I had a weird moment tonight. My parents had bought a pie- Key Lime- because my dad has this running joke about key lime pie. Back in the day, my mom would make a meal, we'd all eat it, and my dad would say, that was great, but I wish I had some key lime pie. It was kind of insulting, when you think about it, but he thought it was funny. Basically we laughed with him. He had stopped for a year or so (actually, I dunno, I was at school) but then he started up again. (when I started cooking) So my mom was buying a pie, so she bought a key lime pie, to keep the joke alive. Ha ha ha!
They had some friends over, they ate half the pie. I am not a pie sort of guy- I'm kind of at this phase now where I want to make sure I get in good shape. I want to be physically fit enough to:
- ski all day, even with some hiking to the top of hills, and then play racquetball*
- bike an arbitrarily large number of miles
- climb a mountain. I'm talking an overnight camping hike/climb up a mountain.
- do my age in chin-ups (almost there! I can do 15 on a good day)
- steadily increase general weightlifting capabilities until I am more "lean" than "skinny"
- never be overweight due to personal laziness
This is largely because I have no reason not to be in good shape. I'm 19, live in the nicest place in the world, and have every fitness opportunity within a half mile of my house. I go grocery shopping once a week, my parents don't even care what I get. I'm not a single working mother or anyone who's ridiculously stressed and has no time to exercise. If I'm out of shape, it's my own damn fault... so I better not be.
*This occurred last December, during my trip to the Rockies with Pete. Story may follow in a later post.
Anyway, they had this pie. I had some friends over too; after they left, I had a little sliver of pie, just to taste it. That's my policy with desserty food: my desire to be ridiculously healthy can't override my desire to try everything in the world, so I tried a bit of it. It was very good. The pie was the delicious meringuey creamy consistency, it was sweet with the perfect amount of lime taste. The graham cracker crust tasted like a cookie; the frosting on top just added a little extra sweetness. It was good. So I go to put the pie back
and the whole thing splats on the floor.
It was monstrous. Pie all over the front of the fridge, the bulk of it on the floor. If there had been a city living on top of the pie, this would be Hiroshima. It was a pie disaster.
And then, like in a movie, I just felt like I had to eat some of it. (not the part that's touching the floor... you know, the part that never actually made floor contact.) So I just took a handful of splatted pie, and ate it. Well sure, it was really tasty. Then I took some more, and more. Between handfuls I would wash my hands, like okay, I'm done, and then, well wait, I think I'll go get a bit more. It wasn't even an issue- this pie was on the floor, and it HAD TO BE EATEN BY ME. NOW. I wasn't thinking "I'll eat more because it's tasty," I was thinking "I'm not me; I'm the character playing me. In the script, Dan Tasse eats the pie on the floor... so that's what I'll do." It was ridiculous. And gluttonous too, of course.
This scene was the one where the son of very poor parents, who worked his way up to a job making $50,000 a year, and has lived very frugally, in a small house with his newlywed wife, only buying what they need so they can save for their kids and their retirement, where he just stops on the way home from work one day and buys a 70 inch plasma TV. A new computer, new camcorder, new stereo system... he keeps dumping stuff into the cart, with this vacant stare, checking out with $20,000 worth of equipment that he doesn't need or even want, but he's just buying it, just because... because... why?? he doesn't even know! but he is!
The scene where the mild-mannered high school senior, the nicest kid in the school, no enemies, he's not bullied, straight-A student, gets followed around by the little nerd. The one who just doesn't have any friends his age because he's socially inept, so he follows around this paragon of high school benevolence. The senior just punches this little twerp in the face, and then he can't stop, he's just wailing on the kid, he doesn't hate him, he just keeps hitting him, there's blood everywhere, huge commotion, no resistance, the punches make the sickening muted "thud"s that punches really make, no movielike "bam"s or "crunch"es, just thud, thud, thud...
So I'm being overdramatic. It wasn't that at all, it was that on a much smaller scale. I kept eating the pie, and then I cleaned up what was left (the part that had made floor contact). But I felt as if I were the $50k worker or the high school senior. It's the gluttony of it all, the "why am I doing this?!" sensation. At the same time, it was a little bit thrilling.
Ever drive down the highway, and think, I am just six inches from killing myself and probably innocent others? Just move your hands maybe 6 inches on the steering wheel, and unspeakable disaster. Or even other times: you're at a meeting with a professor. You could punch him in the face in under three seconds, and your life would completely change: expelled from the university, arrested for assault, etc. Even more when you walk by a cop and think "I could pull his gun out of his holster." Not that you'd ever do any of that, but the fact is, you could. In under a minute, you could throw away your entire life's accomplishments: the ultimate gluttony. Because I think gluttony is not doing what you like too much; it's doing it so that you don't like it anymore, it's that bizarre "why am I doing this?!" feeling that you would get if you stole the cop's gun and shot people with it. And gluttony in eating a pie off the floor is similar to gluttony in destroying your life and everyone's around you, and reminding yourself how precariously close you are to that edge is just a little little morbidly intriguing.
Hey, melodrama. Interesting? Warped? Well, yeah. But do you know what I mean?
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
The 90's were a good decade.
This post is all right, but if you haven't read my last post read it first, I want people's input, to let me know if I'm a raving lunatic before I put a bunch of time into this.
