Yesterday after a refreshing visit to the facilities in the Center of Visual Arts, I decided that a good way to savor the brisk, overcast fall day was to go into a small, ISU food-services cafe known as the Airport Lounge to procure a small cup of coffee. I would gleefully sip this hot cup of joe and briefly reminisce about previous experiences where warm cups of coffee in the cold have felt brilliant, during my brief trek back to my house.
I approached the coffee dispensers, and saw that Seattle's Best offered a Fair-Trade coffee and found that to be pretty rad. I automatically put my cup up to the spout and watched as the warm fluid that promised by sight of it's deep brown color to be utterly delicious poured itself in and settled, ready to receive a tablespoon or two of skim milk and make me smile with it's full, invigorating taste.
I then remembered that I had only one dollar on me, and did not think to use the little amount of money I had on my ISU card. When the register rung a dollar-twentyfour, I opened my wallet, looked puzzled, and asked the girl working the register if she would take debit. "No" is all she said. I replied "Would you take just one dollar?" She looked to an older woman behind her shoulder, who sternly shook her head, turned around and again said only blankfacedly (that's right, blankfacedly) "no". "Well here ya go."
I gave them their coffee back and walked out.
My thoughts afterwards started with "so they'd rather throw out their already poured and potentially sipped product than make the majority of it's price? I mean, people have principles, but give me a break you illogical, bland motherfuckers. And seriously, $1.24 for a small cup of coffee? The Coffeehouse in downtown Normal sells their cups of coffee for 90 cents a pop, and would probably give you it if you only had say, 82 cents."
"You know what? I don't need their stupid corporate coffee anyway, and I certainly don't need to feed any more scratch to ISU than I already have to. I oughta do the thing any self-respecting liberal would do, which is procure a cup of coffee from the Coffeehouse or Coffeehound and throw it in the faces of those Seattle's Best robots at the Airport Lounge!" Ok, so my thoughts didn't exactly come about as thus, but nevertheless, fuck them, their lame business-oriented principles, and their corporate supplier.
No, I didn't blow thing that much out of proportion, I'd like to add that there's nothing wrong with adding a little comedy.
Luckily I've got a bag of ground Fair-Trade waiting for me in the freezer the day such an event happens again. You won this time Airport Lounge, but next time I shall prevail!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
On Children Of Men
I saw Children Of Men in the theaters when it came out and I found it to be a solid film, there wasn't really anything I would deem shady or just in general not well done.
Yesterday evening I watched it again and my opinion did not change. There is one major aspect of the film I would like to discuss which I found thoroughly perplexing, and that is life in a shallow post-consumer society.
Today, we citizens of Western societies are surrounded by consumerism. Whether it be what we watch on T.V., what catches our attention, our financial decisions, our fulfilling of a certain image, whatever. I have learned, and thoroughly agree with, the idea that there is becoming less and less space for individual and creative thought and that consumerism is the culprit. Whether it be the slogan "Don't ask why, try Bud dry"( a slogan one of my professors seems thoroughly disgusted with, but maybe I'll share some insight on that later), the amount of ads that are shoved in our faces on a daily basis, etc. These are all merely distractions.
Children of Men sort of suggests a hypothesis about the future; people are distracted on an immense scale due to billboards on every street corner, televisions in every room of every building, commercials of people smiling and having the time of their lives, etc. In a way, this could be the U.S. and every society in the world someday. The world around could go to shit due to the lack of creative and individual thought and what we are left with is mass consumerism and anything artificial to preoccupy and sedate us.
What we will be preoccupied and sedated from is unclear, it could be infertility like the movie, it could be governments abusing their power, it could be a lack of anything that the human race cherishes or needs to survive.
I could explain this further, but whoever reads this probably has an idea of what I'm getting at. I shall jump ahead to the moral of this little soap box announcement, and say what I think could prevent such a situation. Bullet points shall do nicely.
-Money isn't everything
-Clothes aren't everything
-Big houses are simply illogical
-Cars aren't everything
-Our dependency on foreign oil and oil in general could indeed be our fatal flaw
-Fulfilling a certain image certainly isn't everything
-Picking up a book and reading it is everything
-Having at the very least a decent grasp of politics is everything
-Being open minded and trying new things is everything
If I think of more, I shall post it up. A world without creative and individual thought is something I do not want to be a part of.
