go!" This was his way of saying, "get to work." Our shift starts at 10:55 on midnight shift, and it ended up being 11:10 when he ushered us out. There have been plenty of instances, especially when our boss was in a good mood, where we didn't leave until half-past. When he kicks us out of the control room in such short fashion, usually that's a good sign he isn't in a good mood.

Like in September, he hasn't allowed us to have extended coffee and lunch breaks. He comes up immediately after 10 and 20 minutes respectively, kicking us out of the lunch room. I, being in the position that I'm in, don't have to leave in that quick of a hurry, at least he can't make me. I am an assistant plant operator, meaning he can't deny me the right of being in the control room. But for everyone else not in that position, they have to leave. All of the other coordinators on the job in the past and the present have all giving their crews the luxury of extended breaks. So it confuses us as to why our boss is on such a huge power trip as he is.

I've encountered him a few different instances on the floor of the mill. During one situation, I was driving by on a cart while he was standing near a grinding mill. He waved, which actually surprised me. I thought maybe he was starting to cheer up a bit. But in a couple of other instances since, particularly yesterday, he has not initiated contact with me. I was driving a cart heading south down the main aisle way of the mill and he was walking north. Instead of looking directly at me and waving, he put his head down and ignored me. In the other instance, we were experiencing trouble at one end of the plant and he showed up as well. He made a gesture to me, a slashing-of-the-throat gesture to mean the conveyor we were having issues with wouldn't start. I nodded, in which he called to get an electrician down there. He stayed for awhile, but never initiated any small talk with me and preferred to "lean" against a hand rail away from me. Other people from my crew have had similar occurrences with him. We honestly have no idea what his deal is with the crew. I would think that if he had any problems with the crew or a particular individual, he would speak to us or that person and tell us what's going on. But as I mentioned in September, this seems to be the way he deals with his problems. He shuts us all out and goes on this big power trip like he's the big deal.

The general consensus among the crew is that he may be bipolar. I am somewhat familiar with the condition but I guess I would have to read up more on it to see if this particular individual has the true symptoms. Either that or he's seriously depressed and the more he acts like this, the deeper and deeper he may fall. I guess I am perplexed at what to do. Our crew has been discussing the possibility of talking with our boss about his behavior - only to wonder if this will do no good or make him act even worse and retaliate against us. All I know is this cannot keep happening to our crew. We have a great group of people that deserve a lot better than how our boss is treating us. We've always worked hard and helped each other out. He's even made the same compliment to us when he was in a much better mood. I have also thought about discussing the matter with our operations manager. Our boss definitely has a history of this kind of behavior and it's certainly troubling for us all. The morale of the crew is at rock bottom and nobody wants to go into work dealing with a loser like this. Thankfully I have not gotten the worst treatment from him like others on the crew have, but I feel bad for everyone. The situation has given me great anxiety lately and I know something needs to happen sooner rather than later.

Songs I Dig - 15

As promised, here's another edition of the Songs I Dig blog. I'm trying not procrastinate as much this time around and seeing that the year is almost over, I do need to compile my listing of the top songs of 2009 (it still kind of boggles my mind that the year is almost over). I am going to try to knock off as much of these songs as I can, so pardon me if some of the paragraphs for the songs may be shorter than usual. I just want to cover as much as I can before the year is out.

The Fray - "Never Say Never" : The Fray was back in 2009 with a new album and some great new songs. One of them, "Never Say Never" did great on the charts. It got plenty of radio time and could be considered as one of the best songs of the year. The song starts with a solemn piano opening and gradually builds into a dramatic ballad. The song's theme is typical in modern pop music - falling in and out of love. It's just a great song, with a soothing melody and great message.

Daughtry - "No Surprise" : Another group with a new album in 2009 is Daughtry. The "should've been Idol champ" of a few years back came out with a vengeance with "No Surprise" that quickly climbed the charts. The album, "Leave this Town" debuted at number one on the billboard charts and remained there for another week. "No Surprise" is a break-up song and again, sort of follows the in and out of love theme. The song appears to be in a particularly high octave for Chris to sing, but he does it magnificently well. Again, this one will rank as one of the best songs of '09.

The Script - "The Man Who Can't be Moved" : Here's a group I knew absolutely nothing about until I heard this song on the radio. And it ended up being another great song from this past year. The Script is of Irish decent and has had great success in the United Kingdom. The band is gaining more noteriety in the United States for its music and sound - although they haven't exactly had a smash hit here as of yet. I really connected with "The Man Who Can't be Moved" as it related to a personal matter in my life. It's got a great message and it's one of those songs you can't help but to sing along to.

Jordin Sparks - "Battlefield" : 2009 has proven to be a big year for former American Idol contestants and winners. Season 6 Idol winner Jordin Sparks' new album "Battlefield" was released in mid-July and debuted at number seven on the Billboard charts. The song of the same name as the album was the first to be released and gained plenty of radio airplay. It's a song that describes the struggles of love and relationships. As the lyrics states, "why does love always feel like a battlefield?" In a relationship, there's often push and pull between the two sides and not enough compromise. I think this song sets a very true message within its lyrics.

Dave Matthews Band - "Funny the Way It Is" : Probably one of my all-time favorite bands from the past 20 years has to be Dave Matthews Band. You want to talk about great song writing? Here's the group that epitomises great song writing. "Funny the Way It Is" was the debut song from their recent album "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King." It doesn't directly talk about love, relationships, break-ups, what-have-you, but more about irony. I just love the juxtaposition displayed in the lyrics of this song. It also tackles the overall degredation of society as a whole. Yet the music video is rather quirky and funny in that Dave Matthews way.

Katy Perry - "Waking Up In Vegas" : Within the past year in a half, Katy Perry started as an unknown in the music industry and has become one of the biggest female artists in pop music today. Her debut album produced two triple-platinum songs in "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot N Cold." I am pretty sure "Waking Up In Vegas" can't be that far behind. It's a fun, quirky song that's as catchy as can be. Katy basically describes a nightmare situation in Las Vegas to a T in this song. From being broke after gambling away all of the money, waking up with a ring on your finger along with a hangover and not remembering what happened the previous night. It's one of those songs that's just simply fun to sing along to.

Parachute - "She is Love" : Okay, back to the love and/or relationship-themed songs. Parachute is a group new to the music industry and released their debut album "Losing Sleep" in 2009. Each of the members of the band graduated from college in 2008 and have since been touring and promoting their album. The first single released was "She is Love." It has so far topped out at number 66 on the Billboard Charts. It's a sweet song and the lyrics divulge no bad relationship blood within them. The theme of the song basically follows the lines of "in my darkest days when I'm feeling the worst, she (or he) is there to lift up my spirits and make my life meaninful." It'd actually make a decent wedding song, in my opinion.

That is going to wrap it up for this edition of the Songs I Dig. Please be sure to check back for one (or two) more editions of the SID before I give my special top songs of '09 blog. And until then, be sure and enjoy the holiday season.