Cat's Cradle: The narrator is Jonah. Jonah plans to write a book about what all the important people in the world were doing when the bomb was dropping after Hiroshima. He starts to do research and gets in contact with the youngest child of Felix, the man that helped to create the weapon. Newt, this young son, was little when the bomb was dropped but can recall looking up to his father and idealizing him. Newt says his brother has been missing for many years and that his sister has information for Jonah as well. The information gets him no where and he cannot come into contact with the sister, Angela. JOnah ends up getting a freelance writting job in the same company Felix worked in and begins questioning locals in the area about the family. Most people said they were an odd bunch and didn't socialize much with others. Many said it was sad and almost 'inhuman' the way that Felix was obsessed with science. It got in the way of his life because it WAS his life. Science was the main pillar in his path and because of this he lacked basic human emotion.
Not long after being in Ilium, this writting company, Jonah gets an assignment to go to one of the poorest countries and write about his experience. While Jonah is here he finds out frank, another member of this family, is working to become a member of their government. The ruler of the island, "Papa" Monzano, has a beatiful daughter that Jonah falls for but soon after finds out that she is engaged to be married soon and his heart is crushed. Jonah starts to learn of the island's religion, Bokonoism, that was created by people to give the island hope. Jonah gets to his hotel and finds he is the only guest. Which surprises his because despite the island is beautiful in its own way. While there, the hotel owner explains bits and pieces of Bokonoism to Jonah so that he can grasp it better. I haven't finished it, but it's pretty good so far. one of those books where there doesn't seem to really be a climax, but well written.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Silence is so freaking loud
Halley is the main character and the Someone Like You starts out with her coming home from summer camp and finding out that her best friend lost her boyfriend in a motorcycle accident right before school starts. Once going back to school Halley find out that Scarlett, her best friend, is carrying her dead boyfriends child. On top of this news, Halley is involved with the school bad boy, Scarlett's dead boyfriend's best friend. Scarlett right away wants to get an abortion because she's so young but Halley and her bad boy man, Macon, talk her out of it saying it's what she has left of her boyfriend. Halley is almost killed in an accident because Macon is driving so fast and because of this she stops talking to him. Scarlett starts getting close to this nerdy boy with a good heart and they go to prom together. While at prom Scarlett goes into labor and a lot of the student population follows her to the hospital.
This book is such a sappy love story it's almost sickening. I am not into these chick-lit, pop-lit novels but I have to admit, this was a really good story. If you're into these types of books then I highly recommend it!
This book is such a sappy love story it's almost sickening. I am not into these chick-lit, pop-lit novels but I have to admit, this was a really good story. If you're into these types of books then I highly recommend it!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Wild Things
I bought this book in Chicago a year ago but never read it. I bought it because it was on sale and I thought it would be interesting. It's crazy how the author, Dave Eggers transforms a nine sentence, childrens' story by Maurice Sendak, into a 300 or so page book.
Max is a dangerous, rebellious boy and constantly finds himself in trouble. he doesn't like to be bossed around and he established that resentment for authority at a young age. His sister frustrates him and one day he snapped because she "left him to die" so he covered her whole room in water. Everything drenched in water, soaking wet. Max feels as though he doesn't belong in this place he calls home and doesn't feel as though anyone loves him anymore. He runs away, through the woods, over a creek, and finds a land where he can live among monsters. He fits in with them because he is a monster himself. He is crowned king and they look up to him. He does his best to make them happy but feels as though they will never be satisfied and he fears his fate.
Max is a dangerous, rebellious boy and constantly finds himself in trouble. he doesn't like to be bossed around and he established that resentment for authority at a young age. His sister frustrates him and one day he snapped because she "left him to die" so he covered her whole room in water. Everything drenched in water, soaking wet. Max feels as though he doesn't belong in this place he calls home and doesn't feel as though anyone loves him anymore. He runs away, through the woods, over a creek, and finds a land where he can live among monsters. He fits in with them because he is a monster himself. He is crowned king and they look up to him. He does his best to make them happy but feels as though they will never be satisfied and he fears his fate.
Song of the Sparrow
This book is generally a book of medieval love and war. The main character, Elaine, also known as the Lady of Shalott, is the only woman in a camp full of male warriors. Though she is female, she plays a very important role in the battles. She has learned the art of healing and is very useful in healing the warriors with herbal remedies. As the only girl in camp, she also plays a role in fixing the clothing if damaged. She has the knowledge to sow the cloths back together. She yearns for a female companion to connect to but she is content being with the men. Especially Lancelot whom she considers to be her hero.
Finally another female appears on camp named Guinevere. Elaine is ecstatic to have a female companion but Immediately find out she is rude and snobbish. Brought there to marry Arthur, Guinevere feels no need to help around the camp and this causes Elaine to resent this beautiful young girl.
The men go into battle and Elaine tags along as always but is captured. Guinevere tries to save her and the females must put their differences aside and fend for themselves and fight for their lives while helping each other.
This book was well written but isn't my type at all. I let a younger girl recommend it to me because that was one of my summer reading goals. The part I did like was the style of writing and the way the author made it seem as though it was a continuous poem. If you're into King Arthur-esque, poetic books, this is for you.
Finally another female appears on camp named Guinevere. Elaine is ecstatic to have a female companion but Immediately find out she is rude and snobbish. Brought there to marry Arthur, Guinevere feels no need to help around the camp and this causes Elaine to resent this beautiful young girl.
The men go into battle and Elaine tags along as always but is captured. Guinevere tries to save her and the females must put their differences aside and fend for themselves and fight for their lives while helping each other.
This book was well written but isn't my type at all. I let a younger girl recommend it to me because that was one of my summer reading goals. The part I did like was the style of writing and the way the author made it seem as though it was a continuous poem. If you're into King Arthur-esque, poetic books, this is for you.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Prose
“I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all. The woods do that to you, they always look familiar, long lost, like the face of a long-dead relative, like an old dream, like a piece of forgotten song drifting across the water, most of all like golden eternities of past childhood or past manhood and all the living and the dying and the heartbreak that went on a million years ago and the clouds as they pass overhead seem to testify (by their own lonesome familiarity) to this feeling.”
― Jack Kerouac, Dharma Bums
― Jack Kerouac, Dharma Bums
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Virgin Suicides
I finished this book over spring break but I just keep forgetting to make a post about it.
The virgin suicides almost has a greek tragedy type feel. From everything you know about greek tragedies and just from the title alone, it'd be assumed that this book is depressing, but it's actually a bit enlightening. It's the 70's and an eclectic group of boys are highly affected by the are five Lisbon sisters. The girls live in a very strict household and no one understands how the highschool math teacher, and Mrs.Lisbon could've possibly made such beautiful girls. They have such grace and poise about them as they float down the school they've attended their whole short lives. The youngest one at age thirteen, first tries to kill herself by slitting her wrists in the bath but lives. She finally commits suicide by throwing herself out of the second story window onto their iron fence which pierces through her heart. Because of this the boys try to actually communicate with the girls whom they had always been intimidated by. The girls are up for no conversations and respecfully tell them "you don't have to talk to us." The highschool brings awareness of teen suicides and passes out green pamplets to the whole school and offers up an option to talk with a concilor, which the girls do. The school finds out the councilor actually has no schooling so she flees, being the only one that knows about the Lisbon girl's mysterious lives. Lux, the youngest child now, is chrismatic and is kind of the bad ass in the group. The msot popular guy in school, who is usually always chased by girls, tries to pursue Lux and after much convencing, the Lisbon parents allow the girls to go to the homecoming dance. After the dance the girls get home safely but Lux is no where so be found. She shows up in the wee hours of the morning, still a little tipsy from sharing drinks with her date. The house goes on crack down. The girls are taken out of school and Mr.Lisbon, going crazy from his youngest daughters death, is fired from his job since he is unable to teach well. The boys communicate to the Lisbon sisters with lights through their windows and little cards being passed back and forth. The girls call the boys on the phone and play music from their record player and the boys play rock and roll back to them (since rock and roll had been abolished in their establishment). The boys want to take the girls for a drive with their parents car and the girls agree. Lux invites them into the house telling them to be quiet since her parents are sleeping. She says they should take her parents car and that she'll be waiting for them in the garage. The boys go down into the basement and see a sister hanging by a rope around her neck from the cieling, they run up the stairs, scared to death, and trip over another sister dead from pills. The run out of the house and later find out the other sister stuck her head in the oven and Lux, waiting in the garage, killed herself with the carbon monoxide of the runing car. The boys, even 20 years later can't figure out the mystery of the girls saying they had all the pieces of the puzzle, but no way of going about putting it together. They take the photo albums out of the trash that the parents through out along with the rest od the house, leaving everything to be sold ina garage sale. Though the boys can never tell them, they love the girls. and miss them dearly.
