Online dating was once thought to be left for the creepy, unattractive, and all those who were unable to meet people in the “real world”. That day is gone, currently in the U.S. alone, 10,000 people are trying to find dates online everyday (Epstein, p.1, 2007). It appears that in our modern era, the convenience of online dating allows people to test the waters, without giving a time or monetary commitment. While a variety of online dating services charge money, for the purposes of this essay I looked to Craigslist, which is completely free. I created a personal ad under the men interested in women categories, which can be seen here http://detroit.craigslist.org/m4w/1183574752.html . I will discuss my experiences, the benefits, and disadvantages of using Craigslist as means of online dating.
Due to the boom in popularity of online dating, the entire process is subject to great deception. Survey research conducted by media researcher Jeana Frost of Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that about 20 percent of online daters admit to deception. If you ask them how many other people are lying, however–an interviewing tactic that probably gets closer to the truth–that number jumps to 90 percent (Epstein, p.1) Over the period of one week, I received approximately 15 responses, half of which I would say are real. The other half were essentially advertisements, invites to chat to women through a third party online dating/sex service that required signup, and credit card payment. After the first few of these responses, it became very clear as to which ones were real, or fake based simply on wordage. To digress, in my preliminary research it appeared that of lets say 50 listings, only 10 had pictures. Despite peoples effort to find a date on the internet, it still appears many people are unwilling to surrender their picture until after they have yours, or if you specifically ask for it an ad. As you can see, my ad features a few pictures, and brief description of my self.
Amongst the handful of legitimate responses, there were two girls that I had active conversations with via text/ email, and have not yet, but could potentially have plans with. I believe it would be very frustrating for individuals seeking a serious relationship via Craigslist, but not impossible. More and more people are sick of the bar scene, assholes, and people simply looking to get laid. The online dating forum provides people a chance to crash into some people they probably otherwise wouldn’t have. For men, the major areas of deception are educational level, income, height, age and marital status; at least 13 percent of online male suitors are thought to be married (Epstein, p.1). For women, the major areas of deception are weight, physical appearance and age. All of the relevant research shows the importance of physical appearance for both sexes, and online daters interpret the absence of photos negatively (Epstein, p.1). According to one recent survey, men’s profiles without photos draw one fourth the response of those with photos, and women’s profiles without photos draw only one sixth the response of those with photos (Epstein, p.1).
Social network sites have undoubtedly made the online dating scene more socially acceptable, safe, and realistic. If someone responds to an email, their registered name usually appears within the context of the email, and can easily be searched in Facebook. While not everyone is on Facebook, most people are these days, providing an in depth view into photo albums. I believe this can help stray away from deception within online dating.
Overall, it was a positive experience, as I accomplished what I sought, first hand knowledge of an online dating forum. Craigslist is free, easy to use, and just as much b.s. as you’d expect.
Jeffrey Foucault is a singer-songwriter from Southeastern Wisconsin. His 2001 debut album, Miles from the Lightning, won much praise from critics and helped to kick-start a career of tours across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Along the way, he has played with such artists as Greg Brown, Gillian Welch, Todd Snider, Chris Smither, and Rosanne Cash. Foucault is married to fellow singer/songwriter Kris Delmhorst.
In 2003, Foucault, Delmhorst, and Peter Mulvey released an album entitled Redbird. Foucault’s 2004 album, Stripping Cane, was produced by David “Goody” Goodrich, and included collaborations with Redbird’s Mulvey and Delmhorst.
In 2006, Foucault released his third solo album, Ghost Repeater. Produced by Bo Ramsey, the album includes guest appearances by Dave Moore on harp and accordion and Son Volt’s Eric Heywood on pedal steel.
Greene was born in Salinas, California, and developed an interest in music at an early age, starting with the piano. At 14, he began to play guitar and within a short time, was able to sit in with local bar bands. As he got older, he began composing his own songs. He recorded in a makeshift garage studio, burning his own CDs and selling them everywhere he could. Using the money he saved, Greene was eventually able to record and release his first full-length album, Rusty Nails, on his own.
