hieee.
i had a great weekend. did you?
i have only a couple things to talk about today...which is surprising considering i've had the "new post" window open for hours now and i've yet to jot anything down. it's monday.
but, here's what i do have:
1) i'm still enraged at balloon boy and his freakshow family. including the dad's hairstyle. what is up with that? no pun intended. anyway, the emotions i went through that day...and for what?! a publicity stunt? all i can say is that it's a good thing for the heene family that there is a lot of ground between illinois and colorado. because if i were any closer, well...you know my position on spanking. swats for the entire clan! bare ass-style.
2) i'm 90/10 on the idea of taking a half pto day so that i can go home and nap. i'm unreal tired at the moment and being awake seems masochistic. the only thing keeping me at work is the fact that i wore a super cute outfit today and i feel that not enough people have seen me bouncing around in it yet. it's not easy, people.
3) i wanted to let you all know that i'm submitting writing posts to my friend's/coworker's site cinderblockracer.com. now, my own blog has one policy and one policy only: honesty. even when it hurts. so i will be honest and say that i have no idea what cinderblockracer.com is about. i don't even know what the name means. however, i do know that my friend allen, the site keeper, has created a nicely-designed site about most things sci-fi. and i say most things because there are a few, select items featured on the site that are non-sci fi that i surely know about, such as...music (allbeit music i've never heard of) and there are games (allbeit i've never played a playstation in my life--the controller alone intimidates me) and there are links for all things considered awesome (allbeit i would assign a wtf is that? to most said awesome stuff, because, what is it? it does what?)... so again, i say most things sci fi because not all is entirely lost on me.
ok, ok, all is pretty much entirely lost on me.
mostly because i have zero sci-fi knowledge. and yes, bear with me as i lump everything i don't understand as "sci fi." but honestly, i never watch sci-fi movies, including harry potter, lotr, spiderman, xmen...i don't read comics, i don't know alot about computers, or computer programs, i don't even know most features on my cell phone besides call, text, and brickbreaker. long story short: i don't know a lot about anything besides my own, personal, drama-fueled existence which is highlighted by my impulsive, obnoxious opinion/perspective.
there you have it folks. a day of honesty.
i'm all about letters of dissatisfaction, letters to the editor, sticking it to the man, and general observation of the negative type.
but, sometimes i branch out. such as cinderblockracer.com. and i will say that the site has a lot to offer in many, many different areas, any of which could be right up your alley. i think i could learn a lot via this site and that is what's cool about it. you know my motto is knowledge is power.
so, go to the site, peruse, and let me know what you think/someone please explain to me who and what wolverine is.
10.16.2009
after yesterday and this morning...i don't know if my longstanding desire to have children is a good idea anymore.
yes, i'm talking about balloon boy. i'm obviously not a parent of this child, related to the child, nor do i have any emotional attachment to him or his family. but as a hopeful, someday family man...my stomach was in knots, my mind racing, and my heart in two.
all of my life, i've wanted nothing more than to raise my own children. until now...
what happened yesterday!?!
long story short: i went through a gambit of emotion. we all know what happened, so let's just cut to the chase and talk about me for a second. for some reason, i overwhelmingly empathized with this family and falcon as if i were an integral part of the unfolding situation. first off, watching that balloon soar over colorado at what looked to be a thousand mph...i was dying inside. i was so nervous, i was sweating terribly, i felt completely sick to my stomach...i just couldn't handle it. at all. i felt as if i was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. and this wasn't even my child. my mind kept asking itself, if he indeed was inside that contraption, how horrifying would that have been for a 6 yr. old child? i'm a 27 yr old adult and had it been me up there, i would have gone ape shit bananas insane suicidal think-it-over wwjd...all of it.
i couldn't even begin to imagine it, and the fact that i did have to imagine such a scenario broke my heart into pieces because it wasn't me up there, but rather a baby. and i don't care if he's 6, 6 yr olds are incapable of supporting or thinking for themselves. he's a baby. so, when i found out that he wasn't inside that thing, whatever it was, i felt even worse because where was my baby!?!?!
ok, ryan, cool it...he's not your baby. you are one of the millions of people watching this unfold. semmer.down.now.
but i couldn't. i was so distraught i couldn't concentrate on anything else. when i arrived home that evening i was immensely relieved to hear that falcon was being an enormous brat by hiding in the attic the entire time. some even say he was taking a nap in a box. aw, that's cute. but bad! the roller coaster he put me on! i wanted to hug him and slap his behind at the same time. yes, i'm a firm believer in spanking. controlled spanking. as a teenage babysitter, i would spank other people's children for them. and you know what, those kids were raised right and are looking to be successful adults. a-thank you. save your hate, readers.
back to topic, i couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be in the position of balloon boy's parents though. especially considering the family's shenanigans aren't exactly what i would call child friendly.
but if this news story wasn't bad enough, this morning i noticed that the family was interviewed by the today show...so i of course clicked the link and was horrified to see balloon boy puking on live television. when it rains it pours apparently. first off -- i've been there. i've had many a small child either puke directly on me or puke within range of me (c'mon, i was a professional babysitter, ymca all-around-do-every-job-position employee, and lifeguard for many, many years. puke happens a lot.) it's a horrid experience no matter the setting. but, the reaction of the dad was priceless during the heave-ho. he was soo caught off guard by his son's retching that i commend him for still doing the interview without flipping shit and being like "uh, meredith, can you shut up for five seconds, my kid just barfed on me randomly, and truth be told, it's been a long 24 hours. interview over."
but, he kept his cool and there was some redeeming factor to that...even tho i still think that family is messed up. majorly. word to the wise: stop putting your children in dangerous predicaments such as, i don't know, hurricane chasing and homemade floatation devices. (!)
then, thanks cnn, i just had to stumble upon this news story to, again, put my emotions and pulse back into an unstable state.
holy eff. what is happening in this world!? am i, ryan sumner, really able to be a better parent than these people? i sure to god hope so because if not, future sumner offspring, i apologize now for any future turmoil i may put you through. i hope you survive.
bleep!
yes, i'm talking about balloon boy. i'm obviously not a parent of this child, related to the child, nor do i have any emotional attachment to him or his family. but as a hopeful, someday family man...my stomach was in knots, my mind racing, and my heart in two.
all of my life, i've wanted nothing more than to raise my own children. until now...
what happened yesterday!?!
long story short: i went through a gambit of emotion. we all know what happened, so let's just cut to the chase and talk about me for a second. for some reason, i overwhelmingly empathized with this family and falcon as if i were an integral part of the unfolding situation. first off, watching that balloon soar over colorado at what looked to be a thousand mph...i was dying inside. i was so nervous, i was sweating terribly, i felt completely sick to my stomach...i just couldn't handle it. at all. i felt as if i was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. and this wasn't even my child. my mind kept asking itself, if he indeed was inside that contraption, how horrifying would that have been for a 6 yr. old child? i'm a 27 yr old adult and had it been me up there, i would have gone ape shit bananas insane suicidal think-it-over wwjd...all of it.
i couldn't even begin to imagine it, and the fact that i did have to imagine such a scenario broke my heart into pieces because it wasn't me up there, but rather a baby. and i don't care if he's 6, 6 yr olds are incapable of supporting or thinking for themselves. he's a baby. so, when i found out that he wasn't inside that thing, whatever it was, i felt even worse because where was my baby!?!?!
ok, ryan, cool it...he's not your baby. you are one of the millions of people watching this unfold. semmer.down.now.
but i couldn't. i was so distraught i couldn't concentrate on anything else. when i arrived home that evening i was immensely relieved to hear that falcon was being an enormous brat by hiding in the attic the entire time. some even say he was taking a nap in a box. aw, that's cute. but bad! the roller coaster he put me on! i wanted to hug him and slap his behind at the same time. yes, i'm a firm believer in spanking. controlled spanking. as a teenage babysitter, i would spank other people's children for them. and you know what, those kids were raised right and are looking to be successful adults. a-thank you. save your hate, readers.
back to topic, i couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be in the position of balloon boy's parents though. especially considering the family's shenanigans aren't exactly what i would call child friendly.
but if this news story wasn't bad enough, this morning i noticed that the family was interviewed by the today show...so i of course clicked the link and was horrified to see balloon boy puking on live television. when it rains it pours apparently. first off -- i've been there. i've had many a small child either puke directly on me or puke within range of me (c'mon, i was a professional babysitter, ymca all-around-do-every-job-position employee, and lifeguard for many, many years. puke happens a lot.) it's a horrid experience no matter the setting. but, the reaction of the dad was priceless during the heave-ho. he was soo caught off guard by his son's retching that i commend him for still doing the interview without flipping shit and being like "uh, meredith, can you shut up for five seconds, my kid just barfed on me randomly, and truth be told, it's been a long 24 hours. interview over."
but, he kept his cool and there was some redeeming factor to that...even tho i still think that family is messed up. majorly. word to the wise: stop putting your children in dangerous predicaments such as, i don't know, hurricane chasing and homemade floatation devices. (!)
then, thanks cnn, i just had to stumble upon this news story to, again, put my emotions and pulse back into an unstable state.
holy eff. what is happening in this world!? am i, ryan sumner, really able to be a better parent than these people? i sure to god hope so because if not, future sumner offspring, i apologize now for any future turmoil i may put you through. i hope you survive.
bleep!
10.15.2009
i have a confession which you may or may not be ready for...but you'll just have to deal with it:
halloween is one of my least favorite holidays.
i know i know, i can already hear the gasps and feel the sense of disappointment furrowing in your brow. but hear me out...
now, i didn't say that i hated halloween. in fact, i love this time of year: i love carving pumpkins, i love trick-or-treaters (the real kind...you know, kids dressed up cute? remember those?), i love all things spooky and scary like movies and haunted houses and the like.
i love fun-size candy bars, which, really...that's what halloween is really about, right?
but, i don't dress up. or should i say i absolutely loathe dressing up. i've only been forced to do it a few times in my life and i'm glad to say that those peer pressure days are long gone. and to be quite honest, i don't like it when you dress up either.
i will, however, give props to those whom try. i think it's admirable - the amount of ambition, money, and time you dedicate toward finding the perfect costume. sort of. i'd rather put my money toward clothing items i'd wear more than once a year, but that's just me. but again, "some of you" do really spectacular things that are amazing and include elaborate makeup and get-ups that have so much detail i don't know if it's halloween or if i fell into that same damn hole alice did, making wonderland my new playground. hi everybody! that cat is pretty!
and just for the record, just because i don't like to dress up doesn't mean that i'm not fun. i'm not a party pooper. i'm not a dud. any of you who actually know me know that i can be the life of a party. i'm a great conversationalist, i've never met anyone that didn't like me (give or take a few extreme, isolated incidents), and i know how to work a room. so don't prejudge me as a debbie downer. i'm actually a fun franny.
but, back to my point, halloween is ruined for me on a few levels:
1) girls
2) gays
3) bars
first, girls. they single-handedly ruined halloween. halloween is no longer about dressing up as a ghost or a vampire. thanks to the female species, it's about naughty nurses and stripper cops. its about showing as much tna as humanly possible and getting screwed at the end of the night because of it.
second, gays. you're in the same exact boat. it's no longer about being he-man or a power ranger. it's about being the half-naked operation guy or michael phelps in all his speedo glory. it's about look at these abs, i've been starving for weeks to get'em! somebody, anybody, look at me!
you peeps ruined it. i want to go on a hayrack ride, not see how much vodka you can consume in your trojan costume that, correct me if i'm wrong, if that's all the clothing/protection actual trojan fighters wore back when...um, you'd have a spear through your sixpack in nanoseconds. i.e. i'm pretty sure they wore more protective clothing than that. skin exposure was the enemy. history is frowning.
long story short: yes, not all of you girls fall into this category and yes, not all of you gays fall into this category either--i know that, delete that nasty email you were about to send to me. this is just my interpretation of why i don't enjoy halloween.
i'm the kind of guy that likes to stay home, chill, watch the original halloween movie while keeping tally of the body count, get creeped out by all of the spooky spiderwebs i hung everywhere, and last but certainly not least, somehow force myself to stay away from the fun-sized snickers because, you know, it's for the trick-or-treaters. how sad will they be when all i have left is butterscotches and peppermints? they want bars! but i want bars, too. but i only eat the fun-size bars because they're healthier, right? eating just one wouldn't hurt anything. until one turns into 17.
zoops.
anyway, i get it. you're crazy about halloween. it's your most favorite day of the year because wooo! party!
