3 Bands You May Not Know and Should Be Listening To

Hello everyone again! Looks like Blake and Stu tied this weekend with their videos. Some say tying is like kissing your sister, and lucky for Stu he doesn't have one.

I love listening to new music. I ask my friends fairly regularly if anyone has listened to a good band recently. Here are 3 bands that should be in your iTunes library.

1. Aqualung
If you like Coldplay, Keane, or Radiohead, then you will absolutely love Aqualung. Aqualung plays piano-driven eclectic ballads as well more up-beat bright tracks. One of my favorite parts of Aqualung is the soundscape the band produces. The piano is certainly the driving force, but the accompaniment of other keyboards and the delay-echo guitar add a full sound. Matt Hale, lead singer and song writer, has a voice remnant of Thom Yorke from Radiohead, but yet is clearer and much more accessible. If you want to check the band out you can go to their myspace.

2. Mute Math-
If the Killers, Coldplay, and Radiohead all mated and had a poppy love-child it would be Mute Math. Dubbed "electric-alternative rock," Mute Math brings fast paced songs as well as huge grandiose ballads. Lead singer, Paul Meany sounds like a Sting and Peter Gabriel Hybrid. Drummer, Darren King blows my mind as I cannot even fathom his off-beat driven drum beats. Much of their songs are styled by sampling and various homemade synth instruments. Check these guys out at their myspace.

3. Brand New-

If you like Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, The Academy is, or The Starting Line then you will like Brand New. Brand New brings introspective lyrics on top of raw, vintage drum and guitar sounds. The dramatic evolution of the band can be seen in their 3 albums. The first album, "Your Favorite Weapon" recorded in high school (yeah they're that good), is a pop-punk revenge album of his girlfriend who cheated on Jesse Lacy, lead singer. The sophomore album, Deja Entendu is a much more refined and mature album as the band moves away from its cookie-cutter beginnings. The latest album, "The Devil and God are Raging Inside of me," is a musical and lyrical masterpiece as Lacey looks introspectively at his eternal destiny and the fruits of his life. Check Brand New out at their myspace.

GDay Recap: Potential reigns supreme.

Sanford Stadium may have been half-empty, but it was clear that the field was full of potential. Potential to fulfill the lofty expectations of the fans and national media around the country such as CBS who currently have UGA listed as their preseason #1 ranked team for the 2008-2009 season. The potential to realize the exceptional talent of individual players who have gone from high school phenoms , to represented as simply stars on recruiting sites, and now have reached another milestone in their young careers as G-Day participants. Some of the standout players from the offensive ranks included running back Caleb King and quarterback Logan Gray. On the defensive side of the ball safety Rashad Jones and Asher Allen rose to the occasion to confirm the thoughts around Bulldog Nation that the two will create a lockdown secondary that will allow UGA to play man coverage and at times rush with their front seven.

Caleb King, playing for the black team, displayed an array of moves that left UGA’s staff and fans confident that the team will have a two-man combination at running back that will help carry the team to its first National Championship since 1980. Among his impressive runs included a spin move, reminiscent of those shown by Knowshon and Thomas Brown at the Oklahoma State game last year, that left a defender grasping and the fans gasping for air. Logan Gray, representing the winning Red Team, confirmed his rumored 4.4 speed as he zigged and zagged through the defense at a speed that defied the expectations of both his position and the G-Day game pace. With his showing there is now talk that he will get some playing time alongside starter Matthew Stafford to form a tandem similar to that of David Green and D.J. Shockley.

Asher Allen is said to be coming into his own as a shutdown corner and today’s performance did nothing to disprove that notion. He led off early by fully stretching out and batting down a Matthew Stafford pass and finished by locking down the run by stopping an oncoming runner in his tracks and into the ground. Rashad Jones provided solid coverage and hard hitting and this looks to be the year this third year player steps up his game to follow in the footsteps of former greats such as Greg Blue, Thomas Brown, and Sean Jones. The secondary kept it in the family and showed that the future is in good hands as redshirt freshmen safety John Knox had the only interception of the game.

Potential surely abounded and displayed itself on the field today, but until fall rolls around it remain simply that: potential. To turn that potential into success UGA will have to remain focused and work hard for the remainder of the spring, two qualities that embody Coach Mark Richt and filters down to his players. So get excited Bulldog Nation. We could be having a National Championship next January as Mark Richt finally gets to lift that Waterford Crystal football that cements a coach as one of the nations best.

Top Video Picks of the Week

Hey guys. Every Friday we will be giving our video picks of the week. We've included a poll to see your favorite out of the four we've chosen. Enjoy your Friday! G-day game is tomorrow!

John's Pick: Korean Drummer Steals the Show

Stu's pick: Slow Motion Slap

Blake's pick: Prank Backfired

Justin's pick: Ghost Ride


Make sure you cast your votes! Voting ends on Sunday, April 6.

Words to Live By

It's just a simple wooden sign, painted gold and blue and mounted on a cream colored brick wall at the foot of a stairwell. Yet, the "Play Like A Champion Today" sign, found outside Notre Dame's locker room, is so much more. Lou Holtz said about the message that "Regardless of the won-loss record, regardless of the problems you have, when you walk out on that field you have an obligation to your teammates and the fans to play to the best of your ability - to play like a champion and to think like a champion."