Yesterday evening I watched it again and my opinion did not change. There is one major aspect of the film I would like to discuss which I found thoroughly perplexing, and that is life in a shallow post-consumer society.
Today, we citizens of Western societies are surrounded by consumerism. Whether it be what we watch on T.V., what catches our attention, our financial decisions, our fulfilling of a certain image, whatever. I have learned, and thoroughly agree with, the idea that there is becoming less and less space for individual and creative thought and that consumerism is the culprit. Whether it be the slogan "Don't ask why, try Bud dry"( a slogan one of my professors seems thoroughly disgusted with, but maybe I'll share some insight on that later), the amount of ads that are shoved in our faces on a daily basis, etc. These are all merely distractions.
Children of Men sort of suggests a hypothesis about the future; people are distracted on an immense scale due to billboards on every street corner, televisions in every room of every building, commercials of people smiling and having the time of their lives, etc. In a way, this could be the U.S. and every society in the world someday. The world around could go to shit due to the lack of creative and individual thought and what we are left with is mass consumerism and anything artificial to preoccupy and sedate us.
What we will be preoccupied and sedated from is unclear, it could be infertility like the movie, it could be governments abusing their power, it could be a lack of anything that the human race cherishes or needs to survive.
I could explain this further, but whoever reads this probably has an idea of what I'm getting at. I shall jump ahead to the moral of this little soap box announcement, and say what I think could prevent such a situation. Bullet points shall do nicely.
-Money isn't everything
-Clothes aren't everything
-Big houses are simply illogical
-Cars aren't everything
-Our dependency on foreign oil and oil in general could indeed be our fatal flaw
-Fulfilling a certain image certainly isn't everything
-Picking up a book and reading it is everything
-Having at the very least a decent grasp of politics is everything
-Being open minded and trying new things is everything
If I think of more, I shall post it up. A world without creative and individual thought is something I do not want to be a part of.
Halving the Compass
So after having somewhat of a small revelation at last week's party, I came to the conclusion that things will work out. I'll always be a little depressed from time to time, I guess that's just how life goes. However, there's stuff to look forward to and I've got a lot to be thankful for. I also had quite the kickass weekend and did really well at the last Chicago VW Organization Auto-cross.
Speaking of Auto-x, did I mention I did really well at last weekend's? After feeling pretty confident about my maneuvers and times I asked a seasoned vet by the name of Conrad (interesting dude, ex-Marine/seems like a hard-ass but is actually a very nice, friendly guy) if he could ride along with me and see where I could improve. After the run, he said I did everything well, and that I should just enter a slalom a different way and try to get a little more speed in the sweepers. So the way I interpreted this, is I was doing pretty much everything my slow car would allow. That was a major confidence booster. My times dropped and I was quite content. When I make my car handle a little better and make it a little faster, I'm sure I'll see better results.
I've learned something over the past couple of months. Things work out. It may take a while and it may come in different forms that you don't expect, but they eventually work out. I can't think of an example of where this doesn't apply, perhaps there are a few, but for the most part things work out.
Speaking of Auto-x, did I mention I did really well at last weekend's? After feeling pretty confident about my maneuvers and times I asked a seasoned vet by the name of Conrad (interesting dude, ex-Marine/seems like a hard-ass but is actually a very nice, friendly guy) if he could ride along with me and see where I could improve. After the run, he said I did everything well, and that I should just enter a slalom a different way and try to get a little more speed in the sweepers. So the way I interpreted this, is I was doing pretty much everything my slow car would allow. That was a major confidence booster. My times dropped and I was quite content. When I make my car handle a little better and make it a little faster, I'm sure I'll see better results.
I've learned something over the past couple of months. Things work out. It may take a while and it may come in different forms that you don't expect, but they eventually work out. I can't think of an example of where this doesn't apply, perhaps there are a few, but for the most part things work out.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
On der Brandenburger Tor ( the Brandenburg Gate)
2 years ago in the month of March I went on a trip with my German 361 class to Berlin, Germany. Long story short, it ruled. I love that city just a hair less than my beloved Chicago, and am yearning to return this spring while I'm studying in Bonn, Germany. I'd like to share one particular memory that I've been thinking a lot about lately and how much I really enjoyed it.
