Cocoon

Encased in a confined space,

My body immobile,

Beset by my worries, fears, and tears,

Creating the illusion of permanence,

But if only my paralyzed hands could

Reach and see its only paper.


The transparent walls surrounding me,

Reveal the world that awaits,

If only I could claw my way

Out of these unwavering paper confines,

But my mind has convinced me of the

Walls' permanence.


My fingers, buried in the cement layed

By my false pretenses and assumptions,

That cloud my mind with their nebulous

Haze, permeating through my pores like

Oil seeps through tissue paper,

I am my own biggest weakness.


But the cocoon enveloping me

Is not exempt from the coarse hands

Of time. Nothing is permanent, and I

Will squirm and flail until I burst through

The paper walls encasing me,



...into something beautiful.

If you could relive one day...

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to relive one day in your life, in the body you now have? Sorry, that's a stupid question. Of course you have--everyone has. The better question is what day in your life would it be and why?

I'm not quite exactly sure why this spontaneously came to mind. I had been thinking about my generation, the 90's kids. Our generation has lived in 3 different decades, two centuries, and two millenia. The only day I  would really want to relive, assuming I was in my current body, would be the simultaneous turn of the century and the millenium--New Years Eve, 1999.

We have all heard numerous references in line with "Let's party like it's 1999!" both in conversation and in music. Up until now however, I had never really thought about the fact that I was actually there, 5 years young, but there nonetheless. When one is at such a young age he/she doesn't really appreciate what the New Year means, aside from having to date papers with a new number for 365 days.

If only for the sheer spectacle, 4 number changes as opposed to one, the dawn of the 21st century, the new millennium, I would want to relive that day. In modern terms, the party would be LIT, and the after party would be one for the ages (literally). To be with others during this celebration, while the whole world, if only for a few hours, was at ease--it would be nothing short of spectacular, made even better with some free food and ice cold booze. I can't even imagine how much more fun 1999's New Year celebration would be in comparison with any other New Year party of the 21st Century.

A new fixation

It's been quite a while since I last posted a blog. Since that time, I've made it back to the UK and have resumed my studies this term. Today I just participated in my first ever radio show; although I was nervous at first, I feel like I was in my element.

It was rather nice having control over everything, from the content I discussed to the music I played. It took a little while for me to decide what my first show would be focused on. I decided to do my own spin on "Feel Good Friday" and did my own "Feel Good Wednesday". I just played a variety of "feel good songs", from the new running man song to the legendary Santana. Every now and then I would fade the music out to share a few words about the song or artist. I also briefly discussed the upcoming summer Olympics that will  be held in Rio starting in about a week.

In light of it being my first time on air, it was difficult for me to get comfortable at first. As the term progresses I look forward to creating my own comedic radio persona in the hopes of attracting more listeners. Naturally, I will also have to do a little self-advertising, if only for people around campus to even know my show exists.

With that being said, I am very excited moving forward in this. It's a wonderful feeling being able to share your voice and your music with others. My dad had a part-time radio broadcasting job when he was at uni, and some of his weather recordings are still used 20 + years later (or so he claims). Hopefully I inherited some of his deep soothing radio voice  There is no doubt that this will become a new fixation of mine. I have always enjoyed listening to radio, and listening to different talk shows and radio hosts. Each one has his/her own unique style that draws a selective group of daily listeners. I'm confident that in time I will find my own style and start gaining in listening numbers.

Return to the U.S.

With one more exam to go this term, my return to the U.S. is a mere 5 days away. I am excited to be returning after a 6 months absence from American soil.

At the moment, my family is currently residing in Las Vegas, or Sin City, as it were. I have only been there for a couple weeks in January when my family initially moved there. It is a city of grandeur, rampant with casinos, scantily-clad women, and an all-encompassing aroma of cigarettes. I rather enjoyed seeing the city for the first time. With that being said, after speaking with a large handful of people the general consensus is that the timeless city is better for taking a holiday as opposed to actually living there. I would think that the fast paced lifestyle and incessant superficiality takes a toll on a person after a few months. In general, I'd much rather prefer the slower paced, go-with-the-flow pace of life native to Europe.

Las Vegas aside, I have been craving Taco Bell for the past 6 months, and if I can't get any upon my return, there will be blood no doubt. England is severely lacking in Mexican restaurants, good cigars, and sunny weather--all of which can be instantly accessible at my fingertips when I return. Then again, 110 degrees Fahrenheit makes my sour cream skin tingle. Most importantly, I miss the easily accessible gym next to my residence. This term I have been slacking off and these next few weeks back home I am going to exhaust my body, without having to bother with coursework and assignments, and it will be wonderful.



