ResistedNormalcy

I recently had the pleasure of meeting William Friedkin at a pre-screening of his new film Bug. He’s quite the character to say the least, it was interesting to note he carried himself with the confidence of a director with 31 films behind him.

Friedkin is the mind behind The Exorcist. Now, I’m too young to remember when The Exorcistcame out, or the impact it had upon society — but from what I read, and from a direct dialogue from Friedkin — it clearly had a significant impact. It may not have changed lives, by any means, but it’s cultural effect still persists today.

What’s the point of all this blather?

Friedkin stated that he felt music had a direct impact upon society. Moreover, he felt that rap music specifically had the power to influence individuals in a negative way.

This claim didn’t shock me, I think it has merit.

Friedkin also happened to mention he felt movies had no real impact on people’s lives; that they weren’t capable of influencing individuals.

This from the director of the film that had people vomiting and running out of theatres? While I wasn’t directly affected by his film, I have a hard time imagining that it was perceived by everyone who viewed it as mere entertainment.

I’ve been impacted by films to a degree that has warranted change in my own life. I know others that have, as well. It’s difficult for me to understand how he could be so naive to the impact of his trade.

On a side note, if you’ve ever wondered what the “schizophrenic experience” would be like. Go catch his new flick, Bug. It’s a mind fuck’n a half.

Filed under: Blather on May 17th, 2007 | No Comments »

Over the last.. eh, 5 or 6 years I’ve periodically read and followed the blog ktheory. This is a strange activity of mine, and it’s worth noting:

I don’t know Aaron Suggs. I’ve never met him, nor had any relation to him and yet I’ve followed his life — at least via his blog — for several years now for no reason other than the fact he has a domain name I dig. Ktheory used to be my old AIM handle, hence me stumbling upon his writing.

But I digress..

I stumbled upon this little beauty this morning and had to share:

There is a stigma against people who merge late on roadways. Popular behavior dictates that one should vacate the closing lane as soon as signs announce that the lane closes in a few miles. I think those arrogant drivers rushing past rows of idle traffic are actually behaving efficiently and in accordance with Kant’s moral imperative. Those who merge at the first sign are slowing everyone down with their conformity.

Merging late is more efficient because it minimizes the duration of time when traffic is constrained to one lane. Having a 50-foot stretch of one-lane road does not slow down traffic as long as the flow of traffic is less than one car per 50 feet of road. But if all traffic merges miles in advance, 1 car/50 ft. of road is enough to cause backup. Merging late maximizes the use of available road, which alleviates bottlenecks.

Merging late concentrates the location where drivers switch lanes. This avoids drivers slowing down further while they negotiate who’s changing lanes. Drivers should understand that alternating lanes in the optimal way to merge two lanes into one, and if people use all available roadway, the lanes will be equally full at the point of merging. Since less negotiation is needed, drivers won’t need to slow down as much in order to be cautious of unexpected merging.

Filed under: Blather on March 11th, 2007 | No Comments »

I’ve been trailed along in the past with promises of favorable compensation that never seemed to materialize..

Lessons learned:

a) Get it in writing.
b) Don’t let people bait you. Don’t let your own ambition or greed hamstring you.

With these lessons in mind, we’ll see what happens in the future, eh? Should be an interesting week.

Filed under: Blather, Updates on March 5th, 2007 | 1 Comment »

Been a while.. ..couple updates:

a) Bought a new bike, w00t! Decided it was time to buy another street bike — my last one was stolen — ended up with a 2007 Black/Silver Yamaha R6. Oh-so-sexah, yay!

b) Not a week after purchasing aforementioned bike — broke my collarbone so that I’m unable to ride. Boo! Fortunately, the accident didn’t have anything to do with the new bike. Went dirt biking with some friends and set record time for jacking up a camping trip. Praise little tender infant jesus for morphine. Mmm.. morphine. I’m told it takes 60 days to heal, I’m on day 2. Pffft.

c) Finally had all four wisdom teeth removed. Doctor had significant trouble getting me down, procedure took 10 hours overall. A continuous stream of nitrous oxide, 6 halcyon, and 1 xanax later — badda bing, badda boom — I’m out like a light! Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the excavation. Ow. Hours later, I had 4 new cavernous fissures in my jaw and a heapin’ helpin’ of pain. Wee!

d) Mental update of the most painful experiences of my life list, as follows:

1) Shingles (ugh, nothing worse)
2) Wisdom Teeth Removal (all 4 at once, big teeth apparently equal big pain)
3) Fractured Collar Bone (sweet jump, dude! ..not so much.)