3) bars. everyone goes to the bars for halloween. where else would you be? my two main categories, the girls and the gays, go there to show some tail, get some tail, and hopefully have their tail still attached to their costume by the end of the night. you can't get a drink from the bar because surely a girl or more likely a gay has wings on that take up a good five feet. i need a scotch! and you sir need some scotch tape because, last time i checked, tinkerbell was a girl and by the look of things...you're not.
ugh, i couldn't be farther away from all that hub-bub. in fact, i'll be in galva for halloween...the furthest place from fun, possible. instead, i'll get to take pictures of my nephews and niece dressed up in actual costumes, i'll get to carve a pumpkin bc god knows my parents aren't going to (i'm also the one who has to both put up and decorate the christmas tree, otherwise it'd never go up. and if anyone else in my family attempted to do it, the tree just wouldn't look right and i'd have to ultimately re-do it anyway), and i get the joy of rationing out candy to all those cute trick-or-treaters who come to the front door with their winter coats on over their costumes because the midwest is a big, fucking stick in the mud when it comes to having decent weather. oh, you're supposed to be spiderman? you look like an oversized columbia coat.
happy halloween everybody.
halloween is one of my least favorite holidays.
i know i know, i can already hear the gasps and feel the sense of disappointment furrowing in your brow. but hear me out...
now, i didn't say that i hated halloween. in fact, i love this time of year: i love carving pumpkins, i love trick-or-treaters (the real kind...you know, kids dressed up cute? remember those?), i love all things spooky and scary like movies and haunted houses and the like.
i love fun-size candy bars, which, really...that's what halloween is really about, right?
but, i don't dress up. or should i say i absolutely loathe dressing up. i've only been forced to do it a few times in my life and i'm glad to say that those peer pressure days are long gone. and to be quite honest, i don't like it when you dress up either.
i will, however, give props to those whom try. i think it's admirable - the amount of ambition, money, and time you dedicate toward finding the perfect costume. sort of. i'd rather put my money toward clothing items i'd wear more than once a year, but that's just me. but again, "some of you" do really spectacular things that are amazing and include elaborate makeup and get-ups that have so much detail i don't know if it's halloween or if i fell into that same damn hole alice did, making wonderland my new playground. hi everybody! that cat is pretty!
and just for the record, just because i don't like to dress up doesn't mean that i'm not fun. i'm not a party pooper. i'm not a dud. any of you who actually know me know that i can be the life of a party. i'm a great conversationalist, i've never met anyone that didn't like me (give or take a few extreme, isolated incidents), and i know how to work a room. so don't prejudge me as a debbie downer. i'm actually a fun franny.
but, back to my point, halloween is ruined for me on a few levels:
1) girls
2) gays
3) bars
first, girls. they single-handedly ruined halloween. halloween is no longer about dressing up as a ghost or a vampire. thanks to the female species, it's about naughty nurses and stripper cops. its about showing as much tna as humanly possible and getting screwed at the end of the night because of it.
second, gays. you're in the same exact boat. it's no longer about being he-man or a power ranger. it's about being the half-naked operation guy or michael phelps in all his speedo glory. it's about look at these abs, i've been starving for weeks to get'em! somebody, anybody, look at me!
you peeps ruined it. i want to go on a hayrack ride, not see how much vodka you can consume in your trojan costume that, correct me if i'm wrong, if that's all the clothing/protection actual trojan fighters wore back when...um, you'd have a spear through your sixpack in nanoseconds. i.e. i'm pretty sure they wore more protective clothing than that. skin exposure was the enemy. history is frowning.
long story short: yes, not all of you girls fall into this category and yes, not all of you gays fall into this category either--i know that, delete that nasty email you were about to send to me. this is just my interpretation of why i don't enjoy halloween.
i'm the kind of guy that likes to stay home, chill, watch the original halloween movie while keeping tally of the body count, get creeped out by all of the spooky spiderwebs i hung everywhere, and last but certainly not least, somehow force myself to stay away from the fun-sized snickers because, you know, it's for the trick-or-treaters. how sad will they be when all i have left is butterscotches and peppermints? they want bars! but i want bars, too. but i only eat the fun-size bars because they're healthier, right? eating just one wouldn't hurt anything. until one turns into 17.
zoops.
anyway, i get it. you're crazy about halloween. it's your most favorite day of the year because wooo! party!
3) bars. everyone goes to the bars for halloween. where else would you be? my two main categories, the girls and the gays, go there to show some tail, get some tail, and hopefully have their tail still attached to their costume by the end of the night. you can't get a drink from the bar because surely a girl or more likely a gay has wings on that take up a good five feet. i need a scotch! and you sir need some scotch tape because, last time i checked, tinkerbell was a girl and by the look of things...you're not.
ugh, i couldn't be farther away from all that hub-bub. in fact, i'll be in galva for halloween...the furthest place from fun, possible. instead, i'll get to take pictures of my nephews and niece dressed up in actual costumes, i'll get to carve a pumpkin bc god knows my parents aren't going to (i'm also the one who has to both put up and decorate the christmas tree, otherwise it'd never go up. and if anyone else in my family attempted to do it, the tree just wouldn't look right and i'd have to ultimately re-do it anyway), and i get the joy of rationing out candy to all those cute trick-or-treaters who come to the front door with their winter coats on over their costumes because the midwest is a big, fucking stick in the mud when it comes to having decent weather. oh, you're supposed to be spiderman? you look like an oversized columbia coat.
happy halloween everybody.
10.14.2009
the nanner is back yall. for us in the east and midwest, it's appropriately titled goodbye fall. these songs make me think of overcast days, leaves falling, and the nostalgic smell of days past. i love this time of year, even though it's a bit chillier than normal.
i chose the following songs for the following reasons:
blur - i think the lyrics to this song are pretty hilar, but the melody and tone of brit's voice is revealing, makes me recall my own blurred moments with that intoxicating beat. love it. there's no sense in acting like we're perfect, angels from above, and this song reveals our mistakes, while at the same time going on with life without missing a beat. my favorite part: i think i need an aspirin.
between the sheets - let's face it...being between the sheets on those cold, overcast, fall weekend mornings is one of the best moments life has to offer. you know where to find warmth. it's almost magical, so when it happens, revel in the moment of being between the sheets. it just doesn't get any better than this.
game for fools - what's funny about this selection is that i've had this song for years on my itunes, as a part of lidell's album, but anytime it would shuffle on i would get immediately annoyed and skip over it. to me, i think the first 5 seconds sounds whiney and therefore i'd skip it to save myself the torment of listening to someone else woe and boohoo other than myself. but just recently i let it play and holy eff - this song is incredible. did you want to make out right now or what? perfect little love song.
don't let me down - i'm not a huge jt fan but i'm pretty entranced with his part in this song. i also keep near a "don't let me down" attitude when it comes to love. so far, no luck. i need a hero, too.
monster love - okay, i know goldfrapp is...different. but can you honestly listen to this song and not feel something? this song makes me feel alive and it has stimulated some of my deepest thoughts about this life of mine. the whole cd is a trip, literally. everything goes around, bringing us back again.
it's all your fault - pink is a genius. yes, she's had her overplayed pop moments a la so what but she's capable of so much more. this song has a catchy piano part and the lyrics seem to have come straight out of my head. i'm sure if i search long and hard enough, i could find a blog posting where i talk about how it's all your fault because you started it off with a compliment i couldn't resist. and of course you had to be perfect. it wasn't fair. and it still isn't. you're off living your life and i'm still clinging to that damn compliment.
languishing - i'm not the biggest mariah fan in the world, but when i heard this intro to i wanna know what love is it stopped me cold. the song is so eloquent and petite, it's mariah but not mariah. plus, languishing is such an interesting word, right? the definition being to lose vigor, health, to have a desire for something or someone who is not present. we have all been there. what a sad feeling encapsulated in such a beautiful melody. congrats mariah. this is it.
don't let me stop you - i'm not really sure why i chose this song. don't get me wrong, kelly clarkson is a major part of my trifecta (kc, brit, kathy griffin) but this song isn't necessarily my favorite. there's just something about the melody that captures my attention. it's a little hard, but i find solice in its soft spots.
take off your cool - you might remember this song from my youtube video. this song is perfect. simple melody, simple words. baby take off your cool, i wanna see you. that, in essence, is my approach to finding love. cut the bullshit, show me who you are sans how cute you think you are or how much money you claim to have. take it off. i wanna see you.
doesn't mean anything - forgive the regis and kelly appearance, i just found the live version of this song to be pretty amazing. love alicia keys, love this song, and i'm sure i'll love her new album. this song provides a little extra kick in my step. chin up.
hanging on too long - who hasn't done this? this feeling is so universal and relatable. perfect post-breakup song. plus, duffy's one-of-a-kind voice gives me chills as she reveals her complacent role and false hopes. but then again, duffy could probably sing about taking a shit and i'd still be mesmerized.
show me - this song is one of my all-time favorites. there's no beating it. first, john legend could sing to me for 24 hours a day without a complaint. like duffy, his voice is one-of-a-kind. but this specific song and melody is inescapable. every time i hear it i can't help but imagine dinner sitting on the table while we slow dance on the kitchen floor in the dim setting ambiance of our love.
teach u a lesson - first off, if you don't own this album, you are doing yourself and your love life a disservice. just listen to the lyrics and you will have your honey in a compromising position in no time. robin is perfect.every.time.
untouched - the original version of this song was a little too hard, even though i love it and the veronicas, so when i came across this acoustic cover version...i was like hells yes. this girl has an amazing voice. who she is or why she doesn't have a record contract are both unknown to me. amazing interpretation, right? untouched and i need you so much. i know that feeling all too well.
good morning, hypocrite - last but certainly not least, electric president. i'm not sure if anyone but me listens to ep, but this group has some of the weirdest music that makes me enter an entirely new and unseen world. their music is like none other, their voices, their interpretation of sound and percussion...it will flip your shit. good morning, hypocrite blends so many unique sounds and ideas--the world is your oyster and this song will get you there. trust me. most people will hear it and think wtf but when i hear it i think wtp (what the possibility).
thanks for listening. and enjoy.
i chose the following songs for the following reasons:
blur - i think the lyrics to this song are pretty hilar, but the melody and tone of brit's voice is revealing, makes me recall my own blurred moments with that intoxicating beat. love it. there's no sense in acting like we're perfect, angels from above, and this song reveals our mistakes, while at the same time going on with life without missing a beat. my favorite part: i think i need an aspirin.
between the sheets - let's face it...being between the sheets on those cold, overcast, fall weekend mornings is one of the best moments life has to offer. you know where to find warmth. it's almost magical, so when it happens, revel in the moment of being between the sheets. it just doesn't get any better than this.
game for fools - what's funny about this selection is that i've had this song for years on my itunes, as a part of lidell's album, but anytime it would shuffle on i would get immediately annoyed and skip over it. to me, i think the first 5 seconds sounds whiney and therefore i'd skip it to save myself the torment of listening to someone else woe and boohoo other than myself. but just recently i let it play and holy eff - this song is incredible. did you want to make out right now or what? perfect little love song.
don't let me down - i'm not a huge jt fan but i'm pretty entranced with his part in this song. i also keep near a "don't let me down" attitude when it comes to love. so far, no luck. i need a hero, too.
monster love - okay, i know goldfrapp is...different. but can you honestly listen to this song and not feel something? this song makes me feel alive and it has stimulated some of my deepest thoughts about this life of mine. the whole cd is a trip, literally. everything goes around, bringing us back again.
it's all your fault - pink is a genius. yes, she's had her overplayed pop moments a la so what but she's capable of so much more. this song has a catchy piano part and the lyrics seem to have come straight out of my head. i'm sure if i search long and hard enough, i could find a blog posting where i talk about how it's all your fault because you started it off with a compliment i couldn't resist. and of course you had to be perfect. it wasn't fair. and it still isn't. you're off living your life and i'm still clinging to that damn compliment.
languishing - i'm not the biggest mariah fan in the world, but when i heard this intro to i wanna know what love is it stopped me cold. the song is so eloquent and petite, it's mariah but not mariah. plus, languishing is such an interesting word, right? the definition being to lose vigor, health, to have a desire for something or someone who is not present. we have all been there. what a sad feeling encapsulated in such a beautiful melody. congrats mariah. this is it.
don't let me stop you - i'm not really sure why i chose this song. don't get me wrong, kelly clarkson is a major part of my trifecta (kc, brit, kathy griffin) but this song isn't necessarily my favorite. there's just something about the melody that captures my attention. it's a little hard, but i find solice in its soft spots.
take off your cool - you might remember this song from my youtube video. this song is perfect. simple melody, simple words. baby take off your cool, i wanna see you. that, in essence, is my approach to finding love. cut the bullshit, show me who you are sans how cute you think you are or how much money you claim to have. take it off. i wanna see you.
doesn't mean anything - forgive the regis and kelly appearance, i just found the live version of this song to be pretty amazing. love alicia keys, love this song, and i'm sure i'll love her new album. this song provides a little extra kick in my step. chin up.
hanging on too long - who hasn't done this? this feeling is so universal and relatable. perfect post-breakup song. plus, duffy's one-of-a-kind voice gives me chills as she reveals her complacent role and false hopes. but then again, duffy could probably sing about taking a shit and i'd still be mesmerized.
show me - this song is one of my all-time favorites. there's no beating it. first, john legend could sing to me for 24 hours a day without a complaint. like duffy, his voice is one-of-a-kind. but this specific song and melody is inescapable. every time i hear it i can't help but imagine dinner sitting on the table while we slow dance on the kitchen floor in the dim setting ambiance of our love.
teach u a lesson - first off, if you don't own this album, you are doing yourself and your love life a disservice. just listen to the lyrics and you will have your honey in a compromising position in no time. robin is perfect.every.time.
untouched - the original version of this song was a little too hard, even though i love it and the veronicas, so when i came across this acoustic cover version...i was like hells yes. this girl has an amazing voice. who she is or why she doesn't have a record contract are both unknown to me. amazing interpretation, right? untouched and i need you so much. i know that feeling all too well.
good morning, hypocrite - last but certainly not least, electric president. i'm not sure if anyone but me listens to ep, but this group has some of the weirdest music that makes me enter an entirely new and unseen world. their music is like none other, their voices, their interpretation of sound and percussion...it will flip your shit. good morning, hypocrite blends so many unique sounds and ideas--the world is your oyster and this song will get you there. trust me. most people will hear it and think wtf but when i hear it i think wtp (what the possibility).
thanks for listening. and enjoy.
10.13.2009
just when i thought i was forever mad at the onion for that hateful video about quitting smoking, this gem came along to save the day. a big thank you to my dear, dear friend-in-real-life lindsey markel (hi! miss you, love you) for sharing this amazing onion article that is hilarious and so completely on the money. this article is a keeper for sure. enjoy and spread it around.
hello again international friends!
i received an amazing response after my shout-out to all my foreign blog readers. you guys wrote such wonderful and touching emails...i even got a little choked up with some...which is particularly embarrassing considering i just wrote a blog talking about how void of emotion i typically am.
oops.
but wow, it was so, so great hearing from you guys and girls and i certainly will be replying to each and every email very soon.
thanks again, wow...so awesome.
