So Damn Busy

School and work are combining forces to eat away at the small, and continually shrinking,entity that is my free time. As of late I haven't written anything because there has been nothing cool to write about to be honest. Besides working nights and getting a crap ton of work done for school before working those nights I haven't had much free time. But, there has been some time to watch some cool shows, finish a book, and see a great comedy show, guess I'll write about it.

I recently found that Anthony Bourdain's television show, No Reservations, has multiple seasons available for streaming through Netflix. I highly recommend checking out this series if you have Netflix and enjoy travel shows without the fluff and tourist stuff. Bourdain is a very likable host who has 28 years of cooking experience under his belt, multiple published books, and now his own show. The premise is simple and that is what makes the show so fascinating. Bourdain goes somewhere, he immerses himself in the local culture, and learns to eat and have fun like the locals do. That is the big message of the show, traveling somewhere and doing what locals do not tourist type activities. For instance, when Bourdain goes to Vegas he doesn't hang out on the strip he goes into Old Vegas or checks out up and coming restaurants. It's a great show and I highly recommend watching it for a different look at traveling.

As I mentioned I managed to find time to finish Motherless Brooklyn. The story was great, filled to the brim with twists and turns that were unexpected and deeply thought out. However, the most interesting and grasping part of the book was the main character Lionel. Watching Lionel and his outbursts due to Tourette's Syndrome makes the story completely unique. The character is so well developed and the tension is built very well due to his disorder. Parts of the book that would be boring and predictable are made tense and scatterbrained simply because Lionel is the main character. At one point he is sitting quietly in a Zen meditation session and certain elements of the story are coming together.

In a normal story it would be tense but not as tense as it is for Lionel who must suppress his urge to scream out the flow of words that stampede his mind during this peaceful meditation. It isn't just that the reader knows Lionel wants to burst out, instead you read each individual thought he wants to scream. It's truly an excellent and unique read.

To keep this post from going on too long I'll just post a video of Jimmy Fallon, who was at Hofstra on September 25th. He was great, big props to him for getting Hofstra's president to say "Balls in your mouth", and was incredibly down to earth as well.

Mad Men Season 1 Early Thoughts

I had heard a lot about how amazing the award winning show Mad Men was since it first debuted in June of 2007. The hype around the show and the astounding number of positive reviews made me want to start watching it but something always seemed to get in the way. The other day, to my surprise, Mad Men Season 1 disc 1 was in my mailbox from Netflix. Today I popped it into the DVD player and checked out the first two episodes, and I was utterly impressed.

The setting is 1960 in an advertising firm on Madison Avenue in New York City. The show's first episode starts by letting the viewers know that these advertisers were given the name "Mad Men" in the 50's and it was they who coined the term. Right off the bat you get a feel for the time period, dialog, motivations, ideals, and everything that matters to the characters.

There's Peggy, the new girl, who seems to be a lot more playful then she lets on. Peter Campbell, a privileged upstart who is poised to take the top spot in the ad firm. And Don Draper, the hot shot who claims that top spot and does so with all the style in the world.

Characters smoke often and give off a vibe as if they know viewers know it's bad yet they know their time period is just beginning to realize that. Some lines do feel forced as if edited to fit the idea of the time frame instead of written to feel comfortable. But overall it is a killer show with an absolutely commanding presence. Everything from the dialog, to the acting, to the costumes is top notch.

I've only seen the first two episodes and Mad Men has already won me over with its charm and style. I'm sure I'll be catching up in the upcoming months and hopefully it'll stay as incredible as the first episodes have been.

Here's a trailer for season 1 to give you a quick idea of the show



Line of the century: (Said by Don Draper to Pete Campbell in regards to his horny demeanor and young and reckless mindset.)
"I bet the world looks like one big brazer strap just waiting to be snapped to you..."

First and Last Post about Jack Johnson...ever

So we had to do a paper about something we didn't like and how it can be enjoyed even if we don't like it. The following is a paper on Jack Johnson, I don't even like that I did a paper about him. Regardless, here it is.

When Jack Johnson’s music comes on the radio, at a party, or on someone’s playlist it is usually a good time to leave the room. The no effort music coupled with the boring and pointless lyrics that make up 90% of music now a days along with a beach vibe that is supposed to be a memento to hanging on the beach is just unimpressive. Perhaps it is the fact that Johnson’s music is synonymous with the “bro” mentality of hanging out, pretending to talk like a surfer, and being self absorbed. Perhaps it’s the fact that the lyrics to the majority of his songs are lazily written and poorly received when you actually think about whatever it is he is singing about. Or perhaps it is the fact that he’s just a shameless knock off of much more impressive talent like Radiohead, Bob Dylan, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Beatles. Whatever the reason Johnson’s music is hard for me to appreciate and I don’t think it’ll ever reach any sort of pinnacle in my musical tastes, but understanding why people enjoy it is certainly possible.