This post is also not as good as the 90's. The 90's was a great decade. It was a pretty prosperous decade, no major wars/disasters (erm. by saying this, i'm probably overlooking something huge, kind of like how history kinda overlooked the Armenian Genocide. So you've got the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda. That's probably the biggie. Also the Gulf "war" aka the gulf "we win, but let's come back in 10 years anyway". Somalia was a bitch, as was Yugoslavia, and the Middle East and Northern Ireland kept coming back around to bite us. So I guess other than that, no major wars/disasters)
Anyway, other than that it was good. The Golden Age of America? What do you think? We may have peaked back there, when I was 10 or so. Beautiful economy (erm, don't take all the credit, Bill Clinton), ridiculous technological expansion including the INTERNET, the fall of Communism, I mean, shoot, the Human Genome Project... I could go on. Where am I going with this?
Oh yeah, good music too. Come to think of it, grunge was sort of crap. Well, we liked it in the day, but now it's morphed into shits like Staind and Nickelback. But it's the response to grunge that was fun, stuff like Weezer, Beck, Cake, stuff like Radiohead and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And while that was going on, Indie Rock was born.
So basically, I'm writing this all to say I kinda like Pavement. Slanted and Enchanted is a nice CD, more than I was expecting when I heard it was officially considered a starter of the "lo-fi" movement. Previously, I've heard lo-fi through a few tracks of Guided by Voices, and hated it. But it can be good. Plus I like Stereo, Shady Lane, Cut your hair, and other non-S&E songs I've heard. So Pavement, I like.
Built to Spill too, they're nice. Takes a few (okay a lot) of listens for it not all sound the same, but I do like it. See "Keep it Like a Secret" and "There's Nothing Wrong with Love"
A.C. Newman: not so good. After track 3, "The Slow Wonder" sputters out. But listen to the New Pornographers' Mass Romantic again, it only has a couple great tracks too.
Spoon: Better. I'd say it's worth $10 of the $16 I spent on it (buying cds? what?! Well I had a gift card, and they didn't have Sufjan Stevens's Illinois.) "I turn my camera on" is, as advertised, a pretty sweet song.
Speaking of which, Sufjan Stevens. The man is awesome. I am itching to listen to Illinois, I hear it's fantastic. Try "Greetings from Michigan" or "Seven Swans" too, they're both beautiful.
Bloc Party: Not, actually, so great. I'd count a half dozen tracks I really like, and the rest blend together. The ones that are good, though, are very good: "Like eating glass", "Positive tension", "The price of gas"
Bright Eyes, "I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning: The man himself (I guess I should say, his voice) is really growing on me. This CD, not as much. I've never been a really folksy guy, I guess I just don't appreciate it. But even listening to him tell a story (as in track 1, "the bottom of everything") is fascinating.
Interpol's "Antics" is a solid 7/10. Not brilliant, but I like it. w/o "Obstacle 1" and "obstacle 2" it's hard for it to compete w/ "turn on the bright lights", but it's still a good CD.
M83: Starts to grate on me now, after I've raved about it before. A lot of tracks are boring. That said, there are still a good 5 or 6 that I could listen to a lot ("unrecorded", "america", "0078h" especially)
Wilco: is steadily climbing. After 6 listens-through, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is now a CD that I would voluntarily pick out of my collection to listen to. For a previously not-so-folksy guy as myself, that's saying something.
Now: out of new music. Damn. Someone get me something to tide me over until I get back to school and i2hub.
This post is also not as good as the 90's. The 90's was a great decade. It was a pretty prosperous decade, no major wars/disasters (erm. by saying this, i'm probably overlooking something huge, kind of like how history kinda overlooked the Armenian Genocide. So you've got the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda. That's probably the biggie. Also the Gulf "war" aka the gulf "we win, but let's come back in 10 years anyway". Somalia was a bitch, as was Yugoslavia, and the Middle East and Northern Ireland kept coming back around to bite us. So I guess other than that, no major wars/disasters)
Anyway, other than that it was good. The Golden Age of America? What do you think? We may have peaked back there, when I was 10 or so. Beautiful economy (erm, don't take all the credit, Bill Clinton), ridiculous technological expansion including the INTERNET, the fall of Communism, I mean, shoot, the Human Genome Project... I could go on. Where am I going with this?
Oh yeah, good music too. Come to think of it, grunge was sort of crap. Well, we liked it in the day, but now it's morphed into shits like Staind and Nickelback. But it's the response to grunge that was fun, stuff like Weezer, Beck, Cake, stuff like Radiohead and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And while that was going on, Indie Rock was born.
So basically, I'm writing this all to say I kinda like Pavement. Slanted and Enchanted is a nice CD, more than I was expecting when I heard it was officially considered a starter of the "lo-fi" movement. Previously, I've heard lo-fi through a few tracks of Guided by Voices, and hated it. But it can be good. Plus I like Stereo, Shady Lane, Cut your hair, and other non-S&E songs I've heard. So Pavement, I like.
Built to Spill too, they're nice. Takes a few (okay a lot) of listens for it not all sound the same, but I do like it. See "Keep it Like a Secret" and "There's Nothing Wrong with Love"
A.C. Newman: not so good. After track 3, "The Slow Wonder" sputters out. But listen to the New Pornographers' Mass Romantic again, it only has a couple great tracks too.
Spoon: Better. I'd say it's worth $10 of the $16 I spent on it (buying cds? what?! Well I had a gift card, and they didn't have Sufjan Stevens's Illinois.) "I turn my camera on" is, as advertised, a pretty sweet song.
Speaking of which, Sufjan Stevens. The man is awesome. I am itching to listen to Illinois, I hear it's fantastic. Try "Greetings from Michigan" or "Seven Swans" too, they're both beautiful.
