so the previous 4 posts were originally supposed to be one reaaalllyy long one, but then I though about it, and realized that people can only take small doses of reality at a time, so I busted it up some. And on retrospect, I shoulda broken it down even more, and left more time between posts. oh well, hindsight's always 20/20. in other news...
I moved back to Lloyd for the remainder of my summer "vacation" because I didn't get any of the jobs I applied for up in E-town. Oh well. I came back, unpacked, and went to work. It's amazingly refreshing to be doing grunt work for 12 hours a day after spending the last 10 months sitting at a desk writing papers and junk. I think that after I graduate and start teaching full-time, I'll spend at least 1/2 my summers doing this sort of work. It's great stress relief, landscaping is.
There's been a rumor of a Blogstock '05.5, possibly in Edmonton or Vancouver or some other Western city... just to put my 2 bits into the mix, I vote for Edmonton. I'll even volunteer my couch to the first lucky respondant after E-town's the confirmed venue for the shindig. Skill testing question may apply....
In other news, I'm helping train one of my best friends for some major university cross-country running race. If anyone has some tips or pointers they'd like to share, use the comment box.
24 June 2005
23 June 2005
Reality 0.4
Endless games of phone tag
unanswered emails
and hurt feelings.
The result of "technological advancement"
a recession of personality
We've forgotten how to laugh out loud;
now we just "LOL"
Hiding behind the false mask of anonymity
the computer screen provides,
forgetting that there are people out there
who can see you
even if you can't see them
We see through webcams
into other people's lives
things that need
fixing, but forget that
our own lives are in shambles.
And when relationships go sour
or a friend becomes one no longer
it's easier to hit ctrl-alt-delete
than make an attempt at reconciliation.
What makes this so much easier?
Is it because we have tangible personal firewalls
that we set up to limit other people's access to
our lives? We can set up routers and hubs and
all kinds of other junk
to force people and information
into a path of our choosing,
and when we try to do that
in a real-life setting
we get confused and frustrated
and scared when it doesn't go
our way.
Irony = the use of technology to publish anti-technology rants.
or, as I call it - realism.
turn your enemy's strengths against him; fight The System by using The System.
unanswered emails
and hurt feelings.
The result of "technological advancement"
a recession of personality
We've forgotten how to laugh out loud;
now we just "LOL"
Hiding behind the false mask of anonymity
the computer screen provides,
forgetting that there are people out there
who can see you
even if you can't see them
We see through webcams
into other people's lives
things that need
fixing, but forget that
our own lives are in shambles.
And when relationships go sour
or a friend becomes one no longer
it's easier to hit ctrl-alt-delete
than make an attempt at reconciliation.
What makes this so much easier?
Is it because we have tangible personal firewalls
that we set up to limit other people's access to
our lives? We can set up routers and hubs and
all kinds of other junk
to force people and information
into a path of our choosing,
and when we try to do that
in a real-life setting
we get confused and frustrated
and scared when it doesn't go
our way.
Irony = the use of technology to publish anti-technology rants.
or, as I call it - realism.
turn your enemy's strengths against him; fight The System by using The System.
20 June 2005
Reality 0.3
Inter-personal communication
is so easy and convenient
these days, but
there is more to it
than just reading their
words or hearing
their voice.
It's a total-body experience.
Talk face-to-face,
See the expressions,
Hear the words,
Feel the emotion,
All together.
Technology, as
wonderful as it is,
cannot replace that.
It's part of what makes us human.
Total embracing of
technology will mean
sacrificing parts of
our humanity.
It has already begun,
this tragedy.
is so easy and convenient
these days, but
there is more to it
than just reading their
words or hearing
their voice.
It's a total-body experience.
Talk face-to-face,
See the expressions,
Hear the words,
Feel the emotion,
All together.
Technology, as
wonderful as it is,
cannot replace that.
It's part of what makes us human.
Total embracing of
technology will mean
sacrificing parts of
our humanity.
It has already begun,
this tragedy.
18 June 2005
Reality 0.2
Close your eyes
to the false reality
that is broadcast
to the world
by propagandist
war-mongering fools
and those who support them.
Look around,
go outside,
experience life,
real life,
YOUR life
and find what is
truly important.
to the false reality
that is broadcast
to the world
by propagandist
war-mongering fools
and those who support them.
Look around,
go outside,
experience life,
real life,
YOUR life
and find what is
truly important.
