Shiftdown

So earlier this morning i just realized that it has now today (Or technically yesterday because I was actually there already) been one year since I was in Tokyo. This was kind of depressing for me seeing as how I want to go back so much. especially since i have many more good friends I would like to go hang out with.  So here is to all my friends. I wish I could be there but I’ll be back as soon as i can! Hopefully it will be soon. But it was kind of depressing to think about all day seeing as it brings all of the memories from last yer and it feels like I should be there now. Especially since I am going to miss the best concert possibly of the year. Maybe even my lifetime. There are going to be so many different artists i would love to see at “Summer Sonic”. From The Offspring to Dream Theater. It’s such a shame I’m gonna miss it. Perhaps I’ll get to see it next year. Hopefully the line up is as good as this year.

Also thinking back to a year ago it has also now been 1 year since I worked at Warner Brothers studios. I really do miss that gig. It was always interesting to see what you might see around the lot and to hear all the stories that go on behind the scenes. Really makes me miss those day. But also the days of stable work. But enough reminiscing on the past I guess it’s not like it will take me back to then.

So today was a busy day for me. I finally got to see “The A-Team” in theaters. Which i have to say the movie was a lot better than I had originally expected but I’m not quite sure if it did the original series much credit. However the story was very good and had it’s nice twists and turns. Although thinking of it it really reminded me of the recent movie based on the Vertigo comic ” The Losers”. It almost seemed like a carbon copy being that part of it takes place in Mexico, there framed for a crime, they go after some CIA agent, and the whole climax ends at the Port of Los Angeles in Long Beach. I guess you could say that The A-Team is the big budget movie version of The Losers. Which I’m not complaining, being as i have seen both and I even liked both. But I guess I was able to identify with the character from The A-Team because i grew up watching the original T.V. show. Also I still think Mr. T should have did a cameo in the movie. And I can’t really see how he said it was too violent. It was kind of tame compared to some Hollywood films out like SAW, Resident Evil, Watchmen, Killers, etc. The list can go on and on. Still if you haven’t seen it I suggest you go see it. I think it’s not a bad version of a movie being made off a title  like a lot of series re-amps or remakes.

Besides that i also did a bit of shopping today. I just picked up the new volume of “Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Akari Raising Project”. Which if you an anime fan or a fan of Eva then it’s definitely a good read to see a new take on the original story in a parallel universe kinda way. Besides that I did make quite an investment which I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was going to buy a new set of headphones. And that’s what I did.  Actually I have been thoroughly testing them as I have been writing this. Now normally I will refer to the spec sheet on the packaging of the headphones to decide if they are worth buying at whatever price they may be.  Normally I don’t care about customer reviews because everyone ha different opinions and usually the bad ones are done buy someone who just happened to get a defective product.  However being an Audiophile and finally deciding to spend $90.00 on a set of earbuds i wanted as much information as I could possibly get.  Normally I wouldn’t think that earbud headphones would have any kind of quality however I have found that some monitor style earbuds are incredible. So I decided that I wanted a good pair of earbuds for on the go and more comfortable editing on songs as I mix in Pro Tools. Now my last pair of earbuds were a pair of “Skullcandy Ink’d” headphones. Now I can’t complain they were very good however they really lacked any kind of Bass. There was no low end at all. Which I actually liked in some ways because I do like a lot of treble at times. Who knows i may still buy another pair since I lost mine. Still I had them for well over a year and for $20.00 I can’t complain too much. They were well built and had a good sound. However……these new ones I bought today blow any i have heard (Except BOSE, and a couple monitor sets by SONY) away. Now buying them i was a little concerned first off at the price. Even now i still haven’t got past the sticker shock however that’s wearing off quickly. The head phones I bought are: Beats by Dr. Dre – Heartbeats by Lady Ga Ga. Ok so there was the set called tour available but they were also about $50.00 more.  At $89.99 these are incredible.  The sound is crisp clear. You can here so much of the mix that you lose in cheap sets and it really gives you less of a sense that your even wearing headphone. The first song I heard I can swear it was in surround and was perfectly clear. The sound is just amazing. One of the things that I like is that they look very unique such as Lady Ga Ga herself. However this is also kinda of a down point as being a guy I’ll probably be made fun of for buying them. However as good as they sound I don’t really care. But with these you can definitely tell many things were considered about style, quality, durability, and inventiveness. these headphone have all +’s in every category.  As I said the design of these are unique. Your not going to see anything like these. At least not as far as I have seen unless it’s in another color. Now for the best part. The build quality. Even with the odd shape on the casing it still was designed as a cove which I feel helps the sound and magnets work better. Also the earbud rubber (Which comes with many sizes so they can fit anyone) fit very well. I haven’t had the trouble of them slipping out. also the actual headphone is very light so it’s not a strain on your ear and pops out all the time like my old ones. The inventive parts of these is tangle free flat cable. Whoever though of this idea is a genius. Its brilliant that it really works and was implemented into these headphones. And especially where the high quality of these headphones comes in is that they are made by “Monster”, which I would say is my brand of choice for instrument cables. Even though they are ridiculously expensive. The one thing I don’t like is that I could not find them in all black. Every store seems sold out. So I just stuck with the chrome and white. However I have tested these now through Pop, Rock, Punk, Metal, like Lady Ga Ga(Obviously), The Offspring, Avenged Sevenfold, Iron Maiden, and the sound is still incredible from treble to Bass. And the noise cancellation that you get from the direct sound and bud itself really blocks out a lot of outside noise. I couldn’t hear anything really while listening to them. I would definitely recommend these to anyone I know. Or even any of the other Beats by Dr. Dre models. I got to listen to them at the demo booth at Best Buy and the Studio model sounded amazing. I may even start to save to replace my Senheiser HD280 Pros. Any case I give these a 5 out of 5. Whats also cool is they even come with a hard storage case. Definitely good to have considering how expensive they are.

