Goo Goo Dolls

Just one tonight. Not so much a self portrait as an analysis of a place and time.


"When everything feels like the movies."

That old barn.

Ever since I saw it I've wanted to go and explore it. For years it's called to me in a weird sort of way. I think it's a leftover from before the urbanization of this area. It's beautiful.

Independence Day.

This is about as normal as my blog is ever going to get, so soak up the normalcy while it lasts. Here is a set of photos taken at Sunset Station and some we did in front of the house. Hope you enjoy.

Facebook.

(Also included in my rant today are Myspace, Twitter, Blogger, etc. Facebook simply does it all better)

Facebook has drastically altered the social landscape for every generation to come. There are going to be (if there aren't already) dozens of books on the subject of pre-facebook social interaction vs post-facebook. It seems to me that it hasn't created new patterns so much as digitized the old ones.

A "rate your friends" application entirely usurps the position of the local gossip girl. Who's hotter? Who has better hair? Which one is dateable?

Facebook relationships are as easy as clicking a few boxes and agreeing. Facebook adds "Blank and Blank are now in a relationship" thus entirely replacing the need to hold hands or make out under the bleachers.

Super Poke and Poke are ways of letting others know you still exist with a low level of personal risk. This is relatively new. Its only counterpart in the real world is probably the quick glance from across the room.

Messages replace notes.

The biggest leap PostFaceSociety has made is how easy social interaction has become. It can be done in the routine of checking e-mail, updating a blog, and checking Facebook. I saw someone declare their love for someone on facebook today. It was just sitting there in my news wire. A deep emotional moment left out for all to see. Why this was not done in a message (or in person for that matter) is testament to how things have changed. The social voyeur and the social exhibitionist come out to play in droves online. People who flaunt and reek of their personal secrets, and people who stalk pages soaking up the trail of information left behind.

A predominantly myspace function is the "survey". Filled with ever more personal questions it embodies these two types of people. the voyeur reads all of them, and the exhibitionist fills all of them out.

There are probably enough ideas like this to expand upon and rant about to fill up hundreds of pages (or LCD screens) so I'll stop now.

Death.

Strange how a bird can stir up serious contemplation. I saw him this morning, sitting still and breathing quickly next to my house. He would be dead by noon, I knew. But when he was dead when we returned from my interview, I was appalled. In only an hour it had passed. Alone. It died with it's legs pointing almost comically into the air.

I felt drawn to take photographs of it. I do not know why, and I do not recommend looking at them.

I suppose I've always had a fascination with death. I have a file on my external hard drive labelled "Pictures of dead birds". I suppose this was the event that all of those led to. If you wish to see, here are the photos.

The Lost Camera

Years ago my best friend Gabe and I went camping in the forests of Lake Tahoe. I brought my camera(a Samsung Digimax 130 1.3 Megapixel camera. An archaic piece if equipment.), as I was just beginning to take my first steps in photography. During one of the days we went to a beach which we dubbed SOB Cove. (Because it's a real son of a bitch to get there.) Once there, we went into the water. It was at this point that I relaized my camera was still in my pocket. It didn't turn on. Even when I let it dry out, it still wouldn't turn on. I quickly went out and bought a box camera. When we returned from our trip, my camera was still a lifeless heap of plastic and wiring. So I put it in a box and forgot about it.

Until today.

I put batteries in it and it made this twittery beeping noize, then a whir. And then as I sat there stunned, the LCD screen lit up. There were a total of 10 images still stored on the camera. I remember there being more, but who cares? What follows is all ten of those images.

Random as it gets.

I'm 20. That's fuckin' strange. It really is.

On an entirely different note, I will not be going to Reno. It's far too late in the game.

Jumping again to another topic. Pretty Rectangles (One self portrait included! Ohmygosh, right?):

This first one is of my old track coach. I spotted him walking through the mall today. He didn't recognize me, or at least I don't think he did. He was walking back and forth timing himself. The position of his hand, reminiscent of the sprinter he once was.





This one is of me. I don't like it much, but then again I don't like most pictures of myself.

In Bruges

If you plan on seeing this movie don't read on. Or do. In fact, please read this. You'll at least be an informed viewer.

One of the funniest jokes contained in the movie In Bruges is how hilariously mismarketed it was. Please indulge me and look at this Trailer before you continue reading.

The thing about the trailer is that it contains within it every single instance of humor that is in the movie. Hell there's even a joke in the trailer that wasn't in the movie at all. In Bruges was marketed as a quirky action-comedey. When in fact it was a drama with some comedic relief. For the love of god the central event upon which the movie turns is the fact that the main character accidentally killed a 6 year old in a church. The main character is suicidal, and his friend is asked to take him out.

Don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant movie. Really good, twisted entertainment. But an "action packed comedy" it is not.

First Friday art sales idea.

Sell stencil kits at First Friday. The kits would sell for 3, 4 or 5 dollars depending on what I do. The basic premise is that I cut s shit ton of stencils from my archive. And sell them with a can of paint. Basically a do-it-yourself vandalism kit. Paint is cheap from Wal-Mart and the cardstock comes cheap too. You could rubber band the stencil around the can of paint, maybe include a short how-to guide. This could make lots of money, and it could also fail moserably. I'd only lose a bit of money if it didn't work. But I'd make quite a bit if it took off.

So a kit would include:
1 hand cut stencil
1 can of paint
1 set of instructions

I'd also sell pieces that I'd made with the stencils. That would requre a larger investment. I'd be willing to work with someone of this if you have a steady hand. I have some people I want to ask first, but if the position of partner becomes available I'll replace this:

"The position of partner has been filled"

Damn it all.

So as it turns out it doesn't look like I'll be going to Reno after all. Steven if you read this before I get a chance to call you. I apologize. Ryan's thing fell through.

I'm still trying to figure things out. If anyone is travelling from reno to vegas on the 7th, or even the 8th I'd like to have a chat.