I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than listening to good records (I'm spinning Youth Brigade at the moment), contemplating the future, and lounging around in the most comfortable sweats in Britain and a well-worn Operation Ivy hoodie.
This month has had a lot of ups and downs, and my mental health has definitely been affected, but I've actually got a couple things to look forward to right now. First off, Tuesday, I'm going to see "Jesus Christ Superstar" with Ted Neeley, who, for those who might not know, played Jesus in the movie. My parents saw it a couple years ago, and loved it, so I'm excited. The movie is pretty cool, and I imagine it's even better on-stage.
The thing I'm most excited about, though, is the AFI show on the twenty-seventh. I've only seen them once before, and it was from way up in the stands at Download, so I'm incredibly excited to have to opportunity to get up in front and fight to stay there hah. Anyone who really knows me knows that they're my favorite band and have been for years, so it would probably come as no surprise that I'm going to get more and more ecstatic before the day of the show. I'm also really looking forward to seeing Ceremony and Viva Hate, and I'm really hoping for some great covers or old songs from AFI; they haven't played Fresno since 2004 or so, so I believe they owe it to us heh.
I really had nothing of importance to say, so I'll close by saying that everyone in the Central Valley should check out CYC's new site, chinatownyouthcenter.org and their blog at chinatownyouthcenter.blogspot.com.
SXR
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Resolutions
Being a major hypochondriac, I'm constantly afraid that my health is rapidly deteriorating, so this year, I'm making a serious attempt at getting healthy. By the end of the year, I'd like to have lost at least twenty pounds and improved my overall health. I've been working out and drinking more water, and my vitamins are almost on track again, so all I need to do is cut out more junk food and fine-tune everything else. I've decided that next week, I'm going to attempt to go raw vegan for a week, which should get me going in the right direction heh.
I'm supposed to be writing an essay on Robert Browning's "Porphyria's Lover," so I'll get back to that. I just needed to put my intentions down somewhere heh.
SXR
I'm supposed to be writing an essay on Robert Browning's "Porphyria's Lover," so I'll get back to that. I just needed to put my intentions down somewhere heh.
SXR
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Priceless.
You know what's funny? I spend all this time defending people and giving them the benefit of the doubt even when I know for a fact they're lying to me, and what do they do? They continue to walk all over me. It's fantastic.
I've determined that the people I know through music and shows are the only people I can rely on. It's weird, really, but no matter what, I know that we have something in common, which isn't always something I can say for other people. Morals, lifestyles, favorite bands, aspirations... Certain people get those, others can't relate. By no means am I saying that everyone I associate with should have the same beliefs, eating habits, and favorite music, but it helps to at least have some common ground, or an understanding, at the very least. Here at home, that's hard to find, and it brings me down. A friend of mine hit the nail on the head with that one. Madera just isn't home to me in that I don't feel like I belong. Fresno feels more like home in that sense, and CYC has truly become a home away from home for me. I'm too awkward to just go up to everyone and introduce myself, but I know several people now, and I'm sure I'll finally get to know more of them eventually. The people I don't know, I recognize, and that's nice. I feel comfortable there, and as I get older, comfort is hard for me to find in public places.
I'm finding more and more motivation to finally get my license, despite my fear of being killed on the road heh. The sooner I have a license, the sooner I can spend all of my time in Fresno and just leave this unfortunate city behind.
SXR
I've determined that the people I know through music and shows are the only people I can rely on. It's weird, really, but no matter what, I know that we have something in common, which isn't always something I can say for other people. Morals, lifestyles, favorite bands, aspirations... Certain people get those, others can't relate. By no means am I saying that everyone I associate with should have the same beliefs, eating habits, and favorite music, but it helps to at least have some common ground, or an understanding, at the very least. Here at home, that's hard to find, and it brings me down. A friend of mine hit the nail on the head with that one. Madera just isn't home to me in that I don't feel like I belong. Fresno feels more like home in that sense, and CYC has truly become a home away from home for me. I'm too awkward to just go up to everyone and introduce myself, but I know several people now, and I'm sure I'll finally get to know more of them eventually. The people I don't know, I recognize, and that's nice. I feel comfortable there, and as I get older, comfort is hard for me to find in public places.
I'm finding more and more motivation to finally get my license, despite my fear of being killed on the road heh. The sooner I have a license, the sooner I can spend all of my time in Fresno and just leave this unfortunate city behind.
SXR
Monday, January 4, 2010
So, it's 2010.
Happy New Year to anyone who might be reading this. I hope your New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were enjoyable, because mine were anything but.
