Imagine for a moment if our intergalatic friends dropped in for directions and saw us in our christmas disarray and asked, "Say bud whats this christmas thing all about?"
"Its the celebration of the birth of the savior of the world!" Replies the earthling
"Oh... and the reindeer?"
I love Christmas! And I love how far we ve come since 0 A.D! I love that the fat man in the red suit who rides around in a sleigh pulled by reindeer is the great symbol of this glorious time! It shows it all, faith evolved into fantasy. It may seem sad to the believers but for me it says alot to the dreamers. Whats life without dreams? The great candyman Willy Wonka tells us "There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be."
"Can the candyman really cover the sunrise with chocolate?" continues our intergalatic friends
"Hell yeah he can... in our world!"
Merry Christmas to my fellow earthlings and intergalatic dreamers!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
My "Affection"
“Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.”
~C.S. Lewis
I have my nine right here... meet my nieces and nephews..
Yes I'm a very proud uncle!
~C.S. Lewis
I have my nine right here... meet my nieces and nephews..
Yes I'm a very proud uncle!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Long Goodbye
I remember watching the movie Braveheart with my dad, he seemed to really like the line "Every man dies, but not every man really lives." Whether it be a sudden or long goodbye, death comes to us all. On this day 11 years ago my father said his goodbye. I rarely visit his grave and I rarely leave flowers, I rarely even speak of him. I've always wanted to give him a proper tribute if not my greater respects. I just don't know how or what to do or even say. Its sad for me to not be able to talk about such a great man in my life. All I can say is I wish you all knew him.
Monday, June 9, 2008
A Little Bundle Of Contradictions
I've just finished a book called the "Imperial Life In the Emerald City" A book which the New York Times describes on the back cover as a "visceral-sometimes sickeniing-picture of how the administration and its handpicked crew bungled the first year in postwar Iraq." The author brings up some clear cut mistakes that were made that even in my mind can not be dismissed as simple ignorance or naive incompotence. I get it. In a haste war we made alot of haste decisions that were simply dumb. Maybe even the decision itself to go to war. But the book to me was more of a bitching and moaning fest about americans acting like... well americans in an arab country. On my king sized bed in my air-conditioned room with my HDTv I won't pretend I know much about war or what its like having never experienced anything like it. It all just seems so miserable.
I've currently been rereading "The Diary Of Anne Frank." Its been awhile and I forgot how funny she was even with all that was happenig in her world. "A truly Remarkable book" the New York Times will say about this one on the back of its cover. Everyone knows this tragic story of a young girl and her uncontrollable fate. She died just weeks before help could arrive. I dont know too many of us that can relate to such a life but I'm sure there are many out there today if given a voice they could tell very similar fates and circumstances. I'm reminded of a 15 yr old muslim girl from Kuwait I had a chace to talk to in Toronto. She was smoking a cigarrette sitting on a curb with her head wrapped in a shroud. She had a ghostly hollow expression on her face which never changed throughout our entire conversation. I asked if she ever wanted to quit smoking and she responded, "I want to quit everything." We got talking about what brought us both there, it turns out that her father was a general in the kuwaiti military when Iraq invaded her country. She was 6 at the time and watched her dad taken in the middle of the night never to see him again and her sister raped repeatedly having her uterus ripped out with a 3-prong used rocket propelled granade launcher which she was able to describe in horrorific detail. She watched in shock as her sister layed on the floor moaning for hours til she passed out never to awake again. She recounted all this as a matter of fact with callused emotion. It was truly tragic.
I feel like Anne Frank "a little bundle of contradictions" on the war we're involved with now. I cant imagine losing a daughter the way Anne Frank died and I cant imagine losing a father and sister like that of the Kuwaiti girl. How haste should we be in stopping and preventing such undeniable cruelty that exists? Many will argue thats not the reason we went to war or that there is other cruel dictators that we do nothing about or that we shouldn't police the world. Its easier to find an excuse then a reason but some things there is just no excuse for.
