There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - A Goal Worth Setting

BY: CHRISTIAN HOLMES (@HOLMESYWRITES)

College is the time for an adventure. That's why I'm going to queue in The Adventure!

You know what, I guess we're spouse to grow up at some point, right? Going away to college is the first step of that for me. I'm nervous, but I'm freaking excited too! I'll be living on my own for the first time! Who would've thought I would've been in this position sixteen to seventeen years ago? I was spouse to be a vegetable, who could only communicate by sign language. The ‘professionals’ said I wouldn't be able to perform well in a normal school environment. Guess what's up right now, pros? I'm a walking and talking son of a gun, who's going to college! I graduated high school as an honours student. I can ride a bike. I can converse at a high level. How ‘bout that? What are you going to say now? Probably nothing! Want to know why? ‘Cause you got nothing on this real mofo! As one of my favourite mixed martial artists Nate Diaz would say, “That's what's up, motherfuckers”.

I'm not in this position by chance… I'm here, because I had the heart and determination to overcome my disability. I chose not to let my disability define me. I define my disability! Moebius Syndrome is my bitch! And I wouldn't have it any other way! Barriers are made to be broken and that's what I did and that's what I will continue to do! It wasn't easy. I still have some barriers to break, but honestly, don't we all? The fact that I made it this far, to me, is incredible! To me, it's inspiring. It's what keeps me going. If I beat all these odds, why can't I beat more? Why can't I get a college education? Why can't I get a good job that I enjoy doing? Why can't I start up a family? My past motivates my future, if that makes sense? That's why I'm putting my best foot forward and journeying onto the next step in my life! Bring it on college! Let's make some years to remember, and some friendships that last a lifetime!

Obviously, I have mixed emotions about leaving home. I'm happy but I'm sad. I'm nervous but I'm excited. I want to leave, because I want to become more independent and learn more about myself mentally, physically, and spiritually. But I don't want to leave, because wasn't that what high school was for? Than the realization that high school wasn't really for that completely, kicks in. Honestly, I know for a fact I'll be great on my own. Contrary to my own popular beliefs, I will not become anorexic by Christmas. I'll probably be a little bit skinnier, but that will be because I’ll be taking the 150 for a ride on the incline and doing quedo pumps at the gym. I'll have to come out of my shell, but that's alright. Maybe by doing so, I'll meet that significant other. For sure, I'll learn more about myself. I'm honestly looking forward to it all!

But there's a lot of stuff I'm going to miss about being at home. I'm going to miss having my huge sound system that I can blare music on for hours. I'm going to miss watching the games with the old man. I'm going to miss the trails. I'm going to miss sitting out in my backyard playing my guitar. I'm going to miss my friends. I'm going to miss my mom and my dad. Grandparents. Aunts and uncles. Hell, I'll even miss my neighbours. But, I know I'll get to go back to my home life whenever I choose. I'm just a Go-Train ride away from saying, “Surprise, surprise, motherfuckers! THE KING IS BACK!” Credits to my homeboy, Conor McGregor for that GLORIOUS quote.

I have to embrace change, because change is inevitable! So why fight it? After all, isn't change a good thing? Nobody wants to live with their parents their whole life. Good luck trying to find love from a significant other. She or he, would be like, “Ah hell naw, I ain't putting up with yo parents unless they rich or super famous!”

So I had to take some time to myself and say, “This is going to happen, if you like it or not. You're going to college. Yes, you're leaving home for an extended period of time. Yes, life may suck a bit at first, but suck it up buttercup. ‘Cause once you do, you'll be a happy sun of a bitch in no time!” After saying all that to myself, I thought, “Why not set a few goals for the next couple of years? Something to keep ya going b’y?” So that's why I'm setting a couple public goals to make my venture away from home a meaningful one. And my venture back home for the summer all the more meaningful.

My first goal that I have for my first year at Humber, is to start doing some motivational speaking around the campus. I want to get my story out there. I really have no idea how to go about doing such a thing, but I'm going to put my best foot forward. I always loved public speaking, but I never really got an opportunity to do that much in high school. I was ALMOST the valedictorian, but unfortunately I didn't get that honour (I came heartbreakingly close though). I got to read a prayer instead. YAY. But in Humber, I plan to start speaking, some way, some how. Every legend needs his or her start! And that's how I plan to make mine! Plus, it's a way for me to come out of my shelf, start openly talking about my disability, and seeing what people are interested in about me. That’ll make my venture next summer a little bit easier.

