The Random Meeting
I started taking the bus about two months ago to work, which is about a one-hour ride. It’s dark when I get up, and I’m tired when I get home, but that’s part of the work that you’ve got to do, right?
Anyway, when I was riding the other day, I noticed a little random meeting that seemed pretty interesting to me. As you might know, I have a tendency to see scenes as I’m walking down the street. Maybe it’s the lego-builder imagination that’s still in me, but I try to imagine what might be instead of what is.
There was a fellow walking up the aisle, headed for a seat, with a book in his hand. As he walked, he looked away for a second, and bumped into a girl who was sitting just across from the seat he was headed for. Coincidentally, she had the very same book in her hands. There was a quick glance, an apology, and then both sat down in their respective seats, not three feet from one another, and opened their books to read.
In my mind’s eye, this was no chance encounter. This is something that drips of destiny’s intervention. I kept on wondering what might have actually happened had either of them taken the chance to say “Hello, how are you?” Or even “Wow, we’re both reading the same book! Weird, huh?” There is potential for a romance, a friendship, a story! Coincidences happen so infrequently in real life that I think we need to grasp onto them when they rear their faces.
My invitation? Say hello to somebody. Sure, they might think it’s a little weird at first, but there are so many people who are just longing for a kind word, a smile, a joke, or even just a momentary acquaintance to make them feel good. And just think… The source of that happy little sigh could be you.
- Kyle
Article VI
This is a really interesting film trailer that a friend of mine emailed me. While I don’t specifically have a bias towards any of the candidates up for election, this really made me think. Enjoy.
Imagined Scenes
Sometimes, when I’m sitting at Taco Bell, or maybe when I’m waiting in line at the grocery store, my mind will start to wander a little bit. (And I’m sure that no one else has this problem, right?) For some reason, I suddenly visualize movie scenes, of running into someone at this random place, whose path and mine were destined to cross. Sometimes it’s a potential date, sometimes it’s an ally, sometimes it’s an enemy.
I’ll be standing there, just loading my groceries onto the counter, the teenage, thin, glasses-wearing male clerk waits behind the register, and then starts to beep in my purchases with his little red light. Suddenly another cart crashes into mine, sending me stumbling to the floor. I look up, and see a malicious grin bearing down on me from behind a cartful of protien powder and raw steaks.
“Mr. Brogan,” says the man, his height and girth easily doubling mine. “I want something from you.”
I scramble to my feet, and look him in the eye. “And what’s that?” I say with all the nerve that I can muster.
“Your pin number.” He says quietly, with a voice of low thunder.
“Huh?” I say.
“You have to put in your pin,” says the cashier, a little annoyed at my stupidity. I nod, type it in, take the reciept, and pick up my bagged groceries, heading for my car.
As soon as I open the door, though, I hear the squeal of tires. I look to my left to see a car barreling through the parking lot, speed rising. Right in front of me, though, is a woman, directly in the path of the car. I tackle her out of the way as the car misses us by inches, spilling my milk and eggs onto the sidewalk.
The car spins around, intending to finish the job, but I lift one of the carts above my head and throw it through the windshield, sending the car crashing into a lightpole. The woman praises me as her hero, and I say simply, “All in a day’s work, ma’am.”
Then I shrug, and pick-up my groceries, and load them into my car. The drive home is a car chase yet again, or perhaps a secret mission to get my groceries, which actually contain information that could compromise the security of the entire nation, to my home, where I can transmit them to the NSA without detection.
I don’t know. I know I have an overactive imagination. Perhaps that’s why it’s best for me to stick to writing. But all that inspiration has to come from somewhere, right?
- Kyle
Copyright, Greed, and Forwarding Idiocy
Check out Linda Amstutz’ devilish tone on this website:
http://www.braceguard.com/ifmybodywereacar.htm
Do you forward things by email? If so, I’d be more careful, because here’s a writer who’s dedicated her pathetic existence to “cashing in” on people’s mistakes.
As a graphic and web designer, I fully understand how copyright laws have to be taken seriously. You can’t go out taking credit for someone else’s work, and legally, you do own the copyright to anything that you create. (By example, by writing this blog, I immediately own the copyright on every essay and post in it. That’s the way that it works.)
However, I’m pretty liberal with my own writings. I really don’t mind the trackbacks and pings, and I’d consider someone who posted something of mine on their site as helpful advertising, as long as they posted my name.
However, mistakes are made sometimes. I myself have accidentally posted things on forums that I didn’t check for sources, and I was called on it. Since then, I’ve worked to identify sources before I put the posts up. (And I also strive to contact the owners of the material before I post it up. You may notice certain identifiers on the pages on the right for just those reasons.)
What really bugs me about this lady, though, is that she’s siccing her lawyer out to gain $750 for every time anyone uses her little junk essay, “If My Body Were A Car”, with or without credit, unless she gains a profit from its use. I’m aware of at least one incident where she’s come down on a non-profit website for mistakenly using the essay.
Now, I do understand that they were wrong it posting that up. But I also realize that it was a mistake, and was taken down as soon as it was identified as such. But for Amstutz to pursue this course, demanding $750, (a completely unreasonable fee, let me tell you), and threatening with the legal maximum of $30,000 plus court costs, is simply ludicrous.
What a sad writer to have to resort to extortion instead of actually writing. So here’s a tip – Don’t ever post anything on your website, or even forward an email, unless you know that it is free-use or has an open copyright. All you have to do is ask.
- Kyle
My Distaste for Madden 08
A little while back, I wrote up a praising review for NCAA 08, which is still one of my favorite games. (A buddy and me have been playing it about every week, and are into our third season in the Dynasty mode. He got into the PAC-10 while I’m still in the WAC, but I did beat him severely in the BCS championship game, effectively shutting down his undefeated season. Badaboom.)