"I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains." ~Anne Frank.
I've currently been rereading "The Diary Of Anne Frank." Its been awhile and I forgot how funny she was even with all that was happenig in her world. "A truly Remarkable book" the New York Times will say about this one on the back of its cover. Everyone knows this tragic story of a young girl and her uncontrollable fate. She died just weeks before help could arrive. I dont know too many of us that can relate to such a life but I'm sure there are many out there today if given a voice they could tell very similar fates and circumstances. I'm reminded of a 15 yr old muslim girl from Kuwait I had a chace to talk to in Toronto. She was smoking a cigarrette sitting on a curb with her head wrapped in a shroud. She had a ghostly hollow expression on her face which never changed throughout our entire conversation. I asked if she ever wanted to quit smoking and she responded, "I want to quit everything." We got talking about what brought us both there, it turns out that her father was a general in the kuwaiti military when Iraq invaded her country. She was 6 at the time and watched her dad taken in the middle of the night never to see him again and her sister raped repeatedly having her uterus ripped out with a 3-prong used rocket propelled granade launcher which she was able to describe in horrorific detail. She watched in shock as her sister layed on the floor moaning for hours til she passed out never to awake again. She recounted all this as a matter of fact with callused emotion. It was truly tragic.
I feel like Anne Frank "a little bundle of contradictions" on the war we're involved with now. I cant imagine losing a daughter the way Anne Frank died and I cant imagine losing a father and sister like that of the Kuwaiti girl. How haste should we be in stopping and preventing such undeniable cruelty that exists? Many will argue thats not the reason we went to war or that there is other cruel dictators that we do nothing about or that we shouldn't police the world. Its easier to find an excuse then a reason but some things there is just no excuse for.
"I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains." ~Anne Frank.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
To The Whores Of Metaphors.. An Awakening
This weekend I watched one of my favorite movies of all time Joe versus the Volcano. It had been awhile since I ve seen this great work of art and it reminded me how much I love symbolism and hidden meanings and how metaphors reach people on so many different levels. This movie to me is about waking up... about living and not leveling... about conquering your fears and exploring your curiosities... about believing in miracles and living for them. This movie is brilliant! And I want everyone to watch it... again!
Joe lives a life of misery "I'm losing my soul" he says when asked whats wrong, thinks its is almost over because of a brain cloud "so I'm not sick? except for this terminal disease?" thanks a nameless God for it "Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life," falls in love "I love you too! I've never been in love with anybody before either! It's great! I'm glad! But the timing stinks. I gotta go," takes a leap of faith "We'll take this leap, and we'll see. We'll jump, and we'll see. That's life, right?" and then...
"...almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to ...only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement."
After the jazz big win on fridays chilly night me and my friend whiskey Jake decided to celebrate so we took the straight and narrow road to wendover. Its a road where songs are sung, stories are told, and the feeble try to conquer their thoughts on life all while fantasizing of winning the pot of gold that lays ahead at the roads end. Miracles can happen! Under a moonless sky, after a few Neil Diamond sing alongs and whiskey Jakes take on dating and sex and what should come first and why, we started talking about metaphors and deeper meanings and hidden truths. He explained the meaning of a line from one of his songs Butter for Burns, "Im your convenient floatation device disguised as a seat, you never think twice, if this plane goes down Im saving your life..." he explained that for him it meant taking your loved one for granted until you really need them.
After the jazz loss on sunday me and my friends Garrit and Rachel took a quick trip down the crooked road toward St. George, a place upon arriving that Garrit would affectionately describe as my "fortress of solitude." The sun was shining as we left and after a crash course on 80's music for Rachel and after I discovered that comic books actually have some pretty hot girls in them we arrived not knowing exactly what we were gonna do. After alot of food, alot of laughs and alot of sun we ended our trip up at the red rock cliffs over looking the city. Rachel tip toed towards the edge where I obnoxiously yelled "dont do it! Its not woth it! You have so much to live for!" she replied without looking back at me, "Im not jumping silly, Im just looking."
