And so it begins. It being, of course, the operative word. We have all said that (movie quotes aside) and have all lived it. Change-- whether the product of progression or regression-- marks our lives and our calendars, smart phones and playlists. Life is a test, that's true. Sometimes I get bad marks, other times a passing grade. What really matters is intent-- the WHY of it all. We can fight the system, we can get sucked in, we can voice our opinion loudly or blend in and be dim. WHY is what counts, in the end, when the cards are on the table or you've decided to cash those chips in. I want to be... a rock-n-roll star. I want to write an epic travelogue about a trip that actually occurred. I want to live and breathe in at least 50 more countries. Make love, music, friends, beer, food, art, LIFE. Create and rejoice in your own free will, the unlimited and oftentimes indomitable spirit in all of us that represents the Human Condition. Her eyes make me feel like I'm flying Her porcelain skin lets me know it's not pretend She is the best pieces of all of us And yet can be fragile and distant She simply IS

Making Waves Upon The Interweb

I never knew I could get so caught up in life. Living life, sure, but thinking about the inherent minutiae and all of the little components that combine to form a waking day can become overwhelming. Man oh man do I miss the days of simply reaching a "whelmed state." If you've seen "10 Things I Hate About You," perhaps you remember the dialogue. "I know you can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed... but what about just 'whelmed?'" "I don't know, that's pretty heavy stuff for a light tryst into the world of Shakespeare, don't you agree? Let's keep this plot moving." I tend to paraphrase and gravitate towards hyperbole but I recall it going something like that. Truth be told, youth is in fact wasted on the young. Just like physical beauty is wasted on the physically beautiful and rad Nintendo abilities are wasted on me. We all want what we cannot have just as much as we all want to be what we cannot be. In the end, it is due to the novel experience of (a) being young, (b) hot, (c) good at Bubble Bobble and also recognizing one or all of the aforementioned good-luck-draws. Same goes for feeling simply whelmed. It is wasted on tykes and teens, those with the cognitive abilities to realize that life is good but before the heavy hand of reality rips away college lectures, free and easy weekends, Lego toy sets and anything else a guy may hold sacred in this day and age. "Take my kidney but leave my LP's alone, tyrants!" Matty Styles is back. Other creative pursuits have faded like a hat left in the back window of a car all summer long. Patchy off-color spots dot my life right now. I know where I want to be-- the how and when and why can sometimes evade me. We'll get there, lads and lasses. Or else look damn good trying. love + peace + flying geese, ~Styles P.S. Granite City faithful-- be on the lookout for a pea green folded flier for it shall become a new institution of pseudo-cool. Seriously.