Take Your Pick
Monday, March 10th, 2008
Back by popular demand... A video that's funny! I hope you all enjoy it. It's just a fun
video spoofing YouTuber's craziness and rabid desire for subscribers.
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
In an attempt, however ill-executed, to keep people thinking, my
newest video is here for your viewing pleasure.
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
Funny how things work out. That little video I made in opposition to California
Proposition 93 garnered a lot more attention than I could have
foreseen. I was contacted last week, just before the Primary by KNX (CBS) news radio.
They asked permission to use a portion of my video on air, as well as asking for a short interview with me which they might also use during their 'election special'. Naturally, I was surprised and glad to be a part of it.
The proposition was defeated and the video itself received almost 900 hits before the primary. So, I feel like my little video was not wholely in vain.
What follows is due to the fortuitous find of a dear friend of mine. Lost somewhere among endless hours of VHS taped Simpsons episodes was the Sunny Delight Commercial that I was fortunate enough to be a part of back when I was but a teenager. She spent too long out of kindness and transfered the commercial from VHS to digital form and have her brother email it to me. Here it is. Enjoy.
Monday, January 14th, 2008
Take a look at my latest YouTube Video-- this one deals with California
state
proposition 93-- I give my reasons for why I am urging a 'No' vote on prop 93.
I also talk a bit about my favorite love affair-- Pam & Jim of The Office.
Monday, January 7th, 2008
Over eighteen inches of snow and after digging my car out of it, I'm
thinking that beauty sometimes just isn't enough.
I've made a new video log (vlog)- please let me know what you think.
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
And this is how I feel inside...
Monday, December 17th, 2007
The winter is coming on strong, and yea,
I travel into the heart of it... willingly,
though not loving my fate.
For sixteen long, tortuous days I will fend in the wild.
Think of me in the cold, in the storms,
in the sequestered habitat of seclusion from those I love.
It's a very mad world...
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
~~ "Mad World" Tears For Fears
Monday, October 22, 2007
The summer heat lingers a little longer even into Autumn. The days grow shorter though, and the nights allow a crisp delight of refreshing cool.
I'm reading Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and I love it so far. He writes like Morrissey sings.
Iron & Wine has a new album
if you're not already playing it non-stop through your stereo.
Most of the songs on the album mark a significant departure from his preceding work. I've listened to the album
a lot and I really do enjoy it. I cannot say however that I am too pleased with the direction he seems to be moving in:
lots of percussion, and beats reminding me of a Samba- not my favorite. Nevertheless, There are some jewels on the album
such as "Resurrection Fern".
I know hardly anyone actually purchases music anymore these days (or so it seems),
but if there's one artist worth supporting financially it's Sam Beam. Go and buy all of Iron & Wine's body of work.
You'll be enriching your own life as well as supporting the market economy. Dear Lord.
Spend ten minutes to witness sheer astonishing ability and agility. It's awesome to see.
Barry Sanders. The greatest running back to ever play in the NFL.
Lastly, I was at this show. This isn't the best recording (poor audio), but the show was as awesome as it was short.
Bright Eyes: "Lime Tree"
Sunday, August 19th, 2007
Some Foer for my friends.
“He awoke each morning with the desire to do right,
to be a good and meaningful person, to be, as simple as it sounded and as impossible as it actually was, happy.”
Let us never forget our forebears.
New Order.
Muddy Waters in 1960.
Eric Burdon and War: "Spirit" live in Copenhagen, 1971
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007
"Come gather around people... if your time to you is worth saving...then you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone... oh the times, they are a changin'..." ~~Bob Dylan
Transition time has come once again. I will keep you posted.
Korn rocks. I'm sorry, but this does not get old.
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
Feeling a little psyched...
I have friends who I get along with who I know get very uncomfortable being alone, unless they're with people, talking all the time. Whether it's on the phone, or in person, they're never by themselves. Whereas I could be alone for months.
- Viggo Mortensen
Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
Happy Independence Day, America. Enjoy it while it lasts.
"Promote, then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the general structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened."
~~George Washington from his Farewell Address.
Edited by
Fred Newton Scott
U2 playing on the 4th of July exactly twenty years ago!
Celebrate.
