Id like to start this blog with a disclaimer, I can barely work hotmail, wordpress is still a mystery and as far as computer games go well I havent played since the first nintendo game came out. I did however find this youtube video that is absolutly helarious and I think it might even shed some light on the mystery of gaming to those of us in the dark…

Some of the people I talked to expressed their relish for the social aspect of these games, being able to interact with others in ways that would traditionally be inexceptable in the “real world”. I suppose I can undertand that and draw some parralles to my own other worlds of skiing, kickboxing and baseball. Each presents its own challenges and specific social etiquette that would otherwise be deemed unexpectable. You can punch someone in the face without fear of being thrown in jail and on skis well hey thats as fast as you can go without a motor…..awesome…so if that rush transfers over to the gaming world I understand. I havent had a beer with a gear head in a while, but there is nothing better than I long day on the hill fallowed by a beer and a conversation about the new line of gear that mountain hardwear put out, the new k2, salomon and atomic lines, how the technology has changed. The same Im sure can be said for gamers.

Im not even going to comment on the articles this week because I didnt understand half of what they said, and found them to be a little dry and well sorry Paul irrelevant to those of us do not play.

The concern for some is that the video will become true and the worlds of gaming and reality will merge. Im not sure that this will ever happen as there are still laws to abide by out here in reality and I think half the fun of gaming is being able to seperate oneself from the daily stressors and nuances for awhile. Whether that is functional or problematic Im not sure. The concern I will express is when children play they are literally wiring their brains for the future, and there is only so much plasticity in ones brain. So when they play video games they are wiring those circuits, this is problematic if they only play video games and watch televison. Studies have come out to suggest that children exposed to these lifestyles have marked motor impairment and do not perform as well on spatial tasks, coordination tasks and even spelling. So parent beware….if your kids want to play its ok, just make sure they get some well rouded activities in their cognitive diets.

So in conclusion, game on gamers, ski on skiiers, do what you do and do it well, whatever it may be…..

Cheers

The best, shortest, and most easlily understood definition goes as fallows:

An infinitive is the form of a verb that comes after to, as in to support or to write; it’s the uninflected form of the verb. A split infinitive occurs when another word comes between the to and the verb. Some people prefer to keep the to next to the verb at all times, and though grammar experts are divided over this rule, it’s probably better to avoid split infinitives whenever possible. Instead of “Matt seems to always do it that way,” try “Matt always seems to do it that way.”

Enjoy you grammatical nuances……

and we still need to talk about it. Its not that it isnt important, it just never seems to ceaze amazing me that in the civilized world we havent figured out how to allow people to be who they are. To worship as they please, dress, walk and talk in a way that is appropriate and functional for them. I suppose mostly because there always seems to be a dominant majority that can claims power and right to the judgement of others.

As far as “Gay” becoming a unified identity …Im not sure why the hunkydory “gay community” would want to push for this…Im confused…are you fighting for equality or for special recognition as a repressed group? It seems counter intuitive to do the later because it predetermines this group as subordinate and of lesser stature by defining it as needing special recognition. I say if your gay, be gay. I know its harsh and maybe somewhat unsympathetic but the reality is in context we are all part of a repressed group, and allowing yourself to be victimized only furthers the process of repression and powerlessness. Similarly in response to the “Women on Televison”  article, its our responsibility to inquire about truth, and not blindly accept the ideologies blasted from the televison screen. Im not saying society doesnt play a role in our socialization and that parents shouldn’t carry some weight as far as teaching their children about the choices they have…but after eighteen its your mind for your ass. We make choices and as individuals we are fundamentally and morally responsible for those choices and the actions tha fallow …that is if you believe in free will and not the popular cop out known as fate….

Having said all that….this rings true though disturbing…sensitive viewers beware

What can I say about this???? The internet puts a whole new spin on parenting, kids will always be currious about sex, is it better that they find a playboy magazine  than a beastiality website?

Its endless the arguments against pornography and how it portrays women, but its produced as fantasy…so where do fantasy and reality collide, where does the endless taboo craze end, and how do we promote freedom and equality to all while still catering to everyones needs?

Anyone the million dollar question awaits you ……it could just be your fate….

Well heres the classic…

While both articles made a compelling argument this week, I’m not sure if we can blame advertising for the end of the world as we know it. After all we are part of advertising because we buy into it. It reaches us at such an underlying level of insecurity that we dont even notice how it effects our lives. My personal view is that children should not be exposed to televison untill later on in their lives. Babysitting kids with a televison insures that they grow up with this junk in their heads. I’m not saying there isnt useful and educational programs but what happens in between them is of just as much a concern. Kids should grow up without knowing about style, make up and which shoes go with what. It simply isnt important to kids untill someone tells them it should be. Racism is a prime example, kids don’t care what color other kids are, they just want to play and have fun….untill a biggot father or some other authority figure tells them how they see the world and forces those opinions on the child. Advertising has the same role…..
Remember the black is beautiful campaign?

