Steampunk

Shower Scene: (experiment in extremely-short storytelling)

Gavin turned on the shower and watched as the water fell suddenly to the whiteness below. Splashing quickly then sliding down the drain out of sight like it had been waiting ready for that exact moment. An army of H2O propelling itself forward, each soldier parachuting out to accomplish its mission. He often had silly thoughts like this while he waited for things, it seemed like life involved a lot of 'waiting', where you can't do anything for one moment or so, then the system reboots gifting you a million options but bugger all time to use them. The water reached maximum hotness, so he adjusted the temp to just the right status and jumped on in.

After the initial acclimatisation and joy of the hot water, the shampoo and soap routine can begin. Showers are one of those simple pleasures that never gets boring, just one of those mindless daily things we all do and never find the need to really discuss. Because, well, the aim is simple: get clean. Not something you need to over-think. But that is one of those nice wee ironies of life, over-thinkers don't get to choose what they over-think about. So on the odd occasion they may find that they end up analysing the mundane, the banal, the stuff that everybody else just got on with, without being curious. It didn't happen all the time of course, but sporadically Gavin would get stuck in obscure thoughts. Like when did people first start taking showers and how serious historically, were humans, about hygiene. Apparently only a few generations back whole families shared bathwater, but in modern times it seems almost abnormal not to shower daily. Not that he'd done a survey or anything, but he could just tell by looking around at the people in his office that with the amount of bodily preparation they attended to they must shower everyday to achieve this. Sometimes he could skip a day on a weekend, but never more than one in a row, his hair and by default his forehead just got too greasy for his liking. This was partially behind the reasoning for his new 'shower at night' routine, which was current being trialled. You see if Gavin washed his hair in the morning before work, he felt like it went a bit dry and sort of fluffy, which he disliked. But if he didn't wash it his hair would get a bit oily. So the solution that seemed to work was to wash it at night and then wake up with bed hair, but because his hair was quite short the bed hair looked like it was meant to be that way.

He realised his mind had drifted off as he finished washing the remaining soap off and getting those last few blasts of hot water at the face. In a moment he would unfortunately turn the water off and reach out for the towel located close by. Dry off and go to bed. But for some reason it just seems more natural to shower in the morning, he guessed because he uses it as a way to wake up...

add/rewrite?

Alan Partridge Ah-haa

Knowing me, knowing you:

insulting the guests

and accidentally alienating the audience

In the funniest way possible!

Was just explaining to someone the other day, 

how funny that was.

Hook Me Up

Without a fixed point of anchor, we would all drift out to sea...
I'm worse off by myself, I prefer your help

Play. Film. Story. Project. War. Meal.

Famous for being  famous
Disaster within a disaster
Party inside a party
Crisis sandwich
Emergreme

Palindrome of swirling chaos

I may be a little sad, but I'm not like full blown pissed off

But maybe that would help sometimes...





http://www.cyberspike.com/clarke/chicktow.html

Honey and Vinegar Realty

the tackiness of commerce
we all just let it happen...
won't let you trick me twice
the inevitability of economic progress
the intention to continue to be
some gave all, all gave some
drift to oblivion

I don't know what I want but i want it now
don't be sorry, just be better.

we have things to do before we sleep

don't stop me now
keep it unreal

"All hobbies suck, but if you stick at it for long enough you might kill some precious time."
"Coin collecting is just like life, it stopped being fun a long time ago."
-Homer J. Simpson

Empathy vs. Sympathy vs. Apathy

“So far, I am having real trouble making up names for my characters. Ok I am actually also having trouble giving the characters characteristics too. Then it’s thinking of what will happen to them… like do I make it plot driven or character driven? Everything has to have an arc, doesn’t it?”

Steve was pondering starting his creative written exercises again, but he didn’t know where to start. Tony breathed out his bong hit and passed it back to Steve. But before he started his next toke Steve continued with his frustration:

“Like does everything have to be significant? I know my dialogue is gonna sound phony as hell, and when I use the word phony, I’m always tempted to throw a couple of goddamns in there… and I haven’t even read ‘catcher’ in years.” He was about to light up but instead continued his thought rant.