John Wooden is the greatest college basketball coach of all time and is perhaps one of the greatest coaches of any sport period. Coach Wooden never talked about winning or losing and at practice he primarily focused on character building. Not once in any interview did Wooden ever mention "This is a must win," "If we can just win this game." All of his efforts were focused on shaping his players to be men. Wooden coached the likes of Lou Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabarr) and Bill Walton. Wooden won 5 championships under those two superstars and he won the other 5 with blue collar basketball warriors. He retired winning the national championship in 1975. Wooden has some great quotes from his era. Here are some of my favorites:
-"Never mistake activity for achievement."
-"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. "
-"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. "
-"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
-" It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."


Ever since I was a kid, my Dad always told me to bring my absolute best to the playing field or to the classroom. He only accepted my best effort and I will always be thankful of his legacy in excellence. Last year, I was challenged by my College Minister Bubba to think about what I wanted to be known for in my life. After listening to him, praying about it, and reading the Bible I would like to be known for three things in my life:
To Be Strong
To Be Courageous
To be Humble
I want to be strong in my faith, courageous to not back down from adversity, and to be humble in every blessing God has given me. Joshua speaks to his men after Moses dies and says this:
"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."- Joshua 1:7-9

Words from man are great words to think about and apply, but words from God are something to bury deep inside of your being. Meditate on God this week. Be strong, courageous, and humble!

Accidents and G-Day game preview

Some of the greatest moments and things in life begin as accidents. Take for instance the discovery of electricity, 32% of population, and the amazing story of what happened today at the Snelling Dining Commons. As I got up to put my tray up my leg ran across the outstretched plugged in cord belonging to a guy sitting alone at the table behind us. In a moment in response to a pure accident, Adam Martin very loudly ripped off "This is Blake Tibbitts" followed by my address and told the guy if he'd like to beat me up then he could. This mystery man just happened to be the son of UGA, the second coming of Herschel Walker, a Cadillac (former Auburn great running back) with a Georgia driver's license: Knowshon Moreno. On the way back I laughingly apologized, to which he said "Haha thats fine man". I'd like to take the time to say that Knowshon has the potential to be the second greatest football player to ever grace between the hedges yet is an incredibly humble person and a man of high character. We're lucky to have someone of his caliber, both as a player and a human, representing our school.

In the spirit of the accidental meeting with Knowshon I'd like to take a quick glance at what to expect from the G-Day game (Saturday 2pm) at the running back position. Knowshon Moreno probably gets only 5 carries or so in the game according to Mark Richt due to the fact that they know what they have in him and don't want to expose him to injury. Caleb King will be limited due to a minor injury, he has the inside track to the backup running back position and will be a key to UGA living up to the lofty expectations next season. The freshmen tandem of Dontavius Jackson and 5 star recruit Richard Samuel (both vying for the 3rd spot in the rotation) will both be getting the majority of the carries and it will be very interesting to see what we have in these two young Dawgs. Although not final this will go a long way in making a decision on who will win the 3rd running back spot with the loser probably being handed a red shirt for the 2008 season. In the fall Carlton Thomas will be added to the mix and he has been mentioned as having the potential to win the spot himself. This time last year a little known red shirt running back, then behind 2 seniors in Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin who both were favored to win the spot and carry the load for UGA, stepped up and turned heads in the G-day game. We all know how that turned out for Knowshon Moreno who went on to turn in the second best freshmen rushing season in UGA history in route to SEC Freshmen of the year honors. Will we see a similar breakout party this year? We shall see.

Peggle and the Challenge

So yeah, sometimes at the Ocho we like to watch TV. I know you're shocked, but it's true. Many times if you arrive at the Ocho while we are watching TV, we will have our computers out. We'll visit popular websites, but sometimes we get bored and need something else to do . . . and so we turn to gaming. For a long time it was Jetman, a classic Facebook game I'm sure many of you have played. Next came Max Dirt Bike, a game some say John has mastered. Well, John came back from Easter weekend with a new game for us to play while we watch TV - Peggle!!!

Peggle is one of the most fun and addictive games out there. Peggling (we made it into a verb) is hard to explain, and in fact, the only way to truly experience the pure bliss of peggling is to peggle. In the game are different "pegs." Many are blue, some are orange, and some special ones are green and purple. The object of the game is to eliminate all of the orange ones to achieve an . . . . EXTREME FEVER!!!!! It truly is that incredible.

After you master the game, another object would be to eliminate all of the pegs, both orange and blue. When this occurs, you get an . . . . ULTRA EXTREME FEVER (and a ribbon)!!!!! Even more incredible, I know. In the game are 15 free levels (after you play the 15, they make you buy the game, and who really wants to do that?). I have personally won 9 of the 15 ribbons. My challenge to you is to download the game and win more ribbons than I have won. I know it will be difficult. In fact, you may even break down and cry (I know I have), but don't give up!! The site to download it is here.

Also, here are some screenshots from the game:

Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3

I recommend that you only download it if no tests are in the near future, because once you start peggling, it's hard to stop. Now go! Begin your journey of glory as you peggle your way to pure bliss! But I must warn you, only those who are indeed pure of heart have what it takes to make it to the end. . . (or something like that - just go have fun . . . and let me know how you do!)

In the Beginning...

Some of the greatest things in life have been created by a passing whim. Thomas Edison invented everything from random thoughts that just popped up in his head. Scholars call this the "Eureka Moment." Today a random thought comes to fruition. This is a galactic convergence of the highest order, a revelation of knowledge, a meeting of the minds if you will. We will be discussing things from our daily lives as well as UGA sports and current events. I hope you enjoy our little anecdotes, soliloquies, and all out banter. Feel free to leave comments and check back often for more updates. Enjoy!

John

I'm a 3rd year Biology major at UGA. I just found out I got into vet school so I will start that in August 2008. I like to play drums, whitewater kayak, and go camping.