Using his expensive baggage as a floatation device as his woman sleeps in a coma, Joe awakes from his solitude...
Whether I be on the straight or crooked path, swelling in bright hot days or dwelling in cool dark nights, win or lose if this plane goes down I won't think twice... I want to live as tho I'm always awake even in a moonless shadow and forget the floatation device... I'm not looking I'm jumping! "Take me... to the Volcano!"
Other notable quotes:
Waponis Chief: We are the children of children and we live as we are shown.
Joe Banks: What's that? A teddy bear?
Waponi Chief: It's my soul.
Joe Banks: Oh, I hope you don't lose it.
Waponi Chief: Me too.
Luggage Salesman: This is our premier steamer trunk, it's all handmade, only the finest materials. It's even watertight, tight as a drum. If I had the need, and the wherewithal, Mr. Banks, this would be my trunk of choice.
Joe Banks: I'll take four of them.
Luggage Salesman: May you live to be a thousand years old, sir.
Roger Ebert: 'At night, in those corners of our minds we deny by day, magical things can happen in the moon shadows. And if they can't (a) they should, and (b) we should always, in any event, act as if they can.'
Jakes band The Devil Whale: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=6647855
Joe lives a life of misery "I'm losing my soul" he says when asked whats wrong, thinks its is almost over because of a brain cloud "so I'm not sick? except for this terminal disease?" thanks a nameless God for it "Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life," falls in love "I love you too! I've never been in love with anybody before either! It's great! I'm glad! But the timing stinks. I gotta go," takes a leap of faith "We'll take this leap, and we'll see. We'll jump, and we'll see. That's life, right?" and then...
"...almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to ...only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement."
After the jazz big win on fridays chilly night me and my friend whiskey Jake decided to celebrate so we took the straight and narrow road to wendover. Its a road where songs are sung, stories are told, and the feeble try to conquer their thoughts on life all while fantasizing of winning the pot of gold that lays ahead at the roads end. Miracles can happen! Under a moonless sky, after a few Neil Diamond sing alongs and whiskey Jakes take on dating and sex and what should come first and why, we started talking about metaphors and deeper meanings and hidden truths. He explained the meaning of a line from one of his songs Butter for Burns, "Im your convenient floatation device disguised as a seat, you never think twice, if this plane goes down Im saving your life..." he explained that for him it meant taking your loved one for granted until you really need them.
After the jazz loss on sunday me and my friends Garrit and Rachel took a quick trip down the crooked road toward St. George, a place upon arriving that Garrit would affectionately describe as my "fortress of solitude." The sun was shining as we left and after a crash course on 80's music for Rachel and after I discovered that comic books actually have some pretty hot girls in them we arrived not knowing exactly what we were gonna do. After alot of food, alot of laughs and alot of sun we ended our trip up at the red rock cliffs over looking the city. Rachel tip toed towards the edge where I obnoxiously yelled "dont do it! Its not woth it! You have so much to live for!" she replied without looking back at me, "Im not jumping silly, Im just looking."
Using his expensive baggage as a floatation device as his woman sleeps in a coma, Joe awakes from his solitude...
Whether I be on the straight or crooked path, swelling in bright hot days or dwelling in cool dark nights, win or lose if this plane goes down I won't think twice... I want to live as tho I'm always awake even in a moonless shadow and forget the floatation device... I'm not looking I'm jumping! "Take me... to the Volcano!"
Other notable quotes:
Waponis Chief: We are the children of children and we live as we are shown.
Joe Banks: What's that? A teddy bear?
Waponi Chief: It's my soul.
Joe Banks: Oh, I hope you don't lose it.
Waponi Chief: Me too.
Luggage Salesman: This is our premier steamer trunk, it's all handmade, only the finest materials. It's even watertight, tight as a drum. If I had the need, and the wherewithal, Mr. Banks, this would be my trunk of choice.
Joe Banks: I'll take four of them.
