Some things in life just make you smile, no matter what. This is why I love Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K. is an epic rock singer/songwriter. A little offbeat, a little in his own world, but talented and awesome because of it. He writes the perfect songs. Instead of all the pathetic pop metaphors ('your body is a wonderland' - who actually says that in real life?), the angst-ridden alternative lyrics, and the I'm-crying-inside-because-I-can't-have-you emo messages, Andrew W.K. tells it like it is. 'She is beautiful.' It's simple, it's sincere, it's everything a girl wants to hear. It's how he feels, and guess what? It's what you hear. To me, that means more than any other flowery poem you could compose. And best of all, instead of being set to some melodramatic tune, the song itself makes you feel like the words do. They amp you up, they make you feel good, and you can't help but grin, no matter what. Finally, a great song whose lyrics and tune match the actual feeling that accompanies them. They make you wanna get up, air guitar, and grin like a maniac no matter what anyone thinks.
'She is beautiful' is a party song. Actually, most of his songs are party songs. Andrew W.K. is a party guy. Not a let's-get-wasted-because-I'm-a-rockstar party guy, but a plain simple, partying-is-fun-so-let's-rock-out kind of party guy. His songs make you feel good, bring up your mood, and make you feel like you can do everything and anything. Andrew W.K. doesn't write songs, he writes anthems.
I love you, Andrew W.K.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Analogizing (Not A Word).
When I feel bad, I write. Today is a setback. So I write.
I also like to make analogies to help me better understand things, and to better communicate how I feel. So I analogize (not a word).
Bad feelings (sadness, hurt, anger) are like zits.
No one likes them. They're unpleasant. In fact, I can't think of a single person who would willingly experience them. They come and go without the slightest reason or logic, and you have little control over them. You can try as many preventative steps as possible, you can do your best to make sure they don't plague you, and sometimes the preventative treatments work. But sometimes, no matter how much you tried to keep them at bay, they come whether you like it or not, at any time whether you like it or not. They are a fact of life, unavoidable, and something almost everyone has to deal with. Sure, there are those lucky ones who will hardly be touched by the unpleasantness, but at some point, everyone will have to deal with them on some scale.
So they're unpleasant, they're inevitable, and uncontrollable for the most part. But that's not all.
No one deals with them in the same way, or under the same circumstances. They can lie under the surface for some; there's no control, that's just how they affect that person. No one can tell, but the person experiencing them sure can. They keep it to themselves, deal with it or ignore it as best possible. Other people, however, no matter what they do, wear them right there in the middle of their face, bright as the sun, for anyone to see. They can try and hide them, but even under the best camouflage they're still there and everyone knows it. Most will avoid discussing it with the afflicted person; after all, it is an unpleasant topic, sensitive, and no one really knows how to deal with it. So for the good of all involved, no one talks about it.
Some go away quickly; some linger; some leave scars.
Bad feelings are like zits. And they both suck.
I also like to make analogies to help me better understand things, and to better communicate how I feel. So I analogize (not a word).
Bad feelings (sadness, hurt, anger) are like zits.
No one likes them. They're unpleasant. In fact, I can't think of a single person who would willingly experience them. They come and go without the slightest reason or logic, and you have little control over them. You can try as many preventative steps as possible, you can do your best to make sure they don't plague you, and sometimes the preventative treatments work. But sometimes, no matter how much you tried to keep them at bay, they come whether you like it or not, at any time whether you like it or not. They are a fact of life, unavoidable, and something almost everyone has to deal with. Sure, there are those lucky ones who will hardly be touched by the unpleasantness, but at some point, everyone will have to deal with them on some scale.
So they're unpleasant, they're inevitable, and uncontrollable for the most part. But that's not all.
No one deals with them in the same way, or under the same circumstances. They can lie under the surface for some; there's no control, that's just how they affect that person. No one can tell, but the person experiencing them sure can. They keep it to themselves, deal with it or ignore it as best possible. Other people, however, no matter what they do, wear them right there in the middle of their face, bright as the sun, for anyone to see. They can try and hide them, but even under the best camouflage they're still there and everyone knows it. Most will avoid discussing it with the afflicted person; after all, it is an unpleasant topic, sensitive, and no one really knows how to deal with it. So for the good of all involved, no one talks about it.
Some go away quickly; some linger; some leave scars.
Bad feelings are like zits. And they both suck.
Check, Check...Is This Thing On?
Technology is killing me.
Don't get me wrong, computers are great, I couldn't live without the Internet, but technology - specifically cell phones - has burrowed its way into my life and made me dependent.
I can't go twenty minutes without checking my phone for a new message, checking facebook from my phone, or checking my email from my phone. And there's no reason for it. Every time I light up that little screen and see nothing new, I become a little sad for a moment. What am I waiting for? I'm not expecting anyone to call, text or message me, so why the obsessive check? I torture myself with it. I know that the way things are right now, everyone needs everything NOW. Instant. Can't wait, no patience. And I'm a product of the times. I'm waiting for something, some message that isn't coming, and I'm trying to control my growing impatience. All for nothing, because it is all pointless. People used to be able to wait. Not so anymore.
As much as I am dependent on checking for constant updates, constant messages, something, anything new, I know I can't stop. I can't say, I hate being reliant on my phone and so won't cave. I couldn't live without it if I tried. There are times, however, when I hate having a phone. Last night at work, I forgot my phone at home. And so for five blissful hours, I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. I didn't have to compulsively check to see if anyone thought me important enought to message.
Phone, I love you, but I don't have to like you.
Don't get me wrong, computers are great, I couldn't live without the Internet, but technology - specifically cell phones - has burrowed its way into my life and made me dependent.
I can't go twenty minutes without checking my phone for a new message, checking facebook from my phone, or checking my email from my phone. And there's no reason for it. Every time I light up that little screen and see nothing new, I become a little sad for a moment. What am I waiting for? I'm not expecting anyone to call, text or message me, so why the obsessive check? I torture myself with it. I know that the way things are right now, everyone needs everything NOW. Instant. Can't wait, no patience. And I'm a product of the times. I'm waiting for something, some message that isn't coming, and I'm trying to control my growing impatience. All for nothing, because it is all pointless. People used to be able to wait. Not so anymore.
As much as I am dependent on checking for constant updates, constant messages, something, anything new, I know I can't stop. I can't say, I hate being reliant on my phone and so won't cave. I couldn't live without it if I tried. There are times, however, when I hate having a phone. Last night at work, I forgot my phone at home. And so for five blissful hours, I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. I didn't have to compulsively check to see if anyone thought me important enought to message.
Phone, I love you, but I don't have to like you.
Monday, November 16, 2009
I Heard It On The Radio
I've always found radio ads tricky. They're short, imaginative and should be easy to write. But unless that Big Idea hits you, you could staring at a very bad radio ad. So when I write them, I find I have some good, some bad - it's all up to chance and my creativity that day.
My opinions changed today, however. We had to mark the first year students' radio ads. And what a time warp! Looking back, I can see the improvements I've made along the way, and the stuff I learned that I didn't even know I learned. I was not looking forward to marking these, considering my love/hate relationship with radio ads. But all in all, I found I learned a lot about what I had learned over the past year.
This exercise made me appreciate everything I've learned so far, and makes me proud when I read a good ad from a first year. Trust me, there were some bad, baaad, ads; but there were some good ones too. You can see the people who just get it and those who just didn't.
It was nice to take a step back and look at ad creative from a different perspective. When you're writing, you can get too involved in the ad. It was a nice reminder to just take a step back and look at what you're writing, and realize that even if you think you're in the same place you were a year ago, you've really gone so much farther than you thought.
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