This memory popped into my head when I downloaded the latest version of Google Earth and made it my priority to first scope out Berlin.
During the afternoon/evening of the first Sunday I was in Berlin, my group decided to all go to the area around the western end of the Tiergarten where the Reichstag (German parliament building), der Brandenburger Tor and the Holocaust Memorial lie, which is just a hop and a skip away from the rebuilt and beautiful Potsdamer Platz.
The Reichstag ruled and the Holocaust memorial gave me goosebumps, as did the stone line drawn in the street where the Berlin Wall used to be.
There is one part of this visit however that one might regard as pretty insignificant but had so much meaning to me, which I am still sort of uncertain as to why it did.
While crossing through the Gate, walking along the open space, gazing at the interesting architecture being raised, and of all things going into a crowded Starbucks 100 yards or so west of the Gate prompted a feeling of, slight bliss. Perhaps it was the fact that Berlin history since the building of the Berlin Wall was presenting itself before my eyes. Perhaps it was enjoying a well-brewed cappuccino in the comfortable warmth of the brand new Starbucks (Starbucks? Seriously? Ugh, and I'm usually the type to avoid Starbucks), or enoying that same cup walking on the crunchy snow and enjoying the crisp, early evening air. Perhaps it was the fact that the sky looked utterly marvelous as a sunset with warm hues flowing around the dramatic clouds and giving everything on the ground a more dramatic, contrasty appearance.
It was these feelings that just made the mood of the evening feel so great. By the way, as I type this I am listening to Royksopp - Melody A.M., great music to write to, especially since it has a little euro flavor to it.
Another interesting detail of this fine evening I remember was a young couple, probably my age or a tad older, who seemed to be deeply in love, was sitting near me and my adventure comrades. My professor, one of the friendliest dudes to walk the planet, engaged in small talk with them because he was sitting next to them. They briefly broke eye contact with one another and talked with him about Berlin, the fact that the guy was from Australia and the girl was from, I believe America (probably students studying abroad), or maybe the other way around, and that they would be departing one another soon.
I saw how into one another they were, and felt a little jealous. Ich war gruen vor neid. Seriously, that's so romantic; coming from lands so far away from each other and really taking a shine to someone, and then having to leave them to go back to where they hail from. It's one of those things that is portrayed so well in some sort of sappy, romantic chick-flick (I'm a big fan of chick flicks, by the way). The whole idea of being together and having something great, in a city that is so unbelievably marvelous, and then departing one another is something I regard as bittersweet. Bollocks to the longing after such a situation, what they had was something to look back on and truly cherish and be content about.
Normally after thinking about this I would turn off the music I'm currently listening to and turn on either Pornography or Disintegration by the Cure, but I think instead I'll listen to more upbeat music and have a more positive outlook about what the future holds for my love life. Could I be in such a situation in the future? Who knows, it's not something I should seek or count on, but rather allow to happen. Does that mean I'll still daydream about it? Certainly. But what's life without daydreaming?
I encourage whoever reads this to comment, as well on all of my future posts.
What do I plan on writing about next? My experience in Dresden, my views on smoking, more of my views on love, my recollections of any significant experience in my life, etc, etc, etc.
This memory popped into my head when I downloaded the latest version of Google Earth and made it my priority to first scope out Berlin.
During the afternoon/evening of the first Sunday I was in Berlin, my group decided to all go to the area around the western end of the Tiergarten where the Reichstag (German parliament building), der Brandenburger Tor and the Holocaust Memorial lie, which is just a hop and a skip away from the rebuilt and beautiful Potsdamer Platz.
The Reichstag ruled and the Holocaust memorial gave me goosebumps, as did the stone line drawn in the street where the Berlin Wall used to be.
There is one part of this visit however that one might regard as pretty insignificant but had so much meaning to me, which I am still sort of uncertain as to why it did.
While crossing through the Gate, walking along the open space, gazing at the interesting architecture being raised, and of all things going into a crowded Starbucks 100 yards or so west of the Gate prompted a feeling of, slight bliss. Perhaps it was the fact that Berlin history since the building of the Berlin Wall was presenting itself before my eyes. Perhaps it was enjoying a well-brewed cappuccino in the comfortable warmth of the brand new Starbucks (Starbucks? Seriously? Ugh, and I'm usually the type to avoid Starbucks), or enoying that same cup walking on the crunchy snow and enjoying the crisp, early evening air. Perhaps it was the fact that the sky looked utterly marvelous as a sunset with warm hues flowing around the dramatic clouds and giving everything on the ground a more dramatic, contrasty appearance.