In any case, I said that when I got a hold of Madden 08, I’d give you guys my review, so here we are. I’ve played through for the past month or so, and I’ll tell you that it was a much different experience than the NCAA gridiron.
The first thing that I noticed was the theming. Whereas NCAA was all about the engrossing experience, pulling you into the game from the beginning with fight songs and chanting, Madden is all about the edgy, raw look of the NFL, with hard-hitting music and more “grafitti-inspired” art schemes. I used to play NFL Street a lot, and so I can see where some of the blending is coming from there.
The menus work well enough, with all the standard modes available, but I really wanted to dive right into the Franchise Mode, specifically because I figured it would compare nicely with the Dynasty Mode that I was familiar with in NCAA.
Right off the bat you can either jump into the draft, or just go into the teams. The draft is interesting enough, of course, the NFL equivalent of “picking teams.” The problem that I saw, however, is that instead of dealing with just stats and availability, you have a “salary cap”, which is true to life, but there’s all kinds of penalties when you want to get rid of one player in favor of another. Because the manual has a very limited explanation of the process, you’ve got to do it by trial and error, which was a huge pain in the rear. My first foray had me with a negative salary cap, and I couldn’t even tell if I had all the players that I needed. The interface just wasn’t really user friendly.
I thought that making your own team would be kind of fun, mostly because you would be able to customize all kinds of things. Well, it was possible to customize just about all aspects of the stadium, but the uniform designing was more difficult then it had to be. Compared to the streamlined and clean process in NCAA, the menu design just felt unnatural and annoying. However, there were a few more options as far as customization was concerned that were relatively absent in NCAA, so take your pick.
In older Madden games, you get a radio broadcast that talks a lot about the different teams and players. I thought that this was a good thing, yet another example of how to “pull the player in.” This is a fictional franchise, after all, and the goal should be to bring the player into this universe as if it really mattered. That’s what gets them coming back.
Instead, all you get is two little newspapers, which cover stupid little things that the teams do. The local paper covered trivial things like the naming of a new team Captain, and even when I accidentally pressed the button to alter the uniforms, and then cancelled out. How dumb is that?
Then you have the national news, especially in the pre-season, which doesn’t really matter. You hear about specific players and what-not, but it’s just blah text, and you don’t get the full-page screenshots that NCAA’s ESPN Magazine puts up.
And that’s probably a good thing, especially considering the way that the game looks.
The first thing that I noticed was that the players looked squatty and indistinguishable. You can adjust some of the pads and things that your players are wearing, but most of the time it’s just kind of a guessing game, and you have to just be able to tell by the numbers. The the players just plain look weird. Where the NCAA game really shows you the physical difference between a lithe wide reciever and a strong-shouldered halfback, Madden just makes them all look the same, and it’s kind of disappointing.
Right off you get the back and forth between John Madden and Al Michaels, which was a sorely disappointing second to the lively and interesting banter between Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso. To be honest, I prefer just not listening to Madden himself at all. I think they ought to hire Frank Caliendo to immitate Madden and put some life into the play-by-play. At least Lee Corso is good for a laugh now and then, and has some character in his speech. Madden talks like he’s not even really watching the game.
You’d think that professional players would play better than the kids in college, but apparently not. Each game that I played felt sluggish, as if the players were on a molasses field. My running back, though he was supposed to be really good, couldn’t even break through the defensive line, like, ever. I never lost so many yards.
The computer’s defense got a killer boost, though. They shut things down repeatedly, pushing me farther and farther back, until I had to get some miracle throws to push ahead. I’ve never been one to sit there wondering if “maybe this time he’ll catch it.”
The stats don’t even matter – As a test, I made my guy a top stat on everything, and tried him out at DT – He broke through the offensive line three times in the whole season. Because of that, I made up different teams with different star players just to see what would happen.
The game becomes more of a battle against frustration instead of against the opponent. Yes, its the NFL, and its supposed to be difficult, but how many times does a star reciever with perfect stats drop the ball? How many times does a near-perfect offensive line let everybody through? How often should a quarterback get sacked? And why is it that every other team in the league has cornerbacks that can run faster and catch up to my perfect receivers, where my perfect corners can’t ever catch up?
Part of the problem, as I see it, is that the computer cheats its way into the win or, at least, into a really close game. This is something that I’ve noticed as a trend in a lot of games, but it just feels wrong to me. If you’re good at a game, the computer shouldn’t have to cheat to catch up. There shouldn’t be a sudden surge in stats just because you’re beating it. That’s just plain AI bull.
Ever game felt more like a chore than an enjoyable experience, and I found myself actually wondering why I was bothering to play the game at all. It just didn’t feel fun anymore.
So, for those of you out there with PS2s, who still want a good football experience, I’d recommend NCAA 08. I’d pass on Madden for the older console, because apparently Madden already passed on us.
-Kyle
Meeting the Eye
For some reason, we human beings have a strange aversion to looking each other in the eye. It makes us uncomfortable, annoyed, and a little scared when someone is actually looking right at us when they’re talking. It doesn’t matter that they’re the friendliest person on Earth, we’re still bothered. How come?
We would be perfectly happy if the person were to look just to the right or left as they’re talking, so that they’re looking towards us, but not at us. It doesn’t matter who they are. You ever notice that when you meet eyes with someone in the hallway, especially someone that you don’t know at all, you both have a tight-lipped grin and quickly look away? It’s like, “Oh, sorry we made eye contact, fellow drone.”