(oh, and all of my fellow americans -- feel free to emale me too. i love hearing from you!)
i received an amazing response after my shout-out to all my foreign blog readers. you guys wrote such wonderful and touching emails...i even got a little choked up with some...which is particularly embarrassing considering i just wrote a blog talking about how void of emotion i typically am.
oops.
but wow, it was so, so great hearing from you guys and girls and i certainly will be replying to each and every email very soon.
thanks again, wow...so awesome.
(oh, and all of my fellow americans -- feel free to emale me too. i love hearing from you!)
having watched wheel of fortune for years now, i've come to the conclusion that pat and vanna absolutely hate each other. no, no they despise and detest one another. if vanna could projectile puke from the stage board all the way across to the wheel and onto pat, she would and has probably thought about doing it. having projectile puked once in my lifetime, here's a word to the wise, vanna: just eat an obnoxiously large breakfast (eggs are key), down a ton of milk quickly, and get that dress tailored just a little on the small side to allow absolutely no budge. boom, you're a puke volcano.
the funny thing is, they spend mere seconds next to each other, and even during those precious, few, on-camera moments, their body language emphatically reads:
i hate you so bad i hope a light fixture falls on your head and kills you...not instantly, but slowly and painfully.
it makes me sad. i wish they were best friends.
but instead
light fixtures...light fixtures in the worst way.
(watch out pat! you know vanna is the real powerhouse on that show!)
the funny thing is, they spend mere seconds next to each other, and even during those precious, few, on-camera moments, their body language emphatically reads:
i hate you so bad i hope a light fixture falls on your head and kills you...not instantly, but slowly and painfully.
it makes me sad. i wish they were best friends.
but instead
light fixtures...light fixtures in the worst way.
(watch out pat! you know vanna is the real powerhouse on that show!)
okay, i figured i should post actual writing instead of just youtube videos on here. sorry, but i can get completely lost on youtube, clicking one video after the next with something always striking my fancy. and yes, by something i mean kathy griffin videos. she's just so funny.
but seriously, how funny was that vid of the fat girl falling off the trampoline? and even funnier the mom yelling from the deck..."don't you try to do something fancy just..oh...ohhhhh....ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
i.died.
anyway, today's posting will be a rant. against whom? smokers.
now, i don't have many issues with the act of smoking. it's your choice. family members of mine smoke, friends of mine smoke, people smoke...i get it. i don't smoke, but, like i said, that's a personal choice. i could if i wanted to, just like you, but i don't.
however, here's my real beef: smokers who flick their "butts" into the street, sidewalk, gutter, dry, weedy california hillsides, anywhere and everywhere besides an actual trash receptacle of some or any sort...all of that flicking. all of those places. all those butts. everywhere. it's disgusting, it's illegal, it's disrespectful, and it's all around unnecessary.
and it has to stop. like...now.
just because you, smokers, can legally smoke tobacco does not mean that you can legally litter. this is my earth, too. leaving your cigarette remnants anywhere you god damn please is not cool with me and most of society. at all. actually, you should be embarrassed. i mean, i would be embarrassed if every time i ate a box of red vines (which is often) i just carelessly threw the plastic container onto the street without so much as even flinching. because, you know, no big deal...it's just trash. but you know someone somewhere would say something to me too. like..."you better fucking pick that up you asshole!"
someone needs to say that to you, and i'm that person: it's blatant disrespect for this common ground we call earth. stop it.
but for some insane reason, whenever smokers flick, drop, stomp, or whatever with their cigarette butts...does anyone say anything?
typically no.
so, smokers, do the world a favor. stop acting above the law, both the legal law and the moral law.
cigarette butts are trash. therefore they go into the trash. it's not that hard of a concept. and it's the law. in many cities, there are specifically-designated butt receptacles for you to place your nasty cigarettes into. how easy is that? it requires the most basic of neurons to accomplish. you can handle it.
so remember, the next time you stomp a ciggie, dispense of it properly.
thank you in advance for being a responsible adult. trust me, i know it's hard sometimes.
but seriously, how funny was that vid of the fat girl falling off the trampoline? and even funnier the mom yelling from the deck..."don't you try to do something fancy just..oh...ohhhhh....ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
i.died.
anyway, today's posting will be a rant. against whom? smokers.
now, i don't have many issues with the act of smoking. it's your choice. family members of mine smoke, friends of mine smoke, people smoke...i get it. i don't smoke, but, like i said, that's a personal choice. i could if i wanted to, just like you, but i don't.
however, here's my real beef: smokers who flick their "butts" into the street, sidewalk, gutter, dry, weedy california hillsides, anywhere and everywhere besides an actual trash receptacle of some or any sort...all of that flicking. all of those places. all those butts. everywhere. it's disgusting, it's illegal, it's disrespectful, and it's all around unnecessary.
and it has to stop. like...now.
just because you, smokers, can legally smoke tobacco does not mean that you can legally litter. this is my earth, too. leaving your cigarette remnants anywhere you god damn please is not cool with me and most of society. at all. actually, you should be embarrassed. i mean, i would be embarrassed if every time i ate a box of red vines (which is often) i just carelessly threw the plastic container onto the street without so much as even flinching. because, you know, no big deal...it's just trash. but you know someone somewhere would say something to me too. like..."you better fucking pick that up you asshole!"
someone needs to say that to you, and i'm that person: it's blatant disrespect for this common ground we call earth. stop it.
but for some insane reason, whenever smokers flick, drop, stomp, or whatever with their cigarette butts...does anyone say anything?
typically no.
so, smokers, do the world a favor. stop acting above the law, both the legal law and the moral law.
cigarette butts are trash. therefore they go into the trash. it's not that hard of a concept. and it's the law. in many cities, there are specifically-designated butt receptacles for you to place your nasty cigarettes into. how easy is that? it requires the most basic of neurons to accomplish. you can handle it.
so remember, the next time you stomp a ciggie, dispense of it properly.
thank you in advance for being a responsible adult. trust me, i know it's hard sometimes.
10.09.2009
okay yall, i'm going go on a little tangent here about politics so if you don't like my viewpoint regarding obama i would click that x in the upper, right-hand corner riiiight.about.now.
so, obama was awarded the nobel peace prize. um, what?! even the white house was surprised. in fact, they had to wake obama up just to tell him the news and i'm sure his first words were omg wtf? because, after all, what peace has he brought to anybody?
i'm not at peace. you're probably not at peace either. and if you are it's probably not because of obama. because he hasn't done anything.
at all.
oh wait, cash for clunkers. riiiiight.
don't you feel silly? i feel silly for you.
such is my problem with obama: he's hype. he's fresh. he's new. people love him bc we all can relate to him. he survives via fanfare. he has no record of accomplishment, both yesterday and today, but do we care? nope. we just love him! hearts. we love his words. we love his ideas. we love michelle's arms. aren't they a cute couple? and look at those abs! but let's forget the dad jeans! oh obama, you're such a charmer...keep talkin.
but that's where it ends. bc they're just words. they're just ideas. he reads his speeches, he promised the country everything & anything to ensure his election, he said/says what people want & expect to hear. but now what? what does he have to show for it? now that he's in office, in power, has a democratic majority, what has he actually done?
we've all seen the snl skit. it's funny bc it's true. i needn't say more.
but i will anyway:
give him time! they say. what time? you mean this past year? yes, there's a lot of shit to scrape out of the stalls since dubya's departure, but obama knew that well in advance. he was ready, remember? that's why obama created his super team. hello...he's the captain planet along with his planeteers, banded together to solve earth's problems. the power is his! but his ring must have broken or something...nothing's happening!?
if you don't follow the planeteer talk, basically, the cheese does not stand alone.
but who could place blame on obama? if you blame him for anything it's probably because you're a racist. change! he promoted. uh, what has changed? ...nothing... but that matters not: our nation showcases obama like he is right under jesus christ himself. the americanized version of our lord and savior if you will. and he's just a small notch above oprah, which is completely okay bc she elected him anyway. the trifecta!
not.
to me: he's an inspirational talking head. that's it. best of luck to him and everything, i hope he actually does something with his position, power, and 1.4 million dollar cash prize. but give me a break nobel peace prize committee.
you sold out.
big time.
it just goes to show you, we should've put my main bitch in office. hey hillary! but did we? no. she's too much of a ballbuster. she's too aggressive. she opens too many cans of whoop ass. wow is she a bitch. her record of achievement and activism isn't as cool as obama's gq cover. her husband is bill effing clinton afterall, get real! we wouldn't want his experience and worldwide respect doing a repeat number! and we all know that hillary gets shit done, but ew, she's a woman!
yes we can admit we were wrong.
sorry yall.
so, obama was awarded the nobel peace prize. um, what?! even the white house was surprised. in fact, they had to wake obama up just to tell him the news and i'm sure his first words were omg wtf? because, after all, what peace has he brought to anybody?
i'm not at peace. you're probably not at peace either. and if you are it's probably not because of obama. because he hasn't done anything.
at all.
oh wait, cash for clunkers. riiiiight.
don't you feel silly? i feel silly for you.
such is my problem with obama: he's hype. he's fresh. he's new. people love him bc we all can relate to him. he survives via fanfare. he has no record of accomplishment, both yesterday and today, but do we care? nope. we just love him! hearts. we love his words. we love his ideas. we love michelle's arms. aren't they a cute couple? and look at those abs! but let's forget the dad jeans! oh obama, you're such a charmer...keep talkin.
but that's where it ends. bc they're just words. they're just ideas. he reads his speeches, he promised the country everything & anything to ensure his election, he said/says what people want & expect to hear. but now what? what does he have to show for it? now that he's in office, in power, has a democratic majority, what has he actually done?
we've all seen the snl skit. it's funny bc it's true. i needn't say more.
but i will anyway:
give him time! they say. what time? you mean this past year? yes, there's a lot of shit to scrape out of the stalls since dubya's departure, but obama knew that well in advance. he was ready, remember? that's why obama created his super team. hello...he's the captain planet along with his planeteers, banded together to solve earth's problems. the power is his! but his ring must have broken or something...nothing's happening!?
if you don't follow the planeteer talk, basically, the cheese does not stand alone.
but who could place blame on obama? if you blame him for anything it's probably because you're a racist. change! he promoted. uh, what has changed? ...nothing... but that matters not: our nation showcases obama like he is right under jesus christ himself. the americanized version of our lord and savior if you will. and he's just a small notch above oprah, which is completely okay bc she elected him anyway. the trifecta!
not.
to me: he's an inspirational talking head. that's it. best of luck to him and everything, i hope he actually does something with his position, power, and 1.4 million dollar cash prize. but give me a break nobel peace prize committee.
you sold out.
big time.
it just goes to show you, we should've put my main bitch in office. hey hillary! but did we? no. she's too much of a ballbuster. she's too aggressive. she opens too many cans of whoop ass. wow is she a bitch. her record of achievement and activism isn't as cool as obama's gq cover. her husband is bill effing clinton afterall, get real! we wouldn't want his experience and worldwide respect doing a repeat number! and we all know that hillary gets shit done, but ew, she's a woman!
yes we can admit we were wrong.
sorry yall.
10.08.2009
um...zoops!
so i told you that i was going to fix my nanner and put some awesome new jams on it...
well i can't seem to remember what site i got my nanner from...nor can i remember any type of login information!
forgive me, i am turning 28 next year. this kind of behavior is expected.
it's in the works yall.
so i told you that i was going to fix my nanner and put some awesome new jams on it...
well i can't seem to remember what site i got my nanner from...nor can i remember any type of login information!
forgive me, i am turning 28 next year. this kind of behavior is expected.
it's in the works yall.
so i recently checked in with my regional stat counter to see how my blog was faring. i was surprised at the international statistics of just the past few days. foreign peeps are checking in from quito ecuador, kutina croatia, aukland new zealand, nantes france, athens greece, skane lan sweden, geislingen germany, adelaid australia, lecheria venezuela, lots of british telecommunications from the UK edinburgh and england areas, and lots o'canadians from the toronto, vancouver, ontario, quebec, and thornhill areas.
hi peeps. welcome.
dobar dan
bonjour
guten tag
yia sou
shalom
salvete
salaam-o-aleykum
alô
god dag
sawa dee-ka
hola
boas
hei
bonġu
ahn nyeong ha se yo
do me a favor, emale me at theryansumner@gmail.com and let me know how you arrived at my blog. was it via youtube? twitter? was it by coincidence? was it by mistake?
let me know.
but in the meantime, thanks for stopping by. and PEACE!
hi peeps. welcome.
dobar dan
bonjour
guten tag
yia sou
shalom
salvete
salaam-o-aleykum
alô
god dag
sawa dee-ka
hola
boas
hei
bonġu
ahn nyeong ha se yo
do me a favor, emale me at theryansumner@gmail.com and let me know how you arrived at my blog. was it via youtube? twitter? was it by coincidence? was it by mistake?
let me know.
but in the meantime, thanks for stopping by. and PEACE!
10.07.2009
just for the record: i'm not into celebrities. most annoy me, most do not do anything for me...to me: they're just people we see on the tv or movie screen.
BUT
there are two people who make me weak in the knees. literally.
1) kathy griffin (absolute, hands-down favorite. can't be topped)
2) britney spears (you can suck it if you think this is atypical)
that's it.
well i met kathy tonight and i have no words. it was amazing. i'm sure i sounded stupid to her, but it was magic to me. in fact, i barely remember what happened bc i was in such a euphoric state. weird, huh?
long story short: she's amazing. let me have my moment without judgement!
i seriously have to take an advil and a cold shower though. the nervousness i experience for the 3 hours i stood in line has given me a headache and my internal body temperature can only be described as an inferno.
omg. best day of life.
but a big EFF U to borders for placing kathy under the most horrific lighting scenario possible. there's way too much radioactive lime/yellow going on in this pic, but this beggar does not care.
he takes what he can gets. and this is what i needed (and have been waiting for my entire adult life).
thanks, kath.
