Metaphors. Gotta love 'em. Like their step brothers, the analogy, metaphors are so frequently used in everyday society, it's become difficult to separate the vain from the ones that actually have value. I believe that during my stay in North Carolina, I was acquainted with one of the latter category.
Each of the three years my church has done out of state trips, we have attended a nightly chapel service. There, the Team Effort staff would have a theme relative to the work we were doing, as well as giving everyone something to think about during the week long stay on site. The major point of focus being what's keeping you from God, for the most part. Our theme for this past week was scaffolding. What scaffolding literally is, is a temporary structure used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. Metaphorically speaking, the art of scaffolding represents what's holding you up, i.e. the relationships we build around us, familiar places and thoughts, things like that. There's both good and bad scaffolding, each being pretty self-explanatory. Which is which is up to the individual.
Needless to say, I found the whole concept to be quite intriguing, after I was finished giving it my own interpretation, that is. I personally don't care much for the more dogmatic aspects of the scaffolding theme, no matter how big of a part that plays into how other people perceive it. Me, I like having more room for developing on my own terms. Selfish as hell fer shur, but it's just what makes me comfortable. For this, I substituted any relation to God with the general discovery of balance, for lack of a lamer term. What were the things that kept me from leading a satisfactory life? Is there even anything that needs tending to in my life right now? Why the frigg is the shift key on my keyboard broken? I dunno. Just some things I can ponder during the remainder of my summer. Maybe you aught to try it out as well.
Also, I STILL haven't shaved yet. But that's a story for another day. Arrevaderchi.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Shaving off my experience
My week long absense was not in vain, I assure you.
But yes, I was away from any computer source for the entirety of my North Carolina adventure, meaning that I was unable to update my blog, and I feel as if I owe you an extra.
With the nature of church trips being what they are, it's usually customary for our group to gather on the eve of our departure and discuss the experience/share some thoughts with one another. We went about doing so by taking turns and going whenever we feel as if we had something of value to say. Mine was a bit, uhmm..."stranger" as opposed to everyone else's. Like all things worth writing, it came spontaneously and without method or preparation.
Anyhow, for the entire week I was gone, I did not shave. Once. I had forgotten to bring my own razor and while I received offers to share others, I declined. So I just let my facial hair grow out for the whole week. And the realization I came to was how my beard, which had turned out quite profusely by friday, somehow represented my experience for the entire week. Now, stay with me here. You see, it's like how the week progressed, I grew accustomed to life in an all new environment, all the while developing a full face of hair. It was very nice, but I knew that both would have to come to a close sooner or later. I knew that whenever I got home, I would have to readjust back to my normal life, and shave my beard as well, thus getting rid of all the feelings of comfort and homeliness I had, and their symbolic representation.
And for the record, I still haven't shaved yet. I think I may let it live until, oh I don't know, friday? Yarp, friday sounds good to me.
But yes, I was away from any computer source for the entirety of my North Carolina adventure, meaning that I was unable to update my blog, and I feel as if I owe you an extra.
With the nature of church trips being what they are, it's usually customary for our group to gather on the eve of our departure and discuss the experience/share some thoughts with one another. We went about doing so by taking turns and going whenever we feel as if we had something of value to say. Mine was a bit, uhmm..."stranger" as opposed to everyone else's. Like all things worth writing, it came spontaneously and without method or preparation.
Anyhow, for the entire week I was gone, I did not shave. Once. I had forgotten to bring my own razor and while I received offers to share others, I declined. So I just let my facial hair grow out for the whole week. And the realization I came to was how my beard, which had turned out quite profusely by friday, somehow represented my experience for the entire week. Now, stay with me here. You see, it's like how the week progressed, I grew accustomed to life in an all new environment, all the while developing a full face of hair. It was very nice, but I knew that both would have to come to a close sooner or later. I knew that whenever I got home, I would have to readjust back to my normal life, and shave my beard as well, thus getting rid of all the feelings of comfort and homeliness I had, and their symbolic representation.
And for the record, I still haven't shaved yet. I think I may let it live until, oh I don't know, friday? Yarp, friday sounds good to me.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Alright, I admit it
I don't have a post prepared for tonight. Sadface.
