Why I admire Ani DiFranco

She seems to say what she wants to say, but she reveals her weaknesses too. She doesn't just sing about defying everything and rebelling against the forces of evil. She speaks about how she sometimes gives in, how she lies sometimes, how she hurts people sometimes, and how she has been hurt. Her voice can get annoying sometimes, but it can also be very soothing and calming and warm. Her guitar playing is the same way. Sometimes it is obnoxious. Sometimes it mellows the sould. Ani is also one of my indie heroes, because she put out her own record label and supports local business. Ani Rocks!!

- docrivs (website blog email)

Learn more about Ani DiFranco

The Absurdity Of America's Cultural Obsession With Spectator Sports

I was just reading a post on Ryan's blog, Aimless, and it inspired me to think about how absurd it is for Americans, particularly American males, to be as obsessed as they are with being a consumer of spectator football and other spectator sports.

Ryan posted a short critique of a person's Technorati profile:

I am a seeker of truth. I am a student of astrology... I plan to become a life coach and continue my astrological studies. Until then, join me as I search for meaning in everyday life.

Yes. I agree that this short quote seems silly.

I'm not a believer in astrology either, but I do think it's fun to think about the similar character traits and personality styles that people share with the character traits and personality styles of other people who share their astrological sign. The descriptions of the zodiac sign personalities are general enough where they can be applied somewhat effectively, but there really is no scientific basis for believing that astrology is anything more than a fun way to pass the time.

Cultural practices throughout time

The way I see it, though, is that people have been using science-ish knowledge systems, like astrology, throughout human history. Astrology, numerology, and other "pseudo-scientific" knowledge systems are not cultural practices that appear to be dying off any time soon. Shamanism is not entirely "scientific", but I don't that cultural practice dying off anytime soon, either.

What about the practices of "laying on hands", spiritual healing, handling snakes, voodoo dolls, Jesus candles, and leaving out Floor #13 in high-rise buildings? Are these practices going to disappear?

Other people's cultural practices sometimes seem very different from my own. I don't even realize sometimes that I do things in an "American" way, until I compare them to, say, my wife, who is from Kazakhstan, or people I have met from Mexico, Sierra Leone, and Brazil. We do things a little differently here than they do it there.

Sometimes I find other people's cultural practices and beliefs to be in contrast to my own, and somtimes I find them to be silly. However, I do know that it is better to laugh at yourself than it is to laugh at others.

Silly American Cultural Practices

There are many cultural practices in America that I participate in somewhat, but not with the passion that many other Americans put into it. I'm talking about FOOTBALL. I'm talking about the American cultural practice of placing an incredibly HUGE value on the passion with which we engage in consuming (watching, reading about, thinking about, communicating about...) American sports.

Now this is an American cultural practice that, to me, seems ABSURDLY important to Americans, especially American males.

I'm a consumer of American sports too, just like many other Americans. I like watching a game, and I mean baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or whatever. I may even might watch more than one game in a weekend every once in a while. I own a few t-shirts (all OSU Buckeye gear) that communicate my participation in sports. I own two or three baseball hats that do the same (Boston Red Sox and OSU). I have been known to participate in a conversation about sports every now and again. I have read the sports pages (mostly USA Today and Dispatch) and looked over the websites from time to time. I've even attended a dozen or so live games, both professional and unprofessional (Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, Buckeyes, Blue Jackets, Indians, Virginia Cavs). In my opinion, I have a pretty moderate interest in participating in the sports obsessed culture of the American male.

On the other hand, I know guys (and girls!) who read the sports pages everyday, hang out on the sports webpages everyday, sometimes several hours a day, watch the sports news on TV every night, watch ESPN everyday, talk with their coworkers about sports everyday, talk with their friends about sports everyday, talk with their family about sports everyday, and talk about sports with people they hardly know everyday... Now, that seems absurd to me. That seems like a colossal waste of time to me.

Now, to criticize this cultural practice with people who are obesessed with it is to come up against an intense amount of defensiveness, usually in the form of personal attack. I have been known to both participate in and criticize the American sports obsession. However, since it is such an entrenched cultural institution, I am accused of not being "guy"-like or "American"-like when I criticize the practice. When I express the fact that I don't share that passion for sports and I get personal attacks in response it only makes me see this sports obsession as a ridiculous part of life here in America.

Lord of the Flies, anyone?

