Random Bacon
May 23, 2009Ever get that feeling where there’s too much awesomeness (no, there can never be too much awesomeness) at once and you just wanna, like, document it in some divine, right way? I guess it’s called art. – here
I feel like that a lot.
*suppresses rambling*
In fact, I feel a little bit like that right now. Today, using some of my Bar Mitzvah moolah, I ordered a Diana+ film camera! I. Am. So. Excited. I’ve been wanting one for awhile, ever since I stumbled upon it on the Urban Outfitters website. It’s an exact remake of the original 1960’s all-plastic model, the Diana. From what I can tell it’s an amazing camera.. BAHAHA I CAN’T WAIT TO GET IT! Once I get it all setup and get pretty good at using it, I think I’ll buy some accessories (i.e new lenses, expired film, etc). You can also buy a Fujifilm Instax adapter back thingy so you can print Polaroid-esque instant film, a major awesome-feature. There are lots of other attachment things, too.
Mmm, just look at that mock-vintage plastic.. sexiness. Some time this summer I wanna ride around the city on my bike or something and stop wherever I want to take a picture, like an adventure.
I’ve kinda been in to making poetry-ish stuff lately (no, not stereotypical Tumblr-audience-esque scribbly cursive notecard teen-angst poetry.. more like, uh, I dunno – I might post some later). I tend to only write at night because then I’m uber-focused. Something about the silence and half-tiredness allows a sub-conscious state that only really happens when you’re dozing off (a little bit like right now). And when it does happen, I create some of what I think think is my best stuff. One of my biggest problems (I wouldn’t say problem.. more like a “thing to think about”) when I’m writing poetry-like stuff is finding my voice. I’m just a kid – most of us have only just started to “find our voices.” Even some adults are still doing that. This problem-thing becomes especially apparent when I’m writing what is considered to be a little more deep than the usual stuff. I know, this sounds crazy, but sometimes I even feel a tiny bit guilty writing about emotional or philosophical things.. It’s like I don’t deserve to be talking about life like that (’cause I’m no old man). Compared to a lot of people, I’ve been through nothing. For the average kid, though, I think – emotionally – I have more-than-average.. insight? I’m not talking about going through grief or poverty and the likes, more like panic/depression. But, as my about-blurb so elegantly states (and this poem by Ron Padgett), I wouldn’t have it any other way. Through the occasional suffering of having panic disorder, I really believe I’ve become a better person. I could talk for so long about this.. really.
I assure you, people, that I will not trip over this. I know I really don’t need to worry about it (“just write, man”), and if I do I can talk to my friends/family. Not that you’re not welcome to comment/write me! I just don’t want you to think I’m desperately reaching out to the internet. And thankfully, luckily, I’m not/I don’t have to. This kind of stuff is hard to say over teh interwebz, anyway. That reminds me: When I wrote this post last Sunday I, in no way, meant to diss you guys! I love my readers! You don’t need to feel guilty if you’re a Wilco fan reading my blog. You should feel guilty, though, if you’re just reading it to creep on my dad :/. Nonetheless, you – the cool ones – rock.
Aaanyways, poetry stuff, along with a new book I got (and my friends) inspired me to [try and] make a zine! So far I’ve got the cover and first page done, and I’m happy with it. I plan to continue making it/them this summer and maybe include some stuff from Sammy (he’s really gotten into making his own comic strips and drawing). And, when I get my Diana+, some film pictures will fo’ sho’ be in there. I’ll definitely scan the pages and post it, and I’ll most likely make some photocopies.
Also something that sorta inspired me to make a zine are my new notebooks. I, uh, kinda have a “thing” for notebooks and journals. And writing utensils, for that matter. I loove going to Staples and Office Depot. Too bad they don’t make gift cards.. They probably do, but they’re not popular/I’m pretty sure no kids go, “Oh hey dude, I got you a Staples gift card. Happy birthday!” As for my new notebooks, I bought three, from Penelope’s (their website doesn’t entirely do them justice), only the awesome-est store EVER. I die of magnificence-overload every time I go there. I bought a two-pack of journals with this one design, where one has the alphabet and one has numbers counting up to ten, and one other one that’s really weird from Spain or something and all the pages are wood grain (I’ll post pics later). Wood and grass = two of my favorite things.
