I think I should add another category to this blog.

It should be called “The Thoughts that Have Been Banging Around in My Head for Far Too Long”. Or “The Thoughts that Make Me Stare at the Ceiling While I am Trying to Go to Sleep.” And there has to be a point to put a stop to it and just get it out.

I come a family setting that is more about what you have “procreated” rather than what you are “trying to create” separate from that. So if I am not doing the first part than the second part does not matter. And when you make to my age without doing the first part you are going to be “odd man” out. All I can say “It is what it is.” All I can do is focus on the second part. And the second part is something that they do not want to acknowledge. The good part is it saves a lot of phone calls. But it makes dinners awkward.

Plus, you cannot force something. Especially on to others.

There are times when you stumble across things on the Internet such as a video posting. As you watch it you realize that the person being featured has more wisdom than you ever realized. However, the sad case is this person’s wisdom was never fully realized while he was alive. And you have more questions for him. This is the case with the late comedian Patrice O’Neal.

It is hard to be attempting to do something the people around you do not understand whatsoever. I could lay out the “plan” or “THE VISION” (As the trumpets blare) with all of its fine details. The problem is the more details you give out the more people seem to figure out how they will not work. Rather, how to make them work. Everyone has an “escape plan” to make to the next level for themselves. And you have a role in them. Whether or not they tell you what that is. Your plan changes their narrative. It is just how life operates. That is why the clip resonated with me.

I know what I am do for all of its “ups and downs” is unusual. I am at an age where you tell people that I am “experimenting” they FREAK OUT. Our society has demonized the idea of “experimentation”. A failed national drug policy and risky financial products are big reason behind the fear. There are also way too many lawyers and insurance agents that claim “You can be made whole again. And it will not cost you thing to do so.”

Does Life’s Fine Print guarantee a return on the investment at all times? If so where is my refund on drinks and movies?

The traditional methods of achievement are not holding completely true so I have to turn to different sources for inspiration. It is more than finding just ways to improve the writing and finding outlets and audiences for it. There is no field of knowledge out there that exists on its own. It has to interact with all the other ones out. Anyone arguing for “purity” is wasting time.

I needed to find other sources for building the mechanisms and supports to help that “elusive plan”. I carry copies with me of the following books to refer when I have a chance. It is not always about improving just the “writing” part. It is also about improving the other parts around it.

(NOTE: I do not buy completely into any of the following sources as being the “absolute” way. I am just working through the parts that may help me. It is a matter of “assembling and reassembling” the process.)

1. GapingVoid.comThis blog I read weekly written by Hugh MacLeod. It is more about using the Internet to make connections. However, I am looking forward to his latest book Freedom is Blogging in Your Underpants.

2. The 4 Hour Workweekby Tim Ferris. He is becoming more prolific about his own personal experiments. His work is about achieving more efficiency in your everyday life.

3. The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau. Another source for ideas on how to accomplish things in an “untraditional” way. (It is how the “New Economy” is working. His latest manifesto The Towerpresents some formable ideas.

4. The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. There has to one book dealing with the “internal mental struggles”.

5. The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry is a book that deals with how to help clean up the thought process. I think it is a good exercise to breakdown and examine the “process”.

I have also been listening to the podcast This Week with Larry Miller. It is a weekly (thus the title) podcast that lasts about an hour. It features just himself doing what is basically a monologue. He discusses those everyday things most of us can relate to it. He breaks them down and offers another perspective to them. Many times he sums things up as “Maybe it’s not perfect. But for what it is. It is good enough. And that’s all right.”

Things exist within their own time. Recognize it. And accept it.

This is a photo taken on as I watched the Super Bowl game this year at my friends’ house. That is their daughter Olivia there. And I am “Her Favorite Uncle”. Before you applaud this achievement let me tell you the “competition” for the title was “weak field of contenders”. She was watching her film on an IPad just sharing the couch during the game. She is 41/2 operates an IPad and more importantly can read. She is also very amusing. The dog name is “Smudge” and his breed is basically “a stomach with four legs, a tail and fur”. Every time, I go over there that dog bounces up in the window and has the look that says, “Thank God you are here”. And then wants to be petted for about 10 minutes and looks at them with the look that says, “See what he is doing. Why can’t you do this for me?” It is nice to be appreciated. One day, Maggie (The Mom) told me that one afternoon the two of them were going “absolutely bonkers” and just started running around the living room and looking out the window. The reason was someone had parked a truck just like mine in front of the house. And they thought I was coming to the house. It took a few minutes, to convince them at that time I was at work.

