My First Presidential Election...

I just realized that this year's will be the first presidential election I've ever voted in. I just missed 2009, I was 17 at the time. Some people may be against voting with their whole "I doesn't matter, it doesn't count" blah blah blah, and even more so this year because it's 2012 and Quetzalcoatl is going to devour our souls and Jesus is going to Rapture myself and my fellow Christians back to Heaven, and why should we even vote, cliche apocalyptic humor, blah blah blah. If I have learned anything about humans in my two decades of life so far, it is that they are sensationalist fiends with a horrible thirst for catastrophe. Humanity will ALWAYS find something to freak out about, no matter how unfounded or ridiculous the reasons they base their claims upon.

Anyways, this is my first presidential election, and really I'm a little excited. I'm also a little scared that in a fit of sarcasm I'll write in "Lady Gaga" in the blank space on the ballot and mark the circle. My political science teacher made such a big mistake in giving me that information, that there's a blank space on any ballot reserved for voters to write in anyone's name they choose, regardless if they've campaigned or not, and if they get enough votes they're elected to that office. At least they're anonymous. Okay here's the real deal now, before you political coyotes give me a lecture tracheotomy about how I shouldn't be so careless as I have a civic duty (we all know how I feel about civic duty) to myself and my countrymen to be a responsible and informed citizen and I shouldn't make such jokes...

First rule of Fight Club: Don't take me seriously.

Video Gaga...

I love film. I love music. So naturally I'm a fan of music videos. Well, good ones. Not ridiculous ones. Decent enough ones. Whatever. Anyways, I'd like to share with you some of my favorites in no particular order, with a short commentary on each.

*This list is subject to change, as I will add more to it when I see more videos I like.



"The Ghost of You" by My Chemical Romance

Not only does Gerard Way look incredibly handsome (like a young Ray Liotta...I think I've mentioned my silly girl crush on Ray Liotta. Well if I haven't, there you go) and show off his passionate stage presence in this video, his acting is also fantastic I think. This is a powerful song with an equally powerful video to match. I personally think My Chemical Romance are very overlooked as artists, and are too quickly written off as as "just another whiny emo band". I saw them live in 2007 during The Black Parade (one of my favorite albums of all time, by the way), and not only are they highly talented musicians, Gerard is one of the most exciting performers I think I've ever seen. Don't underestimate them. If you do, I think someone's got a case of fame envy.



"Unstoppable" by Foxy Shazam

I actually just stumbled upon these guys tonight, and I have to say I am amazed. This is definitely one of the coolest videos I've ever seen, featuring live visual illusions in a classy black and white. It's hallowed ground and potentially blasphemous in the music world to make a statement like this...but their music is quite remnant of Queen, and Eric Sean Nally (the charming singing mustache man) displays Freddie-like showmanship, as well as costumes even. His vocals though remind me more of Justin Hawkins of the Darkness. They are "here to save rock n' roll", and by gum I think they just might. Great job, guys.



"Lotus Flower" by Radiohead

Radiohead is one of my favorite bands, and some of the best music for a night drive and intensive study sessions. I do love this song even though the rest of the album ("King of Limbs") didn't appeal to me at all, and I love the video. Lead vocalist Thom Yorke's gracefully chaotic dancing is a lot of fun to watch, and enough to make anyone get up and dance with him; some of his early movements remind me a little of Cesare in the silent 1919 German expressionist film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". I also adore his Tom Waits-like ensemble.



"Conquest" by The White Stripes

We have here now my friends, my number one favorite band. The dynamic Detroit duo, pride of my home state, and two of the most adorable people in existence: The White Stripes. They recently split up for now (and I'm hoping to God that they don't stay that way), and this song is from their currently last album "Icky Thump". Meg's performance as the apathetic squire to Jack's pompous matador is great to watch, her expressions get me every time. The video is also very well blocked, especially around 1:17 towards the end of the first chorus, Jack and the bull twirl beautifully along to the descending note. The premise of the video is also fits the song very well, which is basically about a cocky man who underestimates the tenacity of a woman he perceives to be weak and vulnerable to his charms, then well "the hunted became the huntress, the hunter beca-a-ame the prey"!



