Static Loud as my Tongue

I fell asleep on our couch at 2:00 the other night, only to be awoken two hours later by David Parker with two tall cans of Monster energy drink and saying that we had to finish our projects for pols 305. After the initial crabbiness from being woken up at four in the morning had worn off, I knuckled down and turned out one of the most satisfying projects of my university career to date. Of course it's for Paul Rowe so it's going to be marked pretty hard, but I'm still satisfied with it. What I'm even more satisfied with is that I got to spend about two hours in the laundry room last weekend (and quite a bit of time this weekend). For sure I was doing my laundry, but primarily I was there to play my guitar and write songs. So I spent about two hours doing that and along with other stuff I wrote the music for one of my songs. I started writing this one when I was on the island. It was inspired by driving up to this castle on a hill and sitting in the car with Miguel, listening to Peter, Bjorn, and John while a few people went to take pictures of it. From there it evolved when I was in the laundry room into something vastly different. I'm just posting the lyrics right now, but maybe I'll post the rest sometime soon. Unfortunately I'm having problems with publishing my posts in the format that I type them in, so there's going to have to be some random periods thrown in to make things work. Enjoy.

.

Pipesmokingprofessor

.

I am Not Just a Mutant

We curl up the rich folk road

to the crack and pop of a stereophone

the steady rain has stopped

leaving only chill and tree bones

.

(Chorus)

I, I live an old fashioned life

living it up in these modern times

I caught your eye

caught you just in time

.

The whistler coming down the moor

enshrined in silence to the manor door

a light inside ignites my mind

behind stained black polaroid

.

Brick on brick to build a mist

drifting up like a dream of the highlands

listless and ephemeral

Indian isle smokestack pyre

.

November light filters through

a darkened lens of swollen sky

the air is wet to the touch

and static loud as my tongue

.

To the brim with music

wish I was listening to Peter, Bjorn and John - Young Folks

I was up extremely late last night studying for a rels midterm that was going to happen this morning. Then I realized that the midterm had been pushed about a week ahead. At least I got some good solid studying in.
The weekend was pretty epic; we travelled to the island to visit Bethi and hang out in Victoria and had some sweet times. Catching rabbits at UVIC, having a dance part at the end of the breakwater in the middle of the night, playing through Mario Kart 64 on 50cc and 100cc, and having an amazing night of worship on Saturday night. The weekend was filled to the brim with all sorts of music, from Darth Vader playing a violin to Peter, Bjorn and John to rapping about the golden cat. It's a good feeling to be filled up with music.
Some of you may remember a time when I decided that I wanted to start a punk band. This has not gone away. A week or three back I was taking notes in Canadian Geography and they were liberally peppered with sketches and doodles. As I sometimes do I was messing around with cool lettering and I wrote "How do you draw a fever?" on the page. Anyways, it got the wheels turning and I sketched out what it would look like. Then I started drawing doodles all over the page and giving them names. As things do, this eventually evolved into a set of 13 song names and sketches, from which to write an entire album. Anyways, stylistically it could only be a punk album so I decided to ressurect the idea of Barj Kitten. I've written the lyrics for only 5 of the songs so far, but I'm halfway through the sixth right now. The only thing this album is actually missing is music to go along with the lyrics.
I'm gonna go hit up the caf for lunch, but stay tuned in the following weeks for some epic punk songs to make their way onto this blog. Keep it pregnant.

Will

Controlling the Weather is Easy

I have been too long without blogging. This is a fact. I am, however, prepared to remedy the situation. What it's going to take to get me to blog, something that I do thoroughly enjoy, is for me to outline a schedule. Settle on a list of expectations for myself. Did you know that when you say something out loud it solidifies it, in your mind that is. You can be dithering on an issue and unsure of what to think, but when you vocalize it you become sure. Anyways, typing something isn't quite the same, so this won't carry quite as much impetus for me, but it's a step in the write direction (I did that one without even thinking, that's how much of an addiction puns have become.)