So what is my venture for next summer, you may ask? The way I'm seeing things now, it's time for me to go out into the world and start inspiring people with my story! My plan is to start working on a biography/memoir of my life next summer during my four month holiday/break from school.  Hopefully I can manage to get my book published. Maybe even make a bit of money off it (although, that's not why I would be doing it). I hope that this book that I plan to write can inspire people to reach for the stars, and do big things themselves! Maybe, if I'm super duper lucky, I could get Tom DeLonge to write a soundtrack for it, under his band Angels & Airwaves. You can only dream, right? But even if someone like Tie Domi or even Carey Price read it and gave it a shout out, that'd be dope too. That would make writing the book worthwhile. Plus, in a way, I think a lot of people after reading it could gain a new appreciation for life. So, that's basically my plan for next summer. Obviously, I'm going to start doing some research on all my prognoses now. Maybe slap a few interviews down here and there. I think the first step would be finding a devoted editor that could make sure everything is on point. I want people to read my book and think I'm a sophisticated intellectual. I don't want to be viewed as a 21st century digital boy.  Anyways, the goal is to become a published author by 2019.

So what is the total idea for the book? My biggest wish is for the book to be an honest tell-all story about my life from my birth until now. I want to talk about all the relationships I have formed. I want to talk about how important my family was and still is to me. I want to talk about all the hardships I've been through with my disability. I want to talk about all the ups and downs. Most importantly, I want to talk about how I, with the help of many others, rose above it all, and built myself into the man I am today. I want to discuss topics that I don't usually discuss. I just want to lay it all out on the line. I want to take all the information I have learned so far in college, and apply it to write a masterpiece amongst masterpieces. I want to take all the wisdom I have gathered throughout my life and let it bleed out on every page. I want to talk about the things I love. I want to talk about the things that kept me going. I want to talk about the things that make me, me.

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out in me, and that is my will to keep on living and trying to make it big! I always have hope. I never have lost my will to keep on keepin’ on and reaching for the stars. That's why the working title for my book is exactly that - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Besides, that I just want to enjoy my time away from home. It's going to be fun. It's going to be a big time of self discovery. Hopefully that doesn't mean that I'll start favouring dreadful EDM music over my current musical preferences. I hope to meet people that don't think it's boring to listen to rock n’ roll and chat about life. I just hope to meet fuckers that are like me. Which I'm sure I will. And if it's not too much to ask, can I please meet that special someone? (Like having girlfriends in high school is great, but let's be honest, most of those relationships are superficial. There's very few high school relationships that are ‘real’. It's more so puppy love and kinky stuff, if ya know what I mean? ;). Nonetheless, I just want to have the time of my life!

So, to finish this off, I just want to say to everybody that may be sad to see me go, that I'll be back sooner than you know it! I am no longer sad that I'm leaving my home. I have just learned to accept it. I'm planning for my future, and I'm finding positive things to keep myself occupied during my time at Humber! I look forward to my time there! I hope to make plenty of friends, kick some ass, go to the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night hockey party at Maple Leafs square, and maintain a high grade average!

To the youngins that are going off to college, like me, for the first time. I hope you guys have the time of your life! I hope you all kick ass doing whatever you choose to do!

Thank you to all the people that have kept me in good spirits over the years. I hope to repay you guys and gals back by making it big, and living my life to the fullest.

May God bless you all!

Peace, I'm out!

Going Away To College

BY: CHRISTIAN HOLMES (@HOLMESYWRITES)

Que in Going Away To College

Okay, I'm going to say this… I'm not an American Pie, but if Stifler's mom phoned, it doesn't mean I wouldn't answer.

Anyways, in less than a week, I take off for Humber College in Toronto! To be honest, I'm a bit nervous about things. Leaving the ness is never an easy thing for a kid like me that has called Fergus my home for my entire eighteen year life. It's crazy to think that I'm going from small town life to rolling in the six in my metaphorical Impala. It's a HUGE change. I'm not complaining or anything, but it's just like, “Oh shit, fam! This shit is actually going to go down”. It's just like Slash getting back with Axl Rose in Guns N’ Roses, I know it was bound to happen, but when it happens, it's hard to believe. I'm going to miss everything being in walking distance. I'm going to miss the trails and all the beautiful sites around Fergus. Hey, at least I'll be close to the Air Canada Centre and Rogers Centre.

To be honest, I'm looking forward to leaving Fergus and making Toronto my home away from home. There's so much to do in Toronto. Obviously, I'm there to study and trust me, studying comes first, but that doesn't mean I can't take in the city. There's sights to see. There's no way I'm living in Toronto and not seeing a Toronto Marlies game. Plus, I guess there's other things to do in Toronto rather than just going to sporting events. As the trendies like to say, “it's going to be lit!”