BUT what I do have is a legitimate excuse. My lack of postery for tonight isn't out of laziness, and certainly not fro a lack of trying. Trust me, I thought hard about what I could have written about this week. But the thing is, is that I've been really preoccupied recently.
You see, tomorrow I leave to go out of state. I won't be getting back until next saturday, which also means I won't be able to put something here next week either. But I will definitely be picking up the slack afterwards. I have the latest in my 2010 films series lined up and a few other bits as well. So there's a lot to look forward to, at least for the rest of the summer.
Until my return, please enjoy Christopher Walken dancing in my stead.
BUT what I do have is a legitimate excuse. My lack of postery for tonight isn't out of laziness, and certainly not fro a lack of trying. Trust me, I thought hard about what I could have written about this week. But the thing is, is that I've been really preoccupied recently.
You see, tomorrow I leave to go out of state. I won't be getting back until next saturday, which also means I won't be able to put something here next week either. But I will definitely be picking up the slack afterwards. I have the latest in my 2010 films series lined up and a few other bits as well. So there's a lot to look forward to, at least for the rest of the summer.
Until my return, please enjoy Christopher Walken dancing in my stead.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Test
This is just an experiment, to see if embedding videos into a post really works or not. If it does work, then enjoy an Old Spice Odor Blocker commercial and the first 10 minutes of The Passion of Joan of Arc.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Dream Project
Back when this blog was in its hey-day, a mere month and a half ago, I often discussed the prospects of writing with my blogging buddy. Within the confides of our shooting the shit, we shared ideas and concepts with one another, some better than others. After brainstorming some possible things I could write about this week, I thought it appropriate to share one of my personal favorite ideas.
The basic gist goes a little something like this: There’s this woman who is arrested for murder. I’m still ambivalent on who she’s killed and why, or even why it's a woman, but that’s besides the point. Just bare with me here. Anyhow, this woman is arrested and goes to prison, but is released shortly after her incarceration (why? I dunno). Upon her release, this woman shows no signs of regretting what she has done. In fact, she’s almost sort of proud of her crime. She soon begins to publicly profess how good her satisfaction was and encourages others to do so as well. This odd characteristic begins to catch on, and soon influences other people to partake. When enough people start following what she says, needless to say the shit hits the fan.
With summaries being what they are, just a general re-cap of the work as a whole, I feel I must also explain all the subtexts to y’all. What this story is, is really just a simple examination of the politics of free speech, and its PC boundaries. Like, is there really such a thing as going too far? Is having the power to say whatever we feel really worth all the hassle? Additionally, there's also some sort of commentary on the entire basis of modern Christianity. Challenging the very basic ideals of faith and spirituality. i.e. is it really all that sensible to blindly follow the word of one mortal human being (hint: no). Really, I don't know what this project is trying to communicate to the reader any more what actually happens within the story period.
So there you have it. Very much a work in progress as I've still yet to work out the kinks, provided I even feel like expanding upon it. At this moment, it's very sketchy and there are many details I still need to flesh out. There's still the entire plot and narrative structure that needs tending to. Hell, I don’t even have any characters, sans the instigator at the center. If per chance anybody happens to come across this post who thinks they know how to turn my concept into gold, by all means use it. Just give me due credit, thankyouverymuch.
The basic gist goes a little something like this: There’s this woman who is arrested for murder. I’m still ambivalent on who she’s killed and why, or even why it's a woman, but that’s besides the point. Just bare with me here. Anyhow, this woman is arrested and goes to prison, but is released shortly after her incarceration (why? I dunno). Upon her release, this woman shows no signs of regretting what she has done. In fact, she’s almost sort of proud of her crime. She soon begins to publicly profess how good her satisfaction was and encourages others to do so as well. This odd characteristic begins to catch on, and soon influences other people to partake. When enough people start following what she says, needless to say the shit hits the fan.