More college application deadlines are approaching and today, I made the decision not to apply to Pratt or SFAI. The reality is that my family can't afford the $34,000tuition, let alone the other fees and living expenses, so now, Pratt is on the backburner until a better time comes along. As for AI, it was going to be my last resort school anyway, so I might as well save the application fee.
It's funny how life works; for the past several years, I've dreamed of going to Berkeley, studying psycology, et cetera, and now, I'm totally unsure about UC Berkeley and I've decided I have more of a future in creative writing. It sucks being wrong about your own wants and needs, but I suppose it's part of growing up. (Since I just saw "SLC Punk" for the first time last night, I can relate it to that, and it's funny that I should watch that when I'm encountering a sort of similar situation.)
In other news, I also watched "What We Do is Secret," and I quite enjoyed it. I know some people hate just about everything about it, but I thought that overall, and especially for an independent biopic, it was really good. Good casting, good cinematography, good writing... I really didn't have a problem with it heh. True, Darby came off as a bit of a douchebag for at least half the movie, but hey, it's a movie. I think Shane West did a fantastic job as Darby Crash; not only does he resemble him, I think he captured the personality pretty well. Had I been in charge, the one thing I would really have done differently would have been to spend more time on Darby's emotional decline. It was there, but I don't think it went quite deep enough. It's worth a watch, no matter what, though.
SXR
More college application deadlines are approaching and today, I made the decision not to apply to Pratt or SFAI. The reality is that my family can't afford the $34,000tuition, let alone the other fees and living expenses, so now, Pratt is on the backburner until a better time comes along. As for AI, it was going to be my last resort school anyway, so I might as well save the application fee.
It's funny how life works; for the past several years, I've dreamed of going to Berkeley, studying psycology, et cetera, and now, I'm totally unsure about UC Berkeley and I've decided I have more of a future in creative writing. It sucks being wrong about your own wants and needs, but I suppose it's part of growing up. (Since I just saw "SLC Punk" for the first time last night, I can relate it to that, and it's funny that I should watch that when I'm encountering a sort of similar situation.)
In other news, I also watched "What We Do is Secret," and I quite enjoyed it. I know some people hate just about everything about it, but I thought that overall, and especially for an independent biopic, it was really good. Good casting, good cinematography, good writing... I really didn't have a problem with it heh. True, Darby came off as a bit of a douchebag for at least half the movie, but hey, it's a movie. I think Shane West did a fantastic job as Darby Crash; not only does he resemble him, I think he captured the personality pretty well. Had I been in charge, the one thing I would really have done differently would have been to spend more time on Darby's emotional decline. It was there, but I don't think it went quite deep enough. It's worth a watch, no matter what, though.
SXR
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Crash
Earlier tonight, as I was sitting in the car, I started coming up with a very short story in my head, and I kept kind of repeating it so I wouldn't lose it. I think I did lose a bit, but here's what I managed to come up with. It's very short, very fictitious, and probably very unfinished. I apologize, Ralph, for using your name, but hey, when I think of texting at the wheel, I think of you.
Crash
So, that was how I died, speeding down the 145 in the Range Rover, blasting The Gaslight Anthem, my new phone clutched in my hand as I waited for an instant message. It’s sad to think that had Ralph not gotten that text, or if he’d gotten it about five seconds later, we’d have been alive. If his boyfriend could’ve held off just five more seconds, if he hadn’t felt that breaking up at that exact moment was absolutely urgent, Ralph would’ve seen the car coming at us, stopped or pulled over, and then we could’ve continued on our way once it had passed us or rammed into someone else. Of course, he shouldn’t have been texting at the wheel, but it was 2009; who didn’t? I guess that’s life, though; your friend’s boyfriend decides to send a text at the most inconvenient time, your friend decides to open it at an even more convenient time, and the next thing you know, you’re crushed between the dashboard and the passenger side door, reduced to nothing but a bloody corpse. As if that wasn’t enough, my new phone had flown through the windshield and into the road, where car after car proceeded to drive over it, immediately ruining the touch screen. I suppose it was a good thing I was already dead; my dad would have killed me.
Questions, comments, concerns?