I guess I have an effect. It is nice to be joyfully recognized.

There are times when you have a good thing. And I cannot recreate it to have for myself 24/7. And that is all right. There are just situations that are unique. So do not get greedy.

I think people too often can get too caught up within themselves. They do not take any time or effort to take a different perspective on things.

I start many of my mornings reading Jessica Hagy’s blog Indexed. She creates simple graphs that break down how certain things or ideas are related to each other. She also has some good ones too in Thoughts Over Coffee. She also had another article to take a look at titled, How to be More Interesting(in 10 Simple Steps). And Loopholing: Seeing the Options Between the Rules.

Sometimes when things seem to very “complex” it is a relief to be able to see something that breaks it down to its basic “elements”.

I am not sure how I really feel when it comes to “The Power of the Universe”. But I would also be insincere if I did not admit to the “possibility” that it may be at work out there. As I was pondering all my thoughts for this posting I came across this posting from GapingVoid. It related to an upcoming documentary about a renowned sushi chef who even in his older age does not feel he has truly mastered his craft.

Maybe the message of the film is that person needs to remember the “craft” on hand in the moment. Rather than focusing in on the clock or on a date on a calendar as the “ultimate deadline” for its achievement. There are things that need to play a few extra “Mulligans” in life.

The thing we should never retire from. There are things you do that time as “an ending” should not be taken into consideration.

Does any of this make sense?

If this left you with a “Blank stare”.

Sorry. But that’s on you.

Here is what is currently on my reading pile. And all of them were new additions to that never-ending pile.

The first book I finished was Code for Failure: A Gas Station Novel by Ryan W. Bradley. This book was based on a recommendation from Ben at Dead End Follies. I had never heard of this author before. And there was a good reason this was his first novel. It was also time to read something that was “off the radar” for a change. This is a story of young man who through failures ended up by chance working a gas station. I think many of us can relate to sense of dread we get from a job that is needed for the only purpose of paying bills. I think we can all draw from these jobs to make observations on people and circumstances. This book avoids what I have seen in a lot of first time authors which is lots words and over description of things. Each chapter is only a page or two so each one is concise. The plot as a result of this structure seemed to me to be of meandering pace. It was later on I realized that the main character to this book is also meandering through his life. He does not realize he is searching for that “unknown sparkplug” that will be the catalyst to moving forward.

It is a good read for those trying to find “meaning to this job”.

This book also made me think of what I can draw from in regards to my own employment history. And that is enough for a future posting.

Some readers may think a book must contain almost every word in the dictionary. Sometimes “condensed and precise” language makes a work a better read. He may be in another genre but the late author Robert B. Parker used the same technique in his work. I liked his Spenser series. It is a good example of simple structure and good dialogue used together to make interesting and deep characters along with gripping plots.

The second book came to me from the site LitReactor. There was posting list the works of Douglas Coupland. I had read his first book Generation X: Tales of An Accelerated Culture when it was released back in 1991. It was the “buzz” book being publicized by magazines like Spin. It was the book that would “define” the generation. I was young at the time and was looking for a definition to my generation that would be more realistic than that of the mainstream media. I liked the book for the time but it really did not stick with me over time. The part that did was the various “Neo-Logos” used throughout the book. The book did not define my generation but then it was hard to when I have never met anyone who has read the book or even heard of it. This is not to be a “slam” on the author. Just my circle at time has never been broad in the literary field. It is also something I realize now that with all the media outlets that there will never be that overall “voice of the generation” again. However, I am beginning to suspect there never really has been “one” for any generation. Plus defining yourself within a generation “as a whole” is like being asked to be “paint with a broad brush”. That method avoids the specifics of your “own being”.

I was reading the list and thought I should give this author another shot.

This is the book I am currently reading. It is the story of high school shooting as told by four different characters. I know I wanted to get away from the “dark world at an end” scenarios. However, the premise of this book intrigued me. It is a very touchy subject. I like a “risky” story for a premise. Plus there are times when you want to see how a writer gets out the “tricky situation” or how they really “get into it”. Each of the four characters narrates their own chapter. This is another example of using various “Points of View” to tell the story over a period of 15 years.