Well tomorrow starts a new week. I will still keep seeing if I can post here everyday. Seems a little easier now for some reason. But I’ll keep at it. Anyhow Tuesday I’ll go see Despicable Me, and I’ll continue looking for a job. So check back. Until next time…..

There’s never much news on the weekend. It just seems to me as the world stops being productive and all manners of productivity stop. It seems though as the weekend is just a time to recap everything from the past days. Which is understandable being that the weekend is what its called. But it’s such a bore really that nothing happens. I like many people like to read what going on in the news or even on what friends are doing. However when people have the most time it seems that’s when there is the least news. But then again that probably just my boredom talking. It is late right now (or early depending on which side of the glass you like to look at) .

As I always say I am going to try to make an effort to post here more often however I do find it difficult to write at times. Even if it wasn’t 1:00am and I didn’t feel sleepy I would have trouble thinking of what to write. Which is fine I guess but when I decide there’s nothing to say then I end up procrastinating as I always do and then it will be months before I do another post. So i figure even if it’s just a tid bit of nonsense or something important and informative I should at least try to write a little something everyday. But don’t expect me to write 2000-3000 word posts everyday. I’m not that interesting all the time. And on the weekend as I said before there’s even less to write about.

One of the things I though was to write this at the end of the day to reflect back on the days events however at times like tonight when i feel like I want to fall asleep on the keyboard it makes me feel as I can’t really say much or that what I say will even be understandable. There are times like tonight when I feel so tired i almost feel as if I were drunk and I can’t control my speech. In this case though I’m not trying to control my voice im trying to control my thoughts. I guess it’s not the best time tonight to be writing but I’ll try to press on.

Well on the BN-Games front just finished up another episode of the Basically Bullshit Podcast. Something we try and do weekly. but as in my last post was delayed last week due to hardware failure of my Macs hard drive. Luckily we were able to get another Mbox and the new Pro Tools.Which I have to say was interesting because I am so used to Pro Tools 7.3 that I have been using for the past 2 years for all my recording purposes. It was a nice step up from 7.3. There’s not to much different from the older version to 8 as far as control or at least that I have seen. Mind you I have now only spent 2 hours working with it. Hopefully I’ll be able to clock a lot more time on it very soon as I try to get my new band off the ground and a couple of tracks laid out. But visually Pro Tools 8 looks very nice. And I think it is much easier on the eyes compared to older version or even other programs i have used such as Garage Band, Audacity, Sonar, etc. Now I am hoping to get the courseware book and learn the in’s and outs of the program. If possible I’d like to get certified to be a Pro Tools operator. But we will see whats to come with all that. There’s still a lot I need to learn. Also would be much easier if I could get my mac back up and running.

