Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Enjoy your childhood while you can

No, Brandon, you are talking about infatuation. I understand why they say, "High school never ends."
Right now, in a college class, we are getting our pictures taken and having to say where we are from and what our greatest fear is to everyone.
I think maybe I can't do school well because I am always judging how well I'm being taught. Maybe I should do that as a job.
Why do we insist that the cart drag the horse along the road?
Colleges want to offer varied programs to their prospective students because the education system, in true capitalist form I might add, is a competitive feild. But then, instead of what capitalism enthusiasts claim happens, competition does not yeild awesome results. Instead, the schools, in an attempt to keep with paying their increasingly large bills, take whoever they can to fill the positions the programs require, regardless of if that person is really the best suited.
And then you get to sit in a class and be read power point presentations.
Competition pushes people to cut corners, settle for cheap imitations, and just cheat over all in order to make sure that they come in on top.
And sure, if people kept integrity, maybe this wouldn't be an issue. But because the majority don't, if you do, you get fucked.
Happy birthday future generations.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Poor uncultured America

I like how we in America claim that we don't have a culture all to our own or that our lack of culture is the culture. I think it is this supposed lack of culture that drives us to try and "experiment" with many other well-defined cultures' cuisine. Indian, Asian, Italian, and even Ethiopian. But we know rather commonly that what we call "Chinese food" isn't. Neither is Thai, Japanese, or any other Asian food we like to eat with chopsticks and in little bowls. Nor is Italian food really Italian food, and that I can claim pretty assuredly, seeing as I went. It's more like the people who start these restaurants only use the "Chinese" or "Italian" or whatever as a basis for a few ingredients or the staple (rice, semolina, noodles, nan, etc.) and then make something that actually just appeals to the people in the area.
I'm not saying anything new here, I've heard it a bunch of times. But then why do we deny that we have our own culture and taste and general area of things that appeal to our tastes? If not, what are the restauranteers aiming for? Why don't they just make the food the same way they would back in China / Italy / Greece / etc. "where they came from" because we also all know that ethnic restaurants are operated by people from the area the food is claiming to be from?
"Growing up with a lack of culture in America": I've heard that a bunch of times too. Maybe other countries, in Europe or Africa for instance, notice their unique culture because of their close relations to other countries with different cultures. With France being right next to Germany and having warred against them most of the time they've existed, clear definitions in the two countries cultures start to form. Maybe if America paid more attention to the huge difference it has to other countries clear definitions would form for its culture.
Not even! Just think about the different regions of the country. The South has its own culture surrounding it, the East coast has its own, California has two (NoCal and SoCal), Washington and Oregon have their own as well. How many have I missed? You can pick them out yourself without much thought.
How is this a lack of culture? More like we are brimming with it.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Remember Andrew? Well he has an interesting childhood too.
Andrew's father was the richest person of his time and everyday Andrew's father would give him money: always enough to feed himself with and save a little with to buy monthly costs. But not only did the money fufill his routine needs, there was also always a small portion that Andrew didn't need. So Andrew saw that there were other children without fathers as rich as his so he used this last little bit to help out people around him. Now Andrew had many brothers and sisters and, at first, they all followed Andrew's example and their town flourished with abundance because of Andrew's family's generosity.
One day, Andrew's father went out on a business trip. Before he left he showed his wife where he kept the fortune and gave her careful instructions as to how to portion it out to their children. Then he said goodbye to his family and left.
At first, his wife was just as warm and generous as he and the town continued to prosper. But one day as she looked at her meager attire and her modest decor she thought to herself, "I am the wife of the richest man in the world: I should look better than this."
And so she began to give less money to her children and began saving up for silk curtains on the windows, new paint for the walls, new dresses to wear in public and new cars and new everything. Everything was glamorous and everything shined in the bright sun. Soon she thought to herself, "If I look this glamorous and my children look like beggars on the street, what will people think of me?" and she began demanding that her children buy the nicest clothes and keep in with the latest fashions. Soon her children realised that with their mother giving her less each day and them having to spend what they did get on expensive clothes, they would have to get jobs to support themselves, which they did.
Except Andrew. Andrew refused to buy nicer clothes with his money and instead gave the same amount he always gave to the people around him and used what was left to squeeze a living out. He was eating barely anything at all when his mother called to him one day, "Andrew, you look terrible," she said.
"I haven't much to eat these days," he replied.
"Well, my dear boy," his mother said, "you'd do well to get yourself a job. You will need one when you are out on your own. I can't keep you in this house any longer. You are bringing down the image I am trying to maintain. As wife of the richest man in the world, I can't have a dirty child living in my house. Goodbye."
And with that he was out on the streets.

