Final Project Underway

I have begun to work on my final project for english. Like I said before it is a blog that I will use to document some the real life implications of the two books I have read. I have one post so far, and unfurtunately something weird has happened: Blogger marked my blog as spam!! This means my entire blog is locked and I cant change it. I have since sent in a report to unlock my blog but its been a day and so far.. its still locked. This is really frustrating and I am unsure about what to do, or what I have done wrong.

Until that problem gets fixed, I am just writing my blog articles into a word document. For this week I hope to just keep plugging away at this final project and think of some implements and instruments for my presentation which is coming up sooner... so far I have nothing done on that front.

CRUNCH TIMEE

It is the last week before my research paper is due, and unfortunately this week happens to be packed with things to do. I have two AP tests: Tuesday, tomorrow, is AP Chemistry (the killer). I will most indefinably be too burned out and unable to work for the rest of the day. Wednesday I will not be here because I will be taking the AP Art History test in the afternoon. Then Thursday I have an art field trip to the galleries at Chelsea Piers. My paper has an introduction and half of a second paragraph. Needless to say I will be very busy... mostly working at home on my research.

Last week I accomplished what I set out to accomplish, but I think I could've (and should've) worked harder. I definitely should have planned this out better in realizing that this week was going to be a busy one.. Now I have to go gangbusters on work. It's ok though, as much as I hate working really hard, I will take a deep breath and focus.

Obviously my goal for this week is to finish my paper. It's due Friday.

May, 5 2008

I am nearly done with Blink and have begun to read my other books. I am absolutely enthralled with Blink. Gladwell manages to discuss the psychology of our subconscious mind, backing everything up with scientific research, and organized conclusions. Each chapter he writes presents a new concept. He then divides the chapter into subsequent mini-chapters that delve further into the larger concept at hand with examples and stories. I found that this website was helpful for me in learning more about Malcolm Gladwell, Blink and his reason for writing it:

http://www.gladwell.com/blink/index.html


This week I will begin to write my research paper. I have a general outline formulated in my head and I know basically what I want to discuss from my sticky notes.

I have decided that for my final project, I will catalog a psychoanalytic study of my own using the knowledge gained from reading my books. The catalog will be in the form of a blog (separate from this one) whose URL will not get released until the project is finished.

April 28, 2008

I have been racking my brain thinking of project ideas and sources that share the same themes as Blink. It has been a week, and I think i finally have a quality project in motion. Under the same subject of popular science in psychology, there are several nonfiction books that focus on the psychology behind human attraction. These authors may not have PhD's, but are quite knowledgeable as far as breaking down "The Game." They have each done countless experiments and "in-field" tests, and I believe their material is worthy of analysis... Not to mention its relevance to my life and the lives of many of my male college-bound classmates. In addition I may want to read some books on hypnosis as this has relevance to my thesis on the subconscious mind.

So I have my sources and thesis... as far as my creative project itself, I'm still working on that, perhaps a little in-field experiment/lab write up may be in order.

Blink - first week of 4th marking period

ok basically it is monday and I am required to blog on mondays.

THE FOURTH MARKING PERIOD IS UNDERWAY!!

I have decided to read the book Blink a by Malcolm Gladwell. It is a very contemporary nonfiction piece dealing with a field of popular science and psychology. Though I don't know much about the book as I just started, I believe it is about the differences in between human subconscious thought and human analytical (conscious) thought. I love reading about our species.

I am not sure yet what to do with this final project but I believe I have a good jumping off point with this book. Perhaps I could conduct a little experiment of my own and write about it? Who knows. I will make it my duty this week to find out exactly what I should do. In the meantime I will continue to read and look for more books dealing with this topic (havent found one yet other than The Tipping Point another book by Gladwell)!

Hurston and the Harlem Renaissance

I found an informative article on Gradesaver.com that suggests that Zora Neale Hurston's literary work during the 30's (which is when this book was written) contributed to the Harlem Renaissance. Oddly enough, the article confirms the point made in my last entry about the subtle"Duality" theme in the book:

"One of the quintessential themes of the Harlem Renaissance was the notion of "twoness," a divided awareness of one's identity... American and Negro, two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled stirrings: two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder."

The article comments that though Hurston shares many of the ideals in of the Harlem Renaissance, her themes and political agenda extend far beyond the movement. Unlike the communist sympathizers of the Harlem Renaissance (like Langston Hughes), "Hurston supported the Back to Africa movement led by Marcus Garvey."

