I'll never be able to see something exactly how someone else sees it. I'll never be able to fully comprehend another person's perspective. That's just how it is. I'm me. You're you. We live in different worlds and they may overlap in some ways but they cannot be the same world unless we are the same person. Which we aren't.
Films, however, can establish a temporary perspective that verges on seeing through another person's eyes. This accomplishment by films--even by some that are terrible--gives me a high regard for the medium; I believe filmmaking is the greatest of all arts.
Tonight I saw Coraline, an enchanting film by Henry Selick, the madman responsible for A Nightmare Before Christmas. The film was excellent and the viewing with special 3D glasses made the illusion of altered perspective more successful than most other films.
Good films, like good lovers, are seductive because they draw you in. They make you forget about everything else for a while by temporarily changing your perspective. I suppose, living like I do (in a cave), I often substitute films for the company of women. Everyone wants to be seduced. Everyone wants to forget who he/she is for a while. Unfortunately, a film only lasts a couple hours and I'm quickly thrown back into my reality: Lonely. Uncertain. Drifting.
Oh. And about the first thing I said...Someday some genius will invent that SQUID device from Strange Days and then I'll be wrong since that fucker taps into your cerebral cortex and you can experience another person's reality via ALL of your senses. Since our senses link us to the physical world, you'd literally feel like you were in the shoes of another human being. So what's left to differentiate realities then? Our souls?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Let Go
I'm a perfectionist. Some people would say I'm "anal retentive". This may have been true ten years ago, but now "anal" would refer more to my fetish than my personality.
I like to be precise. I like to be correct. Which means I also like to know when I am wrong (so that I can come correct). I like it when other people have their shit together so they don't waste my time. I don't think there's anything wrong with this. But it can be taken too far. As a child and young adult I was fairly uptight in general. Not good. I was stressed out too often, a replicant heading for early "retirement".
Now I'm just uptight about certain things. Like the condition grading accuracy of vinyl records I buy from online sellers. For example, a lot of sellers automatically grade new records as 'mint' but they really aren't. In fact, most new records are not 'mint'. Sleeve scuffs? Not 'mint', jackass. Played in-store? Definitely not 'mint', fucker. Probably not even 'near mint'.
Either :
* Take the time to look at your records under a GOOD light at various angles. Even your "new" records. Test the record's playing condition if any wear is visible.
OR
* If you don't want to take the time to grade your records accurately, then don't act like a fucking saint when I or any other buyer asks for a partial or full refund. If you want to save time/money upfront, then be prepared to pay for it later. No one is perfect. (Especially not me.) And vinyl is an extremely imperfect media. Acknowledge this and take some accountability. Be a professional. Don't be a dicksqueeze.
Of course, there are very few sellers who can always meet my expectations. So I have lowered my expectations. In fact, buying vinyl records has taught me to just let some things slide. How many times am I going to allow myself to get upset about a brand new record that has a bit too much surface noise or is slightly warped and doesn't grip the slipmat as well as I'd like it to before these worries send me over the edge permanently? Fuck that.
I want to let go. I'll never let go of it all. But I can always try.
Who wants to hold onto shit?
That doesn't feel good.
"Retentive" my ass.
I like to be precise. I like to be correct. Which means I also like to know when I am wrong (so that I can come correct). I like it when other people have their shit together so they don't waste my time. I don't think there's anything wrong with this. But it can be taken too far. As a child and young adult I was fairly uptight in general. Not good. I was stressed out too often, a replicant heading for early "retirement".
Now I'm just uptight about certain things. Like the condition grading accuracy of vinyl records I buy from online sellers. For example, a lot of sellers automatically grade new records as 'mint' but they really aren't. In fact, most new records are not 'mint'. Sleeve scuffs? Not 'mint', jackass. Played in-store? Definitely not 'mint', fucker. Probably not even 'near mint'.
Either :
* Take the time to look at your records under a GOOD light at various angles. Even your "new" records. Test the record's playing condition if any wear is visible.
OR
* If you don't want to take the time to grade your records accurately, then don't act like a fucking saint when I or any other buyer asks for a partial or full refund. If you want to save time/money upfront, then be prepared to pay for it later. No one is perfect. (Especially not me.) And vinyl is an extremely imperfect media. Acknowledge this and take some accountability. Be a professional. Don't be a dicksqueeze.
Of course, there are very few sellers who can always meet my expectations. So I have lowered my expectations. In fact, buying vinyl records has taught me to just let some things slide. How many times am I going to allow myself to get upset about a brand new record that has a bit too much surface noise or is slightly warped and doesn't grip the slipmat as well as I'd like it to before these worries send me over the edge permanently? Fuck that.
I want to let go. I'll never let go of it all. But I can always try.
Who wants to hold onto shit?
That doesn't feel good.
"Retentive" my ass.
