I just had one of the coolest things happen to me. I was listening to some music (Of Montreal) on the computer while going through the school website to get to the eResources in the library section. On the front of the library page there was an embedded music video by some artist or something. At first I clicked past it, but then I thought I should check it out if the library thought it was worth embedding on their front page. So I went back. I didn't want to stop the music I was listening to so I decided I'd just mute the video player, since it was probably the visuals that were the best part anyways. I started the video playing and then all of a sudden The Party's Crashing Us (by Of Montreal) started playing almost in response. I continued to watch in awe as the video almost perfectly synced up with the music, or vice versa I suppose. I couldn't believe how well they worked together. I never actually listened to the video's actual music but as far as I'm concerned it may as well be the video for The Party's Crashing Us. It was an amazing fluke how it worked out, essentially from start to end, completely perfect. The dancing in the video was even on time! The video was Department of Eages - No One Does It Like You. This experience has definitely interested me in the compatability of different music with different music videos. There are so many great music videos that are awesome independently of their music. The music can completely change the context of everything so switching the audio could definitely do some very interesting things.
Mostly though I just thought it was an incredible accident. That reminds me of a thought I had the other day and I'm not sure if it's entirely true, but accidents may just be the most beautiful thing in the world.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Story in the Mind
I watched Alien 3 tonight. I had watched Alien and Aliens over the previous two weeks as I've been working my way through the quadrilogy. I thought Aliens was an amazingly awesome movie so going into Alien 3 I guess I had some expectations. It was a very different movie from the other two, I'm not sure if it was in a bad way though. It was just a very different mood and seemed almost completely detached from the other two.
After finishing the movie I went to the imdb forums and started reading. I have never seen so much conflict in an imdb forum. There are a lot of people that have serious problems with the movie. I can understand why when reading their points. There are many plot holes and the film also kills off the only two other characters from the previous movie before this one even begins. I can't say it was a satisfying conclusion to the other two movies. And this is where I am very interested in how I feel about that.
All three movies are stories, thought up out of someone's head the same way my own imagination can do, or anybody's for that matter. The stories have been tied together by their names, characters, and visuals. But what really validates the stories as a fictional truth? Do I have to accept the events of the third movie as an unavoidable conclusion to the other two? Many people don't, I discovered reading on imdb. So can anyone ignore whatever parts of a story they want to? In my opinion this is an acceptable thing to do. The same way many people reject star wars episodes 1, 2 and 3. The author loses control of their characters and events the moment they share their creations with another person. In general, people like to accept the author's intent for the plot but is it necessary to do so? I think my imagined ending to a book I never finished is just as real as any ending. Maybe that goes against everything a story is supposed to be because it is very difficult to convince myself it's true. I'm fascinated by the feeling of unrest I share with many other fans over the plot of Alien 3. What if instead of watching the movie a friend just made up a different story for Alien 3 on the spot and told it to me? How would I feel about the story then if it didn't live up to my expectations? At what point and degree of delivery does the story develop enough authority to invest my feelings.
I feel like maybe I'm nerding out here and discussing the difference between fan fiction and recognized canon, but I think there's more to it than that. I could walk out of a movie half-way through and decide for myself how things end. The reason I can do this is because unlike real life, a story will only advance from within my own mind. So it is interesting to consider then how much interest we will give to a story that has been brought to a screen or text. If someone were to tell you a character in your favorite tv show was killed you would no doubt be intrigued and perhaps saddened, but realistically it is only the writer that has decided this is true. And what right does a writer have to decide a fact once you have carried the story into your own mind? I don't know. I need to think about this more.
After finishing the movie I went to the imdb forums and started reading. I have never seen so much conflict in an imdb forum. There are a lot of people that have serious problems with the movie. I can understand why when reading their points. There are many plot holes and the film also kills off the only two other characters from the previous movie before this one even begins. I can't say it was a satisfying conclusion to the other two movies. And this is where I am very interested in how I feel about that.
All three movies are stories, thought up out of someone's head the same way my own imagination can do, or anybody's for that matter. The stories have been tied together by their names, characters, and visuals. But what really validates the stories as a fictional truth? Do I have to accept the events of the third movie as an unavoidable conclusion to the other two? Many people don't, I discovered reading on imdb. So can anyone ignore whatever parts of a story they want to? In my opinion this is an acceptable thing to do. The same way many people reject star wars episodes 1, 2 and 3. The author loses control of their characters and events the moment they share their creations with another person. In general, people like to accept the author's intent for the plot but is it necessary to do so? I think my imagined ending to a book I never finished is just as real as any ending. Maybe that goes against everything a story is supposed to be because it is very difficult to convince myself it's true. I'm fascinated by the feeling of unrest I share with many other fans over the plot of Alien 3. What if instead of watching the movie a friend just made up a different story for Alien 3 on the spot and told it to me? How would I feel about the story then if it didn't live up to my expectations? At what point and degree of delivery does the story develop enough authority to invest my feelings.
I feel like maybe I'm nerding out here and discussing the difference between fan fiction and recognized canon, but I think there's more to it than that. I could walk out of a movie half-way through and decide for myself how things end. The reason I can do this is because unlike real life, a story will only advance from within my own mind. So it is interesting to consider then how much interest we will give to a story that has been brought to a screen or text. If someone were to tell you a character in your favorite tv show was killed you would no doubt be intrigued and perhaps saddened, but realistically it is only the writer that has decided this is true. And what right does a writer have to decide a fact once you have carried the story into your own mind? I don't know. I need to think about this more.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
New Personal Best
I just set a new personal record for longest time riding a public bus as the only passenger. I didn't keep track of time or stops but I can say that it was almost like riding a gigantic taxi for practically free.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Free Movie Making in Space
In amongst a ton of awesome dreams last night I had one that stood out as one of the most bizarre ideas I have ever dreamed up.
