way to go universe!
Gratitude?
When I say that I am thankful it does not usually permeate into more than a brief feeling. It is a transitory act. A thing that I intone and think that for the moment I am very thankful for “x” and then life moves on in its ever-constant flow and rush. This is a real problem. It has been made readily apparent to me that the act of living in a state of gratitude for the manifold wonders and blessings that constitute my overly generous life would only serve to make me a happier person, and, in the act of living in gratitude, make those around me happier as well.
When I say that I am thankful it does not usually permeate into more than a brief feeling. It is a transitory act. A thing that I intone and think that for the moment I am very thankful for “x” and then life moves on in its ever-constant flow and rush. This is a real problem. It has been made readily apparent to me that the act of living in a state of gratitude for the manifold wonders and blessings that constitute my overly generous life would only serve to make me a happier person, and, in the act of living in gratitude, make those around me happier as well.
It has no downside.
The process of living in a constant
state of gratitude is more than my simple bourgeois mind can handle. My mind
recoils from this impossibly difficult task and resolves to remember to be
appreciative of my overflowing basket of happiness’s on thanksgiving and then
gets on with the living of a neo-modern American life. I see that this
path is a gravely mistaken one, yet to be in gratitude is something abstract and
only written and not yet lived. To “be” in a state of gratefulness from moment
to moment is something that seems impossible.
A good Buddhist would be able to think
these thoughts and make them so but alas I am no practicing Buddhist or at the
very least not a good or even a shitty half assed mediocre one at that. I do
however recognize all the things a person in my socio-economic realm should and
must be grateful for, and these things do include residing well within the
plush rich confines of the upper middle class American lazy happiness zone.
My
health, my family, my freedom... these things are seemingly inalienable,
and have been given to me by some bizarre universal jackpot of which I had no
part in obtaining through effort. Yet I am forever in debt to the spinning wheel
that provided me with these various overly generous rewards. Then why is the
idea of living in a state of gratitude such a paralyzing thing? How does it
become such a staggeringly difficult wall to surmount?
To believe that all these magically
derived gifts are not to be appreciated daily is the height of hubris. Yet here
I am without the simple ability to bring it into the world. I have gratitude for my station in life and yet I feel a deep need; an itch
of constant need that I have yet to scratch with my appreciativeness. Perhaps this is
why I have put this particular writing off for so long.
Being very busy is a
good excuse for not delving into my lack of appreciation surrounding my
wonderful life. I do though have my fair share of wonder. More than that I have
spellbinding amazement at the universe and its many intersecting winding paths
that snake through space-time. Daily I can find moments of strategic plan
shattering awe at my bizarre route to this here and now at which I find myself
very dazed and certainly confused.
Yet true gratitude is ever elusive,
bound as I am in my neo-modernist nihilism. Trapped again by the much loved
post-everything neo-modernism and divided from truly being in the world
empirically grateful and happy. To actualize is to risk and therein lies the
rub. Losing through commitment. Haven’t we been here before? I believe so. The
only way out is through. What a pickle.
Once you have the post-post-modern
reality you get into the risk of the neo-modernist crucially limited ability to
commit to anything. Can one do such a thing without a wink and a giggle? Do
things possess actuality? Can I believe in the ability of gratitude granting me
release from wanting things to be better or different than they are? Does it matter?
Things are as they should be and the universe is blind and indifferent to my
needs. As a total prick I once knew used to say frequently “It is what it is.”
We all couldn’t stand that dude.
dream gal redux
i had this posted up awhile ago but by some digital black magic the file got deleted. so here it is back up on the ghost for all those folks who didnt get to see ms. banks completely on fire. wow indeed.
on it like strawberry syrup
what happens when stars align. shabazz and battles. boom. glad to know the internets are listening. now who is ready for some ice cream?
simple complex
this is badass. im not the best at the maths but i love me my algorithms and what those little buggers can do. another video talk pearl from the cool kids at TED. brain pretzel funnery.
hella sweet
ha! what you gotta ask yourself is the plane an art student or is it art itself? the das racist boys bringing the clever fire and poking fun at the art kids who always seem to ask for the ridicule. makes me smile on this beautiful morning. the fact they name check CCAC is an oakland kid bonus!
