Posts by Gerald Gonzalez57

ruggedeagle40 said:I’m just not into those hipster hangouts where everyone pretends to be deep while talking in circles. Real intelligence comes from putting in the work and actually learning stuff, not from sipping expensive lattes or smoking cigars at some trendy lounge. Honestly, you remind me of my younger self...

Think you missed my point there. But hey, whatever works for you... ☕

ruggedeagle40 said:1. Fair enough.
2. I don't think I've got it worst. I was specifically pointing out the gap between my luxury of being clueless about "Emo culture" and your luxury of not having vivid memories of fighting wars in the outskirts of the country.
3. Hmm, wouldn't say I'm surprised. It’s kind of funny seeing schoolgirls obsess over Rihanna or little boys thinking 2Pac is some legendary poet and artist 🤣. But just a little... I still think it's pretty unprofessional for a professor to sit in the corner mocking today's youth.🤣

I think it's actually pretty unprofessional for a professor to be rolling around on the floor. Just kidding. As for the mocking part... it all depends on who you ask. A coffee shop for older, more serious folks doesn't sound like a bad idea. That vibe of feeling intellectual—newspaper in hand, a cigarette or a coffee, sitting by a window watching all the nonsense of the city pass by—isn't a bad way to live. Here’s a perfect song for those moments:

- Song

ruggedeagle40 said:EDIT:
Tell me you're joking 🤣

Don't hold your breath. I'm dead serious.

ruggedeagle40 said:WHAT A TOPIC 🙏🙏🙏

Keeping it on track here: I love just chilling out on the grass, especially at Central Park, hanging with a buddy and grabbing some snacks along the way. 😁

It didn't really accomplish much, but hey, at least it sparked a little conversation—lots of talk about everything and nothing at all.

An interesting way to kill some free time.

ruggedeagle40 said:Why dig up stuff like that? (Honestly, I remember them fine, and I’d gladly trade my luxury of time for yours...)

This was happening back in the late 90s, so there weren't any shells flying... just a lot of trauma and wounds that still need healing.

1. It's just an info grab.
2. Everyone thinks their situation is the worst. In reality, it's all the same. Like we say in the States: Same crap, different packaging.
3. So don't act surprised by kids today. Previous generations were way more mature than what you see now. Realized that a long time ago. Just stay quiet, watch from the sidelines, critique, and laugh. Trust me, it's fun. 😁

ruggedeagle40 said:I think you’re holding some serious biases against long-haired guys 🤣

I wasn't a high school dropout, I quit drinking when I turned 18, I've always gone for girls who wear minimal makeup, and long hair drives me crazy. Emo kids weren't even a thing back when I was growing up, I was never into metal, and going out was pretty rare. I'd usually just hang with my small crew at a local diner, debating philosophy (or whatever we thought passed for it back then) until the manager kicked us out around midnight.🤣...

But...

I loved (and still love) sitting in the grass. Real nature, though🤣... not hanging out in the city like some bum.🤣

As you can see, most things you "outgrew" by getting a haircut, I never had to deal with in the first place.🤷

On the flip side, my parents wouldn't have let me pull that stuff off. Plus, being at a prep school, I was always surrounded by "nerds," so that probably played a part too.🤷
Don't even get me started on University...

Biases or no biases. That's your call.

- Once upon a time. Not anymore.
- I stopped way earlier.
- Girls today are just gross on their own.
- Depends on how she looks.
- Just lucky timing on my end.
- I only went out a handful of times in six months.
- Unfortunately, yeah. Luckily, not with hair that long.
- I do that now. Solo.
- Sitting in the grass is a risk for critters and kidney stones.
- Getting a haircut was the final straw.
- I was a rebel at home. Now, I'm a revolutionary.

Basically, just smaller teenage phases that got shut down early. They aren't comparable to yours because the eras were different. ☕

By the way, tell me—what was it like chilling in nature or at a cafe while shells were falling on your city (since you're from Indianapolis)?

ruggedeagle40 said:I don't get why there was so much sarcasm in that first reply. 🤷

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If you want to talk about that rule being lived out in both theory and practice, just look at how Mexicans and Albanians handle things. 😁

ruggedeagle40 said:I’m with you on the second point. I just wasn't feeling it at the time. Honestly, it took me a few months just to get used to the person staring back at me in the mirror. 🤣

Beer, hitting the clubs, headbanging, and hunting through random metal bands on Winamp—mostly black and death metal—aren't exactly what come to mind first. Neither are those goth or hippie girls with hair down to their waist, staring at local gig posters looking for the next show, skipping class every now and then, cutting a few corners, making fun of Emo kids, or just chilling on the grass and shouting.