"The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars

I always love 30 Seconds to Mars videos. They're all usually written by Jared Leto himself I do believe, and they're almost always written as short films rather than JUST music videos, complete with some spoken dialogue, and some parts of just silent acting; reflecting Jared's experience as an actor before going into the band full time. Film buffs and Stephen King fans will notice that the video is based on "The Shining". Tomo and the bear...I lose it every time.

"Civic duty" and other bullshit

I've never been summoned for jury duty yet, but I think the whole thing is bullshit. It's my "civic duty". What? It's my duty to sit in a chair for 10 hours and listen to some ivy league suit pricks rant about how each others' client is an immoral, malicious bastard spawn of the devil and should be lit on fire and throw under a bus? Sure, they're both guilty, guilty of wasting my time and the time of the other unfortunate souls on the panel. I'm journalist, not a lawyer or a political scientist. It's not my "duty" to sit around deciding the fates of strangers. Leave it to the professionals who spent however many years of their lives studying that kind of shit. Plus it's a free country, I should have the right to decline. But no, I get fined or thrown in prison if I refuse jury duty. Way to be a toddler, government.

The only case I've EVER found myself emotionally and nearly personally involved in is that of the West Memphis Three, but the Arkansas "justice system", fortunately saw the light last year and set the boys free after successfully robbing them of almost two decades of their lives by throwing them in prison for being different. And yes, anyone with a brain and a functioning ocular nerve can see that that was the REAL reason they were convicted. Conservative West Memphis, Arkansas doesn't take kindly to anyone who isn't like them. But that's another 11 page rant that will have to wait for another day, they're free and that's what counts. Anyways, bullshit. The WM3 case falls under that category.

In other bullshit, parking tickets. Really? You're going to punish me for parking in a designated parking area? Jesus Christ Superstar. I bet NEXT you'll give me a ticket for standing on the wrong crack in the sidewalk. Parking tickets make just about as much sense as excommunication and Converse boots, none whatsoever. Ooh I parked in a spot for too long, I'm a hardened criminal I am. I should be locked up between Charles Manson and the Uni-bomber for my unspeakable crimes against society. Impractical. B. S.

And scene.

Already 57 views?! JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR!!

I'm flattered, truly. I have not posted anything in a couple of days, anything good anyway, as my time, love, and attention has been devoted mostly to the Sims 3 lately. School and work as well, but mostly the Sims 3. And the beautiful people I create on that game...the absolutely fucking pretty beings I spend like 3-4 hours making. The time and effort is worth it. I'm so vain when it comes to video games. In the real world I really could care less what you look like, I look like a damn crazy bohemian gypsy so who am I to judge? Anyways, video games are a different story. If the game allows me creative liberty over my character's appearance, then I shall take full advantage of it...for hours. I just cannot play until they are absolutely STUNNING. I'm not sure why. The other things is whenever I create a male character, they always end up resembling either Johnny Depp or Jackson Rathbone, more so Johnny Depp though. It makes sense though, the man is my hero. For real. Everyone who knows me pretty much knows this. So much that I'm honestly considering getting the acronym "WWJDD?" tattooed on my wrist, standing for "What Would Johnny Depp Do?". At first it started out as a little joke, but now I feel that it's truly a concept worth applying to one's life. Johnny's incredibly wise, despite the very little credit he gives himself, and ever since I was about 12 he's been one of  the biggest (if not the biggest) influences on my life, as well as one of the top people I feel like I can relate to the most in many respects. During his "Inside the Actor's Studio" interview, a student in the audience asked him for advice on dealing with the world of show business, and he recounted a story in which his mom imparted some advice to him when he was little and another kid was bullying him at school. She told him that if the kid puts his hands on him, she wanted him to "take the nearest rock and lay him out". "And I did", Johnny admitted. This advice stuck with him throughout his life, not as a literal application like the first time, but as a general application on dealing with show business and life. His advice was this: "Never let anyone put their hands on you". To me it meant to not loose who you are for anyone, and don't let anyone change you. I'd already had the utmost admiration and respect for him before watching the interview, but this bit of advice probably did more for my personal well-being than any I'd been given in my life. He basically helped me realize that loosing who I am is not worth someone liking or accepting me. That's the message I'd taken from it. So thanks, Johnny. You've helped me more than you'll ever know.

