Welcome to the pond

There are a couple things I'd like to talk about tonight. Yes, I'm making an actual post instead of just blasting out a meme. Cool, huh?

• So John Mayer is now a blues/r&b guitarist instead of an acoustic-playing love ballad singer. Good for him, I say! I'll admit that I did enjoy John's last two albums (even if I can see why people hate them). I think he's a sincere songwriter and artist who put a lot of effort into what he's made up to this point. I like musicians who can do that. However, I think John's showing a lot of courage by completely changing course away from what made him famous. Maybe he'll lose some fans, but those that stick around will have their minds expanded and their ears delighted. If John puts as much passion into his blues songs as he did with songs like "Why Georgia" and "Come Back To Bed," he'll have a good career for years to come. I'm listening to John's new album right now, and after two songs into it I think it sounds pretty decent. He'll probably sound a lot more like Jonny Lang (minus the scorching voice Lang sports) than a true black bluesman. That's fine. There's a place for the Jonny Langs and John Mayers of the world in the blues community.
  

• At the University of Oregon this fall, football fan conduct is a very hot issue. Read this article for a deeper look into what's been going on. Basically, fans are drinking more and getting into more fights at the football stadium, resulting in far more people getting kicked out and arrested compared to years past. I can say for myself that I would definitely NOT be going to any of these games if I was still a student. For one thing, I'm so short that I can hardly see the field in the first place. I can see everything very well on a TV screen, and get closeups and replays that the stadium audience doesn't see. As a smaller person, I think I'd be very worried about being physically hurt if I sat in the student section at the games. Why should I wait in line for hours for a ticket, go to the game in the cold and rain, just to have my experience ruined by drunk and unruly students who think they need to be under the influence of something to have a good time? No thanks, that's not for me!