Short Story: Memories of Hazey Jane
Posted on November 20, 2008
I won’t try to speak for all writers, but sometimes I do think that story ideas are literally a dime a dozen.
Most days they invite themselves over, emerging from the recesses of your mind, making themselves home in your consciousness while you’re doing something else - reading another book, watching a movie, listening to the news. They’re the “what ifs” an imaginative mind is always asking. Most of the time they pass. “Someone else can do it better”, we might reason. “That’s been done already - too cliché!” we might suppose. Or perhaps the most disheartening reason of all - “Nobody cares!”
Who knows? Those reasons might very well be true. On the other hand, there are some ideas that resonate with us so strongly that we feel compelled to pursue them nevertheless.
The idea behind this story was one of those. After returning from my European vacation last year, I felt compelled to write it. At the time, I didn’t know why. Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, I realize that the main character in this story was, in many ways, a projection of myself onto the page. Having just graduated school, about to start my career, I wondered what it would be like to make some past decisions - even small ones - differently.
I’m not quite sure what to do with it now. It’s in a pretty rough state, but I satisfied something within myself by writing it. Hopefully you’ll find it an interesting read as well.
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Mouth on Fire: Duncan Sheik (and friends) At Town Hall
Posted on November 17, 2008
I’m on a high, and there’s nothing more to it - listening to Duncan Sheik at Town Hall this past Thursday was definitely one of my year’s highlights.
And I’m not exaggerating. If you’re one of my Last.fm buddies, you probably understand just how obsessed I am with his music - apparently I listen to him twice as much as any other artist! Most of you will remember him (if you do), for his 1996 single “Barely Breathing“, which stayed on the Top 20 for more than a year. That was a great single, but his skills as a singer-songwriter have come so far since then that it would be a shame if you never listened to his later material.
» Filed Under Everything and Nothing, Music | Leave a Comment
Quick Pick: Warrior of the Light
Posted on November 15, 2008
Two years ago, I finally got to reading a book everyone told me I ought to read - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the bestselling Brazillian author. It was a short, but deeply moving tale with hard-hitting truths that belied its simplicity.
It was just as well that I read it then; as a soon-to-be college graduate, its lessons on following your dreams and Personal Legend especially resonated with me. Imagine my delight, then, to learn that Coelho wrote a companion to The Alchemist, called “Warrior of the Light“. From the title, I was expecting something of a Cervantean romance, with a life-affirming quest, intriguing characters, and a rock-solid hero unfazed by even the largest of obstacles.
This past week, I read it - not what I was expecting!
Though the book begins with an intriguing fable about a boy searching for a temple under the sea, this frame story is quickly concluded, as the book soon reveals its raison d’être - teaching, instead of storytelling. Instead of another novel, Coelho has written a very personal treatise, summarizing his ideas on how how live a rich, fulfilling life. In the tradition of books such as The Art of War, Warrior of the Light is filled with page after page of thoughtful aphorisms meant to guide us through life’s tough moments.
For example, Coelho has some encouraging thoughts on the importance of establishing a work/life balance:
“If the strings of an instrument are always taught, they go out of tune……that is why, even if he is not in the mood, the Warrior of the Light tries to enjoy the small everyday things of life”.
For men and women of great responsibility, sometimes working in the shadow of our predecessors can be too much to bear. Or perhaps others take it upon themselves to consistently remind you just how much rides on your words and actions. Coelho reminds us that we don’t need to have all the answers today:
“A responsible Warrior is not someone who takes the weight of the world on his shoulders, but someone who has learned to deal with the challenges of the present.”
Some of the book’s passages are especially relevant to today’s climate. Having just gone through a rough election cycle, during which members from both parties attempted to paint each other as out-of-touch, incompetent, and sometimes just plain wicked, this reminder especially rings true:
“In order to have faith in his own path, he does not need to prove that someone else’s path is wrong”.
