My days recently have been punctuated with discussion of the homeless, of how we are feeding ourselves cheaply and killing our world, by articles about the bees disappearing and dying, of pictures of melting ice caps and oil stained creatures, of artists who manage to see beauty in broken factory towns. All of this makes me feel deeply reflective, grateful and causes an amount of introspection that inspires huge change. Inspiration, when brought upon at the right moment, can move generations and change lives. There is a shift in the wind, I hope.
Our country is teetering on the brink of so many advances in social welfare. Health care being obvious, and on the minds of many. Gay marriage is about to come to the forefront again as a new proposition heats up in Maine. And this leaves me nervous and anxious.
Often, as a liberal, people view me as moral-less, socialist, elitist. But as a liberal I see my compass of humanity pointing strongly in the direction of right (Left as it may be). Compassion for those who are less fortunate, art and science playing key roles for humanity, equality and prosperity for every human being and creature.
We have to take care of number one. That is true. But who is number one? No person is an island, no person is any stronger than the weakest link in their chain and please do not be mistaken, we are ALL connected. We are all part of the same chain, the same fabric, the same pattern of life. Our differences of education, skin, continent, sexuality and health divide us, but aren't they only distractions? If our family is unhealthy, it taxes us. If our street is run down, it taxes us. If our town loses jobs, it taxes us. If our state is intolerant, it taxes us. If our country is not responsible, it taxes us. If our continent has no resources, it taxes us. If our seas become polluted and dry, it taxes us. If our world dies, it is beyond taxing. It is the end of us.
Two things, you can count on. Death and taxes. We have to remember, in the world of consumption, that money is not the only thing that can be taxed. Humanity is tired. Humanity needs a nap, a break from itself, a corner to think and reflect. We ignore the children with AIDS, the men who are broken, the women who sell themselves, the animals who die and anyone who is pained is too heartbreaking. We are heartbroken, so we turn our backs. We push it off on our neighbors, our governments and we retreat to the sanctity of our own well-being. Because we are so concerned with number one.
The population of the world is in the millions, the billions and all those numbers break down to 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 ...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Advertising that just doesn't make sense.
I sometimes joke that my career is to manufacture and design trash. Newsprint, by nature, usually has a one day shelf-life. I say it jokingly when jovial, and cry it when drinking tequila; and such is life.
I am proud to say, however, that I still take pride in my work. Tomorrows trash as it may be. And as is the case with every career choice, there is a bottom of the barrel for design and I have been lucky enough not to have reached it (as yet). This barrel bottom that I speak of is, in my opinion, banner and pop up ad design. This un-clicked web trash is so disposable it doesn't even make it to print. I HATE these ads. They are usually horribly designed and more than not, are part of a scam. Lose weight, get a degree, buy real estate ... your bank account will be robbed at a mere click.
What spurred this diatribe on internet advertising is this ad:
Let's critique, shall we?
Life insurance. Already not something I am going to buy from a web ad. That's the kind of thing that I want a piece of paper and a friendly face behind. I won't even go into the typography of the thing, or how the layout is so horrendous that you would have to actually pay me money to make me read the whole thing. In fact, where the words life insurance not larger and a different color, I wouldn't have any idea what the ad was for. Why wouldn't I know? Because the picture MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE WHATSOEVER!!!! What the hell does a girl with really tightly pulled back hair and bad makeup, kissing a fake frog wearing a plastic crown that doesn't even fit his head have to do with LIFE INSURANCE?
I would claim to be speechless, except I just wrote a paragraph about how ridiculous it is. Why? Because it is ridiculous. And doesn't mean anything. I understand that Burger King does inappropriate commercials where girls are smacking their asses and trying to have sex with Spongebob Square Pants (or something) and that is supposed to sell hamburgers and that is what we call advertising these days but ... this life insurance ad crosses the line of suspended disbelief and verges on, nay, succeeds in; insulting my intelligence.
What the heck was this designer thinking? I understand how hard it is to come up with these ideas over and over again and that metaphors for life insurance are in short supply but come on!
And on top of that, it's fugly.
The end.
I am proud to say, however, that I still take pride in my work. Tomorrows trash as it may be. And as is the case with every career choice, there is a bottom of the barrel for design and I have been lucky enough not to have reached it (as yet). This barrel bottom that I speak of is, in my opinion, banner and pop up ad design. This un-clicked web trash is so disposable it doesn't even make it to print. I HATE these ads. They are usually horribly designed and more than not, are part of a scam. Lose weight, get a degree, buy real estate ... your bank account will be robbed at a mere click.
