4080

Arizona has been in the news lately and for nothing good. It's sad that a few people that represent the state(poorly I might add), have caused such a negative light to be shed on our great state. The truth is, we are a collective hodge-podge of people of all walks of life, and that is what makes us great. Arizona has always been a "transient" state. The running joke here is natives are more rare than immigrants. The diversity of the backgrounds that have found themselves residing in Arizona make for wondrous melting pot. Maybe that is what outsiders don't get. We really don't have an identity, because we take on so many values from the people that have relocated here. Arizona truly is a melting pot, and it's a fabulous thing. Sadly, over the last few years there have been a few outspoken individuals, that have somehow found their way into seats of power, that have brought negativity to us. Let me assure you, that is not a very good representation of our state. I have been able to experience such a wonderfully diverse upbringing by living in Arizona that I know I would not have found east of here. The culture here speaks for itself, and it's something that is truly remarkable to experience due to its diversity. The black eye we have gotten will heal. What scares me more than a tarnished reputation is the fact that there are people in this day and age that think it is ok to discriminate. To hide behind the veil of religious freedom and decry the rights of others is not only shameful, it shows cowardice. Life is ever evolving, and to hold steadfast to norms and mores that are antiquated shows a lack of growth. There used to be a time when the world was flat, and to think otherwise was to subject yourself to persecution. The world has been proven not to be flat. Beliefs had to change to evolve with this fact. It is no different with anything else. You can't plant your roots so deep that when the earth moves you are stuck, or the world will swallow you. You have to be able to change with the landscape. This is not our forefather's world anymore. This is our time. Time to change, to evolve, to leave behind a place our children will be proud of. It's time to live in the now and not in the dark ages. It is time to accept that maybe what we have been taught has been proven to have a different meaning than what was originally inferred. I also think that if you can't, and you have tried, that is ok too. Just don't force others to live in the dark when you are scared to turn on the light.

4320

What an amazingly perfect day today turned out to be. I took a random day off needing a recharge. I figured I'd end up spending the day with the kids, but both had stuff going on so went to work with the wife. This left me home alone. With only the dogs randomly making the smallest noises, I had the entire house to myself. I was able to wake up, shave my head, shower and turn out from life. I spent the day drifting in my mind to various music, avoiding as much of the outside world as possible. The windows and doors open, inviting the warm 80 degree breeze to flow through the house. The sole connection I had to any sort of technology was turning on the tv to play music films. I was able to spend time alone with my guitars, make sounds solely for myself, letting whatever was inside drift away through an array of string combinations that, while maybe not melodically accurate, were exactly the right sounds to emanate from the strings to draw out all the poison that had been building up in me for who knows how long. I truly wish everyone could experience a day like this. Alone in solitude, but in the companionship of ethereal vibes melting away the layers that life lays upon us. At times picturing the waves flow from the music, through me, into another, experiencing the whole transgression as one epic emotion. There is truly nothing like the experience when the body and soul combine in harmony with a sonic array of emotions. I fell relaxed. I feel cleansed. I feel ready to take on life again. I feel the munchies kicking in. I feel like I cannot wait for another day like this, that this connection to the cosmos is something that needs to be reminded of more frequently.

4656

Dear Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee/NFL, It is now the day after the Super Bowl, and I am still mystified as to why Bruno Mars was the halftime entertainer. I think that we have a great opportunity before us next year to do something much better. Mr. Mars is a fine entertainer in his own right, but I don't think he was the appropriate fit to showcase New York. Hopefully next year, the entertainment can be a better reflection of the host city. There are myriad Arizona artists, or artists with Arizona roots that would do a fantastic job representing Arizona as the halftime entertainment of the 2015 Super Bowl. While many of the artists of the past few Super Bowls have been superb entertainers, I don't think they correctly represented the host cities they way they should. I know Tampa may have stolen New York's thunder by recently having Bruce Springsteen perform, but how epic would it have been to have the Boss play the Super Bowl halftime show in his home state of New Jersey? What about Bon Jovi? These would have been much better selections to represent the host city than Bruno Mars. While Arizona doesn't have a large list of megastars, they do have plenty of artists that are more than entertaining and would represent the state fabulously. Imagine the world getting to experience our local flavor by having Jimmy Eat World open by playing "The Middle", followed by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers doing a blazing rendition of "Banditos," leading into The Gin Blossoms shredding "Hey Jealousy" only to have Alice Cooper come close the show with any one of his hit songs. Maybe fun. could play one of their hits (Nate is from Glendale after all). Chester Bennington is from Phoenix, maybe Linkin Park could do a rendition of 1 Stp Clsr. The point is, we have a lot of local talent and if we are showcasing our state, we might as well showcase it's talent instead of bringing in an outsider. Just my $.02, but it seems like something we might want to present to the powers that be.