Complete BS

Blogging about Blogging...how pretentious can you get?

2008-12-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

I have come to the conclusion that proper blogging should be pure stream of consciousness - raw, unedited earthy goodness - impossible, but here we go. When we we began the semester I had never blogged before and had only read blogs on the rare occasion my girlfriend pointed me to Gowanus Lounge for a new restaurant in our neighborhood that served deep fried mac 'n cheese balls or to check out my advertising friend Jimbo's blog where he rates the latest annoying commercials. My general impression of blog's and bloggers revolved around a series of questions - Don't you have anything better to do? Do you think anyone really cares about what you do everyday? How pretentious do you have to be? and so on.... Although I was semi-excited to start a blog and reacquaint myself with the modern world (while also learning the lingo that would now allow me to start conversations with the underage girls who managed to be cute enough to get past the bouncer), I was not excited to have to sort through 25 blogs every week about how men are pigs and Billy now likes Judy and it just isn't fair. I decided that I would not reveal any personal or private info about myself, saving others and myself from feeling extremely uncomfortable about my sexual penchant for midgets and mustard - I would stick strictly to class topics.

Three months later, my general feelings for blogs remain mostly unchanged, at least as far as reading goes. I definitely have a new appreciation for what goes into writing/designing a blog. I have to scoff at the notion of the "pure" stream of consciousness blog, and the idea that one can crank out a blog in a 10 minutes in between classes or on a lunch break. Although I'm sure some of my classmates were able to do this, for me this was impossible. Never mind the hours spent on finding funny yet relevant images for my blog, or videos and links that would cleverly match the oh so witty banter I imagined, I found myself spending unhealthy amounts of time being paranoid about every word I wrote. Is that funny or just corny? Do they know that I know this is not a real word or will they think I'm stupid? Is that inappropriate to say in a class setting? Do I sound pretentious? Am I writing too much, am I gonna seem like a teacher's pet or an ass-kisser? Should I publish half of this now and save the other half for later in the week? Does anyone even read my blog anyway? In a lot of ways I felt like a junior high kid again worrying about the social implications of my blog, how I would be percieved by classmates, and constantly comparing myself and my decisions to my peers. I suddenly cared a lot more about what others thought of me. Where as before I understood blogs as random anonymous blatherings to the world, which no one was likely to read or care about - I now see how communities, ideas, and real life interactions form around a blog and how very non-anonymous they are.

The usefulness of blogs for a 21st century lit class or really any class for that matter is huge. I have had a few classes that required interaction through on-line forums and email discussions, but none have even come close to having the direct impact and unique effects on a class that these blogs have. First, they provide an unlimited, unrestrained vessel for expression. The ability to include images, videos, links, etc. makes such a difference in being able to express yourself more easily and more completely. It also gives each classmate a unique personality and makes it so much easier to genuinely care about the ideas and contributions of classmates. It sets a more relaxed and open tone for discussion to happen and makes it less forced and awkward to discuss class topics both in and out of class. It was meaningful and did not seem like busywork at all – it opened up ideas, interpretations, and gave a lot of insight in terms of my world view approaching texts versus others’. It forced me to agree or disagree with people and their comments and prepared me to defend my opinions in class. It also cut down on a lot of wasted class time – people were ready to jump into heated debate right away each night, which in my experience is very rare.

I was definitely surprised by the social aspect of blogging - how much a blog can create who you are in class and how you are perceived. I was quietly very judgmental of my peers and what they said in their blogs - it definitely had a strong effect on what credence I gave their comments in class. Right or wrong, I completely made assumptions and judgments about people's lives, personalities, and intellect based on their blogs. I was also surprised by my interest and fascination with reading every single blog, from every classmate. Although I rant about being annoyed at the gossip, way too personal info, and irrelevant blogging - I could not stop myself from reading it and forming opinions about it. Similar to House of Leaves I felt if I didn’t read everything I would miss some very important bit of information. I struggled with whether or not to read others’ blogs before I had read the text, fearing it would affect my reading and opinions, but eventually came to the conclusion that it mostly helped me to be more attentive in my reading as most blogs were substantive offering good questions and points of confusion with very little plot summary. Often I held off on writing my blog until I had finished reading the selected text, somewhat fearful I would write something really naïve, and also waiting to see if my peers figured out something I hadn’t. This is something to take into consideration when structuring the class in the future, it might be less stressful to break up the 3 blogs/week into at least two sections of text – I think people would blog earlier.