From my perspective (the reader's perspective) I would say that this is true. Hurston has a very naturalist view. In chapter 18, when a storm threatens the lives of Tea Cake and Janie, they refuse to leave town and heed the warnings of the Indians and Bahaman, as they may lose their jobs as bean-pickers. Hurston is thus commenting that American blacks are too far removed from their roots. The people who are closest to nature (the Indians and the Bahamans) understand God's ways and signals. The blacks and white Americans are too preoccupied with money to "watch God." Nowhere in this book does Hurston praise capitalism.

So it seems as though a larger theme in this book is infact her "political agenda." As the title reveals, no matter how big an empire that man appears to build, God will always transcend.

Love and Loathing in the Everglades

I am now on Chapter 14 of the book, and i have begun to notice an interesting reoccurring theme of duality. It's probably no mistake that I realize this now, I think Hurston makes it purposely evident at this time: Janie has found new love, in a man named Tea Cake and therefore has a more worldly perspective on things, and a means of comparison.

We find that Janie is starting to break away from old values. she says at one point that she hates Nanny (her Grandmother) and is ready to break away from the goals that she set for her since she was little. At one point she says: "Dis is uh love game... Ah done lived Grandma's way, now Ah means tuh live mine."

She is of course referring to the differences in between Tea Cake and Jody Starks, her last husband. The two are foils for one another, as both are at some point the object of Janies affection. Jody fits into Nanny's idea of a marriage sanction: a relationship forged on ambition and money. Tea Cake fits into Janie's idea of a marriage sanction: one thats based simply on love. This is demonstrated in many ways including Tea Cake's interactions with his fellow workers in the everglades. While Jody would maintain loyalty amongst his townspeople and customers by leading with fear, Tea Cake maintains loyalty through respect, honor, and love.

There are several other examples of duality, even behind the story Phoeby tells of Annie Tyler. When Annie runs away with a younger man, the "improvements" to her appearance are an effort on her part to look and behave like a white woman. She dyes her hair and wears "blotchy powder", aligning herself with "white values". She ends up in misery when her man leaves her and takes her money. Though this may be part of Hurston's theme of the importance of staying true to yourself, it may it also be seen as a white vs. black values theme of duality.

So in summation, Possession vs. Companionship, Ambition vs. Devotion, and Fear vs. Love are all part of this prevalent duality motif that Hurston keeps plugging. I will explain and delve further into this idea as I finish the book. (I'm almost there =])

Things that make me a smiling malchick

We are all slaves to our emotions. Thus I have put together a list of things that humble me and ease the angst of being human. If you'd like you can comment me with some other things that you like. If I concur with what you have to say, maybe Ill add it.

• Firepits
• Wrestling my dog
• Narrating my life as it happens, though speaking as if I am looking back nostalgically
  
• Flirting with a complete stranger, getting her number
• Flirting with a compete stranger, getting told to F*** off
  
• Beating the hell out of the ground with a wooden baseball bat
• push ups
  
• Music - Say Anything, Brand New, The Beatles
• Meditation
  
• The wonderful seconds in between when you get a text message, and when you read it.
  
• Missed calls
• Playing guitar really loud when no one is home, while singing horribly
  
• Playing guitar really loud when people are home, beating down my door.
  
• Walking in a different place, pretending that Im 50 years old reflecting on my life
• Going out to dinner with just my family
  
• Going out to lunch with just my friends
• Getting the upperhand, playing it to my advantage
  
• Getting the lowerhand, folding it, and walking away
• Seeing that she is calling me, but not picking up because I am having too much fun.
• The minute you realize that you are about to fall into a nap, letting it happen anyway.
  
• Laughing at someone else's embarrassment
• Going on a Weird NJ trip
  
• Midgitville
• Warm, humid nights in the summer
  
• Crisp, cool nights in the fall
• Spending your last dollar on something ridiculous
  
• Lifting
  
• Running for an extended period of time
• Laugh-crying
• Cry-laughing
  
• Pinwheels
  
• Altered stages of consciousness
  
• Scientific speculations
• Religious speculations
• Overly confident philosophies on life
  
• The "flow state" that can only be reached when staring at a partially blank page, pen in hand.
  
• The majesty of thought
  
• Losing track of time
• Knowing that there are people 1000x worse off than you.
  

