5 posts tagged “lulz”

I hate advertisements. for everything.

Aug 13, 2008
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Oh hi.....here's some photos before my short rant on advertisements.....

mMMMMMM, so gewd.

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A trying day at Starbucks at Towncenter... those knee highs are hot, as in, too hot to be wearing during baton rouge summer

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And the last photo is from today, before we went over to Kira's for some delicious Fajitas! It was a fun night! :)

Does anyone miss the old days when internet blogging consisted of freeopendiary and xanga, and all we had to complain about was high school or our first jobs, and we weren't bombarded with internet advertisements every second we spent online. I hate advertising.

What I don't like about it is that products and services are presented in such a way that implicates they are things you need, when in fact, they are just things you want. That's the worst part.

Advertising suddenly makes us ten years old again, writing down a ridiculously long christmas list of things we think we need, and once they're purchased, they lose their value. They instantly become something you regret, or something you see as a waste of time and sit in the corner of your closet collecting dust.

Unless of course, you're talking about an Iphone

But honestly, when did someone decide that it was a necessity to have internet and music and instant messaging all readily available at your fingertips no matter where you're standing?

What about the days that we survived without cellphones? without myspace? without an internet blog to share your interesting-to-you, but not-so-interesting-to-them everyday thoughts and feelings? I feel like sometimes we are afraid to be alone.

I read about this vacation rental that's all eco-friendly, and everything is green. I read about a family that went up there without their cell phones and without their laptops and spent a week of vacation, spending quality time, and playing board games at night, going for hikes during the day, and reading books to pass quiet alone time.

And here I am, sitting in front of my computer writing this, and you know what? It's faster. I'll write more quickly than if I used a pen and paper and I'll reach more people by posting this on the internet. I might even "Add tags" so when people search on Vox, my blog entry will pop up. Maybe I'll add the tags "boobs" and "vagina" just for a laugh. After all I have both, so it's relavant.

I just feel like this is so private. I'm here. It's you and me, but really it's just me. I might have an idea about who reads this, but I'm not necessarily speaking to you. It's a one-sided conversation in which it doesn't really matter if you have anything to say or not. It's more of an afterthought. It's irrelevant.

When I look at the amount of time that I could spend on here alone, reading articles that interest me, keeping up with the news, checking my myspace and my friends' myspaces, and reading email, and checking my LSU account, or shopping for something I need (I mean want), or chatting with friends or looking at photographs of the war between Georgia and Russia, or the photographs on Flickr of the balloon festival I wanted to go to here in Baton Rouge, but didn't make it out to because of work. It's all at my fingertips.

And I'm left wondering what kind of affect this has on our relationships. It makes me feel like our relationship with the computer is, at times, a little unhealthy.

It makes me wonder when I suddenly freak out on a road trip because I realize we've left the google map directions at home. "Oh, what will we do now?!" "we are lost! how will we get there?"

And then, someone says something like

"well, we could just go buy an atlas."

And I feel...

retarded.

The point is, the internet and advertising are all fabulous. What would we do without them?

But if you can't imagine being without them for a day....if you can't imagine what it would be like to leave your television and your computer off for an entire 24 hours and read a book instead, then I think you are in dire need of a temporary vacation from them.

Saturday the 21st

Jun 21, 2008
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How I will spend my last nine days in Oklahoma::::

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okay so this is basically just a photo update. The first is of my new Starbucks that I'll be working at in Baton Rouge. The two of me are just me chilling on my porch right now, killing time before we leave for Tulsa for Momentum. And last, is the result of my boredom at 2 am this morning. I made it for our going away party. 9 days people. crazy.

-kitty cat update:

So, this has been a really difficult decision for Shannon, but I think he may end up sending Coolio, his cat since he was little, to live with his Dad in Altus. Miles (my enormous cat) keeps initiating fights with Coolio, and her eye got hurt so bad a week or so ago that we had to take her to the emergency vet! And it happened again, only to her other eye. Plus she's NOT happy with another cat in the house, and never has been. So that, in addition to all the spraying/marking issues I guess is why Shannon thinks it might be for the best. I feel mixed emotions on it, because at one time I actually suggested this to Shannon, and it really upset him.

But now, I know how much she means to him and I know that it is asking a lot. And she's really old, so I'm not sure how the drive down to Baton Rouge (the 10-12 hour drive) would be on her. It sucks. It's a bad situation either way, no matter what ends up happening. I just hope everything can possibly somehow work out for the best despite that.

-photo update

All my photos lately have been coming from photobooth or the point and shoot nikon, sadly I already packed my cameras, and the disk reader for the D100, which I REALLY wanted to upload some photos from that I took the other night but I don't even know which "Office" box it's in.

-going away party June 27th

no crying. that means everyone. no crying!

-money update

apparently my economic stimulus check was direct deposited into my NORMAN banking account over a fucking month ago! geez! I don't even use that account anymore. In fact, i usually just throw the statements away cause i had like 12 bucks in that account. I only got 300. little bummed about that. I was hoping for more!

