Everything Special in the World

Happy Holidays Space Travelers. It's a special time of the year, no really. I'm not a Christian, but goddamn I love Christmas. In such a special time, I thought I'd take the time to talk about how special we are, and how sad I am that we abuse our gifts.

In the mid 90's, MTV aired a very odd show. It set a group of 7 individuals together in a house and had them live and work out their differences. It was the Real World, and so was born reality television. The world would never really be the same. Some may argue that reality television had much earlier roots, but I believe very few would deny the RW's mass appeal and huge audience made it a special case. Remember Pedro, the very likeable and friendly homosexual being brought into American households across the USA? For some it made things like HIV/AIDS a real thing, and something close and tragic. When he died, even then President Clinton spoke about it. Reality TV was more than entertainment, it was a vehicle for social awareness.

Mind you, this was prior to the explosion of the internet. For some, this was a window into the USA's many sub-cultures and personalities. Perhaps it is hard to think of a time where the ability to talk to a stranger in a different state was harder than just logging into a social networking site or forum. I can remember staying the night at a friends house and he said he was talking to someone in Australia. I asked the first question that came to mind: "how much does it cost?"

Can you blame my naivety? My wonder was simple. How amazing to talk to someone so far away! Now I'm grown, and much more worldly. I speak other languages, and I've met many people from many places. I've been exposed to many beliefs, and seen how many people express themselves in different ways. But I digress...

I'm not the only thing that has changed since then. Reality TV has changed too. And while I've become more worldly and broadened my horizons, reality TV has become more and more narrow. Today, what passes for reality TV is quite surreal, but perhaps more sad is what it costs in my opinion.

When I see the latest commercial for "sing off," a new show about acapella groups competing, I am very troubled. While it is certainly wonderful to see such amazing talents, why must we make everything some sort of contest? Would we appreciate these amazing things any less if we didn't have a winner?

Even love is a contest. So many reality shows about dating or marriage. Is there anything that could be considered more special? It makes me sad.

Space Travelers, I'd like to offer more than moral outrage here, so I guess I should make a suggestion. Share what you do. If you sing, sing for someone you know. If you write, share it with a friend. If you dance, go move your feet. We have lots of special things to share, and it seems we always wait to have an excuse to share them. I'm no different, but I want to be.

Egad!

Jesus in toast? Pshaw. Einstein in frost! Science!

clipped from www.soulpancake.com

Single Thought #7

When I think about all the things about myself that have changed, I think the most significant is that I no longer fantasize about living forever. I don't want or need eternity. Let me have 80 years, and let them be filled with family and friendship. Let me have just one blink of the eye; a cosmic wink with a smirk and I'll be satisfied.

Bumper Stickers

Be well (John Spartan) Space Travelers. I was driving home today from work and I saw a bumper sticker, and its $3.00 message shook a thought loose in my head. The sticker read:

Teach Peace

I think it was meant to be understood to mean we should teach people HOW to be peaceful. I however took it differently. I thought about the way we teach history. I though about my middle school and high school history courses. The only way I can remember learning about two (or more) countries being in a related topic was in the context of war. sure the treaties at the end get a footnote at the end of the chapter, but overall, I think the focus of our history education has been about our struggles with each other, and not necessarily how we resolved them peacefully. I believe that what we choose to teach says something about what we value. Why not have coursework that examines the periods of our history in which we were more than just not fighting, but cooperating (for something other than war)? Do we think there is nothing to learn from those experiences? Can that history get a book too?

How we got along: A brief history

When does war get to go in the cliff notes? When does it stop being a casual topic? At what point, is it not spoken of in a matter-of-fact way? Why is it that peace is what creates "shock and awe?"

Today the Nobel Peace Prize was announced, and it went to President Obama. That's not what this post is about, but it's thematically relevant, so I might as well mention it. Some people are mad. Some people are very concerned with other people knowing how mad they are. How about this Space Travelers: Today, take 1 minute to think about a moment in your life where you rejected conflict and embraced a peaceful resolve.

Teach Peace, learn peace. Peace.

Tune in, Tune Out, Space Travelers

Do I need to explain it again Space Travelers? On your way here, make sure to watch the X-Files. I think you'll get a kick out of it.

College Students Rule

LOLWUT Space Travelers? Let's talk youth truth.

Some people think that the youth just don't care about the world, and that they only care every four years. The idea that they vote, and then think they've done their part. I'd have agreed in the past, but I think that something is different with the younger voters. I think we've been socialized to take interest in things differently. It seems like I'm constantly meeting 20 somethings who are doing amazing things and finding very creative ways to contribute. Beyond that, the explosion of social media networks has given them new platforms to get involved in the national dialog in very powerful ways.