17 June 2005
Reality 0.1
The cracked and warped
frame of sanity
holds the collective conscience
hostage with
reality television
instant-win tickets
and 0% financing,
breaking glass and hearts
with equal parts
of disregard and
false comedy.
tragedy.
frame of sanity
holds the collective conscience
hostage with
reality television
instant-win tickets
and 0% financing,
breaking glass and hearts
with equal parts
of disregard and
false comedy.
tragedy.
16 June 2005
let yer brain munch on this for a while
"Far away in a distant land,
There was a man no longer a lad.
He awoke one day, in time to find
That Life was about to leave him behind.
So he said to himself, 'Self,
get your gear in order, or
be confined to the shelf.'
Encouraged and ready, he struck
out on the road,
not knowing what the future would
hold.
His destination only a foggy
dream,
his journey not fully seen,
Yet he travels on, full of hope.
For the friends he meets will help
him cope."
There was a man no longer a lad.
He awoke one day, in time to find
That Life was about to leave him behind.
So he said to himself, 'Self,
get your gear in order, or
be confined to the shelf.'
Encouraged and ready, he struck
out on the road,
not knowing what the future would
hold.
His destination only a foggy
dream,
his journey not fully seen,
Yet he travels on, full of hope.
For the friends he meets will help
him cope."
15 June 2005
*h-urk!!*
that's the sound that I feel I will soon be making... all this studying is making me sick. or it could be a combination of dehydration and fatigue. either way, it'll all be over by tomorrow night. but that's not the real purpose of this blog entry. I just finished cruising my regular reads and noticed a few new posts/comments about Blogstock '05. While I really wish I could go this year, alas, previous commitments and lack of ca$h are preventing it.
That said [again], if there is a Blogstock '06.... chances are I could make it. I'm in the alpha stages of planning my vacation for next summer (my grad present to myself). I would really like to spend some (okay, all of it, but I'm trying to be realistic) out East, visiting the Center of the Universe (aka - Toronto) and Montreal &c. I'm thinking, since my bro is out at Waterloo, I'd make that my base of operations, and go from there. And, being the cheap sumbithc I am, I'd do it as frugally as possible. And who knows, I may even like enough to stay longer, maybe get a job while out there and "work". Or maybe I'll scrounge up enough guts to shop my writing around and get it published, and live off the earnings. (HAHAHAHAHA... right. 1st priority would be loans. I said I'm trying to be realistic here.) Anyways, just thought I would shove my 2 sense into thinks...
**all typos are purposeful**
That said [again], if there is a Blogstock '06.... chances are I could make it. I'm in the alpha stages of planning my vacation for next summer (my grad present to myself). I would really like to spend some (okay, all of it, but I'm trying to be realistic) out East, visiting the Center of the Universe (aka - Toronto) and Montreal &c. I'm thinking, since my bro is out at Waterloo, I'd make that my base of operations, and go from there. And, being the cheap sumbithc I am, I'd do it as frugally as possible. And who knows, I may even like enough to stay longer, maybe get a job while out there and "work". Or maybe I'll scrounge up enough guts to shop my writing around and get it published, and live off the earnings. (HAHAHAHAHA... right. 1st priority would be loans. I said I'm trying to be realistic here.) Anyways, just thought I would shove my 2 sense into thinks...
**all typos are purposeful**
diddley diddley doo gah frumpagusto
studying for a final with Confederations Cup football [soccer] action on the boob-toob with my guitar beside me and the answer keys in easy reach, with some cold chocolate milk (I remember when we used to call it Vico....) and a box of cookies.... what could make this day any better? Oh yeah, some sunshine, and no final exam looming over my head like an executioner's hood. I have a headache, I got roughed up something awful last night playing soccer, and got rained on while I walked home.
Who says I'm not a happy guy?
Who says I'm not a happy guy?
14 June 2005
Crossing the Bar - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may ther be no moaning of the bar
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For though from out our bourne of Time and
Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
********************************************
This is one of my all-time favorite poems. I don't know why; it speaks to me on many, many levels.
And one clear call for me!
And may ther be no moaning of the bar
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For though from out our bourne of Time and
Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
********************************************
This is one of my all-time favorite poems. I don't know why; it speaks to me on many, many levels.
13 June 2005
Double Meaning
Shades.
Edit: So I was reading Ciavarro's latest post, and being the me-junkie I am, I decided to look and see if my blog was "for sale" on blogshares.com. I guess it is. What I wanna know is, who the hell would "buy" a piece of this blog? That's like buying a piece of me. And I'm not for sale. Especially for a measley B$0.35 a pop. That's ridiculous. You can't put a price on my intellectual property unless I say you can. But I think I should just forget about this, cuz I'm getting pretty steamed, and I have a final on Thursday to concentrate on.
