Monday, February 26, 2007
the ugly.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Beyond Beats & Rhymes
I’m watching the tail end of Byron Hurt’s documentary Beyond Beats & Rhymes on Independent Lens and I decided to post some thoughts on Mr. Hurt’s work. You can get a summary of the piece with background info on Hurt here and/or here, but I think the best review is here.
I’m a fan of hip-hop and old-school rap. I love the beats and the overall sound of hip-hop, but I stopped listening to anything new sometime in the mid-90s because the lyrics and the videos just became too violent and misogynistic for my taste. I think Hurt’s reporting about this is open, honest, and compelling. I’m encouraged by the women of Spellman and their request for Nelly to speak to the demeaning sexual imagery in his videos if he wanted to come to their campus. It’s too bad that he opted not to engage in that dialogue. I think it could have brought some interesting perspectives to light. I thought Mr. Hurt found some promising talent in the young men he filmed rapping on the street. I appreciated their keen insight and their frank comments regarding the current climate in the music industry and how they’d have a hard time breaking in to the business with positive lyrics. I’d like to see that proven to be untrue, but I’m not holding my breath. We have an entire nation of young men who have been raised on this stuff. I doubt if we can turn back now.
Statistics. The film shares a lot of them, mostly grim reminders of the disproportionate number of violent and sexual crimes involving African-Americans. I remember when Boyz N the Hood came out and showed so many people (myself included) about a kind of life we’d never known. I always thought of that film as Singleton’s attempt to not only expose, but hopefully, change some of those realities. I wonder if the inadvertent result of the film was an increased glamorization of the “hard” mentality Hurt references in the film, where men feel that they have to prove themselves by killing other men and with their sexual conquests (consensual or otherwise). Hurt’s discussion with a group of cross dressing men at a hip-hop show was enlightening. I’d been so put off by all the gunplay and objectification of women that I hadn’t even noticed all the homophobia he exposed among artists and fans. Hurt goes on to explore an angle on hip-hop that I’d never even considered: the homoeroticism of the gangsta image and how it ties back to the strong need of men to establish their masculinity by dominating other men. I’m not sure what I think about the theories presented in that segment, but it’s definitely fascinating fodder for discussion.
With all the accolades he’s received, I don’t expect that an ego stroking from me makes any difference, but I think Mr. Hurt has put together a fine piece here and I’m glad I had the chance to view it. I think it should be required viewing for anyone who owns a Snoop, Nelly, or Fi’ty CD.
I’m a fan of hip-hop and old-school rap. I love the beats and the overall sound of hip-hop, but I stopped listening to anything new sometime in the mid-90s because the lyrics and the videos just became too violent and misogynistic for my taste. I think Hurt’s reporting about this is open, honest, and compelling. I’m encouraged by the women of Spellman and their request for Nelly to speak to the demeaning sexual imagery in his videos if he wanted to come to their campus. It’s too bad that he opted not to engage in that dialogue. I think it could have brought some interesting perspectives to light. I thought Mr. Hurt found some promising talent in the young men he filmed rapping on the street. I appreciated their keen insight and their frank comments regarding the current climate in the music industry and how they’d have a hard time breaking in to the business with positive lyrics. I’d like to see that proven to be untrue, but I’m not holding my breath. We have an entire nation of young men who have been raised on this stuff. I doubt if we can turn back now.
Statistics. The film shares a lot of them, mostly grim reminders of the disproportionate number of violent and sexual crimes involving African-Americans. I remember when Boyz N the Hood came out and showed so many people (myself included) about a kind of life we’d never known. I always thought of that film as Singleton’s attempt to not only expose, but hopefully, change some of those realities. I wonder if the inadvertent result of the film was an increased glamorization of the “hard” mentality Hurt references in the film, where men feel that they have to prove themselves by killing other men and with their sexual conquests (consensual or otherwise). Hurt’s discussion with a group of cross dressing men at a hip-hop show was enlightening. I’d been so put off by all the gunplay and objectification of women that I hadn’t even noticed all the homophobia he exposed among artists and fans. Hurt goes on to explore an angle on hip-hop that I’d never even considered: the homoeroticism of the gangsta image and how it ties back to the strong need of men to establish their masculinity by dominating other men. I’m not sure what I think about the theories presented in that segment, but it’s definitely fascinating fodder for discussion.
With all the accolades he’s received, I don’t expect that an ego stroking from me makes any difference, but I think Mr. Hurt has put together a fine piece here and I’m glad I had the chance to view it. I think it should be required viewing for anyone who owns a Snoop, Nelly, or Fi’ty CD.