BUT
there are two people who make me weak in the knees. literally.
1) kathy griffin (absolute, hands-down favorite. can't be topped)
2) britney spears (you can suck it if you think this is atypical)
that's it.
well i met kathy tonight and i have no words. it was amazing. i'm sure i sounded stupid to her, but it was magic to me. in fact, i barely remember what happened bc i was in such a euphoric state. weird, huh?
long story short: she's amazing. let me have my moment without judgement!
i seriously have to take an advil and a cold shower though. the nervousness i experience for the 3 hours i stood in line has given me a headache and my internal body temperature can only be described as an inferno.
omg. best day of life.
but a big EFF U to borders for placing kathy under the most horrific lighting scenario possible. there's way too much radioactive lime/yellow going on in this pic, but this beggar does not care.
he takes what he can gets. and this is what i needed (and have been waiting for my entire adult life).
thanks, kath.
oh, and did you all realize how i completely glossed over the fact that chicago lost (and by lost i mean lost) the 2016 olympics?
fortunately for the chicago olympic lovers, i was in colorado at the time without internet access, therefore i could not hop on the blog and revel in all of my haha eff you glory. i so badly wanted to give a big f.u. shoutout to the city of chicago for even thinking it was a good idea to host the olympics.
chicago can barely host its citizens.
eff off olympians. have fun in rio!
fortunately for the chicago olympic lovers, i was in colorado at the time without internet access, therefore i could not hop on the blog and revel in all of my haha eff you glory. i so badly wanted to give a big f.u. shoutout to the city of chicago for even thinking it was a good idea to host the olympics.
chicago can barely host its citizens.
eff off olympians. have fun in rio!
i feel like writing about love is a big, fat waste of time and energy. i'm definitely not in love at the moment. in fact, i couldn't be any farther from it. it's as close to me as niger, africa...which, by the way, was just deemed the worst place to live.
read into that as you may. i'm just saying.
anyway, so who needs love?
i don't. but wouldn't it be nice to be in love?
le sigh.
and, i'm sorry folks, but i must say this right here and right now: lady gaga isn't as amazing as you claim her to be (and as she certainly believes herself to be). anyone that has to make that much of a spectacle of themself in order to harness attention doesn't have the talent i believe to be actual talent. (much like madonna. is she talented? no, but does she make people mad or intrigued? yes. but so does john gosselin and i'm not going to any of his concerts either). plus, gaga really peeved me during that snl deep house dish skit (and i'm completely overlooking the fact that it was not funny at all...i mean, did they not rehearse? i was uncomfortable from the very minute i saw them together and it just got worse after that.) where she claimed that both she and madonna were pop icons. can she sing? yes. can she perform? sure. is it noteworthy? eh. is she an icon? get the flip outta my face!
really gaga?! you? an icon? get real. you had a couple of hits. so did 98 degrees.
the gays can turn on me, i don't care, i know you all created her. but you also created man capris and we all know that only europeans (gay or otherwise) can wear those nowadays and get away with it, so you're not as visionary as you think. bleep you.
herrumph.
read into that as you may. i'm just saying.
anyway, so who needs love?
i don't. but wouldn't it be nice to be in love?
le sigh.
and, i'm sorry folks, but i must say this right here and right now: lady gaga isn't as amazing as you claim her to be (and as she certainly believes herself to be). anyone that has to make that much of a spectacle of themself in order to harness attention doesn't have the talent i believe to be actual talent. (much like madonna. is she talented? no, but does she make people mad or intrigued? yes. but so does john gosselin and i'm not going to any of his concerts either). plus, gaga really peeved me during that snl deep house dish skit (and i'm completely overlooking the fact that it was not funny at all...i mean, did they not rehearse? i was uncomfortable from the very minute i saw them together and it just got worse after that.) where she claimed that both she and madonna were pop icons. can she sing? yes. can she perform? sure. is it noteworthy? eh. is she an icon? get the flip outta my face!
really gaga?! you? an icon? get real. you had a couple of hits. so did 98 degrees.
the gays can turn on me, i don't care, i know you all created her. but you also created man capris and we all know that only europeans (gay or otherwise) can wear those nowadays and get away with it, so you're not as visionary as you think. bleep you.
herrumph.
10.06.2009
yet another reason to fly jet blue or southwest.
no checked baggage fees.
no unnecessary surcharges.
flying doesn't have to be a hassle or overly expensive.
no checked baggage fees.
no unnecessary surcharges.
flying doesn't have to be a hassle or overly expensive.
i can count on one hand the times i've become emotional during a movie.
they are few and far between, but they happen.
i'm not one to cry easily. i'm actually glad i'm built with an iron clad heart. it really takes a lot for me to shed a tear. and i mean a lot. i can't even recall the last time i had a good, meaningful sob. its been years.
but
sometimes the cinema gets to me. the first experience:
why was atreyu able to move so freely!? why did artax have to die?! WHY???!?!?!
WAHHHHH! oh, sorry...
later in life came this gem, as well as a new found soft spot for ants:
i sobbed when antie died. he was just a baby!
and then there was this, which i exposed myself to 3 different times, sobbing off and on throughout:
and of course this...every.single.time. ... hysterics:
and lastly, i'd be lying if i said that every time i hear this song i didn't get a little weepy...
damn you, warwick! damn you...*sniff*
they are few and far between, but they happen.
i'm not one to cry easily. i'm actually glad i'm built with an iron clad heart. it really takes a lot for me to shed a tear. and i mean a lot. i can't even recall the last time i had a good, meaningful sob. its been years.
but
sometimes the cinema gets to me. the first experience:
why was atreyu able to move so freely!? why did artax have to die?! WHY???!?!?!
WAHHHHH! oh, sorry...
later in life came this gem, as well as a new found soft spot for ants:
i sobbed when antie died. he was just a baby!
and then there was this, which i exposed myself to 3 different times, sobbing off and on throughout:
and of course this...every.single.time. ... hysterics:
and lastly, i'd be lying if i said that every time i hear this song i didn't get a little weepy...
damn you, warwick! damn you...*sniff*
10.05.2009
it's probably for the best that i'm typing this posting later in the day today.
if my original intentions had come true, this posting would be full of finger pointing and vulgarity.
from me? yes. shocking, right?
i know.
but no. i've cooled off. my internal rants have ceased. i'm in a better place.
but still, FUCKING amtrak and their slow ass arrival, FAT ASS people in my way when i'm hoofing it to an appointment i'm surely going to be late for, RETARD security guard giving me the "sign in" line when i've worked here for 3 years now and for once forgot my security fob (you see me every day, twice a day you son of a BITCH!), grandmas and grandpas hacking ALL around me everywhere i go, purposely trying to get me sick or catch whatever they have besides old age, stupid BITCHES on their cell phones with 8 shopping bags on each arm in front of me at subway talking while simultaneously trying to order a sandwich (you know you want a turkey on whole wheat stupid bitch so just order it already and stop talking to stacie about how drunk steven was saturday night stupid bitch, stupid bitch i'm hungry!!!!!!!
aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (!) (!) (!)
...you know, i knew that was going to happen. apparently the demons are still within.
released.
phew, i feel better now.
if my original intentions had come true, this posting would be full of finger pointing and vulgarity.
from me? yes. shocking, right?
i know.
but no. i've cooled off. my internal rants have ceased. i'm in a better place.
but still, FUCKING amtrak and their slow ass arrival, FAT ASS people in my way when i'm hoofing it to an appointment i'm surely going to be late for, RETARD security guard giving me the "sign in" line when i've worked here for 3 years now and for once forgot my security fob (you see me every day, twice a day you son of a BITCH!), grandmas and grandpas hacking ALL around me everywhere i go, purposely trying to get me sick or catch whatever they have besides old age, stupid BITCHES on their cell phones with 8 shopping bags on each arm in front of me at subway talking while simultaneously trying to order a sandwich (you know you want a turkey on whole wheat stupid bitch so just order it already and stop talking to stacie about how drunk steven was saturday night stupid bitch, stupid bitch i'm hungry!!!!!!!
aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (!) (!) (!)
...you know, i knew that was going to happen. apparently the demons are still within.
released.
phew, i feel better now.
10.01.2009
i was running along lakeshore path this morning...with a pebble in my nike. i think it's a californian pebble, because the last time i wore said nikes was during a hike atop runyon canyon. but that matters not.
i was far too busy to stop. the gears were grinding. my body in motion. nothing is going to stop me, i thought.
at some points i could maneuver the pebble to lay sideways and just to the side of my shoe...fully clearing any foot/pebble contact. but at some points that mother effing pebble would go vertical right under my heel.
holy flip i got so mad. and it hurt like a beyotch.
the sky looked as if it were going to unleash some massive precipitation, so i kept running, despite the pain and annoyance, using the powers of my mind to disregard the pebble completely. it worked. i thought about my future.
sometimes i get lost in the future. i imagine what i want. i realize what i have to do to obtain. i strategize who, what, where, when, and why. i understand how.
and before you know it, 1 mile has turned into 3. my potential realized. my plan of action in bulleted form.
but then that pebble resurfaced. blocking my focus. inhibiting further progress. ouch, you little bitch.
time to deal with the demons.
i jogged off the beaten path into a clearing near the water. i looked out into the seemingly endlessness of lake michigan.
i felt small in a big world. just the way it should be.
i took off my shoe.
located that pebble.
took it between two fingers.
and threw it as hard as i could into that vast, blue lake.
i exerted way more energy than necessary. that pebble was freaking tiny in comparison to me and my life, but it caused just enough damage that it deserved every ounce of missile-like projection into oblivion.
it was gone. for good.
small obstacle, big throw, happy ending.
i hopped back on the path, and jogged once again.
onward.
i was far too busy to stop. the gears were grinding. my body in motion. nothing is going to stop me, i thought.
at some points i could maneuver the pebble to lay sideways and just to the side of my shoe...fully clearing any foot/pebble contact. but at some points that mother effing pebble would go vertical right under my heel.
holy flip i got so mad. and it hurt like a beyotch.
the sky looked as if it were going to unleash some massive precipitation, so i kept running, despite the pain and annoyance, using the powers of my mind to disregard the pebble completely. it worked. i thought about my future.
sometimes i get lost in the future. i imagine what i want. i realize what i have to do to obtain. i strategize who, what, where, when, and why. i understand how.
and before you know it, 1 mile has turned into 3. my potential realized. my plan of action in bulleted form.
but then that pebble resurfaced. blocking my focus. inhibiting further progress. ouch, you little bitch.
time to deal with the demons.
i jogged off the beaten path into a clearing near the water. i looked out into the seemingly endlessness of lake michigan.
i felt small in a big world. just the way it should be.
i took off my shoe.
located that pebble.
took it between two fingers.
and threw it as hard as i could into that vast, blue lake.
i exerted way more energy than necessary. that pebble was freaking tiny in comparison to me and my life, but it caused just enough damage that it deserved every ounce of missile-like projection into oblivion.
it was gone. for good.
small obstacle, big throw, happy ending.
i hopped back on the path, and jogged once again.
onward.
9.30.2009
this email just popped up in my work inbox:
From: Julie Christensen [mailto:jchristensen@444mich.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 10:53 AM
To: Building Suites
Subject: Chicago 2016
Importance: High
I N F O R M A T I O N
Please see the information below from the City of Chicago Police Department regarding street closures and event notice for the 2016 Olympics announcement.
From: Graziano, Ron D. [mailto:RON.GRAZIANO@chicagopolice.org]
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 9:48 AM
To: Graziano, Ron D.
Subject: Chicago 2016
On Friday, 02 Oct 09, from 9am to 1pm, Daley Plaza will be the host site for the Chicago 2016 Live Viewing event.
The known street closure at this time is: Clark Street, Randolph to Washington, from 8pm on, 01 Oct 09 - 4pm on, 02 Oct 09. This closure is for media vehicles set up for the event.
The decision to close additional streets around the plaza will be made after assessing the crowd size; the Incident Commander will make that call at the time of the event.
ryan sumner has grinched about chicago's olympic bid...he picketed the committee visit! ...he protested the celebrations! ...and he sneered at those who cheered! chicago already has too many problems! why have it here?
then he got an idea. an awful idea. the olympic grinch got a wonderful, awful idea!
when the time comes for mayor daley to say that chicago isn't the host city for the 2016 games today, (hooray!) ryan, the olympic grinch!, will stand above from a skyscraper near, he'll gaze in delight as he knows just what they'll do. Their mouths will hang open, for a minute or two, then the chumps down in chicago will all cry, "boo hoo hoooooooooo."
That's a noise, grinned ryan the olympic grinch, that I simply must hear! so he paused - and the olympic grinch put a hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low... then it started to grow...
was it a boo or a yay?
we'll find out friday.
From: Julie Christensen [mailto:jchristensen@444mich.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 10:53 AM
To: Building Suites
Subject: Chicago 2016
Importance: High
I N F O R M A T I O N
Please see the information below from the City of Chicago Police Department regarding street closures and event notice for the 2016 Olympics announcement.
From: Graziano, Ron D. [mailto:RON.GRAZIANO@chicagopolice.org]
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 9:48 AM
To: Graziano, Ron D.
Subject: Chicago 2016
On Friday, 02 Oct 09, from 9am to 1pm, Daley Plaza will be the host site for the Chicago 2016 Live Viewing event.
The known street closure at this time is: Clark Street, Randolph to Washington, from 8pm on, 01 Oct 09 - 4pm on, 02 Oct 09. This closure is for media vehicles set up for the event.