America's obsession with consuming sports seems like a throwback to the days when every male was a warrior and/or a hunter and there was a clear purpose for engaging in sports. So, what really is the clear purpose of slugging beer and pretzels, sitting around a glowing box of light, and yelling, "TOUCHDOWN!!!!" with a bunch of overintoxicated, gassed-up, screaming crowd of people? Is it really just a social bonding practice? Is it a ritual of nationalistic furor? Is it a moment to revel in the vestigial cultural practices of our early hominid ancestors?

I'm not sure what exactly is the nature of the American sports consumption obsession. There are many cultural practices that we participate in and perpetuate the participation in, as Americans. Many of them seem absurd to me, so I realize that I am picking on football and other sports consumption. However, I do think it deserves a thought.

We can't forget, however, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Jerry Springer Show, American Idol, Lost, "reality-TV", MTV, Court TV, COPS, CNN, pop music, dining out, boob jobs, horror movies, crime drama TV, and a whole slew of other American culture ridiculosities.

Also, it wouldn't be fair of me to leave out some of my own obsessions that, although I still have a passion for, seem slightly ridiculous to me, and those would include 80's-era hair bands, binge drinking, break dancing, being a vegetarian, getting no less engorged over the thought of a Jeep than the thought of a beautiful and sexy woman going out of her way to please me. Yes. These are cultural practices that I share with many other Americans, and they are RIDICULOUS!!!!

No less ridiculous than the belied that the 30 day time period of a person's date of birth influences that person's personality style and character traits, and thus, influencing the that person's life and the lives of other people who interact with that person.

- docrivs (blog website email)

Yes, only fools rush in

I was breezin' through 43 Things, when I found some guy's goal to hack into his girl's private email account to confirm his suspicion that she is unfaithful to him.

Yes, only fools rush in. I couldn't escape how much I could relate to this uncomfortable situation.

Here is my addition to this thread, for which I can't seem to find the permalink:

-----------------------------------------------------------

Not only are you right, but you have cut right to the point.

How can a man who does not trust his woman expect that woman to trust him?

It's easy for a man to feel paranoid, insecure, jealous, and worried when he is unsure of the truth. When the truth is uncertain the fear comes out.

It's more difficult and takes more discipline for a man to control his thoughts and emotions and get a freakin' grip. I know this, because I have played the jealous guy too. It's not a good role.

When a man gives in to jealous thoughts and fear, he loses the best parts of being a man. He loses confidence, strength, self-reliance, independence, and all that is what females value and call "masculine".

What is a man to do when he suspects that his woman might not be faithful?

What should he do when he suspects that his woman may be playing him for a fool, hiding the truth, lying, and sneaking, crawling around on the floor with another man?

Should he lose it? Should he act out his wrath? Should he go out to pursue her and look for her and, perhaps, catch her in the act? Should he check the usual suspects, which would be the ex-boyfriend, the ex-husband, the "friend" that you don't trust, the new guy she has taken an interest in?

Or...

Should the man play it cool? Should he exert self-control, witholding judgment until it is self-evident that his intuition is correct? Should he calm himself and tighten the reins on his imagination, or let his imagination run free and wild?

The man can betray his woman's trust, trying to get into her private emails against her wishes and without her knowledge. That man risks losing the potential for future trust. That man risks destroying any trust that is already there. For what? For finding out "the truth"?

Even if a man read every private email his woman sent or received, and he determined the truth about whether or not his girl is being faithful or not, there would be more questions. He would find secrets he did know about before. His mind would be filled with new information. He would doubt. He would question. Wild thoughts of suspicion and fear would race through his mind.

Would spying and stalking really solve anything? How many ends would a man leave unturned once he started? How far would a man go to decide for himself whether to trust or not?

- docrivs (blog website email)

Def Metal Is A Graffiti Video

I was looking at hurtyoubad.com, and I found this trailer to a video, or movie, about graffiti on subway trains.

There is music by, what sounds like, the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, playing during the trailers.

There are some nicely tagged trains that ride by, and there is a clip of a writer doing his thing.

It's not as the good as the one I saw the other night, which I will post, but it looks okay.

Effervescence

Apparently, the "goth rock" (?) band, Evanescence has hit number 1 on the album charts, with The Open Door, selling almost 450,000 copies of it during its first week of release.

Now that is a hell of a release!

Whether or not you want to describe this band, whose name I had much trouble remembering when I first wanted to say it a couple of years ago, as "goth rock", "pop metal", or "pop rock" is up to you. I dig Amy Lee's voice, though. The music seems to fit her voice rather well too. When I first heard the big single that put them in our radios, I recalled how I used to wonder what a band would sound like if they played Tool songs and had a female singer, like Tori or Bjork.

