I really should try to invest in a domain and "real" blog like my brother but I'm pretty shite at tech stuff and wouldn't know where to begin. Someday. Plus, what would I name it?
You know what I miss? Cassette tapes. That's one thing I miss about the Camry (other than the sheer nostalgia) and cars in general these days. I don't miss cassette tapes in the infamous hipster "THE OLD WAY OF DOING THINGS IS BETTER" sort of mentality. It's just the way in which you have to listen to a tape that's just great. The cassette player we have doesn't have a rewind (or fast forward) function, so in order to rewind the tape you have to listen to the whole thing.
Now this sounds like an inconvenience, but I see it as a blessing in disguise. How often do we really sit there and listen to the whole album? That's the great thing about vinyl, too. You have to start from beginning to end. It takes away that element of instant gratification that we've become so accustomed to.
But yes, cassettes are great. Dina brought back a bunch of old cassettes from PCB over the break and Christmas came a few weeks early when she handed me Phil Collins' No Jacket Required (yes, the one with "Sussido" ala American Psycho). So I've been enjoying lyrical craftsmanship and sheer songwriting that hits a new peak of professionalism, and it's all uninterrupted in lo-fi.
Finals are finals. You know the drill. Re-reading Hamlet. FUN? Sure.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Brent defends Disney.
I feel that while this isn't direly important, it needs to be on the table.
Disney gets a lot of hate. These days it's seems that the name"Disney" has essentially because synonymous with "corporate juggernaut" or "teenage exploitation factory" or "soul-sucking entity" and the like.
I've slowly become a frequenter of the Disney parks. There are many Orlando residents who do the same. Investing in an Annual Pass is a pretty good idea, considering you basically pay a (discounted) flat fee and have somewhere you can go anytime you desire without having to pay for anything (except for food.) Don't have anything to do? Let's go to Disney World. Just walk around for a while. For free. Meanwhile you get to see all walks of life, people from other countries, and families acting genuinely happy. All rare things to see these days.
Back to the original point. I think that people forget that Disney is not just Disney Channel. It's not Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron parading around trying to steal money out of your wallet and devour your imagination.
It's funny, because the whole "corporate juggernaut" entity certainly is there, and I've noticed that it seems to be a tongue-in-cheek sort of joke with a lot of the employees. Anyone with any sense knows that, yes, Disney is trying to sell you merchandise pretty much everywhere you turn. And, sure enough, people (usually tourists) will buy it and it works. Disney does shove the business aspect of their entity in your face. But it's up to the dear park guest not to give in. The fact is that they know how to make money, they do make money, they will continue to make money, and, once again, it works. And people hate it. I've accepted it.
I was always a Universal Studios kid when I was younger. But going back to Disney now that I'm older I've found that all of the attractions that I once found "boring" or "educational" now catch my attention. Plus I enjoy the atmosphere, I guess. It's just a fun place to be.
The second (and most common) complaint about Disney is that "it's not what it used to be." It's true. Time's have changed, sure. The "newer" movies such as The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and other Pixar creations aren't exactly the traditional heartwarming tales that we grew up with, and they may focus more on the entertainment aspect of things, but I'll be damned if they aren't fantastic films. When we think of Disney as an innovator of "art" we think of films such as Fantastia. Look at Wall-E. It managed to break so many aethetic and "normal" conventions in the world of animation just as Disney's older work. Sure, we grew up on The Lion King and Alladin, as well as the other various films of the "Disney Renissance." Watch them again. You'll still be amazed.
I don't know where I'm going with this. I guess it's my response to the awkward and cynical comments I get when I tell people that I go to Disney and still have fun. Yes, I know that we're college students that are supposed to (as Eddie Murphy once said) party all the time (party all the time, party all the time.) Our collective should be putting rings in our noses and getting tribal tattoos. We should be shaking our fists and yelling at things. I have nothing against that. I enjoy the conventional, "college" fun. But the social scene this semester just isn't the same as it used to be. The climate has changed. I've found myself spending my weekends with Mickey Mouse, or perhaps colorful characters and sounds (concerts) of Downtown Orlando (some hobos, too) and truly enjoying myself. Although Ticketmaster fees and I-4 can be a bit of a drag. But there really is nothing like rushing back to a parking garage after a show with a crowd of people, irrationally (or maybe not) fearing the random hobos and bar patrons on your 1/3 mile trek.
On a completely unrelated note, I spent all week trying to find a fan. Yes, a fan. But apparently fans "aren't in season." Heaters are, though. We found one at Wal-Mart, which was probably the first place we should have tried. But really, fans aren't one of those things that "go out of season." This is Florida. Come on.
Disney gets a lot of hate. These days it's seems that the name"Disney" has essentially because synonymous with "corporate juggernaut" or "teenage exploitation factory" or "soul-sucking entity" and the like.
I've slowly become a frequenter of the Disney parks. There are many Orlando residents who do the same. Investing in an Annual Pass is a pretty good idea, considering you basically pay a (discounted) flat fee and have somewhere you can go anytime you desire without having to pay for anything (except for food.) Don't have anything to do? Let's go to Disney World. Just walk around for a while. For free. Meanwhile you get to see all walks of life, people from other countries, and families acting genuinely happy. All rare things to see these days.