SXR
Crash
So, that was how I died, speeding down the 145 in the Range Rover, blasting The Gaslight Anthem, my new phone clutched in my hand as I waited for an instant message. It’s sad to think that had Ralph not gotten that text, or if he’d gotten it about five seconds later, we’d have been alive. If his boyfriend could’ve held off just five more seconds, if he hadn’t felt that breaking up at that exact moment was absolutely urgent, Ralph would’ve seen the car coming at us, stopped or pulled over, and then we could’ve continued on our way once it had passed us or rammed into someone else. Of course, he shouldn’t have been texting at the wheel, but it was 2009; who didn’t? I guess that’s life, though; your friend’s boyfriend decides to send a text at the most inconvenient time, your friend decides to open it at an even more convenient time, and the next thing you know, you’re crushed between the dashboard and the passenger side door, reduced to nothing but a bloody corpse. As if that wasn’t enough, my new phone had flown through the windshield and into the road, where car after car proceeded to drive over it, immediately ruining the touch screen. I suppose it was a good thing I was already dead; my dad would have killed me.
Questions, comments, concerns?
SXR
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Something to think about...
In America, and likely many other industrialized nations, we are taught that buying free trade goods is the way to go. But what is free trade? Basically, free trade is defined as "international trade not restrained by government interference or regulation, such as duties." What this means is that an American corporation can freely stop producing a good in the United States and shift production to a developing country where labor is cheap, thereby resulting in a cheaper good, which means more consumption. Cheaper products are always good, as far as we consumers are concerned, but we must remember that they are cheaper for a reason.
American-made goods are often more expensive than those produced in countries like China and Honduras. This is because of the labor conditions and standards we have set in our own country to ensure the fair and equal treatment of workers. Essentially, the higher price of the good ensures that all workers are paid at least the minimum wage and work in an environment deemed safe and acceptable here in the U.S. When production of a good is outsourced, there is a higher supply of labor that will demand less pay, making production cheaper and fair treatment of workers unimportant.
Outsourcing also hurts the U.S. economy by taking jobs from citizens who need them. The number of blue collar manufacturing jobs in the United States has decreased as more and more factory jobs are sent overseas. In today's poor economic climate, we need these jobs. In Madera, CA, the unemployment rate for November 2009 was about 15%, and in Fresno, 16.5%. The state of California had an unemployment rate of about 12.3% in November, (all of this according to centralvalleybusinesstimes.com), making it the state with the third highest unemployment rate, falling only behind Rhode Island and Michigan, which has been greatly affected by the downfall of the auto industry, as it was home to most of the United States' auto manufacturing jobs. By bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States, it is entirely likely that while the price of goods would likely go up, unemployment rates would drop considerably, so more and more people would be able to afford the new American-made goods. We rely too heavily on other countries for goods and services that we could be producing ourselves, and by doing so, we bring ourselves down economically.
Nike, undoubtedly one of the most well-known brands in America, has been outsourcing most of its labor for decades. The company has been known for violating minimum wage laws, using child labor, and disempowering women. Despite all of this, the company continues to make millions of dollars, little of which will ever make it to the women and children working in their factories. If that isn't enough to make Nike look bad, their legal record should be; they've been taken to court by Apple and fought with Ian Mackaye, along with a number of other groups and activists.
While it would be illogical to expect any American to rely strictly on fair trade goods, it would be nice to see some of the effects of globalization begin to diminish. Easy access to global events is fantastic, but abusing workers in third-world countries for a cheaper shoe is nothing to praise.
SXR
American-made goods are often more expensive than those produced in countries like China and Honduras. This is because of the labor conditions and standards we have set in our own country to ensure the fair and equal treatment of workers. Essentially, the higher price of the good ensures that all workers are paid at least the minimum wage and work in an environment deemed safe and acceptable here in the U.S. When production of a good is outsourced, there is a higher supply of labor that will demand less pay, making production cheaper and fair treatment of workers unimportant.
Outsourcing also hurts the U.S. economy by taking jobs from citizens who need them. The number of blue collar manufacturing jobs in the United States has decreased as more and more factory jobs are sent overseas. In today's poor economic climate, we need these jobs. In Madera, CA, the unemployment rate for November 2009 was about 15%, and in Fresno, 16.5%. The state of California had an unemployment rate of about 12.3% in November, (all of this according to centralvalleybusinesstimes.com), making it the state with the third highest unemployment rate, falling only behind Rhode Island and Michigan, which has been greatly affected by the downfall of the auto industry, as it was home to most of the United States' auto manufacturing jobs. By bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States, it is entirely likely that while the price of goods would likely go up, unemployment rates would drop considerably, so more and more people would be able to afford the new American-made goods. We rely too heavily on other countries for goods and services that we could be producing ourselves, and by doing so, we bring ourselves down economically.
Nike, undoubtedly one of the most well-known brands in America, has been outsourcing most of its labor for decades. The company has been known for violating minimum wage laws, using child labor, and disempowering women. Despite all of this, the company continues to make millions of dollars, little of which will ever make it to the women and children working in their factories. If that isn't enough to make Nike look bad, their legal record should be; they've been taken to court by Apple and fought with Ian Mackaye, along with a number of other groups and activists.