“Like do I try to give them names that mean something or just make them into strong characters, so that that carries the meanings I want to express? But if I keep up all this overthinking, I will never start writing anything, that’s all I know for sure right now.”

They were sitting on the couch again, talking about what they could be doing; instead of actually doing it, as debate and conjecture seemed far easier than actually doing stuff. It was just after sunset and they had finished work for the day. As Steve finally had his next toke, Tony broke the conversational silence. “I always wanted to name a character ‘Dean Moriarty’, but would that be pretentious?” He blurted out.

Steve almost choked in a mild fit of laughter. Then sniped back...

“Pretentious? Why don’t you just write a list of the books you’ve read instead, or name your work: ‘Please Associate Me with Kerouac, ‘cos he was Famous.’  You have only read ‘On The Road” anyway.”

Tony was only ever so slightly embarrassed at Steve’s derision.  And chimed back “Have you ever tried to read his other stuff? I just don’t have a big enough pharmaceutical collection to find the significance of a drunken Buddhist.”

                “Harsh call bro” Retorted Steve.

                “No I don’t mean the man no disrespect or anything like that. I mean, I guess you need to have a harsh life or some pretty heavy shit go down on you, before you can really write what you feel. And same goes for understanding it, like you can sympathise all you like, but you’ll never really empathise with the truth of it all.” Tony's' thoughts seemed to trail off into the distance as he realised the significance of his own statement. Steve took over the conversation, back on his own train of thinking. “It seems like it would be way easier to write a song or a comic, than write a whole book. I mean you can just sketch the outlines and let people pile whatever meaning they want into your holes of ambiguity. But with a novel you have to give the reader almost everything. Usually a backstory, strong character types that English teachers can analyse in 50 years’ time and a plot that perfectly unfolds slowly throughout the chapters and then draws you right in at the end. It’s just too much to think about, and I don’t even know what I want my characters to say or do. I don’t even know what message I want to give my audience, if any.”

Tony tried to tame this burden of significance that Steve was creating. “Maybe you could just start with a short story with two characters, having a bit of a chat?’”

                “Well I could do that, but who the fuck would want to read that kind of bollocks Tony?”

                “Just stick it up on the internet somewhere, there’s so many bored people out there looking for distractions from their own dramas, they will read anything. Well you know what I mean.”

                “Cheers man, that is like ultra-comforting indeed. I can imagine the critical comments that would generate. I mean have you noticed how much everyone seems to argue on the net? It’s like everyone just enjoys having a big whinge and a tearing other people’s ideas down these days. Or just blatantly insulting people for perceived homosexuality or that whole 'go-back-to-where-you-come-from' crap.”

                “I told you not to read the comments on YouTube dickhead.  Haters always gonna hate dude. Can't stop that, like war and glaciers. Death and taxes... But anyway, forget the criticism, I mean everyone has to start from somewhere, even if your first few attempts are absolute bullshit. ”

                “I repeat ultra –comforting man, have you thought of being a guidance counsellor or something? The general enthusiasm generating machine you are!”

                “I already work in a call centre; everyone unloads their emotional shit all over you, even if they have called the wrong phone number.”  

They both started laughing and looked outside as a plane flew off into the distance. “But in all seriousness how awesome would it be to create characters, people actually cared about?”

“I’m sure they will have shitty names though.  Or just sound like it's me having a conversation with myself in my head though, so what’s the point in reading or even writing that? I will just try for total deconstruction anyway. Pulling all the atoms apart, without ever fixing a molecule. Words slicing through the pretence but really just in a practice way, anyway. With no greater meaning keeping it together, just a grab-bag cluster of extinct references of stuff from the previous century and occasionally this one. Boring!”

“Dude, who are you?”

“Founding member of over-thinkers anonymous.”