I was hanging out with some friends and I think we were in a fast food restaurant. One of my friends started telling me about this cool project that someone had done where they sent a bunch of space ships up into orbit around the earth. Each of the ships was equipped with cameras that could be accessed online. In addition to this, the space ships could also be controlled from online. Basic commands could be given to the ships by anyone using the website and then that person could save any video captured and essentially create any kind of space scene that they wanted for a movie. To solve the problem of the ships running out of power, the ships had been loaded with cows and grass. The cows would provide fertilizer for the grass while also creating some form of energy that the ship could use. The cows and ships were in theory capable of staying functional for an unlimited amount of time. I was impressed that they had managed to get so many cows up into space and that they were now just grazing in orbit. I was also excited about the potential of shooting video from space. It was at that point that the dream started making even less sense and I'm afraid I don't know exactly what happened, but I think the cows started dying for some reason.
I was hanging out with some friends and I think we were in a fast food restaurant. One of my friends started telling me about this cool project that someone had done where they sent a bunch of space ships up into orbit around the earth. Each of the ships was equipped with cameras that could be accessed online. In addition to this, the space ships could also be controlled from online. Basic commands could be given to the ships by anyone using the website and then that person could save any video captured and essentially create any kind of space scene that they wanted for a movie. To solve the problem of the ships running out of power, the ships had been loaded with cows and grass. The cows would provide fertilizer for the grass while also creating some form of energy that the ship could use. The cows and ships were in theory capable of staying functional for an unlimited amount of time. I was impressed that they had managed to get so many cows up into space and that they were now just grazing in orbit. I was also excited about the potential of shooting video from space. It was at that point that the dream started making even less sense and I'm afraid I don't know exactly what happened, but I think the cows started dying for some reason.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
That Metaphor
I have no problem with coming up with a ton of things to do and saying I'll do them all but then not actually do most of them. Is that basically a rewording of that metaphor about aiming for the stars? I think it's important to vocalize all your ideas, even if they seem unlikely to occur because there is a better chance that they will be remembered, (by anyone even), and they may eventually evolve into something. Not sure if I got that across properly. I've just thought about it several times about how I do make lots of plans for projects but complete almost none of them. No regrets.
A micro-dream that I had briefly last night before falling asleep for the long slumber. I had only been out for a minute or so and then I woke up and realized that it was a funny dream but doubted very much I would remember it through to the morning. But I did remember it. I was hanging out with a friend and he needed change for a 20 dollar bill, for something, can't remember. He asked me if I could 'bend' it, which in my dream was actually a well-accepted term for breaking it into smaller change. I couldn't. So he suggested we go to a nearby convenience store to get a 'bender', which was another common term in the dream used to describe a relatively cheap product that is purchased for the sole reason of breaking a larger bill into smaller change. That's it. I actually really like those terms and will try to use them more in the future.
I haven't posted anything here for a long time. It's been difficult to motivate myself, even though it takes very little time and is also a great way to back up ideas. I'll try harder.
A micro-dream that I had briefly last night before falling asleep for the long slumber. I had only been out for a minute or so and then I woke up and realized that it was a funny dream but doubted very much I would remember it through to the morning. But I did remember it. I was hanging out with a friend and he needed change for a 20 dollar bill, for something, can't remember. He asked me if I could 'bend' it, which in my dream was actually a well-accepted term for breaking it into smaller change. I couldn't. So he suggested we go to a nearby convenience store to get a 'bender', which was another common term in the dream used to describe a relatively cheap product that is purchased for the sole reason of breaking a larger bill into smaller change. That's it. I actually really like those terms and will try to use them more in the future.
I haven't posted anything here for a long time. It's been difficult to motivate myself, even though it takes very little time and is also a great way to back up ideas. I'll try harder.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Pictionary and Beyond
I was playing pictionary a couple days ago with some friends. We didn't have the actual game so we googled for some sort of word generator site that we could. We found a forum discussion on that exact topic and used a link to one of the better suggested word generator sites. As we soon discovered many of the words were very difficult to draw, ie. Nominal, and we also had numerous issues with tenses that I myself have never encountered playing normal pictionary. I will not say the game was less fun though; if anything I was laughing harder each round. Some of the approaches to the more challenging words were so bizarre and so removed from the word itself that they became really interesting studies into how someone thinks. It made me want to do something more with pictionary.
One idea I had was to choose a really impossible word to draw and then attempt to create an elaborate diagram that could conceivably be created during a pictionary game that would guarantee a single correct guess to who anyone that saw it. It would obviously require a good deal of planning but I think looking at a picture like that would be a lot of fun and be really interesting to see how a bunch of unrelated images could lead someone to just understand it as just one word.
A second idea that would probably not work so well would be to play a normal pictionary game only the drawer is not allowed to draw the word in it's literal sense. Using words that rhyme, opposites, and considering larger contexts in which the word would appear the drawer would have to work around the basic image of the word to actually create a solid foundation for the use and understanding of the given word. It's almost like some kind of combination between the game Taboo and Pictionary. It could be a lot of fun. If I can ever convince a small group of people of the game's merits I intend to attempt just such a game.
One idea I had was to choose a really impossible word to draw and then attempt to create an elaborate diagram that could conceivably be created during a pictionary game that would guarantee a single correct guess to who anyone that saw it. It would obviously require a good deal of planning but I think looking at a picture like that would be a lot of fun and be really interesting to see how a bunch of unrelated images could lead someone to just understand it as just one word.
A second idea that would probably not work so well would be to play a normal pictionary game only the drawer is not allowed to draw the word in it's literal sense. Using words that rhyme, opposites, and considering larger contexts in which the word would appear the drawer would have to work around the basic image of the word to actually create a solid foundation for the use and understanding of the given word. It's almost like some kind of combination between the game Taboo and Pictionary. It could be a lot of fun. If I can ever convince a small group of people of the game's merits I intend to attempt just such a game.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Bipolar on Food
I can't think of anything else that makes me feel the way I feel about food. Most of the time I want food, often I want food so much that I can think of nothing else. And when I get food and eat it I generally want nothing to do with food anymore. The more I want food when I get food the more I find it repulsive after I have eaten it. This is all easily explainable, but I find it interesting that nothing else makes me feel this way. I suppose that I could play a game for half a day and not want to play it anymore, but that's not the same. I doubt I would have been craving the game so much that I wanted to play for such a long time, and I doubt I would hate the game at the end, I'd probably just want to do something else. So, I guess food is unique.
