i can justify that: confessions of a north american
It's not like I'm holding a gun to someone's head,
Even my North American self-centredness couldn't justify that.
Standing by while thousands end up dead?
Yeah, sure, I can justify that.
It's not as though I held up a bank or even a corner store.
I wouldn't dare be so brash.
But stealing forty dollar software from a multi-million dollar corporation?
Seriously, they've got tons of flow.
It's not that I'd deny my total depravity
Paul would roll over in his grave
It's just, well, your sin is clearly worse
than the things that hold me captive.
Yeah, I'm a North American
I can rationalize and justify with the best.
You won't even notice; it'll happen before your very eyes
After all, it's not my fault: I'm a North American.
20041104
20041031
freakin' weekends, and other assorted things
now playing: neil young // silver and gold album. and the riff in buffalo springfield again rocks. seriously. how can you not love neil? I need to buy more neil. I only currently possess 2 neil albums. Pretty sure one doesn't count, cause it's rock, but whatever. neil's done so much. gots to respec' that.
So, today was a sunday: went to church with the p's, wrestled a toilet (more on that later), worked on some design stuff, and thought about the future. Watched some football and return to me. Learned some stuff on the guitar. I'm working on scales, I'm getting a little better. It's such a brute force thing tho. You just have to keep doing it until you're good at it. I hate stuff like that. oh well, builds patience.
Also, I started using firefox from time to time this weekend. Partly because I'm doing design stuff and need to be able to cross check with firefox. I should probably check with opera too, but I'm lazy. Let me just say though, firefox = super slick, super quick, and super hot. Me likey.
So, sometimes in life you just gotta wrestle a toilet. For example, suppose you moved into a house, and they had this nasty looking toilet seat on the toilet. and it was rusted on. And it needed to be replaced. And the nuts on the rusted bolts were plastic. The logical approach would be to cut through it, no? Welp, thats what I did. It worked out okay. Except for the part where the toilet is only 4 inches from the wall on the one side, and therefore very difficult to see up under. There I was with a utility knife and a chick's mirror (the chick being my mom)—I felt like McGuyver. It was awesome. And then the army ants came, but I blew them up with a bomb made out of duct tape, twine and a knife. Sound impossible? Possibly, but I'm McGuyver. I did win the battle, by the way. One battle down, many more to go. Tomorrow I learn lessons with drills, and soon I'll be learning lessons of snowblowers (yay! Anything beats shovelling!)
One last thing: to chase a dream? you tell me: read the part about sound reinforcement then tell me what you think. Chasing dreams? Serious decisions? So confused? MMM HMM.
So, today was a sunday: went to church with the p's, wrestled a toilet (more on that later), worked on some design stuff, and thought about the future. Watched some football and return to me. Learned some stuff on the guitar. I'm working on scales, I'm getting a little better. It's such a brute force thing tho. You just have to keep doing it until you're good at it. I hate stuff like that. oh well, builds patience.
Also, I started using firefox from time to time this weekend. Partly because I'm doing design stuff and need to be able to cross check with firefox. I should probably check with opera too, but I'm lazy. Let me just say though, firefox = super slick, super quick, and super hot. Me likey.
So, sometimes in life you just gotta wrestle a toilet. For example, suppose you moved into a house, and they had this nasty looking toilet seat on the toilet. and it was rusted on. And it needed to be replaced. And the nuts on the rusted bolts were plastic. The logical approach would be to cut through it, no? Welp, thats what I did. It worked out okay. Except for the part where the toilet is only 4 inches from the wall on the one side, and therefore very difficult to see up under. There I was with a utility knife and a chick's mirror (the chick being my mom)—I felt like McGuyver. It was awesome. And then the army ants came, but I blew them up with a bomb made out of duct tape, twine and a knife. Sound impossible? Possibly, but I'm McGuyver. I did win the battle, by the way. One battle down, many more to go. Tomorrow I learn lessons with drills, and soon I'll be learning lessons of snowblowers (yay! Anything beats shovelling!)
One last thing: to chase a dream? you tell me: read the part about sound reinforcement then tell me what you think. Chasing dreams? Serious decisions? So confused? MMM HMM.
20041027
waking up
now playing: the red sox beating the cardinals! Whoo hoo! Sox in four!
Firstly: to my friends who read my last post and commented, thank you so much. It's greatly appreciated. Danielle, your comment was poetic. I really liked Motionless Dreamer. I may embroider it on a pillow. (-: Mom, next time just say who you are. Also, no, i haven't cleaned my room yet.
So, I woke up this morning to the shreik of my alarm. My alarm sounds like an air raid siren. It's tough. It's like 1939 London... my room is dark, but man the sirens won't stop. Of course, i hit snooze like 30 times before I hit the showers, but whatever. Anyway, as I woke up to my air raid siren, I got to thinking (A dangerous pastime, I know... man, Gaston was in deep smit for that Belle chick) about how some people wake up to things like... "The mellifluous sounds of chipmunks in fall," "John Tesh sings 60's tv scenes," and "Ocean waves" featuring the saxophone of Kenny G laid over waves breaking. Yay.
I came up with a plan for something better. You know how in Sci-Fi, they're always inventing robots that'll be your friend, or run your business, or take care of your kids? That stuff's garbage. I've come up with the best robot idea EVER!!! We'll call it "The Sargeant MeetYourDoom Wake Up Robot V. CMMCCXCXVII © ® ™." Instead of taking care of your kids, or other stuff that you should be doing yourself, it'll serve one purpose, and one purpose only: getting your sorry rear out of bed. It'll scream in your face, it'll make crass comments about the shape your in. It might even curse every once in a while. All so that you get up on time. Really, it'll be great! It'll even have a few moves so that if you ever try to retaliate against it, you find yourself staring up from the floor, wondering how you ended up there.
Not only that, think about the opportunities for customization! You could have different memory chips so that "The Sargeant MeetYourDoom Wake Up Robot V. CMMCCXCXVII © ® ™" could take on the characteristics of your favorite movie drill sargeants / military personnel. The "Red Dawn" Chip makes him talk like a cuban or a russian. Every once in a while, if you shout "Wolverines!" you score a bonus 10 minutes of sleep. But only every once in a while. The "Few Good Men" chip turns it into Jack Nicholson... he wakes you up by puffing a cigar in your face, and screaming about whether or not you can handle the truth. Fact of the matter is, you can't. Always popular, the "In the Army Now" chip turns it into Pauly Shore. This is notoriously easy to ignore, until he starts talking about burritos. Burritos always wake me up.
This product is sheer genius. I'm going to buy five of them. Cause lets face it, I'll figure out some way to defeat the first four .That fifth one though, he'll get me up for sure. For now, I'll just stick to the air raid siren. And my snooze button.
Firstly: to my friends who read my last post and commented, thank you so much. It's greatly appreciated. Danielle, your comment was poetic. I really liked Motionless Dreamer. I may embroider it on a pillow. (-: Mom, next time just say who you are. Also, no, i haven't cleaned my room yet.
