Recently, in the Fine Arts building of Shorter College, a poster was put up beseeching resident assistant professor John Cimics to "Teach [his] students something today!" with a picture of beneficent Jesus behind the man. The flyer attributed the command to God and concluded with a Bible verse. Cimics has become notorious through the theatre department for wasting class time, being a bad director, and for having unrealistic and bizarre classroom practices (for instance, a Voice for the Actor I class spent 5 minutes on the International Phonetic Alphabet but their final [in a degree focused towards contemporary stage performance] will be Ventriloquism).
Responses ranged from outrage to agreement. People have called the author of this flyer "soulless" and have said that the flyer is "tacky." Of course it seems soulless and tacky: protest to those satisfied with the status quo seems that way. Regardless of what I think of the man, the flyer was funny, poignant, true, and non-violent. Thus, I have to support it.
This piece of resistance to the dumbing down of education (made even better by the fact that the author still remains anonymous) has inspired me to think of other ways of spreading resistance.
As some of you know, I recently responded to a pamphlet put out about the morality (or lack of it) of homosexuality by Dr. Aaron J. Werner, Dean of Chapels at Shorter. However, the problem of LGBT hate is a tad rampant outside the Arts Department here. In my Shakespeare class today, I came across a poster listing twelve of the stupidest reasons to ban gay marriage done in rainbow Sharpies. The reasons ranged from gay parents always make gay kids (not only assuming that kids are the only reason for marriage but also supposing the fact that straight parents only make straight kids) to the fact that religion was against homosexuality (to which I would respond that this was a gross generalization). Regardless, though, I would love to take a more extreme measure. And here's what I'm thinking.
In a few days, the local BCM (think Baptist Student Union with a new name: Baptist Collegiate Ministries) will be having a date auction to fund their summer missions immediately following one of their meetings. What if I took a group of LGBT's and made the dates always end up same sex? I mean, I support the idea of going out and doing good in the world. Further, I support a charitable, loving view of all religion. And I think it would be hilarious to know that your support came from people who you actively mistrust and hate.
And maybe we could all get together and watch The Birdcage and feel better about life...or maybe Eddie Izzard. This plan is still in the formative stages. Thoughts?
Quips and Aphorisms
If delusions burned calories, we'd all be Kate Moss.
My right eye started twitching again. It makes me nervous. Thus, my eye twitches even more. I can't wait til it's a constant flutter.
I highly suggest everyone take complete power when they can. The rush of seeing the endgame and guiding every move makes you feel more alive than anything else.
How did I know she was pregnant? There's only one reason that a girl like gets engaged.
If you want to be fearless, do what scares you. If you want to be strong, refuse to be weak.
My right eye started twitching again. It makes me nervous. Thus, my eye twitches even more. I can't wait til it's a constant flutter.
I highly suggest everyone take complete power when they can. The rush of seeing the endgame and guiding every move makes you feel more alive than anything else.
How did I know she was pregnant? There's only one reason that a girl like gets engaged.
If you want to be fearless, do what scares you. If you want to be strong, refuse to be weak.
5 Things
That are pissing me off:
1. Whining. For real, get over it. Whatever your whining, I don't want to hear it.
2. Grey weather.
3. The twitch in my right eye.
4. My mother has seen all of my Facebook pictures and disapproves of one of them. But which one? The ones from London where I'm at a bar? The one where I'm dressed as Courtney Love? The one with me flipping off the camera in Red Square?
5. Notes. Don't leave them in your apartment. Don't write them on my pad. Don't pass them to me in class.
That are making me happy:
1. Mandy gets a big package tomorrow.
2. New Hampshire House approves same sex marriage by 7 votes and it moves to Senate. Vermont Senate approved gay marriage 26-4 .
3. Making significant progress on my Capstones.
4. Watching Milk tonight.
5. The fact that I'm about to take a VERY hot shower.
1. Whining. For real, get over it. Whatever your whining, I don't want to hear it.
2. Grey weather.
3. The twitch in my right eye.
4. My mother has seen all of my Facebook pictures and disapproves of one of them. But which one? The ones from London where I'm at a bar? The one where I'm dressed as Courtney Love? The one with me flipping off the camera in Red Square?