Walker and Hurston

Although I may be relatively unnaffected by this piece of literature, it is no hidden gem of the African American community. Zora Neale Hurston is known as the "pioneer" of black feminism.

"In Black Feminist Criticism: Perspectives on Black Women Writers, Barbara Christian points out that "a persistent and major theme throughout Afro-America women’s literature [is] our attempt to define and express our totality rather than being defined by others (Bush 1988)."

The article goes on to highlight how Hurston inspired the more contemporary black feminist novelist Alice Walker. She is the author of another book I have read in my day: A Color Purple. This was the first thought that crossed my mind when I picked the book up: "This book seems all too similar to The Color Purple."

Their themes are identical - A young black woman coming of age, discovering her sexuality, struggling with oppressive relationships, searching for an identity, and forging deep sisterhood relationships. Janie is to Celie, Phoeby is to Nettie

Their language is identical - Both novels feature authentic southern dialect... spelling errors and all.

Both books emphasize narration - The Color Purple is from Celie's point of view in letters to her sister, Their Eyes were Watching God is narrated by a sympathetic unseen narrator who almost appears to have a close relationship with Janie.

This article runs through all of the little intricate differences between the two, which I don't see as necessary to mention. The point is, Hurston provided Walker as well as other writers like Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, Gloria Naylor, Toni Cade Bambara, Ntozake Shange and Audre Lorde with an enduring novel about self-discovery.

Though I really don't care to much for her literature, I still give Zora Neale Hurston my utmost respect for providing the feminist movement with an intelligent and uplifting novel. One of the biggest honors you can have as a writer is to inspire others.

Hannah Montana Sucks

Is she serious? Does she honestly think she's an artist? Last time I laughed this hard out of pure ironic anger i was watching Michael Moore exist. HAH THAT MAN IS SO FAT!!

Haven't you people noticed how much Disney sucks ever since Shia Lebouf left the network? I mean, the same deal goes for Nickelodeon and the cancellation of SNICK. Once that lineup was cancelled I couldnt bare to watch Nick anymore... either that or I just matured... I cant be bothered to remember which one happened first.

Anyways back to Hannah Montana... she sucks. Every two years Disney pumps out another young "renaissance" pop star... she can act! she can sing! Of course its only a matter of time before the afore mentioned pop star realizes she has no talent, falls into a coke habit, gets a DUI, gets pregnant and shaves her head. Sometimes all five happen at once.


Furthermore I have proof that she plagiarizes (props to Chenzo on spotting this) her songs. Go home tonight, download the 80's song "I wear my sunglasses at night" by Corey Hart. Listen hard. You'll notice that her chorus in the song "I can't wait to see you again" bares an awfully similar rhythm to that of Hart's chorus. Hmmm.....

And dont even get me started with this song...

"Next time you think it's just one of those days
when you just can't seem to win
When things don't turn out the way you guys planned,
FIGURE SOMETHING ELSE OUT!
Don't be sad! Try it again! YEAH!"

Thank you for those wonderful words of advice Miley. Now kindly shut your face.



Hannah Montana is number two on the list of annoying things I hate. Whats number one? Girls my age who pretend to like her.

Their Eyes were Watching God

I have just begun reading the second book of the marking period: Their Eyes Were Watching God. I am about 7 chapters in and i have yet to find anything enjoyable about this novel.

The plot thus far is as follows: Protagonist Janie recounts the story of her life, in which she is forced to marry a rich man, Logan Killicks. She is unhappy so she moves away with a more exciting, ambitious man named Jody Starks. He too treats her like an object and she becomes unhappy. *Yawn*

Though I will hand it to Zora Neale Hurston (the author), this book is very cleverly written. I believe she made the narrator ambiguous in order to emphasize dialog, which i found to have an impressive verisimilitude to typical southern African American dialect. To emphasize this, certain chapter are all in quotes with only a few sentences of omniscient narration. In other chapters, Hurston finds it necessary to reveal the thoughts and motives of certain characters. The story begins when Janie talks to her friend Phoeby about her life, then suddenly, the narration picks up from there. I had to reread the first two chapters to get a better understanding of what was going on!

Still, I am not enjoying the book yet and really have nothing to say about it. It doesn't affect me and quite frankly I am tired of reading feminist literature, which no doubt this book appears to be. But for the sake of English class I made some additional effort to soak up the text. I read up on the late Zora.