So, I woke up this morning to the shreik of my alarm. My alarm sounds like an air raid siren. It's tough. It's like 1939 London... my room is dark, but man the sirens won't stop. Of course, i hit snooze like 30 times before I hit the showers, but whatever. Anyway, as I woke up to my air raid siren, I got to thinking (A dangerous pastime, I know... man, Gaston was in deep smit for that Belle chick) about how some people wake up to things like... "The mellifluous sounds of chipmunks in fall," "John Tesh sings 60's tv scenes," and "Ocean waves" featuring the saxophone of Kenny G laid over waves breaking. Yay.
I came up with a plan for something better. You know how in Sci-Fi, they're always inventing robots that'll be your friend, or run your business, or take care of your kids? That stuff's garbage. I've come up with the best robot idea EVER!!! We'll call it "The Sargeant MeetYourDoom Wake Up Robot V. CMMCCXCXVII © ® ™." Instead of taking care of your kids, or other stuff that you should be doing yourself, it'll serve one purpose, and one purpose only: getting your sorry rear out of bed. It'll scream in your face, it'll make crass comments about the shape your in. It might even curse every once in a while. All so that you get up on time. Really, it'll be great! It'll even have a few moves so that if you ever try to retaliate against it, you find yourself staring up from the floor, wondering how you ended up there.
Not only that, think about the opportunities for customization! You could have different memory chips so that "The Sargeant MeetYourDoom Wake Up Robot V. CMMCCXCXVII © ® ™" could take on the characteristics of your favorite movie drill sargeants / military personnel. The "Red Dawn" Chip makes him talk like a cuban or a russian. Every once in a while, if you shout "Wolverines!" you score a bonus 10 minutes of sleep. But only every once in a while. The "Few Good Men" chip turns it into Jack Nicholson... he wakes you up by puffing a cigar in your face, and screaming about whether or not you can handle the truth. Fact of the matter is, you can't. Always popular, the "In the Army Now" chip turns it into Pauly Shore. This is notoriously easy to ignore, until he starts talking about burritos. Burritos always wake me up.
This product is sheer genius. I'm going to buy five of them. Cause lets face it, I'll figure out some way to defeat the first four .That fifth one though, he'll get me up for sure. For now, I'll just stick to the air raid siren. And my snooze button.
20041026
big thing // little thing
So, here's what I'm trying to figure out: how are we to look at our lives and separate the big things from the little things?
See, it'd be easy to look at the above statement and say, "Wow, this guy is desperate to sound deep." But, for once, I don't think that's the case (although I'm aware that deep inside of me, right next to my desire to be Wolverine or the Incredible Hulk, is a desire to be cool that manifests itself all the time in ridiculous ways). See, I'm seriously at that point in my life where I'm trying to sort out the important from the unimportant. Why? Well... I've been trying to figure that out too.
I think we reach this point in life where we feel the societal expectation is that if we're asked by a pretty girl, "what are you doing with the rest of your life?" we'll be able to give a logical, honest, good answer. So, we come up with plans. We become teachers and electricians and project editors. Not necessarily because it's where we think God wants us (although at times we're smart enough to let that play into it), more because, eh, it keeps people off our backs and it helps us to sleep at night.
Don't get me wrong. I'm content with my job and I feel like I'm where God would have me for this stage in my life. I just don't understand where it's going.
Think about it: I've got this song in my head called T-Shirt by Derek Webb, the first line says "They'll know us by the T-Shirts that we wear." I'm going to hijack the line from it's intended purpose (while encouraging you to BUY BUY BUY his new album), and cross apply.
My dad is the ultimate collector of shirts. He has one of my old telus shirts, an old Tim Horton's shirt, various computer and food supply company shirts, and so much CN Railway apparrel that the company actually called about the catalogue shoot. When I worked at Telus, I was easily identifiable by my uniform. When I worked at Subway, it was even easier to spot (stupid visor making my forehead look huge). As much as uniforms are the bane of people's existence, they're nice cause people know who you are from them. I have a lifeguard sweater—even though I'm not a lifeguard per se. I wear it, and people think that I was a responsible young adult (at least, until they see eye candy on the sleeve). It identifies me as something. So, following the T-Shirt analogy, what would I put on a t-shirt to identify where I'm at right now?
"Hasn't got a clue what he's doing"
"Life-goal-less"
"Spends more time on the msn messenger than developing a skill set"
"Going my way? Care to enlighten me?"
Obviously I'm being overly dramatic. But, where does it go from here? What's next on the list of things to do? I really don't know. I need to be able to establish priorities and a list of goals, but I don't know how. What are the criteria by which we do that? Any ideas? To quote Jar Jar Binks, "Any help here would be hot!"
I'm done for now. I'll give you more as I figure more out.
See, it'd be easy to look at the above statement and say, "Wow, this guy is desperate to sound deep." But, for once, I don't think that's the case (although I'm aware that deep inside of me, right next to my desire to be Wolverine or the Incredible Hulk, is a desire to be cool that manifests itself all the time in ridiculous ways). See, I'm seriously at that point in my life where I'm trying to sort out the important from the unimportant. Why? Well... I've been trying to figure that out too.
I think we reach this point in life where we feel the societal expectation is that if we're asked by a pretty girl, "what are you doing with the rest of your life?" we'll be able to give a logical, honest, good answer. So, we come up with plans. We become teachers and electricians and project editors. Not necessarily because it's where we think God wants us (although at times we're smart enough to let that play into it), more because, eh, it keeps people off our backs and it helps us to sleep at night.
Don't get me wrong. I'm content with my job and I feel like I'm where God would have me for this stage in my life. I just don't understand where it's going.
Think about it: I've got this song in my head called T-Shirt by Derek Webb, the first line says "They'll know us by the T-Shirts that we wear." I'm going to hijack the line from it's intended purpose (while encouraging you to BUY BUY BUY his new album), and cross apply.
My dad is the ultimate collector of shirts. He has one of my old telus shirts, an old Tim Horton's shirt, various computer and food supply company shirts, and so much CN Railway apparrel that the company actually called about the catalogue shoot. When I worked at Telus, I was easily identifiable by my uniform. When I worked at Subway, it was even easier to spot (stupid visor making my forehead look huge). As much as uniforms are the bane of people's existence, they're nice cause people know who you are from them. I have a lifeguard sweater—even though I'm not a lifeguard per se. I wear it, and people think that I was a responsible young adult (at least, until they see eye candy on the sleeve). It identifies me as something. So, following the T-Shirt analogy, what would I put on a t-shirt to identify where I'm at right now?
"Hasn't got a clue what he's doing"
"Life-goal-less"
"Spends more time on the msn messenger than developing a skill set"
"Going my way? Care to enlighten me?"