But you can’t be rude, so you grin lightly at them, but then pass by, breathing a sigh of relief that you didn’t actually have to talk to them. No matter that that person might be your next best friend, or your soul mate, or your long-lost brother, or perhaps your eventual spouse – you both met eyes in the hallway, and so the barrier was created.
I think, personally, that the reason that we avoid eye contact has to do something with the old adage, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” A lot can be determined from the eyes. I know some people who can look into my eyes and see straight through me. There are other people who I can read like a book simply because their eyes tell the whole story.
Maybe we avoid making eye contact because we’re afraid that the other person might be able to judge all of our faults and mistakes just by looking into our eyes, and they won’t like what they see. Maybe we’re just so self-conscious about ourselves and what others think about us that we’re afraid that we might not get a fair say with our mouths as our eyes share all of our innermost secrets.
For me, I’m going to start looking into the eyes. Uncomfortable or not, faulty or not, I’m going to look. And I’ll let others find in me what they may.
Online Petitions and Boycotts
Every so often I get little invites on Facebook or in my email inbox to join this or that petition. “Boycott buying gas on this day!” or “Stop this Presidential Nominee” or “Join the fight against Rabies!”
To me, this kind of stuff is just plain nonsense. What possible use could some random online petition have? There’s so many ways to manipulate online information that it would be extremely and unreasonably difficult, if not impossible to verify every name on an online petition. And in all honesty, what would then be done?
It’s my personal belief that these types of groups are nothing but a waste of time, and are only sent on by those who want to do something but aren’t strong enough to stand up and do it in real life, so they waste time and brainpower on these useless pursuits.
If you really want to go save the whales, join a registered and legitimate organization to do so. There are plenty to choose from. If you think that a candidate shouldn’t get the office, then vote against them, and encourage others to do so. If you think that gas prices are too high, then get up, and write to the offices, not to your buddies in an online chat room.
The things that I say online are a direct reflection of my personal feelings on an issue, and I’ve stated them as such. You’re free to hold me to them, because that’s what they’re there for. Here, I try not to have a personal crusade against anything except for boredom and possibly silliness, but otherwise I try to just post up my opinions.
But I’ll never join any online political or agenda-based groups, simply because I know they don’t work.
But then again, maybe I’ll sign a “Down with Online Petitions” petition. At least that’s something that I believe in.
- Kyle
You're So Lucky?
I was riding up in the elevator today, and I overheard an interesting conversation. It was between two middle-aged men, I’d guess about 45 to 50, who were discussing about a friend of theirs who had gotten into an accident. According to their story, their friend had been on the freeway, and was changing into the right lane, when a kid not paying attention slammed into him, t-boning the cars, at about 75 mph on the passenger’s side. Their friend was the only one in the car. He went to the hospital with three broken ribs, but was otherwise intact except for shock and some bangs, bruises, and some minor cuts. The car, though, was totaled.
Now, what was the first thing that the listener said? “Well, he’s lucky; he didn’t get hurt too bad.”
I remember standing there and thinking, “Humana…what?” This guy just got into a 70+ mph car wreck, has a totaled car, three broken ribs, and trauma injuries, and his friend’s saying “he’s lucky?” Why do we do that?
Why is it that our first reaction to someone surviving some horrible accident the fact of how “lucky” they are? I’m sorry, but to me, that seems awfully unlucky. Lucky are those people who don’t get into accidents. Lucky are those who can avoid that kind of stress in their lives. Not the people who happen to, by skill or “divine intervention”, make it through the tragedy alright. They’re not lucky, I don’t think.
In our everyday speech, and our everyday words, we say a lot of things that we don’t really think about. Someone asks us how we are, and we say “fine.” To be honest, the person asking doesn’t really want to know, and we don’t really want to tell, so we just nonchalantly say both phrases without really thinking.
Self-awareness is very important. If we can’t be even self-observant, then I don’t think that we can rightly see our way through.
- Kyle
Why Critics Don't Make Movies
“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.
Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.”
- Anton Ego, Ratatouille
I tried and tried to come up with exactly what I wanted to say here, but I think that this quote from Brad Bird’s masterpiece more than tells the tale.
Critics are often able to be harsh on their judgements. They don’t have to risk hardly anything, because they can say their piece, and are lauded as brilliant, when in fact they usually don’t have to do much. Now, even in saying this, I know I’m largely being hypocritical, because I review and critique things all the time.
But I feel that, especially when it comes to film critics, they largely base their own critiques on just their own opinions, as opposed to the quality of a film. A critique should be based on fact, not opinion.
“Now wait a minute, Kyle,” you say. “Critiques are opinions.” That’s not entirely true, or at least, it shouldn’t be.
Any film can be analyzed through the use of techniques that aren’t necessarily based on opinions. Every story, be it about a single mother, the rogue hero, or two young lovers, or an older man finding his way home – they all have certain things that qualify them as full, complete, and usable stories.
I once took a class on text analysis, with this specific goal mind – the analyzation of scripts and text. This class helped me immensely, because instead of simply saying that “I didn’t like” a movie, I could finally tell you why the movie didn’t “work” or even why it did.
My personal belief is that critics don’t make movies because they wouldn’t know how if they tried. There may be exceptions, but I would bet money that the average critic couldn’t tell you anything about story analysis. But you don’t need to take my word for it. Read a gamut of reviews of a certain movie, and take note of how many things are all about opinions.
“The acting was dull,” they say, or “I just wasn’t convinced.” It’s always about opinion.
From now on, I’m going to do my best to avoid, or at least, identify the opinions in my reviews and critiques. Please, help me out. I’ll still provide my opinions on movies and ideas, but I’ll also try to support it with actual analysis. If it all works out, then the critiques will be more informative.
But then again, I guess that’s just my opinion.