Brief dreams from last night.
In one dream my friend had made a movie based on a dream he had, and I watched the movie, and it didn't make much sense.
Next dream I have a contruction light and I am walking around at night. I am trying to figure out where to set up the light to illuminate some object or space. I think it was supposed to be some kind of art work or something.
Another dream I am sitting in the sand on a beach. The sand starts sinking slowly while I am sitting there. I notice some seaweed that is very slowly crawling away, I thought it was pretty cool at the time. I stand up and notice the sand is suddenly caving in where I had been sitting. It turns out to be some kind of creature living below the sand, like an anemone, and there are several on the beach. I am repulsed and angry because I had been sitting right above one. I want to kill them but I don't know how to.
Forgetting dreams now. A comment on conversation. One of the worst things that can happen in a conversation with someone you don't know very well is when someone mishears the other person and strongly agrees with a statement only to find out seconds later, when the person has to restate their position, that the person said the opposite of what they thought they had originally heard. It's awkward for both sides. And it leads to one of two conclusions. Either that person strongly disagrees with the other person on whatever the subject was, or perhaps more embarrassing, the one person just tried be agreeable by going along with what the other person said. After that point any hopes of serious discussion dwindle considerably. It happens.
Brief dreams from last night.
In one dream my friend had made a movie based on a dream he had, and I watched the movie, and it didn't make much sense.
Next dream I have a contruction light and I am walking around at night. I am trying to figure out where to set up the light to illuminate some object or space. I think it was supposed to be some kind of art work or something.
Another dream I am sitting in the sand on a beach. The sand starts sinking slowly while I am sitting there. I notice some seaweed that is very slowly crawling away, I thought it was pretty cool at the time. I stand up and notice the sand is suddenly caving in where I had been sitting. It turns out to be some kind of creature living below the sand, like an anemone, and there are several on the beach. I am repulsed and angry because I had been sitting right above one. I want to kill them but I don't know how to.
Forgetting dreams now. A comment on conversation. One of the worst things that can happen in a conversation with someone you don't know very well is when someone mishears the other person and strongly agrees with a statement only to find out seconds later, when the person has to restate their position, that the person said the opposite of what they thought they had originally heard. It's awkward for both sides. And it leads to one of two conclusions. Either that person strongly disagrees with the other person on whatever the subject was, or perhaps more embarrassing, the one person just tried be agreeable by going along with what the other person said. After that point any hopes of serious discussion dwindle considerably. It happens.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
My Thoughts on Potential
It just occurred to me. Potential is the most frightening concept. In every way. To think about all the things that something could become is more alarming than anything else I can think of. Just think about it for a second. Yeah. Not only has your life up to this point probably been wasted, but at any moment you could lose your mind entirely. THAT'S POTENTIAL. When was the last time you did the best you could do? You probably didn't. THAT'S POTENTIAL. How much less awesome will your day tomorrow be than it could be? THAT'S POTENTIAL. I know. Scary stuff.
Speaking of scary I had a dream in which I was playing some form of game which involved being attacked by dinosaurs. Later in the dream when the dinosaurs weren't around I started thinking about the T-Rex and my heart rate shot way up. I really wonder if it was just in my dream, I hope it was. It was the most intense anxiety/fear I think I've ever felt. My pulse must have been above 200bpm. I checked my pulse when I woke up but it was normal.
Speaking of pulse, I've managed to get myself hooked on DDR, Dance Dance Revolution. It is one of the best video games I have ever played. It's a tough game but the more I play the better I get, and the better I get the more exercise I get, and the more exercise I get the better I feel, and the better I feel the more I want to play the game. It works like that. I highly recommend it. It takes some time to get into but never before have I been so hooked on a healthy exercise activity. The only possible downside is that sometimes when I close my eyes or look at a blank wall I see arrows floating across the space. But really, there is no downside.
Speaking of downsides, I have nothing more I want to write right now.
Speaking of scary I had a dream in which I was playing some form of game which involved being attacked by dinosaurs. Later in the dream when the dinosaurs weren't around I started thinking about the T-Rex and my heart rate shot way up. I really wonder if it was just in my dream, I hope it was. It was the most intense anxiety/fear I think I've ever felt. My pulse must have been above 200bpm. I checked my pulse when I woke up but it was normal.
Speaking of pulse, I've managed to get myself hooked on DDR, Dance Dance Revolution. It is one of the best video games I have ever played. It's a tough game but the more I play the better I get, and the better I get the more exercise I get, and the more exercise I get the better I feel, and the better I feel the more I want to play the game. It works like that. I highly recommend it. It takes some time to get into but never before have I been so hooked on a healthy exercise activity. The only possible downside is that sometimes when I close my eyes or look at a blank wall I see arrows floating across the space. But really, there is no downside.
Speaking of downsides, I have nothing more I want to write right now.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Exciting Transit Dreams
Well I had a bunch of crazy dreams last night. The best ones unfortunately I either cannot remember well enough or they actually just don't make any sense outside of their context and it would be futile to try to explain them here.
In one dream I was at a skytrain station with my friend. There were some areas kind of around the track that were made of really old wood. I don't know if we were exploring these areas or what but my friend suddenly had a handful of pennies* that he had found lying around in one of the spots. He knew that I would want them so he just gave them all to me. Then I started looking through them. They were pretty dirty but I was astonished when I discovered one from the 19th century. Then I found another one that was from 1316 or something. Obviously impossible, I don't even know when the first penny was made, but in my dream I believed it somehow and was pretty excited. My friend felt stupid then for just giving me the pennies because he knew they were probably very valuable. I was planning on adding the rare one to my dad's penny book** but I didn't know where they could possibly fit because the book started in the 20th century. I started putting the pennies into my backpack but somehow spilled all the contents of my bag instead. Then the train showed up and I was annoyed because I had to pick everything up and I missed the train.