Obviously I'm being overly dramatic. But, where does it go from here? What's next on the list of things to do? I really don't know. I need to be able to establish priorities and a list of goals, but I don't know how. What are the criteria by which we do that? Any ideas? To quote Jar Jar Binks, "Any help here would be hot!"
I'm done for now. I'll give you more as I figure more out.
20041018
hehehe... baseball, old songs, and jackie chan
now playing: commercials in between the yankees and bosox trading off who is batting and who is pitching. Will it ever end?
Yeah, so... i'm not usually a fan of baseball, but this is some intense sports going on here... these guys are hardcore in a jack black, legend of the rent sort of way. And I respect that. And also, I hate teams like the yankees (see manchester U, Arsenal, Real Madrid, NY Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, and so on) who have too much money and not enough heart. So, i'd love to see Boston take it to 'em. Hence, I'm watching baseball for the first time in years.
Old songs... every once in a while I go back in my mind to songs I once tried to write with friends. One of my favorites is "This Silly Melancholy." Our buddy pete came up with the term, and we seriously never got much farther than having the title idea. I've tried to write it a hundred times, but i never get anywhere. Who knows, maybe I'm going about it all wrong... maybe it needs to be a rock song. Or a ballad. "That's way too fast! It's a ballad!" (Jimmy, That Thing You Do!) One day. One day.
Jackie Chan... what would I do right now if I was Jackie Chan? Here's the thing, i'd love to be a writer. I'd love to be able to write fiction, write non-fiction, write exciting stuff, write boring stuff. The problem seems to be that I have no ability at writing creatively. Seriously, Jackie Chan can't even speak english, and the guy makes all kinds of art. But then, he spent large amounts of time as a child standing on one foot in weird martial arts poses and stuff. What else would he do except come up with movie ideas in his head? Hence, the reason I'll never be a writer is North American "keep you occupied" culture. If I'd just been bored more, I'd be way more creative.
Yeah right.
Yeah, so... i'm not usually a fan of baseball, but this is some intense sports going on here... these guys are hardcore in a jack black, legend of the rent sort of way. And I respect that. And also, I hate teams like the yankees (see manchester U, Arsenal, Real Madrid, NY Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, and so on) who have too much money and not enough heart. So, i'd love to see Boston take it to 'em. Hence, I'm watching baseball for the first time in years.
Old songs... every once in a while I go back in my mind to songs I once tried to write with friends. One of my favorites is "This Silly Melancholy." Our buddy pete came up with the term, and we seriously never got much farther than having the title idea. I've tried to write it a hundred times, but i never get anywhere. Who knows, maybe I'm going about it all wrong... maybe it needs to be a rock song. Or a ballad. "That's way too fast! It's a ballad!" (Jimmy, That Thing You Do!) One day. One day.
Jackie Chan... what would I do right now if I was Jackie Chan? Here's the thing, i'd love to be a writer. I'd love to be able to write fiction, write non-fiction, write exciting stuff, write boring stuff. The problem seems to be that I have no ability at writing creatively. Seriously, Jackie Chan can't even speak english, and the guy makes all kinds of art. But then, he spent large amounts of time as a child standing on one foot in weird martial arts poses and stuff. What else would he do except come up with movie ideas in his head? Hence, the reason I'll never be a writer is North American "keep you occupied" culture. If I'd just been bored more, I'd be way more creative.
Yeah right.
20041017
days of yore
now playing: my nephew making car sounds as he moves an ugly blue school bus around. Crap, he's cute. They came to visit this weekend. It was... well, to use Code and Pyro's word... awexome. I like kids. Especially when, as another friend said, "as uncles, we get to hype them up on candy and chocolate and then they go home with someone else." Yep, that part rocks. Anyway, moving along.
So, I grew up to Boy Meets World. Seriously, it was the family show. I remember my older brother crying EVERY TIME Cory and Topanga broke up. No word of a lie. Today, I managed to catch an episode of Boy Meets World as i was chillin' with my nephews. (They're far more into Jimmy Neutron than boy meets world, but I weigh 210 pounds (yeah, lard butt), and they weigh about 50 and 30 pounds respectively... I've won every fight so far.) The whole crew was there, it was an episode from probably 97 or 98... and, well, I don't know... it'd didn't make me think anything really deep (except maybe that I'd still marry the girl who played Topanga... but that's actually not very deep at all. However, Danielle Fishel, if you're reading this, CALL ME!). But, it was good memories. TV is so over dramatic, yet not. They have a crisis every week, but then, don't we seem to have a crisis at least once a week? Even if it's just a mental one, they're there. I don't know. It made me feel warm and fuzzy. I miss good TV like Boy Meets World. The crap that's on now, well... just not worth watching.
Oh, also, as I logged in to type this post, I discovered something. You're reading the 101st post on andymack.blogspot.com. It's almost enough to make me get my own domain. When a TV program makes 100 episodes, it's a big deal. We're making history folks. Anyway, I just wanted to gloat a little. Unfortunately, I'm not as good as the Brothers Chap, so you won't find any easter eggs or anything. Maybe someday.
All right, I'm out like a fat kid in dodgeball. Canadian trivia for the day: in Canada, practise is a verb, but practice is a noun. So, I'm a practising doctor, but My practice is located at 222 Thiscitysucks, Belleville, Ontario. Funny, eh?
So, I grew up to Boy Meets World. Seriously, it was the family show. I remember my older brother crying EVERY TIME Cory and Topanga broke up. No word of a lie. Today, I managed to catch an episode of Boy Meets World as i was chillin' with my nephews. (They're far more into Jimmy Neutron than boy meets world, but I weigh 210 pounds (yeah, lard butt), and they weigh about 50 and 30 pounds respectively... I've won every fight so far.) The whole crew was there, it was an episode from probably 97 or 98... and, well, I don't know... it'd didn't make me think anything really deep (except maybe that I'd still marry the girl who played Topanga... but that's actually not very deep at all. However, Danielle Fishel, if you're reading this, CALL ME!). But, it was good memories. TV is so over dramatic, yet not. They have a crisis every week, but then, don't we seem to have a crisis at least once a week? Even if it's just a mental one, they're there. I don't know. It made me feel warm and fuzzy. I miss good TV like Boy Meets World. The crap that's on now, well... just not worth watching.
Oh, also, as I logged in to type this post, I discovered something. You're reading the 101st post on andymack.blogspot.com. It's almost enough to make me get my own domain. When a TV program makes 100 episodes, it's a big deal. We're making history folks. Anyway, I just wanted to gloat a little. Unfortunately, I'm not as good as the Brothers Chap, so you won't find any easter eggs or anything. Maybe someday.
All right, I'm out like a fat kid in dodgeball. Canadian trivia for the day: in Canada, practise is a verb, but practice is a noun. So, I'm a practising doctor, but My practice is located at 222 Thiscitysucks, Belleville, Ontario. Funny, eh?
20041010
jazz doesn't resolve
now playing: the patriot... mel gibson's about to kill the bad guy. heath already died. hmm, can't really say i feel bad about that.
