Protected: Random Thought Of The Day: Dirty Ass
Enter your password to view comments.
Random Thought Of The Day: Internet Salute! I Write Music, Give Me A Cookie!
Sometimes, I think some rather random things. I don’t know if they are worth sharing or appropriate (well, the answer is probably a resounding “NO” on both counts there, actually), but, now they’re out there. And you can’t unread them. You’re welcome.
Hi Internet! I wrote a song ten years ago. It’s called Hot Fire. Now that I’m older and not really concerned with impressing you, you can listen to it.
Here you go:
Till next time,
-Namakemono no Jon
Random Thought Of The Day: I Wrote You A Song, Internet
Sometimes, I think some rather random things. I don’t know if they are worth sharing or appropriate (well, the answer is probably a resounding “NO” on both counts there, actually), but, now they’re out there. And you can’t unread them. You’re welcome.
Hi Internet! So, last night after a brutal lifting session, I came back to my apartment ready to pass out. Instead I said, “Screw it, I’m gonna write a song just for the internet, because, science.” And so I did. A little rough around the edges but hey, it works. It’s very dope. You might even learn something new from it!
P.S.: In case you might happen to wonder what the song is about, look below.
So enjoy, internet – this one is for you. Or don’t, whatever. You’re already here though so you might as well catch all this ear candy (That does not include the vocals, btw, just letting you know this right here is a limited guarantee)!
Actually, you know what, just listen to the one on the bottom if you can’t stand my voice. What can I say, I’m an instrumentalist, not a vocalist. Plus I just took twelve hours (entertaining myself) to entertain you!
-Namakemono
Random Thought Of The Day: Pulp Fiction – What’s In The Briefcase
Sometimes, I think some rather random things. I don’t know if they are worth sharing or appropriate (well, the answer is probably a resounding “NO” on both counts there, actually), but, now they’re out there. And you can’t unread them. You’re welcome.
For anyone who has ever seen what is arguably Quentin Tarantino’s best film to date, Pulp Fiction, one question above all remains poised above their heads. No, I’m not talking about the fate of Butch or whatever becomes of Jules, interesting as those particulars may be. You know damn well I am talking about the briefcase.
I’ll keep this fairly short, but I set about thinking of what exactly could be so incredibly important to someone of Marsellus Wallace’s stature and arrived at some conclusions. Given that Wallace is a mob boss, it might seem that the case would be filled with cash – perhaps a payment due him. However if that were so, it wouldn’t be particularly critical that the audience be kept in suspense as to the case’s contents. Likewise, if it were some other asset with a monetary value (e.g. diamonds, jewlery, stock/bond certificates, etc.) it would actually be a disservice to the characterization of Wallace that the briefcase’s contents are not shared with the audience. With the case containing some type of liquid asset, it would be abundantly clear that Wallace was a man about his money with no exception. So NO, the briefcase does not hold money, jewelry, or anything with a typical monetary value, because if it did we would know.
Other theories posit the contents of the briefcase as Marsellus Wallace’s soul or an embodiment of violence itself. Interesting, but, NO. There is nothing mystical or magical inside the briefcase, and we aren’t here to dissect the film from an abstract standpoint.
“So what the f-*BEEP*-k is it?!?!?!?”
Is what you’re probably shouting at me, with your big wonderful brain all the way across the interwebs over there.
The answer is simpler than you would think.
The briefcase in Pulp Fiction belonging to Marsellus Wallace contains a passport kit. Think about that.
What I mean by passport kit is one or more passports legally (but shadily) obtained in Wallace’ name, that would grant him unconditional citizenship and access to a number of countries/territories outside of the good old U.S. of A. As well as perhaps some (sufficient but ultimately insignificant) amount of currency to match each passport, and any other legal documents he may require to establish himself as a legitimate citizen of another nation. Like I said, think about it.
On the surface this wouldn’t exactly seem like anything all that special; however, for people like Marsellus Wallace money isn’t an end but rather a means to an end. His true goal would be freedom, power and access to resources, in exponentially greater amounts. While Wallace is a powerful underground figure in L.A. and his influence likely reaches some distance beyond the city, he’s ultimately a zakko; a small fry. Greater access to resources and freedom of movement would allow him to transcend his current status level and become a more powerful figure on a larger stage.
I could continue to break this whole idea down further, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that if Marsellus Wallace is half as sharp as he ought to be, greater access in an increasingly global world would be his priority in order to transcend his status as an L.A. crime boss and become a global shadow figure.
Ok, I’m tired of explaining, you go on and tease out the rest of it on your own. Go on, I trust you, you got this. Remember, this was only a random thought, stop acting like I’m supposed to lay it all out nice and clean every damn time. I write what I want. Eat it.