Monday, November 24, 2008
ANNOYING AND WORTH TAKING A COUPLE MINUTES TO SHARE WITH THE GROUP
On 11/24/08, 04:35AM, tamara1001s wrote:
Hello, Am using this opportunity to purchased item from you but i have a freight shipping company that will come for the pickup of the item by answer my question below: Q 1: How long you have been owned the item you are willing to sell for me Q 2: Hope the item still available for sale with good condition state . Q 3: What is the final asking price you are willing to sell the item for me Q 4: Let me have attach of the picture of the item you want to sell for me Q 5: Do you able to accept cashier check or Personal check as a mode of the payment. Q 6: Will you be available when the shipping company will Be coming for the pickup? Q 7: Can we trust you on this transaction? Q 8: Can you send me your full contact information such as: Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Country: Regards.
sent to tamara1001s on 24-Nov-08 03:42 PM
GO FUCK YOURSELF, YOU STUPID, SCAMMING WHORE.
DISCOGS SELLERS DO NOT TOLERATE THIS KIND OF CONDUCT.
GO BACK TO FOOLING IDIOT EBAY SELLERS.
LOVE,
YOUR LORD AND MASTER
Hello, Am using this opportunity to purchased item from you but i have a freight shipping company that will come for the pickup of the item by answer my question below: Q 1: How long you have been owned the item you are willing to sell for me Q 2: Hope the item still available for sale with good condition state . Q 3: What is the final asking price you are willing to sell the item for me Q 4: Let me have attach of the picture of the item you want to sell for me Q 5: Do you able to accept cashier check or Personal check as a mode of the payment. Q 6: Will you be available when the shipping company will Be coming for the pickup? Q 7: Can we trust you on this transaction? Q 8: Can you send me your full contact information such as: Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Country: Regards.
sent to tamara1001s on 24-Nov-08 03:42 PM
GO FUCK YOURSELF, YOU STUPID, SCAMMING WHORE.
DISCOGS SELLERS DO NOT TOLERATE THIS KIND OF CONDUCT.
GO BACK TO FOOLING IDIOT EBAY SELLERS.
LOVE,
YOUR LORD AND MASTER
Sunday, November 2, 2008
I'm Only Stubborn Because I Love So Much
Dance Records dot com is no longer stocking new vinyl. They haven't been for the last four months. This means that resource is now gone, and I'm left with only Forced Exposure to get records domestically. But they don't keep up too well with a LOT of the latest and greatest techno releases, so I'm stuck with having to pay a shit ton for shipping charges to get imports from Juno, UK.
Most of the records I want are pressed in Germany. Most (but certainly not all) of the labels releasing the best techno are based there. Germany isn't stealing our artists. We're giving them away. There aren't enough opportunities here for upcoming artists to make an income from producing and dj'ing. So they move to Berlin. It's an inevitable decision for many U.S. techno artists. It's a trend.
If I could reduce my record collection drastically, how the hell am I supposed to move a couple thousand records overseas? I don't have the money for that. I have negative money.
And even if I did want to digitize all this vinyl and pretend I'm playing records with Serato--which I definitely don't want to do--the time and storage demands would be overwhelming. Yes, reduction of arms and elimination of the weaker records is possible, but that shit takes time. Time is money. And I don't have much of either.
Who does?
Detroit pioneers like Kevin Saunderson and Carl Craig have money. They can do what they want. They don't have to move to Berlin to survive. They get paid to fly there. What do you think they get paid for one gig after expenses? No less than five grand, I'm positive. And I've heard plenty of rumors that they often get ten grand or more. Being a (famous) dj can be great because you don't have to split that money with four other band members that annoy you, restrict your creativity, and give you herpes.
After spending a couple thousand dollars buying records from Dance Records in less than two years, they are cutting me off. I sent them an e-mail asking about the vinyl situation, and they didn't even bother to respond. Their customer service has been great. And now they're too embarrassed to respond to one of their best customer's inqueries.
They could have at least said, "Sorry, bro. Vinyl market in the U.S. is dead and we don't care enough to just sell a couple hundred records every week. You should move to Berlin."
Fuck you.
Most of the records I want are pressed in Germany. Most (but certainly not all) of the labels releasing the best techno are based there. Germany isn't stealing our artists. We're giving them away. There aren't enough opportunities here for upcoming artists to make an income from producing and dj'ing. So they move to Berlin. It's an inevitable decision for many U.S. techno artists. It's a trend.
If I could reduce my record collection drastically, how the hell am I supposed to move a couple thousand records overseas? I don't have the money for that. I have negative money.
And even if I did want to digitize all this vinyl and pretend I'm playing records with Serato--which I definitely don't want to do--the time and storage demands would be overwhelming. Yes, reduction of arms and elimination of the weaker records is possible, but that shit takes time. Time is money. And I don't have much of either.
