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The ideal situation

The people who find your life the most interesting: 1. Your Mother 2. Yourself 3. Your partner 4. No one else cares.

Sweet Anita

Today I learned there is a popular twitch streamer that has Tourette syndrome. One of her tics is the phrase: "that's not a tic!".

Pig

Is John Wick for chefs.

Kajillionaire

It used to be easy to find indie-films of this caliber everywhere all the time. TV is dominating indie quirk.

I'm writing a story

Maybe I'll finish it this time. It's about a guy who is being terrorized by a drone. Could a be Black Mirror episode, if that still existed.

Keanu was right

When you’re feeling it, show up. And when you’re not feeling it, show up.

He’s just shy

A party of grownups must be intense to a child half their size. As grownups we approach a larger animal like a horse with hesitancy and caution and we’re surprised when children do the same to us.

Counterintuitive

The child that acts like he needs you the least, needs you the most.

Man shrugging emoji

We are spirits trapped in bouncy castles of emotion, peering through nylon windows at a world we can’t comprehend.

Turn Offs

People who are overly prepared for the weather.

Ted Lasso

I bought aviators at a thrift store for a Ted Lasso costume last year, but now I just wear them every day. Maybe I should grow a moustache.

These park dads

Going extra, making me look like a deadbeat.

Toddlers

Be trollin irl.

But also...

Stop making everything more than one season. Did Severance really need to be more than one season? Now I gotta wait a year for the follow up and then keep watching until the show loses its spark? I feel the same way about Yellowjackets. These are finite stories here, let's tighten it up so I'm not constantly in limbo. Let's aim for True Detective Season 1, short sweet, groundbreaking, not True Blood Season ??, meandering, non-sensical, let's add some fairies in there, yeah that'll make it better.

Severance

Is what happens when you turn all the themes of Radiohead into a TV show. And it's perfect.

Will Smith

2 years ago I wrote a blog post about how I don’t like Will Smith and how no one else understood why, as part of some random lines in my head I thought were hilarious, but later get were meh. The line was. “The world needs more Will Smith…wait that doesn’t sound right.” Do you see what I see, do you see what I see. Now I’m not saying I predicted that he would slap Chris Rock on live TV right before accepting a now tainted Oscar. But I did see him evolve into a very calculating self-important persona, eager to grab a prized statue and every role that wasn’t Gemini Man or Bad Boys III reflected that for me. Remember when he was funny?

Drunk on life

An exhausted toddler is both hilarious and intolerable.

No Way Home

When do all these movies start to feel like just another episode in the same series. They say big screen quality came to television, but I also think it works both ways. Episodic motifs are dominating movies. Directors become irrelevant when everyone is vying for the same Joss Whedon, James Gunn, Jon Favreau tone mix to every instalment. I think that's why the Nolan Batman movies were such a stand out. It was such a dramatic shift from previous movies. Palette, tone, dialog, music, filming techniques, story everything. Like Michael Mann took over the DC universe. This may end up being DC's strength in the end, they have such a varied tone with Gunn and Peacemaker on one end and the new Batman on the other.

Hibernate

I just want to hibernate until this rain is gone.

Just chillin'

So we're all going to just going to chill while some asshole blows people up? Cool.

Half-assed hypocritical protest

So I removed Kanye from my liked songs on Spotify because of his recent behaviour, threatening Pete and Kim etc. just tired of his bullshit and bullying I guess. But I’ll still have Eminem on these same playlists even though he has multiple songs referring to killing his ex. So my question is, why does one bother me more than the other. It’s not like I listen to those Eminem songs specifically, and it hasn’t been a focus for him over the last decade, but to ignore it would be turning a blind eye to what was at one point a large part of his identity. Why is one just silly dark humour to me and the other is an immediate threat with real consequences? Is it just the climate then vs now? Do I just have different standards for different people? Am I racist? Am I a misogynist? Is it because Eminem was always so over the top that he got a pass from me vs Ye whose lyrical tone seems more personal and autobiographical? I guess what I’m grappling with is the grey area between art and identity politics in my judgment. Is there a valid argument or reasoning from my perspective or if has that grey area has been infiltrated by bias. Is there a valid argument in regards to tone? Is it about the art or is it about the time or is it about the people? Or is my decision only about me? Has my judgement been usurped by racist undertones? Or have I just bought into the TMZ hysteria. I guess I’m pretty conflicted over my half-assed protest.

It’s 3am in the morning…

At what point do you just give up on ever having a full nights sleep again? When do you just say, this is me, if I go to bed at 11:33 like a responsible human I will be woken up at 3:55 and stay up all night. Or if I stay up until 4:10 I’ll just sleep until 8:36. Because I want to see how big these eye bags can get.

Moon phases

I’m intensely anti-social until I hang out with friends. Then I realize friends are amazing. Then I’m dormant for another six weeks.

Top 8

Still waiting for the biopic on Tom from MySpace.

Conspiracy

All conspiracy theories have an element of truth to them. And some aren’t just theories. When this happens you can just call it a conspiracy.

You’re the problem

If you say something that confuses a child, they’ll just look at you like you’re the confused one.

Be free

They say "dance like no one is watching". But why stop there?

Eat like no one is watching.

Drive like no one is watching.

Sneeze like no one is watching.

Talk to yourself like no one is watching.

 

centred

Just found out today after how many decades of living and speaking english that the past tense of the verb 'to center' is 'centred'... SEN-TREAD. The matrix is officially broken. We have no idea what we're doing, and there is no central authority or governing body of absolute truth in this funhouse we've hastily dubbed reality, and this, this right here is the evidence. We're just moving e's around willy nilly. What the hell is going on here?

Fake it

I have a lot of respect for people who pretend to know what they are doing.

Unravel

Each day I keep pulling at the thread. Maybe something will come of it.

Don't try this at home

Too much caffeine and I'll start talking like a character in an Aaron Sorkin movie.

Leprechaun

I used the word Leprechaun in a sentence, while talking about St. Patrick’s Day. Then hesitated for a moment as my brain checked to see if the word Leprechaun in and of itself was considered offensive. My brain concluded that it wasn’t. Then I continued on with my day.