Occasionally, Coelho puts his own words aside and directly quotes other well-known thinkers, such as Chico Xavier and Lao Tzu. Just who are these Warriors of the Light? A character at the end of the frame story remarks that he is “someone capable of understanding the miracle of life, of fighting to the last for something he believes in.” In other words, any of us who are willing to accept life’s uncertainty and to struggle for what we believe in, whether we be artists, politicians, activists - or even ordinary people. This is the core of Coelho’s philosophy - pursuing our dreams, holding true to our principles while doing so, and doing so while humbly accepting guidance from this world and above.
I think it’s worth a read. Some may consider Coelho’s thoughts to be “new-agey”, but I think they’re surprisingly very pragmatic, even if they err on the side of idealism. You may have heard some of these ideas before, from other philosophers and writers, but Coelho has a talent for making these teachings so warm and accessible, that you’ll likely find yourself returning to them again and again, even if you’re not into spirituality or philosophy.
Warrior of the Light - A Manual
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FW:FW:FW: Things Girls Don’t Realize About Guys - THE TRUTH
Posted on November 13, 2008
My friends, we live in a time of utmost uncertainty. The internets are rife with information that is incomplete, half-true, or just plain wrong.
Take for instance, an e-mail I got this morning while I was wasting time on Twitter looking for another job. The subject: Things girls don’t realize…Take NOTE. Looking at the headers, I saw that it was forwarded to dozens upon dozens of netizens, some friends, some strangers; with so many unsuspecting lives at stake, I decided to take the risk of opening said e-mail, and judge the worth of its contents for itself:
5. Guys hate it when you talk about your ex-boyfriend or ex love-interest. Unless they’re goin for the let-her-complain-to-you-and-then-have-her-realize-how-wonderful-and-nice-you-are method.
This is demonstrably FALSE. In the checkered past of my female relationships, having little going for me but my “niceness”, I have tried this approach, and I can assure you, dear readers, that it DOES NOT WORK. What usually happens is that the male will tolerate discussion of his rival up to a certain point, after which he will either:
- Lash out against girl.
- Have a nervous breakdown.
- Impatiently blurt out secret, forbidden, romantic feelings, culminating in awkwardness, embarrassment, and possibly a restraining order.
» Filed Under Everything and Nothing, Writing | Leave a Comment
A Nugget of Wisdom: Not all Who Wander are Lost
Posted on November 10, 2008
Not too long ago, while in nostalgia’s grip, I went through some of my old college papers. You could say that it was a formative time for me - I was a young man let loose in a strange new school, with little but his wits and a dream to see him through four years of the most rigorous (and painful) academic program around - Electrical Engineering at the Cooper Union. In my Engineering Management class, one of our assignments was to think of a “nugget of wisdom”, and how it influenced our life. Being the uber-geek that I am, I chose a quote from Lord of the Rings, and wrote about why I chose to become an engineer, despite well-intended criticism from others.
It was written at the peak of my naivete, before bankruptcies, 401k’s, and bailouts, but I think it’s interesting enough to merit a reprint:
A Nugget of Wisdom: Not All Who Wander are Lost
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Tales of the Young and Unemployed, Part 2
Posted on November 7, 2008
Two weeks after unceremoniously losing my job, I can only say this: Being unemployed’s not as bad as I thought. You really ought to try it sometime.
Do I miss having a career path? You betcha. A promise of disposable income? Of course. I have bills to pay just like anyone else, and there are days I wonder just how long it’ll be before I’m back on my feet. At the same time, life rarely offers you opportunities like these to discover the kind of person you really are.
When I was working 8, 9, 10 hour days, I had a laundry list of things I swore I would do, “if only I had the time!” - from learning a new programming language, catching up on my reading, dabbling in web design, writing a short story, and going on photo shoots, among others. Hell, if I felt like it, I could do something really cool like backpack across Europe, take a road trip out west, open up a little bar in the corner of somewhere…
Suddenly, I have all the time in the world. What exactly will I do with it?
Being unemployed requires strength of character. Many of my friends, in both cyberspace and meatspace, have told me that this is the time to launch a photography/writing/web development career - an opportunity to transform my life. True as that might be, opportunity is really only half the story. What I’m learning the hard way is that it takes discipline to make any dreams come true. If passion is a blacksmith’s forge, then discipline is the hammer and anvil that makes something tangible from that pure creative energy.
