May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010
30 May 2010
28 May 2010
Disregard.
It may seem juvenile to say that you enjoy solitude. To acknowledge some erroneous teenage trait of being considered a rebel. And finding solace in a knee jerk reaction to the daily expectations of polite society can and is, generally seen to be an antiquated character flaw that has no place in today’s world of open communication and social networking. At times however, you are seen by all to be nothing but this. The loner, the outcast, the depsperate youth – even if you happen to be the wrong side of 35.
I know this first hand and from the perspective of one who can appear to be one way or another, from one day to the next. Example; On a warm bright day I am walking to work having shaved and wearing an ironed shirt and sunglasses. I seem to most people (judging by their initial reactions at least) to be a normal/respectable – however you choose to define either of those – young man. Average. Standard. And they find comfort in that image. It's not an image I've ‘chosen’ but rather it so happens that a particular shirt seemed the right one to put on that morning and that my sunglasses say Rayban on them, which some of them find familiar, or it may even mirror what they themselves are wearing.
A few days later; I'm unshaven, have on an old t-shirt and jeans, and am riding my skateboard though the streets - not so busy as to require careful consideration of the pedestrians, but filled with enough office workers and civilians for me to have to slow down over most of my journey.
The looks now change. They range from bemusement (grown man on a skateboard) to irritation (skateboard too close to me) to a combination of confusion and contempt. Overall though there is one reaction that is more apparent than all else – disregard. Of the few talents I posses (and of those, the only really useful one in practical terms) is an excellent sense of character. I say sense rather than judgement, although I have that too, because as in cases such as this I’m going on instinct and appearance only – usually within a window of a few minutes with passers by on the street.
They quite literally, within a few moments consider you and decide you are not worth their time or attention any further. And I find this intriguing as it only seems to happen when I am skating from one place to another. In the environment of a skatepark or unofficial ‘designated’ area where there may be other skateboarders, there is no untoward reaction or consideration from members of the public. But they appear almost ‘put out’ at the idea of you encroaching on what they deem to be rightfully theirs; the pavement.
Not that it matters, it really doesn’t. When you have been doing something, anything, for 20 years, there isn’t much left to surprise you in relation to how you can be treated by less than understanding people. No one else I know lets it bother them, I mean, why should it. Still – I seem to notice it more and more and at times want to stop to question the individual. What is it that you find so confusing, or threatening? I don’t think they’d even know – but retreating into defensive mode and convincing yourself that someone doesn’t ‘matter’ due to the fact they are engaged in something you cannot comprehend, is far more juvenile and childish than feeling like a rebel could ever be.
I know this first hand and from the perspective of one who can appear to be one way or another, from one day to the next. Example; On a warm bright day I am walking to work having shaved and wearing an ironed shirt and sunglasses. I seem to most people (judging by their initial reactions at least) to be a normal/respectable – however you choose to define either of those – young man. Average. Standard. And they find comfort in that image. It's not an image I've ‘chosen’ but rather it so happens that a particular shirt seemed the right one to put on that morning and that my sunglasses say Rayban on them, which some of them find familiar, or it may even mirror what they themselves are wearing.
A few days later; I'm unshaven, have on an old t-shirt and jeans, and am riding my skateboard though the streets - not so busy as to require careful consideration of the pedestrians, but filled with enough office workers and civilians for me to have to slow down over most of my journey.
The looks now change. They range from bemusement (grown man on a skateboard) to irritation (skateboard too close to me) to a combination of confusion and contempt. Overall though there is one reaction that is more apparent than all else – disregard. Of the few talents I posses (and of those, the only really useful one in practical terms) is an excellent sense of character. I say sense rather than judgement, although I have that too, because as in cases such as this I’m going on instinct and appearance only – usually within a window of a few minutes with passers by on the street.
They quite literally, within a few moments consider you and decide you are not worth their time or attention any further. And I find this intriguing as it only seems to happen when I am skating from one place to another. In the environment of a skatepark or unofficial ‘designated’ area where there may be other skateboarders, there is no untoward reaction or consideration from members of the public. But they appear almost ‘put out’ at the idea of you encroaching on what they deem to be rightfully theirs; the pavement.
Not that it matters, it really doesn’t. When you have been doing something, anything, for 20 years, there isn’t much left to surprise you in relation to how you can be treated by less than understanding people. No one else I know lets it bother them, I mean, why should it. Still – I seem to notice it more and more and at times want to stop to question the individual. What is it that you find so confusing, or threatening? I don’t think they’d even know – but retreating into defensive mode and convincing yourself that someone doesn’t ‘matter’ due to the fact they are engaged in something you cannot comprehend, is far more juvenile and childish than feeling like a rebel could ever be.
STP
I've had this on repeat since yesterday morning, trying to soak up the vibe, as it were. It's interesting when bands 'come back' with a different sound from that which made their name. And I wasn't expecting 'Core part 2' but this is a side-step for STP and so far I'm liking it. it's a bit Beatles, a bit Bowie and a bit 'some band that was on Whistle Test in 1979'. There are a couple of overly flowery tracks but overall it's a good listen, and like Backspacer or REM's Accelerate - it's short and to the point enough to suggest the promise of another album in the near future.
20 May 2010
Sprint
I am no longer myself.
Training my flesh to ignore
And deceive the ghost.
Making others believe in my abilities.
Ability.
A silent chuckle,
While no one listens.
A quick sprint while no one watches.
I am a wonder of nature and evolution,
Wrapped in a sweet white frosting.
And still I’m no further from bankruptcy
Or closer to any of the gods.
May 2010
17 May 2010
Quote of the day
'I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men.' Marlene Dietrich
Clever...
See the gravity-defying illusion that has won the 2010 Best Illusion of the Year Contest. The "Impossible Motion" illusion, was created by Kokichi Sugihara of the Meiji Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences in Kawasaki, Japan.
13 May 2010
Mr Fox
Watched this last night:. Surprisingly good. I won't spoil it, but among other things - there's an oddly moving scene at the end, involving a wolf.
6 May 2010
Diamond Jacks
Popped in to Diamond Jacks on the way home yesterday - this was my view for an hour or so in the evening:
Cheers Darryl
5 May 2010
empty
So... imagine yourself standing in the centre of St Pauls Cathedral. If a single atom was the size of St Pauls, then the nucleus - the centre of the atom containing most of its mass - would be about the size of a single grain of sand. All the space around the grain if sand, the entire interior of St Pauls, is essentially full of nothing. Empty. This is the stuff we’re made of remember, so if all the space inside us were removed, the planet’s entire population would apparently reduce down to the size of a apple.
That BLOWS my mind.
Quote of the day
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."
Albert Einstein
4 May 2010
A severe lack of empathy
Is what I’m feeling this right now. Lots of little things getting to me before 8.30am is not a great start - but not the end of the world. The general public seem to be getting more stupid as the days and weeks and lifetimes pass. Suffice to say after last nights DVD viewing, when it comes to attitude this morning I am right there with this guy:
2 May 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)