Prof. Megalomaniac

I just finished a class with a professor that truly believes in himself. Well, good for him. Despite his high self-worth, and resulting from it, his illusion of feeling that he is, in fact, the smartest person in the room, and quite possibly the smartest person on Earth, can be tiresome and anxiety inducing. He just drew the class a picture of President Richard Nixon as a wonderful man who just ran into some bad situations, and because of the unfortunate nature of his circumstances, we should all feel profound, harrowing sympathy for the sad little puppy that is Mr. Nixon. Also, the realism that defined the policies of Mr. Nixon and his closest advisor, Henry Kissinger, as with the textbook definition of realism, considers the balance of power and the advancement of one's own state at the expense of others. According to this professor, Mr. Nixon was deeply concerned with world peace and ensuring that all the peoples of the world progressed toward happiness. I understand that the topic of this professor's views on Mr. Nixon is the main theme and should not be the only basis for criticising the professor. Accepted. Though, as many of my close acquaintances would recognize, I am in no way the type to stick on a singular fault of a person, rather the staggering number of innacuracy inherent in the person, as seen by me. I do not mean to sound or be elitist or egomaniacal because that is essentially what I am concerned with in the case of the being of topic, though, I do feel that thought on his part is neglected. What has boiled down, in my view is a question: Is this professor megalomaniacal, content with illusions of grandeur, or narcissistic? Yes. Yes. Yes.

That, my friends was a rant. I am dearly sorry for the negative tone that has begun this blog, but sometimes...sometimes, we all need a bit of release. Thank you.

Here is where the happiness lies. I was able to see a concert tha left me smiling and in a near state of euphoria last Thursday. The name of the band is Okkervil River and I saw them at Ames' finest, the M-Shop. I say Ames' finest for several reasons: Ames is left wanting considering their other venues, the M-Shop has a favorable selection of brew, tickets are cheap, and my toes were touching the stage's center leaving me at arm's length from Okkervil River's lead vocalist, among others. Okkervil is somewhat difficult do describe. There is definitely the aspect of indie rock, but also one could suppose folk, alt.country, blues, southern rock, and possibly a bit of bluegrass (the lead guitarist is prodigious with the mandolin). They are definitely worth a listen, if not a viewing at an establishment near you. My two favorites landed at the end of the first live set as well as the end of the Black Sheep Boy Appendix album: Another Radio Song, and Last Love Song for Now.
Coming up next week, Rachel and I are going to see the Silversun Pickups (if you follow this link, definitely check out Kissing Families) with Viva Voce at the M-Shop. If you are in the area, I would suggest checking it out and if you find that the music is not fitting for your ears and mind, the price is $6 so leaving is definitely an option if you so desire.

Everthing else is going well. Giving blood last week is leaving no lasting effects. Gas prices will be low until the second week in November. The Liberal Arts Career Center would like my opinions in front of a pannel speaking on internships and other opportunities. I will be starting as a bartender and, for lack of a better label, artistic director of Ace's Place, a new drinking establishment in Epworth, Iowa. And many, many more. Thanks for reading and hopefully, my next bloggy will be a bit brighter. Have a great day!