Ok well that’s enough for tonight. Tomorrow might be boring unless I do happen to go to the movies. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch The A-Team. If not I know I’ll be seeing something else during the week, not sure yet though what it might be. Well till next time……

These past few months have been a total blur. Nothing I seem to do seems to get me a step ahead. And I guess that’s ok. Well maybe not. I need to start moving forward. As of this moment I am confused of whats going on around me. Am I out of a job, or do I still have one. What am I doing? Where am I going… I know I don’t have answers. But it’s because there are none. What I have found is that there are no answers in life. You can’t wait for things to show you the answer. You need to make an answer yourself. I guess it’s not really an answer its a decision.

I want to find what it is I need. What I should do. But I think that lies far away. And I need to start to move towards that direction.  I need to prepare myself to get there. But I need to do it.

Anyhow besides the depressing stuff it looks like I’ll have another week of free time on my hands. So I’ll keep looking for a new job in the meantime. Also gives me a small chance to catch up on some games I haven’t played and play my guitar a bit. Maybe get a new track down. Hopefully I can get some new gear. I’d love a new amp preferably a tube amp. I like the analog cut compared to digital clipping. It just sounds so much smoother and cleaner compared to the pop of digital. In all honest I hate “Solid State” amps unless I’m using my G-Synth (Guitar Synthesizer for those who don’t know the term). But I haven’t used that in a while. Probably should dust that off and use it a bit more. However I need to fix my Mac soon so I can record anyway. I can’t believe the hard drive just gave out all of a sudden. Should be an easy fix with a new one though since the rest of the hardware seems to work just fine.

Theres so many things I want to get that would help out. And great summer sales to get them, however with work being slow I cant afford any of them. Such as the Mbox Micro which I would love for mobile editing for Pro Tools. It’s at the best price I have ever seen right now but I cant afford it. Also I could use a new set of ear buds. I know I could get a set I can afford that are like five or six dollars however I’m an audiophile and I just can not stand a shitty set with such low range of frequency and response. Nope I need a set of ninety dollar ear buds. Something with quality and range. Something I can monitor and hear every layer and track in a song. Most people I know will say they don’t really care much about the sound as long as the picture looks good. That’s what their willing to sacrifice in quality. However I am the opposite and I would rather look at a shitty picture than have muddy sound with no bass and mid treble. People say I’m crazy but it’s my preference. Don’t get me wrong I do like an awesome pictures and high resolution. I am still an artist at heart and I do like a quality picture. But anymore I can live with low def. Which brings up an interesting point  since I am so picky about high quality sound…..I love lo fi (Low Fidelity). Something about monotone or low fidelity intrigues me deeply. I know for many old songs from old bands like Led Zepplin I love to listen to them on vinyl. I love the low fidelity sound and the hiss of the needle on the record and the humm of the turntable spinning. It’s also a nostalgia thing I guess. I think I like to listen to it the way it was meant to be heard. The way it was originally recorded and played. There’s just something about it. But I have always been that way I guess. I like things that are vintage and retro or antique.  I even have a thing against these re-releases of old albums that are remastered like some of The Doors albums. I think they take a lot away from it by cleaning the sound up. The transfer from Tape to digital really seems to take a lot away from a recording. I mean I do know the difference between the two and I can say that It some applications one is better than the other however a song that has been completely done in tape should not be remastered digitally. However I know many people like it I just think you loose to much from what it truly is if you have a deep appreciation for the original. I know some people say songs should never be covered but I think that’s untrue. I think they shouldn’t be remastered. Once it’s done leave it alone. It was done like that for a reason. It’s just my opinion anyway……

