Artist: Laurie Lipton

I ran across this amazing artist via phantasmaphile through this post. The artist, Laurie Lipton, has one of the coolest artist's websites I've had the chance to run across. Let me put it this way, it has screaming flowers. SCREAMING FLOWERS! Awesome. The art seems super detailed and beautifully executed, I wonder how these pieces look when you see them in person. The subject matter is macabre but has a definite sense of humor(or that could just be my twisted sense of perception). Check out the website!!

Great source for music, movies, various media

I don't know if I'm totally behind the curve or not, but I've been discovering tons of cool stuff on this site, www.archive.org. There's a bunch of cool old-timey music and a variety of other things. All legal(or so I hope!). Want some Buster Keaton movies? How bout this great Blind Willie Mctell song?

Oh what else today? Well, I never thought this would happen, but I'm actually enjoying some vlogs on youtube. For some reason I didn't think I could ever get into those things.

Yes, I know I'm spending so much time on the computer. Unfortunately it's the only semi-productive thing I can do. I went to the grocery store today and that zonked me beyond belief. Oh, it makes me so angry! Can't I just be like my old self and have some energy again! Well, I try and be as positive as I can, because I figure it's better to be happy than waste my time being sad!

Been missing my buddy.

Film: Au Revoir Les Enfants

The main reason I've even been thinking about the World War II period, other than the video I just posted, was that I recently saw the movie Au Revoir Les Enfants.

The story takes place at a Catholic boarding school in France during the Nazi occupation. I really got into this movie, although I wouldn't call this the greatest movie ever. The thing that resonates is the innocence of all the children involved, that events far out of their reach or control are shaping their lives in ways they can't even imagine.

This movie serves as a remind of how difficult life must have been in those days. Moreover, I think it's an extremely shameful part of French history that should not be forgotten.

I don't know very much about common everyday things of this era. I know about the fighting, leadership roles, and those sorts of things, but not so much the human stories, except for the Jewish people. I'd like to read about how the Germans coped during this time, how the French lived, how did Londoners live their lives in the midst of air raids... There was suffering on all sides, and enough shame and sorrow to spread all around.

Oh, I love this guy(doesn't everybody)

This sweet old man reminds me of my grandparents. Whenever I get to see them I love trying to get them to tell me stories about the World War II era. My dad's parents were in Paris at the time. A couple of years back they told me about it. It sounded horrendous, having to live under Nazi rule for 5 years. The sirens, the fear, the lack of resources... Hearing those kinds of stories makes me realize how lucky we are to be living in a relatively peaceful and stable society. The next time I see them I'll have to ask more about it, I don't feel like I know the whole story.

My other grandparents were in the south of France. As my grandmother tells it my grandfather tried to organize some resistance fighters, but it ended in catastrophe. Some of the guys my grandfather was with started shooting at the Nazi planes and ended up getting mowed down because they gave away their location. I guess guerrila warfare has gotten way more sophisticated these days.

I think it's sad that Europe had to go through two devestating wars like it did in the 20th century. The world lost a lot of great minds and talent through all the killing, not to mention the scale of suffering endured by so many. Maybe it had to take two terrible, crippling wars for the fighting to actually stop and buck the trend of previous European history.

Thank you Paris.

Paris has broken the celeb monotony. At least, in a minor way she has.

Paris on her new album:"I, like, cry, when I listen to it, it's so good."

Do I need to add anything to that. Was that scripted? It's too funny. Paris is once again pushing the envelope, teaching artists and any sort of creative person(heck anyone for that matter) that modesty and humility are qualities that can now be considered trashy, not hot, worthless and completely unredeeming.

Unfortunately I'm sure she's playing up to that dumb girl image she's cultivated. She knows that lines like that are pure gold. I'm serious, I bet she's a whole lot smarter than anyone thinks.

Debate? Bush vs. Ahmadinejad.

I am so happy. I just found a very funny article in which Ahmadinejad offers to debate George Bush. That would be fun. Pay per view. $50? I would pay.

