stevegerl.com

Sustainable Steve has really taken off.  Who knew that so many people would be interested in going Green?
With that being said, I have been devoting most of my time to that project, which can be seen here.  So check it out if you haven’t already!

So the 11th month of 2008 was the fastest month of my life.  Between undertaking in a new blog, traveling to Chicago, and initiating record amounts of men into my fraternity, it has been quite the month.  December should slow up a little bit, but with Christmas, My Birthday, and New Year’s at the tail end, it should be a month to remember as well.

One of my favorite things that happened this November was my first “Black Friday” experience.  I woke up at 4:30 AM in Chicago to go shopping with my cousin and a few of his friends.  We were in and out of Best Buy in 15 minutes, but other places like Old Navy and Wal-Mart had lines wrapped around the store.  And I wasn’t really blown away by any deals this year.  I was able to pick up a Christmas present, but other than that, most of the DVDs were picked clean.

I hope if you went out on Black Friday that you had more success than I did.  But I was still able to see family that live far away and have some fun along the way.  I would recommend it to anyone, once.

So I decided recently to start a new blog for my class called “Sustainable Steve”.  The purpose of the blog is to find ways to conserve energy and be sustainable while in your dorm room.  I hope it pans out like I am planning.

Here’s the link: http://sustainablesteve.wordpress.com/

It is no secret that Jimmy Buffett is my favorite entertainer, and his music has had a profound impact on my life.  So I set out on a mission to find my top 5 JB songs.  And believe me, this was no easy task.  Jimmy has been making music since the late 60’s, and his first album came out in 1970.  Since then he has released 30 albums, and I love them all.  But here are, in my opinion, the 5 songs you cannot go without hearing before it is all said and done:

1. Volcano

Favorite Lyric: “You better lava me now, or lava me not!”

This is my all time favorite Buffett song.  The reason I like it so much is due to the sound of the keyboard, played by Mr. Michael Utley.  It’s got a bounce that will instantly brighten your mood, and I feel that that should be the point of all JB songs.  It is just a goofy song about not really planning for things to go bad, which seems like a bad idea.  But somehow, Jimmy makes it work.

2. One Particular Harbor (Live)

Favorite Lyric: “Lakes below the mountain, flow into the sea.  Like oils applied to canvas, oh how they permeate through me.”

This song uses Tahitian lyrics to start the song.  Roughly translated, they mean, ‘Nature lives, life to nature.  Have pity for the earth, love the earth.’  This song has an ancient, tribal feeling to it.  And when I recall this song live, I get chills when I think about the sell-out crowds of Riverbend singing it in unison.  It’s a real shame that I only get to hear this song the way it was meant to be heard once a year!

3. Growing Older But Not Up

Favorite Lyric: “I’d rather die while I’m living than live while I’m dead!”

This song contains a great philosophy.  You can’t stop getting old, but you don’t have to grow up.  It reminds me of the song “Young At Heart” by Frank Sinatra.  It reminds me that you’re never too old to stop having fun.  I’m thankful that I was exposed to this song at a relatively young age, so that I can grow older with it’s lyrics in mind.

4. La Vie Dansante

Favorite Lyric: “Why don’t you wander and follow La Vie Dansante?”

Jimmy Buffett has the unique ability to take you around the world (if you construct the right playlist).  The tour can stop in France, Tahiti, Mexico, etc.  I’m a big fan of all the different languages he uses.  In La Vie Dansante, JB instructs you to follow ‘The Dancing Life’.  La Vie Dansante to me means that life is the soundtrack you dance to.  You really can’t worry and stress about too many things if you’re dancing.  I am a self-proclaimed terrible dancer, but I still have fun doing it.

5. School Boy Heart

Favorite Lyric: “I’ve got a school boy heart, a novelist eye, stout sailor’s legs, and license to fly…”

It was hard to pick a favorite lyric because I enjoy the whole song.  JB uses this song as an autobiography that Mary Shelley would be proud of.  In fact, he throws in a Frankenstein reference.  Bizzare? Yes.  Perfectly used? Yes.  Jimmy describes how he is made up of all these different parts, and I really related to that.  It seems to me that everyone is composed of things that they value.  And this is Buffett’s statement of values.

Everyone should listen to these songs at least once.  And if you want more information, please contact me.  I’m always glad to discuss JB, and the Parrothead Philosophy.

College is about expanding your horizons.  The way that this happens most is through classes.  Duh.  Right now I have an opportunity to do just that.  I have a class called Environmental Communication, and it is an Honors Seminar.  An Honors Seminar is special in itself because it is a cross-disciplinary class that focuses on very specialized and relevant topics.

The final project is to create something relating to Environment Communication, and implement it.  In the vagueness of the description comes the freedom of the project.  It reminds me of grade school book reports.  If you had to do a report on an assigned book, it was probably lame.  But if you could do it about a book of your choice, then your eyes lit up when you presented.

So I thought to myself,  what can I do that relates the environment to communication?  And then it became quite clear to me that the answer was a blog.  I still haven’t decided on the name.  I’m between REDcycle and The GreenBird (both plays off the Louisville Cardinals).  But once I figure it out, expect links and harrassment to check it out.

Until that time, any comments with suggestions relating to sustainability, recycling, or the environment would be greatly appreciated.  A camper is always looking for logs to put in the fire!