- Kyle
Graphic Design Theory
You know, it’s so interesting to me how many people don’t have aesthetic sense. Now, I don’t like to be immodest, but I’m a pretty good graphic designer. (If you want to take a look at my work, I’ve put up some examples on a page on the right.)
In any case, it’s really surprising to me how many people don’t understand the basic theory of design. As a film student, they introduce a system of balance based on dividing the screen into nine parts, via the use of two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. (Kind of like a tic-tac-toe board.)
Just like a teeter-totter, a screen has to be balanced. If you have something on one side, then you have to have a balanced something on the other side. Otherwise, it creates a vacuum that makes the viewer uncomfortable. (Which actually can be used to great advantage sometimes, especially in thriller or horror films.)
In this same way, any picture, graphic, or illustration follows that same sense of balance. Or, at least they should. There is balance in the subject, in the colors. There has to be a way to make the entire piece “fit” together. If not, then you’ve done it wrong, and need to fix it.
The most interesting thing is, though, that many people don’t have that sense. Sure, they understand that there are things that need to be done, but they don’t seem to get how to make it so. They can look at something that say, “Yeah, that looks good,” but they don’t know how it got that way. And then, when they go to duplicate it themselves, they fail.
Just by example – When I’m driving down the road, I’ll often see the compact cars with custom graphics and stickers, colors and accessories. My own car is white, but I’ve put some simple black stickers on the side, (mostly surf and snowboarding companies), but the entire motif works, because it’s simple and the colors blend very well.
However, I’ve seen a number of cars with large, outlandish graphics that don’t fit at all, yet the driver is immensely proud of his work. Why is that? Do they just glory in mediocrity? Can they not see that that white flame job does not go at all with the ocher color of their little Dodge Neon™?
Oh well. At least I can still keep going. I know what I like, and I know what others like. And that, my friends, puts me ahead of the pack. I understand that graphic artistry is a commercial art form. And because of that, you have to develop projects with the audience in mind. And the way to figure out how to do it is practice, practice, practice…
- Kyle
Checking Out Her Shoes
I have an odd habit when I see an attractive woman just walking down the street. Most guys check out the body, the hair, the eyes, the teeth, the face… For me, the second glance is always a look at her shoes.
Now, I know that’s weird, but let me explain. Shoes, to me, tell a lot about the person who’s wearing them. Guys aren’t usually as picky about clothes, mostly because it’s not often a big deal in most situations. Obviously, power suits for the office, and a jumper for the mechanic shop, but in the “casual” category, clothes aren’t that big of a deal. I mean, most everyone wears jeans and a t-shirt, right?
But its the shoe choice that really makes me think, especially for girls, who more often than not have at least ten pairs of shoes. (At least from the girls’ closets that I’ve seen. Shoes are a big deal.) Each sends a different signal, including the color choices and patterns. Here’s my little mental guide:
Sandals - Relaxed, easy-going. These girls tend to not be as concerned with appearance, focusing more on comfort. They may worry that they “look cute”, but they don’t go too overboard. They’re generally pretty easy to talk to, and easy to laugh. They also don’t tend to “over-analyze” things too often. However, they can be a little flaky.
High Heels – This one really just depends on the size of the heel. A purposely high heel is all about getting noticed, and you’ll see “pretty girls” wearing them. This holds true especially for those really tall leather boot heels, which are worn specifically to get attention to those legs. High-heeled girls seem to usually be pretty high-maintenence. They’re worried about how they look, whether their make-up is out of place, and often have to fix their lip gloss or lipstick. You’ll find a good amount of make-up in their purse.
Low Heels – Girls in low heels usually are only wearing them because they are wearing a skirt. It’s either a dress occasion or a business meeting, and so low heels are a practical, but still buisiness-oriented choice. These girls often are secretaries, or other such personnel. They’re usually pretty down-to-earth, and are easy to talk to. They don’t often wear clothes to draw attention to themselves, but think a little more practically.
Tennis Shoes – This one’s pretty simple. Girls in tennis shoes are generally pretty cool. They’re not looking to really impress anyone, they’re just living their lives the way they want to. They generally know what they want, and aren’t afraid to go after it. These kinds of girls are generally pretty tomboyish, and don’t care much about whether their nails are painted, chipped, or broken. I mean, usually these ones will just cut them off. These ones are usually the “one of the boys” kind of girls.
Boots – Boots without heels are definitely a statement. They’re usually only worn by girls who are kind of “outside the norm.” Punk-rockers, fans of the gothic movement, or possibly snowboarders, but usually that’s about it. Obviously, cold weather negates that, because a lot of people start wearing boots then, but for the most part, boots are the exact opposite of heels. They want everyone to know that they’re not “girly-girls.”
Now, with these in mind, there’s also the two color choices: girly, or conservative. Girly colors such as neon pinks, teals, or oranges generally are meant to show off a girlish side. This goes for the sparkles of any kind. These are generally “High Heeled” tendencies.
Conservative colors, such as white, black, or brown, fall between the “Low Heels” and “Tennis Shoes” categories. These are girls that are more conservative.
Obviously, this isn’t a complete chart, and there are some girls who will absolutely disagree with me. Guys too, I’m sure. But these are just my personal observations. Even though I try to judge by personality as opposed to looks or clothes, first impressions are hard to ignore. I just read it as I see it.
Is Football Sportsmanship in Jeopardy?
Okay, here’s a fun little tidbit to worry about: In Montgomery County, Md, police are currently invesigating cuts on several high school football players’ hands, resulting from a razor blade in hand during the post-game handshake. After the Magruder (Rockville) team beat out Blake High School (Silver Spring), 55-7, someone connected to Blake High decided he’d cut up the hands of some of the players. According to witnesses, the attacker sat on the Blake bench, but was not wearing a football uniform.