So as far as new music goes I haven’t been able to check out too much. Ozzy’s new album still has me on the fence weather I like it or not. Out of the entire album there is only about 3 songs I can really get into. The rest are kinda iffy. I am a little disappointed with it I guess. Still i recommend giving it a listen through and see if you like it. I picked up the new Avenged Sevenfold Album day before yesterday and I have to admit it is much better than I expected. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the drummer Jimmy *The Rev* Sullivans recent death. I still feel no one can replace him and that he truly was one of the worlds top drummers. But the new drummer has fit in. I will have to keep listening through it a couple of times to really say I can see he is as good but maybe it’s that feeling that he cant replace him that keeps me from saying that he is good enough. But he is an awesome drummer. And the new album is great. And I am really glad to see that they will keep going and make some more awesome music. Now most of the albums I have been waiting for have already been released like H.I.M.s Screamworks Love in theory and practice. Which was just as good as I was expecting. The single “Heartkiller” quickly jumped to one of my favorite songs from there list. Not as high as there cover of  “Wicked Game”, “Cyanide Sun”, “Don’t fear the Reaper”, “Join me in Death”, “Buried alive by love” , and the many other favorites I have. But still many great songs on the album. Now theres only one CD I am looking forward to buying which is Hey Monday’s new album “Beneath it all”. After that the next albums I am looking forward to are ones that are still very far off like the next Offspring album which is currently in production (Might mention that I saw them in Irvine last week and got to hear a new song which was awesome. I hope it gets put on iTunes sometime soon so i can get it), and then hopefully the next Blink 182 album if and when it ever comes out. I am hoping to maybe get a ticket to go see them do there only North American show in September along with Bad Religion, Rise against, and Suicidal Tendencies. Kind of expensive though and might be sold out by now. Next to that albums I am a little bit interested in hearing are Iron Maidens new album and also Gorillaz  Plastic Beach album. I wasn’t too big a fan of Demon Days. Can only remember one song I liked on it being “Feel Good Inc.”, but I still am a big fan of the first CD with 19/2000, Clint Eastwood, Tomorrow Comes Today, and couple others on it.

Well I’m going to start my weekend now by sitting back and relaxing, watch a little T.V. and play a game. Then maybe crack open a beer or two later. Don’t think I’ll hit the Jameson tonight. lol. Not sure what I’ll d for the weekend but I’ll find something I think. Otherwise it’s just going to be another boring weekend…..

As always I can never think what to write here and time to time I keep thinking of changing the format. I used to think of keeping this place as my own opinion site for recent news or other things in that sense. But I also have thought of turning this into my personal blog so I can post my own thoughts and happenings here. But in any case I’m still unsure what to do.

Everything seems to fall apart recently. Although I don’t seem to worried about it. I know things will work out. I know I have to start pushing ahead to finally start to make ground in life. But I feel like i have so many road blocks in my way. It’s just finding the will and strength to break through and go forward. I’m sure things will get better. But I know it will take time and will. If an how I can do it are another question. I think I’ll start making this just a normal blog with a mix of my everyday thoughts. I can’t say how well it will turn out and or how often I will actually post anything. Hopefully I can also figure out how to post pictures. I think that would add a nice touch and help a lot.

It’s late so I think I will just call it a night…..Sunday begins a new week in my life. Lets see how it goes….

Well I’m going to make this one short. I know I am still trying to get regular update here on Shift down. BUt it’s kinda tiring going to work and doing everything else I do. Sure it doesn’t seem like much but still. My plans for the future are starting to move forward. Slowly but surely. It means I will be even busier but I will still try and write here more often.

A small step to increase my productivity is that I just got the wireless keyboard I have been dieing for.  I get so tired of the prim and proper wired keyboard stuck near my desk so I have to be so close to the screen. It feels to restrictive for my taste. I like to feel like I am free to roam, That’s where the spark of creativity comes from. Freedom. In this case it is just the ability to slouch back and type in my lap sitting 5 feet back from the screen. Which is probably bad for my back (So says ergonomics) but my back is probably shot by now anyway. The only annoying thing about it is that now I sit to far back to use my mouse. Even thought that too is wireless I don’t want to hold that and use my leg as a surface for it. But really I only need the wireless keyboard for typing up posts or review which I need to start finishing.

One of the reasons I decided to do this quick post was to test out this new keyboard because it is not a standard wireless keyboard. It is a Logitech  Cordless Keyboard for the Nintendo Wii. So I wasn’t sure that it would work on my PC. But it seems to work just fine. It connected right away and even installed its drivers with no trouble. may a 10 second install at best. So I am pretty satisfied with my purchase. I still have some stress testing to do on it. And the keys really need to be broken in. They are really stiff to the touch right now but then again it is a brand new keyboard. But I am glad besides that fact I am still able to type pretty fast on it.Also one of the great things about it is that it is super light. I mean it is almost as light as a feather. It is so surprising that something that is wireless can be so light where the wired version is so much bulkier and heavier. I will be doing a hardware review of it on the BN-Games site.

