![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
samuraimujuru's journalLog in Create a LiveJournal Account Learn more
| You are viewing samuraimujuru's journal Log in Create a LiveJournal Account Learn more | Explore LJ: Life Entertainment Music Culture News & Politics Technology |
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
|||||
|
SamuraiMujuru's Journal  I learned something interesting today. Apparently, in summer and spring, people don't bathe. Now, I know what you're thinking. You no doubt assume this means I ran into a particularly grimy and foul smelling person while out on my whacky adventure, but in this case, you would be incorrect. The origins of this discovery are quite simple. A friend of mine is planning to go to Anime Iowa as the retired version of The Comedian from The Watchmen, and had most everything he needed, with the sole exception of a bath robe. I had heard through various other friends that try as he might, he could not find one for the life of him, with the sole exception of at Bed Bath and Beyond for $60. Recalling adventures at Wal-Mart, and knowing I had seen bath robes there, as well as strongly contemplated buying one, I advise a late night excursion to Wal-Mart to track down the elusive sleeved towel. Upon arrival at the first Wal-Mart, I go straight to where I know I have seen them before to discover that they are not there. I wander around shouting obscenities at loud volumes for a bit, and then we decide to trek across town to another one just to confirm the lack of them. After arriving at the second location we confirm that no, they do not have robes either. We check over in the bath good section just to be sure, and then ask an employee as to if they know where the robes have vanished to. We are led over to the head lady of the area, and we are informed that bath robes are "winter and fall seasonal." Which all leads to one very simple question. What the fuck?! How the hell does something as simple and everyday as a bath robe get marked a "seasonal"?! It's a fuck bath robe! People put them on after they have bathed! Which has since led me to believe that the only reason they are seasonal is because people do not bathe in spring and summer. Perhaps evolution has removed the glands from the latest generation of the human creature. Perhaps dirt, dust, and the like are actually all recycled and used as a source for nutrients and energy. However, come the cool autumn and winter months, the human machine does not function at it's full potential, so its recycling systems are brought off line and the power is redirected to the warmth centers, thus necessitating the use of showers, baths, and the like. It would seem to me that big companies like Wal-Mart are of the opinion that, come summer, people do not wish to be trapped in a stuffy sleeved towel, that they would rather prance naked through the hot air until they have dried. Or maybe they feel in the hot months people prefer to fumble with tying knots and folding towels in strange and unusual ways should they want to be able to leave the rest room during the drying process and not be spotted as bare as the day they were born (minus the blood and grime, of course) I can understand heavy coats being seasonal, as anyone wandering around in a heavy coat in the middle of summer is either completely insane, has a death wish, or lives at one of the polar ice caps. I can even understand the seasonal disappearence of long sleeved t-shirts, an issue that has plagued me in the past. But I do not, nor do I think I ever will, understand seasonal bath robes. Earlier today I recieved the following message from my father. The majority of the people I know on here probably didn't know me back when Polina was staying as my families exchange student, but my assitance has been requested, and I always do my best to deliver. ----------------------------------- December 2 this year will be the first anniversary of Polina's death and I would like your help with a gift for her mother, Tatiana, which I hope to give her on or near that date. My intention is to assemble a collection of memories from people who knew Polina when she was in America. From you, I would like a short message about Polina's place in your life. I hope to get a variety of messages—from as short as one paragraph to as long as two or three pages. Content may be as simple as a particular event you shared with Polina or as complex as a recollection of what Polina's friendship has meant to your life. Use your imagination—it can be fun or serious; whatever you'd like to say that will allow Tatiana to see some of the positive influence Polina had on us. Each message should have just one central theme or event. If you would like to include more than one message, feel free to do so. (For example, if you want to write about a particular event and about what Polina's friendship has meant to you, do so