And, within a few weeks, he was in the sorry state you met him in.

Friday, November 04, 2005

I am leaking all over

You know, I've never had a single pill that helps with my sinus allergies. But that's ok, I don't like taking pills anyway.
It has nothing to do with the horse-chokingly large pills or the "dead person" flavor*.
It's more the medieval-person-in-the-modern-world-"Dear-Lord-what-are-these-rolling-iron-beasts-and-magical-boxes-with-people-in-them?!" thing.
Anyway, due to my lack of proper medication, my sinuses are, as usual, commiting their year- wait, monthly suicide. Maybe the intermitant peace I get is when they've succeeded in snuffing it (no pun intended) and my body is regenerating new "snot pockets" (a pocket of snot, good to go!).
Damn my sinuses. Damn them so hard.


*Cemetary Fresh! One of three new flavors! Try out: "Cat Bladder" and "Laundry Detergent" Available today!!

Thursday, October 13, 2005

too much expense

Is it wrong of me to think the "online disaster training module" for Red Cross is laughable and mostly useless?
Honestly, I want to help already, you don't have to set up attacks on my sympathy.
Anyway, so I'm going to see about getting down to New Orleans because I got really annoyed at the idea that I am just lazily comfortable up here and there are a lot of people dying down there.
Also because I was disgusted by a rather rich mall while in "Talbots" seeing trousers for ~$80 and jackets for ~$100 and shirts for ~$50 and by expensive (admittedly tasty) food at a rich restaurant with rich smiling laughing people.
If someone who reads this has good advice about ways to help out down there (as in actually going) they can give some of that info if they so please (hint hint Jessica, I think you would know this kind of thing).
On a side note (I do this too often), money sucks because even when you are just spending it on necessity you will run out eventually.
I enjoy "I Love Huckabees" too much.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

"It's okay."

It's scary enough when you haven't done anything to necessitate forgiveness. But when you need it from people who don't like you, there's not much hope.

great, now I look real responsible

Damn you Denver.
Damn you and your damn October snow.
You took the only day of the week that I was wanting to really do my best in and destroyed it.
Now I have to feel guilty and hope that I will be forgiven. I'm on a short leash with these people as is, Denver, do you want me to be unaccepted?
You've got some explaining to do.

Anyway, as a side note, I think airports should make their arrival pickup loop as big as possible, like a 15 minute loop, so that when you are waiting to pick someone up you don't go insane from going around it fifty times stuck behind the same 2 mph going sap.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Blessings

These past few weeks I've been at my old high school academy, being a general helping hand or helping mind as the need dictates.
9-5 with no pay for using my talents as best I can in a place I love with people I love.
How could I do better?

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Creation, Destruction

I don't want half of what I have. But the question is: will I take it with me anyway only so that someone else isn't hurt that I don't use their gift?
Can't we just forgoe our emotional attachment to things? It would make having to pack so much easier.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