Enough Said:
Sunday, July 1st, 2007
Likely, as you read this I'm out in the middle of the wilderness. Likely, it's over a hundred degrees out there.
Likely, I'm wishing I was sitting in Starbucks reading At the Mountains of Madness or The Historian.
Likely, I'm thinking of you. Will you think of me?
Listen: The Microphones
The Glow Pt. 2
God is good.
Saturday, June 9th, 2007
Gorgeous music.
"No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government,
our corporations, our media, and our religious and charitable
institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful." ~~ Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country
"How To Disappear Completely", Radiohead. (My theme song).
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007Summer
is barreling towards us like a runnaway train.
Here's a picture of me for those of you who haven't seen me in a while. Yes, the classic
mirror shot.
I just finished the first truly science-fiction novel
that I have read in a very long while.
I chose well, though it unfortunately did not end as
well as the beginning chapters foreshadowed. The book: Childhood's End.
The author: Arthur C. Clarke.
Here's a couple quotes from the text.
"A well-stocked mind is safe from boredom."
(my mind must not be well-stocked...)
"No Utopia can ever give satisfaction to everyone, all the time.
As
their material conditions improve, men raise their sights
and become discontented with power and possessions that
once would have seemed beyond their wildest dreams.
And even when the external world has granted all it can,
there
still remain the searchings of the mind and the longings
of the heart."
The Arcade Fire. Speak for themselves.
A great one from a while back-
(take note of Johnny Greenwood's guitar work)
Sunday, May 13th, 2007
Brilliant.
Saturday, April 21st, 2007
Grace. Indeed.
I was beyond pleased to read anew William Golding’s masterpiece,
Lord of the Flies- what a gripping novel even from the
first few pages. On a chance, the day I finished the novel,
reading these words: “…Ralph wept for the loss of innocence
and the darkness in the heart of man…” I learned of the brutal
shooting spree at Virginia Tech. The loss of innocence? Maybe
not anew. But the darkness in the heart of man? Indeed.
Another novel I'm reading- this one gifted to me by a
friend- has me enraptured.
Here are some quotations that have found meaning with me.
“…he who does not see the angels and devils in the beauty
and malice of life will be far removed from knowledge,
and his spirit will be empty of affection…”
“It is said that unsophistication makes a man empty and
that emptiness makes him carefree. It may be true among
those who were born dead and who exist like frozen corpses;
but the sensitive boy who feels much and knows little is the
most unfortunate creature under the sun, because he is torn
by two forces.”
“Love provided me with a tongue and tears.”
~~ Kahlil Gibran The Broken Wings
Also enjoying the very funny JPod by Douglas Coupland. If his writing has become less controversial it’s certainly become a lot funnier.
“TV and the internet are good because they keep stupid people from spending too much time out in public.”
Perhaps not less controversial.
“Sex is everywhere in even the drabbest office environment. But then, so is death. Find the middle ground.”
~~ Douglas Coupland JPod
Proud owner to be:
The Children of Hurin, Deluxe Edition. The first complete book written by J.R.R. Tolkien to be published in thirty years, thanks to the dedicated and careful editing of his son, Christopher Tolkien.
Soon, my friends, there will be an end to this madness.
There must be a better world,
"oh, there must be..." ~Morrissey
Monday, March 19th, 2007
Spring is well on its way. Welcome the end of Winter. Wear sunscreen.
“Baby, did you forget to take your meds?” ~~ Placebo.
“Anger is a gift.” ~~ Rage Against the Machine.
“I want a lover I don’t have to love.” ~~Bright Eyes.
Here are some beautiful lyrics to one
of my favorite songs (it doesn’t hurt that the song
features some of Tolkien’s elvish).
May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh! How far you are from home
Mornie utúlie (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantie (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now
May it be the shadows call
Will fly away
May it be your journey on
To light the day
When the night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun
Mornie utúlie (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantie (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now
A promise lives within you now
(music Howard Shore, vocals Enya,
lyrics Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens)
GO BRUINS!!!
Thursday, March 1st, 2007
Daytime chill brought by an unpredictable wind now breeze now gale now gone—yet each time it blows it frosts the bone throughout.