I can do this

At a certain age it’s a very conscious decision to download Tik Tok. You’ve lived through IRC, ICQ, Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Snapchat and Instagram. You’ve watched them all evolve to have messenger, video, and stories so they all basically feel like the same bullshit. You thought that was it. We’ve reached the peak, what other forms of senseless communication can we add to a platform dedicated to broadcasting the lives of our acquaintances. You thought you were ready to retire. No more new platforms to learn. No more social media politics to navigate. No more who do I friend, follow and unfollow, top 8 bullshit. But then you said to yourself, all the kids are doing it. What’s one more platform. I don’t want to be left behind. One last big score. You went to the App Store and you decided. I can do this.

keto

You can eat spoonfuls of bacon bits and you're still on a keto diet.

Life on the D list

The lesser-known superheroes get some of the best movies. There's no expectation, no strict rules to follow. It's carte blanche. This is where James Gunn does his best work.

The Convoy

At the heart of almost all conspiracy theories is a Zionist conspiracy. While you're doing your own research on your right not be vaccinated, be careful which rabbit hole you fall into, you may think you're fighting for everyone's freedom, but in fact you are just fighting for the freedoms of those that look like you. Racists have their own recruitment tools and their own propaganda machine. And they prey on your fear of oppression.

War

There's a bunch of real people living in different parts of the world, and a bunch of people pretending that they aren't real, dropping bombs on them so they can get to own more stuff.

Hey! That's me!

Is the thing I say when the Peloton instructor starts talking about how great Bubble Bobble for C64 was and how N64 was the best gaming platform ever, no contest.

Broken Bells?

You like Broken Bells? How about some Broken Bells? You know what would make this playlist really great? Some Broken Bells? No, seriously, have you heard this band Broken Bells yet? I know last time you said that you never wanted to hear another Broken Bells song again as long as you lived, but this one is really good. I swear to god they are not giving us money to stuff this Broken Bell down your throat. Broken Bells? Bells? bells....be...b... - Spotify

Aerosmith

At first you're like "this is a pretty decent rock band." Then they bust out the scat and then you're like "is there anything they can't do?!"

Being Kanye

I feel like being Kanye would be a real double-edged sword. On the one hand you would be talented, rich, famous and so on. On the other hand you would basically ruin all of your personal and professional relationships over time and over petty bs on social media.

8-bit

You ever stare at a computer for 10 hours straight then go outside look at a tree and think "Holy shit, look at the detail on this thing."

Guns to Cars Ratio

Fun fact: people in the US own more guns than cars, about 1.5x more. So if your house has two cars you own three guns.

Mid-life something

I think I'm having the positive version of a mid-life crisis. Whatever that is.

Global Metal

Every country has heavy-metal. No exceptions.

Give me patience

Lord, grant me the patience to not engage in arguments with dummies online. They know not what they do.

La ti frickin’ da

The day is the day

Neither good nor bad

You did what you could, you gave all you had

No regrets, it’s time to relax

Take a load off for the rest of the night

Put on Succession and watch rich people fight.

Keeping the story straight

At some point about 6 months ago it started. Every time my son farted he would say "it was the crows". Always consistently blaming his farts on the crows. Tonight while lying beside me on the couch, completely relaxed, half-asleep, he let out a small toot and half-heartedly followed up with, "crows".

Asking for me

Is hating white people a normal reaction to watching the Punxsutawney Phil Groundhog Day celebration.

Katy Perry

There’s something about going so over the top, no where close to cool that it does in fact make you cool. We’re all just here for some spectacle.

Rick roll

These classic pieces of content that are now memes. They were always that, we just didn’t have the systems to frame them as such.

Succession

Is a great show that is torture to watch.

Wannabe

There is a mountain of evidence to suggest that the Spice Girls' biggest hit is a very detailed invitation to an orgy.

I hope we passed the audition

We think of The Beatles' live performance on the rooftop as some iconic moment in music history, but to some they were just pissed that their nap was interrupted. We have to remember that for certain people even the second coming of Christ will just be that day with the terrible commute.

Jonah Hill

My theory on Jonah Hill is just that he accidentally stumbled in front of a camera one day as a production assistant, while trying to bring some one a latte and the director, was like "look at this f-ing clown. Let's give him a speaking part." And then Scorsese made him a man.

Excuse me sir,

Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and saviour GameStop Corp.

My fears

Helping or hindering? No clue.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gets a bad rap, but I think it's because people dislike the concept of influencers in general. Don't hate the player hate the game. Or hate the player, whatever, I don't care.

Half a life

My son asked me to butter both sides of the toast. That's when I realized I've only been living half a life.

James Murphy was like...

I'm going to recreate the Talking Heads in my image. And then he did, and it was good.

The Hype

If you're expecting a child, people who already have kids will want to hype it up for you. This is normal. The same way we hype up rides at an amusement park to those who haven't tried them or a great blockbuster to those who haven't seen them. We're excited for the experience you're about to have. Just let us hype it for you.

Beirut

Whenever I feel the need to listen to Beirut I am absolutely in love with them for 5 songs, then I'm done.

Pneuma

My kid likes a Tool song, now I'm just worried for him.

Easy come....

If I’m losing my mind I’m pretty sure I’m okay with it at this point. C’est la vie.

Glass

Philip Glass could write every soundtrack and we would be okay. Also John Williams, but as a back up, Glass will kill it.

DFV

The GameStop saga is one of the most interesting stories I’ve ever seen and it’s still playing out. The result will be a group of average traders exposing corruption simply by holding a stock I can’t wait until all this plays out to the end.

Toucan sam

Should not have an English accent.

The Grudge

Crows remember human faces and they hold a grudge. That's why a group of crows is called a murder. Watch your back.

Eruption

My kid loves rocking out more than I do. Welp, my job here is done.

Dear Google

Dear Google, please create a random sampling of every user's past search history in the style of stumble upon. I think it would be amazing. Sure you'd get some pro-privacy haters on your back, but think of the joy it would bring people to spy on each others' insane questions to the universe.

An Hilarious Genius

My self-confidence is through the roof lately. I think I'm an hilarious genius. See how I used 'an' instead of 'a'? Now you're probably thinking, "But Jake, you pronounce the 'h' in 'hilarious' so you wouldn't use 'an' before it." And you'd be right, except this time I wrote 'an hilarious genius' while using a thick british accent in my head. Now you're almost on my level.

Math

I am more than 50% committed to all five of my jobs.

Rolling stone

Ranking musicians is dumb and you’re going to get it wrong every time.

Legal requirements

If you let someone know they have something stuck in their teeth, you are now legally obligated to be that person’s mirror for the next 60 seconds.