Luggage Salesman: May you live to be a thousand years old, sir.
Roger Ebert: 'At night, in those corners of our minds we deny by day, magical things can happen in the moon shadows. And if they can't (a) they should, and (b) we should always, in any event, act as if they can.'
Jakes band The Devil Whale: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=6647855
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Silly Songs for Silly Adventures
For Rachel and Garrit so that we may always remember our special day! We'll always have Park City in the springtime!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Lost and Found
Love Lost then Found
Life Free then Bound
Love Found then Lost
Life She then Tossed
Love Time and Hope
Life Quest and Cope
Love Tried and Crowned
Life Lost and Found
Life Free then Bound
Love Found then Lost
Life She then Tossed
Love Time and Hope
Life Quest and Cope
Love Tried and Crowned
Life Lost and Found
Friday, April 18, 2008
In Pastels We Trust
So last night I had a weird dream of aliens coming to take over the world. I don't know much of the details or what really happened but when i went to the gym this morning and caught a glimpse of the aerobics class the thought crossed my mind... what if aliens came down and the first thing they saw was an aerobics class? Women in all shapes and sizes reaching, bending and kicking in unseemingly ways in only god knows what direction (for each have their own limits), wearing every pastel color imaginable.
I later went to an army surplus store on a quest to buy more worthless stuff that i ll never wear or use, its a new hobbie of mine. While I was thumbing through the parachutes I couldn't help but overhear a customer with red hair and a flat top yelling at the cashier about how crappy the fatigues he bought were. He was wearing a lime green shirt tucked into a 2 sizes too small kahki pants. The crotch ripped out of his fatigues while he was out saving the world or somethin and the cashier suggested he just needed to get bigger pants. It was actually pretty damn funny!
To keep up with my hobbie of buying worthless stuff that I'll never use I decided to pull into DI to see what they had to offer. As I was pulling in I saw a lady pulling out of a parking stall right up front next to the entrance. So I waited to take her spot. Of course she was in a mini-van and of course she was talking on her cell phone. After alomost backing over an even older lady and a latino, both of which were wearing purple pastel shirts, she decided to stay on her phone but just take even more time to move. After another glimpse of who was coming and going I quickly asked myself "what the hell am i doing here" and left, but before I did i endulged in another hobbie of mine, road rage or the joys of patience as I like to think of it, I layed on the horn to let her know I was there and had been waiting for her spot.
I needed a few groceries and decided to hit up the supercenter. I go to wal mart for its the only place I know of where you can get creme-o-weber chocolate milk, DVD's and a Big Mac all in one stop. As I was walking through it I noticed all the many different pastel colored shirts they wear selling. It made me think of all the different people I saw today and I thought to myself this is the place where it all starts. As Im waiting in line I am rewarded for my patience by getting the chance of watching 3 of Gods choicest women receieve pedicures! And would you believe it 2 are wearing pastel colored shirts! Its just an extra perk at the supercenter.
So what if we re visited by aliens? Im not afraid! We're prepared. Our pastel covered people will scare the hell out of them or at least make them think they want nothin to do with us! We got great supercenters to supply us, we train in them, even our G.I joes wear em and we have a clothing purgatory to make sure they never go away! They'll think "what the hell am i doing here!" I just hope they honk before they go just to let us know they were here. I'd get off my phone and buy them a Big Mac.
I later went to an army surplus store on a quest to buy more worthless stuff that i ll never wear or use, its a new hobbie of mine. While I was thumbing through the parachutes I couldn't help but overhear a customer with red hair and a flat top yelling at the cashier about how crappy the fatigues he bought were. He was wearing a lime green shirt tucked into a 2 sizes too small kahki pants. The crotch ripped out of his fatigues while he was out saving the world or somethin and the cashier suggested he just needed to get bigger pants. It was actually pretty damn funny!