What i found was rather interesting. Apparently Hurston grew up in the same place as this story's setting: Eatonville, Florida. Many facts about her life as that article reveals, hold true in the novel, even down the detail about how "Hurston would always present herself as at least 10 years younger than she actually was. Apparently, she had the looks to pull it off (Boyd 2007)." In the novel, Janie is subjected to years of an oppressive marriage yet still maintains her young looks. I wonder if this novel was rough autobiographical projection?

Stanley Kubrick's Representation

A Clockwork Orange is perhaps most noted for its disturbing nature not because of the book itself, but the movie. In 1971, Stanley Kubrick directed the movie version of this book, sparing no details. The movie was not very well-received. When I told my mother that I was reading A Clockwork, I believe she said "Oh God, that was a horrible movie!" I could tell by the tone in her voice that, by 'horrible' she meant the story is horrifically violent and graphic in nature. This conversation is what convinced me to start reading the book.

The video below is a scene in the movie in which Alex feels emasculated and threatened by his droogs [friends], and decides to act on impulse and violently assert his alpha status in the group.

All bloggers suck except for me.

Blogging is exactly why our generation is completely lost. We live in a technological era of computers and networking. Messages and emails are sent at the speed of light. Seems like a fantastic time to live right? WRONG. With every breakthrough comes an unforeseen horrible consequence.

Computer scientists have failed to foresee the crisis of "blogging"

Even today not many people see the problem with blogging (of course I did because I'm really smart but thats besides the point). Whats the problem with blogging? Quite simply: too many people post self-indulgent crap about there daily lives, and nobody cares.

I just read a long post by a girl (lets call her Snoozie) about how she just had the best valentines day with her "significant other". I thought to myself, wow thats funny... snoozie can't actually think she's special enough to take up precious bandwidth with a post documenting the unnecessary details of her day. Reading on, I stood corrected. Snoozie proceeded to tell me how great her sandwich for lunch was, how much she loves candy and her boyfriend, and how she feels as though America shouldn't be at war.

Sufficiently pissed off at this point, I went to YouTube.com, knowing that a video of something on fire would most likely cheer me up. Low and behold what do i find?

VLOGS?!?!

No. NO FREAKING WAY?! ARE YOU EFFING SERIOUS?! People are posting up VIDEOS of themselves literally pontificating the same utter crap that Snoozie was reiterating to me.

Now come on.... Im an understanding person, i know what its like to want to talk about and analyze the details of my day, but thats why i keep a journal... A notebook! Open to one person: me. I realize that no one cares about me or the nonsensical happenings of my day to day life. Sure I might have a fanbase and be on par with a Hollywood celebrity but theres a reason why no one watches Access Hollywood!!

So here we are. A generation completely set on naval gazing, A bunch of 17 year old geniuses who think they make a difference in the world by telling everyone about themselves. It scares me to think that in a few years we will be essentially running the globe.

Good job, internet.

If I pissed you off with that last article, dont read this one

Seems like i pissed a lot of people off... its shame how little i care. This is my blog and therefore i own this very small insignificant spec on the information universe known as the internet. OK maybe i dont totally own it but id like to think that i do.

Allow me to clear some stuff up...
This blog is not a college thesis... its not a research assignment... its not a page from socrates' notebook... its not 'politically correct' or 'well thought out' per say. its just some random stuff i might feel like writing about to express the complexities of my emotions and thoughts. My thoughts are often quite cynical and usually flawlessly intertwined with my sarcastic sense of humor (in other words... you may not know when Im kidding, dont worry though, sometimes its hard for me to tell too). If you feel as though you dissagree with anything I have to say... go ahead and comment me... but you will never get me to change my mind.

I take that back... i am very flaky. You might get me to change my mind.

If your so mad at me that you think you might just resort to rude profanity on a school blog... you really should just not read my stuff then. your way too pissed off and your problems with me probably run deeper than a website page.

Whose travis?
Travis is a dear friend of mine. While those comments he left me seem a bit heated and mean, we have a deep respect for one another. Travis is also over 200 pounds and lifts constantly. He thinks hes tough.

How big is your ego?
Huge. I embrace my sense of selfness. Doesn't mean im a jerk who doesnt feel compassion for others -- I'm a volunteer fireman for christ sake! I dont see anything wrong with being in touch with who you are... how else can you improve? That bit about religion is only saying how the Judea-Christian teachings of "abandoning one's ego" may occasionally contradict the fact that had it not been for the ego... no one wouldve thought up religion.