Now, I think the Bush/Kerry debates showed us that debating has lost all sense of value in our day and age since everything is about gloss and spinning and looking good and having pretty teeth and all that(actually I didn't watch the debates but that's what I'll claim anyways because it works with what I'm saying). Look, if I've learned anything in my life, it's that looking really really good always beats out intelligence and moral uprightness. Always. If you look good you can get away with all the naughtiness you want, take a gander at our celebrities(oh how I love you dear celebrities!)

Now, we are in the 21st century. Since debates are so passe, I propose that they set a date and time for something cool and wacky, something postmodern. They should have a hot dog eating contest. I would propose a kung fu match, but that almost seems too bland, almost too befitting of my sense of humor. My inner American entrepreneurial spirit tells me we should do something better than a debate, because we could make WAAAY more money. Pay per view. $100, 200... We're all winners in this. Just keep brewing up a storm with Iran Bush, it'll be sweet, you're gonna make us a hell of a lot of money!! We just need to find the right postmodern money-making event to pit Ahmadinejad against George Bush.

Hopefully Bush doesn't blow this thing for us and decide he wants to just blow them up. We would lose a whole heck of a lot of potential earnings and profits if he did such a thing. I'm not a fricking weapons contractor, I'm an entertainer. There is no entertainment value in just blowing these people up, the only ones that win with that are the aforementioned weapons contractors and the news networks.

Verbal sparring, ratcheting up of tensions, it's fun, sort of like the Cuban missile crisis. Boy, those were the good old days when we didn't know if a 3rd world country might blow us up with Russian supplied nukes. Well, I guess all we have to worry about today are rogue terrorist groups with no borders and lots of resources.

I forgot what I was trying to say, hehe... I don't think I had much of a point except I thought the debate idea was kind of funny.

Artist: Natalie Kocsis

I discovered this artist via Art Junction. The work is very fun and crazy. The artist, Natalie Kocsis, has a website here. I love this sort of illustrative style. The way this artist draws eyes and teeth, it's the best. This art makes me want to jump up and down and have a good time. You can never go wrong if you are doing drawings and paintings of pirates and the Cheshire cat. Never ever. Remember that if you are ever stumped in terms of what to paint. And adding big swirling eyes and fat crooked teeth always helps.

What's up celebrities?

Ok. I'm going to admit it. I'm seriously pissed. Other than the Tom Cruise thing the past couple of days(which I think was kind of lame anyways), the going's been a bit slow with celebrity news. Can we just have one awesome insane incident, like, right NOW!? What the hell are the celebrities doing? Have they become so domesticated, sipping their orange mocha frappuchinos that they forgot how to do all the awful things that make them great? Here I am, not feeling too well, with the knowledge that a terrible celebrity scandal would totally make my day. Now, I do feel it in my bones, I know there is something coming, something really crazy, weird, something so outlandish and hilarious that we will never again be able to forsake said celebrities' movies and products from here on in to the end of our days. This crazy incident is in the air.

Nonetheless, the lack of publicly released sex videos, documented outbursts and threats against various cultures, and rehab stints due to massive intakes of drugs and alchohol is, well, it's surprising and disappointing. Celebs get a boatload of money so they have free time to entertain us with their antics, don't let them forget it. As you chastise them for their antics, always remember to secretly thank them and keep paying to watch their movies and buy their tell-all autobiographies. They need that money to keep supporting their scandal filled leisure lives. Oh American celebrities, your scandals and ridiculousness are unrivalled and unparalleled in the modern era. Thank you for pushing the envelope.

One Book... I don't really get the meme thing.

But this looked fun. So I'm going to go off of what I saw at this post at culturespace.

One book that changed your life: Crime and Punishment, by Dostoevsky.

My parents' had been pressuring me to read more books outside of school, in an effort to make me more 'cultured' or well-rounded I suppose. Maybe that's why I have all these links on my blog to culture sites, right? Anyways. I was so busy with schoolwork and sports that I didn't have the time nor did I really care to read more.

