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The Great TeaCake's LiveJournal:
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| Saturday, July 11th, 2009 | | 3:02 pm |
Finally done with my work week, now I'll be devoting the rest of the weekend to finishing one of my pilot scripts (the comedy one). Should be bugging a bunch of you fools later tomorrow to read/respond if I catch you online or out in the wild, real world. Prepare yourselves (for the return of Firemaker Hawk)!(!)! (kidding) | | Saturday, July 4th, 2009 | | 1:22 pm |
Blast from the Past
Here's an old entry from 2004 that gives me pause on this Independence Day: "I was reading through ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) rickvigorous's musings over the properties of living in true happiness earlier today. Among stating that any goals he has in mind are still within the realm of possibility, he said that being happy does involve 'living with uncertainty' as apposed to ignoring the uncertainty to live in a false happiness (if I understand his point correctly). For example, you could say that you're happy in a relationship with a very attractive woman, but the possibility that many guys are flirting with her on a daily basis, added with the fact that she's a sex maniac would either force you to pretend not to be worried (deny the uncertainty) or deal with the uncertainty and be happy despite it. I agree in that the latter case seems to be more geniunely happy, yet I came up with a better word than 'uncertainty' in my personal case:
"I think a better word for 'uncertainty' is 'adversity'. This can come in many forms-- you might have rivals for the woman/man you love, you might have hurdles to jump over to get your dream job, the bills are due the first of every month, etc. To be happy, one must continually overcome these adversities, which in turn produce a positive effect of acheiving some minor goal.
I believe it was W.B. Yeats who said in Meditations that to be truly alive, one must face adversity of some form. Particularly the poem which makes reference to Milton's Il Penseroso-- the "daemons" of the world are in reality elements that one needs to triumph over, and are necessary towards the fullest expression of life one can have. You'll have to forgive me for the iffy paraphrasing... but this seems to support your theory of happiness involving the presence of some form of uncertainty."
After I made this comment I almost immediately took stock of my own life. How many forms of adversity had I overcome today? Not nearly enough, to my surprise. I skipped my first class, I bought a pack of cigarettes today (after having been clean for a good month), and I didn't feel compelled to put the yelling doomsday preacher in Turlington in his place today even though I had come up with a dozen good arguments to stifle/embarrass him.
So am I happy? I don't quite know-- I do think the adversity system is a good measure, however-- but when speaking of something as abstract as human emotion, there's really no way to accurately calculate the variable of happiness. Then there are the apathetic people who are actually happy in their failure to overcome adversity to deal with... hence why I say the 'adversity system' is only good in my personal case.
Well-- I'm going to go study for a test now."I read this last night and it got me thinking about today-- am I happy with how my life's been going lately? The fact that I've successfully scaled down my hedonistic ways (as opposed to the CRAZY days of my life back when I actually made this post) to the point that I don't have anything concrete planned as far as social activities go for July 4th? Is it weird that my answer is "Yes"? There's much adversity in my life right now, and unlike in the past there's precious little "drama" as a result of my preoccupation with females. Of course, most of the adversity is economy-related and absolutely kicking my ass right now; so I can't exactly claim to be feeling high off of small achievements. I guess it comes down to the fact that I'm still able to work towards my lofty goals of being in the entertainment biz-- as far as I'm concerned me still having dreams trumps even my most successful friends if they have given up to settle for financial security. Like always, these observations are only good in my personal case! Current Mood:  cheerfulCurrent Music: Suga Shikao - Progress | | Monday, June 29th, 2009 | | 9:56 am |
Debate Time
It probably was unavoidable. Still, I held out hope that Obama's inauguration would spell the end of the pointless, nonstop political vendettas between random Liberals and Conservatives. You might be familiar with this usual scene-- a conversation gets started within a group of friends, and inevitably someone brings up the economy/Middle East/Hot Button Topic #5 and suddenly the lines are drawn. Fast forward to the point where someone takes the argument personally (small wonder, when emotionally-laden pontifications freely fly about the "conversation" serving to ostracize a fringe political opinion that can't be defended satisfactorily) and you begin to wonder if things in this country will ever improve. Generally, my guess is it goes downhill from here. Anyway, after a scene not unlike the one described above, I got a surprisingly civil message from an offended mate of mine, who was sure that a link would be able to explain his position better than his weak attempts to do so himself. http://sonoranalliance.com/?p=4493Now this isn't really a post about politics, but allow me to say that this essay is easily the most selfish rant I've ever been exposed to. But it's a symptom of the country's