DUH!
Is anything going to happen as a result of this study? No.
Is anyone going to lift a finger? No.
Is anyone surprised? No.
I am too busy. I have a dentist appointment in 1 hour.
1.22.2008
Over 30
(If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!!)
When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious
diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with
walking twenty-five miles to school every morning...uphill BOTH ways
…yadda, yadda, yadda
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in
hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I
had it and how easy they've got it!
But now that...
I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice
the youth of today. You've got it so easy!
I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a dang Utopia!
And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got
it!
1. When I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know
something, we had to go to the freakin' library and look it up ourselves - - - in the
card catalog!!
2. There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter...with a
pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the
mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! Never mind the 'send' key...
3. There were no MP3's or Napster! You wanted to steal music, you had
to walk to the "record" store and shoplift it yourself! *Or you had to wait
around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over
the beginning and @#*% it all up! *
4. We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and
somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!
5. And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you
had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your
bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You
had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!
6. We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with
high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like ' Space
Invaders ' and 'asteroids' and the graphics were horrible! Your guy was a
little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no
multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could
never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and
faster until you died! Just like LIFE!
7. When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium
seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad
with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed! Nowadays
you can buy a dvd of a movie 4 months after you saw in the theater---back then you waited
almost 5 years before they showed it, edited for television, as the Movie of the Week.
8. Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15
channels and there was no on screen menu! You had to use a little book
called a TV Guide to find out what was on!
And there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on
Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for
cartoons!
9. And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up, we had
to use the stove or go build a fire ... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn,
we had to use that stupid JiffyPop thing or a pan with HOT oil and Real
popcorn kernels and shake it all over the stove forever like an idiot.
10. When we were on the phone with our friends and our parents walked-in, we
were stuck to the wall with a cord, a 7 foot cord that ran to the phone -
not the phone base, the actual phone. We barely had enough length to sit on
the floor and still be able to twirl the phone cord in our fingers. If you
suddenly had to go to the bathroom - guess what we had to do.....hang up and
talk to them later.
That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy.
You're spoiled.
You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!
Regards,
The over 30 Crowd
When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious
diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with
walking twenty-five miles to school every morning...uphill BOTH ways
…yadda, yadda, yadda
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in
hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I
had it and how easy they've got it!
But now that...
I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice
the youth of today. You've got it so easy!
I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a dang Utopia!
And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got
it!
1. When I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know
something, we had to go to the freakin' library and look it up ourselves - - - in the
card catalog!!
2. There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter...with a
pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the
mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! Never mind the 'send' key...
3. There were no MP3's or Napster! You wanted to steal music, you had
to walk to the "record" store and shoplift it yourself! *Or you had to wait
around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over
the beginning and @#*% it all up! *
4. We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and
somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!
5. And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you
had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your
bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You
had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!
6. We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with
high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like ' Space
Invaders ' and 'asteroids' and the graphics were horrible! Your guy was a
little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no
multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could
never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and
faster until you died! Just like LIFE!
7. When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium
seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad
with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed! Nowadays
you can buy a dvd of a movie 4 months after you saw in the theater---back then you waited
almost 5 years before they showed it, edited for television, as the Movie of the Week.
8. Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15
channels and there was no on screen menu! You had to use a little book
called a TV Guide to find out what was on!
And there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on
Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for
cartoons!
9. And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up, we had
to use the stove or go build a fire ... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn,
we had to use that stupid JiffyPop thing or a pan with HOT oil and Real
popcorn kernels and shake it all over the stove forever like an idiot.
10. When we were on the phone with our friends and our parents walked-in, we
were stuck to the wall with a cord, a 7 foot cord that ran to the phone -
not the phone base, the actual phone. We barely had enough length to sit on
the floor and still be able to twirl the phone cord in our fingers. If you
suddenly had to go to the bathroom - guess what we had to do.....hang up and
talk to them later.
That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy.
You're spoiled.
You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!
Regards,
The over 30 Crowd
1.19.2008
Should we be surprised that...
it was a Republican? Or a politician? Hillary's question planting was pretty low also. Guess it doesn't matter what side of the aisle a person sits. People will sink pretty low to get ahead.
1.18.2008
talk about serious core strength
She would make a kick ass climber.
But why did she drop the swan lake? I think she could have stuck with that and had a stronger piece, a more interesting juxtaposition of elements. She was, however, probably not going for that, though. I would love to do a piece with 5 of such dancers. Such extroverted performance quality, but not much connection to the music. Well not that really but, could use a little subtlety...such a snob I am.
