Well, I wanted to do a rant about the horrible mediocrity of U2 and exress my confusion at the appeal of these bore-rockers, but apparently Maddox beat me to it. And he's way funnier than I could ever dream to be. But seriously, enough with U2.
I watched this show called My Coolest Years on VH1 all about "bad girls" in high school... A bunch of quasi-celebs bragging about how "cool" it was that they were dumb, drunk, and slutty in high school. Way to set an example. I've got to admit, I'm guilty of bragging about stupid crap sometimes ("I was so drunk the other night, huh huh...") but I'm not boasting that that's my lifestyle. I hate when people want to be adored for their worst qualities.
I hate shaving, having to worry about my hair or my breath. I like being clean but just don't like having to waste time on it. Another quote, this time going back to Fierce Invalids:
"Ritual he liked, but compulsory routine he hated. Thus, he resented every minute that he now had to surrender to showering, shampooing, shaving, and flossing and brushing his teeth. If mere men could devise self-defrosting refrigerators and self-cleaning ovens, why couldn't nature, in all of its complex, inventive magnificence, have managed to come up with self-cleaning teeth? "There's birth," he grumbled, "there's death, and in between there's maintenance." "
- Tom Robbins

Good times.

posted by MAtt D. at 8:51 PM

 
back in the land of the RED for the red and green holiday... and for a little humor this holiday season, I present to you author Christopher Moore's thesis on why the rest of the country generally hates California. (But you know, fuck those guys.)

"Winter denial - Theo did it, most Californians did it - they assumed that because the weather was nice most of the time, it would be nice all of the time, and so, in the midst of a rainstorm, you'd find people outdoors without an umbrella, or when nights dipped into the thirties, you'd still see someone dip-pumping his gas in surfer shorts and a tank top... Winter denial: therein lay the key to California Schadenfreude - the secret joy that the rest of the country feels at the misfortune of California. The country said: "Look at them, with their fitness and their tans, their beaches and their movie stars, their Silicon Valley and their silicone breasts, their orange bridge and their palm trees. God, I hate those smug, sunshiny bastards!" Because if you're up to your navel in a snowdrift in Ohio, nothing warms your heart like the sight of California on fire. If you're shoveling silt out of your basement in the Fargo flood zone, nothing brightens your day like watching a Malibu mansion tumbling down a cliff and into the sea. And if a tornado just peppered the land around your Oklahoma town with random trailer trash and redneck nuggets, then you can find a quantum of solace in the fact that the earth actually opened up in the San Fernando Valley and swallowed a whole caravan of commuting SUVs."
- The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore

I love Chris Moore - he wrote one of my favorite books called Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. If you aren't that into reading, but you like to laugh, you should check him out. Merry Christmas, California. The rest of you people... humbug.

posted by MAtt D. at 1:57 PM

 
back again fulfilling my innate urges for literary discussion. This time it's The World According to Garp by John Irving. A well-known novel, (at least to many of the older people I mention it to...) with some interesting ideas about love, lust, death, fear, yada yada universal theme this and that... But I picked out the following passage because I'm not sure how I feel about Garp's (the main character) thesis. I know that Abenicio! disagrees. At least, I'm pretty sure he does.

" "Art doesn't help anyone," Garp said. "People can't really use it: they can't eat it, it won't shelter or clothe them - and if they're sick, it won't make them well." This, Helen knew, was Garp's thesis on the basic uselessness of art; he rejected the idea that art was of any social value whatsoever - that it could be, that it should be. The two things mustn't be confused, he thought: there was art, and there was helping people ... But, true to his thesis, he saw art and social responsibility as two distinct acts."
- The World According to Garp, John Irving.

I don't believe they have to be...

posted by MAtt D. at 9:45 AM

 
There's nothing more dramatic than people who start sentences with "There's nothing more (adjective)." Sorry, I catch myself doing that a lot and realized what a drama queen it makes me look like. What I was going to say before I had said revelation was: There's nothing more disheartening to a teacher than the moment you realize how great a show you put on, how much effort and energy you pour into one kid, how much encouragement you give him, he's still going to fuck it up because he WANTS to fuck it up. He has some idea that there's something better out there than what I have to offer him, something that doesn't involve work. I honestly think that's the problem so many people have with school is that it's... work. It's not easy. And I believe that yes, there are people for whom academic pursuits hold no appeal. I've known those people. But to make this decision at age 14? And moreover, just because you've made that choice, is there any reason to bring the rest of the class down with you? You'd like to believe that you can make every kid believe and save every body that passes through your door... it's like finding out Santa ain't real. I hate to say I'm giving up on this kid, but I feel like that's the only option he's left me. The amount of stress and worry I've given this wannabe gansta cholo is hardly worth the amount of gratitude or effort I'm getting in return. I hate to say this but... fuck that guy.
posted by MAtt D. at 1:56 PM

 
"The instant elitism became a dirty word among Americans, any potential for high culture to develop in their country was tomahawked in its cradle. She quoted Thomas Jefferson to the effect that, "There exists a false aristocracy based on family name, property, and inherited wealth. But there likewise exists a true aristocracy based on intelligence, talent, and virtue." Switters had pointed out that either way, aristocracy seemed to be a matter of luck. Maestra responded tartly, "Virtue is not something you can win in a goddamned lottery." And years later Bobby had told him, "What the shiftless folks call 'luck,' the wise ol' boys recognized as karma.""

- Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins

posted by MAtt D. at 9:58 AM