But then I take a step back and realize how much shit I've been through to make it here. To put myself in a position where college is actually an attainable idea. It's fair to say there were a lot of obstacles to overcome. My health being one of the biggest ones. It's crazy to think after all the time I've missed at school due to multiple illnesses and stuff along those lines that I (A) never failed a year, (B) passed high school as an honours student and © made into college on my first try WITHOUT being rejected acceptance to my program. Like, to me, I'm proud of that. I put a lot of time and effort into making sure that I passed all my classes. That I did what I had to do, although I had to push myself really hard to do a lot of the work because I was in physical agony and pain dealing with my chronic headaches and various other infections. I'm very grateful and lucky to have a great support group to thank for that. I would be screwed without them.

So that's why when I go to college, I really want to maintain my grades, and keep the good work up. Like what motherfucker would slack off in college after being through what I've been through? It wouldn't make sense for me to do something like that. Honestly, I want to do the exact opposite and put the petal to the metal and get that education. I really want to make a great impression and be that guy you want to have in your groups because you know he's going to put out (not in a sexual way). That's what I aspire to do. I want to kick some serious ass and avoid smoking dat grass!

I'm curious to see what the future holds for me at college. I've been told so much good stuff is going to happen throughout college. It's got me excited that's one thing for sure. Obviously, I'm going to have to be way more independent than I'm use to being. I'm not saying I'm a really dependent person now, but I'm always use to having my parents around to assist me when I need help, but now that won't always be the case. And with my disability, that tends to make me a wee bit nervous. I know how to deal with most situations, but there's always that one situation that pops up where I'm like, “What do I do here, mom/dad?” So, I'm going to have to figure that shit out for myself for once. Scary but not too scary. Hell, it's probably more scary for my mom and my dad than it is for me. I know they worry about stuff like that. But eventually my balls gotta drop and I’ve gotta learn to cope with my disability because I know my mom and dad won't always be there to help me out when I need it. Besides, I've always had the tendency to be a go-getter. I guess that's what I got to do now AND FOREVER! Yay, right? I guess only the future will tell!

In all seriousness, I'm looking forward to making new friends and going on new adventures. Apparently, the Lakeshore campus is ‘haunted’, so that'll make for one hell of a ghost walk. I'm really looking forward to making a new club or joining a club. I'm looking forward to getting involved in the school community and putting myself out there. That is one of the things I regret doing in high school is not getting involved as much. So I wish to not do that in college. I want to live life to the fullest before I have to start paying bills and telling my wife to take chill pills! College is a time where you get to enjoy the last bit of your youth before you need to grow up and move out. Gotta make it worthwhile!

To be honest, time is flying by way too fast! I remember graduating elementary school, and that feels like it was yesterday. Now I'm a high school graduate! Where did those four years go? It's almost scary in a way, because it just seems so fast. One moment I'm going to my first Homecoming dance, the next I'm going to my freaking prom. It's amazing to think how fast time is flying. For Pete sakes, I remember standing in the halls in grade nine, and making jokes how I liked my women like my Kool-Aid, sweet and they go down easy. It's like Jesus Christ, where has the time went? The next thing you know, I'll be graduating college and going off into the workforce. Let that sink in for a moment. It gets me so sentimental, and reminds me why I need to live in the moment and stop worrying about the future! My life is passing me by a lot faster then I can anticipate for. God, I sound like a grandparent now. I guess that's why Blink 182 said life's too short to last long?

Obviously, I'm going to miss my home and all the things that I enjoy doing in my castle, but I look forward to becoming the king of Humber and ruling over the peasants, which would be my school work. I know and understand college is going to be a huge change, but I'm looking forward to it! I'm looking forward to becoming more independent and hopefully not becoming anorexic when my meal plan runs out. I'm happy to be where I am. I know I'm super lucky to be in college. I owe it to myself and my family to keep kicking ass and get my education. So one day I can do something special with my life.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be a published author sooner rather than later. Maybe I'll write the story of my life? Or maybe I'll be the next Don Cherry? Who knows? But there's one thing I know for sure, I’M FUCKING PUMPED FOR THE FLOYD MAYWEATHER VS. CONOR MCGREGOR FIGHT! Be sure to check out my MayMac blog! I'll be making a few post in between today and Saturday. My prediction for the fight will be out on Friday!

Anyways, to cap this off, I just want to say a special thank you to all the people that helped me get to this point in my life. Whether it's my mom, my dad, my grandma, or my step dad Paul, I owe a lot to you guys. I owe a lot to my teachers and EAs and the guidance counsellors that worked with me to make sure I had all the tools I needed to succeed. I wouldn't be where I am today without you guys. And I am truly blessed to have you all in my life.

To the ones that read this till the end, thank you and God bless you all. You're the bomb!

Peace, I'm out.

