No videos, no 2nd Chance CD of the Week, none of that this time around. Next time, absolutely. But right now? I think it's long due that I get a few things off my chest.
This year has been one of the best years of my entire life. I've come to grips with some mistakes I've made in the past, and I've learned from them, and I've been moving on. I connected and reconnected with family and close friends this year as well. I love having these people in my life, and I am thankful for each and every one of them. I'm also thankful for the love of my life Heather, for coming to me at a time where I really needed it. I've dealt with a lot of things over the years, and the fact that she's been by my side for the past 8 months (with a lot more time to come, for sure). These are the things that I am most thankful for this year, and considering that Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away, I feel that it is only appropriate that I give thanks in this way.
But now, it's time to switch gears.
For the past four and a half years I have been on again, off again, dealing with depression. I felt for years that I was not good enough. I felt for many years that I wasn't the kind of guy that gets to ride off into the sunset. That the best way for me to be truly happy was just beyond arm's reach. You see, brothers and sisters, I have had, over the past, arguably, 15 years that I was not good enough, nor did I deserve, to be in love with someone who loved me back. I've had the unfortunate luck of involving myself with women whose biggest dilemmas of the day were, "Gee how am I going to break Scott Daniel Miller's heart today?" There were a variety of reasons given for my rejection upon rejection to ego bruising rejection. Stuff like "Oh, he has a past," or "I could never lower myself to be with a 'guy like him,'" or "He's too young," or "He's too old." "He doesn't drive," " He lives in a tiny apartment." Just bullshit, from start to finish.
In the immortal words of Samuel L Jackson, "Well, allow me to retort."
- No shit, Sherlock, I have a past. Everyone has one. The past is how we learn from past mistakes, and move on to build better, brighter lives for ourselves. You can live in the past all you want, but I've learned from mine and I've moved on. End of story.
- A "guy like me," huh? So what exactly is wrong with a guy like me? Oh, that's right, I treat females with respect. I don't do drugs, I'm not an alcoholic, and I don't cheat on my women. Matter of fact, the biggest problem that I actually DO have is that I smoke too much. Get over yourselves.
- I'm too young? That's okay, I'm not into dating senior citizens anyway. That shit's just creepy, y'all.
- I'm too old? OK, fair enough...until you turn around and start dating a guy 5 or more years older than me. Gee thanks.
- My tiny apartment? It was just me, and only me living there. And it was small enough for everything I had, strictly because someone I spend 7 of the previous years of my life literally stripped me of everything I had, up to and including my dignity.
- No, I don't drive. Which means no car payments, no insurance bills, and no having to deal with astronomically priced gasoline. Winner, me. You can have all of that, along with your gas-guzzling piece of shit, thank you very much.
Here's where I am in my life. All of the reasons I listed above just simply don't matter. And right now, as of this moment, I realize that they never did. I know who I am, what I am and am not capable of. The way I see it, I've encountered a lot of bitches in my life that became jealous of the fact that I've lived a fuller, well rounded life in nearly 32 years than they will ever live in their lifetime. There have been many people in their lives that have gone out of their way to hurt me, they've all succeed, and most of them have learned to regret it for the rest of their lives. I am the happiest I have ever been in my life, and I find myself fortunate to see things through the way I have. I am with someone who has made me find myself in a blissful state that is rarely seen these days. So listen up, read closely, pass it along to your friends, because you're going to love this one. To all the Jennifer Miners, the cheaters, maneaters, the soulcrushers...to all the Samantha Kullingers, who only care about materialistic bullshit, how much a man has, and how fat his wallet is...to all the Valerie Jimenez's...who play with guys' hearts and smile while they're doing it, who'll treat any man they're with like a friggin' kid, and then says that things won't work...to all the Alex Buckleys, who use their friends, rob them, and leave them hanging just because they feel like it...to all the Sabrina Grahams, who want too much, too soon, too fast, but then can't trust a man to save their friggin' lives...to all of these, and to all the nameless girls that are out there, who bitch and moan and complain about wanting a good man, and then turn a blind goddamned eye when one comes along....
