100 Questions (who will read it all?)

100. My middle name is: Anthony Robert

99: I was born on: March 2, 1978

98. I am: 29

97. My eye color is: Green

96. My shoe size is: 8.5

95. My ring size is: 9

94. My height is: 5'2 (and three quarters!!!!!!!) 160CM

93. I am allergic to: Nothing

92. I live in: Calgary/Denial

91. The last book I read: Maus by Art Spiegelman

90. My bed is: a futon and too small and uncomfortable

89. Are boys/girls stupid: ? yes?

88. I am glad I'm my sex because: I can pee anywhere on a road trip. I don't get a period. I can't use PMS as an excuse.

87. My favourite Holiday is: Christmas

86. The perfect kiss is: So good it gets you ready for more

85. The last three cd's I bought/burned are: "I'll Sleep When You're Dead" El-P; "Chain Gang of Love" The Raveonettes; "Year Zero" Nine Inch Nails

84. Last song that made me cry was: "Chasing Cars" Snow Patrol

83. My most treasured possession(s): Letter and cards from Louise, and my CD collection

82. What did you do last night: Worked and then watched an episode of "The Mighty Boosh" at Adrian's. Then talked to Louise

81. My skin's reaction to the sun is (tan/burn): Burn like a mofo

**I Do (YES)/Do Not (NO) Believe In**

80. Santa? No

79. Love at first sight? NO

78. Luck? Yes

77. Fate? No

76. God? No

75. Aliens? Yes, it's too arrogant to think we're the only ones

74. Heaven? No

72. Ghosts? No

71. Horoscopes? No

70. Soul mates? No

69. Fortune Cookies? Yes, they exist so I believe in them.

----------

68. Hugs or Kisses? Kisses

67. Drunk or High: Drunk

66. Phone or online: Phone

65. Red heads or Black hair?: Black

64. Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes

63. Night or Day: Night

62. Oranges or Apples: Apples

61. Curly or Straight hair: Curly

60. Abortion? Pro-Choice

59. Back stabbers? Can't stand them

58. Parents? I have two of them

57. School? I would love to be a lifelong student

~~~~LAST TIME~~~~

56. Kissed someone: January

55. Hugged someone: Last day of classes

54. Saw someone I haven't seen in a while: Cody, in December

53. Grew: Grade 6 or 7 I think

52. Who's the ditziest person I know: I don't want to name names

51. Who makes you laugh the most? Adrian

50. One thing I'm pissed about right now is: I have to go to work. and you can read my rant on Russell Simmons if you want.

49. The last movie I saw in the theatre was: The Last King of Scotland

48: Best job ever: blow

47. The most unsatisfactory answer I've ever received was: a blank stare

46. The one thing I love about the opposite sex is: soft skin

45. This summer I am: Working or going to Taiwan.

44. Something I missed when I left home: the bus. hahaha. Seriously though, my mom's Japanese Chicken Wings

43. The thing that I'm looking forward to the most: Seeing Louise

42. Tomorrow: Sunday - working 2:30 - 11. Possibly a bike ride before that

41. Today: Talked to Louise, coffee in the afternoon and working 3:30 - 12

40. Next Summer: Working and preparing to teach

39. Next Week: Work, dodgeball, and wings

38. People call me: Luvah

37. The person I have been great friends with the longest is: Jim Little

36. The person(s) who knows the most about me is: Louise, Cody and Adrian

35. The person that can read me the best is: Louise, Cody and Adrian

34. The most difficult thing to do is: Calculus,

33. I have a crush on: Scarlet Johanson

32. I have the following siblings: Cathy and Lana

31. My zodiac sign is: Pisces

30. The first person I thought i was in love with was: God, I can't remember her name, I was 5

29. The one person who can't hide things from me: Louise

28. Right now I am talking to: Dumb question, it would be rude of me to do this and talk to someone

27. I have/will get a job at: Co-op

26. I have these pets: bird: Pepi

25. I wish: The immigration gives our application a quick and positive response

24. The worst sound in the world: wet farts

23. The person that makes me cry the most is: Louise

22. My boy/girlfriend: Louise

21. florida or hawaii: Hawaii

20. My favourite piece of clothing is: Nine Inch Nails Hoodie

19. My favorite sport to watch: Formula 1

18. Last time I cried: It was near the end of January when I was accused of being a racist

17. The school I go to is: University of Calgary

16. Last person I got pissed at: This is tough. Honestly not a clue

15. My worst drinking experience was: jeez, if you know me, then you know my answer

14. The all-time best movie is: Fight Club