5. Notes. Don't leave them in your apartment. Don't write them on my pad. Don't pass them to me in class.
That are making me happy:
1. Mandy gets a big package tomorrow.
2. New Hampshire House approves same sex marriage by 7 votes and it moves to Senate. Vermont Senate approved gay marriage 26-4 .
3. Making significant progress on my Capstones.
4. Watching Milk tonight.
5. The fact that I'm about to take a VERY hot shower.
You Remind Me Of The...
At lunch today, Ellen leaned across the table and said, "I don't want this to sound weird..." and I finished her sentence in my head before she even had the chance to. But you're just like this guy I..."dated in high school." For some reason, this sentence always starts that way and the only thing that ever changes is the last detail.
"Oh, really? Well, I'm sorry if we broke up under bad terms."
"We did."
"Why?"
"I wouldn't sleep with you."
Shrugging, I said, "Yeah, I do that."
However, is it as ubiquitous for everyone as it is for me for people to come up to them and say "I know you, but different and somewhere else?" I'm known for a dry sense of humor and for reflecting too much (read: obsessing) over the dark parts of life. But I'm always someone's best friend from high school.
And then they say that we should meet because either A) we'd be perfect for each other or B) we'd get along so well.
My response to this is that A) I don't need someone like me. I'm screwed up in my own ways. And if I can't help myself, then I certainly can't help someone going through the exact same things. We have to help each other out if that's going to work. Plus, if they're just like me, they're far too paranoid, feisty, selectively social for it to work out. We'd end up getting on each others nerves. And as far as getting along...I don't know...I think there can be only one person holding court at a time.
Plus, I never say this. Nobody I meet and spend time with is the same as anyone else. They are all unique. So, do we say this as a gross over-simplification or do we say it because we just meeting the same boring slags again and again?
"Oh, really? Well, I'm sorry if we broke up under bad terms."
"We did."
"Why?"
"I wouldn't sleep with you."
Shrugging, I said, "Yeah, I do that."
However, is it as ubiquitous for everyone as it is for me for people to come up to them and say "I know you, but different and somewhere else?" I'm known for a dry sense of humor and for reflecting too much (read: obsessing) over the dark parts of life. But I'm always someone's best friend from high school.
And then they say that we should meet because either A) we'd be perfect for each other or B) we'd get along so well.
My response to this is that A) I don't need someone like me. I'm screwed up in my own ways. And if I can't help myself, then I certainly can't help someone going through the exact same things. We have to help each other out if that's going to work. Plus, if they're just like me, they're far too paranoid, feisty, selectively social for it to work out. We'd end up getting on each others nerves. And as far as getting along...I don't know...I think there can be only one person holding court at a time.
Plus, I never say this. Nobody I meet and spend time with is the same as anyone else. They are all unique. So, do we say this as a gross over-simplification or do we say it because we just meeting the same boring slags again and again?
Note From the Underground
"We are our only saviors" --Constructive Summer, The Hold Steady
"Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine" --Lord, I'm Discouraged, The Hold Steady
I've been thinking. I don't really know how to talk to people anymore. I'm becoming very bad at interactions...scratch that, I'm becoming worse than I was.
You can't talk if people refuse to speak.
I may be a lot of things, but at least I always try to stay clear. I'm trying to get better at that.
I'm trying to be the change that I want to see in the world, so I'm taking down some artifice.
"Advice? People often give away what they need most." --Oscar Wilde. Sometimes "being safe" isn't the best advice. Sometimes, "you're worth it" are hollow bullets. Sometimes, a forced confession is better than the things that are "okay."
What's the difference between flaky and passionate?
There are no "kind of's" any longer. Things are or they aren't. Terrifyingly simple like a mace through flesh.
I'm over being bored. I wish people were more fascinating all the time. Do the unexpected. Be improbable. Wander. Wonder. Make confrontation. Let your note from the underground stand for your passive notes to change the world.