So what do you think about that? When did sportsmanship get completely thrown out of the window, to the point where we’re going to injure the other team for beating us? How did that conversation go?
“Hey man, you’re gonna be sorry for beating us.”
“What?”
“You score on us, and I’m gonna slice you up.”
What’s next? Are we going to start banning the post-game handshake completely? Perhaps we’re going to get players sharpening the bolts on their facemasks so there’s a nice cutting edge to them. That’ll show ‘em.
To me, not only is that poor sportsmanship, but it’s just plain stupid. What exactly was this guy trying to accomplish? Great, now he’s cut a few players, their hands are sliced up, and an entire town is angry. And when this guy gets caught, (don’t think he won’t), the judge is going to throw the book at him, because this is the kind of thing that needs to be stopped right now.
On that same note, we had the incident with Wyoming college football coach Joe Glenn who gave the one-fingered salute to the Utah Utes after their admittedly unsportsmanlike decision to use an onside kick with a 43-0 lead. Is football just falling apart?
I love this game. I think about it a lot, and I wish that I could play today. But it seems like the standards of the sport on every level are really falling. Right now, I just wish we could play some clean pick-up games and not worry about all the stress of the high-level sport. Just the players, the street, and respect. That’s all you need.
Well, and a field.
- Kyle
Growing Up With The Magic Kingdom
Growing up, my family and I traditionally went to an amusement park every year. It was just something that we did, and that we still do, actually, whenever we get the chance. For that, though, we would head down to Southern California. I’ve been to Universal Studios™, Knott’s Berry Farm™, Six Flags: Magic Mountain™, and Sea World™, a number of times apiece. But the one place that we seemed to go the most was Disneyland™, in Anahiem.
Now, the Magic Kingdom has evolved and changed a lot from year to year. I’m of the audience that I remember staying late to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade; I remember the People Movers, The Hall of Presidents, and even Captain EO when Michael Jackson was still cool. And who coudl forget the Skyway that passed right through the Matterhorn? I can also remember when Toon Town first opened, and was actually brand new, and I was there when the Indiana Jones ride was first passing out the cool little cipher cards.
I also saw the changes. I remember when they moved the Tomorrowland rockets from the roof in the center down to the front of Tomorrowland. I remember when the Swiss Family Treehouse was updated into the Tarzan Treehouse. I remember the brief stint of the Rocket Rods, and then the introduction of Astro Blasters.
The thing is, though, is that there have been a lot of internal changes at Disneyland as well. When I was younger, it truly was a place of magic. From the monorail, to the Pirates of the Carribean, to the Haunted Mansion, to the interesting animatronics that engulfed everything, it all just held a sense of wonder. But it wasn’t just that. The people who were working there, from the ride operators to the monorail drivers, to the garbage collectors, and even the guys driving the shuttles to parking at the end of the night, all of them were smiling, happy people who realized that this was a place of personal magic, where everything would and should contribute to the experience of each and every person who walked through the gates.
On my last visit there, however, after a three-year sabattical, I had a slightly different experience. The place was crowded, but I sort of expected that. Disneyland’s fame has sort of out-grown it’s landscape. But what seemed to bother me was the role shift that many of the workers had experienced. Because there was just such a large volume of people, many of the workers had changed in their roles from “Cast Members” to “Crowd Control.” As night approached, they would be there, with their little light-sticks, waving us to go this way or that, and telling us to keep moving, without regard to the fact that some of us were actually there to enjoy the experience.
Just by example, we had a group of fourteen people that we were trying to keep together. I was walking along, when we were sort of “swept up” into the rope-tethered river of people that was being directed to go a certain direction. It was no use fighting the current, and since we were going that way anyways, we didn’t really worry about it.
But as we were going, our group became seperated, and I only had three others of our party with me. So, we found a wide path in front of the Frontierland gate and stopped to wait. Immediately we were surrounded by three workers with their little sticks, telling us that we couldn’t stop there. Now, there wasn’t anyone else around us. I specifically picked that spot because the path was wide and there wasn’t a lot of traffic.
We explained that we were waiting for the rest of our group, and that we would stand out of the way. He protested at first, saying that we were blocking traffic flow, but I just looked at him strangely, and indicated that we would stay to the side. I could see the frustration on this little worker’s face as he realized that his little glowstick wasn’t going to get me to move. So, what did he do? He turned around, and started manuvering the few stragglers in his line around us, as if we were some traffic hazard. Within two minutes, the rest of our group arrived, and we walked away.
It was a very different story at some of the food counters, who hadn’t forgotten that customer service is what counts. They had a smile on their face, so why not the others? I can understand that doing the same job every day can be a little boring, but working at an amusement park is a job in the entertainment industry. It’s a show.
Every time you work anywhere, you’re putting your skills on display. Sure, you might not be the best in your field, but you can certainly be the most cordial, and the most polite. You can smile, joke and laugh with the guests, and provide help to those who ask. Were I in the same situation as my young frustrated friend, I would have found a place where the group could stand where we wouldn’t have caused a problem. If that didn’t work, I would have kindly told them why I was treating them as a road hazard, or would have found a better solution altogether.
But to simply wave a little stick at me and tell me to move is not a good idea. All it does is make the guests feel like cattle, and treating people like cows is never a less-than-demeaning solution.
- Kyle
Dan In Real Life
I prefer to go into films without knowing very much about them. I helps me to judge them a little more fairly than if I had any “previous biases.”
With that in mind, I went and saw Dan in Real Life this past weekend with a friend of mine, with the only thing that I knew about it being Steve Carell’s role as the main character. I’ll tell you right now that I recommend this movie. It’s really one of the best films that I’ve seen in quite some time.