Jack Johnson’s music is carefree and easy to listen to without a doubt. His songs and melodies are simple and approachable and his lyrics remain easy to remember. The music gives of a natural vibe, one that doesn’t need the extra additives of ambient sound, manipulated noises, bizarre twists, or even basic electric features typically found in today’s music. His songs are, mostly, acoustic and give off a purely natural sound that couple with his very smooth voice to provide a sound that is very easy to fall into and relax with. Johnson’s inspirations definitely bleed through when it comes to his music as certain notions of Dylan and The Beatles are brought to a forefront when he plays. That’s certainly a key to Johnson’s music, it plays off the popularity of music that people liked before and simply reinvents it for a different age group. It’s as if someone took Bob Dylan’s politically fueled and insanely creative lyrics and smashed them into basic language that could simply relay the message “chill man we’re on the beach”.


Listeners and fans of Johnson also have that instant bond that comes with listening to music that is considered massively popular but not overplayed. Johnson isn’t on the popular radio stations as much as GaGa and Miley so his music has a certain sacredness to it without going to far into the world of music that isn’t played on the radio at all. Johnson’s music appeals to those who don’t want difficult music or music that makes you think when you listen to it. It’s music that makes your mind go blank and your body go lax. Johnson’s music is music meant for a generation that wants to not worry about the future, there is nothing to get and nothing deep to understand. You don’t have to tilt your head sideways, place your hand beneath your chin, or use your ability of perception to figure anything out. The music is simply there, like a stack of banana pancakes, waiting to be enjoyed. It’s simple, it’s catchy, and it’s popular.

I absolutely refuse to put a picture of him on my blog,


I hate myself for this

Kinect

For those of you who like to game with the family and have a blast with drunken friends Microsoft's motion controlled device, the Kinect, is being released 11/4/10. The interesting part of this motion controlled gaming device is that it doesn't require any controllers at all. The device registers your body size and shape and you use movements as a way to navigate menus and play games. Games like Dance Central, Kinectimals, and the included Kinect Adventures! look like great family friendly games.


The Kinect is shipping for the Xbox 360 with a price of $149.99 which includes the sensor along with a game, Kinect Adventures!, and the Kinect is promised to work with every Xbox 360 as well. It looks like this will be the type of thing Microsoft hopes to capitalize on with the incoming holiday season. You can find tons of Kinect information all over the web, overall it looks really innovative and fun albeit a bit pricey.

Kindle Quickshot

I won't bother wasting your time or trying to write a lengthy review of a device that can be summed up so quickly. Honestly, if you're looking into e-readers and want to know what professionals think about the Kindle 3 go checkout reviews of it on the web.But if you just want to know the basics about the device without 3 pages of text hear they are.

1. The newest Kindle is incredibly light and easy to hold while reading.

2. It's access to Amazon is fast and easy to use and books are cheap to buy and quick to download.

3. The screen is beautiful and refreshes very quickly. (Yes it blinks like all e-readers, that's the e-ink technology)

4. The Kindle's access to blogs, magazines, and papers is extraordinary.

5. It costs $140 for the wi-fi only model and $180 for the wi-fi/3G model.

Basically it is cheap, slim, sexy, and easy to understand and use. If you like to read and want a device that will, in the long run, make reading cheaper and more compact go for a Kindle 3. If you already own a Kindle 2nd Generation I don't see any reason to upgrade but this was my first e-reader and I couldn't be more impressed with what I was able to get for the low price I paid. If reading is your thing in any measurable way I can honestly say a Kindle is well worth your time and money.

The Power of Language

I had a weird experience today while playing a game, Assassin's Creed 2, in Italian. The game, set in Italy, portrays the life of an angst fueled daredevil named Ezio. Assassin's Creed 2 is based in Renaissance Italy and tells a grand story of betrayal, revenge, and bloodshed...but that is neither here nor there. What was so astounding to me was how different the game is when it is played in Italian. I can only compare it to watching the movie Pan's Labyrinth in non-native English and then watching it in it's native tongue of Spanish. Regardless of one's ability to understand the language is not important, but the ability to understand human signs and meaning is. Understanding the words and the dialog is certainly important and even necessary at times but there is a universal language that can be understood without knowledge of all languages and without need for subtitles. It can be frustrating at times to not understand what is going on but I feel as though not being able to understand the language causes you to tune into the more intricate details of of human conversation.
Things like subtle eye movements, tone, physical reactions, and facial expressions are all lost when you focus on the language and try to hear every word that comes out of every person. But when all of that is stripped away you are much like a newborn child who is unable to understand the words being spoken around you. With those words taken away you tune into everything else, as if by instinct, to try and make sense of the situation. It's an interesting and exhilarating survival instinct that kicks in automatically as if your body is trying desperately to help you out. Without knowing a word of Italian it was clear to me the emotions and motivations of every character. My Spanish, being almost as bad as my Italian, made Pan's Labyrinth difficult to understand without subtitles but the overall message and plot was understandable after a bit of thinking. I'm not trying to downplay the importance of words, I'm a writer after all, but I am trying to show the amazing spectacle that is the human mind. The way it compensates for what you lack by making you notice things you've never paid attention to. What use is picking up on physical and emotional cues if every word is spoken out and every action planned and plotted? Give it a try, go check out a movie in another language or even more simply just try to have a conversation with someone and attempt to pick up on the cues and the emotions. See if you can reach into the conversation and garner more than what was said. It's an interesting challenge to try if nothing else.

