inamorata

There are little words on this page
in fact there are                        none
Just a leaf
caught by my eye
glazed and polished
I’m tempted to step on it as the crunch seems falsely rewarding.
but in doing so my skin cracks like the desert;
my mouth no longer held aghast                      O
I’m sitting in a crow’s nest with you.

And from it the people look like ants
And you look like Venus

Our organs float in the sky
grounded by an artery
grounded by reality
but reality is our sandbox and we’re digging
a network of tunnels
hoping they meet in the middle

put some on that toast
we don’t need it, we all like                                grass
like bread
we all need to be fed
eyes stretch over and under and through                                 grasp
never online we grasp, grasp
lets grasp

Creating Your Own Meaning-a raw thought process based on the work of Stuart Hall

The notion that meaning is embedded in an image is false.  Meaning is not represented, but is created in the interpretation of a representation.  This is to say, representation is the way meaning is given to things depicted, for example an image in the media.  So representation is active and creative, as apposed to concrete because the meaning is never constant.
(True Meaning)———–→(gap of representation)←———–(New Meaning)
Because true meaning in an image is never definitive representation of the meaning is impossible, rather new meaning is created BY the active interpretation of the representation.  Culture is a series of representations of events that allow us to make sense of the world.  Similar meanings arise in culture because of our shared conceptual maps.
Conceptual maps are language based and are a way of mapping everything out.  That is to say classifying things.  Everything we know in this world we have put into categories in order to make sense of it.  Conceptual maps are within the individual and serve as a foundation for meaning.  Meaning stays within the context of our conceptual maps.  Language externalizes the meanings we make of the world.  Without language meanings could not be exchanged or represented.  Because meaning happens in the interpreting, it cannot be fixed.  Meaning is inconstant.   Advertisers and power figures may try to fix meaning.  This halts the flow of interpretation.  This is a problem because images produce knowledge and when we perceive the intended meanings of advertising, we accept it as normal.  It is important to practice open representation, which involves asking questions to open up new meanings.  Open up stereotypes.

track bike?

Fixed gear bikes have been around forever.  Jesus rode one.  He gave them to his appostals and showed them how to do one-handed barspin wheel stalls.  Lennon rode one too, so did Ghandi.  But no one has riden one like the kids are today.  Watching the sport grow and evolve has been interesting.  A wheelie is no longer a respected trick.  It’s more the ollie of track biking.  If you just did ollies on a skateboard all day, your friends would make fun of you.  You have to do switch tres. 

These bikes are definitly not meant for doing tricks.  If you land too hard, the tiny tires flat out.  You have to put a different size wheel on the front if you want the bars to spin all the way around.  And they don’t have brakes so they are not even street legal.  That’s why the game of track biking is so awesome.  They’ve taken something that has always existed, and creatively reinvented it.  The shit they’re doing on them now is absurd.  A year ago, skidding down a hill was the pinnacle of track biking.  Now it’s the new skateboarding, and dh is the new track biking.  And helium is the new air.  If you havn’t seen this, this is what track biking has become.  NOSE MANUAL!

talking kinda loud

Remember the time before your favorite artist became a rock star and was still an artist?  Unfortunately with most good artists, they stay underground only until they are discovered and scooped by a record company who sells their soul, and their artistic merrit often leaves with it.  My sister just saw Mountain Goats in concert last week, and she was disapointed that John Darnielle was no longer an artist but a rock star.  A perfect example of this is The Shins whose Oh, Inverted World and Chutes too Narrow were oozing with beauty and originality.  Their third album, don’t get me wrong, still kicked ass.  But they’re now catering to a much more mainstream audience.  Damn.  Oh well, we still have those first two amazing albums.  And we still have the Mountain Goats first..14 or 15 albums.  And this video.  The shins playing music in the streets of Paris, or somewhere in Europe.  No record company guiding their songs, no mainstream hipsters to cater too.  Lovely.  The music actualy starts at 2:10ish.

pixies-a wave of mutilation

It was 1988 and the charts were dominated by the likes of Michael Jackson and Cher. But a small band from Massachusetts was damning the man. Their sound was so unique and ahead of its time that everyone started a band to be just like them. Kurt Cobain even admited after it hit the charts, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” sounded like a Pixies song. And now, twenty years later, the Pixies still fit into the playlists of modern music lovers. This is one of the most underexposed bands I can think of, and that makes them even more appealing to listen to. And they don’t suck very much live either.

I wanna post some photos but its hard to on this 60’s laptop that is gasping for its last breathes. Buying a new computer, then this blog will be off the hook son.

MUSIC!?

Stars?!  They make beautiful sounds, the harmonizing between Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan is almost unnaturally perfect.  Not since Simon and Garfunkle have two voices coexisted with such eloquence.   They’ve managed to hold onto the unique sound we (I) like them for.  One track reminded me of the Disney Princess Soundtrack, another gave off an RJD2 vibe.  And that is a GOOD thing.  Another Canadian band killin it.  Speaking of killing it,  how bout that owl that ate my cat.  What a bastard eh.  Here’s a track off the new Stars album titled In Our Bedroom After the War. 

words, a picture

There was a story on digg.com a few weeks back about a dude who proposed to his wife via LoL Cat.  Some things are just easier to say by lol cat.  One of my childhood pets, a cat named Pablo, was eaten by a big owl.

Owls are evil.

not really anything actually

So went for a ride today, explored east, did some wheelies, took some good shots.  Due to the fact that I don’t feel like uploading full quality 10 megapixel photos and then resizing them, I won’t be posting any today.  But I will when i have more time.  Lunar eclipse!  Something to see, hope you didn’t miss it.  Anyway.  Lame post.  Here’s something smooth for the Clapton fans.  Which is everyone, you just might not know it yet.

Canadians Make Lovely Sounds

Everyone knows what CBC radio is.  Pretty much only seniors still listen to it.  CBC1 is mostly news and talk shows, CBC2 is classical music and jazz.   But I bet you haven’t heard of CBC3!  This fashionable, contemporary station is available via online stream and it’s not just another indie station.  Because it’s CBC, they only play Canadian content.  That means we get to rock out while becoming enriched with Canadian culture.  Werd.  And tying into this theme of Canadian music, the New Pornographers have a newish album.  This is a band out of Vancouver, and if you haven’t heard them, you should stay in the cave you’ve been living in because you are not worthy.  Here’s a torrent and a sample from their new album.