In the dream I was also aware of a special 'transit secret'. There was someway to get onto the skytrain that would basically give you free fare if you could manage it. I think I may have got it right earlier in the dream at some point but later on I couldn't figure it out again. I think it involved getting onto the train between cars when it pulled into the station. Then when it started moving again you could 'ghost' through the window or something, (the only way I can imagine getting back in). If you could accomplish that I think that you'd basically never have to show fare for the rest of your trip because technically and logically speaking you should never have been riding on the train in the first place because what you just did was impossible, (but actually just a secret). The best part was that every time you did it you got to go to the front of the train where the driver was sitting and they would give you a special die. I was trying to collect as many of these die as possible. I don't think there was anything particularly special about them. But they were nice, and they were free.
Next up, I was getting ready to get on a bus and I was trying to figure out which fare to use. I had my normal bus pass, but I also had this other fare form that was actually an eraser, like one of those big white staedler erasers. It had been used a bit already. Though I knew it was a valid form of fare, I suddenly forgot exactly what it's value was. It couldn't be a monthly pass because I already had one of those and it wasn't a single ticket either. I started questioning it because it started to seem strange that it was an eraser. I was asking my friend as we got to the front of the line to get on the bus but he couldn't answer my questions. I finally got on the bus and presented the eraser, with my hand in my pocket ready with my monthly pass just in case. The bus driver simply nodded. Relieved that it was valid I asked her what the eraser was because I couldn't remember exactly. She gave me some reply that didn't help me at all and then looked at my a little confused. I pretended to understand and went to the back of the bus.
Stopping the dreams now, I watched Dr. No last night. It was actually full of terrible but laughable parts. I think it's been such a long time since I've watched an older bond movie that I forgot that they were originally pretty full of cheese. The last Pierce Brosnan bond film seemed like such a joke but when compared to Dr. No it does seem like a totally valid bond film, for it's time at least. Possibly one of my favorite scenes from Dr. No was the terrible car chase. I just found it on youtube for anyone that wants to know why I like it so much. It will be obvious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fft1l_l8vR8
*It is a life long goal of mine to collect enough pennies to be able to force them out of circulation.
**My dad just recently got a book for collecting pennies as described in the dream.
In one dream I was at a skytrain station with my friend. There were some areas kind of around the track that were made of really old wood. I don't know if we were exploring these areas or what but my friend suddenly had a handful of pennies* that he had found lying around in one of the spots. He knew that I would want them so he just gave them all to me. Then I started looking through them. They were pretty dirty but I was astonished when I discovered one from the 19th century. Then I found another one that was from 1316 or something. Obviously impossible, I don't even know when the first penny was made, but in my dream I believed it somehow and was pretty excited. My friend felt stupid then for just giving me the pennies because he knew they were probably very valuable. I was planning on adding the rare one to my dad's penny book** but I didn't know where they could possibly fit because the book started in the 20th century. I started putting the pennies into my backpack but somehow spilled all the contents of my bag instead. Then the train showed up and I was annoyed because I had to pick everything up and I missed the train.
In the dream I was also aware of a special 'transit secret'. There was someway to get onto the skytrain that would basically give you free fare if you could manage it. I think I may have got it right earlier in the dream at some point but later on I couldn't figure it out again. I think it involved getting onto the train between cars when it pulled into the station. Then when it started moving again you could 'ghost' through the window or something, (the only way I can imagine getting back in). If you could accomplish that I think that you'd basically never have to show fare for the rest of your trip because technically and logically speaking you should never have been riding on the train in the first place because what you just did was impossible, (but actually just a secret). The best part was that every time you did it you got to go to the front of the train where the driver was sitting and they would give you a special die. I was trying to collect as many of these die as possible. I don't think there was anything particularly special about them. But they were nice, and they were free.
Next up, I was getting ready to get on a bus and I was trying to figure out which fare to use. I had my normal bus pass, but I also had this other fare form that was actually an eraser, like one of those big white staedler erasers. It had been used a bit already. Though I knew it was a valid form of fare, I suddenly forgot exactly what it's value was. It couldn't be a monthly pass because I already had one of those and it wasn't a single ticket either. I started questioning it because it started to seem strange that it was an eraser. I was asking my friend as we got to the front of the line to get on the bus but he couldn't answer my questions. I finally got on the bus and presented the eraser, with my hand in my pocket ready with my monthly pass just in case. The bus driver simply nodded. Relieved that it was valid I asked her what the eraser was because I couldn't remember exactly. She gave me some reply that didn't help me at all and then looked at my a little confused. I pretended to understand and went to the back of the bus.
Stopping the dreams now, I watched Dr. No last night. It was actually full of terrible but laughable parts. I think it's been such a long time since I've watched an older bond movie that I forgot that they were originally pretty full of cheese. The last Pierce Brosnan bond film seemed like such a joke but when compared to Dr. No it does seem like a totally valid bond film, for it's time at least. Possibly one of my favorite scenes from Dr. No was the terrible car chase. I just found it on youtube for anyone that wants to know why I like it so much. It will be obvious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fft1l_l8vR8
*It is a life long goal of mine to collect enough pennies to be able to force them out of circulation.
**My dad just recently got a book for collecting pennies as described in the dream.
Friday, December 5, 2008
High Heels
Several strange (as aways) dreams I thought I'd record for posterity's sake.
The most abstract and least interesting dream had me trying to edit a video. The only way to edit the video though was to play ddr (dance dance revolution). And the only way to edit the video well was to do well on the harder difficulties. All I remember really is many arrows and frustration.
I woke up at some point thankfully and managed to enter a new narrative stream upon return to sleep. I was walking down the street and I was planning on meeting some friends somewhere. For some reason I stopped into a fast food restaurant. They specialized in hot dogs and french fries I think. By some accident that I cannot recall I ended up ordering french fries and a hot dog. For the small amount of food I was given I was charged $15 and I was really upset. I wasn't even hungry and I was planning on eating with my friends later anyways. I didn't make any complaints as I paid but I was very careful to make a point of not tipping. I left with all the fries tucked into the bun with the hot dog. I kept thinking I should try to return it but gave up once I exited through the door.
