i signed up for a YouTube account purely so that i could post this video onto my site. The second "real" skateboard deck that i ever bought (not counting the cheap-o toy store type) was a Mark Gonzales deck all brightly colored with odd shapes behind a drawing of his head. Ever since i have been a big fan of hos original style and original life. i also really enjoy his artwork.
Jason Schwartzman (the guy who gets to date Natalie Portman in the short before The Darjeeling Limited) has a new band with a video featuring The Gonz skating at one of his art shows. Some people just ooze style out of every pore.
The band's called Coconut Records. Coconut is one of my favorite foods and records are my favorite way to listen to music so this points towards a pretty good time all around.
You will probably see more videos to come... including more Gonz...
Apr 11, 2008
Apr 9, 2008
Boy, Meet Cott
i am officially boycotting the olympics. Now, this is not a huge step seeing as i would hardly watch any of them anyway but as they say in "The Last Time I Commited Suicide"... a man's got his reasons.
First and foremost is China's continued abuse of Tibet. Tibet doesn't supply us with oil and they don't make cheap toys, shoes, and clothing for us either so the US has done absolutely nothing in regards to helping in Tibet's struggle with China. The Irish are quite prone to fighting and look how long they have had "troubles" with occupation. Even with their long tradition of peaceful Buddhism, Tibet can only go on for so long without outside pressure and help before desperation brings about a response to China's violence with aggression. That inevitable violence may be even more damaging to the Tibetan culture than China's occupation and murder.
Bush #1 said this aggression will not stand and Bush #2 constantly talks of preemptive attacks but apparently it only applies to areas they wish to control. Maybe i'll boycott american politics as well.
Second, China and the US seem to be waging yet another war, this time as allies. The two countries just can't seem to stop themselves. This long war has been against the environment. Australia used to have the highest per person carbon footprint in the world (even though the US has always been the biggest polluter, even for it's relatively small population). Those from the land down-under, however, have had a very telling set of elections and are now taking political action to address climate change. Much of this also has to do with how drastically they are already being impacted by these climate changes.
The US and China keep up-ing our pollution. We get to use them as an excuse by trying to claim that any improvements we make will be offset by their increase in pollution while we also don't want them to address the issue for fear that prices may go up on all the labor camps with nearly non-existent wages that our economy relies so heavily upon. We wouldn't want to have to pay a reasonable wage for all that disposable shit we so love to consume (like Apple computers with A-keys that don't work... check your Apple gear kids, it's all made in China).
Should we get into China's human rights atrocities which include those sweat-shops? Add it to the list. Also add air quality issues that span both human rights and environmental problems. In order to meet the Olympics minimal air quality standards for the games they have shut down many of their factories in the area until the olympics are over. Now there is some air i'd want to be heavily breathing in if i were an athlete.
At this point i will now become more ludicrous (don't worry i won't start rapping or anything) because the internet does not need any more overly pretentious blogs. The olympics suck my left dick anyway. They've let so many pro athletes into various competitions the whole idea has become compromised. Even those who aren't pros are usually using just as many chemicals to enhance their performance as the pros are. At a certain point it seems that races to find out the fastest man alive are no longer being raced by mere men.
The other day a cohort of mine said "It's just a game, politics should be kept out of it" to which i replied that it has nothing to do with a game. The olympics are just an enormous money maker that countries vie to hold within their borders. It stopped being 'just a game' a very long time ago, even before they decided to stagger the summer/winter years. The countries make their money, the TV stations make their money, and the athletes that actually win get to make some money before they are completely forgotten or later stripped of their medals.
For all of the above reasons i am boycotting something i probably would not have watched anyway. It's much like a vegetarian giving up meat on fridays during lent. Maybe i'll boycott capitalization as well. this was a good head start towards that end. olympics. china. i.
First and foremost is China's continued abuse of Tibet. Tibet doesn't supply us with oil and they don't make cheap toys, shoes, and clothing for us either so the US has done absolutely nothing in regards to helping in Tibet's struggle with China. The Irish are quite prone to fighting and look how long they have had "troubles" with occupation. Even with their long tradition of peaceful Buddhism, Tibet can only go on for so long without outside pressure and help before desperation brings about a response to China's violence with aggression. That inevitable violence may be even more damaging to the Tibetan culture than China's occupation and murder.
