Anberlin - One Of My Favorite Bands is Calling It Quits

You know when you're a certain age, and you have a style of music that seems to resinate with every feeling or emotion you have. It's there on good days, and more importantly on bad days. That's how the band Anberlin's music has been for me. A band that mixes heavy rock songs and melodic soft tunes is the reason they're still touring and popular today. Yesterday I found out that the band that is second only to Story of the Year in my top bands has decided to release one last album, tour one more time and call it quits.

I remember first hearing Anberlin. It was live and they were opening for Story of the Year. I didn't get a good idea of their music until soon after the concert my best friend Tippin was playing their cd. I still wasn't too convinced by the singer's style, and actually wasn't a fan at first. As time went on I actually sat down and listened to the album, and I was hooked. I saw them again with Story of the Year on a separate tour, I think it was the Nintendo Fusion tour, and they rocked the house. I'm not sure what it was about their style of music, but I was going through a phase where I really just listened to rock music, and their first album was mostly rock.

As each album was released I found them to be getting better and better. The melodies and instrumentals in their songs really seem to click with me. I don't think I realized how much I enjoyed the band until you start to separate yourself from that phase of music and your tastes change, yet you still find that you enjoy their music. Bands like Atreyu, Killswitch Engage and and Senses Fails all were bands I really appreciated, but later lost interest in because my tastes changed, but Anberlin continue to have a spot on my playlists.

There is something pretty respectable that the band has had the ability to continue to make music, tour and be great friends, and then decide to call it quits on their terms. A lot of the bands I liked in my college years really found that they were part of an ever fading genre of screamo and they really phased out because of a lack of interest in fans. Anberlin never really got stuck on that sinking ship, mainly because they built their fan base not only on a diverse music style, but also by touring constantly.

Even my favorite band, Story of the Year, seems to have lost a lot of their luster then they had during their Page Avenue run. I still love the band and could listen to them on a regular basis, but their relevance in the music industry is not as strong as it used to be. Not to say they're not a great band, but it's just the changing of times and styles.

You can see why I'm bummed about hearing the news of Anberlin essentially "retiring" on their own terms, but I am kind of happy for them. Now like many music acts, I don't see them being done forever as the taste for nostalgia or just wanting to get "back in the game" always seems to creep up on artists. I would not be surprised to see a reunion or something years down the road, but for now knowing there will not be another Anberlin album in the indefinite future kind of sucks.

I will wrap this blog up my posting the lyrics to one of my favorite Anberlin songs, and one of the first songs I ever heard by them. It's called "Readyfuels" and it's off of their album Blueprints for the Black Market. http://spoti.fi/TN1WFf 

Readyfuels

This car turned over without a key or gasoline tonight
Feel everything on fire and I'm dressed to kill killing for your dress goodnight
Help me to wait on you, hesitate on through, cause I'm alone
Feel so jaded, contemplative, waiting for you

(We're running)
We're running hot tonight and it feels so good
Your arm in mine here near midnight and it feels so right
Girls and the boys chase down running hot tonight

Running down the ready fuels it's finally over, just get over
Time will tell if all turns out ok
Help me to realize my dream is dying redefine despair
I turned away
So look the other way tonight

(We're running)
We're running hot tonight and it feels so good
Your arm in mine here near midnight and it feels so right
Girls and the boys chase down running hot tonight

Can you wait for me a little, little longer?
Can you wait for me a little, little stronger?

(We're running)
We're running hot tonight and it feels so good
Your arm in mine here near midnight and it feels so right
Girls and the boys chase down running hot tonight
(Can you wait for me a little longer)
(We're running)
We're running hot tonight and it feels so good
Your arm in mine here near midnight and it feels so right
Girls and the boys chase down running hot tonight

Loot Crate - A desk toy collectors dream

So recently my wife changed our son from regular disposable diapers to cloth diapers. She would then order these style of diapers and would anxiously wait for the mail for what she called "fluff mail." I have absolutely no idea where or why this term came to be, but it's the only way to link in what I'm about to talk about. A little service called Loot Crate.