Later I was in a mall with some old friends from high school. I thought it would be a great time to put on my high heel shoes, (no idea where I got them from). So I walked around through the mall in the shoes. I got on an escalator and realized I had no traction with my shoes and started sliding down. I didn't fall and it was actually very fun. Lots of people were looking at my shoes and I was returning there looks with smug smiles. I eventually started walking through a part of the mall that was dark and seemed under construction. There were multiple bars around here and I was worried someone in one of the bars would try to fight me because of my shoes. I realized I could always take them off and use them as a weapon but I hurried on. I really wanted to get out of the mall now. Suddenly all the people in the mall were swarming together. There was some kind of job test thing where people could be told what jobs would be best for them. I was sure everyone was brainwashed somehow because they were all walking so mindlessly. I was only interested in finding a way out. I took a turn and walking into a line for freak people that were going to do the test too. They had their own line. I decided I'd stick with the freaks for the time being. I was getting paranoid because my cell phone had no reception and thought it was being blocked somehow. I got on a large fire escape somehow and started going down to the bottom. There was some girl that didn't seem brainwashed and I guess we left together. I didn't know her at all but I suggested we do something fun. I noticed a giant indoor playground for children across the street and said we had to go there because it was awesome. While crossing the street I realized I was still wearing the high heels and knew I wouldn't be able to get in with them. My other shoes were in a locker somewhere from an earlier part of the dream. But then the dream ended.
Not enough time to write more but I did have a dream where I had to fight thugs with a hammer. The hammer was really heavy but fortunately the thugs never really rushed me so I managed fine. I dislocated some guy's elbow but then I hit him again and knocked it back into place. That was annoying.
That's all for now.
The most abstract and least interesting dream had me trying to edit a video. The only way to edit the video though was to play ddr (dance dance revolution). And the only way to edit the video well was to do well on the harder difficulties. All I remember really is many arrows and frustration.
I woke up at some point thankfully and managed to enter a new narrative stream upon return to sleep. I was walking down the street and I was planning on meeting some friends somewhere. For some reason I stopped into a fast food restaurant. They specialized in hot dogs and french fries I think. By some accident that I cannot recall I ended up ordering french fries and a hot dog. For the small amount of food I was given I was charged $15 and I was really upset. I wasn't even hungry and I was planning on eating with my friends later anyways. I didn't make any complaints as I paid but I was very careful to make a point of not tipping. I left with all the fries tucked into the bun with the hot dog. I kept thinking I should try to return it but gave up once I exited through the door.
Later I was in a mall with some old friends from high school. I thought it would be a great time to put on my high heel shoes, (no idea where I got them from). So I walked around through the mall in the shoes. I got on an escalator and realized I had no traction with my shoes and started sliding down. I didn't fall and it was actually very fun. Lots of people were looking at my shoes and I was returning there looks with smug smiles. I eventually started walking through a part of the mall that was dark and seemed under construction. There were multiple bars around here and I was worried someone in one of the bars would try to fight me because of my shoes. I realized I could always take them off and use them as a weapon but I hurried on. I really wanted to get out of the mall now. Suddenly all the people in the mall were swarming together. There was some kind of job test thing where people could be told what jobs would be best for them. I was sure everyone was brainwashed somehow because they were all walking so mindlessly. I was only interested in finding a way out. I took a turn and walking into a line for freak people that were going to do the test too. They had their own line. I decided I'd stick with the freaks for the time being. I was getting paranoid because my cell phone had no reception and thought it was being blocked somehow. I got on a large fire escape somehow and started going down to the bottom. There was some girl that didn't seem brainwashed and I guess we left together. I didn't know her at all but I suggested we do something fun. I noticed a giant indoor playground for children across the street and said we had to go there because it was awesome. While crossing the street I realized I was still wearing the high heels and knew I wouldn't be able to get in with them. My other shoes were in a locker somewhere from an earlier part of the dream. But then the dream ended.
Not enough time to write more but I did have a dream where I had to fight thugs with a hammer. The hammer was really heavy but fortunately the thugs never really rushed me so I managed fine. I dislocated some guy's elbow but then I hit him again and knocked it back into place. That was annoying.
That's all for now.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
I failed the challenge
I'll admit it. It's been a while since my last post. No catching up now. Finishing school for the year and starting work has changed around everything a lot. I've got to figure out what I'm doing again.
I slept from 9pm to 9am. I wouldn't do it again. I thought sleep was usually awesome but now I wish I never had to sleep. I blame it on the hour-long nap from 8-9 that grogged me up and made me not want to do anything else anymore. It's ironic that my saturday night was the least eventful night by far this week. I'm feeling kind of existential this morning.
I slept from 9pm to 9am. I wouldn't do it again. I thought sleep was usually awesome but now I wish I never had to sleep. I blame it on the hour-long nap from 8-9 that grogged me up and made me not want to do anything else anymore. It's ironic that my saturday night was the least eventful night by far this week. I'm feeling kind of existential this morning.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Two Movie Ideas
Two ideas for movie projects that I want to do this summer.
The first one is based on the movie 'bowfinger'. The premise of the movie is Steve Martin, an aspiring director, is trying to shoot a movie starring Eddie Murphy, the hottest action star of the time. He ends up shooting the movie without Eddie Murphy ever finding out that he was in the movie. It is really funny the kinds of things they have to do. What I want to do is have 2 teams that need to make a movie starring the other team. Neither team wants to be in the other team's movie so they don't know when they are being filmed. The teams need to be sneaky and capture the actors doing things on their own without any direction. The whole project would take place over a month, leaving lots of time to collect footage. Teams probably wouldn't bother to write a story until the footage was collected, but they may wish to set up events that their actors will be forced to interact with. It could be a tough challenge but I think the process would be very fun and the final products could be very interesting.
The other idea for a movie is called 'the remake'. Basically every week the same movie is made, from scratch and from memory. I'm not sure yet whether the remake would always be of the original or whether it would be of the previous week's remake. Either way it would be hilarious to watch everything together at the end. I once shot a terrible remake of a terrible movie we made and it was really funny to watch, even though both movies were bad. If this movie is any good I think the final product will be great.
