Rockband

2007 was a magical year for a lot of reasons.  Apple released the very first Iphone, revolutionizing how smart our phones could be.  Jared Zabransky, Ian Johnson and the 2007 Boise State Broncos upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl using trick plays (more on this later).  And finally, video game developer, Harmonix created a revolution.

Rockband took the idea of "What if we could play Guitar Hero, but with more instruments?" and made it a reality.  Rockband came out in 2007 and featured controllers in the guise of drums, guitars and microphones.  It was ingenious because to play the guitar, you would push buttons in sequence, whilst holding the controller like a guitar or banging on the drums in a pattern reflected on the screen.  This gave the game the ability to conjure feelings in those who played it.  If you always wanted to be in a band, this was your shot (to at least feel like it).  The track listing was varied and offered a little something for everyone.

Groups of friends flocked to this as a new way to game together and it got a lot of play in all different age groups and on multiple gaming platforms.  Harmonix had created a form of in-home karaoke...and people loved it for many different reasons.  You could utilize button pushing skills to feel like you were employing music playing skills and the correlation was strong enough to make even the N00biest basement dweller feel like a rock star.  It was wonderfully new.

Fast forward to 2016, nearly 10 years later.  I am an old man with an Xbox One and play games like Fallout 4 and Metal Gear Solid 5 frequently.  I still like to sing, although not as good at it as I used to be and love music and the celebration of it.  All of these things led me to wondering whatever happened to Rockband.  In moments of internet searching, I realized that a 4th version had just come out and was available!  Now, all I had to do was raise tons of money.

I will sometimes get obsessed with things and pursue them with reckless abandon.  My mind became filled with and fixated on the idea of how cool it would be to have Rockband.  I crunched numbers and no matter what I did, I could not come up with the scratch.  No matter how hard I tried to procure it, Rockband ended up being given to me by our dear friend, Preston as a gift.  We had 3 plastic instruments, a usb microphone, and a bottle of tequila...it was on.

Rockband became a regular staple in our Saturday night hang outs and it was as good, if not better than ever.  My wife shredded the guitar with the precision that she brings to most puzzle games, Preston tossed a couple of shots and rocked the drums sped up on hard mode, and I piled up 100% song completions with the microphone.  It was joyous and not because it was a game or the peripheral controllers were cool....it was because it was simple, interactive fun.  Whether we won or lost, whether we were sober or trashed, no matter what it was a mirthful experience had by all.

Not only was Rockband fun, but it was an informative activity for me.  I could hear new parts of music stick out and tantalize my ears.  Solos that I had never paid much attention to suddenly became physical expressions of how interesting and creative music could be.  Bands that I had never heard of found new ways to impress me.  I was obsessed with .38 Special for God's sakes...

Anyways, if you are looking for a way to unwind with friends or experience music or spend $300+ then Rockband on the current generation systems (Xbox One/PS4) is What's Good, Scott.  Thanks for reading and if you did not read the post before this, know that I am grateful to you for sticking with me.  Be well and I will see you soon.

Moving Forward

Hey.  It's been a while.  Nice to see you again.  Thank you for your patience during my hiatus.  Some things changed for me with my employment and my financial situation and I haven't seen much that has been good, lately.  My heart was damaged by people that I trusted, my spirit has been broken, and my mind has been consumed by fear and sadness.  The world is very frightening and my place in it is very unstable.  In the wake of all of this misfortune, I stopped listening to my own advice.  The entire point of this blog was forgotten.  My mind naturally/constantly focuses on darkness and this blog was supposed to be a way for me to actively work against it.  Instead, I gave up and lost it. 

So, to be clear....I am still not doing great, but I am here and being here is a pretty decent achievement for some people.  Like Stella, I am going to try to get my groove back and whether I succeed or not, I am still gonna' be here.  I am moving forward and that's "What's Good."  There will be new posts on this blog, because there are still things that are "good."  They might be harder to find, but I will not give up.  I am still here.  Thank you for being here with me.

<  Also, the new HAIM album wasn't great :,-(  >

Brief Hiatuses To Figure Out What You Are Doing With Your Life :-)

Conditioner

What is “good Scott”? Hang on, I read that wrong… Wait, where am I? Uh oh…

*turns around* Oh, hello. I’m Hal. I play Scott’s brother and co-admin on his other blog: ComicalMusings. Scott left both blogs open in the same browser window, so I wandered over here because I can do that. But if you’re reading this… then that means it’s an actual post…
 …so I need to talk about something good?

Okay. Let’s do this right. Welcome to “What’s Good, Scott?” (note the comma). I’m not Scott. I’m Hal, but I still appreciate good things. The question is: which one should I pontificate about today? The Talking Heads, the Deep Dream Generator, the book of Jonah… those are all good, but no. I could write about Scott. He’s good. “What’s good: Scott” …nah. Too meta, too meta. Today I think I’ll write about…

Conditioner. Like for your hair? Yes. Surprising? Perhaps, but it is good none-the-less. And I almost missed it.