I just learned about Loot Crate last night, and it sounds pretty awesome. So here's how it works. You pay basically $20 per month for this subscription. Every month, I believe around the 20th, you will recover a little box that says "loot box" on it. Inside is a collection of little toys that have a common theme to them. It could be zombies, Star Wars or superheroes. So all the service asks you do to is do a video of the unboxing. 

What's really neat about this is the ability to get some pretty cool collector toys, and to be entered into winning a big loot box filled with even cooler prizes and toys. 

Everybody loves getting mail, but is there anything better than getting mail with surprise items in it? Probably. But it's still pretty freaking cool, and for anybody who loves collecting little toys or stashing them on their work desk has got to love this.

I will be posting my first Loot Box package when I get it, and you can see some of the items you receive. Until then, go check it out for yourself and use this link to subscribe.

http://mbsy.co/lootcrate/1515993

My Wrestling History and the Return of the Yes! Chant - Over The Top Rop...

Getting Back To Blogger

Hi Blogger,

You may remember me from quite some time ago. We hung out a few times. It wasn't a ton, but enough that I think we were more than just acquaintances. Anyway, I was surfing the Internet and I came across you, and noticed you're still around. I didn't know how to get in contact with you besides just picking up where I left off. So with that said, here I am, let's do lunch.

I think I came back to blogger because I was trying to get adsense set up with YouTube. That is still an ongoing headache, but hopefully I can get it figured out in the next week. I'm not sure what I will be using this for specifically, because I have a blog currently on my main page chrisbumeter.com. I actually do a weekly blog challenge there, where I post a blog every week for a year. I did it last year, and accomplished it. It's my way of maintaining a consistent blog, but I'm now ready to move on to something more. I'm ready to build a brand online.

I don't mean clothing, or music or anything like that. Well maybe I do, but what I want to do is establish myself as a personality online. I want to begin creating web shows, vlogs and maybe some shorts or something. This is when Blogger comes back and laughs in my face. "Haha you have tried that before sir, and you have yet to get anywhere." I would be a goof if I disagreed with a lot of that statement, but I'm feeling a little different. Maybe it's that annual new year refresh, or maybe I'm tired of being lazy. Regardless, I'm here to build something that maybe people will enjoy.

My first goal in tackling this adventure was to clean my basement where I hope to shoot my videos. I'm close to completing that, but I took a bit of a break to write here. It's kind of funny, but for some reason I feel like writing more on this page layout, than I do on Wordpress. I guess that's just a different topic in itself though. 

WWE Network - This Could Change Everything

One of my biggest guilty pleasures is professional wrestling. I'm a 90's kid so I grew up during the "Monday Night Wars" and the glory days of World Championship Wrestling (WCW). I still continue to watch wrestling every monday night, and I have even gotten my wife in to it a bit. To add to the building interest we have a Wrestlemania party every year, and we invite friends over to watch the event. It's a lot of fun, and I've kind of pulled some in the closet wrestling fans back out.

Recently the WWE promoted an announcement at CES that would change "everything." Well they were right, because they announce the much anticipated WWE Network. This will be a service that not only lets fans get their complete fix of past wrestling events that they loved, but also keep up-to-date with current things going on.

Now a lot of times when you think of a network coming along, you think that it sounds good at first, but fizzles out due to lack of content, or it not feeling like it's worth the money. Let me stop you right there, because the WWE has already seemed to put some of those worries to rest. Not only will the WWE Network have every promotion from the past and every pay-per-view, but buying into the monthly subscription will get you any pay-per-view that is going to happen during your subscription.

Now that sounds awesome, but you have to assume that a hefty price will follow this phenomenal announcement of content. Here's the thing if you were planning on purchasing Wrestlemania XXX this year, then you've already paid for it. Let me explain. A subscription to the WWE Network is going to run you $9.99 a month for a minimum six month subscription. Wrestlemania XXX is about $60.00 to order. So for six months of the WWE Network you will be paying the price for Wrestlemania XXX, however you also get any and all pay-per-views before or following during your subscription. You'd be saving at least like $300 if not more, because you don't have to pay for the other pay-per-views. Those come with the subscription.

