Sunday, January 29, 2012

It Was A Time {Take II}

Memories past, what a ghast. In retrospect, I didn't neglect, the powers to be, that let me become she...

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Nostalgia With Friends

A lot can happen as we grow older. You have work, you have DIY projects, maybe you popped out a baby or two. Between the anniversaries & the birthdays to remember, you may hardly have time for friends, let alone yourself. This is both a sad and true event that takes place in everyone's lives. We make friends, work not that hard to keep them, have good times, find jobs, work a little bit harder to keep up the friendship, lose touch, find new friends who sometimes aren't as cool as the old ones~or sometimes way cooler, have a reunion w/ the old buds, promise not to lose touch, and then--you guessed it--lose touch. But this is where this post comes in; As a reminder not to let yourself forget who helped make your memories memorable. Friends. They're a fuckery-ass* bunch, but we'd die without 'em.


A friendship can weather most things and
thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely. ~ pam brown

Unfortunately, it isn't until you lose a friend or someone extremely close to you, when you realize relationships in general are something to be cherished. The laughter, oh my god the laughter.. ..the belly-busting, I'm about to pee my fucking pants laughter. If you took that very moment and put it on a split screen of an angry moment towards a friend, I'm pretty certain (at least for me), that the laughter will override any anger you had.
We have to actually work at keeping our friendships going. Plan a single day a week, a weekend a month, anything whatsoever, to reserve that attachment. Otherwise, all you'll be left with are blurry memories of 'What was..' Ya know the good ole "glory daze". Sure, a lot of us walk away with much more, I don't wanna seem like unless you keep up with friends it was all for nothing. But you never know how much you can brighten someones day by just giving a shit.
It doesn't take much to pick up the phone & give your 'once upon a time' pal a good conversation. Maybe a random meet-up at a bar, it doesn't even have to be one you're familiar with. Investing time in someone works both ways. Maybe you're the one that gave up, maybe someone else gave up on you--it doesn't fucking matter. Be active about it before they're gone, or before they move away to Hawaii, or before they tie the knot with some insecure chickadee that isn't comfortable with your relationship because you didn't invest enough time to get to know the her before she married/marries your best friend. There's no timeline on rekindling something that used to be. You just gotta make the attempt.
The surprising thing about that, is once you do make a little effort in reaching out to your old support
system and you get pass the potential awkwardness, it's usually business as normal. Almost as if you've never missed a day. With the true friends, that's how it is at least. And sure, they say people change every seven or so years, but it doesn't really change the real person you are within. Those inside jokes will still be funny and those crazy random stories will still make you feel youthful. It's that sense of nostalgia that gets you every time. The thought that when you were younger, you lived, you danced, you sang at the top of your lungs at 3 in the morning, and though you have some regrets--you still wouldn't have changed much.

The only way to have a friend, is to be one. ~ ralph waldon emerson


I propose a friendship revival. Too often I'll hear stories about a group of 'weekend warriors' that let their party style go stale. I understand, life happens, you can't always get lit and drink from Friday night until early Sunday morning every weekend. But maybe this weekend you can. Maybe just start out with a casual Friday night Happy Hour. See where it takes you. Schedule a cab, round up your guys & dolls and just have at it. Feature your favorite tunes, become the jukebox hero & hell--lose your pants even.

No one should ever let their fun & happiness take a back seat to anything, for any reason**. Sure, maybe you're a parent or a spouse and you need to assume responsibility over things. Do it, but don't let that become all you are. Take back what's yours! Scrap the stupid diet, drink at 11 a.m., call up (NOT TEXT) one of your favorite people you haven't seen in a while and declare a hang sesh. Just do what used to make you laugh and do it with the people that helped shape your memories and your youth. We're all on the wrong side of 25 and before we know it, we'll be 30, then 40, then... ...well anything after that doesn't need to be counted. We'll just be old then. No sense in acting 40 now. Just remember to keep in touch with people. Remember the fun times and try to reproduce them again. But whatever you do, remember...