At some point I got fed up with my dad's needling comments about lack of culture or whatever it was. I was French godamnit, and that meant that I had to become a snooty bastard. I decided to read a book that had been lying around my room for a while, Crime and Punishment. I still remember how amazed I felt in reading that novel, like I had discovered a new avenue for understanding life. Crime and Punishment was so powerful and psychologically dense, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I quit the basketball team so I could have more time to myself, and thus began my book reading adventures.

One book you've read more than once: Catcher in the Rye

One book you'd want on a desert island: Probably the Bible. Hopefully I will figure out what I need to do to please God so I can get out of such a mess. Plus the Bible is pretty long, so that should eat up some time. Can I have both the New and Old testaments?

One book that made you laugh: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.

One book that made you cry: Bernard Edelman's Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam

One book you wish you had written: Gravity's Rainbow. Because then maybe I could understand it. This is probably one of those books you shouldn't read at 17, or at least I shouldn't have. I read the whole thing, and I don't think I understood any of it.

One book you wish had never been written: Can't think of anything. Even terrible things like Mein Kampf serve a purpose.

One book you're currently reading: La Guerra del Fin del Mundo by Mario Vargas Llosa.

One book you've been meaning to read: Sorry, more than one here. I want to read Stendhal's La Chartreuse de Parme. I'd like to read some Balzac novels, and also some francophone African literature. I've read a lot of literature from Africa, but funny enough, not from the french speaking parts.

Um, I can't help myself? More football.

At the risk of glutting my blog with football videos, I will just post one more, but it's a good one! A Barry Sanders' highlight reel. It's weird, the kids that put these things together tack on the worst music. This Sanders' video has a techno track, which is probably the most palatable of all the things I've heard so far.

How to feel better? Why, a Reggie Bush Highlight reel of course!

There aren't too many things to do when your heart hurts. Cross out the alcohol, drugs, random violent movies, and other debauchery. No, there is one thing that helps. Watching a crazy good athlete do what he does best. Most people who might stumble upon this video have no knowledge of football. That's ok. I think these grainy clips showcase a certain kind of poetry. Hope this guy does well in the NFL.

This morning

This is a sad morning. I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach and a pain in my chest. This big ol' house is so quiet. All I hear is the endless drone of the air conditioning system.

I shouldn't have written that thing on mydeathspace, I feel like I jinxed my dog. I should not have written about death, that was a big mistake.

Anyways. Although this is difficult, life is still full of so many good things.

There are many things happening in the world. Surprisingly enough George Bush and I have something in common. We are currently both reading books by Camus, isn't that a wonderful coincidence. I wonder if that is a harbinger of my forthcoming presidency?

Bad News Bears

My dog died this morning. I won't get into it, but of course it's gut wrenching and terrible. He was my best friend. He's helped me through my illness, always keeping me company at the house. I just hoped he might be able to see me all the way through. At least we had him as long as we did, and we had so many wonderful moments.

Stiff Little Fingers-Suspect Device

This is a great song by a good band. I luuuuuvvee the fashion. Wuuhheerre did you find those cut up t-shirts, so sexy and anti-establishment. I better check to see if they carry those hot shirts at Neiman Marcus.

Wow, MyDeathSpace

So, I just found this article on MyDeathSpace, a site dedicated to all those who have passed away on MySpace. I quickly glanced through it, and it is very powerful. In a sense our culture really shuns death and dealing with dying, yet at the same time I'm not sure if a site like this is the healthiest way to confront death. It makes things slightly surreal, although, maybe it effects others differently than it would me. I don't know, kind of like the nuclear bomb, really dangerous if handled by the wrong people. I have a bad vision of death being commercialized or profited from in a disgusting way. Moreover, I think it's fine to consume mass media, but to become fixated on a site like this, consuming death media... It could easily be very creepy. I don't think I'll be visiting that site again.

Movie: Les Felins and other things

Today I got to hang out with a really good friend who's in town for a little while. I didn't feel too tired overall, so that was a nice time.

Clear and Present Danger was on earlier in the day, I really wanted to watch that, but instead I spent my time reading. Damn, what a waste right? I only got to see the part where they blow up the drug dealer's house. I wanted to see the part where those guys on the roof pop out of nowhere and start launching rockets. Cool stuff. I've never seen the whole movie, I doubt it's all that amazing, but for some reason I think I'd really dig it.

