Is That Real Action?

Today when I went on my computer I was overwhelmed with information about the Kony 2012 initiative by an organization called Invisible Children.  I’m not going to get into the details of the cause because that’s not what this post is about.  What was interesting about my first interaction with all the information today was my initial response… I was angry.

I wasn’t angry that my facebook page was full of “Kony 2012″ or that a cause was being brought to light.  I was angry because I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach that a bunch of people who have been fortunate enough to live in the first world, felt like they’ve “joined a movement” by clicking share and sitting through a 30 min video.  I got the distinct feeling that people felt they’d actually done something significant by pressing a button and watching… and now they had something novel to add to the usual rhetoric they spew around the water cooler or campus cafeteria.  That is until something newer comes along and their lives get changed… all over again… and they’d just have to share it.

Rewind five to six months ago and we saw the exact same type of “armchair activist” doing their part during the peak of the Occupy Wall St. movement.  Don’t get me wrong, a lot of people took the streets for the Occupy movement and a lot of people are donating time and money to make sure the Kony 2012 and a million other causes are seen through to the end.  And I’m not naive, I understand that making things easy is the best way to get a large group of people involved.  My issue is the sense of accomplishment people on social sites seem to feel for doing very little.

As I write this, I find it odd that I tend to be fascinated more with the populous’s reaction and interaction with a particular cause than the actual cause itself.  Although the reason I write this is because I feel there’s more people willing to give themselves a pat on the back for recycling a video on a social network site, than people who inconvenience themselves to take part in a change.

The rub is that real change never comes easy.

Have we become a culture that is so fixated on instant gratification and instant fixes that we can’t maintain focus on one cause till the end?  Or maybe our problem is we think that clicking share and watching a video… is real action.

Morning After: True Fiction

She didn’t plan on approaching the night with such an insouciant attitude but as she stared at the waif, fair-haired boy lying in bed beside her, it was clear that she could have exercised a little better judgment.  While she surveyed his peacefully satisfied face, memories of the nights events started to come back to her.

Normally she wouldn’t deign to sleep with someone like him, a character best described as a haphazardly amateur boy. She was usually drawn to strong men who said little, thought little, and did little.  She hated using the phrase “dumb jock” but not even Cinderella’s slipper fit as good as that idiom.  She remembered he had a barely there accent but she couldn’t pinpoint where it was from and he spelled his name Maarten instead of Martin.  Which was so cliché and typical of an eccentric artist… which he claimed to be.

“Good Morning?” he said to her as he opened one eye and caught her sizing him up. “So are we happy with our decision-making so far in 2012 or are we wishing life came with do overs?”

She could feel herself turning red and the thought clicked, she had just rang in the New Year with a complete stranger.  Hoping her face didn’t give away her state of mind she realized she’d been silent for way to long and had just been caught staring, “I’m sorry, I Just… I mean… Oh God, I’m being awkward.” She said with the cadence of a snowball picking up speed as it rolled down a hill.

“Well you’re awkwardness is appreciated, had you felt you made a mistake you probably would’ve made a quick retort and tried to get me outta here… but since you’re nervous I think drunk you and sober you have similar taste.” An elegant observation he made while concocting an endearing half smile-half smirk.

I was at this moment that she remembered that it was his slightly cocky attitude that eventually won her over, but before she could fire back with a witty statement of her own.

“What are you doing today?” he asked, “I’ve got nothing going on and I could really go for some pie… Lemon Meringue pie to be specific”

“I don’t think they you can get that, this early.” A statement she feared came across as a question rather than fact.

“Oh, I know… I was wondering if you felt like making one… with me… today… more specifically… this morning”

A void of silence filled the room as the awkward tension hit a new high.  Her thoughts raced as she tried to find an appropriate answer, weighing the pros and cons of the situation.  Usually when a guy wakes up in the morning they’re interested in more sex, but this situation had proven to be a first. If she did spend the morning with him, and got to know him… it’ll feel a lot less like a one nightstand.  On the other hand… it was just weird.

“You’re doing it again,” he said while looking at her oddly concerned, “You’re overthinking and not answering my question.  I get that it’s a little weird that a complete stranger wants to get to know you after spending the night together, but I’ll feel less like a sleazy bag if I actually have a decent conversation with you… and really, what’s more intimate than pie.”