Okay, so yesterday we were at the local Christian Bookstore, and they happened to have a copy of a book sitting on their shelf (precisely one copy: no more, no less). This book had been recommended to me by some very intelligent people, and I'd been very interested in reading it at that point in time. Seeing it there, all alone, and kinda wedged between two books by stupid people, I thought, I should buy this. So I did. The book is called Blue Like Jazz and it is stupendous. Very cleverly written. I identify with him... especially in that i have friends like his... one like andy the protester, and one like tony the beatpoet. I disagree with his nonuse of a comma on introductory clauses, however, I imagine he wouldn't care much, and I really don't either. He's a clever writer, and I recommend him highly. That's Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Wicked funny. Wicked Deep. Too hot for conservative Bible schools. Not really. A good Christian guy, with a slightly different viewpoint.
Thats about all I've got. Right now, I feel blue, but not like jazz... I believe it's going to resolve, eventually. Much love guys,
Okay, so yesterday we were at the local Christian Bookstore, and they happened to have a copy of a book sitting on their shelf (precisely one copy: no more, no less). This book had been recommended to me by some very intelligent people, and I'd been very interested in reading it at that point in time. Seeing it there, all alone, and kinda wedged between two books by stupid people, I thought, I should buy this. So I did. The book is called Blue Like Jazz and it is stupendous. Very cleverly written. I identify with him... especially in that i have friends like his... one like andy the protester, and one like tony the beatpoet. I disagree with his nonuse of a comma on introductory clauses, however, I imagine he wouldn't care much, and I really don't either. He's a clever writer, and I recommend him highly. That's Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Wicked funny. Wicked Deep. Too hot for conservative Bible schools. Not really. A good Christian guy, with a slightly different viewpoint.
Thats about all I've got. Right now, I feel blue, but not like jazz... I believe it's going to resolve, eventually. Much love guys,
20040927
most amazing roadtrip ever
(from left to right... bottom row: garett / percussion, todd, matt, luke (canadians) top row: josh / keyboard and organ, danielle / vocals, myself and matt (canadians), jeff / bass, andy / lead guitars, vocals, and cliff / rhythm guitar and vocals)
Seriously. Most amazing roadtrip ever... this is my account, i believe it is accurate, as to how we ended up backstage with my favorite band. So, we went to the Caedmon's Call concert in Williamsville, New York. It was phenomenal... they seriously put on a great show, and i'd recommend them to anyone who happened to be within five hours of them. So, they get done their set, play their encore (phenomenal... cliff and danielle sing 'tis so sweet to trust in Jesus'), and we're sitting there. My little bro goes: Well guys, lets go. Cook goes: do you think if we wait, one of them might come out? I go: supposedly they do that a lot, lets just wait five minutes. Sure enough, within 2, todd (missing from picture} comes out to start taking down his drum kit. Then cliff comes out. And, people start talking to him. Security tries to keep everyone back, but cliff basically tells them its okay. My little bro (yeah, the lets go guys kid) walks up and talks to cliff. I'm like... cool, but I'm thinking that it was cool that I got to see them, and I'm way to chicken to actually talk to any of them. Then, LukaBuka talks to Cliff... and I'm thinking... cool again! Then, after a 5 minute wait, cook is talking to cliff. And, I says to the boys (who are with me) we should get him to do a roadtrip picture with us, it'd be awesome. So, we walk over, and as cook is winding down, I say 'Cliff, would you mind taking a roadtrip picture with us?' He goes... 'sure! You want the whole band? Wait, just come back here with me...' and we follow him backstage, where we sit down with the band, and get pictures taken, and hang out for a bit. Cliff made fun of my beard (that took you what, a year to grow?), told me I look like the guy from Table for Two, turns out that Jeff is a fan of strange brew (this movie was filmed in three-b, eh), josh played Oh Canada for us... anyway, it was awesome... seriously, they're real, funny people, and they just kinda, bam... made our night. Seriously, we were like schoolgirls for the next 3, 4 hours probably.
So, thats my gloat session... but, it's super hard to gloat when you didn't do anything, and we didn't... just a coincidence... it rocked!!! by the by, their new album releases on Oct. 12th, and is going to be the coolest thing you've ever heard. Thats it for me for now! We move in 3 days.
20040926
road trip
Now playing: The sounds of my buddies sitting around matt cooks living room... we're here. caedmon's tomorrow.
So, we made it. I'm at theCook's house. We're all still up, even tho it's super late, which is dumb. But, we drove well... except for our hamilton detour... hamilton smells bad. Remember that. We're super excited, and we wanted you to share in our fun. Also, I fixed the link to matt's blog. Not bad, eh? Took all of 10 seconds. Because I love him. Anyway, I'm out like a fat kid in dodgeball... my foot's still cramped into a manual sort of cruise control. Peace out guys!
So, we made it. I'm at theCook's house. We're all still up, even tho it's super late, which is dumb. But, we drove well... except for our hamilton detour... hamilton smells bad. Remember that. We're super excited, and we wanted you to share in our fun. Also, I fixed the link to matt's blog. Not bad, eh? Took all of 10 seconds. Because I love him. Anyway, I'm out like a fat kid in dodgeball... my foot's still cramped into a manual sort of cruise control. Peace out guys!
20040924
mad props
now playing: always comes around by 7dayjesus... they rock.
Okay, real quick... mad props go out to caleb for this post regarding nickelback. Everybody -- whether you like n-back or not -- go and listen to the mp3 on this post. It's a real eye opener. Might even change some peoples minds about n-back. (by the by Caleb, I think the reason they didn't go with dimeback is that it'd be too close to dimebag, who is the guitarist for some metal band and would go nuts on them and smash their faces in with his custom guitars). Anyway, as of this post, I'm at work, then I'm road trippin'. Caedmon's or Bust... if you're in peterborough Friday night, give me a call, cause I'll be in Peterborough Friday night. Word... peace out.
Okay, real quick... mad props go out to caleb for this post regarding nickelback. Everybody -- whether you like n-back or not -- go and listen to the mp3 on this post. It's a real eye opener. Might even change some peoples minds about n-back. (by the by Caleb, I think the reason they didn't go with dimeback is that it'd be too close to dimebag, who is the guitarist for some metal band and would go nuts on them and smash their faces in with his custom guitars). Anyway, as of this post, I'm at work, then I'm road trippin'. Caedmon's or Bust... if you're in peterborough Friday night, give me a call, cause I'll be in Peterborough Friday night. Word... peace out.
20040920
car repairs, and j.gurr's jealousy issues
now playing: grace like rain // todd agnew.
So, I got the call from the mechanic today: it was no where near as bad as I thought. The rust issues under the hood revolve around the heat shield. He said (and I quote) "If it was my car, I wouldn't spend any money on that at all." So, first good news of the day: The problem wasn't the manifold! Part two... "Your tail pipe is shattered." Shattered sounds bad... "Good news is, it happened just beyond the catalytic converter. I pulled that off, and it's just fine." Phew part two... catalytic converters are expensive. He continued, "So, it's going to be 215ish." I was like... SWEET!!! It's only 1/5 of what I thought it would be. Super sweet! So, three things that really worked out well for me. I'm so happy! And relieved too. Expensive car repairs suck. The mazda returns tomorrow!
