What with all this “SWINE FLU” going around, maybe we should be.
Don’t ask me how that makes sense.
That was some NASA space artwork from the 70′s. My favorite one is probably the last one. It looks so.. adventureful. And green. Isn’t it funny that back then they thought we’d be LIVING in space now? Or at least around now. Sorry, estimations a little off, doc. Though maybe we are getting close (I don’t know, I just googled “moon colony”).
Today I spent most of the day hanging out with Henry and Hayden. We had a band practice (for the first time in a while.. it went quite well), and later Henry and I went to “Ribfest”. It was infested with dogs, babies, and, yes, ribs (plus the occasional hipster.. heheh).
The Captain.
… and his pirates (can you see ‘em there?). It was a promotional-thingy for Captain Morgan rum, fyi. Stupid rum. [whiiich I just remembered was in my birthday cake (?!)] . It was so funny, we walked by, and they were surrounded by a bunch of kids. (um, inappropriate?)
Yesterday, Tavi and I reunited yet again. This time, we ravaged through a record store, Walgreens (ew film is so expensive), some local shops.. encountered a probable pedobear (who was very interested in Tavi’s head-bow-thingy. I mean, it was.. nice? but uh it was weird), looked through a yearbook, and lots of other cooool stuff.
Tavi, on an important business call. Probably discussing world domination (perhaps Tomas has returned?!).
Me, failing at life the Vulcan salute.
Tavi, shooting up crack/pure sugar Pixie stick.
Just some of the awesome stuff we got.
Fujis and (candy) cigarettes. Don’t smoke, kids.
A really cool album cover. This picture doesn’t do it justice.
Books, Tavi, Lomo Fisheye.
You can’t really see what’s written up there (above “curb”). Let’s leave it up to you to guess.
Took this blindly.. Turned out ookay, no?
MOLESKINES! Pretty.. Anyway, my scanner thinks it’s being smart and tries to crop and/or rotate all the film I’ve been scanning (some turn out fine, though). I’m like, “nothanks, could choo just scan it please?” What’s that? Scanners don’t think? And, yes, I do talk to my scanner. (Don’ judge, foo’.)
DAMMIT TAVI, NOW I’M ADDICTED TO NESQUIK. Let’s start a new trend, shall we? EVERYBODY START SNORTING DRINKING NESQUIK. (Ooh, lots of fun with alternate wording lately.) Also, START RUNNING AROUND IN CIRCLES, because Swine Flu is [or has now been labeled] a pandemic! By the way, I’m pretty sure this Nesquik is from the 90′s. EXPIRATION DATE FAIL.
Brbz, posting on Tumblr.
You know, it’s funny how Tavi and I – and everyone, for that matter – make fun of hipsters so much. One might think I’m a hypocrite, wearing Converse and relatively-skinny jeans, listening to vinyl and being obsessed with film. But just because you look or have similar interests as one doesn’t mean you are one. To me, the difference between being an *artsy-person* and a hipster is state of mind. From what a hipster has come across to me as (and, take into consideration, there are many different kinds/levels of hipster-ness, so we might not even be thinking of the same thing), it seems they have a really pretentious, young-people-are-better attitude. Now, I hope you don’t think that’s what we are! It’s not even necessarily a bad thing to be [like] a hipster. Hipsters are, after all, the ones (usually) listening to good music and the ones that would be going to Lounge Ax. I don’t know, this is all vurry confuuuusing. What are your thoughts?
I bought two records: Marquee Moon, by Television (such a masterpiece, specifically the song Marquee Moon – epic. p.s. you might see it in Spin magazine soon, heheheh), and The Kids Are Alright, by The Who (I know it’s a soundtrack, technically). Both are such amazing works of.. music. I also bought Star Trek postcards and a Beatles notebook (Paul). Oh, and a Captain America postcard.
MESMERIZING. My dad bought me Merriweather Post Pavilion (Animal Collective) on vinyl. Who agrees that it’s a teeny bit weird listening to new/techno-ish music on a turntable? Not necessarily in a bad way – just strange, combining to things from very different eras, I guess.
What’s not to love?
