So, this is my first post after the longest break I've taken so far since starting my blog. I told myself I would be faithful to my blog and post frequently, and I intend to continue that. I've had a five day break this time, and I think that I'm still within my guidelines of "frequently" by posting tonight. Let me know if you think I'm slacking. I know there are a bunch of people who read this that aren't "followers", so maybe if they know they can outright criticize me on here, they'll join and follow.
In this post I thought I would just list off some of the "Brain Thoughts" that have presented themselves to me during my 5 day blog vacation:
I heard a news report from a TV in the other room. It was about a cancer research fundraiser, and they were interviewing someone involved. The lady being interviewed said,"Cancer has touched me." Cancer sounds a bit forward, maybe it should have bought you dinner first.
I was in a Wendy's earlier today. This is a re-creation of the conversation I had with the girl at the counter:
Me: Hi, can I get a Baconator combo with fries and an iced tea please?
Girl: We don't have any pop. (in an annoyed voice)
Me: Oh.... Ok..... What do you have?
Girl: Um, I'll check.
she walks away, and returns in a couple seconds
Girl: We have bottled water and orange juice.
Me: Um....
Girl: Our pop machine is broken. It was working earlier, but now everything is watery.
Me: Oh.... I'll have an orange juice.
Girl: Ok.
That was a lot of fun.
when life hands you lemons, hollow them out and make tiny lemon jack-o-lanterns, trust me, once you put a tea light inside they'll end up looking like the lit ends of candles are coming to life
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Coffee, urinals, and life lessons
So, you're on campus one day walking along drinking a coffee. You realize you need to go to the bathroom. You're by yourself and don't see anyone around you'd feel comfortable asking to hold your coffee, so you chance looking unsanitary and take your coffee into the bathroom. You're in luck! The sink counter is very close to the urinals (you are also obviously male... oh wait.... oh, no I was right the first time, you are). So, you set your almost empty coffee on the edge of the sink, and move to the urinal to begin Project Urine Escape. As you unzip your fly another person joins you at the urinal to your left. An awkward, "what's up?" is exchanged, followed by a innocent misguided glance which confirms for you that this person is also a male. Project Urine Escape is slow going at first and your companion finishes first. He moves to the sink to wash his hands while you finish up. The project is a success, and as you turn to the sink in triumph, you just catch a glimpse of Mr. Fastpee as he drops your coffee cup into the trash. There is a moment of pause in which he realizes that the cup he threw out had been yours (probably due too the look on your face). He sheepishly smiles, saying, "Sorry, I thought I was tidying up after some inconsiderate washroom goer."
You say, "Thanks a lot! I guess you decided I didn't want the rest of that!" in a loud and angry manner. He looks quite guilty, mutters an apology, and leaves quickly.
OR
You say nothing. He says, "Hey, come on and let me buy you another coffee." You agree and follow him out of the washroom. The coffee trip turns into a long and enjoyable conversation. Over time, you become great friends with Mr Fastpee and you are close for the rest of your lives. You go hiking one day up a mountain, you break your leg and Fastpee carries you back down the mountain. Years after the mountain hike, you need a new kidney and Fastpee offers up his. He's the godfather of your children, a friend in times of need, and a lot of fun to be around. However, one day you come home to find Fastpee and your wife doing it like rabbits. You try to kill him on the spot, but he's much too strong for you. Your wife leaves you for him, and she gets custody of the kids. Old uncle Fastpee becomes step-dad Fastpee and your kids love him more than they love you. You get fired from your menial job the next day, and on the way home you try to kill yourself by jumping off a bridge. As your bad luck would have it, Fastpee is driving by, sees you, and stops you from jumping. You spend the rest of your miserable life in a phsyc ward.