All that campaign accomplished was making black women seem more like objects, just exotic objects that were previously off the market to white male consumers. Even now ethnic women and men only appear in commercials where they are streotyped repeatedly for some exagerated custom in their society… If we reversed the tables what would we be known for….?

I agree that advertisements perpetuate low self esteem and bad body images in women as well as men. But the key word is perpetuate…shouldn’t we be socializing our children to be confident in who they are not assigning prescribed gender ideals to youngsters. They need to have time to grow up and fit their own niches without anyone putting restrictions on them. There are times I wish I could be  a girly girl, Ill admit, but  when I wake up in a bivy sack at 11 000ft with dirt under my nails having not showered for 12 days to watch the sun rise over the mountains….I know Im not missing a thing… no pair of jeans could beat that feeling, and hell if a guy isnt going to love you because your not complacent, dependent and you actually eat, well I wouldn’t call that love anyways… he can stay home with his trans fat popcorn and equally lame girlfriend…. Id rather be running around enjoying life and learning about my environment than wasting my time being bombarded with images that tell me im not a good person because I didnt put on mascara this morning, that I will live my life alone because I didnt runout and buy the new spring line from Calvin Klein…they are only right if you let them be..

Even my father buys into this more than I do, hes always talking about how I present myself and whether its residual teenage rebellion or that I really just cant assimilate I dont know but I dont care. Just like this blog I’d rather write something with content than paste utube videos and pretty pictures for points..I see my body the same way..Id rather be a person with substance than be in the spotlight because I have great legs and a nice ass. The biggest trick advertisers are using aginst us is confusing health and beauty. Its important  to be healthy and to be aware of your health, but we all have different body types, shapes and sizes. Know your body and whats healthy for you.

So to all you ladies…if you want equality you have to create it and push for it on your own, it doesnt exist as an innate and fundamental part of our culture.  So be strong and be who you are, dont waste your life on cheap cosmetics and cleaning supplies….. Ask yourself what you want to remember on your death bed, who do you want to look back and see?

I’ve never posted a video so I hope this works, these are two of my favorite blues musicians…Sonny Terry and Brownie Mcgee. One of the greatest duos of all time…I’ve never read a review on anyone, even my favorite musicians, I dont know their birthdays, their favorite color or where they grew up. I cant say I could identify with the “pitch fork effect ” article, Id much rather listen to music than read about listening to it.  The local blues scene in calgary isnt actually all that bad, theres a number of great artists in the city; Bill Dowie and the Blues Devils are always worth seeing, Tim Williams, and Russel Jackson are also canadian favorites.

There isnt much attention being paid to the classic blues ballads and jazz riffs of the early 1900’s these days but music as we know it seemed to spawn out of the Nat King Coles and Louis Armstrongs. It seems to me that the new music of the day has lost its substance and character because its readily available and therefore expendible, and because more substaniative qualities are easily replaced with sexy visual images and a host of other dilute selling features that capture and hold our medioccur attention. The first time I heard B.B kings live at cook county jail album I almost wet my pants. He is the master of holding a note and saying something, this is a trick young cats just dont get.

The tones, melodies and rythyms of a piece should inherently create their own story and their own feeling. They should make your insides curl and jump with delight, as though your senses became integrated and you could feel and taste the note.

While I love jazz, rock and even some country the blues has always held a special place in my little heart. Theres a quality to the music and the people that is so captivating and raw, as though anyone who knew the blues and felt it in the pits of their hearts knew something the rest of world didn’t. I used to frequent the King Eddy and although it had a bad rap for being in a crappy part of town, the music streamed through the doors into the city streets every night of the week. As you entered two racked pay phones greeted you with the smell of sweat, beer, and smoke. Some people dont enjoy such a climate but I found it refreshing in a strange way, nobody was judging anybody in that place, everyone was there to listen.  There were hookers, crack heads and other assorted junkies, busnismen and women, students, the blue and white collar finally intermixed under the red lights. There were very few problems per se, the staff was as hard as the old wooden floors and saw to it that everyone enjoyed their experience. It was almost like wandering into another world, a place that would supply the senses with what they craved, soothing and churning the soul all at the same time….

That concludes my rant on music and its palce in my life, I encourage all of you to check out some of those “old records on the shelf” you never know what you might find in there and the sound qualtity still surpasses the new technology by a long shot….

  I forgot to mention that for those of you who are interested in eclectic music check out CKUA they literally play everything….