The decision to close additional streets around the plaza will be made after assessing the crowd size; the Incident Commander will make that call at the time of the event.
ryan sumner has grinched about chicago's olympic bid...he picketed the committee visit! ...he protested the celebrations! ...and he sneered at those who cheered! chicago already has too many problems! why have it here?
then he got an idea. an awful idea. the olympic grinch got a wonderful, awful idea!
when the time comes for mayor daley to say that chicago isn't the host city for the 2016 games today, (hooray!) ryan, the olympic grinch!, will stand above from a skyscraper near, he'll gaze in delight as he knows just what they'll do. Their mouths will hang open, for a minute or two, then the chumps down in chicago will all cry, "boo hoo hoooooooooo."
That's a noise, grinned ryan the olympic grinch, that I simply must hear! so he paused - and the olympic grinch put a hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low... then it started to grow...
was it a boo or a yay?
we'll find out friday.
9.29.2009
thanks nate for reminding me that my ipod nano (or the nanner as i like to call it) has disappeared from my page.
i actually took it down before i left for vacation because, for some weirdo reason, it kept autoplaying even though i coded it not to.
i even toded it not to and it did anyway!
what the bleep(!) naughty nanner.
urgz, i know how annoying it is for you to be surfing the web in private when all of a sudden the site you're perusing blares noise and it both startles you and busts you in front of coworkers. zoops!
i wouldn't tolerate it from others therefore i would never expect you to tolerate it from me.
so, my apologies...i'm going to make a new playlist tonight and hopefully the coding will be off the hizzle and you can again rock your socks off or slow it down and feel the groove.
besos.
i actually took it down before i left for vacation because, for some weirdo reason, it kept autoplaying even though i coded it not to.
i even toded it not to and it did anyway!
what the bleep(!) naughty nanner.
urgz, i know how annoying it is for you to be surfing the web in private when all of a sudden the site you're perusing blares noise and it both startles you and busts you in front of coworkers. zoops!
i wouldn't tolerate it from others therefore i would never expect you to tolerate it from me.
so, my apologies...i'm going to make a new playlist tonight and hopefully the coding will be off the hizzle and you can again rock your socks off or slow it down and feel the groove.
besos.
it almost pains me to say this, and wow does it seem weird, but yall...seriously, let the hills die.
don't get me wrong, for the last 5 seasons i've been firmly planted on the couch at 9pm central with my eyes glued to the screen and my vocal chords enthusiastically screeching "feel the rain on your lips!"
but things have changed, unfortch.
lc isn't on the show. lc is the only reason to watch the show. i love her something serious, but who gives a flying hootenanny about lo, ceiling eyes, speidi, or that bimbo chevy cavalier...i mean, kristin cavallari? i have no idea if i spelled her name correctly. i almost hope i didn't.
no one cares about them. they're all just fodder. we want lauren drama. we want her one liners (you're a sucky person!), eye-rolling (or mascara tears), and cute-sense-of-everything (hey kohl's!). ugh, lc made life worth living yall.
without her the show is comatose. flatline. time of death? right now.
anyway, don't support or buy into tv shows glamourizing white, entitled rich kids. it's sad. especially this show, well, and basically mtv's entire lineup of tv programming.
just don't watch it, alright?
it's time for the hills to go the way of the dodo. stephanie pratt needs a real job.
buy her handbags!
don't get me wrong, for the last 5 seasons i've been firmly planted on the couch at 9pm central with my eyes glued to the screen and my vocal chords enthusiastically screeching "feel the rain on your lips!"
but things have changed, unfortch.
lc isn't on the show. lc is the only reason to watch the show. i love her something serious, but who gives a flying hootenanny about lo, ceiling eyes, speidi, or that bimbo chevy cavalier...i mean, kristin cavallari? i have no idea if i spelled her name correctly. i almost hope i didn't.
no one cares about them. they're all just fodder. we want lauren drama. we want her one liners (you're a sucky person!), eye-rolling (or mascara tears), and cute-sense-of-everything (hey kohl's!). ugh, lc made life worth living yall.
without her the show is comatose. flatline. time of death? right now.
anyway, don't support or buy into tv shows glamourizing white, entitled rich kids. it's sad. especially this show, well, and basically mtv's entire lineup of tv programming.
just don't watch it, alright?
it's time for the hills to go the way of the dodo. stephanie pratt needs a real job.
buy her handbags!
9.28.2009
shoutout time:
my beautiful, wonderful, and amazing friend kayla sent me the sweetest email a couple days ago. totally made me miss her something serious. we were coworkers, turned friends, and for a couple nights throughout our friendship, non-physical lovers.
oh, memories.
kayla, i miss you. you live in hawaii now and i don't even know your boyfriend wes but we're facebook friends and he sounds just as cool as i know you are. wes took this picture randomly and i think it's a.mazing. i have no idea what it means or where it came from, but considering he took this photo for both you and i, we like him a lot for it:
truer words were never spoken, right?
love you. miss you. and see you soon.
my beautiful, wonderful, and amazing friend kayla sent me the sweetest email a couple days ago. totally made me miss her something serious. we were coworkers, turned friends, and for a couple nights throughout our friendship, non-physical lovers.
oh, memories.
kayla, i miss you. you live in hawaii now and i don't even know your boyfriend wes but we're facebook friends and he sounds just as cool as i know you are. wes took this picture randomly and i think it's a.mazing. i have no idea what it means or where it came from, but considering he took this photo for both you and i, we like him a lot for it:
truer words were never spoken, right?
love you. miss you. and see you soon.
okay, so you may have read via twitter that i ran into a couple celebrities a la lax while waiting to fly back to the chi.
however, i took a picture of only one celeb, mostly because the other one was directly behind me while snailing through security. that photo op would have been majorly awkward since it would have been annoyingly forced. so i resisted. that celeb was will.i.am. i gotta feeling he didn't care about meeting me anyway. plus...likewise.
now the other celeb i did manage to capture on film. but first, can i take this moment to preface how shitificent the bberry camera is? (!) iphone, i miss you for this reason alone, your pictures are amazeballs. bberry IT folk - time to step out of homeschool and get a real degree. damn gina!
anyway. the celeb was sinbad, as seen below:
yes people! that's sinbad! i know you can't really tell that its sinbad because the picture is so completely unsatisfactory, but it is.
and i would never lie about seeing sinbad. would anybody? do you even know who sinbad is? i forget that he's a person sometimes...
however, i took a picture of only one celeb, mostly because the other one was directly behind me while snailing through security. that photo op would have been majorly awkward since it would have been annoyingly forced. so i resisted. that celeb was will.i.am. i gotta feeling he didn't care about meeting me anyway. plus...likewise.
now the other celeb i did manage to capture on film. but first, can i take this moment to preface how shitificent the bberry camera is? (!) iphone, i miss you for this reason alone, your pictures are amazeballs. bberry IT folk - time to step out of homeschool and get a real degree. damn gina!
anyway. the celeb was sinbad, as seen below:
yes people! that's sinbad! i know you can't really tell that its sinbad because the picture is so completely unsatisfactory, but it is.
and i would never lie about seeing sinbad. would anybody? do you even know who sinbad is? i forget that he's a person sometimes...
9.22.2009
hey yall. i had some visions (non-Raven visions) last night while i was at the gym, which is untypical because usually i just make fun of people in my head all workout long. but yesterday was different: my head was racing around a blog posting i wanted to do...but of course i can't remember it now. it was weird, i was writing the blog in my head whilst lifting heavy things, and i'm pretty sure i wasn't doing myself any favors by doing both simultaneously. surely my reps were shortened and my counting scheme flawed, and obviously my writing ideas had disappeared into thin air.
since my visions have escaped me, i'm tempted to just repost that anna nicole smith "skyscraper" outtakes video, because c'mon, that's enjoyable 24/7/365...but i won't. maybe it will come to me later today.
at any rate, breaking news: ryan sumner is going on vacation. like an actual vacation, not just a vacation from the blog. well, actually, both will happen, but this time it's more exciting for me.
i'm leaving tomorrow morning for a trip out west to the beautiful and sunny LA area and couldn't be more excited. i'll be hanging with friends, cherishing moments of yesteryears and futureyears, and more than likely drunk for most of it. cheers!
but i'm not taking my computer with me because i'm a bitch to chicago's public transportation and its one less thing i'd have to lug around on the planes/trains/(buses) and automobiles that are necessary just to get to the airport and back.
kill me. afterwards of course.
so for now, ciao, and woah, stories to come.
since my visions have escaped me, i'm tempted to just repost that anna nicole smith "skyscraper" outtakes video, because c'mon, that's enjoyable 24/7/365...but i won't. maybe it will come to me later today.
at any rate, breaking news: ryan sumner is going on vacation. like an actual vacation, not just a vacation from the blog. well, actually, both will happen, but this time it's more exciting for me.
i'm leaving tomorrow morning for a trip out west to the beautiful and sunny LA area and couldn't be more excited. i'll be hanging with friends, cherishing moments of yesteryears and futureyears, and more than likely drunk for most of it. cheers!
but i'm not taking my computer with me because i'm a bitch to chicago's public transportation and its one less thing i'd have to lug around on the planes/trains/(buses) and automobiles that are necessary just to get to the airport and back.
kill me. afterwards of course.
so for now, ciao, and woah, stories to come.
9.21.2009
if you ask me, which most people don't, my favorite part of the last night's emmy broadcast had nothing to do with nph. in fact, the show as a whole was a complete waste of time and energy. but, there were two classic moments that made the entire show worthy of my attention:
1: kristen wiig with the monocle and pipe...hilarious-ness without even trying hard. i was rolling.
2: sarah silverman with the mustache, especially after she lost and she's shaking her head in disappointment. genius.
both had me busting a gut and made the entire night much better.
thanks ladies. i can always count on you.
1: kristen wiig with the monocle and pipe...hilarious-ness without even trying hard. i was rolling.
2: sarah silverman with the mustache, especially after she lost and she's shaking her head in disappointment. genius.
both had me busting a gut and made the entire night much better.
thanks ladies. i can always count on you.
9.20.2009
buster, i love you and all, but i feel like i need to start having babies. i'm 27 and i'm not getting any younger from here on out. when christmas time rolls around, everyone is going to be showing off their babies...and i'll be somewhere else stuffing your stocking with beggin' strips.
what to do, what to do...
here's one of my brothers and my sister...both with their babes. i'm so jel.
what to do, what to do...
here's one of my brothers and my sister...both with their babes. i'm so jel.
you guys...this is my 500th post. i've come to this site 500 times to reveal my joys, my demons, for shits & giggles, for help and for love. i've come here 500 times to share with you, to forfeit my worries, and to turn my inside out.
what a great journey.
i'm glad i'm still here for 501, and i'm glad you are, too.
what a great journey.
i'm glad i'm still here for 501, and i'm glad you are, too.
9.19.2009
9.18.2009
i read an article on cnn this morning that i found to be somewhat interesting. while i'm completely over the entire kanye thing...it still makes me think. in light of joe wilson, serena, and kanye incidents...much like the cnn columnist, i too have been plagued by mission statements of "never be that person" "never respect people like that" "never allow it to happen to other people" and so on. i think it mostly comes from my upbringing. i was taught to be respectful of others, i never raised my voice to my parents, and rudeness was something that would be called out, on the spot, if it ever occurred. my parents taught me the power of empathy. it goes along with the cliche treating others as you would want to be treated. but really, when dealing with those you deem inferior, step outside your ego before you berate them, humiliate them, emasculate them, devalue them, degrade them. would you tolerate such things if directed at you?
i hope you wouldn't. none of us are celebrities. and the actual celebrities -- we don't owe them anything. they are people on a tv or movie screen. they are the voices of our itunes. they're humans. they aren't our bosses, they aren't our saviors, so why do we treat them as such?
i don't know either.
it's funny, too. i even see a sense of entitlement on youtube. don't get me wrong: i'm on youtube, i love youtube, and there are a few people i watch and enjoy. and then there are people that just pop up time and again, that i simply sit back and wonder why. after watching a few of these select videos, i've come to a conclusion that they encapsulate my point. in short: their subscribers are their world. their view counts - their saving grace. the fact that people subscribe, follow, or whatever to their "image"...it gets them off. there's this one guy in particular that really irks me. his videos always suggest a level of sexual taboo in order to get views. in almost every video he parades around in his underwear, or at least never with a shirt on, while providing vain commentary/parodies that are almost always self-fulfilling and narcissistic. for instance, in one video he is waltzing around in his underwear, highlighting his upper body in all its "glory" while claiming how much he loves to eat, eat, eat (especially chicken nuggets) and then plugs his amateur exercise video at the end.
???
it's one hundred percent narcissism/everything-that-is-wrong-with-the-world. i realize there are far worse things plaguing society, lets keep this post in check with reality, but it's relevant to my overall point of how absurd the human race is. is he out of line or rude? no, not at all. but he's harboring the possibility of such. because he's enabled to: he's putting on a show, for you to watch. and you do, because you owe it to him. or so he thinks. he's pleading for attention, he's selling himself as an object, and he's advancing his cause(s) (i.e. i'm better than you, i'm in great shape but i'm talking about how much i love to eat bad food, i have something i want you to buy and you probably will consider doing so bc aren't i cute?, and don't you just love looking at me? keep dreaming and you could have me!).
it's nauseating. and be sure to notice that i said "it's" nauseating. the man behind the video is more than likely a good human being. i don't know him personally, and i don't think i really need to, but let's seperate who he is from the work he promotes. i don't want to sound hyprocritical by acknowledging a rise in rude, arrogant behavior in the world and then write a blog post where i say something rude or combative. that's not the case at all - i'm interpreting his work as being completely dissatisfactory and it's something i think is very ugly.
there's a difference and i hope you get it. if not, you're free to stand by your own perception.
but, people, we need to check ourselves. our egos are out of control. stop with the attention thing. stop with the entitlement. stop degrading others because you can. free speech? certainly. free entitlement? absolutely not.
can we have boundaries? the world owes us nothing. we owe it to ourselves and each other to be a little more humble and to come down off our self-appointed pedestals.
long-story short: we all love to have an opinion, but some of us just go the wrong direction in sharing it. don't let it be you. don't let the tween agenda, the kanye agenda, the perez agenda, the us weekly agenda, the hills agenda, the youtube fame agenda--any and all of these entitled/arrogant/rude/extreme agendas should not become our new social soapbox. it's sad and disheartening, and i'll personally set an example of how to get back to the basic fundamentals of life: be a good person and love one another like you would want to be loved.
here's an excerpt of the cnn article:
Thanks to Joe, Kanye, Serena, and other misfits, a lot of people are talking about how society is undergoing a rash of rudeness.