The moral of the story: Don't be afraid to tell people how you really feel. You should have mouthed off to Mr. Fastpee.
when life hands you lemons, tell life what you really think about the lemons
You say, "Thanks a lot! I guess you decided I didn't want the rest of that!" in a loud and angry manner. He looks quite guilty, mutters an apology, and leaves quickly.OR
You say nothing. He says, "Hey, come on and let me buy you another coffee." You agree and follow him out of the washroom. The coffee trip turns into a long and enjoyable conversation. Over time, you become great friends with Mr Fastpee and you are close for the rest of your lives. You go hiking one day up a mountain, you break your leg and Fastpee carries you back down the mountain. Years after the mountain hike, you need a new kidney and Fastpee offers up his. He's the godfather of your children, a friend in times of need, and a lot of fun to be around. However, one day you come home to find Fastpee and your wife doing it like rabbits. You try to kill him on the spot, but he's much too strong for you. Your wife leaves you for him, and she gets custody of the kids. Old uncle Fastpee becomes step-dad Fastpee and your kids love him more than they love you. You get fired from your menial job the next day, and on the way home you try to kill yourself by jumping off a bridge. As your bad luck would have it, Fastpee is driving by, sees you, and stops you from jumping. You spend the rest of your miserable life in a phsyc ward.
The moral of the story: Don't be afraid to tell people how you really feel. You should have mouthed off to Mr. Fastpee.
when life hands you lemons, tell life what you really think about the lemons
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Robots, lemons, and dependency on technology. Oh my!
A robot woke up one morning. Do robots sleep?
We as a species question everything. We question, so that we can define. We define, so that we talk to one another about the things around us. This helps us to understand our lives, our world, and ourselves. However, the most interesting times in which we learn something new, are when we don't ask any questions at all - when new information presents itself to us when we aren't looking for it.
Facebook is a way for users to ask for more information. You log on and get new info on everyone you know, and a lot of other people you barely know. It is the epicenter of gossip, the fastest way to get your feelings out to the world, and quite possibly the best example of the world's non-critical dependency on technology.
What do I mean by non-critical dependency on technology? I mean that the world has become entirely dependent on technology without being critical of the reasons why it is dependent on said technology. We, and by we I mean Facebook users, blindly signed up and logged on to Facebook without considering what the dangers were in what we were doing. You deniers out there can argue all you want, but I know I signed without a second of hesitation and I'm sure many many other did the same. Now, my life is very dependent on Facebook. As a music student in university, I use Facebook to schedule all my rehearsals, find out when others are having concerts, post when my upcoming performances are, and network with talented individuals whom I know I will want to work with in the future. If it wasn't for Facebook, I can safely say that I would not being doing half as well in school, nor would I be enjoying it half as much as I am. So what could be so bad about it?
In the last six months or so, I have learned some information that I did not ask for. Facebook is seducing me, and I'm sure many others, into thinking that many of my relationships with those I care about are in much better shape than they really are. I have many friends, as many university students do, whom I don't see in person very often. Sure I might send a Facebook message back and forth every once in a while; I might even talk on MSN (which is a little more personal because it is in real time). The problem is that most people, at least in my experiences, are completely polite and non-confrontational on Facebook. When you don't have to deal with the tiresome task of being physically and emotional connected to a conversation, it is very easy to take on a mild, caring, and compassionate persona.
Someone has a problem, you tell them it's ok. Someone is happy about something, you congratulate them. Someone is upset, you comfort them. There is no conflict, or misunderstanding, or telling facial expression, or body posture. Issues are dealt with easily and efficiently, with usually only one, sometimes with neither, person being emotional attached to the subject. Both leave feeling very neutral about everything, which can often lead to real problems and issues being left inside to fester and eventually boil over when the two people in question actually meet in person. I'm positive some of my relationships are in this state right now, and I'm again sure that there are many many people out there who are in the same situation.
So, after reading everything above, do you agree readers? If you do, do you think that the use of Facebook (and other things like it) should be questioned? Should we be blindly logging on, and non-critically becoming dependent? If you don't agree, why don't you? Please comment and discuss this. Again, my goal is to inspire thought and discussion. My secondary goal is to get to a point where I don't need to beg people to respond and discuss (if you like the blog recommend it to others!). Thanks, and here's your somewhat daily dose of lemons!
when life hands you lemons, critically analyze whether you're becoming dependent on the lemons and what that could lead to down the road
We as a species question everything. We question, so that we can define. We define, so that we talk to one another about the things around us. This helps us to understand our lives, our world, and ourselves. However, the most interesting times in which we learn something new, are when we don't ask any questions at all - when new information presents itself to us when we aren't looking for it.