It’s like that old saying goes: "Long hair, short fuse." Or maybe just "long hair, little brain." Takes two to tango, but some people definitely skip the thinking part. ☕

ruggedeagle40 said:Your palette just gets bigger as you get older. Back in my teens, I was all about rock, but now I’m bouncing from classical to jazz, blues, and old-school rock.

Exactly what I thought. My man... 😉

ruggedeagle40 said:Postscript: Did they force you to cut it, or did you just snap? My whole University experience, they couldn't make me do it, even with professors suggesting it.🤣 It wasn't until after graduation they finally pushed me to shave because apparently, a professor shouldn't look like his students. 🤣

Let's say it was both—a bit forced, but also spontaneous. A guy with long hair and a guy with short hair are basically two different people. Since I wanted to look more professional, I chopped it off. So, yeah, it's a mix (check my first Postscript). Now, I'm even letting the beard grow. Switching up your look isn't a bad move. 🙂

And of course, every single thread has to end in a bunch of personal insults. Typical behavior for any hardcore rock or metal fanatic out there. Honestly, I’m just glad I grew out of that phase and moved on from that music about two years ago. Back then, I lost all street cred with my neighbors because of the long hair and those black band tees featuring skeletons and whatever else. I've managed to earn some respect back somehow. 😁

ruggedeagle40 said:Thompson, Rihanna, and those other random acts... man, music really hit rock bottom.

The guys grab your attention, but there’s zero substance behind them. They're 100% underground, sure, but they've climbed all the way to the mainstream over the last seven years. It's like what one old-school American poet used to say: "Mystery is what makes things beautiful." 🙂

Megan Rodriguez44 said:You've got it wrong, man.
The guys are just killing it. It’s not necessarily about bashing some war profiteer just to get eyes on them—to borrow a phrase from some local nutjob. But hey, let them roast him if they want!

Bob Dylan as a war profiteer? No way. He was already huge before the conflict, and his album "The Nineties" really cemented his legend by poking fun at Slobodan Milošević. ☕

Megan Rodriguez44 said:@ Gerald Gonzalez57: Burned through..? 😕 😢

Based on what you see all over the web, yeah, they have. I mean, the band basically stopped producing stuff ages ago. That "I don't know how I finished elementary school" album dropped back in 2003, and nothing new has hit the shelves in seven years. Judging by the photo, though, maybe they're performing under a different name now. They've always been 101% underground. Maybe the guys needed to head back to college or something. Honestly, it makes me wonder what happened to those rappers from Philadelphia called the "bum unit." I could probably dig that up. I'm lurking around somewhere nearby. 🙂

Megan Rodriguez44 said:I've been a huge fan of them for years. Any chance they'll play a show around here soon? 🙂

Those guys blew up way back in 2003. They actually perform under a different name now. They've done a few shows and gigs here and there, though I'm not super plugged into their whole scene.

[IMAGE DELETED]

ruggedeagle40 said:They're dragging Joe??? 😲😲 😲

And what's their deal? ☕

Check out the song "Pannonian governor." The music actually holds up. But honestly, the message feels a bit too aggressive, almost like that heavy-handed style you see from certain groups. If you look up all those anti-Bob Dylan groups on Facebook, that track is basically their anthem. To be fair, some Mexicans have always had an issue with Bob because of that thing he said during his concert in Washington, D.C.: "I usually sing in my native language. But there’s one little catch. I speak a twisted version of it, the so-called Mexican language." It’s wild to me why everyone's hating on him now when he made that comment way back in 2002.

ruggedeagle40 said:Can't believe I actually sat through that 🤣
Man, what's so mind-blowing about this that you had to start a whole thread?

There's just something damn catchy about it. I can't help myself.

ruggedeagle40 said:hmm... honestly, I doubt that subtle dig at his education level in the album title is actually legit...

It might just be a joke. I saw a post on a Mexican forum where someone mentioned one of the guys studied philosophy back in Chicago.

ruggedeagle40 said:I was just talking about them yesterday. Like... okay, it's a joke, and I actually dig some of the riffs, but the way they're trashing Joe is just stupid. Not even because I like him, but because it just kicks off those old American political bickering matches again, and I'm totally over that crap...

Same here. But you gotta admit, the music videos look great; deep messages on a shoestring budget. As for Bob Dylan, I'm not a fan of them dragging him either, but maybe the guys just think he's not all that.

The mods might come for me for keeping this brief, but has anyone heard of this underground metal band from Mexico? They only ever dropped one album called "I don't know how I finished elementary school." If you have, let me know what you think. If not, go hunt down their tracks—just a heads-up, you’ll probably need to brush up on your reading skills because the vocalist (Gas Mask) basically just screams:

- Mike stumbled into a lonely cave
- Pannonian Sailor
- I'll break your spine

So...