Bloc Party: Not, actually, so great. I'd count a half dozen tracks I really like, and the rest blend together. The ones that are good, though, are very good: "Like eating glass", "Positive tension", "The price of gas"
Bright Eyes, "I'm Wide Awake, it's Morning: The man himself (I guess I should say, his voice) is really growing on me. This CD, not as much. I've never been a really folksy guy, I guess I just don't appreciate it. But even listening to him tell a story (as in track 1, "the bottom of everything") is fascinating.
Interpol's "Antics" is a solid 7/10. Not brilliant, but I like it. w/o "Obstacle 1" and "obstacle 2" it's hard for it to compete w/ "turn on the bright lights", but it's still a good CD.
M83: Starts to grate on me now, after I've raved about it before. A lot of tracks are boring. That said, there are still a good 5 or 6 that I could listen to a lot ("unrecorded", "america", "0078h" especially)
Wilco: is steadily climbing. After 6 listens-through, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is now a CD that I would voluntarily pick out of my collection to listen to. For a previously not-so-folksy guy as myself, that's saying something.
Now: out of new music. Damn. Someone get me something to tide me over until I get back to school and i2hub.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Okay, here's an idea
Yeeaaah! I remembered my damn password!
Anyway, so here's the idea:
DontBuyAnIpod.com
Thousands of confused middle-class white teens have $300 to spare.
Apple sells iPods for $300.
This works out conveniently for Apple.
However, at Heifer Project International, you can donate a water buffalo or two llamas to a hungry family.
Through CARE, which states that as little as 28c can provide a meal for a hungry child, your $300 could buy... 1071 meals.
Through the Nature Conservancy, you could save 4 acres of endangered forests in the East Kalimantan province in Borneo, Indonesia.
And think of what that $300 could do for the Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club, Wildlife Conservation Society, or tons of other organizations.
So here's the idea: a website that encourages people to take that $300 that they saved for an iPod, and donate it instead. Instead of continuing to be slaves to a corporate propaganda society that has pushed the iPod for its "coolness" as much as for its usefulness, they could do something huge (like feeding a kid for 3 years). Plus I'd send you a cool little jpg or something else... maybe I could make stickers or something and send them in real life.
And the best part is, it's really easy. Donors don't have to work countless hours, etc... they just have to do without an iPod. Like they have been doing for their entire lives. Or worst case, they could buy an iPod mini and donate the saved $100. If someone got really inspired, he/she could sell his iPod (they still go for about $250 at least on eBay).
But I'm not doing this to look down on people who own iPods (I know most of the readers of this blog do; and that's cool) ... this will be an entirely "soft-sell" website. It won't guilt or pressure you into not buying that iPod that you really really want; it won't make you feel bad for owning one; it'll just give you some ideas.
Please let me know what you think. I want to start making this site right away, get it up before I get back to school. I figure I can just buy a domain for a year (www.dontbuyanipod.com is still open), pretty low initial costs... and go from there. Do you think anyone would consider not buying an iPod after seeing a site like this? I mean, odds are it'd flop, but what if it became the next Internet cult hit? How cool would that be... using the internet to get donations pouring in to some worthwhile charity instead of Steve Jobs's pockets?
... leave thoughts!
Your resident idealist,
Dan
Anyway, so here's the idea:
DontBuyAnIpod.com
Thousands of confused middle-class white teens have $300 to spare.
Apple sells iPods for $300.
This works out conveniently for Apple.
However, at Heifer Project International, you can donate a water buffalo or two llamas to a hungry family.
Through CARE, which states that as little as 28c can provide a meal for a hungry child, your $300 could buy... 1071 meals.
Through the Nature Conservancy, you could save 4 acres of endangered forests in the East Kalimantan province in Borneo, Indonesia.
And think of what that $300 could do for the Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club, Wildlife Conservation Society, or tons of other organizations.
So here's the idea: a website that encourages people to take that $300 that they saved for an iPod, and donate it instead. Instead of continuing to be slaves to a corporate propaganda society that has pushed the iPod for its "coolness" as much as for its usefulness, they could do something huge (like feeding a kid for 3 years). Plus I'd send you a cool little jpg or something else... maybe I could make stickers or something and send them in real life.
And the best part is, it's really easy. Donors don't have to work countless hours, etc... they just have to do without an iPod. Like they have been doing for their entire lives. Or worst case, they could buy an iPod mini and donate the saved $100. If someone got really inspired, he/she could sell his iPod (they still go for about $250 at least on eBay).
But I'm not doing this to look down on people who own iPods (I know most of the readers of this blog do; and that's cool) ... this will be an entirely "soft-sell" website. It won't guilt or pressure you into not buying that iPod that you really really want; it won't make you feel bad for owning one; it'll just give you some ideas.
Please let me know what you think. I want to start making this site right away, get it up before I get back to school. I figure I can just buy a domain for a year (www.dontbuyanipod.com is still open), pretty low initial costs... and go from there. Do you think anyone would consider not buying an iPod after seeing a site like this? I mean, odds are it'd flop, but what if it became the next Internet cult hit? How cool would that be... using the internet to get donations pouring in to some worthwhile charity instead of Steve Jobs's pockets?
... leave thoughts!
Your resident idealist,
Dan
Kick me in the teeth with a steel-toed boot
... I reset my password yesterday, because we got that email about how we were supposed to reset them, and it's something super-secret, super-strong, and I forgot it, and I didn't write it anywhere or configure my account for easy resetting. Run me over with a goddamn bulldozer.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
No, you're not.