So there's this guy. Let's call him Andrew. Ok, so he's hungry and in debt and on the streets and looking all mopey when a guy comes up, we'll call him Nathan. So Nathan looks at him and his heart is moved. So he goes out and buys Andrew a fish, gives it to him, and leaves with a word of blessing. Andrew eats it gratefully and is happy for a bit.
But the next day he is hungry again and still in debt. So this time he thinks, Why don't I learn how to fish so I can get fish everyday? So he goes down to the dock and sees a guy walking back from his boat with a bucket full of fish. We'll call him Chandler. So Andrew goes up to him and says, "Can you teach me how to fish?" And Chandler takes a look at him and laughs, "You? Look at your phisique! Your arms are way too weak. But I suppose you could work out or something. What about your pole? Do you even have a pole?"
"Well no but I-"
"No no, that's definately a must. And if you want to catch anything good you had better get a Bassmaster Pro 185. It's probably the best pole out on the market. Anything else just isn't worth using."
Chandler looked him up and down, "Look, it's nice that you want to learn to fish but I just don't think you are made to. You'd do better to learn to pick up people's garbage or do janitorial work or something. I mean, maybe years and years from now you might have enough money."
So Andrew thanked him for being honest and left the dock to go back to where he was sitting because he knew he would never have enough money to get a nice rod or a boat and so he gave up on that idea.
Soon after that a young girl came up to Andrew. We'll call her Wendy.
"I saw you asking that guy: you want to learn to fish?" she said.
"Yea, well I did, but I don't have the money really."
"What? Don't be ridiculous." and so she spent the rest of the day with Andrew crafting a small rod and they went out near the docks and fished and she showed him all the tricks and techniques. And then the next day Wendy came back and fished with Andrew all day again.
And everyday after that in fact.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

mind and body

Lately I have been trying to expand my musical library. 6 cds in 2 days? You might say I'm suceeding but it is really only 3 new bands.
Ugh, music is such an issue.
If I ever record stuff I don't think I would feel comfortable asking for money for it because art should be free and why should I be paid for things I love to do?
But I will (albiet grudgingly) pay for cds in the store and don't even like getting them free off file-sharing networks. I do want to support bands but I don't feel like a musician should expect support.
Whatever happened to having practical skills and letting that be your job?
I feel so cheated: no one taught me how to fix things around the house or even how a house works, no one taught me how to garden, no one taught me how to fix a car, no one taught me anything physical.
I have been taught to think and explain and reason and love.
But what am I supposed to do?

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Role call

I'm really not in the mood to post. I am tired, bitter, cranky, and feeling humid and gross right now. So less than anything is my need to post right now. But I am going to inflict myself upon you anyway.
Actually I just want to ask who reads this. So when you read this post either comment in the thing or send me an email if you don't know how to comment. I just am curious to see.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

I am in trouble...

Omigosh my room is halfway decently organized! Freak out immediately!
Now if the charger for my camera would miraculously reappear like...right now on my back as I lay here typing-
*waits*...nothing
-then I could take a picture of it and show your disbelieving eyes the truth! Don't doubt! It only leads to fear. And we know fear leads to anger. And anger leads to hate. And hate....leads to suffering!
So don't doubt me when I say if you had ever seen a room of mine in the past and you saw this one you would either be completely astounded or slightly bemused depending on how you take suprising things. Also, if you had seen my room at Broadview senior year you probably wouldn't be amazed as I think that was my greatest accomplishment at room organizing. Even if I did steal the desk idea from Oscar. I perfected it!!
But this room, aside from lacking a place to put a few random items now on my bed as well as my awesome autographed guitar, it has things neatly (I stress this) put away.
<inside joke>a-............astounding.</inside joke>
Anyway, today I have to get a haircut (blegh) and also enact my devious, daring, and brilliant plan. It will involve money and, I am assuming, paitience. But time and money well spent I believe.
SO after yet another night of little / no sleep, I must be off to busybee about!
bzzzzzzz