andy but better
one of the most interesting artists alive. at least the one we all should be watching due to the fact he is really putting his ass on the line by just existing. a very brave and insightful man.
a way to be in the world
this is amazing. it might have some audio syncing issues but it does not matter at all. we adults chase our childhood because we chase our youthful daily surrendering to the universe and its whims. seek joy and surrender to the universe. it sounds like a mighty good plan for the future. wow.
the flipping imagineer
i had the good fortune to meet and hang out with rodney when i was but a little grommet. he was the nicest and mellowest guy ever. he bought me and a buddy lunch and skated with us all day before returning to the mall to skate a night demo for the rest of the kids. he was the most intelligent pro skater i have ever met. so unreal smart. the list of tricks he invented is totally bananas. check it out and blow your mind.
off track
the western states trail running race is americas most prestigious trail footrace. from squaw valley to auburn california it tracks ridge lines and scales peaks for 100 miles. it is a nasty vertical course that can get very very hot. trail running at its finest. these guys are total freaks. they crush this course and make it look easy in the process.
expand your brains
sub atomic physics is just plain cool. this great movie makes the eccentricities of matter both poetic and accessible. i still dont understand physics at the quantum level but like most non mathy type people i pretend the best i can and that seems to work well enough. feed your neurons and fire those synapses people!
london calling
another jam from the british nerd hop king. unreal skills. sorry that there is no vid for this track. kind of a bummer but the song is too good not to share. maybe we should all start making music videos? plans and plans.
fishing
this one been getting some plays lately on the omnipresent white ear buds. clark kents alter ego? yes. dig it.
sweet carolina
it felt strange to have archers up here and not the chunk. they have been making rock for the kids since 1989. a brand new song from a timeless band. this vid also comes with a cool extra version bonus. thank you very much superchunk. you guys are super!
go heels
one of the only bands that i actually followed around the west coast. they always appeared as if playing music for them was actually fun and spontaneous. this is what i remember although i am not to be trusted because i guarantee that i was quite drunk the entire mission. good times with the loaf on the coast with the most.
the new black
get with the program and go grab some fins before they sell out. mark my words folks all the cool kids will be out bodysurfing before you can say jack robinson. just forget your silly surfing board and be one with water. its malloy brother approved good times.
get hip
if you have yet to listen to battles its not too late to start now and make yourself retroactively with it. even though the line up has changed a bit they still bring the fire. their early album releases are ridiculous sound fractals exploding. so cool it hurts.
for real?
What does it mean to be authentic? In this time of the real
fake and the overwhelming attempt to redefine the real as the constructed how
do we have a relationship with the components that when once assembled become
an authentic moment or person or interaction? Is the act of commitment the
pivot point? Once you care you might have a chance to be involved in something
that may resemble an authentic experience.
I am consistently surprised because as
a naive and childish man the neo modern desire to appear as if nothing matters
seems so obviously played out to me. The militant movement of “I don’t care”
has won the day and its army is marching on aloofly crushing all skulls that
tend to actually show caring about a thing or an interaction. How passé it is
to actually be entwined in commitment and openness of the self to caring about
any thing or moment. How risky and silly. How foolish these soft caring people
are to open themselves up to disappointment and failure.
What has happened to bravery? Has it been mediated by so
many removals of direct connections that what bravery needs as source material
is no longer there? I like this as an idea but it is easily proven false by the
total bravery of the occupy folks though they are but a small total percentage
of the population. One could say the 99% is being represented by the .01% who
have risked the most paramount of risks in that they have opened their physical
being to damage at the hands of the consistently barbaric police drones. Having
myself been beaten up by the cops back in my years of madness I am fully aware
of the complete fear of getting wailed on by the guys who can then say it was
your own fault they acted barbarically and then gleefully throw your broken ass
in jail. It’s a mind fuck to say the least.
So if bravery exists in this shallow time of the real fake then why is it the mass of people I meet are committed to the army of “I don’t care” and the protections that this shift provides? Has the mediated reality that most of us live through the screens of our devices made the empirical visceral interaction a terrifying thing best avoided? Caring has been pummeled into a thing that only the foolish and childish participate in. To be committed is to be set up for pain and loss.