That's not completely accurate. It's more like a rise in self-centeredness.
Among the self-centered: Congressman Joe Wilson, rapper Kanye West and tennis star Serena Williams. But this phenomenon isn't limited to celebrities and previously anonymous backbenchers in Congress basking in their 15 minutes.
There are many people out there, in all walks of life, who think they're more significant than they really are. Plagued with an exaggerated sense of self-importance, they feel entitled to do whatever they want, whenever they want to do it no matter whom it hurts.
The self-centered rarely think about the consequences because they're too busy claiming what they see as their rightful place in the spotlight. And when they're criticized for letting their narcissism get the best of them and face the wrath of their colleagues or the disapproval of their fans, they might apologize. But, even then, they often don't do a very good job of it because their heart's not in it.
They don't feel genuine remorse but they've been told by their press secretaries and publicists to fake it as best they can as part of the damage control. They mouth the words because they consider it to be in their own best interests. It's always about them.
So how did this virus of self-centeredness get in our national bloodstream?
Others blame the look-at-me-I'm-so-special culture bred by egocentric social networking sites such as Facebook, My Space, YouTube, and Twitter. With thousands of "followers" of some sort or another, caring enough to take time from their own day to shadow you through yours, is it any wonder that the followed are getting big heads as they "tweet" what they had for breakfast?
But I'm old-school. I believe that what matters most is not what happens at your computer but around your dinner table. When we consider the reasons for this rash of self-centeredness, I think most of it comes down to just one thing: bad parenting.
i hope you wouldn't. none of us are celebrities. and the actual celebrities -- we don't owe them anything. they are people on a tv or movie screen. they are the voices of our itunes. they're humans. they aren't our bosses, they aren't our saviors, so why do we treat them as such?
i don't know either.
it's funny, too. i even see a sense of entitlement on youtube. don't get me wrong: i'm on youtube, i love youtube, and there are a few people i watch and enjoy. and then there are people that just pop up time and again, that i simply sit back and wonder why. after watching a few of these select videos, i've come to a conclusion that they encapsulate my point. in short: their subscribers are their world. their view counts - their saving grace. the fact that people subscribe, follow, or whatever to their "image"...it gets them off. there's this one guy in particular that really irks me. his videos always suggest a level of sexual taboo in order to get views. in almost every video he parades around in his underwear, or at least never with a shirt on, while providing vain commentary/parodies that are almost always self-fulfilling and narcissistic. for instance, in one video he is waltzing around in his underwear, highlighting his upper body in all its "glory" while claiming how much he loves to eat, eat, eat (especially chicken nuggets) and then plugs his amateur exercise video at the end.
???
it's one hundred percent narcissism/everything-that-is-wrong-with-the-world. i realize there are far worse things plaguing society, lets keep this post in check with reality, but it's relevant to my overall point of how absurd the human race is. is he out of line or rude? no, not at all. but he's harboring the possibility of such. because he's enabled to: he's putting on a show, for you to watch. and you do, because you owe it to him. or so he thinks. he's pleading for attention, he's selling himself as an object, and he's advancing his cause(s) (i.e. i'm better than you, i'm in great shape but i'm talking about how much i love to eat bad food, i have something i want you to buy and you probably will consider doing so bc aren't i cute?, and don't you just love looking at me? keep dreaming and you could have me!).
it's nauseating. and be sure to notice that i said "it's" nauseating. the man behind the video is more than likely a good human being. i don't know him personally, and i don't think i really need to, but let's seperate who he is from the work he promotes. i don't want to sound hyprocritical by acknowledging a rise in rude, arrogant behavior in the world and then write a blog post where i say something rude or combative. that's not the case at all - i'm interpreting his work as being completely dissatisfactory and it's something i think is very ugly.
there's a difference and i hope you get it. if not, you're free to stand by your own perception.
but, people, we need to check ourselves. our egos are out of control. stop with the attention thing. stop with the entitlement. stop degrading others because you can. free speech? certainly. free entitlement? absolutely not.
can we have boundaries? the world owes us nothing. we owe it to ourselves and each other to be a little more humble and to come down off our self-appointed pedestals.
long-story short: we all love to have an opinion, but some of us just go the wrong direction in sharing it. don't let it be you. don't let the tween agenda, the kanye agenda, the perez agenda, the us weekly agenda, the hills agenda, the youtube fame agenda--any and all of these entitled/arrogant/rude/extreme agendas should not become our new social soapbox. it's sad and disheartening, and i'll personally set an example of how to get back to the basic fundamentals of life: be a good person and love one another like you would want to be loved.
here's an excerpt of the cnn article:
Thanks to Joe, Kanye, Serena, and other misfits, a lot of people are talking about how society is undergoing a rash of rudeness.
That's not completely accurate. It's more like a rise in self-centeredness.
Among the self-centered: Congressman Joe Wilson, rapper Kanye West and tennis star Serena Williams. But this phenomenon isn't limited to celebrities and previously anonymous backbenchers in Congress basking in their 15 minutes.
There are many people out there, in all walks of life, who think they're more significant than they really are. Plagued with an exaggerated sense of self-importance, they feel entitled to do whatever they want, whenever they want to do it no matter whom it hurts.
The self-centered rarely think about the consequences because they're too busy claiming what they see as their rightful place in the spotlight. And when they're criticized for letting their narcissism get the best of them and face the wrath of their colleagues or the disapproval of their fans, they might apologize. But, even then, they often don't do a very good job of it because their heart's not in it.
They don't feel genuine remorse but they've been told by their press secretaries and publicists to fake it as best they can as part of the damage control. They mouth the words because they consider it to be in their own best interests. It's always about them.
So how did this virus of self-centeredness get in our national bloodstream?
Others blame the look-at-me-I'm-so-special culture bred by egocentric social networking sites such as Facebook, My Space, YouTube, and Twitter. With thousands of "followers" of some sort or another, caring enough to take time from their own day to shadow you through yours, is it any wonder that the followed are getting big heads as they "tweet" what they had for breakfast?
But I'm old-school. I believe that what matters most is not what happens at your computer but around your dinner table. When we consider the reasons for this rash of self-centeredness, I think most of it comes down to just one thing: bad parenting.
9.17.2009
nothing like a contagious giggle in the morning to rev up my day. apparently, abercombie brodudeman & stupid bitch...i mean, abercrombie & fitch, is suing beyonce because she's coming out with her own fragrance called "sasha fierce" which blurs the trademark legalities of a&f's own fragrance "fierce."
they're both in the wrong.
first of all, beyonce, the name sasha fierce is stupid. i love you and all that you do, but really...it's a stupid name. it's borderline tranny showgirl. not that tranny showgirls are stupid, but you get what i mean. you might as well call your fragrance soapy watters or demetria jenkins. here's a shot in the dark: why don't you call it something fragrance-like, such as evolution or seduction or something that suggests an actual smell or an allure. sasha fierce suggests sequins and foundation-laced sweat beads.
and, sidenote: whenever you claim to have an alter ego, life is getting to be a tad bit too serious/extreme. you're one person. sorry, you are. you're beyonce knowles. cut the bullshit. if anyone else went by a super ego...i mean, alter ego...they'd receive unending eyerolls and a prank phone call or two by yours truly. scary, huh? it could be you. it's not too late!
now, abercrombie. choose your words wisely, ryan...um, while we all have a fierce story or two...i can honestly say that, in 2009, no self-respecting person buys and/or wears fierce. ever. it's an instant excommunication from society. it's an instant no-go. it's an instant i'm out. it's an instant death sentence. literally...you should receive lethal injection if you wear it. in fact, i'm sure the fierce potion itself could be used as a lethal injection/inhalation. it's horrid, that store is horrid, the dudebromans and stupid bitches that work there are horrid (except for those of us who may or may not have worked there in the past MANY moons ago when we didn't know better, we don't have to name any names) and beyonce would be doing you a favor if she somehow confused the consumer by promoting the word fierce, which could drive your sales or her own sales skyward.
after all, beyonce is at an all time high ever since her genius pr decision to let little, sweet taylor swift have "her moment" (it's a vma, who gives a shit?).
moral of the story: fierce smells like shit. a&f is shit. sasha fierce what the shit?
i don't know what else to say, shit.
byeee.
they're both in the wrong.
first of all, beyonce, the name sasha fierce is stupid. i love you and all that you do, but really...it's a stupid name. it's borderline tranny showgirl. not that tranny showgirls are stupid, but you get what i mean. you might as well call your fragrance soapy watters or demetria jenkins. here's a shot in the dark: why don't you call it something fragrance-like, such as evolution or seduction or something that suggests an actual smell or an allure. sasha fierce suggests sequins and foundation-laced sweat beads.
and, sidenote: whenever you claim to have an alter ego, life is getting to be a tad bit too serious/extreme. you're one person. sorry, you are. you're beyonce knowles. cut the bullshit. if anyone else went by a super ego...i mean, alter ego...they'd receive unending eyerolls and a prank phone call or two by yours truly. scary, huh? it could be you. it's not too late!
now, abercrombie. choose your words wisely, ryan...um, while we all have a fierce story or two...i can honestly say that, in 2009, no self-respecting person buys and/or wears fierce. ever. it's an instant excommunication from society. it's an instant no-go. it's an instant i'm out. it's an instant death sentence. literally...you should receive lethal injection if you wear it. in fact, i'm sure the fierce potion itself could be used as a lethal injection/inhalation. it's horrid, that store is horrid, the dudebromans and stupid bitches that work there are horrid (except for those of us who may or may not have worked there in the past MANY moons ago when we didn't know better, we don't have to name any names) and beyonce would be doing you a favor if she somehow confused the consumer by promoting the word fierce, which could drive your sales or her own sales skyward.
after all, beyonce is at an all time high ever since her genius pr decision to let little, sweet taylor swift have "her moment" (it's a vma, who gives a shit?).
moral of the story: fierce smells like shit. a&f is shit. sasha fierce what the shit?
i don't know what else to say, shit.
byeee.
9.16.2009
i have an abundance of tupperware sitting on my desk. i don't want to take any of it home. but i don't want to throw any of it away.
such is life.
i want to throw semi-useless stuff away, but what if? what if that one token of our time together means something someday down the road.
oops, i said it.
i'm afraid to look under my bed sometimes, too. not because someone is hiding beneath, ready to slash my throat and drink my blood, but because you're there. it's there. life is there.
you isn't a person. it's memories of people. places. times where i felt magical. i haven't felt magical for a very long time.
i think that's why i'm afraid to throw some of it away. will the magic still exist?
i can remember coming to chicago once many, many years ago. to see you.
chicago might as well been never-never land. or in the movie little monsters, the fantasy place under his bed where anything can happen.
and a lot happened. good & bad. memories i will never forget no matter how hard i try. not that i want to.
i remember driving at night, the lights, the confusion, the way we looked at the train tracks waiting for something to come. it came.
a collection of people. moments unforgettable.
keep, or move on?
the memories haunt, the memories elate, the memories remain.
for now.
if only this post was as easy as tupperware sitting on a desk.
such is life.
i want to throw semi-useless stuff away, but what if? what if that one token of our time together means something someday down the road.
oops, i said it.
i'm afraid to look under my bed sometimes, too. not because someone is hiding beneath, ready to slash my throat and drink my blood, but because you're there. it's there. life is there.
you isn't a person. it's memories of people. places. times where i felt magical. i haven't felt magical for a very long time.
i think that's why i'm afraid to throw some of it away. will the magic still exist?
i can remember coming to chicago once many, many years ago. to see you.
chicago might as well been never-never land. or in the movie little monsters, the fantasy place under his bed where anything can happen.
and a lot happened. good & bad. memories i will never forget no matter how hard i try. not that i want to.
i remember driving at night, the lights, the confusion, the way we looked at the train tracks waiting for something to come. it came.
a collection of people. moments unforgettable.
keep, or move on?
the memories haunt, the memories elate, the memories remain.
for now.
if only this post was as easy as tupperware sitting on a desk.
the other day my friend and fellow youtuber mhartz posted, or actually tweeted, a link to this video for young soul rebel's i got soul. it's a remake of the killer's all these things that i have done and i love love love it. it's rewritten and rearranged so it has a fresh, new, energizing twist. plus, i don't know who any of the bleeping singers are and i think that's a refreshing approach toward music collaborations. they all sing/rap so well for being uknown. the only downside: i find myself constantly repeating i got soul, but i'm not a soldier in my head...but i guess that's a small price to pay for awesomeness and at the least it shuts up a few other chants that have been rambling as of late i.e. i want candy or five...five dollar...five dollar foot looooong.
enjoy.
enjoy.
9.15.2009
confession: i'm back on the book. you guys...i struggle. i hate the principles of facebook -- everyone's business in my face, my business thrown all over the place, useless information taking up space, destroying the human race.
okay i'm out of -ace words.
long story, short: i failed. its like i called jenny while munching on a krispy kreme.
it is what it is.
sorry i flaked.
okay i'm out of -ace words.
long story, short: i failed. its like i called jenny while munching on a krispy kreme.
it is what it is.
sorry i flaked.