With a Wii across the room, a hard drive filled with untouched games, and cable TV downstairs, it’s all too easy to become wrapped up in pursuits that will only leave you wondering where your time has gone. And thus, while I have spent plenty of quality time with old favorites such as Fallout and Secret of Mana, I have tried to do other, more productive things.
Most notably, I have learned some PHP (by messing around with Wordpress and by actual reading), and I have refreshed some of my CSS/HTML knowledge by working on a new theme for this blog. In terms of my writing, I am still in the middle of outlining two story ideas, but I am facing a bit of writer’s block, so who knows when I will start putting pen to paper?
In the meantime, I have this blog to keep my writing skills honed.
» Filed Under Everything and Nothing | 1 Comment
Where’s My Bailout?
Posted on November 3, 2008
I meant to write a post like this earlier, but I was waiting for the world to end. Seeing that it’s still here, I figured I’d go ahead anyway; more than enough interesting things have happened to make this an entertaining blog post!
Ever since the start of the economic crisis Well, “start” wouldn’t be quite the term to describe it. The economy was already heading south, but it wasn’t until the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers that things really started going bad. Of course, working families and homeowners are among the hardest hit, as are those about to retire. But what about someone like myself - single, young, and just starting out in the world? I hadn’t considered myself extremely vested in the U.S. financial system, but I took a look at my own situation, and was a bit surprised just how much all this economic turmoil affects me personally:
» Filed Under Everything and Nothing | 1 Comment
Equus: A Horse and his Boy, and one Psychonaut’s Dilemma
Posted on October 31, 2008
As I left the Broadhurst Theater, I nearly collided with a huge crowd just outside the doors - dedicated Harry Potter fans who braved the chilly evening for a chance to see Daniel Radcliffe, who has become all but synonymous with the boy wizard. I smiled - if they had seen his electric performance a mere hour before, they might never see those films quite the same way again.
Equus is Radcliffe’s Broadway debut, and an import of the highly successful 2007 West End production. It also stars Richard Griffiths, which Potter fans will instantly recognize as Harry’s loathsome Uncle Dursley. This excellent revival of Peter Shaffer’s 1973 play is about a troubled young boy who happens to have a bit of a thing for horses.
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Tales of the Young and Unemployed
Posted on October 29, 2008
As I got off the PATH this morning, storm clouds ruled the skies over Jersey; the chill wind almost an omen of the day to come.
By the time I came in, I was soaked; I barely had time to pull off my sopping jacket before my manager’s manager came to my desk, his countenance haggard, face wrought with defeat. This normally loquacious fellow had but two words for me: “Let’s go.”
And so I followed him, past rows and increasingly empty rows of cubicles, to a deserted office overlooking the tempestuous Hudson. My first boss and mentor was already seated, a grave expression also on his face.
They kept it short and sweet. “So as you’ve heard, Barclays has been doing some cutbacks, as part of the reorganization. Unfortunately, you’re going to be one of the ones impacted by this change.”
Impacted? I almost asked how these “changes” would affect our daily operations. Then reality began to sink in, and I realized that this was the epitaph for my career.
My boss’s manager went on to explain: “This was a decision made at the highest levels - way above us.” He himself is an SVP, so I started to understand just how rough the whole process had been. “We fought and fought, but these cuts are pretty much cutting into the muscle and bone of the organization.”
And so, after much speculation, wishin’ and hopin’, and uncertainty, I am unemployed. For real.
I shook both their hands and grinned. “Well guys, it’s been fun. Thanks for having me on your team for my…very short career.” Then, leaving them a bit bewildered at my serenity, I went down to the HR office to claim my severance package - what we’ve lovingly dubbed the Blue Folder of Death.
How do I really feel about it? Earlier, I compared losing a job to the breakup of a serious relationship or marriage - hour for hour, a 9 to 5 job makes up 23% of the week. So of course there’s some degree of emotional investment, which is definitely not FDIC insured. There’s an inevitable sense of loss, but also a relief that the uncertainty is gone, things having been decided for you.
