Saturday, July 30, 2005

Something's been missing

If there's one thing I love being, it's artistic. I used to paint a lot in the past, but.I haven't done anything in a long time and I'm kind of feeling that void right now. I think I might go out tommorow and purchase some canvases to paint on. I don't paint very well or anything, but it's really enjoyable for me and a very good stress reliever.


You can express your artistic ways with a canvas as I did in this impressionistic work seen here











Or with a camera as I did with this arrangement of dry rose petals










You can even show it with a 5 minute drawing in Microsoft paint like this one I just whipped up













If you're really lazy and want instant gratification you can make fun images using this online version of Lite Brite












So whether it's with a paint brush, a lens and shutter, your mouse, or any other way, go do something creative. I guarantee you'll much better for it. I know I will.

posted by psychobabbler @ 5:10 AM

Friday, July 29, 2005

Random rambling of the week:

So I just checked my inbox and I got an email from the White Stripes announcing new tour dates. For the last few months they've been starting these emails by saying "Hello children" I thought it was all cute and funny at first, but now it's getting to me. How dare they categorize me into such a population! I didn't open up your email to receive a condescending greeting. To compensate for my now inferior mentality, I've decided to say hi to everyone by saying "Hello children" This way they can all know how much better and more mature I am than them. It probably wouldn't work on a group of children though. I'd have to call them something opposite, like "Hello adults" Yeah that might work, because children hate growing up.

While on the topic of the White Stripes, I know the perfect role for Jack White to play. I recently saw A Clockwork Orange again, and if you haven't seen it, go now. It's a twisted, somewhat disturbing movie, yet it's so very entertaining. It's done by Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket..) so that pretty much explains it. Anyways back on topic, I heard rumors that they were going to remake this movie. As much as I'd hate for them to do it, I'd love to see Jack White playing Alex's character (played by Malcolm McDowell) in the movie. He'd be perfect at it. He looks the part and sounds like him too.

Alex and Jack White
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Photo of the Week:
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I've been showing off so much of Washington D.C. that I almost forgot where I actually live! So here's a nice skyline photo I took while riding the Staten Island Ferry.


Lyrics that stuck with me this week:

Throughout the week I heard a lot of music. Some of the lyrics in these songs stuck in my head, and others I could just relate to. They're worth listening to.
Helping the kids out of their coats
But wait the babies haven't been born
Unpacking the bags and setting up
And planting lilacs and buttercups

But in the meantime I've got it hard
Second floor living without a yard
It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay

Old dirt road Knee deep snow
Watching the fire as we grow old

I got a man to stick it out
And make a home from a rented house
And we'll collect the moments one by one
I guess that's how the future's done

-"mushaboom" by Feist

I am waiting 'til I don't know when,
'cause I'm sure it's gonna happen then.
Time keeps creeping through the neighborhood,
killing old folks, waking up babies just like we knew it would.

All the neighbors are starting up a fire,
burning all the old folks, the witches, and the liars.
My eyes are covered by the hands of my unborn kids,
but my heart keeps watching through the skin of my eyelids.

-"Neighborhood #3 (Kettles)" by The Arcade Fire


Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize - we're floating in space -
Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round


- "Do You Realize" by The Flaming Lips


posted by psychobabbler @ 3:42 PM

Thursday, July 28, 2005

The Moving Picture Pt. 1

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So as some of you mght have noticed, I like movies. In fact, I'm as obsessed with movies as Danielly might be with shoes. I love reading, watching, and studying them. Kate (active commenter and soon to be blogger) has had the pleasure of watching movies with me, and i'm sure she has mixed feelings about it. I think watching a movie with me can sometimes be like watching a movie with the audio commentary option on your dvd's. I have the habit of pointing out great angles and cinematography and pointing out the symbolism and forshadowing that would otherwise go unnoticed.

As this year started Kate and I wondered how many movies I saw in 2004. She thought it'd be cool if I kept a list of all the movies I watched for this year. She almost challenged me to watch one everyday, and to be honest I tried to. On my sidebar you will notice an ever growing list of the movies I have seen thus far. It gets updated every so often. I've also rated the movies on a star rating system, ranging from 0 to **** It's the same that Ebert and I just thought i'd adapt it.

I not only enjoy watching movies, I enjoy thinking of ideas for them. Since I was a kid I dreamt of doing something related to movies (after the whole "I wanna be a doctor/lawyer/baseball player" phase). I definitely feel a creative spark when dealing with this medium. It feels really natural for me. Looking for a career in the film industry has always been put on the back burner while I finish myy education. I'm currently in Grad school and i'll hopefully get my masters in less than a year (not to bad for a 22 yr old!). Anyway, after i'm done with that, maybe i'll be able to take some film classes at NYU (I better start applying for loans now!).