After graduating from Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, California, Greene moved to Sacramento, where he began performing regularly. Marty DeAnda, owner of local label DIG Music, noticed Greene at an open-mic session in 2001 and signed him as the label’s first artist. In late 2008, Greene released his first album with DIG, Gone Wanderin’, which won the California Music Award for the Best Blues/Roots Album in 2003 and remained on the national Americana charts for over a year. In 2004, Greene released his third album, Sweet Somewhere Bound, and began receiving radio play for singles like “Honey I Been Thinking About You”.
Greene has toured nationally with B.B. King, Phil Lesh, Huey Lewis, Susan Tedeschi, Taj Mahal, and Buddy Guy, and has played most major U.S. festivals, including All Good, Gathering of the Vibes, Mountain Jam, Newport Jazz, Newport Folk, South by Southwest, Wakarusa, Winnipeg Folk, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, and Rothbury.
In early 2005, he signed with a major record label, Verve Forecast. Sweet Somewhere Bound was reissued that year, followed by a new release, American Myth, in March 2006. The following year, Greene joined Phil Lesh and Friends, the Grateful Dead bassist’s ensemble dedicated to the interpretation of the Dead’s extensive song book. Other members of the band at the time included John Molo, Larry Campbell and Steve Molitz.
Meanwhile, Greene continued to pursue solo efforts, releasing Giving Up the Ghost on 429 Records in April 2008, and made his second visit to Late Night With Conan O’Brien in June 2008, performing “Like A Ball & Chain”. Another song from the album, “I Don’t Live in a Dream”, was featured on episodes of the NBC television series Life in November 2008 and ABC’s Private Practice in March 2009.
WALKING THE DOG
A WOMAN was flying from Seattle to San Francisco.
Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sacramento
along the way. The flight attendant explained that
there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted
to get off the aircraft the plane would re-board
in 50 minutes.
Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was
blind. The man had noticed her as he walked by and
could tell the lady was blind because her Seeing Eye
dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her
throughout the entire flight.
He could also tell she had flown this very flight before
because the pilot approached her, and calling her by
name, said, ‘Kathy, we are in Sacramento for almost
an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?’
The blind lady replied, ‘No thanks, but maybe Buddy would
like to stretch his legs.’
Picture this:
All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill
when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane
with a Seeing Eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses.
People scattered They not only tried to change planes,
but they were trying to change airlines!
True story.. Have a great day and remember…
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She is tough
With attitude to boot
Don’t be too nice
She’s certain to refute
Kind words
Helpful advice
It may be her vice
But a good heart indeed
A good heart she needs
To explore upon the path she travels
Off the usual road as her journey unravels
Through the hills and mountainside
Amongst wild animals and snow white
Pinocchio soon too will come into site
A hand to hold
A hand to trust
A friend to love
This friend, a must
Through the enchanted forest they trek
Bizarrely uncertain at what to expect
Not after this turn, but certainly the next
A green beast by the name of Shrek
Scary on the outside but peaceful and sweet
A complicated character they’re happy to meet
A hop, skip, and jump away
Red Riding Hood is ready to play
Bread crumbs line the path to travel next
A gingerbread house with Hansel, Grettle, and witch who has hexed
Nice children, soon to be cooked
Certainly a good thing, Carly and Pinocchio have read this book
Thankful are the children, happy not to be consumed
So happy they ask to join the two on their lovely afternoon
The big bad wolf gives them a chase
Hansel breaks off pieces of the house certain not to waste
A good cookie is like a good friend
There for you always, with flavor to lend
The Big Bad Wolf is diverted by the sweets
So thankful is the clan, saved by treats
Jakob Luke Dylan, born December 9, 1969 in New York City, is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Wallflowers and as the son of legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.
Dylan is the youngest of four children born to singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and ex-wife Sara Dylan. He married his childhood sweetheart, Nicole Paige Denny (now former actress Paige Dylan),[1] in a ceremony at Sara Dylan’s house in 1992. Dylan and his family reside in Los Angeles. They have four sons: Levi Henry, born in 1994, James in 1998, a third in 2000,[2] and a fourth in 2007.[3] Dylan is very private about his family to the extent that there are very few images of his children or wife available.
On September 20, 2006 it was announced by Billboard that Dylan had signed a new recording contract with Columbia Records.[5] The Wallflowers’ current situation has remained unknown since their recording contract with Interscope Records ended in 2005.
Dylan wrote and recorded “Here Comes Now” as the theme song for the U.S. television show Six Degrees, which premiered on September 21, 2006. His song “Stardust Universe” premiered on Jericho on October 25, 2006.
