When I was little my brother got a rock tumbler as a present. It was one of those little, battery powered plastic ones that came with some pre-packed stones to polish with that vinegary solution and with a little book on what to look for and false promises of finding real gem stones in your own back yard. I only remember him using it once or twice then it was in boxes for years until it was thrown away.
Flash to years later and to when I was in High School. Like many, there were a few people I related to and a couple (literally) of which I still call friend. Now, most of the time I'm completely satisfied with this, my life is affected but by no means dictated by those years. Every so often though and after a couple drinks and introspection I go on that hideous bitch goddess facebook and go through my friends list and try to reconnect with one or two individuals I haven't spoken to let alone seen in years. It never works out and I should by now know it never does, but hell, maybe one of these days it'll be worth a shot, or at least that's what the boose tells me. Usually though I just end up reinforcing my beliefs that people suck and those I thought I had a genuine connection with five years ago show their true eroded and washed out colors. I don't know if it's a matter of my bridge burning, things I've done in the past, or just how peoples' experiences just can either break down or build their characters but whenever I try to "reconnect" it ends up augmenting my feeling of "there's a reason you lost contact with them." I think what hurts the most is the disappointment in people I thought were solid and how, through a series of life's events, they've lost the very qualities that drew me to them in the first place. Sure, for all I know I could be the asshole that skipped out on them so they're pissed at me; as critical as I am on myself it's really difficult to be able to go against my belief that I am, while by no means the best, a relatively good person. Everyone changes, it's inevitable, I just wish there was more of a balance of being able to keep true to oneself while chipping away the gritty bits to allow more admirable luster to shine through. That fucking rock tumbler never did work right.
May 17, 2010
May 4, 2010
Severed Thumbs: Exit Through the Gift Shop
I'm a huge fan of Banksy. I believe all of his work his meaningful, witty, gorgeous, and tongue in cheek hilarious. Naturally, when I heard he released a movie I had to see it. That movie is Exit Through the Gift Shop
So just a bit of background for those who don't know Banksy. Banksy is a UK based street artist who is infamous for his stencil work, installations, and privacy. Nobody except a very select few have heard his voice and seen his face. Here's one of my favorites of his.
Now that the introductions are over, here's the movie. The movie is a documentary that Banksy made about Thierry Guetta, a not even amateur French film maker turned street artist. As Banksy put it, Thierry was looking for him and trying to make a documentary on him. Banksy took the project and made the doc about Thierry because he is much more interesting. It started in the early Aughts when Thierry's cousin "Space Invader", a street artist, took him on a couple outings when Thierry was visiting family in France. Thierry, who always had a video camera on him at all times, came on the night runs and fell in love with the movement. Eventually Thierry gets sucked into the street art world and becomes its unofficial documenter. He travels the world taping and aiding famous street artists such as Ron English (known for his work in the movie Super Size Me )and Shepard Fairey (Obey). This goes on for a couple years but Thierry does absolutely nothing with the footage. Enter master artist Banksy, who learns of Thierry on a run in LA. They get to know each other, become friends, then a series of events turns Thierry into a street artist by the name of "Mr. Brainwash" who sells out so bad he makes Gene Simmons look like a starving artist. Take note, this synopsis does absolutely no justice to this film NONE. To anyone familiar with Banksy's work or just those even a bit curious, this is a definite must see. There's a lot of speculation on whether or not this is in fact a true doc or, in typical Banksy style, something much much more. See it, laugh, cry, get pissed, and judge. 6 out of 6
So just a bit of background for those who don't know Banksy. Banksy is a UK based street artist who is infamous for his stencil work, installations, and privacy. Nobody except a very select few have heard his voice and seen his face. Here's one of my favorites of his.