disease-- specifically speaking, every damn person in the United States feels like they could do a better job of running the country than those in power. Seriously. I admit, I felt the same way when Bush was in power. Blame the media, who continually showed how inept our 43rd was at simple social graces, and how easy it was to make him look silly (at best) or corrupt (at worst). You're damn right I thought I could've been a better In-Chief than G.W.! So keeping that in mind, what's so ridiculous about Janet, this random 53-year old former-Democrat/former-Republican (from the link above) thinking she knows what's best for the country and everyone living in it? If we're being honest, Obama's first few months in office haven't exactly gone as swimmingly as everyone had hoped. He's certainly got his hands full dealing with all the country's problems at the moment, but of course the difficulty of his task doesn't make him immune to criticism. I'm firmly against all the Wall Street bailouts, and somewhat skeptical of everything in his "Plan" coming to fruition except his vision for Universal Health Care. Which brings me back to my mate. I feel a little guilty that he was victimized for being passionate about his political stance, but ultimately I think it was right for him to be put on the spot like that. What better test can there be than to put your political opinion out there against the judgment of the American public? It makes so much sense to do like Janet, and pretend that your opinion is "the" opinion-- but when we're forced to consider how other people would respond/be effected if we had all the power, we might begin to understand a small inkling of what people like Bush or Obama deal with every day. So instead of avoiding a political discussion with friends I say let the civilian debates rage on! Hurt feelings are a small price to pay for that pivotal reminder that we, all of us, can see the exact same situation in radically different ways. Current Mood:  bouncy | | Thursday, June 25th, 2009 | | 5:31 pm |
By Far His Funniest Moment
Still has a ways to go before he can fill Early Conan's shoes. EDIT: The surprise death of Jackson, at age 50, has really bummed the fuck outta me. Current Mood:  gloomy | | Monday, June 15th, 2009 | | 11:22 pm |
| | Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 | | 10:21 pm |
Media Time
As I gaze outside and notice the full blue moon shining, I'm compelled to actually update this LJ! And here's a real blast-from-the-past treat for anyone lucky enough to blunder onto this post: I came upon an old data CD (and boy is it sticky!) and it contained one of my UF student films. Now a bunch of peeps have already seen this before, but you'll probably want to see it again anyway, since it's... ...the David Lynch one! Yeeeep! So once I had discovered that it wasn't missing forever like I had thought, I made a short upload to youtube, and I'm now able to present ya'll with Crying: ( MUCH more UF Film Department crapola ) Current Mood: bouncyCurrent Music: Stevie Wonder - Summer Soft | | Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 | | 6:34 pm |
Good God
This article made me more than a little queasy. http://www.cracked.com/article_17174_yogurt-pepsi-14-horrifying-soft-drinks-around-world.html"The inventor of the Placenta Drink kept the serial killer profilers off his scent long enough to bring this new Japanese (damn it) health drink to market. Available as peach flavored "Placenta 100000" Jelly Drink (with over 10,000 mg of the secret ingredient), or the... naturally tasting extract, Placenta 400000, the drink claims various beauty benefits thanks to the magical powers of pig placenta. The 400000 in the name, we assume, represents the number of hours you will spend huddled over a toilet, trying to forget you ever drank this shit. Which will no doubt contribute to a slim new physique!" *bleghhh* So after almost a decade on the market, I've decided to finally give the 14-day trial for Final Fantasy IX a try on my PC. It's cheaper than the WoW option, and users say it requires far much more skill than Blizzard's baby (that's becoming increasingly easy-mode for the casual gamers). This is really a blatant attempt to bide my time until I re-purchase a PS3 for God of War 3, Final Fantasy XIII, and Uncharted 2 (co-op Tomb Raider sounds pretty damn exciting!) Oh, if anybody knows of a good server to jump on, leave a comment fool. Current Mood: bouncy | | Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 | | 11:31 pm |
Good stuff
I heard that Disney is finally going to finish the trilogy, the 3rd flick is called "A Fantastic Goofy Movie". Anybody else hear this rumor? Current Mood: amused | | Friday, March 6th, 2009 | | 6:34 pm |
| | Thursday, March 5th, 2009 | | 6:00 pm |
| | Monday, February 9th, 2009 | | 11:08 am |
"We Have to Go Baaaaaack" - Jack Shephard