13. The all-time best thing in the world is: Puppies with wet noses. Just kidding. Sitting on a beach watching the sunset with my beer and dinner in front of me

12. The most annoying thing ever is: Touchy feely programs that allow people of moderate skill to get through when I bust my ass and end up with the same degree

11. I lose all respect for people who: Lie; Think that they deserve more than anyone else; Drive a hummer; Take themselves too seriously

10. The movies I have cried at are: Life is Beautiful

9. The worst pain I was ever in was: After my hernia operation and my balls swelled to the size of a softball with blood. Yeah, that's it.

8. My favorite phrase: Leg em down and smack yak em

7. My room has: a TV, bed, dresser, clothes everywhere

6. My favorite celebrity is: Scar Jo.

5. My weakness is: Potato Chips

4. What turns me on: So many things. cleavage; eyes; revealing clothing; intelligence; necks

3. Who broke your heart: No one

2. I filled out 100 questions because: I'm a pretentious SOB and I expect everyone to read all of these.

1. What do you regret the most: I regret it so much I'm not gonna write it down.

Regret (a fiction piece)

That Bitch Ho Russell Simmons Should Shut the Fuck Up

Seriously?!

seriously?

I was sitting down to my PC and I opened Internet Explorer. I saw a headline I couldn't believe. With all the crap going around with Imus, Michael Richards, and those DJs in New York with the Chinese restaurant thing, I guess it was inevitable.

Russell Simmons has decided to take it upon himself to clean up rap music. That's right. One of the men behind Def Jam records has stated that the words bitch, ho and nigger should be dropped from the hip hop lexicon.

Seriously.

The world is becoming too paranoid. We live in trepidation of saying anything offensive to anyone. And celebrity at any moment could be called out to answer for an off-the-cuff remark that, ten years ago, wouldn't have raised an eyebrow on anyone.

Imagine a movie like Blazing Saddles being made today. It would be fought against from the moment of its inception. But, to any lover of comedies it is recognized as a classic.

I digress.

It's true that hip hop is offensive. It's vulgar and crude. But that is part of what makes it what it is. Chris Rock is right in that it's getting harder and harder to defend hip hop lyrics, but we don't need to look at the stars of today to see examples of profanity. Acts that have been recognized as influential and essential to the hip hop movement have also had their share of niggers, bitches and hos in their lyrics.

Where would Public Enemy be without songs like "Anti-Nigger Machine" and "I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Nigga"? Though these songs may not be their most well-known, they are two of there more politically profound.

Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Kool Moe Dee, LL Cool J, NWA. you have to admit these names reign at the top of a list of prolific artists that changed and revolutionized hip hop. They all contain examples of these words that Russell Simmons has deemed to be inappropriate.

But, let's take it back further. Back to the beginnings of rap in America. Back to The Last Poets these guys are responsible (some claim) for the creation of rap and hip hop. They were some of the first to get out there and do rhythmic poetry. Eventually people like Grand Master Flash came out with the music and the two merged to form what we know today. The Last Poets were a revolutionary voice for African-Americans. There message may have been just as strong without nigger in it, but If you do read the poem "Niggers Are Scared of Revolution" I think you'll agree that it wouldn't have quite the same impact if it were cleaned up.

I don't think the problem is the use of the words, it's the manner in which they're used. Is the message hateful? Is it Mel Gibson ranting on a certain race and blaming it? Is it Michael Richards trying to shock the audience into laughter? Is it Chris Rock firing the word off like it's nothing?

Is it the message or the word that's the problem.?

The word doesn't breed racism and hate. It's not like removing it from our lexicon is going to solve the racial problems of America. Just like removing Bitch isn't going to be a huge step forward for equal rights. The problems will still be there. Things will be just as problematic. The only thing that will change will be the words used in the argument.

