OBAMA WON Y'ALL + Apocalyptic Events

Image: Novus2.com

Dare I say it? Our country just might be changing for the better with the re-election of Barack Obama and a notably healthy turn in a more liberal, all-inclusive direction away from the formerly oppressive, damaging, nauseatingly repudiating, delusional ideals that were spreading like wild-fire among conservatives.

Occupy Reality

After being deprived of a computer for I don't know how many months I have finally gotten hold of a machine long enough to update without feeling guilty, or worse- rushed. I've gone through a lot since the summer and I promise I won't bore you with the sad, gritty, head-scratching, exhausting, mildly amusing, gruesome,incredible stupid details. Recent events prevent me from speaking of frivolous summer follies and ridiculous regrets. You know what I'm talking about. Occupy Wall Street. The endless coverage, chatter, and arguments that have revolved around this... this thing that has grown into a massive, conflicting, contradicting, yet wholly beautiful collective of people- minus the disgusting, inexcusable behavior of law enforcement, of course, has leaked into so many conversations I've been having with people.

Here we have massive amounts of people gathered in front of, yep, none other than Urban Outfitters. They were marching down 6th Ave and apparently were attempting to lure the greeter to join them. I walked by wishing to sweet Jesus I was more impulsive and didn't need a job to survive.

I love all the people clinging to their UO bags as if they're protesting something entirely different. 'Cuz they are. They're like the anti-protesters, and I sadly am apart of they're putrid game. I know full well how dramatic I'm being. You shush.
FIGHT THE POWER.

This movement has been a chance to show the world that Americans are not as pathetically apathetic as everyone (including Americans) expected. However, there seems to be a slight problem with the fact that there is no single voice or reason behind the occupation. I personally like the idea of a fluid movement like this where ideas are constantly circulating , but to some it gives the impression of disorganization and whimsical idealism. I have no solution. I am merely talking about an issue I would like to know more about.
Many people I know are involved with OWS and I couldn't be prouder of them! For weeks now I have been trying to get down there and have failed at every attempt. I really have no excuse. It's actually getting kind of ridiculous at this point. I should give myself a date. I need some motivation, too, so if anyone feels so inclined to be my pushy, persistent OWS mate PLEASE lemme know!

Now I want to talk about how awesome my internship has been. So, as I have stated before I began working for this start up called Krrb and have fallen in love with the entire concept. Not only have I been learning massive amounts about social media, marketing and pr, but have been given opportunities to write. WHAT. SO GOOD. Anyway I'll stop talking about it now, but KNOW HOW AWESOME IT IS AND USE IT. It really is a breath of fresh air compared to the angry bowel of criagslist or the overwhelming sense of doom and disappointment associated with eBay or Amazon. OH! And we're teaming up with Film Biz Recycling and Jessi Arrington for a silent auction! COME. There will be $1 tacos from Oaxaca and FREE BEER from Brooklyn Brewery. Just $10 to RSVP! I'm super stoked about it. I've been blowing up every social media site I have about it. I'm sure I'm pissing people off ha and it's awesomeeeeeee!

Oh and yet another racist event has given me the willies. I can't go into detail, but the N-word was said in a kind of nonchalant way that almost made my eyebrows fall off and my brain leak out of my ears. You're very welcome for that beautiful delicious absolutely disgusting image. I am so completely naive to think talk like that nowadays is so uncommon. Obviously people are still stupid and will continue to be that way for oh EVER. It's just so disheartening when it's someone you were growing found of and looking forward to starting a friendship with. Sigh, the thought of amount of work/time that would be involved with de-stupifying (I made that up) this person is just plain nauseating.

Oh well...


I'm out.

I Got Skinned

I have been watching an unhealthy amount of Skins and I believe it's having a strange affect on how I view the world now. Staying up into the wee hours of the morning watching episodes in segments has begun taking a toll on my perception of reality. More and more in social situations everything around me just seems to blur, altering my inhibitions. At certain points of the night it seems like I am in some sort of syndicated TV show, following a well thought out script, interacting with other enthusiastic actors. Then, I don't feel so constricted by societal normalcy and become more comfortable actually doing/saying what I want.
I'm still unsure if this revelation in me is good or bad, but it's something. I've been feeling like that dumb, impressionable teenager that blindly follows trends, but I've also been feeling even more comfortable in my own skin (ba dum ching!). Maybe a dose of some twisted, teenage drama can put things into perspective and help people just relax. I guess what I'm trying to say here is there needs to be a summit where all the leaders of the world are required to watch skins seasons 1-4. It may make the world a better place.

image from collide.com


Oh and I don't even want to discuss the abomination that is going to be airing on MTV soon that is basically the same thing but Americanized (trashier?). Why must we ruin a good thing? This travesty should also be discussed at said summit.


