Some Real News

Well, first of all, I've really taken steps to update this site. So far it's coming along great. I have the design down pat, and now I'm just reorganizing the files. I'm trying to concentrate more on being less self-indulgent and more about real issues. In the past I just used this as a soapbox to speak my mind and flex my attitude. I'm still as fiesty as ever, but I'm going to tone it down. Anyway, I think this new layout is a thousand times easier than trying to use Dreamweaver to manually design the site. It was just a hassle and every time I had to update the news after each month was over, it was just a linking nightmare trying to figure out where everything went. It's looking much better now and I am going to try to maintain an online presence.

The reason that I wasn't updating a lot in the past few months was because of a couple things. Mostly because I was going to college in the evening twice a week for sociology and economics. Both of them were good classes, but I just lost interest about halfway through. I was excited and eager to learn, then it just faded. Luckily, I think I passed both the classes. I think another thing is the lack of really any concern for what your grade was. The teachers didn't do much to keep us informed of what our raw grade was at any given moment. It was my first taste of college and I learned a lot of things that will hopefully help me next semester. I'm going to keep up with my grades and actually try to do well. The other reason I wasn't updating is because I got addicted to the online multiplayer game Halo for the Mac. I've managed to pull myself away from it for now, because I'm pretty bored of it, but it is definitely a fun game.

Gadgets: well, I decided to buy a 20G iPod. I can honestly say that this is one of the coolest gadgets ever made. Not only can I put up to 5,000 songs on it, I have a program that syncs with my iPod to update it with my calendar, my address book, any text files I choose, top news stories, the local weather and the 5-day forecast, stocks that I choose, movies and times of the theaters in my area, all the bookmarks in my browser, and customized directions to anywhere in the United States. It was definitely worth the money I spent on it. It's now something that is with me all the time.



I went with some friends to go see Henry Rollins at 4th and B here in San Diego, my first time seeing his spoken word live, although I've been listening to it for years. I was really amazed at how much I think he has progressed since his stuff in the late 80's. It was good then, and it's even better now. Right now, he is doing a tour for the troops in Iraq and he is supposed to be doing a radio show with an independent station in Los Angeles on Monday nights starting June 7th. More details can be found at HenryRollins.com.



I'm going to go see the Reverend Horton Heat on July 4th at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. This is only a couple days after their new CD comes out, and it's July 4th, so I know that this is going to be a Rev show not to miss. I've got tickets in the mail, so now I have to figure out who is going with me. Anyone that knows anything about Reverend Horton Heat knows that the "Rev" (lead singer and guitarist) can play guitar about as good as anyone I've ever seen. Here is a link to 4 videos that the Rev did for Guitar.com. I also hang out in the forums for the Rev on the Yep Roc site.

Plenty more things are going on, but I am getting tired. I will be posting on here more often, now that I have finally got this part of it tweaked.

Weird Website Statistics

Under my website statistics, these were the top search engine hits. Laundromat sex and indigent midgets bother me. As far as I know, there is nothing about that on my site. But it's pretty funny what the search engines link together.

Listing queries, sorted by the number of requests.
#reqs: search term
-----: -----------
4: contortionist handbook quotes
2: g5 movie
2: laundromat sex
2: convert wmv to mov
1: craig clevenger quotes
1: trash diggers
1: http://www.therealitystudio.com/books.htm
1: indigent midgets
1: jim goad idiot
1: deadenddays
1: how to sell pictures in coffee houses
1: tallest guy i know
1: afar websites
1: ebaum's world chappelle show episodes
1: virtual tour hollywood stars homes
1: wallace stagner
1: ragged dick and struggling upward notes

The Apple Mouse Sucks

Today, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, posted a short entry on the Apple mouse that comes with their new computers. For once, I decided to post back in the comments area, defending my position that the mouse doesn't have functionality like other third party mice, like Logitech.

He wrote in the blog, "People keep harassing me about a 2nd button on our mice. How annoying. I guess that's why Google has this useless 2nd button on their home page..."

In the comments area I wrote this: "I've been in such a Mac loving mood lately that I decided that since I bought my G5, I never really gave that mouse a chance. I'm a first time Mac user...I switched last November and I am a faithful Apple follower now. But I bought a new mouse before I even got my computer home, because I knew I wouldn't use that mouse, just from trying it in the store and using my friend's mouse at his house. I have a Logitech 2-button mouse with a scroll wheel, and I have a tiny back button on it, for surfing the web, which is actually faster than hitting the back button on the browser most of the time (I think it's the same function as the backspace on your keyboard). So last week I got the Apple mouse back out, plugged it in, and I just couldn't do it. I do too much clicking around and I love the scroll wheel. And the back function is so useful to me. I like to do as little wrist movement as possible, which is also why I have a mouse accelerator. I've been a mouse Nazi ever since I've been around computers. The Dell ones at my work still have the rolling ball underneath and the thing always gets stuck and dirty. Ugh. The mouse is the one thing that I'm extremely picky about. And for gaming, the Apple mouse is virtually useless.

