Here are some quotes I like, although I'll be the only one to understand half of them...
“The greatest lies are the ones we tell ourselves…”
“Everything is a matter of Perspective. Everything…”
“Irony; my love…”
“For men are weathered houses, and it is evil who searches for the cracks to rob us of our heat…”
“Because that is what it’s about, right? Preservation of life? Of life worth living, and love worth dying for?...”
“I only hope that I have the state of mind when I die to make my last sentence annotatable…”
“Famous last words…”
Monday, February 9, 2009
Too Close For Comfort
In our American way it is a custom that a child is taken out boating before the age of five, and many times afterwards. My father, a lover of the unique atmosphere the sea provides, and having spent much time upon the entire range of boats, (including crab fishing in Alaska), stayed very true to this doctrine. In the summer last my father decided he and I needed adventure. I gave the typical response of a teenage boy and asked if we were going “to clean out the gutters,” or some other horrific task he would deem adventurous. He ignored my sarcastic remark, and before nightfall we were prepared to leave on a three day trip to Neah Bay; by boat.
Although you may have been boating any number of times, you never really adjust to the rude awakening at 2:00 AM, which makes you seriously consider using powerful sedatives on those who did the waking. As I tried to convince myself that three days was only 72 hours away, and at that point sanity would return to my life, I forced myself out of the twin sized bed, and unconsciously followed the smell of hot cocoa.
Instead of gold or some other rare or valuable substance at the of the scent trail,
I found my father, strangely awake for the hour, and very excited. As I was about to pass this alert state off as an old sailor habit, I noticed the half empty pot of Folgers coffee. I thought to myself “cheater,” and prepared myself to leave.
Now, as in any good boating trip, as soon as we left we realized we had forgotten something, although I can’t remember what it was. Since getting the boat out of the driveway was so tedious the first time, I was forced to run back for the elusive item. From that point until the boats inception into the water went smoothly.
To be truthful I will have to admit to my audience that for the sake of saving paper I have condensed this recollection to a fraction of its former horror, leaving out incidents included, but not limited to:
30 foot waves.
The mysterious wall in the middle of the ocean.
The encounter with the Coast Guard, (with M-16’s included)
… and a great deal of cursing.
The only ordeal I am going to include started out innocently enough with a flock of birds. Less than one day’s journey from home my father and I realized that my mother had over-packed, as usual, and so we had plenty of our Safeway Brand wheat bread to share with the seagulls. Apparently the birds either did not notice, or purposely ignored, the bread we tossed into the sea.
Of course my father, always wishing to play the investigator, traveled closer. A horrible mistake. Now, whether or not the birds knew of the obstruction hidden in the oceans depths, or what exactly the obstruction was, remains a secret to me. The only fact that I can give you is that whatever it was, it had the structural stability to beat our new propeller to a pulp. And so here we were, stranded, and better yet, very near a ferry lane.
I knew as soon as my father attempted to lean over the boat side and somehow manage to remove the busted prop from the engine that I would have to do this myself. As I fiddled desperately with the useless piece I began to regret my “courageous” decision to take on the hard parts. Hanging upside-down so that the blood rushed to my head, I was informed that a ferry had just passed by. Obviously my dad had not yet realized that for the past ten seconds my head had been completely submerged by the wake of the large ship. When I came up and heard what he was saying I replied “No kidding.” I had decided the ferry was much too close for comfort.
Although you may have been boating any number of times, you never really adjust to the rude awakening at 2:00 AM, which makes you seriously consider using powerful sedatives on those who did the waking. As I tried to convince myself that three days was only 72 hours away, and at that point sanity would return to my life, I forced myself out of the twin sized bed, and unconsciously followed the smell of hot cocoa.
Instead of gold or some other rare or valuable substance at the of the scent trail,
I found my father, strangely awake for the hour, and very excited. As I was about to pass this alert state off as an old sailor habit, I noticed the half empty pot of Folgers coffee. I thought to myself “cheater,” and prepared myself to leave.
Now, as in any good boating trip, as soon as we left we realized we had forgotten something, although I can’t remember what it was. Since getting the boat out of the driveway was so tedious the first time, I was forced to run back for the elusive item. From that point until the boats inception into the water went smoothly.
