Short anecdote from today...

So, tonight I was working at Borders when a customer came up to me. He was a tall, good looking guy with a sparkling smile and mousy black hair. He held his Blackberry up to me. It said: "I can't hear. Can you show me where the music books are?"

Of course I took him to the section.

For the next 35 minutes or so we slowly conversed about our love of music. Me, listening intently and he carefully reading my lips.

This young man was fantastic. He loves music. His favorite artists are John Mayer and Train and he's never even heard them. He reads their lyrics and connects that way. He explained to me that even though he can't hear music he experiences it through reading the lyrics and the album art.

Music means just as much to him as it does to me but we have completely different experiences with it.

I don't know why I'm sharing this, it was just one of those life moments that kind of changes your views on things. It opens your eyes to a different way of experiencing things.

So tonight I'm going to turn off all the noise, read some song lyrics, gaze at the album art and see what new perspectives I can discover...

JoBro no mo'

Our little Nick Jonas is growing up and striking out on his own in his new album "Who I Am."

Nick formed a group of musicians who he told Rolling Stone, "understood his passion for music." The group is called Nick Jonas and the Administration. Their first album dropped on Tuesday.

At 17, Nick is the youngest of his brothers (who took Disney, and the hearts of tween girls by storm) but his new album sounds anything but.

Admittedly, it's not an album that's going to go down in rock history as one of the greatest, but I'll tell you this: it certainly doesn't suck.

Out of ten tracks the sound is about 50-50. Half sound like Jonas Brothers jams while the other half sound like a bluesier version of John Mayer.

The first single and title track, "Who I Am," sounds like the Jonas Brothers, which I can only assume was a strategic move to make the tween audience buy the album, but the rest of it is actually a pretty solid effort by the teenage heartthrob.

My favorite tracks include "Olive and an Arrow" and "Rose Garden" which show case Nick's new maturity in his song writing. Another quality track is "State of Emergency," where Nick tried to channel Stevie Wonder. He doesn't totally succeed but it's not a failure.

At best Nick's new project is a mature step forward for him musically and an all around good listen. At worst it's a mediocre attempt at stepping away from his brothers and his Disney fame.

Either way it's a fairly good album and I enjoyed it.

My Life As Caitlin

My Life As Liz on MTV is one of my new guilty pleasures. It's not good. It's completely staged, yet I love it. I feel like Liz is a lot like I was in high school. She used to be popular but then got sick of faking happy and made friends with people she actually had things in common with, only to have her former "friends" turn on her. I feel her, even if she's (probably) fictional.

I watch it because it's always on TV while I'm laying in bed trying to sleep. It's mindless entertainment--though I can't help but asking myself one question: If Liz Lee can have a show on MTV, why can't I?

My life is more entertaining than hers. I rap "Shoop" by Salt N Pepa at karaoke and have a black man tell me I have "flow for a white girl." She is trying to win a talent show when I already win at karaoke. Liz and her friends LARP with swords while my friends and I recite Shakespeare and belt out Lady Gaga on a downtown Buffalo street corner. We take spontaneous trips to Canada to see the Kings of Leon 1 hour before the show starts. What does Liz do that's spontaneous and fun?

Liz is looking for love and I'm trying to stay the hell away from it. It's far more entertaining to see me squash the hopes and dreams of 20-something males than it is for Liz to pine after one guy with a crooked smile and an odd swagger. Liz silently waits for him to take her out of the friend-zone while I stand up guys, string them along and when they finally get mad I make them feel like it's their fault.

What would you rather see? A 18 year old high school senior wishing this boy would ask her out or a 21 year old seeking revenge on the male gender by playing with their minds as she pretends to let them in but is really keeping them as far away from her as possible.

I'll take the latter, thanks. It's far better TV.

So while I admit that I enjoy watching My Life As Liz I still need to beg one question: Where's MY show MTV?

P.S. Happy February!

2010 Grammy Awards: Live Blog

7:22 p.m.: Lady Gaga's wired and white Armani dress is fierce. Ryan Seacrest is (still) annoying. Hayley Williams is adorable. I love Pink. Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon have already won awards (as it should be) and Black Eyed Peas won (ew.)

7:25 p.m.: Carrie Underwood is cute. T-Pain is a douche.

7:30 p.m.: Miley= suck, Nicole Kidman=beautiful. Ryan Seacrest=dumbass.