Carell plays Dan Burns, an advice columnist for a local paper, who is struggling as a single parent to raise his three daughters after the death of his wife four years ago. He and his family are on their way to the family reunion in Rhode Island, at a family cabin. It’s obvious that Dan a break from his daughters, and that his daughters need a small break for him, and so Dan’s mother (Dianne West) sends him out to get the newspapers.
At the local bookstore, Dan inadvertantly meets Marie (Juliette Binoche), and the two strike up a great conversation. It’s obvious that Dan is interested, and Marie as well, but the “date” suddenly ends as Marie gets a phone call wondering why she’s late. Dan is able to get her phone number, however, and elatedly tells about his little adventure as he arrives back at the cabin.
Dan is wordless, however, when his brother Mitch (Dane Cook) introduces his new girlfriend to everyone, and she just so happens to be Annie “Marie”, the same woman Dan had met at the bookstore! This sets the stage for some of the most interesting, hilarious, and heart-touching scenes ever filmed.
Carell is amazing. I’d seen him The Office, as well as Bruce Almighty, Anchorman, and even Evan Almighty, but I don’t think I ever fully realized his full acting scope. He has an earnest quality in him that you can just easily relate to. He’s stuck in a situation where the woman that he’s fallen for is with someone else, and that someone else just so happens to be his brother. He’s struggling to raise his daughters without a mother, all the while just striving to keep himself afloat. You just feel for him, and you want him to succeed, despite his own failings.
Binoche, as Marie, plays the part so well. She’s an easily likable character that you can easily see either of these brothers falling in love with. With the situations that they get into, its amazing how she can pull off not only the poise of a smart and sophisticated woman, but also the easy-going personality of a human being who can appreciate the absurdity of each situation. (Think about the “shower scene”, and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.)
I could go on and on about each of the characters, but the bottom line is, you have to see this movie. Your personality needs it, and your heart needs it. This is a film that will make you laugh, at least make you want to cry, and will help you to look at love in a whole new way. And who knows? Maybe you’ll know your soulmate’s identity in just three days.
- Kyle
Working On-Call
Working on-call is really interesting. Basically, you aren’t really an employee of the company, but instead you get paid for whatever time that you apply to a certain project. For example, if I spend two hours on DVD authoring, but then a half-hour on a bit of research, and then an hour on a transcription job… That’s three different projects. I get paid the same per hour to work on each, but they all require different skillsets. In addition, each requires a different project tracking number, so I have to get a signature from a different person for each one before I can turn it in to the finance department and get paid.
The good side to this is that I don’t have any set schedule. I’m welcome to take time off whenever I like, because I’m not exactly an employee. Unfortunately, this also means that I have to go looking for “projects” every day, because I only rarely have a steady stream of things to do. This becomes a little annoying, because if no one has a job for me to do, then I came all the way to work for nothing. This wouldn’t be such a big deal, but I work about an hour’s commute from my home, so I usually bus in. That means I can’t just pick up and leave when things get slow, but I just have to hang around work for the however-many-hours until the bus comes.
I’ll say right now that this is one of the best, but worse ways of working a job. There are definite benefits in not having to worry about “being on-time”, and this would be an amazing work system if I always had a steady stream of projects, but you have no idea how many days I’ve gone in thinking I’d be getting a full day of work, only to find no projects available, and therefore, wasting an entire day, and getting no money for anything.
I know that this was just something of a complaint, but I need to tell somebody. Maybe I’ll have to talk with my job, too. We’ll see.
- Kyle
Pandora Radio
For those of you who haven’t heard of this yet, it’s pretty awesome. An extension of the Music Genome Project©, Pandora Radio lives by the idea that every piece of music has a identifiable “type”, or a unique “style”. It would be best to describe it as a “Musical DNA.” Pandora radio takes songs and artists, and identifies their unique DNA, and then matches them with other music of a similar “strain.”
So what do you get? Say you want to listen to music like Mandy Moore’s, but you don’t know where to go. Hit Pandora, and create a Mandy Moore station, and bada-bing, you’ve got other songs lined up. Don’t think it matches? Vote it down, and the radio will skip it to the next one, and won’t play it again.
A friend of mine introduced me to it recently, and though I know it’s been around for some time, now, (almost 8 years), I just knew I had to pass it on. So get listening, and hit some of the best online radio on the web.
- Kyle
The Office
Last weekend, I was working on a project that took a lot of hand-work, but not a ton of head-work, and so I borrowed Seasons Two and Three of The Office from a buddy of mine. I’d seen a couple different episodes before, but my friend insisted that I watch them, and since I’m going to be working on a similar project soon, I kind of needed to “get into the mindset.” I’ll tell you right now that I haven’t laughed so hard in a really, really long time.
There’s plenty of other places where you could go to find out what the office is all about, but my personal opinion is that it is one of the most clever and well-written shows on television today. Yeah, it can be a little irreverent at times, but Steve Carell leads a cast of the most unique and interesting characters ever conceived, and the mixture is just absolutely hilarious, and extremely memorable. You won’t forget any of these people.
I think what the office really has is a staying power that really makes you just want more. Because these are characters that have depth, and aren’t just a group of random people on a sitcom, you actually start to care about them. It’s hard to fully describe, but there’s a richness to the characterization as well as the writing that really pulls you in. I found myself just watching episode after episode, because I just couldn’t get enough of it all.
From the pranks that Jim pulls on Dwight, to Michael’s overall delusiveness, and the Jim/Pam romantic tension that has just continued to pull you in in every episode, this is an excellent achievement. Sure, there were outcries from fans of the “true” BBC version, but you know what? Who cares? It’s all about making entertaining television, and I definitely commend and recommend the American version. Now, all I’ve got is one more episode and I’m on track.
