OK– I’m all done with excuses. Let’s roll.

I’m not sure if you’re aware or not, but U.S. Highway 98 hosts a major speed trap in Walton and Bay Counties. Speed limit signs fluctuate from 45, 55 and 65 mph within a 20 mile span, forcing a driver to pay more attention to how fast they are going than WHERE they are actually going.

Last Friday, I was one of the lucky ones to fall victim to deputy quota prey. As I made my way through Bay County to attend a concert at a venue in Panama City , I was pulled over for going 20 mph over the speed limit of 45 mph. Now you might say going 20 over is a bit reckless and irresponsible on my part, which I do agree in many regards, but I do know for a fact I would have never been going that fast if the law didn’t change speeds every time I took a breath of air. When I was driving back home from the show, I noticed a vehicle pulled over in the same exact spot I was just hours ago. Shouldn’t there be a law against this? OH, WAIT.

On top of the speeding ticket, which was approximately $250, I was given a $75 ticket for not changing my former address to my new address within 10 days. I should have just told my employer to send my week’s paycheck over to the Bay County Sheriff’s office with a little pink bow and note attached that read, “I hope you enjoy it!”

On a lighter note – where are the baked potatoes at Wendy’s? Every time I go to the one in Destin, they are always out of them or don’t have any edible taters to serve. How in the world do you have an item on your menu that is NEVER available? You might as well try to be a bit more honest about it and put a label next to the item that reads “only in season,” or better yet, “only when we feel like serving them.”

What do you guys think?

Whether or not you agree with Barack Obama’s politics or character, you can’t deny he is slowly changing the way our country views its executive power. Two years ago, I would have never in my wildest dreams envisioned a black man in office, and now in 2008, I feel it might be foolish if one wasn’t.

That’s not to say if he is nominated as the Democratic candidate he would have a cake-walk into the White House.

Beating the GOP with a minority might be like Luke Skywalker beating Darth Vader without a lightsaber, but its still possible. I would like to think of Obama as an experienced Skywalker, who can gain his father’s support and eventually overthrow the Emperor.

For the past few months I have increasingly kept my eyes focused on the election. Who’s winning where? What are the candidates saying about one another? When is Ralph Nader going to jump in on the fun? (and he eventually did of course) This is one of the most important elections of all time (and certainly the most important in my lifetime) and I don’t want to miss a beat and be duped to the level of apathetic America.

Four years ago we were dealing with two cookie-cutter candidates that spoke in tongues to the general public.

It was my first year to vote and I cast my ballot for the goofy Texan, who made promises that seemed grounded and reliable. Sure he had a rocky road in his previous four years, but he had to deal with 9/11 and the fall of the stock market and an increasing unemployment rate. Giving him a break was only fair, right?

Wrong.

I think one thing I’ve learned is that when you give someone too long of a leash, they are eventually going to wrap themselves up and choke. The President of the United States is a position that should be held to the highest standards. If you can’t do the job on the table, you shouldn’t get another four years to prove yourself.

The GOP should almost equally be held accountable for their candidate and the decisions that were brought through legislation. Why on earth would I want to elect another member of the Republican party after seeing where we are nearly a decade after the start of their rule?

As a country we’re still falling–we’re dumb, broke and still completely at risk for another attack on our soil.

Whether or not Mr. Obama will be our saving grace to a struggling economy, disastrous health care system, greenhouse meltdown and world-wide relations strain, is anyones guess. As much as I’d like to say he is the answer to our problems, the only thing that anyone can be certain of is that he is something new and exciting.

Obama is no JFK, Abraham Lincoln or MLK. Obama is Obama.

Obama is change.

Needless to say, I checked them out and wasn’t overwhelmingly pleased.

The good news is, my dissapointment inspired me to go on a  musical splurge and download numerous musicians who I had never really listened to.

My first click was Rilo Kiley. As much as I had heard about their pop/accoustic sound, I had never once heard a song of their’s in its entirety.  I can’t say I fell in love right away, but they did ignite enough harmonic flare to keep me entertained and thirsty for more.

After an hour of listening to Amy Winehouse on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I switched over to a playlist of about a half-dozen Rilo songs and didn’t stop playing them the rest of the evening. To me, they aren’t as temperamental as say a Fleetwood Mac or even a modern folk/rock band such as The Decemberists, but they hold a dream-pop acoustic melody that comes a bit closer to MS comparisons (At least talent wise).
The whole genre of acoustic/songwriter-pop has definitely become more popular in the past few years and I can definitely say I’m a part of the liking majority. A lot of young, female soloists  like Feist, KT Tunstall and Regina Spektor(I don’t really even need to mention Ms. Rehab Winehouse) have come out of the post-Norah Jones/Alicia Keys movement to become superstars virtually overnight.