Before I was able to commit the name of the band to memory I could only recall the word, "effervescence" (can you read in French?).

Well, then I heard Rik Johnson & Emily (now) Johnson performing Tool songs, with Emily singing. They sounded baaaaaad. I mean baaaaad as in very good. Emily, unfortunately, does not sing in public much more than I do, these days, but you can check out Rik's band, Medicine Gone. I've also mentioned them in this blog, sort of.

Anyway, what I was trying to say, before I got sidetracked, was that when I heard Emily and Rik doing a Tool song, "Swamp Song", maybe, they rocked, and they sounded like what I imagined Tool would sound like, with a female singer.

Evanescence is not Tool, but I think that their sound captures a similar vibe, albeit without all the male aggression, testosterone, animosity, and machismo that comes with most male "heavy metal" singers. I'm sure that Maynard would not be happy being called a heavy metal singer, and he can do more than sing heavy metal, but Tool is a heavy band. They play loud. The mood of their music can be very angry and primal. They can be both aggressive and submissive.

Am I comparing Evanescence to Amy & Rik and Amy & Rik to Tool, and then, comparing Tool to a woman? :O

Well, actually... ... Why not? This is MY DAMN BLOG, thank you.

Anyway, is this about Evanescence, Amy & Rik, or about Tool? Or is this about comparing a band to a woman? I'm not sure, but that's all I have to say about that.

- docrivs (blog website email)

Is Jeff Meyers A Jesus Freak?

I found this website on a Google search for "medicinegone". According to Jeff, he plays in an acoustic duo called Evolution Done Me Wrong.

Well, evolution done us all wrong, Jeff...

But at least most of us have opposable thumbs \m/, Jesus Freak!!!

- docrivs (blog website email)

Escape Plan Or Seizure Of An Opportunity?

When I read this "Oddly Enough" article that appeared on my RSS Feed, I was expecting it to be about a prisoner in the U.S.. I was surprised to see the photo of the silouetted figure of an Asian-looking woman, doing, what looks to be, standing and reading a book in a small prison cell.

Apparently, Nguyen Thi Oanh, 39, convicted of possessing 1 billion dong (about $63,000) worth of heroin, had been in solitary confinement for almost a year in a Vietnamese prison. She tested positive, according to one doctor, for the right hormones, when she was 11 weeks into the pregnancy.

Very unfortunately for this soon-to-be mommy, the punishment for trafficking more than 600 grams of heroin in Vietnam is a crime punishable by death or life's confinement in prison. She lost her appeal against the death sentence and was due to face a firing squad this year.

Nguyen's husband was serving a jail sentence in another prison in some other part of the country, according to the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper where this story originally was found, before Reuter posted it to the RSS world.

There supposedly was a question as to how Nguyen became pregnant while in solitary confinement. I'm not sure if that is really an intelligent question.

My question is will she be given the pardon, now that there is a life inside her bpdy. What was the nature of this unborn child's birth? Was it a mutually desired act? Was the act planned or was it spontaneous? Was she forced?

Will that unborn child stay alive long enough to enter into the world? If the child is born, then what will be this child's name?

How did Nguyen end up with 1 billion dong of heroin in her possession? Was that the first time? Was she actually consciously trafficking in that commodity, or was she an unwitting mule?

I think I want to believe that she was a desparate woman who took a risk because she thought it was the right thing to do at the time. We can always look at ourselves and say that we are victims of something. We are victims of our times. We are victims of genetics. We are victims of corporate power. We are victims of "God's Plan". We are victims of circumstance. However, I would like to think that we have some choice in the matter, that we are given the ability to think consciously and make decisions based on that ability. We are not just feathers in the wind, even when it seems that way.

- docrivs (blog website email)

Ryan Wants To Do Voiceovers

In one of Ryan's most recent posts, he stated... I'm sorry... restated... that he would like a job doing character voiceovers for video clips, movies, cartoons, and such.

Does anyone reading this have the ability to help me help Ryan? Does anyone reading this know someone else who may have the ability to help me help Ryan? If so, then please drop a comment below this post or email me or Ryan.

As some old buddies of mine used to like to say, we thank you for your support!!!

- docrivs (blog website email)

Carter Beauford

Now, I don't need to explain why Carter is still my most favorite drummer of all time.

