(In some attempt to maintain balance here's a more positive entry:)
i remember the first time i saw the original black and white checkered slip on Vans. i was in the 4th or 5th grade and a group of us had spent the morning building a make-shift halfpipe out of wood scraps at a friend's house. Our friend's older sister spent the afternoon pulling splinters out of one of the crew's upper thigh after he had fallen and slid down the 'shouldn't have been used' unsanded wood.
Back in these times of antiquity no one even knew what pads were and there was no 'skate' clothing. You just wore the basketball sneakers and clothing that was pretty standard issue at the time. As our friend was getting through the pain of his injury by telling those of us not related what it was like to have our other friends hot sister touch his upper thigh (he probably would have moistened his pants if he would have been physically able to) we were graced by a visitor.
One of the older kids of this neighborhood came over to test our ramp. Of course he was tall and skinny and as he approached he was wearing what looked like clown shoes. We all gave each other looks of 'check out the goofy shoes on this one'. As he approached he was losing more and more of our admiration, that admiration that older kids in the neighborhood just naturally get. And then he spoke:
"Check this out boys. These shoes are from California and they are made just for skateboarding."
Those things went from clown shoes to the coolest thing we had ever seen in our young lives, all in a matter of 0.2 seconds. That kid, he suddenly reached neighborhood hero status (well, for a couple of hours at least). Shoes made just for skateboarding? We had never seen the likes of this. Where were the laces? What's this, shoes with a pattern?
Despite the fact that they looked like slippers and that the canvas material selection seemed to defy out east coast logic we knew these were some of the coolest shoes ever. He could have had dried cow manure wrapping his feet like moccasins, but the fact that they were made just for skating would have made them a distinguishing landmark in our path of skateboarding.
As those Vans have come back into style i see more and more of them around and every time i see a pair memories of that day come flooding back as if it were yesterday.
Jun 5, 2007
Tao Te Punkmonk: Anger
i have a very gentle, peaceful soul, but i was also born with an angry, energetic mind. The daily attempt to balance the punk and the monk. Maybe it's a gene, maybe it's in how i was raised. Maybe my sense of compassion is also what makes me so upset, having to see the bad things that seem to happen to good beings. Maybe i'm just an ass.
Today i received some difficult news, difficult news after a lengthy, ongoing struggle. The rest of the day i just wanted to punch someone. There are plenty of people who probably deserve a punch and i was ready to hit any and all of them. People in pick-ups who can't stay on their side of the road. Women who can't drive for 5 minutes without calling someone on their cellphones. i unfortunately had to stop at the mall and in my brief venturing was asked by 4 different people if i wanted to start a cellphone plan with them. No one would have minded much if i had broken any one of their noses with my forehead. Some probably would have cheered. i wanted to go into Lenscrafters and pull that pretentious employee over the counter and beat him down Jay & Silent Bob style.
i even contemplated amending my previous O.U.P. campaign (see earlier posts) with the idea of everyone getting one free punch in any situation. If someone's being a problem or even just wearing their baseball hat too high on their head you get one free-bee. Understand, however that they get one free-bee back. So long as you only throw one punch (contact made or not) there would be no ramifications. That might keep people pretty on the ball and more thoughtful about the people around them. At the very least people would be more aware of what's going on around them... or be black and blue all the time.
My gentle soul was powerful enough today to keep me from hitting anyone but it made me realize that anger, unto itself, is not a bad thing. In fact it can be very important for our own survival. Like all things it serves a purpose and is only negative if used in a negative way.
Upon hearing discouraging news i could have broken down into a depression, i could have cried, i could have lost hope. Although these too serve a purpose in some situations, none of these would have been very helpful in today's trial. Instead i got angry and that anger got me moving and that anger got me doing things. That anger was a release of frustration. Most importantly, that anger kept me going. It reminded me of the wilderness survival books i've read describing how getting yourself angry can help temporarily warm you up if you find yourself wandering in the cold.
That anger carried me through and i'm glad i have it. That gentleness in my soul kept me from hitting anyone and i'm also glad i have it.
Today i received some difficult news, difficult news after a lengthy, ongoing struggle. The rest of the day i just wanted to punch someone. There are plenty of people who probably deserve a punch and i was ready to hit any and all of them. People in pick-ups who can't stay on their side of the road. Women who can't drive for 5 minutes without calling someone on their cellphones. i unfortunately had to stop at the mall and in my brief venturing was asked by 4 different people if i wanted to start a cellphone plan with them. No one would have minded much if i had broken any one of their noses with my forehead. Some probably would have cheered. i wanted to go into Lenscrafters and pull that pretentious employee over the counter and beat him down Jay & Silent Bob style.
i even contemplated amending my previous O.U.P. campaign (see earlier posts) with the idea of everyone getting one free punch in any situation. If someone's being a problem or even just wearing their baseball hat too high on their head you get one free-bee. Understand, however that they get one free-bee back. So long as you only throw one punch (contact made or not) there would be no ramifications. That might keep people pretty on the ball and more thoughtful about the people around them. At the very least people would be more aware of what's going on around them... or be black and blue all the time.
My gentle soul was powerful enough today to keep me from hitting anyone but it made me realize that anger, unto itself, is not a bad thing. In fact it can be very important for our own survival. Like all things it serves a purpose and is only negative if used in a negative way.
Upon hearing discouraging news i could have broken down into a depression, i could have cried, i could have lost hope. Although these too serve a purpose in some situations, none of these would have been very helpful in today's trial. Instead i got angry and that anger got me moving and that anger got me doing things. That anger was a release of frustration. Most importantly, that anger kept me going. It reminded me of the wilderness survival books i've read describing how getting yourself angry can help temporarily warm you up if you find yourself wandering in the cold.
