The Life And Times Of Matt

I have always thought that music about other music is among the most absurd things masquerading as art, but today I realized something which is going to require me either to accept an unpleasant truth about myself, or to acquiesce to the self-referential mania of pop music.  As I read White Oleander (NAMMP!  How we all crave validation of our tastes…), getting high from the blur of titles, the dizzying array of literary figures furiously flung at me, I realized that this, too, was a form of genre-promoting inbreeding.  It is not at all obvious whether literature which promotes other literature is any different than music which promotes other music, and since I consider the nepotistic tendencies of certain music distasteful, I must – though with regret – entertain the notion that some of my favorite name-dropping books are morally equivalent.

Why do I, as the reader, take such pleasure in the references, paeans, and sometimes outright lists of writers and works I find in books which are, in most instances, saturated with character, plot, meaning, conflict, delicious sass and wit?  Shouldn’t I judge the work based on the original content, instead of being influenced by the spate of great names it might invoke?  And while I can muster a few defenses of this practice, they all sound weak, even to me.  So let me be the first to say, I am a hypocrite, because I hate it when Eminem talks about Dre but I love it when Fitch talks about Proust.

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.” –Thumper

“Mens regnum bona possidet” (”An honest heart is a kingdom in itself”) –Seneca

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” –Cain

To hold back out of kindness, even perhaps mercy, is a time-honored tradition often associated with polite society. It expedites, it smooths over, it lets us not butt heads over every disagreement. But every time we withhold the truth, we also lie a little bit.

Honesty frees us from the fences every lie puts up. When one has to lie in the first place, it’s usually because the true answer would have undesirable consequences, and so to avoid the compounded consequences, one often chooses to lie to cover the lie.  I’m sure everyone has heard something like this from one’s mother.

Recently I have been finding that when the admonition to be honest collides with the admonition to say only nice things, I side with honesty.  I’ve been feeling rather blunt, and perhaps a bit simple, because for whatever reason, the ability to dissimulate carries with it an air of sophistication.  And so I have injured my pride by being straightforward, and others’ feeling by being honest, and my reputation by being less than nice.

I wonder (out loud, apparently) if there were two right ways to handle those situations, and if so, why I seem to have consistently chosen the more innocent?  In many ways this is a trap of my own doing; if I didn’t care about the consequences of my words (or lack thereof), this wouldn’t be a problem; many of these recent confrontations were borne out of a feeling of responsibility; the idea that, through my honesty, I might open up someone’s eyes to something that they really should know but weren’t about to find out for themselves.

And so I am either my brother’s keeper, honest in my loving criticism, shouldering the burden of speaking the cruel truth because I have the sad gift of seeing it; or else I am a meddler, interfering in other’s lives, choosing to belittle them for some unknown reason.  Or more probably, a little of each.  In any case, I wish I had been able to say more nice things lately.

How much money is there in bumper stickers?

A friend of mine had a pretty awesome bumper sticker idea last weekend; I could see it going over well.  And then it turns out that he’s had this idea for a while.  I wonder where it could go if he would follow through.  Ideas are pretty valuable things – I would rather have a good idea than a good thing.  The guy who first put water in a bottle is a lot cooler than a guy who just has water in a bottle.  Or perhaps that’s a bad example; I mean, water and things to hold it have been around for a long time.  Maybe it would be better to say that the guy who thought up the helicopter (I’m looking at you, DaVinci) is a lot cooler than a guy who just has a helicopter.  You get the point.

So is there any money/glamour/future in the idea of a bumper sticker?  One could sell the idea to somebody who is already in the business of making stickers (deal with nothing but the idea), or make some stickers and sell those.  How much money do you think a good bumper sticker makes?  I wonder if the guy who made the “Endless—-this war” sticker (the most popular one I see) has retired off of the profits.

Okay, probably not.  But I wonder how many of these other ideas I can find if I start looking around for them – ideas that are good, and could be marketable with a little work.  Of course there are people who do make their living by providing the drive and perspiration for other’s inspiration – people like editors or agents, for instance.  I’m probably terrible at it – after all, I can’t usually turn my own ideas into reality – what are the odds I’ll have the follow through to work on someone else’s?

