Dandys Rule: OK -- more than the name of a cd...

So I'm walking along thinking, "Hey man, nothing can make me dig The Dandy Warhols more than I already do, right?"

Then I see them tear up The House of Blues-Dallas live. They jammed so hard --bolts of white hot thermonuclear percussion, keyboard, and shreds exploded from the stage...

So, yeah, now I love them more :-)

OMG ...I'm going to see The Dandy Warhols!

Bouncing with hipsters...House of Blues...Halloween show! Trifecta of the mad-amazing! I have loved The Dandys forever...I am SO psyched :-D

I've updated my vid w/ one of my fave Dandy videos -- "We Used to be Friends"...FunFunFun!

Just when you think you are far, far, too much of a sophisticate and cosmopolite to dig muppets...

Updated vid ...beatnick muppets do hippie-rock

What bacteria can re-teach us...

Lots of staph infections in the news this week. The anti-biotic resistant strain is apparently invading with a vengeance. Rather uncomfortable news for those of us that work in schools, for sure.

Bill Maher made an astute point this week that was wry, ironic, and just, hmmm, well, pretty obvious when you think about the way things are rolling.

He mentioned that with all the news about staph infections, people should be thinking about what exactly makes the buggers anti-biotic resistant. Over-use of oral anti-biotics and anti-bacterial cleaners, yes, but also EVOLUTION.

This is proof that evolution exists and has been existing. This bacteria adapts in order to survive in its surroundings. A "theory" not even acknowledged by all candidates running for president in this country.

This idea is funny at first...but then...

(*Note of blah -- I have some bug of freakiosity which made me really sick to my stomach today...but I'm starting to feel better... which means I now have the strength and ability to get vertical and start typing...*)

Journey v. Destination -- and -- Why I think that Barack Obama's flag-pinless lapel is a non-issue...

There's a saying that proposes, "It's all about the journey, not the destination."

Concentrating too much on destination distracts from the journey; and as much as being goal-oriented is a very, very, good thing, not appreciating the path that gets you there makes you miss out on life's best lessons and epiphanies.

With candor, I must say that my friends are quite a diverse crew. If I look at my friendships throughout my life, I'd say my friendships are amongst exceptionally

diverse people. Interestingly enough, the differences end up underscoring the similarities -- such as how alike we are in our essential needs, wants, fears...

Therefore -- to my friends of different nations, backgrounds, cultures, beliefs... who are male, female, gay, straight, conservative, liberal -- I must say that it is amazing to be a part of the universal energy that connects us and allows us to see each other from the inside out.

And Barack -- you rock. If you feel that your patriotism is embedded in the person you are and your deeds and accomplishments, (as opposed to following sheeple who say you can only be a patriot by wearing a pin) then you SHOULD stand up for what you know is right. Now, whether or not people are insightful enough to understand and respect that...hmmm, will remain to be seen.

Updated vid -- ***FILE THIS UNDER "WHAT THE FRICK?" *** A bloke wearing this protective,"magical goo" called D-3-0 whilst getting smacked w/a shovel...

There is something about the combo of the D-3-0 helmet/kneepads, shovel smacks, and polite Brits that gives me the giggles. Carry on, then...

Vid Update -- Remy Zero's "Save Me"

Beautiful voice...kickass song :-)

I have a friend who says that life's fullness is measured by moments of connection, love, and joy.

And I got to share that idea with a different friend the other day. Cool.

I have always had a hard time being open with my emotions. I trust so few people. However, I do agree with my friend's statement.

And this song tears me up sometimes when I listen to it.

Vid updated..."The world would rather hug you than hurt you."

In honor of his grandpa, 2007 Webby Award winner John (Halcyon) takes HugNation on the road for a complete West Coast tour! :-D

Quirky or dorky???

Sometimes, you just feel like your watching the world from the outside -- scratching your head and mumbling, "Oops, I have socially blundered in regard to something people find relevant."

Many people have come up to me lately, all back-slappingly saying, "Yeah, Rutgers!"

Rutgers is my alma mater. So I'm like, "Woot?!?"

It's a football thing. Rutgers is doing well in an important football tournament or playoff or something, but I have complete ADD when it comes to watching/following sports. I like playing some sports; and if I know someone involved in a sport, I am happy for them when they are doing well. But I am so not vicarious when it comes to observing others play sports. I have a shorted-out brain fuse or something when it comes to watching sports.

This is considered weird because most people enjoy this type of activity when relaxing alone, or as a social bonding with others who enjoy watching sports. And it looks fun when they are doing it. Why doesn't this work for me? Frick!

So sports-related bonding entails a case of me feeling marginally socially unacceptable. I simply cannot talk about or follow sports. I suppose if I took a class in it I could do it in order to study for an exam, but I can't do it under my free will alone.

This lack of vicariousness also applies to me being utterly bored out of my skull when it comes to "reality" TV shows...they are too scripted to resemble anything real, but not scripted enough that I find them witty. However, people apparently love them -- new ones are constantly being created.

Sooo... adorably quirky or out-there dorky -- you decide ;-)

Two cool things to tell ya...

Vid Update -- Do it -- go ahead and bounce to Hellogoodbye -- "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn"

I love this twice-weekly comic "Basic Instructions -- Your All-Inclusive Guide to a Life Well-Lived". It's beyond hilarious -- it's bloody brilliant...