In other news... I just want to comment briefly on gurr8's jealousy issues revolving around my blog. Welp, he's... got some issues. Lets look at the facts. I start a blog on January 26th, 04. Jgurr starts a blog on... february 29, 2004 So, yeah, I school him there. Then, well... where can we go from here? I know... I became a single man again in October of 2003. J followed my path in February of 2004. How about school? Well, I decided not to go back in June of 04. J decided not to go back in August of 04. How about cell phones? I decided to buy a Telus cell phone in October of 03. J decides to buy one in July of 04. All I'm saying is, look at the evidence. Strongly in my corner! J has nothin'! I'm obviously the trail blazer. So, all these comments about our blogs... my blog is obviously better. In fact, i'd go so far as to say, superior in every way. Take a lesson from this folks... don't challenge the big man. When you do, you just end up getting hurt.
Funny, my buddy GWB just taught John Kerry that, I think.
and that shot goes out to my buddy gurr
So, I got the call from the mechanic today: it was no where near as bad as I thought. The rust issues under the hood revolve around the heat shield. He said (and I quote) "If it was my car, I wouldn't spend any money on that at all." So, first good news of the day: The problem wasn't the manifold! Part two... "Your tail pipe is shattered." Shattered sounds bad... "Good news is, it happened just beyond the catalytic converter. I pulled that off, and it's just fine." Phew part two... catalytic converters are expensive. He continued, "So, it's going to be 215ish." I was like... SWEET!!! It's only 1/5 of what I thought it would be. Super sweet! So, three things that really worked out well for me. I'm so happy! And relieved too. Expensive car repairs suck. The mazda returns tomorrow!
In other news... I just want to comment briefly on gurr8's jealousy issues revolving around my blog. Welp, he's... got some issues. Lets look at the facts. I start a blog on January 26th, 04. Jgurr starts a blog on... february 29, 2004 So, yeah, I school him there. Then, well... where can we go from here? I know... I became a single man again in October of 2003. J followed my path in February of 2004. How about school? Well, I decided not to go back in June of 04. J decided not to go back in August of 04. How about cell phones? I decided to buy a Telus cell phone in October of 03. J decides to buy one in July of 04. All I'm saying is, look at the evidence. Strongly in my corner! J has nothin'! I'm obviously the trail blazer. So, all these comments about our blogs... my blog is obviously better. In fact, i'd go so far as to say, superior in every way. Take a lesson from this folks... don't challenge the big man. When you do, you just end up getting hurt.
Funny, my buddy GWB just taught John Kerry that, I think.
and that shot goes out to my buddy gurr
20040916
Sock Conspiracy
now playing: dustkickers // zuzu's petals album. it's old school, but they're awesome.
Okay, crap. Today, I went to the great Canadian institution, Zellers, to pick up some socks. I'm not a proud man... if I need socks, I buy 'em where they're cost-effective, but not crap. (I don't trust Giant Tiger socks.) Anyway, so I'm at Zellers, and I'm looking at their extensive sock collection. I immediately decide that some aren't quite up to snuff, and so, pass them up. I move along, and I come across two fairly decent looking brands of socks, one by wilson, the other by CCM (the hockey company, not Contemporary Christian Music magazine). So, i decide I'll buy one package of each, and compare later which one lasts longer. Cause, I'm a discerning consumer, darn it. Oh yes, the best product WILL win.
So, I get home. And, I'm looking at the packaging. And, on the CCM one, I see "Made in Montreal Canada, by lamour hosiery for CCM." Of course, I think... Cool, a Canadian company, not bad.
So, I look to the second package, the Wilson package. It says "Made in Canada" too. At this point, my spidey senses were tickling... and then, my worst suspicion was confirmed... I'd been HOSED by a hosiery company!!! The wilson socks were made by... you guessed it, lamour hosiery for Wilson Sports.
It's the FLIPPIN' SAME SOCK!!!
It's a conspiracy folks. A sock conspiracy. Warn your friends. Don't be had like I was. Yes, my story is shameful and embarassing, but maybe, just maybe, if I'm open about it... someone else can avoid this horrible experience.
(-;
Okay, crap. Today, I went to the great Canadian institution, Zellers, to pick up some socks. I'm not a proud man... if I need socks, I buy 'em where they're cost-effective, but not crap. (I don't trust Giant Tiger socks.) Anyway, so I'm at Zellers, and I'm looking at their extensive sock collection. I immediately decide that some aren't quite up to snuff, and so, pass them up. I move along, and I come across two fairly decent looking brands of socks, one by wilson, the other by CCM (the hockey company, not Contemporary Christian Music magazine). So, i decide I'll buy one package of each, and compare later which one lasts longer. Cause, I'm a discerning consumer, darn it. Oh yes, the best product WILL win.
So, I get home. And, I'm looking at the packaging. And, on the CCM one, I see "Made in Montreal Canada, by lamour hosiery for CCM." Of course, I think... Cool, a Canadian company, not bad.
So, I look to the second package, the Wilson package. It says "Made in Canada" too. At this point, my spidey senses were tickling... and then, my worst suspicion was confirmed... I'd been HOSED by a hosiery company!!! The wilson socks were made by... you guessed it, lamour hosiery for Wilson Sports.
It's the FLIPPIN' SAME SOCK!!!
It's a conspiracy folks. A sock conspiracy. Warn your friends. Don't be had like I was. Yes, my story is shameful and embarassing, but maybe, just maybe, if I'm open about it... someone else can avoid this horrible experience.
(-;
20040915
wow.
now playing: i repent // derek webb, the house show version.
For those of you who are thinking Christians, especially those of you who care about art, this article will probably intrigue you, impassion you, and excite you. I know it has me stoked for DWebb's upcoming album, I See Things Upside Down. It's going to be super wicked, and super honest. So, here's another plug for good artistry, and honest folk.
thanks for reading.
For those of you who are thinking Christians, especially those of you who care about art, this article will probably intrigue you, impassion you, and excite you. I know it has me stoked for DWebb's upcoming album, I See Things Upside Down. It's going to be super wicked, and super honest. So, here's another plug for good artistry, and honest folk.
thanks for reading.
20040914
blog-o-rama
now playing: who am i // casting crowns. it's pretty.