I finished the first chapter. Here is a bit of preview. The first chapter is written from the view of Cheryl who is a victim of the shooting narrates her own death. She is a church going girl secretly married to her boyfriend. The chapter is about how she is wrestling with “faith” along with “life and death” even from beyond. I know this type of character is handled as just a “stereotype” in many books and films. So far that handling is not in this book. I hate when writers embrace “stereotyping” characters. I see it so many times in movies. It is just a “lazy mentality” to create with.

And finally, the next book I will be reading.

Nick Cave is a“voice” people should get more familiar with. He is one of the best songwriters too many people have “never heard of”. He wrote the screenplay for the movie The Proposition. It may take place in the Australian Frontier. It is one of the best of the “westerns” out there. I had read his book And the Ass Saw the Angel many years ago. (This might be one of those “to be read again” selections for “The Pile”) His writing is like his music. It does not “hold your hand”. It goes for “The Throat”. (Listen to the albums Henry’s Dream, The Murder Ballads, or Live Seeds)

Plus I like people who do not want to be “pigeon holed” in their work in order to create it.

By the way.

Always looking for more book recommendations.

And let me know if you have checked out any of these books.

I have to close this post with a song from Nick Cave. Or two.

I do not know how some ideas “pop” into my head. I work for the most part by myself during the day and live on my own at night. Sometimes, I will read, watch or maybe even hear something that catches my mind. And while I am going about my work, I start “playing” with the idea in my head. In a matter of time, I am making notes. I like doing this on my own at work. I do not share what so ever these ideas directly with them. I do not even mention this site. They are not people who I would seek their input from on this endeavor. Besides it is important some times to keep the various aspects of your life into “separate and distinct” corners.

Before I get into the premise for this post. And I hinted towards it in the title. I was thinking about it as I went about my work. I was also listening to my MP3 player when this song came on.

And then I started thinking about a couple of other songs that could relate to it and its theme.

Ready for the music leap?

Both of the following songs use “capital punishment” as an allegory about “reckoning”. That final coming to terms with one’s own actions.

And now let me shift gears. Everyone experiences a certain amount of Pathos in their life. The Greeks defined as “(represents an appeal to the audience’s emotions. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric (where it is considered one of the three modes of persuasion, alongside ethos and logos), and in literature, film and other narrative art.” However, this “mode” or “method” (depending on how you look at it) does not get that favorable of a view.There are a lot of people telling you should avoid it. They sell plenty of products that ease if not eliminate it. It is all contrary to the quote “We need to do more with less.” This quote has been thrown about for years. It seems to be highlighted more as gas prices rises. And guess no one has ever bought into the quote fully. Just go to any store. There are more items available than ever before. And then there are plenty of drugs available to “curb” the feeling. I really do not want to get started on the lawyer ads on TV that promise “Hurt? Damaged? I can make you whole again. Minus 30% in the small print.”

It is all about how you process the experience. What insights you draw out. The only people who seem to be voicing this are the comedians.

I listen to Marc Maron’s WTF? Podcast. Or Doug Stanhope albums. There is a degree of Pathos to their work but instead of hiding from it they decide to air it out. There is a degree of honesty to their work. You may not fully agree with them but you have to admit they make you think about your own positions. But right now it seems everyone wants to “draw sides” rather than think of the potential “possibilities” that may exist. The outcry for people like that is to “Be nice”. Which is ridiculous. Because “Nice” rarely equates to “Funny”. Or even challenges people to even “think”.

There is one comedian I want to highlight and that is Louis CK. His own show on cable is that blend of humor and pathos that is somewhat based on his own life. His show is not formatted like your typical sitcom show. It has a slight experimental film quality to it. And it goes into some very “dark” spots to get to some humor. Most people rarely want to go there via any humor.

(NOTE: All the video clips in the rest of this post contain Explicit Language and Situations)

First, I want to show some examples of his work from his first show that was on for a season on HBO called Lucky Louie.

It is funny that his daughter will not accept the answers for the simple things but the complex one at the end she goes for.

I do not have kids. But I have watched my friends with theirs. And I can tell you. Even though they won’t admit it. The scenario and its reaction are very true.