Facebook is a way for users to ask for more information. You log on and get new info on everyone you know, and a lot of other people you barely know. It is the epicenter of gossip, the fastest way to get your feelings out to the world, and quite possibly the best example of the world's non-critical dependency on technology.
What do I mean by non-critical dependency on technology? I mean that the world has become entirely dependent on technology without being critical of the reasons why it is dependent on said technology. We, and by we I mean Facebook users, blindly signed up and logged on to Facebook without considering what the dangers were in what we were doing. You deniers out there can argue all you want, but I know I signed without a second of hesitation and I'm sure many many other did the same. Now, my life is very dependent on Facebook. As a music student in university, I use Facebook to schedule all my rehearsals, find out when others are having concerts, post when my upcoming performances are, and network with talented individuals whom I know I will want to work with in the future. If it wasn't for Facebook, I can safely say that I would not being doing half as well in school, nor would I be enjoying it half as much as I am. So what could be so bad about it?
In the last six months or so, I have learned some information that I did not ask for. Facebook is seducing me, and I'm sure many others, into thinking that many of my relationships with those I care about are in much better shape than they really are. I have many friends, as many university students do, whom I don't see in person very often. Sure I might send a Facebook message back and forth every once in a while; I might even talk on MSN (which is a little more personal because it is in real time). The problem is that most people, at least in my experiences, are completely polite and non-confrontational on Facebook. When you don't have to deal with the tiresome task of being physically and emotional connected to a conversation, it is very easy to take on a mild, caring, and compassionate persona.
Someone has a problem, you tell them it's ok. Someone is happy about something, you congratulate them. Someone is upset, you comfort them. There is no conflict, or misunderstanding, or telling facial expression, or body posture. Issues are dealt with easily and efficiently, with usually only one, sometimes with neither, person being emotional attached to the subject. Both leave feeling very neutral about everything, which can often lead to real problems and issues being left inside to fester and eventually boil over when the two people in question actually meet in person. I'm positive some of my relationships are in this state right now, and I'm again sure that there are many many people out there who are in the same situation.
So, after reading everything above, do you agree readers? If you do, do you think that the use of Facebook (and other things like it) should be questioned? Should we be blindly logging on, and non-critically becoming dependent? If you don't agree, why don't you? Please comment and discuss this. Again, my goal is to inspire thought and discussion. My secondary goal is to get to a point where I don't need to beg people to respond and discuss (if you like the blog recommend it to others!). Thanks, and here's your somewhat daily dose of lemons!
when life hands you lemons, critically analyze whether you're becoming dependent on the lemons and what that could lead to down the road
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Unintentional Metaphoric Misunderstanding
It has come to my attention that my last post People are like hair has made several people whom are close to me think that I want to cut them out of my life, or trim them like hair. That was not the message I meant to send with that post. It was supposed to be a comment on how, every now and again, people must reinvent and reevaluate their lives - much like how we often reinvent our hair styles by trimming it. This misunderstanding is a trivial matter to me, but it brings up an interesting issue - the issue of author intention.
In all art there is intention, whether it is music, literature, visual art, or dance. A creator of a work of art sets out to achieve something within their piece. However, they are then subjected to the ever confusing expectations of the consumers of said art. Works of art are then interpreted in all sorts of different ways due to the experiences and opinions each individual consumer brings into their analysis. In other words, everyone has different reasons to like or dislike something, and everyone has different experiences to compare their new ones to. No matter what the author's original intent was, everyone forms their own opinion of the work based on their individual biases. For as long as this has been happening (which is forever), the interplay between author intent and consumer experience has been a challenging but interesting topic for those who make it their business to analyse and comment on art.