Now that the introductions are over, here's the movie. The movie is a documentary that Banksy made about Thierry Guetta, a not even amateur French film maker turned street artist. As Banksy put it, Thierry was looking for him and trying to make a documentary on him. Banksy took the project and made the doc about Thierry because he is much more interesting. It started in the early Aughts when Thierry's cousin "Space Invader", a street artist, took him on a couple outings when Thierry was visiting family in France. Thierry, who always had a video camera on him at all times, came on the night runs and fell in love with the movement. Eventually Thierry gets sucked into the street art world and becomes its unofficial documenter. He travels the world taping and aiding famous street artists such as Ron English (known for his work in the movie Super Size Me )and Shepard Fairey (Obey). This goes on for a couple years but Thierry does absolutely nothing with the footage. Enter master artist Banksy, who learns of Thierry on a run in LA. They get to know each other, become friends, then a series of events turns Thierry into a street artist by the name of "Mr. Brainwash" who sells out so bad he makes Gene Simmons look like a starving artist. Take note, this synopsis does absolutely no justice to this film NONE. To anyone familiar with Banksy's work or just those even a bit curious, this is a definite must see. There's a lot of speculation on whether or not this is in fact a true doc or, in typical Banksy style, something much much more. See it, laugh, cry, get pissed, and judge. 6 out of 6
Apr 11, 2010
Love, Ire & Prose
"Once, we were young. We were crass enough to care but I guess you live and learn, and we won't make that mistake again." -from "Love Ire and Song" by Frank Turner
I'm only 23, but those words sum up my twenties thus far. In the past three years I've cared, I've acted, and I've received nothing but disappointment. Usually given what I've seen, my form of jaded usually takes longer than that but I suppose I've had extreme measures and too much time to be introspective. I went to protests, I read the literature, I lived in West Philly, I did Food Not Bombs. The protests were poorly run, the lit was boring, the guy I lived with in West Philly was insane, and my reasons for leaving FnB are too long winded to fit in a parallel sentence structure. I still fervently support the group and the work it does, but yeah, long winded. These last five years, and I say five because everything started to go to shit February of 2005, have been a mix of culture shock, isolation, lost friends, confusion, and disillusion. It's as if I've done more growing up in five years than a lot of people I know do in a life time. I know life isn't supposed to be easy, but it feels like I've consistently been walking up a seventy degree slope with two tons of baggage on my back. I'm not depressed, just gaunt and frustrated. I know I'm too analytical about everything but I just can't seem to relax anymore, let things be, and get behind a cause. That's what used to fuel me, being able to get flustered enough and get behind a cause but every single one I've supported has been flawed. My first real defeat in this respect was two years ago. I took a stab at vegetarianism because I found out what the meat companies were doing with people, both customers and employees. One year later I learned that 80% of food in this country comes from the same four or five companies. I was shattered; Makiya was there with me and saw the defeat in my face. I will never forget that night and everything since has followed the same path. My life hasn't been much different so far really. A vicious cycle of disappointment after disappointment and disillusionment after disillusionment. I've managed to cope with most things but some nights like tonight the zippers on the baggage break and everything scatters.
I know everything sucks and it could always get much worse, but I'm pissed dammit. We all grew up thinking that the world is filled with possibility and with hard work and determination you will succeed, but all that optimism is eroding away and what's being left is just a jagged shell of bitterness covering a core of knowledge that the world our ancestors and previous generations left us is complete shit. A world where corruption and apathy towards others reins supreme and anyone with any feeling other than complacency towards an obviously broken system is thrown to the fucking dogs. I think that's what gets me the most about everything, complacency. That's what angers me the most, that feeling that so many people have that everything will work out and we'll all be taken care of, so why be a rabblerouser? I've been guilty of it myself and it's repugnant. When I see myself doing that I look at my own reflection and spit on it. It's another cycle, I get jaded, I get complacent, then I get pissed off, find a cause, learn it's flawed, then back to being jaded. I need to find a way to break the cycle at "find a cause" then stick with it.
