Oh How the Times Have Changed

Oh how the times have changed.

Fifteen years ago, on a Saturday night, I was eating BBQ chicken fingers and playing video games with my friends Tony and Shane in my parents basement, the only worry I had was that hopefully those two would wake up to help me deliver newspapers. Now-a-days, I only accidentally run into Tony, and Shane lives with his girlfriend, the same kid who chose the NFL Sunday Ticket over a relationship.

Ten years ago, I was probably just finishing up a Varsity Basketball game, early in the season, and hanging out with the boys, maybe going to a high school dance; not a care in the world. Dances were early on, but if we weren't hitting either a St. Joes or Canisius dance up (where we had to get tickets ahead of time for), we would be slamming a 40 on the way up to Canada going to the clubs there.

Five years ago, actually six, was like living on cloud 9. Senior year in college, probably having a party before a Bonnies basketball game after a day of playing hoops with the guys, watching sports, then probably going to the Redemption Center for a keg, or just going to the Shack and destroying their house for the night. Way simpler times.

One year ago, living in Chicago, played hoops in the morning with some guys, a quick trip to the gym, then probably over to Tom's house to hang out with the Bonnies group, with a culmination at the Hangge Uppe 80's bar. Paying a rediculous rent and doing the "big city" thing at a new job with a ton of responsibility.

Flash forward to today. Twenty seven-years-old. Just found out more friends had a baby today (congrats Sarah and Nick). Innocence gone, wondering how many weddings I will be attending next year and what city I will end up in doing God knows what.

Life seems to be flying by, with it goes simplicity replaced by that nasty R-word: responsibilities. Friends I never though would get married have, others are buying houses, climing the corporate ladder and falling off the face of the earth, and a few are still finding themselves like me.

Its funny how things change, even though it is inevitable. Cell phones were obsolete during college. IM'ing people came towards the end. Your friend pool shrinks, however, hypocritically, I am posting this on Myspace, a haven for some to accumulate a friend collection larger than they really interact with.

All I know is that things are vastly different from the innocent days, as to be expected. I just don't know what other changes lie ahead. As Chris Martin of Coldplay sings, "You feel like you're going where you've been before. You tell anyone who'll listen but you feel ignored. Nothing's really making any sense at all."

Indeed it's not.

Following The Leader

You saw Talladega Nights, right? The new Will Farrell movie? It was awesome, right? Same thing for The Last Kiss, Zack Braff produced it AND picked the soundtrack, so it has to be just as good as Garden State, right? Right?

The same goes for bands like Of Montreal, things like Sabres hockey, there is probably an example in any genre/category you can think of.

What I am talking about is basing decisions on the uneducated advice of others, then running with it, spreading the gossip without sometimes experiencing the actual product. I admit, I am guilty of exactly what I am discussing, but why?

I am loyal to the local teams, but you couldn't catch me dead watching an NHL game prior to this year unless it was either a playoff game or there were free tickets in my hand. Now-a-days, I am discussing the "new-look" Sabres with my mother, watching intently to almost every broadcast to analyze each power play, like I somehow inherited Scotty Bowman skills from watching the playoffs last year. The Sabres caught fire, and the Queen City was back on the bandwagon. So do I follow these young skaters because I now care about the nuances of hockey... or is it because everyone in the city has an opinion on Ryan Miller's play of late?

Same goes for the afor-mentioned movies. A Will Farrell movie is sure to clean up at the box office, but is it really as funny as people claim it to be, or do you have to justify waiting in line the night it comes out by over-hyping the flick? The same could be said for Anchorman, a film I though deserved far less gleaming reviews from friends who though it was "hilarious." were there several funny parts, yes, but an over the top gasser? Far from it. Maybe it's the will Farrell Syndrome. The move HAS to be funny because he is it, but is that just a way to fit in by not going against the grain chastising the "it" comic, whose ranks include Chris Farley, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, etc.

Which brings me to The Last Kiss. I'll admit, as a fan of Garden State (although I hated it the first time I watched it) and the soundtrack, I was excited to see this, regardless if it's a chick flick. Braff has good taste in music, and he does not seem to need the spotlight too much. However, the clichés were aplenty. The requisite Coldplay song, the similar storylines, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like Coldplay, but the numbers showed exactly what I expected. The movie reeked of an "Indie" label, except it wasn't, it was a mainstream major studio deal, and I was roped in along with millions of others. It wasn't earth-shattering material in any aspect, but to hear people recommend this as if it were the stuffing of the Braff Indie trilogy, makes you wonder if those that waxed poetic really found something deep in this movie, or they just wanted to fit in with the hip crowd.

You be the judge.