The virgin suicides almost has a greek tragedy type feel. From everything you know about greek tragedies and just from the title alone, it'd be assumed that this book is depressing, but it's actually a bit enlightening. It's the 70's and an eclectic group of boys are highly affected by the are five Lisbon sisters. The girls live in a very strict household and no one understands how the highschool math teacher, and Mrs.Lisbon could've possibly made such beautiful girls. They have such grace and poise about them as they float down the school they've attended their whole short lives. The youngest one at age thirteen, first tries to kill herself by slitting her wrists in the bath but lives. She finally commits suicide by throwing herself out of the second story window onto their iron fence which pierces through her heart. Because of this the boys try to actually communicate with the girls whom they had always been intimidated by. The girls are up for no conversations and respecfully tell them "you don't have to talk to us." The highschool brings awareness of teen suicides and passes out green pamplets to the whole school and offers up an option to talk with a concilor, which the girls do. The school finds out the councilor actually has no schooling so she flees, being the only one that knows about the Lisbon girl's mysterious lives. Lux, the youngest child now, is chrismatic and is kind of the bad ass in the group. The msot popular guy in school, who is usually always chased by girls, tries to pursue Lux and after much convencing, the Lisbon parents allow the girls to go to the homecoming dance. After the dance the girls get home safely but Lux is no where so be found. She shows up in the wee hours of the morning, still a little tipsy from sharing drinks with her date. The house goes on crack down. The girls are taken out of school and Mr.Lisbon, going crazy from his youngest daughters death, is fired from his job since he is unable to teach well. The boys communicate to the Lisbon sisters with lights through their windows and little cards being passed back and forth. The girls call the boys on the phone and play music from their record player and the boys play rock and roll back to them (since rock and roll had been abolished in their establishment). The boys want to take the girls for a drive with their parents car and the girls agree. Lux invites them into the house telling them to be quiet since her parents are sleeping. She says they should take her parents car and that she'll be waiting for them in the garage. The boys go down into the basement and see a sister hanging by a rope around her neck from the cieling, they run up the stairs, scared to death, and trip over another sister dead from pills. The run out of the house and later find out the other sister stuck her head in the oven and Lux, waiting in the garage, killed herself with the carbon monoxide of the runing car. The boys, even 20 years later can't figure out the mystery of the girls saying they had all the pieces of the puzzle, but no way of going about putting it together. They take the photo albums out of the trash that the parents through out along with the rest od the house, leaving everything to be sold ina garage sale. Though the boys can never tell them, they love the girls. and miss them dearly.
After Work
The shack and a few trees
float in the blowing fog
I pull out your blouse,
warm my cold hands
on your breasts.
you laugh and shudder
peeling garlic by the
hot iron stove.
bring in the axe, the rake,
the wood
we'll lean on the wall
against each other
stew simmering on the fire
as it grows dark
drinking wine.
-Gary Snyder
Gary Snyder longs to get home to his wife. He needs to feel her skin on his and taste the sweet tang of the wine they share, along with their unrequitted love. He's working, working but not having his whole mind in it. Gary is day dreaming and is in nostalgia, hoping that when he gets home, all will be well. He is invisioning his happy wife 'laugh and shudder, peeling garlic by the hot iron stove" and this makes him hungry. His wife's cooking is such a good ending to the day. Even being with her is better than the work he has to get through to be home.
The shack and a few trees
float in the blowing fog
I pull out your blouse,
warm my cold hands
on your breasts.
you laugh and shudder
peeling garlic by the
hot iron stove.
bring in the axe, the rake,
the wood
we'll lean on the wall
against each other
stew simmering on the fire
as it grows dark
drinking wine.
-Gary Snyder
Gary Snyder longs to get home to his wife. He needs to feel her skin on his and taste the sweet tang of the wine they share, along with their unrequitted love. He's working, working but not having his whole mind in it. Gary is day dreaming and is in nostalgia, hoping that when he gets home, all will be well. He is invisioning his happy wife 'laugh and shudder, peeling garlic by the hot iron stove" and this makes him hungry. His wife's cooking is such a good ending to the day. Even being with her is better than the work he has to get through to be home.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Notes 2 & 3.
I've decided nostalgia is my topic. Simply because 'remembrance' was too hard to fulfill. A YouTube video that matches my topic is The Tree of Life-You Spoke To Me. click on the link to watch.The second artifact I decided to use was a song by Iron & wine:
"Give this stone to my brother
Cuz we found it playing in the barnyard
Many years agoHe'll remember hunting in the hills
When I was 10 years old
I lost it in myself and buried it too long
Now that I come to fall
Please say it's not too late
Now that I'm dead and gone
It pulled the baby teeth she keeps inside the drawer
Give this ring to my lover
I was scared and stupid not to ask
For her hand long before
I lost it in myself and buried it too long
Now that I come to fall
Please say it's not too late
Now that I'm dead and gone"
Each different verse makes separate people look back on their lives. This dying man makes sure that these people will remember old memories and he dies. Though death is near "please don't say it's too late now that I'm dead and gone." It gives a peaceful feeling to death saying that you don't have to say goodbye, you can live again in someones thoughts.
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid test and graduation.
Mountain Girl returns home because she's pregnant, probably with Kesey's child, and another member has neautological problems from his intense drug use. Kesey spends the night in a graveyard and comes up with the idea for the acid test. The test will be about energy and even though it doesn't reach out to the whole world, it has a good start. The begin advertising their acid test at a rolling stones concert. Kesey talks to the man from before who is in the Grateful Dead and the band agrees to play at this acid test party the pranksters are throwing. They throw it on a beach, after changing locations once, and reveal their new toy, STROBE LIGHTS. Everyone has taken LSD including Owlsey, the man in the band, whom no body has every seen trip. Owlsey has one of the most remembered, bad trips nad will be talked about for years to come. Kesey puts on the biggest acid test ever at a stadium but of course, the cops shut it down. The police try to arrest all of the pranksters but their attorneys bail them out. Kesey gets three years porbation and a little service work but he is off the radar. When someone calls the cops on the group for being rowdy they come into Kesey's home and find that he had merijuana in his possesion and this begins most of Kesy's legal troubles all over again. He is not supposed to go to the Trips Festival they've been planning and he is not supposed to hang out with the Merry Pranksters anymore but of course, he can't bail on this. The Festival lasts three days and begins to be a weekly thing. Wolfe says 'the Haight-Ashbury era began that weekend'.
Kesey is forced to move and has a warrant out for his arrest so he moves in with Babb's to his home. The Pranksters help fake his suicide while they smuggle him into mexico where he'll become an outlaw.
I'm not going to spoil the ending of the book, and a lot of things happen, but if this interests you at all, I highly reccommend reading it! Just be sure you have no distractions because it's a bit hard to follow.
Kesey is forced to move and has a warrant out for his arrest so he moves in with Babb's to his home. The Pranksters help fake his suicide while they smuggle him into mexico where he'll become an outlaw.
Hell's Angels and the frozen jug band
The group decided to invite the Hell's angels, A well known gang, to party with them in La Honda. They plan a big party at Kesey's place and all the 'Angels' show up on their defening, loud harleys. The pranksters has the trees all ready and painted with day glo with speakers booming from the trees. Hell's Angels didn't know what to expect or how to react but once the Pranksters gave them LSD everyone had a good time. The cops are watching but as of now, they aren't breaking any rules besides for public nudity so the cops stay at a distance. The cops still don't break up the party even after two days, and a gang rape. Members of a church had become curious with what the Pranksters were up to so they invited the group to join them during a serman. Kesey is getting caught up in the fact that he can easily manipulate people and the power is all going to his head. He starts to turn the young people of the church againt the older priests and such and with this Kesey realizes he can control more people than who's just in the Merry Pranksters. Kesey is overwhelmed with this new found power and while having a bad trip, believes he can control anything, including cars rushing past him.