In all art there is intention, whether it is music, literature, visual art, or dance. A creator of a work of art sets out to achieve something within their piece. However, they are then subjected to the ever confusing expectations of the consumers of said art. Works of art are then interpreted in all sorts of different ways due to the experiences and opinions each individual consumer brings into their analysis. In other words, everyone has different reasons to like or dislike something, and everyone has different experiences to compare their new ones to. No matter what the author's original intent was, everyone forms their own opinion of the work based on their individual biases. For as long as this has been happening (which is forever), the interplay between author intent and consumer experience has been a challenging but interesting topic for those who make it their business to analyse and comment on art.
Gimli is a bad ass!
An interesting example of the interplay between author intent and consumer experience is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Tolkien was a WWI vet and experienced the hells of war first hand. Once his novels were published, many analysts wrote about how the books held metaphors for WWI and that Tolkien was making social commentaries on the world as he saw it. Tolkien was upset by this, and wrote about how he intended to create an alternate world from our own in his works. He wanted to escape reality with his works and create something fantastical, yet all his consumers wanted to do was relate it to their lives and experiences and, dare I say it, learn something they could apply to their lives from his work.
So, here's my next question to ponder over: As consumers, should we strive to learn or take from the art we consume what the author wanted us to, or should we be striving to compare art to our own experiences and draw new conclusions from our interpretations? I think the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, or maybe in the both category, but hopefully this will inspire you to think more about what you are getting out of the art you consume in the future. I've really appreciated the comments I've received so far on my blog posts, so feel free to start up a discussion or comment on what I've been discussing here. This blog is meant to make you think, and I believe discussion is a great catalyst for that!
Ta ta for now!
when life hands you lemons, compare them to all the fruit experiences you've had in your life and draw new conclusions from this comparison to learn from.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
People are like hair
People are like hair. You let them grow and you style them in all sorts of different ways, but sooner or later they need to be trimmed. Some hair doesn't have to be trimmed for a long time, and other hair should be trimmed frequently but isn't. There are always signs when hair needs to be trimmed; it won't lie flat, it looks dull, it's too frizzy all the time. At first others won't tell you that your hair needs trimming, but eventually someone close to you will let you know. It's also never right in the morning after a long sleep. It needs attention to get ready for the day, and then has a certain level of upkeep throughout the day depending on the complexity of the style. One big difference between hair and people is that hair doesn't often have to interact with other hair. I guess you could say that lonely people are like hair, or introverts are like hair. Hopefully this metaphor has helped with life's problems.
Good Evening
when life hands you lemons, convince them all that they belong to different tribes and start mock lemon wars!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Quick Update!
I just thought I'd let you all (and by all I mean one of you) know that I now have my first official follower of my blog!!! Though, the only person who will read this is my only follower, whom already knows that they are a follower. Damn it. Well at least you will know that I appreciate you follower!! Have you guessed my ending quotes yet? I bet you have.
top-o-the morning to ya (it's 3:45pm)
when life hands you lemons, use them to do tequila shots
top-o-the morning to ya (it's 3:45pm)
when life hands you lemons, use them to do tequila shots
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Ender's Game and author respect
Hello again all,
So it seems that as of right now no one is reading my blog. This is fine, for I began more for creatively therapeutic reasons anyway. Eventually someone will read it, even if it is just my girlfriend and she's only reading it cause I make her. Maybe she'll tell a friend, and they'll tell a friend and it will spread very slowly because no one will ever tell more than one friend. Exponential growth is over-rated anyway. Now on to what I started this post for...
I have recently reread a novel entitled Ender's Game written by Orson Scott Card. He is a great sci-fi writer and became well known because of this novel. I love Ender's Game and I was not disappointed with the reread either. It is set in the future (as most sci-fi tends to be) and follows a young boy (Ender) as he is conscripted into battle school at the ripe old age of 6 and trained to be the future commander of humanity's starship fleet in the looming human vs. alien war. The novel deals with many interesting moral issues that either exist already or might need to exist in the future. More than this I will not tell you for I'd hate to spoil such an excellent and personally influential novel for anyone else. I suggest anyone with an active imagination or a love for sci-fi read it.