in two separate messages. Don't try to fit one within the other unless it helps to emphasize the meaning of the latter.) If you have a photo or two associated with your memory, please send them to me, as well. Also, a recent photo of yourself would make this even more personal. Although December is several months away, I expect that it will take me some time to assemble everything into a tasteful collection. If possible, please send your message to me this summer. If you want to contribute, but are unable to do so before summer's end, please send me a short note so that I know to expect something from you and tell me when I can expect it. Along with your recollections, please tell me how you would like your name to appear in the collection. If you'd like to include an address (e-mail or postal) in the collection, please include that, too. Finally, if you know anyone elso who could contribute to this gift, please forward this message to them. Thank you, Steve Malerich sfmalerich@q.com I wonder if you can apply just for an ambulence driving position without any real medical knowledge, 'cause I'm starting to get pretty damned good at this. Apparently, this last year or so has just been horribly unlucky for people I know. Kicking things off was having to pick up my friend from Mercy after she cut her hand open on a glass, then a period of time punctuated by running Boggs' mum and/or little brother to and from hospitals, Bill (Evans, the roommate) getting a horribly infection in his tooth and having to leave halfway through Full Metal Jacket to get back to my apartment, grab him, and make it back to the hospital. Throw in a few more random Boggs' family related issues, then my friend Kristina becoming horribly dehydrated, having to play ambulence and then nurse, and now, today, getting a call around five in the morning from Angie in relation to something I had actually been keeping a eye on, to some extent, thanks to twitter. I've gotten rather skilled at hurtling through town at high speeds without either A)Running afoul of traffic or B)running afoul of the authorities, as well as being in just the right place at just the right time (or just the wrong place at just the wrong time. Really depends on how you look at it.) Ya get all jittery thanks to a horribly combination of sleep deprevation, worry, and adrenalin. Fun stuff. In more amusing news, the nurse walked into the room with Mike's morphine singing the Mighty Mouse thing, which was pretty epic. I'm also fairly certain we were in the same room that Bill had been in when I had to run his ass to the hospital. Weird stuff. A request to everyone who may see this... Mumbly and Bryan Humphrey have asked that I spread the word that they are looking for any and all pictures of Brian that anyone may have. No matter how candid, serious, depressing, embarassing, hilarious, or whatever, if you have it, share it. The following e-mail addresses are Mumbly's and formerly BJ's, that one currently in use by his mother and close compatriots, as well as Bryan Humphrey, the man organizing the book. They hope to make a photo book composed of memories of our fallen friend, whatever they may be. Each memory tells a story, and all stories will be kept going into history. Please, if you can, share your stories as they were captured by the unblicking eye of the camera. Let us make a fitting tribute for a man who touched us all. videl7886@hotmail.com heymumbly@gmail.com b_humphrey@hotmail.com Current mood:  lonely.Current music: Murder By Death. I was driving around for work related reasons recently, and I was suddenly struck by an epiphany. Wandering through life, as we all do, we often wonder what our purpose is. What truly drives us? What are we supposed to bring to the big poker game that is living? In recent weeks, I have suddenly come to realize why I am here on this lovely ball of rock and water, and why, despite being a dirty bag of mostly water*, I have been placed here. The majority of religions believe we have been placed on the terra firma for a reason. One single thing that drives us to do what we do, whether we know it or not. I have come to realize that life, contrary to what they all say, really is just like the movies, and tv, and books, albeit with less super powers and weird aliens (sadly. Super powers and aliens rock.) Regardless of intentions, regardless of reasons, I find myself quite frequently being cast as someone who's just out to cause trouble, sling insults, and make every single person around me walk through a living hell. I don't even have to be involved in the situation. I could be completely oblivious to what the hell is going on, but yet somehow, it's my fault. I once was sitting at my kitchen table eating a bowl of ramen and a sibling of mine screamed in some manner of pain from the second story, but yet still my mother glared at me, assuming it was somehow my doing. This is