The first one is based on the movie 'bowfinger'. The premise of the movie is Steve Martin, an aspiring director, is trying to shoot a movie starring Eddie Murphy, the hottest action star of the time. He ends up shooting the movie without Eddie Murphy ever finding out that he was in the movie. It is really funny the kinds of things they have to do. What I want to do is have 2 teams that need to make a movie starring the other team. Neither team wants to be in the other team's movie so they don't know when they are being filmed. The teams need to be sneaky and capture the actors doing things on their own without any direction. The whole project would take place over a month, leaving lots of time to collect footage. Teams probably wouldn't bother to write a story until the footage was collected, but they may wish to set up events that their actors will be forced to interact with. It could be a tough challenge but I think the process would be very fun and the final products could be very interesting.
The other idea for a movie is called 'the remake'. Basically every week the same movie is made, from scratch and from memory. I'm not sure yet whether the remake would always be of the original or whether it would be of the previous week's remake. Either way it would be hilarious to watch everything together at the end. I once shot a terrible remake of a terrible movie we made and it was really funny to watch, even though both movies were bad. If this movie is any good I think the final product will be great.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
While I Was Sleeping
Last night I was really tired and had lots to drink. I went to bed and sent text messages to everyone that had just been over, just thanking them and stuff for coming. Then today I was talking to a friend and he said he had got my messages. I was confused because I was pretty sure I had only sent him one. We kind of dismissed it. Then he mentioned what I had written and it didn't sound familiar at all. I didn't believe it was from me. Then I checked my phone and it was saved in my 'sent messages' folder. It was bizarre. The only possible explanation is that I fell asleep and sent him the messages while I was sleeping. It is possibly the funniest thing I have ever done without realizing it. The first text read "Could have fallen asleep." The second message read "So tired. Sleep will be tund sweet" There are so many things about these messages that are hilarious. Firstly, talking about sleeping, while I am in fact asleep. I must have been so exhausted. Also, the messages use english and everything but don't make complete sense. Could have fallen asleep is very unclear as to what it is referring to. 'Tund' is a word that I have never heard of before, but I might start using it. It's odd that it just popped into a normal functional sentence and made it ridiculous. Those were the only two messages that I sent out sleeping, both to the same person, after sending multiple awake texts to many other people.
The whole event is so funny for me. I don't normally do things in my sleep and texting seems like a more complex process. I wish I could write more while I am sleeping. It is interesting to see what kind of things the brain does when it's not being controlled by the consciousness.
Also, I missed two days of posts. I don't really care though. It felt more like one day really anyways.
The whole event is so funny for me. I don't normally do things in my sleep and texting seems like a more complex process. I wish I could write more while I am sleeping. It is interesting to see what kind of things the brain does when it's not being controlled by the consciousness.
Also, I missed two days of posts. I don't really care though. It felt more like one day really anyways.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Horribly Arrogant or Very Amusing
I had a ridiculous idea the other day to put a picture of myself on every locker at school. Just a black and white headshot on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. Then I thought maybe just slip them into each locker. I really like the idea because it is so stupid that no one would ever do it. And those are often things that I like to do. I'm a bit worried though that it would make me look too full of myself. Obviously I could avoid that by using a picture of someone else, but it would mean something different then, and I'd prefer it to be someone at the school. I can imagine people thinking I was a complete idiot for doing it, but I'm not too sure that I care. I would worry more about people that thought it was funny but thought that I was full of myself. I don't know if other people realize it much, but I am often very full of myself and it is a big fear of mine that I might start showing it too much. I think this project could be hilarious, especially in an art school, but I'm really going to have to give it serious thought and consult friends before trying anything. I'm almost thrilled by the idea of being that full of myself to leave everyone a picture of myself, but I'm also a bit repulsed by it. I do believe that to succeed it can be of great benefit to be full of oneself but I'm not sure exactly how this would help me succeed or what in. I want to be careful that I'd be doing it for the right reasons.
As soon as I finish my low-fi acoustic album I want to do a high production rap album. It comes down to lyrics as my main issue. I was thinking of a bunch of really personally emasculating songs that would contrast the typical rap song completely. If I can come up with ten of these I think I'll be fine. Writing lyrics is so hard when I don't want people to think they're stupid.
Once again, because I think I said it before, it is alarming how little control I have over my thoughts and feelings. They seem almost arbitrary when I step back, but they also make complete sense when I step forward. I wish I could rationally tell myself what to think. It would make life infinitely easier.
As soon as I finish my low-fi acoustic album I want to do a high production rap album. It comes down to lyrics as my main issue. I was thinking of a bunch of really personally emasculating songs that would contrast the typical rap song completely. If I can come up with ten of these I think I'll be fine. Writing lyrics is so hard when I don't want people to think they're stupid.
Once again, because I think I said it before, it is alarming how little control I have over my thoughts and feelings. They seem almost arbitrary when I step back, but they also make complete sense when I step forward. I wish I could rationally tell myself what to think. It would make life infinitely easier.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Identical Car Collision
This is a hilarious idea that my friend came up with that we were discussing more today. I thought I should write it down here because I don't think it was written down yet.
Two identical cars have a head on collision. The drivers and passengers are all wearing identical jump suits. Two different ethnic groups make up th drivers and passengers. In each car there are two of each people from the ethnic ethnic groups. One car speaks all just one language and the other car speaks all just the other language. After the cars collide the ambulances show up and the chaos ensues.
If the event could be staged properly, using stunt professionals and everything it would be a really neat thing to do. No one would know that it had been staged because crashes like that usually aren't. It would just be this incredibly bizarre event that people would never forget.
I once saw two identical cars, fancy expensive yellow sports cars, traveling in opposite directions on the same street. I remember that really surprised and amused me. I can't imagine what I would have thought if they had crashed into each other too.
I feel malnourished right now, I haven't been eating properly or regularly for a day. I'm going to try to get my body back on track tomorrow. I always feel much more appreciative of all the food in my fridge when I have been away from it for an extended period of time.