#1:
-There will be one blog post published on Thursdays every week

#2:
-Every month there will be at least 6 posts published

So that just about sums it up. I know it's pretty simple, but I think it's going to work. Keep it pregnant people.

Will

Thinking about Words

Words on my Mind:

Compendium:
-A compendium is a comprehensive collection of knowledge on a particular subject. Such as a book of all the mammals in the Cayman Islands, or a collection of baby names. Key here is the compilation implied in the word. I like the word (and I like compendiums) because they contain a huge amount of knowledge that, while sometimes seemingly useless, informs the reader on all the different angles involved in a particular field. One might say that Moby Dick was somewhat of a compendium of whaling knowledge, a seemingly useless field for a poli sci student, but the knowledge obtained through its reading is utterly fascinating. Something that would not be a compendium would be an Uncle Johns Bathroom reader, or any other book of random facts, a compendium is focused in on one particular field, and is therefore able to explore it intimately.

Anachronism:
-An anachronism is something that's taken outside of its own time frame. This could mean something like an ipod in a Rembrandt, but it more commonly means the existence of something from a previous time in the present. For instance, I enjoy typing on an old manual typewriter and I also enjoy listening to vinyl, you could say that I'm anachronistic. Now the cool thing about the word "anachronism" is that it doesn't have to apply to concrete objects, it can apply to ideas. Any ideas that are outdated (the world is flat) would fall into this category. The problem is that we, in the present, have too little of an appreciation for what lies in the past, we are quick to shunt it aside in favor of new things and new ideas. So anachronisms can sometimes be either true (in the case of ideas) or simply better (in the case of objects). For instance, it's a little known fact that vinyl sounds way better than cds (but cassettes always sucked).

Hinterland:
-Hinterland is the name given to a geographical area that is a peripheral area, supporting a core, in the core-periphery model. It primarily refers to the transfer of resources from the periphery to the core, but also to people, ideas, etc. The word hinterland is unique in that it specifically refers to the land behind a city that acts as its periphery. I like this word because it describes a unique 'sheltered' periphery, instead of the periphery lying exposed around the core, it lies behind it. In German (the language of origin) it literally means 'the land behind'.

Lusus Naturae:
-Lusus Naturae refers to a sportive creation of nature. Historically this word applied to creatures that supposedly betrayed some greater intelligence in nature, one that would joke with humans by making bizarre things. These creatures would not serve any real purpose except for sport. I like the word because it's the scientific classification for monsters. Anything that really can't be classified at all, or is there for "sport" would fall under Lusus Naturae. Of course, this means that Lusus Naturae doesn't really exist, being as all creation is there for a purpose, but it's an interesting concept, an anachronism if you will.

pipe smoking professor

The Passing and the Keeping

I fully realize that my hiatus from blogging may have taken a toll on my already small readership, but I've never really believed in saving the good stuff for the times that people will read it. The idea of strange alcoves tucked away in confusing libraries, containing mysteries or beautiful things, more valuable for the rarity of their discovery, anachronisms, unchallenged because of their anonymity. This idea has always fascinated me. The internet is not such a place, by its very intransience it corrupted itself too early for the chance of any natural structure to evolve. While certain forms are constanly being imposed on it, with the hope that they will somehow come to define it or tame it, this is a vain hope, it is a wild and unruly beast. Not a good one either. And yet... There are so many possibilities, so many opportunities latent in its form. Anyways, I originally intended to post something that I wrote very methodically, and thus far it has just been ramblings, so here's something that I wrote recently that I kindof like.
Pipe Smoking Professor

Keep a Magic for the Passing

The held back light, readied
in busy anticipation for the long shadows.
Its touch brings shades like Midas
yet softer and poorer still,
hints of burnt oranges emboss themselves,
impressed on seldom lit trunks
by beams that boast a rarer vintage

On some far hill the shadows spike,
intruding like a doctor for a sick relative
and soon, on the edge of abrasive pine,
the sky will spill its life
the ineffectual letting of blood