7:31 p.m.: Taylor Swift won two Grammys. She looks beautiful tonight. LOVE the dress.

7:32 p.m.: Kings of Leon. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm. I want to be their friend. NOW. Beyonce's dress is beautiful.

7:40 p.m.: Ke$ha looks hot...in a weird way. I kind of like the feathers in her hair. It's boho and cute. Sheryl Crow, classy and boho as usual.

7:50 p.m.: 10-minutes until showtime and Britney is sprinting down the red carpet looking HOT. I don't like Rihana's dress. Colbie Caillat looks gorgeous.

8:00 p.m.: LADY GAGA OPENING. SHE IS SUCH A FIERCE DIVA. HOLY SHIT THIS IS AMAZING.

8:04 p.m.: My two favorite people. ELTON AND GAGA piano together. BOTH looking ferosh. Speechless/Your Song mash up = Musicgasm!

8:09 p.m.: Colbert is hilarious. "The Pink Eyed Green Peas." "Justin Timberlake may have brought the sexy back but Susan Boyle sent it away again. Goodbye sexy, hello good singing."

8:13 p.m.: Song of the Year-- Single Ladies (le sigh, I wanted Gaga)

8:14 p.m.: Cast of American Idiot and Green Day...this could be good, right?

8:16 p.m.: I SUPPOSE Green Day MAY be growing on me again...I just wish their albums would start being good again. I am enjoying this performance.

8:20 p.m.: Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that Celine Dion is in the Michael Jackson tribute?

8:26 p.m.: Best Country Album--"Fearless" Taylor Swift. She is so damn cute I can't handle it sometimes.

8:28 p.m.: Beyonce is actually not doing the Single Ladies dance...for once. FINALLY.

8:32 p.m.: Beyonce covering Alanis? WTF?

8:40 p.m.: Pink is unconventionally beautiful. HOLY HALF NAKED BATMAN. She's also wet and spinning on a tapestry. I don't know how I feel about this, but the girl can sing. I miss the old "go eff yourself" Pink.

8:46 p.m.: Best New Artist--Zac Brown Band. Those dudes deserved it, but I was hoping for The Ting Tings.

8:54 p.m.: Miley has clothes on!!!!

8:55 p.m.: I HATE the Black Eyed Peas so I'm ignoring the next 5 minutes...though I don't know if I hate them or if I just hate Will.i.am. Fergie is pretty awesome but he's a d-bag.

8:57 p.m.: Yep. Definitely hate them. Auto-tuned and hot mess.

9:05 p.m.: When will the Jonas Brothers hit puberty?

9:10 p.m.: Best Comedy Album--Stephen Colbert. (I was voting for George Lopez because we all know that I have a totally random infatuation with him.) Colbert: "It was a Christmas album so obviously I should thank Jesus Christ."

9:17 p.m.: Ringo has always been my favorite Beatle and he's STILL handsome!

9:18 p.m.: Record of the Year--"Use Somebody" Kings of Leon. YESSSSSSS! I love those Followills. They are wonderful.

9:21 p.m.: Jamie Foxx...what you doing? Opera and autotune? SUPER FAIL.

9:25 p.m.: and now slash?? Talk about clusterfuck of popculture. At least Foxx apologized to Jay-Z for it.

9:26 p.m.: Justin Bieber and Ke$ha...WTF??? He also just called Bon Jovi "Beyonce"...those youngin's will never learn.

9:32 p.m.: Best Rock Album--Green Day "21st Century Breakdown" (not a fan of this album, but somewhat better than American Idiot...I STILL miss old Green Day.) Billie Joe: "Now I'm gunn go have shots with Kings of Leon." Good choice.

9:35 p.m.: Zac Brown is legit...but why are they singing "America the Beautiful"??

9:47 p.m.: Taylor Swift is so cute. Not the most talented but she is a sweetie who knows how to rock it.

9:48 p.m.: Stevie Nicks is STILL a diva. Her and Tay Tay are so cute together. Second best performance of the night...after Gaga and Elton.

9:50 p.m.: ANDDDDDDD Stevie grabbed the tambourine. My life is complete.

9:52 p.m.: And here comes the MJ tribute. He was a pop icon and I'm sad we lost him, but I'm over this broohaha. I also don't get how Celine Dion or Carrie Underwood fit into this equation. Hmm.. color me perplexed.

9:58 p.m.: As far as tributes go...this is lame. MJ's kids are surprisingly adorable.