I'm out.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Every year I make a point to comment on the ridiculousness of this holiday. In general I dislike traditions that have become consumerist parasites that eat away at our society. By now, we should all know that what went down at Plymouth Rock or whatever, was not some stupid, playful sing-a-long amongst the pilgrims and the Indians but a brutal, violent slaughter that scars the history of this country. Can you believe that we were taught the Indians and pilgrims actually got along?! That they had this adorable outdoor potluck where they exchanged recipes and played mancala. It's absolutely unnerving.
This year I could not go see my family in Florida because I HAVE TO WORK TOMORROW. It's one of those infuriating (un)necessary sacrifices I had to make because of poor planning and because my absence could cost me my job.
BLACK FRIDAY
The epitome of everything I hate about this country. A telling, unfiltered look into consumerism and selfishness. At 2 am sleepy shoppers will be arising in hopes of finding "great deals" on clothing, books, accessories, food, bedding, household appliances, furniture, electronics, cds and dvds, tools and an assortment of stupid garbage that feeds into the notion that you are what you have. Running around stores with a look of fiery desperation burning in their eyes, people will kick slap and scream their way down aisles, through shelves, on counter tops in hopes of attaining every deal they can. Meanwhile, corporations are laughing atop their pedestals of cutthroat success at the masses kill each other for a tickle-me-elmo. And there I shall stand, somberly in the midst of violent confusion asking myself "why?" and wondering when everything went wrong.

image from this guy theblogprof.blogspot.com

Happy Thanksgiving.


I'm out.

OMG IT'S THE 1950s

For many months, I mean, years, mainstream media has been an overwhelming disappointment in my eyes. Convincing me that not one single journalist can uphold the ethics and principles of journalism, I had but given up on watching the news and drifted selfishly into an ignorant oblivion. On occasion I would peruse the NYtimes when events were happening around me that I wanted to better understand, like the rise of the tea party and the embarrassing remarks about the mosque being built in the city. Recently, I have decided not only is this "blissful ignorance" unhealthy, but it's a detriment to what it is to be an American. All over the globe Americans are seen as being brainless, self-absorbed cretins and I was feeding right into that prejudice. Although, today a few articles I read reminded me of my aversion to media. Last night I had a conversation with some friends about where politics in this country are going and who/what political thought is at the forefront. One friend believed the country was mostly moderate and the media was exploiting only the two extremes in this country for ratings and possibly a hidden agenda. However, I don't have such a hopeful view of my fellow Americans, no. The Tea Party has brought me to my knees with their exhausting dogmatic claims and racist overtones. It reminds me of an era in this country where xenophobia was a spreading disease that encompassed many "American" minds.

image from newamericanmedia.org
These last few months have been a reprise of history and today I read a few articles that made my stomach queasy, because of the word choice used in them and an underlying mockery of race relations. This article in the NY times about black democrats losing their power after the recent election: Election Diminishes New York’s Black Democrats. was questionable. Though some of it factual, the way it's presented sounds cult-like and that decisions were made solely based on race and not on general equality. This other article is what really made me want to write today: Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected There are ways articles like this should be written. There are obvious sociological implications as to why this deficiency exists. In the beginning of the article Gabriel insists it may not be because of finances due to poor white boys still fairing better in these proficiency tests than poor black boys. It doesn't take a scholar to know that the world looks at these two types of boys differently therefore their family's income level obviously cannot be the only reason for their educational differences. Though he (barely) touches on it, Gabriel does allude to the necessity of having a conversation about the myriad factors of why whites and blacks have different educational backgrounds and histories. DUH! Alright. My rant's over. I gotta get to work.

I'm out.

