Wow I just realized that instead of simply being bored on the interwebz, I can just blog about it and be slightly less bored! Woot blogspot FTW.
Happy thanksgiving day everyone!
Yep, that was just about as much as I'm gonna say about that. meh. *shrugs*
So i had this thought today. What if everyone would say hello and goodbye to everyone else. You get in the elevator with a stranger and say "hello", instead of silently judging them. Then when they're leaving they say "have a nice day" or "goodbye" and it'll be wonderful! we can do this everywhere! sharing a bus seat? "hello, can i sit here?" "Hey, yes ofcourse"...
I feel the world may be a better place.
Laptop keyboards are so annoying. They're too sensitive, too fast for me. I mean, i type fast, with ten fingers, and pretty accurately, but these keys are so flat and they don't really have much depth to them and it's just irritating.
So i was right! I spent my entire plane ride reading. I finished Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead", which is actually a play, and almost finished Jonathan Safran Foer's "Extremely loud and Incredibly Close". R&GAD was fantastic. Basically, Stoppad takes out the minor characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from "Hamlet" and sets them as the protagonists in their own play. The setting is quasi realistic, because so much seems illusional and unreasonable. Though there's defintely plenty of silly and fasecitious dialouge, i think it hides many tragic instances between the lines. This brilliant piece of theater ends with a tragic but inevitable end- and honestly, it was one of those books you close slowly and smile when you're finished with them.
Foer has an outstanding ability to take several drastically different characters and weave them together (think: Everything is Illuminated). This book is utterly honest and ridiculously heartbreaking, but not yet over :] so I will let you know. He is one of my favorite authors, and one of the most distinguished writers of the day- with prose that is moving, characters that are charming, and ideas that are filled with well-versed emotion.
anyway. I'm in california! It's so nice here- almost december and only 65 degrees.
I'm seeing CTY-ers tomorrow and am very happy about that!
hmmmmnomnomnom i'm tireedd (jetlag?)
parking lots are our oceans
and shopping carts are our ships
and we sink in gravel and float through concrete
only to find ourselves in the eyes of our friends.
peace&thelove forever!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Things From Today, 11/26
I'm gonna start pretending that my two month pauses in blogging are actually mere 24-hour spans.
Also, this is gonna get shorter. starting now.
So I'm going to Los Angeles (later) today. It's SO COOL. I Haven't been to LA yet, and i've got my hopes up honestly. I'm also meeting up with CTY-ers and it will make me ridiculously happy. Like, I'm-in-danger-of-spontaneous- combustion happy.
Last weekend was spent with Nixon, Emma, and Cedilla- and it was one of the best weekends i've had in honestly a LONG time. It was so nice... they're such good friends. They make me happy, spending time with them makes me happy, and thats something that can't just be looked over and taken for granted.
I downloaded the rest of the Okkervil River discography and am not disappointed. I realized that my musical choices are becoming more and more narrowed and specific. Granted, i can still easily enjoy everything on my iPod, from Ladysmith Black Mambosa to Justice to Abe Vigoda to Fleet Foxes to N.E.R.D. to the Flaming Lips. I have most of the musical basses covered: but i am focusing in on the music i really enjoy. Apparently, its composed mostly of folk-rock, post progressive, and indie rock. Whatever.
I'm freaking out about the future. It's way to early and its not good... but I am never the less. The way my mind is going, it's all YOU'RE NEVER GETTING INTO A GOOD COLLEGE YOU'LL ALWAYS BE SECOND YOU'LL NEVER MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. this is a big problem- because i feel that if I don't make a difference, theres no real point in living anyway. A small, perverted segment of my mind is also hissing "you will never be happy" and my battered conscience, though it knows it is wrong, is slowly starting to accept it. This is probably not very good.
What am i looking forward to most in the next few days? A total of 12 hours of airtime i will spend READING. YES.
not sarcasm. with the amount of work i've been getting, it's crazy- I have no time to read books anymore.
So i realized that due to my approximate 4 hours of sleep last night, i was a total bitch and lashed at my mom earlier today when she didn't deserve it and was trying to be nice. I am such an asshole. I just went and apologized and she wasn't even thinking about it but still i feel so bad. I've been having many humanizing experiences lately- its weird realizing how small you are in comparison with the rest of the world. Also, today, someone showed me their blog and i suddenly was opened up to a whole other plane of their existence- and i never ever realized how much they cared about things, and how much they were hurting. I think this calls for anonymous flower sending. We shall see.
No. Okkervil river is not disappointing at all.
I heard the BEST line in a movie on saturday: "NO, I am not a lesbian. I'm heteroflexible: I'm straight, but shit happens." Were the World Mine was very cute and has inspired me to read more Shakespeare.
The sun rises too late and no longer do i wake up to even a ray of sunlight. This, dear, is not very healthy.