Some of my favorite things in the world (in the world of practicality). 1. Mountain Hard Wear’s goose-down jacket (without it I’d be in the hospital from frostbite or heart failure induced by cold.) 2. MSR’s “Dragonfly” camping stove (without it I’d starve). 3. My Ipod (books on Ipod!!!) 4. REI’s Kilo Plus Zero Degree 750 power-fill goose-down sleeping bag. 4. My Toyota Camry that has risen above the call of duty time and again in these harsh northern, winter conditions.
“Beauty. Don’t believe it.” ~~ Tori Amos “Caught a Light Sneeze”
I’ve updated my quotations pages a few times over the past weeks. Check it out if you’ve not read them in a while.
I’ve read a couple Graham Greene books in the past week or so. Before picking him up to read I had read many accolades praising his writing. I’ve heard him compared, quite soberly, to Dostoyevsky. Perhaps it’s just the books I’ve chosen to read: Loser Takes All and The Captain and the Enemy, but I have not been all that impressed. At best there are a few moments where these stories reached a certain tender/touching aspect, but little more to my taste.
Even still his stories did not leave me completely without words that I found poignant. Here’s one.
“It is only the dying who are free from ambition. And they probably have the ambition to live. Some men disguise their ambition—That’s all.” ~~ Graham Greene Loser Takes All
I’ve been listening to a lot of Placebo lately. Their album Meds is dynamic and if not a match to the brilliant Without You I’m Nothing it comes quite close. Notables: “Follow the Cops Back Home”, “Broken Promise” and the title track, “Meds”.
Currently reading: Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep which was the book that inspired the movie “Blade Runner”.
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. Good fun.
and a repeat read: Brave New World.
The Holy Bible.
Imagination stagnation
Tori Amos and The Cranberries
Texting
UCLA Bruins ranked top five heading into March Madness!
Letter writing.
Organic, whole foods.
Come on feel the Illinoise…
Friday, February 16th, 2007
Days old snow still rests on the mountains unchallenged.
Even the brightest time of the day brought no more heat
than a windy twenty-four degrees. Clear skies remain
and offer no insulation from the cold.
A few pictures from my travels.
Just days ago I finished devouring the early masterpiece
of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (the author most famous for
writing Faust) called The Sorrows of Young Werther.
Here’s what I wrote in the back of my book immediately
after finishing the book, tears still in my eyes: I
complete this book overlooking frosty trees and snow
covered ground four inches deep that extends as far
as the eye can see. Sleeping Ute Mountain rests off
in the distance.
The spectacle is simply majestic—I
feel not unlike poor Werther as he beheld the beauty
of Nature in happier days. My soul rejoices in the
wonder of Nature and the intimacy of Art. Indeed,
my heart was pricked and dashed over and again while
reading this most beautiful and wrenching story.
Alas, that I find such beauty in tragedy!
For is not all life and every life tragic?
To miss the beauty is to miss life.
To live tragedy is but to live _______.
Here are some quotations from the book.
“If I only knew where to go—I should be on my way.”
“I could be living the best and happiest of lives if only I were not a fool.”
“…The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their time working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it. What a thing human destiny is!”
“Solitude is precious balm to my heart.”
“What is the Fate of Man, but to suffer his appointed due and drink the cup of bitterness?”
“I am also disturbed to find he values my mind and abilities more highly than my heart, which is my only source of pride, and indeed of everything, all my strength and happiness and misery. The things I know, anyone can know—but my heart is mine and mine alone.”
“Indeed, I am nothing but a wanderer and a pilgrim on this earth! And what more are you?”
“May [God] grant you all those happy hours he takes from me!”
Monday, February 5th, 2007
The Story of the Stonecutter-- watch my newest video
wherein some ancient wisdom offers us some modern meaning:
Saturday, February 3rd, 2007Beautiful,
clear winter night. The Colorado skies are cloudless and
the night temperature is about twenty-three degrees.
Love is a Miserable Lie. Or so says our modern day poet,
Stephen Patrick Morrissey.