But we do not mourn
for what has not passed.
We regale in the lime verdance
in clasped hands keep finches and frogs
The season is late in leaving,
the sun delayed in falling,
a hum of static enchantment
scarcely allows a shallow breath
so we capture rays like earthy totems,
aware of their magic,
readying them for the soon enough

Adventures in Literature

listening to K-os: I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman

   I finished up volume nine of the Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman, one of the few comic book writers (along with Alan Moore) that elevate the art form to literature. If you have a chance Sandman (again along with Alan Moore's Swamp Thing) is one of those few series, rather than stand-alone graphic novels, that consistently provide quality writing throughout. While the last volume was about a Canterbury Tales style meeting where inn patrons tell stories and stories within stories, this volume "The Kindly Ones" is a classic tragedy, right from the beginning Gaiman brings in an overbearing sense of foreboding. You know how the story will end right from the start, but it's a testament to his skill that he maintains a sense of mystery and wonder all the way through the tale.

   Tomorrow I'm heading off to the Timothy Encounter and I'm looking forward to being challenged on a lot of levels. There's one thing that really stuck with me from last year's Timothy Encounter and that is to come into these things with a sense of expectation. Expectation that God is going to meet you and that God is going to impact you, break you, and speak to you. And He will. 

   Another adventure in literature that I had recently was finishing a short story by Isaac Asimov, The Dead Past, which I heard presented as a radio play years ago. And then, as I was thinking about it today, I realized that there are almost never any original sci-fi or fantasy movies, almost all are adapted from some other medium. The only one I can think of right now that hasn't been adapted is Pan's Labyrinth (which happens to be somewhere on my top five movies of all time). Anyways it seems like that's something that should be broken out of (who am I kidding, people don't have original ideas anymore anyways (either that or original ideas just aren't commercially viable (and these days art seems to bow before the almighty dollar (this multi-bracket is full of cynicism)))). 

   As a closing statement it would be worthwhile to note that the song I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman has being playing for the better part of half an hour on repeat and it's still good. It's one of those few songs that actually sounds good on repeat. It's also a pretty good song in general. Keep it... Wait, who am I kidding, that saying is getting pretty stale.

Soundmime

Coming Back

Listening to The Pixies: Doolittle

Doolittle is a truly beautiful album, it's much more polished than Surfer Rosa, but it's got the same edgy sound. It's also just as addictive as Surfer Rosa, When I first got it I listened to it at least twice a day for the first week and since then it's still pretty much all I've listened to. It happens every once in a while, where I listen to an album that I like so much, that I compulsively have to listen to it every chance I get. It happened with albums like De Stijl, Highway 61 Revisited, and I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (along with Surfer Rosa itself). I'll dissect the album and hold it up to a million lenses, read the lyrics a dozen times over and find out what they mean. Of course, the first time I listened to Doolittle was around four or five years ago when Luc L'Heuroux loaned it to me for a few days after school. I gave it the worst listening ever, skipping over songs because it was all so repetitive in my mind. I distinctly remember telling Luc that it just all sounded the same and although it had some nice melodies sometimes (I thought I was being very open minded on this point) it was just a lot of repetitive static. Well the second time I listened to it, a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't believe how deaf I was to it the first time. I guess the first listen I just wasn't ready for the sounds, but more importantly I didn't understand where they were coming from. It's always a pleasure to find an artist and realize that this is where a lot of your favorite modern artists take their influence. I tend to do that a lot. I remember discovering blues to be a wealth of sound only after discovering the neo-blues of the White Stripes. They were like a gateway drug to a whole new soundscape. Now I don't know what the gateway drug to stuff like the Pixies was, but I do know that coming back to them I can hardly believe my ears. Anyways, the standout tracks would be Debaser, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Hey, and Gouge Away (that list is completely non-comprehensive because all the songs belong on it, but you've got to draw the line somewhere) so if you get the chance listen to one of those, but be forewarned, the Pixies aren't for everybody and they deal with some pretty heavy issues. I've got to go to Lordco today because I need to get a wheel bearing for Mindy's rear, right wheel so I'm gonna have to wrap this up. Keep it pregnant people.

Soundmime