Prefect

In my last year of high school I changed schools to gain additional credits in music and creative writing. It was there that I was introduced to the term prefect. I made a few friends at the school and we hung out in a private room that felt like a tiny dorm room where we listened to Atari Teenage Riot. I soon found out that this was a room for prefects. I didn't know what that term met then and I still didn't, until looking it up just now, but it's basically a hall monitor? I guess. It seemed like these kids had their own private club house. I guess it was kind of nerdy. But I found it difficult to understand what was nerdy then and I still do. Maybe that's because I am one.

You Need to Calm Down

I don't hear Taylor Swift's personality in her voice, but I like some of her songs. I think a pop artist needs to be a bit sloppier, emotionally, to get me interested. She's got a crash a few cars and fight with a few paparazzi to sell it for me. Even with the Kanye battle, she handled it way too well.

Be Humble

I always have the ability to admit when I'm wrong. Just not all the time.

And This One Also Takes Place In Hawaii

All Adam Sandler movies are now terrible, but you'll know in the first 15 minutes whether or not you can actually stand watching the whole thing.

Books

I'm pretty much all non-fiction at this point in my life. I don't know when this shift occurred but I'm finding it harder and harder to pick up a novel.

Trading Crypto

Is the most meta and pure from of trading. You're making transactions on which mode of transaction you deem more valuable. It is the one and only story available (if it weren't for Elon and China). Even fiat currency trading is attached to GDP, public and private institutions play a role in their value. Crypto is about the security, speed and adoption of a mode of transaction.

A World Without Punk

The Offspring's "Smash" was not part of the first or even second wave of punk, but I think it epitomizes the last peak, before it then became something else.

Eurovision

That movie about Eurovision that Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams did is actually exactly like the actual Eurovision. It's not even a farce.

Skrillex

Was everywhere, then he was nowhere.

Balance

Every day my life gets better and simultaneously I feel like I’m losing my mind.

Louder

There are certain songs that have to be turned up right away. No matter what volume they started playing at.

Possible/likely

I'll be surprised if Elon kills it tonight on SNL, I suspect he will be pretty wooden. But 2021 has taught us that anything in life is first possible, then likely, then happening quickly.

I don’t make the rules

You ever notice how lol is friendly and lmao is mean. Lmao is laughing at, lol is laughing with.

Lmao

I’ve fallen in love with internet speak, because it’s now all I know.

Maps of the world

Become too hardened in the most harmless of beliefs and you’ll miss the world right in front of you.

Promising Young Woman

This is the only movie that really stuck with me this past year. I wanted to sum it up as a Falling Down for the Me Too movement, but there's a lot more here than just that. And Falling Down seems a bit silly as a comparison, he's pissed about hamburgers, I mean, I get it, it's about a man at war with corporate america and his grievances are somewhat valid, but PYM is a bit more sticky in its moral conundrum. The scene that got me the most, I'll try and avoid spoilers, was when one male friend says to another "It's not your fault", echoing the supportive line that women often say to one another after an assault. It's dark, it's darkly comical and at first I was shocked by the line. But the line rings true for those two men, they are victims of a sexist culture too, even if they are contributing to it and have the power to change it. Most of us follow the status quo and it takes a brave soul to step outside of those cultural norms. And in the end that person is often seen as the crazy one, the disturbed one, the one who just needs to get over it.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz

I can't have caffeine anymore, I'm at the point now where a DECAF americano will give me a massive buzz.

Does anyone have that old Coca-Cola recipe with the cocaine in it?

Haters

Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake

Shake it off, Shake it off

Boss man

Some people are literally afraid of their employers.

Different types of people

Some people, you know who they are after meeting them once. They don't change after more interactions. You just get a more clearer version. Others surprise you and continue to do so. They hide parts of themselves at first and then you start to discover their true nature piece by piece and it never ends. Some provide detail, others depth.

It's all how you frame it

I'm really interested in working in the non fungible token space. It's an up and coming asset class that is only now garnering main-stream traction and exposure. I really believe this to be the future.

 

Here's my resume Cryptokitties.

I'm a simple man

If a movie takes place in space I'll probably watch it.

I make no sense

If a band puts out 90 unlistenable tracks and 5-10 tracks that are great I will probably call them complete geniuses. If a band puts out 100 enjoyable tracks I will write them off as boring.

Not for your enjoyment

The psychology of trading is impossibly counter-intuitive. You buy when the stock is going up, because you think it's now safe to invest, but with this mindset you will inevitably buy the top. When it crashes you will sell disappointed and then realize your loss. Even when you make a smart move and sell for a profit, even double, triple, 10x your investment, you'll watch the price go higher and wonder what if? In this scenario a loss is easier to handle emotionally, even though your account is happier. You must trust and believe when others do not. And doubt when others believe. The only winner is the patient contrarian. The game is not for your enjoyment, it's for your account's.

awhoooooooooooo

Frances McDormand howled and my son joined in immediately afterwards without hesitation. This was the best Oscars yet...and how is this possible? Because it was intimate? Does theatre and spectacle repulse me? I didn't think so. But maybe... I can't get over thinking this was the most human version of this awards show. As my wife pointed out, there were no sweeps, and I thought, no real upsets. Surprises, sure...but nothing that felt politically motivated or heavy handed. Just real people doing work and surviving a tough year. Glen Close knowing those deep cuts and Frances, tough as nails, one of a kind Frances, sharing her call of freedom and vitality.

followers

Stock investing is riding on the coattails of other people's dreams.

i call bullshit

How are there so many attractive, well-groomed vampires when they can't use a mirror?

We all shine on

Before there were social algorithms life was still an echo chamber. That's karma dawg.

Asymmetry

Was thinking about asymmetry in financial positions and how it relates to everything in life. If you know the worst that could happen a floor of consequences and you're willing to accept it, then you can take big risks, big bets and see how it works out. As you get more comfortable with calculated risk with a floor, you can experiment more and more in anything in life. Usually the biggest risk in any venture is the fear of anonymity. Which most already possess.

A Skit that was running through my head

Jr. employee:

So as a sign up bonus we’ve given every new client 1 bitcoin, just as a little perk to get them excited about our products.

CEO:

Wait…you gave every one of our new customers 1 bitcoin?!

Jr. employee:

Yeah, that’s what you suggested, you said “why not offer some bitcoin to get them on board?”

CEO:

But one bitcoin is worth $70,000!!

Jr. employee:

One bitcoin is worth $70,000!? This funny money is worth seventy thousand dollars?! This monopoly money that you can only buy drugs with—

Other employee:

And a Tesla.