So, goodbye
please stay with your own kind
and I'll stay with mine
There's something against us
it's not time
So, goodbye
I know I hardly say
how much I love your casual way
but please put your tongue away
a little higher and we're well away
the dark nights are drawing in
and your humour is as black as them
I look at yours, you laugh at mine
and"love" is just a miserable lie
you have destroyed my flower like-life
not once-but twice
you have corrupt my innocent mind
not once-but twice
I know that wind-swept mystical air
it means: I'd like to see your underwear
I recognise that mystical air
it means: I'd like to see your underwear
what do we get for the trouble and pain?
just a rented room in Whalley Range
into the depths of the criminal world
I followed her...
I need advice, I need advice
because nobody ever looks at me twice
I'm just a country-mile behind
the world
I'm just a country mile behind
the whole world
so take me when you go
I'm just a country-mile behind the world...
Sunday, January 21st, 2007
Cold night in the snow covered high desert. It's about twenty degrees and dropping outside,
but inside this cozy Starbucks I feel as if I never left Southern California.
Some quotations from a book I'm reading and enjoying. The intense and sometimes wacky thriller by Mark Z. Danielewski,
House of Leaves, has proven to be more than mere gimmick. This book has had me on the edge of my seat as well as left me laughing out loud, not to mention thinking hard on a thing or two.
"Imperceivable and alone, though not I think so lonely."
"...[he] admits to carrying around his own alientating and intensely private obsessions."
"He scribbled until he died and while he came close a few times, he never finished
anything, especially the work he would unabashedly describe as either his masterpiece of his precious darling.
Even the day before he [died] he was dictating long discursive passages, amending previously written pages and
restructuring and entire chapter. His mind never ceased branching out into
new territories. The woman who saw him for the last time, remarked that 'whatever it was he could never quite
address in himself prevented him from ever settling'. Death finally saw to that."
"I wish I could ignore me."
"...drifting into an unremarkable and for the most part internal existence..."
The quotations that I underline in the books I read are almost always some sort of psychic reflection of my own state of mind. Or, in the very least, they are thoughts, ideas, or feelings to which I find a strong connection (albeit sometimes in direct antithesis).
Saturated in silence...
Tuesday, December 26th, 2006
Just in time for the holidays! Check out my newest video-log.
Okay, so it started off a little slow, but what did you think of the story?
Here's another video that I'm proud of. This one features several of the
quotations that I have posted
here.
I hope you are well. I hope your friends still like you.
Kisses and salutations!
Sunday, December 17th, 2006
Warm, sunny day, yet it still feels very much like December. Or does it feel like Christmas?
The Sun warms my face, even now.
I wrote this song (the lyrics and melody) last year. Yet, I can't help feeling that it still very much relates. To What?
Listen and read along:
Odd But Not Unusual
I locked myself in my car again
I just can’t find the strength to step outside and face the day
How can one man change the world, alone?
AND EVERYTIME I TRY TO MAKE ENDS MEET
I FEEL THE SAME INSIDE
SIT THERE AND WONDER WHY
The street signs make me feel so sad
They only stand to remind me of all the things
That I do not have
Does everything come pricetagged?
So I look around
At all the normal normal people
Is there anybody out there who feels the way that I really feel?
So the streetlights tell me it’s okay to go inside
Maybe tonight’s news
Will bring some hope to a stifled mind
BUT INSTEAD, BURNING TEARS
OF A MOTHER’S FACE REMIND ME THAT
NOTHING’S CHANGED AND I STILL FEEL THE SAME...
This is my cry
For help can’t you see?
(This is my sorrow...)
(This is my plea…)
So I look around
At all the normal normal people
Is there anybody out there who feels the way that I really feel?
If you liked what you heard see
here for more information.
I really like this song:
Reading and enjoying:
Here, There Be Dragons
This book is not only well written, but it has a 'twist' very dear to my heart. I recommend it if you are at all a fan of fantasy writing.
Thursday, December 7th, 2006
Mild warmth following a hazy morning.
Some quotes.
"He felt as if the rest of the world had fallen away and he and Jonathan were left
alone upon a solitary island or promontory. The idea distressed him a great deal less
than one might have supposed. He had never much cared for the world and he bore its loss philosophically."~~ Susanna Clarke,
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
"The police found Zampano just like Lude found him, lyring face down on the floor.
The paramedics said there was nothing unusual, just the way it goes, eighty some years and the
inevitable kerplunk, the system goes down, the lights blink out and there you have it, another body on the floor surrounded
by things that don't mean much to anyone except to the one who can't take
any of them along." ~~ Mark Z. Danielewski,
House of Leaves
In case you still haven't checked out Sufjan Stevens- this
video clip
is a great intro to his soothing voice and unique orchestrations.