Are you a Chauvinistic Misogynistic Women-hating Hemingway-back-from-the-dead?
Maybe i am like Hemingway... were both geniuses. But i am not a women hater. That last article was just a joke. Lighten up!


I'm awesome. I love what i write. Peace.

1984 vs. A Clockwork

In the midst of pondering a new post for A Clockwork, I came across an interesting article on everything2.com. It compares A Clockwork Orange with another book I've read for English class: 1984. The article comes to a summation that the two are similar because in both of the novels, "too much government control causes its people to lose their freedom and individuality."

The plot similarities then dawned on me. In both novels, the protagonist is considered a threat to the government, and is forced into rehabilitation. The government thus compensates the will of the individual. A thematic connection is made.

Obviously there are many similarities between the two books. The article tells me that. I want to discuss the differences:

- A Clockwork Orange is much more realistic. In 1984, the government is so intensely totalitarian, it doesn't allow its citizens to have sex out of wedlock. I don't see that ever happening, even in a dystopian world. Thus Orwell's work is much more abstract. He wants to show the eminent dangers of a totalitarian government through the power of exaggeration. Burgess doesnt focus so much on the government or the society in A Clockwork. The focus is more on the evil, yet believable mishaps of the protagonist Alex. The book rarely talks about rebellious thoughts, yet the protagonist's actions may be construed as rebellious.

- Burgess writes more passionately. Orwell's novel was so boring that as I was reading it, it felt as though I was reading a nonfiction book on political theories. Burgess's novel celebrates pathos in his writing, especially through in the protagonist's dialog. It is fitting that he write this way because his intentions I believe were to express the freedom that every man is born with. This pathos is taken away briefly when the protagonist is reformed by the government.

- 1984 is meant to scare people, A Clockwork Orange is more comical and has that "cult-classic" feel to it. There are several parts in A Clockwork Orange I found to be sadistically funny, like when Alex finds horrible unforgivable crimes like murder and rape to be poetically analogous to classical beethoven music... going back to that theme of passion vs. apathy(though it can be argued that through Winston's relationship with Julia, 1984 is ALL about passion vs. apathy)

On that note the two books just have a completely different feel altogether though they may be about the same thing. I cant exactly say which one i enjoyed more... 1984 made me ponder while A Clockwork Orange disturbed me in a way that only the movie Pulp Fiction was able to.

The many contradictions in society today.....

I find it hilarious when a movement, a standard, an act, a policy, a law, a trend, an organization contradicts itself or its ideals. What i like best about this comedic fallacy is there is no end to it... new material is constantly being manifested:

Equality...
Countless organizations preach equality for all human beings, some even for animals. Wanna know what contradicts this? MOTHER NATURE. I don't care how many "tolerance meetings" you send me to, you cannot convince me that men and women are equal. WE ARE NOT. We clearly have different hormones that trigger different reactions. Men exploit women for sex, women exploit men for material. It happens. Its how we perpetuate the human species. Women rights movements claim there is a double standard... yet think its perfectly fair that women be treated with chivelry and get a special golf tee closer to the hole.... I DON'T SEE YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT THAT DOUBLE STANDARD?!?

PETA - AHAHAHAH. Who cares about animals? They don't know whats going on. Matter of fact if they did they probably wouldn't care about humans, they know full well that its a dog-eat-dog world out there, and if given the chance to they wouldn't think twice about eating a human. I also think its funny that PETA only cares about the "cute" animals which mostly reside in the vertebrate class. Biology taught me that only 9% of the animals on this earth are vertebrates.... so when was the last time PETA helped out a sponge?! Are sponges not animals?! THEY NEED EQUAL RIGHTS TOO LOL.

Religion.
Ever since man's walked the earth, man has wondered about the higher powers that possibly govern his life, or created the universe (I dont read the bible). Why? Did he stumble upon some magic mushrooms? Who starts these crazy theories? The fact that man thinks he is so important to the whole universe and that his life matters, completely contradicts the whole concept. If there is a higher power, a greater dimension, or a "point" to the existence of the universe and life, I'm pretty sure that one man, one species of evolved life form really is not a very big contributer. If you take a space shuttle 1000 miles or so above the earth and look down, what you'll observe is similar to what a doctor observes on a petri dish after he swabs the back of your throat. Microscopic organisms growing around moist areas. The earth may very well be an organism in itself! The Human concept of religion is not some great transcendental spiritual teaching. Its the human ego.