“Nuff said…” They smiled at the dusk and thought of the hills and beyond, in the least cheesiest way possible, but no plot twists ensued for fear of clichéd overuse and it definitely wasn't all a dream.   

Social Critic

Going Viral...

A note I found from a while ago said:

Life is Beautiful

Perception is Reality

Parihaka not Guy Fawkes

Investigate the Truth

Question Authority

Be the best you can

Other stuff I wrote down said:

Gotta love material wealth

In an urban context

Pump and Dump

We all just let it happen...

Won't let you trick me twice

Nostalgia just ain't the same these days...

Enjoy the Journey!

Life is Messy

Don't worry so much,

about the past

and the future

Live in the now.

Boredom or suffering?

Your choice

Capture the Flag

...greater good my ass!

we all in it for the fame, wealth, status, kudos...

you got it the money...

self-aggrandizement, the usual.

we're all against each other...

divisions, tribalism, factions, the elite

isolated pockets of snobbery

out of touch with the real world...

common folk and their revolting decay.

unable to access even modest...

ostentatious displays of wealth

or way to tell everyone to get fucked.

we have it, you don't

we spent it, give us more

too bad, it's gone

the rich don't wanna share

the poor take til it hurts

sweat it out

take a concrete pill and harden up

workers of the world invite...

credit cards, banks, markets, government and the rest

to rule over us stylishly

with awesome news channels

with the best celebrity updates

that's current affairs baby!

analysis of fashion trends

the nitty-gritty questions

and other ways we can spend more

fuck the less well off, they deserve it

orphans, how did u lose both parents...

bit suspicious isn't it? or just careless

sick, tired and/or elderly...

we have pills to sort that out

the huddled masses

watching through the windows...

see: game shows, teeth whitener, fake tans

reality is sponsored by breweries

the implied solutions can be bought

big TVs, alcohol and a constant stream...

of 24-hour infotainment devoid of journalism

or facts, charm, integrity, courage

after the break

something to keep you tuned in

sustain your interest through the ads

has to be new and fresh for our cynical souls

irony is invisible to those inside it

here are some new ways to think/control you

but they are very similar to the old ones

so don't get your hopes up

this just in: follow the leaders or pay the price

did you see what she was wearing?

followed by sports and distracting statistics

Attention Economy

Sometimes it feels like the wheels are falling off...

or we are going down in flames...

like we are swimming in a vast ocean and may never get to land...

there is no cure for life...

and no such thing as total control...

just keep swimming no matter how tempting it is to stop...

things don't always seem worthwhile when we do them...

someday we'll look back and smile...

darkness doesn't have be a bad thing...

we all act out of fear...

no comment...

see you there...

Purple Monkey Dishwasher

Endorphins
Serotonin
Dopamine

All can distort our perceptions of reality or ‘now’

Create your own meaning(s)...


Justice For All*

(*conditions apply)

Professor Professorson

Creativity and Authenticity…

Are these things to strive for?

Well I would say yes, but modern society/culture doesn’t seem quite so sure…

The other challenge is to do so without being…

Pretentious and self-indulgent

a challenge for some

What does it mean to exist right now?

Positive thoughts/thinking

Looking at the bright side

A grateful perspective

Remembering it could have been worse

Etc.

If you believe it, you can make it so

We create our own reality daily

From the unconscious to the conscious

Positivity attracts positivity

Negativity attracts negativity

and vice versa

Message I got from a fortune cookie today:

"Win with humility; lose with grace"

simple but affective and easy to forget...

Spiritual Transformation

Transcendental Mediation

Transcontinental Meditation

Post-modern Speculation

has nothing to do with this...

________________________________________________________________

Yeah

It’s all about perspective eh!!

There’s only one person that can decide how you feel and that’s you!

So I have decided to feel good and be positive about all the opportunities I will get

If I feel sad about it, then it just isn’t gonna help anyone, especially me!