The Pranksters hear word that the Beatles are coming to play in San Francisco. Kesey gets 30 tickets to the sold out show from his acid dealer so they are set and ready to go. They all trip acid and play popular Beatles songs as they're on their way to the concerts in costumes and everything.On the way while tripping on acid, they all begin to experience a 'transcendental experience'. Wolfe describes it as: "no one even has to look at another because they not only know that everyone else is seeing it at once, they feel, they feel it flowing through one brain, Atman and Brahman, all one on the bus and all one with the writhing mass sun reflector ripple sun bomb prisms." Wolfe describes this feeling of complete intersubjectivity and transcendence as "CLOUD," when they could "draw the whole universe into...the movie." The venue is an old cattle herding/ slaughter house converted into a place for a concert and their trip starts going terribly bad. Mountain Girl says it looks like a concentration camp and they all soon feel lost in the crowd of people. When the show is over they all feel as though they're getting trampled and someone spred false word about the Beatles coming to La honda. On the way home they try and find their 'Cloud' of a trip but everyone is still too down and all they care about is getting home. Once the get there they are welcomed by a crowd of hundreds of people and Kesey storms into the house. One of the guys in the crowd, however, catches Kesey's eye and Wolfe starts to give background information. This man was the biggest acid dealer in the states and was well known for his quality of drugs. He and his friend had started the band Grateful Dead and began the wave of acid rock. The Beatles 'come up with' the idea for the Magical Mystery Tour where they all dress up and take acid on a bus but of course, thie was the Merry Pranksters idea first.
Kesey gets asked to be a keyspeaker for a rally against the war but instead of speaking, they decide to do a prank. Instead of protesting they decide to play music which confuses the crowd but they eventually die down. Someone throws teargas into the group of people and everyone dispurses.
The Pranksters hear word that the Beatles are coming to play in San Francisco. Kesey gets 30 tickets to the sold out show from his acid dealer so they are set and ready to go. They all trip acid and play popular Beatles songs as they're on their way to the concerts in costumes and everything.On the way while tripping on acid, they all begin to experience a 'transcendental experience'. Wolfe describes it as: "no one even has to look at another because they not only know that everyone else is seeing it at once, they feel, they feel it flowing through one brain, Atman and Brahman, all one on the bus and all one with the writhing mass sun reflector ripple sun bomb prisms." Wolfe describes this feeling of complete intersubjectivity and transcendence as "CLOUD," when they could "draw the whole universe into...the movie." The venue is an old cattle herding/ slaughter house converted into a place for a concert and their trip starts going terribly bad. Mountain Girl says it looks like a concentration camp and they all soon feel lost in the crowd of people. When the show is over they all feel as though they're getting trampled and someone spred false word about the Beatles coming to La honda. On the way home they try and find their 'Cloud' of a trip but everyone is still too down and all they care about is getting home. Once the get there they are welcomed by a crowd of hundreds of people and Kesey storms into the house. One of the guys in the crowd, however, catches Kesey's eye and Wolfe starts to give background information. This man was the biggest acid dealer in the states and was well known for his quality of drugs. He and his friend had started the band Grateful Dead and began the wave of acid rock. The Beatles 'come up with' the idea for the Magical Mystery Tour where they all dress up and take acid on a bus but of course, thie was the Merry Pranksters idea first.
Kesey gets asked to be a keyspeaker for a rally against the war but instead of speaking, they decide to do a prank. Instead of protesting they decide to play music which confuses the crowd but they eventually die down. Someone throws teargas into the group of people and everyone dispurses.
We Are Hunted.
(I found this in my drafts section and realized I never published it. I'll keep it short)
We are hunted is a music site that has a sense of an underground, hole-in-the-wall kind of feel which everyone thrives on. Using the word 'underground' very loosely meaning they have artists whom are not huge, lady gaga or chris brown kind of famous. More like just below the surface. A few of the people on the site are famous, but still fit in with underground crowd. If you're looking for new music, I reccomend it.
We are hunted is a music site that has a sense of an underground, hole-in-the-wall kind of feel which everyone thrives on. Using the word 'underground' very loosely meaning they have artists whom are not huge, lady gaga or chris brown kind of famous. More like just below the surface. A few of the people on the site are famous, but still fit in with underground crowd. If you're looking for new music, I reccomend it.
Note 1
'I sit down and say, and I run all my friends and relatives and enemies one by one in this, without entertaining any angers or gratitudes or anything, and I say, like 'Japhy Ryder, equally empty, equally to be loved, equally a coming Buddha,' then I run on, say to 'David O. Selznick, equally empty, equally to be loved, equally a coming Buddha' though I don't use names like David O. Selznick, just people I know because when I say the words 'equally a coming Buddha' I want to be thinking of their eyes, like you take Morley, his blue eyes behind those glasses, when you think 'equally a coming Buddha' you think of those eyes and you really do suddenly see the true secret serenity and the truth of his coming Buddhahood. Then you think of your enemy's eyes.'
In this excerpt From The Dharma Bums, Jack is remembering the things Japhy said and he's realizing he wants to be like him. Jack says everyone is 'equally a becoming Buddha' but you have to really see the 'true secret serenity and the truth' of Buddhahood. This recollects remembrence because he's reflecting on things and living by them. He can't and won't forget those things that were said because he's based his life around it.
In this excerpt From The Dharma Bums, Jack is remembering the things Japhy said and he's realizing he wants to be like him. Jack says everyone is 'equally a becoming Buddha' but you have to really see the 'true secret serenity and the truth' of Buddhahood. This recollects remembrence because he's reflecting on things and living by them. He can't and won't forget those things that were said because he's based his life around it.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The crypt trip, dream wars, the unspoken thing and the bust.
The merry pranksters head to upstate new york on a journey of discovery. They expect to meet up with a group of friends, Leary's posse, but it's the opposite and they are greeted very cold. Babb's, frustrasted by the fact that the group didn't greet them as well as he felt they should, began to make fun of the way the group trips. Leary's group merged acid trips and buddhism together which wasn't anything the Merry Pranksters did. Leary's group attempted to meditate while tripping and had specific rooms for it which Babb's called Crypt Trips.
The group ends up heading back home because Leary and his friends refuse to have fun with them. Timothy Leary himself won't even meet with the group becuase he's on a very serious three day trip. The group finds themselves in Canada where one of the members comes back with a young girl who is a run-away.
Wolfe explains why the pranksters are so interesting to him. He explains it's all in the experience he has with them, the feelings he has while being in their presence.Wolfe says it's the fact that they can make up their own words and meanings and symbols for things, which all seems weird to other but is extraordinary for the group.
Wolfe gets back to the story and begins talking about how this run away, now known as mountain girl, is an official part of their group. Originally very educated and upper-middle class, she begins talking about her views on things and fits right in. Along with another boy whom had ran away from school, because of being an outcast, and began to live in the woods where he stumble upon the pranksters. He's known as the hermit.
The pranksters spent most of their year editing their film. Going through countless hours of footage of their trip and trying to determine what will fit into the final clips. They hope to release it world wide and gain lots of money just as Kesey had on his One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest broadway act.
The group starts trying even new things with their LSD. They have an idea to paint all of the trees with Day-Glo colours and listening to 'space noises' through their televisions. The towns people of La Honda are getting fed up with the group and the fact that they think they're exempt from all restrictions in the world. The pranksters think they're immune to the police but when someone tips a cop, they realize their no different than anyone else. The group's home gets raided and Kesey gets arrested after hitting a cop.
The group ends up heading back home because Leary and his friends refuse to have fun with them. Timothy Leary himself won't even meet with the group becuase he's on a very serious three day trip. The group finds themselves in Canada where one of the members comes back with a young girl who is a run-away.
Wolfe explains why the pranksters are so interesting to him. He explains it's all in the experience he has with them, the feelings he has while being in their presence.Wolfe says it's the fact that they can make up their own words and meanings and symbols for things, which all seems weird to other but is extraordinary for the group.
Wolfe gets back to the story and begins talking about how this run away, now known as mountain girl, is an official part of their group. Originally very educated and upper-middle class, she begins talking about her views on things and fits right in. Along with another boy whom had ran away from school, because of being an outcast, and began to live in the woods where he stumble upon the pranksters. He's known as the hermit.
The pranksters spent most of their year editing their film. Going through countless hours of footage of their trip and trying to determine what will fit into the final clips. They hope to release it world wide and gain lots of money just as Kesey had on his One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest broadway act.
The group starts trying even new things with their LSD. They have an idea to paint all of the trees with Day-Glo colours and listening to 'space noises' through their televisions. The towns people of La Honda are getting fed up with the group and the fact that they think they're exempt from all restrictions in the world. The pranksters think they're immune to the police but when someone tips a cop, they realize their no different than anyone else. The group's home gets raided and Kesey gets arrested after hitting a cop.