Can we put an end to this "I'm too lazy" business? As in, "I would take up guitar, but I'm too lazy." or, "I could be getting a 4.0, but I'm too lazy."
See, the thing here is that it's not about laziness, because most of the people who say this clearly aren't lazy. It's just that they've put other priorities above whatever it is that they are "too lazy" to do.
Maybe it's a last line of psychological defense- like "I could beat you at basketball if I practiced every day, but I'm too lazy." Affirming that you're better than the other person, except that the other person puts in way too much time, and his ridiculous obsession with basketball is the only thing keeping him better than you. Guys, this is weak. The other person put in more work, he deserves to beat you. Unless you believe that your God-given gift of basketball skill should make you win every time, no matter how hard he works- in which case, what's the point of ever trying at anything, because someone with more inherent talent will just beat you.
I can only hope it's that, because the alternative is that you truly are lazy, and take pride in it.
I just got a medicine that burns away canker sores. I'm not going to bow down and scream praises to God Almighty, but I might toss a little thanks to a minor deity- like Graddar, lesser demon of oral annoyances. Canker sores are a bummer, and I may be officially free of them now!
Oh shoot, I got tagged by Joe on this little music dinghy. What? I don't do memes! But I've been targeted, and I get a chance to talk about music, so here goes:
6 current favorites:
1. "A Good Man is Hard to Find": Sufjan Stevens + Flannery O'Connor = very pretty. I greatly enjoy Sufjan's music.
2. "Miracle Drug", A.C. Newman. Is it a bad idea to buy a CD based on one song? Probably. How about download it? I think I will, thank you. Anyway, the New Pornographers member turns in a 2:19 power-pop gem.
3. "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine", Spoon. See above.
4. "Highway Chile", Jimi Hendrix. Okay, it's kind of an overplayed classic. But I love it. I don't normally go for classic rock at all, but Jimi Hendrix is so compelling, even on a CD recording. Talk about swagger. If I could meet one dead musician, I'm pretty sure it'd be him.
5. "Pick Up the Phone", the Notwist. You probably missed their 2001 recording, "Neon Golden." I did too. You may not have ever heard of them. I hadn't either. This is soothing and poignant, check it out.
6. "Night after Night", Dan and Jean. This song is hilarious... Ram, Aaron, and Alex, you are my heroes. But it's also terribly catchy- I've heard it exactly twice, and I can hum it in my head. I mean, I think in one song, you've hit "pop" much better than most "pop" artists.
6 all time favorites:
1. Ted fucking Leo, Walking to fucking Do. If I could meet one live musician, it'd clearly be him. And I actually think Walking To Do over Me and Mia, they're both so good. Or Bridges, Squares.
2. Cake, Short Skirt Long Jacket. Incredibly fun song, and wonderful lyrics too. If I could write a song, I'd like it to be this one.
3. Oh dammit, Death Cab for Cutie, Photobooth. Like the entire CD "We have the facts and we're voting yes", it almost hurts to listen to it.
4. Ekoostik Hookah, Thief. Go to their website and download it, it's free. This song is "summer" like no other song I've ever heard.
5. Weezer, Across the Sea. Incredible climactic moment at "Words and dreams and a million screams..." It's good enough to make me forget that everything post-1995 ever happened.
6. I think for a serious answer, the Dismemberment Plan, the Face of the Earth. However, Wesley Willis's Rock and Roll McDonalds belongs on here, because I think I have good memories of almost all of my friends in regard to this song, somehow or other. Shoot, Hey Ya belongs on here for the same reason.
I feel remiss for not including the Arcade Fire and the Fiery Furnaces. I think, though, that to pick a single song out for either would diminish the rest of their work. Look, I could gush about music all day (or have a serious conversation about it... basically if you ever want to talk music, let me know, I'm always looking for new ideas.) but now I'm done, and it's up to:
1. Connor (still... I'm genuinely interested in what comes up)
2. Ram (Corn Mo better be on there)
3. Alex A. (what music inspires someone to become a pop star?)
4. CourtK (you were tagged a while ago I think, and missed it)
5. Julie Brown (probably some swing music of sorts?)
6. Scoot (obviously the music-meme-loving type)
See, the thing here is that it's not about laziness, because most of the people who say this clearly aren't lazy. It's just that they've put other priorities above whatever it is that they are "too lazy" to do.
Maybe it's a last line of psychological defense- like "I could beat you at basketball if I practiced every day, but I'm too lazy." Affirming that you're better than the other person, except that the other person puts in way too much time, and his ridiculous obsession with basketball is the only thing keeping him better than you. Guys, this is weak. The other person put in more work, he deserves to beat you. Unless you believe that your God-given gift of basketball skill should make you win every time, no matter how hard he works- in which case, what's the point of ever trying at anything, because someone with more inherent talent will just beat you.
I can only hope it's that, because the alternative is that you truly are lazy, and take pride in it.
I just got a medicine that burns away canker sores. I'm not going to bow down and scream praises to God Almighty, but I might toss a little thanks to a minor deity- like Graddar, lesser demon of oral annoyances. Canker sores are a bummer, and I may be officially free of them now!
Oh shoot, I got tagged by Joe on this little music dinghy. What? I don't do memes! But I've been targeted, and I get a chance to talk about music, so here goes:
6 current favorites:
1. "A Good Man is Hard to Find": Sufjan Stevens + Flannery O'Connor = very pretty. I greatly enjoy Sufjan's music.
