Bumperstickers

Bumper stickers are always fun. They can turn a shitty car into an even shittier one, a nice car into a more down to eart "look at me I'm not afraid to put a sticker on my car" one, and a college kids car into a stereotypical one. Personally, I really enjoy looking at them and judging the person driving the car accordingly, but some people take them too seriously and get all bent out of shape and disrespectful for no reason.

My friend Sarah and her whole family proudly display Darwin fish decals on their cars. If you know the family, it's so appropriate and hilarious. When I first saw it on her car I was shocked because I thought it was a Jesus fish, but upon closer examination, I was comforted by the little feet I saw jutting out. Most people, however, aren't comforted by the fish with feet and find it very offensive. She has told me several stories about people coming up to her and telling her to take it off, trying to take it off themselves, or just flipping her off from their cars (probably also attributed to her horrible driving). But, of course, these are the type of people who probably don't fully understand the Theory of Evolution and think it says that we evolve from monkeys... which it doesn't. This just goes to show how much a symbol, a stupid little decal on a car, can affect people; How much a picture or visual representation can still be powerful without the use of words. It also goes to show that images spark controversy in every day life and not just when a child is photographed nude or live animals are used in some art form.

Though I think the ubiquitous Jesus fish strikers are annoying, I'm not going to ask anyone to take them off of their cars. I mean, it's just a bumper sticker, look like an ass if you want to.














My favorite of all time... I see this one way more than I should. I guess they want to gun down the endangered bald eagle, planes, blimps, and sky divers, too!

Dorm Decorations

I love creepily looking into other people's dorm rooms when their door is opened. From the rooms with Chi O signs plastered everywhere to the ones with posters of Bob Dylan and other music icons, I enjoy inappropriately staring into all of them, Seeing how other people arrange and decorate their room not only gives me ideas on how I could move things around in my room but it can also reveal a lot about the person in it. Initially, our rooms look disgusting and depressing with their white walls, cheep fake wood desks, and cold mismatched tiles. The first few weeks when my walls were bare it drove me crazy and made me even more depressed and homesick than I already was. Then, once I brought posters and little nick nacks from home to decorate with, the room took on a whole new ambiance. I felt much more conformable and the room was much more inviting for me and others. Unfortunately, however, some people's rooms still look pretty scary. My friend Lauren's room still has all of it's stained white walls and cracking tiles exposed. To top it off, her room has gross blue blinds that she hardly ever opens to let the light in. My other friends and I lovingly call her room "the cave" and frequently tell her how uneasy we feel when we are in it. Now, the really bad part about this is that I am going to be the cave woman's roomie next year. I have already vowed to get something on those walls if it's the last thing I do... but then again, nothing on the walls is probably better than the poster of puppies in a pot staring at me with their sad eyes that I have to look at now.

So, I just think it's pretty amazing how just a little bit of decorating can make our freakish looking plain dorms look so nice homely. Those bare walls are also a nice way to express yourself... and not in the Madonna way.

Politics are HOT!

People put a lot of emphasis on others appearances, especially people in the public eye. The presidential candidates are no exception. When talking to my friend Jamey about who we thought we were going to vote for, Obama's good looks inevitably came up. "I don't remember such a good looking young president, and I think that would be cool." he said wholeheartedly. Of course, I reminded him of Kennedy's classic good looks and likability. One of my history teachers was oddly obsessed with him and his head full of beautiful red hair... he would also talk in detail about how ugly Eleanore Roosevelt was... and one class he got all emotional because "Robert E. Lee was such a good guy, but he was just on the wrong side!"... but that's beside the point. Anyway, looks really do count much more than they should. Their policies, promises, and plans seem to be overshadowed by menial outward appearances. Who cares about that stuff anyway! I mean, if Obama doesn't wear an American flag pin on his coat, he must be an anti-American Muslim! Oh, that crazy black man. Hillary looks like The Joker from Batman when she smiles! She must be crazy! Why would we want to look at her, that woman, for 4 years? McCain is too rotund and wrinkly... he'll probably kill over within a year of taking official!

Come on people, get it together!! This shit shouldn't matter. Find an unflattering picture about a politician and it could hurt them. Make sure they are photographed with their kids, at construction sites with hard hats on, and being normal people just like you and me. I don't know about what everyone else thinks, but I don't want someone like me running the country!

Maybe we just want an attractive leader to mask the ugly truths of politics and capitalistic society. Just slap a suit on them and at least they look competent!

Obama is adorable though...


Crazy bitch!

Terrorist!

Looks like that old bastard needs to be waterboarded!

Irish Folk

When I heard Irish Folk singers were going to be performing in the shell, I was in! Though not many people showed up, it was a great show, and I really enjoyed myself.