His current series allows his real comedy and the action of the storyline to come together. Hulu and Netflix are streaming Season 1. I am catching up on Season 2 episodes as they are available on Hulu. I think I may get the DVD sets because this is show I can see myself watching over again trying to pick up on the nuisances of the show. Season 2 featured some good moments. I wish I could find the clips to share. There was when Louie meets up with Dane Cook and has to resolve their feelings towards each other. It is based on the real life saga where Dane Cook was accused of stealing Louis CK’s jokes. There was an episode where Joan Rivers consults him on the fact his career will have highs and lows and he cannot control when they will happen to him in his career. The best one was when Doug Stanhope starred as Eddie a comedian who started with Louie. However, his career did not pan out like Louie’s did and he is there to say “Goodbye” as he was going off to kill himself. There are laughs but against the drama it is a really good moment of Pathos. The other part, of the show is that Louie CK is willing to make himself the “butt of the joke”. He is willing to be the victim.

Here are some clips.

Lesson: Your friend should never be your doctor.

Lesson: TSA needs to lighten up.

Lesson 2: It takes a brave man to admit to his “failings” or admit to his “needs”.

Lesson: Men have to at some point make peace with their own “vitality”.

The following demonstrates how humor and openness can make a conversation go deeper than normal.

The following is a clip from an episode that is not available yet. Doug Stanhope guest stars as “Eddie” who was a comedian who started with Louie back when they were younger. However, “Eddie’s” career never really took off. He meets up with Louie to say “Goodbye” because he is going off to kill himself. This clip highlights Louis’ reaction to what he has heard from his friend. His response breaks away from what is considered typical TV drama reaction to the moment.

Here is a clip where Louis (in real life) responds to the nuisances of modern life.

Pathos and memories can really make you take that “Alice-in-Wonderland-Trip-Down-the-Rabbit-Hole”. And I am going to switch back to another song to close this out. I always thought this song from Tom Petty was about an “old girlfriend who will not go away”. But the more I listen to it the song my work on that level but I think it more about those memories (that we all have) that never seem to come to a definitive resolutions in our minds. Plus the video uses the “Alice in Wonderland” motif.

Quick advice. The best thing to do with your old yearbooks is to let them collect dust.

This is a great example of a “Concept” song. It has a narrative and a structure to it that can be followed without being given notes.

Clerks where they could only film in the convenient store at night when the place was closed so the”Savages” put gum in the lock of the security shutters. This allows them to act as if there was daylight. So they had to make sure the front door was never in the camera shot.

“Tradition and heritage are all dead people’s baggage.

Stop carrying it. Move Forward.”

Doug Stanhope, Track 4

Oslo: Burning the Bridge to Nowhere

A co-worker of mine leaves copies of Rolling Stone magazine in the break room. It has been about 15-20 years since I was a regular reader of that magazine. I do not have any really opinion about it either. It is just something to read to kill time while on break or lunch. However, compared to the local daily paper it has a little more substance to it. The back of each issue lists the top 20 album sales for the week. I looked over the list and most of the music I have never heard of. If this is a measure of where one place’s in comparison to modern music then I am way out of place. The thing is twenty years earlier and for reason now “unknown” I had the desire to investigate more of that music. Today, I just don’t care about most of music for the masses. A car payment and a mortgage did an effective job of taking up a good portion of my “entertainment dollars”. The other thing is I have developed better “filters” to either tune in or tune out music. There is also another chart on that page that lists the Top 10 songs from a decade or two earlier. I remember those popular songs and most of them are no longer played. I have come to the conclusion that most pop culture items, in this case music, is not made to last. There is not a vehicle that is more inefficient and does not carry good distances when it comes to mileage than “The Bandwagon”. So do not waste a lot of effort trying to “hitch on to it”. (Thoughts like this are why I could never go into “marketing” as a full time job.)