Y O U T H








Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. ~ Richard Bach


Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours. ~ Ludwig van Beethoven



*fuckery-ass: in both good & bad ways of being an amazing fuck. {not sexually-although it isn't limited to just being platonic.}
**unless it harms someone else, you sick fuck.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

8 Resolutions For The Average Angry Philadelphian

1. Stop playing your music obnoxiously loud-- No one cares what you're listening to! You don't appear magically cooler just because you have the hottest Drake track. We know you wanna show off the new Rick Ross mixtape, but for the sake of not being choked or stabbed, PA-LEASE turn it the fuck down! Blasting the latest slop of cookie cutter rap negates the whole point of having headphones. If you wanna rep it that loud, get your shit together and blast it from your bumpy, bass overloaded car. Otherwise, keep that shit to yourself. If I blared Iron Maiden in my headphones & it filtered out to the point that everyone around me in a 20 foot radius can hear it, people would do a lot more than just run for the hills, if ya know what I mean. You're not doing anyone a favor by appointing yourself DJ Dumbass for the entire bus/train ride that's already made grueling due to the loud mouth bitch on the phone that, "don't care who hear me on dis bus gettin' loud." Really? Which brings me to resolution #2.

2. Stop talking obnoxiously loud-- I know you're a proud Philadelphian with connects' and all the backhanded wisdom in the land, but yelling and cursing over the phone WHEREVER you are will not--I repeat--WILL NOT change your fucked up situation. It won't. So instead of disclosing your full drunken/slutty/backstabbing/"I told 'em off" steaming piece of cow dung you call a story, why not pump your squeaking breaks and think for a second if you're representing yourself in a manner you'd want your dear aunt Gretchen to see. If not, shut the fuck up. It's that simple folks, it really is. And how fucking retarded & ghetto does a bunch have to be in order to have actual postings on public etiquette on public transportation?! Can't figure that bit out on your own, huh? What a joke!

3. Think outside the borough-- As angry Philadelphians, we often dislike venturing out to many places because of our overwhelming hate for other human beings. I understand it completely, but every once in a while when I hype myself up to discover new places, I can endure the Philly Race for the sake of a good night. Try going out in different parts of Philly, there are plenty of coffee shops, restaurants & bars to appeal to every person. If you live downtown, give the Northeast section a go-sy. If you have to knock somebody out, (or worse, if YOU are knocked out), then at least you'll know that neighborhood wasn't for you, but the dinner was something to write home about. Of course you should do your homework on the place and 'hood you'll be stepping out into. But there are so many underrated BYOB's in the Philly area, it just may very well be worth kicking someone's ass over. :) Give it a go, possibly try a different food element, (Indian, Thai, etc.), you may be surprised with what you like.


4. Be nice-- We all have to share this world together, so why not at least TRY to be nice to others and make it a little more bearable. Someone bumped you or stepped on your shoe? Ever think maybe it's a crowded area and they TOO have an important place to be or go? Excuse yourself, then keep it moving. (Being acceptable of others apology is just as important.) An apology or a polite smile takes people a long way. Strangers or not. Some situations really don't have to be as serious as people make them out to be. Your life sucks at home or at work? You hate the spouse you're married to or have kids with? That's not the stranger's fault, understand? The world isn't responsible for your issues. Keep that with you and consideration should follow. (Hopefully will follow since so many of you lack this trait and Philadelphia needs it so badly.)

5.Stop littering-- Maybe your mother didn't teach you right from wrong. Maybe you didn't have proper upbringing. Maybe you're just a disgusting piece of shit and feels the need to throw your garbage carelessly on the streets, creating a wave of others who will also be careless and dispose of THEIR mess in public. Because you're just that much better than everyone, right? I once asked a litterbug why they litter when there are trash cans on almost every street. Their response was because everyone else does it. So that must mean if every one person doesn't litter, then the domino effect will be trashless, clean streets right? We are the problem as well as the solution.

6. Be punctual-- As you can see, I, myself need to work on punctuality. Being as this resolution list should've been ready a week ago. This one is the hardest for yours truly to get in order, partly because of my procrastination virus. If you're like me and leave everything to the last minute, running late is a close yet irritating friend of yours, waiting to kick you in your ass and probably has several times in your life. Being late is often directly related to a lot of peoples' anger and short patience with others. Maybe if you would've gotten up just 15 minutes earlier, you would've made that light or that train. But you didn't, so instead you're going to proceed to be a bitch to everyone around you until you get back home, to do it all again the next day. Go fuck yourself--I hate people like you. At least when I'm late, I understand it's my own fault, (& also Septa's) but I take it out on no one. I get to where I need to be, late or on time, it doesn't matter cause it'll be what it'll be. No excuses or any amount of complaining will change that. So change yourself!