Dropping A Pipe Bomb On Life And It's Struggles

BY: CHRISTIAN HOLMES (@HOLMESYWRITES)

Getting ready to drop a pipe bomb

DISCLAIMER #1: This ‘speech’ against life and its struggles is inspired by CM Punk and his Pipe Bomb promo. The Pipe Bomb is easily one of the best promos in wrestling history. It's right up there with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin’s Austin 3:16 promo and Dusty Rhodes’ Hard Times rant. I thought I post it on Monday because obviously it's a good pump up for this dreadful day. Also, it's pretty creative, and kind of copycat-ish. So, maybe, my readers won't be too quick to criticism.

DISCLAIMER #2: Yes, I do know wrestling is scripted. And yes, I do know if I enjoy watching wrestling, somehow, I'm automatically a nerd.

Anyways, here is the ‘speech’.

Hey life and all its struggles, while you lay there in utter defeat, hopefully you are deprived of all your pride. Hopefully you lost all your control, and hopefully you have lost all your will to make my life a living hell. I just want to say something. Digest something, if you will, because before I put your problematic bullshit in the past AND continue to make you my bitch, I got a few things I want to get off my chest.

I don't hate you, life and it's struggles. I actually don't even dislike you. I like you a hell of a lot more then most of the people out in this big and vast world do. Your problems make me stronger, and wiser. How could I dislike that? I kind of got to love it.

You see, I hate the idea that “I can't overcome ‘life’s problems’”. Because I CAN, I HAVE, and I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO! That's why I'm the best! That's why I'm going places… while you're um… going nowhere. But, if there's one thing you are better than me at, it's being a narcissistic dick.

You're as good at being a narcissistic dick then Cain was. I don't know if you were as good as Bill Clinton though. He gives you a good run for your money. If only he could show you a good time like he did with Monica. Hell maybe you'd be less of a dick? Who knows. Even if you played for the same team, you still probably couldn't get any.

Oops, dammit, I'm breaking the fourth wall again.  

You see, I'm the best person at overcoming life and it's problems… in this world!

I've been the best since the day I was born! I overcame the massive odds that were put before me. I proved the doubters wrong. I walked the line, and did it in good time. But I've been vilified and hated by you, because for once in your lifetime, you did not win. You did not get the better of me. You did not get the satisfaction of knowing that I had succumbed to you. You never like the fact that I was a free thinker. You never liked the fact that I was “one of those guys”. You want to know who else was “one of those guys”? Albert Einstein! But the biggest difference between him and I is that I am going to leave you and your bullshit behind like no one else ever has! I'm going to run away with everything you ever cherished about making people feel deprived, depressed, and lonely… and I'm going to bury it in a six foot hole!

You have grabbed so many people's imaginary brass rings, that it has dawned upon me that they're just that… they're completely imaginary. The only thing that's real is you and your problems, can be overcome. Day in and day out, century after century, millennium after millennium, people have managed to overcome your hardships. And I'm no exception. I'm the best in the world at it! I'm the best at dealing with you. I'm the best at beating you. And I'm the best at putting your shit six feet under. And, honestly, I will continue to be!

And yet, no matter how many times I prove it… I'm still not a millionaire. I'm still not on the front page of Vanity Fair. I'm still not a Toronto Maple Leafs season ticket holder. I'm barely promoted. I certainly don't have my own radio show. I'm not on any of Esquire’s top tens lists. I'm not featured in Forbes Magazine. I'm not a trending blogger. But the fact of the matter is, I should be!

This isn't sour grapes. But the fact that people are still believing in your bullshit lies and deceptions that they'll never make it in this world during this lifetime, makes me sick!

Oh hey, let me get something straight. The people that buy into life and it's struggles, you're one of the reasons I keep on going. I see you people buying into everything that life is saying. I see you guys taking in everything from life and embracing that voice that says, “You're nothing more then a number”. And then, at eleven at night, you're complaining on Facebook that you can't do this or that, because you been told so. You want me to come to you and comfort you, because you're too lazy to say, “This is the end for you my friend,” and actually do something with your life!

I'm leaving behind life and its struggles today. And hell, who knows, maybe I may become a hockey analyst? Maybe I may become an mma analyst? Maybe I'll help people find Christ? Or, maybe, just for the hell of it, I might just become a WWE announcer?  

Hey, Phil Brooks, how you doing?

The reason I'm continuing the good fight AND WILL WIN THE FIGHT, the reason I'm leaving behind the bullshit, is because if I don't who will? The wheel is still going to keep turning and I understand that. I'm just a spoke on the wheel and I realize that. People are still going to keep buying into life and its struggles. Life and its struggles is still going to take away the hopes of many to despite itself. Life and its struggles has taken away millions of people's hopes and desires. In actuality, it should've taken away a billion of people's hopes and desires. But do you want to know why, life and its struggles, hasn't taken away a billion of people's hopes and desires? Because people like me are standing up and saying, “Enough with your shit! Enough with all the negative things, it's time to look at the positive things!” And I like to think that there will be more people like me in the future, but the fact is society is being conditioned into boezos that can't think for themselves if their lives depended on it! The world is going to be taken over by a bunch of morons that can't tell the difference between truth and deception.