2 Followers! DOUBLE BOOSH!

The spectacular Logan D. Lavack has boarded the crazy train. It's not THAT crazy yet, not like my first summer of the inner monologue in...2009 I think it was? I really should post some of those entries here, a few are actually committed to memory in case of...I'm not sure why, we'll just call it "thespian memorization syndrome". However the rest are in that first journal I kept, which is with Kelsey. There's a couple great narratives in there, I do say so myself, which I do. Especially the camping trip in Hell, Michigan that summer.

So I finally woke up at a decent hour this morning. I set my alarm for 7:30am, woke up at that time, drank some hot apple cider...then sat on the couch and fell back asleep for like 20 minutes I think. But I left at 8am, still an hour earlier than I need to be at school, giving me enough time to park, grab a coffee, AND finish the homework I was supposed to do for this class the night before but instead decided to kill my bank account on iTunes, restring my guitar, play the Sims 3, and talk to myself. All in a night's work for me.

And grade school grammar review begins again, see you soon.

Check the slips...

Thinking about starting a collection of these. I've always wanted to, but never had many disposable monies, but I do now so...yeah gonna start on that. Every check, get a new color, style; just don't know where I'm going to put all of them yet...

Intrigued by Jesstastic, I'm currently embarking on a quest to access my old Myspace accounts from back in the day, and get those old pictures back. I used to be quite a scene whore in me younger days, and as a recovering Myspace addict I can definitely say it's not worth it...Facebook is where it's at. A few years ago, before preteens were starting on the Book, Myspace was a fascinating place. A gateway drug, where each friend request, each picture comment, each w4w bulletin, was like a rush of cocaine, and that mythical cyber bastard know only as "Tom" was your dealer. You wanted more. And more. And more. Pretty soon an empire of over 50,000 or more was at your fingertips, and you probably only knew about 20 to 30 of them personally if that, perhaps much less. You didn't care, you were somebody. Ridiculous looking crazy kids like you were stopping you in the mall, "Hey, I know you from Myspace!" they would say. You were a celebrity, and all you did was take melodramatic, highly staged pictures of yourself and your fellow addicts. Every outing became a Myspace photo shoot, you spent the night at each others' houses, staying up conversing with your adoring public.

Then you hit about 18 years old, maybe 20. Myspace becomes a little ridiculous to your newly wizened adult self. The spark is gone, and the drug of pseudo-celebrity has worn off. You discover and gentler and simpler world called Facebook, and you start to make fun of these foofy haired, scrunchy faced, leg warmer wearing, fluorescent colored preteen psychopaths and their little "Myspace". You feel you've ascended, but there's always that part of you. That part of you that misses that rush of friend requests, and whore trains, and saucy picture comments. That part of you that misses those 30 question bulletins, like anyone cared who you were missing, what color socks you were wearing at the time, or if you'd ever passed out in an elevator. They did care, your fans cared. It was just Myspace, but to you it was an interview in Rolling Stone.

I remember those days, and I remember them fondly. Then I see the pictures...and laugh at that stupid kid with the hair in her face.

All my friends are strangers...

Sometimes during my break at work, people will just come up and talk to me. As much as I complain about some of the ridiculous and rude customers we get, most of the time I have the good fortune of personally speaking with cool and interesting people. I met this guy tonight, Christian is his name. Not to be confused with the Christian I already know. He saw me wrapping my sandalwood mala back around my wrist after a surprise corporate inspection, and inquired about it. We had a pretty great conversation; religion, society, acceptance of others, respect for all. This random conversation with Christian tonight reminded me how much I love learning about others, hearing their stories and such. Not just the usual "others" like celebrities and such, but just everyday people. Everyone has a story, everyone has their own world inside them, and I'm fascinated by it. I don't know, I guess this would go hand in hand with my previous post about getting out and exploring more, I'll get to meet all kinds of people. As shy and socially reclusive as I tend to be, I really do enjoy listening and talking to others.