To keep up with my hobbie of buying worthless stuff that I'll never use I decided to pull into DI to see what they had to offer. As I was pulling in I saw a lady pulling out of a parking stall right up front next to the entrance. So I waited to take her spot. Of course she was in a mini-van and of course she was talking on her cell phone. After alomost backing over an even older lady and a latino, both of which were wearing purple pastel shirts, she decided to stay on her phone but just take even more time to move. After another glimpse of who was coming and going I quickly asked myself "what the hell am i doing here" and left, but before I did i endulged in another hobbie of mine, road rage or the joys of patience as I like to think of it, I layed on the horn to let her know I was there and had been waiting for her spot.
I needed a few groceries and decided to hit up the supercenter. I go to wal mart for its the only place I know of where you can get creme-o-weber chocolate milk, DVD's and a Big Mac all in one stop. As I was walking through it I noticed all the many different pastel colored shirts they wear selling. It made me think of all the different people I saw today and I thought to myself this is the place where it all starts. As Im waiting in line I am rewarded for my patience by getting the chance of watching 3 of Gods choicest women receieve pedicures! And would you believe it 2 are wearing pastel colored shirts! Its just an extra perk at the supercenter.
So what if we re visited by aliens? Im not afraid! We're prepared. Our pastel covered people will scare the hell out of them or at least make them think they want nothin to do with us! We got great supercenters to supply us, we train in them, even our G.I joes wear em and we have a clothing purgatory to make sure they never go away! They'll think "what the hell am i doing here!" I just hope they honk before they go just to let us know they were here. I'd get off my phone and buy them a Big Mac.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Great Rivalry
The great game of baseball has returned for another season. I love baseball! I love everything about it! The feeling you get at a ballpark is heavenly to me. To me it is more then just Americas favorite past time. I can relate almost anything to baseball its sad but true. To me it is a microcosm of life. Its just the language I understand the best. It goes far beyond what base you got to with so and so... I wont bore you with all the symbolic nature with the game and how I think it relates to life but i do want to touch on a persoanl note. This weekend was the first series between the Yankees and the Red Sox the greatest rivalry in all the game. The ultimate battle of good versus the great adversary depending on how you look at it. It was a very sad weekend for me for the yankees lost after putting up a long, hard fight. I can tell already its gonna be a tough match up everytime they meet this year. The Yankees aren't looking so good these days and the evil Red Sox are on the brink of taking control. They say good always prevails... well it didn't this weekend... at least not for me.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Variable Linear Equations
Winner winner chicken dinner! According to urban legend years ago a casino had a chicken dinner that cost $1.79. Back then a minumum bet in 21 was $2 so if you won you would have enough money to pay for dinner when an old chinese man hit blackjack he yelled "winner winner chicken dinner" the phrase stuck...it has since become synonymous with a cheap win, its what the southerners would say as jeff gordon takes the checkered flag.
I spent this last weekend at the threshold of a place where the cheap get cheaper and the dirty get dirtier. Its a place where you can feel like you re in paradise at the pool and at a jenny craig convention at the same time. Its where waiters are high rollers and truckers get all the women. Where truth is irrelevant and facts are as well.... everyone has a different story to tell. This place i speak of if you dont already know is the beloved gateway to vegas called Mesquite.
Having watched the movie 21 the day before i was anxious to use my newly acquired gambling technique of counting cards. I even joked with the dealer letting him know my intentions and oddly enough he even gave me a few helpful pointers about the odds and how i should play them. An old timer sitting next to me said forget all that you cant play the odds because the odds are set against you. He continued to explain his rationale in betting high even against the odds and not hitting on 15s and 16s when the dealer is showing a 10, but as his last chip fell and before he walked towards the sunset out past Beaver Dam he offered his last pearle of wisdom... "be sure to stay in the game no matter what, your here to gamble win or lose if you dont enjoy it dont play!"