Ah well, such is life. Hope everyone is doing well. Ciao!

Filed under: Blather, Updates on February 26th, 2007 | No Comments »

It’s been fun. Moving from Dublin, Ireland to London, England on Saturday.

I’ve:

..had blood pudding, white and black, without any instance of projectile vomit. It’s actually not too bad..

..discovered that American-style breakfast in Ireland is scarce to non-existant. Bacon is called rashers, and it’s just not the same, but I’ve finally come to appreciate it none the less..

..come to appreciate the ability (or lack there of in Dublin) of having lunch for under $50 (US) in a restaurant..

..learned that I have a taste for lamb..

..never been so interested in global money markets. If US currency rises or drops a penny, I’m on it..

..marveled at the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry, Bray Head, and a cornicopea of other natural wonders..

..unearthed a new found appreciate for beer. Mmmm.. sweet, sweet beer..

..probably tried almost 100 varities of beer since I’ve been in Europe. Previously, my experience with beer was pretty much limited to: Miller, Budweiser, Coors, Corona, and Shiner..

..learned that American beer is somewhat akin to mildly flavored water. Which — don’t get me wrong, is fantastic in it’s own right. But, there’s so much to appreciate in the varied styles of brewing, ingredients used, and types of beers. Am I still talking about beer? Heh.

..learned that beer for breakfast, especially in the case of Guinness, is plenty..

..experienced first-hand the distaste and loathing the Irish have for George W. Bush. Looking for a sure fire way to piss off an Irishman? Bring up Bush.

..experienced first-hand the unfailing adoration the Irish have for Clinton. I liked Clinton too, but what the fuck?

..come to realize that I will never understand how driving on the “other” side of the road makes any sense..

..had the fortune of driving head-on into oncoming traffic — multiple times — and coming out unscathed. Heh. Which side of the road am I supposed to be on again??

..got to give props to Europeans for their sense of style. You can usually spot an American out of the crowd. We’re the folks in the (insert theme) t-shirt and track pants.

..had some of the most gourmet, delicious (Peploes, I will miss you!), well presented food I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming over here..

..had the pleasure of expanding my dining horizons. What will it be tonight, baby? Moroccan, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, or Cuban?

..laughed at the fact that Dubliners, at least the 25 and under crowd, seem to be stuck in the 80s. The trends, music, and clothing pervade the city. Leg warmers for everyone!

..bitched about the fact that it’s next to impossible to find anything even remotely resembling Mexican food in Ireland. While this is entirely logical, it still pisses me off. YOU CALL THESE ENCHILADAS?!

..never understood the natural preference of Europeans to drink something without ice.

..realized that the concept of ‘air conditioning’ hasn’t seem to catch on with the rest of the world yet. Most places just DON’T have A/C.

..solemnly accepted the fact that customer service in Europe isn’t the standard. Don’t like it? Tough.

..never appreciated the local baggers and cart boys back home so much. In Dublin, not only to I bag my own groceries, but I’m forced to pay for the bags and “rent” a shopping cart. Oh, the horror!

..experiend an August where the average temperature was 65-70 degrees, and laughed at those back home enduring 105. Brilliant.

..discovered that Europeans have much cooler verbage than Americans. Brilliant. Bloody hell. Quite nice. It’s not so much the words themselves, as how they’re used.

..come to accept the fact that I will never be able to imitate the Irish accent. It’s almost another language in itself. Doubly so when drunk.

..come to accept the fact that anytime I try to imitate a foreign accent, I somehow manage to sound like Keith Richards. Japanese, Australian, Irish — all sound like Keith Richards. Fidddddy-five.