-Namakemono
Random Thought Of The Day: What’s The Point Of It All?
Sometimes, I think some rather random things. I don’t know if they are worth sharing or appropriate (well, the answer is probably a resounding “NO” on both counts there, actually), but, now they’re out there. And you can’t unread them. You’re welcome.
There are times when the deepest pocket of the furthest corner of the darkest hole in the thick of the belly of the middle of nowhere is just not far-gone enough.
So what then? Call the whole thing off, so to speak? After all, distance and disconnect mean nothing to a dead man.
No, one can never call death a true victory. There is no pleasure in death. No relief. No peace. There is only a never-ending nothing, a void bereft of absolution, and death is absolutely irrelevant if one desires only this.
There are still pleasures to be had, even in this all-too-imperfect pocket. The smell of a long blade of grass snapped in two; the perfect feeling of the sun on your face in that split second before the warmth becomes overwhelming; that slight chill that runs through your body as a pressure shift precedes a storm.
The pain that develops in your ears from sound waves too loud to ever be safe. The dull, persistent stinging in your eyes that comes from staring at everything which captivates you. The stupor induced by a sleep that has ended far too soon.
Et al.
Live for these. Seek them out, and allow them to wrap a smile onto your face. It will eventually become your default mode of expression.
When the deepest pocket of the furthest corner of the darkest hole in the thick of the belly of the middle of nowhere is simply not far-gone enough, stop running. And when you do, try to understand this one simple fact:
Your life is the extremely unlikely yet fortunate result of several coincidences coalescing. The very insignificance of your life itself is its significance. Every part of you could just as soon be space dust. Relish the fact that for a brief moment of time, instead of space dust, you happened.
-Namakemono
Random Thought Of The Day: Mute Spittah
Sometimes, I think some rather random things. I don’t know if they are worth sharing or appropriate (well, the answer is probably a resounding “NO” on both counts there, actually), but, now they’re out there. And you can’t unread them. You’re welcome.
This guy is so dope, he doesn’t even need to drop a single word to blow it up. Need I say more? (Get it???? :D)
Six Minutes: The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake
The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, as well as the subsequent meltdown debacle are events that I am lucky enough to have experienced first-hand, yet walk away from. I am obviously grateful for this, yet at the same time filled with sadness over those less fortunate than I, who were literally in the wrong places at the wrong time. I will never forget my experience on that day in March 2011.
I still remember it like it was yesterday. I had just left school after a long day of that particular brand of play-teaching one employs on 小学校 days, but by all accounts it was still a (brisk) beautiful day. After a quick zip down my favorite mountain back roads in my Subie, I stopped in at my office to check in and round off the day before following through on plans to hop on my motorcycle for a quick spin. Right as I began a fluffy conversation with the only other two folks in my department, things began to shake. This wasn’t particularly nerve-wracking; I’d experienced quakes before but always held them in this contemptuous light, openly mocking them on a regular basis. As the conversation shakily continued, the large overhanging 教育委員会 sign swung furiously, with no sign of letting up.
Normally, within a minute of starting up, things tended to settle down and people brushed themselves off, picked up the few things that may have fallen, and resumed their daily routines. On March 11, however, it was clear that this earthquake was only getting started. The old town hall building was sturdy, but soon the slight jiggle underneath my feet and the furious shaking of the signs merged together, and the entire building began lurching precariously. Two and a half minutes in and everyone knew that this was NOT a “normal” earthquake. The old ladies of the tea ceremony club and various office staff began gathering in the lobby of the building, unsure of what to do or where to go, but finding comfort amongst numerous others who felt the same sense of unsurety. When I could feel the heaviness of the floors above in my feet, I knew it was time to go outside to an open area immediately, if for nothing more than my own peace of mind.
Outside I watched the parking lot turn into Jell-O, as it wobbled like it had been plucked, along with the cars, trees, and street lamps attached to it. This point was the first time I had ever given any real consideration to the fact that I could possibly die on this escapist island paradise of mine. Noticing that no one had followed me out of the jiggling building, I resigned to see the rest of the situation through with my co-workers inside. After what seemed like an eternity, during which I was all but convinced that the old building we occupied would collapse around us, the shaking and rumbling subsided. After six minutes of uncertainty, things went back to normal. Or so it seemed. We all expressed our relief at the experience drawing to a close, and I went home for the day.
For me, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake was a somber lesson not to trivialize or treat danger as a novelty, as well as another reminder that life is precious. Although I was shaken up, after those six minutes had passed, I was able to go home. I honestly didn’t realize that so many folks weren’t going to make it home, go to bed, and sleep off a bad day. Six minutes changed everything for them. The next morning, I woke up to the news of the tsunami and its devastation, and the developing crisis at 福島第一 , and only then did it strike me that the prior day’s rumbling was simply the tip of an iceberg that would change things for years to come.
