Every tale is an allegory written by a saint who in his or her lifetime was able to slip a little bit of edification past the sensors.
Apr
22
“You fight your superficiality, your shallowness, so as to try to come at people without unreal expectations, without an overload of bias or hope or arrogance, as untanklike as you can be, sans cannon and machine guns and steel plating half a foot thick; you come at them unmenacingly on your own ten toes instead of tearing up the turf with your caterpillar treads, take them on with an open mind, as equals, man to man, as we used to say, and yet you never fail to get them wrong. You might as well have the brain of a tank. You get them wrong before you meet them, while you’re anticipating meeting them; you get them wrong while you’re with them; and then you go home to tell somebody else about the meeting and you get them all wrong again. Since the same generally goes for them with you, the whole thing is really a dazzling illusion empty of all perception, an astonishing farce of misperception. And yet what are we to do about this terribly significant business of other people, which gets bled of the significance we think it has and takes on a significance that is ludicrous, so ill-equipped are we all to envision one another’s interior workings and invisible aims? Is everyone to go off and lock the door and sit secluded like the lonely writers do, in a soundproof cell, summoning people out of words and then proposing that these word people are closer to the real thing than the real people that we mangle without ignorance every day? The fact remains that getting people right is not what living is all about anyway. It’s getting them wrong that is living, getting them wrong and wrong and wrong and then, on careful reconsideration, getting them wrong again. That’s how we know we’re alive: we’re wrong. Maybe the best thing would be to forget being right or wrong about people and just go along for the ride. But if you can do that — well, lucky you.”
P. Roth, American Pastoral, p35
Oct
21
Please tune your dials to http://stephenhebert.wordpress.com.
You are now free to leave comments.
Oct
21
I'll probably be on a WordPress hosted blog soon. Why?
And I quote:
"Ok. Done. I'm officially quitting Vox and switching to WordPress or Blogger or some other decent platform.
Reasons:
1) Video posting is crap. Why? Because a) the requirements are too strict (fair enough, but), b) YouTube search is not flexible at all and doesn't even give the option of specifying the video ID (which would still be fine, but), c) any attempts to embed a video by hand using HTML have blown up in my face.
2) Comments on posts are only allowed from other Vox members. I've given feedback about this before (and received no response), and I've also heard rants about this from other Vox members. This is a really shitty way to attract people to use your service. Reality check: no one is going to start a blog here because they're required to register. It's a pain in the ass, and the only thing it helps is your numbers (which must be your only concern).
The media library is a good idea, if only it were flexible enough to be really useful."
A bit harsh, of course, but I've lost my patience with this thing. Catch you on the flipside.
Oct
21
Update. Go!
Went to the biweekly dodgeball game on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. I could hardly move for about three days after. Apparently, hurling a big ball as hard as you can over and over for about 4 hours is a lot of exercise.
I'm in the middle of a big project to cover my walls with pictures (see below). I decided it wouldn't be classy enough without a black matte around each photo, so I went out and bought a truckload (wayyy too much, as it turns out) of heavy black construction paper. Unfortunately, the prints got a bit bent in shipment and are a bit noncommittal in their relationship with the construction paper. I've been picking up fallen ones all day, and have since shoved them all under every heavy thing in my apartment.
Got my turntable back from the shop on Friday. It's got a shiny new top. I've spent all morning listening to records: The Allman Brothers, Louis Armstrong's Greatest Hits, Bob Dylan, Porgy & Bess. I think I'm going to really enjoy Saturdays.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KA1le5iIxg
I'm really looking forward to my trip home. I'm planning on heading straight from the airport to the Carlotta block party, so I'll have to be swift with my costume.
Oct
19
Well, today was pretty exciting. As Emma and I were leaving our morning meeting, we noticed that a tree had fallen, and was partially on her car. Luckily, she only got hit with a few small branches. The brunt of it was in the spot just adjacent to us. The car two spots over wasn't exactly spared though, as a branch about 4" thick was lying across its roof.
Also, waves:
cred. basilio@flickr
Oct
15
The theme of late has been amazing places right on my doorstep that until now I haven't bothered to investigate.
First victim was Woodland Park / Green Lake Park, both just a few blocks North of my apartment, and on a perfect day light yesterday, you just can't get much better. Woodland Park has some really nice gardens with sculpted trees, hundreds of red red red roses, a fountain, dogs and their walkers, etc. The woods between the Zoo and Green Lake remind me a lot of Wivenhoe – the leaves are all manner of colors now and dirt paths dart this way and that. Green Lake is a premier people-watching spot as walkers, runners, bladers, boarders, cyclists, street musicians, and vendors all enjoy the seemlingly limitless, and notably magnificent vantage points.
Second victim is the American Music store on Allen and Fremont. Though it certainly lacks the naturalistic appeal of the woods / park / lake, it more than makes up for it in sheer utility. It's packed with guitars, pianos, drums, gear, and all the associated junk – cables, strings, books, picks, etc. Also, it is a mere two blocks from my front door. Yes. It's an independent store (check out americanmusic.com) and it carries enough audio monkey-wrenchery to make my usually regular trips to RadioShack completely unnecessary. I even already have my eyes on a Roland digital piano, but it will have to wait a few months.
In other news, I cooked for the first time since moving into my new apartment (Yep. I've eaten out every single meal since moving here.). I invited Keith over and prepared the standard marinated-chicken-with-jalopeno,-bell-pepper,-celery,-and-onion stir-fry. It never fails to please. Though, I think next time, I'll try adding some ginger. Or maybe basil.
Also, I have decided that I am in fact an auditory learner. Reflecting, I remembered being told that I have a 'musical memory' – I hardly ever forget a piece of music – and I realized that my talent with remembering numbers probably relies on hearing the number spoken atleast once – must be something with the rhythm of saying the numbers. Dunno. After having this epiphany, I tested it by trying to remember a number I had called earlier in the day (and never before). To my own surprise, it came to mind pretty easily. I am a genius. Buy my book.
On the more rockin' side of things, I finally went out and bought myself a stereo. I picked up some speakers at a rummage sale for $10 (a pair of Boston Acoustics A70s) and got a vintage analog receiver and a turntable (Philips 212) from Hawthorne Stereo ("A pretty nice place"). After jamming pretty hard last night and tweaking the cables and the levels this morning (to the sweet tunes of 'Preaching the Blues' on 90.3 KEXP), I went out and blew my savings on some records (I'll start budgeting next month, I swear.) at JiveTime and SonicBoom (both 8 blocks away). Tragically, when I got back and tried to get my groove on, the turntable started malfunctioning. I may end up taking advantage of the seven-day full-refund period. I've grown quite fond of the thing during these climactic hours, I hope I still get to keep it.
I quite like the idea of having a stereo as the entertainment center of my apartment (instead of a TV). I'm excited about sitting around and listening to Tull, Hendrix, Chet Atkins, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, Zeppelin, Santana, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, The Velvet Underground, Fairport Convention, and all those other bands that demand the highest possible audio quality. At Hawthorne Stereo yesterday, there was a shelf of old radios – the kind that hark back to FDR and his 'fireside chats' or radio shows like 'War of the Words' and 'The Shadow'. Maybe if I listen hard enough, I can will myself one of those sweet black Chevys from the old 40s ganster flicks. Here's hoping.
Sep
27
Over the Sound, cloaked in mist; smooth and swift; serene; surreal.
I forgot that the Fremont bridge was closed tonight, so I had the pleasure of taking my first ride over the Aurora Bridge. That is all.