Iron & Wine also made an appearence at the ACL,
but unfortunately it's not featured on the video.
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
A minor heat wave has hit the West of the United States.
Utah and California alike are affected. Enjoy it now,
because soon winter will roll in.
I've updated the
Adventures page with pics from both my last week out
in the
field and my little vacation to
New Mexico
to visit my mom.
Some quotes. I had the blessing to finish three books this past
week (two of them rather short in length).
"What does tamed mean?"
"It's something that's
been too often neglected. It means, 'to create ties'..."
"'To create ties'?"
"That's right," the fox said. "For me you're only a little boy
just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no
need of you. And you have no need of me, either. For you I'm
only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes.
But if you tame me, we'll need each other. You'll be the only
boy in the world for me. I'll be the only fox in the world for you..." ~~ Antoine De
Saint-Exupery from The Little Prince
Whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives [and throughout], men seek a noble
vision of man's nature and of life's potential. ~~ Ayn Rand from The Fountainhead
What a great website: The Tolkien Library. If only I had money!
Friday, October 27th, 2006
Visiting Sante Fe, New Mexico with my mother! It's been beautiful- fantastic food
(we've been eating too much), gorgeous vistas, more art than one could ever see in a month,
and tons of fun.
Here's a couple pics. More to come after the trip, of course.
Saturday, October 14th, 2006
Gloomily gorgeous skies bring an occasional brief,
light rain.
I’ve posted pictures from my third week out in the field.
Click here
to see some photographs from one of the few hail storms we endured
as well as our first week off fire-ban. Week Two is in the works.
I hope to have those pics up before I
head back out into the field on Tuesday.
Ontus put together a great music video from our last
canoe adventure. Check
it out!
Over last week I had the good fortune to read a small book
The Tao of Pooh. In it, the author, Benjamin Hoff,
attempts to draw correlations between “Winnie the Pooh-ism”
and eastern philosophy, primarily Taoism.
The book was enjoyable despite the fact that I had
rather strong objections to many of his primary theses.
The best parts however were the (sometimes lengthy)
quotations from A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh
and The House at Pooh Corner. Here’s one
such quote:
“By the time it came to the edge of the forest the
stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and
being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along
as it used to do when it was younger, but moved more slowly.
For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself,
‘There is no hurry. We shall get there someday.’”
I recently finished The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
Brilliant book.
McCullers writes in a style that does not well mask
Dostoyevsky’s influence upon her. Here’s a quote:
”Death.
Sometimes he could almost feel it in the room with him.
He rocked to and fro in the chair. What did he understand?
Nothing. Where was he headed? Nowhere. What did he want?
To know what? A meaning, Why? A riddle.”
Friday, September 15th, 2006
Clouds run along the sky, making their way eastward like ballooned sheep herded too closely.
The temperature settles at a subtle eighty-six degrees. Not bad.
I have posted pictures and a brief description of my new employment. Click
here if you are interested in this latest
'adventure' of mine.
Here's a hint:
I'm reading a wonderful novel The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Here's a quote from the book:
"[He] was not a freak, although when you first saw him he gave you that impression. It was like something was deformed about him-- but when you
looked at him closely each part of him was normal and as it ought to be. Therefore if this difference was not in the body it was
probably in the mind. He was like a man who had served a term in prison or had been to Harvard College or had lived for a long time
with foreigners in South America. He was like a person who had been somewhere that other people are not likely to go or had
done something that others are not apt to do." (Page 25)
Another:
"...Wonderful music like this was the worst hurt there could be. The world was this symphony, and there was not enough of her to listen...
[When the music ended] she could not remember any of the symphony, not even the last few notes. She tried to remember but no sound at all came to her. Now that it was over
there was only her heart like a rabbit and this terrible hurt." (Page 143)
Indeed, only her heart like a rabbit and this terrible hurt. Sounds a lot like life.
Monday, September 4th, 2006
One-hundred and eight degrees in the open sun and it is into that scorching heat that my occupation takes me. Tomorrow I leave for what will be my first ‘official’ day of employment as a field instructor for a Utah-based wilderness therapy program.