And honestly - we just went through the world’s largest bankruptcy! Nothing much can shock me anymore; it’s a wonder I was around for as long as I was. By buying Lehman, keeping (and paying for) us for nearly a month, and then letting us go, Barclays has effectively bankrolled my severance. Very charitable of them, I must say!
So what will I be doing with myself now? Catching up on sleep of course, and all the reading I’ve been meaning to do. Perhaps I’ll have some time to brush up on PHP and finally make some changes to this blog. And, most importantly, several of my friends have commented that this is life’s way of telling me move on - to my dreams of creative writing, perhaps. Whatever I decide, it sure is nice to hold the reins to my life once more.
» Filed Under Everything and Nothing, Work | 2 Comments
What’s the Artist Got To Do With it, Anyway?
Posted on October 26, 2008
Not too long ago, I wrote a love letter to Roving Hearts, identifying Waltz for Koop as a gem within the world of nu-jazz (or whatever you want to call it) -seamlessly sampling decades of jazz to produce new classics that, note for note stand alongside their predecessors.
I still consider myself a Koop-a Troopa (sorry, couldn’t resist!), but while cruising their Last.fm page the other day, I found an interesting case of musician-fan disconnect. Apparently the artists themselves have registered on the site to voice their discontent with their presentation on Last.fm. I’ll let their words speak for themselves.
therealkoop wrote:
Koop would like to remind people that this is not a sight set up by Koop. * Songs are missing on albums, and names are wrong. * Videos for some songs are missing, and has been replaced by amature stuff. * Some tags are beyond stupid, and since that the so called “Koop Radio” is playing music we don’t like at all. People behind this is not only making money on our music, they are also humiliating us artisticly. If you wish to connect with Koop please turn to myspace.com/koop Sincerely.
Fair enough - There are hundreds of artists on Last.fm, and a lot of the site content is user-generated (go Web 2.0!), so there are prone to be errors here and there. What’s interesting is that they claim the site is “making money off our music” and “humiliating us artisticly [sic]“.
It doesn’t stop there, of course. The internet is serious business. Trying to correct what he perceives as a misunderstanding, another user responds:
gazab wrote:
therealkoop: I think you’ve misunderstood this site completely. Most content on this page is generated by us, your fans. Our listening patterns generate similiar artists and therefor the “Koop Radio”, we set the tags and so on. The main purpose of Last.fm is simply to help people find new exciting music they like. Without this page I would never have heard about you! So be glad this exists. This has probably given you way more new fans (and money) than myspace ever could. Trust me, this is NOT bad PR. Now continue make great music!
To which therealkoop responds:
therealkoop wrote:
We don’t make music because we want to be liked by as meny as possible. We don’t do this for money. We make music because we want our message to come across, and our message is clearly beeing outwatered on this site. We don’t think Koop should be defined by a broad majority that listen briefly to our music. Koop should be defined by the minority that regard us as something more than 2 songs in a lastfm library.
Needless to say, I was shocked and amused. But this begs the title question of the post: What’s the artist got to do with it, anyway? More specifically, how much should the artist’s wishes affect our enjoyment of his/her/their work?
Don’t get me wrong - I’m all for protecting artistic integrity and intellectual property - if someone trolled this site for my photographs, not giving me credit, and thus violating the terms of even my very generous Creative Commons license, I would be pissed. After all, if art is the window through which we see into the artist’s creative world, it’s pretty damned important to keep that window spotless.
But once our audience is at the window, the fact is that we can’t control how they perceive our work - nor should we try. Attempting to force a particular interpretation or view onto our audience would be as dictatorial as trying to prosecute thoughtcrime; not only would it stifle often productive critical discussion, art would be dull if there were only one or two interpretations to any given work.
Ultimately, though, if you’re worried about your “message being outwatered”, it might pay to have faith in your fans. Of course, there will be those with only a passing interest in your work, but if you make yourself available, you might be surprised to find that some will actually take the effort to see for themselves what you’re about.
» Filed Under Everything and Nothing, Music, Writing | 1 Comment
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