Later, I watched part of this old French movie, Les Felins. I thought it might be decent, it has Alain Delon in it who I usually enjoy. But this movie was bad, just really heavy-handed, lots of silliness, but not in a good way. No redeeming qualities, except it had some good looking women in bikinis. That is it. Throw in some rocket launchers and drug dealers and maybe I'll mark it up a notch in my book.

Khod Breaker

I randomly came across this video(come to think of it, I guess everything on the internet is pretty random). I really wanted to write this video off when it began. Set-up: Two very very nerdy looking white guys, rapping in French, plus a terrible beginning(funny bad though). Could you imagine a better recipe for disaster? But once they get going, against all odds, it ain't half bad.

Updates: Lots of things to post soon...I hope

I haven't felt too well the past couple of days, so I haven't been able to do too much, except for tv, and that's not 'doing.' I consider that vegetating. Nonetheless, as everyone will be quite happy to hear, I have acquired an even broader knowledge of celebrity beefs(there isn't just one show on this!). The tv has also bestowed me with knowledge of old Roman shipwrecks and engineering skills, random football trivia and facts, baseball pennant race information, and more things to worry about in terms of current events, so I almost feel relieved that I'm not well enough to step out into the incredibly dangerous world that awaits me outside my doorstep.

I do have some great news. I've had pockets of time where I've felt well enough to draw a little bit. This is really exciting, I haven't been able to pick up a pencil these 9 months, and although my drawings aren't exactly intense, they are a start. I've been drawing little creatures and monsters, sort of magical little things which are fun to mess around with. I'll try and post some when I finish them.

I've discovered so many awesome things on the internet lately, I can't even believe it. If you have an insane desire for some French rap, which I suppose is an insane desire in itself, I discovered a great site, yolala.org, which has a bunch of great podcasts of French rap. The selection is really, really good.

I've also been reading up on energy policy. I'm trying to gain a solid understanding about this subject because I'd like to have a well informed opinion. I'll try and make a post on this at some point, although since I haven't been feeling too well, I haven't been able to dig too deep. However, I have been able to find some good sites and articles on this subject, which I will include whenever I make the post.

Haven't been feeling too well...

Not sure how much I'm going to be able to post, I didn't even realize how well I've been doing lately until I feel like I do now and being on the computer is a struggle.

If it's raining and you must use an umbrella, please don't let it eat you.

Culmination of human evolution? Ability to record funny animal videos?

I've been spending some time on Youtube, and one of the main things I notice is that there are tons of videos of animals doing things, usually kind of funny things. I'm a huge animal person, but there comes a point where I reach a saturation level, where enough is enough, animals doing the same stupid things over and over again gets a bit played out.

And it doesn't stop there, everywhere you look there are photoshopped pictures of animals that are meant to be funny. Or movies like Garfield or that kung fu dog movie, or Air Bud.

I suppose that is the loss of childhood, when you see animals doing funny things, or acting human, and you don't find it all that funny anymore. I still have extremely fond memories of that talking black cat on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. My sister would watch that, and I would join her just to see that cat. Inexplicably funny. Maybe it was his snide demeanor.

In spite of my mini-diatribe, I still find some animal videos funny. As much as I get annoyed, sometimes you just can't help yourself. Shoot, who'm I kidding, I still LOVE animals doing funny things! I feel like an alcoholic berating someone else for drinking.

Alizee

Who is Alizee? A very pretty French girl who sings... Kind of silly songs, but they are fun. The pop factory is working strong, not just in the US, but as I've been discovering via Youtube, in many places: France, Japan, South Korea, China, etc., etc...

Speaking of #5 in my previous post...

Can't help thinking of this Dave Chappelle clip I saw a while back.

Remembering to be happy because...

1. Sports. Since I've been sick I've loaded up on sports viewing like I never could before. Too bad I don't really care about sports anymore, but the entertainment value is still decent. Currently the basketball segment of this summer's World Championships is taking place. Games are broadcast live, unfortunately that seems to be 2am here.