In the second part (if there is one) i'll add some movie ideas that have been in my head over the past few years.

posted by psychobabbler @ 3:48 AM

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

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With just your name, you brought a spark to my heart.
Yet it was just a game, which you perfected like an art.
There were growing suspicions the more we talked
So opposite positions were how we both walked
You came back again after all this time
Was it to be my friend? or to really be mine?
Things have changed, yet we remained the same
Now we're estranged, and I don't know who to blame.

posted by psychobabbler @ 9:15 PM

Peektures

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posted by psychobabbler @ 4:04 PM

Monday, July 25, 2005

Untitled (just like my life)

If you've read some of my past blog entries, then you know I like to write stories. Most of them are made up as I go along. They're just ideas really that i'll use to build upon. Here's one I'm going to develop further: As always it's unedited and a work in progress. It's really short, because I got tired of writing/thinking. I'll definitely add more soon.


Act I


Scene 1

I was lying in bed, pretending not to wait up for her. She usually came home around 2, but I guess she was working the late shift tonight .I heard the door slam downstairs and I knew she was home. As she walked around the house, her heels made the same sound I heard as they walked up and down the desolate streets. She opened the door, sneaking around so as not to wake me. My eyes were closed, pretending as usual to be sleeping. Normally I wouldn’t wake up, but tonight I wanted her real bad. She kissed my cheek, and I blinked my eyes as if I came out of a deep slumber.


I kissed her lips softly and quietly asked how her night went. She said the same thing she always did, “It was busy”. I kissed her again, as my hands moved slowly down her back. It felt good to touch her soft skin. I slid my tongue against the side of her neck and shoulder, a clear signal of my desire for her. She returned it by lowering her body against the bed. I lifted her hand against my cheek, kissing it ever so slightly. I opened her palm and pressed my face against it. The scent of money still lingered on her hand. It was the smell of fresh bills. I knew she’d been real busy tonight.


posted by psychobabbler @ 5:32 PM

Friday, July 22, 2005

Went to the Bronx Zoo on Wednesday (mostly because it's free that day and i'm incredibly cheap): Here's a few big sized pictures (dial-up users beware!).

bronx river
Here's a nice shot of the Bronx River

monkey2
This monkey was contemplating what he could trade for this nice leaf (or maybe he was thinking something else, let me know what you think!)

tapir

This Tapir and that little bird were striking up some rich conversations, mostly about their preffered glass of wine and such. Bunch of snobs if you ask me.

gorilla

It was wonderful being so close to these gorillas. Here you can see the mom telling her kid the proper fist technique for pounding on your chest.


tiger

Here's a beautiful tiger trying her hardest to blend in with her environment. Not with those stripes!


Now for the close-ups! These animals loved modelling for me:



All in all, I had a great time at the zoo. I haven't been there in years and it really brought back some nice memories. I felt like a kid again that day, and that's always fun.

posted by psychobabbler @ 9:27 PM

Thursday, July 21, 2005

It's Hot!

It's getting too hot to blog lately, or maybe i'm just getting more lazy. I went to the zoo yesterday so now I have even more pictures to show you guys! This might as well be labeled a photoblog now. Anyways here's some more from the District of Columbia:

The Washington National Gallery of Art consists of two huge buildings that contain masterpieces from every generation. It was great walking from the classic french impressionists like Monet and Van Goh, to greek and religous scultpures and eventually concluding with great modern works, from the likes of Picasso and Pollock.


monet1 van gohrenoir

modern

piccasso

cool madonnamother

posted by psychobabbler @ 1:23 PM

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Back home

I had a really great time in D.C. I needed a little getaway from this city and this was perfect. Washington D.C. is a beautiful city filled with some really great places, cool architechture and incredible museums, which is my thing (i'm a dork, I know). They have like twenty museums all in the same area and the best part is they're all free! (thanks Smithsonian Institution!). I've been going there for about 15 years now, and I always look for new places to go and new things to see. It's such a big difference from nyc. One of the most noticable of these is how clean the city is, the train stations aren't all dirty and hot like those in nyc. It might be dirty, but when I saw the lights of new york on the drive back home, my love affair with this city was reaffirmed. I am glad to be back home.

Hey, how about some pictures!

Union Stationunion station2
union station 3
One of my favorite places here is Union Station. it's a train station but it's so much more. It has a great shopping mall and lots of nice restaurants, a good movie theatre, and gold ceilings!



It's always nice taking a stroll around the beautiful gardens of the Smithsonian Castle. It's filled with cool flower arrangements, chirping birds, and the relaxing sound of water fountains all around you.



That's it for now, i'll add some more pics from my trip in the next few days.

posted by psychobabbler @ 9:07 PM

Friday, July 15, 2005

Going to D.C.

I'll be heading to Washington D.C. for a few days. It's sort of my home away from home, that I go to every summer. If I see the president i'll make sure I say hello for you (with my fists ). I'll be back with nice pictures and such.

Photo of the Week:


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Photo by Michael Peartree (me)

I took this photo in DC last year, so I thought it deserves to be my photo of the week. It's of this cool water fountain in front of Union Station (it's of Christopher Columbus). I changed the saturation a little for this picture and I really love how it came out. This is a scan, since I can't seem to find the original.