I feel apprehensive when I am about to embark on this unique and demanding experience. I feel this way because I think that I am afraid of failure. And at this stage in my life, failure (in the workplace) is not an option. My hope for myself is that I will be able to focus on the task in front of me and not get too caught up in the future. I hope that I will be able to operate in the present and enjoy what is at that time. My hope that I cannot control is that no fateful ill shall befall me.
My work in the field consists of eight consecutive days, all spent out in the wilderness- living out of a backpack, and hiking around the Utah desert. We pack out all our own water and food. We prepare all our own meals in addition to building our individual shelters (for sleeping) and latrine digging (for you know what). The ‘wilderness’ aspect is about as legitimate as you could expect to find. It’s also one of the aspects that is most fun and rewarding. Sleeping under the stars, on nothing more than a sleeping-pad on tarp, is truly remarkable. Seeing the beautiful arrayed stars as the canopy of your nightly home brings to mind an inspiration that is hard to match in the city life.
Once the eight days are up I have six days off. Wanna plan a trip? Certainly, this is a very pleasing schedule and one I hope to take advantage of while my legs allow it.
Quote of the week:
”The heart is a lonely hunter.” ~~Carson McCullers
Friday, August 25th, 2006
First full day in Las Vegas, my new "home".
(or as I prefer to think of it, my half-way home). The sun has proved himself boss,
yet again. It's about 5:30pm and the temperature is just barely dropping below 100 degrees.
I don't think I'll be getting used to the heat anytime soon, nor the aridity. My lips
have been in a near constant battle with my face since I began living in this desert region
over eight days ago. More to come.
for now, a quote.
Henry tried again, “Well, surely, you will agree that a great
improvement could be made simply by cutting those trees that
crowd about the house so much and darken every room? They grow
just as they please- just where the acorn or seed fell, I suppose.”
… “Which trees?” [asked Jonathan Strange]
“Those,” said Henry, pointing out of the window to a whole host of
ancient and magnificent oaks, ashes, and beech trees.
“As far as neighbors go, those trees are quite exemplary. They mind
their own affairs and have never troubled me. I rather think that
I will return the compliment.”
“But they are blocking the light.”
“So are you, Henry, but I have not yet taken an axe to you.”
~~ Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Listening/watching:
Sunday, August 6th, 2006
A beautiful warm summer evening, complete with a breeze and bunny rabbit beauty...
Announcing my directorial debut-- a music video in honor of one of my favorite songs
of all time. It features the splended acting talents of my two beautiful friends,
Megan and Sally Ann. Click
HERE
to watch the homage to the masterpiece.
Consider it an interpretation...
Monday, July 31st, 2006
A great encouragement it always is to me when I read of other writers’
‘humanity’, their own struggles, their own weaknesses, and demons, that
had to be overcome (in one way or another) to complete the writings for
which they are known. One such striking example is the words of Tolkien
describing his own personality and behaviors as hurdles to his writing.
In a letter here written in 1957 (the year that saw the publishing of The
Return of the King, thus completing The Lord of the Rings) Tolkien explains
what is most striking about his accomplishment.
“The chief biographical fact to me is the completion of The Lord of the
Rings, which still astonishes me. A notorious beginner of enterprises
and non-finisher, partly through lack of time, partly through lack of
single-minded concentration, I still wonder how and why I managed to
peg away at this thing year after year, often under real difficulties,
and bring it to a conclusion…”
I too am a “non-finisher”, even when beginning projects is as easy as
beginning a nap or a bowl of ice-cream. And just as I’m usually reading
about four or five books at a time so too am I often lacking “single-minded
concentration” (a thing that seems so important to the endeavor of novel writing).
So it gives me great hope when the author of the greatest fantasy work of
the last century (of all time) describes himself as such. For I too can
claim those negative adjectives, perhaps now with less reluctance, though
no less shame. For perhaps those descriptions are just what it means to be
a human writer; a human.
So why did Tolkien continue to “peg away” at the story for more than
twelve years? Tolkien continues: “I suppose, because from the beginning
[the story] began to catch up in its narrative folds visions of most of
the things that I have most loved or hated.”