Yeah, yeah-- I've been neglecting the LJ lately. More like neglecting my writing in general. Now's the perfect time for me to jump back in of course, I'm lucky to work 20-hours a week at my current part time job so filling in that time with perpetual job hunts and literature sounds like a damn good plan. This "move out to Atlanta" plan would've been a lot more successful had I not been caught up in this recession bullshit. I have a great summer job waiting for me come May, but until then I'm struggling to claw my way out of a mountain of debt. I know for a fact that my credit has kept me from being considered for 2 great jobs already, people are getting damn picky about who they hire nowadays even though I'm virtually overqualified wherever I go. Still, I can't complain too much, I'm not on the street selling my body for a cup of ramen or something like less fortunate recession victims I've heard about in the ATL... Something's compelled me to reread Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and I'm glad it did-- I'm getting a lot more out of the second read through. I must've been distracted while I was in my senior year of college when I breezed through the books for the first time; the detailed 17th Century political stuff is a lot more fascinating than I remember (and pretty damn scandalous at times). I can't believe that World of Warcraft is still popular after almost 5 years on the market. That's just insane, but it was cool to go through my old characters with the free 9-day trial of Lich King. Death Knights rock, but the game still ain't worth $15/month and all the free time it'll kill. I'm glad I got out of it because there seems to be no getting offa dat train once you get on... Loving the new season of LOST. Right now they writers are poised to reveal the backstory of Daniel Rousseau, one of the major mysteries of Season 1 (along with the Numbers, the Smoke Monster, the Others, and the healing abilities of the Island) so it's been a long time coming. Hopefully the payoff will be worth it, and set the tone for further revelations in Season 5. Just don't kill off Juliet (one of my favorite characters) or else there'll be hell to pay!! Anyway, don't be a stranger fools. If you haven't seen me on LJ/facebook/etc. in awhiles, leave me a comment and let me know you're still alive. Current Mood: awake | | Monday, January 5th, 2009 | | 6:43 pm |
Dammit, it looks like I'm gonna be forced to become a teacher thanks to this ailing economy. Teaching/education is like the only industry where the market continues to increase nowadays. But I always told myself that I wouldn't end up being a teacher despite having a degree that suited mostly for the education industry. Well, I guess if I had actually put more effort into being a writer back in the day I wouldn't be so pigeonholed today. Count that as one of my 2009 Resolutions, I guess. In the meantime, when I sub in/around the Fulton County public school district, I'll make sure the students all refer to me as 'Mr. T'! Hopefully they don't cap me in the back when I'm not looking... | | Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 | | 12:33 am |
LOL
Wow, this video never ceases to force me into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. The kid is so unintentionally hilarious, he should totally take his act on the road! And like, get a friend or two... Surely the best ultimate...hardcore match of all time. | | Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 | | 11:31 am |
Vote
Welp, I've already cast my vote (secret ballot, baby!) even though I hadda do an absentee for FL. I'll be downing brews while glued to the election coverage tonight, hoping that for once in my voting record my ideal candidate actually wins (I've got a 0-2 record so far!) In case people don't know yet, I'm currently located in Alpharetta, Georgia, trying to find good digs in or around Atlanta while writing creatively on the side. I was *this* close to submitting some hastily-written screenplays to a bunch of studios during this past season but decided that I should hold off for a year and make sure it's an A+ effort. In the meantime, I'll probably be working at GameStop or something as a retail whore, but eh-- as long as I can pay the rent, live comfortably, and get discounts to support my gaming addiction I'm one happy man-boy! Speaking of man-boy, just read Love Monkey and thoroughly enjoyed it! For struggling writers as well as guys that refuse to grow up, it's a frakkin Bible. Now that I have a high-speed connection back, I'm deciding on whether I should re-opt into WoW for the Lich King expansion, or if I should save my money for more practical, less soul-sucking things. Leave me a message and help me decide, all you former and current WoW crackheads. Current Mood: bouncy | | Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 | | 5:35 pm |
After the Exodus
So... Tennessee is a pretty fun place, surprises of surprises. A lot like Florida, actually. Except all the stations are either country-rock, or rock-country. ALL. And there are 99x as many frakkin trucks on the interstate than anywhere I've driven. EVER. And it gets cold at night. SHIVER. And driving a manual is either coast-city-hovercraft fun, or an up-a-frakkin mountain Sisyphean torture. I HATE TO LOVE HILLS. But geez, if you look fast enough with all the FL/GA/other-state license plates out there + the hotballs midday weather this time of the year, it's not that damn different. Same silly people. Same fleshy jailbait at the mall wearin that precious hookeresque clothing. Same idiots trying to light fireworks in the middle of the frakkin day as if they just fell off the Stupid Bus before their stop in Asshole City. Oh yeah, I've taken BSG's fake curse words and ran with them. FRAKKIN HARD. | | Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 | | 11:59 am |
The Court Supreme