I love Apple product considerably more than anything on the market, but the mouse is the ONE thing that I don't understand. But it certainly looks more stylish than the black Logitech that I am using at the moment. I think maybe Apple could come up with another mouse, because I would like the design of Apple, integrated with the functionality of the one I have. "

I just thought it might be helpful to explain why the rest of us don't like the mouse they have. I guess it's personal preference, but I assume that overwhelmingly people don't like that mouse.

At any rate, his blog is rather notorius for taking pot shots at Microsoft and other industry super-corporations that he is in the business against. I think it's kind of funny. For example, this post is about how Bill Gates did a Matrix Spoof. He so eloquently writes, "In their great tradition of ripping off things in a pathetic way... They would manage to take the greatest creations and transform them into shit.

Steve Jobs, you are my hero. Except for that mouse.

My Newspaper Years

Back in my formative years as a young High School journalist, I wrote a few articles for two separate HS papers. The first one was for the Triumph at Conroe High School in Conroe, Texas. The second was for the Trojan Torch at Dyersburg High School in Dyersburg, Tennessee. At Conroe HS I was going to become the editor of the paper my senior year, but we moved for the fourth time in almost as many years, to the bustling metropolis of Dyersburg, TN. At Conroe HS I was in love with journalism, but I had a parental unit bugging me to play basketball. I would sit up at night thinking about working on a newspaper in the real world and becoming known and my dad wanted me to be the white Micheal Jordan. I finally gave up sports for good against my father's wishes and concentrated on journalism and drama. During my time at Conroe, I had a front page story about every other month. It all fell through when I had to move to Dyersburg. I had a bad taste in my mouth from relocating, yet again. Most of that High School already had their cliques and I didn't fit into any of them. I had a couple of friends and found things that one finds in those years that I probably shouldn't have.

The articles that the other people wrote were basically bland generality writing, much like most writing in High Schools and most "noteworthy" city newspapers. What I had to write were articles that I was not interested in, but had to write. These are the filler for the majority of papers from here to China. Looking back on it, I did well considering my age. One article stood out as a testament to how much bullshit I was full of: an article about voting. I haven't voted yet and I never will. But I wrote an article defending the act of voting. It is an exercise of slight dishonesty to write something you don't really believe in. But I was a chameleon. I could have written anything I wanted and been happy with it, no matter how much it didn't fit me. Going back through the articles now, I wrote a lot of things I don't ever recall writing. Once in a while I got to write an article I wanted. Below is one such article. I still believe every word of it.

(More commentary at the end of the article)

READ BETWEEN THE LINES OF CULTURE

Are we a nation of voyeurs? Has our culture and generation been brainwashed by the media, politics, and religion? When you were probably growing up, you probably had to recite the National Anthem, and you were told to think that America is the land of the free. Think again.

From an early age we are first brainwashed by our parents. A child has no preconceived knowledge of whether he is right or wrong, so he has the notion that his parents are ultimately right because they are the parents. And any rebellion or act that may be deemed as inappropriate results in a reprimand of some nature which leads to guilt and feelings of worthlessness becuase the parent is always right. The child is led to believe that what he or she did was wrong in their eyes.

The same thing goes for school and church. The people at the top are constantly telling people what to do.

So at an early age we have been brainwashed by what we're being told. After we are used to being on our knees for so long, we might as well stay there and keep bowing down to everyone at the top, right?

After we've been hooked in the mouth and dragged around by what everyone else tells us, we are used to doing what everyone else tells us. Why think for yourself when you can have others do it for you?

This leads right into politics and the media. You are told in the beginning that everyone in this country is equal. But with capitalism the golden rule is if you work hard enough you will be better than everyone else. How old were you when you first heard "everyone is equal."

Along with capitalism is consumerism, which is led by advertising of all forms. We are led to believe that if you don't buy certain products such as Guess jeans and Tommy Hilfiger shirts, you won't be quite as good as everyone else. You certainly don't want to be left out, so you buy them. It's all a scheme to make you buy a product by making you feel as if you don't fit in if you don't. Are you a victim of such schemes?

The media has its own way of brainwashing. When you watch the news you are led to believe that what reporters say is true because you do not know any better.

Imagine if there were a TV channel that almost all age groups and had all the "coolest shows." There would be shows about dating for the younger people. This channel would explore the sports world for all you jocks out there. And this channel would even have stories about living in the real world.

