Featuring an off-camera guest appearance by Cabeza.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Flashback: Me and My Shadow
This is a little diddy that won me and my friend Adonis first place in my high school talent show back in 2000, the year I graduated. I choreographed the whole thing, too!
The end has a part cut out because the person recording us didn't realize we were going to be performing an encore and therefore didn't plan for it.
Read More......
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Baseball Metaphor
We're all familiar with the old baseball metaphor when it comes to dating, right? I assume we all are, though honestly, until a few months ago, I only knew what First Base and a Home Run were. I did some research to see what Second and Third bases were and, in case you're a good Mormon kid like me, I wouldn't recommend doing the same if I were you -- because reading the descriptions of what happens once you turn past First can be violating if you find them in the wrong place!
When first I found out what those other two bases were, however, I realized that this baseball game is on a terribly skewed playing field. I decided to take some time at work to do a quick computer sketch of the Dating Baseball Diamond (or "Fornication Stadium") , based on the world's definitions and what I think is the perspective of the average LDS dater:
This isn't a perfect representation, but note that, due to the new running pattern, the batter has to basically knock the pitcher over once he hits the ball!
I'll now attempt to explain the representation without making my mother blush (which might actually take some doing):
Home Plate: In the actual game of baseball, this position is already an enigma in that it represents the beginning AND the end of the player's journey. In the dating game, Home Plate is first a starting point, where the player swings and misses more often than he hits. He can't proceed to First Base until he "hits it off" with someone (finds someone with mutual interest).
Conversely, at the end of the running Home Base represents all-out adultery. The fact that this is a goal in the world's eye is depressing, but the purpose of this post is not to literally lecture on the downhill spiral of contemporary dating standards.
First Base: This represents a kiss, innocent and simple enough. The distance between Home Plate and First Base represents the myriad of things that must happen before that kiss happens: once interest is established (and running begins), dates happen, hands are held, cuddling occurs, etc. It's understandable that there's some ground to be covered before real physicality is introduced to the game/relationship.
Second Base: Okay, THIS is where the metaphor stops working. In the world's definition, this means that petting has begun when the runner reaches this point. PETTING.
Does anyone else see the problem here? What happened to all the other steps between First and Second Bases? If this base is truly what I've read it to be, then there should be SEVERAL bases in between! Ethics of dating standards aside, shouldn't a French kiss have its own base somewhere in the middle there, followed by an all-out make-out session?
In the above representation I have adjusted by placing a large distance between First and Second Bases, the gap representing the process that should occur before any couple even gets to that point. In fact, if I were to re-draw this facsimile I would make the distance from First to Second much larger than the distance from Home to First.
Third Base: Without going into too much detail, this is basically Second Base with greater intensity. I find it silly that this even gets its own base given the large gap between First and Second, since to me this is a very logical "next step" in the lusty list of temptations. I don't think it takes long at all to go from Second to Third.
Home Plate: Back where he started physically, but metaphysically the player is in a completely different stadium, where the grass is dead and there are pot holes all over the field, and the stands are filled with Hollywood producers. I think once you've reached Third Base there really is only one more step to take, thus another short distance between plates.
This explains why so many Church leaders caution against going past First Base. Once you're on your way to Second, you're so close to making it all the way Home that the playing field has been perverted.
I hope my drawing properly conveys why this analogy just doesn't work for me. It doesn't make sense that second and third bases would be the logical "next step" in any relationship when the playing field should look like THIS if the plates are labeled in such a manner.
And I'm kind of scared about what sort of Google searches my blog is going to show up in now.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Dreams: Muera, Las Vegas.
I've had a couple comments made to me about the posting spree I had the week before Christmas. For those who I've yet to inform: I have an informal goal to post something creative, once a day, Monday through Friday. So far I've been rotating between three media: audio, video, and graphic. If I can venture into other forms as well (e.g. Flash animation, After Effects/Motion, short stories, drawing, etc.) those will also be included. I'm allowing myself exceptions on days that I wake up from a dream worth posting about.
I haven't posted lately because of my holidays in Utah, followed shortly after by a 10-day business trip in Las Vegas (where I am until this Friday). Which brings me to the purpose of this post.
Though certainly Vegas is relatively warmer at this time of year than other places in the country, my hotel room can get a little nippy in the evening. It's not usually too bad, but the other night I decided to turn on the heater to a low setting before flipping the lightswitch. Little did I know the impact this would have on my sleep.
I don't recall exactly the content of my dreams that night. But I DO remember having them violently interrupted by the sudden shrieking emanating from the heater vent every couple of hours. This horrific noise never completely woke me up -- somehow I was aware of the sound's foreign source even though I was asleep -- but every time it blared into my ears my dreams would be visited by a young black child who began dancing to the shrieking sound. It didn't matter what was going on in my dreams -- the same little boy came in every single time and just started dancing his heart out without saying a word.
Disturbing? Perhaps. At least it wasn't a girly Indian kid playing soccer.
Analysis: The fact that the same kid showed up every time the noise was heard reflects that my mind does indeed make unconscious associations with audible elements, even if said association is vague, at best.
Conclusion: Even the most horrifying noises apparently have rhythm. This would somewhat explain country and hip hop music.
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