Time to Get Pumped!

September 24th is making its way towards us as a human population and this means serious life changes for the entire world. The reason for this excitement that is gripping me so tightly is a movie. I admit that some of this excitement is in jest but I am truly excited to see The Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga'Hoole. the movie has an incredible sense of "feel good" to it and it looks like one of those movies that'll just kick ass regardless of your age. The animation studio behind the beautifully rendered owls is the same studio that made the oh so adorable penguins of Happy Feet fame. In the director chair is Zack Snyder, director of Watchmen and 300. The overall appeal of the movie is something that only the trailer can convey. Yes it is a movie that kids will enjoy because it's an animated feature and the owls are fricking adorable. But it has such a heavily rooted story behind it all. Author Kathryn Lasky wrote 15 books over the course of six years in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series and now it seems the series is being taken "under the wing" (tee hee) of Hollywood. I have not read the books although I may once I see the movie. Honestly I haven't been this excited about a movie since Up! and maybe that says something about me as a movie goer but I couldn't care less. This movie looks fantastic and to show just how serious I am about having people check it out here is my number (6318826666) it comes out September 24th so if you're in town and want to go see it either Friday or Saturday shoot me a text and let's get a shit load of people together for this experience. The newest trailer is linked up top and the first trailer that came out shall be posted below.



Also, as a quick side note, an incredible looking HBO series is being made based on George R. R. Martin's fantastic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. The show starts Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Mark Addy, and Lena Headey along with a slew of other talents. The books are enormous and tell the tale of what is now being called "Soprano's in Middle Earth" by some. To sum it up the setting is typical fantasy but it is all dark and the people are the focal points, not the battles or magic. There is no true magic in the series and the characters are developed in such a way that the enormous cast of characters all seem important. Check out the books if you're into fantasy or characterization and definitely look into the show, coming out in Spring '11 perhaps, if you liked Lord of the Rings at all.

Footballs!!!!

With football upon us and school consuming my life I decided to quickly post this story from Complex that I found on digg.com
It's the 50 greatest jukes in football history and it is, as advertised, FOOTBALL!

I figured I'd post the #1 juke in case you didn't care to watch all of the 49 others, also it is labeled as the "Sickest Juke Ever"

Videos of All Shapes and Sizes

Vimeo is a site I found a while ago and return to every so often when I'm browsing the web. The site hosts a ton of different videos, from documentaries to art projects to actual movie ideas, made by virtually unknown people who just want a platform. Check out the site for a bit and I'm sure you'll find some really awesome stuff, I'll post a couple of videos that I found incredible.

The Monk & The Monkey from Brendan Carroll on Vimeo.

Plastiki from Glenn McElhose on Vimeo.

Cinnamon Chasers - Luv Deluxe (Music Video) from Saman Keshavarz on Vimeo.

Perpetual Melancholy

Heartbroken by the news of his ex-girlfriend Curt walked up the stairs to his room holding only his Nike running shoes. Such a good girl with such a bright future, so sad. Curt dropped his body onto his bed and let his weight sink into the mattress. With life on the verge and college at an end everything was changing. No one told him it would be this difficult or confusing. Curt needed to take a shower before the aroma of sweat reached his sister and provoked her all to sensitive disorder. Dove soap felt nice but it had no scent other than clean. Dinner needed to be cooked since dad was stuck in traffic and mom was somewhere. Peas weren't his sister's favorite side but she like steak well enough...it was too rare for Curt. Just because school was almost over that doesn't mean homework is optional. Hard to understand literature, long and drawn out equations, useless ideas about religion from a drunk. At lest the career was set thanks to the internship, crappy job. Everyone in the real world seemed so stressed when working. Deadlines are constant and life is scheduled. Time divided into pieces; some for enjoying some for everything else. Everything else gets a bigger piece. Sleep comes naturally to those who are always active. Waking up to bells is annoying but roosters shit everywhere. Chickens lay eggs, breakfast. 2 eggs, toast, orange juice. Keep the eggs scrambled and plain, no disgusting ketchup. The day wasn't melancholy, he was. Sister sleeps too long to be on time for anything. Mom must've been home, the rose bush was void of roses again. Dad left early for work, or escape. Class today is short due to drunk's lack of care. "Life is short so live it" is what he teaches. Just live it, no other direction or explanation. Life is lived in many ways; full, fast, short, closed in, exaggerated, not. One class day = Wednesday. Go home to see what needs to be done. Girlfriend's still in class, memories of ex are sad, sister sleeping, mom. Phone book filled with contacts but no one to call. Call Greg he always picks up. Greg's mom passed away so an hour long conversation kicks up, faking sympathy. Greg was always a prick, poor Greg. Does prick-ness become extinct when family is lost? Does who is lost matter? Greg is a prick if his creepy uncle dies, but his mom was nice, poor Greg. Lunch is a diversion and a necessity. Dad's back early, time for music. Music hides the loud voices and the anger. Mom's fault but not under her control. She lost her sister Rose, the bush stays void. Debbie got that city job, she'll be so well off, Curt could've been there too...he left her, heartbroken.