Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Saturday, September 30, 2006
"Two more days"
Great story, Mickey. How true is that? Most people voluntarily live lives of misery. And yet if someone wanted to start a revolution they would be turned in by their neighbor. I’m going to try and see the John Lennon movie...have a great Saturday everybody. It’s been pretty lively here lately, let’s keep it going.
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 09/30 at 08:37 AMThanks for continuing to draw attention to this way that we treat ourselves, Mickey.
I’ve witnessed the same automatic disconnect in the world around me all my life. It’s cathartic for me to comment on the drudgery around us but I’d sure like to join with others and do something about this someday.
I’m sure you’ll write something later about the movie you saw last night, but do you have any favorite parts you wanna share in advance? Ohio might not get to see it for awhile,
.
Lisa Simpson sez: “We feel neither highs or lows.”
Posted by dw on from ohio 09/30 at 09:31 AMBeautiful post as always Mick but my online world becomes self centred as I come to terms with…
The Dying Computer of the Internet Addict.
Here I stand at an electronic crossroad.
With limited (read near non-existent budget) and a continuing (often unrequited) love affair with the Interent I face the immanent death of my wheezing desktop Frankenstein monster.
There are no temp patch quick fixes left – I gaze into the digital abyss.
Any quick recommendations (for purchase) before I pull the plug later today?Posted by Youngfox on from Adanac 09/30 at 10:30 AMGood day Mickey, JOS, and dw (I will fall in line with the friendly aura of this place. Some standards ARE good to conform to!).
This reminds of something I’m sure you all heard while in your high school and college years: “These are the best years of your life!” That always struck me as an incredibly depressing statement, that your life was lived before you were even 21. We must continue to challenge these received “truths” every time we hear one uttered… perhaps then the person stating them will take a step back and realize how ridiculous they are. Unforunately, most of the time they won’t, because they KNOW how the “real world” works.
This was linked to on Joe Bageant’s page a few days ago, and I just started reading it:
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm The Underground History of American EducationIt’s fantastic. If you haven’t checked this out yet, I highly recommend it.
I’d like to check out that movie, but like many films that are released on a small scale, I will be unlikely to catch a chance. I live in the wilderness of Western NY, so many events of this nature I miss. However, in exchange, I get to live with nature and on my old dirt road, I can seclude myself from the harsh realities of civilization. It’s a tradeoff I gladly take.
Posted by Banta on from Inner Circle of Hell 09/30 at 10:32 AMDon’t know if the film will make it to Taiwan. We’ll see, I guess.
Just watched the German film about Sophie Scholl. It was good. Other than that, I think the last film I saw which I found recommendable was Hotel Rwanda.
One docu I was surprised to see make it here was The Fog of War about Robert McNamara. Definately recommendable.
Posted by Jeremy on from Taipei 09/30 at 11:09 AMRather than invent a new story, how about an old story? This one was told by ErA ¨&k ¨&k 977), “The Unthinkable.”
Fromm:
A merchant, self-employed and wealthy, tends to his shop even in old age. A young girl who is going to her first ball comes into the store. She sees a dress and is thrilled. The merchant also sees that it is the right dress for the girl. The dress costs a hundred dollars, but she has only eighty. The merchant has the urge to say, “Well dear lady, take it for eighty.” He can afford it and he is happy when he makes other people happy. But he does not do it because he thinks that he will then be considered stupid, childish, or romantic, since no grown man does such a thing.
It would be true love that would motivate him not to make this twenty-dollar profit. And he would be happy by granting this girl her favorite wish. He suppresses both because society says that a rational person does not act this way. Then the following night, he dreams that he runs over the girl with his car and she dies.Posted by Robert B. Livingston on from San Francisco, California 09/30 at 11:22 AMAt my employment gulag, I’m always the refrain of “Oh, another Monday”; “So happy it’s Thursday”; and “Thank God it’s Friday.” When someone confronts me with “It’s hump day” (Wednesday) I smile in my innocent best and query, “Does that mean yesterday was foreplay day?” To be followed up with, “Does that mean Friday is ‘Have a cigarette and ask if it was good for you day?’” The bourgeois Bobs and Bettys that I work with find this to be OH SO SCANDALOUS and they laugh with naughty pleasure.
If the benefits package wasn’t so necessary for our household....
Posted by The CultureGhost on from Concord, CA 09/30 at 11:46 AMHI Mickey JOS, CultureGhost, Mr.Livingston, Jeremy, Banta, Youngfox,dw, and anyone I missed.