Something I would do differently with my blog if I did it again would be to include a lot more "not necessarily relevant" information similar to a lot of the stuff that Tom did. Posting songs, weird videos, upcoming local events, etc. definitely kept me coming back to Tom's blog regardless of his opinions and commentary about the texts we were reading. I want to say I would try to "instigate" more - specifically rile up a person about a topic, address people specifically in a post and call them out on how their post was full of complete BS, or solicit responses to a specific question, etc. I learned in the last class how to imbed youtube videos in a blog, so I would definitely do that more. It would be funny to create some absolutely ridiculous persona through the blog, similar to Steven Colbert on the Colbert Report, Borat, Ali G, or Sarah Palin, and try to always write through that lens. I think it would be great to develop some consistent traditions in each post, or each week - like a "question of the day" or song, book, movie recommendations, or bad joke of the week, etc. I think that would go along way towards not only getting people to your blog, but also creating more inter-blog commentary. Peace. BS

Holloway Nugent

2008-11-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

Three scenes help us understand why Holloway is indeed the crazyhuntin'sex-crazed rocker we all know and love as "The Nuge."

He steps out of the car holding a rifle, ready to kick some ass!

Immediately upon showing up at the House he makes it clear he is the alpha male, the man in charge, the man with the plan, locked and loaded.

He begins to make his move on the only woman in the house right away, paying no attention to Navidson. Karen is his to be won. Go Nuge!

He also likes Neon, guns, shooting guns, shooting guns at his friends, and shooting guns at his friends who are trying to save friends already shot by his guns. Let's be honest - Holloway Nugent is meat-eater and being that they have run out of food he is huntin' his meat - in a totally hetero albeit canablistic way! Get 'em Nuge!

BS

MindAdventureDream House

2008-11-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

When a House is Not a House...

1. So the obvious one first - The House as a mind. A blank slate that turns into whatever you are thinking. This idea is put forth many different times and makes a lot of sense. It can be vast, yet seem very small and closing in on itself, the possibilities are endless, you are not resrtricted by conventional science, physics, etc. but how much can you actually use, see, explore? Everyone seems a little afraid of it at first, which is interesting, except maybe the kids...

2. I love the idea that the kids have maybe been playing in the hallway the whole time. Why is everyone so afraid of this hallway? Because its dark and cold? Think as a kid...make a fort, make an igloo, a room that you can't break any of your parents expensive crap or stain the rugs. This is the House as an Adventure. This is the coolest thing that could ever happen to a kid, you could create any adventure in the world in this place and it would still be different every time, kind of like a Choose your own Adventure Novel. Travel the world, go 20,000 leagues under the sea, land on the Moon, have some frickin' fun and stop being such a scaredy cat.

3. The last idea is the House as a dream. This idea kind of combines the previous two - an adventure of the mind. You start in pure dark, blackness and create crazy, otherworldly nonsensical scenarios and every door that opens can change everything. You bring your personal experiences into it and your fears, dreams, hopes shape how your dream unravels. Each time you fall asleep again it starts all over...

BS

VIDEO

2008-11-12T17:57:00.000-08:00

Telescopic Evolution

I chose this video because it is one of my favorite conversations from a great movie Waking Life. You must watch this movie if you have not already. The conversation is about the endless possibilities of how we as humans and life in general evolves and what is possible in this universe. I think this movie deals with a similar topic to House of Leaves - What is actually possible in the physical universe we inhabit? Are we actually bound by physics and science, or is our imagination, our minds the only thing that limits us? This is probably my favorite theme of books/movies and the main reason I am enjoying House of Leaves. I do believe in things like timetravel, alternate existences, dreams being the "real" reality, and in general challenging the notion of reality in general. I have also had some crazy dreams since I started reading this book...and waking life is a lot about dreams and lucid dreaming so it all ties in. Here are some more books and movies that deal with this stuff - please help me remember more...

Books : Einstein's Dreams, The Time-traveler's Wife, Life of Pi, The Death of Vishnu

Movies: Waking Life, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (compare house deteriorating scene to clothes deteriorating in House of Leaves), Contact, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation

BS

SKIP IT!

2008-11-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

Remember This?

After Barry set the all-time skip-it TM record he began reading the novel skipping absolutely nothing, thinking the title of every little fake footnote article was somehow relevant. He quickly stopped reading any footnotes that only referenced another work, growing of tired of a bad joke.