So, people like Al Sharpton and Russell Simmons need to step back and look at what the real issue is. Language only has the power it is given. If we do not make these words have power then we do not have a problem with them. By giving these words such a great amount of power recently the community that is rallying against them is in fact giving them the power they are trying to take away.

If no one reacts, no one will care.

Marilyn Manson doesn't scare anyone anymore because no one cares about what he does. Howard Stern isn't such a controversial Dj anymore because people stopped reacting to him. A personal example is someone pointing out my height. I don't care if they do. It doesn't bother me. It's a fact. If I were to be bothered then what they say would suddenly hold the power to hurt, but I pay no heed and let it slide and really, it's not a big deal

Soundtrack for my Life

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie(I'm betting this will make little to no sense, but what the hell--it kills some time)

Opening Credits:
"Cafe Style" - TO-KA Project

Waking Up:
"Rock & Roll Suicide" - Seu Jorge

First day at High School:
"Like an Outlaw (for you)" - Social Distortion

Falling in Love:
"What's Love (愛是個什麼東西)" - David Tao

Fight Song:
"Bulls On Parade" - Rage Against the Machine

Breaking Up Song:
"Say My Name" - Wes Cunningham

Prom Song:
"Kamikaze" - PJ Harvey

Life:
"Moon River" - Lisa Ono

Mental Breakdown:
"Preacher Man" - Doc L. Junior

Driving:
"Dream On" - The Chemical Brothers

Flashback:
"Tension Head" - Queens of the Stone Age

Getting Back Together:
"Coming Down Gently" - Morcheeba

Wedding:
"Pose" - Justin Timberlake

Birth of Child:
"Moondrops" - Plastic Avengers

Final Battle:
"Silent Radar" - The Watchmen

Death Scene:
"Don't Know Why" - Swollen Members

Funeral Song:
"We Rule the School" - Belle & Sebastian

End Credits:
"Drop The World" - NOFX

need you dream you find you taste you use you scar you fuck you break you

I had always read artists like Henry Rollins and Trent Reznor talk about the way it feels to come down off of a tour. They talked about the way days stretched in front of them and the overwhelming feeling like they cannot keep still. I'd always seen it as a Romanticization of the exhiliration of being on the road. I had always thought that the return home must be a welcome respite from the chaos and demands of touring.

Touring artists talk about the depression and malaise that sets in and I would wonder why this is. Now, after my year in school I have to say that I can sympathize with them.

I just finished a sprint through my first year in the Education program at the U of C. You can tell by the fact that my first post on this blog was in September, and now it's April and this is my second post, that I have had next to know time to sit down and write anything for a long time. My novel hasn't gained a single word since last August, my textbook hasn't gained a chapter since August. Hell, some of my friends on email haven't heard from me since August. The first semester was tolerably busy, but this past semester was insane. I haven't even had time to write daily letters to my wife who is in Taiwan right now. By the time my days ended I would be so tired that at times it was next to impossible to keep my eyes open when I was driving home from my practicum.

Every day was filled with marking, readings, research, writing, more marking, making lesson plans, reflection, journalling for class, more marking, teaching, more reflection, more readings, more marking, early classes, late nights, power drinks and large coffees.

I kept at a sprint with next to no sleep each night for at least the past month and a half. I even had a couple nights of 1-2 hours of sleep because of school work and stress.

But, now that's all done. I'm finished. No exams, no papers, nothing. I sit at home and I pace. I walk to check the mail 3-4 times before the mailman gets here. I look at my car and think I should go for a drive, but even that is just killing time for no reason. I read books, but I don't have the drive to keep going. I look at my upcoming work schedule and count down the time until it is time to get into my car and go to co-op to put crap on shelves.

I now can understand what it feels like for these artists. It's such a shock to the system. There is no cooldown period. It's just GOGO GOGOGOGOGO stop. There is a huge void of inactivity inside that is swallowing my drive. I will find it again, I'm sure, but for now I move through my days in cage of inactivity. I need something to do. Sudoku and crossword puzzles aren't gonna do it for me.

erase me