Fashion as Art

This is geisha. Translated as literally as possible, geisha means "performing artist." They are not prostitutes, contrary to popular Western belief. And to us, they look absolutely ridiculous. HOWEVER, this is quite common in Japan and we would probably look funny to a geisha. Because of their profession (which is basically and type of performance that's not prostitution), they seek to dress extravagantly for maximum entertainment. In fact, this is expected of them, especially in the young training geisha. They wear traditional white face makeup (A LOT) on special occasions, as well as these dresses called kimonos. Kimonos can be up to 15 layers thick (whoa) and are generally made of a silk-ish material to make the geisha look shiny and.. slick. (Pictures of these dresses are easily found on google images. Just be careful what exactly you search for) Training geisha have additional heavy attachments to the dresses and "pocket sleeves" which really only serve to get in the way. Kimonos can take years to complete, and the style of them depends on the current season being experienced. Prestigious geisha have storehouses of hoarded kimonos (reminds me of my girlfriend's purse collection), and are rated in the geisha heierarchy on a scale from poor to awesome based on how often each kimono is worn. If a geisha wears a kimono only once, it shows that she can afford to do so and has high economic placement in society.

Sweet. Check it out. It's.. sort of interesting.

Poetry Slam

This is something I thought about writing a while ago, and this prompted me to give it a shot.

---------------------------

Where to go?
Wandering through a forest alone.
I sit and watch the lake be still and hope for the hint of a ghost.
The wind mocks me with your smell. Collapses into pressure upon the water.
The Earth is thirsty and I cannot sleep.
So where to go?
The forest suddenly becomes treeless. Lost souls cry out and moan.
"They are looking for homes," explains an angel beside me.
"And where will they go? Does God even know?"

"And what about me?"

I see your face on the moon as the rain begins.
You smile at me as the ground cracks and I descend.
The reaper leaves my side, and he takes to the sky.
"At least it will all be reborn again."

--------------------------------------

It's about a dream I haven't had.

Dance

Moshing. Don't hate.



Listen to me before you hate. Moshing is not hostile. It's a form of ridiculous self-expression and indulgence in the music being played. The object, contrary to popular belief, is not to hurt anyone or be hurt. In fact, when people enter a mosh pit swinging their fists around, they are immediately handled by the surrounding members of said mosh pit.

Mosh Pit: Noun: The spontaneous dance floor created in front of a stage when people mosh.
Moshing: Noun: Brit slang a style of energetic sinuous dancing done in a crowded space especially to heavy metal or thrash music and usually done in a moshpit, the area in front of the stage at a gig.

It's scary. Yeah. Definitely, because you can get hurt if you're a moshing n00b (hahaha), but ultimately it is a form of self-expression, and it's really, really fun. REALLY fun. Look up some other videos on youtube if you'd like to learn more. You might find some really entertaining ones.

I love this piece of architecture

This is a covered bridge from a very small public park called "Poole's Mill" within a mile of my house back home. I've been coming here since I was basically born. The bridge itself, while having to have been restructured a few times, has stood strong the entire time. Many come here to relax, fish, have picnics and camp. I personally come to Poole's Mill to hang out with friends and play in the water like a small child. Yesterday, three friends and I had a sort of accidentally extended adventure down the river to a place we had not been before. I almost went over a waterfall. Oops. Some of my fondest memories, though, from childhood and recent times took place here. And they will continue being made I'm sure. This bridge is covered with graffiti from the last 30 years and is incapable of handling vehicle weight. It's run down and tired. But it stands for an excellent place that I've been spending time my entire life. And it's one of my favorite pieces of architecture and, because of its vast history, certainly one of my favorite structures.

My right brain, my left brain

I guess I would categorize myself as a mixed thinker. My major is IT, which, next to business, is one of the most right brain majors one can have. My minor, however, is music tech. I would love more than anything to record and play music for a living one day.

Left Brain:
I think logically. I count the steps I take and end a staircase with my left foot. I view situations, arguments and nearly everything that crosses my path like an equation. Example: "Here is what has happened. Here is the solution. There is no sense in talking emotion and feelings when we have the numbers in front of us." Without a doubt, this is both a good and bad habit. Throughout life, it has caused me to be a fairly intelligent person in the fields of math and science, but has caused me to perhaps fail at understanding human motivation. I have friends like this as well, and we know that it can be our savior or downfall, depending on the events at hand.

Right Brain:
The way that I express myself personally, however, is absolutely creative. I spend every shred of free time I can find writing and playing music, writing in general (meaning words. In English), drawing all over anything I can find (badly, but nonetheless), or talking philosophy, religion, Creationism vs. Darwinism, and purpose with my counterparts. Ask anyone who knows me what I love. They will answer music. Right now, I spend my free time writing and playing music (mostly metal with a hint of blues) with a few exceptionally talented musicians from our very school. The band is young and yet nameless. However, when we do find a name and begin to feel comfortable enough in our material to start playing shows, you're absolutely right it's going on my blog. And you better all come.

I use both, as we all do at times, I suppose. I use both heavily. And hopefully, through this, it makes me a more, cliche as it may be, complete person. Gross, I know. I hate that phrase. But it stands anyway.

This music video is a work of art

I've been listening to Sigur Ros for six or seven years. That's a guesstimation, but it's certainly been for longer than they've been well known. They are an Icelandic band that just about anyone can enjoy listening to. This song is called Hoppipolla, which literally translates in English to "Hopping in puddles." Watch the video and see why. It illustrates the childlike qualities in every person on the planet in a visual way. And it's a fairly moving video, if you're open to interpretation. Enjoy.

Art on Youtube (2)

And then, check THIS out!