To be truthful I will have to admit to my audience that for the sake of saving paper I have condensed this recollection to a fraction of its former horror, leaving out incidents included, but not limited to:
30 foot waves.
The mysterious wall in the middle of the ocean.
The encounter with the Coast Guard, (with M-16’s included)
… and a great deal of cursing.
The only ordeal I am going to include started out innocently enough with a flock of birds. Less than one day’s journey from home my father and I realized that my mother had over-packed, as usual, and so we had plenty of our Safeway Brand wheat bread to share with the seagulls. Apparently the birds either did not notice, or purposely ignored, the bread we tossed into the sea.
Of course my father, always wishing to play the investigator, traveled closer. A horrible mistake. Now, whether or not the birds knew of the obstruction hidden in the oceans depths, or what exactly the obstruction was, remains a secret to me. The only fact that I can give you is that whatever it was, it had the structural stability to beat our new propeller to a pulp. And so here we were, stranded, and better yet, very near a ferry lane.
I knew as soon as my father attempted to lean over the boat side and somehow manage to remove the busted prop from the engine that I would have to do this myself. As I fiddled desperately with the useless piece I began to regret my “courageous” decision to take on the hard parts. Hanging upside-down so that the blood rushed to my head, I was informed that a ferry had just passed by. Obviously my dad had not yet realized that for the past ten seconds my head had been completely submerged by the wake of the large ship. When I came up and heard what he was saying I replied “No kidding.” I had decided the ferry was much too close for comfort.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Kill Your Television?
Compliments of English, Freshman year I think...
It seems a spectacular leap from black and white, three channel televisions of the past, to today’s technology allowing instant news that can be watched, paused, rewound. It seems increasingly obvious that TV does have an affect on the average American citizen. The mind cannot begin to handle all the information thrown at it from the many shows and characters in the media. While the television does offer some incite into the world abroad, it still, as Alice Walker stated, “belittles their intelligence”.
As our society becomes increasingly entangled with the media, it seems an ideal way to inform people about the issues facing our planet, or the mood of the people as a whole. The news is an excellent source of information that is widely available to all those who wish to utilize it. With an open mind, you can use the media as a medium for knowledge that relates to you not only the condition of those places beyond your home, but also the mood of an entire civilization. Furthermore, there are indeed some aspects of television that can be educational, teaching facts or life lessons. These things are available to you if you choose to use this possibly wonderful tool to help enlighten you and not the opposite. But though it is useful and readily there, this information is usually ignored for the less desirable features of media.
At times the TV may seem a blessing to the modern world, until you look deep and notice the unfavorable features of this box. “By the age of six the average child will have completed the basic American education… From television, the child will have learned hot to pick a lock, commit a fairly elaborate bank holdup, prevent wetness all day long, get the laundry twice as white, and kill people with a variety of sophisticated armaments.” This quote represents how inappropriate most television has become, and the appalling messages being sent out to the generations. It is similar to the maxim “garbage in, garbage out.” The constant negativity of the news, and poor decisions or ethics of the characters, can and does have an influence on the mind. Elinor Smith stated, “The moment I need a television puppet or clown to tell my children what’s right and wrong, I’ll bow out as a mother.” Often, the “lessons” that the characters and shows attempt to teach us very much contradict what most people, including the majority of parents, would agree to. Right and wrong are something that children and young adults should settle and decide on for themselves, without the influence of TV.
Often, for a short time, the mind needs to slip out of reality and just be entertained. But you must realize that as you rest on your couch, your mind stills draws in all the images appearing before you like a sponge. Most would not want the inappropriate scenes of the television to come out in the outside world, through them. It is this reason I’ve chosen to minimize the amount of influence that media has over me, avoiding the pointlessness of most TV. So I ask you now, kill your television?
It seems a spectacular leap from black and white, three channel televisions of the past, to today’s technology allowing instant news that can be watched, paused, rewound. It seems increasingly obvious that TV does have an affect on the average American citizen. The mind cannot begin to handle all the information thrown at it from the many shows and characters in the media. While the television does offer some incite into the world abroad, it still, as Alice Walker stated, “belittles their intelligence”.