On the way home Sammy, mom, and I totally rocked– er, rapped out to Boom Boom Pow. Apparently, my motha is fond of this, “Black Eyed Peas” group [UPDATE: My mom has informed me that she does not, in fact, like Boom Boom Pow anymore].. Yes, my mom, previous bar-owner and woman who’s been in the rock music business for decaadess, likes them (that song, in particular). Well, my dad does like Beyoncé (who doesn’t?!). Go figure.
Hurrs some more phoh-tohs (I love using unnecessary h’s!) from the Fooji camera (and alternate spellings with double letters!). Please excuse the fact that they’re scans, it’s really the only option for putting these online. I also editedidedd with Photoshop – just cropping and resizing, no retouching or anything.
We saw this GINORMOUS dog while we were walkin’ around the neighborhood yesterday. I think it was part-bear. Like raccoons?
So if raccoons and dogs are both related to bears, does that mean raccoons are part-dog? Maybe they’re just cousins.. brothers-in-law? (btw how cute are Sam and Joey?)
I love these shots, especially the one on the right (the wood pattern + slouching gargoyle = WHAT? awesome).
All of this picture-taking (especially with film.. so fun with film) has really been making me feel creative/inspired lately. That, along with summer and the ~natural course of feelingz~, I think. And music.
It also got me thinking a lot about how you can use photography to express feelings/emotion, a story, a sculpture, yourself, anything – and how that makes it a form of art. I’m not really sure how I look at my photos.. Sometimes they can tell a story, but that’s up for the audience – and me, I guess – to interpret. How do you interpret some of my/these photos?
That said, I don’t take photography very seriously. For now, it’s more just a hobby of mine, not quite like music and writing. I don’t want to take any photography classes or anything. Of course, there’s always more I can learn about it and more skillz to be had, but I think I’d rather enjoy the slow course of self-teaching and experimentation than begin to learn it all quickly/from a teacher. I think this way it’s easier to develop your own style of whatever you’re doing “more fluently,” and you can learn more about yourself in the process. I only started taking drum lessons a few years ago, when 1. it was required by school band to take lessons, and 2. I wanted to expand my technique and diversity of playing.. And even then (and now), my drum lessons were/are more of a “show-and-tell” with my teacher – he’ll play some Latin grooves or give me some jazz drumming material to listen to, and I’ll show him some of the grooves I’ve been playing, and so forth. You know, I’m not just saying “SELF-TAUGHT IS BETTER!” Well, I kind of am, essentially. But I have nothing against classes/teachers! (innocent, I swear!) I just prefer to learn on my own, most of the time, that’s all.
Interpret that.
Sammy and I watched this episode of Spongebob today. Pretty interesting, no? A little bit disturbing, too. We also made cards and watched part of School Of Rock. That movie is filled to the brim with stereotypes. But I love it.
So, in the midst of the 7th grade trip and raving about Spock, I tote-uhlee forgot to talk about the weekend! And last weekend! Wooo I’m a little bit behind..
Last weekend was great. Henry, Hayden, and I went to Great American (or Six Flags, whatever it’s called) for Heendawg’s turning of the 14 (his birthday, but that sounds cooler). I think our favorite ride was, undisputedly, Raging Bull.. At first, I didn’t wanna go on it. Hayden was even more adamant – he was about to get out of the line by himself and wait for Henry and I to ride it. Buut, after minutes of persuasion, Hayden agreed to come on the roller coaster. It. Was. Awesome. And we went on it again. Hayden said it was “okay,” he didn’t particularly like it, “but it was fun” or something. He just wanted to be in the Wild West village (if you know Hayden, that will make total sense to you).
Ya see the ones in the neon 90′s shirts? Yeah, yeah them. That’s us.
And we did go to the Wild West.. We went there on a search for another roller coaster, which led us to a mock-saloon and two plates of fried dough. Yes, fried dough. Delicious, sugar-topped fried. Dough. The saloon, by the way, was a disgrace. Absolutely a disgrace to cowboys – like Hayden – and their true buckaroo pride. It was full of fake guns and an auto-piano and “vintage” pictures.. and, oh yeah, a ginormous flatscreen TV? A corporate mockery, basically. Or as Henry and I described it, “this place encompasses all the FAIL of America.”