Both a fire and wind cause destruction.
I'd rather be felt.
I'd rather be seen.
I'd rather be now.
Serial dreamer, constant hypocrite, relentless optimist, crack in the wall, howling voice silenced
"Excuses and half-truths and fortified wine" --Lord, I'm Discouraged, The Hold Steady
I've been thinking. I don't really know how to talk to people anymore. I'm becoming very bad at interactions...scratch that, I'm becoming worse than I was.
You can't talk if people refuse to speak.
I may be a lot of things, but at least I always try to stay clear. I'm trying to get better at that.
I'm trying to be the change that I want to see in the world, so I'm taking down some artifice.
"Advice? People often give away what they need most." --Oscar Wilde. Sometimes "being safe" isn't the best advice. Sometimes, "you're worth it" are hollow bullets. Sometimes, a forced confession is better than the things that are "okay."
What's the difference between flaky and passionate?
There are no "kind of's" any longer. Things are or they aren't. Terrifyingly simple like a mace through flesh.
I'm over being bored. I wish people were more fascinating all the time. Do the unexpected. Be improbable. Wander. Wonder. Make confrontation. Let your note from the underground stand for your passive notes to change the world.
Both a fire and wind cause destruction.
I'd rather be felt.
I'd rather be seen.
I'd rather be now.
Serial dreamer, constant hypocrite, relentless optimist, crack in the wall, howling voice silenced
Brief Note From Crazy
I'm thinking that now is the time for a little social experiment. I think that now is the time to try something completely unexpected. For instance, I think now is the time to stop caring about reputation and legacy. Now is the time to look for something more...hedonistic.
I will live at Shorter College for the next six weeks and then...never again. I'm going to attempt to go out with a bang. Do what I want, say what I want, and bless the consequences. I have existentially decided that existentialism is on hiatus until I get from my sanity break.
Please leave your important matters that need discussion and thought at the tone and the next available operator will call you back when they become a for-real adult.
I will live at Shorter College for the next six weeks and then...never again. I'm going to attempt to go out with a bang. Do what I want, say what I want, and bless the consequences. I have existentially decided that existentialism is on hiatus until I get from my sanity break.
Please leave your important matters that need discussion and thought at the tone and the next available operator will call you back when they become a for-real adult.
Morning Thoughts 3-16
So, I'm sitting at about six weeks until I graduate from college. In the time, I need to write two Capstones. I haven't exactly been procrastinating, but I certainly could have worked on them more in the past. I have a Shakespeare test at noon. I've read approximately half of the acts that I need to read to do well on this test. However, for some reason, I still only slept five hours last night. The internet has been down all weekend, so I have had spent literally all morning catching up on the virtual worlds I live in so that people don't think that I have died.
Some brief, non-physical thoughts:
There is something mystical about stating a major theme of something you're working on, and hearing people on the other end of the phone take a step back, at least mentally, because its knocked them in a way they didn't see coming. It makes you feel like you're on the right track. I can't wait to see if it all comes out.
Some brief, non-physical thoughts:
There is something mystical about stating a major theme of something you're working on, and hearing people on the other end of the phone take a step back, at least mentally, because its knocked them in a way they didn't see coming. It makes you feel like you're on the right track. I can't wait to see if it all comes out.
My Current Media Reviews
One from movies, one from music, one from literature:
Movie: So, I went and saw The Watchmen last night. I had promised myself that I wasn't going to go. I rarely enjoy movies from books that I have previously read, and further, the early reviews said that it was nothing promising. So, I went. And, three and a half hours later, I got home. In the middle was one of the best examples of the anti-hero motif in modern literature. The action sequences, which I had heard were touch-and-go, actually adapted well to the screen.
In fact, to me the biggest mystery of the entire movie was that all of the things that the classic graphic novel did well, the movie failed at. It failed miserably at de-centering the focus of the story and providing not only a non-central superhero figure, but also, the non-superheroes that figured so prominently in the original (the lesbian cab driver, the newsstand owner, the psychiatrist's wife) were all absent. Their humanity echoed and contrasted nicely originally to the humanity of the "heroes." However, the dry, postmodern conclusion of the graphic novels translated very well to the screen, and the story was kept moving. Were any of the performances spectacular? No. But they were okay.