Art in its various mediums is basically an effort by “mortals” hoping by chance they might stumble on to “immortality”. This must be accomplished within certain frame of time which is a value unknown by the particular artist. In other words, the sun only shines so long. I began to think about this when the band R.E.M. called it end to their group after 30 years. It is also another “marker in time” when the major music groups that endured from when you discovered them in your youth come to their end. I heard it mentioned it was because of poor album sales. They may not have been selling like they did in the late 80′s and the 90′s. It does not mean they were putting out bad albums. I think they were still creating some good music and the last two albums showed no letting up. However, it was their call to make no matter how I felt. R.E.M. was one of the bands I found in high school that I was a “secret fan” of then. The crowd I was with at the was “Heavy Metal Only!” This band got me going into other music because back then “alternative music” and the mass population had not been introduced to either other at that point. I remember buying R.E.M.’s Green album while at the same time buying Never Surrender by Triumph. (Although that was not my biggest purchase of diverse music at the same time. That would be Strays by Jane’s Addiction along with Songs of Silence by Simon and Garfunkle.) The Internet did change how music was distributed. Album sales are no longer a good measurement of music’s popularity and quality. Radio is now program to be “boring and repetitive” with a condense playlist. Most bands now publish the number of Twitter followers they have rather than how many actually album copies they sold. It is also a shift by not only technology but generational one too. Internet streaming and digital storage means you no longer have to hold an actually physical copy. It is now more about the “experience” of the art. Remember making mixed tapes in the 80′s and early 90′s? I am a bit nostalgic for that “passion” in creating them. But I do not miss how much actual manual labor was involved in the process.


All products must evolve with the times. However when the people behind them announced changes their audience (customers) react with “Outrage and threats”. Netflix change their fee structures and may lose some content for streaming. I like the service for now but it does not mean I am “indentured” to them for life. I started with AOL which was the biggest and best at one point. Busy signals and price hikes made me change. Facebook changed their page layout in how you interact with it. I read a lot of people on there who were “pissed off and ready to quit”. None of them did. In fact, most of them still are posting with the same frequency they always did. MySpace did not update their interface and look what happened to them. The interface is going to change. The phone was a great new communication tool for the time. So does that mean they were to stop with the “rotary dial” as the way to operate it? Remember when you had to actually get up and change the dial on the TV to get to another station? (Actually given the “overweight” problem this might be a good thing to return to for some form of exercise.) So see what is actually happening before you go into some sort “self righteous outrage rant.” Make the change if necessary but stay off the soap box. Here is my example. I used to like to get my Sunday morning coffee and breakfast sandwich from a popular local “north of the border” chain outlet. I began to hate navigating their parking lots. I hated waiting in lines that consisted of only ONE person in front of me. Ordering a simple cup of black coffee only to get it with cream and sugar. A gift card (that came with a receipt) that the manager could not fix and was told I had to take it back. I began to dread their places. And by the way their corporation does NOT monitor their Facebook page so do not go there looking for customer service. I could have written a complaint letter and would have probably received a bunch of coupons to their establishments. So the message would have been, “The next time you come here. Your Poor Customer Service Experience is ON US.” I did not tell others not to go there. I just “Un-liked” their Facebook page and went somewhere else. “High Vocal Outrage” does not carry across the masses as far as you think it might. Besides enough “smart” customers walking away from them will make them change or die out.

There is no such thing as the “Status Quo”. Calling out for its “defense” is like saying you are willing “to take a bullet for the Easter Bunny.” It is feels good to sound “Very brave and moral” when you really do not to actually prove anything. Nostalgia is powerful but can be very draining thing to hold on to. Any form of social interaction will never make 100% of the people “happy”. That’s on them. Not you. And not me either.


I know I am arguing against “Nostalgia”. But I have to admit I am not immune to its effect. I got pissed when Miley Cyrus covered Smells Like Teen Spirit. She is “pop culture candy”. Twinkies have a longer shelf than her and more substance. That song was an anthem for “the disenfranchised” not for someone who comes from privilege. It is hard to believe it has been 20 years since the release of Nevermind by Nirvana. It was an album than change the cultural landscape when it comes to music.

Here is a link to Alan Cross talking about this album and why it mattered.

1991 was the year the big rock albums came from Metallica, Guns n’ Roses and do not forget Jane’s Addiction or Soundgarden.

I remember when I first heard this album. And Smells Like Teen Spirit was not the first song I ever heard from them. The album was being played on the local college station. It was Breed and it grabbed by the attention of my ears’ immediately. I had to get this album and bought at the local chain “Cavages” (And they have been out of business for almost 20 years now.) I bought the album and at the check-out. The young woman working the counter said, “There is something going on with this. It is the fourth copy I have already sold and we opened 30 minutes ago.” Smells Like Teen Spirit was just getting MTV play the same week and commercial radio was not far behind.