2. I'm in the midst of a couple of good books.

3. I have some friends in town. Unfortunately my hands are somewhat tied in terms of hanging out.

4. I will get better. I will be productive again!

5. I'm discovering all the resources the internet has to offer. And no, no, no, that does not mean porn.

6. We have just acquired a bunch of Bruce Lee movies.

7. I discovered a bunch of Blind Date episodes on youtube.

8. My dog is still alive!

9. I'm better than before. Slowly but surely.

10. Things can always be worse. I know that sounds a bit morbid, but I mean it in the best way possible. As in, count your blessings.

11. Last, but most importantly, my sister is in town!

Japanese TV

I stumbled across this post which has some crazy clips from some Japanese TV shows. Please note that they are a bit sadistic, and I don't think I'm a better person for having watched them.

In my infinite boredom(please remember, I'm sick and can't do much else!) I've learned 3 things of late.

1. I will not be vacationing in Mogadishu, at least not in the near future. Somalia is becoming a hot bed of radical Islamists. I'm trying to figure out where to put that on my to fear list, does that push up my fear of terrorists significantly or not? The sad part about Somalia is that the whole region is so incredibly destitute, they've mined most of their natural resources so they don't have much to go on.

2. The Japanese are crazy. See above for link and evidence of this.

3. Stephen Colbert is trying to get a bridge named after him. A bridge in Hungary that crosses the Danube. From what I understand he is succeeding in his attempt. Many thanks to culturepopped for his article on Colbert, which also provides the link to vote for Colbert here.

Movie: Devil and Daniel Johnston

Daniel Johnston is a singer/fine artist who I think can be referred to as a cult figure. He has certain mental problems, which comes through in his drawings and songs. I first became a fan of his when I heard him on the radio a couple years back, singing his songs about Casper the friendly ghost. Those were some crazy, really cool, wacky songs.

Some people call Johnston a genius, but I think that's a stretch. I think he is extremely gifted, wonderfully creative, and a unique talent. At the same time, he is a seriously disturbed individual, but that's part of what makes him so good.

I just got back from seeing this documentary about him, The Devil and Daniel Johnston. It was good, although I'm not sure if people who aren't fans of his music would find it too interesting. His music wasn't presented all that well in the film, but his life and his struggles with his illness(debilitating manic depression) were interesting and well documented. I felt really sorry for him and his struggles, in the end this was a depressing movie. It reminded me of the documentary of Robert Crumb, called Crumb. Both Crumb and Johnston are depressing people, and there's something about their personalities that is frightening, not the funny kind of scary, but a dark and extremely sad kind of scary. I will not be paying money to take a ride inside these two peoples' minds. I think I will be taking the teacup ride, thank you very much.

Finance This Film Idea

I tell you, if I had the right connections, I would be going after the money to shoot and direct a movie like this: Snakes on Cocaine. This series would be huge, I'm having amazing visions of future sequels...Snakes in the Hood, Snakes vs. The Leprechaun, etc., etc.

Unfortunately I think it's going to take a lot more sequels for snakes to really move up on my things to fear list. I suppose in terms of the animal list they are currently in fifth place, which is actually pretty shoddy considering how vicious and crazy snakes can be. Sharks, crocodiles, scorpions, and hornets are all above. Sharks deservedly have the top spot, since they have had insane media exposure. At this point, any person who can take a dip in their pool without thinking of huge terrifying man-eating sharks, well I would consider you insane, immunized to fear, or you live in a cave and don't watch enough tv. More media exposure of crazy snakes(and no, one movie will not do it), and I promise you they will rise higher on my list.

Artist: George Tooker

Here's a post on another artist I love. His name is George Tooker, he's quite a famous 20th century American painter. He works in tempera, and achieves a beautiful mastery of the medium. His works are ethereal, haunting, and in terms of workmanship, really superior. Definitely need to see his paintings in the flesh. I include this link for a short bio on Tooker. This site has a variety of interesting links on Tooker.

Super Mario Brothers

This video is of a guy playing the Super Mario Bros. song on guitar, watch at your own risk. I haven't been able to get this song out of my head since first watching it. Very cool though.

