"Anything/Everything but Country."

One of the first questions people ask during an initial meeting is "So what kinda music are you into?", and one of the most common responses is "anything/everything but country." But is that really the case? If you do listen to anything or everything but country, then you listen to music from rock, electronica, classical, jazz, religious, ethnic, foreign (or anything not in your native language), etc. the list of genres go on. Do you?

Why don't people say "I listen to nothing but xxxxxxxxxxx" (where xxxxx is whatever that person's preference is). Projecting an air of open mindedness perhaps? I mean, saying "anything/everything" makes room for conversation, but I think it is an outright lie. Why can't you just be honest about what you REALLY listen to? One good example would be my mate Stephen Davis. He listens to anything on that's playing on the radio, not afraid to sing along. He even sings chinese songs. (DOES STEPHEN DAVIS SOUND LIKE A CHINESE NAME TO YOU?!) But then he doesn't deny that he listens to pop/mainsteam music. Stephen rocks. (And is also an up and coming Cleo Most Eligible Bachelor)

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not hating on people who listen to mainstream music. I can honestly say that I hate mainstream/radio music, and I have nothing against the people who listen to it (but they have to admit it.) I'm just trying to say that by lying and saying that you're open minded, without even giving "anything/everything" a shot, is an outright lie. It's BULLSHIT.

Form your opinion about anything/everything AFTER you've heard it. Maybe being in Central Pennsylvania, where NOTHING exists except for Rap/R&B/Country/whateverthefuckisonMTV/College Music (bands like OAR, Angels & Airwaves, Fallout Boy, My Chemical Romance and all those other bands who try so hard to be different but end up being the same) exists, and no one knows ANYTHING about jazz, funk, ambient, trance, indie, classic rock etc, is causing me to think this way.

So, what do YOU listen to?

Appreciation of Aesthetics

Although I'm currently feeling 'fucktastic', I've decided to continue seeing a counselor.

Something I figured out yesterday, was that I am very drawn to aesthetics, either tangible or intangible. I think originality counts a lot towards my valuation of an object. I respect the effort, regardless of the so-called (and relative) success of the piece.

Also, perspectives matter. The human mind is intrinsically myopic. Sometime or another we always fail to put ourselves in another's shoes. If you can get glasses and contacts to fix your eyes, why shouldn't you try to fix your perspective too?

Sidenote:
Can you be TOO anti-mainstream for your own good? At which point will it become detrimental instead of "unique" and "interesting"?
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The other day Marc asked if I still considered myself a youth.
I said no.
I think my days of being a youth ended when I graduated from HS.
That was almost 4 years ago.
Why should I want to go back?
I had the best time of my life.
And now I gotta move on to other things.