No White Stone: "Hello," Benjamin Peret
No White Stone: "Hello," Benjamin Peret: "Hello" My airplane in flames my castle flooded with Rhenish wine my black iris ghetto my crystal ear my rock hurtling down the cliff ...
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Having a Coke With You -Frank O'Hara
Having a Coke with You
is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully
as the horse
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it
and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
I look
it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
Monday, March 19, 2012
ANIMALS
Have you forgotten what we were like then
when we were still first rate
and the day came fat with an apple in its mouth
It's no use worrying about Time
but we did have a few tricks up out sleeves
and turned some sharp corners
the whole pasture looked like our meal
we didn't need speedometers
we could manage cocktails out of ice and water
I wouldn't want to be faster
or greener than now if you were with me O you
were the best of all my days
-Frank O'Hara [1950]
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Personal Reading Goals
-read a book with a title of each letter of my name.
-get through a chapter on every surface in my house.
-have one reading afternoon every week with a friend.
-read to my friend's soon to be born baby.
-read a book I would never want to read.
-let a girl recommend a book to me.
-read a book from a movie I've seen
-read a book from a movie I've seen
(I'll add more on as I think of them)
Daily Enlightenment
An insincere and evil friend is more feared than a wild beast;
a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.
-Siddhartha Guatama Buddha
सिद्धार्थ गौतम बुद्ध
Unauthorized acid and tootling the multitudes.
The bus leaves Texas and they eventually end up in New Orleans. The gang takes a small amount of acid and ends up on a segregated beach for Africans only. They're not welcomed very nicely at first but once they start blaring music then there are tons of people gathered around the bus 'doing rock dances and the dirty boogie. Police, of course, ruin their fun and the group leaves to finally make their way in Florida where they settle for a bit. One of the guys, sandy, is really stressed and decides to take some of the 'unauthorized acid' that Kesey was saving. Sandy has a really bad trip, mostly because you should never take acid when you're in a negative state of mind, and Wolfe explains the horrors Sandy encounters on this trip.
They get to New York and even there, the people don't know how to handle them. Wolfe says 'even NY had to stop and stare'. One of Kesey's friends gets an apartment on Madison avenue and they throw a months long party. They left 'stark naked' in Texas because she lost her mind. The chapters end when Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg party with them, even though they don't have much to do with Kesey.
They get to New York and even there, the people don't know how to handle them. Wolfe says 'even NY had to stop and stare'. One of Kesey's friends gets an apartment on Madison avenue and they throw a months long party. They left 'stark naked' in Texas because she lost her mind. The chapters end when Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg party with them, even though they don't have much to do with Kesey.
Poetry anthology
I'm thinking about doing memories. Poems where people recall things in their past. They always seem to have a type of admiration to them when being read. This person remembers the situation so vividly. Most of the poetry will most likely be from Frank O'Hara only because he's my favorite and he does this a lot. He talks about things that have happened to him in the past. So the title will most likely be recollection or something along those lines. It will probably contain a photograph and something that has sentimental value to the person in the poetry. If I used Frank O'Hara's poem 'Having a Coke with You.' I could include an old coke bottle cap.
The bus and the rusky-dusty neon dust.
Wolfe uses a kind of poetic and lyrical style to describe Kesey's idealistic home in the California woods. Kesey and his friends are enjoying Kesey's success from his book and now stage production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. They live very naturistic and romantic type lives but it's not the nature that interests them, it's how open your mind can become by using LSD. They begin experiementing and attempting to find the worlds within them as a person. While taking the drug they make art and record themselves in a very avant-garde type style. Wolfe talks about the people while their on a trip and says that while stumbling through the woods, they find old, wood carved chess pieces and begin to improve with them. They talk to them with a mixture of gibberish and confusion, all of their worlds strung together. The group dances around and beats their drums and though they're breaking ground with their experiments, they're realizing they're not equals anymore. Kesey is the head and the group isn't sure how to feel about it.
In the spring of '64 Kesey and the Pranksters get an old bus and fill it with beds and a sink. They paint the bus with vivd colours and intricate words so that they can experience the sounds inside the bus just as well as outside. They plan to take the bus and visit New York's world fair in july. While driving, stoned off their arses, they get pulled over by a patrol officer. They feel as though they're surrounded by a forest fire but they aren't sure if it's real or a hullucination. The patrol officers asks the driver, Cassidy, if they're a part of the carnival which he replies with yes as members of the bus roll around in the grass, wearing neon masks on the side of the road. The patrol officer lets the bus go with a warning which makes the passangers believe, even more, that they are in fact invincible. While the bus breaks down in San Jose, they begin to plan for their big trip East. Kesey says that on this trip 'everybody is going to be what they are, and whatever they are, there's not going to be antyhing to apologize about.' They decide to document their acid trip so they take the LSD and begin the recording. They are all going crazy but raise awareness none the less. They stop at a gas station to fill up but the manager says they can't all use his restroom. One of the women jump out of the bus, completely naked, and embrases McMutry's son, thinking he is her long lost son. This is when the group realizes "She had completed her trip. She had done with the flow. She had gone stark riving mad."
In the spring of '64 Kesey and the Pranksters get an old bus and fill it with beds and a sink. They paint the bus with vivd colours and intricate words so that they can experience the sounds inside the bus just as well as outside. They plan to take the bus and visit New York's world fair in july. While driving, stoned off their arses, they get pulled over by a patrol officer. They feel as though they're surrounded by a forest fire but they aren't sure if it's real or a hullucination. The patrol officers asks the driver, Cassidy, if they're a part of the carnival which he replies with yes as members of the bus roll around in the grass, wearing neon masks on the side of the road. The patrol officer lets the bus go with a warning which makes the passangers believe, even more, that they are in fact invincible. While the bus breaks down in San Jose, they begin to plan for their big trip East. Kesey says that on this trip 'everybody is going to be what they are, and whatever they are, there's not going to be antyhing to apologize about.' They decide to document their acid trip so they take the LSD and begin the recording. They are all going crazy but raise awareness none the less. They stop at a gas station to fill up but the manager says they can't all use his restroom. One of the women jump out of the bus, completely naked, and embrases McMutry's son, thinking he is her long lost son. This is when the group realizes "She had completed her trip. She had done with the flow. She had gone stark riving mad."
Electric suit, what do you think of my Buddha?
Kesey is finally out of jail but no one seems to notice it which surprises him because he expected everyone to miss him dearly. Kesey visits with his wife and kids, whom Wolfe didn't know he had, and talks about his experience and is completely non-chalant about it. I loved this part because I expect myself to be arrested some day (for a good cause, probably while doing peace awareness protests) and it doesn't scare me. Kesey compares it to a 'cops-and-robers' game and says its 'nothing personal'.
Interviewers come to talk to Kesey and they ask him to refrain from bringing up the whole LSD movement, but Kesey has something to share with them. He says when he was in new mexico, opening his mind with LSD, he stepped into a lightning storm and felt the lightning forming around him. He thinks this is a religious type thing and that he's on a whole new level in the universe and he wants people to know.
Wolfe talks about Kesey's background and his story and how he became the leader of the Merry Pranksters. Kesey recieved a scholarship to study art at stanford so he moves into an artist commune. He was an althlete at Universtiy of Oregon before attending Stanford and he was raised by a farmer father. One of the kids in the commune with Kesey gets him interested in physchology. Kesey and this student volunteer at a local mental hospital and try to understand what's really happening there. They see that this place is trying to help vetrans over come their mental disabilities through the use of different forms of LSD. Kesey gets a job working there and it inspires him to write a novel. Kesey moves back to his artist commune and meets new people and they start to experiment with drugs and they eventually move in to their current home in La Honda, Cali.
Interviewers come to talk to Kesey and they ask him to refrain from bringing up the whole LSD movement, but Kesey has something to share with them. He says when he was in new mexico, opening his mind with LSD, he stepped into a lightning storm and felt the lightning forming around him. He thinks this is a religious type thing and that he's on a whole new level in the universe and he wants people to know.
Wolfe talks about Kesey's background and his story and how he became the leader of the Merry Pranksters. Kesey recieved a scholarship to study art at stanford so he moves into an artist commune. He was an althlete at Universtiy of Oregon before attending Stanford and he was raised by a farmer father. One of the kids in the commune with Kesey gets him interested in physchology. Kesey and this student volunteer at a local mental hospital and try to understand what's really happening there. They see that this place is trying to help vetrans over come their mental disabilities through the use of different forms of LSD. Kesey gets a job working there and it inspires him to write a novel. Kesey moves back to his artist commune and meets new people and they start to experiment with drugs and they eventually move in to their current home in La Honda, Cali.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
No matter if you're half horse, half fish, you're proud of what you are.
