Oh look! Another recurring feature! And what is the purpose of this one? Why, to share all the things I wanted to talk about in posts but realized I didn't have much to say about, of course. In my quest for happiness, courage, change, success, fame, and improvement, I've often struggled with the idea that I might lose myself if I change too much - isn't being angsty and edgy part of who I am? Yes! It is! And I've finally figured out that I can be a happier person while still embracing the dark side. How? Because I love the darker side of life, and that love makes me happy. My enthusiasm is as much a part of me as my angst, and unless I missed a memo somewhere along the way, enthusiasm is a positive, happy making emotion.
This Week I Love:
1. The Motivational Speech from Pump Up the Volume
I love this movie. I have loved it since I was in the 6th Grade. I love this movie so much that it might be responsible for shaping me into the person I am today: a disenfranchised, disenchanted free thinker on the outskirts of Generation X, and a fan of Leonard Cohen. This speech - the turning point for Happy Harry Hard-on has kept me, and I hope countless others from "blowing their fuckin' brains out". Pump up the Volume: proof that Christian Slater can act. He needs to fire his agent and get his career back on track. There is a part of me that's still disappointed that I never founded a pirate radio station and subsequently got arrested by the F.C.C. I guess there's still time. My supervision as a teenager was about as present as Harry's, so the radio thing so could have happened. Howard Stern, eat your heart out. Talk Hard.
2. The fact that I could just barely smell the paper mill on the wind this morning
It makes me nostalgic, and just a little bit homesick. For all it's flaws and shortcomings, I really do love Putnam County. My upbringing was both the best of times and the worst of times and I miss the people I used to know and the times we had. When you're young, poor, and in an isolated place like Putnam County it forces you to get creative with your merry making. Or it forces you to get in into all kinds of trouble. I was more creative that devious - although ditching school on cold days to drink coffee and pretend to be fabulous was my favorite thing to do. Love.
3. That it was Elvis' birthday this week and I was more or less unfazed
The only picture on the internet where he looks halfway human. Believe me, I checked. Source
This is a cryptic thing I love, but that's cool. Elvis turned 31 this week and I didn't even think about it until the day after. Part of me is disappointed that I forgot as I had wanted to light a St. Jude candle for him, but that's literally the least I could do and he would laugh at me if he knew. It's the thought that counts, but I've thought on the subject for far too long. Maybe now I've grown old enough to stop thinking and stop caring. Happy birthday to you . . . Loving not loving you today.
4. SWANS
A good visual representation of their music. Source
SWANS is a band unlike any other I have ever listened to. I don't even know how to begin to describe their music. It's sort of like industrial, but harder, darker, more visceral. I think they're swell. I like so many different bands and so many different genres of music and sometimes I get stuck on one particular style or genre while forsaking all others. I've been on a Classic Alternative/New Wave kick for a couple of years now. This means I've been listening to The Smiths, Duran Duran, and a whole lot of The Cure. But Saturday I thought "Hey, I haven't listened to SWANS in a while, let's see what's on YouTube". I was five minutes into the album Soundtracks for the Blind and I was already snugly wrapped in a blanket of noise and creative comfort. I was transported to a time when I was moving forward in my work and in my life, which is just what I need right now as I try to recapture the momentum and spirit of that time. Love.
5. My new method for eating steel cut oats
I made this m'self.
I am sure I've mentioned that I have a contentious relationship with oatmeal. As it is traditionally served, I think the stuff is vile, which is why I usually make it with the olive oil and cheese. This week, I ran out of the good olive oil, and after one bowl with the bargain brand, I decided that this method of preparation would have to be shelved until I could afford something better. I still wanted to eat oats though, as they aid in lowering cholesterol, so I mixed the steel cut oats with some Chobani Black Cherry Greek Yogurt and left them in the fridge to soften overnight. Meanwhile, I made some healthy chocolate chunks by freezing a mixture of melted coconut oil and cocoa powder on a cookie sheet. In the morning, I broke of a piece of the chocolate and crumbled it into my oats. It was wonderful - chocolate covered cherry oats. Mmm. I have have equal success by combining Pineapple Chobani, oats, and plain coconut oil for a tropical breakfast. Tasty Love.
6. Lime Green Danskin shoes
I are a photographer.
I have had this pair of lime green Danskin shoes for over a year, and I've never worn them because they didn't have a lot of padding and I figured that they couldn't be good for my feet. I bought them on a whim, and shortly thereafter found a pair of green and purple Adidas for a mere pittance. I bought the Adidas and began wearing them because A) I assumed they were the superior shoe, B) I liked the color, and C) I always wanted a pair of Adidas when I was in school, so's I could be like the cook kids and now I finally had em'. I assumed that after wearing them for a while, I would break then in and they would stop digging into my ankle bone every time I walked. I've had them for a year and a half, and it hasn't happened yet. So, in desperation, I sought out the Danskin shoes. To my surprise they are the most comfortable shoes ever. I ran in them yesterday, pain free, and I improved my run time. Yeah. Love.
7. Seven Mary Three - "Water's Edge"
I have not listened to a song obsessively in quite some time, but starting just before Christmas, I became obsessed with this song. Poor j^C must have been going out of his mind, as I was playing it over and over and over on YouTube for weeks. I love this song. It's sad, and it's depressing, and it's morbid, but I don't care. Love. Love. Love.
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