What spurred this diatribe on internet advertising is this ad:
Let's critique, shall we?
Life insurance. Already not something I am going to buy from a web ad. That's the kind of thing that I want a piece of paper and a friendly face behind. I won't even go into the typography of the thing, or how the layout is so horrendous that you would have to actually pay me money to make me read the whole thing. In fact, where the words life insurance not larger and a different color, I wouldn't have any idea what the ad was for. Why wouldn't I know? Because the picture MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE WHATSOEVER!!!! What the hell does a girl with really tightly pulled back hair and bad makeup, kissing a fake frog wearing a plastic crown that doesn't even fit his head have to do with LIFE INSURANCE?
I would claim to be speechless, except I just wrote a paragraph about how ridiculous it is. Why? Because it is ridiculous. And doesn't mean anything. I understand that Burger King does inappropriate commercials where girls are smacking their asses and trying to have sex with Spongebob Square Pants (or something) and that is supposed to sell hamburgers and that is what we call advertising these days but ... this life insurance ad crosses the line of suspended disbelief and verges on, nay, succeeds in; insulting my intelligence.
What the heck was this designer thinking? I understand how hard it is to come up with these ideas over and over again and that metaphors for life insurance are in short supply but come on!
And on top of that, it's fugly.
The end.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The unpredictability of the future, my sanity, and many many metaphors
Mine and Cris' life are in a place of flux. Things are constantly on the cusp of happening and we are fully aware that change is coming. What we are unaware of, is how large that change will be, when it will come, in what form and if it will truly allow us to exhale as completely as we hope. I realize I am speaking in code, however, at this point of hanging on there isn't much to say. Nothing has happened, and yet, things are in constant motion. It's too soon to tell. There are lights and a tunnel and the blazing and extinguishing of lights are so fast and frequent that they seem to be a candle flickering on a windy day in the tunnel. Maybe there is a train. It is a tunnel after all. Do you see what is happening? This is me losing my mind.
Because here is the thing: I am all for seeing where life takes me and unpredictability and spontaneity, except when life becomes Jell-o and you get suspended in the process of life. Hanging out, waiting for someone else to jiggle the plate. Metaphors are what happen when you have nothing to say.
There are so many conflicting emotions! I want things for Cris, I want things for myself, I want things for us as a couple and for our future and mostly, I just want the waiting for something good to happen to be over. I want there to be at least one set direction. There is a cross roads. There are like 12 signs, pointing in different directions and we are on a merry go round in the middle and wherever it stops, we have to follow that path and make the most out of it. And THAT is both frustrating and exciting.
Are you exhausted yet? Yeah, well, such has been our lives for the past ... 8 or 9 weeks. I have lost count. Crazy people in institutions lose count too. I realize, with all this whining that I am doing, that there are many many people in the same, similar, or worse boats than we are. There are so many people in these boats that the lake is damn crowded and folks are hitting each other over the head and fighting over the few fish that come to the surface.
I keep myself going by dreaming of all the possible outcomes. I dream about what would happen if this happened and what if that happened and today, today I just want to bake a cake and make it pretty and drink good coffee and read a book and be at peace. But, I am tired and there is much work to be done and slowly but surely, this week will drag on too. And slowly but surely, by the end of the week one or two more possibilities will become clearer in the murky water or disappear completely. And we will come to terms with the disappointment of lost opportunity and we will get excited over a new possible future. And we will soldier on until we finally catch the fish of our destiny. And there will be a feast.
Pretty sure I need to get some sleep. I am only this philosophical when I am sleepy. I could get a phd in philosophy so long as I get no more than 4 hours of sleep a night. That is a law of physics. Which I could never get a phd in because I barely passed high school physics. I am just going to hit publish post now and be done with it.
Because here is the thing: I am all for seeing where life takes me and unpredictability and spontaneity, except when life becomes Jell-o and you get suspended in the process of life. Hanging out, waiting for someone else to jiggle the plate. Metaphors are what happen when you have nothing to say.
There are so many conflicting emotions! I want things for Cris, I want things for myself, I want things for us as a couple and for our future and mostly, I just want the waiting for something good to happen to be over. I want there to be at least one set direction. There is a cross roads. There are like 12 signs, pointing in different directions and we are on a merry go round in the middle and wherever it stops, we have to follow that path and make the most out of it. And THAT is both frustrating and exciting.