"So come on let's be young, let's be crass enough to care
Let's refuse to live and learn, let's make all our mistakes again yes
And then darling, just for one day, we can fight and we can win"
I'm only 23, but those words sum up my twenties thus far. In the past three years I've cared, I've acted, and I've received nothing but disappointment. Usually given what I've seen, my form of jaded usually takes longer than that but I suppose I've had extreme measures and too much time to be introspective. I went to protests, I read the literature, I lived in West Philly, I did Food Not Bombs. The protests were poorly run, the lit was boring, the guy I lived with in West Philly was insane, and my reasons for leaving FnB are too long winded to fit in a parallel sentence structure. I still fervently support the group and the work it does, but yeah, long winded. These last five years, and I say five because everything started to go to shit February of 2005, have been a mix of culture shock, isolation, lost friends, confusion, and disillusion. It's as if I've done more growing up in five years than a lot of people I know do in a life time. I know life isn't supposed to be easy, but it feels like I've consistently been walking up a seventy degree slope with two tons of baggage on my back. I'm not depressed, just gaunt and frustrated. I know I'm too analytical about everything but I just can't seem to relax anymore, let things be, and get behind a cause. That's what used to fuel me, being able to get flustered enough and get behind a cause but every single one I've supported has been flawed. My first real defeat in this respect was two years ago. I took a stab at vegetarianism because I found out what the meat companies were doing with people, both customers and employees. One year later I learned that 80% of food in this country comes from the same four or five companies. I was shattered; Makiya was there with me and saw the defeat in my face. I will never forget that night and everything since has followed the same path. My life hasn't been much different so far really. A vicious cycle of disappointment after disappointment and disillusionment after disillusionment. I've managed to cope with most things but some nights like tonight the zippers on the baggage break and everything scatters.
I know everything sucks and it could always get much worse, but I'm pissed dammit. We all grew up thinking that the world is filled with possibility and with hard work and determination you will succeed, but all that optimism is eroding away and what's being left is just a jagged shell of bitterness covering a core of knowledge that the world our ancestors and previous generations left us is complete shit. A world where corruption and apathy towards others reins supreme and anyone with any feeling other than complacency towards an obviously broken system is thrown to the fucking dogs. I think that's what gets me the most about everything, complacency. That's what angers me the most, that feeling that so many people have that everything will work out and we'll all be taken care of, so why be a rabblerouser? I've been guilty of it myself and it's repugnant. When I see myself doing that I look at my own reflection and spit on it. It's another cycle, I get jaded, I get complacent, then I get pissed off, find a cause, learn it's flawed, then back to being jaded. I need to find a way to break the cycle at "find a cause" then stick with it.
"So come on let's be young, let's be crass enough to care
Let's refuse to live and learn, let's make all our mistakes again yes
And then darling, just for one day, we can fight and we can win"
Feb 13, 2010
Feb 2, 2010
Recipe Corner: HamBurzums
2lbs chuck
1 egg
1 tsp. bread crumbs
1/2 onion diced
1 T old bay
1 t chipotle powder
1 t garlic
1 t black pepper
Dice onions and set aside then mix together beef, egg, and breadcrumbs. Add onions and spices then fold and mix beef until everything is well blended. Press into patties then set aside for a couple minutes on parchment paper until dry skillet or grill is hot. Then all you need to do is cook them up and eat them.
1 egg
1 tsp. bread crumbs
1/2 onion diced
1 T old bay
1 t chipotle powder
1 t garlic
1 t black pepper
Dice onions and set aside then mix together beef, egg, and breadcrumbs. Add onions and spices then fold and mix beef until everything is well blended. Press into patties then set aside for a couple minutes on parchment paper until dry skillet or grill is hot. Then all you need to do is cook them up and eat them.
Jan 11, 2010
Severed Thumbs: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
It's been a while since I've done one of these. That doesn't mean I haven't watched any good movies lately, I just haven't felt like writing about them. This movie on the other hand I've received requests to review it (okay, so just one) so here we go; this is The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.