Collectivism - Workers Unions, Brotherhoods, Sisterhoods, Specialized Societies
Communism on a small scale. One person thinks... the rest follow suit. Its inefficient, its oppressive, its Orwell's worst nightmare. While were at it, lets bring Hitler and Stalin back from the dead. YAY!



For a species so advanced intellectually... we really are quite naive to the world around us. If we were put on this earth to think egotistically... WHY DONT WE JUST THINK FOR OURSELVES THEN!?!! It sure beats thinking of the universe, the higher powers, the human race, and the false sense of equality that encompasses it all.

A Clockwork Orange... finished part I (Im a slow reader)

OK I believe its time to talk about what this blog is REALLY for. I was assigned this blog as an English project. The English portion includes my reactions to a book I am reading. At the moment, that book is Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange.

I have just finished part 1. To be honest this book is very different from ones I am used to. For instance the story takes place in a dystopian future, so Burgess has played around with language, inventing a new “futuristic” slang called nadsat. As creative as this may be, nadsat makes the book extremely hard to follow, but I suppose I have gotten used to it.


On a thematic level, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what Burgess is trying to convey to me. The book centers around a violent, juvenile delinquent named Alex. Though he is a horrible batterer and rapist, there are several key parts in the book in which sympathy is evoked for Alex. One quote in particular reveals what I think Burgess might be trying to say. Alex remarks while reading the paper one morning: “Badness is of the self . . . and that self is made by old Bog or God and is his great pride and radosty.” Burgess thus raises a question of morality, and calls out religion on its contradictions. Aren’t we all God’s children? Did not God put evilness in our nature? So who are we to force “good” on people?

I really hope this isn’t Burgess’s ultimate intention. If so, that’s pretty weak. I can easily make the argument that while yes, God put evil in our nature, we always have a choice. Religion (especially Christianity which is examined in this book) often refers to this life as a test, in which God gives souls the power of free will. Those souls that choose good are rewarded in the next life, and those souls that choose evil… well you know the story.

So I can extrapolate then, that the main conflict of the story will most likely be between Alex, Society, God (or as he calls him “Bog”), and the epic question: which one has the right to impose will?

I will write more on this topic, as I get further into the book… Sorry but I have nothing to link to right now Mr. Saxon. Perhaps on the next post…

Lucid Dreams

As much as I would love to talk about more things that dissatisfy me in todays world, I believe this blog needs some positivity. What I am about to talk about is so intensely positive that it is not even part of this world. It exists only in a world that you create: a world so pure and natural, that nothing, not even a perverted droog could corrupt. It exists in the deepest part of your brain, beyond consciousness, beyond normal day-to-day function, beyond reality. Its a rather mysterious completely necessary process you undergo every 24 hours known as dreaming.

I HAVE BEEN TO DREAMLAND AND BACK

I am no scientist, I am no expert, I am not going to bore you with dull facts about REM sleep and all that (though I do know a thing or two... as some research was necessary for this epic journey). I am simply going to discuss my experience with LUCID DREAMING: The state of dreaming in which the dreamer is completely aware and conscious that he/she is dreaming. Many of you may have experienced a lucid dream at some point of your lives, where maybe you realize that that you're dreaming and quickly wake up. But suppose you stay in that state of awareness and simply flow with this new world around you? There are varying degrees of lucidity, and a drug-free method is available for all those who want to achieve such a beautiful alternate reality. If you would like to try these methods.. this website has helped me.

My lucid dreams have varied with my levels of lucidity, diet, and general mood before sleeping, but here is a dream scenario i seem to remember:

I am in a car, and i am driving recklessly but not getting injured. Somethings not right... i realize that i am dreaming this. I get excited now because i know that i am in control. my excitement almost awakens me but i am able to hold on to my lucidity. I drive the car fine down a straight highway when i decide to change the color of the sky. "The sky should be red," I state. The sky of course obeys my wishes and turns a brilliant red. I am enthralled. Time to get crazy.