________________________________________________________________

Yeah well I am not saying it’s easy…

But some days you just feel ‘good’ for no real reason

But of course other days you feel bad for no reason aswell

Other times there are plenty of reasons…

But underneath it all the choice of how you process/deal with it

Is a choice that we have… we choose our perspective and so that dictates our moods…

But I guess I don’t get periods though,…

so I can’t judge how I would ‘handle’ the feelings that they create…

________________________________________________________________

(she agreed:)

Think it’s a matter of constantly reminding self of the fact that there is a choice on how you deal with how you feel…

Haha, yeah well, I guess it’s one of those things, it’s almost like women are given an ‘excuse’ not to deal with how they feel at that time… cos dealing can be hard! Heh J

We are just on a constant path of self-improvement / awareness etc!

________________________________________________________________

Yes that is a good summary of it really!!

We get so distracted with detail and trivialities, that we forgot to choose how we feel

An let ourselves fall into old habits of negativity and pessimism unnecessarily

so there

Ribs and Rumps

We all see what we want to see...

What is the point?

Is there a point?

Does there need to be one?

Who has the point?

When did the point?

Why do I do this?

How do you do this?

Where?

Am I ever serious?

Am I ever not?

I AM

I guess I need to pick my battles...

but it's always so tough at the time

and easy in hindsight

darn you over-thought police!

Whoops

I pulled everything apart

again

it's ok

I usually put most of it back together

again

Feedback loop

The Ravenous Hordes

We are all deluded, that's normal

Memories change the more we remember them.

We will try to find meaning from all things, even if it's not there.

The more you play, the more you learn.

We make rapid decisions based on limited information, everyday.

I may not appear in my own profile pic, but I'm in the background on other peoples...

Friendly Fire

Sometimes to create things you have to make a bit of a mess.

Or have a few attempted versions before a success.

I guess life is a bit like that when you're trying to improve.

Sorry if you were around when I was making a mess

but I feel like I'm getting it sorted far better now.

I wish I could stop my brain thinking sometimes though.

But I guess it's better than not being able to do so...

This isn't always going to entertain or stimulate you

as it's a just a way for me to remember my weirdness

I'll still give it a go though

I just document the non-existent

So you're welcome to come along for the ride :)

NB: Oh crap my photo uploads have gone weird again

trying to get that sorted...

Joint At The Hip

oh ironic

drugs increasingly coming in

to high demand luractive markets

because laws focus on symptoms

of addiction and abuse

never the causes of dependence

high prices just compound issues

and reward the people you're trying to stop

laws making them illegal

only increase the street value

shouldn't we let market forces decide

and not interfere in the market

by placing restrictions (e.g. bans)

on products

but ohhh i forgot you can only

use market forces as a justification

of proverty, starvation and price-gouging

not for aguing that although

drugs cause many problems

making them totally illegal and unregulated

is obviously not helping

I would like to see studies that

compare periods of prohibition

to other times when items are legal

just to see if people actually

use contraband more

when it is deemed

outside the law

ban sale and importation of certain narcotics

but sell liquor at the local shop

and target the youth demographic

dope the masses, only with taxable evils

the gangs will sort the rest

if the demand still exists and not confronted

then what use trying to restrict supply?

sorry we can only use that argument in regards to fossil fuels...

Commercially Sensitive

All systems: nominal

Fall to pieces/into place

Ways to speed up time

Things we do for fun

Longing for the unattainable

Squandering the status quo

Rejecting responsibilities

Injecting liabilities

Culture of denial

Control through fear

Tyranny of distance

Self-regulation (oxymoron)

Private Equity

Public profanity

Courage respect honour

Conflict is the essence of drama

It's ALL about me!

Hurting no one

Living out loud

The House of Next Tuesday

The anti-socialist, the anti-hero,

Inconsisted dedication, variable motivation,

unclear aims, distant goals,

lack of ambition,

inertia,

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention...

PTSD - STFU

Robot Fighters Only

Technology Loop

Was it a weakness that made you strong?

Each armpit has a different smell…

I have pressed [Esc]ape, but it doesn’t seem to be working….

cos I'm still here

Famous For Being Famous

Every now and then I do this:

Time for some more quotes, repetition cut and paste, etc.

