Jonas Brothers Get No Love

What do guys at the SAC mac lab think of the Jonas Brothers?





This:

Preservation of the Species

The Original Blog

Big up to my dad, Mike McLaughlin, for having his editorial letter published in the Saturday Feb. 21 2009 edition of 3the San Antonio Express News.

Click on image for enlargement.

The Carnival Is In Town

Carnival set is on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/labombainternacional/sets/72157614269739866/

Shirts That Are Flammable

When I Can Really Be Me

C'mon Down To My House




Two Sleepy People



Cocaine Habit Blues

You can't take the jerk back to the jerk store

I was given a gift recently.
When I looked at it I tried to determine what was in it.
I looked at the shape of the packaging, the color of the concealing paper, and I shook it ever so slightly.
I waited just long enough to create a healthy tension and then, released it by tearing the wrapping paper off.

I looked at the box...
I really liked what it was- a great gift, indeed!
Though on the package, I thought I read something that said I could get a certain type of use out of this particular product.
The company did not advertise falsely, it was a misunderstanding on my part. I could have just been assuming this item would perform in the way I envisioned it out of some sort of projection of my needs.

I opened the cardboard flaps and took the object out.
I admired it and started to get to know it as I began to apply it to my life.
Suddenly, I became very shocked to find out that this new present did not perform in the way I unrealistically expected it to.

So I put it back in the box and walked to the store.
When I got there I asked the manager to exchange it for me and he asked me for a receipt.
I looked in my pocket and realized that I did not have a receipt because it was a gift.


I think that everyone you meet is a gift from God.
And you either know this or you don't.
It's an anonymous gift if you don't know who it is giving all of this to you.
Gifts from the store of life.
But you can't return them.
You can appreciate them or re-gift them.
Neglect them...Throw them away.

And I am the jerk for even considering exchanging items.

That thing I let you do to me

I... can't stand you tonight.

So I wander in the art of others for solace.

I had been thinking about my own wife.

Then you shoved yourself down my throat.

Big up to French friends Aussitôt Mort.

I just got through watching the visually stimulating montage for the song Percute. I hate trying to put labels on bands that have emerged recently, because they seem hard to define without a generalization which could send some people running. Post-rock? Screamo? Shoegaze? Oh no did you say emo-core! What the fuck does that shit even mean? I would say this band was directly or indirectly influenced by bands like Neurosis or Isis. They just finished a tour with Heaven in Her Arms, a great band from Japan, who has a new album out the 12th of this month. Both make very melodic somber music that is epic and has screams. Hooray! I'll post the video and also a link to a RAR of the latest A.M. album. Enjoy.

http://rapidshare.com/files/157583313/GoodNoisyCore_AusitoMor-Mntung.rar

And here is one from mediafire for the 6 songs ep:

http://www.mediafire.com/?htylu1mrhdc

Yargh!

You don't want me to take you in?

Street dogs... This is a weird subject for me to consider.
On the way to school the other day I saw a pair... well fed...just cruisin' down the block. They didn't need to be rescued. Or did they?

I have been involved, in one way or another, in the rescue and fostering of many dogs and cats. I think that my ex-girlfriend and I had maybe 4 or 5 dogs at one time. This was also when we kept 11 cats. If you are thinking that would be crazy, you are correct. It was a very hectic household indeed. Our backyard became a pet cemetery because we had at least 4 animals die during that period in the Heights of Houston.

So I've started with this background information because (like I said) when I saw those dogs, my first thought was that they did not need rescuing. It also made me notice that there is some difference between your typical stray dog and a street dog.

Strays are affected by mange, underfed, and need to be helped; while street dogs are a different breed. These animals seem happy and content to wander from place to place. The creatures that I saw that morning were not going hungry. It was as if they were more equipped for survival. In comparison, they were definitely more fit than the average, weaker stray.

Almost automatically, I went over my experience with homeless culture in American cities.

There are the class of homeless

that truly struggle. They beg for food; they sleep in areas barely passable for shelter; and they rarely shower or change clothes. They need to be rescued and also need hand-outs, and other services. They rest most of their existence on the idea that you will wake them up with a peanut butter sandwich. They look under-fed and under-appreciated.

Last but not least, there are the "street dogs". They are well-fed because they go find food wherever they can wrangle it up. They will find showers and make camps or even sleep in shelters. Once in a while, they might even have enough money to get a cheap hotel for a night. Don't believe me? Do the field study and go live with them. Smart "street dogs" will acquire a little hustle washing windows in a downtown area with a bucket and squeegee because that's how you do it. Or there is crime and jail- but I won't go into that parallel of the penitentiary/pound and euthanasia/death penalty because god-forbid, I have school here shortly! (on a side note- if you live in San Antonio and are interested, go to the Humane Society on Nacogdoches road. These dogs live in cell blocks and they are actually called "units".)

