For Nerd Eyes Only

So, I get home tonight from our first preview of This Is the Week That Is (Come see it! It's great!) and begin the usual youtube surf session. As you may or may not know, if you cruise youtube long enough they will start suggesting videos for you to view. For tonight, I was given this:

So, you mean to tell me I can watch a show about science hosted by Jeremy Clarkson? Yes, please.

peace.

The McKellen School

Tonight, I'm going to spend some time writing (or at least, pondering) some material for my current project. Therefore, allow me to leave you with this.

Many people often ask me how I do what I do. This is about the best way I've heard it described.

:)

peace.

The Best Medicine

Here's the prequel to this post.

So, I've been preoccupied with laughter recently. I'm gearing up for a show with 1812 Productions, a theatre company here in Philadelphia that does nothing but comedic work. It's a frighteningly exciting prospect, especially because this show will be conceived and constructed by the company of actors who will also be performing.

I've never done this type of work before, and I'm incredibly eager to get started. Of course, I've watched stuff like The Daily Show or The Chapelle Show and laughed until I was blue in the face (which is especially difficult for me). And as I take it in, I'm constantly reminding myself of the levels of brilliance, awareness, and humility is takes to convert dense and weighty sociopolitical concepts into workable, repeatable humor. Jon Stewart describes it as "articulating an intangible". To witness someone grapple with these essential ideas of the human condition, observe the irony or absurdity in these ideas, and connect those aspects to almost non sequitur but oddly congruent bit of digestible and unexpected storytelling is a truly awe-inspiring experience.

Awe-inspiring, and infectious. In fact, try watching this without laughing. It ain't easy.

peace.

That's All Folks

Yup, this about sums it up.

I think my surprise of this video lasted about six seconds after it was over. Truthfully, this is by no means a secret to anyone paying close attention to the global political landscape. The only way to reach the summit of an economic mountain is by climbing over the dirty, misshapen crags at the base. It's called capitalism for a reason.

Who knows? This guy may turn out to be just another crackpot with a theory. But in all honesty, I just think he's being as direct and plain about things as he wants. With the amount of wealth he controls, he doesn't have much to fear.

*sigh*

peace.

The Very Top

I'm going gearhead tonight.

There was a brief period back in the early part of the last decade when Top Gear aired in the U.S. on The Discovery Channel. I distinctly remember stopping by to watch James, Jeremy, and Richard during many of my numerous channel surfing escapades. I was curiously drawn to their unique brand of British buffoonery added to their magnanimous praise or unrelenting criticisms of some of the world's most expensive and revered automobiles. Even though I was no where near the gearhead then that I am now (I was a late-bloomer.) I still found the show thoroughly entertaining. So I was a bit disappointed when it quietly disappeared from Discovery's line-up.

Fast forward to somewhere around early 2008. By now, I had developed an interest in muscle cars, motorcycles, and anything to do with internal combustion. I was working at Friendly Honda-Yamaha, a motorcycle dealership in Baton Rouge, as a parts/accessories guy. So I was inundated with all sorts of fascinating vehicular shenanigans. Much of my web browsing had to do with finding information on maintaining or modifying my 2000 Suzuki SV650 or watching videos of people in cars or on motorcycles doing dope stuff. I eventually found my way to streetfire.net, and you know how these things go. You click on one link, then another, then another until making a remarkable discovery. For me, this discovery was full length episodes of Top Gear!

Between then and now, I believe I've seen about 80% of Top Gear episodes available on streetfire.net. There are still a few seasons I've yet to get all the way through and some episodes are missing for one reason or the other. But if you are interested in having a good time watching middle-aged Brits goof off with $400,000 supercars or $2000 jalopies, go check 'em out. If you're reading this from anywhere but the United States, you probably already have.

peace.