The Abyss looks back

      Just wanted to do a little mini essay. I'm not usually a ranting guy but I sure can write and talk a lot! First off, things have been great ever since I got back to normal life from the vacation. I miss my brother a bit but we've been keeping in touch via Facebook and emails. He's a cool guy and I can learn a thing or two from him about blogging. He's been doing his blog since 2010 and its only gotten better over the years.
    I read a New York Times piece called The Abyss Looks Back and I thought it would make for an interesting blog post title. However, I'm happy, healthy, and work has been going great! In fact, next week I have a ton of hours.
    Lately, I haven't been interested in gaming and this past Thursday I even decided to skip out on going to the Smash tournament, preferring activities like going to the record store and swimming with my friends. In addition, I've been keeping in touch with a lot of people that I know and I've come to see them as strange people. "people are strange," as Jim Morrison sang. But at the same time I'm not surprised. I could easily say things like ah its just white people, or California people, Black people, Hispanics, or just people in general. I think of myself as quite a nutty guy but I'm far from strange compared to other people that I've gotten to know personally and online. Some of these people I call my friends and others are just acquaintances, but I still care about them the way I would care about a friend. You don't truly know someone for quite a while until after you meet them.
     The more I get to know people the more I see where they're true intentions lie. Most of the time I'm just a passer-on with people but I have made quite a few good friends. I'm great with making friends, and generally people like me.
     I've been keeping up with a lot of free jazz and straight ahead stuff online. I've been listening to tunes that people post in the Free Jazz Facebook group that I'm in. We currently have over 13,000 members and from what I make of it most of them are Europeans. I'm probably like the youngest person in the group and I occasionally post tunes. It's a great feeling being apart of a Facebook group that is actually interesting and somewhat intellectual. Although all anyone really ever says about the music is "great!" or "terrific!" its still fun listening to what people are listening to. I love it when they post the good ole Black American free jazz music from the 60s. I'm also into newer stuff but again more so the Black Americans rather than the European bands. However, I can give them credit because they are just as great as the Black musicians musically.
     As Frank Zappa said,"music is the best". I've also been reading a lot of Stanley Crouch's essays and its given me a more scholarly stance on jazz where as my previous opinions were all based on my talent as a musician. It certainly puts it all in perspective. Crouch is a great man just for the fact that he's the most well known jazz critic today. He's as well known in the academic circle as Wynton Marsalis is in the jazz world. He's a giant. Although I don't agree with everything he says he gives me a lot to think about and doesn't give anything a free pass if he feels that somethings not right. He's become my favorite Black scholar.
     Lastly, I've been keeping  up with a lot of the new anime and I've finished quite a few as well. I finished Gate and Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans. I also finished this Cyborg 009 vs Devilman crossover mini series that was great! Anime just chills you out. You just sit there waiting to find out what happens next. I love the art work, the Japanese voice acting (I can't stand English in anime), the powers, magic, or future technology, and the fun story-lines. When I sit back and watch anime I feel like I'm a kid again, watching Dragon Ball Z on Toonami at 10 pm right before bed. Again, it certainly puts things in perspective. Sometimes you don't need the hot girl friend, the fancy car, or the best job in the world to truly live. As they say,"c'est la vie!"