2. "Miracle Drug", A.C. Newman. Is it a bad idea to buy a CD based on one song? Probably. How about download it? I think I will, thank you. Anyway, the New Pornographers member turns in a 2:19 power-pop gem.
3. "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine", Spoon. See above.
4. "Highway Chile", Jimi Hendrix. Okay, it's kind of an overplayed classic. But I love it. I don't normally go for classic rock at all, but Jimi Hendrix is so compelling, even on a CD recording. Talk about swagger. If I could meet one dead musician, I'm pretty sure it'd be him.
5. "Pick Up the Phone", the Notwist. You probably missed their 2001 recording, "Neon Golden." I did too. You may not have ever heard of them. I hadn't either. This is soothing and poignant, check it out.
6. "Night after Night", Dan and Jean. This song is hilarious... Ram, Aaron, and Alex, you are my heroes. But it's also terribly catchy- I've heard it exactly twice, and I can hum it in my head. I mean, I think in one song, you've hit "pop" much better than most "pop" artists.
6 all time favorites:
1. Ted fucking Leo, Walking to fucking Do. If I could meet one live musician, it'd clearly be him. And I actually think Walking To Do over Me and Mia, they're both so good. Or Bridges, Squares.
2. Cake, Short Skirt Long Jacket. Incredibly fun song, and wonderful lyrics too. If I could write a song, I'd like it to be this one.
3. Oh dammit, Death Cab for Cutie, Photobooth. Like the entire CD "We have the facts and we're voting yes", it almost hurts to listen to it.
4. Ekoostik Hookah, Thief. Go to their website and download it, it's free. This song is "summer" like no other song I've ever heard.
5. Weezer, Across the Sea. Incredible climactic moment at "Words and dreams and a million screams..." It's good enough to make me forget that everything post-1995 ever happened.
6. I think for a serious answer, the Dismemberment Plan, the Face of the Earth. However, Wesley Willis's Rock and Roll McDonalds belongs on here, because I think I have good memories of almost all of my friends in regard to this song, somehow or other. Shoot, Hey Ya belongs on here for the same reason.
I feel remiss for not including the Arcade Fire and the Fiery Furnaces. I think, though, that to pick a single song out for either would diminish the rest of their work. Look, I could gush about music all day (or have a serious conversation about it... basically if you ever want to talk music, let me know, I'm always looking for new ideas.) but now I'm done, and it's up to:
1. Connor (still... I'm genuinely interested in what comes up)
2. Ram (Corn Mo better be on there)
3. Alex A. (what music inspires someone to become a pop star?)
4. CourtK (you were tagged a while ago I think, and missed it)
5. Julie Brown (probably some swing music of sorts?)
6. Scoot (obviously the music-meme-loving type)
Monday, July 18, 2005
A banana a day
I come in to work, and we're playing musical desks. Some kid's sitting at mine. Well, cool, I find my new desk over by the window. I have a window seat! Fantastic! One of those little bonuses in life, like an aisle seat on an airplane. Mind if I take a little detour?
Airports have to be some of the most invigorating places in the world. First of all, they show a near-pinnacle of human power, just like those highway crossings where you have 4 levels of bridges over each other. How can you look at a highway crossing or an airport and not think, God, my species is the best! Ignore, for a moment, (I say this with no sarcasm) that we're ruining the planet, murdering millions, and subjecting 99% of our species to extreme poverty; and just look at one of these wonders, read a couple chapters of Ayn Rand, vote Republican, scowl at a beggar, and say, we humans really dominate this world, as no species ever has before! We're not perfect, but we're doing something right!
Of course, on a less philosophical, more immediate level, airports are one place where you can quickly sate your desire for buying souvenirs from whatever city you're in and magazines. Also fast food, or if you walk a little way (down the moving sidewalk) maybe overpriced bar-and-grill food. Everything at an airport is new, everything seems fancy, but in a subtle way, not like "look at me, I'm new and shiny." Every time I go in an airport, I get that same sense of wonder, the wonder that says "Now, I am in the future."
Airports are also fantastic places to juggle.
Umm... back to work. I sat down and had a mostly unremarkable day. Mandatory sexual harassment meeting at 1:30. We watched videos of situations and we had to decide if they were sexual harassment (obviously they all were). I would rant against this for its inanity, but why? Especially when you get gems like this: A guy saying to a girl "Hey, want some of my banana?" and pointing a banana at her suggestively. He continued to say "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Towards the end of the day, I was talking to two guys, and I mentioned that I went mountain climbing in the Tetons last week. (I did... well really I just climbed some rocks, it was easy stuff because I had never done it before. By the way, watch for it, there's a metaphor coming up). One of them immediately responded "Hah, I wouldn't want to climb a mountain, why bother?" and the other one said "I'd just fall off." I find it somewhat telling. Me, I'm still young, I want to climb every single mountain, going outward from Westlake, Ohio, in concentric circles, until I've covered the entire globe. I hope when I'm older I still do.
Really, that's the theme of my life right about now. Idealism and desire to prolong idealism, because if you can't keep that up, what can you do? I don't want to fade away like my 400 million middle-class brethren! I want to be remembered! Or if not, at least say, on my death bed, I ate the entire habanero pepper of life, spicy seeds and all!
... just like the 400 million others.
Airports have to be some of the most invigorating places in the world. First of all, they show a near-pinnacle of human power, just like those highway crossings where you have 4 levels of bridges over each other. How can you look at a highway crossing or an airport and not think, God, my species is the best! Ignore, for a moment, (I say this with no sarcasm) that we're ruining the planet, murdering millions, and subjecting 99% of our species to extreme poverty; and just look at one of these wonders, read a couple chapters of Ayn Rand, vote Republican, scowl at a beggar, and say, we humans really dominate this world, as no species ever has before! We're not perfect, but we're doing something right!