Heidi is a good friend
However, I can’t help pointing out that these are the 2 things I can actually recall from our conversation last night. Heidi: “I just wondered how that is, because, you know, most single people are lonely, well, uh, most people are lonely, really.” Me: nothing. Heidi, a little bit later: “I’m sorry I said most single people are lonely. I didn’t mean you were lonely.” Me: “Yeah, I know. I should just give up and go hang myself now.” Heh. Also – Me: “I would really like to get some of that Aderall (SP?), because I think it would help me focus on things long enough to finish a task, and it would give me enough energy to get things done.” Heidi: “And weight loss.” Me: “Thanks a lot.” Ah, I am laughing right now as I type this. Heidi is really good at making harmless comments that are easily misconstrued, and I love to point them out to her. I am sure she knows that I don’t ever take them personally, but I just enjoy teasing her about them by pretending to be offended.
I will let Heidi tell the story of how hopped up I was on Friday night, if she so chooses. I will say that I discovered on Saturday that I had mis-read the label on my decongestant, and instead of taking 1 pill every 4 hours, I was taking 2 pills every 6 hours. That doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that the “do not exceed” dosage for a 24-hour period is 6, and I had taken 12.
I will let Heidi tell the story of how hopped up I was on Friday night, if she so chooses. I will say that I discovered on Saturday that I had mis-read the label on my decongestant, and instead of taking 1 pill every 4 hours, I was taking 2 pills every 6 hours. That doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that the “do not exceed” dosage for a 24-hour period is 6, and I had taken 12.
Heidi is a good friend
However, I can’t help pointing out that these are the 2 things I can actually recall from our conversation last night. Heidi: “I just wondered how that is, because, you know, most single people are lonely, well, uh, most people are lonely, really.” Me: nothing. Heidi, a little bit later: “I’m sorry I said most single people are lonely. I didn’t mean you were lonely.” Me: “Yeah, I know. I should just give up and go hang myself now.” Heh. Also – Me: “I would really like to get some of that Aderall (SP?), because I think it would help me focus on things long enough to finish a task, and it would give me enough energy to get things done.” Heidi: “And weight loss.” Me: “Thanks a lot.” Ah, I am laughing right now as I type this. Heidi is really good at making harmless comments that are easily misconstrued, and I love to point them out to her. I am sure she knows that I don’t ever take them personally, but I just enjoy teasing her about them by pretending to be offended.
I will let Heidi tell the story of how hopped up I was on Friday night, if she so chooses. I will say that I discovered on Saturday that I had mis-read the label on my decongestant, and instead of taking 1 pill every 4 hours, I was taking 2 pills every 6 hours. That doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that the “do not exceed” dosage for a 24-hour period is 6, and I had taken 12.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Effect and Cause
I have this love/hate relationship with television. As in, I love television, but I hate the fact that I let it suck up so much of my life. I used to be able to watch tv and do something productive at the same time, but I've come to realize that this is no longer the case.
Having said all of that, I just ordered cable, which I haven't had on my own in years. Since 2004, to be exact. Even then, I only had the $10 package that includes the local stations, C-Span - that kind of stuff, and I would still while away hours a day watching tv. So. I ordered the same $10 package, which has actually somehow gotten cheaper (I believe it used to be $10.12 and now it's $9.14), and they are coming next Saturday to install it. By the way, why does anyone even need to come out here to do that? There's already a cable box at my house. The tvs are cable-ready, so I just need to connect the cable line to them. What in the world does a person need to come here for? You'd think they could just flip a switch and the box would go "live," so to speak.
I feel a little guilty for my decision to get this cable that will potentially increase my television-watching time. I've decided to assuage that guilt by rationalizing that having a cable connection to the tv will be better for my guests when we are watching tv together. Also, it will eliminate the static sounds that burst in intermittently, based on things like the fullness of the moon or the angle of the neighbors' tiki umbrella in the yard. So perhaps, I'll watch the same amount of tv, but enjoy it so much more.
In other news, I've been really sick this week. When I say "really sick," I don't mean "hospital sick". I mean "head congestion, earache, sore throat, and occasional non-productive cough sick" that makes me too tired to leave the house. Thankfully, Heidi braved the risk to come to my Den of Germs last night and keep me company, because I was getting really lonely. Generally, 2 days out of the office wouldn't make me feel so isolated, but since I was barely awake most of the day Thursday, I wasn't exactly keeping in touch with folks over email. I'm planning to spend the rest of the weekend at home, with the possible exception of having waffles and coffee with a friend tomorrow. And once again, I've missed my weekend with Tommy due to circumstances beyond my control. Boooo!