I’m off to see if I can turn somebody else’s inspiration into money.  Chances are I will give up and it’ll have just been an interesting exercise.  But if not… today, a bumper sticker.  Tomorrow – who knows?

HAVE YOU EVER?

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped.
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten my own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than I could afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as I possibly could
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking.
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about my life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for my computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip.
48. Gone rock climbing.
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach.
50. Gone sky diving.
51. Visited Ireland.
52. Been heartbroken longer then I was actually in love with the person.
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them.
54. Visited Japan.
55. Milked a cow.
56. Alphabetized my CDs.
57. Pretended to be a superhero.
58. Sung karaoke.
59. Lounged around in bed all day.
60. Posed nude in front of strangers.
61. Gone scuba diving.
62. Kissed in the rain.
63. Played in the mud.
64. Played in the rain.
65. Gone to a drive-in theater.
66. Visited the Great Wall of China.
67. Started a business.
68. Fallen in love with someone and not had my heart broken.
69. Toured ancient sites.
70. Taken a martial arts class.
71. Played D&D for more than six hours straight.
72. Gotten married.
73. Been in a movie.
74. Crashed a party.
75. Gotten divorced.
76. Gone without food for 5 days.
77. Made cookies from scratch.
78. Won first prize in a costume contest.
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
80. Gotten a tattoo.
81. Rafted the Snake River.
82. Been on a television news program.
83. Received flowers for no reason.
84. Performed on stage.
85. Been to Las Vegas.
86. Recorded music.
87. Eaten shark.
88. Had a one-night stand.
89. Gone to Thailand.
90. Bought a house.
91. Been in a combat zone.
92. Buried one of my parents.
93. Been on a cruise ship.
94. Spoken more than one language fluently.
95. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour.
98. Created and named my own constellation of stars.
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country.
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over.
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge.
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when I knew someone was looking.
103. Had plastic surgery.
104. Survived an illness that I shouldn’t have survived.
105. Written articles for a large publication.
106. Lost over 100 pounds.
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback.
108. Piloted an airplane.
109. Petted a stingray.
110. Broken someone’s heart.
111. Helped an animal give birth.
112. Won money on a T.V. game show.
113. Broken a bone.
114. Gone on an African photo safari.
115. Had a body part of mine below the neck pierced.
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol.
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild.
118. Ridden a horse.
119. Had major surgery.
120. Had a snake as a pet.
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours.
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states.
124. Visited all 7 continents.
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days.
126. Eaten kangaroo meat.
127. Eaten sushi.
128. Had my picture in the newspaper.
129. Changed someone’s mind about something I care deeply about.
130. Gone back to school.
131. Parasailed.
132. Petted a cockroach.
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes.
134. Read The Iliad.
135. Selected one “important” author who I missed in school, and read.
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
137. Skipped all my school reunions.
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language.
139. Been elected to public office.
140. Written my own computer language.
141. Thought to myself that I’m living my dream.
142. Had to put someone I love into hospice care.
143. Built my own PC from parts.
144. Sold my own artwork to someone who didn’t know me.
145. Had a booth at a street fair.
146: Dyed my hair.
147: Been a DJ.
148: Shaved my head.
149: Caused a car accident.
150: Saved someone’s life.

Reposted from http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/8071 because I think it’s interesting.

The most important election you’re not talking about

JIHAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty Images

We’re in the midst of the most exciting presidential race in decades here in the United States. Pakistan’s legislative elections are coming up on Feb. 18. And within the next two months, we’ll also see elections in Russia, Spain, and Taiwan. But there’s one more upcoming election that you probably haven’t heard much about: the presidential race in Cyprus that takes place in two rounds on Feb. 17 and 24. Right now, there’s a virtual dead heat between the top three candidates. Check out this poll here. It’s in Greek, but the colors on the chart show it all: 30.0 percent to 30.1 percent to 30.5 percent.

You might be asking: Why should you care about a presidential election taking place on a tiny island that’s home to fewer than one million people? We’ll get there, but first, a little background.