There most likely will never be a music album that will cause a major cultural shift like this. This is the album that knocked Michael Jackson out of Number 1 on the sales chart. And after this his music for the most part would never have the mass impact that it did in the 80′s. (Plus he became more of “circus act” in his own life.)

I still play this album today although on an MP3 player. The format may be different. But the music has endured so far.

That may change.

Then again it might not.

I cannot predict a future. I surely did not predict this one.

But I can at least guarantee this.

The Status Quo will still be elusive.

And politicians will still be promising to deliver it.


“Once you start laying back on your resume. The more you hear a country talking about their history. The more likely they’re not doing a fucking thing anymore. You always have to progress as a society. As a people. As a species. Egypt they created the pyramids. Fantastic! What have you done since then? Nothing?”

                                                Doug Stanhope, Track 7

It is has been a long and very hot week here. It is has been a rough week to attempt any form of writing. I work in a “hot box” all day and I came home feeling very “spent”. I was going to take my laptop to the local library to work in their air conditioning but it is only opened for about an hour after my job ends. And I always thought working on a laptop in a coffee shop seem to be pretentious and cliché. Plus, the last thing after a long day at work I need to do is load up on caffeine.

So I spent this morning in the yard just reading a book. I also listened to Eddie Vedder’s music from the soundtrack to Into the Wild. It is one of the best albums for music when it comes to mediating about things. Sometimes quiet meditation (although the ear buds are in) can be a good thing. Not every thought needs to be spoken out loud.

I was looking at my garden for this year. It is growing a bit different than in past years. The tomatoes are growing taller than before. The corn not so well. I used a different seed type of seed this year. Plus the squirrels ripped out some in their early stages so I start again. The squirrels had never done this in previous years. The Plastic Owl was bought to scare them away. However, they attack the corn again. I did find a deterrent that seems to work. Crushed garlic, old socks and coffee grounds. If this doesn’t work I am going to get a pistol with a silencer.

As I was having my meditating moment, I realize this garden in a way was like writing. An idea needs to the right conditions to grow. But even with them it may not happen. Somehow, I have to find the balance between the two and realize that state with always be fluctuating. Just have to look at the current conditions and make adjustments from there.

And then I stumbled into this idea in my readings which I am going to paraphrase.

Be expectant without having expectations.

I swear I did not read that from a Chinese Fortune Cookie.

I know I have written a few posts (maybe too many) about my own short comings on staying focused when it comes to writing. It is also a by-product of my circumstances. I am attempting to do something that no one in my immediate circle is attempting to do. Or even understands. So I guess I just throw that feeling out into the vast span of the Internet in hopes someday some bits of communication may come back someday. Call this my own personal SETI experiment. And I am going to leave it at this for now.

I keep a copy of the book Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury in my backpack. Everyone needs a coach to refer from time to time. It is hard to always have some on hand. So it nice to be able to refer to someone. The first essay in the book titled the “The Joy of Writing” he tells about how he finds joy in what others don’t understand. He states how he can’t worry about that because he feels compelled to write about it.

An Internet search engine is another way to find material to help me.

I stumbled upon this article that sums up Ray Bradbury’s tips for writing.

How to Feed Your Muse: 7 Writing Tips From Ray Bradbury

I stopped by the local bookstore to browse the titles. I do this to add to my reading list for the local library. I am trying to only buy books I can see myself referring to in the future. I have also been trying to read more from my To Be Read pile. It is cheaper economical alternative. And it is about time I got around to reading them.

I made this observation though. The store had racks of discount books outside in front of the store. They were those obscure book titles nobody wanted and they are heavily discounted at this point. And the rack is unsecured. This is what I think their reasoning for this may be. “Look if we can get you to pay something for these books. That would be great. But if you grab one and run. We’re not going to chase after you.”

 I have been trying to organize unwanted books and other things to E-Bay. But right now with that is a project on hold due to the fact there are a few things more pressing for me to get done. And the sooner. The better.

A few months ago, Ben over at the blog “Dead End Follies” published a list of books he was going to challenge himself to read. He wanted to read The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer but he could not find an affordable copy of the book. I had a copy of that book that has sat in my TBR pile for about 15 years. I started to read it but it was too dense for me to tackle at the time. I think it was too ambitious at the time to read along with all of my other college requirements. I am going to save the story of why I picked up this particular book for another time. So I decided I would pass the book along to him. I guess the book was meant more for him than it was for me. Also I hate it when people buy books just to leave them on a shelf to try impressing people. They want to give some false representation of “intelligence” they really do not possess at all .I try find out a lot about a people by their bookcase along with their CD and DVD shelves.