..seen first hand that the majority of Irish have just a handful of perceptions about Texas: Dallas, the TV show, George W. Bush, and they think most of us ride around on horses with cowboy hats. Yeehaw.

..experienced all seasons in one day. One day, while walking to the store, I was rained on, then hailed on, then walking under a clear sunny sky. All within 15 minutes.

..come to appreciate the 11,322,548,248 types of rain that can exist in Ireland. The Irish weatherman has got the best job in the world.

..treasured my time here. Ireland was brilliant. Guinness is fantastic.

..Goodbye Dublin. Hello London.

Filed under: Blather on September 19th, 2006 | No Comments »

Sappy, true or otherwise, I dig this:

Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

“What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in he r 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

“Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say “hello.”

I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s.. The man took her to safety, helped
her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..

It read:
“Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away… God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always Remember Those Who Serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked.

“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

“Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

“Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

“I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The Obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the sid e of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained
many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts…

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away”.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Some of my own gleaned wisdom:

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.

Filed under: Blather on June 7th, 2006 | No Comments »

Blehhhhhhhhhhh.. …hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. (pictures forthcoming)

Today could best be described as: the unfortunate side effect of experiencing one of the best days of my life directly prior to a work day — a Monday, no less.

Or, in summation: “Blehhhhhhhhhhhhh.”

Filed under: Blather on May 8th, 2006 | No Comments »

6 figures in 18 months.

Yay.

Company paid living expenses.

Yay.

Company paid travel all over Europe.

Yay.

Girlfriend I love to experience it all with me.

Yay.

Family being 310123912312312.2 miles away.

Boo.

Opportunity for family and friends to visit me in Ireland.

Yay.

So, things are going well.  Come to find out, we may be hopping around a bunch over here.  Switzerland, the UK, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, who knows?

I’m anxious to see how the next 6 - 12 months play out.  I’m living my life for the moment, it’s bizarre not really have any worldy possession except for your clothes..  ..but there’s not much use over here. 

You just need a home, some clothes, and some money.

I’m still consistently amazed at how stylish Dubliners are — I guess Euro-style as a whole beats the pants off the US, at least in a place like Dallas.  I’m getting a good chance to jazz up my wardrobe, there’s a whole new selection of music to listen to, new foods, new scenery, and yet it’s all so comfortable.

No culture shock in sight.

I can’t help but wonder where I’ll be in another 5 years?  Another 10 years?

Hell, honestly, I can’t help but think where I was 5 years ago.  I guess these are my “roaring 20s”.

So far, the phases of my life have been as follows:

1 - 11: Living in Ft. Worth area.  Only child.  Divorced parents.  Life is good, Christmas and birthdays are bountiful.  Heh. “Innocence.”

12-16: Move to Stephenville. (Cowboy Capital of the World) Both parents suddenly remarry and have children, I go from only child to 6 siblings. Significant change, new friends, new life.  Begin the “troubled youth phase”.  8th grade was phenomenal, got kicked out 9th, 10th, and 11th.  Graduated a year early from alternative school. “Prelude to the crazy days”.

17-18: Decide to wait a bit on college, flip out with all the free time I have on my hands.  Spend the two years trying to figure out life.  This period is fondly referred to as my “Crazy Days”.  Heh.

19-21: Achieve 7 figure success via illicity activity, hop in and out of college, develop a nice drug habit at 22 and remove myself (relocating back to Stephenville from Dallas) from it all, in the processing losing all my money and possessions, while discovering everyone I thought of as “friends” — weren’t.  “Life in the Fast Lane.”

22: 6-12 month recovery in my home town, adaptation to normal life.  Get clean, develop a plan to get back in school and move back to Dallas. “Recovery.”

23-24: Move back to Dallas, enroll in school — again, stumble upon my dream girl within the first two weeks I’m in Dallas.  Get back to normalcy, hold a couple different jobs over a couple of months, then somehow stumble upon an ad on Monster that leads to my dream job, end up with a promotion rather quickly, and relocate to Dublin, Ireland.  “Prepare for take off.”

That’s one hell of a summarized version, but it’s bizarre to look back over.  Hell, with all the change I’ve had in the past decade, I can’t begin to fathom what the next will bring.  I’m stoked.