- Kyle
In-N-Out Burger
I grew up in Southern California. Because of that, I’ve been eating at In-N-Out pretty much since I was born. I’ll tell you right now, that it’s about the best stuff in the whole world. For those of you who have never eaten there, I don’t think you’ll ever understand, until you finally try it.
There’s just something about the spongedough bun, never-frozen, freshly grilled beef patties, fresh-cut veggies, cheese, and sautéed onions that really makes your mouth water. (Shoot, now I’m craving another one right now.)
I think the best part is that In-N-Out knows exactly what works. They don’t have a huge, complicated menu with fifty-seven different sandwiches. There’s no chicken, no fish. This is just good old burgers that taste absolutely amazing. And because the menus are about the simplest in the world, you usually don’t have to worry about long waits, or even complicated decisions at the counter.
For me, it’s always just “Two Double-Doubles, animal style, with a lemonade.” Ah, I miss that. I miss it right now…
The most interesting thing, though, is the people who have no idea what you’re talking about when you say “In-N-Out.” They just kind of look at you strange, and when you try to explain it, they just can’t understand what’s so amazing about some burger joint. But then you say, “It’s not just a burger joint, this is In-N-Out!” And then you just get stared at.
Oh well. I’m starving now, so I’m going to go get something to munch on. Bring on the vending machine!
- Kyle
The Turn Signal
Just a little FYI right of the bat, but this is completely a rant.
Alright, was there some kind of new law passed that I’m not aware of? Where it says that using your turn signal is a completely optional act, alongside stopping at stop signs and the speed limit? I drive on the freeway every day, and every day there’s some moron who thinks that the world revolves around him, and therefore, he doesn’t need to let people know that he’s merging into your lane.
Just today, in fact, on the way to work, I was going along, stumming my fingers on my steering wheel as I was listening to Huey Lewis, and this woman in a minivan decides that she wants to get into my lane. She doesn’t check her rear-view mirror, and she doesn’t signal. She just starts to move over. I have to slam on my brakes to avoid an accident, and she doesn’t even notice that she almost ran me off the road!
But what am I supposed to do? Pull out a pistol and shoot out a tire? Yeah, that’ll be the day. But really! I mean, I can speed around her and cut her off, but what good is that going to do? She doesn’t even know what she just did!
I think there should be a minimum IQ requirement for anyone wishing to drive a vehicle. A multiple-choice driving exam, and then a common sense exam. Anyone can pass the driving exam. I’ve seen some of the worst drivers in the world brandishing a license, but they don’t watch the road, instead they’re talking on cell phones or putting on make-up, or who knows what else.
I live in this fast-paced world. I get it. There are times when you’ve got to be able to do more than one thing at a time. But every time that I get cut off, or get stuck behind a driver going fifteen under the limit, I speed around them and notice that they’re usually either talking on a phone, or eating, or doing something that’s taking their mind off of their driving.
Idiots. We live in a world of idiots, my friends. I guess we just have to learn to cope.
- Kyle
New Film in the Pipeline – The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
According to IMDB.com, the sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia is due for release in May 2008. I really liked the first film and that it was pretty good. In any case here’s the synopsis so far from the site:
“A year after their first adventure in Narnia, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are pulled back in by Susan’s magic horn. They find that hundreds of years have passed, and Narnia is now ruled by the bloodthirsty General Miraz, uncle to the true heir, Prince Caspian, now in exile. Now the children must find Caspian and help him depose Miraz…but how will they get home after it’s done?”
I liked the first book, as well as the first movie, but I never went any further with the series, so I’m hoping as much care and craft is taken to put together this new one. But usually, most Disney sequels that go to theatres are pretty good, so I’m hopeful that this is going to be a worthwhile film. We’ll see, eh? Cool stuff.
- Kyle
Online Writing Forums
I’ve written at Hatrack.com since about November 2001, which makes it just barely six years. In that time, I’ve learned more about characterization, about storytelling, about descriptions, and about writing in general than in any other writing, English, or screenwriting class I’ve ever taken, combined. I would recommend to any aspiring writer, that they find a place like this that’s active and moving, and dive into it. Some may say it’s a waste of time, but I promise you that you’ll learn quickly the difference between good writing, and what it takes, and the mediocre garbage that floats all over the bookshelves.
One of the things that online forums force you to do is to actually write. Usually these kinds of forums get you into a cetain genre or universe, ranging from fantasy or sci-fi, to even cyberpunk and just plain modern worlds. Some are extremely well evolved, the details of the universe really nailed down. Others are more open, which will allow you a little more breathing room so you can stretch your imagination a little bit. In any case, each will offer unique challenges and opportunities.
A chief problem among aspiring writers is trying to decide what to write about. Who to write about. What is the story that you want to tell? Well, these kinds of forums are a great place to practice, because you can focus exclusively on characterization and description without wondering where the story is really going. You just have to jump into a conversation by portraying a role-play.
The first thing that you need to remember, however, is that your goal is not to act out a part. You should be writing with the goal of writing a story in mind. Unless the forum is already set, I’d recommend using a third-person limited viewpoint, which is the easiest. You can describe the things around your character, you can explain her thoughts, and you can also be fairly ambiguous when it comes to describing the other characters, because they aren’t your responsibility.
In any case, that’s my recommendation. In my pages section, you can also look through the article, “Spare Me the Chatter,” which I wrote a couple years ago for the online forum, Avidgamers.com. It talks a lot about the best way to write in a writing forum, as I see it. But for other tips and tricks, I’d recommend Hatrack.com, which I see as the best place to learn from talented writers who are still willing to help out the new guy.