Three Words

Amazing, Loving, and True
… the beauty I see in you.

Enchanting, Fascinating, and Cool
… the person that always shines through.

Caring, Connected, and Aware
… when our eyes dance in the deepest of stares.

Nervous, Unwilling, and Resistive
… until I finally took down my defenses.

Open, Honest, and Bare
… how I feel when we meet and share.

Serenity, Peace, and Bliss
… every time our lips meet for a kiss.

Soft, Gentle, and Smooth
… your skin in every nook and groove.

Raw, Unbridled Passion
… right before the climax happens.

Unique, Perfect, and Right
… describes when I lay beside you each night.

Home (re)Grown Vol. 5

All things happen for a reason… This is generally how I like to perceive the world around me.  All actions have a meaning and help shape the direction our lives tend to gravitate in.  A series of events led me home and as my time here draws to an end something interesting happened.  I got into an accident…

My beautiful car of six years got hit while I was pulling out of a parking lot and since it was my first accident I was beyond rattled.  I can still close my eyes and see the grey van bearing down on my drivers side wheel.  I can hear and feel the intensity of the metal and plastic meeting in a violent embrace.  It was an experience I won’t soon forget and luckily all parties were safe.

Car crashes are nothing like in the movies... I've been lied to

After a couple of weeks of dealing with the insurance people I found out that they weren’t going to fix my vehicle and I was going to receive cash instead.  At first I was frustrated because I hate waiting, and having a car gave me freedom… freedom to come and go as I please.  Now I had to be without a car till I found one a suitable replacement. So I juggled the idea of getting a used beater that would be in my price range so I wouldn’t have to make payments… or get a slightly used 2010/2011 and have car payments.

I spent time weighing the pros and cons of both options, then I realized there was a third option I hadn’t even considered.  Live life without a car. It was a simple and easy answer to all my problems.  No car payments, no worries that somethings going to break down in the cheap seven-year old car I bought, a smaller carbon footprint, and lastly more money in my pocket. (Cue Jimmy Fallon and Capital One Cash Card Commercial… “Who doesn’t want more money?”)  I’ve always secretly envied bike guy or walk everywhere girl… people who use alternative means of transportation because they want to cut down on pollution.

The more and more I thought about this third option, the more and more I realized that I got into that accident for a reason.  I spent a lot of time think about going green when it comes to transportation but never really had the stones to go through with it.  It was a novel idea that I never intended on ever acting on… till now.  I decided now is as good a time as any, plus I’ve heard great things about Montreal’s transit system.  Going Green in 2012… for the environment and for my pockets!! (Mo Money… less problems!)

As a friend so eloquently put it… “You don’t need a car, cars are for the weak!“

a man… alone

I love you and I don’t know why
you stole my heart
you made me cry.

I feel you in every breath I take
your face crosses every thought I make.

You’re a soft, subtle killer… you seek and destroy
but please set me free I’m not your toy.

I’m not strong enough to leave your side
so why have you tightened your grip…
do you want me to die?

I know harms not your intent but I’m fading now
you’re all I want and resent
oh how this pains me…
ow!

If we keep this up, you know I’m not going to make it
yet you still syphon every breath
so go ahead…
take it!

Take all my hopes! Take all my dreams!
Take all my love! Take all these things!

You’ll leave me hallow, you’ll leave me bare
but you never wanted me
you never cared.

Let me gather the dust of my broken bones
or let me drift in the wind…
a man…
alone

Weekend Doc

I’ve always found it interesting how people could watch a documentary and in one hour or so totally change their world view.  I like a good documentary as much as the next guy, I almost cried during The Cove and was rattled for some time after watching it… but lets get real.  People who buy-in instantly rarely last…

This past weekend I had a lazy weekend with @Rh3mA and we decided to go on a Documentary rampage… I’ve done this before with movies.

1) More Than A Game - Not a huge fan of LeBron James but this was an decent doc, it was good to see the team come together at the end.  Although the most interesting thing about this doc was how one article in Sports Illustrated basically catapulted LeBron to superstar status.

 

2) Ungaurded - Keeping with Sports we watched ESPN Films documentary on Chris Herren, a phenomenally talented athlete with an addiction problem.  It was crazy how great he played when he was high, and you couldn’t help but wonder how great he could have been if it wasn’t for his disease.