So tonight is the Super Street Fighter 4 Midnight release. Now I am not the biggest Street Fighter fan but I do occasionally like to play the game. I will be seeing about picking up a copy of SSF4 tonight but I don’t think I will be able to with the purchase of this keyboard.Which I think is more worth the money to me right now. But who knows.

Ok well I post another Shiftdown tomorrow sometime. I got some stuff to do before I go to the release of the game.  So till next time….

For a while now I have been trying to get more motivated and more productive but it never seems to pan out quite right. Now I know it’s a huge amount of procrastination on my part. But it’s also a huge loss of creativity and passion for anything. It’s hard to get myself to do something if I feel I have no interest in it. There are many things that I used to do that anymore I can’t bring myself to do. Sometimes I think whats the point, or I’ll do it a little later. But I never do. As a reviewer (or somewhat of a reviewer) for BN-Games I have a ton of games (I mean a huge pile) that I have never touched. Which is kind of sad. Some I have waited so long to play yet I have barely started. Some I am almost at the edge of finishing. And some are brand new and have never been played. But I am trying to stretch myself out into too many things. But too look at me you wouldn’t think I really do all that much.  But I am actually trying to get on doing reviews again, but also I do the BN-Podcast every week, working nearly full time (even though it’s still part time), and then doing much of the other things I do, and keeping up with all the T.V. I watch.

But even with all the procrastination and lack of motivation I find myself looking for direction now. And also sparks of creativity are starting to flare up inside my head again. Something that hasn’t happened in a while. I want to shift gears and start getting ahead in life. I want to achieve something. Although I still have no Idea how to attain my goals I am still left searching for the way to move ahead and close in on them. As of now I feel I’m in a rut. I need a change. I’ve been saying I need one for a long time, but more and more I know I need it and I need it soon. I have a lot of ideas on what to do and how to go about it. But it’s a toss up either way.

I have a few things I am planning on starting to work on. I’m about half way done on completing my first song especially since I have now found someone a little more to my style to drum for me. So I’m hoping to lay that down and get it recorded soon. Also I am hoping to record for my brothers project as I have pretty much decided to stick to Bass and improve my skill there. Also I have been brainstorming over some ideas for a web comic I want to write based on true characters and true events with the added exaggeration you would expect from any comic. I am hoping to get something started very soon if I can find a artist who can draw well, come close to what I’m thinking, and probably most importantly will work for free (lol j/k).

Well I have a lot to process and get into motion. A lot of things to start. Hopefully I break out of this rut and finally start to move a long in life. And I’ll try to post here more regularly as I try to improve my motivation as well as some other things. I know this isn’t the typical type of post I normally post here on Shiftdown. And hopefully we will be back to normal in the next post when that comes along. So check back soon….

So here we are already 11 days into the new year. And I have already broken half of the resolutions I said I was going to do. Go figure right. But the fact of it is that just saying at the begining of a year I’m going to do this doesn’t help one bit.  These things are things we all see and know we need to something about.  But we choose to blame others to make ourselves feel better. That it’s not our fault. I know all my problems are my own fault. I see them and I see their effects on myself. However it is not so easy as to just fix the problem. That’s where relapse comes in. I tend to find myself doing something I said I wouldn’t but I catch myself when it is too late. At that point there in no sense to stopping it and trying to follow my earlier resolution. But there lies the problem with us. We all say well why not just finish it this one time, why not do it this one time. Next time I won’t. But that’s the entire problem right there.  As long as we continue to do that and just say next time then there will never be a next time. We have to learn realization and when we get to that point to not just say screw it and move on. We need to realize the fact and deal with it then. But these are words from a hypocrite I guess. But in a way we all are.

I do want to make this year a more productive and better year. There are goals I still wish to reach during the year.  Already I have been keeping up with our work on the BN Games site with a few reviews i have done and also with our new weekly podcast. We have recruited a few good hosts but were still trying to structure everything a little bit better. Last night 2 hour podcast was a great success although a lot more of the insults were a little worse than usual. But in a debate it is normal for things to get a little heated. BUt like any T.V. or radio show it is taking its form slowly and surely. More reviews on games are also starting to pour in onto the BN Games site since we now have about 7 writers. I am doing my best to keep up with the BN Game site as well as the BN Podcast and working my normal job. SO Shiftdown has been dry as usual which I must apologize for. I still plan on getting 2 posts a week. Possibly being Wednesday and Friday thing with possible posts in between.  I don’t really like the fact of letting this muse go to waste.