Beyond Social media, main stream media has also been encouraging this generation to be interested in politics and current events. I think that the genius of people like Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert should not be taken for granted. American philosopher William James once said :

“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds.

A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”

So I find it very exciting to see students expressing themselves in a culturally familiar way and often with the grease of humor to move it along. It's been near a year since the election, and the youth still cares.

I'm pretty fucking proud. What can I say.

Shout out to the University of Maryland - College Park! Great rally, and kudos for leading the nation in your efforts to improve student health on your campus with your health insurance requirement.

New Blogs on the Hero Blog Roll

Update Space Travelers!

I have added Lance's new blog into the blog roll. He's started fresh with a new spirit of creativity and artistic experimentation.

In addition to that, I have been offered to write on a feminist blog. This is either a very flattering offer that I could speak on such matters or a grand opportunity to illustrate exactly how poorly qualified I am. I've already made my introductory post. Hopefully, they chose the right guy for the woman's job.

vLog: Simple As That

If I had not done it myself, I would not believe it either Space Travelers. That's right, after over 5 months the vLog is back! I didn't hold back on this one either.

Warning: The following video is rated P for gratuitous pizza dancing. Father's hide your daughters. And........ On!

Haiku Movie Review: Solace, Traitors, and Lies

It's kind of a bummer to find out your idea isn't original Space Travelers. As it turns out, lots of people do Haiku Movie Reviews. I still like thee idea, and I figure I can contribute to the body of work in this budding poetic mock genre. However, I think it best to do three at a time. Having single posts about this is kind of cumbersome. Today's theme: Spies

Angsty british spy
Less than threatening end villain
James Bond is Jack Bauer

New type of story
Terror in first person view
Gritty dialog

Feels like real danger
Romance unnecessary
Good supporting cast

Chapter 28, Verse 0: Goathouse Reunion Preview

I'm going to bed Space Travelers, but I wanted people to know that I started to covert my video from labor day weekend into .wmv files so I can edit them. Here's a little preview of my trip back to Missouri to visit the Goats.

Haiku Movie Review: Son of Rambow

Space Travelers, I need to focus. Sometimes I get an idea in my head and I just want to create some random new project. This is a bad idea. Jon at the Ideoteria, is going to attempt to watch the top 100 films of all time. I hope for his sake that he does this quickly before any really good films come a log and fuck up his list. I don't plan on joining Jon in this quest, but I had an idea of my own. Since I consider myself a pretty well fed head when it comes to the cinema, and I've got lots of thoughts and movie suggestions. I've decided that I'm going to offer some movie suggestions/warnings/reviews in the form of haiku.

Introducing the "Haiku Movie Review!"

Little kids with film
Androgynous french hipster
Heart warming story

I was going to make this it's own blog, but I think I can just throw these in here when I can't think of something to write. Seems like a better use of webestate (<-- clever huh?) for me to focus my energies on my creative headquarters. Hope you enjoy this new feature.

Single Thought #6

A single branch produces not a single leaf, but many.

Healthy Thoughts

Oi, Space Travelers. I'm landed ans settled back in DC. I can type up more freely what I saw now that I'm not typing on my phone.

My flight left St. Louis at 8:45. I figured, I'd go early so I could make it through check in and security then find some place I could hear the speech. I figured there would be at least one place I could see the [joint session of Congress] speech [on health care reform]. Pleasantly to my surprise, every TV was on the speech and I found a gate which had no flights in or out and sat there (if for only less pedestrian traffic and noise).

I had my head fixed upward at the screen for most of the speech, but I had looked down on occasion to post on my Facebook wall my thoughts in real time. I can't remember the point of the speech I became aware of it, but the empty gate which I was sitting at had become full like a theater, and many people were now sitting fixed on the screen. Quiet. I looked in the terminal, and their were people just stopped, with their luggage, in no particular hurry to get home, or not wishing to miss this speech. I saw many anxious children ready to get home tugging on their parents arms. I saw people crying. I saw a few couples smiling, and a I received a few smiles directed at me when I not so silently cheered when Obama specifically spoke about the public option.

After the speech, the people began to move again, and I made my way to my own terminal. I got to my terminal as the republican response was aired. The people at the terminal watched, but I didn't see anybody stopping to listen.

I took in more of the speech, and was enthusiastically happy to hear three major things.

1) It will be illegal to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions
2) Coverage will include preventative care measures
3) There must be a public option.

I was fond of other details, but these are what I find most important to me. Good work Obama. We needed you to be tough. I'd have liked you to have spoken earlier, but this was truly a brilliant address.

Full Speech Transcript Here

Letter From Ted Kennedy

Chapter 27, Verse 2: When Will We Get There?

