the way it might be

.

"It is true that two men can lift a bigger stone than one man. A group can build automobiles quicker and better than one man, and bread from a huge factory is cheaper and more uniform. When our food and clothing and housing all are born in the complication of mass production, mass method is bound to get into our thinking and to eliminate all other thinking. In our time mass or collective production has entered our economics, our politics, and even our religion, so that some nations have substituted the idea collective for the idea God. This in my time is the danger. There is great tension in the world, tension toward a breaking point, and men are unhappy and confused.

"At such a time it seems natural and good to me to ask myself these questions. What do I believe in? What must I fight for and what must I fight against?

"Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man."

- John Steinbeck, East of Eden

.

reclaimation

Taking perspective from a day almost lost.

Today was gorgeous and I spent most of it in anger. I was coerced into a time consuming & unnecessary favor. I don't know that ditching it would've been the right thing. I was actually gratified afterwards. But still the feelings of aggravation hadn't subsided. I almost ran over a sassy pedestrian.

looking back. I've made no progress on my life choices struggle. Map my progress: I'm at the same y-coordinate I've been for the past year... despite the accumulated episodes of struggling with it. But I suppose that counts for something. A greater x-value; or rather, let's make that a 3-d vector map & quantify the quality use of the time. haha. Time is a constant and I'd like to demonstrate that I did more than exist.

Regardless.

It's difficult to fight when your obstacles are abstract.

Napoleon didn't sleep

make your life what you want.

television is a drain.

shine

trying to learn HTML and CSS

"the web was invented around 1990 by Tim Berners-Lee with Robert Cailliau as a close ally"...

what is best

There are only two categories of admirable battles in this world:

1. to right wrongs

2. to achieve betterment

okay. duh.

but.

if you reduce 'what is effectively happening' with your every action, or your job, or your expenses ... you better see that they fall into one of these two categories.

If they don't... then your actions are A. evil or B. indifferent (and therefore a waste - which I would argue is evil (n.b. seemingly neutral actions are generally in keeping with larger goals)

I no longer believe in the mantra "oh its not a question of right and wrong, but just different". I don't believe this in art. I don't believe this in "life". I believe things (art, actions, music, laws, relationships, etc.) in their atomic form (but as they relate to their surroundings) must either be contributing "good" or correcting "bad" in order to be Good. And some things turn out Bad. I'm not sure whether webs of things can be measured in this way. Consider that the back-to-nature movement might be equally contributing betterment same as Apple...

I DIDN'T MEAN TO RAMBLE... I'm currently stuck in this quicksand....which may turn into an oasis... or maybe I should just let my parents yank me out and swing me home

fir fly

Looking at this shoot... (Bregje Heinenby Jean-François Campos for Flair, November 2010)

I had these thoughts all at once -

1. How beautiful

2. These girls live one day in the piled on luxury of these firs (that have such an imaginative essence) ... to live it truly would be a serious adventure, or departure.

3. I want to do that. I want a solid winter spent in this fantasy. I want the grit and fluff of it. A picture never suffices - rarely do pictures service us more than to influence others' perspective. Our facebook culture struggles with this misconception.

4. where can I write this thought down so I do not forget about it? It needs pictures. I should start a blog. Oh, I have a blog. shit. xo

Thank you Al Gore.

The Internet is the best invention EVER.

http://www.freelancer.com/

listen.grooveshark.com

I can't elaborate on this thought right now because it is so fantastic to me...

Additionally, I don't see the tech age as the eventual demise of the music industry, but rather the point of flourishing. Society will benefit from this. Again, no elaboration from me at this time. xo

It all comes down to education.

"Socialism is a great idea until you run out of other people's money"

- Margaret Thatcher

LOVELY.

.

Do you ever feel like you're wasting your youth?

nonissue

WHY is it still an oddity to see women in executive positions? get. over. it.

You'll be stunned to find out: we even have the right to vote now too!

Explosives make everything better

That might not be true, but I certainly do enjoy them. Cai Guo-Qiang is a revolutionary artist who deserves all the accolades he receives... China is on the rampage.

Joseph Stark

It's not too difficult to understand where this man is coming from:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0218102stack1.html