Like most of us, I formed a lot of opinions and pre-determinations as I was growing up. One of them was that the best shampoo came in a green bottle labeled “Pert Plus.” It was best because the bottle and the corresponding TV ads boldly proclaimed that it contained shampoo PLUS conditioner, IN ONE! My child brain didn’t really understand what that meant, but it sounded like a miracle of modern science. Another misinformed opinion I had in my youth was that only girls needed more than one bottle of stuff to put in their hair. And Pert Plus gave me two hair things in one bottle, giving me twice the follicular benefits while allowing me to maintain my status as a manly-dude-child. It also didn’t hurt that my favorite color is green.

So from an early age, I was aware of “conditioner” as a thing. But I was also aware that shower scientists could mix it with shampoo, so anyone buying it separately was getting played (and was probably a little girly). This worked out fine while I was a husky kid with a buzz-cut, but in middle school I started to grow my hair out. At first, my hair was crispy and gross (almost as if the slogan “shampoo plus conditioner, in one” was just a marketing gimmick).

I don’t remember when, but at some point my mom suggested that I might want to start using conditioner. It was a game changer. I’ve been using it ever since. Thanks mom. (What’s good, Hal? Mom’s advice.)

For real, conditioner made a significant difference. My hair is softer. It smells nicer. But more importantly, it breaks less. This is kind-of a big deal because I grow it out to donate it. (What’s good, Hal? Tooting your own horn.) Look, I didn’t bring it up to brag. It’s not that fancy. When people ask, “What have you ever done to help other people?” saying, “Well, I didn’t get a haircut for a long time,” sounds like a silly answer. But if you’ve ever considered donating your hair, I encourage you to do so. (What’s good, Hal? Helping other people in unconventional ways.) (You know what else is good? Imagining that somewhere out in the world some other person is wearing my old hair. I never really thought about that before. It’s a little creepy, but also good.)

Long story short, my hair breaks less and it’s in better condition ;) so I have better hair to donate. Because if I’m going to give someone else my hair, I want it to be in good shape, not nasty and frizzy.

But even if you don’t donate your hair, if you haven’t tried conditioner, I encourage you to check it out. You might like the results. It’s the small things, ya’ know? If you’re a dude, don’t trip. You’ll still be manly. Some gents even use conditioner on their beards. And I guarantee it is 420% less stupid than “romphims.” (What’s good, Hal? Not romphims!)

This guy kinda' pulls it off...from https://www.romphim.com/

Anyway, my point is: I listened to good advice, I got over my preconceptions, and I found a way to take better care of myself. (What’s good, Hal? Taking care of yourself.) And by doing so, it has been a benefit to others. (What else is good, Hal? Benefiting others.) So take care of yourself. We need you.

I’ll now return you to your regularly scheduled feel-good blog reading, while I try to figure out how to get out of here. I hope I’ll see you again. The next time you see me I might have different hair, but rest assured it will be well conditioned. L’chaim.

~Hal~

Bean And Cheese Tacos

Food is good.  Some is good for your body, some is good for your taste buds.  Food is cyclical and time sensitive.  People have food memories.  People go into food comas.  Food is good, but that's not what today is about.  Today, we are going to talk about a specific food.  This is a food that has been with me for years.  I, of course, am talking about bean and cheese tacos.

From fooducate.com

Frailty Of Life

Welcome to "What's Good, Scott?" the blog where we aim to answer that titular question weekly.  This is a place where you will find funny (hopefully) suggestions for "Good" foods, music, experiences, etc... to try.  I share and suggest in a hope that you will partake in the suggested items and find as much joy in them as I do.  Today, I am going to zag on you a bit.

"Lanercost Priory Graveyard" by Dr Joseph Valks from FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Hummingbirds

Think, for a moment, about animals.  You and I are animals.  Your dog, cat, fish, or lizard is an animal.  Animals are all over the earth.  Factmonster says:

"No one knows for sure how many species of animals exist on Earth. In fact, some 10,000 species of animals are discovered each year, with over one and a half million species already described. Projections for the total number of species on Earth range from 2 million to 50 million."

Basically, there are lots of animals everywhere.  Cute ones, big ones, slimy ones, fluffy ones, ugly ones, tiny ones, smelly ones...etc.  There are tons of different animals!  But, some animals are cooler than other animals.  Today, we will discuss hummingbirds.

HAIM

Music is a medium that can convey many things and even effect emotion and mood.  The right song can bring about feelings that you may have never even experienced, yourself.  You may have never been left at the altar, but through the artist's creativity, they can evoke the associated emotions and pull them out of you.  The right 70's song can even make kids nostalgic for a time period that they have only seen on TV.  Music is powerful and the people/groups that make it can be very influential and achieve fame and fortune.  Then, there are some groups that just make music because they are compelled to do so.  Music, simply pours from these people and they are important, whether they achieve wild success or not, because they are important to their associated fanbases.  One such musical group is HAIM.  I am a HAIM fan.

Mer-Manifesto

Welcome to "What's Good, Scott?"  I am appreciative that you took the time to grace my electronic space with your presence.  I am not new to the world of blogging, but am leaving behind the pretentious aspirations of building an audience and getting big and getting back to what I always try to do in life...sharing.  I like to share things.  Music, media, experience, and various other things tickle my fancy and I can't help but share them with others.  "What's Good, Scott?" exists to operate only from this platform.  I feel that it is a good bet that every week I will run into something that is "Good" and share it with the blog-o-sphere.  It is my goal to keep this as a bastion of positivity.  If you feel inspired to comment, I would ask that it would also be positive.  I can't wait to share with you. ~ Scott