Further, there was nothing entirely left out. Every important motif (except the pirate story) was referenced in the movie. Thus, lovers of the graphic novel will like it, but there's a good enough story for people who are unfamiliar with the story to enjoy it. I keep reading reviewers saying that since this is from the same director that did 300 that it should be no surprise that it's awful. I think that's funny since 300 is an iconic cult hit where I'm from. Maybe we're simply not elitist enough to hate this movie. Three and a half stars.
Music: I finally had the chance to lay down and listen to Stay Positive by The Hold Steady from beginning to end. Beautiful, haunting...makes me want to keep quoting it:
"Let this be my annual reminder that we can all be something bigger." --Constructive Summer
"'Cause dreams they seem to cost money But money costs some dreams" --Yeah Sapphire
"It's one thing to start it with a positive jam and it's another thing to see it on through" --Stay Positive
So, the theatre kid loves a band whose oeuvre is a giant concept album. I think this might be the sad side of the resurrection felt in "Separation Sunday."
Book: Read Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott. So good. I'm not saying that I'm back on the religion band wagon just yet...but, I'm giving things a thought that I haven't considered in a good long while. I don't know. I don't really agree with everything that Lamott says, but I know that I certainly don't agree with the Dean of Chapel at Shorter.
Besides that, I've been kind of chilling. I'm hanging out at Shorter for Spring Break. And then I'm going to write my play and finish up college. You know, what I do every March.
Movie: So, I went and saw The Watchmen last night. I had promised myself that I wasn't going to go. I rarely enjoy movies from books that I have previously read, and further, the early reviews said that it was nothing promising. So, I went. And, three and a half hours later, I got home. In the middle was one of the best examples of the anti-hero motif in modern literature. The action sequences, which I had heard were touch-and-go, actually adapted well to the screen.
In fact, to me the biggest mystery of the entire movie was that all of the things that the classic graphic novel did well, the movie failed at. It failed miserably at de-centering the focus of the story and providing not only a non-central superhero figure, but also, the non-superheroes that figured so prominently in the original (the lesbian cab driver, the newsstand owner, the psychiatrist's wife) were all absent. Their humanity echoed and contrasted nicely originally to the humanity of the "heroes." However, the dry, postmodern conclusion of the graphic novels translated very well to the screen, and the story was kept moving. Were any of the performances spectacular? No. But they were okay.
Further, there was nothing entirely left out. Every important motif (except the pirate story) was referenced in the movie. Thus, lovers of the graphic novel will like it, but there's a good enough story for people who are unfamiliar with the story to enjoy it. I keep reading reviewers saying that since this is from the same director that did 300 that it should be no surprise that it's awful. I think that's funny since 300 is an iconic cult hit where I'm from. Maybe we're simply not elitist enough to hate this movie. Three and a half stars.
Music: I finally had the chance to lay down and listen to Stay Positive by The Hold Steady from beginning to end. Beautiful, haunting...makes me want to keep quoting it:
"Let this be my annual reminder that we can all be something bigger." --Constructive Summer
"'Cause dreams they seem to cost money But money costs some dreams" --Yeah Sapphire
"It's one thing to start it with a positive jam and it's another thing to see it on through" --Stay Positive
So, the theatre kid loves a band whose oeuvre is a giant concept album. I think this might be the sad side of the resurrection felt in "Separation Sunday."
Book: Read Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott. So good. I'm not saying that I'm back on the religion band wagon just yet...but, I'm giving things a thought that I haven't considered in a good long while. I don't know. I don't really agree with everything that Lamott says, but I know that I certainly don't agree with the Dean of Chapel at Shorter.
Besides that, I've been kind of chilling. I'm hanging out at Shorter for Spring Break. And then I'm going to write my play and finish up college. You know, what I do every March.
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