What a great episode of Boston Legal last night. The great Alan Shore character basically went to the Supreme Court to appeal a 70-I.Q. possibly-innocent guy from being executed for a non-lethal crime (he was accused of raping an 8-year old girl in the state of Louisiana). But of course, Shore basically used the opportunity to go batshit liberal on the conservative Justices like whoa. It made me shed tears of male love! NOW I get why gay men love this show so much (that and the Flamingos thing). Some quotes from various online Boston Legal forums: "Part of the awesomeness of the entire scene in the Supreme Court is that nobody in real life would have the balls to "Alan Shore" these power-mad, handpicked Justices as they run wild all over our civil liberties. DEK's show is virtually a slap in the face to them, and pretty much the only way to send the message that we as American citizens don't support their conflict-of-interest BS masked beneath a 'fair and balanced' Judicial system." "It was classic Alan and it was utterly fantastic to watch. I can't imagine anyone would truly say to the Supreme Court the things Alan said, but it's entirely possible that someone should." "In terms of reality, this episode wasn't. For one thing, Alan's concluding speech to the court was uninterrupted (about six minutes), virtually impossible in the real Supreme Court. Second, nobody would get away with making personal comments about any of the Justices and would probably be shut down immediately and maybe taken into custody. One point not made in the argument against the death penalty for nonhomicidal rape was, frankly, that, with the death penalty in place, the rapist would probably kill the child -- the punishment would be no worse and there is an increased chance he could get away altogether." I just love the fact that this show gets people talking about real issues moreso than, for instance, and ABC Democratic Presidential "debate". What's really awesome about this series is the relevancy-- it's not just a coincidence that Spader and Shatner's characters are given this case by David E. Kelley (writer/director of BL), it's actually a real Louisiana case that's going to the real Supreme Court next Wednesday. ----------------------------- ( Read more... )------------------------------- Okay, enough of my pandering to BL fans. I've already gotten Gabe hooked, and he'll get his WoW friends hooked, and so on... if you're a TV watcher and haven't seen this show yet though, you're a straight up fool! (or a Conservative, I guess) Current Mood: bouncy | | Sunday, April 20th, 2008 | | 9:44 am |
In Tribute of this Day
http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48665Perhaps the best discussion on marijuana I've ever been a part of. Try to guess which poster I am! I, for one, had never heard of the "oil company blocking the legalization of weed" argument, and was rather shocked/illuminated at the same time. Plus, it's funny to have a cop virtually support weed over all other substances, yet be able to randomly watch any rerun of "Cops" where they set up weed 'stings' to bust dozens for the infraction in a few hours. I'm all for using weed as a substitute for gasoline, and I'm quite sure anybody running for President (ALAN KEYES, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE) would steal all the votes overnight if they ran a weed campaign based on the facts. Gives me a goal to work towards in a couple decades, I guess... I'll be the next 'Terence Mckenna'! (Weirdly enough, we spell our first names EXACTLY the same-- I need a joint.) | | Sunday, April 13th, 2008 | | 12:29 am |
Kon Marathon
Gunna be busy for the next few hours watching back-to-back-to-back Satoshi Kon flicks, Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and Paprika for the first time (in glorious HD!) I've seriously put off viewing them all, but I intensely loved his Paranoia Agent series, and Kon's Perfect Blue, as Kevin once said, would be a David Lynch-ish film if adapted for live action. So automatic win! Speaking of Lynch, I think I'll cap off the Marathon by watching Inland Empire, I've been looking for an excuse to start my multiple-viewings of that one, anyways. Damn, I'm gonna have some kickass dreams (read: nightmares) tonight (read: this morning)! I'm seriously thinking about moving up north, to Chicago. Getting a place together with my brother has been seeming like a better idea the closer May gets (when our lease runs out here.) I'm kinda over the high-priced Sarasota lifestyle, and don't get me started on the job market. The only thing really keeping me here in FL is the fact that I like the weather, practically. I think I can tough a few winters again in Chicago if it means $300/mo living, and a fresh social environment for me to play in! Not that I won't miss you fools here in Sarasota when I'm gone. Cuz I won't! Current Mood:  contemplativeCurrent Music: Asian Kung-fu Generation - Tightrope | | Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 | | 9:36 am |
WTF?
Just read that the Senate is trying to get legislation passed in Florida that would effectively segregate public schools by gender... What, have we entered a timewarp back to the roarin' 30's? Scenario: a highly-educated AP Physics teacher is a "boy's only" teacher, while the girls get some second-rate temp to teach the same material. When August and the AP tests rolls around, watch as all the boys pass with 4s or 5s, and the girls struggle to have even one person pass under the lame teacher's direction-- because obviously girls are stupid-er than boyses. Jesus Christ, Crist, veto the hell out of this before it sees the light of day. Part (read: ALL) of the frickin fun of public schools was the interaction with the opposite sex, for the love of gawd. If people want to send their kids to an all boys/girls' academy, I had thought that was why private schools exist in the first place. ACLU, and assorted feminist groups-- do your worst! ---------------- Today's TeaCake Ad: Free $25, and a better-than-PayPal-alternative! (no fees for sending/receiving $$!) Clicky:
 Current Mood:  irritated | | Thursday, March 27th, 2008 | | 3:43 pm |
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