I had an amusing period of sleep last night where I remember laughing a lot in all my dreams but I'm not sure if there was anything to be laughed at. It was just pure solid fun times. I also kicked a wolf that was attacking me in another dream.
Two identical cars have a head on collision. The drivers and passengers are all wearing identical jump suits. Two different ethnic groups make up th drivers and passengers. In each car there are two of each people from the ethnic ethnic groups. One car speaks all just one language and the other car speaks all just the other language. After the cars collide the ambulances show up and the chaos ensues.
If the event could be staged properly, using stunt professionals and everything it would be a really neat thing to do. No one would know that it had been staged because crashes like that usually aren't. It would just be this incredibly bizarre event that people would never forget.
I once saw two identical cars, fancy expensive yellow sports cars, traveling in opposite directions on the same street. I remember that really surprised and amused me. I can't imagine what I would have thought if they had crashed into each other too.
I feel malnourished right now, I haven't been eating properly or regularly for a day. I'm going to try to get my body back on track tomorrow. I always feel much more appreciative of all the food in my fridge when I have been away from it for an extended period of time.
I had an amusing period of sleep last night where I remember laughing a lot in all my dreams but I'm not sure if there was anything to be laughed at. It was just pure solid fun times. I also kicked a wolf that was attacking me in another dream.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Usually Not
Here's something that can be kind of annoying. Sometimes someone will tell you that they have found the funniest thing you have ever seen and they tell you you have to check it out online. So you do because you have nothing better to do. But the thing isn't actually that funny because you don't share that person's sense of humour and you end up wasting your time. I guess you have to check it because there may be a chance that it actually is the funniest thing ever. Usually it isn't though. There's so much junk on the internet and many people don't know what is worth sharing.
Slime volleyball is worth sharing. It is a fun game that two people can play on one computer. If you google search it you will find it right away. I recommend the game for two people. Very simple but very fun.
I have come to believe that the suggested doses for energy drinks are generally a good guideline. I'm not sure what happens if you have more than that, but after two of them I feel a bit noxious. I have learned my lesson. I would rather drink too much alchohol because at least I would be able to tell that I had enough before I went too far.
Slime volleyball is worth sharing. It is a fun game that two people can play on one computer. If you google search it you will find it right away. I recommend the game for two people. Very simple but very fun.
I have come to believe that the suggested doses for energy drinks are generally a good guideline. I'm not sure what happens if you have more than that, but after two of them I feel a bit noxious. I have learned my lesson. I would rather drink too much alchohol because at least I would be able to tell that I had enough before I went too far.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Idle Thoughts
They are the worst. If there was one thing that I could change about myself it might be my idle thoughts. I just start questioning everything and I'm constantly second guessing myself. Without anything to keep my mind preoccupied I can slip into really unproductive thought processes. I guess meditation would be the best solution for silencing that kind of thing but that's just another thing to add to my continuously growing list of things that I should do.
Why is it that naps are always even better than normal sleep? And why is it so easy to nap while sometimes it takes forever to fall asleep at night? My new favorite place to nap is in the sun outside. I think it's still to early in the year for the sun to be too dangerous but it still feels great.
I had an action-packed dream last night. I was with a group of people and we were in some large structure that was completely white and had openings all over the place into other chambers. It's kind of difficult to describe but it was a fun space. I think we were actually a tribe of people or something and we were trying to find shelter against potential invaders. We decided the place was our best bet in case of attack. We went out the front entrance and were on the beach. We saw a giant canoe or something moving really fast out on the ocean and then it started coming towards us and we knew it was an invading tribe. We retreated back into the structure and tried to figure out where to hide. There was one space that people thought would be good but I thought it was still too open and obvious. I ran out of time and ended up hiding there anyways. When the invaders came in I peeked out a window into the chamber below. Then I wished I hadn't because they saw me. They were trying to figure out how to get into my room and I thought I would have to surrender. Up to this point I guess I was worried about being killed by the invaders but then I saw them and they were just normal looking people and not aggressive at all. I became more confident and less worried. It was more like a game of cops and robbers now. I waited for two invaders to choose their entrance and then jumped out another opening to a different room. I proceeded to perform amazing flying diving roll cartwheel type moves around the place through small openings. I was thinking that it was strange because I hadn't been so agile just moments earlier but then I thought it was probably just the need to escape that was enabling me. The dream kind of broke down around that point, but it was a really fun and exciting dream while it lasted.
Why is it that naps are always even better than normal sleep? And why is it so easy to nap while sometimes it takes forever to fall asleep at night? My new favorite place to nap is in the sun outside. I think it's still to early in the year for the sun to be too dangerous but it still feels great.
I had an action-packed dream last night. I was with a group of people and we were in some large structure that was completely white and had openings all over the place into other chambers. It's kind of difficult to describe but it was a fun space. I think we were actually a tribe of people or something and we were trying to find shelter against potential invaders. We decided the place was our best bet in case of attack. We went out the front entrance and were on the beach. We saw a giant canoe or something moving really fast out on the ocean and then it started coming towards us and we knew it was an invading tribe. We retreated back into the structure and tried to figure out where to hide. There was one space that people thought would be good but I thought it was still too open and obvious. I ran out of time and ended up hiding there anyways. When the invaders came in I peeked out a window into the chamber below. Then I wished I hadn't because they saw me. They were trying to figure out how to get into my room and I thought I would have to surrender. Up to this point I guess I was worried about being killed by the invaders but then I saw them and they were just normal looking people and not aggressive at all. I became more confident and less worried. It was more like a game of cops and robbers now. I waited for two invaders to choose their entrance and then jumped out another opening to a different room. I proceeded to perform amazing flying diving roll cartwheel type moves around the place through small openings. I was thinking that it was strange because I hadn't been so agile just moments earlier but then I thought it was probably just the need to escape that was enabling me. The dream kind of broke down around that point, but it was a really fun and exciting dream while it lasted.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Absolute Darkness is Fun
Today is a warm day. The warmest yet this year. I like it.
I feel like I should be writing down more ideas right now but I can't organize them into suitable posting material. Either there are too many of them or I'm just really tired and can't think properly.