So, how blessed am I? Next weekend?? Yeah, I'm going to see my favorite band in the whole world! I've been listening to Caedmon's Call since probably 1997/8, and now, in 2004, I get to see them live. I postively can't wait. The Cook has a countdown on his website, which is fairly exciting. Then, the weekend after that? Yeah, wonderland, Third Day. Hmm, seems to me that the last time I was at Wonderland, it was to see Third Day. How convenient! Anyway, I don't have much else to say, but I'm super excited about that. Caedmon's Call, and Third Day. (I guess Toby Mac, too... but the only way I'll care is if he actually does the rap from Jesus is Alright, so i can rap with him.) Alright, bed calls. be good. Also, alright technically isn't in the Canadian dictionary. Ask me if I care? (andymack, do you care?) NO! I'm not at work. G'night folks!
So, how blessed am I? Next weekend?? Yeah, I'm going to see my favorite band in the whole world! I've been listening to Caedmon's Call since probably 1997/8, and now, in 2004, I get to see them live. I postively can't wait. The Cook has a countdown on his website, which is fairly exciting. Then, the weekend after that? Yeah, wonderland, Third Day. Hmm, seems to me that the last time I was at Wonderland, it was to see Third Day. How convenient! Anyway, I don't have much else to say, but I'm super excited about that. Caedmon's Call, and Third Day. (I guess Toby Mac, too... but the only way I'll care is if he actually does the rap from Jesus is Alright, so i can rap with him.) Alright, bed calls. be good. Also, alright technically isn't in the Canadian dictionary. Ask me if I care? (andymack, do you care?) NO! I'm not at work. G'night folks!
20040911
go Canada go || a long december
GO BOYS, GO!!! What a game!!! MARIO!!! MARIO!!! For those of you who didn't catch it, Canada beat Jaomir Jagr and the Czech Republic, 4 minutes into sudden death overtime. Our boys rock!!!
So, what a week. It was a good one, but an odd one. I have to confess that not being in school did manage to elicit a rather strange over-emotional reaction from me, especially on Wednesday. But, i made it, and I'm content. I have a dynamite job that i enjoy immensely. I've got a good deal with my landlords (hey mom and dad), and I've got time to work on stuff htat I really want to work on.
To my friends (and family... especially to MattyMack) who started school this week. Congrats. God bless as you pursue the ability to serve Him best in the vocation/calling He has blessed you with.
One last topic in this ever-so-brief post: time management. That's where the crunch is... using time in the most effective way. And, no matter how hard I try, I don't seem to be able to get it right. Any tips here would be good :-). Anyway, a little more reading, and then I'm going to bed. Good night!
(Caedmon's Call, here we come!)
So, what a week. It was a good one, but an odd one. I have to confess that not being in school did manage to elicit a rather strange over-emotional reaction from me, especially on Wednesday. But, i made it, and I'm content. I have a dynamite job that i enjoy immensely. I've got a good deal with my landlords (hey mom and dad), and I've got time to work on stuff htat I really want to work on.
To my friends (and family... especially to MattyMack) who started school this week. Congrats. God bless as you pursue the ability to serve Him best in the vocation/calling He has blessed you with.
One last topic in this ever-so-brief post: time management. That's where the crunch is... using time in the most effective way. And, no matter how hard I try, I don't seem to be able to get it right. Any tips here would be good :-). Anyway, a little more reading, and then I'm going to bed. Good night!
(Caedmon's Call, here we come!)
20040905
quiet uneasy
now playing: nothing. Yep, nothing. It's a moment of zen or something. Patiently waiting for a cup of tea, and feeling quite discontent.
You know, life is too short to live mediocre-ly. Seriously, far too short. Straight up... we get all caught up in little crap stuff that life throws our way; next thing you know, we're right screwed off track. What does that mean? I don't really know, except... WHY THE HECK DO WE WASTE SO MUCH STINKING TIME. Holy cow. I don't know about you, friends, but if you were to write a list of what my priorities oughta be, and what they are, they'd probably be polarly opposite.
*getting tea*
"Yeah, yeah, we all feel Juan, and that's great. But, lets talk about my character for a moment. I play a character named Larry. Larry's a great character... I mean, Larry's the kinda guy you carry around in your pocket. When someone says 'You and what army?' You say, 'Me... and Larry.' " — From an interview given about the feature film JB2K, which never made it through production.
Me and Larry. Word. I'm gone.
You know, life is too short to live mediocre-ly. Seriously, far too short. Straight up... we get all caught up in little crap stuff that life throws our way; next thing you know, we're right screwed off track. What does that mean? I don't really know, except... WHY THE HECK DO WE WASTE SO MUCH STINKING TIME. Holy cow. I don't know about you, friends, but if you were to write a list of what my priorities oughta be, and what they are, they'd probably be polarly opposite.
*getting tea*
"Yeah, yeah, we all feel Juan, and that's great. But, lets talk about my character for a moment. I play a character named Larry. Larry's a great character... I mean, Larry's the kinda guy you carry around in your pocket. When someone says 'You and what army?' You say, 'Me... and Larry.' " — From an interview given about the feature film JB2K, which never made it through production.
Me and Larry. Word. I'm gone.
20040903
technology for the vain
now playing: this world // caedmon's call, post derek.
Hi guys, mack here. I've got a lot on my mind, but I just haven't been up to spewing it out in bloggable form for a while. So, here goes. This could take a while. Or I could get frustrated, and give up after ten seconds. More like 20? who knows.
So, lets see, where to start, where to start. Okay, lets start with technology for the poor and prideful. See, I was playing with photoshop all day at work, and I learned some neat techniques for how to correct "imperfections". So, I decided that when I got home, I'd maybe play with some photos real quick, and see what I could do. So, I pulled up a photo that portrays one of my least favorite facts of growing older... pudgy cheeks. Yep, get the right angle, and my cheeks are huge. And, that bothers me. So, there I was playing with photoshop, and yes, in under 10 seconds, you can rid yourself of all unseemly features (Okay, not true, it would've taken longer to fix my nose, but whatever). TECHNOLOGY EXISTS SO THAT VANITY WILL BE EASIER.
That's not actually entirely true, but it's sorta true, and that sorta part frustrates me. Especially since I'm so vain! Why else would I presume that people want to read my thoughts? Isn't vanity all this blog thing is? Seriously.
Oh well, vainly we go.
Okay, another thing. Postmodernism and all its idiocy DON'T WORK! Today, on my way home from work, I drove past two girls, probably 15-16 years-of-age, each pushing a carriage. So, I turn to my co-worker, whom I drive home every night (yep, that's my mom), and say "Would you say that teenage pregnancy and all that stuff is up in the last 100 years, or is it probably that we just weren't tracking it before then? My co-worker opined that the figures seemed to definitely be following an upward trend. To that, I replied:
ALL THIS POSTMODERN LIBERATION CRAP DOESN'T WORK.
I have to confess, at first I had feminism in mind, but it was pointed out that my viewpoint was far too narrow. In reality, all that crap has failed us royally. Sure, we're all individuals... blah blah blah! We have no sense of community responsibility, so everything's gone down the toilet. Between abortion and sex-ed that's crap, we've given teenagers every excuse they need to "Do what feels good" without any regard for consequences. Great Big Sea can sing all about how great it'd be to live Consequence Free. The reality is, life features a series of decisions followed by consequences. We've taught ourselves to "live in the moment," "fulfill desires," and generally "serve whatever seems to be in our best interests." Here's the rub: what I percieve to be my best interests is probably as far off from what is in my actual best interest as it could possibly be.