9.14.2009
so yesterday i twittered that i encountered something strange while enjoying a beautiful sunday morning in the park. let me be specific:
so i walked across the street from my building to find a great grassy area to lay out in and catch some rays. i walked to the lake and found the perfect spot. i layed out my shit, popped in my ear buds, and was zoning in and out of conciousness while my skin glowed in the soft, warm sunlight.
until i heard something. at first it was a screech, and then it was a man's voice. i looked up and noticed someone had popped a squat near me. it was an oddly-shaped man and what appeared to be a cat. the man sat down on a towel under a shade tree and for a few, brief moments i saw a flash of what seemed to be a long tail...like i said, a cat tail?
nope. wrong.
it was a monkey. a monkey, people. recall ross from friends and think of his briefly-filmed marsupial friend whose name escapes me now. but just go there and then come back to me.
ready?
so, there was a monkey crawling around on the guy's lap. what are you doing with a monkey and why did you bring it to the park? did it need a walk? some fresh air? i don't know, but i do know it's not something you see every day in chicago, let alone in the usa.
i was a little bewildered by the situation, but a sense of calm came about me when i also noticed the monkey was wearing a diaper.
...(?!)
WTB (what the bleep.) it was like i was amid a traveling circus.
here's proof via the bberry:
people kept stopping and staring, little kids would ask, "can i pet your monkey?"
the man would then say, "you can look at the monkey, but you can't touch the monkey."
um, i can smell the monkey, so i'm outta here.
so i walked across the street from my building to find a great grassy area to lay out in and catch some rays. i walked to the lake and found the perfect spot. i layed out my shit, popped in my ear buds, and was zoning in and out of conciousness while my skin glowed in the soft, warm sunlight.
until i heard something. at first it was a screech, and then it was a man's voice. i looked up and noticed someone had popped a squat near me. it was an oddly-shaped man and what appeared to be a cat. the man sat down on a towel under a shade tree and for a few, brief moments i saw a flash of what seemed to be a long tail...like i said, a cat tail?
nope. wrong.
it was a monkey. a monkey, people. recall ross from friends and think of his briefly-filmed marsupial friend whose name escapes me now. but just go there and then come back to me.
ready?
so, there was a monkey crawling around on the guy's lap. what are you doing with a monkey and why did you bring it to the park? did it need a walk? some fresh air? i don't know, but i do know it's not something you see every day in chicago, let alone in the usa.
i was a little bewildered by the situation, but a sense of calm came about me when i also noticed the monkey was wearing a diaper.
...(?!)
WTB (what the bleep.) it was like i was amid a traveling circus.
here's proof via the bberry:
people kept stopping and staring, little kids would ask, "can i pet your monkey?"
the man would then say, "you can look at the monkey, but you can't touch the monkey."
um, i can smell the monkey, so i'm outta here.
we've all heard of RTs on Twitter (retweets) so consider this an RP (repost)
i was going through some postings of yesteryears and came across one in particular that always speaks to me. my earthly situation might have changed since the original posting, but the theory behind it remains unchanged.
i'm a very happy person these days, very excited about what's to come, too...however it's good to stop and think every once and again about how beautiful life really is. there's good beautiful and there's bad beautiful. sometimes we can't see the real beauty of our life until we recognize that the ugliness exists, but in the end, life is precious, and so, so beautiful:
RP: "The last few months have been devestatingly hard, perhaps my hardest yet. In this time I've encountered countless obstacles that, for some, I've easily maneuvered past while others have swallowed me whole.
You know me. Well, some of you do. I try to take control over everything in my life. No, I won't try to control your life, I'm just protective of my own. You treat me well? You have a place in my heart. You treat me poorly? Peace out. That's just the way it is. I keep close those whom I know are there for a reason. I feel like there are quite a few people like that in my life, and for that I am truly blessed. But I know that there are those who don't hold my best interest, those who don't think twice...and for you, goodbye.
I can't control how I feel. I can't control what happens to me. I can't control situations that arise. I can't control the lurid thoughts and doubts that haunt me. I can't control my life.
I can control my reaction though. I control what and who my life contains, and sometimes I misjudge, but often I don't. I can control how I tolerate misgivings, or what I can do to get past. I can control what really, truly matters...and let go of the rest. As someone once said, there's a beauty in just letting go. And it is beautiful.
I've let go of an insecurity this week. Humility. I've told a few people how amazing humility is. Humility shows you how to be human. It shows you that no one is perfect, and that no matter what you do to prevent bad things from happening, shit happens.
But embrace imperfection. Keep humility in your heart. Allow yourself to be at the bottom, to learn and grow once again regardless of how old you are, or how much you have already been through. I'm not trying to be preachy, and I'm not trying to make a point. I'm reflecting on what has been a traumatic and stressful period of my life...and though it has caused me sleepless nights and endless uncertainty--I'm blessed that it has given me the opportunity to witness it, the courage to get through it, and the dignity to move on.
Life is so incredibly unyielding, and persistent, but so beautiful. Life isn't controlled and I can't control my life.
And for that, I'm thankful."
i was going through some postings of yesteryears and came across one in particular that always speaks to me. my earthly situation might have changed since the original posting, but the theory behind it remains unchanged.
i'm a very happy person these days, very excited about what's to come, too...however it's good to stop and think every once and again about how beautiful life really is. there's good beautiful and there's bad beautiful. sometimes we can't see the real beauty of our life until we recognize that the ugliness exists, but in the end, life is precious, and so, so beautiful:
RP: "The last few months have been devestatingly hard, perhaps my hardest yet. In this time I've encountered countless obstacles that, for some, I've easily maneuvered past while others have swallowed me whole.
You know me. Well, some of you do. I try to take control over everything in my life. No, I won't try to control your life, I'm just protective of my own. You treat me well? You have a place in my heart. You treat me poorly? Peace out. That's just the way it is. I keep close those whom I know are there for a reason. I feel like there are quite a few people like that in my life, and for that I am truly blessed. But I know that there are those who don't hold my best interest, those who don't think twice...and for you, goodbye.
I can't control how I feel. I can't control what happens to me. I can't control situations that arise. I can't control the lurid thoughts and doubts that haunt me. I can't control my life.
I can control my reaction though. I control what and who my life contains, and sometimes I misjudge, but often I don't. I can control how I tolerate misgivings, or what I can do to get past. I can control what really, truly matters...and let go of the rest. As someone once said, there's a beauty in just letting go. And it is beautiful.
I've let go of an insecurity this week. Humility. I've told a few people how amazing humility is. Humility shows you how to be human. It shows you that no one is perfect, and that no matter what you do to prevent bad things from happening, shit happens.
But embrace imperfection. Keep humility in your heart. Allow yourself to be at the bottom, to learn and grow once again regardless of how old you are, or how much you have already been through. I'm not trying to be preachy, and I'm not trying to make a point. I'm reflecting on what has been a traumatic and stressful period of my life...and though it has caused me sleepless nights and endless uncertainty--I'm blessed that it has given me the opportunity to witness it, the courage to get through it, and the dignity to move on.
Life is so incredibly unyielding, and persistent, but so beautiful. Life isn't controlled and I can't control my life.
And for that, I'm thankful."
i've been lightyears away from respecting kanye west for many, many years now, and it was reaffirmed exactly why last night. in fact, i've blogged several times concerning my distinct distaste for the persona kanye chooses to illuminate within himself. he's a disgrace to everything my mom taught me about being a good person. he embodies an attitude, a superiority, an example, and a mindset that should never be followed, admired, or tolerated.
be better people, yall. what happened last night is a first class example of a no class person.
don't let him waste your time, too. let's all move on. past him.
out of 3000 songs on my itunes, kanye's name does not appear once. permanently.
be better people, yall. what happened last night is a first class example of a no class person.
don't let him waste your time, too. let's all move on. past him.
out of 3000 songs on my itunes, kanye's name does not appear once. permanently.
9.11.2009
okay, so a couple of days ago I posted a video about the flash mob dance outside on michigan avenue. it was really cool amateur footage from someone's perspective across the street at the chicago tribune. well i watched the oprah winfrey show last night for the airing of the block party show filmed tuesday and woah, it was so cool.
being that i work on michigan avenue and my building is located directly in the chaos that was oprah's block party, i was mostly annoyed all day long about the number of people that filled the streets, the constant replaying of i gotta feeling, when i went out to lunch it was pandamonium with people doing all kinds of weird dancing and people shouting out 1,2,3, and 4 mash potato 2,3,4...
i was like what the efffffff is going on. this is so annoying. all day long tho, i couldn't concentrate at work bc of all the hub-bub going on outside.
had i any idea that it was all in an effort to perform the biggest flash mob performance in history...i would have joined right in.
i was amazed at the end result. after a day of being annoyed with the congestion and constant will.i.am and fergie mic checks...i now see what it was all going toward.
amazing job chicago. so cool.
being that i work on michigan avenue and my building is located directly in the chaos that was oprah's block party, i was mostly annoyed all day long about the number of people that filled the streets, the constant replaying of i gotta feeling, when i went out to lunch it was pandamonium with people doing all kinds of weird dancing and people shouting out 1,2,3, and 4 mash potato 2,3,4...
i was like what the efffffff is going on. this is so annoying. all day long tho, i couldn't concentrate at work bc of all the hub-bub going on outside.
had i any idea that it was all in an effort to perform the biggest flash mob performance in history...i would have joined right in.
i was amazed at the end result. after a day of being annoyed with the congestion and constant will.i.am and fergie mic checks...i now see what it was all going toward.
amazing job chicago. so cool.
commentary: where's osama bin laden?
HELMAND, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Eight years after September 11, the "war on terror" has gone the way of the dodo. And President Obama talks instead about a war against al Qaeda and its allies.
What, then, of al Qaeda's enigmatic leader, Osama bin Laden, who has vanished like a wisp of smoke? And does he even matter now?
The U.S. government hadn't had a solid lead on al Qaeda's leader since the battle of Tora Bora in winter 2001. Although there are informed hypotheses that today he is in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province on the Afghan border, perhaps in one of the more northerly areas such as Bajaur, these are essentially guesses, not "actionable" intelligence.
A longtime American counterterrorism analyst explained to me, "There is very limited collection on him personally."
That's intelligence community shorthand for the fact that the usual avenues of "collection" on a target such as bin Laden are yielding little or no information about him. Those avenues typically include signal intercepts of phone calls and e-mails, as well as human intelligence from spies.
Given the hundreds of billions of dollars that the "war on terror" has consumed, the failure to capture or kill al Qaeda's leader is one of its signal failures.
Does it even matter whether bin Laden is found? Yes, it does. First, there is the matter of justice for the almost 3,000 people who died in the September 11 attacks and for the thousands of other victims of al Qaeda's attacks around the world.
Second, every day that bin Laden remains at liberty is a propaganda victory for al Qaeda.
Third, although bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri aren't managing al-Qaeda's operations on a daily basis they guide the overall direction of the jihadist movement around the world, even while they are in hiding.
Don't Miss
Anderson Cooper: One common goal
Analysis: Why are U.S., allies still in Afghanistan?
In Depth: Commentaries
Those messages from al Qaeda's leaders have reached untold millions worldwide via television, the Internet and newspapers. The tapes have not only instructed al Qaeda's followers to continue to kill Westerners and Jews, but some also carried specific instructions that militant cells then acted on.
In March 2008, for instance, the al Qaeda leader denounced the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper as a "catastrophe" for which punishment would soon be meted out. Three months later, an al Qaeda suicide attacker bombed the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, killing six.
Some reading this may think: But what's the proof that the al Qaeda leader is still alive? Plenty. Since September 11, bin Laden has released a slew of video and audiotapes, many of which discuss current events. After a nine-month silence, for instance, bin Laden released a 22-minute audiotape on March 14, sharply condemning the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza.
Are these tapes real? Not one of the dozens of tapes released by bin Laden after 9/11 has been a fake. Indeed the U.S. government has authenticated many of them using bin Laden's distinctive voiceprint.
And what about the persistent reports that he is ill? In 2002, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said bin Laden had kidney disease, for which he required a dialysis machine, and was therefore likelydead. But the stories of bin Laden's life-threatening kidney problems are false, judging by his appearance in videos that he released in 2004 and again in 2007, in which he showed no signs of illness.
On the 2007 tape, the al Qaeda leader had even dyed his white-flecked beard black, suggesting that as the Saudi militant entered his fifth decade, he was not immune to a measure of vanity about his personal appearance.
In fact, bin Laden looked much better in those videos than he did in the video he released shortly after the battle of Tora Bora in late 2001, where he had narrowly escaped being killed in a massive American attack.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that bin Laden and al-Zawahiri are almost certainly hiding out in the tribal areas of Pakistan, on the Afghan border.
Arthur Keller, a CIA officer who ran a spy network in Pakistan's tribal areas in 2006, told me the problems of working in the region: "It's an incredibly remote area. They're hiding in a sea of people that are very xenophobic of outsiders, so it's a very, very tough nut to crack."
An additional factor operating in bin Laden's favor is the personal popularity he has long enjoyed in Pakistan. Three years after the September 11 attacks, for instance, a Pew poll found that al Qaeda's leader had a 65 percent favorability rating among Pakistanis.
However, it is clear from the videos of bin Laden and al-Zawahiri that aired in the years since the attacks that they are not living in caves.
In those tapes, both men's clothes were clean and well-pressed. Caves generally don't have laundry facilities. And the videos that they have released are well-lit and well-shot productions, suggesting access either to electrical outlets or to generators to run lights. Al-Zawahiri is often filmed in a library setting, and on one of his videos from March 2006, there are curtains clearly visible behind him, suggesting that the tape was shot in a house.
By early 2008, the Bush administration had tired of the Pakistani government's unwillingness or inability to take out al Qaeda's leaders, and in July, the president authorized Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults in the tribal regions without the permission of the Pakistani government.