I promised that I'd tell more Space Travelers, and I mean to do just that. Today, you learn about my quarter-life crisis.
I can't remember who gave the quote, and I'm going to have to paraphrase anyways, but: "You're unhappy? They have a group for that. It's called EVERYONE"

EDIT: I found the original quote and remembered where I read it. It's Drew Carey and I read it on Amy's blog. "You say you're pissed off that life didn't turn out the way you wanted it to? There's a group for that. It's called 'Everybody.' They meet at the bar."

Well, I'm not really unhappy, but sadly dispelled.

Oh, and if you thought that this post was going to be more cool England shit, sorry. The connection is that I came to my conclusions on my quarter life crisis during my trip, so that's why it falls here. For your enjoyment, I did include pics of the lovely Ruth, and ever adventurous duo Taylor and Chi.
You must understand. It has not been easy for me to fit in. Imagine that. In my earlier years, it was being shy, but having a very active imagination. As I grew up and my communication skills developed, I began going through a very awkward stage of saying incomplete things. Some speech pathologists say that people who stutter simply fail to be able to speak at the speed they think. Well, I might have had a similar thing, only I just said parts of things. It sounded weird, but it's not really material to the story, so I'm going to just keep going... The point here is that by time I had learned how to properly communicate, I was at the age where our social hierarchy had began to harden. This made me a "fringe kid."

Being on the fringe meant meeting other all-star weirdos who were pretty cool. Everyone was truly unique and all struggled to fit in their own way. We became close. You know lunchroom politics? Well, we beat them... by not even eating in the lunchroom. One of those fringe kids was Taylor.

As the years went by, the molds that held these various social roles were loosened. In college, some people break out, and join the fringe. Other molds stand strong letting their contents harden more.

After college, more molds release and then fail to hold their shape. Yet more people on the fringe and what they long for is to be back in the mold where they think they made sense.

So here's my crisis; here is my dilemma. I just thought someday I'd fit in somewhere. I thought I'd arrive somewhere and when I got there, people would be magically awaiting me, smiling and they'd say:

"We've been waiting for you to get here."

I guess I've been holding out for some retribution; some good prize for staying who I am. I want my character to fit. Why must being free be lonely? Why can't we earn acceptance?

But I already knew the answer. I knew it the second I realized what my crisis was. The answer was and will always be those fringe kids. I have been accepted many times in my life. My journey has brought me to some of the most amazing and unique people. I've never found a place to take me in, but I can build on the little real estate we're given. Like the lunch room politics, we just ate in the hall, completely bypassing it. Now as an adult, I know the community I want, is one I have to build. It will not build itself. What I want in my life, is not waiting at some point in the future for me, but that is not to say I can't have it if I try.

If I want amazing friends, I don't wait for them to find me. When I want adventure and when I want to feel alive, I don't wait for an invitation.

I guess all the molds eventually crumble and everythign is reduced to the fringe. It's like the 2nd law of social dynamics. Some people just live there longer than the others.

I don't know when I'll be satisfied, I don't dare think what would be left if I knew.

Chapter 27, Verse 1: Where Are We Going?

Wotcha Space Travelers! London's Calling, and I've paid a refuckingdiculous amount of money to have a mobile phone abroad. Note to self: Get prepaid next time.

I've spent the 4th of July the last two years in different curcumstances: Thee flight deck of a WWII aircraft carrier in San Diego, and last year in a massive city evacuation drill on the National Mall here in DC (Golly it's true. Arnest!).

This year, I satisfied my urge to just leave. No, not in a Sean Penn I'm-moving-to-Canada kind of leaving, but rather for the reasons of...

Okay, so I didn't have a reason, but I could. Okay? I did it because I could. This year I spent the 4th of July in England. Ironic as it may sound, it turned out to be one of the best ideas I've had in ages. Add to that, the presence of one Mr. Taylor Park, and it's an adventure.

Taylor added two important ingredients to the trip:

1) Poland - Neither of us speaks Polish, but Marta was going to be there and we knew we could make her our language slave for a few days.

2) Couch Surfing - An adventure in itself, we didn't stay in any hotels. Our hosts were indie posh students at Goldsmiths, a 60's Mod who used to get in fist fights with rockers (achievement unlocked), and Bollywood Art Directors. Our trip was meant to be memorable.

I had not left the USA since 2004, and that was only for a day trip across the border into Mexico (inside scoop: The ring I wear on my left hand was bought on that trip). Before that, I had gone on a study trip to Japan. That trip interestingly enough was also with Taylor.

I remember the day I bought the tickets. I remember because it was the day my passport expired. It had been almost exactly a decade since I first left the country. Like that first trip abroad, I hoped this trip too would be full of firsts and overwhelm my senses.

It's good to get out, see your world in the third person. It's good to be the outsider; not get all the jokes; struggle with the local vernacular. A unexpected thing I learned, is that push come to shove, we could out drink the British. I'm worried about what this says for our college system.