Hell, is there anything in my life that IS healthy?
well?
thought so.
peace&thelove forever!
Also, this is gonna get shorter. starting now.
So I'm going to Los Angeles (later) today. It's SO COOL. I Haven't been to LA yet, and i've got my hopes up honestly. I'm also meeting up with CTY-ers and it will make me ridiculously happy. Like, I'm-in-danger-of-spontaneous- combustion happy.
Last weekend was spent with Nixon, Emma, and Cedilla- and it was one of the best weekends i've had in honestly a LONG time. It was so nice... they're such good friends. They make me happy, spending time with them makes me happy, and thats something that can't just be looked over and taken for granted.
I downloaded the rest of the Okkervil River discography and am not disappointed. I realized that my musical choices are becoming more and more narrowed and specific. Granted, i can still easily enjoy everything on my iPod, from Ladysmith Black Mambosa to Justice to Abe Vigoda to Fleet Foxes to N.E.R.D. to the Flaming Lips. I have most of the musical basses covered: but i am focusing in on the music i really enjoy. Apparently, its composed mostly of folk-rock, post progressive, and indie rock. Whatever.
I'm freaking out about the future. It's way to early and its not good... but I am never the less. The way my mind is going, it's all YOU'RE NEVER GETTING INTO A GOOD COLLEGE YOU'LL ALWAYS BE SECOND YOU'LL NEVER MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. this is a big problem- because i feel that if I don't make a difference, theres no real point in living anyway. A small, perverted segment of my mind is also hissing "you will never be happy" and my battered conscience, though it knows it is wrong, is slowly starting to accept it. This is probably not very good.
What am i looking forward to most in the next few days? A total of 12 hours of airtime i will spend READING. YES.
not sarcasm. with the amount of work i've been getting, it's crazy- I have no time to read books anymore.
So i realized that due to my approximate 4 hours of sleep last night, i was a total bitch and lashed at my mom earlier today when she didn't deserve it and was trying to be nice. I am such an asshole. I just went and apologized and she wasn't even thinking about it but still i feel so bad. I've been having many humanizing experiences lately- its weird realizing how small you are in comparison with the rest of the world. Also, today, someone showed me their blog and i suddenly was opened up to a whole other plane of their existence- and i never ever realized how much they cared about things, and how much they were hurting. I think this calls for anonymous flower sending. We shall see.
No. Okkervil river is not disappointing at all.
I heard the BEST line in a movie on saturday: "NO, I am not a lesbian. I'm heteroflexible: I'm straight, but shit happens." Were the World Mine was very cute and has inspired me to read more Shakespeare.
The sun rises too late and no longer do i wake up to even a ray of sunlight. This, dear, is not very healthy.
Hell, is there anything in my life that IS healthy?
well?
thought so.
peace&thelove forever!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Things from Today, 9/24
Woah man, it's been a longlonglong time since I updated this, but now that I'm settled into my school schedule and am staying on top of things, I feel like today is a good day to get back in the game with "Things from Today", which hasn't seen the light of day since like July.
First topic, brought upon by my friend Phil: God!
Honestly, recently I've been really faceted on this issue.
On one hand, I'm an atheist who believes we humans must fend for ourselves, and that love is a coincidence and evil a guarantee. It's simply the instinct of humans to do as they will, which usually ends badly. Natural disasters, plagues, crumbling economies... this is all spontaneous- or rather, it just abides by a set of natural laws. Yeah, that'd be it. This world is a machine that has no directions. There are a set of "natural laws", that are a constant. They started of with one particle, the first proton, say. From there, the natural laws took control- through them, matter was created and our world established. It is pure chance that the universe is the way it is. Simply, everything that happens can, potentially, be predicted and forecasted. Of course, this would be like a set of equations- and with every new instance, when any of the natural laws acts upon a piece of matter in our world, all the variables are updated and the next step is evaluated. This is ridiculously all encompassing- this set of laws determines the way blood cells flow through your veins, the way a bird will flap its wings and the way water molecules form themselves into a tidal wave. Note, I am not talking about gravity, the nuclear forces, electromagnetism, or Newton's laws of motion- all of these work the way the do BECAUSE OF the REAL set of "Natural Laws".
Now, there are two more branches of the Natural Laws theory- one is that at some point in the past a proton just happened, and because it existed, so did the Natural Laws. Or suddenly, the Natural Laws just existed, and therefore matter did too.
The other hand is actually called Deism- this is basically the belief that god is an engineer and that the world is his machine. But all that he did was make the machine, give us the Natural Laws, and turned it on. He does not play a role in our lives...there is no such thing as divine intervention. Good or Bad, Love or Death, Success or Sarah Palin, god does nothing about it, nor does he know where this world is going or even care if you pray.