But in the face of the intense Pakistani opposition to American boots on the ground, the Bush administration chose to rely instead on drones to target suspected al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. Bush ordered the CIA to expand its attacks with Predator and Reaper drones.
Between July 2008 and this month, U.S. drones have killed dozens of lower-ranking militants and at least 10 mid- and upper-level leaders within al Qaeda or the Taliban.
This strategy seems to have worked, at least in terms of combating the ability of al Qaeda to plan or carry out attacks in the West. Law-enforcement authorities have uncovered no serious plots against U.S. or European targets that were traceable to militants who had received training in Pakistan's tribal regions after the drone program had been dramatically ramped up there.
The increased pace of the American drone attacks in Pakistani's tribal areas was motivated in part by the hope that it would increase panicked communications among the militants, which might help pinpoint the locations of the top leaders in al Qaeda or the Taliban, but that approach has not paid off when it comes to bin Laden.
If killing bin Laden with a drone has proved difficult, so too will be capturing him alive.
His former bodyguard Abu Jandal told Al Quds al Arabi newspaper, "Sheikh Osama gave me a pistol. ... The pistol had only two bullets, for me to kill Sheikh Osama with in case we were surrounded or he was about to fall into the enemy's hands, so that he would not be caught alive "
Should bin Laden be captured or killed, that would probably trigger a succession battle within al Qaeda.
While al-Zawahiri is the deputy leader of the terror group and therefore technically bin Laden's successor, he is not regarded as a natural leader. Indeed, even among his fellow Egyptian militants, al-Zawahiri is seen as a divisive force, and so he is unlikely to be able to step into the role of leader of al Qaeda and of the world jihadist movement that is occupied by bin Laden.
By the law of averages, eventually, bin Laden will be captured or killed. Yet the ideological movement that he helped spawn -- "Binladenism" -- will live on long after he is gone. That is bin Laden's legacy.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter Bergen.
HELMAND, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Eight years after September 11, the "war on terror" has gone the way of the dodo. And President Obama talks instead about a war against al Qaeda and its allies.
What, then, of al Qaeda's enigmatic leader, Osama bin Laden, who has vanished like a wisp of smoke? And does he even matter now?
The U.S. government hadn't had a solid lead on al Qaeda's leader since the battle of Tora Bora in winter 2001. Although there are informed hypotheses that today he is in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province on the Afghan border, perhaps in one of the more northerly areas such as Bajaur, these are essentially guesses, not "actionable" intelligence.
A longtime American counterterrorism analyst explained to me, "There is very limited collection on him personally."
That's intelligence community shorthand for the fact that the usual avenues of "collection" on a target such as bin Laden are yielding little or no information about him. Those avenues typically include signal intercepts of phone calls and e-mails, as well as human intelligence from spies.
Given the hundreds of billions of dollars that the "war on terror" has consumed, the failure to capture or kill al Qaeda's leader is one of its signal failures.
Does it even matter whether bin Laden is found? Yes, it does. First, there is the matter of justice for the almost 3,000 people who died in the September 11 attacks and for the thousands of other victims of al Qaeda's attacks around the world.
Second, every day that bin Laden remains at liberty is a propaganda victory for al Qaeda.
Third, although bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri aren't managing al-Qaeda's operations on a daily basis they guide the overall direction of the jihadist movement around the world, even while they are in hiding.
Don't Miss
Anderson Cooper: One common goal
Analysis: Why are U.S., allies still in Afghanistan?
In Depth: Commentaries
Those messages from al Qaeda's leaders have reached untold millions worldwide via television, the Internet and newspapers. The tapes have not only instructed al Qaeda's followers to continue to kill Westerners and Jews, but some also carried specific instructions that militant cells then acted on.
In March 2008, for instance, the al Qaeda leader denounced the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper as a "catastrophe" for which punishment would soon be meted out. Three months later, an al Qaeda suicide attacker bombed the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, killing six.
Some reading this may think: But what's the proof that the al Qaeda leader is still alive? Plenty. Since September 11, bin Laden has released a slew of video and audiotapes, many of which discuss current events. After a nine-month silence, for instance, bin Laden released a 22-minute audiotape on March 14, sharply condemning the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza.
Are these tapes real? Not one of the dozens of tapes released by bin Laden after 9/11 has been a fake. Indeed the U.S. government has authenticated many of them using bin Laden's distinctive voiceprint.
And what about the persistent reports that he is ill? In 2002, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said bin Laden had kidney disease, for which he required a dialysis machine, and was therefore likelydead. But the stories of bin Laden's life-threatening kidney problems are false, judging by his appearance in videos that he released in 2004 and again in 2007, in which he showed no signs of illness.
On the 2007 tape, the al Qaeda leader had even dyed his white-flecked beard black, suggesting that as the Saudi militant entered his fifth decade, he was not immune to a measure of vanity about his personal appearance.
In fact, bin Laden looked much better in those videos than he did in the video he released shortly after the battle of Tora Bora in late 2001, where he had narrowly escaped being killed in a massive American attack.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that bin Laden and al-Zawahiri are almost certainly hiding out in the tribal areas of Pakistan, on the Afghan border.
Arthur Keller, a CIA officer who ran a spy network in Pakistan's tribal areas in 2006, told me the problems of working in the region: "It's an incredibly remote area. They're hiding in a sea of people that are very xenophobic of outsiders, so it's a very, very tough nut to crack."
An additional factor operating in bin Laden's favor is the personal popularity he has long enjoyed in Pakistan. Three years after the September 11 attacks, for instance, a Pew poll found that al Qaeda's leader had a 65 percent favorability rating among Pakistanis.
However, it is clear from the videos of bin Laden and al-Zawahiri that aired in the years since the attacks that they are not living in caves.
In those tapes, both men's clothes were clean and well-pressed. Caves generally don't have laundry facilities. And the videos that they have released are well-lit and well-shot productions, suggesting access either to electrical outlets or to generators to run lights. Al-Zawahiri is often filmed in a library setting, and on one of his videos from March 2006, there are curtains clearly visible behind him, suggesting that the tape was shot in a house.
By early 2008, the Bush administration had tired of the Pakistani government's unwillingness or inability to take out al Qaeda's leaders, and in July, the president authorized Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults in the tribal regions without the permission of the Pakistani government.
But in the face of the intense Pakistani opposition to American boots on the ground, the Bush administration chose to rely instead on drones to target suspected al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. Bush ordered the CIA to expand its attacks with Predator and Reaper drones.
Between July 2008 and this month, U.S. drones have killed dozens of lower-ranking militants and at least 10 mid- and upper-level leaders within al Qaeda or the Taliban.
This strategy seems to have worked, at least in terms of combating the ability of al Qaeda to plan or carry out attacks in the West. Law-enforcement authorities have uncovered no serious plots against U.S. or European targets that were traceable to militants who had received training in Pakistan's tribal regions after the drone program had been dramatically ramped up there.
The increased pace of the American drone attacks in Pakistani's tribal areas was motivated in part by the hope that it would increase panicked communications among the militants, which might help pinpoint the locations of the top leaders in al Qaeda or the Taliban, but that approach has not paid off when it comes to bin Laden.
If killing bin Laden with a drone has proved difficult, so too will be capturing him alive.
His former bodyguard Abu Jandal told Al Quds al Arabi newspaper, "Sheikh Osama gave me a pistol. ... The pistol had only two bullets, for me to kill Sheikh Osama with in case we were surrounded or he was about to fall into the enemy's hands, so that he would not be caught alive "
Should bin Laden be captured or killed, that would probably trigger a succession battle within al Qaeda.
While al-Zawahiri is the deputy leader of the terror group and therefore technically bin Laden's successor, he is not regarded as a natural leader. Indeed, even among his fellow Egyptian militants, al-Zawahiri is seen as a divisive force, and so he is unlikely to be able to step into the role of leader of al Qaeda and of the world jihadist movement that is occupied by bin Laden.
By the law of averages, eventually, bin Laden will be captured or killed. Yet the ideological movement that he helped spawn -- "Binladenism" -- will live on long after he is gone. That is bin Laden's legacy.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter Bergen.
9.10.2009
9.09.2009
9.08.2009
check out zack zerbe photography on facebook. he recently posted this amazing picture and i'm in love with it. i think it's so, so awesome. i love the vibe it gives off...although i can't quite describe it. again, it makes me feel nostalgic for whatever reason.
it makes me think of traveling on thanksgiving day in some aspect. like i've seen something like this before? the colors make it look cold but the vibe makes me think of a new start, or a cold, but new breath of air.
the colors speak to me too, (saying: hey ryan, i know you think life is a pretty big deal and all, but sometimes, you just need to chill out and respect life for its beauty). point in case with this pic. and those birds are pretty magnificent.
it makes me think of traveling on thanksgiving day in some aspect. like i've seen something like this before? the colors make it look cold but the vibe makes me think of a new start, or a cold, but new breath of air.
the colors speak to me too, (saying: hey ryan, i know you think life is a pretty big deal and all, but sometimes, you just need to chill out and respect life for its beauty). point in case with this pic. and those birds are pretty magnificent.
oprah's closing down michigan avenue to tape her show right outside my office building...and the crowd is beginning to form 9 hours before showtime. bep is performing too maybe i'll bum rush the stage and disable their microphones so no one has to hear that damn i gotta feeling. i'd like to think i'd be doing chicago tourism a favor.
9.04.2009
9.02.2009
i feel like this lady and i would get along reallllll well. after all, we both believe in aliens and i too want to be a first lady. but more importantly, we both live our lives with a large sense of humor at the very forefront. although she might be a bit more eccentric.
"I also eat the sun," Hatoyama said on the program, looking up with her eyes closed, raising her arms high as if she was tearing pieces off an imaginary sun. "Like this, hum, hum, hum. It gives me enormous energy."
hum, hum, hum
yummy sun!
"I also eat the sun," Hatoyama said on the program, looking up with her eyes closed, raising her arms high as if she was tearing pieces off an imaginary sun. "Like this, hum, hum, hum. It gives me enormous energy."
hum, hum, hum
yummy sun!
it just dawned on me that one of the funniest noises in the world is...
<<>>drum roll please<<>>
dry heaving!
holy crap, so so funny. i recently twittered about this vile video that shows someone popping a boil, cyst, tumor, whatever...please note the video is absolutely disgusting...and i can't stop listening to the girl, who is taking the video, dry heaving over and over and over again.
it's so funny. yes, it might be considered juvenile. but i can't help myself right now. funny is funny, right?
perhaps dry heaving is just near and dear to my heart, in some weird way, because i've always been a sensitive person and i've been known to dry heave in many a situation...whether it be a weird smell or a less-than-appeasing visual...whatever the case may be. my senses are sensitive.
BLECHHHHHHHHHHHH!
at any rate, check out the link via my twitter (link provided under round two on the right) and see for yourself. the funniest heaving moment, in my expert opinion, is at the 1:40 mark.
happy heaving!
<<>>drum roll please<<>>
dry heaving!
holy crap, so so funny. i recently twittered about this vile video that shows someone popping a boil, cyst, tumor, whatever...please note the video is absolutely disgusting...and i can't stop listening to the girl, who is taking the video, dry heaving over and over and over again.
it's so funny. yes, it might be considered juvenile. but i can't help myself right now. funny is funny, right?
perhaps dry heaving is just near and dear to my heart, in some weird way, because i've always been a sensitive person and i've been known to dry heave in many a situation...whether it be a weird smell or a less-than-appeasing visual...whatever the case may be. my senses are sensitive.
BLECHHHHHHHHHHHH!
at any rate, check out the link via my twitter (link provided under round two on the right) and see for yourself. the funniest heaving moment, in my expert opinion, is at the 1:40 mark.
happy heaving!
9.01.2009
since i've started doing my fave spam email posting i've received a few emails asking if i'm making up the email heading.
uh, really people? do you have a spam folder? have you ever read its contents? there's no sense in making it up, the hilarity is provide free-of-thought. the vile, disgusting, often greatly misspelled sex jargon that makes no sense is not something i have to create, someone else already did that for me.
but some of them are funny, you have to admit. you can go to confession later if you feel guilty for having read such foul material, but i will remind you that awareness is not a sin.
i think spam email is hilar because, honestly, would anyone really open up spam email? i personally don't think so, but the demand seems to be there since i get 10-20 a day...so someone/somerobot out there is still hitting the send button with their fingers crossed/magnetized.
today's fave spam email: did you add my ICQ?
uh, no, no one added your ICQ because no one has used ICQ in the last 10 years.
uh, really people? do you have a spam folder? have you ever read its contents? there's no sense in making it up, the hilarity is provide free-of-thought. the vile, disgusting, often greatly misspelled sex jargon that makes no sense is not something i have to create, someone else already did that for me.
but some of them are funny, you have to admit. you can go to confession later if you feel guilty for having read such foul material, but i will remind you that awareness is not a sin.
i think spam email is hilar because, honestly, would anyone really open up spam email? i personally don't think so, but the demand seems to be there since i get 10-20 a day...so someone/somerobot out there is still hitting the send button with their fingers crossed/magnetized.
today's fave spam email: did you add my ICQ?
uh, no, no one added your ICQ because no one has used ICQ in the last 10 years.
if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself.
um, yes, very true.
remember something ryan, if you want something bad enough, you must take it upon yourself to accomplish or achieve whatever it is you deem important enough.
if you count on other people to assist in this effort, you will probably be dissatisfied with the end result, or the process therein.
and, if you continue to count on other people to get what you want, you probably didn't want it that bad in the first place.
i'm completely capable. don't forget that.
um, yes, very true.
remember something ryan, if you want something bad enough, you must take it upon yourself to accomplish or achieve whatever it is you deem important enough.
if you count on other people to assist in this effort, you will probably be dissatisfied with the end result, or the process therein.
and, if you continue to count on other people to get what you want, you probably didn't want it that bad in the first place.
i'm completely capable. don't forget that.
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