I am sick and tired of each and every one of you. I had to deal with all of the hurt that all of you have caused me and forged for myself a better life because of it. I surpassed each and every one of you, because I finally am going to be able to ride off into that sunset that I've had my eye on for a long, long time. I have no time, nor room, in my life for any of you anymore, for I have found happiness for myself with a woman, not a girl, a WOMAN, who accepted me, not because of who I once was, or how much or little I have. But because of who I am on the inside, and for what's in my heart and soul. I am surrounded by friends and family that love me for the man I've grown up to be. And all of you have missed out, because while you sit and you bitch, and you moan, about BOY troubles? You missed out on being happy with a grown MAN. I have surpassed each and every one of the names mentioned above, and some names I've left out for the hell of it. I've been looked down upon, and it's made me feel self pity. Now it only makes me feel proud to know that you all couldn't get past your own flaws, and your own mistakes, and you have to take it out on me. So as far as I'm concerned, once and for all, the bottom line, every single one of those mentioned can kiss my Irish, beer drinking, pizza devouring, pro wrestling loving, heavy metal listening, Ohio ASS! I'm done with you all. Now you'll excuse me, I have a future to look forward to.
Thanks for reading.
Miller
Monday, November 7, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
On the Backs of Angels
What a hell of a weekend. What seems to be some of the absolute longest hours at work conceivable, it all ends up being worth it. This past Sunday, one of the Five Bands I Wanna See in Concert Before I Die made their way to Hard Rock. And Dream Theater didn't come alone. Trivium opened up for one of my favorite bands of all time. Opening with "In Waves," Trivium set Hard Rock Live into a frenzy I had not seen in quite some time. Now, I'll admit, before this past Sunday, I was not entirely familiar with Trivium's work. Sure, I had heard "Down From the Sky" from the soundtrack to WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010, but that was just about it. But after the amazing performance they had put on, they had definitely made a fan out of me. These crazy bastards are even Florida natives (Altamonte Springs, to be exact), and I'm proud of these guys for being the locals that made it big. I'm looking forward to discovering the rest of their material.
Now on to Dream Theater. These guys did NOT disappoint in the least! As soon as I had heard the opening riff to "Bridges in the Sky," I knew that shit was about to get real. Hard Rock was another stop on their "A Dramatic Turn of Events" tour (GREAT album, by the way) and they just tore the house DOWN!! My girlfriend Heather was even in awe of the show. From Jordan Rudess's rotating keyboard to new drummer Mike Mangini's drumkit AND mid-show solo, her jaw dropped to the floor just as quickly as mine did. They played a lot of my favorites, and half of their setlist was comprised of music from the new album. From "On the Backs of Angels" to "Breaking All Illusions," Dream Theater hadn't missed a beat since the departure of original drummer Mike Portnoy. They even played some of the older favorites as well, such as the "Ytse Jam" and "These Walls." And when they played "Forsaken," I exploded, singing along with James LaBrie word for word. It was one of the best nights of my life, and it quite possibly surpassed my experience seeing Van Halen in Tokyo during their "Balance" tour. I have no one in the world to thank for my experience but Heather. And babe, I appreciate every second, and I love you for being there with me. You definitely are a keeper lol.
2nd Chance CD of the Week
Within Temptation
The Unforgiving (2011)
Setlist
Why Not Me
Shot in the Dark
In the Middle of the Night
Faster
Fire and Ice
Iron
Where is the Edge
Sinead
Lost
Murder
A Demon's Fate
Stairway to the Skies
What can I say? I'm a sucker for concept albums. But this is a concept album that Dutch rockers Within Temptation take a step or two further. Sure there were singles released for the album. Sure there were music videos made for said singles. Sure there is a pretty compelling story behind the album itself. But there was even a comic book created based on the album, written by Stephen O'Connell. The story of the album (and book) circles around a character known only as Mother Maiden, who seek out people who have died due to poor decisions made in their lives, and brings them back to life in an effort to give them a chance to make things right. In essence, the album revolves around redemption, which I can relate to in a few ways. While still metal in many ways, it seems that lead singer Sharon den Adel and company have softened up a little bit. As evidenced in the single "Sinead" which sounds like you could easily hear it in a dance club somewhere. The aforementioned song tells the story of one of the album's main protagonists of the same name. The song doesn't suck, as it's still metal enough to be granted a free pass from me. The album opens with Mother Maiden explaining her actions, and that leads into the first song, "Shot in the Dark," which I canNOT get out of my head for the life of me. It's catchy, it's powerful, and it grabs your attention almost immediately. Another favorite, "Fire and Ice," grabs your heart and holds it in a death grip until its end. It is quite possibly my favorite Within Temptation song of all time, right up there with "The Cross. The album was originally intended to be the soundtrack of a movie, but when the band couldn't agree on a film suitable enough for the album, they went the direction of filming the music videos and a series of mini movies to accompany them, as well as the comic book being written. I've read bits and pieces of it online and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. But then again, I've always been a comic book guy, so what do I know lol. But seriously, this is by far, the most ambitious work that Within Temptation had ever done, and it quite possibly is their best. I have to recommend it, 100%.