After reading a classmate blog "I'm too stubborn to let any book defeat me" Mr. Sims decided he was no chump either and if he had to read every appendix or dumb list or poem or journal entry to figure this book out he would. Some he found rewarding like the letters from Truant's mother trapped in a Whalestoe, he perhaps would not have understood how Smart Johnny really was otherwise. BS even painstakingly decoded the first letter of every word letter which left him pissed, exhausted, and wondering if the mom really got raped, but at least he felt like he gained something those who skipped it did not.

Other non-skipped portions of the book left Barry wondering if there was a camera installed in the book so that the author could laugh at the idiots who tried to look for clues in the collages or actually read the list of everything that wasn't in the house contained in blue outlined boxes or skipped ahead to an appendix to read "missing". But Sims learned his lesson from the blue boxes and decided even if the meaning of life was in the lists of architectural buildings or film people or whatever - he would not read them, he wouldn't be tricked again. And no he did not read the backwards blue boxes thank you, but the temptation to check if they were the same was there - what a sucker!

Barry read the story pretty much page by page going back and forth between Zampano and Truant, skipping ahead a page or two only to finish a footnote. The few things he consistently skipped from the beginning were any footnotes referring to future chapters or pages.

HOUSE

2008-11-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

"Chasing down the Howl, Holloway opens a door and is suddenly realizes he is in a woman's shower!"

Yeah, that was in the footnote to the footnote from Appendix 112, diagram 1,202, the funniest part of the book so far...twice as hilarious when you realize he has stepped into the shower from the movie Psycho, man imagine seeing that lunatic with a rifle in your shower...and after the knife incident nonetheless!

Ok, just kidding, she is actually screaming in this picture because THERE IS NO HOT WATER! One of my favorite very short passages of the book so far is Johnny describing the long wait for hot water (p. 15) which is what originally prompts him to tell the Punching Bag Birds of Paradise Story.

"As you probably know, finding out there is no warm water is a particularly unpleasant discovery simply because it's not something you figure out immediately. You have to let the water run awhile and even though it remains icy, part of you refuses to believe it won't change, especially if you wait a little longer or open up the valve a little more. So you wait but no matter how many minutes run by, you still see no steam, you still feel no heat."

I really like this part for two reasons. First - its so effin' true! Second - at the time I was reading it and really still now - it struck me as kind of a metaphor for the reading fo this book and how difficult it was to get into it. Just insert the word "story" for warm water and "appendix" for valve and it seems to work pretty well.

Response. Ability.

2008-11-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and it was still true!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

So the other night we talked about censorship in terms of responsibility of
the author, the video game maker, the director, the songwriter, etc.

It seemed to be a consensus in class that these people really hold no responsibility for their creations - that it is up to the reader, player, watcher, listener to realize this is a piece of art? or just a game/book/song/movie and not a manifesto, call to action, etc. Otherwise censorship will run rampant and who wants the government deciding what media creations will invoke thievery, murder, etc,and which won't - right? Wrong. I don't want any more censorship than we already have, but that doesn't mean artists'/media's responsibilities for their words, actions, creations go out the window. This is a basic concept. You are accountable for your own words and actions - I think most people would agree with this. I mean, you don't walk up to a black person, tell a racist joke about black people - then when they punch you in the face complain that they don't know how to take a joke.

So as an author or director of stories about murdering children or senseless killing, or a video game creator of a game about stealing and killing and fucking, or an artist who sings or paints about sex, drugs and suicide - you still have the fundamental question to ask yourself - What is the result of my creation, how will people be affected? And when your creations are the Pillowman, Natural Born Killers, Grand Theft Auto, or The Dope Show you are probably going to affect at least a few people in a fairly negative way. But there are lots of positive effects as well - so the question becomes which weighs more and what can you live with for the rest of your life as a creator.

Maybe millions of would be murderers and carjackers now disrespect their women through video games rather than real life, which is more important than desensitizing violence, etc., etc. Maybe the genius of literature inspires millions to write and affect millions more positively, or reading about such horrible "copycat" murders instills in readers not to take literature so seriously, which is more important than the three children that might be murdered in real life. Maybe genius cinematography and clever satire on our society positively affects millions, outweighing the 8 people murdered as a result of your movie. Maybe millions of anti-social freaks and addicts that now know they are not alone and don't commit suicide outweighs the hundreds of kids drawn into drugs and suicidal thoughts as a result of your songs. And maybe all the money and fame that results from your creation allows you to support more charities, your family, and political platforms. Or maybe your well-being is simply more important than others and you can live with that. I can buy all these arguments - because they at least take responsibility for what they have created. Be accountable for your words and actions - especially when you unleash them on millions worldwide - artist and media are not exempt, stop giving them a free pass. Not everyone in this world is an intelligent person - we cannot rely on the general public to interpret things properly and always know the difference between fantasy and reality.