So then, the question I ponder is whether or not "street dogs" need to be rescued, too. Because is there not more to rescuing than just providing some one or some animal with food and shelter. Don't we pet the stray we take in or feed? If we have a heart we do. So what about the "street dogs" in all God's kingdoms? If they do not need food, do they still need love?

Perhaps more importantly, can you help someone or something that doesn't want to be helped?

As an afterthought I did a little research and came across a BLOGGER site run by "Casanova" a street dog from Bangkok, Thailand that happens to be about street dogs in Bangkok.


This is the welcome from Casanova:

Taken from the the Blog page Bangkok Street Dogs www.bkkstreetdogs.blogspot.com

A welcome from Casanova

Hello, and welcome to Bangkok Street Dogs, my first foray into the blogging world (I abhor the term 'blogosphere'). My name is Casanova, and I'm a 3 year old male mongrel who lives near the Klong Toey market in Bangkok, Thailand. The purpose of this blog is to document the lives of several prominent characters of the Bangkok Street Dog community.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Thailand and its capital, Bangkok, let me provide you with some background. Thailand, as a Buddhist country, does not believe that stray animals should be rounded up and put to sleep. It does happen, but not with the same sad frequency as in other countries. And that means that the streets of Bangkok, and other Thai cities, are teeming with large communities of homeless hounds.

Although we're happy just to be alive, life in Bangkok is tough for us street dogs. We oftentimes live in unkempt, filthy conditions - you might even say that most places we sleep aren't fit for a dog! But amidst the squalor, I can tell you that great things do emerge from our community. Great characters are constantly developing and standing up for themselves against all odds. Survival instincts take over and carry us through the sometimes difficult conditions.

In short... us Bangkok street dogs may be poor, wretched, and desperate, but we do have each other, and telling our stories is therapeutic for our lonely souls. We also have the love and support of Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is a dog lover and has adopted a former street dog named Thongdaeng.

With me as your guide, this blog will serve as a place to meet members of Bangkok's street dog community, and hear their anecdotes. In reading my posts, you'll get a keen sense of the challenges Bangkok street dogs face, and perhaps better appreciate their ability to stay positive during all the hot, dusty days and hungry nights spent scraping out a living in the Thai capital.

Sincerely
Casanova

The Moment Before and Then...

Bring the boy back home...
so he can kiss the girl he loves.

(click on photo to view detail)

Big People Feet

NO matter how old I might be, whenever you look at me that way it feels the same as it did when I was 12. Your look- of dissatisfaction, and perhaps I detect a tinge of disgust. I work hard now to not create problems in your life so that I can be the least of your worries. Your son is doing good.

I did not mean to step on the dog's paw. Will you still give me these same looks when I'm forty? Why did you give me that look? I know why? Well, then let me rephrase- Sir, why did you look at me like I am a complete piece of shit because while I was running around with a puppy I stepped on her paw? Do you think that I like stepping on paws? Oh, so you can look however you want at people and that's that? Is that the type of relationship you want with your son? And because in defense mode I laugh at the absurd confrontation, now you want to mock me and use the word "jive" as if I say this to you? It's been long enough since I played hackey-sack, smoked some weed, and listened to CSNY while thinking how my parents talked nothing but a bunch of jive, man.

You have the right to look however you want. Oh no, you don't have to thank me for that right you earned. You have earned the right to act however you want to your children and never be questioned. You have earned the right to have children that love you to death but will never have the best relationship that they could have because you are always "the demander" in the relationship. You cancel me out. So I defer to you. I cancel myself out for you. Finally, I defect to unseat your position of power taking you to your knees, crippling you emotionally. Canceling you out, Sir.

But no...not anymore.

When I was a child I had a red twin bed frame made out of cheap metal. It was the kind that are tubes and then they are bent in a U-shape. I used to love to hide under that bed. One night nobody thought I was home and I hid under it for hours, watching big people feet passing by. I learned how to hold my breath- the art of playing "sleep".

We also had a basketball goal out in front of the house. There were really large hedge bushes that grew behind the pole and ended up filling in around the backboard. I used to climb up that pole and hide there, behind that backboard as well.

Physically, I'm too big to hide under beds now and anyway, it might be seen by most people as ridiculous or even a little crazy!

Am I too old to hide under metaphorical "beds". Are you ever to old or healthy to escape? Is escapism always negative or is there some good in it? I ran to go type did I not? I gained the perspective of seeing that perhaps I will not have the "perfect" relationship that I would like with him and that I will just have to continue to love him unconditionally as he has me. Him...Sir...

