holy crap, ads work

well, a Honda interstitial pulled me to their web site, for cars looking like their owners. Here. Interesting, am I hot or not type interface, here.

ok, let me rephrase, the 'ads work' phrase. i don't think this going to get me to *ever* buy a Honda, or even think of them as anything other than boring cars, unless modified by guys like y2Khai.

but the web ad brought me to the web site, and that's a victory for some skittles guzzling coder and ann taylor loft wearing marketing exec somewheres. bully for them.

Flow

Not the Naughty By Nature song, but the book by Mihalyi Czikszentmihalyi.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.

From butler-bowdon.com, "The bringing of order to consciousness, ‘control of the mind’, is therefore the key to happiness. But what gives us this control? Czikszentmihalyi’s research began not by looking at the nature of happiness per se, but by asking the question, ‘When are people most happy?’ That is, what exactly are we doing when we feel enjoyment or fulfilment? People in a state of 'flow' are those who feel feel they are engaged in a creative unfolding of something larger; athletes call it ‘being in the zone’, mystics have described as ‘ecstasy’, and artists ‘rapture’.

You and I may recognise our flow experiences as simply those activities (work, a hobby, some kind of service) which seem to make time stand still. The book’s best definition of flow comes from the ancient Taoist scholar Chuang Tzu. In a parable, Ting, the esteemed court butcher of Lord Wen-hui, describes his way of working: ‘Perception and understanding have come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants.’ You stop ‘thinking’ and just do."


Me again. I kinda felt this way whilst learning poi this past summer.

Fucking back.

Incidentally, I consulted my PT about whether or not more poi was in my future. Currently, she says that i can't do the corkscrew move. it's verboten.

and the overhead butterfly is a semi-bad idea

BUT, she said that the general forward and backward movements are actually good for my back. some of the twisting movements where my torso is bent are bad, and i need to learn to engage my stomach whenever i do start to bend.

So, sit-ups aplenty are in my future. And possibly some poi.

Oh, but the original part of this post was to whine about the lack of flow like experiences in my life. And I don't know if i'm bored silly by JSheen and/or unemployment, or if it's advertising, and i need to go and find something that involves a little more math.

Or maybe all of this is a reaction against HealthNet's ricockulous regulations of Welbutrin and what they're willing to pay for. I'm rambling.

Have a nice night.

photo fun

cool intro from carl de keyzer

lachapelle

whilst looking for some source material for some ads, bumped into photographer david lachapelle's site.

Particularly liked this gallery of modern day Jesus. (jewish guy, spanish name. strange, i know.)

discussing whether or not bringing up lachapelle as a reference is trite, that's for another day.

aaaaarggh

Now that i'm old and decrepit and unable to snowboard, lookie here at Mt. Hood's 20" overnight.

Here.

Do they do back transplants yet?

takin' the pills for it

From the SFGate

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards said the riff in "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" came to him in his sleep, while the 19th-century chemist Dmitri Mendeleev literally dreamed up the periodic table of elements.

Now, for the first time, scientists say they have proved what creative minds have known all along: that our sleeping brains continue working on problems that baffle us during the day, and that the right answer may come more easily after eight hours of rest.

(more at the link above)

Seamus Heaney's top hip hop picks

from spoiledlink via Bookslut.com

Nelly
“That the young man Nelly is from the Southern states should be apparent, for he still wears the bandage of atrocity on his left cheek. Let us listen, though, to the deeper line. Here, the ornate vernacular of the rural bursts forth – imperial with leisure, pompous, liberated from the stubborn casings of form. His country grammar is uncompromising.”

origins of again!again! (faux intellectual category)

from my friend Stephanie from NYC:

love the way Rilke writes...so let me send you the one I thought was the blog inspiration..cause it would have been a good one..but I have to admit I love the real origins too..cause I still say it sometimes when I go on a tilt a whirl

Again, Again!

Again, again, even if we know the countryside of love,
and the tiny churchyard with its names mourning,
and the chasm, more and more silent, terrifying, into which the others
dropped: we walk out together anyway
beneath the ancient trees, we lie down again,
again, among the flowers, and face the sky.

Mo Polyphonic!!!

(special note to health net employees, if you're reading this, please give me special dispensation for more.)