The progressive switch to more thoughtful lyrics, better vocals and fun melodies could be why more and more Death Cab-sounding bands like Rilo Kiley are fronting female singers. (Although, I still don’t know where Eisley fits)

To me, music is always exciting to explore. There’s nothing better than finding something that totally sucks and then soaking up the dissapointment with an artist(s) who makes you realize there is  always something to listen to. No matter if its sappy dream pop or not, inspiration is still inspiration.

The long hours of research and precise calculations that often go absolutely nowhere. Uggh!

Last week was the first time I had ever been seriously interested in buying a new vehicle. When I was 16 I inherited a Chevy Blazer and later received a 98 Dodge Dakota from my parents when I was in college. (I’m an only child…don’t hate)

Things are a lot different when you are sporting the bill. They are especially different when you don’t make a whole lot of money to be sporting many bills at all.

“Hey there, How are you doing today….I”m John Doe….what can we get you into today?”

From the start, you are already pressured into looking at something you don’t want. You almost feel like punching yourself in the stomach to prepare for the sickness of when you leave the lot knowing you can’t afford anything there.

Oh, but you have John Doe’s card now. You can sleep at night knowing he’ll find you the best deal in the universe!

For me, its come down to what I CAN’T afford and what I can’t afford. I can’t afford anything, but there are a few I might have the option of sleeping in my condo for a few more months without hitting the streets. As far as I know, the streets of South Walton County are pretty safe, right?

Or better yet, does anybody have a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid they would like to sell me for 10 grand or less?

Well, boo hoo you might say. But for me, it’s really frustrating to think that as a Democrat I voted Tuesday for almost no reason whatsoever. Sure, the amendment was important, but I already knew it would pass and allow the real estate moguls to dance the streets in bliss. Go team! We saved $100 and stripped our local government funding. Yay! (I bet Donald Trump and Mitt Romney are drinking champagne on some yacht as I type this)

Even though Florida is complete ***backwards on its election policies, I don’t think the citizens of this great state should be punished by the parties for what our fine officials do in Tallahassee. Everyone knows those delegates will be divided in the near future anyway, so why trouble the voter? To me it’s like that kid down the street growing up who had all the cool games and would threaten to go home if he didn’t get his way. He’d always be back the next day and we’d still have to deal with his nonsense if we were going to play street ball.

Oh, something else worth mentioning about Tuesday’s flop, Hillary Clinton’s victory speech. Only Hillary could be so proud to give a victory speech in a state in which she won absolutely nothing. Yay Hillary! You’ve really outdone yourself this time. (No wonder Obama doesn’t want to shake your hand)

Nonetheless, here it goes…

This past weekend was beyond captivating. I think for the first time in a long time I felt at ease about a lot of things in my life. That’s not to say I’m unhappy, I just constantly worry over things I shouldn’t worry with.

Sometimes it takes a set of events or moments to pull you back and make you realize that you are still alive and kicking. This weekend did just that.

Hearing the first three chords of Jimmy Eat World’s “Sweetness” on Sunday night really brought me back to my high school days of aimlessly driving around in my Chevy Blazer and worrying about how I’d talk to a girl I had never had the courage to cross 100 yards of. Of course it all seems trivial and stupid now, but when you are 16, your worries are undeniably important. It kind of makes me think that in 10 years or so . I’ll have an epiphany about my past (my current life) and perform the exact same analyzation I’m doing now.

I used to make fun of elders and their stories of how they did this and that and how it brought back such fond memories of their youth and time spent doing this and that. Actually, scratch that, I still make fun of you guys, but I’m now starting to see how fast time goes by and how each moment of time should be cherished. Growing old sucks, so recollections of the “early years” might just be significantly important as I grow old. Right? RIGHT

Speaking of old…

On Saturday I saw “The Bucketlist” with my parents. From the movie trailer, it looks as though the film follows two old men and their goofy misadventures in the world of geriatrics. I was right….but I was also quite wrong.

Two hours later I was one of the 50-plus people in the theater sniffling and drying their watery-eyes. I don’t like to admit to crying during a movie, but this one really hurt your soul not to. You’d seriously have to be cold as ice to bottle up this plot without an emotional explosion. I really hate the fact that a so-called comedy left me looking like an 8-year-old girl who just scraped her knee, but I liked how I felt more alive and thoughtful when the lights came on.

Until next time…..

Captivatingly waiting,

-Sean