Cue pretentious literary reference right....NOW!!!: The Mario Bros. song sets off a flood of memories in my mind that is comparable to what the madeleine cake does for Proust and his own memories and remembrance of times past.

My new hobby: Omphaloskepsis

In other words, contemplation of one's navel. Can be used to achieve a trance-like state.

Also known as the ultimate sign of boredom.

Japanese Funny Toilet Commercial

Japanese Funny Toilet Commercial 2

Toto insulated tub CM

Very random Japanese commercial.

World record trampoline slam dunk!

Found this video from this post. This clip represents why I want to move to Japan. Trivial random craziness.

Don't take that to mean I don't respect Japanese culture. Amazing artists, writers, filmmakers, and cultural history. Their pop culture is fascinating.

On TV: Celeb Beefs vs. Airplane Tragedy

Lindsay Lohan!!!!! vs. Airplane Crash

Lately I've been cultivating various things to fear because not only am I really bored, but it's kind of an entertaining way to occupy myself, although it could be considered slightly morbid and twisted. Whatever...

Of course I talked about Chernobyl in my previous posts. Well, last night I started getting my terrible headaches, and the only thing that really occupies me during those episodes is a good dosage of tv. So lo and behold I find myself alternating between two channels, VH1's Celebrity Beefs and the Discovery Channel's recounting of TWA's Flight 800 crash. Did I have to temper the tragedy of the airplane crash with a good dose of celebrity craziness? I don't know, but probably so.

Anyways, I learned a lot last night. I don't really want to fly anymore, although if I was logical, I really wouldn't want to drive anymore.

Secondly, I learned that celebrity beefs are just plain awesome. They make no sense and are pretty random, I guess celebrity beefs are a symptom of our post-modern age in which the crazier and more ridiculous things are, well the better off we all are because that IS true entertainment. By the way, GO LINDSAY LOHAN! You would totally kick Hillary Duff's ass.

I am going to SEND a major message, I will only consume the craziest, most nonsensical kinds of media, especially with what I watch on tv, because the crazier things are on tv, maybe fewer people will actually be influenced by what programs show and say. I'm stopping to think about that last thought, and realize that is some serious optimism on my part. Sorry, this whole paragraph was really condescending.

PS. Thank you tv. My consumption of your shows has allowed me to expand my fear in nearly all facets of my life. I consider my tv viewing last night to have been the cornerstone of a productive and successful evening.

Things I'm fearing at the moment:
1. Getting eaten by a shark
2. Getting eaten by a crocodile(by the way, I've had a discussion with somebody that couldn't be resolved, which would be worse, fear #1. occuring or fear #2?)
3. Terrorists
4. Serial killers, specially the sniper variety
5. Nuclear explosion
6. Disease
7. Flying

Chernobyl Video

Sobering to watch.

Chernobyl on TV

There was a great show last night on the discovery channel. It was about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that took place in 1986. I'd never thought about nuclear energy before this show, at least not in a significant way. The main thing I thought, well I guess it was that I knew that Homer Simpson worked in a nuclear power plant, section 7-G if I recall correctly. And Homer seemed to walk the razor's edge, barely avoiding disaster after disaster. Yes, a nuclear disaster seemed like a funny thing, I mean, at least in the Simpson world.

Anyways, I learned quite a bit from this show, but my paranoia increased exponentially with each extra minute I watched about this event. My mind kept focusing on the fact that there's a nuclear power plant not too far away from Phoenix, and the more imagery I saw from the Chernobyl disaster, a disaster which could have been much much worse, I got more and more freaked out. The most admirable yet tragic part of this whole incident were all the people that worked to stave off a more terrible disaster. Many of the workers sacrificed their lives, or destroyed their health in their attempt to curb a far more terrible fate for their country, western Europe, and possibly the rest of the world.

Ultimately, the show has forced me to reconsider my stance on nuclear energy. I am more leery of it than ever, and find the fact that many people are so quick to embrace it as an enviromentally friendly alternative energy source a bit frightening. Here's a link on Chernobyl.

Me: Girl takes pic of herself every day for three years

This is cool, but I know this has been done before.