The pitboss walked up to the table and I playfully gave the signal to my friend Chad that the table was hot. It wasn't. The pitboss laughs, he was unfased for he was watching the signs and signals that showed I was not counting correctly... me reaching into my pocket to exchange my green cash for their red chips and doing so on a consistent basis. Losing became enevitable and even accpeted. Even tho the signs and signals...green go...red stop... are very concious to me and constantly echo in my mind.. well the probability factor just never seems to set in... the variables may be different and ever changing, but the truth is the equation is always the same... you may win here and there but ultimately you re gonna lose, so just sit back forget about all the absolutes and try to enjoy all the plausibilities. Just give me the illusion of paradise. Make me feel like I could be a winner!
In this years election we are deciding our president from a limited pool of congress whos approval rating as of this morning is at %21. What does the dealer have to say about those odds! We now have left the democrats Queen of diamonds and the King of clubs and the republicans ace in the hole the Ace of spades. Even tho once a fighter pilot this self proclaimed maverick was never an ace and is hardly a spade. Hes more of a club juggernaut and acts more like a goose then a maverick. The queen of diamonds is as avertised but now wishing she looked more like a heart and a little less like a diamond. Which leaves us the king of clubs. The odds on favorite to win it all. Which makes me wonder how a man who has accomplished as little as he has has risen to the top of this club. What makes him different and better then the rest? Is it really his message and his inspiring speeches? Or that combined with the fact that hes black? Hes a "rockstar" they say at the podium. His speaking skills has given him an edge against his rivals. But what is his message? Can anyone really tell me what he stands for, what he wants to do with our country besides bring our troops home? Or do we even care as long as it sounds good?
socrates, an old timer, once said:
The aspiring speaker needs no knowledge of the truth about what is right or good... In courts of justice no attention is paid whatever to the truth about such topics; all that matters is plausibility... There are even some occasions when both prosecution and defence should positively suppress the facts in favor of probability, if the facts are improbable. Never mind the truth -- pursue probability through thick and thin in every kind of speech; the whole secret of the art of speaking lies in consistent adherence to this principle.
Obama has mastered this principle. The club leader is starting fulfill his role. The variables are a little different this time but the equation is still the same. Truth is irrelevant and the facts are as well... Just let me play my game and give me a nice sense of plausibility. The nation is starting to place its bets... the dealer is showing a King of clubs and the world awaits its new leader. He will have his enemies even some for the wrong reasons of course... the southerners will say "hes black jack" ....but somewhere in some cave you can almost hear the echo... "winner winner chicken dinner!"
I spent this last weekend at the threshold of a place where the cheap get cheaper and the dirty get dirtier. Its a place where you can feel like you re in paradise at the pool and at a jenny craig convention at the same time. Its where waiters are high rollers and truckers get all the women. Where truth is irrelevant and facts are as well.... everyone has a different story to tell. This place i speak of if you dont already know is the beloved gateway to vegas called Mesquite.
Having watched the movie 21 the day before i was anxious to use my newly acquired gambling technique of counting cards. I even joked with the dealer letting him know my intentions and oddly enough he even gave me a few helpful pointers about the odds and how i should play them. An old timer sitting next to me said forget all that you cant play the odds because the odds are set against you. He continued to explain his rationale in betting high even against the odds and not hitting on 15s and 16s when the dealer is showing a 10, but as his last chip fell and before he walked towards the sunset out past Beaver Dam he offered his last pearle of wisdom... "be sure to stay in the game no matter what, your here to gamble win or lose if you dont enjoy it dont play!"
The pitboss walked up to the table and I playfully gave the signal to my friend Chad that the table was hot. It wasn't. The pitboss laughs, he was unfased for he was watching the signs and signals that showed I was not counting correctly... me reaching into my pocket to exchange my green cash for their red chips and doing so on a consistent basis. Losing became enevitable and even accpeted. Even tho the signs and signals...green go...red stop... are very concious to me and constantly echo in my mind.. well the probability factor just never seems to set in... the variables may be different and ever changing, but the truth is the equation is always the same... you may win here and there but ultimately you re gonna lose, so just sit back forget about all the absolutes and try to enjoy all the plausibilities. Just give me the illusion of paradise. Make me feel like I could be a winner!