A cover of The Band’s “Whispering Pines” appears on the tribute CD Endless Highway — The music of The Band, which was released late January 2007. Dylan also contributed backing vocals to the track, “Black Haired Girl,” on Jesse Malin’s 2007 album, Glitter in the Gutter.
Dylan collaborated with Dhani Harrison on the John Lennon song, “Gimme Some Truth,” for the Lennon’s tribute album, “Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur”, which was released on June 12, 2007.[6] As of early 2007, Jakob Dylan had performed with his father only once, at a corporate gig for semiconductor company Applied Materials on November 14, 1997,[7][8] although they played the same show, they did not play together.
In early September 2007, The New York Times reported Dylan was working on his first solo album in a house in Hollywood Hills owned by famed record producer Rick Rubin.[9] Rubin is also listed as the producer of the album. The album is called Seeing Things and was released on June 10, 2008. The mostly acoustic album contains 10 tracks.
In the spring of 2008 a series of tour announcements were made that Dylan would be performing with his touring band The Gold Mountain Rebels at Bonnaroo, at the new Rothbury Music Festival, in Rothbury, Michigan, Summerfest in Milwaukee, the Newport Folk Festival, and the Austin City Limits Festival. A number of tour dates in the south, east, and midwest were also confirmed. He played on the Letterman show in June 2008, Leno in July 2008, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in August 2008, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien in September 2008, and taped performances for a number of folk radio programs that aired throughout the summer. On the Conan performance, Dylan performed “War Is Kind” with Nora Jones. Jakob Dylan and the Gold Mountain Rebels did a 10-day tour in Europe opening for Eric Clapton in mid-August, and some shows in August and September opening for Willie Nelson at FarmAid in the U.S. In October he did a ten day tour in Europe playing shows in Germany and the U.K.[10] On October 21, he appeared in the UK on BBC2’s Later… with Jools Holland. During the show he sang “Evil Is Alive And Well” and “Something Good This Way Comes”. This was the first time that Dylan performed solo on television. During the week of October 25, Dylan appeared with the Gold Mountain Rebels on PBS’ Austin City Limits.[11]
Plato’s cave is full of mysteries
Shadows blend the different lives we lead
Coming
Going
Often never knowing
Which stop is ours on the track?
But ride we still and never look back
The rear-view mirror is nothing to fear
A reminder of the places we’ve been
Off far in the distance
A second chance to see incase you missed this
Many pass by
Too focused or distracted to even say hi
Their days will come and go
Their life spent backstage at world’s greatest show
If only they had known
That behind the curtain the world waited
Perhaps then it would have been fated
Marked in history books and dated
As a historic moment when the sun finally rose
Over mountain tops and into the rivers it flows
Shinning splendor a curiosity I’ll never surrender
What lies at the edge of the horizon?
At the end of a rainbow
Between reality
Fiction and non-fiction
A rabbit’s hole beneath the Earth
A fountain of youth to bless the cursed
Pixie dust and fallen shooting star particles
The treasures you just can’t read in newspaper articles
No ink, black or white
Can describe the emotion of that night
Your visage under the full moon was such a site
My eyes lit like fire so bright
A passion that fuels as I exit this twilight
No longer a haze
A rat uplifted from a maze
For cheese I no longer race
Delicious can now be described in a single taste
Yet mystery within Plato’s cave remains.
I see your eyes
Even on the darkest of nights
They light the world
Take my soul to new heights
Dismiss my ambitions
Confess that my admissions
May have been upon a shooting star
That I knew could never take me far
But with your shine on this cloud covered night
I see even the faintest of moons shine when the stars are right
The sun, moon, and earth align
Call me a fool for never imagining a girl so fine
But clearly fate has intertwined
And despite an eternity of darkness your light has shined
It’s mirror my intentions
Your spirit is worth a mention
Save me from despair
The cure to suffering and with you I want to share
The answer
A simple potion
To dismiss the notion
That ill will and discontent will be any form of godsend
Blessed will and consideration
If only for the duration
Of these words
On this night
Believe that even the weakest of the noble souls is willing to fight
For their heart
For their mind
For the miles and miles of passion lost in time
John Anthony Frusciante (pronounced Frusciante.ogg [fruːˈʃɑːnteɪ] (help·info)) (born March 5, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he has recorded five studio albums. Frusciante also has an active solo career, having released ten albums under his own name, as well as two with Josh Klinghoffer and Joe Lally, as Ataxia. His solo recordings include elements ranging from experimental rock and ambient music to New Wave and electronica. Influenced by guitarists of various genres, Frusciante emphasizes melody and emotion in his guitar playing, and favors vintage guitars and analog recording techniques.
