Strangle Abroad

Listening to the song that has most recently grown on me; Estrangular El Extranjero (you can click the link to listen). Listen, but be wary, it is kind of weird. The electronic sound at 0:23 has been playing in my head all day. The title of the song means "Strangle Abroad".

I guess I really don't have anything else of interest to you to speak of...but heres some writing I did lately.

"Does the rain bother you?"
She asked me as we stood in front of the bay window overlooking a less than mediocre garden now being watered for the first time in months.
I guess I must've had some look of concentration or disgust on my face that would've made her think that. Otherwise, she must not know me very well to ask me such a question. I mean a writer loves the rain. That's it.
"No," I decided to answer her seriously. I didn't want to look at her.
"But writing about it does." I looked at her now. She was looking at the rain.
"Why?"
I didn't want to provide an answer. She didn't really want to listen to one.
I guess I might have had a feeling that she had written a poem that she wanted to share with me, but I didn't know it was about the rain.


I don't deserve this.
-New President of the Modesty Club

CK: Questions 18-20

I guess I never really finished these. Its been such a long time I don't even remember what I answered. For the sake of completeness I'll post the rest.

18. You have won a prize. The prize has two options, and you can choose either (but not both). The first option is a year in Europe with a monthly stipend of $2,000. The second option is ten minutes on the moon.

Which option do you select?

18. Making $24,000 in Europe is good, but not fantastic, I'd still have to get a decent job and things like that. But its better than most. I guess with going to the Moon, I could say I've been on the moon. It'd probably be a pretty great experience, but living in Europe with a stipend is a more realistic endeavor, and more reliable to give me situations to help my career and life more than a visit to the moon would. Maybe I could say moon and just take all the money they were going to use to send me there instead of going?

19. Your best friend is taking a nap on the floor of your living room. Suddenly, you are faced with a bizarre existential problem: This friend is going to die unless you kick them (as hard as you can) in the rib cage. If you don’t kick them while they slumber, they will never wake up. However, you can never explain this to your friend; if you later inform them that you did this to save their life, they will also die from that. So you have to kick a sleeping friend in the ribs, and you can’t tell them why.

Since you cannot tell your friend the truth, what excuse will you fabricate to explain this (seemingly inexplicable) attack?

19. Finally he covers some of these gray areas. I'd tell them I just wanted to kick them. Or I'd tell them I was drunk or sleep walking. This question isn't really as hard as it should be. I'd make them breakfast or something so they know I didn't really mean it.

20. For whatever the reason, two unauthorized movies are made about your life. The first is an independently released documentary, primarily comprised of interviews with people who know you and bootleg footage from your actual life. Critics are describing the documentary as “brutally honest and relentlessly fair.” Meanwhile, Columbia Tri-Star has produced a big-budget biopic of your life, casting major Hollywood stars as you and all your acquaintances; though the movie is based on actual events, screenwriters have taken some liberties with the facts. Critics are split on the artistic merits of this fictionalized account, but audiences love it.

Which film would you be most interested in seeing?

20. Without a doubt the first one. Interviews from people I know in real life and bootleg footage? This is extremely interesting. A high budget movie on my life? It'd probably make me feel worse about how much less flashy my life is comparatively. And I would be pissed if the actors were more attractive then their real-life counterparts.

2011 Change

Insert Obama joke here.

So I saw a neat video today. Its called "Luv Deluxe" (that's the link there). You should watch it, its only about 5 minutes or so. Its filmed from a first person perspective and the plot is based on how a single moment can affect the outcome of, well, the rest of your life. I think the side lesson is also to never travel with a girl, because they will go crazy on you and two times out of three, will kill you. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.

The soda stains on my plastic cup are turning my milk orange.

-Anonymous

An Update

Not sure about staying an English major...I mean I'll keep with it for my BA probably, but beyond that I'm not sure.

I'm thinking I should start doing something that will have a payoff, like money. May find a writing job, may not. Looking for opportunities, and a sense of ambition, instead of sitting on the computer all day, maybe I can sit on the computer all day and make money?

Anyhow, turned in a portfolio of my creative works to my professor. Classes are ending this semester. Tomorrow is reading day - no finals.

Don't Wanna Sleep

Its 3:30 am. I don't want to sleep. I don't really know why. I mean, I'm tired, I could sleep. But I just don't want to. I'm not even doing anything really interesting. I think its the waking up that I am dreading, which just gets worse as I stay up longer. I don't even have enough interest to keep writing here, but I'll try. My mind is shutting down, I can only focus on one idea at a time. Its like tunnel vision, something I'm not really used to.

This kid said one time that remembering things throughout your day helped your memory. Maybe. But cells phones help alzheimer's more than anything else (its true, look it up, or I'll put a link here when I feel like researching). But that kid was on drugs, so I don't know if he really knows what hes talking about.

I remember talking about a movie, Mouse on the Motorcycle (thought it was spelled Mouce, and almost freaked out at the red lines). I was wondering why I thought of it, when I looked at my spanish homework and saw I had just read "motocicleta" (I won't bother translating, if you were wondering).

I also wanted, and want to, watch an episode of a show (won't post here due to copyright issues and more importantly, interests that sway me away from the image I would like to portray on my blog of myself, I'll be honest). Blog makes me think one thing immediately. 200 hits! Yeah, alright. Then, about my internet fame, if it would ever be possible. I am narrating this in my "Capitol Bill" voice, that is, the newspaper from School House Rock. I advise that you do the same.

