Get On With It

countdowns got me down

    Christmas break has afforded me more time to loaf and laze than is humanly unproductive.During the last few weeks I've been the unfortunate witness to numerous Top (insert number here) Countdowns of 2006. Ok. The first time they were moderately entertaining. In a mere hour I got caught up on every trivial thing I didn't care to pay attention to in the last year.

    What? Britney's an unfit mother because she is self-proclaimed "country" and clumsy when she tries to double fist a baby and a beverage, and she and K-fed are headed for divorce faster than you can say "Brangelina" while reading People magazine!? Say it ain't so! Timm Gunn's having the Best Year Ever!? Ok, I'm guilty. I thoroughly enjoyed that one because I heart Project Runway. In other news, a bunch of celebrities had babies, Mel Gibson is alcoholic anti-Semite, and Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have been overexposed in a double entendre sort of way.

    Wow, really? That's all you want to spend the week before 2007 talking about? That's all people want to see? These are the conversations you want to be having as we decide the best course of action for the future and huddle under a cozy blanket to scribble down our New Year's resolutions on the back of a soiled In Touch magazine? (1. Lose more weight so that I can look more like Lindsay Lohan. 2. Get plastic surgery (make sure it's extreme. 3. Make more money so I can live the "Simple Life" like Paris 4. Get a record contract....etc.) Awesome.

    Give me a few hours of programming that mean something for me in the coming year. I promise, there are plenty of captivating stories to talk about. Less celebrity and more humanity. I could give you a decent top ten. What about poverty, Katrina relief, global warming, Darfur, and AIDS? I'm sorry to bring you all down before you guzzle down champagne then make-out with near strangers as the ball drops,  but come on. Shouldn't this be a time of reflection AND celebration. Without that, we'll be watching the same insignificant countdowns in a year where nothing happened, nothing changed because people did just that...nothing.

for anyone who's ever eaten a hot pocket

My mom taped Jim Gaffigan's comedy special and had me watch it a few days ago. This bit was our hands=down favorite (although I recommend checking all of it out if you can). My sister laughed inconsolably because she could more than relate to the Hot Pocket experience. It tends to resonate with the college crowd. I'm sure you at one time or another, have consumed a Hot Pocket probably for reasons of convenience, inebriation (likey), or both. Enjoy...

hopping on the resolution bandwagon is for winners...hopefully.

 

What are New Year’s resolutions for anyway? An excuse to start something new or kick the bad habits you could have three months ago? Defined, a resolution can be a firm decision to do something. Most turn-of-the-year resolutions aren't all that firm. They're much more elastic. By March mine turn to putty.

This year I'm taking a whole-hearted stab at some legit New Year's resolutions. I'm actually going write them down for the first time, and on the brink of 2008 I’ll see exactly how resolute they were. In crafting my internal to-do list, I kept in mind some helpful insights from The Show with Zefrank (Baseline: 12.19.06).

"I like this idea. This idea I stole from the actors.The idea that you’re constantly in flux. When I agree to do something in the future not just one me is making that agreement but many versions of me, recognizing that makes helps me understand why routines can be so hard. You don’t always know who’s gonna be showing up for the job. A five mile run you’re out of your fucking mind! Who signed up for that!? Healthy me…you didn’t get the memo?...”

So how do you get the person who happened to show up on a given day to be the new you, the upgrading '07 you? What makes a New Year’s resolution something you can honestly stick to? First, you need to reflect a bit. What do you really want to change? If you don’t believe in it, you won’t stick to it. Then make it something specific, and make it manageable. Then write it down. Having written goals somehow makes me feel more accountable to myself. Put your list somewhere where you can see it. If you've got the cajones, put it somewhere where it’s always visible (It’s always watching…)  If you’re über gung-ho, tell someone else about it.

I won't reveal all mine (I intend to be more mysterious in 2007), but I'll toss you one. I resolve to take one picture everyday. Along with that I have a bunch of undoubtedly overambitious projects having to do with photos, but I'll try and take it from there. Whatever I decide to do with these 365 pics, you’ll at least see them posted to Flickr or my blog’s photo album. If not , motivating comments are appreciated. Overall, my list of resolutions are meant to be more inspiring than disciplinary.Going with that, I like ‘em handwritten (oh hell, you can even get it notarized or tattooed on your left bum cheek). I also like to slap on an inspirational phrase or mantra such as “Fail Harder” and maybe even a photo or too. Go nuts & best of luck!

turn on the magical, shining light!

The Christmas/Festivus season has come to a close, but don't look so glum! You can still surprise the neighborhood with fun, random acts of illumination (no, I'm not talking about rearranging lighted deer into compromising positions). All you need is some LEDs, batteries, magnets, and tape. See how to create throwies on the instructables site or check out the video. I'm happy to reignite my old Lite-Brite obsession in a new, healthy and perhaps more creative form. Ooh, ahh. Me likey the lights.

what the folk?

I always find a great laugh inspiring. I love these guys, Flight of the Conchords, a two man musical comedy act of Kiwis Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie. In their own words they used to be "New Zealand's 4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo". Now they are "The almost award-winning fourth-most-popular folk duo in New Zealand." I first saw them when my friend had me watch their special on HBO's One Night Stand. Quite funny and offbeat stuff (note Jemaine's sweet T-shirt in the video). You can check out more "F o the C" on one of their fan sites or their official website (which is entertaining but has signifcantly less info). They also have a profile on MySpace. Enjoy! (I also highly recommend "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros" and "Business Time.")

things that make you go

Wonderfully Wise Words

"to think that one's actions could please the masses is indeed a notion bound in irony; someone will inevitably find something wrong in almost everything. so do what it is that you do best, and remember to have enough tolerance for two."

-Brandon Boyd - White Fluffy Clouds: Found Inspiration Moving Forward