Bush #1 said this aggression will not stand and Bush #2 constantly talks of preemptive attacks but apparently it only applies to areas they wish to control. Maybe i'll boycott american politics as well.
Second, China and the US seem to be waging yet another war, this time as allies. The two countries just can't seem to stop themselves. This long war has been against the environment. Australia used to have the highest per person carbon footprint in the world (even though the US has always been the biggest polluter, even for it's relatively small population). Those from the land down-under, however, have had a very telling set of elections and are now taking political action to address climate change. Much of this also has to do with how drastically they are already being impacted by these climate changes.
The US and China keep up-ing our pollution. We get to use them as an excuse by trying to claim that any improvements we make will be offset by their increase in pollution while we also don't want them to address the issue for fear that prices may go up on all the labor camps with nearly non-existent wages that our economy relies so heavily upon. We wouldn't want to have to pay a reasonable wage for all that disposable shit we so love to consume (like Apple computers with A-keys that don't work... check your Apple gear kids, it's all made in China).
Should we get into China's human rights atrocities which include those sweat-shops? Add it to the list. Also add air quality issues that span both human rights and environmental problems. In order to meet the Olympics minimal air quality standards for the games they have shut down many of their factories in the area until the olympics are over. Now there is some air i'd want to be heavily breathing in if i were an athlete.
At this point i will now become more ludicrous (don't worry i won't start rapping or anything) because the internet does not need any more overly pretentious blogs. The olympics suck my left dick anyway. They've let so many pro athletes into various competitions the whole idea has become compromised. Even those who aren't pros are usually using just as many chemicals to enhance their performance as the pros are. At a certain point it seems that races to find out the fastest man alive are no longer being raced by mere men.
The other day a cohort of mine said "It's just a game, politics should be kept out of it" to which i replied that it has nothing to do with a game. The olympics are just an enormous money maker that countries vie to hold within their borders. It stopped being 'just a game' a very long time ago, even before they decided to stagger the summer/winter years. The countries make their money, the TV stations make their money, and the athletes that actually win get to make some money before they are completely forgotten or later stripped of their medals.
For all of the above reasons i am boycotting something i probably would not have watched anyway. It's much like a vegetarian giving up meat on fridays during lent. Maybe i'll boycott capitalization as well. this was a good head start towards that end. olympics. china. i.
Apr 7, 2008
Survey Delay, Seek Alternate Route
i am temporarily refraining from putting up a new survey because i am still mulling over the jacket survey. i think the Ireland one is definitely out, even though it is the only non-Nike selection. So it is down to the Manchester United and Celtic.
Man U would be good because they are by far my favorite team. i try to record/watch all their games. The jacket is black, my favorite color, so it will match all my other clothing which is all also black (just like Darth Vader and Jedi era Luke). i see three problems with the Man U jacket however.
One, the Nike swoosh. i hate nike but unfortunately they now make the uniforms for every soccer team i like so i am stuck with it. Both jackets have the swoosh on them so i guess that cancels out.
Second, the AIG logo. As they are the sponsors they are on almost all Man U gear. My Umbro-era Man U goalie shirt has the huge Vodofone logo on it, but because there is no Vodofone in the US i kind of dug it. AIG exists here in the states so it is slightly less European a feeling thing.
Lastly, my brother has a Man U jacket, although it is a different color and a different style. My concern here stems from all the time my brother and i have spent together in the past month or so. You see, in that time it was overwhelmingly brought to my attention that we have very similar taste in clothing and frequently look like we planned out our outfits together. At one point, even when consciously trying to not dress like one another we removed our respective hoodies to find that under it all we had on almost identical t-shirts. i guess different colored Man U jackets would actually be more of a difference than what we usually wear though so that may not be as much of a concern.
Did i mention Manchester United is my favorite team? They have been since i was in elementary school and saw my first English soccer magazine that a friend's older brother bought.
Now the other option, the Celtic jacket. i may not watch them with the same vigor as Man U but i do enjoy catching them from time to time and have even actually seen them play in person. To date i have no Celtic gear so this would be a welcome addition to the collection. This jacket is also a bit of a replacement for an Ireland jacket that i really really liked a whole lot and which has shrunk and can now be seen through. A new green jacket might aid in the mourning process of my now retired jacket. i also am Irish after all and the jacket would work on multiple levels.