Frusciante joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers at eighteen, first appearing on the band’s 1989 album Mother’s Milk. The group’s follow-up album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, was a breakthrough success. However, he was overwhelmed by the band’s new popularity and quit in 1992. He became a recluse and entered a long period of heroin addiction, during which he released his first recordings: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt (1994) and Smile from the Streets You Hold (1997). In 1998, he successfully completed drug rehabilitation and rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers for their 1999 album Californication. Since then he has continued to record with the band and has received critical recognition for his guitar playing, ranking eighteenth on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” in 2003.[1]
Frusciante was born in Queens, New York on March 5, 1970. His father, John Sr., is a Juilliard-trained pianist, and his mother Gail was a promising vocalist who gave up her career to be a stay-at-home mother.[2] Frusciante’s family moved to Tucson, Arizona, and then Florida, where his father still serves as a Broward County judge. His parents separated, and he and his mother moved to Santa Monica, California.[2]
A year later, Frusciante and his mother moved to Mar Vista, Los Angeles with his new stepfather who, he says, “really supported me and made me feel good about being an artist.”[2] Like many young people in the area, he became intimately involved in the L.A. punk rock scene. At nine he was infatuated with The Germs, wearing out several copies of their record (GI). By ten, he had taught himself how to play most of (GI)’s songs in a tuning that allowed him to play every chord with a single-finger barre.[2] Soon after, Frusciante began taking guitar lessons from an instructor who introduced him to the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.[3]
Frusciante began studying guitarists like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix at eleven. After mastering the blues scale, he discovered Frank Zappa, whose work he would study for hours.[2] He dropped out of high school at sixteen with the permission of his parents and completion of a proficiency test. With their support, he moved to Los Angeles in order to develop his musical proficiency.[4] He began taking classes at the Guitar Institute of Technology, but turned to punching in without actually attending and left shortly thereafter.[2]
In late 1997, after more than five years of addiction to heroin, Frusciante quit it cold turkey.[35] However, months later he was still unable to break addictions to crack cocaine and alcohol.[35] In January 1998, urged by longtime friend Bob Forrest, Frusciante checked into Las Encinas, a drug rehabilitation clinic in Pasadena, to begin a full recovery.[35] Upon arrival, he was diagnosed with a potentially lethal oral infection, which could only be alleviated by removing all of his teeth and replacing them with dentures.[2] He also received skin grafts to help repair the abscesses on his ravaged arms.[31] About a month later, Frusciante checked out of Las Encinas and reentered society.[36]
Fully recovered and once again healthy, Frusciante began living a more spiritual, ascetic lifestyle. He changed his diet, becoming more health-conscious and eating mostly unprocessed foods.[21] Through regular practice of vipassana and yoga, he discovered the effect self-discipline has on the body.[32] To maintain his increased spiritual awareness and reduce distraction from his music, Frusciante decided to abstain from sexual activity stating: “I’m very well without it.”[21] All of these changes in his life have led him to a complete change in his attitude toward drugs:[25]
“ I don’t need to take drugs. I feel so much more high all the time right now because of the type of momentum that a person can get going when you really dedicate yourself to something that you really love. I don’t even consider doing them, they’re completely silly. Between my dedication to trying to constantly be a better musician and eating my health foods and doing yoga, I feel so much more high than I did for the last few years of doing drugs.
At this point I’m the happiest person in the world. These things do not fuck with me at all, and I’m so proud of that—you don’t know how proud I am. It’s such a beautiful thing to be able to face life, to face yourself, without hiding behind drugs; without having to have anger towards people who love you. There are people who are scared of losing stuff, but you don’t lose anything for any other reason than if you just give up on yourself.