Good, or bad — if nothing else, my life has been interesting to say the least.  Looking forward to the next chapter.

Filed under: Blather on April 27th, 2006 | No Comments »

I’m in Ireland.  It’s my new home.  Things are waaaaay different here.  People party till 6 in the morning, and the evening is just getting started at 12am.

Holy crap.  People here are hardcore, heh.

It’s great so far, and I’m bill free (company-tab) so I can begin amassing my enormous fortune, mwuhahahahaha.

Heh.

On a side note..  everything is crazy expensive here, too, and I lose money before even spending it since I’m still being paid in US dollars and they use the Euro over here.  So, essentially, one of my dollars is worth .80 over here, weeeee.

Sold off everything I owned (minus clothes) to move.  It’s definitely been an experience, but my first week has been fan-fucking-tastic.  I never really was one for dancing in the states, but I’m like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever over here..  I’m not real concerned whether I look dumb, or self conscious at all — they definitely make you feel welcome over here.

In a dallas bar, everyone is in a corner trying to look cool — not a lot of action, just a bunch of posing.  Over here, in every pub, there’s a ton of 80s music, almost everyone sings all the songs together, and EVERYONE dances like it’s going out of style.

I dig it.  Seriously.

Mountains and the ocean are within view, there’s crazy mix of Euro style and food with the same old American stuff that I’m used to.  It makes it extremely easy to adapt to this culture.

Everyone has this wicked thick accent (from various cultures, since there’s a ton of tourism in Dublin), and people dig my accent (What accent?) because I’m American.

Rock.

Life iz gewd.  More, later.

Filed under: Blather on April 10th, 2006 | No Comments »

2006 is upon us.

Bleh.

I’m coming up on 25.

Bleh.

25 is full-on mid-20s.  Yikes.  These are my good years, right?  Heh.

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, but that’s probably because things are going swimmingly.  I’m excited about where I’m headed in life, and I feel like I’m on the right track overall, even if I was way late in catching the train.  2006 should be a good year.

Health: I’ve been working out for about 7 or 8 weeks now, 5 days a week, eating uber-healthy meals at home.  I’m spending like $300-500 every two weeks on groceries, but hey..   at least I’m at a point in my life where I can spend $300-500 every two weeks on groceries.  Yay.  Having everything from steak, to stuffed pork chops, to lamb chops, to killer burgers.  Yum.

Okay, so I’m definitely not a Vegan — but I’ve been eating my fruits and veggies, too.  Central Market kicks ass.

If vegetarians eat vegetables, I guess that makes me a humanitarian.  Er.. ?

Work: I’m still working for the same place.  To those who know me well — this is a rare occurence, indeed.  I’ve been working here for the better part of ..  eh, 6 months.

Wow.

Even more amazing, I love my job.  Everything is still on track for Ireland, I’m supposed to be going sometime in March — I’m completely stoked.  I’m hoping for a raise right around that time, too.   Sahweet.

I like work; it fascinates me; I can sit and look at it for hours.

Personal Life: I’m in love with a superfly chickadee, and she loves me back.  Yay.  We connect on all sorts of levels, and she’s everything I could ever hope for.  Her ambitions rival my own, she’s gorgeous, with a sharp intellect, (can it be?) and just as dorky as I am.  w00t! 

Better to have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.

School: Still chugging along.  Honestly, I’ve never viewed my education as the gateway to success — so I’m definitely not in a hurry, but I’ve been taking 12 hours a semester and I’m about halfway done.  The degree is more for personal achievement than anything else.  I’m doing what I love, and loving what I do.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  I’ll probably be in school for the next decade — nothing like the feeling of improving yourself, and there’s always more to learn.

Fun Fact: If infinite rednecks fired infinite shotguns at an infinite number of road signs, they’d eventually create all the great literary works of the world in braille.

Not-so-fabulousness: $3000 in warrants (traffic-related) to pay still.  Bleh.  Maybe after the raise, eh?

I’m not ambivalent about my life, and that excites me.  I can’t wait to see what 2006 brings, aside from the measly insurance discount.  Heh.

Filed under: Blather on December 30th, 2005 | No Comments »