On the other hand,
I have been hijacked by christianity! I went to Italy, saw a ridiculous amount of religious art, learned all about the Passion of Jesus Christ, and honestly, alot of it sounds totally realistic. Some weird, weird part of me believes in this Lord who sent his Child down to sacrifice himself for all of humanity, a lord who created heaven and earth and the creatures and plants. Something big happened around 0 B.C.(E.?)... because think about it: we remember the Beatles from forty years back, we remember George Washington from 200 years ago, we remember Columbus from 500 years ago, but we remember Christ from Two Thousand Years Ago... obviously, SOMETHING HAPPENED, and it was big enough to change civilizations.
On a more heretical note, It's also possible that God is like, oh, i don't know... a person who has never cooked in a kitchen... a 15 year old in a car...a kid in an airplane. whatever. He had great power and ACCIDENTLY made the universe, and had no choice but to, well, you know, be god. However, he SUCKS at the job. Everything started with calamity, protons exploding and the big bang and molten planets spinning around half formed suns. Slowly, he learned how to use the wheel a little bit better... he made light, he made air. Infact, he made cells from chemicals, he made life, people, Life! Cells become plants became fish became Dinosaurs! And then, goddamit, he accidently sent an asteroid. Okay, so now he restarted but with his previous knowledge skipped the cool lizardy dino stage and went straight for the neanderthal, the "first" man. Then, oh shit, ice age'd his ass. Just bumps, though... the survivors breed and evolve and move on to be the modern man. But now and then, god still messes up... but as time goes on, things DO GET BETTER, don't they? think, way back when it was asteroids and worldwide iceages. Then it was the first wars, it was the burying of Pompei in 79 A.D., it was the crusades and the inquisition, it became the holocaust, it became terrorism and aids and gang violence. All the bad things in the world are examples of god's incompetence. Doesn't it suck that we are, no matter what we do, test subjects for the future? Maybe, one day, everyone will wake up and everything will be perfect. But for now, god still has some lesssons to learn, still has some catching up to do. Besides, for a being like him, maybe the past 13 billion years of universe was really like, 13 seconds of white-knuckled grip on the wheel, 13 seconds of slammed acceleration, and maybe in just a few more second, he'll get control of the car and keep it level on the road. Who knows?!
Also, on a slightly less heretical note,
The biggest problem i have with religion is the fact that people think god cares about the little things. Why in gods name would god care if you prayed five times a day to mecca, if you confessed your sins, if you mixed meat with milk? Maybe, he's very self-conscious- he needs to now he's in control, that people respect him.
Or maybe this is just shenanigans made up thousands of years ago by some very smart men... men who understood that civilization needed soemthing like God to explain all the problems in the world, but also realized that if they just said GOD IS GOOD STOP POKING EACH OTHER WITH SPEARS AND SLEEPING AROUND, no one would listen. Now, you tell a bunch of simple-minded field workers that THE ALMIGHTY WANTS THEM TO DO THIS AND THIS AND THIS BUT NOT THIS AND THIS AND THIS, no matter HOW SMALL these things are, they will think "Oh, hey, this guy is really specific so he must obviously exist, no one could make this stuff up".
People needed god. Hell, we still do. How do you explain children's leukemia, 9/11, the Holocaust, Hurricane Katrina? The fact that there are "reasons" for all the bad things in the world makes our existence ALOT more secure.
Wow that was alot of typing. I probably will think of more things to add as the day finishes up, so i might edit.
Goodnight!
and, like always
peace&thelove forever!
First topic, brought upon by my friend Phil: God!
Honestly, recently I've been really faceted on this issue.
On one hand, I'm an atheist who believes we humans must fend for ourselves, and that love is a coincidence and evil a guarantee. It's simply the instinct of humans to do as they will, which usually ends badly. Natural disasters, plagues, crumbling economies... this is all spontaneous- or rather, it just abides by a set of natural laws. Yeah, that'd be it. This world is a machine that has no directions. There are a set of "natural laws", that are a constant. They started of with one particle, the first proton, say. From there, the natural laws took control- through them, matter was created and our world established. It is pure chance that the universe is the way it is. Simply, everything that happens can, potentially, be predicted and forecasted. Of course, this would be like a set of equations- and with every new instance, when any of the natural laws acts upon a piece of matter in our world, all the variables are updated and the next step is evaluated. This is ridiculously all encompassing- this set of laws determines the way blood cells flow through your veins, the way a bird will flap its wings and the way water molecules form themselves into a tidal wave. Note, I am not talking about gravity, the nuclear forces, electromagnetism, or Newton's laws of motion- all of these work the way the do BECAUSE OF the REAL set of "Natural Laws".