Six minutes on March 11, 2011. How did you spend them?
-Namakemono
Random Thought Of The Day: You’re So Smooth
Sometimes, I think some rather random things. I don’t know if they are worth sharing or appropriate (well, the answer is probably a resounding “NO” on both counts there, actually), but, now they’re out there. And you can’t unread them. You’re welcome.
That witty banter you have in your head mid-dream, which makes zero sense under a bit of light scrutiny after waking up.
-Namakemono
Random Thought Of The Day: Keeping Secrets
Sometimes, I think some rather random things. I don’t know if they are worth sharing or appropriate (well, the answer is probably a resounding “NO” on both counts there, actually), but, now they’re out there. And you can’t unread them. You’re welcome.
A secret is a rather interesting thing when you think about it. In the simplest terms, a secret is a truth that is hidden. We all, knowingly or not, possess several that we carry around with us as we go about our daily drivel, and in many cases approach them ambivalently. “This won’t hurt anybody,” “Our little secret,” “Let’s keep this between us,” “It’s just a little white lie,” “It’s probably better not to tell;” however you like to dress it up, a secret can come in many forms.
As I sat here passing yet another sleepless night, a thought occurred to me, and shortly after it bubbled into existence, I realized I wasn’t going to share it with anyone else, which left a stinging little hole somewhere in my ego that could be glossed over, but never truly filled. Honestly, it was an insignificant thought that passed through my head as I watched Bernie Mac doing his thing on Netflix. As much as I wanted to share this in fact quite trivial (in the grand scheme) thought with anyone, the reality of doing so presented too much of an inconvenience to the carefully maintained facade that I present to the world. Which lately has become fraught with cracks.
This snowball of contemplation continued onto its next thought, which fortunately for you, I can share. I’ve understood since childhood that “freedom” is money (not in and of itself, but as a tool), which grants its possessors influence, which in turn grants its possessors power (which is really just the ability to act unencumbered by the consequences of taking any given action). Yet this is not the only type of freedom; beyond freedom from the innate social contract which all human societies abide, there is also intellectual freedom. And while social freedom may lay beyond the reach of most of us, intellectual freedom can be earned by anyone with a strong enough desire to know the truth.
Part of this means being honest with oneself; like I said earlier, we all possess secrets, and because the thought of facing the truth can be too much to bear, we often hide from it in fear of the damage it could do to our unguarded egos. In reality, however, any damage that is to occur will, whether or not we acknowledge it. Yet a grand step towards intellectual freedom is taken once we can acknowledge, just to ourselves, that objective thing which we know to be true, ugly or no. Furthermore, in doing so, we gain the power to repair that damage and become stronger from it. Even if you never admit to another soul that you have some unflattering fault, by admitting it to yourself, you can work on that shortcoming instead of allowing it to fester. As Shakespeare famously wrote, “To thine own self be true.”
But just as this quote from Hamlet continues on, so too does the concept of intellectual freedom. Going back to the thought I had which prompted this entire reflection, we can distill this second aspect of intellectual freedom: the elimination of secrets entirely; removing the mask which we all take care to adorn before others. After I realized I would never share my thought with anyone, even though I wanted to, it became clear that I am unnecessarily burdening myself with a weight that is stifling my growth. To be unencumbered by the truth of a matter and its sharing is a great boon to the acquisition of knowledge and maturity. It may in fact be cowardly to avoid sharing one’s true opinion simply to defend anything so frail as as that mask. In any case, the sense of peace that comes from placing confidence in one’s own positions is another step towards intellectual freedom because it allows us to glean insights in a more objective fashion. If I wasn’t so turned off by the self-imposed consequences of sharing my thought, I would be able to learn more about that particular thought in general, and learn more about myself as a person.
So then, the ultimate goal is to find the strength to allow my shortcomings to face scrutiny from others, knowing that it will allow me to become a better person, instead of fearing the consequences of actions long since past and allowing them to dictate the path I tread in life. Which is so much easier said than done. But I will grow towards this, because I must.
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man”
-Namakemono
Random Thought Of The Day: Blindly Blogging
Sometimes, I think some rather random things. I don’t know if they are worth sharing or appropriate (well, the answer is probably a resounding “NO” on both counts there, actually), but, now they’re out there. And you can’t unread them. You’re welcome.
So…if a blogger blogs and nobody reads it, did (s)he really blog at all?
No. They failed at life, and should get a real job, and stop wasting their time and the interwebz, because other people could be using all that wasted interweb. Jerk.
-Namakemono
Namakemono no Manifesto 