Now I know this week what I have written so far is not as profound as I prefer to write.  But I am suffering from a bout of writers block as i usually am.  I am a visual artist not a writer really. So I do find it hard to come up with content from time to time if there is nothing I feel or am interested in writing about.

Check back soon for more

Ok so i know this whole things been shaky for this past 6 months or so that I have had Shiftdown online. But with a new year comes a new begining as I am hoping to put what has been one of the Best and one of the worst years of my life behind me and move on into the future. We here at Basically nothing are really focusing on the BN Games site along with the Basically Bullshit Podcast. Ive lost a bit of focus lately since I have been working a lot more and am trying to hammer out a better time schedule with my position at my current job, along with balancing the BN game site which I also write for and the Podcast which I co-host and produce. Its a lot more than my tiny projects I am used too but it is good that I am making good progress on them.

I have many resolutions for this coming year and hope to stick to and complete most of them in due time. One Begining with Shift down becoming a regular 2 to 3 time a week post depending on my other projects I am working on. Other being the minor things we all say every year but never accomplish. But let’s see if I can actually make good on some things. There are also many goals I have for the coming year the main of which in returning to Japan for another great vacation.

Now that the year is coming to it’s final minutes I just want to give a shout out and thanks to all my friends who are already in the new year in there home countries, Tomoaki, Yuko, Akane, Saiko, Saki, Mocchi, Naoki, Stefan, and Teo. And to all my friends and family here in the U.S.

To everyone who reads this have a great New Year and I hope you will check back soon for the first post of Shiftdown in 2010

Tim

Hello and welcome to a special edition holiday edition of Shiftdown where I rant about anything everything and nothing. Unusual today I  have a little more structured post and whats today’s topic? It’s whats on everyone’s mind today “Black Friday”. The busiest shopping day of the year. A day that people camp in lines city blocks long too get the absolute best price on the items of their or their child’s dreams…

Now I can’t really stand Black Friday. I mean to me it’s pointless. I can understand all the great deals and wasnting to get a big 46 inch t.v. for $200. But honestly the way people act today is unreasonable. I mean the last couple of years people have been killed just trying to buy something just because there is not enough to go around and everyone wants it. And stores don’t do much about it like pass out number to say these people were here first and we only have this many so they get it too bad for you. And then again if they did some people are so desprate to get their hands on it to go as far to rob and or kill someone for it. It’s ridiculos.The holidays are supposed to be a happy time for everyone but how can it be happy if one of your family members is in jail or dead?And I  think the fact that stores let people camp out in front of their businesses to wait to get in the minute they open is also a big factor because every has to survive the cold night and long boring wait.So it’s no suprise to me that people get unruly and tempers will start to flare if they don’t get what they waited all night long for. I mean seriously an other night people would be arrested for vagrancy or loitering for sleeping out in front of a store. I mean there were people with a tent in line last night when I went to my local walmart.  And the line just kept going on for what seemed like forever. And I feel sorry for those in back because you know they aren’t going to get that item that is priced so low even Crazy Gideon (Local LA Joke) would say i’m not that crazy…

And the stores are so greedy they open up at the crack of dawn and have the best prices for a limited time. The one thing I have to at least say is most stores have more employees working for these days. However they still screw there regular employees by hiring seasonal workers. Its good to hire more people and give more jobs out but you could give your loyal and regular employees more work hours. And I will admit some do but still under the minimum so they don’t need to pay benefits or overtime. It’s sad how greedy these corporations are. And that they care so little for their employees. It is one of the main reasons I hate working in retail because no matter who or what your always getting screwed one way or another.  So much so I really hate the days of the nice office life I was laid off from. At least there I was happy because I got the holidays off and was paid for it. But I can’t complain too much I guess because work is so hard to find these days. But I really think the whole retail work structure needs to be re invented. I mean companies should have to pay more than minimum wage and also offer better benefits. I mean no one can live off of minimum wage unless there working 2 or 3 minimum wage jobs. Its just almost impossible. I know there are those who manage to pull it off. But really should we have to struggle so much.

