u/AlexZedKawa02

So, I have a weekly blog where I review every album in chronological order from the Big Four of progressive metal (according to Loudwire, that’s Queensrÿche, Dream Theater, Opeth, and Between the Buried and Me). I have a new review every Sunday, and this week, it’s the turn of “The Silent Circus” to be reviewed. Check it out and let me know if you agree!

So, I (24M) have been in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend (26F) since mid-July. We matched on a dating app in June, and it was an automated match (so it’s not like we swiped on each other or anything), but even so, we really hit it off when we started talking. Eventually, we went out together, and had a great time, so I asked her to be my girlfriend, and she said yes. However, we live pretty far away from each other (about a four-hour, or 230-mile, drive), so we’ve mostly talked over text or call. I don’t mind that, but there have been times when the circumstances that the distance creates have made me apprehensive as to whether or not this relationship can work out in the long-term. However, we like each other a lot, so we’re both willing to make it work.

One thing that she was upfront with me about was that she was a little bit uncomfortable telling her parents about me. She has a very weird family dynamic, so she didn’t tell them that she had a boyfriend. However, a couple days ago, she texted me and asked if I wanted to make our relationship status public on Facebook. I had offhandedly asked her about it before, basically just letting her know that there was no rush to do so, and whenever she was ready, but weirdly, her asking me if I wanted to do that felt validating. It might not seem like much, but to me, it’s a sign that she is genuinely interested in something long-term, especially since she said she realized she shouldn’t care what anybody else says or thinks. I’ve gone on dates before with people who say they are interested in something long-term, but something happens (commonly the realization of the distance between us) that makes that not the case. So for her to be comfortable going public with it with our families and friends gives me a lot of hope that this will work out.

I told my mom how I was feeling about it, and she was genuinely happy for me. But I’m wondering if anybody else feels the same. Does it feel validating when your partner tells you they’re comfortable going public with your relationship, especially if you two are long-distance? Or does it really not mean that much to you?

I wasn't sure how they'd do with such a big change in sound, but it was great!

Yep, time for more Opeth on my prog metal review blog.

This week’s review for my blog, and it’s another great one!

I know he’s a longshot, but it felt good to vote for somebody I genuinely believe in and was really excited about!

It was this album's turn for my prog metal review of the week. Wow, I didn't think they could match Still Life, but they did!

My weekly prog metal review, and it’s a masterpiece!

This is pretty awesome and I just had to share it in here!

Today, Maine Democrats held a convention to select their new Senate nominee to replace Graham Platner, and former State Senate President Troy Jackson was selected unanimously (besides five votes) as the new nominee. And while Maine Dems seem to have lined up solidly behind him, and he definitely is a solid leftist in the same vein as Platner (without being an alleged rapist, along with all the other things about him), there have been some concerns about his past positions on certain issues, notably on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Specifically, he had previously held conservative views on these issues, and those were reflected in his voting record in the state legislature. However, as time went on, he began to vote in the pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+ direction solidly, with his voting record on the latter reaching 100% by the time he left office.

Now, I want to make something very clear, regardless of whether or not he's truly changed, he's still a million times better than Susan Collins, and that should not be overlooked. But I'm not trying to say that I don't believe people can change. I absolutely believe they can, and he actually does have a record to suggest he has, unlike somebody like Platner, whose word we just kind of had to take for it that he had changed. However, I also remember this being an issue with Tulsi Gabbard when she ran for president in 2020. She used to have very anti-gay views, but her voting record in Congress indicated that she had changed. Back in high school, many of my friends were queer, and they were all saying that they didn't trust her and that she hadn't done enough to prove she'd changed, and I would get into many disputes with them over it, telling them to move on and insisting that she had changed. In hindsight, given everything that Tulsi has said and done since 2020, they were 100% right and I was not only wrong, but an absolute asshole about it too. There are some other examples too of me falling for a politician who says things I agree with while ignoring their red flags (most notably John Fetterman), but this one sticks out when thinking about Troy Jackson, especially considering he was in his 30s and 40s when he was taking these anti-choice and anti-LGBTQ+ votes.

I don't want to make it seem like I dislike Troy Jackson or anything. I do like him, and I think he'd be one of the best senators if he were to win. And again, I definitely believe people can absolutely change, but even if he hasn't, he's still much, much better than Collins. I've just kind of learned some hard lessons about not overlooking politicians' red flags just because they say things you agree with, and I'm wondering if anybody else has any similar feelings as me. Or if you have any other feelings about Troy Jackson overall.

So, Michigan's Senate primary is in less than two weeks, and it's one of the most consequential of this election. Leftist Abdul El-Sayed has been the clear, but not overwhelming, favorite to win against Congresswoman Haley Stevens. But Stevens got a big boost today with Governor Gretchen Whitmer's endorsement of her.

Now, as you probably could've guessed by my flair, I support El-Sayed. But hey, Whitmer can make up her own mind, and she endorsed Stevens. That's not my problem. My problem is that she did so after previously saying she would stay out of the race. And it's not just her; Senator Gary Peters and former Senator Debbie Stabenow have also come out of the woodwork to endorse Stevens, despite previously proclaiming neutrality as well. And outside of Michigan, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers just last week endorsed a candidate for governor against the frontrunner, a democratic socialist, after saying he'd be neutral.

All of this really just pisses me off. Again, I don't mind them endorsing candidates I don't support. It's the fact that they lied about staying neutral that gets me. I know leftists' claims that "the establishment is rigging the primaries against us" get mocked a lot, and I get why, because I definitely am put off by the lack of self-reflection. But honestly, when you see stuff like this, it gives credence to those claims. Nobody's saying votes are being manipulated or anything, but when people who have promised to stay out of it suddenly come out of the woodwork to endorse the more centrist/establishment candidate when it looks like the more leftist candidate is going to win, it is a clear sign of desperation, and unfortunately, it sometimes works.

But that's my opinion. How do you all feel about politicians who previously promised to stay neutral going back on their word and endorsing candidates in races?

So, what I mean by this question is, if you meet somebody who’s trying to get into Linkin Park, and they were to ask you for some songs to listen to, would your favorite songs by LP be good ones for them to listen to? For me, the answer is yes. My top three favorites are “Somewhere I Belong,” “Papercut,” and “Waiting for the End.” I think they would all work because they each represent what the band is known for. The former two highlight the sound that they established early on, while the latter highlights what happens when they experiment with different styles of music.

What about you guys? If somebody you know was trying to get into Linkin Park, would you list your favorite songs as places to start?

Yep, this is the album of the week for my blog. Wow, I did not expect to love it as much as I did.

Checking out their seventh album this week.

Yep, it’s this album’s turn this week on my prog metal review blog. Pretty damn solid album.

This week, we got Dream Theater’s fourth album.