Are you exhausted yet? Yeah, well, such has been our lives for the past ... 8 or 9 weeks. I have lost count. Crazy people in institutions lose count too. I realize, with all this whining that I am doing, that there are many many people in the same, similar, or worse boats than we are. There are so many people in these boats that the lake is damn crowded and folks are hitting each other over the head and fighting over the few fish that come to the surface.
I keep myself going by dreaming of all the possible outcomes. I dream about what would happen if this happened and what if that happened and today, today I just want to bake a cake and make it pretty and drink good coffee and read a book and be at peace. But, I am tired and there is much work to be done and slowly but surely, this week will drag on too. And slowly but surely, by the end of the week one or two more possibilities will become clearer in the murky water or disappear completely. And we will come to terms with the disappointment of lost opportunity and we will get excited over a new possible future. And we will soldier on until we finally catch the fish of our destiny. And there will be a feast.
Pretty sure I need to get some sleep. I am only this philosophical when I am sleepy. I could get a phd in philosophy so long as I get no more than 4 hours of sleep a night. That is a law of physics. Which I could never get a phd in because I barely passed high school physics. I am just going to hit publish post now and be done with it.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Shark Week tragedies
I have always had a passing interest in Shark Week. Basically, I watch it when I catch it. However, for my girlfriend Cris, it almost rivals the Super Bowl (ok, maybe I won't go that far. A playoff game maybe ... ). Therefore, I have been watching Shark Week all week long. yay.
Last night we were watching this show about shark attack survivors. It interested me enough that I was paying attention and we listened to several stories: the father, the thirteen year old girl, the young college student, the fisherman. There was only one that made Cris yell, "your stupid" and one that made Cris cry. Which stories you ask? Well, the one that was really the guys own stupidity was the spear fisherman. Honestly, you are hunting the same prey that the sharks eat and releasing their blood in the water. He was asking for it practically.
Which one made her cry you ask? Which one was so terrible, so horrendous and unthinkable that she cried? Oh, that was the one about the DOG. Yes. A dog. A small terrier. It was swimming under a dock, and it was attacked. The thing that I found incredible was the owner jumping in the water. THE SHARK INFESTED WATER and saving the dog. And before you cry too, yes, the dog lived.
This is not even close to being a new thing nor do I pretend to think that it is only Cris that falls prey to it (no pun intended). Why is it that people freak the frack out when they think that a dog or a cat is getting hurt but they don't give a rats ass about the three people that just died? What the hell is wrong with you people? Yep, I am lumping everyone else in the world into this category and I know what you are all thinking ... that I am heartless and horrible. You all are judging me because I don't watch the kitty cam in my free time at work. Well ... I just don't get it. And I certainly don't get why a dog getting attacked by a shark is more saddening than a kid. Jeez.
I am not NOT REPEAT: NOT SAYING that it isn't sad that the dog got bit by a shark. And, I think it is GREAT that he survived. He was cute. I just don't understand why a dog receives more empathy than a person. Please, feel free to enlighten me.
Last night we were watching this show about shark attack survivors. It interested me enough that I was paying attention and we listened to several stories: the father, the thirteen year old girl, the young college student, the fisherman. There was only one that made Cris yell, "your stupid" and one that made Cris cry. Which stories you ask? Well, the one that was really the guys own stupidity was the spear fisherman. Honestly, you are hunting the same prey that the sharks eat and releasing their blood in the water. He was asking for it practically.
Which one made her cry you ask? Which one was so terrible, so horrendous and unthinkable that she cried? Oh, that was the one about the DOG. Yes. A dog. A small terrier. It was swimming under a dock, and it was attacked. The thing that I found incredible was the owner jumping in the water. THE SHARK INFESTED WATER and saving the dog. And before you cry too, yes, the dog lived.
This is not even close to being a new thing nor do I pretend to think that it is only Cris that falls prey to it (no pun intended). Why is it that people freak the frack out when they think that a dog or a cat is getting hurt but they don't give a rats ass about the three people that just died? What the hell is wrong with you people? Yep, I am lumping everyone else in the world into this category and I know what you are all thinking ... that I am heartless and horrible. You all are judging me because I don't watch the kitty cam in my free time at work. Well ... I just don't get it. And I certainly don't get why a dog getting attacked by a shark is more saddening than a kid. Jeez.
I am not NOT REPEAT: NOT SAYING that it isn't sad that the dog got bit by a shark. And, I think it is GREAT that he survived. He was cute. I just don't understand why a dog receives more empathy than a person. Please, feel free to enlighten me.
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