They say "Life is a journey." I say "Life is a journey, if you chose it." There is no passive adventure, only active quests. I can't hold out that someone else is going to just come a long and make my life what I want it to be, but more on that some other time.

Single Thought #5

If hunger is your stomach telling you what you need, then heartache is hunger too.

Chapter 26: Families of Ours

Happy retro post Space Travelers! It's May 2009, and I'm sending this blog entry into the future to offer a really lame excuse for not updating more frequently!

I'm here in Seattle for Western Kelrod's graduation! He just completed his M.S. in Game Design at Digipen, a school about making video games. He says it's a lot like Hogwarts with no chicks. I had no taken the time yet to come and visit, so I figured this would be a great time to come out to one of my favorite cities in the USA!

I'm not alone though. Kelly's family is here. A lively bunch they are. They are all young and excited about being together. I can't help but feel a certain longing when I'm around them. It's a peculiar desire. I want to be a part of it. Please, please, please let this become a sit-com, I'm so perfect for the role of witty neighbor.

I have a big personality. It can be proto-obnoxious if you don't get it, but it's not actually egocentric. There were many times when in large groups I'd find myself talking or telling stories and I became very self aware. These were Kelly's days to shine, and I didn't want to steal the spot light and embarrass myself. If I found myself talking too much, I'd retreat behind my laptop and be as quiet as a... something ultra fucking quiet. Kelly actually noticed. He talked to me about it and I explained how I was worried that I'd talk too much and how I was super proud of him and I didn't want to distract from anything. He said that people like my stories and that he was happy that I came. It didn't change how I felt, I tried my best to not speak as much over the rest of the time, or I'd try to only comment on the family's stories.

I guess the longing to belong in that loving family perhaps made me self conscious about what I do for affection and how I worry I'm perceived.
I grew up in a house where my family took others in, I certainly had other 2nd order homes, but mine was base; mine was prime; mine was the one above all others that the family only seemed to grow. I've been a part of letting others in, but I've never been a person to be let in myself. The Jacob's family, with there energy and excitement is hard not to covet and I wanted in, even if as the sit-com neighbor.

Alive Again

I've been letting my brain stir lately Space Travelers. I've been asking myself why I haven't been writing? Where has my desire gone?

Perhaps I've been flirting a little too close to Web 3.0 standards of internet experience and I just haven't brought anything new to the table. Perhaps I've been spending time on other forums writing my ideas or commenting on other people's thoughts. It just wont do. I am now at full computer capacity again save for the fact I can't use my old Photoshop install anymore on my new computer. Other than that, I've lost bit of data, or it would seem. There is missing video on my memory cards that for whatever reason, won't come off. I've let this hang up stop me from updating for too long and I can't let what happened to the blog happen again. It's easy to let a blog die when everything doesn't go "just" right. It's too easy to get over concerned with little thematic details and not publish until every little detail is right. This is an error. I knew it then. I know now. Just write and let it be imperfect. We hardly celebrated our 5000 hits Space Travelers. Thanks for reading, and I promise, I still have plenty of stories to come.

Glorious Return* (*results may vary)

Sup Space Travlers. I've got a lot of work to do, but I do have good news.

I am no longer using the spare computer. The old robot died... permanently. I was sad, but I have a new robot employee. This one has a pretty good resume. This means that my photos and videos are not trapped on my camera anymore. I should be able to resume my super blog hero quest in the near future.

I've got a lot of adventures planned out for the future brothers and sisters (saying "brothers and sisters" always sounds like cult speak doesn't it?), and I can't wait to tell you all about them. Lots of ideas to share and stories to be told.

In other news, I'm about to become a motorcyclist or as Socrates called it: A "Motorcycler." My classes are next weekend, and I've already secured myself a good beginner bike.

EDIT: HERE IS THE CORRECT MOTORCYCLE

Photos From Englishland

Good evening Space Travelers, wherever you are. The robot is still broken, so I haven't been able to prep the blog with words about the trip to England. I'm here, and I'm with Space Traveler Taylor Park. Without too much delay, here's the breakdown.

Our trip is a couch surfing trip. During this part of our trip we have stayed with people from a forum I've been posting on for the last 3 years.

We spent a while in Airport-town, and then got on the London Underground which was very stubborn about staying sub-terrianian. From the left to right: Ruth, Taylor, and then myself.
Chatting on the wobbly bridge over the the River Thames after going to the Tate Modern.
Taylor Park and this Large Benjamin fellow. Note: Big Ben is not the clock, it is the large bell inside.
We brought sunshine. How kind of us. Bazza thanked us for getting him out in the sun. Bazza told us stories about the 60s and being a Mod in London. This guy used to sport a jacket and get in fist fights with rockers.
Ruth on a spendid evening in Greenwich after a (very) proper english meal at the Spread Eagle.