Song by Wilco from the Spongebob Squarepants movie. Me, Sammy, and a bunch of our friends sing backup vocals on it!
I think it’s great that you want to get your feelings out on paper, whether through a journal or poetry or both. I wish I had started keeping a journal when I was your age. I would really like to be able to read now what I was thinking back then, because it’s really hard to remember (fast forward 20 years). Who knows, something you write down now and come back to at some point in the future might inspire song lyrics? That’s a snazzy camera. Hope you take some cool pics with it and share them on your blog. Have a great summer!
ST, you are ON TARGET. Seriously, I’ve taught 13 year olds for a while now and you are ON TARGET. Keep doing your thing! Love, love, loving your posts.
i just took a poetry workshop at school..we had to write a poem a week, have it commented and edited by 20 something other kids for 3 hours. it was pretty mentally daunting, and i hated it at first… but, i have to say, it was the most rewarding experience, and completely transformed how i write and process poetry! i definitely recommend sharing it, especially if you know fellow-poetry writers. its odd because when i was younger i was really weary of criticism, but as i get older, i realize i thrive on it and LOVE it. and i can relate to the panic, because i’ve had that all my life and it sucks but its like, a good 70 percent of all my poetry!
I identify with the almost-fetishization (if that’s a word) of writing utensils and notebooks. If you want to get really drooly over pens and stuff check out stores targeted at Architects (Peter Miller or PaperHaus if you’re ever in Seattle) or art supply stores. Way better than Office Depot, though twice as expensive. The camera looks great. My Dad’s a photographer; he’s totally stopped using film cameras but I miss his old work. I think the quality of digital images is great but the digital prints don’t have anywhere near the feel or quality of the silver gelatin paper prints.
Haha, “I Believe in a thing Called Love” is in your lastfm, I was singing that like a damn fool last night, falsetto and all.
My friend and I are obsessed with office supplies, its sort of weird, I’m sure. I love opening a new composition notebook and flattening the spine, ahhh. But some poetry I really liked reading in 8th and 9th grade was TS Eliot, one of my teachers gave me an anthology saying “I know you hate poetry, but this isn’t like what you’re thinking of”. My experience of poetry at that time was the dumb poems they’d put on state assessments.
Spencer, Staples DOES have gift cards, and I get them for my daughter (16) for gifts because she is a pen-a-holic. That kid loves her notebooks and pens, and she is also a poet, first published in 5th grade in an anthology.
She’s a fan of ee cummings right now, and loves Edna St Vincent Millay. She can’t stand Sylvia Plath for the angst, and absolutely loves Gary Snyder for his ecopoetry. He’s great if you haven’t read him.
Nice camera. Am looking forward to seeing the photos and zine. I too, am a self obsessed stationery-holic. I can’t stop buying but I really should. And whenever I go away, I always scope out stationery stores. I can’t get by without moleskine notebooks. They’re the best.
Well this will sound weird, but I saw you on the telly last night. There was a doco on 7 Worlds Collide. The wall of self portraits was fantastic! What a great idea. Do you know when the album is due out?
OK, I am dying to see Sammy’s comics. DYIN.
Someday I’ll show you the zine I did in the early 1990s. Very embarrassing.
Om nom Diana om nom prettyyyyyyyy
Thank you, I thought I was the only one who felt incredibly pretentious writing poetry or songs when uhhhhhh I probably shouldn’t have much to write about. I’m better at writing at night as well. And when Blonde on Blonde is playing. And I’m on a lot of meds. KIDDING. meheh.
Perhaps I shall write a poem out of my Captcha…Splicers hospital?
The only way you get good at poetry is practice (which is why I’m not any good at it). By the time you have something to write about, you’ll be used to practicing. No harm in it.
Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you have nothing to say. :)
I think it’s really cool that you got the Diana camera. I got one myself for Christmas. I went hot air ballooning and think I got some pretty cool shots. The only problem is, I can’t find anywhere that still develops film! Any ideas?
PS- I love your blog, comes right to my phone when you post. Keep it up!
Thanks!
Renee
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