Happy Halloween

Now this is my favourite holiday of all! It makes me feel like a kid again and I get to be able dress like whatever I want. And on the subway no one stares cause so many people get into it. I hope everyone had a great Halloween.

Alone On My Birthday

No decoration on, no cake
Nobody remembered this important date
Guitar, pen, brain start to contemplate
They're the only 3 here
For this joyous celebration
Because I'm self-absorbed, I get upset
Mad at the world, how could they forget ?
I was alone at birth, I'll be alone at death
Hope I won't be alone at my final destination
Never really thought it would've happened to me
But that night I sat by the telephone
Never really thought it would've happened to me
I spent my birthday all alone
Birth's a costume with a genetic script
We play some role that we'd like to fit
And never admit that we're full of it
And live life in some sort of dazed hallucination
I'll never lament because life is brief
Our bodies are changing like the autumn leaf
It's said that time is the greatest thief
And beats and cheats this entire population
But it's alright, home tonight, just suits me fine
I don't mind spending time with my mind all alone

"Alone On My Birthday" ~ Shelter

So I had started to become pretty bummed about turning 30 (funny how I got my triple X's on my 30th year.) I was beginning to think that I was going to be spending this day alone because some of my friends had started acting like non-friends. But life has a way of giving you something to make you smile when you least expect it to treat you right, so I won't be alone on my birthday after all =)

Straight Edge Crew the Video Game

I never played Grand Theft Auto, I just couldn't see the point in pretending to steal a car, shoot innocent people and screw hookers. I play FPSs like Unreal and Sauerbraten and MMPORGs and Street Fighter (the best damn game ever made), but these games are pure fantasy. There's something about crossing the line into almost real.

Makes me wonder though if it would be a good idea to make a Straight Edge Crew game. You defend your city by taking down the drug dealers and the drunk drivers, maybe it could be endorsed by MADD (just kidding, I don't think they'd be up for the violence even if it was against drunk drivers)

I'm not the militant type but I just think this is a little funny in a sort of disturbed way. It's far more Wii friendly with themes against drugs and drunk driving as opossed to the xbox (funny how when written it becomes an sxe name for a guy named Bo) themes of hyper realistic violence.

Talk About Straight Edge

Straight Edge Link of the Week [10.20]

Until Industries

My Favourite Band of All Time

Friday night I went to see the Violent Femmes for the second time in my life. They played the best show I've ever been to. When they play acoustic instruments they play them harder than most bands plugged in. When I was 10 my friends were all skaters and listed to the Dead Milkmen, the Dead Kennedys, the Misfits, and the Violent Femmes. The Violent Femmes was the one tape that I loved the most at the time. They have always been the one band that most affected me growing up.

I love Punk and Hardcore, and Rancid is my favourite Punk band, but the Femmes just deliver something that truly moves me. They played for over 2 hours and the crowd was so into the show. I practically lost my voice singing to all the songs.

Definitely a truly memorable evening.

Devil's Night Book Release on Straight Edge

I just found out about an interesting book avout Straight Edge. It will be released on October 30th, it's available on pre-order from Amazon. It's written by Robert T. Wood an associate professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta and the book is titled: Straightedge Youth: Complexity And Contradictions of a Subculture. I'm interested in reading this as it's from an outside view and I want to see what sort of angle this authoer takes on the subject, is it biased, does he view it as bad, good, or will he slander SxE as a violent movement as others in the past have done.




So this gives me yet another reason to look forward to Devil's Night. The other being that I will get to see AFI agin.

SxE Anti-Drugs Commercial

Straight Edge Link of the Week [10.14]

XembraceX

Stereotypes

People seem to have these preconceived ideas about Straight Edge and it bothers me, I'm just like everyone else, I just don't do some things. They tend to think that being SxE makes me judgemental or egotistic. I'm not and I know plenty of other SxE people that don't judge and don't think they are better than anyone else. Sure, like I've mentioned before, there are those that ruin a scene and in SxE some are judgemental (even militant) but most are not. I guess even beyond the whole stereotype thing I'm bothered by the fact that some people don't like to even hang around people that are SxE, they think that if they drink and I don't that I'll see them at their worst. Sure that happens, but if they want to be my friend they'll understand that they've seen me at my worst, it's just not while drinking.

SxE Link of the Week [10.7]

xsisterhoodx

No sex, right?

Typically after I mention that I'm Straight Edge, after some discussion about drinking or tattoos or Vin Disel (the whole Triple X thing or Dungeons and Dragons), I'm asked what it means. I usually explain that it's a way-of-life like veganism: "I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs." These three rules I believe in most of all the rules that people associate with being Straight Edge. It's funny that when I mention what it means to be Straight Edge one question comes up a lot. "No sex, right?" So apparently they heard about SxE before but only recall it after explained and then counter with the "Don't Fuck" rule. Now I usually don't mention this rule myself as I believe that sex is a personal decision. I feel that it can effect one's life in an adverse way. So I tend to reply to their question with "No promiscuous sex," I just don't act like a whore.

It's also kind of interesting that when I mention the primary rules that people will also sometimes interject with their level of closeness to being SxE such as "I don't smoke" or "I rarely drink." I actually don't care, it's your life. Do as you please, I'm not a SxE preacher. That's why i have my Xs tattooed on my back, it's personal.

Be true to yourself, whether you're True Till Death or not, your own life matters most.

Mall Edge

So I was out in Pennsylvania last week and with out much to do I went to the mall, after waiting around to borrow a car. I definitely love the advantage of the public transportation system in New York. This mall like many across the nation has a Hot Topic. I have nothing against Hot Topic, most people seem to be bothered by their corporate selling of punk merchandise, but to be honest without Hot Topic many of today's punk and hardcore bands would not be as popular. And popularity for them means money and the chance to continue doing what they love to do and we love to listen to. It's a vicious cycle that feeds itself.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find a wicked Straight Edge Varsity jacket on the rack at Hot Topic. They actually have a bit of a collection of SxE Merch, hopefully this means that the scene is building and more people are seeing it as something worth being a part of and not something that's a fashion thing. I hope to actually see more of this and can't wait to see someone wearing that jacket or anything else SxE when I'm out at a show or just on the street.