Take these words to heart, young writer. (Quoted from Letter #199, The Letters
of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter).
Quote One:
From Plato’s Timaeus:
“The Father and Maker of all this
universe is past finding out; and even if we found him, to tell of him to
all would be impossible.”
Quote Two:
“He had the eeriest feeling—as if the world were growing older around him,
and the best part of existence—laughter, love and innocence—were slipping
irrevocably into the past…” ~~ Susanna Clarke,
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
Listening:
Underoath, "Writing on the Walls"
Tuesday, July 25th, 2006
At last, the
Adventures page has been updated with the Colorado Canoe trip!
Here's the website of a truly
great professor. Take a look around his website and you'll see why.
If only I could have taken such courses while
at university!
Friday, July 21st, 2006
Ahhh, lovely summertime sun.
Updates are in the works. I have some beautiful pictures from the awesome canoe trip I just
returned from. (No, this is not an example of one of the beautiful pics!)
(Which reminds me. I made an error in an earlier post. I had said I was
canoeing from one place to another. I got them mixed up. We traveled from Hoover Dam some
sixty-two miles down the Colorado river ending up in Lake Mojave, not Lake Mead).
Some Quotes:
"'I'm not a phone person. I can't quite get used to the telephone.'
'Why? Lack of intimacy?'
'Lack of interest. There's usually a person on the other end.'" ~~ Morrissey (being interviewed several years ago).
"After all, "success" is an American idea..." ~~ Mark Simpson
I was just listening to the Life After Darla epic anthem: "Today". What a stroke of
brilliance, if I might be so bold. A song completely intoxicating, even so many years later.
I cannot listen to that song (especially when turned up loud) without becoming hyper in my
anticipation for it's chorus and climax. Gregory-Allen's guitar work was among his best.
Elevator's lyrics and passionate voice evoke deep-seated emotion, not unlike the content
of the very sober lyrics. Tim K's bass-line is mezmorizing, yet sophisticated and compelling.
Michael's synths are moody and moving. And the drums, well, let me just say that I loved playing that song live because of it's
exuberance. Take a listen. (just be sure to turn it up).
Tuesday, July 11th, 2006
It's warm in Southern California yet I'm heading into a heat to make this feel like Alaska in the middle of winter.
Today I embark with Ontus on our second canoe trip down the Colorado River.
This year we are traveling from just below the Hoover Dam to Lake Mead. We'll be covering over
sixty some miles in about five to six days. The temperatures are going to be above one-hundred degrees during the day, by night
it will get down to the frosty high-eighties. I am prepared to be burnt and scortched even after nearly constant applications of sunblock.
We are traveling smart. We have coming with us on the journey an electric generator, a DVD player (with Lord of the Rings extended editions in stowe), and a high-output fan (to blow all that hot air around the tent at night.
Not the Ritz Carlton, but for a river-side campground in the middle of the desert, not too shabby.
I will do my best to update you on the trip as soon as I return with pictures and video.
Listening: Op. 132, Beethoven by the Emerson String Quartet
If you haven't yet seen them, visit the new "concerts" link found on the
Adventures page as well
as the updated Missouri and Yosemite trips.
Friday, July 7th, 2006
A mere t-shirt is too much clothing in this direct summer sun.
Tonight Nine Inch Nails comes to Irvine and me and the rag-tag crew I assembled are going to
rain down fandom from high-pitched yells and spastic movements of the head and torso. I have
greatly looked forward to this night for some time now. May the lords of concert pleasure be appeased by our undulations...
Sunday, July 2nd, 2006
Too warm, perhaps, for some.
The Adventures page has been updated. More updates are, as always, in the works. Be
on the lookout in the short weeks to come for new additions to the "Movies and Madness" page
(Ontus and I have been busy! *devilish laugh of sinister proportions*)
Quote of the day (and perhaps some sort of commentary on my general outlook on life):
"Steady labour is rewarded by increase of knowledge and, best of all, one need not so much as look upon another of one's
fellow creatures from one month's end to the next if one does not wish it!"
Listening:
"You Know What You Are?" by
Nine Inch Nails from the
(better than expected) album
With Teeth.
And...come July Seventh...Be Ready To Rock, kids.
Interested in more?
Visit the ARCHIVES.
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