That was a quote from Amanda's diary. She's a part of a segment called Radio Diaries where teenagers carry around tape recorders and tell their individuals stories. No matter who you are, connecting to them is inevitable. One of these stories are going to reach out and touch emotions whether you invited it to or not.
The One I listen to was a young girl at the age of seventeen named Amanda. She talks about how hard it is to be different. She doesn't think she's that weird. She's kind of punk and doesn't dress all girly, so what? Amanda's mother says she needs to look more like a lady. Amanda's had a girlfriend for two years and her parents think it's just a phase. The emotion in her voice makes you really feel for her and the amount of happiness she feels when she talks about her girlfriend really makes you believe that Amanda loves her. The harsh views of her parents cut through the honest naiveness of Amanda. She knows she's young and inexperienced, but her parents throw it right back in her face and blame her behavior on that. You don't need to experience things to know that it's wrong for you. But then again, You can't rule something out unless you've tried it and given it a fair shot. "My parents think this is like a phase. I don't think it's a phase... I think this is me. I don't know what to say. That's how i feel and it doesn't really bother me."
The One I listen to was a young girl at the age of seventeen named Amanda. She talks about how hard it is to be different. She doesn't think she's that weird. She's kind of punk and doesn't dress all girly, so what? Amanda's mother says she needs to look more like a lady. Amanda's had a girlfriend for two years and her parents think it's just a phase. The emotion in her voice makes you really feel for her and the amount of happiness she feels when she talks about her girlfriend really makes you believe that Amanda loves her. The harsh views of her parents cut through the honest naiveness of Amanda. She knows she's young and inexperienced, but her parents throw it right back in her face and blame her behavior on that. You don't need to experience things to know that it's wrong for you. But then again, You can't rule something out unless you've tried it and given it a fair shot. "My parents think this is like a phase. I don't think it's a phase... I think this is me. I don't know what to say. That's how i feel and it doesn't really bother me."
Feet First
Hi How Are You I'm Fine Thanks: Spartan Reader Submission: Feet First: Look down at your feet. Have you been anywhere that your feet have not taken you? Despite riding a bike or driving a car, feet have becom...
Daily Enlightenment
"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true."
I said a while back that I was going to start posting daily enlightenment quotes but I haven't really gotten around to it because I've been so busy with everything. This is the quote I'm focusing on today. You can take this a literal way and contemplate the whole 'direction' aspect of it. or you can think of it in the way like "where am I going with life?". Is my destiny set already? No, of course it's not. I have the power to change something if I so wish. There's no certain direction I should be following even if people tell me that's the best way. That's not the best way in my eyes so I refuse to believe that to be true. Maybe that's their north, but mine is in a different direction.
I said a while back that I was going to start posting daily enlightenment quotes but I haven't really gotten around to it because I've been so busy with everything. This is the quote I'm focusing on today. You can take this a literal way and contemplate the whole 'direction' aspect of it. or you can think of it in the way like "where am I going with life?". Is my destiny set already? No, of course it's not. I have the power to change something if I so wish. There's no certain direction I should be following even if people tell me that's the best way. That's not the best way in my eyes so I refuse to believe that to be true. Maybe that's their north, but mine is in a different direction.
Black shiny FBI shoes and the bladder totem.
I just started this book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I've been so busy lately with work and tutoring and trying to save cats from the shelter that I haven't had much time to read. But i've gotten into it!
As the book starts the narrator, Tom Wolfe, is riding in a rickity told pickup truck with a group of hippies heading to a warehouse. They're all dressed oddly with gnome like hats and beads down to their bellies with jesuschrist strung out hair.They're all waiting for the freedom of their leader who had recently been arrested because of possesion of drugs in San francisco. Wolfe explains the scene of his brief visit to Kesey while he was in the jail and he says it "was more like the stage door at a music box theatre full of cheer and anticipation". While Wolfe is there, Kesey tells him, through the large glass plates of the holding cell, that he wants to take a pschedelic movement. A movement of free love and a large usage of LSD. Kesey calls it the acid test and though he doesn't fully explain what he means, he says it has something to do with "all the senses opened wide, words, music, lights, sounds, touch-lighting".
Before meeting up with the merry pranksters, Wolfe stays in San Francisco, north beach, and enjoys the night clubs (that were made famous by Jack kerouac, who I talked about in my first reading log). He finds himself in topless bars and in the center of the hippie culture that had recently taken over Haight-Ashbury. He goes to the warehouse, which is a converted parking garage and the gang stays there for a few days. There is no indoor plumbing so they either have to relieve themselves outside or in an abandoned bathroom. Wolfe carries around the bathroom key as though it's his "bladder-totem". They're all inside of this gloomy place, sleeping on matresses and listening to Bob Dylan whom is singing through a hidden stereo. He comes across two hippies, The Hermit and Mountain Girl, who are painting a bus that reads "ACID TEST GRADUATION".
As the book starts the narrator, Tom Wolfe, is riding in a rickity told pickup truck with a group of hippies heading to a warehouse. They're all dressed oddly with gnome like hats and beads down to their bellies with jesuschrist strung out hair.They're all waiting for the freedom of their leader who had recently been arrested because of possesion of drugs in San francisco. Wolfe explains the scene of his brief visit to Kesey while he was in the jail and he says it "was more like the stage door at a music box theatre full of cheer and anticipation". While Wolfe is there, Kesey tells him, through the large glass plates of the holding cell, that he wants to take a pschedelic movement. A movement of free love and a large usage of LSD. Kesey calls it the acid test and though he doesn't fully explain what he means, he says it has something to do with "all the senses opened wide, words, music, lights, sounds, touch-lighting".
Before meeting up with the merry pranksters, Wolfe stays in San Francisco, north beach, and enjoys the night clubs (that were made famous by Jack kerouac, who I talked about in my first reading log). He finds himself in topless bars and in the center of the hippie culture that had recently taken over Haight-Ashbury. He goes to the warehouse, which is a converted parking garage and the gang stays there for a few days. There is no indoor plumbing so they either have to relieve themselves outside or in an abandoned bathroom. Wolfe carries around the bathroom key as though it's his "bladder-totem". They're all inside of this gloomy place, sleeping on matresses and listening to Bob Dylan whom is singing through a hidden stereo. He comes across two hippies, The Hermit and Mountain Girl, who are painting a bus that reads "ACID TEST GRADUATION".
The Catcher in the Rye
I read this book in one day. I always started it but never finished because something came up and I'm not the kind of person that can stop reading then just hop right back into where I was. It has to be continuous. or at least partially continuos. or else my mind is overfilled with other, useless thoughts that cloud the feelings I got from reading the previous night, or day before. If a big gap of time does come up, not allowing me to read, then I will have to re-read a few pages or even a chapter or two to get back to where I was.
This novel is definitely my favorite. Most people are aware that it was the book that John Lennon's murder always carried around with him. Because of this it was banned in a lot of places. Worried it may have the same effect on others as it did on Mark Chapman (Lennon's murderer). The whole book is about teenage agnst. This Holden character is just so frustrated with the world and constantly has a sarcastic tone which is humorous in some ways because he has such crude humor. Holden doesn't understand how everyone can be so fake (Which I'm sure everyone can connect to). One example is that his roomate always makes sure he looks prim and proper, but if you really knew the guy, or ever saw his room, you'd know he's exactly to opposite. His roomate was a slob but pretended otherwise around others. Holden's kicked out of three different, prestigious schools that his rich parents keep sending him to. He stands on a hill, looking down on the football game that allll the students are at, and he bids farewell to his school and all their lousy students. He's finally fed up with the whole education thing and he uses his money to buy and apartment. He sneaks into his own home, because his parents are unaware he's flunked out of all five subjects, and he visits his sister. Which is the only person, in his mind, who is not fake and he's determined to make sure she never will be. This message has a deeper meaning than what meets the eye and you have to ask yourself after reading: "What does this all mean?"