More pictures are on their way Space Travelers. Live and love big time. Back to adventure.

Dead Robot

Hey update Space Travellers:  My Laptop is out of commission, so no updates for the last week or for the next week probably.  I can't edit vLogs or upload pictures for the time being.  ASUS customer support is getting a nasty phone call tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

Who Needs a Title?

I can't find it Space Travelers! I can't find my car title! I've searched all of the boxes that I never planned on unpacking, I've searched my car, I've searched my desk! It is not to be found on this Monday or any other Monday for that matter. I don't even want to find it but I need to if I'm going to get license plates in Virginia. My plates expire this month. While searching for it though, I found a few things of interest:

-A note from the custodian in my last residence hall
-A box of love letters written to me
-Childhood photos
-Eyeglass repair kit
-Lock-picking gear
-The "California or Bust" sign I taped in my car window on my roadtrip
-Condoms
-A credit card
-A bunch of software
-My laptop's warranty

The last one is particularly useful right now because I'm having a shit of a time with my computer. I think my video card is dying and some other stuff is acting nasty too.


In other news, I purchased a round trip to England from July 3rd to July 15th. This means I'll celebrate our independence from the British... with the British. I'm going to a pub on the 4th, and I won't return until someone has kicked my ass. Promise. To continue with the current theme of being all around kind of disorganized, I realized that my passport expired... today. I went online to print out the form and when I tried to print it out, I couldn't because I had not reinstalled my printer since my fresh install of windows from two day prior. In the process of installing the drivers, I got blue screened.

FFFFFFUUUUU

Well, that's the news. I have no real plan on the England thing, but I'm figuring it out. Editing has been put on hold until I fix the computer. It's acting like a "piece of shit," but who needs a title?

Coffee and TV

Buenos Dias Space Travelers. I see that there are new know space travelers following the blog. I'm glad to have your readership and as I'm looking to expand my little inter-niche here, I'm thinking to the future. I still am editing vLogs for NYC, Miami, DC, and Seattle. I know I say that a lot, but it's true. It's hard to do this while I'm traveling, but if I didn't travel, what would I be filming anyways. We're soon approaching a the one year anniversary of the vLogs. I'm hoping I can do something for that as well.

While I was in Seattle with Space Traveler Kelroy, I had a few discussions about the blog, the vLog and what is next for this place. When I started, I originally wanted to do something more on the Ze Frank side of vLogging, but it didn't feel right. Since then, I've been just filming and learning the art of the camera (my kung-fu is good) and hoping that I'd eventually figure out what I wanted to do. So Kelroy and I were sitting in a coffee shop and I think I got my idea finally.

Stay tuned Space Travelers. More to come.

Also, if you are a fan of reading backwards, I have updated the labels in the sidebar to a drop down menu for ease of searching. Stay cool.

5000 Hits!

Oh wow Space Travelers! 5000 hits! This is the web equivalent of turning 16. The site is still young, but it's been around long enough to do some new things. I'm glad for all those who have left comments over the years. I hope that I can offer more in the future.

Thank you Space Travelers!

A Cheers From a Forgotten Blog

Greetings from Seattle Space Travelers. I wrote this on a old blog from some 4 years ago. I wrote it the evening I turned 22. A couple weeks ago I turned 26. I thought I would seek out and find it then repost it for everyone here.

A Cheers

Now at 22,
looking back
I see that my training wheels are off
and that I am finally a part of life.
So to those
who helped me
I give you
cheers.

To Jeremy’s departure.
If you had not left
I would have latched on to you
forever.

To the kids with razor tongues and spiteful eyes.
Not envy,
just destruction.
Because you made me
Hate you
and love
me.

To Smarts.
For making me survive
jealous love
Yet still laugh at all my
Desperate jokes.

To Kathy.
The first lamb
I
ever thought
I could
marry.

To Jose.
Because
you became family
and truly my
brother.

To Taylor.
A partner in crime,
A madman with
cap and a camera.
We could have been rivals,
We choose to be best friends.
Don’t ever quit.

To Corinne.
You told me
to do what ever it takes
to make myself free.
And I’ve been doing my best.
I’m glad you can swim
in the stardust
and sleep in peace

To the kids with shining wheels and the girls with the tight sweaters.
Fuck you.

To Steph.
For imagination.
For respect.
For love.

To countless teachers and counselors.
For not believing in me.
For the patience they denied.
For my time they took.
For every “F.”
I’ll still win without you.

To Sensei.
For commanding my respect
in my youth.
Not an easy task.
Thank
You.

To Dr. Toste.
Never my teacher,
just a grumpy old man
Never afraid to remind me
That I was just
another
asshole kid
dancing like jackass
on the paper thin stage of
life.
Thank you,
And I’m sorry,
Pot-luck means bring something,
I’ll never forget again.