It was these feelings that just made the mood of the evening feel so great. By the way, as I type this I am listening to Royksopp - Melody A.M., great music to write to, especially since it has a little euro flavor to it.
Another interesting detail of this fine evening I remember was a young couple, probably my age or a tad older, who seemed to be deeply in love, was sitting near me and my adventure comrades. My professor, one of the friendliest dudes to walk the planet, engaged in small talk with them because he was sitting next to them. They briefly broke eye contact with one another and talked with him about Berlin, the fact that the guy was from Australia and the girl was from, I believe America (probably students studying abroad), or maybe the other way around, and that they would be departing one another soon.
I saw how into one another they were, and felt a little jealous. Ich war gruen vor neid. Seriously, that's so romantic; coming from lands so far away from each other and really taking a shine to someone, and then having to leave them to go back to where they hail from. It's one of those things that is portrayed so well in some sort of sappy, romantic chick-flick (I'm a big fan of chick flicks, by the way). The whole idea of being together and having something great, in a city that is so unbelievably marvelous, and then departing one another is something I regard as bittersweet. Bollocks to the longing after such a situation, what they had was something to look back on and truly cherish and be content about.
Normally after thinking about this I would turn off the music I'm currently listening to and turn on either Pornography or Disintegration by the Cure, but I think instead I'll listen to more upbeat music and have a more positive outlook about what the future holds for my love life. Could I be in such a situation in the future? Who knows, it's not something I should seek or count on, but rather allow to happen. Does that mean I'll still daydream about it? Certainly. But what's life without daydreaming?
I encourage whoever reads this to comment, as well on all of my future posts.
What do I plan on writing about next? My experience in Dresden, my views on smoking, more of my views on love, my recollections of any significant experience in my life, etc, etc, etc.
Intro
I've decided to start this blog to record my thoughts in the form of anecdotes and memoirs. Maybe I'll post up some photos, reviews, etc as well. I've always thought about stirring up my creative juices and using my decent grasp of the English language to record such things, it's just now after being inspired by some scholarly works I'm examining for my German 385 class that I go ahead and do it.
First of all, I do not mean to sound pretentious when I entitle this "P. Joseph Nelsons Memoirs/Anecdotes" or title my entries as "Thoughts On Smoking" and "Thoughts On Politics". I'm no scholar (though I definitely hold a high regard for scholars and yearn to be one some day) and above all not an elitist, unless I'm criticizing the Volkswagen Auto Group. In a way I'm poking fun at myself and the educated way of doing things (sort of like the great German author Heinrich Heine would poke fun at himself and fellow Romantics, "Selbstironie" or "self-irony" is the term). I'm simply going about this in a dorky way.
Though I am going about this in a dorky way, a lot of what I will be writing I do find to be of my true thoughts and feelings, so please do not regard this as one huge comedic dork thing. I think I will also use this as an outlet to reveal some things I don't talk about often and reveal parts of me that are sort of hypocritical, so use the facilities, grab yourself some popcorn, and have a gander at what I shall be writing.
First of all, I do not mean to sound pretentious when I entitle this "P. Joseph Nelsons Memoirs/Anecdotes" or title my entries as "Thoughts On Smoking" and "Thoughts On Politics". I'm no scholar (though I definitely hold a high regard for scholars and yearn to be one some day) and above all not an elitist, unless I'm criticizing the Volkswagen Auto Group. In a way I'm poking fun at myself and the educated way of doing things (sort of like the great German author Heinrich Heine would poke fun at himself and fellow Romantics, "Selbstironie" or "self-irony" is the term). I'm simply going about this in a dorky way.
Though I am going about this in a dorky way, a lot of what I will be writing I do find to be of my true thoughts and feelings, so please do not regard this as one huge comedic dork thing. I think I will also use this as an outlet to reveal some things I don't talk about often and reveal parts of me that are sort of hypocritical, so use the facilities, grab yourself some popcorn, and have a gander at what I shall be writing.
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