You know what? Rent IS too damn high! Jimmy McMillan (J-Mac)

(photo via ny mag)

Thanks to my more informed, brainier roommate I was lucky enough to be exposed to one of the most amazing political figures I have ever laid eyes upon. I'm not quite sure if he could be considered a political figure quite yet, but my goodness he is SOMETHING. While on my daily mull over facebook's newsfeed, I stumbled across this article posted several times by many people from Gawker, brightening my day tremendously. Please take the time to watch the absurdity/hilarity that ensues after Jimmy McMillan is introduced in this debate for governor of NY.
He is certainly a character, with the most amazing facial hair I have ever seen, and he has a point: RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH. Not aw man, rent prices are a little annoying. Not eh, it could be cheaper. Not, well if I just buy four lokos instead of beer I could afford the apartment. It surpasses all of the above. RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH- ENOUGH SAID.
Although, after reviewing his party's website I noticed a few curious things. For instance, the auto-tuned music where Mr. McMillan is talking (what could also be characterized as rapping) about his political party- Flag 1. His merchandise- yes, he has merchandise. One might venture to say, the price of that pin is too damn high. He is also selling cds. Why the hell is he selling cds?! -Flag 2. Then, there's barely anything written in the numerous links on the top of the page. When you click on them there are only videos connected to the links or strange, incoherent ramblings about something or other- Flag 3. These videos, some of which include him driving around speaking about "vital" topics, and, my favorite, the endless amateurish-powerpoint-presentation-like ads with horrendous graphics and confusing rhetoric add to the theatrics of his persona. He's baffling and outlandish... in a good way? I have no idea.
I can't possibly take him seriously, though I truly want to believe he has the people's best interest at heart. I can't help but to inquire, what's in it for him? No doubt he's been riding this media boom and probably making bank off of those ridiculous t-shirts (yes, I bought one and I'm having it rush delivered- KIDDING) and seducing people to sing-a-long with him in his auto-tuned voice about the abominable state of rent prices, which leaves me wondering just how dedicated J-Mac would be to our fight to live. Not to mention his uncomfortably palpable assertion that "damn is the word of God." J-Mac even whips out passages from the Bible to argue his point. He was quite offended to find that the word is not used so um, freely when it comes to professional politics, unless, of course, you're Nixon.
Running for governor is not another way to launch your stardom, it's a serious office that can have a considerable affect on lives. A governor should have, at least, an iota of knowledge about how the government works. Ah, who am I kidding, it's all a popularity contest. There have been so many jokers running for assorted offices for as long as these positions were forged into practice. Who will ever forget when The Governator ran? I know I NEVER will.
As long as J-Mac doesn't steal all of my money, I guess I wouldn't mind throwing him into office for a few years to see whose plans/schemes he could possibly foil. Think about it. There are so many people in office that supposedly know what they're doing and systematically perform poorly. At least with J-Mac we know from the get-go that it's going to be a bumpy ride, and it's going to take all of us to get through the two years without the entire state burning to the ground. Maybe he'll bring out the humanity in city-dwelling New Yorkers we all know can't possibly exist... but maybe it does. Maybe he'll be that catalyst that turns cold, stubborn New Yorkers into lovable malleable hippies. Who knows? I do know one thing, no matter who wins for governor in New York this proclamation is infallible- RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH.


I'm out.

Athom Cafe and "Nobody Likes You When You're 23"

What's my age again? What's my age again.
I will refrain from posting the entire Blink-182 song for a number of reasons, first and foremost my dignity. But my birthday was Monday and I am in fact 23!
So, a LOT has happened since my last rant and instead of updating you with all the bo-ring details of my life (sarcasm- I've been having obscene amounts of fun) right now I'm going to review an amazing cafe that my roommate and I (mostly him- I think he might be addicted, an intervention may be necessary) frequent quite often- ATHOM. It's a small cafe in Brooklyn on Broadway between DeKalb and Malcolm X. It's a tiny hole in the wall much like the bar across the street from it, Good By Blue Monday. Athom sells delicious, fresh croissants, pastries, cakes and pies. They serve up scrumptious sandwiches with real ingredients. My favorite sandwich is the brie, avocado, tomato, smoked salmon sandwich, which I'm not kidding you, I may kill someone for. It comes on this wheat roll that is crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside. The way the brie just melts right into the crevices of the bread with the salmon laying on top and the fresh tomato and avocado melding together in a perfect union of flavor. DELICIOUS. I just had one and now I want another. The guy that owns it, Jerome, is also the nicest guy ever. Though he struggles a bit with the language he manages to always have a smile on his face and pleasantly greet customers. I love that place I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone and everyone. If you like good food- GO THERE. Plus, it's fairly inexpensive. My favorite sandwich is the most expensive at $8.50 but if you eat at the cafe it comes with salad! Yumm-o.