Cyprus has been split into two entities ever since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island in response to a military coup that was backed by Athens. The northern part is currently recognized as a state by only Turkey. Everyone else recognizes the southern Greek-speaking part as the official government. As the EU expanded, there were hopes that Cyprus could enter as a united island, but unification talks sponsored by the U.N. were unsuccessful. Cyprus joined the EU, still divided, in May 2004. Current Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, who is running for re-election, is considered by many to be a hardliner when it comes to Greek-Turkish rapprochement. One of his opponents, Communist Dimitris Kristofias, was previously in a ruling coalition with Papadopoulos, but decided to run on his own this time. The other front-runner is Ioannis Kasoulides, a member of the European Parliament and someone who is largely in favor of unification. The winner will be tasked with determining how unification talks move forward.�

So, the Cypriot elections mean a lot for the future Europe as a whole, and not just for the island itself. Turkey will never be able to accede to the EU so long as Cyprus is opposed, and Cyprus will continue to oppose it so long as Turkey still recognizes the north as legitimate. Cyprus also plays a major role in how the EU approaches prospective independence for Kosovo. Cyprus is opposed to independence for Kosovo because it’s viewed as a vote against U.N. legitimacy. Greek Cypriots are also worried that Kosovar independence would be a rubber stamp for Turkish Cypriots to gain legal recognition. The most powerful states in the EU are in favor of independence for Kosovo. But as long as Cyprus remains opposed, the EU’s goal for a common foreign policy remains stymied. The elections in Cyprus may seem like small peanuts compared to other happenings in the world, but there are a lot of people who are watching closely.

Thanks for asking.

I voted in the Super Tuesday primary, voter #17 at my precinct this morning.  I think that makes me super too.  How I actually voted is private, and so to all potential future political bosses, the following may be a total lie:

I made up my mind yesterday how I would be voting.  It wasn’t that hard, when it came down to it.  As a voter who declined to register with any party, I was not allowed to vote in the Republican primary, but I was allowed to vote in the Democratic (or, if you were so inclined, American Independent) primary.  So it didn’t matter, for the purposes of today’s vote, what my political leanings were.  On the democratic side, I had quite a few names on the ballot but only two contenders, and I don’t see enough policy differences to judge in that manner.  What differences there are between the candidates’ policies would almost certainly be ironed out through the legislative and bureaucratic processes long before they impacted me.  On the other hand, I am uncomfortable with families which smack of dynasties, and I prefer the elevated moral and intellectual tone of the Senator from Illinois, and thus I voted.

Also, there were some propositions on the ballot, and in case you care, I voted No, No, No, No, No, No, No, Yes.  That’s EMS 1, Gas tax slush fund / community college tuition break / gratuitous slot machine expansion 0.

I am told that I owe something like $600 extra for my French 101 class because I am not a California resident.  I was going to go in and angrily wave my California state income tax return at them, but then I looked it up, and unless my parents/wife/self is stationed in CA with the military, or one of my parents won the Congressional Medal of Honor (yep), or else my parents died in September 11th and were CA residents at the time, I have to be in California for 366 days before getting in-state tuition.

Why oh why do I tell the truth on those damn forms?

It’s been raining for several days nonstop now.  Looks to continue through the weekend.  This has really put a damper on wanting to do outdoor activities of any kind, including biking, surfing, enjoying the backyard, walking to work, or for that matter going to work at all.  Luckily I have a comfortable living room and a few books to read.

Watched “Prison Break” season 1 a few weeks ago, and really really enjoyed it.  I plan on getting season 2 as soon as I find somebody to watch it with.  I think my roommates and I are going to watch “Lost” too – I already went through the first disc of season 1 and again, really enjoyed it.  The perk of waiting so long is that you only have to watch the good ones, because everyone tells you which ones they are.  Also, you can marathon them on DVD if you’re so inclined.

I have a new radio dealie.  It’s the size of a dresser, and runs on vacuum tubes.  It glows when it’s on.  It sits in my dining room and plays off of my ipod.  I love it.