the type of thing I have dealt with for my entire existence. The grapevine has brought to me news of my awful doings, only to be surprised and impressed that I could pull off such a thing without ever once remebering it, as well as having been at work at the time. Sometimes I amaze even myself. It was thinking upon such things while driving in the middle of nowhere, listening to most likely the new Offspring CD (It kicks ass, you know) that it all suddenly made sense to me. I suddenly understood my purpose, my reason for being, and why I can't escape being the villain. I'm the Antagonist. In this great big video game that we call life, I am that character that rises up to challenge the Main Character. Whenever the Main Character starts to lose faith in themselves, I am there throwing a wrench into their plans. Whenever they start to be certain of what they are doing, I question their stances, their morality, and their world. Yes, in the end, I may be defeated, or so they think, but there I am, in the life-stream, only to be re-incarnated when they least expect it. Whether I mean to do it or not is trivial. My simple presence forces the Main Character to rise up against an ever new challenge, to ponder what it is that drives them, and to further cement their beliefs and values. You may hate me, you might revile my simple existence, but in the end, you need me. Without my presence, you will not grow. You preach against my evils in hushed tones, but yet you still come back, subject yourself to my presence without me even lifting a finger. Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away. Slowly out of line And drifting closer in your sights So play it out I’m wide awake It’s a scene about me There’s something in your way And now someone is gonna pay And if you can’t get what you want Well it’s all because of me *Anyone that can actually name that reference earns a billion cool points. Current mood:  drunk.Current music: The Offspring. So, I just got out of The Watchmen. In my opinion (and it is definitely not humble) they pulled it off quite well. Sure, there were some changes, but honestly, if you look at it, the majority of the changes were neccesary. You could either take the extra hour or so to randomly pop to the occasional Joe Fuck artist on a beach drawing a squid, then pop back to the main story. They could have left in the Black Freighter, yes, those bits are badass and add an interesting parralel to the story, but seriously, it's coming out on DVD in a few weeks, and it's not needed to get the point of the movie accross. I fucking love the Space Squid, but seriously, the minor change they did to that made the story far more meaningful in todays global setting while still maintaining the awesome 80's feel. (Oh shit, Spoiler alert! Oops! Sorry! The comic has been out for over twenty years, if you didn't know that, guess what, Jesus dies and the Titanic sinks) Though, nice as that little rant is, I have a bigger topic to attend to. Apparently the entire movie viewing audience is a bunch of fucking ten year olds in grade school health class. Any fucking time Doctor Manhattan came on the screen you'd hear giggling just spread trough the audience. Sweet jeezus! A male character has a dick! Oh my fucking god, call President, this has never fucking happened before! (No one saw Eastern Promises, then?) The really fucking sad thing is people who had read the damn comic where in their giggling like twats, too. Guess what, kids! This is the Watchmen. This isn't Adam West Batman, this isn't Smallville, this isn't some of the sugar coated bullshit super hero movies to come out in recent years. This is a masterfully written story touching on extremely intelligent issues about morality, society, and perception. One of these is what happens when a man becomes a god? That's half the point of the character! He has gone beyond the needs or mindsets of any human and things that really aren't neccesary when you sit done and think about it are, big fucking shock, now not needed. Fuck! They spell it right out for you! They go on a huge tangent about how his world view is so far more expansive, reaching a cosmic scale, then something miniscule like clothing or other things that seem important to us are, when viewed logically and removed, pointless. But no. Despite the fact that most people were there well aware it's not some "zot" "pow" cheesey super hero movie, hell, and even a film like the Dark Knight, lauded for pushing the hero movie envelop, looks almost light hearted in comparison, and unlike Batman said in DK, there ISN'T good in everyone, everyone will sit stoically and attentive while something random is happening, and even in the sex scene people were rather well behaved, but Doctor Manhattan pops up on screen with a dick and everyone becomes children. Focus on what the movie is about, and what it has to say, and grow the fuck up.  