Jr. employee:

A Tesla? Really? $70,000?!

Smart people are dumb

Sometimes it's best to just ignore the warnings and do something stupid just for kicks. If it works out you'll just have to give all the credit to yourself.

What’s wrong?

If you can tell something is wrong with someone, don’t ask what’s wrong unless you’re 100% certain you can solve it. Which is for kids around 75% of the time and for adults around 0% of the time.

Spring

Makes me want to listen to punk music and go skating, grab a slurpee.

Annnnnnnnnd Jump scare

I kind of feel like things have been a little too quiet regarding trump. Like the last scene of a horror film where everything looks peaceful and then the killer comes back one last time.

Asset Allocation

Reading Benjamin Graham’s classic The Intelligent Investor and I’m curious what he’d think of putting 95% of your assets into DOGE coin.

I'm A Business...Man

I think rappers are better business people than rock musicians. Maybe because their focus is on those benjamins. Nas has a stake in Coinbase, if he holds onto it he could be a billionaire in a few years. Kanye, Dre and Jay-Z are already billionaires. Every member of Metallica should be a billionaire by now, but they were too worried about copyright lawsuits and whatever stupid ideas were in that documentary, singing about being insane er whatever, I don't know I never got to the end of it.

Eh bada boom bada bing

It’s hard to imagine a time where we just threw peanut shells on to the floor of a bar recklessly.

Pandemic

Where everyday is a Tuesday...still.

S & M

Hey guys, quit complicating things. Just go for pleasure. It's way better.

AI

Why are all the robots in the future programmed to be psychos.

Alien(s)

In the future we'll all need orange tabbies to let us know if an Xenomorph is going to pop out of our chest. Also, big fan of the sequel that just adds ‘s’ to the end of the title. Back to the Futures. Star Warss.

The Inception of Tenet

This is not a movie you put on in the background while cooking. I had to keep rewinding it to figure out what the hell was going on, and then the other half of the characters started moving forward. Isn’t it strange that the majority of Nolan’s films based in some sort of tangible reality involve Batman.

Pandemic

Where every day is a Tuesday.

Stonks

Thinking of posting a journal of stock insights, that way if any of them are right or wrong I’ll have a record proving my brilliance and or incompetence. Sometimes there are certain investments that I would make if I had the extra money or it is currently tied up in other stocks etc. and then it would be a virtual method of taking those opportunities. Michael Burry got started by posting his views like this online and then started to get a serious following because of his returns.

True Autist

In the wall street bets reddit users toss around terms like autistic and it's both self-effacing and a compliment, a very un-pc term of endearment. And they've dubbed Roaring Kitty (u/deepfuckingvalue), the user that started this whole GME thing a legend, a leader a true autist. But I'm starting to think there is more to this term, not just as an un-pc joke, for the people that make such bold moves in complete opposition to market trends. I'm thinking of Michael Burry, someone who is in fact on the spectrum, diagnosed, and is the source of inspiration for so much activity on WSB. So what does it mean to go after something in complete opposition to prevailing sentiments, what voices in your head do you have to listen to and which voices in your head do you have to ignore. What makes someone so monomaniacal that they don't care if they are laughed at right up until the point that they're proven right? This unwillingness to obey the superego then becomes a superpower. Kanye West once said "I have a friend that told me my power was my influence, and I said, 'My power is my ability to not be influenced". I think this ability is innate within us all, but it may need to be encouraged now and again. We can all become true autists.

2020 vs 2021

2020: posts about drunk posting.

2021: drunk posting without acknowledgement. I call it beyond the meta, or business as usual.

You blew it.

A 3 year old will use any means available to them in order to get your attention. But once they do, they will inevitably blow it.

Simulation

I have become so detached from reality that exists outside the little world of my family that I've started to treat it all like a movie or a video game. The whole plot has just become so preposterous at this point. World wide protests, nazis, coup attempts, pandemics, redditors breaking wall street. It's just all so ridiculous, who's writing this shit?

This Gamestop thing is insane

I am constantly thinking about the scene in Finding Dory where all the fish are swimming down at the same time and they almost sink the ship.

Bernie Memes

America nervously laughs at the return to the mundane.

The Neon Demon

I’d rather a movie aspire to greatness and fall on its face than not bother aspiring at all. At least it gives us something to remember.

Self-seving

I listen to my own music more than anyone else’s, because you have to when you’re making it. But also I just like it, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t make it. It’s pretty narcissistic, but a chef eats his own food so let’s not make a big deal out of this.

Zeitgeist

I think the movie Zeitgeist is sort of the grandfather of QAnon, this movie, which was half rooted in facts some out of context as well as other speculative theories sort of cemented the way for a broader conspiracy theory indoctrination.

Good ideas

They don’t stand on their own. Context is the only thing that gives them legs. A good idea in theory is only smoke.

Seth

It was mostly an exercise in shipping. As Seth Godin’s method of getting over your fear of shipping. But if I get far behind in my posts, and I allow it to happen it becomes less about shipping and more just a chore I have to do.

I might give this up

I’m not sure how beneficial it is to me anymore. Especially when I get far behind and then I have to make up days.

$

Being poor isn’t a virtue and being rich isn’t a sin.

Love me

Those who embrace us do not define us, but they serve as sign posts to who we are and what we value.

Meditation nonsense

Forever swaying between not caring, caring the perfect amount, and caring too much. The entry to a moment of zen is razor thin, but the experience is as wide as a canyon.

Art

I wrote a new song and I’m so happy with whatever it is. It probably won’t be other people’s fave, but I think it’s mine. I don’t think I’ve written anything that has felt more like it came from me before. It feels original.

Q

I know its old news now, but I still can’t get over the sociopathy of twice impeached down there. I’m not shocked at his audacity, but still, that was a real loss of innocence moment for me, even at my age I guess the world can still mess me up. Good luck to all the Q believers out there, the come down from that high is going to be rough.

Growing up

Every month your children become entirely different people.

Broken bubble

I always took the theatre of world events with a grain of salt. I don’t know what has changed, maybe the pandemic made me realize that I too was a part of that theatre. Maybe it’s just my white privilege bubble finally bursting. I’ve never felt more sorrow for humanity than in the last 12 months. So much carelessness and hate, so much disregard for one another.