To Meagan.
For innocence
For focus.
For near death.

To the bird.
For shitting on my car.
Or at least trying

To Dr. Fannin.
For exercising no compassion
For a 2ft yard stick.
Yeah,
fuck you too.

To every genius I encounter.
For keeping me sober and humble.
Because
I could be just like you.
But my dunce cap
keeps me warm

To Mother,
For the leather skin,
For the weapon of reason,
For the weapon of forgiveness.
I wield them well
And
Do great harm.

To Ismael,
You wanted me to be; to exist.
Thank you
for your
prayers.

To Junior Flores.
For training my ears
to the tune
of a sweet and low tongue
that speaks only artificial sweetener.
Still a donkey
with his
carrot in the mud

To Senior Flores.
For training my heart
To speak.
For poems.
For songs.
For something human.
Check me out.

To Maia.
To a hero.
My sister
and
most loyal fan

To boys with hungry mouths and loose zippers.
Because they never taste life,
And their zippers will eventually rust.

To Father,
For a legacy,
For pride,
For compassion,
For real masculinity,
For strength.
I’ll never cut my hair.
I’ll never say die.

Kanpai. (Cheers.)

New Addition to the Hero Blog Roll

Space Travelers, I have an update. I have been invited to blog on a new blog! I have added it to the blog roll on the right tool bar. I will be doing the design and layout for that blog too, so that should be fun.

I present:

The Ideoteria

The new blog is much like this one in terms of sharing new ideas, but it has multiple authors. I plan to expand my blogging experience by using that blog (as opposed to this one or the Goathouse Blog) to write more controversial entries about social, cultural and political topics. Those topics, I've been a little hands off for this blog, because I didn't want to turn anyone off.

Anyways, this is a new addition to the network of blogs I view. The other contributors will figure out what they want to contribute and I think it will be pretty cool. One of the contributors is Tori. She is already in my blog roll, and is a wonderful writer. So if you have ever wandered off to her writing, you may enjoy this new place as well.

Single Thought #4

What if we all get infected with some meme that guides us to happiness? Mnemonic Pneumonia. Oh virus inspire us.

Chapter 25, Verse 2: Sneaker Pimp

Good evening Space Travelers. I just got back from New York, and since my birthday was on Saturday, I decided to give myself something I've wanted for a very long time: My own custom designed pair of Adidas. This has been something I've dreamed about since my days as a b-boy and if you know me, then you know I love my sneakers.


So here they are. I must have worked on the design for hours. The photo isn't that great, but that's because I'm trying to take a photo of a really glossy screen. They didn't allow for photos in the store, so I had to be quick.

READY JET!

I actually choose the color scheme based on this blog! I'm a big fan of the RGB on black aesthetic. While you can't tell from the photo, there is green embroidery on the side of the shoe. It reads: "READY JET." They will be here in 4 weeks. I'll post action shots once I have them.

Thanks to all Space Travelers that have been with me for another year.

Single Thought #3

If love is the trophy, what is the gamut? We're either running out of trophies or the modern gamut industry is in a romance recession and can't pay out.

Trying My Hardest.

With the invention of the revolving door and the automatic door, people can less and less have the chance to hold the door for someone. Hell, we used to be able to practice courtesy just by rewinding our VHS before returning them to the rental store. Eventually our cars will drive themselves, and computers will control everything. Although, this will make traffic obsolete, I think I'll miss the look of thanks and relief I get when I let someone change lanes. A brief relationship certainly, but one without an agenda. It's just a quick gesture, and a glance in their mirror.

I love technology, but we're losing opportunities to be kind to our fellow citizen.

Some Beautiful Weirdo

Beloved Space Travelers, I have done some thinking about romance. I think perhaps it will again happen to me someday. I wonder how?...

Someday, I'll hit some beautiful weirdo with my car.
It will break her arm.
She'll fall in love with me on the ride to the hospital.
I'll bring her flowers.
One day near after, she'll put a band-aid on my bumper,
with her phone number on it.

That's how it will happen.

Brush your teeth and keep your hearts warm. It's Spring! Go be alive!

I Fo Folemly Fwear

Don't Panic Space Travelers. This all makes sense in bizzaro earth were we all have mustaches.

I'm going backpacking in Santiago
Canada is a little town in Santiago
They only use sporks to eat
it's really dry there so
bring a towel
the game stadium in the heart of little Canada
Canada is of course the second largest city in Santiago
Did you know that most of our bread comes from Santiago?
I bet you know that if you eat pizza
Pizza is basically bread with ketchup on top and hot dogs
it's from Santiago's capital: Germany!
nope I'm sober as a printer
not a drop in me
I'm dry as the moon
top of my class in geography
I got a W in the class
Teacher's pet
I brought her a banana and put it on her desk
She'd drink down the banana and during recess
I'd pay on the tennis field
afterwards, it was juice time
so I got some milk and ate it
got home from school and laid down on the toilet
went fishing with my dad and caught a sparrow
he said that someday we'd go to Canada
and I might catch a seagull

Warning Space Travelers. When you learn something about the world that you thought was totally opposite about, it can make you loose your bearings.