It helps to have a sense of humor and not take life too seriously

Dimebag Playing in the street

Stupid credits!!!

dimebag on technorati dimebag on del.icio.us

- docrivs (blog website)

Pantera - Cemetary gates

Dimebag... What can I say?

Interpol - Evil

Rosemary... Heaven restores you in life.

These guys rule. They totally remind me of Joy Division, and they even remind me slightly of Bauhaus, but they are 80s-inspired, for sure. I still don't get tired of this album.

Tool - Sober

Do I have to explain why I think this song is so awesome and why it blew me away when I first heard it?

Interview with Maynard during 'Undertow' days

Maynard on Henry Rollins from the Undertow days, being interviewed by some blue and blonde haired MTV reporter. Rollins owed a gambling debt to the guys in Tool, he said.

Twelve Girls Band - Carnival (Live)

flute chinese china music girls 12girlband harp

Cole meets Jeffrey

This is one of my favorite scenes from 12 Monkeys. This is when Cole enters main population in the mental institution, and he meets Jeffrey for the first time.

"know your doses..."

Excellent Video!

Amelie Warning Sign

This well-produced video was created from scenes of the movie, Amelie, and the song, "Sparks", by Coldplay.

Not so great

I saw the Stereophonics at Little Brothers in Columbus last summer. They were really poppy (which has to be a little risky in order for me to dig in) and not that impressive. Their sound was really polished, in a not so tasty way. However, the opener was a band called Augustana, and they ROCKED! They had a lot of energy and honesty and seemed a lot less rock star-like. What I was expecting was the guys who covered “Don’t Let Me Down”, by the Beatles.

Oh, well. Maybe it was an off night for them?

- docrivs (blog website)

See more progress on: see the Stereophonics live

The Wild Things Haunt The Boy's Dreams

My stepson is scared of the illustrations in this story. I think it gives him nightmares. I won’t say how old he is, but he’s very young and sensitive. So, although I think the illustrations and the story are great, as I did when I was a child, he doesn’t want me anyone read it with him. Hopefully, he’ll have a good opportunity to read it when he feels brave and is not too old to appreciate Where The Wild Things Are, as only a child can.

- docrivs (blog website)

Here are a list of links to Where The Wild Things Are products, including the book itself: Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are (Caldecott Collection) Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are Notecard Portfolio Where the Wild Things Are Notecard Portfolio Where the wild things are Where the wild things are Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are Christmas Cards Where the Wild Things Are, Cassette and Book Where the wild things are Where the Wild Things Are Stationery Set A Guide for Using Where the Wild Things Are in the Classroom MJ4 Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are II Christmas Cards Where the Wild Things Are, Outside Over There, and Other Stories Audio Where the Wild Things Are First Edition ((Harper & Row 1963)) Donde Viven Los Monstruos/Where the Wild Things Are Donde Viven Los Monstruos/Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are 2005 Wall Calendar Where the Wild Things Are, LeapFrog, Interactive Book & Cartridge (Little Touch LeapPad Library, Infant & Toddler)

See more progress on: Where The Wild Things Are

A story about "Red Beans and Rice"

Red Beans and Rice

This is my version of red beans and rice: I made a big pot of rice on Friday, added canned diced tomatoes, diced white onions, canned red kidney beans, salt, green chile powder, cumin, and tapatio hot sauce. It needs a heavier dose of the spices, but it’s pretty good. I just heated up a portion in the microwave, added some cheddar cheese and sour cream, and now, I’m about to eat it, while listening to the Beasties.

- docrivs

docrivs.com

See more about Red Beans and Rice

A story about "Root Down"

Root Down

by Beastie Boys

The music of the Beastie Boys usually helps me to smile, laugh, and put aside the dramas and stresses of life. Most of the lyrics and music are really positive and energetic. The beats make me want to dance and move around, or at least, bob my head.

I don’t have a favorite Beastie. They’re all part of the sound: Mike D, Ad Rock, MCA, DJ Hurricane, and the many other musicians, producers, and artists who work with them.

This CD is an EP that was released as a “maxi-single” for the single, “Root Down”. It has three different versions of that song and 7 live songs that ROCK! Maybe singles aren’t your thing, because you’d rather buy the album the single was released on. However, if you are a Beasties fan, then you must own this CD. The remixes of “Root Down”, alone, are worth the cost of the CD, but the live tracks are great: “Sabrosa”, “Time To Get Ill”, “The Maestro”, “Heart Attack Man”, “Flute Loop”, “Something’s Got To Give”, and “Time For Livin’”. Then, there are some hidden goodies tacked onto the ends of some of the tracks, after some blank space, like someone singing, in what sounds like Japanese, over “So Wat’cha Want”.