Next stop....Vegas!

My Love

Her smile is a light greater than that of a thousand stars,

It warms the deep, icy caverns of my torn heart,

Her laugh is intoxicating,

I get drunk in love every time my earthly ears are graced

with its heavenly presence.


Her eyes are clairvoyant, haunting,

Cutting through my insides like a diamond saber.

She knows my biggest worries and fears,

And my longing for her love that matches my own,

Kiss for kiss, embrace for embrace.


When I look into her eyes time stops.

The rest of the world ceases to exist,

Like a little child in awe of a shiny coin,

I am entranced.


She is the missing piece in life's puzzle.

Got Caffeine?

Rockstar, Monster, Red bull, AMP, 5 hour energy, coffee--whichever your preference, odds are you drink some form of caffeine on a daily basis. Caffeine is a part of our everyday lives. To some extent one might even say its our human fuel. Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed each day--each day! Just think about that for a second. If every cup of coffee costs 3 USD, then that's over 6 billion dollars a day, just spent on coffee (and that's not even including energy drinks and other caffeine based beverages, so the total spent on caffeine daily is even more)! Personally I enjoy all caffeine based beverages, from coffee to Rockstar energy drinks. I drink coffee in all of its many forms and varieties--hot, iced cold, with cream and sugar, or normally just strong and black with nothing added. I'd even go so far as to say that I'm a caffeine addict. Just for fun though, let's consider a world where caffeine (pause for effect) doesn't exist.

How different would everyone be without their daily cup of happiness? How much more cranky and unpleasant would we be? It's rather frightening to think about, to say the least. I expect that we would find some other source of "liquid energy" of sorts to fill the void and complete their daily rituals. On the other hand, anything taken in excessive amounts can be deadly. When one considers the harmful effects of caffeine on the body, perhaps a world without the energizing substance would profit.

Caffeineinformer.com has said that a Mayo clinic partnered study has revealed that men who consume more than 4 8 fl oz. portions of coffee a day have a 21% increase in all-cause mortality. A more common danger of consuming caffeine is that it can raise your blood pressure (this is especially true for people who suffer from hypertension). Furthermore, women who consume 31 to 250 mg of caffeine a day have been 1.5 times more likely to contract fibrocystic breast disease, while women who drink more than 500 mg a day are 2.3 times more likely. It is also commonly known that caffeine in a person's system before bed can imitate the effects of insomnia. Consuming Caffeine can also increase anxiety and depression-like symptoms.

So while the world may suffer in some senses from the absence of caffeine, it is clear that it will conversely benefit. Regardless, much to our delight (or subconsciously our dismay) we live in a world where caffeine exists. It is apart of most of our everyday lives, and it is rather frightening to consider a world without it.

Making an EDM track: the Basics

EDM, or electronic dance music, is a genre of music I really enjoy. Recently I've discovered a mobile app called Music Maker Jam that allows you to use stock sounds and beats to create your own unique track, for virtually any genre of music. It is very addicting and I've taken to it right away.

For those that don't know, most EDM tracks follow a standard sequence. I listen to this genre quite frequently and this mobile app is a great medium to construct decent original  EDM tracks.

First, you want to start off with a simple beat or sound. Play it on a loop a couple times, adding different elements each sequence, drawing the listeners in.

Add different percussive beats, with a unique musical sound as a recurring underlying basis for your track. As the song progresses, you can feel free to edit and experiment with different variations in the sound, to eliminate extraneous redundancies.

The next addition should be something that is commonly referred to as "the drop". The drop is simply where there is a transition where isolated musical sounds are joined together at once with the percussive elements. Genres like Dubstep, trap, EDM, techno, and even some hip hop all feature drops, more than once in the same track. It keeps things fluid and interesting, building up to a wonderful climax that listeners always enjoy.

I can't share my created tracks on here for some reason, but if you're that curious, download the app, create an account or simply link to Facebook: then follow me, Scott Stanley, and listen to my track Tiger Trapt to get an idea of a generic drop. You'll know the drop when you hear it, it's impossible to miss.

These are just the essentials in creating an EDM track. Feel free to experiment in any way you want. It's all about originality. Try simplifying the ending of the track, digressing back to the first opening sequences. At least, that's what many DJs do with their tracks.

If you end up downloading the app and giving me a follow, listen to Attraction and Escape, my two personal self made EDM tracks.



https://api.jam-community.com/song/detail/ceef94fb-242b-11e6-bd70-0661aaff07f9


https://api.jam-community.com/song/detail/02c195b0-23fb-11e6-bd70-0661aaff07f9