7. Start cooking-- I don't think anyone in this city (or this country for that matter) needs a reminder on the obesity situation goings on. There's probably an opera sized lady or gentleman in the seat/car next to you. Slamming down a Whopper, no doubt. If we put aside a little extra time to attempt to organize our lives, we might get somewhere. So before you go fleeing off to the fast food joint or Chinese store on the corner, maybe give that ole cookin' thing a try. Not only will you save money, but you're bound to drop a few pounds. Besides, wouldn't you rather know what's going in your food? Rather than some stranger, who's probably more disgusting than you, picking at his crotch then handling your burger or whatever slop you decide to purchase. (tough love people)

8. Remember your youth-- Too often, you'll see people growing out of simple pleasures due to the fact that they're turning into a big boring sap of a human being. Don't be that person! Remember what use to make you smile, and do it more often. Play Hide-&-Go-Seek as an adult, I DARE YOU! It's the best amount of fun one can have. Stare up at the stars & dream, dance at an intersection, get drunk during the daytime, hell--streak if that's your cup of tea. But don't just dissolve into this adult that takes themselves too seriously. Remember life is a moderately good play, with a badly written 3rd act. Take advantage while you're still in the 2nd act and while you still have legs to be mobile.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Artist's 2012 Resolutions


Making time for your art-- This is the biggest resolution on this list. Without it, none of the rest matters. We often get caught up in everyday life, 'the price of gas', 'making dinner and deadlines', etc. We forget the simple pleasures that use to be enough for us. Remember one cannot find time, you have to make time for the things that are important to you. Especially if it's an outlet for you.


2. Drawing strangers around you-- Even if it's a quick 35 second sketch of the person sitting across from you on a train or at the park, try it out and write the amount of time beside it. Whether the drawing is unfinished or not, it will add character to your sketch book, not to mention the story you'll have behind them. "Oh, this was a man feeding the birds at Love Park. He got up before I had a chance to finish, but man did he look content just sitting there bonding with nature." And who knows, maybe you can even give the sketch your own little story.


3. Keeping your sketch/writing pad on you everyday-- You never know when a great idea or image will strike you. If you're like the rest of the country, and you own an iPhone or Android, maybe avoid typing your concept into your phone and actually write it inside of your pad. Remember all of those sloppy little notes that you'd write on the side of a page? Maybe even incorporate your words & notions into the drawing, spiraling around your illustration.


4. Try your hand at a different form of art-- As artists we all have one big thing in common; the love for EVERY art. Have you ever wanted to branch out and do something different? Maybe this could be a great year to finally try stand-up comedy, or another type of performance art. There's nothing wrong with juggling a few new hobbies, especially if it's for the sake or expanding artistically. Take a class you've always wanted to take; culinary, dance, photography, glass blowing, sculpting, etc. You never know, you could be a natural!

5. Redecorate using your own personal art-- I find that when I have created an artistic oasis around me, I become more inventive. More inspired and therefore, proactive. Try redecorating your space, maybe even pull a few old pieces you've done in the past and hang them up. It'll give a sense of nostalgia and possibly remind you of a time when life wasn't so busy.


6. Creating and/or updating your portfolio-- Nothing completes an artist like a finished portfolio. (When is it ever really finished though?) As we evolve in our lives, our art tends to as well. This may mean taking out some compositions and replacing them with newer work or maybe even old ones, that you can revise or touch up. You'll be glad you did it, once it's over.

7. Drawing at least one thing per day that intimidates you-- You're not good at drawing hands? Dedicate one hour to doing nothing but drawing hands. You may be surprised with the outcome by the 34th try. Then you have the potential of your weakness becoming a strong point, and you can move on to another subject matter that you're a little shaky with. Progression is a step by step sequence.


Happy New Year to all you artists out there! Viva la creativity!