Holy shit that sounds terrible. If the thing that was once
sought after was a solid understanding of quality now I think those of us that
would have been on the quality project back in the seventies should go now and find the magic dagger
which can murder the thing that powers the “I don’t care” army. It is killing
interactions and ideas. It is making us pointless and vapid and not in the good
way. We need to care. We need to care all the time.
The early punk rock ethos taught me most of what I
internalized about how to be in the world both for the benefit and the detriment
of my rollercoaster ride so far. If punk rock taught me anything it taught me
that caring and caring passionately is the coolest thing that a person can do.
Lets all try and be more punk in this real fake time and care and tell
everybody that you care and why don’t they. Call out their fear by confronting
yours.
Be punk and give a shit.
an english gentleman
although i did not agree with everything that hitch said and wrote i did recognize a superior mind at work and always learned something from my interactions with his stuff. he made the terribly vain vanity fair magazine a thing i could justify reading. a huge loss for those of us that enjoy a mental challenge and those that produce finely crafted liquor. i bet the flags are flying at half mast at many a distillery this week.
way too smart
im not sure how many of u blog followers have read infinite jest or any other of davids stuff but it is what writing should be. super intelligent and filled with ideas that deserve to be explored. his prose is brilliant yet aware of the trap that is hyper intelligent writing. hard stuff to do in this silly post modern age. his death was a tragic loss of an amazing voice and a fearless mind.
follow the leader
all the cool kids know about the mini simmons now. they wouldnt know shit if not for kenvin. he is the adventurer that has been blazing the path for the rest of us to follow. if his movie is ever finished it will be an instant masterpiece. thank you rk for reminding us to have fun when we surf. long live simmons!
grown up fun
not sure if many folks know about the amazing strangeness that is frisky dingo. a fantastic show that is no longer with us but gave rise to the equally rad archer. this is just good time silliness. cartoons made for grown ups.
shifted
the concept of time shifting has been around but it is interesting to see how little these industry titans understood in 1994 about what it would do to the way we consume media. to imagine a world that is not on demand at the end of 2011 is an antiquated vision at this point. time now bends to the individual consumers entertainment needs quite nicely. also the film cabin boy is straight up awesome.
call me crazy?
great song and a nice simple version. what an amazing guy. to think that salinger would bring it all to a close in new york proves it is a strange world indeed.
rose city
this song always makes me think of portland and hiding from the rain in one of that cities many fine drinking establishments. a fellow chico soldier named larry crane moved north and did the engineering on the first solo recordings before smith became an oscar star and moved to los angeles.
stylin
"Courage is grace under pressure” – Hemmingway
What we
call style is a manifestation of this quote. To have style one must in the face
of the harsh glare of uncertainty about the self and its relation to the group
stand firm as the solitary matador of which Hemmingway speaks. The individual
must be bold enough to set his or her own course to be something apart from the
onslaught of sameness. The belief in the self is the meat of courage. This is what sets the purveyors of style apart from the folks who have other things to do.
Before
there was a machine to sell us goods there was the idea that we liked things
amazing people did. We love us some excellence with no perceived effort. Isn’t
that what style is all about? Prowess is rewarded and prowess with style
is immortalized. Just go ask Tony Alva.
One of the big things when I was snowboarding was to always be in control of your arms. No flapping them around at all and no wild motions of any kind. Your upper body was to remain calm and silent while riding as fast as you possibly could. That was style back then and it remains so today in all board sports.
Lets
think about that real quick. With all that is happening to your senses as you
rocket down a mountain or a wave face style requests of us a calm space
to emerge. Style is a quiet art. You find it by relaxing
into the moment and the courage to be present allows style to emerge. That is grace
under pressure in action. The matador spins while the horns glide by just an
eyelash away and we as the audience collectively think what a straight badass
stands calmly before us. What style. Toro Toro!!
indian
talked about this scene the other night after dinner and i had to see it again for the billionth time. it is still bad ass. i was sitting with a group of young folks and none of them had seen it. i thought that was a shame so here is a taste kiddies. enjoy your freedom.