But it’s a holiday tradition I guess. I just think some people are just too cheap or stupid to realize “Hey I can buy this in May and not be killed, or sleep deprived, or trampled”. Personally I am glad I am able to sleep in and rest this Black Friday. Sure I do have to work tonight but I’m not one in a huge rush to go buy anything. I do have a lot of shopping to do for my family and friends but I have no problem with waiting a week or so for things to die down. There will still be good deals coming. But at least I won’t need to wait in a line that’s 4 hours long. The only line I am fearing this year is the line at the post office because I have quite a few international packages to ship to a few friends this year.

So that’s all for today I’ll be back soon with more holiday things and what not. So check back soon. I will get a regular posting schedule going but with BN games and working it may be 1 to 2 times a week. Anyhow Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Hello again and welcome to another post of Shiftdown the ranting ideals of my everyday thoughts and opinions. Now I know it’s been quiet here for a month or so and well I can’t say it’s been for a good reason really. As usual I just got a bit lazy and uninspired. But I am still hoping to get a regular thing going here.  But recently I have started writing Videogame Reviews on our BN games site. So this means I’m playing games more often these days which eats up quite a bit of my time. Check the site soon because I’ll be doing my review of Forza 3 Motorsport, and DJ Hero.

So like in my title I have to say that this posts going to be about the music. I have been listening to a lot lately (Well I usually do it’s just now more than usual and there are so many great albums out right now). Plus Ive gone back to listening to a lot of music I haven’t heard since I was in High school. And I guess its just that recently Ive been introduced to different types of music that I really never listened to because everyone I know would hate to hear. But then again i did get my own mother to start listening ti H.I.M.  ( lol ). But I have to admit I like it. I have been getting bored with the same old songs and classic rock and metal. Opening up to new music really give you a lot more selection. I mean you don’t need to just like one type of music.

Ok so I want to just make some suggestions of bands Ive been hearing and the songs I have heard and just give it a shot and see what you think. Who knows you might even like it. besides if check it out on myspace its basically free so it’s not like i’m saying go out and buy the CD. But if you do like it I do say go buy there CD iTunes really doesn’t pay much and I like to support the bands I like. But still I guess you can download it for free if you know where you can get it. So in no order whatsoever heres some bands you should check out..

Angels and Airwaves – We don’t need to whisper(If you like Tom from Blink 182 you will probably like this band)

Paramore – Ignorance (Really this is the best band I have heard in a long time. All there songs are good)

Dead by Sunrise – Crawl Back in (Chester from Linkin Parks new band including the guys from Julien-K)

Julien-K – Technical Difficulties (The album took forever to get released but its well worth it. Plus tons of remixs)

A skylit drive – Eva the Carrier (I heard the album Wires and the concept of breathing so many times in Japan and I got to say I thought it was great. my only thing is I got to get the JP version cause I want the bonus live track. And usualy i dont like live tracks?)

The Action Design – Landmines (I was a big fan of Tsunami Bomb and I think M’s new band is just as good)

Bad Religion – New Dark Ages  (Ok bad Religion is my second favorite band really. Almost every song is great. And for being around so many years has to say something.

The Anix – This Game (remix) (A cali band thats getting off the ground. Check them out on myspace.  and if you can find it listen to the song “This Game” but the Remix version I have that I got off myspace when they had it available to down load is the best I think.

AFI – Medicate (This new album has been getting some mixed reviews (Which Ill get into later in this post) but the songs great and I really want to check out the rest of the album)

Lady Ga Ga – Just Dance (Ok personally I’m going to get hell for this one but what list wouldn’t be complete without Lady Ga Ga lol. The songs just catchy. And besides i need a pretty diverse list so this just seemed appropriate)

RIP Slyme – Nettaiya ( So this is a group from Japan that I was introduced to and I have to say its pretty good)

X Japan – IV (One of my absolute favorite bands. Plus they have the best drummer in the world)

Nana Kitade – Kesenai Tsumi (If you liked the music from Full Metal Alchemist then you will know who this is. She has a couple of great CD’s if your into pop and pop rock.