But why did she drop the swan lake? I think she could have stuck with that and had a stronger piece, a more interesting juxtaposition of elements. She was, however, probably not going for that, though. I would love to do a piece with 5 of such dancers. Such extroverted performance quality, but not much connection to the music. Well not that really but, could use a little subtlety...such a snob I am.
Bush's Stimulus Package
Do we need any more proof that this president is a moron? O.K. so I don't have a better plan, but then again I am not a graduate of Harvard business school. Isn't Harvard ashamed of their graduate? Maybe they should revoke his degree. Is such a thing possible? Back in 2004 Bush received a letter from "senior business and economics professors" saying that the president's " economic policies are taking the country in the wrong direction"
My stimulus plan would be to drop all income tax for people making less than $35,000 and raise it some on people in the higher brackets. Doesn't Warren Buffett pay a smaller percentage on his income than his secretary? He paid 17.7% and she paid 30% . I remember hearing once that people who make less money tend to save less money. And more money in circulation is good for the economy, right. So if the lower end of the economic scale has more cash they'll spend it.
But what do I know? I don't have and M.B.A.
My stimulus plan would be to drop all income tax for people making less than $35,000 and raise it some on people in the higher brackets. Doesn't Warren Buffett pay a smaller percentage on his income than his secretary? He paid 17.7% and she paid 30% . I remember hearing once that people who make less money tend to save less money. And more money in circulation is good for the economy, right. So if the lower end of the economic scale has more cash they'll spend it.
But what do I know? I don't have and M.B.A.
1.11.2008
Hillary is not the Comeback Kid
John McCain, yes but not Hillary. First of all, she has not been behind long enough. As far as I can tell, she was only behind Obama for a week after the Iowa caucus. Behind for a week and then she beats Obama in New Hampshire. McCain has been way down near the bottom of the polls for weeks and then he wins New Hampshire. That is comeback. But behind for a week and then back on top...maybe that one week was an anomoly. (is that how that word is spelled?)
And can anyone explain to me why all the primaries aren't on the same day? And why we have to vote one a Tuesday? Here in Germany the elections are on the weekend. And they have higher voter turnout. Hmm...maybe the powers that be in the States don't want high voter turn out. But then again it doesn't matter how we vote. Those voting machines are easy to hack anyways
"Voting holds no real power, he who counts the votes has the true power." Joseph Stalin
And can anyone explain to me why all the primaries aren't on the same day? And why we have to vote one a Tuesday? Here in Germany the elections are on the weekend. And they have higher voter turnout. Hmm...maybe the powers that be in the States don't want high voter turn out. But then again it doesn't matter how we vote. Those voting machines are easy to hack anyways
"Voting holds no real power, he who counts the votes has the true power." Joseph Stalin
12.19.2007
12.16.2007
Inflation and the FDIC
I was at a Wells Fargo Branch recently in Walnut Creek. I noticed signs all over the bank saying how each account was insured by the FDIC. The FDIC was created in 1933 to provide "deposit insurance which currently guarantees checking and savings deposits in member banks up to $100,000 per depositor."
Adjusted for inflation, the $100,000 you would receive if your bank failed in 1933 would be $1,428,225.34 in today's dollars. So are we being ripped off, or not as well insured as we were back in 1933. $100,000 in 2006 dollars is worth only $7001.70 in 1933 dollars.
Why has the deposit insurance not kept up with the rate of inflation?
Adjusted for inflation, the $100,000 you would receive if your bank failed in 1933 would be $1,428,225.34 in today's dollars. So are we being ripped off, or not as well insured as we were back in 1933. $100,000 in 2006 dollars is worth only $7001.70 in 1933 dollars.
Why has the deposit insurance not kept up with the rate of inflation?
12.11.2007
What the Fuck? File #2G
Second thing to put in the "What the Fuck File."
What I want to know is why did the surgeons reattach it?
What I want to know is why did the surgeons reattach it?
12.10.2007
Music is fascinating not just for its own sake, but also for its effect on the listener. And when coupled with visuals the effect can be intense. But sometimes music is over used. Take the show "Grey's Anatomy". The first few (I am ashamed to say it) seasons I watched, I felt bombarded by music. Almost more music than dialogue. And intense scenes were ruined by the added music. We were not allowed to observe the naked suffering but the director had to indicate to us that the scene was sad and intense by adding the music.
Such is the case with this scene from "Children of Men", based on the book by P.D. James. I did not read the book, but have read her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, which are damn fine. Read them. I meant to read the book before I saw the movie, but forgot that she had written the book. I do not like to read a book after seeing the movie. My mind's eye is too influenced by the movie and I can't build the scenes and faces of the character after seeing how the director of the film imagined them.
