David Takes On: More Music!

You know already that I like a lot of things. I made a post a few weeks ago about music, and about how much I like that.

I have neglected to tell you, however, what kind of music I like, so I will render my preferences without further wordy ado.

Okay, maybe a little more ado. In addition to the sandwiches thing, I'm also going to try to keep you all updated on what I'm listening to lately. That said, let's begin:

Arch Enemy (Rise Of The Tyrant)Fuck yeah.

From the first track to the last, it's an ear-splitting, soul-crushing metal assault. Angela Gossow, lead singer and hot chick extraordinaire, doesn't let up with her guttural vocals. Forget Flyleaf. That chick has nothing on Ms. Gossow. Among the tracks that stand out for me are "Rise of The Tyrant", the first track, which I don't think has ever started off a metal album better in my opinion. Arch Enemy toss you to the metal wolves right from the start. Other ass-whomping tracks include "The Last Enemy", which is so high-adrenalin I wanna throw myself out of an airplane or fight an alligator. Also of note is the single, "Revolution Begins", which does not disappoint in its ability to get your blood boiling. That's what I've always loved about good metal. There's just a way it gets inside you and pumps you up. This album is one of my new Island Albums, as in, I'm not getting stranded on a desert island without it.

Ted Nugent - Great White Buffalo (Double Live Gonzo!)

File photo.

I gotta say, this song is another one of those that just get your mojo working. Yes, Ted Nugent is a Republican, yes, he's kind of a geezer now, and yes, goddamn it, yes, for the last time, he was in Damn Yankees. Also, I hear he's crazy. But in a fun "holy shit what's he gonna do next" type of way. At any rate, this song is awesome. It has the hookiest riff I think I've ever heard. It's so memorable and upbeat that it never fails to put a smile on my face. Plus, it's about buffalo. A Great White Buffalo, to be exact. A Great White Buffalo that whomps ass and takes names. Yes, yes, double yes. I believe I have met my "yeses in a blog post" quota for the day, yes?

Cake (Discography)No, wait...

Look, it's not the picture that's important. This band fucking rocks. There's really no Cake song I don't like. It's quirky, eclectic, and sometimes it scares the shit out of me, but all in all, it's just good music. I like to play a little game when listening to Cake: every time the singer says "Alllll right", "awwww no", or "awwwww yeah", take a shot. I guarantee you will be dead before you finish the whole album. But that's just flavor, and it's just plain fun to listen to. Check them out on Pandora.com, which is a great site (if you haven't heard of it, you must be living under the roots of the majestic Banyan tree somewhere) for getting into new music. It's like internet radio that doesn't suck. In conclusion, Cake is better than your grandma, and I don't care how many cookies she bakes, and what their quality is like. Cake is softer, chewier, chocolaty-er, and has more macadamia nuts than your old bag of a Nanna. So there.


And there it is. More to come, I am sure, so keep it dialed right here for all your "What the hell is David up to" nonsense.

Consider yourself taken on, music I listen to.

David Takes On: The Best Post Ever

My god, how could I have been so stupid?

How could I have let this slide through the cracks?

Listen, people: you know what I love, more than atheism, America, and RickRolling?

Sandwiches.

Let's begin! For starters, I just had an Amazing Brainstorm™, and probably ate the most delicious sandwich I've ever put in my mouth.

The Chicken Fajita Sandwich (more or less):

Two slices of bread (your choice, really. I used 7-Grain Whole Wheat and was pleasantly surprised, though I think Sourdough might have been a good decision too)
Roughly 3 oz. pre-cooked fajita chicken meat (I used Tyson)
A healthy handful of shredded cheese (I used Cheddar, as I had nothing milder, still came out good)
1/8 onion, diced (but not too small. Keep those chunks in there)
2 oz. canned green chile

So I put everything into a bowl, first off, and hucked it into a pan at medium/low heat. This was a bit of a mistake, since the cheese started to melt FUCKING IMMEDIATELY and the chicken had barely any time to warm up. So, we can make the reasonable conclusion that we should warm the chicken first, then throw everything else in. After that, stir the concotion about until everything is mixed up in everything else, then remove it from heat. Stir it so the cheese doesn't solidify on you, then put that masterpiece between the slices of bread. Next time, I'm going to toast the bread as I warm the chicken, so everything dovetails a little better.

Makes one totally awesome sandwich.