I want to have a pitch black party where at one point in the night everyone goes into a space with absolutely no light and hang out and talk. I find complete darkness to be really cool and unsettling at the same time. I am rarely in pitch black environments but every time that I am I always have a neat experience. Not being able to see your hand moving in front of your face really throws off your senses. It's like actually being blind.
I had a funny strange dream last night. I was walking around downtown, and at some point this homeless naked guy started following me. Actually, he wasn't following me, he was just walking beside me everywhere I went. He wasn't creepy or anything, and he was probably in his late 20s or 30s. I guess I didn't have any objections to him going everywhere with me, but I didn't think he should be walking around completely naked. I told him that we had to get him some clothes before he could go anywhere else with me. We went to a place where the clothes were supposed to be really generic and cheap. It wasn't a thrift store, but it was kind of meant for homeless people, or so I thought. We went into the store and the guy went and got dressed in a set of pretty cool looking clothes. Then I was annoyed because his clothes looked better than mine. When we went to the guy at the till we were told that everything we had chosen would cost $170. The homeless guy couldn't afford it. I had been willing to buy the guy clothes, but this was way too expensive. I asked how much the underwear was alone, and it was only $3. I said I'd just buy the underwear and he'd have to find more clothes somewhere else. I could handle walking around with a guy just wearing underwear much more easily. That's all I remember.
I feel like I should be writing down more ideas right now but I can't organize them into suitable posting material. Either there are too many of them or I'm just really tired and can't think properly.
I want to have a pitch black party where at one point in the night everyone goes into a space with absolutely no light and hang out and talk. I find complete darkness to be really cool and unsettling at the same time. I am rarely in pitch black environments but every time that I am I always have a neat experience. Not being able to see your hand moving in front of your face really throws off your senses. It's like actually being blind.
I had a funny strange dream last night. I was walking around downtown, and at some point this homeless naked guy started following me. Actually, he wasn't following me, he was just walking beside me everywhere I went. He wasn't creepy or anything, and he was probably in his late 20s or 30s. I guess I didn't have any objections to him going everywhere with me, but I didn't think he should be walking around completely naked. I told him that we had to get him some clothes before he could go anywhere else with me. We went to a place where the clothes were supposed to be really generic and cheap. It wasn't a thrift store, but it was kind of meant for homeless people, or so I thought. We went into the store and the guy went and got dressed in a set of pretty cool looking clothes. Then I was annoyed because his clothes looked better than mine. When we went to the guy at the till we were told that everything we had chosen would cost $170. The homeless guy couldn't afford it. I had been willing to buy the guy clothes, but this was way too expensive. I asked how much the underwear was alone, and it was only $3. I said I'd just buy the underwear and he'd have to find more clothes somewhere else. I could handle walking around with a guy just wearing underwear much more easily. That's all I remember.
Friday, April 11, 2008
I Dreamed of Giant Octopuses
The closer I get to finishing school for the year the more excited I get. And I'm already really excited. One exam to go.
Here's a dream I had last night. A bunch of friends and I are crammed into a car and we're driving along the ocean in North Vancouver. Then all of a sudden we notice out the window that there are giant octopuses swimming along the rocks. Someone says there are four of them, but we notice another one every second and I call out for every new one, "5, 6, 7, 8" and so on until it becomes pointless. We somehow circle around and try to get a better look, I think some roads must have suddenly appeared to make this possible. The octopuses are all migrating or something and there are a bunch of predators at their starting point, I remember two large walruses in particular eating some octopuses. I felt bad for them. Then somehow I am down on the water on some crude floating device and my friend is with me. It is actually a really cool place to view them from so we are excited. We start paddling along so we can keep up with the octopuses as they are swimming. We notice some of the octopuses are large and chunky and it is because they are eating something that is wrapped up underneath them. We suddenly realize that the octopuses could probably eat us if they wanted to and get nervous. One octopus bumps into us from behind and we freak out and start paddling hard. Then we go too far and suddenly hit the biggest octopus ever. This one is massive, I think it was a whole other kind of octopus. It grabs my leg I think and I decide that maybe if I don't struggle or move it won't think I am food. It pulls me under water and I just hold my breath. Then something happens and I can breath and talk under the water, which is really cool. Then the octopus lets me go and explains, (telepathically?), that there is a deal between humans and octopuses that some divers made one time that octopuses will never eat humans. I'm pretty relieved about it. I can't remember exactly what happened after that. Seeing all of those octopuses was an amazing sight, even though it would never look like that in real life.
Here's a dream I had last night. A bunch of friends and I are crammed into a car and we're driving along the ocean in North Vancouver. Then all of a sudden we notice out the window that there are giant octopuses swimming along the rocks. Someone says there are four of them, but we notice another one every second and I call out for every new one, "5, 6, 7, 8" and so on until it becomes pointless. We somehow circle around and try to get a better look, I think some roads must have suddenly appeared to make this possible. The octopuses are all migrating or something and there are a bunch of predators at their starting point, I remember two large walruses in particular eating some octopuses. I felt bad for them. Then somehow I am down on the water on some crude floating device and my friend is with me. It is actually a really cool place to view them from so we are excited. We start paddling along so we can keep up with the octopuses as they are swimming. We notice some of the octopuses are large and chunky and it is because they are eating something that is wrapped up underneath them. We suddenly realize that the octopuses could probably eat us if they wanted to and get nervous. One octopus bumps into us from behind and we freak out and start paddling hard. Then we go too far and suddenly hit the biggest octopus ever. This one is massive, I think it was a whole other kind of octopus. It grabs my leg I think and I decide that maybe if I don't struggle or move it won't think I am food. It pulls me under water and I just hold my breath. Then something happens and I can breath and talk under the water, which is really cool. Then the octopus lets me go and explains, (telepathically?), that there is a deal between humans and octopuses that some divers made one time that octopuses will never eat humans. I'm pretty relieved about it. I can't remember exactly what happened after that. Seeing all of those octopuses was an amazing sight, even though it would never look like that in real life.
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