With summaries being what they are, just a general re-cap of the work as a whole, I feel I must also explain all the subtexts to y’all. What this story is, is really just a simple examination of the politics of free speech, and its PC boundaries. Like, is there really such a thing as going too far? Is having the power to say whatever we feel really worth all the hassle? Additionally, there's also some sort of commentary on the entire basis of modern Christianity. Challenging the very basic ideals of faith and spirituality. i.e. is it really all that sensible to blindly follow the word of one mortal human being (hint: no). Really, I don't know what this project is trying to communicate to the reader any more what actually happens within the story period.
So there you have it. Very much a work in progress as I've still yet to work out the kinks, provided I even feel like expanding upon it. At this moment, it's very sketchy and there are many details I still need to flesh out. There's still the entire plot and narrative structure that needs tending to. Hell, I don’t even have any characters, sans the instigator at the center. If per chance anybody happens to come across this post who thinks they know how to turn my concept into gold, by all means use it. Just give me due credit, thankyouverymuch.
Friday, June 25, 2010
You know what else I hate?
A lot.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not typically a hateful person or anything like that. It's just that I've found myself becoming more prone to radically instantaneous changes in mood than usual. And yeah, I know I was building up my latest post to be super awesome now that I'm putting some actual pathos into my postery. But the truth is, being irritable is a very serious commitment, haha. Plus, I could afford to vent a little. Without any further ado, here's a list of things that have been driving me up the wall lately.
1.) Hydro-therapy
2.) Allergies
3.) How my best friend recently left to join the military and I won't get to see him for the rest of the summer, and possibly the year too.
4.) That I'm an active member of my mother's church when I barely even have any sense of faith or spirituality. Church hypocrite, much?
5.) How my older sister barely even visits anymore and when she does, it's only when she needs something, all the while complaining about how much she hates being home.
6.) ^ How that's probably going to be me in a few years.
7.) Ear infections
8.) Fevers
9.) Having a weak stomach
10.) ^ Pretty much every ailment that I'm suffering from at the moment.
11.) Being indecisive
12. Applesauce. Ewwww.
13.) How I started this blog a few months ago and have managed only to fill it up with stupid stuff that even I don't give a shit about.
14.) Getting bloodwork done
15.) The fact the the bigger events and dilemmas I come across don't seem to phase me much, but the simplest little item can send me into a completely different state of mind.
16.) How fucked up my sleeping schedule is and how irritable it makes me.
17.) That everything or everyone I once found meaningful is either leaving me, abandoning me, or I'm just losing interest in.
18.) The Twilight Saga
19.) Douche bags
20.) People
Swell.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not typically a hateful person or anything like that. It's just that I've found myself becoming more prone to radically instantaneous changes in mood than usual. And yeah, I know I was building up my latest post to be super awesome now that I'm putting some actual pathos into my postery. But the truth is, being irritable is a very serious commitment, haha. Plus, I could afford to vent a little. Without any further ado, here's a list of things that have been driving me up the wall lately.
1.) Hydro-therapy
2.) Allergies
3.) How my best friend recently left to join the military and I won't get to see him for the rest of the summer, and possibly the year too.
4.) That I'm an active member of my mother's church when I barely even have any sense of faith or spirituality. Church hypocrite, much?
5.) How my older sister barely even visits anymore and when she does, it's only when she needs something, all the while complaining about how much she hates being home.
6.) ^ How that's probably going to be me in a few years.
7.) Ear infections
8.) Fevers
9.) Having a weak stomach
10.) ^ Pretty much every ailment that I'm suffering from at the moment.
11.) Being indecisive
12. Applesauce. Ewwww.
13.) How I started this blog a few months ago and have managed only to fill it up with stupid stuff that even I don't give a shit about.
14.) Getting bloodwork done
15.) The fact the the bigger events and dilemmas I come across don't seem to phase me much, but the simplest little item can send me into a completely different state of mind.
16.) How fucked up my sleeping schedule is and how irritable it makes me.
17.) That everything or everyone I once found meaningful is either leaving me, abandoning me, or I'm just losing interest in.
18.) The Twilight Saga
19.) Douche bags
20.) People
Swell.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
You know what I hate?
People.