Seriously, I am a goddamned culinary genius. The sandwich possibilities are limitless. I will totally post more as I get around to making them.

David Takes On: A Brief Update

Before I go, I wanted to throw this in here, just for giggles:

The Giant Squid
Amen.

David Takes On: The God Delusion and The Conservative Right

Lacking any pertinent or maniacally hilarious content as of late, I am compelled to enlighten you as to what I'm reading:

The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins

I've almost finished it, and thus far it's been a very entertaining, educational, and sometimes deeply poignant book. Dawkins makes some very concise arguments for atheism (and against religion). He uses cut-and-dry logic and knife-point wit to make his cases for enlightened freethought. It's a bit of a read at around 450-500 pages, but to be honest, I made no note of the time, as the pages seemed to turn themselves.

I will openly concede and acknowledge Dawkins' overt hostility to religion, which he calls "nonsense". I would also say that this hostility is not unfounded, given its propensity to drive some of the faithful to heinous acts of violence and abuse. At the other end of the spectrum, religion can also bring people to great acts of charity and beneficence. However, Dawkins asserts that religion or God need not be the motive behind such acts, or behind morality at all, an idea which I share.

Whatever your faith (or creed, or belief, or whatever), I would recommend this book to you. There's no guarantee that you'll like it, and definitely no certainty that you will be an atheist by the end. The beauty of being human beings is that we are able to evaluate and assess the world around us and draw conclusions based on our findings. If that conclusion is a profession of belief in a supernatural being, so be it. Just be willing to give your faith a little check-up every now and again. Keep an open mind about all possibilities! There's nothing wrong with choosing to believe (or disbelieve) something if there's evidence to support it (or not).

My score: Two thumbs up.

Now, with that out of the way, I would like to direct your attention to a website I found snooping about today on Something Awful.com:

Conservapedia!

Mother of Pearl. I'm all for free speech, and I can't rightly fault whoever started this site on those grounds, but the entire site smacks of fundamental conservatism, and when there's no conservative angle to be had, there's no intelligent content whatsoever. Observe! The Banana slug.

That's it. (As of 5/14/08, anyway. Maybe they'll have that updated at some point. God Forbid they'd have to consult the dread SCIENCE for help on that one) And if you click on the "mollusk" link in the description, it offers a similarly brief commentary with some more added rhetoric about homosexuality thrown in. Oh boy! Look, wikipedia has a bit of a leftist slant and some questionable sourcing and edits, but conservapedia.com throws neutrality and reason to the wind. It is chock-full of ignorance, intolerance, and just plain irresponsibility. It doesn't even pretend to care. It's an encyclopedia for conservatives, by conservatives, and if you don't agree, you are WRONG. It's like the Bill O'Reilly of online encyclopedias. "But David, you hairy, testosterone-dripping lumberjack, you, if it's on the internet, shouldn't we not care? Like we don't care about 99% percent of all the other crap on the internet?" I hear you say. Of course we shouldn't. I merely wished to point out that this exactly what I'm talking about. Their featured article of the month, by the way, is atheism, which is laughable at best, and downright offensive at worst.

I sigh. This is fundamentalism at work. I only wonder how long it will take for the foolishness and name-calling to run its course. Check it out. Read some of these articles. It makes for some pretty interesting reading:

The Homosexual Agenda
Environmentalists
Liberapedia.com
(smaller, but with a better sense of humor)

Well, that's all for me.
Consider yourself taken on, fundamentalist jerkbags!

David Takes On: A Piece You Should Think About

We love to have fun here at David Takes On The World, but sometimes I like to change the mood up a little and hit a little heavy, if for no other reason than to make you think. I was introduced to this piece by the incomparable Noah K. Langenwalter, Esq. a year or two ago, and it's been one of my personal favorites ever since. Click the link and tell me what you think.

On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs

Consider yourself taken on.

David Takes On: Political Furor

With all the political hubbub so prevalent these days (smear campaigns, partisan muckraking, toed party lines, etc.), it somewhat suprises me to realize that I haven't written a politically charged blog yet. Well, let's change that, shall we? Prepare to have your political minds blown! I'm about to announce my endorsement of a major candidate!

Prepare yourselves. I fully endorse:

Nobody.

That's right. You heard me. I don't endorse any one of those candidates. Allow me to make my case for each individual in one word.

For the Republicans:

John McCain

Yarrr.