Hooray, time for another random rant! Come to me, my gin, and let's make this happen. It's relatively public knowledge I hate this damned holiday. It embodies almost everything I find wrong with society and culture these days. Since I was but a whee lad who could comprehend what the hell was going on, this damned day has always left a sour taste in my mouth. Before I sunk to the levels of bitterness and cynicism that I Currently have this day still rung as something off. You look around, see idiot kids trying to impress whatever girl/guy it is they're trying to get into the pants of by any means neccesary. Candies, professions of love and desire, romantic little notes and get togethers. Watch 'em all happen and just know that in not a week's time they'll be broken up and complaining about how much of a whore the other was. What a productive way to build healthy relationships, right? Fast forwards not a handfull of years and now I'm in a relationship, kept away from the person I long for most both by chance and by my own bizzare and twisted morals. I was, and still am, aware that my internal pain is primarily brought on by my own inability to go for anything casual. Once I'm in, I'm in for the long haul, whatever that may bring. Now, as I spent seven damned Valentine's days not only seeing that these jackoffs are using this holiday of "love" to further their own retarded and twisted goals, I'm starting to notice that what they have in front of them they take for granted. Every hug, carress, kiss, anything. To these idiots it's just a game, just a little side thing not to give a shit about when it stands along side the end goal. To my young and deluded idiocy it is the pinnacle of what I hope to some day achieve, not just an ends to a means. Fuck, it still is to this day. It's a godforsaken craving I wish I could just get rid of, lord knows it would make things easier. Fast forward another handfull of years. I have been stabbed in the back, used, abused, and then cast aside like some convenient toy that has since lost it's value. I have tasted my deepest craving, I have seen it for what it can be rather then what most percieve it as, and for a few short hours I am the happiest person alive. Then it all comes crashing down and I see what a farce it really was to all involved with the exception of myself. Crushed, stranded, I slowly begin to claw at the pieces, trying to get myself back together again. Now, not only do I see what a joke this whole mess is, I have experienced what it has the possibility of being, and the jackoffs who just use it as an excuse to get laid infuriate me even further. All the idiots who rush to get signifigant others just for the damned holiday only seem to add to the rage, the bitterness, the hatred, as something with great potential gets perverted even further. And then the commercialization kicks in. Any company who thinks they can make a quick buck on all these idiotic flings flock like crows to a field of corpses, and then I am pelted with aural and visual stimuli of this "love" they claim exists in the heart of it all, each little commercial tugging at something raw and exposed, like jabbing at a gaping wound. And then, when you get down to the real nitty gritty, I'm just some overly offended lunatic who's wound so tight that something that would have little effect any other time is now suddenly a catalyst for explosion. I see that any pain and misery is, in the end, tied to some idiotic action of my own, and while my distate may be founded, everything else is just an irrational build up on top of it. I know there are people who are out there that appreciate it for what it is, and use it as a way to make what they have stronger, but in the end, the sea of idiots surrounding these few tiny islands just further show to me that these are people who don't even try, don't even think, because clearly if some random people can get it, it's something that everyone should have the ability to percieve. So, in the end, cheers to all of you who really, truly get it. Enjoy the day, do something special, but in the mean time, I'm just going to deal with all the frustration and rage in one of my now prefered methods. My good friends Whiskey and Gin shall help me get through this godforsaken day. "Why do I love when I still feel pain? When does it end, when is my work done?" -VNV nation- Current mood:  angry.Current music: VNV Nation-Illusion. Y'know, I'm starting to get tired of all this shite. Anyone who knows me could tell you I'm not a political minded person, I just generally don't care. What few political stances I take are driven by either personal whim, or some similarities to my own bizzare and twisted view of right and wrong. For the first time since ever, you all shall now see Phil the Lumberjack go off on a politics-based tyrade. I listen to/watch the news a lot. My favorite radio station is NPR, as it keeps me informed on what the flying hell is going on in the world (I love you, BBC World News), and with my antenna down, I've been listening to WMT. While I'm killing time at work I'll often sit down in front of the TV and watch whatever news channel they've got on at the time. What this has done for me in recent months is steadily drive me mad. In November, whether you like it or not, America voted in majority for Barack Obama. Maybe they liked his message, believed in his views, wanted a black man in power, didn't care who it was as long as it wasn't a republican, or perhaps, like me, were a big fan of 24. Regardless, he won. I have a number of conservative friends, and my family is primarily conservative, and I was one of the only few people not being a jackass and rubbing Obama's win in the face on my conservative compatriots. Hell, we had an election party specially tailored to people of both alignments, so either way you got to have drinks and wind down. Didn't matter who won or lost, it was election day, something happened, and that meant drinking. So, now we have a democratically elected president, who happens to be a democrat, as well as black. Hooray. Now we can get our collective heads out of our asses and get to work fixing shit that be fucked, right? Well, you'd