Having said all of that, I just ordered cable, which I haven't had on my own in years. Since 2004, to be exact. Even then, I only had the $10 package that includes the local stations, C-Span - that kind of stuff, and I would still while away hours a day watching tv. So. I ordered the same $10 package, which has actually somehow gotten cheaper (I believe it used to be $10.12 and now it's $9.14), and they are coming next Saturday to install it. By the way, why does anyone even need to come out here to do that? There's already a cable box at my house. The tvs are cable-ready, so I just need to connect the cable line to them. What in the world does a person need to come here for? You'd think they could just flip a switch and the box would go "live," so to speak.
I feel a little guilty for my decision to get this cable that will potentially increase my television-watching time. I've decided to assuage that guilt by rationalizing that having a cable connection to the tv will be better for my guests when we are watching tv together. Also, it will eliminate the static sounds that burst in intermittently, based on things like the fullness of the moon or the angle of the neighbors' tiki umbrella in the yard. So perhaps, I'll watch the same amount of tv, but enjoy it so much more.
In other news, I've been really sick this week. When I say "really sick," I don't mean "hospital sick". I mean "head congestion, earache, sore throat, and occasional non-productive cough sick" that makes me too tired to leave the house. Thankfully, Heidi braved the risk to come to my Den of Germs last night and keep me company, because I was getting really lonely. Generally, 2 days out of the office wouldn't make me feel so isolated, but since I was barely awake most of the day Thursday, I wasn't exactly keeping in touch with folks over email. I'm planning to spend the rest of the weekend at home, with the possible exception of having waffles and coffee with a friend tomorrow. And once again, I've missed my weekend with Tommy due to circumstances beyond my control. Boooo!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Good Things
I love beautiful embroidery. I love tasteless sentiments on t-shirts. Imagine my delight that someone has combined the two.
#s 9 and 12 are my favorites. Also, Accessories “look 4”. Heh.
Caution: some of them are actually too crude for me. Consider the source and click carefully!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
I thought that was Bai Ling on the beach.
…during tonight’s episode of LOST.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
I'm Erin, and it's been 10 days since my last post.
Sorry I've been absent lately. I've been insanely busy at work (I know that's what I always say, but it's true) and the Plumbing Debacle of 2007 didn't leave me much free time at home, either. More on that some other time, perhaps, but for now, I'd like to share my 2 favorite conversational quotes from that incident:
Me: lots of stuff about what's going on
Miriam: "um, you just said 'shutoff valve, solder, and blowtorch' all in the same sentence. are you sure you don't want to call a professional?"
=========
Me: "so, i've turned off the water to the kitchen and the bathroom, turned off the supply to the water heater, installed a shutoff valve, drained the lines, and all i need to do now is..."
CubeNeighbor: "...call the plumber."
=========
In all seriousness, sweating copper is pretty fun, but troubleshooting problems in existing lines is not at all fun. So, if you're putting in new plumbing, I'll be happy to help. Have blowtorch, will travel. Heh.
=========
I have an announcement.
Drum roll, please.
I will be moving to Florida in the next 5 years. Actually, probably at the end of the next 5 years. What I'm saying is that I'm working on a 5-year plan here. I've decided to make the mini-farm in the Sunshine State. Which really, when you think of it, makes a lot of sense.
I'd been thinking that I would try to find a nice little rural area close to a small town somewhere in Central Florida, and then this morning, the local news station was doing a piece on Reds player Bronson Arroyo and his off-season home in Brooksville, Florida. They showed the little town of Brooksville, which looked exactly like what I'd been daydreaming about for my mini-farm, and then they mentioned that Bronson actually built his house by hand, with the help of his father and friends, which isn't really relevant to my story, but I thought I'd throw it in here because that's just cool. Brooksville is 50 miles from Tampa and 70 miles from Orlando.
I know that this is a change from some of my earlier statements that I would just stay here in Norwood until I'm ready to retire, but honestly, every winter is more miserable for me than the last, I think I'd be a much happier person in Florida, and I'm just tired of being grumpy for a third of every year. I know that a lot of people claim to hate Florida, but I'm hoping you'll all be willing to overlook this and come visit the mini-farm anyway. I'm planning to build a lovely guest cottage so guests can come and go as they please.
Oh, and I actually already found a lot. It's $165,000 for 5 acres, so I'll be taking donations if anyone has a couple of bucks to spare. Hmm. I wonder if I could panhandle my way to $165,000 in the next 5 years...