I'm off to get gas now and get ready for the art show tonight! yay! I'm in an art show. I'm so stoked! :) :) :)

starbucks...

Jun 7, 2008
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oh hi......I'm waiting for my shift to start. I'm officially done with working at Penn and Memorial Starbucks, unless I pick up a shift before I leave, which is possible as long as it's good for me and Shannon's schedule.

It's hard sharing a car, so at least this way it will be a little easier on both of us for sharing.

I love getting to work early so I can chill and have a drink and wake up a bit before I start working.....it's pretty much my favorite way to start work. When I used to work as a Lifeguard at the downtown YMCA, we opened before Starbucks did, which totally sucked. and I'd have to wait for a whole two hours before a bathroom break, so I had to be careful if I made any coffee or had any drinks.

Tomorrow we go to Tulsa to drop off our artwork for Momentum Tulsa. It's me, shannon, and mike lee that are all going. I think we'll probably grab some lunch up there. I hope they accept all of our work cause I'm really looking forward to it. And then Monday we leave to go down to Altus. I guess we're driving down to Altus, and then leaving for Baton Rouge that night and just drive all the way through. So apartment searching/scoping out the town for a couple days and then possibly lunch with the main graduate photography guy, Tom? I think at LSU, which will be exciting. That's it for now, time to go make some coffeeez!!!

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Photo 211

Colornightshots089

a review of the sophia coppola directed film "lost in translation"

Mar 13, 2008
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“On Feeling Lost”

It’s amazing to imagine that a movie can alter the way a person views life. A successful film’s message gives the audience hope, or changes the way that they thought and felt before viewing the film. “Lost in Translation” is a film directed by Sophia Coppola about two very different people who travel to Japan and end up meeting and beginning an odd and rare form of friendship. “Lost in Translation” succeeds because of a one-of-a-kind storyline, the film’s message, and the beautiful visuals and music the film offers.

The storyline is successful because of the quirks of the characters. The older man, Bob, is a famous actor on business in Japan. He continuously receives ridiculous faxes and letters from his wife while he’s on his trip. They consist of carpet samples and floor plans, sarcastic notes and are devoid of any emotion. And the young woman, Charlotte, is a graduate of Yale, who majored in Philosophy. She spends some of her time in Japan listening to self-help tapes and calling friends in the U.S. saying “…and John [her husband] is using these hair products, and I don’t know who I married…” They are married to people that no longer “get them.” They reflect on the difficulties of life together. One night Charlotte asks if it [marriage] gets easier, to which Bob replies, “Yes………..No.” The two individuals interact on a level that isn’t unrealistic. The movie doesn’t jam in a sexual affair or a car chase or anything out of the ordinary from everyday life. “Lost in Translation” is a success because it shows two very real characters dealing with everyday life, taking things one day at a time.

The film’s message is optimistic, even though the storyline is ridden with sarcasm. “Lost in Translation” is a comment on the two main protagonists feeling lost in their lives. They feel lost in Japan because they don’t speak the language, and the people they married have changed into people they can’t “translate” or relate to. They feel like they are the only two people in the world that “get” each another. These two protagonists find a unique friendship and a momentary happiness in a place and time where they both feel isolated and pessimistic about the future. Their friendship gives them hope and a different perspective towards life. The final message of “Lost in Translation” stands apart in a world of movies that always “tie up the loose ends,” and leave the main characters to live happily ever after.

The shots in the film are colorful and visually stunning, which is a trademark of any Sophia Coppola directed film. In some scenes Charlotte travels alone to Buddhist temples and little shops around Japan. The lighting and tones of color bring Japan to life, while the protagonists are at a stand-still in their lives. In “Lost in Translation” there is an intense contrast between the beauty of the place and the ugliness of everyday life. The music also deepens this contrast. “Just Like Honey,” By The Jesus and & Mary Chain, starts playing when the two characters have to leave one another in the end. It begins with a snare drumbeat and long distorted guitar riffs. The lyrics aren’t especially amazing, but the sound of the song sets a melancholy mood which clashes with the optimistic message in the ending.

In the last part of the film, the older man whispers to the younger woman that they will always have Japan, which means not to be sad that they are both leaving and going their separate directions. “Lost in Translation” gives the viewer hope because life doesn’t and won’t turn out the way one expects it to, and not to be too burdened by this, because happiness can be found anyway. This film is successful because it pushes the viewer to acknowledge that a specific future they expect or plan for may not be the one they need to make things meaningful.

a portfolio I'm working on:

Mar 13, 2008
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poetry portfolio--first page of "time capsule."

poetry portfolio--"in the wild"

This is a series of photographs and poems I've been working on. I printed most of the photos and poems on 5x7 Ilford smooth pearl paper, and used Helvetica for the font. I still need a lot of work on this rough draft of the portfolio. Once I have all the pieces I'm going to use, i think I will refine it and then blow it up to 13 X 19.

I'm really excited about this project cause its just for me. It's not for school or for work, it's just something I'm doing for myself.

i love it! :)