You know what kinds of people? Douche bags. Douche bags who think they're being soooo clever by taking a blatantly pedestrian observation and parading it like it's their own innovative opinions. For instance, take this little scenario from when I made a pit stop at 48 Hours earlier. The store was practically empty, aside from a few customers and the two noticeably bored clerks lounging by the counter. A young woman then came in to return a DVD, and one of the clerks engaged her in the following conversation.
Clerk 1 - Oh, Shutter Island? How did you like it?
Woman - Oh, it was really good. I had a great time.
Clerk 1 - Yeah, I knew how it was going to end five minutes in.
Woman - Really? How'd you figure that out?
Clerk 1 - Oh it was really simple, once I just started looking for all of the clues.
Clerk 2 - Yeah, like the scene at the beginning when they were on the boat. The marshall asked his partner for the cigarettes, without realizing he had them all along.
Woman - Oh. Well I still really liked it, and thought the twist was good.
Clerk 1 - You know what, you should stop by next week, when we get She's out of My League and Remember Me. Both much better.
Typical douche bag propaganda. Unmercifully spewing out asinine bullcrap, no matter how uncomfortable they're making the person at the other end of the conversation, or how self-indulgent they come across. So Avatar was just Dances With Wolves in space, huh? You liked District 9 better when it was called Alien Nation, did you? Oh, you figured out the twist of Shutter Island 2/3 through the film, huh? Guess what, so did everybody else. What do you want, a cookie? You see, that's the problem with most people now-a-days. Everyone is so quick to attack a film based on its level of originality, when nobody seems to realize that originality has been dead for a very long time now. In most cases, originality means nothing to the project as a whole anyway. It's about the technique and the artistry. What, you think Leonardo Da Vinci was the first man to ever paint a picture of a half-smiling woman before? Hell no, he just did it BETTER than everyone else.
You know, I'm starting to think that nobody will be satisfied unless every film they watch or book they read or album they buy is the second coming of Christ. Oh well. Enjoy your aneurysms, douche bags. The tools and I will be busy enjoying our trite and predictable Shutter Island while you're off searching for this generation's Citizen Kane. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
You know what kinds of people? Douche bags. Douche bags who think they're being soooo clever by taking a blatantly pedestrian observation and parading it like it's their own innovative opinions. For instance, take this little scenario from when I made a pit stop at 48 Hours earlier. The store was practically empty, aside from a few customers and the two noticeably bored clerks lounging by the counter. A young woman then came in to return a DVD, and one of the clerks engaged her in the following conversation.
Clerk 1 - Oh, Shutter Island? How did you like it?
Woman - Oh, it was really good. I had a great time.
Clerk 1 - Yeah, I knew how it was going to end five minutes in.
Woman - Really? How'd you figure that out?
Clerk 1 - Oh it was really simple, once I just started looking for all of the clues.
Clerk 2 - Yeah, like the scene at the beginning when they were on the boat. The marshall asked his partner for the cigarettes, without realizing he had them all along.
Woman - Oh. Well I still really liked it, and thought the twist was good.
Clerk 1 - You know what, you should stop by next week, when we get She's out of My League and Remember Me. Both much better.
Typical douche bag propaganda. Unmercifully spewing out asinine bullcrap, no matter how uncomfortable they're making the person at the other end of the conversation, or how self-indulgent they come across. So Avatar was just Dances With Wolves in space, huh? You liked District 9 better when it was called Alien Nation, did you? Oh, you figured out the twist of Shutter Island 2/3 through the film, huh? Guess what, so did everybody else. What do you want, a cookie? You see, that's the problem with most people now-a-days. Everyone is so quick to attack a film based on its level of originality, when nobody seems to realize that originality has been dead for a very long time now. In most cases, originality means nothing to the project as a whole anyway. It's about the technique and the artistry. What, you think Leonardo Da Vinci was the first man to ever paint a picture of a half-smiling woman before? Hell no, he just did it BETTER than everyone else.
You know, I'm starting to think that nobody will be satisfied unless every film they watch or book they read or album they buy is the second coming of Christ. Oh well. Enjoy your aneurysms, douche bags. The tools and I will be busy enjoying our trite and predictable Shutter Island while you're off searching for this generation's Citizen Kane. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
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