In this years election we are deciding our president from a limited pool of congress whos approval rating as of this morning is at %21. What does the dealer have to say about those odds! We now have left the democrats Queen of diamonds and the King of clubs and the republicans ace in the hole the Ace of spades. Even tho once a fighter pilot this self proclaimed maverick was never an ace and is hardly a spade. Hes more of a club juggernaut and acts more like a goose then a maverick. The queen of diamonds is as avertised but now wishing she looked more like a heart and a little less like a diamond. Which leaves us the king of clubs. The odds on favorite to win it all. Which makes me wonder how a man who has accomplished as little as he has has risen to the top of this club. What makes him different and better then the rest? Is it really his message and his inspiring speeches? Or that combined with the fact that hes black? Hes a "rockstar" they say at the podium. His speaking skills has given him an edge against his rivals. But what is his message? Can anyone really tell me what he stands for, what he wants to do with our country besides bring our troops home? Or do we even care as long as it sounds good?
socrates, an old timer, once said:
The aspiring speaker needs no knowledge of the truth about what is right or good... In courts of justice no attention is paid whatever to the truth about such topics; all that matters is plausibility... There are even some occasions when both prosecution and defence should positively suppress the facts in favor of probability, if the facts are improbable. Never mind the truth -- pursue probability through thick and thin in every kind of speech; the whole secret of the art of speaking lies in consistent adherence to this principle.
Obama has mastered this principle. The club leader is starting fulfill his role. The variables are a little different this time but the equation is still the same. Truth is irrelevant and the facts are as well... Just let me play my game and give me a nice sense of plausibility. The nation is starting to place its bets... the dealer is showing a King of clubs and the world awaits its new leader. He will have his enemies even some for the wrong reasons of course... the southerners will say "hes black jack" ....but somewhere in some cave you can almost hear the echo... "winner winner chicken dinner!"
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Irony of Irony
hmm.. my first blog... so of course it has to be about the irony of irony. I dont know what that means exactly but it is worthy to note at this time that i absolutely hate writing yet im writing...
i dont know much about blogs either or really what purpose they serve us but after a brief discussion about them with my friend ashley we ve concluded (well she did) that they seem to be the way we chronicle this day and age. Makes sense to me so i better get with it if i want my two cents to be worth anything these days(two cents is virtually worth nothin even in these days for those of you lookin back on this day and age from the future...virtually of course)
So this is how we exchange ideas and information to one another during the information age... we make up an interesting name that we hope is catchy so others remember where to find us (virtually), we pick a title hopefully one that is intriguing that one would actually want to read it... and then we inform... or entertain... or inform.... see this is where you lose me or i lose myself. The information age to me seems more like an entertainment age... while our means to receive information is constantly evolving i fear our information has deteriorated into constant entertainment. Are we really an informed society or just an entertained population?
I guess im just not feeling too smart these days... and i feel the same way about our society in general. We think we re enlightened with all our modern conveniences and our ever evolving labels we place on one another and different cultural eras to help keep us organized but i dont see it. To me this world just gravitates towards entertainment. And entertainment is fueled by irony. Webster’s dictionary defines irony as:
1. Witty language used to convey insults or scorn
2. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
3. A trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs
not exactly the most flattering definition but it seems to be what we all expect and crave.. We re all lookin for that twist that sweet sensational bit of information that changes everything! The suspense of irony keeps us intrigued and attentive. Irony is the blueprint of every popular movie we see...."Im not a smart man" remember that movie? The one of the retard finding success in everything he does? yup best picture! or the one about the general who was suppose to be the leader of a great nation but became a slave yet as a slave he saved the nation? yup best picture! It seems like all our news agencies has adopted this format for telling their stories... Did you hear about the attorney general who broke up all those prostitution rings, became governor and then got caught with a postitute? kind of ironic dont you think? I mean the fact that one of the great sources for our information uses this technique to inform us...entertain us...inform us... yeah you get the idea...