I jump out of the car which appeared to be moving at a high speed. I land perfectly on my feet. I summon a lion to ride into town with. The lion was oddly shaped and not as big as i expected (i have never really seen a lion in person before). He runs the speed i tell him to. the town i ride into appears to be Bejing or some Asian city. This dissatisfies me. I turn it into New York City. Unsure of what to do next i jump off of the empire state building.. just to see what happens (remember this is no ordinary dream... this is Max Bamberger stuck in dreamworld) instead of falling though i make myself hover majestically above the beautiful buildings and people. The red sky envelopes me. The feeling is so hypnotic that i eventually lose my lucidity and the dream takes over. i fall abruptly to the ground and wake up.

Though it may not seem too exciting, the feeling of a real lucid dream is incredible. Incredible in that all emotions and conceptions are amplified x10000... think about it: you will never be as scared as you are in a hellish nightmare, and you will never be as invigorated as you are in a nice wistful dream. Add consciousness to this and you can rationalize or embrace these emotions. You may unlock (and physically manifest before you) your deep seeded spiritual senses, battle one of your greatest fears, or experience a horrible feeling of helplessness... should you lose lucidity at any part of your dream.

The dreamworld is one that is very much a mystery to modern science, but with much practice and meditation, it can become very real to you.

Television these days...

ABSOLUTELY SUCKS. TV has gotten worse and worse since Seinfeld. Heres why:

I have yet to see another funny sitcom.

- every sitcom nowadays either follow the Seinfeld format or get canceled (as they should). Though I love the network, Fox is notorious for this. They'll air a stupid sitcom featuring some washed up actor from another sitcom (usually an actor from Everyone loves Raymond...which is another show I hate). Some of these shows are sooo played out and boring that they employ the use of an even stupider gimmick, like a talking baby or a family with 16 kids. They try to make the humor edgy or "different" but anyone with half a brain can see through this like a 12 year old anorexic's skin. Its all been done before and it all sucks.

MTV

- I am going to now talk about MTV and try my best not to get mad. Not only does it anger me that this network exists, but apparently I, being 18, am a part of their target audience. I hate the fact that I am thrown in with the jackasses that would actually enjoy these shows. MTV is like television for those dumber than the people who watch TV... like if TV was one corporation, MTV would be the laboratory where they test exactly how crappy they can make shows and still have people watch them. My Super Sweet 16... The life of Ryan (yes, people actually care about some teenage skateboarder named Ryan)... The Hills... Laguna Beach... True life. the sad thing is kids my age cant get enough of this crap just as long as it follows the formula:

Reality + California + Teenagers + Privileges = AWESOME SHOW MAN!

TVs dramas

- TV is great, if your a woman. Every year a new drama show comes out just as unoriginal as the last, with the same deal as the sitcoms: each show has a new gimmick. One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives. I dont see what the obsession is with pretty white young people and there petty little problems. Women eat it up like its crack. every sunday night i cant talk to my mom or sister cause they need their "Desperate Housewives time." I usually end up watching Family Guy with the pops... Networks try to get more guys into watching them by adding some "cool" gimmicks to these feminist dramas *cough* Lost, Prison Break *cough*. But come on....


I hate TV. If i needed anymore corporate propaganda and sucky shows Id go to Times Square.

Sidekicks

Wanna know something I hate? Of course you do, I am the best and my opinion is godly.

I hate: obnoxiously big cellphones with full keyboards.

Now don't get me wrong, i respect the working business man with a blackberry or PDA, but I suppose I should be more exact to state that what i really hate are girls who carry around those T-mobile "Sidekicks." This phone features an obnoxiously big gameboy like screen with a full QWERTY keyboard that is worked using your thumbs. My mom used to tell me never to judge someone or something before you get to know it, because you will tend to fear/hate the unknown. shes absolutely right. I am a curious person and i try my best to reserve judgment, but alas i have concluded that it is IMPOSSIBLE to talk to or understand these people (Im trying to be politically correct here, but usually its a girl in posession of one of these phones). Half the time (my bad, ALL THE TIME) the sidekicker has her head buried in this phone, her thumbs moving at 239485120398 miles per hour. Technically, thats just as rude as ignoring someone or telling the person your with "Id rather not be here."

Its funny to note how, as communication technology improves, with the notion of better networking and more connections, whats really going on is a disconnection: we are slowly cutting ourselves off from reality. We prefer instead to transform our conversational thought into small bits of binary code, transmitted and reproduced.

I cannot wait for robots to take over. The look on the face of humanity will be priceless.