The down sides are the Nike swoosh, the beer sponsor (although it is a European feel as it doesn't say Bud) and although i like the team a lot, they are not my favorite team.
Now you have a slight glance into my shopping phobia. i over-analyze decisions and don't ever want to have to buy another jacket ever again so this better be the right one. If you think you can be of further assistance in this decision please reply with comments, or if you just think i am certifiable please leave contact information for caring, female psychiatrists.
Man U would be good because they are by far my favorite team. i try to record/watch all their games. The jacket is black, my favorite color, so it will match all my other clothing which is all also black (just like Darth Vader and Jedi era Luke). i see three problems with the Man U jacket however.
One, the Nike swoosh. i hate nike but unfortunately they now make the uniforms for every soccer team i like so i am stuck with it. Both jackets have the swoosh on them so i guess that cancels out.
Second, the AIG logo. As they are the sponsors they are on almost all Man U gear. My Umbro-era Man U goalie shirt has the huge Vodofone logo on it, but because there is no Vodofone in the US i kind of dug it. AIG exists here in the states so it is slightly less European a feeling thing.
Lastly, my brother has a Man U jacket, although it is a different color and a different style. My concern here stems from all the time my brother and i have spent together in the past month or so. You see, in that time it was overwhelmingly brought to my attention that we have very similar taste in clothing and frequently look like we planned out our outfits together. At one point, even when consciously trying to not dress like one another we removed our respective hoodies to find that under it all we had on almost identical t-shirts. i guess different colored Man U jackets would actually be more of a difference than what we usually wear though so that may not be as much of a concern.
Did i mention Manchester United is my favorite team? They have been since i was in elementary school and saw my first English soccer magazine that a friend's older brother bought.
Now the other option, the Celtic jacket. i may not watch them with the same vigor as Man U but i do enjoy catching them from time to time and have even actually seen them play in person. To date i have no Celtic gear so this would be a welcome addition to the collection. This jacket is also a bit of a replacement for an Ireland jacket that i really really liked a whole lot and which has shrunk and can now be seen through. A new green jacket might aid in the mourning process of my now retired jacket. i also am Irish after all and the jacket would work on multiple levels.
The down sides are the Nike swoosh, the beer sponsor (although it is a European feel as it doesn't say Bud) and although i like the team a lot, they are not my favorite team.
Now you have a slight glance into my shopping phobia. i over-analyze decisions and don't ever want to have to buy another jacket ever again so this better be the right one. If you think you can be of further assistance in this decision please reply with comments, or if you just think i am certifiable please leave contact information for caring, female psychiatrists.
MaPc
i'm having schizophrenic computer problems. Because i keep flipping back and forth between PC and Mac i am getting frustrated with each as i try to do things that the other cannot. On my PC i am currently trying to use a new interface to record one of my records onto a digital format without using a CD as an in-between. Come to think of it though, i would probably like to have all my records on CD anyway. On the Mac i am obviously blogging.
Now i know that the computers would probably be better suited if i switched their roles but the interface is only for PC's. Apparently Mac kids are too cool for vinyl.
So i click in the address bar and start typing an address to find i have to highlight the whole thing first on the Mac. Then i try to close down a window with Apple Q only to find no Apple button on the PC. This constant flip-flopping is mentally abusing me. Maybe i'll get out my quite old computer and load Linx on it so that i can further attempt to ward off future occurrences of Alzheimer's. The spell check for this site is also not compatible with the Mac so i choose to blame all misspellings found in this site on the Mac.
Now i know that the computers would probably be better suited if i switched their roles but the interface is only for PC's. Apparently Mac kids are too cool for vinyl.
So i click in the address bar and start typing an address to find i have to highlight the whole thing first on the Mac. Then i try to close down a window with Apple Q only to find no Apple button on the PC. This constant flip-flopping is mentally abusing me. Maybe i'll get out my quite old computer and load Linx on it so that i can further attempt to ward off future occurrences of Alzheimer's. The spell check for this site is also not compatible with the Mac so i choose to blame all misspellings found in this site on the Mac.
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