All Is Not

Our Obligation: To forget fairness,
In war, in love, unless we: The victors.

Embarrassingly employing the most ironic of methods:
Mouthing and Muttering over and over what we know is false,
Ad nauseum, we purchase the pitiful lie we sell ourselves.

Never challenging the wise with the wisdom we aren't supposed to have.
Or want. Or care about. Be about.
Believe as I do, doing more than just accepting the convention: A duty.

Free to fashion the contrarian's clothes.
If you like the look, you can tailor them in time.
Dare to ignite and inspire some overdue discomfort,
Achieve amorous adoration for your audacity.

All was never fair in love and war.
Too many lost wars, lost lovers.
Yet, our response: recite the lie; repeat.
A chorus for cowards too afraid to just ask for what they deserve:

A whole world.
An ethical earth.

Be furious, we deserve it. Please, purge.
Mourn, but make sober self. Resolve.

It is the war we wage, unwillingly.
It is our love we labor, and loses its color in patience.
Help us, that our hurt is humanized, honored.

Fair in love and war, all is NOT
Error, an excuse from equity



Good evening Space Travelers. I was reading back in the blog, and realized I haven't been doing too much original writing lately. I was driving home from work today when it occurred to me how bullshit the old saying "all is fair in love and war" actually is. The author of such tripe I'm sure would find no difficulty in elaborating on the injustice they endure given the right war or given the wrong love. It seemed to me that the only reason we feed into this meme is that it insulates us from the greater challenge of compassion. We are not entitled shelter from the discomfort of seeing our fellow man dragged in loss.

This is not the way of the world I want for myself or you.

LOST Chapter 24, Verse 4: Where Were You Part 2

And now, the exciting conclusion Space Travelers. Thanks for your patience.

LOST Chapter 24, Verse 3: Where Were You Part 1

It took me a while Space Travelers, but I'm actually doing it. Stay patient, and know that the vLogs are on their way. More to come soon, but today here is the first of two from back in January.

Single Thought #2

I get tired of the game. Too much history, not enough experience. Too much awe, and not enough magic in the world.

C.R.E.A.M. Get the Money, Dollar Dollar Bill... Yall

Hey Space Travelers. I've been doing a lot of photography project as of late. They are quick and rewarding, and much easier to do than the vLogs I've promised... So I'll try and work on that, but here is some photos in the mean time.
Wu-Tang!

S.E.I. - Social Enjoyment Index

So I've been crazy busy lately Space Travelers. I have like 3 back vlogs to deliver, but trust that they are in the works.

Inauguration
New York
Miami

But until then, I thought I'd share something that I've been using over the last few months. It's a system to describe my evenings. I call it the SEI, or "Social Enjoyment Index." As it is right now, the system is in its second order with the potential for additional dimensions to be added. In computer programming terms it would be a 2 dimensional array.

First dimension: People I'm with that I don't work with.

This one is easy. Take the number of people I interact with in the evening, and subtract those that I work with. This is not to say that I don't enjoy my coworkers, but the SEI ultimately gives a score of how well an evening can lead to future evenings. Having an evening with many people from outside of work is good because it opens up for the possibility of meeting even more people in the future. Can you dig it?

So as I said, the first is a number. The number can be from 0 to about 6 billion.

Second Dimension: Percentage of Opposite Sex.

This is a graded scale "A" through "F." For convenience, I will be describing this from my standpoint, which is a man looking for a woman. All values are approximate.

F - No females (dudefest)
E - 20% female (commonly known as the sausage party)
D - 40% female (for ease, simply go with less than half)
C - 60% female (for ease, simply go with greater than half)
B - 80% female (are you doing volunteer work again?)
A - All females (still not convinced this scenario exists)

Note: If you're gay, this would not mean the opposite sex, but rather the quotient of other gay people in attendance. If you are bisexual, this means... Well, I guess everyone is game... So you must always have an "A."

So some examples may help.

19D - A party with 19 people you don't work with with just under half the attendance being female.
1.8MillionC - Going to the National Mall on Inauguration
1A - A date
3F - Hanging out with my roommates in the apartment.

What's important here Space Travelers, is to not get confused into thinking that this scale measures how much someone enjoys themselves, but rather the opportunity for expanding one's social market. For instance, I can have a crappy date (1A) but have a great time with my roommates just chilling in the apartment (3F).

Well, at least you'll know what I'm talking about if I use this in the future. If I add any higher orders on I will repost this.