This novel is definitely my favorite. Most people are aware that it was the book that John Lennon's murder always carried around with him. Because of this it was banned in a lot of places. Worried it may have the same effect on others as it did on Mark Chapman (Lennon's murderer). The whole book is about teenage agnst. This Holden character is just so frustrated with the world and constantly has a sarcastic tone which is humorous in some ways because he has such crude humor. Holden doesn't understand how everyone can be so fake (Which I'm sure everyone can connect to). One example is that his roomate always makes sure he looks prim and proper, but if you really knew the guy, or ever saw his room, you'd know he's exactly to opposite. His roomate was a slob but pretended otherwise around others. Holden's kicked out of three different, prestigious schools that his rich parents keep sending him to. He stands on a hill, looking down on the football game that allll the students are at, and he bids farewell to his school and all their lousy students. He's finally fed up with the whole education thing and he uses his money to buy and apartment. He sneaks into his own home, because his parents are unaware he's flunked out of all five subjects, and he visits his sister. Which is the only person, in his mind, who is not fake and he's determined to make sure she never will be. This message has a deeper meaning than what meets the eye and you have to ask yourself after reading: "What does this all mean?"
Vegan Banana Pancakes.
This morning I woke up to the rainy morning outside my window and thought that nothing would suit it better than making cinnamon banana pancakes. This is one of the esiest, fastest breakfast food and I thought I'd share the recipe with you.
2.5 cups of flour
2 table spoons of sugar
2 tea spoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2.5 cups of chocolate soy milk
1 banana
2 teaspoons of vanilla
option: vegan chocolate shavings.
Mix all of the dry ingrediants together than add in the chocolate soymilk and mosh the banana. The dough will be thicker than regular pancakes so it's a little bit different than your average batter! ENJOY!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Short List.
1.) This NPR program is the Buddhist wheel of life. You can click on the different realms and a man will talk a describe to you what it is exactly. If you're interested in learning about Buddhism, this is an easy way. Definitely a very limited type site but I find it interesting and educational.
2.) Even though it pains me to share this because its always been a secret of mine, this is how I find all the 'different' music that I listen to. There are all different sorts of genres. It's called we are hunted. Tons of upcoming artists that haven't quite made it big or even have no aspirations to do so. Some are well known by accident but overall, they hover right below the fame in this perfect little world of sound. (warning: may be labeled as hipster (which I dislike) but it has that feel to it) here's some songs that came out last week that I've fallen in love with. (sorry, you cannot see them on certain computers)
Fun-Some nights. This one is acepella and seems a bit churchy but it's so wonderful and happy.
Horse Feathers- Fit Against the Country. I'm not sure if any of you listen to the duhks but i grew up with then and they are such a rare style of music but this band really tries to capture the same idea and they did it beautifully.
3) This is a fashion site where they sell clothes and individuals make all different layouts and collages of the outfits so you can get an idea and feel for what the clothing. It's called polyvore and it's almost like and online super mall. I'm not a big shopper, but I felt this would apply to my female readers! The only downside to this site is since it is such a big site with various stores in it, you may have to have separate tabs and separate shopping carts for each store. but just think of it as carrying around tons of bags through a mall.
You should never hesitate to trade your cow for a handful of magic beans.
There are two kinds of people in this world; those who believe there are two types of people in this world and those who are smart enough to know better.' One of my favorite quotes from the book. I finally finished it and I like posting concluding entries rather than a few little ones throughout my reading. but i will, however, do that with my next book.
The book is about a princess by the name of Leigh-cheri, daughter of a disposed monarchy living somewhere in Seattle. She has woman who has raised her most of her life with the title of their maid. The maid, Guiletta is a secret cocaine addict and the heir to their kingdom. Leigh-cheri is a flower child type and is really big on humanitarian causes. She is in love with a man who has always been thought of as a big humanitarian himself, blowing up buildings for the sake of peace and protest. Later she finds out he's mainly in it just to stir the pot, but her eyes are still glazed with love for him. They both have read hair an are thought to be from other planets, according to the natives of Hawaii. They don't care. He feeds her tequila after tequila and the have lots of sex (not quite school appropriate but it's life).
This post was LONG over due. and I started this post in the end of January but I kept forgetting to go back to it. This makes up for the two or three posts I have lacked regarding my reading. I am finished reading Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. I finished it long ago but I never published a post about it. It is his third book and it was written in 1980. Definitely one of the strangest books I have ever read, but not necessarily in a bad way. Very different and almost cartoonish, almost child-like but with adult humor and risque. Tom Robbins is an acquired taste that you'd have to build up. After reading this I am anxious to read more to determine if his books are appealing to me or not. (I can't decide if his prose is terrible or appealing) The writing style really has a Vonnegut tone to it which I loved because he's another good author.
"Albert Camus wrote that the only serious question is whether to kill yourself or not.
Tom Robbins wrote that the only serious question is whether time has a beginning and an end.
Camus clearly got up on the wrong side of bed, and Robbins must have forgotten to set the alarm.
There is only one serious question. And that is: Who knows how to make love stay?
Answer me that and I will tell you whether or not to kill yourself."
The book is about a princess by the name of Leigh-cheri, daughter of a disposed monarchy living somewhere in Seattle. She has woman who has raised her most of her life with the title of their maid. The maid, Guiletta is a secret cocaine addict and the heir to their kingdom. Leigh-cheri is a flower child type and is really big on humanitarian causes. She is in love with a man who has always been thought of as a big humanitarian himself, blowing up buildings for the sake of peace and protest. Later she finds out he's mainly in it just to stir the pot, but her eyes are still glazed with love for him. They both have read hair an are thought to be from other planets, according to the natives of Hawaii. They don't care. He feeds her tequila after tequila and the have lots of sex (not quite school appropriate but it's life).
This post was LONG over due. and I started this post in the end of January but I kept forgetting to go back to it. This makes up for the two or three posts I have lacked regarding my reading. I am finished reading Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. I finished it long ago but I never published a post about it. It is his third book and it was written in 1980. Definitely one of the strangest books I have ever read, but not necessarily in a bad way. Very different and almost cartoonish, almost child-like but with adult humor and risque. Tom Robbins is an acquired taste that you'd have to build up. After reading this I am anxious to read more to determine if his books are appealing to me or not. (I can't decide if his prose is terrible or appealing) The writing style really has a Vonnegut tone to it which I loved because he's another good author.
"Albert Camus wrote that the only serious question is whether to kill yourself or not.
Tom Robbins wrote that the only serious question is whether time has a beginning and an end.
Camus clearly got up on the wrong side of bed, and Robbins must have forgotten to set the alarm.
There is only one serious question. And that is: Who knows how to make love stay?
Answer me that and I will tell you whether or not to kill yourself."
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Podcast response: adventure #448
Listening to the beginning of this post was almost like playing a sci-fi movie without paying attention to what's happening on the screen. The scientists of this meeting gather together for what will be know in history books for the worlds first attempt at making space travel possible. Not only is it scientists, but sci-fi fanatics as well only because they can bring a more fictional approach on the subject and try to make it possible. for example: pne man was interviewed saying that a plasma shield around a rocket ship to protect it from space dust was entirely possible. It's a mind blowing thought. Another man interviewed was quoted saying 'it's almost like we have real life solutions to problems we haven't encountered yet.'
The first 'article' of the podcast talks about a foreign, american man residing in china who, by accident, gets into a fight but flees the scene. The Chinese police find him and lock him up for, what he was told, a few days to a few weeks. No big deal, its just another adventure right? The few weeks turns into a few months, then it is almost a year and he still hasn't even been to court yet. He talks about the problems and how it was living in a narrow room with other men and rats coming out of the toilets. It's strange to think America is contemplating how long we will be trapt on earth, unable to make distance space travel, while others are contemplating how long they'll be held captive, trapped in their cement prison.
The first 'article' of the podcast talks about a foreign, american man residing in china who, by accident, gets into a fight but flees the scene. The Chinese police find him and lock him up for, what he was told, a few days to a few weeks. No big deal, its just another adventure right? The few weeks turns into a few months, then it is almost a year and he still hasn't even been to court yet. He talks about the problems and how it was living in a narrow room with other men and rats coming out of the toilets. It's strange to think America is contemplating how long we will be trapt on earth, unable to make distance space travel, while others are contemplating how long they'll be held captive, trapped in their cement prison.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Daily Inspiration.
Today I was reading No White Stone and came across a Walt Witman excerpt and it inspired me to start posting poetry. I have an app on my phone from the Poetry Foundation and I absolutely love it. I also have a daily enlightenment app along with a Buddha quotes apps, and daily haikus. So my post could range from poetry, to simple quotes. Either way, I think it's important to have a thought to hold onto each day. A thought that burns your mind that you toy with. Like a hot potato being thrown around in your mind and leaving permanent mark on you as a person. Too deep? Try and wake up each morning, read a spiritual or influencal quote, and just contemplate it. See if you can make it relate to you and your life. My post for today is linked in the "No White Stone" word in the first sentence. x
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Vegan way of life.