So, what happens when you combine Terry Gilliam's imagery(Brazil, Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, etc.), Heath Ledger's last performance, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Ferrel doing their best Heath Ledger impersonations, a decent story and top it off with Tom Waits playing the devil? Well sheer wonderment of course...unless you're a damned Nazi. The movie has been completed for well over a year now but it didn't see even a limited release in the States until this past Christmas. We start off with the immortal Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), a mystic who runs a sideshow with his 16 year old daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), a former street rat named Anton (Andrew Garfield), and everyone's favorite go to dwarf, Verne Troyer. Through a series of bets with the Devil, called Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) Dr. Parnassus is in a contest to see who can get the most souls via a magical mirror that transports people into the good Doctor's mind where their wildest fantasies (or nightmares) are shown. In this fantastical world the contestants are shown two choices that either lead toward enlightenment or carnal desires. Enlightened souls go to the Doctor, carnal bastards go to Mr. Nick. Eventually it comes down to one last bet, the winner gets The Doctor's daughter, first to five souls in two days wins. In the mean time they run across Tony (Heath Ledger) whom they rescue from certain death. Tony is a suave, charming, young business type who knows how to persuade people (especially women.) Through a series of events Tony falls in love with Valentina, learns about the wager, and has some ideas to help out. He almost succeeds but some surprises from his past catch up and complicate matters; what follows is both heart warming and twisted in the usual Gilliam manner.
This movie is one of the best I've seen in the last couple years and though I wouldn't rank it up with Pan's Labyrinth (see Creatively Stumped episode 3 part 2) It's still really up there especially since Gilliam's last two releases (Tideland and Brother's Grimm) have been less than spectacular. My favorite aspect is how they managed to finish it up without Heath (for example of how not to do it, see a movie that had similar problems with main actors dying, 1994's The Crow.) The transitions between Heath and the other three actors who played Tony were seamless, which also brought more depth to the character because to me it seemed each actor represented another aspect of Tony's personality with Heath being the whole, now THAT'S clever screen writing. The rest of the casting was spot on especially Tom Waits' portrayal of Mr. Nick not as a terrible person but more of a business man and gambler, which is precisely how I always thought of the devil. Is this my favorite Gilliam Film? It comes close, but it's hard to beat Brazil. It is up there though with the rest of the movies that have really had an effect on me. That's why I give Dr. Parnassus 6 out of 6 severed thumbs.
So, what happens when you combine Terry Gilliam's imagery(Brazil, Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, etc.), Heath Ledger's last performance, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Ferrel doing their best Heath Ledger impersonations, a decent story and top it off with Tom Waits playing the devil? Well sheer wonderment of course...unless you're a damned Nazi. The movie has been completed for well over a year now but it didn't see even a limited release in the States until this past Christmas. We start off with the immortal Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), a mystic who runs a sideshow with his 16 year old daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), a former street rat named Anton (Andrew Garfield), and everyone's favorite go to dwarf, Verne Troyer. Through a series of bets with the Devil, called Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) Dr. Parnassus is in a contest to see who can get the most souls via a magical mirror that transports people into the good Doctor's mind where their wildest fantasies (or nightmares) are shown. In this fantastical world the contestants are shown two choices that either lead toward enlightenment or carnal desires. Enlightened souls go to the Doctor, carnal bastards go to Mr. Nick. Eventually it comes down to one last bet, the winner gets The Doctor's daughter, first to five souls in two days wins. In the mean time they run across Tony (Heath Ledger) whom they rescue from certain death. Tony is a suave, charming, young business type who knows how to persuade people (especially women.) Through a series of events Tony falls in love with Valentina, learns about the wager, and has some ideas to help out. He almost succeeds but some surprises from his past catch up and complicate matters; what follows is both heart warming and twisted in the usual Gilliam manner.
This movie is one of the best I've seen in the last couple years and though I wouldn't rank it up with Pan's Labyrinth (see Creatively Stumped episode 3 part 2) It's still really up there especially since Gilliam's last two releases (Tideland and Brother's Grimm) have been less than spectacular. My favorite aspect is how they managed to finish it up without Heath (for example of how not to do it, see a movie that had similar problems with main actors dying, 1994's The Crow.) The transitions between Heath and the other three actors who played Tony were seamless, which also brought more depth to the character because to me it seemed each actor represented another aspect of Tony's personality with Heath being the whole, now THAT'S clever screen writing. The rest of the casting was spot on especially Tom Waits' portrayal of Mr. Nick not as a terrible person but more of a business man and gambler, which is precisely how I always thought of the devil. Is this my favorite Gilliam Film? It comes close, but it's hard to beat Brazil. It is up there though with the rest of the movies that have really had an effect on me. That's why I give Dr. Parnassus 6 out of 6 severed thumbs.
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