Of course, on a less philosophical, more immediate level, airports are one place where you can quickly sate your desire for buying souvenirs from whatever city you're in and magazines. Also fast food, or if you walk a little way (down the moving sidewalk) maybe overpriced bar-and-grill food. Everything at an airport is new, everything seems fancy, but in a subtle way, not like "look at me, I'm new and shiny." Every time I go in an airport, I get that same sense of wonder, the wonder that says "Now, I am in the future."
Airports are also fantastic places to juggle.
Umm... back to work. I sat down and had a mostly unremarkable day. Mandatory sexual harassment meeting at 1:30. We watched videos of situations and we had to decide if they were sexual harassment (obviously they all were). I would rant against this for its inanity, but why? Especially when you get gems like this: A guy saying to a girl "Hey, want some of my banana?" and pointing a banana at her suggestively. He continued to say "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Towards the end of the day, I was talking to two guys, and I mentioned that I went mountain climbing in the Tetons last week. (I did... well really I just climbed some rocks, it was easy stuff because I had never done it before. By the way, watch for it, there's a metaphor coming up). One of them immediately responded "Hah, I wouldn't want to climb a mountain, why bother?" and the other one said "I'd just fall off." I find it somewhat telling. Me, I'm still young, I want to climb every single mountain, going outward from Westlake, Ohio, in concentric circles, until I've covered the entire globe. I hope when I'm older I still do.
Really, that's the theme of my life right about now. Idealism and desire to prolong idealism, because if you can't keep that up, what can you do? I don't want to fade away like my 400 million middle-class brethren! I want to be remembered! Or if not, at least say, on my death bed, I ate the entire habanero pepper of life, spicy seeds and all!
... just like the 400 million others.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Waaaaa it's been a week
So (that's the conversation-starting "so", not the math-professor "so") I was in Wyoming all week. At Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
Yellowstone was cool, what you'd expect really. I saw Old Faithful and all the tourist stuff. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was the standout here.
Grand Tetons were cooler. I really enjoyed this park, the mountains were awesome. Went on a hike between two of the mountains, that was cool... but the real star here was rock climbing! I tried it one day, man, that is fun! I mean we didn't do anything tough, basically learning the ropes (literally!) and some easy climbs, but it's got me stoked for more. Anyone ever try this? (and does anyone know of anywhere in the Cleveland/Pittsburgh area it can be done?)
Then Friday: I go with Beej, Aaron, Ram, and Mike Yin to meet Jearl Walker (see: Kinetic Karnival ... also get out your encyclopedias and look under "awesome", or possibly under "portrait of virile masculinity") At any rate, this Cleveland State professor made some physics videos that we watched in 8th grade. They were remarkable for their 70'sness, kinda slipshoddyness, but generally coolness, as this guy would get sandwiched between 2 beds of nails, or walk across hot coals, or dip his hand into molten lead to illustrate physics principles. And lo and behold, due to the magic of Brian Gray, we managed to meet this guy! I was so excited. I got his autograph too. We all agreed that he is a pretty awesome dude.
We met Theresa Lin and got some tasty pizza at Rascal House, but she had to leave as we were going to They Might Be Giants... which was a great great concert. First, the opener, Corn Mo. If you've never experienced Corn Mo, it's hard to explain. He's got an accordion, a keyboard, and a large jar of rocking the heck out, with a pinch of mumbling between songs, creepiness, and a song entitled "Hava Nagila Monster." Then TMBG, um, opened for themselves with a fun bunch of songs, then played their regular set, then played 2 encores (the second with Corn Mo). Hits include Snail Shell, She's an Angel, and Fingertips. I was stoked. For a band that a lot of people think of as just a joke or something, they really rock. Not even kidding.
Thanks to the Grays for having us overnight, and to Mrs. Gray for a delicious breakfast. It was good. (and we watched some of the Kinetic Karnival)
The Mustard Seed Market, however, was not as good. Well actually it was great, it was deluxe, but stuff their is pretty overpriced.
List of Grocery Stores, from Least to Most Hippie:
-Marc's (just cheap. kinda depressing. but very cheap)
-Aldi (never been here, just guessing)
-Giant Eagle (pretty standard. not too overpriced)
-Trader Joe's (i think the pinnacle of grocery shopping so far. some organic stuff, all good quality, mostly very cheap. the only downside is that you can't complete a shopping trip here alone, as it's kinda small)
-Mustard Seed (lots of organic things, lots of dietary supplements, a bit pricey. very nice though, they have 2 stories and a cafe with a live band upstairs. whoa.)
-Whole Foods (again, just guessing. this is like the hippie foods hangout though, am I right?)
Basically, go to Trader Joe's. If you can't get everything you need there, go to Giant Eagle. Unless you're stocking up on nonperishables, then go to Marc's or Aldi. My mom likes Aldi... downside is it's all generic stuff I guess. I should go to Whole Foods sometime, maybe I'm vilifying it too much.
Saw Pete and Adam today. It's weird, we can't find stuff to do like we used to. Well we can, today was just a bit subdued. It was great to see them though, I'm sorry Dave couldn't make it. (and Kemal too... he's in Michigan? who knew?) Saw Brian too, I wish him and Billy Mats and Alex Z. the best of luck at IJA Davenport. But even if they lose big, I'm still wowed by the tremendous growth of the Circus Co (size and skillwise) the year after I left it.