Then we inevitably get into the does art imitate life? or does life imitate art? debate. The answer is - yes.

As a random thought I remember being disgusted that Tom Clancy was being interviewed as an "expert" after the 9/11 attacks because he had written a novel a bout planes crashing into buildings as an alternative to bombing.

And now I will step down from my soapbox.

Thanks - and yes I take full responsibility for anything that happens as a result of this blog.

BS

Dial M for Murderousness

2008-10-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

More jumbled up thoughts on the Pillowman -

I think the ending is a little too wrapped-up-perfect in relation to the tone set by all the other stories. The fact that Ariel doesn't burn the stories and they live on is such a weaker ending than any other story creating the effect that McDonagh's story is actually the worst story of all. I don't like these parts where "Katurian" steps out of himself to talk about being fashionably downbeat, and ending things more in the "spirit of things." I understand what he's trying to say, but I think he is wrong...I think its against the Spirit of the play- perhaps a little copoutish.

Whoa, whoa, whoa Dr. Lennon, or should I call you Jason Bourn e, lets not get carried away.

I'm not sure there is any commentary about society and how we treat prisoners and the rights of criminals or suspects. I don't think you can draw a legitimate connection between Michal's torture/murders and the current media, etc. I believe most of the totalitatian background is more simply a narrative device that allows us to believe Katurian might be just a really good innocent writer and that's why he's there, that allows us not to question the torture techniques of detectives, and makes for a more dramatic ending of instant execution. Its a story - you don't want people asking too many questions, playing detective to the accuracy/believablility of your story right. I think McDonagh makes this point during Turloski's story of the deaf boy when Katurian asks how the old man knew he was deaf and Turloski says he could see the hearing aid. He also makes this point in that Michal commits the murders to find out how believable the stories are.

Then of course there is the whole storyteller/oral tradition thing tied into this. I was not familiar with the story of the pied piper, but it has some obvious connections. As I mentioned before I think a lot of the stories are kind of reworks of traditional tales - with new twists, etc. Does it matter who tells each of the stories? What about the questions, interaction while the story is being told?

Did the Little Jesus story read like a bad bar joke to anyone else?

The Orange book, the muder very Halloween appropriate...nice.

Credibility....ah yes...again. Basically we can't believe anything anyone has said in any of these stories. We can't believe any of this ever happened, everything is a story, everything is a lie? Did Katurian frame his brother and really commit it all himself? Did the police make all this up and are just mentally torturing them both. Is Michal really dead? Is the whole play the Pillowman's stroy for young Michal on the eve of his torture? Basically we are left to believe whatever we want - similar to The Lady or the Tiger that I mentioned in a previous post. It kind of reminds me of the movie Memento a little. I love it and am frustrated by it at once.

How does Ariel, his sympathy in not burning the stories and his own stories (giving sweets to children, his dad hopping in bed with him) work with the rest of the story?
A few last things...

Jeff Goldblum as Tupolski? Horrible, horrible casting job...

This play really makes you think of your favorite stories and it made me recall two stories which I love and remember, but have no idea of their title or author - I have been pondering for days so just thought I'd toss it out there - let me kow if you recognize either and please tell me the author or title so I can look em up

1) A story that is only one or two paragraphs in length that basically describes a General of some Latin American? dictatorship who sits down to dinner with a journalist and describes the current war happening by tossing a paper bag of severed human ears across the table.

2) A Steinbeckesque backdrop of a Dustbowl family during the depression. A wife with starving children. The wife's father is the owner of a Nitroglycerin truck driving entity. The wife's husband is unemployed and cannot find work anyhwere, his family is starving. Basically the Father is presented with the choice of watching his daughter and grandkids starve or giving his son-in-law a job driving a truck full of Notroglycerin, which he knows will end in the son-in-law's death. Complicating things are the son-in-law's pride and his own decision of death vs. pride.

Anyone?.....Anyone?............................Bueller?

BS

Pillow Talk

2008-10-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

Was anyone else visited by the Pillowman an hour before last weeks' exam?

