Shameless Plug

Never Mind the Bats has rekindled my love affair with the writing medium typically known as the weblog, or more colloquially known simply as a “blog.” So from here on out, you better get ready for some cogency, and more importantly, coherence, in my writing. That is… as soon as I see Hot Fuzz on Friday.

Life is Troubling

I’m beginning to find life troubling. I look at the fake smiles and the wanted words, but all I can hear or see is disappointment because we can’t speak scripted lines that are perfect for each and every moment.

Maybe this is why we admire movies and music and books so much. Everything in them is exactly how we want them to be. There are no unintentional stumbles, no looks of disappointment when the realization hits that there was something infinitely better to say in that moment of time.

Maybe that’s my real attraction to music. I listen to the rhythms and the lyrics and am mystified by how profoundly they affect me. How they can convey such a deep sense of meaning? I want nothing more than to bask in its perfection. I could never duplicate my favorite song; it may sound exactly the same in every way, but it wouldn’t be the original. Or, at least, this is how I used to view much of the entertainment I enjoy.

Looking at more of the independent or alternative entertainments allow me to experience something that is clearly original, but is definitive because it can be reproduced. There is no mysticism about it, it feels natural and can be connected to.

But at the same time I look back and think to how I could still never duplicate, let alone attempt to sound like, some of the musicians I’ve heard in my life.

I’m stuck at a point where I can’t exactly tell what I’m supposed to follow. I don’t know exactly where my life will take me. I have some vague idea that I’ll be somewhere still alive, but it is neither here nor there.

Artists create masterpieces. But where does the inspiration come from? How does one sit down and create without stopping themselves and worrying that others will ruin the feeling that it evokes in the creator? All of my art has been wiped away because I was scared. Who knows who might have liked it, who knows whether I can even remember what it was. But it’s something I need to overcome because I know it will play an enormous role in my life.

I speak of this because my generation has become divided, much like generations before. There are the psuedo-thinkers and the outside-the-box thinkers. The pseudo-thinkers genuinely feel like they have something going on in their head, but nothing of any sense comes out. They stick together and feed off of each other’s knowledge, refusing to find out anything new for themselves. They alienate intentionally. They have their own… unique… tastes.

The outside-the-box thinkers are the revolution. They are the ones who look in between the cracks and discover something to keep for themselves. If their discovery gets out in the open, they leave it high and dry. They create, they move on. Nothing lasts for them. The little known ones are the ones to keep. “Weird for the sake of being weird” rather than “Weird for the sake of fashion.”

The dichotomy is not quite as clear until after the fact; maybe in a decade or so. But the side which draws to you is obvious. Why? Because you’re reading this blog.

I’m with you.

Update: I realize how this sounds, and yes, it was written at 3 am in a painkiller induced stupor.

Sidebar

Some may not have noticed the little things in my sidebar to the right, so for them, I’d just like to explain a little. This is all Web 2.0 stuff, which sounds much more intimidating than it is.

Up at the top where it says “My Events” is an RSS feed for the events I’ve listed on Upcoming.org that I’ll be going to. For all of you who know me in real life, I suggest making an account and adding me as a friend so we can all see what concerts/shows we are either “watching” or know that we’re going to. It’s a pretty cool idea and the site implements RSS feeds very well.

Second, under “Music” I have a window showing my most recently played tracks in iTunes through last.fm, a sort of social music site where you can find other people with the same tastes in music. Pretty cool (and free) so another thing to add me as a friend if you’re up to it.

Third, I have my 10 most recent del.icio.us posts. Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking site which lets you see who else has bookmarked the same things as you, but also is convenient for accessing your bookmarks from anywhere.

Fourth are the archives, which are simply just archives of blog posts.

Fifth, under “Blogroll,” is my list of links to my other sites and to my friends sites (check em out).

Sixth are the categories I list my posts under.

Seventh is my 10 most recent Flickr photos. Flickr is a social photography site in which you can look at other peoples pictures, comment on them, create groups or pools, etc. It would take too long to list all the cool things you can do with Flickr.

And lastly, my hits and my calendar of posts.

Get out there and discover the revolution which is Web 2.0.

Technorati Tags: del.icio.us, flickr, rss

Vegas

I’m in Vegas for the weekend. I’ll be back Monday night! This is coming off of a Macbook in the Apple Store in Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas. A black Macbook at that. Man are these keyboards nice…

Crazy awesome new service SuprGlu

First of all, mine is here, but for the ones who want it explained to them, this is what it is: it’s an aggregator just like a news reader, except you enter in all the different services that you use into it for the benefit of other people wanting to keep track of all the popular sites that you post on. All can be learned at SuprGlu.com. Create your own and be sure to tell me about them!