Now, there are two more branches of the Natural Laws theory- one is that at some point in the past a proton just happened, and because it existed, so did the Natural Laws. Or suddenly, the Natural Laws just existed, and therefore matter did too.
The other hand is actually called Deism- this is basically the belief that god is an engineer and that the world is his machine. But all that he did was make the machine, give us the Natural Laws, and turned it on. He does not play a role in our lives...there is no such thing as divine intervention. Good or Bad, Love or Death, Success or Sarah Palin, god does nothing about it, nor does he know where this world is going or even care if you pray.
On the other hand,
I have been hijacked by christianity! I went to Italy, saw a ridiculous amount of religious art, learned all about the Passion of Jesus Christ, and honestly, alot of it sounds totally realistic. Some weird, weird part of me believes in this Lord who sent his Child down to sacrifice himself for all of humanity, a lord who created heaven and earth and the creatures and plants. Something big happened around 0 B.C.(E.?)... because think about it: we remember the Beatles from forty years back, we remember George Washington from 200 years ago, we remember Columbus from 500 years ago, but we remember Christ from Two Thousand Years Ago... obviously, SOMETHING HAPPENED, and it was big enough to change civilizations.
On a more heretical note, It's also possible that God is like, oh, i don't know... a person who has never cooked in a kitchen... a 15 year old in a car...a kid in an airplane. whatever. He had great power and ACCIDENTLY made the universe, and had no choice but to, well, you know, be god. However, he SUCKS at the job. Everything started with calamity, protons exploding and the big bang and molten planets spinning around half formed suns. Slowly, he learned how to use the wheel a little bit better... he made light, he made air. Infact, he made cells from chemicals, he made life, people, Life! Cells become plants became fish became Dinosaurs! And then, goddamit, he accidently sent an asteroid. Okay, so now he restarted but with his previous knowledge skipped the cool lizardy dino stage and went straight for the neanderthal, the "first" man. Then, oh shit, ice age'd his ass. Just bumps, though... the survivors breed and evolve and move on to be the modern man. But now and then, god still messes up... but as time goes on, things DO GET BETTER, don't they? think, way back when it was asteroids and worldwide iceages. Then it was the first wars, it was the burying of Pompei in 79 A.D., it was the crusades and the inquisition, it became the holocaust, it became terrorism and aids and gang violence. All the bad things in the world are examples of god's incompetence. Doesn't it suck that we are, no matter what we do, test subjects for the future? Maybe, one day, everyone will wake up and everything will be perfect. But for now, god still has some lesssons to learn, still has some catching up to do. Besides, for a being like him, maybe the past 13 billion years of universe was really like, 13 seconds of white-knuckled grip on the wheel, 13 seconds of slammed acceleration, and maybe in just a few more second, he'll get control of the car and keep it level on the road. Who knows?!
Also, on a slightly less heretical note,
The biggest problem i have with religion is the fact that people think god cares about the little things. Why in gods name would god care if you prayed five times a day to mecca, if you confessed your sins, if you mixed meat with milk? Maybe, he's very self-conscious- he needs to now he's in control, that people respect him.
Or maybe this is just shenanigans made up thousands of years ago by some very smart men... men who understood that civilization needed soemthing like God to explain all the problems in the world, but also realized that if they just said GOD IS GOOD STOP POKING EACH OTHER WITH SPEARS AND SLEEPING AROUND, no one would listen. Now, you tell a bunch of simple-minded field workers that THE ALMIGHTY WANTS THEM TO DO THIS AND THIS AND THIS BUT NOT THIS AND THIS AND THIS, no matter HOW SMALL these things are, they will think "Oh, hey, this guy is really specific so he must obviously exist, no one could make this stuff up".
People needed god. Hell, we still do. How do you explain children's leukemia, 9/11, the Holocaust, Hurricane Katrina? The fact that there are "reasons" for all the bad things in the world makes our existence ALOT more secure.
Wow that was alot of typing. I probably will think of more things to add as the day finishes up, so i might edit.
Goodnight!
and, like always
peace&thelove forever!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Things From Today, 7/13
I find it very, very funny when people, while quoting staccato song lyrics in their away messages/statuses/etc., actually spell out the repeated syllables. i.e. copied straight from facebook :
"AND IF BY CHANCE WE MEET ONE SUM-ER-ER-ER. WE'LL HOLD EACH OTHER, LIKE COLORS OF THE RAINB-O-O-O-O-O-O-W."
I'm not sure what song this is, but i don't think it's very good. Regardless, this is fucking ridiculous.
Speaking of which, I have heard enough of this Facebook vs. Myspace debate to write a blog about it. Wow, i sound like hipster trash. At least i don't shop in urban. OH WAIT (See below).
Anyway... Myspace and Facebook are the two leaders among countless internet social networking tools. While many others may come close to their efficiency, none match up to their popularity. And despite different claims, both sites are great ways to keep in touch and to meet new people. However, they are both best used for different tasks.