Anyways...the scene would have been much stronger, his agony more intense if there were no music. Too many spices spoil the flavor. Music is the MSG of movies. Instead of cooking well, directors, Alfonso Cuarón, in this case, just dump in some MSG to make it good. Too often the scenes are spoiled, the emotions indicated instead of felt.
Such is the case with this scene from "Children of Men", based on the book by P.D. James. I did not read the book, but have read her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, which are damn fine. Read them. I meant to read the book before I saw the movie, but forgot that she had written the book. I do not like to read a book after seeing the movie. My mind's eye is too influenced by the movie and I can't build the scenes and faces of the character after seeing how the director of the film imagined them.
Anyways...the scene would have been much stronger, his agony more intense if there were no music. Too many spices spoil the flavor. Music is the MSG of movies. Instead of cooking well, directors, Alfonso Cuarón, in this case, just dump in some MSG to make it good. Too often the scenes are spoiled, the emotions indicated instead of felt.
Children of Men
Music is fascinating not just for its own sake, but also for its effect on the listener. And when coupled with visuals the effect can be intense. But sometimes music is over used. Take the show "Grey's Anatomy". The first few (I am ashamed to say it) seasons I watched, I felt bombarded by music. Almost more music than dialogue. And intense scenes were ruined by the added music. We were not allowed to observe the naked suffering but the director had to indicate to us that the scene was sad and intense by adding the music.
Such is the case with the scene from "Children of Men", based on the book by P.D. James. I did not read the book, but have read her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, which are damn fine. Read them. I meant to read the book before I saw the movie, but forgot that she had written the book. I do not like to read a book after seeing the movie. My mind's eye is too influenced by the movie and I can't build the scenes and faces of the character after seeing how the director of the film imagined them.
Anyways...the scene would have been much stronger, his agony more intense if there were no music. Too many spices spoil the flavor. Music is the MSG of movies. Instead of cooking well, directors, Alfonso Cuarón in this case, just dump in some MSG to make it good. Too often the scenes are spoiled, the emotions indicated instead of felt.
Such is the case with the scene from "Children of Men", based on the book by P.D. James. I did not read the book, but have read her Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, which are damn fine. Read them. I meant to read the book before I saw the movie, but forgot that she had written the book. I do not like to read a book after seeing the movie. My mind's eye is too influenced by the movie and I can't build the scenes and faces of the character after seeing how the director of the film imagined them.
Anyways...the scene would have been much stronger, his agony more intense if there were no music. Too many spices spoil the flavor. Music is the MSG of movies. Instead of cooking well, directors, Alfonso Cuarón in this case, just dump in some MSG to make it good. Too often the scenes are spoiled, the emotions indicated instead of felt.
12.08.2007
Ingrid Michaelson
Never heard of her until today. Heard her big hit, that I guess is part of an Old Navy ad (the new way to fame getting a song in an ad for cheap clothes made to last a season), "The Way I Am" Cute, catchy 2 minutes of fluff.
I was humming along with it until I heard the line about Rogaine. Any song that has Rogaine in it has got to go. And what the hell is indie-pop anyways. If it is pop, it's not indie. Independent popular music makes no sense.
Some of the side effects of Rogaine include hair loss and difficulty breathing. I tried some free samples in highschool. A friend's dad was a dermatologist. But after reading about the side effects of difficulty of breathing while lying down...forget it.
Be a man, take baldness in stride.
I was humming along with it until I heard the line about Rogaine. Any song that has Rogaine in it has got to go. And what the hell is indie-pop anyways. If it is pop, it's not indie. Independent popular music makes no sense.
Some of the side effects of Rogaine include hair loss and difficulty breathing. I tried some free samples in highschool. A friend's dad was a dermatologist. But after reading about the side effects of difficulty of breathing while lying down...forget it.
Be a man, take baldness in stride.
12.07.2007
Review?
Wendy Perron, the editor of Dance Magazine, wrote something on her blog about our performance Friday night, Nov. 30th, at St. Mark's in NYC. Not exactly a glowing review of our work, and I think it perpetuates some bad expectations of improvisation, but still got my name in virtual print by the editor of Dance Magazine.
"Andrew Wass...willing to start his own trouble"
"Andrew Wass...willing to start his own trouble"
12.06.2007
Kiefer is a privledged Lush
Kiefer Sutherland was recently arrested for driving while under the influence while on probation for a similar offense. His sentence is 48 days in jail. Maybe that number because it is twice the number of the title of his show, who knows.