But if some one else already said it better then why not copy them?

They are quite interesting some of them, hopefully all of them...

Warning: Maybe slightly controversial too, for the rigid of thought.

• "The Old World buckles under its weight of statues: callous bishops, oily statesmen, lucky generals, all now attended only by pigeons." - Joe Bennett
• "We're all in this alone." - Lily Tomlin.
• "God did not create man in his own image. Evidently, it was quite the other way about, which is the painless explanation for the profusion of gods and religions, and the fratricide both between and among faiths, that we see all about us and that has so retarded the development of civilisation." - Christopher Hitchens.
• "We forfeit three-fourths of ourselves in order to be like other people." -Arthur Schopenhauer.
• "We differ from dogs partly because of our vanity; we assume that what happens to us matters. And partly because of our emotions: we are the only beasts that laugh or cry. And partly because we have a sense of time. Like all creatures, we can live only in the here and now, but unlike them we hold on tight to the past." -Joe Bennett
• "A blog is not writing. It's graffiti with punctuation." -Unconfirmed source.
• "In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." -Douglas Adams.
• "You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty." -Sacha Guitry.
• "To be able to fill in leisure intelligently is the last product of civilisation." -Bertrand Russell
• Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." -Sam Brown.
• "When we are unable to find tranquillity in ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere" -Francois de La Rochefoucauld.
• "Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me." -Jourdon Anderson
• If there is anything the non-conformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another non-conformist, who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity." -Bill Vaughan.
• "Art is science made clear." -Jean Cocteau.
• "The world abounds in ruined places of worship. Consider the great slabs of Stonehenge, the jungle-shrouded temples of the Incas, the towering columns of the Parthenon. All were built to gods we've no longer got, gods created by people to explain the mysteries of the world. Gods begin, in other words as bad science. In time they are institutionalised and are used as tools of government." - Joe Bennett.

Boomtime

Erratic erotica

Neurotic spasmodica

Focus group

Feedback loop

The age of ads

and changing fads

Non-contextual nonsense

Unconsensual unconscious

Time/Identity Crisis

Timing Is Everything

Time...

is a bandit

is not a line

is unlimited

is not on our side…

slips through our fingers

is neither cause nor effect

sneaks up when we are not looking

slides past with no effort or enthusiasm

slithers, crawls, meanders, disappears

condenses, contains, binds, releases

conspires, retires, convinces...

wearily on its way

as it drags its heals

never your way

heals some wounds

will outlive us

has no beginning or end

makes fools of us all

lingers at will

deconstructs atoms

does not respect our wishes

Too much time or not enough time, we never seem to have the right amount…

Are we just killing time until time kills us?

Can you actually waste time or is it far too infinite for that?

Does it matter if we matter? Does it really change anything?

Does analysing these things just make it worse, e.g. helpless/futile

Or does it just give us a bit of perspective

I like being in the warm sun… is moderation the key?

Damn humans, we have to know EVERYTHING!

(except for how sausages and laws are made)

Do we kill time or does time kill us?

Do abstract concepts possess whatever attributes we bestow upon them?

Father time, Mother nature, Zeus, Satan, Santa

they all serve their purpose

projecting our humanity

ignoring our frailty

ritualised societal constructs

What's your favourite time-related pun?

Small Arms fire

I found this today and just had to add it somewhere...

I did not write this, it is a full cut and paste job

but something inside me tells me it's worth it.

So without further delay...

A synopsis/analysis/literal translation of the song:

'Regulate' by Warren G and Nate Dogg

On a cool, clear night (typical to Southern California) Warren G travels through his neighborhood, searching for women with whom he might (snuggle). He has chosen to engage in this pursuit alone.

Nate Dogg, having just arrived in Long Beach, seeks Warren. On his way to find Warren, Nate passes a car full of women who are excited to see him. Regardless, he insists to the women that there is no cause for excitement.