Even the courts of justice today are played out through the media our so called great information provider. Remeber the Duke lacrosse players? We all do because of the irony of it all provided a good story. The white all American boys at a prestigious college raping the down and out black stripper. This story provided plenty of entertainment and hardly any truth yet we were informed daily about it. We created our opinions and our labels and organized them all in our mind and then when fianlly proven wrong when that sweet sensational twist scattered them all... we peaked we climaxed... then we simply forgot them... onto steroids and the homerun record and more opinions and more labels....
Justice and injustice is argued everyday. Truth is accepted and rejected in every way imaginable. While pain and anguish is always on display. So really what is the value of being informed of all of this...??? Irony is an addiction like sex and drugs we constantly need more and more of it to keep us satisfied...entertained! The information age? Ha more like the great impotence if you ask me! So bloggers beware im searching for some viagara! ...this of course is my opinion my blog which i have now been able to organize under my label (virtually) . I guess the real question should be which the Gladiator himself asks, “Are you not entertained?”
i dont know much about blogs either or really what purpose they serve us but after a brief discussion about them with my friend ashley we ve concluded (well she did) that they seem to be the way we chronicle this day and age. Makes sense to me so i better get with it if i want my two cents to be worth anything these days(two cents is virtually worth nothin even in these days for those of you lookin back on this day and age from the future...virtually of course)
So this is how we exchange ideas and information to one another during the information age... we make up an interesting name that we hope is catchy so others remember where to find us (virtually), we pick a title hopefully one that is intriguing that one would actually want to read it... and then we inform... or entertain... or inform.... see this is where you lose me or i lose myself. The information age to me seems more like an entertainment age... while our means to receive information is constantly evolving i fear our information has deteriorated into constant entertainment. Are we really an informed society or just an entertained population?
I guess im just not feeling too smart these days... and i feel the same way about our society in general. We think we re enlightened with all our modern conveniences and our ever evolving labels we place on one another and different cultural eras to help keep us organized but i dont see it. To me this world just gravitates towards entertainment. And entertainment is fueled by irony. Webster’s dictionary defines irony as:
1. Witty language used to convey insults or scorn
2. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
3. A trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs
not exactly the most flattering definition but it seems to be what we all expect and crave.. We re all lookin for that twist that sweet sensational bit of information that changes everything! The suspense of irony keeps us intrigued and attentive. Irony is the blueprint of every popular movie we see...."Im not a smart man" remember that movie? The one of the retard finding success in everything he does? yup best picture! or the one about the general who was suppose to be the leader of a great nation but became a slave yet as a slave he saved the nation? yup best picture! It seems like all our news agencies has adopted this format for telling their stories... Did you hear about the attorney general who broke up all those prostitution rings, became governor and then got caught with a postitute? kind of ironic dont you think? I mean the fact that one of the great sources for our information uses this technique to inform us...entertain us...inform us... yeah you get the idea...
Even the courts of justice today are played out through the media our so called great information provider. Remeber the Duke lacrosse players? We all do because of the irony of it all provided a good story. The white all American boys at a prestigious college raping the down and out black stripper. This story provided plenty of entertainment and hardly any truth yet we were informed daily about it. We created our opinions and our labels and organized them all in our mind and then when fianlly proven wrong when that sweet sensational twist scattered them all... we peaked we climaxed... then we simply forgot them... onto steroids and the homerun record and more opinions and more labels....
Justice and injustice is argued everyday. Truth is accepted and rejected in every way imaginable. While pain and anguish is always on display. So really what is the value of being informed of all of this...??? Irony is an addiction like sex and drugs we constantly need more and more of it to keep us satisfied...entertained! The information age? Ha more like the great impotence if you ask me! So bloggers beware im searching for some viagara! ...this of course is my opinion my blog which i have now been able to organize under my label (virtually) . I guess the real question should be which the Gladiator himself asks, “Are you not entertained?”
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