 

3) Inside Job - Probably one of the most upsetting documentaries I’ve watched in a while.  I think I’ve seen this one four times, but still the same response every time.  It’s very frustrating watching the current broken financial system in place, and then seeing all the people that profited from this monetary game of musical chairs get richer… disturbing.  I am glad that this documentary won an Oscar, I believed it deserved to get some recognition.

 

4) Thrive - You gotta sit through some pretty “out there” dialogue, but hey… maybe its right up your alley.  Although a very informative documentary about topics such as free energy and global politics, it had a distinct conspiracy theory feel to it.  The production doesn’t help either… during the first 30mins I felt like there was some mild brainwashing going on. It’s tagged as an unconventional documentary and that’s exactly what it is.

 

5) Forks over Knives - Solid documentary, some staggering facts about diet and how it relates to heart attacks and cancer.  To think some people reversed damage to their bodies and even got off a potpourri of medications is amazing.  You’d think that it be front and center news on how we can cut our own personal healthcare cost, and in turn the healthcare cost of a nation… but that’s way to easy and not profitable.

 

6) Food Inc - Tough to watch… one way to describe this documentary.  As I get older I turn into more of baby when it comes to violence and death on screen, and some of the ways the animals were being treated and killed… deplorable.  Definitely had a visceral response to this documentary, and it also highlighted the Oligarchic power that the major food producers in the USA have.

 

7) The Greatest Movie Ever Sold - The coolest part of this documentary was seeing San Paulo, Brazil, one of the worlds largest cities and their ban on outdoor door advertising.  I think it would be amazing to live in a place with no billboards, no posters, no taxi or bus ads. Just urban architecture and green space for days… no retinal pollution.

 

At the end of the day every documentary is one side to a double sided coin, it’s great information and if that information lines itself up with your personal beliefs then you can use it as a tipping point for action.

*Not for nothing but I did end up getting sick on Monday and I couldn’t help but think… “I wonder if the fact I ate like crap over the weekend had anything to do it?“

Home (re)Grown Vol. 4

Moving home has done a couple interesting things to me, one of them is making me revisit the music of my teens. I really didn’t have lots to be “angsty” about from age 13 – 19, but if you ask my siblings I was one sensitive kid.  Always brooding and letting something fester… and I’ll be honest some of that sensitivity still lingers around but that’s neither here nor there.

The point of this post is the awesome playlists I used when I needed to dig deep or reflect.  Kids now-a-days don’t know anything about real emotional music… “back in my day music meant something.” (I think I aged 5 years from that comment) So I give you some bands I leaned on heavily as a teen when I thought the world was soooooo hard.

1) Rage Against The Machine: If there was a better band out there… I’ve yet to hear them.  The combination of Zack de la Roche and Tom Morello was magic.  I admit I’ve never been one to listen to a whole cd, I usually gravitate to a couple key tracks. Then one day in high school someone gave me the Evil Empire album and it was over. I still remember channeling my inner Zack and raging along to “Tire Me” infront of my older brother… he was so confused.  But how could you not love the poetic hip-hop aggression belted out over every head-rocking guitar riff… every track was pure emotion.

2)Wu-Tang Clan: “Shaolin shadowboxing and the Wu-Tang sword style. If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous. Do you think your Wu-Tang sword can defeat me?…”  (From – Bring Da Ruckus off 36 Chambers)

A group of hip-hop misfits, spitting lyrical brain candy over beats created by the RZA??? Yes please!  Countless hours were spent playing basketball while blasting  the Enter the Wu-Tang and Wu-Tang Forever Albums. Every member had a purpose and they’d come together like Voltron to form the ultimate rap group.

3) R.E.M.: Technically a little before my time but I found could relate to the beautifully troubled voice of Michael Stipe.  A great band, I think everyone has a favorite R.E.M. song. I spent a lot of time reflecting as a kid and R.E.M. was the soundtrack to those introspective times… lights out listening to E-Bow the letter or The One I Love was a regular occurrence.

 

4) Nirvana: In Bloom by far my favorite Nirvana song… I always found it weird because I found a peaceful balance when I listend to Nirvana. (So cliche given the name of the band and what I just wrote… but it’s true) When I wanted to shut the world out… When I wasn’t raging or feeling like I needed to reflect, I would go on a ride with Mr. Cobain.

 

What songs take you back??