A year ago today

I started writing daily a year ago. I’ve missed a few days here and there and then caught up, but the idea was to keep me thinking of things to say and to keep exposing those thoughts to the light. It’s all been for personal development and it’s helped me immensely, I have no delusions that this has been useful to anyone else, but I think a few people have gotten a kick out it. Since starting this scheduled accountable creativity, I’ve transferred this method to releasing new music every 6 weeks and have so far released 4 new songs within this schedule, something I’ve never done before and some the best music I’ve ever made. Valuing the deadline over the product has led me to enjoy the process over the result. When you don’t have time to focus on the end result, and you have to move on to the next project, you start to appreciate the process more, you also care less about praise and criticism. No praise or criticism can take away the joy of doing the thing. Or as one of my favorite quotes from Hustle and Flow states: “People who walk the walk sometimes talk the talk, but most times they don't talk at all, 'cause they walkin'.”

Hashtag Blessed

I fell in love with someone who constantly surprises me. I’m not sure how this is possible, as I even get bored with myself, but here we are. Now I have a child that does the same.

Everything TV

We are now all bubble boys. The world is our TV. The TV is our world.

Self self help

Sometimes I feel like I’m writing a self help book only for me. Wait, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Frosted Flakes

When I was a kid, the Kellogg’s Variety Pack was the peak of excess. Thank you camping trips.

Say what you want

There’s very few people listening. And if that’s not true, then you’ve probably already got people’s attention by saying what you want. And if lots of people are listening, and you didn’t get here by saying what you want. Then for the love of God don’t say anything.

Nye 2020

Stay home. Be mellow. Lower those expectations just a little bit more. This ain’t over. If you can’t turn inward and make progress in your own small way and celebrate the small victories you’ll be playing a losing game.

Phonies

If you can’t spot them after 2020 you’ll never be able to.

2021

May be slightly better than 2020. Even if it’s objectively slightly worse. By year 5 of the Great Depression they were probably like, yeah this sucks, but it probably didn’t sting the same way.

New theory on making music

An artist never knows which songs people are going to enjoy. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence for this. Hit songs that were almost tossed away by a group thinking they weren’t good enough. Therefore, just keep throwing darts at the board. At the same time maybe this is what Rivers’ working theory is, which is why he has absolutely no filter, for good or ill. We get Pinkerton and the Black Album, that’s the flip side.

Christmas Vacation

Taught me that the complexity of an insult has a direct relationship to both how insulting it is as well as how hilarious it is.

Sometimes I see

No matter what the circumstances are you have the choice to thrive.

A play

Any skills you take away from this class and apply to the rest of your life may feel completely intangible. And that’s because the classroom is a stage for self-discovery and personal progress. The lesson plans are meaningless and interchangeable. Very little of it will be necessary for the rest of your existence. But every stage must have a backdrop.

Artists that feel they have something to say

Are more dishonest than those who admit they do not. And those who admit they have nothing important to say are more open to inspiration and works of pure genius.

There's nothing more satisfying

Than being paid for your art. I wrote a song about it called "New Wages". "Every cent is worth a nickel, every nickel's worth a dime, and every dime is worth a dollar to me". It doesn't matter how much I get paid through other means thousands, millions, it won't compare. What I get paid for making art will always be worth exponentially more to me. It's so satisfying when someone is willing to hand over hard earned dough for a little slice of your imagination. And it's not because it's hard work, quite the contrary, it's fun and easy and it's becoming easier and easier every day. Hard work does not bring you more money. And when it does, somehow, it still feels like you've been ripped off. That's why I'm working at night for the new wages.

karma

You break it? You buy it.

Only in theatres?

This seems like an insensitive approach to our current dilemma. Not to mention bad business and marketing sense.

Someone asked if I was bored the other day

I said no. Because I’ve been keeping busy, there is a general sameness to daily life. But when I think of boredom I think of someone who doesn’t know what they should be doing. I don’t think I’ve felt that way for a long time. Maybe it’s that I’m always wanting to learn new things, maybe it’s having a family, maybe it’s setting deadlines for yourself, or wanting to make new things. Sick of the sameness, sure. But bored I’m definitely not.

Get out of the way

Innovators and those working towards solutions in a crisis are now being recognized more than ever before. There’s still no meritocracy here, but there’s definitely a shift in the collective appreciation for those who can make a change. No one has time for mouthpieces or naysayers anymore. This is why

How do you start?

You gotta spend money to make money. But you also gotta make money to spend money.

I think I like people more now

Surprised? I think a lot of people have witnessed the worst in humanity this year, but I think I actually like people more now.

When we get out of here

I’m going to every concert, every night out, every party, everything all the time. Until I get used to that. Then I’ll crawl back into my lair.

YOLO

If you ever hear me use the expression understand that I appreciate the sentiment, but disagree with the fundamental premise. I believe in reincarnation and the spirit everlasting. YOLO!

The usefulness of dreams

I discovered that Hillary Clinton invented the Roomba. I told her I was impressed, to which she responded seriously. “I know what I’m doing”. There was so much carpet in their home it would probably drive me to invent the Roomba as well.

The Gentlemen

Whoah! Hugh Grant not being all Hugh Grant-y.

Shakespeare in love

Before this gets started can we all just accept that awards shows are completely political and like politics the final decision may or may not have anything to do with merit, also can we realize that just like political races the polls will be completely misleading. Let’s treat this as nothing more than a horoscope reading and give the results just as much importance.

IKEA

I put together an IKEA bed yesterday and today it feels like I ran a marathon.

I made a random metal band name generator

Because what else are we supposed to do while we're here.

http://random-metal.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/

Then I found out someone already made one.

https://www.metalbandnamegenerator.com/

Not the tools you use

The drumbeat in "Umbrella" is called Vintage Funk Kit 03 and comes with Garageband.

Options

If you don’t know you can walk away, then you’re stuck and being stuck is torture. There’s nothing preventing you from leaving an unpleasant situation. There are always options

In the moment

You feel completely justified being upset with a 3 year old. Then immediately afterwards you just feel like a jerk. Even more so because they’ve moved on long before you’ve even realized it.

Phantom Menace

My friend once filmed me watching Phantom Menace. the entire time I had a disgusted look on my face. And he couldn’t stop laughing at my face.

I’m going to keep staring at this screen

Until my eyeballs fall out. I had an idea for an app that randomly interrupts while you’re using your phone to tell you to stop looking at your phone, I still want to make this app.

so it’s official pt. 2

It’s your fault America, you gave her the cold shoulder even after she carried season 8 and 9 of The X-Files.