(Spartana article, explicit category)
Being a vegan is a restricting but beneficial lifestyle and though vegans encounter problems with eating in the real world, in the sanctity of their homes, the living comes easy. I was a strict vegan for a while but now I'm more of just a 'very healthy eater.' One of my favorite sites to go to are www.vegan-food.net because not only did it provide me with information, it also gave me recipes. Its a very open minded place with wild ideas such as ice-cream made from breastmilk or world vegan bake sale.
Does sun-dried tomato, tofu, mock cream cheese on pita chips sound good to you? Penne 'veganrelle' lasagna bake? How about chocolate pancakes? You can make almost anything and still be vegan. The texture may be different and the taste as well, but sometimes it's even better. Take the vegan pancakes for example; I make them all the time and I love them way more than normal ol' aunt jemimah.
There are local places that serves strictly vegan/vegetarian food. One place is right off coldwater and it's called Loving Cafe. If you're thinking of switching to a more vegan lifestyle, I'd recommend going to a restaurant like this so you can see all the possibilities of veganism without being discouraged. When you eat well, you feel well and nothing is better than feeling green and healthy :)
Being a vegan is a restricting but beneficial lifestyle and though vegans encounter problems with eating in the real world, in the sanctity of their homes, the living comes easy. I was a strict vegan for a while but now I'm more of just a 'very healthy eater.' One of my favorite sites to go to are www.vegan-food.net because not only did it provide me with information, it also gave me recipes. Its a very open minded place with wild ideas such as ice-cream made from breastmilk or world vegan bake sale.
Does sun-dried tomato, tofu, mock cream cheese on pita chips sound good to you? Penne 'veganrelle' lasagna bake? How about chocolate pancakes? You can make almost anything and still be vegan. The texture may be different and the taste as well, but sometimes it's even better. Take the vegan pancakes for example; I make them all the time and I love them way more than normal ol' aunt jemimah.
There are local places that serves strictly vegan/vegetarian food. One place is right off coldwater and it's called Loving Cafe. If you're thinking of switching to a more vegan lifestyle, I'd recommend going to a restaurant like this so you can see all the possibilities of veganism without being discouraged. When you eat well, you feel well and nothing is better than feeling green and healthy :)
Analyzing Alphabet soup; the art of clean up.
A bowl of soup, a bowl of fruit, or people lying in the lawn, under umbrellas, protecting themselves from the sun, or maybe even the lens of a camera. These are some things in the first photograph that you could quite possibly see every day throughout your messy, chaotic life. The image goes right into your mind, cluttered with other pictures, each cluttered with things of no meaning. The second photograph is what someone exhibiting OCD would love to see; arranged as if the world was finally theirs to organize. Though not colour-cordinated, the picture it self seems to be taken apart then put back together in a uniform design. There's no dead space within the shapes, no pieces touching, all in their own area, unable to be left unkempt.
"This Poem Doesn't Care That it Isn't a Sonnet," L...
No White Stone: "This Poem Doesn't Care That it Isn't a Sonnet," L...: Today's poem is located at Willow Springs.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Short list.
1) Eating all raw foods; the difficulty and enjoyment of a vegan diet. Talk about veganism and the benefits/difficulties that come along with it. maybe possibly throw in some facts to help others be more aware of their health. Along with local places that provide for people with this lifestyle. I may provide recipes as well.
2) My favourite and or podcast stars. Though this is banned on blogger from school desks, I can provide names and links for curious students willing to look on their own terms.Most YouTube videos and podcasts I subscribe to are either comedy, gaming, or news updates.
3) iPhone apps in general which, of course, won't relate to the android users but they can have an idea of what apple product are capable of. Silly ones and practical ones. Ones that I use daily and others that I only look at now and then.
2) My favourite and or podcast stars. Though this is banned on blogger from school desks, I can provide names and links for curious students willing to look on their own terms.Most YouTube videos and podcasts I subscribe to are either comedy, gaming, or news updates.
3) iPhone apps in general which, of course, won't relate to the android users but they can have an idea of what apple product are capable of. Silly ones and practical ones. Ones that I use daily and others that I only look at now and then.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Less "Larry, Curly, and Moe" and more Woody Allen.
Introverts are generally the minority, but that doesn't mean that their personality traits are necessarily neurotic. Cain, (author) has an understanding mood of both the intro and extroverts because she feels she's an introvert herself but her husband she claims in an extrovert. This gives her and idea of both sides. Introverts seem to be a rare breed in this day and age with all the tv shows of loud, obnoxious females exhibiting outlandish behavior. It seems that society is slowly starting to get its fix on extroverts.
The common folk feed on the energy the extroverts give off as if it's water to the parched mouth of society. Slowly the public starts to lack the recognition of the introverts. The quiet minds hidden in the shadows of the upstairs bedroom, alone, as the party bumps from below their floor boards. The introverts can get their energy from within, and thrive on it without the stimulation of others. Big social gatherings aren't as appealing to the introverts as a bike ride into the woods with a good book might be. Many people see this as antisocial behavior but in fact, they'd just much rather prefer a get together with close friends than mindless wandering through a room filled with people.
Being shy, is not the same as being an introvert but it is a characteristic some introverts exhibit. Susan Cain, the woman being interviewed in this article, says we've moved from what used to be a culture of character, to a culture of personality. Extroverts can be appealing simply because individuals would love to be as outgoing as them, but certain characteristics you just have to embrace, while others you can only admire.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Top Links for Spartan Reader.
http://books--n--stuff.blogspot.com/2012/01/short-list.html
The meme idea is absolutely brilliant. Happy someone else is well acquainted with the interwebs.
http://2eluce.blogspot.com/2012/01/short-list.html
I was going to use the burning house idea but I knew someone else would.
I am happy to see they have other wonderful ideas as well.
http://julie-bluepenguins.blogspot.com/2012/01/ideas-for-spartan-reader.html#comment-form
I love the third idea. Something I aspire to do one day.
The meme idea is absolutely brilliant. Happy someone else is well acquainted with the interwebs.
http://2eluce.blogspot.com/2012/01/short-list.html
I was going to use the burning house idea but I knew someone else would.
I am happy to see they have other wonderful ideas as well.
http://julie-bluepenguins.blogspot.com/2012/01/ideas-for-spartan-reader.html#comment-form
I love the third idea. Something I aspire to do one day.
Possible Magazine Ideas: short list
3. Quiet, Please: Unleashing 'The Power Of Introverts' "From Gandhi to Joe DiMaggio to Mother Teresa to Bill Gates, introverts have done a lot of good work in the world. But being quiet, introverted or shy was sometimes looked at as a problem to overcome." This personally is something I've learned to live with so this article would have a lot of personal ties to it.
Monday, January 23, 2012
"To You," Kennth Koch. Today's poem can be found a...
No White Stone: "To You," Kennth Koch.
"To You," Kennth Koch. Today's poem can be found at the Poetry Foundation.
"To You," Kennth Koch. Today's poem can be found at the Poetry Foundation.
My attempt at a solo duo excercise.
I looked at the sources and decided on http://www.theselby.com/9_21_09_DanM_Shannan/index.html.
First of all I'd like to say that this house is amazing and definitely my dream home. From all of the pictures you can see all of the green and plants they have variously throughout their house. Not to mention that their house is in the middle of the woods with mother nature all around. They grow their own food in their garden so they seem to be very self reliant and they light their house naturally the best they can which shows they are also relying on mother nature. The couple doesn't seem to try and tame the nature which is good becuase they just let it do what it wants and they embrace that. They can the food they grow and share it with others. They also make their own art and have it around thier. The guy has tattoos and shows them by wearing short sleeved shirts. I think this shows that he is trully artistic if he can put masterpieces on his body and not just a canvas, though canvases are alla round the house as well. As well as art, there are tons of antiques around their house a lot of old things with character. Especially around their pool, the fence is old and rickity, they feel no need to buy a new one because this fence is just as good as a modern one.
First of all I'd like to say that this house is amazing and definitely my dream home. From all of the pictures you can see all of the green and plants they have variously throughout their house. Not to mention that their house is in the middle of the woods with mother nature all around. They grow their own food in their garden so they seem to be very self reliant and they light their house naturally the best they can which shows they are also relying on mother nature. The couple doesn't seem to try and tame the nature which is good becuase they just let it do what it wants and they embrace that. They can the food they grow and share it with others. They also make their own art and have it around thier. The guy has tattoos and shows them by wearing short sleeved shirts. I think this shows that he is trully artistic if he can put masterpieces on his body and not just a canvas, though canvases are alla round the house as well. As well as art, there are tons of antiques around their house a lot of old things with character. Especially around their pool, the fence is old and rickity, they feel no need to buy a new one because this fence is just as good as a modern one.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Analyzing Dead Poet's society. A 1989 film by Peter Weir.