Definitely an interesting, twisted, sick, awesome play. Seems like is more of a novel or a collection of short stories, but I guess I can see it being kind of unique on a stage. The stories themselves are great. You know a story is good when none of the characters have a name, the plot is simple, it begins with One Upon a time, and its still a powerful story. It reminds me a lot of O. Henry stories like Gift of the Magi. The blind man tripping over the grave in The Little Jesus and Turloski's story of the deaf boy on the train tracks especially. Frank Stockton's short story The Lady or the Tiger came to mind when reading the story about the guy hanging in the Gibbett. The stories are pretty formulaic and in many ways not that original in terms of the concepts. I think I've heard similar versions of the Little Green Pig story in many formats - the best perhaps being The Sneetches by Dr. Suess.

I have a lot of random thoughts about this play, and am at a loss of how to organize them so here ya go:

Both Michal (p.52) and Katurian (p. 103) claim they are the Pillowman. Who really is? Either of them? Is there any other significance to the title of the play? There is even a discussion of what makes a good title at one point.

Is Katurian a little too close to Kevorkian for anyone else?

I love the humor in this play - between brothers, between the detectives, there are these great, hilarious lines that come at just the right time - not easy to crack jokes in the midst of murdering children, but McDonagh does it very, very well. Sometimes though, Michal's humor is so witty and insightful that it made me sceptical of his supposedly diminished mental capacities - I'm not sure if I completely buy what the author is giving us - there seem to be some inconsistencies in his mental abilities.

Is there any significance to having a deaf boy and a mute girl in the stories? Other than it being part of a formula of fatally flawed characters?

There is a lot more I want to say, but I am off to a meeting in the Bronx, I will try to get the rest up before class...

BS

The Blackwatchers

2008-10-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

Upon finishing Black Watch I feel the same as many classmates. I might just be reading three war pieces in a row or a two journalist vs. soldier pieces back to back, but I can't say I'm super excited to see this play. The accent of course will be a big payoff, as I definitely have not been doing it any sort of justice in my own head. I'm curious to the length of the play because it basically seems like about 45 minutes of really short scenes kind of randomly slapped together.

Give me a Beat

There seems to be a lot of diving around and things exploding constantly which could be really funny or really pathetic in a live performance - we'll see. The scene where they change the uniform while giving a history of the regimen could be pretty cool visually, especially after seeing pictures on Matt's blog.

Beat it, Beat it

Can I ask why he makes such a point of the American Revolutionary War? I mean they lost right? But he seems to belabor the point as a particular sense of pride. Other confusing points included the scene with Lord Elgin. Where did this guy come from? I read it as some kind of weird ghost/apparition appearing from the past - kind of like a Christmas Carol? I might have completely missed the boat on that one.

Beat Box

Beat - yeah so what kind of beat is this? A drum? - cause that might get pretty annoying. There is also a lot of music and singing? or are those just poems? It seems very ambitious in terms of piecing lots of strange elements together. And the story is basically just about three guys getting blown up by a suicide bomber and their buddies talking to a reporter about it in a pub?

One of the more interesting parts of the play was the argument over opinions on the Americans in the war. The brief discussion of peacekeeper vs. protector vs. invader was also insightful. I can see how the play makes these and some other valid points/arguments about the war in Iraq and war in general, and probably does it in a more intelligent and eloquent way than Jarhead or Shooting War, but after having them beat into our conscience for the last three weeks it seems slightly less than profound.

I leave you with two questions -

Does it make any sense to put bright red fuzzy balls on top of a camouflage uniform?

Is anyone else picturing Max Fischer's production of Platoon in the movie Rushmore?

BS

The Return of Johnny Walker

2008-10-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

As someone who has never read a graphic novel and was never really into comics growing up, I was initially most aware of all the formatting uniqueness of Shooting War. Which bubble do I read first? What about the text boxes? Are there really no page numbers? O how no page numbers will foil all of Dr. Lennon's creative group assignments ahahahaha. I was maybe expecting more of a consistent format/illustration, but I did really like that each page was completely unique in terms of size of illustrations, how the text was presented, what type of illustration was used, real photographs (is that cheating - should it be called a photo novel?), tv representation, magazines mock-ups, etc. I think Lappe and Goldman did a great job of using all resources and keeping things fresh from page to page. Mostly because of this I have to disagree with those of you are saying this was not a quick read. I am not a fast reader by any means - and I flew through this in a couple hours. It was interesting, funny, and definitely relevant to most of our lives. Who hasn't seen their favorite bodega or dive bar swallowed up by American Apparell, Lucky Jeans, or Urban Outfitters? Who doesn't hink that the political and military portrayals are at the very least a possibility? I think Lappe and Goldman are especially talented in their mocking of the news media - their tv, magazine, newspaper visions were hilarious and right on the money - I have no doubt we WILL see some of those headlines in the near future. But let's be honest, will Staten Island ever be cool? Ok I'm glad we all agree there.