Monday, August 08, 2005

breaking radio silence

My quiet two weeks is nearly at an end! And in the final few moments a few smatterings of contact appear only to further fuel my exitement. I am as giddy as a silly schoolboy. How utterly ridiculous.
Once again I have stayed up the night. But hey, it's mostly because I stayed up the last night and then slept until 5pm. So it doesn't count: I'm on a normal schedule just transposed.
GMT +12.00
My guitar freshly strung, I have written two new songs, complete with words and everything! And I've decided that one of my older songs needs Avi's cello playing to add to the mood. That will take me actually recording the song though and that will be all of infinite days to wait through.
My camera battery still dead, I haven't taken any new pictures. After the trip to Seattle I swear I could have killed anyone who mentioned my lack of camera. Not that anyone ever mentioned me not having a camera, but I'm sure if someone did I would have been pissy with them. Plus you poor readers here at PP don't get to see my latest door sign. I know, I know: your favorite treat.
Speaking of coffee, I could really go for a cup before my eyelids decide to revolt.
No more words
/span

Thursday, July 21, 2005

speak up, you, I'm a little hard of hearing

Years of listening to music at full blast and singing along, sometimes playing guitar along loud enough to hear over said music, coupled with the fact that my right ear basically points directly at the hole of the guitar, has finally caught up with me.
Maybe I'm being paranoid and I have a simple ear infection, but those hurt a lot right? What about when your ear just keeps ringing and is muffled?
I thought maybe it was earwax build up or something else but I can't keep fooling myself that I have had earwax build up for the past few months, off and on.
It's ok if I'm right though, I expected it. It's not like I could get away with enjoying music that much.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Reluctant Air Travel

As you may notice, I have finally finished reading The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (if you care to know, it was sad and tragic as well as depressingly plausible to boot).
I did this in the first leg of my sadly obligatory journey back to the non-home of Chicago. Which was unfortunate because it turned out that I had another 6 hour long leg still to go. And Peg ran out of juice after the first hour of that.
Speaking of Peg, while she was still good and running I finally listened to and liked the new Coldplay X&Y. Not that I didn't expect it, it just finally happened. But as to specifically the title track X&Y, I was half asleep and half day-dreamed half night-dreamed that I was in a little plane that flew into a billboard and I fell to the ground as the burning fuselage floated about me, watching some guy scream to his death a little in front of me. All the while the chorus of X&Y playing, somehow eerily appropriate sounding: enough to make me not afraid at all but more completely absorbed with the feeling of it all.
I swear I'm not morbid.
It's not like during my trip to Portland I considered how perfect it would have been if the plane crashed because I was talking with the people to either side of me and had made a lame connection. Psh, what do you take me for? Some sort of...morbid person?
Also, if you've ever been in a plane on the runway while it is bucketing rain outside tell me you weren't extremely concerned for a brief instant as creepy white smoke poured in from the walls and ceiling.

Staying up til 7am is the way to go!

Don't you stay up til 7am? Why not? Are you sick?
If you have DSL/Cable/anything not dialup I would highly reccomend seriously considering buying a microphone for your computer and getting rid of your phone. MSN or Skype does the same thing but FOR FREE.
I bet you feel like a sucker now. Having paid for your phone service. Psh, chump.
The next form I have to fill out that asks for my home phone number I am totally going to put in my Skype user name.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

"I just want to enjoy myself"

    "What do you mean you, 'pass out after 6 beers'?
    You're such a girl...
    I'm trying to help you see you're wasting your life..."
he says as a myriad of flies beat against the window, longing for a chance at feasting on the rot, teasingly close, sitting inside with a smile.

(see the original writing)

Thursday, June 02, 2005

"What not to say on a first date"

Who honestly needs to be told not to discuss "kink" on the first date? Who would want to all of a sudden leap into a discussion of how eating apricot jelly out of someone's toes totally turns you on...with a stranger at that.
    "Could you pass me the ketchup?"
    "Sure thing, hey, speaking of...I know we've only known eachother for like a few hours, but I would love to smear some all over you and slowly lick it off. Kinda gets me off"
Oh yeah, you've totally got a chance now, buddy. And even if she's into it and you do have one, the fact still remains that youre both sex-craving maniacs.
I swear, America is just one big, horny teenager.

(this was in response to an article in a newspaper telling what not to say on a first date)
(see the original writing)