Was community responsibility so bad? Hmm... my buddy David F. Wells seems to think not, especially when he refers to the way things used to be, community responsibility tied to the church.
What's it going to take to get rid of this self-centred living, and start being others conscious? Nothing short of a change of heart. Only God can change the hearts of sinful people. And man, it doesn't take much to see that we're sinful people. I'm not just saying "people do bad things," I'm saying "people are bad to the core."
In other news, yet another Caedmon's Call plug. How many other bands are trying to be missions minded? Caedmon's Call went to Brazil, Ecuador, and India to record their last album. They recorded and wrote with musicians from those countries, which gives the new tunes a very world music flavor. It's going to rock. It's music that talks about Jesus, but is in the world, aware of the state of things, and trying to improve the state of things. I don't think it gets any better than that... unless they were to play more triangle.
Finally, a salute to Li'l Mack. Li'l Mack is moving to P-Bizzo, in hopes of joining the first year class at KLBC. I'm super excited for you bro, and I'm going to miss you piles. Call often... I'll visit often. Rock some faces off.
To the rest of you, peace and grace. May we show ourselves to be intellegent, wise, and loving. I'm not going to lie to you, this life is going to challenge your head, your brain, and your mind. (-:
Hi guys, mack here. I've got a lot on my mind, but I just haven't been up to spewing it out in bloggable form for a while. So, here goes. This could take a while. Or I could get frustrated, and give up after ten seconds. More like 20? who knows.
So, lets see, where to start, where to start. Okay, lets start with technology for the poor and prideful. See, I was playing with photoshop all day at work, and I learned some neat techniques for how to correct "imperfections". So, I decided that when I got home, I'd maybe play with some photos real quick, and see what I could do. So, I pulled up a photo that portrays one of my least favorite facts of growing older... pudgy cheeks. Yep, get the right angle, and my cheeks are huge. And, that bothers me. So, there I was playing with photoshop, and yes, in under 10 seconds, you can rid yourself of all unseemly features (Okay, not true, it would've taken longer to fix my nose, but whatever). TECHNOLOGY EXISTS SO THAT VANITY WILL BE EASIER.
That's not actually entirely true, but it's sorta true, and that sorta part frustrates me. Especially since I'm so vain! Why else would I presume that people want to read my thoughts? Isn't vanity all this blog thing is? Seriously.
Oh well, vainly we go.
Okay, another thing. Postmodernism and all its idiocy DON'T WORK! Today, on my way home from work, I drove past two girls, probably 15-16 years-of-age, each pushing a carriage. So, I turn to my co-worker, whom I drive home every night (yep, that's my mom), and say "Would you say that teenage pregnancy and all that stuff is up in the last 100 years, or is it probably that we just weren't tracking it before then? My co-worker opined that the figures seemed to definitely be following an upward trend. To that, I replied:
ALL THIS POSTMODERN LIBERATION CRAP DOESN'T WORK.
I have to confess, at first I had feminism in mind, but it was pointed out that my viewpoint was far too narrow. In reality, all that crap has failed us royally. Sure, we're all individuals... blah blah blah! We have no sense of community responsibility, so everything's gone down the toilet. Between abortion and sex-ed that's crap, we've given teenagers every excuse they need to "Do what feels good" without any regard for consequences. Great Big Sea can sing all about how great it'd be to live Consequence Free. The reality is, life features a series of decisions followed by consequences. We've taught ourselves to "live in the moment," "fulfill desires," and generally "serve whatever seems to be in our best interests." Here's the rub: what I percieve to be my best interests is probably as far off from what is in my actual best interest as it could possibly be.
Was community responsibility so bad? Hmm... my buddy David F. Wells seems to think not, especially when he refers to the way things used to be, community responsibility tied to the church.
What's it going to take to get rid of this self-centred living, and start being others conscious? Nothing short of a change of heart. Only God can change the hearts of sinful people. And man, it doesn't take much to see that we're sinful people. I'm not just saying "people do bad things," I'm saying "people are bad to the core."
In other news, yet another Caedmon's Call plug. How many other bands are trying to be missions minded? Caedmon's Call went to Brazil, Ecuador, and India to record their last album. They recorded and wrote with musicians from those countries, which gives the new tunes a very world music flavor. It's going to rock. It's music that talks about Jesus, but is in the world, aware of the state of things, and trying to improve the state of things. I don't think it gets any better than that... unless they were to play more triangle.
Finally, a salute to Li'l Mack. Li'l Mack is moving to P-Bizzo, in hopes of joining the first year class at KLBC. I'm super excited for you bro, and I'm going to miss you piles. Call often... I'll visit often. Rock some faces off.
To the rest of you, peace and grace. May we show ourselves to be intellegent, wise, and loving. I'm not going to lie to you, this life is going to challenge your head, your brain, and your mind. (-:
20040822
good week / bad week
now playing: baby one more time / punk cover. it's no where near as good as I hoped it would be. it's far too serious. Ah, that's a little better... a punk cover of bad moon rising by creedence. yeah.
Hey guys. Welp, the olympics are on in the background, my dad's ranting at them (if I don't have some weird genetic eccentricities, it'd be a miracle. Actually, no, I wouldn't call it a miracle. Cause I wouldn't want it that way. I'll take all the genetic eccentricities in the world... dad's a riot! Especially when he talks about how he could take all these stinking athletes), and I'm sitting here writing to you guys.
You can go to code's blog to see a quick synopsis of how my week has been. Pretty well like that. Praise God that He opens our eyes to this stuff. It hurts, but it's good. And it's nice to know that there are other people out there going through similar stuff as us. God sure didn't make us to battle it out alone. That just wasn't His intention. That's why we have the church (for more Ecclesiological comments, purchase Derek Webb's House Show cd. It's awesome.
I don't really have anything deep to say, except that... to quote my buddy Cook, now is the time... Make the most of every moment. And don't be afraid to think and plan big, as long as you're loving God first and foremost. Also, keep in mind that most of life is lived in the inbetweens, and it'll be the little stuff that ends up making the most difference: how you raise your kids, how you conduct yourself in the job you hate, the thing you say to the grocery clerk during check out. Don't live life from one "big deal event" to the next; live in the inbetweens.
Cheat commandos. Rock, Rock on.
Hey guys. Welp, the olympics are on in the background, my dad's ranting at them (if I don't have some weird genetic eccentricities, it'd be a miracle. Actually, no, I wouldn't call it a miracle. Cause I wouldn't want it that way. I'll take all the genetic eccentricities in the world... dad's a riot! Especially when he talks about how he could take all these stinking athletes), and I'm sitting here writing to you guys.