Me: lots of stuff about what's going on
Miriam: "um, you just said 'shutoff valve, solder, and blowtorch' all in the same sentence. are you sure you don't want to call a professional?"
=========
Me: "so, i've turned off the water to the kitchen and the bathroom, turned off the supply to the water heater, installed a shutoff valve, drained the lines, and all i need to do now is..."
CubeNeighbor: "...call the plumber."
=========
In all seriousness, sweating copper is pretty fun, but troubleshooting problems in existing lines is not at all fun. So, if you're putting in new plumbing, I'll be happy to help. Have blowtorch, will travel. Heh.
=========
I have an announcement.
Drum roll, please.
I will be moving to Florida in the next 5 years. Actually, probably at the end of the next 5 years. What I'm saying is that I'm working on a 5-year plan here. I've decided to make the mini-farm in the Sunshine State. Which really, when you think of it, makes a lot of sense.
I'd been thinking that I would try to find a nice little rural area close to a small town somewhere in Central Florida, and then this morning, the local news station was doing a piece on Reds player Bronson Arroyo and his off-season home in Brooksville, Florida. They showed the little town of Brooksville, which looked exactly like what I'd been daydreaming about for my mini-farm, and then they mentioned that Bronson actually built his house by hand, with the help of his father and friends, which isn't really relevant to my story, but I thought I'd throw it in here because that's just cool. Brooksville is 50 miles from Tampa and 70 miles from Orlando.
I know that this is a change from some of my earlier statements that I would just stay here in Norwood until I'm ready to retire, but honestly, every winter is more miserable for me than the last, I think I'd be a much happier person in Florida, and I'm just tired of being grumpy for a third of every year. I know that a lot of people claim to hate Florida, but I'm hoping you'll all be willing to overlook this and come visit the mini-farm anyway. I'm planning to build a lovely guest cottage so guests can come and go as they please.
Oh, and I actually already found a lot. It's $165,000 for 5 acres, so I'll be taking donations if anyone has a couple of bucks to spare. Hmm. I wonder if I could panhandle my way to $165,000 in the next 5 years...
27114 Colassa Rd, Brooksville, FL, 34601
Five acres of beautiful country living. High and dry, completely fenced, in horse country. Convenient for farming, fishing, biking, hunting. Close to Withlacoochee State Forest and river. Please call Bill Buonocore or Reba Merkle @ 352-686-0000.
View Full Listing
Five acres of beautiful country living. High and dry, completely fenced, in horse country. Convenient for farming, fishing, biking, hunting. Close to Withlacoochee State Forest and river. Please call Bill Buonocore or Reba Merkle @ 352-686-0000.
View Full Listing
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Open Letter RE: Stupor Bowl
Dear NFL,
Get over yourselves. You've gone too far now. I work in an industry that's all about intellectual property, and I get that you have to protect your financial investments. But when you reach a point where you're sending out mandates to churches and other organizations who want to host a party to showcase your silly football show that they can't use your football show's name, or can't use a screen larger than 55 inches, or that they can't have more than one television per room, well, you've simply gone too far. I can't imagine how this kind of gathering could hurt your enterprise in any way, and I'd think it would actually help. People who might otherwise not even watch the show would be more inclined to join such a party. I'd also guess that people who are going to a Stupor Bowl party would be more likely to wear your licensed products than people who are planning to stay home to watch the game. Does it really matter how many individual televisions are tuned in to the game? And if it does, what's up with the "not more than 1 television per room" rule?
It seems to me that your ridiculous egos have come right up to the point of irritating -- if not outright alienating -- the good American people who support the continued growth of your burgeoning empire.
Get over yourselves. You've gone too far now. I work in an industry that's all about intellectual property, and I get that you have to protect your financial investments. But when you reach a point where you're sending out mandates to churches and other organizations who want to host a party to showcase your silly football show that they can't use your football show's name, or can't use a screen larger than 55 inches, or that they can't have more than one television per room, well, you've simply gone too far. I can't imagine how this kind of gathering could hurt your enterprise in any way, and I'd think it would actually help. People who might otherwise not even watch the show would be more inclined to join such a party. I'd also guess that people who are going to a Stupor Bowl party would be more likely to wear your licensed products than people who are planning to stay home to watch the game. Does it really matter how many individual televisions are tuned in to the game? And if it does, what's up with the "not more than 1 television per room" rule?
It seems to me that your ridiculous egos have come right up to the point of irritating -- if not outright alienating -- the good American people who support the continued growth of your burgeoning empire.
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