I have got to a point where I like to recognize what is going on in my "world" and discuss such things. Unfortunately I am the only person I feel that I can constantly rely on to listen. I told my best friend last night that I was becoming content with my loneliness. And not content in the English meaning but "contento"- happy.

I don't walk around much, lonely anymore, hoping to meet someone to share a piece or percent of my life with, whether that be formally or informally. But I find that I have to escape everyday from that heavily beaten path of yearning in solitude. And I do this through the thoughts that color my world. The thoughts of words, images, music, and memories. Smells, tastes, sights, sounds, and feelings. I do this because everyday I have to hide from the stubborn adults in this world that continue to refuse to have healthy and meaningful relationships.

And drugs, alcohol, sex, and consuming are not means or ends.

And the only "bed" that I can still fit under is upstairs in my mind.

And there are those that come by to see where I am from time to time, just like when I was little!

And I still play "sleep" and watch the big people feet pass by...

Sir I'm sorry, you've had one too many Fellinis

if ..... there was such a drink as a peach Fellini I might order it. I would hope it would make me feel the way I did after watching Le Notti di Cabiria-The simple tragedy/comedy about a cynical but positive prostitute. She is cynical because life has given her heartache so much that, in knowing what life is, she has what she thinks is a positive attitude. But deep down, she is lonely and when someone comes around to offer her the "trust" of love she is afraid and suspicious like a beaten dog.

Why is a movie such an amazing movie? Old film is just like old music. You can listen to some contemporary song by, let's say Beck and we will say it is a song about heartache(a human and even animal condition) and it's layered with synths and drums and the artist took full use of the 132 track studio at Abbey Roads in London. Now, you can relate to the message or theme of the lyrics- but it is also well matched with the melody or music so that you "hear" the heartache as well. Fantastic. I should be using examples by name and not just idea..hmm.. Okay so the song "Lost Cause" by Beck which was just voted one of the top 25 sad songs of the world according to Spinner.com(really?)! So I am going to assume that this song was not done in live in a studio without the use of multi-tracking because I can immediately hear the tape or digital effects when it starts.;) Anyway!! If you are going to read this at least try to listen to the song as I will put a link to it below.

At this time, I'll use a bare, stripped down song recorded before the "magic" of multi-tracking (which even if you've only seen the movie "Ray", you might know that this was not really happening in most studios until the 60's) to illustrate a point. The song is an old version of "Gloomy Sunday" , or in it's original Hungarian title "Szomorú vasárnap". The song was written by László Jávor and set to music in 1933 by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about this particular recording but that it was probably recorded on a wax cylinder which is basically to say that tape recorders for audio were still being invented! Please listen to it because in my opinion this song, like the other above, which is about heartache and the mourning of a loss has an overall "feeling" that hits me in the chest and bluntly put- makes you want to die!! (I won't even write about the history or mythology of the song because if you knew something of it, it might affect your opinion. But if you are interested you tube has some videos ranging from the really hokey to the really well researched.)

In my "human" opinion after experiencing some "conditions" I feel the older song's bare bones structure has a lot to do with the song having more of an impact. It's like- it doesn't need an electric guitar or huge MIDI interface device to create a piece of art that is timeless with instantly recognizable emotion pertaining to sadness or melancholy. And it does not have to make a huge production out of it, period.

After being incredibly moved after watching "Le Notti...", I was at a loss for words. Because so many movies on peoples top list are movies like Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine.." and even I am some what of a fan of his work("Science of Sleep")...But why do you need a deep philosophical context or strange twist or special effects when the deepest philosophical context, the most strange fucked up peculiar twists, and the most dazzling special effects are as simple as everyday experience. And if you don't see this in everyday life I am deeply sorry. Because everyday is an experience. You don't need a book to learn that.

So you say, "..why should I read Sartre's "Nausea" when I could read the script for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". And by that line of thinking why would I read when I could just live?!?!" Well, words put together in the right manner and scenes and sequences on paper and on film(audio or visual-photo or video) can create or tell fabulous stories that are true to life or be the medium for a fantasy. They can put accents on certain moments or artistically illustrate the stuff we might be too involved with to be able to see the whole "scene".

But the best to me always seem to be the ones that don't need a bunch of hoopla because the work speaks for itself. As it turns out "Le Notti de Cabiria" is said to be one of the best films of all time. I suppose if you are a big fan of film do yourself a favor and check it out. If you go to school it is definitely in your school's library. Then compare it to another award winning sad tale like "Titanic" (snicker--I'm sorry!). Or rather, just even a movie with a more-complex story which is is the true point. Hopefully, you feel the same way I did in that last scene of "Cabiria" crushed and uplifted.

Chau for Now

Patrick







ah cómo es magnífico y trágico