This same channel is in conjunction with another network that shows programs for young children all day. Then imagine this same channel being a firm advocate of voting rights in politics by allowing politicians to voice their opinions periodically to get to the younger generation. Characters on this channel even ride around chasing Mr. Clinton all day in a big red and blue bus, and then play all the really cool videos!

In case you haven't guessed it, the first channel is MTV and the other channel is Nickelodeon.

The media is one of the worst forms of mental abuse. But don't forget, is a newspaper not a form of media? Have I brainwashed you into believing me? My purpose is not to say that everything is a lie. I'm saying don't believe anything until you question it first. Perhaps what I've said here is all lies. Read between the lines and decide for YOURSELF.

[end of article]

After just typing this article for my site:

I haven't read this in years. I can't believe that they let me print it. It's what de Sade called "incendiary prose." Prose, I don't know about, but it was incendiary. It was an opinion article, but still. I claim that most people are brainwashed by their parents. I claim that America is NOT the land of the free. I claim that churches, schools, politics and the media brainwash people. True on all counts. But NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW! I remember getting into an argument with some female on our newspaper crew claiming that my article was bullshit, that she didn't buy things because she was brainwashed, yap yap yap. We've all heard it. She's probably still as boring and brainwashed as she was then.

At the time, I had just moved out on my own and I was smashing every sacred cow I could find with a sledgehammer. The height of the High School clique stress and being anxious to get out of high school created this article. I was so close to freedom...

Now I've been out on my own for over 6 years and I'm still the same way. I don't rebel as much outwardly. Inwardly, I'm a volcano. I sit here reliving all the old memories, hoping to one day be at the desk of a major newspaper or magazine expressing my opinions again to a bigger audience. And, I will.

Quotes

Here are some quotes that I love. Some of them you have heard, some of them you haven't.

"When I'm gone I'll be remembered as the workin' man who put his point across
With a right hand full of knuckles 'cause today's the day I show old Oney who's the boss." - Johnny Cash

"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and start slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken

"The shortest distance between two points is a fist to the face." - from Shit Magnet by Jim Goad

"A person's life story is equal to what they have plus what they want most in the world, minus what they're actually willing to sacrifice for it." -from The Contortionist's Handbook by Craig Clevenger

"Society, man has no prize to offer that can tempt me; not one. That which interests a town or city or any large number of men is always something trivial, as politics. It is impossible for me to be interested in what interests men generally. Their pursuits and interests seem to me frivolous. When I am most myself and see the clearest, men are least to be seen...and that they are seen at all is proof of imperfect vision." -Henry David Thoreau, used as my senior quote

"Hate every motherfucker that's in your way." - Marilyn Manson, The Beautiful People

"Storm the Reality Studio.
And retake the universe." - William S. Burroughs, Nova Express

"i haven't fucked much w/ the past but i've fucked plenty w/ the future." - Patti Smith, babelogue

"You'll never make a saint of me." - The Rolling Stones

"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." - William Gibson, the opening line to Neuromancer

"I may have faults, but being wrong ain't one of them." - Jimmy Hoffa

"They say hard work never hurt anybody, but I figure why take the chance?" - Ronald Reagan

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance." - Oscar Wilde

"The seven deadly sins...food, clothing, fire, rent, taxes, respectability and children." - George Bernard Shaw

"He neither drank, smoked, nor rode a bicycle. Living frugally, saving his money, he died early, surrounded by greedy relatives. It was a great lesson to me." - John Barrymore, American actor

"Wolves which batten upon lambs, lambs consumed by wolves, the strong who immolate the weak, the weak victims of the strong: there you have nature, there you have her intentions, there you have her scheme: a perpetual action and reaction, a host of vices, a host of virtues, in one word, a perfect equilibrium resulting from the equality of good and evil on earth." - Marquis de Sade, French author

"How drab and empty life would be without these sins, and what dull dogs we would all be without a healthy trace of many of them in our make up! And has not the depiction of these sins and their consequences been the yeast in most fiction and drama? Could Shakespeare, Voltaire, Balzac, Dostoyevsky, or Tolstoy have written their masterpieces if humanity had been innocent of these sins? It is almost as if Leonardo, Titan, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh had been required to paint without using any primary colors." Ian Fleming, English novelist

"I've over-educated myself in all the things I shouldn't have known at all." Noel Coward, English actor and playwright

"Conscience: the inner voice that tells us someone else may be looking." - H.L. Mencken

"It is the hour to be drunken! To escape being the martyred slaves of time, be ceaselessly drunk. On wine, on poetry, or on virtue, as you wish." - Charles Baudelaire, French poet

"If the Good Lord had meant for us to drink Martinis, He would've given us mouths." -Anonymous

"I always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case I see a snake - which I also keep handy." -W.C. Fields