There were many parts in the book that I thought were very cliche. I think many will say - "that's intentional you thick-headed infidel! It's a satire, they're making of the genre as well as mainstream America." I guess this is true to an extent, but I think this very good graphic novel is a few original scenes away from being great. Scenes like bar scene with Crowley, slipping Dan Rather the memory cards, humvees getting blocked by rubble, etc. It didn't seem as much satyrical as it was an overly convenient and familiar way to move the plot along, introduce characters, or solve a problem. Was Crowley's character really any different in your mind than the millions of movie seargents we're used to? I partially feel this way because other aspects of the novel were so creative - suitcase nukes, Communist Iraqi's comparing the U.S. to Russia. I guess it was hard for me to separate at times what was satire and what was poor character or plot development.

More interesting moments/good times in Shooting War -
I love a jacked up badass Dan Rather texting warnings and spouting cheesy lines.

I definitely thought Jimmy was having sex with Sameera at first, not the New York Mag reporter, that was well done. I was waiting for that moment the whole novel in disgust and was happy that it did not happen. An example of the afforementioned originality missing from other perhps satyrical elements of the novel.

As others mentioned - the newscrawls on the bottom of GlobalNews were hilarious! Along with the Post, New York Mag, etc.

What if Jimmy Burns really did work for the Sword of Mohammed the whole time? I think this makes sense, and kind of like it - as if Jimmy Burns were a successful John Walker.

How do you feel about the last two pages explaining the authors/illustrators intentions?

I was impressed that the whole thing was digitally drawn.

Why did the American soldiers have the bluelight eyes? A skull, a cross, darth vader? It seemed a little out of place as a dialogue on christian influence, etc. Did this really contribute anything? What was intended by it?

Are we supposed to think Jimmy Burns has held true to his corporate hatred ideals in the end? Has he changed? I'm not sure. What is the effect of the anti-corporate stuff in the novel, does simply placing a kfc, mcdonalds, and starbucks at army bases really say anything?

BS

Killing Curiosity

2008-09-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

After finishing Jarhead - I feel an absolute sense of anticlimaticization. Some might say Swofford intended it that way, its a metaphor for the war, blah, blah. If this is true, it is not clever, it is just sad and pathetic. You get all riled up and excited for these guys that the war is finally going to start, they will finally get their moment, have some great 1600 yard pink mist kills, degrade some Iraqi soldiers...something. But alas, nothing. They heaviest fire they come under is from their own buddies. They are so desperate to latch onto something warish that Swofford gets pissed about missing out on the glory of phoning in the coordinates of the enemy to the airforce. I feel like Swofford had some pretty strong political thoughts going at the start of the second half, just before the war starts, but similarly in the end he briefly mentions a quick withdrawl and going from protector to intuder, then offers up Desert Storm as healing wounds from Vietnam? Not sure I can get down with that. I wanted him to preach a little more, if nothing else. He does a good job of driving home the point of leaving Iraq unsatisfied, but I can't feel the emotion/frustration of it as well as earlier in the book (His almost? suicide vs. killing curiosity). It seems it should be even worse post-war, when there isn't even hope of a potential kill left - tell me a story about Kheun shooting someone in a bar fight, about Johnny Rotten becoming a superstalker serial killer, or how everyone got drunk and did a field-fuck in the Dublin airport bar, something to leave me laughing or at least make me think, not leave me indifferent.

There were some second-half highlights though -

I like the AnyMarine Letters, and that some of them end up having wierd lettersex with midwest farmers' daughters. It reminds you how young these guys actually are when they are receiving senior portraits from girls their age. I clearly remember writing these letters (of the non-sexual nature) in my 5th grade class - I really hope I was not jerkoff fodder for some jarhead.

The believablity issue comes back in a few different ways. Swofford spends a lot of time talking about what absolute liars Marines are and that they are not to be trusted - the whole Fowler story, his brother, himself when he was younger. His dad seems to be a fairly stand-up guy, but he was not a Marine right? Are we supposed to believe he has made a lifelong commitment to being honest upon entering the Marines? However, I will have to say that he has no problem admitting to pissing his pants anytime a mouse farts near him. This lends him some credibility and makes me feel like this is indeed a memoir - also nothing actually exciting happens, which only happens in truly, truly horrible novels.

