I constantly find myself trying to determine what my favorite songs are, and to be honest, the list changes depending on my mood and what is going on in my life. That said, there are a few songs that I always go to, always turn up when they come on, or just genuinely love. This list is sort of all over the place, but I think that summarizes my musical interests fairly well. In no particular order, they are...
10. Possum Kingdom - The Toadies - I just love this song. Always have, always will.
9. Regulate - Warren G feat Nate Dogg - Try not to sing along to this song, seriously.
8. Elderly Woman Behind A Counter In A Small Town - Pearl Jam - Great song by an incredible band.
7. Bubble Toes - Jack Johnson - The first song Kerrigan could sing along with. It was priceless, and I always smile just thinking about it.
6. Two Step - Dave Matthews Band - My original favorite song from DMB, only got better after seeing it live on several occasions.
5. In Bloom - Nirvana - I can't have a list without Nirvana on it, they changed my musical world when they hit the scene, and this was always my favorite of theirs.
4. Shakedown Street - Grateful Dead - I will never forget hearing this for the first time. I was at an all night disco tent at Lemonwheel (Phish festival in Limestone, ME) when it came on. You should have seen me dancing!
3. Waste - Phish - One of my favorite bands of all time, and I just love this song.
2. Love Of A Lifetime - Firehouse - A cheesy song from the 80's, which is enough to make me love it, but it is also the first song Nichole and I danced to at our wedding. Enough said.
1. Thriller - Michael Jackson - No explanation necessary!
There are so many other songs that are close, but these are my absolute go to songs. Some day I'll do a top 50, which will cover songs by Bob Dylan, Soul Coughing, Matt Costa, Beastie Boys and many more. Until then, tell me some of yours, I'd love to find out if others have similar interests. I'm just saying...
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
In a surprising move, Governor LePage says something insensitive...
Another day, another Governor LePage comment that draws the ire of many. While speaking at the Maine Republic Convention over the weekend, he said, and I quote, "To all you able-bodied people out there, get off the couch and get yourself a job," prompting a standing ovation.
At the very core of what he said, he's right. If you are able to work, you should be out working, or looking for work. However, I have a few issues with what he said. As he so often does, he is painting with a very broad brush. To suggest that anyone who is able-bodied and not working is just collecting a "free lunch" is beyond laughable. I've been unemployed before, I have friends who have been unemployed before. Getting a new job isn't as easy as people think. Add to that difficulty the fact that it is a process, something that can takes weeks, if not months from submitting a resume to actually being offered a job. To suggest that people aren't actually out searching for work, making contacts, using connections, really just doing whatever they can is not only inaccurate, it's offensive.
Let's look at things from this angle, supply and demand. According to the state's website, unemployemt was at 7.2% at the end of March, which works out to about 51,300 people out of work. According to Indeed.com, which is an Internet job board that pulls from all over, there are 9,403 jobs in Maine as of right now. To suggest that people need to get back to work is only valid when there are jobs for those people. So, let's assume that all 9,403 jobs are filled up today by unemployed Mainers, there are still 41,897 people that can't get a job because there isn't one out there.
Another factor that is continuing to work against unemployed people, not just in Maine, but accross the country, is that employers are giving preference to those that are already employed. Someone who is currently employed has continuous work history, where someone who has been unemployed for, say, 6 months has some gaps. Employers prefer seeing no gaps in your work history, so that alone makes it more difficult for the unemployed.
Again, I agree that if you are able to work, you should. That said, being able-bodied doesn't guarantee you a job. I know that Governor LePage likes to get a good laugh, and fire a crowd up, but I'd much rather see him put his list of one-liners and insults away and work on improving the economy, improving consumer confidence and creating more jobs. I mean, that seems like a pretty basic concept to me. The constant belittling of people that receive state aid is the true definition of class warfare. I'm just saying...
At the very core of what he said, he's right. If you are able to work, you should be out working, or looking for work. However, I have a few issues with what he said. As he so often does, he is painting with a very broad brush. To suggest that anyone who is able-bodied and not working is just collecting a "free lunch" is beyond laughable. I've been unemployed before, I have friends who have been unemployed before. Getting a new job isn't as easy as people think. Add to that difficulty the fact that it is a process, something that can takes weeks, if not months from submitting a resume to actually being offered a job. To suggest that people aren't actually out searching for work, making contacts, using connections, really just doing whatever they can is not only inaccurate, it's offensive.
Let's look at things from this angle, supply and demand. According to the state's website, unemployemt was at 7.2% at the end of March, which works out to about 51,300 people out of work. According to Indeed.com, which is an Internet job board that pulls from all over, there are 9,403 jobs in Maine as of right now. To suggest that people need to get back to work is only valid when there are jobs for those people. So, let's assume that all 9,403 jobs are filled up today by unemployed Mainers, there are still 41,897 people that can't get a job because there isn't one out there.
Another factor that is continuing to work against unemployed people, not just in Maine, but accross the country, is that employers are giving preference to those that are already employed. Someone who is currently employed has continuous work history, where someone who has been unemployed for, say, 6 months has some gaps. Employers prefer seeing no gaps in your work history, so that alone makes it more difficult for the unemployed.
Again, I agree that if you are able to work, you should. That said, being able-bodied doesn't guarantee you a job. I know that Governor LePage likes to get a good laugh, and fire a crowd up, but I'd much rather see him put his list of one-liners and insults away and work on improving the economy, improving consumer confidence and creating more jobs. I mean, that seems like a pretty basic concept to me. The constant belittling of people that receive state aid is the true definition of class warfare. I'm just saying...
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