think so. The reality would seem not. Rather then lick their wounds and get on with business, the people who "lost" seem to prefer to just rub salt in their own sores. I have seen, in my limited scope of perception, a seemingly unprecedented attempt by an American president to work with both sides. Everyone knows Obama could, if he so chose, steamroll whatever it is his plan might be through the house as well as congress. He doesn't. He in all honesty TRYS to get everyone in on his plans. This stimulus bill has changed dramatically since its creation with a great deal of Republican input. More tax cuts, pulled birth control, etc. etc. He has spent great deals of time, money, effort, and sweat to get the Republican voice heard in things. What do we get for all of this? An unprecedented ammount of nitpicking. A lot of the people I work with out at the airport are conservative, and all the power too them, but rather then constructive criticism, what do I hear? "I don't like how he turns away from the parade." Umm, hello? He's being harrassed by three people behind him. It's not a malice thing, not a lack of interest, but a bunch of people going "oh, you're the new president, please talk to me." Wow, what a shock, right? That NEVER happens! People wanting to talk to the president. Pshaw. Also, stating that Obama is a Socialist. You know what's extra funny about that one? The actual American socialist party sure as hell does NOT agree with that statement. In the end, this is most evident in two places. 1)Rush Limbaugh. What a jackass. I just don't like him. 2)Facebook. That's right, Facebook, the central haunt of yuppy wannabe liberal artist idiots. People who get newspapers and sit at Panera and talk about how a the rubbish from a vacum bag is deep and full of meaning. It would seem to me a number of people have decided to, rather then be productive, speak to their local congressman/house representatives/fellow party members, post obnoxious and hate filled shite. It's funny, I've even seen one say that they "hate fighting with their friends about politics." Well, here's an idea, if you bring up politics like a jackass, it will be fought over. Period. This is why politics and religion are avoided in decent conversation. Since I have only seen select people be able to rationally and reasonably discuss politics, and never once has that ever been on Facebook, you'd think they'd pick a better battleground. Every damned day I see some new jackass bitching and moaning about something or other that was "done wrong" or will "doom the country." Funny, 'cause when you get down to it, doing NOTHING would far worse doom the country then doing something, and seeing as how you'd all rather just sit and bitch rather then actually be productive, that's what would happen were it all in your hands. Hooray. You killed the internet. To top it off, I've seen groups and discussion both on the internet and in the news ranting about how Obama should be impeached. I ask you this, why? What has he done wrong, seriously? Last I checked you had to do some pretty fucked up shit to get impeached, like have fucked up whitehouse sex scandals, or be Richard Nixon. Sure, Obama might have done things you don't agree with, fine, but can you HONESTLY sit down, shut up, take a good critical look, and then tell me Obama has actually done anything truly impeacment worthy? If so, then you're retarded. The absolute worst thing anyone can truly say he has done so far in office is try to do things right. My god. That bastard. He has good intentions? Off with his fucking head. FUCK. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a quick breather... ... ... ... ... Okay, anywho, on with the nonsense. So far, this has been, I'll freely admit, directed primarily at the whackjob right wing convervatives. Since my rage knows no bounds, I shall throw some in the other direction... Flaming liberal democrats. The jackasses of you in there who, rather then, as I have aforementioned, set shit aside and get things done, are just as much to blame. All you assholes who spent days rubbing the Obama win in any Conservative face you could find, you are the ones that have incited the Yuppy rage of the facebook conservatives. You are just as much the cause of the constant obnoxious notes on my interenets about pissed off conservatives who have nothing better to do with their time. You, too, should shut the fuck up and go be productive. Why don't we all just sit down, shut up, re-evaluate our priorities and rather then bicker, bitch, and moan, go on, stand back up, and with a sure and certain stride, move forward with our lives, and try to dig this country out of the hole it's in. Once in a while, even I am proud to be an American. In my own fucked up way I am doing my best to bring this country out of this recession. The only way to stimulate the economy is to get money flowing, so rather then wasting your time bitching on the internet, as I just have, go out, go to Panera, buy your newspaper, buy a lunch, spend. Get money flowing again rather then sit and bitch about how so and so should be hung or some such shit. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a book to pick up, a soda to purchase, and a sandwich to eat. And just by doing that, I have proven to be more American and more concerned with helping the economy then any jackass sitting on their hands and bragging/whining 'cause their guy did/didn't win. Current mood: angry.Current music: Coheed and Cambria. It's probably a useless longshot, but hey, don't know until you try. Last night my car was broken into and a number of items were stolen. Amongst these was half of my recently purchased Dreams of the First Age. The box, map, guide to Meru, and Lands of the First Age are all well and good, but Lords of the First Age was amongst the items stolen. I'd really like to not have to buy a brand new copy of the whole box for one part, and even used they still go for above forty. If, by some odd reason, anyone has a spare copy of Lords of the First Age and is willing to come to some manner of agreement or deal, please, drop me a PM. |
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||