From NME.com:

THE POLYPHONIC SPREE’s TIM DELAUGHTER has given NME.COM an exclusive first listen of the band’s "unparalleled" and "epic" second album ’TOGETHER WE’RE HEAVY’.

DeLaughter was recently in London to meet with a trio of major labels following the Spree's split with former label 679 last year. It’s likely a deal will be done in the coming weeks, and ‘Together We’re Heavy’ will be out in May.

Tim met NME.COM and played us a "99% complete" version of the album. Dancing around the room and singing along, he played us ten songs: ‘Section 11’, ‘We Sound Amazed’, ‘And There They Go’, ‘Diamonds’, ‘Two Thousand Places’, ‘Ensure Your Reservation’, ‘One Man Show’, ‘When The Fool Becomes A King’, ‘This Day This Time’ and ‘Drone’.

Even compared to debut album ‘The Beginning Stages Of…’, ‘Together We’re Heavy’ is a huge, orchestral record with each song flowing into the next like a Disney score.

Over 60 minutes the album builds and builds to the climatic ‘When The Fool Becomes A King’, which lasts 12 minutes and has at least four separate parts.

Other highlights include the ‘Sgt. Pepper’-like ‘And There They Go’ and ‘This Day This Time’, an acoustic ballad.

"It’s like the earth giving birth and more epic than Death Valley – that’s my opinion of this record," Tim told NME.COM after the playback.

"We’ve only just come up with that sequence. I only got to hear it for the first time yesterday.

"I’m proud of it in a lot of ways. This is something I’ve been thinking about for many many years. I’m extremely proud that we have a 25-piece band that is valid, I’m proud that we’re getting closer and closer to a sound that’s non-existent.

"There’s a spirit going on in this music that is unparalleled in comparison to what else is going on. I’m getting closer to my idea, and I’m proud of that. There’s a lot to be proud about. We deserve a record like this."

Tim said that he sees ‘Together We’re Heavy’ as the first proper Polyphonic Spree album, because it’s the first time he’s been allowed the time and space in the studio to work on the songs.

He continued: "In my opinion (this is the first album). ‘The Beginning Stages Of…’ was recorded as a demo, man. It was never meant to be a record. It was a stepping stone for us."

A number of the songs have been played live in recent months, and one of those, ‘Two Thousand Places’ is set to be the first single, released in spring.

(another note: you're encouraged, as always, to go out and buy the Polyphonic Spree's first album *right* now. it's epic and full of sun and love and joy.)

3 million teens

a side mention about Bush's Delusional State of the Union speech last night. did you notice that immediately after noting that 3 million teens have STDs, he goes on to state that he will increase funding for abstinence programs. because 'abstinence is the only way to completely guarantee you won't catch a sexually transmitted disease.'

and you're going to convince *3 million* teenagers *every year* that this is a good option? would that logic have worked on *either* of the Bush twins? do you think Skull'n'Bones Yale Frat Boy Bush (copyright 1967 MattelCo) practiced abstinence?

as someone pointed out once, when you're a teen, sex is just about the only fun thing you can do that's free. (note to come about another friends' comment on running).

at Borders, Perrin & Norrander, we did a pitch for a teen-sex hotline (that advocated abstinence *among* its advice and options for sexually active teens). i suggested they advocate oral sex (main benefit: no pregnancies, if done correctly), with the tagline, 'Lick it, don't stick it.' woulda gone gangbusters, and given the people of Oregon a chance to bring Oral Sex kicking, cooing and orgasmically screaming into the light, where we, as a state, could all be at least a little happier.

goddamn, it's good that I get to start working again tomorrow.

back to the vcr and episode 8-10 of season 4 of the Sopranos. still waiting for Ralphie to get whacked.

Portland Radio Spot of the month, take 2

The 3rd edition of the Sergio radio spots won spot of the month from the Portland Area Radio Council. (Note to geeks: Parc unrelated to the PARC you're thinking of). More info here.

And listen to the spot here.

what to read while waiting for the sleeping pills to kick in

The Sports Guy's Nfc/afc championship game column.
Check this line, talking about the sub-zero temperatures before the recent Patriots game:

For good measure, Bug's friend Manny adds, "I couldn't even think because the thought bubbles coming from my head turned to ice, plus I couldn't understand the voices in my head because their teeth were chattering."

more nyc decomp pictures

love the one of ducky, lisa and leo.