Well we took off running to see the film “The Pursuit of Happiness” staring none other than Will Smith and his delightful son. I had just arrived home for reading week and my Mom was keen to see this flick so I agreed and off we went to Chinook Center. After battling the weekend warrior shoppers for a parking spot we set out, well I should say Mom set out a break neck pace to navigate through the crowd with me in tow. I hadn’t seen a movie since I was stuck in Nelson New Zealand after missing my bus to explore the south island so Id forgotten about battling the masses. Thank God for my mother, I probably would have gotten lost and sat in the corner and cried had it not been for her action oriented self. We got there at 2:49 and we were in the movie with a bag of popcorn (you have to do it) by 3:04. The most stressful and disgusting part of the whole experience was infact waiting for the popcorn. Never look at the floor of were they serve you the goods. Its amazing that some new breed of fauna didnt evolve off that floor and start consuming the masses. The smell of butter and salt is so thick that you have to approach the counter carefully to avoid salivating on the kid serving you. Not that he’d mind, hes sixteen and has seen his fair share of crazed moviegowers with 2 minutes untill show time pushing through the crowd, waving twentys to solicit some attention and be rewarded with the salts and sweets they crave. Nothing out of the ordinary for a movie theater that sees thousands of people pass through its doors between shows. They even have an express Pizza Hut and a Burger King, it reminded me of the strip in cranbrook, just one fast food, immediate gratification station after the other. People love it, hell I statred to love it.

Through the ticket counter and down the hall to theater # 10 we wandered…just walking into the theater while the lights were dimming. I thought it would have been busier on a Sunday afternoon but only about half of the theater was filled with eager viewers. Even though I hadn’t yet read Smiths article, the slopping, chewing and incessant talking through the previews made me say a silent prayer in hope that it would all stop. Now having read the article, he does have a point…just not a very strong position. I mean if the world is that appalling, sweaty and sinister then why bother taking yourself out  in the first place…to a movie or just to ride the train? I mean if I wasnt in a theater directly observing my surroundings with a notebook, would I have noticed the rustling, the talking and chewing, the sticky floor or even the new chairs the theater put in? Ahha maybe thats where Smiths idea came form…it made me wonder if  we hate smiths article because its not that people arent appauling and ruthless, its that weve created ways to avoid believing that that is the case. And is it so bad.?…only if your the observer

Once the movie came on the restless shuffling of popcorn bags and slurping of oversized pops settled into a comfortable drone. I was amazed at how comfortable the seats were, the last movie I saw in Canada was about 12 years ago and long before Chinook Center was rebuild into the super mall it is today and Southcenter still had a theater. I forgot how nice it is to be so immersed in a story ( I took a little break on starring at the crowd they were getting ornary), taken over by the scenes and sounds, the queued music and all. I lavished in it and in light of the last couple of months this movie was exactly what I needed to see, the ending was premature but the moral of the story came rushing through the little electrons and beamed into my skull. I didn’t find anyone to be excessively, rude, or loud…even the two preteens who sat in front of us were well behaved and respectful. There were a few appropriate cries of delight that escaped the crowd, and the expected sigh fallowed by someone yelling NO! But for the remainder of the movie my observations went like this:

Im staring at a crowd thats staring at a screen and the skinny bald guy in the corner is getting nervous, he thinks I’m recording his thoughts…I wonder what he has to hide….it is Sunday after all. SO the crowd there they are, chillin’, devoid of any thought about the outside world and mesmorized by a story that is not their own. Is there some moral, existential reason that I shouldn’t support this? Stories were meant to be told and in some cases but definetly not all we are lucky to be able to hear so many stories and learn form them.

 Ah the elderly couple they are always of interest to me, to see two people so comfortable with each other that there’s no need for small talk. They smile at each other when something is funny or sad and each of them just know, almost instinctively what the other is feeling. I wish there had been some more drama, something relevant and spectacular to include in my blog….but my movie going experience was nothing but a walk through the park…

While I’ve definitely felt annoyed and aggravated in a large crowd, especially after living in the woods for the summer, Smiths article was nothing more than a poor attempt at creating some poetic injustice. Crowd mentality can be superficial, annoying, and make you wonder what alternate universe you woke up in, but as our society gets bigger and bigger people seem to be able to hold onto their individuality more and more. Maybe thats why the churches are struggling, collective effervecence is being bread out of the people. We no longer feel the need ot connect with our neighboors just because they are our neighboors, and thats ok. Although staring at crowd staring at screen can be dry appauling on its own level, movie going is great pass time for many people, and if they like it Im all over it. But there are various reasons why movie going is on the decline, most of them dont involve troughs but hey….check out this link if you want…http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2005/07/declining_movie.html

The bottom line is that it is a choice to see a movie and a fairly simple one at that. If it was so bad it wouldn’t be a multi-billion dollar industry that is seeping into our common knowledge of the world around us. That may be the true atrocity …but hey it’s a risk I’m willing to take to spend a saturday afternoon with Mom.