That anger carried me through and i'm glad i have it. That gentleness in my soul kept me from hitting anyone and i'm also glad i have it.
Not The News
i have never been a fan of watching the news but it has now degenerated into complete ridiculousness. i caught a bit of a national morning show as i was running late this morning and was absolutely insulted.
The opening story: video of a cat playing the piano. The anchors discussed how many times each of them have watched this video off youtube. i also don't need to hear about Paris Hilton going to jail over and over again on 24 cable news. What's next, half hour segments of yarn dangling on the screen broken up by prescription drug and overstimulating american car commercials.
This is how the news should start out every day: Our president is a fuck and this is how many soldiers have died in the last 24 hours because he is such an incompetent ingoranus. That's news. That's what's going on. People shouldn't be allowed to ignore it.
Stories about Paris and pianos are intellectual sedatives. Maybe they should start selling tv's with robotic arms that have soft, white, cartoon gloved hands on the end. As these pacifying segments come on that big hand can telescopically extend from the top of the tv and pat dumb americans on the head as it tells them 'everything is going to be all right'.
The opening story: video of a cat playing the piano. The anchors discussed how many times each of them have watched this video off youtube. i also don't need to hear about Paris Hilton going to jail over and over again on 24 cable news. What's next, half hour segments of yarn dangling on the screen broken up by prescription drug and overstimulating american car commercials.
This is how the news should start out every day: Our president is a fuck and this is how many soldiers have died in the last 24 hours because he is such an incompetent ingoranus. That's news. That's what's going on. People shouldn't be allowed to ignore it.
Stories about Paris and pianos are intellectual sedatives. Maybe they should start selling tv's with robotic arms that have soft, white, cartoon gloved hands on the end. As these pacifying segments come on that big hand can telescopically extend from the top of the tv and pat dumb americans on the head as it tells them 'everything is going to be all right'.
Jun 3, 2007
Fall Down Go Boom!
The baby boomers are responsible for the destruction of our civilization.
This came from a discussion with my significant other. As we discussed how if we stop CO2 emissions NOW sea levels might only rise 3ft, but with the projected CO2 concentrations for the next 50 to 100 years we will see concentrations that where last seen when the oceans where 300ft higher (what a couple of science geeks). Sure it will take time for all the ice to melt but when the Earth finally balances itself out and catches up with the temperature change that is what the future holds.
My generation will go down in history as the first generation worse off than the previous generation. Thank you baby boomers. Social security, environment, you name it they have over abused it. This made us appreciate our decision not to have children. i am not sure i have the intestinal fortitude to deal with knowing the difficulties that a child and someday grandchild might have to endure.
Can we minimize this? Yes. Do i have faith that we will? Sadly i'm losing this faith more and more every day. The first thing that needs to happen is the baby boomers need to be removed from power. This will most likely not happen until they retire, so they will continue with their massive self-serving consumption which they started with excessive drug use as selfish hippies and continued as money loving yuppies.
They consume and consume with no regard for anyone else let alone future generations and they believe that it is their God-given right. Fuck 'em. i hold no respect for my elders. No one who follows ever makes a difference. Ignore leaders.
This came from a discussion with my significant other. As we discussed how if we stop CO2 emissions NOW sea levels might only rise 3ft, but with the projected CO2 concentrations for the next 50 to 100 years we will see concentrations that where last seen when the oceans where 300ft higher (what a couple of science geeks). Sure it will take time for all the ice to melt but when the Earth finally balances itself out and catches up with the temperature change that is what the future holds.
My generation will go down in history as the first generation worse off than the previous generation. Thank you baby boomers. Social security, environment, you name it they have over abused it. This made us appreciate our decision not to have children. i am not sure i have the intestinal fortitude to deal with knowing the difficulties that a child and someday grandchild might have to endure.
Can we minimize this? Yes. Do i have faith that we will? Sadly i'm losing this faith more and more every day. The first thing that needs to happen is the baby boomers need to be removed from power. This will most likely not happen until they retire, so they will continue with their massive self-serving consumption which they started with excessive drug use as selfish hippies and continued as money loving yuppies.
They consume and consume with no regard for anyone else let alone future generations and they believe that it is their God-given right. Fuck 'em. i hold no respect for my elders. No one who follows ever makes a difference. Ignore leaders.
Transformed
A while ago... in a galaxy far far away i wrote about my excitement surrounding my first viewing of the secretive trailer to "Transformers" the movie. Oh the excitement. Oh the let-down.
As bits are reveled i say way to go miami vice, you have fucked up what was probably the easiest movie to get geeks to see. Through some corporate synergy gone terribly wrong (although when does it go right) GM seems to be the car of choice to replace our old school favorites.
Bumble Bee is suppose to be a VW bug, how can you turn him into some piece-o-shite chevy re-imagining of a white-trash muscle car. The name was kind of committed to the model. And, why couldn't the robots look like the old robots? It doesn't resemble any of the nostalgic images from Transformer childhoods. Why didn't they just call it something else?
What was i really expecting from miami vice, at least there appears to be no neon colors.
End of line.
As bits are reveled i say way to go miami vice, you have fucked up what was probably the easiest movie to get geeks to see. Through some corporate synergy gone terribly wrong (although when does it go right) GM seems to be the car of choice to replace our old school favorites.
Bumble Bee is suppose to be a VW bug, how can you turn him into some piece-o-shite chevy re-imagining of a white-trash muscle car. The name was kind of committed to the model. And, why couldn't the robots look like the old robots? It doesn't resemble any of the nostalgic images from Transformer childhoods. Why didn't they just call it something else?
What was i really expecting from miami vice, at least there appears to be no neon colors.
End of line.
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