What's crappening

First off, a much belated thanks to Stephanie and Cameron for the reception gathering at Whidbey Island. Good friends and good food: two things I certainly appreciate. Another thanks to Jordan and Jaclyn for transportation, a place to stay and the rollicking session of catch - may we do it again soon.

Kicked off my two week break correctly on Saturday with an old soldier, Matt, at Big E's to watch UFC 118. Even if the card was a little weak, MMA and microbrews isn't a combination to be dropping qualms on. So here's my brief fight-by-fight breakdown that you probably don't want to read.

Nate Diaz v. Marcus Davis - This was easily the best fight of the night. Diaz, known for his jiu-jitsu/submission skills, displayed far superior striking in his hands. He turned Davis' face into something out of Dick Tracy, before submitting him via guillotine choke towards the end of the third round.

Kenny Florian v. Gray Maynard - Despite fighting in his hometown and walking out to the awesome "For Boston" by Dropkick Murphys, K-Flo looked uncomfortable, getting handled in all three rounds by Maynard - who took the unanimous decision.

Demian Maia v. Mario Miranda - This fight was reminiscent of the Jon Fitch/Thiago Alves fight from the last card, where there wasn't a lot of excitement because one fighter successfully neutralized his opponent by controlling them on the ground. It was Maia this time around.

James Toney v. Randy Couture - Boxing legend meets MMA legend - a total joke of a fight. This sideshow played out exactly like most of us had predicted: someone competing in MMA with little-to-no background in wrestling and/or jiu-jitsu is going to get dumped on their ass and submitted with the quickness. To be a one-dimensional fighter is to be worthless. Thank you Randy Couture for proving the haters wrong and hopefully bringing a little more respect to the sport.

Frankie Edgar v. BJ Penn (2) - Huge bummer. This was supposed to be Penn getting redemption for the last fight with Edgar, proving he was still one of the greats. That did not happen. Instead, it was basically the same fight as before, with Penn not doing what he does best (shooting for takedowns) and Edgar outworking him for five rounds (he looked as fresh in the fifth as he did in the first). I don't know whether it was poor conditioning or an issue with cutting weight, but this was not the Penn of (even recent) past. I sincerely hope that he's not finished. I don't want to be stuck remembering him through reruns of the Joe Stevenson fight (see below - don't be a wuss) on Spike.

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Recently finished a couple of books: Slumberland by Paul Beatty and both Wise Blood and half of A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor. Josh, I already talked to you about these and since you're the probably the only one taking interest in what I read, I will refrain from any lengthy redundancy. If you're new to Beatty, start with The White Boy Shuffle - the stereotypes he's playing with will be more identifiable. If you're new to O'Connor, be well-versed with Christian theology and start with A Good Man is Hard to Find - she was a better short story writer than a novelist.

Dusted off OutKast's Aquemini last night for the first time since...I'm going to guess high school. Talk about a fine wine. I've always claimed ATLiens was their best (probably because I had my mind blown at age 12 by the video for "Elevators [Me & You]"), but I think I'm going to have to go back on that now. Aquemini is a rare specimen of an album that set an artist on the road to stardom without representing a compromise. It's sort of psychedelic and distinctly southern without being obnoxiously "dirty" (even if they use the word "dirty"). In short, it brings the funk. Even the instrumental/spoken word track (see below - don't be wuss) is dope as hell.

So two weeks off. Got some reading to do. Some projects to help the parents with around the house. Have Architecture II and Engineering Graphics II next quarter. Will probably be more intense coursework than I've had in awhile. But I've got less than a year to go now with my CDD degree. And from talking to a couple of people in the industry, the combination of this degree and my bachelor's degree gives me the opportunity to get a decent job. Finally, there's some light at the end of the tunnel. The chance to comeback from nothing to something. The return of self-worth and pride, never to let them be taken again. Or like The Jealous Sound said, there is hope for us.

Real post coming soon

I'm finishing up school for this quarter, so I'll get something legitimate up here next week. But in the meantime enjoy this little diddy I put together.

If I were a superhero, I'd be this guy.

...if Bruce Banner looked like this guy.

And when this song played...


...super-villains would already be shit-out-of-luck. Oh look, the transformation is starting...

HULK SMASH!

From the diary of some dumb teenager

You're born into this world alone.
And you die in this world alone.
No family.
No friends.
Just you and what you make of your life.

Stay cold.

In respose to your question, Chelsea

Let's begin by introducing the dialogue at hand. My friend Chelsea made the observation that every guy says that only the early Saves the Day and AFI albums are any good. I replied with "I've said all that shit because it is true," to which she posed the question "why?"

First of all, I don't think all males say that. I can easily imagine many-a-dude who like Pantera in metal forums posting something along the lines of "Saves the Day and AFI R 4 fggtz."

But the reason why I have a higher regard for the early works of these bands rather than their later efforts is pretty simple: they stopped doing what they did well.