Single Thought #1

What can I say, even if you're the pain in my neck, thanks for rubbing it.

Preview: What is an SEI?

What is an SEI Space Travelers? Clue: It's similar to the very important ICEE.

Big things in the works. I've got a lot of footage from inauguration and from my recent trip to New York. So I have at least two vlogs on the way.

Chapter 25, Verse 1: New York Adventure In The Only City That Matters So I Hear

Space Travelers, I have a question. It's not uncommon for me to meet a new yorker here in DC, and it's also not uncommon for a new yorker to talk about New York. I experienced the same thing with Los Angeles. The mentality is this: New York is the only city in the world. If no that specifically, it's just that it is just more important, and by transitive properties, THEY are also more important. Being that I'm from the Midwest, I get some fairly odd comments about Missouri or any of the "fly-over" states.

"Wow, you speak so well!" "Did you like... um... grow up on a farm?"

This is of course ironic because this low class understanding of something different is being espoused by those claiming to be more upper class and enlightened. I'm briefly reminded of politics and geography. I'm a progressive, yet I feel like I can relate with many rural conservatives in the way they perceive these large urban centers. I share their feelings of being culturally obscure. I am forced to blush a little guilt out for those times I put down "red necks" but honestly they are people too. It's a shallowness in my character, I'd like to be absolved of honestly. How we view each other is often tinted with the filter of insecurity. I found so many of the people in beautiful California to be dull and boring despite their effort to be culturally in tune via osmosis.

Today, the roommates and I are packing up our belongings, and going to New York for the weekend. I suspect, that despite the claims of my new yorker friends, that it is in fact just a city. I'm not playing down the fact that it will probably have a distinct character, but lots of cities have character.

We will be staying right near Penn Station, and are close to lots of things. I'll be uploading pics multiple times a day to my snaplog account, so keep an eye out for updates. As always, I will have my trusty camera Sunny with me. I'm hoping to get some cool footage.

So, after all of that, here is my question: In modern society, does a center of the world exist, and if so, where is it?

Peace and thanks for reading Space Travelers,
~Chi

vLog: The Long Trek Home

Dearest Travelers of space, I've got a fever. There is but a single cure. Yes the local town alchemist and pharmacist has made my prescription, and it is to hear the angelic tune of the bovine bell.

I never thought of myself as a person with ADD or ADHD, but after compiling the footage for this next vLog, I think I'm forced to consider the possibility. To be fair to myself, I had been awake for some ridiculous amount of time. No excuses Space Travelers, I know you expect better from me.

Hocus pocus, wham, bam, shazam!



I've still got more coming too! If you want to do me a favor, check out my Youtube Channel and check out the style updates I made there (click on the sidebar -->).

Peace.

vLog: Home on the Range

Hola Space Travelers! I am sorting through all of my unedited footage from the tail end of last year so that I might be able to offer something fun to you all. I found some really great video of fellow Hero Taylor Park and myself on a weird adventure in our hometown of Springfield, MO.

Submitted to be fitted, watch and enjoy but don't play coy. Light's, camera, action, no matter what's your faction. Please turn off your cell phones, and turn on your imagination.

We're going home, home on the range...


Peace out Space Travelers, and know that more is on the way.
~Chi

Chapter 24, Verse 2: History Hangover

Opps! Dear Space Travelers, I forgot to post up my election night adventure last month like I promised. So I'll post it now. Appropriate I suppose, since today is Obama's first full day as President.

Super vLog attack power up!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I went to innogoration and I have lots of cool video. I'll be working today to get that video out soon.

Chapter 24, Verse 1: The Bomb Before the Storm

Regime change Space Travelers! Don't fire ze Missles! I saw Cobert's famous recursive ego portrait in the Smithsonian today. Obama is on his way to a new home... W is out, O is in. Consider yourself on notice Mr. President, the other 24 letters in the alphabet want to know when it's their turn...


I'll be braving the crowd to get to the National Mall for the inauguration. I want people to see what I see, so I DL'd this really cool app called "Snaplog Photo Blogger." This lets me take a photo then immediately upload it to a server so others can see it.

I set up a domain for myself HERE (<-- click) and you can check it throughout the day to get some visuals from here in the capitol city.

Apparently, I'll eventually be able to embed some sort of window in the blog so you'd just see it there, but I didn't see how to do that on the website. Until then, you just need to click the link and enjoy!

Peace.

New Hardware!

Good afternoon Space Travelers! I made a very proud purchase today. I got some camera accessories for Sunny (my camera). They are as follows...

A Wide Angle Lens

A Fish Eye Lens

A U/V Filter

A Polarized Filter

A Fluorescent Filter

I'm very pleased, and with inauguration on the horizon, I'm hoping to get some good photos.

Say "shrine!"