In any case, good luck with the writing!
- Kyle
Being Painted
Now here’s a unique conversation starter: Paint yourself completely green, and then walk through a grocery store and a restaurant, pretending that nothing’s strange. Field the weird looks that you get, and let me know what happens. This is what happened to me last week, and I’ll tell you that it was one of the most interesting experiences of my life.
Before you start thinking that I just have some strange hobbies, though, let me explain. I was hired to do a commercial for my school, because they needed some extras and I’d worked with them on a few projects before. Little did I know what I was in store for.
I arrived on set at 6:00 AM, which is way earlier than I ever even wake up, parked my car, and made my way into the site we were using. We pretty much took over one whole side of the student center. I had some fun chatting with some of the different actors and actresses that they’d hired, as well as a number of the extras that were on site. And then the call came to get painted.
This wasn’t a surprise, because they’d told us beforehand, but it was still a strange activity. They had me take my shirt off, and close my eyes as they took some acrylic paint and airbrushed it onto me. At first, I thought that this wasn’t going to take very long. In fact, they had told us that it shouldn’t. But the girl who was working on me… Well, it was her first time, and she was layering the paint on thick. And I mean thick. She went over the same spot multiple times, and my face alone took over an hour. Then she went over my arms, shoulders, and neck, making sure that every part of my skin was covered in a bright, gleaming green.
When I finally got a hold of a mirror two hours after she’d started, I realized that I was the exact same color as the Incredible Hulk™. The other painter had gone through three actors as I’d sat there, and of everyone, I was definitely the most green. I think you could have pinpointed me from the space shuttle, as a moving green speck.
The commercial went pretty well, (I can’t really discuss it until it gets broadcast this next month), but it was what happened on the way home that really made me think.
First, I had a class after my commercial, and since I didn’t have enough time to drive home and shower before it started, I just walked up and went to class green. Some laughed, some didn’t even notice, and most didn’t even ask, until one man finally couldn’t take the curiousity any longer. He asked, and I told. But the looks and the stares were just so funny to me, especially in a class that I’ve been attending for over two months now. You’d think that people would be a little more comfortable just asking, “Um, why are you all green?”
I was hungry afterwards, so I headed over to Taco Bell™ to grab something. In all honesty, I’d been green all day, and so I hadn’t really considered how weird it would be to just go in and order. I got a good number of weird looks as I walked in, stood in line, and then ordered. Though I usually get it to go, I sat down and ate right there, just to see what would happen. There were a couple people close to me who asked me why I was green, and I told them, but what cracked me up most were the workers behind the counter who couldn’t stop staring. It just made me want to laugh.
After I left, I was going to go home and wash it all off, but I was still a little curious. I needed a couple things from the grocery store, so I pulled into a nearby Albertsons™ to see what would happen. The place wasn’t too crowded, but there were still a decent number of people shopping. There was a definite “buzz” in the store, with people talking at normal level, that simply disappeared when I walked into the store. Suddenly there were a ton of whispers.
People began muttering under their breath, and I heard phrases like, “It’s not Halloween yet,” and “Why in the world…?” But no one got up the gumption to just ask me. Anyway, I took my milk, drinks, and cereal to the check-out, and finally the cashier asked me. I told her, and she smirked, but then nodded.
“I figured it was something like that,” she said. “I used to do commercials, too. People would ask me why I was wearing shorts and a tank top in the snow, or would make fun of me as I was walking to my car after the shoot. As if I didn’t know that what I was wearing was a little strange.”
I laughed, paid, and walked out, still pretending that nothing was different. I got fun waves from girls as I drove home, as well as some really weird looks from older people. The whole thing was really an interesting ride. I had a good laugh all the way until I spent two hours scrubbing the stuff off of my face.
But on a slightly more serious note, why don’t people get up the nerve? Why is it that people are so frightened by something out of the ordinary that they can’t get up the courage to ask? When you see a person walk in who’s a little “different”, be it in hairstyle, clothing, or even skin color, do you instantly look away? Or do you seek to understand?
I don’t like to go too deep into it all, but that’s just something that I’ve wondered about. Why do we shun the different? What if someone were to actually be born with skin that was tinted an unnatural color? Would we be afraid? Or would we try to befriend them? I hope that I would be understanding.
California's New Gender Law
EDITED – 8 November 2007
Because of overwhelming response and insufficient research, I’ve decided to take this post off the web-log. I didn’t start this blog to make people angry, and I’m sorry if I might have.. I’ll seek to avoid such hot topics in the future, or at least making uninformed opinions on them. (I think I’ll probably stick to just movie reviews. I don’t seem to get as much of a negative response even when others disagree. <grin>)
- Kyle
News sources:
The Actual Bill – Now a dead link. The Senate site is so complicated, that after several attempts, I’ve given up on finding it.
College Parking, and the Price of School
Here’s a scenario for you: You’re a school with over 23,000 undergraduates. Your terrain is not quite ideal for parking, and you don’t have the best parking spaces anyway. You’re already charging admission costs, and tuition, and you only provide scholarships to high school students. How can you make more money? Well, you can charge $80 for a yearly parking pass.
To me, it seems kind of ridiculous to have to pay for a parking pass for a college that I’m already paying tuition to attend. While eighty dollars for a year-long pass may not seem like a whole lot, it’s still annoying that you actually have to pay for it. Why can’t we just subsidise it into the tuition payment?
Oi. It’s just something that’s been bothering me. I mean honestly, who else is going to park at a college? Just students, right? Therefore, why do we have to have parking passes? It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Alright, now I’m out of steam. I’m done.
- Kyle