So I was thinking about the movie, and the ambulance in the movie, and how kinda weird the movie was. Some kid going out into a cottage, you know it doesn't really make sense to me now. It was probably the same cottage those twins from the Parent Trap used to share oreos and peanut butter.

What is it with peanut butter anyway? People putting it on things it doesn't belong. Its like ketchup, but not for everything. I realize I am throwing a lot of movie names around and stuff when I denied you, reader, of the show I wanted to watch. Inconsistency eh.

I was dreaming about something this morning. Oh yeah, skis. Skis on the ground though, in the snow. Made me so mad when I woke up in the middle of it. I was about to jump some cars, it was gonna be cool.

Anybody have flying dreams? I guess I'm kinda trapped by my own mind. I have dreams about jumping really high. If I ever fly, I have some kind of device attached to me, or I'm floating, at best. I don't know, but jumping really high, I could do.

And all of you people that think you're so cool with lucid dreaming, get your head out of your ass. Cool, you found something out, but everybody can do it. Don't think you are so original and so powerful because you can control your dreams. Holy crap, I can hear you now "lol cool dream bro, but did you just get up and fly out of there? I did. Because I can control my dreams HA" and then I proceed to smack your face with both my hands with my knuckles. You can't lucid dream when you lose consciousness buddy, and definitely not during a concussion.

Now, ya'll wanna lucid dream, thats fine. Just don't get all high and mighty like Jesus came to you and accepted you as his personal apprentice, which really, wouldn't be that great of an honor since you'd be starving and stuff. But miracles you know? And dying for sins and such. Lots of honorable things, not to mention cult followings.

Which reminds me of the rosary. Who says 50 prayers? I'd be like Hey God, I could be praying right now, or I could be like, cleaning up the streets or something. I think you know whats best so I'll leave that up to you, who am I to tell you how to do your job?"

That sounds like the attitude I should have had when my FACS teacher started yelling at me (I swear this rant isn't forced or made up. I'm just following thoughts, the plot is repetitive, I know it). Something about having to sew my pillow during class, but I sucked at sewing (to tears, really) so I could never get it done. And I asked her if she could have her class during special study hours, which for some reason she never did have it open, then she got all defensive and told me not to tell her how to run her own class. She said hi to me every day after that, but screw that. Not screw her, I don't really care, but apologies aren't flying either way, even though its not really a big deal. But "not a big deal" doesn't really make a story now does it?

I think that about wraps it up. Hope you 200 visitors decide to come again!

I will tell you

Its been a while since I've updated here...but I suppose its in my nature to attempt to be unexpected. So I'll take advantage of your mindset that I would never update it again, and hopefully catch you when you've checked one last time to be surprised at an update.

I thought about sharing a dream, but no one really wants to read those without knowing me. They aren't really as interesting as you would think, if you didn't know me.

Now, I do enjoy my subconcious. Some ideas, come from thinking about them, but sometimes you get some lines that you didn't really make on your own. Something from the back of your mind sparked and you hand obliged. This is the difference between poetry and prose for me. My best lines of poetry have been unexpected.

"I will tell you what death is like, but you may not be able to hear me"

I don't remember what I was doing when I thought this up. I don't remember even thinking it was good when I put it on my computer, though I must've when I typed it up as a message on my phone. (Boy, for a guy that doesn't like pretentiousness, I sure do talk about how great I am a lot. Hey, its my blog).

I just really enjoyed that line, maybe because it was from me, but from a me that wasn't directly me. Or thats my excuse, so I don't feel bad bragging about my own work. I wish I could think of a poem to accompany it, but I feel like I would destroy it with other lines.

More later.

Academic?

Well, this is my creative blog, which has taken a hit since September, when I started my classes up again. I guess this blog could see some of my academic writing as well.

ALSO can we clear up the anonymous?? I love comments but you can put your name too! I'd like to know who the regulars are around here! Even if its a pen name, it would be nice. Then if you choose Name/URL you can put a link to your blog as well!

This essay has gone through multiple revisions, and has become a lot better than what it was originally (which I may never show you). I think it explains itself;

Dust and Ashes Allusion in “To His Coy Mistress”

“And your quaint honor turn to dust / and into ashes all my lust” (Marvell 29-30). “Ashes” and “dust” are an allusion to “The Order for the Burial of the Dead”. The prayer is as follows: “Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed: we therefore commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust...” (Booty 310). The repetition of each word signifies a beginning and an end, starting from earth and ending as earth, starting from ashes and ending as ashes, starting from dust and ending as dust. Marvell uses “dust” and “ashes” in his argument to his mistress to convey the idea of death. He recognizes that all humans will eventually return to dust and ashes, and reminds his mistress of this truth.

“The grave's a fine and private place” (31). This line shows that Marvell means death when he mentions dust and ashes, which correlates strongly with the prayer. The prayer is all about death, and uses dust and ashes as a description of death. In the context that Marvell is using “dust” and “ashes” and the meaning that he is trying to convey to his mistress, there is almost no doubt that he is making an allusion specifically to this prayer and nothing else.

Marvell omits the meaning of the second half of the prayer, which continues, “in sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life”. Marvell is not trying to convince his mistress that she will be resurrected, but that she will die and her noble efforts will be turned to dust.

290

Works Consulted

Booty, John. The Book of Common Prayer, 1559. U of Virginia P, 1976.

Margoliouth, H. M.. The Poems and Letters of Andrew Marvell. Vol 1. Oxford U P, 1927.