Here.

test

i don't know what happened to the comments. strange.

Nighttime visitor

So...

Had someone try to open up my bedroom window last night around 3:30am probably to try and rob me. Woke up and yelled, "HEY!" and they scurried off.

It kinda freaked me out. Someone had tried to open 2 windows in my place on Christmas Eve Eve, but i didn't notice until the morning.

I called the police station and talked with an operator who repeatedly asked if i had any idea who might have done it. No, no, and no. I'm fresh out of crack fiend friends.

She then admonished me to call 911 if it happens again. A cop came by an hour and a half later, took down my name and story and left.

Then I come to find out last night, while warning my neighbors that:
1. One of my neighbors has come home to having a window at his place wide open, twice. But nothing was missing.
2. Another neighbor, whose girlfriend goes to work around 4am, saw someone briskly walking out of our courtyard one pre-dawn, and later discovered that the plate on the door lock had been unscrewed.
3. And this one doesn't really make sense to me. My neighbor Kala had her neighbor return her steak knife too her, which she had never taken out of the house.

Fucked up shit.

So, now I've got a bunch of knives and a hammer lying around. I'd like to teach this fuck to reach in my apartment with one of his hands, so I could teach him what it's like to only be able to count to five, if you know what I mean.

a bit of randomness

Here.

what we're reading, sports

The Sports Guy's Playoff predictions . Not recommended for those that don't um, like sports. But if you do, things like the Steve McNair - Verbal Kint references should crack you the fuck up.

Namath!

Here.

Nothing any of my friends wouldn't do, but none of them are allowed on the field during a football game.

Note the 'Yeah!' after Suzy first says, "Thank you!"

LOFL.

Winter Storm 2004 Drinking Game

For more info on our near hysterical coverage of the Winter Storm 2004, go here.

Game:

Get a bottle of your favorite hooch, a good stash of some drugs, and turn on
your local newscast.

1 drink - microcast, storm, icy conditions, freezing rain, picture of stuck
cars, school closures

break group up into 2 sides: the reporters, and the anchors. every time a
reporter, 'live on the scene' mentions how cold they are or how lucky the
people back at the station are, all the reporters must drink. every time a
newscaster makes fun of a reporter or tells them to 'be safe' or 'keep
warm', anchors must drink.

doppler - must start and keep drinking until doppler radar makes full
rotation

live on the scene - do a line of blow, if it's snowing

interview with stranded truckers - 1 bump, Crystal meth
interview with stranded travelers at PDX - a toast to St. Michael, the
patron saint of travellers, finish your drink and Then and only then, put $5
into a jar. last person to do it becomes 'the flight attendant' and has to
get drinks for everyone until the next time. be sure to say, 'as always, we
appreciate correct change'.

forecast - wager how many times weatherman, excuse me, metereologist will
say 'weather'. person closest gets to assign a '5 day forecast' for the next
5 drinks of a chosen competitor.

'PGE or others without power.' Turn off lights. Masturbate. Turn lights back
on.

Good luck.

help my boredom

suggest books and websites, here. no right up, here. well, at the comment line is what i'm saying.

thank you.

Ads, mad cows and canadians

After news that those Canadian bastards tried to infect us with Mad Cow (Ottawa may I introduce you to shock & awe. Shock & awe, Ottawa.) Comes news that the marketers of America have somehow learned restraint. Maybe the guy who wrote The Da Vinci Code will write a thriller about Franco-Canadian chicken and beef symbolism. I mean look at those fucking Canadians with their half-disembodied heads. They deserve to have Halliburton overcharge them for 'Merican maple syrup while we rebuild their country. Unclefuckers. (Side note: while spellchecking this blog entry, 'halfhearted' was suggested for Halliburton.)

Oh, wait, here's that Chic-Fil-A article. I must admit though, that the lack of Chic-Fil-A franchises in Portland is pretty disheartening. From sfgate:

Chick-fil-A is postponing its newest ad campaign featuring cute cows urging people to eat chicken instead of beef to avoid appearing insensitive to concerns about the nation's first confirmed case of mad cow disease.

The Atlanta-based chain had planned to unveil new in-store and direct-mail advertising this month.