Myspace is a way to meet people. You see a cute girl's picture, you hit add, you start talking, it's great. They links are easy to remember, the site is very flexible for originality and personalization, there's music and videos and pc4pc and all that good stuff. Bulletins are occasionally useful.
Cons: SPAM, SPAM, SPAM. Hookers adding you. Horrible interface. Bad site design. Stupid privacy features that don't listen to you. Frequent glitches and repairs. "MYSPACE ISN'T WORKING GAHH". Not being able to find people's profiles because they have retarded display names. "Why is HE before ME no your top?!". Glittery layouts that make my eyes hurt. People with bad music that turns on automatically. There's more.
Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with people. With (basic) apps like the wall, messages, etc., making sure no one is forgotten is a click away. The wall-to-wall is beautiful. The birthday function and events manager is SO appreciated. You think i knew it was your birthday? fuck that, facebook told me. The whole tagging people in pictures is great too. THE FACT THAT IT'S YOUR NAME IS SO COMFORTABLE. NO MORE FUCKING LINKS ON NAPKINS. The new chat function is a blast, and easy to use. I have friends in venezuela, British Colombia, Dubai, Europe...not to mention many different states. The fact that it is SO easy to switch profiles and communicate back makes the world seem like a smaller thing. Oh, and the Mutual Friends really proves six degrees of separation. Awesome shit, btw.
Cons: Groups get annoying. YOU WILL NOT GET ALL OF FACEBOOK IN ONE GROUP. THERE ARE FIFTY OF THOSE GROUPS. STFU. Apps that are stupid and pointless- no, i don't care that you threw a sheep at me. Too many apps on a page that you have to spend ten minutes looking for "the wall". Relatively uncustomizable profiles. Being tagged in pictures that you don't want to be tagged in. STALKINGSTALKINGSTALKINGSTALKING.
Conclusion: Myspace to meet, facebook to stay in touch. Myspace to be original, facebook to really get down to business. Myspace for fun, facebook for life. Both have their pros and cons. I am a loyal supporter of facebook, but myspace holds some of my blogs, so yay! :D
Urban Outfitters is where i can blow six hundred dollars and not care, because their new fall line is bloody awesome. Browns, plaids, layers and blazers and indie-style goodness. Sometime, i love hipsters.
Concidering that i grew out of ALL my last years clothing, i think i probably will be in there again before school, because what would I do without at LEAST a new black overcoat?! But yeah, Urban is definitely one of the "hottest" places to shop for most city dwellers, and since i basically live there on the weekends, i shall be bringing some layery browny indie goodness down to jersey. Amen!
I got my braces tightened today. I feel like i got hit by a baseball bat. In the mouth. By Babe Ruth. On steroids.
If his baseball bat was a fucking truck filled with explosives.
Well, I'm gonna go finish Everything is Illuminated (expect a review soon), nurse my mangled facial orifice, and maybe catch some sleep.
Have a goodnight everyone!
peace&thelove forever!
"AND IF BY CHANCE WE MEET ONE SUM-ER-ER-ER. WE'LL HOLD EACH OTHER, LIKE COLORS OF THE RAINB-O-O-O-O-O-O-W."
I'm not sure what song this is, but i don't think it's very good. Regardless, this is fucking ridiculous.
Speaking of which, I have heard enough of this Facebook vs. Myspace debate to write a blog about it. Wow, i sound like hipster trash. At least i don't shop in urban. OH WAIT (See below).
Anyway... Myspace and Facebook are the two leaders among countless internet social networking tools. While many others may come close to their efficiency, none match up to their popularity. And despite different claims, both sites are great ways to keep in touch and to meet new people. However, they are both best used for different tasks.
Myspace is a way to meet people. You see a cute girl's picture, you hit add, you start talking, it's great. They links are easy to remember, the site is very flexible for originality and personalization, there's music and videos and pc4pc and all that good stuff. Bulletins are occasionally useful.
Cons: SPAM, SPAM, SPAM. Hookers adding you. Horrible interface. Bad site design. Stupid privacy features that don't listen to you. Frequent glitches and repairs. "MYSPACE ISN'T WORKING GAHH". Not being able to find people's profiles because they have retarded display names. "Why is HE before ME no your top?!". Glittery layouts that make my eyes hurt. People with bad music that turns on automatically. There's more.
Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with people. With (basic) apps like the wall, messages, etc., making sure no one is forgotten is a click away. The wall-to-wall is beautiful. The birthday function and events manager is SO appreciated. You think i knew it was your birthday? fuck that, facebook told me. The whole tagging people in pictures is great too. THE FACT THAT IT'S YOUR NAME IS SO COMFORTABLE. NO MORE FUCKING LINKS ON NAPKINS. The new chat function is a blast, and easy to use. I have friends in venezuela, British Colombia, Dubai, Europe...not to mention many different states. The fact that it is SO easy to switch profiles and communicate back makes the world seem like a smaller thing. Oh, and the Mutual Friends really proves six degrees of separation. Awesome shit, btw.
Cons: Groups get annoying. YOU WILL NOT GET ALL OF FACEBOOK IN ONE GROUP. THERE ARE FIFTY OF THOSE GROUPS. STFU. Apps that are stupid and pointless- no, i don't care that you threw a sheep at me. Too many apps on a page that you have to spend ten minutes looking for "the wall". Relatively uncustomizable profiles. Being tagged in pictures that you don't want to be tagged in. STALKINGSTALKINGSTALKINGSTALKING.
Conclusion: Myspace to meet, facebook to stay in touch. Myspace to be original, facebook to really get down to business. Myspace for fun, facebook for life. Both have their pros and cons. I am a loyal supporter of facebook, but myspace holds some of my blogs, so yay! :D
Urban Outfitters is where i can blow six hundred dollars and not care, because their new fall line is bloody awesome. Browns, plaids, layers and blazers and indie-style goodness. Sometime, i love hipsters.
Concidering that i grew out of ALL my last years clothing, i think i probably will be in there again before school, because what would I do without at LEAST a new black overcoat?! But yeah, Urban is definitely one of the "hottest" places to shop for most city dwellers, and since i basically live there on the weekends, i shall be bringing some layery browny indie goodness down to jersey. Amen!
I got my braces tightened today. I feel like i got hit by a baseball bat. In the mouth. By Babe Ruth. On steroids.
If his baseball bat was a fucking truck filled with explosives.
Well, I'm gonna go finish Everything is Illuminated (expect a review soon), nurse my mangled facial orifice, and maybe catch some sleep.
Have a goodnight everyone!
peace&thelove forever!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Things From Today, 7/12
Has any photographer out there ever noticed that life generally looks better through a camera lens? A half crumbled statue of Madonna on a background composed of smog and city utilities sounds tragic, but looks beautiful on 35 mm film. With a camera, I can blur out the ugliness (or, rather, everything else), the excess of life (or its details) and focus on only the important (or, on the other hand, the unimportant parts), focus on only the most beautiful (or the most hideous) of this world. With one tap of my finger I can remember a moment from a whole vacation, and that's all that would matter. Photography is like a bias spark notes towards life. One could take pictures and thus remember only the good parts- this is what I call "life documentary photography". You know, you bring a camera with you everywhere and take hundreds of pictures of your friends, that you later don't even bother looking at before you upload them to facebook. Then there's artistic photography. The kind of person that would carry around a big bulky camera with them, for one picture that would take them twenty minutes to properly set up. Artistic photography captures the good, the bad- the beautiful and the wrong, the love and its upset, everything. Both are good in their own way obviously- but I am a strong follower of the artistic photographer. One would say that photography is all technique you can learn, it's not a talent but rather an aquired skill. Sure, that's correct. Anyone can take a good picture. But how many people can find a good picture? How many people have the vision to find that one great shot- who sees life automatically through a camera lens, rather than through eyes, looking through a camera lens? This is what makes an artist. Someone who can see life, but take it differently. Wether they paint pain or write wonders, if they use charcoal for change or clay for calamity or photography for pleasure, an artist can take this world apart from the way everyone else sees it and make a new world. It pisses me off when all these kids take shitty photos, make them black and white, and call it photography. No, you took a fucking picture. You took a picture of a leaf lying on the ground. It was an ordinary leaf. It had nothing special about, not even color (but we got rid of that with the photoshopping, anyway). No one can say what art is or isn't. Maybe through that leaf, they were channeling their innocence and the metaphorical fall of it in the wind. Or maybe they just have no clue what they're doing. Take a fucking class.
In other news, i recently downloaded a shitload of music.
also in other news, i wish i uploaded that music to an iphone.
That thing is so cool! I watched the video about it on Apple.com- got to admit, that is truly a visionary company. Unfortunately, the iPhone is only on At&n, and it only has a 24 hour battery life, and only like five hours of talk time. Which is ridiculous. But, on the other hand, the breakthrough tech. inside is really something. Monkey ball on your cellphone? Hell yes!