It will make you want to move around.

- docrivs

docrivs.com

See more about Root Down

HurtYouBad.Com

HurtYouBad.Com

by people who support graffiti culture

This blog, hurtyoubad, was at the top on Technorati for the tag graffiti. I thought I'd share it. If you like to look at some good writing, some brash bombing, and some mad graffiti skills, then you should check out this site.

- docrivs

See more about hurtyoubad.com

Freight Train Graffiti

Freight Train Graffiti

by Roger Gastman

I’ve been known to stare at walls and trains that were painted with huge graffiti pieces ever since I was about 11 or 12. There are pieces that I saw then, in 1983 and 1984, that I can still see in my mind. Those pieces were stylized logos created by some graffiti artist for early hardcore punk bands, DK (the Dead Kennedys) and Minor Threat, amongst others. The Minor Threat piece was done with a black sploch explosion, white lettering, with an almost fluorescent outline of the explosion. I thought it was pretty cool, and it made me want to be a writer.

I also remember the tag of the artist I suspect bombed the wall of the underside of a bridge in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a town I lived in when I was young. He was known as “Bonesy”, and he was most famous for stealing a Cadillac, getting toasted, and driving at high speeds, fleeing from the police. He wrapped that Cadillac around a tree and lost his life as a result of that adventure. There was a memorial at the Middle School that I was attending when he died. I don’t know if I ever met him or not, but I saw photos of him, and I think I’d seen him around. The mystery of who was the writer of the tags on the bridge was solved for me, though, as far as I was concerned. I don’t know how old Bonesy was when he died, but he certainly wasn’t past his 20’s.

During that time period, break dancing, rap music (before it was called “hip hop”), and graffiti writing was becoming popularized in the shopping malls, the street, movies, TV, music, and album covers. MTV was new then – just a few years old. We didn’t even have the connections for cable in our neighborhood.

I did try my hand at writing; I bought some krylon. I made my block letters and outlines. My pieces were mostly on surfaces that were by the water. I used sea walls, the undersides of docks, rock outcroppings, and stairways that led down to the beaches. There were maybe five or six of them that I did – all of them in black, blue, and white.

Back then, I didn’t think to take photos of my pieces. I guess I saw them so often that I took them for granted and thought I’d always be around to see them and show them off.

Now, I’m not associated with the graffiti movement anymore, but the graffiti culture and the history of that culture still fascinates me. But, most of all, it’s the pieces that fascinate me. It’s my inability to be able to read the writing that usually keeps me staring, trying to make out what the piece says. Sometimes I think I get it; other times I can’t figure it out. However, as art goes, it doesn’t always matter whether you get it or not; what matters is that it moves you and you remember it.

- docrivs

Freight Train Graffiti on All Consuming

New Life

I'm officially a condo owner/resident!

It's not all cheers and smiles, though. :( It would be a much happier move if it weren't part of the process of separating from my wife and her two children.

However, as it is probably a good thing that my wife and I are taking some time to be apart, I am looking forward to the possibilities that the future holds in my new life. In this case, I made a series of life-changing decisions without giving myself enough time to ask the right questions and think through it all.

There's some good in making decisions from the heart. There's some good in listening to your mind. However, when your mind is telling you that things aren't adding up, and you choose to ignore those things rather than look them closely in the eye, then you aren't thinking through it all. There are times when it is better to go with your heart than with your mind, but in this case, my wife and I both went with what our minds were telling us.

Life in downtown Columbus is rather thrilling and exciting. We're going through a revitalization movement here, and there is all kinds of commercial and residential projects developing in this area. There is a great new grocery store in the Brewery District. There are many restaurants, clubs, and bars in German Village. There is also a large, well-stocked, independently owned bookstore in that area. The City Center mall is due for some revitalizing. The library is one of the best I've ever visited, and it's a great place to borrow CDs and DVDs, in addition to books. There are at least three well-known colleges downtown. The Arena District, the Short North District, and the cities of Bexley and Grandview are all nearby. This is a walking area, and I think I'll be able to walk or ride my bike everywhere and save gas. I'm also within walking distance to work, which is really convenient for me, so long as I am working at the same place or in this area.

So, this is a new direction in my life.