When the scene opens up you see bits of a mural on the wall. Though not much can be seen, it conveys a sense of high prestige, young men dressed to impress. Later the mural becomes more apparent. It presents a bigger picture; A women in the middle, grasping both an American flag and what appears to be a scottish flag. Instead of blue and white, like the traditional scottish flag, it's gold and red. Might this be the flag of the school? It pans down to a young boy whom, though dressed nicely, does not have a slicked back hair cut and a fitted suit. He's young and the hair, falling on his forehead, signifies his youth and how he's not yet made it to adulthood. Not yet like everyone else.
A few student make their way from one back area, into the main room. Gray and dark hues fill the scene and the only colours are the white peaking of the ink coloured suits and the pale skin of all of the bodies, dressed the same. The sound of a bagpipe fills the room and everyone's heads are turned to watch the boys make their way to the front of the courtroom like area. An odd hum is in teh bag ground. Maybe a sound from teh bagpipe? Or the echos of the applause. Either way, it seems a bit eerie and there's no clear reason why. An older gentleman, most like a head of sorts, starts of by saying:
A few student make their way from one back area, into the main room. Gray and dark hues fill the scene and the only colours are the white peaking of the ink coloured suits and the pale skin of all of the bodies, dressed the same. The sound of a bagpipe fills the room and everyone's heads are turned to watch the boys make their way to the front of the courtroom like area. An odd hum is in teh bag ground. Maybe a sound from teh bagpipe? Or the echos of the applause. Either way, it seems a bit eerie and there's no clear reason why. An older gentleman, most like a head of sorts, starts of by saying:
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys."
showing that he was addressing, mostly, the men. He talks for a while then introduces a man who is replacing a newly deceased teacher. This new man has an expression on his face almost conveying that he knows he's equal amoung these other professors though he is new. A strong sense of belonging.
It changes to a scene where the young men are settling in.The parents are telling them "shoulders back!" while they fix their hair hair and bid them adeiu. It shows that the parents care about them and all they want is for their little boys and young men to have proper etiquette and to learn the traditions that have, most likely, been passed down through the family.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Death was singing in the shower, Death was happy to be alive.
I've decided to split my reading of this book into three different posts. (maybe two if I read ahead and finish) The title of this post was taken from text in the very first chapter of the book. The reason being, I found it humorous. The way he takes death and puts an amusing twist. So far the plot is about a modern day princess who has traveled to Hawaii with her servant that cannot speak any language other than espanol. So far, isn't really my style but I am open minded to it and will finish. Honestly, I just need to get over when they call her "princess". That's the only thing turning me off right now. But anyhoo. The princess, Leigh-Cheri, is a little bit kooky but not in an entirely bad way. Some aspects about her I can connect to, such as the fact that she's not super social but she was a cheerleader and she doesn't mind being alone. The others, however, are more typical "I love him. cry cry. why can't I find a man. blah blah blah." kind of stuff I don't really understand with females (no offense if you act this way, it's just not me). The book quoted "There are three lost continents.. We are one, the lovers." in the first page and kinda made me think right away 'oh no, this is chick-lit.' but I have a feeling the book with change. Mostly because my friend Pat, who is not a feminine man, loaned me this book giving it high recommendations and he doesn't seem like the type to read a chick-lit novel. But hey, who knows.
"Albert Camus wrote that the only serious question is whether to kill yourself or not. Tom Robbins wrote that the only serious question is whether time has a beginning and an end. Camus clearly got up on the wrong side of the bed and Robbins must have forgotten to set the alarm. There is only one serious question. and that is: Who knows how to make love stay? Answer me that and I will tell you whether or not to kill yourself."
-Still Life with the Woodpecker
"Albert Camus wrote that the only serious question is whether to kill yourself or not. Tom Robbins wrote that the only serious question is whether time has a beginning and an end. Camus clearly got up on the wrong side of the bed and Robbins must have forgotten to set the alarm. There is only one serious question. and that is: Who knows how to make love stay? Answer me that and I will tell you whether or not to kill yourself."
-Still Life with the Woodpecker
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Daddy of the Swinging, Psychedelic Generation:
JACK KEROVAC. I was supposed to post once I reached 150 pages, but I just finished it instead. This book, The Dharma Bums, was wonderful. Overall, I thought it was stellar but it was very difficult to get into at first. The beginning was hard for me to really feel like I was apart of and get in the mindset where I just can't stop reading. BUT I did eventually reach that point in the book and whenever I wasn't reading, I craved it. (like how I jokingly said in the previous post that I suffer withdrawal) That's how I usually am about reading and when I really get into books, though. One aspect of the book that I was fond of, was the fact that the plot wasn't entirely unyielding. The plot is so simple yet he takes his time to get through it. Jack Kerovac portrays himself through the main character and narrator of the book, Ray Smith. He is a young man who decides that traveling and hitch-hiking through the U.S is the only way to go. Ray constantly found himself in nature contemplating life along with his close friend, Japhy Ryder. To me I found it uplifting and the characters in it worked well together. The book takes place in nature most of the time and along the journeys that Ray takes. The plot ended with Ray in a wild fire watch tower up in the top of the mountains, which was a great place for him in the middle of nature and surrounded by nothing but mother earth. The word Dharma in the title refers to Buddhist idea of happiness where happiness is a state of mind. Towards the end Ray starts to reach this Dharma and feel at one with the Earth. He realizes nothing is really what it is and everything is no-thing until we say or are told it is; every thing is empty. It's a hard idea to put into words unless you are open minded and permissive to deep thoughts and Buddhist beliefs. I could connect to this book in a lot of different ways. A lot of it pertains to my Buddhist background and my love for nature. If I could, I'd live the life he did, but now days you can't just hitch a ride to somewhere and hop on trains. Too bad, right? Sounds like the life to me. "The Dharma can't be lost, nothing can be lost on a wellworn path. People have good hearts whether or not they live like Dharma Bums. Compassion is the heart of Buddhism."
Friday, January 6, 2012
Spent my first friday of 2012 with The Dharma Bums.
I can't put this book down. Well, I suppose that isn't entirely true because right now, in this very moment, I am typing my first post and listening to The Warlocks. (A new band I discovered within the last few days that I've grown fond of.) I will post later on this week once I reach my 150 page goal. Which should be soon because I practically suffer withdrawal when I am not reading this book.
I've always loved to read. I'm sure tons of people say that and don't really live up to it, but I really do. I have a vivid imagination so reading helps me to use it and I can almost physically feel myself getting so into the book that I see the word that's in text. I can easily put myself in the characters situation and feel the setting. BUT I am picky about what I read. If I can't get into the book, it's hard for me to focus and I find myself reading lines over and over again and still not understanding the plot. I love buying books. My parents like that I do but sometimes I go over board with it. When most people go on vacations, they buy t-shirts or coffee mugs from where they go, but I always seem to find myself in a local bookstore scoping out sales. I'm real big on local too. I try to stay away from the big, name brand book stores, and just big names in general. I grew up in Montessori education so I found myself spending more time reading than doing my required work, but it never became a problem. Reading was an entirely a positive experience for me, sometimes it was just hard to find the time to read. The only problem I really encountered was when we were assigned books in school that I didn't like, it was nearly impossible for me to understand simply because I had no interest in it. When I was younger I loved harry potter but most of the books I read were historic fiction or paranormal. I still like those now but I've more gravitated towards 'finding yourself' or biographies. Sometimes reading a biography on someone I look up to can really change how I feel about them since I am understanding who they truly are rather than the perfect picture painted by fame. It's hard to explain my literary tendencies because they're all over the place. I don't like pop-lit, chick-lit, fairy tales or sci-fi though. I think it's mostly because I can't connect to them and I like realism and depth in my books. I'm not a real social person so reading kind of makes me feel like I'm not just an empty vessel. Sort of like, it takes me somewhere when I'm really in the comfort of somewhere else. When it rains I love to sit on my porch and read. Best feeling in the world. I think the certain books I so read, help to form who I am only because I don't like those popular kid, rude, bad influence books that seem to be popular now. I try to stay realistic and positive with everything I read even if the realism is a bit deep. Reading is the best form of entertainment if I'm stuck indoors and they're awesome for when I'm traveling because they're easy to carry.
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