Let me tell you a personal story about life and its struggles, alright? I come from this ‘do it yourself’ background…

All Killer, No Filler: The Importance of Music In My Life and All The Rest

BY: CHRISTIAN HOLMES (@HOLMESYWRITES)

An image of Scott Weiland taken from Stone Temple Pilots's Interstate Love Song music video

If you know me personally, you'll understand that I have a deep passion for listening and playing music. Music has been a vital part of my life. It has taught me things that otherwise I probably wouldn't know. Personally, I think music is one, of the many things, that give my life meaning. Music picks me up when I'm down. Music makes me go from happy to blissful. It's something I can never get bored of. Music is like the cream of the crop. It's one of the finer things in my life.

Now many people ask me, “How would you define music?” I always thought that was a good question. You can't see it. It doesn't take a physical form. It's just there and you're listening to it unfold. I can't define it, so that's why I am going to quote one of my Notes From The Universe (NFTU are pretty cool. They're like inspirational emails you can get for free on a day to day basis. I'll leave a link somewhere so you guys can sign up for it). “You know how when you visualize something every day, to such a degree that you can literally taste its reality? And you believe in the likelihood of its manifestation with all your heart and soul? And as often as you think of it, in at least some small way, you prepare for its arrival?”

To me, that’s what music is. It gives you goosebumps. It is like a form of meditation. It takes you away to a different place. Music is like a drug. It's addictive, and it gives you a great high. You don't just go to cloud nine, you go to cloud ten. There's no hangover, and it's not hard to consume. You won't go to jail if you get caught listening to it… unless you illegally distribute it. There's so much music to go around that you'll never get stuck listening to the same thing over and over. Like, honestly, in a nutshell, music is beautiful. And that's why I can't live without it.

When I was younger, I liked to think that all music was good in its own way, but as I grew older my opinion slowly began to change. When I was a young feller, I loved AC/DC. I had all their records on CD. I had a huge poster of Angus Young on my wall. Than I slowly started to get into Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. Than I developed a love for Pink Floyd. Than Mötley Crüe came along. Then came Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam. And oh shit, I picked up Enema Of The State and I instantly fell in love with Blink 182. My music library just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger, until the point that I used up all my memory on my 32GB IPod Touch and I had to buy a cheap Sony 8GB MP3 Player to support my ever growing music library.

Over the years, I have fell in love with many other bands. Blue Rodeo, The Misfits, Big Wreck, Rancid, Alkaline Trio, Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, The Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, The Clash, The Tragically Hip, and Pantera, just to name a few. There's many more I didn't mention. But as I started to love these bands more and more, I started to investigate further into their respective histories and that's when I developed a deep appreciation for their 'influencers', I like to call them. The bands that inspired these bands I love today to write music. In a way, it's really cool to see what my favourite artists and musicians are influenced by. Its cool to see where they came from musically.

The history of music has always intrigued me. It's something else to know that folk and classical music inspired country music. Obviously, country artists and blues musicians basically helped to influence the first rock n’ rollers. Rock n’ rollers gave birth to punk and metal. Punk gave birth to grunge music. To me, that's fucking cool! That's why I respect all the older artists from other genres like B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters, Stompin’ Tom Connors, Buddy Holly, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Presley, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Lou Reed, and many more. That's cool shit. It's crazy to think that a guy like Lead Belly, who was a folk musician, could inspire a guy like Kurt Cobain so much to the point where Cobain finishes off Nirvana's MTV Unplugged set by playing Where Did You Sleep Last Night? That's just awesome in so many different ways.

And that's why I get pissed off a lot when the younger generation likes to say an album like American Idiot by Green Day changed the music landscape forever. Don't get me wrong, it's a great concept album and it made Green Day relevant for the first time since 1994, but in no real way did it changed the landscape of music. Put it this way, The Wall by Pink Floyd and Tommy by The Who changed the music landscape. Hell, you can even say Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles and Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd changed the music landscape forever! They were really the first big concept albums of our time. Without those albums being made, the idea of a concept album would have never been popularized to the point where you could pick out a concept album from a normal record. So, in other words, American Idiot would have just been viewed as another record and nobody would have truly appreciated the brilliance of Billie Joe Armstrong’s story telling abilities that make the album standout from all the other stuff that was coming out in the 2000s. You have to respect the old stuff before you can love the new stuff. That's always been my mindset.

