John's Blog

Wow, the disconnect from blogging (reading and posting) is far more complete than I had imagined it would be. After feeling a bit blue and lackluster about blogging, I thought scaling back might be an effective way to make it fresh again. Perhaps a weekly post or two in lieu of the three to five that I had been doing might be the way to re-energize and revitalize my blogging efforts? But stepping away from the keyboard just gives me a clearer perspective, and actually makes it tougher to continue. Like many other addicting behaviors, it's tough to simply cut back and do less.

When I started, I just did it on a whim and never really thought I'd continue for more than a week or two until I got it out of my system. If I had realized that it was going to have it become a continuing obsession, I might have tried to think of a more creative blog name, but after that momentary lapse of judgement I just stuck with it and plodded on, and on and on. Until, of course this current round of blogger block.

I still find myself occasionally thinking a topic or life experience might be fertile ground for a new post. But in the process of mulling around what direction to take it, I find myself having one or more of the following reactions resulting in more nothingness vis à vie blogging:

Been there; done that.

Somebody else did it first and/or better.

Oh no; not another self-indulgent whining session that nobody gives a rats' ass about (although, apparently that didn't stop me THIS time).

Too much effort to even try and put together a coherent series of thoughts; but it's not like I did that all that often.

Political overload. The increasingly bizarre daily news stream makes this painful territory for blogging as well. When The Preznut uses his "bully pulpit" to sabre rattle, making vague threats about WW III, it makes me want to run and stick my head in a hole. Or maybe that should be a fallout shelter, instead. And it's not just the "right-wingnuts" that get me scared, but the absence of effective Democratic opposition gives me nightmares as well. Better to leave political punditry to others better equipped to do so.

Media overload. I find myself spending more time reading and watching TV these days. But recently I've been lacking the ability to multitask and focus, a real detriment to blogging.

A.D.D. perhaps? Or is this change in attitude something darker? Maybe I finally realized just what a pointless waste of time this is. Oh wait; I knew that already. While Googling "bloggers block" I stumbled upon someone who described it as the "realization that no one is going to go hungry to bed" if you don't blog. Well put.

Perhaps a longer sabbatical will recharge the batteries. Or maybe this vehicle just needs to be put up on cinder blocks and abandoned? But even that action plays out as unoriginal, since recently too many other bloggers that I looked forward to reading have closed up shop as well. Time will tell how this plays out. Stay tuned... or not.

Tags: pointless rambling, internet culture

"Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more."
Mark Twain

Tags: quotes

Although I suspect that I've posted this before (and don't care enough to check) here's a little Dog Haiku in homage to our canine protectors.

I sound the alarm!

Mailman fiend - come to kill us all -

Look! Look! Look! Look! Look!

Tags: dogs, haiku, humor

Although I've got the monkey off my back and don't feel the compulsion to blog that frequently, I just can't walk away completely. Perhaps it's a false optimism that suddenly the inclination to do this will return, or that I'll find something meaningful that needs to be said. Sadly, this post doesn't meet either of those criteria.

After getting re-addicted to YouTube as a result of iPod surfing I did have a minor crisis this week. A router burn-out severely limited my ability to get on-line and waste time. But after yet another trip to The Apple Store, a new Airport Extreme resolved that problem, as well as wiping out the places in the house that had spotty Wi-Fi coverage. Unlike the old router that I tried to hide, I had to re-arange the desk so that this beauty can be seen. My quest to view every snippet of MST3K and Futurama on-line continues.

And after dogging the Genius Bar over the problems I was having with my iPod crashing, I've got a new one that works perfectly so I can listen to music without drama and disapointment. Speaking of frustration, not since trying to figure out what a "bustle in your hedgerow" was, have I been as frustrated by song lyrics as I've been with the new Bruce Springsteen song "Livin In The Future". Whatever metaphor he's going for escapes me, and I continue to try and deal with the song on a literal level.

A letter come blowin' in
On an ill wind
Somethin' 'bout me and you
Never seein' one another again...

Don't worry, darlin'
No baby, don't you fret
We're livin' in the future
And none of this has happened yet...

Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na
Na na na na, na na na na-na

Generally, time travel in the world of fiction is riddled with paradoxical problems that are seldom resolved satisfactorily unless you suspend logic and just buy-in. "Livin' in the future" where "none of this has happened yet" seems like a logical contradiction, since in the future, the past has already happened. Oh sure, you could travel to the future and insure that certain events don't happen to change future outcomes, but it seems that in addition to lamenting the sorry state of national affairs, he's just as regretful about the loss of a relationship.

Luckily, despite all his woes, he's responsible enough to keep his pet monkey under control. Couldn't you have just given us a "I Hate Bush" song that doesn't tax the imagination of literal peabrains like myself? Although it was a nice interview tonight with Bruce on 60 Minutes it did little to lessen my confusion. In fact, now I'm even MORE confused since my cable guide lists "60 Minutes: 7:30PM to 9:00PM"!!

Tags: music, pointless rambling

I've always been a big Bruce Springsteen from back in the day. But it was only when I moved to New Jersey that I discovered the almost cult like following that he has here, elevating him to a deity like status. They don't call him "The Boss" for nothing, I guess. Despite the fact that I'm picking on the lyrics, Livin' In The Future is a catchy song that recreates the powerful, classic sound that Bruce fans know and love. "Magic" is a strong album with many great tracks that I haven't stopped listening to since I got it.

Maybe it's because if Bruce is able to turn back the hands of time and reclaim his old "Glory Days" form, perhaps us mere mortals can do the same? But if I can't be The Boss, perhaps I could just be The King instead?

Tags: music, pop-culture

"Poor men wanna be rich, rich men wanna be kings, And a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything."
Bruce Springsteen

Tags: quotes, music

I'm breaking the silence from my self-imposed moratorium on blogging for no particular reason. It's certainly NOT because these Bad Motivational Posters were able to light a fire under me, although it did suggest a theme. I'm sure the numerous people who stumble upon this site via a flawed GIS for "Pamela Anderson's nipples" wind up being quite disappointed. So perhaps a pr0n related posting wouldn't be the worst idea? I've been thinking that perhaps I've fallen victim to that Brain-Eating Amoeba I've been hearing about, since no links or topics seem to gain traction and feel blogworthy. It makes me think I've got that or ADD.

But when I read that "Canned food donators rewarded with porn at Playtime in Edison", I pretty much knew that destiny was calling. Although in this case, Destiny could be the name of one of the porn stars; my destiny is to poke fun at the event. According to the article "The promotion works simple enough: If someone over the age of 21 brings in a can of food into the store that is over 13 ounces that is not dented or expired, they get a pornographic DVD. While the donator cannot choose the exact title, they can choose between gay, lesbian or straight blind packaged porn." Since it's only a stones' throw away, the temptation is great to check it out, if only to satisfy my curiosity over what this newfangled "blind porn" is all about. I always thought it MADE you go blind, but I could be wrong. Good thing that I bought that 19oz. can of chili at the grocery store.

But apparently, joke potential aside, there is a serious take on the issue. Porn for the Blind offers up NSFW audio files describing movie clips from adult web sites. And if you are the "giving" kind of person, you can help by viewing porn and recording your description. I think I'll pass on that one. I still prefer the far less serious PORN for the blind, myself.

And I was truly amazed to recently discover that YouTube allows videos that are one step short of porn. I accidently (NO; really!) stumbled upon this clip which was designed to titlate although in light of the barely SFW content, perhaps I shouldn't use that word. I really wasn't familiar with Milena Velba before this, but I think it proves that you CAN have too much of a good thing. You may want to check out some Nice Tits as a palette cleanser, although smut hounds will surely be disappointed. And for the real hardcore stuff, you can't get any more obscene than this XXX action clip!!

Tags: internet culture, porn, sex, humor

"I'm ready for a three-some, all I need is two more people."
Jody Hagan

Tags: quotes, sex

And to keep the theme going, POYKPAC brings us the lilting tunes of Doo-Wop Bee-Jay, or as they describe it "a lesson tried and true." But technique is everything, and not everybody gets it right.

Tags: humor, you tube, videos, sex