Who does?
Detroit pioneers like Kevin Saunderson and Carl Craig have money. They can do what they want. They don't have to move to Berlin to survive. They get paid to fly there. What do you think they get paid for one gig after expenses? No less than five grand, I'm positive. And I've heard plenty of rumors that they often get ten grand or more. Being a (famous) dj can be great because you don't have to split that money with four other band members that annoy you, restrict your creativity, and give you herpes.
After spending a couple thousand dollars buying records from Dance Records in less than two years, they are cutting me off. I sent them an e-mail asking about the vinyl situation, and they didn't even bother to respond. Their customer service has been great. And now they're too embarrassed to respond to one of their best customer's inqueries.
They could have at least said, "Sorry, bro. Vinyl market in the U.S. is dead and we don't care enough to just sell a couple hundred records every week. You should move to Berlin."
Fuck you.
How is This Possible?
I did not buy any records last month. Not a single record throughout the entire month of October.
Which means I'll have to buy plenty this month.
Or not.
Which means I'll have to buy plenty this month.
Or not.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Resentment is a Bitch
I'm undergoing post-techno depression. This happens every time I return from one of those big electronic music festivals. This time it was Decibel in Seattle. Good times were had by all.
I do have some festival regrets, however. Like I didn't get to see any of the Opticals. Okay, so most of the performances didn't get rave reviews, but I would have liked to see some of them anyway. My absence from said Opticals was mostly due to the unfortunate overlapping of events. It makes me appreciate the Mutek method of scheduling the Nocturnes after the A/Visions are completely finished. This kind of programming basically says, "We will schedule events with enough time in between to catch a disco nap or grab some food and you won't have to miss anything because every artist we book is awesome and you don't want to miss a single minute." I prefer this approach. It's very confident. Like a great dj who knows that she/he can pull any record from that case and it's going to be killer. At Mutek, I got to see Biosphere perform live with mind-altering visuals and then hop, skip, and jump over to catch Polmo Polpo playing his euphoric nautical beats with those haunting slide guitar melodies.
Also, I missed seeing Stewart Walker perform live, which really pissed me off and was totally not my fault. I wanted to go earlier (before it was impossible to get in, regardless of any pass), but my twin soul forced me to wait for her. I still don't understand this one. I stated without any vagueness, "If I miss Steward Walker I'm going to regret it and I'll resent you." Was she trying to make me cry? Seriously. This loss will never be forgotten. What's worse, Madame Soulmate forced me to leave early before the festival was over. For no good reason other than...she had to leave early? Fuck if I know. I had to leave my front row seat at the Ambient Showcase to catch a bus to the airport. I missed the final performances as well as the Decibel afterhours. For no good reason. Again...resentment. I suppose I'll have to let go of this irritation eventually. That would be the healthy thing to do, after all. But for now, I'm a bit raw from being rubbed the wrong way.
By the way, I'm on a new program where I'm limiting the number of records I buy every month. Upon returning from Decibel, I stuck a post-it note to my computer:
October
Records
(Limit 20)
I do have some festival regrets, however. Like I didn't get to see any of the Opticals. Okay, so most of the performances didn't get rave reviews, but I would have liked to see some of them anyway. My absence from said Opticals was mostly due to the unfortunate overlapping of events. It makes me appreciate the Mutek method of scheduling the Nocturnes after the A/Visions are completely finished. This kind of programming basically says, "We will schedule events with enough time in between to catch a disco nap or grab some food and you won't have to miss anything because every artist we book is awesome and you don't want to miss a single minute." I prefer this approach. It's very confident. Like a great dj who knows that she/he can pull any record from that case and it's going to be killer. At Mutek, I got to see Biosphere perform live with mind-altering visuals and then hop, skip, and jump over to catch Polmo Polpo playing his euphoric nautical beats with those haunting slide guitar melodies.
Also, I missed seeing Stewart Walker perform live, which really pissed me off and was totally not my fault. I wanted to go earlier (before it was impossible to get in, regardless of any pass), but my twin soul forced me to wait for her. I still don't understand this one. I stated without any vagueness, "If I miss Steward Walker I'm going to regret it and I'll resent you." Was she trying to make me cry? Seriously. This loss will never be forgotten. What's worse, Madame Soulmate forced me to leave early before the festival was over. For no good reason other than...she had to leave early? Fuck if I know. I had to leave my front row seat at the Ambient Showcase to catch a bus to the airport. I missed the final performances as well as the Decibel afterhours. For no good reason. Again...resentment. I suppose I'll have to let go of this irritation eventually. That would be the healthy thing to do, after all. But for now, I'm a bit raw from being rubbed the wrong way.
By the way, I'm on a new program where I'm limiting the number of records I buy every month. Upon returning from Decibel, I stuck a post-it note to my computer:
October
Records
(Limit 20)
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