Also in other new, i spent most of friday skating around Manhattan. I started around Grand Central, right after getting lost, confused, and manhandled into buying something on korea way. Skating down the west side highway bike path (which is really VERY nice), i almost got hit by a toddler in a wheelchair. And a truck. I ended up in Greenwich Village, and got a little lost on the cobblestone side streets, but soon found myself in a beautiful guitar store, drooling over a beautiful '65 Les Paul. That thing could p'wn my V-card and i wouldn't have cared less that its a musical instrument. Walking west, I stumbled upon some live show in the park near all the NYU buildings, which was cool. I was mistaken for a law student, and invited to a seminar. That didn't go down, unfortunately. Then i found St. Marks, had like three bubble teas, chatted with the, uh, bubble-tea-maker-guy (Michael), and on my way to the D line met up with Karen and Deanna.
Back to coincidences! How could three people, out of 6 billion, that know each other, be on one street (out of thousands) in one city (out of hundreds), at the same time? Life has a funny way of throwing loops at you when you least expect it.
Then i went to brooklyn and played the Wii for the rest of the day at Andrew's, who is truly a very good kid.
We also got a free Slurpee at 7-11, cause yesterday was july eleventh and yeah FREE SLURPEE DAY WOOT!
So new music that still has to be listened to:
Muse
The Chap (amazing, i'm almost done with the album. Fantastic pop-rock, without the Clarkson. This is how pop rock was always meant to be. Mixed beats and toney guitar riffs backed up by a relatively unemotional voice ties the package together nicely)
Other Sigur Ros albums
Abe Vigoda
Bob Marley
Bright Eyes
Coldplay
Hellogoodbye
I will get onto that now! Also tell you how hellboy was! Also, if i ever get out tonight to see it.
Peace&thelove forever!
In other news, i recently downloaded a shitload of music.
also in other news, i wish i uploaded that music to an iphone.
That thing is so cool! I watched the video about it on Apple.com- got to admit, that is truly a visionary company. Unfortunately, the iPhone is only on At&n, and it only has a 24 hour battery life, and only like five hours of talk time. Which is ridiculous. But, on the other hand, the breakthrough tech. inside is really something. Monkey ball on your cellphone? Hell yes!
Also in other new, i spent most of friday skating around Manhattan. I started around Grand Central, right after getting lost, confused, and manhandled into buying something on korea way. Skating down the west side highway bike path (which is really VERY nice), i almost got hit by a toddler in a wheelchair. And a truck. I ended up in Greenwich Village, and got a little lost on the cobblestone side streets, but soon found myself in a beautiful guitar store, drooling over a beautiful '65 Les Paul. That thing could p'wn my V-card and i wouldn't have cared less that its a musical instrument. Walking west, I stumbled upon some live show in the park near all the NYU buildings, which was cool. I was mistaken for a law student, and invited to a seminar. That didn't go down, unfortunately. Then i found St. Marks, had like three bubble teas, chatted with the, uh, bubble-tea-maker-guy (Michael), and on my way to the D line met up with Karen and Deanna.
Back to coincidences! How could three people, out of 6 billion, that know each other, be on one street (out of thousands) in one city (out of hundreds), at the same time? Life has a funny way of throwing loops at you when you least expect it.
Then i went to brooklyn and played the Wii for the rest of the day at Andrew's, who is truly a very good kid.
We also got a free Slurpee at 7-11, cause yesterday was july eleventh and yeah FREE SLURPEE DAY WOOT!
So new music that still has to be listened to:
Muse
The Chap (amazing, i'm almost done with the album. Fantastic pop-rock, without the Clarkson. This is how pop rock was always meant to be. Mixed beats and toney guitar riffs backed up by a relatively unemotional voice ties the package together nicely)
Other Sigur Ros albums
Abe Vigoda
Bob Marley
Bright Eyes
Coldplay
Hellogoodbye
I will get onto that now! Also tell you how hellboy was! Also, if i ever get out tonight to see it.
Peace&thelove forever!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Things From Today, 7/6
Shit guys, i'm sorry there hasn't been a single post in almost a week!
That sucked, i've been so caught up in stuff.
But i had a few ideas that i wanted to talk about before i get to my incredibly interesting six days.
Marriage.
What does it mean? Imagine- taking one person, just one, till the end of your life. What is that like? What is that feeling? How is it possible, when only a handful of years ago, most newlywed were going through relationships like they were advertisements in a magazine? When love can grow and bloom and die in a matter of two months, when being honest is being silly, how could we possibly, in this world, hold onto one feeling for so long? And what is that feeling? Is it our- mine, at least- teenage love? The kind of love that when your eyes meet, your heart stops? The kind of love when you feel like you're slipping away if you're not holding their hand?