10:09 p.m.: Oh Bon Jovi. You're so cute...but I'm not so much a fan of your band. Maybe if this was the '80s and I had some Aquanet. Fans chose "Livin' on a Prayer"...BIG shock....that was sarcasm.

10:18 p.m.: Best Rap/Song Collaboration--"Run This Town" Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West

10:27 p.m.: Mary J and Andre Boccelli. Pretty solid.

10:31 p.m.: I'm very over this show. Most of the performances are whack. It does NOT need to be three hours long.

10:40 p.m.: A Dave Matthews Band performance is not the same without an amphitheater lawn and some weed.

10:47 p.m.: Ricky Martin might be drunk.

10:48 p.m.: Best Female Vocal: "Halo" Beyonce

10:55 p.m.: Maxwell is enjoyable.

11:04 p.m.: These performances tonight are going downhill fast. Grammys, PLEASE be over. NOW.

11:14 p.m.: Quentin Tarantino clearly took speed. I love Eminem.

11:26 p.m.: Album of the Year--"Fearless" Taylor Swift.....REALLY??? WHAT ABOUT GAGA. But Tay Tay is jumping all cute.

11:27 p.m.: Taylor shut up. I want Gaga.

11:30 p.m: Grammys over a half hour late. Better than last year but still kind of long and sucky. Gaga got robbed but her performance OWNED.

Night.

Things I wrote for The Spectrum

Here's some stuff I wrote today! Enjoy!

UB Libraries need a facelift

Why Massachusetts matters

Buffalooooooo Citayyyyy!

I did not, by ANY means, want to go to school in Buffalo. UB was, for all intensive purposes, my LAST choice. My safety school. I only applied because it was a sure thing, but now I'm really glad I did.

When my parents drove me the five hours across the New York State Thruway in August 2006 to drop me off at college...I was not a happy camper. I was angry that I wasn't able to afford to go to Boston University (my first choice) and I felt like I was selling myself short. If I said "I did too much homework in high school to go to a SUNY" once, I said it a thousand times. I was cocky about my intellectual abilities. I wanted to go to a big name school and I thought going to a SUNY, merely because it was cheap, would ruin my life.

I was so completely wrong.

Now that I'm in my senior year, looking back I had one of the best educations and best college experiences I could have asked for. I met amazing people and I've had even more amazing opportunities. I got involved with student journalism which padded my resume and my portfolio helping me get an amazing internship. I've developed close relationships with my professors and have had some amazing networking opportunities.

In talking with friends who went to those big name schools I've realized that despite budget cuts and municipal hierarchy SUNY, for all its faults, is still an amazing school system. I have relationships with my professors, I am involved on campus. I had opportunities to grow that my friends at private schools have not. When it comes down to it I'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than a face in a crowd. I'm thankful for all the opportunities that UB has offered me.

What's sparking this is that I just finished watching a two-hour special Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which was filmed in Buffalo. The Makeover team not only re-built one families house, but they were able to make improvements in the whole neighborhood with the large number of volunteers from the Buffalo area that showed up. Over a thousand Buffalonians came out to lend their support--and there lies yet another reason why I'm glad I came to UB.

Living in Buffalo is an experience. For a relatively large and dying city with lackluster sports teams, Buffalo still has the great sense of community. It never feels as large as it is. Buffalonians will go out of their way to help each other. Whether it's moral support after you bomb at Karaoke at Tudor Lounge, a slap on the back on the subway returning home from a Sabres defeat, sharing a beer pong table at a Bills' tailgate, coming out in droves to support People for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) or even just lending a hand to your neighbor when their roof is leaking or a snowstorm of doom leaves them without electricity or heat Buffalonians are always there for one another.

It's been so nice to see that despite everything going on in this crazy world, there are still places where people care about their neighbors, their friends, or even perfect strangers. It's comforting and it gives me faith.

All in all, while I'm still a little irked that I had to settle for my last choice college, now that I'm here, in my last semester, I'm grateful I came...and don't tell anyone, but I might just miss it a little bit...(and I might miss Mighty Taco a little bit more.)

RIP Nicholas Orrange

RIP Nick, everyone you touched in your life and at UB is going to miss you immensely. You were the nicest most genuine person I've ever met. Your positive outlook on life was contagious.

UB remembers Nick

Nick's friends say goodbye

Share your thoughts about the great Nicholas Orrange