I have based many opinions of mine on things I have learned from this book, and really admire Card as a writer and storyteller. The issue I now have arose after I visited Orson Scott Card's wikipedia page and read the info there on his beliefs and stances on many hot current events issues. I consider myself a fairly liberal and accepting person and I generally want the best for the other humans I inhabit this world with. I'm fairly certain now though that I wouldn't consider Card in the same category as myself. I am a Christian whom attends a United Church. I don't attend regularly anymore, especially since I've been in university. I believe the gay community should have and enjoy any right or privelidge which I hold. I am also one who did not agree with very many things that US president George W. Bush did in office. Card, according to wikipedia, is a Mormon who supports GWB and believes gays have no right to marriage. He calls himself a Democrat because he is pro-gun control but has publically insinuated that rises in crime are due to rises in premarital sex, that the war in Iraq was justified, and he supported Senator John McCain in the last US Presidential Election (all things I disagree with).
So, the next big question-o-life I pose to you (my previously discussed fictional readers) is this: How can I base some of my moral point of views on a book written by someone whom I don't morally or politically agree with? I feel that Mr. Card is entirely entitled to his opinions and views, and I respect how adamant he has been about promoting them (writing in magazines and papers), but how can I base my morals on the writings created by someone whose morals clash with mine? It is a tough one, and again I have no answer. I have been struggling with it for a while now, and the best thing I can think of so far is that his book doesn't necessarily have to coincide with his views, therefore I'm free to not do so either. I don't know if that's relevant or not. Think about though readers and maybe write something about it somewhere for your fictional readers to not read.
Later Days (another quote, guess where it's from)
when life hands you lemons, hand them back.
So it seems that as of right now no one is reading my blog. This is fine, for I began more for creatively therapeutic reasons anyway. Eventually someone will read it, even if it is just my girlfriend and she's only reading it cause I make her. Maybe she'll tell a friend, and they'll tell a friend and it will spread very slowly because no one will ever tell more than one friend. Exponential growth is over-rated anyway. Now on to what I started this post for...
I have recently reread a novel entitled Ender's Game written by Orson Scott Card. He is a great sci-fi writer and became well known because of this novel. I love Ender's Game and I was not disappointed with the reread either. It is set in the future (as most sci-fi tends to be) and follows a young boy (Ender) as he is conscripted into battle school at the ripe old age of 6 and trained to be the future commander of humanity's starship fleet in the looming human vs. alien war. The novel deals with many interesting moral issues that either exist already or might need to exist in the future. More than this I will not tell you for I'd hate to spoil such an excellent and personally influential novel for anyone else. I suggest anyone with an active imagination or a love for sci-fi read it.
I have based many opinions of mine on things I have learned from this book, and really admire Card as a writer and storyteller. The issue I now have arose after I visited Orson Scott Card's wikipedia page and read the info there on his beliefs and stances on many hot current events issues. I consider myself a fairly liberal and accepting person and I generally want the best for the other humans I inhabit this world with. I'm fairly certain now though that I wouldn't consider Card in the same category as myself. I am a Christian whom attends a United Church. I don't attend regularly anymore, especially since I've been in university. I believe the gay community should have and enjoy any right or privelidge which I hold. I am also one who did not agree with very many things that US president George W. Bush did in office. Card, according to wikipedia, is a Mormon who supports GWB and believes gays have no right to marriage. He calls himself a Democrat because he is pro-gun control but has publically insinuated that rises in crime are due to rises in premarital sex, that the war in Iraq was justified, and he supported Senator John McCain in the last US Presidential Election (all things I disagree with).
So, the next big question-o-life I pose to you (my previously discussed fictional readers) is this: How can I base some of my moral point of views on a book written by someone whom I don't morally or politically agree with? I feel that Mr. Card is entirely entitled to his opinions and views, and I respect how adamant he has been about promoting them (writing in magazines and papers), but how can I base my morals on the writings created by someone whose morals clash with mine? It is a tough one, and again I have no answer. I have been struggling with it for a while now, and the best thing I can think of so far is that his book doesn't necessarily have to coincide with his views, therefore I'm free to not do so either. I don't know if that's relevant or not. Think about though readers and maybe write something about it somewhere for your fictional readers to not read.
Later Days (another quote, guess where it's from)
when life hands you lemons, hand them back.
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