Saves the Day's first two albums, Can't Slow Down and Through Being Cool, are excellent pieces of pop-punk/melodic hardcore: fast, fun and full of energy. Thir third album that found them success, Stay Where You Are, was more along the lines of that 3rd wave of emo a la Jimmy Eat World; it wasn't bad. In fact, it was quite enjoyable. But it did show the band beginning to lose that energy which made their first two albums so great. Everything after this third album...snoozefest. They started to pull that "we're respectable artists" card. Maybe Pitchfork or some other snooty zine ate that shit up. Sorry, I'm not buying it. Saves the Day were a pop-punk band. Their first tour was with Bane. And then suddenly they're the fucking Beatles? They done forgot their roots.

AFI is a similar case. Great punk/hardcore band that always had a slightly darker edge, one that came out fully on Sing the Sorrow - a rad album, despite what the haters say. But when that "Miss Murder" single dropped, they had traded their punk/hardcore energy for shitty goth makeup and haircuts. Look, I like The Cure as much as the next misunderstood teenager. But the only guy who gets to look like Robert Smith is Robert Smith. Oh, the music? Yes/no. Watered-down and generic. It sounds like they spent more time putting on eyeliner than writing songs.

I can see someone saying "Dave is just selfish and immature. He doesn't like it when bands to grow artistically." To that I say, slow your roll. Growth is fine. Growth can be great. But it's best when artists evolve within themselves. Not when they go off the deep end, because that rarely works. Think of it this way: can you imagine what would have happened if John Steinbeck had written a fantasy novel? Orcs and wizards and unicorns: the whole nine yards. Tolkien would have kicked down his front door and beaten him within inches of his life with a first edition of The Hobbit yelling, "Are you trying to fuck with this?" And that's merely in addition to Steinbeck's fantasy novel sucking really hard.

MORAL: Do what you do well. Do it to the best of your ability. You don't have to do the same thing for five albums. But don't trip out. Stay rooted (to some degree) in what you came up in. Otherwise, start a new band. Because you're tricking old fans into attending your shows with the naive hope that your setlist might contain some classic material, about which you now act as if it had never existed in the first place.

And above all else, do not try to sound like The Beatles. We get it. They kind of changed music. Now let's move on. Because surely you aren't changing it by aping them. Rather, you become - to quote Wayne's World - The Shitty Beatles.

What the hell was wrong with this? Absolutely nothing.

Rock the bells.

Weddings, man. This, my brother's, was the fourth I've been to, but the first I've actually taken part in (as the best man). My responsibilities were relatively small, limited to a few ceremonial requirements. But just being in the midst of the chaos, a chaos which lasted a good half-a-day, was draining. Again, it wasn't even me getting hitched. Rain forcing the ceremony to be moved to the area for reception (The Uptown Hideaway), a debacle with the slide-show (which must have been completed minutes before it was shown), a delay on the ice for the beer, and a bunch of other stuff I won't go into here - shit happens. Let's just say that I couldn't pound an IPA soon enough. Warm or cold.

The clear highlight of the evening would have to have been the musical selections. They were a pleasant surprise. Emphasis on "surprise". While rehearsing the entrance of bridesmaids and groomsmen, no music was played. All I knew was that my brother's wife-to-be was going to walk out to a Cat Power song. So I was taken aback when the procession commenced to the tune of Outkast's "So Fresh, So Clean". It was dope. After the ceremony, the playlist included the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Souls of Mischief, Grandaddy, Ice Cube, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, along with all the other jams I am forgetting. One of the photographers claimed it was the best music he'd ever heard at a wedding. I'd have to agree with him. Though my wedding hasn't happened yet (a largely hypothetical event), where there is sure to some Dropkick Murphys pumping through the system. In fact, if I don't get to drunkenly sing along to the following, it was never meant to be.

Besides myself, everyone else seemed to have a great time. Especially my family: both immediate and extended. Like I said in the previous post, my folks are a pretty reserved bunch. But whether it was the infectious joviality of spirits or the alcohol, they busted out of their shells. Right onto the dance floor. Seeing them all out there, immersed in uninhibited fun, I had to join. So I did what any other self-respecting white guy does in the presence of loud hip-hop: poorly executed break-dancing. I also dusted off a few choice moves from my golden years at 80's Nights in Bellingham. My mom proceeded to ask where I learned to perform these pelvic gyrations. I explained to her that college wasn't all about books.

In summation, the wedding was a rager. I only hope I didn't ruin the photos with my bulldog front. I swear, it can't be helped. I'm just a mean-looking son of a bitch.

I know this is a horrible transition, but I wanted to share my favorite passage from Molloy. Despite the lack of a real story, it shows Beckett dropping profound knowledge on a rather taboo subject. Keep in mind that this was written in the late 1940's. How it made it into the final draft, I do not know.

