I'm on a...mission. Not a boat.

So, here I am. Again, I'll be continuously messing with the layout. I like the color gray right now, but as Weber knows from my Xanga days, my tastes in layouts change with the wind. Thank goodness blogspot doesn't demand that I know any HTML.

ANYWAY.

So I've started this blog, and you may wonder why. Partially because it seems like the happenin' thing to do. But also because I need a place to vent. I'm an opinionated person who thinks very critically. It's not exactly a great psychological mix. But it does mean that I see a lot of problems with the world today...problems that don't have easy answers. Mostly they're all within people's heads, and people my age are especially prone to it. Much of these problems fall under the umbrella of 'drama'. Not theater arts--thespians know their place most of the time. I'm talking about the things that really shouldn't bother people. I'm talking about problems with the opposite sex, emotional instability, and all the terrible things that can come out of it. The solution to these problems is often so simple--just calm down, shut up and realize it's not that big a deal (hence, finding solace in silence). But I can't solve all these problems on my own, and it frustrates me to no end. And I've always written to vent--when I was a bit more angsty (aka 8th-early 9th grade), I channeled them into song lyrics, but lately my muse isn't so active there. So this is the latest venting station, because, well, blogging just strikes me as better for this than a Facebook note. (Of course, I'm also rather opinionated about just about everything else. Believe me, politics and current events and possibly religion will come up here.)

But I also want to see what you guys think. I'm fully aware that I don't know everything and that some of my ideas are flawed. I also love debate (as some of you know from experience). So I'm hoping this will be a haven for quality conversations, something like a salon during the Enlightenment. (I just referenced AP Euro on the Internet. Wow.) And of course I'll have my usual rants about new CDs or video games that I think are especially fantastic.

So that's the purpose of this blog (ideally). Occasionally I'll go with the 'so this is what happened to me today' post, but I hope my self-control is good enough that I can avoid that.

And now, what I hope to be a recurring theme: Lyrics of the Day. If you don't know the songs I post, you're missing out. This is "Flight of Kings" by The Classic Crime. Rather appropriate, given the quasi-mission statement I've said.

"Twenty two years have passed by
As I contemplate
I can recall you getting me out of every scrape
What comes first to my mind
Was the change that I so desperately needed to make
Day and night, frozen silent in blinding violent fear
A song for my fight
Comes spilling the words I so desperately needed to hear

Do you know this song's for you?
My heart goes out to the hurt you feel inside

What hurts more than just dying
Is living barely alive
After all it's easier than falling short every time
I felt the pain and set fire
To the grace that I so desperately needed to take
Day and night, frozen silent in blinding violent fear
A song for my fight
Comes spilling the words I so desperately needed to hear

(Chorus)
Do you know this song's for you?
My heart goes out to the hurt you feel inside
Do you know this song's for you?
My heart goes out to hurt you feel

I was brought up through the ashes
Like a phoenix birthing wings
And I will fight for my disasters
I will take the flight of kings
And if your life is ever tortured
Or if you know the pain I sing
Then will you sing with me this chorus
And we will cut through people's hearts and free them

(Chorus)"

-Mike