Youngfox...I am going through the same thing almost. Computers are really very undemocratic and in many ways widen the gap between the have-somes and the have-too-littles. Your presence here is really important. I wish that I had money to send to everyone who would do so much good with it and use it to stay online. I know that I am on borrowed time with my computer. JOS, Amopolis, and others here give me tech support but it is a constant worry. I no longer shut my computer off because it doesn’t load properly when I do. Things are further complicated by the fact that every time a squirrel walks across an electrical wire, my power goes off with an explosion causing an unhealthy shut-down of the computer.(Soon as I get some money I will buy an UPS. The surge protector is useless.) The electric company can’t seem to find a solution. Critter guards on the poles and transformers have not worked. This has gone on for years. Just goes to show you that squirrels outsmart people every time.
Banta...I used to live in Rochester, NY. Is that anywhere near you? Really tough winters there.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 09/30 at 01:46 PMI second Jeremy’s recommendation of Fog of War and will certainly check out the Lennon film when it gets here. I mentioned yesterday that we rented I Heart Huckabees and I have to say I’ve been thinking about it all day long. Mark Wahlberg’s character in that movie is my cinematic doppleganger except he plays a fireman and I play a saxophone.
On computer worries I am very conflicted. I am trying lately to spend less time at the computer but it’s not working. The sedentary lifestyle that goes along with doing writing, composing, communicating, watching, listening and so forth from one machine has been having negative effects on my physical health. I feel like I know many of the Expendables very well but I don’t know anyone in the building next door. I know what Hugo Chavez is reading but not what my neighbor upstairs is reading. I know I know I know that our civilization is going to come crashing down on us and we discuss it here via my sweet G4 with the fast adsl connection. Before I got this nifty laptop I had one that died and before that one that was stolen. I did some decent work in those days without a computer---not too much internet in my life then---and I just hope (hope?) I will one day make the decision to actively shut this piece of eye-burning, back-breaking shit off for good before it goes and (passively) dies on me.
These bastards create their own need and for a neo-luddite, anti-capitalist, Derrick Jensen-reading, card-carrying “leftist” (whatever that means) I sure do stick close to my laptop, my mobile phone, my email, the internet. . .
Posted by Keir on from The Hague (Jackowski election hdqts) 09/30 at 02:28 PMI can definitely relate to spending too much time on the internet. There’s just too much information on it though, and once I start learning something, I can’t stop. I’m sure most of you can relate to this.
RMJ, I’m about 60 miles south of Rochester, in the Southern Tier. The town is called Angelica and we have the county fair and really good drinking water. “The town where history lives!” And yes, the winters are fairly brutal, but at least we don’t really get the lake effect snow down here.
Something fairly interesting… I’m located 15 minutes away from where the first oil in North America was discovered. It’s located on Native American land and from what some of the Native Americans on the reservations have told me, there’s still oil to be found there. Not certain why I’m mentioning this, but there it is.
Posted by Banta on from Inner Circle of Hell 09/30 at 03:10 PMCorrection: “I’m always hearing the refrain...” not I am the refrain…
Must wear those damn reading glasses when blogging.
T
Posted by The CultureGhost on from Concord, CA 09/30 at 03:42 PMHello Expendables. Good to see you all. It’s overcast in NYC but Michele and I were able to get out and enjoy the sunny part of the day.
Anyway, for me, the best part of the Lennon movie was Lennon himself. To see him on talk shows, at press conferences, etc. is a revelation. There’s no one around today like him.
The saddest part of the movie is how things haven’t change (except to get worse).
Still, I’d seriously recommend it.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/30 at 04:11 PMKeir, I had the same thing last year finishing a book, I´d spent 6 months at a desk and felt like all the energy in my body was jammed up in my head. I found some old chinese guy was giving tai chi lessons in a nearby park and got things circulating again. I´m kindof fortunate in that I can´t write on a computer, consequently the only time here is to type a finished draft. I did use a computer to make music last winter but found I got way less done so now leave the stuff that needs me to go switch onto monitor-brain until very last, like the writing. Take care, if you leave your body alone enough it turns on you - as if being out among those Dutch women with their well-bicycle-toned asses weren´t enough incentive.
Posted by owen on from barcelona 09/30 at 06:08 PMHi Every Expendable.
Wow gee what a well timed story man. Yesterday was my last day of working at the office for the next 4 weeks. I work for a game company in Vancouver and the project I’ve been working on for the last 13 months is just wrapping up. So for the next two weeks I’m “on call” for any art fixes that might come up. Luckily I spent the week before last getting set-up so I can log in to work from home and do any fixes from here. The art work is really solid on our title “Sonic Rivals” if anyone cares, so I don’t expect much of any work to do during that time. Then the following two weeks after that I’m taking off for vacation.