Back to the original point. I think that people forget that Disney is not just Disney Channel. It's not Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron parading around trying to steal money out of your wallet and devour your imagination.
It's funny, because the whole "corporate juggernaut" entity certainly is there, and I've noticed that it seems to be a tongue-in-cheek sort of joke with a lot of the employees. Anyone with any sense knows that, yes, Disney is trying to sell you merchandise pretty much everywhere you turn. And, sure enough, people (usually tourists) will buy it and it works. Disney does shove the business aspect of their entity in your face. But it's up to the dear park guest not to give in. The fact is that they know how to make money, they do make money, they will continue to make money, and, once again, it works. And people hate it. I've accepted it.
I was always a Universal Studios kid when I was younger. But going back to Disney now that I'm older I've found that all of the attractions that I once found "boring" or "educational" now catch my attention. Plus I enjoy the atmosphere, I guess. It's just a fun place to be.
The second (and most common) complaint about Disney is that "it's not what it used to be." It's true. Time's have changed, sure. The "newer" movies such as The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and other Pixar creations aren't exactly the traditional heartwarming tales that we grew up with, and they may focus more on the entertainment aspect of things, but I'll be damned if they aren't fantastic films. When we think of Disney as an innovator of "art" we think of films such as Fantastia. Look at Wall-E. It managed to break so many aethetic and "normal" conventions in the world of animation just as Disney's older work. Sure, we grew up on The Lion King and Alladin, as well as the other various films of the "Disney Renissance." Watch them again. You'll still be amazed.
I don't know where I'm going with this. I guess it's my response to the awkward and cynical comments I get when I tell people that I go to Disney and still have fun. Yes, I know that we're college students that are supposed to (as Eddie Murphy once said) party all the time (party all the time, party all the time.) Our collective should be putting rings in our noses and getting tribal tattoos. We should be shaking our fists and yelling at things. I have nothing against that. I enjoy the conventional, "college" fun. But the social scene this semester just isn't the same as it used to be. The climate has changed. I've found myself spending my weekends with Mickey Mouse, or perhaps colorful characters and sounds (concerts) of Downtown Orlando (some hobos, too) and truly enjoying myself. Although Ticketmaster fees and I-4 can be a bit of a drag. But there really is nothing like rushing back to a parking garage after a show with a crowd of people, irrationally (or maybe not) fearing the random hobos and bar patrons on your 1/3 mile trek.
On a completely unrelated note, I spent all week trying to find a fan. Yes, a fan. But apparently fans "aren't in season." Heaters are, though. We found one at Wal-Mart, which was probably the first place we should have tried. But really, fans aren't one of those things that "go out of season." This is Florida. Come on.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I gave up
I gave up on NaNoWrimo. I wrote about 2,400 words in the first day and it pretty much bottomed out from there. Better than nothing. Between the election, sickness, and school, well, it was just too much.
I want to try to update this more regularly. I've been trying to keep up the blog on Myspace which and that hasn't flown so well either.
In academic news, I've finally encountered Paradise Lost. It was something that had to happen eventually, like some sort of big awkward meeting that you want to avoid. It's pretty interesting stuff, but I must admit I've had much more than my regular dose of poetry and plays this semester. Maybe the "older" stuff will grow on me, but I'm still wary of it at this point. Right now I'm just anxious to get take some classes that truly delve into the 20th century. Getting to (re)read Ender's Game (for a class, nonetheless) is like a prayer answered. Man cannot live on Milton/Shakespeare/Chaucer/Wordsworth/Keats/Tennyson/Wilde alone!
Actually, many of my peers would probably argue that last point.
I need to pump out some new short stories but the end of the month. It might be my shining moment of publication. Yes, it's by the UCF literary journal. But that's better than nothing, dammit.
I want to try to update this more regularly. I've been trying to keep up the blog on Myspace which and that hasn't flown so well either.
In academic news, I've finally encountered Paradise Lost. It was something that had to happen eventually, like some sort of big awkward meeting that you want to avoid. It's pretty interesting stuff, but I must admit I've had much more than my regular dose of poetry and plays this semester. Maybe the "older" stuff will grow on me, but I'm still wary of it at this point. Right now I'm just anxious to get take some classes that truly delve into the 20th century. Getting to (re)read Ender's Game (for a class, nonetheless) is like a prayer answered. Man cannot live on Milton/Shakespeare/Chaucer/Wordsworth/Keats/Tennyson/Wilde alone!
Actually, many of my peers would probably argue that last point.
I need to pump out some new short stories but the end of the month. It might be my shining moment of publication. Yes, it's by the UCF literary journal. But that's better than nothing, dammit.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Usain Bolt
According the Usian Bolt's father the secret to his prodigal son's running success is (why didn't I think of this) the delicious yams being grown in northern Jamaica.
This fun fact instantly reminded me of probably the most memorable as well as quotable line of dialogue in Things Fall Apart.
"If you split another yam of this size, I shall break your jaw."
This fun fact instantly reminded me of probably the most memorable as well as quotable line of dialogue in Things Fall Apart.
"If you split another yam of this size, I shall break your jaw."
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