good vibes
the mercury program is one of the best bands you have never heard of. i couldnt find any video that was worthy but the song is bananas on its own. an oldie but a goodie.
my man dan
tomo is a madman. he is far far ahead of the other kids. his super small finely tuned surfboards are spaceships we get to ride. surfing is lucky to have him making his trip available to the rest of us simple folk to slowly understand. watch and see the future.
usa
music is interwoven into my day. from the time i wake till i sleep music is usually playing on some device. i am still unclear which is the best way to have music on the blog. is a mp3 better than a video? im not sure one is any better than the other. anyways this vid post springs from a great conversation i was included in on turkey day about our fine country. nuance and hubris. thanks to all that took part in the group seminar! ha!
happy family fun!!
i have always loved turkey day. family and food. i'm giving thanks today for my inspirational family and my amazing friends and i hope you all have a fantastic thanksgiving!
the bums will always lose
one of the finest movies i know. it is truly unbelievable but not a single line was improvised in this film. watch an amazing script at work. the dude abides indeed.
cardiel is king
for all the skate nerds out there this is pure gold. cardiel ripping and whatnot. super fun 16 part skate history madness! makes me feel like an old guy sitting and reminiscing on a porch swing or something. grass valley represent.
badassery
twist is just the coolest. his early graffiti stuff was super technical and painterly. you could walk around the mission and see his work peering down from signs or on large walls in vacant lots. i have a bunch of old photos of his stuff someplace. gonna make me rich! thanks twist.
ti jean
most folks dont know that the hipster to end all hipsters and the king daddy of all things beat was a french canadian. ha! the joke is on us i guess.
thats how you debate
two heavy hitters having at it. i might be one of the few people who really likes to watch this type of madness unfold. super fun thought pretzels. try it.
hard bop hard
these are my boys. so basic and crazy good. this is what they mean when they say real hip hop. look at that chain and tell me different!
rad!
rock it out!! these guys are getting a bunch of play on my listening devices lately. two member bands are awesome and i want my very own. drummers?
surf writing is dead long live surf writing
What can one say about surfing without being engaged in
thefurther abstraction of an ephemeral endeavor? Is the gliding on the surface
of a collapsing wave something that needs to be defined at all? Should it only
be represented as it is? Is this why the written word pales in light of the
video image? The empirical moving image which needs no wordsmith to frame and
control the representation. The surfing on the screen stands pure in its being.
The image is king.
Without the music that accompanies these images most
surfing films fall quite flat of their lofty aims of merging the art of art and
the visceral nowness of actually plowing the wave through. Sex is much the
same. We would rather watch it than read it and would rather do it than watch
it. This is the dilemma with any type of surf writing. How boring is reading
about meditation or any other esoteric eastern mysticism as it spins a web
around itself? These metaphysical tropes have been ground into a fine powder in
years following the seventies and the circuitous paths of those intrepid
psychedelic surf explorers.
I never again need to read another article or essay or
whatever about the spiritual nature of the mind body collapsing into itself and
transcending the base duality that binds us to the real and on and on. These
sentences are why nobody reads about surfing metaphysics. Who gives a fuck is
my first answer because I am a child of the nihilism of my time. We are
trapped. Why then write at all about surfing? Why then try to transmit anything
without a flashing image pulsing with life and vibrancy making an easy
transmission of feeling and place? Why the fuck not I guess.
When everybody zigs the individual must zag. Find the
mainstreamers and then kill them in the streets. What the fuck am I saying?
What I am saying is this, there is no point in any of it. There is no meaning
hiding from us other than that which we apply. Surfing is just a way to pass
the time and in those moments when we are in the ocean we can let the grip of
linear space-time fade away and embrace the next singular happening as an
eternity. It is important to do it because it matters not. This is why The
Surfers Journal will forever write about the mystical nature of surfing,
because it is fundamentally and deeply true. Surfing is an act of mysticism. It
is an act of mysterious watery alchemy.
As one paddles into a pitching frothy wedge it does not
matter what came before and what will come. This makes those heads that took
the good shit back in the day remember what it was like to see all time
compressed into a single moment and feel that moment inside of an endless
stream of moments and yet pure and truly singular. Roll that shit, smoke that
shit, pass that shit.
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