I was telling everyone how excited I am to just “be human” again for a little while. Where I’m not having to sacrifice 40+ hours a week to someone else’s art and ideas. The funny bit is, whenever anyone seems to get a little time off around here a 3 day weekend, a week off, or whatever they usually plan a big trip somewhere “to get away from it all”. Personally I never understood that. the only thing I’ve been wanting to do is chill out at home with my Wife and just live at my own pace for awhile. Take the time to really unwind, catch up on chores around the house and work on some of my own projects without having to constantly schedule around the work week.
On the movie front I definitely want to see US vs. JL. These days I usually wait for flicks I want to see to come out on DVD and rent it rather then seeing them in the theatres. If it’s something I know I’ll like and want to have in the library I can pick it up new for usually around the same price it would cost for my Wife and I to see it at the Cineplex. Or I can wait a month or two after it’s DVD release and pick it up used for half that cost.
Much sympathy to everyone with computer issues. Even with experience they can be frustrating buggers to keep maintained and operating. Youngfox I would recommend going to a small local computer shop if you can or in a pinch hit Costco or one of the big electronic stores. They usually have cheapy package models that will do everything you need for a reasonable price. If you go to the smaller hole in the wall places you can even just get a new box itself and not have to spend the extra cash on keyboard, mouse and monitor. Since you can just use the old ones from your failing system. They may even be able to save your current system so you won’t have to shell out for a whole new one.
Peace and Love,
LunaPosted by Luna_C on from the Delta 09/30 at 08:35 PMNO story from me, Mickey - but thanks for yours.
We are having a glorious spring day in Daylesford, so I am on my way out with Mr Helga.
‘Hi’ to all my fellow expendables.All best from down under!
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 09/30 at 10:11 PMHere’s my self centered story for the day…
The brand new machine that Youngfox predicted would be capable of launching a rocket into space (bit it and decided to splurge on something that would last through the better part of the next decade’s technical improvements) the moment arrived for the inaugural pushing of the power button, and nothing but a repetetive beeping manifested.
It’s a damned lemon with a bad mother(intercoursing)board!!!
So I’m typing here on old bessie, which thankfully started up again.I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday evening, but disassembling, unpacking, assembling then disassembling, repacking and reassembling was certainly not my idea of enjoyable.
Stiff gin and tonic is going down quite nicely after all that, thank you.Thanks to everyone for their comments, advice and good wishes with this techno issue.
Rosemarie: do the squirrels survive their highwire act better than the power lines? I once saw a raccoon quite tragically literally frozen in place half on a hydro pole, half on the wire; I only figured it out after he was in the same place a couple of mornings in a row. (it was winter)
Keir: I very much empathise with your sentiments: "I feel like I know many of the Expendables very well but I don’t know anyone in the building next door. I know what Hugo Chavez is reading but not what my neighbor upstairs is reading. I know I know I know that our civilization is going to come crashing down on us and we discuss it here via my sweet G4 with the fast adsl connection. minus the G4, but that last part about discussion...the internet is the only thing which has allowed me to discover so many things about this world so quickly, and just as importantly, that there really are MANY people who recognise this and feel similarly. Mickey and the Expanding Expendable Family are a case in point.
Sure, as far as reading materials go, I could find as much or more at the library, but would I? The keyword search is a function not avaiable on the little white cards which once lived in drawers in any bibliotheque back in the day.
“Clearly” the computer leads to a sedentary lifestyle (or it can) and it’s something to which I must put greater effort for my own well being.
And..."clearly" I’ll be hoping that the replacement machine is not another lemon.
The US vs. John Lennon is now on my list of rentals. I’ve very much enjoyed watching footage of him speaking too, Mickey. Much of the interview footage from the time in the Montreal hotel was wonderful. He spoke plainly and could’ve/would’ve been a force for the average person to make changes - force changes in the system. It’s sad to perceive the void he left still exists after so much time’s passed.
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 09/30 at 10:15 PMPer Keir’s observation: So what is everybody reading these days? Since we’re sorta neighbors…
Posted by The CultureGhost on from Concord, CA 10/01 at 01:30 AMCurrently, “Rogue States” by Noam Chomsky. Prior to that “Deterring Democracy” (picked up a number of Chomsky titles while I was in the States in August). Prior to that “His Excellency” by Joseph J. Ellis. Next, I might continue with Chomsky, “American Power and the New Mandarins”, or I might return to the Revolutionary period and read “1776”.
Posted by Jeremy on from Taipei 10/01 at 03:32 AM
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