The shell was a perfect place for the show. Being outside on that brisk windy night set the perfect atmosphere for the Irish folk music. Because of the outdoors, the performance felt much more folky, laid back, and personable than it would have if it was in one of the auditoriums on campus. Outside, the audience feels more comforatable getting involved and cheering. Of course, I am always comfortable shouting out a "Wooooo!" and did my share of it to my friend's protest. Being at a more open venue also makes me feel much more free- less trapped and more care free... but maybe that's just because I am an outdoors freak and hate artificial lighting. Inside of the shell, the musicians added their own flair with their fun personalities, cool instruments, and Irish pride. Though an awkwardly hung Irish flag was pitifully flaccid for most of the show, it looked great and regal when the wind wold pick up and make it wave a bit.

After the show, Libby and I went to Colombia Cafe-another place with an inviting and distinct atmosphere. The small building and chic furniture (glass top tables with coffee beans under them and colorful fabric draped from the ceiling) created a unique and cozy atmosphere perfect for conversation. Sitting at a table with Libby and Liz was also interesting. 3 socially awkward people = a memorable time. Acting as a buffer between Libby's sensitivity and passive aggressiveness and Liz's awkward inappropriateness and questions that rubbed Libby the wrong way was fun for me. You always know when I'm the best conversation starter that circumstances are unfortunately hilarious.

It was a really good night from all aspects.

Doug Burr!!!

So, over spring break I went and visited one of my friends in Austin and discovered a wonderful musician who only plays in Texas named Doug Burr.

Though my friend is into mostly hardcore/punk music (which I had my share of during my visit), he humored me and took me to a folky show he knew i'd like. Thank god he did because it was amazing!


I wish there was a better video... it just doesn't do him justice.

With a beautiful voice, wonderful and thoughtful lyrics, and raw musicianship, Doug Burr blew me away. First I was amazed by the soothing melody of his voice and instrumentation, and then I started to notice what a great song writer he is

Burr played in a very small coffee shop that created a comfortable and homely atmosphere perfect for his music. I always prefer small venues for that reason. They really do create a completely different atmosphere that makes the show feel so much more special and intimate. The only bad thing about the small space was how much it amplified people's conversations when they would talk amongst themselves like assholes during the show (which really seems to be a problem with people these days). Burrs laid back aura made me feel like I was just watching a friend play some songs he had been working on with a group of close friends. His large rimmed glasses and white streak of hair in the front of his head made him look like that artsy guy he was. He had a weird little voice and accent that seemed awkward but fitting for him, too.

An inviting atmosphere, a great friend, a few drinks, and awesome new music... what more could you ask for?

Granitevill, Whippoorwill, Thing About Trouble, and Blood Runs Downhill were my favorite songs. Everyone should go buy his album On Promenade from iTunes(assuming you like this kinda of music)!!!

echoBOOM

echoBOOM is a play about a school shooting and my generation. Of course, after hearing about all the controversy surrounding it, I wanted to go see it for myself. Though I could definitely see why it would be very offensive to some people, I just laughed, and though I wanted to like it, I really can't say I did. It was just alright.

Visually it was very interesting and cool, but the rest was just... eh. One of the visual highlights was the color lighted background and blackout that made the actors look like they were part of one of the iconic ipod commercial. Another was the actors actually playing the part of crosses burning and glowing in the dark with their neon black light colors. It was very appealing to the current generation and our fixation on pictures and color, as it was supposed to be. But aside from the cool contemporary/minimalistic setting, the plot was just a fucked up modern day Antigone... it just didn't do it for me. As I was watching the play unfold I kept on saying to myself "This is all really familiar... what is it?" and it wasn't until the part where the antagonist was thrown in prison and broadcast around the world live via webcam (yeah I know) that i really realized. After that I would just think "On no they just didn't!" I've even deduced that the Jesus character, who sells drugs to the kids, cusses, and snorts cocaine himself, is supposed to be Tireasias blinded by drugs instead of actually being blind. If that sounds lame, it's because it is.

I mean, I get the point of it and I get the themes, and they're all really relevant and important.... I just don't like how it was done. It just seems like one of those things that sounds good on paper, one of those good ideas, but once it's played out, it's not that great.

Take off your damn sunglasses, Bonno.

I have a personal problem with sunglasses. I don't know what it is about them, but every time I put on a pair they just fuck me up. The awkward brown or black tent to everything just confuses me and makes me feel uneasy... Yes, I know this isn't normal, but neither is my contempt for hot liquids. Weird, but that's just how it is. So, because of this, I'm always extremely confused with and hateful towards people who wear sunglasses all the time... day or night... inside or outside.... what's your fucking problem!?! For this reason (and many others) I really hate Bonno.

Relating to consumption of visual culture, I don't see how these people (Bono in particular) can function. While looking at art or screening a movie does he just accept the fact that everything has a purple(or whatever color of the spectrum his sunglasses happen to be) tint? Has he just gotten used to the distorted world his treasured sunglasses have created for him? Does he imagine what something would look like without the rosy tint, or is the tint just another part of viewing things for him? Does he get confused when he takes them off? Most importantly, does he really think they make him look cool? I really don't see how he can live with himself...

Bonno, you look like a jackass. Please take off your sunglasses so you can see the world how it really is, buddy. I'm sure you could also save some money from not buying sunglasses in every shade ever made.

UNOS, DOS, TRES, CATORCE!!!! Learn how to fucking count in Spanish!