”
Despite his experience as an addict, Frusciante does not view his drug use as a “dark period” in his life. He considers it a period of rebirth, during which he found himself and cleared his mind.[37] Frusciante has since stopped practicing yoga, due its effects on his back, but he still tries to meditate daily.[32]
In early 1998, the Red Hot Chili Peppers fired guitarist Dave Navarro and were on the verge of breaking up. Flea told Kiedis, “the only way I could imagine carrying on [with the Red Hot Chili Peppers] is if we got John back in the band.”[38] With Frusciante free of his addictions and ailments, Kiedis and Flea thought it was an appropriate time to invite him back. When Flea visited him at his home and asked him to rejoin the band, Frusciante began sobbing and said “nothing would make me happier in the world.”[36] With Frusciante back on guitar, the Chili Peppers began recording their next album, Californication, released in 1999. Frusciante’s return restored a key component of the Chili Peppers’ sound, as well as a healthy morale. He brought with him his deep devotion to music, which had an impact on the band’s recording style during the album.[16] Frusciante has frequently stated that his work on Californication was his favorite.[16]
During the Californication world tour, Frusciante continued to write his own songs, many of which would be released in 2001 on his third solo album To Record Only Water for Ten Days. The album was stylistically unlike his previous records, less markedly stream-of-consciousness or avant-garde. However, the lyrics were still very cryptic and its sound was notably stripped down.[39] The songwriting and production of To Record Only Water for Ten Days were more efficient and straightforward than on his previous recordings.[39] The album strayed from the alternative rock he had just written with the Chili Peppers on Californication, focusing more on electronic and New Wave elements.[40] Instead of focusing mostly[vague] on his guitar work, Frusciante experimented with a variety of synthesizers, a distinctive feature of the record.[40]
In 2001, Frusciante began recording his fourth album with Red Hot Chili Peppers, By the Way; he considered the time to be among the happiest in his life.[16] He relished the chance the album gave him to “keep writing better songs”.[16] While working on By the Way, he also composed most of what would become Shadows Collide with People, as well as the songs created for the movie The Brown Bunny.[41] His goal to improve his guitar playing on the album was largely driven by a desire to emulate guitar players such as Andy Partridge, Johnny Marr and John McGeoch; or as he put it, “people who used good chords”.[16] The album marked Frusciante’s shift to a more group-minded mentality within the Chili Peppers, viewing the band as a cohesive unit rather than as four separate entities.[16] By the Way was released in the U.S. on July 9, 2002.
Frusciante’s musical style has evolved. Although he previously received moderate recognition for his guitar work, it was not until recently that music critics and guitarists alike began to fully recognize it: in October of 2003, he was ranked eighteenth in Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarist of All Time”.[1][59] Frusciante attributes this recent recognition to his shift in focus, stating that he chose an approach based on rhythmic patterns inspired by the complexity of material Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen produced.[60] On earlier records, however, much of his output was influenced by various underground punk and New Wave musicians.[16] In general, his sound is also defined by an affinity for vintage guitars. All the guitars that he owns, records, and tours with were made before 1970.[61] Frusciante will use the specific guitar that he finds appropriate for a certain song. All of the guitars he owned before quitting the band were destroyed when his house burned down in 1996.[62] The first guitar he bought after rejoining the Chili Peppers was a 1967 red Fender Jaguar.[62] His most-often used guitar, however, is a 1962 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster which he has played on every album since joining the Chili Peppers, and their ensuing tours.[62][63] Frusciante’s most prized instrument is a 1957 Gretsch White Falcon, which he used twice per show during the By the Way tour. He has since stopped using it, saying there was “no room for it”.[63] Virtually all of Frusciante’s acoustic work is played with a 1950s Martin 0-15.[62][64]
Frusciante uses a variety of vocal styles on his solo albums, ranging from the distressed screeches on Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt and Smile from the Streets You Hold to more conventional styles on later records.[65] With the Chili Peppers, Frusciante provides backing vocals in a falsetto tenor, a style he started on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. He thoroughly enjoys his role in the Chili Peppers as backup singer, and says that backing vocals are a “real art form”.[66] Despite his commitment to the Chili Peppers, he feels very strongly that his solo material and his contributions to the band should remain separate. When he returned to the Chili Peppers in 1999, Kiedis wanted the band to record “Living in Hell”, a song Frusciante had written several years before. Frusciante refused, feeling that the creative freedom he needs for his solo projects could conflict with his role in the band.[66]