As our society becomes increasingly entangled with the media, it seems an ideal way to inform people about the issues facing our planet, or the mood of the people as a whole. The news is an excellent source of information that is widely available to all those who wish to utilize it. With an open mind, you can use the media as a medium for knowledge that relates to you not only the condition of those places beyond your home, but also the mood of an entire civilization. Furthermore, there are indeed some aspects of television that can be educational, teaching facts or life lessons. These things are available to you if you choose to use this possibly wonderful tool to help enlighten you and not the opposite. But though it is useful and readily there, this information is usually ignored for the less desirable features of media.
At times the TV may seem a blessing to the modern world, until you look deep and notice the unfavorable features of this box. “By the age of six the average child will have completed the basic American education… From television, the child will have learned hot to pick a lock, commit a fairly elaborate bank holdup, prevent wetness all day long, get the laundry twice as white, and kill people with a variety of sophisticated armaments.” This quote represents how inappropriate most television has become, and the appalling messages being sent out to the generations. It is similar to the maxim “garbage in, garbage out.” The constant negativity of the news, and poor decisions or ethics of the characters, can and does have an influence on the mind. Elinor Smith stated, “The moment I need a television puppet or clown to tell my children what’s right and wrong, I’ll bow out as a mother.” Often, the “lessons” that the characters and shows attempt to teach us very much contradict what most people, including the majority of parents, would agree to. Right and wrong are something that children and young adults should settle and decide on for themselves, without the influence of TV.
Often, for a short time, the mind needs to slip out of reality and just be entertained. But you must realize that as you rest on your couch, your mind stills draws in all the images appearing before you like a sponge. Most would not want the inappropriate scenes of the television to come out in the outside world, through them. It is this reason I’ve chosen to minimize the amount of influence that media has over me, avoiding the pointlessness of most TV. So I ask you now, kill your television?
Prospective Poetry
So I remember when my sixth grade English teacher asked the class to define poetry, I was the only one to offer an answer. "Mrs. Luettgen," I told her, "poetry is pouring your soul into words..." Even now all these years later I still like that simple defintion of poetry, and if you asked me that same question she asked us, I would give you this same story. But anyways, at random and sundry times I will throw some poetry in here between the traditional writing (which I DO prefer), just to make myself feel more well-rounded. And special :) So here be sample 1...
Fire and Moonbeams:
You; the spark that that lights souls afire,
Here in my arms, tempting Desire
You; my ghost with silver eyes,
Testing Perspective with your innocent guise
You; the keen and kindly sin,
Guiding lost hearts by your winter-white skin
You; the sad songbird that calls others sing;
Surviving on moonbeams, those frailest of things…
You; of fire and moonbeams wrought,
My slowest of poisons that cannot be fought.
Ha ha, hope you liked it, (and I promise I won't feel bad if you didn't). Poetry... funny stuff...
Fire and Moonbeams:
You; the spark that that lights souls afire,
Here in my arms, tempting Desire
You; my ghost with silver eyes,
Testing Perspective with your innocent guise
You; the keen and kindly sin,
Guiding lost hearts by your winter-white skin
You; the sad songbird that calls others sing;
Surviving on moonbeams, those frailest of things…
You; of fire and moonbeams wrought,
My slowest of poisons that cannot be fought.
Ha ha, hope you liked it, (and I promise I won't feel bad if you didn't). Poetry... funny stuff...
Alright, so this may not be my first attempt at blogging, but it is most certainly my latest. I think the main conflict in the relationship between me and the Blog is that said Blog is just TOO demanding. It wants for a commitment that a busy schedule will just not allow, because although I DO love writing (and know writing will happen whether I update this site or not), I also love life, REAL interactions with people, soccer, my family, and a 1,000 other things that come before my time on the internet.
But despite all this I will try my best to put new writing on here at least more often then I have in the past (which is a very small mumber per year indeed), and although it is just as likely that I will be the only one to see any of the work that goes on this page, I will try and only add the slightly entertaining as well. Just for you :)
So that is my brief introduction into tha blogging scene (again), and I hope maybe some of you can show me how it is REALLY done when I visit your pages and see what you offer. So long for now...
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