There are many paths

But you can only choose one. The choice itself doesn’t matter. Just how you make the choice.

The illusion of safety

Is just as important as actual safety. Because the placebo effect is real.

On the brink of fascism

I just searched "what is happening in politics" and found this site, and although I had already read the first few articles. It's still startling to view them all in one place.

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/

The US is on the brink of a fascist coup. This is not an alarm bell, or an exaggeration. This will happen, if not stopped by their current legal systems.

As stated by the heading: "Read in moderation."

Remedy

For all those feeling down. Open up Spotify, find Karma Chameleon. And go to Karma Chameleon radio. And wake up to a new world. You can walk on sunshine and on broken glass.

Truth

Some people avoid it all costs. Some people run head first into it. Trump vs. Chappelle.

There are some people

That will always remind you of what’s wrong in the world. And won’t give themselves a moment of triumph. We are all still aware that this is no utopia. Small steps are worth celebrating too.

Kanye

The first time he voted. He voted for himself.

At what point

Do we forgo objectivity and make statements of resolute judgement. When is something just not okay?

Just imagine...

If you had the confidence of Donald. He is taking legal action to stop the state from counting legitimate votes. The absolute audacity is magnificent. Can you imagine if you had an ounce of that jet-fuel confidence. That belief in your own rightness and authority? What could you do with that power? You could become president. Oh wait, nevermind, that's a bad idea.

I choose death

The red states are lining up perfectly with Covid hotspots. I ain’t no psychology major, but I think this mean something.

Side-note big tech

Hey Apple, why are you pretending that you don’t know I’m trying to spell the word gigalo? I’d say it’s a fairly politically neutral word, not offensive in any particular direction, and yet you took a back seat as I attempted to spell it with a J and a W. I had to look it up on the internet, while all the while I had an AI which could have lent me a hand, but was too prudish to speak up.

No thanks big-tech

The google nest mini is absolute trash. And it is constantly apologizing for its shortcomings. I’m starting to feel ashamed and sad for it. I feel like the parents of Haley Joel Osmond in AI. Going to send it off with some soft-hearted robot gigalo pretty soon.

Time

The great thing about writing something everyday is that the world seems to change faster. Two months later I have no idea who the guy is that wrote September 1st’s post. Not a clue.

Fave Horror Movies No Order

Rosemary's Baby

Hereditary

It Follows

The Descent

The Ring

Drag Me to Hell

The Loved Ones

The Shining

1408

Ravenous

Donnie Darko (maybe not horror, but hey if Die Hard is considered a Christmas movie)

I might be missing some, I don't know.

VICE's guide to being a racist

I was just reading about one of the founders of VICE, Gavin MacInnes. VICE always felt mean spirited. I got it, it was pushing the boundaries, it was there to shock. If you were a teenage boy in the nineties you loved it because it was offensive. Now this dude is one of the founders of the proud boys racist club. And rants and whines about censorship. The thing about racists is they often couple their beliefs in the name of free speech. As if their beliefs are new and radical and need to be heard. But ya know, hatred has been given centuries and centuries of airtime. You can spout racism, but most people just don't want to hear it anymore, and don't want to promote it or give it a platform. It's go nothing to do with free-speech. The world is moving on without you and you're scared. You've identified your whole existence with your gender or your skin colour, and if those things don't have value anymore, than you don't have value. Peace out shock jocks.

The Void

I used to yell into the void, and then wait for a response. Now I don't wait for a response, I just keep yelling.

NXIVM

If the leader of your cult looks like a cult leader you're in a cult.

Let's explain that last one a bit better

Why is this full circle, why does it matter? Damon Albarn is the creative force behind Blur and Gorillaz, two groups that I often go to for inspiration to create my music. In an attempt to move outside of my usual sources of inspiration to some weird-ass soundtrack from a strange throw-away 90s horror-comedy, I find out that I am in fact, finding inspiration in the same place as I always have. It's similar to finding out that Ennio Morricone wrote songs for The Clash.

Full Circle

It only took me two decades to discover that the strange gem of the Ravenous soundtrack, that I was just about to rip-off was co-written by Damon Albarn.

Like it enough

So that if no one else likes it. You still like it.

Watching a little TV for a change?

I always think of this line from Back to the Future Part 2 when I open up Crave, Netflix, and Prime Video in my browser to figure out what the hell I'm going to watch.

Not strange enough

TV shows and movies need to get weirder to move beyond real life.

Teen angst

I’ve started revisiting a lot of the music I listened to when I was in high school and I’m starting to think I was depressed back then.

Time out

Time out on everything for a while.

real or not

Everything is real. Because thoughts and ideas don't have these limitations. And that is what the world is made of.

Roland

Roland is the Nintendo of musical instruments. Don’t argue with me on this because you can’t and I’m right in every way.

remember that time

You picked up your phone and used it to complete the one task that you had originally picked up your phone for, and then you put your phone down right away?

Superhero films vs Comedians

"They have blighted cinema, and also blighted culture to a degree". - Alan Moore on Superhero films

I don't completely disagree with this statement. I think an overemphasized trend in any direction can have a negative effect on culture. And superhero movies have had such a catch-all mass popularity effect on culture. Sometimes I miss watching a movie and being surprised, it is so rare now to see auteurs that stand out. Everyone is looking to be a cog in the MCU or Star Wars Universe. And many of these films are great rides. But to actually be confronted or challenged about how we process the extreme situations we currently live in has become more and more rare, especially in film. That challenge now seems to be left mostly to the comedians, Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Tom Segura, Eric Andre, Michael Che and others. They are the only ones achieving this with an artistic method, and by that I mean to the point where they dare you to see things from their perspective. Comedians are the only ones confronting dangerous topics without fear and convincing you to look deeper at situations you may have already casted judgement on. Popular film and television no longer attempt this.

passwords

A memorial for your favorite pets.

How to make art

Keep adding stuff until there’s too much stuff, then start taking stuff away.

The news

Addictive and repulsive at the same time.

Schadenfreude

In general we don’t wish harm to others. But sometimes people are kind of asking for it.

The Unbreakable Ted Lasso

At first you were like, yeah I don’t care much for British accents. And then you realized you were insane.

When you’re Mickey Rourke

You don’t play by the rules, and you sure as hell don’t take orders from Nick Cannon.

No one

Who’s excited about virtual staff Christmas parties?