This is a dream service for any wrestling fan. How awesome would it be to be able to watch every pay-per-view, but also go back and relive any previous ones all the way back to Wrestlemania 1. The service launches in late February, and will be accessible on most devices and game consoles. What's nice is this is not going through your cable, so you won't be stuck with cable fees and those types of things.

The WWE is doing something big here, and the content they're going to unloading to subscribers is nothing short of phenomenal. I think for the $60 price tag, it's well worth it, and after that if you don't like it, then at least you got to watch the much anticipated Wrestlemania XXX.

For more information regarding the service you can see the official announcement here. 

I Could Watch Documentaries All Day

I don't know what it is about documentaries, but I could sit and watch them all day if given the opportunity. Netflix is especially helpful in this venture because of their specific section on their application.

I recently have been hooked on a documentary called Wild China. My wife was quick to ask "what the hell are you watching" as I laughed and exclaimed "babe, it's Wild China!" She didn't seen as excited as I told her, but I didn't care. There is something that intrigues the heck out of me about Chinese cultures and Japanese culture. I don't know if it's the ancient traditions that still exist in a digital world, or if it's the fact that there are places there that just seem like they're from a different planet.

I have a goal of someday going to Japan. It would be a dream vacation and something where I'd more than appreciate the possible culture shock that would hit me.

What I love about documentaries is the ability to get some insights on things you'd never think to look further in to otherwise. Sometimes it calls for awareness, and sometimes it's just covering a not so serious topic. Regardless of the case I still seem to have a hard time turning off a documentary when I come across one. This I'm sure, is much to my wife's dismay.

There are a few documentaries I've watched that I could watch more than once. My favorite one is called "King of Kong, a Handful of Quarters." It documents some of the best players of the game Donkey Kong, as well as the face of a newcomer who tried to rank best in the world at the game. You'd think it's sound boring and lame, but it's actually a great documentary.

In a time of so-called "reality tv" I find it a bit comforting to watch something that doesn't feel entirely staged or scripted. I enjoy learning about new places and things and that's what documentaries give to you. If you get a chance go watch a documentary. They are exciting, entertaining, eye-opening and sometimes gut wrenching , but at most times, well worth it.

Holy Viral Video Batman - Kid Gets Hit by Albert Pujols Home run Ball

So in this last week I decided to upload a little video I had on my computer from about 3 years ago. I uploaded it to Reddit, not thinking much would happen, because I have had previously lackluster luck posting on the site. Little did I know that within 2 days the video would have over 250,000 views and climbing. The video I'm referring to is below.
 
 I have to say the experience has been pretty awesome so far. I have had a lot of compliments and likes from people who really got a kick out of the video. It was something I uploaded not to make fun of the kid getting hit by the ball, but more so because I completely related to his reaction. I have seen it time and time again from my 2-year-old son. The minute you ask if they're ok, then the water works begin. The only thing I was bummed out about is how cruel some people are towards the kid for missing the ball. Give the kid a little bit of a break folks.

 Anyway, the video is now up to about 750,000 views, and I think I'd lose it if I ended up getting to one million views. I know that may sound kind of sad, but there is something pretty cool about knowing over a million people have checked out something that you personally uploaded and are a part of. It has really inspired me to want to start a YouTube channel to create more content. I have gotten a bit of a subscriber base now with over 100 subscribers, so I know there will be a small audience that will receive my content, it's just creating solid content. That is something I will begin working on, but I'm hoping I can entertain the idea pretty seriously.

The week has been awesome, and it made me love the Internet even more. I've just been having a blast commenting and responding back to people's replies. If you haven't done so, go check out the video and comment on it. If you enjoy it and believe in me, then subscribe and maybe even follow me on Twitter. I would really appreciate it, and I have also uploaded a Thank You video because I really do appreciate it.

I Give You Biscuit Our Puppy

Meet our puppy biscuit. He's getting pretty big now. He's been great for Lola so far calming her down as well.