Artist: Ed Paschke

Posting on another artist whose work I enjoy. Sadly Ed Paschke passed away not long ago, he grew up in Chicago and taught at Northwestern. I really regret that I never got to take any of his classes.
This is his official website.
This is a good catalogue of his work.

Zugzwang, Panglossian, Weltschmerz: Three Awesome Words I've Come Across Lately

I love the Economist. Now I know that probably isn't the coolest thing to say, but I love reading it right before going to bed. You know what's great about it? The fact that I run across crazy words like zugzwang and panglossian in their articles. I feel like I'm finding more and more reasons to like the British. I like their magazines, their pretentious music tastes(but they do have great music over there), their sense of humor and comedians, their literature, and I wish I could say their food, but that is probably reserved for the true anglophiles.

I don't know where I ran across the word weltschmerz, and I'm not sure if I would be impressed or seriously annoyed if someone used that in a conversation with me. Probably depends on the person. All I know is the next person that uses that in a conversation with me, I'm going to give them $10 on the spot just for surprising me.

On the USA Basketball Team

Since the World Championships are coming up I thought I'd post this. Too bad the guy Carter humiliated was on the French team. Anyways, I'm cheering for the US this summer.

Mel Gibson

I'm not usually a huge fan of Time Magazine, but the other day I read a great article on Mel Gibson by Joel Stein. Here it is, Maybe We Should Just Make Mel Happy.

I don't know what's up with me lately. Since I've been sick it's hard to do real things, so I think I've been escaping from reality by loading up on celeb news. I guess I'm just pandering to some weird part of my brain that has hijacked the rest of my mind.

Deerhoof Music Video



What a great band! I discovered some free, legal downloads of their music at this post that links to Deerhoof's website and mp3's.

Artist: Roberto Matta

Just another post on another artist whose work I really enjoy. This is Roberto Matta's work, more can be found at such a link as this. I like the energy in the work, the surreal quality, the melting forms(and melting makes me think of fire, and God knows I love FIRE!!!). Also, some of his pieces have this feeling like they are electrified. Coooooooooollll.

Little Miss Sunshine

I've been doing ok lately, so I was able to go see another movie this weekend. Got to see Little Miss Sunshine, which I didn't know too much about beforehand, which is usually best anyways. The movie was great. Very funny, some quirky, off the cuff sort of humour. The film had an excellent script plus a superb group of characters who are fun and crazy. The pacing was good and there was pretty much always something funny going on, whether subtle or bash you over the head funny. Recommendation: Go see this!

Favorite Recent News

Favorites:
1. Britney Video
2. Jenna Jameson new boyfriend
3. Lindsay Lohan sex kitten remarks...see previous post
4. Weird.
5. Hilarious. I already posted about this dog earlier, but seriously, this is the best.
6. More Jenna Jameson news, taking place here in Phoenix! What's the big deal, it's just a lap dance?

I hope that in reading this people won't think that my interests fall under porn, celeb news, and dogs. Come on, I'm a bit more diversified than that, at least I hope I am.

Lindsay Lohan, Ain't She the Bestest

Best part of this article is Lindsay Lohan talking about how she aspires to be a sex kitten, it's what she has worked hard for her whole life. I love it. I've always aspired to be a dancing carnival monkey myself. Find the Lindsay post here.

How awesome is riding your BIKE? Very.

I know biking as a viable form of transportation seems laughable to some people. I don't think so. This video shows how great biking is, especially if you are insane and not afraid of dying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmhV8OwSeQY

Useless info

Ok, I decided to ditch the old template because I think this one is simpler and making changes could prove easier with this basic layout.
Needless information of course.

I never thought I'd ever say this, but go Yankees! I don't know why, I've always hated them, but I kind of want them to win this year. I can't explain it, very weird.

Being sick is horrible, but sometimes it forces me to try new things. Case in point is all the time I've spent on the computer. I'm not much of a computer person, but being on the computer is one of the things I can do without getting bored or too tired and weary. I'm finally learning photoshop which is a great program, I've discovered blogging which is much more useful and interesting than I ever imagined, and I guess I never would have discovered all those great media things out on the net, like youtube and last.fm...