That's why I love to see and hear bands cover songs that have influenced them. You kind of get an idea where they're coming from musically. Obviously, every musician is going to try to establish their own ‘sound’. But it doesn't hurt to have influences. Blink 182 was influenced by The Cure. Metallica was influenced by The Misfits. Rancid was influenced by The Melvins. Anti-Flag was influenced by The Dead Kennedys. Alkaline Trio was influenced by The Violent Femmes. To me, I think it's important to know your roots. It'll always help an artist stay true to their sound. That's why I never mind a band covering a song at their concerts. I always liked that. I know some people don't but I see no harm in it. I guarantee you a lot of bands will be covering or referencing Nazi Punks Fuck Off over the next couple of weeks after all the shit that went down in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Anyways, I have a couple more bones to pick before I finish this piece off. I'm a huge fan of 90s alternative rock and grunge music. The scene in Seattle gave us so much. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and Alice In Chains. Obviously, there's a lot more bands that made it big in the Seattle grunge scene. But the thing that always gets me going about 90s music, is the lack of respect for Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots. It pisses me off that guys like Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder get put on a higher pedestal than Scott Weiland. Don't get me wrong I love Cobain and Vedder, they're both great musicians, and their music will continue to inspire many musicians for years to come… but c'mon man, where's the props for Weiland? Stone Temple Pilots are an amazing band, and arguably one of the most underrated bands of all time and of that era! They helped get alternative rock music from being played in small clubs to being played in stadiums. Put it this way, my dad watched Stone Temple Pilots open up for The Rolling Stones at the CNE in Toronto just after they released their debut album Core. He said most of the seats were empty. A few years later, Stone Temple Pilots headlined a sold out show at Maple Leafs Gardens in Toronto in support of their album Purple. That's impressive. Not to mention, fucking inspiring!

You see, I know many of the music critics view Stone Temple Pilots as a rip off band, stealing their sound from other bands from the Seattle music scene. In a big way, I think that is an ignorant assumption, because if you pay close attention to the scene, NOBODY FUCKING SOUNDED LIKE STP! Read Everybody Loves Our Town by Mark Yarm or Grunge Is Dead by Greg Prato, the musicians that were interviewed in those books ALL AGREED that Stone Temple Pilots WERE IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN! Put it this way, Stone Temple Pilots was the Led Zeppelin of the ‘90s. Which means Stone Temple Pilots would be the Led Zeppelin of the ‘60s and ‘70s. That's saying something!

And if you've never listened to their debut album, Core. Do me a favour and give it a listen. Dead & Bloated is one of my favourite opening tracks to a record. It's right up there with Welcome To The Jungle. And from there, the album just keeps getting better! All the songs from start to finish are 11/10 masterpieces. They all have their own unique feel. Scott Weiland’s voice is just so raw and beautiful. And it's a testimony to why he was one of the “voices of a generation”. So if you like Scott’s voice on Core, you'll love Scott’s voice on Purple. Especially on Interstate Love Song. I get goosebumps every time I hear his voice on ILS. You know how when you meditate, you are spouse to ‘find a happy place’. My happy place is on the rooftop where Scott Weiland sits in the Interstate Love Song music video. I think of that place and then I think of the chorus to the song where Scott belts out “Leavin' on a southern train / Only yesterday you lied, / Promises of what I seemed to be / Only watched the time go by / All of these things you said to me”. It just puts me on cloud nine. It gets me so high. It's like one of those rare feelings that you only get when you really least expect it. It's just so surreal. And that's why I fucking love Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots! They are extremely underrated. If you're going to rave about Kurt Cobain And Eddie Vedder, you have to rave about Scott Weiland too! (RIP Scott. You may have past but your music lives on). That's not just the STP fan boy speaking, it's the unbiased ‘90s music critic speaking as well.

And the last thing, I want to rant about is my problem with the music industry today. I find that music has lost its soul. Musicians don't even bother to use real instruments nowadays. For Pete sakes, most musicians don't even write their own music. And the music that gets written for them has no meaning. It's just another generic song about partying, getting laid, and/or doing drugs. To me, that's not music. Now don't get me wrong, there's still good musicians and bands out there writing good music and keeping shit real, but for the most part, the music industry today is a joke. It's all about money and not about the music. Most musicians sellout and move away from their sound to get a big record deal and put shitty poppy songs on the radio. Thank God, Papa Roach got their shit together and put out a good album in Crooked Teeth and had an awesome single, that being Help, because besides that and Kill The Lights by The Glorious Sons, all of the new wave music sucks. And although I love the new Blink 182 record California (Deluxe), you can make a strong argument that they are shifting away from their older sound and trying to be more electronic. It sounds good, but that's kind of technically selling out. That's why I appreciate NOFX’s new album, because they didn't sell out.