Apparently, it is not. From sources, love at fifteen and at twenty and at twenty five and at thirty is totally different. But thats not always true- i know people who are in their late sixties and have the chemistry of sixteen year olds! My sister's new parents in law (see below :]) are SO comfortable with each other. You know, when you see a couple, even in their teens- the boys hugs the girl from the back and somehow, magically, without trying ten times or practicing or making mistakes, their fingers interlock, and she moves her head and kisses his cheek, which is there and not somewhere else, and it just feels like a perfect transition between them? I know when i'm dating someone and i'm that comfortable, i begin to forget where i end and she begins...it's a nice feeling, if a rare one. Like, have you ever had an awkward relationship? It took you three dates to touch hands, six to FINALLY kiss. You walk down the hall and your fingers don't fit together that well, and you have awkward silences for no reason? It's not particularly bad. It could get better, as you two begin to learn each other. But have you ever had a relationship when their body fits into yours so perfectly, almost like a ship in water, a bird in the air? When your fingers find eachother in the dark, when her voice makes you smile and you can just look at her for hours, simply because she's that beautiful. Have you ever had that? How can love like that ever die? Apparently it can. People fall out of love... marriages fail and couples break up. Sometimes it's mutual, usually it's not. How can love exist in a world that can hurt so much? You wouldn't think it' s possible. How could there be such extremes? One moment and you're weightless, no longer tied down to anything but your heart, and a short conversation later, your stomach feels like it's made from lead. How can a couple survive in a world where divorce is so popular, where cheating is no longer that tabooed, where change is underlined and love is a silly four letter word no one really means anymore? How have my parents lasted 31 years, my grandparents 55 years together? How? It doesn't seem possible. Ten years down the road, would you still turn the coffee mug so your lips only made one mark on it? In ten years, would you still tickle her and tell her that you love her? How about in twenty? Would you hold hands? Sex, forget sex, thats a whole different blog. Would you still hold her when she's hurt? Love is supposed to last forever... why doesn't it? Is it the person you're with? Maybe it's not the right person. But would you wait a lifetime for the right one? No one wants to be alone... but i know I feel most alone when i feel for someone, and they don't feel back. So how would a marriage work in an age when holding hands past thirty five strange? How do you keep the spark going? You look at her now and you get shivers, because the freckles in her eyes and yours are mirror images, because her smile can light up cities, because you would not rather be anywhere else but here... and three years later, why is it different? How CAN it be different? I guess it really can be though. I wish people meant what they say. Don't say forever if it's not going to last forever. Don't say I love you if it's gonna die in a few months. Are we really that shallow as human beings? I sure hope not. I may be young, but i've been places and i've seen things. I've seen love thats so bright it blocks out the sun. I've seen hurt so cruel you'd think the night would go one forever. And truthfully, i'm balanced. Because truthfully i HAVE seen love. i've seen perfect, beautiful, extraordinary love thats lasted forever. And truthfully, i have seen love die, and truthfully, i know how much it hurts. So i'm not sure wether love is really just a hoax, a trick of our shallow minds, or if love really does exist, if it makes the sun rise in the morning and tucks it in at night. And i've been in love, i have. And i hope i'll be in love again, and i hope it will stay that way. I wish above all that love never really died, that it still remains somewhere in the depths of your eyes, and that when we listen to that song, or walk down that beach or catch a whiff of strawberries or the ocean, even years later, we still remember, and we still feel it, for an instant, for a moment...for a moment, we're back again and it's okay. Thats what i wish for, more than anything else. That love never really died, that love only hid inside of us, and made us stronger, or smarter, or both.
My sister got married yesterday. And you don't know how happy I am. I finished the last sentence of that big paragraph, and it washed over me, because i love her, and because she is not only my sister, my favorite person, but above all, my best friend. And i think that she found the right man that could make- and keep- her happy. And he's a good guy, and i feel like he's the brother i've never had and it's great. And i'm overwhelmed by this whole thing... i dont think i've ever realized how much marriage means. I really, really wish i'd find someone to spend my life with. NOT NOW. I'm still an idiot and will screw things up. But eventually...i think it'd be nice. Settling down would be really, really nice. Maybe in Portland, Maine. It's such a nice town, because the streets smell like the ocean, and the bookstores smell like bookstores and the sea. It has little crooked cobblestone streets and the building are no larger than three stories. There's coffee shops and fresh food and markets. I'd wake up early and make us hot chocolate and write (or blog :]) till you woke up, and we'd take walks down to the pier where the fishing boats would just be coming in and maybe i'd take along my camera and catch another picture of your smile. Maybe, Maybe, Maybe.
the rest of my week was composed of the city and wedding stuff.
If you don't listen to Enter Shikari, you should. BUT most of all, the song Jonny Sniper really sings to me these days. It's so... pretty. Really though, check out that song at least, if you're too get the rest of their stuff. Listen to it while you read that^^ it sets the mood right.
For my sisters present, I made her a journal of my poetry and my photographs. My photos i still have to scan, but my poems are all in electronic format and (with some luck) may get published soon. So i'm gonna post another post with all my poems, so let me know opinions.
New post tmrw! Because i hope i never have to make such a big break again!
peace&thelove forever!
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