I'm a big fan of the fighting hole - hourglass imagery/metaphor and the sand itself actually driving him crazy. Dig the hole, it gets filled in, dig it again...has a very Sisyphus feel to it. I also likes that he connects the hourglass to kids' boardgames - it doesn't get more wholesome or American than that does it? And they are actually playing Axis vs. Allies the night before the War is starting...another reminder that they are just kids.

I really like the whole part about him being appointed prayer leader, without any prayer - reminds me a lot of Catch 22 (my second favorite book of all time - you MUST read this book if you haven't - it is hilarious) as does the the sand hourglass stuff - in war, whatever doesn't make sense makes more sense. He also makes it a point to mention how religion cannot exist in the military, but how many leaders fight wars and make military decisions based on their religious beliefs - pretty insightful - but isn't there also that saying "There are no atheists in foxholes?" I meant fighting holes sorry.

Finally I have to weigh in on the whole field-fuck scene and say that I disagree that it is this angry, intense thing. I mean the guy on the bottom is laughing and cracking jokes about the guys pretending to screw him. I think it really is just a product of being in an over authoratative environment with little freedom, and these guys are just kids. Any opportunity to get back at a superior, to actually hold some power over them is priceless...and often comes in very childish forms...come on, lighten up...BS

Brewster's Millions

2008-09-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

In honor of all the drunken shenanigans in Jarhead, I brewed some beer this weekend to put my recollectional skills to the test - how's that for a connection to the text? I've been brewing beer for about a year and a half now for no good reason other than people seem to get excited when you tell them you have a bunch of homemade beer and they should come over and drink it. I won't lie. I do harbor dreams of becoming the next Brooklyn Brewery(did you know there are 9 million people and only four breweries in all of NYC) but for now I have no investors, no space, no original handcrafted, perfected recipes - just a bunch of thirsty, cheap friends. That's not to say our friendship is cheap, but rather they prefer alcohol of the inexpensive variety.

Over the weekend I brewed a Pale Ale and and an Amber Ale and will be brewing a Bourbon Porter later this week. Which brings us to the current predicament - what to name these beers, what does the label look like? Furthermore - what should I name the brewery that will one day be known world-wide? I used to live a few blocks from the Gowanus Canal and my former roommate and I brewed beer under the fake name Gowanus Brewery. Previous beers have been named things like Phyrst Batch Ale, Indians Pale Ale (I'm a Cleveland Indians fan), Brooklyn Bitter,

Amber Alert Ale, Gowanus Wheat, Giant Patriot Ale (for last years' superbowl), O'Gwanus Stout and McWanus Red Ale (for St. Patty's day), Sashaberry Summer Ale (for my girlfriend Sasha's B-day), you get the point. Long story short - I live in a new place where I no longer have to listen to my roommate talk about beers like a lover "It has a strong backbone, potent character, and soft, fruity mouthfeel." So I need a new name for the new Brewery. I live near the corner of President & Henry St. so my only idea so far is President Henry Ales, but I think its kinda lame - Any suggestions?

Also, I want to put it out there that I would like to brew a 21st Century Lit Class Beer to be drunkened on the last day of class. I will brew whatever people suggest - SO WHAT KIND OF BEER DO YOU LIKE?

BS

Putting ink stick to shit paper...other Jarhead thoughts

2008-09-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

Why did Swofford choose to put the Ezra Pound, Canto LXXII quote in the beginning?

I think its interesting he admits to not remembering dates, locations, battles, deployments, weapon capabilities, etc. and has looked a lot of information up, some using federal sights and resources. I wonder if he had kept an accurate journal during the war if any of his info would have contradicted with government publications 8 years later?

Double standards aren't breaking news obviously, but all these guys talk about is the unfaithfulness of their wives/girlfriends, yet their own unfaithfulness is simply treated as a given right or not even seen as unfaithfulness, but just what Marines do.

For as macho as these guys are they are very comfortable with pretending to screw each other.

One of the most interesting scenes is with the German girls on the way to visit Charlie Manson's house...I'm not sure what to think of it, but the girls' comments are obviously disturbing, we start to get some more reflective viewpoints on war from Swofford, and is the only reason he doesn't beat the Germans up because he's not plastered at a bar for once?

Do you think Fergus was arrested for murder after the publication of this book? Also very interesting why Swofford tells the stories about him.