... gasp, wheeze, done w/ this post. You win! Now go read your Harry Potter book, so I can borrow it.
Yellowstone was cool, what you'd expect really. I saw Old Faithful and all the tourist stuff. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was the standout here.
Grand Tetons were cooler. I really enjoyed this park, the mountains were awesome. Went on a hike between two of the mountains, that was cool... but the real star here was rock climbing! I tried it one day, man, that is fun! I mean we didn't do anything tough, basically learning the ropes (literally!) and some easy climbs, but it's got me stoked for more. Anyone ever try this? (and does anyone know of anywhere in the Cleveland/Pittsburgh area it can be done?)
Then Friday: I go with Beej, Aaron, Ram, and Mike Yin to meet Jearl Walker (see: Kinetic Karnival ... also get out your encyclopedias and look under "awesome", or possibly under "portrait of virile masculinity") At any rate, this Cleveland State professor made some physics videos that we watched in 8th grade. They were remarkable for their 70'sness, kinda slipshoddyness, but generally coolness, as this guy would get sandwiched between 2 beds of nails, or walk across hot coals, or dip his hand into molten lead to illustrate physics principles. And lo and behold, due to the magic of Brian Gray, we managed to meet this guy! I was so excited. I got his autograph too. We all agreed that he is a pretty awesome dude.
We met Theresa Lin and got some tasty pizza at Rascal House, but she had to leave as we were going to They Might Be Giants... which was a great great concert. First, the opener, Corn Mo. If you've never experienced Corn Mo, it's hard to explain. He's got an accordion, a keyboard, and a large jar of rocking the heck out, with a pinch of mumbling between songs, creepiness, and a song entitled "Hava Nagila Monster." Then TMBG, um, opened for themselves with a fun bunch of songs, then played their regular set, then played 2 encores (the second with Corn Mo). Hits include Snail Shell, She's an Angel, and Fingertips. I was stoked. For a band that a lot of people think of as just a joke or something, they really rock. Not even kidding.
Thanks to the Grays for having us overnight, and to Mrs. Gray for a delicious breakfast. It was good. (and we watched some of the Kinetic Karnival)
The Mustard Seed Market, however, was not as good. Well actually it was great, it was deluxe, but stuff their is pretty overpriced.
List of Grocery Stores, from Least to Most Hippie:
-Marc's (just cheap. kinda depressing. but very cheap)
-Aldi (never been here, just guessing)
-Giant Eagle (pretty standard. not too overpriced)
-Trader Joe's (i think the pinnacle of grocery shopping so far. some organic stuff, all good quality, mostly very cheap. the only downside is that you can't complete a shopping trip here alone, as it's kinda small)
-Mustard Seed (lots of organic things, lots of dietary supplements, a bit pricey. very nice though, they have 2 stories and a cafe with a live band upstairs. whoa.)
-Whole Foods (again, just guessing. this is like the hippie foods hangout though, am I right?)
Basically, go to Trader Joe's. If you can't get everything you need there, go to Giant Eagle. Unless you're stocking up on nonperishables, then go to Marc's or Aldi. My mom likes Aldi... downside is it's all generic stuff I guess. I should go to Whole Foods sometime, maybe I'm vilifying it too much.
Saw Pete and Adam today. It's weird, we can't find stuff to do like we used to. Well we can, today was just a bit subdued. It was great to see them though, I'm sorry Dave couldn't make it. (and Kemal too... he's in Michigan? who knew?) Saw Brian too, I wish him and Billy Mats and Alex Z. the best of luck at IJA Davenport. But even if they lose big, I'm still wowed by the tremendous growth of the Circus Co (size and skillwise) the year after I left it.
... gasp, wheeze, done w/ this post. You win! Now go read your Harry Potter book, so I can borrow it.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Highlights for Kids!
- I'm going to Yellowstone tomorrow, and the Grand Tetons after that! (be back in a week, that is, next Thursday night.)
- In said Tetons, I will (probably, hopefully, likely) be climbing a mountain (or at least a bit of a mountain) on one of the days!
- Reel Big Fish concert tonight, it was pretty sweet! And I got Scott's guitar pick! (it says "Don't Hurt People" and on the back it says "Reel Big Fish" It's sweet.)
- They Might Be Giants concert next Friday!
- No work until next next Monday!
- Music highlights: Bloc Party I enjoy a lot, M83 is pretty darn nifty, and I'm sure Bright Eyes's "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" will grow on me. Beck's "Midnite Vultures" has really grown on me... I listen to it as much as Odelay or Guero. Also I like this CD I bought at the show tonight by a band called "Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer"!
- That's all for now. In the next 15 hours, there's a whole lot of sleeping and packing to do! (Walking To Do by Ted Leo is by far my most played song at work. Did I mention I want to steal his children?)
- In said Tetons, I will (probably, hopefully, likely) be climbing a mountain (or at least a bit of a mountain) on one of the days!
- Reel Big Fish concert tonight, it was pretty sweet! And I got Scott's guitar pick! (it says "Don't Hurt People" and on the back it says "Reel Big Fish" It's sweet.)
- They Might Be Giants concert next Friday!
- No work until next next Monday!
- Music highlights: Bloc Party I enjoy a lot, M83 is pretty darn nifty, and I'm sure Bright Eyes's "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" will grow on me. Beck's "Midnite Vultures" has really grown on me... I listen to it as much as Odelay or Guero. Also I like this CD I bought at the show tonight by a band called "Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer"!