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width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GmPLZEyU2dg"
frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Thumbs up.
Now on to Dream Theater. These guys did NOT disappoint in the least! As soon as I had heard the opening riff to "Bridges in the Sky," I knew that shit was about to get real. Hard Rock was another stop on their "A Dramatic Turn of Events" tour (GREAT album, by the way) and they just tore the house DOWN!! My girlfriend Heather was even in awe of the show. From Jordan Rudess's rotating keyboard to new drummer Mike Mangini's drumkit AND mid-show solo, her jaw dropped to the floor just as quickly as mine did. They played a lot of my favorites, and half of their setlist was comprised of music from the new album. From "On the Backs of Angels" to "Breaking All Illusions," Dream Theater hadn't missed a beat since the departure of original drummer Mike Portnoy. They even played some of the older favorites as well, such as the "Ytse Jam" and "These Walls." And when they played "Forsaken," I exploded, singing along with James LaBrie word for word. It was one of the best nights of my life, and it quite possibly surpassed my experience seeing Van Halen in Tokyo during their "Balance" tour. I have no one in the world to thank for my experience but Heather. And babe, I appreciate every second, and I love you for being there with me. You definitely are a keeper lol.
2nd Chance CD of the Week
Within Temptation
The Unforgiving (2011)
Setlist
Why Not Me
Shot in the Dark
In the Middle of the Night
Faster
Fire and Ice
Iron
Where is the Edge
Sinead
Lost
Murder
A Demon's Fate
Stairway to the Skies
What can I say? I'm a sucker for concept albums. But this is a concept album that Dutch rockers Within Temptation take a step or two further. Sure there were singles released for the album. Sure there were music videos made for said singles. Sure there is a pretty compelling story behind the album itself. But there was even a comic book created based on the album, written by Stephen O'Connell. The story of the album (and book) circles around a character known only as Mother Maiden, who seek out people who have died due to poor decisions made in their lives, and brings them back to life in an effort to give them a chance to make things right. In essence, the album revolves around redemption, which I can relate to in a few ways. While still metal in many ways, it seems that lead singer Sharon den Adel and company have softened up a little bit. As evidenced in the single "Sinead" which sounds like you could easily hear it in a dance club somewhere. The aforementioned song tells the story of one of the album's main protagonists of the same name. The song doesn't suck, as it's still metal enough to be granted a free pass from me. The album opens with Mother Maiden explaining her actions, and that leads into the first song, "Shot in the Dark," which I canNOT get out of my head for the life of me. It's catchy, it's powerful, and it grabs your attention almost immediately. Another favorite, "Fire and Ice," grabs your heart and holds it in a death grip until its end. It is quite possibly my favorite Within Temptation song of all time, right up there with "The Cross. The album was originally intended to be the soundtrack of a movie, but when the band couldn't agree on a film suitable enough for the album, they went the direction of filming the music videos and a series of mini movies to accompany them, as well as the comic book being written. I've read bits and pieces of it online and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. But then again, I've always been a comic book guy, so what do I know lol. But seriously, this is by far, the most ambitious work that Within Temptation had ever done, and it quite possibly is their best. I have to recommend it, 100%.
Thumbs up.
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