For some reason I love the scene of Yumiko getting picked up by the cook and boyfriend at the Military barracks at 6am, not sure why...

I wonder how much of the knowledge and resentment of Dick Cheney, Saudi Oil Princes, the Pre-fab base he actually had during the war and how much is him processing his thoughts in the 8 years post war and working that into his character.

Can anyone really drink as much as he says they drink? Anyway, they're always drunk...always. Does this affect the accuracy of any of his recollections?

It's amazing that he considers an extra $120 a month for combat pay a waste of taxpayer money, when no one has died yet.

I like the idea that to be a good Marine you have to love and hate the Marines. I think this idea partially explains why he goes back and forth between wanting to be a Marine and not, wanting to excel/move up in rank and not really caring, though I definitely still feel unsure about his overall motivations and what he truly cares about, maybe some actual combat will help...BS

Camp Jarhead

2008-09-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

I'm definitely into Jarhead so far. I don't think that it drips machismo, or is the simple memoir of a marine meathead. I think Swofford does a pretty good job of giving us an honest look at his experiences, and also does a decent job of slowly drawing us in to a very private, guarded, jargoned, strange existence with some solid insights along the way. Sure there is a lot of talk about PI prostitutes, and unfaithful wives, but I wouldn't consider it random explicitness. There is usually a point or at least a logical reason that these things are mentioned.

So far, and I realize the war has not started yet, Swofford also makes the Marines sound kind of fun. I know that sounds crazy, even as I type it, but its true. Sure no one wants to stir burning shit or get their head slammed through a chalkboard, but the camaraderie, the personalities, the tomfoolery, if you will, really comes through on the page. I would love to hear even more about the weird idiosyncrosies, personality and even physical descriptions of the other guys in his platoon a la Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. Although we get a few random post war anecdotes about his buddies, Swofford hasn't really gotten so specific about his platoonmates during the war yet. He starts to do this a little when Siek brings the new guys to join STA, hopefully he gives us some more in the second half.

It sounds a little nuts, but for anyone that's ever been to sleepaway camp, gone through training camp for a sports team, been back-country hiking/camping, or driven across the country - creatively getting out of shit-burning detail, playing a footaball game in 140 degree weather, funny nicknames, running all night-long, lamenting over unfaithful girlfriends, hazing the rookies - these things are not so far/strange/different from some of my fondest memories of the previously mentioned activites. I'm not saying he's convinced me to enlist, but I can see why people do. I also must say sarcastic humor/beratement of the military superiors e.g. Siek yelling at Swofford after the failed wake-up call, absloutely cracks me up. And the whole field fuck scene was hilarious - reporters watching, seargeants trying to impress the higher ups, so great. It reminds me of being young and stupid and not caring about how mature you seemed, but just enjoying making the best out of bad situations, teachers, authorities...Let's all be kids again and join the Marines!...BS.

Class in the 21st Century

2008-09-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have now had sufficient time to process the experience of last week's class, and my system is still on complete sensory overload. I don't mean to sound like the crotchety Old Man River in his sagging tighty whities moaning from his front porch about staying off the grass, but as someone who started college in the 20th century I must say...wow, that class was intense, uncomfortable, unique, and something that deserves the title "21st century literature class" regardless of what century the literature came from. Maybe I have been out of the game too long, only taking one night class a year for the last five years or so. Maybe night classes in general just seem to lend themselves toward an odd mix of 18 to 65 year old disinterested awkwardness (Jaime, Jose - last semester Shakespeare?). Or maybe its just the fact that acting out scenes that involve wives with strap-ons taking mistresses from behind in hell that tends to get the ball rolling a little faster.

I said sensory overload earlier because I felt like I was hit with violent images (9/11 over and over and over and over), read very graphic, intense imagery (yes, the doggy style scene), watched gender-bending performances between total strangers (don't lie - you were a little uncomfortable too), and listened to some conversations, arguments that got us to priests molesting little boys. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was going to have to write a blog, that I was going to get to read a Brooklyn graffiti battle... (are we going to visit the actual works in their original environment? I think we should and would be willing to set up the itinerary complete with a playlist for the train ride... and while we're on the topic - no MC battles to read/listen to - I would say that there are a few that would have to be considered, no? but I digress)...and that the ladies in the registrars office weren't just f***'n with me, the professor's name really is John Lennon. Well thank you all for the experience. I am more intrigued/interested than I think I've ever been to see what the next installment has in store . I'm excited to get to participate more this time...BS.