- That's all for now. In the next 15 hours, there's a whole lot of sleeping and packing to do! (Walking To Do by Ted Leo is by far my most played song at work. Did I mention I want to steal his children?)
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Now, life.
What is it, really? I'm pretty sure it's all about other people. So if that's true, the best thing you could be doing with your time is spending it with people you love. Sounds good, no? I mean, when in your life have you been the happiest? When you're with other people, right?
But then what about the happiness you get when you accomplish something big? Is that less good then? What should priorities be? 1. other people, 2. accomplishing worldly things, 3. other stuff...
Right now, I'm looking at this:
1. Spend time with other people
2. Work in the summer, school in the other seasons
3. Hobbies/stuff that you can look back on and say "I got better at this"- right now, cooking, building that computer, listening to music (damn! listen to M83 sometime! I am really enjoying it!), a little juggling- kind of the "bragging rights" bit of life
4. Physical fitness- exercise every day, really
5. Other annoying tasks- cleaning out my room, etc.
6. I never really get past #4 anyway
and I'm pretty happy with this. If I can hit those top 4, I'll be pretty happy. This is boring reading though, so I'll provide another easy-to-read list, but this will be more entertaining.
- reading "A Heartbreaking work of Staggering Genius" by David Eggers. It's mostly brilliant. It's a little dull in some parts, but most parts are exactly the book I would want to write if I wrote a book, so I adore it.
- I've been juggling bocce balls! check it out- it's like weightlifting and juggling at once. How excellent is that?
- I played chess against one of my friends from North Olmsted tonight, said friend being brilliant at chess. He demolished me quickly, but it was cool just to watch someone so good instantly come up with the right moves. I think it all went downhill when I moved a pawn up two spaces, forgetting a crucial rule: I quickly was en passanted, and I lost soon after.
- Sketch idea! You know the phrase "you drive a hard bargain"? it'd be a commercial, about a car company named Hard Bargain. It'd be so cheesy: two guys would be haggling about a car price, the buyer would say "wow, you drive a hard bargain." The salesman would go "Yep, and now, you do too!" We can add more cheese as necessary. That brings sketch idea total to 3, along with "Adopt a Racist" and "the man going through puberty backwards." Is the sketch comedy troupe going to happen, or was that just a rumor?
-Wow, I went jetskiing today. The first couple rides were a little hairy, but I soon got the hang of it. After that it was a lot of fun. Thanks Brad and Brad's family for inviting me, it was cool.
-Going to freakin Yellowstone in a few days (this Thursday through next Thursday). How cool is that?! I still have to figure out what to do there. Hike a lot. Climb something, dammit! I'm young and sprightly, I want to conquer mountains and stuff! Of course I have no experience or equipment, so this may not be possible... well, I'll see what I can do.
But then what about the happiness you get when you accomplish something big? Is that less good then? What should priorities be? 1. other people, 2. accomplishing worldly things, 3. other stuff...
Right now, I'm looking at this:
1. Spend time with other people
2. Work in the summer, school in the other seasons
3. Hobbies/stuff that you can look back on and say "I got better at this"- right now, cooking, building that computer, listening to music (damn! listen to M83 sometime! I am really enjoying it!), a little juggling- kind of the "bragging rights" bit of life
4. Physical fitness- exercise every day, really
5. Other annoying tasks- cleaning out my room, etc.
6. I never really get past #4 anyway
and I'm pretty happy with this. If I can hit those top 4, I'll be pretty happy. This is boring reading though, so I'll provide another easy-to-read list, but this will be more entertaining.
- reading "A Heartbreaking work of Staggering Genius" by David Eggers. It's mostly brilliant. It's a little dull in some parts, but most parts are exactly the book I would want to write if I wrote a book, so I adore it.
- I've been juggling bocce balls! check it out- it's like weightlifting and juggling at once. How excellent is that?
- I played chess against one of my friends from North Olmsted tonight, said friend being brilliant at chess. He demolished me quickly, but it was cool just to watch someone so good instantly come up with the right moves. I think it all went downhill when I moved a pawn up two spaces, forgetting a crucial rule: I quickly was en passanted, and I lost soon after.
- Sketch idea! You know the phrase "you drive a hard bargain"? it'd be a commercial, about a car company named Hard Bargain. It'd be so cheesy: two guys would be haggling about a car price, the buyer would say "wow, you drive a hard bargain." The salesman would go "Yep, and now, you do too!" We can add more cheese as necessary. That brings sketch idea total to 3, along with "Adopt a Racist" and "the man going through puberty backwards." Is the sketch comedy troupe going to happen, or was that just a rumor?
-Wow, I went jetskiing today. The first couple rides were a little hairy, but I soon got the hang of it. After that it was a lot of fun. Thanks Brad and Brad's family for inviting me, it was cool.
-Going to freakin Yellowstone in a few days (this Thursday through next Thursday). How cool is that?! I still have to figure out what to do there. Hike a lot. Climb something, dammit! I'm young and sprightly, I want to conquer mountains and stuff! Of course I have no experience or equipment, so this may not be possible... well, I'll see what I can do.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
I'm sure everyone's heard the recent, sad, news
I don't know what to say, other than the shock I felt when I heard about it. I didn't even know him, really, I think we might have said hi once. But he seemed like a good guy, always smiling, etc.
I could fill this with more platitudes, but I don't think that'd help anyone.
At any rate, kudos to those planning the memorial service. I wish I could be there.
I could fill this with more platitudes, but I don't think that'd help anyone.
At any rate, kudos to those planning the memorial service. I wish I could be there.
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