My one word: Hawk.
He fully endorses the war in Iraq and wants to stay til the job is done. Which is fine. If you want to count your approval rating percentage on two hands. I say kill terrorists. I hate 'em. But do it in your own country, not someone else's. However, the above picture kind of makes him look like a pirate, which already makes him the most palatable candidate.


For the Democrats:

Barack Obama

Ay carumba!

My one word: Inexperienced.
Barack is enjoying high approval among students and minorities, and with voter turnout as high as ever, his campaign is a promising one. But he's a junior senator, with little real-world experience. He's climbing high on his charisma and oration (rightfully so. The man is a breath of fresh air after listening to W for the last 8 years), but will he choke in office? It's hard to say. He represents sweeping change, but does he have the cajones to run the USA? He's kind of like a Democrat Ron Paul. You know, except black, less conservative, and less batshit crazy.

Hillary Clinton

I can't look at this picture without thinking about Howard Dean. Yaaaa!

My one word: Clinton.
The woman is ambitious, and you can tell that she's fighting tooth and nail to secure her candidacy. Can't fault her for that. On the other hand, she's a Clinton. It'll be Bill and Hill for four years, each furthering their own agenda through the other. She still represents an insidious part of the Democratic party (as far as I'm concerned), and her stances on media and gun control especially scare me.

Super Bonus Fun Time!

Ron "Are You Fucking Kidding Me Why Is This Guy Still Running" Paul
HURRRRR

My one word: BLIMP
THE MAN BOUGHT A FUCKING BLIMP. And much like the fabled Hindenburg, everyone thought it was a good idea at first, climbed aboard, made some YouTube videos about how great it was, then watched, horrified, as the whole enchilada went down in a flaming ball of death. Oh, the humanity indeed. Still, Paul soldiers on, oblivious to the statistical implausibility of his candidacy. Now, a lot of people have called his platforms "unfeasible", "impossible", or "do not ever speak that man's name in my presence", but let's face it. Crazy rhetoric aside, his heart's in the right place. Constitution = good! I can get behind that. But come on, Ron. Shake that magic 8-ball, and Try Again Later. And maybe be less of a psycho next time.

So there it is. You understand my dilemma. So many candidates, so little sanity. Here's a little more commentary, in case you care:

The ongoing sparring match between Obama and Hillzors is driving a wedge into the Democratic Party. Get your shit together, guys. You're all Democrats. Someone's gonna have to face John McCain. And right now, you're making it seem like neither of you are up to the task. You can't even unite your own party, for goodness' sake. Stop whining and start winning.

Kill as many al-Qaeda operatives as you can, and GTFO of Iraq. Iran is getting that Itchy Trigger Finger Syndrome. The bonus, if we fuck Iran's shit up (and we would), is that we'd get rid of the Wacky Ayatollahs and Mahmoud "I'll Cut You" Ahmedinejad. The minus: we'd piss off China AND Russia, and risk having to fuck their shit up too. And that just wouldn't be fair. So cut our losses, McCain, leave whoever you need to leave to guard whatever you need to guard, but hand that quagmire (giggity) back over to Iraq and let Allah sort 'em out.

The economy. From what I've seen on the news, I can easily sum up the economy thusly: OH DEAR GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING SELL SELL SELL WHY OH MY GOD NO NO NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOW JONES YOU MOTHERFUCKER I HAVE TO SELL MY YACHT YOU BASTARDS GAS PRICES GAS PRICES I CAN'T FILL MY CHEVY WARMONGER WITHOUT SPENDING NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS SWEET JESUS CHRIST WHY WHY WHY AAHHHAHAGGGGHHHAHAHGGGG *gurgle gurgle*
But seriously, folks. Buy a car that's sensible, stimulate that economy by buying American goods, and just roll with the punches. It's a slump. But by god, America didn't get where it is today by panicking and running around, fingers in ears, like a bunch of sissy Canadians! We rolled up our sleeves, spat on the ground, and kicked in the Door of Oppression, burned the house of Adversity, punched the grandmother of Prejudice, slashed the tires of Hardship, and gave that jerk Lolligagging a swirly. Our "can do!" spirit has put America on the map in more ways than one (The Virgin Islands, Guam, "South" America), and if we just suck it up and get things done, we'll all come out of this one okay.

So there it is. So politically charged I should have my political credit card canceled. HEY-O!

Consider yourself taken on, politics.