Warren makes a left turn at 21st Street and Lewis Ave, in the East Hill/Salt Lake neighborhood, where he sees a group of young men enjoying a game of dice together. He parks his car and greets them. He is excited to find people to play with, but to his chagrin, he discovers they intend to relieve him of his material possessions. Once the hopeful robbers reveal their firearms, Warren realizes he is in a less than favorable predicament.

Meanwhile, Nate passes the women, as they are low on his list of priorities. His primary concern is locating Warren. After curtly casting away the strumpets (whose interest in Nate was such that they crashed their automobile), he serendipitously stumbles upon his friend, Warren G, being held up by the young miscreants.

Warren, unaware that Nate is surreptitiously observing the scene unfold, is in disbelief that he is being robbed. The perpetrators have taken jewelry and a name brand designer watch from Warren, who is so incredulous that he asks what else the robbers intend to steal. This is most likely a rhetorical question.

Observing these unfortunate proceedings, Nate realizes that he may have to use his firearm to deliver his friend from harm.

The tension crescendos as the robbers point their guns to Warren's head. Warren senses the gravity of his situation. He cannot believe the events unfolding could happen in his own neighborhood. As he imagines himself making a fantastical escape, he catches a glimpse of his friend, Nate.

Nate has seventeen cartridges (sixteen residing in the pistol's magazine, with a solitary round placed in the chamber and ready to be fired) to expend on the group of robbers. Afterward, he generously shares the credit for neutralizing the situation with Warren, though it is clear that Nate did all of the difficult work. Putting congratulations aside, Nate quickly reminds himself that he has committed multiple homicides to save Warren before letting his friend know that there are females nearby if he wishes to fornicate with them.

Warren recalls that it was the promise of copulation that coaxed him away from his previous activities, and is thankful that Nate knows a way to satisfy these urges. Nate quickly finds the women who earlier crashed their car on Nate's account. He remarks to one that he is fond of her physical appeal. The woman, impressed by Nate's singing ability, asks that he and Warren allow her and her friends to share transportation. Soon, both friends are driving with automobiles full of women to the East Side Motel, presumably to consummate their flirtation in an orgy.

The third verse is more expository, with Warren and Nate explaining their G Funk musical style. Warren displays his bravado by daring anyone to approach the style. There follows a brief discussion of the genre's musicological features, with special care taken to point out that in said milieu the rhythm is not in fact the rhythm, as one might assume, but actually the bass. Similarly the bass serves a purpose closer to that which the treble would in more traditional musical forms. Nate displays his bravado by claiming that individuals with equivalent knowledge could not even attempt to approach his level of lyrical mastery. Nate goes on to note that if any third party smokes as he does, they would find themselves in a state of intoxication almost daily (from Nate's other works, it can be inferred that the substance referenced is marijuana[8]). Nate concludes his delineation of the night by issuing a threat to "busters," suggesting that he and Warren will further "regulate" any potential incidents in the future (presumably by engaging their antagonists with small arms fire).

**NB: Apparently this used to be on wiki, but now it just exists in the ether of the net...

Unsent Letters

Misread Poems

unstarted lives

unhinged theories

hyperactive dreams

Been watching some good TV shows on the recent

and recommend:

• Dexter (just watching season 6)
• Dead set
• Black Mirror
• Community
• Parks and Recreation
• It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
• The Daily Show
• The Colbert Report
• Death Valley

Not too long ago I was watching:

• Treme
• Boardwalk Empire
• Game of Thrones
• Shameless
• Sons of Anarchy
• Misfits
• The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
• The Unauthorised History of NZ
• Bob's Burgers
• American Dad
• Planet Earth
• Human Giant

Old Favourites:

• Sealab 2021
• The Mighty Boosh
• Aqua Teen Hunger Force
• The Simpsons
• The Boondocks
• Wonder Showzen
• The IT Crowd

This is not an exhaustive list, it only feels like it.

Not that TV is anyway to spend your time...

I think TV can rot your brain, unless you have someone else cynical enough to analyse and see through the bollocks with... or is that what social media is for these days?