For as long as I had remained at the seaside my weak points, while admittedly increasing in weakness, as was only to be expected, only increased imperceptibly, in weakness I mean. So that I would have hesitated to exclaim, with my finger up my arse-hole for example, Jesus Christ, it's much worse than yesterday, I can hardly believe it is the same hole. I apologize for having to revert to this lewd orifice, 'tis my muse will have it so. Perhaps it is less to be thought of as the eyesore he called by its name than as the symbol of those passed over in silence, a distinction due perhaps to its centrality and its air of being a link between me and the other excrement. We underestimate this little hole, it seems to me, we call it the arse-hole and affect to despise it. But is it not rather the true portal of our being and the celebrated mouth no more than the kitchen door. Nothing goes in, or so little, that is not rejected on the spot, or very nearly. Almost everything revolts it that comes from without and what comes from within does not seem to receive a very warm welcome either. Are not these significant facts. Time will tell.

Wow.

"Yet I don't work for money. For what then? I don't know."

My brother is getting married this Saturday. The weather forecast calls for rain. Hopefully it will be wrong like it is normally supposed to be. I will be representing as best man - something I've always considered myself to be. Now the title will make it official. In all seriousness, the wedding should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to getting to see an aunt from Oregon and a couple of cousins from California that I rarely get to see. One of the cousins I haven't seen since I was 11. It will also be interesting to see what the dynamic will be like between the two families. My side is pretty reserved. And I consider myself to be the same when I'm around them. But who knows what's going to happen once the alcohol starts flowing and Prince comes on over the dance-floor. I say the freaks are coming out.

Had the bachelor party this last weekend. Took a shot and a half of the shit above. No sips. Down the hatch. Instant sore throat. Foulest of foul libations.


Molloy
by Samuel Beckett

After finishing this book, I was at ITT Tech when I got into a strange conversation - considering my surroundings - about literature with a teacher. He asked me what literature was. I said that, as an art, it is a form of human expression and, moreover, describes the human condition (that's "what it means to be human" for all you idiots). He thought on that for a second and then returned with, "Okay. But I've always experienced literature as a journey. Where characters begin and end and all that's in between." I thought how convenient and replied with "you're apparently not familiar with Samuel Beckett."

There are no two ways about it: Beckett is a real bastard to read. Mainly because he doesn't subscribe to the "journey" theory of literature. Trying to understand Molloy through such conventional devices like "story" or "plot" quickly becomes a futile and incredibly frustrating exercise. This lens provides little more than the two main characters who, seemingly destined for conflict, never meet - both instead are absorbed and crippled by internal ramblings of a most incoherent nature. In short, the story makes almost no sense; it's just weird people behaving weirdly, without any logical sequence of events to establish significance.

To begin to "get" Molloy requires a rejection of literary norms. The reader either continues to bang their head against the wall of non sequitur text or they develop a new approach. That is, breaking the confines of tradition where you are a reader reading/being told a story; Beckett attempts to accomplish this by feeding you a story you can't make heads or tails of, along with contradictory narration that helps the literary foundations unravel: "Now my sick leg, I forget which, it's immaterial here", "I wouldn't know myself, if I thought about it", "No matter, no matter", "I say that now, but after all what do I know about then", "But to tell the truth (to tell the truth!)", etc.

In the process of struggling, most likely with these phrases and the void of conflict, you're bound to say something along the lines of "I cannot understand what he's doing." Here, distinguishing the "I" and the "he" becomes important, signifying that the story has indeed become "immaterial" and that the main conflict of the novel has formed: that which is not between characters, but between the reader and the author. No longer is the reader in the familiar position of that passive observer of events. Beckett forces us into a not-so-old fashioned donnybrook: not over the literary (of symbolism and what not), but about what literature is.

But what of my "human condition" definition (let's just assume I'm an authority here)? Does it hold true for Beckett? Because merely trying to push the limits of form would be too sanctimonious and self-serving to be considered art. It would be a vain performance of art-for-art's sake: ego stroking, or, if enjoyable, entertainment - which this is most definitely not.

With the reader/author conflict in mind when considering the goal of art, there emerges a successive conflict between this goal in literature and why people read. If literature truly is to describe what it means to be human, it must do so in all its facets. Yet so much of fiction falls back on artificial conventions: the synchronization of memory and time (infallible recollection), sequential placement of events, cumulative significance, a narrator that speaks after the fact. All these elements are used to lend clarity and create a sense of ease with which the reader encounters a story. But they in no way help illuminate human experience. Instead, they romanticize it with a falsely assumed logic and cadence to provide people with a nice leisurely activity. But art? No, they fall short of that.

With almost all of the aforementioned literary comforts absent in Molloy (except for narrators speaking after the fact, but they hardly lends any ease or clarity in their jumbled mess of memories), it's as if Beckett is asking "what the fuck are you here for?", giving readers requiring a pampered tale the opportunity to walk after the first few pages (where they will encounter the one paragraph that will span the next 80). As someone who decided to, as Salman Rushdie says in the introduction, "surrender" to the end of Molloy, persevering whether out of curiosity or ambition or stubbornness or whatever it was, I could not have answered Beckett's question from the outset. For I could not have known the question. Though I had a sturdy definition of art and an understanding that it takes both the book and the reader to make meaning, my analytical perception still placed me as an interpreter disconnected from that which he studied. But in the case of Molloy, it was the author who beheld me and, essentially, turned me and every other reader into characters to be scrutinized. Characters that don't find simple or precise explanations to the complex issues of their reality.