But what galls me is this -
"Earlier reports suggested he would serve his term with breaks in order not to interrupt the 24 filming schedule"
Why would he have gotten out of jail every now and then? Yes, he is a big star, blah, blah, blah, but what judge could hand that decision down with a straight face and not think the justice system is a joke? If anyone else had been arrested for a similar offense they would not be allowed out of jail to continue their work schedule. They would probably lose their job, be unable to pay their mortgage, spouse/partner leave them as they get more and more depressed...
But, noooo, Mr. Fancy Pants Hollywood star has the possibility to leave jail whenever he feels like it.
But it is all moot anyways as "...production has already been suspended due to a Hollywood writers' strike."
But what galls me is this -
"Earlier reports suggested he would serve his term with breaks in order not to interrupt the 24 filming schedule"
Why would he have gotten out of jail every now and then? Yes, he is a big star, blah, blah, blah, but what judge could hand that decision down with a straight face and not think the justice system is a joke? If anyone else had been arrested for a similar offense they would not be allowed out of jail to continue their work schedule. They would probably lose their job, be unable to pay their mortgage, spouse/partner leave them as they get more and more depressed...
But, noooo, Mr. Fancy Pants Hollywood star has the possibility to leave jail whenever he feels like it.
But it is all moot anyways as "...production has already been suspended due to a Hollywood writers' strike."
11.23.2007
11.19.2007
11.18.2007
Ten Chi
Last night saw the piece Ten Chi by Pina Bausch. Almost three hours long...professor and Maryanne... Anyways. Some sections I really enjoyed- the grunting woman killing the pillow; the rubbery sinewy solos (ooh, palindrome!!) by the men in black; the incessantly falling flower petals; the Asian woman sweeping across stage supported by two men. Maybe those sections stood out because the rest was not so captivating.
What was the point of the show? What was the connection to Japan? The piece was funded in part by a Japanese governmental agency, I think. A little something I read in the program, (which could have had a bit more in it to shed some light on performance). Many references to Japan - My car is Toyota, my TV Sanyo, my VCR Samsung...; the tour guide with the backpack; the whale on stage; the bowing section between two women.
The piece was constructed of short vignettes, some dancing, some talking, occasionally a woman in a silk dressing gown was lifted by a large blonde man, a pillow was thrown, a pillow was killed, various ways to wear a white handkerchief were modeled, men were carried on stage and their hair stood up, a woman had her dress ripped off, a man lifted a woman and carried her around the whale tail while she mimed swimming (VERY CHEESY!!), an Asian dwarf came on stage riding an ostrich, well no that did not happen but if it had, it would have fit right in....on and on these vignettes came and the snow/flowers/dandruff fell.
I did not understand the point of all these vignettes. Were they impressions of Pina's time in Japan? I could not sense an arch, but I could an overall structure. In 3 hours she had plenty of time to create one. First a dance section, then a talking section...this is dance theater after, must have talking. It was a 3 hour variety show, that ended with a dance off - each of the performers showcasing their skill to loud music. The crowd roared and leaped to their feet. Why, why, why, why, why?
final though:
Let us not confuse budget with genius
What was the point of the show? What was the connection to Japan? The piece was funded in part by a Japanese governmental agency, I think. A little something I read in the program, (which could have had a bit more in it to shed some light on performance). Many references to Japan - My car is Toyota, my TV Sanyo, my VCR Samsung...; the tour guide with the backpack; the whale on stage; the bowing section between two women.
The piece was constructed of short vignettes, some dancing, some talking, occasionally a woman in a silk dressing gown was lifted by a large blonde man, a pillow was thrown, a pillow was killed, various ways to wear a white handkerchief were modeled, men were carried on stage and their hair stood up, a woman had her dress ripped off, a man lifted a woman and carried her around the whale tail while she mimed swimming (VERY CHEESY!!), an Asian dwarf came on stage riding an ostrich, well no that did not happen but if it had, it would have fit right in....on and on these vignettes came and the snow/flowers/dandruff fell.
I did not understand the point of all these vignettes. Were they impressions of Pina's time in Japan? I could not sense an arch, but I could an overall structure. In 3 hours she had plenty of time to create one. First a dance section, then a talking section...this is dance theater after, must have talking. It was a 3 hour variety show, that ended with a dance off - each of the performers showcasing their skill to loud music. The crowd roared and leaped to their feet. Why, why, why, why, why?
final though:
Let us not confuse budget with genius
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