Albums in Rotation


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Wilco - Summerteeth

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Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

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The Decemberists - Picaresque

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Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antartica

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Feist - Let it Die



Movies of the week:


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8 1/2 (1963)
Oh man, how do I explain this movie. Iit's directed by the very great italian director Federico Fellini. If you've seen any of his other movies (La Dolce Vita, La Strada, etc...) you can see he has a great visual style. This film is an exceptional example of this and is probably one of the most visually intense movies there is. It's about a film director (played by Marcello Mastroianni) whose creativity has run dry and the turmoils and pressure he has with everyone around him, including his wife, his mistress, his producers, and especially himself. The film can be looked at in a very psychoanalytical way. We see so many surreal images of his dreams and just the things that he sees when awake. It's sometimes hard to tell when things are real and when they are just fantasy.

It's all very hard to grasp, and I couldn't even watch it all in one sittting. There is sort of a mystery behind the movie title "8 1/2" Some say it's because he did 7 movies before, and this movie is about making a movie, and that movie that's being made is 8 1/2. It's deep stuff, and needs multiple viewings to appreciate it. Great acting, music, photography and of course story, It's a must see.

***1/2


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Rhapsody in August (1991)

This is one of the last films made by my all time favorite director, Akira Kurosawa. This film doesn't have a huge plot or anything, it's a very simple film with a very simple message. Like many other of his films (Ran, Dreams, Madadayo, etc...), Kurosawa shows the devastating effects of war. He's faced the bombings by America first hand and was deeply scarred by it. Rhapsody in August is the story of a Nagasaki survivor who is getting the opportunity to spend the summer with her grandchildren. These children are very westernized and just don't seem to understand their old fashioned grandmother. After visiting the site where their grandfather was killed by the atomic blast, they begin to realize how deeply this has effected their grandmother and how hard she had to live.

This movie was so powerful. It has an eerie silence to it, that makes my heart sink. I found myself wanting to cry during many of the scenes. Even some scenes that weren't neccesarily sad still made me reflect on the struggles that the Japanese had to go through. The actress Sachiko Murase's acting as the grandmother is what made this film a gem. This was her last film, and I truly appreciate the work she has done.

This was my second time watching it, and it was just as good as the first viewing. It has such beautiful imagery throughout the piece. Akira Kurosawa never lost a step throughout his career and his films should be watched by all. Although this movie has a slow pace, it's certain worth a viewing.

***

posted by psychobabbler @ 2:32 AM

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

I used to skip this song a lot. It was one of my least favorites from his collection, It started playing, and I decided to listen to it. To really listen and picture everything that he said. I pressed repeat. It was worth another listen. It's like something clicked and I finally got it. If I ever get the chance to be in film school, i'd love for this to be my first script:


I made a movie about the end of the world
It was 12 seconds long and it didn’t have a plot
It just happens

And that’s why it’s in black and white
The characters don’t talk or move around
They just stare up at the sky, frozen
And the light, the light is numb, the light is off
The light is just a thumb nail sketch of God...

Somewhere, someone is crying
The camera sweeps over a desolate street
Holding a mother and her child
The kid is calm and she is shaking
The camera passes into the sun
Come at last to be undone
Panicking, she tries to run
The kid is calm

And then the credits roll
And every name is my name

-Matthew Good Band

posted by psychobabbler @ 7:54 PM

Monday, July 11, 2005

Much more than a number

The other day I read a letter that was sent to me a few years ago from one of my former neighbors. She was an elderly women who took care of me while my mom was at work. While reading this letter I was amazed at how "young" she sounded. She'd make a joke and then say "*laugh, ha-ha*" If I didn't know the writer, I would have assumed she was a teenager. A few years ago I was playing poker online. I was in a room full of people that all seemed to know each other. They were laughing and joking as if they were my age, but it turned out they were all in their 70's and 80's. I couldn't understand why they weren't "acting their age."

Those two little antectodes are just some of the many examples of the overall misconception of the elderly. Media, for the most part, has shown aged individuals in a bad lighting. Ageism is a problem in society. It's not as salient as racism, or sexism, but it's there nonetheless. In other countries and cultures the elderly are held with in the highest regards. In many African tribes for instance, the oldest member is usually elected leader and believed to be the wisest of the group.

Our culture has lost that grand respect for the elderly. They're made fun of, being called senile and weak. When they get to a certain age they're placed in nursing homes and left in the hands of health professionals. They might be old but they are still full of life, and vital to our society. The next time you see an elderly person, whether it's a family member or a stranger, try to put yourself in their shoes and understand how hard it is for them to live in our current society. Change is needed.


Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageism
http://www.apa.org/pi/aging/ageism.html

posted by psychobabbler @ 1:05 PM

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Before I die..

...there are many things I want to accomplish. Of all those things, there's one that's staring me right in my face.

One side complete, it looks so easy now

rubik

..but then you realize this fucker is alive

rubik2

It's staring me down, challenging me, calling me names. It'll do anything to get me to pick it up...

closeup

One wrong move and you're screwed. It whispers this in my ear, fueling my anger and my determination. It will lose one day.

rubik3

Oh Rubik how cruel you were to release this most devilish of puzzles upon mankind.

rubikair2


There are many things I want to do in life, and solving the rubiks cube is one. You probably think i'm insane by now but, Hey look it's in the air!


airrubik


I really do need to get out more...

posted by psychobabbler @ 9:28 PM