You can go to code's blog to see a quick synopsis of how my week has been. Pretty well like that. Praise God that He opens our eyes to this stuff. It hurts, but it's good. And it's nice to know that there are other people out there going through similar stuff as us. God sure didn't make us to battle it out alone. That just wasn't His intention. That's why we have the church (for more Ecclesiological comments, purchase Derek Webb's House Show cd. It's awesome.
I don't really have anything deep to say, except that... to quote my buddy Cook, now is the time... Make the most of every moment. And don't be afraid to think and plan big, as long as you're loving God first and foremost. Also, keep in mind that most of life is lived in the inbetweens, and it'll be the little stuff that ends up making the most difference: how you raise your kids, how you conduct yourself in the job you hate, the thing you say to the grocery clerk during check out. Don't live life from one "big deal event" to the next; live in the inbetweens.
Cheat commandos. Rock, Rock on.
20040821
That's Weird
now playing: zuzu's petals, the dustkickers. what a wicked song. any song that alludes to possibly the greatest christmas movie of all time *has* to rock.
Hey guy! (Yes, that's an intentional "guy"... there's a guy in the office who calls everybody guy, and it cracks me up. Idiosyncrosies as a whole make me laugh though.) It's the weekend! I'm up late! I'm going to sleep in. And I'd like to write something tomorrow, but I don't know what to write about. I guess I have a couple of ideas. Let me share one or two with you (we'll decide whether it's one or two when we get to the end of one -- after all, it is long past midnight).
We just got done watching The Prince and Me with Julia Stiles. I like Julia Stiles a lot, mostly cause she doesn't really seem to be all about the "I need to do ultra-sleazy roles to prove my 'maturity' " thing. I appreciate that. What I don't appreciate is feminism trying to impact the romantic comedy genre. ( *Warning: Spoilers ho!* ) See, toward the end of the most recent Stiles movie I watched, she decided that she couldn't follow her heart; she had to go and do all the things she set out to do before she met the dude.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for planning, and I'm all for not just willy-nilly saying, "It felt right in my heart." On the other hand, this is a movie: it is meant to demonstrate -- in some form or another -- something that touches, somehow, the universality of love. Instead, if you check out the alternate ending especially, it appears that the director's original intention was to have the movie end with them both moving in their separate directions, cause she wanted more than just to be with him. There was no "we," there was "you" and "me." I don't know, I guess i just found it lame.
And now a confession: half way through the above, I almost stopped typing. I didn't because I thought a more interesting point could be drawn out from what I wrote above. Hokey Stink -- have I ever bought into a North American view of romance. "Cast all sensibility aside, throw your plans to the wind, and caution therewith! Love... love is all!" The universality of love? What is love? Is love, like Ravi Zacharias implies, Rebekah crossing the desert and meeting Isaac, marrying the dude, and learning to love him? Is love found one night, as in the Stiles movie, hitting on a cute bartender while slightly inebriated? Why do I buy into the Hollywood crap? You know what's worse? As soon as I condemn myself like this, my mind flits to Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle, and the comments Rosie O'Donnell makes: "You don't want to be in love... you want to be in love in a movie."
It is a ridiculous generation that examines themselves and finds that their expectations regarding the utmost of emotional expression are defined by adults playacting on a silver screen. Is romance really what we've come to believe it to be? Is it that shallow thing imbedded so strongly in pop-culture? Let's hope not. Because, unlike those play-actors, real people don't get to wipe off the makeup and go home after a long day. We're stuck with the situations we get ourselves into. And, I doubt if it'd really be all that easy to walk away from being the queen of Denmark.
Hey guy! (Yes, that's an intentional "guy"... there's a guy in the office who calls everybody guy, and it cracks me up. Idiosyncrosies as a whole make me laugh though.) It's the weekend! I'm up late! I'm going to sleep in. And I'd like to write something tomorrow, but I don't know what to write about. I guess I have a couple of ideas. Let me share one or two with you (we'll decide whether it's one or two when we get to the end of one -- after all, it is long past midnight).
We just got done watching The Prince and Me with Julia Stiles. I like Julia Stiles a lot, mostly cause she doesn't really seem to be all about the "I need to do ultra-sleazy roles to prove my 'maturity' " thing. I appreciate that. What I don't appreciate is feminism trying to impact the romantic comedy genre. ( *Warning: Spoilers ho!* ) See, toward the end of the most recent Stiles movie I watched, she decided that she couldn't follow her heart; she had to go and do all the things she set out to do before she met the dude.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for planning, and I'm all for not just willy-nilly saying, "It felt right in my heart." On the other hand, this is a movie: it is meant to demonstrate -- in some form or another -- something that touches, somehow, the universality of love. Instead, if you check out the alternate ending especially, it appears that the director's original intention was to have the movie end with them both moving in their separate directions, cause she wanted more than just to be with him. There was no "we," there was "you" and "me." I don't know, I guess i just found it lame.
And now a confession: half way through the above, I almost stopped typing. I didn't because I thought a more interesting point could be drawn out from what I wrote above. Hokey Stink -- have I ever bought into a North American view of romance. "Cast all sensibility aside, throw your plans to the wind, and caution therewith! Love... love is all!" The universality of love? What is love? Is love, like Ravi Zacharias implies, Rebekah crossing the desert and meeting Isaac, marrying the dude, and learning to love him? Is love found one night, as in the Stiles movie, hitting on a cute bartender while slightly inebriated? Why do I buy into the Hollywood crap? You know what's worse? As soon as I condemn myself like this, my mind flits to Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle, and the comments Rosie O'Donnell makes: "You don't want to be in love... you want to be in love in a movie."
It is a ridiculous generation that examines themselves and finds that their expectations regarding the utmost of emotional expression are defined by adults playacting on a silver screen. Is romance really what we've come to believe it to be? Is it that shallow thing imbedded so strongly in pop-culture? Let's hope not. Because, unlike those play-actors, real people don't get to wipe off the makeup and go home after a long day. We're stuck with the situations we get ourselves into. And, I doubt if it'd really be all that easy to walk away from being the queen of Denmark.
20040818
chick punk and other stuff
Now Playing: Starspin by Downhere, by far the best song on the new CD.
So, it's another wednesday. And, it's more than half over. It drives me nuts how fast days fly by. Why do you have to go and make things so complicated? Cause, he was a boy, and she was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious? The Avril was playing at the office today. She's really actually decent when you compare her with the rest of pop music.
Wow, it was such a super-un-eventful day. I think I'm going to go read, and finish the uneventful day, well, uneventfully. Have a good night guys!
So, it's another wednesday. And, it's more than half over. It drives me nuts how fast days fly by. Why do you have to go and make things so complicated? Cause, he was a boy, and she was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious? The Avril was playing at the office today. She's really actually decent when you compare her with the rest of pop music.
Wow, it was such a super-un-eventful day. I think I'm going to go read, and finish the uneventful day, well, uneventfully. Have a good night guys!
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