Wake up

Sometimes I like to imagine Wyn Butler screaming “I invented the millennial whoop!” The same way that Will Ferrel screams “I invented the piano key necktie!” In Zoolander.

pathetic

What’s with the ‘T’s in the middle of the word ‘mittens’? There’s two of them and they still can’t get the job done.

Utopia

20 minutes in and I'm realizing that the series is about an artist predicting the future, while the series itself has predicted the future. Oh and "Friends of P" by the Rentals just played. I'm sold.

A murder of crows

An assassination of elephants and a vehicular manslaughter of parakeets.

Schitts Creek

The US is so fed up with itself it voted for a Canadian TV show to win every award. Now to give Trailer Park Boys a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.

Right answer, no reason

I make websites for a living and apps for fun. Coding is satisfying because it is abstract problem solving, the answer is usually not up for debate, it either works perfectly or not well, or not at all. So when you do find the solution there’s a bit of magic, a eureka moment. Today I found a solution to a problem I had spent hours on. The solution works perfectly, like magic, but makes absolutely no sense to me. I came across it by guessing, just throwing the dice after trying everything else. I still don’t get it, maybe I never will, but does it matter? Sometimes magic is magic.

Filling a void

I make music because a lot of the stuff I want to listen to hasn’t been made yet. Someone’s gotta do it.

Somewhere between an immortal Jellyfish and a Unicorn

Meeting a celebrity is surreal. Like finding out Unicorns are real. Or jellyfish are immortal. I guess it’s more like the latter, because jellyfish are immortal. But somehow an immortal jellyfish is less impressive than a horse with a horn on its head. And a celebrity is somewhere in between.

Top 5

Although I’m only a casual hip-hop listener, here’s my top 5 in no order:


Killer Mike

Guru

Jay-Z

Eminem

Andre3000

I Like this job, I like it!

One of my favorite performances in any movie is Heath Ledger as the Joker. He took a character so over the top and he grounded it, made it real. Even when actors play real life historical figures it can seem fake, overdone. Even an actor playing an average person can seem fake and overdone. Heath Ledger’s Joker was real. I find myself continually trying to find the cracks, like analyzing special effects for flaws, and I can’t.

A Student Again

When I was first getting into music I would accept every musical choice the artist made without question. They were the authority and I was there to learn. I sang along to every silly line and air guitar'd to each and every indulgent solo. As I get older, it is rare that I do not have an opinion on the choices made by an artist, or even would make a different one. Years ago I was discussing with a friend of mine how I can still appreciate an artist even though I believe my work to be superior. That remains true. But how sweet it is to become the student again, and embrace every choice made as infallible scripture.

New mantra

Have enough going on in your life that you don’t have time to think twice.

Think about it

The guy who wrote Who Let the Dogs Out is a millionaire.

Cancel culture

The agreement that an angry mob will decide on the one person who will pay for the sins of many.

NYE

I predict a whole lot of “Good Riddance” and “Fuck 2020” parties.

Crazy Genius

Our son used to say “you are crazy”, now he fluctuates between “you are crazy” and “you are genius”. I’ll take it.

When you’re too busy

Hoping that some hands off parenting is beneficial to a child’s development.

Thanks big tech

Google sent me a free nest mini, because I signed up for Spotify Duo, and while I know they just did it to spy on me. I can still appreciate an unexpected gift. Thanks big tech.

the agreement

A child holds you to your highest standard before they even say a word.

The deadline

My new mantra is: “the deadline is more important than the product, because consistency is more important than anything”. I would have thought this sacrilege a few years ago, now it’s my only truth.

True facts

In Japan the block numbers are used as identifiers and the streets don’t have names. This is where bono got the idea for the song, he was only talking about Japan.

Everything is a hoax

Which means hoaxes are hoax, which means hoaxes are actually real. The earth is flat if you’re close enough to stand on it.

Super Castlevania IV

I also have a vivid memory of my older brother telling me that one day I would be more into music than I was into video games. And me saying, that would never happen. Things change.

Spinning Bird Kick

Watching High Score on Netflix, realizing how long it took for character choice to be implemented into video games in a main-stream way, here are a few of my characters of choice:

Street Fighter II: I started out with Chun-Li, moved to Guile, then it's been Ryu ever since.

Mortal Kombat: Began with Sub-Zero and eventually moved to Scorpion.

Mario Kart: I started with Toad, and eventually landed on Yoshi.

kid dracula

When Kid A came out I was reading Bram Stoker's Dracula that year and would listen to Kid A and OK Computer while reading it. I couldn't believe how well the music fit with the mood and themes of that novel, it felt like a soundtrack to Dracula. When I moved to Toronto many years later I saw posters up for screenings of Nosferatu with Radiohead's Kid A and OK Computer played overtop as the soundtrack. Yesterday, my wife and I were discussing how much we connected with Arcade Fire's The Suburbs as a road trip soundtrack for travelling out of the city, through rolling hills and through smaller towns towards a destination. Whatever incredibly personal synchronistic experience you are having with a piece of art there are many others out there enjoying the same experience you are.

neutron dance

My mom used to workout to 80s music. Now I workout to 80s music. The 80s holds the monopoly on music to workout to, and have ever since...well...the 80s.

the pinnacle of popular culture

You can tell someone's age by what they deem the pinnacle of pop culture, for me it's seasons 7-9 of The Simpsons.

news radio

This might be the most underrated of sitcoms.

The Strokes are the Beatles of my generation

Julian is John, Fabrizio is Paul, Albert is George, Nikolai is Ringo and Nick Valensi doesn’t count. Correction, Valensi is Yoko. Never mind, this is a terrible comparison.

Paper

There is a mountain of post-it notes filled with tasks I have forgotten todo. There's a few in there that were probably worth doing, but most are just paper.

RvB

A lot of sci-fi and comic-book action movies can be reduced to red team vs. blue team.

Self-reliance

A subtle feeling of disconnect remains as our world opens up again. Maybe it's just remnants of a loss of innocence. We will no longer trust the status quo or institutions again. Self-reliance is the only strength.

A word of advice

Don’t read about the fateful end of Grizzly Man the week prior to camping.

Camping

I came to the realization years ago that camping is just drinking in the woods. It’s also not being able to sleep well in the woods.

Step aside

Get the hell out of my way, me! I got things I gotta do!

Revisiting Radiohead’s King of Limbs

Realizing that King of Limbs is a groove based album similar to Remain in Light by Talking Heads. The vocal melodies are in parallel with the instrumentation, never impacting the established rhythm directly.

