I'm glaring at my duffel bag. It's stylish, black, overly large, and apparently not enough for a low-key, two week vacation from life and slavery at an Old Navy.
I hate packing. It's so irksome, having to consider everything I might do, everywhere I might go... let's just say I'm not someone who microscopically considers all of the things one might fill two weeks with. I much prefer living in the moment entirely, letting my days take me where they will. And obviously this requires a much more versatile wardrobe than a little black bag. No matter how stylish.
Life, I think, is not meant to be lived out of a small, pre-planned duffel. It just happens, unfolding as it will. And hopefully from the confines of an extra-large closet. My metaphors are slowly spiraling out of control here, but it's true. I feel as though I need to be dressed for my day, my mood, for what I want to do. Everyone is a little like that. It's why the fashion industry has so much impact, and what makes it a multi-billion dollar business. As Shakespeare once said, life is a stage and we're all the players. Except he said it much more eloquently, and I feel awful using one of the most quoted lines in the history of the English language. But my point. Clothing makes us who we are, it puts us in the right state of mind. There are clothes that are "us" and there are those that are not. I know I wear something trendy when I am feeling particularly cool, and something sophisticated when I feel like a lady. I act differently depending my clothes. You can see these mood shifts in others in the way they carry themselves in new clothes, old clothes, different clothes.
Alright, after saying clothes so many times in the past sentence I have finally admitted to myself something I have been toying with over the past few weeks: I need a vacation.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Virgin Words
I was intrigued by a Virgin ad today. Virgin Mobile, that is.
It read, "It didn't happen if it's not on Facebook." And it's true. It seems as though right now we, at least here in the good ol' North American region, validate ourselves through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, IM. If something in our lives isn't online, it may as well not exist. The internet has become the new pyramids. I touch on this issue a lot, the influence of technology in our lives, but it just has such ringing truth. And it's a truth that has come to be sardonically and readily acknowledged.
Friends of mine became a couple a few months back. I am ashamed to admit that after they delivered the news I asked quickly, "Is it Facebook-official yet?". Essentially this means, "Yes, but have you told the world? Your world? The online community?" Without this so-called community's acknowledgement, it is as though a relationship, even one that I witnessed (unfortunately and fortunately) first-hand, was not "reality" until it was cyber. A bunch of ones and zeros floating around in the vortex of reality. A black space of megapixels that life seemingly takes place in.
"Surrogates" is a new movie (coming to theatres this Fall) that is based on the notion that humans will one day live through robot counter parts, simply laying in a bed, plugging in one's mind, and letting the machine go out and live your life. Which is kind of like a live-action Facebook when you think about it. Facebook is our therapist - we take quizzes to see who/what we are. Facebook is our social life - our friends connect with us on it. Facebook is our fun - it has games galore, right?
It would be ridiculous to think that we could simply give up on life and live it plugged in. And yet, a very large part of me tells me that's already in the works. It may have already happened when we weren't looking. Well, when we were looking at our screens.
This whole rant, though, is entirely hypocritical. I blog instead of raising a voice. The String is my soap-box, and I stand on it proudly.
However, I'm coming to believe that for all our "advancements" we're missing out on something. The bigger picture perhaps. After all, it is hard to see the 'big picture' when we're all focused on such little screens.
It read, "It didn't happen if it's not on Facebook." And it's true. It seems as though right now we, at least here in the good ol' North American region, validate ourselves through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, IM. If something in our lives isn't online, it may as well not exist. The internet has become the new pyramids. I touch on this issue a lot, the influence of technology in our lives, but it just has such ringing truth. And it's a truth that has come to be sardonically and readily acknowledged.
Friends of mine became a couple a few months back. I am ashamed to admit that after they delivered the news I asked quickly, "Is it Facebook-official yet?". Essentially this means, "Yes, but have you told the world? Your world? The online community?" Without this so-called community's acknowledgement, it is as though a relationship, even one that I witnessed (unfortunately and fortunately) first-hand, was not "reality" until it was cyber. A bunch of ones and zeros floating around in the vortex of reality. A black space of megapixels that life seemingly takes place in.