Enough with that, let's put an end to this shit show. As you can see, imma solidified music nerd. I love all sorts of music, and I obviously am very opinionated when it comes to music. I think I should say that I respect all music, because if you're on the radio, you're obviously doing something right! But I prefer to listen to 97.7 HTZ FM and stay away from today's version of popular music. As Bob Seger would say, “Just take those old records off the shelf / I'll sit and listen to 'em by myself / Today's music ain't got the same soul / I like that old time rock 'n' roll”

So here's my old records, if you want to check 'em out. It's what I like to call the Soundtrack Of My Life.

Yeah, Well, You Know, That’s Just, Like, Your Opinion, Man: Poltical Correctness is Ruining Our Society

BY: CHRISTIAN HOLMES (@HOLMESYWRITES)

DISCLAIMER: Yeah, Well, You Know, That’s Just, Like, Your Opinion, Man is going to become a mini-political series on my blog. It’ll be where I give my two cents on the current political issues. The name is actually inspired by one of The Dude’s best and most famous lines from The Big Lebowski (It’s actually a really good movie if you haven’t seen it already). Its meant to be slightly sarcastic (for those of you who are wondering).

Before we get this shit show on the road, I think it's a good idea to get a definition of political correctness. So the definition we are working with is, “the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against”. I also want to add that political correctness is a way of binding people from speaking their minds. To me, being politically correct is not speaking against the social norm.

Alright, so here's the deal.I gotta say what I gotta say before the commies take me to the Gulag. I find that many people like to use political correctness as a weapon. Now don't get me wrong, I DO believe that we have to watch what we say. We must be sensitive about what we are saying AND to whom we are saying it to, but that does not mean that we can not speak our minds, and speak the truth when the truth needs to be spoken. It is actually our right to do so! Just look at the the Constitution if you are American and look at the Bill of Rights if you are Canadian.

The liberal media is slowly trying to take away freedom of speech. If you speak against the beliefs of the liberal, left wing media, you are automatically a “bigot”, you are automatically “racist”, and somehow you're a “fascist”. How does that work? I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. You see, I am a libertarian, and I look at both sides of the argument before I choose a side. Do I tend to lean towards the right side of the spectrum? You could say so. But does that make me a bad person? According to the liberals, it does. Why so? It's probably because I don't agree with the left wing view. Isn't that kind of fascist? Apparently not. Isn't that our right have our own opinion? To me, political correctness is society's biggest problem to date. I feel that political correctness is ruining society as we know it! And if you think it isn't true, WAKE UP PEOPLE BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST TRUE, ITS DAMN TRUE!

Now let me explain. I'm not going to be a fear mongering blogger. That's not my gig, I'm not here to scare you guys. I just feel like speaking the truth here. The liberal, left wing media, funded by the globalists who want to one day create a society ruled by the elites, are trying to divide us as a whole, and they use political correctness to do so. They are trying to take away our freedom of speech. Political correctness is almost like a form of control. If you are not politically correct, you are automatically not credible or intellectual enough to comment on certain topics. And if you try to, somehow you will be censored. Your opinion no longer matter. You are a nobody. There are various ways for that to happen, but for the sake of time, I'm not going to explain them. But I will say this, don't always believe what the mainstream media tells you about individuals they do not like. Do the research for yourself, then if you want, pass judgement.

Now I am going to be straight up, everyone has the right to speak freely. So if a guy like Pastor Greg Locke wants to take a stand against the LGBTQ community and say what they stand for is unholy based on his religious beliefs, he should be allowed to. And if the LGBTQ community wants to respond to him, they should be allowed to. No questions asked. Now I'm not endorsing what Pastor Greg Locke said, but I don't think it's right that he should be censored for sharing his opinion. Regardless if it's politically correct or not. For the love of all things good, the man is a devoted Christian, he is a Republican, and he's a straight shooter. Honestly, what do you think the guy is going to say? “I love gays. God loves gays. If you want to play for the same team, golly gee Geoff can help Jack off the horse anytime! I don't give two flying fucks!” No, you brainwashed peasants, he is going to preach against homosexuality. Why would you expect any differently? It's his right to speak his mind. It's not like the guy is trying to spread hatred, he loves everybody, but he has a strong moral stance against homosexuality. What does Facebook and the mainstream liberal media do? They paint Pastor Greg Locke out to be an non-politically correct redneck bible thumper. The media tries to discredit the guy. They take away his freedom of speech by using political correctness as a weapon. Just because he's Christian and he has an opinion that the vast majority of mainstream Christian's share, he's a bigot. And God forgive if he speaks out against the liberals, because if he does they'll find a way to call him racist or an “alt-righter”. That is the problem with political correctness.

Now this is where it gets interesting. If you give a guy like Pastor Greg Locke the right to speak about his feelings against the LGBTQ community, you have to let the white supremacists speak their mind against the African-American population. Do I agree with that? No, anytime you can silence hate, the instinctual thing to do is to silence it, but in this situation you can not do such a thing. And if you try to, bad things WILL happen. Especially if you let one group speak their opinions, while you silence the other group. It doesn't take rocket appliances to figure that out. Just look at the Charlottesville riots that happened this past weekend.