Besides if you have something that someone else needs then pass it along. Is that item whatever it might be worth holding on to just to collect dust in your place? It is become more about how you apply what you have in your possession both physically and mentally. That is what the comment section, the e-mail link, Twitter feed, Facebook, etc is there for you to reply to and get the conversation started. Tools were meant to be used. Thoughts and ideas are meant to be shared.

I have been thinking about the challenge of the Internet. You are going to come across a wide variety of topics. Most of the postings are there just for passive viewing. But from time to time you are going to come across websites where people are looking for answers to questions or problems. The challenge is taking a moment or two to respond. The future is going to those out their willing to participate with people. Many of these people will most likely never meet directly in person. We have experienced the “troll” on the Internet that person who cowardly hides behind a made up screen name with the sole purpose of being an asshole spewing ignorance. Secret identities only work in super hero comics. And those characters are trying to help humanity. The Internet Superhighway is going to eventually filter these trolls on to the off-ramp. Talk shit is going to accomplish nothing in a conversation. The Internet will someday filter these people out of the conversation because they are irrelevant.

The people who are willing to put their name to what they are putting out are going reap the benefits. Well most of the people. And let me declare this mandate. When it comes to publishing on the Internet pictures or video of your genitals (male or female) in action. PLEASE leave that to the professionals! Or to drunken amateurs who need to learn a life lesson. Doing the “act” in return for a free t-shirt is not an economic formula for success that will carry you through life. Another thing I want to mention. If you have ever posted your own “in action photos” (it does not count if you blacked out your face) then you cannot complain about privacy settings on social media websites.

I listened again to an old podcast from Keith and the Girl that featured a conversation with comedian Doug Stanhope. He said two things that stood out for me in regards to the Internet. “This is what the Internet will do. It is going to force people into places of honesty they don’t want to be in.” And “But the Internet is putting everyone on stage when it comes to social networking.” This episode ends with his story about how the Internet reunited him with a past “flame” aka Bobbie Barnett. She was not happy being the subject of one his most downloaded comedy bits. His response in the podcast episode was a bit tough yet funny. (Note: This segment in discussion starts at around 48:00 minute mark and the original comedy bit ends out the podcast)

In the end, you cannot take any of it with you. Whether that is a physical item or a mental thought. So when you can leave them behind

Besides, I would hate to have to go to this extreme with my site.

I think the hardest think I have to constantly remind myself about is that there is never the perfect time to do anything. Any moment offers an unforeseen challenge. But why in my case does it always involve a trip to a home improvement store to get what I need to fix something? “Home improvement”. There is an oxymoron. Maybe it should be called a “home triage” store.

It is just another form of Writer’s Block in my case.

I was watching the movie Orange County. It was an entertaining movie for what it was. The premise of the movie is a young man played by Colin Hanks decides after the death of friend to change his life. He finds a book on the beach and decides he too wants to be a writer. He figures he needs to go to Stanford to get his degree. The author of the book happens to also be a professor at that college. However, he comes from a family that is dysfunctional and just cannot seem to provide the support that he needs. And this is what leads to the comedy aspect of the movie. It seems to me that this movie could be semi-biographical in my case. Without the comedy.

There is this one scene that stuck with me. Spoiler Alert. The Colin Hanks character does get a chance to meet the professor who made him want to be a writer. Kevin Kline plays that professor.

 

I guess when you try rewiring your brain in order to be a better writer can be tricky. If not borderline aggravating. I am constantly looking at how things are. How they might be underneath. I am trying to draw links between ideas that may not exactly appear to be connected at all. Then put the idea out there in hopes that it may cause a conversation to happen. I am sure that all of my ideas may not be validated by another person. I do not care if the reader agrees 100% with what I am trying to put forth. I would even be willing to someone who is willing to put forth how I may be wrong. I just welcome the chance to engage in a conversation.  Responses such as “That’s nice.” “Interesting.” “Good point” are not enough to really spark conversation. Most of the time those type of responses mean the person really did not read into the posting. The “Curse” here the need to get feedback and at the same time not always believing in it when it comes. It is hard to get the right audience needed. But it would be hard to realize it when that audience is really there. It is really hard trying to determine who the audience is by dissecting web stat charts. It is almost an extremely masochistic act. But I cannot help it.

