Implausible Dreams - Main Page

I'm not giving in to security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams

Implausible Dreams is my personal webpage, originally posted in 2002 (Implausible Dreams). The name comes from the Rush song you see above (more).

I've got a number of interests that I'll share here - not the least of which is soccer, but also motorcycling, hockey, music and Texas A&M University athletics.

HOT TIMES IN DFW SPORTS!

Right now, the two biggest things are FC Dallas and the Texas Rangers as they go after post-season glory. Here are a few notes about FC Dallas and then I've updated my Texas Rangers page with specific thoughts about the series v. the Yankees. Click HERE to read more.

FC DALLAS

As for FC Dallas, what can you say? 19 games unbeaten in league play. Set the MLS record for games unbeaten on the road. Hot on the trail of RSL and LA for the overall best record in the league. That doesn't count the game against the 2010 Champions League winners, Inter Milan. What an amazing run!

Jeff Cunningham has tied Jaime Moreno for the all-time goals-scored record in MLS, and with the way Moreno hasn't been playing, and the run Jeff is on, Jeff is in position to set a new record. Personally, I love the idea of FC Dallas being the only MLS club to have two players who held or hold the all-time goals-scored record.

Hands down, FCD is one of the top teams in MLS and has a chance to prove how good they really are over the next month. Although the loss to RSL was a step back, there were positives to take from it and Dallas can still do a lot of damage going forward. We find out this weekend where all the teams will finish and what the playoff landscape looks like. With FCD at Los Angeles on Sunday, we will know what result of the game will mean before kickoff.

Either way, get ready for the playoffs!

US Soccer Links

One of the key parts of this website is the US Soccer Links Page. It is designed to ultimately be a one-stop launching pad for much of the soccer world for people who follow soccer in the US. FC Dallas? MLS? US national teams? It either has it or will have it. The idea is to have all the links in one spot. So far, I've got the major ones down, especially for Dallas, MLS and the USSF. I have the basics of the USL and some general overall news sites so you can get to EPL, etc., if that is your cup of tea. It is still a bit under construction in a few spots, but recently revised and still very useful. Let me know what you'd like to see added!

What you'll find below are descriptions and links for the new additions/updates to certain pages, some information about older but still useful pages, and then some other stuff about me. Note that most of the main pages also have links on the right side of the page. Enjoy!

CHAOTICA

The most recently completed page is Chaotica, my music page. See it just below this post with information about some unique musicians that I personally enjoy. Most recently, I've done blog posts on Kaki King and Del Castillo.

Other Updates

Recent tweaks have been made to Cygnus X-1, my Dallas Stars page.

I had previously updated Highway Child - my motorcycle resource page, as well as written some actual blog entries including two motorcycle/karma blogs, Why Motorcycle Riders Wave and Karma = Good (Motorcycle Version).

Here are some other pages, most with recent updates:

Janice and The Music Therapy Show - about Janice Harris' wonderful radio program
Neil Peart Condolences Page
Highway Child - Motorcycle Page

Go HERE for a little more background information about these pages and me.

Kaki King - And all of a sudden, with no warning, I was overtaken (again)

I've been impressed by musicians and music often. As I described in my Del Castillo piece, give me depth, intensity, passion, texture. It happened with Pearl Jam and "Ten." It happened with Live. It happened with Oysterhead. (For more detail, see Chaotica.)

This time, it wasn't the abrupt, immediate, in-your-face overwhelming that happened with Del Castillo. Instead, it happened weeks after the introduction, sneaking up on me from the quiet reaches, slipping into my consciousness.

One moment, she was just another suggested musician who didn't really strike a chord with me, an appreciated thought that just wasn't a good fit.

And then, before I knew it, I was wanting to listen to her music almost all the time. Now I'll suggest Kaki King to anyone who I think appreciates good music and creativity, but especially music with a texture, a quirkiness and an inventive side.

A bit of background on the artist - Born Katherine Elizabeth King in Georgia, Kaki King eventually moved to New York to study at New York University. She developed her own style of playing guitar and has written a number of albums. Take a look at the wikipedia entry about her for more details.

The story for me relates to my friend Mike - a music critic - who recommended I listen to her album, "Dreaming of Revenge" after I shared some of my opinions about female musicians. (I've always appreciated the creativity and expression that many female musicians share through their music.) As I was thinking more along the lines of No Doubt, Hole, L7, Skunk Anansie - in other words, more hard rock/aggressive artists - at the time, my first listen made me think Mike was just misunderstood what I was talking about.

Turns out I was the one who was off. What I misunderstood was he was talking about the musicianship - and on that point, he was spot on. Because I was also talking about Ani DiFranco, Liz Phair, MeShell Ndengeochello, Tori Amos. But I didn't know that at the time.

My first listen, I heard the album all the way through, and with each song I was expecting something more aggressive. As it never came, I just set it aside, mentally.

But over the course of the next few weeks I found myself every once in a while wanting something more sedate, and every once of those whiles, I'd remember that I thought Dreaming of Revenge was in that genre, so I'd throw it on the playlist.

And then one day, I found myself wanting to listen to Kaki King's Bone Chaos in the Castle and I didn't have it readily available, and I REALLY wanted to listen to it. It perfectly met my mood at the time, and that caught my attention. Maybe I should give her a closer listen.

And when I did, I was shocked at what I had been overlooking.

In terms of style, pull up a You Tube of "Playing with Pink Noise" (video high quality), and you'll get a feel of what I'm talking about. I have yet to find an online version of Bone Chaos in the Castle that does justice to the album version - which you can hear on iTunes if you want to get a taste - but that also gives you a good sense of some of her more creative writing. It is at times a percussive style - almost as if you mixed Stuart Hamm and Stanley Jordan, with a very Ani DiFranco indifference to spice up the attitude.

She also does some amazing lyrical bits with songs like "Life Being What It Is" (the You Tube video by "A Shoot The Player Film" bit is a great look into her colorful, honest personality), "2 O'Clock," and "Saving Days in a Frozen Head." As a fan of Exile in Guyville, I appreciate her turns of phrase. Such as....

"Life being what it is - we all dream of revenge
Open your eyes for a second - just to roll them at me."
- Life Being What It Is

"Sunlight wakes me - just to say 'Let's go to sleep now'."
- Saving Days In A Frozen Head

"2 O'Clock - you're still sleeping.
When you wake up you'll be in such pain.
And I wait with the plate, piled high with my love, that you won't eat from.

"File off the sharpness of feelings so
I'll be protected from all of your evil.
When you come 'round my love, I'll be gone - finally done
Never to come to your rescue."
- 2 O'Clock

Kaki King also does some good work with layering pieces - looping line after line, musically, and sometimes putting vocals over it. Either way, it often has the texture and flavor that appeals to those looking for the little nuances.

Threads of some of her music reminds me of k.d. lang's Ingenue, others Ani DiFranco's Not a Pretty Girl. But all of it is unique, and wonderfully textured and detailed. The dynamics and intricacy that I look for in my music is all here.

A lot of this is available via You Tube and iTunes. So go forth, enjoy and share your feedback.

But bear this in mind - I shared this with a co-worker and he fell head of heels madly in love with her in less than an hour.

You have been warned.

For more on Kevin's takes on music, check out Chaotica.