While it would be illogical to expect any American to rely strictly on fair trade goods, it would be nice to see some of the effects of globalization begin to diminish. Easy access to global events is fantastic, but abusing workers in third-world countries for a cheaper shoe is nothing to praise.
SXR
Monday, December 21, 2009
Golden Years
Music is always one of the easiest things I can remember or call back, and there are certain songs that I'll always have a definite connection to. There are some I can connect to a certain location, an emotion, an event, and even certain weather. Since this is basically becoming a video blog, I've decided to post some songs that I can connect to relatively fresh memories and attempt to explain the feelings they bring about.
At this point in my life, this song is one of the most memorable. I immediately associate it with late nights in the Range Rover, driving through Fresno or wherever else we happened to be, likely sipping Dr. Pepper or full from some amazing vegetarian-friendly dinner. I think about the glow of my Sidekick in my hand, as well as that of Ralph's as he sat in the front seat, controlling the music while Josh drove. I think of the wind blowing back at me through the halfway rolled down front windows, and even the smell of cigarette smoke, which was sort of an on and off thing, depening on whether or not Ralph was still into smoking. It reminds me of heading home at three or four in the morning, eyes tired from seeing a late movie and acid reflux no doubt kicking in. This song reminds me of a lot of things, and I'm sure it'll be one that always brings me back to the good old days.
Fuck Youtube for disabling the embed feature on the actual video heh. This song... Oh, lord, this song heh. I believe it was the day before we left Scotland when Jon played this on the bus, several times I believe, and we all had the most epic sing-along as we drove back from the Queensferry bridge and ended up stuck in traffic for ages. I can remember exactly what the road looked like, and that drive seemed to take forever. This was after we'd eaten pizza by the bridge, watching the sun begin to set and trying to ignore the Scottish douchebags in shitty cars as they verbally harassed a couple of the girls. This song is almost enough to make me cry. There's just something about Scotland that does that to a person.
Yet another sing-along song from Scotland. I'll be honest, this one does make me cry from time to time heh. We first sang it at the ceilidh, then again on the bus, and christ, it was absolutely heart-wrenching to think we were leaving.
This one reminds me of my first trip to England. I do believe I had it on repeat as we got off the bus in Calais and boarded the ferry to Dover. It was raining, and although it wasn't a Sunday (as far as I can recall), this song felt perfect. I remember approaching the famed white cliffs of Dover, as well as an incident on the ferry involving a certain roommate's valium heh. Good times.
That'll do for now. Expect another installment sometime in the future.
SXR
At this point in my life, this song is one of the most memorable. I immediately associate it with late nights in the Range Rover, driving through Fresno or wherever else we happened to be, likely sipping Dr. Pepper or full from some amazing vegetarian-friendly dinner. I think about the glow of my Sidekick in my hand, as well as that of Ralph's as he sat in the front seat, controlling the music while Josh drove. I think of the wind blowing back at me through the halfway rolled down front windows, and even the smell of cigarette smoke, which was sort of an on and off thing, depening on whether or not Ralph was still into smoking. It reminds me of heading home at three or four in the morning, eyes tired from seeing a late movie and acid reflux no doubt kicking in. This song reminds me of a lot of things, and I'm sure it'll be one that always brings me back to the good old days.
Fuck Youtube for disabling the embed feature on the actual video heh. This song... Oh, lord, this song heh. I believe it was the day before we left Scotland when Jon played this on the bus, several times I believe, and we all had the most epic sing-along as we drove back from the Queensferry bridge and ended up stuck in traffic for ages. I can remember exactly what the road looked like, and that drive seemed to take forever. This was after we'd eaten pizza by the bridge, watching the sun begin to set and trying to ignore the Scottish douchebags in shitty cars as they verbally harassed a couple of the girls. This song is almost enough to make me cry. There's just something about Scotland that does that to a person.
Yet another sing-along song from Scotland. I'll be honest, this one does make me cry from time to time heh. We first sang it at the ceilidh, then again on the bus, and christ, it was absolutely heart-wrenching to think we were leaving.
This one reminds me of my first trip to England. I do believe I had it on repeat as we got off the bus in Calais and boarded the ferry to Dover. It was raining, and although it wasn't a Sunday (as far as I can recall), this song felt perfect. I remember approaching the famed white cliffs of Dover, as well as an incident on the ferry involving a certain roommate's valium heh. Good times.
That'll do for now. Expect another installment sometime in the future.
SXR
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