Changing template driving me insane

Oh my GOD! I waltzed into the template figuring I could change that stupid design stuff at the top with some sort of image. I mean how hard could that be? I have spent way too much time at the computer, all these different help pages make this stuff sound so easy. Now I am insanely angry, and still can't pull myself away from the computer. I feel like a poor little rat stuck in some crazy maze.

SERENITY NOW

I'm trying to figure out how to make some changes on this page. I'm realizing it's going to take more time than I initially thought.

Dude, I am sooooo tired. I feel like I've been on the phone all day. I didn't even get my proper dosage of mid-afternoon sports shows. But I did manage to catch one of my favorite Foster's episodes. I'm including a link to a video clip of one of the scenes from this particularly awesome episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k13pQo6a1iI

Also a couple links to vids of this awesome band, one of my sentimental favorites, never seen these videos, some are pretty hilarious. The one and only Pizzicato 5...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_A7qaX3R0o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRE_MJBIhtI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl3Hkqk5f7M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpqN_OBrfJc

Keeping with the Japanese theme, never heard this before but I like, Karia Notomo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvpRH9t0Ots

My dog

It seems that every night he comes by my room to harass me for more Milkbone cookies. He stands in the doorway, stares at me, gives me one of those hungry growls, and takes a couple of steps closer to me to make sure I see him. I'm a sucker for begging, so most of the time I acquiesce to his requests.

On another note I've been listening to this great album that I picked up at the Phoenix public library, Pere Ubu's The Modern Dance. It is sooooo good. I love the library here, they have so many dvds, vhs, cds, books(of course!) and its all free. Hurrary for the library.

Spongebob

So, I have to admit that I have been enjoying the Spongebob cartoon lately. Only now have I realized this could be a big problem for my sexuality, and for many other people and children like me who enjoy the cartoon.

I was interested and surpised that in my internet surfing I somewhere somehow stumbled upon a whole pile of crazy accusations that Spongebob is gay, will make you gay, and is a gay icon or something. Now, I won't lie, Spongebob does have some little mannerisms that are iffy, but hell, he's a cartoon character, so what, what if he is gay?
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6852828/

Kind of reminds me of the accusations that Bugs Bunny is gay. Someone vehemently told me this a little while back, and I have to admit I was surprised, I'd never thought about cartoon characters' sexuality before that moment, so this double whammy of both Spongebob and Bugs struck me as a cosmic coincidence.

Hilarious. I understand wondering if a hot person that you are interested in is gay, you know, because that could actually mean something to you in terms of hooking up. But a cartoon??? At least we live in a pretty weird place, where things are so topsy turvy and kind of crazy that we can be interested in very mundane silly things pretty much all the time. The saddest thing to me is turning on the tv news, I can't help but see how the news media masquerades as a purveyor of facts but is in fact such a circus and ratings monster that you're likely to glean more valuable information glueing your eyes to a channel like E or ESPN than CNN or Fox News. Thank you, and now if you will allow me, I will be getting off my high horse.

I love the irony of my writing such a post.

Artist: Thomas Hart Benton

Not too eventful of a day, so I don't think I'll write anything about it. I don't need to philosophize about life at the moment.

Just gonna post couple pics of another artist I really enjoy. I think you either like this work or you really really hate it. Sort of like Andrew Wyeth.

These paintings are by Thomas Hart Benton. Jackson Pollock studied under him a bit but almost went mental trying to paint like this. I like how Benton twists and distorts landscapes and figures. Everything tends to flow within his paintings, which is not something I usually enjoy but for some reason I do enjoy it in Benton's paintings. There's a wonderful lyricism and magic within these paintings that is just mesmerizing.

Posting stuff on another artist, Charles White

I love this guy's work. The way he distorts figures, very cool, very powerful. Can't find too much on him on the internet though. They have a wonderful charcoal drawing of his at the Prints and Drawing room in Chicago, called Harvest Talk. One of my all time favorites. It's the first picture in the four I posted.
Charles_White_a_lover_of_the_arts