Lately, I have drawn to other works that tell the story of people who are trying to deal with the circumstances in which they live. I just finished watching the first season on the HBO show Treme. The latest TV show from creator David Simon. He does for the city of New Orleans what he did for the city of Baltimore in The Wire.

This show starts 3 months after Hurricane Katrina and focuses on various people trying to rebuild their lives under those circumstances. I remember watching Katrina on TV at the time. I compared it to watching a modern day reenactment of a modern day Pompeii. We were watching a modern city being wiped off the map. I questioned if it was worth the cost of rebuilding. I think this thought process is a side effect of our vast sources of media. We get to “see” a lot of what is happening around the world at any given moment. The problem is we thinking “seeing” equates to “experiencing it”. This is why we also are hearing more and more from people in those dire circumstances are screaming louder ,”Unless you are here. You don’t know a thing!” Treme may not give us that direct experience. Great storytelling along with well defined yet complicated characters gives you a chance to pause and think. It draws you in. There was a lot about the culture of New Orleans that I have learned from this show. Just watch The Weather Channel every area of this country has its own issues. Extreme weather hits everyone. We have all watched the weather and have wondered to ourselves, “Why would anyone want to live there?” This series explores the reason of “Why”. It also has nice soundtrack of music from the city to listen along with.

Bad economic news is the never ending story. I have been hearing all my life. I have heard “We need to learn how to do more with less”. I have never seen this policy ever enacted on a grand scale across society as a whole. Just take a walk down any aisle in any store. Think back about a decade. And then realize. We have more things available to us than ever before. What I think the message should be steered towards is that of “We need to increase the efficient use of what we have.” However, the economic bad news has had the same effect as a bad weather storm. It has lead to many cities struggling to exist. Once again outsiders proclaim, “Given those circumstances. Why would anyone want to live there?” I came across this story a couple of weeks ago. The city of Grand Rapids, Michigan was listed as one of the most “in decline” cities in America. The people there started a grassroots effort to change their image. They got together to set a record for the “longest lip synched one take music video”. They did it with the song “American Pie” by Don McLean. Watch the video. It contains no edits. It is just one camera filming the action for the length of the song.

 

I think the song “American Pie” will always be part of the American Experience for years to come. It is a song about the belief in a dream. However, that dream is danger of falling apart in the current environment. However, in the end even with all of the uncertainty still at hand the dream persists. I think this song with return to some level of popularity in times of distressed economics. Along with uncertainty that seems to be heightened when the leaders involved seem to arguing more about ideology and trying to assign blame to the opposition. I just came up with another crazy idea. In the future, anyone running for office should have to act ONLY like a mime. That way they would be forced to perform action rather than just standing there talking on and on. It would be a nice change. Also I want to study the effects of all this non-stop political talk on global warming. All that hot air has to have an effect on something. What that is? I have no idea.

Bad weather. Bad economics. Welcome to Buffalo. Where I live.

 

It is a city that has more to it then chicken wings and losing Super Bowls. It has a lot interesting people that are for the most part nice and friendly. Unfortunately, on a whole we cannot elect any leader capable of moving the city forward. It is a city that seems stuck on nostalgia for time that is not coming back. It needs to redefined and adapt for a future. I hate hearing people complaining that it should be more like a big city (like NYC). It will never be that either. It needs to come to terms with who it is. It needs to take a lesson from what it takes to climb a mountain. You can see the top from down below. You see where you need to go to. However, you need to start at the bottom to go up. Everyone seems to take more time studying the top when they should take as much time studying the base where you start. The base is where the resources and support exist.

“Why would anyone live there?”

My relationship with this place and the people in it has changed over the years. Nostalgia can be a powerful feeling. However, the future has changed that nostalgia before it has even arrived. The hard part is coming to the realization that not everything grows together. Or at all. My needs and what is available on hand at that moment will most likely never be in total synch. Is it good? Is it bad? Or just what it is meant to be? Either way that may end up.

In a story, good character conflict can work towards a good story. Someday.

Besides, I have to start somewhere.