Prehistoric Creatures

Thom Yorke, I can listen to you sing about dinosaurs and weird fish all day.

conundrum

I am very aware of how people may react to what I say. I'm not worried about offending anyone, but I don't want to contribute negatively to what exists. But also, I can't control how other people will react anyways. This is a conundrum.

Laughter of the dead

Canned laughter always unnerved me. I always heard the dead quiet of the studio underneath it, and was always made aware that some of these people laughing had died years before. This wave of every playoff season for every sport is a welcome return to some form of past unifying entertainment, but why hide the fact that these are strange times with the sound of a synthetic crowd funneled in? Can we not see the stands are empty? Are we not fully and completely aware of our current situation? Why not experience every part of this strange moment and embrace it as unique? With teams wearing jerseys with political messages on them and teammates wearing masks is there any point in trying to comfort us and pretending that we still live in the past? We’ve watched Jimmy Fallon host the Tonight Show from his house, and entire SNL episodes performed over Zoom. There’s no going back now. We’re here, and it’s happening now, phony doesn’t fly with this crowd.

I forgot about this record

Just said aloud to myself "I forgot about this record!". How satisfying to be reminded of great music after putting it down for years.

Put the lotion in the basket

Q Lazzarus licensing “Goodbye Horses” to The Silence of the Lambs was simultaneously their best and worst career move.

Boxes, man.

Why do we like boxes so much? I'm writing this post within a box and that box is in another box and that box is in another box while I'm sitting on a soft fabric box living inside a box within a larger box. Can't get enough of them.

the plan pt. 2

Why the plan makes sense to me. The Beatles put out quite a few terrible songs. But their output is part of what makes them great. Weezer puts out a lot of terrible songs and yet Rivers doesn't care, he still eats his candy with the pork and beans. You picking up what I'm putting down here?

the plan

I am going to release a new song every six-weeks.

The reasoning behind this:

1. I wait too long to put stuff out and then regret not releasing earlier.

2. How much better is a recording if sat on for many many years? How much better was that tenth mix? So many of the best records were put together in a short period of time. London Calling was recorded in two weeks (apparently). And some of the most mediocre records took way too long, see Chinese Democracy.

3. It will force me to be less precious.

4. It will force me to try new things. Experimentation and tinkering is the way to propel ourselves and society forward, see NN Taleb or Seth Godin for more my inspiration on this.

5. The six weeks timeline I got from that Basecamp dude who hates meetings, in his opinion one month is too short for small but substantial projects and multiple months is too long. Six weeks seems to be the sweet spot. It makes sense musically too. No time to wait for inspiration, before getting into the studio. Get into the studio and then be inspired. It also allows enough time to schedule with other players if needed and allows for ample time to play with mixes if song structure and recording is done within a month.

6. Announcing it here will hold me accountable and just as this blog has helped me write and expose my ideas to others often, this will hopefully help me do the same.

7. Making music is the best.

8. Wish me luck.

9. Stay tuned. blankcinema.com

Contrarians

When you’re younger there is such value in contradiction. As I get older I wonder how valuable it is, when it takes so long to change people’s minds for the better. Is Nietzsche that useful?

Focus

Focus is a very powerful skill, maybe the most important.

Compound effects

Passion can never be overrated, is consistency just as powerful?

Tony Clifton

Why do I feel like every time Kanye does something now, it’s just an Andy Kaufman bit? As if he’s here to mock our own outrage and overreaction, to remind us that life is absurd theatre. Laughter is the only healthy response.

Music

Making music with other people is some of the most fun you can have. Watch Stop Making Sense and you’ll see it’s a goddam party. Everyone sharing pieces of the whole idea, bouncing ideas and sounds off one another, feeling like your sharing the same brain.

Art

Art is engineering and design, and is mostly mechanical, but is fueled by inspiration.

Pop

I can’t think of any massive pop culture franchises that were made this century that weren’t pulled from content last century.

Send bitcoin

What lazy structures we’ve propped ourselves up with. And that’s okay, as long as we are okay with it.

Heroes

There was once a belief in me that I was a lone hero on a quest through dangerous lands. Now I just want to make sure I'm not creating any dangerous lands for other heroes.

flying

I need a full eight hours in a sensory deprivation tank, although when I finally come out I'll probably forget how to use my legs.

Adulthood

Once you realize that the adults you looked up to when you were a kid were also just making it up as they went along, you’re there.

Luddite

Resistance to technology in broad general terms, such as in the form of luddites, is a form of mental insanity. Progress is inevitable and acceptance is the only solution. Specific issues around technology and how they affect society need to be addressed, but as a general philosophy ludditism is non-sensical.

highlight

If you say something was a highlight of 2020, how good was it really?

Material girl

The tail end of Madonna’s career was a bit of a mess and I regret that. I think she deserved better.

Not ripe yet

I’m constantly adapting my schedule for an avocado.

Reintroduced to society

Have to start using those social muscles again. They’ve pretty much atrophied.

Expectations

It's getting easier and easier to drop any expectations of success in a given project. Which counterintuitively makes it easier to progress. If you don't hold the bar so high that you can't figure out how to reach it, it's pretty easy just to jump and see how high you get.

Me...the rest of the world

My mind is one apartment, a chill space with bean bag chairs, some lemon La Croix in the fridge and Brian Eno's Music for Airports on the phono. In the next apartment there's a raging party that has been going on for hours. The cops have been called, but now their just escalating the situation.

freedom

Through every botched practical application of social science there exists a mistrust in people. Fascism holds that an individual can and should not think for themselves, and must think and act in the same manner as its ruler. Communism/socialism holds that an individual must share equally with their community. Neither of these practical applications trust that an individual will act out of communal interest and self interest simultaneously. The two are not mutually exclusive. The practical application of these top down governments will not accept this paradox of the human spirit because it is born out of the rational mind. That is why stringent utopic ideals applied from the top down will always fail. Governments with the most flexibility for the individual will succeed. But you need a foundation for these individuals, healthcare, employment and housing. I'm out.

shadows

If I've never met you than you are a complete fiction in my mind. How is it that I have so many fictions in my life and so few realities. Generations before us I'm sure had plenty of fictions; gossip about other people they did not know, but never so much as now. Discussing theories about people we know nothing about. All shadows.

entrenched

Tribal skirmishes dominate the digital landscape. Connection has increased, understanding has decreased.

Monsters

Out of context everyone is a monster, within context everyone is a human being. If you are seeing a monster, you don’t know enough context.