So back to my bday. I had a party on Saturday night because I knew for the next few days I was going to be preoccupied with familial obligations. It was a gooood time. I finally went to Tandem and LOVED it. Most of my friends came out and it was one of the most fun nights I've had in Brooklyn. I've been meeting a lot of really amazing people and everything's been so freaking fantastic, I'm almost scared how happy I've been. Although, I've learned to embrace the goodness of life without worrying about the possible downfall. Phew. It's good to feel good haha.

I don't notice any differences in my ripe old age. All I feel is this impending-doom-feeling and a necessity to be successful NOW. TIME IS RUNNING OUT. AND YES THAT WAS A MUSE REFERENCE.

Too bad it's not "music monday" this would've been the perfect post.

And it's short and sweet.

I will try to update more often, but considering I STILL don't have internet, I'm not making any promises. Ugh, I want internetttttt!!!!

Oh and thanks neighbors, for not having a freaking password on your internet. Let's see how long this will last...

I'm out.

You're Outttttt!!!

I really like that feeling you get before you go out with a group of people you genuinely enjoy. It's a buzz that's mixed with excitement and enthusiasm for what will happen. It's such a positive energy. If it could be bottled I'd imagine it would be called something corny like "Electric shock in a can" or "Beez Buzz in your head." Anyway, this weekend has been pretty relaxed. Nothing too crazy going on, which is nice. I got to know one of my really good friends even better, and it was nice just sitting around talking. We are thinking of making a blog together and forming a book club because it's surprisingly hard to have an intellectual conversation about what your reading on a whim. In college it's easy to express subversive thoughts, but now it just seems convoluted and awkward to attempt a conversation of too much substance in social situations. I haven't had a genuinely serious exchange of ideas in a really long time and it's not because my friends don't have these interesting thoughts or no desire to share them, but when is it appropriate to have these conversations? I know when I just wanna kick it I'm not looking for my friends to start talking about universal disorder and the completely diluted, infuriating state of society. Sigh. Anyway, I'm posting super quickly before I go out to Vandam so sorry if this is all over the place. I needed to update. It was a necessity.





I'm out.

Pinisi and Punks

Since moving to Brooklyn, I have not gone out nearly enough to Manhattan to discover gems of note- until recently. With my friend Nish, much adventuring was underway earlier this week. We walked around the city for hours- HOURS, and were pleasantly surprised by many different shops and such we stumbled (not literally) into. One place in particular that had a really great vibe was Pinisi Bakery that has a few locations around the city. We had some delicious cupcakes there after eating dollar pizza- health schmealth, and were very satisfied. The bakery is adorable and has couches in the back along with a bookshelf with many different titles- you can even learn Russian! The feel is reminiscent of an artist's living room, devoid of that sterile, conventional, corporate callousness of starbucks. There's original artwork on the walls and they painted the florescent lighting panels with pretty primary colors. Also, the guys working there were very friendly.
Before that we went to a small book store on 1st with a great women's studies and political theory section. Of course, I have forgotten the name of the bookstore, but when I'm not feeling completely and utterly lazy I'll look it up and post its whereabouts/website.
So, remember my aversion to the lower east side? I'm kind of over it. I had an awesome time hanging out down there so I have since changed my staunch stance (hehe) on it. Though it is filled with insensitive idiots, there is a really cool scene there as a whole. Maybe cool's not the word for it- um, interesting. Yes, there's a fascinating collective of people/ideas in the lower east side- a conflicting mass of bigotry and "liberalism." We (my friend and I) experienced this amorphous, confused reality when we were at a bar dancing around like fools. It was interesting seeing who would approach us, who stared at us in amusement and terror, and who avoided us. There was one guy in particular that was wasted and probably on numerous drugs who felt the need to tell us, "If you can't dance to rock music, then you can't dance. You have to be able to dance to every type of music." Mind you this was after the DJ (who was shitty that night) was playing bands like Empire of the Sun, Passion Pit, and even some hardcore- but mostly he played horrible 80s music that was not made to be played at a dance party. Anyway, he said this and we stared at him in disbelief, realizing he was drunk and an idiot. He then proceeded to ask us how to dance like "black people," when a hip-hop song came on. This guy was a true asshole, completely oblivious to the ignorance pouring out of his mouth. It's annoying to be in a situation like that because you really are powerless. This guy was intoxicated so no amount of reason was going to permeate that thick skull of his, we were just trying to ignore his insults and continue our fun. Luckily, as the universe would have it, he was an awful dancer and had been flailing around the dance floor like a madman, bruising himself in the process and without aid showed his ugly insides through his grotesque dancing style-buffoon. I don't like to judge people when they're dancing, but when they admit ignorance willfully I let myself go. It's funny because he swore he was lord of the dance.
It's so frustrating running into people who are so small-minded. I've been around such amazing people, I forget those foolish people exist. It was depressing. I'm over it though, there's no way I'm letting one person make me lose hope in humanity (I almost did that night haha).