The company also plans to examine existing advertising, including a billboard along Interstate 85 in Atlanta in which a cow with eyes in a vertigo swirl tries to hypnotize motorists to eat chicken.

"It's not the intention of Chick-fil-A to make light or take advantage of any food health crisis," spokesman Jerry Johnston said. "We are voluntarily withdrawing or delaying our advertising. We don't want people to perceive that we are taking advantage of what is happening in any way."

Microphone check from Ma Kook.

If you only read one blog posting this year...

Ubamtb

comments, concerns? i'm inspired and terrified. maybe I can do something better with my time than blogging, playing video games and downloading the Xpress2 remix of Milkshake.

New Yorker commentary on Top Ten lists

here via Salon.com.

Goddamn, i'm bored. It used to be that Law & Order was on at noon and 1pm providing an Oasis of entertainment during the day. I'm snowbound, trapped in my apartment like
David Blaine, but without all of the idiocy. I need a new video game. Ah, Conan is on with the lip guy.

Maybe I need to winter in Bali.

Chutes Too Narrow on Groundhog's Day

If you don't have The Shins 'Chutes Too Narrow', go and get it now. Or come see the show in your hometown.

01-13 New York, NY - Late Show with David Letterman
01-20 London, England - Arts Cafe
01-21 London, England - Garage/Scala (w/ Modest Mouse)
01-22 London, England - Monarch Barfly
01-31 Seattle, WA - Showbox
02-01 Seattle, WA - Showbox
02-02 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
02-04 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
02-05 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
02-06 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
02-08 Mission Beach, CA - Canes Ballroom
02-10 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat
02-11 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat
02-13 Boston, MA - The Roxy
02-14 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
02-15 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
02-15 New York, NY - Late Night with Conan O'Brian

Mama McNabb

I can't link to the article, but in an article about Donovan McNabb, there's this quote from his mama:

After a season of serious change, this transformation seems too easy for Donovan McNabb. Inside a cramped office at the Children's Crisis Treatment Center in downtown Philadelphia, the Eagles quarterback pulls on a pair of red velour pants that barely cover his knees. Next come rubbery black boots, a stomach-enhancing pillow and an oversized jacket. Finally, after tugging a stringy silver wig over his cornrows, McNabb moves tentatively to the door for inspection by the top elf herself: Wilma McNabb.


Mother and son whisper, their voices drowned out by a screechy rendition of "Jingle Bells." As the song dies down, McNabb sighs, reaches under his puffy white cuff and wriggles off his diamond-encrusted watch. He drops it into Wilma's hand, and turns to meet a group of kids.

"I'm sorry, honey," Wilma says. "Santa doesn't wear bling-bling."

Portland newscasts: "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!"

It's snowing.

"The storm of the millenium", "White death from above!", "Mayor advises Portlanders to run for their lives."

It's ricoculous how this city shuts down in the snow. I'm from the South, and I drove around just fine, thank you.

Oh, and last night a fuse blew and I didn't have a replacement. I had to choose between having the heat working or the refrigerator. So, I drank the rest of the beer and kept warm.

Some pix from the local fearmongering newscasters, here.

the NBA in Vegas!

Interesting that a guy who left the sport briefly because of gambling (Jordan) might own a franchise in sin city. But wouldn't it be more fun if the Blazers moved there?

From Sam Smith at the Chicago Tribune:

How about the Las Vegas Kings? The Kings' owners, the Maloof brothers, are in a bitter dispute with Sacramento city officials over building a new arena, which they say is vital because Arco Arena is the league's third oldest.

Now locals are wondering about building an arena for millionaires, and there are all sorts of threats and countercharges about TV deals. And just who do you suppose owns a casino and has many business interests in Las Vegas? Yes, the Maloofs.

The NBA, insiders say, had been holding Las Vegas as a site for Michael Jordan to move a franchise. But with Jordan quiet, and with baseball talking to Las Vegas officials about a possible move of the Montreal Expos, the NBA could be ready to permit a team to move to Vegas.

Bush gives love, a bad name (bad name)

Via The Thrills interactive fan area, 'The Thrills List' comes this piece of amazement.

60x1.com are jeniuses.

Here. Turn up your speakers.

Extra points for discovering the hidden Nazi-affinity of Michael Jackson.

More about The Thrills later. But go buy their album. Now.