H.I.M. – Razorblade Kiss (It is foreign to us in the US but it is still popular here. Plus I think Ville Valo has the best singing voice compared to anyone else out there today.

Rise Against – Read to Fall (I don’t know what the name is of the single off the new CD but it is also a great song)

Ok so if you don’t want to take my suggestions hey it’s up to you. But just in case you do like the suggestions I’m going to put my favorite albums

X Japan – Jealousy

Bad Religion – The process of beliefe

Bad Religion – New Maps of Hell

The Offspring – Ixnay on the Hombre

H.I.M. – Razorblade Romance

H.I.M. – Dark Light

H.I.M. – Uneasy Listening Vol.2

Paramore – Riot

Paramore – All we know is falling

Tsunami Bomb – The Great Escape

Orgy – Vapor Transmission

Orgy – Punk Statik Paranoia

Blink 182  – Enma of the State

The Anix – Play Dance Repeat

Julien-K  – Death to Analog

Black Sabbath – Paranoid

Now it brings me to what i said in the suggestion of AFI. From what i have read there new album Crash love has been getting a lot of mixed reviews because there style has changed a bit. And I see this a lot with bands now. I just think people are too critical of everything. I mean a band should be allowed to experiment  and evolve.  And if you don’t like it don’t listen to it. Simple as that. But no your going to complain because your favorite Metal god does a pop song. But it’s even not about the music its about selling out. But hey in this day and age if your not selling out your not making any money. All these bands have the same hope and dream of being a famous musician and making millions of dollars and having 18 Lamborghini’s in their mile long driveway. But in order to get that they need to make money. Record companies only see money they don’t see music. They dont even see long term money they see one hit pop wonder that will make them a lot of money fast and in a short time and then you never hear of the person again. All these American idols are plenty proof of that. Their albums do well cause of the hype of the show and after that they really hang on by a thread. Many of them you don’t even hear about, or at least there music anyway. And it’s the same with all these Disney pop bands like the Jonas brothers and such. Once there not small and cute anymore they will be forgotten like most child stars. I actually think it’s pretty sad. But it makes money. And quickly. But since you can get all the songs off the interweb for free the record labels don’t make as much money. And most artists don’t make much money off there CD’s anyway but still it hurts good artists. But pop music caters to a wide audience. So I can understand why if you do it. You need to keep making money or your going to get dropped from your label. And besides it’s not crap if other people like it. Just cause you don’t doesn’t make it crap. It just means you have less taste in music and you are more limited to what you can listen to. And to those of you out there i feel sorry for you because you missing out on so many great songs…

Ok going back to the start again I mentioned I will be reviewing DJ Hero for the BN Games website a little later this week or maybe this weekend. I need a lot more time with the game to make a good detailed review since there is so much to the game. But it made me think this posts about music and I have a complaint about music games.  First off Guitar hero Sucks. 1 and 2 were great but from3 on it just sucks. And they need to stop making them. Seriously there are to many now. We live in the age of downloadable  content. We do not need a Guitar Hero Metallica, Aerosmith, Van Halen, etc. It is just more attempts to make more money off of some bands name. These are the ones you can say sold out. But there is a new one every week it seems. And what really gets me is that there all the same game. And now there are so many Plastic Peripherals. I’m sorry but there should not be a Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Band Hero that all do the same thing. Personally I think Rock band is the best. But they don’t need band influenced games like Rock band: the Beatles. Just release it as downloadable content. And don’t charge me for a full price game for extra content. The only game i am willing to defend is DJ Hero. Because it is truly the only new Music game to be released as of late. But then again all these games are technically ancient. Why do you ask? Because they have been around a lot longer than before the original Guitar Hero and DJ Hero. In Japan Guitar hero was called Guitar Freaks and it was on the PS1! And DJ hero actually is called Beat Mania (Which i think is still a better game) and it has many different versions already. Sure both of these games are only available in Japan but there old there where here we think its only just been invented.If you compare the beatmania controller to the DJ turn table from DJ Hero theres a massive difference and I think DJ Hero could have evolved the concept a lot further than they did. So I am hoping someone googles it and does something about it for DJ Hero 2 which we all know will come out probably in a few months.

All right that’s it for today. thanks for reading please leave me some comments and let me know your thoughts and opinions. Ill be back later in the week with another post of Shiftdown.