12 June 2005
Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
11 June 2005
A Warrior's Epitaph
Struck down by six swords
Rising, raging,
taking three more
while five other appear late,
finally falling before the
combined might of the eight.
A glorious death
in battle's fury,
in honour's glory,
fit for myth
and fit for story
I journey on to
my prepar-ed place
to sit with Odin,
see his scarred face,
to dine with warriors
of legends past,
and take my place,
among them at last,
in Valhalla.
Rising, raging,
taking three more
while five other appear late,
finally falling before the
combined might of the eight.
A glorious death
in battle's fury,
in honour's glory,
fit for myth
and fit for story
I journey on to
my prepar-ed place
to sit with Odin,
see his scarred face,
to dine with warriors
of legends past,
and take my place,
among them at last,
in Valhalla.
10 June 2005
The Signal Corps(e)
Lay me down
upon the pyre
douse with oil
light with fire
launch the boat
and watch it float
way out far
to turn into a star
of burning orange and red
a signal to all: Rome is dead.
upon the pyre
douse with oil
light with fire
launch the boat
and watch it float
way out far
to turn into a star
of burning orange and red
a signal to all: Rome is dead.
08 June 2005
a wandering, wondering mind
Dreamscapes of higher consciousness,
establishing a temporary link with
the cosmic energy coursing
through eternity, tapping
into the current of time
and day-tripping
upstream, only
to be thrown
back to the
banks of
the present
by a monsoon
of possibility.
Awakening with the
knowledge that nothing
is certain, that knowledge
is temporary, borrowed, to be
returned upon death, knowing that you
know nothing, opening the door that crosses
the threshold of the temporary to the eternal, ethereal,
enlightened and invisible goal for which many strive, few achieve
and all admire.
establishing a temporary link with
the cosmic energy coursing
through eternity, tapping
into the current of time
and day-tripping
upstream, only
to be thrown
back to the
banks of
the present
by a monsoon
of possibility.
Awakening with the
knowledge that nothing
is certain, that knowledge
is temporary, borrowed, to be
returned upon death, knowing that you
know nothing, opening the door that crosses
the threshold of the temporary to the eternal, ethereal,
enlightened and invisible goal for which many strive, few achieve
and all admire.
06 June 2005
sounds of night
The sounds of the night
breaking glass
sirens, alarms
shouts, running
the wind, or, rather
the lack of wind
the silence of the apartment
click of keys
faint hum of a fan
low-volume music
Sweet Caroline
rustle of paper
padding of feet on carpet
the sounds of the night
closing in on me
breaking glass
sirens, alarms
shouts, running
the wind, or, rather
the lack of wind
the silence of the apartment
click of keys
faint hum of a fan
low-volume music
Sweet Caroline
rustle of paper
padding of feet on carpet
the sounds of the night
closing in on me
05 June 2005
blaaaaahhhh
Current mood: hot/tired/lonely/tired of being lonely
Current method of dealing with it: sitting in my boxer-shorts trying to cool off.
Current tunes: Winamp playlist X-06-05: Muse, Foo Fighters, Audioslave, k-os, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Opeth
Current writing status: chop-blocked like that dude in the TAG bodyspray commercial
Current weather: Sunny with cloud patches, light wind
Current method of dealing with it: sitting in my boxer-shorts trying to cool off.
Current tunes: Winamp playlist X-06-05: Muse, Foo Fighters, Audioslave, k-os, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Opeth
Current writing status: chop-blocked like that dude in the TAG bodyspray commercial
Current weather: Sunny with cloud patches, light wind
02 June 2005
01 June 2005
The Eternal Bond
The
collision
of destinies
sends
shockwaves
of emotion throughout
the cosmos.
The
energy
that connects us
all
quivers-
then just
as quickly
strengthens.
This
bond within
humanity
seems both
fragile, yet,
eternal.
How it has
survived this long
is unknown,
unfathomable.
Except,
maybe,
to God.
It survives
in spite of,
and because of,
humanity's best efforts
to destroy it.
collision
of destinies
sends
shockwaves
of emotion throughout
the cosmos.
The
energy
that connects us
all
quivers-
then just
as quickly
strengthens.
This
bond within
humanity
seems both
fragile, yet,
eternal.
How it has
survived this long
is unknown,
unfathomable.
Except,
maybe,
to God.
It survives
in spite of,
and because of,
humanity's best efforts
to destroy it.
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