"Surrogates" is a new movie (coming to theatres this Fall) that is based on the notion that humans will one day live through robot counter parts, simply laying in a bed, plugging in one's mind, and letting the machine go out and live your life. Which is kind of like a live-action Facebook when you think about it. Facebook is our therapist - we take quizzes to see who/what we are. Facebook is our social life - our friends connect with us on it. Facebook is our fun - it has games galore, right?
It would be ridiculous to think that we could simply give up on life and live it plugged in. And yet, a very large part of me tells me that's already in the works. It may have already happened when we weren't looking. Well, when we were looking at our screens.
This whole rant, though, is entirely hypocritical. I blog instead of raising a voice. The String is my soap-box, and I stand on it proudly.
However, I'm coming to believe that for all our "advancements" we're missing out on something. The bigger picture perhaps. After all, it is hard to see the 'big picture' when we're all focused on such little screens.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The End of an Era
North Korea is threatening nuclear war, the Swine Flu rages on, the Recession is (apparently) in full swing, and Michael Jackson has died. The latter is the buzz around the globe right now, and as we (apparently) sit on the brink of The End of the World, it's raised some questions for me. The most pressing of which is: what is going to happen to the kids of tomorrow? What is Gen-Whatever going to be like?
Michael was the Prince. What he did for pop-culture simply can not be duplicated. I realize this is not a revolutionary thought but all the same it is true. But, like MJ, these "greats" are fading. Or dying of overdoses.
Too soon?
Anyways, I was informed today by my usual pop-culture aid that a movie quite close to our hearts, and a large part of the 90s, is being made into a television series. By Disney. It's "10 Things I Hate About You" and yes, you are allowed to be shocked and repulsed, as you should be. How can this happen? How can something that should be sacred be replicated. This is worse than when Fall Out Boy and John Mayer collaborated on a cover of "Beat It". With all this copy-cat business going around, all future generations are going to be left with are cheap knock-offs of the great things of the past. And everyone knows a cheap knock-off isn't even a tenth as good as the real thing.
I find it really sad that instead of perpetuating what was good it needs to be "updated" for this new, techno-immersed generation. We need... Sorry, I took a short break to watch the "First Look" of the series. Now I am utterly incensed. Check out the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYY8wXaMhLI&feature=related.
Anyways. My point is, amidst all the "serious" world drama that will have a definite impact on generations to come, it's this indefinite impact of pop-culture that has me thrown. Although it's largely North American, it spreads itself around the globe, and soon everyone is doing the "Numa. Numa" dance (a little insider- YouTube joke there). While I think my generation is the last to truly get a taste of the era of pop-culture that was original, new and groundbreaking, the next one is not going to get that luxury. Instead, it gets the Disney Channel.
Michael was the Prince. What he did for pop-culture simply can not be duplicated. I realize this is not a revolutionary thought but all the same it is true. But, like MJ, these "greats" are fading. Or dying of overdoses.
Too soon?
Anyways, I was informed today by my usual pop-culture aid that a movie quite close to our hearts, and a large part of the 90s, is being made into a television series. By Disney. It's "10 Things I Hate About You" and yes, you are allowed to be shocked and repulsed, as you should be. How can this happen? How can something that should be sacred be replicated. This is worse than when Fall Out Boy and John Mayer collaborated on a cover of "Beat It". With all this copy-cat business going around, all future generations are going to be left with are cheap knock-offs of the great things of the past. And everyone knows a cheap knock-off isn't even a tenth as good as the real thing.
I find it really sad that instead of perpetuating what was good it needs to be "updated" for this new, techno-immersed generation. We need... Sorry, I took a short break to watch the "First Look" of the series. Now I am utterly incensed. Check out the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYY8wXaMhLI&feature=related.
Anyways. My point is, amidst all the "serious" world drama that will have a definite impact on generations to come, it's this indefinite impact of pop-culture that has me thrown. Although it's largely North American, it spreads itself around the globe, and soon everyone is doing the "Numa. Numa" dance (a little insider- YouTube joke there). While I think my generation is the last to truly get a taste of the era of pop-culture that was original, new and groundbreaking, the next one is not going to get that luxury. Instead, it gets the Disney Channel.
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