I'm out.

Dear John

John Mayer was interviewed by playboy and made some extremely controversial remarks that seemed to be neither thought out or considered before effortlessly jumping from his mouth. Okay, so he effed up- BIG TIME.
I have been following @johncmayer for months now and have been pleasantly surprised by his humor and intrigued by his insight, however after watching the Wendy Williams show and hearing (out of context) some of the things he said made me resent my partiality towards him. Not only did he use the N word, but he said this after being asked if he'd date a black woman:

“I don’t think I open myself to it. My d*ck is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a fu*kin’ David Duke c*ck. I’m going to start dating separately from my d*ck. …I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And Kerry Washington. She’s super hot and she’s also white-girl crazy. Kerry Washington would break your heart like a white girl. Just all of a sudden she’d be like, ‘Yeah, I sucked his d*ck. Whatever.’”

This above everything else said in the interview upset me the most because try as I might I could not find the clever, witty insight. All I saw was a stereotypical, glaringly unfunny testament of ignorance. Though I know this is not the case, it's hard to defend such a blatant disregard of respect or tact. I know I know he's trying to be biting and edgy, but I just don't see it here.

He has issued a number of apologies about his grand-scaled faux pas and honestly, I believe him. I have, on more occasions than I care to recall, said stupid things I didn't mean in order to get some kind of reaction out of people. It's hard to make a mistake like that when you're a celebrity of his caliber, but I truly believe that's what it was- a mistake.

Here's a link to an apology he made at a concert in Nashville.


And here's something Holly Robinson Pete wrote in her blog about the fiasco, which I think was done very well. She's cool. Not a "mammie" at all! (you'll have to read her post to get that ha)



So...



Dear John,

I think it's time we had a discussion about your flagrant insouciance for other people's feelings when answering questions on interviews. No one knows you except for your friends and family, so when you say inflammatory words like the n word and wax on about liking black woman that act white, and speaking explicitly about past sexual relationships with other celebrities people may get well- angry? Upset. Confused. Really freaking pissed. In lieu of recent events, it's probably best if you are slightly more careful with what you say. Now, keep your chin up! This too shall pass! America has the attention span of a cocker spaniel. Oh and don't worry, your true fans will stick by you.
Best of Luck!

Sincerely,

Chris

p.s.- It also probably doesn't help that it's black history month. Just saying.


(EDIT): p.p.s- You're still a flaming idiot, but people like you say shit like that all the time and get away with it. I will never let you or anyone else dictate how I feel about myself so though your comments are in fact ignorant and bigoted, and you too are most likely a bigot, all I can do is pity you. No harsh feelings. Just good ol' pity.


I'm out.

Language

I was on the metro today on my way into DC just to gather some things from my friend's place and I witnessed a perspective changing event, which makes me feel mildly exploitative in that I was covertly relishing in someone else's experience, comparing it to my own and feeling that much more dynamic (and privileged?) being exposed to new, different ideas on humanity. Sign Language. Never have I thought of sign language in the way I should have, as an extremely complex culture that heavily accentuates the importance of expression through hands and body movements. Like any language, sign language formulates unique ideas, thoughts, opinions sometimes nobody can understand, but users of that language.
So these four guys got on the train and sat pretty close to me and immediately started signing. One guy was really animated, telling a story as his friends intently watched and interjected their thoughts occasionally. I felt like I was intruding on their conversation so I stopped sneaking glances at them and presumed pondering about life. Ah life. Ugh life. Yeah... life.
Then, I thought about the way people who speak take for granted the inflection in their voice, the way they change their tones and raise their voices, but then I thought what a horrible thing to think! These friends on the metro obviously had no trouble understanding each other using their own form of communication. There were distinctive ways in which they all signed that were unique to their own personality.

I hope I don't sound completely ignorant or offend anyone who uses sign language, I will never fully understand the complicated culture.

These are just my (incomprehensible) ramblings.

I'm out.