partly cloudy

Animated short from the beginning of "Up" - which I missed because I was late to the theater. As we all expect from Pixar, the piece is ingenius and beautifully done.

oren lavie

This morning I saw that Smilupe shared Oren Lavie's video "Her Morning Elegance" in a piece about how the video had been ripped off in a commercial for a Norwegian company. I was immediately entralled by the video, which is shot in stop motion animation (which always makes things more interesting to me) and follows this woman in her bed (which sounds crazy but you have to watch it to understand.) The concept intrigued me initially because the way it is filmed is similar to Adele's "Chasing Pavements" video (which leaves me breathless every time I watch it) and I thought it might be by the same director. Lavie actually directed "Her Morning Elegance" and Matthew Cullen of Motion Theory directed "Chasing Pavements." In addition to singing and directing, Lavie is an accomplished playwright and songwriter from Tel Aviv. Read more about him here and here. Everything I've heard so far is smooth and beautifully poignant. I immediately got the album and I expect it to be on heavy rotation in the future as it's the kind of music you want to put on while you're destressing at the end of the day.

Soon she's down the stairs

Her morning elegance she wears

The sound of water makes her dream

Awoken by a cloud of steam

She pours a daydream in a cup

A spoon of sugar sweetens up

And she fights for her life

As she puts on her coat

And she fights for her life on the train

She looks at the rain

As it pours

And she fights for her life

As she goes in a store

With a thought she has caught

By a thread

She pays for the bread

And she goes...

Nobody knows

transformations

"We can never exert the influence over others which we can exert over ourselves. If we are better, if we show love, patience, and understanding of the weaknesses of others; if we seek to never criticize but rather encourage, others will do likewise….” (Shoghi Effendi: Lights of Guidance, p. 83)

"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill." - Matthew 5:21-22

Start taking steps today, however small, to transform yourself for it's through the transformed individual that our communities are able to transform. Respond to all that negativity in your life with love. You never know who's watching you and looking for positive examples of how to change their life. We have to start learning from each other's mistakes and stop waiting until tomorrow to take the first step towards a fresh start.

Rest in peace JBR.

each must believe for himself

"Each must believe for himself.

Each soul chooses for itself.

No other can choose for it; in all the world there is no authority for anyone save his own soul....

Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing:

One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it, and then it's gone. But to surrender what you are, and live without belief--that's more terrible than dying--more terrible than dying young."

--the character of Joan of Arc in the 1946 play "Joan of Lorraine" written by Maxwell Anderson

We had a rainy day, I'm in a snake back situation.

Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information + lyrics (because they are NOT clear)


Be my best friend and find me that on an LP.

I'm not really sure what to think of the fact that traffic here has stayed pretty much constant despite my neglect of The Thirteenth Floor. Not surprisingly high, but consistent nonetheless. Either I'm doing something right or I'm not doing anything at all, I suppose.

I said I wouldn't talk if I didn't have anything to say. I'm not necessarily here to vent, to talk about daily life, to reflect on the injustices in everyday occurrences, I have journals for that and privacy concerns about that. I'm not here to bootleg music, to ridicule others, or to gossip about people I probably will never meet. I'm not interested in building up a huge internet following nor do I have a fantastic agenda for publishing a really insightful blog. What am I here for then? I guess I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. Maybe when I have something that I believe to be worthwhile to say it'll hit a few more people than if I just tell a couple of close friends. Maybe I'll write something that the person who happened to stumble over here from a mistyped Google search will read and have it hit home. Maybe in sharing a piece of myself those who know me in "real life" will read something that makes them realize I'm just like them or not like them at all and it will incite some necessary (for either party) conversation. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. I really want to get a Tumblr and just post up quotes and stray comments and pictures that happen to move me - but at the point that I'm combining Twitter and Blogger when I already have both, I'm pretty sure I'm just getting lazy and contributing nothing to this pseudo Internet society. Meh.

Soooo it's about 1:30 AM - an hour or two before my usual bedtime. I've studied literally from dawn to dusk this week and I've had my fill. The things that happen physiologically after being in the libraries so many hours in a week are really strange. Emotions are a lot more variable, you lose sight of what's an appropriate reaction, your eating habits get downright questionable, and you start operating on what feels like the margin of The Matrix. I love it. I've had more meaningful, prolonged conversations with people I rarely get the chance to see this week. While I've missed a week of cramming for dance shows, I have met a ton of other obligations and accomplished a lot academically. I have seen how campus is different at 8 AM from 4 AM - it involves multiple raccoons - and taken the time to sit for a minute and enjoy the moment. I'm especially reflective because the finish line is in view - this game of higher education is winding up in May and I'm starting an entirely new chapter of life. The road has been anything but easy and now I stand in a place where I wonder if my adolescent self would even recognize who I am today. "I've seen fire, and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end." (c) James Taylor. I've carefully, painfully, sometimes impatiently refined a self and a faith that will have to see me through. I've lived days where I didn't think it was possible to be more alive and I've lived other days where I felt more intensely than words can express that, were it not for my faith, I would not be standing. I've seen absolute evil and beautiful grace and sacrifice. Endured the worst times of my life right next to the best. Kissed headstones of those dearest to me and welcomed a whole slew of lifelong friends. Confirmed every young person's fears that I don't always fit in, and realized that I wouldn't ever want to. Learned the hard way that if you don't stand for something, you absolutely are destined to fall for anything - only to bounce back knowing that "nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent" (c) Eleanor Roosevelt. I'm not sure what tomorrow will look like, much less the rest of my life - but it's through the insane amount of perseverance ( in addition to a whole lot of blessings, perhaps some luck, and a support team you can count on) that it takes to make it through college and young adulthood on nights like tonight that I know I'm living for a purpose, that this thing is bigger than me and you, that if I can just rise above for one more day I might get another moment of clarity. I guess I did have something to say. Thank you, and good night.

mr hudson and the library

Mr. Hudson's blog

What caught my ear:
Mr.Hudson and the Library- "Too Late, Too Late"

What kept me listening:

Mr Hudson & The Library - Bread + Roses: Video

Where I heard them:
The Couch Sessions
Click on the link to see Mr. Hudson's involvement with 808's and Blueprint 3

From Wikipedia:
Mr Hudson & The Library are a band based in London, whose members hail from both that city and Birmingham. This duality was the inspiration for the title of their debut album A Tale of Two Cities, which was released on 5 March 2007.^[1] They are signed to music producer Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label & Mercury Records.

Oooh I know I'm slipping perilously on my blogging dear ones. I would love to take the time to tell you my thoughts on Romans 12, on Mardi Gras in New Orleans, on the failures of our public education system when it comes to disadvantaged populations and special education, on the importance of honesty, and our current economic woes. Unfortunately, while I'm living the life some consider a myth, I don't have a lot of time. If I sit down I feel like I should be doing something else. I update my Twitter regularly though: see sidebar. Other than that, I'm listening. I'll come back when I have something to say... and the time to say it.

worldle visualization

Sir Smilupe showed me this application called "Wordle" that translates your text or blog or random website into a "beautiful word cloud." How appropriate that the biggest word is "listen" on mine. Just a'tuning my ear. Despite my lack of posting, I think it's a cool selection of words.