The bathroom was disgusting, also, but we won’t even go there.
Anyway, we had an uber-good time. The next day was Tavi’s Bat Mitzv– Wait no, Tavi’s Bat Mitzvah was before Great America. Oopsydoops. It was great, anyway. I really liked her speech – it was all about expression and art and, of course, fashion and how she relates all of these things to Judaism and, y’know, lots of interesting stuff. I really enjoyed being part of it. Thank the internet that we’re friends! (We have met in-person, on more than one occasion, FYI. That’s to all you “Where’d you meet her? THE INTERNET? Bahaha” people! None of you guys, more like people at school. Okay, carry on. //parentheses spasm//) I think she loved my presents (prizes, as we like to call them).
And even before that (we’re going backwards, it seems) was graduation! It was fun.. Heartwarming, as usual. What’s that? Yes, I have a soul (Tavi’s joke…). The dance was fun, also, but, uh.. I had a much better time at Henry’s house (see here’s where the “we’re going backwards” gets confusing.. whatever).
I wonder what we’re saying/thinking in this picture, hmm?
The awesome chandelier in Sheba’s salon. Looks like a jellyfish, doesn’t it?
Today I went to Sheba’s new salon for a summer haircut! And I must say, it’s a win. We took pictures, played Tetris, danced to Beyoncé (Single Ladies, thankyouverymuch). Speaking of Beyoncé, she is one of – if not the – only pop singer I would actually listen to.. Same thing with her husband, Jay Z, who just released what seems to be a really.. groundbreaking song? Death Of Autotune, if you haven’t heard about it yet. I think it’s all about how a majority of rap music these days is centered around money and commercialism/marketing, and how that needs to change. I kind of admire him for rapping about this, even if his image is still $$$etc like all the others. But hopefully this will help restore the musicianship and whatnot in rap music (now that’s not saying all rap right now is commercial, you know what I mean).
Top: Sheebsters! Left: Me, this morning, before the haircut. You can’t really tell any difference here. Right: Me – I took off my shirt because there was hair all over/in it. And I pulled up my shorts for some reason.
Can you believe I let her near my face with scissors?
She is the #1 hairstylist in Chicago, though. Durr.
Guess what came in the mail today?! The Fujifilm Instax cameras! Finally, after two months, they’re here. Now I can take Polaroid-esque photos… Ah, it’s so nice. Just today I used four cartridges (two packs) of film. Here are a few of the pictures I took, I’ll post s’more soon.
Lil’ baby Noah!
I hear the Polaroid factory is starting up again, no (here, here, and here)? Whatever, these Fuji’s will still be cool. And maybe their film will get cheaper, too. Happy WWDC today, also! New Apple stuff.. always exciting.
(Made by meee! Note: that’s the old, original Spock, for those who don’t know)
Okay, so there’s a reasonable story behind this. During the 7th grade trip, I found out that one of my friends is *in love* with Spock. Well, first we were talking about Star Trek, then she mentioned Zachary Quinto, the actor that plays the new Spock. Then somehow it came about that she thinks Spock the character is hotter than Zach Quinto himself (Tavi thinks the same, no?)… Soo, for the rest of the trip, we – me and one of my best friends, Ray, otherwise known as the one who carried chili-soup to the dumpster with me/was my tentmate/etc – taunted her about liking Vulcan ZQ more than human ZQ. And that’s how this somewhat vulgar phrase came about (trust me – there were much worse…).
That said, Spock is a beast/awesome/one of my heroes.
Also about Spock: Zachary Quinto is Jewish. That means one more epic tribe member, aside from Sarah Silverman. Win. (He probably has huge Jewscles. New word, by the way, meaning “Jewish muscles, muscles of a Jewish person, etc,” pronounced “juice-kles” or “jews-kuls” – not sure which yet. I submitted it to Urban Dictionary [UPDATE: Jewscles was not admitted to Urban Dictionary! Ratsss]. Or even better: Jewsticles. Goes along with the Spock’s pubic hair theme, eh?)
Jeez, you could dedicate a whole post a whole site to Spock alone. Ohwait, someonedid. A lot.