Power-nerding, daydreams, and poetry...

Sometimes I power-nerd out, get lost in daydreaming about otherwordly types of things, and find that the only way to express myself is through the flow of poetry. Sooo...

Since Last Night

*************

I haven’t walked the stars since last night.

Right now I'm languishing in my own creation

Just reaching out to feel some sky.

Place myself in my place

You find and seek me

Right here in the middle of somewhere

Where everything has yet to be named.

Then I may wander

To the center of that dimension
Newly free of pretensions
In that pretty landscape of synchronicity and invention
Atmospheric apparition

languid starry-eyed vision.

Vid Updated -- HOT HOT HEAT -- "Middle of Nowhere" CUTE CUTE SONG:-D

And now -- a word from the twisted minds of "How to Kill a Mockingbird" *giggle*

I am down with an A.V. Club. Really.

The A.V. Club website (www.avclub.com) came up with a compelling list of "15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will". It's classic Vonnegut -- eternal hopefulness in the random and sometimes chaotic nature of the everyday vida.

Here is my fave:

"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"

In this response to his own question—"Why bother?"—in Timequake, his last novel, Vonnegut doesn't give a tired response about the urge to create; instead, he offers a pointed answer about how writing (and reading) make a lonesome world a little less so. The idea of connectedness—familial and otherwise—ran through much of his work, and it's nice to see that toward the end of his career, he hadn't lost the feeling that words can have an intimate, powerful impact.

Name-dropped the Vonnegut...

So I was having this convo today, getting all deep and meaningful, when someone name-dropped the Vonnegut. Oh, boy. Love the Kurt. Anyway, we started going on about how Kurt said we should be careful about how we imagine our lives, because that will be what our lives become.

I am fascinated by this, because it asserts the theory that our reality only exists because of how we imagine it. Those of you who knew me during *cue the ominous cellody music* the grad school years, know that this was the foundational theme of my thesis. The idea has been around way before Vonnegut, but basically Kurt underscored that there is no such thing as the human brain ever having the capability for true objectivity. Everything is subjective.

Whatdya think? Are we governed to reason based on what we become as a result of the sum of our experiences?

Vid Update -- Keane -- "Is It Any Wonder?" The dudes rock the Isle of Wight Fest...niiice...

The physiology of an avalanche...

I was explaining something weird about me to a friend today (I know...what are the chances...) She was complaining that I speak way too quickly a.k.a. "*Expletive*, you talk fast!"

So I explained that the thoughts kind of build up avalanche style in my mind, and when I vocalize and let them rip, they kind of build up faster in my head than I can say them, so everything speeds up as I get deeper into a conversation. It's pretty much that the ideas build momentum and speed as they go.

Typing is a nightmare, because I always have to go back and correct my typos and run-on sentences. At least I should always go back..

In actuality, it's a compliment when I speak quickly because it means I am passionate about sharing the humongo amount of ideas someone is inspiring me to come up with, and I am digging that we are on the same vibe or having a killer debate.

So that's what you get for getting all interesting on me :-P

I heart quirky…

I have met some incredibly cool and quirky peeps at work this week. Quirks are the distinctive elements I find in people that determine not only if I like them, but if I find them interesting in their idiosyncratic ways.

Now, to me, a person's being cool has everything to do with their not trying to be cool, but their being comfortable in their skin. Nothing is less cool and more obvious than trying to be cool.

I've got some goodie quirks. Today it was noted that when I sit on my stool at work, I can contort my legs up and fold them. I call it my ninja balance. See…it's a little cool in its complete lack of trying to be cool. And it's a bit funky :-P

Updated Video -- Arckid -- "Conversation"
Fun, fun, fun! :-D

A soaring philosopher...

My ultimate job would be ...a soaring philosopher. I'd love a job where I'd get paid to think (especially in a think tank with other soaring philosophers) about "WHY" -- particularly in regard to the human condition in relation to time/space, metaphysics, and all kinds of internally and externally driven motivations and ideologies.

Why are we wired the way we are?

For example...why happiness? Why is the human condition always in a state of craving it? Why does it matter? And what is the most significant factor in regard to achieving happiness?

Actually, for that last one -- I think the most important element for people feeling that life is worthwhile is having something that matters to them in their lives. The actual thing that matters is irrelevant -- to someone on the outside it may look completely insignificant. But if the person to which it matters continues to believe it's important, then this person will never become despondent. Any neo-existential pouting will always remain, at worst, merely a temporary condition.

Simulation

Had this simulation at work today where we role-played various socio-economic situations found in our society in general. The specific goal was to understand diverse populations found in the workplace. I was a 19-year-old single mom with a one-year-old "baby" living with "not-my-baby-daddy".

Point was to explore the vastly different dynamics in the thinking of someone who is surviving on a day-to-day basis as opposed to the thinking of a more economically stable populace which focuses on improving life and the future.

Some really great, insightful things came of this immersion. I became aware of stress and frustration over situations that I normally don't consider.

Some odd things happened as well. My "not-baby-daddy" ran off because of football (he IS actually a coach), so I was left with the "baby", no income, and barely any bus passes.

My traumatized "baby" became psychotic. He tackled other "babies" and would wander off as I waited in line. And he enjoyed punishment.

Made paying the utility bill a challenge.