Now that brings me to the Charlottesville, Virginia riots. What happened there, you might ask? The right wing organized a peaceful assembly. The organizers obtained a permit to assemble. Wes Bellamy, the Vice-Mayor of Charlottesville, illegally revoked the permit for this event. The ACLU sued Charlottesville for violating the First Amendment, and the permit was reinstated. A half hour before the rally even began, a heavily militarized police force illegally shut down the event with physical force. While evacuating, many protesters were illegally assaulted as the police stood by and did nothing, because they were told by the mayor to stand down and let the event unfold, let it turn into a riot. So before you know it, a man drove his car straight into a crowd of people, killing at least one. The state of Virginia declared a state of emergency. The liberal media intentionally portrayed this as if the protesters were the perpetrators of the violence, rather than the victims, despite heavy video evidence to the contrary. Many different organizations and people are threatening to sue the city, and honestly, they should.

Now I know most of these right wingers were white supremacists, and I know everybody thinks they were looking for trouble. Honestly, I doubt they were. The only reason why they were assembling was to protest the removal of the statute of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee. When the Vice-Mayor tried to put an unlawful stop to the protests, he infuriated the right, and to add in the police doing what they did, and the left wing protesters provoking them, no matter who you side with, you have to know something is going to happen! Of course, there's going to be a riot. You're basically saying to these right wingers that the left is better then them and that the right’s opinion is insignificant. We're going to take down your statute and we're going to belittle you all at the same time. That is going to ruffle some feathers. No, I'm not trying to defend the white supremacists. Hate has no place in this world. Their views are outdated and inaccurate. But, honestly, what in the fuck do you expect them to do? Sit there and take it? Take it from the minority groups they despise? If you do, you have got another thing coming.

Now the thing that really grinds my gears about the Charlottesville riots is how the mainstream media picked on Donald Trump for his statement following the incident. I think it's pretty ridiculous how much they analyzed his statement. He said everything he should have said. Honestly, Trump said it like it was. He condemned hatred, not just from the right-winged white supremacists, but also from the left-wing protesters. Of course, he's not going to call out the white supremacists solely. They voted for him. For Pete sakes, David Duke, former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, endorsed Trump. What do you want Trump to do? Say thanks for the vote, but spit in their faces? Where's the logic? Trump came out in his first statement and said everything right! What more do you want? Oh yeah, the liberals wanted him to call out the white supremacists. And yesterday (Monday) they got their wish! Did I like that he went out and did that? Hell no, but just goes to show how powerful of a weapon political correctness is for the left. It's actually pretty scary if you think about it. The President of the United States had to succumb to it! Thought control is real, don't kid yourselves!

I also think it's pretty concerning that the mainstream media is spending more time covering the president’s comments on the Charlottesville riots rather than other things… like let's say the potential of NORTH KOREA NUKING GUAM WITH NUCLEAR MISSILES AND STARTING WORLD WAR lll. To me, that's much more newsworthy than the comments that Donald Trump made on Charlottesville. For Pete sakes, the media analyzed the comments like sports newscasters would analyze a blockbuster trade. It's silly, to me, that people are actually thinking this is more newsworthy than a potential pending war with North Korea!

And the fact that the mainstream media is criticizing Donald Trump for standing up against Kim Jong Un and threatening him is beyond me. I get it, people don't want to go to war. They rather avoid that, but Kim Jong Un is a bat shit crazy dictator that has no regard for his actions. If he doesn't get threatened, odds are he'll try something. That's why I think it's the president’s job to say something! To speak up and call Kim Jong Un on his bluff. And look, it actually payed off. Kim Jong Un backed down. What can the liberal media say about that one, because it looks like Trump’s bold move paid off cotton! As Conor McGregor would say, “He {in this case, Kim Jong Un} ain't gunna do shit!”

So to finish this off I just want to say this. Political correctness is a cancer. It takes away our ability to think freely. Political correctness takes away our ability to have our own values and morals. It cripples us to the point where we just believe whatever we're told. I think there's some logic behind saying “1984 is here!” The establishment is taking down statutes, and trying to alter the brainwashed people's perception of the past. The media is trying to provoke thought control. If you speak out against something, you'll be billed as a bigot. It's saddening to see this happening because political correctness is discouraging the idea of thinking freely. It seems like there are less and less free thinkers in this world. More people are opinionated rather than informed. That is a true travesty. I think JFK said it best, “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” And that is why I think political correctness needs to take a hike. The people need to take a stand and say no to being politically correct and start saying yes to seeking the right answer over the popular one. It's time to say, “This is the end for you my friend!”